The First Chapter, Session Six: Into the Wild

General Summary

The morning brought with it a frigid blizzard. Qemuel and Rúna were the first to awake and were met with the Vargan soldiers, already awake in the early hours. The Valkyrie made her way off into the woods to find the party some breakfast, while the Solder went to go converse with his old comrades. Qemuel, curious how so many of them were alive, asked if they could inform him what happened. They agreed, under the condition of only having to tell the stories once. Qemuel then woke his companions he thought would want to hear. Everyone was roused, minus the Vagrant. The man who had been called Lark introduced himself as Roche Cardot. A good-looking man, he had a large beak nose and short cropped hair. He spoke with confidence. At Pacan he was wounded and left to die. During the aftermath, he was taken to a Vargan medical camp and there he met Rose. The healer brought him back from the brink of death, and the two fell in love. Rose died a few months back from the plague. Lark is doing this for her. The elf who had been called Mouse introduced himself as Berrien Berevan. He had two different color eyes, one blue and one black. Speaking in a quiet, timid voice he informed them of his story. He had been captured during a skirmish and had served time in a prison camp. Ciala had made her way into Croemerth after the war and broken him out, and he owes it to her to do this. The halfling who had been called Scruffy introduced himself as Corrin Greenleaf. He had a bald head and a bushy, unkempt mustache. He ran when the cavalry came through the woods at Pacan. Seeing what happened there he is helping Ciala so something like that never happens again. After the bard took down their stories the group began to pack up camp. The party discussed the best route to Northport, deciding to go through Drasser to avoid conflict. Ciala gave Qemuel a package containing a list of contacts the party could use throughout the region. The vagrant was roused and soon the groups were ready to leave. Ciala informed them she would be heading back to Eastport to assess the situation. She rode off, and the rest began their travel on the road westward. The weather was absolutely brutal. Strong winds whipped the cover of the wagon, and a thick blanket of snow began to cover the road. The two groups split up at the crossroads, with the party heading north. Everyone did their best to keep the cart going, but before long they came to a river crossing. The bridge was missing, so everyone dismounted and began to investigate. Qemuel and Kalistra both noticed two different things at the same time. The vagrant could see a single file track leading off the road, and the soldier noticed that the supports on the bridge had noticeable saw marks. Expecting an ambush, the two made their way down the tracks, with the rest of the party staying back to watch the carriage. They didn’t make it far before a figure could be seen approaching. The two hid, with Qemuel sneaking back towards the river bank where he could quickly make it back to the road. As Kalistra attempted to sneak up on the figure, she snapped a branch and was discovered. They were wearing patchwork armor made up of many different sets. A dark cloak was slung over their back, with the hood up. A mask covered their mouth leaving only the eyes visible. Kalistra questioned the person on their intentions, and the voice made him out to be a man. But he would not stop his approach. The vagrant drew her sword, and the man threw up his hands in defeat. But he did not seem nervous about the gesture. Back at the carriage, the remainder of the party looked on, hearing the voice of Kalistra. Suddenly, strong hands grabbed them from behind and began to tie them up. As the knots were tied they sprung into action. Rúna broke free of her bonds with pure strength, spinning on her attacker and summoning her spear in a crack of thunder. Caldwell teleported out of the rope and onto the cart, want in hand. Errato was not so fortunate, the ropes had been tied tight around his arms and legs. The crack of thunder alerted the others to the situation, and everyone sprung into combat. The enemies went down easily, with Kalistra taking down the man she had been speaking to in quick order. Rúna took another out of commission, and Caldwell killed one with a lightning bolt, turning him to ash. At this, the rest surrendered, rushing to the pile of ash. At this, the man Kalistra had been talking to revealed himself. A father with his kids, he had taken to banditry after the war to feed his family. When he informed them he hailed from Dawsbury, Qemuel faded into the woods to avoid conflict. A long debate broke out, with both sides unable to understand what the other had done. The men made their way down the trail and began to carry planks back to the bridge to allow the party across. Rúna assisted, and after speaking to the father gave him the painting she had been working on and her entire coin purse. When the planks were laid the group mounted back up and began to ride towards the Drasser border. As the sun set they stopped for the night, making camp and falling asleep in silence.

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Riding north in the morning, the party debated how to get across the Drasser border without any issues. Errato confidently told the party to leave it to him, and the rest decided to go along with it. As the border came into view the long line could be seen. Erato made his way up to the head of the cart, building up the performance as the group approached the crossing. Infusing his playing with magic, the bard enthralled the waiting commoners and before long a crowd formed around the cart. Seeing the opportunity, Qemuel made his way around the line and Caldwell helped to amp up the crowd with his illusionary magic. By the time the crossing came into view most of the line had poured out and followed them. Noticing the moment had come, Errato stopped the playing and enticed the crowd to follow them, Into the Wild. With some magic the letters appeared on the side of the wagon, and the playing started up again. The Drasser at the post let them through without a second thought, fearing a riot if this was to continue. The party was allowed through, and as they made their way north began to settle down back into their places. Arriving in Norwich as night came upon them, one thing stood out that sent nervous thoughts through the party. Makeshift barricades had been erected around the village, some of which looked like they had been smashed by a large beast. Some of the houses were burned to the ground, and others demolished in different ways. The party made their way to the inn, a place called the South End. This came at a surprise to Qemuel and Errato, as they had met in this in weeks prior. Then it had been called the Lightning Staff. Upon entering the party was greeted with the smell of fresh food and the warmth of the hearth. The jovial tavern looked nothing like it had before. The patrons were all enthralled by a performance on the stage, and as the party entered the bard looked their way. Her eyes widened and she stopped playing, shouting Errato’s name as she got up from her stool. The bard left the tavern, pulling up his hood. She ran into the party, introducing herself as Loreta de Acosta. Then, she grabbed Errato from outside and demanded for him to oppose her on stage. He accepted. The two traded back and forth, and Loreta showed herself to be a competent bard. She even used magic to amplify her performance, as Errato did. Back and forth they went singing and dancing when suddenly Loreta tripped. Errato caught her, and the finished the evening out as a Duet. As this was occurring, the barkeep had made her way over to the party in the audience. She gave them a round of drinks and rooms on the house for Errato’s performance. When Qemuel asked what had happened to the previous owner, the barkeep informed him that the man had been killed in one of the recent Orc attacks. Shocked, the party decided to do something about it in the morning. The party went off to bed, and Loreta left Errato at the door, making her way into the village. He followed her, catching the door of her house before it shut.