Session 5 Report

General Summary

Valorant continues on the path northward to Distow. To pass the time, Big Richard repeatedly plays around with his newly bought cloak of billowing but grows bored with it and offers it to Valqinor, who eagerly accepts. On the way, Big Richard spots two elk grazing and thinks they could be useful either as mounts or pack animals. He and Valqinor attempt to approach the animals but the clinking of Valqinor's armor drives one away. Before the other can run, Big Richard manages to calm it down, whereupon he lassos the creature and after a struggle of strength, manages to rope the elk and tame it. Bestowing the elk with the name "Little Richard," the group unloads some of their heavier loot onto the animal and drag it along with them. Little Richard isn't enthused by his captivity but trudges along when given some food. Further down the road, they spot in the distance an older man being accosted by a gang blocking the road with logs. The group decides on a plan before they are spotted: Lephnut will sneak up from the side through the cover of trees while the others approach the gang and will signal if something goes wrong. From Lephnut's vantage point, he spots an archer hidden in the trees, aiming towards the older man and the party, ready to fire at a moment's notice. Valqinor asks the gang leader what is happening and the smarmy human claims he and his friends (a dwarf and a hooded human) are doing travelers a favor by protecting the roads in these hard times and the cost of protection is a toll fee. He asks the same thing of Valorant that he asked the older man: to hand over their coins. The party pretends to acquiesce to get closer and to signal Lephnut to strike from the shadows. As Valqinor's cloak billows dramatically signaling the attack, Lephnut leaps out and slices up the dwarven enforcer. The gang is too surprised to respond immediately, allowing Valorant to gain the upper hand. As gang members are cut down by Big Richard and Lephnut, Valqinor and Jett call down the lightning and summon blades of frost, respectively, to handle the gang leader. The gang only manages a few paltry attempts to fight back but are largely ineffective in their state of shock and fear at the power of Valorant. The older man retreats back and manages to help the party take down the archer in the tree with a heavy shot from his crossbow. The party take a moment to recuperate and then introduce themselves to the man, who they find is named Halston. Halston thanks the party for their help, saying he used to be better at fighting but he's getting old and appreciates the assist. He explains that he is a surveyor of sorts and travels around in order to discover new areas and chart out maps, which is why he carries a bundle of parchment in his satchel. Finding out that Valorant is new to the area, Halston sketches them a map of Ostren and gives them a run down of the region: Ostren is a kingdom comprised of three primary territories, formally called duchies: Ostra, Cressen, and Aldora. Ostra is the main territory and the originator of the kingdom. Around 300 years ago, Ostra-- which fields a strong military comprised mostly of humans and dwarves and seats themselves in a highly defensible position in the northern mountains-- invaded the land of Cressen and integrated them into their new kingdom. The resulting conglomeration became known as Ostren. Around 150 years ago, due to conflicts with their neighboring nation of Genos, the elven land of Aldora swore fealty to Ostren in exchange for protection and became a part of the kingdom. This is a primary part of the current brewing civil war, as Aldora never fully integrated with the rest of the kingdom, keeping many elven secrets to themselves and in the present day, Lord Fallon of Ostra and Lord Elwyn of Aldora have been long-standing rivals and Fallon desires land in Aldora. Halston marks some areas of interest in the map. Near the center of the kingdom is a large, moon shaped body of water known as the Crescent Bay. Settled at the edges of the Bay are three capitals: the capital city of Cressen, also known as Cressen, the capital of the kingdom, Kingsfield, and the ostensible capital of Aldora, Elleron. Halston explains that despite Elleron being the official capital of Aldora, the true seat of power lies deeper in their forests in a place known as Endymion. Elleron is Aldora's kingdom-friendly city, featuring a mix of races, culture, and society that mingles amiably with the rest of Ostren. But what lies in Endymion is a mystery and Halston has never been able to visit as they only allow elves into the enclave. The party agrees to allow Halston to come with them as they are all headed towards Distow. Halston explains that he may have to leave the group then for his own business but can provide them with a map of the city when they arrive. Lephnut, having seen the power of Halston's crossbow, becomes interested in the weapon and asks to examine it. It is a large and heavy crossbow made of a fine, sturdy wood and is adorned with custom gold inlay designs. The stopping power appears immense with the strength needed to load and aim the weapon. Lephnut then wants it for himself and tries to fire it for practice but Halston recognizes that Lephnut is too inexperienced with crossbows to not hurt himself and talks him out of it. The rest of the group convinces Lephnut to return it to Halston, though Lephnut is inwardly frustrated. Before they continue on the road, the party still has to examine the bodies of their slain enemies...