Assault in the Wilderness

Abadius 14, 4713

Zeshan Wayfinder and her dwarven convoy, which Dhukhean has been tasked with escorting back to Korvosa, are due today. Dhukhean arrives at the Swinging Sword Inn for breakfast. He has polished his boots, his beard, and his bald spot, and his ceremonial clothes are impeccably pressed. The scent of beard oil is pervasive throughout the dining room, and some of the patrons silently gag. Kaylessa Irkell thanks the Coopers for their help in getting most of her staff back. Breakfast is heartier and more abundant this morning, but the weather outside remains unseasonably cold and snowy, unusual weather for this area.

The Coopers decide to brave the weather and meet the convoy on the road. They saddle their horses and head north on the Long Road towards Westbridge. A few hours out of Red Larch, a storm strikes from the west and soon the road all but disappear beneath a blanket of snow. Only the trees and boulders on the side of the road indicate its direction. The snow keeps pilling on, and after eight hours of traveling the Coopers are exhausted.

Daryle finds a sheltered space and pitches her tent. Darelle outdoes her sister and uses the jar of cloud to create a cloud castle on the ground. Lawrence wraps himself in his warm blanket. Ruddy finds a rock, and has Naga heat it to a comfortable temperature. He then climbs a tall tree, bundles up in his sleeping bag with the rock radiating heat and keeps guard, watching the area despite the blinding snow. Daryle sets up a few traps that will trigger an alarm if someone, or something, approaches during the night. The Coopers divide the watches among themselves, but the night is uneventful and they are able to rest.


Abadius 15, 4713 

At midpoint in the night, Ruddy notices the storm abating, and soon the last flake fall from the sky. When a weak sun rises in the east, the entire countryside is covered with a deep blanket of white snow. Over 20 inches fell over the last day. Though it is not snowing anymore, the winds continue to blow and the temperature remains very cold. In the distance, a few miles north, Lawrence spots a flock of carrion birds, while two larger flying creatures are moving east, away from the flock at vertiginous speeds.

The Coopers trek north through the snow with difficulty. After an hour, they come to the scene of a battle, covered with snow. Two wagons have been overturned and broken, and a dozen human corpses lay underneath the snow. Though some have been slashed and pierced, most show blunt damage similar to the dead bodies from another encountered caravan under attack. Each human body wears a livery of a red star on black tunics, which Dhukhean recognizes as that of his clan. There are no dwarven bodies in the ruins of the caravan, and everything has been thoroughly looted. Lawrence and Thorne search for secret compartments and hidden places, and find that even these did not escape the pilfering. 

On the edge of the battle are two cairns. One stands about ten feet tall and appears crudely built. The other one, about three feet tall, is of human origin. Dhukhean examines the larger cairn and determines that it was built by bugbears. Digging through the stones, Dhukhean discovers that at least five bugbears wearing a distinctive brown leather armor bearing a strange symbol are buried there.

After watching Dhukhean explore the larger cairn, Daryle examines the smaller one but realizes there is no easy way to remove enough stones to peek inside, and she's not comfortable desecrating someone's resting place, even if it is an enemy. Lawrence, meanwhile, looks for evidence of trails on the west side of the road, and eventually finds a large trail blazed through the wilderness. An attempt has been made in camouflaging its entrance into the clearing where the battle has taken place, and the depth of snow indicates that a large group of about fifty individuals came through here, then returned the same way.

Lawrence advises the party of his discovery, and soon they are on the enemies' trail. Darelle and Daryle estimate that they are probably about twelve hours behind them. The Coopers follow the trail north over ten miles, and eventually turn back east towards the Long Road. Once again the trail blazed by the large group has been camouflaged so that it would be less visible from the road. They then travel on the road for another four miles, before another trail, once again camouflaged, heads east in the Sumber Hills. Naga transforms into an owl and flies up. He can see far towards the horizon northward, but the Sumber Hills stretch eastward. He can spot evidence of the trail heading along the foothills, and then reconnects to the Stone Trail. He returns to report his findings.

The trek through the wilderness emerges back on the Stone Trail, but once again the trail veers off the road and enters the Sumber Hills. Lawrence discovers a finely made white scarf. Thorne identifies it as dwarven, while Dhukhean recognizes it as Zeshan's scarf. 

With night rapidly approaching, the Coopers set up camp. Naga spots several fires in the distance, probably the town of Beliard. Closer to their camp, however, along the Stone Trail about two miles away, is a small fire. Naga flies towards it, and lands nearby. Four heavily armed men protect a small wagon. Two of them are cooking dinner, while one is guarding and the other is putting the finishing touches to the tents. He eavesdrop on their conversations. Aside from their concerns about possible attacks by bandits, the men are worried about rumors they have heard in Westbridge that Old Gnawbone, a green dragon who dwells in the Sumber Hills, has been more active of late. Naga flies away, startling the guards, who let arrows fly. He informs the Coopers of what he overheard, and the party gets ready to spend one more frigid night in the wilderness.


Abadius 16, 4713 

After a light breakfast, the Coopers break camp, and examine their options. Lawrence spots three flying creatures in the distance, about four miles away, flying a northerly course following the Dessarin River. Should they attempt to contact them, or are they hostiles? Daryle uses a mirror to shine the sun towards them, and the creatures immediately turn and head their way. Soon the Coopers realize that the three creatures are actually griffons with riders on their backs. One of the rider lands. A beautiful human woman wearing a winged helmet and a finely crafted armor lands her griffon, and disembarks. She introduces herself as Savra Belabranta, a captain in the Feathergale Society, a group of flying enthusiasts with deep pockets who repurposed a small castle south of here in the Sumber Hills, and who enjoy flying with their griffons. Given all of the troubles around the Dessarin Valley, they've been keeping an eye out, and her patrol has been on the lookout for a large group of bugbears who traveled through this area two days ago, but lost them in the storm.

Thorne asks her what the Feathergale Society is. She replies that the Feathergale Society is a group of well off individuals, mostly hailing from Korvosa, Tanram and as far away as Caliphas, in Ustalav. These individual share an interest in the noble calling of aerial steeds and found the Sumber Hills to be perfect for their sport due to the high winds and turbulence. Talking to her, Thorne gets the distinctive impression that she's a rich and spoiled person who achieved her title not through her accomplishments but through her family's influence. Savra invites the Coopers to Feathergale Spire next time they are in the area, so that they can ride together. Thorne gives her a healing flower.

Resuming their pursuit, the Coopers continue deep in the Sumber Hills, and find themselves at the end of another exhausting day still in the wilderness. They pitch camp, select watches, and they try to get as much rest as possible.Unfortunately, during the night their camp is attacked. During Naga's watch, he hears growling and scratching sounds coming from outside the cloud castle. He wakes Ruddy, and the two of them step outside to investigate. They are confronted by three large toad-like beasts with six legs, each ridden by a small fey creature. They immediately attack. The battle goes poorly for Ruddy and Naga at first, but soon, with the rest of the Coopers joining the attack, they are able to defeat the attackers, killing all fey and two of the beasts while one escapes.


Abadius 18, 4713 

With injuries and running low on supplies, the Coopers return to Red Larch. On their way through the southern part of the Sumber Hills, they see Feathergale Spire in the distance...

The path less traveled

Abadius 3, 4713

The riots of Korvosa eventually settle into a simmering low-level civil war, with Korvosian troops putting down roving bands of opponents. Queen Ileosa remains unpopular, but martial law and Hellknight support have now brought the situation to a stalemate. Having returned from their trip to Magnimar as escorts to Duke Mosley's niece Olivia nearly three months ago, the Coopers put their affairs in order and clean Zellara's house to make it their own. Dhukhean pursues his dwarven clan's mission of setting up its embassy despite the troubling times. Thorne secretly conducts several missions for Mosley, while keeping an eye on the local Hellknights for him.

Ruddy McStabby, a rugged gnome slayer bounty hunter, arrived in Korvosa a month ago, hot on the trail of Geralds. He has been hunting them down all over Golarion after receiving a commission from Duke Mosley, who remains holed up in the Emerald Spire, exploiting its magical energy. In the last six months Ruddy has eliminated seven of the pesky Geralds. In Korvasa, he ran into the Cooper sisters and they commiserated over the plague of Geralds that have been unleashed on the continent. The sister loved their triplet brother, but also hated him.

Naga spends the three months following the Breaching Festival in Korvosa working as a mercenary on ships plying the trade routes between Korvosa and Cheliax. Along the way he hears that Duke Mosley has finally been disinherited and disowned from his mother, her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of the Thrice-Damned House of Thrune and a price has been put on his head. Rumors of forces gathering on both sides of what promises to be a bloody conflict for the future of Cheliax are spreading rapidly along the Inner Sea and even faraway coasts.

Early in the morning, Dhukhean receives a messenger from his clan. This dwarf informs him he must travel on the Long Road leading from Korvosa to Kaer Maga. The chief's wife, Zeshan Wayfinder is traveling with a retinue from the Kodar Mountains, where she visited family, and is now heading to Korvosa to inaugurate the clan's new embassy. Dhukhean is instructed to meet her caravan in the village of Red Larch, where she is expected in about ten days, and escort her back to Korvosa. Dhukhean is proud of the honor of being asked, and he decides to ask the Cooper sisters if they would like to accompany him on what he expects to be an uneventful trip.

Gathering together for a communal evening meal at the Pier's Lantern to celebrate the new year, Dhukhean outlines his upcoming travel plans. Darelle and Daryle readily agree to escort the dwarf, happy to be leaving the city behind for a few weeks. Naga, Lawrence, and Ruddy are cajoled in coming with them. Thorne, who arrives late, elects to go with the group as well. Thus, arrangements are made to depart the following morning and head to the village of Red Larch, a few days south of Kaer Maga.



Abadius 12, 4713

For nine days the Coopers' trip is uneventful. Instead of journeying on the Long Road, they choose the Kheldell Path. Less traveled and longer than the Long Road, Kheldell Path avoids many settlements and, paradoxically, offers a speedier trip. The weather remains cold and gloomy, with a few days of sunshine and decent temperatures. Spring is still a few months away in this part of Varisia. The rangers successfully gather food along the path, and for nine days the expedition makes good progress

priest wearing dun colored robes leading the search of the wagon. The priest appears agitated and is clearly looking for something, as he yells at his men to hurry up and find the object he desires. The remaining Coopers cannot see the priest from their vantage point, and Ruddy has no way to notify them. Thorne moves forward and, using a tree for partial cover, fires an arrow at the bandit he deduces is in charge. Surprised by this attack, the bandits are slow to react and the Coopers rain arrows on the hapless bandits. Soon, however, the battle is joined.

When Dhukhean enters the fray, the bandits' attention shift to him. The priest emerges from the shelter of the overturned wagon and casts a spell. The ground in front of Dhukhean erupts like a geyser, spraying stones everywhere and inflicting serious damage to many members of the party. Then, three huge earth elementals emerge from the ground and launch themselves at the dwarf. Lawrence moves through the forest on the opposite side of Ruddy, and stabs a bandit to death. Thorne continues to fire arrows along with Daryle, while Darelle and Dhukhean move in for close quarter combat. Thorne notices that though the elementals appear to collaborate with the bandits, they are not commanded by them. The elementals' movement blocks their view of the rest of the battle, however, and Dhukhean soon finds himself in trouble. Incapacitated by a powerful blow, he is unceremoniously grabbed by an elemental, who attempts to pull him underground. Quick thinking by Naga and Darelle slays the elemental, but Dhukhean is buried to his beard in hard-packed ground. The remaining elementals are soon dispatched, and efforts are undertaken to revive and dig Dhukhean from the ground.

Meanwhile, Ruddy and Lawrence kill several bandits. Seeing his troops depleted, the bandit chief gives the retreat signal, and the remaining bandits, including the priest, manage to slip away back in the forest.

Ruddy boards the wagon and begins searching it. He discovers a crate containing four silver candlesticks marked with a strange symbol, an X with a squiggle line underneath:

 
He also finds evidence that two dwarves were aboard the wagon. Part of a cloak remain behind, and a booth is found partially buried in the road, indicating that the dwarves were most likely pulled underground by elementals. Lawrence, who also climbs aboard the overturned wagon, discovers two books in a secret compartment. Both books are covered in dark leather with iron bindings and inscribed in golden letters. Written in dwarven, the books are eventually shown to Dhukhean, who identifies them as volumes III and IV of the history of Besilmer, a dwarven kingdom which, atypically, was pastoral in nature. They built their capital at Tyar-Besil, site of a mighty battle between dwarves and the last outpost of a Drow empire.

Ruddy shows the cloak and the boot to Dhukhean, who identifies the items as belonging to dwarves of the  Mindspin Mountains to the East and not part of the caravan from the North the party is expecting to meet in Red Larch. The Coopers clean up the battle scene, and after a pause to recuperate continue on their trip, arriving at Red Larch an hour before sunset.

In the village, Darelle, Daryle, Thorne and Ruddy book rooms at the Swinging Sword Inn, a three-story stone inn topped with a very steep slate roof dotted with a multitude of chimneys. The signboard, which hangs from chains above the door, displays a wooden scimitar emblazoned with the inn's name in red paint on each side. The property also features stables and several outbuildings to accommodate patrons' needs. Welcoming and luxurious by the area's otherwise rustic standards, each room features a hearth with a light fire, warm draperies and tapestries illustrating several scenes of recent history of the Dessarin Valley. Each room also has its own private bathroom with running water, provided by an intricate rooftop cisterns and heating system.

Despite the winter cold, Naga and Lawrence look for and locate a barn. The local farmer reluctantly agrees to let the halfling and tiefling use his barn for shelter for the night.


Dhukhean visits the Allfaiths Shrine, and meets both Imdar Relvaunder, a priest of Gorum, and Lymmura Auldarhk, a priestess of Shelyn. The priests are pleased to see the dwarf and agree to let him stay with them for the night.