3. Wyvern Tor

Alex seemingly has entered a form of battle trance, usually unknown to those of his profession. It is not rage, it is not concentration, he actually doesn't know what it is. However, the sounds of battle—the grating of bones, the rending of flesh, and the dying cries of dear Gertrude—seem to have faded. Overlaying them, he hears the rattling of dice, the clacking of tiles, and—above all—the faint sounds of a woman's malicious laughter. This is no random encounter. This is a small continuance of the ancient rancor between the daughters of Tyche. Why Lady Doom chose this party for her maleficent enjoyment was a matter for sages and philosophers. His friends’ job was to survive. His was to poke his finger in Black Bess's eye as best he could. Survival was secondary at this point.

Spinning out of the direct line of attack of one of the remaining skeletons [Reaction: Defend for 5hp for 8hp damage; 6hp remaining.], he still felt the pain of the wicked claws as they raked his torso. Continuing the spin he ducked around the fire and came up behind the skeleton harassing Redhawk [Free Action: Move to L12; Monsters do NOT have opportunity attacks, thankfully]. Using his momentum, he laid into the distracted skeleton, yelling "Send my regards to the bitch, you bag of bones. We dare, and trust in the Lady!" [Action 2: Vicious Opportunist on S2 etc.].Seeing the creature still on its feet, and Redhawk in really dire straits, Alex decides to stay on the offensive and attacks again, despite the countryside bouncing in his view as if he were on a ship [Action 3: Rushed attack on S2]. Alex is no sailor, and he watches with dismay as the attack miss the warg. Whispering a prayer for luck to his patron, Beshaba's Bright Sister, Alex takes a moment to breathe.

Alex, because of Redhawk's combined assault, the skeleton collapses beneath the blow, its bones scattering across the ground. Your third action could be something else.

Igrem, you send a Flame Dart streaking toward S7, the magical fire striking its bones and burning fiercely. With the remaining actions, you invoke Heart's Fire, sending its warmth into Redhawk and Boggart.

HP lost
Igrem: 18 of 20 (Bloodied, Charged)

S4: 0
S7: 25 (Bloodied)

Redhawk seeing the ward collapse in front of him and Alex standing there will sheath his sword pull his bow and mark S4. "Thanks for the save Alex. We just might make through this."

Boggart, your rebuke is enough to destroy S7.

Then, S4 advanced toward the nearest living creature: you. However, you were prepared, and your Shadow Trap affects the warg.HP lost
Igrem: 18 of 20 (Bloodied, Charged)

S4: 13

Boggart turns to face the last of the enemies as it's being ravaged by dark wolves which leap from his shadow to hunt prey that has strayed too far from the light. Claws and fangs from the undead beast flash against a battered wooden shield, and Boggart and Puck attack in kind, ablaze with the light of the wooded realm.

"In the name of Mielikki, Metsän emäntä, begone!"

Redhawk with S4 marked will nock an arrow and use incendiary shot. Inhale with the draw, aim, exhale, release and repeat for a second Incendiary shot, then a normal shot. Quick as a blink Redhawk sends off three arrows. Two flaming toward the warg the third dark and silent. Then he sits in exhaustion.

Redhawk, you draw and fire, draw and fire, draw and fire, never stopping. And so the remaining skeleton falls, its bones breaking apart as the flames consume it, until the last fragments collapse into the dirt.

The party has survived. Only the wind moves through the grass now.

Red hawk will stand after his brief rest."Well we survived. Well done lads." He will look over to Gertrude"Poor Gertrude. Wish we could have saved her. Maybe we should hitch up Daisy and get out of this cursed area."

Boggart hobbles over to the body of Gertrude and kneels beside her to place his hand on her neck. Puck lays his chin over it, and together they close their eyes and turn their inner gaze towards the divine.

"May the Lady guide you on your way home, Gertrude. May you walk in fields of soft grass and under the shade of tall trees. May your troubles be behind you in your rest."

Rising to his feet is harder than Boggart expects. He is bone weary from the shock of the fight - the second life or death battle in three days - but he manages to trundle over to Alex and thud into him with a hard embrace.

"No one has ever fought like that for me before. You saved me. You all did. Thank you."

Boggart, the remainder of the night passes quietly. By dawn, after hitching Daisy to the cart, you begin the journey back toward Narth's farm. The morning passes without further trouble, and the familiar fields, animals, orchards and farm buildings eventually come into view.

In summary, Narth and his family are relieved to see you return, though the sight of Gertrude's empty place in the harness and the battered state of the party makes it clear that something went very wrong.

The owlbear carcass is still in remarkably good condition thanks to Igrem's magic. With a safe place to work and access to the necessary but basic equipment here, the party can now take some time at Narth's to harvest the creature properly and brew potions from its useful parts, if you want.

For some time, there is also a chance to stop, breathe, and consider the increasingly strange events surrounding you: Joren's disappearance, the orc demands, the owlbear, and now the undead wargs. Whatever is happening in these hills, it is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that all of it is just coincidence.

Redhawk finally seeing the farm Is relieved. He is worn and torn and needs some time."I say we stay here and I will skin and harvest the owlbear and we can get to making the things that will help us in the future. Also there is something going on around here. I don't believe wargs just spring up anywhere."

After a restless couple of hours [catching his breath], Alex follows the party, Daisy, and the cart back to the Tezrin homestead. Emotionally and physically exhausted, Alex let Boggart and Redhawk relate the story of the near-fatal encounter with the entire pack of skeletal wargs, whilst Igrem was casting a practiced eye over the owlbear carcass.

Shaking himself from his reverie, slightly, Alex walked over to Igrem and asked "how much of the carcass do you plan on rendering or using here, and how much do you think we should bring back to sell in Phandalin? I am wont to go back for a number of reasons. We need to replenish our funds with the sale of anything we cannot use. We need to inform Masters Harbin and Sildar of our findings to date: the orcish ultimatum, the legendary predator, the rash of undead, the missing Joren Tezrin, and ill-tidings about the Temple of Truth. I personally must make an offering at the Shrine of the Lady. We had no business surviving that ambush. Moreover, there are matters I wish to discuss with the Luckbringer; I fear we may have been touched by more than our share of ill-luck. Last, as we stand now, I fear we are underprepared to reconnoiter an orcish stronghold without better information, if not equipment."

Boggart is unusually quiet on the way back to the Tezrin farm. The trials this party of ragtag adventurers has already faced weigh on his mind, and even Puck is more reserved. After recounting their tale to Narth, he joins his party to consider their next moves.

"I agree whole heartedly, friends. We are woefully unprepared for the task we've been set. We all came too close to death for my liking, though I did receive a vision of the Lady of the Woods as I straddled the fence, so to speak.

"That we came to the attention of one God is rare enough for anyone, but two? It suggests that the matters at hand are more important than simply protecting farmers from orcs (important though that is).

"The Lady told me I was acting too recklessly, and I will heed her words. She also said that she would send an ally to aid us on our quest. I take this as instruction to regroup and proceed with caution; we can help no one if we're dead. I only hope that the troubles in this place will not worsen overmuch for the people here while we rally. As it is, I fear that Narth won't be able to hold the farmers back from taking up arms for much longer. Whatever we decide, we should do it quickly."