Session 13 Report

General Summary

They ran. The sound of music could be heard behind them and a glance revealed vines, plants, and trees reaching out to grab Bloodbeak. This effort bought them precious seconds in order to get a head start. But then the sounds of vines snapping and branches splintering followed and they knew Bloodbeak was after them. They ran in desperation, trying to elude the vicious owlbear by whatever means possible. They ran between tightly packed trees, through dense foliage, behind covering hills and through passing streams. But no matter what, the creature could be heard behind them, pressing on, plowing over trees and bushes in its path. After a long time running, Haymin’s Heroes came across a group of hobgoblins in a rise before them. Among these creatures was Lakrog, the hobgoblin they had met and healed in the ruins of Fairhaven weeks before. In broken Andarian, Lakrog exclaimed, “Run!” Haymin’s Heroes did so, but the hobgoblins drew weapons and moved towards the oncoming monstrosity. As the party ran away from this scene, they could hear the sounds of battle, a one-sided affair punctuated by the ripping of flesh, the popping of bones, and the screams of hobgoblins. Eventually, they stopped running. The sound of Bloodbeak’s pursuit could no longer be heard. Haymin’s Heroes were out of food, having dropped their rations during the frantic chase in hopes of distracting Bloodbeak. As they caught their breath, they even noticed two of the component bags they had gathered were missing, lost somewhere in the forest behind them. But they pressed on, eager to put more distance between them and Bloodbeak. When they camped that night, they were visited by the cubs they had rescued earlier that day. The animals brought offerings of a squirrel and a fish, which the party accepted. When the wolf pup and the bear cub came out of the woods and approached Ladigo Farthon and Titta Morco, respectively, they settled down near them, spending the night with their new pack. In the morning, Haymin’s Heroes gathered much needed food, a mix of foraging and fishing. They continued southwest, heading back towards Karavale. That evening, they pressed on until they reached the first outlying farm. They met Grensha and Vella Penkins, the owners of the farm. The Penkins offered their barn to them for shelter for the night and provided them with a modest meal of bread, vegetables, and some meat. The next day, on July 6, 496 AV, Haymin’s Heroes set off again, carrying with them a gift of fresh bread from the Penkins. They were happy to be on a road again, and made it to Karavale by twilight. They walked into town with a wolf pup and grizzly bear cub on their heels, garnering looks of curiosity. Their first stop was the city watch headquarters to warn them of the proximity of Bloodbeak, informing them that the creature had driven many of the woodland creatures west, and appeared to be following this migration. Shortly thereafter, they returned to the Home Away From Home, entering through the rear. They spoke with Jenivar Albyn, had a meal, and rested for the evening. Jenivar allowed them to keep the cubs at the inn, but informed them they would have to be responsible for them. In conversation, Titta revealed that she named her bear, Fisher. After some discussion, Ladigo settled on Pennig for his wolf, which translated to pony in Halfling. On July 7, 496 AV, the party began settling back into a routine in Karavale. They visited Quelkin and brought him his components, earning a hefty eighty crowns for their efforts which included hazard pay for their ordeal with Bloodbeak. At the end of their conversation, however, Quelkin informed Selia Roselyn Maxwell and Auren Sylynn that their upcoming classes would have to be cancelled. He cited that “something” came up and he would not be able to take on apprentices at the moment. Auren asked him if he had been threatened in some way to which Quelkin quickly answered, “Of course not.” Haymin’s Heroes were convinced he had been, but were forced to accept his stance. They then continued to the bookstore to read. While there, Titta showed the owner, Thomas Harven, the manuscript she had been working on, a book on nature combining the works of her biological father, and her adopted elven father in one. Thomas was interested in reading the book and she left it with him so he could. If it was good, he would be willing to purchase a copy to sell in his store. Their first day back at work was interesting. Selia did not work, instead offering to look after the cubs while the others took their shifts at the inn. On a couple occasions, Fisher, snuck into the inn and looked for Titta, prompting looks and comments from some of the patrons. The general consensus was that the small cub was adorable. The next morning, while they were out by the lake for their regular training sessions, Haymin’s Heroes noticed a body that washed up on shore. They pulled him up from the water and checked him for a pulse, but the man was dead. He was dressed in armor and had an empty sword sheath and quiver still strapped to him. A blade wound in his ribs revealed how he had died. Sinjin Fairchild ran for the watch and returned with Captain Brice and some men. The captain inspected the man and found a golden pin depicting an open eye hidden under his shirt. He recognized the symbol, stating that it belonged to the Vigil of the Weather Eye, a group of self-appointed do-gooders who sought out and combatted evil threats wherever they arose. He and his men took the dead man back to town for further examination. Over the next couple of days, the party worked at the inn and worked at helping the cubs settle into town. The cubs proved to be a handful on numerous occasions when they would sneak into the inn seeking Ladigo and Titta. The Home Away From Home grew busy over the weekend as many people came to town for the Eden’s Run/Celebration of the Gods festivities. On the 10th of July, the Eden’s Run celebration began. Karavale was full of visitors with several stalls opening up in the market as well as at the festival grounds where the races would take place. Food, drink, and fun was abound. All of Haymin’s Heroes signed up for the Eden’s Run Race, the obstacle course challenge that simulated the flight of humans from the Valley of Eden thousands of years ago. Most of the Gray Wolves signed up for the competition as well. Ladigo was warned about the race, being told that it was not designed for little people. The course for the race was dotted with various obstacles. The first of which was a ten foot tall rock wall which they were to scale. Next was a ten foot wide “river of lava” they had to jump over. Touching the tarp painted red to look like lava would mark automatic elimination from the race. Afterwards came the beam over the chasm. If the contestants fell off the beam and into the shallow ditch it spanned, they would also be eliminated. The final obstacle was the field of orcs they had to run through. This was people dressed in costumes with fake weapons which they would use to harass the runners, trying to slow them down before they reached the finish line. This competition lasted the majority of the day, starting with eight preliminary heats. From there, the fastest survivors would move on to a second, and possible third round of heats to decide the ultimate winner. The course proved daunting. The majority of contestants did not complete the course, falling victims to the lava or the chasm. Some even gave in as early as the wall. Haymin’s Heroes had mixed results. Sinjin came in second in his first heat, while Pyzar Zim, Ladigo, and Titta each won their first races. Mogi Delvin, Auren, and Selia were eliminated in their respective races. In the end, Sinjin and Pyzar were the two finalists. In the championship race, Pyzar mistimed his jump over the lava and was eliminated after taking an early lead. Then Sinjin continued the race, deftly clearing all obstacles to be crowned this year’s Eden’s Run Champion. That night, both Pyzar and Sinjin were treated to several rounds of drinks from patrons at the Home Away From Home. The festive atmosphere at the inn lasted well into the night. The rest of the party worked to help with the busy crowd. A while after they had reported for their evening shift, however, Jenivar finally made it back, escorted into the inn by Captain Brice. She had been attacked by two men, possible agents of the Shadow, on the way back. Thankfully, Captain Brice was nearby and rescued her, defeating her assailants and arresting them. Jenivar insisted she was all right, but Titta and the others continued Brice’s protective stance, somewhat to Jenivar’s frustration. The next morning, Sinjin and Pyzar were clearly hungover. Jenivar exempted them from work and they gladly took the day off.

Campaign

The Heart of Embril

Protagonists