After a lovely, abet slow conversation with the oxen, I climbed up into the cart and picked up the reins.    Samus rode ahead on Fluffy, ever watchful, while Kron scouted farther still, disappearing into the trees before reappearing like clockwork. Raelin and Leroy rode in the back rummaging through Nilwoo Woggin’s possessions

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Two days passed without incident. I continued to chat with Fred and Johnny and told them the basic commands of Halt and Let’s go and stay back, so I knew they would be safe if we met something along the road.

In late afternoon of the second day, we came to a dusty crossroads. A weathered sign pointed south toward the coast, and north toward Baizel—a farming community known for its grain trade. “Nice inn there,” Leroy said. Below the official placards, a smaller board had been nailed on, scrawled in childish hand: Mooog Trading Company – Orcs and such welcome.

We decided to camp at the crossroads for the night and we were awoken in morning by a cry for help. A stocky, wild-eyed man came stumbling toward us, his robe singed, his face blackened with soot. He said his name was Wurflinger and he told us that he is a wizard and his tower a little way down the road.  A few days ago he’d purchased an iron flask, thinking it to be a wish-granting vessel containing a djinn. Instead, out had come an efreeti, who promptly set fire to Wurflinger’s tower and scattered his spellbooks to the winds. His only hope was for the group to retrieve them—by sending his unseen servant, Charles, to collect them safely.

I took a sharp intake of breath, as to lose one’s spellbook and possibly your backup spellbook was a wizard’ss worse nightmare.  It is your life’s work between those pages of vellum. I did not even consult the group and said we would go and get his spellbooks back for him.  And, if I am being honest, I was hoping he would allow me to copy some of his spells in my own book.  Wurflinger said to tell Charles, his servant, that Worflinger sent us and Charles will do what he asked.

Leaving our cart at the crossroads under Wurflinger’s care, it was a short trot to the tower.  Standing outside the tower, surveying his work, was a towering, red-skinned creature.  Leroy struck a bargain: the iron flask and one copy of the spellbook in exchange for coming to our aid We will give him the iron flask and one copy of the spellbook in exchange for him coming to our aid when we call him. Noneyr, agreed—and said to use the name “Rumpelstiltskin” to call him.

Charles fetched the books.  It was a long, excruciating five minutes, and I snatched the precious books from his ghostly hands.  Reluctantly, I handed over the copy spellbook to the efreeti and Leroy gave him the iron flask. Noneyr took them and then—without warning, but not surprisingly because even I know you can’t trust an efreeti to keep his end of the bargain—uncorked the flask and released two demons before vanishing.

Some say I am the brains of this outfit, but I beg to differ as I hear Samus wasted no time, shouting “Rumpelstiltskin!” causing Noneyr to reappear, and forcing him to fight alongside us.  He did so, but also whispered to the demons.  The fight was short, the demons heart (do demons have hearts) in it and both dissipated in clouds of noxious gas.  And, Raelin, devious, silent Raelin, while the fight was going on stole back the spellbook (and we found out later, the Iron Flask) from the gloating efreeti who vanished, unaware he had been robbed.  I fear though efreeti have long memories and we have not seen the last of Noneyr.  

Wurflinger, was beyond grateful, and I asked if I could have the copy of spellbook so I might expand my own knowledge and he heartily agreed. He was crestfallen about his tower and said he planned to go to Rel Astra to his sister Esmeralda in the royal quarter, to seek funds to rebuild. I suggested instead that he might seek out Memaw—perhaps she could help him restore his tower without the journey.

We continued our slow plod to Wild Boar Inn and in midafternoon we heard the creaking wheels of a wagon coming toward us.  As we rounded the bend we saw a grim sight—a lumber cart abandoned in the mud, its draft horse lying half-collapsed, riddled with arrows. The lumbermen were dead. Leroy knelt beside the animal, murmured a spell, and healed the old horse.  I whispered to him and asked what his name was and what had happened.  He said the lumberjacks were anxious to get to Trippers and were ambushed by Orcs through the woods.  Brave heart that he had, Ed was willing to take us back to the ambush spot – but not before we went to Mooogs Trading Post and bought up all the meat they had, including a giant ankeg claw. Raelin got an elven dagger as well.

With bribes in hand, we headed into the woods and Ed led us to the ambush place.  We called out we wanted to meet their chief and we offer gifts for safe passage through the woods.  One of the orcs came forward and said he would take one of us to negotiate with their chief.  We knew the caravan had to come this way and felt this would be a perfect site for an ambush…but we needed the orcs on our side.  Leroy paid the chief 4,000 gold to hire the entire tribe for a week. With the orcs, the centaurs, and Chief’s bandits, we just might be able to pull off this heist.

We said goodbye to our newly bought allies (though Kron was none too happy.  “Only Orc you can trust is a dead orc”) – but we needed numbers, and the orcs could supply it.  We quickly made our way to the Wild Boar Inn.