Warning: Spoilers below for the adventure, Rescue at Rivenroar (albeit a modified version).
When we last left our party of heroes, they had recently returned from their harrowing journey through the Feydark and found themselves attacking a goblinoid raiding party. Having successfully defeated these foes, they pushed north along the road and arrived at the gates of Everlund. Hoping to get Tyrande returned from the dead, they asked the guards about the location of the Temple of Selune.
Following the directions received in response, the party arrives and is greeted by a young woman, an acolyte. Inquiring about the possibility of reviving their companion, Yuri brings up that all that remains of Tyrande is her hand…which they had cut off to bring here. Clearly disturbed by this news, the acolyte hustles off to the back and an older man returns shortly thereafter. He says that he has the capability to return Tyrande from the dead though it will take nearly all day and require some hefty monetary compensation for the expensive resources to be used. (The party actually got a deal because Tyrande, and a couple of others, were worshippers of Selune. Even so, the cost of the components and the cost to replace the scroll that would be used was pretty hefty). He recommends an inn, The Antler & Thistle, and agrees to bring Tyrande there once the ritual is finished (or news that it failed).
The party grabs some breakfast and, once The Antler & Thistle opens, settles down for a bit of a rest and a few drinks. They are joined by Rawr, a dragonborn from Silverymoon. Rawr and Rubin are acquaintances. It turns out that Rawr has traveled to this area because of rumors of trouble from the Red Hand. He’s been traveling on his own and searching out any possible dragon overlords of this new Red Hand. As the party has already pledged to protect the North, they believe that Rawr’s “mission” and theirs coincide. They invite Rawr to join them in their protection of the North. (Yeah, if you couldn’t guess it yet, a new player joined the group at this session. The group’s getting pretty large…seven players on a regular basis and an eighth very sporadically…but I’ve got a soft spot for orphaned gamers).
Late in the afternoon, Tyrande is brought to the inn. She’s dressed in a thin gown but is in high spirits…being alive again and all. She buys a round of drinks for all of the patrons. As the party and Tyrande reacquaint themselves, a small band of goblins and hobgoblins burst into the inn, shouting battle cries for the Red Hand. Although this band is dispatched fairly quickly, it is not before some significant damage is done. The goblins are tossing about torches and much of the inn catches fire. Unfortunately for Tyrande, her armor and equipment wound up on the other side of the flames and, though she weathered the leap through the flames well enough, her thin gown did not. Tyrande created quite an impact on those watching the combat and not just for her martial prowess. After the loss of her gown, she completed the rest of the encounter in the buff.
Near the end of the fight in the inn, Yuri had headed outside to quite a surprise. An ogre, harnessed to a wagon, and a small group of hobgoblins were coming around a corner. The wagon has casks that the the hobgoblins light and the ogre then tosses at various buildings and individuals. The fight heads outside and, with some well-placed fiery strikes blowing up the volatile casks on the wagon, the party prevails.
After the battle, the party realizes that this was not the only area of Everlund to be attacked. Smoke rises from various parts of town and a guard patrol passes by, requesting that the party accompany them to cut off some hobgoblins and goblins attempting to escape the town. Although they are too late to stop the goblinoids, the party does help with the fire brigade and putting out various fires. Late that night, the party (along with townsfolk who had lost their homes to fire) take a meal and settle down for some sleep in one of the barracks around Everlund.
In the morning, the party asks around and finds the council hall. Although the guards outside the hall inform the party that the council members are not there and are out and about surveying the damage from the attack, the party almost demands–in something less than a diplomatic manner–to be allowed into the Hall to wait for the members to return. The lack of tact and compassion for a town that was recently raided complete with destroyed buildings and slain citizens is, understandably, rebuffed and the party is sent on its way.
After some aimless wandering and brief consternation of why they are not being treated as saviors, the party is approached by members of the town guard. They have been asked to escort the party to Councilman Troyas. Arriving at Troyas’ residence, the party is ushered into his office. He gets straight to the point and highlights the seriousness of the situation. Troyas explains that the attack did not appear to be a random attack and raid. Instead, the invaders focused on property damage, kidnapped a number of citizens, and stole some important relics. The kidnapped citizens include the Captain of the town guard and his young son, the caretaker of the Hall of Great Valor, an acolyte of Oghma, an alchemist, a cook, and an elderly woman. The relics taken are all related to the defeat of the Red Hand nearly a dozen years ago.
Although there had been an increase in banditry in the area, Troyas explained that there had been no indication of an impending attack of this scale. It was clear, however, that the raiders were emulating the Red Hand even to the point of adopting the same symbol…though they had it upside-down. That invading horde was struck a decisive defeat at the Battle of Everlund and a band of heroes, known as Henry’s Heroes, had been instrumental in defeating the horde. In fact, after the Battle of Everlund, Henry’s Heroes took the battle to the stronghold of the Red Hand’s leaders but, though they successfully defeated said leaders, only one of the band survived.
Troyas had decided, despite protestations from the other council members, to put his trust in a band of heroes in the hopes that they could follow in the footsteps of Henry’s Heroes. After hearing how the party had defeated the ogre the previous night, he had decided to offer them the mission to find and rescue the kidnapped citizens and recover the stolen relics…if the party agreed. The party agreed and Troyas shared that the guard had captured a goblin during the raid. The creature was being held, in stocks, at the center of town until it was time for its trial. It had not yet been questioned but the party was free to question it. However, they could not cause the thing any physical damage…it needed to be fit for its trial.
A pair of guards took the party to the goblin at the center of town. A crowd of townspeople has been harassing the goblin and pelting it with rotten veggies but no actual physical damage. In full view and earshot of angry townsfolk and the guards, Tyrande takes the lead in questioning the goblin. Although he’d like to be let free in exchange for information, he seems pretty amenable to answering questions as long as he isn’t killed. The party learns that the bulk of the hobgoblins and goblins came from a place called Rivenroar that is a day’s or two travel to the east. A hobgoblin named Sinruth leads the new Red Hand but this particular goblin is not aware of any additional attacks that are planned. He also isn’t sure exactly how many troops are at Rivenroar but he is more than willing to draw a map.
The party declines the offer for a map and immediately heads east towards Rivenroar…end of session.
(Let’s just say that my players are often impetuous and impulsive in their actions. Rather than heading back to Troyas to fill him in on the info that they had just learned. Instead, they charged headlong towards Rivenroar. Unfortunately for them, Troyas would have provided a map, some info about Rivenroar, and horses for the trip. He’d have also offered them compensation for their troubles but…)
