Session 26: "Concentration of effort.........." Or "Sometimes more is done with smaller groups".

18th Day of Firemoot, Wineday

The group had spent the remainder of the day and the night before recovering from the battle, healing and laying plans for today.

The consensus was to track, find and kill the Orc shaman who had eluded them yesterday.

19th Day of Firemoot, Thunderday (Part 1)

Dove Strongheart and

Suddenly a rock landed beside Beorwolf. The group advanced cautiously Another rock landed between Bandur and Fargrim. Bandurs quick reflexes allowed him to oush Fargrim out of the way, then he calmly side stepped the path of the rock as it landed beside him.Fargim ran towards where he had heard a voice call out in Giant,

Aghh, get it orf me. Uthal too heard the cry but only these 2 understood Giant. Hagnulf could see a large humanoid striking something with a club and moved to get an assassination shot in. Uthal charged into the now identified hill giant but mistimed his swing and threw insults at the hill giant. Fargrim and Bandur charged in too. Bandur managed a critical strike incapacitating the Hill Giant long enough for Hagnulf to launch a deadly assassination. His arrow thudded into the Giants carotid artery, blood spurted everywhere as the hill giant howled and collapsed like a felled tree, right towards where Bandur was standing. Again, he stepped to one side as the Giant thudded into the ground where he was standing moments before.

Uthal quickly found the trail again and led the group off in roughly a northerly direction. Suddenly the ground around him erupted in arrows and one struck him a telling blow. AMBUSH. Goblin arrows were fired at the group and they responded by charging towards the threat. Fargrim used his long bow to good effect. Hagnulf picked off Goblins 1 by 1. Uthal charged home and killed more. Adran launched his Eldritch Blast with deadly effect. Beorwolf saw his intended target fall dead, both of them, with arrows from Fargrim and Hagnulf. Then he saw a target and charged in and killed the Goblin. Bandur shouted words of encouragement to Fargrim.

10 Goblins soon lay dead and a quantity of gold was found on the dead bodies, more than they thought. Some 82 gold pieces. These were rich Goblins!

Again Uthal picked up the trail, they waited awhile but there was still no sign of Lionel, Dove, Heimund and Droop . This time there were wagons on the trail.  A light rain must have fallen as the tracks were now very noticeable.

The trail led them to where the hills stopped and in front of them, surrounded by hills they could see a large, a very large, walled enclosure, towers at the 4 corners. A large roofed building standing in the middle. Hagnulf scouted and came back to tell them there was 1 Orc guard he could see on a tower but lots of noise, activity and cooking from within the compound. The compound walls were breached in a number of locations but those that remained were 20ft high and thick.

Beorwolf recalled hearing that there was a place some 5 miles to the south of Conyberry called the Shrine of Shivras. When the Orc invasion reached Conyberry the population had fled here but the Orcs had besieged the Shrine, breached the walls and put the entire population to the sword. The group settled down for a council of war.