Campaign Session #2 Recap

Previously of Roll Slayers:

Thoril the Learned of the Enlightened Reserve here recalls his first meeting with his future Allies in a tavern known as the Burning Tree Inn. The group found themselves fighting a band of bandits and nearly burning the tavern to the ground.

 And so the Adventure continues...

Thoril's Journal Entry #2:

 

Unfortunately, the guards spotted us. Worried that they would believe us the arsonist (not completely untrue, as Varis did ignite one of the tables with a flaming arrow) I came up with a cunning plan.

“GUARDS!! HELP!! FIRE!!” I cried out before following Varis, who was already fleeing.

The city guard did not fall for my clever ruse and gave chase. We did manage to slip past the gate guards before they could stop, but we never did shake the guards that saw us exit the burning tavern.

Knowing this, Kev turned to face them, believing he could talk way out of this one. I joined him thinking the same.… the guards… were not what you would call… knowledgeable. Not only had they never seen a halfling before, they also acted like they had never heard of the Enlightened Reserve. Only the largest archive of knowledge on the sphere.

Luckily, Valimir emerged from the woods, brandishing his Lieutenant rank. A rank the seemed to respect somewhat. “Is it a crime to run away from a fire?” He quipped, “Do we need to get the General out here for this?”

And with that, the guards left us to our business. However, upon rejoining the group, I notice two new members had joined our ranks. Estinien, Another Wood-elf, but this one was a paladin. Makaria, At first I thought she was an unassuming human, but that illusion dropped to reveal a tiefling. An arcane caster no doubt.

They had also been fleeing the guards (at the time, I didn’t know for what) and decided to merge our two bands of adventurers. We saw no reason to refuse them entry into our group. They may prove useful.

…

We keep the two bandits separate so they couldn’t talk to each other. The one who didn’t start a fire was the first to wake up. Considering he would be less inclined to speak to an individual who was just trying to kill him, we let Estinien take the lead. The young lad was just doing it for the money, and did have any information for us.

The other Bandit knew a bit much. Valimir and Makaria took care of this interrogation. During the interrogation, Varis circled around the hostage, firing arrows at his feet, making it seem as though he was surrounded on all sides. That got him talking. He told us of a man named Bola, who was after Gundren and paid the bandits to track him down. He wasn’t very talkative after that. So, we decided to leave to the city guard in the morning.

So I began to set up my bedroll, When Estinien called our attention to some strange creatures moving about in the trees. Varis called out to them in a tongue, I did not take the time to learn.

Suddenly the camp was shrouded in a Magical Darkness, that I’m told not even our elven or tiefling allies could see though with their special eyes.

Moments passed before I could get a point of reference, I heard Varis call out to us from the border of the darkness. Then Valimir from another point. Then Makaria and Kev as they struggled with one of the creatures.

That’s when I heard one. Maybe a step or two from me. Just on the ground, almost as if waiting for something to get closer. I was happy to obliged, but had my quarterstaff at the ready. I stepped in and swung wild. I felt my staff connect to the beast with a crack. I ran toward where the beast fell to find it dead and a section of the magical darkness dissipated.

With one wounded, the screams of one of the hostages, and Enlee’s Faerie Fire, We quickly eliminated the three we saw before the darkness fell. However, A section of the camp was still shrouded in darkness. Having not had a chance to rest yet since the tavern brawl, Enlee’s Druidic focus was drained and she could not cast Faerie Fire a second time. Makaria tried casting Dancing Lights into the darkness, but it simply gave us a reference point within the darkness and did not illuminate our foe. I ran around the darkness, trying to put the beast between me and the arcane orbs of light, blindly throwing darts into the void of black.

But then, Valimir heard the beast in a tree within the darkness. Firing an arrow, first hitting the woods of the tree, his next shot found its mark and knocked the beast to the ground, wounded but not dead. Seizing the moment I leaped into the darkness where I had heard the thud of the fallen creature. With all my force behind it, my quarterstaff came down on the foe with a snap, dispelling the inky blackness around me. 

I then realized what we were fighting. Cloakers,not a particularly threatening creature, but still an annoyance that had to be dealt with. After that, rest was well deserved.

Campaign Session #1 Recap

From the Journal of Thoril of The Learned
We met in the town of Pelagiad at The Burning Tree Inn. Six people gathered around a table. Varis, a wood-elf, wearing the clothes of a rogue, but carries himself with something more noble. Valimir, “Hero” of the Woodland Realm, another Wood-Elf but one with the mettle of a soldier. Enlee, A drow, carrying in her eyes the look of someone who had seen an unspeakable horror. The dragonborn, I think he said his name was Kev something, a holy man from the look of him. Of course, there was me, Thoril of the Learned, Keepers of the Enlightened Reserve. Monk and Scholar.

Then there was our host, A dwarf by the name of Gundren. He was looking for bodies to escort a shipment of Mining supplies to the nearby town of Easnoth. Seems pretty simple job for this much muscle. I imagine there must be having problems with raiders in this region.

After our meeting, I walked over to two dwarves in the back. Having little opportunity to use the Dwarven I had learned some time ago, I thought I could converse with them. Unfortunately, They were not in the mood to talk to me at all, Dwarven or otherwise. So I adjourned to my room for the night.

For my window I could look out onto the city below, right out front of the entrance to the Tavern. I look down to the streets and see Varis. He appeared to be stargazing. However, he wasn’t stargazing long, as a man rushed past him into the tavern, followed shortly by Gundren rushing out. It was an odd site to say the least, but I paid it no mind and return to my transcribing of the day’s events.

This would have to wait, for a commotion downstairs got my attention. Once I made it to the bar, the fighting had just started. Several men with torches had cleared out the tavern save for the group and and barkeep. Valimir had his bow trained on, what I assumed, was their leader. So, He was my goal. I got a couple of go hits in before being knock prone by a thrown table.

When I got up, I found the tavern in flames and the bandits either unconscious, frozen or gone. Kev approached me, laid his claws on me and, with a flash of heavenly light, healed my wounds.

“Time to go friend,” He said to me.

We each made our way out the door, before the city guard arrived on the scene. Knowing we were partly responsible for the fire. I left the barkeep a gold piece and apologized for the group.