BrokenShade/ChapterTwo
Chapter Two
The second session started off as the two heroes, with soldiers in tow, started trekking to the forest. The exposure to the cold at first was too much for Archer - coming from a desert clime as he does - but he soon acclimatised.
Reaching the woods, the cold deepened - and sheets of ice were found to cover the frozen trees. As they camped for the night, they began to hear howls, and Archer noticed with his heightened awareness that there were Omen Dogs prowling on the edge of the firelight. As one dog came closer to the fire, Archer greeted it and it spoke back ... as Deristarius recognised the characteristic protruding jaw of Fleetclaw, a major functionary of the Woodland Spirit Courts.
After an amiable chat, and food being provided to Fleetclaw, he directed them northwest to where hunting was better - and in the morning Archer brought down two deer.
Reaching the edge of the forest, the soldiers refused to go any further, and left taking the tents and warm coats of the heroes. Archer deftly fashioned two cloaks from the deer skins, the first perfect and the second a little shoddy. Fortunately, wearing a shoddy cloak could hardly worsen Deristarius' appearance!
Travelling into the icy cold, Archer began to suffer severely, and had to stay indoors for more than a day. As food reserves once more ran low, the heroes noticed huge white shapes moving on the horizon ... and running closer, the forms of mammoths became visible. Archer charged! (Yes, you did hear right) He leaped (using his charm for the turn) on top of the front mamoth and fired (using his initiative action) into its head point blank. But this was a mammoth, and despite being badly wounded it tossed him off its back and gored him into unconsciousness (he had no armour either).
Deristarius moved in, dodging and distracting the mammoths while he wore away at them with his short blade until three steaming hulks lay flat upon the ice. But now something had to be done about the freezing Archer, and with no shelter in the freezing cold Deristarius split open the lead mammoth and inserted the body of Archer (now aka Luke Skywalker!).
Attracted by the dead mammoths, omen dogs and other predators streamed in across the tundra ... but left the lead mammoth alone. After all, it was protected by a being with the image and sound of a huge golden laughing monkey standing over him, with light streaming from him to every horizon. Fleetclaw approached - and eyed the remaining mammoth hungrily. In the end, for a little healing of Archer, he obtained most of the remaining mammoth for himself (and in the morning the path he left was clear from the trail left by his dragging belly!).
As the heroes recuperated through the day, a party of humans became visible on the horizon ... V'neef Mahina and nine guards. As they approached the tent, they informed Archer (who was outside) that the foul Anathema in the tent had to be destroyed. Archer was able to charm Mahina into healing him (she had already shown that she appreciated his looks) and as she opened the tent, a hail of arrows from behind killed most of her men, despite their lamellar armour. She was soon forced to flee alone, after causing enough trouble for Archer's Gold Dragon anima to manifest (he blocked all her attacks with perfect defences).
Gathering chopping swords and lamellar armour, the heroes set out up the pass into the mountains. When they were ambushed by some Yetis, a storm of arrows killed all but one of them seconds after Archer emerged from the ice - and moments later a single arrow through the eye left that one dead too (as Deristarius climbed up the rope and out of the 20' deep snow).
Crossing the pass and reaching the other side, feasting on Yeti meat, the heroes passed through the forest and into the demon lands, past the warning skull poles at the edge ... sledding along on the mammoth hide tent. When it came to a stop, the mists that had closed in cleared slightly revealing demonic creatures (which were felled by a storm of arrows. That is really kind of effective, isn't it!). More demons appeared, but these hailed the heroes as saviours and bowed down before them ...
6 XP each
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- On to BrokenShade/ChapterThree
