Wolverton at last! When we last left our heroes, they had survived their adventures in Brea’s Garden and had returned from the Feywild, with Danu’s help. Along with the two surviving sailors, they were in the Nydam’s landing boat with Stansig Point in sight and the sounds of Wolverton’s docks coming from beyond the point. Unfortunately, there were no oars in the boat and Danu and their new faerie friend, Olive, were nowhere in sight. Relief at having survived was mixed with concern for what their actions in the Feywild might lead to. Things certainly did not seem to have ended well.
We pick up with this session with the party in the landing boat after the break.
Taking stock of the situation, it was quickly evident that two things were apparent. First, they had no oars with which to propel and steer the boat and second, both of the surviving sailors looked like they were in shock. Whatever they had seen and experienced while with Danu had left its mark upon them. Before anyone could do much else, one of the sailors simply jumped overboard into the dark water of the sea. Horrified, everyone looked overboard for him but he did not come to the surface. None, however, elected to dive in after him. The other sailor simply looked catatonic and showed no response to what had just happened.
A guard was spotted on one of the many fortifications on the point and Thalimor called out. Given the distance and crashing waves, communication was difficult and many miscommunications occurred. In the end, however, the guard indicated that a patrol boat would be sent out to rescue the group and their boat. It took about a half an hour for the boat to arrive and the party used the time to settle on the story that they would tell the approaching authorities. By the time the patrol boat arrived, the party had what they believed to a fairly believable story that drew upon their recent adventures without saying too much.
Safely on board the patrol boat, the captain began his questioning. The party explained that they had become becalmed, the mutiny, and having been beset upon by pirates and the ship was overtaken. In an attempt to save as many as possible, the party had launched the landing boat and took as many sailors as they could. Wineric the prisoner was taken by the pirates. While the story was quite believable, there was one small issue. According to the captain of the patrol boat, the Nydam was expected to have arrived three weeks ago!
Three weeks! They had been missing for three weeks! Bay realized that it was most likely a result of their trip to the Feywild as time does not flow at the same pace there. However, they had already decided to not share an information regarding that experience. So, instead, they stuck to their story and were simply at a loss to explain the missing time. The captain seemed incredulous, pointing out that the Nydam simply would not have carried enough supplies for all to survive for the full three week length of time. However, he let it drop but did indicate that both the Baron and possibly Hunrith the Grin, the town’s Reeve [aka sheriff] might want to ask additional questions once they heard his report and the party’s story.
Then it was the party’s turn to ask questions of the captain. In particular, they were interested in places to stay, places to shop, and if anyone could see to the shell-shocked sailor. The captain answered that different inns could be found in Wolverton with the River’s Rest being the most expensive and the Hare & Ass being moderately priced though small. As far as shopping went, he suggested the Death & Glory once he learned that the party were “adventurers” rather than merchants or sailors. Kiyana’s Armory was also offered up as a location for purchasing armor. Lastly, he offered to take the remaining sailor to Fellowship Hall [the local temple] to see if they could do anything for him.
[The captain was visibly unhappy with the fact that the party were adventurers and not something more respectable.
Anyone familiar with Raging Swan’s Lonely Coast setting will have already noticed that I’ve made changes. One of the big changes is the human ethnic groups and their religion. The Thaeden are the predominant human ethnic group on the Lonely Coast. They are a polytheistic people and worship a group of deities called the Ensi. Most Thaeden will show respect and venerate all members of the Ensi but tend to do so disproportionately based on their interests. Player character clerics simply pick whatever domain that they want and likely will hold one of the Ensi with that domain in higher regard than the others but will still show the proper respect to the others. Fellowship Hall is the local temple to the Ensi.]
Disembarking on the docks, the party took the advice of the captain and crew to head to the Hare & Ass early. The inn had few rooms and was famed for its specialty beer, Thunderhammer Brown. The authentic dwarven ale typically drew in large crowds of locals. The Hare & Ass was largely empty at this time of day and the party was able to get a pair of rooms. They also had the opportunity to meet the owner, Gor Thunderhammer…a half-orc! Gor, it turned out, had been taken in by the Thunderhammer Clan of dwarves after they had wiped out his tribe. He was a full member of the clan and had been taught their brewing techniques. The food was well prepared and filling though nothing special but the Thunderhammer Brown was an amazing ale.
Heading to their rooms, the party took the opportunity to examine their lockbox. Lockbox? Yep, lockbox. When the party had gotten off of the landing boat to board the patrol boat, they found that the catatonic sailor had been sitting on a lockbox that hadn’t been there before. They had claimed it was theirs and the patrol did not question the ownership. A key, with Danu’s symbol, had been in the lock and Osric had pocketed it. He now took it out and unlocked the box. Inside was a lot of gold, some 500gp, and a note. The note was from Danu and essentially thanked them for all they had done for her and that she always rewarded her servants for such duties. In addition, she had taken the bloodstones from the party as Jólét would be able to use them to track the party and so this gold was partly in compensation for this. The note ended with a warning from Danu for them to “Beware the Green” which didn’t sound familiar to any in the party but brought up a whole new set of concerns.
The gold was split in four as Bay declined to take a share of Danu’s “gift.” With coin in their pouches, the party went out shopping. The Death & Glory turned out to be a shop that catered to the adventuring sort. An empty room with a barred window and counter made up the shop. A gnome, Ruan, manned the counter. He simply asked for a list of items that the party wanted to purchase. Everything the party requested was available and the transactions were completed. The gnome also shared some information as to where the party could find a wizard to identify the ring that Danu had given to Thalimor. Kargan the Red, who resides in a large red stone tower, could potentially assist but they should keep in mind that he really does not like dwarves which shouldn’t be a problem for their group.
After getting directions, the party headed to Kargan’s tower. Ringing the nearby bell turned up a young man, Dunstan, who had a scowl on his face and rudely asked what they wanted. Thalimor indicated that they were seeking Kargan to identify a magical item and that he was also interested in the possibility of apprenticeship. He heard their request, rudely insulted them and refused to stoop to fetch his master for them, and slammed the door on them. A few minutes later a dwarf opened the door and much to their surprise, turned out to be the dwarf hating Kargan.
Kargan agreed to identify the ring first thing in the morning but really would prefer to blow things up. Thalimor also inquired again about becoming an apprentice. Kargan explained that he already had one but might be interested in accepting another one. Something was mentioned about having met his apprentice already and Kargan was surprised by this as he had thought Dunstan had been in the tower all day. This led Kargan to yell for Dunstan and it quickly became clear that the apprentice was pretty unhappy with Thalimor. The bard, however, held his tongue regarding anything else from their earlier encounter with Dunstan.
After concluding their business at Kargan’s, they headed back to the Hare & Ass and had a private discussion about what they might do next. Both Thalimor and Isenthorne had information about Cynric’s Folly…the rumored ruined keep of Cynric the Ironwolf. A mighty Thaeden warrior, Cynric had come to the Lonely Coast soon after Merric Roake had first claimed the area as his barony. The warrior’s keep has remained undiscovered since that time but is often a goal for adventurers who come to the area. Most believe that it is located somewhere north of Wolverton but Isenthorne’s father believed that it was north of Swallowfeld instead. Her father had also believed that the Temple of Vélen might have information that would be useful in its library. They decided that Cynric’s Folly could be their first target of adventure.
They headed to Fellowship Hall to learn more about the Temple of Vélen and met Galden Hearthtop, the high priest of the Ensi in Wolverton and a halfling. Galden explained that the Temple of Vélen is, indeed, devoted to knowledge and that Wodon is venerated there [Wodon is the Ensi over knowledge, magic, etc.]. They learned that the library at the Temple had burned a number of years ago and much of the knowledge was lost. When they shared that they were hoping to go there to learn more information about Cynric’s Folly, Galden shared that it had that name for more than one reason. One reason was that it was folly to seek it…none who had, that he knew of, had returned. The party, however, doubled down on their interest in the keep and their adventurous interest.
Galden did not continue to try to dissuade them from their quest. Instead, he asked a favor of them. Since they were already heading to the Temple of Vélen, would they mind to take something to the temple for them. They agreed and he fetched a small pouch and gave it to them. As the party departed the Hall, the acolyte they had first met thanked them. Since they were now taking the pouch to the Temple, he wouldn’t have to do so and seemed quite relieved about that.
Heading back to the Hare & Ass, the party settled down for the night.
The following morning, they set off for Kargan’s to get the ring identified. As they headed to his tower, a large, armored woman stepped up to Thalimor. She stated that she wanted to speak with the bard privately in one of the nearby alleys. Thalimor, of course, declined and the rest of the party were not pleased with her attitude and approach. Since Thalimor wouldn’t go with her, the woman punched him in the gut and told him to stop bothering her brother, Dunstan. She turned and left and that was that.
At Kargan’s, Dunstan was less than polite again but Kargan arrived fairly soon. He identified the ring while the party waited. The runes on the ring indicated that it was quite old. They looked similar to pre-Thioda runes that had been found on ruins in the area but Kargan knew little more about the runes. The ring’s magical quality was simply that it could open a magically sealed box of some kind. That was about all that he could learn from it. [The Thioda were the ancestors of the Thaeden and had inhabitated the area of the Lonely Coast centuries prior.]
Having rested, restocked their equipment, and gathered some information, the party decided to head west to the Temple of Vélen. The trip along the Cliffway was relatively uneventful to the village of Isenborough which they reached around midday. As they passed through the village, one individual, leaning against the wall of a sturdy stone building, kept a rather close eye on the party along with a polite, if brief, greeting.
Continuing along the Cliffway, the trip was interrupted a bit less than five miles from Swallowfeld. Smoke could be seen rising from just a bit inside the treeline to the north. It was spotted from a short distance away and as they came closer, the also spotted what looked like a body lying in the road ahead. Closer examination showed that it was a human, most likely a woodsman or charcoaler by the clothing, lying face down on the road. Massive gouges were across its back as though some massive creature had raked claws over it. Chunks of flesh and puddles of blood were scattered about nearby.
Looking around more, strange tracks were found. The tracks looked much like something that a giant two-toed bird might leave. A small trail led away from the scene on the Cliffway and into the woods. The trail looked regularly used. The tracks of the “bird” always headed into the woods near the trail. Heading down the trail, the party found a small settlement of three huts and a large charcoal pit. One of the huts was smoldering, the source of the smoke. Bits of flesh and viscera were scattered about and blood was splattered everywhere. There were more tracks of the “bird” about the huts and they led off deeper into the woods. There were also drag marks along side these tracks as though the creature had been dragging something. A child’s shoe was along the tracks as they entered the woods. No survivors were found.
The tracks led to a small hillside. It looked as though a recent mudslide had exposed some ruins under the hill. A partially collapsed wall gave access to some complex under the hill and the tracks led inside. The first room inside had two corridors leading away, one with stairs leading up and one with stairs leading down. A large statue dominated the room. It was some eight feet tall and was of an armored woman holding a polearm of some sort. The statue had rubies for eyes with one half-pried out. A rune of some sort was on the forehead, looking as though it were made of ruby chips. No one recognized the rune itself but Thalimor thought it looked Dracmosi…an ancient people of demon worshippers. At its feet was a recently dead body with its head caved in and a dagger lying nearby.
Two alcoves flanked the room as well. Each held a statue of some strange creature. It was hairless and had only slits for a nose. Its eyes were red but not gemstones. The thing’s arms were long and would nearly reach the floor if it was standing straight with them at its sides. These ended in long thick fingers, two of them plus a thumb, that ended in large talons…easily something that could have left the wounds on the body on the road. Its legs were bent like a dog’s legs. Perhaps most disconcerting, however, was what was on the upraised hand of one of the creatures…not quite dried blood. Although it was made of stone and was unmoving, it was quickly assumed that this creature was probably responsible for the deaths, including the man in the room.
There was no immediate danger apparent. Some muddy tracks led down the stairs but the party elected to head up first. The hallway up rose about twenty-five feet over the course of some fifty feet traversed and ended in a door. A small hexagonal chamber was beyond. A pool dominated the center of the room and had skulls ringing its edge. There was some freshish blood and gore dripping from some of the skulls. Another door provided an exit from the room. A short hallway beyond rose about five more feet before ending in another door. Beyond this door was a chamber with a spiral stair leading up even more. A short distance up was an old cave-in that completely blocked access above.
Heading back down, they took the stairs that led down from the room with the statues. This led around to a long hallway with numerous hallways leading off of it. The first such hallway was short and ended in a door. A child’s shoe was in the intersection of the two hallways. Beyond the door was a fairly large room that looked like a prison. Cells lined the room. Cells that contained skeletons reaching their arms out, grasping at the party but, of course, unable to reach. A cursory peek in didn’t reveal anything sign of the children and so the party elected to not enter the room.
Pressing on, they entered the door at the end of a short hallway on the right. This room had two tables with dead bodies strapped to them…undead bodies actually. Although they struggled against their bonds, the creatures remain restrained. Torture instruments were set all about the room. Still no sign of the children and so the pressed on.
The next hall was to the left and led to a small room that looked like it had once been a small library or study of some sort. Everything had either decayed or had been destroyed. Three doors lined one wall of the room. Osric moved up to one of them and opened it. A zombie immediately began to move towards him.
[That is where we stopped for the night.
Unfortunately, this post got up a bit late and I don’t recall which beers we sampled that night.]
