Daven's Port
After the battle and journey to get healing herbs, the party gathered their wits and rode two days across Mercia to the village of Daven's Port. Daven's Port is a small city known for a large number of artisans, craftsmen, sages, scholars and a large wizard's guild.
The group entered town in two separate groups, suspecting spies and not wishing to alert their enemy to their numbers. They procured comfortable rooms at a small inn named the Sea Phoenix.
After a long journey, the party was famished and they all sat down to a large feast and plenty of ale. While they ate, Kramtha noticed a human sitting across the bar watching them who then quickly looked away. Kramtha ate in silence, keeping an eye on the man.
After dinner, the five sat at the table, enjoying a smoke of fine tobacco and quiet conversation. When the hour got late, Callister retired to bed and Stryfal soon followed. On the way to the room, the young spy overhead a snatch of conversation from another room. She pressed her ear against the went to up to see the room. Before getting there, she overheard a stiffled bit of conversation. Behind the closed door, she heard a man's voice saying: "… and I don't recognize him, but he's sitting with the baenite." Shr'lee was the only baenite in the inn, probably in the whole village. It was obvious that they were talking about Stryfal's group. She retreated down the hall and into her inn room even as the door she had been listening to opened. The man who came out caught only a glimpse of Stryfal as she fled.
That night, as the party slept, soft footfalls stopped just outside their door. Kramtha, awake and on guard, was ready for battle. Kramtha heard the sound of a key in a lock and the door slowly begin to open. The cat warrior sprang to his feet and threw his body against the door, slamming it shut. The intruder fell clumsily and then fled down the hall.
Stryfal and Shr'lee went to the Daven's Port wizards guild with the two letters found in the ruins in search of a wizard who might be interested in purchasing the ancient texts. At the wizard's guild, they were told of an elven sage and historian from Rukemia, a member of the guild, who might be interested. A meeting was arranged and later that day, the entire party met with an elf in a guild conference room. His name was Jerrod and he was very old. He had lived in Rukemia during the Demon War and had actually been an apprentice to the Conclave of Freedom. Jerrod told them about the climactic battle in the Conclave fortress, the banishing of the demon lord, the partial failure of the banishing spell and the hasty evacuation of the fortress less than a week later amidst a great battle and an erupting volcano. He explained that whatever the map seemed to lead them to on the coast, it must be of considerable importance, possibly a clue as to how to restore the ancient spell and banish Draxorith once and for all.. Jerrod was pleased to see relics recovered from the fortress and decided he would like to have the letters, for further study. The party gave him the letters and told him everything that has transpired. A fair trade was soon arranged - the letters in exchange for magic, healing, divination and shelter at the wizard's guild.
After the party had relocated to the guild, Stryfal went back to the inn, she disguises herself and sat at the bar and began flirting with several of the men at the bar. She then discovered that one was a mercenary warrior in town hunting for a small group. She focused her attentions on him and soon convinced him to take her up to his bed. After a few hours of getting hot and sweaty underneath the sheets, the warrior gladly spoke with her about any and all matters. He answered her questions about his group, their strength, their mission and more. He was part of a mercenary group who had been hired by a cult of priest knights who were desperate to find some jewel. The priest knights knew very little about the group that they thought currently carried the jewel.
Having feasted, rested and healed, the party decided it was time to return to the castle on the coast to find what treasure the map led to. But before leaving, they wished to hire a healer. Jerrod told them of a small shrine to Sarreth, a powerful god of healing. There the group could possibly find a healer who would travel with them for sufficient coin. Early the next morning, before even the farmers had risen to go to work in their fields, the party rode out of town toward the Sarreth shrine. Before reaching it, they saw black swirls of smoke above the trees and smelled it on the wind. They found the small shrine engulfed in flames and a dozen priests being slaughtered by six armored warriors. The party leapt to the attack and did battle with the warriors, slaying two before the others fled. A quick search of the shrine (little more than a 2 story stone house). The party found only one priest yet alive, named Willum. They asked him to join them on their quest as he should seek revenge against those warriors (whom the party recognized as the ones that had been following them) and they needed a healer. Willum hesitated until he was shown the medallion taken from the witch in the graveyard. Incorporated into its design was the unholy symbol of Tharros, god of death and suffering, and sworn enemy of Sarreth. That was enough to convince Willum. If these five travelers were riding out to do battle with a group that worshiped that evil god, then Willum could not refuse. Perhaps the loss of his brethren and home were a sign from Sarreth that it was time to move on.
Willum quickly packed his things (those that hadn't burned in the fire) and left with the party travelling southeast, back down the coast toward the ruined castle.
Session Five: Major Violence and stealthy sword swinging. The assault upon the mysterious keep. Join us, won't you?