Backfired Negotiations with the Wizards of Tendale

• Characters: Aramir, Dorian, Forkbeard, Gallipolas, Krullix, Softfoot
• NPCs: tavern owner of the Old Dung Cow Rick Meros, leader of the Wizards of Tendale Lady Nerisis, pick-pocket Frootilin, Leord Falconflight, wizard apprentice Ylathera Hollisharp
• Synopsis: Dorian teleports back to Threshold to ensure that the spell is now accurate. After losing precious time to the teleportation snare, the group arrives in Geron behind schedule including those more inclined for stealth and/or negotiation. Three days of travel result in the comrades arriving outside of the city, but also a potential meal for a multi-headed hydra. The creature is immediately destroyed but offers a savory meal for Forkbeard who enjoys the flash-fried hydra meet. The neutral city of Tendale is in fact intact and prospering from wartime trade. A street urchin unfortunately selects the group as a thieving target and is quickly brought down after a brief chase. Dorian magicks him to be their guide and the party ends up at the sage Leord Falconflight’s small store Books & More. The elder sage puffs his pipe and offers his contacts with the wizards’ council of Tendale. Well met and invited, the wizard of the highest order Lady Nerisis speaks softly and kindly to the party. Talks include mention of the Historian and the female wizard offers greater insight to the trade deal. The druids of Cedarspoke have countered with exclusive trade rights as well as a dowry for the exchange of the Historian. A deal was already struck with the Council of the Divine and the exchange is to occur in three days. The Divine Hammer, a militant group representing the Council, is already enroute for the drop. Acting as the spokesman for the group Dorian attempts to intercept the deal with trade rights with Teziir as well as matching the offer. Lady Nerisis is reluctant and excuses herself to discuss the offer with the other members of the council. Dorian’s interpretation is that the offer is being rejected outright and the elf decides that magic may help sway Lady Nerisis’ opinion. The spell fails and the female vacates the room sounding the alarm. With only seconds to react the group makes an escape route disintegrating the room’s wall to the outside. Repositioning themselves for the inevitable attack, they turn their attention to the gathering of forces outside of the chamber. Dorian’s delayed blast fireball spell goes horribly wrong when a massive fire elemental returns it to the elf, igniting the whole room in a bath of fire. Their boy guide Frootilin is incinerated in the blast. A small force of elementals follows suit and a massive battle breaks out. Fighting through to their last options, the group finally destroys the elementals but another platoon of soldiers under the protection of spells advances. Out of time and out of luck, the group retreats to the identified rendezvous point, the carcass of the hydra.
• Encounters: 9-headed hydra, large air, fire, and earth elementals, medium earth and fire elementals.
• Achievements: ruined negotiations with the Wizards of Tendale for the exchange of the Historian, accidental death of an innocent child, eliminated any good will that may have come with the potential allies, learned of the deal for the exchange of the Historian with the Council of the Divine of the Army of Nature’s Wrath.