Adventures in the Four Counties: Orcs and Green Men
After resting up from our adventure we went in search of more rumor of treasure. More tales of the beavers, but no one cared to try it, especially as the details were filled in more. But we did hear of a orc lair not too far, around a dead tree on a grass knob. We gave it some thought, and then packed up and headed out.
Our first day out we found a man and horse dead, frozen stiff together. Slain by a Green Man in a single blow. So unusual, we thought it a statue. And a demonstration of the danger out there. We turned around and warned the town, and told them of the man so they could send out a crew to recover him.
On our way out again the second time, I found a trail going in the direction we wanted, used more by game than anything else. But also a hill giant. The stone he threw winged me, and sailed off into the brush, as the fighters charged. The giant surrendered all but immediately, begging for its life and led us to his lair, and the abandoned orc one. A surprising bit of treasure, including a large diamond he tried to palm and a few magic. We marched the giant to the road, and handed it over to the first patrol. We got a writ worth 100gp for the capture from the elf captain.
It was late, so we turned for the nearest village, and slept under the roof of a local farmer.
[Next day]
We were warned of the Snow Queen’s minions around breakfast, and we thanked the farmwife for it.
The information came in handy sooner than I would have guessed. Not an hour down the road we came upon a Pine Man, and both sides leveled lances and drew bows and met it. It tried to joust Cosmin, and the man struck the thing square, and then was unhorsed. If the rider was a man, he should have been unhorsed by such a blow. It almost was. Cosmin described something like roots brought it back into the seat.
But instead it just… rode off. The horse laughed once it made it to the trees. Eerie.
We carried on to the orc lair, and found a few traps. A ghoul on a chain and release is… inventive. I wonder where they got the ghoul from. It had a few pieces of magic, and a trapped box under its watch.
The real haul was what we found in the barracks, in a back corner. A nice bed, if it wasn’t in the depths of a dungeon. Only two magic items, a sword left abandoned, and a green dress with white lace. There were more dresses as well, all in good condition. We took everything of value.
The gem was worth a lot, and we more than made even on this trip. Bill gave up his claim to first pick, choosing the Platemail right off the top. We got a variety of useful items, and I claimed a number for my own.
In mutterings after the fight, Dismas and Cosmin mused about the Pine Man, and the legends. Something didn’t sit right about that fight.
[Magic haul and claims]
9000gp - 500gp +100gp for the hill giant capture + 11250 gp for the gem (total)
Potion, extra healing (Bill)
Scroll of Protection from Elementals (Bill)
Platemail +3 (fits ogres to halflings) (Bill)
Box with a coil, turn warm, can heat a room 10x10 or cook, 10 minutes to boil 1 gal water. 5min/every 30min (Merrin)
Sashe of scentlessness (Merrin)
Yarn can be made into a blanket of healing (Dismas)
Jade amulet of useful items. (hammer, saw, shovel.) (Dismas)
Dagger +1, +4 against spellcasters or spell like abilities (Merrin)
Sword of Puissance, gives proficiency to any holder (say a barmaid) (Dismas)
Monocle of read language for 1 minute twice daily -- (undetermined/party)
//The green dress with the white lace had a spell laid on it. We did not discover what this was, or who laid it. For about an IRL year, I thought we had just forgotten about this or made an accounting error.
[8100 xp per PC, 4050 xp per hench]
[1804gp per PC, 902gp per hench]
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