Episode 2 - "Seek the Keep" - 5.29.22
The adventurers manage to arrive at the citadel mostly intact and safely delivering the Swift family and their captive despite a final encounter with more Dragon-Dogs and an Ambush Drake, a larger, deadlier reptilian creature. Riggamort (Riggie) uses an Ensnaring Strike with his bow and Dorugul summons a Divine Smite with his Warhammer against the Ambush Drake, as Furret casts Faerie Fire to trap the group of raiders to grant advantage to his fellow companions' attacks. Rowan casts Lightning Lure and Silvery Barbs in attempt to goad the creatures into attacking him, while Talik successfully multi-attacks with his dart gun and a Furry of Blows with razor sharp talons. While waiting to speak to a representative in charge, Furret manages to sneak away unnoticed to the nearby stable master's bedroom, procuring a few items of note from the alcoholic's dwelling. Roel and Rowan peek inside the Guard's Dormitory and greet a middle-aged guard with strong eyebrows and serious contenance preparing his gear for battle. A guard returns to escort the unconscious Dragon-Dog prisoner to the cells below the citadel, and Dorugul warns the guard that despite the creature's crimes, the Dragon-Dog is under his protection until receiving a fair trial. The party is escorted upstairs to the parapet where the injured Governor Tarbaw Nighthill enthusiastically greets them. Nighthill expresses his gratitude for their help in aiding the citizens of his town, fawning over their bravery with a bit too much intimacy. Dorugul seconds his request to have the Dragon-Dog prisoner treated fairly under the justice of the local law, and Nighthill commends the Half-Orc for his mercy, promising to treat the creature in fairness. Nighthill shares his bewilderment in the cult's interest in Greenest, as the town does not offer much beyond its tourist market. He points out a woman with long dark hair and elaborate purple robes surrounded by a dozen or so guards walking towards the citadel away from the market district. He asks the adventurers to capture a low-ranking officer amongst the cultist raiders to interrogate. He indicates an old, disused tunnel below the citadel as an option to sneak in and out, and tells the party seek out the Master of the Keep, Castellan Escobert the Red, to assist in their task. Escobert is in his chambers searching for something amongst his possessions, appearing distressed with a red haze glazing over his one remaining eye. He eventually locates a small black velvet back from his desk drawer and excuses himself to use lavatory and grab gear in the guard's dormitory. Drift sensing that the dwarf may be hiding something, watches the backdoor to the lavatory from the dormitory, noting that Escobert never enters the room from the lavatory as expected. During the dwarf's brief absence, Bueller (played by Finn) a ferret companion to Furrett manages to steal a few pieces of gold from a desk in the room. While the rest of the party is busy dealing with the dwarf, Roel and Rowan walk through the dining area to the Blacksmith to grab additional weapons. Rowan finds a magical Spear of Returning (named Spear of Nexus) and a Great Sword, while Roel picks up a standard Hand Crossbow. Escobert escorts the party to the Old Tunnel in the citadel basement. Lingering behind the rest of the group, Roel and Furret coordinate an impromptu distraction as Rowan loots the Greenest Jail Chest in the basement, most notably finding a War Pick + 1. Reconvening at the entrance of the tunnel, the adventurers split up to navigate the winding narrow pathways, aided only by the light of Furret's dancing lights spell. They encounter a group of filthy mutated, masses of rats that only briefly overcome Rowan due to the quick reflex casting of Roel's Zephyr Strike and Drift's Toll of the Dead. Eventually the group makes it to the tunnel exit, only to find themselves locked behind a metal grate that drops down into Greenest River. Furret attempted to chip away at the grate's hinges with a hammer while others make failed attempts to open the grate with strength checks. Rowan eventually manages to bust open the grate with the assistance of others, allowing the party to drop into the river below, once again vulnerable to the chaos of the burning town of Greenest… |