Rise of the Runelords Session 21: A Night at the Inn

The smoke of the burning Graul farmstead dwindled in the distance as the night came down. By the time the adventurers reached Turtleback Ferry the night was well advanced and the tavern was beginning to empty. Melissah conjured water rather than disturb the innkeeper, and after a hasty but thorough scrubbing and a fresh set of clothes, she joined the others in the tavern where a sleepy girl was setting out tankards. Nevis was already standing on a table, strumming furiously at her lute and singing at the top of her surprisingly powerful voice.

Shalelu came in, scraping mud from her boots and hanging her cloak by the door. “It seems you were successful, then?”

Melissah gestured to the three Black Arrows hunched around a table near the fire. “Well, we found these three alive, at least. And the Grauls shouldn't be causing any more trouble.”

“Well, that's a mercy,” the elf woman said. Her eyes widened as she recognized Jakandros among the survivors.

Jori peeked over Jakandros's shoulder at the map he was drawing. “Do you know how many ogres are in the fort?” she asked. All three rangers spoke at once.

“No.” “A lot.” “Too many.”

Jakandros shrugged. “BUT, we know the fort better than they do. There's no way they've found the secret caverns or explored the tunnels underneath.” He made a finishing touch to the sketch and turned it around so that everyone could see. Nevis jumped from her table to this one to have a look.

“Those sound like adventurin' words!” the gnome announced. “What better a tale than one that starts with sneaking into a keep through secret means and climaxes with thrilling heroics!”

“Uh, yes,” Foss said, looking somewhat overwhelmed by Nevis' enthusiasm. “Solid plan.”

“Can any of you fly?” Vale asked.

“If you throw me, I can try!” Nevis declared.

“I could do that,” Foss said. Nevis gave him an exaggerated wink.

“In short, no,” Iozua concluded, shaking his head.

“No, you can't fly, or no, I can't throw Nevis?” Foss asked.

“Either,” Iozua replied. “Both.”

Vale pursed his lips and pointed to the crude map. “This aerie was where our giant eagle allies nested. They were killed by the ogres, but there's a tunnel leading from the aerie down into the fort.”

“If necessary, I can fly and carry others as well,” Melissah said.

Kaven blinked. “Well, we could always try the drainage ditch,” he said, not sure if she was serious. He pointed. “There's a sluice gate there that we use to dump stuff downhill into the creek.”

Jakandros frowned. “I don't know. That's pretty close to the south gate.”

“I think I've had enough vile waste for a while, thank you,” Melissah said.

Iozua shrugged. “Drainage ditch is a step up from what we just dealt with,” he muttered.

“To be honest,” Kaven said. “I was hoping to be talked out of the idea. But it's an option.”

Jakandros took his turn to do the pointing. “There's a secret tunnel behind this waterfall, but there could be shocker lizards back there.”

“They keep to themselves, mostly, but during mating season they can be aggressive. We smoke 'em out with bitterbark then,” Kaven added.

“IS it mating season?” Iozua asked.

“No,” Melissah said.

“We should just have Melissah do her thing and send the lot of them stampeding into the fort,” Foss announced with a grin, apparently finding the idea amusing. Iozua put a finger to the side of his nose and pointed at Foss, but Melissah shook her head and Foss immediately attempted to pretend that he was serious.

“I'd just as soon fly in to the aerie. I can prepare spells that will be good from above that way. Shocker lizards are magical and are highly resistant to druidic influence.”

“So you're saying there's a chance,” Iozua insisted.

“Ooh, I like those odds,” Nevis said.

“It might make a lot of noise if things go poorly.”

Iozua shook his head. “So you'd fly up and pelt them from above while the rest of us entered the gates?”

Melissah smiled. “No, I can carry the entire party up to the aerie.”

“You don't think they'd notice that?” the wizard protested.

“I could go in at night, as something silent like an owl. Ogres can see in the dark, but their range is limited.”

“If the moon is hidden or dark I suppose that could work,” Iozua allowed.

“Wait, we could RIDE you?” Nevis said, suddenly realizing the point. “I could make us all invisible for the flight in!”

Melissah smiled at the enthusiasm. “Or that,” she said.

Foss leaned over to Iozua and Jori. “These new recruits are kinda useful,” he said in an undertone. Iozua nodded. Foss raised his voice, a little embarrassed. “For a defensive structure, there sure are a lot of ways in that aren't the front gates,” he said.

“How did the ogres get in, do you know?” Melissah asked.

Vale snorted. “That's the real question, isn't it? I mean, we weren't there, but...”

“Vale thinks they had help from the inside,” Kaven said.

“No, I'm SURE they did.”

“Why?” Iozua asked. “Perhaps they relied on numbers?”

“Just a gut feeling, is all,” the massive Ranger said, somewhat defensive.

“It IS a bold move, for them,” Jakandros allowed. “I can't rule out that they're working on someone else's behalf. That's just another reason I want to get in there.”

“So, now we just need an owl harness,” Iozua said, looking thoughtful.

"WE'RE GOING TO RIDE A GIANT OWL!!!" Nevis squealed. “More drinks!”

“Are you going to make us push on and try this tonight?” Jori demanded as the barmaid fetched alcohol. “I burned through a lot of spells back there.”

“Tomorrow, certainly,” Iozua said.

“Oh, praise Desna,” the cleric replied, relieved.

Jakandros seemed about to protest, but Foss laid a hand on his shoulder. “We'll avenge your comrades soon enough.” The older ranger sighed and sat down, staring into his mug. Shalelu sat down next to him, and their eyes met warily. Kaven and Vale left the table, joining the rest of the party where Nevis had resumed singing.

Foss took a drink and directed a bemused look at Iozua. “Whoah. When did I become such a crusader? This time last year my biggest worry was getting to the next beach while the waves were good.”

“That's how the good fight works, Foss,” Jori told him.

“This time last year I was singing and drinking!” Nevis said.

“You like the sea?” Melissah asked, pleased to hear her usually taciturn companion in an expansive mood.

“I do. It calls me regularly. But it's been a while.”

Melissah nodded. “Oddly, I've never spent much time at the seashore. My people all live in the swamps further inland.”

“Your people?” Foss asked.

“Well, the druids who raised me, anyway. My mother wasn't married so I didn't have a family.”

Jori raised her mug. “Hey, my mother wasn't married either! Bastards unite!” She grinned. “My father's people are pretty powerful and famous in Varisia. But, since he didn't marry my mother, I don't really call myself one of them. I follow the Harrow.”

“I grew up in Sandpoint,” Iozua said softly. “This is the first time I've really left. I try not to think too hard about it, because if I do, it's pretty overwhelming. After the Late Unpleasantness at home, I really began to question if I would find a use for the art I'd spent so many years learning. Fire was . . . not popular.”

“I've been all over the place,” Foss said. “For five years now I've done nothing but wanter. It's amazing what you see out there when you cut your ties with home.”

Melissah nodded. “I've been wandering between villages in this area for a while now.”

Foss looked at her. “So, you were raised by druids, but your people come from the swamps? Sounds like you've had an interesting life, Melissah.”

“It suits me. I've never felt much desire to stay in one place for very long. My teacher would have called me flighty, but he was a bit of a crotchety old fart, if you ask me.” Iozua snorted a laugh.

“Well, sometime, when this is all over with, we'll have to find the best beach around. Surf all day, drink all night. That's the life,” Foss said.

“What's surfing?” Nevis asked, looking up from her playing.

“Riding the waves on a wooden plank. It's more about the experience than anything.”

“Don't you have wider ambitions?” Melissah asked. “Most of the people I meet are ambitious. Myself, I like to watch the towns and villages grow. I try to use what I know to help them when I can.”

Foss shook his head. “No, not in the least. Jori and Iozua here are destined for greatness, count on it. But I peaked already and I'm glad for it.”

Iozua twitched. “Eh, Jori, sure.”

Jori stuck out her tongue and made a dismissive raspberry. “I'm not cut out to be a great Deverin. If I can be a great wandering Harrower . . . that, maybe, I could do.”

“The cards again?” Iozua asked. “Didn't that . . . not work out so well the last time you listened to them?”

“The cards speak the truth. The least I can do is listen to them.”

“And Nualia?” the wizard asked softly. Jori winced.

“She . . . I've done everything I can for her. It's up to her to find the path now.” Her cheeks turned red and Iozua patted her hand awkwardly.

“Perhaps you're right,” he said.

Melissah smiled at the awkward silence that followed. “You may always find a purpose if you keep looking,” she offered. “It's a big world.”

Foss raised his mug. “I find that if you spend your life looking for one important thing, you may find it. But you also miss all the other stuff along the way that you ignored. So, I just take life as it comes, and tonight I'm here. Getting drunk with all of you. And then we go kill ogres.”

Jori raised her mug in answer. “Hear, hear!”

“I think I would go mad if I waited for life to come to me,” Melissah said.

Iozua took a long drink from his mug. “It has hardly slowed down since the goblins attacked Sandpoint.”

“No kidding,” Foss said. “One crazy event after another.”

“I hope the ogres are less disgusting than the Grauls,” Iozua grumbled. “Why can't we have a pleasant crazy event for once?”

“They could hardly be MORE disgusting,” Jori said.

“Not all adventures are fun, but they are adventures all the same,” Nevis murmured, the drink catching up with her.

“Oh, you can have pleasant crazy events along the way, Iozua,” Foss said with a grin. “It just involves talking to more women and having fewer morals.”

“Oh. Well. Ahem.” the wizard coughed artlessly.

“Is he blushing?” Melissah asked, grinning as well. The wizard seemed to have found something terribly interesting in the bottom of his mug.

“I think Iozua wants to talk to ONE woman,” Jori said.

“Oh? Do tell.”

“NO,” the wizard snapped.

“As you wish,” Jori replied. “But the cards don't lie.” Iozua shook his head, his mouth a thin line.

Melissah glanced over at Jakardos, who had finished speaking to Shalelu and was now sitting with Vale and Kaven again. “I do have one question for you three, though,” she said, pitching her voice toward their table. “What are you planning to do after we retake the fort? Stay there, just the three of you?”

“Ask Magnimar's Lord-Mayor for reinforcements, to start.” Jakardos said. He ducked his head and yawned. “I'm afraid that's as far as I've gotten.”

“I don't want you throwing your lives away trying to hold a fort by yourselves, not when we went to so much effort to rescue you.”

“It was a moderate effort, really,” Iozua said, recovering from his embarrassment. “But she's right.”

“Yeah, I don't want that either,” Kaven said. “See, Jak? She's pretty AND smart.”

Melissah shook her head, smiling faintly.

Outside, it began to rain. Hard. The roof drummed overhead. The innkeeper cursed from behind the bar. “Last time it rained this early, this much, we got floods. That were, what, forty-some years ago? Turned out there was a witch behind it all. She were tryin' to turn us all int' frogs or somethin' with all that rain!” Everyone blinked at him. That seemed to be the signal to break up the drinking and head to the inn to sleep.

Shalelu joined the adventurers for breakfast in the morning, before the Black Arrows arrived. “I should thank you for saving them,” she mentioned as the innkeeper brought out a platter of sausages and bacon and a crock of eggs.

“I'm glad we were in time,” Melissah said.

“Me, too. We were able to . . .reconcile.”

“So you know why he left, then?” Iozua asked.

Shalelu nodded. She spotted Kaven coming down the stairs. “I'll tell you later.”

Foss lowered his voice and leaned in close to her. “Stick by Jakardos during the action tonight. I can tell he's a strong man, but he's shaken up. I've seen it before when I was enlisted, and it's not good for combat.”

Nevis hurtled down the stairs after the rangers. “What'd I miss you guys?” she slurred, burping and looking disturbed by the taste. She grabbed a bottle. “Hair of the dog that bit'cha!” she declared, and upended it into her mouth.

“I hope she doesn't throw up when we start flying,” Melissah muttered.