EPISODE 1: The Troopers Hit the Road

 Now we begin the current adventures with the new party! Kon has successfully been recruited. He, and his relatively full purse, are a welcome addition.

Party: Toth’s Troopers

Adventure: #1 “The Road to the Fort"

Session Number: 3

Session Date: 3/1/26 (Soladain, 21 Thaumont. AC 1000 - Moldain, 25 Thaumont)

Adventure Background:

Toth and his party have heard the rumors about a monster-infested dungeon in the moors north of Kelvin. While they could strike out cross-country, they choose instead to play it safe and follow the river south toward Kelvin, then turn northeast up the Hillfollow to the Fort. It will take longer, but you can’t get lost following the water, and there are towns along the way.

Once they reach the Guido’s Fort, they will plan their next move.

The Troopers:

Toth Casksword (L) Male Fighter 1. Leader of the group.

Alzador (N) Male Magic User 1.

Bailey (N) Male Thief 1

Brother Kenton (L) Male Cleric 1. (Church of Karameikos)

Konstantin (Kon) Maras (N) Male Fighter 1.

The party struck out from Threshold at midday, after spending the morning gathering supplies. They followed the river south, along the west side. By the early evening they had reached the crossing to Verge, but the ferry, along with the town’s gates, were already shut for the night.

Suddenly there was a low growl from the high grasses. A marsh panther appeared, pacing at the path’s edge. It had apparently smelled the mule and thought it an easy meal. It didn’t expect so many armed men standing around its intended prey. Now it was uncertain how to proceed, but seemed unwilling to leave.

Alzador told the group he intended to blind the creature with magic and began chanting a spell. Toth readied an arrow and Kon pulled a javelin out as Bailey started his sling spinning. All three men fired their missiles at the cat and all three struck home. As the panther yowled in pain, Alzador’s spell went off. A bright light shone out of the cat’s eyes, filling its vision and effectively blinding it. The beast whipped about in panic then charged into the grass, weaving erratically as it tried to find it way. Toth let out a breath of relief. Turning to Alzador, he said “Nice work.” The young mage responded with a brief nod.

They found a ferryman’s hut just off the path, down at the riverbank. As it was expected for travelers arriving late in the day to use the shelter, the party happily ensconced themselves. There was no room for the mule inside, but there was a small fenced corral adjacent to the hut.

In the morning, the party crossed as soon as the ferry arrived. Kon generously used some of his money from his previous adventures to cover the fees. The party wasted no time in Verge, eager to make time on their journey, they left heading south toward Rifflian. Alzador was actually talkative for a change, excited to see an elven community.

A few miles north of the town, Brother Kenton called a halt and pointed skyward over the river, where the trees didn’t block the sky. For a moment, Kon wondered why they had stopped to look at clouds, then he saw the creature swoop over the water from their side of the river the other. Then another, and another again. Soon they could all see over half a dozen hippogriffs circling the area. The beasts seemed aware of but uninterested in the party. Bailay wondered idly whether capturing one was possible, as some noble might pay handsomely for such a mount. The rest of the party was skeptical of their chances against so many large, flying monsters. “Besides,” Toth told Bailey, “I think you need to find eggs or babies to train up. Adults are too wild, so I hear. Good luck tracking those back to their nests from the ground in these woods.”

Bailey nodded a bit glumly. “Still,” he replied, “Might be worth remembering the live around here for another time.”

At Rifflian, it was difficult to say if Alzador was pleased or disappointed. Other than an unusually high percentage of elves in the town, and some elaborately carved wooden structures, it wasn’t so different than most small towns in Karameikos. The inn was clean and the food good. Kon covered the lodging costs, but it was just for the common room.

In the morning, the party made good time to Kelvin, catching the ferry to the city before nightfall this time. While in town, Kon questioned Bailey about his sling. “Why not a bow?”

The young thief shrugged. “Maybe if we make some coin on this job I’ll upgrade.”

Kon thought for a moment, “How much you have now?”

Bailey replied without even looking in his purse with the confidence of a man who doesn’t have that many coins to keep track of, “Five gold.”

Kon pointed at a weapons shop in the square. “That bow is ten. I’ll loan you five. I also have a bunch of arrows on Mule you can use.”

Bailey, unused to such generosity, was suspicious, “Why would you do that?”

Kon shrugged, “I saw you hit that big cat in the half dark. You’re a good shot. If you can be hitting the bad guys harder from a distance, it’s less fighting I have to do close-up.”

Bailey grinned. “Self-interest. Now that I can understand! Just a loan then.”

Taking the ferry to the eastern shore, the group turned north up the Hillfollow River. By late afternoon a small settlement came into view along the riverbank. On the edge of the village was a fortified compound with a wooden palisade. They had arrived at Guido’s Fort. Across the water was a large, wooded hill. Even though the sun was still in the sky, the hill looked shrouded in gloom somehow.

End Adventure 1