LogFellowship - The Clockwork Prince-Jason-2

Game log for the 2025/11/30 session of Fellowship - The Clockwork Prince, as taken by Jason

We need to cross pretty much the breadth of Tarsyna to get to Gastamor, and we decide to pick a route that will take us through the least-inhabited parts. We travel for three days before we bump into anyone, and then we meet Festig, a travelling merchant. Geria asks if he has any arms or armor for sale, and he looks a touch nervous, proclaims himself to be no arms smuggler, and displays the mace that he carries "for close protection." He has no bow for sale, to Geria's disappointment. In the next town on the road, Lingram. there's likely to be a yeoman who might work up a bow. Geria asks him about the roads, and he says that as one nears the border, one will find many soldiers there, moving east. They've been raiding into the Fairnam Downs, which are the east banks of the River Ebb, which delineates the eastern border of Tarsyna and then the Triarchy. Geria has Kaius negotiate for some stores, and adds that we need to keep moving and get there ASAP.

Baldric talks to Festig and discover they are distant kin through marriage. Very distant. Festig's understanding of the coup is that Lord Adder uncovered a plot against the King, led by corrupt Kingsguard. An old man in Festig's company scoffs and says that entire story is stupid. He believes in the loyalty of the Kingsguard, which means the coup can't be as advertised. Geria acknowledges that she is who she seems to be, and Festig agrees that as loyal men of Tarsyna, they will keep her secret.

We split off from Festig in Lingram. He advises us to keep moving instead of staying. We take a cow path around the village, over the next hill, and we might as well be on the other side of the moon.

Days later, we approach the border, knowing to keep an eye out for raiding soldiers. We see smoke on the horizon, some to the south, a lot to the east. Tanis rides ahead a little, uses his elf-sight, and determines that the smoke to the south is a foraging party burning a farm on the Tarynan side of the border. The main camp, to which they are returning, is right up on the bank of the river. It's a small camp for the number of soldiers deployed here, and that turns out to be because they're building a bridge here. There's a rope ferry already there, but of course you can't supply an army with a rope ferry. The workers don't look like bridge builders. They look like farmers pressed into service.

Tanis suggests we hit the foragers, let one get away, and force the soldiers to come after us one group at a time, which will allow us to defeat them in detail. We ride up on the foragers, catching them by surprise, and one of the soldiers fires a quarrel at Raatma. The furious orc flicks the bolt away with his sword. Tanis fires an arrow at one, but the soldier's shield takes the brunt. Vestrum and Hannar charge in, and that breaks up the soldiers' formation. Tanis' next arrow takes one in the leg. Raatma charges in on his varg Gregory, and that sends them scattering. Vestrum and Hannar take out a couple, one's already wounded, and one runs off toward the camp.

Tanis considers the ground as he tries to figure out where we next want to meet the troops. He can hear hoofbeats soon - the cavalry are coming, and they aren't friends. We know the soldiers weren't all cavalry, so this guarantees that our plan to defeat them in detail is starting to work. Bulgarath canters to the top of a hill, and apparently these soldiers have never seen Fury Road, because they don't recognize bait when they see it. Sizzling embers emerge from the earth, scorching the horses, scorching unhorsed soldiers, and generally raising hell. Only two soldiers ride out of the spell, and they're on the attack. One lowers his spear and charges, and Baldric charges him, because that's what knight's do. The two of them exchange blows inconclusively. The other rider charges Raatma, with his spear lowered, to skewer Gregory. Raatma relishes the challenge, and begins to win out over his foe. Geria goes to Raatma's aid and almost gets wounded, but Kaius intervenes to protect her. She's able to finish that trooper off. Tanis fires an error at Baldric's foe and does him in. The cavalry are done for.

Tanis scouts again. The camp is on high alert but otherwise unchanged. Baldric tries to overlook the ground and gets shot by a sentry, who runs back to camp. Odds more troops may come Baldric's way soon! Geria and Vestrum move toward high ground. Raatma and Tanis work they way along the riverbank and behind the soldiers. Geria tells all "true Tarsynians" to rally to her. The troops darken the skies with arrows, so many that Vestrum cannot protect her.

Raatma fires her junk cannon from behind the troops, flinging her axe (no longer entirely intact) through ranks of soldiers like they were butter. The archers hit the dirt. Tanis rushes in on them and does some harm, but they begin to rally from the shock of the cannon. The melee-armed soldiers assault Tanis and Raatma, separating them and pushing them back. Vestrum charges downhill, shield out front, clearing a path Geria can use to enter the fray. Geria and Baldric follow him. Bulgarath uses his magic to speak to the villagers, telling them it's time to rise up, that Tarsyna and their princess need them. That mostly just scares the villagers. They do not rise up.

Raatma and Tanis fight their way back to one another in the midst of the infantry. Vestrum and Baldric occupy the archers, who can't get off an organized volley in the face of being charged by people on horseback. Geria kills more archers, disorganizing them. An archer fires an arrow at Vestrum, but it sticks in the horn of his helmet instead of cutting flesh. Raatma is having no trouble with these soldiers, they're no match for an orc in the fullness of his rage, but only Tanis' armor keeps him from being wounded. Bulgarath tries to use magic to send one of the archers to his doom, but fails.

Baldric goes to Vestrum's aid, trying to disable the archer, and scores a KO. The other archer fires at Geria, but Walrick jumps up and takes the arrow in the throat. Raatma and Tanis continue to occupy their foe. Vestrum wades in behind them, clumsily laying around with his hammer, and they turn to fight him. Against his mithril armor, they make no headway, and the infantry exhaust themselves. Geria and Baldric try to corner the remaining archer, but he scampers away and tries to get his bow into action again, but Baldric rides him down.

Geria calls for the soldiers to put down their weapons. Some do, one charges her, but Baldric steps in the way. The soldiers do not regard Geria as their rightful heir, but they have no fight left in them. Raatma encourages the villagers to take their revenge on the soldiers, but the villagers mostly just throw some kicks and void some bladders. One of them bows and takes a knee to Geria, offering her their eternal thanks. He seems to speak for at least a dozen of the villagers. She assures him that she will always fight for her kingdom and her subjects. One asks what's next - how will she save the kingdom from here? She explains that she's travelling east as part of a plan to save the kingdom, but another peasant says that sounds a lot like running away. She stammers out a retort that impresses no one. That guy leaves.

Tanis takes Vestrum and Raatma aside to have a go at the bridge. Raatma grabs some construction material to make weapons out of, while Vestrum grabs a barrel of pitch he found, dispenses it liberally, and lights the bridge on fire. After crossing, we also cut the ferry rope, to make it harder for the soldiers to start over.