Day 12 (continued)
The group continues to approach Arcadia, wandering stealthily through the forest. Theren senses necromancy getting stronger as they approach the city. There is no secret here – the necromancy is not hidden. They spot guards on the walls and some patrolling outside the city limits. Temerity suggests capturing a guard so that he can impersonate one. Lavender agrees with the plan. They all agree that heading to a smaller gate makes more sense than approaching the main gate.
Lavender tries to make a lasso with which to ensnare a guard, but her gauntlets are too cumbersome. She becomes more and more frustrated and a cold fire burns within her. As the power surges within her, she glows blue with rage. Temerity sees this and moves to assist, but then tries to tie her up. He grabs the rope but it’s snagged in her gauntlet. Aurius helps him to run it round and round Lavender. Chikatika helps to tie the knot. Theren demands to know what Temerity is doing and he declares that Lavender will kill when she gets free.
Temerity places Korako on Lavender’s lap to try and calm her. He declares the rabbit a relaxation aid. However, Korako is unsettled and doesn’t want to be there. Lavender’s prodigious strength tears through the rope thread by thread. She lunges at Temerity, who escapes up a nearby tree. Korako is left abandoned on the floor feeling unsafe. Temerity leaps back down to rescue him. Lavender falls flat on her face as she trips, but fresh snow appears to form up and break her fall. Temerity retrieves Korako and then walks casually over to Lavender and offers her a hand. She tries to pull him down to the floor. He ends up being flipper over her and splats in the snow, winded. Korako is hastily tossed to Chikatika, who takes care of him.
The shenanigans have drawn the attention of a group of guards. Lavender sees them and fires her crossbow at them, but the bolt goes wide, alerting the guards. She fires again and hits the scout at the head of the group, badly wounding him. The scout returns fire and wings Lavender. Unexpectedly, an arrow shoots out of the trees and thuds into the scout’s shoulder. Lavender draws her sword and charges at the other two guards as the scout veils himself from detection. The first guard’s breastplate is shattered from shoulder to spleen and his corpse drops to the ground. The second guard has his head cleaved off.
The party hears a thud behind them as someone jumps down from a tree and dashes past them. It is a rock gnome. He is dirty and covered in moss, but very fast. He skewers a guard with his rapier. Theren tries to use hideous laughter to incapacitate the scout, very aware that capturing one alive will gain them information. However, it fails. He shouts to take the scout alive. Temerity tries to charm the scout but that too fails. The scout veils himself again and attacks the rock gnome with hit short daggers, causing minor damage. The scout tries to retreat up a tree but is wounded and falls on his arse.
The rock gnome re-enters the tree line and conceals himself. Lavender runs over to the prone scout and slams her sword down repeatedly into the guard, leaving a pulped mess at the base of the tree. Eventually her strikes slow and she returns to her senses. Silence settles and her raspy breathing echoes through the trees. Temerity saunters up and praises her blood-spattered form. Theren heads to the beheaded guard but notices that the armour is not a uniform and would therefore be useless as a disguise. He loots a shortsword instead.
The rock gnome reappears. He is Gage Greengather. He heads to the gate. Temerity thinks he is suspicious but Theren insists that he is a friend, which leads to some unhelpful bickering.
Lavender is annoyed with Temerity. She looks guiltily down at the bodies of the guards. She feels that they should bury the bodies. Temerity asks Gage if he has anything to help with digging. Gage says nothing but wanders into the forest in search of fungus. However, the necromantic magic has decimated life in the area. Temerity and Theren also look around, but the area is utterly dead. When they return, Guido has started gnawing on one of the guards. Lavender moves the bodies into the bushes and Theren uses prestidigitation to remove the bloodstains from the floor. Temerity feels odd for having caused the situation in the first place and feels concerned about leaving corpses in a necromantic area. He helps Lavender to move the bodies and stares at them. Lavender suggests burning them, but Temerity’s eyes begin to change. Green root-lie accents appear in his the deep gold. Chikatika bounds onto his shoulder. The green radiance spreads to her. Her eyes glow and the power ignites, descending from the sky and immolating the pile of corpses. The bodies had already been tainted by the necromantic energy permeating the area but have now burned to ash that blows away on the wind.
Theren is watching Gage, who stands apart from the group, while Lavender and Temerity oversee the cremation. Gage speaks, informing them that he knows a way into the city – there are gaps in the fence. Theren asks if these gaps could accommodate Lavender’s not inconsiderable size. Gage cannot be certain. Lavender tries to jolt Temerity from his reverie while Gage and Theren plan to infiltrate the city. Lavender wants to wait until cover of darkness but it is still morning. Theren asks Gage what he knows about the city. He replies that Lavender might be questioned if she appeared in the city, but that Theren and Temerity would probably be innocuous. Gage mentions that he was tasked with keeping an eye on Lavender.
Temerity is alert and uses detect thoughts on Gage. The rock gnome wants to help but is in the employ of the necromancers. His mind is methodical and ordered. He also reads Lavender’s and finds that she is occupied with thoughts of her brother, Orris Locke. She suspects that he is here but on the wrong side. Orris has been her motivation from the start. Lavender rests her hand on her sword hilt and asks Gage if there’s anything else he wants to say. Gage’s face is implacable. Theren asks him why he wants to help. He puts his cards on the table: he is a mercenary who was in the employ of the necromancers. However, he sees the effect of the necromancers on the people around them and wants nothing more to do with their schemes. He has been watching the party for a while and has decided to throw his lot in with them instead, seeing in them the potential to stop the threat of the necromancers. Lavender asks him where Orris is. Gage repeats that his task was to watch her. Lavender says that they have little choice in the matter. She tries to gain Temerity’s attention. He asks Chikatika her opinion. She scratches her head, chunters and shrugs. Temerity returns to himself and compliments Chikatika.
Gage starts walking, with Theren following. Lavender also leaves to follow them. Temerity tries to stop her but fails. He follows also and overtakes them all to speak to Gage. He asks if the gnome will make a clockwork rabbit. Gage discusses the practicalities and eventually agrees.
They avoid the guards by walking just beyond the treeline. There are towers but they look over the roads and exits. Temerity tries to make small talk with Gage but he is not very receptive. The party struggles to keep up with him as he moves stealthily through the trees. They reach a part of the wall that looks normal but Gage informs them that there is a secret opening there. Temerity spots a black cat on top of the wall but it is too far away. Theren offers to bring it down but Temerity declines. Gage goes through the secret entrance with Theren following. They both move stealthily through the city. Lavender watches for guards and tries to avoid talking to Temerity about the glowing they both experienced during the scuffle with the guards.
Within the city, everything functions normally but it feels awkward. Gage heads for a specific place and Theren follows. They arrive at an inn where Gage knows the bartender, someone who has done favours for him before. He negotiates with the bartender, asking to get his new friends into the city. The bartender agrees, but needs a flower to save his daughter from a disease. The bartender agrees to defer the payment of the flower in return for 30 gold pieces. He will refund half when they bring him the flower. He promises them a 15 minute window at the east gate without guards. Gage and Theren leave quickly.
Lavender leaves Temerity standing guard at the secret entrance and heads off to check the east gate. After a few minutes of walking, she reaches the east gate and the guards are murmuring about her. Temerity waits until she is out of range and then follows her. Suddenly, a big explosion out in the desiccated forest distracts the guards and Lavender watches them rush off to investigate. She receives a telepathic message from Gage to move in. Temerity creates an illusion on the path of a giant Korako. The one remaining guard at the gate questions the rabbit at spearpoint. The illusion beckons the guard. Runcible grabs the spear and distracts the guard. He manages to lift the guard off the floor slightly and drag him forwards. Whilst this set of distractions takes place, Lavender and Temerity sneak through the gate. Runcible releases the spear and he drops to the ground with a bump. Gage telepathically warns the guard that no-one will believe him if he mentions this. The guard faints and the party heads off.
Temerity rushes to loot the guard but he only has a spear. Temerity doesn’t take it but instead jabs it into the gate hinges high up so that the guard cannot retrieve it. Gage suggests that Lavender is too conspicuous so Theren passes her his cloak. At the inn, Temerity uses his disguise kit to make her more incognito. He dyes her hair red while Theren discusses strategy with Gage. They discuss luring a member of the necromancers’ leadership to the city. There are not as many guards as they expected but it is difficult to know how many necromancers are in the city. They dismiss the idea of interrogating a necromancer. They discuss instead getting information about the numbers and activities of the necromancers. Lavender asks about events or rituals but Gage has limited information about these things. They discount a disinformation campaign and instead discuss an infiltrated assault on the mayor’s residence at night. Gage mentions a distraction and Lavender volunteers. Temerity finishes her disguise.
Gage mentions his debt to the innkeeper. They agree to leave Lavender at the inn as she is too well-known, even with a disguise. Theren agrees to accompany Gage. He leaves behind a schematic for a clockwork rabbit. Temerity agrees to recon. Guido is sent out to gather information while Temerity works the inn, playing music. Lavender meditates and feels a moment of calm. Patterns of ice rise up the window and refract the light into rainbows. It begins to snow in the room and a voice speaks to her. Auriel is pleased with Lavender and tells her that her recent abilities come from her commitment – to the cause, to her companions and to Auriel. The goddess pledges that Lavender can call on her whenever she chooses.
Gage and There head off and discuss who they are. Gage is ex-military and now a mercenary. He grew up in a forest enclave, far from the necromancers. He was used in a recon team as their spy network. Gage has always lived under the yoke of the necromancers. Theren asked what caused him to change his mind. Gage discusses going out on recon with his older brother, who began to change his perceptions. Gage wants to free his people and thinks of himself as a freedom fighter. Theren discusses his past and his new connection with the party, which he doesn’t fully understand. The pair bond well. Gage spots a small handful of the sought-after flowers. They both know that these flowers only grow where blood has been spilled and will not be easy to obtain. Theren senses magic from the flowers – they are strongly guarded. While Theren and Runcible stand guard, Gage goes to harvest the flower but notices that the colour seems to change. He begins o dig out one of the plants but accidentally knocks another flower, causing a puff of iridescent smoke to emerge. The forest around him fills with dire wolves. Gage wants to race up a tree but is rooted to the spot. The dire wolves begin to stalk towards him. He readies his rapier. One of the dire wolves lunges at him and he snaps out of it, finding himself lying on his back screaming, staring up at the canopy. Theren takes over and collects several of the flowers using his herbalism kit. They head back to Arcadia and hand over the flower to the bartender. Theren scoops up the 15 returned gold.