The party's rescue mission began as they arrived in Riverend, having just cast a teleportation spell. Their landing point was a deserted inn, prompting quick action. Keira was dispatched to scout the surrounding area, while Bartimaeus and Amelia ventured into the empty cellars.
Keira's rooftop reconnaissance brought unsettling news of Soldiers and Ogres, all bearing the ominous black banner of Redmond. She also noted the conspicuous absence of townsfolk in the city. Eager to press on, the party cautiously moved from house to house, eventually spotting a lone soldier walking down the road.
The Interrogation and Confrontation
Amelia took it upon herself to subdue the soldier, ensuring he remained securely bound. The soldier, identified as Mark, turned out to be an ordinary soldier who revealed important information. He shared that Lord William Karlstain was held captive in his mansion by Lord Ivon Eisenhorn, a Redmond leader, while awaiting the arrival of Baron Rocks of Redmond.
Swiftly, the party devised a plan to don Mark's armor as a disguise while using a disguise self spell to further blend in. This approach worked reasonably well until they encountered a pair of High Guards who subjected them to questioning. Skillfully presenting false evidence, the party managed to pass, only for the High Guards to meet a grim fate at the hands of a mysterious black sword that came flying.
The wielder of the sword, a hooded figure armed with two identical black swords and clad in silver armor, was identified as a Silver Dominion Paladin. He had already dispatched countless Redmond soldiers, leading to a perilous confrontation. The hooded figure seemed otherworldly at times, his armor emitting smoky tendrils. Eventually, he revealed wings and made a furious charge towards Varis during the intense battle.
The struggle was grueling, but as the party's disguises began to unravel, the angelic hooded figure attempted an escape using a teleportation scroll. Quick thinking from Varis led to a counterspell, preventing the escape. Fueled by anger, the Angel persisted in the fight, only to be eventually defeated. In a radiant display, he transformed into light and ascended to the heavens, leaving behind no trace except for two ethereal Divine Feathers.
A Clever Ruse
The group advanced deeper into the heart of Riverend, navigating their way to the heavily guarded Karlstain estate. In a strategic move, Amelia took on the role of diversion, allowing her companions to stealthily infiltrate the estate. She burst into the camp in her formidable beast form, creating chaos and drawing the attention of the guards. In due course, the party managed to breach the estate's defenses and were met by a group of knights, as well as Lord Ivon Eisenhorn. A battle ensued, which, in comparison to their previous encounter with the Angel, proved to be less challenging. Varis used his powers to freeze the knights in their tracks using a Frostbite Gemstone.
Amid the ongoing battle, a mysterious noise emanated from an adjacent room. Varis ventured inside and discovered that a Dragonborn and a woman were stepping into a teleportation circle. The Dragonborn was no stranger to Varis; he recognized him as Tyranoth Redgast, the commander of the 13th Company and a secret traitor to the church. Varis referring to him as a Librarian.
After the Dragonborn and the woman had departed, Varis rejoined his party. They had successfully defeated Lord Eisenhorn but chose to spare his life. During a brief discussion, it was revealed that Karlstein had formed an brief alliance with Redmond and had ordered his people to relocate to south to the capital of Rivermond. This turn of events was a clever ruse intended to mislead the forces of the Silver Dominion.
Eventually, the party and Lord Eisenhorn realized they were actually on the same side in the fight against the Silver Dominion. They decided to unite against the common enemy at a future date. With that agreement in place, Lord Eisenhorn departed with his troops, leaving Varis and his party, now known as the Travellers, in possession of an entire, vacant town, at least until the Silver Dominion made their inevitable appearance.
The Rufus Encounter
After finding shelter at the Lord's manor, the group began searching nearby buildings for supplies and intriguing items. Amelia scoured a few houses and salvaged some abandoned rations. Meanwhile, Bartimaeus ventured out to locate Archibald, who had been exploring the city. He eventually returned, having been called back by the group.
Amelia stumbled upon a pillaged magic shop, where she uncovered parchments and scrolls, including a valuable Scroll of Scrying. In the shop, she also spotted a hidden door behind a shelf, along with a note that read, "Rufus is watching my stuff." She pushed the shelf aside and forced her way through the door, revealing a storage room.
Inside, she rummaged through chests and discovered a trove of healing potions. However, as she attempted to lockpick the second chest, it unexpectedly transformed into a mimic, which clamped its mouth onto Amelia's hand. She hesitated, briefly contemplating keeping the mimic as a curiosity but ultimately decided to attack it to free her hand. Shifting into her beast form, she used ropes to restrain the mimic's chest form, then dragged it outside where Bartimaeus was waiting.
Varis and Reyanne arrived, witnessing Amelia's unusual encounter. She decided to test what the mimic would consume by offering it a corpse and a magical potion. The mimic devoured both items and lashed out at Amelia once more, this time latching onto her head. Kiera arrived and promptly attacked the mimic, while Varis fired his ranged attacks at it. The mimic spat out Amelia's head and disgorged various debris, including a leather bag it had previously ingested, before succumbing to its injuries. Varis was given the leather bag, which contained three concealed scrolls: Scroll of Radiant Protection, Scroll of Frost Nova, and Scroll of Trebuchet Strike.
The party gathered their belongings and decided to assemble a makeshift wagon from the remnants of other destroyed wagons and carts. Just in the nick of time, they left the city of Riverend upon hearing the distant horns of an approaching force on the opposite side of the city. The group headed south toward the Riverwoods to evade detection by the Church, avoiding the main roads.