Three Orcs Pass, the well known stop for many a weary traveler making their way up the main route to Fyr’s Shadow, has been less than hospitable to many in the past months. The upper camp sites have been inaccessible leaving many to speculate as to what the cause could be. With the closing of the upper sites, several travelers have had to find room to camp on the roadside at night leaving their caravans open to thieves and street ruffians. The questionable safety of the site has caused travel to become hard for many seeking to make pilgrimage to the holiest city on the planet.

Those looking to travel can now do so with ease as the upper sites have reopened as of late thanks to a band of intrepid adventurers. Remnants of the cutthroat group that infested the campgrounds surrounding the pass were witnessed scrambling away by one family that had fallen prey to them during their visit. “Just one feller came limping by looking like he’d been on the receivin’ end of one heck of a wallop,” one witness reported. He went on to add, “Tha’s not the only thing, either. Those kindhearted souls went outta their way to return valuables we thought long gone. They’ll forever have our thanks.”

Another witness described nearly unbelievable events. “Me girl and i, we was looking for a private-like place to set camp when we’s heard the loudest bird shrieks ever. I still see it when I close me eyes.” They talked of a giant bird blocking the bridge to the upper camp sites, flinging people off as the would try to pass. “When we finally saw the thing there was this elf and her daughter, I think it was, clingin’ on an’ stabbin’ at it. We didn’t see how the fight finished but I can say it went quiet real quick as we were leaving the area.”

It seemed a momentous event to say the least, but this band wasn’t as well received by everybody in the encampment. “Here I am trying to have meself a bloody bath, and next I know, in charges this group of rough riders looking to start trouble.” He and a few others claimed that the attitude of this brazen group was far from hospitable. “It was almost like they was just edgin’ for a fight. Let’s see, if I remember right, was a mostly naked half-orc fella, a walkin’ tree which I ain’t ever seen before, and couple others all being led by this angry looking paladin. You can always tell a paladin in a group.” This source went on to say that they then proceeded to kill several of the patrons in the hot springs before moving on to other campsites.

As strongly as I would like to keep bias out of a story, I too, Jancho, writer of this very journal, was saved by this group and would stake my life that these nay sayers did not keep their eyes open enough to catch all the details. It takes a strong, kindly heart for complete strangers to go out of their way to save somebody whom they have never met before. So allow me to just thank those wondering travelers and let me tell you how good it is to know that people like that are out there in the world.