Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="PHDungeon" data-source="post: 5198554" data-attributes="member: 86320">As of this session (#20) the party looks like thisBella: level 9 changeling rogue (with a touch of sorcerer)Derren: level 9 human fighterBjorn: level 9 human clericTorfinn: level 8 Deva InvokerDeryl: level 8 human sorceressDerren's player is moving in a couple of weeks, so we a have new player joining to fill in his spot. She will be running Vesna Surtursdottr (human, warlord). Vesna is introduced into the game this session.Bella's journalSession 20 – Fallcrest FaltersOn our way back to Fallcrest we stumbled upon a skanzi longship beached on the Nentir River. Its crew, which consisted of a warband of sturdy looking skanzi warriors, were taking a break upon the banks of the river.  They appeared to be making their way upriver towards Fallcrest.  Thinking one of them was Brianna, Derren rushed forward flailing like a madman and falling upon the ground at the feet of their commander.  She was a woman; though it was hard to tell underneath all that armor and the many scars that decorated her face.  Her men formed a circle around her and Derren and much to our surprise it seemed that they had been sent to find him.Their leader, Vesna, was the sister of Brianna.  It appears that the librarian never told her father that she was leaving to join our would be lordling in Fallcrest.  Her father, having his daughter disappear with a disreputable man of a fallen house, seems to have sent this small band of warriors to retrieve her.  After a brief parlay Derren was able to console the stern warlord and appease her that Brianna was safely back in Fallcrest.  We were able to buy passage upon her ship and the remainder of our journey became swift and uneventful.We returned, however, to a city in chaos.A band of men (we later discovered that they were cultists of the Elemental Eye) had broken into Deryl’s inn. They found the secret chambers and tunnels in the basement, and they used them to access the deep caves we had previously discovered beneath the town. There they freed many of the monsters that lurked below as well as kidnapped Brianna.  As soon as we were in the city gates we were informed that Lord Markelhay was on his deathbed, having been wounded in battle trying to defend the town from a terrible titan of earth and stone that had emerged from the caves. To make matters worse, any reputable cleric had been killed in the assault on the city.  And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Kissanth the iron dragon, was in the midst of laying claim to the leadership of Fallcrest in the confusion.Both Bjorn and I wished to make haste to Lord Malkalhay’s side, as he seemed to be the most pressing matter at hand.  According to what we knew Brianna had been taken out of the city and not knowing where she was we should have rushed to the manor to tend to the lord’s wounds.  Instead, being lead by Derren’s foolish heart and Vesna’s stern devotion to duty and family, we stopped at the Blue Moon tavern to find out more about Brianna’s kidnapping.  While we talked about the events that had occured with a drunken Sergeant Faringray, a messenger informed us that Markelhay had died; considering how quickly it happed, I doubt we could have made it in time to help.Our warlord and fighter were appeased for the moment, and we hurried to the palace to inspect Markelhay’s body.  Kissanth waited in the courtyard.  Being cautious and respectful I convinced her to allow us passage into the keep where his body lay.  We were taken to the body upon arriving by Lady Markelhay. Bjorn made a close inspection, and to his trained healer’s eye it revealed that he had been poisoned.  Olivia, the maid was abnormally nervous, and seeing this Derren and Vesna started to question her.  Terrified she would tell us nothing until Derren hung her upside down out the tower window.  It was only then, crying and screaming that she revealed Kissanth had forced her to poison the wounded Lord Markelhay.It was then we knew what had to be done.Under the bluff of wanting to talk about the leadership of Fallcrest, Deryl convinced the dragon to enter the Great Hall. Once inside I bolted the door shut and we all closed in around the mighty Iron Dragon. We were lucky and surprise was on our side.  Torfinn kept her controlled by stunning her repeatedly with his divine spells.  Derren took the brunt of the dragon’s attacks and allowed the rest of the party to attack her in relative safety. Being trapped in the great hall, she was unable to take to the air. The element of surprise and numbers worked in our favor. It was over more quickly than I anticipated. Kissanth is dead.Though I wish to claim her hoard deep from within the kobold infested silver mines, it seems we have to rescue Derren’s useless librarian love interest from her captors.  Hopefully it will still be there when we get back.</blockquote>

Verification