So landfall soon, and the real job of shaking these wastrels into something approaching real soldiers begins. This squad seems to be one of the most scrambled and dysfunctional of the lot. Why Zath insists on training up peasants and malcontents I shall never know. Its all well and good declaring that “All should have a chance to show their potential” when its not you that has to draw that potential out! Wizards and their patrons! Been sniffing the sulphur again I fear.
Still if they fail they are easily replaced I supposed. I may be surprised this time; perhaps!
The following day we all went about our business tracking down the first leads to bring these blaggards to their much deserved justice. It seems we were all sucessful to one degree or another. Master Pope managed to get some information from the city watch that our quarry indeed passed through these parts. They seem to have split up however but as I suspected at least one of them seems to still be in the local area though not within the Town precincts.
It appears that the Enchantress Dark Odo and her scarfaced accomplice Vivlok are lurking nearby. A rumor brought to us by Mistress Calistra seems to indicate this wizardess somehow obtained permission to explore the abandoned Holy Site of these sour faced folk some ways down the coast. She and her band of followers never returned, but interestingly a mysterious boatload of “hunters” has appeared in town every week to claim some of the Lizardman bounties and buy supplies shortly thereafter.
This is an encouraging start! That upstart woman should never have been taken under Master Zathabarius’s wing. Still she tried to use him an now vengeance comes from him. Such is the wheel of life! I would surmise that Odo and her surviving guards have established a robbers base in or near the ruined Temple vault. We shall see as we plan top explore it on the morrow.
To that end I have charted a fishing smack to sail us across the estuary to the ruin’s locale. Horses and other draft animals seem to be very short supply here indeed though I see master Temerian has located a few at least, perhaps we can purchase at least a cart horse and a wagon for our supplies after this foray?
Mercifully the bay was comparatively still as we made our way to the abandoned temple of the Sandlanders. I heard the captain of our vessel muttering some last minute advice to some of the novice troops and made sure I was able to hear the man:
“…Climb one o those towers..” he began “… light a lamp at the highest point and I’ll no to come an’ fetch ye. But I’ll not stay closer than a mile otherwise.”
Not suprising, these folk talk a good game but whenever the thought of fightng any of the Lizard people that despoiled thier home comes up they turn tail! No matter let them fish and farm perhaps later this would be a good place to establish a chapter house for the Band. Plenty of work gaurding and raiding the Lizards for them maybe. But for now we needed to make a good start to this mission.
“We’ll take care of that.” I stated flatly. The tower nearest the coastal edge seemed to be the most intact. I’d take second squad to secure that while first squad made a reconnaissance of the Temple. Besides I think I saw a land path leading up through the cliff to the coastal cliffs nearest that tower. If I was right we could cover both the Temple and any likely escape routes. It was probably what the towers builders had in mind in any case.
Squad one moved towards the most obvious feature of the Wharf. The large ornate doors set into the cliff face facing it. A few seemed to be checking out the small inlet on the coastal side as well. Not bad, but I noticed nobody had even set a watch on the most obvious (and therefore most suspect) entrance to the Temple: The large open doors to the left of us. Wearily I sent two men to check out each of the other tower while the bulk of us headed to the the one by the passage down from the cliffs.
There was a wrecked funeral barge in one of the docking bays, partially submerged. It could have been a hiding place for Lizard folks to I bade my lookouts in the ruined tower to cover it with thier bows as well. That tower was half gone and unsafe so I wouldn’t risk more than a couple of the more nimble fellows to watch it.
The two intact towers were damp and full of storm wrack as might be expected, but otherwise empty and gave good cover. I got the men to gather anything that looked like it would make a fire – just in case we were hear overnight and then went to check on fist squad.
Naturally they had disappeared in to the Temple. Presumably they had picked a path and begun their exploration. I saw what appeared to be a secret panel popped out of the still sealed central door lieing on the ground beside it. Well spotted I thought as I turned back towards our camp.
“Above you!” Came the call from one of the watchmen….