Adventures in Arajara
Adventure Journal
Session 5
The group hurriedly discussed what to do. They decided that Bartley should cast an illusion. So he began preparing an illusion of a screaming lady running down the hall away from the group. With a smug expression he cast his spell, creating the illusion near the stairs. The illusion began screaming and ran back toward them -- the wrong way! Everyone looked with dismay at Bartley. The lady rounded the corner and took off down the hall, confusing the Baron who followed her, carrying Adia.
"Well, stop it!" shouted Valennor and Narwick in unison. Bartley made a gesture and the lady vanished. The Baron stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked all around.
By now the guards were charging down the hall toward them so they followed the Baron, pulling him along and into a room off to the side. Along the way Bartley attempted to cast a spell to create a wall of fire but it failed.
Once everyone was in the room they slammed the door and locked it. Valennor began tying a rope around the bedpost to use to climb out the window.
Then there was a knock on the door. Valennor tried to get them to go away by calling, in his best imitation of a woman's voice, "I'm in bed, leave me alone!" After that didn't work, Bartley offered to create another illusion outside the room.
This time he was successful. A hysterical woman appeared in the hallway and began running around, distracting the guards.
Everyone hurriedly climbed down the rope hanging out of the second story window. Once on the ground, Valennor tried pulling his rope down... but it was tied tightly.
"Joel, try casting a spell to untie it."
Bartley gestured, a faint blue glow left his fingers and enveloped the rope. It wiggled a little but remained stuck.
"Forget it, I'll get another."
They ran off down an ally before anyone could discover them.
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During an interview in Ristonn:
Narwick: "...Now it was very fortunate that I returned to the city when I did. You know I could have stayed with Trodly and Myryn at the camp, but I didn't. They were in the middle of a sword fight with the guards at the gate, and I charged that cart right through the middle, distracting everyone and giving them a chance to escape. I have no clue what they were trying to do..."
Valennor interrupting: "We had it under control. We had assaulted the gate, shot most of the guards and Bartley was knocking them down left and right with is stone missiles. Yeah, if Narwick hadn't brought the cart we would have had trouble with the Baron keeping up so... yeah... I guess it was a good thing. Anyway..."
Reporter: "So Bartley, they say you cast a spell to collapse the wall around the gate and that's how you got away."
Bartley: "I never said that... No, I was unconscious most of the time"
[Reporter writing: Bartley, almost unconscious, casts devastating spell.]
Narwick: "What are you writing?"
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[Date: April 10, 180CE]
Mrs. Elseipch stepped out on her front porch to empty a pan of dishwater into the gutter and stared at the group of travelers passing in front of her house. They looked like they had been through a battle recently, their clothes were torn and bloodstained. Some had bandages. Their faces looked like they had not slept well in a while. One of the travelers rode on a horse while the rest were in a wagon. She continued to stare as they passed by her house and went on into the village.
The wagon stopped at the inn and the travelers began dismounting. A young lady stepped down first and spoke to the rest.
"I'll go find the local healer. Baron, would you be willing to help Joel and Nydoregord into the inn?"
The one dismounting the horse said, "Vaythien, I'll help them. You just make sure that healer gets here as soon as she can."
Vaythien ran off down the street as the others did their best to hobble into the inn. Inside the Baron walked over to the innkeeper and began talking about getting a few rooms for the next couple of weeks. The innkeeper paid due respect to his lord and express surprise and concern over his current situation; he almost refused payment too but then thought better of himself and named a reasonable sum.
Vaythien returned half an hour later with the healer who set to work tending the wounded.
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The next morning Valennor arrived at the village, accompanied by Trodley and Myryn. As they entered the inn Trodley was looked rather uncomfortable and didn't talk much. They had arrived in time to eat breakfast with the others. They sat down in the inn's common dining hall to milk, biscuits, and jam made from a local berry.
After everyone was finished eating Baron Baen called Bartley, Narwick, Valennor, Vaythien, and Nydoregord to his room. He stood and placed his hands on the top of his slightly bulging waist as he spoke, "I want to thank all of you for you part. In rescuing me and my daughter. I would like to reward each of you, but most of my wealth has been stolen when my castle was destroyed. I don't know what I shall do to get it back. But as I was saying, uh, I can offer you charge of a small castle keep on the south-east side of my province -- to divide among the five of you how you wish." He looked thoughtful for a moment, "I can also offer you the promise of money if you would be willing to enter into my service to retrieve the treasure that the Tha'dach raiders took."
They looked at each other, each thinking of how to answer the Baron.
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Interview in Ristonn continued:
Reporter: "Thank you for you time. I have one last question. What's the story about how you were given permission to get out of the army early if you served the baron as Generals in an attack on the Tha'dach raiders?"
Bartley: "We are in charge of a small group of soldiers, not an army."
Valennor: "Esquire, I'm an Esquire."
Narwick: "The Baron didn't make us generals. We were just to lead a sergeant and his men on a mission to get back the treasure that the raider stole. That's all."
Reporter: "Can I ask you about this mission?"
Valennor: "Sorry, you had your last question. We've gotta be going."
Narwick: "Yeah."