Grand Duchy 80

Grand Duchy of Adventure

Session 80
February 2, 2016

Fighting the Mutts

Lunadain 25 Yarthmont

The Grey Company is charged with assaulting the "mutts" position from the north while the lizard riders will converge on them from the south and east over the lip of the ravine. The battle is joined quickly as the Grey Company moves carefully from tree to tree, trying to get close enough to engage. The "mutts" spot the approaching outsiders and quickly attack, loosing arrows in their direction. The Grey Company charges and all sembalance of a plan turns into loosely controlled chaos.

Griffin goes down after a lucky shot to the head

Griffin takes a blow to the head and goes down early in the fight while Draven and Marcel lead the charge. Iris moves up slowly providing cover fire with her crossbow then deciding that she would be more useful engaging the enemy directly. Remar provides ranged destruction in the form of magical bolts and occasional spells. 

Marcel rushes to Griffins aid as Draven holds off multiple foes

The "mutts" fight back with intensity, quickly dismounting the two lizard riders that attacked from over the top of the ridgeline and form up quickly to deal with the threat from the Grey Company. It is quickly determined that the clothing of the "mutts" determines their role in the group. The red garbed ones appear to be soldiers and bear spears and shields while those dressed in purple are divine casters of some type and bear long maces. 

The Grey Company forms up around their fallen companion

Things do not initially look good for the Grey Company and the lizard riders, but after a few lucky turns of the tide of battle, the "mutts" decide to turn tail and run. The use of some magic prevents some from following while others are run down and slaughtered mercilessly by the lizard riders. In the end, only a few of the "mutts" end up escaping and the lizard riders declare it a victory and hail the Grey Company as heroes. 

The western end of the valley

After the bodies of the slain "mutts" are looted for their superior metal gear, the lizard riders hurry off to the west, past a small forest to a fortified campsite. They light many fires around the edge of the camp and several in the middle as well. They all huddle in the middle of the camp and speak of the encroaching darkness as a thing of malevolence and evil. They explain that they have been locked in battle with the "mutts" for "a long time" and have recently evicted them from their village. In retribution for this, the "mutts" have unleashed a terrible thing upon the valley, the "Killer in the Dark." No one has seen it, but it stalks the valley under the cover of darkness, taking and killing at will, sometimes abducting people from their own beds amidst their own families. Just then, as if to accentuate the story, a distant scream is heard echoing throughout the valley, similar but closer, to the screams heard during the Grey Company's first night in the valley. All the gathered lizard riding warriors cringe and appear genuinely terrified at this sound. 

The lizard riders prefer large campfires

The leader of the lizard riders, Kastok, and the other, Voell, explain that they are just over a day's travel from their current home, the village of Ronkan, and that they rarely travel this far away, but they have desperately been seeking to find the location of the "mutts" new home, for they mean to destroy them in hopes of lifting the curse they have laid across the valley. 

Voell and Kastok invite the Grey Company to Ronkan to meet their leader, Guri Benkall, and show them off to their clansmen. Already low on supplies and finding the quiet valley a bit more dangerous that they initially thought, the Grey Company heartily accepts this offer.

Lunadain 25 Yarthmont

Ronkan Village

The next day consists of just travel north and west across the valley to the village of Ronkan. Along the way, the lizard riders and the Grey Company start go come to a better understanding of each other as the similarities between their language and Traladaran become more and more obvious. The lizard riders are quite enamored with the Grey Company's mounts, and they keep calling them "big goats." Finally, just before nightfall, the group arrives at Ronkan, not much more than a collection of crumbling stone and weathered wood structures with sloppy thatch roofs. 

They are ushered in and shown to a building near the defensive wall that has a good sized courtyard in front for the horses. Happy to be under a solid(ish) roof for a change, the Company drops their gear and sleeps deeply, getting a decent nights sleep for the first time in a week.

Cast of Characters: 

Garrett "Griffin" Constantine, a Thyatian rogue of a gambler from Penhaligon rolled by +Arne Jamtgaard 

Marcel Maas, a homely but sincere wielder of spears aspiring to cooking greatness commanded by +Christian Blouin 

Draven Rickart, a Thyatian Acolyte of the Church of Karameikos ministered by +Jason Packer 

Iris Varda, a Thyatian explorer and historian searching for answers and adventure guided by +Alex Safatli 

and +Jason Woollard as The DM