"Maybe just focus on collecting yerselves for now" says Eddie, scratching his head. "I suppose, if ya'll are ok, that I'll just... head back outside."
He heads back out to check on the rest of the group and deliver the news that Huru was ok. He doesn't understand how the elves could be keeping such a cool head in this situation...
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Caleb listens to Eldren's and Theo's explanations and Gaurm's question and grunts, "We have no policy as such occurrences are exceedingly rare. For now, keep them as a token of the good faith of the city for your quick action.
If we have need to inspect these items further I will leave word with you at your temporary residence.
For now, we will take the assassin into custody and question him".
Haskin grins, "Good, we could use such weapon against what we'll be facing. Once Eddie exits the building I'd like to get going".
---
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Draven nods to Huru, "I shall certainly do so, I wonder who the target was and why so we can start there".
Aristal peers out the window and turns to Huru and Draven, "We'd best follow Eddie. The city guard has the assassin and if we wish to question him we should be there to exert our influence, what little we have".
---
Zsar snorts, recoiling from the smell. He Huffs. It appears to be made of Brimstone... he corks it again and hands it back... Following where he is needed.
Gaurm nods to Caleb, "Gratitude," and tucks the weaponry and potions away, speaking to his companions, "We can deal with these later."
"Yeah, if the assassins were in this much of a hurry, we should probably move quick too," says Brogg.
The Daughter of Mishakel nods.
Eddie will lead everybody back outside.
"Looks like everyone made it through with all their various bits and pieces intact" he says with a smile.
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
As Caleb and his men begin to lead the surviving assassin away, Huru, Draven, and another female cleric exit the Inn now teeming with guards, and approach.
The female cleric states, "Captain, I and my companions were the targets of this man and we would have involvement with his questioning".
Caleb sighs, "Revered Daughter Aristal, it is a criminal matter for the Guard to handle. If we need a Cleric we shall request one through the proper channels".
She shakes her head, "No, I insist!"
Haskin turns to the rest of you, "We are loisng daylight my friends, it's nearly 10 am as is. If your Cleric is not coming are the rest of you?"
"Let the guard handle it" says Eddie with a shrug "I've got no further business here."
Theo just stands there simply in amazement at all these goings-ons!
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
The female cleric turns to Eddie, "The last time I let the guard handle it, two of my friends were murdered and it was declared that the case was closed.
Now two assassins, with a very similar set of strange magics, have attempted to slay myself or there elven dignitaries or both! This must be addressed by the clergy as well as the guard".
Red who is still lingering chimes in with his massive minotaur frame and voice, "If the Captain will allow me, I will attend to the assassin's questioning while the rest of you leave the city. Thereafter, as I wish to meet with the clerics anyway, I can report what I have heard back to all of you".
---
Perhaps we should allow the guards to handle this issue as we see to it about these brigands? she states
Why, I have never met an actual brigand before. How fascinating. NowtherewasthisonetimewhilemygreatuncleNeedles wasoncewaylaidbyalostkenderbutnowthatithinkonitthatkenderkindahaditcoming.. .
"Had what coming? There was a kender," Eldren asks, something between curiosity and maybe just a little effort evident in his expression as he tries to decipher the gnome's words, or rather disentangle them from one another. "And in any rate, actual brigands are quite different from kender. They do not so much... borrow or find, they steal. At least." Despite the little smile on his face, his voice is serious enough.
I just meant that I have never met a real brigand, that's all.
thieves exist in every society... whether driven by greed, or simple hunger, they are bound to appear. Zsar says, his tone flat, like he was just stating fact
Gaurm re-settles his equipment and waits patiently for the others to be ready.
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Red accompanies Aristal who refuses to let the would be assassin out of her sight despite Caleb's protests. A situation your group leaves behind as Haskin leads you all to the stables near the eastern gate.
The stable hand, Toby, greets him. His eyes are wide as he takes in the sight of Brogg and Gaurm. Even the appearance of the elves does not catch his eyes with the two larger than life warriors so near.
Haskin drops silver into the teen-aged boys' hand, mounts and motions to all of you to follow to the gate. A pony holds both Theo and Rin who of course, will not stop talking. The guards at the gate seem quite happy to see your group go. The eastern road runs for a half mile due east where it splits south, east and north.
Haskin turns to you all, "Now that we are outside of the city proper and away from potential spies we can speak freely. I have been employed by a select segment of merchants whose shipments have been targeted both by land and sea. However, the nature of what they sell is... sensitive. They are weapon manufacturers. Outside of the standing army and guards of the cities of the Kingdom of Kharolis, such goods are not supposed to be sold.
However, nobles with their own private armies and less savory characters seek to acquire such items and so the black market is rich with them. Or it was until their shipments began to be raided by sea and land by these Bandits.
As there is no discernible pattern to what shipments are attacked, it appears that such attacks are "random". Thus, the city guards of Tarsis believe that this is nothing more than "normal" banditry which while a problem, is not specific enough to assign a special force to pursue and stamp out. However, it is not random, all weapon shipments being sent to Tarsis are attacked and the weapons stolen.
The guards slain are those who are aware of the contraband. Those who survive the attacks are put to sleep and so long as they are not those with knowledge of the goods are simply robbed as is any currency being transported. So it appears that theft of the currency and nothing else is the goal.
I think you can see the problems here yes?"
Brogg thinks hard, then says, "I guess. Someone else gets the swords and you want 'em stopped."
The light and healing of Quenesti Pah are needed so desperately in this world of Krynn she remarks.
"Seems like quite the operation" remarks Eddie. He was surprised that the bandits were able to track down these sort of shipments consistently.
Looking awkward on the pony, the gnome's constant chatter causes a humorous sight.
Ihadagreatuncle--WalterWilliamTheodoreGlitterfounder--whooncewentintoafores t.Henrverreturned.
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
"At first Brogg, yes that was my goal, now I worry less about my employers gold and more about where those weapons are going to!"
He looks slightly uncomfortable at the Revered Daughter's statement but makes no comment.
Haskin nods to Eddie, "Yes quite... hmmm. Damn. They must know somehow but how. Now that you mention it, they've never hit a shipment that did not contain contraband.
We don't need to find the bandits, we need to get to the next shipment!
It's on the trade road now, far south of here. At least four days ride away now".
Draven frowns, "Are you saying we need to ride to meet this shipment?"
Rin grins at Theo then looks at Eldren, "Uh what did he say Eldren? Did you know that sometimes Forests can just get up and move all on their own? I saw it once, I swear I did".
"Well where are the attacks happening?" asks Eddie.
"What I mean is: riding four days to escort a caravan may not be necessary if we know that these guys aren't hitting the shipment until they get closer to the city. If we assume they know the route already, that'll narrow down where we need to look."
"Do they? And where did you see that?" Admittedly, this could simply be a kender's flight of fancy, as the little folk do seem a little predisposed to an overactive imagination. Still, one never knows what one might learn even from the most unlikely of sources.
"Theo talked about how a great uncle of his went once into a forest and never returned..." And then Eldren abruptly stops, as he seems to recall something about kender also having some sort of uncle, the same one. And he hopes that he has not just opened the proverbial flood gates of stories upon stories about him.
"It would certainly save some time and may even help us make a plan on how to better deal with it," the mage agrees with Eddie with a nod.
Zsar pokes his way into the conversation. Forests themselves can't move. However, with enough magics, or Ents, one could possibly move a forest. If one did see such a thing it is likely that it was only a few trees at most...
The gnome's face lights up.
A forest that moves! How wonderful!
The wizard then looks to Eddie.
But how do we find that out?
"We go there and see for ourselves," says Brogg.
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Haskin shakes his head, "That's the confounding thing. It's never in the same place twice. For some time I thought the bandits were in yon woods" He points to the woods where Zsar initially arrived, "but there's no evidence of that. The survivors claim that they appear from nowhere! When they leave, there are no tracks. Yet they attack on horseback! I've tried to track them myself a time or two but there's nothing left to track. Mind you, the road leadig borth to south has no forests. A few rises to hide behind but no true impediments to vision as a guard while on the road".
Indeed, Eldren does opne the floodgates to several stories from Rin about magical forests moving. Despite Zsar's protests that these are indeed Ents, the Kender won't hear of it as Uncle Trapspringer would never lie!
"So you're saying we've got no other choice then hope we get lucky?"
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Haskin shakes his head at Eddie, "I am saying we should either ride hard south to join the caravan or ride hard south and tail the caravan from afar.
I mean, it's kind of your idea my friend as it had not occurred to me before this... of course, you are also a much more potent band than the previous ones I hired out so I feel better about this trek. I've wasted good coin and found nothing but dirt and grass for months before this".
"I guess join the caravan. Might as well be in the middle when things go funny."
"Magic could be the answer as to how they appear out of nowhere," Eldren speaks up after thinking on Haskin's words for a moment, offering a possibility. "If they have a wizard among them, which would hardly be too much of a stretch, he could turn them invisible and keep them that way until they attack and break the enchantment."
Another wizard!Iwonderifhewearsblackrobes.Orifevenhehashisrobes.Iwouldntmindhavinga chancemyself...
Zsar sighs.... Obviously unable to tell anyone anything with relative sense...
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
Haskin looks around, "Are we all in agreement then to ride south hard? Elves? Gaurm? Eddie?"
Draven looks to Huru, "Revered Daughter? I shall follow your lead".
The little gnome raises his hand.
And don't forget me too!
Eddie shrugs "Sounds like the best bet to me."
Zsar nods, If we are to leave, then we best do it in haste.
Gaurm nods in agreement, "If we can't say where the attack will come, we must be there when the attack does come."
"Smart words, my friend," Eldren agrees with a smile, nodding in agreement to both Gaurm's statement and the option to ride south.
9th Day of Autumn Twilight - 1030 PC - Tarsis the Beautiful -
While the Revered Daughter does not answer one way or another, as the rest of the group departs south so too does Draven follow them with her hesitantly behind.
The group though presses forward hard with Haskin in the lead driving the mounts down the road at lightning quick pace!
Perception Checks
Eddie
Gaurm
Zsar
Brogg
Eldren
Theo
---
Initiative Checks
Eddie
Gaurm
Zsar
Brogg
Eldren
Theo
As the group thunders down the road, Gaurm is the first to spot trouble after several miles ride, Goblins, and a lot of them in the road ahead attacking a small group of pilgrims all wearing hoods. The pilgrims are outnumbered 4 to 1.
Focused as they are on surrounding the Pilgrims they have yet to notice your group riding towards them.
Zsar and his companion think for a moment, before he casts a spell, pouring water over himself, which grows and molds into a sheet of ice armor he then draws his spear and waits for the others to act.
During the ride over Eddie zones out. He didn't like horses much, that was true, but something else was troubling him. There was a sort of...humming going on in his brain. He only noticed it when they left the city. Humming, right in the center of his brain.
Seeing the pilgrims under attack draws his attention. He wipes the sweat from his brow and shakes off his stupor before dismounting his horse. Without having any sort of plan in mind he starts heading towards the skirmish.
Theo casts Mage Armor. He then spurs his horse forward to within 30' of the goblins.