Are They Lost ??

"Are They Lost??

Sordoc, Arran , Mineva and Jhyn
These folk were last seen entering a cave behind a waterfall in lands controlled by undead. Despite warnings that the undead were aware of us, and seeking us, they forged forward, while Lady Gwen, and a skull that she carried, called Ly, fled on their own, while i managed to glide out on celestial wings.
These four adventurers did not return to a rendevous point. I have not come across them since. Pray for them, and let us consider a rescue mission.
Elektra Mysteria "

A reply is pinned to the message:

Consider me for the rescue team. My skills could prove useful.

Milo Rolston, Doomguide

*Long after Elektra flied in, Lady Corvain arrives by more mundane means of walking - she is covered in twings, leaf and earth from hiding in the shrubs and underwood. but seems fine otherwise.

She carries a bundle..or bag of some sort and sits down by the fire to complete a landroute map towards the waterfall, including a road crossing the path and some steep slopes marked to require ropes and hooks to pass.

In her stoic, practical fashion she passes the map to Elektra after she's done to add whatever she learned from her aerial perspective*

We must assume the enemy will guard against further intrusion though - Something important to them lies behind that waterfall.

Regarding the four - we knew they might not return. That is why we split up to bring this information back here. But they are resourceful and will stay alive for a while. For now we have a team of infiltrators behind their line - possibly trapped and surrounded.

If we want to give them opportunity to escape, we should create a distraction and draw the enemy away from the waterfall. The alarm-spell the waterfall is protected with might be used to that end.

Jerrek would seek out Gwenneth and speak with her regarding her disembodied passenger.

The next time Ardylan sees Elektra, he informs her that he has invited himself along on the rescue mission.

Until that day, Ardylan stays in Shadowdale, spending all his off-duty hours at the Old Skull Tavern at the bottom of his whiskey shots, looking distant.

Elektra adds a few details to the map, her face showing obvious emotional pain, as she remembers the day.
She tells all who speak to her about the situation, details not included in the original notice :
"There is one thing we need consider. The enemy could be playing  a classic strategy against us. They first present what appears to be a helpless and  desperate fool . who has both reason and critical information that we can use against our enemy, in this case, against the lich Xymoria. Now, this is the classic con pattern. . . We think we have stumbled upon great luck for us, at our enemy's expense.
Secondly, this helpless skull / lich , has no body of its own, so , it needs our help, which we gladly give, thinking we have the upper hand. . . .so . . .  wise and talented folk are drawn into enemy lands, in hopes of finding some necklace of power the skull has been going on about.
Third , our people fall into being trapped, while some of us get away, to inform others of them still being back there. This is a crucial step in the strategy, if indeed , that is what all this is.
Fourth, We send more of our best and talented. . . to hopefully rescue  those missing . . . and on and on it goes . . .  "
She would shake her head and wipe her forehead.
"It may not be this at all.  Maybe just a sad twist of fate. But if it were a crafted plan, it could not be done much better. I am reminded of the blade that fell from the sky in that stone, all covered in celestial writing, that only a pure heart, strong in faith, could lift the blade. . .  and we lost a paladin . . .when he lifted the stone, he became cursed, and now, lost to us all.
Please, i know you love those that are missing, as i do love them too.. . . and i will risk my life to rescue them. . but. .love is not the qualification to help them. . . we need be ready for what may come from ancient experienced wisdom of these undead. They play upon our emotions. These four missing loved ones actually risked their lives on the word of a skull lich, with no evidence at all of this necklace of power they envisioned was inside that cave.
Believe me. . . we must be clear minded, clinical and razor sharp going back in."

After returning from her morning prayers at the stone shrine by the Old Skull Tor, Maura casually checks the board. Upon seeing Elektra's notice, her eyes grow wide. She'd turn to the nearest guard and hurriedly ask where she can find Deputy Ardylan. Upon learning of his whereabouts, she'd rush to the tavern and all but bust down the door as she rushed in. "ARDYLAN!" she'd shout into the dimly lit room after a half-second effort to search for him.

Fincaen wrote:

A reply is pinned to the message:

Consider me for the rescue team. My skills could prove useful.

Milo Rolston, Doomguide

Lady Gwenneth met with the Doomguide asking him to gather his knights and trusted swords to be ready. She makes no secret of the fact that the knights would be distractions to lure the undeads' attention away from the waterfall.

She does not, however, mention the skull.

Showing little to no emphaty for a bunch of people who willingly walked to their demise, the rescue of whom might cause even more disappearances, Lucent would simply bump into Elektra around the town billboard and brief her about the journey that awaits her. (done in game)

A hooded but barefooted figure would eye the note on the board for a time. As quietly as she arrived she would then leave town heading north.

The hunter Hun-Balam leaves a small reply on the board during early morning, before leaving town in another daily forage to provide fresh bush-meat to the people of Shadowdale and scout the surrounding areas in search of undead scouts or possible defensive breaches.

Quote :

"This hunter has skill as a tracker and is well accustomed to nature. If there is a need of this one's skills, he will join the rescue efforts. Leave time and day of departure here, or explicitly refuse this one's services so his time is directed accordingly to other important matters.

                                                                                   

-Hun-Balam, hunter and warrior."

SaphyrBlaze wrote:

After returning from her morning prayers at the stone shrine by the Old Skull Tor, Maura casually checks the board. Upon seeing Elektra's notice, her eyes grow wide. She'd turn to the nearest guard and hurriedly ask where she can find Deputy Ardylan. Upon learning of his whereabouts, she'd rush to the tavern and all but bust down the door as she rushed in. "ARDYLAN!" she'd shout into the dimly lit room after a half-second effort to search for him.

Ardylan sat at a table in the back corner of the tavern, a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass in front of him. A third of the alcohol was already gone. Ardylan had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked more pale than usual. Startled out of his thoughts by Maura's voice, Ardylan jumps enough to bang his armored knee against the underside of his table.

"What?! What the hell is it?"

Maura's gaze would whip around to find Ardylan, then all but run to his table. Her expression was obviously distraught. "The notice..." her voice cracked. "Mineva... We have to go after them, Ardy!"

(((OoC - I am told that ADM Vox is going to use one of the events for one of the groups already picked for the rescue mission)))

SaphyrBlaze wrote:

Maura's gaze would whip around to find Ardylan, then all but run to his table. Her expression was obviously distraught. "The notice..." her voice cracked. "Mineva... We have to go after them, Ardy!"

Ardylan gives her a blank look for a moment. Now that she's closer, Maura would definitely smell the alcohol on him and see that his one good eye looks a bit out of focus. He is definitely drunk. After a minute of letting her words sink in, he scowls at her - scarred face twisting in anger.

"You read the notice and actually think Min is my top concern here?" He raises his voice, slamming a closed fist against the table as he pushes himself to his feet. The impact makes everything on the table wobble.

"Arran is in there, either trapped or dead because one of those morons made a mistake! If I find that he's dead because of one of those idiots, I swear to any god listening I will gut whoever is at fault and make them choke on their own entrails! Even if it is Mineva!"

Ardylan sits back down onto his chair with a clank, the wood groaning under the weight.

"Do you have any idea how gods-be-damned impossible it is to stage a successful rescue attempt around here? I am not having Arran be the next Lanius."

Ardylan grabs the bottle of whiskey and pours himself another shot, glaring into it.

She winces when he slams his fist on the table. "I didn't mean--" she abruptly cuts off her thought and takes a deep breath to calm herself. "We'll get them back, Ardy..." she says meekly, then turns to leave after a short pause.

After speaking with Gwenneth, Jerrek is waiting for her to make the preparations for him to.....have a talk with the mysterious Ly.

\\Waiting for Vox to be available for this.

I'd like to recommend that Kal's group be the rescue group for this as he would definitely be on board to rescue Min//

(( I believe that ADM Vox Has already selected the groups for events that were planned, And yet as I understand it, two groups were merged together that day those four players were captured . so some things will go differently than planned.
I think that no matter what a DM actually plans , players often pull the stories off in different directions.
This means that to be fair to all the groups scheduled for events, one group may start an event, while another group has to finish that same event... Just as it's happening in this case.
I really do appreciate what ADM Vox is trying to do for us, As complicated as it may turn out to be.))