Last Stand of Conbery

The **Last Stand of Conbery** was a one shot run in-between sessions of The Story So Far. It followed a group of four soldiers under the banner of the Roseforge Dynasty and their defence of Conbery against the orcish horde, and their eventual demise, in 951 2E (eighty years before the main campaign).

## **Main Characters**

### **Player Characters**

* Inayra (non-canonically replacing Conrad Hellguard)
* Keira Firestride
* Leng-Jian
* Leohorn

### **NPCs**

* Agatha
* Bowgentle
* Ner'zul

## **Summary**

The story begins in the barracks in the Five Halls district of Vis; the group speak to Lamys, captain of the Roseguard, in his cluttered office, who sends them to stand guard in Conbery, a quaint farming village to the east of Visaerie. They are also offered magical items by the Vis Mages' Guild, and so head there, where they meet an imposing lady named Avys Minton. When the group are finished preparing, they set off to Conbery on a cart.

During their journey, the group pass through a bustling Phandalin. They stop by the alchemy shop, Drendrar's Alchemy, meeting the predecessors of Barry Drendrar and his family. After buying some useful potions, they set out once more to Conbery.

Upon arriving in the town, the group meet Agatha, a mage living here on duty for the guild. She requests the groups' aid in protecting the town; she has been experiencing visions of an attack on the town led by strange creatures. They of course agree to help, and begin to get settled.

Days later, a war horn blares. The group ready themselves for a fight. Agatha exits her house, holding a strange red tome with a human face; she asks what is happening, but is shocked to see orcs, goblins and hobgoblins emerging from the treeline; they haven't been seen in Visaerie in over 800 years.

The soldiers slay assailant after assailant, but as one wave falls another appears not so long after. Keira looks out from the watchtower and realises the town is completely surrounded, and the town is completely outnumbered. Regardless, they fight.

In the midst of a skirmish, Inayra hears Agatha in trouble and rushes to her side as soon as he can. As he rounds the corner of the nearest house he sees quite the situation before him; an orcish warlock stands imposingly, grasping the neck of a young half-elven girl, and Agatha kneels before him. The warlock crushes the girl's neck, and Agatha cries out, for the girl was her daughter. The warlock demands 'the book', to which Agatha replies that she will never give it to him, then drinks a vial of potent poison. The disappointed orc becomes shrouded in swirling mist and vanishes.

Inayra tries to help Agatha, but she points to the well and implores him to find this book instead, shortly before slumping to the ground.

With the scuffle complete the rest of the group hurry over, and try to help find the book; Keira spots a loose brick on the well and, after pushing it into place, a small section of the ground opens to reveal the same deep red tome with a human face on it that Agatha had been seen with earlier. They kept it in the tower for safekeeping before returning to the fray.

After a particularly tough encounter, the tower is set alight, and Leohorn rushes to save the book; however, he finds that the book seems to be absorbing the fire rather than being burned. Promptly, the book hops up and begins to flap it's pages to fly out of the tower. The face begins to talk; the book is in fact a man named Bowgentle.

Bowgentle seems to be of a bygone age, unfamiliar with the current terminology for things. He is trapped in the form of a book, but is still able to be of use, and is willing to upgrade the group's weaponry for some gold before rising into the sky and leaving the group to their fate.