Stone Soules Summary: A Trip to Teft
Good and bad is pretty much the general concept here. This is LONG.
Okay, by the time we all got settled in last night (about 7:30) we didn't really know what we wanted to do besides train some party members.
Because of all the magic supplies and texts Eli recovered he had enough to be trained to his next level (as was seven other party members). Eli had been promised training and a spell when he was capable of learning it so he was at the top of the list in order and actually expense. There were several people that were very easy to train; Tesla was trained by Ceydric and Quick by Theo for the two cheapest and Ludo and Canstin ranked second and third respectively (I don't list Alegra because we need to train other people to second and third before anyone to Alegra's much higher level). In turns out, to avoid bankrupting the barony, that we only had money to train Eli and the two easy people so Alegra and Eli set off for Teft and Poseidinus respectively. They traveled in the same caravan, accompanied by 20 guards and a merchant, through the wonderful weather of winter in Petethal. The party back at Middle had its own excitement but I will talk about the uneventful caravan trip first.
Usually the trips to Teft were uneventful or, at the least, boring due to encounters with only bugbears or the like but this was to be remembered by Alegra forever. In his life, Eli had been saved by many things, his skills, his intelligence, his good looks (the proper modesty due Eli) but more than any of these, Sleep on the Go always manages to come to his mind as something he hopes to never do without. Edwin, of course, let me roll the die to see if I awoke to the noise in the middle of the night and fortunately I did, for Alegra had failed one roll which made it very important for mine to succeed.
Eli awakes to the light of the fire but instead of the occasional phantom sound that wakes up the tired adventurer this was serious. The guards Eli hoped were protecting him were in the process of being consumed by Ghouls, two to three were still alive fighting with torches and a spear with their backs to the campfire; the camp had been attacked by a pack of ghouls! Quickly checking the situation in his own tent Eli saw Alegra paralyzed and being devoured by one ghoul while the merchant was being eaten by two. His only chance was to get help because alone Eli was no match for these dead, it was Alegra's work! Running out of the tent, Eli caught the attention of one of the ghouls in the tent (unfortunately not the one eating Alegra) and it started to chase him. Eli moves fast (15") so the ghoul would never catch him, but where would he run to?
Teft 5-7 days away, or perhaps the border guard only a day and half away? Taking perhaps the only option, Eli grabbed the bone scroll tube from his pack and took out a spell which would delay his demise. The scroll was too difficult, symbols and references Eli had not seen before so his attempt failed, options were running out. Now that his lead on the ghoul was gone he ran again, calling for one of the guards to give in to a spell he was going to cast on them. After several segments of discussion the guard gave in (perhaps it was his remaining comrade felled by the ghouls that changed his mind) and Eli tried one of the other spells on the scroll. When he finished reading it the Guard transformed into an owlbear which immediately started to destroy everything near it. Eli wanted a wrecking machine and he got it. The owlbear killed two ghouls and the last guard within the first two segments and then proceeded to attack whatever was closest.
Trying to lead the owlbear across the tent Alegra was in, Eli continually ran a chord between him, the tent, and the owlbear. Eventually the owlbear had no other targets besides Eli so it thrashed into the tent and uncovered three more ghouls, one was dead in seconds from its massive paws. The other two attacked the owlbear and in an amazing feat, managed to paralyze it after several attempts. The owlbear was a very large meal so Eli grabbed the party's stuff, a horse, a cart, and Alegra's bits and started off towards the border. The ghouls were after him in seconds but a wall of iron lasts as a permanent reminder of their chase and Eli's fortune. In Four Corners Alegra was raised and then another caravan brought us to our destination; Alegra was late to her high holy day but she was alive again so I am sure Phaulkon will understand. Eli returned to Wicker and trained and learned two new spells. He lets everyone know that he learned Lightning Bolt with the party's money, as per his original intentions.
Back in Middle, training was finished and the party decided to do some scouting and mapping of the nearby terrain. After several days wandering beyond the ridge and near a mountain range, the party found what turned out to be a Troll cave, complete with the standard troll group of at least 5. Without Alegra and Eli the party decided to finish them another day and explored elsewhere. A couple days after returning to Middle, the party minus Alegra and Eli encountered a dilemma in policy. It turns out an adventuring group, the Daring Dozen, was slaughtering bugbears in the Great old City and then returning with their cash. The bugbears were outraged so they decided to burn down one of Middle's farmhouses as a warning of what is to come at the Dozen's persistence. We caught them in the act and killed several of the advance party but the war group disappeared and were not followed. Eventually we caught up with them at the ridge and Ceydric relayed a message to their leader that we would speak with the Dozen concerning their slaughtering of bugbear farmers but that hostile action against Middle would result in war with Middle. The bugbears left and party must now decide what to do.
Zack Hubert