Session 11: Preparations Report

Report by Campaign GM Shiftrex

General Summary

The party retrieved the gold that they were promised by clearing the Starlit Tower, the desk attendant was gruff as usual and didn't even question when Squall handed him a bag as a gift. The bag held an unconscious bogart, which the halfling promptly stowed under his desk without even taking a peek. With that, their time at the tower had ended and the party went back to Stronghold to rest up, a journey that seemed oddly quiet considered what they had become accustomed to. In the morning the party was greeted by a traveling tabaxi bard that seemed determined to join up with them for the present and leave Stronghold, to which the party gladly welcomed her aboard. While making the final preparations to leave town Craea found a note in her saddlebag that was written in a deep red ink, it only had a single word "Thankyou." After some deliberation as to the motivation of the writer they left town, Kya chose a path that would lead them off the main roadways in the afternoon to try and save time.
They traveled westward to Ashborn and circumvented the fortresses in the area, opting to pass through a small ranching town that seemed to center its business on breaking wild Velociraptors for use as riding mounts. Squall tried her hand at breaking one of the more wild ones and settled on buying it for her personal use after seeing how difficult of a task it was. The others spread out through the town for a short break from travel, they were able to get some information about the routes north and south here and some party members that stopped in at the tavern overheard a story. A halfling with a battle-axe was several drinks in despite the early hour and telling a story of abandoned camp that he happened upon while moving through the Depths early that morning. He described an attack site that looked like a goblin raid had taken place, the overpowering smell of rot and an encounter that he had with a ghost. When questioned after the fact by the party he would change the description of the ghost each time to include their number, spiritual weapons and other details with the only consistent factor being that he was spooked by a ghost and left immediately. This camp seemed to be close to the route that the ranger wanted to traverse anyways so it was marked as a potential stop. 
Craea decided to stop by the blacksmith shop, the craftsman was working with a rare metal (Frost Steel) and was able to supply her with a magic weapon for a decent price. Iceworn also decided to invest in some crossbow bolts that were tipped with the enchanted metal.
The party moved on after about an hour and the Ranger guided them as the ground sloped downwards and the temperature raised from a brisk spring day to that of a humid jungle environment. Soon after their descent, they encountered a series of large holes, similar to molehills but with an entrance large enough for most of them to navigate. Everyone except for Reinys gathered around one of the holes to investigate and they heard the sound of scratching and shifting earth. Squall called for everyone to move away from the hole and Craea retreated towards the Paladin. An encounter ensued where the group engaged some Ankhegs that seemed to have no end, they gave as good as they got and held their ground but after nearly losing one of their own to being dragged down a hole Squall cast the command spell to confuse their simple minds and the party made a break for it.
Kya led the party stealthily for the remainder of the day, helping them to circumvent some larger carnivores and a heard of triceratops before they searched for a campsite. They traveled until nightfall and set up camp between four large boulders, taking care to make defenses and set up sources of information gathering throughout the night.

Rewards Granted

Frost Steel Dagger (bought for 320 gp)
Case of Frost Steel Bolts (bought for 310 gp)

Report Date

18 Nov 2019