Griffin Mountain: Part Eight (session four).
We join our Heroes for this session: Daranth (Hawkeyes); Grundle (N.); and Rosrolar (Strozek) in the middle of a Smilodon hunt. Olyander (Oly) was absent for part of the session.
Grundle and the Thunder Lizard's led the hunt for an hour when the tracks changed abruptly. Where previously there had been tracks for one large Smilodon, the tracks showed two smaller (females[?]) sets joining the larger one. Additionally, all three were now obviously in pursuit of two horse riders. One of the horses was badly injured because it had lost a lot of blood on the trail.
I had continuously asked the party if they wanted to push the pace of the hunt. At this point I outlined the stakes, push your pace or you may not see the riders alive. The players pushed the pace. Shortly the hunt came upon a female Smilodon eating one of the fine cavalry Horses, and the tracks showing the other Smilodon's following a single horse now carrying two riders.
I outlined at this point it was either pick up the pace again or find only grisly remains of the other Horse and riders. The group again pushed the pace even more. The Thunder Lizard hunters would match the pace. Grundle could relieve fatigue with a spell, and he used that as they ran.
Very shortly, they came the final stand of the riders. Their final horse was on the ground dying, and they had their backs to it. The two Riders, revealed as Trilus Citadel Messengers, were making a final stand against the big cats. Holding off the cats with their spears, it was obvious now that one of the Messengers was badly injured.
Grundle and Rosroler launched a missile salvo prior to Daranth's massive leaping attack versus the big, old male Smilodon. Some of the missiles hit and produced very little damage on the smaller female. Daranth's massive leaping attack was successful, and he decapitated the huge male, saber cat.
Attacked, and seeing her mate killed the smaller female turned tail and ran. This effectively saved the life of the Messengers. The Messengers now collapsed, and Olyander (as an NPC) healed the injured Messenger from Trilus. Daranth collected the Big fangs from the dead Saber cat.
The Thunder Lizard tribe opted to continue their sacred hunt of the smaller female Smilodon. Returned to consciousness the Messengers, led the group back to Trilus. Grundle led the group to Trilus successfully.
On the road the party asked various questions of the Messangers, they got very little substantial in the way of information, other than vague warnings. The messengers pressed their meager wealth on the party.
Arriving at Trilus, the party was only briefly detained at the gate, before being brought to the King of Trilus. King Yalaring monsterslayer met with the party in his throne room. Warned by Grundle, they presented the King with a Fang from the Smilodon. He was obviously delighted. He asked for a full recounting of the hunt.
Grundle complied, with a little embellishment. King Yalaring was delighted to hear the story and invited the group to a dinner in their honor. The group also inquired after Joh Mith, in the hopes that finding him may lead to finding Pay Surney and the delivery of their letter.
The King informed the party that Joh's son, Djimm Mith, was running an inn in the citadel. Likely Joh was at citadel Dykene, another six days overland. A puppet show was also performed for the King by Rosroler, the King was indifferent. His children arrived and his middle daughter was delighted at the idea of Puppets. A further show (and a skill fail by Rosroler) was still a success to the King's daughter, and the King asked for a return to conversation.
The King finally asked each person in the party their name and business in Trilus before inviting them again to his table for dinner, in their honor. (Oly, the Player was able to join us at this time). The characters retired to Djimm Mith's the Stuck Pig Inn for a bit.
At the Stuck Pig Inn the PCs were informed by Djimm Mith that the King had paid room and board for them for one week. He gave the group a cask of ale at their request, and they began to make merry. Olander spied Dushi Sone (an elderly Priestess of Chalana Arroy) drinking a non-alcoholic drink at a nearby table.
Olander invited her to join them, and eyeing the group (and seeing Storm Bull tattoos on Daranth) she pulled a seat up next to Daranth. Olyander flirted with Dushi Sone on the pretense that he was possessed by spirits. She talked with him for a sentence or two, suddenly clapping his face in her hands as she brought them together over his cheeks! Dushi pulled his eyelids down with her thumbs and drew her face right up to his, meeting his gaze in the eyes. I asked Oly to make an athletics check for Olyander (he succeeded). He narrowly avoided puking his guts up as she made his body instantly reject all the alcohol he had imbibed (since Dushi Sone was such a powerful Healer, and the stakes were simply throwing up as he instantly sobered, I was comfortable doing this as an act of Deus Ex Machina).
Both the player Oly and the character were impressed by Dushi's power. Sobered, Oly was very deferential as Dushi Sone took her leave. I informed the group that they had fully tapped the cask of ale. Our group was having such fun we played right up to time, and Hawkeyes and Strozek left. Oly and N. opted to talk in character a little more. N. as Grundle told Olyander about the rest of the Hunt, and Oly asked if he could add to the story that Olyander was in a religious fugue during most of the events. I allowed that (as it seemed to add more to Olyander's character). We closed fifteen minutes after our normal two hours.