Previous
Pharast 8, 4710 AR
It's only be a little over two weeks since we left
Lady Jamandi's banquet that united us all together to claim our piece of
The Stolen Lands. The charter given to our group had only one requirement - bring
The Stag Lord to heel. As I arrive to survey the aftermath of the fateful encounter between the bandit lord and our forces, I can't help but hold one idea in my mind: it only took them two weeks to do all of this.
Allow me to step back a little - it's me, your
faithful narrator back again. I've collected the previous notes taken from the former bandit,
Tarkin, and incorporated them into our anthology here. All for the sake of thoroughness, of course. When last we left, the heroes had met with
Barbie and
Mannon who joined up in their quest to take out the Stag Lord's bandits. Together, they assaulted a bandit camp resting along the Thorn River and successfully put the thieves to rout - those they didn't kill, at least.
Before they could interrogate their newest prisoner, however, a death rattle was heard from the forest. A goblin who had been tailing them had taken to picking off escaping bandits. He went by the name
Nok-Nok and claimed to be following the group to study them in his own attempts to become a hero - and, in doing so, eventually become a god. The critter's knifeplay and predisposition towards bloodhsed, however, didn't sit well with the group. A meeting was called to determine what to do from here. They laid out what they knew:
- Their newest captive, Farrah, knew the way to the fortress of the Stag Lord, but knew that if she gave that information away freely, the group was not like to keep her alive very long - especially after she saw what they did to Tarkin. She agreed to lead the group there so that she could give them password for them to enter and then be on her way.
- The captured kobold from earlier - Thym - was willing to share where his clan was staying, urging the group to help out with a war that the Sootscale Kobolds were waging with small blue men that Rukar recognized as gremlins known as mitflits. They were lairing beneath a massive tree to the east known as the Old Sycamore.
- Tarkin was beginning to show signs of giving up. Using him further would likely erode the little trust they had with Farrah.
Considering their options carefully, the group laid out a plan. They would strike out against the Stag Lord in the morning while Nok-Nok returned Tarkin and Thym to
Oleg's Trading Post to wait for their return. Farrah would join the party as a way to ensure that the information she was giving them was correct. The Sootscale kobolds would have to wait. Before long, the party set forth, navigating the Stolen Lands on their way to the fortress of the Stag Lord on the shores of the Tuskwater. On their journey, they were accosted by members of the
Technic League who were chasing after escaped slaves,
Octavia and
Regongar. Battle broke out and the slavers were put to death quickly, but not without making it known that
Eisen seemed to have some sort of connection to the group.
Little talk was exchanged as the group explained to the two freed wizards about their plans against the Stag Lord and their plans to establish a kingdom all their own. The two, with little where else to go, joined up on the daring assault they had planned. After a few more days of travel, the party arrived outside of a motte-and-bailey fort perched on a hill. Their plan was simple, but would require bravery on the part of everyone. Farrah would gain them entrance to the fort while Eisen shared poisoned wine with the bandits. Once inside, they would be able to strike at the Stag Lord himself.
The plan was working well. They made it inside and even noticed that the thieves had foolishly kept a starving owlbear penned up within their common room. However, one of the Stag Lord's lieutenants -
Akiros Ismort - recognized Barbie from their previous run-in. Fortunately, it appeared as if the bandit was beginning to regret his role in the abuses of the Stag Lord and was willing to assist in any plan to topple the drunken tyrant. While the group got into position, a toast was held and the wine consumed by the bandits. At a sign, Mannon attempted to beguile the mind of the Stag Lord's guard, but even the weak-willed thug managed to resist. A battle broke out as Barbie freed the owlbear and Rukar, Bob, and Eisen clashed with the bandit lord. Mannon took an arrow through the chest as Akiros turned his sword on his fellow bandits. In the common room, Octavia and Regongar held their own against the rampaging owlbear and the bandits. It took only moments, but before long, the body of the Stag Lord lay dead at the feet of the party.
They had done it. They had freed the Stolen Lands from one monster, but I cannot help but wonder who the next will be. Will it be us?
Comments