Episode 02: The Rescue

Adventuring

General Summary

Our party of unwilling students catches their breath after defeating the grung. The party encounters the Norjord raiders. A battle ensues. Vulcan follows the fleeing warrior, carrying an old man. Attacking, his frostbite attack is ineffective. The woman gestures to the walls of the caves, and suddenly Vulcan is cut off by the spiders. After engaging he retreats back to the party. The remainder of the party continues the fight with the Norjord raiders. Cille recognizes the leader of the raiding party as a member of the clan that attacked her village. One of the raiders assumes the form of a polar bear, while the rest of the raiders form up into a shield wall. Magnus invokes his god and strikes the polar bear with a radiant blade. Kallisto and Cille join the melee, while Otlyn delivers the finishing blow. The melee continues with Cille and the raiding party leader. Magnus Oddsson, Kallisto Megalos, and Otlyn wear down the raiders in the shield wall. Just before killing the leader, Cille bludgeons him unconscious. Just before engaging the final member of the raiding party, Vulcan arrives with the spiders in tow. The raider flees deeper into the cave as the party turns to confront the new threat. Insert description of spider battle. As the spiders are finished off, the party notices the raider emerging with a captive and attempting to flee the other side of the cave. Otyln cuts off his escape with a wall of water, and the captive takes the opportunity to attack. Ianthe Meletitís unleashes a fury of cold, encasing the raiders head in ice and freeing herself. It's unclear from the sailor's discussion how Ianthe was overlooked, but after attempting to pursue the first mate, she breaks down. Otlyn continues to sooth and support the distraught girl, while the party tries to understand what to do next. Vulcan continues to help evacuate and organise the remaining crew and retainers. Kallisto The party learns of the fate of Phlios and his family. As the northmen attacked, the ship's first mate assassinates the high lady of the house of Meletitís and reveals several accomplices amongst the crew. From the description, the party assumes that the woman Vulcan chased out of the cave was the first mate, and the prisoner was Phlios. The family members of the house and any remaining citizens were rounded up and executed on the spot, and the rest of the crew and retainers handed over to the Norjord raiders to sell as bounty (slaves). Cille takes the leader off for questioning with Magnus following. After reviving the leader, he expresses surprise that Cille was alive, thinking his father had killed her during the raids two summers ago. After a series of insults and describing the horrible fates of Cille's family after she was told to flee, Cille attempts to intimidate the raider. The leader spits in her face, knowing he was likely to die. Cille presents the captive with an ultimatum, with Magnus offering his encouragement. "Die on your feet or die a blood eagle". The leader of the raiding party shares that the first mate told him where the target would be, and arranged for selling the slaves. He didn't know the contact, other than the usual slaver contacts. He discloses that he was ordered to kill the family with the exception of Phlios and that he was the one who decided to hide Ianthe. After the exchange, the prisoner once again taunts Cille that if her parents were strong enough, they wouldn't have died. Cille says, "I'm stronger." She jerks the raiding party leader to his feet and thrusts a dagger into the captives heart. Magnus contemplates what happened and then shrugs and gives a sad look at the guy who died, and walks away. When Cille refuses to bury the body and proclaims he died a cowards death, Magnus challenges her that she did not keep her word. Cille is unrepentant and points out that she the letter of her agreement, and walks away. Magnus spits at her feet as she passes.