KINGMAKER:
The Wardens of the Greenbelt
Entry 23.
Dragons, Hydra, A Drunken Giant & A New Friend
Once they had all recovered from the fight the Wardens gave Kyrim's mercenaries a share from the loot for the part they had played. Wino had a quiet word with the other Wardens and suggested they offer the tower to the mercenaries as a base. In return they could patrol the western border with Pitax and give reassurance to the villages and towns of that area. Such security would also promote further settlement in the region. The Wardens agreed that this was a good idea and put their proposal to Kyrim Pain and his men. They were delighted at the opportunity; Kyrim explaining that he and some of his men were getting a little old for their current way of life.
The mercenaries and the Wardens then cleared out the trolls' bodies from the tower and burnt the in a pyre further down the trail. They then undertook the task of removing the detritus and excrement that the trolls had left behind. Ione's use of some water spells made this a less onerous task and she and Anza found herbs they could burn to freshen the air inside the caverns.
The treasures from the dwarf watch-tower were loaded onto Anza's wagon and the Wardens set out for Wardenholm. There were still areas to the south and east of the Tuskwater lake that had not been fully explored and so the Wardens decided to take that route back to the capital.
Not long after leaving the tower they spied a wolf pack watching them from the tree-line. Ione befriended them and the told her about a forest drake that was disturbing the animals of the area. Havrik was sent ahead to track down the drake which he managed to do and found its lair not far above the trail they were following. Whilst investigating a young man approached the party and introduced himself as Moradyn. He had been waiting for the drake to return to its lair and was glad of the help. At that moment the drake swooped on the party, attacking with its acid breath attacks. The Wardens proved too much for the small dragon and it was killed with few injuries to the Wardens or Moradyn. The head was removed as a trophy and Moradyn was seen to remove some of its scales.
Whilst recovering from the fight Moradyn introduced himself to the Wardens and was invited to accompany them to Wardenhold. He seemed to have some knowledge of magic and therefore regarded as a welcome addition to their ranks.
They continued on their way and were by now approaching the marshy areas beside the Tuskwater. A small camp was set up and the Wardens prepared a welcome meal. For once they were taken by surprise as a monstrous being with five heads rose out of the water beside them. It immediately attacked, rushing them and attempting to bite the closest Wardens with each of its heads. Some of the party recognised it as a hydra, a very rare water monster. It proved difficult to fight. Its heads seemed to regrow and as soon as one was cut off other grew back in its place. Luckily enough the monster was finding it hard to injure the Wardens it was it combat with. Ione assisted by Moradyn were able to cast spells upon it, gradually weakening the hydra and allowing its wounds to finally prove too many for the creatures survival. It finally succumbed to Moradyn's burning hands spell.
The Wardens continued to explore the area as they passed through. The land became drier, grasslands giving way to the marshes. From Ione's reckoning they were just north of the kingdom of Miven where they had explored the crypts over a year before and Moradyn could confirm that the kingdom's border was not far off.
They continued to move south of the Tuskwater and suddenly came upon a giant sat on a hillside below them. His back was towards them and he seemed to have his mind on other things; talking or ranting to himself whilst drinking the contents of a large flagon. He finally seemed to notice the Wardens, stumbling to his feet and growling or speaking to them. Unfortunately the Wardens were unable to understand him and, to be on the safe side, drew their weapons. The giant raised his club and T'lef decided that there had been enough talking and led the attack followed by a somewhat reluctant Clint. The giant was completely overwhelmed and staggered by the Wardens attacks. His drunken state meant that he couldn't put up much of a fight and instead tried to defend himself; cowering away from the various attacks. Soon there was a dead giant at the feet of the Wardens. Another threat to the welfare of the kingdoms citizens had been successfully removed.
The Wardens continued their exploration and were by now heading north east with the lake on their left flank. They spotted a nest of large spiders beneath a thicket and decided to leave them be. Later they came across another wolf pack which Ione befriended. Finally they reached the Shrike River not far from where it joined the Little Sellen River. By floating across the wagon and using some of the spellcasters abilities the party crossed quite easily.
The Wardens were beginning to recognise some of the landmarks they had seen from the Miven ship and from their own trip across the lake. But they realised they had not properly explored the area on that occasion. So they set off away from the lake to see what they could find. The land looked fertile enough, low hills topped by copses and woodland with deep grasslands in the valleys.
They came upon a deep depression surrounded by low hillocks. It was unusual in that the ground was soft and damp. A carpet of mushrooms surrounded the hollow with large fungi growing in the centre.
The Wardens were intrigued and wandered down to investigate. As they approached the large fungi It quickly grew to a staggering height. Large trunk-like tendrils unfurled from around its body and flailed towards the Wardens. At the same time some of the larger mushrooms rose up to the size of a human; arms unfurling from their bodies, eyes opening up under their mushroom caps and gaping maws lined with teeth moved towards the adventurers. They were surrounded and each Warden found themselves in combat.
The battle was fierce but the smaller mushroom creatures proved easier to fight and were gradually overcome. The wounds inflicted upon the Wardens were beginning to tell. Some of the tendrils that had cut through the armour and into flesh had infected their targets. The Tendriculos, the towering fungi creature, was a much more dangerous foe. I whipped its tendrils against its attackers; not only trying to slice through armour but also trying to entangle the Wardens and drag them into its huge gaping maw. T'lef himself collapsed under the relentless attacks but the rest of the Wardens were able to finish it off and hacked it into small pieces.
It had been a hard fight. The mushroom creatures and the Tendriculos had been defeated but T'lef was unconscious and badly wounded, Sidhe was also hurt badly whilst Clint and Moradyn were also wounded.
It took some time but the Wardens were treated for their wounds and any rot infection they had suffered was stabilised and cured. They made camp well away from the hollow and gradually recovered enough to continue their journey.
The next couple of days passed without further encounters. A group of shocker lizards they spotted were left undisturbed near the lake shore. Finally they reached the Gudrin River which proved easy to cross at a wide ford. The countryside here was more familiar and the Wardens were shortly back in their home town of Wardenholm.
After a day to recover and rest they were soon back into the business of running their burgeoning kingdom with a council meeting and plans laid for the next phase of the country's development. They then had to make plans to visit Varnhold and discover what had befallen the settlers that had been sent there by Restov.
