Journal of Rollo Lavius 1

Entry #185/186 - The Wisp and the Hydra

(G185 17/01/2014 Fri via Roll20 - JF, AP(GM))(cut short!)

DAY 213 (10 Marpenoth)(October)

Before we left the camp I noted down a few phrases in Draconic from K, such as 'We mean you no harm', 'Which way to the keep?' and 'Please don't poke me with that spear.'

As usual I went ahead and flew over the Last Refuge for about an hour. It was a small walled keep with a central building and a squat tower. I saw a light by the gate moving about.

I also saw a man going between the main building and the gatehouse, young and dressed in black.

He seemed light on his feet.

(G186 24/01/2014 Fri via Roll20 - JF, AP(GM))

DAY 213 cont...

By three o'clock I had joined the others and we had all reached the Refuge. As a group we approached the gate. The light to the right disappeared.

We paused and then continued. I asked at the gate if we could be allowed in to rest, but we were told to go away. When I persisted they shot arrows at us! Typical.

Then the light started zipping around and attacking everyone with lightning. No one could hit it, it was much too fast.

We ran back about three hundred yards, but were not pursued. After waiting until it got dark I flew back and landed on the roof of the guard house with a plan in my head about making a hole in it and letting some elementals loose.

But that infernal flying light arrived again and zapped me. Feathers singed I flew off again and cast a flame strike at it. The light went out, had I destroyed it?

I waited an hour and headed back and once more on the roof the blasted thing attacked me again. I cast ice storm this time and the light winked out. Immune to magic I had to assume.

We then waited another hour and Sylvia healed me. I went back again and once more, there was the light. How could we get rid of it? It was too quick to hit and immune to magic.

I left once more and we pulled back from the keep about a mile and set up camp for the night. I would get a different set of spells tonight and see if they were of more use.

DAY 214 (11 Marpenoth)(October)

At three in the morning, Shump, who was on watch, woke us all up. Something big was coming from the east, rumbling through the bushes and pushing trees aside.

We waited and then saw the beast - an eight headed hydra! Well, I had seen one of these before and defeated it, but that had taken all the crews of the Nixie and the Wyvern and we had lost several sailors in destroying it, so...

'Run!', I cried and we all headed in the other direction.

Sylvia was slow in her armour, but luckily the hydra was not quick. I cast Spike Growth and then Briar Web but it didn't slow it much. I then took to the air and cast Light on one of my feathers.

Flapping around like a fool I lured it off to the north but when I realised it was never going to catch me it gave up. I summoned a monkey and ordered it to fling some poo at it.

This had the desired effect and the hydra came on once more.

A plan now forming in my head I summoned and sacrificed eleven more monkeys and a wolverine to lure the thing all the way to the Refuge.

I then cast Stoneshape on the southern wall and changing into a human again ran through.

I was attacked by the blasted, infernal, thrice-cursed wisp again. Of course it would prefer me to a hydra as its victim, but I changed once more and flew off.

The hydra crashed through the wall and the wisp faded out. The hydra then had a sniff about and decided that it would be impossible for a two-ton fell creature of doom to push through a wooden door to get to the tasty humans on the other side and left.

Much disappointed and wishing I had some more Stoneshape spells left I went back to find the others.

After we had regrouped I found us a much better place to camp.

In the morning I flew over the refuge again and saw that they had crudely repaired the hole in the wall I had made.

I tracked the hydra into the swamp. It had headed east, seemingly with no purpose in mind as it wandered and after a few miles I gave up on the stupid creature.

On my way back I spotted three of the zappy lights and with great interest I flew around to get a good look at them in the hope of learning something useful.