Adventure 130 – Ode to Simon the tasty boar.

Luceaturn – Dragonborn: Paladin (lvl 6)
Joe – Teifling:  Warlock (lvl 6)
Vailrah Standing Bear– Goliath: Fighter (lvl 6)
Varis – Elf: Druid (lvl 6)

The secondary party was tasked with escorting the group to Stormvail and building some fortifications along the way so that travelers and refugees could travel safely to Wyntbridge. After gathering some supplies the party meets the company of arms in front of the sheriff’s complex.  There they meet Hon-rath the Master Chief of the 5th of the 1st. He introduces Rook the commander of the archery unit. This unit seems to have heavy crossbows of some unusual strength that are setup in two man teams with extra ammunition being carried on the reloader. Hon-rath then introduces Tomas the commander of the Lancers. These lances seem to have different head attachments that can make them into a Pike, Harpoon, or Flensing knife.  There is also a wagon that is covered with supplies that get positioned in the middle of the convoy.

The party heads out leading and scouting the way.  The first half of the day is uneventful. Though our Duid, Varis spots a hawk in the distance.  At roughly noon the party makes it the first stop. Varis and Vailrah scout round the area to make sure there is no ambushes waiting for the group, and find none. It has a couple of wells for water but does not seem that defensible without a lot of work. But they take a short break and rest the animals and eating sandwiches for lunch.  They appear to be from the T&A and come in pairs. They are round sandwiches with an olive pind to the center of each. Varis seeing the hawk again points it out to Vailrah. The hawk flies a little bit farther off and starts circling again like it noticed the pair pointing at it from afar. After lunch the group pack up and head on toward Stormvail.  

They make it the afternoon free of events as well.  Coming up on the stop for the night again Vailrah and Varis scout out the area.  There are four building structure with two wells. A couple of the structures are more like lean-to open like structures just for a little bit of shelter.  Just to the north is a hill that has some trees surrounding a relatively flat top. Varis and Vailrah not finding anything in the campsite head up the hill thinking they might get a better view of the surrounding and confirm there is not a threat in the area.  Varis is sneaking up the side as Vailrah is riding her horse up the side from the camp. Varis hearing some scuffing or scuring for several things on the hill turns himself into a giant Elk and charges. It turns out that it is a family of Boar. One turns to face the Elk as it determines the treat. About this time Vailrah comes up over the hill and sees the Elk and the Boar facing off.  She yells lunch and charges in. Varis bounds off the hill and turns back into himself so that Vailrah does not attack him. The Boar charges Vailrah’s horse as the new treat and it misses as the horse side steps. Vailrah attacks with an electrified morning star as it passes by her side. Coming around to face off again, Varis shoots an arrow from the side of the hill and Joe rushes in shooting it with an eldredge blast.  The battle is short lived and now the company has boar to eat for dinner as the single that the area is clear for them to come in and setup camp.

Joe the Warlock sensing something odd does a detect magic on the hill and finds a hex stone buried  in the center of the open area on the top of the hill. Finding strange text uses his magic to read it and finds that it is a druidic holy protected area.  Counting the trees around the are he finds 13 trees in a circle around the area. Horn-rath surveying the area and not knowing that hill had some type of druidic protection suggested that a fort or palisade be built on the hill.  After discussion with the party they are able to persuade him to hold off for the night. Varis spend the night on the hill with the rest of the group camped out near the building near the road. When Varis comes out of his meditation there is the hawk in front of him.  He offers it some of the boar that he had with him. It turns into a humanoid and ask Varis why we have desecrated his hill. After fumbling around and apologizing he finds out that the boar was his friend and was called Simon. The blood from killing the boar showed no respect for the hill and druid’s protection.  He send him off the hill and tells him to bring the leaders of the party back in the morning.

Varis goes off and tells Joe.  In the morning the party members dragging the Paladin who spent most of the night drinking, make there way back to the top of the hill.  Joe took the lead and apologized for the group. Telling the druid of why the group has come through and stopping the Master Chief from building a palisade on the hill and preventing further desecration.  The druid on hearing this says it sounds like an honest mistake a non-druid would make and stares at Varis. He admits that Simon was getting old and as we did not waste any of his body agreed we were not trying to disrespect him.  We did notice that where the blood had spilled on the hill was covered in crimson flowers. After some introduction we find his name is Dexter. He has driven off a few giants and some other foul things. But there is a cat like creature that seems to be elusive to him still in the area.  He says that if we go and hunt down this creature and bring him the body he will forgive us. He will grow a tree fort on the hill. He will allow it to be man’d as long as they respect the hill. The party heads down and talks to the Master Chief and explain the situation. He agrees and ask Varis what the druid meant by respecting the hill.  Varis agree to write down some rules for the group to follow. Like not cutting down trees and staying off the hill. Not to kill any friendly animals and such.

The convoy agrees to remain in the area till the party can hunt down this beast and appease the Great Druid of the hill, Dexter.  

There was once a proud old boar that lived on a hill.  Along came a party that thought he would make a good dinner.  They killed him and ate him and all the members thought he tasted good.  He turns out to be a friend of a great druid and now the party is hunting down a not so friendly best to appease Dexter the Druid.

COD = Joe for determining the hill was a drudaic sacred area and managing to appease the druid enough to avoid a confrontation.