The Sanna Valley Raid: Part 2
Theme: The Doctrine of Christ
Type: Sandbox hexmap
Time for us to complete: 22 game sessions.
Player Characters:
Philip the Raid Leader: 8th mission, 5th mission as Raid Leader. Riding Johny the horse.
Starflower the Lion Warrior (with Regulus the Lion): 8th mission, 5th mission as a Lion Warrior. Riding Alogo the horse.
William the Bear Knight (with Bill the Bear): 8th mission, 4th mission as a Bear Knight. Riding Arled the horse.
Edward the Knight of the Way (Forest Specialty): 8th mission. 2nd mission as a Knight of the Way. Riding Edmur the horse.
Cenbald the Potential (NPC), on his 1st mission.
Date in Real Life: Sunday December 5th, 2021
In Game Day: morning of Shesh the 23rd of Yuwol (5th day of mission)
The team was up at first light the next morning. They went about their regular morning routine: packing up their gear, making sure the animals were fed and watered. Cenbald and Philip had caught enough fish to feed everyone for breakfast.
After breakfast they prayed together as a team, asking for guidance from the Overlord. After their prayers, they started discussing what lay ahead for the day.
“Are we ready to go, yet?” Cenbald asked.
“Patience, Cenbald,” Edward advised. Cenbald grinned sheepishly.
Philip cleared his throat. “Let’s take inventory, here. What have we got?”
Starflower rummaged through her pack, “I still have that journal we found at the hermit’s cottage. Strange references to a many-legged menace. I also have a button from a dragon soldier’s uniform.”
They went around the circle, reminding everyone else what they had, what they knew, what they thought would happen. Philip nodded at each piece of information, attempting to synthesize it all.
A throat cleared. “Would you like to hear what I have?” It was the first time the voice had spoken. They felt like they had been aware of the person’s presence the entire time, even if they hadn’t seen him until now. They were both surprised and not surprised to see him there.
Edward nudged Cenbald, “It’s the Rescuer!” he whispered.
Cenbald’s jaw dropped.
“First of all, well done in Hawold, your faithfulness in accomplishing the mission pleases me,” the Rescuer said, standing up. “I understand things were a little expensive there. I’ve provided some coins to offset your costs in the days to come,” he placed a leather pouch on a rock near the fire. “Also, you may have these,” he set two scrolls on the rock as well. “Many adventures still await you in the valley. Be blessed, and go forth in my name.”
“Is the other Lightraider team on their way?” Starflower asked.
“Yes, they are in the valley, and on their way to Hawold,” The Rescuer said.
The Rescuer motioned to the pile on the rock, a smile on his face. The team moved dreamily forward, and took a look. Philip poured out the coins, and started divvying them up. Starflower took a look at the scrolls. “Praying for a whirlwind, no way!” Starflower exclaimed.
“Thank you,” Edward said, turning his head, but the Rescuer wasn’t visible anymore. “He’s gone,” Edward said.
“Awesome sauce!” Cenbald squealed. “I just saw the Rescuer!”
“Did you say ‘whirlwind’?” William asked.
Starflower nodded. “Check it out. Jeremiah 23:19,
See, the storm of the LORD
Will burst out in wrath,
A whirlwind swirling down
On the heads of the wicked.
“The Overlord says that if we pray this WordRune, then he might send a whirlwind to help us.”
“Wow, that sounds useful,” Edward agreed. “What’s the other one say?”
“It’s John 1:1,
In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word was
with God, and the
Word was God.
“An important truth, to be sure,” Philip said, nodding in recognition. “Any idea what it might be for?”
“There’s no instructions with this one,” Starflower said. “I assume we’ll know when the right moment comes.”
“So, is it time to go, now?” Cenbald asked.
Philip nodded. “Time to go.”
The team kicked some dirt on the last of the fire, took one last look around, then mounted up and rode East, back to the road.
As they approached the road, they could see that the city was already coming alive. There was traffic in both directions, towards and away from the city. They rode up onto the road, and turned north towards the Othrond, the biggest city in the valley.
“What can you tell us about Othrond, Cenbald?” Philip asked.
“Well, I’ve really only been here once, years ago, with my father. It’s big. There’s like seven thousand people or more who live here.” Cenbald shrugged, “They say you can find anything in the city.”
“What is that off to the right?” Starflower asked, pointing.
“Uh, that’s the military camp. Colonel Exard’s main battalion stays there. There’s troops in the city, of course, but most of them are stationed there.”
“Do you think Bill and Regulus will be allowed in the city?” William asked, from his perch on Bill’s back.
Cenbald shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
They continued up the road for awhile, before arriving at the south gate of the city. The walls here were of stone. Philip noticed archers on the wall. Guards at the gate, sporting spears or swords. There was a pompous looking fellow who seemed to be in charge, as he stopped and talked to everyone who went through the gate. Philip also made note of trails leading to the right and left, along the outskirts of the walls.
“I think it’ll be okay,” Starflower said.
“How do you figure?” Bill asked in a low voice, so as not to draw attention to himself.
“See that guy in the brown cloak just ahead of us?” Starflower pointed. “He has a muskrat following him, and that guy at the gate looked like he was checking paperwork or something, and let him in.”
“No harm trying,” William said.
A few minutes later, they were at the gate.
“Hello, hello,” the person said. Philip looked him up and down. Definitely some sort of nobleman. Clean, expensive clothing. Shiny, new looking equipment, from clasps on boots to buckles on belts to feather in cap. Air of superiority. “Welcome to Othrond. Is this your first visit?”
“Yes, we’re travellers,” Philip said.
“Well, welcome to our fair city. Sir Narms, at your service,” he gave a sweeping bow. “I’m in charge of the South Gate.” He frowned at a scuff mark on his boot, and whipped out a cloth to wipe it clean. A moment later, he straightened. “Just need to take a look at your equipment. It’s just a formality, you understand.”
Philip raised an eyebrow.
Sir Narms stepped to Philip and glanced at Johny’s bridle. “Not the highest quality leather. Looks to be a few years old. Check out the leather on my sword belt. Now this is brand new.”
Philip blinked. “Uh, I see.”
“Oh, and have you seen my sword?” He drew it out of it’s sheath. “Isn’t it a beautiful piece of craftsmanship? Check out that hilt!”
“Uh, have you seen my spear?” Philip tried, remembering the reaction he got about it in and around Hawold. “Yes, yes,” Sir Narms waved him off, hardly glancing at it, “and this sword blade is the finest quality, yes indeed.”
“Have you seen the tip?” Philip tried again, holding it out to him.
Sir Narms looked at it, touched it, declared it sharp, then went back to talking about his own sword, before moving on to discuss its sheath, then the brooch fastening his cape around his shoulders. Philip slung the spear on his back again, confused. “But wait, I see you have animals,” Sir Narms suddenly interrupted himself, as if noticing Bill and Regulus for the first time.
They’re kind of hard to miss, Philip thought.
“Are they well trained? Can you keep them under control?”
“Yes,” Starflower said, patting Regulus on the head.
“Absolutely,” William agreed, scratching Bill behind the ear.
“Excellent. Well, I’ll give you some permits for them. If they cause any damage to life or property, you’ll be responsible.”
“Naturally,” Starflower replied.
Sir Narms wrote on a couple slips of parchment, then handed them to Starflower and William.
“Anyways, I won’t keep you any longer. Enjoy your stay in Orthrond!” Sir Narms said with a flourish. The team spurred their mounts forward. Just before they were out of earshot, Philip heard Sir Narms start talking to one of the bored looking guards about how amazing his water bottle was, along with the clever clasp he had to fasten it to his belt.
“Now where do we go?” Starflower asked. They found themselves surrounded by buildings and people, and no idea which way to go.
“We need to get the lay of the land,” William suggested. “How about I talk to some of the locals? Excuse me!” he called out to a random passer-by.
“Yes?” the man stopped. He had a short nose and a short beard.
“We’re new in town. We’d like some information.”
“What sort of information?”
“Well, how about the big picture? How’s the town laid out?”
“Big picture, eh?” the fellow said, scratching his beard. “Well, I guess this town here can be roughly divided into three areas. The area you’re in now is called the Rogue’s village. That’s basically everything south of the river. There’s three bridges to cross the river. In the northeast we have the Crystal Keep district. In the northwest area, there’s Lake Farthing, and the main market is at the north end of town.”
“Is the Crystal Temple in the Crystal Keep district?” Philip asked.
“Yes, of course. You’ll also find the Quartz Academy and the Silver Odeum in that sector of town.”
“What’s in Lake Farthing?” Edward wanted to know.
The man frowned. “I don’t really go there. I’m more of a Crystal Keep fellow, myself. Anyways, I must be off. If you want more information, perhaps you can try asking around at the Cursed Axe tavern.”
“Okay, thank you for your time,” William said.
“No problem,” the man said, shuffling off.
“Maybe we should head for the market, try to find some salt warriors,” Edward suggested.
Philip nodded. “Makes sense. We need to establish a base of operations somewhere, or else we’ll be living off trail rations in the middle of a city. Let’s head north.”
The daily life of the city included people walking in every direction, horses, wagons, people with animals, people sitting in the shade, people talking, people smoking, people eating bread, children playing, old men hobbling along. Dragon soldiers from the local guard were interspersed here and there.
After riding slowly for several blocks, there was a commotion up ahead.
“Is something going on?” Philip mumbled. People seemed to be running. Some looked happy, some looked terrified. People were moving faster in all directions.
“Hey, what’s going on!” Philip called out. The person ignored him and kept running. Philip tried again with someone else, “Hey, you there! What’s going on!”
“Going home to hide!” was the reply and the person didn’t even slow down.
“Let me try,” William suggested. He jumped off his bear, scanned the crowd for a moment, then chose his target. “Excuse me,” he said, tapping him on the shoulder, “What’s going on?”
The man stopped and looked at him. “It’s Sige!”
“What’s a Sige?” William asked.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” the man asked.
“No, we’re travellers. Help us understand,” William coaxed gently.
“Sige is the name of the leader of one of the criminal gangs in town.”
“Okay, what about him?” William asked.
“They say he just got engaged to Wara!”
“Who is...?” William encouraged.
“The daughter of Wulfa! The leader of the other gang!”
“Is that good or bad?” William asked.
“That’s just it! I don’t know! It could be good or bad! This could mean the end of the gang wars, or it could be the beginning of a new war! I was on my way to the Cursed Axe to see if I could get some more information.”
“Where’s the Cursed Axe? Could you lead us there?” William asked.
The man looked at them doubtfully, then shrugged. “Sure, just follow me.”
William gestured for the rest of the team to follow, and they made their way through the crowded streets.
Several minutes later, they arrived at a two-storey wooden building. An old sign said “The Cursed Axe” and had a painting of a battle axe, with what could have been blood on it, except it was green.
“Green blood?” Starflower asked.
“It’s supposed to be a cursed axe. I don’t know. Artist’s interpretation, I guess,” their guide shrugged, then made his way inside.
The team took a moment to hitch the horses at the horse trough, then made their way to the door.
Mi’ Lady, should I stay out here, or come in with you? Starflower heard Regulus’ voice telepathically in her head. Starflower paused for a moment, her hand on the door. Good question. This was the first time in the Dragon Lands that Regulus came into a town with her. Usually he hid outside the city limits. She considered what she saw earlier with the muskrat at the gate, and the permit she had in her possession.
Give me a moment, she thought back and pushed open the door. She scanned the room quickly and noticed someone sitting with a puma on one side of the room, and over on her right, a large bird of prey, sort of a cross between an eagle and an owl, perched on another guy’s shoulder. Sure, come on in. Looks normal to have animal companions here.
The team made their way inside.
“I sense evil,” Philip hissed quietly in Starflower’s ear.
Starflower nodded, alert. She had been using her bo staff as a walking stick ever since they had entered the city, so she was ready for action, if needed.
“Hey, there, bartender,” Philip said, marching up to the bar. “Can I get some water?”
“Water? Why didn’t you just stick your head in the horse trough outside?” someone guffawed from a nearby table. Starflower frowned, but Philip either didn’t hear the comment, or was pretending to ignore it.
“Water?” The bartender said, chuckling, turning in his direction. He was clothed in a dark robe, with the hood up. Starflower couldn’t make out his face. Starflower noticed there were several in the room with hoods obscuring their features. She started to wonder if she should pull out the black cloak from her bag and put it on to blend in.
“What do you usually serve here?” Philip asked.
“Ale,” the bartender said.
“No thank you. Water please.”
“Please?” the same mocking voice from a nearby table mimicked. The others around the table laughed loudly.
The bartender produced a glass of water.
“How much?” Philip asked.
“For water? No charge. Perhaps you’d care to order something worth money, since I’m a business man?” Starflower’s eyes narrowed. A business man? The only time they ever heard anyone use that phrase...
“What do you do to make money?” Philip asked.
“I own this establishment, of course. Sell food and drinks and maybe some information. Or allow others to gather for information among themselves, and they buy drinks on the side. I tell you, it’s a good business, having a cozy tavern like this.”
“We want to hear more about Wulfa and Sige and the engagement to Wara,” Philip said.
“Well, there’s a Wulfa gang member sitting right over there,” the bartender raised an arm and pointed.
Philip turned to see where he was indicating, but Starflower stood watching the bartender’s arm. She was pretty sure she just saw a claw. The bartender is a granog, she realized. She glanced around at the team. No one seemed to be acting weird. Did that mean they were safe from any sin enchantments the granog may have tried on them just now? Philip had made his way over to the table that the dark creature had pointed out.
“Keep an eye on the bartender, he’s a granog,” Starflower whispered to Edward. “I’ll keep an eye on Philip.”
“Excuse me, are you a member of Wulfa?” Philip asked a guy lounging in a chair. The man was beastly in appearance, with black hair and green eyes. He wore simple clothing and a green cloak.
“Who’s askin’?” was the short reply.
“We haven’t chosen sides, yet,” Starflower tried, not sure how important gang loyalties would be in this city.
The man laughed, glancing at the others at this table. “You don’t need to choose sides, girlie.”
Starflower tightened her grip on her quarter staff.
“We’re travellers,” Philip said. “We heard rumours about an engagement between Sige and Wara? We just want to know what’s going on.”
“First, is it true, and secondly, is it a good thing or a bad thing?” Starflower added.
“It’s true,” the man replied after a moment’s thought. “I’m not sure if it is good or bad. How am I supposed to get revenge on my sister who betrayed me to Sige if Wulfa isn’t fighting Sige anymore?”
“Ah, I see how that could put you in a difficult situation,” Starflower said, choosing her words carefully.
“How were you betrayed?” Philip asked.
“I’d rather not discuss it with strangers,” he replied.
“We didn’t catch your name.”
“Didn’t throw it.”
“I’m Starflower, this is Philip.”
The man sighed. “Throlfi Snulfrison.”
“Thank you for your time, Throlfi,” Starflower said.
A half-hearted grunt was his reply.
“Let’s get out of here,” Starflower said to Philip. Philip nodded, motioned to the others, and they went back outside.
“So, the bartender was a granog,” Edward said conversationally when they were mounted up again and back in the street.
Philip twisted in his saddle, looking back at the tavern, his hand reaching for the handle of his battle axe.
“We can’t. It’s broad daylight, he’s surrounded by his customers, and there’s soldiers everywhere,” Starflower said.
“I hate dark creatures,” Philip said sourly. “I knew I sensed evil.”
“I know. Sometimes evil is just there, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Philip nodded slowly, lowering his arm back to the reins. “North, then?”
“North,” Starflower agreed.
Almost an hour later, the team slowed again, noticing signs of celebration: music, people dancing and singing, banners hung across the street, the smell of food.
“What’s going on?” William called out to a girl carrying a tray of baked goods.
“It’s a celebration!” She called up to him from his seat on Bill’s back. “The gang lords are paying for it! Sige and Wara are engaged, and this is the end of the gang wars!” The girl bustled off. William glanced at the bakery she must have emerged from.
If the gang lords are paying for it, that means free food! Bill’s thoughts entered his head. Can we go check it out?
William relayed this thought to Philip, the raid leader. Edward glanced up at the sky. “It’s getting close to lunch time anyway,” Edward advised.
“Okay, let’s check it out,” Philip agreed.
They rode on for a couple more blocks and discovered tables set up in a small market square, with food arriving by the minute. The smell of roasted meat and freshly baked bread reached Williams’ nostrils. Lamb. I smell lamb. William wasn’t sure if the thought was his own or Bill’s. He led the group over to the closest table, where a couple of people were already helping themselves.
William ripped off a shank of lamb for Bill, and grabbed a hunk of meat and a slice of cheese for himself. Starflower found a platter of nuts and took a handful.
“Walnuts,” Starflower said. “I wonder if we can take some for later?”
“That would be rude,” Cenbald spoke up. “At all you can eat buffets, you should only take what you plan to eat right then and there.”
Starflower nodded, cracking open another nut. Several pieces fell to the cobblestone. Suddenly, a mouse darted out from under the tablecloth, grabbed a crumb, and darted back again.
“Hey, a mouse,” William said, pointing with his cheese.
“Yeah, I saw it,” Starflower said. “I wonder if I can talk with it?”
William shrugged and took another bite. He watched Starflower bend down and start making some squeaking sounds. She really did sound like a mouse. Definitely a spiritual gift.
William glanced around to see if anyone was watching. He motioned for Bill to stand in the way of most passers-by. Bill quickly moved into position. When he glanced back, he saw that the mouse had re-emerged and was squeaking excitedly at Starflower. Starflower squeaked again, and the conversation went back and forth for a couple of minutes, before the mouse scurried away, and Starflower stood up, smiling.
“And?” William asked. “What did he say?”
“It was a she. And she said that the Overlord has many mice in this city. I asked if she knew about any salt warriors, and she said she didn’t know any personally, but would ask around. She said a mouse from the colony would get back to us when they had some news.”
“A secret spy network of mice? Awesome sauce!” Cenbald broke in.
Meanwhile, Philip and Edward were distracted by some kids playing.
“I attack you with my fire bolt!” one boy, a blonde, said, pretending to throw something.
“Well, I destroy your fire bolt with my acid splash,” the second boy, who had brown hair, said, pushing both palms outward.
“You can’t do that!” the first boy quickly retorted.
“Yes, I can, Lexcom does acid splashes!” the second boy shouted back, his voice raising a notch.
“But fire bolts are magical!”
“So are acid splashes! Lexcom can use his acid splash to destroy any projectile launched at him!”
Philip rushed forward. “Whoa, hey, kids, calm down. What are you fighting about?
Both boys looked guilty for a moment. “Sorry, we were playing,” the blonde said. “I pretended to throw a fire bolt, and he thinks he can block it with an acid splash. I don’t think that’s fair.”
“Fire bolts are like arrows. Lexcom has destroyed arrows mid flight with his acid splash,” the brown haired kid said, a little calmer.
“But fire bolts are magical. They can go right through water.”
“But the acid splash is magical, too. It could extinguish the fire bolt.”
Philip shook his head. “Has anyone ever seen an acid splash put out a fire bolt?”
The boys shook their heads. “Only Lexcom does acid splashes, and only Lexcom does fire bolts. So he wouldn’t put out his own fire bolts.”
“How about they cancel out each other, then, and you go back to your play?” Philip suggested. The boys nodded, and ran off.
“Blessed are the peacemakers?” Edward asked Philip.
“That was the idea, yes. But I also think we just learned some helpful information about Lexcom the Sorcerer, just now.”
***
After lunch, the team continued north. They came to a bridge. A guard stopped them and checked their animal permits.
Some kids were playing at the river. Suddenly a valpaz grabbed a child and pulled him into the water. The team sprang into action. Philip, Starflower and the animals rushed to the water, waded in, and did battle with a pod of valpaza, while Edward, William and Cenbald stayed on the bridge with their slings providing support. Even the dragon soldiers joined in to kill the beasts, and the child was rescued.
The child was grateful and mentioned wanting to make a sacrifice of gold to Antigonus, the golden calf.
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