Dicing with Death Episode 137

Autumn 1509 Day 30
Zweihard Blacksteel sets to work cleaning up the forge for the rest of the day. Some of his tools are burnt up. Over the next four days Zweihard looks for food, and finds some wild radish. He relocates some them outside the forge, and eats a few of them.

Day 35
Zweihard finds his dried up creek now has flowing water.

Day 37
Zweihard finishes resting. Zweihard goes searching the source of the water for his creek. Zweihard finds a blown open dam not far near the Basilisk Cave towards sunset. As the sun sets Zweihard heads into the valley with Goat. Zweihard investigates and find that the dam was crudely made. The dam looks like it was sabotaged. Zweihard realises that he only saw the creek restart and not a burst of water back at the forge. Behind the dam is a 1000 foot across lake.

Day 38
Zweihard notices up the lake shore a small boat tied up to a tree. Zweihard finds the boat is of poor construction. Zweihard looks and finds a nasty looking iron battleaxe in the side of the tree. Zweihard takes the battleaxe. Zweihard also notices three sets of footprints. He loses the footprints when they leave the mud.

Zweihard circles the lake. He finds another similar boat tied to a tree, far more damaged than the first boat. Zweihard finds more footprints. He is able to follow the footprints further and see they come from the North East and to the lake. Zweihard climbs the hill and find smoke rising out of a mound in the ground, a forge fire.

Zweihard heads down the hill and locks eyes with a Orc who is pulling up his pants. Zweihard complans in Dwarven, but the Orc understands and threatens Zweihard about entering Orc Territory. Zweihard asks what the Orc is crafting, and the Orc replies that weapons of war to kill Dwarves and Humans. Zweihard charges in and kills him.

Zweihard collects the 2 spears and moves towards the forge. He hears the sounds of hammering from a number of smiths, at least four. Zweihard heads down the stairs, casting bless on himself and strength of stone. Inside Zweihard finds 12 orcs. 3 anvils. 1 forge 30 foot across 15 feet deep. The fight starts. After 2 rounds Zweihard's dust devil is summoned and speads the heat and the coal from the forge. Goat runs interference as Zweihard fights at the choke-point at the stairs. As he fights, Zweihard needs to keep doing Willpower checks every minutes. Eventually Zweihard loses control and the Dust Devil turns to fire and opens a pair of piecing glowing eyes. The possessed dust devil sends flame to the whole room. Only 2 orcs manage to flee, the rest are killed. But Goat is killed as well.

The elemental leaves the forge. Zweihard flees to the top of the hill. He sees the fire is heading in his direction. Zweihard flees to the dam. He gets to the far side of the dam and sees the fire. Zweihard changes direction and heads back towards the forge, not stopping until he gets there.

Day 39
Late afternoon, Zweihard finally arrives back at his forge. He goes to sleep.

Day 40
Zweihard decides to rest for the next 7 days.

Day 47
Zweihard casts strength of stone on himself then creates new hinges for the door to the forge.

Zweihard then decides to cast Frisky Chest on his Halberd. He goes back to resting.

Day 48
Zweihard casts Fire Trap on the new door, then goes back to resting.

Day 52
Zweihard makes repairs his tools damaged on Day 30 during the hobgoblin raid.

Day 53
Zweihard heads out back north.

Day 54
Zweihard is back at the Orcish Forging Area. The remains of Goat are gone. The scraps of metal and tools are all gone, someone came here in the past 16 days and looted it. Zweihard finds that the forge itself is build over a crack, or was cracked afterwards. Zweihard tries to look inside, but it is full of debris.

Zweihard makes a trip to the coal mine for more coal. He realises how hungry he is. He doesn't find any food on the way home. He sunscorches a bird and purifies it then eats it.

Day 55
Zweihard returns to his forge and drops off the coal

Day 56
Zweihard travels back to Cyclops lair. Was last here on day 39. The creek outside has moved a little so it flows directly against the west pen wall. There is no one around. Zweihard waits an hour then spots the Goblin Shepard and a herd of sheep.

Zweihard casts Entangle on the Goblin Shepard. The Goblin Shepard tries to escape but Zweihard block their exit. The goblin then surrenders. Zweihard tries to take the sheep, but the herd are panicked. Zweihard kills sheep and drags it off.

That night on the way back to his forge, the starving Zweihard casts purify on it, then eats it raw.

Zweihard returns home to the forge.

Day 57
He decides to work on the Iron Battleaxe to improve it's quality. He failed at his task, but plans to try again tomorrow.

However at sunset, Zweihard spots outside that he has a Cyclops & Goblin visitor.