Session 7 - The Baron of Triboar
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We couldn't have just passed through Triboar like a normal caravan, could we? We just had to stand out, we had to get the 'VIP' treatment and we obviously HAD to meet with the damned Baron. He made a real spectacle of it as well, a full escort all the way through to the Treasury, even going the extra mile to keep us waiting in suspense. Entirely unsurprising to me, I would do the same.
We were greeted at the gate by one Ser Arthur Zovar, an impressive knight to say the least. Imposing, well spoken and seemingly resolute in loyalty, he reminds me a lot of an old friend. He led us through the Treasury and into an ante-chamber, which we were not alone in. Alongside the good Barons' Knights of the Rose, were a collection of scale cloaked strangers alongside their leader, the infamous Cyanwrath.
He of course had his prize on full display, even though he really needn't.
It seemed as though they didn't start realising what exactly Solas was until it was too late, and the Barons' summons came through. A pity, I would have been interested to see how far they'd have gone for him.
Baron Uthrak of Triboar is an interesting fellow in my opinion. Not at all imposing in physical stature, with a much more diminutive frame than I'd expected, but his presence in the room, the authority he can exude was not lost on me. He controlled the conversation at every moment, keeping young Serena at arms length throughout and even managing to rope in the pups to fix his issues. Whilst i'm sure he could be a valuable ally, and certainly someone to avoid getting on the wrong side of, he did well to swing the eventual agreement in his favour. It seems as through he has lost contact with one of his northern outposts that guards the Trade Way, and based on how much gold that particular trade route is making him, I can understand the urgency of this task.
The pups fix his problem, and he does next to nothing in return. Genius.
I am not here to hold their hands in all the extra endeavours they take on, so I decided to stay behind and keep the Barons' men away from the cart. Annoyingly, the shits decided to take ALL the horses, leaving me to pull the cart myself all the way to the closest tavern.
The Baron kindly gave them a map to this fortress of his, but he seemed for forget to mention that it is the fort of Skywatch, notorious for its well built walls, strong strategic position... oh, and that it is built hundreds of feet in the air with not a single good way into it. The pups had to choose from either a long and winding pathway to the main gate - suicide for the unprepared - or a dragons nesting ground - equally suicide, unless the dragon is out shopping for it's next meal.
Luckily for the pups, this was the case, and there was no dragon to be seen, however it's diminutive little runts were still scurrying around the cave, and made sure to give them a warm welcome. They were of little concern however, more of an organised nuisance and their defeat opened the way to exploring the cave in it's entirety.
After some loot grubbing amongst the dragons small horde, kidnapping not only an unborn Kobold but also an unborn Dragon itself and spending more time than is reasonable investigating a deep puddle, they finally succeeded in entering the fortress itself. Up until recently, is was an active and functional fortification, with a full compliment of guards and groundskeepers, which explains why it was in such good condition when they arrived.
Whilst investigating the armoury, the pups came upon a box. A box covered from end to end in protective, sealing, essentially 'do not touch' magics. Needless to say, this was promptly ignored and broken into. Within was a chrome warhammer, with the same very obvious and clear sealing runes covering its entire surface. The kitty managed to break the one empowered item in his possession trying to get into the box, only have to have the child steal the prize from under his wet little nose. Something I will be sure to remind him of at every opportunity.
Once that was cleared up, it didn't take them long before they encountered their first sign of life within the fortress. A rapid assassination of one guard and the somewhat useful interrogation of the other, he was called 'Tristam' apparently, left the pups with some moderate information regarding the name of the bandits leader within the fort, a certain Eldanni.
A brief scuffle with the main enemy unit left the pups licking their wounds, only to have someone knock at the door. A very big door, and some very big knocks.