Great-grandchild of the sister's gibbon's friend of the nephew of the Campaign that Would Not Die, now in 3.25e
Møøse Trained By: Hugh Foster

Boom! Boom! and Out Go The Lights

Local Road, North of Cyrn Waethelin, 3rd Nov 2100, mid-afternoon


The Carter; he is not called Alan and any resemblance to the Boatmen of Tzallis is purely coincidental

Chambu heals the carter's horse

The party casually ask Samuel the carter where he's going; he explains he's selling his grease to "the people in the old ruins". Interest sharpens as the penny drops which ruins he's talking about


Anessa

He's dealt with them twice before, last time back in September, and isn't taken with them as people (he glances at his daughter Anessa significantly when she can't see him do it). The party fasten on him as a Trojan Horse to get them a look inside the Cyrn; Nazariel suggests they travel together with the party guarding him while he and Anessa do the cooking; they readily agree.

A rest halt is made slighltly closer than one day's travel to the Cyrn, so as to arrive in daylight.

Local Road, c.5 Miles North of Cyrn Waethelin, 4th Nov 2100, around noon


Spy the Raven

With Spy winging ahead above the trees, the little caravan trundles southward, until they reach a point around five miles from their destination.

The bird reports to Nazariel that he has noticed a single human moving north along the road, in the heavy undergrowth to the west side. Furthermore, half a mile behind that is group of people (ravens can't get much more precise than that) moving the same way along the road.

Options are discussed, including hiding until they go past (not very easy with horses, let alone the cart)

Baylock slips into the trees and goes to look, locating the scout and bypassing him. Half a mile past him he discovers a column of twelve troops - half spear, half crossbow - led by two mounted figures; a human in armour and a bizarre creature, humanoid but reptilian with red scales and glowing amber eyes, mounted on a hideously twisted mockery of a horse. Baylock notes a stylized scorpion in bas-relief on the reptilian's breastplate - the symbol of Sabath.

He consults Divulge - whom he is glad to note keeps quiet - and that latter says that the scaled figure is in all probability one of the Kin. Baylock, not the bravest under the best of conditions, fades back into the trees and heads back towards his companions. On the way he bushwhacks the scout from behind, dropping him with a single shot, and hides the body after finding a symbol of the Cult on it. It doesn't occur to him to check if there were any more...

Unable to evade the encounter, the party lay their plans to fight. As they do so, Nazariel notices branches moving on the side of the road where Baylock had not been. Plunging into the trees, he manages to get a bead and shoots his second scout for the day.

Chambu Summons a veritable menagerie of celestial eagles, bears and hippogriffs, then locates himself in the trees where he has line of sight to their planned ambush point. Nazariel joins him. Baggy escorts the civilians and the horses around a bend to a place of safety out of sight. Baylock and Talian take up positions of concealment where they will be behind the enemy.

The column comes into view, and Chambu counts down carefully to time his and Nazariel's first spells together. The Aasimar sorceress's first Fireball rockets out of the trees and erupts in the centre of the column, just as the Holy Fire of Bahamut smites from above to strike the exact same place.


Volker

Narbaloth

All twelve of the soldiers die in their tracks, rendered down to skeletons and pools of lard in armour. The human cavalry officer - Volker - survives, but is Blinded by the Smite and sits in his saddle clawing at his face. The Kin - Narbaloth - is utterly untroubled by the Fireball but takes some painful wounds from the Smite. Then Baggy steps her horse through Chambu's assortment of monsters and charges.

Her lance runs deep into the Kin's body, sending up a spray of dark blood, and Binky McBinky crashes into the 'horse', sending it staggering sideways and leaving Narbaloth open for a second strike. The lance drives deep into his body and he drops dead to the road as his mount vanishes - confirming their suspicions that he was some kind of Dark Paladin.

As Baggy and Baylock swiftly divest the two leaders of any worthwhile loot, the others drag the bodies into the undergrowth and hide them as best they can - though the massive scorch mark on the road is hard to disguise.

DM Note: The patrol had no chance whatsoever against the surprise magical attack. The repeated successful saves against Speak With Dead could perhaps be seen as mild karma.

Then Chambu casts a mildly dark spell - Speak with Dead - attempting to force Narbaloth's corpse to speak. The rent face splits and the dead eyes move, but for a long time the residue of the Kin's memories refuses to cooperate. Finally, the spell's last question - "What are your orders?" bears fruit. "We are to defend the ruins and help Daedoloth in his work," he says before slumping down again.

Baggy recalls something she's heard, that Daedoloth is another Kin, who has been reported in Minensal - though whether aiding or troubling that city's unique dragon-hunters wasn't made clear. Muttering, the dwarf readies the spell again and this time casts it on Volker. While he does this, Baggy grimly removes Narbaloth's head to make sure of him.

Volker, however, is not much more co-operative than Narbaloth, and Chambu is obliged to use a second Speak with Dead on him - his last cast for the day. He reveals that the Cult garrison of the Cyrn is thirty troops - one quarter crossbowmen - and twenty-five or so workers, simply peasants drafted in and pressed into service. Daedoloth and Iring are described as "the Kin in charge" and "military commander".


Nazariel

Baylock

With the last corpse removed, the party consider what to do. While the garrison know Sam Carter, he confirms that they don't know any more about his family than that he brought his daughter to help lift last time. The conclusion is that Baylock - who looks resigned as he's "volunteered" to scout again! - and Nazariel should substitute for Anessa as Carter's imaginary son and other daughter. Talian steps up here, being skilled at this, with helpful hints from Baggy and a kit of useful supplies Baylock had picked up somewhere or other.

Twenty minutes later, he steps back. Anessa goggles, and the others are likewise amazed. Nazariel looks like her sister, and even Baylock's demon eyes are subtly de-emphasized by the skilful elf's work.

[Technically, they're going to do this tomorrow but it was rolled in this session so here it is]

Session Date: 11th May 2021; in Cyberspace!