Company+of+the+Phoenix+Session+2

 **1-8-2016** ** Session 2** **Making friends in Dhedluk and The Orc Prisoner Rescue Attempt** The party discussed whether to take the aid of others back up the mountain into the zombie fortress or to find out more about the large wolf prints and the missing noble party... With the zombies quiet up in the mountain and the village on alert... it was decided that the missing party was a higher priority. Alaric, Charlemagne, Alix, and Tiri headed south on the road to Dhedluk. Alix nodded, "I have a good tracking skill." "Hopefully it's as good as your bow skill..." Charles grinned. The city guard welcomed them at the edge of town, "Badges?" The four held up black badges emblazoned with a red phoenix, as Alaric to the guard, "How are things in the city?" "Busy today, sir," the guard answered, "Many noble companies have passed through here. The goblins are taking a what for!" "That's no surprise," Alaric nodded to him, "Against the strapping young nobles." "Yes indeed," he agreed. "And what of the war wizards and the Purple Dragons?" Alaric asked. "Yes, there's a group inside the tavern," he gestured down the road. "My lady," the guard bowed to Tiri, "I have not seen an elf in years... It is nice to see our elven friends have come to lend us a hand." "It's a pleasure to meet you," the priestess bowed her head, "We were happy to answer the call for aid." "It is well appreciated," he nodded to her. "Thank you," she nodded to him, smiling. He turned to Alaric, handing him a receipt, "I'll see to your horses, m'lord." The four dismounted, thanking him. "We'll be going to the east on foot, so we'll be stabling them til we return," Alaric told him. "I'll make note of it, sir," he wrote on his ledger, and took the reigns. The group headed into the local inn, The Ragged Stag. Big heavy tables made from the local black walnut trees filled out the gathering room where several noble families were already settled in. Most were 2nd tier families, but there was a member of the Releque family... a first tier financial family from Marsember. A small handful of women were among the groups. A small group was keeping to themselves in the back corner. Their badges were blacked out. A female and three males. Not recognizing any of the members, Alaric approached them, introducing himself and bringing a round of drinks. "Here to hunt your weight in goblins?" a warrior in platemail stood up to greet him. The gold-haired mage nodded, "Aye and to look for some fellow nobles who may have been captured." "We hadn't heard that yet," the warrior shook his head, "Do you know who was captured?" Alaric shook his head, "Unfortunately we did not get their names... but we heard of it from the quartermaster in Knightswood ." "How long have they been lost?" he asked. Alaric looked thoughtful, "Maybe 4 or 5 days now?" The warrior frowned, shaking his head, "Goblins don't keep captives for long..." The noble sorcerer nodded, agreeing, "I know... we have to hurry and find them." The warrior introduced himself as Lionel Wyvernspur. "How is the hunting in the woods? Are you hunting goblins as well... or bigger game ?" Alaric asked. "Traditionally bigger game ," Lionel answered, nodding. "We've seen some orcs in the forest as well," the young mage nodded. "Very good," Lionel nodded, "We returned from the forest when we heard the King's call." As he said the word "King" his round of companions raised their mugs, nodding, and slammed them back to the table with a hearty thump of approval. Alaric nodded, "Who are your companions?" "This is my brother, Luke," the strong fighter gestured to the scout on his left and then to the other two, "And our fellow compatriots of The Nocturne... This is Urd ." he gestured to the ranger woman. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. Our group is The Company of the Phoenix. Those are my companions over there," Alaric gestured back to each of the three, naming them, "That's my cousin, Charlemagne... and that there is Alix, a more distant cousin... and Tiri... an elf from the Cormanthor forest who has graciously come down to help us." Urd tipped her chair back slightly to look past the golden haired mage to the elven priestess, "You are indeed fortunate... it's not often that the woodkin venture this far." Alaric nodded, "She's been very helpful. A very powerful priestess." The priest of the Nocturne raised his mug, "I'll drink to that." Alaric bowed his farewell, "Anyway... I didn't mean to disturb your dinner." "No, not at all," Lionel shook his head and gestured at the table, "Please... pull up chairs and join us." Alaric waved the others over, accepting the invitation, "Very well." The three joined him at the table, Charlemagne sitting down quickly next to Urd. "We've been hunting dark orcs... up in the Hemlands ," Lionel gestured to the north. "Yeah, yeah... us too," Charles nodded, taking a gulp of his ale. Lionel looked over the younger, obviously less experienced warrior and assessed the group, nodding with a chuckle toward Tiri, "Then she is indeed a powerful priestess." Tiri smiled, taking a seat at the table, "They do like their tales, don't they?" Urd nodded in agreement, smiling at her, "Men... they often do." The young ranger woman was dressed in fine leathers, and her features were elegant... spectacularly beautiful and certainly some sort of noble blood in her line... Charlemagne often drifted into staring at her, almost mesmerized. The two groups enjoyed polite conversation and dinner. Their was some ribbing as they talked about battles... "Yeah, if Urd hadn't missed that shot..." Luke grinned at the ranger woman. "Well..." Alaric glanced toward Alix, thinking the same thing, "The bow is a complicated weapon..." Alix arced an eyebrow at him, "I'm standing right here." "Of course you are," the golden haired mage nodded. "Have any of you been to Cormanthor ?" Tiri asked. The four members of Nocturne nodded, "Indeed." "Excellent! Have you been to Drannor?" she asked again. "No... we've not been that far in," Lionel shook his head. "Oh... well that is where I'm from," the young priestess nodded, "Though most call it The Crescent Moon City." "Ah, I've heard of the Crescent City," Lionel nodded, "I've heard that the rebuild is going well, and that it is quite beautiful." "Corellion's Temple spiraling to the sky overlooking the great lake is a sight to see... should you ever get the chance," Tiri nodded. "I'm sure it is very fascinating," Alaric nodded. Lionel shrugged thoughtfully, "I've heard that it is more pretty than practical... it's no wonder that it fell so quickly." Tiri stared at him, blinking wide surprised eyes. Heat seeped from her blood to bring pink to her cheeks, but she held back her words. Fell so fast...? He spoke as though most of the city hadn't vanished... taken by magic to another forest to the northeast. "It is the elven way," Alaric shrugged, "It is difficult to build such a jewel of a city... like Suzail for instance." "Ah, that she is," Lionel agreed. From across the room, Lord Releque began walking over with a puffed up, arrogant, strut, "Who dares to speak of Suzail... when it pales in comparison to Marsember." "I'm sure there are those that find the provincial architecture of Marsember to be pleasing, but I'm sure their eyesight isn't the best," Alaric nodded to him. "Ah, you jest well," the lord grinned and nodded, "Lord Goldsword, is it?" "Yes," Alaric nodded, "I recognize you as well, Lord Releque." "I recognized your stench as soon as we walked in the door," Charlemagne mumbled under his breath. "Ah yes, like a whiff over a ... poop pond," Luke agreed, muttering quietly with a suave and noble accent. Tiri and Charlemagne bursted into laughter. Alaric glanced back at them with a raised eyebrow, but turned to meet the lord Releque as he approached the table. Releque continued, "How can Suzail compare to the series of islands and structures of Marsember... the ships and sails on the wind." "It sounds fascinating," Tiri nodded to him. "My lady... if you have never been... I invite you," He bowed to her, "Come to my estate and I will show you the splendor of Marsember for a year... I would show you something new every day." The young elf's eyes widened in surprise, and she smiled, "You are so generous..." "Eh, it sounds like a typical place to live... I've seen better," Alix scoffed. "You, from the mouths of gargoyles would speak..." Releque turned to Alix, "What is there where you live? A mill? Do you watch the water wheel go round and round, boy? ...High entertainment!" "At least it's not as boring as your city," Alix yawned. Charlemagne pushed back from the table, moving to the edge of his seat. "Boring?!" Releque blinked at Alix, "Could you even afford the gate entry of Marsember? Right now... how much is in your pocket?" "More than //you// can possibly imagine," Alix retorted haughtily. "I can imagine quite a bit now," Releque replied. "Now, now gentlemen," Alaric interrupted them, "Let's save our passions for destroying the goblin scum in the forest." The young noble mage managed to diffuse the situation, nudging them onto other things. Releque swaggered away from the table, "Careful in the woods, gentlemen... There are dark, dark things out there." "Ah, don't worry..." The young fire mage smirked, "I brought a torch." "Let's retire for the evening before... something unfortunate happens," Alaric nodded to his group. Urd nodded in agreement, scooting back from the table, "Yep, it's time to leave. More split-tails like that want to start a fight that they can't keep up with." "We'll start early in the morning," Alaric nodded. The two groups parted ways, heading upstairs to rooms in the inn. "She's in love with me," Charlemagne sighed longingly, looking after the beautiful brown-haired ranger. "Yes... I clearly got that from her tone of voice," Alaric replied with a sarcastic tone, "Sultry." "So you're saying there's a chance," Charlemagne nodded. The beautiful ranger didn't display a lot of "lady-like" qualities... Alaric clapped him on the shoulder, nodding "I'm saying there's a chance."

The aroma of breakfast brought everyone downstairs in the morning, strapping on gear. Several groups were at tables, but others were packing little boxes. The cook nodded to the group, "Would you like breakfast now or on the go?" "On the go, please," Alaric nodded to him. Each of the four accepted a small warm box that had delicious smells wafting out of them. Groups left the inn heading in different directions... some heading in the same general eastern direction. Rumors were heard about the group with the really hot chick heading east really early in the morning. Charlemagne doodled in his poetry book as the four walked through the heavy and dense forest, Alix leading the way. Several tracks were in the area ahead... likely 1 large group or 2 smaller groups. Several hours into the woods, the tracks appeared to have engaged in some kind of battle. Alix studied the tracks carefully, weaving around them slowly, "Looks like 6 humans... maybe a dozen goblins... and an orc... goblins were dessimated." He gestured to a ravine with multiple goblin bodies stacked together, "But it seems the orc escaped." He pointed the tracks heading off with the humans in pursuit. Following the trail, the group came to a quick halt, quieting down as they seen a small encampment of orcs. Alaric sent Alix ahead, "Stealth ahead, scout out the camp and see how many orcs there are." The young rogue slipped into the tall grass, blending in as he moved across the ridge. Along the way he found two humans warriors... one in plate and the other much more rugged, "Who are you?" "Me?" Alix looked them over, "I'm just a simple noble." "A //simple// noble... that seems like a contrast of wording there," the plated warrior looked him over. "Well I'm from the farmlands, and sometimes I'm a bounty hunter," the young rogue explained further. "I see, well what are you doing here?" the rugged warrior asked. "I'm on a quest," Alix nodded. "You mean you're here to hunt orc," the plated warrior nodded. "Not necessarily," the young rogue shrugged, "But should the time come..." "Well we're trying to get our friends out of the camp," the plated warrior gestured into the orc encampment. "Are they the missing nobles?" Alix looked on with interest. "Well they're nobles," the rugged warrior nodded, "but they came with us." "Hmm... I see. I'm searching for some also," Alix pondered. "Well it looks like you found some," the rugged warrior answered, "We were fighting off a group of goblins... there was an orc that we chased... and our companions chased him right into the camp. Two were killed and two were taken captive." "Oh..." Alix frowned, looking from the pair back to the encampment, "Well alright. I have a group with me. I could bring them here." "How many do you have?" the plated warrior asked. "Three," the rogue answered. "Including yourself?" the warrior sounded surprised, coming from a group of 6. "Well... three more. Four including me," Alix assured him. "There's about 8 orcs down there," the rugged warrior gestured to the camp. Alix nodded, "I'll be back. You two wait here... and if you're still alive when I get back... I'll reward you." "Excellent!" the two nodded in unison, "We're Paul and Rodney." Alix headed back toward his waiting companions. Nine orcs surrounded the two prisoners. Four of the orcs turned toward a wavering bush that was shaking as Alix grabbed it for balance, "Get 'im!" One of them slashed mightily through the bush, renting a deep gash into Alix's chest! Tiri'elenae laid a quick hand on Charlemagne's shoulder, placing a divine guidance over the warrior before heading quickly in the direction of the wounded slayer. Alaric quietly wove a spell around himself, creating a shield. The noble slayer stepped back, eyes wide, and shot an arrow fatally into the orc's chest... the orc fell backward to roll down the hill as a corpse! Charlemagne pulled a bow from his back and shot an arrow that whistled by the orcs below. The three other orcs charged up the hill as the other four surrounded their prisoners with their leader. Alix took another step back, shooting an arrow into another orc's eye, dropping his body, as Tiri moved with fleet feet across the hill, followed by Alaric. The orcs charged toward the companions. Charles pulled his blade to meet a charging orc running for him, and cut him in half, separating him at the waist! His sword sailed through the air to slice into a second orc, dropping them both with one fatal strike! Another orc charging up the hill, buried a blade into Charlemagne's chest! Blood began pooling at the noble warrior's feet. The noble warrior gritted his teeth and sliced his blade through the massive orc like butter! Paul and Rodney ran from their positions of hiding into the main camp, charging the chief orc who bounced off their attacks! Tiri placed her hands on Alix's back, healing his wounds as an arc of flame flew off of Alaric's hands to engulf an orc fully in fire, burning his flesh as he screamed in agony until he fell unconscious to the ground. Paul, the plated warrior, fell to the ground as the orc's battle axe gashed through him! Another orc charged to meet the fire mage, his sword bouncing off of the shield of magic around him. Alix moved in with his bow, shooting the orc charging up on Alaric, and took him down. Charlemagne charged down the hill toward another orc. Tiri watched her warrior companion, and bolted across the field to meet him, laying her hands on his back to nearly heal him fully. Alaric pierced his longspear into the lead orc, and Rodney fought hard, but the rugged warrior fell back screaming as the lead orc lopped off his arm! Another arrow whipped just past the orc from Alix. A pulse of positive energy washed out from the priestess to heal some of the wounds of her companions. Charlemagne slaughtered the orc in front of him, shredding through him with his blade! A cone of fire came off of Alaric's hands to swallow over the lead orc, blistering and melting his skin! Writhing and screaming in pain, the great muscular orc put his axe through the other prisoner, taking his life! Alix shot another arrow, but it deflected off of the orc's heavy armor. Charlemagne charged the rest of the way in, his blade clanging against the same armor. Tiri slipped around to send her magical healing to close the gaping wound on Rodney, still leaving him one-armed and unconscious. Another burst of fire came from Alaric, blackening the orc and finally dropping it to the ground. Finally all of the orcs were dead, but only Rodney remained alive from the other group, though still heavily wounded and unconscious. While Tiri worked on healing him, the others gathered all of the badges of the fallen humans, and buried them... then collected the 9 orc heads, and burned the bodies. They also found a masterworked sword of a noble family from the Setting Suns and 30 gold. Rodney traveled with the companions as they continued east away from the orc camp...