Session 2: Chauntea Shakedown
General Summary
With barely a chance to rest the companions were called upon to help the beleaguered keep.
Governor Nighthill spoke with the party and asked whether they could be of further service to the desperate people of Greenest.
He had two missions with which he needed help.
Firstly the Temple of Chauntea, up on a hill in the South-East corner of the town was under siege, the Governor had received reports that dozens of townsfolk had taken refuge in the temple but that the raiders were now attempting to get in. He estimated that the temple doors, whilst sturdy, might only hold out for one more hour against a determined attack.
Secondly, a watermill to the South-West was an important source for the town and raiders had been seen around it. Governor Nighthill needed someone to secure the mill and could not currently spare the troops for the task:
Whilst the frightened and anxious men, women and children prepared to evacuate, Khorg took the opportunity to spy on the raiders attacking the front of the building. He saw several cultists with a battering ram, kobolds, a large lizard creature on all fours and also a masked humanoid wearing archaic black armour. Unfortunately Khorg was spotted and although he tried to convince the raiders that he was a robed cultist they saw through his disguise and attacked.
Meanwhile, at the back of the temple the townsfolk were hurriedly leaving, Citrus and Picasso the Tortle lead them back towards the hidden tunnel with Father Eadyan and several crossbow-wielding guardsmen.
Concerned that he had not yet returned, The Giant went after Khorg accompanied by a third guardsmen from inside the temple. The Giant gave the guardsmen a silent signal to tell him to remain hidden and crept forward. He saw Khorg on the floor with the large lizard-like creature crouched over him.
The Giant, under cover of darkness and robed as a cultist, had more success convincing the attackers that he was one of them, he shouted that the townsfolk were escaping from the rear of the temple and took the opportunity in the confusion to aid and stabilise Khorg.
The Dragonclaw and his kobold troops ran towards the back of the temple, the brave guardsman who had remained behind to help was spotted and attempted to run, this distraction aided the party however allowing the townsfolk through slip down the hill in the darkness and also allowing The Giant and an injured Khorg to slip away too.
Citrus and Picasso led the people through the old tunnel and safely into the keep to be welcomed by the soldiers and Escobert whilst Governor Nighthill rested. Shortly after, The Giant and Khorg came running in shortly after, exhausted, the guardsman who had helped them nowhere to be seen....
“The guards have spotted a new threat. Raiders are trying
to set fire to the town’s mill. If it burns, we’ll lose our
stockpile of flour and we won’t be able to grind more for
months. I’m trying to assemble enough defenders from
here in the keep to defend it through the rest of the night,
but that will take time. You’d do us a great service if you
could get to the mill and drive away the raiders
before they can set it aflame. You’ll need to defend it until
our force arrives to take over, but it shouldn’t be more than
fifteen minutes behind you.”
The party volunteered to go to the temple and rescue the townsfolk within. However, as the adventurers stood on the battlements with the Governor, it became clear that a direct route across ground to the temple would be treacherous. Along with the dragon (currently flying high but still very much present) there was a large number of raiders at large in the town. The more sharp-eyed characters also noticed a new enemy, a large dog-like creature was spotted through the dark and smoke accompanying kobolds.
At this point Castellan Escobert spoke to the Governor about the old tunnel beneath the keep. It had not been used for years apparently but did lead down to a stream to the South of town and came out a few hundred yards from the temple. He lead the companions down to the locked portcullis covering the entrance to the tunnel and after the party helped clear away barrels he handed over a set of keys. The rusty lock was soon overcome and the party headed into the gloom, the sounds of the battling town dying away to be replaced by drips and squeaks.
It soon became clear that the party were not alone in the tunnel and a mass of rats swarmed over Khorg catching him off-guard and almost driving him off his feet due to the sheer weight of stinking, hungry and desperate vermin. As the party attempted to fight off the rats Citrus was taken by surprise due to the appearance of a strange figure from the direction of the keep. The strange creature, resembling a large aquatic mammal immediately dived into it's own shell as it saw the conflict but gradually gained its courage and began to help the companions a little.
After fighting off the rats the party, accompanied by their strange new aquatic companion, continued on and found the gate leading to the outside, the sound of the fast-running stream burbling away nearby. The key given to the party by Escobert also fitted this gate but it needed considerably more effort to open. Khorg carefully opened the rusty gate, just enough, so that he could slip through, still wearing the robes taken from a cultist they encountered in town.
Just as he slipped through he heard voices along the bank of the stream and, quickly hiding in the shadows, he saw a group of cultists and kobolds searching the bank for something......or someone. The searchers moved on down the bank and Khorg signalled for the rest of the party to join him once he was sure the raiders had moved away.
The party moved carefully down the stream in the direction of the temple. They could still smell the acrid smoke from the burning town and hear raiders whooping and shouting not far away, occasional cries from townsfolk and screams from the distant dragon completing the sound-scape.
Through the darkness and smoke the stained-glass windows of the temple came into view, an island of sanctuary in the madness surrounding it. The party made it's way quickly across the open ground and up the side of the small hill upon which the temple stood. The patrolling guards around the temple were quickly dispatched and the adventurers moved quietly around the side of the building. The Giant led the way and heard voices at the rear of the temple accompanied by the crackling of something burning fiercely. As he peered around the corner he saw cultists attempting to set fire to the rear door of the temple, a pile of straw burning profusely. Using his powers of persuasion he managed to convince the cultists to abandon their attempt, knocking one of the men who refused to leave unconscious in the process. The party then made their presence known to the people inside the temple and an elderly half-elf priest let them in. The people inside were very glad to see the party and prepared to leave in a hurry. It was clear that the larger front door would not hold much longer under the sustained assault from the raiders. Father Eadyan Falconmoon, Priest of Chauntea welcomed the companions and soothed some of their injuries through the power of Chauntea.
Missions/Quests Completed
Chaunea Temple Rescue
Old Tunnel
Old Tunnel
Character(s) interacted with
Citrus Dirtfeet
The Giant
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Report Date
22 Apr 2019
Primary Location
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