Solum Week 34

Recap

Search for Margaret

The party is in Fort Mezinga. The night before was the battle with the Balor. The Clerics of Martha heal up the party significantly, with Voytek adding some heals on top of that.

A Longborn Officer, Major Seagram, arrives at the Fort and rushes into the keep. Voytek goes off to find some prostitutes. Jasper & Marius wait in the courtyard for Chancellor Volbains.

After some time Chancellor Volbains arrives, arguing with Major Seagram. Jasper and Marius go speak with the Chancellor. Marius questions the Chancellor about the Balor, and Chancellor Volbains points out it was impossible for anyone to know ahead of time, then asks of Marius needs a babysitter. Chancellor says the next part of the plan will occur once King Longborn returns with the army.

Jasper and Marius then talk with Major Seagram. He says there will be an alignment in the sky with the star sign of Martha & Felumbra in the next few days, and it is critical that Baby Margaret be at Barbasa Keep to the south. Major Seagram explains that the alignment, on June 15th, will allow people to divine the truth about what the child is for. There may not be enough time to get Margaret from Old Point to Barbasa Keep.

Major Seagram goes off on his horse to report the situation to King Longborn. The party decide to get Margaret to Barbasa keep, then wait for Voytek to come back.

8 hours later, in the afternoon, Voytek comes back to the party and is filled in on the situation. The party get 2 horses from the stables and ride out for Oldpoint. Jasper & Marius sharing a horse.

Introducing Monsieur Varnouche

Later on the road, near some ruins, the party encounter a giant racoon with a gnome sitting on top of it, surrounded by 4 bandits. Voytek casts Dictate on the baintits and the gnone to explain what is going on in song form. The gnome on the giant raccoon sings out for help, saying he is being robbed.

The party move in to attack the bandits. Jasper jumps off Marius's horse and kills a bandit with his morning star. The 2 bandits that resisted "Dictact" attack Varnouche. Marius kills the last 3 banits with arrows. The gnome sings & farts his introduction to the party:

"I come from a village, up North. Amongst 400 gnomes, I was elected and today, I come forth.

I offer you my help, to protect the kingdom. For I am Monsieur Varouche and zis is my mighty steed, Lotor.

Some might say we are farouche, but we are also of great honor.

I want to rid the land of ze Voraci, as they have brought only pain and misery.

have to protect my dear family, and today, I am here to join your party."

For the next six minutes Monsieur Varnouche is forced to keep singing over and over. Jasper hits Varnouche to shut him up, but Varnouche is still forced to keep singing magically. Jasper hits Varnouche again, knocking him out. The party surround the unconcious Varnouche and talk about how annoying he had been.

2 rust monsters then ambush the party from the nearby ruins, attacking Voytek, but he blocks the first blows, but they eventuall hit is armor, coroding it. Voytek withdrawls and casts light at one of the Rust Monsters's eyes. Jasper attacks with Léa's Black-Bone Dagger but misses. Marius kills the non-blind rust monster with 2 arrow hits. Jasper hits the blind Rust Monster with the Black-Bone Dagger, and Marius finishes it off with 2 arrow shots.

The party wake up Monsieur Varnouche and claim a tree branch fell on his head, but Varnouche remembers Jasper hitting him. The party invite Varnouche into the party. The party notice a blood trail in the ground froming from a nearby abandoned large temple and the party go investigate. Jaspter goes look into the temple and see rows of old ruined pews and rusted altar. The party all head inside.

Rat Cleaver

The blood leads down some stairs at the back of the temple down to the catacombs. Behind the first door the party hear the words "Rat Cleaver" being chanted by those inside. Voytek opens the door to reveal 8 people are in a room chanting, standing around an alter with a baby on it. The bandit wizard throws a web spell at the party behind Voytex and the bandits go attack Voytek, who gets some injuries now his armor had been destroyed by the Rust Monster. Voytek kills a bandits backs up in the corridor before the webs starts. Jasper lights the web on fire to remove it, hurnting Varnouche in the process. Marius kills 2 banits with arrows.

The bandit wizard casts a spell on another bandit, making them stronger. The strong bandit hits Marius hard with his shortswords, injuring his right hand. Voytek casts "Hold Person" on the strong bandit. Monsieur Varnouche, no longer held in webs, fires his arrow at the strong bandit. Jasper hits the strong bandit with his morning star. Marius then finishes off the strong bandit with a arrow to his throat, then kills another bandit with the next arrow.

The bandit wizard casts greese on Marius, making him slips over. Jasper kills the bandit wizard. Voytek kills a bandit with a leaping blow. Marius gets out of the greese. The last bandit throws his weapons to the ground and surrenders, claiming they were just trying to stop the Rat Cleaver. The Rat Cleaver lives in the ruins and is a monsterous beast. The bandit wizard was going to sacrifice the child to cast a spell to destroy the Rat Cleaver. Voytex executes the bandit.

Voytex heals up Marius and himself. Varnouche asks for healing as well, but ends up with just a "Command: Pee" instead, causing Varnouche to unrinate himself. Voytex explains it is just some hazing and Varnouche is party of the party for real now. Voytex then loots some new armor off a dead bandit.

Jasper inspects the baby and it turns out to be baby Margaret herself. Jasper gives the baby to Marius and the party leave the temple and head outside. It is night time. The party start to mount up when they see the Rat Cleaver itself, a Giant Rat welding a Meat Cleaver, bursting out of a nearby ruined building and moves towards the party. Voytex casts "Inverted Ethics" on Rat Cleaver. The party get in a defensive position, Marius hands over Margaret to Varnouche to hold.

Rat Cleaver summons 9 large rats from nearby burrows, the size of small dogs, but Rat Cleaver ends up attacking the rats and cleaving one. Marius shoots an arrow, killing another rat. Rat Cleaver kills 2 more rats, as they charge towards the party. Jasper kills 2 rats as they swamm him. Marius kills a rat with another arrow. Rat Cleaver attacks one of the rats on Jasper, killing it in a single blow, also hurting Jasper in the process. Rat Cleaver then eats the dead Rat. Voytek casts Bless on the party.

The party back away from Rat Cleaver towards their horses / giant raccoon. Rat Cleaver attacks Jasper. The party rides away from Rat Cleaver, leaving it to continue to eat the dead giant rats.

The New Assignment

It is dawn when the party get back to Fort Mezinga. The fortress is crawling with solders, who have returned from the feint attack. The guard on the way initially doesn't let the party inside, but a fort wizard orders him to let the party in eventually.

Inside the fort, the party is told the attack on Fort Ylkvad across the river was a massacre. The Balor had gone into the battle lines of the Army of Voraci and slew hundreds of them.

The party return the child to the convent then get some sleep. Four hours later the party is woken up and a messenger summons them to see King Longborn. The party cross the bridge to Fort Ylkvad.

The party enter a chamber in the captured keep where King Longborn, King Emberstone & King Swiftwind are. King Longborn says there is a Voraci Messenger who came to the fort with a message for Léa and is now down in the dungeons. The party go down to the dungeons to investigate. The messenger has a message from Voraci Lord Ferrus that the timetable has been moved up to 5 days time, but the message is a day old now. The party assume it is about what the brown robed wizard said about baby Margaret.

The party return to the king to talk with him about the message. King Longborn outright forbids anyone handing over the baby to the Voraci. Voytek reports in about Margaret almost being killed by the Bandits on the road. King Longborn still trusts Chancellor Volbains due to his long service. Marius suggests that Volbains may have been magically turned by the Voraci and isn't working of his own free will.

The party is told Voraci Lord Kelbourn, the General in charge of the Army of Voraci attacking the Longborn Kingdom, has been spotted in Dimreach. The King then gives the party the mission to assassinate Lord Kelbourn. The party will be teleported behind enemy lines and will go on from there tomorrow morning.

The party then watch the Voraci Messenger be executed outside in the courtyard. Voytek goes to the armory to get new 3-quarter plate armor, but is told they have captured some Voraci Platemail. Both Marius & Voytek change their armor for the platemail. The army clerics also heal up the party.

The party then return to Fort Mezinga to rest. While at Fort Mezinga they see Chancellor Volbains assembly an expeditionary force of Knights and Solders, ready to move east.

Teleporting behind enemy lines

Before dawn the party assemble. The wizard first scries on a location with their crystal ball. The wizard finds a forest outside of Dimreach. Before being teleported, Voytek finds out that his magical longsword is +2. A circle of sorcerers teleport the party along with Varnouche's raccoon Lotar are teleported into a clearing in the forest they saw in the crystal orb.

The party approach the unwalled town of Dimreach. Outside the town is a wasteland of former grasslands. The party wait outside of town for a voraci patrol to ambush for their clothes.

Experience

No experience given out on air.

Battle Stats

* *Killing damage on a Bandit & a Rat not rolled.

** *Magic Sword damage unknown