Another Round on the House, Part 2

Posted on October 7, 2011
Eleint 6, 1479, Year of the Ageless One (Past Highsun)
Wraith became immediately aware of Daggers’s deadly skills with his twin daggers. For nearly a minute, the two faced off taking turns striking each other with deadly precision.
For every strike Wraith made against the bartender of the Wayfarer’s tavern, it was responded in kind—if not worse—by each slice Daggers made. Wielding deadly daggers in each hand, Daggers pressed on and it was all Wraith can do to keep himself from being a victim in this barfight.
After helping kill the dragonborns, Salil and Lyrica moved towards Wraith hoping to aide their friend in the fight. Although considering what Wraith was up against, Salil and Lyrica weren’t sure just how helpful they would be.
At the other side of the tavern, Ronak and Abyss were busy against Colrynth who turned out be a skilled fighter with his scimitar and heavy shield. Finding an opening in the fighter’s defense, Abyss drew a bloody wound across Colrynth’s chest, cutting through scale armor and muscles. Abyss knew he had struck true when he noticed that the fighter’s gaping wound continued to bleed profusely. He knew the fighter would either die a quick death or bleed out slowly.
At one point during the fight, Wraith used an enchanted item to change his appearance to match Daggers’s perfectly. Although confused by this, Daggers kept up his deadly onslaught against an opponent that looked remarkably like himself. Meanwhile, Salil and Lyrica, along with Damascus tried to attack Daggers with range attacks but the bartender’s dexterity and skills allowed him to dodge and weave through the attacks.
Wraith, wanting to gain an advantage in combat, briefly moved away from Daggers. The bartender took advantage of the respite and launched a flurry of deadly strikes against Salil who was standing on top of a nearby table. A well-placed deep cut to the legs and arms, and the changeling was dead before he struck the tabletop. Daggers turned to face Lyrica. “You’re next.” he said matter-of-factly.
Lyrica quickly moved away from bartender and almost ran into Damascus as she tried to gain some distance from Daggers. Meanwhile, Wraith made his way quickly to the fallen changeling. He took out a potion of life and administered it to Salil who was immediately brought back from death.
Within a few breaths later, Ronak and Abyss had brought down Colrynth. Ronak stayed behind, while Abyss moved to lend Wraith a helping hand. Using the shadows to quickly move, Abyss appeared next to Daggers, not as himself but in the guise of an orc. Together, Abyss and Wraith continued the battle against Daggers while the others—knowing they weren’t skilled enough to fight against the deadly bartender—kept a safe distance.
At that moment, the door near the bar opened. The same young man in scale armor who had earlier delivered the cask of Amontinnado entered the tavern’s taproom. He was wielding a huge fullblade sword engulfed completely in flames. But as he entered the room, he was confused by seeing two Daggers fighting each other and an armed orc nearby. Wraith—in the guise of Daggers—quickly ordered the young fighter, hoping to fool him into helping fight against the real Daggers. The bluff worked as the young fighter tried to strike the real Daggers, who cursed the young fighter for being easily duped.
Outnumbered, Daggers desperately tried to fend off his attackers while hoping to kill any one of them. But, despite Daggers’s unwavering strikes against the three opponents, he was eventually killed by Wraith.
Dargen, the young fighter, was glad that the impostor posing as Daggers had been killed. Looking around the room, he saw that Daggers (Wraith) was nearby. Across the room, he also saw that one of the dragonborns had somehow managed to stay alive through the encounter. Little did he know that Salil, the chagelink, had taken on the appearance of Vrak to help further dupe the young fighter. The fighter looked towards “Daggers” who was standing behind him.
“Where’s Wolverine?” Wraith asked.
“What?” the fighter answered, confused. “You sent him away to Baldur’s Gate yourself to get Storm. Now, let’s kill this orc together!”
Wraith’s response was quick. He stabbed the fighter through the back.
Surprised by “Daggers’s” treachery, the fighter tried to attack both “Daggers” and the orc. Outnumbered and outmatched, the young fighter was quickly slain. His fullblade fell to the floor, as its flames sputtered out.
Wraith still in the guise of Daggers, immediately went through the door where the young fighter had earlier emerged from. A set of stone stairs descended down to the tavern’s cellar. Torches lit the staircase and the short corridor below. Downstairs, Wraith saw two doors. Opening one, he spied a room full of casks. All were labeled as Amontinnado wines. The other room also held wine casks and supplies necessary to run a tavern. He also found a secret storage place beneath a loose stone on the floor. Inside, he found hundreds of coins, a pearl, and a sheathed shortsword which later proved to be enchanted.
While the others were busy searching the bodies upstairs, Wraith broke open nearly a dozen casks, spilling their contents on the cellar floor. He then traced a line of lamp oil he had found all the way up the stairs.
Back in the taproom, the others had finished searching the bodies. Their find yielded some magic items, which included Daggers’s enchanted daggers, the fiery fullblade, as well as Colrynth’s enchanted heavy shield.
When Wraith came back, Damascus asked what he had found below. He explained that he had discovered over a dozen casks of Amontinnados as well as some hidden treasure. He also admitted to having broken the casks to spill their contents on the floor and that he was going to light the entire tavern on fire. Damascus asked if Wraith had spared any casks. When Wraith told him he had spared four casks, the priest of Oghma immediately asked Abyss to help him collect the valuable wine. Abyss wondered if selling the wine for profit would bring unwanted attention to themselves, but the priest seemed unconcerned about this.
**
Outside, with treasures and casks of wine securely placed on horses, the adventurers watched as the Wayfarer Tavern went up in flames. They then discussed their next plan. They all agreed to travel to Baldur’s Gate in hopes of finding out more about the Damagers Guild. The group also needed to sell the casks as well some of the magic items they couldn’t use. When Salil was asked if he knew of a decent inn where they could comfortably stay at, Salil recommended The Purple Wyrm. It was located in the city’s wealthy Bloomridge district, known for its rich neighborhoods and popular open-air cafes. The group then rode on westward to Baldur’s Gate, spurring on their horses. They hoped to quickly cover the fifty some miles to the coastal city, even if it meant pushing the warhorses to get there. They knew if would be past sunset when they would finally arrive at Baldur’s Gate.
Everyone rode in silence, keenly aware that the battle against the Damagers Guild was just about to get deadlier.

Plot type

Chapter

Parent Plot

Against the Damagers Guild