10: The Long Road

   

Having secured new magical gear and a protection job from the Zhentarim, the team prepared to escort caravans laden with goods from Bargewright Inn. Early morning, as the sun rose, their departure was met with an immediate ambush.

Hellhound

Rowan spotted a hellhound, a black, wolf-like creature wreathed in smoke and flame, its iron collar bearing the symbol of the Fire Cult. Two more appeared, rushing to attack the group. Joe took to the air, Bessok swung his mace, and Gark shifted into a bear. The hounds breathed fire, hitting Gark and two caravan guards. Though fiendish, the creatures were eventually overcome with aid from guards on Bargewright's walls. Joe tracked the hellhounds north toward the Sumber Hills, confirming their cult affiliation but finding further tracking impossible due to the distance.

The group joined the fully loaded caravans for the journey toward Red Larch. The train leader, Haeler Thommadur, explained they'd camp before town, aiming to draw out attackers rather than sheltering within the settlement. They soon encountered refugees fleeing their homes, including Mabel, an old neighbour of Gark's. She revealed that farmsteads were being targeted and ransacked, similar to Gark's old home.

Refugees fleeing the Cults

Driven by painful memories, Gark, in bear form with Bessok riding him, rushed ahead. The caravans followed, passing ransacked homes and, eventually, a destroyed farmstead, a charred landscape still smoldering. Gark's keen bear senses even detected the familiar scent of pipe smoke, a painful reminder of his past. The road was littered with signs of elemental cult violence.

Feathergale Cultist
riding a Giant Vulture

As they neared their night's campsite, the Feathergale Spire became visible. Three Feathergale Knights approached. Joe intercepted them, swiftly shooting down one Giant Vulture and its Knight, then a second vulture and its cultist rider. The third Knight fled. The group finished off the fallen Knight. Haeler, impressed but seemingly unaware of the full extent of the Zhentarim's enemies, congratulated Joe.

After setting watches and lighting a large bonfire, the night passed without incident. The next morning, the caravan train continued for a few hours before reaching Red Larch.

Constable Harburk

Red Larch had changed significantly. The marketplace was now a refugee camp. The caravans headed to the wagonmaker, while the group found Constable Harburk outside the Swinging Sword Inn.

Harburk happily greeted Gark and Bessok. He revealed that Justicars from Waterdeep had investigated the captured Believers, uncovering town funds used to support the cults and Gaelkur's counterfeiting. A search of the Tomb of Moving Stones found more bodies bearing Stone Cult symbols, with necromantic spells confirming the Believers' involvement. Aerego Bethendur was deemed largely innocent, having been compelled by fear, and remained free. Rotharr's estate was given to Gark by unanimous town council vote, a gesture that moved the hardened Half-Orc to tears.

Meanwhile, Rowan found the refugees well-cared for by the welcoming townsfolk. Joe, in his search for "strange folk," was sought out by Haeleeya, the bathhouse owner. Revealing herself as part of the Emerald Enclave, she told Joe that her contact knew he was investigating the Circle of the Scarlet Moon. A young druid had prepared to meet Elizar to learn the Rite of the Wicker Giant, a ritual of entry into the Circle. Haeleeya marked the location on a map: a ruined watchtower, which Joe recognized as the last of the "Haunted Keeps" used by the elemental cults.

Haeleeya

Before leaving, Bessok visited the Helm at Highsun for an ale. He was poisoned but, thanks to dwarven resilience, quickly recovered, expelling green gas. He then confronted and swiftly defeated Justran, the taproom worker, who was revealed to be a spy. 

With Gark offering his new home to the refugees, everyone rejoined the caravan train, heading north once more.

After leaving Red Larch, the Long Road cut through the western Sumber Hills. At midday, a strange weather anomaly occurred: water from the ground, stream, and even Bessok's flask rose upwards, forming a cloud that drifted eastward. A few miles north, Feathergale Knights were seen tracking the caravan train from the clouds, too distant to engage.

As dusk settled, the caravan train entered a clearing. Haeler ordered the wagons circled and a large bonfire lit. During Rowan's watch, a shouted command broke the silence, followed by burning arrows raining down, setting a caravan ablaze. Rowan's warning roused the others, and another volley struck a second caravan.

Bandits

The group advanced into the darkness. A new command illuminated sixteen archers, flanked by two robed Air Cult monks and their commander. Joe, flying ahead, threw a newly acquired magical javelin, which became a streak of lightning, killing four archers instantly and striking a monk, who skilfully caught and grounded it. A second lightning javelin from Joe took down more archers before the main group even reached them.

Gark, shifting to Bear form, charged with Bessok and Rowan clinging on. The remaining archers split, and the monks rushed forward. Suddenly, the three Feathergale Knights from earlier swooped in, targeting Joe. The monks synchronized their attacks, unleashing two thunderous blasts that hit Bessok, Gark, and Rowan. Bessok's bagpipes emitted a deathly dirge, instilling fear in all but the monks.

Across the battlefield, Joe rushed to meet the approaching Knights, then flew lower, vanishing from their sight with a spell. The confused Knights searched in vain until Joe reappeared, unleashing a volley that killed the leader's vulture. The Knight, slowed by air magic, landed and chased Joe on foot, while the two remaining vultures continued their aerial assault.

A Monk of the Air Cult

The battle with the Monks went well for Gark, Rowan, and Bessok, with Bessok's ancestral spirits aiding in taking down archers and wounding monks. However, Rowan was wounded, and Bessok took hits despite his strong defences. The vultures swept down on Joe; his arrows killed their riders, but one vulture struck him terribly, a massive beak sealing his fate. He fell, bleeding, and the riderless vulture savagely clawed at his prone body, bringing him to death's door.

Gark, shifting out of bear form, rushed to Joe, healing him enough so he could unleash a thunderous blast over Joe's body. Like a cruel game, Joe became a ragdoll, healed then battered, as Bessok joined, healing Joe then blasting again with his shield. The repeated blasts shattered the giant vultures' bones, throwing their lifeless bodies ten feet back.

The bandit commander, still reeling from Bessok's fear effect, fled with the last archers. Gark, now a Dire Wolf, gave chase, ending the remaining attackers brutally in the darkness. As Bessok helped Joe to his feet after another round of healing, pained cries mixed with oddly amused howls echoed in the distance.

Gark as a Dire Wolf