A Dangerous Gift

ROUND SIX

Spitting on the corpse in front of her, Elysia quickly checks him over, snatching up anything she finds on him that might help her in her new goal. She sees the longbow (too unwieldy for her, but might be worth something), a hip quiver of arrows fletched with grey and black goose feathers (others could use these to refill their quivers), and the well-made short sword with the insignia of Grayhaven set in the hilt. Yanking her dagger out of the door frame, Elysia moves swiftly out of the building and mounts one of the horses still on the front lawn. Looking at Eozindra, she yells, "Zus, meet me where they're keeping our new companion." With that, she nudges the horse into a gallop with her heel, taking off for the jail in the quickest route she knows. She'll definitely get there before the Duke in his slower carriage!Elowin moves out of the front door of the Lucky Copper Inn and as she does so, Morik and Ishi are both covered by Lunea's Twilight Santuary. Elowin lifts her reliquary and again the sound of doom rings in the captains ears. The guard captain however doesn't have the time to ponder its meaning and ignores the sound, as the revitalized bear and barbarian are fighting to spill his lifeblood.

Adran runs after Elysia and, hearing the tail end of her calling out to Eozindra, he makes a quick decision and grabs the reins of one of the other horses. "Don't worry!" he calls to Eozindra, [b]"I'm going to be her back-up!" Then he tries to ride off in pursuit of the half-elf.

Ishi's heavy blow staggers the guard captain, who smiles once last time in defiance, and then starts to say...

...his speech is cut off as the bear crushes the guard captain's ribs with his claw, then bites his face off. The bear gives a grunting roar of triumph.

Eozindra wheels around and chooses a horse as she runs up to it, bounding on to its back with an effortless grace that courtiers and ladies-in-waiting would envy. She takes off after Elysia and Adran, quickly gaining on them.

As the guard captain collapses onto the cobblestones Ishi jumps onto nearest horse which is a a 16 hand dapple gray mare. she is nervous because of the bear and the blood in the air but she is war trained so holds position until he mounts. and off they go!

The sun is rising over the tallest buildings on the ridge overlooking the bay, and the citizens of Grayhaven are busy conducting their morning business as the morning continues...but then the normal morning routines are broken by the thunderous clatter of steel-shod hooves! On horseback, the party tears through streets too narrow for carriage travel, hoping to rescue Findal Dinfizzle Findazzle and the unnamed old tiefling from the dungeons before the Duke can arrive and organize a better-prepared group to defend the jail and hunt for the dangerous outlaws (the party). Citizens leap for cover as the mounted adventurers careen past. Elowin has quickly pulled ahead of everyone else, but holds back a little so that she can follow Eozindra's lead. Ishi is close behind. Elysia, knowing that Zin knows the way to the Castle Dungeon, hangs back to help the slower Adran and Morik navigate the shortest route. As they race through the streets, Eozindra, Ishi, and Adran pull ahead of the others. Minutes pass, and the sense of Lunea's blessing fades away. The party will arrive in two groups, first one, then later, the second three.

---

Adran (16/19) (7 temp)
Elowin (17/17) (7 temp)
Elysia (14/17) (0 temp)
Eozindra (10/10) (7 temp)
Ishi (25/25) (7 temp)
Morik bear (30/34) (7 temp)

Eozindra, Elowin, and Ishi clatter from a narrow, cobblestoned street into a small open square. The castle wall comprises the north side of that square; a broad avenue feeds into the square from the south, with shorter buildings to the east and west and taller buildings to the south, further away from the castle wall. A long, low building sits some distance from the wall. It is the holding area for prisoners that have been detained by the city, the Duchy, or the Kingdom before trial, after which they are released or sentenced. It is called the "Castle Dungeons" because it is the jail that people see and come back from; whether there are more permanent, traditional dungeons actually within the castle, tales do not tell.

There is no sign of the Duke's carriage, which suggests that the party beat the regent back to the jail. There are two Grayhaven Guards stationed outside the open door into the building, however. One seems to be asleep, and the other is reeling around as if drunk. But as the three heroes rein to a halt at a safe distance, they see that the drunken one is trying to reach something on his back...a crossbow bolt that juts out from between his shoulder blades. His hands bat weakly at the air, and then the guard's eyes roll up and he collapses onto his face.The group hears muttered voices from the open doorway. With his keen hearing, Ishi is just able to make them out:
"It's not here, I tell you!"
"But the gnome was the contact, and he's the one the Duke captured!"
"Then maybe he knows something?"
"Yeah, let's bring him."

Everyone, please roll initiative. Ishi hears that bit of the conversation within the jail, and announces "They have the gnome, I'm going in!" As Ishi swings down from the dead guard's horse, he looks back gratefully to see his aunty Elowin swing down, too. Eozindra indulges in a genteel facepalm at the rashness of bulling in without the others. As the barbarian and cleric approach the guards they did not kill and the open front door, a voice within says in elvish: "I heard horses - the Duke may be back!"
"Almost done; keep 'im busy."
A cloaked figure steps out of the doorway, face hidden in the shadow of the hood except for the large eyes, which widen at the sight of the two armed heroes running toward the door. "Kirash!" the figure says, and then disappears from view as a sphere of darkness envelops it and the door. "His friends are here! Slave, attack them!"

With all appropriate deference, Ishi cautions his elder: ""I think the drow and the 'slave' can see us already. we should back off a little and spread out ready for what comes." as he moves north, away from the edge of the darkness. Elowin, for her part, remains where she is and tries to talk with the darkness, addressing the point where she'd seen the cloaked figure. "We are not with the Duke. We just want to rescue our friend before he gets here! The Duke just tried to kill us a moment ago!"

The hope in this appeal to a common cause is shattered a moment later when there is a shifting in the air in front of Elowin. The vague outline of a shaggy long limb with sharp claws on the end appears, transparent in the morning light, as a creature that was invisible swings at her face! Elowin takes 7 lightning damage!

Elysia, cantering on the dead man's horse as she leads Adran and Morik through the winding city streets, is reassured that Eozindra took the most efficient route - the route that she is taking, naturally - because of all the perturbed people who are gathering up their belongings that were scattered when her sister came through moments earlier. Inured to the shock of almost getting trampled, the citizens just duck into doorways again, or lean against the walls on either side. But when they see Morik loping along, apparently chasing the horses, there are shrieks of surprise and fear! One person laughs hysterically, because for a second he thought he saw a tiny newt clinging to the brown bear's ear!

Eozindra dismounts, drawing her rapier with an unconscious flourish, and touches the wire in her hair as soon as she sees the horses and bear round the corner at the far end of the alley. The bard's magic message reaches Elysia's ears: "Definitely trouble, be prepared. We didn’t kill the guards but whoever did is still here."

---

12 - Cloaked figures
10 - Ishi (25/25) (7 temp)
10 (24) - Elowin (17/17) (0 temp)
10 - Thing
9 - Elysia (14/17) (0 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE
7 - Eozindra (10/10) (7 temp)
4 - Morik bear (30/34) (7 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE

? - Adran (16/19) (7 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE

Elowin, Eozindra, and Ishi rein in when they see the dead bodies. Ishi hears a bit of the conversation within the jail, and announces "They have the gnome, I'm going in!". As Ishi swings down from the dead guard's horse, he looks back gratefully to see that his aunty Elowin swing down, too. Eozindra indulges in a genteel facepalm at the rashness of bulling in without the others. As the barbarian and cleric approach the guards they did not kill and the open front door, a voice within says in elvish: "I heard horses - the Duke may be back!"
"Almost done; keep 'im busy."
A cloaked figure steps out of the doorway, face hidden in the shadow of the hood except for the large eyes, which widen at the sight of the two armed heroes running toward the door. "Kirash!" the figure says, and then disappears from view as a sphere of darkness envelops it and the door. "His friends are here! Slave, attack them!"It is Ishi and Elowin's turn. They cannot see the door, the dead guards, or the figure that stepped out a moment ago: all is hidden in magical darkness.

---

12 - Cloaked Figures
10 - Ishi (25/25) (7 temp)
10 (24) - Elowin (17/17) (7 temp)
10 - something
9 - Elysia (14/17) (0 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE
7 - Eozindra (10/10) (7 temp)
4 - Morik bear (30/34) (7 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE

? - Adran (16/19) (7 temp) ARRIVING ON ROUND THREE