[Day 39 Continued]
2PM. We pushed on through the forest, slaying spider after spider. Once Jaheira could no longer Find Traps, I decided to just give Imoen, our scout, a Potion of Invisibilty. If she activates a web trap while those arachnids are nearby, she may have some time to drink the potion before she’s completely immobilized–thereby keeping her safe until she can find her way out.
3PM. We soon discovered a giant spider mound ruled by some grotesquely disfigured spider-like humanoid, which seemed to be the heart of the problems in this area of the woods. After a large and intense battle, complete with creatures summoned from our wand, we had slain the monsters.
Last night I had promised a young traveler that I would try to rescue his lost brother…unfortunately, his brother had already been killed, and here was his body. We gathered up his remains from that vile place and returned them to his brother.
[Day 40]
8PM. As we searched another day farther west into the forest, now along the coastal areas, we encountered another traveler named Eldoth. Much like the hunter-archer I had met previously, I’m going to stay away from these lone strangers who keep trying to get me involved in some side-scheme.
I haven’t heard anything about the Iron Throne yet, despite meeting more travelers than I anticpated, and I haven’t seen yet the slightest clue about the presence of an iron mine.
9PM. No sooner do I say that than I run into yet another traveler, Laskal; this one in fact says he has a message for the Iron Throne. Thinking this could very well be a substanial clue to track down their mine, I lied and said I did count myself among their ranks.
However the stubborn Shadow Druid was just laying a trap for us, or so he thought. In a fit of rage he attacked us for being members of the Iron Throne, and simply could not be talked into reason. However unfortunate the encounter–it gave me the information the Iron Throne is indeed a scourge of these woods and the nearby Shadow Druids here may have information about their location and plans. But since I’ve killed one of their own now, I’m not exactly sure peaceful relations are going to be an option.
10PM. I soon met a woman named Faldorn, and it seems my fears about Shadow Druid hostility may have been unfounded. She confirms her kind is waging war against this Iron Throne incursion, and was incredibly eager to join our party and storm off after their fort–which I know now is back east of our current location.
She’s not a fit for our group right now…but she is definitely interesting as a potential ally down the road. This may not be the last time I see her, depending on how protracted my confrontation with the Iron Throne becomes.
I soon discovered the threat of violence is unique to each individual Shadow Druid; her nearby companion Takiyah attacked me before I could get a word in, simply due to the presence of the more “practical” druid Jaheira.
Still, it makes sense to push into their tree dwelling to see if there’s anything we can learn about our enemies–and the same thing happend with Takiyah’s boss Amarande inside. Unfortunately the bloodshed led to nothing of value gained in our fight against the Throne; but at least it gets rid of the chance of these Druids being on our heels while our focus is in a different direction.
Faldorn may have been on the outs with the rest of her clan here anyway, or not that close to begin with. She, like me, must see the logic in joining forces to destroy a strong enemy.
[Day 41]
6PM. Continuing along now in the direction that Faldorn gave us, our search for the Iron Throne dragged on. As evening started to roll in…we were waylaid by a pair of fully grown wyverns. These monsters hit hard and their poisonous barbs are lethal. I immediately remember Coran the hunter-archer mentioning how wyverns have been terrorizing the surrounding region…argh, he wasn't wrong.
Khalid was killed. Too much poison was injected into his system by the winged lizards. With Baeloth’s magic missiles and some desprate fighting, the rest of us survived. We gathered up our belongings, and I decided to continue on to the Iron Throne, instead of losing a week to return to the Friendly Arm Inn to get him resurrected. Who knows what spies have seen us? And if they have seen us, I couldn’t give them days and days of extra time to prepare for my infiltration attempt…our success might be doubtful in that case. No, the four of us will continue on. We consist of fighters, healers, thieves, and mages and we are too close to our enemies to turn back now.
[Day 42]
5AM. Shortly before dawn of the following morning, we discovered a wyvern nest…this must be the source of the reptilian scourge. Imoen, attempting to get eyes on exactly how many creatures are down there, alerted one of the adult wyverns to her presence while stealthing about. She ran out and managed to elude it (only with a foolishly curiously baby wyvern to end up following her off to the rest of us).
The adult wyvern is now riled up outside its nest. This just makes it clear we’re going to have to deal with these creatures and clean out the nest. It’s no small endeavor, but it really must be done. If not for our own safety, then at least to stop these beasts from killing other innocent travelers. They have nothing to do with the Iron Throne, but I’d feel craven to continue on and let these monsters continue to kill.
Though without much magic left, this may have to wait until after mid-day…this is unfortunate, as now it is clear as day that the Iron Throne mine is nearby, as we encountered a pack of armor-wearing guards, no doubt in their employ.
3PM. After a much-needed rest for our party, we have slain both wyverns and their spawn. It’s good we were able to get this done concurrently with our hunt for the Iron Throne. I’m holding onto to the wyvern skulls as these may be valuable; they’re heavy, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep onto all four for the duration of the trip…
