Episode Forty-five - Chance at Life
General Summary
After a lovely breakfast Arion and Kelaryn set out for the day's business into the streets of the Castle Ward, the heart, mind, and soul of Waterdeep. As they ventured north up the Street of Silk they walked past a few dozen vendors selling mainly fabrics of various variations. Though the street was one of the few crowded with vendors in the district, they still saw that the buildings themselves housed various offices and publishing houses like the rest of the ward, who's access was not useful to the general public. They passed more then a few law offices as the meeting houses of solicitors lined the alleyways. Along the sidewalk, the vendors called out to them in calm tones as the occasional magister passed them by on the snowed stone road. A gentle snow fall added to the layers atop awnings and overhangs that guarded the vendors and aided nobles into their carriages, as the busy streets were stomped into, laden with a thick snow, by shoe and hoof alike. As a snowflake rested gently upon Kelaryn's left cheek, she then looked over to see an Elven man traveling along side her before the three all saw a commotion in the distance.
As their feet met hard stone for only a moment further on, they saw a small crowd gathering around two men in the city streets. Passing a vendor's faded brown tent on the right they saw, revealed before them, two men ready to engage in a duel. The one on the left was a gentlemen of lavish make, he'd dressed to the nines and was clearly of royal nobility. The lavish noble had a purple ruff around his neck and surrounding said collar was a full breastplate. At his feet was his dark wooden cane resting in the stark contrast against the white snow but in his hand he held a badge of office, a well made rapier with a glistening point. Though his opposition was a rapscallion of a gentleman, his cleanliness and fencing posture positioned him as a noble, surely. Wearing a brown frumpy hat, the swashbuckler set his foot and revealed his white, low buttoned, loose shirt to the crowd and beneath it a small purple handkerchief he had tied around his neck. All comers surrounded these men. There were those of nobility decorated in exotic colors, those of the commons in earthy tones, those of the streets in horrid muck, and those from afar in fine silks. Vendors lining the area, a cart full of foreigners, as well as two horses had stopped to see the potential brawl. As Arion, Kelaryn, and Varis closed within twenty feet of the crowd they saw, off and to the left, two members of the City Watch fast approaching. Immediately the watchmen were halted by a man in a purple colored hood as they heard the first strike of the rapier up ahead.
As Varis, the local Elven artificer, halted for a moment; Arion didn't skip a beat. Having recently learned of the legality of duels from Waterdeep's Code Legal, Arion stepped in to separate the two combatants. The lavish noble promptly pealed away from the fight as the rapscallion forced his way into Arion's focus. As a snatch-runner took hold of Kelaryn's warhammer, forcing a struggle, the lavish noble displayed his intent to capture Varis.
The lavish noble pointed his blade in Varis's face but Varis was quick to act, he slapped the rapier to the side and charged his tinkered glove before slamming it into the noble. As the electricity fizzled from his glove, the lavish noble pushed his rapier into Varis's hidden armor to no avail. Just then, Arion picked up the rapscallion and tossed him at the three purple hooded, armored, toughs whom had just charged around the corner of an alleyway and into the fray. As the advantage taker seized his moment in the ambush, nearly taking Kelaryn's warhammer, Varis charged his glove up once more and delivered a massive shock to the lavish noble. As the lavish noble convulsed on the ground Arion entered bladed combat with the new opponents. Varis cleverly retreated only to send forth a contraption that highlighted Arion's opponents conferring a good frame of reference as Arion quickly found himself surrounded. The hooded men were clad in splint armor carrying a longsword and shortsword both. Two of them, the heavy one and the tall one, had their faces wrapped up in black cloth. There was one without cloth however, his face was a pale white and he charged Arion first but as his longsword struck Arion's armor, he lost grip with it and it went sailing off beyond the crowd. As the heavy one, whom had the rapscallion thrown at him earlier, made his way to his feet; he did so while also standing up the rapscallion noble. The tall Hood then rushed in and stabbed Arion rightly. His blade sunk deep into Arion's thick armor and as it slid behind his back it cut a large whole into Arion's chainmail. As the metal rung from the blade's withdrawal, Varis saw his would be rescuer nearly over matched and knew he had to get into the fray somehow. Running around the edge of the battle, Varis watched as Arion's blade slammed so intensely and with such impact that it not only sliced but bludgeoned the pale Hood's jaw from his face. Switching his position, Arion then lunged forward and stabbed the pale Hood clean through the throat. In response, the heavy Hood took his moment as Arion stepped to reposition and promptly shattered his longsword across Arion's armor. As the heavy Hood's sword splintered he drew his shortsword only to lose the advantage and watch as Arion parried his blade away. The rapscallion then decided it was his moment to charge Varis but he was wrong and he only caught the artificer's electric gloves. As the rapscallion convulsed, Varis repositioned perfectly to watch the coming blood frenzy. Arion's typical two step attack, cut away his heavy opponent's armor and then saw him slash the twisted soul's femoral artery wide open. Splattered with blood, the returned lavish noble surrendered to Varis as Arion bludgeoned to destruction an "x" pattern into the tall Hood's splint. With pieces of armor falling to the ground, he preformed a heavy strike against Arion, denting his armor on the right side on the breast before the two clashed blades a few more times. By the time Varis escorted the two downed nobles to a nearby sidewalk, the tall Hood empowered himself once more. With his longsword gripped tightly in both hands the tall Hood slipped Arion's defenses and crashed his blade into Arion lifting his feet from the ground. Though the impact tore the armor, its fine make saved Arion from a few broken ribs. With the threat of death should he not surrender, Arion watched as a constable, who's compatriot died fighting a Hood at his side, cracked the tall Hood over the head at that very moment.
As the fight concluded, a man in a long black coat, finished with a purple vest on the roof of the north east building, set his purple hood firmly forward before darting away. They heard a single shingle tear and then saw it fall to the streets below with a clatter as he slipped off into the city beyond. Truncheon in hand, the Constable gave both Varis and Arion an afirming look as Kelaryn ran off her would be thief. The constable told the pair that the men before them were those of the Purple Hood Hang, Hoods. The nobles they ccontinueinvestigation
Kelaryn, the three proceeded to a nearby tavern. Arion, Kelaryn, VarischowderChampionsVarisKelarynDwarvenVarisKelarynArionVarisfascinationArionVarispurpose
Champions of Destiny they, as well as their new companion, were all bound for the same destination, the Halls of Justice in Waterdeep. Leaving the tavern in the afternoon, they arrived at the Halls with enough time for VarissavantallowedKelarynArionreluctant
Arion then asked Tokin, the young boy, to take a knee and requested that he present the hilt of his weapon before him. Tokin did so and Arion took the light hammer and turned the hilt back to Tokin whom he had grasp it. Channeling his homeland, Arion stood before Tokin towering over him.
Arion then had the boy repeat, "here do I swear fealty and service to Gondor the Reunited Kingdom, and to the Lord High King of the realm, to speak and be silent, to do and let be, to come and to go, in need or plenty, in peace or war, in living or dying, from this hour hence-forth, until my lord release me, or death take me, or the world end. So say I, Tokin Lithok."
After which Arion responded, "and this do I hear, Arion son of Gondor, in the High King's name and I will not forget it, nor fail to reward that which is given: fealty with love, valour with honour, oath-breaking with vengeance."
Arion then told the boy that he must come to his land and swear that oath before the king one day and that he is bound by the oath to act in a manor worthy of serving a king, the best being he's met, and that he will be held to his oath. He told him that even if they find the boy's people he must hold the oath or be released from it by the Kingdom of Gondor. Kelaryn Stonehammer quickly wiped her eyes at the words of the oath, finding the ceremony beautiful.
The Champions of Destiny then met back up with Varis at the Dragon's Head Inn. They introduce Varis to Tokin and set their intentions upon finding Gilda in the morning.
All the talk of the grand beyond and grand battles inspired Varis in the night and he spent the evening creating and crafting ideas like a mad man; though he neglected to rest, he felt reinvigorated come the morning with all his new ideas.
Rewards Granted
1075xp for Arion and Varis
Missions/Quests Completed
Sidequest Deepwinter Deed Continued, Subquest Deepwinter Estate Continued, Encounter Purple Hood Attack Completed
Character(s) interacted with
Talked with Master Boldirk, recruited Tokin Lithok.
Created Content
Purple Hood Gang [Roll20], Tokin Lithok [Roll20]
Notes
Notable Party Damage: (New Noted Section)
- Arion's shield, at the left most edge, is sheered off. In the defense of Iron Maiden, the portion of shield was cleved through by Than, the Last Titan of Urgrund. Arion has a missing link of chainmail on his right shoulder from the demon attack at the Fated Crossing. His helmet has a mildly noticeable patched portion where a crack once existed from the mind flayer attack. Under his helmet he has a small scar on the left side of the top of his head where the same mind flayer sucked out his brain. Fighting members of the Purple Hood Gang, his armor took quite a few hits. There is a stab hole on the back left side of his armor within which there is a cut across length of lower back of his chainmail. There is a large dent on the right breast from a longsword strike. There is also a jagged tear on lower left rib cage from a sword hit.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Head). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. - Kelaryn has two mostly faded hand-print shaped bruises on her left arm. She has a scar from the stab of a spear that she received valiantly fighting an ice devil on her stomach.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar (Head). The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar. - Varis has a slight hole in the left breast of his vest from the poke of a noble's rapier.
Noted Effects: None
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