A brief investigation of the site of the explosion makes it clear that it was a deliberate act, requiring the transfer of a number of powder kegs from the protected magazine at the back of the warehouse. It would appear that Futz, Itchy, or both were the intended targets. The party spends the rest of the day attempting to find clues to the explosion but, apart from gleaning the knowledge that the rank-and-file of the Northland army do not know of Volkov’s alleged treasons, they find out nothing new. Warders Erik and Joseph have also been quietly assigned to the party’s unit, presumably to act as bodyguards.
The next morning finds nearly the entire Society in Hillcrest, so an extensive “family breakfast” is convened at the farmhouse, with nearly every active Society member on hand except a few Warders on assignment and Itchy, who is in a coma in the infirmary. The party exchanges intelligence and banter with Jacob bin Warri’s unit and discovers that they, too had been ambushed by an Avenger driving a company of orcs. Like the party, they were fortunate because it looked like the ambushers had encountered and battled yet another group of greenskins before their battle. The party loads up on extreme cold-weather and mountaineering gear and head off to the South with Warders Erik and Joseph on their mission to discover the nature of the Bubblesneezer Cannons in Penshin.
After three days of hard, extremely-loaded-down travel into the snowy Masaan range, Erik unexpectedly offloads all of the party’s mountaineering gear into a hollow tree and leads them into a cave system that appeared to have been carved out by an underground river. After a day of steady descent through the cave system, the party encounters two humans, waiting in the caves for the party to arrive. Lucas, an aging Etu’sauri swordsman and Billy, his apprentice, have been sent by unspecified parties to kill Erik. He also warns the party that a contingent of Kisharans has been sent, further down in the cave system, to stop them. He claims he doesn’t know how those who employed him knew the party would be coming south, nor how he knew how to find them in this highly secret and obscure passage through the mountains. Fearing that Lucas could kill half the party before being overwhelmed, Erik encourages the party to proceed on without him.
After several more hours of travel downward, the party encounters a chamber where three Avengers have been waiting for them to arrive. A pitched battle ensues, during which Warder Joseph is slain saving Gronk’s life, Poppy is also seriously wounded.
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Action Report: Southland Missions: Entry 1
(Instead of leaving giant portions out for secrecy’s sake, let’s assume that any part that would betray our mission or the plans of any future part of the mission have been blacked out in a way that can be undone.)
I did not expect things to go so wrong so quickly. With Warders Erik and Joseph with us I assumed our path to the south would be simple, or at least not lead to any deaths; I was very wrong.
As we left with our extremely heavy gear, we were surprized to have two warders with us. This surprize was magnified when it became time to start scaling the mountain, Erik told us to leave our gear inside a tree, and lead us through a deep cave through the mountain. Though the passing was cramped, we eventually found our way down into a lit room.
There were two in this room, one an elderly Etu’sari named Lucas, and what seemed like an apprentice. They were there to kill Erik, and seemed more than capable of killing the rest of us as well. The etu’sauri warned us that there was a group of Kisharans further down the route waiting to ambush us. We were instructed by Erik to move along down the path without him, that our mission was more important.
Being outranked and likely outclassed, I ordered the group further along, hoping to defeat the kisharans ahead, and return to either help or at least treat Erik’s wounds, little did I expect the horrors waiting for us.
Three avengers were standing there waiting for us; we almost lost Banagher to one, and now there were three. The battle started almost immediately and in an attempt to save Gronk’s life, Warder Joseph has been killed. We must go on not only with the loss of Joseph, but Poppy is also seriously wounded and the Kisharans know we’re coming, and knew from where.
I’m not sure who to trust now.
Moriel was not sure for how long they had all been standing there, staring. She wanted to say something, but she had no idea what to say that would not make her look foolish, so instead, she walked over to the mechanical elf. Gingerly touching the remaining arm, not really knowing what to expect. Metal, maybe. Or something leathery. But the skin felt remarkably like real skin.
She hesitated, then, for some reason she could not explain, picked up one of the tiny cogs. It was a small thing, no bigger than the first joint of her little finger. The floor was littered with them, many of them even smaller than the one she had picked up.
Slipping it into a pocket, she was very much aware that some of the others were watching her, clearly puzzled. She ignored them, as she did not much feel like explaining what she had just done. Or rather, explaining that she had no idea why she did what she just did.
Others started arriving, and Poppy wandered off, determined to question anyone she could find about the explosions. Moriel followed after Poppy, trying to ask a few tentative questions herself, but she quickly realised that between most humans’ unease around elves, and her own lack of skills dealing with them, she was far more likely to confuse the issue further. But given the situation, she was not willing to leave Poppy alone either, so she kept trailing after her for the rest of the day.
Dinner was an uncomfortable experience. There were too many people crowded together. She had thought she would get used to it, but it had become harder, not easier, to deal with all the people around her, so she ate quickly, then slipped outside. Breathing a sigh of relief, she headed towards the infirmary. Most likely, Cedric had his hands full, but at least she could offer to help. She suspected he found it odd, but at least she felt useful.
*
It was late morning when they finally set out. Even with a pack far too heavy and the prospect of several weeks of camping outdoors in the cold, did nothing to dampen her spirit. She was not certain what she felt of Erik and one of the other Warders, Joseph, travelling with them. Not that she did not trust them, but they were, after all, Warders. What it said about their mission, that they had two Warders along to assist them, she preferred not to think about.
After several days, Erik suddenly dumped his gear inside a hollow tree. It seemed they were going some other way, and that all the gear they had carried along was a ruse. For a few moments, she was relieved. Then she started thinking, and realised that this was not necessarily a good thing.
Either it meant they were not going where they had been told. That did not leave many places, however, and she was not entirely certain she was comfortable with the idea of going home right now.
Or it meant going another way to the south, but if they were not going _over_ the mountains, there would have to be a way through it. Moriel did not much enjoy the though of travelling _through_ the mountain either, but she supposed both the alternatives were preferrable to remaining at Hillcrest. Barely. Still, when Erik revealed a small opening in the mountainside, it took her longer than she had expected to gather her courage to enter the dark hole.
It was hard to say down here in the darkness, but Moriel thought they had been journeying for about a day, when they came across two men. One was an old man, and he, too, carried the sword that marked him as an etu’sari.
Erik greeted the man, calling him Lucas. For a moment, Moriel hoped they had met friends, but the exchange of words made it clear that, although Erik and Lucas clearly were old friends, Lucas was here to kill the Warder. The old man confused her; it seemed he regretted being sent here, but she was pretty certain it was not going to change anything between him and Erik. But more surprisingly, the man also warned them of the Kisharan forces awaiting them further down the tunnel. She would have stayed and fought, had Erik allowed it, but he ordered them all to leave, and she reluctantly obeyed.
They walked for hours, and she was starting to wonder if this Lucas had lied for some reason, that there was noone here. When they finally did find the waiting force, however, she did not know what to say, or do. There was absolutely no doubt at all that the enemy knew they were coming, something she found more than a little disturbing, considering they themselves had not know which way they were until a day or two ago. And someone was sufficiently worried, it seemed, that they had sent no less than three avengers to meet them.
The battle itself was a nightmare. Moriel’s arrows seemed to have little impact on the avengers, but the others seemed to do better. One went down at Banagher’s hand; she had to admit she appreciated that, the man, whom she had the impression that at least some of the others dismissed as a ‘mere’ scholar now had killed two avengers.
Then it was as if time itself stopped. She watched as one of the avengers attacked Gronk with a blow that the dwarf could not stop. There was no doubt that the dwarf was dead. But then, somehow, Joseph managed to step between the dwarf and the killing blow, taking the killing blow for Gronk.
Before she had the time to react, the last remaining avenger charged, of all people, Poppy. Moriel watched in horror as the avenger’s attacks slammed into Poppy, throwing her backwards. With a yell, she dropped her bow, drawing her sword, trying to get between the avenger and the halfling. Then Gronk was there, and the avenger collapsed to the ground and crumbled into dust.
Then Gronk spat on Joseph’s corpse and stalked away, as Moriel knelt beside Poppy, begging Banagher to do something.
In the mind of Poppy after a near death experience…
I think my guts are falling out.
I see blood. It’s my blood.
I’m coughing blood.
Is the game over now?
I see Moriel. She looks upset.
It must be because my guts are falling out.
She’ll eat my ashes of that I’m sure.
Have I really lost?
I’m coughing more blood.
I guess this is what happens when guts fall out.
Why hasn’t Banagher tucked them back in?
I can’t lose like this.
The halfing calls out remnants of words in between spasms of coughing…
“Banag…(cough, cough, hack)…lazy…(cough)…arse …(cough hack cough)…tuck gut…(cough, cough)….an sew me…(cough, hack, cough)…hurry, or I…(hack, cough, cough)…clok you (cough, hack, cough cough…).â€
The efforts of speech and the pain soon overwhelmed the halfing, delivering her to a world of sleep where she dreams of a great win.