The Severed Hand

In the shade cast by the crumbling gatehouse, an incredibly muscled human man in dark plate armor is seated on a rickety chair. He rocks back and forth, apparently enjoying the squeaks as the chair shifts between its uneven legs.

As the party draws closer he stands and stretches. He is a large man, big enough to make the heroes suspect he might have some ogre blood in him. He bears a shield taller than Ras, and the sword at his side sports an enormous ruby in the pommel.

"Well, you've gotten here fast." The man's voice is deep and rough, but also flippant. "He said he thought you'd move quickly." He looks the party over, fixing on Zenithral. "You're the one, right?" He chuckles darkly. "Well, he never said what you were to him, but now the resemblance is obvious. Not really surprising, I guess. Not in this line of work."

The man straightens up another few inches. "Well, on to business! Talking is only half my job, after all. He says, 'Boy. I have the druid woman, and I will give her back safely when you do as I say.' Something along those lines anyway."

He cracks his neck with a loud pop. "So? Do you agree to his terms, or will you make me earn the other half of my pay?"

Hit dice

HP:61/90

Ug hp 94/124

Amidst some clean-up and medical care, Zenithral addressed the group. "I was always told to plan for the worst and hope for the best. The worst is Halla is dead, but I find that unlikely. More likely is Halla has been taken hostage by Erestor and we'll have to do whatever he says in order to get her back safely. Kuldahar needs her...however brash she may be. We've saved her in the past, and she's saved us. Let's continue to return the favor...and find out what else is going on in this lost city. It may hold the key to ending this war we're waging. Don't let the sights distract you. Take note, but stay alert."...

"Indeed, my strong man," Zenithral says, not the least bit surprised. "That's the current plan. As you may know, though, plans may change. We'll certainly play along for now, of course, and who knows? Maybe his requests will be reasonable enough and we'll both go our merry ways!"

79/79 HP + 13 THP

"Clever boy." The man nods with a grin. It looks as though he's missing a few teeth. "First thing is for your friends to go back to your airship. You go on alone, with him. Then I give the girl back to your friends and go on my way. My merry way." He winks at Zen.

Alalla rolls her eye with a scoff. "Now that's just ridiculous. The only reason we came is because Erestor needs Zenithral's help. Honestly," she exclaims, leaning lazily on her glaive. "How arrogant can you be? Asking for a favour and then trying to set the terms as well!" Al shakes her head with an irritated tsk. "If I were you, Zenithral, I'd tell Erestor to try a little harder to get on your good side, or else we should just go home. All we've lost is time." She shrugs. "But he's not my crazy dad. Your call."

Coughing to cover the casting of minor Illusion, Fergy creates a likeness of the strongman behind the real strongman. Fergy chooses to make the Illusion pose in several unflattering ways. In one he has an extra dumb look on his face and a finger up his nose. In another there's a fly on his cheek and he punches it instead of swatting, then the rest of his remaining teeth fall out. Yet another shows him overly scared of a little cute bunny and soiling his pants.

.

The big man grins as Zenithral steps forward. He looks at the others. "Well, go on back to that ship of yours, and we'll send the woman along."

He waves Zenithral towards the drawbridge.

"Send her along?" Al's eye narrows. "She can be contrary. She'll need an escort or I doubt she'll end up where she ought to be."

The man's tongue flooded through a gap in his teeth. "Aye, she'll have an escort. Can't walk too well in the state she's in. Now. Go on."

Al nods, then turns with a swirl of her white cloak and heads back to the ship.

The party leaves Zenithral at the gatehouse and goes back to the airship. When the others are out of earshot the large man laughs and claps Zenithral on the shoulder. It's a rough gesture, but not insultingly so. "For a minute there I thought we might have a fight on our hands. It wouldn't have gone so well for your friends."

A moment later a rope dangles in midair before the gatehouse, near where the companions had been standing, and Erestor appears at the top. He slides down the rope with elven grace and lands without a sound. He checks the sword and dagger at his belt, then draws his dark cloak about him and brushes past Zenithral without even sparing him a glance. "Come, boy. The more swiftly we handle this, the better for all of us."

He starts toward the drawbridge, Zenithral in tow. The bridge is currently lowered, its thick wood spanning the gap over a ditch that might have once held water, but is now barren. Blackened stumps are all that remain of trees that once stood here. Littering the ground before the bridge are bones of all sorts. Most are humanoid, some thin and willowy, and others much thicker. There are beast bones as well, scattered among the mess.

Erestor holds up a hand to halt Zenithral, then pulls a bag from his belt. He upends it, dumping a live squirrel to the ground. It looks about, confused, until Erestor stomps the ground near it with his boot. It scampers towards the drawbridge.

A gaunt, robed figure appears on a balcony overlooking the drawbridge. Despite the winter breeze, its clothes do not appear to shift at all. The figure glares down imperiously at the squirrel, which freezes in place.

"A dwarf dares to set foot here?" The words are Elvish, but the voice is dry and rasping. "Have you come to push the dagger further into our backs? Speak for yourself!"

The squirrel blinks and cocks its head.

Enraged, the figure throws up its hands, revealing shriveled flesh. "Do you deny the destruction wrought by your treacherous kind?"

The squirrel's tail twitches, but it does not respond.

"I will not tolerate your filthy presence here anymore!" The figure weaves its hands and calls out arcane words of power. An orb of fire streaks out towards the squirrel. It turns to run, but the the ball blossoms into a flaming conflagration that nearly reaches Zenithral and Erestor from where they watch. When the fires die, only blackened squirrel bones remain.

"Wretched creature..." The figure vanishes.

Erestor waves for Zenithral to step forward, then falls into step beside him. Together they step onto the planks of the bridge.

This time Zenithral sees the figure appear up in the balcony. Reality seems to warp as it steps into place. He feels the figure's gaze on him, and then it speaks. "Who has come to our door in this time of trouble? Be you friend or foe?"

Erestor raises an eyebrow at Zenithral, waiting for him to speak.

By the time the party arrives back at the airship, the shadows have gone long with the sun creeping below the ridges surrounding the valley. They do not have long to wait, however, before the armored man approaches, Halla tossed over one shoulder.

He stops before the ship. "Well. Here she is! A little battered, but nothing she won't recover from. Feisty. Is someone coming down to get her, or shall I bring her up?"

"Stay where you are." Alalla descends and takes the druid from him. "On your way then. Merrily, was it?"

He cheerfully hands over the druid. Alalla notices that though she has various bruises and scrapes, none of them seem life-threatening.

The man flashes his gap-toothed smile. "Say, that's a nice glaive you've got there. A warrior is only as good as his - or her - weapon. Take mine, for instance." In an instant he whips his sword from its scabbard and it bursts into white-hot flame! Time seems to freeze for Alalla as she watches the tip flash towards her... and she knows she has to choose: drop the druid, or defend herself while encumbered.

Alalla rolls Halla through the snow towards the ship without hesitation.

"Erevain, watch her!" she shouts as she takes on the large man.

Alalla gives her all, but the man's heavy armour prevents most of her hits from getting through. Still, he could be hit.

Dude takes 15 damage and must make a wisdom save or be afraid of Al.

HP: 108/115 + 15 THP
AC:19