A mixed success in the Jungle of Horrors

Okay, attempt number three of Lone Wolf book 8 — The Jungle of Horrors.

This time, we know the path to and through the city of Tharro, and we make pretty short work of it. Well, except for that run-in with a helghast that tore me up pretty badly again.

Still, we get out of town and head north toward Syada. Half-way there, we come across a horde of refugees fleeing back the other way. The city of Syada is on fire, and an army of baddies from Helgedad is headed this way. Damn. Only a few days earlier, it was some border harassment and an infiltrated monastery. Now it’s full-on city-burning war.

We decide this is a fine time to leave the highway, and make our way overland through the forest, westward toward the swamp.

The forest, it turns out is not a jungle (more a temperate deciduous forest), nor is it full of horrors (one troll guarding a bridge), and I admit that I’m a bit baffled and disappointed.

The swamp, on the other hand… that’s some craziness! Giant snakes, giant spiders, frog-people, and some ape-men things that attack us in droves. It’s a real rough time, but we pull through and make our way to the temple.

I expect that at this point, the dungeon crawl begins because the temple is overrun by… … nothing. There’s the lorestone, and there’s the airship we’ll use to get home. Hey, cool, something worked out easily for once!

But as we take to the air, we’re attacked by a bunch of vordak riding on kraan. They’re not tough, but there are so many of them. And they have bombs! They distract us and overrun us, and my companion Paido is taken prisoner! I have the lorestone and I make my way back to Dessi and the wizards from the Castle Death.

And there’s the setup for book nine… One more lorestone, a friend in danger, a new war well underway, and a fortress where I will find the next lorestone.