Last session we left off with a mysterious ring. A ring of quality that had etchings that told it belonged to one of the great families in Ravensburg.
Healed, Boneswa led his companions, Corder, a harden fighter, and Regina, a servant of the Whispering God, headed to Potter's End to meet Natalia Stoynich, a purveyor of rare antiquities. She took on the task to find the family the ring belong to. It would require a few days time.
So off we went. Not to the Black Tower this time, but north, on the road to Willowgrove. A rumor of goblin bandits on the road led us there. We have had no luck finding them in the bowels of the Black Tower. Two hours travel with no goblin in sight, the rain making our trip more miserable. We decided to turn back, write off the day as a loss. But the goblins came to us. Demanding our possessions.
With a flurry of cocksure delivery, Boneswa told the goblins to take a nap. Three out of the twelve napped to Boneswa disappointment. Corder and Regina stood side-by-side forming a shield wall. The goblins attacked, Corder was rammed hard enough to knock him to the ground, blood dripping from a wound in his shoulder. Regina took a spear to her chest. Staggering her, but she stood her ground.
The battle continued Corder and Boneswa took two of the goblins down while Regina took a potion to mend her wounds.
The goblins regathered and doubled their efforts. Again Regina was caught off guard as one goblin kicked her shield to the side as a second buried his spear into her side. She did not falter, but knew if she was stuck again she would hear the whispers of her god.
But Corder and Boneswa killed two more of the goblins. Corder struck one of the goblins in the head spinning it into the air to land at the feet of their commander.
The goblins ran.
We did not pursue, but watched them run toward the silhouette of the Black Tower. Another day perhaps.
Regina fell to a knee as Corder quickly collected the right hands of the goblins for the reward. It was what they hunted the goblins after all. To return them for the reward of 10gp per hand.
Returning to Ravensburg, we collected our reward and spoke to a guardsman. A John Argest, a veteran soldier of dark humor. There he told us of possible employment with caravans. Possibly work with more pay, less risk.
Returning to our inn we rested and healed. We waited until the third day when we returned to Natalia. She told us of a halfling family, the Lowell's that lived in High Tower, an affluent section of Ravensburg. While I offered her payment, she took none, wanting to build a relationship instead. To bring her curiosities from the Black Tower from time-to-time. This I could do and thanked her.
We traveled the short distance to High Tower armed with information about this halfling family of bankers. I imagined how much gold we could collect from returning the family heirloom. The gems and cons raining from our upheld fists.
But then we arrived at the house. The lawn unattended, the fencing broken and our hopes of a glorious reward fell as fast the the slate from the roof. We knocked and an withered dwarf answered the door. He asked our business and I did not hide the reason. Being coy did not seem appropriate and a time waste.
We sat in for a while waiting for Durston Lowell. The solo survivor of his once proud family. We exchanged pleasantries and I told him why we were here. The ring. A ring with your house crest upon it. I then presented him with the ring.
Durston immediately reacted to the ring, joy and sadness. The ring had been his brother he had not seen for many years. He showed me the necklace that matched the ring and its importance to the family.
When he asked how much, I could not think of a sum that would be appropriate. I offered the ring to him without cost. Without obligation. A gift to his once proud family. A token of better times. A remembrance of a brother.
Overwhelmed by the generosity of the ring, Durston offered us some of the adventuring gear that once belonged to his brother. A silver ring, a short sword and scabbard, and a potion. All magical. Much more than I would have expected, even if I had asked a tidy sum of a reward.
We left knowing some good came out of this day. We were greeted with opportunity, allies and generosity. A good day indeed.
