A Reunion

"A Reunion" is the latest episode of the Dungeons and Dragons campaign Sword of the Godslayer. It is the first episode of the second chapter, State of Panic and follows episode 5, "Journey North".

## Synopsis

*Rob**and Minos were separated from the rest of the group after being abducted. Rob meets a person from his past. Meanwhile, the rest of the adventurers were embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy that leads to a confrontation with a deadly assassin.*

# Plot

### Rob in the Dungeon

Rob and Minos found themselves magically transported into a hall. In front of them is a man shrouded in shadows, sitting on a throne. The man asked them about a certain scroll, but Rob ignored him and instead demanded to know the man's identity. The man, feeling insulted for Rob's lack of respect, shouted at Rob and Minos, and ordered them again to give him back his scroll else they will be killed. Minos, confused, asked Rob about the scroll the man is asking about, but Rob had no idea as well. The young sorcerer looked around the room for a way to escape and saw a large door behind them. He conjured a *fog cloud*, and ran towards it. Minos followed behind and both tried to open the door to no avail. The mysterious man laughed amusingly and all of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew towards Rob and Minos and knocked them prone.

The orcs grabbed Rob and Minos' backpacks and threw the contents on the floor. A golden scroll dropped from Rob's bag, but the young sorcerer claimed he has never seen it before. The mysterious man ordered the orcs to bring the two into the dungeon.

Inside the dungeon, as Rob and Minos figure out what to do, they find an old man sitting alone in the corner. The man rose up and approached them, but after seeing Rob, he stepped back in disbelief. After muttering to himself, he claimed that he is Rob's father.

### How I Met Your Mother

The man introduced himself as Rikheart, a sorcerer imprisoned by the family of Rob's mother. Twenty years ago, he and his mother fell in love, but his grandfather, "The Baron" hates any form of magic. The two ran away to Orrinshire where they got married, and conceived a young boy. Years later, however, the woman's family found them and dragged her mother away back into the city. Rik followed them and left Rob in the care of a farmer couple, urging them to raise him as their own if he doesn't return.

Rik went to his wife's family's manor, shouting for her name. Her brother ordered him to leave, but Rik refused. Just as the manor's guards are about to kill Rik, his wife ran out of the house and intervened. She died in Rik's arms instead, as she tried to save his life from his family. The Baron blamed Rik for her daughter's death and locked him inside their dungeon for years.

### Rob's Escape

Rik offered to save Rob and Minos by helping them escape the Baron's dungeon. He does so, and on their way, Rob and Minos fought off two fanatics who are guarding their things.

The three passed through a huge cavern with smooth stone floor. By casting light, he saw a large rune carved unto the stone, and metal cages hanging from the cavern's ceiling.

Rik gave Rob a pair of magical rings that belonged to him and Rob's mother. He urged the two to escape without him and claimed that he is cursed and cannot leave the place. Rik casted a *water breathing* spell unto Rob and Minos and pushed them into the sewers below. They were washed up to the shores of Soliton minutes later.

### The Lieutenant

The rest of the group was locked in a prison cell with other petty crime breakers and other citizens apprehended for violating the curfew.

Lira was the first of the adventurers to be called in for questioning. She was fetched out of the cell by Lieutenant Denise Von Schreiber, a human woman who seemed somewhat familiar to the ranger. Lira asked if they had met before, the lieutenant denied it. As Lira exited the cell, she brushed against the guard who had opened the door and pick-pocketed a key.

In a separate room, Denise asked Lira whether she had been knowingly consorting with thieves. The elf only lied and claimed that they had not known the captain they had hired was a smuggler. The lieutenant expressed her doubt that Lira and the others had entered the city legally, since none of their names had been found at the gate records. Though the elf had admittedly given a false name to the prison warden, she was sure that at least the stalwart Nicolas had written his own name.

Somewhat unnerved, she insisted that the guards inspect the weapons they had confiscated. Lira claimed that they had been magically marked when they entered the city, though no such mark was found.

Lira was returned to the cell and the other members of the group were taken and questioned similarly. The lieutenant, however, recognized Marley's brand as a thief and locked him up in a separate solitary cell. There, she told him that she can set him free if he agrees to a deal, which he then accepts.

Just as the lieutenant is about the free the group, Lira slips out the key she had stolen. She easily unlocked the cell and left, feeling claustrophobic, despite the fact that the others hesitated to follow her. However, as she walked down a hallway, Denise returned unexpectedly. The elf considered running, but Marley called out to her from his nearby cell and convinced her to stand down. Lieutenant Von Schreiber then frees the rest of them.

### Finding Lisa

The group returned to the inn, where they found Brad unexpectedly still in the city. He was distraught, and told them that Lisa had disappeared from his side when he had been trying to convince the guards at the city gate to let them pass.

Lira suggested that they find Lisa's trail, but they found the area by the gate full of people. They gave up, since all footprints and scents had been erased by the crowd. Instead, they followed Brad to the guard post, where they reported the disappearances of Lisa, Rob and Minos.

A guard, after some persuasion, gave them the address of Frederic, the guard who had been in charge of the gate the previous afternoon. They followed the address and they reached his apartment. Upon knocking, a female dwarf carrying an infant child opened the door. She introduced herself as Frederic's wife.

The dwarf happily said she would bring her husband to the door and the party waited outside. However, when she returned, she claimed that he had gone out and is not at home. Suspicious, Lira forced open the door and the group found Frederic trying to climb out the window.

Lira dragged him back into the house and she and Azula confronted him from across a desk. Lira gestured a snarling Scout onto the table, and warned Frederic that the beast would be able to tell if he was lying and would react accordingly.

Frightened, Frederic admitted to omitting their names from the log. Lira and Azula learned that some nameless group had coerced the guard into removing the names of suitably suspicious targets, in order for the city guards to think that there was some illegal way to enter Soliton. The guard also revealed that he had seen a dark-elf with a staff enter the city with their group, though Lira and Azula denied having anyone like that in their party.

### Assassin!

Just as Azula considered closing the nearby window that the guard had attempted to escape through, a crossbow bolt flew into the room. It hit Frederic on his throat and fell to the ground. Lira peered out the window and saw an person crouched on a roof across the street.

As Azula hurried to stop Frederic's bleeding, Lira and the others jumped out the window to the next building. They were still on a rooftop a street away when the assassin caught sight of them and fled. Lira tossed Scout after him in an attempt to give her companion a head start, but she missed. The beast fell and was stunned, but was able to give chase later.

Before he left her range, Azula managed to throw two Guiding Bolts after the assassin, injuring him, though he continued to run. As the fastest in the group, Lira was able to catch up to their target first. She ziplined across the last few feet and tackled him bodily to the ground.

They rolled to their feet with equal dexterity, and faced-off at close range. Only here did Lira notice that, though human, the assassin had a single orc arm. As the group caught up, Lira, Marley and Azula were each poisoned badly by the assassin's scimitar. The dwarf was eventually able to break their opponent's arm, and he collapsed to one knee. However, he continued to lash out with his weapon and keep them away, until Azula finally broke his other arm as well.

The guards found them shortly afterwards and took the assassin - a wanted man named Inverno - away. Lieutenant Denise, who was with the guards, praised Marley for his efforts, which Lira and Azula immediately noticed. They confronted the orc, who attempted to lie, but they both saw through it. He eventually admitted that the lieutenant had warned him that their movement in the city would be magically tracked.

Even after this, Lira suspected that Marley was not telling the full truth, but she let it go.

### Captain of the Guards

The group returned to the guard headquarters, where they met Captain Steffan Hrothgar. After hearing about their deed, and desperate for the fate of the city, he deputized the party to aid the guards in finding the missing children. However, Nicolas expressed his suspicion of the old captain.

They returned to the inn and were reunited with Rob and Minos, who were soaking wet with sea water. Lira asked whether they were hurt, and what had happened to them. The sorcerer told of their capture by a mysterious baron who had imprisoned his father Rikheart.

Only as they spoke did Lira realized that Rob and Lieutenant Denise has similar looking eyes.

## Featured Characters

### Godslayer Expedition

* Azula
* Lira
* Marley
* Minos
* Nong-Poi
* Nicolas
* Rob

### Soliton City Guard

* Captain Steffan Hrothgar
* Lieutenant Denise Von Schreiber
* Frederic

## Next Episode

"A Reunion" is followed by the episode **"**False Appearances".