Session 129: Forest Encounters

Notes by Gnorcia

End of Day 17 of Harvester

We began moving through the thick mists of the Barrowmarsh, which felt more menacing than ever. It was as if some terrible presence was closing in on us. We tried to engage in casual conversation along the way, but it felt very superficial and everyone’s faces looked strained.

As we moved through the forest, we came to the same area where we had found something on the trail before and saw aother something. It appeared to be a body with something sticking up out of it! Calbach suggested throwing a torch at it, I suggested casting dancing lights, and ultimately Lhoss cast continuous light on the entire area.

In the light, the figure appeared to be a human with two arrows protruding from its back. Niki swept the path carefully toward the body and used the pole to push it over. It's face was frozen in a look of horror and it was missing both of its eyes! We didn’t recognize the person—a male human dressed in worn clothing in woodland colors, and it appeared to have had a purse that had been cut from its strap. Kyro deduced that the eyes were cut out post-mortem.

No one wanted to touch the corpse, but we determined to move it off the path so Calbach and Kyro lifted it off the trail and off to the side, and the group gathered leaves and a few branches to try to cover it a bit. Lhoss then dispelled the continuous light and lit a candle, Calbach lit a torch, and we continued our march back to Orlane.

The sun set about half an hour after we left the quiet, creepy forest and we hurried to arrive at Orlane before dinnertime ended. The farmers we passed on the way seemed in a hurry to finish their tasks and get back inside their homes. We made it back in time for dinner and were met with a relatively quiet atmosphere in the common room of the inn. Innkeeper Florin mentioned that there may be another shopkeeper setting up shop soon.

Day 18 of Harvester

The next morning we slept a bit later to recover from our late travel, then decided to spend the day in town. At breakfast, Calbach took extra bacon and stuffed it in his pockets for a snack later. Lhoss, Niki, and Kyro spent some time just outside of town, searching for rose petals and holly, and Calbach went down to the lake where he practiced hopping between rocks and managed to fall in a few times.

The group then went to visit the mayor and show him what we had found in the Barrowmaze. He was very interested in everything but especially in the Barrowmarsh Scroll and the lost journal, and offered 100 gold pieces for the scroll and 150 for the journal. He also said we should consider going to Hookhill and approaching the local gentry to see if they would be interested in the Gran March Royal Edicts, and that the codex and the alchemical grimoire would probably be very valuable in the right hands (such as an alchemist) as well. He suggested taking the mummification documentation to a house of worship.

Calbach was dripping water, munching on soggy bacon, and behaving a bit rudely so we set him on “guard duty” outside and “helped” him out. Lhoss told the mayor that she would bring the journal at the end of the day after she had read through it and transcribe information of interest to our group.

We then went to the temple and Kyro took the mummification scrolls to Priestess Misha. She was thrilled at receiving them and said the temple would be willing to give a gold credit for future healing or items, or to trade some holy water and healing potions. We purchased 10 healing potions and now have an 820 gold credit.

Calbach was behaving a little oddly so Misha had some acolytes help him to a resting place to teach him meditation. I decided to stay with him and make sure he didn’t wander off. Niki went with Lhoss to have Ramne identify the magical studded leather armor, which they learned is +2 to AC.

Calbach leveled up so he will be spending 2 weeks at the temple and will be back on day 5 of the Brewfest festival, and Chiki the Turtle has now joined the group in his place. I also leveled up so will be back in 7 days, and Arnd has now joined the group in my place.

Notes by Arnd

Day 19 of Harvester

We ate a hearty but oddly-meatless breakfast—methinks this must be similar to the strange diet of elves—and headed out for the Barrowmarsh.

The group filled me in on what happened during their last trip through the Dim Forest, and when we got to where they had left the eyeless body, we discovered it standing! It then began to shuffle toward us and with that motion we quickly recognized the movement and foul stench of a ghast. It headed straight for Niki, managing to hit and paralyze her. Kyro and Feno both ran in and attacked, destroying it but stinking up the woods even more with its nasty corpse.

Chiki kept trying to slap Niki's face to wake her up, but I lifted him by his collar and set him to the side. After a tense minute, Niki came to herself and could move again. We quickly continued on our way and made it to the Barrowmarsh, which seemed even more cold, dank, and smelly than usual.

Session 128: "Your Mother!" and Assorted Creepiness

Gnorcia and Lhoss return to the cul-de-sac with the cold room and attempt by turns to pick the locks to the east and west, but are unsuccessful. Feno has had good luck forcing open stuck doors, but these locked would not be budged. And if Feno can't bust down a door, whomst among us could?

Feeling itchy to explore something new, Lhoss and Feno backtrack to the brick walled-off room that is giving off odors of death and decay. What earlier seemed like a bad idea was suddenly worth a try. To their shock, words appear on the wall: "Foolish Orlanean group, why do you tempt fate?" and three death symbols that fade into and out of sight 💀💀💀. The group doesn't immediately take the hint and contemplate what this could possibly mean! Then the words "Do you have a death wish?" appear. This is enough to push Kyro to declare that this place is unsafe and we should all leave. The group doesn't require any more prompting and retreats toward the catacombs. Incidentally, the note that had been left by the thieving adventurers was now gone.

Calbach reveals himself to be more chaotic than previously known when he declares he wants to lick the lichen on the walls. Gnorcia's most recent encounter with a fungus inform her actions to physically restrain him and talk some sense into that wild brain of his. Calbach is contented to merely poke at it instead. The group winds their way through the catacombs looking closely at dead ends for hidden doors (well, the two elves in the party do) and hoping to find something they've missed. Lhoss hears squeaks and chatter and Feno sees shiny sparkles on the floor and hears flapping wings. Then the whole party sees a group of stirges descending upon the heroes, thirsty for blood!

In a dash of dexterity one of the stirges actually bites and attaches to Feno. Less surprising but still upsetting, another two attach to Niki and Gnorcia. Calbach engages with a battle cry of "your mother!" but doesn't actually hit anything. Lhoss explodes the creature feeding on Gnorcia with a magic missile and Feno sunders the one feeding on him... and all but one remaining bloodsucker in a flurry of swinging steel. Calbach attempts to intimidate the remaining pest by calling out "Buzz off, you hit like a lady bug! And... YOUR MOTHER!" This has the unfortunate effect of enraging the stirge which attacks and attaches to Calbach. Gnorcia blinks in surprise at the turn of events then collects herself to vault into an attack. She and Lhoss both miss with their strikes, but Feno is able to finish it off. Calbach kicks at the bloodstain and utters a final "your mother!" while the party collects the clutch of gems they had seen sparking earlier.

The group eats lunch and chats then further explores the catacombs. They come upon an open space that smells strongly of a strange rotting stench. Suddenly, Lhoss is swept up and viciously attacked by a cave fisher that is perched on a ledge. Feno uses his grappling hook to climb up. Gnorcia considers throwing some darts at the creature, but Lhoss is badly injured and a missed shot could knock her unconscious. Instead, she attempts to have Calbach boost her up to administer a healing potion. She gets the boost, but is unable to maneuver into place to get the vial to Lhoss. Lhoss fires a magic missile at the creature, but it does not release her from its grip. Niki is able to climb up Feno's grapling hook as well and heal Lhoss to get her out of the danger zone. Gnorcia lands a blow and Feno kills the fiend. The treasures of the cave fisher include some studded leather armor and a partially destroyed scroll which reads "red, black, purple" in Elvish. 

The group heads out, Orlane bound and comes across another disturbing urn. This one is filled with severed ears. Is someone collecting battle trophies in the barrowmaze? The group also notes some warmer air coming from beyond the arches but does not investigate further as it is a disquieting thing to notice temperature changes in the tombs. The group exits into the barrow marsh, and makes toward Orlane.

Dusty Tomes and Frigid Gnomes

Day 17 of Harvester

Feno and Eldriel both awoke to the delicious smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen of the Foaming Mug. After getting up and ready for the day, they both made their way down to the common area and enjoyed breakfast, and the company of their fellow companions, namely Gnorcia, Niki, Lhoss, and Kyro. Eldriel went back upstairs to his normal daytime routine, while Feno and the rest decided to get an early start on their day to try to claim the silver they had hidden in the barrowmaze the last time they were there. They head towards the dim forest in the now familiar path towards the barrowmaze. 

As they enter the dim forest, the group has a collective sense of foreboding and gloom befall them. Each of them in their unique way, feel as though they are being watched. Feno, initially though, is too preoccupied with his own thoughts to pay any attention to these feelings or those of the group and wanders ahead. Lhoss, ever cautious, asks the group to stop, and they all agree, including Feno. While Lhoss climbs a tree to get a better view of her surroundings, Feno starts to break apart a dry ration into small chunks. The rest of the group take better strategic positions, and Feno begins to toss the ration pieces into forest in an attempt to flush out the creature/creatures that have spooked everyone else. Fortunately for the group the food has no effect on drawing anything out of the woods. They agree to keep moving and move at a much faster pace to try to get out of the dim forest, hoping that doing so will alleviate the feelings of gloom and fear. When they arrive at the barrowmarsh, however, the feelings are still there, and more intense than before. They move and arrive at the entrance of the barrowmaze, and enter. 

Upon entering the barrowmaze, the group is surprised the over-powerering feeling sense of doom and gloom that had followed them since the dim forest had seemingly disappeared. They proceed to follow the winding paths and passages through the underground labyrinth towards their hidden riches. While heading towards that particular area, Niki spots a hidden worn brass urn along the wall that they hadn't seen before. Upon investigation, the urn is filled with a large number of teeth, of various types and lengths. Gnorcia and Lhoss are particularly disgusted by this, and the group continues towards the area the coins are located, leaving the urn alone. They soon arrive at the obelisk room and discover to their surprise that it has been completely restored (the group had previously destroyed it in a previous visit). They move towards the area that leads to the natural caverns to the east of this room. 

In the area that leads to the caverns, the group discovers a boot print heading away from the caverns. After briefly looking at each other's feet, and comparing boot prints, they conclude that it came from someone not in the party. Kyro steps up, examines it, and determines that it is a human boot print in this particularly muddy area. The group makes their way through the cavern paths, and twists and turns, until they reach the room where they storied the silver and copper under their camo tarp. Instead of money they find a note that reads:
"Thanks for the goodies, Saviors of Orlane!"
The loss of the hidden coins, and the tarp, annoy the group, especially Lhoss. Wanting to get something out of this adventure, the decide to continue exploring and soon discover a nearby room that contains a 16 ft statue of a four-armed demon. With quick inspection, they see that upon each hand is a skull engraved with a corresponding symbol: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. They also feel the air becoming noticeably colder. Niki sweeps the area and discovers a hidden pit trap near a hallway nearby. This room has two doors: a door south that reeks of death and decomposition, which the party opted not to open, and the door north, which they opened. This door opened up to an ancient library filled with shelves of ancient tomes of knowledge of ages long lost.  Having a flashback to when Titania was lost to a magical book, the group asks Niki to cast detect magic, to see if anything is magical inside this library. Fortunately, nothing is found to be magical. What they do find, after doing some searching, is:

1. The Barrowmaze Codex - A beautifully bound book with an ornate leather cover, embossed with the sigils of long-forgotten wizards. The pages are yellowed and filled with meticulously hand-written incantations, rituals, and maps of the Barrowmaze. It is said that this ancient codex contains the secrets of unlocking the maze's hidden chambers and lost treasures. 

2. The Barrowmarsh Scrolls - A collection of delicate, rolled scrolls sealed with wax and bearing the official seal of the Gran March. These scrolls contain detailed historical records, describing ecological changes in the Barrowmarsh over centuries and the various attempts to reclaim the land.  They are considered valuable for their historical insights and ecological data. 

3. Grand Marsh Royal Edicts - Official proclamations issued by the Gran March's rulers, written on parchment in elegant calligraphy and sealed with the royal crest. These edicts detail land rights, taxation policies, and governance structures in the region, including the Barrowmarsh. They are valuable for understanding the regions political history and legal framework. 

4. The Barrowmaze Alchemical Grimoire - A collection of loose, weathered papers covered in cryptic symbols, formulae, and diagrams. These hand-scribed notes contain the research and experiments of an alchemist who once sought to harness the unique properties of the Barrowmaze's flora for their elixirs and potions. The grimoire's secrets are still sought after by modern-day alchemists. 

5. The Lost Journal of Barrowmaze Explorer - A worn and tattered journal filled with the scribbled notes and sketches of an early explorer of the Barrowmarsh. The journal details their encounters with mysterious creatures, local flora, and interactions with the indigenous people. It also contains a hand-drawn map of the region, offering unique insights into the uncharted territories of the Barrowmarsh.

6. A Unique Scroll of Mummification - The scroll outlines the process the people of the Barrowmarsh use to mummify remains. 

After discussing the best methods to keep this ancient knowledge safe, they store them (using the bag of holding, a secure chest, and a few scroll tubes) and continue to explore the surrounding area. Niki and Gnorcia proceed to the room to the north and discover a room with three other doors. They try to open the doors, but the cold temperatures seemingly affect them, and they are unable to open the doors. Niki heads back to the the library and Lhoss joins Gnorcia in trying to open the doors open up. With their lock picking abilities, they are able to unlock the door to the north, which Lhoss cautiously opens up. Both Lhoss and Gnorcia are hit with an icy blast of cold air, and are just able to shut the door, but not before taking icy damage. They both return to the library shivering from the cold and requesting some healing from Niki. Gnorcia bear hugs Feno, since the cold is not bothering him, trying to steal some of his body heat. The group closes both doors to the library, and Niki heals both Lhoss and Gnorcia in turn. While doing so, Feno begins to search the library more extensively, and discovers a leather scroll tube among the books. Kyro and Lhoss join in, and discover a scroll tube made of wood, a tube made of bone, and another tube made of leather. Niki sits downs and rememorizes the spells she has spent so far on the adventure, fearing they may be needed sooner rather than later...