Five Leagues from the Borderlands Ecthel Coast Campaign: Turns 13-16

The party sets out for Wayfell, but is almost immediately ambushed by a roving band of Gnawlings! Leaderless, the silver-streaked ratmen fight without tactics, but with immense ferocity.   

The ruins of the Elven stronghold, silent before the battle

The horde streaks towards the main body of the party!

Our heroes' missile fire is largely ineffective, allowing the rats to get close en masse. 

Ocirne approaches the Unknown Enemy...

...and reveals two more ratmen!

Alcuin is caught out alone on the flank. His bastard sword sings and smacks, and he is left wounded but surrounded by a pile of rat corpses. Benzan Hill is wounded twice; when Ocirne jumps in front of him to intervene, he takes what appears to be a mortal blow and falls, stricken! 

Alcuin's Pest Control

On the left a small band of rats burst from the trees and jump Diane and Cordelia. A sling bullet sings over Cordelia's shoulder and downs one of the Horde, while Diane is able to drop one with her bow, and a second with her blade. 

The party's archers and slingers are flanked, but they prevail!

Panting, exhausted, the party surveys the carnage. 

Only two party members escape unscathed

Holding his side, Banzan staggers tentatively to the Mystic's side. miraculously, Ocirne is unharmed! (-1 Luck) 

While looting the battlefield, the party finds a pair of pristine soft boots, buried in the bottom of a filthy bag. Ocirne recognizes them as magical Boots of the Thief! (a roll of Vital Information results in a subsequent Quest Find roll of a magical item. Boots of the Thief: The boots may be activated as a Use Action. The character immediately escapes from battle unharmed. If the character retreats (through any method), they never have to roll on the Flight in the Dark Table. Useful!) 

They also find an unconscious captive, a Pilgrim called Dasyi Payne, who was waylaid on her way to Lighthaven.  The party agrees to detour to the monastery and take her the rest of the way. (Escort her to her destination to gain a Friend, and skip Upkeep next turn.)

Result:
5 + 2 + 1 Adventure points! w00t
2XP to all except Ocirne, who gains a single 1XP. Alcuin reaches level 3! 

The Duke's forces continue to make their presence felt - gain 1 AP  

***

That night, the stars seem to glow brighter, and faeriesong filters through the trees. They say on nights like these, the faerie folk select who they will protect. (Cordelia Wendt is blessed next battle. (+5 on Injury/Flight roll))

Upkeep: 1 Mark

In the morning, hoping that the faerie song is a sign, Ocirne searches the woods nearby for congealed strands, but finds none. 

Diane Artekos scouts the party to Lighthaven without further incident. Dasyi Payne is brought to the chapel, where she proclaimed her everlasting thanks. Alcuin sells the quick dagger at market. 

A letter from Zinseris at Lighthaven, offering congratulations on our successful work so far. 

The next day, Ocirne gets both the damaged Bastard Sword and damaged Warhammer repaired (4 Marks). The grateful smith gifts the party a fine sword. 

Upkeep costs are offset by the Chapel's generosity. They also provide a gift of One Mark (Adventure Milestone, 6 AP, rerolled at a cost of 1 Story Point). Dasyi Payne's story of her rescue gain the party 1 AP. 

Yldris visits the town Healer, bringing him closer to victory. (1 Mark) 

Wary from their ambush, the group decides to avoid the main road, and of course they get completely lost! They set up Camp, and encounter a Confusing Trickster, a fortune-teller called Francis Mistsplitter. His proclamations seem to make no sense. However, he brings another letter from Zinseris (+1 Story Point). How did he know how to find them if he was a charlatan? By the next morning, he is gone. 

Before setting out again, the party lives off the land, but Bashir Khan becomes injured while foraging. Ocirne finds a Congealed Strand, which he happily adds to his precious collection.  

Having learned their lesson, the party finds the main road to Wayfell and sticks to it. On the way, they meet a peddler named Neladrie Aldaviel. They exchange trinkets, and get along. She is now a Friend. 

Once in Wayfell, the party learns that a shipment of unguents and salves have arrived from outside the region, and the merchant, loathe to travel alone, seeks an escort to Lighthaven. After a brief conference, the group decides to take on the task of retrieving another part of Zinseris' locket, before returning to Lighthaven with the needed supplies. So the party distributes weapons and sets out once again...