Wagons and whispers – 15 Oct. 2019 – Heret

14 Marpenoth, 1396 AR
encamped off the Kundar Road

Woken this morning by F with a strange story about some sort of tryst between two of the slaves, but myself saw nothing of this during my watch. Shared a pleasant watch with Z discussing various matters. TASK: find more books to Z’s taste.

As yesterday, I rode ahead of the caravan a little. Some time into the journey, saw smoke rising beyond the trees toward NE. Called a halt to the caravan as a human boy ran out into the road, shouting about a village under attack; he was followed by three of what I think to have been githyanki! Hitherto have only read about these astral corsairs. Seeing them turn their attack toward me, I spurred Zozo forward and engaged them. The others soon joined the battle and we made short work of the githyanki (and their two blink dogs, which Ba dispatched with four swift strikes of his huge flaming maul). Two of the raiders we killed, the third F somehow mesmerized and we bound him for later questioning before hurrying (with our employer’s permission) toward the rising smoke.

In a valley off the road, came upon a hamlet of simple buildings, partly ablaze, and a githyanki skiff being loaded with plunder and captives. A remarkable vessel – in some ways like an ordinary keelboat but more elegantly shaped and with a sail like the wing of a bat or a dragon, and somehow the whole ship floating 10 ft above the ground! S and I set upon the gith who seemed to be directing the business while the others (save Bu, whom I saw not) took on the other marauders and the displacer beasts they had with them. Seeing matters turn against them, the gith began to board their ship, and despite Ba’s & my efforts to block them they soon made off. Our despondent search of the hamlet discovered no inhabitants remaining, and no goods worth speaking of.

Worse still, on return to the wagons we found our prisoner dead – he had bitten through his own tongue and LG & TG had lacked the medical skill to keep him alive. We must content ourselves with the silver swords and few other goods that he & his two fellows leave behind.

After a brief rest we set off again, taking the fugitive boy (named Bren Miller) with us – for he says he has no family but those who lived in the hamlet and were presumably taken by the githyanki. Little to report from the rest of the day’s journey. A subdued stop to take lunch, and later a quiet but somewhat more cheerful supper after we made camp. F continues to be interested in some supposed romance between two of the slaves. Ba making much fuss of his dog. I’m to take first watch.

Gains:

• 3 silvered greatswords, val. ~150 gp each;

• scraps of plate armour, enough for a good smith to make into one suit of half plate, val. ~175 gp;

• ivory statuette of a woman, val. ~25 gp;

• 100 gp in loose coin.
  

To be divided on arrival at Kundar.

Own conduct:

• acceptable performance in combat but could be improved – TASK: more training;
  

• poor tactical thinking: should have ignored the captain of the vessel and gone directly to the ship to incapacitate it – TASK: more study.

TASK: on return to DH, read more about the gith.