6/16/2007

Players: Kathi, JC, Chris
Characters: DM, Elendil & Jolley, Billi

After healing himself and Billi, Elendil goes back to Fortune Hall to speak with Sister Morgalyn. He tells her of their meeting with Rozenn, Radori and Gobriann, and what they've learned from Bethan. He is grateful for his mentors patient ear, sure wisdom and occasional advice as he recounts the days events, and knows that what is said in confidence will remain so.

When he gets back to his home at Priest's Lodge there is a boy waiting outside with a message. It's a letter from Shannon Hightower informing him that she has decided not to pass on Elendil's warning to his father but instead has invited Arondar to accompany her on a journey to Herald's Holdfast which Arondar has accepted. It goes on to say that she hopes he is not too upset with her decision but that she was concerned as to how Arondar would react to the news that he or Elendil might be in danger and therefore made the decision to simply distract him with the trip.

Elendil sets the letter down on his small makeshift desk and stretches out on the bed. His thoughts drift to Salaisee and then Billi and he wonders how his diminuative companion is making out at the Sorceror's College. The halfling had gone to meet with Gwylum Greenshadow to find out about psionics and psionic enchantments, maybe learn a thing or two about Bane or his followers returning, and hopefully get some kind of enchantment that would help protect against such things. Elendil later learns Billi ended up with the spell Nystil's Magic Aura.

At 7 bells the group meets at The Bronze Pegasus for dinner with Radori, Gobriann and Bethan. Bethan reports that no one seems to be following either Billi or Jolley.  

Gobriann says that the old dwarf they had left keeping an eye on Arondar had stayed to stake out his house following Arondar's departure with Shannon Hightower, and had spotted a suspicious younger man, very tall with curly black hair, nosing around and had followed him as far as he could. She also says that her cousin, Robin Goldhammer, had agreed to make the second gold cube that the group could try to use as a decoy. It will cost 1500 GP to make, which flusters Billi a bit, but he says that the group funds can cover it and that he has already identified the spell that will give it the needed magic aura.

Radori was unable to find anyone who knew anything about psionics (including Dorren James) and says that we might consider asking Rozenn Latessa.

Given that Robin Goldhammer's shop is in Cross River Billi is the obvious choice to discretely deliver payment and pickup the duplicate cube when it's ready in the morning. Elendil and Jolley will travel together to the Dancing Goat to wait for him, and Gobriann and Radori say they'll be at the Ladybug Tavern at lunch time if needed. With that the group starts to break up for the evening. After Gobriann and Radori have left Bethan turns Invisible and presumably leaves behind them.

Billi, Jolley and Elendil go up to Rozenn's room and knock on the door. After a moment she opens it a crack and Billi, glancing in, sees a man seated within. Elendil asks if they could speak with her for a moment, but then apologizes for disturbing her when she says it is not a good time. Billi just can't help himself and puts an ear to the door after it's closed and re-latched. He listens for a few minutes and then returns to where Elendil and Jolley are waiting at the end of the hall. He reports that they seemed to be discussing setting the price of what sounded like a cache of stolen goods, and that the man had a thick southern accent.

As we breakup for the evening Elendil notices gladly that the temperature has started to rise and as he returns home he listens to the odd rhythms of the dripping melt from the accumulated snow wand ice. The night passes quietly. Elendil's dreams are vivid and deep, but like most are gone in the morning.

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Elendil and Jolley go to the Dancing Goat for breakfast as previously arranged to meet up with Bethan. After their meal is over the bartender comes over to clear their dishes and discretely leaves a note in the spot just occupied by Elendil's plate. Elendil yawns and stretches, puts a few coins on the table to cover the meal and picks up the note. It's a message from Teal with a crude hand drawn map that says the exchange is to be made this evening at dusk out near a runined keep somewhat north of town. He passes the note to Jolley and waves at Gobriann when he sees her come in. As the dwarf comes over to their table Elendil wonders where Radori is as he has never seen the two apart. As Gobriann sits down Elendil shows her the note and says that as soon as Bethan arrives and has eaten that they'll head back to Elendil's apartment to wait for Billi. Surprisingly Gobriann shakes her head and seemingly waves off that plan. She gets up, pushes her chair back under the table, points at the two humans, then at herself, and then at the door, and turns to walk out.

"But..." Elendil starts to protest.

"Come on." says Jolley getting up out of his chair. "I think I know what's going on."

---

Meanwhile Billi has picked up the golden cube and attended Blink class at the Invokatorium. After the class Master Greenshadow agrees to see him privately, and for a 200 GP fee casts Nystul's Magic Aura on the cube such that it will appear to have powerful magical qualities.

Forgetting that the others had agreed to meet at The Dancing Goat (or not considering that they might still be there) Billi hurries over the bridge and turns towards the palace district not five minutes before Elendil, Jolley and Gobriann emerge to head in the same direction. Billi naturally finds that Elendil is not at home but as he is emerging from Priests Lodge, to head toward Fortune Hall, he spots his companions approaching.

"Hey guys! I was looking for you." Billi calls out.

"And here we are." Jolley replies with a grin. "Right on time and looking good as always."

"We were just coming to wait for you as a matter of fact." Elendil says. "Come on in and tell us about your morning."

Once inside Billi produces the cube. "Master Greenshadow charged me 200 gold for the aura." He says handing it to Elendil who examines it with interest. "But don't worry, I'll just take it out of the group treasure."

Elendil returns the cube to its leather bag and packs it carefully at the bottom center of his backpack while relaying the information about the note from Teal and the exchange setup for this evening.

"Ok, fine." Billi says. "But can we talk about it over lunch, I'm starving!" Gobriann nods emphatically and the group heads for the Ladybug Tavern.

"Hey, I gotta go to Woodhall and reschedule some stuff I had for this evening, and then head home and let Alicia know what's going on." Jolley says. "Come get me at the house whenever you're ready."

"Let Dorren know what's going on if you see him." Elendil says.

Elendil follows Billi and Gobriann in and the group is shown back to one of the private meeting areas. A moment later Gobriann and Radori join them. Elendil looks over at the Gobriann already with them and sure enough it is now Bethan sitting across from him, as Jolley had correctly surmised.

During the extended lunch (another of those occasions which reinforces the belief in Elendil that Billi's stomach must contain at least some of the properties of a Bag of Holding) details are exchanged, and plans set, and afterward Elendil returns home to make himself travel and battle ready. He spends a half hour in quiet communion and then heads over to Jolley's. The big man himself opens the door.

"Hey El, come on in. I'm almost ready."

Elendil enters and waits politely in the large entryway nodding to the dour old housekeeper who glares at him.

"Master Elendil, a pleasure to see you again."  Alicia says coming around a corner. "Jolley tells me your sister has been taken and that you are off tonight to rescue her and teach the miscreants 'the folly of their evil ways' as my father is so fond of saying."

Now if Alicia had been anyone other than a Priestess at Dawn Dancer Hall, Elendil would have been a bit taken aback by her outfit, or more properly, lack of outfit.

"Aye!" he says inwardly marveling at how much a few square inches of strategicly placed material can actually cover. "To have her come back into my life out of nowhere after all these years has been strange to say the least." Elendil takes her outstreched hand and raises it to his lips bowing slightly and mildly scolds himself for enjoying the view it provides. Releasing her hand he continues. "But now that she has I find myself realizing how much I have always missed her without even really knowing it. I guess all those old memories had more force in the present than I would've thought."

"Family is like that!" Jolley says returning to the room and scooping Alicia into his arms. "They become everything in the world, don't they baby?"

Oh Jolley!" Alicia says in a breathy voice that makes Elendil guess that what usually follows her being scooped up like that is something other than Jolley's immediate departure. "You boys be careful okay."

Jolley kisses her, at first tenderly and then ferociously as she starts to squirm in his arms. "Don't worry." He says finally putting her down. "Dorrin knows what's going on and we're well prepared." Then with a look to Elendil he says, "Come on brother, let's get this done!"

The two head to the stable to pick up horses and then proceed to Hunters Gate to meet with the others.

Turning left outside the gates we travel a couple hundred yards toward the Nesme Road and then turn north on the old cart track as indicated on the map. The pace is steady as the horses pick their way along the path and when we're fairly certain the rendevouz point is close we stop for an advanced look ahead. Billi becomes Invisible and then Flys ahead in aerial reconaissance.

After a few minutes flight he spots the old wagon wheel marker. Looking around carefully he sees two men hidden in the forest in front of it, and two more cross the road on the other side and hide in the foliage 50 feet beyond. He also sees a small clearing off to the south containing the rest of the wagon.

He returns to the others to report but does not lift his Invisibility. We decide to approach such that it appears Elendil is the only one present. To this end Bethan makes Jolley and his horse invisble, and the he and Billi move off into the woods to themselves approach silently and unseen (as halflings can well do in the forest). When the spells are done Elendil, gives his backpack (containing the fake cube) to Jolley and then, seemingly alone, returns to the journey forward at a bit of a quicker pace.

Just as he spots the wagon wheel ahead a man emerges from the forest with a snarl. "That's far enough! Hand over the item if you want to see your precious sister again alive."

Elendil meets the mans gaze with a cold clear stare and unwavering resolve. "The item will be brought here when my sister is brought here."

"That's not the arrangement. She's a good as dead then!" The man says as others come out of the woods behind. "As are you."

"If you kill me," Elendil says raising his war hammer, "and you are welcome to try, then you will have to report your utter failure to recover the treasure to your masters. I will have it brought here when I see her, not before."

The man fumes for a moment. Then, as if a lovely evil plan has just occurred to him, he grins at Elendil still mounted on his horse. "Makes no difference to me when you die. You five!" He says to the henchmen who've emerged from hiding. "Make sure this pompous bug-blatter stays put until we return for his family reunion." With that the man departs heading north along a small trail that leaves the cart track very near the wagon wheel marker.

Elendil remains in place and several minutes pass. By this time Billi and Bethan have easily spotted where the men had been concealed and are trying to move, hidden and silently through the undergrowth, to come around to a flanking position. Unfortunately, one of them makes some noise that two of the guards hear.

"You two go check it out one snarls." An Acid Arrow goes whizzing by Elendil's head just barely missing.

MELEE

By the end of the first round Bethan and Billi have the two guards that went into the woods after them handily entangled with Tanglefoot Bags and are themselves attacking. Elendil uses Hold Person on one, while Jolley charges ahead (becomming visble) and decapitates the mage.

Despite a few injuries it really is rather clinical and we hide the bodies behind the wagon in the clearing to the south so that they can not be seen from the cart track or from the trail used by the man who departed. We also tether Jolley's horse there as well for the time being.

Elendil casts Cure Serious Wounds on himself and Billi, and then Billi, Bethan and Jolley sink back into concealment in the forest while Elendil returns to his horse to wait. There is perhaps 30-45 minutes of sunlight left.

End of session.

Next Session 7/21/2007