The partymembers were busy repairing their keep following the defeat of the orc warlord Gruumsh. One night, Zull was studying the stars when he saw a bright white light passing some 60 ft over his head. This light was also seen by Rupert devaillier de fleur, a halfling rogue that was travelling the lands in search of experience and new tales. The day following the light, the adventurers are visited by Thauster, Jelleneth and Rupert. Thauster requests to investigate the strange light, and the adventurers, bored stiff, happily comply.
Battle for the Caravan
After travelling for a few days, the party spotted a caravan that was under siege by a group of bandits. The adventurers quickly chose sides with the caravan and managed to fight off, actually kill, all of the attackers. During the battle, Rupert saw a figure silently observing the battle. Assuming the figure was the spellcaster of the attacking party, he attacked him with his slingstaff. The pellet stopped in mid-air and fell to the ground. The figure smiled at Rupert, waved and then dissappeared. The battle was a hard one, especially because Bronco was stunned. Fortunately, Zull came to the rescue with his pit-spell, entraping some of the attackers. When Gladwin was inspecting the battle site, he found out that his detect magic spell did not function near the wagon.
The caravan consisted of three wagons and an armoured carriage. The armored carriage was made of thick oak wood, and did not have any windows. Members of the caravan included:
- Lisara, a noble on her way to her uncle Flavius
- Lenore, het maid
- Phinneas, the personal bodyguard of Lisara. Phinneas has worked as a mercenary before he selleled down as guard with Lisara's family.
- Thomas, A very cocky and cowardly member of the caravan. Easy to get in conflict with
The caravan was set up in a circle and the party spend the night there.
Ambushed
The next day, the party decided to travel south with the caravan. Several days were uneventful, until one of the party members spotted an ambush. It quickly became clear that this ambush was not staged by the same group as had attacked the caravan several days before. These were mercenaries in uniform, all had the same red skull on their breast. The adventurers decided to use stealth over strength and to ambush the ambushers. Unfortunately, Gladwin stepped on a twig, setting off the events too early. During the battle, the party was aided by a dwarven ranger, who chose sides with the party after some observation. The battle was a particularly hard one on Bronco as he was knocked out and was brought to the brink of death. Fortunately, Gladwin brought some healing potions with which Bronco was revived. All of a sudden, the woods where the party was ambushed were filled with smoke. Some investigation by Zull learned that the smoke was not magical in nature, but was some simple alchemic mixture. When the smoke cleared, the party became aware that the caravan itself was under attack, so they rushed there to help. They found the armoured carriage in flames and rushed in to stop the fire.
Clearing up the mess, Gladwin realised that his detect magic spell was working in the proximity of the carriage. He mentioned this to Phinneas, and they requested an audience with Lisara. From her he learned that the magic cancelling effect was due to a magic lantern that was hanging on the carriage. It was an old family artifact, that was crafted hundreds of years ago by the wizard Malnoc. It seems like the magic item was the main target of the ambushers as the offence stopped the moment the item was stolen.
Naturally, the party offered to track the lantern to help Lisara. Zull ordered his familiar Edgar to scout for the fleeing mercenaries. With the aid of Edgar and the tracking skills of Magnum, the party soon found their trail. This trail led to an old ruin. Rupert sneaked up to the ruin. About halfway there he saw a boundary made of ash or salt. Since he doesn't have any spellcraft skills, he sneaked back to check with Zull and Gladwin where that was all about. Zull knew that these kind of barriers are commonly used to lock out outsiders, such as demons or devils. Reassured that it is not a trap, Rupert apporached the ruins once more and learned that there were about 20 mercenaries in camp. The leader of the mercenaries was clearly recognisable, a tall and exceptionally broad woman. She was accompanied by a cleric, who was carrying the holy symbol of
Lathander.
Rupert decided that their best chance was to approach the opposing party in the open. He together with Zull and Magnum approached the camp with their hands above their heads. They told Chiva, the female leader of the mercenaries and Markos the human cleric of Lathander that they were escorting the caravan, and that they were searching for the magic lantern. But, that, on seeing that the mercenaries were supported by a cleric of Lathander, they realised they were fighting for the wrong side. The party and the mercenaries negotioated a trade of information. The party gave information about the caravan, the mercenaries about their mission.
It turned out that the mercenary corpse, the red company, was hunting down the caravan because Lisara killed a nobleman in the nearby city of
Everlund. Chiva also told that the quiet maiden look of Lisara is just a facade. In reality, she is a vampire, kin to a family of vampires. To make matters more complex, this particularly family of vampires is known to worship demons. Thats why the mercenaries have taken the necessary precautions to lock demons out of the camp using the salt barrier.
The day after, the party helps the mercenaries in their attack on their former allies. When they arrive at the spot where they have left the caravan they find all of the caravan members murdered. The armoured carriage is searched by Bronco. He smashes the floor of the carriage and finds a double floor with a coffin underneath. Lisara is nowhere to be seen, however, the party finds a charred skeleton with a stake in its chest.
Outside, the rest of the party sees the silent observer again. He uses an area spell to kill off all of the mercenaries in one blow, with the exception of Chiva, their leader. Again, the silent observer is spotted, but unlike during the first encounter, he summons an aberation, smiles and moves away. What followed was a fierce battle with the aberation. During the battle Chiva died, leaving only the cleric of the original mercenary squat.
Outstanding questions:
- who is the silent observer?
- What is the white light
- Who was Malnoc?
- Is anything known about Lisara's vampire family?
- What about the noble in Everlund?
Update: Some corrections and additions by the DM, and with some links to Forgotten Realms lore
