Session 166 - Crawl, Walk, and THEN Run (8/18/24)

Verget the 18th.

The PCs express their concern that their might be a vampiric incursion upon dwarvenkind within the Province, and decide to amass silver for their weapons and warn the populace. Url Gnarlbottom, feeling guilty that he was partly responsible for selling the black urns over to Silester Strex, offers to fund them some coin for their purchases. They head out to acquire some silver weapons at Dronn's arsenal, but it turns out it would take longer than they'd like to finish, so they get what they can. Finian expresses a desire to return to his halfling form, but postpones it for the time being. They round up their cart and Gubbily, head out towards Livenoak before evening arrives.

It eventually does, and they spot a strange blaze coming nearer the shore of the Well. Gary flies over in owl form to check it out, and then fetches the others. A boat full of orc refugees has been dragged from the lake and burned, as if to hide evidence. After tracking to its source, the PCs find that several tracks and boats were moored nearby, and there's an abandoned campsite with a half-finished wooden carving of an orc female. They surmise that some refugees must have been murdered by those who don't want them here, and also find a cruse, serrated weapon similar to a khopesh sword which they think must belong to someone from Sothos Karr. They ride into Halehusk and once again spend the night, but in their cart at the stables.

Verget the 19th.

The PCs visit Ofra again to warn her about the refugees and the potential vampires, and then Finian speaks with Private Popper at the local Eidolorn tower. Gary gives the soldier the carving, and Popper confirms that the murdered refugees might have been the work of Verglu, a notorious mercenary and bounty hunter who bears the favor of Dror Gheel, the SlaveMaster of Sothos Karr, active in Floivin Province for some time.

The PCs decide to purchase some guard dogs at the local racing track and encounter a young man named Giri Groslin, who promises to get them some older dog that isn't racing anymore and is obedient and attentive. Finian wants some more aggressive, younger dogs so they approach Giri's brother and talk the drunk into giving them some bulldog pups. They also hire on Giri, after a rousing speech from Gary convinces them. The boy is curious about the higher pay he might gain in their employ. It's agreed he can work for them on a probationary basis, tasked with watching the dogs (three of which they acquire), though Finian doesn't think highly of him.

The PCs then go to Smeltbelly's warehouse to acquire some silvered items, and once Giri joins them with the three dog recruits, they mount their cart to finally head to Livenoak and find Oatmeal for the Guild, and then ultimately to make their way to Skachalo and the next Dig.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Bethel (female greyhound): A proud but old ex-racing dog missing a left ear, gray with streaks of brown on her coat, extremely well trained and behaved but possibly a little deaf.

Giri Groslin (human male): A teenage lout who works the fields surrounding the Groslin Dog Racing track in Halehusk, he has swarthy features, messy dark hair, and is missing the middle and ring finger on his left hand. Crudely charismatic, he manages to talk himself and his cutting shears into the employ of the PCs after a beautiful speech from Gary Greasewax.

Grag Goslin (human male): Taller, older brother of Giri, somewhere in his 20s and a village drunk about Halehusk, cannot even really be bothered that his sibling will be traveling off with stranger.

Middle (male bulldog): A gray-white bulldog around a year old, 'purchased' from the Goslins to train as a guard dog for the party. Named for one of Giri's missing fingers by the PCs.

Private Popper (human male): A human male in his late teenage years, with thick and muscular arms that contrast his chubbier stomach and legs. He has the stubble of a slowly emerging beard, matched in color by long hair that he has tied back in a ponytail. A chain shirt bearing the symbol of the Last Eidolorn does its best to conceal a growing gut, and in one hand he tightly clutches a pair of leather bull whips, one of which has a number of barbed lashes as its ends.

Ring (male bulldog): A dark brown bulldog around a year old, 'purchased' from the Goslins to train as a guard dog for the PCs, who named him for one of Giri's missing fingers.

Session 165: The Quarrel Over Quarrels (6/9/24)

Verget the 18th.

Gary extracts the corpse from the Halewatch basement, but stirs up enough noise that the soldiers within are awakened. Finian moves to cover for him with some nonsense story, but the guards don't trust him, and soon they face Captain Caiman and his men in the street, with the two drained corpses present. Caiman seems ignorant of following up on the murders, so he grants the PCs the bodies to do with as they wish, and they return them to Ofra, who positively identifies them. There is mention of a strange necromancer named 'Silester Strex' who was in the area at the time of the murders, with some silent companions. They decide they need to head back once again to Floivin Keep to report this, even though Ofra sends a messenger raven ahead. They fetch Gubbily from his chamber and head to Camm's Bit & Bridle where they speak with Pinyon, who also shows them the location where the barrel of corpses was find. They find a pair of thick 'rubber' gloves there, then get some rations from The Blind Vixen and steer their wagon back to the city.

They stop at some stables to inquire about the 'undead' horses that drove Silester's cart, and then head over to report all their findings to Major Winch, and how they resemble the corpse drainings they discovered early on when working for Lester Cretch. They visit Teven the Worm and trade him a libram of magical findings from the Dwarf Lord's Rest, in order for the location of the Flabbergast Manor, where they have heard Silester Strex has a membership. He uses divination to find the place, which is currently moored below the local bowyer, and they even earn some credit to use later. They head off to Bowyer Bigstrings, asking for the 'triple crossbow', and end up inside the Manor, where they speak to Edlund the receptionist of the Arkana Arkiva, and Dean Schnoo the Sorcerous himself. They know little of Strex's personal life, only that he's a paid member who once studied necromancy there for a few terms. They also hear that Strex was stopping by the area for a business opportunity involving the Gnarlbottoms and some relics they've uncovered.

The PCs feel these must have been the creepy urns they have encountered numerous times, first the ones given to Cretch before he left for Stavewulf, and later in the Saint's Acre and the Dwarf Lord's Rest. Gary uses his occult knowledge to discern that Strex's amulet, which had been described to him by Ofra, means he's a member of the Cult of the Unspared, followers of Tomas the Unspared, ruler of Vhorinyr, a frightful kingdom to the north of Wintersbreath, who had a hand not only in the taking of that province but an unsuccessful invasion of Floivin Province those same two decades ago. The PCs head to the Seven Floods Inn to speak with Url Gnarlbottom, who confirms that the man Silester Strex purchased several of the urns that his clan excavated from the Rest after the PCs had cleared it.

PCs: Finian, Gary, Indrid

NPCs

Private Elsmuth (human male): A middle aged, grumpy soldier with graying hair who serves under Captain Caiman in Halehusk, wears a sword to the exclusion of other standard issue Last Eidolorn weaponry.

Session 164: Cat Calls and Corpses (4/28/2024)

Verget the 16th.

Our heroes decide to make preparations before heading out to retrieve Oatmeal and then head to their next Gravers' Guild expedition at Skachalo. They first head over to speak with Major Winch about the missing Crethrien and her possible connection to the Thorns of Arjun, they also pass on a tip about the Thorns' possible contact at Hobfast. After this, they head to Tevan the Worm to get their weapons imbued with the striking runes, and the stables to get the wagon they procured from the Crossbow Bros. after their failed assassination. The stablemaster is only too happy to rid himself of that, sells the PCs some horses and sends them on their merry way.

The PCs roll into Halehusk in the evening and speak to a lazy private outside the guard tower, then speak direction to Captain Caiman, warning the lizardman of the rumored activities of the Thorns which might have passed through the village en route to Toul Tabor. They hear some rumors about recent murders and such, but head over to stay at the Lone Wheel Inn. They speak with the barkeep and meet a gnome who has had some trouble on the road and wishes seek travel to Skachalo, the PCs agree but only if they can bring him along to Livenoak in the meantime. As they are taking their meal, Gary notices a strange exotic cat roaming about the bar freely.

Verget the 17th.

As the PCs are settling in on the second floor of the Inn, there is a scratching at the shutters, and they realize it's the same strange cat (a caracal), trying to get their attention. They decide to follow it when it leaves, Gary also transforming into the same breed of cat, which freaks out the original. It leads them into the Blind Vixen, where they speak to the jungle elf proprietor Ofra, to whom the caracal is an animal companion. She is concerned about the bodies that were discovered at the stables in recent weeks, and asks if the PCs will investigate since the Eidolorn Guard seem to have given up on it. She believes the corpses are still kept in the basement to the Hale Tower.

The PCs debate just asking Captain Caiman once more, or taking the law into their own hands, and they decide somewhere in the middle, sending in Gary in an insect wildshape to stake out the corpses while the others watch, and then plan to confront the Guard if they intervene. Gary heads into the bulkhead to the disconnected Hale Tower cellar, and finds two bodies stuffed into a barrel...they appear to have been drained of almost all their fluids, and when he flattens out the bodies on the floor of the cellar, he notes that they have puncture marks upon them...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Artur Runibald (human male): Despite his obvious age, well over 70, this portly human dyes his shoulder-length hair and well-trimmed goatee to appear as if he were much younger, but can’t hide the cracks on his face and the lilt in his step. He wears fine boots with steel heels and carries about a switch with a brass pommel. 

Crussock (human male): The portly barkeep at the Lone Wheel House is a broad-shouldered man just under six feet tall, with thick, tattooed arms that he displays under a cream-colored shirt and leather jerkin. His jaw is flat with a fairly severe underbite, and his thick sideburns are long enough to hang to the sides of his chin. Despite that, his hair is thinning into mere patches on the top of his skull, and he ties the rest into a knot in the back. A corkscrew and paring knife are tucked into his leather belt along with a number of pouches.

Gubbily Sturrow (gnome male): This three foot tall gnome is towered over by nearly everyone he meets. His thick spectacles accent his kind, blue-gray eyes, and his forehead is heavily sunburned to the point its peeling beneath his fluffy white hairline. He wears a thick coat and vest that are heavily weighed down by all manner of small tools and measures, and extended from his belt is a retractable spring-arm, firmly clutching a steaming cup of tea. He clutches a folio of loose, messy papers beneath one arm, and an unusual walking stick in the other.

Ofra Naande (wild elf female): An elven woman with an unusual bronzed caramel tint to her skin, and silky black hair tied into a long braid that hangs down to her waist, where it is tied off. Her age is difficult to guess, although she does have some cracks about her deepset chestnut eyes that would hint at a long and eventful life. She keeps a scimitar on her waist, dressed in an exotic scabbard of some brown & white leopard skin, and an extravagant shirt the shades of a peacock, above fine leather breeches. Her toenails are painted a bright, chalky pink which stands out against her sandals and skin.

Shekrazaa (? caracal): A 2’ tall wild cat with reddish-tan fur, a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears and long canine teeth. It glare at you playfully from amber colored eyes and rolls about the barroom, as if its beckoning you to rub its belly.

Session 163: Honor Among Thieves, Not Among Thorns (1/14/24)

Verget the 15th.

The PCs go about their tasks to gather up the porter and link-girl they had with them at the Dwarf Lord's Rest, so they head out to the Twin Lizard Tap where they expect to find Oatmeal. It turns out he hasn't been seen in a few days and is reportedly using his Gravers' Guild earnings to gamble, out in the village of Livenoak that the group has visited before. They also ask about Crethien's whereabouts, but run into more problems there. Knowing that she runs with a shady crowd, they decide to visit the Dirty Dagger Alehouse in order to find someone they could inquire with. The barkeep tells them that they should seek out Ivellio Roodeye, a local expert in the activities of thieves, that often frequents this very location. He's not present for the time being, so the PCs decide to do some further recruiting.

They head to the Cathedral of Blades in search of hiring on a clergy member for healing purposes, and it just happens that the place has attracted a crowd due to a visit by Regent Luciot Halfarne. Finian manages to make a scene, insulting the pompous leader, and continues to trade barbs until the clergy round him up and take him into an office. Finian tells them of his requests for a healer to accompany the Guild dig, citing that it's not merely a profitable venture but one that can help the Province in general as it will involve the mysterious sabotages at the Underway. The Cathedral is hesitant to offer any of their clerics in residence, but offers him a writ to get the services of one Everie Tasker, a soldier with clerical experience who is stationed at Skachalo, where the PCs are headed to begin with. Finian leaves the Cathedral after a few more choice words with the Regent.

After gathering some more information, the trio decides to head south of the Keep to possibly infiltrate the Floivin Sewers, where rogues are reputed to hide out, thinking that Crethien might be held down there. As it is heavily guarded, they change courses, staking out the Dirty Dagger Alehouse for Ivellio Roodeye, who they find and tail. He ends up spotting them and they have a conversation in a location away from prying eyes and ears. It turns out he is reforming his old guild 'The Stride' and doesn't know about the whereabouts of Crethien, only she is possible involved with the Thorns of Arjun, a secretive humanoid organization of assassins and criminals who Ivellio considers a rival to himself. He has a lead on the Thorns, an old woman by the name of Strekla who can occasionally be found at the Fish Market in Hobfast.



The PCs decide to chase that lead later, in the meantime they're to rescue Oatmeal from his vices and head off to Skachalo to recruit Pvt. Tasker and meet with Oskar and Tess.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

Ivellio Roodeye (elf male): A confident looking wood elf with handsome features and just a few tufts of grayness in his long blonde hair. He wears a fine brown cloak and breeches with a fine gold tunic, but a number of leather pouches bulge from beneath the tunic. A sheathed short sword and dagger are worn at his belt.

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.

Session 161: The Stomp in the Swamp (9/17/23)

Verget the 9th

Our heroes discover that the source of the thumping and unnatural fogs are a pair of vile marsh giants, who engage them to make a handy snack out of the trio. The PCs survive the initial onslaught of rock throwing but then engage them in melee, which is nearly a fatal mistake, as the massive humanoids trip them with their gaffes and then pound them all over the swamp. Gary falls to the violence after trying to ward them off his friends with his 'blazing dive' maneuver, but manages to stabilize. Indrid and Finian are nearly reduced to corpses but through sheer luck and a few missed swings, they turn the corner and fell both of the creatures. After that they desperately heal themselves and search the creatures' belongings, taking their gaffes and some unusual items within, including a slimy whip. They decide on a very long 12-hour rest period and shift between watches. During the middle watch, Finian notices a strange two-tailed crow flittering about the Marsh, but it doesn't spot them in their concealed camp.


Verget the 10th

The following morning, the PCs continue their trek northward towards the Midge Creek, stopping to apply more healing along the way after the wounds they received from the giants. Gary identifies a few of the items' properties that they found, and later wild shapes into a bird to get the lay of the land and steer the party towards a thin column of smoke near the approaching river. He notices a commotion in the marsh canopy off to the west but the trio ignores it, and eventually arrives by evening at a humble campsite where they finally meet Brofous Bellowbroth. The dwarf is engaging in missionary work to assist refugees from Sothos Karr, and his companion, an orc named Oodagh the Kindly, seems to hold some sort of leadership position among said refugees. 

Finian presents him with the head of the Axe of Dwarven Lords, completing his quest for the Hall of Mercies, and paying off the raising of Gary from the dead. Brofous seems confused at first but realizes it may have something to do with his ancestry, and promised he will return to the Hall and begin his quest to find the rest of the weapon. Ale is shared with the PCs and then they are offered rest at the camp, which they take. Through the night, an occasional voice is heard of other orcs, male and female, who are either scouting or helping traffic more refugees to safety.

Verget the 11th

In the morning, a group of them has assembled for a breakfast fish fry, to which the PCs are invited. Oodagh says there is a strange bird that has been squawking their names, and despite Gary's attempt to drown himself, they realize that the weird two-tailed crow must have been sent from Oskar, as it cites their names and says 'Oskar wants you', 'Big Dig', apparently heralding the next Gravers' Guild expedition is almost underway. The PCs decide to return back to Floivin Keep, and are offered the camp's sole boat to speed their way, if they can in return send it back and perhaps some others. They agree to the terms, and rest and heal a bit more before embarking.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs:

Brofous Bellowbroth (dwarf male): A handsome young adult dwarf with flowing locks and a thick but well-maintained beard. He has thick arms and a barrel-chest adorned with a chain shirt of some excellent craftsmanship, and a gray tunic with a pair of crossed white battleaxes. His own battleaxe is handled with relative ease, and his left leg seems to disappear beneath the knee, replaced with a jointed plate legging and boot.

Oodagh the Kindly (orc male): A tall and lanky orc with pale yellowish skin, discolored eyes of red and green, and a prominent, broken tusk on the bottom left corner of his mouth. He wears a tunic and breeches that seem to be entirely composed of multi-colored cloth patches, while a wide straw hat and a pair of primitive wooden clogs round out his attire. A fishbone flensing knife and a knotted ash cudgel hang from a loose snakeskin belt.

Session 160: Can I Keep My Bodies? (3/19/22)

Verget the 9th

By the light of the morning, our heroes more closely examine the 3-D map they found stashed beneath Boyl's Baubles, and realize that it must belong to the Crowslode, the dangerous cavern network in the northern Vernal Wall of Floivin Province. It's a miracle of fine glass and stonework, and each of the nine layers is labeled differently, from initial cavernous levels to an underwater lake, a massive bridge through the underdark, a maze of crystals, and an Illithid city! They decide to bring this to the Eidolorn Guard, specifically Lt. Silverstrings, who says they can keep it. She ultimately hides it for them in one of the barracks until it can be transported to the Gravers Guild in Floivin Keep, but not before Indrid and Finian carry it back and forth to their river barge...

Which they find has been broken into by some creature dragging mud and lakeweed behind it. Finian climbs above Roy's Rods, Reels & Rubbers to get a better look, and notices that the strange muddy tracks are all over the docks, not just on their own vessel. Indrid rushes back to warn the Lieutenant again, fearing that these might relate to the lake creatures that Gary had a brush with on their way over to Hobfast a day or so before. Supplies are gathered, and the PCs head west from Hobfast to try and locate the dwarf Brofous Bellowbroth, to whom Finian is supposed to deliver the volcanic axe-head artifact.

After some hours of travel, where the Tooth Marsh darkens beneath a thicker canopy, they run across some mounds of orc corpses forming little hills. It turns out that they are being 'worn' by large, turtle-like creatures who try and add the PCs to their collection! However, using a flurry of blades, arrows and druid magics, the creatures are rather quickly dispatched...other than one which has the common sense to surrender, as they possess a limited speech and intelligence. The creature, retreated into its shell, begs for its life by giving them information...it knows a bit about the dwarf Brofous, and also warns them away from Cheeky's Hollow, a location they were headed towards.



They let the creature (a graveshell) go, and head west anyways, thinking they will find Saffron, a local druidess who can guide them, or perhaps Brofous himself, but when they arrive, the Hollow has been covered with thick vegetation and a pulsing plant door which is sealed. They encounter a strange old man, the 'Trufflefinder General' of the Eidolorn Empire, who doesn't seem all that right in the head. He attempts to enlist the trio into helping him break into the plant-crusted marsh hill where he might find some exotic specimens of mushroom for the Royal Table of Emperor Borth, but they turn the man down. Regardless, in exchange for some shroom-scavenging, he directs them closer to wear Brofous is holed up near Midge Creek, where he assists orc refugees fleeing from Sothos Karr into the Empire.

The trio parts ways with the mysterious elder, and travels several hours more into the evening, when they encounter thick, rolling fogs across the reedy, tree-speckled marshes. As they pause to set up camp, there is a steady, heavy thumping that shakes the earth nearby!

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

Eriel Swann (half-elf female): A striking, lithe young woman with delicate features, her ears just pointed enough to reveal her elfin heritage. Bright blonde hair serves as a contrast to the full set of black leather armor, boots and gloves that she wears, and her satin cloak is deep purple. She carries a mandolin of finely carved birchwood, and a bone-hilted saber hangs by her side.

Grum'brol'so (graveshell female): A large, turtle-like predator with a spiked shell, small but bright yellow eyes and a curiously shaped, toothy maw twisted into a perpetual grin.

Scarlton Thurn II, Trufflefinder General (human male): A bespectacled, inquisitive human somewhere in his 60s, with a slender nose and a knowing grin which seems etched onto his face. The clothing on his upper body seems to note some official or royal status, offset by the marshy garlands and leaves he wears upon his shoulders and cowl. Below the waist, his legs are bare, save for the hair and mud-spatter which cover them, ending in a pair of filthy sandals. He leans upon a two-handed sword in some disrepair, also camouflaged with foliage from the local surroundings, and has a pair of half-stuffed sacks slung across his shoulders.

Session 159: Just Say No (2/12/23)

Verget the 8th

The PCs land at the docks of Hobfast, then decide whether to travel through the village in disguise. Indrid and Finian decide to take the straightforward route, and pay Grandfather Hosspotch a visit, with the latter using the hat of disguise to appear as his old self, and Gary also wild shaping into a halfling that he can go unnoticed. They are admitted to see Grandfather by a pair of young roughs, but discover that the old man is rather ill with the 'Fall Haze', which the mysterious halfling Gary cures. The Hosspotch patriarch makes things right with Finian and Indrid, apologizing for Harley Hosspotch and his ambitions which might have inevitably turned into a coup for his own position. He does warn them that there might be some other bounty hunters or assassins that the late Harley paid off to deal with the pair, and he also lets them know that Brofous Bellowbroth has been serving as a missionary to help orc refugees in the Tooth Marsh.

Next they kill some time by visiting Boyl's Baubles, where they meet one Wesper Veks, who inherited the place from its former owner. He sells all manner of drug paraphernalia, pipeweed and other substances, as well as the baubles and charms from the old shop. Gary picks up a few that he detected were magical, and the three head over to go fishing by the docks and kill some time before meeting Lt. Keira Silverstrings for drinks. Gary takes one of the narcotics he acquired off Veks, and begins to feel strangely refreshed, but also paranoid, and hallucinates that everyone is watching him, including all the freshwater life beneath Udders Well, which he confirms in both a fish form, and a shark form, before Indrid wrestles him out of the beach with his metallic arm. Finian has some luck fishing, but not a lot are biting with the shark about...



Before deciding where to next, they visit with Captain Fowler for a friendly conversation, and then pick up Lt. Silverstrings for drinks. They grab a bottle at the Crimson Harpy, but Gary (understandably) doesn't want to go inside, since he was kidnapped and held captive beneath the tavern in his original half-elf days. So they end up at Finians' parents house, which it turns out has been ransacked numerous times, inside and out, presumably by rogue elements of the Hosspotches that were working for Harley. Finian cleans some of the mess and they take their cups. Keira retires to the barracks after a few hours, and the rest decide to get some sleep, though Gary wants to burn the midnight oil and spend some time working on his tome of wisdom. He hears a sound around midnight and senses someone nearby, but the culprit flees before he can get outside.

He wakes the others and they manage to track the prints to the large ash tree hanging across the waterway from Boyl's Baubles. They all find various means to climb it, and get inside to find that there is a stash of burglarized items in a hollow way up on one of the larger tree boughs, along with a corpse. Indrid leaves to round up the Eidolorn Guard, and brings back a Private while the other two watch over the goods, which Gary uses detect magic on, and discovers that a key on a twine bracelet around the skeleton's wrist glows. Unfortunately, he breaks the skeleton to get it, and they further demolish it as they lower the stash down to the marsh floor where the summoned Eidolorn Guard can bring it back to the barracks to return to the townsfolk. Before that, he interviews Veks, who seems innocent enough and himself claims to have heard footsteps up on the roof of his shop. The drug dealer goes back into his shop, and Indrid investigates the roof, to find little more than bird droppings and a torn package of weed.

Captain Fowler arrives, and once again questions Veks because they find the situation suspicious, and then they also find some of the shopkeep's ANSWERS suspicious, so he is taken 'for tea' to the barracks, and Fowler deputizes Indrid to search Boyl's Baubles thoroughly while the (now) dwarves stand watch. They find no records of anything shady, but some suits of leather armor, some thieves' tools in a drawer, the spot behind the service counter where Wesper stores the heavier narcotics, and a trap door below his wardrobe in the back room...It leads down into a crawlspace, full of old, forgotten goods, dusty and undisturbed. The main feature, however, is a large wooden square box, with a lock that glows magically, and the PCs manage to struggle it up through the trap door, and then use the key from the corpse in the tree to open it...

Within, they find an unusual, 9-layer swiveling 3D-map built of glass and stone...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Wesper Veks (human male): A reed-thin human in his middle years, he has slick black hair, tied back in braids, and a wrinkled brow above a pair of sea-green eyes that seem astonished at everything around him. His jerkin and breeches are fanciful, with lots of patterns dancing on the fabric, and his boots appear to have cleats on them for tramping about in the muck of the Tooth Marsh. A dagger and short sword, their pommels jeweled, are tucked neatly into sheathes at his waist, and he carries a satchel over his shoulder which seems to be made from the skin of a serpent or crocodile.

Session 158: He is Risen. Again. (11/13/22)

This is the first session in which we switched to the Pathfinder 2nd Edition rules. 

Verget the 6th

After a hardfought victory against the Hosspotch traffickers and Low Crow slavers, Finian is relieved to find his parents and siblings in the quarry, along with two strangers, one of whom turns out to be a fugitive of the Hare Runners tribe of Vandrokk, and the other a former barmaid at the Crimson Harpy who was kidnapped after being caught taking from the till. The PCs find keys to free them all, and then searches throughout the quarry, finding several bags of treasure on a mine cart behind a false wall (that leads to a somewhat-intact shaft into the earth), a few chests of fancy wardrobe, an old ballista, and some weapons and coin on the fallen enemies. They gather everyone up, mend any wounds they can, and march at dawn, hard to the Pinewater, where the Garbal awaits.

Verget the 7th

A bit indignant that they're traveling with a corpse, Gary's remains are moved to the rear of the barge while Finian's family occupies the cabin. They pass through Cedarway where Billfro, Finian's rash younger brother, decides to get off and explore. They continue south onto the Well and towards Great Axe Isle, where they seek to have Gary raised at the Hall of Mercies. En route, they are surrounded by a trio of scaly, sinewy humanoids, but a confrontation is avoided. At the stone docks north of the Hall of Mercies, they purchase some fish and converse with a local angler about the Isle, before Finian, Blake and Indrid head off with the corpse to the Hall. They are met by a number of heavily armored dwarf sentries, who are confused as to why Finian cannot speak Dwarven (being a Dwarf) but his human and halfling companions can. 

Eventually, after being thoroughly vetted, they meet the Lady of Life, who turns out to be the same priestess that awaited them at the tent outside the Dwarf Lords' Rest. She knows that Finian and Gary are not who they seem to be, not dwarves, and that Finian carries the head of the Axe of Dwarvish Lords upon his person. In return for bringing back Gary, she requests that the Axe-head be brought to its rightful bearer, Brofous Bellowbroth, a charitable paladin who roams the western regions of Floivin Province. He feels highly compelled to comply with her wish, and after some further discussion, they leave the Hall back to the docks. It is decided that Finian's family will remain and take up residence in an abandoned guard shack not too far from the shoreline, and that Tarkys, the ex-Vandrakki, who has blood oathed himself to the PCs for freeing him, will protect them, at least until things cool down with the renegade Hosspotches. Fond farewells are said.

Back at the Garbal, Finian, Indrid, Fest, Tab, Blake and Myrsha wait, until Gary at last arrives, having been raised by the Lady and several of her acolytes. They embrace, although the druid is fairly weak as he adjusts from his death-state. They set out in the late afternoon to Tarndim, and arrive as darkness falls once more. Blake, his privates and Myrsha all say their fond farewells to the PC, welcoming them back whenever help is needed. The trio then decides they will sleep at the docks after Indrid gets them some finger foods, coffee and liquor at the nearby Alebraids Brewery.

Verget the 8th

The PCs set out west to Hobfast, hoping to clean up some loose ends and find Brofous Bellowbroth, when they find themselves surrounded once more by the scaly things, only MORE of them. The creatures once again decide against confrontation and swim off East toward the shores near Tarndim, so Gary transforms into a bird to fly off and warn the soldiers. First he swoops low, to try and communicate, but is met with a nasty barbed spear throw that thankfully misses. He finds Private Tab at the Wellwatch Tower, notifies him of the potential threat, and then heads back towards the Garbal. Though they are nervous about what these watery raiders might be up to, they continue west towards Hobfast, where their adventure began...

PCs: Blake Bauerkroft/Gary Greasewax, Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Alba Redfoot (halfling female): The kindly, frail matron of the Redfoots, Finian's mother is missing most of her teeth beneath a silver bun of hair, but that doesn't stop her from being one of the best home cooks out of Hobfast.

Billfro Redfoot (halfling male): The brash, younger brother of Finian, with unkempt hair and sideburns, swings a sling around as he struts and has an attitude that can rub nearly anyone wrong, also feels he is in constant competition with his brother, tries to be interested and complimentary but is constantly looking to make some snide boast or insult.

Myrsha (human female): A freckled young woman with dirty red-orange hair, she wears little more than a large burlap sack and a pair of wooden sandals.

Quintin Redfoot (halfling male): The patriarch of the current Redfoot family, well into his years, Qintin is a portly fellow, balding with gray flops of hair over his ears and wireframe spectacles, who hobbles about on a walking stick. 

Shar, The Lady of Life (dwarf female): A striking female dwarf, barefoot and dressed in a diaphanous gown steps towards you across the polished stone of the Hall. Her eyes are unusual, seeming to change color before your own, never quite locking down on a particular hue, and her flame-colored hair is set in an elaborate pattern of braids that hangs behind a central bun. Strangely, she has grown carefully groomed sideburns that creep along her jaw-line, beset with jeweled rings, but not giving off the masculine appearance that a full beard might. 

Tarkys (human male): A tall human with a limber but powerful frame, he wears little more than a pair of leather shoes and filthy cloth breeches. His exposed chest, back and arms are criss-crossed with what look to be ritual scars, and his long sandy hair hangs down his back and also into his steely grey eyes. He is chained much more severely than the other prisoners in the quarry.

Winipeel Redfoot (halfling female): Perhaps the sanest or most grounded of the Redfoots, an anchor for her family, she is gracious and favors floral-patterned dresses to sway about with her red-brown hair.

Session 157: Where the Wind Crows (5/31/22)

Verget the 5th.

The PCs manage to butcher the first of the lake trolls, sending the other fleeing out (presumably) into the lake. They search through the remains in their lair to not much avail, and then decide to gather up Gary's remains and head back to Tarndim on the trail of the Hosspotch smugglers they saw fleeing earlier. The locals who saw them claim that the halflings continued eastward across the Skunk Ridge. Blake musters a pair of soldiers to accompany them in case they need some manpower. They decide to take out the E.E. Garbal, the barge they purchased, so they can keep a close scan on the shoreline for the fugitives while they head towards the meeting place where Finian's family might be held captive, and possible make a stop off at Great Axe Isle and the Hall of Mercies, to potentially raise Gary.

En route, as they near the point where the Pinewater joins the Well, they spy a rocky promontory, where a massive figure sits by a firelight talking to something else...presumably a pet. Indrid and Blake creep up to scout out the situation, when soon a booming, threatening voice greets them, and an eviscerated cattle is launched down upon them, missing as it rains its insides out over the hillside. The pair decide it wise to retreat back to the barge, and the group continues on towards Cedarway up the Pinewater.

Verget the 6th.

They moor the Garbal in Cedarway and ask around, but none have seen the halfling smugglers. They check the Bounders Meet campsite where they meet the centaur Nazlareth Moontemper of the Bounders, who trades them a few healing potions and encourages them on their way. They get back on their barge and proceed north until a point near the map they saw, and then moor the craft, stowing Gary's remains on board. After a brief journey, they arrive at a quarry which is heavily guarded by a mixture of cloaked, secretive halflings and savages of the Low Crow tribe from Wintersbreath. They plan out a grand strategy but it is quickly abandoned when they are spied by a mutant dire crow that serves the tribe.

A ferocious battle ensues, as they face down not only a cabal of murderous criminals but a Low Crow shamaness and several chakram-hurling Vandrakki. Soon the battle is joined by another trio of nefarious figures...Harley Hosspotch, Masaka/Gary's cousin Balo Reddenbalm (who turns out, is not so dead or kidnapped), and a gaudy looking halfling wearing purple with all manner of tricky magical abilities. Miraculously, the PCs persevere and whittle down the array of enemies, slaying their treacherous cousins and routing the Low Crows. The purple-garbed bard manages to vanish when the tide turns, and a few smugglers potentially scurried off into the hills, but the threat to Finian's folk has been quelled...for now.



PCs: Blake Bauerkroft, Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Balo Reddenbalm (wood elf male): A wiry, handsome wood elf with a head of short, stylish hair that looks as if he’s constantly groomed it. Tattoos cover a part of his neck and look as if they extend down his arm, and he wears a fine green cloak with a golden trim. Daggers and vials are stuck through a bunch of loops in his belt, and he absent-mindedly fidgets with a thin, coppery sword.

Nazlareth Moontemper (centaur female): Standing 7’ tall, this creature has the body, legs and tail of a horse with a coarse, brown-black coat. From the waist up she is an exquisite woman, full-breasted with a muscular torso and arms. All her skin is dyed with some pale white pigmentation, with black tribal designs including star and moon shapes that surround her violet eyes. A thick mane of black-gray hair is braided elaborately down her back, and she wears a mail brazier, plated shoulder pads, and a violet and gray shawl over where a saddle might normally be slung. A knotted oak spear the size of a man is clutched in her right hand, its head of sharpened bone or ivory, and a longbow and quiver of arrows are carried over her shoulders.

Private Fest (human male): A thickly moustached infantryman of the Last Eidolorn Guard, he serves under Blake at Tarndim, and is one of the two mustered to accompany the PCs towards the slave tradeoff.

Private Tab (human male): A young crossbowman of the Last Eidolorn Guard, he serves under Blake at Tarndim, and is the other of the two mustered to accompany the PCs towards the slave tradeoff.

??? (halfling male): A flamboyant, well-dressed halfling in purple frills, with a fancy tophat and a slender parasol crowned with a gilded weasel’s skull. He dons a colorful thespian’s mask over his face, flanked by deep auburn mutton chops. Around his neck hangs what looks like a silvery hybrid of flute and whistle, and the backs of his black leather gloves have thin blades wedged into them. A strapped-shut book hangs on a waist-chain.

Session 155: Downtime, Down the Hatch (2/6/22)

Martenin the 31st-Verget the 3rd.

The PCs spend a number of days in downtime, identifying items they acquired at the Dwarf Lords' Rest with Teven the Worm, getting Fleshless Tess raised back to her skeleton self, upgrading armor and equipment and dodging shady individuals that they think might be spying on the guild for the Hosspotches. Crethrien and Oatmeal disappear to their normal civilian lives, while Mel and Oscar hold down the Guild Business. Sir Stratton heads off to talks about the next potential dig for the Guild, wasting little time. There are apparently two possibilities, one at the new 'highway' being built between Skachalo and the provice of Melethesz (through the Vernal Wall), and another a mysterious cavern network that has recently been discovered near the recently built Fort Gurd in the Northwest of Floivin Province.

Verget the 4th.

A mysterious dispatch is received by Finian which puts him in a tight spot, as it appears that his direct family is in danger by some rogue continent of the Hosspotches...the note appears to be from Grandfather himself!

Finian, Indrid and Gary make haste to find a boat that can cross the Well, and finally meet a rugged man by the name of Garbal who they will pay to row them North to Tarndim. After heading back to tell the Guild their business, and gathering some supplies, they rejoin Garbal and set out. After a few hours, they find a mysterious black barge, which looks as if it had been burned and/or damaged, but they decide to ignore it for now. Soon after, as they are growing nearer the north shore of the Well, they encounter a massive, mutant catfish which assaults their watercraft. The fight is brutal, and Garbal is consumed in a single gulp by the creature, before the PCs manage to slay it with some clever swordplay and Gary wild shaped into a giant pike! The druid decides to tow the boat, AND the catfish prize, into Tarndim, where it attracts much curiosity. The fishermen on the docks carve it open and find Garbal's remains and some other items which they pass on to the PCs. Indrid and Gary travel to the Tarndim Shipyards just outside the village where they purchase a river barge for the morrow.

As evening sets in, the PCs get some free samples at the local brewery, and decide to pay the local Hosspotch Holdings a visit, which they do carefully. The local proprietor, Hurn, agrees to speak with them and aid them the best he can, but doesn't know much about where Finian's captive family might be held. He has been ordered by Grandfather to assist. Still not trusting the Hosspotch family, the PCs head to the Steady Oar to procure rooms for the night, where they make the acquaintance of the mayor, Blake Bauerkroft, celebrated hero of the Province. The mayor hears their grievances and says he does know of a lakeside cavern network where smugglers have been known to gather, and he himself will guide them there on the following morning.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs

Blake Bauerkroft (human male): Nephew to a former Regent Reginald Bauerkroft, Blake is one of the few non-military mayors in Floivin Province, assigned to the small fishing village of Tarndim to conduct affairs there. He's lightly bearded, with orange hair, and presumable in his mid to late 40s. He also looks as if he's seen a few fights, with scarring along his jawline, arms and hands. He wears a suit of well-kept but broken-in chainmail.

Garbal (human male): A muscle-armed, tanned man in his early 50s, with short curly gray hair and a matching chin goatee, he's the pilot and 'captain' of a rowboat named Lotty and briefly transported the PCs from Floivin Keep to Tarndim before being devoured by a giant catfish in the Well.

Gredgeon (human male): An exhausted looking man of some sixty years, with sad-ringed eyes and unkempt facial hair, he works out of the Steady Oar in Tarndim and constantly sports an apron smeared in fish grease. His left eye tends to wander out of its normal position from time to time, which can make conversation awkward.

Holby Hosspotch (halfling male): A stout halfling with a protruding belly so large that it almost gives him a spherical appearance. His dirty blonde hair is cropped short and slicked down with some manner of grease, and the top of his left ear seems to have been gnawed off by a wild dog or some other beast. He wears a cloth apron full of utilities, and chews on a wad of lakeside reeds.

Hurn Hosspotch (halfling male): A dour halfling male whose face resembles a block of wood chiseled with a nose, eyes, ears and brows. His dark hair is unkempt as a contrast to his ordered features, but cut right at his neckline. He wears a practical, deep green merchant’s vest over navy blue breeches, and has a ledger tacked to a wooden board, tucked up under his left arm. A silver windup watch on a chain swings from his opposite wrist.

Polma (human male): A filthy street urchin with a no-nonsense attitude, a tobacco habit, and poor manners who is often employed as a courier by various businesses and military personal within Floivin Keep. He's yet another commoner to strike it rich and the hands of Finian Redfoot and his propensity to over-tip the help.

Jetta Mandas (human female): A wiry girl barely out of her teens, she nonetheless has strong hands and wears a mail shirt she crafted herself. Her hair is kept in a short, dirty blonde bowl, she has eyes of a piercing green, and she has three beauty marks on her right cheek which seem like points to form a triangle.

Session 154: Dwarf Lords' Unrest Part VI - Daylight (1/9/22)

Martenin the 28th.

The PCs put Oatmeal to work sifting through the bone-pile in the hook horrors' lair, while Finian and Indrid watch the baby hook horrors to make sure they don't cause any trouble. At one point, the porter stumbles across a steel-jawed dwarven trap that was also hidden in the bonepile, but manages to avoid getting snagged within it. They find a number of curious objects, some coin, and most importantly, a small coffer with the final entrance rune on the lid. Gary detects magic on the piles of goodies they have acquired in the last few areas. Then the group decides to rest for a day to get Gary back in working order. On Indrid's watch, he notices familiar blue glows coming from the wall of a nearby cavern, and thus Mel casts up another illusionary wall to obscure the group while they rest up.

Martenin the 29th.

The Guild rises and the awakened Gary casts a round of healing to help get the group back to the entrance, and they all decide what it is left they'd like to check out. They agree to avoid the chamber with the silver dust ward and vibrating obsidian urns, but they want to take a closer look at the natural cavern with the glass webs. As they get closer, the PCs notice there are other glassed sections deeper into the cave, but ultimately decide its not worth it to pursue searching the web itself. They continue on to the entrance area of the Rest, where they are once more confronted by the three blue-limned undead dwarves they had already defeated! The fell things get some good hits in on Indrid, but are unable to defeat the PCs who are now higher level and better armed.



At the entrance, the group decides to skip the rune placement, holding on to the dozen stone runes, and Gary uses stone shape to get around the entrance, sealing it up behind them. When they emerge, it is evening on the Crown Pasture. Url Gnarlbottom still waits for them, but he has been joined by a priestess from the Hall of Mercies. They speak briefly with the Guild, then load them into a covered wagon to take them back to Floivin Keep. Url tips off some soldiers and exchanges words, assumedly giving them the go-ahead to re-establish their watch tent near the Rest, and they roll off to the Guild. Oskar is elated to see them all again, embracing Sir Stratton, and the whole company enjoys a toast at their success before getting down to dividing their spoils...

The Gnarlbottom/Hall of Mercies contingent takes a few important religious relics and items of historical value, but doesn't argue much with giving the Guild much of the wealth. Oskar does warn the PCs that several rough-looking representatives of the Hosspotch family have been around inquiring about their whereabouts. Soon Url departs, and Indrid counts the remainder of the wealth, half of which will go straight to Mel, Tess and the Guild vaults, and the rest to the three PCs. At the request of the PCs, Stratton generously tips Crethrien and Oatmeal an additional 100gp, more wealth than they've owned in their lives, and they are quite happy. The Guild retires for the night, preparing for their shopping on the morrow.

Martenin the 30th.

The PCs awake to a nice breakfast cooked by Oskar. Sir Stratton has gone off for the day to discuss further expeditions for the Guild, one of which might be from the Skirkwhistle Mining Co. that are responsible for building the highway route beneath the Vernal Wall East to better connect Floivin Province and Melethesz for trading purposes. It appears that there are saboteurs and other dangers the engineers have come across that they can't handle themselves. The group heads outside to head off to Teven the Worm, and while they don't notice any Hosspotches nearby, Finian spies a group of rugged looking humans holding a conversation nearby that cast him some curious glances.

At Teven the Worm, the PCs begin the long process of identifying the properties of their magical haul from the Rest. There are too many for the Worm to handle in a single day, so they will return on the morrow, and they also trade him enough that he'll animate Tess again the following morning.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

Runcee (dwarf female): This stout dwarven woman wears a deep green cloak with a brass tinted trim of rune-shapes, and keeps the hood drawn over much of her face. There are similar runes, blue tattoos that are visible on her chin and cheeks, and she has surprisingly soft, wide eyes when revealed.

Session 152: Dwarf Lords' Unrest, Part IV (10/10/21)

Martenin the 27th.

The fiery light the PCs are confronted with turns out to be a green-burning skull and a quartet of disembodied skeletal arms wielding weapons, which attack them immediately. The skull fires out missiles of energy repeatedly, which our heroes cannot avoid, but they eventually manage to bring it down while they face off against the arms. The skull continues to regenerate so they keep hitting it, Indrid eventually tries to crush it, but it starts to reconstitute, so Mel drops it in the acidic green goo in the Bellowbroth burial chamber. Gary wild shapes into a carnivorous ape to toss the column off the giant anvil in the chamber, which turns out to be some sort of chest. In order to open it, they need to find a square headed hammer. Desiring to search the sarcophagus in the slime, the ape begins to pull it after attaching the gargoyle grappling hook. This activates the hammer golem in the chamber, and a desperate race begins. Thanks to a team effort and a pair of blows from Tess wielding the Grizzlebeard pick-axe, they are able to destroy it before it can do more than maul Ape-Gary a few times.



Sure enough, they find a square-headed hammer in the tomb of O_wy_ B_ll_w_br_th and crack open the not-anvil, to find a large amount of treasure bearing the Bellowbroth crest. Platinum bars, signet rings, and gems which cause the Grizzlebeard pick-axe to flash with an uncanny light. More importantly, a tome, a strange staff and a heavily ornate axe-head which the freshly dwarven Finian Redfoot picks up, causing him to take a point of Charisma damage and his magical short sword to instantly melt...some sort of curse. They surmise that this might be a piece of an artifact which was once used to banish the Death Titan Ulan Vhor by the hero Anwyl Bellowbroth. They use whatever healing potions they have left in the cache or from the Krennyk clan sepulcher drawers. Tess 'introduces' the others to their savior, the pick-axe known as Trogbane, which she claims has been speaking to her since she wielded it. Although it's not used to being wielding by a skeleton, it thinks Tess will do until it finds a surviving Grizzlebeard heir.

The PCs next find a 'Coldcrumb' tomb, containing four black urns similar to those they recovered from Stumptown or one beneath the graveyard in Floivin Keep. Two of them are shaking on the floor, and the crypt has been warded by a dusting of silver shavings that surround the room, and a ceiling from which hundreds of dwarven holy symbols are suspended on chains. They decide to turn back, and find another tomb, that of the 'Buld' clan, which contains a pool of clear water and a single rotten corpse chained into a sarcophagus with long flowing hair. They manage to drain the water by turning some torch sconces, and Mel and Finian investigate, both being cursed and sapped of health or strength. They find the tomb is labeled Thulmoginn Buld, and take some sealed jars and a pendant from the corpse, as well as another rune they'll need at the entrance.

After this, they move further into the Rest, and find a hallway blocked off by a shimmering door with five complex locks, each corresponding to a material used in currency (copper, silver, electrum, gold, and platinum). Fortunately for the PCs, while Mel cannot pick the locks, he determines that the whole thing is an illusion, and eventually convinces the others, though Gary still can't believe it even after having passed through. The next area is the Ravenbeard tomb, where they face a smiling stone plaque and several mirror-steel living statues. Gary stone shapes the plaque so its harmless, and the others manage to defeat the statues. In an illuminated pool they find a radiant saber weapon with Trogbane communicates is called a sunsaber, and they crack open and loot two Ravenbeard nobles' sarcophagi in the wings of the chamber.

Another dungeon area seems to be a stadium-shaped chamber with a partly collapsed ceiling, in which Finian finds a headless corpse that might belong to the missing dwarf noble from the Stimmy portrait. The corpse has a rune in its decayed leather pocket, and the former halfling sheriff also finds a white leather tome and a pair of scroll tubes protruding from the eyes of a deity's half-destroyed statue. They then head towards the smallest room they've seen yet in the Rest, which contains a single, large crypt which had columns and a ceiling suspended over it, most of which have now collapsed. The place seems eerie, and there's no name on the tomb or on the arch leading in...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

NPCs:

Trogbane (intelligent pick-axe): The weapon looks as if its formed from a silvered humanoid skull, with intricate etchings down its steel half. It communicates telepathically with its wielder, and seems to flash with light at the nearby presence of precious stones.

Session 151: Dwarf Lords' Unrest, Part III (8/22/21)

Martenin the 27th.

Melvin sets up an illusionary wall of rubble outside the Soldergard Crypt, that the PCs can rest inside. The 'night' thus passes uneventfully, with Tess only reporting to have heard some shuffling outside the chamber at one point. The Guild moves further into the natural caverns which seem to have split the Dwarf Lords' Rest asunder, and find the footing difficult. A pair of caves branches off from the broken corridor; one seems to contain a glass-like web, which the party avoids, and the other has a lot of jagged stone walls, ceiling and floor, and a crevasse from which a warm draft emits. The PCs notice what seems to be a clutch of eggs, stuck in some gooey substance, hanging over this deeper pit, the bottom of which they cannot see since it angles down. Soon they are surprised by a trio of rock-like creatures with frightening faces that hit hard and possess some magical ability. They are hard-pressed when two of the things start 'hugging' them, and Sir Stratton falls unconscious from the pain, but eventually the group emerges victorious and then they lower Mel to swipe the rocky eggs.

The party does what healing it can, though Stratton will have to be half-carried by Oatmeal for a bit. They detect magic on the pile of items they've accrued and then decide to skip the other natural cavern and proceed due West, after which the area becomes a finished dungeon again. Thus they enter the crypts of the Gnarlbottoms, which consist of a central room with its far exit guarded by statues and a wall of red light, as well as two branching corridors that each contain a number of smaller chambers. At the end of one of these corridors is huddled a half dozen undead dwarves who initiate combat, surrounding Gary who bravely (and foolishly) runs into their midst! He manages to transform into a mouse and escape, while the rest of the group fends off and inevitably defeats the things, although several take strength and constitution damage from the creatures' sapping blows. They rummage through and catalogue the rest of the crypts in the area, and notice some clicking sounds, which seem to have disabled the wall of red light.

They next follow another corridor into a much larger chamber noted as the 'Bellowbroths Burial Area', which contains rows of broken columns, a massive hammer-fisted statue, and a pool of glowing green goo into which an important looking crypt is half-submerged. There are more natural caverns beyond the south wall, products of the seismic activity that must have shattered the Rest, and there are several exits as well. Indrid, Finian and Gary split up and slowly make there way through the area to see if there's anything they are missing, when several of them come upon a strange, fiery light approaching them from a branching Northern corridor...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

Session 149: Dwarf Lords' Unrest, Part I (6/20/21)

Martenin the 26th.

A dozen spears spring down from the blunted stalactites in the cavern ceiling, targeting the area where Finian is attempting to turn the dials. He is impaled twice, but thanks to his plate armor survives where anyone else in the expedition might have fallen. After some healing, the Gravers' Guild determines how to go about the puzzle. Sir Stratton asks Gary to perform some recon and examine the tracks, so the druid transforms into a fat robin and flits about the ceiling, discovering that there are markings which seem to note which of the symbols on the dials to avoid. Meanwhile, Finian recalls several of the dwarf deities' holy symbols and realizes that each of the dials corresponds to a choice involving one of Moradin, Berronar Truesilver, Dumathoin Brightmantle or Clangeddin Silverbeard. He once again clears out the cave and turns the dials, and this time the vast old stone door opens at the seam! The Gravers take a minute or two and then pass through after the Sheriff, just in time before they slide shut! The PCs note that on the reverse side, there are no dials, but instead 12 impressions where runes bearing the same symbols must be placed.

They proceed into the next chamber, with four columns carved into bas-relief of historic scenes, four angelic dwarf maidens atop them, and a red 'X' pattern that joins in the center of the floor. There are three exits, which Mel translates to read 'Stimmy' (to the East), 'Grizzlebeard' (to the North), and then the trio of 'Krennyk', 'Soldergard' and 'Gnarlbottom' (to the West). The historic scenes on the columns seem to represent things like the Annexation of Floivin into the Eidolorn Empire, the assault of the White Dragon Woe upon Wintersbreath, a sole dwarf facing down a titan with but an axe, and a scene of dwarf knights driving robed cultists and demons back across a bridge to an ancient city-keep. On one of the columns, Finian and Stratton notice that the dwarf's axe-head comes loose and is the right size to fit the indentation on the back of the door in the previous area. As it is removed, the dwarf maiden statues twist and come to life as some sort of gargoyle, and a dangerous combat ensues. Sir Stratton traps one of the creatures in his hat, and the other three are eventually brought low, bursting into dust and rock once slain. The trapped gargoyle is also dispatched, and then Stratton manages to use his thieves' tools to open a sliding stone panel at the center of the 'X'.

Within they find an old, sealed stone urn, with Gary opens using stone shape after it proves too stuck and heavy for the rest of the party. It turns out the thing is full of copper coins, as well as a golden statue of Moradin, a pair of black boots with white fur trim, a silver drinking horn, and a flail with a head meant to resemble a fun, its spiked shaped like wavering, sharp sun rays. They empty the urn, deciding to come back for the coins later. Stratton decides the golden statue should be given to the Gnarlbottoms and thus has Oatmeal place it within the bag of holding. Indrid then hoists the stone urn itself from the pit, deciding it could be brought to the Gravers' Guild-house as a decoration. The PCs then choose to travel into the crypt to the west, which is the Krennyks.

Within this area are a trio of alcoves...one empty, one with a sarcophagus, one seeming to have been destroyed by some seismic activity, a natural corridor now crushed open further west. The eastern walls are covered with sepulchral drawers built into the eastern walls. Each is labeled with both a symbolic suite (Axe, Helm, Shield or Sword) and a number, and they are laid out in eight columns. At the bottom of the empty sarcophagi, Gary finds a series of four 'coordinates', or pairings of the drawers that are marked off, and the PCs decide to start opening them in this order...once the first two are opened, and it must be simultaneous, eight more of the drawers open to reveal shambling dwarf zombies which strike at the party! They manage to take down the undead, receiving only moderate damage, and then they heal up some more, finding a new coordinate (symbol and number) in the drawers they just open. As they activate the second set of drawers from the sarcophagi, a robed corpse rises briefly and lays some sort of curse upon the party, holding most of them, except for Indrid, Tess and Sir Stratton!

Try what they might, their fellow party members can do nothing but stare forward, as if they are in some sort of suspended animation. They rifle through the cache to see if there are any items which can help, and ultimately decide to just proceed to the next set of drawers, hoping it might free their friends from this strange paralysis. The next set of drawers also triggers another eight, from which large undead limbs crawl, to form into two giant monster zombies! Oatmeal seems to suddenly break free from his paralysis, but now the smaller party of four is left to deal with these mighty new threats...will the rest of the group come back to their senses in time?

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch

Session 148: Captain Crossbro's Arrival & Departure (5/23/21)

Martenin the 25th, 888 ID.

After staying a night within the Hanging Tree outside Livenoak, the PCs decide to do some healing, freshen up and head back towards the road with their new recruit. Once there, they head south for a few hours before they are beset upon by a wagon full of crossbow-wielding halflings, with a ballista and a pet ogre! The ranged mercenaries, who their leader refers to as 'CROSSBROS, AIM!' get the jump on our heroes, but aren't very successful, despite firing a ballista bolt directly into Gary's chest. Mel and Gary use magics to summon an illusory serpent and a spiritual hammer to harass and frighten their assailants, while Finian exchanges projectiles, and Indrid closes with the approaching ogre. The unfortunate Crossbros are having terrible luck with their shots, and its not long before the PCs turn the battle against them, when Gary attempts to calm chaos on the situation, causing most of the combatants to stop in their tracks and glance about confused...

...except Indrid, who pressed the attack, savaging the ogre and freeing it from the spell. The two trade blows (well, not exactly, Indrid delivers blows) until the ogre is slain, which frees up a number of the others. One Crossbro decides to change his life and leaves the scene, crossing the Crown Pasture to the East, back to his family. The rest eventually are picked off, with minimal damage done to our heroes. They load up the halflings' bodies and the ogre's severed head to the cart. They find chests full of payments and money belts, and a note from an 'H.H.' to a Captain Corlic of the Crossbros mercenary organization out of Nobbish, requesting the 'hit' upon Finian, Gary and Indrid. Finian had already shot one of the horses drawing the wagon in its leg to prevent them from bolting with the wagon, so Gary takes its place in horse form, and they tie up the wounded creature to canter along the best it can. This slows down the journey back through Halehusk to Floivin Keep a good deal.

Once they arrive, the Last Eidolorn Guards at the Eastern gate of the Keep are suspicious of the wounded horse, ballista, blood spatter, and pile of corpses in the back of the wagon, and decide to impound it while several escort the PCs to Armory Square to Major Winch, with whom they request an audience. First the wounded horse is dropped off at Runibald's Rest for patching up. Soon after, Winch hears them out, and offers to inter the dead mercenaries and provide the PCs a writ to get their wagon back. They do so, and then drive it past the Hosspotch Manor in the center of the city, glaring menacingly at the gate guards. One of them seems to recognize Finian and Indrid and heads into the manor house, while the PCs steer on to leave their wagon and healthy steed temporarily at Armory Square. They head off to do some errands, getting some of their new items identified, including the monocle of accuracy, some scrolls, boots of varied tracks, and the owl-headed footman's mace +2, the last of which they sell to Teven.

Next they retrieve the enchanted leather armor Indrid had commissioned, and head to the Cathedral of Blades, to which Gary donates liberally for numerous healing spells upon him. as evening is setting upon them, they arrive back at the Gravers' Guild to find Sir Stratton, Oskar, Creth, Tess and Oatmeal waiting for them. Sir Stratton introduces himself to Mel, who immediately attempts to pickpocket 'The Hat', but is caught by the superior scoundrel! He doesn't seem happy, and the gnome offers up all manner of nonsense for an excuse, but keeps his life. Probably because Sir Stratton thinks his gnome racial senses and knowledge of the Dwarf tongue could help in their venture. The Chapter Master asks if the PCs are well enough to head out that evening, and Gary thinks another morning of healing and night of rest would be best. Stratton agrees, and they all head to sleep, Oatmeal in the chair near the hearth, and Indrid gives Creth his room, staying in Finian's instead.

Martenin the 26th, 888 ID.

The PCs attend to last minute errands, such as Gary heading off to cast a weak cure light wounds on the wounded horse from the Crossbros' wagon. Once they all gather back at the Gravers' Guild, Sir Stratton asks Oatmeal to pull along something he refers to as 'The Cache'. Tess covers up her skeleton features the best she can, and the Guild marches out of the Keep to the Crown Pasture. After a few more miles they set up a camp, and Stratton opens 'The Cache' to reveal all the implements within: healing potions, tools, rope, wine and ale and water, and various other things that might be needed on the 'dig'. He also hands Oatmeal a fine leather bag and tells him to protect it with his life, as it will help him with his carrying capacity significantly. Once evening rolls across the grasslands, they pick up and travel once more to the foothills of the Vernal Wall, where they find a Last Eidolorn watch tent right near the entrance to the Dwarf Lords' Rest.

They meet with the elder Url Gnarlbottom, who is their contact with the Hall of Mercies and Monch Gnarlbottom, and fills them in on the details about what his clan is expecting from their finds. He says it's likely to be a dangerous place, but he has no maps or plans since they were lost in the Keep many years ago. He tells them that the last person claiming to have been in the Rest was a mischievous half-orc wizard who was once a hero of sorts in the Province, who claims to have teleported in and then back out again once he surmised where he was. Url sees the PCs off, and they put themselves into a marching order and approach the cavernous entrance to the Rest. Within is a cobbled floor with a facial pattern on it, in the center of a large, natural cavern. To the South a stone wall stands with strange dials and runes upon it. The PCs decide they need to match the rune on each of the four dials with one of the runes surrounding it. They leave Finian to do so while they retreat to the entrance. He tries several combinations and notices only a shifting in the space, a humming in the earth and walls. Finally, he comes upon a combination that showers spears down upon the cavern from stalactites above!

To Be Continued...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch, Mel Sundersinch

NPCs

Fank (ogre male): A bald ogre wielding a spiked club, with a massive paunch, wearing only fur boots and a loincloth. Fank seems to have some sort of body dysmorphia and identifies himself with his halfling Crossbro squad-mates. He is slain brutally by the swordplay of Indrid Hosspotch.

Sheshoc (human male): A tall, lanky man in his late 20s with a long mullet of brown hair, he's a groom at Runibald's Rest who places great care and concern upon his equine charges...possibly TOO much.

Url Gnarlbottom (dwarf male): An elderly dwarf leaning upon a finely carven wooden walk-stick with the head of wood hammer. His whiting hair and beards are endlessly knotted in bad braids that cover half of a mouth void of any teeth, and his nose has at least two prominent, whiskery warts. He glares at you from beady green eyes behind a pair of spectacles, the left lens looking as if its misaligned, and a pungent smelling pipe hangs from the side of his mouth. He doesn’t look as if it could possibly be safe for him to be out here by himself.