Urnwards we go

Summary

Adventure: Urnwards we go On Plane
GM: Gordon
Session: Autumn 805
Night: ???
Location: ???
Level: Medium?

Party:

Eltan
Morgen the orc
Gerald the illusionist
Dramus
Reck
Veor

Employer:
Sir John Black, 6'2", Steely Grey eyes, a very distinctive ragged scar down his right check. A Knight of Duke Leto's court.

Mission:
Pulled aside after the guild meeting individually, a hand picked group of us assembled to get our brief. After introducing ourselves, and sorting who did what, (see below), we hear from our employer. We are wanted to escort some deliveries of Urns carrying remains to the families of the deceased as well as return appropriate personal effects.
We will be doing this in a discrete manner posing as escort, (and probably actually doing the real escorting as well) for a caravan train run by Kalim Ibam, a fairly well known trader from the Desert Horse clans. A mage of some description, he is known as an honest man concerning his word, though there is also talk that his word is more binding than others sometimes, implying Geas like abilities. The ultimate destination of this train will be the Kingdom of Bright (Dwarven kingdom of Bright-rock?) to the North.
This seems an odd location to take remains from the fight against the dark circle to, but ours is not to accuse the employer before we get our money.

Pay:
Was something.

Records

1st Fruit

We receive our briefing and then depart, heading off our separate ways to prepare. I get a large bag of silver I am told is a loan from Duke Leto for this job. I spend it.

4th Fruit

We reassemble ready to leave with the Caravan, apparently we have a delay. Sir John would like us to investigate the bandits that caused his huntsman, (that he was going to have give us a small training 'exercise' in the woods to slippery rock), grief. We oblige, tracking them down with the help of the now resurrected Huntsman Chris (An E&E).
A short walk, and we are at their camp, we charge in, only to find that the cunning bandits have their perimeter trapped with tripwires. Fighting ensues, with the bandits' captain getting away for a bit.
"Gerald goes Poof".

We secure his 2nd in command, some loot, and quite a few prisoners. It turns out that they are deserters from the fight against the Dark Circle, and the decision is made to hand them over to the powers of light to deal with.
That night the cuisine experts discuss baby hobbits, cream buns and goblins, how to cook them and what wine to have.

5th Fruit

In the morning we meet Kalim down at the docks. We are joined by Altan who didn't partake in the previous days festivities against the competent bandits. As we prepare we are joined by Hasan, the brother of Kalim, though they bear little physical resemblance to each other, and Hali. They bring with them the main reason we cannot use portals to deliver the Urn's quickly, in that we are also escorting a mysterious box that is stamped with the mark of the Trading house of the Bright. This box will explode or something worse if flown, portaled, or other similar travelling magic is used on it.
Morgen and Reck bounce a couple of thieves spotted sizing up the wagons for theft, grilling them, though not literally, for information. They report Hali having been around the docks for the last little while buying things from Captains.
Shortly before we leave Hasan goes into a slightly trance like state, and gives several short statements while looking at people, though they are highly unclear. Following after this we set off, the whole trail of us.
5 Drivers, 10 Guards, 2 cooks, 5 wagons, Kalim, Hasam, Hali, Sir John, the Party, Dramus' coach and his driver, Alexander.

First stop on the Agenda, the little village of Sunnynook.

Somewhere around midday we arrive at the village of sunnynook, a quaint little place with lots of bright colouring around, and populated by cheerful hobbits. Children mob us when we arrive, and are promptly fed grapes by Gerald. Kalim handles the initial introductions with a village elder, Seraphina, and we are welcomed into the village. Lunch is served and following this Kalim settles to trading. Hasam is lead off part way through this by a couple of priestly looking hobbits, Morgen and Gerald accompany them. Later when they rejoin the party they explain that they took a 2-hour walk, to a cave where an old man, and a giant Jackal on a chain awaited. Hasam spoke to the jackal at some length, and came away looking much better, and summoned wings for all to return on with a snap of his fingers.
Leaving that Afternoon, we head on, getting a brief itenary. The intended path of travel is up into Ranke, onwards to Mordeaux, zig up to Aladar, then Drakenburg, then nip to Aquilia, and from there a long trip to the Land of the Bright. The first house we are to deliver an Urn to is the house of Hayden Paul.

That night we stop at a moderate quality travellers rest. Routinely Reck discovers a suspicious person seen snooping around, and a few of the faster people give chase. Whoever it is gets away, and Morgen laments not getting elvish meat to eat that night.

6th of Fruit

We set off in the morning, Reck disturbing the drivers by stealing their lines. An ambush is expected, and some of the party lark about standing up on the saddle. Midmorning we are approaching a crossroads and a loud bang is heard. Several horses fly past with an elf, whom gives us a cheery wave, smelling remarkably like the one last night. Dramus and Gerald give chase after a quick conversation with a cart owner to recover a box, unfortunately cracking it in the process. Maggots can be seen inside, and a couple ooze out. Meanwhile the rest of the party panics realising the cart owner has a Basilisk in the back of his cart.

"Why do you have a dangerous beast?"
"He's probably dwarf smuggling, check the undercarriage."

Watching, one of the maggots matures before our eyes, hatching into some kind of beetle. Various measures are taken to encase the cracked box, stepping up the level of encasement as the beetle keeps breaking out, and 3 more follow. They appear to be some kind of Basilisk beetle. As dangerous as a normal Basilisk, as tough, if not tougher, but beetle sized and flying. Ultimately the box is bound in Permanent ice and sent to the guild for dealing with.
The idiot thieves were trying to steal a gem, which the cart owner had in a similar looking box, and resulted in nearly causing a plague instead.
Later that day we deliver the first couple of urns in a small town in Ranke and settle to camp the night, to continue into Mordeaux the next day.

7th of Fruit

We set off in the morning. Two Urn deliveries are to be made in Mordeaux. One to the Mariana family, and one to the DeWinthra family. Passing through customs, they check our pouch of 'papers' and we continue on.
That afternoon we accompany Sir john to make the delivery to the DeWinthra family. The town which the DeWinthra manor is located in has swarms of young Michaeline knights, many of them appearing below the normal age for such.
Arriving we are shown into a walled estate, with a goodly number of guards in it, entering the manor house we wait a while, observing the spies observing us in various ways, before Lady DeWinthra can see us. Dramus washes his hands. Lady DeWinthra quizzes Sir John as to the details of the battle in which the family members died, showing detailed mil-sci knowledge. The rest of the evening passes relatively uneventfully.

8th of Fruit

We leave a bit late, as befits most adventuring parties. Kalim as usual frets over our late departure. John, on his way out the door, gets accosted by a women we assume to be Seraphina (later proven to be her mother, Angelina), and slapped in the face, disguising a neat message delivery asking us to save her son.

Dramus and Gerald head off on an errand, catching up with us as we hit an ambush, with earth mages causing a quagmire to catch our carts, goblin arrow storms, and agony all around.

Dramus of Reck killing people; "She's not a spy, she's not an assassin. She's just Hormonal"

Altan to Morgen; "Come here Orc." "No, Don't eat me"

We clear up one flank and head back in time to catch the few that attempted to abscond with some urns, and the other flank clears also. Morgen has worms on the brain.

Questioning a few survivors, we find that the elves ambushing us didn't really know what was going on, though they can name their employer. We decide discretion is the better part of valour, and travel fast, putting down the horses as we arrive in a town somewhere most of the way into Aladar. The prisoners handed over to the town guard. Pity we couldn't do it the other way around.
Altan and Morgen share a room for the night, the rest of us take care not to look in.

9th of Fruit

We take a delivery to Highbury hall, and a side trip to visit Gerald's Fief in the area for dinner, and a day of rest.

10th of Fruit

Morgen on debate about who slapped John

"I know all humans look alike, but surely humans can tell humans apart."

We make some plans based on what we know, and pay a return visit to the De'Winthra family to investigate further. On our arrival we discover that Phillippe has gone missing, and either Angelina or Seraphina have also been mislaid.
Searching the house we find them, in a semi religious sort of room in some sort of ritual. Attempted polite conversation we are attacked first through control magic by Seraphina, and then in every way possible, and fight desperately to rescue Phillippe whom appears to have been kidnapped by Seraphina. We succeed and Seraphina is killed along the way, though her body is recovered for resurrection. A sword she was wielding appears to have been some kind of religious artefact that was rather unpleasant.

Morgen on some mist
"The burning Michaely goodness"

From conversation with a guard captain we find out that Philip vanished the night we left, and some areas of the house were sealed off. It looks as if the house was split into two factions The Lady Rachael thanks us for solving the problem for her. Incidentally it appears that the Lady Rachael has some current dealings with the Bishop of Mordauex, despite them not being friendly for over 20 years. We continue on investigating the house under Lady Rachael's instructions.

Dramus
"If anyone starts waving their hands around and chanting, stick cold iron in them. This does not include me"

Investigating another wing of the house, we find the lady Angelina and converse with her about the matter, discovering that Seraphina was attempting to somehow marry her son, to speak with Michaels voice and lay command of armies through him. The wand/sword is named "The will of Michael"
Heading back up the way we found the ceremony again, we encounter some further resistance, capturing or killing most, though one does manage to escape.

11th of Fruit

Discussing things, it is decided that Phillip with accompany John to Duke Leto's court, Duke Leto being named Phillip's foster father.
We then catch up with Kalim after sorting these matters, and find he has finished trading and is ready to leave in the morning.

12th of Fruit

We leave for Drakenburg, only having 3 deliveries remaining, two inside Drakenburg and 1 more in Aquila.
We travel for a while.

21st of Fruit

We reach the small town of Wonklebury, on the border of Drakenburg, and the next day we continue along the great northern road delivering urns, finally winding up in Broken Saddle.

23rd of Fruit

A delivery is made to Lord Asher, sadly a double delivery in one urn, where not enough remains could be found to make two urns. Lord Asher appears somewhat expectant of the news, and very distracted from his governance of the town.

24th of Fruit

Lord Asher asks Sir John to stand in his place in the judgement hall, however Sir john declines, instead delegating this responsibility to the party, where it ends up falling to Morgen the Orc to dispense justice today, with Gerald acting as her translator. It apparently goes well with common sense prevailing.
Sir John instead occupies time his own way.
Dramus goes drinking in the local pub, to be accosted by a small purple eyed girl wanting conversation, however showing typical elvish social graces, he ignores her as beneath him.

25th of Fruit

Morgen on Hobbits
"One day your people will be free, but for now they're food"

We head off for the house of Lady Pommet. While visiting Morgen and Reck exchange comments in Orcish about something, Sir John apparently understanding, and a hurried exit is forced on him by them, wonder what they were talking about. Maybe I'm better off not knowing.

26th of Fruit

We leave the house of Lady Pommet and head north for Gratz to avoid the worse area's of Drakenburg.

2nd of Harvest

We are half way through Delheim now, staying the night in a little village. That night the party is disturbed by a distraught peasant women about her missing child, and as she tells her tale 3 more come in. We decide to take a look, though after the innkeeper attempts to hurry us out the door Morgen and Dramus size him up for the cook pot, then Morgen armours up. Some people cast a few spells. Investigating we find some signs of clawed footprints, that turn out to be goblins.

Morgen; "Do humans have claws?"
Reck; "No."
Morgen; "But a few of the wealthier women...."

We follow the tracks at high speed, finding the camp and barrelling in, and dear god, hundreds of goblins swarm the party, showers of burning stones thrown with deadly accuracy, half the party takes some kind of broken something.

Morgen on Shopping.
"How else do you know if it's food or not till you stick it in your mouth and chew."

A falling star takes Gerald out after he goes up to meet it and surfs it all the way down straight into the ground, however we deal to the orc we blame for it, and recover 6 live children, and one cooked and half eaten. We think they might be beyond resurrection. Heading back Dramus wanders off, apparently to talk to a revenant and gets delayed by an elven poet. 3 days are spent fixing bones.

6th of Harvest

Recovered from our injuries we set off again, waving at bandits as we travel through various passes, spending dinner with them one night as good hosts, no we didn't kill them, I do mean a real dinner.

23rd of Harvest

Kalim reaches his destination and delivers the box. We are released from his services. Overhead multiple fliers can be seen flying in various directions, like the world is about to end.

24th of Harvest

End of the world is looking more likely; even dwarves are up there flying around in the mess. Hali requests our help in 'chatting' to her former employers who tried to sell her into slavery. They appear to be some kind of evil binders that specialize in flesh crafting creatures into weird and wonderful things with magical abilities, however we lack any motivation to do this, so return to the guild on the 25th of Harvest, safe and sound, to catch up on the news and find when the world is going to end. Apparently it was just some murders.