Session 237 - The Quartermaster
General Summary
18th Nuzyael (First month of Spring) 725TR
The story so far
Four years ago, Acheron and Avon spied on the infamous mercenary group, the Company of Dead Men. They foiled the evil organization's plans to recover a cursed artifact and destroyed their operations in a long-abandoned gold, silver, and gem mine.
The Dead Men have finally caught up with the Heroes and attempted to murder them. The heroes have defeated their fiendish ambushes and are now following their trail.
This is the continuation of Session 236 - A Poorly Sprung Trap.
Location - Two leagues West of the City of Coranan in the Thardic Republic.
Part 1 - Another Ambush
The heroes follow the trail of their would-be ambushers. Luckily, Jolanta spots a third ambush, two Company of Dead Men warriors lining in wait. Unfortunately, she fails to detect a Priest of Morgath further back, hiding behind a large rock.
The villains attack and put up a good fight, and the priest is particularly troublesome with his long-range death and poison incantations. However, they all are dealt with soon enough.
Part 2 - The Angry Hound Inn
While the party is resting, Acheron scouts ahead, following the villains' tracks. They lead to a small roadside settlement not far away with a big, rough-looking Inn, the Angry Hound. Their prey's horses are stabled nearby. After informing his companions, the heroes decide to rest for the night and approach in the early hours before dawn.
The Angry Hound is still open with several patrons sleeping at the tables. The Innkeeper is awakened and is quickly charmed by Moneypenny, who arranges an early morning hot meal for the characters. After discreet questioning, the party soon learns that the Angry Hound is closely associated with the Company of Dead Men. The Inn is half-owned by one of the owners of the mercenary company, and a number of their men are lodged in the back rooms.
Unfortunately, the hero's presence has been detected.
Part 3 - Quartermaster Mauger
" James, Blake, so good to see you again," he remarks with a menacing tone. James and Blake were the pair's aliases when they infiltrated the Company of Dead Men four years ago. When they last glimpsed the evil Quartermaster, they had betrayed, trapped, and presumably drowned him in the Izora Mines (refer to Session 064 - Escaping the Mines of Death).
Although the diabolical Mauger appears willing to talk, the Dead Men mercenaries start aggressively surrounding the heroes. Avon nonchalantly draws his hand crossbow and shoots a bolt through the neck of one hapless soldier, instantly killing him, while Moneypenny, who is concealed at the back of the room, casts a spell. Most Dead Men, including Mauger, fall under a Hypnotic Pattern. Jolanta advises the party that if the fight persists, she will not be able to use her most destructive and visual magic among so many witnesses due to her Order of the White Hand restrictions.
Avon distracts the remaining trooper not under the charm, moves in, and picks Mauger's pockets, stealing some of his spell components and a more mysterious object he does not get a chance to identify. Acheron's Divine Sense reveals that Mauger is likely an Amorvin, a free-willed undead, but curbs his desire to destroy him immediately. The remaining active guard shakes Mauger, who regains his senses and is far from amused.
What follows is an unexpected turn of events with Mauger trying to gather as much information about the heroes as he can to learn who ordered them to spy on the Dead Men while Acheron does his utmost to anger and provoke Mauger into attacking. Mauger barely maintains his composure under the constant insults, but as a soldier tries to rouse more of his compatriots, Moneypenny puts them all, including Mauger, once again under another Hypnotic Pattern. The party decides to withdraw and ambush Mauger in the wilderness, out of view of witnesses. When Mauger rouses from Moneypenny's charm, he takes his frustration out on one of the soldiers, cruelly draining his life force and adding it to his own.Part 4 - A Cunning Plan
As the heroes hastily leave the settlement, Jolanta hides some old marked coins onto the saddles of the Dead Men's horses at the stables. This will help her locate them in the future. Now the characters are the hunters, and keeping their distance, using Jolanta's locating magic, the party prepares to intercept and ambush Mauger and his remaining Dead Men. The party wants to test out some of the water-based magic they have acquired, so they plot an ambush over a river crossing.
On the way, Avon examines the mysterious object he found on Mauger. It is a small dark stone with a starburst of dirty-white lines emerging from the center and radiating out in all directions. Concentrating on it, he activates whatever magical properties the object has. Suddenly three of the lines turn blood red, although one is faint. One of the dark lines points towards Acheron, the other himself. This must be how the Dead Men were able to track them. The third faint line point East, presumably towards another person, likely their friend and former party member Sabretooth, who is some distance away.
NPC Interactions
The various staff at the Angry Hound Inn.
Challenges Overcome
2 x Champion Fighters and 1 x Priest of Morgath.
Tracked down Quartermaster Mauger.
Rewards
Nothing this week.
Created Content
Nothing this Week
Related Reports
Player Character Status
Acheron- Human - Level 6 Devotion Paladin, Level 4 Hexblade, and Level 4 Divine Soul.
Jolanta - Human- Level 14 Evoker.
Avon- Half-Elf - Level 14 Thief.
Avon
Jolanta
Acheron
NPC Companions
Moneypenny
Avon's able assistant
Blaine
Jolanta's loyal and often drunk bodyguard.
The Company of Dead Men
Comments