Balifor Bay - Raven Rendezvous

20 Gildember 348 AC

Grotto suggests that they stop the tracking to ride out the ice storm. "Let's take shelter before we are all covered in ice. I know the the tracks will be buried but we have a general idea of the direction. Let us set up camp. I have the last bit of rock lobster I tucked away and some fine herbs and mushrooms I found on the path. We can have a grand meal and warm up as the storm passes. We must be ready for the "Big Bird" and the foul goblin henchmen!"

Ornforithalas agrees with Grotto. "We are bound to lose the trail anyway in this storm. I don't think I've ever seen the weather turn this bad so early into the fall. It's almost... unnatural."

The party pulls off to one side of the trail to seek shelter from the storm. Cassidy hums happily as he roots through his pack and pockets. Before long, he has strung together a makeshift "tarp" fashioned from some string and several layers of cloth napkins bearing the emblems of noble houses and restaurants from all over the continent. He sings softly as he works.

🎶 🎵"Long as I remember the rain been comin' down
Clouds of mystery pourin' confusion on the ground
Good men through the ages tryin' to find the sun
And I wonder, still I wonder, who'll stop the rain?" 🎶 🎵

Cedron listens intently to Cassidy’s song. Once he has a feel for the rhythm, he accompanies the halfling with a bit of flute music.

The minstrel-priest then steps away from the core group to indulge in a bit of prayer to Malazzarr.

Arthur keep watching the back of the group.

“Run off on me again, did you?” Ra’ziir replies to Raven. “And just where do you think you are right now, little black bird?”

Meanwhile, nearly ninety miles away, Raven takes off at a trot, heading toward the coast and his companions.

"It has been a miserable few days but i would have to say that I am somewhere in the Silvanesti woods, about halfway to Kurinost, if memory serves. Where are you?"

“We have been to Balifor Bay and have now moved on in search of the Goblin incursion along the coast beyond.” Ra’ziir replies, “though from what I understand, our quarry is now Lizardfolk.”

The Elfemental confers with Ornforithalas before sharing the party’s precise location with Raven.

The guard captain looks to the cloud-clad sky and frowns. "Tell him that we are a day south of Kurinost, traveling along the coast." He pulls out Alara's map and takes some measurements, using his thumb to determine scale. "If he heads due east, we should cross his path in a day, day and one-half if this storm continues."

Ra'ziir passes the message on. Raven stops and reorients himself and begins jogging again, heading toward the coast and his companions.

Shadow asks, "Why don't we just teleport back and get him?"  He and Ra'ziir have a brief discussion about the associated merits and hazards for a minute before Ra’ziir tells Raven, “I can meet you at the inn in Alinesti if that will shorten your journey, and we can teleport to rejoin the others.”

The swordsman stops jogging. "Alright. I'll go back. I'll be waiting with Captain Whitlock at his boat. Give me until noon."

21 Gildember 348 AC


Raven makes it back to Alinesti by dawn. He makes his way down to the dock in search of the "Where's My Ship". He finds Captain Whitlock has pulled the fishing boat up onto the shore and is scraping algae off of the freeboard and caulking the seams.

"Captain," he says in greeting.

"Soldier," the captain nods in reply.

Raven looks around, finds a scraper, and starts to lend a hand. A few hours go by before Ra'ziir arrives, giving the pair plenty of time to finish work on the portside and transom of the vessel.

Once the black-robed bladesinger arrives, he notices that the weather, while cool, is dry, with few clouds in the sky, a stark contrast to what he just left from on the coast. He finds Raven in a matter of minutes. Raven bids farewell to the fisherman, straps on his weapons and pack and joins his old friend. "So, lizardmen, you say?"

Comments

Post a Comment

Recent Posts

Balifor Bay - Book Club?

Image
21 Gildember 348 AC Shadow will take time to study his Spellbook and make some changes to include some teleport and tiny hut inclusions among others. Cassidy sits down next to Shadow, produces a pair of bifocals from one of his seemingly innumerable pockets and slips them on. He also pulls out a battered  leather-bound folio and flips it open. Most of the pages seem to be stained with tea or soup or jelly or tea And soup And jelly. He leans toward Shadow, "Have you ever read 'The Astounding Tales of Penny Dreadful'? They're about a young woman who tells stories to this king who plans to kill her but she always stops before the end of the story so he lets her live so he can hear the next part. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins another one, and the king, eager to hear the conclusion of that tale as well, postpones her execution once again." “Fantastic way to keep your head on your shoulders!  Let me finish this spell that will make us a ...
Read more

Throwback Compilation - Raven the Baker

Image
First, a little context... while in the Grimmlands , Raven fell victim to the Helpful Elf Curse . He felt compelled to take on a stereotypical "elven profession", in this case, he was transforming into a baker. While the party was able to escape the Grimmlands before any permanent damage was done, it was interesting to watch how his behavior changed over the duration of their time in that realm. Presented below are the parts where the Curse was actively doing its fell work. DAY FOUR Several of the party members seem concerned about Raven and his purchase of baking supplies. He tells everyone not to worry and that he is fine. “My mother used to bake all of the time when I still lived on Evermeet. She was quite accomplished as a cook and I think I remember most of what I used to see her doing.” DAY FIVE While the rest of the group is finalizing their decision, Raven begins gathering whatever flat stones he can find and starts stacking them off to the side of the road and fil...
Read more

Balifor Bay - Drinking and Raven’s Info Dump

Image
21 Gildember 348 AC Kysek contemplates his theory further. He thinks of spells that can control weather and dominate beasts. How long they act? How skilled a wizard would need be to make a lasting effect? He knows that there are both arcane and divine spells that specifically allow for the manipulation of weather and several spells that allow for charming and dominating creatures - and that doesn't even include spells that summon or bind beasts to the caster's will. Shadow will complete his studies and produce a bottle of wine from his bag of holding. “Nothing fancy just something I grabbed off a table somewhere along the way.” He takes a pull and passes it to Cassidy and then to the others that will. Ornforithalas' eyes widen, "Are you sure that giving the Kender wine is the best idea?" Cassidy's wide grin threatens to swallow his ears. "Don't worry, Ornie. I, unlike some people, can hold my liquor." He eagerly takes a pull from the bottle, ...
Read more

Earth-218

Image
I never set out to create a shared universe for the campaigns that I run. I simply started introducing Player Characters from previous stories as NPCs out of, well, basic laziness. Still, the opportunities this has provided speak for themselves considering that nearly all of the characters in my current campaign have come from these previous stories. Everything up to this point has been leading to a crossover that ties my D&D campaigns in with the “modern” settings will happen on Earth-218 - a world where DC and Marvel characters both exist (and is home to the Marvel Superheroes campaign I ran back in high school).   This is where the gaming materials I have for Colonial Gothic, Boot Hill, Gangbusters, Call of Cthulhu , d20 Modern (and its supplements), the James Bond Role-Playing Game, and Star Wars plus several other smaller settings (Kill Puppies for Satan, Infestation, Creeks and Crawdads , Toon, and Ninja Burger) will all be combined into what hopefully turns out to...
Read more

Silvanost - Reunion

Image
10 Gild ember  348 AC (1351 DR) The sun is barely above the horizon when Shadow, Ra’ziir, and Romulus return from their Tests of High Sorcery. Ra'ziir is missing several patches of skin, revealing crystalline muscle beneath. While the Bladesinger and Eldritch Knight bears the most obvious physical change, there is a difference in the bearing of all three mages. The rest of the party brings them up to speed on what Ornforitalas has told them about the war, the goblins, and the other enemies that have been sighted in the Silvanesti woods. Cedron says to the group, “Goblins are rarely smart enough to coordinate anything more complicated than opportunistic raids. I’m sure they will lead us to something or someone much more nefarious. I’d like to know a bit more about this pact.” He pauses to select his words carefully, “So that we honor King Lorac’s word, of course.” Arthurs asks Lady Agnes, "Yes, what is this pact in which they speak of?" The elven girl takes a moment, o...
Read more