Following the south river by Ullar's instructions, you all find it fairly easily going. Within a couple of hours, you have left the more open, hilly country and returned to the forest where you spent so much time earlier. It is a warm and windy day, different than the rainy weather you have experienced off and on lately. Refreshed from the stay in the elven time bubble, you feel more than ready to take on any challenges.
After approximately ten miles, you turn and head west, back toward Sukiskayn, though further south. Within just a couple of miles, with the sun still high in the sky, you come upon the area seen in Forte's dream. The petrified forest is an eerie and silent place, with little or no color to relieve the gray stone of the stiff, blighted trees and undergrowth. The trees were transformed while in full leaf, and now form a dense, opaque canopy which draws a shadowy twilight gloom over the forest floor. The only living things here are patches of pale moss and lichen on the tree-trunks and limp, web-like creepers hanging like shrouds from the branches.
Rhune shivers as she sees the forest. She has never heard of anything like this let alone seen one...It does not seem natural to her. A forest should be alive and green and filled with the movement and noise of animals. This forest definitely makes her nervous and she watches the surrounding area intently, trying to listen for anything that might be moving, unsuccessfully.
The area seems familiar to Forte from his vision, but does not exactly parallel it. Looking about, you see that some paths cross the area. It is difficult to tell how well-traveled they are, but they certainly exist. Unlike most petrified forests, the group sees several small petrified animals as well, squirrels, birds, etc. It almost seems as if some foul magic overtook this place all at once, turning everything to stone.
In a low whisper that only those next to her might hear, "I don't like this. What could have done this on such a scale?" Rhune asks looking around her with growing unease.
"Something powerful...and evil," shudders Forte, whispering in response
Riding ahead inexplicably with the much quieter and more observant Asif and Dakath, Ullar makes a veritably cacophony of noise in his new armor. In the new environment, this is exaggerated by the silence around him. After an hour or so, Asif and Dakath can take it no more and exile Ullar back to the main group so that they can actually scout the area with some hope of not alerting everything within miles.
Ullar, seeing how his noise upsets Dakath and Asif quickly returns to the main-group, telling them that Dakath and Asif are scouting.
And lucky it was that they did this, as soon after Asif sees a group of giant black creatures, bats he thinks, sitting poised high in the trees watching the path. They do not notice Asif and Dakath, though the group behind them will certainly draw their foul attention quickly.
"Dakath my friend those creatures hidden there speak ill of this place. The light of Aten hides us from there foul intent, but I fear Aten protects not us all. You should quickly warn them, while I shall try to provide what covering fire I may with my bow."
Dakath nods, not taking his eyes off the creatures in the trees. He turns his mount and returns the way they had just come. Once he reaches the others he whispers "We have company further down the road, more of those giant bat creatures."
Rhune sees Asif and Dakath halt and looks around to see what might have caused them do so. If she sees the bats or they point at them, Rhune quietly and slowly draws her bow and knocks an arrow into it. Hopefully she will get a shot off before the bats notice them. These have to be guards for something or someone and just for once, she would like to approach something without it knowing that they are coming.
When Dakath comes back to warn the group, then a grim look comes over Tag's face and he quickly and quietly loads his crossbow, making sure the bolts are within easy reach.
As quietly as he can, Forte prepares his bow with one of the new elven arrows.
When Dakath returns to tell the group what they discovered, Ullar replies:
"Ok, it seems best to me if we halt here for a moment to discuss our options. Let's not alert those creatures by the symphony my platemail creates." the warrior says with a huge grin.
"Hmm.." he continuous "..do the show any resemblance with the black bats we encountered before?"
"Do we need to encounter them, Asif and Dakath? Or are we able to go around them? I'm not afraid of a fight, but I rather avoid combat with unknown creatures, dressed in black" Ullar says, with a rather cynical smile on his face.
"If there is no other way but the path to continue onwards, I think burning torches would serve us well, as fire almost always frightens animals. We'll have to consider how our horses will respond as well, but I doubt Zephyr will have any problem with it."
"I agree, mio amico, we should avoid them if possible. I think if we must battle them Ullar, perhaps they would be more intimidated by cold steel than fire. They do not deem like natural creatures to me. Even worse, they may just fly off and alert their masters. Perhaps we should try to take them out with a volley of missile fire before they see us, Si" Tag replies.
Smiling with grim intent Asif bring his bow to the shoulder in one swift motion and prepares to unleash a volley of death.
Rhune smiles as she sees Asif get his bow ready.
Though Ullar has some objection, the rest of the group seems desirous of making pincushions out of the bats, and so it is. Bringing their horses forward slowly, the group finds Asif and Rhune already prepared to fire their bows at the creatures high in the trees. Seeing the new entries, there is a flutter of activity from the boughs, as the great black monsters attempt to flee.
Those with the ability raise their own weapons to attempt to stop them from alerting their masters, but it will be difficult, as they flit off quickly.
Asif in typical fashion feathers one of the beasts before it even leaves it's perch, and it falls to the ground while it's brothers scream in high-pitched chorus. Almost simultaneously, one of the others is pierced by both of Rhune's flights and falls as well.
Forte's continued ill-luck at archery is not helped by his new elven-fletched arrows, as both are well off the mark. Taglio is more fortunate, though, as he catches one of the creatures in mid-flight with a crossbow bolt and it falls hard. The remaining two creatures dart into the trees but are just briefly exposed to another round of missiles.
Forte and Taglio neither have time to reload to target them, but find it unnecessary, as Rhune and Asif in deadly tandem nail the beasts. The forest is once again restored to eerie silence.
Moving over toward the creatures, the party identifies them as the same sort of creatures that caused them such grief at Sukiskayn some weeks ago. These seem a bit smaller, but still much larger than regular specimens of their breed.
As the others examine the bats, Forte dismounts and retrieves his elven arrows.
Forte manages to find two arrows, though they could be his or someone else's. Uncertain, he puts both in his quiver, filling it again.
Comforted that the creatures were unable to alert their masters, unless the echoing screams were enough to do that, the group perseveres into the stony woods.
Asif and Dakath continue ahead with Rhune trailing them just slightly, the others some distance behind. The two come across a track winding away into the gloom between the lifeless trees. Looking along it, they catch sight of a group of goblins and wolves headed in your direction. The goblins are chattering noisily amongst themselves and do not appear to have seen you.
Rhune quickly motions to the others that she is going to dismount and move off to the side behind several trees.... .hopefully she will get several bow shots off before the goblins know that they are there.... ..she prepares by sticking several arrows in the ground near her and her sword as well so that she will be able to switch weapons if necessary.... .while she waits she pats her horse's nose to keep him quiet
Dakath spares a glance over at Asif before quickly dismounting. He unsheathes the dagger Xania gave him and his other dagger. "Let's get off the road Asif" with that he leads Stenu into cover in the woods. Looking back he motions for the others to do the same.
Asif nods and dismounts as well. He gestures to Dakath and Rhune that he intends to lead his horse into the same cover of the trees and prepare for an ambush of the goblins. Asif makes similar preparations as Rhune so as to be ready to deal swift death to the goblins..
Ullar sees Rhune dismounting and things that the front-troops have scouted some danger ahead of the group. He motions to the rest of the group to halt and dismounts as well.
Taglio crosses himself and briefly touches the hole in the chainmail where his father bought his ignoble death. A cloud passes across his face. He remembers the last fight with goblins, the terrible wound he suffered and Leslie's heroic death. "Jerboha protect us" he mumbles under his breath. Tag reloads his crossbow and loosens his rapier in its sheath. He then takes up position next to Ullar behind a petrified tree with a clear view of the road.
Speaking to Amibar, Taglio and Kyo he points to the front. "I think they've seen something. Rhune is dismounting so I suggest we do the same. If we're fast we might be able to setup some sort of ambush. If we split up in two groups, on both sides of the road, we can 'sandwich' them as soon as they pass us."
The goblins and wolves draw closer. They are clearly of the same tribe that assaulted Sukiskayn some weeks ago, then departed in the morning, as the little men wear wolfskins and are equipped much the same, with axes and spears. There are ten of them, along with three wolves.
"Wolves?" Ullar mutters under his breath. "Hmm.. that's not good." "I'll hope that they will fail to connect with me due to this platemail" he says, with some sort of a grin, soon replaced with a stern face.
Ullar leads his horse Zephyr a couple of feet into the petrified forest and moves back to position himself somewhere on the left side of the road; the ex-gladiator is right handed. Eager to do something as well, he waits until the 'range-attackers' fire their bows. Forte's two-handed in his hand, he waits.
Forte takes Esqueleto in the woods, on the other side of the road. He then proceeds a few yards further up the road, toward the approaching greenskins. Forte makes sure is mace is easily accessible and then gets ready with his bow, hoping to get at least two rounds of arrows in before he has to charge in with his mace. He also notes, rather surprisingly, that he is not nervous. At least, not yet.
As the goblins enter the circle of death, suddenly one of the wolves pulls up short, sniffing the air, apparently catching the scent of one of the horses. This signals the archers to begin their siege.
Amazingly, Asif seems to have lost his touch, as his shots are not only misses, but spectacular ones, not even coming close to the group, who sit about like fish in a barrel, waiting to be shot. Rhune's shots are more deadly, as one goblin falls back with an arrow in his eye while another stumbles, nailed in the stomach. Neither rises.
Optimistic that his luck can't be bad forever, Forte, from his position alone at the rear of the goblin formation, misses with his first, but his second hits one goblin in the thigh, felling him. Taglio's heavier bolt catches one in the stomach as well and it falls.
The goblins look about, confused momentarily by the rain of death. The wolves do no such thing, as two charge toward Asif and Rhune in their shelter while the other dashes toward Forte.
Nonetheless, the archers, in quick and deadly fashion, continue to hail missiles at their foes. Asif sees the beasts headed his way are more the danger and turns on them, but only manages a glancing blow off one, not even slowing it down. Rhune proves to have improved her archery quite a bit, ignoring the slavering beasts for the moment and leaving another goblin on the ground with two arrows sticking out of it.
Forte, now a bit nervous about facing the beast approaching with no armor, targets it efficiently, but his arrows do little damage to the creature's tough hide, and it keeps charging. Taglio does the same with a bolt, assisting Forte, which slows the wolf, but it breaks into their concealment nonetheless.
Ullar emerges like a knight of yore, resplendent in his armor and swinging about his huge sword, he swims into the midst of the five remaining goblins, trusting Forte's craftsmanship to keep him safe. The goblins quickly surround him but cannot pierce his metal hide. He sweeps Forte's great sword into one of them, nearly cutting it in half.
Asif and Rhune drop their bows in time to draw their weapons and receive the rush of the wolves. One of the beasts leaps at Asif's throat, and he barely manages to fend it off, as it's ghastly hot breath comes upon his face, forcing him backward. His blade draws blood from the creature when he pushes it off, and he sees that he has dealt it a nasty wound in response, but it does not falter.
Rhune's wolf, meanwhile, lunges at her, but her increasing combat ability enables her to dodge it, and her return thrust pierces it's hide.
Forte feels the fangs of the creature bite into his fleshy thigh, but he shakes it off, hitting it in the leg with his mace. Taglio meanwhile pulls out his rapier and moves to help his large friend.
Ullar manages to smash one of the goblins in the head, felling it and sending it falling in a spray of brains and blood. The other three goblins rush at Ullar, hacking at him with their short axes. And they do, as he feels the impact through the armor. He is not cut, but certainly bruised, as he is hammered in the shoulder and the leg. This throws him off and he manages to miss his second attack.
Angry that he came so near having his throat ripped out, Asif takes it out on his hairy opponent, and with quick work his blades smash into the creature's head and back, felling it instantly.
The wolf attacking Rhune lunges again, but does not reach her, as Dakath emerges from behind it, having smashed his magic dagger between it's shoulder blades. Forte is clawed in the cheek by his opponent, a slight wound, and responds by breaking the thing's back with his heavy weapon.
Diverted from Forte, Taglio moves to assist Ullar instead, as the others emerge from the woods all around. He certainly seems to be testing the armor, as the goblins attack furiously. However, they do not penetrate it, and his return sweeps through the legs of one goblin, dropping it immediately.
Seeing foes emerge from all sides, the other two goblins try to withdraw, but Ullar will have none of it, and with a titanic sweep, smashes through the head of one and finishes in the gut of the second. Both fall dead.
All are dead, but now Ullar, Forte, and Asif nurse injuries, though none severe. Cleaning them as best they can, as there are none with any healing skill among them, the party remounts and moves on in the direction the goblins came from, assuming that seeing the wolfskins here cannot be a coincidence.
Walking along for a few miles, they find the track of the goblins is not difficult to follow, as they seemed to delight in breaking the petrified creatures alongside the road. Interestingly, as they go deeper in and the gloom intensifies, the group hears the sound of water flowing. Walking toward the sound, the forest becomes completely enclosed, as no light emerges from the stone canopy above.