Tales of Tolvenia, Chapter Twelve

Dates: 9 & 16 February 2012. Present: Eric (Goblina), Matthew (Jaren) and Zach (Haley).

At the end of their week of study and training at Talvinden Mansion, a messenger arrived with a message for Sister Ransia Scorch. Goblina attempted to sneak into the inquisitor’s room to look at the message, but failed. Shortly afterwards, Scorch and her troop left for the capital.

The next day, the guards patrolling the mansion’s perimeter reported a huge shape moving in and out of the trees over a mile away. The party went outside to look and saw a dark, hulking humanoid figure that resembled the Vilstrithiani mutants they had encountered in the past. Armed with his two godstones, Jaren set off immediately on Haley’s now-flying horse, Phnor.

A moment later, Haley noticed the Special High Librarian surreptitiously slip away back into the mansion; she followed him with equal surreptition. She tracked him to his quarters and overheard him murmur a message: ‘The priest is coming towards you on a flying horse. He has the godstones.’ Haley raced back to the onlookers.

Meanwhile, Jaren passed the dark monster – it didn’t appear to notice him. He was then ambushed by a group of four eluri and four giant fighters. They cast a spell on Phnor to make him land in a clearing. The eluri demanded Jaren hand over the godstones. Jaren refused.

Haley, Goblina and the other guards and mages at the mansion raced towards the monster and Jaren. On the way, Goblina threw a knife at the creature – it passed straight through it, confirming that it was an illusion.

Two giants grabbed Jaren. Jaren responded with a spell, but only managed to create partial darkness around himself. The giants pulled Jaren from his horse and started ripping off his clothes. Phnor began attacking one of the giants; with its new magical powers, it caused several mutations to one.

Haley arrived in the clearing first among the pursuers and was immediately the target of a total darkness spell. However, she made it to Jaren and stole the godstones out from under the noses of the giants; she fled across the clearing to the trees. On the way, she was struck by a cube of fire, triggering the magic of her Nightmaster’s coat – creating a stationary 3 by 3 square of total darkness and making her invisible and silent. She then continued to escape into the woods.

Goblina arrived and created an illusion of Jaren and Haley fleeing in the opposite direction. Then she started attacking.

In the following fight, the partly mutated giant was bereft of his sentience and commanded by Jaren to kill eluri. A number of the fighters from the mansion were handicapped by total darkness; a couple were magically commanded to fight their allies. Two of the eluri were killed (one was burnt to a crisp with Goblina’s newly enchanted throwing knife); two fled but were chased and surrendered. The giants other than the heavily mutated one fled.