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Thursday Night Pathfinder: Death of an Old Friend

The party continued with the battle against the old wizard Pharalyn and the few survivors of his army.  They had surrounded the camp, splitting the party into lone individuals and attack during daylight and the strategy did not pay off.  Felix was killed by five of the enemy forces wielding rapiers.

Pharalyn was becoming annoyed by the catfolk wielding a rather unpredictable magic rod.  He target the rod outright and blasted it into oblivion with acid.  Pinnacle got off a spell and then withdrew (his player was absent this week).  The battle raged on with arrows and spells flying.

Ali the monk, Corrail the ranger, and Khalil the cleric gathered and prepared for an assault.  Unfortunately a group of four sorcerers sneaked out of the ruins, got line-of-sight, and blasted them with fireballs.  Corrail and Ali dodged out of the blast, but the cleric got his by the brunt of it.

The rapier-wielding militia pulled back from attacking Roderick and Victaerus, who his behind structure.  The militia looted Felix's corpse.  Pharalyn readied an action.  The cleric, who buffed himself to be larger, opened a doorway and stepped through with him and his two comrades, putting them within melee distance of the old wizard.  Upon seeing this, Pharalyn activated his magic and poofed himself and his surviving militia away.  As this all happened a large black shadow circled overhead.

They spied carefully at the very large bird -- some sort of giant raptor -- and some could make out the armor and the straps of a saddle.  The bird circled in and landed.  Corrail activated his charm and his griffin appeared.  Victaerus yelled out and Akkiko, the birds rider, greeted them with a "Hi".  Vic appeared, shield up and sword outstretched, not trusting the new arrival.  After a bit of banter, the cleric high-fived Vic, casting silence on her.  There was much rejoicing.

The tiger went to Felix and mourned sadly for him.  The party moved his body to a place in the ruins, and the cleric formed a grave out of the stone, and they laid Felix to rest.  The tiger left into the woods.

There was much discourse with the new stranger, speaking in riddles until Corrail figured out that the stranger was a scout from the gnome city, a member of the Lords Alliance army.  They teleported together to the city.

The gnome city was celebrating the victory at the Thornhold that night and yet still preparing for battle.  Elminster took them aside along with the lion-headed paladanic leader of the Lord Army, and gave them their new mission.  The enemy army camp was on the edge of the mountains and had already been mapped. They had to sneak in and get the attack plans from the main headquarters.  Oh, and there is a dragon.

In the meantime, festivities were getting underway, and since they had two days to accomplish their mission, they celebrated.  A group of commanders has paid a fortune teller woman to speak about the upcoming battle, and her words drew a large army.  She spoke of gods getting involved and riddles which foretold of the battle.

Roderick and Corrail went looking for the quartermaster and the mage's tent to get equipment and enchantments on their weapons.  Khalil talked to an old bard woman by the fire and Akkiko listened closely nearby.  With her help, Khalil tried to decipher the riddles of the old fortune teller.  After the old woman left, Akkiko had a great urge to leave come over him, and he returned to his great birds and slept.

An old man, white haired approached Khalil and pulled the Mace of the Sun from his robes, giving it to Khalil and speaking in riddles.  When Khalil grabbed the mace, it lit up in blue flame and he could feel the power.  The old man left.

Khalil talked again to the old woman and the fortune teller and got more riddles and some answers.

The party planned their incursion into the enemy camp.  They found the local made willing to do item enhancements at normal charges.  Mundane weapons, if they were available, were being handed out for free.  Magical items could be traded and bargained for at discounted prices.

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