Session 4

R&R

After clearing the immediate threat of the 3 Owlbears, the 6 adventurers took a moment to collect their thoughts, recover from their wounds, and plan their course of action. They could see it was getting late and that they would need to hustle to make it to their destination before nightfall.

Instrument Talk

During this short rest, Lady admitted to knowing how to play the Flute - leading the party to discuss various musical artists and songs they knew or were fond of including Tylyan, The Flutist and Lendrick Kamar. Aurevald and Morgyn attempted to perform a rendition of “Ballad Of The Raven Ward” but neither were very good at it.

The Way Back

Jin rallied the party behind him as they began to hopefully find the correct path towards their destination. Following a trail he found; Jin led the party on a trek through the Shadesorrow Forest for over an hour before stopping at a small half-clearing for a necessary breather.

Perusing Some Pillars

The clearing was cold and empty other than 4 odd-looking stone pillars jutting out of the ground at weird angles. The party investigated them for a longer time than usual, discovering that each pillar contained flecks of Glyphchalk throughout their structure. They could not gleam any additional information or purpose from the pillars so they continued North West.

Getting Lost…

Jin’s sense of direction got a bit wayward and the party spent the next 60 to 90 minutes following him through thick treelines and over rough, rocky terrain. Some of the party heard noises around them but couldn’t pinpoint where, what, or who was the source of them. The party continued forwards after stopping at a cramped clearing; with a large tree stump in the middle, for a chance to catch their breath.

They made their way back and with renewed confidence, Jin lead the party to a larger clearing that was vertically split in two due to a sudden cliff in front of them. The party heard noises coming from the higher ground as Aurevald sent Scabb; whilst invisible, up to investigate the noise.

Amidst the darkness, Scabb saw an elder Humanoid woman with dark skin and dark-grey hair tied in a thick braid. The woman was wearing leather robes, a wolf pelt vest, and holding large wooden staff that appeared like two tree roots wrapped around a pole of some description. Scabb detailed that she was standing over a younger humanoid girl, protecting her as a Hobgoblin; wearing The Snatchers’ attire, whipped her repeatedly into unconsciousness. The young girl ran off North West as the Hobgoblin chased after her; with the elder woman over his shoulder. There were two, oddly armoured figures watching this play out; an Orc man wielding a Greataxe and a Hobgoblin man wielding a Greatsword, with their backs turned away from the party.

A Sudden Conflict!

Jin and SHAI; with the assistance of Aurevald, found their way onto the cliff immediately and the former dashed forward to strike at the unaware Orc male. Unfortunately for the Human Monk - he only landed a single, rather weak attack through the Plate Armour of his target. He was helpless to resist as the Greataxe swung down and cleaved through his left shoulder first, and then across his lower torso. SHAI watched on as Jin fell to the ground unconscious.

In a panic, SHAI cast the Web spell at the Hobgoblin male in the hopes of slowing down further attacks on his fallen comrade. Aurevald tapped into powers unknown to remotely imbue a healing spell into the touch of Scabb - bringing Jin back to consciousness.

Lady; typically a reserved and cautious combatant, felt something inside her shift as she darted towards the Greataxe-wielding Orc with flames; in the vague shape of wings, by her sides. The flames extended from her disciplined punches, searing the Orc from a distance and knocking him back into the webs that SHAI had conjured a moment prior. The rest of the party would begin making their way up to the higher ground whilst SHAI incurred multiple ranged attacks in an attempt to break his concentration on the conjured webs; however the Human Wizard managed to stele his resolve and hold onto the spell for the entire fight.

Each party member contributed to the skirmish before Graxious charged forward with a thundering call to The Bloom of Life as he vertically bisected the Hobgoblin man in a single, critical strike. Aurevald would follow suit with a impactful Eldritch Blast onto the Orc man - ripping a large hole right through his left-side torso.

The battle ended with an incomplete silence filling the space of battle as the party members regrouped, tended to their wounds, and collected anything of value left behind. Aurevald and Graxious noticed that similar surrounded the corpses - only leaving behind inorganic material like the breastplates worn by their fallen foes. It was noticed that Morgyn seemed to recognize the symbols emblazoned on the still intact breastplate.

Getting Lost 2: Lost Harder

Jin again picked up a trail heading North West after the child they’d been told about by Scabb, but failed to maintain his perspective on it. At the edge of nightfall, it was clear to all of them that they were lost, burgeoning on exhaustion, and needed to prioritize finding any shelter at all before it got too dark for any of them to see in.

Finding Shelter

Graxious called upon The Bloom of Life once more for a sign, as a gust of wind guided them towards the correct path. They continued for 20 or so minutes before stumbling across a ruined stone building with a shack tacked onto one of the exterior walls. It seemed completely unoccupied or guarded so they continued their approach.

The Ruins

The mossy cobbled stones of the ruins in front of them drew SHAI’s attention; who deemed they were likely over 1000 years old, whilst Morgyn noted it reminded her of Castle Architecture. Aurevald and some of the others explored the makeshift shack built off the only somewhat-standing stone wall, and noted it that could comfortably fit 4 or 5 of them at a time.

Keeping Watch

The party began to take a well-earned sleep as two members kept watch on the exterior. Graxious and Jin shared a simple conversation over their uneventful watch, before waking Aurevald and Morgyn for their shift. Aurevald inquired about Morgyn’s recollection of the armour from earlier.

Truths and Tension

Morgyn admitted to recalling the armour due to being a citizen of Zenytha which seemed to upset Aurevald suddenly and severely.

“Your people… They beat me. Sold me. Put me in chains…”
- Aurevald to Morgyn

Aurevald; amidst tears, openly admitted that he recalled people wearing that armour being the ones who took him from his home many years ago. Morgyn attempted to reason with his Goliath companion but she wasn’t sure sure how effectively it landed.Aurevald stumbled off into the dark to sleep under a tree, and Morgyn; respectful of the Goliath’s need for space, headed back into shack to swap shifts with Lady and SHAI.

What is Hyrule?

Lady and SHAI began their watch with a discussion about a place called Hyrule, which the latter had referred to earlier on and piqued Lady’s interest. SHAI shared some of the history of this Kingdom, it’s champion; Link, and the existence of Blood Moons. Lady is shaken by this fact but also shares knowledge about Vaelorys’ smallest moon;Creselena, which shares some parallels with the Blood Moons of Hyrule. Their watch is uneventful as the first light of the day crests over the Eastern horizon.

A New Day

The morning of Hymark brought with it warmth and salty coastal winds. The party believed they must be closing in on their target destination due to their proximity to the Western coast of the continent, and the far off sounds of people socializing and eating coming from further North. They began their morning routines and prepared to set off to complete this rescue mission.

Mr. Brackett’s Diary

Aurevald searched around the ruins and found a tattered diary titled Life Of Mr. Brackett, which promptly handed to Scabb and SHAI to read and summarize for him. The book; written in a form of the Common language no longer in use, details the story of a Knight who once worked in the castle and was in the midst of climbing the outside wall of the stone tower contained within these ruins. It was inferred he met a dire end as the diary entry was never completed and a single skeletal hand was found in rubble not far from the tower.

Hugh The Horse

The party scouted ahead and found a familiar black stallion from the prior day; the one that the Leonin leader of The Snatchers had ridden away on, and sent out Scabb to provide reconnaissance for any danger ahead. He detailed a large stone building; much like the ruins from earlier, but with functional walls and full of people wearing The Snatchers’ attire.

Jin, Lady, and Graxious approached slowly as the horse noticed them and began to react; only for Graxious to calm him down with an apple. The Leonin Paladin cast Speak With Animals to gather intel about The Snatchers and their leader. He learned that the horses name was Hugh, The Horse and a few other clarifying details.

The Snatchers Hideout

Scabb detailed a wide open entrance and a guarded one; on the Eastern and Southern walls respectively. He also provided insight that there were people in chains and behind bars along the interior of the southern wall. Lady and Jin worked together with Scabb to acquire entrance via the Southern wall.

Stealing The Keys

A deal was struck with Scabb and Jin that caused the two guards of the cellar entrance to lose their focus long enough for the Imp to steal the keys to the cellar door. After a few minutes and a handful of near-detections - Scabb had unlocked the door to the cellar and also the gates of the captives. However, the guards had now returned to their posts and were more vigilant for interruptions - they’d need something larger to find an opening now.

Making a Distraction

Aurevald and Morgyn worked together to prepare a distraction; combining the Human’s tinkering skills to emit an Owlbear screech whilst the Goliath guided the Horse towards the Eastern entrance. With the rest of the party waiting with Lady and Jin - Aurevald set loose Hugh, The Horse and triggered the distraction. The exterior guard of the castle quickly ran in the direction of the disruptive creature, providing an opening for the party.

A Mad Dash

Jin dashed first and flung open the cellar doors in a single motion; elegantly disappearing into the basement. He was followed by Aurevald and Graxious who athletically and with drive dove for the opening. Lady let her caution prolong for a split second longer than necessary but it did not impede her dextrous and nimble passage through the cellar doors. Lastly Morgyn and SHAI found themselves nearly stumbling at the outset but managed to recover to functionally land through the wide opening pretty much in parallel whilst closing the doors behind them.

The cellar was dark and musty, filled with barrels and crates, with only a singular ladder as their path forwards.

Enter: Drethos Longwood

The room filled with a deep chuckle as the imposing, 6’9” silhouette of the Leonin leader of The Snatchers stepped forwards from the darkness.

“You’ve made a mockery of me for too long… It’s time I put you away myself.

Let me tell you the story of Drethos Longwood!”
- Drethos Longwood announces his identity to the party…