Carrolwood

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 their job would be to explore a number of ruined buildings in the Red Forest south of the city, and to evict any inhabitants that posed a threat to the land to be developed by the Carrolwood Project. He also informed the group that they would be given a task the next morning, on which they would be evaluated. Although he had no information on what it would involve, he suspected it would impact their assignments in the future.

Baxter then joined the group briefly, and Alvin asked about the party's compensation. This seemed to irk Baxter, but Gaire was able to defuse the situation. Siege took the opportunity to present Baxter with a clock he had made, and the gift seemed to please him. The group chatted for a while, making tentative plans to go to Morgan's, a local pub, to celebrate should they be successful in their task.

First foray

The next day dawned bright and sunny with deep autumn blue skies. At breakfast, Gaire told them their first task: 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, then everyone on the team received white name tags with the symbol of Carrolwood's parent organization, known as Yensid, emblazoned on them.

The group set out for the warehouses, located along the Laburnum River to the west. Arriving at the sandy area which held the compromised building, the group split up and explored the outside of the structure. They found some empty crates at the back of the building, but when Siege moved them they 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.

Gaire instructed the Elves to look for hidden doors on the floor. Taking Alvin's advice, he checked the ceiling, but saw no holes. The two Dwarves were about to open some crates when Dalva spotted droppings and food bits toward the back right area of the building. A closer look revealed rodent tracks in the dust. Emi looked between the crates at the tracks' end with a torch, and she saw a shape shrink back from the flame and another dart behind the crates. Upon describing them to Dalva, the ranger confirmed them to be rats.

The group moved the crates at the back of the room to encourage the beasties to funnel out towards the center, which proved to be somewhat successful; several rats tried to 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. Siege replaced the damaged floor board to prevent further intrusions while Gaire, Emi and Dalva walked around the outside of the building to see if there was any more that could be done. They saw a couple of rats that had escaped scurrying away and a hole was discovered 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 listened to their tale of the morning's events but had little reaction. After the meal, Genevieve gave them directions to Eblen's General Store, where they could make their purchases, and the group headed out to explore the city. The group found Morgan's along Mellon's Road through town, and Alvin purchased a map at the Harbormaster's office. After making their purchases at Eblen's, they went back home for dinner.

Upon arriving, Gaire was summoned to speak with Baxter, who gave him the party's contracts for each to sign, including the specifics of their weekly salary, along with a map of the ruins. After dinner was done, Gaire laid out the map, which was compared with Alvin's. The map had red markings on the eastern end of the ruins to indicate trouble spots that the military had noted that the group should focus on. There were a fair number of organized structures on the map as well which seemed to suggest a settlement, but Gaire had been given no additional information. He told the group that Baxter wanted any unusual items found in the ruins brought to his attention, especially those of a magical or historical nature.

With nothing else to discuss, the group headed out for Morgan's. The group met the proprietor, Sir Morgan Wallister, and stayed for the first set of the bardic quartet before departing early so they could be ready to start work in earnest the next morning. The relaxed tone of the evening was cut short when they shrieks and howls in the distance as walked along the Shore Road. The sound got louder as they went, and the group soon found itself under attack by a group of gibberlings. Dalva and Shale were injured in the skirmish, but the group was able to waylay the gibberlings long enough for Gascar's military to get things under control.

The next morning, the group met with Eisner, the man overseeing the project, along with Baxter and Burwell, the project's liaison with the city's White Army garrison, regarding concerns about the gibberling attack, as well as the potential future attacks on the city. Eisner told everyone that the part of the ruins in question would be restricted until further notice in order to deal with any further gibberling issues, and that the group should start its exploration a bit further south, in the northern part of the Red Forest.

The Temples

Neptune's temple

Exploration

After the meeting, the group set out for the ruins. They followed an overgrown path up a short embankment and, after passing through the line of trees in full fall foliage, beheld a large building made of bluish-white stone and columns with stone steps leading up to an open entrance in the front. Dalva noted some humanoid footprints in the area, so the outside of the structure was checked for intruders before the group headed inside. They crossed through a front room and 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 explored the area in front of her using a 10-foot pole, and the sound of it hitting something hard echoed throughout the room. Dalva's lantern revealed a font with water coming out of pipes which extended from a fist-sized gem on a dais at its center. Nothing else of significance was found in the chamber, so the group decided to investigate the room beyond another archway 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, then down the hall below. The sound of gentle flowing water currents was heard in the hall, which made it difficult to pick out any other sounds. Rin speculated that this sound was magical in nature, and 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 found nothing but a pile of red and orange rags in the corner emitting a noticeable stench. Dalva seemed uneasy at the find, and upon taking a closer look she recognices the scent as that of kobolds. With Siege at her side, she prodded the rags with the 10-foot pole, uncovering a pouch containing copper pieces.

When they emerged, Rin discovered a group of symbols beneath a torch bracket she'd found and began to copy them. Emi and Siege pressed forward and found a second room with two old cots and a wooden dresser. Behind the dresser, Emi located a loose stone block, and Shale and Siege pried it out. Shale pulled out a blue box and a scroll case from the resulting opening. Rin found additional symbols under the torch bracket on the opposite wall, drawing them as well before the group continued onward.

They came upon a larger room with an eerie, glowing, rectangular object on the rear wall, which seemed to be some sort of water-related device. Upon further investigation, even more odd symbols were discovered along the outside of the structure. Rin cast detect magic on the box and scroll case, which had similar symbols to that on the wall. Although the scroll did not respond, the box glowed with magic from within, and a silver trident was discovred inside. Dalva wanted to do further research on the watery structure 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 returned the same way they came in.

Back at the other end of the hall, The party began to climb the rope while Rin listened more carefully to the sounds of the waves. Siege had just poked his head through the hole when Emi let out a startled shriek from the room above. Two goblins had come through the archway and battle commenced. Siege was attacked by some sort of magical field shaped like a fish, which briefly knocked him unconscious by some sort of magical fish that came "swimming" over the font. Rin, deeming the fish an "ewegs" (for "evil water elemental ghost shark") used a cure light wounds spell to revive him. Dalva and Rakeor also sustained injuries, but the battle was soon over. as Gaire took down the last of the foes. Shale, unhappy at missing out on the battle, tended to the other injuries whilethe group looted the the bodies. Gaire removed an amulet that looked like the jaws of a shark from around the neck of the last foe, and the party headed for the exit.

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. The gem remained in place, however. With this knowledge, the group made one last search of the area before leaving the ruins for the day.

Aftermath

At dinner, Alvin informed Genevieve that there were severely wounded among them which briefly caused some tense moments, but Shale later reassured Eisner that the situation was under control and that she would make all reports on the party's health in the future.

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 the priest on duty, a Human named Alfred Tennishu. He said he would seek the goddess' insight and asked them to return tomorrow. They proceeded to the market area, where Rin purchased an umbrella while Emi procured a crowbar. When they returned, Gaire was the only one still awake. He'd found a note from Baxter absolving them of having to go to the ruins the following day, and the message was passed along.

The next morning, Alvin cast armor on himself while Rin healed Siege. During the post-breakfast meeting, the group recounted their experiences in the temple and showed Baxter the items they'd found. They mentioned the possibility of keeping the amulet, so Baxter suggested that they submit a proposal to Eisner to request they be allowed to do so, although if that should happen any related research costs 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.

After Shale healed Rakeor, the group went their separate ways to perform various errands in the city. Emi and Rin returned to Losyera's temple, where Rin received a note informing her that the fish symbol document was related to the god of the temple, a foreign deity called Neptune. Shale and Alvin brought Baxter's document to the temple of Bassik and spoke with the High Priest, Hydralanus. He told them that the deity of the temple might be another aspect of Bassik or perhaps another trying to usurp control from the Lord of the Waves. He advised them that, once he had concluded his research on the items in a day or two, a message would be sent to Yensid with the results. Siege and Dalva sold the goblin weapons at Bolio's Weaponry, a shop near the docks. Finally, Gaire and Rakeor went shopping for supplies, then spoke with Morgan regarding a lead for the mages' guild until their companions arrived.

After returning to the servant's house for dinner, the group reviewed the map of the ruins and decided to explore the building to the west of the water temple the next day. Meanwhile, the proposal regarding the fish-head amulet was drafted with the intention of submitting it the next morning. Siege spent the rest of 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. The next morning, the proposal was presented to Baxter, who said he’d give them Eisner's answer after his review.

The bird statue building

Exploration

After breakfast, the group returned to the ruins to find military personnel removing wheelbarrows full of rubble from the restricted area, creating a lot of noise. Rin's casting of speak with birds met with limited success, as the blackbird she spoke to confirmed the presence of creatures in the woods south of the ruins, but couldn't say how many. Dalva’s keen eye picked up the trail of a man-sized humanoid dragging a dead animal along the path leading past the building the group intended to explore, but there was no further sign of it.

Emi checked the rough white wall of the building for secret doors while Rin, Dalva and Siege kept an eye out for possible attackers. The task proved painful, and Rin cast remove pain upon Emi's hands so she could complete it. Rin also cast magic sense to no avail, so the foursome returned to the others and they all went on to then check the opposite side of the building. The Dwarves couldn't identify the material used in the building's construction, but Shale suspected it to have been artificially created. Gaire suggested taking a sample of the material back to Baxter for study, so Rakeor chipped off a two-inch square of the material.

When the loud noise failed to bring anything down onto them, the group went up the set of stone stairs at the back end of the building. One of the double doors at the top was ajar, but it was heavy enough to require the combined efforts of Rakeor, Siege and Shale to open it enough to enter. Rin noted that both doors bore a carving of three birds' heads, and informed the group that she suspected this was a temple to an air god.

At last, the group entered the building, with Dalva standing vigil outside. They found themselves in a large room with a filthy floor and three openings in the ceiling at the far end. Below these were three four-foot tall stone platforms with two-foot tall statues of birds at their centers, with alcoves beyond each containing a door. A balcony ran along the back and partway along the left and right sides of the room. After Rin and Shale used clean orisons to get a better look at the statues, Rin confirmed that the clay statues matched the stylized peacock, eagle and owl heads carved into the front doors. A close examination also revealed that each statue had its eyes removed, which Rin surmised had been stolen as they were probably gems of some sort.

After checking the doors within the alcoves, Emi let everyone know that they also had birds' head carvings in them. She was unable to open the eagle door and peacock door, so Gaire suggested that there might be something hidden that might do the trick. To that end, Siege began lifting the statues off of the platforms, but nothing happened. However, Rin discovered a pattern of eagles in flight on the floor leading from the base of the center platform toward the front doors. Using spikes tied to the bottoms of her boots to sweep away the debris around the pattern, her keen eye caught sight of something blue, which she pocketed.

Meanwhile, Siege cleared more of the debris away from the owl door so it could be opened. He led all but Emi and Gaire into the room beyond, which contained a long wooden counter at the front with an owl carved into it and several desks with owl-footed legs. Dalva discovered an archway along the left wall, and her lantern's beam revealed a room with a platform in the center of the floor and a second archway on the other side. She went to investigate the platform while Emi and Shale did a more thorough search of the first room.

After a moment, Dalva 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 a cabinet 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. 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 checked the area for additional creatures, 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 drew a likeness of it and left, intent on preserving it. 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, Gaire, Shale and Rakeor pondered their options in the front area. Dalva and Emi returned and confirmed that there was a large opening on the balcony above. Gaire lifted Emi onto his shoulders and 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 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 pseudodragon swooped in and telepathically demanded that Dalva put back the eagle statue. After some discussion between the two, Dalva explained to the rest of the party that the creature, named Hickory, 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 agreed that Dalva would talk to the people from Carrolwood and, if they promised to give the creature and the statues a good home, Hickory 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.

Aftermath

At dinner that evening, the group was introduced to Lady Cleo Cragganmore, a storm mage who had been assigned to the Carrolwood Project by her mother, Karan Cragganmore, the head of the local mages' guild. Baxter explained that, while she was primarily assigned to demolition, the party could request her assistance if they felt her strength of magic was needed in their tasks. It was a rather tense affair, and Cleo departed before dinner was served.

After dinner, the group headed 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 introduced himself and brought the fellow to the group's table.

The newcomer, a diviner named Dudex, explained that he had been on his way to Gascar intending to join the Carrolwood Project, when he was knocked out and his spellbook was stolen, which he feared would destroy his chance to be hired. The group agreed that his skills would be useful to the project, so they would discuss the matter with their superiors and return to Morgan's tomorrow night to discuss things further. A relieved 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, Mason Segers, 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 replied that Yensid was not interested in preserving the buildings, only in ensuring that there were no impediments to building Carrolwood.

Alvin then told Baxter about Dudex and asked if Baxter would be willing to aid in the recovery of his spellbook. 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, miscellaneous 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 agreed that they'd do some additional checking before meeting with him 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 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 pig-cats with 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 cord.

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 purchasing them.

The group headed to Baxter's office en masse, 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 would likely be going to Magic Journeys and that Mr. Segers intended to meet the creature tomorrow afternoon. At Gaire's suggestion, Baxter agreed to send a message to Segers to confirm whether additional guards would be necessary to accompany him to the ruins. He also informed them of Eisner's support regarding procuring a diviner. The attempt to locate Dudex's spellbook would be done with the use of a crystal ball rather than a locate object scroll, so he urged them to be sure they had a detailed description of the book to bolster the scrying attempt's success. Before departing, he told them he'd need a day to prepare once they'd confirmed things with Dudex.

The group headed to Morgan's after dinner, where they discussed the increased number of military they had seen on their way here. 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. Morgan said he'd pass on the information to a former adventuring companion, Khay, who would 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.

The Marketplace

The search for 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.

Nature in flux

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 cast detect magic on the items the group found, and arrows and the cloth sack glowed. Rakeor took a closer look at the yellow-brown gem, but still couldn't make heads or tails 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 during 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 there for a while, then everyone returned to the guest house for the night except Emi and Dalva, who remained until the tavern closed to see if there was news on any further goblin attacks.

The next morning, Shale used two cure light wounds spells on herself and Rakeor while 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 the arrows the group had found. Gaire got instructions from Genevieve on how to find Bannetyne Jewelers 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 Tiller's 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 mages' guild 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 White Army'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 culinary 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 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 the temple of Losyera 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.

First foray

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, gaunt 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. The bird told Rin that creatures with snouts had been in the bathhouse building within the past day, but had no knowledge of where they were at present. It also warned her of the impending storm and then went about its own preparations.

Gaire suggested that the group start exploring the interior of the buildings, but Emi suggested a quick perimeter check first so she and Dalva, each with a bowman to provide cover, checked around the outside of the first building and the bath house building for evidence of activity since the group was last in the ruins. Dalva noted the absence of the carcass outside of the bathhouse as well as a trail of dried blood from where the worg carcass was dragged up the front steps and into the grass by heavy-footed humanoids. She and Gaire joined the others and relayed their findings.

The group decided to follow the trail and ended up having to stop the investigation when Gaire suddenly was knocked out by a pollen spray from a yellow lily-like flower they got too close to along the path. Alvin used his frost fingers spell to freeze the plant and the plant pod was put into one of Rin’s empty sacks for later identification. The two dwarves and Siege carried the still unresponsive Gaire into the bathhouse after Rin and Shale’s evaluation and treatments failed to awaken him.

Emi and Dalva continued to follow the trail and found goblin carcasses in an overgrown area behind the third building. Back at the bathhouse, Siege took the opportunity to look for possible signs of life, but found none. Emi and Dalva returned and told the others of their findings and noted the deteriorating weather conditions. The group was in mid discussion of their next move when Emi heard the sound of a branch crack outside and went to the doorway to investigate. She had just stepped out when a spear was hurled at her causing her to retreat. She let the group know that a large number of creatures was headed for the building and the group hastened to prepare for the impending confrontation. Siege barely had time enough to get off a bowshot before they came barreling through the front door.

The battle was short and the orcs ended up retreating with one of their number erecting a cloud of fog and jeering at the group as he departed. Gaire was able to join the battle and, despite Shale's being knocked unconscious and several party members being seriously wounded, Siege counted seven dead orcs on the floor. Emi and Alvin went to the back of the bathhouse to discover that the log had been removed from the doors. Rin was very insistent that the group depart and Dalva's report of the impending storm further intensified the urgency of the situation so the group left with Siege, Gaire and Rin supporting Shale's body. Emi ran ahead and was able to flag down two military personnel who then carried Shale back to the guest house as the rain began to come down in earnest. Emi and Rin ran ahead to the guest house to alert those inside that a healer was needed.

Regrouping

The group arrived at the guest house at a little past noon and Shale's body was laid on the couch in the sitting room with Alvin, Rakeor and Rin keeping watch on her while the rest cleaned up and bandaged their wounds. Cleo and a blue-robed gentleman whom she introduced as Carrolwood's Staff Healer, Broggie, arrived just as Emi and Dalva returned to the sitting room and Alvin gave Cleo a brief synopsis of what had happened as the priest tended to Shale. Cleo was not exactly pleased with the report, but Gaire's support of the group's efforts seemed to molify her. She took the sack with the flower pod in it from Alvin and then departed with the healer saying she'd take a full report after dinner.

Shale awakened and, despite being stiff, found that her wounds had been completely healed. Alvin cast a dry cantrip on her to make her more comfortable and the group began discussing the day's events including Gaire's "dream" of the white-haired child/Halfling's warning to leave her forest and the curious idea of the orcs leaving the goblin bodies behind the building and the possible trap involving the bloody trail and flower. They couldn't come up with any answers to these mysteries and decided it would be best to have lunch and went to the dining room. All the while, Rin remained morose and, before she left the sitting room, she apologized to Shale.

At lunch, Rin explained that Neptune was angry because his temple was being torn down. The stone she had used in her sling that hit Shale must have been cursed and the storm outside are all signs of his anger. Shale tried to ease her mind by telling Rin that the pattern she connected couldn't be proven, but it only served to upset Rin further and Emi had to help Rin out of the room. Dudex joined the group which helped to ease the mood a little and Gaire suggested not bringing up the patterns topic again to avoid further issues in the future...

The rest of the afternoon was spent casting curative spells and discussing tactics for future encounters in the ruins. The group learned from Genevieve that they had accesss to the military's indoor and outdoor training facilities so they could hoan their skills. After dinner, Cleo took the formal report and, since the weather was still unfavorable outside, everyone stayed in and prepared for the trip into town the next day.

The next morning heralded gloomy grey skies and a damp chill in the aire, but the group headed into town on its various errands anyway. Just over the bridge, the group spotted a crowd of people gathered near a sign which indicated that an appeasement offering was being gathered on behalf of Neptune House. An olive-skinned man was selling fried fish cakes to those gathered and, after a brief chat with Gaius Lentulus, Alvin reported that this establishment was indeed a restaurant and not a temple to the foreign God of the Sea. Rin spoke with the fish cake frier and learned that the money donated would be released in a boat into the Golden Ocean at sunset today. A confrontation was narrowly avoided between Emi and a drunkard squatting in a nearby bush where a pouch Dalva accidentally tossed landed thanks to an alert Gaius' intercession.

Feeling like they'd overstayed their welcome, the party split into several groups and went their separate ways. Alvin and Gaire went to the jewelers' shop and got the payment for the gems they'd left with Clement plus the one from Khay. Alvin took his share and headed for the mages' guild. While there, he bought a scroll with the Murdock's Feathery Flyer spell on it with the rather unfocused assistance of an intern, Connie, and found out that the guild had monthly events for the exchange of magical items from the librarian, Mr. Simms. The two Dwarves and Siege sold the non-magical arrows at Bolio's, where they learned that they would need a certification from the mages' guild before he'd accept the magical arrows. Emi and Rin went to the temple of Bassik where Rin and the priestess, Waverlee, spoke of Neptune vs. the Lord of the Wave, but Rin would have to wait for a reply from the High Priest as to their origins. Dalva got the needed supplies at Eblen's and Gaire made arrangements with a tailor to have a nice set of clothes made. Everyone met at Morgan's and exchanged information and monies and learned that an up-and-coming bardic star would be performing there this evening from the barkeep. He also assured them that Khay would be in town for the next week and then the group headed back to the guest house for lunch.

After lunch, Alvin copied his new spell into his spell book and then he and Siege returned to the Mages' Guild to look into the procedure for getting the two magical arrows certified. The two Dwarves and Gaire, after a brief visit to Morgan's, went to The Armorer where Gaire started the process of getting a fitted suit of chain mail. Shale and Rakeor looked into Firestone, a nearby blacksmith, but its proprietor, Kilner, was not interested in anyone else working in his forge. The three women went clothes shopping, visiting Baramma's Boutique among other shops, and then met everyone back at the guest house just before dinner.

Cleo joined the group during the meal and told them that the flower they'd brought back was an amber lotus and advised that they take precautions to avoid breathing in the pollen it released in the future since there were still others left in the ruins. Siege demonstrated his makeshift torch stand and it was decided that it would need to be tested at the sparring grounds before it could be used on a live mission. Shale used a spell to create some temporary healing potions while the rest cleaned up and then they all left for Morgan's.

While there, Rin met High Priestess Azuryn and a fellow painter, Renoiris from Losyera's temple in town and then she and Emi spent the rest of the night gathering information. Alvin spoke briefly with Khay and was introduced to Isabella Valentino, a halfling who worked for the Chervil Family. Gaire and the two dwarves stayed near the bar and a good time was had by all.

The next morning, Alvin cast his armor spell on Emi and the group received magical pay pouches along with instructions on their use from Cleo at breakfast. They gathered their things and headed back to the ruins where Rin spoke with a bird and learned that there was someone he'd seen of short stature with a tall, sharp stick in the woods that might be a druid. Dalva and Emi said they'd go visit the pseudodragon tomorrow to see if she could confirm his or her identity. The group then set to exploring the first marketplace building...

Rin and Shale cleaned several of the windows on the back side of the building to allow more sunlight in. Emi and Dalva saw a red and white cabinet that lit up when they approached it and then decided to join the rest of the group at the other end of the building who had found a forge that, according to Shale, looked like it had been used recently. Dalva also confirmed the presence of bootprints on the filthy floor of the room. Before leaving, Shale disabled the forge and then she, Rakeor and Alvin joined the others as they explored the rest of the building.

The next two rooms held nothing of significance and the group set to investigating the last room which contained the red and white box. Two cyllindrical objects filled with liquid were pulled out of the device when coins were inserted and Siege then pierced a hole in one of the containers with an arrow shot, splattering a sticky, caramel-colored liquid onto the wall of the building as well as the grassy ground which presently attracted some curious bees and ants.

Emi discovered a raised notch by the wall behind the granite counter in the room and, when Rin threw a stone at it, the wall opened, revealing a room with shelves carved into the stone wall. A large, leather pouch and a metal box were removed. The group found that the pouch contained a funnel and a tube with a valve at one end. The box contained five fat vials with various colored liquids in them. These had labels, but nobody could read them and so it was decided to return to the guest house for lunch to discuss things further.

Cleo and Dudex were both waiting when the group returned. Cleo asked for a report of the morning's events as she'd be unavailable for the rest of the weekend and then took her leave. After the meal, Dudex cast detect magic on the items the group brought back and the five vials of liquids glowed, but Emi was unable to translate any of their labels. Dudex took three of the vials and said his identification of their properties would take the rest of the day and then left the group to plan the rest of their day. Emi was able to translate the runes on the cylindrical object as "Kookie Cola" which offered little insight so it was decided to take the object to an apothecary in town.

Gaire went to The Armorer in response to the note he'd received while the two dwarves went to Firestone to inquire about the make of the sword Gaire recovered. The assistant said that it was not made in his shop and showed her where the weapon's identifying marking had been sanded down. He suggested that Shale check with Bolio as he refurbished many used weapons. The dwarves took their leave and met Gaire who was waiting at Morgan's...

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

Previous adventure	Current adventure	Following adventure
In Search of the Unknown Into the Borderlands	Carrolwood	TBA