The Perils Near High Hedge

The mist clings to the Wilderness Lake’s edge as the Troupe presses onward toward the Firewine Bridge Ruins. Their mood is lighter after helping Drizzt Do’Urden clear the area of hungry gnoll infestation. But tension still lingers in the air…

30 Flamerule 1368

On the lake’s western bank, we run into aggressive dogs. They aren’t gnolls, but they seem equally driven by hunger.

A few lunges and growls later, two dogs fall, and the rest scatter into the woods. Their barks dissolve and we can once again hear the murmur of distant birds. Wild dogs are clearly wiser than gnolls.

As we skirt the lake’s edge, Edwin mutters about the “pathetic” hobgoblins he summoned to fight the bandits, only to watch them vanish back to whatever plane the Weave snatched them from. “Finally, some peace,” he sighs with unconvincing bravado, though I catch him glancing suspiciously over his shoulder, perhaps half-expecting another gnoll ambush.

On this side of the lake there is an old house, its dark windows like hollow eyes. It is broken and abandoned, and the wood creaks even before it is touched. Touching it reveals a dampness that soaks through the entire structure. A structure so unstable and rotten through that it’s impossible to enter.

We circle round the back of the house and a stagnant smell of decay fills the air. The stench gets stronger and we hear the cracking and creaking of bone. Skeletons. I’ve never grown used to the sight of empty sockets that somehow “see.” They rise slowly, each step crunching underfoot, warhammers banging on bucklers in eerie rhythm.

Jaheira strikes one in the chest, her bullet splintering through both its ribcage and spine. Rose gets between us, Chesley Crusher at the ready to take the brunt of their blows.

Khalid, Rose and Jaheira each take out a skeleton as they close in on Rose. One of the skeletons lurches forward, bones rattling as it swings its hammer with mindless force. The blow connects, sending Rose stumbling backward in pain. She manages to recover to thrust the Crusher through its chest.

A single skeleton remain, Jaheira’s aim strikes true, shattering its skull with a single shot.

I wonder if these were once the denizens of this abode. Necromancy is at play here, for the dead seldom rise unbidden. We found the mad mage Bassilus in this area, though the building seems to be abandoned for a longer time.

The skeletons may have been the previous residents, but we find a fisherman on a small dock to the south of the abandoned house, his eyes squinting at his line.

Edwin mutters about miners like fish out of water, “(Miners are better off back underground!). I struggle to hold back a laugh.

Rose: Fish-wrangling? I take it you’ve never done this before?

Torlo: Nay, I have not. Used to be a miner, I did. I’ve sunk to this to feed my family. Not that it’s a bad way to make a living, mind you. I just prefer having a good solid pick in my hands and sweating while I work. There’s too much standing about waiting for fish to bite. Ah well, we do what we must.

He must be from Nashkel. He was wise to get out before the kobolds got him. I would suggest he go back now the mines are clear, but it might be some time before they find some good ore again. Perhaps the life of a fisherman will be more fruitful in the near future. Then again, I have my doubts about the chosen career of “fish-wrangling”. Even growing up as a bookworm I know that not to be a thing.

We find a small islet near the middle of the lake, with a shallow pebble path leading to it. A man stands watching as we approach, leaning on his staff.

Rose pauses for a moment, unsure how to react. She seems to be trying to process what he just said before she responds.

Rose: Pardon me for noticing, but you seem a touch – Oh, how shall I put this? A touch loony.

My thoughts exactly, Rose.

Chelan: You are entitled to your interpretation, though I prefer to think of myself as optimistic. I’ve been put out of work because of the iron shortage too, blah blah blah and all that rot. I have simply chosen to not let it get me down. So I’m out of the mine, so what? I’ll fish for food, and look decidedly less pale at the end of the day because I got some sun for a change. Now if you don’t mind, I’ve some SINGING to do!

As we leave, Edwin mutters to himself again, this time too quietly for me to catch. I imagine his assessment wasn’t flattering.

Another miner turning to the water to survive. Or trying to, at least. There will probably be many more people like them in the Coast. Part of me wonders if, with so many driven to desperation, we’ll find a miner swinging his pickaxe at the water’s surface soon enough. It would be like me trying to catch fish by reading books at them to death!

We are close to the Trade Way and Beregost is just to the north. We decide it would make sense to stop by the town to resupply and get some rest. We move past the destroyed skeletons and their stench of death. We run into a grotesque imitation of a human, 8 feet tall carrying a large sword. It’s tall looming presence and spiked helmet almost reminds me of my father’s killer. It snarls at us when it spots us, declaring, “Me kill men what make me mad!”

I know it to be a half-ogre, and I think we just made it mad.

I knock its helmet off and crack open its skull with my sling. Unfortunately this half-ogre wasn’t acting alone. Three more pull their swords from their scabbards and lumber toward Rose.

Despite their size, Rose manages to use her halberd to keep them at length. Their height proves to be a disadvantage, making them an easy shot for us. One of the beasts falls down with multiple missiles poking out of its corpse.

Despite their size, the remaining half-ogres prove no match for Rose and her Crusher. She cuts them both down before they can get close enough to strike.

I remember a long time ago someone talking about some half-ogres in the area. He was a paladin in Beregost, I think. I’ll have to ask around the town when we get there.

As we continue our journey north, I ask Jaheira how she thinks I am doing. I’m supposed to be a leader here, but somehow I feel like I’m not always in control.

Aegon: So, what is your opinion of my leadership, Jaheira?

Jaheira: You have shown some promise, Aegon. But you will do well not to let that get to your head.

She’s right; promise is all I can give. Rose often takes the lead, her confidence carrying us into dealing with curses from ancient civilisations. But I wonder if I should step up. If I had, would we even be on the path to the Firewine Ruins? Would I have been able to keep Rose from stealing that damned idol?

Midsummer, 1368

We travel north as night falls. When the sun rises we continue on our way. It is Midsummer, the longest day of the year. I once read humans like to hunt maidens in the woods on this day. I always thought it a strange ritual.

Late in the day we find ourselves approaching High Hedge, home of the mage Thalantyr. We hear the creaking and cracking of bones. Another group of skeletons emerges from the trees and begins to hurl daggers at us.

Khalid and Verr’Sza destroy one of the skeletons, but a curious bear approaches them. They try to scare it away to no avail.

We move away from the bear, but the undead give chase to us. The undead have no fear, even of the bear, they won’t give up their chase until we destroy them completely.

With the bear out of the way, we manage to flank them, and they start to fall to our attacks.

It is a short fight after that. Jaheira, myself and Verr’Sza destroy the remaining skeletons at range while Cat and Rose hold them at bay. It’s a strategy that pays off.

I wonder how much experimentation Thalantyr does with the undead. He isn’t crazy enough to be a necromancer, but he knew what he was doing with Melicamp and that skull.

Thunder rolls across the clouds. A storm is coming. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. We find what seems to be another abandoned house. Lightning flashes and we spot the chitinous shell of a giant spider advancing toward us.

It’s shell isn’t enough to stop one of Verr’Szar’s crossbow bolts. It penetrates one of the spider’s eyes, and its legs fall from underneath it.

We enter the home and find that no one is around. We search around and find a single locked chest. I ask Cat to check it for traps.

Cat can’t find any danger, but he can’t pick it either. We try and force the lock, to no avail.

It’s time to ask the Weave for help. I ask it for a Battering Ram to break open the lock.

The lock clicks open and inside we find a single gem. An aquamarine.

Not the greatest of treasures, but it may fetch some coin in Beregost. We search the home a little while longer, but find nothing else of interest.

The rain continues to beat down after we leave the house. The smell of wet earth fills the air as another lightning bolt flashes across the sky.

We get closer to High Hedge’s walls and see a hooded man very interested in its walls. Almost as if he is trying to measure their size with his hands. He spots Jaheira and shouts at her.

Jaheira: Of course you can’t hear a word you’re thinking. You have to say it out loud first.

Permidion Stark: Okay, okay, here’s the plan: There’s a big time mage living just over that rise. Magic items scattered all over the place, I’m betting… Trouble is, he’s got these two hideous flesh monsters guarding him and no shadows where I can lurk! Brute force is useless against the monsters; everything is useless. There must be a way to outwit the witless, but damned if I know how… Ah hell, I guess I’d be better off just finding a halfling village somewhere to pick on. This dive is all yours.

We watch him as he storms off, frustrated in his attempt, or lack of, to rob the mage. He’s better off. Thalantyr would have killed him with a thought, I reckon.

Outside these walls we find more skeletons. Their bones creak as they throw daggers at Khalid.

Jaheira destroys one almost immediately, but a dagger sticks into Khalid’s leg. He remains unfazed as his wife takes out another skeleton.

Cat and Rose attempt to draw their fire, but Khalid is hit with another dagger. We manage to take a couple more out and the remaining skeletons can no longer ignore Rose and Cat.

Khalid is in pain, but he ignores it with a scream. He’s almost in a rage as he takes aim with his bow, firing two arrows in quick succession. They go straight through the skulls of the remaining skeletons and the battle is won.