Youth Group! TOEE - Meet 19, 1/4/23

 The Druid had his time to shine this meeting and might have a new animal companion - a bull. :)

The group rested, waking up about 4 AM on Restmonth the 14th. We had a choice – wait for Black Jay to get up and go with him to Rannos Davi, or sneak away before he awakens. We opt for the 2nd. The priests give up on praying for now, hoping to get someplace else, the wizards have no spellbooks still, but Aredhel has all her spells (hooray sorcerer!).

We figured, let’s go and go now. Rowan distracted the dogs as we snuck out, made our way westward and hit the woods away from town. It was cold this morning and we traveled at least a half mile from Hommlet. From there we turned south, Rowan and Elmo guiding the party. Eventually we came to the Nyr Dyv river and had to cross, but didn’t want to go near Hommlet and use the bridge. So Elmo went looking for a place to ford and once there, we made our way across. It was over 40’, moving fast, and a least a foot and a half deep. We carried Pestle and the rest of us linked up by 2s and 3s.

Once there it was slow going, Rowan was pretty hurt, feet super cold. It took us until at least quarter after six to get to a place that Elmo figured was pretty much south of Jaroo’s grove. From here Ophelia and Rowan prayed while we could hear distant noises in the town. Nothing distinct. It was a bit after 7:30 when they were done. The plan was to have Rowan sneak up to Jaroo’s home, grab the potions that were there, and maybe get the bear if it was still there.

Rowan cast a Camouflage on himself and snuck north. We came out of the trees and walked through the tall grass. He could see people moving about town, and was going through the field behind the farmer’s home. The bull had noticed Rowan and snuck over. Nervous, Rowan cast speak with animals with it, and learned the bull was willing to go with him to the druid’s area. The bull was sure the farmer hated him, was afraid of going blind, and loved having sex with his cow/wife. They had kids, but the farmer either ate them or sold them off. Rowan felt bad.

They came through the grove and saw the place was closed up, two of Rannos’ guys were here. Snookums was here as well, the bear was muzzled, and chained face down. It had a number of superficial wounds across its flanks and back and seemed to be in some peril. The two guards were snarling at it, hitting it with the back of their spears and idly chatting. They hadn’t seen Rowan or the bull yet.

So before the spell ended, Rowan gave the bull his directions and they ran into the fight. Rowan used the club that had been fashioned earlier, laying into the lead brigand, hitting him and holding his own. The bull though had pawed the ground a few times, building up a head of steam, and then ran at the other merc. He was hit hard, both horns slamming through his midsection. Then while gasping and yelling was lifted and dropped to the ground where the bull ran him down and trampled him to death. He then turned, pawed the ground again, and charged once. Rowan sidestepped out of the way and the bull gored, stomped, and trampled the other brigand.

Snookums was freed and the bear seemed appreciative. It looked like everyone was together and the front door was opened – setting off a Wyvern Watch spell with screamed loud and tried to stab Rowan. From outside the glade, other Mercs called out to “shut the fuck up,” to the presumably still living 2 mercs within.

The group heard the shrill cry even in the woods and were getting worried for Rowan. They moved a bit further north but trusted the druid, opting to wait still.

Unable to open the locked door, Rowan convinced the bull to do so and it charged the door, smashing it open. Speak with animals had been cast again and besides learning the bull wanted to be called “hamburger” and that Snookums was willing to go with the group to free Jaroo, they also discovered Cheddar the Jack Russel Terrier was still inside and terrified at the smashing noise and the bull’s entrance. Rowan grabbed what potions he could find (some healing, a beastmaster, a potion of invulnerability, and a potion of stoneskin), as well as a scroll with the 6th level druidic spell – summon weather!

Leaving the house he went south, across the glade, through the trees, and a clip over the field. The dairy cow saw the bull leaving and gave chase. And the farmer saw the cow leaving and also gave chase. Damn it.

Rowan went south, riding the bull…Hamburger, leading Snookums the bear, the dog Cheddar running ahead and back, and then the dairy cow and the farmer calling entering the woods. The group all convened and we spoke to the farmer, Wayne, about keeping silent. He suggested if we were doing something “damn foolish and heroic” then to keep the bull. He didn’t want it anyway, was going a bit blind and was going to get a younger bull soon to keep Bessie happy. Rowan felt like shit for the bull, who fought with him and murdered two people! And agreed to take it with him, and would pay Wayne when this was all over. Wayne agreed to keep the party’s presence a secret but he wanted them to get his matter resolved before Burne and Rannos Davi killed more kids this afternoon.

We divided up some potions, did some healing, and came up with a plan. We wanted to hit Burne first. And we were going to use the scroll of Summon Weather to do so. So it was a bit after 9 when we walked the long way around and over to the treeline south of the tower and there it was that Rowan spent the 10 minutes casting the complex spell from the scroll. It was a cloudy day already, and he caused a drop in barometric pressure, cooling the air and keeping the ground warm, and the cloud cover just…fell. Coating the entire town in a humongous fog blanket (minimum 3 miles diameter). Visibility dropped to 10/20’ tops and this was going to negate the archer issue as well as distance spells.

It was time.

We moved quickly through the pea soup to the slope at the base of the tower and climbed up the 20, 30’ to the first plateau. We could hear worry throughout the town and maybe some people looking about? Hard to tell. We went higher to the next slope, bear and bull doing well. But it was Furd who was having problems. He kept slipping down and had to climb again. And again. And again. Minute after minute he made his way up the slope and slipped down again exhausted, dirty, and more frustrated.

Finally he made it to the top where he gave a “hooray!” and the party was like, “what the hell man?”

Surprisingly, from somewhere in the tower, we heard another voice yell hooray back. Neat!

We snuck through the fog to the tower’s base and then followed it around to the front where we all got together, and then ran up the stairs. We hit the landing and open front door where two guards were positioned. Overruning their place we charged into the tower and saw a few servants running away, welcome area, fireplace, and set of stairs going up and down. We poured it, Aredhel hoping to fireburst someone but the room was pretty full fast. Furd and Elmo had each drunk a potion and Hamburger had driven one of the men into the flagstones of the fireplace. There was one left but we needed to figure out – upstairs or down?