After the flood, the management at the Bargewright Inn asked the party to go to Beliard to acquire the materials and goods required for repairs and to establish land based trade with Beliard since the ships were all destroyed.
The journey was not uneventful. First, some Bugbears tried to hijack the caravan, then some Mephits caused a little trouble. Some Will’o’Wisps also harassed the caravan until Telfid could turn them.
The magic shop in Beliard turned out to be poorly stocked, but even so, Taban acquired a Bead of Nourishment and Ganus scored a Hat of Wizardry.
On the return trip, some Gargoyles made a nuisance of themselves.
Then a group of Earth Cultists thought they could take on our intrepid adventurers. They were wrong and soon paid the price for their insolence.
Alas, our tale pauses here, to be continued next week.
The business in Womford was wiped out by the flood.
Expenses at the keep are still running 5gp per day.
Elapsed time: 6 days.
| Character | XP | XP So Far | Level (To Advance) | Treasure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ganus |
2,225 | 13,683 | 5 (14000) | Wand of Magic Missiles (attuned) ‘Splashy’ the Water Weird and BackPack Scroll of Tidalwave Scroll of Vitriolic Sphere Hat of Wizardry |
Reyroris |
2,225 | 15,112 | 6 (23,000) | 250 GP gold ruby ring +1 Longsword Potion of Giant Strength Weird Tank (Empty) |
| Sytarii | 0 | 12,070 | 5 (14,000) | +1 Dagger, “Reszur” Potion of Diminution Wand of Winter ‘Bubbles’ the Water Weird and BackPack |
| Taban | 2,225 | 12,886 | 5 (14,000) | Drown (+1 Trident and more – see below) Bead of Nourishment |
| Telfid | 2,225 | 14,592 | 6 (23,000) | Scroll of Lesser Restoration Potion of Fire Resistance |
| Aria | 0 | 12,200 | 5 (14,000) | N/A |
| Keeley | 0 | 6,501 | 5 (14,000) | N/A |
| Noctavia | 0 | 6110 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Nastane | 0 | 3942 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Nala | 0 | 4942 | 4 (6500) | N/A |
| Unassigned Treasure: Library of Dwarvish Tomes | ||||
Paddling a pair of skiffs upriver, they were soon attacked by a tentacle of water (a water weird) that nearly had poor Ganus. Aria managed to get a rope to him though and, though it was a struggle, the water weird was defeated before it could drown Ganus too much.
They were greeted by Eyon, a Dark Knight who promptly leaped astride her battle shark and, lance in hand, charged the skiffs while some Crushing Wave Reavers attacked from shore and a Fathomer turned into a giant water snake to try to crush 
and drown the party members. This combat was short though, as Ganus told a really bad shark joke that Eyon found to be uproariously funny, nearly drowning as she fell from her shark’s back. The shark picked her up though, only to be knocked unconscious itself by Ganus next spell. This, unfortunately, turned out to drown the shark, and its mistress, in short order. Overall, the combat was short as this party knows very well how to deal with Water Cultists.
that had duplicated itself 3 times, some Reavers, and another Knight. Casting Spike Growth and Flaming Sphere into the room had the desired effect of making the enemies targets for the party’s ranged attacks, while the Knight came around the back way and ended up facing off against the more melee inclined party members. While the Reavers were easy pickings, the Shiver was a little harder to take down, and the Knight was actually a challenge. But the party emerged victorious.
The Ettin turned out to be a bit of a challenge, mostly due to its incredible stamina. However, it was soon defeated.
She is very angry at her cult.
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.
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.
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.
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.
), and their druidic friends and headed up the hill to do something about this so-called “Wicker Giant” before it got loose.
on the priests and the Wicker Giant, wounding, and thus angering, the Fire Elemental trapped within. Alas, the flame was no match for the deluge of thick wet sleet and the Fire Elemental was doused in less than 12 seconds. The priests were taken down almost as quickly, with Sytarii charging into the maelstrom to thoroughly disembowel 
the priest caught within.
below them, they ascended the stairs. First one flight, then another, only to be surprised by a very well prepared foursome. First, a fireball whooshed into the team, knocking poor Telfid out – thankfully, the party was well-stocked with healing potions. Reyroris shook off the fire damage though and would have fought back, had the fireball not been followed by a stinking cloud of gaseous nastiness that left the party retching. Two Guardians led their attack with strikes from their flaming swords, further aggravating the situation. Then the druid, Elizar, 
conjured a wall of fire that knocked Telfid out again. Ganus made himself invisible and ran downstairs to take cover. Sytarii wasn’t far behind and sprinted for the exit. Reyroris administered another potion to Telfid and they took off too. After a few seconds, the druid dropped the wall of fire and the foursome chased after the party. Unfortunately, Lord Commander Ted had been overcome by the fires and was no more.
unconscious friend one last time, and the two trotted East into the hills and forests beyond. An hour or so later, Ganus appeared, huffing and puffing behind the two.
Sytarii hid in the captain’s quarters until he heard Ganus getting attacked. The hellhounds took turns breathing fire in the wheelhouse and Telfid dropped again, however, he was granted a boon from the heavens and miraculously recovered. With their combined efforts, the party was able to vanquish the monsters.
While the party wisely went around the giant killing machines, Sytarii thought he’d have some fun and unleashed Ildon’s crossbow. Taking careful aim at an ogrish posterior, he loosed a quarrel, that missed, of course. The ogres took note of the miss though and chased Sytarii for a long way before they tired and gave up. 
One of them even nicked him with a massive javelin.
up and left as soon as she could. She did, however, leave a small box in her tent with a note that said, “Use them well.” Ganus was very happy to see a pair of magic scrolls in the box.
Jolliver charged in, knocking out Telfid, but the party rallied and the enemies were dispatched forthwith. Then the adventurers thoroughly looted the keep. Encountering little remaining resistance. The chapel contained a cultist priestess and her guard, who attacked the intruders, so they were aggressively dealt with. Some bugbears proved to be the last remaining resistance in the last tower. They, likewise, were aggressively dealt with. Exploring the secret staircase in the throne room, the party found a grotto with a wide stream running through it. Embarking on the boats that seemed provided for that purpose, they headed downstream only to be waylaid by ghouls who capsized one of the boats, dumping the heavily armored passengers straight into the stream. Thankfully, the other boat got back to shore safely, so the drier members of the party were able to throw a line to the wetter ones and haul them ashore. The ghouls proved to not be too much of a challenge as Telfid called forth his holy anger and scared half of them away. the rest were readily dispatched.
I say nearly, because the party reacted quickly and decisively to the threat, killing the captain and his mate before the pirates could mount an offense. Several remaining pirates jumped ship and swam for the shore, while one stubbornly held his post, only to be cut down.
take on the day. That all changed the moment the Innkeeper, Nalaskur Thaelond, a Zhentarim operative, walked up and asked her and the party to run the inn for a ten-day while he went to Waterdeep to sort out some supply issues. After he left, she immediately discovered that 6 of the keys were missing. After much investigation, all evidence pointed at the Senior Sword, Chalaska Muruin, Guardmaster for the Inn. But it was a frame-up. Iglor the handyman was the actual culprit and he now sits in prison. Nalaskur was very happy that the Inn didn’t burn down in his absence, and rewarded the party handsomely for their efforts.
water genasi and high ranking member of the Water Cult. After entertaining the nosy adventurers for an interminable amount of time, he attacked. Discovering the party was a little more resilient than he’d expected, he unleashed a Tidal Wave that nearly washed the entire party down to Davy Jones’ locker. With Ganus’ nifty use of the invisibility spell and a few much-needed healing potions, the party was able to destroy the water wizard and his entourage.
encountered a sour-faced fellow with a drooping mustache named Reash. After Ganus told him they slew the genasi, he invited them in. An escort of 3 reavers brought them to the tower room where Reash and a small army were waiting for them. Reash proved to be a worthy 
adversary, but the Reavers, deckhands, and bandits just kept coming. Wave after wave of water cultists came after the party as the alarm spread throughout the keep. And wave after wave of cultists died. Sytarii got to experience what it must be like to be a red dragon, breathing Dragonfire and burning his attackers to a crisp. With burnt, slashed, pierced and bludgeoned bodies piling up (34 in all), the party was able to stem the tide. Now, after a short rest, they ready themselves to explore the keep.
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