Tag: Recap

Previously, the heroes attempted to combat the fatigue and malaise that was afflicting some of them by taking some time in Blackbough to rest up, only to find that the land kept tugging at the threads of everyone’s mental fortitude, attempting to unravel it and undermine the heroes’ resolve. Astrid was particularly afflicted by it. It was mistress Ysgith who had urged the heroes to seek out the good sisters at the sacred grove in order to bring them a tribute in return for aid.

Eighth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

Having returned to the cabin with some food for Astrid and Isalien, the heroes found that Astrid was getting less and less responsive; only caring to lay in bed and sleep. After not being able to convince Astrid to eat, the conversation quickly turned to possibly beseeching the good sisters, and what it would be that the heroes would give as a tribute.

When James suggested that Luca might want to consider putting Blackstar up as a tribute, the staff immediately protested, claiming that the good sisters would use it  for the wrong purposes; “to swell the ranks of the wrong army.” It further expanded Luca’s insight into the twisted personality of the staff. It did not go unnoticed that the staff had become more and more vocal recently.

James was also interested to know what it would be that the group would request from the good sisters once their tribute had been accepted by them. He figured that asking for an orchid would be a waste, since that wasn’t what the heroes were in Blackbough to find. Luca suggested that instead of asking for the orchid, they could ask for something personal of whoever was responsible for the ward that was cast on the cursed khazra head. James remarked that it wasn’t unlikely for the good sisters themselves to be responsible for the magical ward.

On the nature and possible origin of the good sisters, and whether they were extra-planar, brought here during the last Conjunction of the Planes, Luca knew that there were a myriad of strange creatures that existed on the planes that drifted in the astral sea and boiled in the elemental chaos. It was very possible, and even quite likely that the good sisters hailed from one of these planes and were stuck here after the Great Waning set in and the planes that resided in the ethereal mist were locked away behind the Seal of Divine Animus.

It was around this time that there was an arrival at the gates of the Blackbough mansion; a group of loggers and guards, tired and wounded, had fled the hargrove after an attack on their logging camp. Emrys went to investigate and found that the guards at the gate seemed worried, but unfortunately the sorcerer was not able to persuade the guards to share their concerns. Emrys was tired and felt weighed down by the dreary place.

The heroes departed the mansion, deciding to let lord Oswin deal with the returning people without interference; they had more important objectives. On their way to the village they met Blythe and old Abigail, who were making their way to the mansion to provide aid for the returned people. The heroes attempted to get them to explain the concerns that the guards had shown, and it turned out to be one that both Blythe and Abigail shared; the lord was heavy handed to the point of cruelty. Upon saying goodbye, Abigail reaffirmed the route that the heroes would take to find the sacred grove by following a path from the south-east of the village.

The instructions lead the heroes to a small, overgrown path through a dense grove of trees. Carcerian moss dripped from the branches like fine lace. Small trinkets and charms made from twigs, flowers and stones hung in the branches all along the path. They resembled geometric shapes and simple figures of people and they strongly reminded Luca and James of the path that lead to Lilliana’s cave in the woods outside of Allenham.

They found a clearing at the heart of the sacred grove, filled with water-loaded, grassy ground. In the centre of the clearing stood an enormous willow tree, closely rivalling Geolgothis; the large oak that stood at the Seat of Friendship. The swooping branches of the grand willow tree were rich with bright, scarlet leaves, drooping majestically across the clearing like an umbrella.

Underneath that umbrella, a fairy ring of small clusters of crystals circled the tree, jutting out from the soggy ground like mushrooms. The broad trunk of the tree was decorated on one side with an elaborate carving of three women. From left to right; a woman who appeared to have horns, a woman who wore a veil across her eyes and a woman with multiple sets of arms. They appeared tall and slender, standing around a cauldron which the third woman was stirring with a large ladle.

Thick, gnarled roots bored into the ground around the thick tree and house a whole ecosystem of small plants and flowers. Three fragile flowers were chief among them; the ghost orchid. More crystals were jutting from deep underneath the tangled roots.

When Luca suggested making an attempt to grab one orchids James warned him that they were on sacred ground. Quentin was quite surprised by James’ reverence and told James that he respected his position. Whether James was earnestly respectful of the sacredness of the area, or respectful of the possibility they might end up hurt, none could say but James.

It was the roguish young elf that was the first to approach a stone altar in front of the carving of the good sisters. It was covered with dark, scarlet stains that also covered much of the grass and ground around the altar. Many sacrifices had taken place on this site over the generations, it was clear. James placed a large gemstone on the altar as an offering, and stepped back.

Quentin came next and untied the handkerchief he had been wearing since well before he met his companions. He knew that blood would be required for his sacrifice and so, cut the palm of his hand with a dagger and let it drench the handkerchief. He gently placed it on the altar next to James’ gemstone and took a step back.

While Luca was inspecting the orchids, Emrys stepped up to the altar and also produced a precious stone to place down on the altar. From the corner of his eyes, the sorcerer spotted some movement in the treeline and noticed several of the ghoulish creatures prowling menacingly in the darkness, as if held back by something, but eager to be unleashed.

Realising that they were being observed, Emrys decided to address the good sisters directly. Being raised in the cult of Mohiam, worshipping the Moonmaiden, he had been taught the primordial language of the primordial language of the elemental chaos, for reasons that the indoctrination never made clear. It was supposed to predate the language of the elder races and he wagered that the good sisters might understand it.

Emrys’ gambit payed off, and the good sisters responded, though did not reveal themselves. They spoke in a singular voice, made up of three, different and dissonant voices. They explained in rather crude terms that they had been responsible for the ward placed on the khazra head, having been forced by a powerful follower of the Dark Queen. He had taken the sight of one of Memra, one of the good sisters and she who saw all in their land. He had promised to return it once his plan of killing the queen and spreading disease in the capital was complete.

The one to come to them was called Xamael the Defiler, but was known by many names; Melchior, Fedor, Dagnamiir to the dwarves, Lathorael to the elves, and many, many more. Fedor, the heroes knew, was the name of the scholar who had come to Blackbough earlier in the year. And Melchior was the name of Kalina’s “father,” as well as the one to enslave Kalauranthalasis, fashioning the wicked, jewelled daggers from his body to equip a small army of assassins to commit murders across Lyria.

Do you fear beasts and monsters? Oh, hard times are upon us, elfling; brother has turned against brother; the land is soaked in block; evil is rising stronger than ever before. Dark power has surfaced in Eastmarsh. It feeds on hatred and disdain. Destroy the beast and we will be grateful, and tell you all you wish to know.

And so the heroes took it upon themselves to seek out the lair of Kalauranthalasis, find Memra’s sight and return it to her, so that they may be rewarded with the ability to penetrate the ward that the good sisters placed on the khazra head so that Callum the Diviner can attempt to lift the curse which had taken hold of queen Isabella.

The good sisters said that they didn’t care for the trinkets, but they would take Quentin’s tribute; a handkerchief soaked in his own blood. Once taken, he could not remember the significance of the handkerchief and was filled with a sense of sorrow and grief, but for what he was not sure.

The heroes left the sacred grove and returned to Blackbough. Halfway up the hillock from the village to the mansion, they saw that the two guards who had fled the hargrove had been hung from their neck, while close to them was a stump of wood which was drenched in the blood of what was undoubtedly the loggers who fled the hargrove with the guards. At the mansion everyone was working hard to prepare for lord Oswin’s departure. He was taking lieutenant Aram and a group of guards to ride upon the hargrove.

After some deliberation, it was decided to ask Gareth, one of lord Oswin’s servants, to gather provisions for the heroes, including lanterns and oil, and for them to depart first thing in the morning. They would make their way south, towards the river and see if they could find passage downstream. If Astrid would not improve, Isalien would take her all the way to Eastray and await the return of the heroes. In the meantime, the heroes would venture north in search of the lair of Kalauranthalasis. The heroes reasoned that lady Asha, whom they had met in Eastray and was in search of her “mate”, had shown them a crude map of the whereabouts of the dragon’s lair.

Ninth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

The following morning the heroes found that everyone had slept without suffering the same nightmares they had experienced since arriving in Blackbough. It seemed that the good sisters had released their ever tightening grip. While Astrid was not feeling whole yet, everyone, including her, were feeling somewhat better.

As the heroes started to head south, they made a brief stop in Blackbough village, where James bought several small casks of rum from Davina, a broad-shouldered villager who was operating several stills in her hut. After concluding the deal, the heroes headed south, only to arrive at the river several hours later.

Previously, the heroes barely escaped investigating the abandoned church near Blackbough with their lives as they were attacked by ghoulish creatures that seemed to be conjured up by the land itself to chase them away from finding out more about the good sisters and the power they held over Blackbough and its inhabitants. Their sleep was haunted by nightmares which urged them to leave the swamps but felt equally urged by the mysterious Ysgith to go to the sisters to pay tribute to them.

Seventh Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

After mistress Ysgith had suggested that the heroes visit the good sisters in the sacred grove, lord Oswin and his retinue excused himself and let the heroes continue their breakfast and speak in peace. Remembering the ways in which the ante-chambers of both the queen as well as her handmaid had been prepared for eavesdropping, Luca got up to inspect the walls to make sure that someone wasn’t snooping around. He found nothing.

The heroes decided that getting to the hargrove was too time consuming. With only a little over a ride until it was predicted that Dr. Arkenward would lose control of the magic that he contained within the queen, there was little time to spend travelling deeper into the hinterland.

It was during this conversation that Luca started feeling that familiar dark presence which developed like a headache right behind his eyes. From high above an inky darkness solidified into the cold, terrifying shape of Aurion. Time seemed to have stopped and Luca’s friends were frozen in the moment. His master, the magnificent dread, instructed Luca to go to Ysgith and relay a message to her;

“The last person who remembers your name is dying. They don’t have much longer. Go to them.”

When time resumed and Aurion was gone, Luca tried to convince the others that perhaps it was not a bad idea to leave their visit to the sacred grove until the following day. Quentin agreed that in order to present themselves to the good sisters they might want to be in better shape. It was agreed to in Blackbough that day and the conversation turned towards what might be a good tribute to the sisters. James seriously considered giving up drinking alcohol.

An attempt was made to find a competent healer in Blackbough, especially after Emrys found both Isalien as well as Astrid doing physically very poorly. Isalien at least was in better spirits, while Astrid couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed. A very troubling turn of events. The Blackbough majordomo, Blythe was dispatched to seek out old Abigail; a woman from the village whom some of the heroes had spoken to the previous day who was proficient in herbalism and hygiene. She would be able to administer any aid to the wounded.

Luca, keen to speak with Ysgith, found her in the garden behind Blackbough manor observing a flock of blackbirds. Aurion’s message left the mysterious woman in shock. She accused Luca of serving a very dark master, something he could not deny. She left Luca in the garden and he noticed that the blackbirds followed her departure.

In the meantime, Quentin had turned to Nielen the blacksmith for some repairs to his breastplate, pauldrons and gorget. They spoke about the hargrove and the fighting that took place there. Quentin learned that there were about a dozen guards from the Company of the Shield in Blackbough, and twice that number at the hargrove. The fighting had lead to eight of the guards dying and an equal number of villagers losing their life too.

When old Abigail arrived she tended to the heroes, giving a tea of willow bark to Luca for his persistent headache, and redressing the wounds on Isalien and Astrid. Emrys, who observed the woman while she worked, noticed that she was quite reticent in helping the heroes out and likely only did so because they had been extended hospitality by lord Oswin.

While chatting with old Abigail the heroes learned that the scholar who had visited Blackbough had been in the company of, among others, a woman. She had also been bed ridden for most of her stay at the village; afflicted by symptoms not dissimilar to those that Astrid was going through. Emrys tried to pay the old woman for her troubles with one of the gems he had retrieved during one of the many adventures in the last few months. She refused it; hospitality had been extended to the heroes, and it was only right for her to care for the guests.

While Quentin sought to train with lieutenant Aram and the guards in order to analyse the gaps in their tactics, Emrys attempted to commune with Toruviel, seeking to understand how to deal with the good sisters. His reasoning was that if anyone could speak with confidence on dealing with spirits that hailed from the Age of Fear, it might take someone of equal age to advise on that. Toruviel was not very forthcoming with clear information, but instead showed Emrys sights of flying high above snow peaked mountains. When Emrys opened his eyes, he found that the blade was hovering evocatively in front of him.

Eighth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

The following morning, after a night haunted by the same dreams, Astrid had sunken further into her depression. Emrys felt similarly afflicted but managed to push through the fog of despair.

Once again the heroes were invited to break their fast with lord Oswin, but this time Ysgith did not attend. The lord of the manor informed the heroes that she had taken some time for herself and that she’d be fasting for a time.

The conversation quickly turned to lord Oswin explaining how he returned home to take the seat at the head of his house when his father passed away. He had found an estate in trouble and he was unsure on what to do and how to reclaim the hargrove. It was only when Ysgith arrived that she offered him the perspective he needed to appeal to the good sisters for help.

When questioned on where the heroes could find the sacred grove, lord Oswin directed them to a path leading to the south-east from Blackbough village. It would lead them to the sacred grove, at the heart of which stood the scarlet willow tree where the villagers left their tributes to the good sisters.

After breakfast had been concluded, Luca prepared a plate of food for Astrid and brought it to her, only to find her reluctant to eat. She was deteriorating fast, and everyone felt that it would be best to bring their mission to Blackbough to a swift conclusion.

Previously, the Heroes of the White Eye managed to meet some of the servants at Blackbough Mansion and some of the residents of Blackbough Village and found that the former were living under the rule of lord Oswin, while the latter lived under the rule of the Good Sisters of the Grove, a trio of folklore spirits which accepted gifts and sacrifices in return for safety and prosperity. The heroes also found that the abandoned church was littered with the writings of father Gregory, a priest who had tried to shepherd the villagers away from their superstitions and into the arms of the Platinum Father, only to find just how cruel the good sisters could be to those who opposed them.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

Once the heroes had reconstructed all of father Gregory’s writings, and exhausted all that was to learn from them, it was well past sundown. Quentin felt that the best course of action would be to leave Blackbough; he felt it was impossible for the heroes to withstand the power of the good sisters if father Gregory, a man of faith, wasn’t able to withstand them. This elicited a sardonic chuckle from James, who was snacking on some food while leaning up against the altar.

Emrys suggested going back to Blackbough mansion. Luca agreed and asked James whether he still had some stiff drinks that he could share. James rummaged around in that mysterious bag of his and said that he should have enough to get through the night. It was unclear whether James was serious or not.

Luca took the time to memorise the writings of father Gregory while the rest gathered up their things in order to return to Blackbough. A conversation came up when Luca wondered aloud whether the villagers may be watching them. He felt that the villagers were distrustful of the heroes and Emrys briefly wondered whether the writings they had found were even to be trusted, or whether they were planted for the heroes to find. Quentin thought it could have been a test. The heroes briefly entertained the thought before abandoning it.

Just before departure, Luca noticed that there were spores and mushrooms growing on on the side of one of the pews and from between the cracks of the floor tiles. It reminded him of to a disturbing dream he had right before waking up in Old Llygad for the first time. He was chased by a black steed, engulfed in smoke and flame, through the ruins of an old church. He was certain that it had been this church that he had seen in his dream.

When the heroes left the church to make their way back to Blackbough they found that a thick mist had settled over the graveyard outside. Several figures were skulking in the mist; grotesque humanoid with deformed heads and missing their skin, exposing bloody muscle, sinew and bone. Their leader, it seemed, had a horrific addition of bony spikes protruding from its flesh at ghastly angles. It became clear that they were laying in waiting when they immediately and aggressively moved in to attack the heroes.

Despite their viciousness the heroes managed to vanquish the ghoulish creatures, but not without paying a hefty price in blood. It was when the heroes discovered that they were susceptible to fire that the tide of the battle turned into their favour. When the ambushers had been defeated, Luca noticed a tall, slender figure retreating in the mist. He thought he saw that the figure had horns. Later, when the heroes were safely back at the mansion, James shared that he had not seen any horns, but that he thought he had seen a tall, slender woman wearing a veil.

At the mansion, the heroes were received and immediately tended to. Lord Oswin made sure that their wounds were treated and that they had everything they needed, once again underscoring the laws of hospitality.

Luca had read that during the Age of Fear, when humanity was opposing the forces of chaos, law and order were considered an important way to oppose the threat. Anyone caught breaking the laws of hospitality were considered in league with demons. Humanity was so dependent on one other for survival that the laws of hospitality were considered sacred. The Age of Fear made way for The Great Waning, which in turn lead to the Age of Peace, but some of these customs survived and were still held in high regard in the more conservative and remote parts of the Verdant Kingdoms.

Seventh Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

You are troubled by haunting dreams throughout the night. You remember being chased through the fog-choked swamp by something large and malicious. You remember tripping and plunging into sinking sand. You tried to crawl out of the mud, but with every move you kept sinking deeper into the relentless bog. You remember feeling something pinch and you looked down to find leeches attaching themselves onto your skin. You remember feeling like you didn’t quite belong in your body; as if it wasn’t yours; like wearing an ill-fitting suit of clothing. You can’t quite remember how things ended and trying to recall other details proves almost impossible, but you feel shaken to your core and have to suppress the urge to pack your things and leave Blackbough.

Upon waking up from a terrible night’s sleep, haunted by strange dreams, Emrys felt exhausted. Blythe, lord Oswin’s majordomo, came to invite the heroes to break their fast together with the lord. The lord received the heroes in the great hall of his manor, where a large table was set up to host them. Lord Oswin was flanked by mistress Ysgith and lieutenant Aram of the Company of the Shield, the commanding officer of the house guard.

Quentin observed mistress Ysgith throughout the breakfast, to see if she had any strange leeches attached to her skin. He couldn’t see any, but did notice several red spots where he had first noticed the leech, as well as elsewhere on her skin.

Meanwhile, the heroes got a chance to talk to lieutenant Aram. They learned that there were eight mercenaries currently at Blackbough and another dozen at the hargrove. They also learned that Aram considers the elven attackers at the hargrove to be procyon due to the tactics they employ. Several men died in defending the grove, all of which were laid to rest in the graveyard at the abandoned church.

When the heroes turned the conversation to finding the ghost orchid, mistress Ysgith suggested the heroes decide what it would be worth to them, and bring an offering to the scarlet willow in the middle of the sacred grove. She implied that whatever it was that they were after, the good sisters might be able to help.

Previously, after surviving a fight with an ancient foglet only hours away from their destination, the heroes and their one remaining traveling companion, Isalien Willowborn, made it to Blackbough, a dreary hamlet on the side of a hillock. At the top of the hillock stood a wooden, fortified mansion which turned out to be the seat of house Blackbough. Lord Oswin, the head of the house, extended hospitality to the heroes, but was not able to direct them to finding a ghost orchid.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

Once the servant, who had brought a crate of food to the cabin that the heroes had been assigned, had departed, Luca immediately asked the others whether they had noticed the grizzly, severed hand hanging from a leather string around his neck. James did not seem moved by it and wanted to start making a plan instead of dwelling on the servant.

Isalien and Astrid decided that they required more rest and planned to stay in the cabin. Luca and James were going to focus on talking to the different people around the mansion and in particular, James was interested in finding the servant who was shushed during their audience with lord Oswin. James hoped that the servant might be willing to share more when approached away from the lord. In the meantime, Emrys and Quentin would make their way to the hamlet in the hopes of getting some information from the villagers. Quentin could hopefully make use of ser Fulton’s shield, while Emrys could hopefully win them over with music. Before departure, Luca changed his clothing and took a moment to adopt a slightly different posture, even going so far as changing the inflection with which he spoke, aiming to seem more like a northerner.

It did not take long for James and Luca to have found the man they had wanted to speak to; a plain-faced majordomo who turned out to be a Bournemouth academy graduate who originally hailed from Rivermeet. He claimed that while he had been in Blackbough for a while, he had yet to get used to the dark superstitions the villagers believed in. He claimed that Mikkel, the servant who had brought the heroes their food, had been wearing the hand around his neck out of punishment, but refused to speak more on the subject. Increasingly more uncomfortable, he referred to mistress Ysgith, the woman who was lord Oswin’s council, in order to find out more about the ghost orchid.

Emrys and Quentin walked down the hillock into the dreary hamlet of Blackbough. They quickly noticed that there were very few villagers and those they noticed were either old, injured or nursing young ones. Strangely, they also didn’t notice many children, besides the very youngest. Another thing they did not see; if this village primarily consisted of loggers and lumberjacks, where was the sawmill? How did the people earn their keep?

Emrys pulled out his lute and sat down in the middle of the village and started to play a tune, while improvising a song which told the story of the ill queen, without going into some of the more negative consequences of her possible death. It had the desired effect and some of the villagers made their way over to listen.

An old, blind man by the name of Wyeth came over and asked one of the villagers to bring his logs. The logs were hollow, of different sizes and they made different sounds when the old man played them with sticks. His percussion nicely harmonised with Emrys’ strumming of his lute.

When the songs were done, Emrys and Quentin were able to talk to Wyeth, whom they called “the Acadian” even though he wasn’t one. He had been a log driver, who floated logs down the Ivel to Rivermeet, when he was attacked by drowners; the restless dead of those taken by the swamps. He was saved by a family of Acadians and nursed back to health by them.

Harrow the Elder, a man deep in his twilight years with a body so bent by time that he was barely able to stand unaided, was able to share that the village was under the protection of the Good Sisters of the Grove; a commonly held belief in spirits who governed what happened in the area and maintained a personal relationship with the villagers.

Old Abigail, an elderly woman of good constitution who was responsible for teaching the children of the village about plants, animals and hygiene. When learning about the heroes being attacked before arriving in Blackbough, she offered that the mist was a sign that the land felt threatened and that the sisters had sent the creature to defend the village. By extension of her tasks around the village, she was also able to talk about the different herbs and medicines that the swamp provided. The ghost orchid, however, was extremely rare and she wasn’t able to help there.

Emrys and Quentin also found that most of the villagers had been moved to the hargrove, a stretch of forest to the east that lord Oswin had wanted to start logging at. That explained the absence of a lot of the villagers. They also learned that there another way in which the village earned their keep was a bit of peat farming.

Luca and James also spoke to Nielen, a Fulham native who had moved to Blackbough a year ago in order to work the smithy at the mansion. Another discovery was that the guards were mercenaries of the Company of the Shield, of which lord Oswin used to be a member as one of the first freeriders. The company operated along the Plains of Strife.

Lastly, Luca and James found mistress Ysgith in a small garden behind the mansion. She explained that she came to Blackbough several rides ago in order to help lord Oswin achieve his goals. She was interested in helping the heroes find a ghost orchid, but wanted to know what the heroes were willing to sacrifice in order to get it. When they bid their goodbye to mistress Ysgith, James noticed that a leech was stuck on her neck, just below her ear.

When the heroes came together they shared what they had learned and came to the conclusion that they wanted to pay a visit to the abandoned church of Paladine. They were hoping to learn something more about the village and its inhabitants and were curious to see what Fedor, the scholar who had arrived in the summer, had managed to learn from his trip to the church.

Getting to the church turned out to be easy. They found the building badly damaged by vandalism and fire and that due to the holes in the roof the interior had been exposed to the elements, leaving doors and pews rotten and warped. The graveyard outside, while old and poorly maintained, did seem still used, with a few new people having been put to rest in fresh graves.

The inside of the building was no better than the outside; parts were badly damaged by fire and statues, paintings and tapestries were vandalised. Parchments and books were strewn everywhere, either weathered or burned. There were signs of a concerted effort to catalogue the written artifacts that were salvageable enough to be legible. Most of the writings were by father Gregory, the late priest at the church. The assumption that this cataloguing had been done by the visiting scholar.

The findings prompted the heroes to collaborate on reading through the artifacts and searching for anything the scholar may have missed. They found a few caches of writings that the scholar had overlooked and combined that with the catalogue they had found.

The villagers show no interest in following Paladine and are unconcerned about their fate after death.

The villagers are pagans who worship and obey a capricious whims of spirits who control the land and their fortune and they feel like they have a direct relationship with these spirits.

The villagers pay tribute to these spirits at a blossoming willow tree in the middle of a sacred grove to the south-east. These tributes range from small tokens to large, unspeakable blood sacrifices.

The spirits are called the “good sisters”, or “sisters of the grove” and there are three of them. They are named Memra, Druda and Gryza.

The sisters have been part of the of the local traditions for at least as far back as the first lord of Blackbough, in the seventh century. Old drawings of villagers bring offerings to three women at a grand willow tree.

The toll that the sisters have taken on the villagers over the past decades is enormous, all in the interest of small boons or benefit. They have lost all sense of perspective.

Given the opportunity, the sisters will approach you in order to strike a bargain. You just have to will it to happen and they will reveal themselves.

I have seen them drink in the blood of the first born and stretch the skins of the virgins. I have seen them dance naked in the blood soaked soil at the base of the tree. I have seen their dark pendants soak up the sanguine life spilling from their mouths after they drank their fill. The glee. The glee!

[Poor handwriting] They have promised me a reward for my sacrifice. They have promised they will let me sleep a dreamless sleep again, and release the dead in our graveyard from their control, and they will let the villagers make their own choice in who they want to follow. They promise me that the pain will soon subside. I can still pray with one hand. I can still carry the Book of Saint Catherine with me as I go and talk to the villagers. This time they will hear me and they might finally trust me, for I have sacrificed part of myself for them. Just like saint Catherine sacrificed herself for Ser William.

Previously, the heroes and their travelling companions were lured deep into the fog by some promiscuous swamp lights while on their way to Blackbough to search for answers on the plight of the cursed Lyrian queen. The swamp lights eventually lead them straight into the claws of an ancient foglet. The fight was short and brutal, killing both Randall as well as Michel, with Astrid, Isalien and Luca nearly perishing as well.

Fifth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

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

After the battle had been won, the wounded had been revived and the dead had been recovered, James decided he wanted to chop the head of the ancient foglet but quickly found out that carrying that enormous head might be more than he bargained for. Instead, he decided to carve out the creature’s eyes and extract some of its teeth. If they wouldn’t catch him some crowns, they might be a nice souvenir.

Isalien used a thick branch of a nearby tree to fashion herself a crutch to take some of the weight off her injured leg. She began looking around for a good place to set up camp. Even though she assured the heroes that they were nearby Blackbough, the consensus was to wait until morning before heading into town. Before camp was made, Quentin lead some in giving the bodies of the fallen to the swamp by wrapping them tightly in their cloaks and blankets. Isalien asked for them to be placed beneath the high branches of a large cypress tree, hoping that they would become one with the tree as they passed.

When camp was made people took stock of their wounds and began to dress them. Astrid needed stiches and help with a dislocated shoulder. Several people were bandaged and James made good use of his healer’s kit, quickly spending many of the remaining supplies. It was late afternoon and there would be enough time for everyone to get eight hours of rest while still maintaining a watch.

Emrys created a small, smokey fire with some of the kindling that wasn’t completely soaked through. Together with  Luca he spent his watch on the lookout for those eerie swamp lights, which they saw darting around in the distance but never came in closer.

For those paying attention during their watch, they could see that the Bloodmoon was but a tiny sliver in the sky, with the Silvermoon being a beautiful crescent, while the Darkmoon stood in high sanction, casting an eerie blue glow across the swamp and the mist that undulated all around.

Sixth Day, Second Ride, Autumn Red, 1262

(Silvermoon is waning. Bloodmoon is waning. Darkmoon in high sanction.)

The next morning camp was broken up and despite the swelling and bruising of the fresh wounds, the journey continued. As predicted by Isalien, who still walked with the support of her improvised crutch, Blackbough was not more than two hours away.

In Blackbough, all decomposes; be it dead or very much alive. Rot blights trees, seeping sores torment beasts, and the whole swamp emits the acrid, stifling stench of decay.

Emerging from the mist, a small hillock comes into view, on the top of which stands a tall, wooden keep surrounded by a palisade. From the sides of the guard towers cling the soaked banners of the black tree of House Blackbough.

Down the slope of the hillock sits a hamlet of no more than a couple of dozen low huts made of bent logs, occasional crumbling masonry and rotting thatched roofs. A handful of sallow and bent people dressed in muddy robes tend to small gardens or are feeding a couple of sickly goats.

The heroes and their traveling companion made their way up the hillock and saw that the undulating mist receded enough to reveal another hillock in the distance. On top of it stood a large stone structure with a small tower. When they approached the wooden keep they saw that it was surrounded by a wide earthen wall with a tall palisade on top of it. The gate, a masonry structure with thick wooden doors which sat in a gap in the earthen wall and which carried a sturdy wooden tower atop it, was guarded by two well-armed guards. They carried halberds and swords at their side, and were dressed in studded leather enforced by plate pauldrons, gauntlets and splinted boots. Bits of chain reinforced where the leather strips fastened the armour. The gate tower had another guard atop it, as did the towers further along the palisade, each dressed similarly, but instead of a halberd, they carried crossbows.

Quentin was pushed forward in order to introduce the heroes and gain an audience. He seemed somewhat reluctant but proved to be quite comfortable in addressing the house guard in a manner that they responded well to. The guard opened the gate and allowed them entrance on the condition that they would stay their weapons. Inside the gate there stood wooden houses, barracks, stables with a hayloft and even a small granary. A smithy with a masonry forge and large bellows was the only structure besides the gate that was made of stone. In the middle of the yard stood a tall, wooden, multi-story manse with grey slate shingles for a roof. Everything looked quite well maintained.

The guard asked them to stay in the yard and went inside to announce their arrival. Several people came out of the manse, lead by a tall, thick limbed man with a hooked nose, dark, wicked eyebrows and a thick black beard. Lord Oswin’s head was shaved on both sides and he had a single strip of thick black hair that started at a widow’s peak, ran over his head and down the back in a thick braid. Several scars marred his face; one vertical scar along the side of his head, just behind his temple in particular.

Before the heroes could speak the man bellowed;

Lady Rowyn sent you to come and collect, has she? Well, you tell her that I understand full well what my responsibilities are and remind her of her own; I have requested more men to lay claim to the hargrove and instead of sending me men, she sends me tax collectors. Accompanied by an elf at that!

Quentin assured lord Oswin that the heroes were not sent by lady Rowyn and humbly asked to continue the conversation somewhere private due to the sensitive nature of their quest. Lord Oswin visibly relaxed and invited the heroes to choose two representatives to come inside and discuss while the rest remained outside. Quentin and James decided to follow and they were lead into a large hall, simply decorated, with benches lining the side, but with some large, elaborately carved chairs at the far end where lord Oswin and some of his people took seats.

One of the people who took a seat was a woman beyond her middle years. She was dressed well, but not lavishly, had neatly kept grey hair. She seemed too old to be lord Oswin’s wife, and too young to be his mother. When lord Oswin was asked about where ghost orchids could be found, he professed not to know much about the local flora, but introduced the woman as Ysgith. She said that she had heard of the orchid and claimed that they were legendary and grew on sites of great bloodshed, but couldn’t say where to find one.

When lord Oswin was asked whether any visitors had come through in the last few months, he said that besides the occasional Acadian, the only visitors was a scholar named Fedor who hailed from the Mazurian Hills who had come to investigate the abandoned church of Paladine. Lord Oswin had granted food and shelter to him and his guards and they spent a few days in Blackbough, going on several excursions. They left just before the feast of Midsummer. When asked about the abandoned church, lord Oswin explained that his father, the previous lord, had run the house coffers dry and could no longer pay the tithe to the church. When father Gregory turned to the villagers, who had never been pious followers of Paladine they quickly turned on the father and drove him out and pillaged the church.

Lord Oswin suggested talking to the villagers to possibly find out more about the ghost orchid. In the meantime, he offered the heroes shelter.

So I offer you a fire at which to warm your limbs. Also, a place at my table and beds for you to rest. On condition ye pledge to me one very small things; to respect the sacred laws of hospitality. Also, the elf maid that travels with you will have to remain in the cabin that is provided to you and is not allowed to roam.

Quentin took the pledge and he and James were reunited with the rest of the heroes who had remained outside. One of the guards walked them to one of the cabins on the yard and banged on the door. A servant opened up and was ordered to seek shelter elsewhere. There was enough space for all; a common room had a small hearth, a table and chairs, while the two other rooms had two beds each.

While the heroes were settling in and discussing on how to proceed, there was a knock on the door. A servant had come to bring them a crate of food; bread, cheese, goat’s milk, eggs, water. There was plenty for everyone. The man carried the crate inside and put it on the ground. He wore simple clothing and wooden shoes and as he bent forward, something dangling from around his neck slipped from underneath his shirt. He quickly put it back before hastily departing, but anyone who had been looking at him would have seen the decaying severed hand that was hanging from a leather string around his neck like a macabre talisman.