Balen was unconcerned with the bleeding from the bite. He was tired. Just so tired of this. He didn't care if it all ended. Maybe he would end up dying here, cold on the dungeon floor like Faen did. **** it. At least he tried.
OBJECT INTERACTION + ACTION
The warmth of the magic from Ichep's Healing Word let his cluttered thoughts subside for a bit. 'Ya did good,' Balen thought in approval of the tiefling and smirked, finally able to catch his breathe as the bleeding subsided. With a quick head nod, "Thank you," and still not letting go of the spined fiend, he took the [object]silversword[/item] from Ichep's toss and stabbed the creature underneath him. Then with his other hand, he made another swift move with his dagger at the fiend.
When it was done he caught sight of the new arrival, "Welcome to the party."
The mere appearance of reinforcement changed the tide of battle.
Ichep's healing word rejuvenated the changeling, but the cleric's attack missed. The key was the sword ... the silver it bore was something that the devil obviously feared. So the cleric tossed the blade toward the rogue, end-over-end it traveled.
Meanwhile ... over by the swarm ... Yaudara and Toadstool combined their might and eliminated the threat. It was the druid's quick thinking - using vermin to dispatch the vermin - that won the day. The spider horde was not resistant to the innumerable chewing and grinding mouthparts of the wasps that hunted them now.
The swarm dispersed.
Over by the devil ... the rogue caught the gleaming sword and buried it in the devil's midsection, eliciting a howl of pain! With teeth bared ... the devil returned the favor in kind and bit Balen again!
Init - Round 3 Summary 14 - [09(6thp)/09hp] Ichep. Move. Healing Word on Balen (+4hp), Attack devil, a miss. 13 - [09/12hp] Yaudara. Attack swarm, a hit! (4hp due to resistance) 08 - [08/08hp] Rinn. Move. Fire Bolt vs Swarm, a miss. 06 - [00/22hp] Spider Swarm. Attack Yaudara, a miss. Dead. 04 - [07/10hp] Toadstool. Infestation vs swarm ->Swarm fails the CON save! (5hp poison damage ... the swarm is no more!) 04 - [05/05hp] Tressym Familiar. Dodge. 03 - [01/07hp] Balen. Take short sword, attack devil, a hit! (8hp w/ sneak attack. Resistance did not apply). Off-hand; dagger vs devil, a miss. 03 - [10/22hp] Ordrax. Bite Balen, a hit! (6hp). grappled
Shaking the wasps and spiders from his sandal, Yaudara nodded at Toadstool. "Well done, and at the same time, disgusting. My thanks."
Then he turned, leveled his spear and glowered at the hellspawn. "And now, begone, foul creature!" With that, he raced across the room and buried the yklwa's point in the devil's side.
OOC - Arcana roll of 6 + 5 = 11 to see if Rinn knows that imps are immune to fire.
Rinn curses his poor aim of his Fire Bolt, but is glad to see these adventurers be able to at least take care of the spiders on their own. The sight of the dead body of Faen, however, tells him that that partial victory came with great cost.
His Tressym, Rachael, continues to stay at the ready to Dodge, while he prepares to go after the imp, hoping he can hope take it down and aid these adventurers.
Rinn rushes forward 15 ft (1 N and 1 E of Yaudara), and attempts to attack the imp.
With roll of 16 If the arcana roll succeeded: Rinn throws his dagger at the imp, knowing that his fire magic won't have any affect on the beast. 16 + 4 = 20 to hit. 1+2 = 3 dmg. If the arcana roll failed: Rinn casts Flame Bolt again to try to hit the imp with it. 16 + 5 = 21 to hit, 4 dmg (though, he is immune to it, so it doesn't matter).
„You will die. We got this. Retreat“, Ichep warned Balen calmly but firmly, unsure if he noticed the severity of his wounds in the heat of battle.
MOVEMENT - Diagonally down (right)
As Ichep starting his incantation he heard Yaudara charging heroically across the room at the fiend and the tiefling hurried in a panic to get out of the way.
ACTION
„Anubis, cease this life“, he spat towards the devil as he casted Chill Touch and a spectral hand dug its finger in the devil ripping at his soul. Hit (Disadvantage: (9,17)+5 = 14, DMG: 2
Rinn recognized the devil immediately as a spined devil. Like all devils, fire was useless against them ... and weapons would have a hard time damaging such an unnatural creature unless they were imbued with magic or silvered.
As it happened ... that is exactly what the party brought to bear.
Although it was already grappled, Ichep's spectral hand grabbed the small creature by the throat ... the necrotic energy wounding it.
Then Yaudara's and Rinn's non-magical weapons were brought to bear. They struck, but the devil's resistance did much to blunt the possible damage.
But when the druid brought his shillelagh down upon the devil's skull ... there was no avoiding the damage. The magical charm meant that the simple length of wood was indeed, a magiacl weapon, and the full power of the strike was delivered straight to the devil's — now crushed — cranium.
The telepathic laughter and mental sneers that had become a constant undercurrent in the room ceased immediately.
Ordrax was dead.
OOC — We are no longer tracking things round-by-round, gang.
Yaudara stares at the crumpled devil, then looks at the druid. "I am well, thanks. Perhaps others are in need of aid."
He turns and walks over to Faen's body, nodding briefly at the newcomer as he walks. "Thank you for your aid, stranger. I am Yaudara, of the Order of the Golden Lion, servant of Torm the True."
Yaudara kneels next to Faen, sets down his yklwa, closes his eyes and places a palm on the fey's chest. He mutters a prayer for several seconds, inaudible to the group, then rises, taking up his spear. "When we leave this place, we should take his body with us. He deserves a proper burial."
Toadstool mutters in a sad voice realizing that one of his impromptu compatriots are down for good.
"Proper burial, yes, we need to return him to nature"
Toadstool puts away his shield and staff and gently picks up Faens body in both of his massive tree trunk like arms. As he does that he starts to mimic blackbird whistling once again.
Rachael looks around a bit nervously, eyeing each of these new adventurers while Rinn goes over to Ordrax's lifeless form to pick up his dagger. As he pulls he blade out of the corpse, he says, "My name is Eradin Siannodel, Journeyman of the Arcane Syndicate; you may call me Rinn. This anxious little girl is my familiar, Rachael." He nods towards the black tressym that is wandering her way into the room with great hesitation.
His voice shifts to being more sombre as he sees the party morning their dead friend, "I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, and that I couldn't get here before they perished to lend my aid. The death of a friend is never easy."
Rinn is a medium-height high elf with a skin that's pale white and his hair, a silvery blonde. He has a youthfulness to him, though as with many elves, his green-and-gold eyes hint at an age-earned wisdom. He has the clothes of an explorer, with tall black boots, dark trousers and vest, a white shirt, and dark blue cloak.
"Baron Stormshield of Stormshield Hall tasked myself and two of his guards to investigate this sink hole," explains the elf as he cleans his dagger's blade, "the Baron wanted to ensure that everything was fine down here. However, from this scene and the carnage in the rooms before, it seems like you may be in need of aid. I must warn you that I am no sword master, unlike the cowardly guards in the hallway, but I can offer you a helping hand of one who's adept at manipulating the Weave."
Balen begrudgingly let go of the devil when Ichep said to retreat. He was glad to see it was dead as he leaned against the wall and clutched the bite wound that was now bleeding profusely. In the heat of the battle, he actually hadn't realized it was so bad. At least the incessant telepathic laughter was gone and his head was quiet (well as quiet as it can be). The orc's snarling change in demeanor sent a chill up his spine (though immediately after he seemed to have calm down enough). But Balen didn't have much time to think as he stumbled his way away towards the southern corner of the room.
He wanted to play a joke on the newcomer and say he was like... he didn't know... uh the ghost or something of the dead fish cultist? The rest of the conservation in the room went like 'yada, yada, yada' to him because honestly now the wounds were actually killing him. He managed to only go a few paces before he reverted back into his original changeling form and mumbled, "I want to take a nap... forever," and then (slightly playfully/dramatically) collapsed down on the cold, stone dungeon floor. "Ow." The stone was harder than he thought.
Rinn kneels down and says, "I think you may need a rest, friend. And probably some healing.You're bleeding very profusely, and I don't think you'll be conscious much longer." As Balen is down on the ground, Rachael is sniffing at him a bit, giving him a comforting head nudge to try to help how little she can.
The wizard starts to try to help Balen up to his feet, though strength was never his strong suit, thus making his aid less-than-ideal though adequate enough for the task.
He looks at the others as they're both now standing again, and Rinn says, "I think it may be a good idea for everyone to get some rest...though, do you know if there's anything else down here that would threaten the town?"
‚Yes, the name was Faen’, Ichep remembered. „I can attend to his burial once we are at safety. Better someone he knew briefly than a complete stranger.“ Faen had called them friends and to Ichep, the dying man‘s words were like an oath.
Ichep hurried immediately to Balen who had somewhat collapsed on the floor. The dead unlike the living were patient and could wait. „Are you okay? Are you seeing clear? How many fingers am I holding up?“ Ichep began checking Balen‘s wound without a care in the world if he approved such a thing. „Baron whoever took his sweet time. Much death has been avoided at our hand. A lucky coincidence. Pleased to have your assistance though.“ Ichep said without any passion he was busy concentrating to tending to Balen‘s wound and stopping the bleeding so they wouldn’t lose him on the spot. The elf‘s name flew over his head, something long and fancy as all elven names, he would have to ask later for it again.
Toadstool with Faen in his arms thinks to himself and says "Let's get some rest, yes, rest.. I saw a nice oak tree with nice shade near the sinkhole. We can sit down there. I might have some mushy berries left"
The heroes discussed their options, and they all more or less led toward seeking a safe place to rest for the evening.
They spent a few moments gathering up their hard fought booty and ascended out of the sinkhole. The pair of militiamen assisted where they could, and helped carry the remains of their fallen comrade.
The small group of adventurers emerged from the depths of the sinkhole, their weary forms becoming illuminated from above by the soft glow of lantern light. The air was crisp with the scent of earth as they ascended to the surface.
Awaiting their return was a vigilant night watch, posted by the Baron himself with strict instructions to remain alert and to rouse him at any hour should the adventurers emerge.
As the adventurers climbed out of the sinkhole, the watch approached, their expressions a mix of relief and curiosity.
"Thank the gods you've returned safely," one of the guards exclaimed, stepping forward to greet them. "We were beginning to fear the worst."
The other guard nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning the weary faces of the adventurers and the returned militiamen. "What did you find down there? Is the town in danger?"
The militiamen that had accompanied the heroes shared a concerned glance with one another before responding. "It's too early to say for certain," one of them replied. "But we must speak with Baron Stormshield immediately. There is more to this sinkhole than meets the eye."
...
The adventurers were escorted through the dimly lit streets of Havenford to Stormshield Hall, the imposing residence of Baron Stormshield. The bobbing lanterns cast dancing shadows on the stone walls as they made their way to the grand entrance.
Inside, they were greeted by the Baron himself, a stern yet welcoming figure standing tall in the foyer. "Welcome, brave adventurers," he said with a gracious smile. "I'm glad to see you safe and sound. Please, make yourselves at home."
The Baron's servants bustled about, attending to the needs of their unexpected guests, offering food and drink to replenish their strength. The adventurers accepted the hospitality, sinking wearily into the plush furnishings of the great hall.
As they enjoyed a much-needed respite, Baron Stormshield approached, his voice filled with sincerity. "I want to thank you for your bravery in investigating the sinkhole," he said, his gaze sweeping over the weary faces of the adventurers. "You have my utmost gratitude."
He gestured towards the winding staircase that led to the guest chambers. "Rest well tonight," he continued, his tone warm and reassuring. "I would like to discuss the details of your findings in the morning. Until then, know that Havenford stands behind you, and I am here to assist you in any way that I can."
With a final nod of encouragement, Baron Stormshield took his leave, leaving the adventurers to find respite in the comfort of Stormshield Hall. As they settled into their rooms for the night, the promise of a new day filled with opportunity and intrigue awaited them.
— Chapter End —
As dawn broke, the adventurers gathered in the grand dining hall of Stormshield Hall. Baron Stormshield welcomed them warmly, seated at the head of the table. Servants offered a lavish breakfast as they engaged in polite conversation.
The Baron's features were chiseled and handsome, framed by a neatly trimmed beard. Clad in fine attire bearing his house's emblem, he wore a ceremonial sword upon his hip with pride. His eyes, sharp and keen, held a hint of steel beneath their warm exterior.
Once breakfast was over, Baron Stormshield turned to the matter at hand. "Let us discuss what you discovered in the sinkhole." He said, eager for their findings.
Ichep was in the highest spirits. After making sure Faen's remains would be tended to in an appropriate manner for the time being, he found himself as the guest of an important man. He enjoyed nothing more than comforts and comforts he had enjoyed in this rather luxurious stay. Servants to attend him, pillows so soft they felt like clouds, a warm meal, refreshing bath and clothes newly washed made him feel like heaven. He wished he didn't have to leave but surely this would stay a once in a... well maybe lifetime event. Baron 'Soandso' was unlikely to offer them residence, someone of his kind even more unlikely. Icheps mind was still not fully made up about what had happened, these people he met and he expected these thoughts about these things would accompany him throughout this day that ought to be as interesting as the last.
„We found an old temple that I figure you would know about, given it's beneath your very town. Used to be abandoned it seems. Cultists summoned a 'Death Dog', a beast of death and disease to unleash upon Havenford. The magic used for the conjuration was deemed of... unusual origin by this one.“ He indicated to Toadstool.
„Late Faen was slain in the fight involving a devil that escaped his prison there, we sent it back to hell by way of sword... and staff.“ Ichep started the conversation with the first things coming to his mind expecting his comrades to fill in the details.
Toadstool was very uncomfortable by all of this luxury. Furniture is made for humans and elves and that kind of people. His hulking form just did not belong. He just stood there and stood out like a sore thumb. A sore, green, huge orcish thumb.
When was a time for sleep, he insisted to sleep in the stable with horses and other beasts.
During breakfast he just sat on his knees to be at the same level as everyone else. Cuttlery was confusing, so he just had fruit.
When the conversation about the adventure started, he just went "Corruption, Bhaal, bad magic, bad, unnatural"
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Balen was unconcerned with the bleeding from the bite. He was tired. Just so tired of this. He didn't care if it all ended. Maybe he would end up dying here, cold on the dungeon floor like Faen did. **** it. At least he tried.
OBJECT INTERACTION + ACTION
The warmth of the magic from Ichep's Healing Word let his cluttered thoughts subside for a bit. 'Ya did good,' Balen thought in approval of the tiefling and smirked, finally able to catch his breathe as the bleeding subsided. With a quick head nod, "Thank you," and still not letting go of the spined fiend, he took the [object]silversword[/item] from Ichep's toss and stabbed the creature underneath him. Then with his other hand, he made another swift move with his dagger at the fiend.
When it was done he caught sight of the new arrival, "Welcome to the party."
((Silver 'Swan Song' Sword: 15 + 4 = 19 ,,, Damage: 4 + 2 =6 Dagger: 8 + 4 = 12 ,,, Damage: 4 (+Sneak Attac Damage + 2 ) = 6))
<---- me irl slow reader, even slower writer easily jumpy thanks for being patient
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Dragonlance
The mere appearance of reinforcement changed the tide of battle.
Ichep's healing word rejuvenated the changeling, but the cleric's attack missed. The key was the sword ... the silver it bore was something that the devil obviously feared. So the cleric tossed the blade toward the rogue, end-over-end it traveled.
Meanwhile ... over by the swarm ... Yaudara and Toadstool combined their might and eliminated the threat. It was the druid's quick thinking - using vermin to dispatch the vermin - that won the day. The spider horde was not resistant to the innumerable chewing and grinding mouthparts of the wasps that hunted them now.
The swarm dispersed.
Over by the devil ... the rogue caught the gleaming sword and buried it in the devil's midsection, eliciting a howl of pain! With teeth bared ... the devil returned the favor in kind and bit Balen again!
Shaking the wasps and spiders from his sandal, Yaudara nodded at Toadstool. "Well done, and at the same time, disgusting. My thanks."
Then he turned, leveled his spear and glowered at the hellspawn. "And now, begone, foul creature!" With that, he raced across the room and buried the yklwa's point in the devil's side.
Attack 16 and 8 damage.
OOC - Arcana roll of 6 + 5 = 11 to see if Rinn knows that imps are immune to fire.
Rinn curses his poor aim of his Fire Bolt, but is glad to see these adventurers be able to at least take care of the spiders on their own. The sight of the dead body of Faen, however, tells him that that partial victory came with great cost.
His Tressym, Rachael, continues to stay at the ready to Dodge, while he prepares to go after the imp, hoping he can hope take it down and aid these adventurers.
Rinn rushes forward 15 ft (1 N and 1 E of Yaudara), and attempts to attack the imp.
With roll of 16
If the arcana roll succeeded: Rinn throws his dagger at the imp, knowing that his fire magic won't have any affect on the beast. 16 + 4 = 20 to hit. 1+2 = 3 dmg.
If the arcana roll failed: Rinn casts Flame Bolt again to try to hit the imp with it. 16 + 5 = 21 to hit, 4 dmg (though, he is immune to it, so it doesn't matter).
„You will die. We got this. Retreat“, Ichep warned Balen calmly but firmly, unsure if he noticed the severity of his wounds in the heat of battle.
MOVEMENT - Diagonally down (right)
As Ichep starting his incantation he heard Yaudara charging heroically across the room at the fiend and the tiefling hurried in a panic to get out of the way.
ACTION
„Anubis, cease this life“, he spat towards the devil as he casted Chill Touch and a spectral hand dug its finger in the devil ripping at his soul.
Hit (Disadvantage: (9,17)+5 = 14, DMG: 2
Toadstool starts to breathe excitedly and goes "Welcome, welcome"
After that he stumbles across the room to the north of the devil and roars with all his orcish might "Go back where you came from!"
He swings his thorned oak staff and tries to split the devils skull in half like a nut. (OOC - pretty sure he does :D )
To bonk: 18+5=23
Bonk damage: 5+3=8 magic bludgeoning damage
Rinn recognized the devil immediately as a spined devil. Like all devils, fire was useless against them ... and weapons would have a hard time damaging such an unnatural creature unless they were imbued with magic or silvered.
As it happened ... that is exactly what the party brought to bear.
Although it was already grappled, Ichep's spectral hand grabbed the small creature by the throat ... the necrotic energy wounding it.
Then Yaudara's and Rinn's non-magical weapons were brought to bear. They struck, but the devil's resistance did much to blunt the possible damage.
But when the druid brought his shillelagh down upon the devil's skull ... there was no avoiding the damage. The magical charm meant that the simple length of wood was indeed, a magiacl weapon, and the full power of the strike was delivered straight to the devil's — now crushed — cranium.
The telepathic laughter and mental sneers that had become a constant undercurrent in the room ceased immediately.
Ordrax was dead.
OOC — We are no longer tracking things round-by-round, gang.
Toadstool pants and snarls. The kill on the devil has ignited his long suppressed orcish fury, his eyes are burning with rage.
"One grrrrrr, two grrrrr, three, four......, five......."
He snarls and counts while grinding his teeth. After four he starts breathing deeply and starts to calm himself down.
"Are, are you all good?"
Yaudara stares at the crumpled devil, then looks at the druid. "I am well, thanks. Perhaps others are in need of aid."
He turns and walks over to Faen's body, nodding briefly at the newcomer as he walks. "Thank you for your aid, stranger. I am Yaudara, of the Order of the Golden Lion, servant of Torm the True."
Yaudara kneels next to Faen, sets down his yklwa, closes his eyes and places a palm on the fey's chest. He mutters a prayer for several seconds, inaudible to the group, then rises, taking up his spear. "When we leave this place, we should take his body with us. He deserves a proper burial."
"I can carry him, yes, yes, I will, I will"
Toadstool mutters in a sad voice realizing that one of his impromptu compatriots are down for good.
"Proper burial, yes, we need to return him to nature"
Toadstool puts away his shield and staff and gently picks up Faens body in both of his massive tree trunk like arms. As he does that he starts to mimic blackbird whistling once again.
Rachael looks around a bit nervously, eyeing each of these new adventurers while Rinn goes over to Ordrax's lifeless form to pick up his dagger. As he pulls he blade out of the corpse, he says, "My name is Eradin Siannodel, Journeyman of the Arcane Syndicate; you may call me Rinn. This anxious little girl is my familiar, Rachael." He nods towards the black tressym that is wandering her way into the room with great hesitation.
His voice shifts to being more sombre as he sees the party morning their dead friend, "I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, and that I couldn't get here before they perished to lend my aid. The death of a friend is never easy."
Rinn is a medium-height high elf with a skin that's pale white and his hair, a silvery blonde. He has a youthfulness to him, though as with many elves, his green-and-gold eyes hint at an age-earned wisdom. He has the clothes of an explorer, with tall black boots, dark trousers and vest, a white shirt, and dark blue cloak.
"Baron Stormshield of Stormshield Hall tasked myself and two of his guards to investigate this sink hole," explains the elf as he cleans his dagger's blade, "the Baron wanted to ensure that everything was fine down here. However, from this scene and the carnage in the rooms before, it seems like you may be in need of aid. I must warn you that I am no sword master, unlike the cowardly guards in the hallway, but I can offer you a helping hand of one who's adept at manipulating the Weave."
"If they're too cowardly to join us, perhaps the guards can transport Faen's body to the surface, and we can continue purging this place of its evil."
Balen begrudgingly let go of the devil when Ichep said to retreat. He was glad to see it was dead as he leaned against the wall and clutched the bite wound that was now bleeding profusely. In the heat of the battle, he actually hadn't realized it was so bad. At least the incessant telepathic laughter was gone and his head was quiet (well as quiet as it can be). The orc's snarling change in demeanor sent a chill up his spine (though immediately after he seemed to have calm down enough). But Balen didn't have much time to think as he stumbled his way away towards the southern corner of the room.
He wanted to play a joke on the newcomer and say he was like... he didn't know... uh the ghost or something of the dead fish cultist? The rest of the conservation in the room went like 'yada, yada, yada' to him because honestly now the wounds were actually killing him. He managed to only go a few paces before he reverted back into his original changeling form and mumbled, "I want to take a nap... forever," and then (slightly playfully/dramatically) collapsed down on the cold, stone dungeon floor. "Ow." The stone was harder than he thought.
<---- me irl slow reader, even slower writer easily jumpy thanks for being patient
DM: Drakkenheim Mind and Matter + Blood Secrets + What's in the Here and Now;
Player: Dragonlance
Rinn kneels down and says, "I think you may need a rest, friend. And probably some healing.You're bleeding very profusely, and I don't think you'll be conscious much longer." As Balen is down on the ground, Rachael is sniffing at him a bit, giving him a comforting head nudge to try to help how little she can.
The wizard starts to try to help Balen up to his feet, though strength was never his strong suit, thus making his aid less-than-ideal though adequate enough for the task.
He looks at the others as they're both now standing again, and Rinn says, "I think it may be a good idea for everyone to get some rest...though, do you know if there's anything else down here that would threaten the town?"
‚Yes, the name was Faen’, Ichep remembered. „I can attend to his burial once we are at safety. Better someone he knew briefly than a complete stranger.“ Faen had called them friends and to Ichep, the dying man‘s words were like an oath.
Ichep hurried immediately to Balen who had somewhat collapsed on the floor. The dead unlike the living were patient and could wait. „Are you okay? Are you seeing clear? How many fingers am I holding up?“ Ichep began checking Balen‘s wound without a care in the world if he approved such a thing. „Baron whoever took his sweet time. Much death has been avoided at our hand. A lucky coincidence. Pleased to have your assistance though.“ Ichep said without any passion he was busy concentrating to tending to Balen‘s wound and stopping the bleeding so they wouldn’t lose him on the spot. The elf‘s name flew over his head, something long and fancy as all elven names, he would have to ask later for it again.
„I don‘t remember any dangers. Were there more enemies that fled?“, he asked his companions.
„You are right about rest“, Ichep agreed with the elf. „This one is not going anywhere without rest or heal.“ He was referring to Balen of course.
“The weave?“, Ichep gave the newcomer a curious glance, then muttered „Interesting“ to himself. „What was the name?“
Toadstool with Faen in his arms thinks to himself and says "Let's get some rest, yes, rest.. I saw a nice oak tree with nice shade near the sinkhole. We can sit down there. I might have some mushy berries left"
The heroes discussed their options, and they all more or less led toward seeking a safe place to rest for the evening.
They spent a few moments gathering up their hard fought booty and ascended out of the sinkhole. The pair of militiamen assisted where they could, and helped carry the remains of their fallen comrade.
The small group of adventurers emerged from the depths of the sinkhole, their weary forms becoming illuminated from above by the soft glow of lantern light. The air was crisp with the scent of earth as they ascended to the surface.
Awaiting their return was a vigilant night watch, posted by the Baron himself with strict instructions to remain alert and to rouse him at any hour should the adventurers emerge.
As the adventurers climbed out of the sinkhole, the watch approached, their expressions a mix of relief and curiosity.
"Thank the gods you've returned safely," one of the guards exclaimed, stepping forward to greet them. "We were beginning to fear the worst."
The other guard nodded in agreement, his eyes scanning the weary faces of the adventurers and the returned militiamen. "What did you find down there? Is the town in danger?"
The militiamen that had accompanied the heroes shared a concerned glance with one another before responding. "It's too early to say for certain," one of them replied. "But we must speak with Baron Stormshield immediately. There is more to this sinkhole than meets the eye."
...
The adventurers were escorted through the dimly lit streets of Havenford to Stormshield Hall, the imposing residence of Baron Stormshield. The bobbing lanterns cast dancing shadows on the stone walls as they made their way to the grand entrance.
Inside, they were greeted by the Baron himself, a stern yet welcoming figure standing tall in the foyer. "Welcome, brave adventurers," he said with a gracious smile. "I'm glad to see you safe and sound. Please, make yourselves at home."
The Baron's servants bustled about, attending to the needs of their unexpected guests, offering food and drink to replenish their strength. The adventurers accepted the hospitality, sinking wearily into the plush furnishings of the great hall.
As they enjoyed a much-needed respite, Baron Stormshield approached, his voice filled with sincerity. "I want to thank you for your bravery in investigating the sinkhole," he said, his gaze sweeping over the weary faces of the adventurers. "You have my utmost gratitude."
He gestured towards the winding staircase that led to the guest chambers. "Rest well tonight," he continued, his tone warm and reassuring. "I would like to discuss the details of your findings in the morning. Until then, know that Havenford stands behind you, and I am here to assist you in any way that I can."
With a final nod of encouragement, Baron Stormshield took his leave, leaving the adventurers to find respite in the comfort of Stormshield Hall. As they settled into their rooms for the night, the promise of a new day filled with opportunity and intrigue awaited them.
— Chapter End —
As dawn broke, the adventurers gathered in the grand dining hall of Stormshield Hall. Baron Stormshield welcomed them warmly, seated at the head of the table. Servants offered a lavish breakfast as they engaged in polite conversation.
The Baron's features were chiseled and handsome, framed by a neatly trimmed beard. Clad in fine attire bearing his house's emblem, he wore a ceremonial sword upon his hip with pride. His eyes, sharp and keen, held a hint of steel beneath their warm exterior.
Once breakfast was over, Baron Stormshield turned to the matter at hand. "Let us discuss what you discovered in the sinkhole." He said, eager for their findings.
Ichep was in the highest spirits. After making sure Faen's remains would be tended to in an appropriate manner for the time being, he found himself as the guest of an important man. He enjoyed nothing more than comforts and comforts he had enjoyed in this rather luxurious stay. Servants to attend him, pillows so soft they felt like clouds, a warm meal, refreshing bath and clothes newly washed made him feel like heaven. He wished he didn't have to leave but surely this would stay a once in a... well maybe lifetime event. Baron 'Soandso' was unlikely to offer them residence, someone of his kind even more unlikely.
Icheps mind was still not fully made up about what had happened, these people he met and he expected these thoughts about these things would accompany him throughout this day that ought to be as interesting as the last.
„We found an old temple that I figure you would know about, given it's beneath your very town. Used to be abandoned it seems. Cultists summoned a 'Death Dog', a beast of death and disease to unleash upon Havenford. The magic used for the conjuration was deemed of... unusual origin by this one.“ He indicated to Toadstool.
„Late Faen was slain in the fight involving a devil that escaped his prison there, we sent it back to hell by way of sword... and staff.“ Ichep started the conversation with the first things coming to his mind expecting his comrades to fill in the details.
Toadstool was very uncomfortable by all of this luxury. Furniture is made for humans and elves and that kind of people. His hulking form just did not belong. He just stood there and stood out like a sore thumb. A sore, green, huge orcish thumb.
When was a time for sleep, he insisted to sleep in the stable with horses and other beasts.
During breakfast he just sat on his knees to be at the same level as everyone else. Cuttlery was confusing, so he just had fruit.
When the conversation about the adventure started, he just went "Corruption, Bhaal, bad magic, bad, unnatural"