My second attempt was less eventful as I focused on keeping my balance and moving more slowly. I soon found myself lying on my back on the western bank, sucking wind. I pushed the fact that I was freezing to the back of my mind and thanked the gods I made it.
I tied the rope around a tree so as not to lose it and set off upriver to find the Owivil.
Read the previous session here or start at the beginning
I walked upstream slowly, keeping my eyes peeled for the red stalks of the small Owivil plants. Pendry quietly shadowed me on the eastern side of the river, following me but not saying anything that would impede my focus.
As I came around a bend in the river, I saw it. A pile of river rock that would normally be as tall as a human but now sat level with the swollen river’s edge. Near the center of the pile, a bundle of red stalks jutted out and curved upward towards the sky. It was Owivil. However, as I approached the pile, a sound made me stop in my tracks.
I could hear something moving along the trees to my left. A shuffling noise, something walking amongst the fallen leaves. Three large marsh rats emerged from the tree line and scuttled towards the river, stopping every now and again to sniff at various objects along the bank.
My heart sank as they crept closer and closer to the rock pile. Marsh rats will eat anything and I knew if they found the Owivil, they would have no restraints consuming it. I had no time to waste.
I pulled out my hand axe and removed my small wooden buckler from my waist belt. Being raised as a mystic, I was never given much training in the martial arena besides the basics but I knew enough to handle a hand axe and shield.
I jumped on top of a fallen tree and repeatedly slammed the back of my hand axe into the center of my shield. I wanted to get the rats’ attention before they could reach the Owivil. I howled like the warriors of legend and rushed forward.
This was my first taste of real combat. Sure I have killed an animal before, but killing a beast during a hunt after it had been snared or cornered is nothing like facing off against one (or three) that could easily defend itself.
As I rushed towards the marsh rats, everything around me seemed to fade into nothingness. My focus was squarely on my enemy. It seemed that everything was moving in slow motion as I brought my axe down towards one of them.
I underestimated the speed at which this rodent could maneuver as my axe was slow but not that slow. The axe slammed down, removing the tail from one of the rats, but it was still in the fight. The problem is I am now surrounded.
One of the rats leaped at me from behind. I spun and swatted at it with my buckler. The forward momentum of the stout rodent met the momentum of my swinging shield. I was able to knock the beast backwards but the force shattered my shield.
I try to move quickly to gain upper ground but the other two rats attack in tandem as they leap upon my back, forcing to fall forward onto the rocky ground. One them sunk their teeth into my right side causing me to grimace and scream in pain I am now pinned, face down on the ground.
I can hear Pendry yelling and Drogga barking on the other side of the river. Pendry is doing her best to hold Drogga from leaping into the rushing river to come to my aid.
The weight of rats was surprisingly heavy as I tried to roll over. I felt another bite on the back of my leg as the third rat has taken advantage of my precarious situation. I will not be able to withstand this assault for much longer
I managed to turn onto my side and raise my axe for a strike upon my attackers. As I swung down upon them, a rat caught my forearm in it’s jaws, causing me to lose grip upon my axe as it flew away from me and landed near the pile of rocks.
I tried to shake loose the rat attached to my arm, pulling it by its neck but it’s jaws were strong. Pulling only made the wound worse.
I smashed my forearm down on the rocks to try and free myself. I felt the neck of the rat break as its body fell limp.
I remembered learning once that marsh rats will eat anything living or dead but had odd behavior concerning their own dead. No one knew for sure what caused the fear of a fellow rat’s corpse, perhaps it had to do with disease or the heightened sense of mortal danger.
I pulled the dead rat from the ground and shoved it into the faces of the other two. They hissed and began to back away. They slowly backed away as I struggled to my knees and approached them it once more. I feigned a lunge at them with a “Hiyah!” and they scuttled off back into the forest.
I dropped the rat and crawled towards the rock pile. I reached forward and grabbed the bundle of Owivil as blood poured from my arm and flowed into the river. I worried if I would ever see home again, as all went dark.
To be continued in the next solo session
If you are interested in seeing the character sheet and mechanics of this actual play, go here.
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