That day the adventurers set off for Cu Roi’s once again. They travel for the better part of the day before reaching the Old King’s Road. From the air, Cian and his hawk spot some action further up the road. Flying in for a closer look they spy a band of Ogres clearing out trees along the road. Further to the north, Cian thinks he spots a structure at the extent of his vision.
When they are nearly to the road, Cinn Oir’s Dire Weasel suddenly breaks for the woods. She calls him back several times but he ignores her and soon disappears into the brush. Frustrated, Cinn Oir takes up tracking the beast. The party follows and Cian takes to the air to try to spot the Dire Weasel. He spies it heading to the south in the direction of a small valley but loses it in the trees. Cian swoops down to report this to Cinn Oir and he flies on ahead to try to pick it up again.
Flying low, Cian manages to spot the Dire Weasel. Cian notes that there is a slender humanoid figure standing by it. The Dire Weasel stands quiet patiently for sometime then takes off back toward the party. Cian once again swoops down to report what he saw, leaving his hawk, Kentaka, in the air to keep a bead on the mysterious stranger. Cian then returns to his higher vantage point and begins to close distance between him and the lone figure.
Cian penetrates the canopy and lands lightly on a low tree branch directly in the stranger’s path. As the figure breaks effortlessly and almost noiselessly through the brush, Cian is suddenly stricken by her beauty. Her flimsily clothed body glistens in the patched forest light, it’s curves perfection, the clothing clinging in all the right places. Her face radiates a beauty that leaves Cian awe-stricken. He can do nothing but gape even though a painful nagging in the back of his mind is trying desperately to look away; to escape the incomprehensible beauty. A beauty that begins to cloud his vision....
The figure slows and looks up at Cian quizzically. She smiles lightly and stretches out her hand, beckoning him to come forward. Cian is nearly frozen in awe. Everything in him tells him he must accept that out-stretched hand; that its caress contains everything he could ever want. But the nagging in the back of his brain becomes a steady pounding. His body convulses as if to shake off the awe that threatens to overcome it and he leaps for the sky.
Cian rejoins the party who is slowly approaching. He lands and tells them of what he just saw. Liam seems curious and is incredibly intrigued when Cian states that the female he just encountered was of unsurpassed beauty. Liam inquires as to whether or not her beauty could actually exceed that of his companions (DM’s Note: The charisma of the female members of the party is astounding—Cinn Oir, Dierdre and Etain all have 16+….) Cian must have made his wisdom check that day though as he declines to answer that question….. Cian tries to convince only Cinn Oir to go but the rest of the party is curious enough that they wish to tag along.
Cinn Oir follows Cian to the spot where he last saw the woman. There is no sign of her and Cinn Oir cannot pick up any sign of a trail. Soon Cinn Oir’s Dire Weasel comes bounding out of the brush. Cinn Oir casts a Speak with Animals and grills the Dire Weasel. He tells her that he met a beautiful lady who just ask a few questions about the party. The Dire Weasel says that he told her about his friend Cinn Oir and that she was a nice friend. Cinn Oir gets little else out of the Dire Weasel who exclaims that where the lady went is a secret he can’t tell.
After several minutes of searching, Cian takes to the air again but fails to spot her from above. The only hint as to where she might be is that she seemed to be heading in the direction of a valley just to the south. He reports this to the party and they decide it best to leave her alone and travel on toward Cu Roi’s. As they near the ancient road, they hear the resounding thud of axes striking tree trunks and they recall the ogres Cian spotted from the air. Cinn Oir finds the party staring at her and says that she’d rather not take on five ogres with a mage that has no spells and a midget cleric. The party sighs in relief (though maybe a bit perplexed) and takes a detour around the logging area.
Within a few days they reach Cu Roi’s tiny, concealed, hillside home. He welcomes them and they join him in the common room. They find that Archu and Ceridwen have been out for some time. They are in Lynn where some very interesting things have been brewing. Ever since the party raised that ruckus in the middle of the Beltine festival, many interesting people have been showing up in Lynn. Ceridwen claims that many "closet wizards and sorcerers" have been passing through looking for others like themselves. She has been there trying to make contact with as many as she can.
Cian strikes up a conversation with Cu Roi, who is very sympathetic of Cian’s predicament. Cu Roi then agrees to take Cian on as an apprentice and teach him some of his spells. He however makes Cian swear that he will steer clear of infernal dealings and not taint the knowledge he is given. Cian agrees and he and Cu Roi spend the next several weeks compiling a new spell book.
Cian discovers that Cu Roi is actual a specialist in Transmutation magics and is very excited that the old wizard may have some tricks up his sleeve to help Cian return to his normal form. Cu Roi says he can do so with little trouble, however there are limitations. They discuss the limitations and benefits of several magics in great detail (boring the heck out of the party for days on end.) Cian eventually rules out Polymorph Other (which could be done immediately but he’s not keen on taking on "average" human stats and the other possible races for Cian have other drawbacks. For instance, Dierdre flat out -refuses- to travel with a "smelly ogre").
Finally, Cian decides the best short term solution is perhaps a wondrous item imbued with Change Self. Cu Roi agrees to help in its construction though admits he does not have the proper components on hand for any sort of permanent item. Cian promises to secure these and Cu Roi in the meantime, loans Cian some potions which will offer some assistance in emergencies.
During this time, Liam trains his riding horse for battle conditions and is very successful in his efforts. Dierdre sets up her alchemy lab and works on making anti-toxins for the party. After a few days she finds the process incredibly difficult and switches to trying to distill acid from some of the local flora. After several weeks she comes up with a few flasks. Cinn Oir spends her time acquainting herself with the immediate area around Cu Roi’s home. She becomes very familiar with the terrain, plants and animals in the region.
While she is out, Cinn Oir also picks up a few interesting travelers. She is happy though surprised to find Bebe in the woods not too far to the south. Bebe had been visiting her homeland which lies on the far western edge of the Woods. She greets Cinn Oir in her usual gruff manner and tells her how the talking wolves have stepped up their raids on her village. Bebe explains how she has spent several weeks fending off these beasts and discovered that all signs of the cause for their increased aggression pointed east. She traveled this way through the Woods and had hoped to run into Cu Roi’s place again to see if she might find the party or at least get a few answers out of the "dirty old man".
Cinn Oir takes Bebe back to Cu Roi’s and the adventurers catch up on old times. They find that Archu has also returned leaving Ceridwen in Lynn for now. He doesn’t say much but explains that she planned to meet him here in a month’s time.
Cinn Oir also runs into another intriguing traveler. While strolling through the woods she catches sight of a man encased in armor from head to toe. He is leading a horse through the rough woodland terrain and stopping to inspect the ground every so often. She stops and stares at him from a distance. Within a few minutes the man looks up from his intense concentration on the forest floor and sees her. He makes a cautious wave and she steps a little closer. She introduces herself and he proclaims that he is Lance Van Rose (DM’s note: Laigen Mc Drughaig for the pseudo-gaelic of Eyru; but it is a character name a player of mine used MANY years ago so we skipped the translation…)
Lance and Cinn Oir talk for quite some time (DM’s Note: Well….sorta). He explains he is tracking ogres which raided a human settlement far to the south in High Clan Tairan’s lands. He saw them with his own eyes and no one believes him. Further, everyone balked at the idea of tracking them into the Woods. Lance told them he had no fear of superstition and was convinced that Lugh would travel with him on this mission of justice. So he set off to track down the ogres and prove to the people what he saw. Cinn Oir agrees to see if her group will help him and also assures him that there have been ogres in the woods lately. She in fact already saw the very tracks he is following just earlier and was keen to warn the party about them anyway.
Cinn Oir leads Lance back to Cu Roi’s and she tells the adventurers of this interesting warrior she met in the woods. They agree to meet him. Over a light meal, they listen to Lance’s tale and decide to track down the ogres he is after. Cian is more confident now that he has a fresh (though only partial) compliment of spells and Bebe is simply eager to kill stuff. Liam also agrees to go as does Archu, who is not found of ogres so close to his new home. Dierdre is less interested and through several frustrated groans at her Alchemy equipment, chooses to stay behind. They mobilize and head out several hours before nightfall.
Within an hour they have picked up the ogre’s trail. It is not a hard one to follow though Cinn Oir can see from the tracks that there is someone with them who is actively trying to counter track for the clumsy beasts. From the tracks, Cinn Oir can tell that this person is of slightly smaller stature than his companions. The tracks lead on to the north and the adventurers hope that the ogres will soon tire and camp for the night so that they can gain some ground on them.
Cian, from his airborne position, is the first to spot the ogres. The six ogres have indeed stop to set up camp for the night and are gathered around a fire on the hilly plains beyond the thinning forest tree line. There is one member of the ogre party that is not near the fire. He is slightly smaller in size and is lurking in the woods on the edge of the fire light.
Making use of the remaining daylight, Cian takes in the rest of the terrain around the ogre camp and describes what lies ahead to the party. Lance suggests that he can ride forward and try to lure the ogres out after him. Once he has them on his heels, he can draw them to a suitable place for ambush. The party agrees and using Cian’s air surveillance, they decide on a good point for the ambush.
The adventurers approach within a quarter mile of the ogre campsite and veer to the west toward a copse of trees which is only 500 feet from the ogres. Lance is to lure them to this copse of trees where Cinn Oir will try to Entangle as many as possible. Everyone takes up scattered positions around the trees and Lance rides forward toward the ogre campsite.
Lance is nearly there, cautiously walking his horse over a small stream. As soon as he reaches the other side, he spurs his horse forward at a gallop, heading for the ogre camp. He is nearly there when a figure jumps out from behind a tree, leveling a spear in his path. With tremendous effort Lance pulls his horse short and swerves to the side with a slight hop, narrowly missing the waiting spear. He lets out a shout and turns his steed back toward where the party lies in wait for the ambush.
The ogres begin rushing from their camp toward the noise when the smaller one (the same that set the spear in Lance’s path) begins yelling orders. The ogres stop their reckless charge after Lance and begin to form slightly more organized groups, spreading out as they move ahead. Cinn Oir can barely make out the ogres movements in the deepening darkness and seeing them begin to fan out, she rushes forward to cast her Entangle before the ogres spread to thin. The rest of the party presses forward with her and Lance wheels his horse around.
The Entangle snags nearly all of the ogres. All except the apparent leader. As the writhing grasses and ground roots grasp for him, he jumps back calling for the ogres to fall back to the campfire. Cian, who has flown ahead of the party hears these orders (spoken in Giant) and dives into the midst of the Entangled ogres. He hopes to disable at least one before they do break free of the spell. Cian and Kentaka (his hawk familiar) tear ferociously at an ogre but a heavy swing from the ogre’s club makes Cian think twice about the idea.
Liam spurs his horse on and rides wide around the writhing plants. Casting from horseback, he tries to Hold the leader but is unsuccessful. Lance circles around the far-side of the entangle hoping to flank the leader’s movements. Archu dismounts and runs forward on foot, also trying to circumvent the entangle field. As Archu advances, he tries to slip past Bebe who has reached the edge and ends up being pulled in by the grasping grasses. The ogre leader continues to wade through the entangle and makes it to the campfire.
Cian breaks off his assault against the trapped ogre and decides to join the rest of his companions who are singling out the leader. Liam has managed to get within bow range and fired a few wild shots into the trees where the leader is seeking cover, waiting for his ogre warriors to regroup. Cinn Oir rushes forward and summons a Hawk, sending it clawing and pecking at the ogre leader. Bebe sees an ogre starting to force his way through the entangle and stops at the edge, just waiting for the chance to cleave him in two with her axe. Archu, manages to wriggle free of the entangle with an Escape Artist check and melts into the shadows.
Thinking to gain an advantage, the ogre leader spends his action dousing the campfire. Liam, slightly annoyed, rides forward and casts Light on his own hat, flooding the campsite with light once again.. Lance has made it around the farside of the entangle and he leaps from his horse and rushes to engage the leader. They exchange blows and Lance lands a hard hit on him. As he does, two ogres emerge from the entangle and come between him and the leader. A pitched melee erupts. Within a few rounds, Bebe has finished off the lone ogre and rushed to join Lance. Liam has given up on his bow and rushes into the fray as well, sending a flurry of hooves from his warhorse and the slicing of his shortsword.
Cinn Oir holds her distance and tries lobbing fire from a Produce Flame spell. After pitching several of the little balls of flame into the trees, she and her Dire Weasel advance toward the melee where her Nature’s Ally (a hawk) is battling the ogres. Cian, eager to add to the chaos, swoops down at Liam’s horse where he has stored his spell components. Cian manages to grab the bag and flies it off a short distance from the fight. There he begins to separate out components for a few spells, Slow chief among them.
Bebe, Lance and Liam are pressing the ogres hard. Three have emerged from the Entangle (the final two seem hopelessly stuck.) The brave adventurers attacks are causing some serious damage though the ogres are matching the pace and their heavy clubs strike with bone crushing efficiency. Cian, having pulled out several sets of components, flies up into the branches of a tree that is overlooking the melee. With a deft casting, he sends a Color Spray into the faces of the tall ogres, blinding all two of them. His next action, he swoops low to the ground and grabs the components for his Slow spell. This time each ogre and the leader is caught by the spell.
Bebe makes short work of her crippled opponent and throws herself at the leader in a berserk fury. She takes a hard hit as she pushes into the threatened area of an ogre next to the leader but she continues her attack and deals a good slicing blow. With a vicious smile, the leader returns the attack in spades; a half spear in one hand and short sword in the other. Bebe reels under the painful attack but continues to swing. Meanwhile Lance is dealt a hard hit from an ogre and he stumbles back out of the melee (DM’s Note: The ogre was blind so I couldn’t see giving him an AoO unless the ogre has blindfighting.) Liam calls forth a spiritual weapon to help harass the leader while his horse continues to wail on the ogre it faces (DM’s Note: We ruled it a Concentration check based on "violent motion" for anyone interested.)
Lance has backed out of the battle just in time as another lucky blow the blind ogre would have killed him. Cinn Oir, seeing her wounded companion falling back, is ready with a Cure Light as soon as Lance leaves the melee. Cinn Oir then runs a wide circle around the fight toward Bebe. Cinn Oir can see that Bebe is bleeding badly and her rage has blinded her to the severity of her wounds. Cinn Oir then sicks her Dire Weasel on a remaining ogre and the rabid beast nearly fells the wounded (and blind, and slow, and stunned….jeesh this party is mean!) ogre.
The Ogre leader takes another bad strike from Bebe and he growls ferociously, intent on finishing her off. However, from the shadows just outside of Liam’s Light spell, Archu emerges and levels a blow with his long sword that nearly decapitates the leader. Stunned, the thin framed ogre whirls to face Archu and deals a powerful blow with his spear. Bebe, fighting to ignore her rage, steps toward Cinn Oir who is standing with glowing hands on the edge of the melee calling for Bebe to join her. Cinn Oir gives Bebe a Cure Light and Bebe anxiously returns to the melee.
Cian finds his luck may have run his course. For an instant, at the beginning of the fight he felt he had perhaps mastered the innovation necessary to cast in this new form. Slowly though that confidence has begun to recede as he fails at even the simplest of spells. (DM’s Note: I’m allowing casting in animal form but it requires a very tough concentration check and an doubles casting time…..not a permanent solution at all, human hands are still better. However, as pointed out to me by the players, it seems reasonable that a mage could try to mimic or even use entirely different gestures for spells. Somatic components, by the book only require one hand free. No reason to assume it is impossible—just next to impossible.)
The melee know takes a swift downturn for the ogres. Two more are dropped by Liam, Bebe, and the Dire Wolf and the leader is soon surrounded. The leader tries to move away and is snagged by the still writhing Entangle. It takes moments for the fornt line fighters to advance and finish him. The group gathers together and Liam and Cinn Oir spend several rounds healing everyone up before the Entangle dissipates and frees the two remaining ogres. One of the ogres calls out a surrender but as the Entangle fades away, he and his companion break for the trees. Within minutes, Archu, Liam and Cian have ridden them down and finished them off.
The session ends with the party recovering a good deal of cash from the ogres and an amulet from the leader which they suspect may be magical. Bebe takes a heavy flail off the leader and Liam grabs the leader’s shortsword which is made of a very strange, almost dark blue metal….