Session IV: On the Road Part 1 Report

General Summary

Premise

Alice Blackhawk, Jack Springer, Korrina Spiros, Cassius Montassar, Grunk, and Kyros are making their way to Acum, heading north from Cynhall toward Raunium.

Session Events

After a strenuous battle against several gnolls and a giant hyena, the party heads back to sleep for the night, with Alice staying awake to keep watch. Several hours pass, and she hears rustling coming from the direction of where they had moved the bodies of the unconscious gnoll and hyena, but the noises soon die down. Not more than two hours later, however, noises from the south prompt Alice to investigate, and she's attacked by three more gnolls. After a short battle in which Alice is knocked unconscious, the party defeats the gnolls, with Jack's magic healing Alice once more. The group is finally able to get a good night's rest. The next morning, the group wakes up a bit later in the morning, having went to bed later. They pack up their camp, loading everything back into the carriage before heading off once more with Grunk driving. They travel for a while, before being waved down by a cart heading in the opposite direction. The cart holds a family and two hired guards. The father of the family warns the players of people along the road north going missing and either disappearing entirely, or being found dead, their bodies mangled and torn up. The party thanks the man for his warning, and he and his family quickly leave after an unintentionally offensive remark by Grunk. Once again, the party sets up camp alongside the road. Grunk, Alice, and Korrina discuss the man's warning. Korrina wonders what might be the cause of the missing people, and Alice ensures her that it's probably just an overblown legend or folk myth. Both Korrina and Grunk point out that even folk stories usually are rooted in truth, to some degree, and Korrina mentions that she's curious to learn more. Soon enough, the entire party rests for the night. The next morning, the party packs up camp once more and continue their way north. Their travels are interrupted by a group of pigs suddenly running across the road, chased by a young girl in tears. Alice, Kyros, and Korrina jump off the cart when Grunk refuses to stop to help the girl. In fact, he doesn't stop the cart until Jack casts Suggestion on him, after which Jack joins the other three to help. Grunk and Cassius remain in the cart. Approaching the girl, Alice learns that she was meant to sell the pigs in Cynhall in order to afford medicine for her parents. Looking in the nearby area, Alice sees six pigs in total. She devises a plan to corral the pigs back across the road and to the girl's farm. She, Kyros, and Jack sneak around the pigs, taking positions around the group. Alice lights a fire, which the pigs immediately notice and start to run from. The three run after them, Jack and Kyros along the sides attempting to direct them in the correct direction. However, all three have trouble managing the entire group; two pigs slip by Jack and Kyros early, and Alice switches places with Jack to try and keep any more from escaping. However, two more are able to slip by. The three manage to corral two into the pen, and Alice hurries off to try and catch up with the others. She manages to catch one, capturing it and tying its legs. Jack brings it back to the pen as Alice heads off to find the others. Meanwhile, Jack speaks with the girl, waiting by the pen. Learning about her predicament, he's more than happy to pay the difference in gold needed to afford the medicine for her parents. The girl, crying tears of happiness, is incredibly thankful to Kyros, but has nothing to offer him in return. With that, Jack and Kyros make their way back to the cart. Alice returns after searching for the rest of the pigs, unsuccessful in finding any. She heads back to find the girl to tell her the bad news, but doesn't find her. The party heads off once more. As they make their way north, they come upon a somewhat gruesome scene: three deer dead in the center of an area of matted grass alongside the road. The corpses are mostly intact, their blood still wet and covering the entire scene. Written in that blood in Infernal are the words "When His hunger is sated, He will return". The corpses of the deer are arranged unnaturally, in a sort of triangle shape. There were no signs of tracks in the area, and the party doesn't stop the cart to examine the scene any closer. However, as they're leaving, Alice and Kyros notice some rustling in the trees beyond the scene. The party continues on. Not long after, they happen upon a man and his cart stopped alongside the road. He hails the party down, claimign to have goods that might be useful to protect themselves from the danger on the road causing people to disappear and show up ripped apart. Kyros and Alice examine his wears; the man has a wide variety of finely-crafted weapons, each of them covered in a silvery metallic coating. Alice purchases one such quarterstaff, before she and Kyros return to the cart. With that, the party continues north.

Campaign

The Return of the Savior

Protagonists