Session 4 (part 1): Talk of tents...and Zhents
The sun rose at Anathar’s Dell on the third day before the summer solstice. Lanatil looked with satisfaction at the sorceror he had nursed all the day before. The elongated elven frame before him was at last free of the undeathly inflammation that had threatened to consume it. Cameron was still weak, but another day of rest under Lanatil’s care would do much to restore his strength. When Bon appeared that morning, Elvis asked whether they would be allowed to stay at the Dell another day or two. “Certainly,” Bon answered. “Though you may not want to tarry too long. Your friend the druid said he had been charged with investigating the plague at Oakhurst, and from what I’ve heard it’s a bad one. If you stay here too long, it may be too late to do anything for the village. Oh yes, I have something for you.” Bon handed Elvis a pouch. When he opened it, a pile of green and black gems spilled out onto the wizard’s palm—the remains of the amulet of the Church of Bane. I think you’ll find that whatever magic they bore is gone now,” said Bon. “The dwarves demolished the amulet. The metal they kept as compensation for their labor, but they gave me back these for you.” To be certain, Elvis cast his own spell over the gems, and it was as Bon had said—they had no magic aura. Nor had any minions of the Church sought to gain entry to the Dell the night before.
The group of travellers decided to spend another day at the Dell, to heal and let Cameron regain most of his strength. They sold the Zhentarim breastplate Cameron had been carrying to the head blacksmith of the Dell, a dwarf who offered them a hundred pieces of gold for it. Yonnis suspected that such armor might have fetched a higher price in other places, but none of them had any use for it, and they had no wish to carry it any further. They discussed what provisions they should pack for the final leg of their journey to Oakhurst. The village was only two days journey away, but they were concerned that the plague might mean there would be no wholesome food to eat even once they arrived. So each of them packed as many rations as he could carry, particularly Nameless, whose lack of armor allowed him to devote most of his prodigious strength to the task of carrying food. Nameless and Ogy also discussed the possibility of encountering vampires. At Ogy’s urging, the group decided to equip themselves with two tents that they could sleep in at night. Up to now they had slept under the stars, and the warm Kythorn nights would certainly have allowed them to continue. Ogy knew, however, that vampires are unable to enter a dwelling without being invited, and hoped that tents would qualify under this rule. He also insisted that they stock up on garlic before setting out again.
Ogy also playfully suggested that as long as they were staying an extra day at the Dell, he might try his hand at some sleight, and see whether another performance might not create enough misdirection to allow him to “acquire” an interesting object or two. Yonnis told him not to think about it. “The Dell is under the protection of the Harpers. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that Bon is one of them. If you go trying to pilfer here, they’ll have your head.” Ogy replied, “Don’t lecture me about Harpers. I know who they are. In fact, I happen to know that Kessla back in Dagger Falls is one of them. Anyway, Bon doesn’t seem all that scary to me.” But the rogue nevertheless acquiesced, and kept his fingers to himself.
Elvis asked the others, “So what is it we’re going to do when we get to Oakhurst? Who is it that has business there?” Yonnis suggested that it was time for each member of the party to explain to the others what he was seeking to accomplish. “This will let us plan better, and pooling information will enable us to help each other. Otherwise any one of us might well miss the significance of things that would be of importance to someone else’s goal.” They all agreed, though the halfling seemed unenthusiastic.
Nameless began. “I am sent to investigate the site where a very powerful vampire was killed. All I know is that this took place in some sort of ancient fortress, now buried at the bottom of a ravine a few days’ march south of Oakhurst. There is reason to fear this vampire may have arisen again, and I am to find out whether this is the case.”
“And what if it is arisen?” asked one of the others. “Are you supposed to fight it?”
“No. I’ve been warned that it is too powerful to for me to fight, and that if I find it arisen, I must get away and report this.”
“Too powerful for you, but what about all of us together?”
“I don’t know, but very possibly.”
Now it was Yonnis’s turn. He told the others that he had been to Oakhurst before, and had completed part of his own training there several years earlier. With his mentor, he had helped the villagers organize a militia and led it to exterminate a tribe of orcs that had been menacing the area. Now his guild had asked him to come back to the area and see whether things had remained peaceful. The villagers had recently discovered silver in the hills near where the orcs once had their stronghold, and this was thought likely to attract trouble. Specifically, there was concern about a group of goblins known to have a base somewhere in the foothills southeast of Oakhurst.
Lanatil reiterated that he had been asked by Zinn, the speaker of the Quercus Circle, to come to Oakhurst to investigate the plague. “We followers of Silvanus are oath-bound to banish disease. Most people think of plagues as natural occurrences. But Zinn taught me that this is false, that they occur always as the result of some artificial or arcane tampering with nature. So I am to find out what aberration has led to the plague at Oakhurst, and stop it if I can, or report it to my Circle.”
Elvis said that he had been sent by a wizard’s college in Silverymoon to investigate a legend pieced together from various historical sources, about an ancient cult of dragon-worshippers who apparently once had a temple in the foothills south of Oakhurst. At this point Ogy interrupted, “Oh tell the truth now! You’re not some designated emissary from the school, you’re just an ex-janitor trying to pay off a student loan by finding a rare book you can give to the school library!” Elvis looked at the halfling with annoyance. “Well, I see you’ve been living up to your lack of scruples by rummaging through my private papers. Yes, it’s true that my ultimate goal is to find some unique artifact that I can present to the Lady’s College in order to complete my standing in the institution.”
Cameron’s ears had perked up at the mention of dragons. He told the others, “I have dragon blood, you know. All sorcerors do. My teacher Mikhee told me so. That’s why we have this special gift of drawing Mystra’s power from the Weave naturally, as opposed to wizards who have to memorize spells again every day. He said that I should seek to learn as much about dragons as I can, and treat dragon-related artifacts as treasures of greatest value. Other than that, I’m not trying to accomplish anything specific. I just want to develop my powers, and get home with enough treasure to afford a familiar.”
At this point everyone turned to the halfling. “So you all want to know what my quest is, do you? Well...here it is.” And he pulled from his sleeve a folded piece of parchment. “A few days before you lot arrived, I saw some dolt trying to nail this onto the outside of the Red Rock. Right on top of Kessla’s new paint job. I knew she’d be furious, so I beaned him in the back of the head with a nice rock. He ran off, and I grabbed this.” He unfolded it and showed it to them:
Let it be known that the Hucrele family of Oakhurst offers
A REWARD
To any who can locate two lost family members,
Talgen and Sharwyn Hucrele.
250 gp each for returning them to Oakhurst in good mind and body;
or 125 gp each for finding and returning the gold signet rings worn by them.
See Kerowyn Hucrele in Oakhurst for further information.
“I might have guessed your interest would be entirely mercenary,” remarked Elvis. “I think it’s about time we all learned a bit more about your background.”
“Oh do you now, Mr. Silveryjanitor. Well you see, I grew up my whole life in Dagger Falls while it was occupied by the Zhentarim. My family and I were part of the resistance, which is why I learned to be such a good sneak. I helped people like Yonnis’s Harpers get the goods they needed on the Zhents and their henchmen. In fact, my proudest exploit is the time I smuggled a scorpion into the bedchamber of Guthbert Golthammer, the last of the Zhent-appointed constables.”
The group of travellers decided to spend another day at the Dell, to heal and let Cameron regain most of his strength. They sold the Zhentarim breastplate Cameron had been carrying to the head blacksmith of the Dell, a dwarf who offered them a hundred pieces of gold for it. Yonnis suspected that such armor might have fetched a higher price in other places, but none of them had any use for it, and they had no wish to carry it any further. They discussed what provisions they should pack for the final leg of their journey to Oakhurst. The village was only two days journey away, but they were concerned that the plague might mean there would be no wholesome food to eat even once they arrived. So each of them packed as many rations as he could carry, particularly Nameless, whose lack of armor allowed him to devote most of his prodigious strength to the task of carrying food. Nameless and Ogy also discussed the possibility of encountering vampires. At Ogy’s urging, the group decided to equip themselves with two tents that they could sleep in at night. Up to now they had slept under the stars, and the warm Kythorn nights would certainly have allowed them to continue. Ogy knew, however, that vampires are unable to enter a dwelling without being invited, and hoped that tents would qualify under this rule. He also insisted that they stock up on garlic before setting out again.
Ogy also playfully suggested that as long as they were staying an extra day at the Dell, he might try his hand at some sleight, and see whether another performance might not create enough misdirection to allow him to “acquire” an interesting object or two. Yonnis told him not to think about it. “The Dell is under the protection of the Harpers. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that Bon is one of them. If you go trying to pilfer here, they’ll have your head.” Ogy replied, “Don’t lecture me about Harpers. I know who they are. In fact, I happen to know that Kessla back in Dagger Falls is one of them. Anyway, Bon doesn’t seem all that scary to me.” But the rogue nevertheless acquiesced, and kept his fingers to himself.
Elvis asked the others, “So what is it we’re going to do when we get to Oakhurst? Who is it that has business there?” Yonnis suggested that it was time for each member of the party to explain to the others what he was seeking to accomplish. “This will let us plan better, and pooling information will enable us to help each other. Otherwise any one of us might well miss the significance of things that would be of importance to someone else’s goal.” They all agreed, though the halfling seemed unenthusiastic.
Nameless began. “I am sent to investigate the site where a very powerful vampire was killed. All I know is that this took place in some sort of ancient fortress, now buried at the bottom of a ravine a few days’ march south of Oakhurst. There is reason to fear this vampire may have arisen again, and I am to find out whether this is the case.”
“And what if it is arisen?” asked one of the others. “Are you supposed to fight it?”
“No. I’ve been warned that it is too powerful to for me to fight, and that if I find it arisen, I must get away and report this.”
“Too powerful for you, but what about all of us together?”
“I don’t know, but very possibly.”
Now it was Yonnis’s turn. He told the others that he had been to Oakhurst before, and had completed part of his own training there several years earlier. With his mentor, he had helped the villagers organize a militia and led it to exterminate a tribe of orcs that had been menacing the area. Now his guild had asked him to come back to the area and see whether things had remained peaceful. The villagers had recently discovered silver in the hills near where the orcs once had their stronghold, and this was thought likely to attract trouble. Specifically, there was concern about a group of goblins known to have a base somewhere in the foothills southeast of Oakhurst.
Lanatil reiterated that he had been asked by Zinn, the speaker of the Quercus Circle, to come to Oakhurst to investigate the plague. “We followers of Silvanus are oath-bound to banish disease. Most people think of plagues as natural occurrences. But Zinn taught me that this is false, that they occur always as the result of some artificial or arcane tampering with nature. So I am to find out what aberration has led to the plague at Oakhurst, and stop it if I can, or report it to my Circle.”
Elvis said that he had been sent by a wizard’s college in Silverymoon to investigate a legend pieced together from various historical sources, about an ancient cult of dragon-worshippers who apparently once had a temple in the foothills south of Oakhurst. At this point Ogy interrupted, “Oh tell the truth now! You’re not some designated emissary from the school, you’re just an ex-janitor trying to pay off a student loan by finding a rare book you can give to the school library!” Elvis looked at the halfling with annoyance. “Well, I see you’ve been living up to your lack of scruples by rummaging through my private papers. Yes, it’s true that my ultimate goal is to find some unique artifact that I can present to the Lady’s College in order to complete my standing in the institution.”
Cameron’s ears had perked up at the mention of dragons. He told the others, “I have dragon blood, you know. All sorcerors do. My teacher Mikhee told me so. That’s why we have this special gift of drawing Mystra’s power from the Weave naturally, as opposed to wizards who have to memorize spells again every day. He said that I should seek to learn as much about dragons as I can, and treat dragon-related artifacts as treasures of greatest value. Other than that, I’m not trying to accomplish anything specific. I just want to develop my powers, and get home with enough treasure to afford a familiar.”
At this point everyone turned to the halfling. “So you all want to know what my quest is, do you? Well...here it is.” And he pulled from his sleeve a folded piece of parchment. “A few days before you lot arrived, I saw some dolt trying to nail this onto the outside of the Red Rock. Right on top of Kessla’s new paint job. I knew she’d be furious, so I beaned him in the back of the head with a nice rock. He ran off, and I grabbed this.” He unfolded it and showed it to them:
Let it be known that the Hucrele family of Oakhurst offers
A REWARD
To any who can locate two lost family members,
Talgen and Sharwyn Hucrele.
250 gp each for returning them to Oakhurst in good mind and body;
or 125 gp each for finding and returning the gold signet rings worn by them.
See Kerowyn Hucrele in Oakhurst for further information.
“I might have guessed your interest would be entirely mercenary,” remarked Elvis. “I think it’s about time we all learned a bit more about your background.”
“Oh do you now, Mr. Silveryjanitor. Well you see, I grew up my whole life in Dagger Falls while it was occupied by the Zhentarim. My family and I were part of the resistance, which is why I learned to be such a good sneak. I helped people like Yonnis’s Harpers get the goods they needed on the Zhents and their henchmen. In fact, my proudest exploit is the time I smuggled a scorpion into the bedchamber of Guthbert Golthammer, the last of the Zhent-appointed constables.”
posted by CMN at 1:29 AM
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