On returning to Womford to resupply, the party decided to hire a captain and crew for the Soaring Hippogriff, their freshly re-christened keelboat. 
The captain agreed to a fee of 10gp per day plus 15% of the proceeds. The adventurers assigned him the task of rummaging through Rivergard Keep and salvaging anything of value.
After a busy day of shopping and negotiating, the party attended the Bargewright Inn for some dinner and a good night’s sleep. Of course, they were welcomed with open arms and immediately recruited for guard duty for a convoy headed to the north up the Long Road to Yartar. The trip was largely uneventful, excepting when the convoy was attacked by some bandits.
The bandits struck hard with crossbow quarrels flying everywhere. One of the wagons caught fire. Then the bandits took off, running into the trees and hills.
The party pursued. Right into an ambush. At first, it looked like it wouldn’t go well for the party as they were surrounded and outnumbered. Woe be unto the bandits though as first the captain, and then the individual bandits were picked off or taken down. Reyroris was in rare form, testing his range, he brought down bandits at further and further distances. His final shot at a speck in the distance was rewarded by the speck crying out and vanishing into the undergrowth.
After safely returning the convoy to Womford, the adventurers headed for Summit Hall. En route, they investigated a pillar of thick black smoke in the distance. The smoke turned out to be a burning farm. On hearing a plaintive cry from the farmhouse, Reyroris rushed in, dragging the farm’s owner out of the collapsing building in the nick of time. After healing, the farmer explained that orcs had taken his wife and farmhands and left him for dead. His wagon was missing too.
The wagon was easy enough to follow and find. The adventurers quickly slew the four orcs that were with it, a little surprised at how squishy the orcs turned out to be. The farmer was elated to be reunited with his wife. The farmhands were exhausted from pulling the wagon, but they would recover. The party agreed to escort the farmer to the Dellmon Ranch where he and his could seek refuge.
The ranch was abuzz with activity. They were clearly preparing for war. Earthworks had been established at the perimeter, makeshift crenelations were mounted to the top of the buildings, archers were posted around the farm and every able body was armed with something. The adventurers were quick to volunteer to help with the defense of the ranch.
The next day, the ranch was surrounded by an orc warband of 40 or so orcs. Aria, a druid from the Scarlet Moon Hall camp, had discovered that she had an adventurers spirit and had accompanied the party since having a taste of what they could do. Aria cast Spike Growth, immediately hindering the progress of the advancing horde. Their leader, an Orog, ignored the brambles, to his own detriment, and plowed forward, only to be taken down by Keeley’s fine bow skills. The orc’s incompetent spellcaster, an Eye of 
Grumsh, tried to be useful and failed. Meanwhile, Telfid called forth some Spirit Guardians and a Spiritual Weapon, and, contributing his own prodigious melee abilities, became a whirling cyclone of death and dismemberment, chewing through the perimeter of orcs like a scythe through wheat. After only a few minutes of slaughter, the defenders raised a loud cry of “Hurrah” as the last orc fell. While there were a few casualties in the ranch, the Dellmon family survived and there was much to celebrate. Several of the farmers and ranchers that had sought refuge had tales of narrowly escaping much smaller orc warbands as they overwhelmed defenses, killing or enslaving those within. Many a mug was raised in praise of the party and their contribution to the successful defense of the ranch.
With the immediate danger past, the party continued their journey to Summit Hall. There they recruited a dozen soldiers to guard Rivergard Keep and defend it from what may be left of the Water Cult. This contingent agreed to a fee of 5gp total per day.
Upon returning to Womford, they party was delighted to find that the Soaring Hippogriff had been busy. After expenses, they netted 825gp from the ransacking of the keep. Their fledgling shipping business was, so far, a success.
Alas, our tale pauses here, to be continued next week.
| Character | XP / XP So Far | Level / To Advance |
Treasure |
|---|---|---|---|
Ganus |
0 / 6387 | 4 (6500) | Wand of Magic Missiles Scroll of Haste Scroll of Wall of Water Scroll of Skywrite |
Reyroris |
980 / 7816 | 5 (14000) | 250 GP gold ruby ring |
| Sytarii | 0 / 6999 | 5 (14000) | +1 Dagger, “Reszur” Potion of Diminution |
| Taban | 980 / 5038 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Telfid | 980 / 7296 | 5 (14000) | Scroll of Lesser Restoration |
| Keeley | 980 / 4581 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Aria | 980 / 4581 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Noctavia | 0 / 6110 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Nastane | 0 / 3942 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Nala | 0 / 4942 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Proceeds from shipping, less expenses and upkeep. (Keelboat – 50gp per ten-day, plus crew – 10gp per day plus 15%. Rivergard Keep defense – 5 gp per day) |
825gp | ||
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