Romance of the Perilous Land - Session 05

14th October 2021

It's a Thursday and we're at Simon's. It's time for the next episode of Matt's Romance of the Perilous Land campaign.

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​Location: The Pits

Yelling loudly, the company had raucously charged into the fray, weapons swinging: They had earlier found themselves within the confines of the tall stone walls that ringed Hykaria’s gladiatorial pits during illicit midnight combats and gambling. Infiltrating the rambunctious betting crowd, they were content to observe the situation for a time.
But matters had changed. 

The objective of their task; the disguised woman ‘Georgina’ had been dragged through a door and into one of the pits. She was nervously eying her surroundings when moments later, the opposite door slid open, a pair of bugbears came lumbering out of the darkness beyond and were released on her. With no time to lose the company realised, they gripped weapons and advanced on the pit while the hollering crowd reeled back at this sudden show of force The company pushed through and slid into it.
Hobard and Titus closed on the bugbears, the monstrous creatures with their strange snarling visages rounded on the pair, muscle squirmed beneath filthy matted fur as they lunged in response.
Above, a thunderous cheer issued forth from the baying crowd as the combatants met.

While battle was joined; Trefor had other ideas, as blows were exchanged he sidled up to the pit wall, slipping round the fight he unstoppered a small darkly coloured vial which he had pulled from the folds of his robe, downed it and grasped ‘George’.
The concoction had been a potion of flight: With unearthly movement, Trefor sped upwards becoming a murky shadow against the night’s starry patterns while gripping Georgina who gave a gasp of terror and struggled, limbs flaying erratically. Despite this protestation, Trefor steadfastly kept his grip on her as the others watched the pair move smoothly beyond the looming walls of the arena, swallowed by enveloping gloom.

Fighting continued, Titus had felled a bugbear to the mob’s approval while Garfield looked for a way out, as well as a manner to distract the mob.
Uttering an enchantment, a spell issued from Garfield, a number of the patrons were knocked into the pit! They sprawled across the hay and dirt covered floor, writhing in fear.
More blows were exchanged and soon Titus had dispatched the other monster, the yelling intensified. Titus was jubilant, raising fists to the glittering velvet-black sky while roaring his victorious demand for a prize. Coins rained, Titus went scrabbling for his reward.

Despite their martial success, Titus, Hobart and Garfield knew that their appearance would have raised suspicion, no doubt someone had gone yelling to the guard and they would soon come running.
The trio beat a hasty retreat, retreading the empty corridors with their sets of doors, into the windowless, dark study, down through glum unlit tunnels and on to the dim city streets licked by crimson light. Behind the silhouetted eastern skyline a thin rosy golden nimbus announced the arrival of dawn.

If any resident of Hykaria had been prowling those silent streets in the small hours, few would have thought of looking skyward. Thus it was that Trefor with Georgina in tow had passed over the lonely broad avenues of the city unseen. His robes fluttered slowly as the paved road rose up to meet his landing. Although still wide-eyed, Georgina had regained her wits, realising that Trefor was one to be trusted.
From there, he led her in a roundabout way through the latticework of shady alleys and backstreets that criss-crossed Hykaria to Joan’s safehouse and waited for his companions.
Elated greetings were exchanged by the reunited Joan and Georgina. For a while they spoke energetically until the exhausted Georgina retired.

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​Short was Trefor’s wait fortunately, long morning shadows had begun to span the morning streets when the other trio regrouped at the safehouse.
Before the company could consider celebration, Joan appeared, telling them that their help was still needed - and without delay!

The company was to join one Prince Dinadan at some village called Spindleton. Then they would search for ‘the artefact’, some mysterious, possibly magical contraption. Joan then told them, it was suspected that it was in the possession of a dragon!