An Emergency Situation (Pt 2)

Session 6 Recap

General Summary

The first day of travel along the road to Two Pines passes quietly for the travelers, owing in no small part to the proximity to Nettle Lake and the regular presence of Red Blades patrolling the road. Thought the party tries to be open and friendly, the incognito druids continue to keep mostly to themselves, speaking exclusively through Avansiel, even when Qas attempts to speak to her scaled kin is their native Draconic tongue. The party does notice, though, that once they leave the confines of town, the lizardfolk start to become much more relaxed and animated, even taking turns gathering foodstuffs from the nearby plant life. By the evening, a sense of quiet companionship starts to fill the silence between the groups of travelers. As dusk begins to fall, however, a group of horsemen are heard riding up behind the group at a much faster pace than a mere traveler would adopt. A minute later, the first rider rushes past the group at a full gallop, giving a laughing salute as he nearly runs Rayne off the road. The travelers yells after the wild rider, but as they turn their attention away, one of the following horsemen swoops down from his saddle and grabs at Bara's pack, which she just barely manages to keep from his reach. At that same time, though, the third rider grabs Ds'elek's satchel, tearing it from his clutches, and riding off to join his ally with a hoot. The loss of the bag clearly distresses the druids greatly, and though they refuse to say what was in the bag, they insist that it is of the utmost importance that they retrieve it before reaching Two Pines. Deciding to see justice done, the party takes Avansiel with them, leaving the two lizardfolk to mind their packs, and tracks the bandits down the road. When the party finally catches up to the riders, they are several miles down the road, and the sun has fully set. Deciding to surprise them in the dark, the party moves to assault them from multiple sides, killing all but one in a swift and brutal ambush. The last highway man tries to flee into the night, but as he clears the road and enters the dark of the nearby woods, a terrible scream cuts though the night, stopping suddenly with a pitiful gurgle. The party readies themselves for combat, approaching the place where the man fled to, when another figure enters the flickering light of the bandit camp. The creature is, or at least was, clearly a man, but as he attacks the group, he shows utter disregard for his well-being, attacking with unmitigated ferocity through the gravest of injuries until he is finally put down through sheer trauma. Bara grabs the lantern and tries to determine the nature of the man, but ultimately leaves empty-handed. She can tell that the man has been dead for some time, but also determines that he was not an undead being when they fought him. Full of questions without answers, Avansiel voices his concern for his compatriots back at their camp, and the party quickly claims the horses of the dead highwaymen to rush back to their allies, taking only the stolen bag back with them. Fortunately, the party arrives back at their traveling companions to find them frightened and hiding, but unharmed. All together, they shore up their defenses and set watches for the rest of the night, unsure of what to expect. When dawn breaks without incident, the group decides to push through to Two Pines, unwilling to risk another night on the road. A quick stopover at the scene of the battle affords them the chance to loot their would-be robbers and investigate the creature that attacked them in the dark. The nature of the strange man still eludes the party, but Bara is able to extract some vine-like fibers from under its skin, and the party leaves the scene with the hope that someone in town can tell them more. Things take a turn for the worse in town, however. The Town Watch, already on edge from local troubles and generally unfriendly towards lizardfolk, stops the party and their allies at the gate, asking about their purpose in town and why so many of them are well armed. In an attempt to defend themselves, the party relates the story of their late night battle, which leads to the party being detained for questioning by the officer in charge at the gate, Deputy Howard. The druids seem obviously concerned about being taken in for questioning, but Qas convinces the guards to allow their companions to go on with their business, since they weren't involved in the party's battle, and the guards relent. As the party is escorted to the guard post for a formal statement, Avansiel calls after them that he will make sure they are compensated for their troubles. Sadly, things devolve from there when Qas's snarky personality arouses suspicion in the deputy, who puts the party on a local probation. Having confiscating their weapons and armor until the veracity of their story can be confirmed, he informs them that they will be allowed to attend to their business in town, but will remain under constant watch. The party acquires lodging at The Split Rivers after a short haggle with the proprietor, then decides to head to Vines and Vials to speak with Bellusial about fulfilling their order for Annie Annibel. Inside, they are greeted by a shopkeeper named Veliel, who balks at their request to speak directly with the shop owner, but is finally reassured enough by their ties to Annie to allow them into the back room where the elven alchemist is hard at work over a counter of reagents. The surly herbalist listens to their requests and lets them know that he will be able to complete their order, but when they produce the strange vine taken from the dead man and relate the events from the roadside battle, he becomes openly shaken. Once he has experimented with the vine for a few minutes, he turns back to the group to inform them that he will only be able to collect the herbs for Annie after he investigates the ties between the man and the vines found under his skin. Having no further business with the party, Bellusial sends them on their way and returns to his work, leaving them in the care of Veliel once more. Having nothing more to do in town at the moment, the party returns to the inn to enjoy their involuntary vacation while awaiting vindication from the Watch.