A rolicking good fight
General Summary
We all split off into our various different groups, and I sat down to watch the Lancaster Graveyard and watched the biggest mausoleum. It took a bit, but the crowd of adventurers followed their “map” and found a promising-looking mausoleum, and set to work figuring out how to get into it without being noticed.
They really weren’t too good at that not being noticed part.
That was my cue, so I took myself off to the Lancaster mansion and knocked loudly at the door. After a few moments, a rather uppity-looking butler answered, “Yes,” and he looked my hurriedly cleaned armor up and down a minute, “Can I help you,” there was a long-studied pause, “ma’am?”
“Grave robbers at the graveyard,” I announced. “We need to let the town watch know. Is the master of the house in? We need to stop them before they desecrate the graves,” I glanced back at the gathering clouds, “and before the storm damages anything.”
He looked affronted at the entire thought, “I’ll go tell the master right now. If you would wait here,” and I was shown into a very tidy and formal sitting room. I sat carefully on a delicate chair and waited.
Before too long a blustering older man with an impressively bushy mustache and an old uniform that looked like it fit him 25 years ago, but did not fit so well now burst through the door swinging a riding crop. “Right lads, let’s find out what’s going on,” he yelled over his shoulder at the crowd of young men following him. “Are you the person who brought the news?”
“Yes, we need to hurry because there was a crowd of those adventurers muckin’ about in your graveyard over there. They were talking about finding the Rod of the Speaker or something like that,” I answered adding a quick “sir” after a moment’s pause.
“Right,” he gripped his riding crop more firmly and pointed at the door. “Let’s be off lads. We’ve got to defend our family honor and protect them from marauders!” The noisy mob followed him out the door and to the graveyard and I trailed along behind.
“This is going to be interesting,” I muttered holding back just a bit, after all the plan was for him to interrupt the grave robbers.
“You there!” I’m going to call him Colonel Lancaster because he reminds me of an old retired Colonel, “Stop what you are doing and surrender. You are trespassing on Lancaster lands.” The two adventurers still outside the door paused and looked up from the bags they were stuffing materials in, and shouted something back into the mausoleum.
Two more people emerge coming out with a long tall staff, they’re talking excitedly, and one of the adventurers shoots the Colonel with a crossbow.
“I’ve been hit, lads, get ’em for me,” he said as he fell to the ground. Shouts of “Give ’em hell for the Colonel!” split the air. Hey, I was right, he was a colonel!
“Foolish man,” I said running up to his side, “You’re gonna get yourself killed.” I laid my hand on the wound and incanted, “heal.” His wound closed up and his eyes fluttered open.
“It’s just a scratch, young lady,” he groused brushing my hand off the wound, “Get in there and stop those grave robbers.”
“Yes sir,” I said throwing a lazy salute and turning to the fight. I tried to look into the fight while not really engaging, but Rory seems to of forgotten the whole “distraction” part of the fight and was enthusiastically shouting ‘For the Colonel!” just like every other young idiot in this field.
That is when the mob of Children comes in following Captain, “Yes, just like I said, there’s a band of adventurers trying to get your Rod. They’re over there.”
“Stay,” commands the speaker, and one of his men grabs Cap’n holding him firmly in place.
That is when all hell broke loose. Whatever Lili had been doing took effect and a storm broke out. Lightning flashed overhead, and rain poured down.
“It is time,” and the Speaker pointed at two of his followers and they changed. The one holding Cap changed from a hooded robed figure into a giant with tusks and red skin. He shakes Cap one last time and drops him to the ground.
“Your soul is gonna taste so nice,” the other giant red-skinned creature smiled advancing on me.
“Fat chance of that,” and I hurl a thunder wave at the lot of them. They fall back and Cap chugs the potion Cat threw at him.
The Speaker’s head turned towards where Lili hid in the background and strides straight towards her.
Cat’s bolt flew between the red beast’s shoulderblades and it screamed in pain as it collapsed. “Sister!” howled the monster in front of me.
While it’s distracted I throw a quick flame at it and transform into a dinosaur charging the monster. In the background, I hear Lili screaming as she runs to another hiding spot after the Speaker barely missed her with some magic.
“Time for you to come out,” the Speaker says as it taps a small box on its belt. A 10-foot tall man glows into being. His clothes are tattered and gray as if he’s been exposed to years of fighting. The feathered wings on his back are covered in soot and stained. “Flee while you still can, or I’ll become wroth with you,” the Speaker growled.
Cap’s head snapped over to the tall being, “You would dare enslave a servant of the Creator?” He threw a blast of the Creator’s power at the being and was pounding a rhythm on his shield. “That will not be endured!”
Lili hears the pounding from Cap’s shield and starts shaking her staff in time to Cap’s rhythm. The Speaker glances between the two and a look of sheer panic appears on his face as the being’s wings spread majestically and unfurl. I charge towards him but am picked up by a giant windstorm.
I fall to the ground as a human. I stand up ready to shift back into battleform, but the Power’s wings flap and it changes from a dingy gray stained being to one shining of pure light. I put my arm up to guard against the light, and through squinted eyes watch as it calls out the Speaker’s Name.
No, calls isn’t the right word. It sang. A glorious song I’ve never heard before and the Speaker’s body breaks into two and the Sand creature gallivanting through the graveyard shrinks into a small cube.
Cat smiles and collapses next to me. I barely catch her as I see two spirits emerge from her body, an older man and a young girl. The man gestures and a young boy steps out of the Speaker’s body and the figures all disappear into the light.
The Power bowed to Lili and turned to Cap’n and tossed an enormous shield over to him before shooting up into the sky amidst a joyful burst of song.
“Right then,” and the Colonel rounds up the entire mob, delivers a stern lecture to the adventurers, and chivvies us back to the mansion. “You’ve done us a good turn there, though I suspect it wasn’t quite what you first told us, young lady,” he turned a disapproving eye to me. “My lads here will clean up that mess, and you can take this bit of gear here. We’ve no use for it, and I feel you might be needing it soon.” His lads pass over to us a number of potions, a wooden short sword, and a hand crossbow. “Is there anything else we can do for you?”
“We’re traveling to the Holy Isles as soon as this mess is cleared up,” Cap said, “Do you know anyone there we could speak to?”
“Lad we’ve got a house there,” the Colonel waved his hand to the butler, “You’re welcome to stay there. Jeeves here will get you a letter of introduction, and they can help you find what you’re looking for.”
“Thank you, sir,” Cap’n said.
We head back to the inn and Cap sends a note to Thane Grontre he should be free to travel soon.
Report Date
21 Dec 2021
