Securing the Raven's March Pt 2

May 16th Caudex Annales 71 AUP

Less terrifying than REAL ones!

The party left Westbrook, giving their farewells. They journeyed on foot through the forest and came out into the plains that late afternoon. They came upon a destroyed merchant's wagon. There were no bodies, but the party managed to track where the bodies had been dragged. In a fallow field they encountered a giant rhagodessa slumbering in a freshly dug pit. The party did not maintain surprise for long as the beast heard their approach and awoke!  In the short combat that followed, Osparagus accounted for the majority of damage with his fiery magic missiles, and Korian added to it with his crossbow. However, their attacks did not fell the beast before it charged Trebor and mortally wounded him with its crushing jaws! 

Fortunately for Trebor, Erick had been standing next to him, and immediately cast Lay on Hands. It turned out that Trebor had received some broken ribs and a notable scar. Trebor would require a day's bed rest or magical healing to be of any use. So the party decided to camp for the night, and use Lay on Hands in the morning. In the beast's den they found the mangled bodies of two wealthy merchants from the south. On their bodies they found a large amount of gold and valuable gems and jewelry.

The next day the party arrived at Rythey Tower at mid-afternoon. They spent the remainder of the day attempting to sell their loot in the bustling market. After they sold what they could, they retired to an inn for a luxurious night's stay. 

The next day, Trebor stayed in the inn to recuperate his health, and Erick stayed with him. Osparagus and Korian went to the Baron's Keep to seek audience with him. They arrived at the start of the Baron's public audience hour, and Korian's silver tongue secured them the first spot in queue. 


The Baron had other things on his mind and received the news of the kobold attack without much response, however, he offered for his court wizard Azarius to translate the note. Korian also quickly stepped in and offered the magical leather armor and a splendid silver broach directly to the Baron. This piqued the Baron's interest, and he bought both items! The wizard Azarius then escorted the two adventurers to an antechamber to conduct business. 

The wizard cast Read Languages and quickly transcribed the note. He then copied it again leaving one for the Baron, and one for the party. Azarius had no knowledge of who MX might be. Azarius then recruited the adventurers for a job. Azarius told the adventures that beastmen sighting this side of the Great Barrier Mountains were rare. And that evidence of their presence was troubling. He asked them to investigate conflicting reports of goblin sightings on the north edge of the Baron's territory. The adventurers accepted, and then returned to their inn to count their coin.


--My players reached Level 2 in their second session! I had my doubts about how quickly they would be able to level up, but their encounters, and the treasure rolls, worked in their favor! I informed them that Rhagodessa are encountered in groups of 1d6. And that they got lucky in both number of enemies, and the amount of loot. However, I am ok with this. My players now have considerable coin, and they are looking to hire henchmen and buy horses. 

Trebor's brush with death cemented my player's need for more bodies and allies on their side. I enjoy this aspect of ACKS. It is realistic that to conquer the horrors of the wilderness, one should travel in groups. My players are looking to hire a Thief, and I recommend they hire an Explorer as well. They also wish to hire 4 0th level peasants to groom into fighters.

There was more book keeping this session than last, as well as more thumbing through the rules, however, the plot was advanced, and more importantly, the players leveled up!