Session 143: No relation...

Martenin the 19th, 888 ID.

Our heroes emerge from the Tooth Marsh to the Great Westermarch road west of Floivin Keep, where they run across some farmers harvesting their late summer crops. An unusual minstrel known as The Speckled Grouse is stranded with a broken cart, its mule having wandered off in the accident. He offers to perform some music for the PCs with his balalaika if they can help carry his luggage through the city to the Seven Flood Inn, and they agree, Masaka transforming into a mule to take the brunt of the load. They hike through the western gate of the Keep, met with the scents and sounds of the most populous settlement in the Province. After passing through the wealthier districts and the Cathedral of Blades, they arrive at the Inn, relieved to put down the Grouse's considerable luggage. The bard tries to put in a good word for them, but when the PCs ask for a room, it's still quite costly, so they decide on two nights. As they part ways, the Grouse tells them they can always track him down again for a favor if it's one he can provide.

After securing room #8 at the Seven Flood Inn, the PCs are given directions to the Gravers' Guild by a snotty waiter named Brand, who refers to the Gravers as a useless drunken rabble that won't last long in the Keep. Perturbed, the PCs head over to the Guild, to find the first level of the building nearly empty. An unusual bartender named Oskar Eelfingers is hiding behind the bar, but rises up to greet them, seemingly happy that a bunch of 'normal' folks have come petitioning for membership, for once. After fooling with them a bit, the eccentric man tells them there are really only two 'official' members at current, and then some others who have been interesting in pledging to the Guild. He claims they have a particular dig in mind to explore, but need to put together some sort of divination spell to scout the area out before they can commit to forming an expedition. He tells our heroes that if they can find a patch of grave moss from the tomb of a dwarven bishop, the eyes of a crow (or, preferably, the whole bird), and the oil of an Electrum Eel in the Well, his superior, and local Chapter Master, Sir Stratton 'The Hat', will undoubtedly offer them membership. Oskar gives them a few tips on where to possibly find these objects.

The PCs agree and head out to the Saints Acre cemetery, where they are later to meet with an informant and fellow guild petitioner named 'Tess'. She is found only after hours, so in the meantime they search for any graves of dwarven lineage which might have some religious symbolism attached to them. They also inquire nearby at the Cathedral of Blades, with Bishop Helix, who tells them that there haven't been many dwarven priests of Eleste for a couple decades, ever since the dwarven faiths re-emerged around the Gnarlbottoms and their discoveries, and the construction of the Hall of Mercies on Greataxe Isle. Unsuccessful in finding the 'bishop' they seek, they head over to Sheoldred the Sage's shop. The old man is occupied in some compromising position on the loo, so asks them to scribble a question on some parchment on his desk and where he can contact them. They explore his over-stuffed shop a bit before heading back out to pursue one of the other objects. They speak to a Last Eidolorn guard about a local raven messenger service run by one of their rank, a Sergeant Skarth. They're told the old man is quite protective of his birds but will often send messages for non-military.

They decide instead to head to the Floivin Pet Shelter to see if there are any crows available to adopt, and once again come up empty. Finian looks over the dogs, and notices they also have a strange lynx in captivity, as well as a large, thrashing reptilian creature kept in a large, boarded-up cage on the main floor. The creature is becoming increasingly restless as they talk to one of the volunteers, and decide to duck out before the thing might escape. They finally head over to the raven messenger Skarth, who resides on one of the Last Floivin guard towers surrounding the city walls. He tells them he doesn't have any dead birds to sell them, that he feeds them to the dogs. Finian decides to send a message off to Brofous Bellowbroth at the Hall of Mercies, informing him of his fallen cousin Thelgar. They then decide to take matters into their own hands, finding some chicken carcasses in the trash bins behind The Fiery Rat tavern and then heading out the East gates to the Crown Pasture. They dump the dead birds and lie in wait for crows. Indrid has to ward off a hungry, mangy mutt which smells the chickens, but eventually he and Finian are each able to net one winged scavenger with their bows: one a crow, the other a sort of crow-robin hybrid.

They take their trophies back into the Keep because the city gates are shut, and night has fallen, so they head to the Saints' Acre to meet their contract. They decide to sneak over the northern wall of the cemetery, since the gates are guarded and closed at night, and they are spotted by a young waif who blackmails them into some food for his silence. Masaka purifies some of the bird-chum they had from earlier, and Finian tips him a few silver, and the boy, named 'Silas', takes off. They try to scale the cemetery walls and fail, then Indrid remembers his gargoyle grappling hook and they easily get over the wall. They wander around a bit, Indrid calling out for 'Tess', when he's surprised by a bony hand clasping his ankle. It turns out that this is 'Fleshless Tess', an animated skeleton who is thrilled to discover that the Gravers found a use for her! When asked about any graves for dwarven clergy, she tells them she's unsure if it's a tomb for clergy, but she knows of a hidden dwarven crypt that isn't visible from the surface of the Acre. She takes them down through the grave she was squatting in and through a network of earth tunnels burrowed below the graveyard, and they come across a finished stone crypt with a dwarven symbol on the door.

They enter, and find that a large tomb and stone chest right in the central area. The cover of the tomb seems too large to slide, and the chest has already been looted and propped open by an unlit torch that some grave robber left behind. They head west to find an old well that's been covered by a strange sheet and some cobwebs, and to the south, another small chamber with a square sarcophagi that's covered in ancient dwarven markings which resemble those on the urns they opened with Lester. In that same chamber, Masaka finds the grave moss on the walls, but while he's scraping it off the sepulcher walls, his companions are attacked from the well! The sheet covering it animates, and several ghoulish undead with acid-dribbling tongues claw their way through the webs below! With the help of Tess and some sling action from the druid, they are able to drive back the quartet of undead assailants, but not without taking a few wounds. Masaka offers what limited healing he can, to himself, and then they decide to press on through a door to the north, making note of the tunnels they can spy beneath the well.



After forcing open the door bearing a holy symbol, they find a stone block altar with six impressions on the top, each containing a candle sconce. The third candle from the left is actually lit and emits heat! Confused, Indrid spies about the area, but no one in the group can actually read the dwarven script, so they decide to press on to the eastern side of the tomb. They push open a double set of stone doors and find another larger chamber with four more dwarf sarcophagi, covered in script and numerals, as well as a half-crushed skeleton draped over one of them, clutching a sack. Masaka moves to look at the sack, and finds it is full of candles and a few other decayed items, when a pile of bones in the corner of the chamber stirs, and four animated, flying sets of skeletal arms, each wielding a warhammer, lunge towards the PCs!

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch, Masaka Reddenbalm

NPCs

Bishop Helix (human female): A stern looking woman of some 40 years, she wears dense white robes of her faith emblazoned with six silver swords, each with an actual malachite stones sewn into its hilt. Her dense, graying blonde hair is hung back with several iron braids, and she wears spectacles with deeply green shaded lenses. She has a longsword slung at her waist, as well as an unusual Morningstar with a head shaped like a tower.

Brand (human male): A twitty, slender waiter of thirty-something summers at the Seven Flood Inn. He is known for a precocious attitude of superiority towards the guests, and harries them to vacate their tables so he can keep ahead with his duties. He is also known for his witty repartee with the clientele. Brand is about 5'10" with curvy dark blond hair and a straight, expressionless face unless he becomes heated.

Fleshless Tess (undead female): An animated human skeleton standing five and a half feet tall, wearing a female-shaped bronze cuirass and other random pieces  of armor that have formed a patina, and seem strapped to the bones. ‘She’ carries a half-rotten wooden shield, the blue griffon painted on its surface now chipped away in places. ‘Her’ helmet has a single spike, and she wields an unusual short sword and three javelins.

Oskar Eelfingers (human male): A short man, late in his 30s, with a curly mat of brown hair and a face like a patchy porcupine. His right eye is clouded and milky while the opposite is brown and piercing, and his smile reveals several missing teeth, and others on their way out. His stubby, ringed hands have a lot of scars and burns on them, and he wears a tight suit of leather armor that tucks in a developing beer gut. He sports a club which is fashioned with the upper body of a voluptuous woman, and a peculiar hand-sized crossbow hangs on his belt.

Sergeant Skarth (human male): An aged man with a thick mane of gray hair dangling over the back of his Last Eidolorn uniform, he keeps it tied up in a white headband and other strips of cloth. He has a messily trimmed beard and moustache and deep coal eyes. Various white splotches stain his hair and armor and he has about a hundred or so scratch marks on his cheeks, arms, hands and fingers.

Silas (human male): A bedraggled waif of no more than 10 years, with sandy blonde hair and dark brown freckles all over his left cheek and neck. He seems destitute and stalks the eastern district of Floivin Keep looking for vittles and drink for he and his sister.

The Speckled Grouse (human male): A long-nosed man in his mid to late 30s, he’s draped in a thick cape of dark gray feathers covered in patterns of white dots, with a pair of patches, copper and silver on the shoulder. He wears a black tudor flat cap slung with pearls, and a single, enormous white owl-feather above his matted, thinning hair. His deep green eyes are set a bit too close together, and he has several ratty gray strands of hair hanging from a weak chin. He anxiously chews a tobacco root, speaks in a strange accent and has a damaged balalaika hanging across his shoulder.

Session 142: Thumbs up, and thumbs off

Martenin the 17th, 888 ID.

While examining the scene of the gruesome murders at the Crimson Harpy, Indrid and Finian take the opportunity to speak to Captain Fowler on the side, filling him in on how they've run afoul of the Hosspotch family with Clodio Oakbottom's lockbox, and how they've investigated the missing carpenter's home and discovered his family missing too. They show Fowler the list, and he does confirm that it seems to be a bunch of soldiers, some of whom he knows personally, who have proven trustworthy, and not bought out by criminals. The Captain then tells them he's heard rumors that the Hosspotches have some private goings on in the cellar beneath the Tavern, and that he's planning to question the staff and customers, including some of their private guards. He'd like the two of them to sneak into the cellars and do a quick search, using the dumb waiter in the kitchen, to make sure there is no murderer being covered up for. Apparently the Captain has some arrangement with the half-orc barkeep and cook Garlo. Indrid then takes Fowler aside and gives him the ledgers from the lockbox.

The two halflings examine the crime scene further, noting that there are no major blood trails leading there, and that the victims are maids or room staff for the Inn upstairs. They note nearby windows of anyone who might have seen the crime, but realize it might not have been committed where the bodies wound up. Once Fowler has gathered up the masses for questioning, he signals Finian, and the two sneak into the Harpy's kitchen and down the dumb waiter. They exit in a butcher's block, where some of the menu is slaughtered, and discover a jar of pickled halfling fingers, taking it along with then. Next they find a common area where the Hosspotch guards must hang out in the cellar, and a sleeping area with one such guard snoring away. They proceed further into the cellars to find some locked doors and then a halfling sentry and war dog which must have been ordered to remain below while the others went up to speak with the Eidolorn guards. The two are quickly dispatched, and then bandaged before they could bleed out, and Finian takes the guard's keys. 

Indrid and Finian find a private gambling den with lots of fancy dice, cards, and such, and then the proper locked store-rooms for the Crimson Harpy: one with safes and fancy goods, another with a wine cellar, an ale store, and a large spice closet. Behind a sealed curtain, they find a small jail with five cells, two of which are occupied! Once contains the daughter and wife of Clodio Oakbottm, Marlene and Moki, to claim they were kidnapped just a few days ago in the night, but treated rather well with good meals and drink. A neighboring cell contains a strange half-elf named Masaka, whose window is boarded up. He claims he was also abducted, but from the road between Littlewolf and Livenoak, where he was helping a cousin deliver some baubles to market. Apparently the cousin was in on the heist, conducted by masked but dangerous halfling minstrels (known as Magpies), and they took a particular interest in an old family heirloom (a magic sling) that was in Masaka's possession. They were able to overcome the druid's abilities and lull him to sleep with a spell, and then he wound up where he is, also claiming to have been treated decently in the weeks since he arrived.

Our PCs spring the prisoners, and they all proceed to search the cellar some more, first heading back to some of the locked areas, which turn out to be the steam boiler room and Hildebold's private office. In the proprietors desk they find another set of finer keys, and also items belong to the prisoners, such as Masaka's weapons and armor. They then move quickly to search through the store rooms, where they end up finding a hidden cache of black powder poison in the spice room. After hearing that the interrogations upstairs are beginning to break up, Indrid takes the Oakbottoms and escapes...but not without being seen by Garlo the half-orc! Finian and Masaka decide to search the other empty cells in the mini-prison, but change their minds and also head out to the dumb waiter. En route, they find that the sleeping guard from earlier had woken up, and the Sheriff convinces the guard to check out one of his injured coworkers, then jumping him and taking him down from behind! They next rush out to the dumb waiter, but notice the other guards returning down the stairway. They escape in the nick of time, but Garlo also sees them...and tells them to inform Captain Fowler that they're 'square'.

Martenin the 18th, 888 ID.

Once outside the Crimson Harpy, they wait to signal the Captain, and tell him what they find, and that unfortunately they had to rough up a few of the Hosspotch guards, who are hopefully still alive. He realizes what a shitstorm has just been created (by his own actions), and he leads the PCs and the escaped prisoners back to the barracks, trying to avoid the Hosspotches. When they arrive, he gets ready to have the girls sent out with some soldiers to some safehouse. Finian and Indrid decide that they'd best confront Grandfather Hosspotch directly and air out the laundry, so as to avoid having knives at their backs. After an hour or so, with Masaka and the Captain, they head over to Grandfather's Manor, where they are met by a large host of Hosspotch mercenaries and war dogs. Harley comes out and then leads them inside. They are guided into the floor level banquet area where they meet with Grandfather and several other Hosspotch higher-ups. Harley is quite aggravated with Finian.

Though they present evidence of the severed fingers, and kidnappings, the robust Grandfather seems to have excuses for everything. The women were being sheltered since Clodio was missing, and they didn't want anything foul to befall them. The jar of fingers was from the previous Grandmother's tenure, and he doesn't know who they belonged to. Masaka was simply taken into custody since he was in possession of a valued Hosspotch item (Finighan's Sling), which they believe the half-elf must have stolen from them. They are quite upset about their wounded guards, but mention that all still breathe, and make a deal that they'll forget about the transgression beneath the Crimson Harpy if Indrid and Finian turn over the REAL contents of Clodio's lockbox. It appears that Indrid's ruse was discovered after Borys and Harley Hosspotch conferred about what they felt was the contents of the box, and the coins the swashbuckler added weren't noticed when the Hosspotch Holdings' proprietor was shaking it around.

Indrid remains silent, not revealing that the VERY PAPERS they seek are within the same room, tucked into Captain Fowler's tunic! Indrid has become completely reviled by the behaviors of his family, not that he didn't always suspect them, but being confronted with their ignoble behavior he wants little more to do with them. After not turning over the implicating documents, they receive some threats, although Grandfather insists that violence and murder are not the Hosspotch way, and never have been, once again trying to justify the family 'business'. Finian hands over his Sheriff badge as he is obviously going to be stripped of the position, and the four safely leave the manor compound, although they are mocked on the way out by several of the house guards while Grandfather's laugh bellows out behind them. They return to the barracks to get some sleep and decide what to do...with the Last Eidolorn doubling down on guarding them for the night.

After awakening, Indrid, Finian and Masaka confer with one another on what to do next. Indrid wants to leave outright. Finian is conflicted, and Fowler asks if he wants to be deputized into the Last Eidolorn, because he has grown fond of the halfling and would like his continued help in the murder investigation and other matters. Masaka decides to go along with these new companions for awhile, since he's not ready to return to Littlewolf and face his treacherous cousin Balo. Ultimately they decide to leave Hobfast, at least for awhile. Finian bids a fond farewell to the local Eidolorn soldiers, while Indrid goes to receive the magical cutlass he was having repaired at the Swampers' Swap. Masaka transforms into a bird to watch from the air, still nervous that the Hosspotch will try something violent to exact revenge on the PCs. Finian bids his family farewell and gives them gifts of gold coin and his boat, and before leaving speaks once more with Harley Hosspotch, trying to bribe the halfling not to harm or frame his family. Harley claims he would do no such thing, sinisterly inferring that they've become like 'his own family'. The ex-Sheriff promises that if any harm should befall them, he will return and seek out Harley first.

The two halflings and their strange new half-elf companion decide to make for Floivin Keep along the Great Westermarch Road, guided by Indrid's long-held desire to sign on with the Gravers' Guild. The Captain asks if Indrid would like to deliver the incriminating ledgers on the Hosspotch dealings himself to authorities at the Keep, but the swashbuckler thinks they'll be safer with an official envoy.

The road awaits.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch, Mazaka Reddenbalm

Handouts

NPCs

Grandfather 'Jordyn' Hosspotch (halfling male): A halfling of later middle years, bearing a massive paunch and considerable jowls, all of which he carries well. He’s adorned in comfortable merchant garments sewn with floral patterns, and has beady eyes and an incredibly rare, sandy blond hair for his race. He carries a bag of seeds, and jovially reaches in for a handful every couple minutes, yet never seems to offer any to others. The back of his plump left hand is tattooed with a pair of crossed pickaxes, a reminder of his time working in the Taborlan mining town of Traeger.

Marlene Oakbottom (halfling female): A plump, cheerful female halfling of middle years with her orange-brown hair tied up in a bun. She wears a thick cloth apron well-used, with several broth stains.

Moki Oakbottom (halfling female): A young halfling girl of no more than ten summers. She wears a pair of oversized blue breeches beneath a gray shawl, all held up with pins. Her hair is stuffed into two messy ponytails, and has several teeth missing.

Session 141: Friends are friends, but Hosspotches are eternal.

Verne, Martenin the 16th, 888 ID.

Finian, Indrid and Zarzess manage to drag the life boat, oars, urns, and coffins back to the cavern where Cretch is lying unconscious, and then set watches to get some rest until morning. 

Martenin the 17th, 888 ID.

When they awaken, they are finally able to stir the foreign-born dwarf and show him that they've succeeded in acquiring the cloak. The four of them test out the ancient life boat and it seems to be in excellent condition. They load it up with whatever they can fit, while Zarzess will trail behind the boat. They leave behind a few of the corpses they can't carry. After setting off to Hobfast, they note a canoe with a pair of suspicious fishermen, most likely orcs or half-orcs, who seem to be curious about their arrival. Eventually, the orcs row towards the Stumptown shore, and Zarzess decides he'd be more comfortable following them to see what they're up to, than heading into Hobfast.

The remaining trio arrives back at the village and moors at Finian's usual spot, and then begin to transport their finds off. They then attempt to find some healing at the House of Herbs, where Samson Cutton is only too happy to accommodate them for a good portion of their Stumptown haul. After being patched up, Lester heads back to the Crimson Harpy to meet up with his Stavewulf companions and get the PCs the rest of their fee. Finian decides to check in on the local goings on while Indrid brings some of the haul to be exchanged at Hosspotch Holdings, including the key to the HH lockbox they found. When Borys Hosspotch tracks down the key's owner in the ledger, one Clodio Oakbottom, he becomes incredibly curious and offers Indrid increasing amounts of money to just buy the key off him. Clodio was another local, a carpenter up for the Sherriff position in Hobfast, but disappeared a month or so back. Indrid refuses for the moment, and instead trades some of the gems and valuables he salvaged. On his way out, he notices a runner leaving the Holdings store and headed towards Grandfather's Manor.

Finian heads to the barracks but they are relatively empty, and nobody has left him any notes. One of the Eidolorn soldiers tells him a rumor about a recent breakout at Diregate Prison in Olgest, Toul Tabor, and that some escapees have been picked up headed West, meaning its possible some have snuck into Floivin Province itself. He heads to the Swamper's Swap to pick up some supplies, including a halfling sized suit of mail for Lt. Silverstring, which he then leaves at her desk. Through some conversations at the Swap and Angler's Guild, Finian deduces that the dwarf corpse they found, one 'T. Bellows' is a Thelgar Bellowbroth from the legendary dwarven line, a smuggler of ill repute who must have fun afoul of some other criminals. He is informed that Thelgar's next of kin is Brofous Bellowbroth, a loner and righteous graduate from the Hall of Mercies temple on Greataxe Isle.

Seeking some privacy, Indrid opens the Oakbottom lockbox, to find that it contains a dozen or so incriminating papers that link the Hosspotch family to various kidnappings, hijackings, and traitorous information broking to the Empire's enemies and neighbors! Soon after he runs across Harley who is very curious about what Indrid might have found, en route to the Holdings.Indrid decides to get some supplies at the Swap, including a carpenter's hammer and some random old ledgers and newsletters from Floivin Keep, as well as some ink and a pen. He circles the Hosspotch name if he can find it on the papers, and makes some random markings and notes, and then replaces the contents of the lockbox and hides the others on his person. Indrid also commissions the cutlass they found for repair. He runs into a trio of local Hosspotch mercenaries who seem suspicious of him.

Finian makes a stop at the Shrine of Crake but doesn't notice anything fishy. After meeting back up with Indrid, they are approached by Harley once more who demands they meet with him at the Crimson Harpy in early evening to discuss their findings. They make a few more stops, once more to the barracks to find that the note the Sherriff left with the mail for Lt. Silverstring has been torn up. They leave for the Harpy and meet with Lester and his strange companions; the dwarf pays them the other 300 gold he owes and thanks them profusely for their assistance. It seems he had more on the line in finding this strange cloak than he initially let on. They take the urns up to Lester's room where they are cracked open easily by Lester's friends, and they note the six names on them. Strangely, three of them are full of sand rather than the expected ancient ash, and it does look as if the seals had been tampered with on those. One of those missing ash is a direct ancestor to Cretch.

There are some shenanigans with the haunt that seems to have followed them from Stumptown, and occasionally causes trouble by throwing an object around or playing a prank. Eventually the dwarves leave for the North, taking their shimmering prize. Indrid gets a room and he is about to discuss the lockbox with the Sherriff when Hildebold Hosspotch, the manager of the Harpy bangs on their door, also quite curious about the contents to that lockbox! They inform the rugged woman that they're to meet with Harley and she can join in. They meet with both the Hosspotch higher-ups in the common room and present them with the fake papers Indrid put in there with some coins. Harley seems stunned and confused. Finian decides to take the fake papers for now and investigate Oakbottom's home, but Harley demands he return the papers to him tomorrow. On the way out of the Harpy, Indrid and Finian run across the same three halfling mercs, who offer their assistance. Our heroes refuse.

An elderly neighbor of Clodio's tells the PCs that Oakbottom's family has been absent for a week or so, but helps them pick the lock to the home! Within the humble abode, they find that whoever left did so in a hurry, leaving something on the firepot and letting the fire burn itself out. After searching about, Finian finds a bag of hidden coins in the hearth, as well as a ledger listing a number of Eidolorn soldiers, including Captain Fowler and the General of Floivin Province, Scott Morrow. He takes the letter but leaves the coins. After another near altercation with the halfling merc trio, they head back to the Barracks, where they discover that Captain Fowler has been called off to the Harpy on some urgent business...the soldiers at the barracks are headed over themselves and our heroes follow. Once they arrive, they discover that a pair of servants at the Harpy have been half-devoured and hidden in an unused wooden tub outside the Harpy's bathhouse! 

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch

Reserves: Zarzess

Handouts

NPCs

Captain Basyl Fowler (human male): A tall human male with a drooping, graying moustache, and a stoic countenance, his voice has a gravelly undercurrent that seems incapable of humor or compassion. His chain mail is rusted in patches, his helm missing a single spike, but both otherwise well maintained, and his halberd is hung with the Last Eidolorn standard. A heavy crossbow and a drinking horn are slung across his left shoulder, and a pair of broad knives is half-tucked into his belt.

Felgram (human male): A sharp-chinned human of three decades from Floivin Keep, he has a moustache and wears spectacles below his dark hair. He sells and repairs weapons and armor at the Swamper's Swap, and seems to want to get some favors with the Sherriff.

Hezwell Hosspotch (halfling female): A gaunt, bent, elderly matron with braided white hair, she lives near the abandoned residence of Clodio Oakbottom and seems to have a rather peculiar skill set.

Hildebold Hosspotch (halfling female): A stocky halfling with graying sideburns and hair tied back into a bun behind her head, she’s wearing a fine leather apron over a shirt and breeches decorated with square patterns. She is clearly getting on in years, but her thick arms and unflinching demeanor betray a warrior’s pose, and the half dozen or so scars on her neck and right cheek seem to enforce this.

Samson Cutton (halfling male): A halfling male with the most swole upper body you’ve seen for his kind. His biceps are larger than most muscular humans you’ve encountered, and he wears nothing below his leather jerkin, clearly proud of showing them off. His trim brown beard seems at odds with the rest of his appearance: busy, unkempt hair, filthy boots and breeches, and an earthen scent which clings to him like an aura. A small sickle and hand rake are tucked into his sash, and he wears a bandolier of small pouches full of herbs, seeds, and small herbalist tools.

Session 140: I'll Collect My Rapiers (9/26/20)

Varony, Martenin the 15th, 888 ID

A pair of bizarre hounds comprised of mud and branches and other swamp stuff rise out of the murk behind Lester, and they attack the dwarf before Indrid and Finian are able to get near and assist. The dwarf takes enough damage to go unconscious, but the halflings manage to bring down the creatures. Since they have no obvious way to mend Cretch, they decide to leave him on the ledge where they found the corpse of the smuggler and the bottles of alcohol. They attempt to scale the ledge in the southwest but find its too slippery to get a good purchase, so they head back to the north and other caverns they noticed. En route, they are surprised to find a lizard man trying to hide in one of the pools on the floor!

The creature can speak, and announces that he's been following them ever since he noticed Finian outside the Anglers' Guild, checking the stolen bait, which it had stolen to eat. The lizard man, Zarzess, a local scamp from the Tooth Marsh, thinks he might be able to help out the Sheriff in exchange for some food. After some communications, and after deeming him harmless, the halflings agree to bring Zarzess along. They head northwest to a huge cavern, but find as they proceed through that they feel unease, and then eventually start taking damage from some gas or force within the area. They then turn to another cave to the north where they encounter a nest of stirges, which they manage to destroy with the lizard man's help. They also find some treasure among some refuse, and a locket containing a key to #247 in HH, whatever that may be.

They decide that they are damaged enough to return to Hobfast and rest, but when they head outside of Stumptown they discover that their rowboat has been destroyed, and the corpses they had dragged out from the lake had been chewed on! There are some sunken footprints nearby but too muddy to really track. They instead decide to rest inside Stumptown, on the ledge where the stirges made their nest. They relocate the unconscious Lester Cretch, and then Zarzess watches while they all sleep, trying his best to repair the boat with wood from other the scuttled boats outside, but failing miserably. At some point in the night, there are wet footsteps heard nearby, but nothing approaches the cave.

Verne, Martenin the 16th, 888 ID

After a day's worth of rest and healing up slightly, even risking a few draughts of the potions they found, the PCs decide to head back to the slick ledge and see if they can make it up with Zarzess' help. Zarzess finds a rusted cutlass in the pond beneath. After some struggling, and a few nasty falls, the trio makes it up to find another ledge with an old, ruined campsite. They find a sheaf of old letters from a girl named Enja to her father Elebard Getty, and some other curiosities, like some loose coins, and a strange grappling hook with a miniature gargoyle attached to it. After rummaging about the place for a few moments, objects begin to fly randomly at them, sometimes harmlessly striking them, and they come to the conclusion the place must be haunted. Indrid decides to climb up and out of Stumptown through one of the small openings on the ceiling here, and he is surprised to find that when he hurls the grappling hook, the gargoyle comes to life and flies the hook up to attach it safely!

The trio climbs up to the top of the Stumptown caverns, where they notice a large clump of rootfall and rotted timbers. The halflings deduce this must cover an area they haven't been able to access through the large leeching cavern, but can't manage to dig down below it. They decide to go back to the huge cavern, and slowly creep their way around the edges when they realize that there are a number of large insects and lizards scuttling around an alcove in the north of the room. They safely navigate much of the cave, but on the far side, before they can get around to the ledge in the south, they start to feel the same pain from earlier! Out of desperation, they decide to throw the gargoyle hook to the ledge in the south, and then rush through as fast as possible. They do so with minimal damage...

The next ledge has a natural lattice of creeper vines with an armored skeleton caught within, but before they can examine that the party is attacked by a pair of large poisonous snakes! Fortunately they can dispatch one with ease, and the other flees off to wherever it lairs. The skeleton's armor is useless but they find a jade hornet necklace. They manage to climb their way up past one more ledge to the south, and finally find what they seek...an ancient barge of strange construction that must have been left here when the Well waters receded in the past. The barge is half-smashed up, but there are lots of obsidian urns lying about with their caps on, and several coffins within, containing the ancient remains of dwarves. One of the dwarves has a hunched form, elongated jaw and strange protrusions from its back, and this one wears a shimmering green garment which they believe is what Cretch is looking for.

One of the two rooms in the ancient, intact cabin of the vessel also contains spare boating supplies, like oars, crates and even a lifeboat! The PCs gather up the urns, the garment and a lifeboat to replace their own ruptured vessel, and slowly make their way back to the mouth of Stumptown, so they can show Cretch once he's awake.

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch, Zarzess

XP Rewarded: 1300

Session 139: I'll Grow Into It One Day! (8/22/20)

Varony, Martenin the 15th, 888 ID

Finian Redfoot and Indrid Hosspotch are relaxing by the lakeside with a fishing rod and a pair of hammocks when Finian's 'benefactor' Harley Hosspotch arrives to ask a favor of the Sheriff. A trio of unusual dwarves arrived at Hobfast the previous night, and the Last Eidolorn Guard couldn't be bothered to investigate, since they've paid their way and not stirred up any trouble. Curiosity has the best of the Hosspotch family, however, so Harley wants Finian to look into it. The Sheriff agrees, and they head directly off to The Crimson Harpy, where they make the acquaintance of one Lester Cretch and his two strange, non-talkative companions. The dwarves hail from the city of Stavewulf to the north, and have been sent to Floivin Province by their king, Umbrek, to track down and recover an ancient lost heirloom, a shimmering garment of inestimable value. Its precise location is unknown, but judging by the old skin map Lester was given, it appears to have been aboard an old barge lost somewhere along the Tooth Marsh coast, in the days before the Vernal Valley was annexed by the Eidolorn Empire. The PCs offer to take the map and ask around town for any information that might help their guest.

Indrid first inquires with Borys at Hosspotch Holdings, who seems to think dwarf folklore is beneath him, but offers to purchase the garment if the swashbuckler should end up finding it. He then heads to Roy's Rods, Reels & Rubbers, but the owner keeps random hours and hasn't opened up yet. Finian has better luck at the Angler's Guild when several of the local dwarf fishermen tell him the position on the map where the vessel was last seen appears to be Stumptown, a grotto of wooded caverns on the banks of the Well, roughly a mile north of the village. At the barracks, Finian speaks briefly with Lt. Keira Silverstring, who tells him that there are notes and requests awaiting him in his office. The Sheriff looks these over, and finds one of immediate interest, sent from a random member of the Hosspotch family. Several tribute baubles that were recently left by the local shrine to Crake have been removed, and there is concern that someone is stealing the offerings, which has upset the halflings, even if the act itself seems in the spirit of the Crow-god's portfolio. After a little verbal scuffle over the Lieutenant's over-sized armor, and a bruising of her ego, Finian leaves to meet up with Indrid.

The pair then seeks out Rutteneker Roy, a cranky local frog vendor, who more or less confirms what the Anglers' Guild told the Sheriff. En route back to Lester Cretch, Finian and Indrid make a brief stop at the shrine, where they encounter the young deaf-mute Rori Knotwise. They manage to communicate with the boy by drawing stick figures, and determine that the youngling wasn't responsible, but that he had seen a man prowling about at night who was probably responsible. After tipping the lad, the duo heads to The Crimson Harpy, to return the skin map and relay the information. Cretch is alone, his strangely 'allergic' companions and their weird dietary needs seeing them retire early. He is thrilled at their discovery, and offers to pay them handsomely if they will accompany him to this 'Stumptown'. Indrid prompts Finian to agree, and the dwarf gives them an advance payment of 100gp for supplies, which they pocket directly! The Sheriff rounds up his weapons and armor from the barracks, and his canoe, and the three of them paddle off, first making a stop back at Roy's Rods, Reels & Rubbers where they parlay with Rucifer Roy and grab some mosquito netting for the trip.

They journey north, carefully scanning along the Tooth Marsh coastline for any wreckage, but they find nothing that would match the description of an ancient dwarf barge. Inevitably, they arrive at the caves called Stumptown by early evening, where they moor up the canoe and have a look around outside. A trio of giant killer frogs ambushes them as they're searching about the wreckage of some rowboats called Ol' Hemteats and The Twilight Trawler, but while the amphibians do some some nasty claws and bites in, the PCs and Lester manage to destroy them without too much suffering. They find a gem and some freshwater pearls that the frogs must have been hording, and note that one of the pearls vibrates with a strange energy. Next they examine a large clump of roots and weeds that has accumulated near the caverns' entrance, and Indrid dives under to discover a pair of halfling corpses chained to an old chest. They can't identify the bodies, due to decay, but the Sheriff suspects they could belong to the Scarlett siblings, a pair of Hobfast criminals who disappeared before his tenure. They shore up the bodies and discover the chest contains silver bars, minted in Floivin Keep, which were wrapped in thick oilcloths to preserve them underwater.

Next, the trio enters Stumptown proper, a strange network of caves which contain rotted old trees that occasionally poke through the ceiling onto the surface of the Marsh. One can tell by all the water inside that these caverns must occasionally flood, but at the present they're somewhat dry. They find a satchel 15' up a tree which contains a trowel, a tiny bag of coins, a pair of unidentified glass vials containing red-brown liquid, a wooden scroll tube, and a water-damaged copy of Quilver Fnickett’s Studies and Travels, Volume III, the published journal of a gnome scholar and adventurer from Nobbish, printed in 874 ID at the Nestlebrush Press in some placed called Durmoral. The scroll tube contains a mysterious parchment which is pictured below. In the next cavernous area, they climb up one of the ledges within, where Indrid discovers an old smuggler's cache of liquor and supplies. Most of it has spoiled and rotted long ago, but there are two intact crates, one of which contains a dozen bottles of Braulish Whiskey, dated between 870-875 ID, from Madcask's of Nairnock. The other contains a hogtied, crusty old dwarf corpse, and the only key to its identity is an intact pair of boots, upon one of which is inscribed 'T Bellows' on the heel. As they carefully lower the remains, they notice something rising from a pool of water behind Lester Cretch, who was watching out below...

PCs: Finian Redfoot, Indrid Hosspotch

XP Rewarded: 1000

Handouts



NPCs

Borys Hosspotch (halfling male): An older halfling with a mullet of tight, gray curls, he wears a thick pair of spectacles over a snub nose and weak chin. His garments are loose and flowing, scholarly rather than mercantile, and his pockets are stuffed with scrolled up parchments. He wears a fancy silver wind-up time-piece around his neck, a rarity in the Empire.

Garlo (half-orc male): The barkeep at the Crimson Harpy, and a loyal servant of the Hosspotch family. He wears his hair in a Mohawk and bears a patch over his right eye. As a former slave at Sothos Karr, his left eye was supposedly branded by a slaver’s hot poker. He carries an iron meat mallet at all times, which presumably discourages troublemakers in the tavern.

Harley Hosspotch (halfling male): A charming businessman based in Hobfast, with impeccable brown curls, stunning green eyes, and favors cream-colored robes and garments. Harley has a smug look about him which says he’d just as soon eat you as help you, and he carries a jeweled walking stick for no obvious reason than to show off the hilt of the blade concealed within.

Hogis Hosspotch (halfling male): A wan halfling in his 30s, he's a member of the Angler's Guild and quite friendly with Sheriff Finian. Claims the Guild is no longer of much relevance, he and the others just come there to hang out, repair boats and fishing equipment, and play cards.

Lt. Keira Silverstring (halfling female): A younger female halfling decked out in chain mail armor that is at least two sizes big for her, with a loose helmet hanging over her eyes. Her cherry-brown curls hang down past her shoulders, and she clutches a shield and short sword in a pair of silvery-white gloves that are also a bit oversized.

Lester Cretch (mountain dwarf male): A marble-skinned dwarf with a black, thickly braided bear and hawk-like brows. He wears a black cowl and cloak over chainmail, wields a warhammer with a scowling gargoyle face on its head. His fingernails are cracked and black, and he smells lightly of sulfur and cloves. Speaks in a strange accent and hails from the city-state of Stavewulf, west of Wintersbreath.

Rori Knotwise (halfling male): A silent young halfling with a bowl of hair and uneven sideburns. His bare feet are crusted with dirt and boils, and his humble clothing is torn through in a hundred places by thorns and brush. He has a melon tucked under his arm and a rusted knife hanging by a string from his left hand.

Rucifer Roy (hill dwarf male): This haggard dwarf has pockmarked cheeks, uneven teeth and a blunt nose beneath a soggy sailor’s cap. Each of his hands is missing at least one finger. He wears breeches and boots of rubber he has crafted himself, and they squeak when he moves. A pair of large fishing hooks connected by a leather cord is hung about his neck, and a blood-stained billy club is tied to a loop on his belt. His smell precedes him, a foul breeze of murky, fishy scents that gets worse when he speaks.

Rutteneker Roy (hill dwarf male): A somber old dwarf who sells frogs on the streets of Hobfast, his beard is so lengthy and filthy it hangs to the ground and tracks mud. He sells a variety of frogs and toads, including the common lakeside specimen found about Udders Well, and the Pearl-Toothed Leopard Toad, native to the Tooth Marsh. They’re kept in a pair of buckets that he carries on a shoulder yoke, which he can handily convert into a quarterstaff if he’s feeling harassed.

Ettenhead Map

Floivin Province Adventure Sites

Vernal Valley Map

Anwyl's Tomb: The resting place of Anwyl Bellowbroth, who many centuries past wielded the Axe of Dwarven Lords against the death titan Ulan Vhor. For many years, his extended family was also interred at this location in the Skunk Ridge, in a subterranean henge-like structure. Since that time, several adventurers have picked through the Tomb, but none have thorough explored it or the many connected, and trapped sepulchers and barrows that might also have belonged to important dwarves before the Dwarf Lords' Rest was built in the Vernal Wall to the South. There may also remain some hints as to what happened to the Axe once it parted ways with its valorous champion.

Cheeky's Hollow: The caverns known as Cheeky's Hollow lie partially obscured in a hillock set against the wetlands of the Tooth Marsh. It was so named for a criminal who once built a hideout here, and had connections with The Score, the organization of former Sothos Karr slaves who set into motion many of the turbulent events of 868ID. In truth, the place has changed hands many times, from bands of humanoids and lizard men to Last Eidolorn operatives, criminals, drug smugglers, and orc refugees from Sothos Karr on more than one occasion. While it's not the largest or most complex of dungeons, it's almost guaranteed you will find something exciting or unexpected there.

Crowslode: Located in the Southern face of the Vernal Wall, far north of Floivin Keep, is a walled off mining shaft where a substantial operation was once thriving. In the year 764 I.D., a band of over 40 human and dwarven prospectors were killed by what rumors insist was the poisonous gas vents and various natural deathtraps. Few of the remains were recovered, but those that were seemed to show not only signs of asphyxiation or burns, but other evidence of struggle. Regent Goosearm, the 4th to hold the title in the Province of Floivin, sent a team of seasoned adventurers from across the Empire into the mine to see if it was salvageable. When the team never returned, it was decided that the mine be sealed off. The last group of adventurers to risk the place did so 20 years ago, and some did survive, although they did not explore deep into the caverns. The only individuals to venture here today are foolish prospectors with no sense for self preservation, and an occasional foot patrol from Cedarway, checking on the area.

Dwarf Lords' Rest: The entrance to this vast mountainside tomb in the southeast corner of the Crown Pasture is flanked by a pair of great dwarven statutes, carved nearly a thousand years ago. It's a landmark so impressive that the Eidolorn Empire has ordered the team sealed off since they took over the Valley. Legend has it that the entire lineage of the Gnarlbottom clan, as well as their predecessors, are buried deep within the tomb, along with several dwarven shrines. While the 'official' word is that the vaults are guarded out of respect and the site's historical value, some speculate that the Last Eidolorn guard has long since plundered the graves of the kings. Of course, such speculations tend to arrive on the lips of the Gnarlbottom's bitter descendants who remain in the Valley today. The only thing for sure is that a patrol of 4-6 Eidolorn soldiers is found camped about the tomb at all hours of the day.

Floivin Keep Sewers: The sewers serve a vital purpose to Floivin Keep, channeling the waters of the Dimnesse down into what has become Udders Well, and then on out of the Province via Midge Creek and the Pinewater. For many years they were carefully maintained by dwarven engineers until they fell into a state of disrepair, in which monsters and criminals took residence among the various 'districts' of the Sewers. The Stride, a major thieves' guild in the area, once occupied a series of chambers connecting them to numerous businesses and residences in the city above. A clan of kobolds known as the Cleft Eye is also known to thrive therein. There was also a Flood Watch at one point which was both patrolling the underside of the city and guarding some hideous secret, a secret which was removed from the city when the army of undead attacked the Keep just to get it. Most of the Flood Watch were slaughtered, but there are rumors that Regent Luciot has put together a new unit to guard other potential secrets, old and new, that have been tucked away.

Haunted Horrn: High in the Vernal Wall, towards the West of the Valley, and beyond the sheltered community of Hud Horrn, lies a ruined dwarf stronghold which was razed by predators from the depths of the Underdark, 50 years before the Empire arrived to claim the region. This site is very popular with adventurers, who come far and wide from all the Seven Provinces to test their hand in its dark chambers. Through the years, several of the upper levels of the Horrn have been 'cleared', only to restock themselves as more powerful creatures move up to replace the weaker. Though it has been assaulted several times by adventuring groups, it is still considered one of the most dangerous places in the Vale. The Last Eidolorn keeps a constant vigil that the denizens, which now include a potent warband of bugbears known as the Blooded Lash, do not expand their territory beyond the ruins.

Krar's Claim: Krar the Crooked, a grizzled prospector, was the last claimant to these silver mines a few decades back, and to him it is still named. Although the creatures inhabiting the lode were at that time cleared out, the prospector, who was quite old at the time, was unable to drum up much interest due to the conflicts in the nearby Hud Horrn, Haunted Horrn, and Shark Dunes. So he dug up what he could, retired comfortably and passed about a decade later. By that point, new residents had already taken up residence within the caverns. The few eyewitness reports drifting into the neighboring towns and Floivin Keep claim that eerie, slender pitch-black beings have been spied in the areas near the caves, and on more than one occasion within them. There was also Krar's other claim, the one he made on his deathbed...that the mines have false walls and naturally hidden passages and might be larger than originally thought.

Mimresh: A tower of obsidian and steel, which was once the property of the Gnarlbottom dwarves who used it as a defense against orc invaders from the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. When the Gnarlbottom Clan attempted to stave off the Eidolorn Empire's advance, they drew forces from the tower, leaving it relatively weakened, and it was then that the orcs would strike in vast numbers, under the guidance of then-warlord Fharkkas the Gnawer. Realizing too late their mistake, the Gnarlbottom Clan surrendered to the Empire that they might drive out the orcs and spare the dwarf families a life of harsh slavery. But while able to free the Valley of the Gnawer's invasion force, the foul creatures had successfully captured and defended the tower, now known as the Mimresh, and they hold it to this day, though they serve a new master, Dror Gheel, the Slavemaster of Sothos Karr. The tower is 60' feet of fortified stone and steel, with twisted, barbed coils of mesh that lie strewn about the pass before it, and over 100 orc troops that will defend for fear of failure. After some unrest with the Sothos Karri some decades ago, a large encampment of at least 100 Imperial soldiers called Reedrustle is found a couple miles to the north of the Mimresh, should the brutes decide one day to again attempt a violent expansion.

Murklyre's Maw: A known Skull Collar stronghold, in the west of the Tooth Marsh, beneath the Vernal Wall. This serves as both a plotting point for the goblins and bugbears to stage their raids, and a hatchery where they breed and feed some of their hydra pets. The area has been raided several times, and with the losses the Skull Collars suffered in the War for Floivin Province in 868ID, it was thought to have been abandoned, but the humanoid tribe has sprung back and now occupies the caves in numbers much greater than before. Some even whisper that the Skull Collars' mysterious new leader, who has begun to organize and escalate the goblinoids' threat level, is hiding out here. the Last Eidolorn patrols from Reedrustle regularly scope out the place, but a direct confrontation seems too risky for the time being. Perhaps a smaller, independent group of mercenaries or adventurers might be better suited to taking action.

Old Pager's Farm: The site of a large battle between Last Eidolorn operatives and the Skull Collars back in 868 ID, there were prisoners being stored away on the property for torture or ransom. Since that time, the Farm has remained abandoned, the crop around it grown out of control, and many rumors started that the place was haunted. Whether this is by the spirits of the goblins or their victims, a bunch of living Skull Collars who are just spooking away interlopers, or some other supernatural force is unknown, but it's gotten to the point that even the neighboring farmers have pulled up roots and moved further away when possible.

Vernal Valley Map

Tarndim Map

Stuckle Downs Map