Episode Ninety - Brother's Grim

General Summary

After the group spent a little time buying gear in town, they made their way about and gathered rumors from the quite priest, the guild master, and the corporal of the guard. Just before she left, Bree sold her signet ring and her fine clothes from home to the guild master who figured he could fetch a good price for them to a collector of Eilvenkin artifacts, he payed 20 gold. As Bree, Thwip, Tirith, and Varian left the keep and crossed the drawbridge, snow fell upon their shoulders and the wind battered their cheeks. Several among them knew the road ahead would be easy, though potentially dangerous, and those of them who knew it, knew the path would be lined with trees and fields and shadowed by a mountain. Though it was mountainous terrain, the hills were sloping and proved no issue to their speed, though a beautiful sight to behold. At the onset of their journey they were seemingly offered an air of good tidings by the gods as the snow cleared and the sun beams down but such weather didn't persist. The snow picked up a mile on and began to lay upon the ground and it continued that way their entire march. What would likely be the last snowfall of the winter battered them and some three hours on, some nine miles covered, they all reached a river. Chilled to the bone, the constant crash of the frigid river assaulted their ears as their minds reminded them that the weather was taking its toll. As look for a way across, Bree and Thwip realized that the two ropes used to span river were bobbing along the bank at their side. Only fordable by horse or wagon, the group looked for a way around as Varian heard and then notified them about a combat on the far side. A few minutes on, they saw the long combat and formed a plan. They crossed the river with the aid of several rocks that had at its center, a ten foot jump. They used an old tree to cross and rushed to the combat. Nearing the scene, the voice a man spoke and demanded, "I know what you are, remove your hood and tell me, where is the third?" "Please, I'm only Half-Eilv. I'm not mixed up in this." A woman's once distant, then ever closer, voice offered. "Where has he gone?" "Please don't kill me. He said.. he said he would leave a note on the painting in his cottage. That's all I know." "Where is his cottage?" The man's voice demanded as the scene comes into view. Before them stood an elf of that world, an Eilvenkin clad in red holding the barding of his horse and a woman captive. Known as Elion to Varian, the Eilvenkin was regal and fair skinned. Blood dripped from his sword and two slain men lay dead just beyond him. The woman was kneeling before him in the snow; she was a half-elf, a half-eilv in the local vernacular. Though he didn't threaten the woman with his blade she seemed fearful of the man and they both looked to the group as the party stomped through the snow. "Come no closer, this is official business and you will not threaten my position with your proximity." Elion demanded. As the group blurted out different demands, the Elion simply scoffed and then jumped onto his horse and declared to the woman, "we will certainly finish this later." Tirith bid he leave and then they all saw to the scene. Tirith rushed to the fallen as Thwip checked their purses. Bree then checked on the woman and got her to her feet. After a few moments, she begged they all leave the violent scene and so they did. Some thirty minutes down the road, she collapsed. After all of Bree's questions she had finally offered one answer, "Thenedain and Lorketh found something out about the keep and then we all separated." She fell then and remarked, "I didn't realize my husband's draw cut me so, oh damn." As she died, Tirith rushed to her aid realized as much. They debated then their separation as Bree intended to follow a trail she'd picked up on twenty minutes back. Never the less she went and Thwip made a fire for the other to warm by as Tirith and Varian buried the woman's body under rocks. Tracking back, Bree followed the horse tracks east from the trail and met Elion. Leaving his contemplation he informed her that he had taken offense to her following him. She then started asking him questions, despite him telling her to leave. She then mentioned a quarry of his, Thenedain Erewan and whom he declared to be his grandfather Norquinal. He wanted to place her under arrest for questioning but, what Bree failed to recognize, was that he realized that she was to ignorant to understand the basic context of what he was saying and assumed she would be harmless. She did recognize however, that she was annoying him and he was becoming all to willing to kill her as his grip tightened on his sword and he fought to quell his anger. He then demanded that she leave and she agreed to do as such but used her mastery of the woods to hide nearby. Elion saw though her effort however and branded her a liar, swearing to kill her should they ever meet again. When Bree returned to the others, they had a long debate regarding Elion's intentions and his fall from the Silvermoon familial duties to their divine. When they took the vote to decide where they would go next, Thwip was the first to offer that she would not follow them to meet Elion. Varian joined in the vote bidding that Elion would remain nearby and that he would like to stop whatever creature was attacking anyone passing the Old Road. Though Tirith disagreed that the missing adventurers could be alive, that Varian also mentioned, he too was willing to go to the Fallen Citadel first. Not long after, though their conversation had lasted a few hours, they traveled to the Fallen Citadel. Road weary, they were reinvigorated at the sight they beheld, a ravine that would promise the Fallen Citadel. Per Tirith's suggestion then, Bree found a perfect camp and the lot rested for the night, rising again at the fourth hour of the morning on the 28th of the Wolf.

Missions/Quests Completed

Quest Dungeons and Dragons Continued, Subquest Fallen Citadel Continued

Notes

Notable Party Damage:

Bree is pristine.
Noted Effects: None
Thwip is pristine.
Noted Effects: None
Tirith is pristine.
Noted Effects: None
Varian has a hole in his chainmail and a scar at the lower left abdomen from the shortsword of a skeleton.
Noted Effects: Minor Scar. The scar doesn’t have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.