Let's Start a War

[From the travel logs of Eisa Layaree]

The dragonborn alchemist, Angus McFife, gathered a small group to investigate one of the towers in the hills to the northwest. A dwarf wizard, who must be one of the brothers I have heard about, had seen the tower in the distance when he was in the area. I was not sure what we would find, but I wanted to explore the area more, so I agreed to join his party. And was I glad (or maybe sad) that I came with them…

We left St. Herve in a northwesterly direction, heading into the grasslands and prairie. Azrael, the human ranger, scouted ahead. After traveling for four hours, Azrael stopped us to point out a cave to the west where he could see a shimmering light. Haegan entered the eyes of his familiar and flew over. He saw three creatures that he had never seen before: human-like but their forms kept shifting and flowing. If only he knew…ah well, another time I suppose. Withdrawing, Haegan reported this. We were all interested in these individuals but weren’t sure if they would be friend or foe.

Angus, Haegan, and I decided to openly walk up to the cave while Azrael lagged behind hidden from view. When they saw us, they stopped what they were doing and gathered to meet us. Angus talked with two of the doppelgangers while I confronted the one who seemed to be their leader. I had my suspicions of what they were, and once I was in view I confirmed it. Gaining some insight and having a good chat with him, I knew that we could not trust him. I was stupid enough to think that he might listen to me if I showed him who I was. He was set in his ways; nothing I say would change him.

The lead doppelganger started talking with Angus and the rest of the party. As they spoke, my companions seemed to be more and more uneasy. I could also hear his panic as we asked more questions. The leader shifting into Angus’s form to demonstrate his ability didn’t help things either. Once the dragonborn started trying to change the leader’s mindset, I knew how this would inevitably end and decided to act before he did. After all, no one knows doppelgangers the way I do.

I may have surprised the rest of my party with my sudden attack, but they must have felt the wrongness and went along with me. The two others fled into the cave; I only hoped they would understand why the leader had to die. A very brief fight ensued, ending with the ranger’s precise arrow through the head. Upon searching the cave, we could not see how far the cave descended and decided to leave the others be. Among the trinkets and baubles, we did find a large treasure chest and an interesting lantern that Haegan wanted to Identify later. While the men investigated the cave, I stepped outside to burn the body; it wouldn’t do to leave any evidence behind.

We continued on and finally caught sight of a tower in the distance. It was getting dark though, so we made camp in the foothills. All of us heard the cackling of some creatures, most likely hyenas, throughout our watches but saw nothing of them.

It took three hours to reach the tower the next morning. I am glad that we went stealthily up to it since there was a small party of orcs around it. Azrael counted two on top and three patrolling. We were discovered, however, when Angus tried to dash to some trees to hide. Of course, fighting ensued. The ranger basically one-shotted an orc with his sharpshooting skills. The wizard’s amplified Burning Hands barely missed Angus, but fried two orcs to a crisp. The dragonborn and I made good use of our Sacred Flames and Bless to add to the firepower of our party. It was amazing that it only took us 20 seconds to quiet the orcs.

Then again, if it seems too good, it probably is. Another orc and four hobgoblins crested the hill behind the tower and saw what we had done. They took cover behind the trees and tower, but with our Sacred Flames and Azrael’s sharpshooting, we easily took care of them. The ranger got to show off again when one fled down the hill. With a single careful shot, he silenced the orc before he could bring his horn to his lips.

Looking down the far side of the hill, we saw an encampment of some sort, nestled further in the hills. There could be something for another day. Searching the tower, we came across a few curiosities and one very interesting piece of paper. It detailed a temporary peace treaty from “Bebar, chieftain of the 3rd Hobgoblin Battalion” to the orcs, saying that the two groups would cease their feud in order to “rid themselves of the mountain men”. I don’t know if they had actually agreed to anything yet, but the peace treaty was the only thing written on the paper. Also, who are these “mountain men”?

This sparked an idea in the ranger, and we all went along with it. Azrael skillfully removed his own arrows from the orcs and hobgoblins and started placing the orcs’ crossbow bolts in the hobgoblin arrow wounds. We placed the orc bodies in the wooden tower and set fire to it. We even left the silenced orc with his horn as he was. All of this in order to make it seem like the two groups had fought and killed each other. We took one of the bodies to bury further away and hid our steps, making it look like one had escaped. An excellent work of trickery overall.

On our way back to town, we passed by the doppelganger cave again. The two who had fled deeper into the cave were packing up a cart, likely to leave the area. I had hoped to talk to them further, maybe teaching them the methods that I had learned. Lost in a world that barely understands us, they probably have never received the guidance that would have taught them how to be themselves in peaceful coexistence. They had not yet become the monster that the world had created of the lead shifter.

However, Azrael had other ideas. It seemed he had formed a dislike to this group and wanted to be rid of these people. I would have agreed with the leader, but these two had barely discovered themselves. Haegan did not interfere, speaking neither for nor against the ranger’s plan. With Angus’s blessing, Azrael started sniping the duo. I stayed to see their reaction and hoped they would run. But they stood and fought. There was nothing they could do though except try; the ranger had too much range to begin with. They had chosen their fate, so I left the ranger to his play while I checked the cave again.

After they finished outside, the trio came to see if anything else was in the cave. As they prepared to leave, I created a pyre to burn the bodies of the two lost souls. I rejoined the party, and we continued our way back to town. While the past three days have been very informative, its ending has tinged this adventure for me. I doubt we will encounter other doppelgangers, but Erevan has a way of pulling tricks on us. On another point, the orc and hobgoblin feud will be something to watch. We shall see if our ruse works.