Session Date: 04/11/2025
I missed last session.
Summary
Verbal
Previously on Dragon Ball Z: we were on the island of Grislith. The Baron and his wife had just been murdered, and one of his sisters attempted very aggressively to have us arrested and so we fled. Being on mules rather than horses (despite delaying tactics) slowed us down significantly. Calthel’s familiar was sent to alert Ser Lothar for help as he is about a quarter mile the way the bird flies (2 miles per the road). Best Largest will be used to hopefully scare others.
We need to live long enough to get out of this.
Baron Halfcor, sisters Hrista & Herja
Sarras’s Notes
- Several potential routes to a boat, bit of a toss up whether we could convince Lothar to side with us since the Baron’s sister now in charge and he’s subordinate to them, fastest routes involve tough marshland and crossing a river in the dark
- trial involving a noble and the death sentence would require the duchess, not-capital trial involving a noble requires marquis’s authority, everything less Sarras & Decimus
- Sarras argues to go for Lothar’s and try to convince him to provide martial support while we initiate a proper investigation & trial; Kerran supports as right thing but not necessarily smartest plan, Decimus supports as well, Ships goes along
- Sarras rides double with Decimus on horse while Best Largest tries to free/frighten as many remaining stable horses as possible, & others cast long stride on our mounts, Kerran leads with highest survival
- Ships places 24h tower spell for choke point to force them to have to go around treacherous area, but between horses and good rolls they start to catch up quickly; Ships & Charity put down ball bearings, caltrops & oil; Sarras breaks glass bottles on the path, but still winds up in standoff at the top of the switchback
- Decimus’ spell gives Sarras +1 AC & saving, resistance to all damage
Map
Session Start
Finishing Up Combat
The Baron’s sister - Krista - is the one trying to get us arrested. She has a small child in a sling as she follows, and casts eldritch blast toward Kerran, which Calthel recognizes. The caster also has a version of acid arrow that is poison damage instead, which Calthel also recognizes.
Ser Lothar
Ships manages to dispatch of Krista’s sister (the one who didn’t immediately call for our arrest) and Krista immediately turns to retreat, with everyone else in tow. We continue to retreat to Ser Lothar, who meets us with four armsmen. He asks what has happened - he received the message, but it was unclear as to what exactly had befallen us.
Ships, Sarras, and Calthel give the rundown of what has happened. Lothar explains he cannot raise arms against the Baron’s family as that is where his oaths are sworn, but he also does not believe us to be murderers, and so he is in a difficult position. He explains that as long as the death penalty is not sought out, the Marquis can give us power to act with authority here, but if the death penalty is sought then the Duchess Bellicent will have to preside over these matters.
Lothar can provide us shelter for the night and an escort to give us safety off the island to take word to the Marquis, and he will act as an intimidating force to discourage the Baron’s sisters from attacking.
We take a full 24 hours to rest and Sarras asks if it’s known that the Baron’s sister is a warlock, or if that was missed. Lothar explains that he doesn’t know much about magic and thus he isn’t surprised he missed, and his wife explains that she has not heard any such rumor about it. Sarras brings up that the sister rode into battle with a one year old, and they mention Hrista doted on the child and acted more as a mother to the child than her real mother - they are surprised that she would take the child with her into battle.
We start to organize and Sarras asks Ser Lothar where a neutral place to set up for a trial would be. He says a public place would be better so more people can see, so it may be best to have it down in the village of Toadbreath, if at all possible. We’d have the largest local eyes on the matter and while we cannot trust them to be unbiased, they will gossip indifferently about things they see rather than something they don’t.
We issue a public warning about the caves.
The Summons
Sarras, Decimus, and Ships go with some of Ser Lothar’s guards to issue the summons to the sisters. As they continue, Ships is the first to notice that there are no bodies left on the mountain side switchbacks. Looking toward the castle, the castle is no longer visible: the battlements are no longer visible from where they are, even though it 100% should be.
Ships uses his familiar (summoned with a scroll) to see further and the castle is replaced with sleep muddy slopes, as if the castle had slid into the river. Ships sends Condor, the familiar, ahead to check in on it, and Condor comes back and reports that this is real: there are parts of the castle left, and there are half collapsed tunnels there. it smelled blood and horsemeat. The realization hits those that are there that the music must have stopped playing and the critters in the tunnels must have caught up.