Tag: Recap

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!

Liliana the Instigator

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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.)

While all of the Allenhammers were vast asleep, their doors locked and bolted, trying to process the events of the last several days, Emrys and James had decided to patrol the streets of the town in case the Procyon returned. Emrys stayed in the centre of town while James patrolled the outskirts. Boredom soon struck Emrys, so he sat himself opposite the Allenhouse and started playing a tune on his lute.

Luca was asleep in a room in the Allenhouse, getting assaulted in his dreams by flashing images of all the knowledge that his master had poured into his head on the eve of his departure from Kingsport. At midnight, he awoke with a fright. The images of his dreams were fleeting, but he was left with some flashes of recall; of a person stumbling through the a dark wood, awash in purple light, of a bloodied hand, and finally of a dormant cottage and the smell of lavender in the air. He felt a throb coming from Blackstar standing in the corner of the room he was in, and a dark voice resonated in his head; “Consume. Consume. Consume! Consume!!”

Clumsily trying to sneak out of the Allenhouse, Luca bumped into Emrys outside. He noticed the only two moons in the sky were the bloodmoon and the darkmoon, casting all of own in an eerie, purple light. Exchanging a few words with Emrys about not being able to sleep, and Emrys went back inside the Allenhouse to catch some sleep, while Luca walked over to Syldarael’s cottage. James, who had been honing his skills in rural stealth had long since noticed Luca and decided to follow him.

When Luca approached Syldarael’s cottage, a figure darted from her herb garden and dashed into the woods. Luca went to inspect the garden when James walked up next to him. They concluded that the person who had been in Syldarael’s garden had likely collapsed there, but had not made it to the front door.

The two decided to see if they could follow the trail the person left behind and eventually found a wounded Procyon scout hiding in a hollow created by two conjoined trees. They saw that the elf was grievously wounded from a wound to the belly. A gash was bubbling dark brown blood and they both concluded he was not long for this world. James tried to comfort him and asked him if he wanted to have a message passed along. The elf reached inside his cloak and retrieved a piece of folded parchment, dipped in wax to make it water resistant. Using the light of the flames Luca had produced in his hand, they read the letter:

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

When the adventurers had read the letter, Luca took hold of Blackstar and summoned an eldritch bolt of energy which robbed Kalindras of what was left of his life. Luca felt a jolt of pain and again the dark voice resonated in his head, letting out a satisfied sigh. James, who already had some reservations about the weapons the adventurers had found near the portal in the catacombs underneath Lynnecombe, decided not to bring it up. Instead, he suggested going back to Syldarael and asking her to take care of the body for them, while they investigated the contents of the letter. Syldarael, startled and confused at their request, decided not to ask too many questions.

The adventurers thought that the most likely “daughter of a notable” would be Martha, so they decided to head to the Allen farm first to check in on her. First, however, they decided to drop the letter they had found off at the Allenhouse for their companions to find once they woke up, just in case something happened to them during the night, they would at least have a lead to follow.

After dropping the letter off on Emrys’ chest, who was asleep in one of the common rooms downstairs of the Allenhouse, Luca and James headed to the Allen farm. They spoke about the three moons and the full eclipse of the Silvermoon, which they figured was also referred to in Valadar Amberwind’s letter. Luca told James that the position of the moons had an effect on the ebb and flow of magic, and James said that it also had effect on people.

The streets of Kingsport are even more empty on a night as tonight. Even the guards stay inside.

When the duo approached the farm they noticed that all was quiet. They decided to approach the house through the fields, in case the farm had guards out. They spoke quietly about the Arms of the Senhadrim, about their effects, and about how James didn’t trust their influence. He claimed that he had seen Emrys be controlled by Toruviel. When they came to the house, they decided to approach it along the side, near the garden where they had their parlay with Herman not so long ago.

If we don’t have to, let’s not kill anyone.

They found a window on the ground floor which had its shutters locked. Luca used Blackstar to detect the presence of people. He noticed a few, but none of them behind the window. James took out a leather satchel lined with a bunch of curious tools which he unfurled and used several of these tools to unlock the shutters. Both of them climbed into a hallway. They verified the presence of one of the people that Luca had noticed using Blackstar, and found that Herman was asleep in a study, laying on a sofa with a book on his chest. They proceeded down the hall.

After quietly searching the house, they managed to make their way upstairs, finding Martha’s room. She had one part of the house all to herself, but her door was locked. Again, James produced his satchel and opened the door in no time. The room was candle lit and they could see Martha in a state of half undress, laying on a large, four poster bed. She seemed to be moaning and touching herself, while a curious, red vapour undulated above her. Luca decided to hex the vapour and it responded immediately by rising up, coiling up like a snake and bursting through the shutters and out of the window, retreating towards the woods.

Checking on Martha only to find her semi-conscious and not lucid, they decided to bind her hands and gag her, just in case. Then they gave chase, using growth of old Lyrian ivy vines along side of the building to climb out of Martha’s room. As they did so, it became clear that Martha had often used the vines to sneak out of her room. The strange vapour had left a trail which was easily followed as the two ran into the woods. Eventually the vapour trail lead to a small grove, lined with bindweed, which Luca knew was rumoured to thin the fabric between realities.

Near the back of the grove, they found the start of a path leading down into a small crag. The further the two went down the crag, the more decorations could be found. There were primitive, isometric shapes carved into the rock; spirals, triangles, stars and circles. Also, they found stick figured made from vines and sticks hanging off of the branches and roots from the trees above, as the two descended down deeper into the crag.

At the end of the crag they found a cave in which sat a stunningly beautiful woman, with fiery red hair and an alluring and revealing dress, laying on a bed of furs. She spoke to Luca and James, introducing herself as Liliana and trying to get them to come closer and spend some time with her. Both of them were simultaneously attracted to her and repulsed by her. They knew something dreadful was about to happen, but they also couldn’t deny their attraction to her. They also noticed that the entrance they had come through had disappeared, effectively locking them inside the cave with Liliana. They kept resisting her calls, until finally she became angry.

The fight was very confusing. Liliana showed her true form by sprouting a pair of large, leathery bat-wings from her back, growing a set of curved horns from her forehead and displaying vicious, claw-like hands. She summoned small, vicious fiends that kept on attacking and poisoning the duo.

The strangest was that during the fight, she would occasionally use her powers to transport one of the adventurers to a strange, alternate reality where the cave was made from pulsing flesh and they had to defeat two of the small, vicious fiends in order to return. While banished, the remaining person would have to withstand Liliana’s preternatural charm.

Due to Luca’s strong mind and James’ elven lineage, Liliana was not able to seduce them the way she wanted to. She managed to entrance James for a moment. She kissed him, draining him of much of his life force and then ordered him to attack Luca, but he was able to shake off the effects of her charm. It was touch and go for a while, but they managed to defeat her and the fiends she summoned. As she dissipated in a vapour with a screech, Liliana’s voice entered the adventurer’s minds with an ominous message:

Until we see each other again, boys…

The luscious furs dried and turned to dust and the remaining fiends shrivelled to nothingness. The entrance to the cave also reappeared. When the adventurers stopped trembling and regained their breath and bearing, they rummaged through the remains in the cave to find a couple of tourmaline stones, a curious potion in a ceramic, green bottle and a strange, dreadful looking flute.

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.