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Message: <blockquote data-quote="James McMurray" data-source="post: 1141806" data-attributes="member: 743">Having accepted the quest, our heroes travel by magic to  a large city some 200 miles from the valley of Bloodstone. From there they buy horses and travel by land, stopping at every major city along the way in order to learn as much as they can about Bloodstone and its history. They find out:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> The land has changed hands many times in its past, as people fight over the power of the bloodstone mines. Because bloodstones can replace any expensive material component for magic, they are highly prized by spell casters of all sorts.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Until approximately ten years ago, the valley was held under the rule of the Gran March. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> The location of the mines was lost ten years ago, and expeditionary forces could not find them again, or never returned. In fact, the people who had worked there previously couldn’t even find the place, their memories were hazy at best, non-existent at worst. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> None of the Gran March’s wizards could figure out what had happened, and when war sprung up with the Orcs in the Lortmils, more pressing matters dropped the issue of the mines completely from the courts’ agenda.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Recently, a bandit army has taken control of the populace of the bloodstone region, demanding tithes every season, and making it so the people who did not flee as refugees could barely keep enough for themselves to survive.</li> </ul>As they get closer to the region, they come across a family of about 30, leaving the valley. Once the wary villagers’ guard is dropped, a brief discussion confirms that the situation is grave in the valley. In a little over a week, the bandit army will come to claim their next tithe, and this man refuses to pay again, choosing to restart his life with his large family than knuckle under to oppressors.Ahead, the group spies several figures watching them from within a forested area, that practically screams “typical ambush spot.” Sure of themselves, they ride forward. Sure enough, they are ambushed, as several small figures in the trees hurl sticky globs of leaves and sap at them, which burst and spread, sticking the riders to their mounts. Aiming to end this quickly, Farlight calls out a Holy Word, and twelve halflings fall from the trees, dead. Toshiro and Bumtin are both blinded and deafened, and the horses are also killed.Farlight and Rikus hear several more of the halflings fleeing through the trees, and Farlight moves off in pursuit, catching one from behind and knocking him unconscious before bringing him back to the group. The samurai and sorcerer’s eyes have cleared, and the party revives the young halfling. A short discussion and apology later, Farlight promises to raise the halfling defenders of the forest the next day, and asks to be taken to the halfling’s leader. It seems these halflings have lived in these forests for generations, and they have managed to drive the bandits off for several years now.The next day, the dead halflings are revived, the leader allows them into the city. He doubts the party can stand against the bandit army alone, but wishes them luck.Farther up the road the party meets a large band of about a hundred soldiers, also leaving the valley. It seems that they were paid by the Baron of Bloodstone to protect the populace, but have recently been let go. Baron Tranth fears that they would not be enough to stave off the bandits, and that reprisals would follow a failed defense, so he sent them packing before tribute time arrived.When they find out that these men are veterans of the giant wars in Geoff, the party quickly hires them. The soldiers tell them that they will have to pay a dragon to enter or leave the valley, but that sometimes the dragon is not there. Bumtin stays behind with them while the remainder of the group travels on ahead to find this dragon and see about paying it or slaying it. They do not find the dragon though, instead, they are attacked by a small band of Hill Giants, which immediately flee when the Priest of Corollan slams a fire storm into them, almost killing them all with one fiery eruption.A mile farther down the road they come across a band of hill dwarves leaving the valley. They too are tired of the deprivations of the bandits. None of them can direct the party to the mines, even though one older dwarf worked there himself.Meanwhile, back with the soldier, Bumtin is on the move. As they come over a rise, a gargantuan red dragon swoops down out of the sky and demands his toll. Bumtin reaches into his pouch and pulls out a sheet of cloth. As he spreads the portable hole on the ground, gold glitters up from within and the dragon’s eyes grow hungry. “You may leave the hole here.”Bumtin refuses, and the dragon breathes. Although Bumtin stands his ground for a moment, when several more illusory duplicates of the dragon appear, he elects to flee and get reinforcements. The soldiers, of course, have long since fled.Bumtin grabs Farlight, Toshiro, and Rikus and returns to where the dragon was. The three heroes fight valiantly, and drive the dragon away. As they move to gather up the belongings dropped by the fleeing soldiers, the dragon reappears, teleporting in with his slightly smaller mate. The two combined make relatively short work of the party, leaving Greyhawk to wander alone on the road, running back to where the dragon was, but when he gets there the bodies and dragons are nowhere to be seen.</blockquote>

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