Chapter 12 - Where da Lair?

[ybn1197]

Watts, who had nervously been staying towards the back of the group with dagger drawn, is visibly relieved when he sees the corpse of the wyrmling. "I agree. The fort makes the most sense to me. Let us put some distance between us and this foul den." He gives a backward glance at the hut as the move away.

[Zhym]

"Alrighty," says Angus. "Let's see what Targus has to say. He told us we could read one of these, so we might as well do it."

He breaks the seal on one of the scrolls and reads it.

[enn.in.me]

Yenny is unable to resist a snide comment before Angus breaks open the scroll. She might successfully keep it under her breath.

"Bushwhacking through the wilds be led by Sir Neverlost himself."

"On to the Sambords! Tally ho!"

[Zorroroaster]

Arnulf tries to stifle a fit of giggling and fails, perhaps due to his proximity to Yenny and her commentary. His voice rings out in obvious mirth.

"Onward to Sambord! The Dragonslayer of Vaul commands you!"

[Zhym]

"Sir Neverlost obeys!" cracks Angus with a wink at Yenny.

"Seriously, though, I reckon getting lost will be even easier without Hellebore's critters to scout for us. Anyone got some notions on how to stay on the path to Sambord?"

[tkrexx]

Hah! Hyde grins his awful grin. Ain't got nothin' to worry about, no, not with Angus the Dragonslaya at the front! Hey, next time, save one for me, hah? But yeahh, we gotta get that message to them Sambords.

[enn.in.me]

"Hmm. Not sure about not getting lost. If you get us within about a hundred feet, I've got a nifty spell that'll find the place. But if getting lost is easy, we'll probably not do it. Seems like we never do anything the easy way. I bet you'll do fine, Angus."

[AleBelly]

...note contents coming later...but I want to note that looking at the map, the party realizes that a direct line to the Sambord fort will take them directly to the Nixie lake. I think you mentioned wanting to avoid that, so, still continue that direction or something else?

[Zhym]

Let's go around them to the north.

[enn.in.me]

If we aim for them and get lost that should work well.

[AleBelly]

Angus breaks open the red wax seal of the sage's note and reads it.

Dear Sambord Chief.pdf

(17.09 KiB) Downloaded 59 times

[Zhym]

Angus reads the letter aloud, rushing past the part about a lack of refined manners lest Dandelion get her dander up.

"Nicer feller, that Targus," he concludes. "Well, let's get to getting lost, then." With that, the leads the way toward Sambord with a detour around the Nixie lakes.

[enn.in.me]

"Dandelion, it appears that your excellent, extravagant, even, elegance is inadequate to the task of overcoming our group's base nature. Obfuscatory indeed. Carry on Angus. Despite your lack of polished manners and diplomacy I will happily follow your brave and, er, competent lead wherever they go. Although I do thinking heading to the Sambords is still a good idea."

[onlyme]

Dandelion shakes her head as she hears the words, not able to control her thoughts.

This is is worse than when Rosa Rosetta wore green of all colors with her violet boa to the Harvest Festival that time. She never recovered. My goodness. I have more work to do and must do it now. When we get to Sambord, we WILL hire a discreet cotillioness to work with ALL of us. I will not have these words written about me, ever again. Do I make myself clear?

[AleBelly]

The party heads west, angling slightly north to avoid the nixie lake. After a couple of hours, darkness falls and they encamp at the stream flowing from the large lake itself. Hyde especially is on edge, expecting visitors from the lake itself, but the night passes uneventfully.

The entire next day is spent traveling 14 miles from camp to the Sambord fort. They reach it just at sunset. They are grateful for a warm place to spend the night, as the clouds have been carried off by a north wind that brings cold, clear skies again.

Chet is greeted very warmly - the others are treated cordially. As usual, they are sequestered in a small but comfortable holding area, separated from the main settlement. The party warms themselves by an impressive fire. Night falls, and finally Jobin is able to join them.

Chief Jobin Herke.jpg (50.43 KiB) Viewed 1084 times

He reads Targus' message, and his face softens somewhat. His stern, formal countenance is softened by...relief? It is difficult to say.

He is silent for a couple of moments, then speaks. "Targus has you pegged" he smiles. "And he says to trust you. I do not know him, but anyone willing to risk such sending such a letter must have the good of the kingdom in mind. I would like to hear of this evidence you have uncovered. But first, allow me to impart some information."

He pulls up a wooden stool near the fire, and beckons the ten party members closer.

"Decades ago, I was a priest in Alleborg. I was part of the campaign that drove the bugbears back to the northeast. Through luck and skill I played an important role in this endeavor, and was recognized as a young man with promise. I rose rapidly through the rigid Perun hierarchy, and eventually became a member of Adalbert's inner circle. He was old even then."

Jobin stares into the fire.

"It was then I was introduced to the lunacy that is the Prophecy of Cataclysm. This madman believed that only through an apocalyptic event could Perun rise to power. Several powerful priests within the church had met strange and untimely deaths, and it immediately became clear to me that those who did not share Adalbert's ambitions were disposed of. I was determined to not share their fate.

Our king was strong, and never would have stood for such nonsense. He was the major obstacle to Adalbert's plans, so he had to be removed. Adalbert is as ruthless as he is cunning, and through a series of machinations used his power to force the king to flee. Adalbert's genius was that he also provided enemy forces with a plan and knowledge to attack at this time. So not only did he force the king from power, but he also made it nearly impossible for him to return. He cast the king as the traitor.

It was at this point that I left the priesthood and became a warrior, to defend those that have assembled here. And I have done so for these four decades since."

He stands to leave.

"You will all be granted admittance to the interior of our settlement. But understand, we have strict rules that are to be followed. First, you will check your weapons at the gate. And no spells either, unless they are spells of divination within our house of worship. I see there are no Perunists here, but our priests will not discriminate. Any violation of these rules will be met swiftly with force. We encounter enough conflict outside these palisades. We tolerate none within.

You'll find lodging more comfortable than out here. And you will also find supplies for sale shall you need them."

Anticipating questions, the chief of the Sambords looks the group over, gauging their reaction.

Please deduct two days' rations and feed for your mounts.

[enn.in.me]

That is totally how Yenny sees Jobin--thighs at eye level....

"He is now working actively against the city and quite likely to bring about this apocalypse. Are you the answer to the problem that can be found within the walls, or is there something else here we should know about?

[Keehnelf]

Sagthistle whistles appreciatively. "My guess is, someone here knows where the King is, or something like that."

[Zhym]

Angus visibly relaxes when Jorbin's formal demeanor softens. He nods as he listens to the chieftain's tale.

"Gods save us from religious fanatics," he says, almost succeeding in not rolling his eyes. He darts a look back at Jorbin and grins. "That's probably one of them social graces things I got to learn not to do, ain't it? Anyhow. You and me, we had some words. I apologize for my part of that. We got more in common than we got differences and we all got enemies enough as it is. Thank you for your trust. I will of course abide by your rules." The woodsman bows his head for a moment.

"As for what we found—you remember how when we were here before, I was asking about Knob Forest? Well, we went back there. In a crawl space under the ruined church of Perun, we found a book. 'Tome,' really. It contained the usual"—Angus stops himself from saying "ramblings"—"writings about Perun, but it also had some personal notes written in the lizardmen's language by the head priest of that town. Like you, he got told about Adalbert wanting to bring on the Cataclysm and didn't hanker to it. He managed to write some of that down. Didn't write much more after that, though. Probably one of them priests you knew what met an untimely end." Angus looks at Jorbin apologetically.

[tkrexx]

Hyde smiles wide with enthusiastic relief at Jobin's trust. Suddenly Captain Castleman has competition for the heart of the shaggy Half-Orc. His ears perk up at Sagthistle's comment, and his eyes drift about the area. Finally he sidles next to Arnulf and whispers, What's obfuscatory?

[mjulius]

Ernest shuffles his head around the group knowingly.
He furrows his brow, nods gravely, grunts approval, whistles through his teeth...