Session #2: Trouble at the Tower

With the Fen Watch now a commissioned company of the Goldmeadow Enclave, the party began building contacts and investigating the problems facing Fenhold. During our out-of-session downtime, Brockopher found work performing at the Rusty Rake and met Meredith Hornscraper, a local dairy farmer and former adventurer and militia member. Capable and practical, Meredith appeared to command considerable respect around town. Mitharion spent his time investigating the goblin raids along the trade road. The raiders were known as the Brownleaves and were led by Rosethorn. Their attacks had become increasingly organized, developing from crude hit-and-run raids into deliberate ambushes supported by traps, scouting, and careful positioning.

During the week we were given a list of four jobs or assignments to choose from. We voted. The party chose to pursue Rimre Hennel’s offered operation. Hired to help keep the trade road open and clear of raiders, the Fen Watch prepared to investigate. An arrangement was also made with Buerd, the stable master, who agreed to accompany them along the journey to secure their mounts, a precious resource in the region.

The assignment brought the party off the road to a path covered in deadly tangleweed. After trudging through the vegetation, the party came upon a tower occupied by the Nightblades. Osgood and Pulk were outside when the adventurers arrived, and the group entered into an uneasy exchange with them. After some light banter, Osgood backed into the tower while Pulk ran around the back side of the tower. Batlike creatures occupied the tower’s upper reaches, giving the party another potential danger to consider while dealing with its occupants.

Mitharion grew suspicious of Osgood and believed he was trying to set the party up. Acting on that suspicion, Mitharion shot him. Osgood survived, but the incident complicated an already uncertain encounter. Cain and Brockopher were visibly agitated. They preferred healthy elven dialogue to human aggression.

The Fen Watch eventually withdrew and camped a few miles from the tower. Finding a suitable haven required a Survival check. Mitharion rolled seventeen, consisting of a fifteen on the die and a +2 modifier, against an expected target of eighteen. The DM allowed the haven despite the roll falling one short, and the party secured a place to rest and consider its next move.

The road assignment remained unfinished. The Fen Watch had encountered another armed group operating in the area, learned that the tower presented dangers beyond its occupants, and left behind a wounded man they would have to face again.