Moon Dog And Outside The Stockade (Session 60)

Summary

The detail was so short, no summary was needed.

Detail

As the party approached, the road narrowed, and they spotted a small gate garrison manned by soldiers bearing the insignia of Turrosh Mak. The guards appeared undisciplined, lounging around, smoking, and chatting. They took occasional drags, glanced down the road, and resumed their conversations. Despite their lax demeanor, they faced the road, not entirely careless. The party observed from a distance. Pyreece quickly stowed anything that might indicate her allegiance to Seluné, ensuring no suspicious symbols were visible. The party reviewed their cover story: they were guards summoned to Sudderham, carrying forged papers signed by Sturm Bucholts, ordering them to report and pass the blockade.

Audra took the lead, presenting the papers to the grizzled guard who stepped forward. He scrutinized the documents, noting Sturm Bucholts’ name. He mentioned that Bucholts had died five days ago, killed by invaders at a facility. The guard eyed the party suspiciously, remarking that they matched the description of a group causing trouble, particularly mentioning a halfling or goblin. Audra deflected, insisting their orders were legitimate, and after some hesitation, the guard relented, allowing them to pass.

The party continued up the hilly, switchback-laden terrain, visibility limited. They traveled for hours, stopping around noon for a quick snack in the rugged mountains. As evening approached, they heard a faint, echoing baying sound, directionless in the mountains. By nightfall, they'd set up camp on high ground behind a ledge. The baying persisted intermittently, growing louder during Kipp’s watch. He stayed alert, backing toward Brandy’s sleeping spot to rouse her if needed. Hours later, Kipp spotted a limping dog with a festering wound on its rear leg staggering toward the camp.

Kipp quietly woke Brandy, pointing to the creature. The dog spoke, gasping, “Help me. Much trouble coming. The hounds of death are near.” It collapsed, tales of evil dog-like creatures flashing through their minds. The baying intensified, surrounding them, then abruptly stopped, leaving only the sound of crickets and the fire. The party awoke, weapons ready. From the darkness emerged two-headed death dogs and larger, fire-breathing hellhounds, their intent hostile.

Combat erupted. Elenor cast a slow spell, affecting more than a few death dogs, while Audra landed a critical hit on a hellhound, dealing significant damage. Pyreece took a hit, sustaining eight points of damage. Brandy fired arrows. Pyreece and Audra were both with hit Hellhound breath weapon, there rings of fire resistance mitigating some of the damage. Kipp struck with precision, felling a hellhound. The fight was grueling, with the party trading blows, casting spells, and enduring bites. Elenor’s mirror image spell created duplicates, confusing the dogs. Audra healed Kipp with a Goodberry after he'd fallen. After a fierce struggle, the party defeated all of the dogs, though not without injuries.

As the dust settled, the wounded dog stirred, sitting on its haunches. It introduced itself as Tristan, a moon dog from Elysium, radiating power despite its battered state. Tristan explained he had pursued a vampire, Lyssa von Zarovich, from a misty plane to this area, believing her weakened. Instead, he was ambushed in her lair in Kaylen Lincos, drained by her vampiric power, and chased by her devil dogs. Tristan apologized for leading the hounds to the party, thanking them for their aid. It revealed Lyssa resided in a dark, misty fortress in Kaylen Lincos’ hills, warning of its evil. Tristan offered a boon: if the party faced Lyssa, it would join them. Unable to remain, it needed to return to Elysium to heal. Before departing, it promised to sense their confrontation with Lyssa and assist.

The party rested, with Brandy taking first watch. The night passed uneventfully, and Pyreece healed the wounded in the morning. They continued toward Sudderham, discussing whether to prioritize it or Kalen Lekos. They opted to focus on the stockades, hoping to find their kidnapped allies. Kipp scouted for ambushes, eyes peeled for traps. The day was quiet, and they camped again in the Drakensgrab hills. During Brandy’s watch, distant howling—not the previous baying—suggested a ceremony or hunting party, but it faded by 3 a.m. Audra’s watch was uneventful, and the party awoke refreshed.

The next day’s travel was cloudy but incident-free. As darkness fell, they camped again, far from any water body. During Kipp’s watch, he spotted a figure, crawling and slinking into the camp near Pyreece. He told the creature to stop and back away. It fled! After calling out to the others, Kipp gave chase and tackled it, pinning a ragged man wielding a sock with a rock. The man, too weak to resist, was bound and brought to camp. He revealed his name as Jon and admitted to escaping a nearby slaver stockade. He had hidden after a caravan delivered him, slipping out via a rope from a second-story window. Jon described the stockade’s defenses, mentioning tall hairy goblins and a snuffling creature guarding the walls. He confirmed the stockade was a day’s travel in their direction, offering to guide them.

The party equipped Jon with a longbow and arrows, feeding him and learning he was a farmer captured near Highport. They rested, and the next day, Jon led them to a vantage point overlooking the stockade. From a cliff, they saw a 35-foot-high stone fortress with a raised drawbridge, a dry moat, and a crude rope hanging from a window. Oglesby scouted ahead, using his boots to move silently in the shadows. He confirmed movement on the walls and the rope’s presence, reporting back to the party. They devised a plan: Pyreece would cast a silence spell on a rock to mask their approach, and Kipp would climb first, securing a second rope for safety. The party prepared to infiltrate the stockade, aiming to rescue the enslaved and confront the slavers within.

This is where the session ended.

Please start the recorder.

Exp: 1453 + 145 = 1598