November 8, 2008

Oh, Lookit. Spiders.

With the rescue of Marroc Bulge and the successful purge of the bulettes, the attitudes of the more hostile Hobbiton inhabitants changed dramatically. Marroc's wife Myrtle declared that the party would stay at her home whenever they were in the area. Drago the priest even apologized for his earlier treatment of Josy. After feasting and resting, the group was ready to head out.

Through extensive discussion, it was decided they would visit Yokel first to get Alana's armor and retrieve the party's stolen items. Not long after starting their journey, a strange thing happened. Flerm, Alana, Lieralyn, and Snow start bickering, but Snow instantly realizes that the words coming out of her mouth are not her own. Its game discovered, an imp materialized and declared it wanted to challenge Nightshade for the privilege of becoming Brecaryn's familiar.

Questioning the imp, it became apparent it had been observing them for some time. Not concerned with the implications of a magickal creature able to conceal itself and control people, Brecaryn responded in her usual acerbic manner and informed the imp in no uncertain terms that she did not want it for the job. Needless to say, the imp took exception to this and disappeared in a huff. Snow predicted this would lead to future troubles.

Continuing on, they encountered a traveller and his pony beset by large, shimmering spiders. Everyone (except Flerm, ofc) immediately ran to help. The shimmering spiders could only be hurt some of the time, shifting in and out of phase, and had the ability to teleport. What initially seemed like a fairly straightforward issue of pest control turned out to be a harder and longer battle. With the help of Brecaryn's phasing ring, she was able to tell the party when the spiders were in phase could be hit.

Unfortunately, the party had arrived too late to save the Tyr missionary. Taking his Book of Tyr to return to a temple, they buried his body and said a few words of prayer. The pony having survived the encounter was asked by Snow if it would go with them until a suitable home could be found for it. With their new charge, they took a detour towards Hetasi, reasoning the more rural setting would suit the pony better.

They're lovers, not fighters

While in Hetasi, they stayed with Lashtal's mother who informed Snow and Malouf that a dedication ceremony would be held for Lashtal in a few days. The two said they would return in time for the celebration if possible. Snow left the pony with a farmer after making sure this new arrangement was satisfactory to the pony. They all then continued to Yokel.

Returning to the same inn where the group had stayed last time, Snow questioned the bartender about the mercenaries who had started the altercation. He seemed nervous and unwilling to talk about the incident. He eventually caved and admitted overhearing the men boasting about the items they had stolen from the group but couldn't give much information on where they could be found. Since it was late, they decided to rent rooms and stay the night. Precautions were taken in case their arrival had been noted, but the night passed uneventfully.

On the morrow, the group went around town to take care of business. First stop, the armorer. Unfortunately, due to a disruption with his supplier, he had not be able to acquire the needed amount of adamantine for Alana's order. She would have to wait even longer. Next stop, the Temple of Tyr. In addition to informing the priests of the missionary's fate, Snow was able to unburden herself of the gold she'd collected on their various adventures.

Unsure of exactly where to go to find the thieving mercenaries, they returned to the inn. Flerm, using his natural charm, had managed to insult the barmaid earlier so their welcome was less than cordial. With the chances of a meal at the inn looking less and less likely, Flerm decided to go off on his own to find sustenance. Not wishing any member of the group to be alone in case the mercenaries found them instead, Snow followed discretely behind. And sure enough, 2 men soon approached Flerm threateningly. Unconcerned, Flerm teleported down the road. It got him away from the mercenaries, but it also panicked the townspeople and resulted in the guard being called. The thugs didn't stick around to be questioned. Snow allowed them to pass before following them back to their headquarters - Havoc Company. With this information, she returned to the inn where the rest of the party were anxiously waiting, unaware of where she'd been.

The group's first instinct was to sneak into the building and attack. Snow and Malouf proffered a second option - reporting the theft to the local guards. This tactic did not exactly win over several members of the group, but they agreed to give it a try. By this time it was late. When Snow asked to speak to Captain Cauddle, an officer they'd dealt with during the Kopru incident, she was informed he had already gone home to bed. She insisted he be awoken so she could speak with him. Looking skeptical, the officer nonetheless obliged and an annoyed Captain Cauddle soon arrived.

Once he saw who it was, his attitude changed drastically, remembering how they had helped the town free itself from the kopru. Explaining what had happened, that their belongings had been stolen and two of the culprits had been followed back to this "Havoc Company", Snow asked for information and aid. Troubled, Captain Cauddle told them that Havoc Company was a mercenary group that the guard regularly hired. He asked that they wait for him to set up a meeting with their captain before taking matters into their own hands. Snow agreed. Flerm snorted in disgust.

Smoothing things over as best they could with the innkeeper, they managed to procure rooms for another night's stay. The next day, a messenger arrived from Cauddle stating the meeting with Captain Dokari of Havoc Company had been set up for that morning at the Fishwheel. Snow entered the Fishwheel with Brecaryn (and Vain) while Josy and Oliver covered the rear entrance and Malouf, Flerm, Alana, and Lieralyn remained at the front. Captain Dokari explained some of the reasons behind her company's hostility towards them. Apparently, Havoc Company had been close to discovering the kopru plot and intended to stop it themselves. Many in her band felt that the group's arrival stole the glory that was rightfully theirs. After speaking to the members of the company, she felt able to assure Snow that there would be no further acts of aggression. Unfortunately, she was only able to return a few of the stolen scrolls. The rest had been used during an encounter the mercenaries had earlier. Dokari offered the monetary equivalent instead, to be delivered to Snow at the inn. Snow agreed and the group returned to the inn to wait. Lieralyn left, having accepted a second dinner invitation from Lord Oliam. Although most of the group didn't think going off with a stranger was the best idea, Lord Oliam's reputation didn't indicate there was any need to think him dangerous. Shortly thereafter, a messenger arrived from Captain Dokari with 8000 gold which Brecaryn safely stored in the mirror.

While the rest of the party relaxed on their last night in Yokel, Snow pulled Malouf aside to share the contents of a letter she'd received from a Baron Karzda just before her duel with Tsunami. Malouf was a little upset Snow had waited so long to tell him about it and little mollified when she explained she was afraid his penchant for rash decision would have led to him dealing with this matter before she returned. However, she pointed out what they ought to be concerned with was when and how to deal with Karzda. They agreed to leave it until they reached Betaya.

Troglodytes

The party trooped back to Hetasi to attend Lashtal's dedication before heading out to Betaya. About a day's march along the riverbank, as snow fell heavily, the group was surprised by the appearance of several ogre-sized lizardmen. The snow obscured visibility. The troglodytes seemed surprised, as well. Unfortunately, their brief hesitation wasn't enough to give the group much of an advantage against these amphibious creatures.

Oliver was quickly immobilized by the troglodyte's deadly spears. Snow and Malouf were both knocked unconscious before Josy was able to cast a holding spell. Alana put two more to sleep with her magick arrows. As they fought, those standing closest to the troglodytes reeled from a noxious smell as a poisonous, oily substance was secreted from the lizardmen's skin, weakening them.

A few of the lizardmen dove into the river. One grabbed and dragged Alana into the river's frigid depths before anyone could stop it. Malouf dove in after Alana, grappling with the troglodyte. Before any others could jump in and help, another troglodyte surfaced and tossed a giant crab onto the bank. Brecaryn was seriously wounded before Turtle saved the day again, killing the crab.

Flerm and Lieralyn swam out to the middle of the river before diving in to find Malouf and Alana. Under the surface of the river, it was very dark and infravision was of no help as the water sucked away any body heat. The rest, unable to swim, waited anxiously on the bank. Josy took this opportunity to administer whatever healing she could.

Meanwhile, Malouf had managed to get the troglodyte to release Alana but could not subdue his adversary. The watery environment worked to the amphibian's advantage as he scraped Malouf along the riverbed, trying to dislodge him. Alana broke the water's surface gasping for air before diving back down to help Malouf. Lieralyn and Flerm caught a glimpse of Alana as she swam passed and followed. They encountered another troglodyte and Lieralyn sustained near-fatal blow from its spear before Flerm was able to finish it off. Alana helped Flerm bring Lieralyn back to shore.

Malouf finally surfaced, the worse for wear, but nonetheless victorious. Josy healed as many wounds as she could. They discussed the possibility of returning to Hetasi to rest, but it was decided that it would be better to press on.

Denvaar & Kurio

They moved a mile away from the river before setting up camp, wary of the possibility more troglodytes could appear. Josy cast Wyvern Watch over the area. After eating, most of the party went to sleep as Oliver and Flerm took the first watch.

On Malouf and Lieralyn's watch, Malouf saw a wagon approaching. Anxious to stop them before they set off the Wyvern Watch, he stepped through to speak to them. They introduced themselves as Denvaar and Kurio. They said they were travelling to Betaya and seeing the group's campfire, thought to join up with fellow travellers.

Malouf tried to deter their friendly overtures by saying his companions were ill at the moment and he did not want them to risk contracting the same illness. Unfortunately, his assurances that they would be perfectly well come morning aroused Denvaar and Kurio's suspicions.

Malouf changed tactics by asking them what their business in Betaya was. They claimed to be in the business of exotic animals. Malouf expressed some interest at seeing their animals, but the two demurred, saying they'd rather wait until they had met the whole party. This aroused Malouf's suspicions, but he decided not to press the issue.

Come morning, the Watch was dissipated. Malouf told the party of his strange encounter. Snow agreed to go with Malouf to meet these travellers. As they approached, they overheard one mutter to the other "This one's even better than the last". What did they mean by that? Again when questioned about the animals, Denvaar and Kurio would give no answers until they had seen everyone.

Finding this request too odd, Snow and Malouf opted to forego satisfying their curiosity and told the travellers to leave. Were they right to be so cautious or had they become too paranoid over the years? Perhaps they would find out more about Denvaar and Kurio when they reached Betaya.

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