29th Day of Garmensis – Part II

Hogar’s Journal (Translated from Giant)

Year 781 of the founding of the City

29^th Day of Garmensis – Part II

Silverkin Orchard

We moved on into the twisted orchard, too old and unkempt to bear fruit any longer.  The dwarf recognised the trees as plum despite their wizened state.  As we moved deeper into the trees intertwined branches plunged us into twilight.  Bright pinpricks of light dancing across the edge of vision betrayed the movement of creatures amongst the trees.  Diefenbaker’s hackles rose and he crouched ready to fight as the sloping canine silhouettes of wolves tracked our progress towards the building.

Dusty sunlight greeted us as we emerged into a clearing before the main entrance to the manor and prepared ourselves for the wolves to attack.  The wight had ambled back to the mansion and was still climbing the entrance steps as we arrived.  He was visibly surprised to see us alive as he descended the steps again to attack.  Even aware of their presence as we were the wolves acted with such lightning speed that they caught us off balance and closed in before we could react.  The reason for their preternatural speed became obvious as they closed in on us.  Like everything we had encountered in this accursed place, the wolves were undead. 

The tiefling Eligos was quickly surrounded by enemies but seemed unable to react.  She was overcome by the foul aura of the wight and unable to move in his presence.  Vic’s wits also deserted him once again as he withdrew to a distance where his powers could be of no use to the rest of us. 

Beset by feral wolves on all sides Minron bellowed for Vic to return to the fray as he savagely assaulted one of the lupine menaces.  The great minotour’s rage was enough to snap the old elf out of his malaise and restore him to usefulness.  Glen and Minron took mighty swing after mighty swing at the dire wolves.  Their attacks struck home repeatedly but even as their decaying flesh was further maimed at the fighters’ hands the foul magic animating the creatures knit flesh and bone together once again.  Gradually, blow by blow even this evil sorcery was not enough to save the wolves from blade and bow.  One by one they fell to us until only the wight and one final wolf remained standing.

As we had gotten to grips with the wolves Eligos had remained at the mercy of the wight.  However the tiefling Warden is as tough as she looks and had remained standing (for the most part) under his onslaught.  The mage came to Eligos’ aid by engulfing her, the wight and a particularly large wolf in flames.  This took me a little by surprise but it turns out that the tiefling is resistant to flame and so was able to weather the storm.  The attack weakened the wight sufficiently that a well placed arrow was enough to dispatch him. 

We gathered our things and moved to enter the manor house.  Upon retrieving my arrow from the accursed wight I discovered that the point had struck his collar bone and chipped off, rendering it useless.  Such bad luck runs true with cursed atmosphere that pervades this place.