Firemonth 12th, 7:50 AM. 2 Miles west of Upperton. The group spent some time going over our approach of the town, using the maps we had gathered back in Staz as well as Wilhelm’s prodigious use of Reflecting Pool to scan the place out. We had to make it to Cinder Vein Mines on the east end of town, and even invisible we risk having our trial seen from the watch towers. Plus there was the bard, Ebbit, in the theatre and the 2 knights with him we could help escape.
We decided to split the party. Asher, Connal, and Shim would go to the Theatre and contact Ebbit through his ward, and get the bard to join us. The rest of us would take a northerly tack, make it to the northern grange tower, and after a few hours, use Wilhelm’s crumble spell to destroy it. In the intervening chaos, we could head east and then make our way to the Knights’ Hall and meet up with Asher’s group at the same place. We gave a window between 1 and 4 PM to have it happen, trusted Rhygar with the wagon and horses, and were on our way but not before having sacred guardian cast on Wilhelm (6 days) and Iron Silence cast on Asher and Darius (6 hours).
We trekked off into the ever present and rising hills. Most of them were 4 to 6 hundred feet in height and the road stayed in the valley between when able. About 15 minutes shy of town, Wilhelm cast his last spell, Hide From Animals and out 2 group separated.
The northern group left the road and went over hills until we arrived at the forested area as shown in the Pool earlier. The trees were in poor condition but provided plenty of cover for us. We trekked east until we came to a plantation style farm house. We moved through the fields, distantly seeing the grange tower a quarter mile from here. We avoided the apple orchard, saw a few skinks wandering about, and made it to the northern tree line. We could see the grange tower much closer (600’), and 4 more lizardmen and a Razordon at the base for now, keeping camp. We went eastward a bit more the map out the land and then returned to the trees, waiting until 1/1:30 to start our assault. It would mean at least 2 more invisibility to animal spells between now and then (Razordon scents us, it’s all over), but definitely worth it.
The 2nd group veered south, giving the southern grange tower a wide berth, trusting the non-scrying limits of the guild hall for cover. The 3 of them went through the guild groups with care and at the town proper, waited for the right time and passage of foes before risking to hit the streets. The lizardmen in the area had torn down fences, making a crude road between the steelworks and the lumberyard. They waited until it was open and then crossed, losing themselves in town.
Staying off the main roads they arrived at Ebbit’s Theatre. 4 stories, doors sealed, steel shutters in place protected the interior, no sign the lizardmen had gotten inside. There was 2nd story windows, no 3rd, and a smaller 4th floor with a private walk up there, most likely an apartment. As for entering, there was no obvious way in. Plus we were only 2 blocks or so from the cast grounds and we could hear way too many lizardmen over there.
We went around back and found a back door there. But there was a fire escape 11 feet up that could be pulled down. So Connal went over there, looked at it for 30 seconds, then walked back and it was like he forgot the last 3 minutes. Ok – warded. So we had a second attempt and the same thing happened. Repulsion ward.
As for the other group, they got a 2nd hide from animals in place and then a bit after 1, crept closer to the grange tower. At a good spot some 15, 20’ off the ground, Wilhelm (in cat form) cast his spell and a wave of discordant black and blue energy swept out, his the edge of the tower, burned the wood away, and caused the entire structure to slowly lean to the side and fall. We wasted no time watching and instead ran off to the east and then south, losing ourselves in the city and heading for the Knight’s Hall as the lizardmen back at the tower sounded the alarm with some spinning device that was calling the other locals to come. Skinks, ones, twos, and fives ran through the street and we moved on to the Knight’s Hall. Room for 25, empty, we entered the main doors (broken but still hinged), made it to the 2nd floor, and hid up there waiting. Time? 2:05 PM
Asher’s group had a different idea, Shim would make it to the shutters and force a dancing lights spell inside. He got closer, expended lots of his mental energy, and succeeded. But the bard within stormed out of the theatre, playing his lute and snuffing out the lights. Then Shim was trapped in some 6 month nightmare where he was captured by the Theocrat’s people and tortured continuously in the reeducation camps.
The effect did end and Ebbit made himself known. He opened the wards and we entered. He was 9 days dirty. He assumed the Baron had dispatched the group here to save him, not the case. We met the Knight Almara Farnsdottr (orcish knight, badly wounded, killed a stegadon during the last rout of the city and was left behind with a 5 other count of Upperton’s knights by the Lord.) and her squire Martin of Camber (a few years younger, big farmer looking kid, uses a heavy crossbow with torture bolts).
We had to explain who we were and dismayed them that they had not been noted as missing and we were not particularly there on the behest of the local lord to save them. This pissed them off but they wanted out. We shared who we were and that we needed to get to Cinder Vein Mines and seal it off there, raw material the Kaiser would want and we did not want the lizardmen to get. They shared with us the lizard man leader Stel Cragshanks, and was holed up in the Castle. They were gathering supplies and setting up for the next foray this time to Staz in 2 to 3 weeks.
We wanted their help getting to the mine and if Ebbit would use his bardic skill to keep the lizardmen at bay. He was happy to help. Some healing was doled out and we used the hut, nap trick to get everyone inside. From there it was a fast run for Connal to make it to the Knight’s Hall, signal to the rest of the group. We opened the hut and everyone was introduced to one another. Almara and Martin were pretty taken with Darius (another knight) and there was much discussion and professional envy back and forth.
We came up with a plan to sit tight for now and wait for the cover of nightfall to get to Cinder Vein. Then once there Ebbit would set up a repulsion charm (being it would not be his own theatre, it would be much smaller), while the group entered Furnace Hollow and looked for the phazonire and the golem. Time now? 2:55 PM, Firemonth the 12th
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