Session Date: 2/4/2024
Missed session 41.
Last session, we were given an item that can help with regenerating a limb should it be needed. Kestrel’s daughter also gave Dia a collar for Robin the direwolf to help train him. Iskra also started to remember his father, who is a fisherman. We traveled for a while and then rested, Arythas going off to patrol and make sure nothing attacks the camp. We are going to the suburb of Diaville (Dee-uh-ville), a suburb of the capital up here.
Inky cooks breakfast and makes coffee, Iskra is doing okay for once (he certainly slept for once), while Dia and Rohan are trying to pretend that everything’s alright but it’s clearly not.
Arythas approaches Inky and gets a coffee, then asks what’s going on between Dia and Rohan. He explains that the two had an argument where Rohan called Dia out for being reckless and recommended that she can lean on us for support, and Dia said that she’s stronger than we think she is, and also that she refuses to ask for help. She and Iskra had a question on who she is without her family when she’s not told what to do. She’s afraid of what will happen in the future.
In the morning, we manage to enchant the collar so that we can shrink the direwolf named Robin so that we can disguise him more as a regular dog instead of a huge fucking wolf. Dia continues to avoid talking to Rohan or Arythas by trying to work on training him with the basic commands that dogs should know so that he doesn’t become a problem in the future.
As we travel, we come across a broken down cart and bodies in a ditch. Arythas does not see an immediate threat — whatever did this was here, and then moved on, and the people are definitely dead. Everyone goes down to investigate except for Arythas, who stays up on the road and keeps an eye open to watch for danger.
Iskra gets closer and can tell that no animal did this to the cart and people, and with enough looking over and the collaboration of everyone else Rohan figures out that there were some people walking alongside the cart with others riding. Everyone had simple weapons — think peasants with weapons — and there was once a large chest on the cart, now smashed. He can see that all of the people were killed by a large slashing weapon: perhaps a sword, perhaps an axe. He can also tell by the footprints there was only one attacker. The bodies have been here for a few days, perhaps even as long as a week. These guys on the cart were bandits, likely holding something in that chest, and whoever had the weapon decided to stop them in this way.
Inky can tell that divine and nature spells were cast here previously, though none of it remains now. An item was also used that had similar background magic radiation as Arythas’ maul. We know of the maul, there’s a tiefling captain from the Crimson Legion that also has one that was a sword. We know that there are 7 of these weapons around and we know of these two.
Iskra asks if we should do something with regards to funeral rites for these bandits: if we should pray over them, bury them, or something. Arythas suggests that we do not have much time if we wish to rush to break Bertram out of prison, and if we wish to do something he recommends that they do a funeral pyre and burn them. Inky points out that it’s up to Dia: if we wish to stop and perform rites, or we can let the town know.
We create a funeral pyre out of the broken down caravan and get the bodies moved over to it. There was one teenager (13ish) with the bandits that was dressed as a bandit, which we take note of. Dia prays to both Pelor and the Raven queen, and Iskra offers up a small satchel of herbs with the pyre. Iskra recalls that this is an old harengon rite that was from his people, and it honors the fire and nature and the cycle of life and death.
We opt to follow the road and continue on, as we can probably move faster than going through the plains. We continue along the road and a weird plant creature is in the road, ready to attack us.
We begin combat.
AC: 21
Have a cone attack with a high reflex save requirement. This is cold damage.
Weak to fire (5) and slashing (5). Highest save is REF, Fortitude and Will are equal. Cold heals them.