Camping is dangerous with the Rolling Stones
Score: 561 | 9/16/19 |
10th-11th Veltom 1517
The close battle at the unfinished amphitheater complete, the Rolling Stones and Lonoko Icegarden see a horse galloping from the waiting caravan in their direction. Annabelle is riding up to see what the flash of light signified. Meanwhile, Vyktor Wyvernjack attempts and fails to use his physician's kit on Sean Shamshara as Boris Hillmens shoves a booster potion down his throat. Sean comes to, feeling the worse for wear after the battle.
Annabelle, however, pays the group scant attention. She immediately ties a rope to the only earth goat standing, practically cooing over it. She also notices that the crystal goat is still alive and begins to nurse it back to health, despite the protestations of the group that just recently fought it. As it turns out, the goat awakens rather docile and complacent, though touchy to taking orders. She figures these goats have all had some training as riding goats, but the whole ordeal with the gate to the elemental plane of earth somehow transformed them. Specifically she notes how the crystal goat is large enough for a troll to ride, prompting Boris to immediately say, "Dibs."
Lonoko pays the group handsomely for their troubles: 500 silver pieces worth of elemental coins, specifically water and earth. She also provides them with a small tin box of ten, high quality kernels of True Earth, along with the warning that if they do not get the kernels into an Orichalcum container in the next three or four days, the tin box will be completely encased in rock. She then proceeds to feed the entire caravan a sumptuous feast with her Plant Feast spell, casting Heat Food on those meals eaten by the Rolling Stones.
The group then depart, the caravan heading south towards P'shestis while Lonoko heads north to Axalalail saying she needs to talk with the elementalists at Balen's Bower there. The caravan travels for hours, eventually getting to a point a few hours out from P'shestis. Everyone worn from the day's travels and travails, Delmuth asks, "Well, perhaps we can continue?" He hopes to get to P'shestis that evening, but he is more than willing to relent considering the service the group did in maintaining the road's safety. To avoid exhaustion and prevent accidentally stumbling into a new encounter, the group decides to make camp.
Over dinner, the Ibil and Theo discuss their plans for when they arrive in Urupa, hoping to join up with an acting troupe. Theo can make clothes while Ibil performs.
With watches set, the caravan beds down for the night. On Fhin and Valteri Tomser's watch, they both see a man sneaking out by a bush. They raise the alarm and quickly give chase as the man bolts south in the direction the caravan is headed. He's quickly run down as Fhin and Annabelle both get on horseback. The man draws a sword to defend himself, but when Fhin dismounts to talk with him, he bolts for Fhin's abandoned horse. The Rolling Stones having arrived on the scene quickly intervene.
Valteri attempts to persuade the man to step away from the horse, uncertain if he is truly a foe or some neutral third-party. The man's refusal to cooperate leads Sean to loose an arrow and Boris to grab at him. Valteri and Vyktor manage to wound him in their own ways while W'ranan grabs the horse's reins to keep him from bolting. Annabelle rides around to block his escape when Boris puts all his might behind a blow with the flat of his blade. The man is thrown from the back of the horse and knocked flat on his back. W'ranan slams the pommel of his sword into the man's hand and kicks the sword away.
Annabelle thanks Valteri for his quick action and raising the alarm as the group leads the prisoner back to camp. Never ones to let a successful trick go unused, they once again threaten their prisoner with being eaten by the troll. Alive. The man, Named Hoode, wets himself as he tells them about a t'skrang he works for setting up an ambush, as well as all the people laying in wait. This t'skrang swordmaster, Named P'isht, wants Annabelle, but both Hoode and Annabelle claim to have no idea why.
Sean and Valteri both realize Annabelle is lying.
The group discusses what to do with the man. The ideas ranged from Valteri recommending execution to Valteri recommending cutting his leg off and sending him back while they move the camp. Annabelle is adamant that Hoode needed to die, with W'ranan in agreement. Sean wants to tie him up and drag him to P'sheshtis while Boris and Vyktor merely wish to tie him up. The group ultimately decide to keep him prisoner. Delmuth was in agreement, assuming that it was a simple thing to avoid the most likely location for the ambush by leaving the road for a little while. The land is relatively flat, so travel, while not easy, would be far from difficult.
Eventually returning to the road, it continues to follow the Coil River. In the distance, however, they see two towers rising about thirty feet out of the water in the middle of the river. A large distance separates the two, and the water is unnaturally calm between them. A riverboat rests against the farther tower, t'skrang carrying boxes to and from the ship into the building. On the closer shore, a small dock sits, mirroring another one attached to the nearer tower. A few boats travel between them, and many more cast nets into the river.
Delmuth exclaims, "And here we are, finally, P'shestis. Sean, Vyktor, and Boris ask a dockworker to row them across to the tower with the prisoner in tow. They discover the guard captain on duty is one Lamala. They speak with her, detailing who was going to ambush them, and handing over Hoode into her care.
The group head out again, only a couple hours out from Urupa. In the distance, they catch sight of a beckoning pillar of fire, bright even in the daytime. Soon enough, they begin a descent down to the coast, and before them are the walls of Urupa.
Legend Point Awards:
- Capture spy: 200
- Get him to talk and avoid ambush: 600
- Make it to Urupa: 300
- Total: 1100