Hildr is trapped at the bottom of a pit—the pit!—ankle deep in splintered wood. Looking up, she can see her companions far above, gathered around the rim of the pit. They look concerned, particularly Gawain.
Behind Hildr is a tunnel that ends in blackness. That is where she sees the eyes, the glowing eyes. Hildr reaches for her sword, but finds nothing—not even her scabbard. She reaches for one, then the other, of her handaxes, but her hands grab thin air. She does not even have her javelins. Nor, come to think of it, my shield. I am defenseless! Well, she has her fists.
The glowing eyes grow larger and brighter until, emerging out of the darkness, a familiar form approaches. "Father!" Hildr exclaims. "I thought you were...a monster: the vampiric bride."
"You thought I was dead," the apparition corrects her.Hildr's father—or the revenant of her father?—is indeed soaked in blood. The side of his head is bashed in. Guts hang from his waste. He has been pummeled and eviscerated. He reeks of blood and seawater.
"But father, you drowned..."
Her father smiles, revealing long, angular canine teeth. Hildr had thought as much!
"That's what they told you, didn't they? The traitors! Now come, girl."
"No..."
"Come to me. You will never be a jomsviking. You are better off dead."
"No!"
"A woman cannot be a jomsviking. I mean, look at your hands."
Hildr unclenches her fists. Her hands are small and frail, like her mother's. Mother, who was right about everything.
"You never believed in me!" Suddenly, in her hands she finds a sword: a single-sided curved longsword, polished and sharpened. "And I don't believe in you!"
As Hildr prepares to step forward and engage her paternal nemesis, she hears a friendly voice beckoning. It doesn't come from above, but from all around her. "Let's get you goin' buddy," it says.
She awakens from her nightmare. Gawain and Crannoc and some unseen force are jostling her, helping her to come to her senses and stand up. She's up on her feet.
"Get me some water, and then get me to bed," she commands, without the least bit of gratitude. "My head hurts. I'll be fine in a couple of hours."
[Constitution saving throw: 7 + 4 from guidance = 11] When the party returns in the eve, Hildr's still groggy, not up for her usual calisthenics.
Ooc: I think we should roll out a plan so we can leave first thing in the morning since it is so far away and I don’t want to be caught at night again when we are there.
"Nice to see you all again, hope the day was fruitful or relaxing," Gawain says with an absent mind, looking around the rest of the tavern. "First things first, let's see if our friends are still around. Else we might be stopping by the keep before we go to sleep."
If he doesn't spot the hunters from earlier, he looks for either Eliza or Isaac and approaches them.
"Heeeey, my favorite innkeeper on the Sword Coast. Have a question for you. Those hunter's from earlier still around, or did they split? Wanted to follow up with them on something."
Crannoc does indeed look relaxed and at peace with himself, as if he has just had a nice meal and drinks with friends, and yet troubled at the same time.
He too approaches Eliza or Isaac as Gawain does, adding on after the paladin: "In addition, I recall pack leader Nighthill told us he may leave a message for us tonight, though not necessarily." (post 506). "I wanted to check whether he has." Either way, he turns back to his companions.
"I feel I should let Nighthill and Escobert know about something. What do you think? I have just spent the afternoon conversing with small beasts and birds in the woodlands surrounding Greenest, roughly near the area in which we spotted the multitude of humanoid tracks off the road. The animals report large numbers of armed humans and four-legged beasts traveling southward off the roads very close to this city consistently over at least the last month. All of them taking care to avoid the city itself. It sounds as if there is some camp to the south of here, possibly with tunnels dug underneath by foul-scented scaled and clawed creatures. I do not know why armed humanoids would behave so if their intentions were good, do you? And yet, they do not sound like bandits to me. I would like to bring this matter up to Nighthill and Escobert, but perhaps I am being overly suspicious after the hunters' lies earlier today. As always, city-dweller ways are strange to me, so I wanted to ask your opinions. What do you all think?"
Hildr excitedly approaches Gawain as soon as she sees him. "I've been thinking," she says, her breath still reeking of alcohol, "why don't we drop a barrel of oil into that pit and set it alight? We can retreat to the adjacent room—or above ground, if need be—to escape the smoke. If the vampire bride ascends and assaults us, we hit her with holy water—they don't like that stuff, do they?—and strike all at once. Strike over and over. It seems like it would be our best chance."
Hildr actually has little confidence in her plan, or herself, and isn't looking forward to returning to the bandit hideout, but feels she needs to contribute something.
That's why she is relieved to learn of a gathering army!
The barbarian's thoughts are consumed with visions of glory: In one fantasy, Hildr returns from the far north with an Illuskan army in tow to lift the siege of Greenest. In another, she descends from the clouds into the fray of battle riding the golden dragon known as Mercuriel. And so forth. In each case, Hildr is showered with praise for saving the Greenfields, and her renown spreads far and wide.
That will show them, Hildr reflects, forgetting for a few moments that she is a wanted woman.
Eliza is waiting at the bar, giving a friendly smile as the two of you approach. "The hunters from earlier?...Ah yes. They left shortly after you all did. Haven't seen 'em since"In response to Crannoc'squestion, she holds up a finger and disappears under the bartop, coming back up with a folded piece of parchment. "Yes indeed, he left this for you."
Opening the letter, you find a short message: "Preparations are set. You'll have enough Holy Water to drown a host of undead, a cleric of Chauntea, and a few good men to seal the entrance. Be at the keep just before dawn, I'll be there to meet you."
Crannoc observes his companions reactions to his (well, the woodland animals') findings about the hidden migration of armed men through the nearby wilderness, apparently to some camp to the south. He finds himself truly befuddled by Hildr's apparent barely contained... enthusiasm for it?
As he reads Nighthill's letter and shows the others, he muses aloud, "Do you think the matter of the secretive, mustering army and camp to the south is important enough to rouse pack leaders Nighthill and Escobert tonight, or should I bring it up when we are asked to meet him (before dawn)?"
Irisrubs her temples, processing all of the information they just received. "Too many problems at once." She grumbles, screwing her eyes shut for a moment. "That's definitely a problem Crannoc. I wouldn't be surprised if those hunters were scouts of some kind...And now they know we're suspicious of them."
"Whatever plans they have are probably accelerated. Did you find out how far this army was?"
"We'll see if it comes to that Hildr...Hopefully we can just seal the damn thing away while its sleeping. If it isn't, I guess we're dropping barrels of oil on it."
"Thanks Eliza," Gawain says with a smile that quickly fades when he turns around. He listens to Crannoc read the letter, briefly happy to hear that the governor was able to gather what they asked for. HIs heart sinks however, as the half-elf tells them of his discoveries.
"This is turning into a cluster. I think we just tell them in the morning, we'll be up early enough anyway."
Planning to inform the governor and castellan of your new discovery in the morning, the five of you quickly eat your meals and retire to bed. You're aware that whichever issue you end up tackling, you're going to have a long day ahead of you.
(Remove the Temporary HP increase from the Blessing of the Sister Springs. Also level your characters up to 2).
You awake while it is still very dark outside. The innkeepers are themselves both asleep, and the common room quiet and unlit as you gather before leaving. The air is cool and the streets of Greenest empty.
To the rest of you, the starry night sky seems peaceful and serene...But to Iris, she feels her heart skip as she glances upward. That cursed red star which haunts her dreams hangs high in the sky, almost directly overhead. To her, it seems to pulse to the same rhythm of the discordant song that fills her nightmares.
You arrive at the keep's gate to find a small group gathered: Your new "friends", Dorra, Artur, Pete, and Rhuda. A halfling woman dressed in religious cloth, and a trio of men from the town, attaching horses to a pair of covered wagons. Governor Nighthill and Escobert stop their conversation as they see you, waving you over.
"Excellent timing, everyone is nearly ready to go. There's a small sack of healing potions in one of the wagons (you'll find 8 healing potions total in it), and some supplies for our masons to seal that tower. And this here," he says, gesturing towards the halfling. "Is Fira, she runs the temple to Chauntea here in town. She tells me she has the power to turn undead creatures, which is I believe what you were looking for?"
"You'll also find holy water (6 flasks) and oil (6 flasks)."
"I think that about covers it. Are you ready for this?"
Having spent the day in the woodlands speaking with animals, Crannoc wakes feeling refreshed, and with a stronger connection to Silvanus' than ever. He smiles. Ironically, he feels the strength of divine power within himself now to attempt to turn the undead horror in a way he hadn't before. He also senses a new ability to protect innocent victims from attack when absolutely needed (Sanctuary). Counterbalancing these gains is the sense that whatever vital, strength Sister Springs had lent him has finally ebbed away, though he still remembers the great gold dragon Mercuriel and wonders...
He smiles to his companions and acknowledges the ex-bandits. They did not run away... whether inspired by Gawain and Gallant or afraid of Hildr. Remembering his respect towards other deities, he inclines his head in deeply towards the cleric of Chauntea and nods to the three other men.
Taking a Potion of Healing, flask of holy water and flask of oil, he steps forward and addresses everyone, but governor Nighthill and Escobert in particular. It does not occur to Crannoc that the information he is about to divulge might be sensitive in nature and better spoken of in private to the two leaders rather than broadcast to the entire group as he is about to do.
"For those who do not know me, I am Crannoc Greenthorn of the Misty Forest, and more recently of the Silver Veil, worshipper of Silvanus' whose wild grace surrounds us. In fact, I discovered something yesterday when out in the nearby woodlands conversing with a multitude of animals there during the afternoon. It troubles me and since I believe our quest is to protect Greenest and the surrounding lands..."
Crannoc then proceeds to inform everyone present about the off-path tracks he had seen in the wilderness in the morning, and what he later heard from the animals as he had told his own companions the previous night at the Dragon's Roost (post 547).
"I do not know the ways of bandits," he continues, "but this seems to be more of an... army? Mustering in secret over at least the last month, avoiding the roads, setting up camp to the south of here, with strange, foul-scented scaly things digging tunnels underground nearby. I do not know if they intend to harm Greenest, but if their intentions were good, they might not hide their actions and movements so consistently."
"Moreover, there were three hunters at the Dragon's Roost yesterday who were almost certainly lying to us about their actions and intentions when we engaged with them, for what reason I cannot say. Perhaps they were scouts for this army? In any case, if any of you know anything of these outsiders or have encountered them outside Greenest in recent months, now is the time to speak up." He looks at everyone, including the ex-bandits.
Irisshudders, casting her eyes downward after spotting that sickly red radiance among the other stars. Was this some ill omen? As the blessing of waters fades away, she feels a heavy weight inside of her. What she wouldn't give for another blissful night of sleep in that clearing. Trying to keep her eyes down at the ground, she follows the others to the keep in silence.
Once they arrive, she'll take two of the healing potions and two of the flasks of holy water, in addition to the one she remembered to pack this time.
"Those "hunters" from yesterday are also likely aware of our suspicions. If they've rejoined this larger group...Well they might get spooked and do whatever it is they're planning early."
Both the castellan and the governor become stoic and silent as Crannocexplains his findings. The masons and cleric go wide-eyed, but quickly busy themselves with continuing to prepare the wagons. After a few long moments, Escobertfinally breaks the silence. "Nine sodding hells." He swears, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Bandits, vampire, and now an entire army at our doorstep!? Have we been cursed?"
Nighthill raises his brow, nodding his agreement. "I'm beginning to think so." He says slowly. Repeating Crannoc'squestion, he turns towards the bandits your group has "rehabilitated," "know anything about it?" To which Dorra hastily throws up her hands. "Nuh-uh. Not us. We stick to our beats in the north Greenfields, whatever is goin on down in the south we don't know about."
"Yes you're probably right Iris...I just don't understand who would try to wage a war against us? Or is this just a staging ground for a larger target, Berdusk perhaps?"
He wipes his hand down his face, letting out a sigh. "We now have two large problems that require immediate attention. This damned vampire, and finding out more about this army."
"Do you have any scouts you could send south while we go take care of the keep?"Gawain asks. A part of him considered sending the masons, cleric, and Dorra's group to handle the vampire...But he wasn't quite sure they could trust them with such a task just yet. They couldn't be everywhere at once, so it would have to be one thing at a time. "Or we could ignore that for now and head south ourselves."
"If it's any consolation, that undead thing should be confined to an area around the tower."
Having said passed on his information, Crannoc listens to the back and forth, trying and failing to put it all together. Is there some pattern here? Some lingering but hidden threat to Greenest and to the natural world all around? He tries to think about it from a city-dweller perspective.
"What would an army gain by attacking Greenest? Is controlling this territory very valuable in terms of resources or... tactics?" The word sounds unfamiliar in his mouth. "Are they thieves instead, seeking treasure and golden coins? Or... slavers?" Another unfamiliar word.
"I am unsure what we can do against so many armed men, so perhaps the tower and the vampiric horror is our best hunt for now."
Gallant looks and nods, “We are heroes not generals, our place is to slay beast and help on people with the really big stuff. As far as war I personally have no interest. I believer have everything we to weave a great end to the epic of this undead beast. Let us leave will we still have time.” Now looking at the town leaders, “Truly thank you for your kindness, and we hope to bring you honor and glory!” Gallant then grabs what others do not grab since he is the quickest on his feet he can be in charge of holding things. And then walk to the door and opens it smelling the fresh air which calms his nerves.
The governor looks to his dwarvish companion, "Escobert?"
"Aye. I have a few lads I can send south to check out this so called army."
Nighthill crosses his arms, brow furrowed as he contemplates. "Proceed as planned then for now. But waste no time and return with haste. If they decide to move against Greenest, we'll need all the help we can get."
"We wish you good luck, and a speedy return."
After about another five minutes, the others finish preparing the wagons and you set off on the same road you left town previously. You make it about 3 miles out of town before the sun finally begins to rise, cresting the horizon and bathing the landscape in an orange glow.
((Over the course of this travel day, is anyone doing anything in particular?))
Hildr leaves it to the others to carry the flasks of oil and holy water, but she does take one potion of healing. She doesn't expect to be in a position to imbibe it, standing as she always does on the front line.
On the front line—like it or not. And the prospect of facing this undead opponent again she does not like. Nevertheless, the sword she has been lent is an honor and a source of courage. Her resolve is strengthened by it. Hildr must prove herself worthy of it.
Given the perils Crannoc has uncovered, not to mention the missing bandits, Hildr suggests to her companions that they travel at a slow pace. If they agree, she moves as stealthily as possible several hundred feet ahead of the main group.
Hildr is trapped at the bottom of a pit—the pit!—ankle deep in splintered wood. Looking up, she can see her companions far above, gathered around the rim of the pit. They look concerned, particularly Gawain.
Behind Hildr is a tunnel that ends in blackness. That is where she sees the eyes, the glowing eyes. Hildr reaches for her sword, but finds nothing—not even her scabbard. She reaches for one, then the other, of her handaxes, but her hands grab thin air. She does not even have her javelins. Nor, come to think of it, my shield. I am defenseless! Well, she has her fists.
The glowing eyes grow larger and brighter until, emerging out of the darkness, a familiar form approaches. "Father!" Hildr exclaims. "I thought you were...a monster: the vampiric bride."
"You thought I was dead," the apparition corrects her. Hildr's father—or the revenant of her father?—is indeed soaked in blood. The side of his head is bashed in. Guts hang from his waste. He has been pummeled and eviscerated. He reeks of blood and seawater.
"But father, you drowned..."
Her father smiles, revealing long, angular canine teeth. Hildr had thought as much!
"That's what they told you, didn't they? The traitors! Now come, girl."
"No..."
"Come to me. You will never be a jomsviking. You are better off dead."
"No!"
"A woman cannot be a jomsviking. I mean, look at your hands."
Hildr unclenches her fists. Her hands are small and frail, like her mother's. Mother, who was right about everything.
"You never believed in me!" Suddenly, in her hands she finds a sword: a single-sided curved longsword, polished and sharpened. "And I don't believe in you!"
As Hildr prepares to step forward and engage her paternal nemesis, she hears a friendly voice beckoning. It doesn't come from above, but from all around her. "Let's get you goin' buddy," it says.
She awakens from her nightmare. Gawain and Crannoc and some unseen force are jostling her, helping her to come to her senses and stand up. She's up on her feet.
"Get me some water, and then get me to bed," she commands, without the least bit of gratitude. "My head hurts. I'll be fine in a couple of hours."
[Constitution saving throw: 7 + 4 from guidance = 11] When the party returns in the eve, Hildr's still groggy, not up for her usual calisthenics.
With the sun setting, your party reconvenes in the Dragon's Roost. Is there anything else you wish to do before resting for the night?
Ooc: I think we should roll out a plan so we can leave first thing in the morning since it is so far away and I don’t want to be caught at night again when we are there.
"Nice to see you all again, hope the day was fruitful or relaxing," Gawain says with an absent mind, looking around the rest of the tavern. "First things first, let's see if our friends are still around. Else we might be stopping by the keep before we go to sleep."
If he doesn't spot the hunters from earlier, he looks for either Eliza or Isaac and approaches them.
"Heeeey, my favorite innkeeper on the Sword Coast. Have a question for you. Those hunter's from earlier still around, or did they split? Wanted to follow up with them on something."
Crannoc does indeed look relaxed and at peace with himself, as if he has just had a nice meal and drinks with friends, and yet troubled at the same time.
He too approaches Eliza or Isaac as Gawain does, adding on after the paladin: "In addition, I recall pack leader Nighthill told us he may leave a message for us tonight, though not necessarily." (post 506). "I wanted to check whether he has." Either way, he turns back to his companions.
"I feel I should let Nighthill and Escobert know about something. What do you think? I have just spent the afternoon conversing with small beasts and birds in the woodlands surrounding Greenest, roughly near the area in which we spotted the multitude of humanoid tracks off the road. The animals report large numbers of armed humans and four-legged beasts traveling southward off the roads very close to this city consistently over at least the last month. All of them taking care to avoid the city itself. It sounds as if there is some camp to the south of here, possibly with tunnels dug underneath by foul-scented scaled and clawed creatures. I do not know why armed humanoids would behave so if their intentions were good, do you? And yet, they do not sound like bandits to me. I would like to bring this matter up to Nighthill and Escobert, but perhaps I am being overly suspicious after the hunters' lies earlier today. As always, city-dweller ways are strange to me, so I wanted to ask your opinions. What do you all think?"
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
Hildr excitedly approaches Gawain as soon as she sees him. "I've been thinking," she says, her breath still reeking of alcohol, "why don't we drop a barrel of oil into that pit and set it alight? We can retreat to the adjacent room—or above ground, if need be—to escape the smoke. If the vampire bride ascends and assaults us, we hit her with holy water—they don't like that stuff, do they?—and strike all at once. Strike over and over. It seems like it would be our best chance."
Hildr actually has little confidence in her plan, or herself, and isn't looking forward to returning to the bandit hideout, but feels she needs to contribute something.
That's why she is relieved to learn of a gathering army!
The barbarian's thoughts are consumed with visions of glory: In one fantasy, Hildr returns from the far north with an Illuskan army in tow to lift the siege of Greenest. In another, she descends from the clouds into the fray of battle riding the golden dragon known as Mercuriel. And so forth. In each case, Hildr is showered with praise for saving the Greenfields, and her renown spreads far and wide.
That will show them, Hildr reflects, forgetting for a few moments that she is a wanted woman.
Eliza is waiting at the bar, giving a friendly smile as the two of you approach. "The hunters from earlier?...Ah yes. They left shortly after you all did. Haven't seen 'em since" In response to Crannoc's question, she holds up a finger and disappears under the bartop, coming back up with a folded piece of parchment. "Yes indeed, he left this for you."
Opening the letter, you find a short message: "Preparations are set. You'll have enough Holy Water to drown a host of undead, a cleric of Chauntea, and a few good men to seal the entrance. Be at the keep just before dawn, I'll be there to meet you."
Crannoc observes his companions reactions to his (well, the woodland animals') findings about the hidden migration of armed men through the nearby wilderness, apparently to some camp to the south. He finds himself truly befuddled by Hildr's apparent barely contained... enthusiasm for it?
As he reads Nighthill's letter and shows the others, he muses aloud, "Do you think the matter of the secretive, mustering army and camp to the south is important enough to rouse pack leaders Nighthill and Escobert tonight, or should I bring it up when we are asked to meet him (before dawn)?"
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
Iris rubs her temples, processing all of the information they just received. "Too many problems at once." She grumbles, screwing her eyes shut for a moment. "That's definitely a problem Crannoc. I wouldn't be surprised if those hunters were scouts of some kind...And now they know we're suspicious of them."
"Whatever plans they have are probably accelerated. Did you find out how far this army was?"
"We'll see if it comes to that Hildr...Hopefully we can just seal the damn thing away while its sleeping. If it isn't, I guess we're dropping barrels of oil on it."
"Thanks Eliza," Gawain says with a smile that quickly fades when he turns around. He listens to Crannoc read the letter, briefly happy to hear that the governor was able to gather what they asked for. HIs heart sinks however, as the half-elf tells them of his discoveries.
"This is turning into a cluster. I think we just tell them in the morning, we'll be up early enough anyway."
"The morning is fine with me." Iris agrees. "We'll see what Governor Nighthill has to say then."
Planning to inform the governor and castellan of your new discovery in the morning, the five of you quickly eat your meals and retire to bed. You're aware that whichever issue you end up tackling, you're going to have a long day ahead of you.
(Remove the Temporary HP increase from the Blessing of the Sister Springs. Also level your characters up to 2).
You awake while it is still very dark outside. The innkeepers are themselves both asleep, and the common room quiet and unlit as you gather before leaving. The air is cool and the streets of Greenest empty.
To the rest of you, the starry night sky seems peaceful and serene...But to Iris, she feels her heart skip as she glances upward. That cursed red star which haunts her dreams hangs high in the sky, almost directly overhead. To her, it seems to pulse to the same rhythm of the discordant song that fills her nightmares.
You arrive at the keep's gate to find a small group gathered: Your new "friends", Dorra, Artur, Pete, and Rhuda. A halfling woman dressed in religious cloth, and a trio of men from the town, attaching horses to a pair of covered wagons. Governor Nighthill and Escobert stop their conversation as they see you, waving you over.
"Excellent timing, everyone is nearly ready to go. There's a small sack of healing potions in one of the wagons (you'll find 8 healing potions total in it), and some supplies for our masons to seal that tower. And this here," he says, gesturing towards the halfling. "Is Fira, she runs the temple to Chauntea here in town. She tells me she has the power to turn undead creatures, which is I believe what you were looking for?"
"You'll also find holy water (6 flasks) and oil (6 flasks)."
"I think that about covers it. Are you ready for this?"
Having spent the day in the woodlands speaking with animals, Crannoc wakes feeling refreshed, and with a stronger connection to Silvanus' than ever. He smiles. Ironically, he feels the strength of divine power within himself now to attempt to turn the undead horror in a way he hadn't before. He also senses a new ability to protect innocent victims from attack when absolutely needed (Sanctuary). Counterbalancing these gains is the sense that whatever vital, strength Sister Springs had lent him has finally ebbed away, though he still remembers the great gold dragon Mercuriel and wonders...
He smiles to his companions and acknowledges the ex-bandits. They did not run away... whether inspired by Gawain and Gallant or afraid of Hildr. Remembering his respect towards other deities, he inclines his head in deeply towards the cleric of Chauntea and nods to the three other men.
Taking a Potion of Healing, flask of holy water and flask of oil, he steps forward and addresses everyone, but governor Nighthill and Escobert in particular. It does not occur to Crannoc that the information he is about to divulge might be sensitive in nature and better spoken of in private to the two leaders rather than broadcast to the entire group as he is about to do.
"For those who do not know me, I am Crannoc Greenthorn of the Misty Forest, and more recently of the Silver Veil, worshipper of Silvanus' whose wild grace surrounds us. In fact, I discovered something yesterday when out in the nearby woodlands conversing with a multitude of animals there during the afternoon. It troubles me and since I believe our quest is to protect Greenest and the surrounding lands..."
Crannoc then proceeds to inform everyone present about the off-path tracks he had seen in the wilderness in the morning, and what he later heard from the animals as he had told his own companions the previous night at the Dragon's Roost (post 547).
"I do not know the ways of bandits," he continues, "but this seems to be more of an... army? Mustering in secret over at least the last month, avoiding the roads, setting up camp to the south of here, with strange, foul-scented scaly things digging tunnels underground nearby. I do not know if they intend to harm Greenest, but if their intentions were good, they might not hide their actions and movements so consistently."
"Moreover, there were three hunters at the Dragon's Roost yesterday who were almost certainly lying to us about their actions and intentions when we engaged with them, for what reason I cannot say. Perhaps they were scouts for this army? In any case, if any of you know anything of these outsiders or have encountered them outside Greenest in recent months, now is the time to speak up." He looks at everyone, including the ex-bandits.
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
Iris shudders, casting her eyes downward after spotting that sickly red radiance among the other stars. Was this some ill omen? As the blessing of waters fades away, she feels a heavy weight inside of her. What she wouldn't give for another blissful night of sleep in that clearing. Trying to keep her eyes down at the ground, she follows the others to the keep in silence.
Once they arrive, she'll take two of the healing potions and two of the flasks of holy water, in addition to the one she remembered to pack this time.
"Those "hunters" from yesterday are also likely aware of our suspicions. If they've rejoined this larger group...Well they might get spooked and do whatever it is they're planning early."
Both the castellan and the governor become stoic and silent as Crannoc explains his findings. The masons and cleric go wide-eyed, but quickly busy themselves with continuing to prepare the wagons. After a few long moments, Escobert finally breaks the silence. "Nine sodding hells." He swears, throwing his arms up in frustration. "Bandits, vampire, and now an entire army at our doorstep!? Have we been cursed?"
Nighthill raises his brow, nodding his agreement. "I'm beginning to think so." He says slowly. Repeating Crannoc's question, he turns towards the bandits your group has "rehabilitated," "know anything about it?" To which Dorra hastily throws up her hands. "Nuh-uh. Not us. We stick to our beats in the north Greenfields, whatever is goin on down in the south we don't know about."
"Yes you're probably right Iris...I just don't understand who would try to wage a war against us? Or is this just a staging ground for a larger target, Berdusk perhaps?"
He wipes his hand down his face, letting out a sigh. "We now have two large problems that require immediate attention. This damned vampire, and finding out more about this army."
"Do you have any scouts you could send south while we go take care of the keep?" Gawain asks. A part of him considered sending the masons, cleric, and Dorra's group to handle the vampire...But he wasn't quite sure they could trust them with such a task just yet. They couldn't be everywhere at once, so it would have to be one thing at a time. "Or we could ignore that for now and head south ourselves."
"If it's any consolation, that undead thing should be confined to an area around the tower."
Having said passed on his information, Crannoc listens to the back and forth, trying and failing to put it all together. Is there some pattern here? Some lingering but hidden threat to Greenest and to the natural world all around? He tries to think about it from a city-dweller perspective.
"What would an army gain by attacking Greenest? Is controlling this territory very valuable in terms of resources or... tactics?" The word sounds unfamiliar in his mouth. "Are they thieves instead, seeking treasure and golden coins? Or... slavers?" Another unfamiliar word.
"I am unsure what we can do against so many armed men, so perhaps the tower and the vampiric horror is our best hunt for now."
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
Gallant looks and nods, “We are heroes not generals, our place is to slay beast and help on people with the really big stuff. As far as war I personally have no interest. I believer have everything we to weave a great end to the epic of this undead beast. Let us leave will we still have time.” Now looking at the town leaders, “Truly thank you for your kindness, and we hope to bring you honor and glory!” Gallant then grabs what others do not grab since he is the quickest on his feet he can be in charge of holding things. And then walk to the door and opens it smelling the fresh air which calms his nerves.
The governor looks to his dwarvish companion, "Escobert?"
"Aye. I have a few lads I can send south to check out this so called army."
Nighthill crosses his arms, brow furrowed as he contemplates. "Proceed as planned then for now. But waste no time and return with haste. If they decide to move against Greenest, we'll need all the help we can get."
"We wish you good luck, and a speedy return."
After about another five minutes, the others finish preparing the wagons and you set off on the same road you left town previously. You make it about 3 miles out of town before the sun finally begins to rise, cresting the horizon and bathing the landscape in an orange glow.
((Over the course of this travel day, is anyone doing anything in particular?))
Hildr leaves it to the others to carry the flasks of oil and holy water, but she does take one potion of healing. She doesn't expect to be in a position to imbibe it, standing as she always does on the front line.
On the front line—like it or not. And the prospect of facing this undead opponent again she does not like. Nevertheless, the sword she has been lent is an honor and a source of courage. Her resolve is strengthened by it. Hildr must prove herself worthy of it.
Given the perils Crannoc has uncovered, not to mention the missing bandits, Hildr suggests to her companions that they travel at a slow pace. If they agree, she moves as stealthily as possible several hundred feet ahead of the main group.
Dexterity (Stealth) check: 15
She also searches for tracks and other signs of enemy movement or presence, ideally supporting Crannoc in this effort.
Help action to give Crannoc advantage on Wisdom (Survival) or (Perception) checks.