Aegon leads his troupe to the Cloakwood Forest in pursuit of Tazok. Tazok’s role in the Sword Coast Conspiracy is as yet unclear, but one thing Aegon knows is that in finding Tazok he will be one step closer to finding Gorion’s killer.
5 Eleasias 1368
The Cloakwood is half a day’s travel from the Bandit’s Camp, east across the Coast Way and to the north of the Lion’s Way and my home. On clear days I could see it on the horizon from the battlements of Candlekeep. Trees stretching out from the coast toward Baldur’s Gate. I never imagined I would ever travel into that dense canopy.
Now I am leading my companions to that very place, in pursuit of the man who murdered my father. We make our way through the wilderness unhindered. The odour of rotten flesh travels in the wind, getting stronger as we the trees get nearer. The thought of yet another necromancer hiding in the forest crosses my mind.
It wasn’t clear exactly when we entered the forest. At some point we just realised we were surrounded by the trees. Sunlight still penetrates the leaves, and there are still clearings here and there. As we wander into the trees we are stopped by an elven woman, her bow taut and aiming at my head.
She has no chance against us if she looses that arrow, but I don’t see the need for violence just yet.
Aegon: We are the group of Aegon and looking for bandits.
She pauses for a second, looking us up and down. Khalid slowly reaches for his Varscona, but I place my hand on his shoulder and shake his head. Eventually she seems to trust us, or at least realise she is outnumbered six to one, and lowers her bow.
Aphriel: The name Aegon is well known to me. Well, I think I will believe you for the moment. To be honest I could even use your help.
Aegon: What troubles you? Tell us.
She lets out a sigh.
Aphriel: I’m looking for my son, Perwell. Bandits have kidnapped him.
Aegon: Do you have a guess where he is?
Aphriel: The Iron Throne’s raiders have a base somewhere in the forest. I guess they keep him trapped there.
Aegon: What a crime! We will help you.
Aphriel: May the gods bless you, good man. I shall pursue my own search. We will meet at the Friendly Arm Inn when you have found anything.
The Iron Throne. Ender Sai suggested they were behind the conspiracy when we rescued him from the bandits. If they truly have a base here in the forest then he must be right about them. Why they would kidnap an elven boy I am not so sure.
The mother leaves us to continue her search deeper into the forest. She moves swiftly and we quickly lose track of her. We continue into the trees and the stench of death becomes unbearable. White can’t take it anymore.
Jaheira: For all the trees of Cloakwood! What a stench!
Khalid: I must admit that it d-doesn’t smell very nice.
Jaheira: Doesn’t smell very nice?! You’re being way too delicate, Khalid.
Aegon: Where is it coming from?
White: It must be something here…
Oh…
I think I found the source of the smell.
I see him holding his rucksack open, his cheeks slightly flushed.
Aegon: And? What is it?
White: I know it may seem ridiculous but something died in my pack. Literally. It must have gotten into my rucksack last time we set camp. And.. I think it is – or rather was – a hedgehog…
He reaches into his pack and he retches as he pulls out the rotten corpse.
White: By Torm’s guts, it’s definitely the source.
Aegon: Poor thing. It must have suffered.
White: And now we do.
He hurls it into the trees.
White: I really hate that kind of surprise.
Aegon: Understandable.
White: Let’s just move on. Gods, I think I’ll need a new pack…
Eh, what’s worse, it’s not the first time something like that has happened! Well I didn’t find a dead hedgehog in the pack. It happened like a month after I have left the temple, in Athkatla. In Copper Hornet… Or maybe it was Cornet…
Aegon: What happened there? I doubt anything would get into your bag on its own. Not in a tavern.
White: No, not on its own. Someone helped it – and it was already dead.
But let me start from the beginning.
I was after days of march, and when I finally reached Athkatla, I thought I would stay in a nice warm tavern, but – only demons know why – there were no free beds anywhere but in the Copper Cornet. Having no choice, I stayed.
Before sleep I’ve decided to have a pint and then he came – a gnome. Domgol, I think. Or Gomdol… Gomogo – let’s stay with “gnome”. He offered me to play a card game. Both of us put a small sack of coins on the table and then we played.
We were changing the bids and an hour later, I won.
He didn’t seem to be angry at all! He said that it was quite thrilling to play with me, congratulated me and left. I put the sacks back to my pack and went to bed.
When I woke up, I felt a really horrible stench, but I ignored it thinking that it might have been the natural smell of that den. When I was to pay my debts, I opened the sack and… I found out there were just some metal crap and… a dead rat. I checked the other sack – metal crap and a pear.
Aegon: You must have been furious!
White: Oh, I had to pay some extra coins, as I destroyed one of the tables. Luckily, I had my very last sack of copper and silver coins. If he took that one, too…
But finally I left Athkatla and promised myself that I will never EVER visit the Copper Hornet.
Aegon: Understandable. I think I would make a similar promise.
White suddenly becomes animated again, shaking his head as he leaves the memory and snaps back to the present.
White: Yeah. However, we’ve had some nice time talking, but now it’s time to get some work done. Let’s smash some heads.
Yes, let’s. But first we need to find some heads to smash. As we delve deeper into the canopy of the forest I hear White talking to himself.
Is he talking about the drunken priest? How does he know him? And why is he muttering about him out here? I’ll have to keep an eye on the barbarian. He may have taken a few blows to the head.
My thoughts are interrupted by something moving in the forest. A small, hairy, goblinoid-looking creature that’s almost naked. It’s holding a spear that seems too long for it, but when it’s cat-like eyes see me it lowers the weapon, readying a charge.
I call out to the others that tasloi are around while I load a bullet into my sling. Khalid strikes the creature in the shoulder with an arrow that slows it down. I hurl my bullet as it stumbles and it connects with the tasloi’s face.
This tasloi was travelling with a small pack, as they are wont to do. We pick them off at range as they attempt to close in on us with their spears.
One of the tasloi survives long enough to close in on Verr’Sza. Before the rakshasha can reach for his swords but White sends an arrow through the tasloi’s neck.
More tasloi continue the charge and they drop to our weapons one-by-one. Another tasloi manages to thrust his spear at Verr’Sza, but he responds with catlike grace and ferocity, tearing the goblinoid to pieces.
Khalid kills the last of the tasloi and all seems quiet for a while. While the rest of us keep an eye out for more of them, Khalid searches the bodies. Most of them have small trinkets – gems and gold – alongside their spears. Unusually, one of the tasloi is wearing a well-woven cloak. I take a look and can see that it could protect against divinations. A perfect cloak for thieves hiding in the shadows, or for a ranger like Verr’Sza hiding in the forest.
Verr’Sza throws the cloak over his shoulders and we continue into the forest. It isn’t long before we encounter another pack of tasloi.
They get close and try to put up a fight, thrusting spear after spear at Khalid. His blurry visage makes him near-impossible for the tasloi to focus their strikes.
While Khalid deflects the spears with sword and shield, Verr’Sza and White pick them off with well aimed strikes. It isn’t long before the jungle is quiet again.
We don’t find any magical cloaks or otherwise on their corpses. We keep moving, wary of any more tasloi in the area.
We are surprised to stumble upon a log cabin. I guess we are still near the edge of the Cloakwood, so if anyone was living in the forest it would be here. Outside we find a few well-armed humans. Two are a little rough around the edges, carrying long bows. The third man is older, and his enchanted armour and colourful attire bears the look of someone with money. All three of them seem to be on edge.
Does he mean druids? Of course, if any human would choose to live in the forest, they would be druids. His friend has an equally negative view of the forest-dwellers.
Khalid approaches the third man. It quickly becomes apparent that he is the leader of the group.
Khalid: Yes, we would.
Aldeth Sashenstar: Good! I’m glad you had the sense of decency to help a man in my situation. Let me explain my predicament. My friends and I come here every year to do some sport hunting. This year however, a group of woodland savages threatened us with bodily harm if we did not stop our hunting trip. Being civilised men, we realised it’s well within our rights to hunt where we damn well please. After a few more days of hunting, the crass woodmen lost all pretense of humanity and murdered Elban, one of my oldest friends. I’m sure that they plan to attack our cottage here, so we had best be prepared.
Jaheira seems to be uneasy at this proposition. Her husband gives her a glance and it seems he might regret accepting the nobleman’s offer. Still, we wait with him for a while, and the “wild savages” show up as he predicted.
Aldeth Sashenstar: Do not listen to these slavering wild men, my dear friends. They lie as befits the uncultured barbarians that they are.
Jaheira: Seniyad. It is good to see you once more.
Seniyad: Jaheira! You are welcome among us. The trees have missed your gentle care. Will you aid us against these barbaric interlopers?
Jaheira: I could do no less. Aegon?
The choice is obvious now. Khalid and Jaheira have been good to me, and these men hunt those they deem “savages”.
Aegon: Sorry, Aldeth, but we’re siding with the druids. They have this great aloe vera balm they are giving away samples of, and my armour has been chafing a bit, ya know?
Aldeth Sashenstar: What?! Have you gone mad, throwing your lot in with a band of madmen? You treacherous savages, you will suffer for your foolishness! I will deal with Seniyad after I kill you!
Weapons are drawn, and the archers take aim at us. Aldeth swings his blade, clashing with Khalid’s shield. Time to fight again, to kill again. These noblemen won’t be as easy as the tasloi.
