The carriage driver leads the way into a large stone ceremonial hall. Inside, the party sees a large chair sitting on an elevated platform. Before anyone has a chance to stop him, Wet Wizard saunters directly up the stairs leading to the chair and sits down on it. He puts his hands down on the arms of the chair and looks over the room. "What are you doing in my chair?" A tall lord stares down the dragonborn encroaching on the intruder. The driver clears his throat, causing the dragonborn to step down and join the rest of the party before introducing the lord as the King. He takes the package, opening it slowly and after inspecting its contents, hands it to Artimus and directs him to leave through a secret door. "I am grateful for your effort in bringing this to me. I will make sure you are fairly compensated for your time. However, I also have heard from my sources in Brass Wood that you are the cause for the changes I have had to make to my plans for that town." "Frederick never told us that you were in control of the lord and his manor..." Ignoring the interruption he continues, "Similar to Brass Wood, I have thieves and spies hidden all throughout the country but there is a particular lord that has been causing me trouble. I have tried to have him killed several times but he has fled to eastern border of Broajan. He is staying in a human stronghold in the dwarvish territory. If you can solve this problem for me, all will be forgiven." "And if we refuse?" asks Wet Wizard. "I will have you executed." "But you are not royalty, are you? Who are you exactly and what gives you the authority to be judge, jury and executioner?" "I am the King of Night. I am the head of a secret global organization and it is the influence that we hold that would give me that power. Do you accept my terms?" The party looks at one another silently and all nod in agreement. "These rings will help identify you as friends to any members of our organization. The driver will give you the rest of the details for your mission at the tavern in which you have been staying and Atticus Rantier will report on your progress as well as accompany you on your mission. Now get out of my house." Another human noble steps out of the shadows and comes up to the driver, greeting one another like old friends. "Great. Another rogue to join the party," remarks Wet Wizard in disgust.
The party discusses their plans as they are driven back to the tavern and find a small chest of gold in their room. They divvy up the payment and discuss their various needs and weapons they would require to accomplish their mission. They all decide to head to a nearby apothecary and to the blacksmith shop they met before. When they arrive at the apothecary, they replenish their stocks of health potions and as they talk to the chemists, they about many other herbs and poisons. "It is not legal to sell those kinds of elixirs so do not ask," the chemists warn. "We are simply looking for antidotes so we can heal any one that we might find in our adventures that may have been attacked by a poisonous beast. We are not looking for anything deadly but only potions that would cause disorientation or paralysis." One of the shopkeepers motions him closer, "We do have some potions that you might be interested in. I would be happy to trade." They exchange some money and the assassin is able to purchase 5 vials of basilik venom and 5 vials of boggle venom.
As they move on, they find a huntsmen and blacksmith. The monk heads to the blacksmith and starts looking among the apprentices and sees the man he had fought the night before. "Where are my gauntlets boy?" he growls. The young man seeing the half-orc towering above him makes a small yelp and before running away replies, "I will go find them in the back! I made sure to make the adjustments just as you requested." As quickly as he disappeared, he came scampering back with the gauntlets in hand. Thokk inspects his purchase, noting the improved craftsmanship and the strong adamantium metal. His companions are a few shops away. As Thokk finds his party, he sees the tiefling trying on a pair of fingerless leather gloves as he grips his boomerang, "Much better. No damage whatsoever!" he remarks as he stabs his weapon into a wooden wall. Nearby, their new companion Atticus and Wet Wizard are haggling with the huntsman. They again replenish their ammunition and then suddenly the huntsman goes back into the storage area and returns with two crossbows. "The cost for these crossbows will be quite large. Magical weapons are hard to come by. I will be selling the only ones I have left in stock." "What are their magical properties?" "They both fire magical bolts. One produces magical fire damage and the other produces cold damage," replies the merchant. "We will purchase them both," says Atticus. The party takes their new acquisitions back to the tavern as they wait for the driver to arrive. Once the carriage pulls in front, the group piles in and within the hour the driver has passed through the front gates of Shurdrax on his way to Broajan. The driver presses on both through the day and through the night. The forest grows thinner as they near the dwarven lands. The mountains rise up out of the earth and the plant life changes from full leafy trees to tall strong pines the deeper they go.
As the next day begins to end, the carriage slows. The driver knocks on the roof and says, "Where do you want me to leave you? We are close to the stronghold. Do you want to be left at their front gate or a little ways away in the forest?" "We want some distance so we can scout out the area and find our best approach." "That is wise. I will pick you up here as well. When do you want me to return?" "Give us two days time and we will find you here." "Very well," replies the driver as the party leaves the carriage gathering their supplies. The party makes their way through the forest until they near a small clearing. In the center, they can see the lord's stronghold. It has tall strong walls of timber and ramparts and towers atop the perimeter walls. There are a few guards patrolling and watching from above. Karr walks forward, "I will go and see what we are up against. Do not leave. I will back." With that, the druid changes into an owl and flies off into the night. The druid is gone for hours as the rogues stealthfully patrol the woods looking for different ways to enter into the building. Then as quietly as he left, the druid returns with a rat in its mouth. As he changes back into his original form, he does his best to calm the rat in his hands whispering into its ears. "What did you find?" "Not much," replies the druid. "There are a few patrols on top of the walls so you will have to approach with stealth or find some other way inside." "Well that's not a lot of new information. We were able to spot a small grate on the outside wall. It doesn't seem well guarded but it looks like it's still a way in." Before Wet Wizard and Shireling can go investigate the grate from the shadows, there is a call from the towers of the stronghold, "Who goes there? What business do you have here?"
Atticus walks out of the trees and approaches the walls, "Oh merciful and honorable lords, I am a noble and these men are part of my household. We were traveling in the woods when our carriage was attacked. We fought off the raiding party but we need assistance. Can your house provide us shelter and food?" "How many of you are there?" "It is myself Atticus Rantier and my four associates." "I can only see three. Where is the fourth?" "He must of have gotten lost in the woods. Spare us some torches and we will go search for him." The guards leave for a moment and then there is a creaking sound as the front gate opens just wide enough for a single man to walk through. A guard approaches and gives the party a few torches. "We will be back shortly. Can you go get your lord for us? We would like to request him to extend his hospitality to our party." "I can tell you already that I just returned from him now and he will allow you to sleep outside of the walls with some tents that I will fetch for you but no one will be permitted to sleep inside the stronghold." "This is outrageous! I am a nobleman! I must be received and be given audience with your lord," replies Atticus. The soldier is taken slightly aback and Atticus continues to walk right through the front gate. The soldier looks at the rest of party and then back at this stranger walking into the stronghold, back at his party and then goes running after Atticus. "Let's go find Karr real quick," murmurs Thokk.
They reach the edge of the woods and find their druid friend trying to comfort his new pet rat. Apparently during the yelling over the ramparts, it had scurried out of his bag and fled back to the wood but he had found it once again (or at least it appeared to be the same rodent). "Well what happened? Where is Atticus?" "He walked inside after trying to talk his way out of getting us all captured. Apparently we are his entourage lost in the woods after being set upon by a small raiding party." "So he is inside! Why are you here? Let's go follow him!" The monk sighs and looks at his keg, "I need to be more drunk to do this..." The party reaches the walls as they can hear Atticus talking with a few guards inside the walls.
He soon is escorted outside to meet the rest of the group. "Now what happened?" "I was allowed to go to the restroom. I saw the main hall and noticed a few guards here and there but the servant went up the hall and ran up some stairs. I think the lord is there. They aren't going to budge on the sleeping outside thing," as he shows the tents he is now carrying. A soldier comes to the gate to shut the door as Thokk quickly approaches and puts his hand on it keeping it open for a moment. "We have been on a long journey. Is there any way we can be given some whiskey or ale? With the events from the raid, it has been a long day and we need to calm our nerves," he stares intimidatingly down at the small human. The half-orc is sobering up and the human can hear the danger in his voice and clearly calculating that the immediate benefits would outweigh the costs of complying with the request he disappears to fetch a small keg. He gets back as Atticus finishes reporting on his findings, "The guards also said that the grate is a poor place to set up camp as it is a drain for the kitchen and attracts animals due to the smell. The only other things I noticed was that this lord appears to be wealthy but I didn't notice anything of actual value in the entry hall - nothing but poor looking tapestries and old rusting suits of armor - there was a candlestick or two and some china farther in near the dining hall that looked like they could be scalped for a few pieces of coin. This must be simply an outpost or the valuables are farther inside," he says as he rubs his hands together. They set up their tents and even make a small fire. The soldier comes back with the half-orc's keg of fire whiskey. He drops the barrel on the edge of the circle, clearing his throat and then runs back inside and closing the front gate so quickly that bangs open ever so slightly.
The dragonborn, tiefling and half-orc grab the barrel and start to pour themselves drinks. The druid and human get a small glass. They stay seated by the fire as the the dragonborn and tiefling start walking away announcing their presence loudly and appearing to be drunk too as they make their way around the front wall. The half-orc not wanting to miss any action leaves his two colleagues by the fire and follows after leaking whiskey as he walks all in front of the front gate. At first the draining looks completely unintentional until Thokk passes the door and proceeds to take the container and shake it all over, soaking the door before continuing around the corner. He finds them sitting with their backs on the grate and motion him over. As he arrives, they motion him to start making some noise as the dragonborn steps away from the grate and turns facing it as he takes off his cloak. He clears his throat and takes a deep breath and then leans forward to target the grate as he breathes acid all over the iron grate drenching it and making it melt. He takes his claws and begins to wipe off the melted iron clearing out an open hole large enough for one person to climb through at a time. The tiefling and orc are amazed because they hadn't seen dragonbreath performed before but quickly, Shireling's look of surprise turns into a mischievous smirk as he carefully begins to crawl down the pipe into the stronghold, "The noble is too prim and perfect to come this way; he will have to think his own way inside." Wet Wizard dons his cloak again and begins to follow the tiefling inside. Shireling's comment had reminded Thokk of his own plan. He starts to walk back to their little camp reaching into his pocket and finding a small tinderbox. He starts lighting small pieces of tinder and throwing them haphazardly in all directions, catching his trail of whiskey on fire. He starts heading out the forest continuing to use the alcohol and fire to cause as much havoc as he can.
When the small group had first slipped past the corner of the front gate out of sight, Karr and Atticus stand up and head back to the open gate. They both hide in the shadows next to the door, "Do you feel wet?" asks Atticus confusingly. They shake their hands that have been covered by the fire whiskey that has drenched the front door. They slowly sneak inside through the opening and hide up against the wall as they hear clanking metal approaching. It is at this time that they hear guards come running past as they head up to the ramparts. "Something must be happening," Karr whispers as they begin to feel heat from the door edge closer to them. Thokk has at this point lit the entire forest and front walls on fire. The stone doesn't burn but the large wooden door does. With no way out, the pair continue onward heading to the second set of doors out of the entry hall. Atticus is halfway there when from behind him he hears Karr cry out and as he does he hear his voice change into a growl as he turns to watch him turn into a large bear. He sees from behind him a large suit of armor with blade drawn reaching up above its head to strike him again, "I really do hate magic so much," as he turns and fires an icy bolt from his enchanted crossbow striking and slowing the creature.
Some creaking and ruffled movement is heard in the center of the kitchen floor as the tiefling rogue opens the grate and climbs out of the drain hole. He looks quickly around the room and seeing light coming from under the nearby doorway, slides across the floor under a table. He takes some basilik venom and wipes it across a dagger preparing himself for any hostilities he could encounter. As he leans up against the table legs he feels almost like a furry cushion and a small growl. The kitchen dog looks back at him as the assassin instinctively strikes with his blade. Stabbing it once, the poor hound bays out in pain and then bites its attacker in the shoulder causing him to bleed. A voice from outside the door yells for the dog to be quiet before Shireling strikes again, this time silencing the animal for good with a small yelp. The voice is joined by a more urgent one in the distance, this is followed by the footsteps rushing away. Wet Wizard climbs out of the hole and sees his injured companion and the dead animal. He smiles at his companion's misfortune and says, "Pass it to me. I can leave it in the hole so Thokk can cook it later. If you survive, maybe you can have some." The rogue gives him a death stare and shakes his head towards the door as the two quietly move across the room after disposing of the body. The reach the door and listen inside not hearing any sounds any more except for a flickering of a fire. They silently open the door and peer into the room. It is large open room with tapestries and the like and across the way there are two doors. One leading back to the main part of the stronghold and in another direction. They begin to head to the second door but it is slightly opened. They look inside and hear what the wizard recognizes as the chanting of spells and incantations in what appears to be some kind of ritual. There is a man on his knees praying with his back to the door. Shireling looks at Wet Wizard as he draws his crossbow causing his colleague to mimic his actions. They both take a small breath and exhale as they take aim through the narrow gap. The air makes a small whistling sound as two bolts cut through the room diving deep into the man's back killing him instantly and knocking his body prone. From inside the room, they hear the chant stop moments later and two more voices and they see one priest coming running up to his friend's corpse and another acolyte stand up in clear view both now looking at the cracked yet open doorway.
The dire predicament in the front hall has not gotten better as the fire rages on and Thokk returning to the gate door can hear swords against plate metal inside. He kicks it open and runs inside to find Atticus and the bear that he recognizes as Karr in mortal combat with two animated suits of armor. Swords strike the armor and metal fists are thrown as the two are beaten back. Thokk comes running towards them and Atticus seeing his friend charging to their rescue turns to try to work on unlocking the door that has had them trapped. The bear crunches down on the helm of one of the magical creatures causing it to scream before shuddering and having it fall apart into pieces on the ground. The bleeding animal seeing the orc running its way also turns and starts to charge the door that Atticus is desperately working on. He turns to see the beast coming his direction and rolls out of danger as it slams into the large locked doors. He can hear the lock break as the door cracks in different places from the impact but does not open. "Damn it," he exclaims as he walks up to the disoriented animal looking at the lock. They turn and face the sole suit of armor remaining and Atticus fires another frozen bolt into the eye slits of its helm. It continues to fight Thokk and in desperation he wraps it around the middle, lifting it off the ground and falls backward, causing the helm of the animated armor to hit the ground first and snap off as it would have if the head of a soldier had been broken from its spine from the unnatural impact of landing head first into the stone floor. Atticus strolls up and retrieves his bolts from the creatures as Thokk staggers to his feet. "Can you help us with the door?" asks the noble. Thokk sighs and then after a brief moment nods as he readies himself and goes charging at the door. "That is not what I meant..." This time the door breaks open as the orc barrels through it collapsing on the ground. "But that will work I guess."
As Shireling and Wet Wizard reload their crossbows, the tiefling face lights up and gets the dragonborn's attention as he steps back into the shadows, dropping his crossbow and drawing his rapier. Wet Wizard steps forward and pushes the door open to see an acolyte and priest coming to the doorway. The priest draws his weapon and comes charging toward the killer as the acolyte makes a quick motion and speaks an enchantment. Wet Wizard is a mage and his mind is strong enough to deflect the magic but the other attacker strikes true with his dagger. Out of the shadows, darts a blade quickly stabbing the unsuspecting priest in the neck. His throat pours blood as he leans on the dragonborn until he falls unconsciously to the ground. "Now charm him," whispers the tiefling. Wet Wizard focuses all his arcane power and with his complete control moves his claws through the air as if it was water until he swiftly pulls them together and clenches his fists in a single motion. "You're mine," he calls out. The acolyte stops standing in his pose readied for another enchantment and dusts his shoulders off and stands perfectly tall and begins to walk forward calmly. The dragonborn draws a dagger ready to assassinate his newly created pawn but the tiefling calls out after looting the dead priest's body, "Don't kill him yet. He will have information that we could use first." Shireling takes a small pair of rings that are connected to a chain and bracelet from the priest's hand and puts them on his own wrist and then starts looking through its cloak for a coin purse. An evil look crawls across the wizard's face of excitement as he pulls his spellbook from his bag and puts his arm around the acolyte, "You are going to tell me everything you know and I mean everything..." They sit down next to the alter at which they were praying beforehand and the acolyte begins to outline the stronghold as the assassin drags the dead body back into the small room and closes the door behind them.
Thokk, Karr and Atticus hustle down a small hallway and pass a few small doors as Atticus says, "Those are the bathrooms. We should find a place to regroup. Where did the other two go?" They see a short hallway with stairs leading upwards and another door off to their right. He points in that direction and just as they reach the doors, Thokk sees them open and an acolyte appears. He quickly reacts and tackles him to the ground and before smashing his face into a pulp the tiefling reappears underneath the orc with hands over his face, "It's me you idiot! Get off me! Where did you go?" The orc confused stands up and pulls his friend to his feet. Realizing it was in fact Shireling gives him a hug and turns to tell his companions of what he found. "I was using the rune ring I found on the captain. It allows me to, in this case, waste a minor illusion spell. Wet Wizard charged it for me. We are back here. Follow me but quietly." The party once again reunited returns to the alter room and close the door. They see the wizard with the acolyte on the ground writing spells into his spellbook. "Did you get any more new information out of him?" asks Shireling. "Nothing you didn't already hear. I am busy learning spells. You tell them." As Shireling recounts the floor plans of the stronghold and magical rune traps that have been placed on the stairways to the second floor and on the doors themselves, Thokk begins to circle the alter. Uninterested in details, he studies this religious symbol and looks round until he sees the body of one of the dead priests. He pulls it near and starts chopping it into pieces. He begins to desecrate the holy sanctum with the blood and body of its disciples. The candles flicker and a small ghostly breeze swirls in the room. The party begins to watch him as the orc continues like an artist that only works in red and then he stops studies his work and kneels down to begin offering a prayer up to the Drunken Lord of Brawling.
"My Lord, we have defeated these fanatics of Pelor, desecrated their unholy alter, and now I ask that you give me power to not just defeat my enemies but to be imbued with your strength. I do this only to please you and so I can become your avatar and prophet here in this land." From the darkness comes a voice. "I am pleased." Thokk is startled and rises to his feet. "I will not give you this power. You are not strong enough to possess it. Build me a religion and I will help you in your path as my prophet and in time I might grant you what you seek." The candles return to their natural glow as Thokk looks around the room gleefully looking from companion to companion not really noticing their shocked expressions but looking for approval. "What in holy hell was that?" Karr says.
It is then that Shireling hears again the sound of approaching metal footsteps. He stands up and touches his ring. A shimmer passes across his body as he transforms into one of the acolytes. He clears his throat grabbing his party's attention and then motions for silence as he walks to the door of the sanctum and slips outside. As he closes the door, a small patrol of guards jog over to his position, "Have you seen them? There are intruders in the stronghold!" Shireling turns closing the door behind him and looks up into the face of his enemies.
The Blacksmith's Blight: Session 5 - THE PACKAGE
Well that was just super. Remind me to let you negotiate everything for us next time," said Xanaphina. "Seriously just shut up," said Shireling "It was a lot of pressure in the moment plus the best way to figure out what someone wants is to spring the trap." The party was being escorted to the Lord's manor. There was no other way out of the barracks. The only way to survive was to surrender. Of course the halfling was completely gone. No one knew where he disappeared to. Probably off spending his gold somewhere. He mentioned something about an elephant but whoever knows what that is. Still, as they approached the manor surrounded by about a dozen guards they were greeted by some kind of herald. He and the main guard spoke a few moments as the party stood in the front room scoping out their surroundings. A few different doors leading to different places, a window or two and some tapestries hanging from the walls. The herald beckoned to the group to follow him and they pressed forward through two large double doors into a large and long meeting hall.
There were columns heading up a carpeted path to a raised seating area where a fat old man that was balding was sitting. Next to him was a tall cloaked figure and again many guards in the room. The party approached again noting the windows behind the lord and a few doors to either side. The herald bowed and left the room. The lord sat there and watched the party as they nervously stood waiting. This continued for a few minutes that felt like hours. Finally the lord motioned with his hand and said, "Are you going to tell me what happened at the barracks or will I have to have my advisor cast a spell on you to loosen your tongues? Why are you all covered in blood? Who are you? Where is my captain and his guards?"
"My lord, we are simple adventurers who were reporting to the captain of the guard about a recent mishap. As we were in conversation, there was breakout in the cells and when the fighting arose, the captain was unfortunately killed. We were fighting for our lives and luckily survived. Some of us are wounded but a few people died. It was tragic and we are here to ask for your assistance in helping us leave the town and be on our way." "That is an excellent tale my tiefling friend however Brass Wood is small so I know who are in my cells and what were their crimes and it appears you have one of those individuals with you. Since you are obviously not telling the whole truth I have to ask my guards to leave us while my adviser and I interrogate you thoroughly." He motions for the guards to leave and they march quickly from the room.
As the party prepares themselves, the Lord stands up and he and the hooded figure shuffle slowly down the stairs and he chuckles as he says, "The captain of the guard is dead... That is very interesting." From a side wall, a secret door opens and Frederick walks in almost on command, surprising the party and confusing them. "Is this the group that you gave the information to?" "Yes, it is. I am surprised they got caught so quickly after dealing with my goblin problem. I am not sure you want to use them to be honest," replies Frederick. "Well the captain of the guard was always sniffing around and he wasn't a weak fellow so they saved me the trouble of killing him myself so they will have to do," says the lord as he stops a few paces short of the bewildered group. He waves his hand across his face and a shimmer flows over his body as his personage changes to show a tiefling with arms crossed and a small pseudodragon on his shoulder.
"Wait. What just happened? Are you the lord? What is going on?" responds the party. "The lord has been dealt with and you have taken care of another one of my problems but that's all you need to know. Since clearly you killed the captain I will have to imprison you however I will reward you with a choice. I will tell the townsfolk that you have been executed for killing the captain and the blacksmith. The choice is this: Be imprisoned forever in isolation so no one knows of my lie or accompany my adviser to Shurdrax to deliver a package for me. What say you?" Quick glances are exchanged and a few heads nod in agreement. "Will you give us supplies and our weapons returned to us?" "Of course." "How about transport?" "No, you will be escorted discretely out of town and that will be it." "I am not going," says the elf. "I won't be a pawn and I didn't even get any real reward from this last endeavor. I will stay in your dungeon unless you can find some other use for me." The rest of the party is dumbfounded but before they can protest, the druid and wizard readily accept the offer in unison. Frederick calls out to them to follow him and they are lead down to the cells through the secret passage. Once reaching the dungeon, he takes Xanaphina off on her own after locking the party into a large open room. Moments later he comes back and says, "Be ready later tonight," and leaves. Everyone pans out and finds a comfortable spot in the cell and begins to make bedrolls and take off their bloodied armor.
As the party is about to go to sleep, an unseen door in the wall begins to creek open and the hooded figure reappears. He extends his hands revealing the party's weapons and puts a finger up and makes a shushing sound. Everyone prepares to leave and Karr kicks Thokk to rouse him to his feet. They make their way through darkened passages and begin talking amongst themselves. The druid introduces himself as Karr and explains his friend who was imprisoned at the barracks and that the bear transformation was part of being part of the Order of the Moon. The dragonborn is only interested in talking with Thokk in draconic and later the orc relays that his name is Wet Wizard. It was probably not his name but a poor translation for something else however the wizard does speak common and didn't correct Thokk so the name sticks. He had been arrested but not convicted for breaking into the apothecary's shop. Far ahead they see Frederick standing by a small gate. He hands the hooded figure a small engraven wooden box and says, "Artimus, keep this safe. Remember to deliver it to King in 5 days time in Shurdrax. He trusts you. Stay safe and try not to spend too much time on the roads. You're wanted in Brass Wood so please don't come back unless you are disguised." He waves them farewell and they start down the trail into the woods.
The road is dusty and long and the group is tired. As they progress farther they find a nice place to set up camp a day's journey from the town. They found a small stream and wash up. Hunt some game and prepare a meal. Everyone has begun to settle in but there is still suspicion surrounding the hooded figure. Karr can sense magic surrounding and emanating from him. Karr and Shireling discuss near the fire their interest in exploring the package he carries and who or what he is.
The next day as they are walking, Shireling decides to start up a conversation with the new adventurer, "So I heard Frederick call you Artemis. That is a name typical of elves and wizards. Where are you from?" "None of your concern. I just need an escort to help me with protecting the package," he replies in a deep gruff voice. "Well it would be easier to protect if we didn't have to carry it out in the open. You could always have Karr keep it safe for you," motioning to his open bag. "It is safest on my person but I am grateful for your concern," responding sarcastically. "All on the same team here..." replies Shireling as he tries to use his tail to lift the cloak of his comrade from behind him. "Hello there travelers!!" Shireling's tail straightens as he is surprised by the sudden shout. The party had wandered into a traveling merchant.
There is a small caravan of carKts with a small little man at the front. He introduces himself as the leader of the party. "You appear to be coming from Brass Wood. I hope you are well equipped! The woods are always dangerous in this season." "We have the weapons that we need. Do you have any health potions, armor or ammunition to sell?" "I do indeed." He begins searching the carts and a worker comes forward with a small trolley full of supplies. Money and goods are exchanged. "One more thing. I hate to inquire about these items for a man that is traveling because I feel they may be somewhat rare." "No issues here friend, I have all SORTS of items to sell. What are you looking for exactly." "I am unusually cautious and I worry for myself and my comrades in the woods. Do you have a disguise kit so we can help our hooded figure to seem less ominous and perhaps a poisoner's kit so I can prepare our weapons in case of an attack?" "Those are hard to come by but I do have one of each. They will cost you though." Thokk approaches, "Do you have any fire whiskey? We will trade information and some gold for the kits and the whiskey." "What information do you have to offer someone like myself?" "The old blacksmith has left town and one of our friends replaced him. If you are looking to have a connection in the community you just have to mention my name, Thokk, and she will help you." "Connections are excellent! Would there be anyone else that would help as well." "No. No one in connection to us. The tavern owner seems amiable but please mention our name to no one else," emphasizes Shireling. "Interesting. Well I will sell these to you for the standard price. You information has limited value so I appreciate it but that will be all. Is there anything else?" "No. Thank you and safe travels." "You as well." The party reassesses their armor and continues onward toward the town only a day or two away.
The following afternoon they are continuing down the path when Karr motions them to be silent and approaching stealthfully. As they approach his position they notice a few yards down the path there is a large bear-like creature sleeping in the middle of the road. They can see its body moving as it lay on the earth breathing heavily. "Oh it's cute and furry! We should pet it!" says Arty uncharacteristically. Shireling jumps up onto his back to grapple and silence him. Arty dodges slightly and Shireling gives him a death stare. "You don't want to wake it. We don't even know what it is. It could be a trap!" And this is when out of the shadows of a nearby bush, another large bugbear appears right over Thokk's shoulder.
The large creature surprises the monk and attacks him with incredible power using its morningstar. Before the party can react, it swings a second time again hitting Thokk, knocking him prone but not unconscious. At this point, the party springs into action. Karr changes into bear mode, Shireling circles behind the enemy preparing to strike, but the other two party members do the most unusual things. Wet Wizard decides to watch. He moves slightly out of sight of either creature, sits down and casts disguise self, turning himself into a rock. He clearly isn't too worried though because if anyone listened hard enough you could hear him whistling a small tune and could envision him twiddling his thumbs. Artimus however moves his hands in some kind of conjuration motion and directly in front of the attacker another bear appears. It is large, furry but the reason it catches the bugbears attention is that it is bright pink. This illusion distracts the bugbear long enough that the rest of the party are able to revive Thokk while Shireling takes aim with his boomerang. He throws the weapon and it soars across the wooded clearing landing in the bugbear's upper thigh, cutting veins as it flew across. The creature is squirting blood out in all directions from its leg and groin. As it crumples to the earth dead, the group turn to find the other bugbear has vanished. It appears from out of the trees above them landing on the party. Karr and the bugbear battle one another exchanging blows. As his health drops low enough, Karr resumes his human form, yelling out, "I need fire! Someone cast something on fire!" Thokk pulls his keg out and takes two quick swigs, swallowing the first and then blowing the rest at the bugbear. He pulls out a light and throws it at the wet creature. As the creature catches flame, it screams out in pain and quickly begins to pat it out. Karr focuses his mind on the animal's morningstar and the heat from the fire goes out as it transfers from the bear to the metallic weapon. It is so hot that it burns the creatures hand, dropping it instantly. Realizing he is surrounded, it reaches down again to pick it up and swing it at its now attackers preparing to back away but the heat from the metal is so hot and it is so exhausted and bloody from battle that it falls fainting and burning from the heat. The party reassesses their situation and looks over their wounds. Thokk continues to drink, regaining some of his vigor and strength as they inspect the brush and woods around the path.
This battle was a trap set by the bugbear raiding party. The pair had obviously done it many times before to unwary travelers. So as the party licked their wounds and tried to recover, the tiefling begins to look for their tracks. Artimus offers Thokk some candy to help him feel better and they are able to get Wet Wizard to turn back into his normal appearance. "It is getting late. We need to set up camp. Should we keep on going and find a secluded spot in the forest?" explains Karr. "I think we should find the lair for these bugbears. They probably live in a cave nearby and they will have shelter and loot from their attacks. It is highly unlikely that any creatures that know they live there will avoid it and we will be safe for the night," replies Shireling. Too tired to really care, Karr agrees and turns into an ox. The rest of the party help the wounded Thokk onto Karr's back and the party begins to track the bugbears trail back to their home. Before arriving at the cave, they can smell it from a little way off. It stinks of rotting and burnt flesh and fecal matter. Artimus refuses to go inside. He has been acting unusual for his size, as he had been picking flowers along the way and feeds them to the ox. Suddenly Karr resumes his normal form and begins coughing and then is crushed under the weight of the half-orc on top of him. "What were those flowers?" Arty looks more closely at them and replies, "Oh! I thought they were something else. These appear to be slightly poisonous. My mistake! I will go find some more." "What???" Thokk gets up and follows Shireling into the cave. They begin to explore its contents more extensively.
They find a small cooking area with rotting flesh nearby. The possessions of the murdered travelers is in a pile by a fire and some of the things are covered by other carcasses of animals the bugbears had killed. Wet Wizard performs another spell generating a broom and begins to sweep out the cave, cleaning it for places to sleep and eat. Thokk rummages through the dead finding animals that would be salvageable if cooked properly for food. He also finds some coin purses and starts sifting through them discovering gold. Shireling recognizes the glitter of the treasure and joins him saying, "If we find anything we should share it with the rest of the party. We are too weak right now to fight over something so small." Karr hears the conversation and also joins in looting the purses. They find a relatively good size of gold and start to split it up when Shireling opens his last bag and finds a peculiar amulet. He quickly pockets it so he can investigate it more thoroughly later.
Arty returns and Wet Wizard finish cleaning the cave and they all split the booty they have found. Artimus again offers candy to all the party members and after Karr was poisoned, only Thokk and Wet Wizard decide to take a piece. They finish eating and finish setting up camp and their bedrolls. Thokk, Wet Wizard, and Artimus are the first ones to fall fast asleep. After waiting a short time to make sure they are out, Shireling sits up and Karr still upset from earlier follows him. The tiefling motions to the bag near Artimus. He carefully pulls it open and with practiced hands steals the package away from its protector. He and Karr move out of the cave into the moonlight to better inspect the item. Karr looks over the markings on the box and makes some incantations, studying it for any magical properties. "There is a trap on the container. It needs a key to open otherwise a defensive spell will shoot us with a firebolt if we open it." Shireling motions him to be quiet and takes the box back inside and stows it back into the bag. He returns empty handed to discuss it further with the druid.
"He is acting really odd. We still don't know what HE is." Karr responds, "I know what you mean. Plus I am only just now having the poison run through my system. We should try and get someone to open the box tomorrow. We can't charm them otherwise the damage will break the spell so we have to convince them to do it willingly." "It would be more fun if they were charmed though. Do you want to charm Thokk?" Laughs and replies, "I'd rather not have him angry at me and I don't think he would care what's in the box anyways." "Patience it is then."
The party wakes in the morning and makes their way back to the road and finish their journey to the city. As they approach Shurdrax, the size of it dwarfs Brass Wood many times over. The gate into it is large and a wall surrounds the entire city. Before they enter the town, Shireling decides to disguise himself using his disguise kit. Not many people trust tieflings so it is better to have a less conspicuous appearance. He does his best work but because he is still new to the craft and didn't have the best sleep in a bugbear lair, his attempts to look like a half-elf were spotty at best. As they approach, the guards question them about where are they coming from, why are they here, that sort of thing. They give the ugliest elf they have ever seen a sideways glance but the dragonborn is able to get them to focus. Wet Wizard lies through his teeth and they quickly make it through the gate but not before getting information on where they could find several shops and a good tavern to stay at inside Shurdrax.
The party decides to split up. Wet Wizard heads directly to the tavern to await the contact for the box, procure some lodgings and drink away the afternoon. The rest of the party proceeds to the apothecary to find some health potions. Once they have refilled their stock, Thokk and Artimus get bored and head off to the blacksmith. Thokk needs some work done on his gauntlets. He is looking to upgrade the metal and damage that they do and afterwards he and Arty were going to go look for a fight club. Shireling and Karr continue to explore the apothecary finding different herbs and mixtures for remedies and antidotes as well as components to make various poisons. Once completed they discuss how they want to spend the rest of the afternoon and they decide it would take too much work to find out what is in the package so they head to a library to search for various pieces of rare knowledge that might help them in their quest.
"You with the wheelbarrow! Where can I find a fight club in this city?" the half-orc demands after cornering a poor merchant. The man is clearly terrified after being surrounded by this beast and his tall hooded companion. He gives them the information they need and he runs away crashing his cart once or twice. "It's so hard to get good directions nowadays." They struggle for a while longer until they are able to locate the fight club. Artimus and Thokk talk about their plan. Arty is going to figure out how the gambling pools work and Thokk is going to either enter one of the fights or simply start one - which ever is easier. As the orc watches the fighters he sees them disarm themselves and enter the ring. This is bare knuckle fighting focusing on a combination of both technique and strength. Thokk adds his name to the lists and waits for his turn in the ring. When his name is announced, he sees another fighter, a young human in the opposite corner. He is young and fit, moves like a boxer, quick and agile. Thokk feels like this will be another short win. From behind him he hears Artimus calling out the odds and collecting money. As they step to the center of the ring, the young man raises a hand and motions to Thokk's hands, "You need to make this a fair fight. You have to leave those behind," speaking to the half-orc's gauntlets. "Even without these I would have to leave more behind to make it a fair fight," mutters the drunken monk. "I will take a trophy from you when I win," he warns the man as he hands his gauntlets off to a small boy and returns to the center of the ring. They each take their fighting stances and after taking a deep breath, they both move in unison. The young man is extremely quick, dodging a blow and coming in to clock the orc across the face. Thokk spits blood to the side and turns and smiles. This wasn't going to be fun. They continue to exchange blows back and forth, the young man doing his best to stay out of reach. Thokk takes hit after hit and Artimus getting nervous about losing his bets, makes a small incantation and a small mist begins to rise from the floor of the ring. Thokk reaches forward and grabs the shoulder of his disoriented opponent, pulling him in close and headbutts the fighter. Dazed, the young man staggers back and Thokk swings with a haymaker knocking the young man both prone and unconscious. As the mist clears, the crowd makes an audible cry for foul play as the orc stands over in triumph and looks down respectfully before reaching down with his large hand into the unconscious man's mouth, pulling out a tooth. Artimus comes running into the ring with a fistful of coin purses high above his head.
On the other side of Shurdrax, Karr and Shireling approach a tall marble building. As they push open the solid stone door, the pair see a large open room with a single individual at a desk far away. The two approach talking quietly as the dragonborn librarian looks up from his books and speaking in draconic, "How can I help you fine gentlemen?" Karr responds, "Well my friend and I are looking for books that outline the following subjects: druidcraft, herbalism..." "Remember to find out about magical items and poisons," whispers the tiefling. "And anything about enchanting items with magic as well as poisonous creatures and plants in the region." "We have various scrolls from scholars that have written extensively on their years of observations and experiments." "If you can write down the areas here that we can find that information, we would both be extremely grateful." Once the librarian finishes the note, he hands it down to the druid and asks in Common, "In order to be permitted into the library, all I need is your names to record into our entry log. What are your names?" "My name is Karunungan." The tiefling quickly responds, "I am Saeros Turgon." The scholar waits and looks at the rogue in disbelief. After several moments, he eventually concedes, "It's Shireling." They are brought back and led to several stacks of books. They are able to identify many different species of poisonous plants and herbs that will help with both curing different diseases and conditions. There are diagrams of how to use the plants to create both poisons and antidotes. Druidcraft however is briefly mentioned and it explains that it is typically passed down from pupil to pupil.
"Karr! Can you read this?" Shireling looks all over for his friend. Unable to read the elvish script, the tiefling continues to try to read the scroll he found. Two words he recognized from the scroll were weapon and magic. He tries to find anything else in the scroll that he can read but when he is so unsuccessful he looks back at the beginning of the scholar notes and finds a few items that give him hope. The name of the scholar appears to be Theta Oakshade from Heletha Woods. Karr finds Shireling and he inspects the scroll. He is able to ascertain from the writings the process from which enchanted items are crafted. He explains that in order to create a magical item, the craftsman must have the magical and technical skills to build it along with the necessary physical components of both the metal and relics. The pair begin to scour maps and charts to find the location of the forest within a far away elvish nation. The longer they study, the more they find out about how elves and dwarves are expert craftsmen and the various kinds of magical items that have been made throughout time. Within a hour or two, the pair have digested as much information as they could retain and leave the library to head to the tavern to create a plan with the rest of their party.
As the sun rose and the group gathered to discuss the night before, there came a knock at their door. "Do you have the package?" The party readies their weapons as Arty cracks the door so a rogue can enter the room slowly. "I am the driver. Do you have the package from Brass Wood, Artimus?" The wooden engraven box is presented to the visitor. He asks, "Did you open it?" Karr responds, "We only did what was asked. We brought it here and awaited for your arrival." "Good. If you had opened it, you would have had a nasty surprise." Shireling and the druid look to each other nodding slightly remembering the firebolt charm that was placed on the box. "If you are all here, the King is ready for you. I will have the carriage out in front of the tavern." The party begins to discuss their next move as their hooded companion heads to the door. They all concede to follow the rogue's instructions. The carriage begins moving through the Shurdrax but instead of heading to the castle at the center of the city, it heads to a manor on the outskirts of town. The carriage comes to a standstill and Karr asks aloud, "What kind of king is this?"
There were columns heading up a carpeted path to a raised seating area where a fat old man that was balding was sitting. Next to him was a tall cloaked figure and again many guards in the room. The party approached again noting the windows behind the lord and a few doors to either side. The herald bowed and left the room. The lord sat there and watched the party as they nervously stood waiting. This continued for a few minutes that felt like hours. Finally the lord motioned with his hand and said, "Are you going to tell me what happened at the barracks or will I have to have my advisor cast a spell on you to loosen your tongues? Why are you all covered in blood? Who are you? Where is my captain and his guards?"
"My lord, we are simple adventurers who were reporting to the captain of the guard about a recent mishap. As we were in conversation, there was breakout in the cells and when the fighting arose, the captain was unfortunately killed. We were fighting for our lives and luckily survived. Some of us are wounded but a few people died. It was tragic and we are here to ask for your assistance in helping us leave the town and be on our way." "That is an excellent tale my tiefling friend however Brass Wood is small so I know who are in my cells and what were their crimes and it appears you have one of those individuals with you. Since you are obviously not telling the whole truth I have to ask my guards to leave us while my adviser and I interrogate you thoroughly." He motions for the guards to leave and they march quickly from the room.
As the party prepares themselves, the Lord stands up and he and the hooded figure shuffle slowly down the stairs and he chuckles as he says, "The captain of the guard is dead... That is very interesting." From a side wall, a secret door opens and Frederick walks in almost on command, surprising the party and confusing them. "Is this the group that you gave the information to?" "Yes, it is. I am surprised they got caught so quickly after dealing with my goblin problem. I am not sure you want to use them to be honest," replies Frederick. "Well the captain of the guard was always sniffing around and he wasn't a weak fellow so they saved me the trouble of killing him myself so they will have to do," says the lord as he stops a few paces short of the bewildered group. He waves his hand across his face and a shimmer flows over his body as his personage changes to show a tiefling with arms crossed and a small pseudodragon on his shoulder.
"Wait. What just happened? Are you the lord? What is going on?" responds the party. "The lord has been dealt with and you have taken care of another one of my problems but that's all you need to know. Since clearly you killed the captain I will have to imprison you however I will reward you with a choice. I will tell the townsfolk that you have been executed for killing the captain and the blacksmith. The choice is this: Be imprisoned forever in isolation so no one knows of my lie or accompany my adviser to Shurdrax to deliver a package for me. What say you?" Quick glances are exchanged and a few heads nod in agreement. "Will you give us supplies and our weapons returned to us?" "Of course." "How about transport?" "No, you will be escorted discretely out of town and that will be it." "I am not going," says the elf. "I won't be a pawn and I didn't even get any real reward from this last endeavor. I will stay in your dungeon unless you can find some other use for me." The rest of the party is dumbfounded but before they can protest, the druid and wizard readily accept the offer in unison. Frederick calls out to them to follow him and they are lead down to the cells through the secret passage. Once reaching the dungeon, he takes Xanaphina off on her own after locking the party into a large open room. Moments later he comes back and says, "Be ready later tonight," and leaves. Everyone pans out and finds a comfortable spot in the cell and begins to make bedrolls and take off their bloodied armor.
As the party is about to go to sleep, an unseen door in the wall begins to creek open and the hooded figure reappears. He extends his hands revealing the party's weapons and puts a finger up and makes a shushing sound. Everyone prepares to leave and Karr kicks Thokk to rouse him to his feet. They make their way through darkened passages and begin talking amongst themselves. The druid introduces himself as Karr and explains his friend who was imprisoned at the barracks and that the bear transformation was part of being part of the Order of the Moon. The dragonborn is only interested in talking with Thokk in draconic and later the orc relays that his name is Wet Wizard. It was probably not his name but a poor translation for something else however the wizard does speak common and didn't correct Thokk so the name sticks. He had been arrested but not convicted for breaking into the apothecary's shop. Far ahead they see Frederick standing by a small gate. He hands the hooded figure a small engraven wooden box and says, "Artimus, keep this safe. Remember to deliver it to King in 5 days time in Shurdrax. He trusts you. Stay safe and try not to spend too much time on the roads. You're wanted in Brass Wood so please don't come back unless you are disguised." He waves them farewell and they start down the trail into the woods.
The road is dusty and long and the group is tired. As they progress farther they find a nice place to set up camp a day's journey from the town. They found a small stream and wash up. Hunt some game and prepare a meal. Everyone has begun to settle in but there is still suspicion surrounding the hooded figure. Karr can sense magic surrounding and emanating from him. Karr and Shireling discuss near the fire their interest in exploring the package he carries and who or what he is.
The next day as they are walking, Shireling decides to start up a conversation with the new adventurer, "So I heard Frederick call you Artemis. That is a name typical of elves and wizards. Where are you from?" "None of your concern. I just need an escort to help me with protecting the package," he replies in a deep gruff voice. "Well it would be easier to protect if we didn't have to carry it out in the open. You could always have Karr keep it safe for you," motioning to his open bag. "It is safest on my person but I am grateful for your concern," responding sarcastically. "All on the same team here..." replies Shireling as he tries to use his tail to lift the cloak of his comrade from behind him. "Hello there travelers!!" Shireling's tail straightens as he is surprised by the sudden shout. The party had wandered into a traveling merchant.
There is a small caravan of carKts with a small little man at the front. He introduces himself as the leader of the party. "You appear to be coming from Brass Wood. I hope you are well equipped! The woods are always dangerous in this season." "We have the weapons that we need. Do you have any health potions, armor or ammunition to sell?" "I do indeed." He begins searching the carts and a worker comes forward with a small trolley full of supplies. Money and goods are exchanged. "One more thing. I hate to inquire about these items for a man that is traveling because I feel they may be somewhat rare." "No issues here friend, I have all SORTS of items to sell. What are you looking for exactly." "I am unusually cautious and I worry for myself and my comrades in the woods. Do you have a disguise kit so we can help our hooded figure to seem less ominous and perhaps a poisoner's kit so I can prepare our weapons in case of an attack?" "Those are hard to come by but I do have one of each. They will cost you though." Thokk approaches, "Do you have any fire whiskey? We will trade information and some gold for the kits and the whiskey." "What information do you have to offer someone like myself?" "The old blacksmith has left town and one of our friends replaced him. If you are looking to have a connection in the community you just have to mention my name, Thokk, and she will help you." "Connections are excellent! Would there be anyone else that would help as well." "No. No one in connection to us. The tavern owner seems amiable but please mention our name to no one else," emphasizes Shireling. "Interesting. Well I will sell these to you for the standard price. You information has limited value so I appreciate it but that will be all. Is there anything else?" "No. Thank you and safe travels." "You as well." The party reassesses their armor and continues onward toward the town only a day or two away.
The following afternoon they are continuing down the path when Karr motions them to be silent and approaching stealthfully. As they approach his position they notice a few yards down the path there is a large bear-like creature sleeping in the middle of the road. They can see its body moving as it lay on the earth breathing heavily. "Oh it's cute and furry! We should pet it!" says Arty uncharacteristically. Shireling jumps up onto his back to grapple and silence him. Arty dodges slightly and Shireling gives him a death stare. "You don't want to wake it. We don't even know what it is. It could be a trap!" And this is when out of the shadows of a nearby bush, another large bugbear appears right over Thokk's shoulder.
The large creature surprises the monk and attacks him with incredible power using its morningstar. Before the party can react, it swings a second time again hitting Thokk, knocking him prone but not unconscious. At this point, the party springs into action. Karr changes into bear mode, Shireling circles behind the enemy preparing to strike, but the other two party members do the most unusual things. Wet Wizard decides to watch. He moves slightly out of sight of either creature, sits down and casts disguise self, turning himself into a rock. He clearly isn't too worried though because if anyone listened hard enough you could hear him whistling a small tune and could envision him twiddling his thumbs. Artimus however moves his hands in some kind of conjuration motion and directly in front of the attacker another bear appears. It is large, furry but the reason it catches the bugbears attention is that it is bright pink. This illusion distracts the bugbear long enough that the rest of the party are able to revive Thokk while Shireling takes aim with his boomerang. He throws the weapon and it soars across the wooded clearing landing in the bugbear's upper thigh, cutting veins as it flew across. The creature is squirting blood out in all directions from its leg and groin. As it crumples to the earth dead, the group turn to find the other bugbear has vanished. It appears from out of the trees above them landing on the party. Karr and the bugbear battle one another exchanging blows. As his health drops low enough, Karr resumes his human form, yelling out, "I need fire! Someone cast something on fire!" Thokk pulls his keg out and takes two quick swigs, swallowing the first and then blowing the rest at the bugbear. He pulls out a light and throws it at the wet creature. As the creature catches flame, it screams out in pain and quickly begins to pat it out. Karr focuses his mind on the animal's morningstar and the heat from the fire goes out as it transfers from the bear to the metallic weapon. It is so hot that it burns the creatures hand, dropping it instantly. Realizing he is surrounded, it reaches down again to pick it up and swing it at its now attackers preparing to back away but the heat from the metal is so hot and it is so exhausted and bloody from battle that it falls fainting and burning from the heat. The party reassesses their situation and looks over their wounds. Thokk continues to drink, regaining some of his vigor and strength as they inspect the brush and woods around the path.
This battle was a trap set by the bugbear raiding party. The pair had obviously done it many times before to unwary travelers. So as the party licked their wounds and tried to recover, the tiefling begins to look for their tracks. Artimus offers Thokk some candy to help him feel better and they are able to get Wet Wizard to turn back into his normal appearance. "It is getting late. We need to set up camp. Should we keep on going and find a secluded spot in the forest?" explains Karr. "I think we should find the lair for these bugbears. They probably live in a cave nearby and they will have shelter and loot from their attacks. It is highly unlikely that any creatures that know they live there will avoid it and we will be safe for the night," replies Shireling. Too tired to really care, Karr agrees and turns into an ox. The rest of the party help the wounded Thokk onto Karr's back and the party begins to track the bugbears trail back to their home. Before arriving at the cave, they can smell it from a little way off. It stinks of rotting and burnt flesh and fecal matter. Artimus refuses to go inside. He has been acting unusual for his size, as he had been picking flowers along the way and feeds them to the ox. Suddenly Karr resumes his normal form and begins coughing and then is crushed under the weight of the half-orc on top of him. "What were those flowers?" Arty looks more closely at them and replies, "Oh! I thought they were something else. These appear to be slightly poisonous. My mistake! I will go find some more." "What???" Thokk gets up and follows Shireling into the cave. They begin to explore its contents more extensively.
They find a small cooking area with rotting flesh nearby. The possessions of the murdered travelers is in a pile by a fire and some of the things are covered by other carcasses of animals the bugbears had killed. Wet Wizard performs another spell generating a broom and begins to sweep out the cave, cleaning it for places to sleep and eat. Thokk rummages through the dead finding animals that would be salvageable if cooked properly for food. He also finds some coin purses and starts sifting through them discovering gold. Shireling recognizes the glitter of the treasure and joins him saying, "If we find anything we should share it with the rest of the party. We are too weak right now to fight over something so small." Karr hears the conversation and also joins in looting the purses. They find a relatively good size of gold and start to split it up when Shireling opens his last bag and finds a peculiar amulet. He quickly pockets it so he can investigate it more thoroughly later.
Arty returns and Wet Wizard finish cleaning the cave and they all split the booty they have found. Artimus again offers candy to all the party members and after Karr was poisoned, only Thokk and Wet Wizard decide to take a piece. They finish eating and finish setting up camp and their bedrolls. Thokk, Wet Wizard, and Artimus are the first ones to fall fast asleep. After waiting a short time to make sure they are out, Shireling sits up and Karr still upset from earlier follows him. The tiefling motions to the bag near Artimus. He carefully pulls it open and with practiced hands steals the package away from its protector. He and Karr move out of the cave into the moonlight to better inspect the item. Karr looks over the markings on the box and makes some incantations, studying it for any magical properties. "There is a trap on the container. It needs a key to open otherwise a defensive spell will shoot us with a firebolt if we open it." Shireling motions him to be quiet and takes the box back inside and stows it back into the bag. He returns empty handed to discuss it further with the druid.
"He is acting really odd. We still don't know what HE is." Karr responds, "I know what you mean. Plus I am only just now having the poison run through my system. We should try and get someone to open the box tomorrow. We can't charm them otherwise the damage will break the spell so we have to convince them to do it willingly." "It would be more fun if they were charmed though. Do you want to charm Thokk?" Laughs and replies, "I'd rather not have him angry at me and I don't think he would care what's in the box anyways." "Patience it is then."
The party wakes in the morning and makes their way back to the road and finish their journey to the city. As they approach Shurdrax, the size of it dwarfs Brass Wood many times over. The gate into it is large and a wall surrounds the entire city. Before they enter the town, Shireling decides to disguise himself using his disguise kit. Not many people trust tieflings so it is better to have a less conspicuous appearance. He does his best work but because he is still new to the craft and didn't have the best sleep in a bugbear lair, his attempts to look like a half-elf were spotty at best. As they approach, the guards question them about where are they coming from, why are they here, that sort of thing. They give the ugliest elf they have ever seen a sideways glance but the dragonborn is able to get them to focus. Wet Wizard lies through his teeth and they quickly make it through the gate but not before getting information on where they could find several shops and a good tavern to stay at inside Shurdrax.
The party decides to split up. Wet Wizard heads directly to the tavern to await the contact for the box, procure some lodgings and drink away the afternoon. The rest of the party proceeds to the apothecary to find some health potions. Once they have refilled their stock, Thokk and Artimus get bored and head off to the blacksmith. Thokk needs some work done on his gauntlets. He is looking to upgrade the metal and damage that they do and afterwards he and Arty were going to go look for a fight club. Shireling and Karr continue to explore the apothecary finding different herbs and mixtures for remedies and antidotes as well as components to make various poisons. Once completed they discuss how they want to spend the rest of the afternoon and they decide it would take too much work to find out what is in the package so they head to a library to search for various pieces of rare knowledge that might help them in their quest.
"You with the wheelbarrow! Where can I find a fight club in this city?" the half-orc demands after cornering a poor merchant. The man is clearly terrified after being surrounded by this beast and his tall hooded companion. He gives them the information they need and he runs away crashing his cart once or twice. "It's so hard to get good directions nowadays." They struggle for a while longer until they are able to locate the fight club. Artimus and Thokk talk about their plan. Arty is going to figure out how the gambling pools work and Thokk is going to either enter one of the fights or simply start one - which ever is easier. As the orc watches the fighters he sees them disarm themselves and enter the ring. This is bare knuckle fighting focusing on a combination of both technique and strength. Thokk adds his name to the lists and waits for his turn in the ring. When his name is announced, he sees another fighter, a young human in the opposite corner. He is young and fit, moves like a boxer, quick and agile. Thokk feels like this will be another short win. From behind him he hears Artimus calling out the odds and collecting money. As they step to the center of the ring, the young man raises a hand and motions to Thokk's hands, "You need to make this a fair fight. You have to leave those behind," speaking to the half-orc's gauntlets. "Even without these I would have to leave more behind to make it a fair fight," mutters the drunken monk. "I will take a trophy from you when I win," he warns the man as he hands his gauntlets off to a small boy and returns to the center of the ring. They each take their fighting stances and after taking a deep breath, they both move in unison. The young man is extremely quick, dodging a blow and coming in to clock the orc across the face. Thokk spits blood to the side and turns and smiles. This wasn't going to be fun. They continue to exchange blows back and forth, the young man doing his best to stay out of reach. Thokk takes hit after hit and Artimus getting nervous about losing his bets, makes a small incantation and a small mist begins to rise from the floor of the ring. Thokk reaches forward and grabs the shoulder of his disoriented opponent, pulling him in close and headbutts the fighter. Dazed, the young man staggers back and Thokk swings with a haymaker knocking the young man both prone and unconscious. As the mist clears, the crowd makes an audible cry for foul play as the orc stands over in triumph and looks down respectfully before reaching down with his large hand into the unconscious man's mouth, pulling out a tooth. Artimus comes running into the ring with a fistful of coin purses high above his head.
On the other side of Shurdrax, Karr and Shireling approach a tall marble building. As they push open the solid stone door, the pair see a large open room with a single individual at a desk far away. The two approach talking quietly as the dragonborn librarian looks up from his books and speaking in draconic, "How can I help you fine gentlemen?" Karr responds, "Well my friend and I are looking for books that outline the following subjects: druidcraft, herbalism..." "Remember to find out about magical items and poisons," whispers the tiefling. "And anything about enchanting items with magic as well as poisonous creatures and plants in the region." "We have various scrolls from scholars that have written extensively on their years of observations and experiments." "If you can write down the areas here that we can find that information, we would both be extremely grateful." Once the librarian finishes the note, he hands it down to the druid and asks in Common, "In order to be permitted into the library, all I need is your names to record into our entry log. What are your names?" "My name is Karunungan." The tiefling quickly responds, "I am Saeros Turgon." The scholar waits and looks at the rogue in disbelief. After several moments, he eventually concedes, "It's Shireling." They are brought back and led to several stacks of books. They are able to identify many different species of poisonous plants and herbs that will help with both curing different diseases and conditions. There are diagrams of how to use the plants to create both poisons and antidotes. Druidcraft however is briefly mentioned and it explains that it is typically passed down from pupil to pupil.
"Karr! Can you read this?" Shireling looks all over for his friend. Unable to read the elvish script, the tiefling continues to try to read the scroll he found. Two words he recognized from the scroll were weapon and magic. He tries to find anything else in the scroll that he can read but when he is so unsuccessful he looks back at the beginning of the scholar notes and finds a few items that give him hope. The name of the scholar appears to be Theta Oakshade from Heletha Woods. Karr finds Shireling and he inspects the scroll. He is able to ascertain from the writings the process from which enchanted items are crafted. He explains that in order to create a magical item, the craftsman must have the magical and technical skills to build it along with the necessary physical components of both the metal and relics. The pair begin to scour maps and charts to find the location of the forest within a far away elvish nation. The longer they study, the more they find out about how elves and dwarves are expert craftsmen and the various kinds of magical items that have been made throughout time. Within a hour or two, the pair have digested as much information as they could retain and leave the library to head to the tavern to create a plan with the rest of their party.
As the sun rose and the group gathered to discuss the night before, there came a knock at their door. "Do you have the package?" The party readies their weapons as Arty cracks the door so a rogue can enter the room slowly. "I am the driver. Do you have the package from Brass Wood, Artimus?" The wooden engraven box is presented to the visitor. He asks, "Did you open it?" Karr responds, "We only did what was asked. We brought it here and awaited for your arrival." "Good. If you had opened it, you would have had a nasty surprise." Shireling and the druid look to each other nodding slightly remembering the firebolt charm that was placed on the box. "If you are all here, the King is ready for you. I will have the carriage out in front of the tavern." The party begins to discuss their next move as their hooded companion heads to the door. They all concede to follow the rogue's instructions. The carriage begins moving through the Shurdrax but instead of heading to the castle at the center of the city, it heads to a manor on the outskirts of town. The carriage comes to a standstill and Karr asks aloud, "What kind of king is this?"
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