PnP:Liberation of Osoerde Turn Two

Translated from the Shadow Cant of the Velvet Night

Dear Rudolph,

My apologies for the delay on this second missive, but it has been a busy week and difficult to find time to send this without prying eyes. But it has also been an active time for William and his band, so there is information to pass on to the Whisperers.

When last I had contacted you, we had just managed to slay a horrid necromancer in the ruins of a town I have learned was once called Springacre. We spent time searching the man, his small makeshift hovel, and the surrounding ruins for items that could help William's cause. I saw the young duke take a few baubles from his corpse, but as we searched our environs the sound of distant riders snapped us back to a state of alert. We quickly spread out, and upon the Duke's orders I put on the necromancer's robes and took his form in case these riders were allies of the foul man.

As I peered out from the small shack I saw Terence Gryphon, the Hound himself, ride up with a small troupe of soldiers. I emerged from my hiding place and addressed them as the dark wizard in the hopes of leading them away, but it quickly became apparent they had no knowledge of the necromancer and had somehow been alerted that William was there. A traitor in the young duke's ranks?

I thought my ruse was working well at first, but despite what rumors say the Hound was surprisingly shrewd and ordered his men to fan out and search before they rode off. It was then that one shouted an alarm, having spotted Ardeena in the rubble. I wonder now if she did not alert the Hound's men, and is she the spy? The ruse dropped, we readied for battle as the riders leaped from their horses to engage us. But the Hound rode off so fast you would think the Gorgon was standing behind me!

Even fatigued from our battle with the Necromancer's hideous creations, we managed to make short work of the Hound's men. We even had unexpected help from a curious man who seemed to appear out of no where to disarm the soldier's leader and start fighting the armed men with only his fists. We managed to capture the commander and a few of his men, and after removing their weapons and binding them we interrogated them and this stranger. Cerin showed much skill at getting information out of the group's leader, learning much about the Hound and his forces. He discovered the Hound is holed up in an inn in Killien and rarely leaves the place, and that he commands no more than forty men. Half of his men, including the same band we had just bested, were mercenaries from Ghoere hired to supplement Raenech's forces.

As for the mysterious stranger who came to our aid, he seemed a bit touched in the head. He gave his name as Draken, and he claimed that he had come to Osoerde to confront Raenech and end his reign. A bold claim from a man who seemed to respond to voices that only he could hear, and his claims were not helped by the captured commander alleging that Draken was really one of the Hound's scouts. The man latter rescinded this claim, but it still leaves questions about Draken's true motives.

I also saw more of the character of Ardeena as she wished us to slay all the prisoners, but after determining the men would probably return to Ghoere and not Raenech's employ it was decided to let them go free. We collected their gear and tabards for William's cause and set off back to the Aerenwode. On the trip back, we discussed many possibilities and strategies about the duke's next move. The concerns of who alerted the Hound were strong, but the knowledge that the loyalty of some of his troops was only as good as the coin he paid them forged some ideas. After further discussion, William decided that we would attack the payroll wagon headed to Killien to hurt the moral of the Hound's mercenary troops. William sent word to some unknown ally at Stonybrook manor via raven, and I was sent out alongside Cerin and Varg to scout the surrounding roads for good ambush points.

A few days later the duke got word back from his ally, and we set off to a wooded gully near Namir's Fall to set up our attack.

We found a point on the road that would serve as a good choke point, felling a tree across the path to stop up the paywagon. Cerin and William took to high vantage points to strike at range, while Ardeena hung back on the ground to use her Ice Lady's blessings to aid us. Varg and Draken hid behind trees on the ground, ready to spring out and engage the guards at a moment's notice. I learned then that Varg possesses some affinity with wolves much like my gift with serpents, and maybe this feral spirit is what gives his rage such focus. I was tasked with taking to a tree above the road so that I could drop down on the wagon itself, and I asked several snakes to assist me.

As expected, the wagon and its guards arrived a short time later and stopped short by the fallen tree. I gave the determined signal by dropping the snakes on the wagon guards. I will tell you Rudolph I almost gave my position away with laughter when I heard the girlish screams of the one man as the snake fell on him! I then dropped down to start the attack, landing on the panicking man and sending him down to the dirt of the road. Using a strategy we tried against the soldiers in the ruins of Springacre, I assumed the appearance of William to confuse the soldiers. Cerin's arrows and William's magic shot out from the trees, felling several men quickly. I felt a cold chill that seemed to strengthen my resolve, the blessing of Ardeena for sure. Draken and Varg fell upon the other hapless guards, and I once again saw Varg's fury as he crushed a man's skull like it was a rotten melon. I also swear to our lady of shadows that Draken produced some fire magic from his hands, so is he a wizard as well?

I managed to drop the other guard atop the wagon, but was surprised when the first man I knocked off grasped my leg and foul magic burned my flesh. I managed to slip out of his grip before he burned my leg to the bone before he was dropped by Ardeena's cold magics. The rest of the guards fell quickly, and in no time the wagon was ours. We searched through its contents and found a strongbox of coin under several suits of sturdy mail armor. There was also foodstuffs and weapons, more aid for William's cause. We took the spoils back to the Aerenwode, and now the duke is planning his next move as I write this to you. I must admit to you that aiding this young man is proving to be a fulfilling assignment, and it is hard not to get caught up in his cause.

Before I sign off on this report, I do have a personal request for you. Out here in the woods I am cut off from our information sources, and you are my only line to the lands outside of the Eastern Marches. I also know as a Listener, it is not my place to request information from a Lorekeeper such as yourself, but I hope you will find it in your heart to help me with this simple request. I seek information on Lady Lisbeth D'Armonde of Aerele, who I had made acquaintance with on a previous assignment there. I just wish to know if she is well following the death of her husband, so anything you can find would be greatly appreciated.

I will send further word when I can, and may Eloéle protect your secrets with her shadow until we speak again.

Harker Graywind