Adventure - The Gilded River Syndicate

## Synopsis:

The Gilded River Syndicate has hired the Whispering Cutlass Mercenary Company to retrieve a lost caravan meant for the City-State of Cebet. Cebet is an isolated city that in recorded history, has never opened their doors to outsiders and never had someone leave their walls. They trade exclusively in rare magical items, and are known to be fickle when a shipment does not arrive, having once closed off trade for 5 years because a shipment was a week delayed. Now the merchant companies know better and plan for several weeks of buffer time. This latest shipment though only has a few days left to be delivered. The caravan was lost in the mountain pass of the snowy city of Kashant. The Caravan left two weeks ago but never arrived on the other side. The Merchants have declined to state what is in the caravan, but that they are in ornate red metal chests, only the Cebetins can open. You and your other mercenaries need to track down the lost caravan and make sure it finds its way to Cebet.

The mercenaries were able to recover the chest and deliver it to the City-State of Cebet, at great personal loss.

## Client:

The Whispering Cutlass was hired by the Gilded River Syndicate, merchants of great prestige throughout A'lune.

## Mercenaries:

* Gnarlap Dunbar: (Played by ReyaktheHunter, Lvl 2 Dragonborn Warlock)
* Kral✝: (Played by CelticBoar, Lvl 2 Hobgoblin Fighter)
* Nero: (Played by Harkus, Lvl 2 Drow(Goliath Thread) Barbarian)

## Adventure Summary:

The three mercenaries arrived in Kashant, a frozen city to the northeast. Their first stop was the tavern where they met with the representative of the Gilded River Syndicate, a strange man by the name of Ahbra, who's accent and eye color kept changing, and who hid their hand inside their coat. They let the mercenaries know that the shipment was lost somewhere within the pass, and that their job was to find the shipment, and escort it and any surviving merchants to Cebet, then to safety. The mercenaries were given a time limit of 10 days before the shipment was expected, then warned that there were supposedly Grems in the area.

The mercenaries then spent the rest of the day shopping, where they each picked up special cold weather gear and their own personal Emberstones. They then went to the local tavern and spoke with an old man about local legends. There they learned of a wolf "problem" within the pass, including one the size of a mammoth, and were told to howl when the reached the top of the ridge, to show respect. Additionally, they were told that Cebet had stopped purchasing Emberstones a year past, and that there was nothing quite like an Emberstone bath to chase the cold away.

The mercenaries left town early the next day, escorted by three bison. The first day on the mountain was a rigorous climb, with no other events. The mercenaries spent the evening playing cards. On the second day, the mercenaries had an easy day of travel, though they did notice a quiet yipping nearby. They ignored it and moved on. That night, the mercenaries had a nice cooked meal provided by Gnarlap, utilizing the Herry Pine Syrup they tapped from a tree nearby, while Kral taught them a dice game. The night went by peacefully.

However, the next morning, one of the bison was missing. The other two bison were unbothered. There was a trail from the pen to the woods, but it quickly disappeared, with no sign of where the bison went. The party once again heard the quiet yipping, and elected to investigate this time. It turned out to be a wolf pup, alone in the woods. Nero quickly befriended it, and it joined the mercenaries as they continued on. Their trek to the top of the ridge was much easier, and upon reaching the top, followed the old man's advice and howled. The wolf pup joined them in howling. The mercenaries then realized that the rumor of the mammoth wolf likely came from the echo that deepened and magnified the howl. As the party set up camp, Gnarlap was able to identify a trail down through the pass, and Kral set a trap for anything that might bother the bison. That night, Nero and Kral both took watches. During Krals watch an elk moved through camp, and something else set off the trap around the bison. Kral went to investigate, and was met with a hail of stones. Nero and Gnarlap faced the same when they came out of the tent, and a retaliatory Eldritch Blast showed yellow eyes in the trees nearby. The creatures scattered, and the party went back to bed.

The next day the party descended into the pass. While they walked Gnarlap had a strange vision of the trees around them ripped up, but after a blink, they returned to normal. The party continued on, and stumbled upon the remains of the caravan. One of the merchants was smashed against a rock, and the cart itself had also been smashed. There was the contents of a coin pouch scattered around the site, and one of the merchants daggers was buried in the snow. The mercenaries also found shattered remnants of a pine tree throughout the site. The party was then showered with stones once again, looking up to see thirty of some strange creatures coming down the ridge at them.

The mercenaries made short work of the creatures, who in the course of the attack tried to grab the wolf pup, but were rebuffed. Further investigation of the area showed that the merchant had two gold crowns, but nothing else of interest. The chest carrying the items for Cebet was not in the area. The party moved on, searching for whatever destroyed the caravan and stole the items bound for Cebet. They followed the path until Gnarlap had another vision, and declared that what they were looking for was to the east. The party headed east from that spot, and Nero found immense humanoid footprints headed the same way.

The party soon reached an outcropping in the area with a cave housing an immense humanoid, trying to break open the chest while a merchant cowered in the back of the cave. The giant was talking about eating the merchant, and the party made ready a plan to try and save the merchant without having to fight the giant. Kral spread oil over the edge of the cliff, and caught the giants attention, while Nero and Gnarlap snuck into the cave to free the merchant and grab the chest. It worked for a moment, but because of the weight of the chest, the party was forced to fight the giant.

Gnarlap was able to buy some time by frightening the giant into running into the woods, but it came back, and the party began to fight in earnest. Kral was the first to fall, though Nero was able to buy him some time with a Goodberry. He was knocked out again. The merchant was smashed by a thrown tree, and the party was in dire straights, until a massive wolf burst from the trees and caught the giants arm, preventing it from being as effective when attacking, Unfortunately, Kral succumbed to his wounds, and Gnarlap was also knocked out, but Nero was able to strike the final blow, killing the giant and picking Gnarlap back up.

The two remaining mercenaries were able to bring the chest to Cebet, and traveled to Nostogi to pass along that none of the merchants survived. They then headed to Aural, to return Kral's body to his family, before returning to Abishot.

## Outcome:

The two remaining mercenaries escorted the chest to Cebet in time, receiving a gift from the city and payment from the Syndicate.

## Adventure Rewards:

* The mercenaries each received 15GP from the Gilded River Syndicate
* Additionally, Gnarlap received a ring that gave him a +1 to attack rolls with melee weapons, and Nero received a necklace that gave a +1 to Charisma Saves.
* They also recieved some scattered gold and silver around the wreckage of the caravan.