Rodric almost groaned as Arne told the tale of their adventure. His story telling talents were nothing worth boasting about but surely the tale could be told better. And the fact that they had run into Merlin was now out in the open...
?Your young leader here has summarized our encounter quite well, but it is a good thing he is better with his axe than with his words.
Indeed, while we scouted the road ahead we came upon an old man by the side of a river and near the cliff?s edge. Cedwyn opened a dialog while the rest of us scanned the area, it made a good spot for an ambush, of us alone, or even yourselves.
We saw nothing other than the large black goat a top the cliff which the old man said had gotten away from him and asked for our help in retrieving. I know not of your customs, but surely lending aid to those in need is as prevalent in the north as it is here.
So we agreed and went after the stray animal. And Arne did not exaggerate; the animal was quick on its feet and before we knew it had dashed into the trees. The brush too thick to navigate well on horseback, we tracked the goat on foot. After but a few minutes we heard a crashing behind us so we readied our weapons. But our alarm was unfounded, Suger here had chased us down, his arms full of spears and my shield over his shoulder.
It was then that we heard the goat cry out and unbelievably heavy footfall. There, standing before us, was a giant, the goat clutched the horns within one of its hands. The giant had 3 eyes and the horns of a dear growing out of its head. Seeing us it effortlessly tossed the goat aside and let out a roar.
Arne and Cedwyn charged forth, axe and sword at the ready. Valka was right on their heels,? the knight paused. ?With naught but a dagger.? He chuckled.
?That is true courage, to charge a giant with a simple dagger. Myself, I stole my shield from Suger and moved quickly to close, my brave young squire right behind me.
Seeing our charge, the giant ripped a tree the size of Valka from the ground and readied itself. Cedwyn was the first to reach the beast and barely managed to avoid being struck by the tree. He responded with a slash of his sword, biting the giant?s leg. The creature roared in fury, even though it?s thick hide absorbed most of the blow.
Arne was next, his axe biting through the giant?s hide, and Valka, well perhaps prudence had caught up with her, for she called out to Suger to throw her a spear. And throw a spear he did, with such perfect timing, Valka caught it in one hand and without losing a step, was able to drive it deep into the beast.
That truly enraged the thing, and it took out its fury on Cedwyn, as you can clearly see. My good friend here received a blow so powerful, it sent him hurdling through the air and nearly knocking him out cold. I too took a swing with my sword, the blade finding its way past the giant?s defenses.
It must have been the sight of seeing a man flying through the air that released some wellspring of strength from these two,? Rodric indicated Valka and Arne.
?For before I could take another swing, Arne?s axe bit so deep, that despite the giant?s thick hide it was enough to stagger the creature. Valka not to be outdone drove her spear so deep, the giant slumped to the ground. Approaching it, I could still smell the foul odor from its breath so with a final stab the creature was finished.
It was then that the old man stepped out, congratulating us as fog seemed to seep from his clothes and in moments, the old man had become none other than Merlin himself. The wizard knelt down and healed Cedwyn?s wounds, but much damage had already been done. The knight now carries a mark of courage for all to see.
With naught but a few words, Merlin asked the four of us to follow and walked deeper into the woods as a mist began to rise up. Unsure of what lay ahead, we followed quickly only to find ourselves in a place where everything seemed more alive. We had little time to get our bearings before a warrior on horseback, both covered in green slime and with swords in each hand was upon us.
?Protect me? Merlin asked of us as the creature grew two more arms, these new arms breaking off branches to wield as clubs. The wizard moved behind us as we engaged the rider. Our courage still invigorated by the battle with the giant, we made short work of our foe. Where blood would spill from a normal man, this creature bled foul smelling water, and when it was over, no body remained, both man and beast, which we now noticed were one, dissolved into naught be a green slime.
Our assigned task complete, and Merlin?s as well for the wizard had vanished during the fight, but we met up with him again after a few steps, the wizard spirited us back to the forest and we parted ways.
Not of course before he told us of this place. And so we returned to you all, and now here we are.?
The knight said, ending his telling of the tale.
[OOC: Hopefully the recap is good enough to offset most of the failure from the die roll.
Skill roll result 16 vs skill 10, failure.]
