Session 20: The Road to Gallows Rock Report

Begin in Dagmar's Tower. Roy gets new metal leg from Kronlim, spike in the center to hold it steady and bolts along the side as well. Very painful, but it works. Yanis and Leowulf spend the time making exotic drinks, only to notice the commotion in the other room far later. When they arrive, they are surprised to see the metallic addition to Roy, and Leowulf is extremely put off by meeting Roy at all. Leowulf had spent his entire life in and around Dagmar's Finger, and knew nothing of the matted fur individuals who were Mesian's children. They waiting for hours until Roy was vaguely ready to move. Marcarius arrived in that time and told the party he wished to get moving very soon, as the recent escape of Odessa changed his long term plans. He wanted to return to Gallows Rock.

They set out at noon, wishing to cover as much ground as possible in the shortest time. Roy's injury made it difficult, however, which brought movement down to a crawling pace. It took a week for the party of unhindered travel to cross the Zolian. During that time Kromlin was able to fix his tool and weapons, liberating them from the sand. The party began to mingle and warm to each other more, given the time of uneventful travel, but tensions remained high. The dilemma wasn't between the party members, surprisingly, but of what would happen once they returned to Gallows Rock. The only animosities that did exist were between Marcarius and Flynt, where the former barely spoke to the latter and the latter barely spoke to anyone at all. Flynt was only passingly aware of Marcarius's mission to contend with the perceived threat of Typhon's return. He had taken the resistance of Marcarius and Francis to the gauntlets as irrational fear of what they did not understand rather than an educated discomfort. Either way, it is doubtful Flynt would have changed course in any case, that wasn't with style. Marcarius waited with dark apprehension for his return to Gallows Rock.

Tacia and company encounter, Flynt and Leowulf chase her and kill her. Get Marcarius's tools.

Trip to Zjol'kel. Anger of Naiara. Siege of Drakar illusion, during the early fighting when the 40,000 Etalians arrived. Met Inqusitior Jorg Davworth and he leads them to top of Spire of Corgastor. They pass through door into makeshift headquarters and appear back in Vestidia.

Party continues rest of distance to Gallows Rock, meet up with Koldo. He is eating a meal with Ansor, who the party thought was dead. Marcarius is upset, Flynt is unmoved, and the others are unaware of who he is or what he had done. Flynt recounts the whole story of the trip since the party left Gallows Rock, reached Dorithin, and passed beyond. The other members tossed in details and cleared up points while Flynt spoke. Once that had passed, the lot of them left, leaving Koldo and Ansor to their meal.

In the late afternoon, once the rest of the party was spread out doing things by themselves, Marcarius went to speak to Koldo. He was in the keep of Gallows Rock, as is custom, but on the other side of his desk sat a hunched figure, with features held close to the table. "Svenir" was all Marcarius said as he stepped into the chamber. Koldo gave a sluggish gaze past the man before him and looked toward the door, but as he saw Marcarius his features lit with surprise. "You're back? The others didn't say anything about you being with them." With that Koldo rose from his chair. Marcarius gave a nod as he stood in the doorway "Hopefully they didn't tell you I was dead". After hearing the voice clearly, the man with his back to the door turned to face Marcarius, and he gave him a great smile. "Ancestors be damned! I didn't think I would see your grim face again!" Ansor. Who else? After a short conversation, Koldo called Marcarius over to tell him the stories of his adventures. He also asked if Marcarius was any good at cards, to which Marcarius responded that it depended on the game. Koldo explained that it was a simple Vestidian game, where each player would have a deck of cards, and each place a single card onto the center of the table. Whoever has the highest value card takes both, and that continues until one of the players is left without a deck. Marcarius gave a frown "It seems to be more a matter of luck than any amount of skill". To that Ansor gave a sly smile, without looking up from his cards "Like actual war, it's all about what you do before the game". Koldo just stared at him from across the table, then picked up his deck to look at the cards, revealing an array of suspiciously low values. He slowly lowered the cards "I think I'll be done with this game now". Marcarius talks with him a bit more, then gets his payment before moving back out into the afternoon light.

Marcarius goes to speak with contact man. Marcarius meets him in the tavern of Gallows Rock, after leaving a drink at his normal table. The man arrives under the guise of an artist with a pad of paper and a length of charcoal. He sits down next to Marcarius, and they talk. "Do you know how many people pass through the gates of this fort? It's amazing how many, especially for how desolate a spot we're standing upon. Though of all the comings and going I see, the one's that interest me are those who leave for months at a time yet return here. I can't help but wonder, is it because they have nowhere else to go or because they have made a profit?" After a short conversation, they leave down the hill to a small building where the "caravan master" is located.

Marcarius steps into the room, and sees four men standing in the corners of the room. In the center of the room sits a man in a chair with a leather jerkin, a golden fisted necklace of Corgastor, and high black boots. His hair is cut short and well kept, and he is well shaven.

Marcarius tells those present about the many adventures undertaken over the past months. Hadrianus then asked Marcarius about the whereabouts of the gauntlets and the amulet that Francis had on his person. He could conjure neither, and only gave up dead ends. This infuriated the Lord Inquisitor, who was a man of typically fair temper. "The voyage to this barren land took weeks, Marcarius, and for what? You give me dead ends and wild tales of animated statues and Nevanese duelists. Am I to tell Empress Corenne that our whole venture in the east had been one grand waste of time? Can you, Marcarius, even conceive the casualties we sustained liberating this land from Typhon's grip, or of the turmoil our intervention has caused? Worse still, if the lords of Loryne or Ermont hear of it? They lost hundreds alongside the Inquisitorial forces, and they want repayment. Go, find this Flynt and do what you can to get a lead, or we are doomed. You before I." Marcarius gave a nod, his distressed frown buried beneath fabric, and started walking to the door. "He told me not to kill you now, but if you don't return with that man in tow I doubt he'll order that twice." The contact man said to Marcairius as he walked past. After that, Marcarius steps out from the building with heavy feet, before him laying a great dilemma. Betray Flynt to Hadrianus or betray Hadrianus to Flynt?