Event 30th April 2017

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Next 29th May 2017

Our adventures started on orc mesa towers with the prisoner Greg. A man with two broken legs and someone the orcs had no interest in. Serjann, pregnant and irritated, made a fine foil for the diplomacy or intimidation of Tol Duru. Greg disclosed information and explained just how deep the Quinn’s machinations would go. They planned to take out all the wedding guests to their daughter’s marriage on board their own gambling ship. 

We left him to heal up and headed back into town. We skirted the town and headed directly to the wall protecting the Quinn’s gambling den from the lava flow. There were a few guards at a weakened dam, but they proved no problem. None escaped, so intent were we on our mission that the men never had a chance to surrender – a taste of our new-found attitude. We could not trust anyone in town. To protect the townsfolk without knowing who the Quinn’s had subverted made us cynical and a little determined at heart.
Garret volunteered to go on overwatch, standing on the dam as a pretend guard. He also had a corpse to wave its hand occasionally to make it seem happy, gay and alive when any Quinn approached.

Rasheed, Sashaan and Ryn helped build a makeshift wall to provide us with some cover.

Then Ryn agreed eventually to stealth around the gambling ship alone. His powers of vanish and natural size proved helpful. The halfling came back with no useful equipment but a few titbits of information.

Next a change of guards is due to take place. The wagon slowly approaches with four men and their boss. Unfortunately, they did not believe our sham, then Tol Duru slotted a man in brutal fashion. This heralded a scream from the ship, someone had watched the barbarian act. As we battled to overcome the Quinn soldiers, alarms were raised and a messenger headed into town.

Many bodies later…..the Captain Furnas, her guards and Quinn and some of his men too arrived. We agreed to be taken prisoner, something which Tol Duru hated. He was very eloquent, enough to prove we would not leave the dam quickly or easily. But the alternative was a combat with everyone in town and Sashaan made the half-orc keep his word to surrender to the Captain and only the Captain.

Despite our misgivings, we stayed in jail for two weeks while the truth came out. The clues and information gathered led to Zolin Quinn fleeing for his life to Cinderfell. By the time, we were set free – Brandt had returned to his senses. But Serjann didn’t want him back, not with that mental weakness. The village turned back to us, except Sashaan’s uncle. A man who never came to see his nephew – not once.

The Race Against Time
The defeat of Quinn left a power vacuum in town. Several merchants realised that they could profit from the lack of any regular caravans to and from Cinderfell. We were propositioned by more than one thanks to our notoriety.
First was Miska Eddenard offering a fine deal with a 10,000-gold credit note, 500 gold for us and we would also get 50% of the profits. 
Next was Graham Calder, with a better offer. But the agreement we were to sign was not to our liking nor was the man. He did however have the talking dog, George, in his employ. Rasheed used every artifice and dodge to get the dog released to his service. In the end, Rasheed got his own way.
We returned to Miska and made a good deal. He gave us 700 gold to buy horses and equipment. Garret and Sashaan left to get the horses. But a kerfuffle in the square over a barrel of ale saw the pair separated. Sashaan carried on while Garret helped empty the barrel. He then confirmed that Sashaan had chosen good horseflesh. They bought 4 horses, one heavy horse and a pony with Wilbur the horse cart. It transpired that the horses were not the best quality. Ryn bought some silks for the journey from Snibley. George came with us. Rasheed and Tol Duru obtained a map, even correcting the cartographer, to show our route. The party left at dusk, as soon as everyone was ready, Miska was impatient for our return.

We rode past midnight. It is believed that other adventurers and merchants are on the same mission and may be up to no good (c.f. Garret’s ale). Our plan was to hurry.

And thanks to that persistence the ravine ferry lay close enough to touch. There were other adventurers and a mad dash ensued. Through trees and bees, swamps and hurdles we raced up to the ferryman. The opposition used force to win through so they could have no complaints when Tol Duru visited the same violence on them.

Across we travelled ahead and paid for the ferryman to dawdle back and extend our lead. The arguments over the high or low pass continued all the way to the fork in the road. No one knew enough to make their argument stick. But in the end the safer and slower route was taken. Worse Tol Duru stole away the sign so that those following would get lost.

In the gentle valley, evil bandits ambushed us, goblinoids that could not stand up to the backlash we gave them. Tol Duru may be a slayer at heart, but the rest of us fell into blood lust – except that is George who hid.

Finally, with Cinderfell almost upon us, the road ahead was blocked. Blocked by those same three adventurers who must have taken the high pass to get back into the lead. A swift fight and a satisfactory conclusion led to the man Brint captured and the other two dead.


But what lies ahead in Cinderfell? And where is Quinn?