Adventures in Everlund
Chapter 11 - Burrow-bond Bargain
18th of Mirtul, 1492 DR
The silent watchtower stands bathed in the light of the half moon shining overhead. Holding a torch, Nimly chuckles and gestures at the bodies of the gnome and halfling in the doorway. “No, they won’t be finding peace with Selûne tonight. Could you pull them clear of the entrance?” His eyes twinkle in the flickering torchlight. “I’m going to demonstrate what can happen if someone gets caught in these webs and fire gets involved!”
Valeria, sobered up after the exhilaration of the battle, grunts as she grabs the halfling by the foot and pulls him free of the webs. “I wasn’t bein’ all that careful with these filthy wastes of space. I didn’t think we needed to drag em’ all along with us or drag em’ all back to Captain Anara.”
Yávië nods along with the sentiment, while moving the body of the blond gnome and piling it atop the halfling. “The loot will be plenty to give to the Captain to further her efforts. We’re going to be clearing out more of these bandits along the way, at this rate.”
Valeria grins. “Great, no need to be gentle then.” The knight walks a few steps up the stairs and heaves the remains of the dwarf into the pile.
Nimly pulls a torch from the wall of the watchtower. As he dips it down toward the webs, they catch and burn, quick and hot. He grins as he feels his concentration on the web fade in the twelve seconds it takes them to change from intricate webs into ash on the ground. “Magical webs can be dismissed by the caster, of course, but if you are caught in them, know that anyone can set them aflame.” Nimly looks over at the piled corpses. “I agree, no need for prisoners or letting any escape. Allowing them to forewarn other bandits will not support our mission.”
Nimly and Thorn each grab a leg of the human sentry, dragging him back into the tower. Valeria takes hold of the fallen corpse of the bandit leader and heaves him into the pile. They perform a quick search of the bodies, finding the following:
1 Damaged Studded Leather Armor
3 Intact Leather Armor
1 Shortsword with an insignia etched into the hilt
4 Scimitars
5 Light Crossbows with 35 bolts
96 gold
Small Leather Bound Journal, marked as property of R.V. (Red Viper)
3 Wedges of Cheese
1 Tinderbox
1 Flask of Oil
1 scrap of a silk shirt
Once the search is complete, Thorn looks at the divvied piles of gold, various items and food, which includes several portions of cheese. He squeaks at the gold, then walks over and squeaks and chuffs at the cheese. Walking back to the gold, he scratches on the wood floor, then turns back to the cheese. He picks up a hefty wedge in his sharp teeth and begins to devour it. “Yeah, I got all that.” Nimly scratches the back of his head, “but I don’t know that I can do it justice in Common. What do you mean with the phrase ‘burrow-bond’?
“He’s scratching the floor. Does that mean there’s something under there?” Valeria walks over to the gold pile and begins stomping around.
Nimly watches the rat with a puzzled expression. “He said something about distribution of resources and another idea similar to a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. He expressed that he didn’t want or expect a share in the gold, and he is claiming more than his share of cheese in part as a… ‘burrow-bond’.”
“I vote he gets any and all cheese that we ever find cause he’s a good boi!” She walks over, pushing the rest of the cheese toward Thorn and pats him on the head.
Valeria nods firmly. “He’s earned his share. I say let him have his cheese.”
Thorn squeaks at Yávië and Valeria, giving a brief growl to Nimly. The gnome puts up his hands. “Hey, I didn’t say you couldn’t! The notion that any of the cheese makes it back to your burrow, though… oh.” Nimly pauses, thinking through the flood of images and feelings through their mental bond. “Oh, I see. The love his family has for him is somehow involved. They would want him to have it; do I have that right? Yeah, it’s all yours, bud.”
Yávië begins to examine a scrap of clothing she pulled from the halfling. “Hey, this has the same insignia as the sword you looted, Valeria. There’s also a little sewn-in compartment.” She pulls out a tiny rolled up parchment. “Oh, this will be good to give to Captain Anara. These bandits are all over the place.” She holds up the map to show various marked locations including what looks like a cave and other various structures that may be farmhouses or other such residences.
Valeria twirls the sword in her hand, testing the heft. “It does match, but I don’t recognize the mark. I’m sure someone back in town will be able to help us out. Seems like there may be some noble house involved with these scum.”
Nimly pulls out the journal he took off the bandit in charge, labeled as property of Red Viper. As he does, a page flutters to the ground. “Well, this is intriguing. There’s a page with… well, it's glowing and blank.” He flips through the journal. “I found a map in the back of this journal. Looks like the same points of interest, with more information on the routes. It lists some raids that have already taken place, as well as some planned for the future. We can turn both over to the Captain.” He moves to the others so the journal is visible to Yávië and Valerie.
Raids and Ambushes:
Date: 2nd of Mirtul, 1492 DR - "Successfully ambushed a merchant caravan heading to Everlund. Acquired valuable goods, including magical items. Met with Garek Stonefist to distribute the loot."
Date: 6th of Mirtul, 1492 DR - "Raided a small village southeast of Everlund. Took supplies and a few prisoners. Lena Blackthorn led the raid."
Date: 10th of Mirtul, 1492 DR - "Met with Mira Redclaw and Blackjack Voss to discuss future operations. They have secured safe houses in the city. Blackjack provided intel on upcoming merchant shipments."
Date: 12th of Mirtul, 1492 DR - "The Snake informed us about the guards' patrol schedules in Everlund. We can plan our next ambush based on this intel."
Valeria taps her new sword pommel in thought. "It seems to me that Sister Elara could help us with reading the enchanted page. And one would think that every temple would know of all the local noble houses and thus their insignia. Let us pay a visit to the temple of Selûne when we return."
Nimly nods. “It’s a fine idea when we get back to the city. For now, how do we ensure safe delivery of the shipment?” He frowns. “Even on the streets of Everlund itself, Haggard’s shipment may not be safe from all these intricate plans.”
Yávië shrugs. “We’ve taken the watchtower, so let’s follow the plan. Make our way towards Olostin’s Hold and escort the shipment into Everlund, all the way to Haggard’s doorstep.” Spreading out Nimly’s map, Haggard’s map, the map from the journal and the one pulled from the silk cloth, they draw in the route they will be taking for the shipment.
Nimly places a few small rocks to weigh down the edges of the maps. “Looks like three more spots we need to worry about.” He points to each in turn. “There’s an intersection on the main route and also these two ambush sites that are marked.”
Valeria traces a finger over the route in question. "Yep, the plan still works. Let’s make them unmanageable before the bandits can use them for staging points. We make our way along, clean out the spots, then escort the shipment back through all quiet like.”
Yávië frowns. “Yes, if we leave soon, we should have enough time to reduce the threats, and still escort the shipment back.”
“I like both those plans. It makes sense to be near it to protect it, and while we are on the way to the rendezvous, we could stop by some marked locations to soften up anything we find.” Nimly taps his finger on the spot marked Olostin’s Hold. “There is a tangle that occurs to me, Yávië. I’m having flashbacks to those sniveling guards that denied us entrance to the East Barracks as we did not have an ‘official order’. Did Haggard give you anything to bridge the gap in our trust with those we’ll be escorting?”
Yávië nods, digging in her pack. “The instructions he gave me are signed at the bottom. Should be enough to convince them of our intentions.”
Valeria smirks, “Why would they doubt us? I am a knight, noble and shiny.” The tall woman looks down at her bloody and scuffed equipment, cursing with feeling. With a few words to enable the magic, her armor shines once again, polished to perfection. “As I was saying…noble and shiny. And I also have my new purty holy symbol of Selûne!” She flashes the small silver moon, secured around her neck with a leather thong.
“Keep flashing that bling and we’ll use the signed note as a backup plan. Let's finish poking around this place and head out for the next leg of our trip.” Nimly folds the maps back up and stores them carefully in his pack.
The party finds nothing more of interest. The watchtower had long been abandoned and was picked clean by others before them. Yávië yawns and stretches. “The shipment leaves Olostin’s Hold close to sunrise.”
Nimly secures his pack, making sure all his things are stowed away. “Time to go, I think.”
Valeria nods, cracking her neck. “Let’s kill us some bandits!”
They set out, under the comforting blanket of the early morning darkness. The road is quiet as they travel. Stars twinkle in the sky above, their own quiet footsteps and the hoots of owls providing the only sound as they travel. The party listens and watches the night around them, staying on high alert as they approach an intersection. They stop about three hundred feet from the ‘T’ in the road. Yávië holds up her hand and squints into the darkness with her keen elvish darkvision. “I think we’re close. That looks like an intersection up ahead.”
The party moves closer, as quietly as possible. Nimly whispers, “Thorn says he can smell people up ahead. Leather, sweat and a trace of smoke. Sounds like a camp.”
Yávië nods in agreement (perception:natural20) and gestures ahead toward some bushes along the road. “One of the bushes up ahead sneezed a few moments ago and another one rustled slightly.”
“So I circle them to the right and they’ll definitely be focusing on me. You three cut through the forest on the left and hit ‘em from behind. Yeah?” Valeria points toward the unseen figures in the bushes.
Nimly nods to Yávië and motions to Thorn. The three begin heading through the brush to the east as quietly as possible. A sudden SNAP causes Yávië and Nimly to stop, glancing back at Thorn as he looks up with large eyes, his paw squarely on a broken branch. They hold their breath, but don’t hear any signs of alarm from the bandits. He shakes his furry head and refocuses on the task at paw, slinking forward slowly and quietly through the night.
Valeria has an easier time than the rest moving quietly on the packed, even road. The knight rubs the rune on her breastplate fondly, as it allows her the night vision to approach the bandits with sure footing; she silently says a prayer to the giants who guided her on this path. As she nears the place where the figure is hiding, Valeria rushes in and draws her sword to slash at the bushes before her. A human woman is crouched there, short and voluptuous, with leather armor and long black hair.
Roll Initiative.
Intrepid adventurers and DMs, I hope you enjoyed this tale!
May your rolls be critically high or dramatically low, adding flavor and excitement to your campaigns!