Session 2
Wolf Encounter
Section titled “Wolf Encounter”The party found themselves being attacked by three juvenile wolves as a thudding reverberated through the ground beneath them. Whilst they warded off the immediate threat with ease, a displaced Dire Wolf and 3 other adult wolves appeared from over the same hill. Lady was knocked unconscious twice during the encounter but was stabilized by her new-found comrades.
The Long Road
Section titled “The Long Road”Graxious found 5 gold on the ground whilst the party encountered a traveling band of musicians heading the opposite direction; Aurevald and Morgyn recognised the group and requested they play a famous song. The party enjoyed a simple rendition of “The Ballad Of The Raven Ward” - a song detailing the events of The Fate-Cloaked Maiden’s role in ending The Cataclysm and convincing the other Gods from the Material Plane.
Further down the road; the party encountered a Halfling woman lying unconscious on the road. Graxious awoke her with healing magic before they each realised that the woman was likely suffering amnesia. Despite Morgyn’s best efforts to clear her brain fog - the woman was unable to remember even her name, let alone where she had come from or why. Axton offered to guide her back to Rookwell; admitting he was less than engaged by their current mission.
“If anybody asks, you tell ‘em I was helping youse all. We clear?”
- Axton to the rest of the party.
The party continued North and eventually noticed storm clouds approaching from the West as they powered through the last leg of their journey towards the settlement known as Forest’s Edge.
The smell of smoked meats and the sight of various tents, shacks, and a singular permanent building caught the attention of the party as Graxious, Aurevald, and Morgyn reacquainted with the space they’d visited two or so days ago. Their attention was drawn by two men; one Goliath and the other Half-Orc, exiting the permanent building; a tavern by the name The Drunken Delight before leaving the settlement via the North Eastern road. The Goliath man was wearing gauntlets adorned with clockwork gears and mechanisms whilst the Half-Orc male was wielding a large, two-handed Greataxe adorned with Arcane crystals and similar gear based mechanisms.
“They’ll learn not to mess with Baxter and Stockman…”
- The Goliath male exclaiming as he and the Half-Orc male exit The Drunken Delight
The party head towards the smell of smoked meats, visiting an atractive Tiefling woman named Pepper; the owner of Pepper’s Heart. Graxious was truly taken aback by her appearance and the smell of her food and purchased a much larger amount of smoked brisket than the other party members. In search of answers about bandits, they were directed towards The Drunken Delight to speak with its owner - a Half-Orc man named Krike Wildborn.
Amongst ordering various drinks; including an odd concoction of a number by SHAI, the party learned about a criminal gang in the town called The Homestead who were seemingly not a fan of The Snatchers - a fact later confirmed by Scabb who had been invisibly listening in on people in brown coasts on the second floor of the tavern. At the same time, Graxious learned from a Bugbear; who was off to the side of the tavern playing darts, that the figure with the ornate scimitar; the supposed leader of The Snatchers, was also a Leonin with darker fur than himself. Graxious attempted and failed to acquire more information from the Bugbear after losing a game of darts - and even paid a large sum for the Bugbear’s drink after he lost a winner-takes-all round.
As everyone began to feel the urge to turn in for the night, Scabb relayed to Aurevald that the members of The Homestead that were upstairs had suddenly exited and were heading downstairs with haste.
“‘Ey Boss,
These fellas are pretty angry up here. They’re mention something about The Snatchers being on their turf again.
They’re moving down your way now…”
- Scabb’s telepathic message to Aurevald
Amidst the flood of Homestead members that exited The Drunken Delight, Krike Wildborn returned to the party’s table to serve Aurevald and Morgyn their last drink for the night. Whilst doing so, he overheard the discussion about The Snatchers and encouraged them all to drink later and find shelter for the night, as he ushered them out of the tavern and closed his doors.
“If you go that way, you’ll find a tent you can stay for the night - it’s Pepper’s but she’ll be fine with you using it - and in the morning, you can visit All-On-Red to get in contact with The Homestead…”
- Krike Wildborn’s advice to the party as he closed The Drunken Delight
Snatcher Surprise
Section titled “Snatcher Surprise”The party headed towards a tent that Krike Wildborn said only Pepper used and would be ok with them using it for a night before noticing an imposing, 6’9” tall figure in a cloak speaking with 5 other figures wearing the familiar attire of The Snatchers. The figure commandingly gave them their orders before heading North West on his horse.
“You’re sure it was them who followed you?
Go! Search the town and find them…”
- The commanding figure to the 5 Snatchers
The party were caught off guard and failed to hide, drawing the attention of two well armoured Snatchers; a Goblin fighter and an Orc who called himself “The Eye of Guurge”, alongside two other Goblins and another Orc.
Tired and already having spent a handful of resources in the earlier encounter, a lengthy skirmish took place between the party and The Snatchers - requiring them to work together strategically and with trust to overcome this surprise ordeal. Graxious took charge and rallied the party to victory with a courageous speech.
“Heed my words comrades, let my resolve steel any nerves or worries you may have for battle - as we are destined for greatness!”
- Graxious’s rallying words towards the party
Graxious turned his attention towards the armoured Goblin fighter and struck true with the full might of his Divine Magic behind it - dealing a significant amount of damage to the foe, and capturing the full attention of the battlefield for just-a-moment.
”…And what ever plane your souls arrive at, tell them we sent you.”
- Graxious’s threatening declaration towards The Snatchers present
The Scimitar-wielding Leonin from earlier returned at the sight of Graxious’s emphatic blow and sneered out loud before taunting the Leonin Paladin before continuing his journey to the North West.
“Another Leonin? You’re a long way from home, cub! There’s no jungle for you to hide amongst here…
BAHAHA! Maybe I’ll steal your sword as well! Come and find me…”
- The leader of The Snatchers to Graxious…
As the battle raged on, the party gained an increasing advantage and felled the two heavily armoured figures - turning the tide in their favour indefinitely. As peace took the battlefield, two men in The Homestead’s attire shared gratitude with the party for their involvement in repelling The Snatchers and the news that their leader; a woman named Carmen Flint, had been snatched a few weeks back. The party agreed to speak with them in the morning but rushed to bed quite quickly - with Scabb keeping first watch and Lady keeping the second. It was an uneventful night as rain poured down till the early hours of the morning.
A Winter Neumark Morning
Section titled “A Winter Neumark Morning”The party awoke on a Winter Neumark morning to the smell of breakfast foods and the smell of morning dew, as the sunrise filled their tent. Graxious; amongst the others in the party, were surprised to see that Morgyn had once again changed appearance; and this time even gender, as he resembled a feminine man with black hair and a lanky frame. Morgyn explained that this was a side affect of a potion he’d drank in the past and moved on with his morning.
The party took their morning slowly and enjoyed breakfast foods at Pepper’s Heart before separating to achieve various errands amongst the vendors Forest’s Edge. SHAI managed to sell some armour; given to him by Jin, for a higher price by altering his appearance with magic whilst Graxious attempted to work up the courage to speak to Pepper but failing to do so numerous times. Lady rested after being physically and mentally exhausted from her near-death experience the previous day, whilst Aurevald and Morgyn perused the wares of the vendors around town - before separating to search for personal needs.
Jin attempted to sell some of the Dire Wolf pelt to a Dwarf man who appeared to sell leather goods - but instead learnt the man was being worked to the bone by The Homestead and The Rouge; presumably the rival gang seen wearing black robes. As the morning dragged on; individuals from The Homestead began to round up the party and usher them towards All-On-Red for a conversation about a temporary alliance or contract to deal with The Snatchers.