Revenge of the Druid

By Kevin Sung

I was nervous. Maybe it was because I was about to break a promise a long time ago. I thought I had put this behind me. I guess I was wrong but knew that if there was any mean to the saying “the ends justifies the means”, it is this deed I must do. My stomach churned with the apprehension. I had broken my drinking problem but at the moment I felt this need for a drink. Almost but not quite like it was before. I could feel the pores filled with sweat and salt as I approached. There stood the great Tarkin of legend. Founder of the Druid Protectors who once new the great Daryuun, he stood before me looking a little younger than I expected. Too be quite honest, I did not know what to expect. Tarkin Maize was for the most part looked like the pictures I had seen. I thought for a while that it was merely a myth. I remember seeing a mural of him at the old druid site and at Fynn’s grove. There was so much to say. I introduced myself as Kren and started with the facts. I made sure I was far away from any prying ears of my associates though they pretty much knew where I stood.

I began by detailing all the places we had been and also the map we found on the demon in Noguard. Each piece I knew had importance. Without the party’s knowledge I had a spare copy of the map and gave it to Tarkin. I especially relayed the talk about undead cleric and his talk about the navel of the world and that the party was likely heading there. I even discussed the decision of letting the party go. They would sure tip the balance in the wrong direction. I then started with my plan on eliminating the party and teaching them a lesson in guerrilla warfare. After all they made it clear I was not wanted in their discussion as to which side they were planning on joining. I could tell from the discussion that they were planning on lying. There are a lot of things this party is good at, but deception and subtlety was not one of them. Their blood would be the price for the looting Tarkin’s grave and the eventual betrayal there are already plotting. I have survived the Game of Many Blades for too long to not see the signs. The secrets they keep will be buried with them.

My plan was to first dispel magic on the bag of holding the party had in its possession. If I knew the party, they put all of their eggs in one basket and were too lazy to distribute the goods. That should eliminate the booty and in all likelihood piss them off that is assuming Tarkin deemed anything they had stolen worth stealing back. I planned on being gone before they figured out what happened. Plus there are all cowards; they will not come after me with all the evils lurking about. It would also push the entire party against me. But that was ok. They were already against me.

I would go with the protectors and assist them in the any way. The thought that good men might die for these worthless scum already riled me. Maybe I was mad that I should have sealed my former associates in the tomb right after they set off the trap. I knew it but my uncertainty was my own undoing. At the very least, I planned on calling nature’s wrath on the enemy and the righteousness of fire and even the odds against these brave men. After the escape and hopefully some introductions and a place to meet up with them, I planned on finishing what the party started. Of course I would need a little help.

My hope is the druid protectors felt much like I did and they could provide me with a little information. I need to know the lay of the land surrounding the river and where the Banda primarily roamed. One of the rules of engagement, know the terrain and use it to your advantage. In particular I wanted to know how I could rile the Banda to killing the party. I figured at the very least, I could frame them with a crime or maybe make the Banda believe the party had a druid amongst them. Tribal people tend to be superstitious and I just might create a bad omen on the party to make sure they felt the full wrath of the Banda. If I could rile the Banda, it probably would bring out the nasty elements in Senta if I am reading the close connections between the Banda and the denizens of the city correctly. I also need to know the paths and trails in the immediate area to set traps and be able to move quickly without being detected and slow down my eventual pursuers. I would also need to know of any plants that could cause someone to be stunned or at the very least slow down their reaction time. It might come in handy. The important thing was I need the druid protectors to acquire a few things. I had a plan on eliminating the party and it would require a little luck and the predictability of the party.

As soon as a storm arrived while they were on the river, I would attack. They usually have two people on watch doing three two-hour shifts. I wanted to attack on the first watch at least an hour in. One lightning bolt should at the very least hurt the first watch pretty bad. If I am lucky, I will be able to hit them again hopefully finishing one of them. Hopefully Riatha first. She is the brains and probably would cause some confusion within the party if she died. She would almost certainly cast Slay Living on me from the scroll. If I could then take out Emjod, it would be great. That would eliminate most of the potential casters of the spare raise dead scroll except for the thieves in the group. The rest of the party would likely come out of the main hold in the center. Etrigan or Emjod, depending on who was not on watch with Riatha, would be first followed by Kaylo and Drake assuming no one else was with the party but then they would likely be in between Kaylo and Etrigan. Definitely did not want to hit any innocent people if possible, just the party.

I knew Drake and probably Kaylo would turn invisible if they had not slept but I hoped I could catch them napping. I would cast summon swarm on the ship to prevent the spell casters from casting anything and preoccupy them. Should I need to steal some goods, I would then turn into one of the swarm and get aboard with the rest of my summoned minions. I would need a distraction so after I cast summon swarm, I could release a bird of some sort to make them think I had left. This might give me a few moments to steal back anything they had stolen. Easy enough because I would just go for the bag of holding.

Assuming I did not go a board, I would continue my assault. If they were smart, they would douse the lights being that I was human and in a storm there was limited visibility. Of course if that happened, I would cast a fairy fire on the ship. It should show all the people on the ship and if I was careful with not destroying the ship, hopefully keep the captain and his crew off the deck. My hope is they would try to jump overboard but that was more likely wishful thinking. They might not be the smartest, but they are certainly not dumb.

Regardless of whether I took out the two people on watch, I need to finish off Etrigan next. He could turn into a gargoyle and reek all sorts of havoc. The advantage I had was it would take him maybe 12-20 seconds to get to the shore. Plenty of time to weaken him up or maybe kill him. If he falls into the water, a couple of lightning bolts should finish him off. I figure it should take anywhere from two to four bolts per person. If they go down, an extra lightning bolt should insure they stayed down. If Etrigan made it to shore, he should be weakened from the bolts. This is where I used a little covered lantern. I would cover the lantern in a cloak and tree branches and create essentially a scarecrow somewhat hidden behind a tree and provide a target should the elves try to scan the shores. When Etrigan came close to the dummy of me, I would send another lightning bolt his way. I doubt Etrigan could survive two strikes but I would strike him a third time to finish him off. Before the ambush, I planned on covering myself with mud. It should cover me from being detected by the elven infravision. An old trick I learned from days of the Game of Many Blades to neutralize the elven advantage during the Game. I had planned many a ambush and strategic battles even if they were not supposed to be violent. Numbers and a well thought out plan usually took the fight out of an opponent hence why the Game usually was non-violent. We were taught not to waste resources.

After Etrigan was finished off, I could then concentrate on the remaining party members and pick them off one by one. I only have to worry about the slay living spell. Hopefully by this point they wasted the spell on my scarecrow or on some creature they thought was me. I would have the birds to also cover my tracks. If I released them from a distance, it should be able to provide another distraction. The party should be sitting ducks. Eventually they will try to get creative and maybe jump the ship but one lightning bolt should effective end that rain of terror. But in the end, I should be able to finish them off. If they managed to hurt me enough to force a retreat, I will heal myself and come back again. I did not plan on letting them sleep at all that night. If I ran them ragged, when the banda strike during the day, it should finish the party.

I planned on attacking after they set anchor for the night. In case they tried to jump the ship and run into the woods, I plan on casting a bunch of firetraps around the banks and most likely exit routes on the shores. It should slow them down should I be forced to leave and heal myself. I also plan on setting a few traps with the poisons I could scrounge up in addition to the fire-traps. They are about to learn the first rule of combat, a battle is one before it is fought. The traps should slow them down and get them paranoid. The lack of sleep and the well thought out plan, should make them rather paranoid. After the battle I planned on capturing the dead bodies. I would have to make sure they did not set any traps. I would know easy enough by the fact that they left the bodies behind. They usually don’t unless they planned on regrouping. The first night I should be able outthink the party. After that I planned on letting their imagination run wild. I would not be coming back after the first night. The Game taught be another lesson, eliminate a problem before it becomes one. No sense in taking any chances.

At this point, they should be tired and frantic and the Banda should be on them as they progressed down the river. I will leave the remaining party members to them and the seedy parts of Senta. If there were any survivors from my initial attack, I would leave them to this domino effect. If the Banda did not get them, the Senta might. If they managed to get through all of that, I planned another trap. I planned on informing the Iron Fist in Noguard about our thieving friend and all likelihood any accomplices. It would be a darn shame if they found various Vekna items specifically an initiate’s robe in his room along with the incriminating evidence of his extracurricular activities. They would be run out of Noguard. I might even be able to tarnish Evelyn’s reputation but I think that would be biting off too much then I can handle.

Evelyn is far too dangerous for me to handle I think. At least until I get a handle on her weaknesses and strengths. I also knew that if they survived the rest of the traps, they might go after my druid cave in Tintaflin. I planned on covering up the entrance and stone shaping it closed with some trees in front. A little plant growth with some trees should make it tough to find and of course a conversation with the gnomes. They were good people. Fynn’s old haunt though would be tougher to hide. I doubt I could but would be able to set a few traps. I would have to take everything of value and also have to figure out what the runes meant. If the runes were something to hide, I would stone shape it off the rock. If it was important, I might alter the runes a little to mislead the next party.

After laying down my plans, I looked at Tarkin and asked for his advice. He knew the power balance between the various factions better and whether this plan would evade their detection or would have to be toned down. I left it to him to tell me what I could and could not do that would draw attention from our enemies but I made it clear, I will finish off my former associates. They will suffer the penalties of looting a scared tomb and past transgressions. I already knew that Drake was pulverizing animal bones. Whether they were dead or not by his hand was not the point. It will stop. The rest is guilt by association. The elves must know of his extracurricular activities and I suspected the minotaur of some darker magic. It can’t be good that he is reading the Vekna book. That only left poor Etrigan but he betrayed me by looting the tomb. They all have it coming and I will be there to exact the punishment. I was feeling better already now that I got that off my chest. Maybe being vindictive is not really a bad thing.

PART II

After some discussion with Tarkin, he seemed to dislike my idea. Something about not his style and jumping conclusions. I thought about it, and I know I was right. It knew them too well. But maybe the direct approach is not the best thing. One of the great military strategists used to say the weakest form of attack is the physical one. I think maybe it is time to put some old skills to use and see just how much trouble I could get the party into. Hehehehe. They chose the wrong druid to mess with.

The first step was to make sure they could not contact the Runelord. It would draw too much attention if all the Runelord related items in Noguard were to disappear but if I could beat them to it, I might be able to point them in the wrong direction. The idea was to minimize the contact with the Runelord. It would ideal if we could use the party for the druid cause. They certainly could be very useful in a destruction of things and if I could make the Runelord their enemy, he might destroy them first and thus minimize my involvement and effort. Let me enemies destroy use their strength to destroy themselves. The trick is trying to do it subtly. I ruled out having a paid contact to act as a fake Runelord agent, too risky and with Evelyn around as a wild card, it probably would not work. I would have to be content to manipulating existing Runelord information and/or possibly creating fake information. It would take a while and I would have to get as much information as I could to make accurate fakes or have someone create them. The idea would be to modify existing documents with subtle word changes. It would also take time and patience. The big thing was I knew all their contacts in Noguard. By keep them there, I could control the information they received.

I could also do a few other things. I think circulating the wanted poster of the elf in DragonFall would make things interesting. I am hoping a few enemies might take notice. I could also start some false rumors about the party such as connections to some necromancer and various other unsavory stories in DragonFall. Any subtle attacks to their character would have to be in DragonFall because in all likelihood all the enemies would be there and utilize the false rumors to their advantage. Any rumors in Noguard would likely be squelched by either Evelyn or any of the factions supporting the party and DragonFall was the natural choice considering they were arch rivals of Noguard. Stirring the pot would certainly make life interesting for the party. I almost feel a pang of regret for the party. Almost but they sowed the seeds, now they will reap the whirlwind.