| Session Date | November 19, 2022 |
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| Base XP Gained | Carry Over |
| Player Notes | ZZ's Notes |
After four months of independent activities, the party found themselves fully reunited on the afternoon of 28 Greenmonth (April) 1273 YM, a night of ill omen as it was Walpurgisnacht, the foul day of Roshim, god of evil. The party, however, was safe and warm in the Castle of the Dry Tree, where the Lady of the Dry Tree had proclaimed a feast of storytelling, saying that deeds of valor, glory, and honor would protect against the evils of the night.
And the night was festive enough, though there was talk of war and looming famine under the ribaldry. At one point, the party was introduced to Deaglan, a half-elf who had wintered over in the castle and was itching to get out to adventure. The Lady vouched for him and the party welcomed them into their company.
Later that evening, a serving wench whispered into ZZ’s ear that she thought the Lady liked him. It seemed an odd statement from the servant, who seemed to have disappeared in the crowd. A short time later, the dwarf found a note under his food that said simply “forward battlement at midnight.” Intrigued, and apparently not concerned with a clandestine meeting outside at midnight on the evilest night of the year, he left the still ongoing feast. Hans followed him, casting invisibility to provide backup if needed. A few minutes after arriving on the cold battlement, a figure stepped from the shadows. It was Ravenna, guildmistress of thieves in Manston. It had been many months since they’d last met.
Ravenna came with word that the six Dwarf soldiers the party had left behind in the city had been taken for spying and were in danger of being executed. Until recently, they’d been left free, apparently in an effort not to anger the Dwarf Kingdom. But now, their lives were in danger. Almost in passing, she added that the folk of Manston were all going to starve today, as well. Apparently, the Giant King had been requisitioning supplies in ever greater quantities, food being the dearest. The last harvest had been a disaster because of the weather. Now, the occupiers were apparently desperate to feed their armies to the west, at the expense of the city. Indeed, they were even raiding the seed corn, which meant the disaster was certain to be compounded unless something happened to stop it.
ZZ was obviously interested in helping his countrymen and said he would talk to the party about it. Ravenna stated that, when they did head out, she would join them. She would be able to get them into the city and to a safe house from whence they could operate with a degree of safety. About this time, Hans managed to startle the usually imperturbable thief by speaking to her from thin air. She quickly regained her composure and vanished into the shadows once more.
Back in the hall, the party quickly decided to return to Manston the following morning. The weather had improved of late, and the party decided they would travel overland across the Endless Plain, due south, until they struck either the shores of the lack or the Blueflood. They discussed possibly flying but decided to take horses instead, lest they lose the thief on the way.
The next day, the party took their leave of the Lady of the Dry Tree. She did not seem concerned at their sudden departure, saying that they would certainly meet again soon enough. Heading out on horseback, they had not gone very far at all when Ravenna appeared on a horse of her own. Above them, Sirius took up an overwatch position, invisibly, to provide early warning of dangers, including the horse nomads whom they’d been warned about.
The journey took four days, as fortunately it was still cold enough the ground had not thawed while the air was less bitter than it had been. During the journey, ZZ used a magic stone to give Nali a report on what the party knew and was up to (sadly, it was one-way communication only). At one point, the party was attacked by a Bulette. The great land shark managed to eviscerate ZZ”s horse and nearly did the same to him, before it was taken down by a cavalry charge from Dane and spells from the various wizards. At another point, the party encountered a patrol or party of horse nomads. They proved to be not overly hostile and willing to parley. Hans successfully bribed them with a small pile of gold coins, which pleased the horsemen mightily Their leader, one Rimhurz, gave him a horsetail pennant as a sign of friendship to his particular clan.
Finally, the party struck the Blueflood, just to the north of Manston. The party brought their horses to a wooded area, where they set Dane’s squire and Burt’s plant mutant to watch them. Then, employing magical means, the party and Ravenna were spirited into the city, landing at a safe house the guildmistrees indicated…