Session 240:

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Session 239:

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Session 238:

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Session 237:

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Session 236: Needfest

My tale begins as the revelries of Needfest continue. Whimsical masks are made of various materials (cloth, feathers, painted wood) and for one night, townsfolk act in ways that are contrary to the normal social order. Children boss around their parents, farmhands mock their employers, and some high-status villagers behave in wild and uncharacteristic ways that they are sure to deny in the morning. A "Lord of Orlane" was selected to preside over the festival, not by popular vote, but by chance. This year, a single black bean was placed in a bowl filled with white beans and one by one, each villager drew a bean until the black one was pulled. The chosen one was dressed in a garish and oversized cloak and was sat in a "throne" and forced to settle silly disputes and grievances from any who wished to speak up. I, myself have been appointed as Lady of Orlane no fewer than three times over the years. This year the unlucky fellow was none other than Finn Thistlebrook, a jovial lad who has recently taken over the family apple orchard that has been the backbone of many a festival as it supplies the fruit for fine casks of cider and delicious apple tarts. He presided with good humor as he ruled over some matters of dubious import. Celia Wren brought a case against her neighbor Doran Kestral to see if the Lord would stipulate that Doran's noisy rooster was disturbing the peace. Finn thought a moment as he glanced at his cousin Doran and declared that "it is at the owner's discretion". Then, Torvald Whitmore wondered aloud whether the ale that had been sold to him from one of the local vendors could still be called ale when it was clearly watered down. Lord Thistlebrook called upon an expert with discerning taste, Sergius the Dwarf, to make the judgement. Sergius took a large gulp from the flagon and declared the drink nothing more than "flavored water!" A mighty cheer arose and some sidelong glares were cast toward the beverage cart where most of the patrons immediately stepped out of line. Next, Cedric Landry spoke up and complained that Briony Frost had not paid him for his work clearing gophers from her field. Briony stated indignantly that Cedric had spent the afternoon asleep beneath an oak tree and had only killed two gophers. Finn nodded sagely and declared that Cedric was owed his pay because although he had napped, the man had indeed shown up and done the job asked of him. Briony dug into her purse and produced a few coins with a sour expression. Cedric ran off with glee to patronize one of the ale stalls. Lastly, a cry came from somewhere deep in the crowd that adventurers should be taxed for bringing trouble into the town with them. Low murmurs turned into boisterous chatter that then solidified into a chant of "tax! tax! tax!" With a wide grin on his face, Finn declared that all adventurers should indeed pay a tax of five gold pieces each for the burdens and hardships they seem to track back in to town, not unlike dirt on their boots. Gnorcia took great displeasure in this ruling, wondering why she should be punished for her repeated rescue of the town and good work in the barrow maze. Doran Kestral hollered out drunkenly that the adventurers were the reason his roosters were so noisy. Bram Halloway voiced his concern that the adventurers would eventually infect the village with a plague carried in from who knows where. Mayor Zacharias spoke up with a hollow voice that much has been both gained and lost from the exploits of the Saviors of Orlane. That dampened the tone somewhat, but seemed to settle the matter. 

Each of the adventurers paid up and returned to their chosen diversions. Most of the party removed their masks and go to sleep, but Lhoss and Sergius slept with theirs on. Lhoss was raised with the tradition of Elwynn, the elven fairy of Needfest who rewards those who show their enthusiasm in participating in the frivolities of the festival. Sergius, I think, was too drunk to remove his mask at the end of the night. Regardless, both Lhoss and Sergius were rewarded with a strange piece of silver under their pillow that when held calls to mind a bird for Sergius and a loom for Lhoss. The festival continued with singing and drinking and exchanging of gifts, particularly to those who suffered losses during the year. Lalie received carved wooden spoons, Tatania received patches of dyed cloth, Lhoss received some pickled onions, Gnorcia received some peach preserves, and Sergius received some sharpened tools. On the last day, candles were lit, bells were rung, while villagers of Orlane remembered the events of the year and the festival came to a close. Several party members stayed up late to see the sun rise on the new day, then retired for some rest.

Lhoss and Tatania used their skill to identify some magic items. Lhoss examined the cursed spell book that growled at her. To her delight, the growling was simply an affectation and the book posed no ill-will. Indeed, it was an incredibly valuable spell book that was inscribed with every second-level spell known to magic users. It also contained Baltrun's Effusive Blood Boil, Drixom's Purple Haze, Galaxina's Scintillating Spark Shower, and Vitheria's Vengeful Visage. Tatania then examined the lizard scale spell book. It did have a curse which was that it will attract reptiles and reptile-like monsters as long as it is in this physical plane. It was constructed with leather lizardman's scales and had silver fittings. Tatania was delighted to discover that it contained every level-one magic user spell.

Feno claimed the gloves of dexterity. The rest of the group considered their finances and decided to travel to Hochoch in order to sell some items to raise funds for the group. In the meantime, Armatzi, Lalie, Lhoss, and Titus sought out the mayor of Orlane, Zacharias. The mayor's behavior was still somewhat off since his return to town and the group was seeking out a way to help. The mayor received the party in a somewhat detached manner. Armatzi addressed the mayor in an attempt to connect, but Zacharias just stared into the flames of the fire. Lalie cast detect evil, but none was found. After about ten minutes, the mayor turned to Armatzi and shed a tear. Lalie introduced herself and asked Zacharias to share what he experienced during his departure from Orlane. The mayor absentmindedly got up and stirred a pot of porridge. Titus asked the mayor if he has permission to cast a spell. The mayor began to protest the need for such a thing but then trailed off. Titus, taking control of the situation, cast remove fear. Slowly, some life seemed to come back to Zacharias' eyes. He seemed to remember his manners and invited the party to sit and eat with him. Slowly, he began to regain some spark of personality and chatted about the festival. Lalie once again asked about his experiences away from Orlane but he declined to elaborate. Zacharias gave Titus a heartfelt thank you and invited the holy rollers (plus Lhoss) to visit again. He seemed much improved, even if he's not completely recovered.

The next morning, the entire group set off for Hochoch. They traveled through a cold early Fireseek day and encountered a group of trappers on the road. Lalie approached them to inquire about their wares, but they were standoffish and brisk. They seemed unwilling to sell their pelts which made Lalie suspicious so she cast detect evil on them. She didn't sense that they were evil, but based on their demeanor, she gave up and left them alone. They quickly moved on. Then the party heard some hoof sounds headed toward them. They made way for three mounted messengers headed swiftly to Orlane. Lalie hailed them and while they took notice of her, they pressed on. The party continued in their own direction toward a hostel where they will spend the night.

Now, I am still worn out from the frivolities of Needfest, so your old storyteller is off for a nap! I remain your humble servant,

Vilma

 

Session 235: Bathtime

Lalie and Aila, Gnorcia and Pella, Lhoss, Tatania, Feno, and Sergius find themselves with the decision of whether to explore the two greenish-brown pools within the barrow. All of the remaining areas have been explored and cleared, so there are no excuses to put off the decision any longer. Lalie is intrigued by the waters and takes off her glove to test the temperature with her hand. Gnorcia, seemingly emboldened by Lalie's action does the same. The two comment that they don't feel any different, but Tatania notes that they are still fully clothed. While Gnorcia and Lalie discuss whether it would be wise to test the waters, Lhoss looks on idly and comments that she would never be brave enough to strip down as is depicted in the murals and bathe in the murky water. Lalie seems to interpret Lhoss' offhand comment as some sort of challenge and orders Feno and Sergius out so she can run a proper experiment. Feno dutifully disappears into one of the rooms and shuts the door. Sergius walks into another room, but keeps peeking his head out until the women all shout at him to give them some privacy. 

Lalie immediately strips off her armor and clothing and submerges herself in the lower pool with Gnorcia hot on her heels. The effect is immediate and noticeable to both the bathers and onlookers: an eye that appears less keen and a jaw that is slightly more slack; these two seem to have lost a shade of their intelligence! Gnorcia declares that she is feeling a little dumb, so why not do something a little dumb? She scrambles out of the lower pool and immediately plunges into the upper pool. It is as though a cobweb is immediately swept from the corner of her brain as Gnorcia seems her old self again. Except, she seems shinier somehow? I mean, she's not attractive, but for a gnome, she's slightly comelier. Lalie joins Gnorcia in the upper pool and exhibits the same mini transformation. It's difficult to pin it down, but Lhoss has an increased level of trust and respect for Lalie. 

Tatania may have been reluctant to be the first one in the water, but after seeing what has transpired, strips and dunks herself in the upper pool. Unfortunately, she sees no change in herself from the experiment. True to her word, Lhoss does not even consider the task. The men are called back into the main chamber and the women recount their success/failure from bathing. The men declare it is their turn and shoo the women out of the room. Sergius climbs into the upper pool and Feno the lower one. They experience nothing. They switch pools but still feel nothing. Feno notices that the mosaics that had depicted bathing figures have disappeared, leaving blank walls behind. Disappointed, they dry off and all head back out into the marsh.

The party walks around the barrow marsh, looking at mounds they haven't explored before. They find a covered mound that would take too long to dig out. Next they encounter a sealed tomb but are perhaps too afraid to attract unwanted attention with the noise that breaking down the door would cause. They then come upon a cover stone that appears to have been removed with a rope and horse (judging by the drag path and horse tracks left behind). The group peeks in and observes a 15' x 15' chamber with a disturbed sarcophagus and a mummy lying face-down on the ground. Gnorcia nudges the mummy with her toe with thankfully no response and Lalie uses her skill to passively detect evil and, even more thankfully, senses none. Tatania is clicking her tongue at whomever left the mummy in such a disrespectful state and is contemplating restoring the mummy to its sarcophagus when Lhoss catches a glint of gold. She carefully scoops up a gold ring on the tip of her dagger, Gary, while Tatania casts detect magic and, unfortunately, detects none. With this small treasure, they all decide to head back to Orlane.

Feno has caught word that Alan Clayborne has returned from his journey to find the Mayor. Feno and Lhoss head to his house to speak to him, but he is not home. They first try the Slumbering Serpent as it's the closest inn to Alan's home, but he isn't there. Lhoss visits briefly with Belba, largely to assuage the side-eye glances from the inns' patrons. Belba kindly informs the two elves that Alan generally frequents their own Foaming Mug Inn. Of course! Sure enough, Alan and his wife are in the common room of the Foaming Mug. As Lhoss and Feno approach, Alan seems eager to share is news but hesitant because it's not exactly good news. Alan found the mayor, but something seems off. The mayor was willing to speak to Alan and even come back to Orlane, but he had a strange emotional detachment. He didn't smile and there didn't seem to be any light behind his eyes. What strange depression, ennui, or trauma is tormenting the dear mayor?

The next morning is the beginning of Needfest. The party decides to stay in town for the holiday. Townsfolk are buoyed by the festival with all sorts of gatherings and celebrations. They mayor even joins in, though his demeanor is not much changed. The children of town put on a play portraying the brave actions of the Saviors of Orlane. Feno is pleased his own depiction while Lhoss is positively delighted to be shown in such a glowing light. Each afternoon, Lhoss and Tatania meet up to dig through the bag of holding and identify a few of the magic items. On one evening, seemingly all of Orlane gathers for a potluck where everyone contributes what they can to the feast. Lhoss assists in baking some bread, Feno contributes a delicious wheel of cheese, and even Gnorcia uses a freshen cantrip to crisp up some apples that had started to go a little soft. It is a cheerful night filled with food, drink and dancing. Your old Velma had her fill of wine and cut a rug. With that joyful memory, I leave you until next time,

Vilma

Session 234: Hair today, gone tomorrow

This report chronicles the events of the expedition into a barrow within the Barrow Marsh on the 28th day of Sunset, between the hours of 9:30 and 11:00 in the morning.

The golden goblet called to the party from the short pedestal. It looked enticing, yet menacing. Lhoss inspected it for traps and Niki tested the liquid inside and determined it was not poison. It also did not appear to be evil in nature or possess any magical enchantments. The liquid inside was viscous, green, and familiar. Lifting the goblet to transfer it into a glass bottle that could be sealed, it became evident to the party that they were dealing with that substance well-known to them: green slime. To be sure, Tatania sprinkled a few crumbs of bread into the goblet. The slime reacted instantly. It bubbled up violently, doubling in volume. The goblet itself was appraised to be worth 345 gold pieces and featured a unique non-metallic interior coating that seemed to resist the slime’s corrosive properties.

The party quibbled a bit about how best to handle the situation. They had obviously dealt with green slime numerous times in the past and were being overly cautious about handling it and making sure that the vessel they intended to transfer the glop into would be capable of safely containing the dangerous liquid. The room seemed to grow impatient with their slow decision-making. Suddenly, it began to rain indoors, causing the slime to grow further. Several members of the party retreated outside of the room, but a stubborn few persisted, trying to find a way to decant the slime and recover the goblet. Soon after, the temperature skyrocketed, reaching intense, furnace-like heat. As the rest of the party retreated and closed the door to seal off the heat, they witnessed the glass bottle shatter and the golden goblet melt into a bubbling pool of gold. It almost seemed as though some trickster had set a supernatural trap that sprung when the adventurers tried to claim the goblet.

Continuing north through the marshy interior, Gnorcia accidentally stepped into a pool of peat water but was dried by a companion's magic. The party encountered a locked northern door rigged with a thin wire trap. Lhoss climbed the wall to disarm the mechanism, which triggered a massive four-foot stone block to slam down on the opposite side of the portal. Once the door was unlocked and the block bypassed, the group entered a large crypt.

The new chamber contained numerous burial alcoves and two large wooden statues with antlers. While the party began searching the alcoves, an evil presence was sensed behind a western door. Suddenly, the door burst open, and two sons of Gaks (horrid, worm-infested creatures) attacked. The monstrosities were swiftly vanquished through a combination of magic missiles, martial prowess, and a holy mace that reduced one to a puff of magic.

Peace was short-lived as an explosion rocked the southern end of the tomb, and smoke began pouring into the chamber. The southern door was incinerated, and a funeral pyre zombie emerged. During the skirmish, the zombie was levitated into the air by Lhoss to neutralize its mobility. When struck by magic, it burst into flames, burning away its flesh before being shattered into bone fragments. Simultaneously, the two wooden statues in the room animated into wood golems. In the ensuing melee, the golems were destroyed, though the dwarf Sergius unfortunately had his beard singed by the flames of the burning constructs.

Following the battles, a thorough search of the eight rotting wooden sarcophagi revealed several notable items: a suit of dwarven-sized chain mail, a winged helm, a longsword and a medium-sized kite shield bearing a red, white, and blue chevron, a pair of rusty silver thimbles, a sunflower statuette, a picnic basket, a scandalous piece of black lingerie, a bag containing 45 gold pieces, a potion of extra healing, and a small red bottle containing a "hair restore tonic". Sergius was quite distraught over the reduction of his magnificent beard and seemed distrustful of the tonic. It took much convincing from the rest of the group, but Sergius applied the magical tonic to his damaged facial hair He was much relieved when it successfully restored his beard to its former flowing glory.