Campaign Log: Chaotic Pioneering

[coronatiger]

Thoughts on September 5th

Today was another quiet and restful day. I pushed myself during practice, which made the time relaxing with Olivia afterwards even better. Acrobatics and sex are my two favorite pastimes!


Thoughts on September 6th

If Va’lyndra and the others had been lucky in their search for a hideout, they would come back today, but I really didn’t expect them back until tomorrow or the day after.


Thoughts on September 7th

Like yesterday, I tried to make the most of my time before the others returned. While they were away, I didn’t have to think about our quest to save the world. They showed up at the White Truffle in the evening, passing through the common room while I was performing. Va’lyndra stopped to exchange a few words with Olivia before going upstairs.

Olivia informed me that she had lent Va’lyndra her key to our suite. Our friends wanted to tell us about their trip, but not in public. Va’lyndra explained that they had found a bear cave, two and a half days to the south-west, and Ilzo added that they scared away the two bears living there. Leopold had expanded the cave, making it large enough for us to bring our horses inside. While they would be more comfortable outside, we might have to bring them inside if we were followed when we brought Neriel there.

It was out of the question to bring Olivia along on the raid, but I saw several possibilities for her. She could follow in her own pace, after the raid, but Va’lyndra said she’d never find the cave on her own, even with directions. She could also accompany us to the cave when we went to drop off supplies. Waiting in a bear cave for several days, alone, didn’t appeal to her. What if the bears returned? Since we were going to Urdon after interrogating Neriel, to report to Karl Morgenstern, Olivia preferred to find a caravan that was going there. If we were fast, we’d overtake the caravan. Otherwise, we’d meet up in Urdon. I didn’t like the idea of being parted from Olivia for what would likely be several weeks, if not a month or more, but she assured me she would be all right. She would be protected in the caravan.


Thoughts on September 8th

We discovered that a caravan was leaving for Urdon tomorrow, so Olivia would spend another day in Surd. That was good, for that meant she had time to help me reorganize our luggage. Since I was going to have to travel quickly, we decided to let her keep most of our things, including the Sulla statuette and my acrobatics gear. We rearranged some potions as well. With all the equipment shifted from my horses to hers, she wouldn’t be able to ride, but there would be wagons in the caravan that could carry her. The others handed over some stuff to Olivia, too, but they also provided enough horses to carry it. We bought traveling rations for our journey to Urdon, and after a final round in bed, I said goodbye to Olivia.

Traveling south-west, we began by following roads, but soon took off from them. Va’lyndra and Ilzo did what they could to cover our tracks. We found a small copse in the evening, and camped there. Pitching my tent without Olivia to help was difficult, emotionally. It didn’t help that Va’lyndra and Ilzo left the camp to “dance among the trees”.


Thoughts on September 9th

We continued towards the bear cave and made camp in another thicket in the evening. Again, Va’lyndra and Ilzo went off to “dance”. I truly began to regret leaving Olivia behind.


Thoughts on September 10th

We found the bear cave in the middle of the day. We deposited our supplies and turned back towards Surd. We found another copse for Va’lyndra and Ilzo to “dance” in, in the evening.


Thoughts on September 11th

Va’lyndra and Ilzo kept on like rabbits, it seemed to me. Luckily, they didn’t show any affection when Leopold or I was around, and went far enough inside the trees at night that I couldn’t hear them. To keep from joining in, I told myself over and over that they really were just dancing. Dancing was fun, and I wouldn’t have minded participating in that, but the kind of dance they were up to was the kind that Olivia wouldn’t like me to attend. I didn’t believe Olivia expected me to maintain celibacy until we met again in Urdon. She might hope, but me going without sex for a month was as likely as Lightfoot taking up juggling. Still, sleeping with Ilzo would be a worse betrayal than either of us could bear. Fortunately, him being spoken for was a powerful deterrent, for I imagined that Va’lyndra wouldn’t be as merciful as Olivia, if she discovered I was tumbling her man.


Thoughts on September 12th

We reached Surd in the evening. Va’lyndra said the horses needed a day of rest before the run back to the cave. She took them to a nearby farm and paid for them to be locked up with the farmer’s own animals. She was going to spend the night there, but the rest of us pitched our tents on the outskirts of the slum. There were many people living in tents there, so we didn’t stand out.


Thoughts on September 13th

I remained inside my tent, so I wouldn’t be recognized. I had made a public departure from the city last week, and it wouldn’t do to have me spotted now. Ilzo bought a large sack in which he could carry Neriel through the slums when we left. The Seral wasn’t very large, but we feared that he might transform to a larger shape.

Va’lyndra came to get me in the afternoon. I took down my tent and brought it along. At the farm, she wanted to see if I could pick the lock on the barn so we could get our horses out tonight without waking the farmer. I turned my back on the lock and pretended to lean against the wall, talking to her. Behind my back, I fumbled for a bit before defeating the lock. I felt good, confident that I could open it tonight. I put my tent in Lightfoot’s saddlebags.

For the remainder of the day, we rested, as we would be very active once night fell. As soon as it was dark, we met up and made our way through the slums, towards the sewer entrance. Va’lyndra slipped on something and fell with a curse, making people open their windows and hush us. Luckily, this event was far enough from the sewer entrance that these people shouldn’t connect it with us.

We passed the fence and retrieved our sewer clothes from the rotten barrel. We changed, all except for Leopold, who was a gnome, and could waltz around naked. Nobody was going to see him in the sewers, but still.

Leopold opened our tunnels and we soon found ourselves under the cathedral district, where we rested for a while. Va’lyndra created a water jet and cleaned us up as best she could. When Leopold had his breath back, I helped him up the shoot towards Neriel’s house. I made sure I got as little sewage on me as possible. With that constraint, and with Leopold in tow, it became a little difficult to make the climb. Oh, who am I kidding? It was no more difficult than cartwheeling along a tightrope.

Leopold made a tunnel under Neriel’s floor. It sloped up towards the surface, after going under the building’s foundations. I entered and began to change. Va’lyndra made sure to get us all as clean as possible before we put on new clothes. I dressed myself in leather armor and black clothes, complete with balaclava, but realized I had forgotten to bring a gag. I would just have to remember not to speak so anyone could hear me, and we’d find something to stuff in Neriel’s mouth. We needed to gag and tie up the servants and the guards, too. Leopold said he needed two hours to restore his energy before the break-in, so I lay down to sleep.