The Lost Patrols, Part 1

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About the Saga

The Blackrazors are approached by Commander Sitric, a member of the city guard with a special mission: determine what was responsible for the insanity of one Lt. Rolman, who allegedly killed the second-in-command of his guard patrol.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters

What Has Come Before

The Blackrazors are approached by Commander Sitric, a member of the city guard with a special mission: determine what was responsible for the insanity of one Lt. Rolman, who allegedly killed the second-in-command of his guard patrol.

The Saga

21st of Coldeven, C.Y. 587

The Blackrazors were approached by Commander [[Geoffery Sitric], a member of the city guard with a special mission: determine what was responsible for the insanity of one Lt. Rolman, who allegedly killed the second-in-command of his guard patrol.

It was also alleged that Rolman was somehow responsible for the death of two men at the guard outpost two days ride from the city. More ominously, the scroll carrying news of the encounter returned to the city on a riderless horse. The Blackrazors were asked to investigate what happened, and to lead a replacement patrol out into the field.

Before they left, they were given access to the message from the doomed patrol:

Commander Sitric,

Lt. Rolman's scouting party arrived as scheduled. However his group seemed uneasy and unusually quite When asked about their journey, no one would give any real answer, they all seemed to be hiding something. Also, there seemed to be much tension between Lt. Rolman and his second in command, Sgt. Garrick. That night, the situation worsened. Sgt. Garrick had too much to drink and started yelling several accusations at Lt. Rolman. He accused him of usurping the command of the scouting party because Rolman's family is wealthy and bought his commission.

More disturbingly, Garrick accused Rolman of being a vampire because of the way he dressed and acted. Sgt. Garrick then rushed across the room and attacked Lt. Rolman. There was a brief struggle, then Sgt. Garrick fell, severely wounded, having been stabbed in the gut by Lt. Rolman.

No one who saw the fight seems to remember Lt. Rolman every drawing his dagger, and Lt. Rolman himself seemed as if he didn't know what had happened. As a result of his injuries, Sgt. Garrick had to stay behind while the scouting party continued on its mission. However, the next morning after Lt. Rolman left, Sgt. Garrick was found dead with all the blood drained from his body. Fearing that Lt. Rolman really was a vampire, we immediately burned Sgt. Garrick's body to prevent his rising.

This did not solve the problem by any means. The next morning two of my men who were on guard duty were also found dead in similar condition. I await further orders, request immediate replacements to my contingent, and pray that no more of my men fall victim to this evil curse.

Lt. Karl Blenz

They agreed to the task Aaron, Kalib, Kannett and Falgar set out with five of the City Guard's men on the 21st and arrived at a small fishing village on the coast later that day. They spent the night at the local inn, and headed out the next day.

22nd of Coldeven, C.Y. 587

As the Blackrazors and their City Guard companions headed up the coast, they came across a group of humanoids playing in the surf. Aaron, decided to use his strange new armor. He assumed the illusionary form of a orc – with his familiar Riley in wolf form -- and approached the humanoids The humanoids turned out to be hobgoblins who had little respect for their orcish superiors. They attacked … along with about 40 of their friends.

Aaron’s companions quickly hurried to his aid, and together they made quick work of the vile creatures. Within minutes the humanoids moral broke and they surrendered. Rather that kill them outright – which Aaron had no stomach for – the Blackrazors decided to humiliate them. They stripped the hobgoblins of their weapons, armor and clothing, bound their hands and then set them free to be discovered by their rivals. They fed the hobgoblin’s equipment to the guild’s bag of devouring and moved on.

That night, they camped in an abandoned fishing village on the shore. Midway through the night they were attacked by a wolf/dragon hybrid with two wolf-like heads and a tail with multiple tentacles. Using its poisoned tail, it paralyzed and knocked down Kalib and Kannett. It snared them in its tentacles and was preparing to withdraw when Aaron and Falgar began their own attacks. While Falgar distracted the creature with spells that failed against its magic resistance, Aaron attempted to free his companions. Using his most powerful magical arrow (+2), Aaron was able to deftly destroy the tail holding Kalib. Then, as the creature was about to withdraw – with Kannett still in its clutches – Aaron fired a second magical arrow, freeing him.

With their warriors free, the Blackrazors were able to slay the monster. They then butchered the creature. Aaron took two of the monster’s talons as souvenirs and a vial of its blood for future study. After the attack the party decided to send off one of the homing pigeons given to it by the City Guard. They wrote a message explaining what had happened and attached a small glass vial with a sample of the dragonling’s blood and sent on its way to Obsidian Bay.

23rd of Coldeven, C.Y. 587

After resting from the battle with the monster, the party soon coming across an army of gnolls. Using a combination of reduce and fly spells, Falgar was able to sneak up on the army while the rest of the Blackrazors hid behind a hill. Falgar harassed the force with a series of lightening bolts and fireballs, killing a score of their footmen and several leaders before withdrawing. Realizing that they couldn’t destroy the force and that an attempt would only distract them from their mission, the Blackrazors reluctantly left the army behind and headed out for the last reported location of the Obsidian Bay patrol.

That night they found what they found the remains of the patrol. Just as the letter to the city guard had described, the men had been slaughtered by some sort of blood-draining creature. Men were killed while they slept, ate and even walked. Mystified, the Blackrazors left the encampment and headed to the next patrol location in a mist-shrouded valley. But instead of a patrol they found two armies – one orc, one hobgoblin. They snuck up, watching as a strange flying craft approached the armies. Several figures – one of them dressed in armor identical to Aaron’s -- emerged from the craft and proceeded to parley with the leaders of the armies. As the frustrated Blackrazors watched, the figures traded with the humanoids, exchanging goods for slaves.

Wanting to intervene, but knowing that it would only bring down death on their own heads, the guild members watched as the transaction concluded, the craft left, and the armies withdrew.

The party decided to follow the orcish army as it moved to the east. Looking for information, Aaron and Falgar used illusionary magic to alter their appearance to appear as orcs and approach one of the army’s patrol.

They learned that the orcs – at least the footmen – knew little about the creatures from the sky. After talking, Falgar dropped the entire patrol in a heartbeat with a color spray.

Continued in The Lost Patrols, Part 2

Experience & Loot

  • No experience and/or loot is avalable for this saga.
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