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Svartaland, Season 01: Svalsådd / The Cool Seeding
REGIONAL MAP
Major Settlements
EAST
Avion: island people known for their earthenware, food preservation techniques, and woven fishing nets.
Baum Ferand: resort area known for its tall trees and lake fishing.
Engeswass: community known for fishing and brewing at the bend in the river.
Fort Mouth: a military stronghold and major port city.
Hartewald: the capital city, royal palace; known for its hard wood industries, furniture making.
Herrules: home of the "Brotherhood of Mobile Warriors," mercenaries skilled on land and sea.
Messer Sachs: port city along the knife coast, known for silverware, plate and jewelry production.
Randkust: "Warriors of the Coast," known to be expert sailors, whalers, and fishermen, also wool and mutton production.
Ryemutti: High Elvish community known for fresh fruits, wines, and distilled spirits: brandy, gin, whiskey and rum.
Tief Liegend: a low lying region between rivers, known primarily as a pork producer.
CENTRAL
Atua Wahrs: the "Fortress People," Hill Dwarfs known for logging industries, as well as ship and wagon construction.
Bellovaki: Kobold highland areas known for its aggregate building materials and slate quarrying.
Ebronii: known for its yew trees, hogweed tobacco, beet sugar refining, and confectionery.
Geniegt: steep sloping hills home to Rock Gnomes and goats, and the mining of precious and semi-precious stones.
Hartefusa: shire of the "Hardfeet"/Stout Halflings, known for their endurance and iron mining.
Nervii: known for its powerful warriors and budding paper industry.
Neidriga Verter: the low valley vales of Lightfoot Halflings, known for cotton farming, copper mining, and lake fishing.
Ruderer: home of quality oarsman, these people work 50 miles of rivers fishing, hunting game birds, raising rice.
Turneir Catu: home of the "Chiefs of Jousting," renown for its horses and silver mines.
WEST
Drifrish: a collection of three small sandy islands who specialize in glass production and raising sheep.
Eicenychen: known for its river oxen, cattle, and leather industries.
Föder Coriel: the center of a federation of smaller tribes known for paints, mineral oils, and paraffin.
Hellhock: the "bright highlands," known for its quarries of granite, freestone as well as gold and quartz.
Kentacii: known primarily for coal production, the area is also populated by inventive Gnomes and Pukjes.
Paemonii: known mostly for raising flax and producing linen, jute, cotton cloth, sails, rope, and floorcloth.
Adjacent Waters
Mörkkt Sea: the "Dark Waters," whose depths are believed to harbor intelligent aquatic races.
Rötslamm: the "Red Sludge," whose surprisingly warm and churning crimson waters are muddy and thick.
Skållande Dimma: the "Scalding Fog," an ocean known for its heated waters and boiling vapors.
Lake Winrande: the shimmering portion of wide gentle waters contained by small islands populated by Elves, Vattenpukjes, and more.
Svarta Peerage Ranking
• Þræll, Þrælkona
—bondsman
• Bóndi, Húsfreyja
—freeman, farmers, karls
• Riddari, Skjaldmær
—knight, title of Sir or Madam, able to vote, ownership/control of a bastion, fort, manor, shrine
• Hersir, Hersfreyja
—baronet, typically the highest rank for "commoners," able to tax
• Greifi, Greifynja
—baron, typically a county governor
• Syslumadr, Syslukona
—viscount, often a sheriff or administrator of a county
• Jarl, Jarfreyja
—count, noble, or chieftain
• Margrave, Markgreifynja
—typically a military governor of a critical region
• Hertogi, Hertogynja
—Duke, high noble
• Konungr Smá, Konungynja Smá
—immediate children of the royal family
• Stórhertogi, Stórhertogynja
—arch duke, possibly next in line of succession
• Drottning, Konungr
—queen/king
Campaign 2: Maps and Summary Notes
Session 1
The Party assembles in the southeast of Svarta near Fort Mouth. Essentially "privateers," the members join a Svartriki marine corps
company to serve a three-season tour. The Svartriki government occasionally assembles small, "balanced" groups of adventurers and
assigns them to investigate recently-acquired (and/or recovered) territories. In general, members of such parties are fulfilling their
mandatory military duty as Svartviki citizens, providing services in lieu of paying back taxes (or for crimes), and/or are just
interested in adventuring.
The company receives a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, which grants them certain limited privileges, on land and sea, to act as
freebooters and privateers. Each company is expected to work with regional mayors, etc., ideally by greasing palms with a
percentage of the loot they may acquire and by keeping local offcials informed of their presence, suspicions, and findings.
These local officials will likewise provide aid to the adventurers (to the best of their abilities). Generally, it's a win-win
for everyone: the company takes on the bulk of the risks and wins treasure, the local officials earn wealth by selling favors,
and secreted wealth that might otherwise be used to fund sedation, resistance, and war against the crown gets taken off the board.
• A .pdf copy of the letter is available here:
Letter of Marque and Reprisal
The Company has been assigned to Commander David Holt, who is currently stationed at the Kuststad Outpost on Lenore Isle. They
will be transported aboard the Longship "Meerpaard," and transferred after nine miles onto a smaller Knarr in toe, the "Meerveulan,"
on which they were serve as ancillary crew and guards as the Meerveulan helps resupply four Light Houses situated along the
Lenore Straight: Beisenhus, Lärkhus, Vekhus, and Randhus.
Map of Wimranda Lake Near Fort Mouth
Summary of Events
The Meer Paard, a long ship commanded by Steersman Gunnar Styrm and Skipper Will Paree, departs Fort Mouth at 0:00.
About two hours into the cruise, the Ranger Kime overhears the Skipper swearing at one of the oarsmen about missing supplies.
After nine miles of traveling east on Wimranda, The Red Gold Company is transferred to The Meer Veulan
(a smaller "coastal" knarr that has been in tow), which is commanded by Lieutenant Brandchef and Andra Tvoa. Thereon, The Company serve as
ancillary guards, which frees up the remaning eight members of the crew to row and make cargo deliveries along the Lenore Straight.
The first two deliveries to Beisenhus and Larkhus go without a hitch. The Company notes that the supplies
delivered are mostly coal and drums of oil for the lighthouse furnances, and food for the staff. During the third delivery at Vekhus,
the wizard Timador sends out his owl familiar, and she notes two goblins and their wolf dog hiding in the trees near the supply road.
Timador informs the Lieutenant. Thus, the crew and the drivers of the wagon are alerted to be on guard. One of the goblins throws
burning oil in front of the supply wagon. From the mooring area, Timador casts a Sleep spell on the goblins and Sagon the Monk
races out to subdue them. As he does so, he notices one of the other ship passengers "stealthily" taking the crew's crowbar, so
the monk shouts this out as he runs.
During the confusion, two clerics, Far Ente Mesole and Curate Ben Stiga, passengers returning to Lenore Island, uncrate three
skeletons from the cargo area. One of the clerics casts a Thunderwave spell that knocks the majority of the crew out (as well
as the bard, Stroop). The bodies of the crew, unconscious, are strewn across the deck of the knarr. The Rogue Wang, the Cleric Yrsa, and
the Ranger Kime bind wounds and loose their arrows as the need/opportunity arrises.
Eventually, The Company and the few remaining crew members managed to crush the skeletons and bring down both
clerics; as they fall, shadowy forms with burning white eyes seep out of the corpses, grin at those who have "killed them," and then dissipate.
One goblin (Brekk) is captured alive, bound, and questioned. He and his buddy (another Brekk) were hired in Lugna by two human females
to cause a distraction when the supply wagon was returning with cargo. The captain's best guess is that the clerics wanted to steal
the knarr.
The crew takes a short rest (and uses their Hit Die to self heal), and then they take a long rest during the Eclipse Siesta period.
Afterwards, they complete the final delivery to Randhus without incident, and then sail to Kuststad, where they meet with
Commander Holt. They discuss these recent events with Holt. He says he has a mission for them later, but, for now, he gives them a
four pound bag of coins and invites them to explore and spend their way through the city as "adventurers." As such, Holt hopes that they
will notice things that his guards (well-known by the local population) aren't seeing (or are ignoring). The party divides and sells off the
loot taken from the clerics and goblins, secure lodging, and now need to seek out mentors in the city who can help train them
to second level.
Map of the Kuststad Outpost
CAGED ENTRANCE GATES
A. Ship Passenger Gate
B. North Entrance
C. Pavillion Gate
D. Mission Gate
E. South Entrance
LOCATIONS
1. Kuststad Textile
2. Sea-Hawk Inn (rooms)
3. The Fighting Edge (swords and cutlery)
4. Kvalites Harnesk (armor and bludgeons))
5. Kuststad Mission (hospital and gymnasium)
6. Harold's Haberdashery (clothes and tobacco)
7. Fletcher Gordon's (missiles, leathers, and furs)
8. Brundle's Battlegear (75% Shop)
9. Milk Maid Bar (food and drink)
10. Kaszuk's Shrimps & Fishes
11. Meat, Eggs, Dairy
12. Drowning Sorrow (ale house)
13. Savory Thekk's (spices and unguents)
14. Fuels and Tools
15. Harkens (no sign and locked)
16. Fruiter & Greengrocer
17. Bakery (break and pie shop)
18. Fighter's Guild
19. Vakt (guard barracks)
20. City Commander
21. Eastum Private Apartments
22. Daraya Jon Harkens, Mystic
23. Village Huts (Slopnväk)
24. Mausoleums
25. Temporary Storage Cages
26. Pavillion (community grounds)
Session 1.5
• Kime arranges with Fletcher Gordan to help train her in the Archery Fighting Style and in casting Ranger spells.
She has no luck in gaining any useful information from the Textile company. Kime briefly meets with Commander Holt to inform him that
the members of the Red-Gold Company require four days to complete training. Holt agrees and tells her to still keep an eye out
for any strange dealings in town.
• Stroop questions the town's bellman/crier about one of the man's announcements, and the Halfling discovers
the town crier, Utetro Parrarr, is also a Bard, but one who is studying to join the College of Valor. Utetro directs Stroop
to the Mystic Daraya Jon Harkens, as his faculty can help train him in researching lore and magic. Utetro also invites Stroop
to accompany him during his regular lute gig at the Milk Maid Bar (where he's bound to earn free drinks at least). Utetro
also plays somber background music during Mausoleum visitations, and Stroop is invited to join him there as well (but there won't be any
free drinks unless it rains).
• Yrsa has a chance encounter with Sister Jokomina while Yrsa uses her magic to heal Farmer Lind's foot. The sister agrees to
help Yrsa unlock her potential to Channel Divinity. Yrsa also obtains addition combat and spell training under the tutelage
of Vader Felipe and Pfarrer Morton. At the Mission, while doing charity work, Yrsa attempts to befriend the oatmeal cook, Hav
Remy, who claims to have been a chef for a Duke on the mainland when Hav was young. After a few days, Yrse comes to believe
that the always very sleepy Old Hav maybe has narcolepsy.
• Sagon likewise trains at the Mission under the guidance of Broeder Dressl Crope, a Hill Dwarf who has fair skill
with unarmed combat--and who can really use a few gold coins to help pay off his service dept at the Mission. The Dwarf and
Sagon train mostly at night in the Mission's upstairs gymnasium.
• Timador consults a number of places about magic use in general, hoping to find evidence of Wizards at the Outpost.
He then ventures with Stroop to the Mystic's Tower. As they are invited in, the duo notice their faces are magically altered to look the
same as the man (or young boy?) who answered the door. All of the other guests and staff at the tower also wear this same
face (supposedly the visage of Daraya Jon Harkens). In the basement, arcane training is available from Variator Weegskall and
Mentalist Stol Hersenon; their unusual titles, they explain, go back a few years when the island was under Okenveld rule,
and some Yuan-Ti had a "bug up their asses" about Wizards. As these Yuan-Ti seemed just fine with Warlocks and Divine magics,
Harkens "rebranded" his organization as Warlocks of Frau Holle. In exchange for room and board, Timador agrees to do some scribe/skrivener
duties in his off hours while he spends his days learning to become an Evoker.
• Wang spends a great deal of time on his own and skulking about the taverns, through the crowds, and among the
peasants who live just south of the Kuststad Outpost. Wang is surprised to discover that the peasants don't take the
copper coins he is trying to pass out to the proletariat. They appear too proud to accept charity directly, but they are
more receptive to accepting tips and "over payments" as part of a transaction where they at least provide some goods and services. Wang returns
through the city
gates, chiefly looking for signs of a Thieves' Guild. He learns of passwords and tavern menus, a masked gentlemen bandit
named Don Aquila (who might be in charge of a guild), finds a hidden message scratched in a fireplace brick that reads:
"Drink your way to the Guild," finds evidence of a possible second Thieve's's Guild ("Hetreoh"), and he eventually locates
a man at the Fighter's Guild named Erik Knutson, who knows how and helps the Goblin to learn the Dash Bonus Action: "but only
used to retreat when our field generals call for it!" Wang suspects he will have to tail Knutson later on.
Session 2
The Red-Gold Company obtains the training they need to advance to second level and meet on the 4th day at the Milk
Maid Bar. Along with Utetro, Stroop, Sagon, and Kime give a very nice musical performance and win applause. While
they are performing, Wang notices some men flash a gaudy, obviously fake engagement ring before Sofia at the bar
and one proposes to her. She politely declines but palms the would-be husband a key, which, later on, he uses when
the crowd's attention is on the musicians; he unlocks the north door, and the men slip through, locking the door behind them. Wang
describes the ring to Timador, who uses Prestidigitation a few times until the two of them believe they can make a convincing copy
of a fake piece of jewelry.
The Company next meets with Commander Holt. Holt discusses with them problems with Okenveld goods (mostly gems, lotions,
perfumes, and high-value skin treatments)
being smuggled onto the island and sold with paying the import taxes. The Company and Holt jointly decide that the
East Resten River is a likely place for smugglers to be bringing the goods in "unseen" by the locals. Most of the land
along the river is very steep and few live there. However, the one village established there (Kliefron) is well known
for its mud baths and hot springs. Holt gives the party the 12 GP fee so they can get the spa treatment and snoop around.
At Holt's suggestion (and financing), the Company forms The Silver Rose Import/Export Company.
Using Timador's owl familiar to scout ahead, the Company explores the northern side of the river. The owl, spotting
a rowboat, helps them to discover a smuggling "retail" location near a shoreline cave at the base of Mt. Xerbel
on the opposite shoreline. Wang and Sagon swim after and catch up to acquire the rowboat of a customer who they saw
purchasing smuggled goods. Using the boat, the Company is able to get everyone in the group across river (and avoiding at
least one bull shark who was spotted in the area). The Company lets the customer go, but they warn him that he needs
to pay the import fees. The Dread Pirate Wang gives the man a silver piece in payment for using his boat.
Sneaking into the smugglers' cave, the Company makes short work of the three men inside. While Yrsa and Kime question
the prisoners, the rest of the Company searches and loots the place. To avoid blowing their cover by dragging smugglers
into town, Timador suggests that Kime run ahead to arrange for some of Holts guardsmen to come get them just outside of
town. And they do so.
On this particular venture, the Silver Rose Company acquires a decent rowboat, a potion
of Flame Breath, and some contraband, which they take to Holt to go through proper legal channels. Holt suspects the
three "smugglers" were just low-level frontmen, so he's hoping further investigation leads to something larger.
Session 3
With ten hours remaining until nightfall, the Silver-Rose Company decide it best to continuing searching for the
Smuggler's main base before the smugglers discover that their retail operations site has been compromised. The Party
retrieves their rowboat from Farmer Rejitze Browne and follow the East Resten River to its mouth on Lake Wimranda.
Four of The Party ride in the rowboat while the Monk and the Ranger travel on foot along the northern shore. Timador's
owl familiar takes point and reports back periodically what she sees. The previously-discovered smuggler's location
seems untouched when they reach it again, so The Party continues east. After a total of five hours, they reach the
lake and decide they'll explore further south for at least an hour.
About three miles later, the owl reports back that she has spotted three humanoids. Slowly approaching, the Party
locates a well-concealed cavern large enough and water-filled enough for a small coastal knarr and rowboats to enter. Three archer guards
(two humans and a Lizard man) are positioned around the entrance. Able to stay underwater for a lengthy amount of
time, Wang, swims in to reconnoiter. He discovers that the Monk will be able to drag himself through the shallow
water and silt under the dock while Stroop, Yrsa, and Timador approach in the rowboat (while flying the flag that
they found previously and pretending to be fellow smugglers. Wang will also use that moment to climb around from
the south to surprise the archers hiding behind rocks above the cavern entrance.) But, before Wang can get back
from the stealth mission, he makes just a little too much noise swimming near the Lizard man. As a precautionary
measure, although the Lizard man cannot see Wang, the guard throws a pailful of blood and chum into the waters
to attract a bullshark. Lake Wimranda is a very clear lake, and Wang, well aware of what the Lizard was doing,
holds perfectly still for five minutes while the water slowly reddens near him. Only after the Shark has eaten some chum and inspected and then left
the immediate area does Wang make his way back under the docks to relay to The Party what he has discovered.
Later, when the guards hail the approaching Rowboat, Stroop tries to pass himself off as one of the three smugglers
that The Party previously captured. This goes so-so (as Stroop struggles to remember the right names) and then
goes completely to pot when the guards then ask for the obligatory weekly password. Luckily, by then, the rowboat
has come close enough to the cavern entrance for Timador to cast his Sleep spell on the two guards (sleeping one).
Wang races in from the south, and the Monk emerges from under the dock and climbs up to confront the Lizard man.
Kime crawls around from the beach and races down the dock. Some well placed arrows, a flurry of monk fists, and
a Hideous Joke drop the three guards before they can blow their signal horn. The plan works flawlessly... or,
nearly so, as when The Party hopes to regroup to plan their next move inside the cavern, Wang accidentally triggers
a trap on the plank bridge above the cavern entrance, and he, and a bucket of bloody chum drop nearly 20 feet into
the deepest part of the cavern water. A fourth archer guard situated inside the cavern sees him and immediately
looses an arrow at him.
With no time to plan further, The Party races inside along a system of narrow docks. There is a lot of
congestion, but, luckily, some in the party (the Monk, for example) can run very quickly. Two other cavern denizens
spot the Monk from their vantage higher up on the outside tavern deck. One hurls a spear at Sagon while the other
races inside to warn the others in the tavern. And, presumably, word is also gotten to Captain Polat (a Warlock)
and two key members of his crew (Balik and Karga), for the three of them join the conflict about 12 seconds later.
Also, Timador and his owl spot a knot of small and medium-sized snakes slithering into the area along another rope
and plank bridge deeper inside the cavern. Timador manages to sleep the smaller snakes, but the two largest later turn
out to be Yuan-Ti Malisons with a lot of hit points to spare.
The two sides of the conflict were fairly well-balanced, and the battle could have gone either way. Despite not having
the opportunity to concoct a better plan, The Party still managed to get past the smuggler's first line of defence
undetected. So, the smugglers inside were not well prepared to receive them. Some were still unarmored, some had
been heavily drinking, the Yuan-Ti were too far away initially from the conflict. Yrsa's channel divinity of
Radiance of the Dawn inflicted heavy damage on the smugglers. And Captain Polat wasted one of his few spell slots
on a Misty Step--showboating a bit as it then looked to him as if Yrsa might try to flee combat, hoping to escape).
Meanwhile, the rest of The Party made better use of their abilities, quaffed a Fire Breathing potion, cast multiple
healing spells, and made critical saving throws when they needed to.
After the battle, The Party rounded up their fallen foes into one of the bed rooms, binding the wounds of those
smugglers and tavern patrons who were still alive. They then short-rested in the other bedroom and expended a
few of their hit die to self heal. Before then starting/completing a long rest, they explored a little more of the area
and discovered two women, who claimed to be charwomen. Promised safe passage back to a city, Amelia and Kirsten agreed to answer The Party's questions
as best they could, including giving them information about The Vault, which required several people working
in tandem (manipulating a level and pulling a chain) to open an iron portal and lock it into place. Inside, The Party
discovered a nice hoard of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Ebony, and also a many-locked sea chest, which required using
four keys in the right order and depressing a hand-shaped area before it could be opened. Inside, Wang discovered
a goodly amount of coins, semi-precious gemstones, a sunstone, plus navigation, cartography, and brewing tools, as well
as some dice, a tarot deck, and hnefatafl gaming set. Timador also ritually cast Detect Magic, and he discovered
that some of the (apparently) more important members of the crew carried magic items: a four-foot rod (Transmutation
magic), four wax candles (Evocation magic), a cloak (Illusionary magic), and a potion (Evocation/Necromancy). Now,
well rested, healed, and rearmed with spell slots, The Party prepares to venture deeper into the cavern.
Session 4
Six hours into the first night period, The Company is able to begin exploring further into the caverns where
they discover a coastal knarr on a beach (being repaired), a whole lot of cargo (mostly roasted peanuts crated
and bagged), and a sleeping human and a hill dwarf (who turn out to be the ships carpenter and ships cook:
Maron Gause and Gezel Verzinnen), both of whom claim to have been captured while herring fishing near Trippelo.
Along with the Lizard Man (Kruesh), the three were pressed into service by Captain Polat and his crew. The scars,
welts, and gashes on their backs help to bear this out.
Maron blames the "Snake Men" for his mistreatment, and further explains that while trying to reach the smuggler's
cave before dawn, the crew of the Zwendelaar hit some rocks, and they barely managed to get the knarr into the
cavern before the ship sank. "The Snakes then," he continued, "called forth their huge wet ape creature from
'The Pit,'" then it proceeded to drag the ship to the beach area. Neither Maron nor Gezel got a good look at
the creature, nor did they really wish to. "After that, they've been working us non-stop to get the knarr
repaired, but it's slow going as we have to shape new planks from tree trunks." The party decides to help Maron
repair the ship by ripping up planks from the nearby docks, "something the Snakes were unwilling to do even
though Captain Polat seemed to be in a hurry."
While further exploring, Sagon and Yrsa discover small natural shafts in the cave walls near the leftmost Crows'
Nest platform, which lead into a larger cavern beyond. Peering through these narrow openings, they see a sword
and some armor and a cloak on the ground. They call over the Bard and Wizard to use their mystical Mage Hands to drag
these items out. While dragging out the sword, a skinny aqua-colored leg inside is seen to step on the blade.
A woman with a blank expression on her face then bends down and peers at them through one of the holes. She
then backs away, and The Company is able to retrieve the sword and cloak (and a pouch with a draw string tied
tightly). Something in the pouch is wiggling.
A few moments later from the southwest near the dock, a brine wolf (a wet gorilla-type creature with shiny blue-white
eyes) emerges from underwater and attacks Yrsa, who takes a lot of damage and cold necrotic siphoning but
manages to fend off some of the savage attacks by using her Warding Flare ability. Still, she lost enough hit points
that she should have fallen unconscious. Luckily (despite not having completed their training yet), the Company
members have gained additional hit points from having achieved third level last session. Sagon and the others
eventually manage to dish out enough damage to take the wet beast down, but it was a struggle as the creature
had Legendary Actions to contend with, which allowed it to take additional attacks and to "re-roll" failed saving throws.
After the battle, Wang discovers the secret, underwater entrance to the "The Pit" lair, and the aqua-skinned
woman also is found within (and dead, her eye sockets mysteriously empty). Meanwhile, the brine wolf ape's eyes
are examined and found to be valuable blue diamonds, which Timador tries to use to help him identify recently
captured magic items. Whoops! Turns out he needs a pearl to be able to do that. Luckily, Maron knows what the
items are (because Polat took them from members of the captured fishing boat). The items are four underwater-
burning candles, a Cloak of Many Fashions, a Healing Potion, and an expanding fishing pole.
With the recycled dock planks, the knarr is repaired by 10:00 the next morning, and the Company, under Wang's
navigational skills are able to sail the ship to the Randhus lighthouse. Right before that, though, The Company
encounters a larger (Island Patrol) ship crewed by Light Alfs under the command of Steersman Kelby. This encounter ends
peacefully after some initial tense moments, as the crew of The Albrandr turn out to be "good guys," and The Company is able to prove that they work for Commander Holt
and show their Letter of Marque as evidence. Both crews then have a party together at the lighthouse during the
eclipse and feast on peanuts (a rare delicacy in this region). Then they head to Kuststad.
Meeting with Holt, the Company work out the required tariffs, taxes, guild fees on their treasure haul, and then
Holt arranges to "discover the missing" paperwork proving The Silver Rose Company have legal ownership of the
coastal knarr they captured. It would also be a good idea to get more permanent/lasting repairs. And while they train to obtain
the rest of their 3rd-level abilities, news comes from Kliefron Village that one of the spa workers, Alfred Karl,
is found spiked to a tree near the village, his body savaged. A sign attached to his beaten and torn
chest reads: TAX FRAUDSTERS will be PUNISHED! Yes, this was the same guy who The Company detained when they
saw him purchase smuggled lotions and healing/soothing clays. The Company decides they will investigate this
later AFTER they complete their training. The Session ends shortly before the festival on Day 13. The Company
still has one more eight-hour work period each to complete their training. Their mentors, however, will be attending or taking part in the
festival activities, so training will be delayed until after dark.
Session 5
Day 13 begins with the citizens of Kuststad and the immediate surrounding villages and thorps celebrating the
Svalsådd Efter Plantering. The Pavillion area swarms with locals and hundreds of visitors; there are games, eating and snacking (every vendor is selling/pushing roasted peanuts), music and singing, and open betting on
just about any activity (Stroop tries to cash in on the crowd by playing his instruments; he has modest success
and takes in 3 SP and 6 CP). This holiday event delays The Company members from completing their level-three
requirements, but they have made arrangements to meet with their mentors between the close of the festival
activities and The Bright Night Feast being given by Sir Elias Iversen of Krout. Some of The Company (Sagon
and Wang) were already training at night, so this doesn't really change their schedules.
Since most of the Festival activities are team events (involving well-established local teams), there is little
opportunity for members of The Silver-Rose Company to participate, but Commander Holt still wishes most of them
to attend, mingle with the crowds, and continue to observe suspicious activity. All but Timador attend, who
spends every available moment he can copying his new spells and completing the archival and scribing duties at
the Mystics Tower in exchange for his food and lodging. While copying an old parchment, he determines it to be
foundational research for the Earth Tremor evocation spell. He brings it to the attention of the Mystics hoping
that one of them will be able to use it to recreate the entire spell.
One of the more popular events of the Festival is the Shinty tournament due to the fierce rivalry between all
four teams: Poegene's Processors (sponsored by Kuststad Textiles), The Vindicators (consisting of the city
vakt (guardsmen), The Sugar Beaters (consisting of beet farmers from Krout), and the Kaimann Krocs (hard-hitting
Lizard Men), and the teams finish in that order after all four matches conclude. Another popular activity,
especially with the youngsters, is Stoolball, where the final score of each team is less important than the
teenaged boys and girls having the opportunity to mix and mingle and get to know each other. The least watched
activity is Colf, which, as it involves just a dozen or so participants clubbing small balls around a large
course and keeping score has little crowd appear (plus, the colf course is located a couple miles away
off the main road between Kuststad and Krout). The third place winner, though, was Erik Knutson, who, in the
previous week, sold Wang a Ballista for The Company's Coastal Knarr for 150 GP.
Ballista Stats:
AC: 15, HP: 50, Immune to Poison/Psychic damage, Range: 120'/480', Damage: 3d10 Piercing;
takes one Action each to Load and Aim; Bonus Action (or Action) to Fire. Can be operated by multiple people;
Bolts are 1 GP each (and can be used individually as spears).
The Swimming (Speed, Endurance, and Distance) contest is dominated by Ugorno, Rhoak, Varak (all Lizard Men), but
a very fit Vatenpujke, Creazlaasz Akeegs, places second in the event. Wang congratulates him and chats him up, learning that "Creaz" is a sailor in the area, although there is some indication that the goblin "fishes" for
gold (and herring). Another goblin, Rigmuz the Wrangler (a swamp-dwelling, slippery Traskpujke), also takes a
second place medal, losing the wrestling championship (and consciousness) to "The Pro-Dig-ious" Braccus, who, at
a very distinct 7' 5" tall, Wang recognizes as a member of The City Vakt as well as the man having been (poorly)
disguised in the Espionage Guild above the Milk Maid Bar as one of the "Don Aquilas"). Wang has also kept busy
all day by sponsoring a dagger-throwing contest (free to enter one time for anyone for the opportunity to win a
copper piece). He gets many takers, of course, but most are not up to winning the coin. Wang needs to pay out
a few times, which is fine with him and money cheaply spent, for secretly he has been observing and noting which of the
locals is particularly good with such weapons. This is also good rogue training in Perception; on a particularly
good roll, Wang notices that one of the CP winners appeared as if he tried to disguise just exactly how good
he was (and just barely won). The two of them Cant a little, each speaking a little too freely about things
that they probably shouldn't have.
Sagon and Kime each participates in the Archery Event, and both advance into the final rounds. It becomes
progressively harder to continue as the targets are moved to greater distances and everyone has disadvantage on
their rolls. Sagon finishes 6th, just out of the money, and Kime takes home 5 GP for finishing 5th. Very
few are surprised that "Fletcher" Gordon, the local ranger, takes first place. Second place, though, goes to
Restenford visitor, Staffon Sorenson, who is also the skilled individual that Wang noticed in the Dagger Booth.
The final event to close off the festival is one-on-one jousting between knights Sir Elias Iversen of Krout and Sir
Viggo Jesper of Kliefron. Before they get started, a couple of young squires string a many-flag rope between
two goal stakes to form the tilt/list area out of the repurposed Shinty field. The squires then demonstrate
the basics of jousting against each other using special blunt lances designed to splinter impressively. The
two actual knights, though, will be using real, deadly lances in actual combat. Iversen has his personal cleric,
Pfarrer Silberg, standing ready to cast healing spells after each pass in the match. Jesper's squire is ready
with healing potions and Keoghtom's Ointment. The knights are holding a Best-Of-Three passes contest; one of
the squires assures the crowd that the men are not enemies (they are both Knights serving Baron Grellus), but
each is committed to proving himself the better man. Scoring for this match is simple: one point is awarded
to each knight who managed to unseat his opponent, and highest total wins.
With the first pass, Sir Jesper's lance goes wide but Sir Iversen's finds its mark between the plates of his
opponent's armor and sinks deep into Viggo's underarm, who is unseated and is flung to the ground. Jesper's
squire immediately hands him a potion, which is quaffed, and then both men struggle to get Jesper back onto his
mount so that he can continue. On the second pass, it appears Jesper, apparently still injured, "fails to
present," and several in the crowd cry foul, but Sir Jesper apologists nearby blame the knight's apparent
avoidance of his opponent's strike on a misstep taken by Jesper's horse. Viggo is seen drinking another potion
after this as he prepares for the third pass, in which, Jesper manages to unseat Iversen. That knight's cleric
rushes to him to cast a healing spell while Elias's squire helps his Lord back into his saddle. Unhappy with
the match ending in a tie, both knights agreed to take one additional pass at each other. The final joust
ends in a spectacular clash, which leaves both men crashed to the ground, where they lay gasping air but
finally agreeing to call it a draw. Everyone in the crowd is pleased--having enjoyed the match and all have
something to argue and discuss and complain about as they start for home to rest up for the feast.
Members of The Company then complete their training, of particular note is Kime's joining of the Beast
Conclave, and Fletcher Gordon leads her through a special ceremony to create a powerful bond between herself
and a wilderness animal native to the area. The two rangers travel to nearby Raap Heuval, a raised dry-grass
area covered with blue and purple flowering timpsila plants (Prairie Turnips"). The hilly area is a natural
habitat for voles and field mice (and the creatures that prey on them). Using rare herbs and tasty, featherless
bird carcasses, Kime is able to call Vogelfest, a large, young caracal male to bond with her and who is willing
to serve as her animal companion. The caracal is not unheard of around these parts as being kept as a hunting
cat, but they aren't exactly the sort of creature you just wander around cities and taverns with, so Kime makes
an arrangement for Vogelfest to stay outside of Kuststad, often on his own but also staying frequently on board
The Company's Knarr, which they have dragged ashore onto Rejitze Browne's farm near Morkerei for more permanent repairs.
The Party then travels east about three miles to the Colf Course to attend the feast. They are all third-level
now but they haven't had time enough to get a long rest in, so, although the spell casters have developed 2nd-level
spells slots, they haven't memorized any of their new spells. This wouldn't be an issue, except when the
feast is more than half over, an encounter occurs. Sir Iversen's cleric, Pfarrer Silberg, steps into the middle
of the camp where The Company has gathered, as if ready to make a speech. Instead, a shadowy wraith-like form
with glistening white eyes and teeth presses out of him and proclaims: "Leave this island! It is to become the
dark seat of Reynon Screamdottir, a portal to nothingness. Leave whilst you can lest your fallen kin devour you."
With that, beneath Silberg's feet, a dazzling circle of glyphs briefly appears. Movement is detected then from the
west and south: 30 skeletons in various stages of decay, wearing rags, armed with stout tree branch clubs and cudgels
begin pouring into the camp.
The Company, City Guards and guests, including Utetro the town crier, work together to destroy the skeletons.
Stroop, Utetro, and Timador all make good use of Thunder Wave spells (able to cast them at 2nd level). Yrsa uses
Channel Divinity to Turn Undead, which allows several of the real party guests to distribute destructive parting
gifts unto the skeletons who flee combat. The "wraith" likewise fades away. It had previously "stepped
out" of the Pfarrer, who, after a moment of confusion, recovered his composure (and control), and did what he
could to heal those who fell unconscious. Sagon chases down and pommels the remaining skeletons to dust.
In the end, only one small (apparently ownerless) dog at the feast was killed in the encounter. Sir Iversen, a
bit strapped for cash, thanks and rewards everyone who fought the attackers 10 GP and a pound of sugar each.
There is some discussion about what just happened and why, and it is learned that there is a graveyard nearby up
in the Zoot Hills (where salt extraction areas have been repurposed into burial barrows). Silberg and Yrsa
discuss the undead and the hows and whys of possession and curses. Neither cleric knows much about it. Silberg,
a Nature Cleric, takes charge of the skeletal remains, ensuring that he will replant them best he can.
Session 5.5
On the morning of Day 14, The Company heads south to finally use Holt's 12 GP to pay for their mud baths at the
Modderbad Health Spa near Kliefron (but they're going mainly to investigate the murder of Alfred Karl, whose body
was found early last week torn and nailed to a tree). But, as the adventurers pass through Morkerei (their eyes
peeled for river-bathing milk maids), they learned of another murder: Maiken Lind (second daughter of Taavu Lind,
the farmer who Yrsa healed on her first day in Kuststad) was found near Ostgrottr (the Cheese Caves), her body
savaged as if she were attacked by a wild animal.
Deciding to probe this most recent murder first, they head over to the Lind farm, where Yrsa and Kime manage to
get inside the family home to view the body and to question Maiken's father, who remembers the cleric's previous
kindness and welcomes Yrsa and her friend in to perform a "Last-Rites" type of ritual on his daughter. The two
adventurers also discretely question the family, but details are sparse: Maiken was at Iversen's Feast, and, like
many from Morkerei, she had decided to walk home along the southern road. Yrsa's examination of the girl's body
leads her to believe that Maiken suffered significant blood loss, more so than the wounds would suggest. Both she
and Kime ponder the size and shape of the bite and claw marks, but Kime is unable to match the wounds with her
knowledge of beast lore. As the two make to leave, the best friend of Maiken, Merete Pedersen, volunteers to show
them out. As she does so, the 16 year old milk maid whispers to them that she knows more (but doesn't wish to
discuss the details openly in the home of the grieving family). Merete leads them to an out building, where she
presents them with a red mud stained boot that she found near the murder site, which she believes belongs to Liam
Möller, who recently became engaged to Maiken. She saw the two together earlier at the Feast; Merete also
reveals that she found Maiken's blouse near the body, which, unlike the girl's skirt and shift, wasn't torn nor
bloodied. This seems to indicate that it was removed before the attack. Merete also describes the murder location.
The Company travels to the cheese caves. At the murder scene, Kime finds a pair of tracks leading off the main
road and then behind some bushes. Two people appear to have gone off together. Only one set of tracks, of the
heavier individual, can be seen leaving the scene, and those tracks soon end in one even deeper print indicative
of the individual jumping up at that point, but Kime cannot find where the person would have landed. The party
concludes that the creature flew away. There is blood at the murder scene, but not as much as would be expected
given the wounds on the girl's body, so The Company mulls over what they know about vampires.
They next travel near the southern edge of the Dwelmer Forest through Moordplats on their way to the Möller mill
on the Resten River. Kime notes numerous birds (quail, thrushes, wrens, swallows, and a lone falcon) as well as
several mammals (squirrels, hares, raccoons, and foxes) in the forest. Their behavior seems off, almost orderly,
and not frightened of them and in no hurry to seek immediate cover. On the other hand, the hamlet of Moordplats is
remarkably dull and typical of a farming community. They get directions to the mill and, once there, encounter the
owner, Hemming Möller, who is distraught to hear about the murder and, after hearing the pertinent details,
goes inside to break the news to his son. (Timador sends his owl familiar to eavesdrop, and he overhears the old
miller doing exactly that.) Meanwhile, Liam's twin brother, Lucas, comes out to further question The Company and
he is questioned in return. They party learns of iron-rich runoff from Lark Falls (and of an abandoned iron mine
nearby), and the run off from that area causes the distinctive red mud, which tends to muck up the flume that the
Möllers use to redirect water from the dam area to power their Overshot Wheel Mill.
They question whether or not Lucas' brother attended the Festival, was he there with Maiken, when did he come
home, etc. But most of what they ask involves Liam's arrival time and about his shoes and the mud. Liam appears
to have come home earlier than the murderer could have, but possibly not, if Liam was able fly over the forest
insteading of walking the road around it.
When shown the boot the milkmaid gave to them, Lucas hesitates a moment, but then points to his own shoes and explains
that they "buy better boots with thicker soles."
Eventually he goes inside and returns to show them his brother's boots, and they
are as he says: thicker soles, and, like his own, stained with red mud. Lucas says he and his brother are often
in the mill's mechanisms cleaning out the mud, which they then dump right back into the river downstream of the dam.
They also tend to work and sleep alternate day/night shifts, which is why Lucas was not at the Festival.
The Company next visits Kirk Van Grotegok and note a deer calmly walking out of the lowest level of the church
and then slowly disappears into a covert in the woods. Inside, they find the first level of the church is a
fighting arena; there is also a bell to ring. Timador does so, noting the bell's cord is wet. This leads to him
saying something about deer saliva and sometimes being lonely in the woods, or something like that. The bell
summons the priestess Marria, who confirms that the deer informed her of their arrival and she was busy preparing
to receive them. She explains "The Church of the Big Gamble" is a temple of the goddess Enyoe (a.k.a. Corrival),
and services at the church encourages all manner of competition and gambling, up to and including fights to the
death. She also speaks of how the animals in the surrounding forest lend her their eyes and ears as to goings on
(and she in turn also protects them). The party questions her if any of her animals saw a man-sized humanoid bat
flying above The Dwelmer Forest the previous night. Marria dispatches a small wren, and, after a few minutes, a
larger owl comes back with a report for the priestess. Her animals did not see nor hear a man-sized bat.
The Company ponders what to do next; likely they will be heading to the spa for their mud bath.
Session 6
As the Eclipse Siesta is approaching, The Company decides to rest at The Church of the Big Gamble (when a second
story balcony-access only room is provided by the Priestess). Priestess Marria questions them about whether or
not they have brought a large cat along, and Kime discovers that Vogelfest has been trailing her at a distance.
Her "kitty" is invited in/summoned. After resting, The Company decides to visit the abandoned mine since it is
relatively close. There, they discover a Rust Monster and her children have been tunneling and eating upon the
magnetite and chalcopyrite ores, and, apparently unable to digest them, they are excreting small quantities of
copper and gold that are present in the chalcopyrite. Stroop decides that he is too dignified to scoop poop,
but Timador and Kime have no such qualms, and they fill some of their bags with it (intending to rinse away the
non-precious metals later in the river). The rust "monsters" are well fed on the iron ores so they do not give
the party (nor their carried metals) any trouble (nor much attention). A wraith-like human is also discovered
in the old tunnels, and it gestures for the adventures to follow it down into one of the shafts that the largest
rust monster has excavated. Nothing doing, The Company decides.
Heading back through Moordplats, The Company notices a group of (mostly) young lads gathered around another lad
who is proudly seated upon a very nice saddle sat upon an equally nice riding horse. It is learned that Lucas
Möller, eager to make some quick cash, has sold his prized horse and saddle for 91 GP ("worth at least 120, the
new owner cheerfully boosts. Timador congratulates him on the bargain). The rumor is that the Möllers are
trying to raise money to bring Maiken Lind back from the dead.
The Party crosses across the Oost Brug, treks to Kliefron, and, just beyond, they finally spend Commander Holt's
12 GP to buy themselves six 4-hour passes at the Modderbad SPA (a health and recreational area built around a
geothermal spring that rises from the roots of Mount Xerbel). After checking in at the main building (and placing
most of their gear into lockers), the adventurers mingle among the crowd and partake of some of the various site
services: Sagon spends time in the aroma-therapy gardens and charcoal-fed saunas; Stroop tips one of the SPA
workers to pump hot and cold waters for him in one of the thermal-medicine tubs; Kime checks out the gymnasium,
gazebos, and spring houses; Timador goes downstream to pan poo for gold (and later checks out the gift shop); and Yrsa
and Wang try the mud baths and sulfurous springs. Most of the gossip they overhear regards Alfred Karl and his
recent murder. It is learned that Alfred ran the gift shop for the last two seasons (and the shop is well stocked
with various lotions, unguents, roasted peanuts, and other potentially smuggled-in contraband). Stroop hears an
elderly human woman remark to her elf companion some disparaging remarks about goblins after Wang walks by her on his
way to the baths. Wang does not hear this himself, but one of the sunbathers, a very scantily-clad man does, and
this turns out to be Sir Viggo Jesper, the owner, who chastises the women, offers to refund double-their-membership
dues if they are dissatisfied with the services or if the clientele is "repugnant to them." He makes this offer
after announcing that the Jesper family have significant goblin blood in them. Stroop notices then that, yes,
in addition to Viggo's otherwise classic fairy-tale handsome knight features, the man has a rather flat face and
pug-like nose. Stroop also notices that the knight is slouching and compacting himself deliberately trying to
emphasize he is shorter than he really is to Fru Gelberg and Fru Elsinorin. The two women, intimidated and embarrassed,
apologize and wish to remain as members.
Then Sir Jesper gives Stroop a friendly nod as the knight heads down to the sulfurous springs, sits down close to
Wang, introduces himself, and apologizes for the insulting racism. Wang has no idea what that's about, but he uses
the opportunity to introduce himself and gets the knight talking about jousting (and then leads the conversation to
the murder of Alfred Karl). Viggo relates how Alfred was a good worker and earned rapid promotions, but, alas, "the
scoundrel turned to smugglers to make extra profits for himself." Viggo paid a local "Grave" cleric,
Surcepou Venstang, 90 GP for a Speak With Dead spell, and Viggo learned from the dead man about the smugglers,
a second set of ledger books, a stash of coins (which Viggo turned over to the authorities to cover back taxes), and
that Alfred had been killed by a young man he did not know who was "housing" some type of monster or demon within. Viggo also makes sure that Wang is given an energy drink as partial compensation for the insults suffered (this brew will relieve
one point of exhaustion when quaffed), and Sir Jesper encourages Wang to try to earn the 200 GP reward he is offering
for capturing the murderer.
The Company regroups, rearms themselves, and decides to visit the Grave Cleric at the Kree Hweef cave shrine, which
is located near the Jesper Estate. As they approach, a fireball explodes in the distance. They race on to
investigate, the monk Sagon arriving three rounds later, Kime and Vogelfest after four rounds, and the rest of the group
takes five rounds. The speedy monk discovers (in a burning camp site just beyond some estate buildings) a robed
sorcerer wearing a black metal crown facing off against a cleric (who appears paralyzed) and a badly-burned warrior
woman lying on the ground. Sagon hurls a dart into the sorcerer and runs up to bind the wounds of the warrior.
Kime looses an arrow into the sorcerer after the man casts a cone of fire out of his palms against the monk, and
then, six seconds later "Twins" a Ray of Frost cantrip against the monk and the prone warrior. The rest of the group arrives and joins
in the melee.
Likewise, from the opposite direction, a rogue in cuir-bouilli armor races by the camp as if the devil
were chasing him, and, sort of: he was being followed by a five-eyed Beholder. Both the paralyzed Cleric and the
magically fear-strickened rogue who was running manage to shake off the Beholder's spell effects on them about this same time. The cleric
(Otec Gennadius) kneels and casts Revivify on his fallen partner, Lenja Lipova to bring her back to life (as he has only a
minute after her death to be successful with this spell). As he completes casting, 300 GP worth of diamonds on a bracelet around his wrist crumbles into
dust and the dust then fades away. The rogue, Staffon Sorenson, holds his bow action until an alley (in this case,
Vogelfest) leaps into melee with the Beholder; this gives the rogue sneak-attack bonuses. Stroop casts Heat Metal on the sorcerer's crown, and that
burning damage, combined with the brutal attacks from the monk and numerous arrows from everyone else, drops the
Sorcerer. Stroop is rewarded almost instantly after this action by being hit by a Fear Ray, and the normally brave
halfling "fills his pants" and is forced to flee as fast as he can.
After the fight, Gennadius protects the fallen sorcerer, and reveals that he is their companion, Dimetri Osin,
who was possessed/cursed when he felt compelled to put on that crown (an item they discovered earlier near
the ruins of Botten Houd, and which detected of Conjuration magic, but it was something they weren't able to "get to work").
The crown, though, stashed away in Dimetri's backback, started throbbing oddly once they came back to camp (near
the pond on Viggo Jesper's estate) just after they had visited the Kree Hweef burial cave (and the cleric Surcepou). Once
the crown had activated, it "encouraged" the sorcerer to open a rift to the Shadowfell, and the Beholder came through.
They then both attacked Dimetri's companions with a fireball and magic-eye rays.
This group of adventurers explain they are from Restenford and work for Commander Rader. "We were at the
Festival in Kuststad," Staffon explains to Wang, "more relaxation than official observation; we weren't at the
Feast later on, though; we missed that skirmish, but we've been following up on local bone yards, cintoríny, burial grounds,
and the like, in the area. Came here to check out the cave." Staffon then passes off a map to Wang that he "took off some
bandits," and explains that there seems to be some crypt location within Kuststad, but "we're not able to operate there
ourselves." Gennadius also adds that he is a cleric of "The Guiding Light of Vhereum" (and, as he specializes in the Light Divine Domain, he is able to train Yrsa later on
when she needs it). He gets a little too brash and indignant as he explains the followers of Reynon Screamdottir thrive on
the chaos that fear, uncertainty, and doubt generates, and he urges The Company (and their friends) should not
give in to their tactics and strengthen them. "Just beat them down."
Broke, but thankful their interactions made it possible for her to be brought back to life, Lenja gifts her magical
armor to The Company, and Kime eventually takes it in exchange for her own non-magical breastplate. Lenja's armor
is known as Frihed Rustning; it is breastplate armor that resizes itself to fit a humanoid in the 5-6' height range;
the wearer is able to move quite freely while wearing it and receives their full DEX bonuses; also, once
attuned to the armor, the wearer may make use of the armor's single charge to do one of the following (as a Bonus
Action once per short- or long-rest): remove the paralyzed, restrained, or grappled condition from the person wearing the armor, or elect to have the armor
pick the wearer up from a prone to an upright position without them expending any of their own movement speed.
After resting to recover spells, Gennadius is able to cast Remove Curse and Dimetri recovers. The Company
meets with Viggo Jesper, who comes home and learns what happened, and then The Company go on to meet with the Grave
Cleric at the shrine and question him about Alfred's corpse. From the information they are given, they decide one of the Möller boys might
be possessed, so they plan to see if they can use magic to detect for that. Session ends on the night of the 14th about 40 o'clock.
Session 7
The Company returns to Sir Viggo's from the burial caverns, but the lights at the Jesper Estate are low; no one
seems to be milling about, so they decide it best not to wake him up. They instead camp and wait until they
see some activity. About "High" Qweetas (45 o'clock), some servants are seen, and they report that Viggo will
meet with them after the Knight has his breakfast. From him then, the party learns of the names of the families
who have Mausoleums at Kuststad, and one of the names is Kjaer. (The others as Clausen, Soren, Erasmus,
Iversen, Möller, Knudsen, Jesper, and Lind.) He also tells of the highest-known level of clerics on the island.
With considerable time remaining before the Cleric can long rest again to obtain the Detect Good and Evil
spell (to be cast discretely in the presence of the entire Möller family), they journey back to Kyrka van Grotegok
and the Priestess Marria allows them to stay until sunrise. She also confirms that she can cast Raise Dead
but it doesn't always work, and the separated non-physical portion of the deceased may not wish to return. It helps
to coax them back (if loved ones are present to remind them of how much they meant to them). The spell will also
require the donation of 250 GP if Marria is to cast it, and the spell will consume a single diamond worth at least 500 GP. There
is also a discussion of werecreatures, and how the three other moons of Eyeqweetus are closest to each other in the sky on
every fourth day (which would have included the 9th and the 13th).
Armed with those facts and numbers, The Company meets with the Möllers, and Yrsa and Kime offer condolences
and also their willingness to cast Gentle Repose on Maiken Lind's corpse to help prolong the possible time period that
the Raise Dead spell needs in order to work (allowing Liam more time to raise the needed money).
Neither Liam nor
his twin brother nor father are detected as being other worldly by Yrsa's spell.
Liam thanks them for their offer, but, explains he couldn't possibly raise more than half the money required. He was
desperately counting on Taavu Lind for the rest of the fee, but Maiken's father informed him that he had already given
the dead girl's dowry (all the available family wealth for such an undertaking) to his third daughter, Juliane, and she
is already promised to another.
In one of those (only) seemingly uncharacteristic and contradictory to his nature moves, The Dread Pirate Wang offers to
put up the other half of the money. (The Swashbuckler doesn't believe that only the rich should have access to
such spells.) Liam is stunned, cannot see why Wang should make such an offer, but is cool with it if Wang can get
Taavu's permission. And, later on, Taavu agrees to this, but he informs them his daughter has been buried
already on Zout Hill; they would need Commander Holt's permission to dig up the body. Luckily, The Company
has an in with the Commander, who creates a document for Wang giving him permission to exhume and cart about
a dead body. Wang notices that the note is conveniently (purposely?) generic and may someday prove useful in the future.
The Company returns to the mill, and Liam gathers his family's wealth, and The Company and Liam cart the body
to The Church of The Big Gamble. The ceremony and ritual are successful, and Maiken is restored to life. Once
alive, she is repulsed by Liam and claims he turned into a beast and murdered her. Liam pleads he
never did, but his account of the evening doesn't hold water, especially (even to an Outlander like Kime who grew
up mostly alone in the backwoods), when Liam says he left the Feast without even saying goodnight to "his woman."
The jig pretty up that point, and with the Bard Stroop threatening his kneecaps, Liam confesses to covering up
and making lies for his brother Lucas. Liam was also pretending to be Lucas when The Company came to the
Mill previously. The two scummy twins were apparently "sharing" Maiken without her knowledge, and the lads
apparently had a history of swapping themselves and fooling even their own father. The Priestess Marria wishes
to keep Maiken at the church for a day so she can cast a Remove Curse on her (pro-gratis, as a community
service), just in case the girl's mortal wounding also passed on to her the lycanthropy curse. The party locks up Liam
in one of the church's (no longer used) arena cages, returns to the mill to question/capture Lucas, but, instead
they find that he has hung himself from one of the mill rafters. Upon further examination, they find that this
didn't kill him, couldn't. Apparently Lucas was unable to harm himself through normal means, so his father took it upon
himself to kill the boy with a sharp silverware knife.
A found Suicide Note from Lucas explains he had been attacked by a creature on the night of the 9th. He also
had sold off his horse to help raise money for the needed Raise Dead spell, but, later, he planned to use
the money himself to discretely have his curse removed in Restenford. However, this was part of the shared wealth
his brother took to pay off the Priestess and Wang (who had spent more than half already pre-buying the needed
diamond in Kuststad). That generic haul-a-corse-around permission note already coming in handy, Wang loads up
the body of Lucas, and The Company turn over all three Möllers to Commander Holt, who, even though the
two living Möllers passed the non-silver knife "poke" test, will wait until after the night of the 17th to
make his final rulings on the matter.
Session 7.5
Timador matches up the map that Wang got from Staffon Sorenson with the Kjaer Mausoleum (and the rest of
it seems to match as the crypt location being under the Kuststad Mission). The Company speaks to Commander Holt about it
and their intent to search the Mausoleum. Their plan is to take their Knarr out into the Nord Bucht bay area
just west of Kuststad. While The Company learns how to sail the ship and/or are fishing, Wang will go over
the far side of the ship and stealthily swim to shore and work his "magic" on the Mausoleum lock. Holt is
concerned about the guard who is usually stationed on the wall near the Mission (who may see Wang and/or
or may be deliberately "not seeing" suspicious activities at that location). So, Holt plans a surprise inspection
of that guard area and he will keep said guard busy in either case. Timador also decides to cast Invisibility
on Wang for good measure.
All goes according to plan, and Wang discovers that one sarcophagus/casket on the lowest row has rollers
embedded into its bottom; the surface upon which it rests also declines a bit. When he pulls on the box
handle, the casket easily rolls out. The covering lid is in two sections and the front section opens. Inside is
a well-clothed intact skeleton, who leans his skull up and raises his hand to give a bony thumbs up. The casket
has a flip down bottom, which opens revealing a rope ladder down to the caverns below. The skeleton is here,
apparently, to work free a catch lock when the front handle is pulled, and then he later uses chains on the inside
to pull the casket back into place after people have passed through the secret portal. Wang reports back and,
with the daily eclipse occurring, The Company uses the darkness to cover the fact that they're docking
their knarr next to the Mausoleums. Wang and Sagon go down the rope ladder to test whether or not they can
get back up the same way they came. The skeleton closes the floor, but they discover if they rap on it
from below, he releases the catch and allows the casket to roll out again opening the exit.
The entire party then ventures down and examines the wet, muddy cavern, the crumbling stone retaining
walls, and outer basement walls of the crypt beneath the Mission. They find crates of basic supplies, and, further
in, they find several bedrolls in a dry 10'x10' nook. Most of the masonry, though, is wet and the grout is crumbled
away. Further beyond, in some more of the wet natural cavern space around the bay retaining wall, they find
a nest of rats, who, apart from one bull male protecting the nest, scamper back further into tighter tunnels.
Vogelfest makes short work of the rat who stood his ground. The Company then locates the secret door into
the crypt where the map indicated it should be; it slides into the southern wall, and they make their way inside.
The crypt, again, as indicated, has been looted, but this doesn't stop them from having a look themselves.
The sarcophagus here are in very bad shape, water damaged, and the covers broken and only partially covering their contents.
Inside one, they discover a comatosed man wearing rags and made-up to make him appear to be dead. His
bodily functions are almost nil, but they determine that he is breathing, if ever so faintly.
A Detect Magic and Detect Good and Evil yielded no results on him. Two doors were next examined,
one leading to broken stairs and indication of where a new structural supports and a wall were constructed to prop up the
Mission Church upstairs and seal off the crypt; and the other door led into a corridor whose stone walls contain carved
sculpture relief depicting scenes of nature, families together, and a boy reading a book under a tree.
In the eastern end, the hallway ended against
a strong metal cage with two sets of very good locks on an entrance and exiting door. The Detect Magic, still in effect, indicated two
of the locks had Arcane Lock cast upon them. In the western end of the hallway, The Company found a
bedroll, an adventuring pack, simple supplies, and a personal journal written in Varee (Dwarf). Thumbing
through the entries oldest to newest, they find that the entries mention the Hetreoh Gang, the author's complaints about the
reinforcements not arriving when expected, that Braccus is to convert them once they arrive, and even a note about the Lind Girl
ending with "hmmm, on the 13th?" Paging further back, scribbled entries include "Traditions are still
important, but, just mine; ours, I guess, if I can see the benefits." And another talks about "primal urges
on the nights of the conjunction, but it was better the last two times, more controllable." Paging even
further back, the handwriting steadies, the prose appears more calm: "Have trained Sagon today." The
diary appears to belong to Broeder Dressl Crope, Monk of the Order of the Open Hand.
As if on cue, and because the west end of that sculpture hallway is close to the outside corridor leading
in, Sagon's high perception skill
detects movement from that direction and he also hears a short, tweeting whistle. He and Timador's owl familiar backtrack
through the secret entrance and spot Dressl near the entrance to the hallway. And, upon Dressl seeing Sagon,
the Hill Dwarf says, "I wished you hadn't come down here, lad." Then he casually tossed his staff aside
and struck a fighting stance. "I guess it's time for your final lesson." He waited patiently for the
Wood Elf to attack, but Sagon instead asked a question and pushed the owl back, as Kime, Vogelfest, and others
also starting coming that way through the crypt. Dressl advanced in a few steps, but then turned and backed
off the way he had come out of sight into the damp earth caverns. About that time, a Lair Action kicked in, and a couple of
cat-sized rats climbed forward to attack out of the rat holes to the south. Later on, some large bats
will also attack.
Melee breaks out, and the two monks engage in the middle of the corridor. How that monk-on-monk fight
would have ended, we'll never know as Dressl had a wizard companion, and she pumped four
Magic Missiles into Sagon, and Timador likewise flung Magic Missiles at Dressl while Kime and
others shot him with missiles that were magic. Dressl caught one, but in the next round the dwarf fell,
unable to defend against so many attackers at once. His companion had some type of magical protective
barrier around her that absorbed the damage of attacks against her, and when she cast Shield to ward off another magic arrow
shot at her, Timador noticed that some of the magic from that spell leaked off and appeared to buff up this
protective barrier of hers.
This is when the "Pro-dig-ious" Braccus arrived, the well over 7' foot tall wrestling champion of
Kuststad, member of the City Vakt guardsmen, member of the Don Aquila Espionage Guild, and, in Kime's
word, "you know, that Dumbass." Braccus is wearing a simple loin cloth and carrying a shield. He
has a long sword sheath at his hip. He began shaking, a white foam drizzled from his mouth as he
worked himself into a paroxysmal rage. He reached a muscular hand out, grappled Sagon, and then shoved
him prone. Braccus was just too strong and athletic for the nimble elf to dodge. The rest of
the party then saw bristling hairs sprouting from the tight skin of Braccus. They hit him with
what they had, including a Thunderwave spell, which shook the unsteady foundation of the Mission
basement more than it moved the Wererat Ogre, but the unconscious body of Dressl crashed back 10 feet
and that delivered another failed death save to the monk.
While frenzied, the Barbarian Beserker Braccus had two attacks and could attack a third time as a Bonus
Action, all of those attacks would be made with advantage against Sagon, whose speed was reduced to
0 from the grapple and who needed to stand up to remove the prone condition, which but couldn't since he had
no movement to spend. His only choice was to try to use his agility to wiggle free, and, Sagon's
Acrobatic check managed to beat Braccus' Athletic Checks. The Bard and Cleric cast healing spells to
buff Sagon back up, while the mousey-face Wizard continued peppering Sagon with Magic Missiles to knock him low again. Soon,
after he got in a few blows against Braccus with his silver-shod staff and the magic goblin-detection sword he bought
in town, Sagon fell down again; and then Timador, casting close on the front lines, was cut down by Braccus'
longsword. To make matters worse, when raging, Barbarians like Braccus, take only half damage
from bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing weapons, even silver and magic ones, so the party's attacks
were slow in whittling down the man mountain mouse.
Stroop took a gamble on a Sleep spell, and held off releasing it for as long as he could, hoping that Kime
and Wang could hit Braccus again first with magic arrows and Yrsa could club him with her Spiritual
mace. Wang instead, raced up, grabed Sagon's dropped goblin sword, and used it to get in a sneak attack. It
seems a pitiful blow to Wang, for just a few points of damage, which were halved again because of the
Barbarian's abilities. But, it was just enough. Stroop's Sleep spell went off, and these spells
affects all creatures in a 20' radius (which, in these tight quarters, included Vogelfest, Wang,
and Braccus). Wang hadn't taken any damage yet, and Vogelfest is one tough kitty, so the Sleep Spell
affected just the severely damaged Braccus--and just barely. Them Halflings are said to be lucky.
Commander Holt appeared then from the west (alerted by the Thunderwave spell, but it took him some
time to discover and work the skeleton door man, who was key to pening the mouse-a-leum). As Holt raced forward,
his sword drawn, the Commander just barely managed to avoid some magical rope snare. Still keeping her distance, and seeing the odds now against
her, the mouse-face Wizard girl in the ratty clothes raced to the northeast and locked an Arcane-lock cage
door behind her. The Company gently tied up Braccus and then, as one, all struck their killing blows. The session ended at that point.
Session 8
Before everyone prepares to deliver their killing blow against the Ogre wererat, The Company fills Commander
Holt in on a few of their recent discoveries (although not the fact that the wererat is actually his guardsman
Braccus, until after the rat's dead). Holt is immediately concerned about the mouse-faced Wizard who made
her escape through the Arcane Locked door to the north (and the threat of lycanthropy in his Outpost in
general). Holt tries his above-ground cage-door keys in the below-ground gate, but none of them work. As
a normal precaution during each daily siesta-Eclipse period, all above-ground cage entrances to Kuststad are
locked, except for the south gate from Food Street leading into the peasant district. Upon hearing the
Thunderwave spell that alerted him to come down into the crypt at the end of the last session, Holt
had given orders to Anton Bertwald (the city Vakt member that he was "routinely inspecting" at the west
wall station). Holt already had some suspicions about Anton, but, as Anton was also a known companion of
Braccus', Holt decides to race back to the surface to ensure that his lock-down instructions were being
followed.
The Company decides they can go no further without resting for new spells, specifically a Knock spell, so
they haul the comatose man they found in the crypts up through the mausoleum crypt entrance. Yrsa wishes
to take him to the Mission infirmary, but two guards at the west cage gate refuse her entrance into Kuststad.
Yrsa shows them The Red-Gold Company's Letter of Marque, which the guards respect, but say that letting her
through would be a direct violation of their Commander's orders. They agree, though, if the man she wants
taken care of is left at their gate, and The Company backs off, and if the man in the coma passes "the needle
test," they will see that he gets to the Mission for care. This all comes to pass.
The Company then boards their Knarr and row it south to the Slopnvëk shores of the peasant area. Sagon then
runs to the south gate hoping to find Holt there. Timador sends his owl familiar to follow the speedy monk.
Holt is at the gate and informs Sagon that the guard Anton has betrayed him, did not signal the others to
have all the gates secured, and, instead, passed through the south gate himself and hightailed it. "See if
you can chase him down," Holt says, and the monk starts running on the road south, with the owl still
following him. Upon seeing all of this from a distance, The Company joins in on the chase. Sagon is able
to follow the AWOL guard's trail after discovering some fairly obvious tracks leading off road into the hill
country to the east. Timador commands the Owl to look for a man in a brown guardsman's jacket. The jacket,
discarded by the fleeing Anton, is discovered by Vogelfest when he and Kime mostly catch up to the Monk as
Sagon needs to slow down to search for more tracks. Eventually, after climbing down a 60 foot slope near the
Cheese Caves and a mile or so on the road to Krout, Sagon surpasses and battles with a longsword-wielding
Anton, who, although a pretty good fighter, doesn't have his armor and loses the battle. Sagon binds the man's
wounds and makes a litter from two staves, and The Company haul Anton back to Holt. Holt takes control of
Anton and let's The Company into the city after they all submit to a mundane pin-prick test.
Later, they go down into the Crypt area again. After Wang picks the non-magical lock on the northern gate,
Timador casts Knock and opens the Arcane Lock for ten minutes. They spike the gate open then venture
through a meeting room with many wall benches into a partially submerged room populated by a large stone
"King Rat" statue and several ale barrels, some open and some sealed. The ale inside is a disgusting stew
of humanoid body parts and dead, rotting plague rats. Scattered about the statue in the mud puddles at
the King's feet, glints of silver can be seen. Timador and Stroop use their Mage Hands from a safe
distance and pull out an assortment of sharp but tarnished silverware as well as two silvered daggers and a silvered
light throwing hammer. There are also plague rats cowering in a low cavern to the north, so Sagon lights
and flings in a Molotov cocktail to burn them back. Also, above one of the doors into a side chamber,
they notice that the ceiling is riddled like cheese with dozens of holes; inside these, they can make out
the metal tips of likely projectiles. Using shields, a door removed from its hinges, mage hands, and
the nimble fingers of Wang, the darts are released harmlessly and then cleared out of the way. Inside
the room, they find a number of Braccus's personal belongings and a large stash of weapons and supplies
enough to well equip a party of six men and Braccus. There was also some precision mining equipment, a
battering ram, and the robes and holy symbols to garb seven individuals. Kime gets outraged at the
notion of some sort of coup having been planned, and Wang suggests that this all might be part of "The
Plague" the Wraith spoke of on the Feast Night encounter that would be descending upon all not fleeing
from the island. A well-encoded and multiple language-written book is also discovered, which contained
some descriptions of Kuststad, sketches of locations, and lists of important people. The majority of
the contents, though, were too complex to determine.
In the second side chamber, The Company find several straw mattresses, peanuts and peanut shells, rat
droppings, partially nibbled wheels of cheese, a valuable stash of gemstones scattered across the floor,
an Arcane Locked chest, and rat urine sprayed on everything. Later, once opened, the chest's contents
are found to include some more gemstones as well as the magical research and scribblings of one, Orda
Ensict, an Abjurist. But the Wizard girl herself is not discovered. The Party speculate that she must
have been able to transform into a smaller rat creature and escape through one of the rat holes. Two
potential exits are discovered, and the party starts a small, wet mattress fire to use the smoke to
help discover the outdoor exits: one in the Textile Factory's outdoor storage cages and one leading
to a small hole concealed behind the floor boards in a room at the Seahawk Inn. They nail up the
wall board and suggest to Holt that he get the Textile owner to slather some wet cement over the other.
Holt enlists Wang and the Lizard Man Kruesh to enter the disgusting sewer system under the middle of the
Outpost through a secret, underwater entrance in one of the northern pier platforms. The intent is to
possibly find the Wizard woman but also to check for any secret passageways in the retro-fitted sewer
and also if they can discover the other side of that concealed door that The Company was unable to reach
near the Mission Crypt. The pair find the concealed door beneath the Main Street Privy, but large chunks
of stone, apparently left over after the reconstruction (and too large to be moved), were left piled at
that location. No Wizard is discovered, but Wang notes the location of the drainage pipes and also notices
Kruesh seemingly blocked him from searching an area underneath the Fishes and Shrimps shop. Wang checks
this location on the return trip, but doesn't find anything unusual in the walls there. That part of
the sewer, though, wasn't part of the new passage and ramp construction. Once the Vattenpujke and his Lizard-pal sailor
get out of the sewer, they clean themselves off as best they can bathing in the Lenore Straight.
Session 8.5
The Company trains to 4th Level. No longer having mentors available in Kuststad, Yrsa and Sagon take
a carriage the 13 miles or so to Restenford, where Yrsa meets up with members of Amaranth Company, and
she is able to train under Otec Gennadius. During her four days there, some of the other members of
Gennadius's company asked Yrsa if the map that Staffon gave Wang yielded any results. Yrsa supplies
some of the details, and there is some agreement that the group of six smugglers that The Amaranth
Company dispatched before The Feast may have been the new recruits that Braccus was waiting on hoping to turn. They
all then agree it was good they never arrived.
Sagon, meanwhile, introduces himself to the Abbess Erece Almon, and she directs him to join Fårons
Syskon (Siblings of the Sheep), and their monastic order not only raises and markets sheep, but their
immediate flock also features three skilled fighting men: Gang Chen ("Strong Root"), Broeder of Open
Hand Fighting; Lei Xiang ("Circling Thunder"), a Shadow Dancer, and Jin Hai ("Golden Sea"), a Master
of the Drunken Way. Strong Root is able to take on Sagon as a student.
Session ends approximately Day 20, 6:00, and Yrsa and Sagon will have returned from Restenford, everyone trained.
Session 9
Day 20 begins with The Company having completed their training in Kuststad to 4th level and with Yrsa and Sagon
returning by coach from Restenford. During those four "down days," mundane needle testing for lycanthropes
was rampant and mandatory, yet it exposed no "Weres." But, despite the annoying tests (often duplications of a
previous days' test), the pain caused, the time lost to testing, a general sense of calm settled over the
outpost when it became evident that there wasn't a whole secret society of wererats waiting to kill them all.
Commander Holt also released a few prisoners who were in his custody: the Lizard Man, Kruesh, for example, was
cleared of all smuggling charges against him. Hemming and Liam Möller were released under "house arrest," free
to return to work their mill, but they were also ordered to make amends for their part in covering up the murder
of Maiken Lind. They need to replace her lost dowery (valued at 350 GP) over the next four seasons. Maiken Lind,
meanwhile, having been magically raised from the dead, decided to become postulant at the Church of the Big Gamble,
studying under the Priestess Marria.
Anton Bertwald, the guard who was discovered to be in league with Braccus, was found not to be a wererat, but, after
extensive questioning, he claimed that Braccus "promised him the power" if Anton went along and "looked the other way."
Anton also claims that there was no one in Krout nor on the Northeast coast of the island to whom he was running;
he hoped instead to hop an outgoing ship and make himself scarce. Likewise, Anton claimed to have no knowledge
of any plan to cause a Plague on the City. He identified the mousey wizard girl as Orda (Ensict),
Braccus's girlfriend, and he described her as mean, vindictive, and cunning, and a Wererat. He had no idea of
where she was now or where she had come from. Regarding his message recorded on the magic communication doll
about Steersman Soren, again, he says that he was just following orders to report anything involving silver
purchases and shipments. The aforementioned Steersman Soren, meanwhile, has secured a cargo, and is now hiring a few extra crew to
make a trading journey to The Knife Coast. He will be sailing on the 24th.
In other news, the comatose man dragged out of the crypt was confirmed to be Pfarrer Jonah, the previous Mission
Cleric, who some of the older residents claim disappeared ten seasons ago when Svartriki forces were overtaking
the northeast portion of the island. Low-level heal spells, and even a Lesser Restoration spell have not
been able to revive him. Something, magic, chemical, or both, seems to have changed him physically, kept him
alive without food or water (and without his body producing much waste).
News from Restenford is that a Count from Frittlandr is soon to arrive on the island to meet with Baron Grellus
to discuss improving trade relations with the island. Commander Holt, likewise, is preparing to send one of his
own diplomats (a man named Midler) to Frittlandr, and Holt has pegged The Red-Gold Company for this mission.
And, lastly, a dwarf fighter, Makgram the Grimhide, has appeared in Kuststad and has announced that he is looking
to buy exotic, magical items and weapons of renown.
Holt also has a minor mission for The Company. The Commander dispatched one of his guards, Camilla Dastrup to keep an
eye on Noah and Olaf Kjaer to see if the two old brothers were up to any suspicious activities. The Company is to
locate Camilla, get her report, and replenish her supplies. And, if need be, to give her any assistance. She
has been hiding herself near their homestead on Vild Svin Kulle (the wild boar hill in the Sår Skorpa swamp).
The party find Camilla and learn that one of the brothers left earlier that morning and headed to the hamlet of
of Afvoer on the Moor. Camilla stayed behind to watch Olaf, but encourages the Company to see after Noah.
The Party arrives at Afvoer and meets with the hamlet's new Constable, Slub, a recently out-of-work apothecary. Slub gives
them a quick rundown of the place and introduces some of the occupants. There is an encounter with Liftnurt and
his dancing bear, Brudamar, who appears to talk Common, but Liftnurt is more likely a ventriloquist. He and
Stroop exchange some coins for each other's performances, and Liftnurt puts words into Stroops mouth about the
halfling offering to buy him an ale. Stroop goes along with it. Meanwhile, Kime uses her Primeval Awareness and
Creature Familiarity skills to ensure that Brudamar is being well cared for. She also feeds Brudamar a Goodberry.
Sagon, also talks with the innkeeper and ale wife--after purchasing a large mead--about Olaf Kjaer, who, apparently
was in the tavern earlier, consumed a bottle of red wine, which is normal for him about once a week, but no one
saw where he went after that, and The Company didn't encounter him on the only road back. Wang uses the telescope
from his Bandolier of Thieving at the docks to see if Olaf is out on any of the fishing ships. He isn't seen.
Curious about what the new apothecary sells (and believing that Noah may have gone to that side of the lake to meet
with her), The Company heads around the west side of Drain lake. They follow three signs and a path through a
topiary garden showcasing giant hedge and tree animals: a squirrel, rabbit, and wolf, to the hut / medicine shop
of Grenhay Sumpers, a very tall, lanky witch-like woman. There, they also briefly encounter a loud, bratty girl
(Barbara) with leashed puppies, and a wild green-maned horse named Tang Monkey. Grenhay hadn't seen Olaf that day,
but she and Yrsa get into conversations about the usefulness of creature harvested organs. Yrsa speaks of having
the eyestalks of a Beholder, and Grenhay is quite excited, but, becomes disappointed to discover that the parts
instead came from a lesser beholder-kin (a Spectator). Still, she is impressed that Yrsa has managed to keep the
parts fresh by using a Gentle Repose spell. Grenhay buys the parts and also gives Yrsa a list of other
useful creature items that she's interested in.
Grenhay is still suitably impressed with The Company having bested a Spectator, so she asks about their abilities
and whether or not they would be willing to partner with her on a short venture to act as her bodyguard. She
offers them a Ring of 0 Wishes (which she claims wasn't completed used up by the original owners's three mostly-mundane wishes).
Grenhay says the ring still occasionally helps and betters the wearer's situation. And, if nothing else, the ring
is worth 100 GP for its platinum and also holds a 500 GP diamond. The Company also notice that Granhey's thumbs
are unusual, as if her right hand is on her left wrist, and vice versa.
The Mission Grenhay has in mind is this: while swimming the lake, her nixie Horse, Tang Monkey, discovered that
there was "a house under the water about 60 feet down in the brackish waters. This house also appears to be in the
same location where Granhey discovered an ever-so-slight and small whirlpool that appeared to be pulling a small
amount of the swamp water runoff down. So, the house area seemed to be where Lake Drain was slowly draining its
excess water over the years. Curious about what might be down there (and living next to her on the lake), Granhey
needs allies to accompany her while exploring the place. Granhey can provide the party with a Water Breathing
spell and says that she can summon Crocodiles to help if there's a battle. She also has a supply of piercing weapons
that they can borrow: spears, javelins, etc., which work well underwater. The Company agrees to take her.
At the submerged location, they discover that some sort of land subsidence / foundation sink geological event
seems to have cause a decent chunk of land here to sink. They find a ruined stone tower, the foundations of two
stone alter-like structures or homes, and three statues (with cryptic Aquan names carved on their bases: "[Pronoun]
That Is Eaten, "[Pronoun] Who eats, and [Pronoun] What Teaches." Kime and Vogelfest swim down to a green blue
coral-like area also thick with widgeon grasses. The coral turns out to be some type of colorful stramatolite / layered mounds,
columns, and sheet-like sedimentary rock, and, two great hunks of it turn out to be alive and capable of motion: they rise up to attack
her, but, the hulking beasts are rather slow, so The Company and Grenhay get in some first attacks against the
creatures. The beasties, though, are ridiculously tough and strong, and can dish out crushing amounts of damage.
The Company (and Grenhey's crocodiles) eventually chip them down. Timador's newly-acquired Shatter spell
proves to be quite effective against the semi-crystalline creatures, but it takes a concerted effort of everyone
to best the monsters, some type of variant of Shambling Mound.
One of the crocodiles discovers a lightly-armored, open face helm while Grenhey had it digging in the microbial sentiments.
It turns out to be a magic helmet (Eldsyn Rodret, the fire-eyes helm), which can give the wearer the look of having
firey eyes and/or limited range Darkvision up to 30 feet for five minutes. In a nearby location, The Company also
discovers a small cavern, and, inside of which, they see a golden +1 Trident, chest, and piles of rectangular sacks/
pouches. Two mage hands in concert from Stroop and Timador retrieve the Trident without either adventurer needing
to enter the cavern, but, similar grasping of one of the pouches, disturbs its contents. The pouches are some
type of devil-man fish pouches (yellowish-gray Sahuagin egg sacks). Two small sahuagins hatchlings emerge and
begin feeding on (and/or freeing) their siblings in a feeding frenzy, and soon the entire clutch becomes a Sahuagin Hatchling Swarm.
Which, had a party member actually been inside of the cavern at the time, could have really sucked for them.
But, as The Company was working from a distance and attacking with ranged spells and weapons, they were able to
neutralize the threat relatively early and easily. Examining a couple of the hatchings who were not shattered or
Flaming Circled to death, revealed the hatchlings to be young Sahuagins, but the devil fish also seemed to have
some swamp pujke characteristics. The chest in the cavern contained two heavy crossbows and 30 bolts, a
stash of gold coins, and some gold jewelry; all of the treasure would be divided up later at Grenhay's hut.
A glass sphere, about 9' in diameter, in the center of sunken area was found to be magical (detected of some type
of Elemental magic) and was also sucking in a trace amount of water and muck into it. Possibly the sphere was
larger on the inside than it appeared, or a portal to someplace else, or just consuming whatever it swallowed. There was also
a mesh like screen within the sphere, which kept larger items from being drawn into it. It was decided to leave
it alone and return home.
Session ended on Day 20 about 21 o'clock.
Session 10
After long resting in Grenhay's hut, The Company returns to Afvoer on the Moor once again seeking for the whereabouts of Noah Kjaer.
They learn that Noah has apparently traveled north into Sår Skorpa to meet with Hävding, the Chief of the swamp goblins.
They are warned by Innkeeper Mark Anders not to mention the spindly legs of the otherwise powerfully built leader of the Träskpujke tribe.
Through Mark, Yrsa also learns that the inn keeper knows some lore about the name of "Drain Lake," site of the previous adventure session.
though Mark says the lake is named that way just because it's lowest spot in the Sår Skorpa region, and the runoff naturally seeks it out.
History also holds that most of the surrounding swamp area was once a lake,
possibly the spawning region of devil-fish of the deep, the Sahuagin. This jives with what the cleric knows since she has just witnessed first hand a
Sahuagin hatchling swarm and has seen the subsidence/foundational sink of the temple grounds. The Company finds out nothing further about the
8 foot wide sphere at the bottom of the lake.
Timador purchases a bucket full of catfish as a gift for Hävding and The Party heads north led along by the ranger Kime. The wizard's
owl spots some goblin guards concealed on top of an overgrown hillock standing before the village, and The Company makes an deliberate effort to be seen as not
sneaking up. They are approached by one of the guards, who Wang recognizes as Rigmuz the Wrangler, who weeks ago had been pummeled unconscious by
Braccus during the festival wresting match. Having met and talked with him once before, Rigmuz is receptive to Wang and he is also
appreciative of the rumors that Wang (and his friends) slew the barbarian wererat, and Rigmuz would love to hear further details of it. Stroop
composes the beginnings of a ballad about it, and Rigmuz commissions the bard on the spot to complete it, assuming that the halfling
can somehow work Rigmuz into the tale, and he suggests that Braccus must have been "hiding" from the goblin in a underground lair beneath
the city. Never passing up on easy money, Stroop accepts 5 gp and the promise of another five upon completion for his new "producer."
The Wrangler gives a tour of the village while his Chief and Noah complete their discussion before they then emerge from the war hut. Upon accepting
the bucket of fish (which prompts a village-wide cookout), the goblin chief is keen to know what The Party wishes of him, and they instead place
themselves at his service to see what they can do for him. Hävding directs them instead to Noah, "who was just inquiring about
a desire for such services." Noah explains how one of his servants had discovered the remains of a bloomery furnace on the northwestern
edge of Noah's property. Someone in secret had apparently been helping themselves to the Kjaer family's bog iron. As the worth of the iron is
not much, Noah likewise cannot offer much for someone to explore into the matter, but he offers to split the iron value if it can be
recovered. Timador reasons that there may be other items of value to be recovered if the bog-iron thieves are tracked down. Noah also
realizes that the thieves are probably squatting on the western shorelines of the Resten River, lands owned by the Crown Authority, and,
as such, some of his taxes should entitle him to The Company's services. At the mention of taxes, the goblin chief laughs (he has
long snubbed his nose at any authority controlling the island, and, while he continues to be on (mostly) friendly terms with them, he does not
recognize their ownership claims).
After the meal, and still with some hours remaining on the Water Breathing spell cast upon them by Grenhay, The Company is led by
Rigmuz along a concealed trail that leads east through the swamp to the Grusväg, a raised gravel roadway / built-up causeway
through the middle of the swamp. From there, they travel without him to the northeast to the area where Noah's servant discovered the
illegal clay-lined pit furnace. They find evidence of some knocked off slag and charcoal as well as a few burnt log anvils where the
processed iron was hammered into billets before being hauled away. The Company continue on to east towards a watery cavern that Noah
related to them (which he had explored decades ago in his youth). Timador's familiar spots some fish-like humanoid guards, and
The Company sneaks up on them and dispatches them before they can give warning to anyone inside the cavern. They then question the guards,
mostly unsuccessfully, until Wang is able to get one to talk in broken common about someone named The Malenti; he also speaks of
a forge being inside the cavern and "She What Teaches." The Company discovers crude gashes in the muddy soil nearby, which give the impression
that the Sahuagin dragged something heavy in from the river through and into a 20 foot wide opening in the hillside.
Barging their way into the cavern (and fanning out on either side of a small pond or across a crude bridge), The Company encounter a number
of devil-fish men inside, some who more resemble fish-goblins than fish-men. Among their number is a wizard fish and a larger
champion wielding a nice-looking trident. Having been taken mostly by surprise, the devil-fish are not well prepared to repel
intruders, and they put up a poor battle, but the champion warrior manages to blow a loud, shrill-sounding whistle, which calls
a nearby five-headed hydra onto the scene just as the initial battle appears concluded. The massive hydra, builds up to seven heads at one point, and it proves
quite formable.
However, also formable are the capabilities of the members of the Silver
Rose Company. Of particular use against it, Sagon's ability to strike and take away all of the monster's reactions (it normally
would have gotten one per head), and Stroop's use of spells like Tasha's Hideous Laughter able to exploit the creature's woefully
low wisdom. Even so, if they hadn't stumbled upon remembering that fire damage would prevent the hydra from regenerating, they
might have easily fallen in this encounter. As it was, and afraid for their lives, they had begun to un-ass the area. But, Firebolts
and Scorching Rays cast against the hydra, and a Heat Metal cast upon a metal collar (ironically meant to help protect
the creature by holding a fire-resistance granting Transmuter's Stone against its neck) did the creature in, along with the
physically attacks of the monk, swashbuckler, and ranger. Still, every turn could easily have meant the death of one or many
of The Company.
After the battle, deeper in the cavern, they discovered an assorted of precious metal treasures, which have the worn, weathered
and crust-covered look of having been found upon the bottom of a sea, and a small, precision forge area. The metals were apparently being recycled to
help "fancy" up weapons for enchantment. In a locked chest, they find the wizard fish's spell book as well as a scroll containing the
"recipe" for transmuting well crafted metal melee weapons into +1 versions. At the bottom of the pool in the entrance, the monk also
finds a oilskin seal-skin bag containing additonal papers, written in a language none of the group is able to understand, but they notice that the markings
resemble the markings seen earlier on the base of the statues in the the temple at the bottom of the lake, markings which Grenhay described as Aquan.
As their spells were depleted and they could not longrest until another 14 hours had past, the group decides to hole up in the
cavern until they could fully rest again, and then they plan to set off at first light. Yrsea uses some of the time to harvest the blood
and blood-related organs of the hydra, hoping that Grenhay can make something of them. She also casts Gentle Repose upon
the rest of the bodies in case something of value can be gotten from the corpses of the devil-fish men. Next session will begin
on Day 21 at 0 o'clock after a long rest. The group expressed interest in joining Steersman Soren on his cargo mission to The Knife
Coast on the 24th. Wang is itching to get back onto the open waters.
Session 11
In the cave of the Sahuagin Devil Fish, the Company waits until they can long rest. During that time, they thoroughly search the cavern,
harvest Hydra parts, occasionally dip their fishy captive into the front pool so that he doesn't suffocate, complete the ballad of Braccus
the Rat, and clean up the tarnished and muck-encrusted metals that were being used to decorate the tridents before enchantment. Among these
metals they discover 200 GP worth of adamantine. Come the dawn, they set off again toward the causeway in the
Sår Skorpa swamp and then along the concealed trail back to the swamp goblin camp. Hydra steaks are prepared and the services of
the Chief's hareem are offered as a reward for ridding the surface of "the devils of the deep, who should not believe they can live on the
surface." The Chief asks for the captive Sahuagin guard and the Company surrenders him to the pujke, who wishes to send the devil fish back
to his people carrying the scars of this message.
Arriving next at Afvoer on the Moor, the remaining hydra meat is exchanged with innkeeper Mark Anders for a cask of mead, which Mark will
have delivered to Kuststad. A mile further south, Grenhay is consulted about the hydra heart that Yrsa has harvested, and the chemist
crunches the numbers as to its worth and how many potions of Greater Healing that she can make from it. Satisfied with the math, the heart
is exchanged for one potion and 72 GP. The Company heads next to the estate of the old Kjaer brothers and return to Noah 30 pounds of
recovered bog iron billets, but The Company does not accept the 15 SP reward when offered. Instead they opt just for the good will.
Ursa obtains a key to the mausoleum and promises she will sanctify the defiled resting place of their ancestors. Next, the Modderbad Spa
in Klifron is visited, and Wang meets with Viggo to claim the 200 GP bounty that Sir Jesper promised to anyone who was could avenge the
murder of his employee Alfred Karl. The farm of Rejitze Browne is the next location, and The Company swings a deal to occupy one of her
out buildings as their base of operations until she'll need the storage space after the harvest.
Back in Kuststad, Commander Holt is consulted and given the aquan-language papers found in the oilskin bag, and The Company then bids their
time until they depart in their knarr to escort Soren's cargo ship to Messersachs. Holt arranges for the lizard man Kruesh, the carpenter
Maron Gause, and the Hill dwarf journeyman cook, Gezel Verzinnen, to serve as members of The Company's crew on the mission. Additionally,
Wang interviews other potential crew members and hires Jak Tar, who appears to have good knowledge of sailing and seems respectable. His
rate is a reasonable 2.5 GP per day.
The 74-mile journey begins as expected on the morning of the 24th. The weather is good and no problems are encountered at the party
travels six miles east along the Lenore Straight and pass the Vekhus Lighthouse, site of their first battle as a group. Soren's ship, the
Saithe, takes the lead and he turns north between Mellam Spidserne, where the eastern land tip of the Svarta mainland is closest to the
western edge of the Krossad island, site of many crushing battles between Svartriki and Okenveld forces. As Lake Wimranda opens up, The
Company is shown how The Knife Coast earned its name: the eastern edge of the Svarta Continent is a mass of light gray marble and granite
jutting sharply out of the Wimranda. There are very few places along this coast where ship landing is possible, and sharp rocky shoals just
below the surface of the water prove treacherous to navigate in low-light or stormy conditions.
Further north, across a western bay area, the dirty smoke plumes of smelting furnaces indicate where the silver-mining city of Lugna resides
beyond the gray cliffs and hillsides. This is where the two goblins, both named Brekk, claimed they encountered two human women who hired
them to capture the lighthouse-supply ship that The Company rode upon into this campaign. Another ten miles to the north and the small
"uneventful" island of Kedelig is spotted, said to be the home of two varieties of pujke. Some goblin fishing boats are sighted, but they
merely hug their shorelines and do not venture close to the two knarrs approaching from the south. Past this island, even the novice sailors
aboard The Silver Rose notice how the waters of "Lake" Wimranda begin to transform: grow deeper, darker, and more salty. It is at this point,
beyond the inner islands of the lake, that the previous gentle, glistening waters instead take on the mantle of "Windrandian Sea."
Twenty miles further, the southwestern edge of a sizable island, Daempa, is spotted. Further north and to east, beyond the corals and
rocky shoals of its "sound barrier reef" the cold, foggy winds of the Scållande Dimma Sea, are said to howl, but here, the air and
waters are muffled and calm. Soren's knarr slows and carefully moves closer inland, lowering its anchor. The steersman uses hand flag
signals to indicate he is stopping. It is well past 14 o'clock, and with the eclipse underway, the gas giant has begin to block the sun.
Wang commands his crew to likewise slow and prepare to lower the sails. It is at this moment that he spots something and feels compelled
to take action. He relieves Kruesh at the windlass and begins raising the anchor that the lizard man was just lowering and instead commands
Kruesh back to the sail to unfurl it and work the sheet. The others begin questioning Wang as to what he's doing while the goblin begins
to stare through the spy glass and returns back to his post at the tiller. "There's something weird there," he says, "a black slick on
the surface; we have to investigate." Able to get little else out of him, Timador jots down a hasty message and gives the note to his
owl familiar to deliver to Soren on the other ship.
Through the spyglass, Wang observes a darkness sheeting across the water as well as swarms of herring, larger coalfish like haddock,
and a couple of ugly-jawed wolf fish surfacing and heading towards The Silver Rose and/or attempting to escape the black sheeting action.
A quarter mile away Wang spots a small longship heading his way, a ship that he should have easily spotted sooner than this. He
instinctively moves the glass to the approaching ship's colors, revealing a black and white sail depicting crossed spears and a
cartoonish heart smattered in red splotches. Lowering the telescope, he makes out the ship's figurehead, and he knows that this
somehow is his old ship, The Queen Ingagerd's Revenge, and vague memories of her darkly silhouetted crew rise in his head as the world
around him grows increasingly darker.
Wang calls for full sale and and steers an intercept course, hoping to swerve at the last moment
and shear The Queen's oars. Kime, Sagon, and Stroop (using mage hand to reload the spears) fire the ballista at long range, hoping
to hole the pirates before they're upon them. Longbow arrows and crossbow bolts are also exchanged from long range as the distance
between the two ships close.
The apparent leader of the pirate ship, a shortish man dressed in an outfit of flippery, begins flinging Eldritch Spears of green
energy at them from a great distance, and Kime is knocked ten feet back away from the ballista each time she's hit by one, but, luckily,
the angle of the magic knocks her straight back and not off the ship. She returns time and again to re-fire the freshly-loaded ballista,
severely damaging the longship and causing it to take on water. The pirates ram their failing ship into the Silver Rose and hope to board
her, but, the destructive magic being cast by Yrsa and Timador manage to knock out the pirate's leader, whose eldritch spears were their
main offense. Significant (maximum) damage is taken by both ships, but Wang and the rowing skills of the hirelings turn the pirates' broadside
assault into more of a glancing blow. Without their leader, and up against superior skills, the pirates begin to fall quickly and/or
are blown or knocked into the black waters. During the combat, Yrsa and Timador notice that the effects of their fire-based spells have
been reduced, and Yrsa also feels an inner disturbance. She sneaks a glance up at the eclipse, but neither the sun nor the gas giant
nor the stars that should be visible above can be seen. The sky instead is so inky black that, in comparison, the dark sheeting waters Wang has
sailed them into seem almost to glow.
One of the pirates, who managed to board the Silver Rose and (impossibly!) wounded Wang with a rusty dagger, prepares to cut the goblin again,
but, the big oarsman pauses, as if just getting a first look at the goblin; he doesn't strike with the blade as he could, and instead, confused, questions,
"Captain?"
Session 12
The Company is in melee with the remaining crew members of The Queen Ingegerd's Revenge, which,
after the ballista spears and ramming, is sinking fast. The Silver Rose, meanwhile is taking on water,
as she lost about 100 hit points of structural damage in the collision, which would have been more if the
combined efforts of Kruesh, Maron, Gezel, and Jack Tar pivoting hard with the starboard oars.
The large pukje attacking Wang with a dagger, holds his attack, swings his head back to The Queen and
shouts, "It's the Captain, Lads. I don't understand how but... lads?" It is at this point that he sees nearly
all of his own crew have been killed or knocked unconscious. He turns back to Wang, says, "It's a fine crew
we have here, Sir. Shall I save the silk from The Queen before salt water ruins the dyes?" Wang
makes a history check and seems to recall that this vatten pukje is named Kingswell... Kingswell, something
or another. As this is happening, Kruesh and the men employed by Commander Holt secure The Queen
using a grappling hook and rope. They set their feet and haul back with all their strength. The two ships
slow as their opposing momentums counter; plus, the rowers on The Queen have since perished and all of the wind
in the area at the same time abates quickly, deflating the sails aboard The Silver Rose.
After some quick and confusing discussion between Kingswell and Wang, the fighting ends, and those who
remain attempt to recover what they can, starting first with making sure that The Silver Rose stays afloat. The
Lizardman Kruesh and Jack Tar muscle up one of the deck pallets at midship, which allows the cook and
carpenter to hop down into the hull of the ship to seal the broken gaps between the
side planking and begin effecting repairs. Timador does what he can with a
Mending cantrip to repair shorter vertical breaks. Yrsa hops down as well to
begin bailing water but soon sees Stroop struggling with the two-man rowboat,
hoping to get it into the water to help unload treasure and to provide more
floatation options. Yrsa helps the bard, and the halfling begins rowing over to
The Queen. As no one is there to help him unload cargo once he arrives, the halfling instead
loots a golden earring, dagger, and some hacksilver off a corpse floating in the
water nearby.
Kingswell relates information about his crew to Wang, and, when the pukje
mentions Davie Bare Shirt, as on que, the barbarian berserker who was knocked overboard
by the monk and then had The Queen's keel haul over him, bobs up to the surface.
Davie then vomits up water. Exhausted and nearly unconscious, he rolls over onto his
back, outstretches his arms, and does what he can to stay afloat. When asked,
Wang agrees that Kingswell should jump in to save him, which the larger Pukje
sailor does. Meanwhile, Sagon and Kime are busy on The Queen unloading a
spare canvas sail, which the monk uses as a tarp to wrap around major
structural damage, hoping to keep more water out. Once that's unloaded, he heads
to the bow of the ship and begins unfolding it. Kime is joined by Yrsa, who came aboard after healing Davie
so that he, too, could help.
The two strong women work at unloading the heavy ballast rocks from The Queen's hull
and tossing them overboard.
Wang ties up the Zombie "Bertram" a.k.a. "Stadig Greppa," who was manning the tiller
without fail, even long after the ship wasn't moving. Wang then moves on to rifle through
some of the bodies. This includes the Warlock Captain, who, when Wang turns him over,
turns out to be another Vatten Pukje who very closely, if not exactly, resembles Wang.
Wang has little time to consider this as he joins Kingswell, who's come aboard to ensure
that the bolts of silk are transferred to The Silver Rose. Timador also joins in on the silk
route once it becomes apparent that The Silver Rose is safe and Timador can no longer
effectively aid in the repairs. He also helps the monk with the water-proofing canvasing.
Kingswell recovers a chest full of colorful theatrical costumes and a composite map
of Daema Isle. This maps shows notable locations on the island that he and his previous
crew visited and/or raided. Some sites he describes as "before" and some as "after." He
is convinced that this is a different version of the same island, but it, or he, or whatever,
has shifted. Much of what he rambles on about seems supported by evidence that they are indeed
all in a different place: the sky is inky black with no signs of stars, there is no visible eclipse
corona, or even much in the way of colors in this area. He is convinced that he or the isle is
now trapped inside a bottle, in a vast cave, or something like that. He and his Captain Wang and crew have
been searching for a considerable time for a way back home. Kingswell relates it all began
when Wang returned (alone) from a mission to a temple on the island. He returned with a
ceramic jar, which he waited to open until his ship was safely away from the island. When
he opened it, a sea of blackness poured out of it and swallowed them all. Once they recovered,
they had little choice but to return to Daempa Isle. All southern paths across Wimranda were
blocked by endlessly high stone walls, and the northern paths were blocked by powerful
gales, which their ship could not overcome. It is also learned through Davie the Barbarian, said
to have been born with a clock in his head, that time "here" doesn't work right, and an "eclipse
event" happens every four days instead of daily. When it happens, a brief window opens and
they can see a chunk of sky with stars within it. They never know exactly where this window will
open, and they've been trying every fourth day to escape through it. But, as if their prison is
toying with
them deliberately, the winds give up as they get close to the would-be exit, and they're unable to row
fast enough to escape before the stars, and the opening out of this cave, once again, wink out of view.
As The Red-Gold Company's Wang does not possess the "Witches' Sight" that the Warlock
Wang apparently did, navigation to the isle through the rocky shoals is more dangerous.
Kingswell can help as he's at least familiar with the route, navigation, and he has the
composite map, which indicates the approximate paths. Even thus armed, it's a dangerous
trek and nothing is guaranteed. Yrsa enchants another stone with light and she and others
board the rowboats and slowly drag along the knarr through the isle's sound barrier reefs.
The Silver Rose, in turn, slowly tugs along The Queen Ingergerd's Revenge behind her.
Those who can use poles to prod for rocks and help push the convoy ahead. Others row. Before any
of this can happen, though, Kingswell and Davie ask for ship's articles that they can sign
to ensure that they will be treated as members of the crew and entitled to fair share of any
treasures. It is agreed that each of these men should earn two and a half shares for himself. Kingswell
then explains the markings on the map:
• A: Captain's Camp: wooden shack and semi-permanent tent city, used by the crew of The Queen after
becoming trapped on this isle. It was established with help from the Trolls, whom the Warlock Wang in returned
made a blood-oath agreement with promising to come to the aid of the Troll Leader, Tremm, as needed. This area
is similar to what was here "before," even the wooden shack.
• B: Broken Steps and Arches Ruins: as yet unexplored "here" by going across land because of the treaty with the trolls
and because of the gale winds from the northeast by sea. "Before," this was an area containing stone stairs and other
stone construction, but it was in ruins, and the stairs went nowhere except up to sharp stone spires and cliff faces.
• C: West Fishing Village: a small fishing village inhabited by humans and pukjes, raided "before"
and "after," the second time yielded little of worth, except that we were able to obtain "replacements"
for crew members we lost while exploring the rest of the island. Kingswell, though, describes these replacements as
sluggish and unenthusiastic. It was all he could do sometimes just to get them to row--or eat.
• D: Troll Camp: a camp surrounded by a wooden palisade; "They call themselves 'Trolls,'" Kingswell
explains, but they're more like ogres, and they have gills like we pukje." The Trolls have eyes that can easily
pick up light sources, but they are not very good at distinguishing exacting details. Like many of the inhabitants
of Daempa Isle "here," they appear uneasy around bright colors. Not too surprising, as this version of the isle is very
monochromatic, but much of the vegetation here now gives off a low light.
• E: Sidhedome: "Before," this mostly elven city was a trading post and/or capital of the island,
but "after" it was just a large break in the woodlands, a hollow valley. Further north, the path was blocked by
skeletal centaurs.
• F: Temple Ruins: an area where the Warlock Wang explored with two other men, and Wang returned
alone, carrying a small ceramic jar, which, upon opening, released a sea of blackness that seemed to swallow The
Queen Ingegerd's Revenge and all of her crew. Afterwards, the crew found themselves trapped on the isle.
• G: Ravenchurch: "before," a mostly nondescript village of wooden homes, with a nice-looking church on a nearby
hillock. "Afterwards," the same place was populated by nearly transparent villagers, who did not seem to sense the
crew members, but portions of their conversions could be heard by the crew. More solid, hairy creatures attacked
them as they ascended the trail to the church. Said creatures turned back, though, as they seemed hesitant to
approach Nowell the Liar, who routinely dressed in bright purple and green tights and an orange jacket. Nowell
was later lost when a lanky creature with hooves offered him sticky cardamom buns if Nowell promised not to hurt him.
Nowell approached, greedily accepting, and, the lanky creature unhinged his jaw and ate off Nowell's head.
• H: Abandoned Outpost: an apparent small fort that was empty "before" and not yet examined "here."
• I: Karg Strand: "before," this was a nice white sanded beach of "parrotfish poop," but Davie
nearly lost a toe jumping ashore from the ship because "here" the same beach is more like glass shards and slivers.
• J: Short Tower Shrine: not explored "here," due to Nowell being eaten along the way, but, previously this was
a small fishing area populated by monks. "Their preserved herring smelled like skunk ass and rotten potatoes,
but they had a pretty good fermented fish drink."
Session 13
After considerable effort and struggle, The Company is able to land The Silver Rose on a stretch of
beach south of Captain Wang's tent-city camp. Maron, Gezel, Kruesh, and Jak Tar begin repairs.
There is a small cave on the beach where the pirates were able to burn fires without the light from
the flames giving away their location. The Queen Ingegerd's Revenge is also lashed nearby to a
decrepit dock. Kingswell opens Newell the Liar's trunk of theatrical costumes and ties on some
colorful frippery; he reminds The Company again that pirates wearing bright colors has, in the past,
given some of the natives pause in their encounters.
The Company then makes their way up the cliff trail to The Captain's Camp, a natural cul-del-sac
location between jutting rocks where the pirates had semi-permanent tents, lean-tos, and a small
shack. Sitting outside the shack, they encounter Skonnk, a troll scout, who relates to Wang that
the troll chieftain, Tremm, is expecting Wang to come work off "his" debt. Skonnk, noting that The
Company is worn and tired from their latest venture, says "I'll tell the Chief to expect you in about
eight hours. Skonnk then leaves, and the camp is further explored. Inside the shack, they find
that the walls in the large central room are filled with blood and mud stained images, which include
images of the sun, stars, planets, attached to a great water mill; other images involve sparks,
blacksmith tools, and shaggy vegetation. The word/name "Lodurr" appears a few times.
Watches are set up, with the elves helming most of the duty, while Wang, Yrsa, and Stroop need
to actually sleep. All three of them have unusual dreams: some creature is sitting on Wang's
chest and examining him by tallow candle light, then speaks "What treachery is this,
Wang?"; Yrsa, meanwhile, finds herself bound to a stone slab, sees eclipse imagery, and is told
by a man holding a dagger that "She cannot save you this time"; and Stroop sees some woman
eating a juicy fruit or nut from a tree, and then sees a man beneath the earth who appears to be wearing the roots of
the tree as a garment, a man who tells him "You should be more famous than you are." Upon
waking, Wang notices a candle holder and melted candle near where his head had been.
The dreams are then shared.
The Company then travels four miles to the Troll camp. Outside of the palisade, they meet
with Chieftain Tremm, his wife, his magic user(?), and hill giant guard. Many more trolls can be
seen in guard towers and behind the wooden walls. An entrance underground is also noted.
The Chief and Wang sit together and discuss fulfilling "Wang's obligation" to him. Tremm explains
that the troll/ogres are looking to expand further north into the more vegetation-rich areas. His
spies, already dispatched in this northern region, have been unable to corner and capture any of the
natives of the area for questioning. The enemy are proving to be too fast for the trolls.
Knowing that the Wang he knew had a long-ranged Eldritch Spear spell, Tremm asks Wang
to capture one of these fast scouts for him and bring them back for Tremm's adviser to question. Not only
will this pay off Wang's debt to the chieftain, there will also be a 100 platinum piece bonus if the
mission is successful. Tremm relates the location of where his scouts are currently camped, and expects
Wang to meet up with them to get the latest intel. The scouts will be expecting Wang, and, for
security purposes, a pass phrase is to be used when they meet: ""Nice Ass, Gorum."
The Company journeys north for the rendezvous, but, when they join up with the troll scouts, they
discover that the trolls have been compromised: strange parasitic spider creatures have attached
themselves onto the backs of the trolls and are controlling them. A melee breaks out, and giant
spiders, spiders attached to humanoid heads, most of the troll host bodies, and a couple of mutated
troll spiders hybrids are defeated. The Company manages to free one troll (and also Vogelfest, who
briefly was spider controlled). Oddly, early in the fight, the scout leader, Gorum, mutated into
some spidery creature disappeared
from sight, and he did not rejoin the battle. Possibly (or possibly not) his disappearance somehow
ties with a cold feeling that Timador received during the combat when the wizard passed behind
Stroop. After the combat, the owl familiar notes a small impression in the cliff side below the camp, which turns out
to be a spider nest. Yrsa and Sagon burn them out and recover some treasure from the nest:
a few coins, ear rings, and what turns out to be a Ring of Jumping still attached to a finger bone.
With this battle, the members of The Company achieve 5th level. They gain some of the benefits
of their classes immediately, but others will require a long rest and several days of self-training.
They heal their recent wounds then head northwest into the wooded area where the fast natives had been
seen by the troll scouts beforehand. A tall, elvish woman, is tracked down and cornered in the
woods near some small waterfalls and a gigantic fallen skeleton. She is quite fast and hard to capture, but a timely Hold Person
spell from Yrsa freezes her in place, and many combined attacks finally bring her down. Then
her wounds are bound--along with her limbs. During this chase and capture encounter, an unusual creature appears from
near the waterfall, and his magical fiddle music needed to be resisted to avoid feeling rooted to the ground.
Normal weapons had no apparent affect on him, but Stroop hit him with some psychic damage, which
seemed to irritate it. The Wizard's Scorching Rays also seemed to hit true. The creature
came out of the stream, grappled with Stroop, then both of them vanished in a cloud of mist.
Shortly there after, Stroop reappeared at the base of a waterfall--the fiddle creature nowhere to be found.
Session ended on Day 24, approximately 36:00. Next Long Rest: 52:00. Next Expected Eclipse: Day 28, 14:00.
Session 14
The session began after The Company had just defeated and tied up the tall female monk who had been hiding inside
the giant (Titan?) skull. Examining her, they see that her eyes are a pale gray, but there are also unusual
reflections evident and colorful sparkles swirling around her pupils. Due to the utter fear she exhibits when
she is revived, they believe that she is enchanted. As Dispel Magic and Remove Curse are 3rd level spells beyond her
current (as yet untrained 5th-level) ability, Yrsa prays and petitions her goddess Freehet for assistance.
Freehet answers by allowing Yrsa the ability to cast Calm Emotions.
Even so, it's difficult to understand the woman when she finally does speak. Orally, she seems to be expressing
herself in what Timador recognizes an older, formal High Elvish, but he still cannot fully understand her as the
modern elvish on The World he knows has merged with Wood Elvish and has also employs many Common-use words. Timador
hands her paper and ink and she scratches out rough images and key words in Hemleeg runes, which she
points to as she continues trying to communicate.
Yrsa can only keep her calm for a few minutes. The monk, Aya Odaka, speaks of a wife, sister and brother, and
a temple that has moved between the Fey and Shadow realms triggered, apparently, by a temple thief having released
something called the Lysande Yrsel (the Flickering Madness) from the Okrossbar Krus, a magical ceramic jar.
Within the giant skull, Sagon finds Aya's backpack, which contains a magical jar. It detects of
summoning magic. Later, when it is properly Identified, it is determined to be a nigh-unbreakable lure, which can
mimic the appearance of magical Ley Lines.
Choosing to go on to the temple area in this realm instead of taking their prisoner to the Troll Chief, The
Company builds a litter so that they can drag Aya with them. They travel north and examine the forest clearing
where Kingswell explains that a trading village existed on his world. They find no evidence of it here. Further
north, keeping an eye in the sky out for the skeleton centaurs that Kingswell encountered earlier, Sagon briefly sees some
type of skeletal bird, which flew backwards north again the way it had apparently come. Further north and to the
east, a strange music could be heard (something light and festive: horns, strings, melodious lyrics).
Near the stone ruins of an coastal old fort, The Company encounters--as a banner written in Stoatleeg proclaims--"Bob
Faustian's Clickity Padywhacks... and Devastation Circus." A skeleton band camped in the fort is definitely
the source of the music; apart from the instruments playing, they hear a voice barking out "Friends, this way!
Costs only your silver, your eternal silver!" As the first of the party members venture forward, a couple of
glowing skulls (trip flares?) pop up, and cause minor necrotric damage and light the area with sparks and showy
lights. As the monk advanced towards the skeleton band who were marching forward, Sagon triggers but avoids falling into
a spiked bone pit trap. The skeleton band's music has some magical abilities to charm and hold their enemies,
but most everyone makes their saving throws. Kingswell, however, is hit by a powerful force beam from a now
glowing (Bob Faustian?), which seemed to disintegrate him. Before Bob can strike again, Sagon hits him
repeatedly, doing no apparent damage to the man but manages to knock the "glow magic" out of him. During the
fight, the monk notices that Bob's eyes are sparkly, much as Aya's.
"Bob,"" a laughing goblin riding a bony wolf, and the skeleton band members are all beaten down, but several
skeleton centaurs then appear to extend the fight. Yrsa manages to turn a few of them, and Timador, Wang, Kime,
and Stroop mop up the rest.
Speaking of rest, The Company, hurt and drained of most of their spells, decides to hunker down in the stone
fort until they can do a long rest. During that time, captured items are detected and ritually identified. Bob had
two +1 daggers, one of which will hover in the air and work in tandem as the other is wielded. His red cloak, also magical,
contained an 18x12x12 inch pouch of holding, which contained some minor treasure and a pair of Tap Shoes of Entertainment. Bob was
also wearing a magical crown, which reeked of conjuration magic and bore a very strong resemblance to the one that had possessed the wizard
Dimetri Osin when he put it on. Timador chose not handle it to cast Identify.
After the long rest, the trail south and up and east was followed, and The Company ventured inside the temple
ruins, and they began battling with some Displacer Beasts. During the melee, as the monsters are forced deeper inside, a voice speaking in goblin
screams out in the darkness .
Session ended on Day 25, 3:00. Next long rest can be taken at 20:00.
Session 15
The battle continues against the Displacer Beasts. Kime heals Vogelfest while Sagon, Davie, and Yrsa delved deeper into the
dark hallway after one of the creatures. As they engage the creatures, the rest of The Company lend support with their bows, healing words,
and offensive magic. Too close then for a clear shot, Kime drops her bow and switches over to her long sword. The Leopard Beast with the
snake-headed tentacles proves difficult to hit. Davie attacks recklessly while Sagon calls upon his Ki, and they manage to drop the
creature, but not before Davie is torn down by snake venom and additional beast tentacles. Timador casts Shatter on the remaining
big cats as Kime steps over Davie to help shield him and press her own attacks. Alerted by the noise of battle, a goblin sticks his head
out from a southern door and begins shouting his is there. As Wang squeezes by the others for a bow shot, the goblin to the south
opens the door further and shouts, "Hey, Buddy, help a man out?"
This goblin identifies himself as "Mipsey." He is wearing colorful clothing, carries a dagger and has three white wooden short clubs
with red stripes painted around the handles. The Company finishes off the Displacer Beasts then listen to Mipsey explain that he
is a circus acrobat, and he came to this temple with his friends, Miss Marci, Brendle, Laff Laugh, and Bob. Mipsey was left outside
to stand as guard while the others searched inside. But, during his watch, Mipsey was attacked by Displacer Beasts and he ran inside
the cliff temple to escape them to warn the others. Cornered, he sought cover in one of the interior rooms and held the door shut.
He's been trapped her ever since, the beasts continuing to be close at hand stalking in the hallways.
The Company recall that Displacer Beast pelts and tentacles are sought after by wizard types, so Yrsa and others begin harvesting what
they can. Stroop says a lot of funny things but no one hears him, and when they can, he's forgotten what his spur of the moment gems were.
Wang and Sagon continue to explore the open areas nearby and find a couple of goblin bodies who have been stripped of flesh
and many of their bones have been chewed apart. Mipsey is sad as he recognizes bits of Miss Marci's torn clothing. Meanwhile, Timador has
gone outside to check on Kingswell and the tall monk, and they bring her inside to a secret room that Sagon discovered, Wang investigated,
and the Bard and the wizard worked together with their Mage Hands to open. Inside this room behind a pile of collapsed ceiling rafters
and stone, Sagon discovers another tall elf woman, who Yrsa examines and finds to be exhausted nearly to the point of death. She also has the starry
eye enchantment look. They try healing her, feeding her a Good Berry, and giving her water, but she is still too tired to communicate.
She seems relieved, though, to see the tall monk Aya when she is carried inside. And she perks up at the mention of Kenta. But Aya
continues to be afraid of everything. (Also, while bringing Aya inside, Timador sensed a cold presence near him, so he scattered some
flour all around the temple entrance hoping to capture at least evidence of an invisible foe following them.)
The elf woman has a bow and arow, quiver of arrows, and a pouch of small gemstones, which Timador Identifies as some type of spell foci
for each of the eight schools of magic and able to fill in for some spell material components. Tying up the elf and Mipsey and stowing them in the secret room,
The Company moves off to explore further, leaving Kingswell and the poisoned Davie behind to guard them. Yrsa first warns them to not
abuse the prisoners. "I'll know," the cleric adds as a threat. The Company then
explores another couple of bed chambers, a toliet, and a larger room. Inside this room, portions of its walls jut out weirdly and
are of polished white stone instead of the dull and rough gray granite walls encountered earlier. A small flight of stairs lead in and up into the
white walled area. At the foot of these stairs they find another Displacer Beast, which has been thoroughly hacked apart
by sword. Yrsa determines it to be about 60 hours dead. Sagon ventures up and encounters a tall humanoid wearing armor and advancing;
it moves somewhat mechanically as if being controlled or because it's been zombified, and it draws it sword when the monk tries to hail him.
Sagon attacks, dealing multiple strikes, but, the one time that the monk misses a flurried blow, the helmed warrior performs a decidedly non-zombie-like
reposte
maneuver, which catches Sagon by surprise. This is followed up by two more sword attacks. The warrior also quaffs a potion
that heals him. Stroop dashes up to provide the monk encouragement and the others join the melee while another, very similarly-armored warrior
appears from the northwest from out of a second hallway. The armored warriors are both excellent fighters, but The Company has superior numbers,
ranged attacks, magical healing spells, and Chromatic Orbs to thunder damage down upon them. Timador and Wang attempt to finish off one of the
warriors after he drops to ensure that he doesn't get up again. Yrsa likewise blasts the other with a Sacred Flame. One of the warriors
is kept alive and the monk ties him up. Stripped of their belongings, the two warriors are found to be tall, apparently identical
elven men. One is wearing magical breast plate armor, the other, only ordinary breast plate, but both carry swords, daggers, shields, and standard adventuring packs.
The Company stashes the corpse after looting both warriors and then withdraws back to the secret room with the other. They determine him to be Kenta, but he too is under
the effects of some enchantment and has starry eyes. He seems to be struggling to escape his bonds but also struggling internally as
well. He is unable to communicate anything other than his name and his desire to be free. The exhausted female elf seems relieved to
see him. Stroop plays a song of rest, and many in the group expend hit die and chew Good Berries to heal up. It is still too soon for
them to receive benefits from a Long Rest, so they make due with a Short Rest. Timador suggests they open the ceramic jar in
the secret room via remote Mage Hands to see if it might lure the starry magical enchantment out of the elves. It does not, so Stroop puts it
back into the pouch of the Cape of Holding. They then press on back into the wall-walled area.
The spiral staircase they saw earlier only goes up a short ways before it abruptly ends and merges unevenly against the gray stonework of the
rest of the complex. Back down and along the side hallways to the north of the inner temple, they find locked, wood and glass display
cabinets. The contents appear haphazard, almost as if arranged randomly. There are items inside the cases such as wooden armor, a (s)elf
portrait painting, normal looking rocks, and even a many tiered sand garden with little trees, grooved paths, and a small rake. Beyond
these, The Company finds an altar in the northeast corner and an ornate book apparently on yoga and meditation techniques. In the central
chamber, they encounter a large (living?) cloud of sparkly mist that flies across the room against and through them. At its touch, Sagon, Stroop,
Timador, Kime, and Vogelfest all have to make Wisdom saving throws, which, even when they do save, still manage to effect them and give
them vivid hallucinations, fatigue levels, or cause them to babble nonsense. These lesser effects some of them are able to shake off on their next turns,
but the other, more powerful effects they cannot, and they begin to take their toll, reducing the active party numbers. Stroop and (a "hill giant-strong")
Timador are mentally paralyzed and retreat into their brains barely able
to do anything beyond breathing. But, before those results, they had tried attacking the cloud, but were unable to deal it any damage. Yrsa did manage to
shrink it somewhat when she hit it with radiant magic. And they also tried opening the ceramic jar to lure it inside, which appeared
like it began to work, by the cloud creature fought it off the first time, but it was sucked completely inside on their second attempt. (Oh, and
Wang looted a few more cabinets after he saw that his arrow had no affect on the creature. No doubt he searched for something that
might aid him in defeating it.) The Company carried its now, enchanted companions back to the secret room until they can Long Rest,
hoping that the starry-eye enchantments wear off and/or that Freehet will grant her cleric 3rd-level spells like Dispel Magic or Remove Curse.
Session ended on Day 25, about 20:00 as The Company begins a Long Rest.
Session 16
The session begins with Stroop and Timador, alive and breathing after the fight with Lysande Yrsel, but they aren't responsive.
Their eyes reflect the starry enchantment in them that The Company previously observed in the tall elves (all of whom are tied up now and
prisoners). The guy controlling the skeleton band had those glistening eyes, too--when he was alive!
Yrsa examines Stroop and Timador. Her medical and religious training has led her to believe that those who are paralyzed--as if
touched by a ghoul--cannot move their limbs (nor can their limbs be moved by others). The bodies of Stroop and Timador, though, are
still quite pliable. It was relatively easy for the others to transport them back to the secret room, where The Company hole up until
they can gain the benefits of a Long Rest. Yrsa specifically prays, beseeching Freehet for the understanding of Dispel Magic.
And afterwards, the cleric believes she now understands that spell, but all of her 3rd-level spell slots are exhausted.
Outside of the secret room, and apart from the prisoners, Wang discusses and shares with the others what he found and removed
from the display cabinets. Soon after this, Corniho returns and it is learned that the paralyzed wizard still shares a telepathic
bond with his owl familiar. Through her, The Company is able to understand that Timador means to use his paralysis time
productively, and the owl helps to move his research notes in front of him so that he can study and ponder the workings of the
arcane spels he soon hopes to master. About this same time, Stroop's eyelids begin to flicker madly, and the tips of his fingers stretch
and curl as if he were playing some sort of an "air guitar"/stringed instrument. Then he sinks back into his paralysis.
Also, more of Mipsey's backstory is learned during the downtime. He, and the other members of "The Devastation Circus" (a
rebranding of the performers' previous group name, The Fardandle Players, suggested by Bob Faustian, who promised Miss Marci
Fardandle an audience for her troupe with someone called The Duke of Twilight. But first, Bob brought Mipsey and
the others here by "ripping a black hole in the air," which they all stepped through. Their side mission was to help Bob retrieve
something called the Spräng Säker Burk (the explosion-proof can).
About three hours into the resting period, the tall elf Kazuko recovers back a level of exhaustion, and she is able to communicate
somewhat with the Forest Elves of The Company. Kazuko explains that she is geomancer, an elemental sorceress. She powers her
spells using her own bodily fortitude focused through crystals, and she asks that her pouch of gemstones be returned so that she
can help the others in both parties to recover. The stones are retrieved from Timador's pack, including the Evocation Stone from off his person,
with which the wizard had been previously experimenting. Kazuko is able to disenchant the Mental Paralysis from Timador, but
the physical strain of casting the spell once again exhausts Kazuko. Soon, after the Long Rest is completed, Yrsa and the others recover
and are able to restore everyone back to normal--eventually.
Yrsa casts a 3rd-level Restoration on Kazuko, and the geomancy recovers her lost stamina faster, and she is able to relate more about how she and
her family came to be in the Shdow Realm. Her brother Kenta had encountered the temple thief attempting to steal the unbreakable jar.
Kazuko and her wife, Aya, soon arrived on the scene. The thief then opened the jar, releasing The Flickering Madness from within.
Kazuko immediately used her sorcery to power a "Fail Safe" device built into the temple by their acanists, which allowed it to phase out of Fae through the other
parallel worlds. She explained that the Shadow Realms naturally suppress and help to dampen fiery emotions, and she felt that
here they would have a better chance to recapture the powerful Lysande Yrsel, but they were not successful. Once she is able to recover
further, she says that she will be able to reverse the Fail Safe and the temple wil return them and the re-jarred cloud back to the
Fae World. As her route will also pass the temple through TheWorld, she offers to dropped The Company back on their "In Between World,"
but they elect to stay, hoping to return the way
they arrived--and with both of their ships. Mipsey, however, elects to return with the Eladrin tall elves.
Once the Eladrin Temple departs, the adventurers explore the area upon where it had phased into the local realm's temple area. Under a
stone altar, they locate a secret staircase into a basement room containing another shrine area, another (very familiar-
looking) ceramic jar, a brass bowl full of burning coal (but no visible smoke), and a short bridge over a small stream of
thick brown mud. The bowl and the jar detect of Summoning magic, and the altar top has some sort of Ley Line Magic
connected to it, which Timador doesn't have a good handle on understanding. After some discussion, The Company, especially
Wang, decides it's best to just leave the place be. The Rogue then does his best to disguise the secret entrance mechanism
so that no one else tampers and fucks about with the magics below. Speaking of fucking about, someone (or something) used a
stick to scratch crude footprints around the temple entrance area, where Timador had generously sprinkled flour.
The Company return to the troll camp. The chieftain is not there, but they speak with his master spy, Skunnk, who agrees that even though they
did not complete their assignment as specified, they have accomplished what was desired/expected of them. The northern area now seems ripe
for troll expansion. Then, after returning to check in on the ship repairs, The Company learns that only The Silver Rose
is repaired enough to attempt to leave during the next eclipse. They want to retain both ships, so they decide to ignore trying to escape
during thr eclipse expected on the 28th for an egress attempt instead on the 32nd. The Company uses the in between time to continue their
training to 5th level and to further explore the rest of the island. This includes five additional areas: The Glass Shard Beach
(where nothing much is learned), The Steps to Nowhere (where nothing of value is discovered), the sacked fishing village
(where a couple of "tweens," Buré and Pern are eventually recruited by them to help row), Ravenchurch (where they discuss with
some (vampire spawn?) about the newly constructed manor building and the whereabouts and plans of their master, Prince
Anton Friedrickson), and The Squat Tower (where a gruff dwarf and his pet wolf are encountered and some pearls and
information are purchased in exchange for gold and diamonds).
On the morning of the 32nd, with everyone and their cargo on board The Queen (and dragging a nigh-empty Silver
Rose behind), The Company uses their collective skills and resources to early detect where the black sheeting opens
a portal into TheWorld, and then they all madly row towards it as Stroop plays the Hawaii Five-0 theme for bardic
inspiration. They successfully escape from the Shadow Realm with both ships, and once there, unable to find Captain Soren's ship,
they start sailing west 32 miles to Messer Sachs. Communicating with one of the harbor patrol ships, The Company learn that
Steersman Soren departed for Kuststad seven days ago. Soren had requested patrol ships go out to search for the Silver Rose, but
they found no evidence, and Soren waited as long as he could before sailing home to complete his mission.
Session ended on Day 32, about 28:00 as The Company pulls in to the docks at Messer Sachs. Their immediate plan is to resupply
their ships, check out the city, and finish off the last two days of their 5th-level training. Also, Stroop discovers a magical Crwth
Harp in the secret pouch of the red cape that he is wearing. It is apparently enchanted with some type of legendary "leifar"
magic, which reveals itself as the person attuned to it levels up. Currently, all the harp does is grant proficiency in playing
it to whatever Bard connects with it.
Session 17
The session begins with The Company sailing The Queen Ingegerd's Revenge into the port Messersach with The Silver Rose in tow.
Initially directed to one of the cargo docks in the Hatchway section of the city, they speak with Harbormaster Eli, who then
arranges a meeting between Yrsa and Lars Erikson, the Commander of the city, while the rest of the crew begins evaluating their
treasure so that it can be divided and distributed fairly and Stroop grabs a quick meal at The Dunnage Inn. In her meeting, Yrsa
shows Lars The Company's Letter of Marque and explains how the crew of The Silver Rose was just seeking to protect Captain Soren's
cargo ship and, in that capacity when engaging pirates, was transported to the Shadow Realm. And, the note that had been delivered
to Captain Soren by messenger owl about "Captain Wang behaving uncharacteristically weird" was explained away as a civilian not
understanding proper military procedures and wrongly questioning the command structure. Yrsa also provides the Commander with a
detailed mission report and 50 GP to help cover for the time and expenses his command lost while mounting a rescue search for The
Silver Rose. Lars, in turn, provides Yrsa with six four-day city passes for The Red Gold Company and a location on the Safe Harbor quay for
the rest of her crew to make repairs on the captured pirate ship. Lars will try to get word to Commander Holt if an opportunity to do so arrises.
During the treasure split, it becomes apparent that Kingswell and Davey are not too keen to continue their partnership with The
Company. As known criminals, they feel that working directly for the government will end badly for them. Also, they feel, as
they worked in good faith to help salvage The Queen and save her silk cargo and safely navigate her to shore, that their 2.5%
share of the treasure should include those items. This point is wrangled and discussed, as is the fact that the two aren't ever
likely to receive their 5% share of the Legendary Crwth Harp, since it is not certain when or even if it could ever be sold for
anywhere near it's 100,000 construction cost. The two pirates are offered paper vouchers, which can be redeemed later if the harp
is sold, and Stroop offers to buy these from them for 100 GP in cash now. Kingswell tries to start a bidding war for their share
among other members of The Company, but, ultimately, they end up trading their share of the harp over for complete ownership of the
zombie Betram Stadig Greppa. Their previous contract thus dissolved, Kinswell and Davy offer to work for 2.5 GP/day wages helping
to guard and repair The Queen while The Company remains in the city.
During the next two days, The Company rests in Messersach and completes their training, except for Sagon, who instead runs the 20
miles or so to complete his training at his home temple located in the Honey Flower Mountain area. Stroop spends most of his time
eating BBQ spareribs and fresh baked goods in the Fiddler's Green market Center in the company of Roan, a redheaded Stout Halfling,
who has set up a nice business for herself smoking and drying flavorful meats for long voyages. She is happy to test out her new
spice blends on a fellow Halfling who appreciates good food, and Stroop, in turn, appreciates her good food. Timador spends time
with the Vhereum priestess/wizard Heleen The Bright at the Guiding Principle temple and they swap a couple of 1st level spells.
Wang catches up on some much needed sleep. Yrsa and Kime hear a rumor about a man selling half a treasure map, so they track him
down. He explains that his half of the map contains codes needed to complete the other half of the map, which is tattooed onto the
back of an old pirate named "Floppy Joe." The treasure is somewhere on Glemda Saylar, an island that Kime remembers seeing on
Commander Holts maps as being just east of Kuststad.
The two also encounter priestesses: Lee Jari (follower of Nodebra) and Loomsk (follower of Eyeqweetus), who are trying to poach
low-level clerics of other deities from the Life/Nature/Forge/Tempest domains, promising to be able to fast-track their way to
higher-level spellcasting. Yrsa questions this plan, which the two clerics explain as "many 3rd sons, etc. without prospects or
inheritance, are often shipped off to serve in as clergy to deities without whom they share much actual conviction--beyond some
interest in a specific divine domain. Yrsa learns further that the two are based in Fort Mouth.
Also, although no one in the
party witnesses it firsthand, an incident on the cargo docks arrises when a gray ogre with gills on his neck and leading along
down his back is found dead. The body is hauled away to The Brig, Commander's Lar Erikson's command post and training grounds
for further examination.
Once training is completed, The Company meets at the Swinging Lamp Tavern to discuss their next actions over pork stew, roasted
vegetables, watery ale and mead. One of the patrons introduces himself to Wang as Jordi, a former crew member who served aboard
The Queen when Wang was a noncommissioned officer serving under Captain Villum and Steersman Aksel. Wang recalls the man's face
but the name is familiar to him only as he recalls the story of the two charwomen who worked for the smugglers before The Company
captured The Silver Rose (née The Zwendelaar) and killed the Smugglers and their Captain Polat. Jordi and his dark companion,
a lean muscular man named Zandorr, offer to sign on as crew at the 2.5 GP rate as they are hoping to return to the southern islands
for new opportunities. Wang tentatively agrees, if the two are still around in a couple of days when they head out again back to
Kuststad.
News arrives at the tavern at about that same time regarding a clutch of Kobold eggs that has been discovered/disturbed/unearthed
by some farmers (or miners) to the northwest, and Kobolds have been reported as attacking the locals in the swampy regions beyond. A group of
obnoxious veteran adventurers in the tavern scoff at the idea of bothering with the "little dog-faced lizards,"" who must have just
woken and don't yet realize they are at the bottom of the predator list; furthermore, farmers can't pay any rewards so "why
bother?" They go back to their meal. This attitude against the lower class irritates Wang, and while he starts grumbling aloud
about it, a young group of adventures led by "Batman" Bork and Trandel the Cleric stand up and announce that they will undertake
the challenge. Their Halfling companion Derek seems less enthused about it and the well-dressed elf with them weighs aloud the
fact that Kobolds have "pact tactics" and "some of them can fly." Still, they all agree and immediately set out. The Company
also decides to head out, meets up again with the youngsters along the way and soon passes them, thanks to Timador being able to
provide Stroop the services of a Phantom Steed.
About ten miles further norhwest, Timador's owl returns back to report upon a building being on fire ahead, and The Company races even faster
forward to discover four dead human and a sole surviving pig farmer, Krem, lamenting that his womenfolk have been slaughtered and
his young daughter, Darla, dragged away by kobolds. Still distraught, he tries to point out where he thinks the Kobolds are heading
based upon tracks that Kime discovers: "There's the foundation of an old temple beyond the swamp near the river, where kids
sometimes now play." He tries to explain directions but decides to join The Company on the journey when they tell him that he can ride along
with Stroop on the steed. When they reach the old ruins, they find that much of it has recently collapsed about 35 feet down into
the earth, and they fight a few kobolds who are camping nearby (a mixture of small weak ones and a few who are quite a bit tougher).
The collapsed foundation has also, apparently, opened up an entrance into an underground cavern area along the river, where
more kobolds are encountered and also four Black Dragon Wyrmlings.
Fireballs, arrows, Dissonant whispers, monk strikes, and the claws of "Vogelfest, Dragon Slayer," whittle away at the
opponents, who, in turn, manage to inflect backsome damage, including destroying the owl familar, but the deadly acid breath of the
wyrmlings otherwise proves rather inadequate because of it limited 15' range. Darla and three other farm children are saved and
one of the smaller kobolds is captured for later questioning. The broken remains of black dragon eggs are discovered deeper inside the cavern, along with
one large intact egg (which seems to have something inside of it moving), and a small mound of mostly-copper, silver, and gold
coins is found in the mud-embedded nest with the eggs. It's decided that the party should rest, harvest some potentially-valuable dragon parts, and
then decide what they should do with the egg ("Eggbert") but a few of the party express that a dragon lair may not be the best place to
doing any of this.
Session ended on Day 34, about 23:00.
Session 18
After defeating the Kobolds and the Black Dragon Wyrmlings, The Company ponders what to do next. They need a Long Rest but
are uncertain if resting in the cavern beneath the ruined shrine of The Rune Lords is a smart place to do it. They also have to decide
on what to do with Eggbert (the black dragon egg that appears to be close to hatching) and what can be done to recover the treasure horde of (mostly)
copper coins that were pressed into the once mucky soil of the cavern, now hardened. After questioning their young kobold captive, Hrrth, they
conclude the four dragons were the only dragons (and that no mama dragon will be showing any time soon). Hrrth was one of several
young hatchings himself, who were rounded up by a more seasoned group of kobolds, led by Soomah and Dundrhun. Those veteran kobolds likewise
were raising the wrymlings after having discovering their eggs when the river-side shrine wore away and collapsed a few days earlier.
The subsequent attack on pig farmsteads in the area was prompted by a need to feed the wyrmlings and also to capture young human children,
who could be ritually sacrificed in some manner to raise a Dracolich named Aulicus. The torturer kobold, Dundrhun, had two faintly-necrotic
ruby shards on him, which were once pieces to Aulicus's lich phylactery.
After and during the long rest, Yrsa harvests a few choice parts of the wyrmlings and others do what they can to find and free up coins,
well over 300 pounds of metal. They focus their efforts on the trace amounts of gold and silver, while pig farmer Krim, his daughter Darla,
and the three other rescued children gather up as many copper pieces as they can carry (happy for the distraction of having to dwell on
the loss of their families).
Deciding that trying to sell or raise a inherently evil black dragon will be folly and dangerous, The Company builds
a large fire to burn Eggbert within his shell while also hitting him with swords maces, etc. It's a sickening task as the wyrming struggles
during his execution. And then, while escorting the survivors back to Krim's farm, The Company encounters the obnoxious party of adventurers they
met hours earlier in the Lamp Swing Inn. Despite that group's lack of interest in helping farmers against kobolds, they apparently decided to
come out to check on things anyway. (They were attracted to the area when they noticed smoke
from Eggbert's bonfire pyre.). The Company notes this group closely sizing them up, and they see them exchange a few hand gestures.
Krim also notes that many in that rival group have large chunks of recently slaughtered pig shanks strapped to their backpacks. "Some loose
pigs we took care of," they admit. One of that group then notices the dragon head that Yrsa took as trophy for the Inn Keeper is tied
onto Timador's Phantom Steed. They ask about it and Yrsa makes it sound like The Company thought it was just one of the
kobolds in the area--and that they had dispatched a whole bunch of them at the old shrine. Not quite believing her, the other group still
puts a little distance between themselves and The Company. About this same time, from behind a bush to the northeast, the halfling rogue,
Derek, from Bork and Trandel's low-level group is spotted trying to be stealthy. Yrsa waves to him, and, thus discovered, the rogue's
companions Bork, Trandel, and Zortan the Mighty, who were even further away, come up and greet The Company. The youthful group is carrying
a few dead kobolds and they relate of having fought them at a farm nearby. The Company lets their spokesman, Trandel, know that a little
treasure probably worth their time can still be found in the dragon's lair. Derek nearly craps himself when he learns that if his group had
traveled earlier to the west that they might have been killed by dragons.
The Company returns to Messersachs and Yrsa presents the dragon head to the Swinging Lamp bartender who initially announced the kobold uprising
and called for help. Pleased, he provides the heroes with free meals and plenty of ale. Kime takes Vogelfest back to where The Queen and
Silver Rose are docked for repairs and resupply. There she meets with Kingswell and Davey, who, bored (since they don't have city passes)
have been helping to make the repairs as well as guarding the ships. They have also met up with their old crew mate, Jordi along with his
friend Zandorr. Having discussed their future plans, they know that collectively they can scrape together about 4,000 GP to buy The Silver
Rose--if it's for sale once The Company again reaches Kuststad. Kime says that she will take their offer to the rest of The Company, and she
also arranges with harbor master Eli to get temporary city passes for Kingswell and Davey so that they can enjoy a few pleasures of the city.
Meanwhile, Yrsa meets with Commander Lars Erikson to fill him in on the nearby kobold and black dragon activities. The Commander has learned
of Yrsa's service in the army as a medic, so he asks her to examine the corpse of the aquatic ogre found dead on the docks the previous night.
Kime determines the ogre to be a close kin to (if not one) of the "trolls" she encountered in the Shadow realm, and the cause of its death was
four puncture wounds on its back, possibly jabbed with spears. Fearing a possible invasion, Lars asks for additional clarification of Yrsa's
previous report regarding Daempa island, the black sheeting dimensional rift, etc., which Yrsa provides.
There is not much else for most of The Company to do but wait as boat repairs are finishing up and their ships are reprovisioned. Kobold tems
brought back from the dragon lair (daggers, bows, etc.) are sold and the treasure from that venture is divided. Stroop has also been invited
to a small gathering that the halfling Roan is holding at Bright Night in the basement of her smokehouse, the Boucan. "His friends" were also
invited, and it's not just Stroop who never passes up a free meal, so they all attend as well. It's a small affair, just a few shopkeepers from
the Forecastle section of the city whose shops are situated close to The Fiddler's Green. At the party, in between snacks and casual conversions,
Stroop plays a few songs he has written of his adventures, and Sagon and Kime accompany him on their own instruments. About this same time, each
of The Company notice that most of the flames in Roan's basement fireplace are actually Continual Flamespells cast upon faux logs made to
look partially burned. Only one small log near the front is actually burning. They point this out to each other about the same time as the
fireplace shifts to one side and a man's head emerges. He announces to Roan that "Fru Mefni's cavern alarm system has been triggered." Roan
quickly explains to Stroop that a few of the basements in the Forecastle section of the city share secret access to a drainage system beneath
the street, and the drain walkway leads back towards a natural cavern area that a powerful wizard Mefni uses as her test area. Fearing some
sort of city invasion/attack, Roan asks if The Company wants to head down to check into the matter since she knows Fru Mefni is not currently
in the city. They all follower her down a ladder and along 300 feet or so of draining corridor.
As they reach the area below where Blue Peters sits, they encounter Fru Mefni's gnome butler, Bryti (who is also one of her entry-level
students) shouting "Yuan-Ti, possibly Ökenveld forces" Four others (local guards: a halfling, Halta; humans, Smyg and Bå Skitt;
and Dwarf, Ba'Kari) are also seen in the passage up ahead firing arrows into a cavern entrance (lit by a Light spell) and then falling
back to better defensive positions. The Company joins them and engages the invaders (snake-headed Yuan Ti Malison warriors and a double-headed
man-snake wizard, who manages to cast Chromatic Orb and Burning Hands spells against them). Sounds of repeated hammering blows
against stone can also be heard in the unlit cavern space further behind. Bryti shouts, "They must be after the Master's bowl!"
There is also a large spider-like crab involved in the melee, who may or may not be part of the invaders. But, one of the Yuan Ti Malison is
seen to be stuck to and struggling against this Cavefisher's spun filament, so it may be some type of guardian. The Company's timely arrival
helps turn back the tide of the immediate attack, but, the pounding noises soon cease and a large wet gorilla-like brine wolf charges out of
the dark against them. Sagon manages to stun it and it drops for a time while the monk and others beat on it and the rest of their foes.
Soon, another brine wolf arrives along with a couple of aqua-skinned women.
The Company's Arrows, flailing monk strikes, Dissonant Whispers, divine attacks, and Fireballs eliminate the immediate enemies.
But, as they press back further into the wet cavern, the drained, muddy waters begin madly churning and a Water Elemental arise to oppose
them. Turns out that "the bowl" mentioned earlier was a Bowl of Commanding Water Elementals, left behind behind by Fri Mefni for emergency
defense of the city if ever under seige, but also Arcane Locked in a secret compartment within a stone pillar and further hidden from
Detect Magic spells by using 30 consecutive castings of Nystal's Magic Aura to mask the dweomer of the spells. Bryti yells
out some quick information including that magic weapons would be best used against the elemental but normal weapons could still hit it. The
Elemental tries to bludgeon, grapple, and drown Sagon with its whole body encasing Whelm attack, but the monk makes his Strength saving throw
(with a little help with Stroop's Bardic Inspiration).
As Wang from the left and the rogue Smyg from the right circle around one of the stone pillars of the cavern to pick off remaining foes,
they spot another aqua-skinned woman with her head barely out of the water. As the Elemental is defeated, it become apparent that she was
the one who had released it, and she tries to escape through a completely submerged tunnel. There is some confusion about casting a
Water Breathing spell, Bryti not understanding that it would have to be an 11-minute Ritual. When he understands his error, he
shouts that the underwater tunnel is not that long and it comes out into another cavern before it exits out a hidden entrance out of the
city and into the Wimranda Waters, where the thief might be able to escape with the bowl. Several of the city defenders then blindly
jump into the water and try to make it through in time. On the other side there are three more Malisons and two row boats, and the
snake men fighters do their best to hold off the defenders while she gets in a boat and casts off. Sagon and Wang work they way through
and get into the remaining boat to follow her; they also shoot her with arrows. They manage to drop her and city guards (alerted earlier
by one of the Boucan Party guests) stationed above the tunnel entrance let loose a small avalanche of small- to medium-sized boulders
upon her rowboat crushing it, her, and severely injuring her Malison companion. Still hoping to escape, he morphs into a snake
and tries serpentine and coil away across the surface of the lake. Having trouble hitting his "prone" form with arrows, Sagon and
Wang fail to stop him. Timador, however, dives into the water then comes up to pepper the snake with three Magic Missiles. Wang and
Sagon then row up, expecting Wang to dive in and below so that he can recover the magic bowl. But, unaware of who they were, the city
guards rain down more boulders upon them. Wang completely avoids them but grabs one to help him sink faster to the bottom, where he
finds the woman and her satchel containing the bowl. They make they way back into the caverns where a waiting Bryti thanks them for
rescuing the bowl and assures them that, when she returns, his master will reward them for saving it.
Session ended on Day 35, about 50:00, leaving the Company a few more hours in the city and time enough for a Long Rest before they
depart the next morning at first light.
Continue to Svartaland Season 02
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