10 Lharvion 998 (Geraint)

Spiders !Venomous vermin.

'Help us', the farmer said, so help him I did.
Losing a sheep is careless, to lose a flock and the shepherd beggars belief. But the trail was easy to follow, the lair easy to find - easy enough for others to have got there before me.
A horse and a wolf make strange companions, but there they were, side-by-side near the spider lair. The scents of men and an elf were strong, overlaying the scents of sheep and spider. I climbed down into the lair and found darkness. I lit a torch and saw a spider crouched at the edge of my vision. No time for anything except to stick the torch into the earthen wall and draw sword. The fight was brief. Light came towards me - the others: an elf warrior, a druid, a wizard and...a crusader of the Silver Flame.

Stranger companions to find together than horse and wolf. They too searched, not for sheep but a lost daughter and a guard.

A large chamber held web-wrapped bundles and more spiders. As we dealt with the lesser vermin a huge, bloated spider emerged from a tunnel. It was a good fight, even weakened as I was from the creatures' bites. The spiders slain, we rescued the daughter, guard, shepherd and sheep. The others returned to the nearby village, I to the farm. I would have taken a sheep in payment, but instead they offered me a place to sleep and food if I wanted it. It was at the farm thet Dale found me. He suggested I find the other spider-killers and offer my help. I had nothing better to do. It seems there were strange goings on to the west: a body consumed in a bonfire with the skull stoved in. Guided by some broken compass we made good progress cross-country. There was plentiful game and fresh water. A campsite was easy to find. I hunted while others gathered wood. The fire was lit by magic - why ?

I took the first watch and noticed movement on the edge of the clearing. Rats !
More vermin. but these were unnaturally large and mishapen, tainted in some way.
They fought like demons and were hard to kill. At one point they changed into writing masses of tentacles. It did not save them.

The crusader is a trained leader and takes charge in battle. The others follow. I will follow for now. What will we find in the west ?