Therendor 10th - 18th, 998 Y.K.
The group decide on the company name of "Crimson Fist" and have put a deposit down on an old metal-smith's house in Oakbridge, realising that Anvil's workshop in the cogs is not really suitable for all of them to live together.
After loading up with several casks of ale and bottles of wine the group are ready to go.
It is expected that the Journey will take 9 days. The wagon is empty and drawn by 2 horses so it is light enough to travel 30 miles/day.
The roads are in good condition and travel is easy for the first few days.
The road moves west, away from the coast towards the King’s Forest, and as the heights of Sharn fade into the distance you see fewer and fewer people with each passing mile. Farmland stretches away to the south-east and the road gently ambles through the low hills of the region.
The Zilspar Road is wide and well kept, obviously as the main trade route to Zilargo it has to be.
The occasional inn or Wayhouse sits by the roadside serving freshly caught game and farm produce. Most have a smithy for repairs and can sell trail rations and other travelling goods.
Day 1 – 3. (10th - 12th Therendor)
Wet and rainy, grey skies.
Easy travel. Occasional merchant passing. No untoward activity.
Kapek and Ajax head out regularly to catch food and collect edible plants. They do remarkably well, returning with small game and even a young deer.
Night 3
A heavy mist rolls in from the south as night falls. (vision is reduced to 120 ft.)
1 a.m.
The sound of loud buzzing off in the distance can be heard to the north. The alarm is raised but the sound stops shortly after. Everyone goes back to sleep leaving Anvil and Kapek on watch.
4.15 a.m.
The sounds of hushed whispers in the dark and the occasional sound of footfall emanate from within the fog. Anvil hears these and once more raises the alarm. They keep a check on their borders and Kapek hears voices in Draconic, "I think they are aware of us, lets head back". Kapek steers his Clawfoot in the direction of the voice, he can vaguely make out a humanoid shape dragging a heavy tail, he throws a boomerang but the combination of the darkness and the fog make it difficult for him to hit. The creature, now aware of Kapek's presence bolts for the forest. The group on high alert awaken Chalit and urge him to sleep under the cart for safety, offering him extra blankets to keep the chill air off him. The rest of the group remain awake for fear of assault in the night.
6 a.m.
The sky begin to lighten slightly, a slight chill fills the air. The camp is damp from the night's mist, covering everything in heavy dew. The sound of loud buzzing once more begins in the north, this time it gets louder and louder until the buzzing becomes a roar. Keeping out of view in the fog above the camp they do not reveal themselves to the group.
As they watch, the company see specks of light falling through the fog above them and with a smash of ceramic Kapek's tent erupts in a ball of flame, them a moment late the same happens to Ajax's tent. They return fire blindly shooting at the sounds in the fog.
The final flask is dropped from the sky and can be seen to be heading for the cart, this is where chalit and Katerina are taking refuge. Loric with the fear that he will lose all his ale and wine (oh, and for the well-being of his employer and his friend) performs a truly spectacular leap and catches the flask before it strikes the cart, he quickly removes the burning wick rendering the flask inert, before offering it to Anvil to study.
With a final gesture Anvil summons a celestial owl from a wand and sets it upon the assailants. The buzzing sound retreats back into the woods to the north.
The group feel it is time to move on and so they pack up camp and after a hasty breakfast they move out.
Day 4
Another foggy day.
Travel is easy and uneventful.
Day 5
The fog clears as the day progresses. Once more travel is easy.
3 p.m.
You pass a sign post by the roadside that states “Gullsnest – 154 miles” with an arrow pointing down a not so well kept road heading south.
4 p.m.
A single column of black smoke rises from the road ahead – it is estimated that it is about 10 miles (just over 2 hours) away. This smoke gradually peters out within half an hour.
6 p.m.
Levin’s Gorge Bridge.
Ahead you see the land drop into a shallow valley, the road crosses a bridge over a deep gorge at the lowest point. The sun is getting low in the sky behind you and the evening is air is growing chill once more.
The sounds of someone screaming for help on the other side of the gorge can be heard and a light plume of smoke rises from behind a copse of trees.
From the road behind them, out of the setting sun the sound of buzzing can be heard and two specks can be seen in the distance flying low to the ground.
The bridge crossing the river has 2 foot high walls to each side and is made of stone. It is 15 feet wide and 30 feet long.
The gorge is 40 feet deep with steep rocky sides. At the bottom is a fast flowing beck, swollen with the waters from the spring rains.
As the situation is being surveyed they decide it is best to take the wagon into a nearby copse of trees to keep it out of sight, and they also take refuge there as the specks grow in the sky and reveal themselves to be lizard-men riding giant wasps.
After the group have taken a few pot-shots at the incoming wasp-riders they finally approach, one of the riders seriously injuring Lorric with his lance. Meanwhile the rear of the group is attacked by 2 foot-soldiers that were hiding in the same woods that the group decided to hide in, after several serious injuries, and some particularly good wand strikes, the group finally kill their assailants. Ajax, still filled with ferocity charges to the bridge, looking to help those in distress that were heard on the other side, Kapek follows to help when things invariably go wrong.
The rest of the group move the cart back out onto the road and proceed to the bridge where Kapek has convinced Ajax that it would be best to wait. Within moments a magical fog rises from the ground around the bridge making it almost impossible to see. Whilst Lorric and Katerina reamin with the cart, Ajax, Anvil and Kapek move forward to face whatever may be ahead of them in the fog. Just over half-way across they meet a pair of lizard-men who have sneaked into the fog from nearby undergrowth.
As battle commences, Lorric and Katerina make out another wasp-rider moving towards the bridge from the south and they watch as a lizard-man shaman teases the plants in the area into life, within moments the bridge and the cart are writhing with grasping plant life trying to grab hold of anyone who moves.
The two foot-soldiers are quickly despatched and their bodies have not even hit the floor when the front-line can hear Katerina yelling, "Troll!!!".
As Anvil and Ajax move in to do battle with the forest troll, the Shaman calls lightning down into the fog cloud, unfortunately for him the first strike hits the troll, and combined with Anvil's liberal use of his wand of shocking grasp the pair make short work of the troll.
Meanwhile, the third wasp rider barrles into the cloud, happening across Kapek the lizard-man rider takes the opportunity to bull-rush the diminuative rider off the bridge and into the water, just as Ajax turn and kills the wasp mount, thus having the lizard-man closely follow Kapek into the fast flowing icy waters.
With a sharp eye, Lorric spots the halfling fall and hurriedly fashions a make-shift lasso and in short order the halfling is hoisted to safety as the lizard-man rider is washed away. The shaman casts and obscuring mist and makes a hasty retreat, the ambush is defeated.
The party head to investigate the caravans and the smouldering fire.
Behind the copse of trees are four ambushed wagons. The corpses of the merchants and their entourages lie in a smouldering heap, it is apparent that they have been partially eaten, as have their horses.
The wagons bear House Orien detailing and have been looted. Most of their more mundane goods have been spilled onto the ground around them, however a pile of items has been set aside.
Kapek scouts the area and finds no tracks other than those left by the lizard-men and troll, and of course those left by the wagons as they were brought off the road.
Meanwhile, Lorric collects what goods are salvagable and to the bemoaning of Chalit, complaining that the extra weight will slow them down, he loads the mundane goods onto the wagon.
The rest of the journey is uneventful, save for the occasional Merchant caravan travelling from Zilspar.
Day 8
Rains spoils the day but travel is relatively easy.
By midday you reach a simple sign the points to a track leading north it reads “Turvin 10 miles”.
The rain only stops briefly allowing you a glimpse of the small keep on the hill that is surrounded by the town of Zilspar far in the distance.
Farms become apparent through the rain and wild landscape makes way for cultivated fields being worked by labourers off in the distance. Lightly wooded areas dot the landscape and as you approach you pass several inns by the roadside.
Day 9
As the sun begins to fall behind you, lights blink into life in the town ahead, with a last push the horses are spurred into a lively trot and within the hour you find yourselves passing the House Deneith outpost denoting the entry to Zilspar. The cobbled streets are slick with rain and are all but empty. Smells of home-cooking fill your nostrils, Chalit seems to know where he is going and before long you find yourselves outside an inn called “The Nymph and Unicorn” at the foot of the hill that is overlooked by the sturdy walls of Zilspar Keep.
Chalit offers to pay for the group to stay here for the night, explaining that he has to head to the Temple of Kol Korran to pay his respects before he retires for the night.
He tells them that they have performed their duty impeccably and pays them their 9 gold each.
Lorric returns the goods he salvaged to House Orien's depot in the town, with many thanks.
