Session 17
After getting a deep slumber in, work on the new stronghold broke at dawn. Kristov, Jabari, and their hirelings, quickly set to work fixing up the stables and the training grounds.
The group surveyed the rest of the keep and determined it would take a master builder to bring the rest of the old castle back to its glory. One entire quarter had collapsed, and the rest of the keep was in sad disrepair.
Kristov also had time to reach into his magic sack and pulled a vial of poison antidote for Tolu. The peddler mended the archer’s wounds and set him back to work on clearing out the castle.
Meanwhile, Mick E. Faus spend the morning trapping small animals in the hillsides around their new home. Returning to the keep, he marked out a large section of the grounds near the broken wall for a ritual. With the rest of the group looking on, he deftly broke the rabbits’ necks he caught and spilled their blood around in a circle.
“Stay back, fellas! You don’t want to get caught up in this magic!” Faus said to the onlookers.
“Are these going to be edible after your done?” Kristov asked while pointing at the rabbits.
“This one looks ok!” Faus replied. He tossed a hare to Jabari, who caught it in his jaws and snarfed it up. The sorcerer then went into a trance and began his necromantic spell.
The unnatural bent of the spectacle caused Kristov, Jabari, and Tolu to leave. Still, Gwyn didn’t see any of it, unfortunately. The swordswoman came out of the forge room and right into Faus’ ritual. The misshapen warlock miscalculated his own power, and Gwyn got sucked into the spell, as well. The magical shock from the arcane energies turned her hair white and sent her into a coma.
Running to find his fellows, Faus shouted to Jabari and Kristov, “Yeah… I don’t know what happened to Gwyn. She’s not looking so good. I just saw her fall unconscious. I’m worried. I’m reaaaaaaallllllly worried… But let me know if she passes on.”
Knowing they should be slightly distrustful of the sorcerer, the peddler and wolfkin determine if he was lying. Still, they are eventually entirely swayed by his story. They suspect nothing of his involvement. (Faus secretly thanks his former mentor, Walt Grisby, and his time among Grisby’s cult for his manipulation abilities.)
Kristov races to the swordswoman’s side and pulls her back from the brink. He realizes they’ll have to check on her every day for several days to make sure she doesn’t succumb to “whatever” happened to her.
The peddler keeps watch for the rest of the quarter day while tending to Gwyn. He scans the surrounding area with his spyglass but fails to see anything amiss. Meanwhile, Jabari and Faus made use of their new training grounds. The wolfkin meditated on the recent horrors the group encountered and comes away more fearless than ever. The warlock, however, finds his throwing arm still needs work. Jabari tries to work on his swordsmanship, too but finds he can’t learn anything while continually being pelted with rocks.
That night, Jabari keeps watch and notices an unnatural mist take over the swamps to the south. The fog is heavy and seems to move but never dissipates.
In the morning, the party awakes to see a mob of miserable refugees near the front of the keep. The twenty-odd villagers ask for help and safety. Their leader, a wise old woman, explains that a rampaging monster destroyed their village to the north, and they have been walking for days.
Jabari growls as the group gets closer to the keep but doesn’t draw his weapon. Kristov comes forward and negotiates with their leader. The peddler explains the keep is in disrepair, but if they’re willing to work the lands, the group is welcome to stay. Kristov learns that most of the refugees are farmers, but a hunter and lumberjack are among them. The wise woman says the survivors would be happy to farm the surrounding lands for the party in exchange for protection.
With the wise woman directing the villagers and tending to Gwyn, the party decides to investigate the mist to the south in the swamplands.
“Never met a friendly, ominous mist’ Faus says as they near the edge of the fog.
It’s not long before the fog completely engulfs the party. Faus immediately sprints to the north and escapes. Jabari and Kristov are not as agile and get lost in the moving mist. Soon, they are beset by intense feelings of homesickness.
Kristov tries to get Jabari to go back to the river. Jabari forces them to forge ahead. They continue in the direction they believe is south. The wolfkin falls while navigating the
swamplands and injures a leg. The hours of wandering around aimlessly and lingering fear give Kristov a headache.
While trying to escape, the pair comes across a bloodling. It leaps at Kristov, but he parries the attack with his hammer. The old peddler tries to use Wail’s Horn, but no sound comes forth when he blows into it. Faus can hear the din of battle but opts not to rush back into the mist.
The monster slashes at Kristov again, and this time the wicked arms of the creature find purchase. Kristov falls to the ground in agony and cannot move. Hearing the old man’s cries, Faus summons his courage and races into the mist. Quickly finding the battle, he casts stone magic at the monster.
The warlock is overwhelmed by the power of his own magic. It causes him to feel the people around him are mere ants compared to him. The stone storm bashes the bloodling. The arcane blast allows Jabari to run the monster through with his sword. The bloodling dissipates back into nothingness.
While Faus cares for Kristov, Jabari crafts a log raft from driftwood along the swamp banks. Faus, being the healthiest at the time, tries to pilot them across a river, but the raft capsizes just before the trio gets to the other side.
As they trudge home, the party decides not to light the bonfire to get Capt. Sertold to stop for them. Instead, they will venture overland and range across the lands around them.
Eventually, welcomed back by their hirelings and the refugees. The villagers regale them with various legends and more information about the monster they ran from.
The refugees claim the monster was a giant, 4-legged tailed beast with a thick hide. It lacked a head but instead had a gaping mouth that it shoveled food into to feed its insatiable appetite. The villagers believe its lair was in a nearby cave and that it might fear loud noises.
The refugees regaled the adventurers with the following legends.
A long time ago, in the age of the Blood Mist, there was a jealous lord who sought a love because of duty and traveled to a tree located on the far side of the Forbidden Lands in a quagmire in the direction south-east. As the legend goes, it is said that he was enchanted and that at the location there is a weapon but also insane goblins.
A long time ago, during the Alder Wars, there was a skilled rider who sought a treasure because of a bet and traveled to a farm located a few days off in some plains in the direction of the north- east. As the legend goes, she still searches and that at the location there is gold, lots of gold, but also greedy robbers.
A long time ago, before the Blood Mist, there was a cunning queen who sought a monster because of a prophecy and traveled to a cave located far away in some hills in the direction of the south-west. As the legend goes, it is said that she was betrayed and that at the location there is an elven ruby but also aggressive wolfkin.
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