| Session Date | August 5, 23 |
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| Base XP Gained | Carry Over |
| Player Notes | ZZ's Notes |
Back at the ruins of Westvale Hall by sunrise, the party took a more serious look over the defensive precautions the six Dwarves had taken. These seemed well considered, though the party decided to arm the Dwarf sentry atop a nearby high hill with a crossbow of distance and some marked bolts so that he could shoot warning shots into the courtyard of the ruins if needed. A Dwarf would be assigned to watch for this and also be a backup, close-in sentry.
The party now decided to rest not in the ruins but in the woods nearby, leaving Floi in command of the Dwarves. While there, they noted a strange figure observing them. This proved to be the so-called Recorder, doing his thing. Hans attempted ESP on him without success, so he took a look over his shoulder. The man was writing what the party was doing in a quite dry, academic style without apparent enthusiasm. Hans put his hand on his shoulder and received an annoyed look in reply, “I’m busy working.” Hans said he was checking for accuracy in the account which further annoyed the Recorder. He claimed that he wrote on “matters of great import.” When asked if ever made mistakes he said no, and even if he did the Editors would correct it. He refused to say who they were, only that they were “well above your intellect.” Eventually, he simply vanished, his work apparently complete.
Later in the afternoon, the party received a pre-arranged audio signal from the keep (hoots, twice like a barn-owl and once like a screech-owl). The party returned to the ruins to learn that a “ball of shadow” had flown over, not far from the keep, heading in the direction of Manston (the hilltop sentry had also shot a signal bolt). Sirius now invisibly flew up a relief sentry and brought the other back to report. He said that a that the weird “ball of shadows” was some 30 to 40 feet in diameter and had descended into the Citadel of Manston and disappeared. Based on the trajectory, ZZ speculated that it came form the Giant Steading far to the southwest.
Hans now took to scrying with the crystal ball. Quick checks showed a fair amount of activity in the Citadel and the sentries he saw seemed tense and even a little nervous. Looking into the council chamber, he observed a number of new adventuring types he’d not seen before. There seemed to be a vigorous discussion ongoing. However, a wizard-looking man suddenly ordered silence and Hans felt his scrying was detected, so he cut it off. ZZ followed this up with a divination spell focused on the Citadel. He learned that the relative enemy strength was extremely strong now, the treasure relatively poor, and the threat of supernatural, super powerful beings was also very extreme. The latter surprised the party as to date the threat had been hum or demihuman (plus humanoids and giants). The supernatural threat seemed new and the party speculated the shadow ball might have been less for stealth and more to protect something from sunlight.
The party now took some time to study the papers. They were found to contain a few things of note. There was some oblique reference to reopening the shipyards to support Wellidar’s “armament” and that shipbuilders from there will be arriving soon to oversee work. There was a summary of the “rebels” hiding in Far Andor and that their efforts have largely been negated. More direct action against the town had already been arranged to sow chaos prior to its eventual “liquidation.” There was an order from the Giant King to investigate the spies “working with the aid of the Elves” but to do so discretely and avoid open conflict with the elven Kingdom of Neldoreth for the time being. The whereabouts and activity of the “spies” were of the highest priority, second only to the continued control of Manston. “Northern preparations” were proceeding well. Because of the threats to Far Andor, the party dispatched some of their number there to let the friendly clerics know. They promised to work with the local authorities to improve their readiness and defenses.
The next day, the hilltop sentry shot an alert bolt into the ruins. He reported that large numbers of Hobgoblin and Bugbears were fanning out from the city in every direction, clearly a sweep to find the party. The party had not much more than a half hour to react. They ordered the Dwarves to obscure their camp as best possible (unlikely) and move off into the woods to the south. Going airborne, the party flew to the southwest, not far from the shores of Lake Greensward. There, they commenced attacking some of the patrol groups of Hobgoblins, blasting them with lightning bolts and other spells, as well as meleeing some of them. The Hobgoblins were cut down easily enough and the distraction would hopefully draw attention away form the Dwarves. Sure enough, the forces on the plain began diverting towards the party while fresh forces were deployed from the city. Meanwhile, the party came under sporadic arrow fire form some of the Hobgoblins while others rushed in. After cutting down several more, they all gathered together and became invisible again, ready to continue their harassment…