Chapter 13: Waiting for the Woodland Wanderer

Part b: Jailbreak!

Adventure Date

7th Thaumont

Adventure Location

Fort Anselbury

MVP

Kudan

After an entertaining day of listening to rumours in the market, shopping for supplies and placing orders for various weapons and armour the heroes headed to the guard house to see what they could find out about the Children of Twilight Exile. Their letter of commendation, gained by sinking the Plague of the Deep helped them get an audience with the leader of the town watch, Captain Saiscus.

The man the PCs saw getting arrested yesterday is in a cell. He's not answered any questions and it is likely he will be shipped back to Darokin for further interrogation. The captain confirmed all that the heroes knew about the thieves guild: they have been involved in burglary, running a protection racket, larceny and now it seems arson. They burnt down the Falling Star inn last night. Fortunately nobody was seriously injured; Nobody knows where the guild is based or who the leader is, none of the prisoners ever speaks; There are a number of elves in the guild, far more than would normally be; There is a strong rumour that the guild is in league with the lizard-men clans.

The captain offered some more information when questioned about the lizard-men: The lizard-men are common in the lands around the city especially near the river, but they don’t know where the clans live. They find signs of camps but no permanent structure. They think they might all come from the Malpheggi Swamp; They are often sent out to hunt down lizard-men packs; the attacks have become more frequent recently. They don’t venture into the swamp, too dangerous, the streams change position it is too easy to get lost there; The attacks have become better organised and the lizard-men have better quality weapons than before; The lizard-men packs have recently contained spell-casters, shamen and wokans they call themselves; The worst clan is the Black Spider clan, they have a brand on their chest of a large black spider and members of that clan have been raiding caravans, coastal traffic and farms.

The soldier they spoke to in the tavern last night has died of his infected hand picked up in the swamp during the attack on a pack of the lizard-men. He didn't go to the camp cleric as the companions had suggested and this proved a fatal error.

Given that the prisoner isn't talking the captain was receptive to Falamar's suggestion that they staged a break-out and followed the prisoner back to his safe house. Durgin suggested that he used his ability to shape stone to break down the wall to the cell.

The captain nodded in agreement and the plan was set in motion.

Once the wall was broken down by Durgin who lurked, flying and invisible while Pippin was hiding close by and the others hung back waiting to see what was going to happen. The rogue looked out from the cell and started to make his way along the short alley and onto a busy street, stalls, beasts of burden and residents out shopping. The mark moved swiftly, but steadily through the throngs and occasionally Durgin or Pippin would lose sight of them. At one point to their horror he was accosted by one of the town guards. Just as they thought the game was up and the prisoner was going to be marched back to his cell the guard thrust a battered backpack and assorted weapons into the prisoner's hands and walked off. The rogue shrugged the pack onto his shoulders and continued on.

Suddenly just when Pippin and Durgin had been delayed he ducked into a seedy tavern, the Three Feathers. Pippin followed shortly after and without pausing to ask questions shot four of the five tavern occupants dead. The others arrived and questioned the remaining occupant who eventually confessed that there was a secret passage leading from the kitchen at the back of the tavern. He also admitted that there was a traitor within the watch, known to him only as White Wolf.

The passage from the tavern is low and narrow, even Pippin has to stoop slightly, the others having to crawl. After several twists and turns Pippin stops where a shaft enters from above where a small patch of water has pooled and the rogue spots that tracks lead from the puddle to a apparently blank wall. Pippin finds a secret door which he opens revealing a short sloping passage down to another door to the east. The floor is slippery and White Fang slips banging into Kudan and Pippin. The door at the far end is trapped, something Pippin missed and the passage is filled with acidic fog burning eyes and exposed flesh. Kudan bashes the door open and they enter a chamber through which a narrow, fast flowing stream flows.

Hiding amongst some oil skin covered crates and chests is the rogue. A fight ensues, made awkward by the presence of the lingering acidic fog. Just as the rogue is killed Durgin comes sliding into the room and knock White Fang into the stream! Kudan leaps into the water and is swept away as he tries to grab the wolf. The water is cold and fast moving and both White Fang and Kudan find it difficult to swim against it. Durgin throws a rope which Kudan catches and grabbing hold of White Fang's collar gets back to the safety of the chamber.

The chests contained forged copper coins, salt, gold ingots, two magical scrolls, some master-work weapons, clerical robes bearing the symbol of Balthac, silk, perfume, a tapestry and some flat felt caps.

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