Return to Westwich

by Floyd Fiftynames,

Licensed Bard

After a chance reunion with Ajanni (who had found himself captured and taken to the Tantus Valley), the Band of the Red Oak escaped from Sector 6, with the help of Matthias and some of the recently freed spellcasters. Along the way, they stopped to put an end to the life of Stanislaus, the corrupt warden of the prison, who showed little remorse in his final moments for the treatment of his prisoners.

A small group of the imprisoned chose to remain with the group - notably, Xavier the Cleric, Ward the elderly Druid, Phillipi the Thief, Arthur the Construct, and Royce Whiteshield the Mercenary. This group returned to the Guild House in the holy city, which allowed Salem, Riordan, and Lioto to wrap up their business. Upon their return, Salem learned that Vulpian had returned to his office in secret upon the completion of his business, which may or may not have had to do with visiting a prisoner in the Tantus Valley who may or may not have borne a resemblance to my friend Virgil Deathbow. Salem then managed to wrap up his priestly studies (resurrecting the head of the Order of the Word should have been the ultimate Advance Placement test), and the group set out on a return trip to Westwich, vis a vis Godsport, where a serendipitous encounter with a shop-keep would later yield unexpected dividends.

The group sailed home to Aaronsport, whereupon a large number of the huddled masses accepted an opportunity to breathe a little more freely by joining a march from the capital city to the new principality Riordan had come into. The throng would end up being led by Royce, Simon the Elder, Simon the Lesser, and Ward, while the Band and their primary retinue (including Lothar's now half-orc sister Elke, reunited with him through his Deck of Many Things wish, and Riordan's new gentleman's gentleman Quelleth) rode out ahead. Stopping at Bardin's Keep, the group learned from the local Lord that Oakshadow had come under a recent haunting, so the group returned to their old home to exorcise it of the monstrous undead that now inhabited the area, going so far as to track down a lich that was responsible for the sudden surplus. The group set eyes for the first time upon Riordan's keep, met a few of its' citizens, including the caretaker, and proceeded onward to the Stein & Shield to retrieve Riordan's other recruits. Unfortunately, a long-dormant grudge match between the party and an assembly of supernatural lupines put a damper on the numbers the Bard was expecting. Suddenly aware that the lives of 900 pilgrims were at stake, the party realized that Vargas & Co. were a force to be reckoned with once more. 

Fortunately, Vargas and the party were able to work out their differences with diplomacy - the word fortunate being a term preferred by the author and not by our ostensible protagonist - but negotiations were tense, and some espionage on the part of the party was attempted as a security measure. Of course, not every team of diplomats has at their disposal a dark-skinned man who can turn into an eagle, so the Band of the Red Oak can be forgiven for using some of the more exotic instruments in their toolbox. 

Following up on another item on our heroes' increasingly lengthy to-do list, the party set out to reunite with Corwin Janus. Janus had been elusive ever since he disappeared from Anders' birthday celebration, and Salem had acquired a rapier in the Tantus Valley that allowed him to divine the location of individuals he had met, and from there the party had deduced that the soldier had returned to his outpost. En route to visiting him, they happened upon a man from the north, who happened to have appeared in Salem's dreams, and vice versa. This man was in search of one of his fellow countrymen, who was known as the Prophet, and Riordan, Salem, and the man had much to discuss, but for Lothar, things became interesting once a large band of riders showed up, calling themselves the Army of God, and claiming to answer to Fallon the White. They demanded that the man turn himself over to them, which the party naturally disagreed with, and a battle ensued, wherein the enemy was all but dispatched - their captain escaped, no doubt to tell the tale. After this point, the party parted ways with the man, feeling strongly that they would meet up with him again.

Finally arriving at the Outpost (Ajanni had gone out ahead to herald the party's arrival), the Band of the Red Oak met up with Corwin Janus and caught up on their various dealings in the time that had passed since they had last seen each other. Janus held out hope that our heroes would still serve his order as a special strike force, and listed a number of tasks that he needed to have accomplished. The party acquiesced, and agreed to begin working on these tasks as soon as Riordan's villagers had made it to their new home.

While awaiting the arrival of these villagers, the party took the opportunity to clear out the fallback tower connected to the keep, which was filled with all manner of monsters under the command of a beholder - and with the exception of Emerson's being turned to stone, it was going pretty well. But more on that later.

FF