HotDK 15: "Double the Fun"
It’s been two days since the caravan departed Baldur’s Gate. To this point things have been quiet and you have all spent the time getting to know the other merchants and teamsters in the train (well, most of them – clearly the cultists don’t wish to socialize and there are three others that don’t seem all that keen on speaking to anyone else, so much so that no one even knows their names).
The caravan is certainly full of unique and interesting personalities, not the least of which of course is Enom Tobun, the veteran wagon master who loves telling stories, some of which seem, well, quite fanciful (but you quickly find that challenging the truth to any of his stories is a grand way to spark the Halfling’s temper). One such grandiose tale was having once seen a deer made of gold!
Day three of the trek north begins like any other morning to date and per usually Achreny’s two wagons take the lead. It’s a beautiful, sunny, late summer day. The last two days you’ve managed to cover a solid 50 miles or so and with weather like this you should cover another 25-30 miles easily. The weather is so nice, in fact, that Arynor and other folk handy with a bow and at hunting and tracking have been doing so, scouting into the wood along the road for game to supplement the hard tack and trail rations.
Suddenly, Enom erupts with elation yelling “There it is! There it is! I told you fuckers it was real!” Lo and behold, you see it, some 200 yards away a magnificent Stag, larger than you’ve ever seen and whose pelt glistens in the sunlight as though it were made of gold and its antlers made of platinum. The caravan becomes a whir of activity and excitement as groups begin forming to try to hunt the beast. Even Aluric begins to run toward it with uncharacteristic excitement.
When it becomes clear that the would-be hunters could potentially kill the Stag, Pubert manages to “convince” them to return to their wagons. Malice on the other hand has less luck in getting Aluric to return. It seems, in fact, like the Stag is trying to get Aluric’s attention by reappearing after running off and repeatedly turning to look at Aluric before slowing moving off. Aluric follows at are more reasonable pace with Arynor catching up to him so insure he’s not alone should it be a trap.
Meanwhile, Pubert and Malice notice the three quiet ones did not return after Pubert’s “convincing” of the others, so they go in search of them. After a brief, but heated confrontation the three come back to the caravan but not before making it clear they’re not pleased; one comments that Pubert isn’t “worthy of that sword you carry”.
As Pubert and Malice deal with the three independent travelers, Aluric and Arynor catch up to the Golden Stag who is waiting for them. He speaks, in Sylvan “You are on the right path; continue to follow the river of gold to the castle in the sky.” Then a well made bow, with golden inlays, appears on the ground. It then fades away saying “Not all will survive…”
The four return the caravan, having to pick up their pace to catch up as it has already begun moving again. Achreny was not pleased that all four of his hired guards were the ones that took the longest to return, but you’re able to smooth it over and keep your jobs.
As the third day begins to come to close toward the late evening as you approach the spot where Achreny intends to halt for camp, you notice a broken wagon on the side of the road; one of it’s wheels is off and split and the wagon itself is nearly on it’s side, Nearby you see two figures at a camp fire. They appear to be twin human sisters who introduce themselves as Arietta and Zelina Innevar. They say they were traveling north to Daggorford, maybe even as far as Waterdeep when they struck a large rock which broke their wheel. Aluric offers help and is able to convince Achreny to give them one of his extra wagon wheels since they’ll soon be near a town with an equipage shop where he can replace it. The women are friendly – very friendly. And inquisitive about everyone’s personal stories. They also very flirty. Arynor is immediately suspicious and begins checking the area for the alleged rock they hit. This section of road is quite rocky, but any experienced wagon driver paying attention would easly notice and be able to avoid them – someone would have to be quite distracted and inexperienced to hit a rock the size of which could split a wheel. He manages to gather the group on the other side of the road to speak in private. He shares his misgivings, but also tells them of what the Golden Stag said. At that point the women appear, almost out of nowhere, asking what a “river of gold” is as though they had heard every word. Things take a sinister turn, when they refer to all as looking “delicious”!
The “sisters” turn out to be Doppelgangers, which you fairly easily defeat, albeit with Aluric getting rather bruised and beaten in the process. Sadly, the bodies, presumably, the real Innevar sisters are found in the nearby woods. Up to now things had been fairly quiet – but this encounter just shows that the Trade Way is a dangerous road. So, everyone, even the Cultists, are especially on their guard for the rest of the night.