Carp Wars

…not a popular game

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Sister Bomia’s Adventure Diary

We Help A Village

Dogsday 2, White Moon Month, Year 25 of the Golden Emperor

Dear Diary,

Well, our Rabbitsday yesterday was filled with adventure! We had just finished a fine breakfast at the Better Rest Inn and were contemplating what we might do that day, when three of the village elders asked if they could speak with us.

It seems that their village of Golin has been experiencing more than the usual number of thefts in the past month. Everything from food to clothing to farm animals have turned up missing. There have also been sightings of strange black clad riders late at night. The elders wondered if there was perhaps a chance of us looking into the matter, for a small fee, of course.

Not having anything better to do, we agreed. While Amella and I went around town questioning theft victims, Olivia cast some divination spells and Halana and Grettin looked for tracks near the crime scenes and on the roads where the black riders were last seen.

After two hours, we got back together and determined that the thieves always struck late at night, they were most likely holed up in a wooded area called “Ghost Hollow”, they not all evil, and they were mostly, but not totally, human. A puzzlement, to be sure.

The village guards declined to come with us to Ghost Hollow, so off we went. Our plan was simple: Olivia, Grettin and myself would walk down the trail that ran through the hollow, while Amella and Halana would flank us about 90 feet on either side. I cast “Revelation of the Undead” as we entered the woods, since it extends out 120 feet around me, thus covering all of us. No undead were immediately revealed, but you never know when such foul creatures might pop up.

About 20 minutes walk in, we came to a small clearing and found an abandoned farm. All of the stolen livestock was there, unharmed. We also saw some farm implements that had gone missing. And then Olivia noticed that some of those implements had been used to start preparing the soil in one area for planting. That did not seem to follow the way thieves operate. We were all puzzled.

Then we heard voices, so we ducked behind a shed to watch from a hidden position. Into view came ten Beastlings, those poor cursed creatures created during the Second Arcane War. Mostly human, but with enough animal features to scare the general populace, they usually do live in out of the way places like the hollow. But Beastlings do not steal or in any other way knowingly break the law. Then we saw the truly evil people.

It was a wizard and his two apprentices, humans all. The wizard looked as though he had fallen on hard times, but he was healthy and cruel looking. His apprentices looked much the same. They were berating the Beastlings and ordering them about. The poor creatures were obviously charmed and could only follow orders.

This had my blood boiling and I stepped out from our cover and invoked Holy Smite upon the wizard. He deflected most of the force, but it still knocked him to his knees. Olivia cast a Rain of Stones and then stones the size of chicken eggs were pelting the apprentices.

The wizard cast Searing Ray at me, but I leapt aside with only a singed boot heel. Before he could cast again, Halana had reached him and removed one of his casting hands with an ax. Grettin and Amella dealt with the stone battered apprentices. In short order, they were all subdued and trussed up for transport back to town.

The Beastlings were all wearing Bracelets of Submission, which Olivia and I were able to remove. They were very sorry about all the thievery they were forced to do. They were also worried about the town folk’s reaction to them being in the area. I was worried about that, too, so I began to think of a plan.

When we returned to town and reported back to the elders, Olivia cast a Greater Banishment upon the wizard and sent him to the Plan of Madness. She told the elders that it was necessary because he was powerful and might wreck havoc on their village. They allowed as how that was fine by them and thanked Olivia profusely.

Then the apprentices told the elders all about the wizard’s plan to use the Beastlings to establish a stronghold in Ghost Hollow, from which he would start conquering the surrounding villages. At the end of their story, we clapped a Bracelet of Submission on each of them and then told them to go south to Agan Va. There, they would turn themselves in as evil mages. Now, Agan Va is 1,600 miles to the south, located in the middle of an Anti-Magic zone, and ruled by a council that hates evil magic users. Those fellows will never cast a spell again.

We then told the elders to use our reward to pay for everything the Beastlings stole. We also told them that the Beastlings would be living quietly in the hollow and not to do anything to disturb them. Halana emphasized that by saying if the Beastlings were not treated well, she would get very angry and come back to Golin. The elders agreed that the Beastlings would be left alone.

So that was our day yesterday, Diary. It is early morning now and we’ll be leaving Golin in a couple of hours. I’ll write more soon.

Sister Bomia Evarain