Banewarrens d20 (Angelsboi's party)

[diaglo]

Hunting party or Lords of the Hunt

The Owlbear, although further injured, ignored the party even when Sully covered himself in magic nearby. It crashed thru the brush and fled. Two large creatures whooped and charged from the brush across the trail. They were chasing the Owlbear. Ogres. One carried a large tree stump. The other was armed with a Huge Greataxe. They saw Darian in his shining armor. Alya began to sing a tune of courage. She turned to Richter and pointed off to the Ogres. As Richter turned, she touched him. He briefly struggled against the magic, but soon vanished.

“Hmm, Fresh meat,” the lead Ogre said.

Darian cast a spell and moved further into the open. He knew Sully, Erin, Vlad and Fiddle had him covered. The Ogres almost closed the distance to Darian. Erin sprung from the brush and charged the Ogre with the tree stump. The Ogre instinctly swung at the monk. He caught Erin in the side. Erin used the momentum of the blow to power his punch. He landed a solid shot. Sully peppered the Ogre with two missles of magic. Fiddle fired an arrow into the Ogre’s torso. The Ogre had second thoughts about his action. Vlad fired an arrow into the torso of the other Ogre. Darian charged the Axe Ogre. The Ogre missed as Darian came near. Darian landed his mace solidly on the Ogre’s knee. Both Ogres were in dire straits. Richter appeared behind the Axe Ogre. His staff slid off the Ogre’s tough hide. Alya sang another tune. The Huge Greataxe fell to the ground covered in grease. The Ogres repositioned. Treestump swung over Erin’s head. The barehanded Ogre lunged for Darian. Darian smacked the Ogre’s arms aside with his mace.

Erin kicked out. Fiddle fired another arrow into the Ogre. Vlad went for the killing shot. Unfortunately, Erin moved into the way. Sully ended the Ogre with two more bolts of magic. Darian landed another blow with his mace. The last Ogre turned to flee. Richter struck him with his staff as he ran passed.

Erin gave chase. He leapt into the air and caught the Ogre on the back of his skull. The Ogre landed in a heap. Erin tumbled free. He searched the bodies. Darian and Richter performed last rites.

Fiddle checked the tracks. “We should be able to follow the Ogres back to the start of this trail. I don’t think they strayed to far from their home. Perhaps they were the cause of the trouble near Deadmoot.”

“One of the patrons of the inn said a caravan was attacked on this route,” Alya added.

“Fiddle, Vlad, and I will scout ahead,” Erin said. “The rest of you give us a couple minutes and follow.”

 

[biorph]

Before we'd left in Suzail

Alya was sweating buckets as she approached the temple.
"But sweating under the weight of this much gold is a GOOD thing" she said to herself.

She hadn't wanted Richter's things but he didn't want to take them back, and she'd had enough of the way the rest of the party coddled the spoiled noble giving into his every whim. Even now he was still dressed in noble's clothes.

"I'd like to see him spend a week, living life out on the street" she also said out loud to herself again.

Relief was in sight as she turned a corner to see Darian's temple of Lathander. With luck she'd gotten here before he decided to tell everyone there to charge her double for everything she needed. Luck was apparently still with her, the priests smiled and moved to help ease her strain when they saw she appraoched the temple.

"I must still have the discounted rate for being one of Darian's traveling companions. They're going to smile even more in a few minutes." She thought to herself

"Greetings fair Alya, how can the servants of the morning lord help you on this sun filled day?"

"I seek a boon from your head priest, good sir. I have a fairly large request to ask, but I am willing to make a fairly sizable donation to the church to express my thanks."

The young priest took one look at the sacks of gold weighing more than 55 pounds and rushed off to summon the high priest.

"Ahh temple priests" she though to herself "They are the same the world over"

The high priest approached, even his eyes widened at the large sacks of gold. Alya wondered if the temple would see a new solid gold sun on the altar before the week was out. If Richter's blacksmith father were to forge it, that would just be the cherry on the icing on the cake. The icing was coming up right now.

"Holy father, I seek a boon. perhaps if we could talk in private, this may take awhile."

"Any friends of young master Domgard is more than welcome to the aid of the servants of the sun. Especially ones so very generous in their donations" Said the high priest as they exited to his private chambers.


.........................................................................................................

As she left the temple, she felt like she could walk on air. Thanks to Darian it was cheaper than she'd hoped, and given the church's generous nature she had confidence Darian and his family would certainly be recieved even more warmly by the church than before. Cake, icing, cherry, frosting on the cherry...hmm, all this imagery had put her in the mood for some real cake though.

As she entered the inn, she was carrying a cupcake with a frosted cherry on top. She'd bought from a bakery down the street.

"Richter, your debt to me is cancelled." She said "And Darian, sorry to you too for whatever, and your church and any other injury I may have caused you, let me know if you want me to apologize in writing."

"Soooo heartfelt Alya" replied Darian. Richter, for once didn't say anything. Not even a thank you for releasing him for him Geas 5000 gold short. But it didn't really matter, nothing they thought did. She'd gotten what she'd most wanted since she'd started out with them, there was had been no reason to make the rich brat suffer any more than was neccessary, it was obvious he wasn't going to learn anything, but that didn't matter either. She mentioned where and to whom she'd sold Richter's things, on the off chance Richter would stop wallowing in his own self misery long enough to think to try getting them back. Richter thought she was just rubbing it in.

As she walked back to her room she sang a tune she remembered from her childhood. "Love come quick, love come in a hurry..." She obscured the last line from hearing with a mouth full of frosted cherry topped frosted cupcake. The second sweetest thing she'd tasted today next to her success.

 

[diaglo]

Ogres need a maid

Anyone with half a brain could follow the tracks of the Ogres. After a short while, Fiddle, Erin, and Vlad discovered the area where the Ogres had ambushed the Owlbear. Feathers and blood and the signs of a scuffle marked the battleground. Fiddle found some more Ogre tracks. He signaled for the others to follow. They picked up the pace. An hour or so later they stood near a cave mouth. Fiddle checked outside.

“Two, maybe three Ogres,” Fiddle whispered.

“Lets check the cave,” Erin said.

They quietly edged closer and looked inside. The entrance went back a few feet and opened into a chamber. Piles of sacks, crates, broken wagon wheels, a skeleton, bolts of cloth, and other things littered the floor. No occupants. They began to search the items. The others soon appeared.

Seven Seas Trading Coster was etched on the wagon and crates. The skeleton had a signet ring with a similar mark. Fiddle also found a medallion on the skeleton. Sully sensed some magic about the medallion. Darian performed last rites. They sorted out what they could of value and loaded the horses. It took a couple hours before they were once again on the road to Eveningstar.

“When we find the rightful owners we will turn these things over to them,” Darian said. Richter looked at Fiddle.

“What? I’ll just hold this while we look,” Fiddle answered. Fiddle put the medallion around his neck.

 

[diaglo]

Haunted Halls of Eveningstar

The rest of the trip thru the King’s Forest was uneventful. Even the rain stopped. Although, it remained overcast. As the party entered the community of Eveningstar a patrol of farmers approached. They were armed with an odd assortment of weapons. Only one wore anything resembling armor, a leather jerkin.

“Hail travelers,” the jerkin farmer called. “What’s your business here?”

“We seek the Monastery,” Erin answered.

“Oh, the Morning Lord will see you,” the farmer misunderstood. “It is down the road to your left.”

“No, no, the Monastery of the Old Order,” Erin tried again.

“The godless ones,” the farmer stepped back a little. “You still better check in with the Morning Lord. And if you are like any of the other adventuring types that pass thru here, he will be able to tell you more about the Haunted Halls.” The farmer turned to his fellows. “Shall we let them pass?” They all nodded. “The inn also serves you types.”

The party set off for the Temple to Lathander. Outside several heavily armed groups were lounging about. Some were veterans, but most were novice adventurers. A paladin strode forth in greeting.

“Here to test your mettle in the Haunted Halls?” he asked. “Welcome and well met, I’m Nathan of Lathander.”

“Nay,” Erin bowed. “We seek the Monastery of the Old Order.”

“Oh, the godless ones,” Nathan commented. “Please, come in. I’ll have Thomas escort you there. They are across the pass from the old Bandit hold. It is said, ‘they carved their monastery out of the rock with their bare hands’.”

Darian made arrangements for most of the party to stay or store things in Eveningstar. Darian also inquired about the Seven Seas Trading Coster. He told the story of the party's encounter with the Ogres. Nathan told everyone of the heightened security due to the bandit raids. He tried talking them out of exploring the Haunted Halls. But the party wasn't interested in the Halls to begin with.

 

[diaglo]

The Young and the Old

“Can I take the spear and shield?” Thomas begged of Nathan.

“Yes, Thomas,” Nathan smiled. “It is a dangerous road. You will need to protect your charges.”

Thomas was very excited. As they made their way out of the temple and on the path to the Monastery he chatted incessantly about his goal to become a paladin and about everything in and around Eveningstar.

“Well this is where I leave you,” Thomas finally said. “Take that path and you’ll find the Monastery.”

Fiddle tipped the young man a silver coin and bid him good luck in his quests.

Richter elbowed Darian and whispered under his breath, “Bless the young man.”

Darian was already ahead of the game. He took Thomas’ hand and sent him off with Lathander’s blessing and a Gold Lion.

The party climbed the ridgeline to the Monastery. At the Gate Erin mumbled the secret entrance words. Fiddle strained to understand and memorize them. The Gate opened. Erin led the way inside, a very narrow tunnel. Fiddle checked for possible murder holes, traps, or other dangers. It may be Erin’s Order, but it didn’t mean all were welcome.

They entered the Main Hall. An old man with a staff greeted them. Erin bowed.

“It has been a long time since someone spoke the words of entrance,” the old monk said.

“I am of the Order,” Erin replied. “I have much to tell you and ask you.”

“Come, we don’t share our information with those not of the Order. Your friends may stay in the cells after we share our evening meal.”

“Uh, that’s okay,” Vlad said. “I’m going back to the inn in Eveningstar.”

“Me, too,” Richter and Darian agreed simultaneously.

After seeing the cells Sully yelled, “Wait for me.”

Alya and Fiddle stayed. Erin left with the Old Monk.

 

[diaglo]

Dry Cell...my battery ran low.

Fiddle checked out his cell. He heard the click of the lock behind him. That wasn’t going to stop him if he got any ideas. He saw graffiti on the wall. Mostly the monks were uncreative. They left scratches for days counted. Fiddle decided to add some of his own. “Fiddle was here.” “What was in that gruel?” “Those who write on monastery walls; roll their leavings up in balls; those who read these tales of wit; eat those little balls of sh…” ran out of space. He soon became bored. All his life he was part of group. And now he found himself alone and away from the open road. He missed the others already. He pulled out his picks and went to work on the door.

Click. He opened the door and went outside. No one around. He used his picks to lock the door again. No use letting them get suspicious. He went to find Alya. At least she would keep him amused.

Click. He unlocked the door to the cell next door.

“Fiddle?” Alya asked. “What are you doing?”

“I was lonely and couldn’t sleep,” Fiddle replied. “I thought these monks would be more exciting. More like Erin. I thought we would have a better view of the Bandit hold or see more of the valley. These cells suck. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”

“Sure,” Alya didn't understand. “I’ll sing you a lullaby.”

Fiddle shrugged. He locked the door and was soon fast asleep.

 

[diaglo]

The Transporters

The monks knocked on Alya’s door. After unlocking it, they went next door and did the same to Fiddle’s cell. And then knocked further down the hall. Alya and Fiddle met Erin for a breakfast of gruel before returning to Eveningstar. Sully, Vlad, and Richter were just having breakfast as the others arrived. Darian returned from morning prayers. Darian taunted Vlad and Richter some with greasy sausage before offering them a cure all for their hangovers. The party settled their bill and hit the road for Arabel.

Three days on the road was enough to get the cramps worked out of everyone’s system. Arabel was still not recovered. Alya donated some of her money to the homeless. Darian took everyone in search of the Seven Seas Trading Coster. The clerk inside was very busy.

“What can I do for you?” he said when he looked up from his desk full of papers.

“We have some bad news,” Darian started. “Is someone from the family available?”

“Nah,” the clerk replied. “The two younger members haven’t been by in some time. The rest of the family is in Suzail. You can tell me the news I’ll relay it to them.”

Darian handed over the signet ring and the young master’s ashes. He also explained that the party had some of the items from the failed caravan. He further asked if he could include a note with any caravans heading to Suzail.

“Did the young master own a medallion?” Fiddle asked. Fiddle waved the piece.

“No, not that I ever saw,” the clerk answered.

Fiddle smiled and ducked behind Richter. The clerk continued to chat away. He was a busy man. And though he was grateful for the news and the party’s help needed to get back to his work.

“Perhaps, we can help,” Erin offered. “Do you have any caravans heading to Tilverton?”

“Why, yes, I do,” the clerk perked up. “Do you have any experience?”

"What's the cargo?" Fiddle asked.

"Rule number 1," the clerk responded.

The party haggled some. The clerk needed some horses and some guards. He also wished to avoid paying any bandit tolls or tax tolls for that matter at Castle Crag. The party agreed to rent their steeds and hitch a ride to Tilverton. They would also provide some protection. Five wagons in all plus 5 teamsters would accompany the party. The wagons were not to be disturbed. That peaked everyone's curiosity.

 

[diaglo]

Who's buried in Grant's tomb?

Erin rode on the lead wagon; Richter, Sully and Darian on the second wagon; Fiddle on the third; Vlad on the fourth; and Alya on the last. A heavy tarpaulin and thick rope bound and covered the contents of the wagons. And the teamsters kept a close eye on their guards. Fiddle suspected the contents of this caravan were not legal. He had ridden too many roads to let his curiosity go unchecked. At the first opportunity he took a peek. Boxes, crates, and barrels. None of which had the Seven Seas Trading Coster mark on them. Suspicious, but not unusual. He would have to ask the others what they thought. Best not to let Darian, Richter, or Erin know. They would not approve of breaking the contract.

The first night as they gathered around the campfire Fiddle told Sully and Vlad what he saw. Sully too had been suspicious. He wiggled his fingers.

“The fourth wagon has an area my magic can’t penetrate,” Sully said. “The other wagons must be normal items. No magic. The dimensions of the area are roughly 6 ft by 4 ft by 2 ft.”

“Sounds like a coffin,” Alya said. She must have been eavesdropping. “Do you want to check it out Fiddle?” She hummed a tune and Fiddle vanished.

Fiddle crept over to the suspect wagon. He began to untie the ropes to allow an area he could slip inside. One of the teamsters noticed the ropes. Fiddle moved away. He next tried to created a hole in the bottom of the wagon between two planks. Nothing big. Just something he could see inside with. His dagger struck the bottom of the coffin. A lead lined coffin. Somebody had gone to some expense to protect from scrying eyes. He hurried back to the others.

When Fiddle touched Sully on the shoulder, he appeared. “Lead,” Fiddle informed Sully, Vlad, and Alya. “We will need a better chance to get a look inside.”

No opportunities that night or the next. It began to rain on the third day.

 

[diaglo]

Rain, rain go away

The rain was very heavy at times. Visibility was limited. Fiddle was starting to think about riding under the tarp, he didn’t care if the teamsters noticed. There was a flash of lightning nearby and the clap of thunder. Something else screamed out in the dark. Some large shape dove into view for a brief second.

“Dragon,” Fiddle yelled. He leapt off his wagon and charged ahead.

A wyvern ravaged a horse on the lead wagon. Erin summoned his coating of magic and moved into a fighting stance. His ioun stone lit the area around him. The wyvern stung him. He faltered. Fiddle fired an arrow into the wyvern. Alya screamed at the rear of the caravan. She began to sing a song of courage and bravery. Vlad fired an arrow into the wyvern attacking the rear. Sully coated Richter in magic. Richter moved into a defensive position. Darian summoned Lathander’s mace and also jumped off the wagon. The mace struck the wyvern. The teamster on the first wagon disembarked and ran for cover in the ditch. The second teamster cowered. The Fiddleless wagon pulled around the chaos. Vlad’s driver followed suit. The fifth teamster was down. The wyvern’s poison taking its toll on his system.

Erin battled away with the front wyvern. Fiddle fired another arrow. Oops, he had the wyvern’s attention. The beast landed near Fiddle and stung him. Fiddle fought off the poison. The wyvern at the rear attacked the other tethered horse on the fifth wagon. Darian fired his crossbow at the front wyvern. The Mace of Lathander followed. Richter stayed in a defensive position. Sully covered himself in magic. Alya continued forward at a run, but she was not visible.

“Stop,” Vlad threatened his driver with his rapier. The wagon stopped. He pulled his bow.

The first wagon was empty with one dead horse and one panicked, but stuck. The second wagon was halted, but defended. The third wagon was lost from sight. The fourth wagon was alongside the second. The fifth wagon was without horses and passagers.

Erin continued to fight the wyvern. Fiddle dropped his bow and drew his blades. Lightning Strike left a scar across the wyvern’s hide. Alya touched Fiddle. He felt a different level of magic around him. Darian fired another bolt. And his god’s mace ended the wyvern’s life. The other wyvern joined the battle. It stung Fiddle. Fiddle shook this poison off, also. Alya’s magic had no effect on the creature. The wyvern was real close to the second wagon. Richter remained defensive. Sully stepped back and read his scroll aloud. The small bead of fire didn’t travel very far.

BooooMMMmm

Vlad peppered it with an arrow.

Erin summoned his force magic. He closed on the new threat. Fiddle dodged around the wyvern’s legs. He hamstrung the creature. Darian hit it with a bolt. The wyvern looked at its dead mate and its own injuries. It leaped into the air and was soon out of sight. The rain continued to fall.

Richter ran back to the fifth wagon. He helped the driver as he could. Darian and Alya arrived to aid. The driver would live. But three of the horses would not. With only one spare horse, it meant the trip would be even slower. Erin and Fiddle had located the other wagon and drivers and brought them back. The party walked to ease the burden on the horses. What was to be four days remaining travel was now eight.

 

[diaglo]

Cold hard iron

The party earned its money on this trip. As promised they didn’t stop at Castle Crag, even though, everyone knew Alya wanted to see her new friends. So when they reached Tilverton it was with a huge sigh of relief. They went to collect their payment and be rid of the cargo. Darian left for the Rose Temple. Richter went to the cemetery. The others went to visit Filani the Wisewoman at the Tower of Wits and Work.

Erin, Vlad, Fiddle, Sully, and Alya handed over the collection of wyvern, hydra, Ogre, wolf, etc…parts to Filani. She in turn told them all she could find out about their previous questions. Most of it didn’t concern Fiddle so he paid little attention. However, when Filani began to tell Sully about a way to kill the fey she said the party already had part of the required components. She mentioned a cold curved short weapon. Fiddle looked at Lightning Strike. The audience was over and Filani asked if there was anything more.

“Can you identify the magic within this medallion?” Fiddle quickly blurted. “Sully says it is abjuration. But I want to know more about it. I’ll pay the costs for the research.”

Filani accepted the medallion and money. “Come back tomorrow morning. I’ll know more then.”