February 26, 2019 Session

Setup

The party stands atop a small hillock about a mile from Highbridge. The outer wall of the city shows a huge scar where a hole had been blasted in it and then quickly repaired. On the far side of the High Bridge, Overtown has been completed destroyed and only rubble remains. The Farthing Yards are now filled with the huts and lean-tos of people from Overtown or farther east. This overflow of hastily constructed buildings extends outside of the Farthing Yards gates and a small village has grown up outside the gates. The largest building is the apothecary belonging to young wizard Pinna.

In the meantime, the flag over the city is no longer that of the Empire of Polonia, but is instead the red sun on a brown field of The Hate Incarnate.

First Off, Shopping!

The party meets the wizard Pinna as they shop for potions in her apothecary. Rhagal, apparently having eaten bad shellfish in the Feywild, is spewing from both ends and spends his time looking for an herbal remedy. While Corliss enlists Pinna in a joke to tell Rhagal that his condition may be permanent, the party buys her full supply of healing potions and gets two sleeping potions for free. Hurodash buys some herbs from the back room - apparently he feels the need to counterbalance his rages - while Ser Shadow tries his luck flirting with Pinna.

While shopping, the party is recognized by Joc, who goes running from the building to tell his friend Kelmen Longbottom that the folk heroes have returned. Hurodash quickly gives chase though and tackles him. After the party realizes that they have achieved a certain level of folk hero status in their absence, they follow Joc to The Reluctant Pig to meet Selma Longbottom. More hero worship ensues and Yancey Figbottom appears and invites them back to the college later for a debrief with Mistress Valenna. While walking about town, Hurodash retrieves a hooded, white lion skin vest that he had made years ago.

At the college, Valenna gets a recap of what happened in the Feywild and also explains what had happened in the city during the five years that the party were gone. Essentially, she explains the The Upheaval of Nations. She takes a copy of the A Guide to Etiquette for Ancient Ceremonies manuscript and haughtily informs the party that she will be informing them of her next set of plans for them.

Making Friends is Fun

The party returns to The Reluctant Pig and is enjoying a free meal - and in the case of Ser Shadow, enjoying the attention of the barmaid Stephanie. Then, the door is thrown open and Brother Pelliton strides in surrounding by a few of his cohorts and the sniveling, bootlicking sycophant that Martin Shimlock has become. At a gesture from Brother Pelliton, Martin strides forth and reads the following pronouncement:

“Behold Brother Pelliton, Blessed Dawnseeker of Lathander! Scourge of Scattered and Defeated Polonians. He bears a proclamation from your new lord: the Prophet Ezekiern, he who is fated to be the new Morninglord. The Prophet demands the head of Bonebreaker Dorokor, lieutenant of the so-called Ancient Empire of the Unending Lands, the lawless beasts that breached the walls of Highbridge, slaughtered hundreds, and was only driven off by The Hate Incarnate under the Blessing of Lathander. The prophet promises the glory of brortherhood, the blessing of the Prophet himself, and five hundred gold marks to whosoever brings to him the head of the lieutenant.”

The Brothers of the Hate Incarnate then stride around generally show their disdain for the citizenry by eating their food, drinking their ale, and ruining their meals. Selma Longbottom, the proprietor of the inn, is known to be no shrinking violet but she stands with her back pressed to the wall, face white, and makes no objection. Only a snarky exchange between Yornan and Corliss breaks the silence.

Brother Pelliton quickly confronts the party and while Corliss makes a few choice comments before backing down, Pelliton still feels as if has cowed them into submission. A curious glance or three passes between Pelliton and Yornan, enough such that all notice it. Nonetheless, Yornan states that he knows Pelliton from before and offers no further explanation.

Things Go Boom

Close to midnight, a pink flash and an explosion light the night sky. The Reluctant Pig clears out as everyone rushes to find that Pinna’s apothecary is on fire and she is missing. Hurodash follows a set of booted tracks - perhaps numbering as many as fifteen - to the High Bridge. On the way, the corpses of city guardsman are found strewn about.

The party discovers a rear guard of orcs - each dressed in the ancient armor that the party had seen in use in the Temple of Eternal Embers. A battle ensues - punctuated by Ser Shadow diving off the bridge and swimming the river to appear behind the orcs - and while Yornan is felled by a mighty single blow and then revived, the party is eventually victorious.

As the last orc falls, a militia consisting of armed citizenry and some of the City Constabulary arrives. The party decided that it is too late to press on and that they’ll return to The Reluctant Pig and decide their next course of action the following morning.