Post by hubertbartels on Dec 5, 2020 15:50:27 GMT -5
It is now the fall of CY592, three months later. Three months of assisting the Countess in rooting out the worshipers of Iuz from their hiding holes in Midmeadow. The books and records we’ve recovered from the Temple of Iuz have been helpful but the names in the book have been masked.
Our one clue tracing the magic mirror of Lozary the Beautiful was that it was sent to the Customs Office of Midmeadow. We focused our attention on the officials and workers in the office before coming up with a suspect. Gladys of Coldwell was a older woman, kept to herself and often worked night shifts. She had no real friends in the Customs Office and barely anyone out of the office.
When we went to her house, we arrived to find the house ransacked and a lot of spilled blood on the floor. Dunkin thought it came from a lethal wound but with further examination, determined that the blood was pig’s blood sprayed to look like it came from a death wound. Gideon, shifted in a wolf, searched the building for a hidden exit. There was a hidden door in the basement, leading out to the sewers but that door had not been used for a while.
Gladys had pulled a disappearing act and the trail had gone cold.
A few days later, a note appeared under the front door of our house in Midmeadow. “Tomorrow night, meet me at the Mockingbird Tavern – I know where she is,” it read. It was written in a blockish simple script with a cheap ink on expensive vellum paper.
Arriving around dusk at the Mockingbird Tavern, we found it was a noisy place with exits on two separate streets. As we were looking for a place to sit, Dunkin was approached by a large woman with the accents of the Bandit Kingdoms. She was wearing leathers and bore a single dagger at her hip. The woman violently cleared a pair of round tables in the tavern and sat down. Her name was Melissa the Honeybee and she represented a group of like-minded individuals calling themselves- the Raptors. The Raptors wanted to see the Bandit Kingdoms freed from Iuz’s grasp. To raise money for this goal, they had been raiding and holding up people on the road.
A few days ago, a certain woman wandered into their camp and tried to make a deal with them. This woman matched the description of Gladys. Melissa the Honeybee wanted to trade this woman for a man currently being held in the Midmeadow. Tarquin Stormcaller was taken by forces of the Countess while robbing a church of Pholtus. If we could break Tarquin Stormcaller out of prison, she would turn Gladys over to us.
We returned home and sent out a note to the Countess’ office, asking for an appointment. Around noon the next day, we received a message from Roland of Osmen, stating that he would like to see us by mid-afternoon.
When we arrived at his office, we found Roland to be an older man, short-cropped hair and fit – a fighting man. We persuade him by outlining our plan and he agrees to talk to the Countess.
The next day, we meet with Roland again. He has good news – Tarquin is to be turned over to us. He will be at the 5th mile post of the Pale Road around midnight. He warned us that he wants Gladys alive and able to answer questions in return.
A quick meeting with Melissa the Honeybee seals her part of the trade. We are to meet deeper in the woods.
The following evening, we ride our to the fifth milepost. There on the Pale Road, we find guardsmen and a tall, handsome man, bound hand and foot with a mask covering his face. We put him on our extra horse and ride deeper into the woods to our other rendezvous. It’ll take us to just before dawn.
Near dawn, we arrive at a 100 acre wood that was the Raptors bandit camp. Melissa the Honeybee stepped out with about three dozen brigands. Then they brought out a tightly-bound Gladys. Melissa also has a list of farms that shielded Iuz followers. As we were about to make the trade, an alarm rang across the camp.
Armed men, orcs and hobgoblins were assaulting the camp. We hurried up and gave Tarquin to Melissa. Melissa removed the mask and Tarquin freed himself from the bonds. The attackers were Iuz followers, hoping to free Gladys. Melissa and Tarquin disappeared among the trees to help their men.
Five of Iuz followers broke through the bushes to attack us while a sixth stayed out of melee range to launch his spells. Aerwyn held them all with Evard’s Black Tentacles. While Gideon and Sir Thabo were dispatching their front line, an invisible familiar tried to sneak around and cut though Gladys's bindings. Dunkin noticed it and Sathy removed the familiar's invisibility. Wolfram killed it. A human warlock mixed with bugbear and orc became visible as he killed Wolfram with a Finger of Death spell. The warlock was furious with Wolfram for killing his beloved familiar.
Duncan used a scroll of Revivify to save Wolfram while Sir Thabo came over to smite down the warlock. With their caster down, the rest of Iuz forces were easily dispatched.
The brigands of the Raptors identified the dead warlock as Evergard, one of the primary henchman of Margawk the Ravisher, the warlord of Iuz that controlled the Bandit Kingdoms.
Back in Midmeadow, we were met by Roland. Sir Thabo and Dunkin will use their spells to try to uncover the spy that revealed to Iuz’s forces, the information about Gladys and the trade.
From questioning Gladys, we learned that she had received the mirror and then she had turned it over to Scardos. Scardos plans to use the mirror’s pocket-dimension to hide and smuggle a major force of Iuz’s forces into the Midmeadow palace.
But we were given to understand that Scardos was supposed to be a leader of the Bandit Kingdom;s resistance to Iuz. Why is he receiving items from Iuz followers?
Our one clue tracing the magic mirror of Lozary the Beautiful was that it was sent to the Customs Office of Midmeadow. We focused our attention on the officials and workers in the office before coming up with a suspect. Gladys of Coldwell was a older woman, kept to herself and often worked night shifts. She had no real friends in the Customs Office and barely anyone out of the office.
When we went to her house, we arrived to find the house ransacked and a lot of spilled blood on the floor. Dunkin thought it came from a lethal wound but with further examination, determined that the blood was pig’s blood sprayed to look like it came from a death wound. Gideon, shifted in a wolf, searched the building for a hidden exit. There was a hidden door in the basement, leading out to the sewers but that door had not been used for a while.
Gladys had pulled a disappearing act and the trail had gone cold.
A few days later, a note appeared under the front door of our house in Midmeadow. “Tomorrow night, meet me at the Mockingbird Tavern – I know where she is,” it read. It was written in a blockish simple script with a cheap ink on expensive vellum paper.
Arriving around dusk at the Mockingbird Tavern, we found it was a noisy place with exits on two separate streets. As we were looking for a place to sit, Dunkin was approached by a large woman with the accents of the Bandit Kingdoms. She was wearing leathers and bore a single dagger at her hip. The woman violently cleared a pair of round tables in the tavern and sat down. Her name was Melissa the Honeybee and she represented a group of like-minded individuals calling themselves- the Raptors. The Raptors wanted to see the Bandit Kingdoms freed from Iuz’s grasp. To raise money for this goal, they had been raiding and holding up people on the road.
A few days ago, a certain woman wandered into their camp and tried to make a deal with them. This woman matched the description of Gladys. Melissa the Honeybee wanted to trade this woman for a man currently being held in the Midmeadow. Tarquin Stormcaller was taken by forces of the Countess while robbing a church of Pholtus. If we could break Tarquin Stormcaller out of prison, she would turn Gladys over to us.
We returned home and sent out a note to the Countess’ office, asking for an appointment. Around noon the next day, we received a message from Roland of Osmen, stating that he would like to see us by mid-afternoon.
When we arrived at his office, we found Roland to be an older man, short-cropped hair and fit – a fighting man. We persuade him by outlining our plan and he agrees to talk to the Countess.
The next day, we meet with Roland again. He has good news – Tarquin is to be turned over to us. He will be at the 5th mile post of the Pale Road around midnight. He warned us that he wants Gladys alive and able to answer questions in return.
A quick meeting with Melissa the Honeybee seals her part of the trade. We are to meet deeper in the woods.
The following evening, we ride our to the fifth milepost. There on the Pale Road, we find guardsmen and a tall, handsome man, bound hand and foot with a mask covering his face. We put him on our extra horse and ride deeper into the woods to our other rendezvous. It’ll take us to just before dawn.
Near dawn, we arrive at a 100 acre wood that was the Raptors bandit camp. Melissa the Honeybee stepped out with about three dozen brigands. Then they brought out a tightly-bound Gladys. Melissa also has a list of farms that shielded Iuz followers. As we were about to make the trade, an alarm rang across the camp.
Armed men, orcs and hobgoblins were assaulting the camp. We hurried up and gave Tarquin to Melissa. Melissa removed the mask and Tarquin freed himself from the bonds. The attackers were Iuz followers, hoping to free Gladys. Melissa and Tarquin disappeared among the trees to help their men.
Five of Iuz followers broke through the bushes to attack us while a sixth stayed out of melee range to launch his spells. Aerwyn held them all with Evard’s Black Tentacles. While Gideon and Sir Thabo were dispatching their front line, an invisible familiar tried to sneak around and cut though Gladys's bindings. Dunkin noticed it and Sathy removed the familiar's invisibility. Wolfram killed it. A human warlock mixed with bugbear and orc became visible as he killed Wolfram with a Finger of Death spell. The warlock was furious with Wolfram for killing his beloved familiar.
Duncan used a scroll of Revivify to save Wolfram while Sir Thabo came over to smite down the warlock. With their caster down, the rest of Iuz forces were easily dispatched.
The brigands of the Raptors identified the dead warlock as Evergard, one of the primary henchman of Margawk the Ravisher, the warlord of Iuz that controlled the Bandit Kingdoms.
Back in Midmeadow, we were met by Roland. Sir Thabo and Dunkin will use their spells to try to uncover the spy that revealed to Iuz’s forces, the information about Gladys and the trade.
From questioning Gladys, we learned that she had received the mirror and then she had turned it over to Scardos. Scardos plans to use the mirror’s pocket-dimension to hide and smuggle a major force of Iuz’s forces into the Midmeadow palace.
But we were given to understand that Scardos was supposed to be a leader of the Bandit Kingdom;s resistance to Iuz. Why is he receiving items from Iuz followers?