(This is the action report from a game DMed by @GMagnus, and played by myself, @Sweenie_McGuffin, @Chuck_Lemons, and @Seraphim .)
"This will be my last entry into this Book of Chronicles. This mission cost me an ear, most of my charm and handsomeness, and nearly my life - and my old age did not help matters much - so for the good of the Rangers, I’ve decided to retire. I write this from my sickbed at The Fortress.
Our mission had taken us far into the south, to the border between Frogwood and the Dead Lands, where the reports put the snakeman we sought. Memebers of the company were as follows: I, Godfrey the Veteran; Skal the Dwarf; Jardok the Dwarf; and Linnea, the Druid. As we traversed the bogs of that region, we stumbled upon a great tree and a border patrol.
The patrol had hung two women, and when we found them, were taking advantage of a third, named Adishree. It was led by a Sir Thalen Brigo, a young noble, and composed by a man named Herman, another named Gorg, and two who would not identify themselves. Not agreeing with their practices, we demanded they cease it immediately, and a polite discussion ensued. Skal and Jardok spearheaded the debate with Sir Thalen, while I and Linnea occupied ourselves with the remaining soldiers as they prepared to hang the woman. After harsher words were exchanged, Thalen grabbed Skal and held him at knifepoint, cutting him to show he meant his threats truly after Jardok had destroyed his sword to deter him. I, who was at the time holding Herman down to the ground with the tip of my Glaive, could not let this offense slide, and lunged at their captain, engaging him in combat. Sadly, my old knees were not as fast the young knight’s and he bled me with a dagger. Having seen not only first but second blood drawn by what should have been noble-hearted allies, Jardok decided it was enough and conjured a whip of pure lightning as Linnea brought forth a wolf from one of her totems. Encouraged by Skal’s magic, Jardok ended the lives of the young Sir and Gorg, and Linnea bore a hole through the unnamed soldiers’ hearts. I, unfortunately, let Herman escape. I have no idea what was his fate.
NOTE: No one but Ashen Rangers should ever read this passage. If ever questioned about this event, a Ranger should say this company stumbled upon the remains of a battle and had the dignity of burying the dead.
Deciding to take the girl Adishree with us until the mission was over, we proceeded East, where she had told us she had seen a snakeman fleeing towards, with Linnea tracking the creature. Our path took us through the mountains, where we faced foul and unforgiving winds trying to end our lives. I had suspected the girl before already, but as we failed to hold our own against the currents and she had no such problems, my suspicions only increased.
After that passage, we found our prey had gone into an old ruin, of dwarvish make according to Skal and Jardok - an ancient prison. Signs of gerblins dwelling there were present, but we found only their dead bodies. We entered the construction and found inside our mark and the prison’s guardian - an Iron Golem - who would suffer neither the Snakeman nor us. Forced to fight on two fronts, the dwarves occupied themselves with the Snakeman first, while I took on the Iron Golem and Linnea tried to keep an eye on both battles. Our foes used foul magic and deadly traps to try and keep us at bay - Jardok was trapped inside his own mind for a while, and I was taken by a maw hidden in the Golem’s arm. I tried going in rather than out as I struggled to free myself from the construct’s hold, and found inside it was full of strange metal strings and glyphs and cogs - which, unwillingly, I damaged with my body as I sustained the wounds described at the beginning of this report - the cogs flayed my skin and broke my ribs, the glyphs burned my face and singed my beard. My companions told my “intrusion” disabled most of its offensive capabilities; when I came to my senses again I had my glaive thrust inside the hole from where its arm jutted out before and the creature was still, destroyed, and Skal had abandoned his magics and wielded his hammer against the Snakeman alongside Jardok - meanwhile the creature operated a ritual to open to prison’s gates, and claimed he sought to free his “innocent” sister.
After gruesome combat, our mark was finally defeated, but not killed, for the snakemen of old do not die easily; only powerful magic can undo them. Linnea and the dwarves, studying more closely the ruins, found out it was a prison created by snakemen, with dwarven labor, to hold other snakemen - the company quickly decided that our prisoner should be reunited with his sister, and taking advantage one of last snakeman cell vacant in the prison, put him in it and closed to doors, leaving him to be forgotten as their kind should be.
As of Adishree, we took her back to The Fortress and had her questioned. I was not informed of what was extracted from her as I was immediately directed to the healing ward where I now sit.
Thus ends the report of this mission. After it is passed on to the Masters of the Ashen Rangers, this Book of Chronicles I, Godfrey the Veteran, carried in service of the Ashen Rangers shall be passed on to Linnea of the same company for safekeeping and continued chronicling as soon as I am officially dispensed from active duty."
