Session 99: Finding answers in the Temple of Boccob

Armatzi, Niki, Gnorcia, Kyro, Lhoss, and Feno found themselves pondering the plans for the day after eating their breakfast at the Dapper Crab Inn. With no other specific business to be done in Hookhill, the group made it their primary objective to go to the Cathedral of St. Cuthbert. There, hopefully they could finally find a cleric with the knowledge of how to bring back Tatania. Lhoss asked the inn keeper Tiadora for directions and they set off.

Several in the party noted that the feeling of suspicion and paranoia that was observed in Hochoch was absent in Hookhill. Not all cities of the realm are equally affected by the terrors of the giants. The group made their way down wide, well-paved streets to the mercantile district. It was well exposed to the light of the warm summer day, which added to the pleasant journey. They passed by nicely-constructed homes and came upon the edge of the basilica, which was surrounded by walls. There was a field, which appeared to be the grounds for fairs and festivals. The area was busy with people coming and going. This appeared to be the religious district with a temple dedicated to Boccob and the Cathedral of Pholtus. The Cathedral of St. Cuthbert stood out in shining blue and white stone. It was an imposing structure, invoking the deity's cherished principles of order and lawfulness.

Armatzi stepped forward to introduce himself and was quickly recognized as a curate of the faith. The rest of the party were asked if they too were followers of St. Cuthbert. When they each indicated that they were not, they were informed that only Armatzi would be allowed to enter the while armed. Feno grew suspicious of this restriction and declared that he would wait outside. Lhoss, Gnorcia, Kyro, and Niki left their weapons with Feno and entered the cathedral. 

The entry gave way to large chambers, beautiful stained-glass windows, and paintings depicting the heroic deeds of St. Cuthbert's followers. As the group waited for Raymond Bachelet (the emissary of the cathedral), they heard the chanting of monks. At last Raymond appeared and addressed Armatzi (and only Armatzi). Raymond informed Armatzi that resurrection is a benefit that is only offered to the followers of St. Cuthbert. As Tatania had not declared fealty to any deity and was a chaotic personality, she would surely not be eligible. Kyro interjected to ask which other edifices the group might try to petition their cause and was sharply cut down. In the cathedral, communications could only go through Armatzi. Raymond had no knowledge (or interest) of what could be provided by other temples. But, he made it clear that there was no shrine to Merikka in the city and the closest place of worship was far off in Buxton's Crossing. The parting offerings of each member were received as thus: Lhoss (1 silver piece), a sniff; Gnorcia (1 gold piece), a slight nod; Armatzi (3 gold pieces), a deep nod.

Glancing around, the conical, several-story tower of Boccob came into view. It dazzled with blue, red, an yellow stones and was adorned with astronomical symbols. Boccob is the god of magic, arcane, and knowledge; this information pierced Kyro's heart. True, Tatania had never chosen a religion to follow, but this set of priorities seemed to align with hers very keenly. The group approached to inquire inside.

The party were met by two hooded guards wearing black robes embroidered with white stars. Kyro approached and explained our quest to have Tatania resurrected. When asked if any of us were followers of Boccob, we admitted that none are, but Kyro insisted that Tatania would have been if she had known of Boccob's existence. The guards thought to themselves and asked who wished to enter. Kyro, Gnorcia, and Lhoss indicated yes and were ushered in. Each gave an offering of 1 gold piece and were seated in a dark room lit by candles and infused with incense smelling of mint and cinnamon. Nearly intoxicated by the smell alone, the group was greeted by another man in a black robe with white stars. He asked if the group would be willing to submit to a test of truthfulness. After three yesses, they were presented to Metheven Pickney. Metheven asked probing questions about Tatania, including her motivations and temperament. Each adventurer seemed to pass the test and was rewarded with a large flagon of good wine. The effect of the drink caused the mystical signs emblazoned on the walls to shimmer and shine. The high priestess came to address the three and indicated that, yes, they had been truthful. She indicated that Baccob was an uncaring god, but would allow Tatania to be brought back, under two conditions. First, she would receive a quest to complete upon resurrection and second, the financial cost would be 10,000 gold pieces. This was bittersweet news. At last there was a path to see Tatania again, but it would not be easy. This would be an open-ended offer and Kyro could return with the treasure should he ever be able to collect it. Feeling a mix of emotions, the adventurers returned to the Dapper Crab to eat lunch and eavesdrop on the locals talking about the happenings of the surrounding areas. 

Session 98: Days 6-22 of Reaping

 From Gnorcia's notes:

The next morning dawned, day 6 of Reaping, and most of us awoke a little fuzzy about the previous night's adventures. Everyone except Armatzi, who had tossed out his herbal drink and had only water during the adventures in the grove. We had a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and fruits, then decided to go tell Da’ana that we will not be needing her services, and then to head out for Hookhill.

We got directions to merchants and information about traveling to Hookhill, then headed to the merchant center on Banker Street. We soon came across “The Darling Stone” with a diamond-shaped sign, and determined this must be a jeweler, which Niki and I were looking for. Two mail-clad guards looked at us suspiciously and there was a man with a very pointy beard. I handed him my white jade and sold it, Niki sold some smaller gems, and Lhoss sold him a gold ring. The return on our items was about a 10% loss over the prices in Orlane.

We then went to Hearts & Flowers, the bakery. Kyro, Lhoss, Armatzi and I went in. I purchased a meat pie to share with the group, along with a barley loaf for the trip and a cinnamon roll for an afternoon snack. Lhoss spent all of her copper on cinnamon rolls for the group, and Kyro bought a tart. Armatzi merely nodded at the proprietress and she gave him a scone.

From there we went to Da’ana’s tower and found that she could not see us for another 5 hours. We decided to leave a note for her, letting her know that we found ourselves unable to meet her price at this time, but that we were grateful for her services. I folded this carefully into a little origami shape, which I passed along with a gold piece to the servant for delivery to Da’ana, and he promised to pass it on to her.

We then went back to Banker Street and found ourselves at the amphitheater, where there were people selling goods as well as a group preparing a caravan. After some negotiation, we agreed to join the caravan of Moussa Zidane as protectors for two and a half gold plus two meals a day, for a total of 37 gold and 5 silver at the end of the trip. Moussa proved himself a clever bargainer.

We all pitched in and helped the caravan load up, and after a few hours of heavy labor we were on our way out of the city. As we moved past the river, Zraith appeared next to Armatzi, asked where we were going, then said she would be coming along. When evening came, the caravan stopped and set up for dinner, which was a nondescript stew with hardtack. We took two people per shift guarding the group, midnight to 3 and then 3 to 6, and found it to be a quiet night.

At breakfast I was most displeased to find it was gruel for us all. To make it worse, as we were eating, heavy drops of rain started to splash down. The group quickly mobilized and set up tarps over the tents, but the rain didn’t clear up for hours and left the path muddy and impassable. Fortunately it had dried by the next day and we traveled easily along the road toward Orlane.

We quickly fell into the habit of guard duty for two shifts each night. The next day was a hot one, and we determined there was one more day of travel before we would reach Orlane. The meals were monotonous but I supplemented with my bread to keep it a little bit tastier. We arrived in Orlane at about 8pm that evening and were given coin to find a common room. We immediately went to the Slumbering Serpent Inn. It was then the 10th day of reaping and I needed to renew my contract for my room at Thorin’s inn, to keep my chest there.

We enjoyed the company of the elves and the mayor that evening and the elves in our group stayed up late talking with the Orlane elves, who were especially concerned about the changes in Hochoch as well as the tales of giant raids in the Grand Duchy of Geoff. Llewellyn was also very impressed with Lhoss’s boots. (I snuck down from my room and listened to all of this from behind the door.) The next morning we had a lovely pancake breakfast and were all happy to enjoy the food in Orlane again. We then returned to the caravan and were headed out of town by 7 a.m.

We passed the turnoff toward the barrowmarsh and moved along the main road toward the Dim Forest, then camped that night within sight of the forest. We awoke to another tasteless meal with the caravan, along with fine rain that made our travel through the forest a plodding affair. Everyone was bothered by the weather, in a foul mood, and snapping at each other. That evening we found a location in the forest and set up a camp, lit a smoky fire, and ate a meager meal that I supplemented with the last of my bread. At least there were no problems with any creatures in the forest that night.

The next day, despite the rain, the thick forest canopy made it possible to still travel and that evening we camped again in the forest. On day 14 the rain stopped but a mist arose, making travel challenging, but by midmorning we exited the forest and found ourselves on the plains nearer to Hookhill, though still about five days away. Of course the next day the rain started again and we weren’t able to travel. Our clothes were by then pretty wet from all the past days’ rain and the whole thing was becoming quite miserable. Day 16 came with sun that quickly burned off the water and mud, and we had to fight to get through the drying mud and dirt with the wagons. Guard duty was again boring and the next day we found ourselves even more irritated by the dirt all over everything. The entire group was bothered and overwhelmed by the traveling conditions, resulting in a full day that we were unable to move forward. Finally on the next day we managed to break camp and get moving again.

Each day we would also find ourselves periodically passing other traveling caravans, which required moving off the road and back on, and by the end of each day we were exhausted and even more tired of the disgusting food. Day 19 was the worst. It started with thunderstorms and at midday we were hit with lumps of hail and had to run to protect the animals, tents, and belongings. It was cold and everything was uncomfortable and difficult thanks to the weather. Fortunately the next day the weather cleared up and we found ourselves about a day’s journey from Hookhill. This boosted our spirits some and we were able to put up with the drizzly rain the next day a little better than before. At the end of Day 21 we found ourselves close to Hookhill but it was too late for the customs check-in so we stayed a couple of miles outside the city that night.

The next morning we arrived at the gates of Hookhill. Being a martial city, Hookhill is surrounded by walls and we were interested to see that there is a traveler’s town on the outskirts, around a pond, and yet another town like it closer to the city gates. Moussa paid the fee at the city gates and we moved into the city down Ivory Lane to the merchant area. He then paid our group 30 gold and 75 silver (which we quickly split between us) and seemed more friendly than he had on the rainy travel days, even inviting us to travel with him again another time.

It was then about 10am and we asked Moussa about the locations of a few places, such as a shrine to Merikka (he knew of one but didn’t know where it is), and a fighter or mercenary’s guild for Feno (he suggested going to the northwest quadrant and inquiring there). The group then determined to find an inn. We had passed two on the way down Ivory Lane: The Exotic Ox Inn and The Dapper Crab Tavern. Lhoss and Feno were both especially interested in the Dapper Crab so we went there.

A thin, aging woman with a tight bun of grey hair greeted us and introduced herself as Tiadora, the proprietress. I immediately took one of her best 5gp rooms with a hot bath, a real bed, and breakfast served in the room, and sent my clothing away to be laundered while I cleaned up my armor. Feno also took one of those rooms, and the others took smaller rooms at 2gp with a 1sp bath, or stayed in the common room with a 1sp bath. Feno and Armatzi also apparently each paid for a servant to fetch a new set of clothes, a traveler’s cloak, and low boots. Who knew a fighter and cleric were so particular about spare clothing? Everyone was especially grateful for a relaxing bath to end 15 days of exhausting travel.

Session 97 Day 5 of Reaping - Adventuring in Hochoch

 Armatzi and Niki left the group to head to the Cathedral of St. Cuthbert, leaving Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Kyro to travel to the Tower of Mystery. 

Armatzi did most of the talking at the Temple. He was escorted in based upon his rank that he wears on his clothing, and he met with Rosalinde, the 2nd in command at the Cathedral. She inquired about his circumstances, and indicated that Armatzi will now need to do all further training with her until he gets to the rank of a High Priest. Armatzi discovered more about the strange creature Zraith, and possibly why she is so intent on helping him. A penguin clan far to the south was converted to St. Cuthbert, and due to their mystic nature, from time to time the journey on a holy voyage to serve St. Cuthbert - often these visions are very specific in nature, which is what it sounds like for Armatzi and Zraith. She also informed Armatzi that penguins in general dislike large cities, and that Zraith was probably fishing on the river outside of the limits. Armatzi then inquired about powerful clerical magic to raise the dead. The less powerful Raise Dead spell can be cast within a short amount of time (several days) provided that there is still a body. However, a much more powerful spell of Resurrection is needed if the body is not available. Fortunately, it has a much longer length of time from death as well. There is not a cleric of St. Cuthbert powerful enough to cast this in Hochoch, but the high priest of St. Cuthbert in Hookhill is. Armatzi also found out that Azcuursh was a very evil magic user that had transformed into a vile, powerful undead called a lich. 

Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Kyro met with Da-ana - who they initially thought was a man, but when they reconsidered later, they were confused to consider that she was clearly a woman. This caused quite a bit of cognitive dissonance amongst them all. Da-ana was very wise, but also aloof and snobbish. She said that the 200 gp fee was sufficient for a 2 day consultation, but that her fee would be 500 gp a day for approximately 12 days to obtain a solution. She also requires 3000 gp of that up front to start. This troubled the group, and they said they would get back with her. 

The group met back at the Swift Coin Inn for dinner, eating a filling and good meal of mutton stew that was nevertheless below the standards that have come to expect from eating well at Orlane. 

The group then headed back to the Tower of Mystery only to find it locked up for the night. The group then split up again, this time Gnorica and Lhoss going off together, with Armazti, Kyro, and Niki going to The Grove. 

Gnorica and Lhoss first stopped at the shrine of Zuoken, of which they are both worshippers. An acolyte there showed them the various mats, exercise tools, and equipment they could use to engage in worship (Zuoken being the deity of physical and mental mastery). They then went to a non-disclosed location, Lhoss going back to The Grove and meeting up with the other three, and Gnorica showing up later in the evening at the Swift Coin. 

Niki, Kyro, and Armatzi - and later Lhoss, went to The Grove to participate in the worship of Obah-Hai. Eiluned, the Pristess of Obah-Hai led the group in a hallucinnogenic experience, which was triggered from an herbal drink - it was revealed later that Armatzi didn't partake of the drink, but swapped it out for water. The experience was quite surreal and the group returned to the Inn quite tipsy. 

Adventurer's Charter Application

Adventurers Armatzi, Feno, Gnorcia, Kyro, Lhoss and Niki, all based out of Orlane, seek an adventurer's charter.

Armatzi: follower of St. Cuthbert, superior is Enlil-Nasir, trained under priestess Misha at the temple of Merrika in Orlane, wields the gauntlet of St. Cuthbert and mystical war hammer Melissa, skilled healer and deterrent of dark forces

Feno: follower of Obad-Hai, wields Icing Death, sword of legend that he uses to slay dark creatures with deft skill

Gnorcia: follower of Zuoken, trained in magical arts by Ramne and as a Trickster by the elf Llewellyn, wields the short sword Vengeance

Kyro: follower and devotee to Merrika, Alan Clayborn serves as his mentor and trainer in the skills associated with being a ranger, accepted by the magical long sword Dynasty

Lhoss: follower of Zuoken, trained in magical arts by Ramne and as a Cutpurse by the elf Llewellyn, skilled with the dagger known as Gary Indiana, and defensive magic

Niki: follower of Obad-Hai, advised by Eiluned, trained with Alan Clayborn, proficient with the scimitar Mr. Paws, skilled in healing and detecting magical presence

Our stated mission is to defeat evil-doers for the peace and safety of all. Our adventurers group have defeated the evil Naga that had enslaved villagers of Orlane. We are the Saviors of Orlane. We have also slain countless troglodytes, reanimated skeletons (including sapphire skeletons), ghouls, zombies, frog men, scorpions, fire beetles, goblins, shades, and taken down many members of the vile Band of the Black Hand.

Session 96: Day 5 of Reaping, exploring the city of Hochoch

The party woke on the morning of Day 5 of Reaping in the Swift Coin Inn of Hochoch. They ate a hearty breakfast that, although good, was noticeably lower quality that what is served in Orlane. Kyro was interested in trying to converse with other patrons of the inn, but everyone seemed to have a nervous and uneasy air. To a man, they all sat with their heads down, occasionally glancing around shiftily, but overall giving off the vibe that they were unwilling to talk. The innkeeper was a little less busy than the frantic pace of the night before and Lhoss took a moment to ask for directions to the temple of St. Cuthbert and the sage Daana. The innkeeper was professional without being welcoming and oriented the party. Lhoss also asked if there were any areas to avoid. The innkeeper indicated that Hochoch is a well-regulated city and is mostly safe, although the refugee camp and Shingles neighborhood should both be avoided if possible as they posed potential dangers. Being singularly focused on their exploration of the barrow maze, the group was ignorant of goings-on and had to be informed that the refugees came from the hills and mountains in Jeff that had seen incursions of giants. With a thank-you and a tip for the good information, the party headed out.

There was a little discussion about whether to head northeast and see the sage first or go southwest to the temple, but the sage won out as the initial destination. As the team somewhat uncertainly began to navigate the city, Kyro made out to ask a group of city guards for information about buying a map. He nodded at a couple and they reacted with such hostility, the plan was abandoned immediately. The level of paranoia in the city is palpable and disconcerting. It had been a while since any from the group had been in Hohoch, true, but the hospitality seemed so changed from what everyone had remembered that it was jarring. There were some people out and about in the streets, but each one seemed to be on task and unwilling to engage with anything outside of their focus.

After a bit, a sign reading Crunge's Clock Tower was observed. At just that moment, a loud gong rung out with nine clangs. Atop the 100-foot high tower was a 40-foot flagpole. The sharp-eyed elves were the first to discern nine green streamers flying from atop the pole. Still on the lookout for a map, Kyro thought that there might be some sort of shop inside the tower, but the doors were boarded over and nailed shut. There was some sign of life atop the tower; a single figure who caused a flock of birds to scatter as they went about their work. An attentive adventurer could always be aware of the time of day in the city of Hochoch.

Continuing on (ever vigilant for a map shop) the group noticed fields of fruit trees and field hands. Niki, Feno, and Lhoss noticed a large tower in the distance that they believed to be the tower of the sage. The party passed a graveyard that had several new graves (did it seem like an unusually large number of new graves?) and a quiet neighborhood of well-kept houses. As they approached the tower, they observed a large brass gate surrounding a large estate and a bored-looking person on a chair.

Lhoss was the first to approach and asked the bored guard if they could see the sage. The guard was minimally responsive to a series of questions until Lhoss flipped him a silver coin, to which he responded "come back in two weeks." Gnorcia upped the bribe to a gold and the guard shortened the wait to "one week". Seeing a pattern, Feno forked over a platinum piece and the guard informed us it would cost us 200 gold pieces to see Daana. Clearly only serious customers need apply. Kyro handed over 40 platinum and explained the nature of the group's business. The guard took the coins and disappeared into the tower through what was clearly a magical entrance. After 20 minutes in the baking sun, the guard reappeared and relayed that the case has some interest to the sage. At 4:30, three of the band should return to meet with Daana. He also warned the group not to be late.

Setting the next task to find the temple of St. Cuthbert, the group turned and heard the gong ring out 10 times and saw that there were 10 green streamers from atop the clock tower. Lhoss was the first to notice a soldier staring the team down from the far end of the road they were traveling on. Feeling threatened, the party altered their course, while still traveling in the direction they believed they should go. Then, in the distance, two different soldiers stood at the end of the road eyeing the adventurers suspiciously. There was some contemplation about whether to change course again, but it was decided that nobody had done anything wrong and to flee the soldiers would only make the party look suspicious. They all marched purposefully toward the soldiers with Gnorcia and Lhoss engaging in small talk about the temple of St. Cuthbert and other wholesome topics. The guards cast a suspicious eye, but did not engage. A single high pitched chime from the clock tower rang out which seemed to mark the half-hour.

The smell of sweet bread filled the nostrils of Lhoss and Gnorcia who did not need any other excuse to enter the bakery Hearts and Flowers, but they could ask about a map while they were inside, why not? Armatzi went inside too, because why not? Inside the delicious smells were even stronger with all sorts of mouth-watering baked goods on display. A large blonde woman came out to serve them and Lhoss asked if they made her favorite sweet treat: cinnamon rolls. She was assured that, indeed there were cinnamon rolls. Because she lacked any smaller coin, Lhoss paid in electrum, which the baker took as a large tip. It was a favorable error as this also made the baker, Emily, more amenable to a hospitable exchange of information. When asked why all of Hochoch is so on edge, Emily explained it was because there are spies in town who sell information to the giants, so strangers are viewed with suspicion. Also, a map would be hard to come by. She then informed a naïve Lhoss that giants eat humans. If Lhoss' horrified reaction wasn't enough to secure Emily's opinion, noticing Armatzi was an acolyte of St. Cuthbert (her own deity) put the three cleanly in the camp of "good folks". Also, name-dropping that they were the Saviors of Orlane put a bit of shine on their reputation as well. She graciously supplied the three with a basket of baked goods, directions to the temple, and instructions that the adventurers should register at the keep to dispel any further suspicion. With a heartfelt thank you, Gnorcia, Lhoss, and Armatzi exited and filled in the rest of the party.

Overhead, 12 gongs were heard, and the group found themselves in front of Captain Archibald Martel, the man who would determine if an adventurers charter would be awarded that could allow the group to move freely about the city without suspicion. The group was grilled on their purpose and intention. Fortunately, sufficient evidence was supplied and corroborated that proved the stated causes:  investigating a way to bring Tatania back and the larger charge of finding and destroying Derrik and Nanor. He commended us on our prior successes and urged us to continue the important cause of tracking down Nanor. One caveat: Armatzi was chastised for not visiting the temple of St. Cuthbert first. As a fellow follower of that deity, Captain Martel had strong words for our cleric and also for the druid Niki who had likewise not yet checked in at her place of worship. Nonetheless, the charter was awarded and each member pinned a badge to their clothes. A quiet spot by the river under a willow tree was chosen for a reflective lunch of the delicious baked goods from Hearts and Flowers.

The clock tower chimed a single gong sound and a sole blue flag marked the change of morning to afternoon hours. The next stop was in a forest dedicated to Obad-Hai, the deity of Niki and Feno. Though it is not Zuoken, Lhoss feelt an affinity to the space. Armatzi and Kyro entered with a calmness in their hears, but Gnorcia looked around for a tree to climb. Niki encouraged Gnorcia to hug a tree instead. To her surprise, the tree hugged her back! A druid woman named Eiluned was performing a religious ceremony that involved cutting holly and bathing it in a font. As she turned, her stunning red hair and green eyes dazzled the group. She presented both Niki and Feno with a sprig of holly and encouraged Niki on the sacred quest to obtain the Lesser Ring of Jack, with directions to find it somewhere in the barrow maze. Jack was quite friendly with Eiluned and Kyro wondered aloud if Jack had picked his own name. It seemed curious that Jack should share his name with the very ring Niki sought after. Might Jack have lived lives before this one? Eiluned also commented on the affinity between Jack and Armatzi. Perhaps Jack could serve as a bridge between druids and clerics. Though followers of Obad-Hai and St. Cuthbert might sometimes be at odds about how things should be done, they had a similar purpose and should work together. Lastly, Eiluned invited Niki, Feno, and Lhoss to return at 11:00 that night to witness a sacred nighttime ceremony.

Session 95: Wealsun Day 21 through Day 4 of Reaping

As recorded by Gnorcia: 

Lhoss was determined to complete some thief training before traveling to Hochoch. While she was busy preparing for another day of practice and study, the rest of us decided to give up a little sleep and head back to the edge of the Dim Forest at night to see if we could attract and destroy the remaining ghouls that had been harassing farmers in the area.

I tried to convince the others to distract the druid, Niki, so I could kill a small animal and use the blood to attract the ghouls, but she quickly figured out my plan (Jack the cat was probably listening) and put a stop to it. With a big sigh, Feno pulled out a dagger and pricked his finger, dripping and flinging his own blood on everything as we entered the forest. The night was descending quickly and it was mere minutes before we sensed something evil coming toward us from the northwest. It was indeed a pack of ghouls with something even more sinister leading it.

Fear spread across our small group of heroes. I scrambled up a tree and Kyro followed suit. Armatzi and Niki stationed themselves behind the gnarled tree trunks and prepared to attack, but Feno and Chalkboi set themselves in the middle of the path, weapons ready. The ghouls ran straight for the bleeding Feno and only one noticed Armatzi, swiping at him as it passed. Before he was hit, the cleric managed to cast his turn undead spell on the pack's dark leader and called out, aghast at the creature's evil, fishy stench, "It's a ghast!" Jack took one sniff and dove into Niki's backpack.

The rest of us used arrows and darts to attack from a distance, doing some small damage to the horrid creatures. Armatzi cast turn undead again and one ghoul was feared back down the path into the forest, but it wasn't enough to stop Chalkboi from being hit by another. He was immediately frozen by the ghoul's paralytic poison. Feno swiped through one as the rest of us continued our barrage of darts and arrows. Fortunately no one was hit by friendly fire and the injured ghouls screamed horribly as thick blood poured from their wounds.

Once more, Armatzi cast turn undead and the remaining ghouls turned to run. Kyro and I jumped down to help with the chase as Niki cast an entanglement spell, trapping the remaining ghouls in vines. The ghast, however, was merely slowed by the vines and Armatzi determined to destroy it himself. Running around the edge of the entanglement, he scrambled against the forest's thick brush and branches. He even attempted to throw rocks at the ghast, as if somehow he could slow it further.

Feno thought to skip over the entanglement as he attacked a trapped ghast, but got his feet caught in the spell's twining vines. Niki casually strolled right through the vines and smacked down that ghoul, then headed for the last one that was screaming angrily and pawing at the darts sticking out of its rubbery head. Those were my darts and I wanted them back so I leaped over the vines and onto the ghoul's back, but slipped and fell into the mass of greenery. Niki then finished off the final ghoul just as Armatzi and the ghast reached the same point at the vines' perimeter.

Realizing there wasn't time to swing his hammer, Armatzi reached out with the power of the Gauntlet of St. Cuthbert and blasted the ghast with holy light. It crumbled at his feet and even Chalkboi managed to let out a cheer as the paralysis wore off and the vines soon retreated.

Exhausted and covered in the stench of ghouls, we retrieved what darts and arrows we could and headed back to Orlane, stopping only to leave a note on the door at Hans' farmhouse, telling him the ghouls were defeated.

We spent the rest of the week and the next happily enjoying our time with no undead creatures to battle and a joyful summer festival to celebrate. We were a bit too free with our coin and just as freely listened to the tales of too many drunken townsfolk.

Her training complete, Lhoss joined in the celebration and was warned by the townspeople to take great care to avoid altars because they were very dangerous. Armatzi was told to seek the pools in the barrowmaze for safety, and warned that the mutated creatures there would enslave humans. Feno heard that the entrances to the barrowmaze were trapped, while another dismissed the entirety of it, claiming the barrows were just mounded graves and the rest was all folk tales.

I plied stories from a few more folks, learning that they had heard of piles of magical items in the southern crypts, that a powerful evil warrior and his band used the barrowmaze as their hideout, and the oft-repeated story of an elven maiden recently freed from the barrowmaze. I also heard of runic tablets that would curse all who read them, but Niki was told that some runic tablets contain information and not just curses. We nodded and considered our own experiences with runic tablets both helpful and dangerous.

Chalkboi used his story of being paralyzed by ghasts to start conversations with several people who then warned him that tribes of humans live in the barrowmaze along with mutated people who were guarding powerful treasures, and the same story of a powerful evil warrior hiding there with his band. He also had his story dismissed by someone who, again, claimed it was all hogwash and the barrows were nothing but a valley full of old graves.

As the celebrations were winding down on the last day, we gathered together for a meal in the tavern when a short, hooded figure with a long nose poking out from its hood entered the room. It sniffed, then headed straight for our table. We immediately noticed that it smelled more-than-faintly of fish, but this time fish-loving Jack was not afraid and came out to sniff at the hem of its heavy cloak. The creature squawked quietly at the cat and pushed back its hood, revealing a beaked figure in black and white.

"Zraith at your service!" it said. "I have been sent from my brethren in the south to find a cleric known as Armatzi."

All heads turned to Armatzi, who was earnestly breaking up chunks of meat and vegetables in his stew. Sensing the group's silence, he lifted his eyes and recognized the figure before him as a penguin holding a staff in one flipper. Unruffled by the strange welcome, the waddling bird had nothing but attention for Armatzi, and quickly explained that his clan from the south had been experiencing strange visions and sent him as a missionary.

"I am here to accompany you on your journeys for one month," it finished with a snap of its beak, holding its head up at attention. Armatzi paused, then nodded and went back to his stew. We all laughed and welcomed the odd little bird to our party.

The following day, Niki bought a bedroll and Feno borrowed one from Hilja as we packed up our belongings and set out for Hochoch. We stopped to spend the first night with Hans and his family, celebrating the defeat of the ghouls. Days later, on the evening of day four of Reaping (or day four of the elven month of Goldfields, for those who don't know better) at the beginning of high summer, we arrived at Hochoch, exhausted and tired of eating dry rations. We followed the scent of roasting beef and soon found ourselves at the Swift Coin Inn, where we dined on braised beef, soup, and bread, before securing rooms and turning in for a more-comfortable sleep in real beds.

 Session 94: Evening of Wealsun 20 to Morning of Wealsun 21

Clear Skies and Fireflies

Following the ghoul encounter in the dim forest, the group headed back towards the town of Orlane to both mourn the recent death of Tatania and formulate a plan on potentially returning her back to the living. While along the path, the group noticed that evening was unusually clear: the stars were beginning to show in abundance and there was not a cloud in the sky. It was quite peaceful. Additionally, the group was charmed by the fireflies that had shown up that night, with their almost hypnotic flight dance. At Lhoss' suggestion, the group made their way to the cottage home of Hans, one of the farmers that had requested the party to deal with the ghoul problem affecting many of the farmers. Lhoss instructed him that most of the ghouls were killed, with only a couple escaping. He thanked us and promised a meal when those were dealt with as well. After leaving his homestead the group arrives late in the evening into the town, well past mealtime of the Foaming Mug, the local inn which the group usually stays in. Following Armatzi using his cleric skills to heal the party members in need of medical attention and those that needed their fear quelled, the party rested for the night. 

The next morning, (Wealsun 21) the party ate breakfast then decided on the best course of action on attempting to bring Tatania back to life; or at least get the people who know how to do that. So, they decided to head to the much bigger town of Hochoch, after talking to both the temple matron Misha, and the mage Ramne, on how they could go about doing such a thing. Misha stated that the Temple of Cuthbert in Hochoch had a high priest that could help us, whereas Ramne was asked about the dark magician that killed Tatania, who directed us towards Hochoch. The group then did some buying and selling and inventory maintenance prior to leaving on this next great adventure.