More caravan

While J, L and M nurse themselves and mope, B goes off to fix the cart. After coughing up more money and walking around for a few hours he manages to find someone to bodge it up. At least it is road worthy and we quickly jump on and head north again.

The next week of travelling goes by uneventfully (relatively) apart from complaining about the rain and wind since the canopy got slashed in our last attack! Hopefully this can be remedied in Rauen, our last stop before Moldavia. A rather large village, enough to provide us with a few provisions, a new canopy which G. generously pays for. Our cart gets a serious once over which L. pays for. Everyone has now chipped in apart from M who has the last couple of gold coins on him stolen by a wily pickpocket. As for J contributing to communal needs? Are you having a laugh? L and J haggle with a half blind merchant for some clothes. M keeps to himself and sulks over his stolen property and revises spells. B sharpens his sword, G does weird things and L tries to avoid a very fat bar maid. J keeps to herself. The canopy cloth G buys is about as subtle as a brick in the face, but at least it is durable and water proof. L and B are well miffed (for different reasons), but at least after breakfast our boredom comes to an end and we set off for Moldavia!

Our flashy circus caravan attracts a gigantic bear. Thinking that we have been attacked by much worse we ignore it till it is too late. The bear leaps onto the caravan sending the horses wild and forcing B to concentrate on trying to keep them calm. That leaves M, J, L and G to tackle the bear that is definitely trying to get our attention! L gets knocked unconscious in round one! J gets knocked unconscious in round two, G squeals like a little girl and M steps aside and gives way to B. M lends a helping hand by temporarily restricting the bear with his whip (which he also looses!) and then decides to cast a spell! Mysteriously L and J stand back up their life threatening wounds totally cured. Unfortunately the heal spell affects the bear too, but beggars cannot be choosers We all (apart from J and G) have a good attempt at scaring the bear off. L trying to torch it (and the cart and us with it) but fortunately fails (again). B gives it grief but eventually gets cleaved up by the beast. G speaks angrily at the bear that gets chops up by B some more at the same time. Fortunately it got scared and decided to take off. G mistakes it for his own courageous acts and cheers joyfully, which impresses the short tempered M no end. Blinded by frustration and anger he attempts to smack the elusive G and promptly misses so gets attacked by G and his rat in return. M. clutches his gonads and decides to sulk once more and learn spells. B takes over once more the reins and we start making good time. He also benefits by an unknown dark beneficiary who comes and leaves at night. B’s cansty wounds are completely healed!

We are now well and truly in Moldavia. Desolation, blackness, and weird beasts following us. Nothing to stir us. Fork up ahead pointing us to the left. We go right! A deranged old hag tells us we are on the right path to Bolgare. M thinks she is a gypsy-witch-herbalist type person and asks her to read him his future. In exchange for a kiss she reads him his future. L and J follow suit. We quickly dispatch her and get on our way. Ignoring various paths off the main track we quickly make way and stop about 3 days away from Bolgare in a small clearing with a well. There is no sign of habitation, a very old well, a few deserted houses, wheel tracks but no signs of people ever stopping here and of course we decide to stop here! B advises against such idiocy so we ignore him! L and J investigate the well, M uses some very powerful magic to look into the house after getting no answer from knocking the door. By now the ravens and wolves that have been following us have multiplied in number and curiosity. J fills a vial with water from the well and goes to sit on the cart. L decides to head down the well to grab something that shines. M is game. He ties the rope to a tree and helps lower him down with the help of B. The next few minutes defy belief ….

J is sitting with G on cart…alone! Everybody is getting anxious about the wild life that is inching in from every side. L is well and truly in the water clutching at shadows and J takes off! B rushes after her. M runs half way and seeing B catch the cart decides to head back to the well. The wolves have got too close, L is temporarily safe so he lunges into the dilapidated house through the window. L grabs the silvery item at the bottom of the well and pops it in his mouth! (Well he WAS born with a silver spoon in his mouth so he is used to it). B calms the horses temporarily and M disturbs a throng of bats that fly past harmlessly. Temporarily forgetting the disturbingly intelligent local flora and fauna, L stuck down a well and a very dubious transport medium M has a mosey in the deserted house grabs a very heavy chest and heads for the window he came through. L tries to make his way back up the well and now B, J and G decide to flee!

However, a dark, hooded rider is speeding towards us and the wild life has started cowering away again. At least that has stopped the cart in its tracks. Not only L, M and the other indigenous beasts. Everyone holds their breath!