A party mounts a hunting expedition near the river past Dun Dulnadd. Some game is found, but so is a flying reptilian beast that slays several members of the group.
Party
- Gest (Matt)
- Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc (Codele)
- Kel / Sonorant (Anthony)
- Þorkell Skaðison (Firbozz)
- Beimir (Neal)
- Refereed by Danni
Intention
Þorkell is leading an expedition to go poaching in the woods around Dun Dulnadd, with a short stopover in the settlement proper to make good on a promise.
Summary
An inventory of animals encountered by the party on this adventure
5 dozen sheep
Herded on hills between Dun Dulnadd and the mountains. The herders speak Pictish and seem friendly, though wouldn’t want to be the one to test just how well they can use the slings they keep on their waists.
3 herding hounds
The pride of Corrimony (11,04), these graceful long-haired dogs are powerful and intelligent enough to keep the herd safe against predators and any notion of roaming far afield. One would make an excellent companion for anyone with the means to purchase.
9 deer
The rumors of a deer run between the river and the mountains (11,05) proved true. The deer there are healthy and numerous, coming down from the mountains for water. Þorkell and Kel might wish that the deer were slightly less healthy, as one buck was able to take two direct arrows and still make it away before the hunters could catch up.
1 wyvern
Long reptilian neck, massive wingspan, barbed tail and a mouth like a shoddy nest of serpent’s teeth. Seems to be able to hear at a great distance, especially if directly cursed at. Jaws made quick work of Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc, they a warrior who lived as if they had entered this world fated for violence and great battle. Poisonous tail made even quicker work of noble Beimir as he tried to rescue his compatriot. Gest can still see mottled-brown scales flying west with the lifeless bodies of his fellow ex-thralls grasped between the two back clawed feet.
1 boar & 1 doe
Captured in the snares Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc and Beimir had laid with Gest. Enough to keep the crew of the flotilla fed for three days, though sorry replacements for the two who lost their lives that day.
1 mule
Brúitíneach was recovered from where she had been stabled and is now in the care of Gest. It is hard to say what mule does and doesn’t know, and no one can remember if Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc ever told how long they had been together, but Brúi certainly gets some hopeful longing in her otherwise piss & vinegar muley eyes everytime she catches a the glint of a greatsword.
Boasts
Þorkell Skaðison
Seeing plentiful tracks along the river, Þorkell declares: “There is no way I will be leaving these woods without game.” Successful, as Þorkell helps carry the snared boar from the woods.
Gest
Gest, giving additional snares to Beimir and Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc, boasts “Today feels like a good day. Each of us will catch something in our snares.” Failed, both Beimir and Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc were killed by the Wyvern
Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc
To the wyvern: “I’ll have your head, you feathery fuck!” Failed, Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc was killed by the Wyvern
Beimir
“I will save our compatriot from this beast!” Failed, Beimir was also killed by the Wyvern
Rumors
- Slaine seems especially concerned that the dog-faced men might journey to Flodaigh Island.
- Who killed all those people in the ditch between 09,05 and 10,05?
- The village of Corrimony (11,04) breeds exceptional dogs for herding and protection from predators. They would be happy to sell a gelded one to anyone who might be interested.
- The wyvern flew west, possibly into 09,04.
Full Notes
Day 21 - Warm Weather - Calm Wind
- Þorkell Skaðison, Kel, Beimir, Gest, and Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc (plus mule Brúitíneach) have an uneventful sail from the flotilla (07,07) to Dun Dulnadd (09,05).
Dun Dulnadd
- Þorkell Skaðison visits Slaine and shows her a piece of stone rubble from Flodaigh Island. This rubble, along with second hand news from Isolde that the warden still lives in the tower, certainly count as worthwhile things from the island and thus complete the boast Þorkell Skaðison made in a previous session.
- Slaine is grateful that some in the group protected the warden of Flodaigh Island when others meant him harm.
- Aided by one of the canine stone masks that Kel had on hand, Þorkell also conveys a message from Isolde that “The dog-faced men are here. They’ve reached Caelkirk, they can’t be far from Dun Dulnadd. Drest can’t be counted on. And please, tell her I’m sorry.”
- Slaine is concerned by this development, and seems especially worried what might happen if men reach the tower on Flodaigh Island. When asked if she would want to travel with the flotilla, she politely declines.
- Beimir visits the tavern down by the docks in search of Kranald and Gorf, raiders who had joined with the party previously. They are nowhere to be found. Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc stables Brúitíneach the mule on the outskirts of town and the party heads towards 10,05 to begin the hunt.
- En route to 10,05 they see seven human corpses in a ditch. The bodies appear to have been killed by sword and other weapons of war, and though once armed but have been thoroughly looted. They also show no colors, crest, or Onthlougian gaps in their teeth. The party keeps moving into 10,05 and passes an uneventful night.
Day 22 - 10,05 - Camp - Light Rain
- The party decides to split in two. Þorkell and Kel, with their longbows, aim to make it to 11,05 to see if the rumor of deer being plentiful in that area is true. Beimir, Gest, and Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc plan on staying closer to camp to lay snares (several of which are gifted by the two in the 11,05 party) and forage for herbs.
Þorkell and Kel in search of deer
- Following tracks along the river that point towards 11,05, Þorkell boasts “There is no way I will be leaving these woods without game.” Kel sets a snare to check back on later.
- Still in 10,05, they encounter more than 5 dozen sheep tended to by 3 herders and 3 large, majestic long-haired herding dogs.
- One of the herders, Echach, asks if the two are traveling to Corrimony (11,04), the village the herders hail from that is well-known for the herding dogs bred there (which they are happy to sell). The hunters continue on.
- In 11,05, as the foothills work up to mountain, they find a group of 9 deer
- Both Þorkell and Kel take steady aim at the most promising, a large buck, patiently waiting several seconds and only shooting once it seems their presence has been detected.
- Both arrows strike the buck, seriously injuring but not killing it. It takes off into the mountains and, as the light of the day fades, the hunters lose the tracks.
- As they return they check the snare Kel had previously laid. It is empty and they return to the camp in a foul mood.
At the camp
- Beimir, Gest, and Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc walk in expanding circles around the camp, setting 7 snares and foraging for herbs. Gest, upon distributing some snares to the other two, makes the boast “Today feels like a good day. Each of us will catch something in our snares.”
- They see a group of 14 people in the distance. The person in the lead is wearing white and carrying a staff made to look like the crucifixion. The others are wearing brown and follow, all seemingly missionaries or pilgrims of some sort. The group of three, two of whom bear the missing tooth of a pagan cult, think that a group of Christians is the last thing they’d want to deal with this day and do not engage.
- Sometime later, they hear a screech high overhead (it has been requested that I note that, right before this moment while rolling the encounters table, Danni went ““ohhh INTERESTING”). The creature is large enough that they can tell, even at a distance, that it has massive wings, a long neck, two legs, and a tail that ends in a sharp point. It does not seem to notice the party until Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc boasts “I’ll have your head, you feathery fuck!”
The Wyvern
- As the wyvern descends toward the party, Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc drops their large bag of various items and readies their greatsword. Beimir and Gest, seeing the size of the beast, decide to head to a copse of trees and hide under a net.
- The wyvern is fast, picking Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc up in its jaws and biting them repeatedly before dropping their nearly dead body at its feet.
- Beimir, boasting that he will rescue his compatriot from the beast, pulls a vial containing distilled hallucinogenic mushrooms toxin from his traveling apothecary and readies it in his sling. He leaves hiding and closes ground, attempting to get the vial right in the mouth of the beast.
- This does not work and the beast turns its attention on Beimir.
- As Gest starts to ready his longbow from his hiding spot, Beimir continues forward and attacks the wyvern with his quarterstaff.
- He does manage to land a blow, but the wyvern attacks with its tail immediately after, the barb and poison immediately killing Beimir.
- The wyvern takes both bodies in its mouth and flies off to the west.
- Once it is safe, Gest emerges and recovers Corpre mac Coirpre mac Cuirpre mac Cuirc’s bag. Clearly shaken but not having forgotten the snares, he finds that a boar and a doe (three flotilla-days worth of meat) have been caught in the snares set by the two deceased party members.
Return to camp
- Gest drags the doe on his shoulders and the boar in a net back to camp and reconnects with Þorkell and Kel. All three lose themselves in preparing the game and
- Þorkell, clearly coping in his own way, complains about the buck that got away while dividing up the meat.
- They have 3 flotilla days worth of food and the parts are prepared in a way that nets 13 silver (would be 15 but Gest keeps both boar tusks).
Day 23 - Heavy Rain
- The group slowly and carefully make their way back towards the karvi, laden with meat. It is thankfully an uneventful trip. Þorkell carries enough game out of the woods to fulfill his boast, even if it might not have been what was initially intended.
- They are also able to recover Brúitíneach the mule, who Gest decides is now his responsibility.
- They return to the flotilla without further incident.
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