Blazing Saddles II: Of
plans and pandemonium as told by Glaurung the Golden Sune's blessings on you all! After escaping the dark madness of Lull, Borin and I were bereft
and exhausted. Borin mourned the loss of
Borin Junior whereas I had to temporarily give up on the liberation of Lull. On returning to Hope, however, there was nothing for it but
to get back on the horse again to seek adventure. Our horses, of course, were lost to the perfidy
of the kobolds, so it made sense to take on a public spirited mission to assist
Blaze with securing a fresh supply of horses for the town. We were joined in the quest by a strange mechanical fellow
named Groove Knight. His tinny voice endlessly
assailed us with popular ditties as we marched out to join Blaze, Bean and Xhadahn.
Still, while his entertainments wearied poor Borin, there was no denying his
heart, or whatever gears served that same purpose, was goodly intentioned. Our journey took four weary days, and we were unfortunate
enough to have attracted the attentions
of Ragemaw once more. Yet again unable
to control my tongue around that pretentious Wyrm we paid a high price in magic
and resources to escape its wrath. Borin was barely able to keep his head up when we finally
arrived at the farm and I was in little better condition. On joining our companions we learnt that Big
Al was captive in a cellar while the evil Orc leader was on the second floor of
the house. We talked long, trying to determine
the best plan of action. Alas, we were
overlong in our deliberations and just as we were putting a fine polish on our
schemes we were attacked by Orcish archers! In the blink of Sune’s enchanting eye our plans came to
nothing as we scrambled to enter the house.
I drew deeply on my magical reserves to impart magical Haste on myself
and Grooveknight, the better to be able to close with the enemy. The young mechanoid was brave if rash, plunging into the darkness
and ascending a staircase in his eagerness to come to grips with the foe. Still weighed down by exhaustion I followed at
a slower pace while Blaze in a fit of chaos climbed a different set of stairs. Xhadahn, in giant spider form made his assault
from the outside of the building while agile Bean was at my heels. Borin, as slow as a creeping glacier, tried
to follow as best he could. On the top floor we found ourselves in dire straits. Blaze more than found his match in a lone orc
warrior and their tussle carried on for many rounds. Groove Knight stood firm against the assault of
the Orc leader while Bean and I tried to support him with our spells. Xhadahn made an unwilling entry into the room
thanks to some strange magic conjured by Blaze. The battle teetered on a knife edge as we slowly whittled
down the orcish warriors while their leader savaged us with his axe. Borin’s timely arrival helped turn the tide
with his healing restoring Groovknight, Bean and myself back to consciousness at
different stages. Finally the great orc
was slain by Blaze, his epic battle with a simple orc having concluded just in
time for him to steal the glory of the kill.
I see the marks of a true leader in him; if, that is, leadership is the skill
of claiming credit for the hard work of others! With the orc overthrown there was little left to do but claim
the spoils and rescue Big Al from this cellar.
This was duly done and Groove Knight was the proud owner of a mighty
greataxe bearing the blessings of Lathandar himself. Was this a sign that Borin was at last
finding favour again with his god! I
pointed this out to him but in truth he was too weary to appreciate its full
portent. We rested the night in the farmhouse and the sleep in a real
bed did much to help restore Borin and I.
Some bandits wandered by but thankfully avoided the house and thus we
were spared a dangerous fight. Our
missions successfully concluded we returned safely to Hope.
May Sune shine her beatific countenance on you all!
