Of Men and Machines Session 11
General Summary
A Bridge Too Far
While Keck, Tim the Not-so-Tiny, and Eshshann the Pocket pursued the killer across the rooftops of Castleport, Fel'Shu, Malark, and Damakos took custody of the defeated thugs. They tied them up and began to lead them to the South Bridge towards Hardingham Keep. The night was mostly calm from what they could tell. The sound of gently flowing water from Atibel Run coupled with the silhouettes of small rowboats on the surface soon became the focus of their senses. They were half way across the bridge when they heard it: a familiar whistle that they hadn't heard in several days since their encounter at Beachdenn. Natalya Danamark, with her fair skin and strawberry blonde hair, stepped out of the shadows with her trademark smile positively beaming. Natalya approached the party, with Damakos cautioning her to stay clear. She ignored him and professed her joy at seeing her friends from Beachdenn again. She expressed regret at how things had ended and that she wanted to make things right. Damakos noticed one of the South Wind Trading Company thugs give a slight chuckle, seemingly knowing that something was about to happen. He again tried to warn her off, but she continued to approach. Fel'Shu, in characteristic terseness, stepped forward and punched her in the face. Natalya, clearly taken by surprise, wiped the blood from her smile and chuckled. She drew a dagger from her hip and plunged it into the monk's chest. Fel'Shu gasped for breath as he dropped to the ground. Damakos, sensing that the captured thugs may attempt to join in the violence in an effort to escape, cast a blood curse on the thug that had laughed, instantly cowing the other two into submission."Well it was only business before, but now it's personal." - Natalya DanamarkNatalya looked at Malark and said "This is just business sweety. I'm just here for the bounty on you." Malark seemed to not know what she was talking about, replying "What bounty?" The blonde woman ignored him and charged at him anyway, her dagger thirsty for more blood. The rogue defended himself, quickly casting booming blade on his assailant. It went off, causing tremendous damage to Natalya. She let out a scream of agony, but was able to aggressively stab him through the chest, instantly dropping him to the ground in pain. Damakos shot a crossbow at Natalya, missing her wildly. The bolt landed harmlessly in the water below as she looked over at him and smiled. "Oh Damakos," she said, "I have no gripe with you. See you next time!" With her farewell, she stood up on the bridge and dove into the water below. Damakos quickly checked on his compatriots then ran over to the bridge. He could see that Natalya had been picked up by a small rowboat being helmed by a red dragonborn with a very fancy hat. Damakos launched another crossbow bolt at the assassin, splashing down harmlessly in the water near the boat. She turned around, smiled, and flipped him the bird as she disappeared into the night. Damakos saw to his party members, Fel'Shu and Malark. Malark had largely recovered, but suffered a broken finger. Fel'Shu recovered, but only barely, suffering a scar that would leave him in pain whenever it rained. As the group recovered, a number of town guards, accompanied by Aldar Duskstone and Alyce Dorgonn came running east-to-west. They stopped momentarily to talk to the adventurers and their captives. Damakos gave them up an update on the presence of the masquerading assassin, Natalya Danamark, and their encounter with the South Wind thugs. Aldar appeared more alert and more commanding than he had been previously. He ordered some of his men to take custody of the thugs and told Fel'Shu and Malark to seek help at the abbey over in Hardingham Keep. Fel'Shu headed off in the direction of the keep, while Malark stayed behind, wary of travel in the city. He had been rattled by Natalya's declaration of the presence of a bounty on his head. He would wait until he had recovered a little or felt it safe to go to the keep. Damakos, meanwhile, guided the sheriff and deputy back to the Aggressive Goblin where he suspected the rest of the party would be.
A Doctor in the House
Keck and Tim recovered themselves and hoped to find Eshshann not far behind them. Their hopes would be dashed, though, when he never showed up. Cautiously, they retraced his steps and eventually found the beaten and bloodied body of the diminutive dragonborn laying in an alley. Tim took the opportunity to check on Eshshann, to make sure he was still alive. Success! Keck took a look around the area in an effort to the secure the site. He noticed something was off, but just barely. He found a small piece of a mushroom laying nearby. There was no rhyme or reason for it to be among the dirt street as precious little that wasn't planted actually grew here, given the soil and the traffic. Curious, Keck stowed it away for further investigation. But for now, they needed to attend to Eshshann. Tim and Keck picked up the wizard and hauled him over tavern. They threw open the door and dragged their friend inside. Baldo Galbolg's countenance turned from cheerful to shocked and worried in an instant as he demanded to know what happened. Keck told him to go fetch a healer and Baldo ran out into the night. He returned a few minutes later with a small gnome woman sporting bright pink hair with a satchel slung crosswise across her body, a book bigger than her, and a staff that practically towered over her head. Baldo introduced her as Kaleena Novak, the town doctor. She quickly took charge of the situation, ordering the two large half-orcs easily three times her size around like school children. Tim and Keck didn't take too kindly to being ordered around like some sort of lackeys, but Kaleena ignored them. Maybe she (or the DM) had had a bit to drink and thought she was being funny. She held a candle uncomfortably close to Eshshann's eyes (he could feel them quickly drying out from the heat) to check for head injury. She concluded that he was severely concussed and that she would need to relieve the pressure on his brain."I hope you have good insurance!" - Kaleena NovakShe reached into her satchel - apparently a bag of holding - nearly shoulder deep and pulled out a leather strap, which she passed off to Tim. She told him to put in the patient's mouth and keep it there. She ordered keck to secure Eshshann, to keep him from squirming about. She then reached in her pouch again and pulled out a hand crank. Kaleena placed the crank on Eshshann's skull, thought about it, then put it back. She reached back into her satchel and pulled out a chisel and a mallet. "Hmm... between the third and fourth cranial ridge should do it" she said. She placed the chisel on the dragonborn's skull and prepared to strike. "Just kidding!" she said. Everyone looked relieved as she began to pack up her tools. She picked up her staff again, the greenish crystal in the head giving off a faint glow. She held it to Eshshann's body and the glow brightened. The wizard began to recover. Before he could gather his wits about him, she had already reached into his pocket and pulled out some money for payment. "Easiest payday ever!" she proclaimed as she walked out of the tavern proudly.
Blessings Be Upon You
Fel'Shu all but stumbled through the city on his way to Hardingham Keep. He didn't encounter any dangers along the way. In fact, the city seemed more calm than most nights despite all the goings-on. However, as he approached the keep, squads of guards went rushing by him. He could hear that there had been an attack somewhere in the city by the killer, and that he had barrelled through the guards on the wall; one of them was critically injured. The monk entered the keep and navigated his way cautiously to the chapel inside. Standing there in the light stood the Aasimar priestess - a bit on the nose for a religious figure, Fel'Shu thought. She introduced herself as Priestess Keylein Redstream and observed that Fel'Shu looked as though he was in need of healing. She informed him that these services were not free, and that there would be a fee associated with them. Fel'Shu agreed, and the priestess told him to have a seat. It would take ten minutes of her prayers and ritual enactment, but he would be healed. Fel'Shu thanked her, and even payed a bit extra, essentially paying it forward. She thanked him for his generosity and Fel'Shu walked out into the city once more. Moments later, Priestess Redstream was disturbed by Malark, also seeking similar services. She told him to have a seat and observed that there must be some serious matter this evening. She repeated her ritual, healing the half-elf including his broken finger. Malark paid his due, and even added a little bit extra. As he left and made his way back to the tavern for some well-deserved rest, he kept an eye out for any observers. Once he felt he was alone, Malark ducked into an alley and cast Disguise Self upon himself. The news of a bounty on his head had made him cautious, and he was in no position to fight off another attack that night. Malark eventually arrived at the tavern, and practically snuck in through the crowd and went to his room. He passed out in his bed moments later. Fel'Shu, on the other hand, was focused on finding the pirate that had made off with Natalya Danamark. Instead of going right back to the tavern to get some rest, his obsession drove him to commercial docks. The warehouses stood as sentinels among the darkness, and the gentle lapping of the waves muttering of dock hands could be heard. The torch light was just enough that Fel'Shu could see that it was mainly men from the South Wind Trading Company that were guarding the warehouses. He suspected that there must be something of interest in them, but was unable to find any way in... perhaps the near death experience had proved to be too much for him. Fel'Shu decided that he would be no good to the memory of his parents if he were to be killed that night, so he opted to retire to the tavern.A Brief Update
Sheriff Duskstone and Deputy Dorgonn accompanied Damakos back to the Aggressive Goblin tavern, where they found Tim, Keck, and Eshshann licking their wounds. The Sheriff had heard from Damakos that the other half of the party had encountered the killer. Aldar demanded the details, and they were able to provide them as best as they could given the circumstances. They had never seen the sheriff like this before - mainly not drunk. Having gotten enough, and having a fresh murder to investigate, Aldar and Alyce made their way over to the body. Alyce ordered the party to join them in the morning. Having been beaten, stabbed, and nearly killed, the party settled down for the night. The next would bring new challenges...Rewards Granted
- A chance for a boon from your chosen deity for Fel'Shu and Malark for donating extra to chapel
- 383xp per player for the encounter with Natalya Danamark
- 50xp for Keck for discovering a piece of a mushroom at the combat site between Eshshann and the killer
Report Date
11 Aug 2023
Primary Location
Comments