Session 21: Search for the keep and a confusing battle

General Summary

Search for the keep and a confusing battle
So, we once again seemed to have committed ourselves to improvements. I spent another few days improving my weaving skills (which, I’m afraid, is a rather slow process. It seems I am indeed more suited for books than for labor.), Duldar researched the inner workings of the metal tube-like weapon a bit more, Valstrax and Skrik continued their studies on poison and its applications, and Voron has started a line of study of his own, showing an interest in the alchemical arts.   Alas, it could not last forever, of course. Soon we found ourselves seeking out another quest. With Duldar’s research, we figured we might have an idea of where this ‘lost tomb’ might be, and prepared for the journey at hand. The travel would take us high into the mountains, so we prepared accordingly.   Most of the members in our party took a rather practical approach, and I applaud them for it, but I felt uncharacteristically like treating myself. So while my companions got their sturdy winter-clothes in sensible whites, grays, blacks and browns, I thought I would get myself a cute outfit, topped off with a adorable cloak that is pink on the outside and white fur on the inside. It’s reversible too! And it has bunny ears on the hood. I’m so happy. Dad would never let me just spend money like this, but I earned it myself, so I spent it on whatever I want!   We went on our journey in relatively high spirits. Valstrax had summoned his steed Mirage again, so I decided to try my version of his spell and summoned Aurora, a lovely unicorn-like spectral steed for myself. I’m quite proud at that one.   We arrived at an apparently empty lighthouse first, and decided to check it out. The view was lovely, and I wasted no time penning down a sketch of it. It wasn’t until we heard a commotion that we realized that we had left Valstrax on the floor below, where he had found himself in a scuffle with a suit of animated armor. Before anyone could even lend a hand to help, though, he vanquished the arcane shell rather fast. I left a note to the owner of the building, explaining what happened. I hope that’s enough.   The weirdest thing happened though: in the middle of the commotion, Duldar suddenly burst into laughter, seemingly without a clear reason. He stopped pretty quickly too, but it was strange nonetheless. I hope this strange laughing fits aren’t going to be a regular thing... We managed to find our way across a frozen lake and up a mountainside, when we saw a thin spire of smoke rising. Upon investigation, we found a small crevice in the ground from which the smoke came. It was rather strange; this didn’t seem like a place for a volcanic vent, and the smells rising with the smoke were nothing I would have associated with volcanic activity either. After some back-and-forth debating, we decided to lower me down into the crevice, as my eyesight remains rather good in darkness and, might there be lava or the likes, I am relatively well suited for hot environments.   Well, we didn’t find volcanic activity. Indeed, we found something rather different: a kitchen. A path lead away from it and in my curiosity I was tempted to follow it, but I decided against it and rejoined my fellows to tell them what I had found. As the sun was setting, we set up camp and discussed what our next move should be on the morrow. Eventually, we decided to go around the mountain and follow the road that we had spotted earlier up to where it may lead.   So the next morning, we did just that. The keep, however, was not as unoccupied as we had hoped. Guarding its entrance were two orcs. With... debatable cohesion, we devised a plan: Voron would take the shape of an orc and travel with us up the mountain, pretending we were his ... slaves? Servants? I’m still a bit vague on what the plan actually was, as we all looked nothing like servants. So perhaps it was not shocking that this plan did not work. At all. As soon as the guards had seen through our ruse, one attempted to fight us while the other one ran, presumably to get backup.   What happened next, even I’m not completely sure of; it was complete bedlam, to be honest. We were fighting orcs left and right, some right in front of us, others firing their crossbows at us from narrow slits, when Voron cast a spell that made most of the ground almost impossible to traverse by turning it into thick undergrowth. So there we were, trying to push forward, while getting shot at from all sides. We all did our best, and managed to take a few orcs down. My new trick really came in handy too, switching places with people left and right. Eventually Voron managed, in beast shape, to get inside the hideout of the archers, and that gave me enough confidence to teleport my way in there as well. With a bit of spells and a lot of muscle, we eventually got everyone in there. No orcs to be found anymore, but some rather ominous sounds in the distance. I wonder what that was about.   We were knackered. Out of spells, out of abilities, and tired. Or, well, at least I was. So, being absolutely done with this, I put up Leomund’s tiny hut, from which I am writing this down. We’ll let tomorrow’s concerns be tomorrow’s. I need some sleep first.

Rewards Granted

15121 xp total