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Back to Empire on the HPe3000
... and ...
This is a first draft of a story set in the world of Greyhawk.
It is based on a home campaign so some of the people, places and things
may be different. Any helpful comments or suggestions are very welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
"How are you?" asked Telenstil.
Talberth rubbed his head, his face was bruised, one eye black
and swollen, his nose still grimed with blood. "I'll live." he said.
"He was badly hurt, trampled by that cow." Gytha told them.
"What a way to die, I came to fight giants." muttered Talberth.
"How did we fair?"
"Ghibelline says that two of the orcs are dead." said Telenstil.
"Harald was hurt. Gytha can you see to him? Does Talberth need your help?"
"I have called on the Saint, he will grow tired of my requests."
she smiled. "I will go see to Harald."
The cleric left them and quickly ran down the trail.
"I owe their church a tithe." said Talberth. "I'll end up owing
them as much as our thief."
"You should give her twice what she asks." Ivo put a friendly
hand on the mage's shoulder. "I am thankful to have her with us."
"We will need to be careful, now that Henri is gone." Telenstil
mused.
"Good riddance, but we are putting quite a burden on Gytha."
Ivo said.
"Those Pholtines usually have no problem with using their
power to gain some coin," Talberth said, "but I didn't get that feeling
from Henri. I think he'd only heal us if we swore some oath to that
god of his."
"Perhaps," said Telenstil, "maybe we judge him wrongly."
"That's all broken and past mending." Ivo shook his head. "We
will have to make do with what strength we have."
"What a waste of that strength." groaned Talberth. He pushed
himself to his feet and waved away the helping hands offered by his
friends.
"The day grows late." said Telenstil looking to the west. "We need
to collect ourselves and be gone before more giants come."
"What happened? Did they get away?" asked Talberth.
"One did." Ivo told him.
"One is enough." Talberth agreed.
"Yes, things did not go well." said Telenstil.
As they talked the halfling wandered up to them, behind him
stalked the young orc, Little Rat, chewing contentedly on strip of meat.
"Gytha said you got knocked down by one of those things," said
Harold, "big as dragons, is everything that size up here? I'd hate to
see the poultry."
"The giants would make short work of the cattle we keep." laughed
Ivo. "Normal cows are big enough for me, my clan keeps sheep."
"I'm happy to let the butchers guild deal with all such business."
Harold said.
"I see your apprentice has no such qualms." Telenstil gestured to
the orc. "We had best do the same. This answers some of our problems about
supplies."
"For a day or two." said Ivo. "This meat won't last, not raw."
"We can cook it." Talberth said.
"Do we have the time?" Telenstil asked. "That giant lad, he will
bring back others from his hall. Come let us take what we can, we must
leave this place, we may have to keep traveling through the night."
They wandered down the trail to where Gytha stood beside
Ghibelline. The ranger talked with them, straight and tall, the grievous
wounds he'd received healed by the cleric's faith and prayers.
"...be more." said Harald.
"I know, they will be hunting for us, those wolves of theirs will
track us down." Ghibelline said.
"There are a few tricks to throw them off our trail." Harald
glanced up and down the path. "But this place, they may lose our scent
among all these bodies and blood."
* * *
(To Be Continued)