Father Giles glances behind him, seeing that Burr, Zefla and Soren are keeping pace, as well as Adrian Martikov. “Damn! That eliminates one option!” he thinks to himself. To the side, he sees the sudden appearance of a mastiff and the absence of Soren, he nods to himself. “Well, in for a copper, in for a gold…” he thinks as he jogs toward the guardsman, and he starts to wave his arms in a conjuring manner, holding his coin, calling out to him.
(Casting charm person on the guard, when he gets within 30 feet of him. DC 14 wisdom save to resist). If this appears to be unsuccessful, he will do something else…
”Hey, hey, hey… where are you rushing off to so fast! I heard you running from all the way up high in my room in the inn and I couldn’t sleep and such, so ah, what’s your name again, I forgot it, can you believe that? How about you come back with us to the Inn for a nice little drink, nothing happening tonight that’s so big of a worry, your report can likely wait until tomorrow I imagine, c’mon, just a round or two, take the tension off, too much stress, it’s time for your break, whatcha say, whatcha say?”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
The guard looks over his shoulder briefly at the party, not breaking stride and seemingly intent on continuing his mad dash west. When Father Giles casts his spell, however, he slows, then stops, leaning over with his hands on his knees, panting. "Monsters..." he gasps.
"Monsters... at the east gate... have to... get help... have to... get away...".
He straightens up. "I really can't stop. You shouldn't be out here, either. Go back to the inn, friend, and stay there. I'll be back soon with reinforcements."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Burrcharges off east, toward the gate where your party first entered the city.
Meanwhile, the guard is eager to resume his westward jaunt, and will do so unless someone prevents him. Father Giles, if you like, you can try to persuade him, with advantage, to stay a little longer.
Adrian, for his part, mutters a curse under his breath. "I had better let the others know...". He steps back inside the inn.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla's eyes open wide as she hears the guard's response. Was it more than what attacked the church? What were they in for? Was this retaliation for what they did.... oh please don't let that be it. She rubs a palm down her face as the thought crosses her mind. No matter, she strengthens her resolve and starts after Burr, "C'mon, if anyone figures out what we did, at least we can show them we are on the city's side! Soren! Monsters at the East gate!" She shouts that last part towards the mastiff as it runs off and then heads after Burr.
Giles is surprised by the man’s words, he simply says to him “Go now, run with all speed and bring the guard, we will begin the defense ourselves! Find me when you arrive back at the east gate, we need your help my friend! Oh, and, what kind of monsters? What is your name good man?” After he hears his reply, Giles runs off after Zefla, Soren and Burr, heading toward the eastern gate.
Soren the mastiff lopes along with the others (40' move speed) towards the east gate, his plan to sniff out Lady Bauer superseded.
The druid thinks, but is unable to articulate while in Wild Shape form: Aye, it could be the monsters that attacked the Cathedral. OR it could be the monstrous vampire I unwitting released from the Wachters' bedroom...
Being slightly faster than the others, when he pauses for them to catch up, Soren the mastiff attempts to catch as many scents as he can. The foul scent of undead. Of beasts other than domesticated ones. Any other scents of familiar people or dangerous-seeming threats.
"Vampires!" the guard cries as he resumes his race across town.
The party reaches the eastern gate.
The gate itself stands shut, resolute and unyielding, a bastion against the wilds of Barovia. Yet the true horror lies within.
The street before you is marred by a dark, crimson stain. Two guards lie motionless upon the ground, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the void. Their throats are torn open, jagged and brutal, as if savaged by wild beasts. The cobblestones are slick with their blood, pooling around their bodies.
A faint, almost rhythmic dripping draws your attention upwards. Atop the roof of the guardpost, another guard is sprawled in a grotesque position, his body slumped against the eaves. Blood trickles from his numerous wounds, dripping steadily onto the street below. The sound is hypnotic, somehow dwarfing the background nightnoise of the town behind you.
You watch and listen for danger. The silence is oppressive, the rhythmic drip drip drip playing at your nerves. Shadows along the walls and in the alleys seem to lengthen and twist, dancing eerily in the flickering torchlight of the guardstation.
Evidence of the attackers is everywhere: deep claw marks score the wooden gate and the door to the guardstation, and the faint scent of decay mingles with that of fresh blood. You can almost see the attack happening, reinventing how the guards had been standing before they were felled.
Above you, the heavy flutter of wings calls your attention skyward again. A shape descends onto the guardpost roof... not a vampire, but a man-sized raven, crossbow in hand. Its beady, emotionless eyes make contact with your own, before it cautiously scans the rooftops and eves around it, watching... listening.... And confirming what your own senses are telling you; that the attackers are no longer here. The raven-person then advances to the body on the roof, dropping to a knee to inspect the wounds.
Soren:
Your keen mastiff nose picks up the rich bouquet of spilled blood mingled with the abominable odor of undeath and grave-earth. There are background odors as well, too many to count: the boot debris of scores of different guards; the nightsoil tossed from a nearby window; the slightly less garbagy odor of the wildlands beyond the gate; the fish stew last meal of one of the guardsmen, still lingering on his lips.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Soren the mastiff growls and his hackles rise as he scents the stench of undeath until he cannot rid his nostrils of it.
Did the vampires come from the dug up graves we saw as we accompanied Arabelle from the lake to the Vistani camp? Yet if so... why did they attack the guards now and not before? Is it because the protective relic is gone from the cathedral? Or in retribution for the death of Strahd's servant (Wachter)? (Soren thinks but cannot say while in the form of a dog).
Snarling and sneezing at the awful scent, Soren the mastiff attempts to determine how many undead there were, and which way they went.
He boofs and growls to get his companions' (and the raven-person's) attention if he finds the trail, looking back questioningly as he starts along the way.
Giles takes in the scene quickly and turns to Zefla, Burr and the mastiff, saying “Are they after Ireena? I wonder if they will go to the Baron’s house next, such a brazen attack.” Giles looks at the door to see if they made it inside, then turns to the others and looks down at the mastiff, saying “Can you tell which way they went? Or did they fly..”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Soren, patrolling the grounds around the dead bodies, picks up several different trails of undead odor... but none seem to lead anywhere but around the gate area. He can't pick up where the trails enter or leave from.
Above, the raven-person finishes its inspection of the corpse on the roof, then rises, eyes scanning its surroundings slowly. The moments are tense, and you can't help but expect the figure to spring up and point out a lurking vampire at any second... but that second never comes. Finally the figure looks back down to you, and makes a few hand gestures. It takes a moment, but you think you can interpret what it is trying to communicate:
... Two, maybe three attackers...
... They used the rooftops to come and go...
... I don't see any sign of them now...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla raises an eyebrow to Burr calling himself a blood-drinker but then shrugs. Obviously nothing here for them to do, they used the rooftops? Is this a new trick and how do they combat it?
"Probably best to start with the Mayor's home, shows a sense a duty and all that, hopefully we'll run into the other guards and be able to tell them what we found."
Giles nods to Zefla, saying “C’mon everyone, no time to waste! To the Baron’s house! C’mon Soren!” Giles starts to jog, thoughts racing in his mind as he goes. “What if this attack is a misdirection, for a true target? The darklord wants to get his hands on Ireena, that is where we should go..”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Deciding that this crime scene is a dead end, or worse, a misdirection, the party turns and reverses course through town. Above them, the raven figure goes his or her own way in the night.
Moving down the dark main street of Vallaki, you pass by the stockyards. You see some of the only folk you have passed on the street. Several men, laborers by appearance, are huddled together under a torch. They are sharing rumors of the attack on the east gate, having heard the original guard flee past earlier tonight. They glance at you fearfully as you approach, before concluding you are not monsters and they resume their gossiping.
Shortly thereafter, as you draw close to the Blue Water Inn, you meet a crowd coming the other way. A gaggle of guardsmen, eight of them, led by the 'friend' of Father Giles. In their midst, standing a full head taller than the largest of then, strides a figure you recognize from previous interactions here in town... the captain of the Baron's guard, Izek Strazni. A bearskin cloak covers the huge man, concealing the bizarre, clawed right hand Zeflaobserved when she knocked on the Baron's door some nights before. His eyes are bloodshot and while many of the guards look nervous or even fearful, Izek looks furious.
At your approach, the lead guard looks at Gileswith concern. "Friend, please, as I said you must get back inside. The night isn't safe. Fear not, I have summoned the town's defenders and we will put those fiends to the sword!" He still sounds nervous, be he is clearly trying to put on a brave face in front of his good friend, Giles.
At the interaction, Izek pauses and frowns. Speaking to his guard, he asks, "You know these strangers?"
After an awkward pause, the guard answers, "Just the one, sir. He's a good egg, that one."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla halts at once when she sees the guards coming with Izek. A chill reaches the back of her neck as her eyes land on the man. She wonders if he ever joined in to the 'bookclub' or not.
She approaches the lead guard, "Sir, we're afraid there might be some diversion going on and we were rushing to make sure the Baron was alright. The guards at the Eastern gate have been slain, the gate remains intact. It appears as though the monsters were able to vault the walls somehow and have since disappeared without a trace." She keeps her eyes on the lead guard, and not reacting to Izek's question.
Izek turns to Zeflaand clears his throat. His brow narrows narrow as he looks down upon the halfling, a hint of recollection and a pile of irritation in his bloodshot eyes. "Oh, and what would you know about a diversion? You think they mean to target the Baron?"
"Sir, if we..." begins one of the guards.
"SHUT UP! Let me think," growls Izek. Then he looks at the lead guard. "You. Take these five and secure the east gate. Clean it up if there are bodies, as these strangers say. Keep it quiet. Send a runner back to the mansion to confirm you have the gate in your control." He looks to the two nearest guards. "You two are with me." He turns back in the direction he had come. But then continues turning until he has come back around 360 degrees, and he levels a deformed hand at Zefla, Gilesand Burr. The flesh is milky white and the fingernails are crimson red. The limb seems somehow both frail, and fiendishly strong at the same time. "You three and your pooch - go to the Blue Water and get a room. Don't leave until I send for you in the morning. I have... questions for you." With that he turns again and begins to lead two guards back toward the Baron's home.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM -(Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown *Red Dead Annihilation: ToA *Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
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Father Giles glances behind him, seeing that Burr, Zefla and Soren are keeping pace, as well as Adrian Martikov. “Damn! That eliminates one option!” he thinks to himself. To the side, he sees the sudden appearance of a mastiff and the absence of Soren, he nods to himself. “Well, in for a copper, in for a gold…” he thinks as he jogs toward the guardsman, and he starts to wave his arms in a conjuring manner, holding his coin, calling out to him.
(Casting charm person on the guard, when he gets within 30 feet of him. DC 14 wisdom save to resist). If this appears to be unsuccessful, he will do something else…
”Hey, hey, hey… where are you rushing off to so fast! I heard you running from all the way up high in my room in the inn and I couldn’t sleep and such, so ah, what’s your name again, I forgot it, can you believe that? How about you come back with us to the Inn for a nice little drink, nothing happening tonight that’s so big of a worry, your report can likely wait until tomorrow I imagine, c’mon, just a round or two, take the tension off, too much stress, it’s time for your break, whatcha say, whatcha say?”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
WIS: 13
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
The guard looks over his shoulder briefly at the party, not breaking stride and seemingly intent on continuing his mad dash west. When Father Giles casts his spell, however, he slows, then stops, leaning over with his hands on his knees, panting. "Monsters..." he gasps.
"Monsters... at the east gate... have to... get help... have to... get away...".
He straightens up. "I really can't stop. You shouldn't be out here, either. Go back to the inn, friend, and stay there. I'll be back soon with reinforcements."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Burr immediately reversed course and sprinted for the east gate.
Burr charges off east, toward the gate where your party first entered the city.
Meanwhile, the guard is eager to resume his westward jaunt, and will do so unless someone prevents him. Father Giles, if you like, you can try to persuade him, with advantage, to stay a little longer.
Adrian, for his part, mutters a curse under his breath. "I had better let the others know...". He steps back inside the inn.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla's eyes open wide as she hears the guard's response. Was it more than what attacked the church? What were they in for? Was this retaliation for what they did.... oh please don't let that be it. She rubs a palm down her face as the thought crosses her mind. No matter, she strengthens her resolve and starts after Burr, "C'mon, if anyone figures out what we did, at least we can show them we are on the city's side! Soren! Monsters at the East gate!" She shouts that last part towards the mastiff as it runs off and then heads after Burr.
Giles is surprised by the man’s words, he simply says to him “Go now, run with all speed and bring the guard, we will begin the defense ourselves! Find me when you arrive back at the east gate, we need your help my friend! Oh, and, what kind of monsters? What is your name good man?” After he hears his reply, Giles runs off after Zefla, Soren and Burr, heading toward the eastern gate.
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Soren the mastiff lopes along with the others (40' move speed) towards the east gate, his plan to sniff out Lady Bauer superseded.
The druid thinks, but is unable to articulate while in Wild Shape form:
Aye, it could be the monsters that attacked the Cathedral. OR it could be the monstrous vampire I unwitting released from the Wachters' bedroom...
Being slightly faster than the others, when he pauses for them to catch up, Soren the mastiff attempts to catch as many scents as he can. The foul scent of undead. Of beasts other than domesticated ones. Any other scents of familiar people or dangerous-seeming threats.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
"Vampires!" the guard cries as he resumes his race across town.
The party reaches the eastern gate.
The gate itself stands shut, resolute and unyielding, a bastion against the wilds of Barovia. Yet the true horror lies within.
The street before you is marred by a dark, crimson stain. Two guards lie motionless upon the ground, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the void. Their throats are torn open, jagged and brutal, as if savaged by wild beasts. The cobblestones are slick with their blood, pooling around their bodies.
A faint, almost rhythmic dripping draws your attention upwards. Atop the roof of the guardpost, another guard is sprawled in a grotesque position, his body slumped against the eaves. Blood trickles from his numerous wounds, dripping steadily onto the street below. The sound is hypnotic, somehow dwarfing the background nightnoise of the town behind you.
You watch and listen for danger. The silence is oppressive, the rhythmic drip drip drip playing at your nerves. Shadows along the walls and in the alleys seem to lengthen and twist, dancing eerily in the flickering torchlight of the guardstation.
Evidence of the attackers is everywhere: deep claw marks score the wooden gate and the door to the guardstation, and the faint scent of decay mingles with that of fresh blood. You can almost see the attack happening, reinventing how the guards had been standing before they were felled.
Above you, the heavy flutter of wings calls your attention skyward again. A shape descends onto the guardpost roof... not a vampire, but a man-sized raven, crossbow in hand. Its beady, emotionless eyes make contact with your own, before it cautiously scans the rooftops and eves around it, watching... listening.... And confirming what your own senses are telling you; that the attackers are no longer here. The raven-person then advances to the body on the roof, dropping to a knee to inspect the wounds.
Soren:
Your keen mastiff nose picks up the rich bouquet of spilled blood mingled with the abominable odor of undeath and grave-earth. There are background odors as well, too many to count: the boot debris of scores of different guards; the nightsoil tossed from a nearby window; the slightly less garbagy odor of the wildlands beyond the gate; the fish stew last meal of one of the guardsmen, still lingering on his lips.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Recalling the Raven-woman who had helped them on the hilltop Burr called out to the figure, " Where are the attackers?"
Soren the mastiff growls and his hackles rise as he scents the stench of undeath until he cannot rid his nostrils of it.
Did the vampires come from the dug up graves we saw as we accompanied Arabelle from the lake to the Vistani camp? Yet if so... why did they attack the guards now and not before? Is it because the protective relic is gone from the cathedral? Or in retribution for the death of Strahd's servant (Wachter)?
(Soren thinks but cannot say while in the form of a dog).
Snarling and sneezing at the awful scent, Soren the mastiff attempts to determine how many undead there were, and which way they went.
He boofs and growls to get his companions' (and the raven-person's) attention if he finds the trail, looking back questioningly as he starts along the way.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Giles takes in the scene quickly and turns to Zefla, Burr and the mastiff, saying “Are they after Ireena? I wonder if they will go to the Baron’s house next, such a brazen attack.” Giles looks at the door to see if they made it inside, then turns to the others and looks down at the mastiff, saying “Can you tell which way they went? Or did they fly..”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Soren, patrolling the grounds around the dead bodies, picks up several different trails of undead odor... but none seem to lead anywhere but around the gate area. He can't pick up where the trails enter or leave from.
Above, the raven-person finishes its inspection of the corpse on the roof, then rises, eyes scanning its surroundings slowly. The moments are tense, and you can't help but expect the figure to spring up and point out a lurking vampire at any second... but that second never comes. Finally the figure looks back down to you, and makes a few hand gestures. It takes a moment, but you think you can interpret what it is trying to communicate:
... Two, maybe three attackers...
... They used the rooftops to come and go...
... I don't see any sign of them now...
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
" Mayors home or the prison? Those are the two most likely targets....", Burr surmised ready to sprint off again.
" I feel like having a chat with these bastards, Blood-Drinker to blood drinker....", he grinned as he held the spear up.
Zefla raises an eyebrow to Burr calling himself a blood-drinker but then shrugs. Obviously nothing here for them to do, they used the rooftops? Is this a new trick and how do they combat it?
"Probably best to start with the Mayor's home, shows a sense a duty and all that, hopefully we'll run into the other guards and be able to tell them what we found."
Mastiff-Soren shakes violently as if to rid himself of a terrible scent.
He wags his tail and looks ready to follow, not having a direction in which the scent leads on his own.
Tanis(Ranger1): Shiverquill's Tempest City | Xarian(Fighter2): NioNSwiper's Tyranny of Dragons
Dyson/Eleo(TwilightCleric4): Vos' Beyond the Veil | Soren(ShepherdDruid5): Bartjeebus' Ravenloft | Ophelia(WildMagicSorcerer4): Ashen_Age's Risen from the Sands
Joren(EchoKnightFighter6): NotDrizzt's Simple Request | Sabetha(MercyMonk3): Bedlymn's Murder Court | Seri(NatureCleric3/DivineSoulSorcerer1): Bartjeebus' Greyhawk
Giles nods to Zefla, saying “C’mon everyone, no time to waste! To the Baron’s house! C’mon Soren!” Giles starts to jog, thoughts racing in his mind as he goes. “What if this attack is a misdirection, for a true target? The darklord wants to get his hands on Ireena, that is where we should go..”
A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.
Deciding that this crime scene is a dead end, or worse, a misdirection, the party turns and reverses course through town. Above them, the raven figure goes his or her own way in the night.
Moving down the dark main street of Vallaki, you pass by the stockyards. You see some of the only folk you have passed on the street. Several men, laborers by appearance, are huddled together under a torch. They are sharing rumors of the attack on the east gate, having heard the original guard flee past earlier tonight. They glance at you fearfully as you approach, before concluding you are not monsters and they resume their gossiping.
Shortly thereafter, as you draw close to the Blue Water Inn, you meet a crowd coming the other way. A gaggle of guardsmen, eight of them, led by the 'friend' of Father Giles. In their midst, standing a full head taller than the largest of then, strides a figure you recognize from previous interactions here in town... the captain of the Baron's guard, Izek Strazni. A bearskin cloak covers the huge man, concealing the bizarre, clawed right hand Zefla observed when she knocked on the Baron's door some nights before. His eyes are bloodshot and while many of the guards look nervous or even fearful, Izek looks furious.
At your approach, the lead guard looks at Giles with concern. "Friend, please, as I said you must get back inside. The night isn't safe. Fear not, I have summoned the town's defenders and we will put those fiends to the sword!" He still sounds nervous, be he is clearly trying to put on a brave face in front of his good friend, Giles.
At the interaction, Izek pauses and frowns. Speaking to his guard, he asks, "You know these strangers?"
After an awkward pause, the guard answers, "Just the one, sir. He's a good egg, that one."
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War
Zefla halts at once when she sees the guards coming with Izek. A chill reaches the back of her neck as her eyes land on the man. She wonders if he ever joined in to the 'bookclub' or not.
She approaches the lead guard, "Sir, we're afraid there might be some diversion going on and we were rushing to make sure the Baron was alright. The guards at the Eastern gate have been slain, the gate remains intact. It appears as though the monsters were able to vault the walls somehow and have since disappeared without a trace." She keeps her eyes on the lead guard, and not reacting to Izek's question.
Izek turns to Zefla and clears his throat. His brow narrows narrow as he looks down upon the halfling, a hint of recollection and a pile of irritation in his bloodshot eyes. "Oh, and what would you know about a diversion? You think they mean to target the Baron?"
"Sir, if we..." begins one of the guards.
"SHUT UP! Let me think," growls Izek. Then he looks at the lead guard. "You. Take these five and secure the east gate. Clean it up if there are bodies, as these strangers say. Keep it quiet. Send a runner back to the mansion to confirm you have the gate in your control." He looks to the two nearest guards. "You two are with me." He turns back in the direction he had come. But then continues turning until he has come back around 360 degrees, and he levels a deformed hand at Zefla, Giles and Burr. The flesh is milky white and the fingernails are crimson red. The limb seems somehow both frail, and fiendishly strong at the same time. "You three and your pooch - go to the Blue Water and get a room. Don't leave until I send for you in the morning. I have... questions for you." With that he turns again and begins to lead two guards back toward the Baron's home.
PC - Ethel - Human - Lvl 4 Necromancer - Undying Dragons * Serge Marshblade - Human - Lvl 5 Eldritch Knight - Hoard of the Dragon Queen
DM - (Homebrew) Heroes of Bardstown * Red Dead Annihilation: ToA * Where the Cold Winds Blow : DoIP * Covetous, Dragonish Thoughts: HotDQ * Red Wine, Black Rose: CoS * Greyhawk: Tides of War