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Session 2: Drondar
Nearing Drondar with the spy in tow, the companions were approached by a patrol of Drondar guardsmen. Explaining that they need to speak with an official for the city, they were pointed toward the guard building just inside Drondar's south gate.
After entering the building, they were met by an officer of the guard named Darnius. Darnius took control of the documents and the prisoner and told the group to return on the following day, that he may have a job for the group. Officials in Leonay often employ goodly adventurers for necessary missions. The group agreed and went to stay at a local inn, the Sword and Scabbard.
Bannor, feeling that the discomfort of sleeping in the elements would make him stronger, decided against staying in the inn, instead giving the money that he would have spent to a small school. He wandered the streets of the city, until he found a comfortable place to sleep. In the morning he met his friends in the inn.
The following day, the group arrived at the guard building. Darnius told them that he had a contract for them to eliminate a couple of nests of giant spiders for four hundred gold. The group agreed and trekked toward the outskirts of Deepwood. Following strips of colored cloth, the group found a path into the forest. Less than an hour into the forest, Chiranjeev walked directly into a nearly invisible curtain of sticky webbing. As he struggled, the rest of the group noticed four three-foot long spiders descending webs set up all around them. The spiders closed on the group and the companions not entangled in the web intercepted them. As the party killed the spiders, a larger spider lowered itself form the canopy above. The large spider was over five-feet long. Fortunately, by the time the large spider entered the combat, the smaller spiders were almost all killed and Chiranjeev had freed himself from the webbing. The large spider didn't have a chance.
After defeating the first nest, the companions traveled to the second nest. After a quick battle against two more large spiders and four of the smaller spiders, Bannor climbed up a tree to ensure that there wasn't any more spiders in the large web spanning the canopy above them. Once on the level of the largest portion of the web, Bannor spotted two humanoid figures which hid behind a section of tree before Bannor could get a good look at them. Yelling to his friends below that there were more enemies, Bannor jumped into the web. Although sticky, the section of web supporting Bannor was more of a structure than a trap. Even so, Bannor had to struggle to crawl towards the humanoid creatures. The rest of the group were climbing up other trees adjacent to the web. When they realized they were trapped, the creatures charged toward their attackers. The creature resembled a cross between a gangly human and a bloated spider, with a spider-like head and a pair of bulbous, black eyes. Once the battle was joined, the ettercaps were quickly defeated.
After the defeat of the ettercaps, the group traveled back to the city to accept their reward. After getting their payment from Darnius, the companions went to the Sword and Scabbard to celebrate a job well done. Bannor drank some water then left to spread his reward to the more needy of the city. He gave his gold to the local orphanage.
During the next couple of days, Astaria went to various stores, buying supplies. In one of the stores, Sullivan's Supply Company, the proprietor recognized Astaria. When she questioned him, Sullivan said that Astaria had bought supplies with her seven companions for an excursion into the mountains. Unbeknownst to her and her current companions, they had been traveling with four unaccounted for allies.
After Astaria told the rest of the companions about their missing compatriots, so the group split up to ask if anyone else in the town recognized them. After canvassing the the city, the group had found a couple other shop keepers who recognized them. Unfortunately, none of the shop keepers could give them any other information about the group.
One afternoon, the group met with Darnius and he offered them another job, a sting against some thieves dealing in stolen goods. Steve Sullivan, from Sullivan's Supply Company was approached by a group of thieves trying to sell some stolen goods. The plan was for the heroes to pretend that they were robbing Sullivan's and when the thieves entered to fence their goods to attack and try to apprehend them. They tied Sullivan to a chair in the back of his store to protect him if one of the thieves escaped the sting. The companions apprehended all five thieves, just as planned, with Bannor knocking most of them out cold.
Three days after their second successful contract, each of the companions got a letter of summons from Cey Hecron, Dragon-duke of Drondar. The companions met with the duke. Cey Hecron asked the group if they would go into the Malek Mountains to scout the threat of invasion from Quelt's orcs. The companions agreed and Astaria asked Cey if he could find out any information about the group's background. They decided to leave in three days.
The group found a guide, purchased supplies, and prepared for the mission. On the morning that they were to leave, as the companions were eating breakfast, Cey Hecron entered and told Astaria that he found out that she comes from Ash-Melin. Astaria thanked him for the information then the companions left for the mountains.
Ezekiel suggested that the group head for a small orc village and speak to their leader. Ezekiel ensured the group that he could get them in to speak with the orc leader.
On the way, the group skirmished with orcs and were ambushed by bugbears.
The companions followed Ezekiel's lead, bluffing their way past the orc sentries. When approached by the orc leader, Ezekiel made a deal that one of the travelers would defeat the orc leader in single combat to pay for the information. Bannor stepped forward and in a close battle, Bannor was able to defeat the orc.
The orc leader was able to tell the group that Quelt's army numbered about 5,000 orc warriors, the location of his village, and the fact that he has a powerful necromancer to aid in the battle by raising the fallen as undead. With this information, the party returned to Drondar to give Cey Hecron the information.