(Damian Intelligence: 16 )

The bandit manages to fight off Damian's attempts to continue searching his mind. The spell ends and Damian can no longer detect the thoughts of the man before him.

Damian gave the wretched bandit in front of him a look of deep contempt before turning to the two hellriders. "He is your prisoner of course, but I suggest we all travel to Baldur's Gate at first light. There he could face justice in a court of law. We should all better get some rest now." Damian suggested before returning to his steed to resume his rest.

After helping the refugees lay the bodies of those killed to rest, the sun begins to rise. You feel the lack of sleep playing on your mind. You had only managed to get a few hours of sleep before your rest was disturbed by the fighting in the night. However, the refugees are desperate to move on, no longer feeling safe outside of the safety of a city's walls. They want to travel to Baldur's Gate as soon as possible. 

Damian couldn't remember having spent a night like this ever before, and he was very much looking forward to returning to Baldur's Gate now. He rose early and rode around the camp to make sure that everyone was ready to leave, trying also to make sure that the hellriders Gilbert and Woad would stay with them to protect the refugees from further bandit attacks and to take the bandit leader to face justice. He also made sure to find Quill and the old man, asking them both if they would join the others to Baldur's Gate. As preparations for departure was made Damian sent the invisible Azrael to scout the surroundings for threats.

(Azrael perception: 10 )

Harlan blinked in the pale morning light. He had attempted to sleep again after the fighting the night before, but dreams of darkness, and cold, and wet limbs grasping had beset him, and he had gained no more rest from his fitful sleep. 

He stood up, and felt the aches in his bones and his flesh, from wounds and from old age, which he was still unused to. He made himself a promise that if he ever accepted his situation and stopped seeking a way to reverse it, he would offer himself up to the nearest troll.

Wandering outside, he could hear the other refugees bickering, urging the remaining soldiers and Hellriders to escort them to Balder's Gate today. The attack last night had rattled them, and they wanted to get as far from here as possible. Harlan didn't blame them. The huge empty hole where Elturel once stood also loomed large behind them, and in the light of day the whole area just felt wrong. Harlan wanted to move on too. But he would not risk the journey by himself. He would travel with the refugees, once they were able to start moving.

Whichever of the Hellriders he sees first [or responds here first] he approaches. "Are we moving on today? We can't stay here any longer, it isn't safe to be out in the open like this."

DM, how long ago was the fight? So that I can judge the length of False Life.
Quill, I'm also happy to continue/finish the conversation from the night before.

"Thanks for your assistance, Damian, it's obvious you are quite capable, and I personally appreciate your help. I will take custody of the prisoner and make sure he sees justice with the authorities in Baldur's Gate." After securing the prisoner, Gilbert sees to the rest of the camp to make sure everyone is as safe as possible after the surprise attack. 

He assists in burying a few of his city watch brethren and says a few words to say goodbye, and vows to figure out how this might have happened. After he is content that everyone is safe, he attempts to catch a few minutes of rest. Seemingly moments later, he is awoken by the noise of packing and crying children. He rubs his eyes and takes a swig from his waterskin and dumps a bit over his head and runs his hands through his hair. As soon as he is seen up and about, a few of the refugees come up to Gilbert and begin to demand assistance and protection.

Soon afterwards the old man Harlan asks, “Are we moving on today? We can't stay here any longer, it isn't safe to be out in the open like this."

Gilbert, seeing the plight of the refugees, asks the others that helped fight off the bandits. “What say ye? I appreciate all of your valiant efforts so far, but you are under no oath. Regardless, I ask, can you assist once more in accompanying this group to Baldur’s Gate?”

"I'm headed for Baldur's Gate anyway hellrider..." Damian said to Gilbert with a nod and a slight smile, mounted on his pitch-black mare. "but I also feel an obligation to guide these people to safety from the unlawfulness we faced last night. We should get going though, we don't want to spend more time on the road than necessary with vultures like those bandits skulking in the night."

Damian Con Save: 18

Quote from Hafadei >>

Gilbert, seeing the plight of the refugees, asks the others that helped fight off the bandits. “What say ye? I appreciate all of your valiant efforts so far, but you are under no oath. Regardless, I ask, can you assist once more in accompanying this group to Baldur’s Gate?”

 "Where else am I going to go?" Harlan says snippily. "I'm staying with the group, it would be suicide to go alone. I don't know what assistance I can be though, I'm no soldier. I think we proved that last night..." He places a hand on the wound in his abdomen, still sore though still bloodless.

CON save: 17

Gilbert looks a bit shocked at the man named Harlan, "What are you talking about, your strange magic helped keep the battle in our favor. Your help will be very welcome."  Then to Damian, "Thanks for your help, ii will be greatly appreciated. and I agree let's leave as soon as possible."  With that, Gilbert called out to the Vander and Chele and Woad, "Let's form a rotating guard as we travel taking turns at point, do what you can to assist the packing efforts."  He walks over to Quill, and those in the healers tent, "We need to get everyone mobile, focus your morning healing on getting people mobile. We can drag litters behind horses, and see if we can't find some carts to place those that cant handle being dragged."

Con Save: 16

Damian nodded at the hellrider. Gilbert seemed to be a competent leader that quickly got the attention of the few remaining city guards and started to organize their departure from this disaster site that recently was the proud city of Elturel. What powers could possibly have set in motion this catastrophic event Damian thought, looking down at the vast crater below them. After briefly being lost in thoughts Damian turned to the old bearded man beside him. "You seem to be no warrior old man, yet you stood up bravely against those bandits last night. I'm Damian, Damian Ravenshade of Baldur's Gate, but I don't think I caught your name earlier." 

Harlan at first reacts irritably. "Old man?!" Then he calms, even looks sad. "Yes I... I suppose I am now. My name is Harlan Mostly, sir. Last night was a one off, I hope. I wasn't myself, that's not who I am. I don't want to be like that, you must believe me! I'm a scholar, not a... whatever happened last night."

"Apologies Harlan Mostly, I suppose I could have just called you man." Damian said with a slight smile. "A scholar you say? Would your scholarly knowledge give you any insight into what happened here?" Damian said motioning to the crater below them.

"No no, you're right. I am an old man," Harlan says, before muttering almost under his breath "For now."

"My expertise is in the nature and fabric of the arcane, and although I have wracked my brain and searched through my not inconsiderable knowledge, I can find no explanation for this catastrophe. I can only assume that it is a divine incident, and who can predict the whims of the gods? They are capricious indeed."

Damian nodded and chuckled. "Yes, indeed, some gods more than others." He said, then pondering the scholars words for a moment. "So if this was a divine incident as you call it, which god could conceivably be behind this. It is my understanding that the god Torm was responsible for granting Elturel it's Companion, but surely Torm would not do something like this...unless he was very disappointed with his servants in some way that is..." Damian's words trailed out as he glanced over at the hellriders. "It was the priest Thavius Kreeg that supposedly summoned the Companion, was it not?" He asked the white-haired scholar.

Since rising in the early morning, Quill had been assisting in the healer's tent. Despite her desire to help, she was much more circumspect in the use of her magic than she had been the prior evening. After being left defenseless in the face of the bandit raid, she wanted to avoid a similar circumstance. She didn't honestly believe they would be attacked again, but in truth, she hadn't expected that they would be attacked the first time. It was better to be prepared in case of disaster. Instead, she used her knowledge of healing to apply bandages, set broken bones, brew tonics and salves, and offer relief to those in pain.

When Gilbert approached her and the others assisting with the wounded, Quill rose to her feet and dragged a sleeve across her forehead. "Yes, of course. We're very nearly ready to move on. There's only one man who isn't able to walk without aid and will require a litter. Though I'd also recommend that the elderly woman--" She gestured to an older female who looked to be nothing more than frail skin and bones, "--also be loaded onto a horse or wagon." She looked up to Gilbert, seeming to take him in for the first time. "Have you taken charge here?" She inquired, wondering who this person was. He appeared competent, but was he actually fit to be in a leadership position?

Con Save: 21

As you talk, you continue to prepare for leaving the site where Elturel once stood. Damian, nor his imp, find any sign of further danger in the immediate surrounding area. You also have a couple of wagons at your disposal and horses to pull the wagons. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to fit on the wagon with the goods that were salvaged. However, the most injured have priority in getting to sit on the wagons. Another pregnant woman, who you learn is called Anita, also gets to sit on one of the wagons.

Once the camp is ready, after providing help to those who required it, you begin to set off down the road. The distance between the former site of Elturel and Baldur's Gate is no short distance, and you know that it will take several days to complete the journey. It is unlikely that the rest of the refugees had reached Baldur's Gate, despite having the advantage of leaving a day sooner.

The first day of travel passes without incident, and you manage to complete twenty miles of your journey before the night begins to fall once more.

After setting up camp, you are approached by a young man wearing robes. In his hand, he carries a book.

"Evening, to you all," the man says with a slight bow. "I am Morgan. I have been looking through my book, and I believe we should come across Fort Morninglord by tomorrow afternoon. I know what you adventuring hero types are like, you will be tempted to go exploring the ruins. However, for the sake of you all, I urge you to ignore your instincts and avoid the Fort. You would only be delaying the camp even further at a risk we simply just cannot afford to take. What's more, I need not remind you, Fort Mornginglord is considered cursed. If anything should happen to you all, it would leave the rest of the camp vulnerable."

During their journey west towards Baldur's Gate Damian continued to scout for dangers from the back of his steed, also letting Azrael scout ahead for dangers. 

As the robed young man approached him and told him about Fort Morninglord he was at first confused. He had heard the rumors before. He had passed this way many times but he had never even considered entering the fort, why would he, he was no adventurer and certainly no hero, he was a patriar, born with the burden of responsibility to rule those below him and to guide them through their simple lives. Still, it intrigued him that this Morgan decided to mention this at all, and it couldn't be ruled out that this rumoured curse somehow was connected to the cataclysm he had witnessed just a day ago. "Tell me Morgan, I am curious, were you really worried that we would abandon you now after defending you from those vultures last night? You are a learned man I presume, perhaps you have a theory on what could have caused the disintegration of Elturel, and if this curse you mentioned could in any way be connected to it."

Morgan shrugs his shoulders, "I don't know any of you that well. It might just have been convenient for you to defeat the bandits at the time. Doesn't mean that you will stick around if you something better turned up. Does it?"

He then considers the possibility of the connection of the curse of Fort Morninglord and the dissapearance of Elturel

"I think it highly unlikely that the curse of Fort Morninglord had anything to do the events of Elturel disappearing. As far as I know, no one has entered the Fort of late. Not since the garrison disappeared and the fortress turned black. The High Observer feared the place though. It's why he condemned the place, and decreed that anyone entering the fort would be outlawed."

Quote from Oberon99 >>

Damian nodded and chuckled. "Yes, indeed, some gods more than others." He said, then pondering the scholars words for a moment. "So if this was a divine incident as you call it, which god could conceivably be behind this. It is my understanding that the god Torm was responsible for granting Elturel it's Companion, but surely Torm would not do something like this...unless he was very disappointed with his servants in some way that is..." Damian's words trailed out as he glanced over at the hellriders. "It was the priest Thavius Kreeg that supposedly summoned the Companion, was it not?" He asked the white-haired scholar.

(Going back to before Morgan arrived)

"So I understand. Although the High Priest apparently hadn't been seen for days leading up to this... event. Whether that is as a result of the Champion's turning, or vice versa, or completely unrelated, who is to say? Only Kreeg I would imagine. Although it plays on my mind... I hate unanswered questions."