THE LIBERATION OF GEOFF
One Good Turn (Campaign Notes-SPOILERS by Lyle C Brown)
Based on Living Greyhawk module GEO2-05a-b, by Don Lawson
Summer 592 CY
A Report to The Midnight Ravens
Knave Hodkin Surefoot was contacted by a servant of High Seneschal Cuthalion regarding an important mission in service to the Brennin (the Grand Duke). It seems the Brennin was seeking an allegiance with the Elves of the Oytwood, but they required a service be performed for the Weeping Council before such alliance would be considered. Along with my friend and companion the half-orc Foruk the Silent, and two other adventurers, we were sent before the Weeping Council to receive our assignment. The council requested the we venture into Gorna itself, seeking the Tear of Corellon, a very powerful elvish artifact which was lost during the Giant invasion. The council had ascertained that the Tear was being kept in one of the fire giants’ temples, in the center of Gorna.
This knave’s heart was chilled to learn of the location we were being requested to enter. Although I have previously ventured into the sewers and tunnels under the besieged capital, that was shortly after the invasion, at night, and underground. The venture into the town itself, above ground, during daylight, and after the giants had enough time to “convert” the town seemed suicidal! Still, with the companions chosen for this mission, it seemed we might have some slim chance of success. Once again, I knew I would be both counting on Foruk’s strong arms and magnificent great axe for safety, and would also be required to keep him out of further danger. Although he is extremely strong, and makes a stout companion in times of danger, I have witnessed both his death, and near death, on more occasions than I care to recall.
As luck would have it, we arrived in time for some sort of giant ceremony, surrounding the arrival of a dignitary known as “the Sakoot.” Fortunately, this meant we were able to slip past the residents of the town, having disguised ourselves as mercenary servants of the giants, and finding the temple unoccupied. The Tear was being kept in front of the altar, in a huge brazier of what appeared to be some sort of arcane flame. One of our party, Vaseeri Ijillij, some sort of elf and a fledgling of similar talents to mine, made a somewhat hasty grab for the Tear which awakened a guardian creature. It was a vile beast which appeared to be made from the very stuff of flame itself! Dalt be praised, this one seemed to either be small in stature or inexperienced, for when he attempted to throw Foruk into the flaming pit surrounding the altar, he failed miserably, allowing our party the chance to defeat the creature. Despite the hastiness of Vaseeri’s move, I believe he shows significant potential and is worth watching. He may one day make a fine addition to our organization.
Having defeated the creature, and obtained the Tear, yours truly took on the task of finding and opening a back way out of the temple, the front exit now being blocked from the outside by Fire Giants. As the organization is aware, this knave can be quite adept at opening doors, devices, and compartments of all sorts, and my talents did not fail me this time. Once outside the temple, we knew time was short before our theft was discovered, and the alarm was raised. Sure enough, shortly after our departure, horns began to sound. Upon the sounding of these horns, giants and their mercenaries made for stations throughout the town, whilst slaves were herded to a slave pen just outside the town.
Thinking quickly, this knave came up with the thought that Foruk, as a half-orc, could well be thought one among the servants of the giants. In addition, another party member, a wizard of some talent named Cat, who occasionally goes by the moniker “Boi,” utilized his arcane arts to make himself appear to be a goblin. These two made as if they were escorting the rest of us, as slaves, to the slave pen. This seemed to work quite well until a well-armed group of hobgoblins took a close look at our group and became suspicious. As the organization is aware, half-orcs tend to be a little slow on the uptake, and Foruk lacks the ability to comprehend orc or goblin speech. Thus, our group did not bear this scrutiny for long. As the hobgoblins appeared to be seeing through our deception, your knave knew that a fight here would only bring the attention of the rest of the town upon us, the giants in particular.
Since I have been carrying for quite a while now, a bottle which emits a nearly impenetrable fog when opened, I determined this to be a good time to use it. Our group was able to stay together and escape the hobgoblin patrol, only to find the exit of the town barricaded and guarded. Stealthily searching further, we were able to find an area of the town border which was watched less than the others. As I have stated earlier, Foruk is quite strong, and once Cat/Boi utilized his arcane talents to give Foruk the ability to move through the air like an eagle, he was able to pick up the entire party and fly from the city.
Upon our return to the Oytwood, still being chased by giants from the city, we were greeted by a new group of elves who were sent to meet us. These led us deep into the wood, and we soon lost our pursuers. The elves were surprised to hear we had succeeded in recovering the Tear, and they asked us to turn it over so they could take it to the Weeping Council. Fortunately, Vaseeri was a little smarter than the elves thought, and we explained that the Council had asked us to bring them the Tear, and we would do so. Whilst they seemed to accept this response, we soon learned otherwise. During our sleep, the elves fell upon us with great amounts of Fey magic. One grey elf was able to beguile Vaseeri, causing him to surrender the Tear.
Once the elves had departed, and the magics had faded, we began searching for the path back to the Weeping Council. Again, as the organization is aware, I can be quite adept at following someone through the wilderness, and was able to find the path. During our journey to the council, we were intercepted by a female grey elf, who gave us information on how to find the elves who had stolen the Tear. Upon reaching their village, we found these elves under siege by warriors of Hextor who seemed intent on having the Tear themselves. Seeing as they were up against minions of Hextor, it seemed appropriate for us to come to their aid in the battle before attempting to retrieve the Tear ourselves. Thanks to the talents of our party, we and the elves were able to defeat the Hextorites, after which the elves reconsidered their earlier theft. It seems they were impressed enough with our abilities to allow us to carry the Tear to the council ourselves.
In returning the Tear, our party secured the Brennin a new ally in the war against the Giants. Additionally, we have found favor with both the elves of the Oytwood and High Seneschal Cuthalion Cuern himself. In addition to the enclosed 95 gold coins for the organization’s take, I would also recommend that the organization keep watch for this Tear of Corellon, as it seems to possess great powers, and those who know of it place great value on it.
Respectfully submitted, Hodkin Surefoot, Knave, Freelance Locksmith, and Dragonslayer
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