Adventure Notes – The Adventurers 12

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The party watches as the Half-Ogre, and several of his most trusted men, make their escape in a wagon that had been waiting by the sundered walls of the Mayor’s home – making their escape with Mayor Barus Gravestone!

The party quickly calls for the actual guards of Spire’s Edge (who were told by the party to wait outside Mayor Gravestone’s home) – and as they rush in, the party explains that bandits have made off with the Mayor! The guards tell the party that Blackwell, a human with long black hair and beard is the only one who would have horses to spare! While Morsus, Sephrenia and Ragnaroc make their way there, Adrian goes to the blacksmith to find out if he might know more about the Half-Ogre and the bandits.

Adrian learns from Tarn Bladesinger that the Half-Ogre is named Bahlraug Bloodlust, and had been second in command of local brigands that operated between Spire’s Edge (the town they are currently in) and The Ivory Vale (the port city which they first came to this continent) known as The Shadow Knives. He also learns that Bahlraug was happily second in command, previously serving a human who led the brigands named Kallen Dahl (which translates Souls of Black). Bahlraug had been with other brigands ambushing others who were traveling when a group of adventurers – and when he returned to the hide out with his recent earnings and captives – he discovered that someone had murdered Kallen Dahl and apparently too his gauntlet and sword. Now Bahlraug wants to find not only the gauntlet and sword; but those who responsible for killing Kallen Dahl. Bahlraug began setting up ambushes not to just murder people; but to abduct them and ask for ransom money (which sometimes he honored the deal by freeing them once paid; sometimes he cut them to pieces and left them on the road to be found, earning his last name).

Adrian meets back up with the others and learns Morsus has paid 60 gold for four horses, with the promise if they come back, Blackwell will give him all the gold back (but Blackwell made it clear – if they’re going after the brigands, he’s not expecting them to come back). Having endured several wounds, the party decides to stable the horses for the night with Blackwell, and get rooms at The Stone’s Throw Tavern & Inn and speak with the Dwarven owner, Thoris Blackoak. The party recovers their health and returns to Blackwell to get the horses. They follow the tracks of the wagon for several hours, before noticing it veers off into the woods. Once inside the woods, the party dismounts and begins taking the horses with them. As they press on it becomes increasingly more difficult and eventually they find the wagon, abandoned and find tracks that indicate the bandits are dragging the mayor along, but not really doing anything to hide their tracks yet.

Pulling their horses through the difficult terrain begins to wear them down and the party decides to take a long rest. Adrian takes first watch, setting up a small campfire and is startled when the others fall asleep by the sudden appearance of a ranger who introduces himself as Don Kannin, who startles Adrian. Don explains that he’s after The Shadow Knives brigands as well. He explains that the brigands have been using these woods as a means of ambushing travelers on the nearby roads; and also that Bahlraug was known to simply slaughter animals for the sheer joy of slaughtering animals; leaving their corpses to rot. It’s not long after their brief introductions that a band of Kobolds has surrounded them and launches an attack!

The party fights valiantly – however, several of them take considerable amount of damage, due to the Kobold’s pack tactics allowing them to be far more effective at attacking when standing near one another! During the battle Don hears the word Sleep whispered in his mind, but his Half-Elven nature allows him to dismiss the attempt to use a spell to put him to sleep.

When the Kobolds are finally defeated, the party realizes that whoever attempted to cast the spell to put Don to sleep – was not one of these Kobolds as none of them had spell components or were seen casting, alerting the party to the fact that there was someone else out there – perhaps a part of the Shadow Knives brigands who could cast spells…