Episode 4: TPK? TPK twice?
On the road again.
Zaxal is exhausted and feels that they should have their wits about them before they enter V-Chaco. Feniks finds a secure place to make camp and they rest. Pinecone notices a wolf hiding in the bushes and charges it while ringing his cow bell to alert the others. The wolf runs away, and Pinecone (on his oxen) gives chase. Feniks notices, mounts Fenrir and they follow the oxen.
Pinecone shoots the wolf from behind and Feniks howls, Zaxal awakes and follows the sounds of Feniks' signal.
An owl bear appears, and attacks Pinecone. The wolf runs away injured. Feniks and Fenrir attack the owl bear to allow the wolf to leave unmolested. Pinecone feeds the bear some rations in an attempt to tame it. Fenrir lunges at the bear and takes it down. Pinecone gets caught up in the fight and is knocked down. The owl bear responds in kind to Fenrir and takes him down. Pinecone comes to and races back to camp. Zaxal runs towards the enraged owlbear and is also downed. As Zaxal falls, his blood spray swirls and forms into his patron mistress. She cuts the owlbear down and heals her dearest (and only) follower.
Feniks runs to Fenrir, strokes his snout and revives him with her druid magics.
Meanwhile, in the camp, Pinecone drinks Malo's healing potion.
They head back to camp, Feniks is angry and charges towards Pinecone, her tattoo begins to glow and crackle. Pinecone draws his bow, Feniks snarls and a burst of thunderous sound (thunderclap) emanates from her body. Zaxal tells Feniks to stand down, she huffs and stalks away to rest with Fenrir.
The party rests, Feniks hears a roar from far away and the approaching footsteps of armour clad bipeds. She wakens Zaxal, he seems exhausted but drags himself out of bed. Fenrir prepares to defend Feniks but Zaxal commands a stealthy retreat. Fenrir, being a large wolf, makes too much noise and the 5 hobgoblins that appear in the clearing immediately zero in on the retreating party.
A fight ensues, making enough noise to attract another owl bear, which the party assumes was the source of the roar previously.
The hobgoblins, the party and the owlbear engage in combat. When only one hobgoblin remains, it runs away, the owl bear gives chase. Feniks jumps onto Fenrir and they move away from the bear, Zaxal and Pinecone upon their oxen follow suit. Once the owlbear leaves, the party returns to collect their things and make the decision to leave the forsaken camp and make for the abandoned city.
Feniks leads to way, takes note of a trail running away from the ruined town but leads the party to the half burnt down tavern. The party rests for the day.
Zaxal falls asleep, he keeps falling. He lands in a space that is full of green colours. His patron mistress appears before him, Zaxal kneel sin deference. She places a hand on his shoulder and with her other hand, hands him a green pearlescent s-shaped dagger/short sword with a dark bound leather hilt with her symbol burnt into the green edging. Zaxal accepts this gift and the blade explodes in flame and spreads across his body, he wakes with a start and is still clutching the ethereal blade made real.
Feniks searches the general store and armoury and collects some general supplies. As Feniks and Zaxal wander the streets, Feniks takes a moment to re-blossom the flowerbeds outside the dwellings.
They head back to the tavern, collect the lads and head towards the trail outside of town.
They happen upon a small building and Zaxal calls to Agatha. A spectral woman appears from nowhere, the temperature plumets and she says "foolish mortals, to seek me out is to seek death".
Zaxal attempts to get information from the banshee, she requests payment of pretty things.
They offer the silver comb found on the hobgoblins earlier in the trip. Pinecone is a smart ass and she disappears. Zaxal enters her home and asks again. She says she knows of Bowjangle's spellbook (ancient spellbook with necromancy) and for the cost of the jade frog, she tells of a Necromancer "Kanye" that she traded the book to. Zaxal searches her home and angers the banshee and the next thing they know, the clearing is gone, Malo and Zaxal awaken in the forest and lead the unconscious Feniks and Pinecone back to the tavern to rest. They decide to leave the ruined city, on the way, Feniks asks Fenrir (speak with animals) to describe what happened and he relays that it got cold, and then everyone dropped to the ground around him, then the clearing disappeared and was replaced by trees.
The party discusses going to Wyvern Tor to clear out some orcs, Pinecone wants to return to the town, they decide to go to the Tor. Pinecone rings his bell to "summon the orcs", Zaxal hits him and commands him to stop.
Feniks leads the party and they are descended upon by the swarming blood drinkers they encountered previously. They rush through the swarm, Malo defeats one of them on the way through.
The party enters WyvernTor, a bustling town ravaged by skirmishes with wyverns, being rebuilt. They approach the nearest tavern and secure lodgings for an egregious price. Pinecone tries to get the oxen inside, but Zaxal refuses this. Feniks and Fenrir stay outside while Zaxal gets some drinks. The barkeep tries to overcharge and Zaxal produces his dagger to fetch a better price. They take the drinks outside, Zaxal tells Pinecone to leave wolves alone from now on and Pinecone talks smack about Feniks, her tattoos begin to glow. Malo steps away, remembering the last time this happened. Zaxal gets between them, and Pinecone storms off with his oxen to find a dark alley to sleep in. Zaxal and Malo retire to their rooms. Feniks, as always, sleeps outside.
