Giada’s Rescue (Date 1/11/11)

“We’re going!” Marty said. He had gone over several approaches and gambits on his way to the tower, but in the end he stuck with tried and true – don’t given Euwyn a choice. “It’s got to be now,” he continued. “I’ve got to be here for Banishment Night, the council meeting’s already come and gone, and we’re not tied up in anything. Will never have another window like this. As the Marshal, I’ve got to go, so you’ve got to come with me.”

Euwyn’s mouth opened and closed several times. There were counters to everything Marty had said, important reasons why none of them should leave, but in the end he left them unspoken. He nodded begrudgingly – let Marty think he had convinced him. What other choice did he have? Stay here? Deal with General Justice and his new military agenda… See his father still broken from a loss he might have prevented… Face Relania and see if she had forgiven him… No! Getting out of town sounded better and better the more he mulled it over, and besides, Giada had answers!

The party gathered and headed for the Fey Fort. It was almost as if they had been pushed there. With the defeat of the goblins, each had discovered new powers. Ilyana found she could spy on people from a distance and even claimed she could bring back a soul in a new body. Marty could send a message all the way to Lumi in the city. The spells in Euwyn latest tome suddenly made sense. Ilyana had found Giada with her scrying, and Marty had sent her a message offering rescue, but their efforts indicated she was under the spell of the place and had lost her sense of time.

A quick stop off in the city was necessary. They had to report the defeat of the goblins, and Shelby didn’t need to accompany them to the fort. It would be awkward, at best! The city offered many distractions. Edgar had discovered that the runes on the magic scabbard were of Drow origin, and that such creatures would know how to complete them. The council had met in their absence, raising taxes, expanding into the plains, farming and setting up fisheries. There were rumors that Justice wanted to wipe out the Boggards next.

On the way to the fort, Ilyana secret admirer hounded the party with his attention, resulting in a brief, nocturnal battle between monkeys, wolverines, eagles and a tiger. She said his name was Brog, and that he was nothing but an annoyance, which he proved himself to be until he leapt out to warn the party of a danger ahead. Shena was camped in the forest!

The party opted for the direct approach and luckily caught Shena unaware. She looked to be reading. Hedge was able to charge up to her before she could even rise to her feet. A powerful blast of ice nearly killed Marty who absorbed some of Hedge’s damage allowing the fighter to remain standing. Shena seemed to intentionally miss the Prince. Ilyana attacked from above with magic and Euwyn used one of his new powerful spells to ensnare the half-elf in choking tentacles. Though the Prince called to leave her alive, excess of firepower and zeal killed the former diplomat. No book was found among her things.

Deciding to press on and leave the question of what to do with Shena for after the fort encounter, the group found the patch of forest where the wall of reality began to blur. One-by-one they fell – or allowed themselves to fall – under the queen’s spell. Fighting back to consciousness, they shook off the dream of the fort’s never-ending revel and bargained with the Queen for Giada’s release. She agreed eventually to a trade, the party would take Giada away and promised not to return unless they had business with her. She implied that they had many more important things to do, listing the encroachment on gnoll land, an attack on their new settlement, and the threat of war posed by their new council.