On the Palisade Way

Session 11

Upon entering Empyrea, Mishara offered to take us to the horse trader, but we declined and sent her on her way.   Then, while Varis and Wyllow bought provisions for the coming journey, Carric and Drew checked out The Woeful Countenance and Kenesh and Thrunk went off to get the mounts.   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Carric and Drew   Carric and Drew entered the bar and spoke to the proprietor, Nils Bernison, about the city and asked after the Winged Helm. They were told that Talonspire is the city castle and seat of Prince Raxys Cloudshaker, but Nils could not give the identity of the Helm because no one knows it.   He told them that the Winged Helm is a hero who operates out of the wastes and has a band of about 40 or 50 men and women who raid Athijan Afrya and gather information on behalf of the Empyrean government, but that he keeps his identity hidden to protect the innocent.   Carric cast detect magic, but discovered only minor charmed objects worn by four of the patrons.   Carric then left the tavern to take a look at Talonspire and then went up and talked to one of the guards. He seemed very interested in getting the foreigner elf out of his hair until they began telling tales of fights with orcs, which really took his attention.   This conversation ended about the time the others returned from their other errands.   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Kenesh and Thrunk   Kenesh and Thrunk followed the main road, which becomes the Palisade Way as it leaves The Basin, away from Talonspire and toward the walls of the crater until they found a horse trader and stables with a sign hanging from the roof that reads: Xim Xanadu's Happy Horsey Habitat.   They glimpsed Mishara just leaving the establishment and heading out of the city through a large fissure in the wall of the Basin.   They went inside to meet Xim Xanadu, who is a large, solid, but nervous fellow, who was happy to lend them horses on Mishara’s credit and to sell them a cart for supplies, but then was just as happy to send them on their way. The Party was given horses to ride named Dancer, Prancer, Dunder, Doc, Happy, Sleazy and Stupid.   They returned up the road to Talonspire just as Carric was coming down the steps.   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Varis and Wyllow returned around the same time, and the party got some sleep before heading out the next morning.   After about a week of travel and about a day’s ride out from Corvus, as the Party was entering a narrow valley between The Palisades on side and a small rise on the other, Thrunk noticed what looked like someone lying in wait.   The Party managed, for a moment to assess the situation without letting on that the ambush had been noticed, but just as they became convinced that they had a good grasp on things, the bandits caught on that they had been made and they sprung the attack.   **Note** At precisely this moment, Erran was reclining lazily in the cart, strumming his lute, and not paying attention to anything. The cart horse, Doc, seeking the trouble ahead and being, perhaps, slightly smarter than Erran and, for certain, considerably more observant, strayed from the path just as fighting became inevitable and took the long way around the fray. Erran never noticed anything amiss until the cart came back to the road and gave him a view of the rest of the Party rummaging through the ambushers' belongings. **   Combat was joined and Varis made a dashing, but unsuccessful attempt to unseat the bandit leader from her warhorse while the other members of the party restrained and attacked her two companions.   Wyllow struck the final blow on each of them as Carric and the black panther fought the leader. Varis, redeeming himself bravely, brought her off her horse and to her death with a solid hit from his war hammer.   In the melee, the panther was hurt and though she was healed of her wounds, she remained panicked and attempted to take a swipe at Drew.   Though the attempt missed, a screech was heard and then, swooping down from the sky, a large pterandon landed on the cat’s back, pinched her spine in its beak, and snapped her neck.   Though the Party (and no one more than Thrunk) was heart-rent that the panther had suffered such an unexpected end, the flying reptile seemed to take instantly to Drew and they two became fast friends on the remainder of the journey to Corvus.   Upon arriving there, the Party attempted to rent rooms for the night at The Unshod Mare , but when they were told that Varis and Thrunk could not stay in any of the rooms, they left to find other accommodations.   Thrunk found entertainment and a room that would accept him at a brothel just outside of town that the Party passed on the way in, called The Heart of Gold.