In this session, the party decides to leave Markus and let him play with his toys while they go to adventure some more. After stopping at the Lost Ox, they learn that one of the locals is having issues with something in his cellar…hmmm…sounds like a very traditional adventure, right? They then decide to strike out from Ragged Hollow and head to the Gloaming Wood to see if they can convince Nazata to take back Natazo, encountering vines, bodies, and a tortoise along the way. More detail below the break.
RJ was missing for this session and thus Markus would be “missing” as well. Of course, RJ is back for the next session and the group headed off to the nearby woods so now I’ll have to figure out how to bring Markus back in. Players…can’t play without them no matter how much of a pain they can be <insert goofy grin>. There will, obviously, be spoilers for Nightmare Over Ragged Hollow from The Merry Mushmen. My GM comments, as always, are in italics.
77th of Summer
- We last left the party upstairs in the Windler House. Markus had taken one of the wind-up toys and gone into the hallway, wound it up, and let it go. After moving about thirty-feet away, the toy raised a horn to its lips to blow. Markus dashed at it in the hopes of stopping it…
- The other three, still investigating in the childrens’ bedroom, hear a faint horn blare from the hallway. Then, a deep voice, booms out from all around the house, “Fresh meat!”
- All of the toys in the room start moving. Dieter, Liesl, and Marlena rush out and close the door behind them.
- Down the hall, a massive face looks like it is trying to push out of the wall (think the iconic scene from The Frighteners released in the 90s). It pushes all the way out and down, never breaking through the wall, to engulf Markus in its mouth.
- It then retreats back and the wall looks normal again. Markus is nowhere to be seen.
- The toy in the hall marches back towards the trio and, after some experimentation by the group, heads to the bedroom door. Eventually, the group tries to open the door and slip the toy back in.
- Unfortunately, all of the toys within start to swarm out as the door is opened. Despite their best efforts, the party cannot stop it (there was a fumble on the original check to slip the hallway toy back in).
- The toys swarming into the hallway begin to combine and form into a much larger, single thing.
- The group retreats, leaving the house, the island, and heading back to Ragged Hollow. Their concern for Markus is palpable (NOT!).
- The trio heads to the Lost Ox. Here, they find not just Acolyte Justin being all distraught but also Laban.
- Laban is the tailor and owner of the Dancing Needle. He is upset and fatalistic regarding his wife who is trapped in the temple and his business. Some sort of critters have taken up residence in his cellar and they are destroying his stock of fabric. He has no idea what can be done.
- Marlena and the group offer to go check out the cellar for him. This appears to be an idea that never crossed Laban’s mind. He escorts the group back to his home and shop.
- At the shop, Laban shares that there are multiple creatures below and they chitter and mover about. Webs cover the crates and stored things in the cellar.
- The group heads down with Dieter in the lead. There is a small cellar with various crates against a wall opposite of the stairs. A dozen red eyes glean in the darkness until revealed by the group’s lamp.
- The creatures are some combination of rats and spiders with spider-like bodies shaped like a very large rat some four-feet long, six spider legs, spinnerets, a rat head with spider fangs.
- The battle is relatively brief and (despite combining both of the most common creatures to be found in a cellar or basement for the first adventure for PCs) the group prevails.
- They clear out the bodies, burning all but one, and bring up the crates for Laban to look through.
- In the process, a small box is found that appears to have slipped behind the crates and had been there for a rather long time. The box holds six golden thimbles. Shown to Laban, he’s shocked. They are family heirlooms that he had lost back when his father still ran the shop.
- Laban’s demeanor changes significantly with the return of these heirlooms. He’s hopefully for the future, very huggy (group hugs), and provides the group a reward…150sp!
- In the process, a small box is found that appears to have slipped behind the crates and had been there for a rather long time. The box holds six golden thimbles. Shown to Laban, he’s shocked. They are family heirlooms that he had lost back when his father still ran the shop.
- The creatures are some combination of rats and spiders with spider-like bodies shaped like a very large rat some four-feet long, six spider legs, spinnerets, a rat head with spider fangs.
- The group heads down with Dieter in the lead. There is a small cellar with various crates against a wall opposite of the stairs. A dozen red eyes glean in the darkness until revealed by the group’s lamp.
- At the shop, Laban shares that there are multiple creatures below and they chitter and mover about. Webs cover the crates and stored things in the cellar.
- Taking one of the rat-spider bodies, they head to Omar and then to Radomir.
- Neither is quite sure what to make of the creature…except that it is not natural, possibly the result of some sort of curse.
- Radomir does ask about the group’s fourth companion. When it is shared that he was “swallowed” by the Windler House, Radomir consoles the party on their loss. He suggests that the spirit of Old Man Windler is probably torturing poor Markus to death.
- All three show grave concern over this news (again…NOT!) and decide to call it day and to head out to the Sunny Island the next morning. Markus will just have to fend for himself.
- Marlena and the group offer to go check out the cellar for him. This appears to be an idea that never crossed Laban’s mind. He escorts the group back to his home and shop.
- Laban is the tailor and owner of the Dancing Needle. He is upset and fatalistic regarding his wife who is trapped in the temple and his business. Some sort of critters have taken up residence in his cellar and they are destroying his stock of fabric. He has no idea what can be done.
78th of Summer
- Gathering their equipment and such, the group heads out in the morning for the Gloaming Wood.
- After about an hour of travel, Marlena notices some graphic depictions of male anatomy carved into a tree. Various arrows are embedded into the tree with the depiction clearly being the target. Liesl recognizes them as Severin’s arrows.
- After two to three more hours of travel, the group reaches a fork in the road and a bridge crossing a river. One fork of the road continues on towards the Sunny Island and the other across the bridge.
- Marlena notices a body slumped against a tree on the other side of the river. Crossing the bridge, they approach the body. It is surrounded by brambles. On closer inspection, it looks as though the brambles are entwined around the body. The body’s face remains turned away from the party.
- The group circles around to get a look at the face. The brambles have grown into the eyes!
- With some clever rope work, a grappling hook, and Dieter’s raw strength, the group yanks the body clear of the brambles and give it a closer look.
- It is wearing chainmail, held a sword (also retrieved), has a satchel over one shoulder, and some nice, shiny boots. The satchel contains a number of pieces of rotten fruit, a purse with 17gp, and a some papers identifying him as Günst, a minion of an evil scientist by the name of Schnabelt.
- The group speculates that perhaps Schnabelt was a contemporary of Old Man Windsor and Günst was heading to the Windler House, perhaps not knowing that the Old Man had perished years ago.
- They also speculate that the rotten fruit might be from the Sunny Island. They had heard from more than one person that it has wonderful fruit, Radomir would like a peach, a pear, and a plum, and to only pick one fruit. Maybe the brambles that appear to have killed Günst were a curse for picking multiple fruit or something that he was delivering to Old Man Windler. Come to think of it, there are quite a few brambles on the island upon which the Windler house sits.
- The group takes the chainmail, boots, gold, and a piece of the brambles for Omar to examine back at Ragged Hollow.
- It is wearing chainmail, held a sword (also retrieved), has a satchel over one shoulder, and some nice, shiny boots. The satchel contains a number of pieces of rotten fruit, a purse with 17gp, and a some papers identifying him as Günst, a minion of an evil scientist by the name of Schnabelt.
- Continuing their travel, the group is not too far from their destination when they come across a rather large tortoise on the path, up-ended and on its back.
- They flip the tortoise over and give it a few scritches. The turtle thanks them and asks if they could continue with the scritches for just a few more minutes.
- Kröte introduces himself and gives the group a small mason jar. Drinking it will protect the drinker much like his shell protects him. It may smell like flowers, but it has a bit of a spicy kick.
- The group asks if he knows Nazata and he does. He describes her as quite impulsive and that she is unhappy as a dam upriver is reducing the flow of the river at her home. A giant beaver, Doya, has created the dam and is not too concerned about Nazata being upset by it.
- He also shares that Natazo is quite forgetful but much more reasonable than his wife. It would not surprise Kröte that the fool forgot his anniversary and that Nazata kicked him out.
- When asked where he can be found, Kröte shares that he roams about a lot. He hopes that their paths will cross again.
- They flip the tortoise over and give it a few scritches. The turtle thanks them and asks if they could continue with the scritches for just a few more minutes.
- The group then reaches the shore opposite of the Sunny Island. They can see a very well manicured orchard, trees heavy with fruit. No individuals or wildlife can be spotted on the island. Various goblin tracks are all along the shore here and there is a ford to cross the river, maybe about knee deep.
- As the group makes their way across the ford, a giant catfish, presumably Nataza, comes flying out of the water upriver with Markus riding on her back!!!
And that is where the session ended.
A good bit of this session was, happily, driven by player interest. They showed a good deal of interest in figuring out what had happened to the individual by the tree and why they were there. This led to the evil scientist bit and all. This also resulted in the potential association with the Windler House and maybe even start to explain why (at least some of) the plants on the island seem to have a life of their own.
I think we leaned in to some of the fairy tale quality of the setting with Kröte, Nazata, Natazo, Doya, and such. I asked if everyone was happy with this sort of style and there was definite agreement. So leaning into the fairy tale theme shall continue.
Why is Markus riding on the back of Nazata? I’m not quite sure yet. I don’t have to figure that out until the next session. I just needed to have him be where the rest of the party ended up or RJ would be a spectator for who knows how long. It has been suggested that he is somehow now married to the catfish. Yikes! Of course, he doesn’t have too too many days left to pay back Kernan’s loan or Markus will have to leave Ragged Hollow for good.
