Testing Downloads

This is a test post - I am trying to be able to add links to certain JPGs and PDFs that I have created in order for fellow gamers to view and subsequently download those files to aid in their games - I have had many requests for my Village of Hommlett maps, so would like to present these for all to use.

To begin with, here are test links to my two Dungeons and Dragons 1st Edition (AD&D) village maps. I have had a play and they seem to work for me, but I am wondering if there are other settings at my host site that may need to change to enable others to download them? Could some of you out there have a play and let me know if they work - I am aiming for the links to open the JPG files and display them for on-screen use but also allow them to be downloaded.

If you could leave comments below that would be most helpful. Here are the links (I will try to "pretty them up" at a later date as my skills at doing this grow)...

Hommlett

Nulb 

Many thanks.

 

 

 

Doggerland Session 6:36 (Dungeon Level 1)

Return to Castleford (25^th June 2014)

The Adventurers

Bow – Ranger

Cormac – Fighter

Johan – Cleric

Maximillian – Thief

Tarquin - Fighter

Theoderic - Fighter

Vox – Magic User

The Return of Maximillian and the Arrival of Tarquin - Moonday 22nd Hextember (day 83) – late morning

The late summer morning sun swiftly burned off the morning mists from the Imeryds Run as the exhausted party headed out of Nulb on their new found steeds. Vox had finally recovered from his magical efforts and was ready to travel again.

The road back to Castleford was sparsely occupied so the party made good time, despite the fact that only the fighters knew how to ride. The destruction of the pirate gang masters and their accomplices from Nulb and Castleford had made the roads much safer for travellers and caravans to travel upon in recent weeks. The torrent of bandit raids just a short time ago had dried up to a trickle now that their main headquarters at the moat house in the fens had also been destroyed.

The sullen guard at the South Gate of Castleford nodded the party through after the party explained that they were there to return their fallen comrade to life. They led their horses to the stables at the Talehangers’ Inn where they were met with great enthusiasm; Bow had spent a fortune here over the last few weeks and the pot boys and ostlers were eager to earn more tips for their services.

Once the horses had been stabled, the party headed for the main tap room to wash the dust from their parched throats. The bar was quite packed for the time of day and several groups of merchants and other adventuring types were present all around. The inn-keeper spotted the party straight away and attended to their every need; reserving the best rooms for Bow and his comrades, whilst putting Gull’s body in a place of honour in a side room.

Just as the party settled down to a hearty lunch, they spotted the arrival of one of their old companions; the thief Maximillian. They called him over and they caught up on old times whilst they made introductions between party members who had not met before. He explained that he had become a little jaded with small town Guild matters and needed a short break away from the stuffy confines of Abiswick.

On the far side of the room, a well-armed and armoured individual rose from his seat and made his way across to the party’s table. He introduced himself as Tarquin and that he was a sword for hire looking for adventure and treasure. The party eyed him warily but invited him to join them none-the-less.

Each of the party members had errands to run, so this was a good time for them to carry them out before they left for the Temple again the following day; an extra sword would be useful if they encountered any more combat. Bow whistled for the inn keeper and booked a room for their two new companions.

After he had paid over the necessary coins, Bow left the inn, grabbed his horse from the stable and set about town in order to see what he could achieve on his personal list of things to do. He sold the horse to Ernest, the horse merchant whom they rescued from the moat house, at a good price and enquired after a variety of other artisans and merchants who may be able to help him with his list of items. Ernest offered him the best advice he could and Bow went upon his way. He found the wizard that Ernest proposed and was able to get a few more of the party’s magical items Identified. Once he had completed these tasks he headed back to the Talehanger’s Inn in time for supper, an evening of heavy drinking and, after a luxurious bath a nice comfortable bed.

Cormac spent most of the day trudging around the town in pursuit of a particular type of magical sword; unfortunately there were none of that type of rare weapon to be found in this town. One or two merchants offered to look out for this particular type of sword for him and said they would contact him at the inn if they came across one.

Johan, after he had finished his lunch, took the body of Gull to the Temple of Woden in the artisan’s quarter. He asked whether the high priest could raise his companion from the dead and he was told that this was indeed possible. The priest of Woden was able to bring Gull back from the netherworlds but the cost was most of the contents of his coin purse. However, the thief still had several trinkets worth many a year’s work left on his person. When he came round from his ordeal he thanked Johan for his concern and said that he wanted to spend some time with his family to contemplate his future. He had died or been close to death on several occasions and had come to realise, rather belatedly, that adventuring was a dangerous pursuit. He said that he may join the party at a later date if he rediscovered his zest for danger. The cleric and thief shook hands and parted their ways.

When Johan returned to the inn he was greeted by the sounds of challenge from Vox. As he entered the courtyard he saw the little mage ducking and weaving away from a great sword held by the new fellow that had joined their party earlier that day. As Vox caught sight of the cleric, his attention wavered and he was clouted by the flat of Tarquin’s blade. Vox grumbled under his breath that clerics always seemed to ruin everything but realised that he was bleeding quite profusely so he scampered into the inn and declared to Tarquin as he passed him that he was good enough to join the party in his humble opinion.

The Old Crone - Tirsday 23rd Hextember (day 84) – mid morning

The party rose late the following day and slowly ate a large breakfast as they loaded their packs for the next stage of the adventure. Vox nursed a big headache and sported a large scab from the cut he got from Tarquin’s blade the evening before. Johan’s offer of aid was rejected by the suspicious magic user.

After all of their preparations had been made, those that had horses mounted up and followed their companions on foot towards the town gates. Just before they reached the end of the road, an old lady stepped out from the shadows of a nearby building and called for them to halt.

Cormac recognised the old crone as the one whom he had met in Nulb. Bow and Vox chose to ignore her and carried on travelling towards the gates; the rest of the adventuring party trailed on after them. The doughty fighter, however, chose to stop and see what she wanted.

After she had thanked him for stopping, she proceeded to offer him information about their quest if their intention was to head back to the Temple. She had been informed by the High Priest of the Temple of Sol Invictus in Castleford that the amulet they had gathered from Lareth, who had commanded the moat house until the party’s timely arrival, and stored safely under magical glyphs had been stolen. It would take a mighty mage or superb thief to manage that task. If past disturbances were anything to go by, then that third amulet would be used to open the third set of magically locked Temple doors at the next new moon in just five days’ time.

She then went on to mention that the fourth amulet was to be found within the Temple confines three levels down in a crypt that was consecrated in honour of Sol Invictus and was protected by strong dweomers. She also mentioned that the Golden Orb was also on the third level down but in a small side section of the dungeon. This was well protected by elements of the Temple but may be easier to find as it was listed on the map that the party had found in the tower within the Temple grounds.

Finally, she advised that, in a few days’ time, the Castleford garrison would be called out again to strike the final blow against the Temple in the hope that the upper levels could be cleared and the third amulet reclaimed.

Cormac thanked her for the information and rode to catch up with the rest of his companions who were by then out of the gates and had travelled past the leper colony in the cluster of hovels just outside the town walls. When he passed on all that he had learned, the party decided to get in before the Thuringians raided the Temple in order that they did not miss out on any potential treasure.

Return to the Temple – early afternoon

The party passed through Nulb on their journey back to the Temple via Nulb. The five horses between them carried those who wanted to ride and their heavy packs, but Bow decided to walk with Max and Tarquin now that he had sold his.

They made good time and after a brief break in their journey to water the horses they debated what they should do next. Johan and Tarquin suggested that they should go to fetch the Golden Orb first as it was contained within just a small part of the dungeon and most likely easy to find, but Bow argued that maybe they should plough on through the rest of the dungeon to get the fourth amulet and pick up as much treasure as possible before the Thuringians got their hands on it. A show of hands decided that they would continue on with the rest of the dungeon to grab the fourth amulet.

Reanimated Dead – late afternoon

Once they arrived back at the overgrown entrance to the Temple grounds, the party retraced their steps back to the elemental room. All along the way they saw the after effects of their actions above ground but there did not seem to be any other signs of movement from anyone or anything else other than carrion eaters.

They cautiously re-entered the Temple building above ground but again noticed that there were no signs of anyone having been there other than themselves.

They descended the wide stone steps down to the pyramid dais room of the earth elementals in combat readiness but encountered no resistance. It was only when they had crossed the chamber and spread out that they noticed that the bodies of the bugbears and gnolls they had dispatched a few days earlier had gone; but the bloodstains in the earth remained.

This caused a ripple of fear to spread throughout the party, so they readjusted their weapons and made ready for an imminent attack. Bow, braver than the rest, strode to the curtain beyond which the bugbears initially came and twitched it aside. The movement he encountered when the curtain was moved made him pull the drapery back further to reveal the reanimated corpses of those humanoids that they had previously killed. A rough growl from one of the bugbears showed which one was in charge as the zombies stumbled forward to engage the interlopers.

Tarquin, eager to impress his new found compatriots, made a bee-line for the living bugbear commander whilst Johan called upon the mighty powers of Balder to destroy the minions of evil. Two or three of the shambling corpses dropped to the floor again, bereft of their controlling shades, whilst the other fighters engaged in combat.

Again, the fact that the party had encountered these types of beings previously held no fear for them and they soon dispatched the zombies and their living bugbear commander with only a few scratches between them. Johan checked those that were injured for grey ooze that may have invaded their wounds, but no-one seemed to be infected.

Meanwhile, Maximillian, who was always keen to explore but avoid trouble, headed over to the other curtain. He was closely followed by Vox, whose curiosity was piqued. Max flicked a small glass marble beyond the curtain but only heard it ricochet off the far wall and ping around like a normal marble would upon a flagstone floor. Unsure whether he should pass beyond the curtain, he instead decided to set a small firetrap on the curtain. He warned the young mage, who was now breathing down his neck in his keenness, to avoid the curtain if he did not want to get hurt.

Just as Johan finished checking over the wounds of the others he looked up from his handiwork and noticed at the far end of the dark corridor the approach of a torch. Somebody had heard the earlier commotion and was coming to investigate.

Doggerland Session 3:24 (The Battle of Imeryds Run)

The Battle of Imredys Run (19^th March 2014)

The Adventurers

Bow – Ranger

Cormac - Fighter

Joan – Cleric (not present)

Johan – Cleric

Ryze – Magic User (not present)

Ulf – Fighter (NPC)

Vox – Magic User

The Waterside Hostel

A Mission to Nulb - Moonday 15^th Quinquember (Day 48) – early hours

The only sound that the party could hear as they made their way up river with their stolen skiff was the snuffling of nocturnal creatures. The full moon lit their way to the point just across from the landing jetty a few yards up river from the Waterside Hostel. The expected hammering and subsequent creaking and groaning that would ordinarily be made by the party that was constructing and then loading the trebuchets was hidden by magical means.

The adventurers knew they had about five minutes to get into position and had just enough light from the moon and the few lanterns dotted around the village of Nulb to make out their destination. They settled the boat into the water carefully and began to silently paddle across the Imeryds Run.  

They pulled up under a small jetty and alighted from the boat, and Vox, using his boatman skills, tied it with a slipknot that could be undone in a fraction of a second should the party wish to return that way. Bow led the way up the muddy bank and across the short strip of open land to the back of the Waterside Hostel. The rest of the party joined him swiftly and began to search for a way into the inn other than through the two sets of main doors situated on the main street.

Just as they made it to the inn, two balls of fiery destruction arced out of the trees down river and descended into the Imeryds Pool. From the sound of the impacts, one shot missed but the other flew true and struck the intended target of the pirates’ vessel. An alarm was raised and warning bells began to ring throughout the village in a steadily increasing circle like ripples on a pond.

Bow finally settled on a shuttered window that was pitch dark beyond the cracks around the frame. The rest of the windows had shown a splinter of light and so the rooms beyond were considered occupied. He levered up the window bar that held the shutters closed but the bar slipped and fell to the floor. He winced at the exaggerated sound but no movement appeared from within; perhaps the increasing amount of sounds coming from the outside had masked it he thought. Johan cast a Silence spell onto a small river pebble that would keep the party’s movements quiet for the next several minutes and the adventurers then followed Bow’s lead and clambered into the dark chamber beyond the opened window.

The room beyond the window was of a considerable size and full of barrels, sacks and bushels of foodstuffs. The only other features in the darkened room were a door in the wall opposite the window and a set of wooden stairs to the party’s left that led down to what they presumed must be a cellar.

Ulf took up position at the head of the stairs whilst Bow peered through the cracks in the door. As it was held in place only by a small latch he lifted it and peered within the low-lighted room. Beyond the doorway he saw that there were several tables that were still set with plates, tankards and what looked like the remains of meals and drinks from the night before.

He cautiously pushed the door open and entered the large common room. He spotted the barred main doors to the hostel to his left and an archway to his right that led through to more tables and what appeared to be a bar. He could also just make out the top of a staircase opposite as well as a small skylight in the centre of the room that ordinarily would have lit chandeliers hanging above it. It would also allow the occupants of the floor above to peer down into the common room.

The rest of the adventurers stealthily made their way across the common room and got their bearings. They noticed that behind the bar was another set of steps downwards that led to another (or the same?) cellar and a fine stone chimney took pride of place as a kitchen area because the skillets and pans that were used for bread making were still hung within it.

Bow made his way to the second set of entrance doors and noticed that they were wide open. The sounds of the attack on the village sounded louder here and he could see flames rose from the docks area to the north. He could definitely hear the tramp of heavy soldiers’ boots on the bridge just outside and then the clash of steel. He also spotted two enormous shapes emerge from the cover of an outhouse that were headed straight towards him. He let loose a couple of arrows at the approaching monsters and called for help. Unfortunately the Silence spell on the stone meant that the party could not hear him. Johan, luckily, was within a short distance of the ranger and saw what was happening so he threw the pebble off to the farthest corner of the room. Their cover was blown and the silence the spell provided would serve no further purpose.

Ogres Attack

The two hulking shapes that emerged from the shadows charged the door in which Bow stood. He drew his trusty sword and stood his ground against their onslaught. Now that the silencing stone had been cast aside, the rest of the party heard the sounds of a large amount of people stomping around upstairs, with orders barked and the clanking of weapons and shields being prepared. Ulf and Cormac swiftly made their way up the staircase to investigate. Ulf kicked open the door directly on his right at the top of the stairs but it only revealed an unused chamber with beds, bedding and other paraphernalia for an overnight stay in the hostel. Cormac tried to kick open the door to their left but it refused to budge as a result of his administrations. Ulf swiftly advanced to the door directly ahead from behind which he could hear the sounds of preparation for combat, whilst he left his companion to continue with opening his current door and another that the burly fighter had passed by.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the fight at the doorway to the hostel was at a stalemate; the ogres could not battle their way in but the ranger and Johan, the cleric, could not seem to hit them in return. Vox saw his opportunity and managed to skip past the combat and up the stairs to join his two warrior comrades.

The Missing Temple Troops

Just as he reached the top of the stairs he saw that Ulf had barged his way into a room at the end of the corridor and was battling several black-caped soldiers within. Ulf was totally surrounded and Cormac could not make his way in to help his compatriot, so Vox cast a Sleep spell to aid his fellow wolf-cloaked clansman. All of the men-at-arms fell into a swoon, but their leader still stood and kept Ulf on his toes.

The next moment, one of the other doors further along the landing area opened and another half-dozen or so Temple guards flew out at the party. Cormac stood his ground and tried to protect the mage from this new onslaught. Then, just a few moments after that door opened, so did the last door on this floor. The three adventurers upstairs were being swamped with Temple guards and although the two fighters did not overly worry too much, Vox got a bit scared and scarpered downstairs into the cover of the stone chimney stack so that he could quickly study his books.

The two ogres at the door became frustrated with being blocked by two puny humans so used their huge bulk to barge their enemies out of the way. Bow and Johan could do nothing but give ground to the two hulking brutes and realised that now the two beasts could attack simultaneously.

The combat upstairs went badly against the two fighters, but Ulf was trapped and could not make his way out of the predicament. Cormac answered Vox’s shout to get out of there when suddenly the whole hostel was engulfed in fire. The new Fireball dweomer that the lady Mathilde had taught the young thaumaturgist was set off to great effect. Vox had pointed to an area at the top of the stairs and the streak of energy exploded in a fiery flower of flame. Every man-at-arms except for the leader succumbed to the roaring flames, as did all of the combustible material on the first floor of the hostel. Unfortunately, Ulf was caught in the blast but managed to drop to the floor before he was too badly affected. Downstairs, there was a bit of a backdraft which made its way towards Vox but did not quite reach him. It also billowed down from the balcony above and into the common room where it set light to table cloths and wooden platters, as well as melting every candle in the room. Bow and Johan nodded their appreciation that the mage could at last do something useful to aid the party when they were in dire need.

Luckily, things also went badly for the ogres, as one of them was in the path of the back blast and the other was simultaneously attacked by the ranger and cleric. Both dropped to the floor dead within a few moments of each other.

Bugbears and Gnolls

Cormac quickly raced back up the stairs to make sure that his companion Ulf was OK and saw that he was still in a life and death combat with the leader of the Temple guards. As he did so, the door that the party had entered into the hostel through was kicked open and the familiar shape of half-a-dozen bugbears and gnolls filed through, waving their spiked clubs and flails at the two adventurers that they could see still standing on the ground floor.

Vox quickly emerged from the chimney stack, clattering pots and pans around him which drew the monsters’ attention. Their grins of certain victory at seeing an unarmoured human before them turned to howls of frustration as the Rope of Entanglement swept from the wizard’s hands to encircle them in a tight embrace. One gnoll, however, managed to avoid the magical device and began to saw at the bindings that encircled his fellow warriors. Bow saw his chance and leapt at the monster, cutting it down swiftly. Vox, his blood up at how effective he had recently been stepped into the melee and began to stab the bound creatures at random in his fury.

The Priest of Zuggtmoy

From upstairs came the yell of “Priest!” Johan swiftly made his way towards the stairs that led to the first storey, leaving Bow and Vox to finish off their tightly bound opponents.

As Cormac reached the central balustrade he heard the heavy step of a plate armoured cleric step onto the landing from the attic above. The black armoured cleric drew his favoured weapon and advanced upon the fighter just as he yelled his warning.

The priest of Balder made his way to the top of the stairs, hatred burning in his eyes at the sight that confronted him. To his right he heard the death of the last Temple guard and saw his companion Ulf race past him to join Cormac in combat with the sable-armoured cleric.

The two fighters tried with all their might to hit the evil priest but he just laughed at their feeble attempts. His armour glowed with protective magical dweomers and he held the two warriors at bay with ease.

Johan advanced towards the fight but just as he got there Cormac was Commanded to stillness by a magical spell. This gave time for the Priest of Zuggtmoy to use his magical staff to strike down Ulf in a flash of powerful energy. Johan cast a Hold spell back but this just bounced off the evil priest’s defences.

The priest then turned his attention to the cleric of Balder. Johan knew that the party was out-classed so yelled that everyone should leave the hostel and let the Thuringians take care of this troublesome opponent. He then swept passed Cormac and sprinted back down the stairs just in time to see the last of the bugbears brought to its knees. His conscience then got the better of him; he had seen one companion struck down and did not want to lose another. He strengthened his resolve and headed back to the combat after he called to the rest of his companions downstairs for aid.

The sight that struck him when he got back to the combat haunted his vision. Cormac was also struck down by the mighty power of the Staff of Striking and hit the floor in a heap. However, whilst the evil cleric gloated over the death of his two companions, Johan quickly administered a Cure spell which brought the fighter round just enough so that the pair could stumble back down the stairs to join the remainder of their small party.

Doggerland Session 3:19 (Nulb II)

The Village of Nulb II (12^th February 2014)

The Adventurers

Blaise – Druid

Bow – Ranger

Hallan – Fighter

Johan – Cleric

Maximillian – Thief

Paulix – Thief (Not present)

Ryze – Magic User

Ulf – Fighter

Vox – Magic User

Skirmish on the bridge of Nulb - Tirsday 23^nd Quattrober (Day 28) – late afternoon

Mud sucked at the boots of the small band of adventurers as they halted their advance further into the village. The sight of three growing bands of ruffians assembling in the near distance made them check their steps. The companions realised that it might be prudent to retreat to a place that they could easily defend and then escape from. They decided that the bridge offered the narrowest area for them to defend, so they quickly retreated to that position of relative safety.

The first motley band of ruffians to be ready advanced on them rapidly from the vicinity of the Waterside Hostel. Their leader full of self-importance puffed up his chest as the gang approached to within bow range of the bridge. The tough-looking leader demanded that the party explained themselves and ordered their surrender.

Johan stepped forward to parley and offered a small sum in recompense for the loss of the five guardsmen. The leader of the ruffians warned them that recompense was in order, but not just a paltry few days’ wages; the families of these guards would go hungry without their man to provide for them. Johan tried to placate the leader by offering some food but he was laughed at by the gathering throng. Whilst this parley continued, Bow spotted his chance and began to retreat from the conflict.

The leader of the ruffians smiled, his lips twisted his countenance to make him appear even uglier than was his usual mien. He held his hands out placatingly and suggested that Johan join him in the Waterside Hostel to discuss the situation like grown men. Johan accepted but the rest of the party realised that a trap was being baited for the cleric and implored him not to go. Hallan threw his spear between the conversants to lay down a marker that suggested it would not be suffered for it to be passed. It then took the main strength of Hallan to stop the goodly cleric from joining the ruffian leader in his lair.

As Johan was pulled back into the group safety of the party, a shower of arrows thunked onto the bridge causing an injury or two amongst the companions. The party backed up a little and formed their battle lines just as the second group of ruffians arrived. A brief conversation sparked up between the two leaders and the leader of the second group joined the first captain at the front of the ever growing band of ruffians.

The party had begun to get nervous by now and had started to retreat slowly back across the bridge, keeping their eyes firmly fixed upon their adversaries. Max, the new party thief, ducked under the bridge whilst Ulf downed his Potion of Invisibility. Blaise, a few paces behind the main party lines began to chant a spell. Meanwhile, Bow had made the safety of the trees beyond the village.

Just as Blaise’s dweomer began to work, the party spotted a newcomer to the conflict. Carried by an air of supreme confidence a tall figure in black plated armour and a full face helmet emerged from the Waterside Hostel. The armour bore the golden Eye insignia of the demoness Zuggtmoy upon its breast and a voluminous black cape flowing from his shoulders completed the outfit. More menacing though was the large mace in the figure’s right hand and the magically glittering staff in his left. The figure made a few mystical movements with his hands and he seemed to grow more powerful each minute he stood there.

Blaise’s magical conjuring forced an enormous amount of smoke to billow from a nearby hovel on the opposite bank of the river over the bridge to hide the party’s escape. However, the smoke did not hide the eight or nine figures that the party saw walk into the river a few dozen yards upstream from where they stood, nor did it hide the fact that a large ship was weighing anchor at the pool downstream. The denizens of Nulb were converging on the party from all sides, and that left the party little choice but to run for their lives.

As the smoke covered the party’s retreat, another shower of arrows whumped into the wooden floor of the bridge and they heard, through the smoke, the advance of many feet onto the wooden gangway. A large splash from within the depths of the smoke told Maximillian that his small trap had had its desired effect, and at least one of their pursuers had taken a tumble into the Imeryds Run.

Johan retaliated by casting a Silence spell in the hope that it would stop the enemy cleric from casting any further spells. The spell took affect and much of the noise of the multitude was deadened. However, it did not silence the servant of Zuggtmoy as they heard his voice yell out to his zombie horde to kill them.

The remnants of the companions on the bridge broke into a run along the mud-caked road, slipping and sliding as they went, but Johan and Hallan did not get away fast enough as they were temporarily halted by the small horde of living dead that had emerged from the river. They recognised that the zombies were the remains of the men-at-arms and trackers that the lords Rufus and Burne had sent to guard the east road into Staneford a few days earlier.

Johan called upon the power of Balder to turn these abominations away from him and his companions. The zombies cowered away from the righteous light that was emitted from Johan’s holy symbol. The party ran and joined up again deep in the woods, where they decided very quickly to return to Staneford with their news.

Return to Staneford – Wodensday 24^th Quattrober - mid-morning

A weary and footsore band of travellers trudged past the gleaming dome of the church of Sol Invictus. The overcast skies and drizzle sapped at their last reserves but they had made it to their destination without further incident. They had struggled through the shin deep mud all night, but at least the incessant rain had at last abated somewhat to a constant drizzle.

The spell casters made straight for the Plough and Stars Inn, where they washed up and fell straight into the welcoming softness of the feather mattress beds. The fighters, meanwhile, headed to the tower of their lordships Rufus and Burne to tell of their latest adventures. Throughout the interview, the warrior Rufus asked many questions about the strength of the Nulb defences whilst Burne instructed his scribe to record the salient points. Burne’s interest piqued when Bow made mention of the cleric of Zuggtmoy. Having gathered all the information they could from the weary travellers, the lords had them escorted back to the entrance whilst they bowed their heads in deep discussion.

The warriors followed their magic using companions to the Plough and promptly got cleaned up and fell asleep in their allotted rooms.

Several hours later, the party awoke fully rested and ready for a meal. The magic users stayed in their rooms studying their scrolls and spell books or prayed to their relevant gods for the granting of more divine power for the coming day. The warriors and thief made their way to the common room for some banter and a few beers. The inn was still relatively empty, so they spoke to the tavern keep, Ostler Gundigoot, who revealed that the harsh weather had slowed down the caravans and that had affected business. The repairs to the moat house had also taken the workmen from the tower (which was all but finished now anyway), as well as maybe half the men-at-arms that usually frequented the inn. That said, after the six o’clock bells, many villagers arrived to hear the party’s news and to wind down after a day toiling in the fields trying to save as much of their crops as possible, and the drinks began to flow.

A Debt Repaid - evening

Later in the evening, Calmert, the under priest from the temple of Sol Invictus up the hill, made his way through the busy tap room of the Plough and Stars and approached Vox at the party’s table. In his hand he carried a small scroll. He nervously broached the subject of the impending payment of the monies due for his healing from the grey ooze carried out by the priests at the temple in High Beeches. Vox, his dislike for clerics coming straight to the fore, point-blank denied all knowledge of the incident and angrily cast the cleric away from the table with a wave of his hand. Calmert left the inn.

The rest of the party tried to reason with the angry mage but he would have none of it. Bow, unnoticed by the rest of the companions, slipped from the table and made his way into Vox’s room to search through his packs as he knew that the little mage had a tidy sum squirrelled away somewhere.

About fifteen minutes later Calmert returned to the inn with two guards and Burne. He again asked Vox to consider his debt and waved the scroll at him. Vox, whose anger had returned at the sight of the cleric, began to argue again but Johan, fed up with the little mage’s tantrum, Commanded him to sleep. The magic user fell instantly asleep in his plates. The party were just about to explain that the monies would be forthcoming when Calmert, chuckling, unravelled the scroll and revealed that it absolved Vox of the fees due to the good works he had carried out in the fight against the Temple. The worshipful mage and his cohorts left with the under priest to go about their business.

Bow returned to the table with Vox’s savings and asked what was to be done with them. Hallan, quick off the mark, suggested that as the fine had been paid he would look after them until such time as the funds were required. A few minutes later, Vox came round from his magically induced slumber wondering what had happened. In his mind he had seen off the most powerful man in the village and got rid of the pesky priest too. His companions didn’t have the heart yet to tell him what had actually happened.

Several drinks later, the companions headed for their rooms in readiness for an early start the following day. Hallan, upon rising from his mead bench realised that the pouch had gone missing. Everybody scratched their heads wondering where the purse might have got to until Vox piped up from his room that he too was a pouch of gold down. It was at this point that the party explained their ruse and how they had hoodwinked their fellow mage whilst he had slept at the dinner table. Hallan quickly made his way to the village watchmen informing them of the theft of the pouch and its contents.

Mission to Castleford – Thorsday 25^th Quattrober (Day 30) – early morning

The adventurers awoke to the sound of water dripping from the eaves. No longer could they hear the constant patter of raindrops on the roof or window shutters. Unfortunately, the rain had not stopped completely but the current drizzle was a lot less insistent than the rain of the last month or so.

The party armed and prepared themselves for the journey ahead before heading to the common room to break their fast. A quickly eaten meal saw them on their way to Abiswick within just a few minutes. They hoped that they would be able to make the wayside inn that stood along the road before nightfall. Ordinarily the travel time would be no more than a day as the ox cart moves, but the weather had turned everywhere into a quagmire. Progress was very slow as a result.

The bird song they heard whilst they trudged along the quiet road did nothing to break the monotony of the journey. The cloying mud sucked at their every footstep and every footstep sapped their strength and their will to continue.

From the directions given by Gundigoot, they knew that they would not have to travel too much further for a rest when they passed the lightning struck old willow. Just as they made a collective sigh of relief that their journey was nearly at an end for the day, the growling of wolves was heard directly ahead. The companions barely had time to draw their swords before a large pack of a dozen hungry, wild eyed wolves, erupted from the undergrowth.

The warriors rapidly advanced to the front of the column whilst the mages prepared to cast some magic upon their attackers. Ryze thought the better of casting a lightning based attack as he realised that the water logged ground would take the magic not only towards the wolves but also back towards the party. Blaise, however, used his druidical powers to Entangle several of the rapidly approaching pack in rapidly growing brambles. The two mages decided that discretion would be the better part of valour, so cast protective spells upon themselves.

Meanwhile, the alpha male wolf had reached Bow who was on point and a savage fight ensued. However, the fight was very short lived as Hallan hacked down the pack leader with his great sword. A few of the smaller members of the pack noticed that their leader was down and that a few of their brothers were ensnared, so they turned tail and scarpered.

The hardier and hungrier wolves drove on at the party and a melee of tooth, claw and steel rang out across the dell. The superior armour of the warriors absorbed the majority of the damage from the wolves’ bites and claws, and soon the wolves began to fall one by one. During the melee, one particular wolf went down injured by a spell cast by Ryze and Vox ran in to dispatch it before it could get up again. This angered Blaise, his druidic nature forbade the killing of helpless animals, so he broke the wizard’s staff with a dweomer and explained the situation to him; a wolf can be killed in self-defence but not cruelly when it cannot defend itself.

The last of the fighting wolves were either killed or driven off after just a few minutes of intense fighting and the party breathed a sigh of relief at coming through the combat relatively unscathed. Bow and Maximillian made their way to dispatch the three wolves still Entangled but Blaise forbade them. If they wanted to make cloaks they would have to take the pelts from the dead ones only.