The troublesome ring (2) - An animated vineyard

We marched ever onward carrying the accursed ring, until we reached a crossroads. As fate would have it, the sign post was torn in half and lying on the ground.

A little to the right, next to the fork in the road, we noticed people in trouble. A woman and her child were caught up in vines, while a man was trying to rescue them. The vines were animated and actively attacking them. They were the only ones in sight and able to tell us the correct way, so we jumped on the occasion to help them out.

They* told us of their plight: the entire vineyard became animated and attacked their farmhouse. They got away to bring help, but were finally caught near the road. They promised us everything we needed in exchange for the rescue, and we agreed to help (after a short rest, of course).

After the fifth hill, we finally laid eyes on the farmhouse, under attack by animated vines.

We jumped in and laid about us with fire and steel. One plant creature broke into the stables to attack the horses, but Zyn jumped in front of it. We needed those horses to deliver the ring in time!

We eliminated the plants and climbed up to the first floor, helping the inhabitants fend off any stragglers. The peasants had put up a good fight, hacking at the plants with farming implements through windows.

In the end, all was well, and we got food and drink aplenty. What we really needed though were the horses, which we gladly took and galloped away.

We galloped for 27 hours straight, having exhausted both ourselves and the animals. Just on the outskirts of Wychwood, we met our final roadbump: a log across the road, with a merry bandit sitting on it. They demanded our money and our horses, and we should have just let them have everything. However, Zyn was having none of that. Unable to intimidate the bandit by summoning flying lights,  he managed to sneak around and threaten the apparent bandit captain. However, the bandits did not seem to particularly care about this officer, and promptly attacked. Zyn did manage to cut the man's throat, thus cementing his own immortal legend**.

The horses were the first to fall under a hail of arrows. The lead bandit was not joking about the band's name.*** Thoroughly exhausted, the adventurers stood no chance, and fell, unconscious or dead, probably looking like pincushions in the end.

I learned an important lesson that day: ALWAYS keep a spell slot for Invisibility.


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* They were called Dan and Simona. Their child: Bebina. It's an inside joke.

** The second party member to become a living legend, right after Solid, who managed to bring down a ruined tower on the adventurers' head. Anyone suicidal enough can become a legend around these parts.

*** "Haiducii lui 40 de cai". The band of 40 horses. Yes, there really were 40 of them. Bandits, not horses. But at this point we were as good as dead.