Hardcore Heroes: Episode 15

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== Synopsis ==
On a sunny day, a party arrives at the outskirts of Anvil and finds that little has changed except for new banners and a heightened security presence. Malakai learns that Kerak, the new leader, is recruiting mercenaries, which intrigues the group. Upon entering Anvil, they encounter wary villagers and an indifferent innkeeper. The party’s member, Titus, goes missing, prompting them to investigate and discover him at a local tavern. Malakai and Van decide to investigate Kerak’s keep, where they find themselves tested by Kerak, who orders Malakai to mutilate Sella Valmont. Despite initial reluctance, Malakai complies, and Kerak dismisses Van, allowing Malakai to say goodbye. The party escapes with Sella and faces hobgoblin attackers, eventually reaching Hillsborough. They secure safe lodging, but a nighttime attack on Malakai raises concerns. The group continues to Shirebrook, where they are warmly welcomed by Baroness Valmont, who clears their names and offers her gratitude for their efforts.
==Recap==
=== Tuesday, 1509-04-08 ===
It's a beautiful day and the party enters the outskirts of Anvil. There doesn't seem to be much changed in the peasant life just the banners on the keep. Malakai mentions that Kerak has been looking for mercenaries and they might sign up. 
A lot of people seem to stop at stare at the carriage coming into the village, perturbed by the fact they came out of the forest from north. Van asks a random villager whether Anvil is safe to enter and she replies that it is though she looks to be terribly intimidated by him. 
Unsure how to deal with the timid peasants party continues on into Anvil proper. They go to Featherfall in, Van greets the innkeeper heartily whom awkwardly responds, probably not actually remembering who Van is. Malakai asks the man how the town is faring with Kerak now in charge and gets a fairly neutral answer, the man tells Malakai that for him things haven't changed much and that Keraks men are brutish, but not overly violent. He also mentions that the previous sheriff has been killed and that town guard have been complimented with some of the Keraks men. Innkeeper also confirms that Kerak is still recruiting mercenaries.
Van and Malakai plot for a bit, somewhat disappointed in Kel Deodrin's death. They wonder what happened with Clifford and whether he is still around, but decide that it's not worth looking into since they already have Titus to fill the role. Talking about Titus suddenly both of them realize they haven't seen him since they entered the town. Concerned with him sharing dangerous information they send both Jeeves and Jimmy off to stay in a nearby village and be on lookout for soldiers seeking them. 
They also pay the innkeeper to forward anyone looking for them out of town and in the direction of Shirebrook. 
Walking through the town Malakai eavesdrops on some town guards talking how they dislike Kerak's men watching their every step and judging them.
Unsure what to do with missing Titus they decide that perhaps they should stay in another inn as they keep eyes on Featherfall to see if they had been betrayed, but it turns out that the only other inn in town is halfling sized one. Deciding to have Malakai wait in Featherfall instead they separate for now and go look for Titus. While out and about Malakai notes that the Keep has 2 gate guards and 3 patrolling ones around it. 
Sometime later as an invisible Malakai is hanging around Featherfall Titus comes stumbling into the inn with a drink in hand, but when he asks where his friends are the innkeeper loyally tells him that they had left in a hurry. He panics and runs up to his room, despairing that they had robbed him of most of his possessions, but invisible Malakai speaks up. He explains that they had worried about him selling them out to which he replies that he was just hanging out in Honey pot tavern. Malakai then tells him to look out for Van and that he will head off to do some reconnaissance. 
On the way there he meets up with Van and tells him what's been up then continues on. Van heads into a tavern for some information gathering. 
Malakai spies on the guards and how long they take to bring a cart in. He notes that there's not much traffic between town and the keep. Eventually Malakai goes back to Featherfall inn and meets up with the party. They plot that signing up to fight for Kerak might be the best route 
=== Wednesday, 1509-04-09* ===
Next day comes and the party goes to the front gate where the guards forward the trio to Kel Zaerin, a human female fighter and Keraks right-hand woman. She has a very notable and ornate scimitar that looks to be magical, it's name will be later revealed to be Harvest Moon. She greets them and asks what is their business here to which Van does the same introductory run which he did at the front gate. Van tells her a half truth sort of story with nobility betraying Van and him wishing to fight for someone better, someone who deserves his loyalty. Zaerin calls up a few men and has them test the party's mettle while she goes inside. 
A little bit later Kel Zaerin comes back out with two more guards and Kerak, reasonably sized human male. Notably he possesses a symbol of Velthara and doesn't wear any weapons. He asks them their names and why they are here to which Van replies a tale which essentially paints nobles as ugly creatures he'd rather not serve anymore, Malakai just tells him he was kicked out of his home and wants to find a new place where he can do research and study, Titus simply says he's just for the cash. Kerak thinks for a bit and tells Van and Malakai that their talents would be wasted on guard duty so he proceeds to lead them inside while Titus is left outside. 
He leads them to a room with a girl inside, Valmont's daughter Sella Valmont, and then gives Malakai a knife telling him to kill her. Hesitant Malakai tells him that she'd be worthless dead, that he could extract information from her while Van protests immediately. Thinking for a bit Instead Kerak then tells Malakai to cut her ear off, Van protests a little bit, but Malakai takes out his own dagger, walks up to the girl, whispers to her that he will get her out of here and cuts her ear off. The girl screams and Malakai gives the ear to Kerak who then proceeds to reattach it with a Cure wounds spell as she's rolling around on the floor clutching the side of her head. 
Satisfied with Malakais performance Kerak turns to Van and tells him that a soldier who won't follow orders is not needed and tells him to be gone by sunup tomorrow, but allows Malakai to say his goodbyes by then. 
A servant shows Malakai around and then leads him to what would be his room, Malakai asks him a few questions, but nothing significant turns up. 
Van meanwhile leaves the keep, noting Titus chatting with some guards, and posts a note for Malakai in Featherfall inn and then goes to the village where Jeeves headed off to. 
=== Wednesday, 1509-04-10* ===
During the night Malakai wakes up, memorizes spells and then walks out into the keep moving up to the room the Sella Valmont is in. Room has a single guard who is quickly felled by a Sleep spell. Door is unlocked so Malakai goes inside and instructs the girl that he will make her invisible and that she needs to keep near him and walk as quietly as she can. They proceed to walk through the keep without anyone bothering them and make it into the courtyard. Malakai hails the guard and explains that he wants to go drink with his friend that didn't make it into the service and who he might not ever see again. After a successful charisma check the guards shrug and let him through.
Malakai goes to the Featherfall inn, finds the note Van left, instructs the innkeeper to say that he fell asleep in one of the rooms and after leaving couple gold coins leaves to go the village to rejoin with Van.
 
Everyone meets up in middle of the night at a barn, they get ready in a few minutes and then leave for the woods. 
Van talks with Sella and asks how she got cough, turns out it was goblins that attacked her carriage and held her until she was moved to Keraks keep. 
Party continues through the night until Jeeves insists that the horse needs rest so they camp at the edge of the forest nearing Roc Ridge. A while passes with everyone sleeping for a little bit, Malakai talks with Sella as they keep watch. She denies her mother having placed a bounty on their heads which makes Malakai think back that perhaps Jarrot had lied to Van. 
Malakai summons 5 fire beetles into the water to clear up his spell list. 
=== Wednesday, 1509-04-11 ===
As the party crosses into hills bordering Wake county they spot a troop of hobgoblins which simply begin charging towards them without hesitation. A single fireball however slaughters majority of them and the following round hobgoblins flee to best of their ability which doesn't turn out to be much because only a single hobgoblin survives in the end. 
Later on Van and Malakai talk, Malakai reveals that Sella mentioned their bounty might have been a lie. He expresses his suspicion of Jarrot looking to steal the reward, but Van just seems interested whether there might be chains waiting for them at Shirebrook. 
As the sun is coming down they finally make it to Hillsborough, Van flashes the guards there with his six-pack and they continue to Journeyman's rest-house inn. Sella gets her own room while the rest of the pack bundle together in 3 rooms. 
In middle of night Malakai is arisen by growls of his dogs and once he lights the room he hears footsteps leaving his door. He casts Invisibility and follows where the sounds lead, but the trail is lost. Miffed he goes to Vans room and informs him of this occurrence, Van immediately checks out everyone else's rooms, but they're safe. Sella being a highborn refuses to room with anyone else so they're stuck doing watchers at her door. 
=== Thursday, 1509-04-12* ===
Rest of the night passes uneventfully and a tired Van greets everyone. 
Malakai studies some spells while Van goes to local temple to seek help with housing Jimmy when the full moon comes. There he meets a cleric of Astair and explains the situation. The cleric seems very approachable and agrees to help Van with the issue. 
Sella asks why she cannot simply go to Shirebrook or at least stay the local Barons keep. Van explains that they cannot trust anyone right now, but she retorts that they simply want to be the ones handing her off to Baroness Valmont. Van is honest and tells that's its the truth and also tells her that if she wanted to go back on her own she may, but it would be important for them to be handing her off so she acquiesces and they agree to go stay at the keep instead of the inn. 
The Lord there lights up seeing them and puts them up as honored guests while Malakai also gets to hang out with Bromulon for the week and a half who apparently has a new spell he is researching and invites Malakai to play Peasants and Pitchforks. 
=== Friday, 1509-04-13* ===
In middle of walking towards docks a young man stabs Malakai in the streets, having barely evaded being surprised Malakai turns Invisible and the dogs take him down. 
=== Sunday, 1509-04-24* ===
On the third night of the full moon Jimmy finally breaks through the curse. He doesn't have anything he particularly wants to do so Van decides to take him to Shirebrook to become part of the clergy. Baron Deephill pays for their voyage and sets them off to their hometown. 
Malakai learns Alter self, Levitate, Stone fist 
=== Monday, 1509-05-02* ===
The boat trip goes without any catastrophic crashes and they arrive in the Shirebrook harbor. Back in the familiar docks with familiar sounds they exit the ship and stand at the harbor in trepidation of what is to come. Before they go anywhere though Van hands Jeeves 100 gold as a gift to which Jeeves is overwhelmed and thanks him profusely. Van instructs him to go to Halfpint and wait them there, that is if they will walk out of the keep at all. Malakai doesn't fail to remind Jeeves that half of the gold is from him and that he is a good master as well. 
Sella, Van, Malakai and the dogs head to the keep. The guards there immediately shove the gates open and lead them in. Baroness Valmont runs to meet her daughter and they embrace having a heartfelt mother-daughter moment while Van and Malakai stand before them unsure of their fate. 
Eventually Baroness Beatrix Valmont turns to them, she asks where is Kel Croak and once she learns that he has been killed declares that it makes this easier to do, both of their hearts likely skip a beat, but then she announces that their name will be cleared and she is indebted to them for doing such a deed. Van simply states that he takes this as the reparations for what he did to which she nods. They are invited to diner later that day and it seems that the party of 4 that left Shirebrook are finally redeemed as the 2 saviours now standing in the keep of Shirebrook. 
== Experience and changes ==
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes