User blog:MMetzner/Session 5 - The Guardians of Hogstone


 * The Adventurers reconvened in the centre of Trader's Square to continue hatching a plan to infiltrate Landon's Mansion and recapture One of the Sekken Steiner which they knew to be in his possession.  Ronan planned to disguise herself as former Captain of Thirdson Mutt's guard, Royston , whom they had killed previously. Gauner would become invisible, Kyanna would turn into a mouse, and Farrus and Maiya would dress as Sailor's Wyk guards using the uniforms they had taken from the fight.
 * Farrus bought some blunted arrows from Darryn the Fletcher, before staking out Landon's Mansion.
 * After buying some material, Ronan stitched a very well made version of the outfit they had seen the Sisters of Eternal Mercy wearing, and dyed Maiyas hair from her natural blue to a brown more in keeping with the Sisters.
 * At the front of the mansion, Farrus and Gauner looked around to see what would be contending them. They could see two guards, and no windows on the first floor of the three storey mansion. On examing the rear of the building, they spotted a single guard walking the perimiter of the grounds, but no additional entrances. They reported back to the group back at The Galleon, where they finalised their plan.
 * After discussing the plan for an hour at The Galleon, the Adventurers abandoned the plan to disguise Maiya as a Sister of Eternal Mercy, deciding instead to disguise her as a guard. Heading downstairs to the main part of the tavern, Kyanna told Inga of their plan, and asked her to bring the Jagged Pelt to a dock at the southern tip of the island, ready for a quick getaway.
 * After walking from the Galleon to Trader's Square, Kyanna turned into a mouse resembling Gauner's pet mouse, Nibs.
 * The Adventurers approached the guards at the front door of the Mansion, Ronan, disguised as Royston, told the guards that the other members were with her. The guard introduced himself as Aaron. Maiya demonstrated her skill with her sword, while 'Royston' explained that he was trying to get all Sailor's Wyk guards equipped with them.
 * On entering the Mansion, the Adventurers saw another guard, who had been sitting on a chair, he stood to attention. The Adventurers moved up the stairs to the first floor, while 'Nibs' stayed on the ground floor. Maiya peered into a room which appeared to be a library.
 * 'Nibs' explored the rooms on the ground floor, finding a storage room and a kitchen. Gauner snuck into the library, taking three books: "Tales of the Thousand Islands: Volume 1", "The Voyages of Magelos - Volume 1 " and "Sailor's Wyk Stories: The Gluttenous Governor".
 * Maiya leaned into the adjacent room on the first floor, which appeared to be a dining and meeting room.
 * 'Nibs' met the Adventurers on the first floor, and together they climbed up to the top floor. 'Nibs' explored one room which appeared to be the master bedroom, exploring the opposite room 'Nibs' identified what she assumed to be Landon's office. A large desk dominated the room. On it were two letter where in large text the word 'Brother' could be seen. The Adventurers all entered.
 * Ronan opened a door within Landon's office that led into a storage room, she could see a large rug on the floor, some expensive looking jewellery, and a coin purse on a dresser, and a pedestal that housed an oval based stone statue of a figure with a large book above it.
 * As Farrus approached the door back into the corridor, it slammed shut, and the sound of a lock was heard. Ronan tried to call out to the other side of the door but got no response, but she could hear more than one set of footsteps.
 * Farrus began to smell something that worried him, and as he turned back to the storage room, a gas began to fill the room.  The Adventurers looked at each other in panic, before collapsing slowly to the floor, unconcious.
 * The Adventurers awoke, finding themselves outside of the mansion, bound and gagged on their knees, their weapons and armor gone. Out of the large and raucous crowd stepped Landon Mutt, dressed in ornate red plate armor, followed by a huge half-orc with a spear that appeared twice the size of the standard Sailor's Wyk guard spears.
 * Landon accused the Adventurers of breaking into his mansion and attempting to kill him, and asked if anyone in the crowd had any further accusations against them, or testement to their innocence. Pietra, of the Sister of Eternal Mercy stood, accusing Ronan and Kyanna of theft. Lost Canvas then stood, laying further evidence against Ronan as a card cheat.
 * Finally a man, bruised and blooded, stood. The Adventurers immediately recognised him as the guard that they had let go during the fight with Royston and his men. The guard told the crowd that the Adventurers had tortured and murdered Royston, to the gasps of the crowd.
 * With the only testement to their innocence being from the trader Goreg, who proclaimed that they had 'Buy'd fruit', Landon condemned the Adventurers to hang by the neck until dead, at noon the next day, before calling for guards to place them in the Clock Tower cells.
 * The guards threw them into a cell on the second floor of the clock tower. Kyanna relayed the messages she read in Landons study, that her homeland was in danger, and that Gordyn Greyship, on nearby Breihlin, had been contacted by the Mutts to make an attack on Hogstone.
 * After a few hours in the cells, where the Adventurers tried many ways to break free of their shackles in vain, they were on the verge of exhaustion when they heard shouting and fighting from outside. Inga had come to their rescue, having brought Goreg  and Thyra  with her.
 * The Adventurers found their weapons, their armor, and their octopus in a chest outside, fleeing before they could don any of it. They managed to get back to the Jagged Pelt without being spotted, and with Goreg and Thyra in tow, they headed back to Hogstone.
 * As they pulled into the docks at Hogstone, Maiya spotted a ship on the horizon, which they identified as one of Gordyn Greyship's fleet. Ronan estimated that the ship would arrive at Hogstone in around an hour.
 * The Adventurers split up to warn everyone on the island of the incoming attack, bringing them all inside the castle walls. Farrus gathered Thom and his group of archers and took them onto the walls.
 * Symond directed the non-fighters into the hidden passageway behind the bookcase in Ranulph's room. Jussi, Harrald and Big-Bellied Nik volunteered to help repel the attack.
 * Maiya and Farrus made preperations for the defences, laying caltrops on the outside of the gates, and hunting traps on the inner side.
 * Farrus and the archers fired shots from their longbows to the ship as it neared the island, missing with their first few shots before finally the archer Danny  landed a shot into the heart of one of the oncoming invaders.
 * The Greyship men landed at the docks, and imediately charged at the castle gate, attacking it with swords and spears while arrows rained down from the walls. The raiders smashed down the gate, but the tight tunnel underneath the walls and the Hogstone forces on the other side of the walls forced the invaders to slow.
 * As the battle became more frenzied, with archers firing from the walls, swords clashing, and the druid Kyanna changing into a huge tiger, the inexperienced and barely armored farmer Harrald was struck by a vicious blow that knocked him unconcious.
 * A perfectly aimed bolt from Farrus took out the leader of the raiders, however the rest of the soldiers pressed on.
 * Suddenly, just as the soldiers were gaining more ground inside the castle walls, with Harrald close to death and Big-Bellied Nik wounded, a crack of thunder came from high above them all. Everyone on the battlefield looks up to the upper window of Hogstone Keep, where the wizard Mannaphi Al Lazphal let several streams of lightning engulf the attackers. The lightning seared through them, killing them instantly. Those that were out of range looked wide-eyed before turning to flee for their ship.
 * Maiya used her healing hands to bring Harrald back to consciousness, telling him that he had fought bravely.
 * Farrus and the archers fired a few more shots as the retreating Greyship men ran for their ship, but it was clear the day was won. Relief filled the castle as the adventurers looked around at each other, proud of what they had accomplished.