The Collective - Session 15

This is the fifteenth session in The Collective campaign and the second and final in the Evangeline storyline of the The Dwarven Sword arc. Player feedback ranks this session at a 7.60.

Notable Events

 * Badger and Rosanhi learned of and cured the meat curse.
 * The party rode north from Edgemouth upon horseback to search for Evangeline Davenport.
 * The party found Evangeline and rescued her from her kidnappers, a group of bandits.
 * The party acquired an enchantable teapot.

Summary
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 1000: Deciding to retrace their steps, the party prepared to depart with horses from the castle to track down Evangeline and finally claim their reward. During breakfast time, Rosanhi and Badger finally learned that they had been afflicted by a curse that causes everything they consume to taste like meat. Rosanhi was rather distraught by this (as she usually is), while Badger didn’t seem to care too much (as he usually is). Regardless, the party (with the notable exception of Trin, who was nowhere to be found) rode north to find out where Evangeline had gone. During their ride back north, the weather began to turn, with rumbling clouds eventually leading way to rain. The party stumbled upon the site where they had originally helped Eva fix her wagon wheel and chose to the follow the wagon tracks until the rain became too heavy to navigate in. At this point, the party noticed a small, dilapidated shack resting on the banks of a large pond that they had passed days prior. Leaving their horses outside, Roscoe and Gnorbitt entered the shack to learn who lived there, while Badger, Gorrn, and Rosanhi searched for the wagon.

Answered by a ragged looking man, Roscoe and Gnorbitt were quickly invited inside and offered tea, which Roscoe gladly accepted. Unbeknownst to him, the tea was enchanted using a special kettle, which would charm Roscoe to become irrationally angry towards minor inconveniences. The tiny duo were unable to gain any useful knowledge from the man. Outside of the shack, the three larger party members quickly learned (using Badger’s magic) that the wagon had been broken into many pieces and scattered across the area, some portions resting at the bottom of the lake, while others were nailed onto the shack itself.

Realizing that Evangeline might be nearby, Rosanhi, Gorrn, and Badger ran to the front of the shack. Gorrn swiftly kicked down the door and apprehended the man, while Badger and Rosanhi began searching the room for any signs of secret entryways. After having his tea spilled by Rosanhi, Roscoe flew into a rage and cast a Shatter spell, sending the party and the man flying, injuring the group and killing the man. The crates that lay in the corner of the room were also shattered by Roscoe's magic, and Badger discovered a trapdoor that had been hidden underneath the crates. Upon opening it, the party was ambushed by bandits lying in wait inside the rafters and the basement. Restrained for his safety and everyone else’s and tied to Gorrn’s back, Roscoe effectively did nothing for the rest of the session and will not be mentioned any further (sorry!).

After defeating the bandits, the party followed the trail into the basement and found that the driver of Evangeline’s carriage lay dead inside. Rosanhi accidentally revealed this to Vega, inadvertently teaching a being who had existed for only two weeks about the concept of death. Gorrn, searching for any sign of Evangeline, found another trapdoor leading outside and burst it open, watching as a small boat with two occupants quickly paddled towards the center of the pond. Gorrn ran towards another rowboat at the dock as the rest of the party trailed behind him. Now crammed into the rowboat, Gorrn and the rest of the party brought the boat within 40 feet of the other boat. The bandit inside threatened that he would throw Evangeline into the water, revealing that she lay bound inside of the boat.

Gorrn, unintimidated by the bandit's threats, thrust the oars into Rosanhi’s arms and, aided by magic, leapt from the boat towards Evangeline. In a desperate attempt to escape the airborne Gorrn, Evangeline kicked the bandit from the boat, overturning it and sending both of them into the water where she began to sink. With the bandit disarmed, Badger shot him in the head with a crossbow bolt to be later revived by Rosanhi. Struggling to swim in his heavy gear and the murky waters, Gorrn managed to rescue Evangeline moments before she passed unconscious, bringing her to the shore and meeting the rest of the party inside of the shack.

The group questioned Evangeline's motives for running away, where she explained that she had no desire to fulfill her duties as a marquess. Her heart wished to be free and she wanted to see the world instead of being trapped in court and betrothed to Sheer. While she lamented that perhaps they should have just let her drown, she eventually thanked the party and told them that she would allow them to bring her back home (but not before 2 good characters debated on whether or not to steal a woman). Luckily, the party agreed to return her, and the group and Evangeline rested in the shack while the storm died down.