Valamin's Revenge

Military action

The party begins their journey toward the Monastery of New Dawn, but ends up uncovering Valamin's past life, dismantling the Highsong Rovers, and resting in Elturel.

The party leaves Waterdeep without Garret, hoping to see him again one day. They travel for two days until, a few miles passed Daggerford,the party comes to a large stone bridge with way stations being guarded by soldiers. The soldiers stop the party to inspect their cart, as there have been reports of banditry getting closer to Waterdeep. After some questioning, the party reveals that they are adventurers. More guards appear behind the party and attack as it turns out they are actually well disguised thieves. Trinn fireballs the group behind them with great devastation, and the others engage the rest that stopped them. During the battle, as Trinn is attempting to distort time to save his friend, a temporal tear opens up around him. A dark-skinned hand reaches through the rift and grabs him. Despite Valamin's best efforts to save him, Trinn is sucked through the portal as it closes around them. Rogue arrows fly from behind them, killing some guards and evening the odds. As Valamin is about to kill one of the guards, he looks Valamin in the eyes and mutters "oh shit, it's you…" Unable to stop, Valamin continues his strike and kills the man. He shouts to the others to keep one alive and the party kills all but the leader of the group.   After the battle, the party is surprised by an elf known only as Seeker claiming to be looking for Trinn. He's a bit pompous and the party is wary, but he did assist them in their fight. Valamin begins questioning the man who is only able to tell them that he works for a mercenary group called the Highsong Rovers led by Cyrus Cage and that Valamin should be dead. The man claims to have disposed of Valamin's dead body. The party persuades the man to lead them back to the main party. Seeker agrees to tag along on a probationary basis while the party decides if they should trust him.   The party questions the mercenary, who they now know as Jordan Halbreth, and inquire more about the mercenary group. Jordan tells them about the leader, Cyrus, as well as where their possible camps are: Wood of Sharp Teeth, Forest of Wyrms, the Reaching Woods, and the Green Fields. He tells them that there is a hidden aviary in Trielta Hills that he can use to make contact.   The party continues for three days down Trade Way towards the Trielta Hills. They are visited repeatedly by an oddly courageous hawk that lands on their wagon. On the fourth day, the hawk returns again, but as it flies away, a suspicious Reginald casts Compelled Duel to prevent it from fleeing and Seeker snatches it up and binds it so it cannot fly away. Marri'Elle tries to use Speak With Animals, but it has no effect. Seeker creates a telepathic link for communication, but all the hawk does is look at Valamin and say the name "Geldon" repeatedly.   Suspecting that the hawk may be a familiar, Seeker extends his telepathic link to Athena as well and asks for some insight. Athena is brief, but confirms that the hawk is indeed a familiar. She also mentions that if Trinn were dead, she would be gone. This gives the rest of the party some hope. Before they can get any answers from the hawk, it disappears.   The party travels for six more days down Trade Way to get to the Trielta Hills. One night, Seeker, at the suggestion of Valamin, challenges Marri'Elle to a duel. His ability to fade into the darkness prevents Marri'Elle from putting up much a fight and she is frustratingly defeated. Seeker does not seem to earn any more respect from her like Valamin thought he might.   The next day, the party finally makes it to the aviary hidden in the Trielta Hills, just as Jordan claimed. He writes a message and attaches it to a raven after Seeker reviews it. Jordan tells them that one of two things will happen: they will send someone to get him or give him directions to the camp. While the party is planning their ambush of Jordan's rescuers, Athena disappears like she has done many times at Trinn's command.   The party waits for 3 days, but with no raven sent back to give Jordan directions, the party assumes that someone will come get him. They plan to disguise Seeker as Jordan and attempt to ambush them. They lay in wait for several days.   On the fifth day of waiting, the party spots a lone halfling riding a horse in their direction. As he makes his way to the aviary, the party readies their plan. Some initial deceit from Seeker gets him close, but he is suspicious. Seeker springs the trap by casting Sleep on the horse and attacks the halfling. As the rest of the party jumps from the wagon to engage him, the halfling sees Valamin charging him and calls out shakily, "Geldon…" He drops his knife and all his defenses. When Valamin is within range, the halfling reaches out and hugs him.   The halfling begins to tear up as he claims to know Valamin and that he thought he was dead. He keeps calling him Geldon. He explains that he saw Valamin die and questions how he is alive. He summons some magic to try to restore some memories to Valamin. Several memories flash before Valamin's eyes: the death of a halfling couple, his rescue by another halfling in a burning village, surviving in the woods with this new friend, and violent experiences.   The halfling, who they now know as Panton, tells them that they must get rid of Jordan as Cyrus can never know Valamin is alive. Valamin protests as he wants to honor the promise made to Jordan: if he helps them get to Cyrus, they'll let him go. Panton explains that he is magically bound to Cyrus and must return before he becomes suspicious. The party resolves to free Panton of the bond by killing Cyrus. Due to his large army, they decide to attempt an assassination. They make a plan, and head toward the Wood of Sharp Teeth. Panton tells them the details of the camp, and that the primary force will be gone the night they arrive, but Cyrus will have a formidable force guarding him.   The party travels three days towards Cyrus's camp in Wood of Sharp Teeth. One of the nights, Seeker muses killing the party in their sleep and wonders why his benefactors are interested in the party at all.   On their fourth night of travel, they finally make it to Cyrus's camp. Seeker and Valamin sneak over the palisades to Cyrus's tent while Marri'Elle and Reginald rush the southern gate to draw their attention. Cyrus is killed in seconds before he has a chance to respond, and the party and Panton make their escape into the forest. The party decides to resupply in Elturel before continuing on their journey to the Monastery of the New Dawn in the Sunset Mountains.   The party travels the two days to Elturel. Seeker gives Panton a letter to deliver to the Zhentarim in Neverwinter.