This session the group set out east towards Spellguard in search of Lady Saharal, to answer why there is trouble brewing in Loudwater and the surrounding areas. Aradon details it in his Jornal;

'Our last stop before the long trek to Spellguard was a small tavern in Llorkh, and after travelling for a long time i was looking forward to a warm meal and a cosy bed. Upon entering the tavern i thought to myself that it wasn't very welcoming but it was the best that we had. Everyone bought a drink and settled down for a night cap, when we were approached by the barkeep. It appeared as though a band of dwarves sat in the corner wanted to buy us a drink, so my self and Athon decided to go over and show our appreciation.

The dwarves explained they were trades who were heading east to trade whiskey with the monks at the monastery in Spellguard. They said that the trip had become more and more difficult due to goblin attacks, and that they could use some extra manpower in case of an ambush. We thought that it might be a good idea to join forces as we were heading in that direction anyway, but i asked that we confer with the others before deciding. We agreed to meet in the morning and bid them fair well. Their leader Thurr, didn't seem to take well to me, i think he found some of my comments rude. I must remember to be more dignified in front of strangers.

The nights sleep was a good one, although the rooms were pretty basic. In the morning we decided over breakfast to take up the dwarves offer, as travelling with more people meant greater protection, plus we could use the money! So we set off east towards spell guard, which would take us a couple of weeks travel. The initial part of the journey was uneventful, and we chatted with the group of dwarves at great lengths. They were able to tell us a lot about the surrounding area and Spellguard, and gave us a better insight into the place we were headed. As we lay down for our last camp before Spellguard, our luck ran out.

On mine and Athon's watch we heard something approaching from the east, and we arose the rest of the party. As we got towards the eastern edge of the camp we saw that it was 3 large drake accompanied by swarms of some kind of creatures. Aided by our dwarven companions armed with crossbows, we were able fell the reptilian foes. Gregg went straight back to his sleeping pouch like a zombie, not even sure he was awake for most of the fight. However no sooner had we caught our breath when another attack came from two ends of the camp, flighting insect like creatures and a hooded man. As i sprinted for the horses, our party split up to face the two pronged attack. The creatures were nasty little fellows that would bite and cling on to suck blood. A more of the Stirges fell, we were able get a good look at the masked man, it was Broshan the apothecarist from Loudwater. So it was true that he was in on the plot, perhaps this runs deeper than we think.

Delamor made it his personal mission to take down the man who he believes was responsible for Lady Moonfires attack, and fought like a pro. Eventually he was taken down, and Delamor found an incriminating note on his person, which confirmed our suspicions about his involvement in all of this. The last few Stirges were cut down with ease, and we all returned to the camp to sit down for a drink with our dwarven companions before returning to bed. Thurr indicated that he realised we knew our assailant, and I stated that were the wrong people to get on the bad side of. I fully intended the comment to be a complement to the rest of my companions for their fighting ability, however yet again the dwarven leader of the camp misread the tone in my voice. Perhaps I would be best to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

The morning came all to swiftly, yet we knew there was only one days worth of travel left to Spellguard so we pressed on. The final part of the trip passed without incident and once we reached the monastery the Dwaves paid us for our services as agreed. As we parted they mentioned that they would be staying for a couple of days and that perhaps we might accompany them back later on.

As per a letter we receive from Curuvar, we sought out Brother Allendi the head of the monastery and an old friend of the wizard. He was very welcoming and had already prepare rooms for us to stay, as well as food for the period of the trip. We thanked him, and asked him about the current state of Spellguard. It’s a place that many travellers go to on a pilgrimage to speak to the Lady Saharal and ask her a question that she will answer with the prophetic abilities. He also told us about a small halfling group who were re-building the northern wall, and a tiefling that is in the area but keeps his business secret. The monastery hadn't heard anything from the halfling camp and the brother was getting worried about them.

After a nights sleep we decided that inspecting the halflings to the north might be a good idea, perhaps we could aid them in rebuilding the wall and earn some recognition from the Lady Saharal. On our way to the north wall, we noticed an empty camp, that looked like is had been left in a hurry. Unable to ascertain what happened we continued on to the wall. The halflings had done a good job on one half of the rampart, but it was obvious they had a lot to do as second half was still in ruin.

With no one in sight we approached the door and knocked, with no reply. We tried once more and a voice piped up asking who we were, and we stated our business. The voice behind the door suggested that there was no trouble here and our assistance wasn't needed. Myself and Delamour were quietly discussing whether or not we felt the voice was genuine, and perhaps we should move on to our other matters. Gregg however had other ideas, and before we had chance to react he had slammed with great force into the wooden door!

The door all but exploded, and a plume of wooden splinters erupted from the entryway. Peering into the door with mouths agape, we could see that the door had obviously been barricaded from the inside as there were all manner of items stewn across the floor from Gregg's thunderous shoulder barge. Amid pleas of objection from myself and the rest of the party, Gregg had drawn his axe and was ready to strike the startled halfling. As Delamor and Zyanne were about to grab him, something started to happen to the halfling. He was coughing and contorting, and started sprouting grows of hair from under its clothes. Whether from a hunch or sheer luck Gregg had been right to be so bold, the creature was a wererat!

The discusting creature and his allies were felled pretty quickly thanks to the quick thinking of Zyanne and Delamor pinning them on the stairs. We have taken a short rest, but I think I hear more footsteps getting closer to the door. Let us hope that some of the halflings are unharmed.'

Aradon Thrall

Memorable moments this session;

Travi 'critting' the door.

Jimmy: Aradon, jumps on the wagon.
Rob: Oookay...you are on a wagon.

Aradon insulting the dwarves party twice.