The adventure began on the first of Flamerule, 1372. This is one month before Midsummer. A month prior, Saria Venxalim, priestess of Selune in the town Rethmar had an overpowering vision of doom descending on Elsir Vale under the banner of a clawed red hand. She sent out for help and gathered the PCs. You left Rethmar on 27 Kythorn and spent the last 4 days journeying across the vale on foot (w/ Shade on Emma).
You woke in your camp a bit past Terrelton (29.6 miles between Terrelton and Drellin’s Ferry, 5.6 more than you can comfortably travel in a day on foot) and got started on the march.
The afternoon sun beats down on you; the air is hot and still. The sparsely settled lands of Elsir Vale are starting to grow monotonous, with a seemingly endless line of dusty flyspecks of towns. The town of Drellin’s Ferry lies a few miles ahead of you. It’s a settlement hard on the borders of the Witchwood, and the best place from which to begin exploring the nearby forest.
In the late afternoon, you encountered a large group of hobgoblins including a fighter, a cleric, and several hellhounds.
The road crests a small rise and descends into a dusty grove in a large, shallow dell. An abandoned farmhouse, partially visible through the trees, stands on one side of the road. You’ve passed a dozen spots
much like this one already today, but this one feels wrong. Then you glimpse the glint of mail through the brush by the side of the road. Fierce warriors—tall, hairy humanoids with wide mouths and flat faces—are lying in wait!
Only Ashimei, Mora, and Eryk noticed the hobgoblins lying in wait and were able to respond to the first round of arrows shooting at you from both sides of the road. Combat lasted about 35 seconds with Ashimei demonstrating her ability to ‘hulk out’ and grow from her usual 6’11” to 13’10” as well as her insane jumping abilities. Mora used both her powerful hammer blows and her eldritch blast abilities. Eryk demonstrated his archery skill, how to hit with his sword and how good Kiril is at striking on the fly. Pharaxes demonstrated a wide array of combat spells with a focus on fire magic. Shade rode Emma around to get into position and dealt devastating sneak attacks. Finally, Luna used both her bow and her healing abilities to good effect.
Following the combat you searched the bodies and collected the useful and sellable gear (see the spreadsheet), then continued on the Dawn Way to Drellin’s Ferry.
At the edge of town, you met a group of guards.
The road descends into a small town built mostly on the near side of a broad, sluggish river. Six old stone piers jut from the water, marking the spot where a bridge once stood, but the span itself is long gone. Instead, a couple of long thick ropes cross the river, each secured to a flat-bottomed ferryboat. Brown fields and green orchards surround the town.
A group of armed townsfolk—three in leather, one in mail—stands guard, watching you warily. “Halt and state your business, strangers,” one of the guards says.
Mora took the lead and explained that you were on a mission from the priestess of Selune in Rethmar and were here to investigate a vision she saw. Additionally, she mentioned that you encountered the hobgoblins outside of town.
Sergeant Hersk, the burly man in scale mail, with a curling, waxed mustache, was fairly reasonable. In response to Mora he said: “Indeed! Where? Bands of those murderous savages have been skulking near the town for days now. You’re lucky you came through it!”
He also recommended an inn for the evening: “The Old Bridge Inn is just ahead, on your left. Or, if you prefer, try the Green Apple on the other side of the square. I like the Old Bridge, myself.”
The party advanced to the Old Bridge and found it to be a large and busy inn, heavily favored by merchants travelling the Dawn Way. It is run by the Shadowbanks family, a clan of halflings a dozen strong. Kellin Shadowbanks is the patriarch and the proprietor. Shade noticed from carvings on the posts outside that the inn is considered a safe haven for thieves. He made a sign to Kellin on the sly and made sure that the party will not be bothered by the thieves in the town. Kellin is an affable, brown-haired strongheart halfling who dresses in a broad-belted waistcoat. He is adept at putting people at ease, but is clearly much sharper than he likes to let on. The inn charges 2 gp per day per visitor, but the fee includes a nice room, dinner, and an ale.
END EPISODE 1 [+1175 xp for the day]
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START EPISODE 2
The halflings served up a nice meal. After you’d finished eating and were into your second cup (or fourth in the barbarian’s case) of ale a pair walked into the bar and approached you and all got quiet.
The tall balding man of about 50, who none the less looks like a capable swordsman says:
“Sorry to trouble you, travelers, but I’d like a few minutes of your time, would you prefer somewhere more private?” the man says. “My name is Norro Wiston, and I’m the Town Speaker for Drellin’s Ferry. This is our guard captain, Soranna. I’ll get right to the point: We’re in a lot of trouble, and I was hoping I could persuade you to help us out.”
You indicated that you might be persuaded, so he continued:
“Our town is under attack,” the speaker begins. “Hobgoblin raiders have been harrying our lands for several days now. They’ve attacked and killed people in the outlying homesteads, and they’ve been waylaying travelers along the Dawn Way.”
Captain Soranna adds, “We’ve had some trouble with them before—a quick raid on homesteads on the west side of the river, usually not that bad—but this is different. It looks like a large, aggressive tribe has moved down out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Frankly, I fear they might be numerous enough to sack the town.”
“Beyond the immediate threat to our homes, the road is our lifeblood,” the Speaker continues. “If the hobgoblins make the Dawn Way impassable to the west, trade won’t come this way, and we’ll be ruined. Not only do we need to repel the raiders from our town, but we’ve got to keep that road open. Can you help us do it?”
Mora asked, “Well what would it pay?”
The speaker says, “You’d be helping a lot of people if you deal with this problem”
Mora asked, “No seriously, what does it pay?!?”
The speaker says, “We could pay you as much as 500 pieces of gold each, if you can drive off the hobgoblins.”
Eryk asked, “What do you mean by drive off?”
The captain says, “If we never see another hobgoblin it would be just fine.”
Eryk asked, “Large tribe? Any idea how many and where they are?”
The captain says, “We’re not sure. A hundred warriors maybe. There have been at least three different warbands around our lands at the same time, each about fifteen to twenty strong, so fifty minimum. As to where, somewhere in the Witchwoods I would presume.”
The speaker says, “There is also Vraath Keep, an old ruined castle about 15 miles or so west on the Dawn Way. It’s certainly possible that the hobgoblins have seized it for their stronghold. It’s supposed to be haunted, but they might not care.”
Before they leave you to your reveling, Soranna adds:
“If you’re going to be wandering around in the Witchwood, I would advise you to seek out Jorr. You can’t find someone who knows the woods better. His cabin is out of the way, but it could be worth the walk. If you take the Witch Trail, go left at the first big trail crossing; Jorr’s cabin is about seven miles in. Or, if you’re on the Dawn Way, take a right on a trail about nine miles from the forest edge. Jorr’s cabin is near the Blackwater.”
You finished for the evening and got a pleasant rest.
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