Word is spreading – one of the White Sisters is traveling to the Town of Torvinnan for a family that has kept watch at a shrine in Torrelsons Ford to Aerna from the old days and is seeking aid for a dying young child. The youngest of the two sisters rode with a wagon, medicines, and a couple of volunteers. Their groomsman has just returned with a report of being attacked. Word is spreading like wildfire through Torrelsons Ford. It’s not tough to see that your group will at least be one of the bands in the running to go after the bandits and rescue the White Sister. You follow the activity to the base of the north ridge, at the town’s east side. A large crowd is gathered, and you can see the standard of the Lightbringers high in the air, and move towards it.
Carefully at first, you push your way through the crowd. There is a litter and a man laying on it. He is covered in sweat – probably a fever. His left arm is at an unnatural angle, it’s for sure he will never use it again, and it may have to come off. The Dame Mother is pressed by the crowd all about her, and pushed into the mud as you make to take to her. She stands in angered fervor and says something that is followed by a loud clap of thunder and a shaft of bright golden light encircling her. Panicked screams clear the crowd for a moment, and the watch is able to secure the area with your help. The man’s face looks to be at peace – the Lightbringer magic must have taken care of it. The Dame Mother looks at you; “Well, you are consistently well prepared and on the spot at least. Of course this wretch picks the time of the day when my normal protectors are in cloistered prayer, so I’m here alone. I’ve gotten everything out of him, and we will bring him back to where we are staying. I’m asking you, as a favor, to pursue this. We need answers for this audacious and ill-thought act. I know, I know… reward. Of course we have coins, but perhaps the gratitude of my order, or at least myself, is worth more than that. What do you say?”
If yes:
It happened over two and a half days ago
Bandits hit the wagon, but the details sounds more like the work of professionals
The groomsman was left for dead, and was woken by a bout of cold rain
He stumbled back to town, to report what he knows
He overheard one of them called Dusty
He remembers one of them saying “there is no honor in his death!”
They provided healing to get rid of the infection, but the arm has already begun to set
It was on the final spur to the hamlet of Mofath, in White Garden, about 7 hours journey
The family is waiting on the help – if the sister can be rescued, she must be immediately taken to the town of Rumsfeld near the hamlet
Lucky says he might be able to put the PCs in touch with someone who can say where they are (he knows himself – he has spread rumors of three different locations)
One location is north (few use the road)
One location is the moorswood (perfect place to hide – no one goes there!)
One location is Yarrans Vale (wide open, hard to find but big group is easily seen) = true
Seen draken walking away from meeting them on the docks (INT check to know/remember)
Draken Valdaer, a merchant from the Stormfront Fastness, has come in for his last major run of the year for drink, cloth, and the finest rope and whale blubber and tallow. He has an old wide ex-military vessel he bought and refitted and has made a living since with his crew – loyal to him. Rumors are that he is also a privateer. Lucky and him like each other but there is rivalry. He only comes once a year to ensure they keep it amicable.
Seen with ____ (mayor sisters husband)
He bought the Red River Marksmen’s larder animals – 4 mules, 2 carts, chickens, goats
He sold them a few Thyrod Seeds from the southern grasslands – boosts a wizard’s power but drains mental stability and constitution.. Permanently if used often enough.
They were asking about Shieldcap Mushrooms, but he has none
CONCLUSION: It was the Red River Marksman… (see “Marksmen Info“)
Your gear is swiftly put together and you ride as fast as possible in what’s left of the day. The weather is, as it always is lately, cold and wet. You push your horses to get to the approximation of where the ambush took place before dark.
Tracking for overland
History to use the road
The actual discovery is easy to a trained eye. In the fading light, you find a log used to stop the wagon has been dragged off the road and hidden. There are many boots, horses and signs of violence. It looked like it happened swiftly – there was no chase. The carcass of a horse and the driver has been buried hundreds of feet away, but scavengers have dug it up partially and carrion birds are not far.
There is a lily carved into white bark on the ground.
There is part of a torn piece of cloth with blood on it
The burial was rushed, but done by an experienced woodsman
It looks like at least 3 horses and a footman were involved – the horses are well shod, these are no ordinary bandits!
You set off at first light, after another cold night on the road. The rain is starting to make it difficult, as a particularly nasty torrent started in the night. About three hours west of the scene of the abduction you see a hill in the distance, about a half mile away. It looks like multiple slides have eroded its sides over the ages. It is overgrown and bumpy on top
There are ruins on the west side, partly collapsed in a landslide and totally overgrown.
The area seems to be teaming with birds and critters as normal – they only quiet at your approach
A creek runs north-south on the east end of the hill, nearest to you.
The area is sparsely wooded, plenty of cover for an ambush
Tracks continue to present themselves in a dry creek bed running east-west
The hill is very overgrown but still commands a far view. If there was once a road up it, that would have collapsed long ago. The western edge is one big landslide that took part of the small fortification with it, gods know how many ages ago. There is no good approach to it, its sparsely wooded around it, providing good cover. You convene at the east side, back beyond the dry creek bed intersects the creek running perpendicular to it and where the obscured tracks keep going.
There is no name for this creek, not being near any inhabitants.
Their initial contact coming out of the Riverdans gave them an introduction to the Tolman’s Guides (trade war) group in town. They were not ready to immediately hire them for fear of escalation. And the troupe was too grimey for the Baron’s captain. They have been slowly running out of money, and are getting desperate. They were hired to be at the sack of Autumnade, but were late – just in time to hear that the PCs and the forces from Lilymarch ended the sacking of the village. They slunk off, running out of food and options, but were seen in the countryside. Now, they are resorting to truly desperate measures and the warriors are getting angry and violent in town. One of their members insulted the Baron in a tavern and it made its way back to the baron. Now they will not get hired at all, and so have to make truly desperate plans. Thinking they are going to get hired by Gwinn (an enemy of the locals) afterward, they decide to kidnap a White Sister and plan to flee to Loamwold and take a boat to Tarmysia. This is the plan Frank and Dusty tell their men, but they have other plans.
> What can be discovered:
Frank and Dusty (2 brothers who founded it – rangers – from Vale Evander) are hired by the powers of the Twin Rivers (shadow council) to attack and do damage in the name of the League of the White Lily. They are planning on letting their team get killed, leaving only themselves alive and selling the information (they will sign a confession) in order to frame the league – and Josie!
Motivations: What does the character hope to achieve?
> Aversion(s) > What do they hope to avoid or will not do?