“Vive le Resistance” – Part 6: Landing

Several hours later, two large towns, situated between a large lake, come into view. One bright, surrounded by farmland… the other covered in a pall of smoke, or fog, nestled along the lakes coast. 

But none of these are your destination… together you veer off, towards the Kelna mountains, over farmlands and into the woods. 

A few minutes later, your rings emit a high pitched whistle, and almost on cue you see a torch briefly appear… then disappear… then appear again. 

Together, you head towards the flickering light in the woods, approaching closer and closer, until you can hear the clink of the visor… until you can see the hand closing and opening  the lantern. 

As you slowly descend, you see an old man holding a lantern, muttering to  himself in a ragged cloak. 

Sooo… I talk to him

Ok, yeah he kinda mubles back some gibberish… he seems to be a crazy vagabond. 

A crazy random guuy that just so happens to be here on this night? No way. 

Suddenly, you hear a voice whisper out to you from the forest

“Brush”

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You hear again: “Brush”

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You hear the unmistakable sound of bow strings go taught, knocked with arrows. 

What?!

I draw my sword. 

I ready a spell. 

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WAIT… uh… no we have… WEEDS! Weeds 

As you call back weeds, you suddenly see a dozen camouflaged figures rise out of the flora, notched bows and cross bows fixated on your heart. 

One, an imposing, serious half -elf, steps forward and extends his hand. 

“Servetus… nice to mean you on this cool spring evening. Welcome to the resistance”

FINALLY we get to DO things. 

Yeah that was way too much exposition. 

Fine fine fine… well… what do you guys do? 

After an exchange of pleasantries and insults, you wander deep into the forest… single file. The ground is rough, covered in stones, bushes nad roots. Clearly freshly blazed or an animal trail rather than a proper road. One of the scouts explains the roads aren’t safe, Legionary patrols and checkpoints and all. 

Navigating the forest, you slowly higher up the tree covered hills, eventually reaching a particularly steep embankment… littered with bleached bones that stand out even in the darkness. Before you have time to take a second look, a roar howls from a cave at the top of the hill… an adult Owlbear mother speeds straight toward you. 

As you draw weapons and prepare spells your company of scouts scream and shout, ducking into the brush and out of the way…  Servetus screams at you to run for cover…

I climb a tree! 

I cast hold person

Thats a beast… hold person doesn’t work. 

I just go invisible. 

Too late… he pounces upon one of you. 

 Am I really gonna die session 1? 

But…instead of claws or beak tearing into your flesh, ripping you limb from limb… a gentle “hoot” greets you, followed by a big, sloppy tongue. 

Hysterical laughter breaks out among the scouts. Even the stoic Servetus is chuckling… it dawns on each of you this is a prank they have pulled many, many times. 

“Gentlemen… meet Quercus… our trusted guard”

As you dust yourselves off, the giant Owlbear leads the party into her cave, where she curls up in the corner over her eggs, munching on a hunk of deer a scout threw at her. 

Servetus goes to the back of the cave and simply vanishes into the stone. You follow, pass the illusion, and enter the rebel hideout…