Adventures in Middle Earth: Ep20 “Brief Encounter”

Adventures in Middle Earth: Ep20 “Brief Encounter” With the enemy camp located and the odds looking increasingly terrible, the party decide on a bold plan. Or rather, a plan involving Bungo. Which is usually the same thing. As darkness falls, Bungo and Lurch sneak into the camp in search of Oderick. Against all expectations, they actually find him. Unfortunately, Bungo fails to realise that the man they’ve spent days tracking is, in fact, the man they’ve spent days tracking. Even Lurch tries to tell him. Repeatedly. Instead, Bungo does what comes naturally and steals the man’s bag. Sadly, it contains neither gold nor treasure, just dirty underwear. Things take a turn when a towering figure emerges from the darkness and catches Bungo snooping around. Mistaking him for a child, the stranger tells him to return to his mother. Bungo chooses flight over conversation and escapes into the woods, returning to camp with his stolen prize and some deeply disappointing news. After collectively facepalming, the party decide to take matters into their own hands. Haldir infiltrates the camp himself, locating Oderick and convincing him to flee before his beloved is executed for a murder she didn’t commit. The rescue works. For approximately five minutes. Because the mysterious giant from the camp has followed them. Introducing himself as Farin, an exiled woodsman with a bloody history and a long list of people he’s killed, he makes it very clear that the party are next. What follows is a brutal fight for survival. One that, thanks to Bungo, the Guild wins. With Farin defeated and his head removed for future evidence-giving purposes, Oderick finally reveals the truth behind Valtir’s presence in the woods. This was never about one fugitive. It’s about war. Valtir intends to seize control of Beorn’s lands. And suddenly the race back to Beorn becomes far more important than ever before.