The Statuette of the West recovered, our intrepid adventurer's made way from the Kraken Society's island gratefully. Jagaerda departed to her homeland in her own particular... idiom. Once again followed by an impressive scowl from Aria Darkstar.
They stopped at the island of Tuern to recover the bodies of their compatriots, and thankfully had recovered enough gold from the Krakens to have them raised from the dead in Neverwinter. However, upon their arrival in Neverwinter, they were immediately attacked! Word had reached the Zhentarim soldiers stationed in Neverwinter, and they were waiting. These men were accompanied by trained griffons, but thankfully they proved to be a surmountable obstacle for our heroes.
It was quite an eventful return to the City of Skilled Hands*. Lady Deschanel was flagged down by a young boy frantically waving a scroll. "My Lady! I have urgent news!" he handed her the scroll, and soon had his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
*This is a reference to the excellent craftsmanship of Neverwinter's occupants, not its prostitutes, unfortunately.
Lady Deschanel scanned the document, betraying no emotion on her face. She looked up, paused, and said, "It appears my mother has taken very ill. She may not have much longer to live. I'm afraid I must return to New Phlan with haste."
"What! Oh no..." Avrilenne moved to give her an awkward hug, showing much more concern than the Lady did herself.
However, each of them knew that the Lady Deschanel cared deeply for her mother, but she was not the type to wear her emotions on her sleeve. They made quick preparations for her departure by carriage to begin the long trip eastward. She left her magical accouterments with the party, assuming they would need them more than she now. Each of them hugged her in turn, and wished her the best of luck.
Neverwinter was a haven for adventurers, especially in these troubled times. Nothing creates opportunity for adventure more than good ol' trouble. The party recruited a new member fresh off a whaling vessel. His name was Ranzo Ray, a swashbuckling elf sailor who had many talents. The suave gentlemen said he had tired of the tough life on the waves, and wished for a little more excitement, and more so, treasure, in his life. Augustar questioned him thoroughly, and after determining he was trustworthy, they welcomed Ranzo aboard.
Ranzo's first battle as a new member was with a trio of hill giants in the mountains outside of the city. Assuming he would need training after such a fight, his initiation was to carry all 1,000 gold he would need to pay for it back to Neverwinter himself in a sack over his shoulder. "Welcome to The Company!" Augustar laughed and pat him on the back heartily, coining a new name for their, until then, anonymous team.
Ranzo smiled and played along. His great strength, especially for a slim elf, made carrying the coins a simple thing, but he made a show of it being very heavy just for kicks.
Ranzo Ray was a name I borrowed from a friend, and I never quite new the origin. He said Ranzo was the greatest sailor that ever lived, or some such thing. As far as I can tell, it's from a sea shanty, which would make sense, given my friend's interests. Here's a link to a discussion on the subject.
The first thing that came up in my search actually linked to the Forgotten Realms. My first thought was "Wow, he's already an official part of the Realms!" After further reading, I think the connection is through a homebrew; same source material, though.
I hate to ruin anyone's immersion, but of course, Lady Deschanel didn't actually get a message in game. I had two full wizards, and while that was handy at times, I got really tired of skipping their turns most of the time in battle. They can throw darts, but the problem is, since they throw three at a time, their stock depletes quickly if you throw every turn. I'm glad this was changed in later editions, because right now, my wizards act once every 5 rounds or so.
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| Today's filler screenshot: The Kraken guards and their awl pikes! |
I hadn't considered using an elf mage, because of those darn level limits in 1st edition AD&D. I read an article somewhere on the internets, and it was a bit of a revelation to me that 11 is the level limit in the second game in the series, so having an elf mage is not a disadvantage. Also, I've found the thief is a bit underrated because of one thing, backstab! I've faced so many foes that are very difficult to take down in melee because of their high ACs, but it only takes one lucky backstab to lay them low. So, I decided to get the best of both (er, three) worlds and get a Fighter/Mage/Thief. So now I have two thieves. Take that thief haters!
I'm not going to lie, I've spent so much time writing these posts that I think I may have written more than I've actually played. I've got to strike a balance. In interest of catching up to where I am in game, here's a quick summary. The party finds out from Amanitas that the next statue is in Llorkh. They head there through Loudwater, where a huge force of Zhentarim led by Vaalgamon is waiting. Vaalgamon leaves when the battle is joined, that's just like him.
In Llorkh, they can explore a bit, but upon trying to the leave the city by boat, a trap door is opened, dropping them in a massive underground arena. The proprietor is none other than Vaalgamon himself. They fight three battles, and are told they may live to fight again another day... in the arena. With the help of another half-orc prisoner, they escape, gaining the new statuette on the way.
With that, onward to the Star Mounts to recover the last of the four statuettes!
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