Session 47, Udenvale, Doc Silas, Wagon Carnage
Paldegora
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Session 47 – 2025-02-15
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Summary
The session began on Nordas 22, 2365, at 8:00 am, with Company Clandestine having just finished a battle against zombies, Sluagh, a Wight, and a Blood Wraith. The Blood Wraith was particularly focused on Angelique, who used her remaining healing spells on Eryn and herself before resting. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and the group set out south the next morning. The day was slightly warmer, and they traveled without sensing any pursuit. Around noon, light clouds appeared. Eryn, wearing the Ring of Regeneration, recovered her hit points. Angelique also wore the ring for a few hours to complete her healing.
They stopped for a meal and rest, reflecting on the previous night's fight. They debated whether the Blood Wraith targeted Angelique because she was a priest or specifically because she was Angelique. Symon speculated that she might have been scryed upon, possibly through an item she carried or through blood magic, which is forbidden. Despite their discussions, they found no answers.
Continuing south, they camped for the night, with Xor hunting and then cooking rabbit stew with Cal's help. The night passed without incident, and they resumed their journey, aiming to reach Udenvale by noon. As they approached the village, they saw a flash of red light and heard a woman's scream, prompting them to quicken their pace.
Upon reaching the town, they encountered a mob accusing a boy named Jeof of being a demon or sorcerer. Angelique found a woman pleading for help for her injured daughter, Emilia, who had a burn mark on her chest. Angelique healed Emilia, who then woke up, much to her mother's relief. The soldiers dispersed the crowd, and Symon tried to understand what had happened.
Jeof explained that he and Emilia were playing “Wizards and Wyverns” when he accidentally cast a spell that injured her. Symon recognized the spell as Magic Missile and reassured Jeof, who was frightened and remorseful. The soldiers thanked Angelique and Symon for their help and invited them for a drink later.
Symon and Angelique visited Jeof's house to learn more about his ability to cast spells. Jeof's father, Tradan, introduced himself, and Jeof explained that the words for the spell just came to him. Symon demonstrated a simple Light spell, sparking Jeof's interest in magic. Symon encouraged Jeof to pursue his interest in magic, suggesting that he might have a natural gift.
The group headed to the tavern, where they noticed a wanted poster for the murder of Lord and Lady Primrose and the kidnapping of their daughter, Anita. Inside the tavern, Eryn was approached by a man who handed her a sealed letter from the Broke Lance Mob. The letter revealed that the group had made powerful enemies and strange allies. The enemies included the Sahn cult and Aphobis, who were desperate to obtain something the group had.
The letter warned of various threats, including necromancers, assassins, and dragon cults. It also mentioned Theo's plot against the group and the danger posed by Mott, a psychopathic murderer seeking revenge for Theo's death. The letter concluded with a promise of support from Benjamin Blackmoor, who owed the group a favor.
The group discussed the letter and their disguises, deciding to adopt new aliases and a cover story as historians. They planned to travel to Port-Ahn, posing as researchers.
The next morning, they met Dr. Silas Grizznel and his family, who were opening an alchemy shop. Silas, a retired adventurer, was initially rude but eventually sold them various spell components and potions. The group bought Silas's wagon and horses, planning to use it for their journey.
They got supplies for the horses and they also decided to build hidden compartments in their new wagon to assist in evading bounty hunters. Before they got out of town, they found a weak and worn out horse roaming into town with a broken bridle. They couldn't find the owner so they left it with the people who had sold them the supplies they had gotten for their horses.
As they traveled south again, they encountered wrecked wagons and followed tracks leading northeast. Rincewind discovered a pit trap. Clark was bitten by a trapdoor spider, which began dragging him into its hole.
This is where the session ended. At 1:00pm on Naaday on the 25th of Nordas, Year of the Black Dragon, 2365.
Please, start the recorder!
Exp: 0 + 0 = 0
Detail
This session started on the Nordas 22, 2365 at 8:00 am. Company Clandestine had just finished a fight with a slew of Zombies, 4 Sluagh, a Wight, and a Blood Wraith. The Blood Wraith seemed singularly focused on killing Angelique. Angelique used up the rest of her healing spells on Eryn and herself before turning in. The rest of the night was uneventful. They set out south again. It was a slightly warmer morning. They traveled along for the day. They didn't get a sense of being followed. Around noon, some light clouds began moving overhead. Eryn had worn the Ring of Regeneration and recovered the rest of her hit points. Angelique wore it for a few hours to finish her healing.
They stopped, grabbed a bite to eat, rested a little, and pondered the fight from the night before. They discussed whether the Blood Wraith sniffed out Angelique because she was a priest or because she was Angelique. Was there a sense that it acted like a Blood Hound? Symon thought it was more likely a situation where she was scryed for. Maybe an item she carried was scryed on. There is also blood magic which is forbidden, but they did acquire her blood. Maybe a combination of scrying and a Wraith that can smell her blood. Only questions, no answers.
They continued south and that evening, they selected a place to camp. Xor did some hunting and managed to get a few rabbits. He skinned them and then search for some herbs to flavor the meal. Cal helped him cook a good rabbit stew. They ate and rested for the night. The night passed without event. They set out South again and hoped to reach Udenvale by around noon. As they got close, they saw a flash of red light coming from the village. It was very intense. The light was moving quickly. Suddenly there was the sound of a woman screaming. Then there was a lot of shouting. The Company picked up it's pace.
As they reached the town, they heard a woman shouting, “Please, somebody help her, she's dying!”. Angelique moved up to see if she could help. There was a mob of angry people. There was an older man holding a boy. The crowd was yelling things like, “Demon” and “Sorcerer”. An older man was trying to calm everyone. Angelique found a woman leaning over a little girl laying on the ground. She's again asking for help. Angelique offered her assistance. There was a burn spot on the girl in the center of her chest.
Angelique cast a healing that got her back to 1 point. Then she healed her again for another 5 points. That's when the girl woke up and seemed to be recovering. The mother was very grateful. Emilia, the little girl, wasn't sure what had happened. The mother took her home even though Emilia wanted to stay and play some more with Jeof. Jeof was the boy that everyone was shouting at. The soldiers broke up the crowd and sent them on their way. Symon, looking over the scene, tried to determine what happened. A man named Edward, a village elder, asked Jeof what had happened. Jeof didn't know. Edward thanked Angelique then turned his attention back to Jeof.
Jeof explained that they were playing “Wizards and Wyverns”. He was the wizard and cast a spell at the little girl who was the wyvern. He didn't know how to cast spells. He was just playing and said something that he had never heard before. It was then that the light came from his hand and hit the girl. He was very sorry and didn't know how he did that. Symon was listening and asked him to tell him the syllables used in the word. The boy told him the first sounded like “Arcanus” and the other sounded like “Sudgeta”. Symon recognized it as the verbal component for the Magic Missile spell. Jeof said it scared him. He won't play that game again. Edward told him that would be best and that he was free to go home. His dad took him home.
The soldiers were very thankful that the group had shown up when they did. They thanked Angelique and Symon for helping the girl and helping the boy to calm down. By helping the girl, they had calmed down the situation and kept it from getting out of hand. They wanted to meet them later at the tavern to buy them a drink as a thank you. They took a special notice of Xor. They asked if he was part of a barbarian tribe, acknowledging that he was a big fellow. Xor told him he was. They then asked if they were from up north, if they'd been up there for a while. Xor answered, “We passed through the north, yes!”. The soldier told them that when they got together later, he had some questions he'd like to ask them about what to expect as they scout up the road. He told them that they were looking to build a garrison up near the border with Nordanlun. Symon asked, “Where is the border?”. The guard told him the river just this side of Frosthaven. They were headed that way the next day.
Symon and Angelique discussed talking to Jeof some more. Trying to discover how he was able to cast a spell. They went to his house. There was nothing outside that would indicate the presence of a mage. They knocked on the door and the father answered. Jeof was drinking milk at the table. The father introduced himself as Tradan. Symon asked Jeof if he'd found anything, a toy, a rock, or a ring perhaps, that he'd used when playing with Emilie. He replied no. He had used a stick as a wand before but he didn't use anything today. He said he was just moving his hands and pretending. Symon asked, “And the words just came to you?”. The boy told him that it was weird, “The words just kinda came out! When it did, I felt funny, like a tingling!”. Symon asked if he'd ever felt that before. He hadn't.
Symon pulled out a little phosphorescent moss and cast a simple Light spell. The child was surprised and really interested in it. Symon explained that magic is quite powerful and quite useful when used wisely. He discussed how Jeof might be interested in magic, much as he was when he was young. Jeof said, “I'd always thought I would grow up to be a wizard.”. Symon said “It's nothing to be afraid of but you might have a natural gift here. It just manifested itself in an odd way today. Be more careful. If you are interested in magic, there are libraries. I don't know if there is one in Udenvale but there are places where you can learn. People who can mentor you. Perhaps you have a gift. It has frightened you today but in the future it could be of great service to you and your family.”. Jeof looked to his father and said, “I'd like that dad!”. Tradan said, “Well, there is nothing like that here. He would have to go to one of the big cities I guess.”. Looking at his son he added, “If that's what you want to do with your life son, I'll support you trying to do that! I think we need to wait a little while. Things are kind of crazy right now.”.
The boy asked Symon more questions about how he got started. Symon answered him, recounting much of the story of his youth and young adulthood. Tradan asked about possible mentors. They talked a bit longer and then he thanked Symon and Francesca for helping the girl and calming the situation. They left them and headed out into town. They all headed down the road towards the tavern. They noticed a lot more people here than there were the last time they'd passed through. As they approached the tavern, something caught Xor's eye. There was a board with notices posted. One of the notices caught his attention.
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Naafall 23rd, Year of the Red Dragon 2361 WANTED For the Murder of Lord and Lady Primrose and the Kidnapping of Their Youngest Daughter Location: Amber Gulf Description: On the high seas of the Amber Gulf, a heinous crime was committed. During a voyage from Taro Harbor to GreySpire, the RHS Horizon was attacked and sunk by a band of ruthless pirates. In the course of the raid, Lord and Lady Primrose were brutally murdered, and their youngest daughter, Anita Primrose, was kidnapped. These criminals must be brought to justice. Reward: A substantial reward is offered for any information leading to the capture and conviction of those responsible for this atrocity. Contact: Report any information to the authorities of Port Ahn, SilverSpire, SeaSpire, Taro Harbor or the nearest naval outpost. Signed** Lord Admiral Bartholomew Gilthonal Silverlight Admiralty of the Royal Valdernost Navy Port Ahn
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He pointed the notice out to the others and then headed inside. They each took note of it and headed inside as well. The server who had waited on them the last time they were in town greeted them but apparently didn't remember them. They ordered some lunch. It was pointed out that Clark/Cal being a mute might become a problem. They noticed some people looking there way but not in a way that made them nervous. One of the men went to the bar to get another ale. He flashed a little thieves cant in Eryn's direction. He indicated that he wished to talk with her. She signaled back her agreement. He went back to his table and Eryn went over to join him and his friend.
When she sat down, the man looked at her and quietly said, “Do you have it?”. She asked, “The key?”. He answered, “Yes!”. She told him yes and showed it to him. He said, “Alright, you are the right woman!”. He reached in and pulled out a letter that was sealed. They said nothing else and got up and headed out. She barely got a thank you out before they were gone. It's always best to remember your manners. The letter appeared to be a couple of pages and had a wax seal. It also had the stamp of the Broken Lance. She opened it and read it. A short distance into the letter, she realized it wasn't just for her but for the whole company. She stopped and rejoined the others and told them about it. Then she read it to them.
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Greetings,
I hope this letter finds you well. You have turned all of Paldegora on its ear and earned the reputation of being treasonous outlaws just by trying to save it. The irony of it is almost laughable. Still, it is quite an impressive feat. They say power and influence make strange bedfellows. I would agree and say that is true in both of our examples.
I hope you now realize we are not and never were enemies. Circumstances have instead made us both unwitting allies to one another. In just what manner, I'm sure you are now asking yourselves.
The problem in Frosthaven was not with me. The problem was Sir Charles's misguided sense of justice that offended your heroic sensibilities. I was doing my job, albeit I did run some operations out of Frosthaven, but they were only a small part of my overall enterprise.
No, the problem we both found was Theo.
I was making plans and arrangements to move myself to another location. Other events and locations were beginning to require my closer attention. I had intended to put Theo in charge after my departure until I discovered his plot. His motivation it seems, was that he viewed my relationship with Shea as a sign of weakness. He thought it presented him with an opportunity.
His hiring of The Twins to assassinate Sir Charles was impressive. That made it rather apparent that he had someone powerful backing him. I was looking into this when your group arrived and stirred things up by discovering the goblins and kobolds in the sewers. You caused things to accelerate. Theo was not good at thinking on his feet. He also forgot the most important rule of keeping your friends close but your enemies closer. His plan got out of control and caused him to move too soon out of fear. Even with that, he almost succeeded. Thank you for taking him out of the game and saving me the trouble. That also allowed me to clean the ranks of the disloyal in my Northern Territory. Because of this, I feel I owe you all a favor. There is indeed no honor among thieves, but that is not a truism. It's only a general statement. I'm sure Eryn would agree with that.
If you are wondering why we should consider each other allies. The reason is simple. We still share the same goal, even for vastly different reasons.
In support of that fact, I will share some intelligence I have gathered with you. I have many little birds who whisper things in my ear.
You have made some powerful enemies and some strange allies. Most of which you are unaware of for the moment.
I do not know what you have acquired. Aphobis and the Sahn cult are desperate to obtain it. They will stop at nothing to get it from you. The return of the Dragons has shaken every known global power on Paldegora, and they are all choked with fear. In such an atmosphere, divisions are easy to exploit. The Sahn cult and Aphobis are using this to their advantage. They are spreading lies to get everyone searching for you while at the same time strengthening their alliances and military positions. They both have an extensive network of spies embedded in all the known Spires of Paldegora. You are making a convenient scapegoat for everyone, including your would-be allies.
I don't care for Necromancers or their ilk. Until recently, we have stayed out of each other's way. Aphobis, with the help of some traitors in my organization, is now embezzling a portion of my smuggling operations profits to finance and strengthen his position in Nox. He has also engaged the services of a high-level Assassin Guild group from Naraka to hunt you down. Be cautious they are not to be taken lightly. He also has something else in the works I have yet to uncover.
Beware of the Drakkar avatars of the dragon emperors. Every hidden dragon cult on Paldegora has come out of two thousand years of hiding in dark holes and is reforming its formidable military forces. War is coming. They will all be hunting you, especially the dragon Cult of Styxltrix. They are ahead of the others and already on your trail.
One final word of caution.
I despise these Sahn scumbags. They are everywhere. Currently, they are forming a new leadership and consolidating their positions. They also have hired an assassin team to find you. It's hard to determine how deep they and the necromancers are in this together. I would suspect they have different aims.
Finally, another matter a bit closer to home.
Theo's best friend's name was Mott. Theo convinced me to hire him around a year ago. He was one of these phony Cult of Ahn clerics. Mott was my prison bookkeeper. He was helpful and very good with the numbers, I will admit. Mott has discovered you killed Theo from a Draconian leader they partnered with. He is now out for revenge. Be warned! He is a psychopathic murderer and extremely dangerous.
It is easy to see that it is in everyone's interest to work together to preserve the status quo and deny these groups their plans for domination. I believe this can be best accomplished by assisting you for now. It's just good business.
Sincerely Benjamin Blackmoor
PS Shea asked to send Cassandra her love. PPS I will not forget the favor I owe you.
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They all sat quiet and pondered what they had just heard. The server returned and handed out the food and drink. Symon thought that at least Blackmoor had identified himself as a smuggler but he still doubts his character since he did have that boy killed. He also remembered that Cassandra had said he was Barron Beckmole. Symon asked Eryn if she could get messages back to him. She told him that she couldn't now, since these guys left. She may be able to should she run into others of the group. Eryn pointed out that she began to feel that Blackmoor was the leader of the Broke Lance Mob. If that's true, he has Lieutenants; Theo was one of them. They tend to get promoted by killing the person above them and taking their place. They all have their own agenda as well.
Eryn also pointed out that even though she was in disguise, they still recognized her. The guild also knew exactly where they were. Symon agreed that the disguises didn't seem to be doing them much good. They sat around and discussed some more about what they had learned. Ater an hour or two, a couple of soldiers came into the tavern and spotted them. They came over and asked to join them. They bought them another round of drink as they asked them if they'd come down from the north. Eryn said, “Yes!”.
The main soldier looked at Xor and then told them that they were looking for this group of murders and assassins from up north. They say that there is this barbarian with them. The other guard cut him off and said, “Yeah, they say he is like an ogre and like blood thirsty and chops people to pieces just for the fun of it.”. Since he was a barbarian, they wondered if he might know who this guy was. “We don't know anything about him except his name.”, the guard told him. He fumbled around for a piece of paper and opened it, reading off of it, the name Xor. He stumbled over the pronunciation of it trying various forms. Xor answered, “No!”.
The soldiers added that they were a bad bunch. They had this red witch, demon woman. They got this deadly necromancer with them and some assassin that just cuts people down without them even knowing it. There are a couple of others. They are just all bloody killers and stuff. There is a warrant out for them. They were wondering if they'd run into them, seen them or heard anything. Xor said, “No! Must not be part of my tribe cause I don't recall that name.”. Eryn said, “We'll definitely try to avoid them, they sound like a group we don't want to be around!”.
The soldiers added that the rumor was that they were coming this way. Symon asked, “Where was the last place they saw them?”. The guards didn't know, that's why they were asking them. Symon said, “There was this guy named Roger up in Stonebridge. He was a real asshole. Xor added, “Yeah, it could be that group!”. The guards asked about who that was. Symon reiterated, “Roger! He had this group of dudes that were bullying the towns people of Stonebridge. We didn't stay there long!”. The soldier, looking at his paper replied, “No, there is no Roger in the group!
There's an Angelique, a Symon, there's the barbarian of course, someone named Cassandra with them. Have you ever heard of those names.”. Xor answered, “Nope!”. The soldier answered, “Oh well, too bad. I guess that's good news for us. There not down this way.”. Xor said, “They could have been further north than where we came from!”. Symon said, “Looks like an ogre you say!”. The soldier replied, “That's what they say! Mean, and gets himself covered in blood killing people.”. Symon responded, “Wow, who did they kill? Just random people or?”. The soldier handed him the wanted poster to look at.
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WANTED
This Royal Warrant is hereby issued for the arrest of:
Angelique Blazecaller - Female human, age 22, red hair, green eyes, reported Priestess.
Caleldor Eryndir - Half Elf, age 22, brown hair, grey eyes, ranger and dual sword user.
Eryn Nial - Female Half-Elf, age 100, blonde hair, blue eyes, reported thief & assassin.
Symon Sayezz - Human Mage, age 23, brown hair, brown eyes reported Mage.
X'or Frostedge - Human Barbarian, age?
Known Associate: Cassandra Greene - Human Female, age 23.
For heinous crimes against the Realm of Paldegora, including theft, murder, fraud, and conspiracy to overthrow the governments of Paldegora. These dangerous individuals of the adventuring company known as Company Clandestine, are sought for their involvement in the endangerment of the peoples of Paldegora and plotting, aiding, and abetting the usurpation of power from the Grand Council of Spires.
A bounty of 100,000 gold pieces is offered for their live capture and delivery to SilverSpire authorities for formal charges, hearings and trial.
Issued by the roll call vote and authority of the Grand Council of Spires: 8 Yea, 5 Nay, 2 Abstain, 4 Absent
So Ordered: Lord Aldric Valoris of Valdernost, SilverSpire
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After looking at the poster, Shia/Eryn said, “They sound like a really rough group.”. Rincewind/Symon asked, “So you are going up north to build some garrisons?”. The soldiers said, “Yeah, we're supposed to scout around up there. They are looking to build an outpost and keep some soldiers there, just to protect our realm. That kind of thing hasn't been necessary but with everything going on, they are strengthening outpost in different places. Hopefully there won't be any kind of invasion or war up here but you never know! We heard rumors that there was a lot of trouble up north, so I think our commander is wanting to put a couple of squads up there.”.
Rincewind/Symon asked, “So as far as south, Munville and Three Points, is there any trouble down that way?”. The soldier told him, “No, just a bunch of people going hither and tither. They're trying to keep people calm, like what you did today. That was great! We're not here to do that. There are none of our soldiers in Munville. We're just trying to see how logistics would work, if they can put something on the border or do we need to do it here. That's what we are assessing.”. Rincewind/Symon added, “I have to admit, it's been kind of weird.”. The soldiers agreed. “And then you've got this bunch of murderers out there to. That doesn't really help things.”.
It got late and the soldiers thanked them again and bought them one more round and called it a night. The names started changing on the desktop software. Xor's alias is going to be Throlf. Angelique already has the alias of Francesca. Cal is going by Clark Kent. Symon will be known as Rincewind. Eryn will be known as Shia, and Cassandra will be known as Rebecca. Clark/Cal pointed at the part of the wanted poster describing him and then pointed at his throat. Everyone picked up on what he was indicating, that it didn't say anything about him being mute. That was a good thing. Rincewind/Symon suggested that he fight one handed for a while “Especially when you are in front of witnesses.”, he said. Rincewind also said he would keep down the display's of magic for a while.
He also pointed out that they don't have a good cover story for why they are traveling. It was suggested that we travel as historians. Rincewind, Francesca, Shia, and Rebecca would be the general historian, religious historian, Elven historian, and maybe an administrative assistant. Throlf and Clark would act as security. Maybe the story is that they were headed up north to research the ancient lore around the region of Coldspire only to find that a lot of weird stuff was going on up north. They decided to backed out and are now headed to Port-Ahn. They then asked the barkeep about getting a room for the night. It was a single room and it was a tight fit. Clark slept against the door for security.
The next morning they woke and had breakfast. Rincewind asked the barkeep about what merchants they had in town. He was specifically looking for an herbalist or alchemist and maybe a general store. The barkeep told him he thought there was a new guy moving in that was opening a business that might be just what he is looking for. He came into town yesterday and was unloading his stuff. He didn't know his name. Clark and Rincewind headed out of the tavern. The soldiers they had talked to the day before were mounting their horses to leave. They gave a quick wave and began moving out.
They heard some yelling going on ahead of them and a little north. Moving that way, they spotted a wagon with three people. An older man, a younger man and a young woman. The young man was unloading boxes and taking them into the building. The older man had something that looked like a small dragon standing on his shoulder. The older man was grumbling something at the younger man. He was telling him to hurry up. He wanted to get this done. Rincewind guessed that they were partners. The young woman spoke to the older man and called him dad. The younger man was named Bernard. They learned the young lady was named Sylvania Grizznel and the old mane was Dr. Silas Grizznel.
Rincewind approached and gave them a polite, “Well met!”. Silas grumbled at him immediately saying, “Let me save us both some time. The answer is no! If you are selling something, I don't want any. No, I don't get involved in or adventure anymore. I'm retired. No, I don't give advice or magical lessons anymore. And no, whatever I do know, I just keep to myself now. Thank you! If it falls under any of those categories, I'll just say good-day to you.”. Silvania called her father out and told him not to be rude. She asked them to forgive him and introduced them all. Rincewind spotted the sign on the side of the wagon that said, “Grizznel's Alchemy”. Rincewind told her that he was curious what sort of business they were opening here and judging by the sign on the wagon, he'd guessed he knew.
Silvania was dressed as a warrior and was a half-elf. Rincewind asked about purchasing some bitumen. Silas asked if Rincewind even knew what bitumen was for. Rincewind said he would use it as an incense. Silas belittled him as he taslked about training people and dealing with people that had no clue what magic was about. He told him that if he needed it as a spell component, just say what you need. He told him that he was retiring here and that he was done with all of this. Done with the idiots that don't understand magic or the first thing about it. Francesca asked if he had pearls and owl feathers for spell components. He had plenty of those things. Silvania apologized to Rincewind for her fathers abruptness.
Silas got the pearls and the bitumen and the owl feathers. They worked out the prices. Rincewind asked about a strip of leather as well. Angelique added Tallow and Sulfer to her order. Silas looked around and though the others weren't close by, he was able to deduce a group of adventurers readily enough. He asked them if that was the case. Francesca tried to sell the historian angle but Silas just laughed it off. He said, “I know adventurers when I see them. It's okay, your secret is safe with me, I don't care! I don't do that anymore. I've had enough. People were trying to kill me everywhere I'd go.”. Silvania said, “Well maybe if you were nicer to people, they wouldn't try to kill you dad.”.
Rincewind asked, “What happened to you to make you so, did you just retire, I mean you look to be in a good state of health?”. Silas answered, “Let me see, I got thrown off a bridge, I fell off a griffin, some of my spells went whacky and I burned up half a town and you know, trying to relay the information on magic. I used to be a teacher to all of the mush headed idiots that don't have a clue as to what it's about and how it works, I'm just done with it.”. Rincewind asked about a little jar of spiders. He didn't have those, but might have some later once his shop is settled.
They talked more about his fall from the bridge being 1,000 feet or so. When Rincewind asked how he survived such a fall, Silas simply replied, “Magic!”. They talked more about magic and eventually about the change in magic that has come about recently. Silas stated that he specialized in elemental magic. People just don't understand it at all. It's not complicated. He told Rincewind that the magic in this universe is the same as the one he came from. It is the same across all of the multiverse. What these idiots don't realize is, that it's the same for the Dragons too. The Dragons are special. They have something that focuses and enhances it. Other than that, they are no different than any of us.
Rincewind appeared to be processing what he had just been told. Silas assumed that he didn't understand that. Rincewind told him he was quite young and eager to learn from those like Silas, with his vast knowledge and experience. Silas tried to clear it up. He told him that the dragons have an ability to channel the flow of magic and increase it. They have some sort of gland. Other than that, the magic is constant. It flows and ebbs and changes across all the multiverse. The same is true here. “I tried to teach that and share that with my colleges but they're all a bunch of idiots so I quite trying.”, he said.
Rincewind asked Silas how the Dragon on his shoulder was taking all of this. Silas said that she was fine. She was not a Dragon. Her name was Zoekoo. He added, “She is smarter than all of us!”. That's when they learned that she was a Pseudo Dragon. A kind of fairy or fae Dragon. When asked about magic items or alchemy merchants, Silas didn't know any, he had no need for them. When asked if he had any magic items for sale, he replied that he had no items but he might have some potions. He assumed that secret adventurers like them might have use for such things. Rincewind suggested the term Research Analyst. Angelique offered a scroll in trade for some potions. It was a Protection from Good spell. Silas thought that was interesting and offered 4 potions of Extra Healing.
Silas asked Bernard if he was done unloading the wagon. He was. Then he offered to sell them his wagon and horses. They bought the whole thing for 500 gold pieces. Shia, Rebecca, Francesca, Throlf, and Clark all combined gold and handed it to him. They talked about the signage on the side of the wagon but eventually just removed it. They parted ways and the group took their new wagon back to the center of town. Rincewind asked Throlf to find some tiny spiders for him and put them in a jar he provided. Throlf went off to find them for him. They purchased some supplies to feed and care for the horses.
Shia and Rebecca picked up some material that they could use to alter the interior of the wagon and build in a hidden compartment or two. The world was looking for six people, if one or two hid, then they weren't six people. A simple but hopefully effective trick to throw off any bounty hunters that they might run into. They also pulled together some parchment paper and a book or two that they could have out so they looked like they were research books and notes. They would right some notes about the Gods and such as they went on down the road. Shia had a detail history book that she'd found in the Temple of Sahn. She added it to the books. They would also journal some of their trip up north and some about Roger and how they had to leave Stonebridge.
It was decided that Throlf would be the driver of the wagon. Clark would likely walk beside of, or around the wagon. They finally loaded up and started south out of town. As they were getting close to the southern most boundary of the town, they saw a horse, moving very slowly coming in to town. It was very sweaty with dried foam around it's mouth and on it's neck. There was a broken bridle hanging off of it. The horse appeared to be completely worn out. Clark took the horse to the center of town. The horse was able to drink from a trough. Shia caught up to Clark and the horse and asked if anyone knew who the horse belonged to. No one seemed to know anything about it. Someone offered to buy it but Shia told them it wasn't theirs to sell. It had just wondered into town like this. She took it over to the people that had the supplies they bought for their horses, they didn't recognize it. Shia asked if they could look after it. Maybe someone will show up looking for it. They returned to the wagon and started south again.
They travelled at a decent pace and spotted some storm clouds in the distance. They travelled until it started to get dark and then they found a place to camp. They turned in and set up a watch and after eating. Shia took the first watch. She walked around the camp carefully checking the horses and making sure everything stayed quiet. She saw flashes in the distance that looked like a storm southwest of them. Her watch passed without event. She woke Clark Kent and then turned in. Clark Kent circled the perimeter of the camp. The aurora seemed to be less bright tonight. He felt it would likely only last another couple of nights. He saw signs of the storm approaching to but it was still some ways off. He woke Rebecca and then turned in. She carefully patrolled the area around the camp. Nothing happened on her watch either.
The morning came and they set out again. They travelled for a bit but around 9:00 in the morning, they came upon a scene of wrecked wagons and debris. Clark snuck up and checked out the scene. There were three peasant wagons and all of them damaged. He turned his attention to the sky, concerned about a possible Sluagh attack. He saw nothing. There was much debris scattered about. They were in an intersection where the road continued south but there was a deer path that split off north east. He looked up there and saw nothing. As he got closer to the first wagon, it looked like something had smashed it. He saw no sword cuts or arrows though. There was one dead horse.
Shia notched an arrow. Clark followed the scene to the wagon west of him. It looked odd in that it looked like things had gotten thrown out and were kind of scattered. He stopped when he spotted a little girls doll in the road. Clark drew both swords. The third wagon looked like it had been hit as well. He looked at areas where ambushes might come from. He didn't see anything. Throlf started down into the area. Clark finally determined that the main cart had rolled several times after being hit. Looking in the wagon, everything was jumbled but it didn't look like it had been searched. There were scratches and some damage to the wagon but he couldn't tell what caused it to roll and end up here.
Throlf checked under the wagons to make sure the wagon wasn't resting on anyone. He found nothing. He checking the bushes but didn't find anything. While Clark was examining the scene, he found some tracks leading off to the north east. Their were footprints from a child or two. There were other footprints made by adult people. There were some other marks that he was unfamiliar with. What ever they were, they were big. Clark got Throlf to look at the tracks but he didn't recognize them either. Those tracks were gouges and marks of varying sizes. Everything went off and up the deer path north east. Clark followed those tracks. He noticed that clouds were moving in and a gentle sprinkle had started to fall.
The rest of the group climbed down from the wagon and moved it off the road. They started following Clark at a distance, keeping him in sight but trying not to interfere with his ability to sneak around in the woods. They followed the tracks, adults and children and these weird tracks. The human tracks would sometimes disappear and then return later. Clark also noticed that whatever went through here was obviously large but had not damaged the surrounding branches, trees, or plants. That struck him as very odd. The gaps in the footprints of different people may have been them being picked up and carried for a while and then put back down. As they moved down the path, Clark looked up in the canopy but saw nothing unusual. He wasn't spotting anything with his infravision.
Rincewind stepped slightly off the path that the others had taken and suddenly the ground beneath him disappeared. He fell into a pit trap. There was a thorny plant inside that gouged and scratched him. He took some damage but worse than that, he started feeling really bad. Rebecca moved to the edge and pulled out a rope and dropped it down to him. She told him to wrap the rope around himself so they could pull him out. Meanwhile the thorns are still sticking him. Once he got it wrapped around him, Rebecca threw the rope to Shia who had already passed the trap so she could pull him out on the other side. Shia pulled him up.
As-soon-as he was out of the trap and laying on the ground, Rincewind said, “Hey guys! Trap!”. Francesca used a dose of Keoghtoms ointment, applying it to the places where he was stuck. It seemed to draw out the poisons as well as heal him and he felt much better. Taking a moment to look back at the trap, Rincewind noticed that there was no brush or ground cover over the trap. It must have been illusion magic that hid the trap. Shia caught up to Throlf to let him know about the traps and Throlf let Clark know. As the others began to move again, Rincewind asked if Francesca had a Detect Magic spell readied. She did. He suggested casting it and using it to spot the traps. She cast the spell and they started moving forward. It wasn't long before another trap showed up in their path. Clark, Throlf, and Shia had already passed it without falling in.
Francesca moved up closer to Clark so she could spot traps for him. They continued up the trail and she found other traps. Clark followed the tracks. The trail started to open up some as the woods became less dense. They continued to move forward when suddenly from the ground, lurched a monstrous spider. Francesca said, “Nope!”, as she backed away at the site of it. Clark was facing a Trap Door Spider. The spider bit him and then grabbed him. The way it grappled him gave him no way to hit back. It began to drag him back into his hole.
This is where the session ended. At 1:00pm on Naaday on the 25th of Nordas, Year of the Black Dragon, 2365.
Please, start the recorder!
Exp: 0 + 0 = 0