DnD à la Sam Session 1

A Fated Crossing

---

"It should've been a simple transport run. A trip around the Dales, drop of wares where you're supposed to and the favor is returned. Who would have imagined the things to come; maybe it was the whim of a God, venting their frustration of whatever happened in the planes above, or some Archfey wanting to collect whatever they thought I owed them. Regardless; it was the 1st of Kythorn, a fitting date come to think of it, a few days away on the road to Hillsfar. Here are my journal entries from that time:

My cart is still loaded with goods I don't own, bound for someone I don't know. With my unsuccessful trades the previous months, I have no real choice about returning some favors I owed. This one's for Kalindra back in Waterdeep. Maybe I'm repaying her more than I have to, but then again that's how the cycle works; and who could resist that smile of hers when she wants something. But I digress...

A cart pulled up in front of me on a crossroads, protected by what might have been two hunters or guards, loaded with an apparent prisoner of sorts. We both only just avoided a collision, when out of nowhere a band of Kobolds jumped out of the bushes, hooted their battlecries and charged straight at the cart. But by, what appeared to be pure luck, we weren't the only good folk on that road that day. A lovely and... interesting Dragonborn also wandered the roads, but she was apparently more interested in asking for a ride to Hillsfar and feeding Gustav, my trusty mule, than the strange prison cart or the attacking Kobolds. Right after her came a well built Tiefling, who held herself like one the warrior Monks I've met along my travels, but at the time it felt like she lacked the drive and purpose her fellow Monks showed. She held her own against the Kobolds nonetheless, albeit with the help of a battle hardened Dwarf, who charge at the nearest Kobold without much apparent regard for his own safety. Seeing the two prison guards engaged in combat, I too decided to jump in, hoping for at least some kind of reward at the end of it, when suddenly an Elf strode out the woods, dressed like one of them Wood Elves who probably never saw anything else but trees, went straight for the prison cart and released the one held inside, just because he asked him to. In the heat of battle I couldn't see where he ran, but the prisoner apparently disappeared somewhere down the road.

After the Kobolds were dealt with, I wanted nothing else than to collect some kind of reward and be off on my way to Hillsfar. But alas, the two guards turned out to be less... eloquent than I expected. While I was bartering for payment for services rendered, the Wood Elf traveler revealed a map he was given by the prisoner, showing the surrounding area and an X not far off the road. The prisoner promised treasure and a place where we may find him at the marked location. The whole situation was so bizarre, that I was at a loss for words. But luckily my trader instincts kicked in and, with the help of the dwarven stranger, we struck an agreement to find and return the escapee for a considerable sum of gold for everyone involved.

We gathered up our packs, turned down the road indicated on the map and after a few hours of travel, we arrived at a clearing in the woods. While half of us tried to hide my cart, our dwarven companion uncovered a cave entrance with signs of Kobold and Goblin activity. We dove into the caves below, skillfully fought our way through packs of Goblins, as my companions all turned out to be well versed fighters and/or magic users, only to end up in front of a stone statue which seemed to be an exact depiction of the escaped prisoner from before. The statue itself showed no signs of craftsmanship or active magic which left us all dumbfounded."

-- Melendria Amberfield, 1st of Kythorn 1501 DR

1st of Kythorn (The Time of Flowers) 1501 DR

The party first met by coincidence on a crossroads between Hillsfar and {insert town here}. Two carts almost collided, one belonging to the Elf Bard Melendria Amberfield, the other pulled by two humans and transporting a cage containing a red haired prisoner. Just as the two carts stopped, a band of Kobolds jumped out of the shrubbery brandishing their weapons and charged at the cart shouting, "That's him! The one in the cart. Get him!". The Dragonborn Sorceress Barcora, found herself caught between the carts and charging Kobolds, decided to simply sidestep the encounter, as the fight didn't concern her and instead asked to hitch-hike on Melendrias cart. Two others, the Dwarven Fighter Boenedal and the Tiefling Monk Alitara, charged into the fight and pummeled two Kobolds to the ground. The last companion, the Elf Druid Antion, stalked out of the nearby woods, around the prison cart and after a short conversation with its resident, who asked for help as he's supposedly unjustly incarcerate, decided to free him before turning on the remaining Kobolds. One of the guards, noticing the escaping prisoner, started after him, but both disappeared after a short distance fading away in the middle of the road.

After the Kobolds were dealt with, the remaining guard revealed that their prisoner was a local troublemaker, inciting civil disturbances and telling stories to rile up the populace. A few fruitless minutes of searching for the prisoner and the missing guard only confirmed that the two must have simply vanished in the middle of the road, even if no signs of magic could be found in the area. Antion was also given a map by the escaped prisoner, who said that the map leads to treasures and place where they should find and free him, whatever that meant. After short introductions, the party struk a deal with the remaining guard, to return the prisoner for a bounty. All said and done, the group followed their map, and after a short while, arriveed a clearing in the woods. While one half of the party tried to hide the cart and mule, the other searched the clearing and uncoverd a hidden cave entrance. Convinced that this must be their destination, the party delved down into the tunnels below.

The caves showed clear signs of inhabitation, with the majority of tracks pointing towards Goblin denizens. Not knowing where to go, they simply chose the first door they found and went on from there. After a short fight with winged Goblins, they arrived in a bigger chamber, guarded by a group of smaller Goblins and lead by one big version of them. The following fight was tough, but the party emerged victorious and found a small glass ring in the big Goblins possesions. The room itself also contained a stone statue which appears to be an exact copy of the esacped prisoner from earlier. After a short inspection, the statue showed no signs of beeing handmade or having magic about it.

Faced with a riddle, the party discussed what to do next...