Tyler tastes the potion
If no one object's i'll take the bow, better than chucking spears Leon goes to pick up the shortbow
Tyler
As you lead the party through a patch of dense woods, you feel a tap on your shoulder. "I believe you are part of the Daggerford militia," whispers a female voice. "Where is my brother?" A lovely young woman suddenly appears before you, materializing out of thin air.
The warrior yelps and starts at the sudden appearance of the woman, but tries to recover. "Uh...yes, yes, we are Daggerford militia. Is your brother missing?"
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"Pardon me ma'am," Kyrus says. "But why would your brother be with us? Is he a militia man?"
"Lady Bronwyn?" Amelleanne scrutinizes the form, while she considers how to answer, trying to discern if this is some sort of trick to throw them off the trail.
The next few month are comfortingly familiar, as you continue your business and the townsfolks prepare for the approaching winter. Amelleanne’s long scar elicits many days’ worth of hushed conversation and questions about her ‘adventures’ outside the city walls. The other servants treat her with a mixed awe and newfound respect. Lady Bronwyn, the duke’s lovely sister, spends an inordinate amount of time grilling her about it, her eyes practically gleaming with envy. Kelson Darktreader, Master of the duke’s Hunt, also begins to notice Amelleanne after news of her time reaches his half-elven ears…
"Ami! How did you get out here? Oh, nevermind - I am happy it is you! But I must ask again..." she addresses the party, "Where is my brother, the duke?"
Tyler nods respectfully. "Milady, your brother and his personal forces are following the north way around Laughing hollow in pursuit of the Baron. We were dispatched to search this way in case it had been taken."
"I see. Well, I am happy to have found you. I finally shook off that drug Agwain slipped me," she says. "I immediately turned invisible and left his camp. I imagine he's rather upset right now."
" I certainly am," comes a voice from the bushes ahead. Three men step out - Agwain and two followers. They appear to have been hot on Bronwyn's trail since her escape.
"If you want the lady back," he says, "you can have her if one of you can defeat me in single combat, or if three of you defeat my two men and myself."
The baron is wearing a finely crafted breastplate and carries a masterwork longsword. His two guards wear studded leather armor and carry both short bows and broadswords.
Kyrus smiles at Amelleanne identifies the missing lady. "It's good to see you safe milady. And if I may say so, that was a clever escape."
His mouth twists in to a scowl as another man joins them. "Tell me," Kyrus says. "Why exactly should we believe a word you say kidnapper? If you have any honor, you wouldn't have dragged the woman you're pining over off in the middle of the night. To my eyes, this challenge is more likely than not a way to stall for time so enough of your men can arrive to take the lady back by force."
"You try to turn your base kidnapping into an honorable duel? You are truly demented!"
Tyler moves so he has a clear shot at the baron and his thugs, waiting for the others to respond.
A duel? how do we know we can trust your word? Why is it you want the lady anyway? she clearly doesn't want to be with you, if you are truly a man of honor you would respect that. Leon states firmly
Ulf lifts his axe, brandishing the weapon in both hands. "Others speak truth! Already you are kidnapper here! You have no right to melee demands of us!"
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Agwain starts to ready himself for battle, then he and his men are suddenly struck in the back by a volley of arrows. You can see movement in the bushes behind the men as several small figures race away.
The two guards drop to the ground with three arrows each protruding from their backs, bleeding out on the lush green forest ground. Agwain is hit by two but only suffers superficial damage. He goes to one knee to examine his guards, then rushes after the retreating figures, yelling some rather choice words about goblins and their decidedly mixed parentage as he crashes off into the woods...
"Tempting as it would be to deal with Agwain, I think we should return home as quickly as possible and get word to the Duke."
Tyler offers Lady Bronwyn his mount and uses one of the spares for riding, giving her a proper saddle.
Kyrus drops from his horse, slinging his bow off his shoulder in the same moment. "Who goes there?" he calls out, an arrow drawn back in case the shooters are less than friendly.
"Tyler, Ulf and Leon, how about you take Lady Bronwyn back to the castle as quickly as you can ride, Kyrus and I will follow a little slower and harass any pursuers." Amelleanne is not at all motivated by wanting to be off her horse.
Tyler nods at Amelleane's words. "Agreed, but stay close enough to call us if you encounter problems."
"It will be Ulf's honor to escort lady back!"
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"That seems like as good a plan as any," Kyrus says, still not letting his guard down. "Whoever attacked the baron is still out here. And they may not stay so helpful next time."
The group manages to return to Daggerford without further incident. You ride quickly and into the early night hours rather than stopping just short of the city walls. Once you are inside, the word spreads quickly that Lady Bronwyn is returned safely. As soon as you reach the castle, the duke's personal guard takes the lady from your care and you are escorted before Gwydion pen Dafwyd , Wizard to the Duke of Daggerford. He is a human male in his sixties and has been the official court wizard for 30 years.
He questions you intensely about the incident, and about your trip through Laughing Hollow. He is most interested in the nixies, and asks if you encountered any wild elves. He also asks you about the sneak attack that left the baron's men dead - did you see the creatures? Can you describe the arrows? Why did you not retrieve the baron and bring him back to Daggerford for questioning?
Kyrus is slightly jumpy the entire ride back, half expecting an ambush or some encounter with more monsters or soldiers. It comes as a pleasant surprise that they have no such problems.
The discussion with the court wizard catches him a little off-guard. He hadn't thought that the man would be so interested in who, or what, they had encountered on the way to and from the lady's rescue. "Well... we didn't really stay around the chat with the nixies. We had other things to worry about and really didn't want to get trapped there. As for the attack..." He thinks back, trying to recall any particular details. "We didn't actually see who did it, but they were unusually small. They could easily hide in the underbrush and their arrows were smaller than a human might use. There have been goblins about recently, perhaps they were involved, though I can't imagine why."
"We had already encountered a lot of Aqwain's soldiers in the woods, and we had the safety of Lady Bronwyn to consider. This is why we returned without chasing Aqwain." This is Tyler's statement, he considered it the wisest move, rather than running after Agwain and finding however many soldiers he still had.
Úlf agrees with the statements of the other two, adding his own piece to the report. "Pursuit did not seem to have point. It would have been into unknown territory against unknown enemies trying to chase down man who had already been target of those enemies when we also had safety of Lady Bronwyn on minds. Our mission was to secure her, not Aqwain."
"We were asked to retrieve the Lady Bronwyn. If you wish us to retrieve the Baron we... or at least I will head out again, but it did not seem pertinent to lead the Lady into further danger."
I can confirm, the arrows were as Kyrus says. Small, similar to the arrows from the caravan escort
The mage nods at your answers, muttering, "Yes...don't want to let Bronwyn get too adventurous..." He then looks up and clears his throat and says, "Yes, well. Good job. The Duke thanks you for your loyal service. You may keep any gear you have and one horse with saddle and tack. The other horse should be returned to the stables. Now go and celebrate your new-found fame!" He hands each of you a fine belt pouch with 50 pieces of gold.
As you exit the castle and enter the market square a crowd of townsfolk greet you with cheers and slaps on the back. You have even acquired a new, though unofficial, title..."The Heroes of Daggerford."
Amelleanne tries to avoid the attention as much as possible, everything she's been taught tells her to remain in the background, anonymous. All this attention is... unseemly.
Her mask slips for barely a second at her discomfort, before she smiles and accepts the praise with grace.
Tyler is startled by this sudden acclaim. Nodding politely and staying for as short a time is seemly before leaving for somewhere more quiet and peaceful. He now has to find somewhere to stable a horse, and learn how to ride!
"Truly a caring man," a sarcastic voice mutters in the back of Kyrus's head. Honestly, if the lady wanted a little excitement in her life, why not let her? Kyrus is a bit unsettled by the sudden popularity. "Honestly, we didn't do all that much. Lady Bronwyn rescued herself for crying out loud." He absently acknowledges the whispers with a nod or a smile. "Well, at least I have some more stories to tell at the Lady Luck."
Leon sighs, scratching the back of his head as he leaves, Hero? great that's just what i need. Leon looks down to Lorelei who barks at him quickly, he responds while unbuckling the wolfs armor putting it away Of course you like the attention
"Bah. Is not heroic, doing one's job. Is not title to bandy about idly. But like you say, Kyrus, will make for more good stories! Everyone loves good story!" he says with a smile.
"I find myself agreeing with you on all counts my friend," Kyrus says to the large warriors comment. "I have a feeling we're going to end up in far more trouble because of this little adventure..." He absently reminds himself to include the story of the kidnapping in his next letter to his cousin. Perhaps she'll find it entertaining.
Over the next several weeks, Amelleanne finds herself being transferred within the castle and now serves as Lady Bronwyn's personal maiden! Kyrus exchanges another letter with his cousin, who reports that conditions in the town are tough, but the people are tougher. Leon and Lorelei spend as little time as possible in town to avoid the extra attention...but it is during one of their longer excursions they discover an old, partially collapsed tower a couple days to the north (marked as The House of Stone on the Fallen Kingdom map.)
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Call to Action
It’s a beautiful morning in Daggerford - perfect for a MarketDay. With spring fully upon Daggerford, it seems everyone is here today! Farmers and small merchants bring their goods to the market and sell them from temporary booths , although they have become more permanent lately and would now take a full day to dismantle. Around the market place are the permanent establishments - Farrels’ Fine Jewels and Apparel, The Happy Cow tavern, Cromach’s Smithy, and the Guildmasters’ Hall.
Unfortunately, you are on militia duty, patrolling the grounds to keep the peace...
The serenity of the day is interrupted by a rider rapidly approaching from the Caravan Gate to the south. As he passes through the gate, he falls off his horse, extending an arm in your direction as if pleading for help. You quickly rush to the man’s side and hear him gasp, “Lizardfolk . . .Lizardfolk raided Cromm’s holding . . . need help . . . please . . . ” He then collapses into unconsciousness.
The rider seems to have been in some kind of battle – his peasant’s shirt is soaked in blood and you notice there are several puncture wounds and claw marks on his arms and chest. The on-scene militia commander wastes no time in sizing up the situation. "Baron Cromm is a friend of Daggerford. The Daggerford militia is the nearest help. Take your unit to investigate the baron’s holding and find out what happened to him. Go!"
"Leon, do you mind checking his wounds. Kyrus, shall we go and check and see if he was being pursued while the others get the horses?" Amelleanne's tone is somehow both commanding and subservient at the same time, her phrasing as suggestions rather than orders.
Before departing, Úlf tries to purchase a shortbow and quiver of arrows.
Tyler's crafting while not on duty.
Since our last two adventures Tyler has been keep a pack ready with all his equipment. He heads home, grabs the pack and saddles his horse, joining to others as quickly as possible.
Yeah sureLeon responds checking the man's injury's quickly. After this mission, I found something in the forest. An old tower, looks worth exploring. Anyone want in?
9gp
10gp
12 gp
4 gp
11 gp
12 gp
total 58 gp
"I'm always up for some exploration!"
Kyrus is a fine sight in the market. Normally, he'd take advantage of the day to sell his trophies and the extra meat he'd taken over the last few days, but he seems happy enough to be on the militia rotation. His clothing looks brand new, with a forest green shirt barely visible under a new suit of dark brown armor, reinforced with strong iron studs. His bow is polished and slung over his back along with a refilled quiver.
"Wonderful," Kyrus says as the man bursts in to the square. "A raid. Let's get the horses and ride. Those people need our help as soon as possible."
Alright then, let's go Nothing really seems to have changed about the young hunter, Lorelei however seems ever so slightly bigger, teeth sharper, more focused. I guess it's time to save the day, Again
Fiery Aftermath
Cromm’s holding is one of the farming hamlets surrounding Daggerford, with five families of around 20 people. Although it is about 2 hours away, you are likely the nearest help.
You set off at a walk, then kick your horses into a trot. At this pace it should only take an hour or so to reach the holding.
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Soon enough you see smoke on the horizon and urge your mounts to move a bit faster. As you ride over a hill, you see a pillar of smoke rising from the fortified townhouse of Cromm’s hamlet. As you watch, a stone wall falls in, the wooden supports eaten away by fire. A few reptilian bodies lie in the dirt; they appear to have been slain as they ran away. They still clutch some of their loot, mostly cheap household items.
In the center of the hamlet, the heat from the fire is intense, but dying. The few survivors, mostly women, are mourning their dead. Suddenly, an ash-stained woman accompanied by a forlorn girl rush towards you. The woman throws herself at one of your horses. “You must help him. You must!” she sobs. “He’s gone after the rest of them, into the swamp!” She breaks down into hysterical crying and crumbles to the ground, her tears tracking down her soot-stained face.