Session 2: The Witch in the Woods #2 Report
General Summary
Upon discovering the abduction of his 'little buddy' by the Red-Cap-seeking orks, Bacchus hurried to find his new companions -- especially the ones with the big swords -- and convince them to undertake a rescue. Just coming out of Alonzo Kepler's, where the barber-surgeon's work on the injured herbalist had resulted in a great deal of blood, Fleur's stomach betrayed her, sending the bravo back toward the Tuppence, waving her arms and saying, "I can't today; I just can't!" Cedric Cromwell was of similar mind, if not similar stomach, shaking his head and offering that orks in the woods were not his kind of gig. But with some persuasion, and after Grumble shook down Bacchus for the last of his ready cash, Grumble, Bahlsen, and Bacchus headed toward the bridge over the Pining and toward what they hoped would be a successful rescue.
Meanwhile, coming south on the Hitchcock Road was a hide-wearing ex-bailiff named Tyrone. Seeing three hulking forms approaching in the mist, he chose the prudent course and snuck off to the side of the road to hide in the trees. Examining the orks as they passed, he didn't notice that the bag the largest one carried contained the unconscious form of Bonzi, but he did note their blood-stained clothes and the Red Cap bouncing in a pouch at one's hip. He also noted their javelins and their 'war choppers' and was glad he had chosen stealth over confrontation. Entering Hitchcock shortly thereafter, he paused on the Pining Bridge and learned from passing farmers headed back to their homesteads that the three orks he had encountered had been tearing up the town and were have rumored to have beaten up the herbalist and kidnapped someone. It was not long thereafter that our worthies encountered him eating his lunch, and dripping from the persistent mist, upon the bridge.
Finding out that it was their friend who had been taken, the bailiff encouraged the would-be adventurers to return to the town Constable's and engage the law in pursuit of the kidnappers, which they did, discovering, though, that Right Paltor didn't have much stomach for the grittier side of law enforcement. Still, he agreed to lead the newly-minted posse north (and to even pay them 1 silver a day wages).
Elsewhere, at the orks' camp, an ork awakened Bonzi with smelling salts and the jester found themself in an iron cage in the midst of a set of stinking tents. Also in the cage was a dirt-stained girl of about 8, Mary, who had been taken, along with her brother, Claude, from the town of Deadman, one of the small fishing communities to the north of Hitchcock. But the orks had squabbled over possession of the children and the other three orks had taken Claude and headed south, presumably, Mary imagined, to eat him. Bonzi attempted to pick the padlock on the cage's door with their writing set, but was unsuccessful.
The posse left town in a light rain that turned the landscape even bleaker than usual, and sunsest soon caught them on the road. With the bailiff's knowledge of woodcraft, they bedded down, dryish, for the night, shared some of their personal stories, and awoke well before dawn in order to continue the pursuit. Fortunately, not much further down the road, they came upon an encampment of farmers from the previous day's market and enlisted them to the cause, so it was a group of eleven that made their way up the road toward an encounter with justice!
Tyrone, who had been following the orks' tracks in the muddy road, also discovered the spot where they left the road and made their way into the forest. Following, the posse came upon the orks' camp, but they were not unnoticed. One of the orks, Mashface, came out of the clearing toward the trees to investigate. Bacchus, moving faster than his bulk might imply possible, threw himself daringly at the ork, but was easily pushed aside. Tyrone acted quickly, striding forward and (with a few lucky rolls on the Fury Dice) killed Mashface outright, splitting his skull with a woodsman's axe and leaving the ork to convulse in his death throes in the mud.
This conflict, though brief, was loud enough to attract the attention of the other two orks, who rushed to protect their perimeter. Constable Paltor sent three of his press-ganged farmers to help Grumble and Tyrone with Buttgust and Cubesandsticks, and the other three to aid Bacchus in freeing Bonzi, whom they had seen in the cage at the camp and who was busily throwing rocks in an attempt to distract the frothing, death-minded orks.
The clang of weapon on weapon echoed through the wet forest that pre-morning. Buttgust parried Grumble's Zweihander into the mud twice, and a farmer's spare axle found Cubesandstick's skull more than once, as did sling bullets cast by Bahlsen. Soon enough, though, outnumbered and overwhelmed, the orks lay dead in the slop, their blood mixing with the mud and splattered all over the conquering heroes.
Bonzi bashed the padlock off the cage with a rock, just in time to be 'rescued' by the effusively happy Bacchus Fellhart ... until that worthy discovered that the orks had taken all of Bonzi's money (or, at least, was TOLD that they had done so).
Still, the day, as it dawned with a slight lightening of the sky above the Burnfaire Wood, was won.
The victors scoured the camp for valuables, and then, after splitting what loot there was, parted ways. The farmers took young Mary north with them, while the rest of the party turned their sights south and on the promise of warm mead in Hitchcock.
...and with the nagging knowledge that three more orks were out there somewhere, possibly with a kidnapped child in tow.
Rewards Granted
Grumble, Bahlsen, Bacchus, and Tyrone each recieved 200 RP. Each of those worthies also received 2 silver and 4 pennies each from a combination of posse pay and loot. Bahlsen also made off with several tin pans and a few other metal knick-knacks he found in the encampment. There were also six javelins and three 'war choppers' available for looting.
Missions/Quests Completed
Save Bonzi: Successful!
Save Mary: Successful!
Discover the Fate of Claude: Ongoing
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