Category: Conjunction of Planes

Emma, Session 21

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5th day of the 1st  ride of Summer-Flame, 1262

The elven bandits are upon us! Before we can do much of anything at least half a dozen cloaked elven bandits leap from the recently revealed entrance in the fountain … followed by a cloaked mage … followed by a massive black panther. The panther immediately pounced on me, and it took all my effort not to fall over. By the Grace of Sedna I managed to escape the beast by stepping into the mist and cloaking myself in water. Two bandits gave chase, while the panther and a bandit cut down Luca. Up to that point our elven comrades had sought to appeal for a parley, which was most emphatically denied.

I won’t lie, I cowered from the bandits and feared for my own life and had great trouble fending off the two bandits that chased after me. I once again summoned a great tidal wave with some success. Afterwards, in a graceless struggle, I managed to shove one bandit down the waterfall into a fatal fall. The other one I kept at bay with my mace, and I even landed a blow on him. Thankfully Sedna came to me in this hour of need and allowed me to heal my comrades, including poor Luca. Sedna broke the nerves of our assailants. They fled! Only one corpse remained, and another had tumbled down the waterfall. All others had disappeared down into the hill, taking their other wounded and dead with them.

As quickly as the flood of violence had come,  just as quickly it had gone, leaving me trembling in my boots.

James convinced us that we had them ‘on the ropes’ so to speak and suggested that we give chase. Reassured by his confidence we agreed and downed a few healing potions to reinvigorate ourselves. We then clumsily made our way down. I half expected a deadly hail of arrows to strike of from the shadows, but we were lucky. All was quiet.
We pushed on, with James taking the lead at a small distance. His features were taut like a bowstring and his ever intense demeanour sharpened even further to that of a razor’s edge. This is his domain, he even seemed to enjoy the terror of it all! We followed his lead and explored the caverns below. These appeared to be many layers of bathhouses, of clear elven build, slowly descending in a spiralling manner. We found evidence of habitation in the top three levels, while the remaining levels were mostly bare. We followed the tracks of the bandits until we came to the deepest level, where could see faint light filtering into a corridor through a veil of vines and roots. The tracks led to the outside.

We briefly discussed what to do. Having become overconfident we assumed that they had fled from us. We decided to go outside to find their tracks and to discover if they were headed away from Allenham. As we stepped outside we were suddenly struck by a hail of icicles and frost that smote us hard. A hail of deadly arrows followed and three of us went down: James and Emrys, and Luca for a second time in under an hour! I urged Astrid to withdraw and dragged James by his collar back into the baths. Astrid dragged back Emrys. I then used a small diversion of mist to be able to recover Luca’s limp form. I then called upon Sedna’s blessings to heal my friends. I shall not go in detail how James’ confidence crumbled in the face of the heinous ambush. After all this ambush very nearly did us all in!

Admitting defeat we retired to the upper levels. Where we, after a brief discussion, decided to take our time to rest up. Luca looked absolutely dreadful. We did rummage through the stuff left behind by the bandits but found little of value or interest. I recovered Luca’s note, all crumpled up, and found another note warning of the presence of rats in an elven ruin, signed by a certain Prescott.

After resting up we departed, leaving another note for the bandits. We (perhaps hopefully) assumed that the bandits had originally come here to exterminate the gnomish rats and had been drawn into the matters in Allenham by accident. So we reassured them in our note that we had dealt with the situation in Allenham and that their involvement was no longer necessary and that we and they would be more happy chasing down our common enemy: the gnomish rats. (each on our own of course) Well, I hope that is what Luca had scribbled out in elven script, or at least something to that effect.

Our claims of ‘having dealt with the situation in Allenham’ turned out to be prophetic … in a doomsayer kind of way.

After taking our leisure we decided to climb out on top and to return to Allenham while some light still remained. We were unable to recover any of the dead elves, only some gear. We hastily made our way back. In town were once more greeted by locked doors and shuttered windows, while smoke rose from somewhere in the centre of town. We found the Allenham Townhouse severely damaged and the Lord Magistrate Strickland dead on the floor, as well as two of his guard. Syldareal and her daughter were weeping over the lifeless remains of Strickland.

After trying to console the women I helped them clean the bodies and prepare them for burial. Washing them and stitching up some of the wounds. Emrys kindly helped mending their attire. The guardsmen were collected by family. I sat in wake over the body, using my mistress’ gifts to preserve the remains.

6th day of the 1st  ride of Summer-Flame, 1262

The next day Strickland was buried in the garden of the Townhouse, next to the wife of the former magistrate. Luca and I did our best to add some gravitas to the proceedings.

Later, I used Sedna’s gift to inform the Queen’s man William of the need for a new magistrate in Allenham. Falibur the smithy, yeoman Allen, and Syldareal agreed to form a temporary town council to see to the day-to-day affairs of Allemnham until a new magistrate arrives.

We were ‘awarded’ a mule for our efforts. A mule we will call Theo.

The bandits dispensed vigilante justice. I am much saddened by this outcome. Far too many have died in Allenham. I was hopeful that we had corrected the course of the flawed magistrate and could preserve lives. Alas, the fates can be cruel.

Sedna, give me strength.

Battling the Procyon

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Previously, the adventurers managed to broker a deal between the different parties in Allenham which seemed to satisfy everyone’s needs. The remaining threat to newly brokered peace in the village was still threatened by the presence of the Procyon somewhere in the wilds around town. Magistrate Strickland struck a deal with the adventurers that they could resolve the Procyon presence in return for two sturdy mules or donkeys for them to use on their way to Pinefall. The adventurers returned to the elven ruins in the forest, convinced that they would be able to find tracks which would lead them to the Procyon hideout. After searching they found an entrance to a underground system underneath the ruins, from which a group of Procyon spilled forth to do battle with them.

Fifth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

Right after Luca had managed to penetrate the illusion which was cast over the statue of the elven lovers, a Procyon scout rose up from an entrance in the base of the statue which lead to the ruins below the garden. He had is bow drawn and loosed an arrow at Luca, who managed to duck out of the way. In the confusion, eight fleet-footed Procyon scouts emerged from the entrance, each of them carrying swords and bows. Quick to follow was a large, black feline, that came bounding out of the entrance, going straight for Luca. And last came another elf, this time clothed not in the supple leathers of the Procyon scouts, but in the loose flowing robes of an arcanist, carrying a wand made from twisted wood.

The feline pounced on Luca, taking him down, while everyone else was immediately under fire. James moved quickly from bush to bush, the thorns of the roses tearing at his clothing and skin, but always keeping hidden from sight. He was all over the garden striking suddenly when the opportunities presented themselves. Astrid raged as she tore into the nearest Procyon scouts with her grotesque sword and Emma unleashed a tidal wave of water like a hammer. Emrys used his illusions to duplicate himself causing confusion among his attackers while flinging broken shards of marble at them. At one point, Emma managed to lure one of the Procyon scouts close enough to the waterfall to shove them triumphantly over the edge.

The adventurers all found themselves out of position to support each other. Soon, Luca was down, James had drawn the attention from the arcanist, Emrys was drawing fire, Astrid was battling several scouts at once, and Emma was dealing with assailants of her own. Luckily, they had managed to strike enough of the scouts down and wounded many others so that they started a tactical retreat back towards the entrance at the base of statue. They grabbed as many of their fallen as they could and descended down into the ruins.

Emma took a moment to call upon Sedna’s divine grace to bring both Emrys and Luca back from the brink. Questions were raised about what to do next. Perhaps the adventurers thought they had the Procyon on the run, perhaps they felt threatened by leaving them down in the ruins, perhaps they felt that now was the best time to strike, and so they climbed down into the ruins. They used all caution as they found themselves descending down into part of an elven bath house, the interior matching the exterior with marble columns and rose bushes decorating them.

They found a doorway leading to a corridor which ultimately took a right turn leading down a flight of stairs. At the bottom of the stairs another short corridor which lead to another room, much like the one they had just departed, complete with a bath and all the trappings of a decadent bath house. They found signs of a camp, with hastily discarded bedrolls, trinkets, clothing, and the signs of an extinguished campfire.

Another corridor lead to another staircase, once again going down and taking a right turn. Another corridor at the bottom of the staircase lead to an almost identical room with a bath in it. Again there were signs of a camp. The same in the next room. The last room they found did not have the same signs of a camp, but was otherwise identical to the previous three. The only room that was unique was the top room, as it was more elaborately decorated with rose bushes, which was something the other rooms lacked.

The final corridor eventually lead to entrance to the base of the hill on the north-western side. Allenham lay about an hour to the south-east. The entrance to the tunnel was obscured by roots and vines coming off the side of the hill. When the adventurers emerged into the daylight, they were once again confronted by the Procyon, lay in wait in the treeline, ready for an ambush.

As the adventurers emerged they were beset upon by a sudden, magical blizzard, pelting them on all sides with cold, hard hailstones. Then came a hail of arrows from the scouts. Last came the devastating arrow from Cendelius’ own recurve bow, exploding in the middle of them, knocking out Emrys and Luca once again. They had been lured into overextending themselves in their pursuit of this group of guerrilla fighters and had paid the price for it. Astrid and Emma grabbed their fallen companions and the group retreated back into the safety of the ruins.

The group decided to rest in one of the bath chambers, setting up simply spells which would aid them in detecting if or when the Procyon would return to finish them off. But after hours of rest, the Procyon never came, and the group decided it was safe enough to return to the top of the hill, emerging from the entrance in the base of the statue to find that the remaining dead scout the Procyon had initially left behind had also been retrieved. What they did find, however, were some of the items of the scout which Emma had pushed over the edge of the waterfall. They decided to take their shortsword as proof of their battle.

Returning to Allenham they found the village eerily quiet. Syndarael’s cottage was abandoned, with the door left open. Other huts and cabins had closed and bolted their doors. Something was clearly amiss. When they came closer to the centre of the village they saw small plumes of smoke coming from the Allenhouse. Upon arrival they found the large building damaged by fire, the two guards slain, and the door open wide.

Inside they found magistrate Strickland slain at the hands of the Procyon, with Sylvael cradling his head in her lap while her mother was futilely trying to patch up the magistrate’s wounds. The only thing that Syldarael could say was that everything would become so much worse now.

The adventurers decided to try and take charge the situation. Some did it for their own benefit, some did it out of a sense of duty, but conversations were held with Falibor and Herman to rally together and lead the village until such a time that another magistrate would be sent from Kingsport. The latter also agreed to provide the adventurers with one of his donkeys in repayment for their efforts in dealing with the Procyon presence.

Emma took care of cleansing the body and preparing it for burial, together with Syldarael who explained that the farmers of Allenham paid homage to the Earthmother. They believed that they came from the earth, and would return to the earth in death. The bodies of the two guardsmen were retrieved by their families, who were going to put them to rest the following day in a small, private ceremony.

Luca tried to find out where the magistrate kept his rookery and was annoyed to find that such a small village like Allenham didn’t have a rookery of their own. No wonder Kedelon had to make the trip up and down river to Blackbridge so often. They only had a bird whenever Kingsport sent them a bird, which they would then promptly send back with a reply.

Emma provided a solution to this problem by using the divine grace of Sedna in order to send a message along the streams and rivers of the Lyrian countryside, all the way to the handsome folk hero and lieutenant of the palace crownsguard, William of Eastwarren.

Surprised by the usual message, William promised to relay the message to the steward of Kingsport. Or at least, that’s what Emma imagined he was trying to say in reply since the message got cut off prematurely.

That evening, Emrys and James patrolled the streets, making sure that the Procyon did not return to cause more trouble. The irony of two half-elves on patrol to keep the villagers of Allenham safe was not lost on anyone.

Emma, Session 20

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4th day of the 1st  ride of Summer-Flame, 1262

After lingering for some time at the site of the carnage in Allenham, we followed Luca to the forest’s edge. He was eager to find out if we could follow to where the murderous brigands had fled to. We were lucky enough to pick up the trail and we followed it into the forest for quite a distance. We went deep into the forest, where there are more shadows, the air is humid and earthy, and the temperature is much colder. Forests tend to grow oppressive the longer you stay in them, so I was happy when the trail brought us to a clearing with a lovely pond at the base of a hill. The pond is fed by a small waterfall that springs from up on high. There were bits and pieces of architecture strewn about and a clear path to the summit of the hill. We followed the path since there was plenty of evidence that it sees regular traffic, and likely from the brigands as well.

On the top of the hill we found the remnants of, what appears to have been a lovely pleasure garden. The Queen’s garden at Kingsport sprang to mind. I was eager to find the source of the water, but was unable to find it on the top. In the center of a wide circle of columns and shading trees, there was a fountain-basin with a statue of two elves in a romantic embrace. The basin was empty and overgrown with fragrant roses.  I could faintly hear the bubbling of the spring somewhere underneath, at which point I concluded that there must be more beneath the surface. I urged the group to gain entrance by going to the point where the water bursts from the hillside.
At that point James sought our attention, for he found a crude shortsword. After a brief search, we uncovered a deep crag in the hill at the bottom of which were strewn the remains of a dozen of those ‘skaven’ creatures. The group included one with the queer type of leather armor. James cut a sample from the leather. Arguing that these gnomish rats would only dwell below the surface, much like regular rats, I reinforced my conclusion that there must be more below the surface. No entrance into the hill could be found in the crag however.

We rested in the peace of the garden for a short while before coming to our senses. We had a town meeting to attend! Luca left a note for the brigands, inviting them to partake in the meeting in town. We made it back to town in time, in the early evening.

We found Strickland at the Allenham Town Hall, looking concerned, inside a room one might describe as the ‘official room’. It was a bit more … let’s say ceremonial in appearance. Good for all manner of official business. This is good. Signing a truce or even a peace is sufficiently official to me. Things grew ever more tense as we waited long uncomfortable minutes for yeoman Allen and his wayward daughter to arrive. When they did arrive, Strickland promptly started the proceedings. Each of the involved parties were urged to state their grievances clearly and to explain what they hoped to be the outcome of these proceedings. Strickland himself showed a good amount of remorse in his actions and seemed willing to accept responsibility for the mess they were all in.
Falibur the dwarf explained that he was much aggrieved by the destruction of his smithy and was considering leaving Allenham and demanded recompense for the damages suffered. Syldarael merely wanted peace to return and the violence to stop. She was willing to cancel the marriage for the sake of peace (much to the satisfaction of Martha). Allen wanted the land the Halfling family that had been attacked today had been rewarded. And he wanted Strickland to keep a more even hand when it comes to the allocation of farmland.
Herman rather rudely demanded to know what our interest in all this was, since we were supposedly here to go after elven brigands. I calmly explained to him that through their combined efforts Allenham had become weak and therefore vulnerable to attack from the elven brigands. Like vultures on a carcass. Buttressing the strength and cohesion of Allenham was therefore in our interest.

Next I explained that Herman’s position was nothing short of blackmail. Giving him the land would be a travesty for the Queen’s justice, since no punishment would have been meted out for the many crimes committed. I also hinted that Martha would be a very likely target for investigation unless we could come to a … ‘ bargain’. This combination of ‘carrot and stick’, although I suspect the carrot more than the stick, proved sufficient to mollify the old yeoman and to come to a sensible agreement. Which stands thus:

– Strickland will strive for a fairer hand, especially in terms of the distribution of land.
– The Allens will take the Stubbs-lands (the Stubbs having ‘voluntarily’ uprooted and moved away prior to this agreement).
– The Allens will pay additional taxes as a fine, which will serve to rebuild the town, and more importantly, the Falibur smithy. The fine will be paid over five years. The first two years the Allens will pay triple the current rate, and they will pay double the rate for the remaining three years (so two years 3/10 taxes, and three more years 2/10 taxes).

Naturally, it is demanded that any and all violence stops from here on out. Also, the marriage was still on. I attempted to help close the proceedings with a flourish, after which all departed content-ish. By Sedna, at least the town is in calmer waters again.

The magistrate offered us room and board in the Town Hall and was thankful for our efforts. At that point we confronted him about the elven brigands. We explained that the rogues would have to be delivered the message that Allenham is no longer a target for their murderous dealings. A message for which we are to become the messengers. I hoped to convince the magistrate to join us as a means of atonement, but he proved too thick for my subtle message, or perhaps my delivery was too indirect. He convinced himself that organizing security at the town was a more expedient use of his time. He pledged to look for reinforcements from Cpt. Randall in Blackbridge (we exchanged dark looks amongst ourselves, knowing full well how preoccupied Cpt. Randall must be). Strickland did inquire what kind of reward we might need for chasing after the elven brigands. Seeing that we are well stocked in provisions and coin, we opted for a set of mules, which Strickland promised.

We briefly discussed whether we would wait for any reinforcements but decided against it. Reinforcements might not even come. We settled in for the night at the Town Hall, ready to return to the elven ruins the next day.

After a good night’s rest we departed for the ruins and found them without troubles. We made our way to the summit and tried to follow the trails of the gnomish rats, to discover from where they were dragged into their current resting place: the gash in the hill. We milled around and found numerous possible places of origin up until we started running into our own tracks. In other words: the tracks were too muddled to make proper sense of.
Next we  split up into two groups to find an entrance into the interior by means of the waterfall. I investigated the top with James and Astrid, While Luca and Emrys investigated lower down. Neither group found anything or achieved much (outside of a nasty fall I made).
We then focused on the statue and the fountain basin, looking for hidden levers or other possible contraptions, or any other clues really. Emrys seemed a little distracted and eventually explained that places like these invite introspection and remembrance. He also explained that the statue represented two famous Moonelf lovers, and that he himself is of Moonelf descent. Also, this place was 3500 years old! Hence his state of distraction. Also, we found that Luca’s note was missing.
I found the basin and the pedestal of the statue to be very much worn, but the statue itself to be in an almost pristine condition. The flow of water from the fountain would have worn the stone which would explain the differences in wear between the pedestal and the statue. Also, I would not be amazed to find that the Elves would have used some manner of enchantment to secure the preservation of the statue. Especially given the subject matter. Ultimately I had to concede. I could not find a way in, but I did come to realize what had happened here … well, in broad terms.
The conduit that originally fed this fountain was cut by some catastrophic or dramatic event deeper down, quite possibly related to the gash in the hill that now serves as the final resting place for the gnomish rats. Ever since that event the water has been spilling from the flank of the hill instead. This is not unlike the situation with the aqueduct at the Sheridan Estate.

While I was pondering all of this Luca was visually concentrating hard on the statue. He seemed to want to wish or will something away. Whatever he did, it worked, the statue of the embracing Elven lovers vanished and in its stead stood a cloaked and hooded brigand with a drawn bow …

Sedna protect us! They are upon us!

Council and Consequences

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Previously, the adventurers tried to find the common ground between the conflicting parties in Allenham in the hopes of creating a foundation upon which peace could be brokered. They talked to magistrate Strickland, the healer Syldarael and the farmer Herman, who seemed to be at the epicentre of the racial tension in order to get a better sense of what could put this strife to rest.

The adventurers stumbled upon a mob of humans who were dragging a halfling family of three from their home and tried to put a stop to it. In the middle of James shepherding the halfings to safety while the rest was confronting the mob, a group of Procyon archers opened fire on the mob, killing many of them, before being driven off by the adventurers.

Magistrate Strickland was called to the scene. The bodies were collected and a meeting of notable figures in the conflict was arranged for later that day.

Fourth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

In the wake of the massacre, when everything had been arranged and the adventurers had some time before the council meeting, they decided to investigate the direction in which the Procyon archers had headed. They were able to pick up a trail and start following it. Emma noticed a piece of fletching made from a bright, red feather and made a not of it.

After close to an hour of wandering deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding Allenham, the adventurers stumbled upon a pond at the base of a hill, fed by a small waterfall coming from higher up on the steep hill. The pond had cool, fresh water with all manner of small fish and tadpoles swimming around in it.

Pieces of broken and cracked marble columns and archways were found nearby, indicating a winding path which lead up the hill. As the adventurers ascended higher up the path, the columns became more overgrown with vines of bindweed and beautiful thorny rose bushes.

The top of the hill opened up to a circle of thick oak trees surrounding a ring of marble pillars. These, in turn were the outer perimeter for a long forgotten garden which nature had long since reclaimed with wild roses. In the middle of the garden stood a fountain with a beautiful statue of an elven couple holding one another in a romantic embrace.

The adventurers started to quietly explore the garden, each of them looking out for different things. Emrys seemed lost in thought as he wandered the garden, while Emma was looking for the source of the waterfall and trying to figure out what used to feed the old, marble fountain. James found a very crude shortsword scattered among the briarthorns which was reminiscent of the weapons carried by the loathsome skaven.

Eventually, the adventurers discovered a hose of skaven bodies in a crevice behind the garden, beyond ring of columns and trees. Using some rope, Emma climbed down with James following her. They discovered that the bodies were riddled with deft cuts and arrows which carried the same red fletchings Emma had found near Allenham after the massacre. It was clear they were dispatched by the Procyon.

They searched the bodies and found some trinkets but otherwise nothing of value. One of the dead skaven seemed to be higher in rank, wearing the same thick leather armour which they had seen some of the task masters wear in the catacombs beneath Lynnecombe. James took a knife and cut a section of the leather and took it with him.

By the time they climbed back out of the crevice, the adventurers noticed that the sun was hanging low in the sky. They had no more time to search the shaded garden for they had a council to attend. The adventurers were convinced that this was a place that the Procyon frequented and that they simply hadn’t unearthed the secrets of the garden, and so Luca decided to leave a bit of parchment near the statue of the elven lovers inviting the Procyon to attend the council.

The return to Allenham from the garden was a lot quicker than the way over and by the time the adventurers got to the magistrate’s house most of the attendees had already gathered in a spacious room used for more official business. Strickland, Syldarael, Falibor and his son Balidor were already present, but Herman and Martha were not there yet, leaving everyone to wonder about their intentions. Sylvael dropped in late, and eventually the Allens did show up, together with another senior farmer.

Strickland took the reigns of the council and suggested that everyone should say their piece, state their intentions and desires, and come with any suggestions they deemed necessary in order for the violence and animosity to come to an end. He had good hope that common ground might be found.

Falibor started by saying that there was no dwarven word for forgiveness, just subtle variations on revenge, recompense and retribution. If he was not recompensed, he would depart Allenham and try to make his fortune on the Plains of Strife, or perhaps return to Ard Thoradun.

Syldarael spoke next and told everyone that in her capacity as a healer, she believed that there was a possibility to repair and heal the community. When she spoke about repair, she seemed to be subtly addressing Falibor, trying to sway him to remain in town. She said that she wanted to see the violence stop, and that she was willing to cancel the wedding if that’s what it took. Martha was visibly delighted by that prospect.

When Herman spoke, he aired his grievance about the unfair distribution of new farmland and that the land that had been allocated to the Stubbs family should rightly have gone to him, or at least a human family. The Stubbs family was the halfling family attacked by the mob earlier that day and had decided to depart Allenham after the violence.

There were several rounds of negotiations but it was eventually concluded that Herman would take control of the Stubbs farmland in return for him pay triple the normal taxes for the first two years, and double the normal taxes for the following three years after that. The money would go towards rebuilding the smithy, repairing the houses, and compensating families for their damages and losses.

The remainder of the time the Procyon activity was discussed. Strickland decided to send Kedelon back down the river to Blackbridge the following morning in order to appeal to captain Randall for some of his guards to be temporarily dispatched to Allenham until the tempers had died down. In the meantime he appealed to the adventurers to resolve the situation with the Procyon, making sure that they no longer saw Allenham as fertile soil for them to raise the crops of revolt. In return for their aid, beds and breakfasts were provided at the magistrate’s house, and two beasts of burden would be provided to aid the adventurers in their onward journey.

Before retiring for the evening, Luca found Emma in her room getting ready to get some much needed sleep. He wanted to give her a lyrium crystal and requested that she experiment with it, like he had. He was curious whether the crystal would work like a universal reagent, like it did for his magic, and whether it would boost the potency and the outcome of the divine magic she had at her command. She politely refused, thinking of the divine magic she wielded as a gift from her goddess, which was something she was unwilling to alter or meddle with.

Fifth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waning.)

The following morning breakfast was waiting for the adventurers when the woke up. The guards whom they had seen at the magistrate’s house spoke of a quiet evening with no more incidents of violence.

The adventurers decided to return to the garden in the forest to investigate further. They were convinced that there was some hidden passage. Emma had gotten the feeling that the hill upon which the garden stood was the site of some underground activity which had cracked and split the rock, causing the crevice in which they had found the skaven, and diverting the water from the spring from the fountain of the lovers, to the waterfall and the pond at the base of the hill. She felt that there was a way inside the hill and she wanted to make an effort to find it.

The walk to the garden was pleasant as the adventurers found comfort in the shade of the large, broadleaf trees of the woods. They found the garden as they had left it, with the exception that the parchment that Luca had left behind was nowhere to be found.

Emrys, again lost in reverie, was asked what he knew about the place, and he said that it was the remnant of a community of Aen Adhar, or moon elves, that lived in the area over three thousand years ago. He himself was of moon elf descent, and he knew the names of the lovers depicted by the statue; Mindaran Chillwind and Gwyndeith Starfall.

Emma investigated the fountain and found that the marble of the fountain’s basin was as worn by age and cracked by vines and bushes as the pillars around the garden. Luca, amazed that everything is broken except the statue, decides to attune himself to the subtleties of the magic around him and detects a faint aura of an illusion coming from the statue.

As he came to the realisation that what he was looking at could possibly not be the thing which was there, he saw the statue waver and blur, only to reveal an opening into the base of the fountain from which a Procyon commando emerged, training a drawn bow on Luca and loosening an arrow in his direction, narrowly missing his head!

A Time of Contempt

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Previously, the adventurers learned about the history of the venomous dagger; a green dragon by the name of Kalauranthalasis was enslaved by a priest of the dark queen named Melchior who harvested its body to fashion the dagger and many like it to carry out assassinations of seemingly random people in name of the Takhisis. The adventurers also managed to catch a boat ride upriver with an elf named Kedelon, a friendly and simple fellow from Allenham, who was also travelling with Rickard and Willow. The journey to Allenham was quiet and pleasant, taking about a day and a half before arrive at a small pier just south of town.

After disembarking and saying goodbye to Rickard and Willow the adventurers walked towards Allenham with Kedelon. They came upon an old, gnarled hanging tree in which six non-human bodies were strung up and a message of racial bigotry against non-humans underlined the motive of the hanging. In town it appeared that tension between humans and non-humans were running high due to a capricious magistrate and a decade old feud involving Kedelon’s family and the Allen family, the influential founding family of the town.

Fourth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon in low sanction. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

The adventurers departed the magistrate’s building, leaving Strickland to stew in the mess that he had made. They were interested in getting the perspective of some of the other notables in town in order to get a complete picture of the situation. They decided to continue the ruse that Luca was a mage sent down as a royal envoy to investigate the Procyon activity in the area. Their first stop was Syndarael’s cottage, where they once again met up with Emrys, who was still sitting outside with Toruviel across his lap, enjoying the sunshine filtering through the leaves in the trees.

Everyone who had not been introduced got introduced to Syldarael’s family and her halfling friend Tiff, who was helping out and providing everyone with a nice cup of restorative herbal tea. In the meantime a conversation was had between Emrys, Luca and Syldarael. The rest remained outside so as not to crowd the little cottage too much.

It was revealed that Allenham was founded about one hundred and fifty years ago by the Allen family. Syldarael was part of a local elven community and the two communities were joined when a blight went through the area, leaving the elves unable to hunt or forage for food. The Allen family bartered food for labour and soon the elves and humans were living side by side.

It was also revealed that Allenham and its environs were part of the crownlands, owned by House Valois and governed by magistrates. Rickard and Willow lived close to Allenham but were from a neighbouring estate owned by House Hardwin of the Cloisterwoods. Emrys was familiar with the Cloisterwoods and House Hardwin, since they were both neighbours of House Blackwell of the Cloakwoods, with whom had had history.

Another thing the adventurers learned was that Strickland had only been magistrate for a few years. He took over after shadowing the previous magistrate, a man by the name of Crossley who had spent thirty-five years developing the area of Allenham, for over a year before Corssley retired from his position and went to live somewhere in Fulham.

It appeared that Syldarael’s main goal was to make the violence stop, either by strong punitive action towards the perpetrators, or by diffusing the situation by calling off the wedding. She’d rather see punishment of those who are transgressing the queen’s laws, but is willing to sacrifice her daughter’s happiness if there is no other option. She made sure to let the adventurers know only when her daughter was preoccupied.

After the adventurers departed Syldarael’s home, they talked amongst themselves about possible solutions. When the idea was raised of just continuing to Pinefall and leaving the situation in Allenham to be dealt with the Allenhammers, Emrys said that he could not allow that. Emma pledged her support, while James and Luca pledged their support grudgingly. Astrid had no strong opinion either way.

Several options were discussed and the idea of finding a suitable replacement for magistrate Strickland seemed to be a strong favourite. It was decided to go to the Allen family to see if it was possible to talk to Herman Allen. When they found him receptive to a conversation the adventurers continued their ruse of Luca being an envoy for the crown. Herman lead the adventurers to a shaded area to one side of the main building of his large farm.

Some cold milk was served for Herman and each of the adventurers. Once again, James made an effort to be rude by rejecting the offer of hospitality. He was as eager to rub the Allen family the wrong way as he was eager to show disdain for Syldarael’s family.

Under the guise of investigating the Procyon activity Luca asked Herman where he thought the violence in Allenham originated from. He claimed that the former engagement between the magistrate and his daughter Martha was water under the bridge, but that he felt that Strickland had shown favouritism towards the non-humans in allocating new farmland to them. He held no bias towards the elder races or other non-humans, and pointed at the large number of them in his employ as evidence. He rejected the idea that he had any responsibility for the violence that had occurred, including the hanging.

The conversation came to an end and the adventurers departed. They wanted to speak to Falibor, the town’s smith, and get his opinion on matters. But before they managed to find the dwarf, they stumbled upon a large group of humans violently dragging a family of halflings from their home.

Emma tried to bring the mob to a halt through divine intervention, but their anger and frenzy was complete. Astrid and Emrys advanced on the mob with their weapons drawn, and Emrys used his magic to enlarge the both of them until they were the size of an ogre, towering over the mob. This caught the angry mob’s attention, and in the confusion James, who had circled around the building to flank the mob.

During his flanking manoeuvre, James had noticed a small group of figures emerging from the tree line behind the houses and hastily climb up on the roof. They were well camouflaged, nimble and silent and James held up his hand in greeting. Seconds later the group started firing arrow after arrow from sleek longbows into the mob of humans.

In that confusion, James acted. He managed to extricated the halflings from their predicament. He told them to make their way towards the trees and onward to Syldarael’s cottage.

Luca fired searing bolts of fire and purple force at the sharpshooters, partially igniting the roof. Emrys magically raised the fury of the flames that Luca caused, and finally, Emma thundered a tidal wave on their position, dousing the flames and sending the sharpshooters in retreat.

The final tally was that nine people were shot down in a matter of seconds, only one of which could be saved by Emma, a young woman by the name of Tomira. Martha was held back and made to sit on the ground, among the dead, watched over by Astrid, while Strickland was called to the scene. Astrid had to step in when Luca started to harass Martha, trying to get her to take responsibility for the violence. Tomira asked to depart and was allowed to do so after a stern lecture from Emma.

Strickland arrived with two guards and started arranging for a cart to pick up the dead. while Luca has redirected his harassment from Martha to Strickland. The adventurers forced him to agree to hosting a meeting with certain notable people in town, in order to settle the differences and put an end to the violence.