T w e n t y S i d e d
The party was just tricked by a local official into going into a tomb and freeing some sort of lich. They have fled south and are still trying to get a handle on what they have done and what they are dealing with. They want to escape the island but they must rescue their friend Endo first.
-Shamus
Everyone is very tired. Eomer most of all. They left the city of Crossway about a half an hour ago and have been riding south at a steady pace since then. At last they halt and discuss their next move.
Eomer wants to split the party up, sending Enoch and Skeeve back north to the library in Breakshore while the rest of them head south and locate Endo. Beck doesn’t like this plan. There is a heated debate.
This is one of those situations where reasoning had to give way for the sake of keeping the game fun & manageable.
-Shamus
They decide to stay together for now and ride south to the next town. They recall that Noreeno said they would find Endo in one of the towns between the rivers. This means there are four towns where he may be found. Perhaps they can learn a bit more and then have a better idea of what they should do next. They review the map…
…and decide to head for the town marked “Dockhouse”. A little after midnight they have to ride over an arching bridge, taking them into Central Mar Tesaro.
At about 2:30 am they come to Dockhouse. The entire “town” is a collection of four buildings. Down by the lakeshore there is a Dockhouse where a large ferry sits quietly in the water. There are two other houses and some stables. The entire population of the town is doubtless less than two dozen. The town seems to exists simply to care for the ferry.
An Alidian solder is here. He has left off most of the standard uniform and is only wearing the red and white shirt. He is standing by the well, holding a lantern. He looks relaxed. This town obviously sees little in the way of excitment. The guard hails them as they approach and examines their travel papers. Once he’s satisfied, they learn that the basement of the largest house serves as a flophouse where they may spend the night. There is also a small stable available for the horses. They drop a few coins to secure the services they need, and then head to bed.
The flophouse is a crowded room with hard, military-style cots along the wall. There are beds for eight, although they are the only ones here tonight. The place is dusty and shabby. They tumble into the beds and begin to sleep. However, Skeeve decides to stay up an hour and work on his orb. He studies, but is very tired and has a rough time of it. Nevertheless, he does meet with some success and learns more about ownership.
They sleep all night and well into the morning. By noon they are up and wondering what to do next. They elect to spend the day here so that Enoch and Skeeve can study some more. The others spend the day outside. They feel safe in this quiet, out-of-the-way little town. Eomer suggests that they make an effort to move around in secret, traveling by night and sleeping by day. The others agree. In the meantime, Skeeve has some more success with his studies:
Night falls. As Enoch and Skeeve complete their studies they hear yelling outside. The party dashes outside.
In the center of town they see a hideous beast looks like an undead human. However, instead of moving zombie-like, it seems to move with inhuman speed and grace. The eyes give off a dim red light. It is dressed in flowing black rags. The body is dried out and wiry, but isn’t falling apart. It looks tough and hard. As the run from the basement into the moonlight, they see the beast is throttling the guard. Eomer concludes that it is after Skeeve. He orders that Enoch and Skeeve make for the stables and try to escape while the rest of the party deals with it. It is fast, but they doubt it can keep0 up with a horse.
The creature tosses the body of the guard to one side and heads directly for Skeeve. It moves to cut off his escape. The battle is joined.
Their blades flash in the moonlight as they fight. It is terrifyingly fast, but they overcome it with their numbers and fell the beast. Skeeve suggests they break its head to make sure it doesn’t rise again. Enoch decides to check on the guard and see if there is any way to help him. To his surprise, the guard is on his feet, walking towards him.
“Need help? You ok?”, Enoch asks.
The guard doesn’t respond. He is pale and silent as he makes his way over to Enoch.
Thu’fir rolls his eyes. He can see where this is going, and he knows its going to end badly.
Enoch tries again to address the guard but is attacked. He is clearly undead. Thu’fir dispatches him easily.
The Dock wardend emerge from their homes to see the aftermath. There is a very akward conversation as they explain why Thu’fir was killing the town guard. Things are tense for a few minutes until everything is explained.
The party realizes that Mordan must know where they are. They are placing this village in danger by staying. They decide to leave now. It is only an hour or so after sunset, and they should be able to cover some distance tonight if they depart quickly. The townspeople make it more or less clear that the party has worn out their welcome. They understand why their friend was killed, but there seem to be some hard feelings that would be best healed by distance.
They head north, out of town. Tal Podere seems to be the next closest town, so they head in that direction…
