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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rybaer" data-source="post: 32194" data-attributes="member: 118">Session #8.1 - Shadow and his gangAfter a pleasant night's rest in High Hill's inn, the group left in search of supplies - food, a few sundries, and horses.  The horses were the biggest challenge, as this was a small village without much capacity for trade.  They did manage to haggle with a local, though, for a pair of scraggly horses and a pony.  Amblin, as usual, was fine with just jogging along side them with his dog.  They asked the innkeep about the route to Water Break.  He scratched out a map and pointed out a few key areas.  The most direct route went through a marshland that was inhabited by trolls.  The north route around the marshlands was mostly unoccupied except for some bands of ogres.  The southern route, following the road, would be the quickest and safest, though hill giants and bandits were occasionally known to pester travelers.  The group settled on the southern route.The first day on the road was pleasant and uneventful.  It was one of the first hot days of summer, made more humid by the close proximity to the ocean.  They passed through farmland for a while, then reached a long stretch of grassy hills and wooded glens.  It was very similar, in fact, to the area between their home of New Selmar and the elven village they had just left.They set up camp in a secluded clearing in some woods about half a mile off the main road.  After midnight, while Rurik was on watch, he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps crunching through the trees.  Whoever it was, Rurik noted, was making no effort to hide his approach.  He got up and surveyed the woods, nudging the others with his boots to try to rouse them.  None of his companions, no matter how hard he prodded, responded in the least.  He hefted his axe and shield and called out to the intruder."Who goes there!  Name yourself and your purpose!"  Rurik spoke loudly, hoping that might rouse his companions where his prodding had failed.  It didn't."Relax there, young one," came the gruff reply out of the darkness.  A burly old dwarf, dressed for travel, came stomping into clearing.  "I'm just looking for a bit of company this night.  Someone to share a drink and a story or three."He walked up to the embers of the fire, dropped his backpack and worn axe on the ground and took a seat.  "Eh?  You gonna sit down and join me?" he asked the perplexed Rurik.  "I've got drink enough fer the both of us."The old dwarf dug through his backpack and withdrew a pair of hand carved wood goblets and a heavy skin from which he poured strong dwarven spirits.  Part of Rurik knew he should be concerned or alarmed at what was transpiring - particularly the bit about his friends not waking up - but another part of his mind put him at ease and let him accept the stranger's gesture.  He sat down and took a drink.  Fine drink, he noted.  It had been a while since he’d had a respectable beverage."So, young one," the dwarf began again as he withdrew a long pipe and started packing it.  "What is your name?""Rurik."The old one raised an eyebrow, waiting for more.  When none was forthcoming, he began to probe.  "What?  No family name, no clan?"Rurik stared into the red embers.  "I have no clan.  I lost that privilege when I dishonored myself before my uncle.""Really now," he said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.  "And how did that happen?"It was something Rurik generally didn't care to talk about, but he found himself recounting the story of his and his companions' adventures.  He told the old dwarf of how his head was turned into that of a lion - resulting in his uncle's outburst of displeasure for Rurik's foolish dabbling in magics he didn't understand.  Rurik had taken it hard and renounced his clan name, pending his uncle one day decreeing him worthy of it again."You're hard on yourself, Rurik," the old man said.  "You might find that your uncle's reaction was due to the shock and circumstances.  He might be a little more understanding, particularly after he hears how you got things set right.  You and your friends have done some remarkable things...some of which were both brave and noble."Rurik didn't respond.  He was less optimistic about his chances of getting back in his uncle's graces and regaining his clan name."You're a cleric of Moradin, aren't you?" he asked."Yes.""Well, young Rurik, there are a number of the Allfather's faithful near where you and your companions are headed that have been praying for his help.  Seems they're in a bit of a bind and need guidance.  Someone decided that it was your turn to answer that call."Rurik struggled through his drunken haze with the implications of what the old dwarf was telling him.  "Who decided I should help these guys?  And who am I supposed to help.""Someone a little higher up the chain of authority made the call on using you," he replied.  "I'm just a messenger.  As for whom you're to help, I'm not entirely sure.  Somehow, I think you'll manage to figure it out."The old dwarf looked up at the sky and the hint of predawn gray creeping over the eastern horizon.  “Well, young Rurik, it’s about time that I get moving along.  Good luck to you and bash some more baddies for an old dwarf.”  With that, he collected his bag and axe and tromped off toward the trees.  Rurik realized he was still holding the wood goblet that the dwarf had lent him for drinking.  “Sir, your goblet!”The old dwarf turned, grinned, and called back, “Keep it.  Something to remember me by.”  With that, he disappeared into the darkness.Rurik sat by the ashes of their fire, contemplating life and his place in it, until his friends began to wake for the day.  There was some curious inquiry as to why Rurik hadn’t woken up the next person in the watch rotation.  He muttered something about not being very tired, but chose not to say anything about the mysterious visitor just yet.All packed, they mounted up and continued on down the road.  The day was again hot but with a pleasant breeze.  They passed a single merchant on his way to High Hill, but otherwise the road was unoccupied.  As dusk descended, they began to consider finding a suitable campsite.  From up ahead, a high-pitched shriek cut through the ambient chirping insects.Assuming the shriek to be cry for help, Rurik immediately charged ahead.  Amblin quickly followed with Nigel and Zalman a little more cautious in their approach.  Rurik led his mount up a small ridge just a bit off the right side of the road.  From the crest, a grassy clearing descended a couple hundred feet toward an expanse of woods.  Near the wood line, a wagon and team of horses were parked.  There were several bodies littering the ground around the wagon.  Just behind the wagon, two dwarves were standing over a human girl, likely in her early teens.  One of the two had his pants pulled down around his knees.Infuriated beyond rational though, Rurik led out a bellow of challenge, dismounted (having no interest in fighting mounted), and charged.  Amblin quickly caught up, surveyed the scene, and joined the rush.  Nigel, upon reaching the top of the ridge, dismounted and drew out his deadly longbow.  Zalman was slower to join, and chose to move his mount a bit more off to the right side of the action.As they charged the dwarves, a bugbear armed with flail and shield stepped out from around the wagon.  One of the dwarves grabbed a shortsword and shield from off the ground and jumped up into the back of the wagon.  The other dwarf hastily pulled up his pants and picked up a wicked spiked chain from the ground.The bugbear moved to intercept Rurik and the two clashed in heated melee, exchanging blows and neither gaining an advantage.  Amblin bounced in and out with his spring attack, landing a quick kick.  Rurik, deciding he’d already had quite enough of the bugbear, stepped back and called upon Moradin’s favor and landed a Hold Person on the annoyance.  Meanwhile, Nigel had plopped a couple arrows into the spiked chain wielder and Zalman had dismounted and erected a Shield spell on himself while slowly closing toward the melee.Just as Rurik and Amblin were about to shift their focus to the chain-swinging dwarf, who was headed Zalman’s way, they caught sight of a drow elf near the front of the wagon.  The drow pointed his wand in their direction and uttered a command word.  Just like that, the Hold Person was gone and the bugbear was back in action.  Zalman yelled out the presence of the drow, just in case anyone had missed that fact.  He was about to send a spell in the dark one’s direction when the drow suddenly vanished.  Uh oh.Amblin, still working over the bugbear, experienced a violent jolt as if all his internal organs had been pummeled with a few dozen hammers.  He toughed it out but was unable to tell what had hit him or from which direction it had come.  So, he pounded the bugbear again.  With a well-placed arrow from Nigel and another slash of Rurik’s axe, the bugbear finally fell.  Again, Amblin felt his innards get pummeled.While the chain-wielder cautiously closed with him, Zalman continued to watch the wagon.  When the smaller dwarf popped his head out the back again, Zalman unleashed a lightning bolt.  The dwarf was blasted back in a shower of splinters as the side of the wagon exploded.  A few of the wagon’s contents began to slowly burn.Amblin, suspecting that the person responsible for the constant attacks on his body was in or near the wagon, moved quickly to the back of it.  He spotted the cowering smaller dwarf inside the smoldering wagon and was about to hop up there when he was rudely surprised.  The drow, who had turned invisible, unleashed a vicious attack sequence with rapier and short sword.  Amblin, a quick and nimble guy in his own right, was astonished at the speed with which the dark elf moved.  The monk was also hurting now, badly.  Adding to his misery, he took another pummeling to his organs just then.  Realizing he was outmatched, he wisely backed off (as only a fast monk can) to get some breathing room.Zalman, gauging the drow a worse threat than the fast approaching dwarf, unleashed another lightning bolt at the guy.  It fizzled on contact, but succeeded in getting the drow’s attention in a big way.  Zalman then made sure his Shield was facing the chain-wielder before they got too personally acquainted.The spiked chain came whipping at Zalman in a wide arc.  The Shield spell literally saved the wizard’s life and frustrated the dwarf.  He swung a couple more times while Zalman backsteped and fired a couple magic missiles.  About this time, Rurik and Nigel focused their attention back on the chain-wielder to get his attention away from Zalman.Amblin was looking all around for the drow and spotted him charging toward Zalman – too far away to intercept.  He took another pummeling and silently thanked his master for all the abuse he had been put through in his youth for how it toughened him up.  Otherwise, he’d be down or dead by now.  However, with the drow over by the others, the smaller dwarf in the back of the wagon was left alone…Zalman, relieved of the chain-toting dwarf, turned toward the charging drow.  Something in the back of his mind told him that this might very well be the end of his short life.  To slow the dark elf down, he fired off his last lightning bolt – and this one got through the drow’s spell resistance for a solid hit.  The look on the drow’s face was both one of surprise and cold fury.  The drow came in hard and fast, scoring a couple hits, while taking little damage in return from the wizard.  Luckily for Zalman, the Shield spell blocked just enough of the drow’s attacks to keep him alive.Nigel’s hail of arrows softened up the chain-wielder enough for Rurik to quickly dispatch him.  Rurik spat on the vile dwarf in disdain.  He was quite wounded himself by this time, but couldn’t pause to heal while Zalman was in such danger.  As Rurik charged to Zalman’s aid, the drow noticed that he was now alone and outmatched.  He slipped back into invisibility and retreated.Amblin cornered the remaining dwarf in the back of the wagon and was pummeled by the invisible power yet again.  Now, he was almost certain that the little dwarf was responsible for the abuse.  The dwarf held up his shield and short sword in defense, but Amblin deftly dodged both and pounded him into unconsciousness.  He then dragged the dwarf out of the burning wagon and (carelessly) dropped him on the ground.Rurik dropped a quick curing spell on both himself and Zalman and then raced to the body of the young human girl the bandits had been about to rape.  She was still alive, but bruised and unconscious.  Nigel and Zalman watched closely for any sign of the drow – particularly watching for movement in the moderately deep grass.  Amblin checked the other bodies, three human men and a woman, and found them all slain.  At a guess, the girl’s parents and a couple guards.While they were discussing what to do next, the invisible drow had slipped in near their position and slit the girl’s throat.  Several of the party had been alert enough to notice immediately.  Rurik used the most powerful cure he had left and saved her from near instant death.  The others went into overdrive trying to track the invisible drow’s movements.  The dark elf appeared to be moving back around the nearby (burning) wagon.  Rurik basically covered the girl with his own full-plate clad body while the others went cautiously hunting.Zalman, lacking any other means of spotting invisible creatures, cast a Detect Magic and started the slow process of looking around the site.  Amblin and Nigel spread out just a bit, straining for any hint of movement, visual or audible.  Finally, as Zalman was just zeroing in on the drow, Amblin spotted movement in the grass and he pounced.  The drow dropped his invisibility to strike back in a flurry of blindingly fast attacks.  The drow had no interest in pursuing the fight any longer, however, and went back invisible and fled for the woods.Amblin and Nigel both pursued for a distance, but quickly lost the trail in the dim twilit woods.  Knowing that tracking him under these conditions would be dangerous business, they decided to regroup with the others and set up a defensive position.Rurik pronounced the girl okay, but she remained unconscious.  The others gathered and looted the bodies of the fallen bandits.  The burning wagon was a complete loss by now.  Rurik expended the last of his spells healing up Amblin a bit.About fifteen minutes after the fight, while discussing their best course of action, the sound of many horses approaching reached them.  A contingent of twenty mounted knights bearing a bright blue standard with a yellow crescent moon on it approached them.The leader of the group, who introduced himself as Lord Trebain Durlock of Moon Hollow, Captain of Baron Murdain’s Lancers, quickly got the tale of the episode from the cooperative party.  Durlock seemed quite willing to accept their story in light of the evidence in front of him.  He even knew of these bandits – Shadow (the drow) and his current associates:  Gloop Shroomtoes (the bugbear) and the dwarf brothers Ulotar (the prisoner) and Umbar (the deceased).  He informed them that there was a bounty for both the Shadow as well as his associates, and that he would write them a letter of introduction so that they might claim it their partial reward from Duke Gosswall of Water Break.  200 gold a head for the gang members, 500 for the Shadow himself.The captain ordered his men to secure the prisoner and to carefully bring the girl.  The deceased were wrapped in blankets and tossed over horses.  He informed the group of a site nearby that they frequently used for camp while out patrolling this road.  If they would join him for the night, he would lead them to Unicorn valley in the morning where he could write them their letter of introduction.  The party agreed, happy to have a contingent of well-armed cavalry protecting them while the Shadow was on the loose and very upset with their interference.At camp, the captain spoke in more detail with them about the Shadow (a disreputable and dangerous local bandit).  He also asked of them and their travels, as well as what brought them to the Water Break area.  They were cautious not to tell too much of their adventures, but did explain that they were from New Selmar and had journeyed here in search of other cities with which to open trade routes.  He seemed satisfied and then left them to sleep.Next session:  Riding with the Knights and a cool welcome to Water Break.-Rybaer</blockquote>

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