From our last session...
Your Majesty, I do apologize for the abrupt nature of this message, but the adventurers appeared back in town late in the night during a massive storm and I had to make quick notes as they told their tale. Unfortunately all I had at hand at the time was a small cocktail napkin, so some of my notes are a bit fuzzy.
This group literally burst in upon us at the inn during the storm. They were soaked to the bone, covered in blood and, well, I shall say smelly ooze and leave it at that. They carried treasure they had found and items of great power they had obtained. As they ate like starved wolves, they told us what happened at Ravenwood Manor.
As you remember the upper floor of the manor had partially given way after the battle with the goblins. A grisly horde of zombies had risen up from the ruins of the floor and shambled towards the group. Among them was huge unnatural hulking creature. This creature demonstrated its power by knocking Vivex to the floor with one mighty blow, and Oloryn rushed to his aid, covering him with his magic shield. Copper used her holy powers to remove the blight of another zombie from the world, and drove another back over the fallen rubble of the upper rooms. At this point Jack, who at the beginning of the battle was out in the foyer, now suddenly seemed to spring up from behind Copper and Siguard. His kunai knives flashed in a blinding cloud around the hulking zombie, driving deep into its rotting flesh and briefly blinding it. Vivex, having regained his feet, blasted another zombie and joined Oloryn in fighting the hulk. Siguard split one rotter in twain and was told by Copper that the remaining zombies where hers and that he should help with the giant corpse. (Apparently Jack also made a remark about half of his cover leaving when Siguard marched off.) Copper’s divine power again struck down a zombie, bringing blessings upon Oloryn in his fight with the huge undead. The battle raged on and Copper took out the last zombie, even as the three mighty warriors beat the hulk to the ground.
But this was not victory yet, as the group moved off thinking they had won, the huge corpse suddenly lurched to its feet and mauled Siguard. Again the warriors engaged the beast, and finally a cascade of holy power from Copper brought it down for good.
At this point there were some uncomfortable looks between the members of this group, some murmured assent along the lines of “no, skip the dining room”, and the story moved on. After finding a staircase in the back of a pantry, Oloryn spotted a human in garb of a suspiciously pirate-like nature running from the group. After at attempt to hold and question the man, Oloryn was forced to use what he referred to as an “arena maneuver” on the man. I asked if this was fatal, and was told by Jack “last time we saw him the bloke was lying in bed peacefully”.
The group found a series of caves beyond and moved in to investigate. This, in Mr. Hopfigner’s colorful idiom, is where the “midden hit the windmill”. A large ochre-colored blob like creature fell from the ceiling and attacked. Oloryn and Vivex set about the creature keeping it trapped in a narrow passage. As this battle raged more pirates appeared from another cave branch, and after a brief game of what Jack called “catch the dagger” the pirates descended en mass on the party. (Jack at this point retreated to where Siguard and Copper waited, using his “I’ve got a Donk” maneuver.) Among the pirates was a gnoll and a mage of some power. As Siguard waded in among the pirates Copper took one last parting shot at the blob, only to find her Lance of Faith split the monster in two. By this time the creature had taken many hits, but had also managed to leave its acidic mark on Vivex and Oloryn. As Copper used her healing abilities on Vivex, who had been burned badly by the acidic blob, Jack and Siguard took down many of the pirates, but by this time the gnoll had waded in to the fight with brutal efficiency, and one pirate turned out to be more than he seemed, giving them all an unforeseen challenge. Yet one other apparently higher ranking pirate had found a tactical position against Siguard, and struck him repeatedly in the head with a club, keep him dazed during the ensuing fight. The mage meanwhile moved in behind the remaining blob (the other having been dispatched by Oloryn and Vivex) and began to harass Oloryn with his magic during his fight with the remaining jelly-like creature. Vivex at this point turned to the strangely deadly pirate in their midst, and brought him down with Paladin’s Judgement. He then joined Siguard and pushed the gnoll and mage back, then used his fiery breath upon them. He and Siguard then brought down the loathsome gnoll for good. In the confusion Oloryn finished the last blob and moved around behind the mage. Jack also took the opportunity to get behind the club wielding pirate that had been harassing Siguard and bring him down.
And though it seemed as though the battle was well and truly down, the mage in a desperate act made a raging storm of thunder around himself, bringing the badly wounded Oloryn and Vivex down. His victory was short-lived as Jack, Siguard and Copper took their vengeance upon him. After that Copper’s healing skills stabilized the two fallen warriors, and they retreated back to town.
For nearly a score of days the group waited and rested, taking the time to pour over and debate a scrap of parchment they found, theorizing it to be everything from a signal code to a shopping list to a takeout menu order. Something struck home though, and the group left town suddenly on the night of the new moon. From what I have been able to piece together, the group found a ship offshore trying to contact the now late pirate band. In a daring move the party took the pirates skiff and rowed out to the ship. They approached it broadside, away from the shore. Siguard silently snuck aboard, and used his great strength to quietly haul the rest of the group aboard. The ship was peopled with more pirates, but they were all intently watching the shore for their comrades. In the ensuing surprise attack, half the crew died in the first few moments. Siguard stormed the fo’c’sle and slew the captain despite the pirate’s berserker rage, which was no match for the northman’s Jaws of the Wolf. The rest of the crew was engaged, including a wizard and a lizardman who had come up from below decks. Oloryn and Vivex took on two of the higher officers of the ship, and Oloryn found it most expedient to bodily throwing them overboard to remove them from the battle (or, as he called it, chumming.) At this point the wizard and the lizardman were no match for the group’s combined might. The ship was sacked, and the adventurer’s were victorious.
I wait now to see what they will do with their new transport, and observe as they try to decipher a cryptic letter they found on the ship.
Yours, etc.
Enibinsanes, Scribe, GoSE&P(EMPwiaAUtG)
