After a night of disturbed sleep we awoke to yet another grey rainy day. Everyone was keen to leave the Boaresky Bridge behind us and move on as quickly as possible, but ahead lay the Troll Claws a dangerous area of rolling hills known for its Troll Inhabitants who have a nasty habit of eating wayward passers-by.
After planning our route on the Map Karl had provided us. We made good time and managed to skirt wide of the Troll Claws, a little too wide as it turned out. Lead slightly astray by the driving rain and low misty clouds and we found ourselves in a narrow valley that was not familiar to any of us. Then we came across two travellers standing by a couple of strange statues. They seemed harmless enough so we approached to find out what was going on.
This was when we met Shades a Half-Elven Nature Cleric and his travelling companion Turinn a Dragonborn Warlock, and they were in a bit of a Pickle. Before us were two statues, a pair of Peasant Women one appeared to be wearing a Blindfold. According to Shades no matter which way they waked they ended up back at the statues, some kind of magic was afoot and they had been stuck here for a long afternoon.
A closer inspection of the Statues gave some clues. Both were standing with hands outstretched as if waiting to receive something, the first statue had a ribbon tied around a finger, the other seemed to just be wearing a blindfold. Further examination turned up an inscription… “I waste not yet want not, I take what I need not more not less” on the first statue and “Paint me in the colour of your life to know what is dead”. on the second. Turinn removed the blindfold from the second statue and written on the inside was “an eye for an eye” Seems we had stumbled into some sort of magic toll booth. Just to be sure we split up and headed off in different directions, and sure enough just as Shades had predicted we always ended up back at the Statues. OK, we would have to solve the puzzles and then hopefully we would be on our way.
Turinn cast detect magic and sure enough, both statues radiated magical auras, even I could faintly see them, unusual to pick up an aura from someone else casting. Theodore examined the bow tied around the one statues finger and the finger promptly fell off. Which got him thinking, “maybe we need to replace its broken finger” he murmured. “Well, that’s a bit of an issue because we don’t have any spare fingers! ” I replied. “Here is one,” said Shar the finger he held up was reptilian and bleeding.. “Wait you didn’t just cut your finger off did you Shar?” “Yeah it’s no problem it will grow back” he replied. “Well put it in her hands then,” said Theodore.
Shar placed the finger in the statues outstretched hands and the statue animated, its hands reached up and covered its eyes. Sure enough, Shar’s finger promptly grew back. “So it seems for the other one we are going to need an eye” said Theodore. “Here let me try” he said as he strode up to the statue and plucking out his eye placed it in the statutes outstretched hands… Sure enough the Statue animated and its hands rose up to cover its eyes, as it did so we could all sense some kind of a barrier being lifted, definitely time to get out of here.
Shades was staring at Theodore with a look of horror on his face… “You just plucked out your own eye!, and that guy cut off his own finger!” He exclaimed. Oh it’s no problem we have a great cleric with us who can heal all kinds of things said Theodore gesturing toward Gondillin. “I’m not sure I can actually replace lost fingers or eyes Theodore” replied Gondillin. Never mind you two pipped up Phoenix let’s get out of here.
“Can we come with you?” asked Turinn. “Sure you can” replied Theodore but let’s get moving I don’t like it here at all.
The rain continued to pelt down giving us lousy visibility but we were able to move along the road away from the statues then it started to get really dark, too dark.
“Um I just saw a flying snake” said Shar. “A what?” said Gondillin. Suddenly Phoenix shouted a warning “Weeping Angels, DO NOT TURN AROUND!” “What the hell is a Weeping Angel ?” asked Shades, “You may know them as Medusa” replied Phoenix. “Do not look at them no matter what you do.” I knew of Medusa through songs and old stories and I knew that to look at one was to risk being turned into stone, so I was very keen to not look at them as we made our escape. But it wasn’t to be. Shar was right there were strange winged serpents barring the way and at least one possibly more Medusa behind us. “The Statues.” exclaimed Phoenix “I bet we activated them when we put the eye back in, remember they lifted up their hands to cover their eyes !”
It is extremely difficult to fight something you can’t look at, but The Motley Crew had no choice. Phoenix dropped his helm into place and charged forward, and even though he couldn’t see a thing, using his innate ability to detect movement close to him he closed on one of the Angels and slashed at it with his sword but as no one was able to look we had no idea if he was doing any damage at all. Suddenly a burst of flame lit the darkness as someone cast a fireball. I glanced to my right to see Karn with one hand over his eyes preparing to cast another fireball as Turinn stepped up beside him and added a third, well that’s gotta hurt, at least provided they had hurled them in the right area.
I was just grabbing for my Lute hoping to inspire the crew with a tune of Heroism when Theodore called out, “OK it’s safe to look now” I cautiously looked up, The Angel Theodore had been fighting was a stone statue, and the area where the other one had been was a flaming smouldering patch of scrub. “I think it saw its own reflection in my sword, but whatever it’s no danger now.” said Theodore as he swatted the statue with his open palm. “I got the snakes” said Shra from behind me, I spun around and one of the flying snakes was now very much dead and pinned to a tree by 2 arrows. The other was nowhere to be seen. It had all happened so quickly I never had a chance to actually do anything.
“Lets get out of here.” said Theodore as he headed off down the road at some pace, the rest of the crew quickly followed.
The Motley Crew 