3.2 OPERATION - Procure Object of Power

Deep Dive

![[Paragon - 3.2 OPERATION - Procure Object of Power.wav]]

Agent Designation: PARAGON
Operation Date: May 12, 2023
Operation Location: Deserted Watchpost
Operation Status: Completed (Success)
Authenticate: Papa Oscar Oscar Papa

Contacts of Interest:

Freya Olatur: Sorcerer of some description. Adept with arcane magic as well as some curative magic on occasion. Retreats into locket when gravely injured/in danger.

Wesson: Confident, if not overly so. Wields two weapons, one in each hand, that seem to be able to launch projectiles at lightning-fast speeds with a thunderous crack. Devastatingly accurate. Also seems to exhibit trap-finding skills. In addition, he is extremely crafty.

Zorak: Enthusiastic, maybe even foolhardy at times. Cleric with great healing skill. Even better if they can stay alive themselves.

Begin Operation Log

I rendezvous with the party from before once again. This time we get horses to travel with if not for anything other than to help haul back our findings.
 
After the first day's travel, we make camp. I observe the surroundings to find anything threatening and am unable to find anything of worry. During the first watch, Zorak sees goblins threatening our location. He wakes us up and we quickly dispatch our opposition without issue.
 
The second day's travel goes by easily enough. We happened upon the same area in which we were ambushed previously, so we decide to take a wide berth around to be safe. Tonight's watch goes by uneventfully.
 
On the third day we encounter the end of a random tussle along the path on which we were traveling. It appears there was a fight between perhaps some bandits and a merchant family, not sure. Wesson quickly susses out who was at fault and ends them while allowing the other party to go, albeit with their companions already having perished. I help dig a makeshift grave into which we help to bury the deceased. Zorak honors them with a quick prayer, and we send the gentleman on his way. He takes his cart and resumes his trek, weeping.
 
Eventually we find the deserted watchpost as rumored. It is no longer deserted however. It is teeming with guards patrolling along the path and the wooden fortress wall. We quickly scout the area and come up with a plan to take out the most obvious guards first, which almost goes off without a hitch. In any case, we dispatched them quickly enough. We make our way up to the base of the hill, atop which sits the fortress itself. Wesson crafts a bit of a firebomb with the aid of some alcohol I had in my alchemy supply kit. He lofts it to the wall, causing it to start burning. The smoke is enough to send some guards fleeing and help to conceal our movement up to and over the wall.
 
Once inside the premises, we take out the few guards we can see without much issue and start to head further into the complex. The first pair of doors leads us into a courtyard area where another guard was stationed in front of another pair of doors. They were taken care of easily. As I approached the right-side door, I failed to spot a spiked pit trap, into which I fell. I was luckily able to use my training as a Blood Hunter and agent to nullify the injuries I might have otherwise sustained. After a bit of a struggle, I'm able to lift myself out of the pitfall.
 
Opening the door reveals our primary target, Galvar, sitting at a table with two acolyte companions. They are clearly ready for a fight, to which we oblige them. Galvar was extremely agile, able to make several punches before we were able to get in more attacks. His acolytes focused on protecting and healing him. After a good struggle, during which I was knocked unconscious, we were able to best them. We took care of Galvar and one of his acolytes. The other is smart enough to have surrendered. Wesson ties him up and we take him, along with the artifact and other loot of interest, back to Urithiru.
 
Our mission contact Abbendis is happy to see us. We present him with the powerful artifact we found, along with the acolyte. He is to do with him what he wishes. Abbendis is, however, saddened that he had to lose his brother, but we did what had to be done.

End Operation Log

Private Notes

• We rent horses for about a week. It'll cost a total of 1260c. 3g 1s 5c per person.
• We begin our journey toward the Deserted Watchpost on this moderately rainy day.
• We make camp. While doing so, Paragon looks for tracks of creatures that may be fey, fiend or undead. He doesn't find any.
• During the first watch, Zorak sees some goblins heading our way. They fire arrows at him. INITIATIVE!!!
  • Two goblins and a hobgoblin come out to play.
  • Once we started fighting back, they started running. None of them made it out alive.
  • Combat over.
• TROTNGBU.
• The rain has gone, but still cloudy.
• We continue our trek. We find a familiar area, which is where we were ambushed before. We decide to make a wide berth around the area. We make it past the area just fine and make camp.
• TNGBU.
• It's a nice day. The gentle wind has died to nothing, and it's nice weather otherwise.
• Toward the end of our first march, we hear some sounds of combat around a bend in the road up ahead. No signs of fey, fiends or undead. We tie up the horses and head into the wooded areas to (hopefully) stealthily find our way to the source of the sounds.
• Paragon takes the front line. Sounds like a couple people fighting. There's a cart with bodies around it. The two fighters see Paragon. They stop fighting each other and push off each other, weapons still drawn pointed towards each other. Paragon asks what's going on. They both say the other attacked them first. Paragon warns them they need to separate themselves so we can figure out what's going on, and that he's got more folks with him. He wasn't as intimidating as he thought he was. He leaves it to the rest of the party to sus things out. One of the (still dying) people on the ground says they were foraging for goods when they were attacked, then succumbs to his wounds. Wesson instructs them to drop their weapons after having cocked his guns. As Wesson investigates, he finds that three of the dead person's clothes have red squares of cloth sewn into their front-left pockets. He also finds that the one of the two who were fighting who quickly laid down their weapon had one as well. Wesson unties him, but before Wesson could do anything he stabs the other to death. The guy runs off a few feet away and drops to his knees, sobbing. Wesson does his best to comfort him while Paragon digs the deceased a grave. After an hour or so, we part ways. The guy lets us keep the loot as he has already lost that which was most precious to him. He takes his horse and cart and heads back to town.
• We continue our journey.
• Along the way, suddenly the trees seem to end. We duck into the trees so as not to expose ourselves in a large clearing. Up ahead is a small hill dominated by a surrounding wall. We can see the path continues forward, but the outpost overlooks it. We see a small stone keep, roughly square shaped with few windows along the top overlooking the clearing. We can also see movement along the newly constructed wooden wall and along the freshly cleared path.
• We converse about how to approach the situation. We decide quickly to spread out and monitor the goings-on to check for patterns of movement and whatnot. There's a heavier presence toward the front. We see between two to five visibile patrols in that area. There are two total patrols on the wall. The patrols are not regular. Not intentionally so, just not professionally patrolled.
• We decide to take two to a side to try to stealthily take out the patrolling guards atop the wall. Zorak and Paragon both miss their shots. Freya Olatur misses hers, but Wesson strikes true, taking him out.
• Paragon now fires his next shot, making connection with him but the arrow bounces harmlessly off his armor. This alerts the guard, who cries out in alarm. This sends one of the other bandit guards on the wall heading our direction. Paragon fires another shot, missing once again. Zorak takes out the guy on the wall. It's pretty well on, now. INITIATIVE!!
  • We successfully take care of all the visible guards on our side of the fortress. Combat over.
• Paragon lends Wesson some of the alcohol found in his alchemist's supplies. Wesson makes a bit of a firebomb which he uses to set the wall burning to send the guards off to one side of the wall, which seems to work. The guards on the opposite wall and the guard standing at the door don't move.
• We move to the right side of the fortress and begin climbing up the hill toward the fortress wall.
• With Wesson's assistance, we are easily able to make it on top of the wall.
• After climbing up, we see a few more guards patrolling the area around the door and the wall. Freya Olatur begins by firing her magic at the guy at the door. INITIATIVE!!!
  • We easily take care of them. Combat over.
• We venture up to the double doors. They're locked, but not trapped. Wesson unlocks them. Paragon opens one of them, revealing another courtyard.
• A robed monkish figure matching the description provided to us by Abbendis stands up. Galvar says "Disappointing. I hoped I had more time." His companions cast some kind of magic at the same time. INITIATIVE!!!
  • These guys aren't messing around. Galvar is a hearty guy, nearly taking down Paragon in the first round of combat. Zorak heals Paragon, just before Paragon gets crit with an unarmed strike.
  • Paragon does go down during the fight, but Freya Olatur brings him back up quickly.
  • Wesson takes down Galvar. The two acolytes are warned to surrender or die. One surrenders and the other takes off running, not heeding the warning. He has a quick death. We take the other with us.
  • Combat over.
• We find an intricate wrist guard on Galvar's right hand. It has extremely fine, tiny engravings. They're hard to make out a singular image, but it's quite unique. We remove it from his wrist and take it with us.
• We head back to town on our horses.
• We take the acolyte we bound to Abbendis, as well as Galvar's body. Wesson hands in the powerful artifact at the same time. Abbendis is happy that we've been able to recover the artifact, though he's not entirely happy as he's lost his brother.
• We divvy up the loot and split the coinage.

2100c
1050s
70g
shortsword x6
spear x6
chain shirt x6
shield x6
scimitar x5
light crossbow x5
leather armor x5
7 gems worth 10g each
potion of climbing
spell scroll of fog cloud
spell scroll of earth tremor

Quest Item:
ancient wristband of power