Session 162: A Smell and a Mel (12/10/23)

Verget the 12th.

The PCs continue to rest, Gary finally recovering from the negative effects of his resurrection several days earlier. Finian hunts for the orc refugees while Gary makes wreaths for the children, who eventually gift them back to Finian for the meals he provide. The trio leaves some treasure behind to help the refugees should they need the coin, and they prepare to head out in the evening, eventually exiting Midge Creek back into the Well. The glint of town lights is far off in Tarndim and to their next destination, Hobfast, which they arrive at later in the night, after steering away from some large creature in the Well that was keeping pace with them for a bit.

In their absence, the Garbal has been stolen from the docks, so they are unable to switch watercraft! The grizzled dwarf Ruttekeer nearby doesn't seem to have any information, only that he's seen a lizardman down by the docks. Finian purchases a silver fishing rod and lure from the shop, and Indrid offers the dwarf some good pipeweed. The ropes mooring the PCs' boat were indeed chewed through or severed, and a quick visit to Lt. Silverstrings and the Eidolorn Guard turns up little more. Most of the other soldiers are out of the village, dealing with a threat to the direct west near Cheeky's Hollow. Gary visits the local shrine to Crake, only to disturb a young boy sleeping in a hidey-hole nearby. He also uncovers a colored box in which are stashed some thieves' tools. The PCs decide to rest at the barracks until morning, and inquire with the Hosspotches. Gary transforms into a bat to scope out the area, and finds an abandoned campsite just north of the village with an impression in the mud the shape of a humanoid with a tail...

Verget the 13th.

Grandfather Hosspotch is grooming his favorite ponies while his family's youngest watch on, and claims he knows nothing about the disappearance of their vessel, but also mentions a scaly thief by the docks that has been more active in recent nights. The PCs cautiously carry their three-dimensional map of the Crowslode past the Hobfast manor, and bring it to the rowboat loaned to them by the refugees. They row just north to check out the campsite, and find another of the hidden lockboxes, this one containing some fish-flaying equipment. They also find an encrypted message in a bottle sunk into the mud, and copy it onto some parchment of their own. They leave the camp behind, heading back to the Gravers' Guild and Floivin Keep to answer their summons from Oskar.

In the afternoon, they encounter a strange serpentine creature with the face of a humanoid female, sunning on a capsized river craft. They determine it is not the Garbal, but approach with some caution to gauge the danger the serpent might pose. It can speak Common, and warns them away or it might become hungry to devour them. They can't quite tell if it sunk the vessel and ate its crew, or just came upon the wreckage itself, but they err on the side of caution and turn back towards the shore. They eventually arrive at the Well, climbing the dam and entering from the West. As they approach the Guild, they notice something strange smelling, like carrion in the area. They go inside and are greeted by Mel sitting by the evening fire, but the gnome hasn't noticed anything.



Gary heads outside and sniffs around and finds a corpse stuffed with crystalline rock candies, the PCs cautiously approach and realize that these candies and the items inside are part of the Summergaunt's leavings, an urban legend/holiday that occurs around the beginning of the Fall, after summer has parted. The city has stashes of the dyed rock candy everywhere for children to enjoy, but it seems someone has used it for a more sinister purpose...

Verget the 14th.

The PCs head to the Armory Square to report the murder, and they meet with the General himself, Scot Morrow. They learn that two other bodies have been found within the last week, one of a local whore and another a beggar. They also learn the craftsman they found is a vendor who sold things in the evening at local markets. Morrow dispatches some soldiers to clean up the body, and the PCs return to the Guild, where they meet with Oskar. Ser Stratton is away on business, having joined a Dig for higher ranking Guild members, and Oskar says he will be leading the next local Dig, with Fleshless Tess joining and Mel remaining to watch over the Guildhouse.

The PCs have the 3D map locked into the Guild's basement Vault, perhaps to be used for a Dig in the future, and Oskar presents them with three options to vote upon: clearing out the recently unearthed Spiderfang Mine at Fort Gurd to the north, exploring the Vault of Sustanne in Toul Tabor as per the map they found in the Dwarf Lords' rest, or helping the gnomes at Skachalo to clear the new Underway pass to Melethesz, since they have encountered some saboteurs in the tunnels beneath the Vernal Wall, and there might also be the ruins of some old civilization down there. The PCs unanimously vote to assist the Skirkwhistle Mining Co, and it turns out Tess has also voted that way, with Mel voting for the Vault since it might yield the most wealth. Oskar asks the PCs to gather supplies and try to fetch the porter Oatmeal in the morning.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

General Scot Morrow (human male): A lithe and handsome human of 50 summers, the General wears a fine maroon cloak bearing his rank badges over a shimmering suit of chain mail. A bone-carved longbow hangs from his shoulder, and a pair of white-hilted swords, one long and one short, are struck through his belt. His hair is kept well with a slight curl to it, and he wears a feathered brown hat. Even more impressive is the foot-long, violet tinted dragon that glares at you knowingly from astride the General’s shoulder.