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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WayneLigon" data-source="post: 1370368" data-attributes="member: 3649">Episode 8: The Shadow LengthensThe party consists of…Vorz, male Litorian Totem Warrior (Wolf)1/Litorian2Sellik, male Verrik Mage Blade2, Verrick 1Kyran, female Verrik Iron Witch2/Mage Blade1Mont Nuyen, male Human Unbound Unfettered3Alayah, female Loresong Faen Greenbond3Na-Vilarus, male Giant Giant1, Champion of Magic1 Rizz, male kobold Expert1And introducing the riding dog Thunderwynd, the Mastiff of MightThirdmonth 19Kyran finishes the training in the ways of the mage blade, completing the final series of rituals to bond a blade as her athame. The party decides to sell the houseboat; Mont sets Conn to guard and protect and watch Eana while they are gone to the mountains. He sets up some monies for her in case he does not return, and makes sure she is secure in her new position within the castle. Vos-Kula, the Giant artificer takes Vorz’ great blade and enchants it in a day-long rite, giving the blade back to the Litorian in a final Ceremony of Presentation. Now ready to pursue the Queen’s wishes, the party stops at Iaska’s home to give her the script from the Steward for the healing potions promised them as part of their reward. They also get anti-toxins, and she gives them a picture-scroll of various herbs and flowers to look for while in the mountains; they are comparatively rare medicinal herbs that she needs for material components and for potions. The party sets off on horseback, with the faen Alayah riding the great black mastiff Thunderwynd. As they ride, they note the scars left by years of almost constant war. Wary farmers, now out breaking the soil and planting, eye them as the armed party rides by, uncertain if they be merchants, soldiers, or brigands. The few small hamlets they pass by are guarded and few talk to the strangers. Finally, near the end of the first day they come to the last sizable thorp between the lands surrounding Runestone and the area around Wealstone. They eat at the small alehouse, and the old gaffer there tells them about a troop of pikemen that came by the previous day, and warns them of the perils of the road. Especially he mutters almost unheard warnings about the Count that runs Wealstone now. Fortified by the meal, the party pushes on into the evening and now they begin to pass burned farms, salted croplands, and scarecrows that once were human. They find one of these is actual a nest of stirges, and they drive off the beasts buy only after Alayah is wounded by them. That night they pass an uneasy sleep until midnight, when the watch senses something pale and stealthy moving out in the brush. It stalks closer and closer, edging towards the party, until they react and attack it. They drive down the ghastly thing, which looks like a lion about to die of starvation. It fights with bizarre tactics, it’s limbs seeming to part and recombine as it slashes at them; it lays not a paw on them before Vorz cleaves it in half, then they make a grisly discovery: it was a wight, a terrible undead creature. They look around the dark woods, now unsure of just how dangerous the lands are…Thirdmonth 20After a day of traveling along the mostly-deserted road, the group passes a couple more burned farmhouses, and spends lunch camped amid the ruins of a village. Now, only fire-blackened foundation outlines mark where people once lived and worked the land. Things have quickly reverted to nature over the past few decades, and these lands between population centers are not well patrolled now. The day is quiet, and no human figure is seen for the entirety. That night, they find out why as two tremendous manticores send a flurry of iron missiles into their camp while the watch is caught unawares, then attack. They seriously wound the adventurers, but eventually they are killed and dealt with. Then later that night, they ambush a group of ogres on the road. The sight of such monsters makes the young men and woman cautious and wary, now knowing why the people outside the city walls had such haunted looks in their eyes. Thirdmonth 21Tired and bleary from little sleep the night before, and still nursing wounds from the manticore attack, the group decides to rest for a day. They are set upon by a well-disciplined troop of bugbears who come down the road from the direction of Wealstone. The goblinoids are heavily armored, well equipped, and vicious to a man; they almost overcome the party and give them perhaps the toughest opposition they’ve had to date. Eventually they all fall, but they mark the adventurers well for their part. They rest through the night; thankfully they are undisturbed. Thirdmonth 22Concerned by the level of discipline and equipage of the mercenary group, the party begins to backtrack them, hoping to find their lair. The group, especially Mont, burns with anger with the thought of these things rampaging over the countryside. Near noon, they find the sight of a battle; Vorz tracking skills and scent abilities tell him there was an ambush; the pike unit they saw evidence of the other day has been ambushed and destroyed to a man… by bugbears. Tracking the main troop, they wind their way into the hills as the land rises. They are nearing the domain of the vast southern mountains and even though those giant peaks are a white line on the horizon, their influence is felt even here as the land rises and breaks into a series of hills, gullies, deep canyons and hidden switchbacks. Following the wolf-warrior into the stony hills, miles from town or hold, the group comes upon sentries stationed in the trees. Taking them out by stealth, they manage to sneak up closer and take out the second set of humanoid watchers. They take up their positions so they can look down into the camp, and what they see there fills them with anger and dismay: more than a dozen well-armed troops drill in precise form in the small square, while others practice with bows and javelins. There are a number of small houses and barracks, plus a barn for the horses and wagons, a source of fresh water and..a group of humans that seem to walk among the bugbears as equals. They capture one of trhe bugbears sent to relieve the dead ones, and drag him back into the forest for questioning. They find out that the bugbears are the Sharp Arrows mercenary troop, and that The Scarlet One is their master; they quickly place that name on a hooded human woman that dwells on the opposite end of the tiny vale from where the sentries here are posted. They find out troop strengths and more, before killing the bugbear. They then set a trap for the scouting party that will be sent out when the relief people don’t come back from the sentry posts. They ambush the first group and kill the Magister with them, then fall back behind prepared crossbow fire lines and caltrops to deal with the second troop, led by the human warmain. A troop of goblin slaves finds the caltrops, and the bugbears stand and fire arrows at the entrenched adventurers. Eventually, they rush the bugbears and mow them down after a hard fight. They push on to the head of the small vale, and see smoke rising from it. They crest the rise to see the last of the troop pulling out down a defile, leaving dead animals, fouled water, and burning buildings in their wake. It appears The Scarlet One wishes to deny anyone access to their facilities. Moving through the burning area, the group decides to chase down the rest of the bugbear troop; a single horse went down the other exit from the area, moving swiftly; it has a great lead on them, and they know they’ll never catch her in time, loaded with gear as they are. They chase down the bugbears and slaughter them to a man. Tired, bloody, and sore, the group turns to backtrack towards the road, and set out down the road to Wealstone once more…</blockquote>

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