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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mikeawmids1" data-source="post: 9607167" data-attributes="member: 7030604">Session 2It is a long and winding road to Kidwelly, nearest settlement to the lair of the Whitebone Sisters. The Runewardens purchase a carriage and horses to pull it from a stable in Caerfell. They pick up Hort Thistlewhip; the boy left Kidwelly on his ill-fated quest to find the Golden Bodach and his family are no doubt missing him. Captain Olvane is also heading out, leading a column of one hundred knights to defeat the Broken King.The Runewardens travel south, then east into the Ember Hills. Fresh snowfall blankets the ground, crunching beneath the wheels of the carriage. They encounter an itinerant priest of St Adso. Brother Alistair (Human Cleric/War Domain, played by Dan) is returning to Wexmore Abbey after a gruelling pilgrimage. The Runewardens offer him a lift as they are all going the same way.As the party make camp, they notice flames spring up atop a nearby hill. A bonfire blazes around the base of a charred wooden stake. As the Runewardens approach, two Pyrewraiths (vengeful spirits of witches condemned to the flame some 400 years ago) emerge from the fire and attack!<a href="https://i.postimg.cc/mkQwpJnT/da3812v-7deeacd2-da12-44b2-b4cb-d1a546ad81bc.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.postimg.cc/mkQwpJnT/da3812v-7deeacd2-da12-44b2-b4cb-d1a546ad81bc.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>Ghoralt learns the hard way that you can't grapple an open flame; he dives into the snow to salve his burnt flesh. Apogee pulls an axebeak from her Bag of Tricks. When the first Pyrewraith is defeated, it explodes for 35 fire damage in a 5ft burst. The axebeak is roasted to perfection. Ghoralt is down and dying, blackened and crispy. As Alistair heals the half-orc, the second wraith swoops in to attack the vulnerable cleric. Gale intercepts the attack, and only the use of Inspiration saves the reckless warlock from perma-death. Alistair surrounds the Pyrewraith in a bubble of belief (creative/cinematic use of the Shield of Faith spell) to reduce the effect of its Death Burst. When the second wraith explodes, Sir Bruno uses the Helm of the Intercessor to redirect the damage to himself - because that's what heroes do!The Runewardens find a pair of Witch Embers in the ashes of the bonfire; one-time use magical crystals that remove a curse from the user.The party eat the axebeak.Leaving the Ember Hills behind, the heroes enter the Runewild proper. The snowy forest seems endless, and bustles with life and activity despite the encroaching reach of Winter.The Runewardens hear jaunty music fluting from an abandoned chapel beside the road. Four satyrs are playing musical chairs in the nave, whilst a fifth plays the panpipes. The musician introduces himself as Brackenglyph and invites the heroes to join the game; win and he will relinquish his magical instrument, lose and they must serve him for one year and one day. Gale and Brother Alistair join the game, and lose. Gale readily resigns himself to slavery, but Alistair gets cold feet. The satyrs pile on and take it in turns to stamp on his crotch with their hoary goat hooves. Good thing Brother Alistair already took that vow of chastity. Ghoralt enters and thanks Brackenglyph for capturing his escaped slaves (nat 20 on the Persuasion roll). Brackenglyph is mortified that he almost committed the faux-pas of claiming another man's property. He chides Ghoralt to keep his chattel on a tighter leash, then he and the other satyrs depart peacefully.The Runewardens spend the night in the empty chapel. Alistair and Sir Bruno pray to Saint Adso, and both gain an additional first level spell slot for their piety.The Runewardens set out at first light. The road ahead is blocked by the statuesque form of a petrified ogre. A fairy is trapped in the brute's stone hands. The Runewardens release the helpless sprite. Her name is Whisperwink, and she has beef with Apogee. Whisperwink believes Apogee betrayed the fey-folk to curry favour with a hag - not realizing Apogee only agreed to a pact with Malicraft to save her village. While the two fairies are arguing, the rest of the Runewardens roll the ogre out of the way. It picks up speed and crashes through the middle of the fairy village. Oops. With a pained expression, Elder Heartnettle accepts their apology and aid repairing the damage. For Apogee to prove her good character, she is tasked with liberating some captured sprites from the fairy traffickers operating out of the Goblin Market. The Runewardens add it to their Quest Log.<a href="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.2485364832.5538/raf,360x360,075,t,fafafa:ca443f4786.u3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://ih1.redbubble.net/image.2485364832.5538/raf,360x360,075,t,fafafa:ca443f4786.u3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></a>The Runewardens roll out of the fairy village. The road passes through a meadow of vibrant wildflowers, stark against the crisp white snow. The air is heavy with floral perfume. Ghoralt, Apogee and Sir Bruno feel compelled to frolic giddily through the meadow. Gale passed his Wisdom Save but goes along with it anyway, such are the perils of peer pressure. Tinkerbell, Alistair and Merlin watch from the carriage, unsure why their companions have come over all gay ("light-hearted and carefree"). In the blink of an eye, the frolicsome four vanish, transported god-knows-where along the Path of Petals. The remaining Runewardens wait, but their missing friends do not reappear. Anxiously, the reduced party moves on to Kidwelly, hoping their companions will rejoin them.Ghoralt, Apogee, Sir Bruno and Gale appear along a stretch of barren road, snow pounded into icy slush by the tramp of many feet. The sense of euphoria quickly fades as they realise they have no idea where they are. The only visible landmark is a ricketty wooden watchtower, swarming with goblins. Gale approaches guilelessly, and the goblins flood out of their aerie to capture the party, supported by a pair of gargoyles.Suddenly, two Ruasidhe scouts emerge from the bushes to help out (NPCs for Ted and Dan to remain involved in the game). Their names are Virdean and Virdunc; distant cousins to the late Virdan (one of Adam's MANY dead characters). One gargoyle flies away to raise the alarm, the other grapples Sir Bruno and attempts to carry him off. Apogee grabs the paladin's flailing legs and clambers up his torso to attack the gargoyle. The Ruasidhe archers try to take down the escaping gargoyle. Ghoralt scales the watchtower and hurls the last few goblins from the top. Curiously, the goblins turn to stone in the moment of their demise and break apart upon the icy ground. Sir Bruno brandishes his holy symbol of Saint Adso, causing the second gargoyle to become Frightened and fly away too. Virdean manages to take a single goblin prisoner.In the brief moment of respite before reinforcements arrive, the Ruasidhe scouts reveal to the Runewardens they have been teleported to the northern fringe of the Runewild, deep into hostile territory captured by the Broken King!!TBCXP Calculator2x Pyrewraiths - 3600xpCreative/Cinematic use of a spell - 100xpOutsmart Brackenglyph - 500xpRescue Whisperwink/Rebuild the fairy village - 200xp8x Goblins - 400xpApogee being a badass - 100xp= 4900 / 6 = 816(+ 3726 = 4542)Next level up (5) at 6500</blockquote>

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