23/07/2024 - The Cultists Retreat (8)

Following the Cultists

Logan climbs over the barricade and starts to head after the retreating Cultists. Malcolm follows along the top of the cliff. The two Elite Guards are walking backwards with their shields up to protect against missile fire, with one robed cultist behind them guiding them. Malcolm decides not to fire but follows and keeps an eye open for opportunities. Sam fires his crossbow at the robed cultist, but misses.

Banquo has no missile weapons, so he focuses on following them along and hoping to find something big to throw down at them.

Retreat and Pursuit

A pursuit then ensues as the cultists attempt to escape the valley, while the Companions follow them and attempt to attack them.

Sam manages to hit the Cultist Leader and wound him, but he continues to retreat and mingles in with the goblins to become a harder target. The Goblin Leader pushes his men forward to hurry as they stumble and keep trying to fire bows, which the Leader realises is a waste of time and discourages them.

The cultists form into two groups, with the two Elite Guards and the wounded Cultist at the back, while the Goblins with the Cult Leader and a single robed cultists mingled together into a second group further along the valley. The Companions mostly struggle to keep up, with only Banquo able to get ahead of the main group.

Elite Guards

The Elite Guards are moving slower because the Cultist they are protecting is wounded, so Logan, Malcolm and Sam are able to keep up with them. Stopping to fire though causes them to fall back, so they mostly focus on the pursuit as everyone is running.

Eventually, the wounded cultist falls behind the two Elite Guards and they abandon trying to protect him, instead turning and moving as fast as they can. Logan stabs his spear through the leg of the wounded Cultist at the back then finishes off with his dagger. However, this delays him and the Elite Guards move further away from him.

Malcolm tries shooting a few times at the Elite Guards, but fails to hit them at all.

A Big Rock

Banquo manages to get ahead of the main Cultist group and looks around for a big rock to throw down at them. He is able to find one that’s fairly large, not enough to block the valley, but would likely cause a lot of injuries. It is heavy though, so when he gets it to roll over the edge, it hits the main group of goblins.

The rock lands directly on the Goblin Leader and crushes him. It also crushes the arm and pins another goblin, while injuring a number of the others. The Cultist Leader and the last robed Cultist are able to able to avoid damage. They give the goblins no more than a brief glance and then continue to run.

Logan gets into a fight with two injured goblins, finishing them off. Malcolm finally gets a good shot on the last remaining robed cultist, killing him outright.

Last Few Cultists Escape

There are now just three goblins, two Elite Guards and in the lead the Cultist Leader. Throwing the rock and finishing off the goblins slows the Companions and these six remaining cultists are able to escape from the valley and start to run on the open plain.

The Companions stop to rest and recover, deciding not to try to go after these last few, as they have thinned their numbers enough and are no longer at an advantage.

They return to the plateau. They rest, eat and drink some of the wine made by the monks, while telling Brother Gregory how things developed. Brother Gregory warns them about getting too drunk, in case the cultists come back. The Companions mock him for his religious stoicism but they do not drink too much. Brother John insists keeping a watch out for the cultists anyway. The Companions eventually fall asleep as the sun goes down.

Leaving the Plateau

In the morning, Brother Gregory suggests that he stays behind to look after Brother John, the only surviving member of the Monastery. His job was primarily to guide them to the Monastery, which he has done. They agree, suggesting he head back to Greenest as best he can.

The Companions pack up and head out themselves, following the trail of the group at took Prince Edmund. As they pass through the ravine leading to the plateau, they see all the dead bodies of the cultists. They ignore Brother Gregory’s suggestion that they should be given a proper Haelynic burial.

Which Way to Go

Once they leave the ravine, Brother Gregory heads south and they consider which way to go. They know that Prince Edmund is most likely being taken back to his home country of Cariele, which lies North East of here. Also, there are some tracks left by the group of riders that can be followed. Logan sets about following their trail, which head in the direction of Cariele, but they appear to be around five days ahead of them.

As they head back down the mountainside, the cold and snow gives way to thick forest, which covers most of the Five Peaks area.

End of Episode Eight