Date in Real Life: Sunday, 9 October, 2022
In Game Day: Shta’im, the 13th of Sawol
Player Characters:
Starflower the Lion Warrior (with Regulus the Lion) (24th mission).
Edward the Knight of the Way (Forest) (22nd mission).
William the Bear Knight (with Bill the Bear) (26th mission).
Philip the Overlord’s Guard (25th mission), riding his horse, Johny.
Hector the Renewer, on his 12th mission.
A quick one day rest after their most recent excursion to the Bahanen Islands, the team loaded up with fresh supplies, and made their way back to the Dark Moor region.
“So, do we just wander around looking for where the dagger came from?” Starflower asked.
Hector looked at her, confused. “You said the king of Hoyde gave it to you guys. Why don’t we go visit the king of Hoyde and ask where he got it from?”
“Right, that would make sense,” Starflower agreed.
The team made their way back to Hoyde. They were met by their friend, SubSubTraction the guard. They learned from him that the dragon had attacked the city some time the previous week, destroying the docks and all the ships in the harbour. They also learned that the army had still not returned from their mission to fight orcs in the valley. The king was getting worried.
They made their way to the palace complex and sought an audience with the king. Before they went inside, a young boy came along and admired Philip in his armour. “Are you a knight?” he asked Philip. “Are you going to be in the tournament?”
“Tournament?” Philip echoed, his attention piqued.
“Yeah, the one in WacoWacoShire.”
“When is this tournament?” Philip asked.
“Next week,” the palace guard supplied.
A smile broke across Philip’s face. “Yes, I plan to be in the tournament.”
The king only remembered that the dagger came from his treasury, and thought it might have been a gift from someone. He sent them to the scribe, ScribbleScribbleScratch to search the archives.
They spent the next couple of ticks waiting as the scribe searched the archives. At last, he found a document that said it was a gift from merchants of Badun. At the blank stares from the team, he showed them a quick map of the area. Badun was a village on the road between Hoyde and WacoWacoShire. They noticed that CremCremCare was on the other side of the river.
As they came back into the throne room, a messenger arrived with a carrier pigeon. The pigeon had a message from Badun, asking for assistance from some evil. The message was messy and hard to read, so they were not able to figure out what the danger was. The king felt they were unable to help, since the army had still not returned, so they had no one to spare. The team volunteered to check it out, since they were “heading that way anyway.” The king expressed concern, since the road was not safe to travel these days, due to bandits. The team seemed confident that they would be able to meet any challenges they faced.
The team set out late morning on the forested road to Badun. They stopped to eat lunch on the trail, and continued.
They came across a bear cub. The team tried to be careful, but a mother bear came charging out of the bush, not too impressed. Starflower used her Converse with Animals ability to calm the bear down, and reassure her they meant no harm to her or her cub. Bill the Bear also added words of reassurance. The team skirted around the cub and continued on the trail. The mother bear watched them warily, but left them alone.
They eventually encountered a man by a broken down wagon. They offered to help him fix his wagon wheel.
William sidestepped over to Edward and whispered, “something’s fishy, here,”
Edward nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, “yeah, I thought so, too. Stay sharp.”
“So, where are you from?” Philip asked.
“Badun,” the man answered. Edward thought he heard a twig snap, and turned his head to squint into the bushes.
“Oh, yeah? What’s in the wagon? Are you a merchant?” Philip asked. He must have been thinking of the elder dagger. Maybe they could gain another clue.
“Yes, I’m a merchant. As for the wagon, it’s just this and that.” Edward’s eyes narrowed. A vague, non-committal answer. It could have been branches under the tarp, made to look like merchandise.
Philip pulled out the dagger. “Ever seen this before? We’d like to know where it came from.”
“No, but I’ll gladly take it from you,” he replied. The hair on the back of Edward’s neck stood up on end. Something was wrong.
“Haha, no. We’re not trying to sell it.”
“I don’t think you understand,” the man answered. He reached into his wagon and pulled out a crossbow, pointing it at Philip. “I said I’ll gladly take it. Along with any other valuables you might be carrying. That goes for all of you,” he raised his voice.
Edward’s swords were in his hands instantly, and he saw William ready with his daggers. Then he saw them. Bandits started appearing out of the bush. He spun around. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. He counted twelve bandits. They were surrounded.
“You heard him,” one of the bandits stepped forward. “This road is closed by order of Arosh, Lord of the Woods. Please turn over all of your cash and cash equivalents and then go back the way you came.”
“And if we refuse?” Philip asked defiantly.
Maybe I can persuade these foes, Edward thought. “Why?” he asked boldly, praying that the Overlord would enhance the impact of his words. “Why is the road closed?”
The leader of the band hesitated, his sword wavering uncertainly.
“Why would Lord Arosh order the road closed?” Edward asked again.
“Because Lord Arosh has had his sceptre stolen by forest trolls,” he finally answered.
“What if we fetched this sceptre for Lord Arosh? Would we be allowed to pass?”
This was met with laughter. “Apparently you’ve never seen a forest troll!” one of them mocked.
“Yes we have,” Philip said, pulling out some of his troll claws. “We have met and killed many trolls. We are troll slayers.”
This silenced the bandits.
“It appears I misjudged you. Perhaps you will come with me to meet Lord Arosh?”
“Happily,” Edward replied.
The bandits led them off the road and northward into the forest. Edward noted that they kept them surrounded and kept their weapons ready. The bandits didn’t trust them.
At last, they arrived at a clearing.
“Looks like a grim village,” William murmured, “but bigger.” There were tree houses, rope bridges, cooking fires, and people here and there.
“That’s him,” the bandit said, pointing to a man leaning against a tree, sharpening a stick with a large knife.
The bandits brought the team to the man.
“Arosh, Lord of the Woods, I bring you visitors,” the bandit said.
Arosh looked up for a moment, then looked back down at his stick. “Why are you bringing me visitors, Vincys? We don’t kidnap or take prisoners.”
“My apologies my Lord. They are troll slayers.”
Arosh looked up at Vincys the bandit. “Troll slayers, you say?” He then looked at the team. Philip pulled out the troll claws again and showed them.
“Recruits for our band of merry men, then!” Arosh laughed. He threw the stick down beside him, pointy end in the dirt. He sheathed his knife behind his back. “It so happens that we have a troll problem.”
“That’s what they told us,” Edward nodded.
“I am Arosh, Lord of the Woods! But a pretender of a forest troll is trying to set himself up as Lord of the Woods. He even stole my sceptre.”
“Does this sceptre have powers?” Philip asked, awed.
Arosh scowled, as if irritated by the question. “No, it is simply a gnarled branch of oak. But it is a symbol of my authority. The fools think they diminish my power and elevate their own by stealing a mere symbol. They are wrong of course, but never-the-less, I want the sceptre back. I am the true Lord of the Woods, and will not be overthrown by such a childish act.”
“You have not tried to take it back yourself?” Philip asked.
“They’re forest trolls. My men could be killed,” Arosh said. “I would not send them to their death for a mere stick of wood.”
“If we volunteer to retrieve your sceptre, will you let us pass through the woods unhindered?” Edward asked.
“Just for volunteering? No, you’d have to succeed,” Arosh said.
“Of course. We will retrieve the sceptre, in return for our safe passage,” Edward amended.
Arosh looked at them. He eyed their weapons. He looked hard at Bill and Regulus for a moment, as if noticing them for the first time.
“Very well, we have a deal. ERNAM!” he yelled this last word over their heads at the camp.
Evidently it was the name of one of the bandits, for a young man came running over.
“Yes, my Lord?”
“Ernam,” Arosh said, “you are to be a guide for these visitors of ours. Take them to the forest troll camp.”
Ernam gulped. “Uh, the forest troll camp?”
“Yes. They claim to be troll slayers and have volunteered to retrieve my sceptre. Take them there, and watch to see what happens. Whether they succeed or die, come back and let me know.”
Ernam tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, as if thinking “well, okay, you all are going to die, but I’ll bring you there if that’s what you want.” Out loud, he said, “Yes, my Lord. Right this way, troll slayers.” He led them to the edge of the camp and then set off northeast.
Edward hung back with Hector as the team followed. “I think Lord Arosh is under a forest troll power hungry enchantment,” he whispered.
Hector grunted as he tripped over a root. “Now that you mention it, that explains a lot.”
Edward sped up, moving past William and Bill the Bear, back to the front where Ernam was chatting with Starflower and Philip.
“The Holy Spirit?” Ernam was saying in response to something. “Yes, we all know about the Holy Spirit.”
“The Overlord is with us,” Philip said, trying the official Keledan greeting.
“Yes, all the time,” Ernam responded. Edward saw Philip glance at Starflower. It was the wrong response. Ernam wasn’t Keledan.
“Yes, the Overlord of Many Names. We know all about him. He uses the Holy Spirit to accomplish his will.”
“Uses?” Starflower echoed.
“Sure. If the Overlord is the noun, then the Holy Spirit is the verb. It’s the name for the Overlord’s active power in the world.”
“No, the Holy Spirit is part of the Overlord,” Starflower said.
“Where did you go to chapel?” Ernam said, stepping over a fallen birch tree. “If I jump onto this rock, here,” he jumped onto a rock, “then the act of jumping is like the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Overlord’s active force in the world.”
“What?” Philip asked, leading his horse around the rock. “You’ve got it all wrong. The Holy Spirit is another name for the Overlord. He guides and protects us.”
“From trolls?” Ernam asked.
“Yes, even from trolls,”
“I’d love some of the Holy Spirit’s protection. Like a shield. Or if I could use the Holy Spirit myself. Imagine, with a gesture of the hand, I could throw that tree aside.”
“May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” Philip said, quoting the sacred scrolls.
“Who said anything about money? Ernam said. “I just said I wanted the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“You make it sound like magic,” Starflower mumbled.
“Oops, careful,” Ernam climbed over a large fallen tree. By the time the team made it over or around the tree, the conversation had died off.
A few minutes later, Ernam announced, “Here we are. The forest troll camp is just up ahead. I will stay here and wait for you.”
“How can you tell?” Starflower said, looking around. “It’s just more trees, like we’ve been seeing the whole time.”
“No, no. This is a unique part of the forest,” Edward said.
Starflower looked at him.
“Every part of the forest is unique. You can tell. The trees, the contours of the land...”
“If you say so, Knight of the Way,” Starflower said.
“Glad you’re with us,” Hector said to Edward.
Ernam sat down on a mossy rock to wait. The rest of the team crept forward.
“I see the camp,” Edward said. He could see three single-storey log cabins, of typical Forest Troll construction. There were two goblins guarding the doors at each of the three cabins. Six goblins in total. All looking bored.
“If Regulus and I go around to the left,” Starflower started saying. Edward was hesitating between his swords and his sling.
“There’s a really easy way to get rid of goblins,” Hector commented. “The Master of All WordRune.”
“Right. I knew it was a good idea to bring you along,” Starflower said.
Philip cleared his throat and prayed. “Psalm 24:1. The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; Psalm 24:1.”
Three of the goblins vaporized into a pool of fungus. The other three were suddenly alert.
“Iegz? Srikx?” the goblins called in their squeaky voices, gripping their weapons. “Where’d you go?”
Starflower took a step forward and boldly declared, “Psalm 24:1. The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; Psalm 24:1.” The remaining three goblin guards vaporized as well.
“So much for the goblin guards,” Edward said.
“COME OUT AND FACE US!” Philip hollered.
“What are you doing?” Starflower whispered urgently.
“Calling them out,” Philip replied, gripping his lance.
“Thanks, no time to plan,” Starflower bit out, “Regulus, we’re going left.”
“I’m with you,” Hector said, following Starflower.
The door to the center log cabin burst open, and a tall green forest troll looked out. Starflower thought she smelled a bit of smoke on the breeze.
“Trudd, I smell horse!” the troll bellowed. He disappeared back inside, then came out a moment later with a large bow and arrow ready. A second troll followed him, also armed.
Starflower gestured to the others. “William and Bill, flank to the right with Edward. Philip, you stay put.”
“By myself?” Philip asked.
Starflower glanced at Philip, clad from head to toe in armour, his horse also covered in metal. “You’re Philip. You’ll be fine. Plus, they are hunting your horse. Stay in the middle so we can outflank them.”
“They look like they’re trying to outflank me right now,” Philip said, eyeing the clearing. The two trolls had split up as they came around the central camp fire. One on the left, the other on the right.
“See anything, Durk?” the second troll called out.
“Yes, I see it!” the first troll, Durk, called out. Both trolls raised their bows and fired at Philip’s horse.
Philip spurred his mount forward out of the trees. Johny the horse screamed as one of the arrows pierced its armour.
GO! Starflower telepathically commanded Regulus.
Regulus and Bill charged in from opposite directions at the trolls. Edward, William and Hector fired stones with their slings, while Starflower sent an arrow.
“Freljord! Demacia!” Durk hollered, dropping his bow when a stone smashed into the back of his hand.
“Mom! Dad!” Trudd yelled. Both trolls turned to run back to the cabin.
Philip spurred Johny and leaned into a charge. His lance took down Trudd. Bill leaped on top of the troll and bit him in the back of the neck.
Regulus pounced on Durk and tore at his flesh.
Two down. How many more were there?
Two more trolls came out of the central cabin. One male, one female. They had antler crowns on their heads, and bear skin robes.
“What is going on, here?” the male bellowed. “I, Freljord, Lord of the Woods, command this foolishness to stop!” The troll threw a small pouch of some sort into the central fire. A large puff of smoke billowed out. “Behold my majesty!” Freljord called out. “I rule the woods, and will not be insulted like this. Join me! Bow the knee to my rule!”
“Never!” Philip yelled and spurred Johny to charge at the two new trolls. Regulus and Bill ran at them as well.
Starflower was startled to see Hector kneel down. “I would like to join!” Hector called out.
“Hector!” Starflower hissed.
“What?” Hector asked, “Isn’t this a magnificent kingdom?”
“No! We are not to seek power here on earth! The Overlord has all the power, and we serve him!”
“But...”
“The sacred scrolls command us not to lord it over others. We serve one another in love. The Overlord has all the power.”
Hector gave his head a shake. “Whoa. You’re right, I...” he was rising to his feet.
Mistress! Starflower turned her head quickly back to the battle, not knowing why. She was just in time to see Regulus go down. Freljord had struck an impressive blow against the lion.
“Regulus!” Starflower screamed. She was vaguely aware that Philip and Bill had taken down the queen with back up from Edward and William, but Regulus had been fighting the king alone. All she could see was Regulus lying motionless on the ground. Her vision was clouding with red. And tears. She readied an arrow and fired it at the hated troll.
“Overlord! Help Regulus!” Hector said, dropping his sling and kneeling on the ground, his hands raised in supplication.
“He’s alive!” Starflower realized, still feeling the connection. “I think. In a coma, perhaps!” she had her next arrow ready and fired it angrily at the troll.
Philip was shaking the heavy queen’s body off of his lance. The troll struck Bill, knocking the bear back a few paces.
“Overlord, spare Regulus’ life!” Hector implored.
Philip got his horse turned around and charged at the last troll, just as Starflower sent another arrow flying. Bill rose up to his full height and mauled the troll, bringing it to the ground. Philip leaned over in his saddle and stabbed the troll repeatedly while it was on the ground, until it did not move any more.
“Regulus!” Starflower ran forward. She grabbed her lion around the neck and hugged it fiercely. Hector skidded to a stop right beside her and laid his hands on Regulus’s side.
“Isaiah 53:5,” Hector prayed, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5.”
“Regulus, you can’t die. Not here. Not like this,” Starflower felt the tears flowing.
“I’m so sorry,” Hector said, “if I hadn’t fallen under a sin enchantment, we wouldn’t have been distracted, and...” Hector stopped talking. “He’s breathing! He’s alive!”
Regulus’ eyes fluttered open.
“Regulus!” Starflower gushed, squeezing him tightly.
“Ow,” Regulus said.
“I found the sceptre,” Edward announced somewhere from behind Starflower.
“Based on the beds in the other cabins,” Philip reported, “I’d say there’s two more trolls and at least twelve more goblins to worry about. No telling when they’ll come back.”
“Can you get up? It isn’t safe here,” Hector asked Regulus gently.
Regulus struggled to his feet and Starflower and Hector helped him hobble out of the clearing. Once they were in the woods, Regulus flopped down on the ground again.
“How is everyone else?” Hector asked.
“Both Johny and I could use some attention,” Philip admitted.
“That troll hit me pretty hard, too,” Bill said.
“I’m fine,” Edward said.
“I’m fine, too,” William said.
Hector spent the next few minutes passing around oil of healing, using his med kit and praying over Bill’s wounds.
Ernam came up. “Whoa, you guys look a little banged up.”
“Here is your sceptre,” Edward said, shoving the stick at the bandit.
“Aren’t you coming back to present it yourselves to Arosh, Lord of the Woods? He may reward you!”
“Tell him to keep his rewards. We just wanted safe passage through the forest,” Edward bit out.
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure,” Starflower said darkly. Regulus gave a low growl.
“Okay, then. Farewell,” Ernam took the sceptre and left them.
“Do you know where to go?” William asked Edward.
Edward nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure of the scale of that map we saw, so I don’t know exactly where Badun is, but if we head south by south east, we should be back at the road in about two ticks, and Badun should be east of us.”
“Not west?” William asked.
“No, that’s why I said south by south east. If we went straight south east, we might overshoot it. It’s called aiming off. We deliberately go on a bearing that will bring us to a point in the road that we know which way to turn when we come to the road.”
“Smart,” William said.
“Just let me know when you guys are ready to go,” Edward said, glancing at Starflower and Regulus.
Starflower stroked Regulus’ mane. I wasn’t ready for you to go, Regulus, she thought to her lion. That was too close for comfort. I don’t know what I’d do without you.
I wasn’t ready to go, either, m’lady. Don’t worry. I’m still here.
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