A Rescue Team For All Seasons

Readers.  I can barely contain my excitement.  The words you are about to read today recount perhaps the bravest, cleverest, and most audacious session TO DATE.

And that is saying something!

Let me not waste any more of your time…

DM: Brent
Draeya: Half-Elf Ranger CG (Heather)
Brenna Badger: Forest Gnome Druid NG (Maddy)
Dallian Lorgo aka “Dealio”: Rock Gnome Rogue CN (Kurt)
Eldewyn: High Elf Fighter CN (Anderson)
Kit Kat: Half-Elf Bard NG (Jenny)
Chsaud: Wood Elf Paladin LG (Elliot)

Lest you have forgotten in the interim, our noble questers find themselves in a spartan stone building on Thieves’ Isle, about to execute a risky plan to rescue the Princess Natima. Again.

Speaking of the princess, she’s looking pretty dirty and despondent in her suspended cage.  OOG: It is wondered if Natima is a “Damsel for Hire” since this is, like, the millionth time she’s needed rescuing.  Is she sad because she hasn’t been able to brand anyone today?

These burning questions will have to wait as the DM provides a succinct recap:

• Princess in cage
• Leopard-thing in pit
• Lowering mechanism long ways away
• Beefy armed guard present

Huh.  Rescue Schmescue.  How hard can it be, really?

Per the plan discussed in the previous post, Dallian the rock gnome (still invisible, FYI) sneaks around the back of the guard, ready to deliver a well-timed short sword jab to the kidney.  Draeya holds her bow at the ready.  Everyone waits nearby for all hell and its hounds to break loose.  Dallian will have the first action, obviously; but the DM has everyone else roll Initiative to determine order.

Dallian strikes for 14 pts of damage and has now lost his invisibility due to the attack.  However, Draeya the ranger now has the to go-ahead to pierce the guard for 18 total points of damage on her two attacks. Kit Kat uses her Bardic Inspiration ability on Chsaud (currently suffering from an affliction called Low Init Roll). Brenna casts Faerie Fire, which will illuminate a target with a blue outline.  As if that isn’t cool enough, it also makes the target easier to hit (a.k.a providing a nice little attack bonus). Eldewyn rushes forward to attack the guard and…misses.  Oops.  Chsaud, bringing up the rear, is suddenly Inspired and unleashes a longbow attack to the tune of 15 pts of total damage.

Good times.  Just like that, six seconds into this whole affair, Guard Dude is now the only resident of Wrong Place, Wrong Time Town.  He manages to recover well-enough to strike out at the only person within his range of vision and ability: Eldewyn the High Elf.  Fighting in the Florentine style means the guard gets a long and short sword attack, both of which are successful, and suddenly Eldewyn is feeling the sting (ahem) after losing 12 total hit points in one go. Ouch.

Dal: Another Sneak Attack (this one aimed for the kneecaps) for 16 pts.

Dr: One off-the-mark arrow, one true shot for 11 pts.

K: Bardic Inspiration for Eldewyn!

Bren: Strides to the circular pit and attempts a conversation with the FerPard. The ensuing snarls indicate the creature either does not understand the gnome or wishes not to.

Eld: Rolls a subpar Athletics check (11) on an attempt to push the guard into the pit.  Despite how uplifted he feels, the guard moves, like, an inch and is probably even more aggravated than before.

Ch: Two arrows, 13 damage. Efficient, lethal, righteous.

Remember that thing I said about aggravation? Yeah, the guard is peeved.  And he takes it out on the now-nearest target – Dallian.  Although the rogue has Uncanny Dodge (damage points cut in half), he still takes 5 points of ticked-off-man damage. An attempt at Insightful Fighting turns up no useful knowledge for the rogue as well. At least there’s still 10 pts of slash damage the rock gnome is able to dole out.

Draeya logs another 20 points total of arrow damage. Kit Kat rushes into the fray with her short sword, swings bravely, and misses!  (But, probably looks incredibly stylish doing it.) Brenna Badger decides to try what Eldewyn did – push the guard into the pit.  And on an Natural 20, she does so with ease and grace.  Eldewyn watches and waits, as does Chsaud. As does Dallian. As does Draeya.

It’s a surreal moment now as the well-armored and well-armed bodyguard is now about to be FerPard fodder.  The guard is already hurting from the number of arrows, piercings, and slash marks; and now there’s going to bite and claw damage?

Well, the battle is gloriously brief, to put it concisely.

“Who needs healing?” the Ranger calls out moments later, to which the high elf raises his hand.  Draeya casts Cure Serious Wounds on Eldewyn for 12 pts.

Dallian has made his way back towards the lowering mechanism, looking for a way to disable it.  Remember, this was the sketchy part of the rescue plan…and there is several minutes of chatter while the group discusses Phase Two: Cage Opening. In the end, the rock gnome adeptly shimmies up the rope (due to a phenom Athletics roll) to the cage, prompting a “Look Ma, I’m on top of the cage” moment.

The group realizes right about now that the choice to push the guard into the pit was perhaps not a terribly wise one.  The cage that Dallian sits astride needs to be unlocked.  And the keys to do that are likely on the body of the guard many, many feet below. No worries for the rock gnome rogue, though, as he uses his sword to pick the lock.  The cage is swaying dangerously and Dallian only has a few seconds to grab the Princess Natima, fling her out towards the party, and jump to safety himself.  As this all happens, Kit Kat simultaneously casts Feather Fall on the two…and they ascend to the ground without incident.

“I want to go home, I want to go home,” wails the Princess Natima as she is reunited with her rescuers yet again. No doubt everyone is thinking the exact same thing, Princess.  She goes on to say that the man they just killed has been referred to by the other as the Harbinger of Doom.

Why does something in that name sound familiar?

A question for another time as it is time to depart Thieves’ Isle. But first, Dallian and Eldewyn rush to search the throne for treasure, jostling each other out of the way. The rogue comes up with the goods and it is A LOT. Like, way too much for the little rock gnome to haul himself.

The DM somehow divvies up the loot between all party members for hauling purposes and the actual divvying up of goods will take place later when there is presumably no risk of getting dead.  The ranger casts Pass without Trace on the group again as they are now moving much slower than usual (being weighed down by a boatload of gold and gems and all).  Natima, quiet up to this point, asks/complains, “who’s going to carry me?”

Looks like a job for Chsaud the Paladin.  Stinks to be Lawful Good.

Draeya reminds the crew that haste is the order of the day, and on that note, the party makes their way back through the swamp towards the Campbell craft.  About 45 minutes into the walking, with no sounds of ambush behind them, the party sees a figure running towards them.  The man is in rags and looks to be a beggar of sorts.  The party can now see that he is being pursued by other men wearing yellow tunics, and upon even closer inspection, it is seen that the beggar has a knife in his back.  And is still upright.  And running.

‘Tis but a scratch, then, eh?

The beggar reaches the group and pleads for their help, panting out that he has been wrongfully accused of assaulting the mistress of the house (of which the yellow-garbed guards are from).  And of course, the beggar says that he did nothing of the sort.  Natima, when Kit Kat asks, claims not to know the yellow-tunics personally, but that they are of the House Maitland.

Just then the yellow-tunics appear, demanding the beggar be turned over to them.  It’s definitely a Wimbledon moment as the yellows and the beggar do a bit of “Yes, you did” and “No, I didn’t” back-and-forth.  Kit Kat finally works her formidable Intimidate skills and the yellow Maitland tunics run off like a bunch of cowards…who are wearing yellow.  How’s that for a quirky little bit of symbolism?

Draeya implores the group to remember that they need to keep moving and thus, she yanks out the knife in the man’s back and Brenna uses her new Healing Wand on the wound.  The beggar is grateful and informs them that his name is Husaud (prompting nearly everyone at the table to ask if he is from Husaudi Arabia).

But then, before this mysterious beggar disappears off into the ether, he gives Draeya a vial, stating that the liquid within it will keep away the water lizards that terrorize the canals of Zenicce (it must be poured into the water).  Cool.  He also makes this cryptic statement: Hrunchuk’s eyes could buy an enclave. Someone in the group knows (scribe’s notes are unclear) that Hrunchuk is a minor water god who can control water lizards.

The party bids the newly-healed beggar adieu and continue on, boarding their vessel back to the House of Campbell some time later.  There is no incident on the boat ride and as the barge arrives back, the Baron Campbell awaits them…with an interesting piece of news.

“The woman cannot stay here.  You must now take her to Hrunchuk’s Garden.”

Uh. Okay. Why?

“If word got out that we had a hostage here from another conclave, and the ruling one at that, it would be bad for our own house.”

There are many words Draeya the Ranger is saying inside of her head during this conversation, but the overall chafing bit is this: our brave heroes are mere pawns in this stupid political game on this stupid two-sun planet.  Our courageous questers have more power than they know here, and they have every right to ask questions.

AND.

They now have more money and gold and loot than Croesus…so it’s not like the group needs Campbell’s grunt labor money anyway.

However, when Draeya asks what will happen if they decline the job, Campbell states he will likely throw them in his dungeons.  So much for benevolent and kind.  Anywho, when Campbell puts it like that, it seems the party has no other choice: take the princess to the Garden.

But first, healing.  And figuring out the treasure.  With help of Campbell’s men, the booty soon looks like this and is spread evenly throughout the party:

Wand of Magic Missiles (Brenna)

+1 Longsword (Chsaud)

3 Cure Serious Wounds potions (Eldewyn and Draeya)

A bunch of Swimming and Feather Fall rings (distributed evenly between group)

+1 Dagger (the one in Husaud’s back)

Various gems and gold pieces.

Baron Campbell appears again and Dallian asks where the Princess Natima is.  Baron says that he wants House Estercari to appear weak, and as such, has stowed the princess somewhere safe until the group departs for the Garden with her. Draeya is perplexed (again? still!) about the “we blindly follow” thing and Dallian asks a pertinent question: You told us the woman wasn’t Natima, but then it was Natima.  Why are you not being straightforward with us? The scribe’s notes do not record the exact answer, but it’s probably something all greasy and political-sounding.

That’s all it takes to convince the paladin.  The forest gnome seems to accept the words at face value as well. Then Baron instructs the party that they are to leave later that night, under the cover of darkness (I don’t want anyone seeing you) and they will receive transportation help (A boat will only take you do far, then you will need to walk the rest of the way).

Thanks?

The Baron leaves and the party has a few minutes to converse privately.  The grudging conclusion: All paths seem to lead to Hrunchuk’s Garden.  Our noble questers will deliver the princess, but after that, who knows?

Maybe they deliver the princess, per the agreement, and then never, ever come back to Campbell’s again??

Only time will tell, friends.

Always your dedicated scribe,

Heather