Difference between revisions of "Carrolwood"

Revision as of 13:17, 4 May 2015

On a cloudy and damp early fall day, Emi and Rin, Rakeor and Shale, Alvin and Siege, and Dalva arrived in the coastal city of Gascar and made their way to the west gate of Castle Telva property. They were sent to one of the servants' residences therein and greeted by Genevieve who presented them to the hiring manager of the Carrolwood Project, Baxter. He learned that each had skills suitable for hiring and told them to meet with Gairevander, their team leader, who had arrived a couple days earlier, in the dining room at 5 o'clock that evening.

Everyone met at the appointed time and Gairevander, after introducing himself, told them that they'd be dealing with the exploration of old buildings in the ruins to the south of the city, and would further be responsible for evicting any inhabitants that posed a threat to the Carrolwood Project's land area. He also informed the group that there was to be an evaluation in the morning, but he had no information on what the task would involve. He advised that all do their best, though, as he suspected it would impact their assignments in the future.

Baxter put in a brief appearance and there were a few tense moments when Alvin broached the topic of compensation, but Gaire was able to defuse the situation and the matter was dropped. Siege took the opportunity to present Baxter with a clock he had made and the gift seemed to please him. Baxter took his leave and the group continued chatting while finishing their dessert and after-dinner libations. Tentative plans were made to go to Morgan's as a celebration the following evening and then the group retired for the evening agreeing to meet for breakfast at 7 the next morning.

First foray

The next day dawned bright and sunny with deep autumn blue skies. The group met for breakfast as planned and Gaire let them know that they would be clearing out a building of some sort of pests that were too difficult for the day laborers to deal with. He got a rundown of the group members' preparations and then they suited up and met in the foyer. Baxter gave Gaire a set of keys to access the warehouse area and affected building as well as white name tags with Yensid's symbol on them for each member of his team. He wished them well and then departed as a couple of prospects had just arrived.

The group then set out for the warehouses along the river to the west. As they walked, they solidified their strategies and then proceeded into the sandy area which held the compromised building. The group split into two and explored the outside of the structure, finding nothing but a bunch of empty crates at the back of the building. Siege moved the crates, but found nothing suspicious. Meanwhile, Gaire attempted to use the second key to open the front door of the building with no success so Emi picked the lock and the group headed inside.

A torch was lit and Gaire instructed the Elves to look for hidden doors on the floor. Taking Alvin's advice, he looked at the ceiling and found no holes. The two Dwarves were about to open their first crates when Dalva's keen senses spotted droppings and food bits toward the back right area of the building. A closer look revealed the tracks of some sort of rodent.

Emi used the torch to look in between the crates at the tracks' end and she saw a shape shrink back from the flame and another dart behind the crates. She described what she saw of the creatures and Dalva confirmed that the intruders were indeed rats. The group then moved the crates at the back of the room to encourage the beasties to funnel out towards the center of the room which proved to be somewhat successful as several rats did use the obvious exit to try and escape, but were quickly dealt with. The majority of the rest escaped down a hole in the floor at the back corner of the building. Once it was determined that the last of the rats had departed, the crates were moved and the inside of the building was swept clean of foodstuffs debris and carcasses. Siege replaced the damaged floor board to prevent any further intrusions while Gaire, Emi and Dalva walked around the outside of the building to see if there was anymore that could be done to finish their task. They saw a couple of rats that had escaped scurrying away and a hole was discovered dug under the foundation of the building. Empty crates were stacked in front of the hole to block it.

Reporting in

The group returned to the servants' residence to clean up and have some lunch. Baxter joined them and the group gave their report on the morning's events. He listened to their tale, but had little reaction which seemed to puzzle some and then departed to take care of other matters. The group then discussed supplies while they finished their meal. Genevieve gave them directions to Eblen's General Store where they could make their purchases and the group gathered in the foyer and headed out. The rest of the afternoon was spent in Gascar proper where the group managed to find Morgan's as they proceeded down Mellon's Road through town. Eblen's was next located and the shopping list filled. They learned there was a blacksmith in town for weapons needs and then went back home for dinner.

Upon arriving, Gaire was summoned to speak with Baxter while the rest settled down in the sitting room and chatted. Gaire returned a short time later with contracts for each to sign and the group learned that they would be receiving a weekly salary. Once dinner was done, Gaire laid out the map of the ruins he had received from Baxter and it was compared with the map Alvin had purchased at the Harbormaster's Office that afternoon. Gaire explained that the red markings on the eastern end of the ruins were trouble spots that the military had noted that the group should focus on as they explored the area. There were a fair number of organized structures on the map as well which seemed to suggest a settlement of some sort, but Gaire was not given any additional information on the matter. He told the group that Baxter wanted any unusual items brought to his attention, especially those of a magical or historical nature, that were found in the ruins. The topic tabled until the morning, the group then headed out once again with their sights set on Morgan's Public House.

The group spent an enjoyable evening at Morgan's and met the proprietor. They stayed for the first set of the bardic quartet and then decided to turn in early so they could be ready to start work in earnest the next morning. The relaxed tone of the evening was cut short as they became aware of shrieks and howls in the distance as they headed back. The sound got louder as they went and the group was forced to deal with a group of gibberlings on the road. Dalva and Shale were injured in the skirmish, but the group was able to waylay the gibberlings long enough for Gascar's military to come in and get things under control.

The next morning, the group met with Eisner, Baxter and a liaison with the city's military in an attempt to curtail any concerns of future attacks on this otherwise peaceful city. He told everyone that part of the ruins was currently restricted until further notice in order to deal with any further gibberling issues and it was decided that the group should start its exploration just south of this area, in the northern part of the Red Forest.

The northern ruins

The water temple

After the meeting, the group set out for the ruins. They followed an overgrown path up a short embankment and, when they passed through the line of trees in full fall foliage, they beheld a large building made of bluish-white stone and columns with stone steps leading up to an open entrance in the front. A circuit was done around the outside of the structure to ensure no attacks would be forthcoming as Dalva noted having seen humanoid footprints along the way and then the group headed inside. They crossed through a front room and through an archway into a dark chamber where the sound of trickling water could be heard. The decomposing body of a kobold was discovered, and Dalva pointed out that since they usually buried their dead, the group should be on high alert. Emi continued to explore the area in front of her using the 10-foot pole and the sudden sound of its hitting something hard echoed throughout the room. She called to Dalva who came over with her lantern and its light revealed a four-foot-tall font with water coming out of pipes which extended from a fist-sized gem on a dais at its center. It was decided that this font would be checked for magical emanations after the rest of the building had been inspected.

The rest of the chamber was inspected by Dalva, Rin and the two Dwarves, but nothing of significance was found so the group decided to investigate the room beyond the archway positioned behind the font. It was empty but for the crumbling remains of a stone bench along the back wall and an opening which led to a lower level. Rope was secured to the font and the group made their way down below. The sound of gentle flowing water currents was heard as the group proceeded down the hall which made it difficult to pick out any other sounds. Rin speculated that this sound was magical in nature while Siege posited that it came from the font above.

Dalva's lantern beam illuminated a doorway on the left and Emi and Siege went inside to investigate. They saw a pile of red and orange colored rags in the corner and noted their stench, but there was nothing else in the room. Dalva, upon hearing the report, seemed uneasy, but she couldn't put a finger on why. She went into the room to take a closer look and concluded that the stench was that of kobolds. With Siege at her side, she prodded the rags with the 10-foot pole she took from Emi and uncovered a pouch with copper pieces inside.

When they emerged, Rin had Dalva shine the lantern's beam on the opposite wall so she could draw the symbols she saw beneath a torch bracket she'd found. Emi and Siege pressed forward and found a second room with two old cots and a wooden dresser. The dresser was moved and Emi located a loose stone block behind it and had Shale and Siege pry it out. Shale then pulled out a blue box and a scroll case. Rin again drew duplicates of the symbols under the torch bracket on the opposite wall in the outer hall and then the group continued onward.

They came upon a larger third room with some sort of eerie, glowing rectangle on the rear wall. Upon further investigation, symbols were discovered along the outside of the structure and the group decided to have Rin cast detect magic on the box and scroll case as these had similar symbols to that on the wall. The box glowed with magic from the silver trident inside, but the scroll did not. Dalva wanted to do further research on the watery structure on the wall by going into it, but Alvin advised against it as the water inside might be released into the room. With no further data to be gathered, the group decided to take their leave.

They headed back down the hall to the dangling rope and Dalva went up while Rin took the opportunity to pay closer attention to the sounds of the waves present in the hall. Emi went up next followed by Gaire after Siege slipped on the rope. Siege had just poked his head through the hole when Emi let out a startled shriek. Two goblins had just come through the archway and battle commenced. All but Shale were able to join the fray and the foes were defeated in short order. Siege was briefly knocked unconscious by some sort of magical fish that came "swimming" over the font, but Rin used a cure spell to revive him. Dalva and Rakeor also sustained injuries, but there were no more healing spells to aid them. Gaire took down the last of the foes that was using the font as cover and removed an amulet that looked like the toothy open jaws of a predatory fish from around its neck. Rakeor and Shale went to the front entry room of the building to keep watch while the rest of the group searched the dead goblins' bodies and gathered their weapons for possible sale.

Before leaving the premises, Gaire suggested hitting the gem in the center of the font to see if it could be knocked off and then taken back with them. Rin gathered some loose pieces of stone from the crumbling bench in the back room and used her sling to make a direct hit...which caused a zap and flash of light to issue forth, startling her. The gem still remained in place, however. With this knowledge, Dalva checked for possible enemies tracks outside while Shale, Rin, Emi and Gaire made a circuit of the building for lurkers and then the group headed back to the guest house.

Once there, the group set about cleaning up before heading for dinner. Alvin informed Genevieve that there had been some severly wounded among them which briefly caused some tense moments, but Shale later reassured Eisner that the situation was under control and that, with Gaire's approval, she would make all reports on the party's health in the future. The rest of the evening was spent eating and discussing the day's events and it was decided to forgo a second trip to Morgan's so the group could rest up and research their findings in preparation for the meeting with Baxter the next morning.

Later that evening, Emi and Rin went to the temple of Losyera and presented the fish symbols document and painting that Rin created as an offering to a priest who was on duty. He said he would seek the goddess' insight and to return tomorrow. The two left the temple, located the shop where he told Rin she'd find umbrellas and returned to the guest house after Emi procured a crowbar. When they arrived, all but Gaire had retired for the evening. He found a note under his door from Baxter and let the two know that the group would not have to go to the ruins.

The next morning, Emi passed on the message to Shale before heading out on her morning run and Shale passed the word on as everyone reported in. Alvin still cast armor on himself and Rin healed Siege before the group headed for breakfast.

During the meeting, the group recounted their experiences in the temple and showed Baxter the box with the mini-trident in it and the accompanying scroll. They also told him about the fish-head-shaped amulet the goblin used against them and Baxter said a proposal could be written if they so desired and given to Eisner in order to retain said amulet, but that any research costs for the amulet would be their responsibility. Gaire charged Shale with this task and Baxter said he'd draw up a document for her to take to Bassik's temple in order to have the other two items investigated.

Afterwards, Shale healed Rakeor while Gaire delegated tasks for the group to do while in town. Once done, the group went their separate ways. Emi and Rin returned to Losyera's temple and Rin received a note describing the nature of the fish symbols from the acolyte who was assisting with the sculpture-making activities. Shale and Alvin, with Baxter's document in hand, went to the temple of Bassik and spoke with High Priest Hydralanus of the water god's temple in the ruins. He told them that it might be another aspect of Bassik or perhaps another trying to usurp control from the Lord of the Waves. He advised them that a message would be sent to Yensid in a day or two once he had concluded his research on the amulet, mini-trident and scroll they had given him. Siege and Dalva sold the spear and maces to a weapons shop along the docks area while Gaire and Rakeor went shopping for supplies and then spoke with Morgan regarding a lead for the mage's guild while they waited for everyone. Eventually, everyone joined the two and they had a drink and brought each other up-to-date on their exploits before heading back to the guest house for a late lunch.

After the meal, the group settled down in the sitting room and reviewed the map of the ruins and decided to continue to the next building to the west tomorrow. Shale and Alvin attempted to write up the proposal regarding the fish-head amulet, but Emi and Gair's efforts received the best critique and they let Baxter know they'd finish it and submit it to him in the morning for Eisner's review. Siege spent the day carving out a club into a fish to give as an offering when next they visited Bassik’s temple and Shale cast restful sleep on Dalva before she went to bed to ensure complete health in the morning.

The bird statue building

The proposal was given to Baxter the next morning before the group headed out and he said he’d have an answer as soon as Eisner had a moment to review it. The group arrived at the ruins a half hour later to find military personnel removing large amounts of rubble with wheelbarrows from the restricted area. The activity was creating a lot of noise and Rin's casting of speak with birds was only partially successful as the blackbird she spoke to confirmed the presence of creatures in the woods to the South of the ruins, but couldn't say how many while flitting about nervously on and around a tree branch. Dalva’s keen eye picked up on a trail left by the dragging of a dead animal by a man-sized humanoid along the path leading to and beyond the building the group intended to explore, but no sign of the humanoid involved emerged.

Emi checked the rough white wall of the building for secret doors as Rin, Dalva and Siege kept an eye out for possible attackers, but the task proved painful for Emi and Rin cast remove pain upon her hands so she could continue. Rin also cast magic sense to no avail and the foursome returned to the waiting dwarves, mage and Gaire and the group then checked the opposite side of the building. The Dwarves couldn't identify the type of material used in the building's construction, but Shale suspected it might be artificially created. Gaire suggested taking a sample of the material back to Baxter for study and Siege pulled out a spike and gave it to Rakeor to aid the effort.

His efforts were rewarded and a two-inch square of material was removed amidst chalky dust and small pieces raining to the ground at his feet. The loud noise had Dalva and Emi on high alert at the front of the building, but nothing came to investigate the sound. The group then went up the set of stone stairs while Dalva continued her vigil outside. Rakeor, Siege and Shale had to combine efforts to push open the heavy wooden door that was ajar and Rin noted the carving of three birds' heads in both that door and the other on the left that was currently closed. She informed the group that she suspected this was a temple to an air god.

Siege entered the building first with Emi and Gaire close behind. They found themselves in a large room with a filthy floor and three openings in the ceiling near the opposite end. Below these were three stone four-foot tall platforms with two-foot tall statues of birds at their centers. A balcony ran along the left and right sides of the room and along the back. While Rin and Shale used clean orisons to get a better look at the statues, Gaire and Emi moved around the colonnades on the right and left sides of the room to check for possible adversaries. Rakeor stood guard by the front door while Siege kept an eye on the two priestesses with his bow drawn.

Shale noted Emi focusing on something in the front corner of the room as she finished casting on the left statue and came to check on her, but Emi assured her there was nothing of import and they went back to the others near the center platform. Rin confirmed that the clay statues matched the stylized peacock, eagle and owl heads carved into the front doors of the building. A close examination also revealed that each statue had its eyes removed and Rin surmised that these had been stolen as they were probably gems of some sort.

Emi then set to checking the doors within the alcoves behind the platforms and let everyone know that they had birds' head carvings in them. She was unable to open the eagle's door and peacock's door and Gaire suggested that there might be something hidden that might do the trick so Siege began lifting the statues off of the platforms in search of secret compartments or triggering mechanisms. Rin also assisted with this effort and discovered a pattern of eagles in flight leading from the base of the center platform toward the front doors on the floor and she began to sweep away the debris on the floor to confirm this with the aid of spikes Siege gave her tied to the bottoms of her boots. Her keen eye caught sight of something blue as her foot encountered and swept a small object across the floor and she quickly located said object and stowed it in her pocket.

Meanwhile, Siege took a closer look at the owl door and cleared more of the debris away so it could be opened. He then led the way inside with all but Emi and Gaire who remained in the alcove. In the light of Alvin's torch and Dalva's lantern beam, they could see that the room contained a long wooden counter at the front with an owl carved into its front. Several desks with drawers were located behind this structure that had owl's feet carved into their legs. Dalva discovered an archway leading into a second room along the left wall and shone her lantern's beam through it which revealed a second archway at the other side. She also noted a platform on the floor at the center of this middle room and went to investigate it while Emi and Shale did a more thorough search of the first room.

After a moment, she noticed the light level in the room increasing until it was equal to that of a sunrise. Rin joined her and noted a second counter with an eagle carving on its front in the center room and then she and Dalva set their sights on the third room. Gaire was called inside so he could get an update while Siege stood guard in the front area to alert the group in case anything came through the front door of the building.

In the owl room, Emi found a cabinet at the back and Shale pulled out an old broken abacus and scroll case with a scroll inside from its drawers. Shale stowed these items in her pack and the two women set to checking the desks. Alvin noted a similar cabinet in the center room and desks that had eagle's talons for feet and he began to look through their drawers.

The third room had a counter with a peacock carved into its front along with two tall pink walls similar in structure to the walls of the building itself at the center of the room. A clay vase stood at one end of each wall and Rin discerned a heart and star pattern bordering the rim of the left and right vase respectively. Dalva walked between the two walls and found the remnants of three colored symbols on the floor which looked a lot like peacock feather-fans in a triangular pattern. She called Rin's attention to this pattern and she noted a possible connection between the pink and blue color on the left and right symbol she saw on the vases. Neither could figure out the significance of the rainbow feather fan at the top of the triangle, though, so they set to checking out the cabinet Dalva's lantern beam lit up at the back of the room.

In the owl room, Emi and Shale found a paper with columns of figures in one of the desks. In the eagle room, Shale pulled out an unmarked flask of milky liquid from inside a cabinet in the back, while Alvin found an old pad of paper in a desk drawer. He attempted to restore one of its sheets with the use of a dampen and dry cantrip pairing, but it was too much for the old material, which crumbled. He took another sheet and stowed it in his pack for later review.

Rin and Dalva, joined by Gaire, found an old book, cord and bag of heart, star and ring-shaped trinkets in the peacock room's cabinet and then everyone assembled in the eagle room to focus their efforts on the cloud-motif platform and matching opening above it. Emi had just begun to check its outside for traps when she heart a scratching sound and several large rats emerged. The group did their best to deal with them, but several somehow eluded them by turning into wisps of vapor and disappeared from view.

Once the group was reasonably sure no additional creatures were going to make their presence felt, Emi resumed her investigation of the platform and opened a panel at its center to reveal a tarnished copper basin with a white residue and eagle etching in its bottom suspended from iron hooks inside the compartment. The basin was removed and the compartment closed so Gaire's suggestion of putting desks on top of the platform and having someone climb onto them to look up through the opening above could be undertaken. Rin expressed her concern about damaging the cloud-motif artwork on the platform, but it went unheeded and, after witnessing the wobbly ascent of Siege, she finally took her leave with the rendition of the work on paper intent on preserving it in the only way she could. Dalva and Emi pursued her and she told them she was taking the painting she'd made to her temple. They accompanied her to the road and then returned to the building.

Through the hole in the ceiling and the light of Dalva's lantern, Siege saw two long wooden tables and a tall structure resembling a judge's bench in the room above. When he descended a loud crack was heard and it was decided an alternative means of getting up to the second floor was in order. While Siege worked to remove the desks from the platform in the eagle room, Gaire, Shale and Rakeor pondered their options in the front area of the building. Dalva and Emi returned and confirmed that there was a large opening on the balcony above. Gaire lifted Emi onto his shoulders and she climbed onto the balcony and secured Shale's rope for others to climb up. Siege emerged and he, Alvin and Dalva joined her. The upper room turned out to be some sort of meeting room with three tiers of long tables and high-backed chairs with tattered blue upholstery. Dalva noted a similarly-colored, badly frayed carpet on the floor. Emi found a broken mallet in the drawer of the judge's bench structure which had an eagle carved into its front. One of the chairs was lowered down as it had eagle's claws for feet and then everyone descended to the first floor.

It was decided to take a vase, the chair, and the eagle statue from its platform and head back to the guest house. The group hadn't gotten out of the building when a flying reddish-brown lizard swooped in and demanded that Dalva put back the eagle statue. Dalva explained aloud that it was the guardian of this building and that it could not leave so long as the statues remained. Dalva tried to explain that there would be people coming to destroy the building and that she could save the statues, but the creature was insistent that the statues guarded the building and must stay. Gaire attempted to mediate and it was eventually agreed upon that Dalva would talk to those who would be coming and if they promised to give the creature and the statues a good home that it would then be willing to leave its post. The statue was returned to its place on the center platform and the group left the building and headed to the guest house.

At dinner that evening, the group was introduced to Lady Cleo Cragganmore, a storm mage who was assigned to the Carrolwood Project by her mother, the head of the local mages guild. Baxter explained that she would assist the party if they felt her strength of magic was needed in the ruins otherwise she'd be assisting with demolition tasks elsewhere. It was a rather tense affair and Cleo ended up departing before dinner was served. The group discussed the day's events in preparation for the meeting with Baxter tomorrow morning and then headed off to Morgan's for a drink to settle their nerves.

While there, they saw a Halfling throwing knives and Gaire said that the bar maid had told him the fellow was trying to earn money as he'd been robbed when he was coming into Gascar. Rin said she'd seen him performing in the marketplace earlier that day and she'd given him a coin as she liked the colors he painted in the air. After some prodding from the group, Alvin went over and introduced himself and eventually the two returned to the group's table.

The newcomer, Dudex, explained that he had been knocked out from behind as he was coming into Gascar from the west intending to join the Carrolwood Project, but couldn't do so now because his spell book had been stolen. He was a diviner by trade and thought his skills would be very useful in the project's work and the group agreed and said they would return to Morgan's tomorrow night to discuss things further after they talked to their superior. Dudex departed and the group returned to the guest house for the night.

The next morning, Lady Cragganmore joined the group at breakfast and, thanks to Gaire's tact, the meal went somewhat more smoothly. Cleo said that she was asked to be present at the meeting this morning as an observer at Baxter's request. She departed shortly before the appointed time and, before the rest of the group headed out, Rin gave Alvin a piece of parchment with a picture of a cloud with a very realistic-looking lightning bolt that appeared to be coming right at him. Shale posited that it might be a magical rune that released electricity, but the others weren't convinced.

At the meeting, Dalva and Gaire relayed the tale of the encounter with the pseudodragon. Cleo said she'd see if her mother knew of any in the mages' guild who might take the creature as a familiar and departed. As an alternative, Baxter suggested a local inn called Magic Journeys as a possible home as its owner had a strong affinity for animals. The group also told him of the magical lighting in the eagle room, the rats that turned into puffs of smoke, the cloud platform and basin within it, and the flask of white liquid that appeared to be identical to the residue in the basin's bottom they found as well as the unusually tough material the outside of the building was made of. Shale was curious if such a building would be cheaper to refurbish and Baxter informed them that Yensid was not interested in preserving the buildings. They were only interested in ensuring that there were no impediments to building Carrolwood on the site of the ruins once the existing structures were demolished.

Alvin then told Baxter about the Halfling diviner he'd met at Morgan's who had been intending to join the Carrolwood Project, but couldn't as his spellbook had been stolen and asked if Baxter would be willing to aid in the book's recovery. Baxter felt that the addition of a diviner would be of benefit, but that this fellow's legitimacy would need to be determined before he would take any action. If the group felt he was worth the risk, Baxter would offer a locate object scroll as a means to finding the book. If the book was located, there would be no cost to the group, but if not, the group would be responsible for the cost of the scroll. Gaire said the group would discuss the matter and let Baxter know if he should pursue the scroll's acquisition when they returned from Magic Journeys.

After leaving the basin, flask, miscellanous papers, and book Rin had found in Baxter's office, the group headed to Magic Journeys. On the way, they discussed the matter of helping Dudex and it was agreed that they'd do some additional checking before meeting with him back at Morgan's this evening. Upon arriving at Magic Journeys, the group beheld various statues of animals on the front lawn, many of which the group had never seen before. A tall, muscular man exited the building and bade them enter, identifying himself as the establishment's owner, Mason Segers.

Once inside, the group was led to a sitting room and chatted with Mason for a bit before he invited Dalva and Gaire to look at the area behind the building where some of the animal guests resided. They were joined by his wife, Aoleone, and the trio discussed the matter of care and maintenance with her before returning to the sitting room. The proposal of the pseudodragon's living at the inn was then presented to Mason and his wife. They were amenable to the idea and said that they could have preparations for its arrival done by tomorrow afternoon. Gaire said he'd have a message sent to confirm Carrolwood's intentions to relocate the creature by the end of the day and tentative plans were made to have Mason meet the group at the guest house tomorrow afternoon before heading to the location of the pseudodragon.

The group then returned to the guest house for lunch. Afterwards, several members headed into town to see what they could learn about Dudex and inquire about selling the chair and vase. Once in the marketplace, Rakeor and Gaire went for a drink at Morgan's while Rin headed to her temple. Dalva spotted Dudex performing his cantrips for a small group of people, but he didn't seem to notice her or Emi. They watched him for a while and then perused a nearby stall with knick-knacks of odd creatures. They had just moved away from a display of plates with images of what looked like kittens with orc snouts and bows on their heads when Dudex joined them. They reminded him of their meeting this evening at Morgan's, then headed to the docks to meet Rin. When they arrived, Rin handed Dalva a small pouch with her share of the money from the sale of the magical cord found in the bird building.

When everyone met back at the guest house, they related their various tales, including the purchase of greek fire and Rin distributed the rest of the shares from the sale of the magical cord. Unfortunately, the trip to town didn't reveal any new information about Dudex and the prices Dalva and Emi saw for similar items were meager at best. While Rin went to get the group's first pay pouches from Baxter, the rest discussed, at Gaire's suggestion, the idea of bringing back chairs from the ruins and trying to sell them as a group. They decided they'd show Mr. Segers the chairs when they went to the ruins with him to see if he'd be interested in them for use at Magic Journeys.

The group then headed to Baxter's office en mass only to find him on his way out. He urged them to be quick with their report as he had to attend to an urgent matter involving the ruins at the temple of Morelen. Gaire and Dalva let him know that the pseudodragon and statues are likely going to Magic Journeys and that Mr. Segers intended to meet the creature tomorrow afternoon. Baxter told them he'd send a message to Segers later today to confirm, at Gaire's suggestion, whether or not additional guards would be necessary to accompany him to the ruins. He also informed them of Eisner's support with procuring a potential diviner. As such, the location attempt would be done with the use of a crystal ball rather than a locate object scroll. The same risk to the group would be involved and he urged them to be sure they had a detailed description of the book to further bolster the scrying attempt's success. Before departing, he told them he'd need a day to make the necessary preparations and to inform him when the group had confirmed things with Dudex.

The group headed to Morgan's after dinner and, as they waited for their drinks to arrive, they talked about the increased number of military they saw on their way here as well as the events of the next couple of days. Emi asked Rin in cant to keep an ear open and she noted shortly thereafter that there was talk of another attack last evening. Dudex eventually arrived, ordered himself a drink and followed the barmaid over to the group's table when she brought their drink order, a second Halfling in tow. Alvin filled Dudex in on Baxter's offer to use a crystal ball to locate his lost spellbook, but it would be a day or so before the scrying could take place. Dudex himself had no news of the book's location from his efforts, but corroborated Rin's tale of another robbery last night. Rin then added that the people she heard the tale from sitting a couple of tables over mentioned something about water zombies, but she wasn't sure how reliable this bit of information was. Shale was also skeptical and chalked it up to rumors, especially after Emi said she hadn't heard of such a story before coming to Gascar. The topic turned to possible creatures that attacked Dudex and things got a little strange for him with feral pig-cats being carried by EWEGS. Emi told him to tentatively plan on doing the scrying on the day after tomorrow and he quickly took his leave.

Shale bought the second round of drinks for everyone and asked Morgan for some alcohol-neutralizing aid for an intoxicated Alvin when she went up to the bar with Rakeor and Morgan said he'd brew some extra-strong tea. Rin and Emi then left to visit her temple while the rest stayed behind to keep an eye on Alvin and a still-occupied Gaire. The tea was brought over by Morgan and Gaire returned to the table as it was being administered by Shale. Siege then guided Alvin outside and the rest followed after they finished their drinks.

Emi and Rin caught up to the rest as they made their way back to the guest house. Once gathered in the sitting room, Rin and Emi relayed the information they learned from her temple regarding the merchants who were attacked west of town last night and the lone goblin body that was found along the roadside. The discussion was interrupted by Alvin claiming he saw a dead goblin in the doorway of the sitting room and Siege helped him to their room. It was decided that they would see if there was any new tracks in the ruins tomorrow afternoon and Emi and Dalva would make a trip into town in the morning to get more details on the incident while the rest made preparations to deal with the pseudodragon meeting after lunch.

The next morning, everyone but Alvin was at breakfast. Siege told them he didn't think Alvin would be awake until much later so Gaire, Emi, Rin, Dalva, and Siege decided to go into town to gather information and try to sell the vase and the beads Siege removed from the broken abacus.

Shale informed Baxter that they'd like to have the crystal ball scrying done and he said he'd have it scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. Cleo let Shale know that there were several mages interested in the pseudodragon and would tell them to go to Magic Journeys in a few days to visit the creature.

Dalva and Emi couldn't find anything conclusive when they investigated the area west of town so they returned to the marketplace. Siege, Rin and Gaire were all directed to a jeweler/gem seller near the docks to sell the owl-head beads and Gaire had a less than satisfying experience when he tried to sell the vase to the pig-cat vendor. Further efforts were more promising, as Gaire met with a merchant named Everitt who showed interest in the vase. It turned out that he had sustained a bandit attack the previous evening, and that his wife, Pamela, had suffered injuries while another wagon was seized along with its drivers and cargo. He recommended that Gaire return when his wife had recovered. Everyone eventually met up and they headed back to the guest house for lunch.

Alvin cast read magic on the scroll Shale had found and learned that it was a spell similar to unseen servant, but its abilities were limited to accounting tasks. He gave the scroll back to Shale for possible later trade. Gaire, Shale, Dalva, and Emi relayed their various tales from the morning's exploits as the group ate lunch and it was decided to deal with the pseudodragon matter before taking any further action involving the attacks.

Segers arrived with two assistants and everyone headed back to the ruins. They noted a guard standing outside of the water god's temple, but continued to the bird building without incident. After Dalva had a brief chat with a sprite, the pseudodragon was summoned. It was rather demanding, only allowing Siege, Rin and Segers to enter the building and retrieve the statues. Siege took the opportunity to also grab the second vase which delayed his exiting the building with the third statue which agitated the pseudodragon, but it did eventually agree to relocate to Magic Journeys. On the way back, the group saw two of Bassik's priests carrying out the font pedestal from the water god's temple and load it onto a waiting cart. Shale inquired if it was okay to pursue some tracks south of the building and the priests seemed unconcerned and went about their task. With the pseudodragon getting impatient atop Dalva's head, the group then made their way back to Magic Journeys.

The group returned to the guest house just in time for dinner and discussed the next day's activities. Baxter made an appearance and told them to have Dudex arrive at 1 o'clock for the scrying. It was decided that they'd visit Everitt's booth in the morning, deal with the crystal ball scrying and then return to the ruins to attempt to locate goblinoid tracks afterwards. Alvin brought up the subject of the magical scroll and Shale said that, if she gave it to him to trade, she'd expect a favor in return, but the mage was hesitant to agree to such an arrangement so the matter was dropped.

After dinner, everyone went to Morgan's. Alvin spoke with Sir Morgan briefly about a magely contact with the guild other than Cleo to discuss the trade of a scroll and Morgan said he'd pass on the information to a former adventuring companion, Khay, who should be arriving in town in a few days. He would let Alvin know after he spoke with her. Alvin spent the rest of the evening trying to deal with the advances of a dark-haired girl named Norri. Dudex also put in an appearance and managed to learn from a distracted Alvin that he should come to the guest house tomorrow. Alvin sent him to speak with Gaire and Rin for more details. They had no additional information to offer so he went to find himself a seat to watch the night's entertainment.

Dudex's Spellbook

The next morning, Emi, Dalva, Gaire, Rin, and Siege returned to the marketplace with the two vases in hand. They spoke with Pamela and, although she could not provide numbers, she did give enough information to allow Dalva to determine that the attackers were likely goblinoid in species. Rin drew pictures of the occupants in the other wagon as Pamela described them and the vases were sold. Gaire said they'd return if they had any further updates and the group returned to the guest house for lunch. On the way back, they discussed the vague nature of the woman's story and Emi said she'd take Rin's second drawing and do a little checking on Everitt and Pamela.

Lunch was on the table when the group returned and Cleo was also present. Dudex joined the group about twenty minutes before the meeting and partook of the fare. At 1 o'clock, the group adjourned to the meeting room at the end of the hall and the scrying took place. The images displayed within the crystal ball seemed to indicate that the missing spellbook was somewhere inside a white, windowless, ivy-covered building within the ruins and, from the sounds Dalva heard, she suspected goblins might be in the vicinity. While Rin completed her drawing of the building's exterior, the rest of the group reviewed the map of the ruins with Cleo and prepared to head out for a reconnaissance mission before the rain picked up again.

The trip to the ruins was only partially successful. Emi and Rin, with the aid of a speak with birds spell, were able to locate the ivy-covered, windowless building while Dalva's efforts proved to be inconclusive. She found a couple of humanoid prints of different sizes, but not a clear trail. She and Siege were momentarily startled by movement in the brush and Siege took a shot at something dark brown he thought he saw, but, whatever it was fled the area. The two groups reunited and headed back to the guesthouse as the rain picked up in intensity and filled in the rest after drying off. The group speculated that the thing in the bushes might have been one of the goblins or something else just happening to wander too close. They agreed that extreme caution would be necessary and that perhaps Shale and Rin should consult their deities for any insight as to whether or not to delay returning to the ruins.

Over dinner, the group learned of Dudex's historical knowledge and again tried to determine the age of the ruins. Gaire joined them after a short meeting with Baxter and informed them of the change in their direct report from Baxter to Cleo. This didn't sit too well with everyone, but they agreed to make the best of it and spent the rest of the evening preparing for the trip to the ruins tomorrow morning.

The next day dawned rather chilly, but there was no sign of rain. Shale was encouraged by her prayers with Perasin and informed the group that she suspected there would be combat occurring today. Cleo put in an appearance at breakfast and made sure everyone was ready for the trip into the ruins and expected a full report upon their return. Gear was gathered and the group headed out.

While Dalva and Siege explored the exterior of the ivy-covered building in the ruins, they came across several carcasses and refuse, confirming the ranger's suspicions of goblin inhabitants within. The rest waited inside the tree line near the back end of the building and Emi joined the two when she saw them returning. Siege informed the others of their findings as Emi and Dalva returned to the trash-laden area at the west end of the building to take a closer look at the two suspected entrances into the structure.

The two women returned a short time later and Dalva informed the group that there was something inside the building that growled at her approach. She suspected it was a worg, as they are commonly used as guards by goblins. Emi crawled along the roof of the building to see if she could get a better view of the room and gauge the number of potential foes inside.

With the element of surprise lost, the group decided to meet the foe head on and proceeded to the entrance. Shale and Alvin took down the beast quickly with a sleep spell and swift axe-work and the group then began discussing the value of returning with the worg's carcass. Rin took the opportunity to cast a know history spell and then gathered some of the worg's blood and was in the midst of drawing a claw on the paper she pinned to Rakeor’s chest when Dalva warned the group that she heard more growling from within.

A second worg was quickly dispatched and the group continued through the inner archway into a long hallway with a room on either side. Alvin remained in the front room, crouching behind the dead worg's carcass by the door way, to warn of any danger from the group’s back. Dalva, Shale, Rakeor and Gaire entered the left-hand room and discovered a bunch of 5-foot square cubbies with crumbling stone benches at their backs. There were discolorations in the stone walls above these seats and Rakeor found a tarnished hook that he was able to match to the discolorations. Dalva found a second door at the far end of the room with its knob missing and then the group returned to the hall where Emi, Rin and Siege were standing guard to report their findings. Gaire and Shale thought the room might have been a holding area, but Siege suspected, after examining the hook that the room might have been used for dressing.

The right-hand room turned out to be the same as the left, but a shaft of daylight from the ceiling revealed a round skylight at its center. Alvin alerted the group when he saw a silhouette briefly make an appearance in the doorway and then disappear again and the interior exploration was temporarily halted while Emi took a look around outside. She returned a short time later and reported no evidence of other creatures near the building and the group moved on to the next hallway with its two rooms. Dalva remained outside this time within the concealment of the ivy alongside the building to keep an eye on things.

Shale, Rakeor, Gaire and Siege found nothing of significance in the right-hand room and Emi had no luck with opening the first door into the left so the group decided to head toward the marble steps with disfigured statues to either side at the end of the hall. They got about halfway down said hallway when two spears came hurtling at them from the room at the top of the steps.

Shale, Rakeor, Gaire and Siege found nothing of significance in the right-hand room and Emi had no luck with opening the first door into the left so the group decided to head toward the marble steps with disfigured statues to either side at the end of the hall. They got about halfway down said hallway when two spears came hurtling at them from the room at the top of the steps. Emi ran outside to get Dalva while the two dwarves, Gaire and Siege pressed forward. Emi remained outside while Dalva, after joining Alvin returned to the location where a confrontation with several goblins had already begun.

The goblins were bested, but not before Shale, Rakeor and Gaire were injured. Rin was able to revive Shale and she, in turn, partially healed Rakeor's wounds. A sack was found at the bottom of a rectangular pit and Siege pulled it out with the aid of Rin's fishing hooks and lines. Inside was a large number of copper coins, a quiver of tied-down arrows and what appeared to be a light-colored, polished gem. The goblins' bodies were also searched, but no spellbook was found. Emi noted an exit at the back of the room with a thick branch across it and began checking the area for traps while the two dwarves stood guard at the top of the steps.

Emi and Gaire decided that the thick branch would take too much effort to remove so they began exploring the rest of the room. Shale and Rakeor were admiring the gem when a cry of pain came from behind a partially collapsed wall. Shale rushed around the wall to find Emi holding a sack and she determined that there'd be no long-term effects from Emi's smashing her elbow. Emi gave the dirty sack to Gaire and then proceeded to work on the second locked door in the hall at the bottom of the stairs. Dalva and Siege took another look outside for signs of other curious creatures and Dalva refilled her lantern before the two returned. Gaire discovered that the sack he held had more space within it than it appeared and pulled out two new-looking swords in scabbards as well as a fist-sized pearl and Dudex's spellbook. The items were quickly stowed as Siege and Dalva reported the fast-fading light outside.

The group looked in the room Emi had unlocked and found it to be quite warm inside, but no further foes emerged. A lit brazier stood at the far end and Rakeor confirmed that it was bolted to the floor. Rin used a chill orison to cool the coals within the brazier and took them for future use and the group returned to the guest house. As they walked, they discussed all of the different things they'd seen within the building and it was agreed upon that this was some sort of bathing facility.

Cleo greeted the group in the foyer and bade them wash before coming to the dining room. Over dinner, despite Cleo's best efforts to avoid it, the topic turned to the day's events. Cleo offered her advice to Alvin on how to use his armor spell in the future and got a better idea of the group's magical capabilities. Rin informed the group of her know history spell's findings including the name of the city - Senepoli - that used to be here and the tidal wave that flooded the area several hundred years ago as dessert was being served.

After dinner, Dudex studied and cast detect magic on the items the group found. Two arrows and the cloth sack Gaire hat glowed. Rakeor took a closer look at the yellow-brown gem, but still couldn't make heads or tales of it while Alvin and Siege counted out the coppers. Rakeor, Gaire, Dalva and Shale then headed to Morgan's. Morgan let Gaire know that the magely contact he knew would be arriving in town in the next day or so and Gaire said he'd pass the word along to Alvin.

Once Rin completed her offering, she, Emi, Alvin and Siege went to the temple of Losyera where they arrived just in time for the intermission of Queen Vavra, a play being presented as part of Theatre Night. Rin presented her offerings and Emi adjourned to Morgan's. Rin, Alvin and Siege joined the rest once the play concluded. The group remained at Morgan's for a while and exchanged news, then everyone but Emi and Dalva returned to the guest house for the night. Emi and Dalva left Morgan's once the tavern closed, but they had no further news on any goblin attacks.

The next morning, Shale used her two cure light wounds spells on she and Rakeor and Alvin cast armor on Rin before she got dressed which caused quite the commotion. After breakfast, Alvin and Dudex went to another room to exchange spells and begin work on identifying the magical properties of the arrows the group had found while Gaire got instructions from Genevieve on how to find Bannetyne Jeweler's so they could sell the two gems and the pearl. It was decided to use the coppers they'd found as a tab at Morgan's and then the group headed for the ferry.

Shale and Rakeor decided to take the longer land route to sell the short sword and arrows while the rest crossed the Laburnum and headed for the jeweler's. They learned that the two smaller gems were citrines and the salesperson said he could have them evaluated in a short time, but the pearl would require a full day to determine its value. Gaire took a receipt from him and the group then split to take care of their various errands...

Rakeor and Shale sold the short sword to the salesman at Bolio's Weaponry, but decided to wait for the shop owner to return that afternoon before selling the arrows. Alvin and Siege went to the Mage's Guild of Gascar and Alvin paid for his first month of membership. An identification pin would be sent to the guest house later that afternoon. Gaire made arrangements for the drink fund at Morgan's while Emi and Dalva visited with the pseudodragon at Magic Journeys. Rin purchased supplies the group needed at Eblen's and then visited her temple to make her offering. She was the last to arrive at Morgan's and then the group returned to the guest house for lunch.

It was decided that the dwarves would wait to sell the non-magical arrows until after Dudex's identification was done so the dwarves accompanied Gaire and Siege to the military's archery range to test-fire the arrows. They returned to the guest house and Shale took the opportunity to care for Rakeor and her axes while Gaire cleaned up his sword. Alvin received his pin from the guild and busied himself with making sure Dudex's cullinary needs were met until the rest of the group returned.

Meanwhile, Emi, Rin and Dalva visited the marketplace and came upon Pamela and Everitt's booth. Everitt was involved in another glass-blowing demonstration, but Pam seemed to be having a rather animated discussion with a black-robed, hooded fellow. Rin concealed herself and cast a personal reading on Everitt while Dalva and Emi tried to get closer to listen in on the conversation between Pamela and the hooded fellow. None had any luck with their efforts, but when Rin cast an empathy spell, she could sense fear and ultimately despair from Pamela as the hooded man departed. She caught a bit of anger, too, as the woman made an effort to compose herself. Emi trailed the retreating figure and, after a few moments of observation of Pam and Everitt's tense conversation, Dalva and Rin went to Rin's temple to see if they might have heard of Everitt as he is an artisan. Rin gave a picture of Everitt and Pamela to Sister Angelou to pass around and offered to take over the teaching of the painting class currently in progress in exchange. Dalva then returned to the guest house.

Dinnertime arrived and the two dwarves had to carry Dudex to his room as he had no strength left after his eight hours of identification work. Alvin brought him some food and learned that the arrows had a minor enchantment upon them which enabled them to have a greater chance at hitting their targets. He joined the group in the dining room just before Cleo's arrival and, after the main course was done, everyone relayed their news from the day's events.

After the meal, the group went to Morgan's where Alvin spoke with Khay and her two companions, Tsun and Yan. He sold the spell scroll from the bird building and Khay told him she'd be staying at Chervil Manor if he needed to contact her. She also told him about the pirate ship they'd seen on their way from Rogariel. Emi took the opportunity to do some thiefly activities and returned to the guest house well after the others had gone off to bed. The group decided to wait on the decision as to whether or not they'd go into the ruins tomorrow until after Shale's prayers with Perasin in the morning...

Nature in Flux

The next day dawned gray and chilly. Perasin urged Shale to seize the opportunity for battle and go into the ruins and she passed on his message to the group as they went about their morning routines before breakfast. Emi told everyone that she'd overheard a conversation that the dark-hooded fellow they encountered in the marketplace yesterday had been seen talking to the pig-cat stall owner as well as several others, but she got no word on what the topics of discussion were. At breakfast, Cleo was informed of their intentions and then the group headed for the ruins.

On the way, they were joined by Baxter who seemed pleased at their previous mission's success. They saw two gray-skinned, 15-foot tall, skinny humanoids with sunken eyes carrying huge clubs standing just outside the ruins area and Baxter introduced them as the demolition crew. As the two groups went their separate ways, Dalva took note of the excited activity of the animals in the area and Rin offered to cast speak with birds to see what was the cause...

Cast of characters

Below is a list of characters who were involved at one point or another in this adventure:

• Alvin - run by Phil Vlasak
• Dalva - run by Lou McLeary
• Emi - NPC
• Gairevander - run by John Proulx
• Rakeor - NPC
• Rin - run by John Proulx
• Shale - run by Lou McLeary
• Siege - run by Phil Vlasak

Adventure timeline