Session 3: Rolling down the river...

After defending the honor of the Tian women the heroes bed down for the night. Lythar taking special care of a stallion liberated from the cruel Gnoll slavers.

The following morning the group loads up a large barge agreeing to take the Tian women south along the river and then head further west towards Tymon.

Awkwardly navigating the river Thistle keeps Vognar on task as they pole their way down stream. After their first day of travel the group lands on the northern shores of the river several miles from Gralton. Darkness drapes over the adventurers early, unbeknownst to the group, two river alligators crawl onto the riverbank to snack on their horses.

Tazjh jumps up instantly heading for the disturbance, north of the wooden raft, however south two more of the reptiles creep up attacking the Lythars' horse south. Lythar fires his bow, Thistle flings magically conjured stones as Kyle stands in front of the Tian noblewoman to protect her.

"Cayden bless you all" the drunken priest calls out emboldening his fellow warriors with holy might.

Vognar growls grumpily for Conri to 'STAY' and charges into the large reptiles nearly killing the beast in a single blow. The beast will not surrender its life so quickly and it's maw snaps shut over the Ulfens' leg bringing the big man to the ground, threatening to drag him to the river depths.

Conri runs to the defense of his master, although a pup, her sharp fangs dug deep gouges into an eye out of the great beast killing it.

"Guud Dog, Conri ... Gud dog" Vognar praised, his disobedient, pet which might have just saved his life.

Kyle noticing copias amounts of blood seeping from Vognars leg runs over calling upon the divine power of Cayden to stop the bleeding healing some of his wounds.

"Cayden heal you my friend", the blonde cleric prayed.

"I am grateful, I owe you a drink" the Ulfen replied grateful.

There levity broken by yet another alligator crawling on shore threatening to kill Lythars new companion. The elven warrior fires an arrow sinking it deeply into the new assailant.

A stones throw up river Tajzh, Thistlebark, and Kyoko who have mortally wounded an alligator which is finished off by a lucky shot by Kyle, just in time for a second to swim upon them as well. Lythar feeling Vognar and Kyle have this well in hand leaps to his other companions aid.

Vognar cuts the bonds of the horse so it may flee , turning he roars enraged by his wounds, flipping over the newest beast on its back, the soft vulnerable underbelly of the reptile exposed. Flailing about with its massive tail attempting to right itself, the barbarian plunged the weapon deep into the creature which thrashed its last and is still.

Lythar dropping his bow, draws keen elven blade from over his shoulder wading into the knee deep water to kill the alligator. Thistle heals Tajzh and continue to attack the hungry creature. Movement above them all as ferrel roar of the Ulfen is heard crashing down into hip deep water, upon the last of the beasts driving his great weapon hilt deep into the beast ending its existence.

The group regards the bloody, gore covered barbarian with astoundment.

Lythar breaks the silence with levity, "You really should watch that temper of yours Vognar".

As if a cue the great man falls forward as if exhausted and rests for a moment before composing himself and beginning to skinning the alligator carcasses.

Rewarded for their efforts Tajzh and Conri are given alligator meat and entrails the rest Vognar sends down stream, only to hear more of the beasts follow their dead kin and tear them apart hungry for blood.

The group heals and rests longer the next morning but fortified by the excellently cooked and smoked reptile meat Thistlebark prepared.

***

Second day down the river is uneventful other than some tea Kyle gets knocked out drinking, given to him by the Tian noblewoman, for his horrible singing that evening. Thistlebark trades for some of his personal stock of tea for a dose of this new herbal sedative.

***

At noon on the third day the group finds themselves stopped by a tow chain across the river and six men in armor with a druid of Seven Arches barring their way.

Politely the Seven Arches defenders disallow any elves or half elves from entering their lands. Shocked and outraged the group asks why but are told its is not safe for them, pressing them further only results in polite rebuffing.

Not wishing to make enemies the group decides to part ways with the Tian women who now head south, while they head north around the Seven Arches territory, then west to Tymon.

***

On the third night the group is ambushed by lizardmen led by a shaman who entangles them with a spell. Thistlebark entangles most of the lizard men with an orison of his own. Vognar entangled and frustrated growls with anger and bursts free of the binding plants.

Lythar draws his bow and begins firing, while Kyle makes his way out of the writhing fora empowering his companions with Caydens might.

Tajzh always the first into melee claws and snaps at a lizard man, while Vognar, enraged and free to move rushes to a lizard creature felling it with a single blow, freeing Thistlebark to attack.

Lythar and thistle eventually free themselves from the entangling vines as the enemy shaman attempts to hide in a summoned fog cloud.

Before long the group finishes off the lizard men but not before being wounded. Kyle praises Cayden as holy power pulses outward from him healing all his companions. Thistle makes poultices to heal the remaining wounds whle the rest of the group polices bodies and equipment.

Tired and on edge the group sleeps in again hoping the next few days of travel are safer than the last four.

Characters 3

‘Conrí’ (CON ree) Embeth Hound

Session 2: A Kidnapping Interrupted

Thistlebark, Lythar and Kyle decided to go talk to the Mayor of the static part of Urigen and as usual Vognar came along to be annoying.

Aaron the city watchman accompanied the quartet to an imposing edifice where the group was led into a great room, two hearths adorned both sides of the immense room and a few sitting chairs scattered about the tapestry-decorated chamber.

A single large mahogany desk at the far end with a grave looking man in his forties speaking in low tones to an attractive woman ten years his younger about the matters of the night before.

“Please come in”, the Mayor waved to the rough odd conglomerate of heroes.

The female with him stood and nodded to each of them at which all but Vognar replied in kind. Instead he took to plopping in a comfy chair and propping his dirty boots on a second.

Lythar glared at him, shared looks of disgust and frustration shared by all, the Ulfen seemed not to notice or care.

“Please excuse him, he is from the North”, the elf said, nodding to the large blond warriors’ lack of manners.

The group and the Mayor exchanged stories of the previous nights events, the town elder impressed with their skill in fighting the dark elves and finding answers informs them that the item the drow where looking for was already on its way to a town called Tymon far to the west of Urigen.

“I wish to make sure the courier arrives and delivers his goods to a dwarven smith named Halgrin”, speaking in low tones to the group.

“Could you all make sure he arrived at his destination safely?”

“Of course there will be payment for our trouble”, Lythar cunningly suggested.

Anticipating such an eventuality the Mayor writes and introduction to the courier and Halgrin, handing a bag of a hundred gold coins to Lythar as incentive.

“Half now and half on completion”, the Mayor asked looking for satisfaction in the elf warriors’ eyes.

Nodding to the leader of the town Lythar looked to his group who also agreed.

***

While gathering provisions, after finding out the heroes where to seek revenge against the drow who attacked the town, the wise human storeowner suggested the group look for the Embeth leader, a man named Jamel, who led a group of native nomads. She explained they are excellent guides of the wilds, which would help them in their travels to Tymon.

Soon the group was on their way out of town provisioned and heading to the Embeth encampment, which was not hard to find after Embeth scouts and Vognar spoke.
“Great Jamel of the Embeth, I am Vognar Svarlinger of the North”, the huge man bowed to the chief showing more respect than even Lythar had seen from the rough Ulfen.

Vognar explains he and his companions are on a mission to see a courier has safely arrived in Tymon, and recounts the dark elves attack of the town. Asking permission to cross their land as a courtesy and wishing to hire a guide to take them swiftly to the riverboats, sighting the Chief himself was noted as the best tracker. Then the Ulfen, not wise but smart, makes presents of food and apple mead to further honor and entice his new host.

Impressed with Vognar’s honor of the old ways, Jamel agrees to guide them and views the heroes in a favorable light. Vognar taken with the river hounds of the Embeth barters for a pup before leaving naming the dark female pup ‘Conrí’ (CON ree) meaning queen of hounds, picking the best of the litter with the help of Thistlebark Copperkettle expertise on animal husbandry.

***

Thanks to Jamel and the groups expertise in the wild the two days to the river is short, fruitful with hunting that is rewarded with venison.

Thistlebark proves his worth as a seasoned cook, preparing a meal that rivals finest feasts of many towns using simple deer, mushrooms and turnips, combined with gathered herbs and alcohol.

The following evening the group presses to the ferry crossing near dusk when they crest the hill they find the small fierier station overran with Gnoll slavers, standing over the bodies of the fallen. A single asian woman stands defending her self against the gibbering giggling howls of the hyena men.

***

Roaring and charging into the Gnoll leader Vognar swings his great sword drawing bloody yelp from the inhuman slaver.

Kyle calls upon Cayden to bless Lythars bow taking his cue he draws upon one of the gnoll raiders and sinks an arrow deep in its shoulder.

Thistlebark wisely sees a group of gnolls and calls upon Golarion, complying to his divine plea the flora around the remaining slavers entangles them. Tajzh his raptor companion takes this opportunity to leaping attack on a gnoll warrior drawing a groove of blood with hind talons. Even Jamel sinks an arrow into a gnoll, soon most of them are dead or captured and the asian girl and her friend are freed and cared for. Unfortunately the men, who run the ferry, did not survive the assault.

Lythar yells to Vognar to capture the remaining two gnolls, at which Kyle suggests a bit of divine charming to ease the vile creatures tongues.

Questions ensue with much hilarity followed by a couple of interesting bits of information about the slavers, like that they are from Osirion lands, they had come to the north to take slaves back to market, specifically beautiful women.

After Jamel agrees to accompany the women to safety if they wish to travel to Uringen, the troupe of heroes get some well deserved rest for the night.