Campaign Log

Last Wednesday at Pawn & Pint, Wibly ran into someone he had not seen in a while and Quai allowed a moment of idleness to impair his judgment.

The party had returned to Vantar the prior week. Rowan, Unferth, Howl, and Gemma had gone in search of some replacement equipment. Elrik left to find a playhouse for her play (leaving Rowan’s affections unrequited). That left Wilby, Quai, and Cynder to take care of their own supply needs.

As Wilby was walking through the city, and getting ready to head back out to the woods that surround this city in the western part of Cothel, a voice from his past stops him. He turns and finds Sergeant Alisar standing there. Wilby’s old commander is out of uniform and looking worse for wear.

Sergeant Alisar is glad to see Wilby and after a quick confirmation of Wilby’s status, Alisar asks Wilby if he would be willing to assist him. Alisar, a loyal man of the late King, is trying to help a popular Baron protect his family.

Baron Tentry is an old man, who is also loyal to the late King’s family and does not support Duke Burdger’s claim to the throne. The Baron’s son, Callen, has not returned from the war, but his daughter-in-law died in an assassination attempt on their family. The Baron had taken the precaution to send his granddaughter and grandson away to be kept in the care of a trusted retainer, an old Ranger named Douglas. Word had reached the Baron that Burdger’s men (who wish to use his granddaughter and grandson as leverage to force his support) know where the two are being kept and assassins have been sent.

Alisar, and nearly a dozen other men, had traveled from Antar to retrieve the children and bring them to Baron Irik, the lord of Vantar. Baron Irik is also a staunch supporter of the late King. Unfortunately, on the way to Vantar, Alisar’s party was attacked by assassins, some of which he was certain were Priests of Mertor. He suspects that if he were to leave the city, he would be followed. So if Wilby can retrieve the children, he would be most grateful.

Wilby, also a loyal supporter of the Marn family, accepts Alisar’s request and gathers the members of his party that are immediately available (namely Cynder and Quai). Quai is in the company of an old companion named Edronoch, a man of perhaps a questionable profession.

The four of them set off almost immediately, leaving from the east gate and then heading north through the woods before returning to the road several miles north of the city. Their target is a small community of about eight farmsteads nearly a day’s journey north of Vantar. They travel until dark and then set up a campsite and eat a cold dinner. In the morning, they continue traveling until they reach the small community.

The people of this nameless hamlet are wary of the strangers. Wilby has his three companions wait in the middle of the community until he has a chance to ask after Douglas and the children. This is where Quai seems to have succumbed to unhealthy temptations. Edronoch and Quai start to play a board game and then Quai starts to drink strong spirits until he is completely pissed.

Wilby is unaware of his companion’s activities and starts asking around after Douglas and the children. He receives little assistance from the people he talks to at first, but then he manages to convince one man that he may not be a threat. He then is taken to Douglas and gives the old Ranger the passphrase Alisar had provided: “blue trees, green water.”

Douglas then accepts Wilby and asks what the threat is. After a bit of explanation, Douglas and Wilby decide it would be best to leave immediately and Douglas goes to retrieve Rebie and Jeken from relations of his that live in this remote part of the country.

As they are leaving, Douglas begins to question Wilby’s judgment in companions: Quai is very drunk. However, this does not dissuade Douglas from leaving with Wilby.

Wilby takes up the lead, using deer paths to take them south from the community. Douglas, whose eyes have gone bad with age, will take the rear to cover their tracks. The children stay close to Douglas for safety while Cynder, Edronoch, and the staggering Quai (who just threw up) walk between the two rangers.

They travel for a couple of hours before a couple of the party hear a noise. Then Douglas whistles and sends the kids forward to Wilby.  A moment later, Quai moves off into the woods. The sudden movement causes him to throw up again.

At the back of the party, Douglas is hit with two crossbow bolts. The men in the woods also shoot at Quai, and despite his drunken hinderance, manages to catch the bolt in mid-puke.

Cynder, in love with fire, unleashes a ball of flames in the forest, burning two of the attackers. Edronoch, having seen one of the men get burned, rushes forward and stabs the man, dropping him to the ground.

Douglas, using his longbow, shots the other man who had been in the fireball. The arrow drops that assailant to the ground as Wilby shoots multiple arrows at another target hiding in the woods.

Quai, feeling better for purging the contents of his stomach twice, uses his powers to bounce between shadows and attempts to attack the man Wilby just shot. However, his ability to actually hit a target has been greatly reduced and he misses with every punch (he is not a drunken master). His target, however, is not impaired and the light crossbow bolt penetrates Quai’s side. The pain of the bolt is compounded by an additional burning.

Cynder is struck by multiple beams of burning light while two additional men shot bolts at Douglas, one of which strikes the old man. Douglas returns fire, but the old Ranger is growing weak.

Cynder, unhappy with being struck, shoots multiple bolts of energy back at the man who hit him. Wilby and Edronoch also turn their attention to what they presume is a priest of Mertor, the god of assassins. Wilby hits with one of his two shots while Edronoch strikes with his sword. The priest of Mertor lashes out with his powers and Edronoch finds the man’s touch unpleasant and the man moves away from the thief.

Quai, disadvantaged by the drink, finally manages to land a blow on the man in front of him. However, the spirits appear to not have impaired his ability to catch arrows and Quai snags the bolt from the air. Though the poison in his system continues to eat at his strength.

Douglas is shot at twice more by the men further in the woods. One hits and one misses. Douglas fires an arrow at each of them. All three men collapse after the exchange.

Cynder unleashes another fireball, this time on the priest. Wilby shoots twice at another man in the woods and drops the assassin.

Quai moves in close to the priest but is unable to land a single blow. The priest responds by stepping back and surrounding himself with a massive circle of flames. Edronoch, deciding that he can survive anything, runs through the flames, stabs the surprised priest, and then rushes back out of the flames.

The flames disappear and Cynder ensures the man is dead with more bolts of energy.

Wilby tries to heal Douglas, but the poison on the bolts has already done too much damage and the old Ranger is no more.

They bury Douglas, with Edronoch taking his swords and the poisoned bolts from the assassins. They leave the holy symbol of Mertor hanging in a tree, no one wanted to risk drawing the ire of the mysterious assassins by taking it.

The children are obviously impacted by Douglas’ death and are worried that Cynder is a warlock. When they get back to Vantar, Cynder goes a different direction and conceals his appears. Wilby, Quai, and Edronoch go to the keep in Vantar and ask to see Baron Irik. Wilby is allowed in while Edronoch turns over the poisoned bolts and informs a soldier that there are assassins in the woods.

Wilby meets the Baron and the children are taken into his care. Irik will ensure Baron Tentry is informed they are safe. In return, the Baron asks what Wilby would like as a reward. Wilby says nothing for himself, but his companions would likely accept coin. The Baron arranges for some money to be provided and says if Wilby ever needs something, to let him know.

Next Wednesday, the whole party will be back together to learn what Rowan has discovered during his time in the city…