The Bloomgivers return
Murmurs of alarm from the western end of Protectress Square soon become shrieks of shock. Two people stumble into the square-a young dark-haired man and a light-haired woman, half walking and half relying on the shoulders of friends. Winces of pain cross their bloodied faces.
Somewhere, someone shouts, "The Bloomgivers have been attacked' Someone get Aurelliax!"
The crowd around the Bloomgivers hushes and parts, and the mayor returns and strides purposefully toward the injured youths. A grim look on her face, she reaches a hand lovingly toward the Bloomgivers.
Mayor Qarl addresses the crowd in a commanding voice. "Silence! Aurelliax left minutes ago due to an urgent matter. She did not trust me with the details."
She turns toward the Bloomgivers. "Kameer. Kara. Young ones, what has happened here?"
The Bloomgivers pause to catch their breath before answering. " We' re so sorry, Mayor Qarl ," Kara says.
"We were picking the brightblooms when those bullies set upon us. They took us completely by surprise, and they stole the Golden Pendant right from Kameer's neck! We barely got out with our lives!” Kameer nods. "It was Richelle and Tolwin! They're up on Dendra's Slope, and they've still got Aurelliax's amulet!”
At this news, several individuals, including the proprietors of the jubilee's events- emerge from the crowd.
The town's mayor visibly bristles with anger. "I've had enough of those two! Clearly we should have punished them more harshly!" she says. "We have to retrieve these misbehaving kids? We have to get Aurelliax's amulet back, and those two will get the justice they deserve in our stocks."
+++++++++++++++++++
”Drandle?! So you are part of the society? A big burden had to be carried in your name for almost two decades! But you have come to a town which is open so there does not need to be any secrecy!“ she says to Ragnar.
She turns to the townsfolk and then back to you.
”We all have to think you visitors!! Please, travel up Dendra’s slope, directly west of town about 3 miles," the mayor says gently.
"It sounds like the bullies are still there. The brightbloom patch is just past an old abandoned shack-that's where you'll want to start looking."
”Find these wayward youths, and return them along with Aurelliax's amulet to the people. We'll bring back the brightblooms to the square, and Kameer and Kara here can hand them out as planned. We'll commence the Brightbloom Ball and put all of this unpleasantness behind us!"
Slitherscales, now paying attention, asks Kara and Kameer how they were attacked, and if the two ruffians had weapons on them.
Slitherscales is completely ignored.
A man in the crowed looks at Slitherscales and Ragnar with anger and shouts "Who are you?!? We have to get Aurelliax to help!"
The mayor looks at the man ruefully.
"These bullies are two of our own!"
The people in the crowd give a regretful nod.
"You all know the rules! I'm terribly sorry,"
Mayor Qarl continues, "but I'm afraid that Aurelliax can't directly help. You see, Aurelliax promised our forebears that she would never interfere in the town's interpersonal matters. She cannot turn her wrath against any of our town-not even if they might deserve it."
Kara and Kameer are very relieved and also the town is again impressed by your courage.
"Oh thank you for helping! Well. These two are trouble makers! But usually totally harmless!! I have to admit that everything was over so fast when we were up there! They attacked us with longswords and I also saw them carrying a bow! No one else was there!! They really... really tried to hurt us..." Kara says and the wounds they have matches that description although you can see that at least some hits were definitely with the flat side of the sword if it was really longswords that hit them.
Turning to the assembled townsfolk, the mayor asks "Do any of you have things you might loan to this group?"
Yarla steps forward with a smile. "I just so happen to have a crate of items in my inventory right now, bound for a bodyguard firm in Port Ice. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little quality control testing on one or two."
Looking at Brialla's bow, she adds "I might even have some blunt arrows, too."
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Those wounds look like they were not trying to kill, but to subdue...in my opinion, anyways. And a sap would be greatly appreciated. We'll bring them back to question. Petro explains the pattern of the wounds to the villagers.
If they were using longswords...and I'm not saying they weren't, there would be deep cuts and blood all over the place. I wonder...were they blunted swords...that could be a valid explanation... he ponders aloud.
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Kiliuk stood beside Petro and followed his gaze on Kara and Kameer's wounds.
"Sounded like the Rachelle and Tolwin wanted the amulet more than spilling blood." grumbled Kiliuk
Looking at Petro Kiliuk spoke in a lower tone of voice "If Rachelle and Tolwin were typical bandits these two would have their throats slashed and left to die in a nearby bush."
Kiliuk glances around and back to Petro still continuing to speak in a lower tone of voice.
"Best to go to the hillside and pay those two a visit. But I'm going in preparing for a fight."
Kiliuk looked at Yarla with a nod.
"I would like to take a look at your inventory, if that is ok."
You are starting your journey to Dendra's Slope
After a quick trip to Yarla's warehouse, you head toward Dendra's Slope, about three miles away.
As you approach the slope, you see a wagon full of already-picked brightblooms, and remember the mayor saying they would come pick it up once you've dealt with the bullies.
You see the brightblooms in more detail and know these flowers under a different name. But you know that crushed brightblooms confer a +2 bonus when used as part of any Heal check.
You can see a dilapidated hut, a nearby slope covered in flowers, and a cave entrance a little ways away.
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As the party walks toward Dendra's Slope, Ragnar addresses his fellows. "This attack makes no sense. Not if Richelle and Tolwin plan to stay in Highdelve. They didn't try to hide who they are. They stole the amulet sure, but they had to know they would be found out. This wasn't something they could get away with cleanly unless they hid their faces or killed those other two."
He pauses and looks at the brightblooms in the wagon.
"Actually, they might have been recognized even with covered faces. And they weren't trying to kill them." Ragnar steps back from the cart, looking carefully at the ground around it.
"So what's their deal? Running away? Just too stupid to think it through?"
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"I don't know.. Nothing makes sense." shrugged Kiliuk
Kiliuk glances at the brightblooms and made a snort.
"They could be stealing the amulet for someone else. Maybe they really didn't think they would be found out?"
Kiliuk examines the dilapitated hut from where Ragnar is checking the cart.
"Yeah, I think you're right, Petro" Kiliuk responded.
"But I'm not taking chances in getting stabbed either." Kiliuk grumbled.
"Let's go have a look at this old hut." said Kiliuk.
Kiliuk slowly makes his way towards the old hut cautiously while scanning his surroundings.
As you approach the hut, you begin to get your bearings.
You quickly scan the surroundings for potential threats or things that seem out of place.
They look like they were made within the last 24 hours.
You see no other movement around the valley.
The outside of this dilapidated shack is moldy and has walls full of holes. Its rotted doors hang open on broken hinges. You cannot hear any movement from within.
You enter to find it unoccupied, a dirty bedroll in one corner along with three daggers and 6 days' worth of trail rations.
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Ragnar shields his eyes with a hand, surveying his surroundings before approaching the hut.
"Maybe." Ragnar points to footprints on the ground just outside the hut. "Someone's been here in the last day. There's only one bedroll though."
Ragnar enters the hut and searches it, tapping on floorboards as well as looking up in the rafters.
Ragnar has great eyes and detects something in the wall near the bedroll.
You start searching and he spots a suspicious hole in the wall near the bedroll. Upon examination, he finds a small bundle containing a journal, a scroll, and four potions.
These are four potions of cure light wounds.
This is a scroll of scorching ray.
~ ~ What does the journal say? ~ ~
The only entry, which bears today's date, says:
Oh my dear demonic god. These stupid kids are hated in town but the roots of mistrust were enough to convince them to join my mother's plan to attack the jubilee and circumvent the dragon's protection. They beat up the flower pickers, but they let them escape alive! But we retrieved the amulet and together with mother's sacrifice this will be enough to protect the beast in the cave from the dragon's wrath.
--
Makeshift Campsite
A rusty metal pot sits over an extinguished campfire in this hastily prepared resting stop. Three logs are pulled near the fire, and in between are several marks scrawled in the dirt.
The marks scrawled in the dirt are crude drawings of a two-headed stick figure that’s shown emerging from a cave and running toward some houses.
The rock formations surrounding the cave are identical to the rock at the west end of the map (area C4).
The drawing’s meaning: This drawing is part of some sort of plan involving a monster in the cave to the west and Highdelve.
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As Petro inspects the scroll and the potions, Ragnar unsheathes one of the daggers. He grunts, sheathes it again and attaches it to his belt. Then he gestures to Petro to hand him the potions.
With a shrug, he passes the bottles over to Kiliuk. "Take a look," he says before walking outside toward the campsite.
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Kiliuk takes a good look at the bottles and realizes what they are.
"Ah, these potions of cure light wounds will come in handy." Kiliuk says outloud.
Turns to Petro and hands him a bottle.
"We should be prepared for whatever comes next."
Kiliuk grabs a dagger and attaches it to his belt.
Can always use an extra blade thought Kiliuk while inspecting the blade.
Kiliuk heads out of the hut after Ragnar, finally catching up to him Kiliuk hands him a bottle of cure light wounds.
"You might want this just in case."
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"A potion of healing? That's useful." Ragnar takes the potion from Kiliuk and pockets it.
Ragnar flips open the journal again, reviewing the entry and then glancing at the drawing in the dirt. "Two-headed, and with an amulet that protects the beast from dragons. Well, hopefully it won't provide any protection from us." He closes the journal and puts it in his backpack. Then he takes out and loads a sling.
"Let's check out the cave. They might have already gone, but I think we need to have a look."
You spot some movement behind the big rock across the valley from the flowers, in front of the cave entrance.
Surprise Round
1. Enemies
Suddenly, you see two figures making a small step and arrows flying in your direction from behind two rock formation but they both miss!
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* * *
Round 1
1. Petro and Kiliuk -> GO!
2. Enemies
3. Ragnar
#Tolwin: 0 Damage
#Richelle: 0 Damage
#Unknown: 0 DamagePe.: 12/12 HP
Ki.: 17/17 HP
Ra: 13/13 HP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Kiliuk curses in Orcish and ducks close to the side of the old hut. While staying close, Kiliuk carefully walks up to the edge.
Kiliuk equips his heavy crossbow and loads a bolt into it.
"Hey!" Kiliuk barks out to Petro, "Might want to duck behind something. I don't think the "owners" want us!"
Kiliuk keeps the heavy crossbow ready while carefully scanning for the enemies from where the arrows flew from.
Round 1
2. Enemies
Both figures continue to shoot arrows and now aim at Petro but both of them miss again!
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* * *
Round 1
3. Ragnar-> GO!
Round 2
1. Petro and Kiliuk -> GO!
2. Enemies
#Tolwin: 0 Damage
#Richelle: 0 Damage
#Unknown: 0 DamagePe.: 12/12 HP
Ki.: 17/17 HP
Ra: 13/13 HP
You can defend yourself as a standard action. You get a +4 dodge bonus to your AC for 1 round. Your AC improves at the start of this action. You can’t combine total defense with fighting defensively or with the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. You can’t make attacks of opportunity while using total defense.