Session One Hundred and Six (Graveyard of Empires Summary)

Session 106

Journal entry for the 13th of Jourelden (dawn)

After our night-time encounter with the spider apes our morning is busy and uneventful as we load our equipment and carts onto the barge.

Gifforde would love our company on the rest of his journey, but Thorfus makes it clear that we have pressing business elsewhere.

The barge master, Whyschardus tells me that we’ll make Vargen just after nightfall – should give me plenty of time to work on my ship plans. Better feed Boris and myself.

A few hours have passed since my last entry. It seems that we had a shadow, a pair of dwarven riders were spotted by Thorfus questioning Gifforde and then pointing towards us as we made the first bend of the river, about two hours later we see them on one of the other barges – their intent was to follow us and keep us under watch.

How do we know this? Devilfish (see rough sketch). It seems they inhabit the river and extort a fee from passing barges, or rather they’re offered money for a promise of safe passage, a promise not always kept by the sounds of our barge master. They’re intelligent and have prodigious mental abilities – luckily one of their number, Gronsk, knows Thorfus and the Company- save for myself and Cannis our newest travelling companion.

He (it?) warned Thorfus and all of us using group telepathy (prodigious indeed!) that our barge’s offering wasn’t as large as that of the barge following and we’d be sunk unless Thorfus was able provide him information about Araquelle – a former member who left with Derrich’s group and Prix’ body through the permanently open gate inside the Bioforge facility.To my surpise, Araquelle was actually a Devilfish who’s essense was transfered to a human’s body.

Thorfus agreed only after Gronsk would delve the minds of the pursuing dwarves and let him know their intentions. Gronsk did so and then asked for an update before letting Thorfus know.

Now – Lord Thorfus is capable of many things, but he often times can be be over cautious. He danced around Araquelle’s fate – likely worried that should he reveal too much the devilfish may just sink us. This went on for a little while, clearly Gornsk wasn’t impressed with what he was being told about Araquelle’s current location – so I stepped in and explained that Araquelle stepped through a portal and is now on the other side of the island. That seemed to do the trick – though I’m not sure Thorfus was too happy to have me jump in like that.

That done – we found out that the riders were tasked with following us and reporting back to Marchmain about our whereabouts and doings.

With that Gronsk made to leave, but Thorfus asked it if he would help with find Grel. Gronsk laughed (or I think it laughed) and cryptically said that if we survive our welcome to meet him in the harbour where he’ll do what he can to help.

He then promptly left to destroy the other barge – leaving us to wonder about what awaits in Varden. Needless to say, that made concentrating on my work difficult, mind you watching Boris try to steal fish from Thorfus and Chuck’s fishing while chatting with the crew to glean information about Vargen was quite entertaining. No useful information came from the questioning.

Night has fallen I best get ready for what comes next. They say we’ll be mooring at the East Harbour and off load there. Shame that we arrived after nightfall – I wonder how large the city is.

EV.

Late evening – about an hour after our arrival.

I scrawl this quickly as we wait for news regarding Thorell – the local bargeman guild leader.

Gronsk was right – we did indeed have a welcome waiting for us – though not us specifically.

Grell, a pirate who has a grudge against the company and is likely working for the Empire, launched a flaming captured warship toward another docked warship – likely causing two large explosions. There was someone alive strapped to the bow of the ship on fire – someone Thorfus knows.

We intervened. Chuck, Thorfus, Cannis and I shadow walked to the docked warship (Bitter Horse – odd name) and while they spoke with the ship’s captain I rushed to the aft of the ship facing the flaming warship bearing down on us. There I used a scroll to summon a water elemental dowsing us with water. While Thorfus and Chuck “stepped” to the ship in an attempt to save the admiral. I commanded the elemental to push the flaming ship back into the bay and try to put out the fire.

Thorfus and chuck managed to save the Admiral, but the ship exploded.

They “stepped” to where they left me on the other ship and explained to us and the other admiral that they spotted the culprits heading up river – if we hurried we could catch them.

We took two longboats of men and caught them with the help of the water elemental.

Cannis easily destroyed one ship and it’s occupants with lightning, but was almost immediately felled by a salvo of arrows from the remaining ships.

Battle ensued and we found that there were two leaders – both “dervishes” (cit. Chuck) – agents of the Empire apparently. They too were able to step into shadow and got away.

We captured three and found that they were working for Grell and missioned to kill Thorell by setting up diversions while the agents did the deed.

We send the wounded (incl. Cannis) and captives back to the Bitter horse, while we sped to Thorell’s base further up river with help from the water elemental T’Suna (can’t pronounce real name) to warn him about the attempt.

That’s where we are now, waiting to find out if we arrived in time.

IEV.