Thunder rolled on the horizon as the people of Wayrest settled in for the night, the poor weather meaning that few, if any, were out and about. But while many were safe and sound in their homes a number had taken refuge in the Greased Oak Tavern, the village's sole place to get a drink.
The tavern, while not fully packed, at least had a decent crowd within it; the local laborers and a few traveling merchants were enjoying a pint or two (or three or four in a few cases), and one table in the corner was filled with a group of dwarves, talking amongst themselves in hushed dwarvish.
Another group of people was also present in the tavern; a small band of women of varying races and creeds were also spending their time in the Greased Oak, waiting for the one who had contacted them with a job.
Having finished their first course, the four girls were taking turns entertaining one another while they sipped their drinks and nibbled on honey-cakes.
The girls were all quite pleased right now because it was Kylessa Hollyboughs turn. Susan tended to tell stories exciting—sometimes fanciful—stories about her mercenary days or about adventuring heroes—her favorite were about Single Halfling Elven Army Zan. Ran Fletcher told stories about the forest animals. Biri offered jokes and sometimes gossip. But Kylessa was their favorite. Even now, the scarlet haired elf girl made her violin softly croon out the songs she'd heard the wind singing to her last night.
As Kylessa played her violin, attracting the attention of a few of the tavern's patrons, the building's wooden door opened, letting the cold wind blow through the room as two cloaked figures entered. Of the two only one was armed (or at least, only one had a visible weapon), with a large sword sheathed at their hip. The first man looked around before his hooded gaze fell on the table the four women were at, then the two of them walked towards a door in the back of the tavern's main room, stepping inside and closing the door behind them.
A minute or two later the door opened again, one of the Greased Oak's wait staff walking out and towards the table of the four women. "Ms. Hollybough," She began, "I hate to interrupt your story, but your presence has been requested in our private room. I was told that you were expecting them." She turned slightly, raising her arm to point at the door she'd just left. "If you and your companions will follow me I'll escort you to the room."
When the two men entered, Ran and Susan regaurded them speculatively. Susan sat aside her wine and hurried to finish her honeycake.
At the waitersses' arival, Kylessa offered her a soothing smile, "Thank you. I believe we have." She tucked her violin away in a hard case and slipped it into her backpack. All four girls rose then. "Please lead the way," the elfmaid finished.
The waitress led the four women towards the back room, placing a hand on the door just above the knob where a strange rune was carved into the wood. The rune glowed for a moment before the door opened on it's own. Bowing her head slightly, the woman stepped to the side to let the group in.
Once inside they would find the two men before them, one sitting at the center of a table while the other stood behind him. Once the door closed behind them (the rune shining once more) both men lifted their hoods revealing them to be a blonde human male with attractive features and an elf of ambiguous gender.
"It's good that you decided to take me up on my offer," the human said, before gesturing to the other seats at the table, across from him. "Please, have a seat and I'll tell you why I've called you here."
As the girls took seats, Ran Fletcher’s green eyes went back and forth between their two employers. “It has been a bit of a mysterious arrangement. We were wondering if the job would be secret, or if it just came across that way from the enigmatic messages.”
The scantily clad redhead perches on the seat and stretched, then rested her palms on the table. “So what do you need?”
As the women take their seat the human nodded at them, "Thank you. Now, as I know all of your names, it's only fair that I give you a name to address me by. You may call me Wayland." He then turned to Ran, acknowledging her question. "While I would prefer that you keep the circumstances of this meeting to yourselves, I will leave that up to your own discretion."
"Now then, for the reason I've called you all here." The human snapped his fingers and the elf behind him pulled a long scroll case out from underneath his cloak. 'He' opened it up and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment, placing it on the table between the two parties and pinning it down. The four women can see that it's a map of the surrounding area, including a not insignificant part of the Black Forest that covered most of the province of Ristlav. "As you know, Ristlav has long since earned the title 'The Bulwark' for it's role in defending the Empire from the threat of the Wastes to our West. One such battle occurred not too far from here, at a place called Fort Wellspring." Here he gestured to a point deep within the forest, where a small mark had been made. "The battle was lost, and our esteemed Duke's ancestor was slain there."
"Your task is a fairly simple one," Wayland continued, "You are to make your way to the Fort and recover the late Duke's sword, which presumably still rests there. For accomplishing this task I will pay each of you 45 gold eagles, in addition to whatever else you might find in the Fort." Wayland then sits back and waits for a response from the four women.
Biri's draconic brow furrowed. The bronze skinned girl leaned forwards and steepled her fingers thoughtfully. “It's a reasonable job,” She allowed. “they pay... is not the best. You should either offer us 20 eagles up front and 35 more if we succeed, or a flat hundred if you want us to make the journey as a gamble that the sword is still there.
“That aside, I’m curious. Wasn't that battle over a century ago? Why now?”
Turning to face the dragonborn, Wayland met her gaze, a small smile on his face as he acknowledged her statement. "Ah, I see that you're familiar with the battle in question. Good, that saves a little time." He paused for a moment, considering her counteroffer. "And it's not a gamble; through the means I have at my disposal I've been able to determine that the sword is still at the Fort. I believe I'll offer you twenty up front, and thirty upon delivery of the sword." His gaze turns to all of the women before him, "Well? Do we have an accord?"
The girls looked back and forth among each other. Their lips moved silently, and Wayland might realize that Kylessa's magic was allowing them to discuss the offer silently.
Then they turned to face Wayland together. Kylessa stood and extended her hand, "We accept your offer."
Biri nodded, "I'd still like to know why you've chosen now to seek out this blade, but it won't change our acceptance if the information is secret."
Wayland remained silent as the women silently conversed between themselves, whether he was aware of the magic being used or not. The elf's eyes flickered over to Kylessa a moment after she cast the spell, though it was unlikely that 'he' knew more than that magic was being used.
A smile appeared on Wayland's face when Kylessa agreed to his terms, "Capital! Dasyra will started preparing your initial payment," he took Kylessa's hand and gave it a hearty shake as the elf in question pulled a few coin pouches from under their robes, placing a number of golden coins in each before pushing a pouch towards each of the four women. "Feel free to count them if you like, though I assure you that it's all there."
At Biri's question Wayland turned to face her. "It's not particularly secret, truth be told I'm hardly the first person to send people out to search for the sword; the last three Dukes each put some effort into finding it. It's an important part of our province's history after all. The problem was that they all searched for it by hunting down the goblin tribes that were present at the battle. I don't think it ever occurred to anyone that it might never have left the Fort." His smile becomes a bit smug at that, "Fortunately a mage in my employ was able to use her talents to place where the sword truly is: On the top of the northern tower, where the late Duke Arthur met his doom."
Wayland pauses momentarily, a thought occurring to him, "Ah, you'll need to know what it looks like of course. You'll know the sword by the engraving on it's hilt, a red bull's head on a black circle, same as Ristlav's flag." He picks up the map off of the table, placing it back in it's case before handing it to Biri, "This should help you in your search, it has the best route to the Fort on it, as well as a few nearby landmarks in case you get lost."
The girls took turns shaking Waylands hand as they accepted the purses, and the map. None of the girls seemed inclined to count the coin. Kylessa slipped hers intoher bodice the other girls into their purses or packs. "Thank you," Biri accepted the map with a smile. "A pleasure doing buisness with you, Wayland. Do we bring the sword here when we have it?"
Ran grinned, "I'm excited for this. We will leave with the dawn."
"And with you as well," Wayland says as he shakes Biri's hand. "Dasyra will be remaining here for a time while you travel through the forest. When you have the sword simply bring it here to him and he will give you the rest of your payment." He then turned to Ran, "Not the worst idea that. If even half of the stories about the forest are true then waiting for daylight is certainly a smart decision."
With their business done for the moment, Wayland started preparing to leave. "I wish you all the best of luck in your trek, may the blessings of Bahamut upon you." At that he opened the door, stepping out and making his way to the exit. Dasyra followed soon after, but instead heading up to the tavern's second floor.
The four women were then left to their own devices for the rest of the night, free to make whatever preparations they needed to for the next morning.
The girls didn't really have many preparations to make. They checked their kits that evening. Then they ate dinner together, chatting eagerly of the adventure to come. They went to bed early, all sharing one room with a big bed to save on coin. The three redheads and the dragonborn cuddled up for warmth, snuggling reflexively closer to each other in their sleep.
As the girls went about their morning business they faced little in the way of issues. This early in the day few of the village's inhabitants were spending time drinking or enjoying the company of the barmaids, so the building was fairly silent as they prepared. By the time they left the Greased Oak the sun was just starting to peek above the horizon, the trees of the Black Forest casting long shadows over the land.
Following the map they'd been given it didn't take long for the group to find the path that would lead them through the Forest and to Fort Wellspring. But as they looked into the wood, where the light of the sun didn't quite reach the ground, it was clear that, even with the map, they would need to be careful, lest they lose their way like so many travelers had in the past.
((Whoever has the map should make a DC 10 Survival check to follow the path without any issues))
Before they entered the woods, Kylessa drew her wand and chanted quietly, drawing a warding circle in light on the ground around her. Then she drew that same circle around her naval. Both circles flared, then vanished, as her body was protected by invisible armor. Flashing the other girls a smile, she inquired, “Which way, Ran?”
The tallest girl shook her head and giggled, “Who'd have ever thought I would be woods guide for an elf?
The golden girl giggled and shook her head. “What can I say? I'm a city girl and you're a true disciple of the Forest People. I'm not embarrassed to ask you for help, and I'll tell the same to any of the People who ask.”
Blushing a little bit, Ran drew out the map, then studied the woods for a bit, then nodded, “Okay, this way.”
Susan grinned a little bit. The little mercenary cocked and loaded both of her crossbows, then walked with the heavy one shouldered and ready. Ran took the front, followed by Biri, with Kylessa in the middle and Ran on rear guard.
Ran led her companions through the Black Forest, following the vague trail that had been made by previous travelers in years past. They made a fairly quick pace as they walked, and although they occasionally had to stop so that their guide could make sure that they were going in the right direction she was pretty sure that they hadn't strayed from the path marked on the map.
After about an hour and a bit of travel the four women came across a small creek, the first major landmark on the map. According to the map they would need to follow the waterway north for a bit before they'd need to change course again.
As the group approaches the creek something in the mud catches the eyes of Susan and Kylessa; a number of large tracks cross the area, no doubt made by at least one of the animals that call this part of the forest their home. They appear to be fairly fresh, having not been filled by the creek's water or by the forest's detritus.
If Susan or Kylessa want more info about the tracks they should make a Survival or Nature check. Whether they do or not Ran should make another Survival check for navigating the next part of the forest
Ran gestured for the other girls to hold back as she crouched to study the tracks. She murmured to herself then called Susan forewrds to see if what she saw matched up.
Survival:
Ran 15
Susan 23
Once they'd spent some time studying the tracks, the girls waded across the water together and continued, Ran taking the lead once more.
Upon examining the tracks Ran, while not entirely certain, believes that they are from either a very large wolf or, more worryingly, a worg. Given some of the stories about the Forest, either might very well be true.
Susan on the other hand is very sure that they're worg tracks, having seen the vile creatures once or twice during her time with the Crimson Century. Moreover, she's able to conclude from the tracks that at least two of the creatures have passed through the area within the last hour.
Once they're done with the tracks Ran once more pulls out the map and starts leading her comrades through the forest, which is becoming less and less welcoming as they go further in. The path is less clear and the trees are closer together, with little sunlight reaching them through the canopy. Nevertheless, Ran does her best to lead them along the path. For a time they're able to simply follow the creek upstream as they move, but eventually they turned from the water and made their way deeper into the Black Forest. This was where Ran made her first mistake, a combination of misreading the map and the forest's many twists and turns placing them off the beaten path, with little knowledge of where they were and where they needed to go from here.
That would be bad enough on it's own, but as they take a moment to rest and get their bearings Susan and Ran both manage to catch sight of something moving around the trees; two large, wolf-like creatures, crouched in the brush, ready to pounce at them at a moment's notice! Perhaps more worrying however was the goblin perched on the back of one of them, the orange form almost naked but for a crude loincloth around it's waist, the only other distinguishing features being a few piercings and it's head, which is covered in a dark red pigment. The goblin meets their eyes as it realizes that it's been made. Shouting something in it's guttural tongue the humanoid gives it's mount a kick to the flank, raising it's scimitar high, and the two creatures cease attempting to hide and prepare to fight!
Suddenly the four women hear the sound of bow strings being released, and two arrows fly from the trees above them! The first lands harmlessly in the dirt at Ran's feet, but the second one finds purchase in Susan's flesh, a stinging pain running through her. Cursing in rapid-fire Goblin, the first archer drops from his tree and to the ground, brandishing his bow threateningly towards the women. There's no sign of the second archer, whether a goblin or not.
The goblin on the worg begins laughing as they approach, a low, lusty sound that would send shivers up the spine of women with less fortitude than these four. He opens his mouth and to your surprise he begins speaking in broken Common. "You, women! Surrender, or don't, Red Skulls want breeding, don't want fighting, will if must!" The others start to laugh and leer as well, no doubt already imagining their victory as they circle their quarry.
It's a fight!
Ran's critical failure has not only brought you off of any familiar ground, but also right into the path of a few goblin scouts, as well as their mounts (who may or may not have left the tracks you found earlier). Good thing she and Susan had a high enough Passive Perception that they were able to foil part of the ambush, but not good enough to spot the archers.
Here's a general description of your situation: The four of you are located in a relatively clear area, while the goblins and worgs are surrounding you. The apparent leader/his worg are about 15 feet from you, the second worg the same distance from you and 10 feet from the other one. The second nowhere to be seen, but is presumably up a tree.
Susan takes 6 damage from the arrow.
Assuming that you want to fight, roll initiative. Enemy initiative rolls are as follows:
Despite the clear rejection the goblin's grin only widened, "Tall ones talk talk talk, Red Skulls strongest, got betta use for mouthy ones." He gave a loud cry in Goblin, and his companions readied themselves for a fight!
From the trees another arrow came flying out, but it's path was wobbly and short, being preceded by the sound of a snapping bowstring. Though none of the women speak Goblin, it's clear from the tone that the words that follow are curses at the creature's poor luck. From below you can see the Red Skull trying to re-string his bow.
Kylessa always had a flare for words in these situations that Ran feared she'd never be able to match. The redheaded human simply flipped one hand ax and replied, “Empty boast!”
The fighting fury was upon her then, setting her blood on fire as she surged towards the speaker. She dropped into a low skid through the leaves at the last moment to evade snapping jaws or striking spears, then snapped up just left of the worg and tried to bury both axes in it's body!
Seeing the barbarian woman coming their way the worg attempted to dodge her strikes. However, her skid through the leaves pushed up a bit of dirt, and while the worg was distracted she struck him with her axe. Her follow-up strike, however, was not so lucky, the beast swaying to the side so Ran hit only air, at best cutting the tips of it's fur.
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