A boat was sent to scout Ruislip to scout, and encountered a monster that steals and collects bones. They then went to talk to a small village and learned some facts about the local area. When returning to the ship, there was an attempt to kill the monster, but that led to several injuries and a heroic sacrifice.
Party
- Alfred (Slasher)
- Aethelwig (Galgoa)
- Brân (Autumn)
- Tadg (H.)
- Vrede (KB)
- Refereed by Michael
Intention
Survey the island of Ruislip to find the town on the eastern coast which our captors were headed to, then discover why Lutrin wanted them to travel there.
Boasts
Tadg
“I will bring you the best cow bones you’ve seen in a long time, Sir!”
Vrede
“My axe will taste ogre blood!”
Alfred
“Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out soldiers, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand…And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” [I will nail the Ogre’s hand to our boat]
Rumors
- Cioran, an occupying lord of the village in Ruislip, is an incompetent ruler who has failed to protect them from the griffon - Forgall, a man of the village, and his mother Aishill seek help in turning him out. Ailish suggests that she knows magical secrets, and will share them if Cioran is overthrown.
Full Notes
04,04
- Foggy, can’t see anything
- Alfred suggests heading to the island to the southwest first, sail up the river in search of the rumored town, then explore the coast
- Vrede suggests making landfall on Ruislip as well
03,04
- Island in view - Thick with kudzu-like vegetation, very little visible coast; plants all lead “very eagerly,” towards the south
02,05
- Fog limits view up to a hundred feet, slight elevation
- Vrede climbs ashore, Aethelwig and Alfred follow
- Tadg looses his hawk, follows
- 6 turns foraging - find 2 bundles of edible plants
- Small conical “pyramids” or cairns noticed around the island, made of stacked rocks, about 3 ft tall
- Vrede gets a feeling that she’s trespassing somehow, doesn’t think this is the place the captor was headed
- Hawk (Maedoc) returns with silver coin, recognizably from albann,
- Tadg passes to Alfred and Bran - apparently had the name of some king
- Untarnished silver
- Alfred suggests leaving
- Party returns to boat, Vrede and Tadg leave to explore while the rest hang back
- Tadg is interested in opening the cairns, Vrede relents and stands guard
- Old bones, ensnared with vines
- 19 Ruis coins found, all tarnished, evidently grave goods
- They resolve to head back; Vrede attempts to get Medoc to land on her arm, it does not go well
- Party reforms at about 4 pm, sail south to Ruislip to get there before nightfall
03,07
- 8:00 pm - Fog has started to lift a bit; can make out shadows in the distance
- Dry stone house in the distance, large complex spiraling out from the main house, chaotic piles everywhere
- Alfred, tadg approaches with torch, Vrede bran & aethelwig hang back to watch the horizon
- Wind changes - smell of rot, rats, heaps of bones in house; neatly and methodically stacked; carcasses laid out to bleach in the sun
- A large creature emerges, interrogates party in Ruis “Who be ye?”
- They bolt, tadg attempting to assure creature that they are just “very scared friends”
- Alfred and tadg are hoisted by the Ogre, brought to his face, demands bones for trade, Tadg agrees, attempts to negotiate release
- Ogre promises shinies for cow bones tomorrow
- Party reunites, Vrede boasts, Alfred stands to his full height and quotes scripture, one-upping Vrede’s boasts
- Tadg suggests heading south in search of a butcher
- To the southwest is a small town, to the southeast is a somewhat bigger town on the river
- Whole party offloads mules and cart from boat, head southeast
04,08
- Reach town at 8 am - palisade, fishing equipment
- Woman looks directly at the party, wearing a white gown with green cirtle, wreath of holly in her hair, opens arms to the party
- Vrede hails her, she disappears
- Vrede flips out, runs after her - sees the woman a hundred feet away inside the gate; she points silently at a large house on a hill
- Door opens for her as she approaches; smells fragrant smoke, thoughtlessly goes inside, taking care of her appearance
- Young man, looks similar to the woman sitting at the table with another woman - she is the splitting image of the earlier woman but older and wearing a black gown
- Vrede asks about the “sister,” the woman, Ailish denies her; the man, Forgall asks Vrede to help them overthrow incompetent ruler, Cioran
- Ailish asks why Vrede has come; she answers honestly, promises to help once her current business is finished
- Alfred looks for someone in charge, heads to a central house with aethelwig and bran
- Claims to guards that they are with count lutrin, they seem confused
- Tadg looks for butcher
- Asks for finest bull, haggles for the bones
- Unfortunately, they break
03,07
- Party meets back up, Tadg and Alfred bring cow bone up to Ogre’s house while the others lay in wait
- Ogre is not impressed
- Tadg signals to party, Vrede leads the attack
- Aethelwig and Alfred are cut down, tadg runs to tend to aethelwig’s wounds
- Vrede continues to fight the Ogre.
- Tadg dragged Alfred to the boat.
- Both Tadg and Bran were unsuccessful in getting through Vrede’s bloodlust and persuading her to come back to the boat.
- Vrede was left to her fate with the Ogre, her chances slim without allies.
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