Session 3 - 19NOV2023

Attendees

• Tim ✅
• Walter ✅
• Erica ✅
• Jin ✅
  
• Nick ✅
  
• Alex ❌
  

Copy/Paste Source: ✅ ❌

Recap to Current Situation

• Group finishedfollowed questsome andveteran gotmercenaries onout retainerto the ruins north of the city of Raedan

While staking out the entrance, the group witnesses ~50 animated skeletons with thefused Councilweapons for arms rush out of Fewthe Figuringruins outheading whattoward to do from here Group leveled up to Level 2Raedan

Session Notes

•  The group has decided to go to Rizz's Provisions to follow up on Cloc following them on the previous quest
  

Once at Rizz''s Provisions, the group asks Rizz about why Cloc was following us Rizz claims that Cloc was being a bit over-exuberant in his pursuit of the group Rizz actually has a proposition for work for the group

There is a shipment she is expecting that is a couple weeks late It was coming from the west, the village of Wudu It was a shipment of arms Should have taken 7 days to get here, it is now 15 days later It was packed in several large wooden crates marked with Rizz's Provisions The group decides to take on the quest and sets out in the Western direction The group also decides to check in with the inn to see if there is anything Rory wants in the western direction

Rory wants cool artifacts to use as display pieces in the inn He is aware of several burial mounds that may contain artifacts The group lets him know that if they find anything, they will bring it back The weather is a slight drizzle We encounter several other caravans of goods traveling the trade route Nick asks travelers about Eknon the Vex

He learns that there are rumors of hobgoblins causing problems in the far western region of Acium We  notice that some plant growth along the road was smashed down and is starting to grow back

The track is heading south toward the river We follow the tracks, Nick is taking point We reach the river and find a sandbar that is fordable by a wagon After crossing the river, we hear some clamoring and yelling We see four humans in leather armor that appear quite desperate and they attack! ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!

Erica kneecaps the first bandit Nick tries to trick them into giving up using a disguise, but it doesn't work because it was a ridiculous and bad plan Walter one-hit KOs a bandit  Jin kills a bandit and his body begins floating away in the river Nick knocks out the last bandit Two dead, two alive (one unconscious, one kneecapped) END COMBAT The group questions the kneecapped guy for information about the missing shipment Jin persuades the guy to be helpful The bandit claims that our party is with "the others"

The Others here sound like a group of mercenaries that had attacked their bandit group and killed almost everybody We find out that this bandit group did steal from Rizz's Provisions A group of mercenaries showed up and slaughtered the bandits to take back the shipment These bandits managed to escape He will help show us back to his camp, but won't take us farther The bandit camp is tucked between some hills, and there is the scent of a recent campfire in the air 15 dead bandit bodies are in the remains of the camp We find some partially emptied boxes marked with Rizz's Provisions Our arcana investigation revealed that one of the mercenaries cast the spell Fireball The investigation of the battle scene revealed that the attackers were highly skilled and dispatched the bandits extremely efficiently We manage to find 10 gp each and load up four crates on a cart Nick decides to talk to a nearby bush and see if he can find out if there are any horses nearby The holly shrub he is talking to shakes a little bit, leans to the northeast, shakes, and then releases a sulfuric smell We decide to take the crates back to Rizz

However, we decide to omit the details about the other mercenary party Rizz is happy to see us and gives us 20 GP each

We also get a 10% discount on future purchases at Rizz's We return back to the inn The next day, we see, at the inn, a new mercenary party

A guy in a green cloak and bow A dude in a robe (wizard?) A woman in full plate armor (Triginta) A possible artificer All humans - these guys match the description from the bandit that attacked the bandit camp Rory, the innkeeper, is intimidated by them and wants us to stick around a little bit to help keep him safe We split the party:

Nick and Erica report to the council of the few, telling them about the potential link between the ruins and the party at the inn

The master sends out a message and thanks them A reply is received at the Council of the Few

The master is being told to close up shop by leadership of the council of the few and that he needs to leave town immediately The master is low-key freaking out, this is highly unusual and he doesn't know what to make of it Nick pens another message asking for more information A message is received in return that only has 6 words

The order of the red omen This doesn't really give any additional information, and Gosnald (the master) doesn't really know anything else either, he pulls a scroll that he says might have more information and gives it to Nick/Erica They then leave to return to the inn Walter and Jin are acting as bodyguards for Rory (Walter is getting drunk)

The wizard from the other party approaches Walter Walter and the wizard begin drinking together Walter gives fake name of Albert The other mercenary party leaves on good terms with Walter Innkeeper is safe! The group reunites back at the inn Jin saw the other mercenary group heading North out of the town Jin takes out the scroll received by Nick/Erica and starts to read it

The scroll is a story about those who chase after power and the consequences of doing so Scroll is probably several thousand years old Story tell about those that seek power, comes with a price that is too high to be paid There were six individuals that called themselves the order of the red omen that sought such power They all met untimely ends We decide to go to Rizz and tell her everything we know and see if she knows anything about what is going on She doesn't know anything about them and has never heard of them

She promises a 30% discount if the information leads to her surviving a bad event We decide to go seek an audience with the local ruler (Vicadium) We explain things to the Vicacadium (Malhorta al Maz) He is concerned about the council of the few packing up and leaving

He is going to try to get more information from Gosnald Otherwise, he will just keep an elevated alert level The group sets off to the North on some horses to follow the group to try to get information There is heavy rain and it is unseasonably cold (we get disadvantage on perception checks) We manage to find the trail that the other mercenary group has left

The trail seems to be appearing and disappearing randomly at intervals (~30 ft) Nick uses detect magic

He notices that where the tracks disappear, it glows with yellow conjuration magic We figure out that this is probably the work of misty step We decide to continue pursuing the other party and make our way to the entrance of the ruins We decide to stakeout the entrance and Nick+Jin build a hunter's hide As we are staking out the entrance, the ground starts to shake At the entrance, 50 animated skeletons rush out and are rushing south towards the city

Their arms are actually fused with weapons and they look quite mean