Session 4: Back to the Keep Report

About ten minutes after the fight at the mill ends, a dozen bloody but basically healthy defenders arrive from the keep with orders to relieve the characters and defend the mill. They tell the characters to go back to the keep quietly while they remain behind at the mill. Making their way stealthily back the party gets ambushed by some raiders hiding in the foliage on either side of the path back to the keep. The raiders seemed to be poorly trained and missed nearly everyone except for one who got a great hit on Tanaelia. The fight was tough, but the heroes prevailed talking out all of the bandits. After the fight the party made it back to the keep without further trouble. At the keep they took a short rest to recover their injuries. During the rest, Tanaelia looked for the owners of the loot they recovered from the bandits that ambushed them at the mill. She found the family and returned their possessions to them. The Castellan Escobert the Red suggested that she put the rest in a storeroom set aside for the purpose. She also donated the recovered gold to help with the townspeople. Mitzu recognized someone from his past life and had a discussion with Jim about the current situation with the cultists and raiders, why they may be there, and why now. From Jim, he learned that they are likely there to raid and rob as much loot as possible, and that they have been doing the same to many settlements in the area. He also learned that they have been hiring mercenaries to help them with their raiding and that posing as mercenaries might be a way to learn more if they are interested in going through the trouble of infiltrating. Nivek went up to talk to Nighthill and they talked about how the raiders were thinning out and it looked like there were only about half of them still looting and the rest had left. While he was talking to Nighthill, a large draconic figure approached with a troop of Kobolds and four human prisoners and challenged the best warrior to fight him, offering the four prisoners in exchange. Rahl excitedly jumped out to meet him. They had a brief conversation and jumped into the fight. Rahl and him exchanged blows briefly, most of Rahl's sidestepped, before the Dragon person released a blast of lightning breath into Rahl's chest, knocking him unconscienced instantly. Tanaelia rushed out and stabilized Rahl and dragged him back to the keep. The party long rested and leveled up. Rahl now has a large lightning scar across his torso. Rahl and Nivek had a conversation with Nivek becoming increasing catatonic. Lorilla came over to "help" followed by Tanaelia to help explain things.