Session #1 available here, and session #7 here.
The party, having healed, rested well and armed themselves to the teeth returned back to Talen only to be greeted with Millers and their rat problem before even properly getting into the village.
There Thrallmar found a small envelope from the rat-infested warehouse after taking a daring dive into it's depth and managing to make it back in one piece.
There Thrallmar found a small envelope from the rat-infested warehouse after taking a daring dive into it's depth and managing to make it back in one piece.
The Rats in the Warehouse
Picking back up from where we left, long conversation was had in hushed tones and implied look so as not to draw any suspicion towards the contents of the letter from Thackerey, who would surely condemn the entire party where they stood.
Deciding to leave the letter be for now, the talks then moved back to how the group might deal with a warehouse full on vicious vermins. Burning or poisoning it was not really an option as that would more than likely destroy the grains and anything else stored inside, while traps might have proven too time consuming and slow. There were all sorts of wild plans being thrown around untill Blue remembered that Angelo (whose player unfortunately was not able to make it to this session) had recently researched the spell Speak With Animal during their stay in Falm.
Casting the spell made the little squeaks coming from inside the warehouse into something more intelligible. From the other side of the wall Angelo could hear dozens of conversations overlapping, like someone fast-forwarding several gangster flicks at the same time.
What he ended up learning was that these rats were following someone named Fat Jon, as well as the fact that the rats had some sort of "ambush squad" hiding up somewhere.
Deciding to leave the letter be for now, the talks then moved back to how the group might deal with a warehouse full on vicious vermins. Burning or poisoning it was not really an option as that would more than likely destroy the grains and anything else stored inside, while traps might have proven too time consuming and slow. There were all sorts of wild plans being thrown around untill Blue remembered that Angelo (whose player unfortunately was not able to make it to this session) had recently researched the spell Speak With Animal during their stay in Falm.
Casting the spell made the little squeaks coming from inside the warehouse into something more intelligible. From the other side of the wall Angelo could hear dozens of conversations overlapping, like someone fast-forwarding several gangster flicks at the same time.
What he ended up learning was that these rats were following someone named Fat Jon, as well as the fact that the rats had some sort of "ambush squad" hiding up somewhere.
The eventual and very logical conclusion of a solution was to get furs from somewhere, sew a rat mask for Angelo who could speak with the rats with his magic and have him play the part of a king rat who has come to demand the rats leave the warehouse.
This plan didn't get very far though, as entering the village proper to find some furs the first thing our adventurers noticed was a large gathering of worried looking people huddled around the local well.
The Priest in the Well
Approaching these people, the group learned that the local priest, Father Markus, was found earlier this morning in the well and how the locals had been since struggling to get him out of there.
Blue thought to help these people out by casting magical light down the well so that they would be able to better see down there in their efforts to hoist the man up. This however did also reveal that Father Markus had been separated from his head either after or before stumbling down the well.
Blue thought to help these people out by casting magical light down the well so that they would be able to better see down there in their efforts to hoist the man up. This however did also reveal that Father Markus had been separated from his head either after or before stumbling down the well.
This discovery in turn lead to the group investigating the local church for any clues as to what might have happened. In the end not much was discovered: few chop marks on the large front door of the chapel, a small splatter of blood in the ground by the door, a half-finished altar arrangement, and after busting through the door to the priest's quarters at the back of the church some letters and books of theology.
Returning to the body that the villagers had managed to hoist out of the well they also found out that what- or whoever had liberated the poor priest's head from his shoulders had done so in just a few clean cuts. Hidden beneath his robes was also a set of keys to the priest's quarters as well as the front door of the church.
Returning to the body that the villagers had managed to hoist out of the well they also found out that what- or whoever had liberated the poor priest's head from his shoulders had done so in just a few clean cuts. Hidden beneath his robes was also a set of keys to the priest's quarters as well as the front door of the church.
Returning to the church, no alternative entrances inside were to be found. Any potential tracks outside the church had also already been trampled by inquisitive villagers doing much the same detective work that our adventurers were doing. All they really found was an attempt at scattering around the bloodstain on the ground by the door as well as finding out where the keys they had found fit.
Deciding to head back to the forest to check out some of the sites that the local drunkard of an elf had marked down for them since the investigation with the priest was not going anywhere, the party set out once again. This time with their hired men and a donkey, themeslves too armed to the teeth.
The Party in the Forest
Within the deeper parts of the forest, choosing to travel away and past the witch's house they found a small valley. A sharp drop in land like someone had taken a gigantic shovel and began to dig a long but shallow gutter and then left it half-finished.
Following along this tree-less scar in the land with gravel and sand lining the bottom of it, they eventually ended up by a stone archway leading straight into earth where the valley ended. Stone paved path and few scones without their torches could be seen inside.
Following along this tree-less scar in the land with gravel and sand lining the bottom of it, they eventually ended up by a stone archway leading straight into earth where the valley ended. Stone paved path and few scones without their torches could be seen inside.
Blue chose to light the way with his magic, revealing much more of the stone walls of the paved corridor. A conversation or two later about the possible dangers and where this path might lead from here the party decided to brave the dark and press on forwards.
Inside they found the corridor to give way to a large open chamber with arched ceiling, stone pillars lining it's sides and large murals adorning the walls. At the back of the hall a starway, also similarily paved with stones, lead upwards.
Choosing to follow the obvious way rather than another smaller doorway leading to the side from the large chamber the party eventually arrived at a large round chamber lined with clay pottery. At the opposite side of the room from them was a small fountain bubbling with some honey-like liquid, and further behind it a moth-eaten heavy wallcloth that might have once been red or orange.
Choosing to follow the obvious way rather than another smaller doorway leading to the side from the large chamber the party eventually arrived at a large round chamber lined with clay pottery. At the opposite side of the room from them was a small fountain bubbling with some honey-like liquid, and further behind it a moth-eaten heavy wallcloth that might have once been red or orange.
Despite Blue's warning for everyone to stay well away from the fountain, the first thing Thrallmar decided to do was dip his hand in it after testing and finding out that it wasn't radiating heat. Beautiful golden liquid enveloped his hand, but when he pulled it out of the fountain the poor dwarf quickly found out that he was unable to move the fingers that were coated in this strange liquid that had now solidified on his hand. This did however make him able to recognise the subtance, gold!
After pondering about his now gilded hand for a moment Thrallmar tried sticking it back in the fountain and this time quickly withdrew it while simultaneously wiping it clean with a rag. One swift execution of the plan later and our dwarven friend had regained the use of his arm.
Once Thrallmar's hand was freed Blue swiftly emptied his entire backpack, leaving Calude to load his gear onto the donkey they had brough along as the greedy mage went to dip his entire backpack in the golden fountain, using it as a makeshift bucket. Thrallmar joined in on this with two pouches he had been carrying and after those were filled the party decided to leave any further exploration of this place for another time in favour of getting out of the forest for resupply and selling off even more gold.
Once Thrallmar's hand was freed Blue swiftly emptied his entire backpack, leaving Calude to load his gear onto the donkey they had brough along as the greedy mage went to dip his entire backpack in the golden fountain, using it as a makeshift bucket. Thrallmar joined in on this with two pouches he had been carrying and after those were filled the party decided to leave any further exploration of this place for another time in favour of getting out of the forest for resupply and selling off even more gold.
This however didn't go quite as planned, since in the large chamber shortly before the exit the party heard steps from behind them. Picking up pace, they could hear the footsteps doing the same. Blue threw a torch behind him as the group was now running towards the exit and what he could see behind them was two more of those damned wolves. One wearing several wolf-pelts as a mantle while the other had a skinned human draped over it's back, except that the human's head was instead that of a large raven or crow and the hands slotted over it's front paws were covered in sharp talons.
Racing for the exit, the party managed to not get caught as the wolves were now in pursuit and then promtply took formation before the archway they had exited this dungeon from.
Some well-placed stabs and slashes later, and thanks to Blue taking his time back at Falm to learn Magic Missile the party beat their crow-faced assailant as the other one limped away back into the darkness that it had come from.
Some well-placed stabs and slashes later, and thanks to Blue taking his time back at Falm to learn Magic Missile the party beat their crow-faced assailant as the other one limped away back into the darkness that it had come from.
Afterwards the party spent two more days treking out of the less dense parts of the forest and returned back to the by-now familiar sight of Talen.
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