Camithon has asked for someone to take over the activity log for Action Team Hound. As no one else has stepped forward, I have decided to do so. I will add that if anyone has a problem with my record or how I choose to write it they can keep their own fracking journal.

On the 26th of Veltom we got a new mission. Apparently one of our operatives in Bartertown was having some problems with a couple of rival gangs and asked for an action team to take care of the problem. We traveled to Marrek and from there to a riverboat landing on the Serpent that is used for trade between Marrek and the rest of Barsaive. Our Journey down the Serpent and up the Coil river was uneventful. At the town of Ardanyan we took up with a caravan heading to Throal, as traveling in numbers is always safer. We told them that we were and adventuring group called Lynx and would aid the caravan if they got into any trouble. Most of the journey was uneventful, although we were attacked by some Ork scorchers while crossing a flooded stream. Andros gained a thunder beast as a mount in that fight. We made it to Bartertown without further incident and made contact with our operative, Honest Akeem.

On Charassa 4th we met with Akeem in his apothecary/pawn shop. He told us that there were two groups or gangs that were demanding protection money from him and the amount he was paying out to both would put him out of business. Also the gangs did not like that he was paying their rivals as well and had threatened him. He feared a turf war and getting caught in the middle. He wanted us to find a way to stop one of the gangs from demanding protection money from him, but discreetly. He didn’t want to be connected to us. Paying protection to one gang was fine, it helped his cover, but he couldn’t afford both. If we could also stop the escalating gang war all the better.

The two gangs were the “Juggler’s Men” and the “Red Masks”. The Juggler’s were a group of T’skrang led by “The Juggler” (a Troubadour of unknown circle), who had a headquarters in the “Hog’s Head” inn. These were the original gang that claimed Akeem in their territory. The Red Masks were muscling in on the Juggler’s territory. They were reportedly a group of former adventurers or possibly members of the Grim Legion or both. The Mask’s leader was a dwarf named Macklin, but no one seemed to know much about him or where his gang headquartered.

Charissa 5th – 7th we spent gathering information on both gangs to see if we could come up with a plan for Discreetly dealing with one of the gangs. On the 7th of Charassa we found out that The Juggler had left town and that several members of the Juggler’s men were taken ill. Wanting to know more we decided to ambush one of the Juggler’s men and ask a few questions. Our Thief, Kira quickly took the T’skrang out and we dragged him to an alley to have a nice chat. Kira talked very casually to the T’skrang while Andros tossed the ganger’s own club back and forth. We led him to believe that we were a group of thugs hired by someone who had been inconvenienced by his gang and were looking for The Juggler to make amends. The T’skrang didn’t argue and quickly gave us all the information he knew.

The Juggler_ left town that morning and would be back in a couple of weeks. This was apparently not unusual, as he did this several times a year. He didn’t know where The Juggler went but guessed by the length of time he was usually gone that it was either Ardanyan or possibly Darranis. He also let slip that The Juggler apparently had a benefactor, as he always returned with money. We let the T’skrang go told him that we would be looking for The Juggler upon his return to Bartertown.

We quickly formed a plan based on this information. If The Juggler simply never came back the Juggler’s Men would be eliminated and the Masks would simply take over, thus we would succeed at our mission and no one would even know we were involved.

TH 1 Strassa 1507 (9/1/2013)

Our heros graduated from Vigilant training, despite an incident where in their final exam they set ablaze the poorer sections of the city of Jerris. Luckily, the exam took place within an illusion, and it was considered a passing grade because they retrieved the package they were sent for and laid the blame for the arson on another party.

Upon graduation at the start of the festival week, they took their Vigilant Oaths and became full-fledged protectors of the Citadel (worth 50 silver a week, plus benefits). At the end of the festivals, they were assigned to Action Team Hound, a general well-balanced team intended to fill a wide variety of roles.

Their team leader is a grizzled veteran who is months from retirement Named Camithon One-Eye. Their first assignment is the usual for rookie teams (and is also sometimes used as punishment detail). They have to travel a day’s journey from the citadel to their patrol area, and discourage any visitors.

After all, no-one is supposed to know there is a city up here in these mountains teeming with monsters, Horrors, and savage tribes of cannibals. So they are disguised as savages and must drive off or kill any Namegivers or Horrors who should decide to wander toward their home.

On the way out, they ran across an old aquaintance, Caradoc, who seems to have a self-declared rivalry with the Swordmaster Dederick. He was escorting a team-mate who’d been poisoned back to the citadel for treatment.

Continuing on, they had a little trouble due to the previous night’s rain. Some troajin had wandered up the valley looking for prey displaced by the floods, and were driven off before they could ambush anyone on the trail.

Farther on, the path had washed out and needed to be circumvented.

And finally, part of the trail had flooded by an adjacent stream. Sighting shilagrue in the water, the party elected NOT to wade accross, but instead bypassed the flooded area by climbing the nearby scree. Sadly, old Camithon slipped and slid into the water, to be set upon by the predatory shilagrue. By the heroic actions of Andro and Saiph, supported by their companions, the attacking creatures were slain or driven off before the old man could drown or more predators arrived.

At the end of the day, Team Hound has arrived at their patrol campsite where they will spend the next two weeks.