Campaign Diary #6: The one where Sidron isn’t fit to enter any Butt Kicking Contests!

Last week the gang had just slain the massive Ghost Boar! They spent a couple of nights guarding it in the woods that were moderately eventful. Zattera had the idea to build several fires around the carcass to help with perimeter control. The gang kept those fires stoked and kept the beasts drawn to the buffet of pork at bay… mostly. The first night they did fend off an attack by a Saber-toothed Cat, the second they managed to keep a Winter Wolf at bay without having it rush into for a nibble of the piggy.

Using Magnus’ inspiration to build a sort of roller system to move the carcass out of the woods the gang spent an entire day building a simple litter and levering the pig onto it. The next day they had a long rough day of moving logs (both roller logs and tracks) and straining their backs and brains to get the Ghost Boar to the edge of the forest. Torkkik’s Raven returns with a note from Marast (owner of The Curio and the business partner of the Curios Collective) letting the party know that she was sending her servant Varon to them with a sledge and draft horses to pull the beast back to NorthWood.

Next day Varon does indeed show up with a team of 4 massive draft horses pulling a sledge behind them. He offers some assistance transferring the beast onto the sledge then bids the party a friendly “see you back in the city” as he strides into the forest to do some investigations of his own.

Four massive draft horses doing the pulling and Jung doing the navigating the gang set off for the north, making all haste their loaner beasts can make. That night they set up a camp and make what small fire for warmth they can with the scarce gnarly wood of the bare hills in this part of the Northern Reach. The party sets about the serious work of resting for the journey home the next day…

During Sidron’s watch, which happens to be the only watch they keep with only one member on duty, things get decidedly more interesting for a minute or so. Snow swirling around even Sidron’s keen hobgoblin eyes never saw the ambush that was about to happen…

Suddenly an odd shadowy-silvery streak closed the distance between Sidron and a nearby snowbank materializing into a yellow-skinned humanoid wearing only rough un-cured furs and wielding an ornate silver sword. The blade flashed in a sweeping arc severing Sidron’s leg clean just below the knee and coming around to gash his chest. Our bookish Hobgoblin wizard left dying and missing part of a leg in the snow. With the watch for the party down the lethal Githyanki signaled to his companion who rose from behind another nearby snowbank. They crept together towards the sleeping and unaware party. Both of them clad in similar wolf hides and trembling with the frigid cold of the Northern Reach. Their intention to kill the party and take their winter gear from them.

The raven that accompanies Torrik suddenly begins wrapping on Torrik’s head and cawing loudly alerting the rest of the party to the approaching danger, in a flash the gang springs to their feet and engage the invaders. Before Jung can get her footing the Githyanki with the silver sword lands tow devastating blows against her. Only Jung’s iron resolve as a half-orc keeps her from loosing consciousness. Arrows fly, spells are unleashed, frozen wolf-legs and javelins are hurled. Blows are exchanged on both sides but the gang is able to kill the Githyanki. After the battle Zattera and Wulrf examine the bodies and are able to determine that they were both battling the cold for their lives, frostbite evident on their extremities. Gax, Magnus, and Torrik all rush to Sidron’s aid. After pooling their magical abilites Gax and Magnus are able to get Sidron back on his… foot. Fashioning a crutch from some of their fire supplies most of the party sets to comforting Sidron after his near-death experience and dealing with the loss of his leg.

Zattera brings the two large and ornate swords to Magnus and Magnus sets about sorting out what they are. He begins the ritual magic to learn what he can about the blades. One is just an ornate blade which Magnus hands over to Wolrf. The silver one though…. As the arcane power flows around Magnus and connects him in a deep way to the blade he discovers that it is a blade of great power, a blade that if the user possesses physic abilities it will magnify and focus, a lethal and deadly blade. A blade also infused with a darkness, an evil that Magnus can’t put a name to. An evil that hangs over the blade like a dark foreboding. Wolrf insists that he be given the weapon to use but Magnus refuses and wrapping it in some hides straps the bundle across his own back for safe keeping until he can get to the bottom of this mystery.

Late the next evening the party grows close to NorthWood with their quarry. There are few travelers outside the city in the dead of winter but the few they see cast disapproving glances at them for hauling the carcass of the very taboo Ghost Boar along. Zattera places his hand on the hilt of his blade as Sidron glowers behind him leaned on his make-shift crutch, “Keep moving,” glowers Zattera at the strangers. Torrik has the raven conscript a nearby gull to the party’s aid and they send it with a short message to Thelray, their employer for this mission, to send them some method of smuggling the corpse into the city.

Soon a rough looking character arrives and inspects the beast, seeing that it is indeed the prey Thelray contracted for in short order he has a massive wagon on site and a gang of other unseemly folks to assist and with several hours hard work they transfer the monster into the wagon and cover it with a layer of cabbages. The ruffian delivers a chest of 200GP to the party and he and some of his companions head toward NorthWood, taking command of the sledge as well. Most of the party limp back to their base of opperation, Sidron doing so literally. Where they see Varon carrying a smelly, furry old dog bundled up in his arms. They recognize it as the old smelly sleeping dog that they have seen curled up by the fire in The Curio before. “Old fella gets loose sometimes,” he says as he quickly slides by and into the front door of The Curio.

Torrik (openly) and Zattera (secretly) follow the delivery of the Ghost Boar to Thelray. After watching a small bribe transpire the massive cart is allowed into the city gates and indeed eventually makes it way to Thelray’s manor within the city walls. Torrik and Zattera make their way home and arrive near dawn.

Meanwhile Magnus in the privacy of his room opens the bundle that contains the silver sword. Magnus spends some time carefully inspecting the great silver sword and he knows it’s the finest weapon he’s ever held in his own hands. He grasps the hilt and extends his consciousness out for the weapon and feels a connection. In that moment, in a flash and for only an instant his consciousness explodes out into the universe. He sees around him a roiling sea, but a sea made of pink and yellow and red clouds and mist instead of water. As his consciousness is swept along at an insanely frightening speed it suddenly slams to a halt high in the air over this sea of mist. Above him Magnus sees dragons wheeling and flying in lazy circles. Great and ancient Red Dragons; on each of the dragon’s backs sits a fully armored yellow skinned Githyanki, in unison they all turn towards Magnus and even over the distance he feel their gazes lock onto him and knows they are aware of his presence. Magnus gasps! His consciousness returns speeding across the vast spaces in a blur until he is sitting once again in the privacy of his room, this elegant silver weapon in his hand and attuned to him.