Baha Men

June 16th of Albanus 1.  Afternoon.

Leyna responded to Aldus' sending with... silence.  Better to let people believe she was dead then to reply.

Marius noticed that the men-at-arms were grumbling, worrying about what would happen to them if they opposed Sir Terrens.  Titus thought the best way to handle this was through their captain, Marcus, and he spoke to the older man about the problem.  Marcus was thoroughly vexed that any of his men would fuss and he assigned all the slackers extra work to keep them busy.

Having packed their weevil-ridden rations and tattered armor, the party headed up the pass trailing a long string of dogfood-quality horses.  Cassius proclaimed it the sorriest loot he'd ever seen, but that didn't stop him from commandeering a short bow and a rusty short sword (Marcus promptly had one of the good-for-nothing men-at-arms polish that for his lordship).  Marius was still proudly carrying his boar spear... until Leyna remarked that it was terribly cute even though it made him look short.  Marius promptly switched to a quarterstaff.  Severus remained behind to watch for Terrens, and Gaius laid a false trail to make it look like the bandits had ridden up the pass.  

A half hour out, the party spotted a pair of bloody boots sticking out of the bushes on the side of the trail.  Titus investigated and found one of the bandits, a man he'd nearly gutted, lying unconscious.  Marius used his last healing prayer of the day to revive the brigand, and then the party let him ride one of the nags.  As they continued up the road, Marius showered the ne'er-do-well with pious advice and exhortations to lead a better life.  The bandit seemed dazed and kept poking his midriff to make sure none of his intestines had popped back out.

Late in the afternoon, as they approached Lanshar's Gap itself, Titus received a sending from aunt Surilla.  "Bad news, lambikins," she said.  "Your father, step-mum, and Brennus are all dead.  You're the heir.  Come to Rostilla and either get out of the way so that Severus can rule or, if you've decided you like living, claim your county."  (Aunt Surilla always called paladins "iron-clad virgins who rush about the countryside trying to get themselves killed."  The Surrexus custom of sending sons to the Order of St. Cavallius was "the family's long and distinguished history of human sacrifice".)  Titus didn't respond.

A moment later, Severus also got a sending from Surilla.  "Horrible news.  Arius, Matina and Brennus dead.  I can't reach Titus.  Congratulations, you may be the new count.  The king worries about Surrexus' loyalty, however, so if you want your county, come to Rostilla and swear fealty."  Severus didn't respond.  (This was the Evening of Playing Possum...)

About a minute later, another sending arrived -- from abbot Micarius.  "Messge from  Larentius.  Arius, Matina, and Brennus dead.  King worries you're traitors.  Bring family to Rostilla and reassure him.  Larentius tells me Arius spoke of Matina's infidelity, but he will not meet my eyes."  Severus found the timing and wording of the sending odd.  If this was truly Micarius, he wondered, why didn't he mention that he had failed to keep the count safe, as the party had asked him?  Fearing this was a demonic false sending, Severus said nothing.

Back in the pass, the party caught up with the surly, disarmed bandits.  They were still mulling over how exactly they were going to drown Terrens as they herded the bandits over Lanshar's Gap and down towards the Falls of Bashan, where they hoped to set their ambush.  Their big concern was that Terrens would undoubtedly not come alone -- how to even the odds?  Corvina suggested hiring the bandits.  And as it turned out, the bandits were very excited by the prospect of more work.  The party loaned them their arms and armor, and offered to let them have their mange-ridden horses back if they assisted in the assault.  The bandits agreed, and the now unified party marched on cheerfully to their campsite.

Severus came hurrying up at that point.  He told them about the sendings and reported that he'd seen what looked like Terrens and a dozen men heading up towards the hunting lodge.  However he'd also seen something disturbing -- four creatures that looked like wolves in the distance, running up the trail towards Lanshar's Gap.  

The party camped on the far side of the ford, planning to set up the ambush in the morning.  Gutted Guy quietly lay down on the party's side of the clearing, not the bandits'.  They set watches and shortly after midnight Gaius spotted four shadowy shapes on the other side of the stream.  Creatures that might have passed for wolves... except that they had large, almost human foreheads and gleaming orange eyes.

Leyna roused the rest of the group as the wolves slipped into the water.  Gaius put an arrow into the first creature's head... and much to his dismay, the arrow bounced off.  The bandits, men-at-arms, and party continued to rain arrows on the creatures, but few did any damage.  Marius believed that they were barghuests, demonic cousins of hell-hounds, which normal weapons could not harm.  Titus, Marcus and Fluffy took up position at the water's edge as the arrows continued to fly.  Leyna ran back to the horses and grabbed Sinister and Tara, her own horse.  

Much to everyone's surprise, the un-warlike Corvina speared the first barghuest to step out of the water.  Another one locked eyes with Marcus and began a crooning howl.  The old guardsman began to relax and lower his sword.  Unfortunately, it took its eye off Titus as it crept forward, and the paladin lopped its head off with one blow.

Things were starting to look good for the party... until the remaining two barghuests howled as well.  Suddenly both Corvina and Titus drew back and began to yell that the wolves were harmless.  No one listened to them, of course, since Marius shouted that barguests had powers of charming and since Titus and Corvina demonstrated logic so weak only a charmed person would fall for it.

Gaius, realizing that the front line was vanishing, took a strategic retreat up a nearby tree.  As Titus used Sinister to block Leyna from attacking the wolves, Marcus stepped around him to engage it.  The barghuest only had time to give the old man a good nip on the knee before the captain took it down.  Which left Titus blinking and feeling very foolish.

The last barghuest charged around Corvina (who also shielded it and called off Fluffy).  It made one frustrated snap at Gaius, safe on his branch, then leaped into the midst of the archers and seized one bandit by the throat.  The remaining bandits screamed and fled into the night (ignoring Gaius' sensible advice, "Don't run.  It runs faster than you do.")  Only the men-at-arms and the Formerly Gutted Bandit held their ground.  As the barghuest worried the screaming bandit, Marius finally managed to force his terrified pony Dulcina to charge it.  Alas, his quarterstaff didn't do anything to the demon.  The barghuest tore out the bandit's throat with a wet ripping sound, then crouched down and prepared to spring at the boy.  As it did, Gaius neatly put an arrow through the back of the monster's skull, and it dropped to the ground, dead.

The evening ended with the party catching its breath as the wails of terrified bandits faded into the distance.