Session I: Ambush! in the Gloomlight

8-9 Resting, 1304 AM

  On the 8th of Resting, four adventurers with wildly different backgrounds, all invited by royal summons, had made their way to Morrowfall Redoubt, the seat of Akkon's power and the envy of the world. Imaros, a silver-tongued satyr and a well-regarded singer, storyteller, organiser, de facto royal propagandist, and more at the Elven Kiss, not to be confused with a brothel, an elven-owned bar in Izdubar's Watch; Del'Gado, a sly tabaxi of unmentionable and clandestine renown who may or may not have helped the king avert a familial PR-related matter; Jacqualine, a vain eladrin and enjoyer of mirrors who 'selflessly' assisted in the defence of New Teratera against a regularly-scheduled raid by the dreaded Greenwater Hierophants of the Serpentine Hierarchy, which included making a Yuan-Ti sergeant murder his commanding officer during the battle; and Malgrim, a smiling hobgoblin raised by dwarven brewer-monks and who had single-handedly repelled a hill giant from attacking First Haft by quite simply running circles around it. The King and High Judge of the Advocate-Kingdom of Akkon, Gilgenon, awards these characters 500 gold crowns each for exemplary services, which is followed by an offer of further advancement, honours, and material rewards: go to the bend at Gloomlight Forest and discover what happened to several groups of Noble Alliance Army soldiers there. The now-party agrees, and Gilgenon directs them to Akk-Ur's garrison commander, captain Idal Wayflower.   Before doing this, Imaros decides to go to the Elven Kiss to inform his cousin that he will leave for a few days, and the rest join him. They had some drinks and Aegis, though a little dismayed at the business implications of Imaros' absence, was not entirely surprised at his cousin's social ladder climbing. Del'Gado proves himself a milkdrinker and Jacqueline a wine connoisseur. Malgrim objected to the weak spirits that Aegis had in stock, but he attributed this to Mountain Massive Continental raising prices recently. Afterwards they paid garrison commander Idal Wayflower a visit.   Clearly annoyed, she complained about the King getting personally involved, but said that the party were unlikely to find anything of value and rebuffed Del'Gado's request for horses, as this was a garrison, not a stable. Idal took offense when it was suggested that incompetence was at play, stating that she has sent many grave letters to families about unfortunate disappearances that she would rather not. Still, she asked that the adventurers return to her if they actually found anything.   After a day's travel, the group reached the bend and saw signs of combat that had been poorly covered-up. Before they could investigate further, a stranger, dressed in green and equipped for travel by foot, came down upon the road, seeing through the adventurers' hasty attempt to hide amongst the trees. Malgrim promptly introduced them to him. He, in turn, introduced himself as Bari, a scholar currently writing about Akkon's history, and was travelling to Akk-Ur as the Queen had sponsored his and other prominent academics' works. He did not appreciate being talked down to by Del'Gado, but bid them farewell and left for the capital.   When they were alone again, the party moved to investigate the tracks. Malgrim pre-emptively activated his staff, which detects magic, and indeed, there was a faint hue of magic in some of the nearby bushes. A closer look revealed a group of four goblins and a bugbear, all wearing camouflage suits and sitting in a very concealed position. A perfect spot for an ambush. As they were now compromised, a harsh-sounding order was heard from behind the party, and three hobgoblins wearing dark suits of plate armour and closed great helms, in addition to another group of goblin ambushers alongside a bugbear leader, were made visible.   The battle was a grand skirmish. At first it went decidedly in the adventurers' favour, as the goblins' poisoned arrows were redirected towards them by the martial arts hobgoblin whilst chants of vanity were heard from Jacqualine (which dumbfounded the captain). Despite losing many in their ambush party, the goblins and bugbears remained uncharacteristically steadfast in the face of adversity. One of the ambush groups managed to land several crippling shots, and soon half the party was downed. After Del'Gado rapidly brought down several goblin ambushers from above, an eerie feeling took root in the bend, which Jacqualine identified as a field of antimagic being deployed, but which curiously only inhibited the party's gear. After rebounding and landing several unsportsmanlike hits at the remaining bugbears, the goblins fell in quick succession, but not before inflicting some damage before their final respite. During the skirmish, two of the ambushers retreated back into the forest. When the dust had settled, a voice echoed through their heads: NIHIL. The dead and dying goblinoids around them rapidly began to age, turning mummified in an instant, despite an effort by Imaros to keep one of them alive.