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08:54, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Lured Into Darkness.

Posted by Dungeon MasterFor group 0
Rissa Twiceborn
player, 134 posts
Tiefling
Thu 31 Jan 2019
at 21:02
  • msg #782

Lured Into Darkness

"Of course."

Rissa took quill and paper and set to work.

We have a matter of some concern, a tale of intrigue that we think you may be interested in.  Discretion is advised, we wouldn't want a repeat of last time.

She scrawled quickly in a neat hand.

"Who am I making this out to, and how should I sign it.  Do we have a name?"
Terminax
player, 153 posts
Thu 31 Jan 2019
at 21:16
  • msg #783

Lured Into Darkness

"Every good mercenary group should have a good name. Like... the Blades of Damocles, or something similar. Should get some insignias too."
Lathan Swiftstrider
player, 257 posts
Wood Elf Ranger
Thu 31 Jan 2019
at 22:23
  • msg #784

Lured Into Darkness

"The boy's name is Lyntern," Lathan says. "He'll know who it's from."
Lucien Nailo
player, 460 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 00:42
  • msg #785

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien gives Terminax a somewhat incredulous look at the dragonborn's name suggestion. "We can't know what the boy will do with it. If we don't sign the letter there won't be definitive proof it was from us." He directs his owl to flutter over to Rissa to collect the letter.
Rissa Twiceborn
player, 135 posts
Tiefling
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 00:46
  • msg #786

Lured Into Darkness

Rissa added the boys name, but nothing else, and handed the letter to the owl.
Dungeon Master
GM, 502 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 02:10
  • msg #787

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien's owl takes the letter and flies away to deliver it to Lyntern.

Later that day, the owl returns with the letter. Written at the bottom is a short note that reads:

Meet me in the stables at the keep tomorrow morning at sunrise.

Lyntern

Rissa Twiceborn
player, 136 posts
Tiefling
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 02:13
  • msg #788

Lured Into Darkness

"Good enough, let's go find a bed and settle in for the night."

Rissa said, having long run out of things to do.
Lucien Nailo
player, 461 posts
Fri 1 Feb 2019
at 02:57
  • msg #789

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien nods. "Agreed."
Dungeon Master
GM, 503 posts
Sat 2 Feb 2019
at 21:35
  • msg #790

Lured Into Darkness

The party makes camp for the night near Parlfray Keep. The night passes without incident.
Rissa Twiceborn
player, 137 posts
Tiefling
Sat 2 Feb 2019
at 21:39
  • msg #791

Lured Into Darkness

"Let's be about it quick."

Rissa said, rising early and preparing for the day.

"I do not like going behind the Duke's back."
Lucien Nailo
player, 462 posts
Sat 2 Feb 2019
at 22:09
  • msg #792

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien is awake, packed and ready to go as the sun rises. "I don't like being held out on. There's something off and I want to know what it is."
Dungeon Master
GM, 504 posts
Sat 2 Feb 2019
at 22:34
  • msg #793

Lured Into Darkness

The party arrives at the stables of Parlfray Keep shortly before sunrise. There is no sign of Lyntern. A couple of stablehands are busy feeding the horses and cleaning their stalls.
Lathan Swiftstrider
player, 258 posts
Wood Elf Ranger
Sun 3 Feb 2019
at 00:27
  • msg #794

Lured Into Darkness

Lathan glances around the stables. "You think he's just running late?"
Lucien Nailo
player, 463 posts
Sun 3 Feb 2019
at 00:51
  • msg #795

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien looks ready for an ambush. "I think he got caught."
Dungeon Master
GM, 505 posts
Mon 4 Feb 2019
at 02:11
  • msg #796

Lured Into Darkness

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lyntern says as he steps into the stables. "I had a hard time getting away." He notices the stablehands and waves them away. After they leave, the young man leans against a post and asks, "Well? What is this matter of intrigue? Did you find out something in the Gleaming Glade?" He looks like he's trying to appear relaxed but it is evident in his eyes that he is excited to hear what the party has to tell him.
Lucien Nailo
player, 464 posts
Mon 4 Feb 2019
at 22:52
  • msg #797

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien pulls the scroll case out of a pocket and presents it to Lyntern. "We're particularly interested in this Spire Keep, as it doesn't appear to refer to this keep we're in now. Beyond what we found on that scroll, there were undead at the Glade as well as buried weapons." The elf relaxes a little, but his eyes still dart around as if expecting a trap.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:53, Mon 04 Feb 2019.
Dungeon Master
GM, 506 posts
Tue 5 Feb 2019
at 02:15
  • msg #798

Lured Into Darkness

Lyntern's eyes grow wider. "Undead? And you... you dealt with them?" He takes the scroll and reads it, then looks back at Lucien with a sly smile. "I know something about a ruined place in the Thornwood, a keep with a spire that belonged to my family..." he begins. "I can tell you all about it... if you let me come with you."
Terminax
player, 155 posts
Tue 5 Feb 2019
at 04:18
  • msg #799

Lured Into Darkness

Terminax sighs. "Are you prepared to die? If you come with us, there's a good chance you're going to die. We almost died after being attacked by the undead. I hear that the undead like to eat you, which is probably better than getting eaten by a black dragon, which from what I hear is pretty painful as far as deaths go."

As Terminax says this, he slowly closes his book and looks Lyntern in the eye."I heard the tale from an old arena fighter. Seems a fellah he used to fight with managed to escape. He had gone with a few other men to go searching for some Noble's missing daughter. Well, they found her in a black dragon's lair. He along with the rest we're all captured, some killed right on the spot by acid that boiled the flesh from their bones while they just collapsed screaming until they turned into soup. They were the lucky ones. The rest found the girl...
 and she was still alive.

See, black dragons like their prey alive, and their meat rotten. So, they poison an arm or a leg, stick it in some foul, tainted water, and once its rotten enough, they'll eat it and make ya watch. This poor girl, her eyelids were eaten right off of her, so she couldn't look away, and the soldiers, some of them got the same treatment. Basically got to watch each other get rotten and eaten, bit by bit, while the dragon laughed and licked it's chops.

Except for the one to get away. He ripped his rotten arm from his body and managed to climb one handed out of the pit they were in... Right up to the black beast itself. It didn't stop him, just told him to bid the father of the lass a fond hello, and not spare h any details. She was still screaming as he escaped."
Terminax finally ended the tale, before opening up his book again and went back to reading.

Without looking up he adds,"As I hear it, dragons like treasure, and tasty nobles, and old secrets. If you're ready to leave your home for that, sure, who am I to deny someone a taste of reality?"
Lathan Swiftstrider
player, 259 posts
Wood Elf Ranger
Tue 5 Feb 2019
at 16:57
  • msg #800

Lured Into Darkness

Lathan looks away when Terminax tells his gruesome tale to Lyntern. Don't overdo it, Terminax, he thinks. We still need to get information from him. When the dragonborn finishes speaking, Lathan glances up at Lyntern to see the boy's reaction.
Dungeon Master
GM, 508 posts
Tue 5 Feb 2019
at 20:58
  • msg #801

Lured Into Darkness

Lyntern does not seem deterred by Terminax's tale; if anything, he looks more determined. "There's only one dragon in Haranshire," he says. "And we're on good terms, thanks to you all.

"The blood of heroes runs in my veins. I'm fully capable of keeping up with you and I'm not scared of what we might face.

"As I said, if you want to know where the keep is, you will take me with you."

Lucien Nailo
player, 466 posts
Wed 6 Feb 2019
at 03:35
  • msg #802

Lured Into Darkness

Lucien is almost impressed by the young man's stubbornness. Terminax's story was almost enough to turn him off of adventuring. Once Lyntern reiterates his insistence on joining them, Lucien fixes him with a stare. "I'm less concerned about your willingness and more concerned about your father's. A squad of soldiers came and dragged you back here last time you tried to join us. We can be smarter about starting off this time so that they'll have to do more than simply come into town and pluck you out of the inn, but I think we have to assume that they'll be coming after you one way or another."

The elf crosses his arms and lays out his plan. "So, you need to tell us what you know so that we have time to prepare. Once we're ready, we'll send word where you are to join us and when. From there, we will start out right away so as to put as much distance between us and the keep as possible before your father sends men after us."
Terminax
player, 156 posts
Wed 6 Feb 2019
at 03:58
  • msg #803

Lured Into Darkness

"Just as long as your dad doesn't decide we're responsible for you getting killed, and doesn't think that we kidnapped you or encouraged you to risk your neck. That's the thing about Hero's blood, it always gets spilled eventually." the Dragonborn grunts.
Lathan Swiftstrider
player, 260 posts
Wood Elf Ranger
Wed 6 Feb 2019
at 15:06
  • msg #804

Lured Into Darkness

Lathan is surprised by Lyntern's insistence and is not sure why the boy seems so determined to accompany them. He considers asking but decides to wait and see how Lyntern responds to Lucien's plan.
Rissa Twiceborn
player, 138 posts
Tiefling
Wed 6 Feb 2019
at 16:28
  • msg #805

Lured Into Darkness

Rissa threw her support behind Terminax.

"None of us understand your father's wrath like you do, we aren't claiming that.  But if you get yourself killed traveling with us, are you dooming us all to a hangman's noose?  I don't know how I feel about attaching my fate to any one person's survival."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Wed 06 Feb 2019.
Dungeon Master
GM, 510 posts
Sat 9 Feb 2019
at 15:36
  • msg #806

Lured Into Darkness

Lyntern sighs. "You're right about my father. As his only heir, he would, well, I'm not sure what he'd do if something happened to me..." He frowns and looks down at his feet, thinking. After a moment, he looks back at the party and says, "Okay, I can tell you what I know about the keep, but you have to promise that you'll work on convincing my father to let me accompany you on a future quest. I have a greater future than what he has planned for me."
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