Retaking Rannick, Part 1 (Monday-Tuesday, Kuthona (XII) 2nd-3rd, 4707 AR)

The heroes continued their exploration of the Graul farm.

Bedroom. This room was filled with large, filthy beds. Human skulls with antlers fixed to them were mounted on the bedposts and headboards. Against the west wall sat a large cedar chest.

Although not locked, the chest's lid stuck and had to be wrenched open. Opening the chest triggered no traps and revealed a sack of coins within. Unfortunately, the coins sat on a pressure trigger set to release a cleverly concealed war razor housed within the wall of the chest. As soon as Thurden lifted the sack, this blade snapped out with tremendous force. The blade was also laced with poison. The sack of coins contained a mix of 121 cp, 110 sp, and 23 gp, along with 17 mostly skeletal severed fingers.

Attic. Tables strewn with beakers, glass vials, old tin cans, rope, animal traps, bits of twisted metal, spikes, bones, and all manner of junk littered this area. In one corner sat some old furniture and other keepsakes.

Five flasks of acid were stored under one of the tables. With several minutes of scrounging, three full sets of masterwork thieves' tools were scavenged from the gear here.

Storeroom. It was difficult to gauge the exact dimensions of this cluttered room, thickly packed with old crates, broken farm equipment, and furniture.

The Graul Fortune. A large chest sat against the wall of this low-ceilinged chamber. Graul loot was kept here, in an unlocked chest. Within lay an agate-studded gold ring worth 25 gp, a necklace of emerald and silver worth 350 gp, a pair of small leather gloves studded with pearls (actually gloves of arrow snaring), a large sack filled with assorted coins (210 gp, 452 sp, and 108 cp) and a ruby-inlaid red dragon-scale cloak clasp worth 600 gp. In addition, all of the equipment belonging to the three captured Black Arrows found in the prison was found here, including an elven-made masterwork longbow. This weapon belonged to Jakardros, Shalelu's stepfather.

The heroes returned to Turtleback Ferry to recuperate and regroup. They took this opportunity to learn some of Shalelu's background. Jakardros was at one time her mother's lover. Shalelu's memories of Jakardros are mostly of a young, exuberant man. When her mother was slain, Jakardros left suddenly and without explanation, leaving Shalelu with a bitter impression. She knew that Jakardros had taken up with the Black Arrows of Fort Rannick and very much liked the opportunity to find out why the man abandoned her so abruptly after her mother's death.

Mark of the Sihedron

Several of the heroes noticed disturbing tattoos on the locals during this time, hidden on the small of the back, the shoulder, or on the ankle. Exposed for a moment when the locals bent over to pick up a crate or otherwise allowed their clothing to slip, this tattoo was of a seven-pointed star - the same star the heroes have seen used by murderers over the past three months: the Sihedron Rune. When Tsela confronted a tattooed local in a public place, he denied that he had a tattoo while simultaneously attempting to make sure that his tattoo was covered up again. After Tsela turned his charm on, the local quietly admitted that he got the tattoo 2 months ago at Paradise, a floating barge converted into a gambling and drinking hall that recently sank. The villager sullenly explained that by allowing Paradise's owner, the lovely and silken-tongued Lady Lucrecia, to place the tattoo on him for a small fee, he could then show the tattoo at Paradise's door and avoid paying the cover fee to board. Further, those who got "Paradise's Mark" (the Sihedron Rune) were often rewarded with additional gambling chips and other perks, and were told that only a select few regular patrons had been chosen for the honor.

The villager admitted he was coy about the tattoo because his wife would be furious if she found out he's been gambling, but defensively pointed out that he was not the only one in town with the mark. Lucrecia also told him to keep his tattoo a secret.

Investigations into the fate of Lady Lucrecia hit dead ends; everyone in town suspected she died in the fire that sank the barge a month ago. When the heroes expressed their wish to investigate the sunken barge, locals pointed out the location on Claybottom Lake where the barge sank easily enough.

Fort Rannick

Fort Rannick has fallen. A notorious clan of ogres known as the Kreegs launched a devastating assault on the fort a month ago. The heroes began a desperate attempt to retake the lost fort. When the heroes made clear the intentions to attempt to retake Fort Rannick, Jakardros and Vale pledged their assistance to the effort.

Fort Rannick was located at the northern end of a wide valley that ran along the southern edge of the mountains. This bleak landscape stretched on for miles along the border between the mountains and Kreegwood. This rugged, forlorn landscape fit well with the morose and grim attitude of its guardians, the Order of the Black Arrow.

Vale provided the heroes with a detailed map of Fort Rannick well in advance, so they were able to plan their invasion of the fort as they wished. The Black Arrows could provide answers to any questions about locations that the heroes had, including the presence of the shocker lizards in the warrens. They didn't know where the ogres were located, or exactly how many ogres were still stationed within the fort. They all but guaranteed that there were a lot. While the ogres had the advantage of numbers, the heroes had the advantage of surprise and superior knowledge of the area - the rangers were positive that the ogres wouldn't have discovered the secret caverns or tunnels, for example.

Infiltrating the Fort

The heroes explored several means of gaining access to the fort. A few options (and suggestions form the Black Arrows or Shalelu) included the following:

Death From Above: Anyone capable of flight can descend on the fort proper from above. Alternatively, if they fly up to the eagle aerie, they can approach the fort via the hidden ledge and tunnel from the north.

The Secret Tunnels: These tunnels have not been used in decades. They are infested in some places by shocker lizards, but they might provide the perfect means of infiltrating the fort without alerting the ogres. The tunnels can be entered via the waterfall cave.

The Sluice Gate: On the south wall of the fort (at the drainage ditch), a sluice gate opens to release refuge and sewage downhill into the creek. The heroes can attempt to circumvent the gates of Rannick by breaching this narrow access instead, but its proximity to the south gate might be a problem.

Stealth: Ogres can see in the dark, so night is likely to be a bigger problem than it is an advantage for the heroes. The group's stealthy characters might be able to infiltrate the fort undetected.

Attack Plans

The following tidbits of information were available to the heroes by the Black Arrows.

Lure the Kreegs Out: Most ogres are stupid. If something provokes them, they are likely to send out a sizeable force to attack (and could thus be easily lured into an ambush). Additionally, a distraction in one area of the fort might draw the brunt of the ogres to this area to investigate, leaving other key areas undefended.

Smoke Out!: Concerning the creatures that infest the secret tunnels, the rangers confirmed that a large number of shocker lizards dwelt down there. They keep to themselves in the tunnels, mostly, but during their mating season when they grow more aggressive, the rangers use bitterbark smoke to sicken and repulse them, keeping them from overrunning the castle. If the heroes harvest bitterbark form the surrounding region and stage the smoke at the right places, they could possibly drive the shocker lizards up into the keep and into the ogres' midst, weakening them and allowing a greater chance for success.