Where did we go?
- Fought in the forest battlefield where the noble soldiers had fallen and the flameskulls first appeared.
- Tracked north through the forest to a hidden campsite containing a carriage and a group of armored knights guarding it.
- Departed the forest and traveled back toward Dawnport with wagons and newly tamed horses.
Who did we meet?
- Veteran Guards: Seven fully armored knights at the forest campsite, former comrades of the fallen soldiers, now guarding a carriage and the captured noble.
- Richard Von Bane: The nobleman who fled the battle with the devil and abandoned his men; found captured by the Veteran Guards and later died by apparent poison.
- Party members involved: Dax (Watch Commander of Dawnport), Father Hoilsat (Paladin), Hanz (Ranger), Beatrix, Zevrouge, Ariana, and Eden.
What actually happened?
After defeating the initial group of flameskulls and preparing the bodies for return, five more of the noble soldiers’ heads ignited and transformed into new flameskulls, which the party managed to destroy. In the aftermath, Dax pushed to stay focused on hunting the devil, while Father Hoilsat lamented that more could have been done for the undead.
Hanz scouted north from a treetop and spotted a distant campsite, where the party found seven Veteran Guards protecting a carriage and holding the cowardly noble Richard Von Bane prisoner for fleeing the devil fight. After tense discussion, Dax convinced them that Richard needed to be interrogated in Dawnport and urged them to pursue “Talk Back,” the tiefling who had secretly summoned the devil and caused the slaughter, but Richard suddenly poisoned himself with a hidden vial and died before questioning.
In gratitude for the party’s help, the Veteran Guards paid 600 gold (split between Hanz, Zevrouge, and Ariana) and distributed magic items: Mantle of Resistance to Beatrix, Sentinel Shield to Father Hoilsat, Medallion of Thought to Eden, and Split Adamantine Armor to Dax. With their business concluded, the group prepared to leave; Zevrouge burned Richard’s body along with the noble’s carriage, while Dax and Hanz tamed two horses, and the party returned to Dawnport to rest and plan their next move against the devil and “Talk Back.”
