Session 22 – The First Semester (Part 1)

Summer Vacation is Over!

The summer passed relatively uneventfully for our heroes. For Sylas, he spent time trying to avoid thinking about his heritage he had recently learned about. As such he focused himself on his guard duties and in turn becoming a better leader because of it. His swordsmanship skills also improved and unbeknownst to his friends, he learned a new spell from Bjark. On his one day off a week, he usually spent it painting. Luckily for him, Sorgusa is beautiful in the summer. Grainne, meanwhile, also worked on her painting, but couldn’t ever really focus herself to actually improve much. Regardless, there are a lot of pieces of driftwood that if you squint hard enough can imagine there being a seascape painted upon them. Hours were spent with Adarte renovating the temple, cleaning out the old giant rat’s nest, and cataloging the old scrolls that were found. She would often take her siblings in the afternoon swimming when they reached the point of driving their parents nuts. Most evenings were spent at one of the taverns, telling stories and hearing stories of visitors that would come through. More importantly, with her new fascination of mermaids, wrote a letter to Liliana in Paradise Cove. 

Eldaria spent the rest of spring and early summer going to the strapalot patch encouraging it to grow and spending time with the farmsteads on the outskirts of Sorgusa being friendly with the farmers and herders. Many an evening was spent writing letters to her old goblin friend, Guuj’bo’tin, who with funds from Grainne made them a new bow. The bow was crafted to look like vines and leaves, but he enchanted it for his friend so that they would not miss. Many mornings, at least until the worst of the summer heat, was spent on the family fishing boat with her brother trying to convince him that they will be fine in Temparat, really convincing no one. El made sure all the nets were fixed, at least for the fall oyster harvest. A week or so before the end of summer, they made sure they had a new haircut.

The two boars, Carver and Currie were given the opportunity to be wild boars once again, but honestly they had learned to kind of like being around humans. Though the current human, Elzy, seemed to be nicer and let them roam and eat and did not make them do too much work. Plus he seemed to be able to talk to him. They found it weird, but why would they want to go back and be a normal boar. So over the summer, this human taught them a couple of new tricks, including being scruffleshroom hunters, which allowed the human Elzy to sell for shiny baubles for the rare moments when he needed to repair his clothes or to replace a pot. The boars would watch Elzy most mornings working on his sword work while munching on nuts and tubers they scrounged for. They remember the past humans swinging around similar objects, but they clearly didn’t look as skilled as Elzy did. For a few weeks, Carver and Currie had to fend for themselves, as Elzy and that flying creature went away. Apparently they were looking for someone named Marbin “Jack” Flyntella to have him keep an eye out for another human named Rynne that they met in one of the towns up north on the other side of the large lake. That was their first boat ride and though scary at first, they remember it now fondly. Still humans looking for other humans just sounded so complicated to Carver and Currie. Apparently one evening in town, they could hear that Elzy discussed the dealing of the not nice human Rynne with a much nicer human named Bjarke. Bjarke would always give a nice pile of vegetable scraps for them whenever Elzy would spend the evening getting very wobbly. The innkeeper seemed alarmed, because apparently only their human survived some disaster upon a large lake.

On a beautiful fall day, Savorat Huyn, one of the older students at the Arcane Order came into town on a wagon with two other students in tow. They learn over the course of the three days they stay in Sorgusa, that Savorat is a rising star in Weather Magic at the school, having already graduated in the Spring as member of the Order of the Gryphon. His Arcane Order of Temparat insignia brooch holding his cloak having had been embossed on the back with this creature. Sylas learned one afternoon when Savorat was invited to the keep for a proper luncheon with the Lady Mourava and few of the more prosperous members of Sorgusa, including Nuno and Carina, that his family owned the majority of the copper mines around Golan to the north. During that luncheon they always asked how his mother was doing, given that she ran the Golan Mining Company and is one of the wealthiest merchants in northern Tempore. What was left unsaid was that Savorat’s father left when his was a young lad and he feels like he has to prove himself to the world.

The other two students hailed from Vilhana one of the settlements along the road north of Sorgusa. These twins were the youngest of a minor silversmith family that Grainne’s parents have traded with in the past and some of their wares could be found at the newly re-named Hor’gh’s General Store. Their older brother is slated to inherit the family business, so perhaps it was by the will of the gods that the sisters both discovered they could cast magic. Though not the richest family in the region by jar, they were clearly are well off enough to send two children for proper magical training. Grainne immediately became infatuated with them, and completely missed that both of them could cast magic. They definitely bickered and got on each other’s nerves, but Eldaria was able to notice that their magic wasn’t very strong when separated, but got much stronger when they were together. Serafina, with blue and white hair, frequently would make small cubes of ice to cool her drinks down, while Aldina, would often use a small burst of flame to heat up her drinks to keep them from cooling down.

The reality of leaving this small town, perhaps permanently, finally hit home, as the heroes had just a couple of days left to pack up everything they would need in chests provided in the wagon. Clothes, weapons and armor, and the like were all hastily gathered and prepared. Elzy made sure to get some salted fish from Nuno’s Barrels and Salt, incase he would run into a bear along the way. He felt very unprepared the last time this happened. Eldaria went out on one last fishing trip with her brother Remy. He was very proud of her, and so was their mother, though she had a harder time expressing it. She tried to hold in tears when Eldaria got her last hug, but she didn’t succeed. Grainne’s family were sad to see her go, but also, it was time. More room in their small house for the rest of the family was desperately needed. Sylas, ended up letting a secret out of the bag to Eldaria that he can in fact cast magic, though he only knows a couple of spells. In his mind, especially with uncomfortable news about his heritage, if he’s using magic, he feels like he has failed. 

The ride to Temparat was very uneventual, but it took almost four days by wagon as long the main road, it was about 125 miles from Sorgusa. And for those such as Grainne, and especially Eldaria who had never been to a big city, it felt huge. Elzy, though not particularly fond of cities, had docked in Temparat more than once during his time as a sailor. At least in port he was a sailor, others might have called him a pirate once he was upon the ocean waves.

As they approached the capital of Tempore, they first came to the outskirts known as The New City. The prosperity of the last 70 years or so has caused the city to grow and now the New City numbers at least 10,000 residents, many of whom can live almost their entire lives without entering the gates to the city proper. Once they entered through the main gates, they entered the Prosperous Fish District, passing by all the shops and markets selling any good imaginable. From there they could have turned left to the District of a Thousand Huts, but instead headed towards the District of the Sun and Waves. Here the Arcane Order campus resides among many temples and shrines, along with many noble or merchant family mansions. From the campus they can see the castle where Queen Fillappa resided, looming down upon the entire city. Towards the see they could see on an island just off shore the largest temple to Farlun in on the continent, the Temple of the Broken Waves.

Savorat led everyone, including the twins and heroes of our story to a tent where they could check in. From there they were, they were escorted by second year students to their respective dormitories. Sylas was shown to a suite, with rooms adjacent to Savorat. Though not exclusive to him, Sylas found out that he was also given a valet to aid him in any additional needs he might have. It was a weird, and slightly uncomfortable moment for Sylas who had not yet come to terms with his status in society as a knight of the realm. Grainne, meanwhile, was shown to where the majority of students reside, often in groups of two or three or if there are lots of students in a particular year, as many as four. She discovered that her roommates were going to be the twins (Serafina and Aldina). Elzy and Eldaria were shown to a relatively exclusive floor of the dormitory where those few students who focus on nature magic often reside. Even with Elzy and Eldaria, there were only seven students at that time, including those who are working on advanced degrees, residing on this floor. But both of them were amazed as they walked in and saw a forest on one end with a savannah between that and what looked like a rainforest on the far end of the large room. Coming towards them was a large black panther who as it approached turned into a woman. She introduced herself as Akosua and they realized that she was perhaps a Feral Human. Elzy quickly set up a hammock and felt at home immediately, as well as Harvee, Currie, and Carver. Eldaria just stared at everything in awe.

After a couple of days, allowing the students to set in and wander around, they are met by Professor Teo Braga, who has for 50 years taught the introduce to magic courses for all new students, to understand the structure of the school and to aid them in picking their electives, though for the first semester they only get to pick one. Sylas choose the Magic of Movement 101 with Professor Boreira, Elzy chose Beasts and How to Tame them 111, so he can perhaps learn how to control Vermin better. The Ice Scorpions still lingered as a bad memory. Eldaria was having a hard time choosing between Alchemy and Potions 101 or Culinary Magic 131.

The first week was a blur, but they did remember Professor Braga’s insistence on getting even a basic spell right. That first spell they learned was Diver’s Blessing on how to hold their breath. It wasn’t until the end of the week they were even allowed to cast the spell and dip their heads into giant cauldrons of water. They were surprised by one student they didn’t expect to see. Aline Flyntella. One could see a moment of jealousy in Aldina’s eye, as Aline mastered Diver’s Blessing faster than any other student.

Session 18 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 8)

The Full Moon Arises!

While Eldaria let their curiosity get the better of them, Elzy cast Beast Speech and talked to his new scorpion friend. He told the scorpion that they could take one of the dead scorpions for food, and leave in peace. Elzy did not want to hurt the scorpion, but if it didn’t leave, he and his friends would have no choice. His rapport with the scorpion was amazing to watch. It did a little display of clicking their claws and swishing their stinger. Then it grabbed its dinner, to bring back to their nest. Perhaps to share and perhaps not.

Rules Break Out:

It was a good time to really introduce Reaction Rolls, since Beast Speech gives a bonus to it, and the fate of the encounter was more fun when hinged on a die roll. The player ended up getting a Very Good result and if the player had Animal Control (Vermin), would have likely become another pet.

At the end of the tunnel that Eldaria found was a large cavern opening with the body of a preserved woman with an unopened potion still in her hand and a bronze nose ring. The cold temperatures kept the body from rotting, but they were definitely dead. The opening to get there was too narrow for the scorpions to fit. She had on a nice double velvet tunic that was sadly torn from her fight with the ice scorpions, but inside, Eldaria found a secret pocket with four sharpened coins that were $5 florin pieces not minted in Tempore. Where these coins were minted, Eldaria does not know. They quickly realized that these coins were weapons that could be used both in their fists, or be thrown. Eldaria threw one into a snow bank, and it was clear, more practice was needed. This woman had an insignia on their cloak that Sylas was able to identify as a merchant house, but he is unsure of which one. But could easily in a large settlement find out. Among the other things Eldaria found were a well crafted shortsword and a bag containing some florins, a good set of lock picks, a burglar bar, a set of playing cards, another potion, and a couple of gems.

Rules Break Out:

The Sharpened Coins ($6/coin) are from DF Treasures 1 and are 5 florin pieces that were sharpen to be used between your fingers to add +1 with a punch or thrown at thr-2 cut. The shortsword is a Fine weapon ($1,600 and +1 to cutting and thrusting damage). The lock picks were of Good quality. The Burglar Bar ($20) is a thin strip of metal that can be used to trigger a trap or even pick a lock (-2) and is from DF 8 – Treasure Tables. Playing cards ($50). Both gems were 1.25 carats. Topaz ($230) and Chalcedony ($65). $350 in florins. Two potions – one is a healing potion. The other is a swirling mist, currently unknown by the players.

Grainne, meanwhile, complained about her upset stomach, blaming the croissant she ate for breakfast. The others think it is more about her nerves about potentially seeing a mermaid. Elzy removes enough chitin from the remaining scorpion to be able to make a pair of greaves or bracers, but really got to zealous while doing so and broke the main armor in half accidentally, ruining any chance to make a breast plate or a full suit of armor. He got covered in guts and goo, which Sylas tried to get him to wash off, but he just didn’t care enough to get clean. Elzy could do that later. More important now was getting some lunch. So with the help of Lino, their guide, got some herbs gathered. He melted some snow in a make shift pot and started a scorpion boil. The body they found reminded Lino of a group of three adventurers that went up this mountain, three or four months ago, but he didn’t remember them coming back down.

While Elzy cooked, the remainder of the Heroes finished getting enough Mermaid Agates or pieces of rock with agate imbedded inside to take back down the mountain. By the time they were done, lunch was done. It was quite delicious for those brave enough to eat it. Sylas only ate it due to an empty stomach. Tasted a lot like crab they discovered.

It took them rest of the afternoon to get back down the mountain. It was far easier and faster going down, than it was going up, and they weren’t even at the top of the mountain. When they got down, Cedric Goodwort, Thistletop’s father, asked them what their plans were. The halflings had essentially concluded their business, and wanted to know when they needed to cast off. The Heroes wanted to stay at least another night, because tomorrow night was a full moon. And there was hope to see a mermaid. Or at least Grainne hoped she would see a mermaid. They settled on staying at Fatima’s Seaside Inn that was getting cleaned up for the tourist season. Fatima then sent out Dimas to get some food for dinner, and he came back with a small netted bag of crabs of a couple different types. 

While Fatima began working on dinner for her guests, Sylas talked to Luisin and set up a session of painting and drinking win the following day. Elzy would come back for dinner, but tended to his boars and worked on making a better camp along the beach, suspecting they will end up being here for a couple of more days. Not that Sylas was going to mind, it’s one more day not on a boat. Eldaria told Grainne that they had an errand, and went to go see Lilian. Knocking on her door, Lilian came out with a box of cookies in the shape of mermaids that Eldaria and ordered before they had traveled up the mountain. Grainne started to gush about mermaids, because unbeknownst to her, everyone else suspected that Lilian was, in fact, a merfolk. Eventually, Grainne’s charm won her over. They took the cookies back to the inn, but not before convincing Lilian to join their Paint and Sip the next day. By the time they arrived, dinner was ready. It was a lovely meal of a creamy crab chowder made with goat’s milk, fried soft-shell crab sandwiches with a nice spicy sauce, and roasted root vegetables that turned the last of the winter larder into something quite tasty. All washed down with a nice ale. It was brought to their table by a young woman named Aurora. She had blue eyes, and was marked off the list of potential merfolk.

The next morning, Grainne and Eldaria went to the main hairdresser of Paradise Cove ran by Antelom, located up on the northwestern portion of the village where the summer homes of nobles and rich merchants use during the summer, and occasionally in the winter. As they walked in, the two old ladies and Antelom were clearly talking about the most current gossip, which happened to be the arrival of the Heroes. They deftly began talking more about the weather and other village gossip. Grainne got her mess of red, curly hair, braided. While doing so, she got out of Antelom more information about the group that went up the mountain and never came back. It was led by a well dressed and confident woman who clearly knew how to use the shortsword at her side. But he remembered her being decent, as she paid well for meals, but clearly never had time for her hair to be done. She was accompanied by a dwarf who was clearly a mercenary and a man who the most distinctive thing was that he carried a morningstar, which Antelom thought was an odd choice for an adventurer. They arrived after the lake froze, by taking a sled across the lake. A few of the noble families do that as well. But if they came back, it was under the guise of night or they left another way. No one ever saw them again. Eldaria got the haircut of Antelom’s choice, though he gave her a mirror to look midway through, but it was clear the only answer was, thank you. They asked some questions of the old ladies also getting their hair done about family connections of the town. Mostly inquiring about Lilian and Lino to see if they were related. They were, but distantly. Eldaria also found out that Lilian’s mom was born on the island. One summer Lilian’s mom had a summer fling with one of the noble boys, but he never returned, but Lilian was the result of that summer. When Lilian was about 16, her mother took her off the island, but a few years later, Lilian returned, but her mother didn’t.

That afternoon, all of them, including Lilian, went to Luisin’s Painting and Pottery shop. He had a nice painting of a winter cabin full of snow banks and happy little trees ready for them to copy. Along with a few bottles of wine already open. Both Grainne and Eldaria made paintings that were passable. You could see the cabin and the trees at least. Elzy though, didn’t really care about the picture, and ended up paining a perfect recreation of his ice scorpion friend. And Sylas painted the picture perfectly. If there was a difference, no one could notice, not even Luisin, who congratulated him on his work. Everyone but Grainne, noticed that Lilian changed the man in the cabin next to the fireplace to have a fish tail …….

That evening, they took a stroll along the beach. Along the horizon they could see the full moon, and in the light of the moon, they say Dimas and Lilian carrying what at first looked like a large fish down to the water. Then they swear they saw the terrified face of Lino.

Rules Break Out:

Sylas and Elzy both got 1 XP for succeeding so well at painting. For finding a hidden talent. No one was trained, so it was a straight IQ-6 roll.

Session 17 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 7)

The Ice Scorpions Attack!

As the chittering became louder, four large scorpions came at our Heroes. They were as long as any human or elf, but mottled white and gray with thick chitlin. They had giant claws and their stinger looked incredibly dangerous. Though they were called Ice Scorpions, they were in fact not elemental in nature or magical. They just preferred colder temperatures and generally hibernate in the hottest months on Paradise Island. Ice Scorpions exist in mountains all through Elandorr, but are very common in the Iron Fang Mountains to the north.

With Grainne suddenly not feeling well, Elzy looked around and summoned up a brilliant plan. As a Beastmaster, he cast magic that resided in him to summon the nearest creature that would be instantly not be threatening to him. Surprising everyone, one of the Ice Scorpions came close to Elzy and just sat down, not unlike a puppy waiting for some treats. And almost immediately there were three. Harvee comes flying in, but it quickly became clear that falcon claws were not enough to get through the hard chitinous armor of these giant scorpions.

Sylas, with his trusty broadsword and shield, advanced toward one of the Ice Scorpions. After a couple of good hits, including some well placed arrows, it became severely injured and frenzied. It succeeded in using both of its claws to attach itself to Sylas, and then brought in its deadly stinger. The stinger pierced through his heavy armor and he could see the scorpion drag him to the ground, but could not move, realizing too late that he was paralyzed. As his life flashed before his life, the first time in a couple of years, the giant scorpion could no longer stay conscious and died on top of him.

Grainne wanted to help, but really could just drag herself around the cave with light so the others could see. Eldaria realized after Sylas went down that they could not stand in the back and just shoot arrows, and as such drew their sword and engaged one of the scorpions. It was clear looking back to these times, that although the short sword might have been a mighty weapon, in Eldaria’s hand it might as well have been a wooden play sword. The legend of Eldaria’s fight with the Stygnor Quartermaster aboard the ship Melan’s Revenge was clearly not formed from these early stories. It took Sylas getting back up to down this scorpion.

Meanwhile, Elzy’s swordsmanship was in good form, able to find weak spots in the armor to severely hurt the final scorpion. His master would definitely be proud, until the day they met again, not as friends, but as enemies. Elzy also got grappled by the scorpion, after he kept jumping back out of its clutch. After two of the hostile scorpions were killed, and with one just sitting on a rock, the fourth ran back injured into its cave, regretting its attempt for a meal. The Heroes then looked around, and Eldaria noticed a small cave opening. Being curious, they went into the hole to find the remains of a former explorer (they hope).

Rules Break Out:

Ice Scorpions: ST 10; DX 11; IQ 1; HT 10; SM 0; BM 5; Dodge 8; Parry 9; Bite-12 (1d+1 cr); Claw-12 (1d+1 cut); Stinger-12 (1d+2 impaling + Poison); DR 4; Striking ST+4. Ice Scorpion Poison – HT vs. paralysis for the number of rounds equal to the margin of error. The full, and nastier, version of this creature is from DF Settings – Cold Shard Mountains.

Session 16 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 6)

Paradise Cove

Our Heroes woke up the next morning to see an old fisherman with a bushy mustache and a large hat shading his eyes from the early morning sun. In a deep raspy voice, he asked them why the slept on the beach when the main inn was just up the road. In the sunlight, they could see it was the first building in the village above. He in returned is asked about mermaids and why the mermaid agates were called that. He said it was simple, they are blue-green just like the color of merfolk eyes and can be found in caves up on the mountain. Though this is not the only place in Lycretia where they can be found, just the only known place in Tempore. They became mesmerized when he began telling a story about Lycretia’s twins, Thulth and Tybeeda, who once had an argument so strong that this mountain rose from the lake, and as such Mirrurn was born. He laughed, because who knows if this story is true, but it was one of his favorites that his dad told him when he was a young lad.

The Heroes walked up from the beach, past Fatima’s Seashell Inn with a new painted sign out front. There were staff up on ladders cleaning windows and removing moss from the shingles. Clearly in an attempt to get the inn ready for visitors they hope will start showing up soon. Next they took a left and went further into the village, stopping at a bakery for breakfast as was recommended by Dinas, the old fisherman they met this morning. With a sign that said, Croissants and Things, they were greeted by a young woman, not much older than them, maybe in her early 20s. Lilian had racks of wheat breads, rye breads, croissants made with goat butter, and fruit tarts made with currants and dried peaches. During the winter months, she just makes enough for the village to eat, but starting in spring, she begins experimenting on the new pastry for the season. Eldaria asked her about mermaids and the legends surrounding the place. Lilian told there were stories about people seeing them, especially in the summer. Eldaria could tell that she was holding something back, something personal. Still, she put in a bakery order for Grainne, as a surprise.

Across the street from the bakery was a shop called the Clay Easel, a shop where tourists could paint or make pottery, drink wine, and enjoy a nice evening with a sunset. It was ran by Luisin, an accomplished painter, who used sell his work in Temparat, but for reasons the village does not actually know, left the capital about a decade ago, to open up this shop. Even in the off season, he is rarely sober. Grainne was particularly enamored when she saw the large studio full of easels and pottery wheels, thinking of the goddess Mylari and having the compelling urge to paint her.

Further up down the road, the go the souvenir shop, which was also recommended by Dinas, when they were asking about how to get mermaid agates. Sylas was the first to walk in, causing the bell above the door to ring. A boy, not any older than 13, by the name of Lino, was sweeping the floor as he walked in. In the back of the shop, there was a middle aged man sitting at a desk carving small wooden figurines. Along the walls were shelves that were only half full of trinkets and souvenirs like sea shells with mermaid agates glued on as if they were pearls, figurines like what proprietor was carving, purses made with blue and green thread, and other items he hoped to sell during the summer months. Helder introduces himself to the potential customers, and Sylas is taken back at the name for a moment, only to realize that it was probably a popular name of the region. Grainne started acting like a kid, and picking up everything, including putting two seashells with agates over her eyes, pretending she was a mermaid. Everyone but Grainne realized that Lilian’s eyes were blue green, and so was the boy Lino, currently in the shop. Elzy became very curious when he noticed this connection, and started badgering the boy with questions about mermaids. Beyond the legends of the town, Lino seemed rather innocent on the matter. But Elzy decided to pay him a few coins to make sure Grainne heard them even more outlandishly. Sylas, actually doing the business of why they were there, talked with Helder, and realized that they do know spots up in the mountain where they could find agates. Lino would gladly guide them up there, though Helder gave him a knowing look to not take them to their main cave.

They really wanted to head out as soon as they found out this information. So Lino led the up the mountain. It was tough, but it only took them about three hours to get to some caves. Eldaria notices that the boy stops too long at a crossroads, and eyes one direction, but takes them in another. They suspect that route would have led them to Helder’s cave, but they had no interest in ruining his livelihood. They just needed enough for the task at hand. At this point on the mountain, there was still snow, though in a few more weeks, would probably start to recede even more. But in the snow, Eldaria noticed strange tracks of a large creature that appeared to have six legs. They headed into the cave that Lino directed them towards. It had a large opening and was likely caused by lava thousands of years ago. Grainne had to cast some fire for them to see, but minus the cold and the snow and the ice, it seemed like a lovely cave. They found a spot relatively easy where they could start collecting some agates, only to hear after about 15 minutes, some chittering …

Session 15 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 5)

Out on the Lake the Heroes Go!

So Grainne began gesturing to Eldaria for them to sneak out and go to the herbalist shop, so that Sylas would know what was going on. Grainne was trying to communicate that she was going to go upstairs to their room, sneak out the window, and meet across the street. Turns out that all of the gestures were meaningless, so everyone, including Eldaria, was very confused when Grainne just got up and disappeared from dinner. Eventually Sylas and Eldaria decided to go to their rooms, while Elzy would head to the stables for the night. Eldaria got up to the room and was very confused why the window was open.

As it turned out, Elzy decided to go for a short stroll before tucking in up in a hayloft, and say Grainne sneaking down from the side of the inn to the street below. Not known for his subtlety, Elzy said, a little too loud, “who are you sneaking out with?” At which point Eldaria hears the shouting, sees Grainne below, and decides to follow, only to misjudge getting down and landing on their back with a painful thud. Somehow, Sylas heard nothing, and was blissfully ignorant of the shenanigans about to occur. Grainne administered a bit of first aid, but thankfully, Eldaria’s leather armor took most of the blow.

Though offered, Elzy was not interested in joining the midnight shenanigans, and fed the boars and drifted off to sleep to the smell of the lake town air. Eldaria and Grainne headed to the market circle where the herbalist shop was. The moon, about 4 days until a full moon, was bright enough to get around town at night. The front door was too visible, even this late at night, but the back door was locked. Eldaria deftly climbed up the side of the two story building, and got in through an unlocked window. They then found a set of stairs, and was able to get down and let Grainne in. Grainne had to summon some light from a small candle size fire on her palm, so they could see to even get around the shop and the house above. She ended up finding a note, partially burnt, that had only the words “I know what you did” left. They found a cellar with potatoes, apples, and some wine and beer in casks. From the cellar, they took two casks of ale for Elzy, and apples for the boars. In the shop, they found some paprika, which they new was a fancy spice, for Sylas, some tea for Grainne’s mom, and Hawk Leaf, which Eldaria knew had mystical properties.

Rules Break Out:

The ale, apples, paprika, and tea were mostly narrative loot and have no real cost associated with them. The Hawk Leaf though creates a magical property where someone who chews it gains the effect of Telescopic Vision 1 (B92) or Hawk Vision (M111) for a minute. There were six doses taken.

The following morning, Sylas went to Riverfolk Island and found the Goodworts to talk about traveling north. Riverfolk Island is a very small island just off the shore from Patra proper. Linking the town and the island are set of boat houses and planks. About 35 families of halflings, often called Riverfolk, live between houses on the island and the boathouses. There are a couple of barges owned by the richer families, but most families have at least one small boat. Cedric told Sylas that he would need another day to get the barge ready, line up some goods to take north, and gather a small crew.

So the Heroes relaxed for a day in Patra and arrived the next morning to meet up for their ride north upon Mermaid Lake, Cedric Goodwort introduced his crew to them. Rothad Whitbottom, the youngest of the crew. He very much loved being on the boat more than anything else. He was strong and is really mostly hired for moving cargo. Emma Brownlock, was the master of the sails. She knew the winds upon the lake like no-one better in Patra. Finally there was Brice Wanderfoot. He loved to smoke his pipe and assisted Emma with whatever she needed. His knot-tying skills were one of the Riverfolk’s best. Already loaded on the barge, were barrels of salted fish and wine, along with crates of other goods to sell at Paradise Cove or Lynhare. Grainne helps Emma with getting the sails ready, freeing up Brice to help get the boat away from shore by oars. Though this barge is not the fastest, it was clear it was well made and sturdy, but they would not reach Paradise Island until close to nightfall.

Elzy discovered that in this lake are creatures known as mortugas. They are long and cylinder with large fins midway down their body with a tail like a rudder that helps direct their path. Mortugas have a pudgy face that allows them the ability to easily eat naiad kelp and other aquatic plant life. They will eat slow moving or dead fish as well. They looked like they could be rode, so he talked to one, and they said sure. So he hoped on and rode the mortuga for a couple of hours until it wanted to go eat. Eldaria also hopped on one, having never rode a single creature before, or really knew how to swim if she fell off, but perhaps she was blessed by Farlun or Tybeeda that day, because she rode a mortuga for a couple of hours as well. Elzy spent the rest of the time fishing, though fishing on a moving vessel, even a slow one, was difficult. Regardless he did catch a few dusk trout.

They reached the island and the dock at Paradise Cove right on time, as the sun was just setting over the hills. Cedric knew it was likely too late to check into an inn, especially before tourist season had began, and offered that the Heroes could sleep on the boat if they wanted (along with his crew), by Sylas would not hear it. He would rather sleep on the sandy beach than on a boat. So that’s what they did, set up a makeshift camp on the beach, curl up in blankets, and fell asleep.

Session 14 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 4)

The Cave was Unbearable

The next morning, they began to explore the town of Patra, a fairly prosperous town of about 6000 residents. While the keep was high on a hill, the rest of the town was spread out alongside that hill and towards Mermaid Lake. There were lots of fisherman, but it was also a bit of resort town. There were yachts in the harbor that travel out to Paradise Island, in middle of the lake. Just off the short is a small island, Riverfolk Island, where a number of halflings resided.

Elzy went to the docks and headed out onto one of the piers. He then pulled out his fishing pole and sat down on the pier with his legs hanging off. He had a nice view of the boats and Riverfolk Island. He had a nice day of acquiring Lorg snappers, where he would cut off the fins that they needed, and gave the fish out to the poorer folk that he saw around the docks. He quickly made friends, and ended up with more people talking to him throughout the day than he probably preferred.

Grainne, meanwhile, discovered that were a couple of ways to get across the lake. One was to pay for a tourist trip up north to Lynhare as only ships of a certain size or design can really make it up there through the fields of Naiad kelp. It would have been the easiest option, but also the most expensive. The other would be to hire a Riverfolk barge, slow, but perhaps more economical. The song she heard the night before about mermaids, really soaked into her soul, and discovered that the next full moon was going to be in 5 nights. Sylas ended up joining Grainne on her adventures around the docks, mostly to keep her on task, and from spending too much time in bars.

Eldaria decided to search for a potion or herb shop, to find out more information on the reagents that they were collected, but instead found an abandoned spice and other dry good shop. Talking to the tailor next door, they found out that some goons had come by five days earlier and that Byoni and his wife, boarded up the shop, and went away a couple of days ago. The tailor was not sure why, nor if they fled north or southwest. So they went back to find Grainne to figure out a way to sneak in.

So after deciding that a boat was going to have to be rented, particularly a cheap one, they ran into a halfling couple, Cedric and Samantha Goodwort. Samatha was in tears, sobbing, and Cedric, holding back tears of his own, explained that their son, Thistletop went to some caves northeast of Patra. His friends had just recently returned, but without him. They think he was lost in one of the caves and they came back looking for help. Thistletop is halfling of about 11 years old, and far from earning his adult name. He had on a red tunic with brown pants, as well as, a walking stick with a small tortoise shell on top.

Knowing that the Heroes had to do something, Sylas ran to Elzy on the docks to get him to help find the halfling child, leaving out the important part that it was in a cave. Grainne went to go search for Eldaria, who as it turned out, was looking for her. They ran into each other near the Fisherman’s Net. They grabbed their gear, gave words of encouragement to the Goodworts, and headed northeast along the shoreline.

The travelled outside of town until they found a bed of seashells and rocks that led up to five visible cave entrances. Elzy turned to the rest of the party and glared at them. No one said anything about caves to him. Eldaria with their keen eyes noticed Thistletop’s walking stick among the stones and seashells that led to the largest of the cave openings. They all climbed up, but it was not an easy climb, and it was easy to lose one’s footing. Grainne ended up injuring herself trying to catch her fall, and ended up cutting her hand on a sharp rock.

Grainne picked herself up and they all made it to the cave. Getting inside was easy for everyone, but Elzy. He had to take a deep breath before he could walk in. Gaining control of his claustrophobia was hard some days, but today he was able to conquer it. Grainne conjured up some light, which helped calm his nerves and allowed everyone to see. After a few minutes of walking, they get to a crossroads. Down one branch, Eldaria heard the sounds of a small boy, whom they assume (and hope) was Thistletop. Down the other direction Elzy saw eyes. Quickly realizing that they were bear eyes, cast a spell which calmed the bear down. The bear was annoyed that their were guests in her home, but after Elzy talked to and fed her, the bear was less afraid.

After the bear was soothed, they went after the sounds of the small boy they heard. Thankfully, it was indeed Thistletop, but his leg was caught in a crevice. They got him free, and Grainne made splint, so they could get him back to town, without causing more injuring to his leg. The Goodworts were incredibly thankful for their son’s return, but hiring out a boat was going to have to wait another day. That night at the Fisherman’s Net, they told bawdy tales, trying to keep Sylas distracted from the fact that Eldaria and Grainne wanted to go sneak into the herbalist shop. Then Elzy showed up and started telling some of his ….

Rules Break Out:

The bear was intended to be a fight, using the Black Bear (B456), but Beast Soother was cast and was successful. So they were rewarded for their ingenuity. There will also be more time for battles.

Nelian Forest

East of Sorgusa, a full days walk away, is the Nelian Forest, one of the three in northern Tempore. At its greatest length it is about 50 miles long. It used to be twice as large a few hundred years ago, but as northern Tempore has grown, all of the forests have shrunk. 

Around 100 years ago, the town of Araxi was founded along the southern border using trees from the forest. Though no rivers to transport lumber existed, the town quickly became home to lots of lumberjacks and carpenters. Their goods would be made in the village and then sold elsewhere, usually to Serro to the south, which governs Araxi or Golan to the east, the largest settlement in Northern Tempore. But about 50 years ago, the forest became haunted, or so the people of Araxi believed. Accidents would occasionally befall a lumberjack to cut down a tree or someone gathering mushrooms would enter the forest and then never leave. Though the cutting down of trees and the use of the woods to create everything from furniture to barrels didn’t cease, it was drastically reduced. And over the past 25 years, the town of Araxi diminished both in size and in population. A few of the abandon houses were taken over by bandits over the years from time to time, but the main town itself still is a quiet place to live.

What actually happened was that a family Heasirretyn elves, who generally live in the grand forests at the base of the Shyrorn Mountains in Katen, had discovered after hundreds of years of searching that in this northern forest an artifact of great power that had been lost millennia ago. With the rumored return of a great evil in the southern lands, it was decided that it needed to be protected at all costs until the time of the Prophecy came true. So this family of elves on orders from their Queen moved from their home to make a new home. Now around 50 elves live in this forest, having made a small village in the center, high into the old growth trees. Though they don’t care if some of the forest is used by the humans in the nearby towns and village, but they have actively discouraged it from being a place where anyone visits. And if anyone does, they will watch them. Recently a halfling druid had made the forest a home, whom they watched carefully, but realized that she wasn’t there for the artifact, but rather an ancient tree that was a Shrine to a one of Lycretia’s twins, known as Tybeeda, the goddess of wilderness and nature. 

Though Elves are a rare sight, anywhere in Elandorr, they are very rare in Northern Tempore, but interestingly enough lot more Half-Elves have shown up in the last 30-35 years. And many of the people who have disappeared in the woods, some were hunting and needed to be taken care of, but others, some still reside deep in the woods. Heasirretyn elves, are the most playful of the elves that migrated to the World of Lycretia, but in Katen they do not interact with either the human or the dwarven settlements much due to not wanting to get involved with either of their wars. But this family of elves is very isolated from others of their ancestry, and need to enjoy life somehow. Some of these shenanigans and the occasional trek into a city, has allowed rumors to exist that there are elves in the Nelian Forest, but having humans live with them really allows them to get any goods or gear they can’t make with their hands or magic while still keeping their existence generally a secret.

Session 13 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 3)

The Heroes had found the Druid Grove late in the day. The sun was setting when they arrived and by the time the danger had passed, it was dark except for the light of the moon and the fire raging in the middle of the meadow. They knew they couldn’t really push on any further, especially with Elzy being in the shape he was. As they settled in for the night, Sylas kept throwing rocks at bushes that seemed to move in the flickering firelight. A few bushes ended up in the fire ….. just in case.

The next morning they got up slowly. No one rested well that night, but at least they were still safe. Elzy felt better, but would not be fully healed for a couple of days. But they had a long ways to go before they could get out of the Nelian Forest. At it’s longest was about 50 miles from end to end. It was rumored that a small number of Elves live in the Nelian Forest, but either the rumors are not true, or our Heroes never ran across them. They traveled a full day and never saw the end of the trees. It was until late the next morning did they reach the end of the forest and see the plains sweeping out in front of them. 

After many more hours of walking, they started to reach a river. Far off near the river they could see three individuals huddled around a cart. Elzy sent Harvee who flew towards them, circled around in the air, and flew back to the group. If the three individuals noticed the falcon, it did not seem to bother them. Harvee did not see them as a threat, and were two humans, one male, and one female, with a male goblin as their companion. As Sylas, who never really waited for anyone, kept walking towards the cart. It became obvious that their cart was broken down with a busted spoke, and they were arguing over what to do next. The cart was pulled by a mule, and contained items like leathers, spools of fiber, rocks, personal effects, and food and gear. They were not a wealthy a bunch and leaving the cart would be a painful loss.

Rybeka, a woman geologist, dressed in leathers, with pouches and pockets all over her outfit, a mace at her side, was arguing with Mecylas, a robed man, with the holy symbol of Lycretia around his neck, a shortsword at his side, were arguing as the Heroes walked up. They should have bought a spare wheel, but at the time they could really afford it. Sylas stepped up and calming diffused the argument. Meanwhile, Eldaria quietly walked to cart and kneeled down. Toog’bo’tin, a goblin leather worker and tailor, seemingly with no weapon, watched her with a curious eye. He was staying out of the argument as he had already said his peace by the time the Heroes had arrived. Eldaria concentrated on her magic and used Shape Plant to repair the spoke. It would not last forever, but should allow them to be able to get to Vilhana, their next destination after Golan. Eldaria saw the Goblin looking in their direction and said hello in a few words of the dialect she knows. Much to her surprise, Toog understood and smiled. In thanks, this motley group of merchants invited the Heroes to have a meal with them, as they decided they would go no further today. The sun was already indicating it was late afternoon. But they wanted to push on for a few more hours. But before they did so, Mecylas went over to Elzy and summoned a few words and most of his wounds instant healed. Grainne thought Mecylas was a Hedge Wizards, someone who knows a few spells because they were blessed by Lorythu but was never able to by birth or money to study at the Arcane Order, but it was possible he was indeed a priest of Lycretia. They never stayed long enough to find out.

Rules Break Out:

Based on the rules of Plant Shape, it seemed like a wheel spoke made of wood could be mended. But we never rolled, because it was such a cool idea that failure would not have been fun.

The Heroes now needed to figure out how to cross the river. Where the merchants broke down at was a broken bridge that feel into disrepair 20-30 years ago and has never been replaced. With eagle eyes, both Eldaria and Elzy noticed not far up the river a great place to ford. Elzy put a piece of rope in Harvee’s claws and had him fly around a tree that was across the river until the rope was essentially tied. It very much helped as everyone was able to, with the help of the rope, to cross along the stones and logs that littered this shallower part of the river. The boars though just swam across, quite happy with a little bath.

After crossing they traveled for a few more hours until it was close to dark. Camping again in the wilderness, they thought they could reach their destination, Patra, in another day. The next morning, the sun rose nicely and there were very few clouds in the sky. Thinking this was going to be a good day, they trekked on into the hills. It was hard to admit to themselves, but they definitely got lost a few times going up and down the same hill once they realized they were going in the wrong direction. They knew of Patra, but no one had ever actually been. But before the sun actual set for the night, they reached the outskirts of the town. 

Sylas started asking around about good places to stay, while Grainne was muttering out loud whether or not Sylas should just go to the lord or lady of the town and request rooms for all of them. Sylas never overheard this conversation, but Sylas suspected that only he could stay at the keep, but even if he could have convinced the lord or lady to stay, it just wasn’t his style. He is still very uncomfortable with his status and wishes to not impose himself upon anyone. That is is far too selfish for a knight. After asking around though, Sylas found out that the Fisherman’s Net would be a fine establishment to rest for the night. Though they had tasks at hand, they were all far too tired. At the inn, they had a fine meal of fried Lorg snapper and roasted taters. And as they relaxed in the common area before they went to their rooms, or in the case of Elzy the stables with his boars and Harvee, there was a bard singing songs and telling stories. The one that caught Grainne’s ears was about a legend of Mermaid Lake.

Generations ago, the legends say a fisherman fell in love with a woman who came from the lake. They had a family, who descendants still live in a fishing village on the Southern part of the lake, but one day, she went back into the lake and never returned. Stories say that when a full moon shines upon the lake, you can still see a mermaid swimming.

Session 12 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 2)

So the battle began against the Awakened Shrubberies. 

The Heroes quickly realized that they were surrounded and began to defend themselves against an entirely new adversary. One that none of them had ever encountered or faced before, even Sylas. Elzy already had his rapier out, expecting the worst as they entered the clearing. He quickly engaged with one of the shrubs. Grainne looked around and quickly grabbed her shield. In her mental preparation for this battle, it crossed her mind – are these even living creatures? Did they need to burn? All important questions as the killer plants closed in.

In her first real public demonstration of magic, Eldaria began casting Tangle Growth. After a few seconds, they were able to bend a tree down keeping one of the awakened shrubs at bay. Eldaria felt immense power in this place which allowed their magic succeeding beyond what they have normally accomplished. Sylas really wanted to try out his new glaive in combat, but realized quickly that in this moment his trusty broadsword was clearly the better tool. So he readied his sword and shield. Grainne, meanwhile, summoned fire underneath one the advancing shrubberies which caused them to burn, but more shockingly and advantageous they become afraid of the fire. A truly mindless creature wouldn’t have shown fear would they? Are these plants in fact alive?

After their display of magical power, Eldaria then cast an an arrow, finally felling one of these shrubberies. And once Grainne discovered that fire worked incredibly well against these creatures, she began to summon her trusty Flame Jet, burning them at any chance she got. Eventually Grainne, and then Elzy got a bit over confident and the Awakened Shrubberies both got in successful attacks. As their thorns pierced their leather armor, they found out that the thorns were indeed poisonous. Grainne was able to shake off the pain and nausea, but Elzy did not and fell unconscious upon the meadow. Sylas, though, had no fear of these creatures. Their thorns could not pierce his armor and he was able to finish off the rest of the shrubberies before anyone else could be hurt.

Rules Break Out:

Awakened Shrubbery: ST 10; DX 9; IQ 9; HT 11; SM 0; BM 4; Dodge 8; Parry 8; Thorny Branch-11 (1d-2 sw cut); DR 1). Thuckleberry Poison – 2d damage and HT vs. Nausea. Full version of this creature is from Garden of Evil published by Gaming Ballistic.

After all of the shrubberies were defeated, Grainne was able to diagnose that Elzy, and herself, were not going to die as the poison has an immediate effect, but does not linger and continue to cause damage. Regardless it was pretty obvious that Elzy was in particular very hurt. Scrambling to help, Eldaria remembered about the Esmalgos tree, that if the bark is brewed, would create a tea that helps neutralize poisons coming from plants, but particularly offsets nausea. With luck, Eldaria found a young Esmalgos tree near by the meadow. It couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7 years old. One wonders if that is how long this halfling has been in these woods? Sylas in annoyance took all the shrubs, along with some other dead wood and threw them on the fire that Grainne summoned. With a fire raging, they could boil some water for the Esmalgos Tea.

Rules Break Out:

Esmalgos bark, when brewed and consumed, gives an addition 2 HP to a First Aid roll against plant based poisons and toxins. It does nothing against any other types poisons and toxins, like snake bites. It is also frequently used by midwifes and herbalists to reduce nausea caused by pregnancy.

Not far from the clearing, Eldaria discovered a shrine to Tybeeda, a powerful nature deity that is worshipped throughout Elandorr. Thy are the primary deity of the Feral Humans. This shrine was a tree that was magically warped and shaped to look like a face of a wisened man with a long flowing beard. The tree was at least two or three hundred years old, but had been clearly forgotten about for at least a life time or two, only to be discovered by this Druid of Tybeeda.

Not to be out done, Elzy discovered the Druid’s cave. Inside he found her stash of food, some of which he started eating. Getting almost killed by poisoned shrubs was a bit stressful. There were a bunch of scrolls and other writings, but Elzy as it turns out, couldn’t read them. The written words never interested him, but was cognizant enough to know to at least take them for his friends to look at. When Eldaria read them, it became fairly clear more or less what happened. The Druid wanted to aid herself in creating a small community out in the woods. Therefore, she began animating plants to do very tasks like build her cave. But then something caused this halfling to take a darker turn and began awakening the plants. It is not entirely clear what caused this. But by the process of awakening them, she caused souls to be ripped from Gurri’s grasp before they could travel to the Land of Lycretia. It appeared to be the inability to control these Awaken Shrubberies that caused the Druid’s tragic death.

Upon the body of the druid herself, she had wooden lamellar armor that was too small for anyone in the party, a necklace with the Great Tree of Tybeeda, and a magical sling. Everyone agreed that Elzy should have the sling, even though he did not yet know how to use it.

Rules Break Out:

Scrolls: Heal Plant (M161), Shape Plant (M161), Bless Plants (M161), Plant Growth (M162), Plant Vision (M162), Create Plant (M163), Animate Plant (M164), Create Animated Plant (GoE4), Grasping Branch (MPS14), Capturing Vines (MPS12), Create Paper (MPS12).

Other Treasure: Wooden Lamellar Armor (DR 3), Sling with +1 Accuracy, a bag with 10 stones that do +1 damage, and two minor healing potions.

Session 11 – The Prequel Concludes (Part 1)

Meeting the Headmaster

The winter for the Heroes of Sorgusa was long and uneventful, but the past few weeks of Spring had more than made up for it. Since the forgotten temple of {redacted] was found, this was the first time they had truly been able to rest and relax.

Having finally fought for the first time since he was shipwrecked, Elzy spent a lot of time practicing with his rapier. Soon he felt he might be able to perform some of the maneuvers he once saw sailing the high seas. When relaxing, he took a lot of opportunities to talk with the boars. His magical connection with animals was definitely beginning to bloom. Through his conversations with the boars, he discovered that they definitely were trained to attack in groups to the sounds of different whistles, and to return with the signal was given. Other than their natural tendencies, the were never trained to hunt. But these boars are known as expert trackers and mushroom hunters. Their names were Carver and Currie.

Sylas trained all week with his new glaive. By the end, he could swing the large weapon around without embarrassing himself, he hoped. He discovered with Kelvara’s help that the blade was forged from the iron that comes from the Tears of Nythuly or a meteor. Bjarke has known for a year that Slyas has magical talent, that just had not been fully awaken. So he began to teach him the Glue spell, hoping an interest in learning would coax out his magic even more.

Grainne went to Adarte at the temple and spent as much time as she could learning about the Fishing Goddess that she thinks was named Mylari in the Weldorrian language. She learned that she was included in stories about Farlun at least as late as 350 years ago, but the stories changed as legends of the gods are apt to do. And the stories of Mylaribegan to be forgotten, eventually only remembered in a small fishing village called Sorgusa, and even then, she was eventually forgotten. But these stories reminded Grainne of a goddess on Shrinshaw that was worshiped on the coast that her mother and father told her stories of as they travelled from their homeland in search of a new life.

Eldaria spent time with their family. Remy came back from his jaunt on the seas with some fish, enough at least to eat for the week, but it was clear that in a couple of weeks, all of the fishermen would be out on the seas or along the coast to begin catching fish for the famed Sorgusan Salted Fish. Eldaria and their mother, Maria, then spent the week finishing up any net repair that was needed, along with some spring cleaning. With Remy out on the seas, and Eldaria heading out more and more with their friends, there wasn’t going to be another time. A few of the poorer fishermen families put in request for some new nets as well. A couple of evenings Eldaria met up with Elzy, Sylas, and Grainne at the Ivory Oyster. 

Near the end of the week, Lord Mourava returned to Sorgusa from Temparat. Stywert was summoned immediately, and there were some hushed conversations that Sylas was not involved with. But it was clear that what ever he had uncovered was serious business. In a couple of weeks more Tempore Guards would arrive.

At the end of the week, a finely dressed half-elf showed up at the Ivory Oyster. He greeting Bjarke with a strong embrace and they began talking like they had known each other for decades. The Heroes noticed that he a similar amulet as the Bard Enara had, a stylized A and O intertwined with a wave, clearly indicating that he was from the Arcane Order. Bjarke and him talked for awhile, and the Heroes could over hear that Bjarke had been talking to him about them for awhile. After a bit he walked over to the Heroes and introduced himself as Headmaster Mythony. His eyes indicated decades of experience and knowledge but because he was a half-elf, didn’t look any older than late 40s to a casual observer. After greeting and having them introduce themselves to him, though it was clear he already knew who they were. He talked that his potion master, Professor Uouh’took, was in need of some ingredients from up north, but that neither the Professor nor himself had the time to wander looking. The excuse felt flimsy and it was, it became clear that he really wanted to test them, see if they could survive the mission, and perhaps be good students at his school. He even hinted that perhaps they could make potions with Professor Uouh’took, their newest professor.

The thee items that are needed are fins of the Lorg snapper, dried Naiad kelp, and Mermaid agates. All three could be found up north in or around Mermaid Lake. Eldaria knew from the combination of their experience, along with consulting their new book, that Naiad kelp only grows in fresh water lakes, and the only place she knows where it grows up north is along the shores of Lynhare, on the north tip of Mermaid Lake. Furthermore, this type of kelp is definitely an ingredient in water breathing potions and it was exciting that they could perhaps one day make that potion with the school’s goblin potion master.

Grainne wanted to know more about the Mermaid agates, but knew nothing more than that they were just colored with a gradient of light blues and sea green. Wishing desperately for a library, Sylas reminded her that Lord Mourava was the only one with a library and that she absolutely could come see it. In all this excitement, Grainne had to change in better clothes if she was going to go inside the keep for the first time. Looking through the library, she found a pamphlet about agate geodes, including one that clearly was what Headmaster Mythony referred to as Naiad agates. In this area, the only known location to find them is on an island in the middle of Mermaid Lake.

After another night’s rest, and the Lord’s permission for Sylas, the Heroes set out due East and by the evening pushing through entered the forest north of Araxi. Nearing exhaustion from traveling all day, they found a nice clearing where a camp could easily be set up. But not all was right, along the far end of the clearing was a dead halfling laying on the ground in wooded lamellar armor. Grainne with her awaken interest in the health of creatures due to the death she had caused, noticed thorn marks on this female halfling. Those thorn marks showed signs of poison and then they heard rustling among the trees and saw bushes rising and moving toward them. Grainne noticed they all had thorns ……..