The Chapters and Cast of the Ballad
Caravan delivered safely to its destination;
The band turned its attention elswhere;
Though before they could get much libation;
Of an Enclave request the paladin was made aware.
Plans were made to reconnect down the road;
As Talindra left to see what the message entailed;
As the others planned to follow as the river flowed;
And make way to where Summit Hall hailed.
Though first they took in the market of Triboar;
Seeing if anything of magic or worth could be had;
Aengus purchased a blank spellbook and more;
While a find of healing potions made Marle glad.
Vague rumors of giants in the north;
Did not distract them from their plans;
Along the Evermoor Way to Yartar forth;
They made their way over the lands.
The market in Yartar was in someways more bare;
With no scrolls and only a scant few potions;
But in the among the stalls where merchants lair;
A pair of dark-sighted goggles tickled Fennle's notions.
Lohn took time to visit burned out wreck;
Of the locksmith's old shop standing apart;
Whence the cultists had brought in check;
And slaying the owner of Lohn's heart.
A visit to lonely cemetary came then;
As duergar laid flowers upon lover's bier;
With Elivia and Marle in the grave glen;
To provide support for the rogue's tear.
Then party, wagon, loot and all;
Hired a barge to travel south by river;
Eyes ready for the river pirates to call;
Two days and half they made without shiver.
The unlikely lack of pirate attack;
Worried the heroes as paths were decided;
Over the easy path they decided to track;
Since Talindra's scouting to the north bided.
It was as the path was by the main road humbled;
That the cults made their displeasure known;
The ground under their feet and horses rumbled;
Until the source of the trouble was shown.
Three great beasts with human riders atop;
With skin like stone and eyes like coal;
Burst out of the ground like a vicious crop;
Maws open wide to gnash and gnaw upon soul.
Marle reacted to give one beast a slight sting;
And then the beast caught her in its jaws;
The blood flowed from the tiefling like a spring;
Leaving red skin paled to pink by this cause.
The second rider erupted out of position;
So hurled a javelin at Aengus in the rear;
The tip in his skin creating a minor fission;
Before he and mount moved to be near.
Fennle quickly applied poison to her spear;
Before leaping toward the beast they all cursed;
To bring aid and succor to the bard here;
Though the stone-like hide would simply not burst.
Lohn fell back away with steps soft and light;
Using their gauntlets to take an awkward shot;
And then seeking away to greater height;
Not wanting to be on the ground for this lot.
Aengus moved onto a tall rock;
Posioning a bolt for his crossbow;
Setting the bolt back against the lock;
And waiting for an opening below.
Elivia called out a word of holy succor;
To repair some of the bard's hurt;
Before calling down a ball of fiery horror;
Upon the land and beasts most curt.
The third of these beasts burst out of the ground;
Into an inferno spawned by Mystra's fire;
Seared by the unexpected blaze they found;
And javelin lost to the holy pyre.
Marle dodged and darted out of the way;
Before Flitting up into the sky;
And now that from the battle she was astray;
Took the time to drink a potion dry.
The bulette and rider turned their eyes;
Toward the dextrous human Sun Soul;
whose spear dripped in a poison guise;
And the rider's own spear took a toll.
The second beast charged forward;
Until a rogue's poisoned dart struck;
And his mount seized in great pain;
Drawing back on reins at this luck.
The rider glared at Aengus upon his rock;
And pointed with his spear;
Promising a memory which he would lock;
And then burrowed into rock sheer.
Lohn took a parting shot at the fleeing burrowshark;
Striking deep with a loosed arrow;
Just before the bulette and rider vanished into the dark;
Hopefully to make of the earth a barrow.
Aengus poisoned another bolt;
And took aim again at another beast;
Biding his time to strike like a jolt;
And end their hope for monstrous feast.
With a cry to the heavens above;
Elivia called down an angelic host;
Their enemies to slice and shove;
And asked "will it blend?" in boast.
The burrowshark and rider pushed through;
Sliced by the blades of the summoned guards;
Upon the cleric the beast sought to chew;
Though again it was rider's spear that held the cards.
The tiefling swept lower with a power cord;
Slashing Shandrilar's Song in a thundrous wave;
That broke the beast and rider's physical accord;
Scattering them across the field so grave.
The bard gave a flourish toward Fennle;
As the angelic host tore at their foes;
And the one standing bulette was not gentle;
As it's jaws added to the monk's woes.
This time the monk's dragon spear struck firm;
Guided by the tiefling's sword song;
Leaving the great beast feeling infirm;
And bringing fear that they would not last long.
The monk took one last action to take;
To cut her own hand on the poison blade;
Trusting the magic of her robe to slake;
The posion fire into temporary aid.
The rogus with their bows took aim upon;
Their enemies with poison and precision;
Cutting the number of bulettes to one;
Leaving a mountless rider with frantic decision.
Elivia stepped forward, angelic guardians following;
Catching all enemies in their press;
As she flicked her necromancer's wand firing;
To strike the last beast with speed express.
The mountless rider hefted spear and charged;
Grunting and crying as celestial blade slashed;
And twitching as poison through his body surged;
Delivered when the monk's sentinel strike dashed.
Still standing the rider made three attacks;
But found no purchase as angels grabbed his arms;
And plate armor deflected his point off tracks;
Failing to add to the priestess's existing harms.
The tiefling swooped back in to sing;
A healing song upon Elivia's cuts;
Sealing them all into nothing;
And hiding under skin her guts.
Angels cut into the remaining burrowshark;
As he stabbed at the monk most bold;
Savaging the phantom health she did mark;
But the Celebrant's Robe did hold.
Spear lashed out again, striking deep;
Poison surging into the beast's heart;
And sending it to a permanent sleep;
From its rider to finally part.
With the rider's left one fell to monk's strike;
While arrows and bolts slayed the last;
Leaving the field to the heroes' pike;
As the Earth cultists were left to the sky vast.
One bulette was cut and skinned for hide;
While second was hefted into the cart;
To make for where Summit Hill lied;
And for Emris' armor to serve as part.
They learned from the Lady of the Hall;
That fire walked in eastern hills;
Burning homesteads and working to maul;
The knights feared for when beyond this spills.
In the Samular archives Marle found tale;
Of the Knights of Silver Horn from ancient time;
A band of heroes that faced this same gale;
And set four keeps to guard against this crime.
Two such keeps they had already found;
A third had been told of by Wave's recruiter;
Now to the fourth revealed they were bound;
To Scarlet Moon Hall holding flaming looter.
Epiphany reached the heroes' minds;
And plans were made to create a ford;
Planning to change how the river winds;
By using Mystra's holy power in Elivia stored.
Then Samular Knights would engage the foes;
While the party sought the fire's keep;
To sear closed the wound with sharp blows;
And thus cease the Eternal Flames' martial creep.
Lohn's rage and anger were honed;
Bringing the technician to turn to skills of war;
As Aengus studied in tomes arcane toned;
To add to his arsenal a wizard's lore.
Marle dug deep into her infernal form;
To become more resilient to earthly woes;
As Fennle found within a storm;
Of determination to stop their foes.
Elivia for her part sought greater commune;
With the goddess of Faerun's magic Weave;
While to the north Talindra traveled under moon;
From battle with orcs she now did leave.
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