While Kristov spent the morning recuperating from the previous day’s long hike, the rest of the party decided to learn more about, and from, each other.
Taking the young halfling under her wing, Lucia Talene taught Mimo the ways of her newfound power — the Path of Insight. The two druids shared a love and respect for nature and quickly bonded.
The dwarven sword for hire, Sturmberg, watched with bemused attention, but could not grasp the arcane insights. However, remembering the trouble the party had with the Iron Guard and cultists, he decided to teach the spell casters some of his martial knowledge.
The morning passed quickly amidst the shared instruction and the group eventually broke camp and started heading north. Mimo and Sturmbeg led the way while Lucia stayed back and watched the forest for any activity. It wasn’t long before they heard something strange.
“Quiet! Can you hear it? A scream? A voice? You look at each other, but the landscape is deserted. Then suddenly, you feel an ice-cold wind blowing through your souls. A gray, shimmering shape forms in the middle of your party, with a once-human face twisted in an unnatural scream. You have heard the stories around the campfires before. A lost soul, a spirit unable to come to rest.”
Though initially alarmed at the apparition, the team held firm and tried to appear non-threatening. Watching and listening, they were able to determine the ghost was a former Alderlander soldier based on his garb, appearance, and what little they could make out from his speech.
It was Talene who noticed the shimmering dagger lodged in the ghost’s back. Eventually, the part is able to get the ghost to calm down and speak with them. They learn that his name was Garmagol and he was once a Alderlander soldier in charge of other troops. Through prodding and intuition, they determine that Garmagol was betrayed and murdered by his own troops. The trauma of his death drove him to become a wrathful spirit and Garmagol has wandered the Ravenlands ever since.
At first, the ghost sought his betrayers, later he would attack any soldiers or armed persons, but eventually, his rage grew so great that he would attack anyone. While Mimo distracted the spirit with banter, and Sturmberg paid homage to the ghost’s service, Talene investigated the dagger further. She determined that removing the dagger would release the spirit from his rage.
After some convincing, Garmagol allowed Talene to remove the dagger from his back. A wave of relief washed over the ghost, and he thanked them as his form faded away. The party didn’t leave empty-handed from the encounter. Talene retained the dagger after removing it, and while its ornate nature marked it as valuable, the fact that it would transform into shadow and back again marked it as a priceless find — a phantom dagger!
Continuing north, the group was drawn to the sound of chittering and they eventually stumbled onto the ruins of an old fort. The ruins were not the most interesting find though it had occupants, and strange ones at that. Sturmberg, Mimo, and Talene watched from a thicket as a dozen Whiners bickered and worked all about the ruins.
The group watched the goings-on for a while but as night drew near, they decided to head south again to make a safe camp away from the creatures. While in camp, a rousing debate was had about what to do with the Whiners. Some of the team still wanted to investigate the ruins, but Mimo was adamant that she would have nothing to do with the strange creatures.
With no resolution, the party bedded down for a restless night plagued by visions of the ghastly discovery they made earlier.
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