Category: RPG

Emma, Session 25

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10th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

You can take a kid out of Kingsport, but you can’t take Kingsport out of the kid.

I’ve heard the boatmen say that sometimes but gave it little real credence. Sadly for us, this saying has a rather hard and unforgiving kernel of truth at its center.

We came onto the lake Llygad from the east, and came upon an abandoned village. Inside the village we heard the sound of a violin and discovered Szygani with three wains camping out at the waterfront. We reminded ourselves of the pledge we made after the Inn at the Crossroads and all the unfortunate business with Vadoma and turned our heels and headed south towards Bristlecone. One of the Szygani shadowed us for a while until James in some manner intimidated the lad to leave us alone.

At Bristlecone we discovered a number of things. We found an elderly lady running an expansive kennel and she provided a lot of information. We found out more from Lem, one of the more prosperous farmers of the hamlet, who will be providing lodging for us while we are here. Overall, the people have been very welcoming and kind.
We discovered that Lord Destan had indeed been to Bristlecone, under the guise of making an assessment of his family’s properties. Lord Destan was housed at the guest-quarters of Lem. We later investigated those quarters but found nothing much of note, outside a small pendant of a mask … well, possibly. We later found another one of those in the former quarters of one of Destan’s guards. They Sheridan estate was riddled with images of masks, so that seems to fit rather nicely.
Destan himself has been missing for a while now. Apparently he and his guardsmen, a local man, in fact the son of the kennel-matron, and a local tracker had gone out at some point. Only three returned. One of the guards, who succumbed to fatal injuries. The tracker, who was being taken care of by a lady called Isal-Bel, reputed to be a witch at least by the kennel-matron. And finally the kennel-matron’s son, who is being taken care of by his wife and mother at the kennel-house. They were all too happy to let me and Lucca examine the poor soul. And that’s where the problem is in fact. It appears that the living husk is there, but the soul is absent. The poor soul is beyond my help for now. Hopefully, by some miracle, if we resolve the whole business with Destan and the Crimson Tower, his soul will find its way back to its fleshy home.

When we were quartered at Lem’s farm we took some time to eat and rest. During that time I meditated and severed the bond between me and Muirgheal. I am troubled by the visions and the songs, not just for their content, but more so for the interference they provide for my true purposes: Service to this group that I find myself in and service to my true Mistress, the Lady of Lakes.

A little to the west of Bristlecone there is some manner of refuge. We learned that Lord Destan had tried to recruit two guides, but that the guides refused service. They had no need for coin, nor were they inclined to help Lord Destan meddle with the lake. The two guides confirmed that there can be haunting noises from the lake on warm nights and that they link these noises to the legend of the Crimson Tower. Not the kind of excitement they were looking for. Interestingly, none of the ‘free-folk’ seem to have been employed by Destan, so it’s a bit a mystery who exactly the tracker is that is in the care of Isal-Bel.

In fact the lake is source of much superstition. The villagers religiously follow the rule that none meddle with the lake in any way. They fear that they might anger the spirit that dwells there: Lady Lynne. We don’t know what this spirit is, nor can we get a convincing description from anyone. One of the free-folk trackers suggested that it was some manner of creature living in the lake instead of some spiritual apparition. We hypothesized a little about what it might be but have no real answer as of yet.

We had hoped to investigate or interrogate the mysterious tracker, and perhaps talk to Isal-Bel as well, but here it all turned sour. James approached her with his characteristic Kingsport charm, but she must have seen straight through him. She claimed to be more than willing to cooperate, for a price … the price being a lock of hair from James. Muttering superstitions James adamantly refused. I realized that Isal-Bel was purposely trying to intimidate James, as he himself so often tries with others, and asked if all this ‘song and dance’ was necessary. Apparently it is. Seeing no reason to argue any further in front of Isal-Bel, I departed. Luca attempted to soften Isal-Bel but failed. Her price is set.

I later appealed to James to relent for the sake of the group, using my own experience with Vadoma as an example. This message not just failed, it seemed to anger James. He diminished my efforts for the group and seemed to suggest that his sacrifices have been rather greater (or would be). He even seemed to imply that for all our adventures and wanderings together, he still doesn’t trust us in any way. I was deeply saddened by this and, Sedna still my heart, I lashed out in anger. I pointed out that he was getting a taste of his own medicine from Isal-Bel, and that his pride is the only thing keeping us from potentially important information.
There was one important victory however. For the first time James opened up that he was raised in Kingsport, in a rather sketchy area, and this has made him extremely suspicious of everyone. It makes me understand his actions and pride, but I suppose that it shouldn’t apply to his friends or companions. I pray to Sedna that he will find a way to conquer this darker side of himself. We are very, very far from Kingsport, I suspect there is room to let that mindset slip for a bit. Let Kingsport leave the kid, even for a little bit.

After the confrontation it all hung for a while, until I blurted out a wholly  unsubstantiated sketch of the situation with Destan. I suspect that Destan was looking to find a way into the Crimson Tower. I suspect that the Szygani are doing something similar or in some way related. They worship the moons, and this whole Tower legend seems to implicate the moons as well. A particularly auspicious night with the Dark and the Blood Moon in high sanction is just nights away. I suspect that the entrance to the Tower will appear at the abandoned village, where the Szygani are camped out, and that might well explain why that village was abandoned in the first place. The whole business with Lady Lynne is either an actual creature or spirit that dwells there to keep people away, or perhaps a powerful story to deter curious folk.  All of this is on a whim of course, much to the (rightful) amusement of Luca.
I suggested that, if Lord Destan had been looking for something around the lake, he might well have made a camp somewhere near the shore of it. We decided to cool our heads by walking the whole circuit of the lake in search of any camps. We didn’t find any, but I did get to try the ritual Marc once showed me, the ritual where one might traverse on the surface of water. Much to my pleasure I found that Sedna now allows me to perform this miracle!

Through the Silverpine Hills

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Previously, the adventurers travelled from Allenham, through the Riverlands, on their way to Pinefall. The came across a village where they got directions, a hamlet which had been attacked by monsters, a strange murder of crows, a stag with a demonic looking creature having burst out from within in. Some of these encounters were strange, but none more so than meeting a grievously wounded knight, alone in the wilderness but for his wounded horse, who gave a confusing recount of who he was and why he was so wounded, before ageing rapidly and ultimately perishing.

Eighth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

While Astrid started gathering enough stones to create a proper burial mound for Ser Florianus’ remains, Emma asked Emrys to mend his shield and gorget. Emma took the shield with her, thinking it might be of use later on, while the gorget was used as a grave marker once Astrid was done putting Florianus to rest. James took a moment to go through the rest of the equipment that Ser Florianus had on him when he died, hoping to find something of use, but unfortunately the only things among his belongings were mundane items and trinkets.

The adventurers had found a ring of crystals around a small crater of molten slag from which Ser Florianus had supposedly emerged. Luca tried to harvest some of the crystals from the slag, but found it very difficult to extract one without damaging them. He managed to retrieve a small purple crystal but chipped it while doing so. He tried to use it for a very simple illusion spell, but it didn’t seem to work like the orange crystals from the catacombs below Lynnecombe did. James, much more nimble of fingers managed to extract seven small crystals of different colours from the slag.

The adventurers travelled onwards and a conversation started about the strange encounter they had with Ser Florianus. James feared that Bristlecone might already be affected by what is happening there where Floranius claimed he came from. Especially his mentioning of Ser Benten confused them, and they wondered aloud whether it’s possible that the Sheridans have been around since the Age of Fear. They realised they only had a few more days before the Darkmoon would stand in high sanction, and Luca realised that it would be the Night of Violet Eyes, a rare night where both the Bloodmoon and the Darkmoon would stand in high sanction.

After finding a small stream with mountain fresh water, the adventurers set up camp and bedded down for the night, deciding not to light a fire because the light would travel much further in these woods than it did in the woods of the Riverlands.

Ninth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

During the night, James found that he couldn’t keep his eyes open during his guard shift with Astrid. The Silverpine hills were putting a heavy strain on his calves, and the higher exposure to the sun meant he and the rest had caught a bit of a sunburn, further taxing his system. Eventually, Astrid told him to rest and she would finish the rest of the shift on her own, an offer he gladly accepted.

The night went by without any incidents even though packs of wolves could be heard howling in the distance. Luca wondered whether Astrid’s golden yellow eyes were a sign that she might have an affinity with wolves, who he believed shared that trait. The following morning Luca observed that Astrid seemed more fascinated by the eagles and birds of prey flying high above the hills than she was with any wolves.

Emma implored Sedna to send a message of warning down the rivers, streams, brooks and rivulets, to Tom of Shady Brook, telling him about the fate that befell the people at the hamlet of Calvin’s farm. He responded that he appreciated the warning and that he would remain at Shady Brook but prepare for any attack. His response was swift and confident, further confirming the suspicion that Tom was more than a simple farmer.

Several hours after continuing their trek through the valleys of the southern Silverpines, the adventurers encountered a narrow valley exit, flanked on either side by high, steep walls. It was guarded by a towering hill giant and his two dire wolves. The hill giant was eating part of a large elk bull and entertaining himself throwing scraps to the dire wolves and watching them fight over it. He and his two animals were so preoccupied with this that they failed to notice the adventurers who therefore had ample time to prepare a solution for the conundrum the dangerous valley gate keeper was forming.

Since the adventurers had spotted a debris of bones, including humanoid bones, around the hill giant, they concluded that reasoning or bargaining with the brute was unlikely to yield any success, and thus it was decided to confront him en force, using the dreadful flute, newly acquired from Liliana’s lair, as an instrument to sow chaos among their foe. Emrys used his sorcery to shrink one of the two dire wolves down to the size of a regular wolf, and James played the dreadful flute, while Astrid and Emma engaged in melee and Luca sent bolt after angry bolt of eldritch energy into action.

They dispatched with the giant and his wolves in record time and took a short break to recover from the adrenaline and search through the giant’s belongings. James found some beautifully crafted, studded leather vambraces, while Astrid decided not to let the elk meat go to waste.

After resting up the adventurers continued on until the sun began to sink lower on the western horizon. The picked a high spot to take another look at their progress and orient themselves against the landmarks which were provided to them. They were likely only a couple of hours away from Bristlecone, but decided not to push it and make up camp.

While doing so, the adventurers noticed a large, grizzly bear rutting around the base of a nearby tree. It was far enough away for the adventurers not to feel immediately threatened, but too far away to make out what the bear was doing. They did notice that the bear had an odd mark on its flank, that of a circle with a crescent moon over it.

When the bear eventually departed some of the adventurers went to investigate the tree that the bear was rutting around and found a large growth of mushrooms there, many of them munched on by the bear. Luca, who had experience with mushrooms, knew them as ghost mushrooms and understood them to be toxic and a strong hallucinogenic. Emma could add that they were often used by Kaedwyni druids for rituals of communion. James, Luca and Emma decided to harvest some of the mushrooms and take them along with them.

That night the watch was arranged in a different way than normally. Luca and Emma would take the first watch, James and Emrys would share the second watch, while Astrid would take the third watch by herself.

Tenth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

During the first watch, Emma decides to take some of the mushrooms while Luca observes to make sure that she is alright. Soon after chewing down the earthy and acrid fungus she started to notice that the sparks and embers from the campfire started to leave wonderfully coloured trails and traces and that everything around her started to glow with a radiant, multi-coloured light. She tried to step out of her own body and was surprised that she could look down at herself, Luca and the rest of the camp.

She wandered away from the camp, towards where the bear had been eating the mushrooms, delighted at how colourful everything looked, despite the darkness. She returned to the spot and decided to see whether she could follow the tracks the bear may have left, finding that the tracks looked like small pools of radiant water. She followed them all the way to a small clearing on the side of a hill. On the opposite end of the clearing that was a small cave entrance that the tracks lead towards and she decided to enter.

As Emma got closer to the cave’s entrance, it grew larger and larger in size, until it was tower over her higher than the giant had been. She continued into the cavernous depths of the entrance and felt she was stepping onto water. Darkness was all around her, except for the entrance behind her which looked once again small and very far away. She bent down and dipped her fingers in the water and put them to her mouth, tasting the salty flavour of the sea.

For a moment she turned back and decided to head out of the cave and back to camp, until she started hearing a clear, female voice sing that same song that she had heard Muirgheal sing, the sea shanty about Admiral Karadin and his treacherous daughter Rhosyn. Finding her bravery she turned back around and ventured deeper into the cave until she finally saw a huge ship. A galleon. A warship. It’s sails were ragged and it ropes were ragged. Approaching it she found a rope ladder hanging along its side, which she began to climb. All the while she heard the song, Daughter of the Sea, being sung.

On deck Emma found the corpses of sailors who had died during a violent battle. She oriented herself and decided to head up to the rear deck, ascending a set of stairs. There she found a figure standing at the rudder, wearing a bright, blue cloak. All the while singing the last verses of the song. Emma approached and called out, “Rhosyn?” but was met with silence.

As she raised her arm to remove the blue hood from the person standing at the rudder, Emma heard a verse she had not heard before, more troublesome and haunting than the verses before;

I heard, I heard, across a moonlit sea,
The old voice warning me,
“Beware, beware the Daughter of the Sea”,
“Beware, beware…”
…of me.

Emma removed the hood to reveal a beautiful woman with blond hair and a fair face. When the woman looked up and Emma’s eyes met hers the woman’s hand shot out and grabbed Emma by the throat so fast that Emma’s consciousness was brought all the way back to her body sitting across the campfire from Luca.

Luca and Emma spoke about what Emma had seen and what it might have meant. The rest of the night went by without incident, but the next morning Emma convinced everyone to spend a moment trying to find the clearing in the woods with the cave. They managed to find it, only to find that the cave was a small burrow to a very angry wolverine and not the cavernous hiding place of admiral Karadin’s flagship.

The journey continued, and by mid-morning, the adventurers found a the beginnings of a trail which quickly lead to spotting the first plumes of hearth fires in the distance. It seems their wilderness journey was coming to an end, and that Bristlecone might finally be in sight.

Emma, Session 24

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8th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

After the extraordinary encounter with Sir Florianus there was a short discussion on what to do and we decided to bury the remains of the knight, such as they were. Initially, I reckoned we would put his shield as a grave-marker but then decided to use his gorget instead. Emrys restored the gorget with his arcane talents, as well as the shield, which we took with us. I had a feeling that the shield may help us further down the road … should we actually make it to the Crimson Tower. Just a feeling.

Luca and James insisted in procuring some of the crystals from the portal area.

We continued our route through these rugged hills. There are less streams here, and the cover is thinner, the air is thinner and cooler to. But the sun is ever unforgiving. All the same, we made good progress and Tom’s directions proved to be in good order. Eventually we pitched camp near a small stream.

9th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

The night passed without incident. The next morning I projected a message to Tom at Shady Brook. I warned him of the restlessness and the violence of the spirits, and the destruction of Calvin’s Farm, and I urged him to take himself and his neighbours downstream to safety. He showed some gratitude for the warning, but showed reticence to leave. I can’t compel him to leave. It really is up to him to heed the advice of Sedna or not.

Our trek continued once more. All was fine until we descended into a valley which tapered towards a very narrow opening, with sheer cliffs on either side. A perfect locale for an ambush. When James noticed some sounds up ahead he went ahead to investigate. He reported that the opening was guarded by a giant humanoid and two absurdly large wolves and suggested that we turn around and look for another way. Luca was initially very much in favor of this.
I was afraid that we would lose our way rather easily, since the only directions that we had gotten would become useless once we veer off that itinerary. The Gods know how much time would expend trudging the wilderness! We might not even make it to the Eye in time! I urged that we press on. Seeing some sense in this, Luca and James relented.

From what we gathered, we had every indication that this was a violent creature, so we saw no reason to attempt a more peaceful approach. Sneaking past seemed an unlikely endeavour as well. Surely the wolves would smell us! So we decided to confront the beasts with the greatest amount of force we could muster. James would employ the frightful flute, I would attempt to freeze the large humanoid in its tracks, Emrys would try to reduce one or more of our foes to a more manageable size. Luca would attempt to weaken the giant’s defences so as to assist my efforts. Astrid would take her impressive blade and cut to ribbons whatever unfortunate critter would dare cross her path first.
The plan, such as it was, worked rather well. Admittedly, my attempt failed, but the horrific flute and Emrys’ arcane trick worked rather well. The carnage that ensued proved to be a rather one-sided affair. We didn’t get out unscathed, but the enormous amount of force we unleashed upon our adversaries overwhelmed them in a blink of an eye. I only managed to get in one satisfying thump with my mace before it was all said and done!

We procured some edibles and examined the giant’s lair, where James recovered a set of wrist-guards that appeared to be of some value. After that, we left the stench of our carnage and continued our journey. The journey continued without trouble until we decided to pitch camp at another stream.
Close to the campsite we noticed an absurdly large bear, which caused some commotion among our ranks. I advised leaving the beast alone as it was evidently feeding on something, but curiosity overtook James and he inched closer. Eventually the bear, which seemed to bear queer markings on its pelt, lumbered off into the woods allowing us to see what it was feeding on. These turned out to be mushrooms, mushrooms that are used by Kædwyni druids to induce visions. We decided to collect some, and I was immediately curious to try them.

10th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

During the first watch, in the company of Luca I tried some of the mushrooms. A vision I had indeed.

I left my physical form at the campfire and frolicked after the trail of the bear, which eventually led me to a small clearing surrounded by thick-trunked trees in a near perfect semi-circle against the base of a hill. In the base of the hill was a small cave, when I approached it turned into a massive cavern … on the seaside. Inside the cave was a ruined galleon. When I wanted to leave, having tasted the saltiness of the sea, I heard that tune again: Muirgheal’s tune. I approached the galleon and boarded the wreckage. Eventually I found the blue-robed lady at the steering-wheel, the same one that had sent her Grindylows against us! She is an advisory, the Daughter of the Sea, Rhosyn who betrayed her father! I woke at the campfire with a start when Rhosyn grabbed my throat.

I discussed some of what I had experienced with Luca, but we can’t seem to make much sense of it. Did I commune with Sedna, or did I commune with Muirgheal? How can Muirgheal be connected to Rhosyn, who lived ages after the creation of Muirgheal? How can Sedna be connected to the life-taking waters of the sea? I will need to go over the details of Rhosyn’s song.

Otherwise the night passed without trouble.

The next morning my compatriots indulged me in trying to find the cave. After some mucking about, find it we did, but it did not transform into the seaside cavern of my vision. Instead it proved to be a cave of a rather vicious wolverine mother. We departed.

We continued our trek without trouble, outside of the hardships of travelling such rugged terrain. Eventually we crested a hill and we beheld before us in the distance the Eye, the lake we had been looking for all along. May Sedna bless our guide Tom, let his water be ever cool and sweet!
We can just about see the curling of white wood-smoke from the chimneys at Bristlecone.

And now it begins.

Emma, Session 23

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

The burial of Theodore Strickland was a dismal affair. He was interred in the garden of the Magistrate’s Residence of Allenham. The ritual was performed in the honour of Chauntea by a few of the villagers and Syldarael and her daughter. There were few in attendance. It was a deeply sad, but strangely fitting end to this horrific episode in the history of Allenham. More than a dozen dead, three permanently displaced … maybe three dozen remain. To be honest, I can’t wait to turn my back on this town. These wounds are unlikely to heal any time soon and there is little else I can do to improve the situation. By the Mistress, we did the best we could.

When I returned from the sad affair Luca and James stumbled in, while Emrys had just stumbled out of bed was starting to take his liberty with the larders. Astrid was loudly, but vast asleep. Luca and James looked haggard and were spattered in blood … not their own. They provided an explanation as queer as any. It seems that they had run into Martha Allen with some friends performing unmentionable acts under the influence of some … essence? Whatever it was, they followed it to a cave with cryptic markings and signs where they stumbled on a ‘beautiful’ creature. Luca suggested that it was some manner of wily daemonic creature. He also suggested that this creature may well have instigated the whole Allenham tragedy to begin with. At any rate, the two struggled with it and apparently slew it, or extinguished its earthly form.  James and Luca were sufficiently shaken to want to leave Allenham at the earliest convenience.

We wrapped up some loose ends and made some final preparations before departing from Allenham. We travelled a well-trodden path northwards keeping the river within a fraction of a mile on our right-hand side. At first we passed through farmland, but these quickly made way for wild forests. While we were dealing with the sad matters at Allenham, the dark forest enhanced my sense of dread, now the forest and all its life lifts my spirits. The monotony of travel also has a meditative, almost cathartic effect. Outside of Astrid, the others were not fully comfortable with travel in the wilderness, so I feigned some confidence and  set the pace. The pace was mostly dictated by whenever we would happen upon a pasture, so that we may relieve our fine mule Theo of its burdens for a short while.
We may be ill-prepared in many ways, but I enjoy the solitude of the forest and the great weather. Even that glorious thunderstorm! And don’t forget how blessed these lands are by the Mistress of Streams, this is a veritable heaven!

7th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

Our first leg passed without any significant events, and we camped in a fine pasture with what Luca identified as ranger-marks. The next day we came to a few farms, where we inquired about Lord Destan and bartered for some perishables with the elven blade we had taken from the bandits. Lord Destan and his guardsmen indeed had come by this hamlet called Shady Brook and we talked to the same Tom he had talked to. He gave us the same directions he had given to Lord Destan. The path wouldn’t continue for much longer. After that, we would have to go into the proper wilds, wilds not without danger or so it seems.
Tom explained that the wilderness is populated by ‘forest spirits’ that are very dangerous, and fiercely territorial. The forest-people placate the spirits with small offerings, but otherwise steer clear of their territories, which are marked by cairns and other cryptic markings. Also, murders of crows can appear at the boundary of a spirit’s territory. I get the impression that Tom is rather well attuned to the lands he dwells in. Perhaps he is like the Old Man of the Estuary, or the big man at the Seat of Friendship? Either way, we are very grateful for his help.

After our pause at Shady Brook we continued for as long as our feet would carry us and until it was sufficiently late in the day and we happened upon an appropriate pasture. There we pitched our tents and spent the night. Luca’s uncanny sense of direction and Theo’s stubborn resilience and Sedna’s guiding hand have put us well on our way.

8th day of the 1st ride of Summer Flame, 1262

During the night James became perturbed by gathering of crows at some distance from our pasture. He feared an imminent attack by a spirit. I noticed that the murder of crows was concentrating at a distance from us and not closing in. If a spirit is involved (and I personally like to believe it is) then it is simply making clear to us where the boundary to its territory is, and perhaps also to observe us through the eyes of these crows. There was nothing we could do than to rest and stay alert during our respective watches.

In the morning, we packed camp in a bit more of hurry than usual and continued on our way. The murder of crows appeared to keep shadowing us, always at a distance. We were clearly still outside of the territory of the spirit, and keeping clear of it. Luca hypothesised that these spirits may well be relics (or descendants?) from the Time of Fear: entities that became stuck in our world when the various planes of existence no longer intersected.

All things considered, our going was not too bad. We made plenty of little mistakes, and we had to double back on numerous occasions, but never for much. More importantly, we were well able to keep to the directions provided by Tom from Shady Brook.

After another crossing of a rivulet, we happened upon the mangled remains of a stag. More disturbingly, we found that a horrific monstrous creature appeared to have erupted from the stag’s torso. Luckily, this monster was without life. It appeared to have bat-like appendages, but to be of the size of a fully grown human. Not of this world.
We would discover this to be too true. We decided to track the stags final dash and found a small overhang with deposits of slag and crystal, much like we found underneath the Sheridan estate. A portal to a plane of existence with horrific monsters!? Now only the slag remains. Are new spirits coming into these woods?

We left the scene untouched (although Luca obviously tinkered with this and that, here and there) and continued on our path. A little weighed down by the revelations at the crossing I still managed to cheer up a little after some more travel from all this life around me. But then we came upon the Calvin Farm that Tom of Shady Brook had told us we should.
There were two farms and both farmhouses were clearly entered forcefully. We found the two families. All of them dead. It is unclear who or what exactly did this, but they set upon the residents with a great deal of brutal force. These people were very clearly murdered. James climbed up to the chimney where he kept watch, while Astrid and I laboured to provide modest burials for the victims. We procured some perishables for a meal and departed afterwards.
Here ends the lighthearted journey. Things become serious … dangerous again. I should probably warn Tom at Shady Brooks about these restless spirits, or new arrivals.

We continued until deciduous trees started to be replaced by pines and firs. We are getting onto high lands. At some point, from a high point, we noticed the shining armour of a knight slumped on his warhorse moving in a lumbering pace towards us. James and Emrys were immediately alarmed and expected the worst. James became taut like a bowstring, Emrys summoned a swarm of copies of himself, each one striking different flamboyant poses. Taking their lead I asked for Sedna’s protection for James.
We approached the knight and notice that he was severely injured, as was his steed. We approached with caution (I tied Theo to a sapling), while Emrys used his illusions to make Astrid appear larger and even more fierce than usual. But the knight was no threat … in fact he was dying. Luca recognised his sigil. This appeared to be Sir Florianus, a knight who had died a heroic death at the Crimson Tower, more than a thousand years ago!!! Dumbstruck we were unable to formulate anything really, and then we noticed that Sir Florianus was turning old rather quickly, right before our eyes. I summoned up the courage to perform my clerical duties and comforted the dying man and to guide his soul into the life beyond. He babbled about dying again and again, and I assured him that this would be the last time.
After Sir Florianus perished and turned to dust (as did his steed) I urged that we immediately trace the route the knight had taken and sure enough we found more remains of a portal: slag and crystals. Did Sir Florianus just wander out of his entrapment at the Crimson Tower and back into our plane of existence!? I sure hope so, for I shudder at the thought of the alternative. May the Lady of the Lakes keep us safe!

I hope Sir Florianus has finally found eternal rest. I can hardly imagine anyone who deserves it more.

Travel to Pinefall

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Previously, the adventurers settled the conflict between the Allenham townsfolk and were asked by the magistrate to take care of the Procyon threat that was still lingering in the dense forests around town. They found and engaged a large group of Procyon scouts, lead by mage. The fight was stiff, but the Procyon eventually retreated. The adventurers pursued the retreating elves into the ruins, hoping to strike a crushing blow. Unfortunately, they were lured into an ambush and it was their time to retreat. The elves did not pursue. Instead, when the adventurers returned to Allenham, they found that the Procyon had attacked the Allenhouse, killed the guards and murdered the magistrate.

Sixth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

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

Early in the morning, Emrys woke up on a bench in a common room of the Allenhouse with a folded piece of parchment on his chest. He had fallen asleep the previous night trying to compose a sad melody regarding the events of the past few days. The parchment was a letter, which read as follows:

Dear Cendelius,

While observing the Allenham townsfolk as they go about plundering and devouring the forest, I have noticed a human woman who stands out to me. She is the daughter of a notable and has been touched by… something. It is neither fey nor shadow, neither radiant nor dark. She is under the influence of someone, or something. I suspect that the disappearance of Lady Sehanine is weakening the bond between the woman and whatever it is that’s manipulating her. The evening after tomorrow, when Sehanine is fully obscured, is when the bond, and whatever is causing it, is at its weakest. I know it is not in your nature to help out the humans, but we must act. That is why I send this scout, Kalindras Duskstrider, to bring you this message.

Forever in your debt,

Valadar Amberwind

The morning was used to hold the ceremony for the late magistrate Strickland’s funeral, lead by Emma and attended by a few townsfolk. It was a modest affair, on the grounds behind the Allenhouse.

Soon after, James and Luca returned, looking tired and dishevelled, recounting a curious tale of their encounter with what Luca thought was a Succubus; a malevolent fiend from another realm. The fiend had been influencing Martha Allen and was likely behind a lot of the trouble in the village.

It was time to move on and depart Allenham. But before their departure, the adventurers took a moment to freshen up, raid the Allenhouse larder, and Luca paid a visit to Falibor’s smithy and paid handsomely for a bag of iron filings he wanted to use in a ritual.

A search of the Allenhouse revealed a small lock box in Strickland’s office, which James opened with the set of curious tools, revealing some of Strickland’s personal correspondence with family, a pouch of coins, which James tossed to Luca who clumsily tried to catch it, and what looks to be a signet ring with the seal of House Strickland of Fairfields on it, a field with a rising sun.

The pouch contained eight platinum dragons, three gold crowns and twelve silver stags.

Luca used the last remaining pearl to divine the properties of the potion and the flute that he and James had found in Liliana’s cave. He crushed the pearl and mixed the powder with some wine and used the paste to create intricate arcane equations on a flat surface. Placing the items among the equations, he divined that the potion was meant to temporarily boost a person’s speed, while the flute had a much more sinister purpose; playing a melody was able to frighten all but the most strong-willed people to hear the tune.

The newly acquired donkey Theo was burdened with all of their belongings, their treasure chest, all of their food, several tents and bedrolls. The stubborn animal bore it all without complaint.

Without any ceremony, the adventurers departed and followed the path north, along the river. Because of limited fodder for Theo the donkey, they decided to keep their eyes out for grazing pastures to rest. The weather was warm, cloudy and oppressive, but it was only later in the day that thunderstorm rolled in, offering some refreshment with a cool drizzle of rain.

Eventually a grove was found near the end of the day, which allowed for Theo to graze and the rest to pitch a tent. The trees hard ranger marks to Sylvanus carved into them, signs that it was often used as a campsite. Never far away from small tributaries or brooks, Emma took it upon herself to try and fish using Muirgheal, which the trident obviously appreciated. Unfortunately, the river fish were too small and not easily caught, but eventually there was some fish to supplement their ration dinner.

A guard duty was set up. James and Astrid took the first guard. During the second guard, held by Emrys and Luca, Luca felt as if there were eyes upon him, though he could never find who or what was out there. Lastly, before dawn, Emma was awoken to hold the last watch, allowing her to commune with Sedna and get an early start of the day.

Seventh Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

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

The following morning the journey was continued until the little village of Shady Brook was found, a small settlement of farmers living off the land surrounded by woods. Old man Henderson, negotiated some trade with the adventurers; food in return the elven short sword that was recovered from the fight with the Procyon in the ruins near Allenham.

Another villager, Tom, could confirm that Lord Destan had come through Shady Brook on the first day of the second ride of Spring Blossom. He had been interested in the Aen Adhar, the local moon elves of the Riverlands, as well as the woodland spirits that the Riverlanders made strange, pagan offerings to in tribute.

Emrys shared that the moon elves of the Riverlands was the tribe that he belonged to and that they were inclusive of humans, but that his upbringing was mostly elven. And there were conversations about the last conjunction of planes and the curious spirits and creatures that stayed behind, possibly evolving into the woodland spirits that the  Riverlanders paid tribute to.

New directions were received to a small, nameless hamlet. A few hours north the path would end, and then the directions were a collection of landmarks that would lead to the hamlet, where a man named Calvin lived together with his and another family.

After saying their goodbyes the adventurers followed the instructions and went off the path, following landmark after landmark. The lack of a path meant that progress was slower, having to occasionally backtrack and redirect their journey. After crossing a stream, Emma and Emrys noticed the carcass of a dead stag in the underbrush. Upon closer inspection it seemed as if the body of a demon had burst from the inside of the body of the stag, limbs and claws sticking out from the stag’s body, as well as an overgrown, bat-like head bursting forth from its neck. It was a grizzly and unnerving sight.

The adventurers followed the tracks that the stag had left behind back to a strange ring of crystals surrounding a familiar crater of slag, indicating a portal site. Luca scraped some more Lyrium ore residue off the slag, like he had done at the portal in the catacombs underneath Lynnecombe.

The journey continued for another couple of hours until a good pasture was found, deep in the woods. Camp was set up and Theo was left to graze. Luca, who had continued to feel a sense of unease since the previous night, decided to create some rudimentary, pagan offering mounds around the campsite. The same guard was arranged as the previous night, but during the first watch, a large murder of crows was seen gathering in a tree close by. Crows, the adventures had learned in Shady Brook, was a sign of the attention or perhaps presence of one of the woodland spirits. Fortunately, the camp was set up in a place that didn’t seem to bother the woodland spirit, because the rest of watch went by without a problem.

Eighth Day, First Ride, Summer Flame, 1262

(Silvermoon is waxing. Bloodmoon is waxing. Darkmoon is waxing.)

The following morning the journey continued, making sure to ever keep the murder of crows, which seemed to be tracking the adventurers, at a safe distance. With a few more detours, tracking landmark after landmark, they reached the small hamlet of Calvin’s farmstead. Unfortunately, the two farmhouses were the witness of a vicious attack of monsters. Both houses were ransacked, the doors broken open and the inhabitants killed; a family of three, and a family of four.

Searching the houses some more food was recovered and Emrys found a journal, written by Calvin’s wife, who kept careful track of several mundane events. Luca had found simple warding sigils carved around the inside of the door and window frames, much akin to the decorations he had seen in the crag leading to Liliana’s cave. Further investigations revealed that whatever attacked these poor souls, there were several of them, though the adventurers were not able to divine kind of monster they were.

All the while, Astrid and Emma had found simple shovels and were digging the people a grave next to older graves nearby and they added a few more burials to a growing list of burials of late.

Finally, the adventurers departed the hamlet and made their way further north. Several hours later, they found the landscape changing; the trees changed from broadleaf to pine, and more and steeper hills started to dot the landscape. Slowly, they were leaving the Riverlands and crossing over into the Silverpine Hills. With the change in trees, so did the forest become less dense and more easily navigable, but the adventurers paid for that with the extra effort of climbing steeper hills.

Near the end of the afternoon, the adventurers noticed a man on a horse in the distance, who didn’t seem to respond to any hails. It soon became clear that both the horse and the rider were wearing barding. Leather for the horse, and a silver-gilded plate armour for the rider, denoting them as a knight of the Order of the Lance. When they came even closer, it became clear that the knight was badly wounded and almost unresponsive. Up until then the adventurers had been very cautious and Emrys had used his magic in preparation for potential battle.

When they finally caught up with the man, Emma used the healing powers granted to her from Sedna to help the young man. His helmet and pauldrons were dented, his gorget and shield were cracked, his lance was broken and there was an awful gash in the side of his breastplate. He had blond hair, matted to his face by dried blood and sweat. The horse was also wounded, but seemed like it would recover, given some care and attention.

Luca recognised the sigil on the knight’s shield, a lightning bolt hitting a tree, it was a historic sigil belonging to Ser Florianus, one of the knights who fought and fell at the Battle for the Crimson Tower, when the Knights of the Silver Crusade were betrayed and ambushed. When the knight had regained some lucidity, he was asked for his name, but his response sounded confused, claiming to be “Mark”, then changing his mind to “Florianus.”

The knight started to rapidly age, and within no time he had aged several decades. Emma comforted him, assuring him that this would be his final death. Right before he drew his last breath, when he had aged a hundred years since the adventurers first encountered him, he wanted them to pass on a message:

Tell the lord commander McAllister that it was an ambush. Tell Ser Benten, no the lord commander, that I failed the protect the mage, no defeat the mage!