13th of Marpenoth, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

 We continue on, really starting to realize how different this place is compared to home - the grass is still green - well, yellower than our green grass, but more alive than our yellower grasses would be. 

To the south, we see a group of people who look like they are leading a group in chains! And, I think the guy at the back has a whole bunch of snakes for arms. That is not cool. And it's more snake people! We join them, because we all know that Vondal won't just let slavers go by. And in the middle of the fight, I just fall asleep! What on earth? That is not cool. It must be those mind tricks that make you want to give up. Vorest wakes me - she's an eagle, I don't even know when that happened. I see Vandederp surrender. I decide to drag him over with me, punch a couple of the guys, and then light them on fire, including Vandederp. Like last time this snaps him out of it. And I can still use fire from my hands, it's odd that I can't call on the elements like I used to. We manage to beat them all, and free the slaves. 

While we check the snake people, we find the tattoos, and some weird red powder - possibly the drugs they've used? The slaves are pretty docile. In fact, the slaves are so docile, that if we sat them down, they would sit. And not move. And not react. It's like they are sleep walking and can't think on their own, trapped in their dream. We kind of set up a camp back near the road, because these people would not be safe if we left them on their own. After a half day, coming on dinner, they are still sitting like bumps on a log, so we finish setting up camp. It's clear we aren't going anywhere for a while. Hopefully they are better tomorrow and we don't need to figure out an antidote!

After dinner, Vorest and Vondal perk up, like they heard something, and arrows rain down over our heads. We turn and look and see a bunch more snake people - they just keep coming! Vandederp goes after some of the more in charge looking ones, and a weird spiky metal crown thing appears on his head. He returns to the fire, without attacking, and for some strange reason I feel the urge to surrender. And I can't resist it! And then Vandederp looks to attack Vorest! I should be helping her! And Vandederp - clearly he isn't in his right mind. But all I want to do is surrender. Luckily he misses her. Then I notice Vondal surrender. Part of me is pleased, surrendering is the right thing to do. But a small bit wants to get up and fight, but it is so very small, and easy to ignore. A couple of snaky people come over and start tying me up. This is good - then I can't listen to that part of me that wants to fight, I can keep doing the right thing, and be surrendered. No one will be hurt if we are all surrendered, and that is good. 

Vorest takes a quick glance around, she sees that Vondal and myself have sensibly surrendered. Vandederp is clearly fighting for the snake people. This is good. And then Vorest turns into a fire elemental! This is not good! So many people will get hurt! She should have just surrendered. She goes and lights everybody on fire, and Vondal starts fighting with her. This is not good! We should surrender! It is the safe way!

I feel a zing, a little bolt. It hurts a little, not too much. I see Vondal turning away from me, and realize he shot me. And then I realize that I am letting dirty rotten slavers tie me up! That is not going to happen. Oh no. I get up, and I punch at the snake people. And then I light them on fire. They are going to die for this. I have had more than enough people trying to mess with my brain. The people around me die, Vandederp helping at the end, I suppose his mind control has been removed as well. I turn and see one more trying to run off. I move after him, as fast as I can, since there are still ropes on me, and punch at him. It is good to see him fall. I take the ropes off of me. 

We search the bodies, and drag them off to the side. No point looking at them while you're trying to sleep. More tattoos, not surprising, and more of that powder. This whole time, the slaves just sat there. We were fighting nearly in their laps, and they just sat there.

11th of Marpenoth, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

 We continue walking, and we hear some gnolls. There's a whole lot of them. We beat them, and continue on. We reach a wayhouse, the Sleepy Dragon. Vondal runs up, eager to be sleeping inside. We enter, and are greeted by some friendly staff. There is another fellow eating already.

We sit and eat. The food tastes ... odd. But not in a "they make different food here" way. I glance around to see if the others notice it - I think they do, and notice the other fellow is passed out beside his bowl. And the barkeep looks annoyed. And then I notice that the serving girl has snake eyes. Oh, come on now! Are these folk everywhere?

The door bangs open and more of these snake people come in. Vandederp lets them convince him that he should be tied up - these guys definitely play mind games! Vorest calls in some giant lizards, and they help to free Vandederp by killing his captors. This also lets him snap out of being okay being caught, and starts to fight - just in time for Vondal to sit down! If they manage to trick all our brains, we will be in trouble - none of us would fight them! Fortunately, he gets up almost as fast as he sat down. One of the snake people shapeshifts into an actual snake and tries to sneakily run away. Vondal and Vorest magic him to death. 

They are all dead, and we check them out. As suspected, they do have the snake tattoo.

Vorest wakes up the guy that was eating by us. He says that he has heard rumours of slavers, but had seen nothing, and heard nothing for sure.

Vondal, while looking through the kitchens to see if there was real food, found some people. He untied them, and they told us that they had been guests in previous days. They mentioned that the snake people had said that they just needed a few more people before they took them back to Selosah.

We go to a large room upstairs, to sleep in a bed and keep watch.

7th of Marpenoth, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

 We head out for the Forest of Amlar. Vorest is getting excited, you can tell she is feeling close to our destination. It's probably the big step of being done with boats, it's a visible, tactile step. 

Before we even manage to leave town, we pass an alley when some shady guy calls us over - like we're going to fall for that trick! He wants to know if we are interested in some questionably gained magic items. Such see-through tricks! And yet, Vandederp walks in, keenly interested. Vondal follows, when they suggest they might have a hammer. Have they never dealt with thieves? Even I know this and I haven't been in as many societies as they! Ugh. 

Thankfully, Vandederp seems to shake off his obliviousness when he gets fully in the alley. And out steps some snake people - all a bit different. When it is obvious to everyone that they wanted us, and not sell us stuff, we begin to fight. Sometime during the fight, Vondal vanishes. These snake people seem to like trying mind games - I wonder if they got Vondal. 

After everyone either dies or runs away, Vandederp breaks down a door to the side, and finds a fellow trying to tie up Vondal. It seems that Vandederp coming in wakes him up, and he realizes that he is getting tied up. He gets up, breaking the ropes, and bashes in the snake guy's head.

As we tidy up a bit, we notice that they have the same tattoos as the fellows in Zazesspur. This is a fairly large operation if they are working together and they are so far apart!

Vondal is quite incensed about them not having a magical hammer. I do not see why he is surprised - I wonder if he is trying to cover up embarrassment at being conned.

We continue out of the city. After lunch, we are attacked by a bunch of giant praying-mantis-bug-people. 

10th of Eleint, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

 We arrive in Zazesspur. We can walk around, so we go for a walk through town. We find some snakey people bothering a girl. We go to see if she needs help and we are ambushed. The girl exclaims "Excellent! More slaves for the Empire!"

We kill them. While we look to see if they have anything interesting, we find tattoos. I find a dirty old paper and quickly draw a sketch of it, so perhaps Vondal can find their reason, this Empire. We take a break while Vondal searches for more evidence. 

Nothing is found, so we return to the boat.

7th of Mirtul, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

We let Captain Darren know his problem has been dealt with. He says we'll join Barnaby's team in their raid on a warehouse, coordinating at 2 in the afternoon. 

We arrive at the warehouse. Barnaby sends the other 4 to the back, and we enter the front.

The people inside try to destroy something by fire, which I stop. We beat everyone up and save the papers, which look like they are detailing their slave trade operations. 

We go back to Captain Darren's and he marks up the map a bit more. There are locations they were told to look for Crymson. The dots look like a star, as Vondal pointed out. Captain Darren asks if we can check out the middle buildings tomorrow.

We head back to the inn, when we are attacked by 6 thugs. While fighting them, Crymson brings an air elemental to the party. I go to chase her, and she jumps to different roofs. The others destroy her elemental and she runs through a magical door. 

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

We return to the inn to rest.

5th of Mirtul, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

After lunch (because of all the excitement early this morning!), we head to Captain Darren's office. We see Boris in the main office. He shoves us into the captain's office.

He hasn't had a chance to really interrogate the prisoners, but they were close-mouthed on the way to jail. He asks us to join him in an attempt to get some information.

We head down to the cells. Everyone looks angry. Captain Darren says that they were just like this last night. He asks a bunch of questions and it's like talking to a wall. 

We suggest talking to the oil covered guy. He mentions that he can't say her name, though he would like our protection. We hear a huge *CRACK* while talking about how he needs out. It's in the other room. I stay with the prisoner, while everyone runs off.

The wall in the cell I'm in vanishes. I rush in between the oily fellow and the missing wall. Through it I can see Captain Darren and Vondal. There's a stone elemental being controlled by a lady in a red cloak. The elemental goes to attack Vandederp. We beat the elemental and the lady runs off and jumps in the sewer. Vandederp jumps down but he can't tell where she went. He comes back up. We head back to Captain Darren and he mentions that there have been reports of a person with a red cloak - in the market, in the warehouse district, just all over. 

We say we're going to try the sewers. Captain Darren wishes us well, and beware.

We go into the sewers and Vorest leads, but we get lost and then are attacked by gross looking people. 

We exit the sewers and head back to the inn, defeated.

 

4th of Mirtul, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

We fine tune our plan. Vorest plans to hide inside the warehouse. I will take out the roof guard and Vondal and Vanderderp go through the doors. 

We nap and get ready to go.

We head in a bit after midnight, and there is no guard. There is a guy tied up, in oil, in the center of the room. Once the guys break down the doors, guys come out from different buildings, archers and thugs. The archers have flame arrows, which I snuff before we go to start fighting. We manage to beat them, and they are dragged into the building, as I run off to get the captain.

We return and all the people are tied up. We explain what happened and Vorest pipes up that 3 guys carried in the pre-tied up guy. He fought and they smacked him, and poured oil on him. The tied up guy had screamed for forgiveness.

Captain Darren comments on a new thieves guild. He takes them and invites us to talk tomorrow. 

We return to the inn for what's left of the night.

 

3rd of Mirtul, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

Go and talk to Captain Darren about the orcs and if there are any plans in regards to the 5th of Mirtul. Barnaby is manning the front desk and trying to deal with an upset farm hand.  Barnaby shoos us into the back to the Captain. We let him know that the orcs were dead. He is concerned with the amount of orcs around.

Then he pulls out the letter and says that he has no ideas. And asks if we can help him. We say sure. 

We go back to the inn and argue the best way to scout it out. We decide that Vorest should change into a mouse and check it out. Vorest heads out and we sit and wait.

After a while, she heads back and tells us: There's and apothecary on one side and an animal feed store on the other. Across Weasel there are two story tenements. There is a guard on the roof, he is a high elf. Behind the warehouse there is a crate hiding the symbol from the note. There are doors on the front and back and a hatch on the roof. The warehouse is VERY empty. 

We spend the rest of the day planning.

 

29th of Tarsakh, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

We are heading through town and Guntor runs up to us. He says that there will be slavers coming at midnight. We decide to inform Captain Darren, with Vondal and Guntor grumbling. Vondal told Gilbert that we would stop the slavers after they got in the city.

We set up near the gate. Some thugs have appeared. Slavers come and we attack. The thugs and guards join the fight with the slavers, so we also fight them - but make sure to just knock them out.

After the fight, more guards join and get the captain. The captain claims to not have known, even though we had told Gilbert.

Captain Darren was disturbed. There are a lot of curved dagger tattoos on the slavers, and some of the guards. He asks us to come by at 9am to help him speak with Gilbert. 

Good guards, Jeremiah and Roderick show us a note:

 

Guntor goes to the Sleeping Goblin for the night. We go to our normal inn.

9th of Tarsakh, 1376, Year of the Bent Blade

We are walking around town, frustrated at Hondal having escaped us. Then we heard someone calling Vondal. It turns out it is an old army buddy, Guntor Olafsson. He talks about killing the slavers that destroyed their mercenary troop. He shows us another warehouse and asks for help. It is guarded and Vondal and Guntor are ready to enter, so, in we go. I check the roof and it is empty. Vondal kicks through a window and kicks the guard off a cat walk. We follow and he and Vandederp jump off, ready to fight. The three of us descend a bit safer. We get the guys in the middle, and the two guards that entered mid fight ran away. Guntor, who appears to be a berserker, and Vorest, as a bear, give chase. Luckily Vorest realized none of us followed and ran off, changed back to elf, and returned to the warehouse. Guntor was willing to listen to Vondal and not murder anyone in the streets. 

Back in the building, we find paperwork and slaves. We free them, and while they were getting their bearings the guards arrived. 

As Guntor leaves, he tries to convince us to join him. Luckily, it is said that we have some things to finish here first - hopefully I will get some more information from Stefan.