2/5/2005

Players: Kathi, JC, Chris

Characters: DM & Salaisee, Elendil & Cyrus, Billimiah (Billi)

After breakfast Salaisee casts Lesser Restoration on Billi to restore his strength and we start off down the trail. Billi rides on Sander so we can make decent time and by noon it has warmed up nicely. Lunch is quick and uneventful and as we travel through the afternoon scattered clouds bring some light rain. By evening however it's cleared off again and we can tell it's going to be a bright starry night with what is nearly a full moon.

Salaisee has first watch, Elendil second, and Billi the last, but the night is quiet and the it's another bright and sunny morning. We travel throughout the day and in the late afternoon we come over the crest of a hill to see some kind of white, scaly, gargoyle-like creature who's attacking a woman in a green dress. She's obviously struggling but when the creature shouts out "Die!" in common the woman collapses on the ground.

MELEE

Cyrus drops his sword, grabs his mighty composite longbow and gets off an awesome shot. Elendil charges to attack. Salaisee casts Bulls Strength on Cyrus.  The creature flies up and attacks Elendil with his tail, claws and bite. It hits with a bite but the damage is not serious and Elendil smashes it with a tremendous blow to the nose, knocking it out of the sky with its skull crushed.

The woman (who somehow roused herself during the battle) tells us that she was captured from Everlund several days ago and that she believes that the Abishai (the monster) was trying to take her somewhere. She introduces herself as Binea Moorwalker, wife of the First Elder of Everlund, and she gives the group (Elendil) a large signet ring in gratitude for the rescue and says that we should go to the Hall of Elders when we arrive at Everlund for a more formal recognition.

"I however must return as soon as possible. I'd be happy to take you," she volunteers, "but I'm afraid your horse is beyond my abilities."

At the questioning look from Elendil she explains that she will travel instantaneously by Teleportation and that indeed she does have the ability to bring all but Sander. Elendil nods in appreciation of the offer (and the power required for such a spell) but politely declines. However, when Salaisee says she would very much like to go Elendil shrugs.

"You should all go." He says to the group. "Sander and I can move quickly if it's just the two of us. We'd be there in just a few days."

There is some discussion on the subject but in the end it's just Salaisee that goes with her.

"Hey," says Billi just as Binea is about to start the spell. "Can you teleport some potatoes and maybe some vegetables back to us?"

Lady Moorwalker smiles and promises one better, to bring back provisions for us if we'll simply wait here at this spot for an hour or so. We agree and with that two ladies shimmer out of existance. While we wait Billi spots and wanders off down a well concealed pathway. It is several minutes before either Elendil or Cyrus notice he's gone and when they do they split up find him. Near the edge of the woods Elendil hears Billi gasp and he calls out to his friend hoping to get a better sense of direction.

"Billi! Where are you?"

"Over here." the halfling calls out from a short distance away.

Elendil waves at Cyrus and then plows through the rough forest to find his companion and soon sees the halfling heading towards him. Billi says he found a hidden pathway and just went a short way in to investigate. He tells Elendil that he found an odd clearing with a strange stone in the center. Elendil is skeptical but Billi leads him back a short ways into the forest to a small glade surrounded by darkwood trees. Elendil's blood chills at the sight of the stone Billi spoke of. It's a sacrifice stone and Elendil can tell by the dark rust-colored stains it is well used.

"It is an evil place." He tells the halfling seriously not needing any spell to tell him what his senses and intuition scream. "No good can come from here." Elendil will not enter the clearing and urges his friend to come away. We get back to the meeting spot and a short time later Lady Moorwalker shimmers back into existance with two large sacks of food, one containing mostly vegetables and the other containing a good bit of cured beef. After a few words of thanks, and confirmation that yes, Salaisee is already in the bath, Binea departs with the same odd sparkling, shimmering effect.

We finish out the afternoons travel and finally stop for the night. After a wonderful dinner of a very hearty beef stew, the three companions settle in with Cyrus taking the first watch since Salaisee returned with the Lady to Everlund.  It's another quiet night but a few hours before dawn something large approaches the campsite late in Billi's watch. Actually it's two somethings, two large dire-wolverines. Billi shreaks, "YIKES!" waking Cyrus and Elendil.

MELEE

The creatures are tough and Elendil comes close to being knocked down but he casts Cure Serious Wounds on himself just in the nick of time and is able to continue in the battle. After it's over (and Elendil has cured himself again, followed by Billi and Cyrus) the cleric tries to get warm again in the heavy bearskin as the rest of the deep night hours pass uneventfully. The morning dawns cold! After breakfast Elendil gives Sander a quick rubdown and then sets Billi up in the saddle. We set a brisk walking pace (partly to make good time and partly to help keep warm) and have only been on the trail for 30-45 minutes when we come to the scene of a battle of an obvious battle. There are several bodies scattered about, poorly dressed male humans a couple with obviously orcish features, and we examine the scene carefully to try and determine what happened. At first Elendil thinks they've killed each other but the evidence doesn't bare that out.

Then we discover a well dressed human, his back to a tree, dead with multiple crossbow bolts in his chest. The bolts match the ones of the other party and it's fairly obvious by the crossbow and great sword near the body that he indeed did kill them all before succumbing to his wounds. He clutches a rolled sheet of parchment which Billi carefully takes from his hand, reads silently front and back, and then hands to Elendil.

The parchment is a letter from a man named Rio (a druid in the Moonshae Isles by the letters context) to his friend Faragon and from the note scrawled on the back in rough charcoal (matching a piece we found near the body) we take it that this is the man to whom the letter is addressed, Faragon Steele, Captain of the Argent Legion. The rough message on the back is above a neatly drawn map and it asks a "kindly stranger" to return his belongings and take notice to the druids at the grove in Silverymoon (and ultimately back to Rio) that he failed in his mission to locate and learn the fate of Eramus, the druid at Ash Temple and the grandfather of someone named Glow. It also says that the great sword has been enchanted by Alustriel and that is worth far more than the few coins he refused to surrender to the theives that attacked him.

Elendil removes the bolts from his body and performs last rites. Then he and Cyrus gather stones and build a cairn before continuing on.  After the cairn is built Elendil sets the medalion from the mans cloak snuggly between two stones as a marker and then distributes Faragon's belongs among his pack and Sander's saddlebags so they can be returned as the man wished when we get back to Silverymoon. In fact, we talk about perhaps completing the mission mentioned in the letter (since the map indicates that Ash Temple is almost on our path anyway) so that we can send a final word back to the druids mentioned in the letter. An hour or so after lunch we spot Hilltop in the distance and make it to the gate by perhaps mid-afternoon.

We go to the inn and settle in before the fire as Raymond calls his son Hamm out to care for Sander. At our query Raymond replies that the Ash Temple is known to be some 20 miles south of Hilltop and there is a rough trail through the forest that's not too difficult to find if you know where to look. He tells us that the last group of pilgrims who went there never returned and that the legionaires have written to their commander for replacements so that they can go and investigate.

As the inn fills for the dinner hour Billi is "pursuaded" to tell the tale of our adventures and successes at the monestary and his audience is held rapt by his growing skill at spinning a story. Elendil allows him the few embellishments that are common in the halflings tellings, nods and adds a word or two when prompted, but allows his young companion to keep center stage.  After dinner Elendil retires from the common room for his daily devotionals and then sleeps quite well in the bed after a week on the ground.

The next morning a slow steady rain has started to fall and due to the temperature it is just about, but not quite, sleet or snow. After breakfast we seek out Izbelle, the captain of the silver guard, to let her know about Faragon and to find out if they wish to send a guard member with us when we seek out the Ash Temple. Izbelle is saddened by the news both professionaly and personally as it turns out she considered Faragon to be a close friend. She assigns Tudor (the one male legionaire) to accompany us and when we reach the gate Llewellyn, the moon elf, is on guard. Even with Tudor's presence the elf questions us about our destination and especially why Tudor accompanies us. We tell her honestly that we are headed to the Ash Temple (at which Tudor nods in agreement) and she lets us pass. We follow Tudor almost immediately south into the woods. We eventually find a rough track which Tudor turns to follow and we trudge through the grey morning and then stop for lunch.

After lunch we continue through the afternoon and thankfully the rain stops before evening falls. We stop for the night with the usual watch order and just shortly into first watch Cyrus hears something that makes him take note. It sounds like multiple somethings approaching rapidly. He quickly wakes the others. Elendil comes alert at being woken and starts to put on his armor seeing nothing immediately threatening. Cyrus grabs Faragon's great sword and stands alert for danger peering into the poorly lit darkness. What comes charging into the campsite is a large head that has six blue-furred arms, no feet and no body. The arms are nearly 15' long and they hold the head at about five to seven feet off the ground.

"Oh my God," Elendil hears Billi say. "It's a mouther!"

MELEE

Cyrus charges to attack and with a really nifty move brings the sword down hard nearly killing the thing with the first blow. Amazingly the monster seems to be smart enough to know that it has met a foe with the potential to kill it (it certainly doesn't look smart) and it rears and turns to flee. Unfortunately for the creature its attemted retreat offers Cyrus an attack of opportunity which the fighter uses to great advantage killing it with a second blow.

Billi seems somewhat dumbfounded (but not speechless) at the seeming ease with which Cyrus dispatched it and the halfling approaches the creature to see if it has any treasure.

"These things like to eat halflings." Billi says as he searches it carefully. He discovers a small pouch tied around one leg and opens it to reveal a nice blue star sapphire and a small wand. Cyrus wipes the ichor off of the sword (which he is treating quite reverently) and decides without evening being aware of it that he'll just have to take Faragon up on his offer to keep the sword.

[The wand is a Wand of Magic Missles. It has four charges, each will shoot off three missles.]

Begin next time with the remainder of first watch and the rest of the night.

End of Session.

Next Session 3/5/2005