Traveling to the Meetup

They traveled through plains and foothills. Echo scouted the area for mapping. Jay took the time to practice primordial. Bean sat in the back of the cart and made healing potions.

Meanwhile, Odds drifted in memories as his old home grew into sight. His eyes flickered down and he spotted Petalfoot’s favorite flower, snow drops. He carefully dug up a clump of them to take them back to the bastion to plant.

Other groups of travelers could be seen in the distance. They were drawing near the gathering point.

Arrival at the Gathering

They arrived at the Great Pyre and found a bustling camp of fighters, cultists, and civilians. A large circular camp was set up at the foot of a settlement of the church of the flame. In the center of the camp was a dinning and gathering area, and individual fighting groups made smaller camps around.

There was a greeting tent at the entrance into the camp. There, Browntip (a weasel) was greeting arrivals. The crew learned that Dalmoth had arrived, as had the Fleet Feet.

As Odds got the team signed in, Echo wandered into a nearby camp of beavers and otters who were working on building catapults and other seige weapons. They had a nice chat with an otter named Mossy Shores.

After signing in and regrouping with Echo, they found a spot (far away from the Fleet Feet) to set up their own camp. Jay used Mold Earth to create a dirt wall. Odds studied what Jay was doing, then joined in using the magic of his armor.

With some privacy, the team huddled and figured out a brief game plan. Bean and Jay would hit the merchants to buy supplies, then go on a stealth mission to retrieve the church’s highly-guarded dreamshade herb. Meanwhile, Echo and Odds would catch up with Dalmoth, call for aid for Sheerwood, and seek out Cherla.

But first, they’d go grab dinner.

Dinner and a Flyte

Our heroes headed to the main dinner and gathering area.

Echo immediately split off and headed to listen to the music that was playing.

Jay spotted Dalmoth and Dalmoth’s 2 large, fluffy dogs. He rushed over and buried his face in the dog fluff. Then launched into a campaign to buy the dogs or to adopt them should Dalmoth die in combat or of “mysterious” circumstances. Dalmoth declined.

Odds approached Dalmoth and told him where they were camping. Dalmoth broke the news that he no longer needed to join their team. The church had recruited him to be in the main charge. Odds wished Dalmoth the best, and hoped that they would both be around to greet each other after the battle.

Bean went to the food line, and Odds joined him there shortly, as did Echo. They encountered a Rabbit named Bonny, who recognized Odds. She used to live in Riverveil, and had walked through the palace gardens from time to time. She also recognized Echo as one of the Thistlepaws.

The three went to watch the performance as they awaited their drinks to be brought to them. Odds and Bean recognized the songster, it was Minstrel Verone!

Verone spotted Echo and recognized that they were also a bard. He challenged them to a flyting battle, where each would fling insults at the other. Echo accepted.

Dalmoth immediately started a betting table. Jay and Odds bet on Echo, and Bean bet on Verone.

In the end, Verone snagged victory by a minor margin. He struck up a conversation with Echo and they traded stories. Then he introduced Echo as she went on stage to sing songs.

Meanwhile, Odds asked Jay for a small amount to help grease the wheels with Cherla and was given 200 gold.

Jay and Bean slipped off to take care of their mission, and Bonny showed up with tea for Odds. Echo was quick to spot that Bonny used fine china for Odds where as everyone else had been given simple wooden or clay mugs to drink from. Odds and Bonny chatted. Bonny talked about living with the Church of the Flame as a way to stay alive in these times. Odds talked about his ward and setting up a small settlement of survivors.

Jay and Bean

Jay and Bean left the gathering area. Bean looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with Cherla. Neither he nor Cherla made any move toward the other. They broke eye contact and Bean moved on.

No sooner were they out of sight of the public then Jay found himself frozen, unable to move. Someone had cast Hold Person on him.

Barukus emerged from the shadows. He asked for the letter that Jay had been given to deliver months ago. Jay lied and said that the letter was back home. Barukus scoffed. He told Jay that he was relieved of his duty, and that it was too late for the letter, the battle was already here. He released Jay from his spell and stalked off into the night.

Shaken, Jay lead Bean to the merchant carts. There were two. One was “Vika’s Varied Goods,” a professional-looking establishment run by a She-wolf. The other was “Explosive Emporium, uh, Cart” run by a lizard named Fizzboom.

Jay and Bean bartered over the best prize from Vika, among which was the Heartstone, which radiated heat. They almost bought out Fizzboom’s entire cart.

Back in the crowd

Echo finished up her set, and was called over by Verone. Verone tried to talk them out of joining the battle. “Stay alive, write songs about dead heroes.”

When he couldn’t talk them out of it, he loaned Echo a lucky item of his. This was the “Mortal Coil”, He requested it back should Echo survive.

Odds collected Echo, and they made their way to Cherla. Odds requested that Cherla return the ring taken from Petalfoot. Odds explained that Petalfoot had grabbed it to remember the her home and that she had nothing else left. Cherla hinted that she had strong suspicions about Petalfoot and Odds. She said that she didn’t want any royal to return. If one did she feared a civil war would erupt. Odds agreed that he didn’t want a war either.

Cherla agreed to return the ring in the morning, and she tried to recruit Odds again. Odds declined, but he promised her that he would be trying to keep Bean at a distance from her and her camp.

Squeak Sneak

After the purchasing spree, Bean shifted into a mouse and snuck into the Great Pyre compound. He scurried his way up cliffs and past sentinels and found a the herbs growing near the vent into the volcanic core of the mountain.

Bean collected a cutting and returned to camp. He used druid craft to root the cutting, and he set the heart stone near it to keep it warm.

The Next Day

In the morning, the four went back to the gathering area. Odds brought the mutagenic goo with him, intent on warning the other fighters.

Bonny was helping to serve food again. Echo, infinitely more socially adept than Odds, noticed immediately that Bonny seemed interested in the battle-scared beekeeper as she politely ordered tea. To Echo’s delight, Odds seemed to be attempting to flirt.

After breakfast, Echo took the goo and took to the stage. They warned the fighters about the effects this had on the rats, and called Odds up to show his injection mark, which was still discolored and slightly swollen even a day or two later.

After the presentation, Echo felt a voice in their mind. Barukus was requesting to send a sample of the goo to him.

Meanwhile, Jay pulled Odds aside and told him about the letter and about have Hold Person cast on him by Barukus.

Shortly after, Odds was summoned to a war meeting with Barukus and the leaders of other fighting groups.

The War Room

Odds and Bean headed towards the gathering of leaders, taking the goo sample with them. They followed a guide into the church compound and were escorted into a guarded war room.

Cherla was already there. Bean stayed on his best behavior, realizing that he was growing past her hold on him. Nevertheless, Odds stationed himself between the two as a goodwill gesture.

Barukus brought forth his informants, spies who had been within Riverdale walls. To everyone’s shock, one of them was a rat. The spies talked about the state of the city, and described the old tannery being turned into a factory that produced the mutagenic goo.

Odds crouched down to see eye to eye with the rat, and started speaking in in the rat’s tongue. He asked details about the city, and learned that there were many civilian survivors and captives within the walls, some hidden, some barely surviving but allowed to live in their homes. He took a shaky breath and thanked the rat.

Barukus handed out assignments, letting Odds and Cherla pick where they could be the most useful. Odds selected taking down the enemy siege weapons. Such a task would play to the team’s strengths: maneuverability and firepower.

Barukus then told the leaders that if he survived this battle, he fully intended to lead a stealth mission into the city itself to destroy the goo factory. He invited everyone to participate, or find those who might.

The Eve of Battle

After leaving the war room, Bean and Jay headed off to work on creating an antidote for the goo, creating 2 resist poison potions.

Odds sought out Bonny and helped her scrub dishes for dinner.

Echo, with Verone backing them up, did a performance about Sheerwood’s plight and need for aid. The performance was astounding, resonating in the hearts and minds of the gathered warriors. Many pledges off aid were given.

After the performance, Echo sought out Vika and sold their recent map. They also attempted to get a sponsorship from the wolf (to no avail).

As evening fell, Bonny gifted Odds a potion she had made, and tied a ribbon around the pommel of his greatsword (not a euphemism).

After parting ways with Bonny, Odds sought out Cherla. She gave him Petalfoot’s ring. In thanks, he gave her a healing potion. He expressed his respect for her skills and his honest wish for her to survive.

Bean took the time to find a sun beam in a quiet place. He sat himself down and prayed for the safety of his team. In the distance, he saw munition deliver to the beaver’s camp.

Jay returned to camp, and focused on studying Primordial.

Echo stayed out late, signing rousing songs about fierce heroes and battles. When the crowds finally died down, they found an eager special someone to spend the night with.

Dawn of the Battle

The heroes gathered in the morning. Verone sought out Echo and the rest of the crew. He gave them all bardic inspiration. Odds took the chance to give Verone a letter to get to Petalfoot – but only should Odds fall in combat.

Jay prepped pebbles with weaslefire and handed out bombs to Bean. Swords were oiled with the Oil of Injury (+1 attack and damage). Odds drank the special potion from Bonny.

They spotted Cherla’s team, mounted and ready to flank the army on the far side of the battlefield.

In the distance, a battle horn sounded, and rats started flooding out of the gates of Riverdale.

Boom & Doom

The following battles was ablur of explosions, blood, fire, and death.

Teleportation and bombs quickly turned the first rat catapult into a smoldering crater.

Jay used his familiar and spotted 1 more catapult over the hill. They started rushing towards them just as a squad of rats swarmed in.

Bean turned into a wee little bunny and used his flame bird to get to the next catapult. Echo, Odds, and Jay cleaned up rats as Bean made a crater out of catapult #2.

Jay’s familiar spotted a forth catapult.

A rat, mounted on a rat mutant showed up with a fresh squad. Odds hopped up onto the mount, landing behind the ride. Echo leapt up and landed in front. Together they formed a murder sandwich. The rider was dispatched.

Echo and Odds used the death of the rider to scare off most of the remaining small rats. Jay turned invisible and started acting as a sniper. The mutated mount, heavily bleeding, still fought on. As did a hulking rat mutant.

Jay’s familiar, laden with firey pebbles, reached the last catapult. It dropped its load and the weaslefire pebbles burnt the catapult to the ground.

The hulking rat swatted at Bean, downing the healer!

Odds, badly injured, killed the mount and dashed over to Bean. He uncorked a healing potion and shoved it into Bean’s mouth.

Bean, brought back to consciousness, reached out with necrotic touch and killed the hulking rat.

They had survived their part of the plan. The catapults were finished. The team gathered together as Bean readied a healing spirit for them to gather around.

Below them in the battlefield, the rats indiscriminately bombed the armies with mutagenic gas. Flashes of fire burst forth as the church of the flame fought back.

What would the team do next?

Kill count: 39 rats

Notes:

Verone asked the team what their name was. There was much discussion, but _____ was settled on.