When we last left our heroes (both sets), they had all arrived in the town of Broadwater and were looking for a place to stay. One group was dusty and tired from travel while the other was also dusty and tired from travel but had also had a very harrowing last few days (week? weeks?) and barely arrived alive. Each group reached the Cask & Flagon at the same time and, as they were about to enter, the door opened from the inside.
Now we are starting to get into the full campaign. There are potential spoilers below the break for the adventures, “The Crucible of Freya,” from Necromancer Games (although they aren’t obvious) and for the adventure, “The Tomb of Abysthor,” also from Necromancer Games (although it is just a minor bit from the beginning). Also, the Legend of the Glen Blades is inspired by The Game Mechanics, “Swords of Our Fathers.” In particular, Swift and Sure, the Glen Blades (I think…I honestly don’t remember).
The door of the Cask & Flagon opened as the two groups of characters reached the door. An elf stepped out…he introduced himself as Birch and immediately got a bit of a cold shoulder (and surly glare) from Drogar. Birch said something about seeing everyone later as he went off.
The party got some rooms and some dinner at the C&F. They met a halfling named Tannil who was drinking at the C&F. During dinner, Drogar started to look not so good and his arm–where the rat goblin had bit him–looked infected. The party headed to the local temple to see if they could get some aid for the dwarf.
They spoke with Tamuril, the priestess at the temple and an elf. She let everyone know that Drogar had been infected with lycanthropy and that it wouldn’t be cheap to get him healed. She also made it quite clear that she would take matters (and her silver sword) into her own hands if the dwarf did turn. The party could not afford the price of the healing but agreed to perform a service for the temple in exchange for the healing. Tamuril agreed and set the others on their way, leaving her, her now drawn silver sword, and Drogar (and Romulus?) alone together.
Clarissa also mentioned being interested in exploring Ednowain’s keep and Tamuril’s face (and mood) went stone-faced cold. This did not come as a surprise since Clarissa had info that Tamuril and Ednowain had had something of a relationship and that the priestess had been reluctant to discuss the old wizard (from one of the letters found at Elvid’s place).
Back at the C&F, Birch had returned and was providing some entertainment. He called for the party to tell a story (they did look well-traveled after all). Bryn related the tale of their adventures so far in Conallglen (leaving out very few of the details). The locals seemed a bit concerned that some sort of undead spirit (i.e., Maeve) may have followed Bryn and companions from the woods.
Birch shared an old elven tale (see way below after the session recap).*
Drogar and Romulus let everyone know that the task that needed to be completed in exchange for the healing of Drogar was to investigate a pair of old shrines to Tyr & Myr (twin deities of law and good). Tamuril had received word that the shrines had been defaced recently and she wanted both cleaned up and to learn who had done it.
Pretty tired from their travels, the characters all settled down for the night. After a late breakfast in the morning, Drogar and Romulus went to the temple while the others went shopping. As they were leaving, Shory noticed that the innkeeper was wearing a ring with a dragonfly on it (i.e., Maeve’s apparent symbol).
Tamuril was clearly displeased with how late the pair showed up. Apparently, when she said come back in the morning, she had meant dawn. The twin shrines were located on the opposite side of The Tawlyn (the large lake that fills a large portion of the lower valley) and at the foot of the Blacktooth Ridge (a rough and rugged area that has often served as home for various evil humanoid creatures). Tamuril had arranged a boat to take the party across.
Eventually, after completing their various shopping tasks, the whole party gathered again and headed to the small docks to find a small fishing boat waiting for them. The captain was amused at their tardiness but he had been paid for the day. They set out across the lake and reached the other side around midday…it is a pretty big lake.
The captain agreed to come back the next day around midday to pick the party up again and, if they did not show tomorrow, to come back around lunchtime on the following day as well.
The party took a small trail up the cliffs (this side of the lake is quite rugged and steep). After a short distance, Shory spotted another trail that met up with this trail. The new one led off deeper up the cliffs and into the ridge. Tracks could be seen on that trail and they also continued on the trail towards the shrines. The tracks looked like they might be skeletal and they didn’t just go in the direction of the shrines but also back again!
The shrines were in a small clearing sitting atop a rocky outcropping overlooking the Tawlyn and they were a mess. Blood and feces were smeared all over. The statues of Myr and Tyr in each respective shrine had been damaged and defaced with symbols of Orcus carved into them. The head for the statue of Tyr was missing but a quick prayer by Romulus indicated that it had been tossed into the lake. The head of Myr was lying on the floor of the shrine with all of the facial features chipped away. A large symbol of Orcus was painted (in blood and feces) on the shield of the Myr statue.
The party decided that whoever had left the tracks they had spotted earlier were probably responsible for the blasphemy. It was also clear that a LOT more supplies would be needed to clean the shrines and it would take magic to restore the statues. So it was decided to go find the defilers and deal with them first!
That’s pretty much where we stopped the session. There was a lot of talking and interaction in Broadwater that took up the bulk of the session…which is never a bad thing in my opinion.
*The Glen Blades (the old elven tale told by Birch)
Over the ages, the elves have fought against various peoples that have attempted (and, in some cases, succeeded) at conquering the valley and calling it home. And, without fail, each of these conquering peoples have eventually fallen into ruin. When they have, the elves have returned or have ventured out of their hidden homes deep in the valley’s forests only to be attacked by a new invading force. Many elven legends have grown out of this never-ending struggle. One such legend speaks of the tale of Aurnia, Laoghire, and the Glen Blades.
As her people prepared for battle against the invading armies of the lich, Vyskandr, the elf seer Aurnia had a vision in which her lover, Laoghaire, died in the conflict. A talented war captain of the elves, Aurnia knew how desperately he would be needed in the coming battles so she didn’t tell her lover what she had seen. Instead, she went into a secret valley near their home and returned with the Glen Blades, a pair of magical swords called Luath and Deimhin (or Swift and Sure). She gave these to Laoghaire to keep him safe. He went off to battle and helped to lead his people to victory against Vyskandr. In the final battle, a stray arrow streaked straight for his throat but Luath flashed up of its own accord and deflected the arrow. Laoghire went on to strike the final blow against the lich and turned the tide of the entire campaign.
Alive and victorious, Laoghire’s return home, however, was not joyous. In a freak accident, Aurnia had been slain by a stray arrow fired during an archery practice…on the very same day of the final battle against Vyskandr. Aurnia had left a letter behind for her lover. In it, or so the story goes, she explained her vision of his death by a stray arrow and the fall of their people to the invading army. She had gone to the Hidden Glen and beseeched an ancient fey lord for aid and it was granted. The lord gave her the Glen Blades and guaranteed that they would save her lover’s life but the price would be steep. Though the fey would not describe the price, Aurnia knew that it would somehow mean her death and thus, according to the legend, she wrote the letter in case Laoghire returned after the price had been paid.
Distraught at the loss of Aurnia and honored by her sacrifice, Laoghire went to the Hidden Glen himself. Calling for the fey lord, he received no response. Every morning and every evening, Laoghire called for the fey lord and during each day, he quarried stone and built a monument to honor Anuria that would last the ages. For three winters, Laoghire toiled and called for the fey lord. In that third winter, he completed the monument and, on that final day, the fey lord answered. None know what passed between the two but when Laoghire returned to his people, he did not return with the Glen Blades. Legend says that they wait in the Hidden Glen in the monument to Aurnia, waiting for a worthy hero to take them up…but at what price.
