The shout rings out in the chilly night air, ripping you into awareness, the echoes of it still hanging in the branches above you. Sitting up, still dulled by sleep, you look around the campsite. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. The last of the logs in the fire still smolder a dull red, casting a flickering glow across the startled faces of your traveling companions.
Your minds race back, trying to reassemble what brought you here and where you are going. You remember that less than a week ago you had picked up the hint of a rumor, that the accursed wizard had been spotted traveling to a ruined keep in the shadows of the Fenwall Mountains. Gathering the necessary supplies as quickly as possible, you hired a boat to take you from the capital city of Korvosa to the wretched mining port of Palin's Cove. After making the briefest of inquiries you bought passage on a halfling riverboat called the Sinking Folly headed up the Falcon River though Harse and then on to the mining town of Baslwief.
Thank the Gods that your crew had been in a hurry to get home, otherwise your impatience to get to this Korvosan backwater would have gotten the better of you.
The village of Baslwief had been a great disappointment, consisting of a few well-made stone houses built for the local Korvosan mining companies surrounded by numerous poorly-constructed wooden structures. Most of them couldn't have been sturdy when they were new, and the intervening harsh winter freezes and spring thaws had not been kind.
Nevertheless you had found a general store and smithy to attend to your needs, and after making a few inquiries, had discovered that a local ruined keep had become a problem for the outlying farmers of late. Seems that cattle abductions and mutilations had become more frequent since the end of the snows, always accompanied by small, three-toed reptilian footprints.
Even though it was late in the day, you left the village, hiking out of the Sarwin river valley and into the wooded uplands to the west, following the path of a small creek the local halflings called the Musifarisi. When your legs ached from the walking and your stomachs growled, you found a good campsite and bedded down for the night, trying to find sleep amidst the excitement that tomorrow you might finally avenge poor Aleena's death.
Sleep, yes, sleep would be a good thing now, and you are all tired. How nice it would be to pull the blanket back over yourselves and drift off to ...
Wait! The shout! Who had shouted? That's what had woken you. In recollecting the last few weeks you had almost forgotten about it. None of you remembers shouting, although the voice had sounded familiar. Now only the wind through the trees and the baggage donkey's occasional movements break the silence.
Gregori stares into the fire, wordless.
It is a stare you have all sadly come to know well, the stare of a man drowning in rage and sorrow and the bottom of far too many bottles. The stare that replaced the smiling face of your charismatic friend the day his beloved was killed.
His armor beside his bedroll, he sits up, his muscles knotted with tension, his jaw perpetually clenched. By instinct, his right hand grasps the hilt of his finely detailed longsword, his left caressing the hilt of the broken scimitar he treats with the same reverence as the holy symbol of Sarenrae emblazoned on his shield.
If this night is dark, then his thoughts are the abyss itself.
Rhade only stirred from his post enough so he could draw an arrow with his bow firmly grasped in the other as whatever had been yelled stirred the others from their rest.
He'd often taken the first or last watch since this quest began and found the time quite peaceful barring the few occasions they were disturbed whether by foes or other travellers'.
He couldn't help remembering back when he was recruited to guide Aleena's group into the Mushfens and upon exiting were ambushed by "Bargle".
Whilst the others viewed him as a mere mercenary only in this for the money, he did owe Aleena for helping him get the aid his former comrades needed after an unfortunate encounter with some lycanthropes in Sandpoint, even then he'd have probably gone on alone had a member of Aleena's church not asked him to keep an eye on her father who had taken her death a little too personally for his own good.
The shout however drew his attention and with the others stirring Rhade got ready in case they had to move on swiftly or he had to go on ahead and find out what had caused that yell.
"Either we have others seeking the same goal or some kind of ruse to lead us into an ambush... again?" Rhade quietly asked as he glances round the camp's exterior for signs of movement.
Even beneath her heavy eyelids, Zo's eyes bear the same calm, calculating expression to which you have grown accustomed. Her muscles are tense beneath her tan skin, ready for action, and her senses strain to perceive any further sound, but if she is alarmed or afraid at all, the emotion doesn't register in her countenance. You have seen her kill, you have seen her gravely wounded, you have seen her bereaved; never have you seen her businesslike expression change.
Aleena had always asserted that there was a shadow behind Zo's guarded eyes: a shadow of deeply-buried sorrow, of resignation to unfeeling fate. She had hoped to tease and flatter a more human response out of the retiring young woman in time, but now it seems that any hope of piercing Zo's formidable defenses is as dead as the cleric herself, lying broken in the Mushfens.
Ignacious sits with his head resting on his knees and his wand twirling at his side. Ever since that rat Bargle had killed Aleena, he had terrible nightmares, of trying to catch gold as it fell through his fingers. "Bad omens," he muttered, watching the sparks rise from the fire. Nothing was ever sold without a price, though, and Bargle's price would be paid soon. That miserable wretch would learn well the cost of killing a comrade. A very final cost.
"So whose turn is it to cook breakfast this morning?" Rhade sighs as it becomes evident everyone is awake even as he is still trying to pin down the shout that caused all of this.
"So whose turn is it to cook breakfast this morning?" Rhade sighs as it becomes evident everyone is awake even as he is still trying to pin down the shout that caused all of this.
The tension ebbs from Zo's body as she dutifully delivers her end of the old joke. "If it's anyone other than me, don't expect me to eat it." She moves for her battered pan, then pauses. "But unless that was one of us having a nightmare, maybe we should investigate first?"
The shout however drew his attention and with the others stirring Rhade got ready in case they had to move on swiftly or he had to go on ahead and find out what had caused that yell.
Rhade's best guess is that it came from someone in the group, as the timbre was one familiar to him. At least he recognized the voice from somewhere. It also sounded like it was coming from very close by, pointing again to perhaps someone having uttered it in their sleep. You can never be completely sure about these things, as sleep tends to muddle the senses quite a bit.
Meghdad awoke from a restless sleep and rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. He gave pause trying to discern the source of the shout that echoed his innermost desires but gave up as Aleena’s adventuring companions began to stir around the fire. The aged priest stood, stretched his aching back, and not for the first time thought about how revenge was a young mans obligation. Watching Gregori caress Aleena’s blade he approaches the Knight of Sarenrae and speaks softly, “Soon the time will come when we can finally lay her to rest. Bargle will pay with his life for what he has stolen from us.” He starts to walk away but pauses saying, “These past two years you have never relented in our quest. Though I didn’t approve or your relationship with my daughter I can say now you were good for her. She would be proud of you, and I would have been honored to call you son.” Without another word Meghdad turns to the fire to join the others and break his fast.
For the first time in2 years, softness enters the Paladin's eyes, and his deep baritone is barely a whisper, "Thank you."
Cordelia wakes up slowly, she has never been a night person.
She notices the others looking around and remembers the scream that woke her. She also once again notices the sombre mood of the others.
Having known Aleena for far less time than the others, she wasn't hit as hard by her death, but that in no way diminished her desire for revenge against the foul wizard who stole her sparkle from them.
She even recalls the quick visit she paid to the Temple of Calistria before they set off, for a blessing. Sarenrae obviously didn't mind as so far she hadn't been struck by a bolt of Holy Fire.
She grinned at the thought, the smile lighting up her haughty features in a way that she's come to see that the others find amusing.
"What in Varisia was that?" She glances at the others to gauge their reactions to the outburst.
Not speaking, Gregori dons his armor and checks his weapons, preparing for the dawn.
"What in Varisia was that?" She glances at the others to gauge their reactions to the outburst.
Zo has stirred up the campfire and has the leftovers of last night's dinner sizzling appetizingly enough in her pot. "Marching orders? Wake-up call from the Dawnflower herself?" she shrugs, glancing at the grim paladin.
"What in Varisia was that?" She glances at the others to gauge their reactions to the outburst.
"More of the same, lass, more of the same. Dreams gone bad and nightmares turned to routine. It's all coins down the drain, no profit in this whole ordeal." Ignacious pulls out a pipe, lights it and begins to puff on it, muttering, "no profit at all."
"More of the same, lass, more of the same. Dreams gone bad and nightmares turned to routine. It's all coins down the drain, no profit in this whole ordeal." Ignacious pulls out a pipe, lights it and begins to puff on it, muttering, "no profit at all."
If it's profits you seek then why have you travled these past two years? I doubt my only daughter was in anyway able to aid you in finacial endevours so why do you endure our sorrowful company?
With practiced ease, Zo pulls together the leftovers from yesterday's trail rations, mixing them with a few spring onions found during the trek here. The end result is a heartier and more filling meal that can generally be expected in so rustic a setting. Unless one travels with Zo, of course.
Soon the birds are beginning their morning ritual of waking, and the early spring forest is filled with their songs and chirps. It looks as if it will be a cold, overcast day, pretty typical for the end of Pharast, and this close to the mountains. Perhaps you will have rain later in the day, and you can be pretty sure that you will not see any sun.
A cold wind blows down off the Fenwall mountains, bringing the chill of winter down with it. The tops of its peaks are still covered in snow, and will be for at least another month or two. Gozreh snowfalls are not unheard of in this part of Varisia.
Cordelia sighs. "Not this argument again," she thinks to herself.
She wraps her arm around Father Meghdad's shoulder before the exchange grows any more heated and steers him to the other side of the camp.
"Father you know that we all cared for and miss Aleena. Ignacious just shows his sorrow in a different way than most. He does not mean any disrespect by it and your own sorrow is blinding you to this."
"At least take some comfort in the fact that we've almost caught that bastard Bargle and you can rest assured that Ignacious will be there standing with us 'til the end as we bring the fiend to justice."
She pats him gently on the back and returns to the camp, giving Ignacious a withering look and shaking her head.
"Now what was that I heard about breakfast?"
"So do you anything about why Bargle might have hidden himself up here? After all that business when he stole that book I figure he was hunting down something else to do with that but I still don't understand why he did what he did, killing Aleena was pointless so did you ever manage to find out anything about his past?" Rhade asks Ignacious.
Rhade nods to Father Meghdad.
"Bargle's a wizard and seems to have powerful allies given how long its taken us to get this far, I can't help wondering whose behind him and what else to expect if he is here," Rhade explains.
If it's profits you seek then why have you travled these past two years? I doubt my only daughter was in anyway able to aid you in finacial endevours so why do you endure our sorrowful company?
"My motives are my own, old man, and all that ought to matter to you is my worth and ability to contribute to the successful outcome of this venture. Besides, your daughter owed me money. Now she can't pay and it's all that accursed spellflinger's fault. Abadar hates unpaid debts."
"My motives are my own, old man, and all that ought to matter to you is my worth and ability to contribute to the successful outcome of this venture. Besides, your daughter owed me money. Now she can't pay and it's all that accursed spellflinger's fault. Abadar hates unpaid debts."
If it's profits you seek then why have you travled these past two years? I doubt my only daughter was in anyway able to aid you in finacial endevours so why do you endure our sorrowful company?
"Oh and don't forget about the book he stole either!" Rhade added.
"Well at least that will point him in the right direction with some added incentive since there's no way Bargle will willingly hand that over and I am assuming this is over his dead body either way am I correct?" Rhade explains to Father Meghdad.
Gregori growls at the wizards words and seem to be barely restraining him self from stiking the portly man.
"Breakfast is ready," Zo announces into the tension. "If you simply have to fight each other, whatever you do, don't throw the food."
Gregori growls at the wizards words and seem to be barely restraining him self from stiking the portly man.
"Calm yourself, paladin. Striking me won't bring her back and you'll need all our talents before we're successful. I.. I miss her, too."
While gathering up your belongings and putting out the cooking fire you think back on your meeting yesterday with a halfling lady in Baslwief. On first getting off the ship you had asked around a bit, having only heard that Bargle had settled near this village in an abandoned castle. After a few dead ends you met Sophone, a halfling lass who had explored the local countryside as a youngster. She had never heard of Bargle, but had given you a location: Mistamere.
Over a hot meal at the local hostelry, the Crooked Timber, she had given you basic directions and related a bit of the local history. "Castle Mistamere," she said, "was once the home of an eccentric Chelaxian enchanter named Gygar, or some other strange foreign name. He set himself up here three hundred years ago and pretty much ruled over everything for a short while. Guess he wanted to be left alone, as there weren't a whole lot of folk to rule over back in those days. After he died nobody claimed the place, and so it fell into ruin. It's enough out of the way that people don't bother with it. It's had a bad reputation my whole life, so I've stayed away from it. It's also close to a bad part of the Fenwall mountains known as the Shales. I've heard talk of flocks of wyvern and worse nesting there. You won't find this slip of a halfling lass anywhere near there, no sir. They say I am crazy, but I'm not suicidal."
With that she had wished you good luck, thanked you for the warm meal, and said her goodbyes.
...
Back at the campsite everything seems to be packed. It had rained briefly during the night (it does that a lot in this part of Varisia), so all your belongings that you didn't rain-proof are slightly squishy this morning.
Following Sophone's instructions, you now leave the river valley and head in a south-westerly direction into the foothills of the Fenwalls. According to the halfling, Castle Mistamere should only be about a half-day's journey from here.
As you are no longer following the brook, and there are no established roads or even footpaths in this wild country, you will have to use your judgement to find the best way through.
As Cordelia leads him away from the confrontation the old priest drops his weary head, the grief was heavy on his shoulders and everyone could see it. If it hadn't been for the sorceress he probably would have thrown the Halfling overboard before arriving in Baslwief, and once again her intervention has diffused the situation. ”Thank you dear, your patience and composure are gifts of Sarenrae I seem to have lost. It would be wise of me to heed your example, but the half an ass always finds the words that inflame the pain in my heart. You have been as good a friend to me as you were to Aleena, her letters mentioned you often.”
As the adventures press on he longs for the dusty streets of civilization while staying closes to the sorceress sharing tales of Aleena’s childhood with her.
”You have been as good a friend to me as you were to Aleena, her letters mentioned you often.”
Cordelia's normally stoic features betray a surprising hint of emotion when Father Meghdad tells her about Aleena's letters. She feels a little overwhelmed that Aleena thought so much of their friendship in the relatively (compared to the others) short amount of time they had known each other. "Thank You," she whispers to him before her glare at the halfling instigator.
As the adventures press on he longs for the dusty streets of civilization while staying closes to the sorceress sharing tales of Aleena’s childhood with her.
As they travel and Aleena's father regales her with childhood tales, her strange smile can often be seen on her face, possibly more than any of you have seen it in such a short stretch of time before.
Zo, as usual, is all business as she examines the surrounding countryside, looking for animal trails or long-unused paths.
"Fairly decent effort Father, see Zo has quite the knack for this doesn't she?" Rhade comments as he helps the group move onto their target hiding that for him this was almost child's play.
Being a guide by profession admittedly more to do with swamps this was old hat to him, but he preferred to keep a low profile since you never knew what was around the next corner and he wanted to keep the good father close by in case trouble loomed.
Gregori trudges along silently, lost in his own thoughts. Yet glad to see the sorceress help Aleena's father unburden his heart.
Despite the group's conflicting points of view, one thing that everyone seems to agree upon is which path is the best to follow. () You have also learned over the years that when it comes to bushwhacking through the trackless wilderness, it is always best to follow Rhade.
You follow the ranger all morning, sometimes on game trails, other times fording small rivulets or hacking your way through particularly tough underbrush.
After breaking for a quick lunch, you continue your journey for a bit over an hour, following a small creek. Still swollen from snow melts, it flows over boulders, fallen logs and many turns as it cuts its way through the hilly, wooded landscape. It's still early spring, and the leaves are a light, yet intense green. The last frost was less than two weeks ago, and back in the valley the farmers have begun turning over their fields to prepare for the spring planting. Among the many mixed hardwoods and evergreens you begin to see the slender trunks of fruit trees, mostly apple and pear, just beginning to show their white blossoms.
You eventually arrive at a small clearing and an enormous rock carved to look like a bear ... or at least you think it is supposed to be a bear. Time and weather have not been kind to the monolith which is at least as tall as two full-grown humans.
A small path can be seen running beside it towards the entrance of a narrow ravine. This must be the entrance to Mistamere. You cannot see the keep from here as the canyon walls turn sharply to the left around forty feet in, but you imagine that it lies somewhere beyond the bend.
The woods are quiet here, and the tall peaks of the Fenwalls loom ominously close above you, shrouded in mist on this cool day.
Father Meghdad kneels down in a silent prayer to Sarenrae. Then he turns to the others, "We have once again come to the apex of our quest, gods willing we will finally come face to face with the murderer Bargle and be done with this. Again I thank each of you for dedicating these years to avenging my daughter." Then the cleric turns to the statue and the surrounding area and incants, "Deprehensio veneficus" while scrutinizing the stone and the surrounding area.
Sitting down on a nearby rock, Ignacious mutters "the road goes ever onward, and yet my feet still ache..." as he pulls off his boots and empties them of stones and dirt. Once done, he draws his wand and checks his scroll bandoleer.
Father Meghdad:
Zo limbers up, bouncing on the balls of her feet and swinging her arms, as she waits for Father Meghdad to give them the go-ahead. Edging over to Rhade, she asks, "You and I scouting up front as usual, half-elf?"
Zo limbers up, bouncing on the balls of her feet and swinging her arms, as she waits for Father Meghdad to give them the go-ahead. Edging over to Rhade, she asks, "You and I scouting up front as usual, half-elf?"
"Of course!" Rhade grins back.
Getting up he keeps his bow in hand as he picks his way forward taking a good look around before proceeding on carefully.
After studying the surrounding area, Meghdad nods the all clear to Zo, "The only things here that resonate a magical aura is us." Once done the priest moves closer to inspect the statue attempting to discover if it has any religious signifigance.
Glancing at Rhade to make sure he is ready to move out, Zo instructs the rest of the party, "Give us several seconds and then follow as quietly as you can. We don't want to lose our quarry again because we give him too much advance warning we're coming."
After studying the surrounding area, Meghdad nods the all clear to Zo, "The only things here that resonate a magical aura is us." Once done the priest moves closer to inspect the statue attempting to discover if it has any religious signifigance.
Father Meghdad studies the bear-shaped monolith for a few moments, but it just doesn't ring any bells for him.
Rhade and Zo head out from the rest of the group, their eyes and ears open. The rest of the group follows at a distance as quietly as they can ().
The canyon is fairly wide at first, and you notice old wagon tracks washed out by recent rains. It quickly narrows to about 25' in width, and the canyon walls become much steeper. From time to time there is sound of movement around you, but investigation reveals that it is simply curious giant rock geckos, the size of large dogs. They don't make any threatening movements, and seem content to watch you walk by.
Within ten minutes you round a corner and find that the canyon opens up into a large cul-de-sac, at the end of which stand what must be the ruins of Castle Mistamere.
It seems to be a fairly simple construction. A rectangular bailey about 150' from side to side, with a single structure backed against the canyon walls within. The walls of the bailey are decrepit and full of small holes where stone blocks have tumbled to the earth, now scattered around the ruins. A large gateway sits in the middle of the wall, its outer doors in a heap beside it. A second set of inner doors seems to be closed, obscuring your view of the courtyard beyond. Everything looks as if it has been abandoned for decades, if not centuries.
The only other visible way of getting in, besides climbing the walls, would be to enter through a large hole in the crumbling wall, about 50' to the left of the main gateway.
Motioning to the group behind her to stay where they are, Zo strains her senses for any sign they are being watched from behind the crumbling walls.
If she senses nothing, she murmurs to Rhade, "I don't like opening a door when I don't know what's on the other side. If you'll cover me, I want to sneak up and look through that hole in the wall before we try to go in."
Motioning to the group behind her to stay where they are, Zo strains her senses for any sign they are being watched from behind the crumbling walls.
If she senses nothing, she murmurs to Rhade, "I don't like opening a door when I don't know what's on the other side. If you'll cover me, I want to sneak up and look through that hole in the wall before we try to go in."
Rhade nods back nocking an arrow to his bow and keeping watch in case something moves in response to Zo's approach to the hole.
Neither Zo or Rhade notice anything out of the ordinary about the keep. From this distance () it seems quiet, and they perceive no movement. They do notice (actually pretty much everyone notices) that there are hundreds of little three-toed footprints going back and forth from Mistamere. Rhade would estimate that some of them are quite fresh, while others are probably days, or even weeks old. The ranger also has no problem identifying the creatures that made them:
Kobolds.
Neither Zo or Rhade notice anything out of the ordinary about the keep. From this distance () it seems quiet, and they perceive no movement. They do notice (actually pretty much everyone notices) that there are hundreds of little three-toed footprints going back and forth from Mistamere. Rhade would estimate that some of them are quite fresh, while others are probably days, or even weeks old. The ranger also has no problem identifying the creatures that made them:
Kobolds.
"Little beggars will be waiting for anyone going through either opening, they have a gift for traps that is truly frightening, question is where will they post guard to look outside... on the ramparts of the outer wall or the roof or whatever's left of the ruin inside?" Rhade whispers trying to focus on where the kobolds would be lurking.
Knowing their quarry, Zo is on the alert for traps anyway. Only a great fool would take up residence in a keep with two obvious entrances without taking certain precautions, and the fact that Bargle has evaded their pursuit for so long indicates that he is not a great fool. Trusting her half-elf companion's watchful eye on the structure itself, Zo saves her concentration for moving as silently as she can toward the keep, while also searching the open ground between her group and the walls for trip wires, snares and hidden pits.
Gregori draws his sword and prepares for the unexpected.
Zo creeps up towards the bailey of Mistamere, making for the six foot diameter hole in the western end of the wall. She notices nothing until she is about 25 feet from the wall. Although she sees a rubble-strewn courtyard through the hole, filled with fallen rocks and pieces of the structures, something catches her attention out of the corner of her eye. Something seems to be moving underneath the fallen outer doors before the main entrance. Something with insectoid eyes and flailing tentacles about the size of a draft horse seems to be about to jump out at her!
Initiative: 1d20+3=11
Zo draws her rapier and quickly moves 30 feet back toward the group -- toward the paladin, in particular. "There's a welcoming committee," she calls out in warning.