With the now one-armed Breagar back among them, the Troupe resumes its journey to the Cloakwood. Though bandits no longer roam the roads between Nashkel and Baldur’s Gate, assassins still mar Aegon’s path. The Iron Throne wants him dead, but so far they have failed to achieve that goal.
19 Eleasias 1368
More assassins sent by the Iron Throne lay at our feet. The ambush came without warning, but by now it’s almost routine. You’d think word would’ve spread by now. How many dozens of assassins have attempted to claim my bounty? And none of them remain alive.
Only thing for it, let’s see if these formerly living fools have any useful equipment. Their thief wore only studded leather armour, though it was enchanted for extra protection.
His gauntlets once belonged to Daerum “Spooky” Estra, a notorious former head of the Thieves’ Guild in Cormyr. They’re enchanted to enhance the skills of a thief, and can be used to open any lock. Imoen takes them, musing whether she might finally open that stubborn door in Beregost.
He has a few potions in his potion belt, the first being a Potion of Freedom. Breagar takes it as he doesn’t like the idea of losing movement in any of his remaining limbs.
The second is a Potion of Master Thievery. Imoen takes it to supplement her skills, handing her Potions of Speed to Breagar.
He also had a Potion of Healing, that Breagar also takes for himself.
His weapons include a short bow, and a large cutlass that’s almost as blunt as a club in parts. I recall reading about a robber baron, Orrimy, who wanted a sword that could bludgeon as much as it cuts. None of us can use a cutlass well, so we place it in the Bag of Holding.
Their warrior protected herself with non-magical plate mail and a helmet, but her small shield was enchanted. Will replaces his old iron shield with this.
She carries two Potions of Super Healing. I stash them in my belt and give my Potions of Extra Healing to Helga.
Her weapon is a holy flail that hits fast and burns with the power of the Sun. Despite Will’s aptitude for flails, this weapon can only be wielded by those with a connection to the divine.
The mage wore a Robe of Electric Resistance, not something any of our casters need at the moment.
He protected himself with some magical bracers. Our Bag of Holding already holds more powerful bracers than these.
The mage wore a ring said to have belonged to Elgenon the Wise, an ancient druid. Supposedly it protects against lightning, but try as I might, I can’t tell how it works.
Gameplay Note
I can’t figure out how this ring is supposed to work. Equipping it gives no protection from electricity, nor grants the wearer any abilities.
The mage had some Fire Bullets to go with his sling.
His dagger was The Shocker, delivering lightning to whomever it strikes. I wonder if this is why the thief wore a ring to protect himself from lightning.
He carried a Potion of Extra Healing, which Breagar adds to his collection of potions.
I find several scrolls in his pouch, many too advanced for my spellbook as yet. The first spell induces Confusion in a group of creatures. This one I save for later.
The second is an easier spell to learn. It allows the caster to teleport to any location. I carefully copy Dimension Jump to my spellbook.
The next spell provides Protection from Missiles, useful to defend against archers and the like. I already know this spell, and it is too advanced for Will or Vienxay so it goes in my Scroll Pouch.
The next scroll is not a Weave spell, but a protection spell. This one protects the target from the attacks of undead creatures.
The next scroll contains a spell that allows the caster to Know an Opponent. Knowledge that can help their allies inflict more damage upon them.
A scroll of Dispel Magic is next, another spell I am already familiar with.
He has three scrolls of Fireball. Thankfully he never had the chance to use them. After seeing how useful our Wands of Fireball have been, I decide to learn this spell. Unfortunately I fail with the first scroll, and the words fade back to the Weave. I try again with a second scroll, and am able to scribe it into my spellbook.
I find one last scroll tucked into the mage’s pouch. This one is not a spell, or a protection scroll. It is the bounty notice that has been placed on my head.
They mention my father by his name. Is he the reason all this is happening? No. The armoured figured said “hand over your ward.”
It is me they want.
And it’s worth six hundred and eighty coins to them.
There isn’t anything left of value on the corpses so we pick up our things and continue north. We hope we don’t have any more encounters with assassins to block our path. Unfortunately, our hopes aren’t realised.
Almost as soon as we set off toward the north, we see three heavily armed archers drink Potions of Speed, and quickly pull their bows taut. They’re aiming in our direction. Will these assassins ever cease?
We respond in kind, but their enhanced speed allows them to hit me several times before I can get close. With arrows poking out of me, Helga throws me a Potion of Extra Healing.
Another man, presumably their leader charges toward us with blade at the ready. Vienxay retaliates with a Fireball that lights up the night, setting our assailants on fire.
Helga calls upon the Blessing of Haela to help us in this fight. The Potion courses through my body, closing some of the wounds the arrows inflicted.
Imoen strikes one of the archers with an Arrow of Flame. He screams as he clutches at his burning face and drops to his knees, then to the ground. Their leader runs toward Will, and I rush to engage before he can get close.
Imoen takes out a second archer, but not before he looses an arrow. I watch Will crumple as the arrow finds his throat. No final words. No warning. Just gone. The battlefield offers no time to mourn. Now the bard is dead, the leader turns his blade toward Vienxay. I keep running toward him.
Vienxay retreats before he can strike, so he turns on Helga instead, driving his blade into her back. She staggers as lightning wracks her body.
Helga stumbles away, and I slam Bashrik’s Hammer into our attacker. Let him taste lightning for a change.
Vienxay moves too close to the fray. I watch, helpless, as his blade slices her belly open. She collapses with a gasp, another life cut short.
Imoen eliminates the last archer. We are down to four, but there is only one of him now.
He drinks a potion and I watch as his wounds close up again. He is fast, and jabs at my chest with his sword. Helga calls upon Haela to Doom the man.
I attempt to weaken him with the Weave, firing a Ray of Enfeeblement upon him. Unfortunately he is able to resist the effect this day. He keeps pushing me back, strong as ever.
I’m forced to drink another Potion of Extra Healing to stay in the fight.
We need to damage him quickly before he can heal again. I start launching Magic Missiles at him.
However, I am unable to defend myself as I cast these spells. He cuts into me over and over, the lightning chars my flesh and blood starts pouring over the ground.
I hit him with more Magic Missiles while Helga heals my wounds. She knows when to strike and when to heal. It’s what makes her a true warrior.
Then Imoen looses and buries an arrow clean through his cheekbone, ending the fight.
Once the final foe lies still, we regroup, wounded and wary. But we four are still alive.
Imoen seems sharper all around. She’s quicker to dodge, better with her bow, and far more confident. She’s changed, and not just in skill. There’s a fire in her eyes, more than the Imoen I grew up with. Maybe our path is shaping her, too.
Gameplay Note
Her saving throws against Death, Wand, and Breath Weapon all improve by 1 point. Her THAC0 is reduced by 1. She gains 8 Hit Points and 3 points of Lore. She gets 25 Skill Points which I use to improve her Open Locks and Find Traps skills to 70.
Breagar says he’s getting used to fighting one-handed. Maybe now, he’ll start to feel like himself again.
Gameplay Note
For some reason, his saves against Death are worsened by 2 points, and his saves against Wand and Spells also get worse by 3 points. His saves against Breath Weapons improve by a point, and his THAC0 is also improved by 1 point. He gains 13 Hit Points and 1 point of Lore.
These men were not assassins, nor were they bandits. They are too well armed and highly trained. They were almost military, but they weren’t Flaming Fist. Is the Iron Throne sending mercenaries after me now?
There’s no telling when the next ambush might come, but we need answers. We search the bodies to see if we can find their motivation for attacking us.
Their leader is wearing a lot of equipment we can’t identify. His red armour, emblazoned with a gold dragon, is some kind of studded leather.
He also wears some gauntlets that I think may have given him an edge in the fight. Probably how he was able to cut down Vienxay so easily.
Apart from his helmet, he also wields an enchanted medium shield.
His weapon is some kind of ornate cutlass. It is of fine design and clearly holds some enchantments.
He carries several Potions of Critical Healing, which I take to help keep me alive in future assassination attempts.
He also has a Potion of Firebreath, which we store in our Potion Belt for now.
In his pocket I find an odd-looking key, embedded with some jewels.
Beside it is a folded piece of paper. I pull it out and unfold it to find a poorly written note.
“Section,” the note says. Who are they? A splinter group of the Iron Throne? Something even worse? And why did they attack us? Helga comments that her home is next to the Thunderhammer Smithy. Could they have been after her?
I check the other warriors. They are armed to the teeth. Full plate mail. Enchanted long swords and composite long bows. They have Arrows of Ice among other enchanted arrows. Imoen takes these. She’s proven to be a great archer and these will only help her improve. Breagar picks up their remaining Potions of Speed.
With Will and Vienxay dead, we have no choice. We turn back to Beregost once more. Then we’ll find out what this “Section” is.
It costs us 400 gold to raise the pair. I’m becoming a regular at the temples of the Coast. I have watched so many of my friends and allies die, only to bring them back. It’s becoming second nature, and that frightens me more than any assassin.
Will opts to remain in the temple to heal, but Vienxay says she will make her way to the Friendly Arm Inn.
I ask Kelddath if he can help us identify the equipment we found on our attackers. He says he’s unable to tell what most of them are, but he does recognise the Dragon Armour.
Imoen considers trying it on, but she says she’s more flexible and accurate without it. We start to discuss the “Section.” I want to investigate, but first we should build a party for the mission. And for that we need to return to Nashkel.
After 8 terrifying hours on the Trade Way we make it to Nashkel. Fear of another attack kept us alert, but Lady Luck seems to be shining on us this day.
I lead everyone to the temple where we find Skeezer and Keiria still recovering from their wounds. I tell them about the Section, and they agree to return to Beregost with us and help get to the root of things.
Before we set off, I let them re-equip themselves with the items we have in our Bag of Holding. Skeezer takes a sling, but he is happy with his own equipment. He does, however, take some Potions of Power so he can improve his abilities.
He also takes the Potions of Invisibility so he can get himself out of any trouble we may encounter.
Kieria ditches her armour, choosing to rely on some Bracers of Defense for protection instead.
She complements this protection with a helmet and a Traveller’s Robe.
She keeps her crossbow, but upgrades her sword to a Varscona.
She finishes her kit with some potions, a couple of Firebreath.
As well as some Potions of Invulnerability for protection.
And a Potion of Magic Dispelling to help fight against mages.
Now they’re fully equipped we leave the temple. We’ll rest at the inn before we return to Beregost. We should be fully alert before we raid the Section’s base in Beregost. If the Section truly is a splinter of the Iron Throne, how many more branches might there be? How am I going to stay alive if more militant organisations start coming for me?
