24 Ches 2255
A welcomed full night of uninterrupted rest followed for our adventurers, and they made their way to Crosswinds Post at dawn. Not long after beginning travel in the morning, the party noticed smoke rising from the village, more and more columns of black smoke rising the closer they got.
Upon arrival, the party saw a group of ne’er-do-wells brutalizing the townsfolk of the hamlet, with a few residents who seemed to have already been on the receiving end of a bad deal. The sky is completely blotted out by the dense and suffocating smoke caused by multiple raging fires, as building after building roar and crackle in agony. As the general store lay a smoldering heap of embers, the audible desperation of a small quaint village was depressingly palpable.
Tangle, sensing that people were in danger, worriedly approached the scene, hoping to learn what conflict was happening and see how he could help in its resolution. The half-orc leader barked commands once Tangle and the group’s presence was noticed,
“Lay down your arms, and slowly approach. You are coming with us.”
Ondel quickly hid from sight and started making his way around the back side of a few nearby burning buildings, with Anton attempting to follow. Anton was spotted almost immediately to which the half-orc leader bellowed out: “Not so fast! Brigands - Kill the Krang! Spare the demon, the dwarf and the human! The rest do not matter. Spread out!”
Tensions boiled over at the situation unfolding in Crosswinds Post and escalated to the point of violence. A quickly mounting battle against our party saw dire events playing out for their future with Torgarion being taken down quickly after turning some gray matter into jelly, followed quickly by an unequipped yet brave Tangle and a performance enhanced Anton.
As the party began to lose hope and all looked lost, a cart full of goods accompanied by two well-equipped human men and a giant eagle joined the fray and turned the tide of battle quickly.
As Torgarion, Tangle, and Anton lie unconscious in the grass, a giant eagle takes the final swipe at the half-orc assailant, causing him to fall unconscious in a bloody heap. The giant eagle then caws loudly towards Ondel, Yakiim and Fin, and slowly flutters its wings while lifting a claw in a defensive posture.
The sounds of blazing fire continued to fill the village with a roaring destruction, but where there was once a cacophony of clashing steel, whooshing arrows, and the cries of panic and terror… there were also small sounds of relief? A few townsfolk huddled together sobbing, while another hugged one of the well-equipped men, profusely thanking them.
Relief and a small sense of victory had found its way to Crosswinds Post, but not without some heavy loss. The ragtag group of adventurers found themselves bound together by being the victims of a seemingly endless amount of hard-to-believe circumstances and peculiar timing.
After a bloody and hard-fought battle with an assailing group of brigands, the group met a small traveling caravan that joined the fray and provided some much needed assistance. The small group consisted of two guards in service of the Hounds named Zahalus and Granar, along with a self described conduit of nature and the moon in the form of a strange woman named Tendra Stiffwind; a woman who quickly took a shine to the heavily made-up Fenrick.
With the fires put out and a bit of calmness returning to the quaint hamlet, a quandary presented itself to the surviving members of the attack. The village was now all but completely destroyed and its protection no more than a young lad holding a pointy stick; while the small caravan was headed for a village to the north seems to be propelled by a force of some urgency.
While discussing possible solutions to this dilemma, Tangle was elected to approach Brunhilda to deliver news of Jarad, along with gauging the villagers future intentions, given the circumstances. While delivering the news and handing over a few items of Jarad’s to Brunhilda, Torgarion produced a smooth stone from his pack that was found on Jarad’s body, and suddenly the mood and stakes of the situation drastically shifted.
Tensions rose once more, as the caravan guards begin making demands and seizing property. Anton has fetched the cart per Zahalus‘ request while he pointed a spear at Torgarion, saying “Please… just hand over the stone and there need not be any more bloodshed here today.”