Alec
unsheathed his greatsword and moved in to defend Siegfried, who was standing
before the growing conflagration at the centre of the abandoned logging camp.
Looming above amid the fire and flames was a wildshaped Burnwen, a towering Fire
Elemental. Alec aimed
a firebolt at Brother Cardan, which whizzed past the war priest’s shoulder
pauldron to detonate harmlessly in the overgrowth beyond the encampment. One of the
Gilded Eye paladins rushed towards the water’s edge to douse the flames that
covered his body, while the other furiously snuffed out the flames on his own
person and rushed towards his horse in an attempt to mount up and ride. From his
elevated hiding place, Varien fired two arrows at the paladin who was struggling
to mount his warhorse as the flames drew closer. Both arrows missed widely.
Varien shook his head. “Am I under some sort of curse?” he muttered to himself. Siegfried
took the developing situation in stride. Drawing his weapon, he rushed to
Brother Cardan’s side. “I’ll stand with you, brother!” he said in a convincing
tone and sent a healing word Brother
Cardan’s way as a show of good faith. Brother
Cardan nodded curtly as he assessed the situation, brandishing his maul. Burnwen
stomped through the campsite, thrashing at anything that moved. He reached out
with flaming hands and picked up the horse, keeping his smouldering eyes on the
paladin as he crushed the life from the creature’s body. Burnwen tossed the
scorched horse aside. Radegast
launched an arrow from her stormbow at
another mounted paladin that missed, but the secondary lightning caught the
Gilded Eye agent in its area of effect. Lightning played out across the waters
of the river. One of the knights
freed himself from beneath the blazing bulk of his dead horse and aimed his
heavy crossbow, not at a member of the party, but at the sky. There was a
thunking sound as the crossbow bolt shot skyward, and an explosion as the bolt’s
warhead detonated with an alchemical flash, creating a cloud of red smoke over
the logging camp. “You
magnificent bastard!” Radegast shouted as she shook her fist at the knight. Siegfried
leaned in towards Brother Cardan. “And how far is help, brother?” Cardan
sighed. “Far enough away that this might be a very near thing.” The war
priest planted his maul on the ground and pointed a finger at Bob. “You there, Robert
Trevelyan! You and your companions have committed crimes against the Order of
the Gilded Eye, and are marked! And you compound your sins with the slaughter
of innocent horses! But do not despair! There is still time for you to lay down
your arms and submit yourselves to Gilded Eye justice!” The war
priest stretched out his hand as he prepared to cast a mass healing word on his companions.
Bob’s grin was a snarl. “No, you ,
Cardan!” He cast a counterspell that
stymied the priest’s attempt to heal his comrades. The priest’s healing magic
dissipated ineffectually. “I happen to eat horses for breakfast.” Brother
Cardan sighed and raised his hand in a mock placating gesture. “And so you add
poor taste to your list of sins against the Gilded Eye. If you wish to lengthen
that list by adding more murder to it, then by all means, continue!” The Gilded
Eye paladin at the edge of the river rallied the remaining knights to take
cover behind the piles of rotting logs nearby, out of Radegast and Varien’s
line of sight. Alec tried
to loose a fire bolt at Brother
Cardan, but the spell misfired and he struck Siegfried between the shoulder
blades instead. The half-orc barely noticed the blast thanks to the fire
resistance afforded to him by the shard
of the ise rune . Siegfried shrugged it off; if nothing else, the misaimed
attack bolstered his credibility with the war priest. Varien left
his hiding place to intercept the fleeing paladin, who was running away from
Burnwen the Fire Elemental as fast as his sabatons could take him. There was a
clash of swords as Varien wielded Fiendsbane. The paladin blocked each of
Varien’s slashes but made no counterstrike against him. Why are we attacking these men? Fiendsbane asked Varien. They mean to kill us , Varien said to his sword. Fiendsbane’s
derisive snort was like a sudden toothache in the back of Varien’s mind. They mean to kill you, maybe. Then who would pick you up? Varien shot back. Someone worthy of my time, no doubt , Fiendsbane sighed. After all, you have yet to see my final
form. Varien
grunted and tried to knock the paladin off his feet with a bash of his shield,
but his opponent stood firm. Siegfried
activated his detect magic ability
and took note of the magical aura emanating from the pouch that Brother Cardan
wore on his belt as well as the aura that surrounded the heavy maul he gripped
in his hand. He circled around behind the war priest and before Cardan could
react, stabbed him with a branding smite
in a vicious sneak attack. Brother
Cardan stiffened at the unexpected penetration. “Now, I
wouldn’t reach for that healing potion if I were you,” Siegfried whispered in
Brother Cardan’s ear. “Drop the maul.” Cardan let
the weapon go. “Your betrayal will be marked by the Gilded Eye,” he hissed through
teeth clenched against the pain. Siegfried
grinned. “Betrayal implies that there was an alliance to begin with.” He
twisted the blade, forcing Cardan to turn about until he was facing the river. “Drink
deeply of that view, priest, for it’s the last look you’ll take on this plane.” Bob strode forward
towards Brother Cardan, laying a mailed hand on the war priest’s shoulder. “Now
then, Brother Cardan, surely we can come to some sort of arrange-AH-CHOO!” He
let out a mock sneeze that covered a surprise shocking grasp that froze the war priest in place as waves of lightning
energy burned across his armor and scorched him to the bone. Brother
Cardan staggered back, pressing against Siegfried’s blade, but Bob grabbed two
fistfuls of the priest’s tabard and gave him a point-blank blast of dragon’s breath , finishing what the shocking grasp had started. Brother
Cardan’s flesh sizzled and withered under the onslaught, boiling away as Bob’s weaponized
exhalations blew the life out of him. Even
Burnwen was impressed with Bob’s newfound ability. Bob let
Brother Cardan go and the burned corpse sagged off Siegfried’s blade, falling
to the ground in a heap. Radegast
rushed at the piles of rotten logs, dancing between them and popping out to
confront the trio of Gilded Eye soldiers. She cast thunderwave at close range, blasting one of the knights to bloody
smithereens while the other two dug in their heels against the thunderous wave.
The waters of the Neverwinter River receded slightly under the power of
Radegast’s attack. She stood
before the survivors, the rage of Talos burning white in her narrowed eyes. “How’s the
Gilded Eye’s health plan, boys?” she snarled. The
surviving knight dropped to one knee and tossed his heavy crossbow aside. “I
yield,” he said grimly. The paladin
standing next to him sighed heavily and did likewise. Radegast
gritted her teeth. “I was hoping you’d give me an excuse to finish you off,”
she hissed. Alec joined
her, rope in hand, and tied the two Gilded Eye agents up. Burnwen
swung his flaming fists at the paladin Varien had been fighting, but the agile
Gilded Eye agent managed to duck and dance away. Suddenly he sheathed his sword
and put up his hands.
“In the name of the Holy Watcher, I yield!” the paladin said. Varien
frowned. “Fine,” he said. “Good. Now move.” He pushed the paladin towards the
centre of camp. Siegfried picked
up Cardan’s maul and looked at it with an appraising eye, casting identify . He discovered that it was a
Vicious Maul, a particularly nasty magic weapon with a propensity for doubling
down in damage when delivering a critical strike. He also pocketed the potion
Cardan was keeping in his pouch. Burnwen
dropped out of wildshape. “Gather them all together,” he called to his friends.
“I’ll take care of them.” “What are
you going to do to them?” Varien asked. He’d never seen Erwen so upset. The
Halfling druid looked at Varien coldly. “They made us kill all those horses,”
he said simply. Soon the
three surviving Gilded Eye agents were standing disarmed before the party. Siegfried
pointed at the knight who had shot the signal bolt. “Now then, how long until
help arrives?” The stony-faced
knight stayed silent. Varien
prodded another one of the Gilded Eye agents. “What message have you sent ahead
to Nevewinter?” The paladin
smiled grimly. “I sent no message.” Varien
frowned. “Look, now’s not the time to get snarky.” “Speaking
of time, we do not have time for an interrogation,” Siegfried said briskly as
he frisked the prisoners, pocketing their coin purses. “Either leave them alive
or leave no trace,” he said to the party members. “I want to
keep fighting,” growled Erwen. “Not interrogate these horse-killers.” “Me too,”
Radegast hissed. Varien
looked at the Gilded Eye prisoners, and then looked at his friends. He made a
decision. “Then may
the Watcher have mercy on their souls,” he said. He drew his
sword and slashed the throat of the Gilded Eye paladin. The man staggered back
against his comrades, choking. Erwen cast
a wall of fire that encircled the Gilded
Eye patrol, stealing away the oxygen before the men had a chance to cry out. Radegast
dropped a shatter spell into their
midst. It was over
quickly. As Erwen let
the flames of his spell die away, Varien prayed over the bodies, pouring out a
vial of holy water as he did so. Bob and
Alec hung back, at a loss for words at the sudden ferocity of their comrades. “Right
then,” Siegfried nodded and hefted the maul. “Let’s get to skull-cracking.
Nothing above the jawline so the Gilded Eye can’t use speak with the dead to get them telling tales.” He hauled the maul
overhead and sent it crashing down on Brother Cardan’s remains, and continued bashing
the skulls of the dead while the others looked on. “So what the
plan?” Varien said. “The Gilded Eye must know that something has gone down
here.” Siegfried
pointed at the Neverwinter River behind them and then at Erwen. “Small man, can
you get us walking on water?” Erwen
nodded. Siegfried
grabbed a length of canvas from the Gilded Eye’s makeshift camp and prestidigitated it a shade of blue. “Camouflage
while we’re out on the water,” he explained. “Otherwise there’s zero cover out
there.” With Erwen’s
pass without trace and water walk spells cast, the party was
soon moving across the Neverwinter River. The warmth of the river’s waters
could be felt in the air above as they moved through the steamy clouds that
billowed at the waterline. “You can
thank Mount Hotenow for the steam bath,” Siegfried called over his shoulder to
the rest of the party. Soon they
were on the northern banks of the river, moving as quickly as they could to get
out of sight. They didn’t risk watching the abandoned logging camp for signs of
Gilded Eye reinforcements. “Where to
now?” Radegast asked. “We stick
to the plan,” said Siegfried. “Head west towards hearth and home in
Neverwinter. We can still make it before nightfall, if we don’t run across any
more prying Gilded Eyes.” Keeping the
river within sight, the party marched onward to the west across the flood
plain, moving from one copse of trees to the next in an effort not to draw
attention to themselves. Soon the river's course bent southward, but the party, rather than spend the extra time and distance following, marched ever westward. After more
than an hour’s march, the party could see that the Neverwinter River had bent back northwards again, coming into view before them. What looked like a rutted wagon track meandered north. Siegfried made out movement ahead and signaled to the
others to get down. “What is
it?” Varien said from the bushes. Siegfried
squinted. “A bridge,” he said. “Not found on your map, by the way. Hire better
cartographers next time.” “Ragnar
drew that map,” Bob said under his breath. The bridge
was made of wood, reinforced with stone guardhouses on both the northern and
southern banks. It was clearly occupied by some sort of martial force – the party
could make out guards mounted on horseback patrolling its length. The
guardhouses had many arrow slits that afforded them a view of the surrounding
area – there was no telling how many archers were scanning the riverbanks from within. “All right,
I have an idea,” Siegfried said. With a flourish he cast disguise self and altered his form to look like the spitting image
of Brother Cardan, albeit with a broken arm and fresh battle scars and burns.
He cleared his throat and spoke in the voice of the dead war priest. “I will
drift in the current and get those fools to drag my drenched carcass out,” he
explained. “Then I will reconnoiter the bridge and see if I can’t send the
guards off on a fool’s errand.” He pointed the maul at Varien. “I will cast a sending spell and tell you whether or
not the bridge is safe to approach.” Varien
nodded. With that, Brother
Cardan waded into the water and let the current take him. Siegfried
noticed with some discomfort that the waters of the Neverwinter River were
thick with algae growths thanks to the constant bathwater-warm temperatures of the
water. “I do hope they treat the drinking water in Neverwinter,” he said to
himself as he bobbed down the river. He
contrived to get himself tangled in a dead tree that floated near the river’s
edge, splashing and moaning for good measure to attract attention. There were
men patrolling the riverbank who soon took notice. “Body! A body
in the river!” one of them shouted over his shoulder as he approached Brother
Cardan. A second guard ran down the riverbank to join him. Brother
Cardan moaned and thrashed weakly, keeping a death grip on the Vicious Maul. “Urgh,”
he coughed out some water. “Ambushed…Ashmadai…” The guards
rolled him over and looked at his outfit. “Confessor!” one of the guards called
up. “I think this is one of yours!” Brothern
Cardan attempted to get to his feet, sagging against the arms of the sentries. “Why,”
he croaked. “Why are you standing around here?” With growing strength, he let
his anger replace his weakness. “Did you not see our flare?” “Flare? That
was you, then?” the guard asked him.
Cardan struggled free and stumbled up the riverbank towards a Gilded Eye
knight, who stared at him wide-eyed. “The flare,”
the knight repeated. “Inquisitor Cardan, did you send that flare?” “Yes!”
Cardan snapped at the lower-ranked Gilded Eye agent. “The Ashmadai ambushed us!
Led by Varien Aether and his band!” Cardan
stomped past the Gilded Eye agent, ignoring the hand the man had stretched out
to help him up the steep embankment. He looked at the horses tied to the
guardhouse – six of them – plus the riders making a circuit of the bridge. “Why
have you not mounted up and ridden to our aid? Who is in charge here?” “Inquisitor,
I…” the knight fumbled. “Hold your
tongue, knave!” Cardan shouted. To any Gilded Eye agents that might be in
earshot, he shouted. “You must mount up and ride east to the abandoned logging
encampment near Thundertree!” “But Inquisitor
Cardan,” the knight squeaked. One of the guardhouse doors slammed open and a
gaggle of Gilded Eye soldiers stumbled out, flanked by other guards in plain
uniform. They stared at the disheveled Inquisitor. The knight
tried again. “You should really speak with the Inquisitor in command here.”
“Who commands this rabble?” Cardan spat. “Mount your horses and ride out, or
all hope is lost!” At the
sound of the commotion on the north side, a detachment of mounted knights had
crossed the bridge, an imperious-looking paladin in the lead. His helm he
carried at his hip, but his armor was burnished bright and looked a cut above
the others’ equipment. Siegfried
winced, realizing that the Inquisitor before him was likely equal in rank to
Brother Cardan. The paladin
dismounted before Brother Cardan. “Well, well, Brother, to what do we owe the
pleasure of your unannounced arrival?” he said with a look of contempt on his
face. “Fine day for a swim, is it not?” Brother
Cardan lurched forward. “Varien Aether is Ashmadai!” he spat at the Inquisitor
before him. “He ambushed my men, along with that fire-blasting druid!” “Ah, so
that was what the flare was all about.” The Gilded Eye Inquisitor said with a cheese-wheel
eating grin. “Yes!”
Brother Cardan sputtered, perplexed at the Inquisitor’s attitude. “Why did no
one ride to our aid?” “Inquisitor
Cardan, get ahold of yourself,” the Gilded Eye agent snapped. “Inquisitor Teg
led a detachment to investigate, as per the High Commander’s orders.” “Only I
survived!” Brother Cardan shouted. “Send more men – they had the Ashmadai with them,
don’t you understand?” “What I understand,
Inquisitor, is that you lost the patrol under your command to some rabble,” the
Inquisitor said. Brother
Cardan reached out with his broken arm, letting it rest on the Inquisitor’s
breastplate. Then he lunged forward, attempting to headbutt the smirk off the
man’s features. “We do not
have time!” Brother Cardan cried. “Javen Tarmikos does not have time! Will you
not avenge us?” The Inquisitor
pushed Brother Cardan back, backhanding him with sudden strength. Brother
Cardan fell to his knees and vomited explosively. “Oh, lord,”
the Inquisitor said, rolling his eyes. Hidden by a
bend in the river, Varien turned to Bob. “I wonder how Siegfried’s plan is
going?” “Perfectly
to plan,” Bob said, staring straight ahead. “Perfectly.” “Yeah,”
Varien sighed. “You’re probably right.” Brother Cardan
was sobbing at the Inquisitor’s feet. The Gilded Eye agent shook his head and
crouched down to hiss at the groveling war priest. “Pull
yourself together, man!” the Inquisitor shifted uncomfortably on his haunches. “You’re
going to damage the men’s morale if you keep up this pathetic wallowing.” He sighed.
“You know that our orders were to hold and secure this bridge and search all
travelers for these fugitives. That we shall do, until we receive Inquisitor
Teg’s signal once she reached the ambush site.” The paladin’s armor creaked as
he stood up again. “Now,” the Inquisitor said. “Can I offer you a private place
for you to collect yourself?” Brother
Cardan staggered to his feet and fixed the Inquisitor with a steely stare. “No,
but you can go eat a thousand thorny dicks and die.” The Inquisitor’s
eyes narrowed. With sudden
strength, Brother Cardan leapt towards the edge of the bridge and misty stepped into the air over the
river, dropping out of sight with a sardonic salute. Holding his
breath, Siegfried let himself sink to the river’s bottom. Above him, crossbow
bolts slashed through the water, but none were aimed in his direction. He began
to swim along in the strong current, putting some distance between himself and
the bridge. He cast sending to Varien. The bridge is one hell of a no-go. Head to the
village to the north and I’ll meet you there. Varien’s
response was immediate. Understood. Will send
the party to north village but will link up with you for the journey. Varien
turned to his companions. “Looks like north is back on the menu, boys.” Radegast
sighed. “I have an appointment to keep in Neverwinter, you know.” Erwen, who
had been watching the clouds scud overhead, imagining animal shapes in each
one, suddenly sat ramrod straight. “Wait,” he
said, eyes wide. “We were the ones who killed those horses!”