Aporeu chronicles Issue 33: We need protecting
Stories from the adventurers
This week
The tragic dead of another adventurer and a betrayal by the employers.We need protecting by Cor’Torin
Recently I, Cor’Torin Duskmere, went on a mission for the Adventurer’s guild. We were tasked with escorting a pair of hunters who were going to a ‘Great Hunt’ near Apethorn, or so we were told. For this mission I met up with Noax, Orla, Rurik and Alkaloid. It seems this was Alkaloid’s first mission… We were told by Lornan to meet up with Reinholdt and Gellera Leeftintwoud at the western gate, where we recognized them by a card and a very big ugly mule. When we did, they told us that ‘Leeftintwoud’ is an ancient Dutch name. How quaint. We decided that Alkaloid would ride along on the cart, due to his shorter legs, while the rest of us escorted it on foot. Speed is of the essence, Reinholdt warned us, so on we went! Leaving the city after an hour we traveled past some strange disturbance on the ground, a black pit with horrifying faces. For a moment we considered investigating, but our mission would have to take precedence. In the next hour we saw fewer and fewer farms, more and more woods. Then we saw some poorly hidden people in bushes up ahead. Orla created a loud sound of an explosion in their vicinity, scaring them out of hiding. A fire was created nearby, a flame thrown over them, but soon we realized how little of a threat they were. Victor and Gerolt, two simple farmers who were desperate and tried to rob us with a butter knife and a dagger. They told us their cows had been killed a few days prior, killed by wolves but not eaten. I decided to give them some gold, as well as a note to take to Adventurous Steel in Arnheim, which told the smiths there that they should give them a plough, and that I would come to pay for it. We talked with them for a while, but then departed from them and journeyed on until we encountered a group of wolves who attacked us. We made short work of them, with some injuries but nothing too much. When we made camp for the night it turned out Alkaloid did not have a bedroll for the night. We…. did not realize what an error that would be. Noaz took the first watch and thought he heard a lot of goblins, so he woke everyone up again. We did not find any so, according to him, they must have been magicked away. When we went back to sleep we had a good night until I suddenly awoke with a werewolf over me, attacking me! A fight with two werewolves and a bunch of wolves ensued, in which I regret we lost Alkaloid. It seems his sleeping spot, away from the group, in the soft moss under a tree attracted wolves, and no one was around to help him. A heavy fight ensued, where I held off a pair of wolves, Noaz was fighting both of the werewolves until I dispatched the wolves and came to his rescue. Meanwhile Rurik and Orla had their own scrap with several other wolves. In the end we managed to take care of both werewolves and all the wolves. The werewolves we were fighting were Reinholdt and Gellena! We should not have let them take one of the watches together, instead we should have just shared watches. But that is a lesson we now learned. We took all the wolves we had killed, as well as the bodies of our employers back with us on the cart. On our way back to Arnheim we also went by Gerolt and Victor, skinning their cows, making sure the meat would get salted and cured so it would keep for the coming winter. Then we went back home, where we gave Alkanoid his burial and reported back to Lornan about the betrayal of our employers.We need protecting by Rurik
(Editor's note: Again, a Kobold delivers a story. This one didn't just appear in my office, so I'm pretty sure the tales of 2 Kobold Adventurers are true.) So, here's the story of how we got had by a couple of clients. We meet up by Loïs' desk, shortly after I bring back my trainin' axe to get the rust out before the mission. It's Noaz, this time with the V's trident on his back. Guess the man sold his magic pig-sticker then. There's also Orla, who I know from the smithy. Good woman. The others are Cor'Torin, an orange lookin' elf, and Yeros Feldir Alkaloid. Or Alkaloid for short. Which is fitting, since he was a Gnome. Anyway, we go up to Lornan's office to get some info on this mission. 2 merchants, Reinholdt and Gellera Leeftintwoud (apparently an ancient Dutch name or something) want a 'rush' escort to get to the 'Great Hunt' in a forest near Apethorn. Was planning on heading that way for some research anyway, and these people paid 200gp to get some Adventurers to escort them for 2 days. Sounds like a good gig to me. We're told they're waiting by the Western gate, and we should recognize them as they're hunters in leather armor, and they have a large mule to pull their cart. And so we set off to the Western gate. We indeed spot a cart with a 'chonkey donkey', I believe someone called it, in front of it. We meet up, and Reinholdt tells us that the Great Hunt is close, and they're already a bit late because of some bandit activity. Which Noaz tells us has been handled by himself and some others, so that should be alright. They also say there's space for 1 more on their cart, which Alkaloid happily takes, worrying about slowing us down.
And thus, we set off towards Apethorn. We pass by a spooky black pit, at most an hour outside of town. Gellera hunts a squirrel that we spot as we travel. Noaz and myself warn her that it might be infected, and she'd better be careful that it doesn't try biting her.
Not risking it, Orla beheads the thing, and it should be alright now. Can't be too safe when it comes to things not stayin' dead like they're s'posed to.
Bit further along our journey, we spot some farmers that are "trying" to hide in some bushes, without much success. Orla scares 'em out of hiding.
Apparently, these guys are dumber than they look, because they're trying to rob us. With a very old dagger, and an ACTUAL butter knife. That's right, a BUTTER KNIFE.
After scaring them a bit more, including turnin' the robbery around on them for a minute for giggles and grins, Cor'Torin helps the guys out, and they walk along with us for a bit.
Their names are Victor and Geralt, and they used to be cattlefarmers, until a buncha wolves massacred their livestock, but didn't eat any of it. We give 'em some tips and ideas on what they could do to try and survive the winter.
After that, we send 'em back home, while they argue amongst themselves about what to do. We keep going on along the road, until we get to a spot between the Highvalley forest to the North, and the Hillback hills to the South.
It's at this time that we hear howling coming from the woods. Alkaloid's a smart one, he susses out that there's a bunch of 'em, probably hunting for something.
Reinholdt comments about how strange it is for wolves to not eat their kills, referring to the cows that were taken out a couple days before, as we learned from the bumbling duo.
He also says that if we can kill some wolves, there might be some extra money in it for getting them the pelts, so they can sell those off.
Then he touches his amulet, sniffs for a moment, and says there was a pack of wolves in the area by the road, about a week ago. Apparently that necklace is magical.
Then Alkaloid tells us that.. The wolves have found themselves a prey.. And we're it. And so a fight breaks out.
I prep a skill I've not been able to use on a living, moving target yet, and it works marvelously. Noaz hits the closest wolf with that trident, and yanks it over towards us.
Which brings it into range of my firebreath, and we end up with a scorched wolf corpse right by the cart. And the mule doesn't seem to give a damn.
We do notice that Gellera's flinching at some of the fire magic being tossed around, but don't think too much about it.
The Alpha seems to be seeking cover, which is pretty strange behavior for a creature like a wolf, but we can't really worry about it too much with the rest rushing us.
It's a trading of blows, with 2 of them doing a number on poor Noaz. Apparently, they did not like him at all. I use some magic to turn the 'smart' one into a 'wolvicorn', by embedding my handaxe into his skull.
Though it's still standing after that. It's a tough cookie, this one. Noaz doesn't like these wolves any more than they like him, and he goes nuts on the 2 that were doing their damnedest to rip him open.
Alkaloid magics a big hole through the skull of another wolf, and.. The other new thing I learned doesn't seem to take. Orla does something similar, but she gets some good results.
Noaz got jumped by one of the wolves, but he gets up and just severs its spine as he's killing it. He VERY MUCH does not like wolves, it seems. At least the thing died right as it got crippled. That's some small mercy.
We collect all the wolves and pile 'em on the cart, where Noaz lays down for an hour to gather his strength and heal up a bit, which is a smart move, honestly.
Reinholdt and Gellera talk about them getting married about 2 years back, making friends with Orla who's pretty big into 'Change'. And they mention wanting to 'expand their pack'.
At the time, I just figured they meant havin' a family or something. Boy, was I wrong.
After a bit more travelling, we decide it's time to set up camp for the night, as it's starting to get dark.
Noaz takes first watch, but he must've dozed off or something. He wakes us all up, blabbering about Goblins. There's no Goblins to be found anywhere, and we go back to sleep, while Reinholdt and Gellera take over.
With the benefit of hindsight, we really shouldn't have let them take the midnight watch. Because they're actually werewolves, and we've been ambushed by a bunch more wolves, too.
It's a big fight, I take out most of the wolves that got into my tent. I even manage to get Orla back to her feet with the healing potion I got. And she returns the favor by makin' sure I wake up after the wolves knock me out.
I also got my screech to work, as I used it on Gellera as she was trying to flee, and.. she just collapsed. Orla cleans up the last wolf by my tent, while Noaz and Cor'Torin took care of Reinholdt.
Then we look around, and we find that poor Alkaloid forgot his bedroll, and tried to sleep under a tree. He got taken out by the wolves, and we never even heard it.
We load all the wolves, and Alkaloid, onto the cart and head back to Arnheim. Don't feel right to head to Apethorn when we just lost an Adventurer.
We report on what happened, and make sure the little guy gets a proper burial when we get back to town.
Signed, Rurik Ironscale, scion of Clan Ironhammer.
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