KINGMAKER:
The Wardens of the Greenbelt
Entry 5.
The Curse of Oakhurst
Jarn spent the night repairing and rededicating the chapel in Oakhurst. The rest of the Wardens headed south, over the bridge at the camp set up by Anza & Wino. During the night the camp was disturbed by rustling In the treetops but little else. In the chapel Jarn was joined by Kensa and her two guards. She tried to explain to Jarn that her husband and the other “infected” were not evil but suffering from a disease. This made him hard to control but, in order to save the village, he tried to keep them away; living in the forest beyond. During the night they were disturbed by loud noises on the roof. Because they were strangers and not villagers, the Wardens might be in danger from Colan and the others. The rest of the village stayed indoors at night with their windows shuttered and their doors barred.
In the morning the other Wardens set off to the village whilst Anza & Wino broke camp. At the bridge they were faced by six villagers blocking the way across. Two of them stood at the back and urged the rest on with threats. T'lef and Sidhe charged the front rank on the bridge supported by magic missiles, fire balls from Ione and crossbow bolts and arrows. The two men at the back transformed into large bat-like creatures and took to the air. The four other villagers were quickly dispatched and fell into the river below. T'lef suffered from the bite and claw attacks from the werebats but grappled one of them, hoping to pull it down into the river but it managed to resist. Finally injured by a fire attack from Ioni it plunged into the river, taking T'lef down with it. Meanwhile the other werebat was severely wounded by the rest of the Wardens and attempted to escape. It failed and fell to the ground beyond the bridge.
T'lef managed to scramble to the river bank helped by his colleagues. They tended to his wounds and then set off for the village to see what had befallen Jarn.
Meanwhile Jarn had come out of the chapel to be confronted by Colan and three more werebats, perched on the village houses. Kensa tried to pacify her husband but he attacked Jarn and his fellow monsters moved to assist him. At that moment the other Wardens arrived on the scene and started to attack the werebats. But it was just too late for Jarn who collapsed under attacks from Colan and one of the bats. The Wardens though were now into the fray and the werebats were soon defeated, Colan and two of them escaping into the forest.
Luckily Jarn was revived and both he and T'lef had their bite wounds cleaned with blessed water. The Wardens explained what had happened at the bridge and gave their condolences for the dead villagers. Jarn held a blessing and a meeting for the villagers who had gathered around the chapel. Jarn then suggested that he could put up wards to help protect the village. They also offered combat training for the villagers which Wino would undertake before heading off to Oleg's.
The next day, after all this was put in place, the Wardens and Anza set off to explore the surrounding area with one eye on discovering the roost of the werebats. The didn't find that but did discover an area of hot springs and boggy grounds where the Skunk River began. The whole area stank of sulphurous fumes and the atmosphere was very unpleasant. Even so, a couple of giant frogs called this their home and were angered by the intruders; attempting to ensnare them with their long sticky tongues before devouring them. However the Wardens' fighting skills were now improving and they quickly killed the two frogs and secured the area.
Another part of the Greenbelt had been secured and its secrets discovered.
