Aegon and the Troupe decide to follow Tazok to the Cloakwood Forest after exploring the ruins of the Sword Coast. Their first stop is the Friendly Arm Inn where they are accosted by assassins once again. Only these were not the usual type of assassin…
3 Eleasias 1368
The bodies of Torm’s followers lay in the dirt outside the Friendly Arm Inn. We leave them where they are and walk into the fortress-turned-inn. The guards pay us no mind. There was no fighting inside the walls, after all.
We ask a couple of merchants if they can help identify Khalid’s armour, but they lack any knowledge of magical armour. As we make our way to see some of the merchants behind the temple, we are approached by an old man in a red robe and a matching hat. Elminster takes a puff on his pipe before he speaks.
Aegon: And what have you heard? All good things, I hope.
Knowing the rumours that caused Najara and her crew to attack us, I really do hope.
Elminster: That would depend on whom thou would ask, now wouldn’t it? For the most part it would appear that thine actions are well-intentioned, and are therefore received as such. Much is as I would have done, though perhaps not using the same method. Likely the clues also point thee in the same direction I would go.
Aegon: I am certain of where I must go… But perhaps I should confer with you, just to be sure.
Elminster: As thou hast no doubt determined, the clues seem to point towards the Cloakwood Forest. ‘Tis likely the scoundrels behind the bandits have some sort of base within the wood. Of course, I am only telling thee things that thou dost already know. Good luck on thy travels, young one. Be wary as well, for thou art making powerful enemies, both here… and within thyself. I am sorry I cannot speak more plainly on this matter, but events must unfold as they will without any meddling from this old man.
He tips his hat and leaves without another word. There’s something about the way he talks. He’s fishing for information, watching over me. Is it because he was friends with my father, or is it something more? He said that “Powerful enemies, both here… and within thyself.” It’s hard to shake the feeling that he knows more about me than he lets on, and that his advice carries a warning.
These thoughts linger in my mind as we make our way to the merchants behind the temple, the promise of answers giving way to the immediate concern of sorting through enchanted wares. The vendor of magic items is probably the best person to talk to.
We ask him if he can appraise Najara’s Plate Mail. His eyes narrow as he inspects the armour. He tells us it has seen many battles and is heavily enchanted. He asks us 100 coins for his expertise. Knowledge always has a price. He tells us the armour not only protects, but enhances the strength of any who wear it.
Satisfied with our equipment we discuss what to do next. Khalid and Jaheira say we should follow Elminster’s advice and go for the Cloakwood. But something doesn’t sit right with me. There is still some unfinished business. The bandit camp still has its bandits despite us killing the leaders. I need to collect their scalps first.
The others accept that it would be wise to make the Coast a little safer before we delve into the deep forest that is the Cloakwood. I take the lead since I know where their camp is. By this time tomorrow there will only be corpses left in their camp.
4 Eleasias 1368
We travel through the night without incident, save for a pair of wolves that quickly retreat at our approach.
We get to the trees lining the outside of the camp and I tell Khalid to lead us through. On the other side of the trees we spot a human bandit, unaware of our presence.
Khalid, White, and Verr’Sza sink arrows into the bandit. He manages a scream before he dies. There’s no way others in the camp didn’t hear him. It’s time for a long fight.
A Blacktalon rushes over to check the source of the scream. On spotting us in the tree line he raises the alarm.
The Blacktalon hits Jaheira with an arrow and her shoulder starts to freeze. The bandit is joined by other Blacktalons and Chill hobgoblin bandits. I use the Weave to conjure a Web before they can get too close. Sticky silk strands start to rise from the ground.
The Web wraps around many of the bandits, trapping them. They struggle as they try to force their way through. Some bandits go around the web and start to flank us, as White kills the Blacktalon who first spotted us.
I use my Wand to send a Fireball roaring into the Web. The screams of the burning bandits echoed through the camp, silencing many of them and sowing chaos in their ranks.
Still burning, the remaining bandits encroach on our position. Khalid draws his Varscona and moves to protect our flank.
Many of the bandits are wisely avoiding the Web, while others are forcing their way directly through it. Jaheira readies her Club to engage any that are strong enough to make it.
The Web continues to hinder the bandits and we spot the Ardenor Crush, leader of the Chill Hobgoblins, pushing his way through.
Khalid presses forward, cutting down bandit after bandit before coming face to face directly with the bandit leader. Ardenor feels the chill as Varscona cuts through his studded leather.
Khalid knocks Ardenor unconscious and plunges his sword into the bandit’s chest. As the hobgoblin breathes his last, a Blacktalon arrow strikes Helga in the chest, and she struggles to breathe as part of her chest freezes. Before the Blacktalon can launch another arrow, White sends one of his own through his neck.
I call upon Corellon to restore Helga’s health and she grips her sling with renewed vigour. Most of the Chill are dead now, and their leader’s corpse lays in the mud.
We pull back and regroup, launching missiles at the bandits as they follow us. Verr’Sza gets the final kill with his crossbow.
After the battle, we gather scalps from the fallen bandits and strip their corpses of anything useful. Nearly a dozen of them dead. That should net us a decent reward from Officer Vai.
We take the Arrows of Ice and enchanted arrows from the Blacktalons and give them to White, since he’s the best shot and tends to hang back with his bow.
On the body of Ardenor Crush we find gauntlets etched with intricate elven runes. They are Bracers of Archery; they allow the bearer to hold their hands steady as they aim. Verr’Sza says they should complement his Crossbow of Accuracy.
He has a THAC0 of 5(!) now. This early in the game he won’t be missing too often.
We don’t think we got all of the bandits yet, so we move further into the camp. White picks off a Chill archer that gets too close.
We find the Blacktalon leader, Taurgosz, hiding among some trees. Khalid raises his shield and charges forward while the rest of us take aim.
Supported by a bandit archer, he rushes through our arrows to meet Khalid head-on. As he does so, he consumes a potion and he seems to bleed a little less.
The fight seems to be going well when Khalid slams Taurgosz with his shield and knocks him to the ground unconscious.
But the bandit leader recovers and smashes flail and hammer into Khalid. He’s unable to shield or parry many of the blows and they start to connect. He manages to knock Taurgosz down again. A chance to recover.
But Taurgosz rushes back to his feet, his hammer catching Khalid beneath the chin. He crumples to the ground, knocked out cold. My heart stops for a moment. I didn’t lead him here to die!
Khalid effectively has an AC of -13 right now, but he’s still being given a run for his money against a tougher opponent. Some of the equipment we might get in modded BG might be overpowered, but so are a lot of the fights.
Khalid staggers under Taurgosz’s relentless assault, his shield buckling under the weight of hammer and flail. Each blow lands harder than the last, yet Khalid refuses to yield.
Jaheira strikes true with her sling, ending the duel with a sharp crack. Taurgosz falls down again, only this time he won’t get back up.
The bandit sinks another arrow into Khalid. I desperately try to keep him alive with my divine magic.
After healing Khalid once more I swing my sling at the bandit. The bullet flies true, smashing into his face and cracking his skull.
Taurgosz was wearing a full plate mail and an enchanted medium shield that we have no use for right now. His Cloak, however, provides magical protection to the wearer. Jaheira wraps it around her shoulders.
In his belt we find a Potion of Firebreath that he hasn’t yet consumed. If he had managed to breathe fire over Khalid that may have been his end.
His weapons gleam faintly with enchantments, but their power remains a mystery for now. One weapon is a flail that White may be interested in.
The other looks very similar to my Bashrik’s Hammer, but I fail to uncover it’s true abilities.
As we regroup and tend to our wounds, I feel a strange comfort in the chaos. We are not just surviving, we are working together, relying on each other’s strengths. Each victory feels like a step closer to understanding who we are, and who we might become.
Helga tells us that all this fighting has reminded her of the good old days. She may not be fighting giants, but these bandits are still larger than her kin. And she is remembering how she used to fight against those larger than herself.
She gets +1 to Death, Polymorph, and Spells saving throws; access to 1 level 2 Priest Spell; 6 extra Hit Points; and 2 points of Lore.
We continue to make our way through the camp, picking off bandits as we come across them.
Some of the bandits near Tazok’s tent hit myself and Helga with poisonous arrows. She is hurt more than I so I Slow the Poison in her first.
More bandits join the fight, so I tell Helga to fall back so we can heal before another arrow hits us.
We consume Potions rather than using our magic, as they will work quicker.
One by one the bandits fall before they can hit us again. There shouldn’t be many of them left to clean up now.
A bandit tries to sneak up on us and we make him regret that decision.
The rest of the bandits fall in short order, cut down by arrows and blades as we advanced through the camp.
If we missed any of the bandits, they are long gone by now. We search the camp one last time, keeping our guard up just in case.
In one chest we find another medium shield with a minor enchantment.
Najara claimed we slaughtered the innocent. But as I walk over the corpses of these bandits I feel no guilt. Their hands were soaked in blood long before we arrived, hands that murdered, pillaged, and tormented countless others. Whatever innocence they had was buried beneath their sins long ago.
The Cloakwood awaits. I have read that its dark canopy often blocks out the sun. If Tazok hides there, then so do more answers. But the deep forests are not kind to trespassers. I wonder, as I prepare to lead the Troupe once more, if the path will bring us closer to my adversary, or deeper into the shadows.
