Chapter 15 - A Strange Guide on a Strange Road
Days 32 to 35
Having carried his surviving friends to the safety of the ruined tower (or dragged, in the case of the half-ogre) and having retrieved the body of Blixhaven, Trykaar set to bandaging their wounds and setting up camp for the night. Focusing on his tasks, he was unaware that alien eyes were observing his labour until a voice spoke to him from the night. Whirling to encounter the potential threat, Trykaar spied an elven face peering over the ruined wall of the keep. Glancing about, he saw that he had left his weapons in a pile on the other side of the tower. Was he trapped?
But the elf made no immediate move for his weapons, and Trykaar's suspicions were slightly assuaged when the elf stepped slowly into the firelight. He (or she, it's so difficult to tell) hailed him in a conversational tone while making no move for his weapons; a longbow slung across his back and a rapier hung loosely from his belt. The elf introduced himself as Aldur, called Swiftleaf by some, of House Taramandil. Trykaar remembered that Ambassador Irimon, the elven emissary to Wasteward Keep, claimed the same house. Having exchanged pleasantries, Aldur told how he had observed the party's reckless assault on the keep, and offered to render assistnace. Trykaar was not about to refuse the elf's aid, but was still too wary to sleep, and instead chose to care for his wounded comrades through the night.
With the arrival of morning, Leandrie was fit enough to offer prayers to Isten, and used the healing power granted by his god to assist his comrades with their recovery. With others able to keep an eye on the elf, Trykaar finally found time to sleep inthe afternoon. The revived Neela paid respects to the dead, giving proper burials to Blixhaven and the fallen Genasi.
The party decided to rest for a second night before resuming their pursuit of the kidnapped children and their elven kidnappers. Their conversations with Aldur had at least given them some concrete evidence that the children had indeed been abducted by elves, as he had seen a wagon full of children, accompanied by elves, only a couple of days prior to encountering the party.
That night, as Neela kept watch at the keep's walls, a foul odour and faint sound alerted her to the approach of a shambling mount of fetid plant matter. Emerging from behind a nearby bush, it threatened to cut her off from the rest of the party in the tower. Moving quickly to the attack, her fists punched into the monster, apparently damaging it but also causing acidic burns to Neela's bare hands. But in her haste to engage, Neela had neglected to shout a warning to her companions, and two more of the creatures emerged from behind the ruins. Unbeknownst to the half-orc, another pair of the creatures were entering the far side of the tower. Soon, a desperate battle was being waged. The creatures succeeded in enveloping first Neela, then Leandrie, wrapping them in their acidic embrace. Neela wiggled free of her attacker, while a careful but lethal blow from Trykaar killed Leandrie's attacker. Soon, all five of the creatures, which Trykaar identified as fetid fungus, were dispatched.
The next morning the journey was resumed. Aldur had elected to travel with the party, and they set out in a light rain which threatened heavier rains later in the day. Their day's journey was uneventful, except for a chance meeting with an elderly-looking elf driving a horse and wagon in the opposite direction along the old highway. The party cautiously greeted him, but Aldur politely dismissed his offers of assistance with a warning look to his companions. When the wagon was safely past, he explained that the driver was not an elf, but a member of a more ancient fey race, the eladrin. One was best to avoid any entanglements that such a creature might bring.
As night fell, the wet and exhausted travellers spied a light in the nearby woods. Seeing that it appeared to come from a small house, and hoping to find a dry place to rest for the night, the party chose to investigate. Their knock on the door was answered by the voice of an elderly woman. Seeing their state, she welcomed them into her humble abode and offered the warmth of her fire and some warm stew. The party gladly accepted, witht he exception of Trykaar, who chose to eat his own trail rations. The party slept very well that night and departed the next morning with the woman insisting that they return again.
The next day, the party finally reached the point where Aldur claimed to have seen the wagon of children. As they continued aong the highway, Aldur attempted to find some sign of their passage, but had no luck in doing so. Late in the day, Aldur spotted an approaching group of Genasi soldiers. Choosing to err on the side of caution, the party took refuge in the woods while the soldiers passed.
Late in the day, the party spied a village alongside the highway. To their surprise, it appeared to be inhabited by humans. Aldur was sent in as a scout, and found that it was indeed a human village. The residents were fairly welcoming and he went back to retrieve the remainder of the party. They soon found themselves seated in the local tavern, where many of the village's menfolk congregated as the evening lengthened. When questioned, none of the men reported seeing a wagonload of children passing by the village. At the end of the evening, the tavernkeeper made up beds in the loft for these rare guests, and bid them good night.
In the midnight hour, Trykaar and Jrak stood watch. Hearing a strange moaning from nearby, they chose to investigate. On the main level of the tavern, it became clear that the sound emanated from the apartment of the tavernkeeper, attached to the tavern. Trykaar opened the door to the apartments and found himself face to face with what used to be the innkeeper but was now a zombie. Letting out a loud, rattling moan, it sank its undead teeth into a bit Trykaar's exposed arm, dribbling its rotten saliva into the wound. Sickened, Tryaaar took a step back, but not before felling the zombie with a mighty thrust of his sword. As Trykaar backed back into the tavern, the innkeeper's wife emerged to follow him, also appearing to be in a state of decay and moaning loudly. Jrak finished her, and they returned to wake up their companions. As they did so, they heard more moans emanating from outside. There would be no more sleep this evening.
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