Chapter 3 - We're at the Tower. Now what?

Days 5 and 6

Jrak and Trykaar awakened to find that the tower had been cleared of both Genasi and the elven sorceror. Blixhaven and Neela were already searching through the tower and the heroes began to assess their situation.

Of primary concern were the wounded men in the third floor barracks. Of the three men, one had flame-coloured hair that seemed to shimmer in an invisible wind - surely a mark of Genasi blood. The other two had no remarkable characteristics, but the wrists of one were tied to the bedframe. In addition to personal effects, two suits of scale mail and a pair of heavy crossbows were stored in the barracks, and two longspears were propped against the wall. Neela quickly claimed the crossbows, hoping to put her weapon proficiency to use. Assessing the wounded, Trykaar decided that the patient who had been tied down was likely a survivor of the original garrison. After assessing him to be near recovery, he set to tending the man's wounds, once again making use of the medical kit that Blixhaven had acquired from the quartermaster.

Showing a talent for command, Trykaar sent Jrak to the roof, to make use the spyglass mounted there for a survey of the area. Looking towards the docks where they had left the goblins, he spotted a plume of smoke rising into the sky.

Meanwhile, Blixhaven and Neela had set out to reconnoiter the surrounding area. Their first stop was the site where Blixhaven had earlier discovered the bodies of the original garrison. Neela gave them a perfunctory burial in a shallow grave and the two commenced a circuit of the perimeter, in the process finding and burying the bodies of another half dozen members of the garrison.

Returning to the tower and being notified of the smoke at the docks, Blixhaven decided to make use of his keen perception to see if he could discover some details of the surrounding that may have been missed by the half-ogre. His keen eyes identified movement on the river and also on the trail that the party had traveled just a few hours before en route to the tower.

Wanting to find out more information, Blixhaven and Neela decided to scout out the trail, creeping silently through the trees to a spot where they could spy on the pathway, and eventually to a tree that gave them a great vantage point. From there, they observed two parties of Genasi soldiers, apparently organized into groups of 20. They were able to identify stout Earth Genasi axemen, and swordsmen with the traits of Fire Genasi. Both groups wore scale mail similar to the armor that had been discovered in the tower. As the second troop passed into the distance, they returned to the tower to notify their companions of this new threat.

With the party gathered back in the tower, there was some lengthy discussion as to the appropriateness of unboxing and trying to make use of the magic mirror that the party had been charged with transporting to the tower. Over the protests of Trykaar, who feared the disapproval of the governor, Neela unboxed the mirror and spent the rest of the day fiddling around with various buttons and protrusions while reciting a narrative of the party's experiences in the hopes that a message might be sent to the armies of the Empire. Trykaar returned to caring for his patient, who was starting to show signs of improvement. Finally, in the late evening, he regained consciousness and identified himself as Sebestryn Molnar, a militia soldier who had been manning the tower along with 19 fellow soldiers and a commanding officer.

To be continued when the DM has some free time (but before next session)...

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