[ DM: the RedWater Fellowship go up a level and gain new abilities and spells]
Date: Month: Coldeven (Common) Moonday,10th [Snowflowers: Elvish]
The heroes rest and search the warehouse hideout further. Kantif and Graxusas do some investigation and with the sorcerer's detect magic cast search the decrepit and ransacked warehouse rooms. The heroes note a ward around Thogra's room -seemingly divine. the 2 find a flagstone that holds some treasure of worth and then a strange illusion at the base of a pillar in one of the large rooms which defies their attempts to open or dispel.
After this searching, the party then rests. In the Green it seems though that it is difficult for any to rest here, all the fellowship experience nightmares..
Cedric: since in the Green a nagging.. Itch or whisper continues to just be beyond your awareness. the spirits of the dead haunt your dreams.. As if a procession of everyone hear that has died.. You see a young woman with long blonde hair in a flowing gown. You know her! She smiles at you as she walks amongst the procession of dead that walk thru your mind..
a girlfriend, close friend, a sister..?? You cannot remember!
The scene changes.. She walks with you as you stroll down a lane there are people everywhere.. Live and well. the Spring flowers and trees are in bloom, smiling she looks about and races off into a small park. You chase after laughing.. As you run.. You see the people smile and laughing enjoying the park change.. Skin starts to peel back.. Bone shows, eyeballs wither away into empty sockets.. Flesh is eaten away by maggots and slithering dark creatures you cannot bear to look at. They still seem not to notice as you recoil from them. The girl laughs still racing ahead of you.. There is a bridge over a small stream. She stands on the railing and looks back at you laughing. All around you now the people are either crumbling to dust or walking skeletal or dead flesh walking.. A shadowy creatures stands at the far end of the bridge. Cloaked and hooded. She does not see it.. She laughs once more and walks the railing teetering left and right with her arms out to balance. With a motion of a long clawed hand, a pulse of force energy hits the bridge.. And the girl slips and falls off the railing.. You run to the railing and look over into an abyss of darkness. The laughter continues for a moment, you look to the far end of the bridge the cloaked figure seems to smile even though you cannot see its features.. The cloaked figure turns to you then and you realize you should not meet its eyes.. If you do.. It will know you.. It will have you, even.. your past life.. Don't look into its eyes.. as you awake with a start, covered in sweat.
Graxusas - you see a young man - looks to be a 1/2 elf - in the shirt and cloak of the famous circus you ran, he asks you a question, and with a nod and grin he races away. You are not sure, but think this may have been one of the staff to assist with tent setup, packing and unpacking the wagons - a roadie - hmm.. there was a family of 1/2 elves in the troupe.. Yes! the Tormins. You see him and his brother and mother laughing as they setup a tent, working away happily. You look forward to the take in coin tonight, both from the people coming to see the show and the marks unaware they will be fleeced. Your grin widens at the thought..
The scene changes.. You see your circus being attacked by Black Rune forces and all the people being put in slave collars, those that did not die to the blades of the dwarves. As you stand there, they file passed, each one looking at you with pleading eyes and words to save them, free them.. You laugh and a Black rune dwarf standing next to you grins and counts large gold coins into your hand.
As you look towards the file of new slaves, you see your circus wagons burning.. Your friends dying.. And in the background.. A cloaked figure stands. One clawed hand grasping the throat of one of your dear friends.. The cloaked figure turns its head to you then and you realize you should not meet its eyes.. If you do.. It will know all.. Don't look into its eyes.. You jerk awaking from the horrible nightmare..
Kantif: As you sleep, at first, it is the times with your family, good times, cherished and with your loving mother and brother and sister.
The scene changes. You find yourself back with your old unit in the Black runes in Fax. You enter a small finishing village. The other BR troops lay about killing those whom resist and taking slaves. You try and covertly help a small hobbit boy, hiding him in some hay behind a stack of wood in a barn. But the other BRs are very skilled at finding any hiding from the slave collar. And the boy is taken and joins the slaves, crying.
The scene changes and you see your father.. The shadow assassin. He stands before a tall cloaked figure nodding and then bows. Turning towards you he grins and winks and steps into some shadows and fades away.
The scene changes and you see a prince or duke playing with his family, holding a young girl in his arms. Then a blade appears in the prince's throat. Gagging blood, he stumbles and the child falls from his arms with a cry. There stands your father wiping the long wicked blade on the cloak of the fallen prince. Your father looks to you with another smile and winks again as he turns to the family. Behind, you see the cloaked figure again, then it turns its head towards you and you realize you should not meet its eyes.. If you do.. It will know all.. It will be able to control you like it does your father…? Don't look into its eyes..
You jerk awaking from the horrible nightmare.. Breathing heavily..
Doc Holliday: you sleep, you have not slept this well in many a moon. As you sleep you dream and figures are approaching you.. It is as if you see your self multiple times. Then you realize it is you each one is you. And each one is you at the moment you died. Your eyes blur with tears for a moment and then you see Her. And for a long moment, all the pain washes away as if in a waterfall. It is Her. The Raven Queen. Ravens flitter and fly about her. She seems to be walking away from you towards a shadowy realm, but you can see that mask, that beautiful mask.. All is.. Perfect as she glances back that one time about to look at you?
Then all goes wrong.. The ravens die.. Flesh peeling away, feathers falling to dust, the gentle familiar cawing you enjoy turning to whispers and cackles and gurgles. She turns to face you and it is not Her.. It is a cloaked figure and kneeling before it is your grandfather one large clawed hand comes down to encompass his head. And then the cloaked figure looks up to you.. you realize you should not meet its eyes.. If you do.. It will know all.. It will know your whole tribe…it will find them.. None of the Hollidays will ever see the Raven Queen.. Don't look into its eyes..
You jerk awaking from the nightmare.. Looking about wildly for a moment..
Gothi: you sleep.. At your feet is Jawbone, keeping you safe. You see your kin.. You feel the connection to them all through the crystal gem. It has been so long.. years, decades.. centuries..? Since you felt this.. Right. You join with your brethren to the link that connects you all and it is.. Right. In your dream you feel the pulse of the gem in your body and breathe a long sigh content..
The scene changes and you see the dragon.. Trapped under the ice at the top of the mountain lake. Why.. Do you feel you have a connection to this dragon?
The scene changes again No.. Something is wrong.. You see one of your kin - a young man - being captured by black Runes in Enstad. No longer burning.. Burnt trees and destruction everywhere. The young man is in a slaves collar and led to a tall cloaked figure. The cloaked figure reaches out to the boy, it's long claws digging in as the boy cries out. You know what it digs for.. The boys slumps to the ground as the cloaked figure's head turns to you, one clawed hand holding a dripping crystal.. you realize you should not meet its eyes.. If you do.. It will know you.. It will be able to find you.. it will find all your kind.. Don't look into its eyes..
You jerk awaking from the horrible nightmare.. Safe.. For now..
All the heroes wake-up at the same time.. each covered in sweat and glancing about. Troubled, most take some
for the onslaught.
The foremost undead looks to be a combination of many humanoids all mashed together. Heads,arms and legs stitched seem to make its massive frame. The party using some of their new abilities and spells are able to defeat the monstrous creature and a horde of smaller skeletons and zombies
Resting a little, Graxusas, decides to smash the giant's hammer on the illusion at the base of the pillar. This does not have the affect that he wanted as the ceiling started to cave-in! Just as he was leaving, he saw the illusion had fallen and a set of stairs going down were visible amongst the falling timbers and blocks of stone..
The party then moves out. Thogra gathers the bones of Fluffy, and puts them in a bag that would not be able to hold that much size and weight. Heading towards the Colosseum, Rigo, the guard of the kobold cleric to Istus - Skrit - is reluctant to come and takes his leave to head to Skully town, with Skrit having decided to join Cedric in the paladin's quest.
Using Graxusas' well as the find the path ability of Kantif's monkish skills, the party is able to skillfully cross a large part of the Green, avoiding wandering undead.
Coming up to the area of the Colosseum, the Fellowship see what looks to be a large building, three stories high with balconies. Declan advises these used to be apartments, but are now boarded up, the other side of the buildings is the actual amphitheatre.
Using a variety of skills the party scales the side of the apartment building and breaks in to the rooms overlooking the amphitheatre. A large clear area on this side of the river had a variety of undead milling about.. on the opposite side of the river large sets of seats / bleachers were setup, where it looks like Black Rune dwarves, and other Wayberrians sat in anticipation of the upcoming events. A large crane with a cage that would hold 3 or 4 humanoid sized creatures looks to be able to swing over from the other side of the river to deposit them for battle. Declan shakes his head..
"No one usually survives the Deathground" The boys sighs.
The Fellowship relized they would need to go into Wayberry - perhaps a prison break to find whom they searched for.
Next time.. espionage in Wayberry..
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