The Journal of Varion Lightbringer

Being the journal of Varion Lightbringer, Flame of Pelor and member of the Madrigal Company of mercenaries. I feel it is my duty to set forth those things that have happened in my time as a member of this company, so that others might know of the events that befall us all.


Well, I am now on detached duty from the Madrigal Company. Having been trained in all sorts of odd drills, and having my morale almost destroyed and being one hour away from giving up the whole thing as a bad idea, I am now part of a special group for special missions. Our group consists of Humble (An older man, formerly a village priest and now a Paladin of Pelor, although one from a very different sect to the ones that I have come across before), Finni Skygnisson (A large, foul smelling ranger of Northman origins carrying a mean looking axe), Robin Westmoreland (A bard), Tod the Cook (A strange Halfling with some sort of blue scaly patches about his body. He does not seem to be entirely sane, and has a fascination with dragons), Michael the Smith (a human warrior with a glaive), Litheem (an Elfin soldier) as well as myself, an Initiate of Pelor. We don’t seem to have any officers, so we will probably operate under some sort of meritocracy for now. Humble is the eldest of us, at over forty winters (although Litheem could be any age, I suppose), so I suspect he will be nominally in charge (Litheem seems too arrogant to be a leader. Despite his occasional murmurs about how great he is in combat, I am not too impressed by the notion of having a flighty elf in charge!)

Mr. Guffy sent us to see his partner, Mr. Rose, about a job. It seems that there have been several attacks on the caravans of a merchant, by the name of Farene of Gyrax, a half-elven lady of advancing years. We met in the Inn Of The Singing Axe, which has a grouchy and foul-mouthed cursed berserking axe nailed to the wall. We avoided the axe, and got the job. It seems her caravan was attacked by orc raiders, and the cargo of perfumes looted away. One of her caravan guards told us his tale, and that the guards were outnumbered by many orcs. It seems that they were lucky to escape with their lives!

Having done a little investigating amongst the merchants of Gradsul, where Mr. Rose and Madame Farene are based, we decided to head out toward the around around the small hamlet of Ashton, where the attacks seem to originate. I did not have time to meet with my father to see if he had heard anything, more’s the pity. I have not seen my family for some time, and it would be good to see them again. Maybe I will have a chance, upon my return to Gradsul?

Once we arrived in the pleasant-looking hamlet, we found a couple of villagers missing from it, and a nearby farmstead. A young lass, by name of Esme Fenton disappeared while picking mushrooms. Chester, the vintner’s son seemed to have got himself killed or wounded out in the woods. I suspect a midnight tryst between the two of them, and that they were trysting when they were set upon by either a wild animal, or goblins. The lad’s poor dog was horribly maimed, possibly by a wolf, and the two youngsters were either killed, or were captured. I suspect capture, as they did not return home. Sheep have been disappearing for weeks, with the locals saying there is a pack of wolves in the hills. We resolved to investigate these matters, as we scour the area looking for the goblin raiders. My initial instinct is that these incidents are somehow all connected. Goblins are well known to ride wolves and keep them as pets. They are well known to take captives. And we know that they are raiding in the area, thanks to the tale from the caravan guards. The chill air up in the hills is unpleasant, as is the dampness. Still, Robin manages to keep our spirits up with a jape and a ditty. Tod is also quite amusing.

Searching the woodlands and tracking (Finni is a most resourceful sort) we found what appeared to be a lot of wolf tracks, and possibly some sort of goblinoid or orc activity. Our ranger could not discern quite how many, or whether this was orc or goblin activity, but we did manage to determine that they seemed to be quartered in what appears to be an abandoned mine or stronghold in the hills nearby. His incessant grumbling about filthy orcs and goblins, albeit under his breath, is a little worrying. I am not certain I would want to get on his bad side.

I must also say that the group seems a little on edge, with a small argument of how best to approach. The mine appears to have some sort of fortification at the front, although it does seem to be in quite a state of disrepair.

More later, as dusk falls and I cannot see to scribe any more. We are about to make our approach.

Later...

We have gained entry into the caverns of the mines. I was much surprised to find it so lightly guarded, and by mainly female goblinoids. This led Robin to speculate that this was some sort of Amazon-Goblin outpost. Sometimes, his flights of fancy amaze me.

Litheem and Michael scaled the outpost tower, and quickly dispatched the two lookouts. The rest of us tried to kill the sentry on top of the gatehouse tower. We were unlucky as a combination of darkness and battlements meant that we only wounded her. Soon the alarm bell was ringing as a second guard appeared. The first guard appeared to be cranking up a ballista! Humble and Tod made their way over the open ground toward the fortifications, as Litheem, Robin and I kept them pinned down. Finni circled into the ground above the fortress and added extra covering fire. As Tod made it toward the crumbling walls he was almost surprised by a Goblin with an axe. However, she was the more surprised as the little fellow cast some sort of electrical spell and fried her on the spot. Seems there is more to Tod than just nimble feet, a sling and some great meals! It would appear that he is some sort of sorcerer. With his scaly blue patches, lizard companion and so on, it would seem that the legend of Dragon's Blood giving magick powers may have some basis in truth. The two guards were soon dispatched, and we made our way in, pausing to quickly dispatch some more lightly-armed guards that rushed into the courtyard of the fortifications.

Once inside we made short work of the various other goblins. Finni dispatched an adolescent goblin that seemed pretty harmless. This caused a little consternation amongst the group. His reasoning that they were foul goblins, and would only grow to become like the elders seems a sound argument, but I am still uneasy with the ease with which he will kill an unarmed goblin-boy. I know his family was killed by Orcs, so he does have some justification for his hatred. Maybe I should counsel him, and try to ease his pain. All our opponents were females in piecemeal armour, and lightly armed, except for the lone male that was the keeper of their wolves. A large pen was empty aside from an old male, a pup and one other wolf. The male goblin opened the pen, and the pup and younger wolf were slain as they entered the fray. The male cowered in the corner and the gate mechanism was mangled by Robin, before the mean old wolf could get out. Finni tried to calm the old wolf, but I guess it sensed his anger and pain, as it padded about in its pen.

These events convinced me that my initial surmise was correct, and that the males were out raiding, with their wolves (as it was at night, and that is their preferred hunting time). And I was getting quite concerned for the two youngsters, Esme Fenton and Chester Vinter. No sign of the two of them has been found, which leads me to speculate that the two of them have tried to elope. I suspect a midnight tryst, and that they were trysting when they were set upon by either a wild animal, or goblins. The lad’s poor dog was horribly maimed, and the two of them either fled, or were captured. I suspect capture, as they did not return home. I hope to find them alive, but as where they have gone, I cannot tell.

The raiders being out was confirmed when we interrogated some prisoners. In broken common, a dialogue of sorts was opened, and we found that the raiders go out quite often. We did not get any ideas of numbers, but from the numbers of cots and the amount of weapons missing from the armoury, there are quite a few males. And I am guessing maybe half a dozen wolves?

I treated a few minor wounds that Humble had picked up in his skirmish with the two wolves and the few females we came across. Michael had already treated his own wound with the poultices and potions that Mr. Guffy gave us as part of our equipment.

No trace of the missing perfumes has been found, but one of the captives did say that they had been taken toward the sunrise to be sold for ‘much money’. I must check the map we have to see where the items may have been sold, and what lies toward the east. The captives also told us that there was a lower level. This has a stairway to it, with a hasty barricade thrown up. From the terrified mutterings, I can only assume there are foul undead down there. In time, I feel we should investigate this, and cleanse this area. Those poor unfortunates need to be put to rest, and the darkness cleansed. The interrogated prisoners knew nothing of Esme and Chester, which makes me even more worried for their safety. I was hoping that maybe the two youngsters were here. Maybe the survivors we have here just did not know of the captives? Maybe they were sent down into the catacombs as some sort of sacrifice of appeasement to whatever is down there? It would make sense if there were a necromancer, or evil priest down there, craving some human company, I suppose. Maybe I am being optimistic? We shall, hopefully, find out in due course. I pray for their souls, wherever they may be.

However, of more pressing concern is the fact that the raiding party is due back imminently.

We have found a parity of weapons, some trade goods and foodstuffs. Some items of quality we found, also, including a shield with the device of The Order of The Hart, in red. Tod found that, giving it to Humble. He also found a two-handed sword that seemed to be in remarkably good condition. He gave this to Michael.). The shield is from the far north, according to our warriors (as shown by the red device), and would seem to be part of a captured caravan, as there were also crates of swords, spears, crossbows, several longbows (complete with ammunition for both) and another ballista, this one is broken. There were a dozen large bolts for the ballista-devices, too. Amongst the trade goods we found meat, trail biscuits, beer, two wagon wheels, some hay and a largish millstone and various other items. A look at these would seem to indicate that the orcs and goblins have been raiding here for at least three months or so. Few, if any of the goods seem to be marked with merchants devices and I am very worried that this large war band has been operating only a few days march from Gradsul. Are they in the pay of Keoland’s enemies? Have no merchants told the local lords of these raids? Why has nothing been done? There are innocent lives at risk! Questions need to be asked. Should we get out of here, I suspect we could earn a pretty penny with these items. Perhaps a makeshift cart could be fashioned to get these things into Ashton upon our return? And then we could haggle for a proper horse and wagon to take the goods to Gradsul? We could either trade the items, or claim some sort of bounty? Speaking of devices and symbols, I also came across a peculiar holy symbol. I could not readily tell if it was of one of the Olympian Gods, or of Talos. I suspect the latter, given the triple lightning bolts, but my knowledge of other religions is a little too patchy, to tell. I will need to meditate on this further.

While I assisted Michael to repair the second ballista, the others recovered various weapons and made barricades at the entrance. I think an initial assault on the returning raiders from the walls, followed by a spirited defence of the entrance (where we have made hasty fortifications, using barrels and crates) is the way to go. I will speak with Humble and the others once we have finished our repairs. The outer wall will not hold for long, given its state of disrepair, but should give our enemies pause, and time enough for us to retreat to the cave system having inflicted casualties. We should make some sort of temporary barricades at the two or three large holes in the walls, otherwise we could very well be swarmed asunder!

We had some discussions about this, and we all came to the same conclusion that I had. If we were to leave now, we would leave the villagers of Ashton to face a full raiding party of orcs and goblins, bent on retribution after the death of their women-folk. That we simply cannot allow. We are agreed that we must make plans to wipe out these vermin, once and for all. I suspect our bard, given his quickness and seemly speed with which he reloads his crossbow, might be best used manning the ballistae. I will have to talk with him about that. I am not sure they are quite his thing, but needs must and all that. Litheem seems quite deadly with his bow. Humble and Michael are both very capable warriors. Tod is full of surprises. The only one of our unit I worry about in combat is myself. I am more a healer and a scholar. I have no doubt I will do my bit, but where will I fit in with the defence of this place and our ultimate triumph? No doubt my healing arts will come in very useful during the coming battle. I am a little concerned with the numbers facing us, but I trust that Pelor has put us in this place, at this time for a reason. We do need a plan though, and some rest. I imagine that the raiders will be coming back before the dawn, to rest up and hide their faces from the passage of Pelor through the sky.

I will scribe more, later. We need to rest and eat (Pelor bless Tod and his cooking. At least we have plenty of lamb and some beer! Hopefully those dreadful looking trail biscuits and the salted meat will be a last resort!) We also need to set a watch upon the surrounds. I must confess that I am uneasy in this place. I think the unholy things beneath our feet, and that dreadful temple of to Erythnul are disturbing my thoughts a little. I pray that Pelor will watch over us, in the coming hours and days.

The Battle of The Dwarven Mine.

We are resting now, but things are uneasy. I should recap the events of the last few hours. We had a short discussion, regarding the returning raiding group. As we understood it, we would be facing a significant number of raiders, so we had to work out a way to get the numbers facing us down to manageable levels.

Tod went ahead to the lookout tower on the bluff at the entrance to the box canyon, and removed the rope. He also weakened the platform on top of it. This meant there would be no way for the goblins to shoot at us from there. And any who got up there would be in for a nasty surprise! This also meant that those on the battlements of our fortified area would afford us better cover. We set the hay bales that we found behind the flimsy looking doors, and doused them in oil. We set a pair of torches nearby to set that aflame, should the raiders break into the compound. Hopefully this would give them pause. Michael, Finni and Humble made barricades for the two breaches in the wall. The larger breach, to our left was further reinforced with a hastily-made fighting platform. The smaller breach on the right was also hastily fortified with a couple of large crates and some timbers that we found. The last breach, toward the extreme right was barricaded with a few beds and barrels. Litheem and Robin helped witht he various barricade pieces, and got ammunition set up for the various missile weapons that we had available.

We set several barrels and the like in the entrance way, up to the living quarters, to impede any orcs that might get in toward our fall back position and our last barricade. At this barricade, we left four of the looted crossbows, loaded and ready to go, along with the repaired ballista and the rest of the ballista ammunition. Spare ammunition for Litheem's longbow, and the crossbows were left there, also. I also left the magical two handed sword that we found and Humble’s old shield, in case it was needed. I also left some makeshift bandages there, just in case one of us took severe wounds and was in need of my help.

Our plan was thus: We were to ambush the raiders as they came toward us. Hopefully, our initial onslaught should give them pause, and cause many casualties. We would hold the fortifications as long as possible, and then fall back in an orderly fashion into the entrance of the mine. We could make our way back, toward the secondary barricades, and fire upon our enemies from there. The confined quarters therein would mean that the overwhelming numbers would work against our foes. We just hoped that by then they would either run out of numbers, or break and run.

Thus set, we took our positions. On the left tower, Litheem unlimbered his longbow. Finni next to him likewise had a bow. On the right tower, Robin was working the ballista. Next to him was Tod, to help with reloading and to use his little sling and whatever magicks he had left in him. On the left breach stood Michael. To the right hand side was Humble. I took the breach furthest away.

The waiting was interminable. As night deepened, we took what rest we could. To be honest I don’t think any of us actually rested too well. I for one am quite able to say that my nerves were as tightly wound as one of Robins lute strings. Then we heard the yaps and barks of the raider’s wolves, as they returned. Around the corner and into the canyon came a half-dozen riders, or so. One of them shouted something incomprehensible, and Michael shouted some sort of grunt back. The riders came on in to our ambush.

Suddenly, as one, our four shooters rose up on their towers. With a high-pitched elfin war-cry, Litheem shot one of the riders from his mount. Finni followed suit, and Robin shot with his dreadful siege-weapon. The bolt pinned rider and wolf together, killing them both. A cry of alarm went up as rider-less wolves whimpered and wandered. I muttered a quick prayer to Pelor, asking him to bless us with his radiant power. A slight glow appeared about us, and our spirits rose as Pelor answered me. Even in this dank, forbidding place and in the depths of night, Pelor answers his faithful.

One of the rider less wolves headed toward our right, as Michael shot a bolt at it with one of the looted crossbows. He quickly dispatched it with the enchanted spear that he had claimed from the Orcs’ armoury.
More riders came around the corner into the canyon along with goblins on foot, armed with bow and spear. They peppered our defences with arrows but, with the ancient battlements to hide behind we were pretty much safe from their paltry efforts. We continued to pepper the raiders with arrows and bolts, accounting for several more.
Eventually, they made the walls. Finni went to the larger breach, to the right. He and Michael slaughtered many Goblins on that side, as they sought to gain entrance. Our two doughty fighters sent many of the enemy to their doom.

To the left, I had ventured a single shot (having looked around the corner). I truly wish I had not, as I got to see the numbers of our enemy. I estimated some thirty or so goblins and maybe a dozen wolves. We also heard a savage bellow, and then the tramp of many booted feet.

I did not have time to see what was making this noise, as I hastened back to my barricade. Two wolf riders were trying to get into the compound, via the double doors. It took them precious seconds to open them, by which time I had fired the bales, causing a great conflagration to go up. By this time, Litheem had also left his position on top of the tower, and had taken up his elf-spear to try and force them back. I loaded my crossbow, just in time to see and ugly wolf and rider peering over the top of my barricade. I shot the Goblin from his saddle. Humble made short work of the wolf, and I armed myself with my mace, and stepped to his breach. Humble shouted that I was to deal with the Goblin skirmishers ahead of me, as he would take on the wolves and riders. I for one am glad of this. I am not really a warrior, and the Goblins were only lightly armoured. The Wolves seem more fearsome. Pelor bless his paladin for his bravery.

As Michael and Finni continued to wreck havoc on our foes, we held the walls. We could hear Goblins trying to clamber up the fortifications, but they were clumsy at best. Slowly, however weight of numbers were forcing us back. I killed a Goblin, with a crushing blow to his skull, and cried out for us to retreat to the entrance of the mine. Tod shouted that there were Orcs, and heavily armed ones, coming. That was what the noise was. And there was something else. A larger figure, mounted on a huge black hound with glowing eyes. Tod cast what seemed to me to be a quick minor spell, and we heard and enraged bellow. The little fellow had sent some electrical spark at their leader and he got somewhat of a shock!

By this time, we were getting pushed back. Humble and I were being forced back, so we retreated to the entrance. Tod let off one more spark, and with a chortle, scampered into the cavern. Litheem reluctantly gave ground in the centre, but was being hard-pressed by a wolf and his rider. He covered our bard, and Robin retreated into the cavern to offer support fire with his crossbow, taking three ballista bolts with him. Michael and Finni were in danger of being surrounded, but courageously held firm, retreating last of all. Then, two large ugly orcs bore down on Michael, grievously wounding him, and forcing him almost into my arms, collapsing. Litheem forced the healing draught down his throat, enabling him to fight on. Humble stepped into the breach, alongside Finni who had taken a couple of minor scrapes, but was holding up well.

Then, a monstrous figure burst the doors asunder, and scattered the burning bales. Astride what I can only describe as a hellish hound sat a huge ugly brute of an Orc. The hound was jet-black in colour, some four and half feet, or so, at the shoulder and with eyes that glowed like lit coals in a brazier. The Orcish war-leader (I assume that is who it was) bellowed something, and his hound breathed fire! What devilry is this? Humble took the full force of the blast, screaming as flames engulfed him. Finni was luckier, singed but alive. I channeled healing energies into Humble, and instantly he was as he was. The terrible burns gone, but his Madrigal Company tabard all but burned to a cinder. Finni drank his healing potion. It did not seem to have too much effect. I always said that the science of alchemy was no replacement for a competent healer and priest. It seems that all the potions that we received seemed to be somewhat ineffective. I do wonder how long they had been in storage, and what lackwit made them? Still, they meant that I was able to look out for the much more dangerous wounds, so they were some small help.

Grudgingly, we gave ground. Hit and retreat was the order of the day, as we backed off, up the incline to our last barricade. We wrought more carnage amongst our enemies, although these Orcs were more heavily armed, however, and it was looking like it was going to be a close run thing. Tod and Finni held the front of the line, as Tod used some sort of shielding spell to avoid most damage, until a lucky shot caught him hard. Backing off, he drank his healing draught. Behind them, Michael and I offer support. Litheem sent arrows into the milling crowd of orcs at the bottom of the slope to little or no effect. Their armour was proving troublesome.

Suddenly, our frontline retreated as one, and Robin brought the second ballista into play. And my, oh my, what a shot! The bolt sped into the nearest Orc, impaling him and pinning him to the ally behind him. Both fell dead, with what I can only term a look of utter surprise. The Orcs turned and retreated, with their leader bellowing some foulness as he also backed away.

As it stands now, it seems there is an uneasy truce, as both sides lick their wounds. We are all still standing, although it was a close run thing for Michael and Humble. Finni is a little bloodied and battered. I am drained. I have channeled almost as much as I can from my God. A small, minor prayer is all I think I will be able to manage. I need to rest. Perhaps I will get a chance in this truce that we seem to have at the moment? Tod is looking similarly drained. He looks all in, the poor lad. Litheem is the same as always, untouched, and he is watching the entranceway, bow in hand. Michael seems weary, but still standing. He and Finni were awe-inspiring at the barricades. Michael says he is a simple smith, but he is a canny fighter. Finni is likewise a fiercesome warrior. Against the Orcs, he seems to find a little extra something, that makes him quite terrifying. Robin is keeping our spirits up, still. I have loaded the four crossbows up here.

Author: Jon Burfoot

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