Session 07: Gathering Bearings Report

General Summary

As the team collects their wits after the escape from Arkdale and the sudden attack from one of Flint's bodyguards which was infected by an intellect devourer, Flint Underhill recommends that the party move to another location in case their current location were compromised by the traitor.   Settling down in a hidden campsite in the middle of a wheat field, Flint provides more details of some suspicious conversations he has overheard in the King's Coin, conversations that seem more unusual now that his actions were not of his own choosing.

• The first insight: Flint remembers overhearing a mission that the proprietor assigned to a group from the guild to go to a location known as the "Temple of the Ancients". Flint overheard no additional information about this mission, nor does he have any knowledge about where to find this location.

• The second insight: Over the past year Flint has helped smuggle quite a few crates into Arkdale, some of which bore the markings of Wolveshire Fortress - a land to the south that has acted in olden days as a garrison against attacks from the sea. Flint isn't aware of any reason why Wolveshire might be important or even involved, but it might be a clue as to the source of the smuggled crates. Wolveshire lies several weeks travel to the south.

While these two insights do offer some direction - there are quite a few missing elements as to what they mean, or the location of the Temple of the Ancients. Flint's remaining bodyguard Gromp volunteers some information of his own: while he may be fairly dense, he used to bodyguard for a famous wizard and knows of a place that has "books and maps" that could be of some help in Arkdale.   The team beds down for the evening, pulling guard throughout the night. In the witching hours of the night several members detect strange footsteps of something giant moving in the distance, settling within a mile or so but of no apparent danger to the team immediately.   In the morning, the team sends Wellys out to investigate these strange sounds by performing an aerial reconnaissance in the direction heard hour before. His quick inspection to the North leads him to an Arbor, with something large in the trees beneath. Flying in to further investigate almost costs him his life when a Dire Wolf pounces from the shadows, narrowly pulling him from the skies. Flying in further allows the brief glimpse of a massive troll, chomping down on a sheep it has recently ripped in pieces. Attached via a loosely tied rope is a orc that appears to be badly beat up. Wellys flies away in the opposite direction to the party and circles back to update the team.   As the party moves to depart to the south to avoid the troll, Rickfried's keen ears pick up on the male and female voices screaming, causing the members of the party to come to the rescue of the farmer and his wife. After witnessing the final scream and breath of the farmer as he is ripped in two, the party jumps into action, quickly dispatching the troll, the orc and the dire wolf, almost losing Marigold in the battle if not for the quick efforts of Angelo to cast Spirit Guardian to aid in healing her.   While unable to recover the farmer, the farmer's wife thanks the team by offering hospitality and food, as the team recovers from this encounter and makes preparations to reenter Arkdale without alerting the authorities of their presence.