Difference between revisions of "Starting Small"

Revision as of 18:08, 23 July 2017

This adventure began in the city of Nazivonema, where Rhone, a garath of Shoto, was seeking to form an adventuring party. Along with his good friend Calirain, where they set themselves up at the Red Dragon Inn to interview candidates, intending to do so on three consecutive evenings.

Gathering the party

The interviews

The first day

On the first evening, they met a pair of Elves named Nimbus and Stratus. When they were unable to communicate, they asked Muria whether someone might be available to translate Elven, and she suggested Lucille, an acquaintance of Rhone's and a member of the Thieves' Guild of Nazivonema. The two revealed themselves to be avariel, seeking to acquire magical methods of protection from fire. They later met with Brianna, a priestess of Helandra, and her charge, a young flyer saurial thief named Skellion.

Lucille went to the Temple of Helandra that night and invited Brianna and Skellion to join the Guild. The two went the next morning and met with Slinter, who signed them up. Since they were short on their first dues payment, he agreed to try and find Skellion a job to do to defray the expense.

The second day

The next day, a fleet of barges arrived in town, and several of those traveling with it came into the RDI. Two of these were Simry, a half-Elven bard, and Stom, a half-Orcish fighter. As they were settling in, another group of travelers entered the inn: a pair of Earth genasi and a pair of Dwarves who settled in at a table. Stom was fascinated and attempted to engage them in a sparring session, but they were uninterested.

Rhone and Calirain returned to the inn, as Calirain told his friend what he learned about the strange people they had met the previous evening. Meanwhile, a third group of travelers arrived in the inn. This one comprised Lorelei and Tempest Planewalker, both mages, a druid named David, two fighters named Xotznoxl and Sloj, and a ranger named Elmadon.

Lorelei particularly seemed interested in Simry's humming at one point, and they exchanged a look, but nothing came of it. Shortly thereafter, Simry and Stom went to visit The Battle Place, the local temple of Perasin. Tempest, meanwhile, was excited about having seen Rhone's posted message, especially the opportunity to do good deeds. Once the time for meeting arrived, Lorelei's group, with the exception of Elmadon, eventually approached Rhone as well. Rhone told them of his mission, and the group was interested, but unsure.

As the evening went on, everyone eventually returned to the inn. The genasi and Dwarves retired upstairs, while Stom came in with an orc named Melctz with whom he had brawled at the temple. The two avariel brought a translator named Chalk from the temple of Sedric and introduced him to Rhone and Calirain as well. Then, the group settled in as the entertainment for the evening began in the form of the Terrible Brutish Minstrels.

During the concert, a friend of Lucille's arrived, and she called him over to Rhone's table. He introduced himself as Richard the Feral, and offered his services as a fighter. Also, Lorelei took note of Skellion's discomfort at the music and, at intermission, she and Tempest went to his table. They spoke with Brianna, and discovered that they had all spoken with Rhone. As Brianna worried at Skellion not eating, Tempest offered to warm his food, using a jet of flame from her finger. This gave the two avariel a start, and Chalk came over and asked them not to do it again.

Brianna, Skellion, Lorelei and Tempest went over to Rhone's table to get an update on the mission. They worried over the fact that they had had few prospects for warriors, and Rhone wondered if the group of genasi and Dwarves might be convinced to join them. Tempest agreed to attempt to convince the rest of her comrades as well.

After they left, Chalk came over to Rhone's table and provided a demonstration of how fire affects the wings of the avariel and attempt to dissuade him from hiring Tempest. Rhone was steadfast, however, and Chalk reassured him that the two only wanted to make sure that things were handled with care. Calirain and Nimbus agreed to visit the mages' guild library the next day to research a solution to the fire issue.

The third day

That next morning, Rhone sent notes to all interested parties that anyone who wanted to join him would need to come back after the interviews for a skills demonstration. Since there was still some question about what the group was going to do, Elmadon decided to depart, but not before meeting with Simry. He told her about Rhone's group, and she told him about her family's caravan that might be willing to hire him. Afterwards, she went back to Perasin's temple with Stom. He encountered the group of genasi and Dwarves. They sparred for a bit, and while Stom held his own against Thoren, the Dwarven fighter, he was knocked for a loop by Zemetreseni, the genasi fighter. Still, it was enough to build some mutual respect.

Meanwhile, Brianna informed the Thieves' Guild that she and Skellion would likely be leaving town soon. She then went back to the RDI, where she ran into the rest of Lorelei's group. Skellion refused to enter because there was a lizard man within, and Tempest, wanting to perform a good deed, "convinced" him to leave. The three then joined his lunch companion, who introduced herself as Airlia. While they ate, Brianna told Airlia about Rhone and his adventure. She seemed intrigued upon hearing he was a garath, and soon excused herself to get some rest.

Simry, Stom, and their new fighting companions returned to the RDI. With Brianna occupied, Skellion seized the opportunity to sneak over to get a closer look at Stom. Simry spied him, they exchanged gestures, and Simry alerted Stom to Skellion's presence. As the saurial approached, Stom loudly protested at having his lunch interrupted. After further attempts to communicate, the saurial flew across the room, ripping down Rhone's poster, and dropping it into his lap. The group presumed that the saurial was asking for him to join Rhone's mission, and Simry filled in the Dwarves and genasi about the poster's contents.

In the midst of the commotion, Nimbus and Stratus entered the RDI with Chalk, They stopped and stared at Skellion, and were taken aback at Stom's display. When Brianna came over to collect the curious creature and apologize for the disturbance, Chalk took the opportunity to introduce his two companions. They followed Brianna with Skellion in tow back to their table to continue their conversation. Overhearing that Chalk would not be going on their adventure and they would be in need of someone who spoke Elven, Tempest took it upon herself to do a good deed and left abruptly.

That afternoon, Simry confirmed with her family contact that she would not be returning with the caravan. He mentioned that Elmadon had joined them and told them about Rhone's mission, saying that two of the other guards, Marg and Targ, had decided to attempt to join. They also mentioned a used weapons cart where she might be able to buy a bow, and she proceeded there with Stom. The Dwarves and genasi paid a visit to the temple of Severn, where they spoke with Koltar, the high priest. They asked about the recent rumours about the city of Dekh, and about ways to potentially make money while in the city.

At dinner that evening at the RDI, an excited Tempest introduced a half-Elf named Sythora, who she stated would be joining the adventure. During the ensuing discussion, Brianna realized that Lorelei actually understood what she was saying. Tempest confirmed her suspicions, but let her know that Lorelei couldn't speak in any other languages than those she knew.

The avariel noted the Elven-blooded newcomer and sent Chalk over to talk to her. Conversations got crossed and Sythora got rather flustered at the whole situation. Brianna did her best to smooth things out and Tempest pointed out that Sythora should go with the "rude, fire-hating gnome". As she departed to talk to the avariel, Chalk, trying to make peace with Tempest, left a piece of his family's chalk with her. After Brianna prevented Skellion from grabbing it, she put it on the table, and it was eaten by Xotznoxl.

Once Sythora got to the other table and informed the avariel that she was not an adventurer herself and was told she'd be paid well, they balked at hiring her, deferring instead to Rhone. When Tempest came over to his table with Lorelei, Brianna and Skellion, Rhone asked her if she'd hired Sythora, and then said that since the avariel hadn't yet been hired themselves, she shouldn't make such promises. This upset Tempest, but she turned around when she found another way to do a good deed - hire someone who can fly, but isn't afraid of fire and doesn't need a translator. She immediately departed despite Rhone's protests, and Lorelei followed to try and calm her.

Meanwhile, Skellion attempted to coax Stom to the table with Rhone, but Stom steadfastly ignored him. Then, Skellion swooped over and snatched Stom's mug of ale. Stom stormed over to the table and picked up a chair, apparently to swing, and activated the RDI's defenses, causing him to drop through the floor. After reassurances that he was OK, Rhone went over to the others at his table and attempted to recruit them into his party. This did not go over well, especially the idea of needing to demonstrate their abilities, leaving Rhone to return to his table. The remaining five discussed the possibility of forming their own party based on the leads they'd gotten from Koltar.

After the minstrels from the previous evening finished their performance, Simry went over and introduced herself to them and made the acquaintance of Thomlin, a local impresario. He gave her a ticket to his troupe's production of The Sea-Going Ghost for the following day at noon in the Versilo Amphitheatre.

Demonstration day

The next morning, Rhone sent out invitations to those interested to take part in a demonstration outside the city. Simry and the Dwarves went to the temple of Severn, while Stom returned to Perasin's temple along with the two genasi. He tried to interest Sloj and Xotznoxl in joining them, but they declined. When they arrived, they discovered that Rhone had sent a blanket invitation to everyone at the temple, and a few had decided to check it out, so Stom decided he would go along.

At Severn's temple, Simry, Thoren and the other Dwarf, Kurzik, met with Koltar, who told them that grimlock had been attacking travelers at night west of the city along the East-West Road, near the ruins of Pallinnore. The trio showed interest, and Koltar said he'd talk to Vorbix Mackle, a member of the Council of Merchants, at lunch that afternoon and would get back to them.

The demonstrations

As the time for the demonstration neared, people began arriving at the demonstration, which was to take place at a field across the road from Tarkus Academy, which had been prepared by Rhone and Calirain that morning. Nimbus and Stratus gave their demonstration first, with mixed results. Nimbus' darts and sleep spell were impressive, but Stratus' seeking motes missed their mark (a rat they'd let loose on the field). Skellion took it upon himself to retrieve the rat that had been used in their performance, but it got destroyed by a magic missile spell cast by Suterza, a force mage that had interviewed on the second night.

Next, Rhone came over to Stom, who was standing off to the side with Melctz and a couple others from Perasin's temple, Sum Ran Dum Shmo and Pete, and invited him to spar with him. They faced off and, despite Rhone's attempt to parry, Stom was able to knock him to the ground with a single swing of his club. As Rhone was shaking off the blow, Chalk offered to heal him. Rhone declined and continued sparring with other candidates, which was noted Stom and his buddies.

Lorelei demonstrated some illusions for Calirain, and the two discussed her spells being useful as distractions. Xotznoxl suggested they could be useful in an ambush, but Calirain cautioned them both to keep this to themselves, as Rhone believes ambushes to be dishonorable. Meanwhile, Simry took her leave and went to see the play at the amphitheatre. The two dwarves also departed to wander the market, while Stom and friends returned to the temple of Perasin.

Once the demonstrations were done, Rhone chose Lucille, Brianna, Skellion, Lorelei, Nimbus, Stratus, Richard the Feral, Suterza, and another fighter named Fenrin to join his mission. They discussed the possibility of taking on the grimlock, about which Rhone had also heard. As they were short on funds, the group decided they would seek out possible sponsors for the mission before meeting back at the RDI that evening.

Hats in hands

Brianna and Lucille chatted as they left the field, and Lucille told her she would approach the guild about the possibility of aiding the group. Meanwhile, Chalk returned to his temple, where he spoke with Melidas, top aide to High Priest Larren. Melidas agreed to give the party some holy water, but declined to invest the temple's resources in an inexperienced party. Rhone and Calirain encountered similar resistance with local merchants.

The Dwarves received a note telling them that a representative from the Council of Merchants would meet with them at noon tomorrow at the RDI. Kurzik passed on the word to Simry and she let Stom know when he finally came back from Perasin's temple for dinner.

While Rhone was making his inquiries, he ran into Lucille in the business district. She informed him that the thieves' guild would be interested in aiding the group if they could "take credit for it". This didn't sit too well with Rhone, but he let her know that he would think about it and let her know his decision that evening. She also let him know that, should he refuse the offer, she would not be able to join his group and that she would lay low until he made his decision to ensure her loyalties were clear to those involved.

At the RDI that evening, Rhone told most of his group about the offer made by the thieves' guild. As they were discussing it, Tempest made another appearance, and attempted to learn the depths of the avariel's aversion to fire. They replied that they were concerned about the chaos of magically-produced fire. Rhone stated that the avariel would be going on the mission, and Tempest presumed that if they were to go, she would be unwelcome. The avariel demurred, asking that if she were to go, she give them notice when she was about to use fire. She responded that, since she is a fire elementalist, they should assume that to always be the case. They persisted, requiring a warning be given each time fire was to be used, and, when Tempest performed a trial, the avariel demonstrated what their reaction would be by fleeing across the room. Seeing that this would be an untenable situation, and faced with Rhone's declaration, Tempest withdrew.

After the avariel returned to the table, Calirain also discussed his own fire use, and the avariel stated that perhaps it wasn't magical fire, but the wielder of that fire that they did not trust. The subject turned next to Chalk's visit to his temple and their offering to provide holy water and an aspergillum to the group.

Just then, Brianna and Skellion arrived at the inn. Skellion tried to bring his newly-acquired mule inside, but sulked when he was told he could not, and allowed it to be led to the stable. As they sat, the avariel suggested using the holy water in an attack from above, which didn't sit well with Rhone. Brianna asked about Tempest and Lorelei's departure, and Rhone told her that another incident had occurred with Tempest and the avariel, and that she had placed an ultimatum on her coming with the group and had left of her own accord. Rhone later left a note for Lucille and then turned in early.

After dinner, Simry took her leave to make further inquiries at the temples of Sedric and Laurent. At the former, she had occasion to speak with Melidas, who asked if she was associated with Chalk. When she said she was not, he told her that the elders would meet to consider her request for aid. At the latter, she spun the Wheel of Fate, and was told that on her current endeavor, she would find something, but not what she expects to find.

Pulling threads

The next morning, Rhone found a folded note under his door and, unable to understand it, sought to go to Tarkus Academy to ask Calirain. On his way, he saw Lucille across the street and went over to her. He learned that the thieves' guild was willing to loan funds to his group, with conditions. If they succeeded, he would have to pay them half again what he borrowed and mention the guild's role in his success to anyone who asks. If they failed, he'd have to pay back the original amount plus the same amount again and not to mention the guild's involvement. Lucille was concerned, but Rhone was unfazed, especially when she said that she had been assigned to join his group. He told her he'd let her know what the amount would be after he talked to other members of the group.

Rhone proceeded to Tarkus, but Calirain did not understand the script either. Calirain made use of the school's translation services, finding that Lorelei had withdrawn from the group as well, citing their "disharmony". This weighed on Rhone's mind, prompting him to visit his temple. He returned to the RDI, where he discovered Lorelei had checked out. He talked to Xotznoxl, who said he'd see if Lorelei would be willing to speak with Rhone. Rhone then filled him in on the latest developments regarding the thieves' guild as they ate lunch before the tiefling departed.

The Dwarves, genasi, Simry, and Stom returned to the RDI and Muria led them down to a private room where they met Mason Greenway, a representative for the Merchants' Council. He let them know that there was at least one other group interested in the grimlock problem, and all agreed that it was probably Rhone. Mason encouraged them to either try and combine the two groups or, if that failed, to either take another adventure or encourage the other group to do the same. Mason also expressed the council's concern over the presence of Chalk due to his father's influence in the city. If Zebeneysour was involved in that group's mission, that would make things more tricky. The group agreed to make the effort to determine that as well as talk to Rhone, and further to meet with Mason or another representative for an update that evening.

The group returned to the main room and invited Rhone to their table to discuss the options. They told him that Tempest had been asked to join their group and that, if the groups did join forces, the avariel would have to accept that. Rhone seemed amenable to the idea of combining groups, but indicated that he wanted to make a last effort to get Tempest and the avariel to settle their differences. He said he would let them know by the time they gathered for dinner, then spent spoke to or left notes for his team, asking them to join him at the RDI that evening.

Later, Lorelei, Tempest and Sloj arrived at the RDI with Qi'ante, a garath who had accompanied them from Gascar. Simry invited them to join her group, and they were informed of the afternoon's discussions. Both Tempest and Lorelei grew concerned and Lorelei explained the disharmony she had seen with the others. Simry and Kurzik did their best to ease their concerns, and they decided that Rhone would have to either forgo joining this group or ask the avariel to leave his group. Qi expressed his concern that the two dwarves and genasi were letting another make a decision regarding their future, but the foursome assured him otherwise.

When Rhone returned to the RDI, he spoke to Lorelei about her issues, which seemed to ease his mind a bit. They went back to their respective tables as Rhone's group members arrived for dinner. Chalk attempted to give Rhone the holy water, but Rhone declined, citing the possibility that the avariel would be unable to accompany them in the event that they joined forces with Kurzik's group. The avariel suggested challenging the genasi for the right to join the group, but Rhone did not think it would be an option. Brianna thought the issue might be that their deities were incompatible, which might be an even more difficult barrier to overcome. Xotznoxl suggested using one of the meeting rooms, and he and Rhone went over to Kurzik's party to ask them to join them in the room. The genasi, though unhappy with the idea, decided that this needed to be settled once and for all.

The groups join forces...sort of

Once in the meeting room, the genasi stood stock still, unwilling to join the rest of the group even after being challenged by Brianna. The avariel began by appealing to a sense of cooperation, but the genasi priest, Cedic, was having none of it. Kurzik reminded them of their two peoples having fought wars back in the Obsidian Mountains. The point that the genasi, being from the Elemental Plane of Earth, were diametrically opposed to the element of air, the sphere of their patron Vendamatrix, was also mentioned as an issue.

The avariel again raised the issue of challenging the genasi, with the added element of a clash of faiths. While the other priests attempted to stop a holy war from starting, Kurzik pointed out that such a fight would be to the death. Thoren attempted to steer the conversation back to the adventure to come, but the tension in the room was too much to overcome. After some further conversation, Rhone decided the situation was untenable, and withdrew his invitation to the avariel to join his group, and they agreed and departed.

At this point, Rhone began treating the issue of the two groups joining each other as a settled one, to which Fenrin voiced concern, pointing out that nothing had even been settled within Rhone's group to that point. When Rhone denied that a decision had been made, Fenrin pointed out that if that was the case, the avariel shouldn't have been asked to leave. He then suggested that the group should leave the room so that they could discuss the matter. Rhone then said that his proposal, officially, was that they join Kurzik's group, and despite feeling as though he wasn't being heard, Fenrin backed down, saying he would wait for the discussion to be complete.

Kurzik mentioned some of the issues he had discussed with Mason earlier, concerned regarding the possible connection to the Allied Temples. The group denied any such connection, although Rhone did mention that they had another source of funding. As discussion turned to leadership, Kurzik deferred to the Council of Merchants as being the ones with the ultimate authority.

Fenrin then voiced concerns that, given the large number of people involved, there might be some people no longer needed. Everyone then went over what their skills were, and determined that they were still lacking in healing ability and scouting. They discussed several options for securing aid, but nothing definitive. The group broke up so that Kurzik and his group could meet with Mason Greenway while Rhone went to find Lucille.

The group informed Mason of the departure of the avariel and the likely severing of any connection to the Allied Temples, which met with a mixed reaction. They then mentioned some of their needs to Mason, who asked the group to compile a list. He would return at lunch the next day, and they would have as much as could be provided by the next morning. As the group broke up, Chalk said they should be careful, as the avariel had told him they would be spreading word that the genasi are anti-Elf.

Reorganization

The next morning, Brianna and Skellion came down for breakfast and saw Suterza. After being filled in on the previous evening's events, Suterza expressed interest in joining the mission, but wondered where Rhone was. The RDI staff knew that he had left a message for Kurzik, and as the rest of the party filtered into the main room, it became clear that nobody knew where he was.

Finally, Kurzik came down bearing Rhone's message. In it was news that he would not be accompanying the group, but instead would be accompanying Qi'ante for a time in an attempt to learn how to better be a garath. To atone for his transgressions of the recent past, he had invited Tempest, Lorelei, Nimbus, Stratus and Fenrin. The group, realizing they were now without a mage, officially invited Suterza to join them, and she agreed to see if she could recruit another arcane spellcaster or two. Stom said he would ask around at the temple of Perasin for a healer as he left with Zeme and Thoren to train.

Shortly thereafter, two Humans came into the RDI asking about Rhone's mission. They were directed to visit the temple of Perasin themselves. After introducing themselves to Muenster as Fleur and Fauna, the latter partook in the Bashing of the Bricks ceremony. As they entered the arena, they heard Stom asking for a healer. Fleur came over to find an unconscious Shmo and cast cure light wounds on him. After learning that Stom was part of the re-formed group, she spoke to Thoren while Fleur sparred with Stom. The group then returned to the RDI.

Meanwhile, Kurzik, Cedic and Simry met with Mason Greenway and provided him with their list of needs. Mason expressed relief at the break with Rhone, as it freed the group from any semblance of conflict with the Allied Temples. He let them know he would do the best he could to fill all their requests by the following morning. They returned to the common room, and were soon joined by the group from Perasin's temple. Fleur and Fauna talked to Kurzik about their skills, and they were brought into the group.

As the party discussed the mission ahead, a group of people entered. Simry recognized one as Llewsgoc, a forest gnome keeper of giant bees with whom her family had traded before. As she approached, he was agitatedly expressing his displeasure at the renewed danger along the road to the west with Garth. Simry joined the discussion, telling him of her involvement with resolving the situation, calming him some. He introduced his daughter, Buibui, a budding wizard who was interested in becoming an adventurer. Simry invited her to speak with Kurzik and, despite some trepidation regarding her familiar, a hairy spider named Fluzz, she, too, was cleared to join the group.

Brianna and Skellion returned to the RDI and joined everyone for lunch. There were a few tense moments when Fleur alerted her to the presence of Fluzz, but Buibui and Simry did their best to reassure her that Fluzz was not a threat. Brianna settled back into her chair, saying Skellion was a vegetarian, a relief to both spider and mage. After Fluzz expressed his displeasure with the druid, additions were made to the list of supplies and Simry sent a note to the council after lunch.

At dinner, Suterza arrived with an abjurer per the group's request. He introduced himself as Pleh Detnaw and was quickly welcomed. The group was enjoying their cheesesteak sandwiches when a Halfling entered the inn and came over to the group's table. He said his name was Cypress Tanginule, a ranger who had been sent by the Council of Merchants to aid the group as he was familiar with the area they'd be traveling. He, too, was welcomed, and let everyone know that supplies would be arriving in the morning as they had requested.

Cypress then informed the group that in order to reach Pallinore they would need to cross the Vorilon River by ferry at the town of Vinginnore. Kurzik expressed his concern about the sturdiness of the craft, noting the two genasi at the table. Cypress reassured him, noting that there was not an easier crossing for several days' journey. Beyond that, Cypress could not confirm grimlock had been seen in the ruins, but that other rangers had seen some type of humanoids in the ruins.

Setting out at last

The next morning, Simry and Stom were up first. Simry went over to Cypress, who was sitting at the bar, and he told her that the mules and requested supplies were outside. After eating, she went out to examine the provisions, and was soon joined by Buibui, Fleur and Fauna, allowing Richard the Feral, who had been watching the supplies, to get breakfast. Fluzz briefly startled one of the mules, and Fleur attempted to calm it down.

Soon everyone but Brianna and Skellion were present, and Stom took it upon himself to give them a wake-up call. Brianna was not happy, as she was not dressed, but Skellion darted out and down to the main room. The saurial had some fun with sneaking strawberries onto and off of Fleur's plate until he noted Cedic watching him intently. He first cowered in his seat, then flew out of the inn, upset. Brianna came down shortly thereafter and Stom directed her outside to find Skellion sitting in the stable with his mule.

On the road

Everyone came outside at Kurzik's prompting and the group set off. Simry had a brief conversation with a farmer headed to Nazivonema to sell his crops, and asked about what news he might have heard. He gave them a bit more information about the road ahead, and they parted ways. The group stopped for lunch, and Fauna brought back a muskrat for the party to eat later. A few hours later, the party came to the village of Astyan. The party stopped to gather water while Simry, Stom and Richard went into town to get the lay of the area. They returned, telling the group that there was a place set up on the other side of the village, or there was a burned-out field about a half-mile outside of town. The group chose the latter, and passed the night cooking the muskrat and talking.

The party set out again the next morning, and soon encountered a group of soldiers from Glespi. Their leader warned the party of an approaching storm, but both Buibui and Cypress were confident they would reach the ferry before it hit. They reached Vinginnore mid-afternoon and decided to spend the night in town rather than take the chance of being caught in the storm. After some discussion, they decided to stay at The Gutted Carp, an inexpensive inn near the river.

The group entered with some trepidation at the obvious rough character of the establishment. Simry negotiated with Gullakh, the proprietor, who said he would be willing to give them a discount on their accommodations if Simry agreed to perform that night. She accepted, but shortly found that the customers weren't appreciative of her music, and they began advancing on her menacingly. Stom put himself between the bard and the crowd, but before any weapons were used, Gullakh slammed a large warhammer on the bar, stunning the crowd to silence and breaking things up. The group then retired for the night.

The dawn greeted the group with cool and drizzly conditions. The group decided to get something to eat as they headed for the docks. Cypress offered to pay for fresh loaves of bread from the local bakery and Skellion flew off to retrieve the meal and met the group, sack in tow, as they arrived at the ferry dock. Fleur cast two calm animals spells in an effort to ease the mules before boarding the boat, but Simry and Cypress had to supplement her efforts to assist all of the animals. With payment vouchers verified, the seven mules, Simry, Fauna and Cypress were loaded onto the ferry and began their journey across the river. It got a bit dicey as the magical calming wore off and the trio of handlers were kept busy keeping the mules from panicking. The ferry returned for the rest of the group and everyone united on the opposite side of the river.

Kurzik cast easy road to make travel through the somewhat muddy road closest to the river less difficult to travel and the group made good time, stopping near a pair of rock formations, a smaller one near the road and a larger one farther off, to camp for the night. The group made camp near the larger formation and decided not to have a fire to reduce the likelihood of giving away their presence.

All was quiet until sometime after midnight, when Simry heard footsteps out by the smaller rock formation. She alerted Stom, who remained at the camp's perimeter while Simry went to wake up Thoren. The Dwarf woke Zeme while Richard, who was also on watch, woke Sloj. While Thoren joined Stom and Simry to get an update on the situation, Sloj told Richard to stay with the mules while heinvestigated. A few moments later, the group heard a loud "crack", running footsteps and a twang, followed by Sloj calling out "They're running!" Simry and Stom ran to his position with Thoren close behind. Sloj said he'd seen three humanoid figures, one of which attacked him, and he took a shot at them as they ran. The group decided to wait until morning to check out the area.

As the group prepared to set out, Cypress examined the area where the attack took place, where he found evidence of booted footprints leading to the road as well as a piece of a weapon handle. The group, fearing they might be under observation, proceeded cautiously.

At the ruins

The party stopped a short distance east of the ruins and discussed how to proceed. Kurzik decided they would ride past the ruins as though they were going about their business, and once they reached a point about two hundred feet past the ruins the group stopped. Cypress reported seeing trampled vegetation a bit west of the center of the ruins. They spotted a dilapidated barn and nearby shed about a half-mile outside of town, and Buibui sent Fluzz to check it out while Cypress and Skellion scouted the western edge of the ruins.

Cypress discovered a trail headed in toward the barn, but it was a few days old. Skellion flew back to warn Buibui and Fluzz. The gnome told them that Fluzz had only found containers in the barn, so Skellion resumed his scouting with Cypress. Upon their return, the group decided to check out the barn. Fleur and Fauna stood near the shed while Stom and Zemetreseni went to a door on the side of the barn facing the ruins. The genasi kicked in the door, and Stom went in to find a neatly-stacked pile of crates.

Outside, Fleur spotted what she thought was a kobold in the grass. Richard and Xotznoxl went to check it out, but found nothing nothing. Xotz suggested it might be a chupacabra, a creature from Pandemonium about the same size as a kobold, which unsettled Buibui a bit.

Stom asked the sisters for help, but they were distracted by the "kobold". Simry came over with her lantern, and she went in with him, Kurzik and Skellion, with Kurzik asking Cypress to corral the straying kobold hunters. They were joined by Brianna as Stom pulled down one of the crates. He opened it to find pots, pans, and tableware, which Kurzik speculated might have been items stolen from the caravans that had been attacked.

As Stom was opening a second crate, a hail of arrows began thunking into the side of the barn from the direction of the ruins, and everyone rushed to get into the barn. The large doors of the barn were opened so the mules could be ushered inside. Shortly after everyone went inside, the arrows stopped. The two genasi stood guard outside the barn while the rest conferred.

Cypress guessed that there might have been, at most, five archers using long bows. Since they couldn't be located, he suggested that it would be a good idea if the group continued down the road and circle back to the ruins to give us a potential advantage since there would still be about two hours of light left when we returned. The dwarves suggested staying put until nightfall to use the darkness to the group's advantage, while Stom said the group should attack now.

Split the party

After lengthy inter-party discussion without a decision, Stom got up and said he was going out there to fight and, if nobody came with him, he was heading back to Nazivonema. Simry and Thoren called after him to no avail. Kurzik left the barn and picked up a few arrows from the ground to be examined. He made a last attempt to call out to Stom and then poked his head back inside the barn and encouraged folks to get moving. Skellion flew by him and up towards Stom's retreating form with Xotz and Sloj close behind.

Simry asked Fleur to guide the mules to the barn up the road and Richard to go with her to guard them, then exited the barn herself. Meanwhile, Brianna headed out after the saurial. Kurzik decided to split up the remaining people in the barn, directing the slower ones to go join Stom, while the rest with longer legs and heavier armor would go into the ruins. Skellion waylaid Stom long enough for Sloj to catch up to him and fill them both in on Kurzik's plan. Cypress, the two dwarves and Buibui joined them a few moments later.

Down the road

The sisters, Richard and the mules arrived at the second barn. They found it occupied by a farmhand, and Fleur explained their situation to him. He left to check with his boss, Master Windridge. After they returned to the mules, Richard told them that he had seen a lone female traveler heading up the road toward the ruins. The farmhand returned and told them the farmer was too busy to come up and speak with them. Fleur asked whether they might instead go into the fields and speak with the owner. The farmhand agreed, and the sisters left Richard to guard the mules as they followed him.

As the sisters were heading into the field, Fauna heard a noise, and stopped to listen more closely. She determined that there was something in among the pumpkins, perhaps the kobolds she'd heard earlier. She began tramping through the pumpkin patch searching for the source of the sound, which drew the attention of another farmhand, who chased them off the farm. Once they reached the road, they spotted what appeared to be a large fog bank in the field, and made their way toward it.

In the ruins

Seeing no sign of the slow group's getting attacked, the second group exited the barn and headed towards the ruins. They got about halfway when the group came under fire again, this time by large rocks being flung from somewhere in the ruins. Zeme charged toward the corner of the big building, making sure his companions knew where he was headed. Kurzik, having seen the attack. posited that the enemy might be using a catapult and then led the slow group towards the big building as well.

As Simry approached the ruins, she saw movement on the roof of the big building and passed this on to those assembled. The two genasi, Xotz, and Stom moved around to a breach at the southern corner of the outer wall surrounding the big building. While Thoren attempted to organize the mages' positioning with Simry, Skellion checked the makeshift front door for traps and finding none. Cypress advised using a ram to break it down.

Having seen no further evidence of missile fire, Kurzik urged the rest of the group to head inside the wall. After more discussion, Xotz became impatient with the lack of action. He picked up a statue and, after checking with Thoren, charged at the door, smashing it to smithereens. The party heard a loud commotion and walked in to find Xotz trapped in a net under a pile of kitchen implements.

Thoren and Kurzik stepped around Xotz and went inside while Brianna and Stom worked to free him. As the rest of the group was filtering in, Cedic shouted a warning of something approaching the house. Cypress went out to check, then said the sound was instead going away from the house. Cedic, Zeme, Stom, Skellion and Simry charged in the direction Cypress indicated.

Doubling back

Skellion flew up, seeing five retreating figures behind the north manor wall running in a westerly direction. The five pursuers dashed along the east side of the house, but Stom tripped over a broken statue, falling behind the rest of the group. Skellion tracked the fleeing group, with the rest keeping an eye on the saurial while proceeding on foot back through the ruins. Simry slowed enough to allow Stom to catch up with her while the genasi ran ahead.

When Cedic and Zeme emerged from the ruins into the field, they found themselves faced with a wall of fog. They ran through it and found two of their quarry had turned to fire bows at them. The two continued charging, and Cedic was hit and went down. Zeme killed one bowman, then chased the other while Stom came up and examined the body. The fleeing group reached the barn, and just as Zeme threw a hammer at the last one to enter, he was struck with a magic missile. Zeme then moved toward the front door of the barn, where he waited.

Inside the manor

As Cypress joined the others inside the house, those left inside the house heard a door slam and footsteps approaching. Six grey-skinned figures, which Brianna surmised were the grimlock, entered the room. She cast analyze opponent, allowing her to learn of their sensitive hearing from her casting of and Cypress communicated this to the group. Pleh cast his two protection from evil spells on Xotz and Brianna while Kurzik cast faerie fire to illuminate a couple of the creatures as they entered melee.

The party had some difficulty against the grimlock, with Buibui using some sort of insect-shaped missile to aid the battle. After Xotz went down, Buibui went out to get some aid. However, before she returned, the party was able to defeat the grimlock. Kurzik cast cure light wounds on Xotz, but was only able to stabilize him. The group decided to sit tight, waiting for word from the rest of the party, while Brianna went to catch up with Buibui.

In the field and on the road

Eventually, Brianna and Buibui met up with Fleur and Fauna, and all went toward Simry, who was tending to Cedic. Stom brought the backpack of the fallen bowman to Simry, but found nothing helpful. Skellion reached the gathered group and examined the body more closely. Stom then headed for the barn as the others arrived. Fleur cast two cure light wounds spells on Cedic, but he remained unconscious. Simry and Skellion then followed Stom, while Buibui and the sisters returned to the manor, leaving Brianna to watch over Cedic.

As Stom approached, Zeme listened and heard voices from inside the barn. Simry approached and broached the subject of burning the barn down to drive their quarry out. As they prepared to do so, the others broke through the other side of the barn and took off running toward the road. As Zeme and Stom gave chase, they were asked why they kept chasing the others, and Stom yelled insults back.

The chasers spotted the party's mules in the road up ahead, and their opponents attempted to use them as a distraction, but failed. They then struck up a defensive posture. Zeme slowed down, but Stom kept charging, plowing into them and taking a sword hit. More blows were exchanged, and Zeme went down, but when the pursued saw more group members in the area, they reiterated their desire to flee.

Once Simry calmed Stom down, they agreed to let them go in exchange for information. They told Simry that they had been sent to the ruins from Byngh by a man named Jomere to find some unknown magical item. They surrendered a pair of magical items they had been given, a staff and a ring, and said their contact could be found at YellowScape Tavern, back in Byngh before heading off down the road to the west.

Pulling the group back together

Fleur and Fauna arrived back at the manor and told those inside of Cedic's injury. Cypress left to catch up with those heading up the road, while the sisters started heading back toward the barn to see if they could aid them. Richard arrived a bit later, telling Sloj of Zeme's injury as well. Kurzik and Thoren then left to check on the fallen genasi.

After the sisters checked in with Brianna, the priestess heard a rustling sound in the tall grass. She called out, and after seeing a helmet on a stick, she heard a voice, claiming to be a healer checking on the dead bowman. However, upon questioning, the person quickly departed unseen.

The sisters reached Zeme, and Fleur used a dose of healing salve on the genasi, getting him to consciousness. Cypress arrived and filled the road group in on the manor encounter. The party compared information, and discovered there were still two of their opponents at large. After checking with Brianna, Skellion told them of the priest in the grass, and Cypress mentioned Richard's mystery traveler. The dwarves arrived, and Kurzik used cure minor wounds to get Zeme shakily to his feet, then went to check on Cedic.

The sisters got the mules to the barn while Thoren helped Zeme back to the manor. After Skellion could not find the stray enemy in the field, Stom and Cypress went to guard the mules while the saurial, Fleur and Fauna set off to find the traveler, and Simry went to the manor. They caught up, and Fleur began questioning her about whether she was with the group they had fought, which she denied and Fleur accepted without further question. The traveler introduced herself as Meriel Laelitha RowanStaff, delivering a message to her cousin, Morithelwen, in Nazivonema, where she was also preparing to study at Tarkus Academy. Fleur filled her in on the party's mission, and she agreed to return with her to the party's camp.

The group in the manor was brought up to speed, and began discussing how to get the party back into one unit. Suterza became animated regarding the escape of most of the bandits, but was mollified by the revelation that the escapees gave Simry information. However, Simry felt it best not to reveal that information inside the house, so everyone met in the field where Cedic was still laying. The sisters introduced Meriel to the rest of the party. Cypress showed her the body of the dead archer, and she confirmed that she did not know him.

Re-split the party

The group decided to move into the barn for the night. Thoren and Fauna hoisted Cedic up and, with the aid of Suterza's Tenser's Floating Disc spell, carried him into the barn. Skellion circled the area and located a matted down path leading away from the dead archer in the grass into the woods, and also found a well. Stom and Fauna went through the crates, finding only dusty linens and disassembled wooden furniture along with eight that were empty. Richard and Stom posited that perhaps the contents of the latter had already been sent to Byngh, but others felt the items might still be in the house or elsewhere in the ruins. Buibui returned, saying Fluzz had found no creature larger than a rat and a lot of empty rooms inside the manor.

At sunset, Buibui encouraged Meriel to come inside the barn as the area may still be dangerous at night, but Meriel declined, deciding to sleep under the stars and let her pet cat chase the shadows. The rest of the group settled down for the evening, but after completing her evening prayer Brianna saw a light in the woods. She alerted Buibui and then woke up Skellion to go check it out. Simry and Sloj, who were still awake, joined Kurzik, who had been on watch, and Brianna to investigate. They went partway out into the field, but Brianna was unable to spot the light again. Skellion went out into the forest while the others returned to the barn, but after finding nothing returned to the barn after a brief encounter with a giant rat.

The following morning, Simry filled in both Suterza and Cypress on some of the information she was given by the looters while another round of healing was doled out. The party decided that word should be sent ahead to the Council of their progress, so Simry, Cypress and Buibui started off to the east down the road.

Meanwhile, Fleur, Fauna and Meriel resolved to make further exploration of the woods, and asked Kurzik if it would be a good idea. Rather than answering, the Dwarf took the opportunity to find out more about the newcomer, as did Brianna. Finding a straight answer difficult, Kurzik roped Suterza in to elicit more specifics, and she learned that Meriel was a generalist mage, although she did note a perceived slight in the Elf's mistaking elementalism for force. Kurzik decided that, while Fauna and Meriel investigated the forest, Zeme and Richard would guard the unconscious members and the mules and the rest of the party would check out the ruins.

Fetching help

Simry, Cypress and Buibui reached Vinginnore, where they decided to visit the Hearth of Raskill, the local temple to Halfling deity. There, they bartered with the High Proprietor to gain the services of Elias Proudfoot in exchange for Buibui's father's honey and a promise of Simry's family's caravan stopping here in the future. Concerned that they were without any fighters, they revisited The Gutted Carp, where they met Windellad, an Elven rogue, and his friend "Big O", a Human fighter who appeared to be somewhat deformed and who spoke only in grunts and gestures.

The group took the ferry back across the river, and there were met by Skellion. He conveyed to Simry what had happened back at the ruins, and the group proceeded west toward Pallinnore.

Forest and field

Skellion indicated where he'd seen the trail of the priest through the field, then rejoined Kurzik. The three were unable to find the trail, but proceeded into the forest in hopes of picking it up. After a short time, Swiftfoot came running across the forest, chased by six giant rats. Meriel was able to distract them long enough for Fauna to scare them off.

On their way back to the barn with a pair of rabbits that Fauna had caught, Meriel spotted what appeared to be a group of soldiers approaching the ruins from the west. She and Fauna hid themselves within the grass and moved toward the road and watched them arrive. Two of the soldiers -- the leader, Xylda, and Quarge -- noted the mule path from the barn to the road, and began heading along it. Fauna came up out of the grass and spoke to the leader, who identified her group as being members of the city guard of Sylennore. Fauna tried to explain why the party was there, but the leader just told them to lead them to the barn.

Within the barn, Richard and Zeme heard the approaching troops and prepared to defend themselves. Xylda asked another soldier, Pendleton, to attempt to open the big door, but he found it blocked. Fauna volunteered to try and draw them out herself, but was unable to convince them to come out. One of the other soldiers, Vistin, was able to determine that there were more than two people inside. Yet another soldier, Kratzin, told Xylda about a side door into the barn, toward which the group headed. As they did, Meriel learned that the lord of this area was Kendar Brownstoke, whom Fauna had heard was aligned with Duke Mirdael Hanaestor, who had been rousing sentiments against the White Alliance recently.

When the group got to the door, Richard told everyone that Zeme only understood Dwarven. Another soldier, Ting, tried to communicate in Dwarven, but with only moderate success, saying that they were wanted for questioning in an attack on a group of travelers the previous day. Zeme said he wasn't coming out until Kurzik and Thoren returned from the ruins. As the soldiers gave them one last chance to come out, Fauna attempted a ruse with one of the rabbits to distract her guards. As one took his eyes off her, she attempted to flee, but the other one, a guard named Lim, took a swing at her back, killing her with one swing. Xylda was obviously displeased by this and berated him.

After this, Xylda announced that since they were now resisting the lord's will, if they did not come out, they would be killed. After Xylda agreed to bring the wounded along, Zeme and Richard agreed to come out, and were about to return to Sylennore. As they did, one of the guards spotted Skellion overhead, and the saurial immediately doubled back to the ruins before getting shot.

Xylda decided that they would instead wait for the rest of the group, since the saurial likely went to fetch them, and they prepared to defend themselves. After a few minutes, Fleur came running out of the ruins, and the soldiers allowed her to attempt in vain to heal her sister. She asked why this happened, and Xylda explained that she was killed while fleeing.

Fleur attempted to explain the situation, but Xylda pointed out that the group had behaved suspiciously, and given them no reason to believe their word. Xylda went on to describe why the soldiers had come, explaining that Master Windridge had sent for them after hearing of the trouble in the ruins. She mentioned that they had encountered the other group on the way here, and challenged Meriel for having attempted to use her cat to attack. After a discussion of Elven lineage, Xylda decided not to press the issue. However, upon a further revelation that the group had been sent by the Council of Merchants, Xylda bristled, saying the Council was interfering where it had no right to do so. She then asked for a volunteer to bring the rest out of the ruins, but upon getting none, decided to return to waiting them out.

Eventually, Kurzik and his companions emerged, standing on the edge of the ruins, and asked what the soldiers wanted with the party. As Xylda was explaining, Fleur attempted to ask Meriel about Lord Brownstoke. Xylda told them to move away and talk to Quarge if they had any questions. After further discussion, Kurzik and Thoren decided to approach the soldiers, telling the rest to come out or not as they wished.

In the ruins, again

Kurzik and the others entered the manor and explored it, finding little other than a trebuchet on the roof and a barrel containing a handful of arrows. They proceeded through the back gate of the manor grounds and went into a ruined temple. They were in the midst of exploring it when Brianna heard shouting from the barn. Skellion went off to scout and saw the fallen Fauna, and returned with the news. Fleur, distraught, ran off to try and help her sister.

The group discussed what to do, and Sloj suggested hitting them "duergar style", using guerrilla tactics. They then decided to go back onto the roof of the manor to get a better vantage point. After seeing the situation by the barn, Brianna wrote a note and gave it to Skellion to bring to those who had left to get help that morning. The rest of the group split further, with the Dwarven brothers, Sloj, and Brianna attempting to gain information from the soldiers, leaving Suterza hiding and prepared to send a signal to Stom and Pleh, who were waiting on the roof.

East and West

After being told to relay word to the group on the roof, Suterza returned to the manor while Brianna and Sloj waited and watched for a time. As Kurzik bent to examine Cedic, Xylda asked him where the rest of the party went. Kurzik replied that they had fled. Xylda commanded another soldier, Ondinnak, to build a makeshift sledge from the crates so that the mules might pull the bodies of the unconscious and dead, including the bones of the dead member of the bandits from the field, and the group set off for Sylennore, and Brianna and Sloj followed Suterza.

After those remaining in the ruins had gathered, they decided to make their way toward Vinginnore, hoping to find Skellion and the others who had left this morning. The two groups met about halfway between the ruins and the river, and exchanged details of their experiences. Simry suggested returning to Nazivonema and confer with the Council. Elias related what he knew of the area and the Brownstokes, including that Pallinnore belonged to Kendar's brother. Simry and Brianna, unsure of how to approach the problem of the group's split, decided to return to Vinginnore and attempt to get a message back to Sylennore for the rest of the party.

West

Kurzik's group was taken to Sylennore's military compound, where they were met by General Hedgewick, the town's military leader, and his advisors, a Dwarf named Bodon and a priest of Morelen named Zarmin. Bodon and Kurzik spoke briefly of Dwarven religion and how the rumors of Dekh had brought them to this area. The conversation then turned to the incident in the ruins, and those present related their tale. Bodon noted that the story differed in places to that related by the leader of the other group, a man named Bollix Gevinley. He was further displeased to learn that, other than Richard, none of the people involved with the robbery of the other group was present. Still, Bodon reassured his fellow that he would fill in the general in a manner friendly to Kurzik, and that all but Zeme and Richard would likely be released by the morning.

While Bodon briefed the general, Zarmin scanned all of the party's belongings for magic but found none. Bodon returned, telling Kurzik that, should nothing more come to light, the group could be released in the morning, unless Lord Brownstoke intervened. He invited the group to stay in the barracks or on the parade grounds for the night if they could not afford an inn. He further noted that scouts had been left behind in the ruins and had seen the others head east, and that they had found the bodies of the grimlock, lending credence to Kurzik's story.

Although Bodon advised the group to stick together, Fleur decided to stay at the Lone Wolf Inn while the rest of the party settled down to rest for the night on the parade ground. During the night, Kurzik was awakened by a messenger, who gave him a note before disappearing. Kurzik read it, learning that the rest of the group was in Vinginnore and would leave for Nazivonema in the morning, intending to meet him there. He then burned the note and went back to sleep.

The next morning, Cedic and Xotznoxl returned to consciousness. Fleur, Meriel, and Richard explained what happened to them as best as they could. Bodon, Zarmin and Xylda returned and told the group that Lord Brownstoke wanted 25 gold to cover the cost of damaging his brother's estate. Once this was paid, Bodon had the mules and their packs brought forth along with Fauna's remains. The group then headed out of Sylennore to the east. Around midday, a soldier from Sylennore passed them on horseback, and Fleur and Kurzik suspected that he was in pursuit of the rest of the party.

They arrived in Vinginnore that evening, where they found Sloj waiting for them to let them know the others had left for Nazivonema that morning. The group camped out east of town, and the next morning it was decided to push the pace and make it to Nazivonema as soon as possible. Meriel gathered fruits and nuts from the woods for Richard, who hadn't eaten since the previous morning. The day passed quietly, the group camped a few hours' travel from Nazivonema.

The next morning, they crossed paths with a merchant couple riding in a cart headed for Vesqui. Fleur briefly spoke with them and learned that there was a rumor circulating in Nazivonema that the threat that had been plaguing this route had been eliminated.

East

Upon arriving in Vinginnore, Elias offered Simry and the others a night's rest at the Hearth. He informed them that Cypress and Buibui were still there and Skellion immediately zoomed to Cypress (briefly delayed by an encounter with a chandelier) and filled him in on the recent happenings before bringing him back to the others. Windellad and his companion retired to their room while the others discussed the group's situation as they dined. It was decided that they all would head for Nazivonema in the morning, and Cypress offered to get a note to Kurzik through his connections in Sylennore.

That night, Brianna discovered through casting detect magic that the ring Skellion glowed faintly, but Stom's wand had no magical emanations. She then cast know history on Skellion's ring and learned that it had been made by a wizard named Trevendo, of whom she heard of while living in Glespi.

The next morning, Windellad and Big O took their leave before breakfast. Cypress told everyone present that the note had been successfully delivered, but there had been no word on a response, so Sloj volunteered to wait in Vinginnore to meet the others.

The group arrived at the corral in Astyan after dark. Suterza cast turtle soup, and a discussion ensued between she, Brianna and Buibui while Stom, Simry and Cypress headed to the local public house for a drink. When they returned, Stom took up watch and everyone settled in for the night.

Two hours into Stom's watch, a horseman approached the corral. He recognized the brown and white uniform of the soldiers he'd seen in the ruins and alerted Simry. Along with Skellion, they hid in a nearby hedge while Cypress and Brianna (with a little help from Fluzz) encouraged the rider, Pendleton, to spend the night at the local inn.

Just before dawn, Cypress and Skellion went into the village to procure some breakfast, but their task was cut short when Skellion saw Pendleton leave the inn and head towards the corral. He alerted Cypress and flew ahead to warn Simry and Stom. They hid in the hedge again and once Pendleton was gone, they left for Nazivonema.

They arrived in the city that evening. Buibui, Stom and Simry went to the RDI, receiving a warm welcome from Muria, while the rest went to their various lodgings. Shmo and Melctz arrived and greeted Stom, inspiring the girls to adjourned to another table. They were soon rejoined by Brianna, Skellion and Suterza, and they talked about how to handle things with the council. Cypress also arrived and informed everyone that he'd received a note from the council telling him that a reward would be forthcoming the next morning. Brianna and Cypress expressed their concerns on the legitimacy of the note, but Simry preferred to remain optimistic. Buibui and Suterza retired to the latter's room at Tarkus to exchange spells, and the rest of the night was spent enjoying the stringed trio of minstrels at the RDI.

The next morning, Brianna and Skellion awoke and headed out into the marketplace, which was abuzz with the annual Festival of Raskill. Brianna learned of the spreading rumor that the route had been cleared of danger from a merchant tending a stall of candied apples. She bought one for Skellion and they made their way to the RDI.

At the RDI, Simry came down for breakfast and was informed by Rosilyn that a package had arrived for either she or Kurzik. Simry inquired as to its contents, but Rosilyn only said it was valuable, so she would not give it to them in the open. After breakfast, Stom left for the temple of Perasin and Cypress and Skellion remained at the table while Simry and Brianna went with Rosilyn to inspect their parcel. They took the small chest up to Simry's room, where they opened it to find 500 gold pieces. They returned the chest to storage at the RDI and went out to the festival.

The payoff

Kurzik and his group arrived in Nazivonema around noon. Meriel went to Tarkus Academy to deliver her message, Fleur and Richard went to the House of Death with Fauna's remains, and everyone else proceeded through the market. Fleur met with Sqlud, an attendant, and arranged to have her kept at the Death House. Meanwhile, Cedic spotted Skellion flying through the market, and eventually their group joined the others and returned to the RDI.

Simry arranged for the group to meet in one of the RDI's private rooms. The party decided that they would accept the payment without question rather than make waves. They further decided that they would split the cost of Fauna's burial in the city if no other arrangements were made. The money was then split among the group.

Meanwhile, Meriel shared a happy reunion with her cousin, who was in class with Professor Breyfogle studying fire reading. Sadly, the meeting turned bittersweet when it turned out the message she delivered told of the death of one of Morithelwen's father's kin in the War for Lassomaranza.

Cast of characters

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

• Brianna - run by Lou McLeary
• Buibui - run by Shelley Proulx
• Calirain - run by Scott Ford
• Cedic - run by Vinny Beckles
• Cypress Tanginule - NPC
• Fauna - run by Phil Vlasak
• Fenrin - NPC
• Fleur - run by Phil Vlasak
• Kurzik - run by Rob Pires
• Lorelei - run by Shelley Proulx
• Lucille - NPC
• Meriel - run by Kim Friedman
• Nimbus - run by Phil Vlasak
• Pleh Detnaw - NPC
• Rhone - run by Scott Ford
• Richard the Feral - NPC
• Simry - run by Korin Trytko
• Skellion - run by Lou McLeary
• Sloj - NPC
• Stom - run by Shelley Proulx
• Stratus - run by Phil Vlasak
• Suterza - NPC
• Thoren - run by Vinny Beckles
• Xotznoxl - NPC
• Zemetreseni - run by Rob Pires

Adventure timeline