Bane the Barbarian – Session 2

DAY 2 (continued)

After completing a search of the mill and finding little of any significance, the others began to debate the wisdom of contacting the local authorities. There was some concern that if we failed to do so we might be incriminated, and that those who did not appreciate what was really going on might think we were simply murderers.

For my own part, I doubted that the locals would be of any assistance. In fact it was far more likely that they would prove to be a hindrance, but I did not fancy being hunted as a criminal either. It appeared that we had enough troubles as it was.

Eventually Tangrel and Ichabard declared that they were going to fetch Elmo, the Captain of the local militia, and together they set off to find him.

However, as it turned out, finding him was less difficult than they had imagined, since when Tangrel opened the door, Elmo and a dozen members of the militia, were outside waiting for him … or more accurately for us.

“Halt there! Do not attempt to draw a weapon or begin to cast otherwise I will have to take action that you might regret. Place your weapons on the floor and slowly come out of there”, Elmo ordered.

At this point it seemed that claiming we were just on our way to fetch him, was suddenly somewhat lacking in credibility.

Some days you just can’t catch a break!

I was prepared for us to fight our way free if need be, and the militia didn’t stand a lot of chance against us, but it would not have helped our cause to do so.

Tense moments followed but in the end we grudgingly allowed ourselves to be escorted under armed guard to the nearby keep.

Some time later, after explaining our actions at length to the masters of the keep, we were released.

The fact that the canoness had been present and had used her magic to ensure we were being truthful had gone some way to convincing the administration that our intentions were honourable. However, as predicted I left with the distinct impression that the locals were at best sceptical of our claims and would be of little assistance to us in the days ahead.

DAY 3

The next day, Tangrel, Rae and Muratis declared that we would be returning to the moat-house, which they had partially cleared before Ichabard and I had arrived. Apparently the job there had not been completed. There were some tunnels they had not fully charted, and an opening at the bottom of a deep well that led down into the darkness. The latter had been plugged rather than explored and it was their intention to see if anyone had attempted to break the seal and reopen it since they had been there.

Easy enough you would imagine, but something about Tangrel’s description of the place gave me the shivers. Perhaps it was just that I had been unnerved by the events of the previous day but I could not help feeling that the Dark One was near.

We set out early and a few hours after breakfast we reached the entrance to a secret underground passage that my companions had used to exit the moat-house the last time they were there.

Once again Tangrel took the lead, light from his magical shield illuminating the dank, dark tunnel ahead.

A short while after we reached our goal.

Dark water had filled the well to its rim. Testament to the fact that somewhere below, the stone plug remained in place and the opening to whatever lay beneath was still sealed.

Yet there was an unmistakable chill there that was more than just the damp air. Goose bumps appeared on my flesh as we approached it, and I could not escape the feeling that we stood over a dark chasm. I did not like it there.

My companions seemed satisfied, but there were definite signs that someone had been there. Telltale marks on the floor showed where a heavy statue had been removed. The others remembered it being there the last time they came. After a brief discussion it was decided we should follow. There were enough scrapes and scuffmarks that I could track the statue’s progress and it was felt that if it was important enough for the cultists to retrieve, it needed to be destroyed.

For my own part, I was also glad that this course of action would take us away from the well and the evil that I sensed below.

Following the path the statue had taken, we passed through the darkness and emerged back into the light. Outside the moat-house, deep ruts in the earth were evidence of a cart that had been used to transport the statue from there. The tracks were many hours old, so the cultists had a significant head start, but the cart would be moving slowly and there was still a good chance we could overhaul them.

The tracks led us back toward Hommlet before veering off to the west. Where they turned there were indications they had stopped for a while. Footprints from the town suggested that someone had met them there. But for what purpose we could not tell.

We had made good time and were gaining on them. The pursuit continued.

For most of the day we followed them, along a course that took us ever more unerringly toward the distant mountains. Until, late that afternoon, we caught up with them in a small valley amongst the rolling foothills.

The six men with the cart were obviously taken by surprise when we charged over the rise toward them, urging our mounts into battle. But we had some distance still to cover so they were not totally unprepared for our attack. Streaks of magical energy flashed past and impacted the cart as Muratis let loose with a spell of some kind. It seemed disproportionally spectacular for the effect it had on the cultists, who appeared little more than shaken.

Tangrel and I outpaced our companions and were first to fall upon our enemies, Rae having lagged behind due to the huge quantity of metal armour her war-horse was hefting around. I quickly discovered our adversaries were tougher than they appeared however and as a consequence of being outnumbered I took a couple of good hits at the outset. But I was keen to make amends for my failure of the previous day and I shrugged off the effects without difficulty. I swung my sword vehemently and felt it bite deeply into one of the cultists. The thrill of battle coursed through me and for a brief moment it felt good to be engaged in combat once again. Then without warning my body was gripped by some unseen force and I was no longer able to move.

“Bugger”, I thought, “Just typical”. It stank of magic. “I hate f***ing wizards”.

I think I took a couple more blows at this point and was relieved when my horse shied away from the cart taking me out of range. The paralysis appeared to be a temporary effect however, for almost immediately I was free again. I did not know what was happening but I had identified the likely culprit. One of the cultists was waving his arms around and mumbling a lot, which in my limited experience of such things is always a good indication of which one the wizard is. Rapidly regaining control of my mount I spurred it toward him. Once again I felt the sting of my enemies’ blades as I closed, but I ignored them. I was intent on the wizard. He would not be casting spells for much longer if I had anything to do with it, and his death was not going to be pretty. Had I mentioned that I hate f***ing wizards?

His eyes grew wide as I brushed aside the swordsmen and bore down on him. He was mumbling and gesturing frantically as I drew back my blade. “Too late Mr. Wizard” I grinned, and then everything shifted and I was no longer there.

I cannot speak of what happened. All I can tell you is that no mortal should ever see the visions that I saw.

When I came to I was lying on the ground by the cart and the battle was over. Once again I was a little shaken and both my pride and my body were wounded. I stayed there for a while reflecting upon the sudden abundance of magicians in the region. Things were not going quite as I had planned. I wondered if wearing a helmet might make the spells less effective but it didn’t seem all that likely.

While I lay on the ground, Tangrel used his own magic to destroy the statue, and the others debated the purpose of a large empty cage that the cultists had also been carrying in the cart.

After a little while the light began to wane and we gathered our things and set off on the long road back to Hommlet.

Thus ended the third day.