Torches in Twilight Session 40, there and back again

A single game session encompasses more than a month of in-game time. Not a lot of dice were rolled, and they never seemed in genuine danger (at least compared to their usual adventures), but the group worked hard and was run ragged by lots of little challenges.   Kormatin figured that it was close enough to night fall that the group might as well sleep the first night in the liberated prison camp.   Aleesia was experienced in working at hospitals and temples that she was able to supervise the gathering of supplies and whatnot in a reasonable manner, but Kormatin struggled to get the asocial and emotionally scarred spirit loas to follow his lead.   In real life, he rolled the dice badly but it makes sense in character. Kormatin has been acting as a leader for quite some time but he used to working with highly disciplined professional soldiers or highly disciplined priests. It makes sense that he would have trouble getting a bunch of commoners, who are emotionally traumatized, have widely varied goals, and asocial loa tendencies, it makes sense.   Kormatin got an assist from Ragani who was phenomenally good (six successes rolled!) at empathizing with the loas and communicating with them on a personal level. This indirectly makes sense. Ragani is connected to the spirits in her own way and like loas is often a quiet observer from the side lines.   Cambrie the loa introduced Kormatin to Bleddyn the ghost of a Swynfaredian soldier who promised that he and the other ghosts would keep watch over the party at night, and make noise to wake up the party and to slow down intruders with their ghostly power.   The very first night (spent sleeping in the prison camp), Bleddyn woke Kormatin in the middle of the night to warn him that the Countess Igraine ap Selwyth was mobilizing her militia to reinforce her (fairly limited) standing forces but she was deliberately taking her time.   Even with that, breaking camp was slow due to leadership issues, the same issues from the day before. Bendek used his Overland flight spell to move all 30 people out. The group looted as much treasure and supplies as they could carry. Even with multiple bags of holding, they couldn't take everything (though they did take Kivessin's head preserved with repose dust).   They set fire to what they couldn't take, including most of the buildings, leaving one brick building intact and painting "Gorisonad Lapdogs" on the wall.   Not wanting to rely on flight spells for 30 people for the whole long journey, Ragani and Cambrie bought some wagons and draft horses at double the market price, and the group awkwardly made their way to the border between land of Swynfaredia and the Foroden Forest timber colony of the Elven Empire calculating that it would slightly quicker and moderately safer to go to Foroden and charter a ship than to head straight to the land of Stahlheim by land.   The captured Talon Warriors mostly slept in the wagons in the day because ghosts were interfering with nightly sleep much as the loa Seren warned Kormatin they would do.   As far as Kormatin and company knew, they were not persued. Either the Swynfaredians feared catching him or they didn't predict he'd swing south instead of north or west.  

by me with Hero Forge

Spymaster Ralnor

"I feel a little bad. I advised you and your companions that it was dangerous to carry all your wealth with you while you are traveling in enemy territory, but I wasn't expecting you would have two dozen people to feed, clothe, and house running out your traveling funds.   I still stand by my advice on the whole....

  The group burned through a fair bit of money lodging the group in inns and buying basic supplies on the way to Foroden Forest and this was just the beginning.   The party said they were religious pilgrims going ot see the Khemra oracle in Foroden and the Swynfaredians didn't question or hassle them. About 40 well-armed soldiers from the Elven Empire question Kormatin and company but armed with the truth, his seldom used Elven language skills, and a little bit of Keeper solidarity, the Imperial soldiers let them approach the temple without incident and even escorted them there.   Kormatin and company made a donation of a couple hundred drams of reagents. All the loas and the Talon warriors got oracular answers to their questions. While on layover, Ragani sold their wagons and horses and got most of their money back and with a little help from the local Keepers, commissioned a ship to Stahlheim's main port (a relatively short naval voyage).   The Talon Warriors did not join them. Kormatin cut the Talon warriors loose with their gear and 25 silver pieces each.   Once in Stahlheim, Kormatin and company found guides willing to take them along the Great Stone pilgrimage route to the Borderlands for 25 silver pieces a head. Ragani sold a looted armor buckle and a lot of Repose Dust to get this silver, but she was able to sell it for a good price.   The group wasn't attacked or seriously injured, but it was a long arduous journey. The loas had to learn to trust Kormatin's companions and to learn to trust each other. The group had to battle mountains, cold, and rough weather. The group made it safely to the outskirts of Barony of Demos, now controlled by Lady Felicja Wiern Maylar worshiping boy toy, so they didn't enter the city. They turned east and made it safely to Barony of Bats and it was a relatively smooth journey back to Fumaya.   They made it back to where King Henryk III was coordinating the war effort from the tent city and Kormatin made his report.   Not only did Kormatin break up an attempt to use loas as experimental lab rats to create super soldiers in Torches Session 39, The Stepford Loas, but Kormatin and his allies killed a bunch of undead in a hidden mine chamber in Session Session 38.   Some of the rescued loas wanted to swear fealty to King Henryk on the spot and fight the Swynfaredians or serve the Fumayan cause. Others simply wanted refuge. King Henryk, being pragmatic and just was more than happy to accommodate this. Henryk commanded Kormatin to escort the loas to King's Lake and then to suggested/ordered him to take some rest and relaxation.   Henryk is showing visible signs of stress and fatigue and probably wishes he could take some time off, but he was cheered by Kormatin's return and his successful quests. Henryk's spies reported that they were still looking for Kormatin, so he was reasonable sure Kormatin was still alive.   Cambrie the musician and Gerallt the leadsmith were sent to work with Spymaster Ralnor.   Ebril the loa volunteered to immediately join the Fumayan army, and Henryk's knightly advisor put him under the command of Alexandra Frymar figuring the versality of a loa would work well as part of one of her mobile elite squads.   Delyth and Nesta went to work on the lands of the Count of North Lake to find work there.   Lunet (who became a self-taught theurgist on the long journey), joined the Fumayan Children.   Lorna the Borderlander followed Kormatin's company to King's Lake and is temporarily staying at Brigid's house.   The remainder of the spirit loas went to a Tender holding in the Duchy of Zimoz.