Dalnor/Campaign1/session-7

Trail Markers

Session Date: December 6, 2008
"Leave that to me"
"Damn fool, I knew you were going to say that."
"Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?" -Star Wars
Harvest 10, 53

The party awakens in the morning and begins preparations for their journey to the Path of the Rising Moon. Lord Maedros' chamberlain lets himself into the suite and discusses some of the background of the Path of the Rising Moon a bit more: The aspiring nobility take the trail when they feel they are ready to grow into adulthood. Since it is a path of the nobility, you will be expected to act as nobility. Many donate the stone to the castle and cement their position within the nobility in that way. Others find alternative uses for their stone.

He then leads them through a disused section of the castle. Not abandoned, but the feeling that no one stays here very long. As they walk through the castle, Elrohir makes some dark comments about his aunt and her wanting the smokestone. After some prompting he promises to tell the party about his aunt once they have turned onto the Trail of the Rising Moon. The chamberlain leads them to an open arch that leads out of the castle. The arch leads to a winding trail that disappears into the trees that have grown right up to the edge of the castle.

At the arch, the chamberlain has some final comments for the party: You are looking for a trail split that is lit by a single oil lamp. You will know it when you see it. Do not leave the path. Do not take any of the other trails you may see.

The party leaves the castle and hikes down the trail. The path is wide and smooth with the occasional trail that splits off from it. While the other trails come in a variety of sizes and trail condition, there is no mistaking the main trail from the offshoots. As they walk, Elrohir tells the party about his aunt: Aunite Nimia seized the family name, fortune, and good looks when Elrohir's father died. She subsequently exiled Elrohir to the elf lands.

Party finds the trail that is lit by a lamp. It is an old oil lamp with a wick. The lamp is sitting on a platform that is hung from a tree. The parry turns onto the trail. The main trail is quickly obscured by the trees as the party advances down the new trail.

The trail opens up into a large clearing with no other apparent trail or exit. In the center of the clearing is a figure, hooded and cloaked, sitting on a tree trunk. He asks each in kind: what do you want, what do you aspire to? What is your ambition?

Elrohir initially he says that he wants the Smokestone to help the little girl. The guardian rejects this saying "Is that all you aspire to? To just get a stone?" To which Elrohir responds "Revenge..... and redemption"
Lucius Telfanesays "In service one gains nobility" The guardian thinks about this for a while and finally accepts this.
Crash says "To help the dwarven homeland and free it from the darkness that has overtaken it." The guadian accepts this without comment.
Varien says "The journey is the great thing" The guardian thinks about this for while before accepting this.
Safiria says "To seek that which is forbidden" The guardian chellenges this asking "if it is forbidden, should it be sought out?" to which Safira answers "That each should make the decision for themselves"
Alex Plowright To live to an old age

The guardian accepts these answers (with some color commentary) and points the characters on their path.

As they walk the trail begins to ascend. It is noted that the moon is not visible.

The trail turns a corner and the party is confronted with a 40 foot tall cliff. While trying to work out a solution the party finds an eladrin at the base of the cliff. The wounded gentlemen had tried to free climb the cliff. Safiria scuttles up the cliff and then discovers that she doesn't have the strength to hold a party member and the landing on the cliff is conspicuously bare of tie or attachment points. Party hoofs up the cliff and hauls the wounded guy up as well.

The party gets to top of cliff. They see a good view of the valley below. There is no moon above, and the castle is obscured by a haze.

While the party walks up the trail, Lucius notices that the woods are muted. Not silent, but muted. As they walk, the nature of the trail slowly changes, one side dropping away to a cliff and a sharp rise on the other. After some distance the trail abruptly into a narrow slot that pierces the cliff face.

The party comes upon an arena with a single guardian in the center.

Guardian with a chain. It attempts to hook people with the chain and haul them into melee range. Crash gets the chain tangled on the entry arch. As the guardian attempts to free his chain the entire party sprints across the open arena and into the passage beyond.

Walk more. Up ahead the party hears the sounds of combat.

The party sees goblins attacking a village. The goblin hexer is good at using his minions as damage sponges. The party wipes out the attacking goblins.

Rescue village. Why are goblins up here attacking people? Al is leary of raiding festering corpses.

The party rests in the village.

The party hikes to the summit.

Party arrives at the Temple. It is a wide open platform where the sides fall away sharply. Full moon visible. In the center of the platform is a ring of six pillars surrounding a firepit.

The party sees a figure step out of each pillar. The guardians address the party.

The party quikcly comes to the conclusion that obtaining the foxfire through force of arms is not trully an option. Instead they decide to parlay with the guardians.

Elrohir delivers an eloquent speech about how the girl needs help and this is a noble cause, only to blow it out of the water by says "we will not be getting any more compensation then we were contracted for"

Safiria pulls his fat from the fire and Elrohir gives it another go.

The guardians take what has been said and also note that their definitions of nobility do not always match what the people in the castle deem to be noble traits. The six guardians reach into the fire and produce the smokestone.

The guardians then pass the stone to Elrohir.

The guardians instruct the party to use this stairwell (which is then unveiled), as it will take them take to wence they started. The party reemerges on the main trail and can see the trail head with the oil lamp about 100 feet away.

When the party gets onto the main trail they start watching for eladrin ninja possibly sent by Nimia.

Party walks back to the castle. Upon arrival they find the chamberlin waiting for them. Together they thread their way back to the inhabited parts of the castle. They stop and talk to the Eladrin lord who gave them directions to the path. Although invited, the party declines an additional night's stay in the castle, fearing reprisals from Elrohir's aunt.

The party quickly gathers their remaining belongings (horses included) and headed down the trail to the gate.

Just before the gate they encounter Nimia's chamberlin. In the discussion he states that Elrohir has "Earned her enmity". Elrohir shrugs this off saying that "he's had that since he was exiled". To which the chamberlain replies "No, no you haven't"

The party passes through the gate to the human lands.

Waiting for them is a heavily armored eladrin with a starved quickling at the end of a control collar. The Eladrin lets the quickling go and teleports out.

The quickling goes on a run of stab and chop. During the fight there is hurried discussion of running for it. The party judges how fast the quickling scoots around the battlefield and decides they are better off fighting with their backs to the wall. Eventually they bring it low and kill it.

The party collects themselves and tries to decide if they want to hole up here or head back to town and hope their isn't a second one of those things out in the woods.

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Previously: Live and Let Die

Continued in: Dragon Hunting
Campaign 1 Index