The Giant’s Hearth

The Adventurers, having set the broken, blubbering Leif and Jurgon free, 'persuaded' Plokki to tell them about recent changes in the forest. In particular, he said that hunters who had travelled by way of The Giant's Hearth had disappeared. The Adventurers forced Plokki to lead them through the forest. As they neared the Hearth they could here screaming. After discussing press-ganging Plokki into armed service, they thought better of giving him a spear and turning their backs, and set him free to do as he will. Creeping round the stones, they saw...   

6. The Giant’s Hearth

The Giant’s Hearth, as it is known to the woodsmen of Skara, is a series of concentric circles of cyclopean blackened stones. Many of the stones have tumbled. Before the shadow of evil was laid over the forest, hunters would make camp here and use the monument to forgotten gods or kings as a landmark and waypoint.

The Hearth is now the camp of a small warband of ahumans. The three diseased WRETCHES were humans but recently, but they have been corrupted by JORUS EYEBITER, a CHAOS WARRIOR sworn to the service of Hmurresh, Lord of the Flies. They are torturing a WILD ELF, staked to the ground, more for their pleasure than the ostensive purpose – locating, and infecting, the hidden wild elf settlement. The wild elf, AEVARON, is of iron resolve, and will never betray his people.

Jorus is frustrated. The wretches that make up his warband are poor companions, and a certainly ill-suited to his purposes; seeking glory and power in the service of Hmurresh, especially in frustrating the plots of Arhallogen. If given the opportunity, Jorus will attempt to recruit the adventurers, arguing, in his buzzing, insectile voice, that they share a common enemy.

JORUS EYEBITER, CHAOS WARRIOR

SKILL 10 STAMINA ⑩⑨⑧⑦⑥⑤④③②①

Weapon	1	2	3	4	5	6	7+
Morning Star	1	2	2	3	4	4	5

Armour	1	2	3	4	5	6	7+
Spiked Plate	1	1	2	2	3	3	4

WRETCHES

SKILL 6 STAMINA ⑥⑤④③②①

Weapon	1	2	3	4	5	6	7+
Seax	1	2	2	3	3	3	4

Aevaron is a wild elf, his body covered in spiralling tattoos and dressed in scraps of leather and carved wooden jewellery. He is traumatised and badly wounded, but will not accept help travelling back to his village, as to do so would as surely betray the location of his people to outsiders as if he had told Jorus. 

In AFF2e outnumbering is a *big* advantage, giving +1 bonuses to Attack Strength to opponents for each extra opponent facing an individual. Whereas, in many systems, it might makes sense to take out the big enemy first, in AFF2e cutting away the minions not only strips the enemies of any bonuses, it will also grant the Adventurers bonuses as they begin to outnumber the most dangerous opponent. With this in mind, Snaggletooth and Klimt made short work of the wretches as Bjorn kept Jorus busy in single combat, before they were all able to close in on the doomed Chaos Warrior. Jorus attempted to recruit the Adventurers to his war against Arhallogen, but his bargaining was futile.