Session 51.5
July 15 - August 7, 2018
Campaign Timeline
A heavy calm settles over the marshy lake-side glade as everyone makes their way back to the drier path. Though it is not hot, the air is thick with moisture here near the lake. Several members of the group are soaking wet and the rest are covered in mud from the run across the moist ground between the path and the lake.
The Faerie Dragon, Riddywipple, curls up on a rock near the path and moans, his cries can be heard out loud as well as telepathically, which creates a strange sort of echo. “Oh my, they are all gone, all dead and now dead again! Acaclus and Rhokon, how could you let this happen to your nobility.” The strange little Dragon does a little flip and bounds off the rock and lands on Paka`s back, causing the firepelt to leap and growl.
“Did you know that a group of pegasi are called a nobility? That's very interesting to me. Not a herd our a flock, but a nobility. And they are such noble creatures. And my friends,” he says in his sing-song voice before breaking down into crying again. He spirals down to the hard packed earth of the trail and continues, “Capamedes, Demodas, I'll never see you again. Thyestus, Selerine, we'll never play games or race across the lake again even though I always let you win. Oh me oh my, this is almost too much to bear!” The dragon lets out one final, mournful howl then slumps to the ground, silent.
As Daellin steps back onto the path he pauses for a moment assessing the current situation. With a look of grim resignation he wipes the mud and grit from both of his enchanted blades onto his thoroughly sodden cloak. A brief inspection confirms them clean and free of any nicks or imperfections. With a hiss of metal on metal he slides both weapons back into their scabbards.
Rummaging around briefly in his pack he pulls forth an intricately engraved brush. Murmuring softly under his breath his eyes close briefly. An imperceptible breeze whisks about his lithe form. Slowly at first and then with increased speed the water and detritus radiate outward from his clothes in an elegant downward spiral. In no time his outfit is as clean and fresh as the day he picked them up from the tailor.
Feeling properly elvish again he relaxes ever so slightly. Concerned about Thim’s close call with the Kelpie and already forgetting about his own inadequacies he watches closely as his friends ready themselves on the pathway.
Feeling a bit sorry for their obviously disheveled appearance he attempts to attend to the needs of his companions. He’s definitely at least partially concerned about being seen with such a scruffy looking bunch of rogues. It’s a wonder that no one has confused them with scoundrels considering the state of their appearance. To avoid any possible confusion and subsequent embarrassment, he offers up his brush and it’s services. Who knows, they might just appreciate a bit of freshening up after an impromptu dip in the pond.
The lamentations of Riddywipple he ignores to the best of his ability. The fey creature hasn’t been traveling long with the company yet Daellin is already looking forward to their farewell.
Calina shakes her head at Daellin and walks slowly over to the poor creatures side. She sits down next to him and strokes his head gently. "I know your pain little one, and I offer sympathy from the deepest part of my heart. They were your friends, and it hurts very much to think of them being gone.”
"And right now, all you have is a heavy heart. This you can not escape. You must grieve first." She turns her gaze upward to the sky, and points to the white, fluffy clouds. "I'm sure your friends would love if one day, you would remember all the wondrous times you had and be able to smile again. You may even see them cavorting about in the clouds."
He continues to wail for a few minutes longer, then slows to a few sobs. He curls up next to Calina, lays his head on her lap and falls asleep.
Samad considers Daellin’s offer of grooming as he looks down at his mud covered clothing. Thim shakes and tries drying out his clothing as much as he can, shuddering more from the thought of being in the water. Riddywipple makes a strange bubbling sound as he sleeps and Calina can feel that he is quite warm as he snuggle up against her. Paka looks on in disdain and lets out a low growl before disappearing into some tall grass nearby. A dark cloudbank drifts in and obscures the sun as a chilly wind blows in from over the lake.
The sound of crows start to fill the air as several large black birds swoop into the area and land among the low foliage between the path and the lake. Kallin watches as his crow companion Peck and Tarn`vasi, the invisible spirit crow, fly over and join them.
Kallin watches his companion crows for a moment and smiles at fun they seem to be having. He looks to his other companions then realizes he needs to check them for whatever first aid that needs to be given. As he wanders the group, they mostly have a few scrapes, bruises and some fatigue which can be covered a little first aid. As he gets to Alistair, he sees and remembers that he took a few hooves to his body. Kallin starts by doing some first aid and bandaging. Then he stands in front of Alistair and casts a Major Heal to bring his health back up. When he gets to Daellin, he is just standing there with a forlorn look and a brush out. Kallin asks him, “Do you want me to use that?” The elf responds with a sniff and a “yes”. Kallin awkwardly uses it and says “Thanks”, shrugs his shoulders and moves on.
When Kallin is finished, starts to get a little bored. He spys a leaf with some mud on it and thinks, “That looks like a picture of an apple”. He gets an idea. He gathers up some mud and a big clean leaf, and a stick. He fills the stick with some mud and tries to paint a horse on the leaf. When Kallin finishes with his very childlike painting of what looks vaguely like a horse. He goes around the group to proudly show his accomplishment.
Just as he is removing the last of the gunk from his brush Daellin notices Kallin approaching. Hastily he stuffs the brush back into his pack with a mental note to introduce the half orc to proper grooming ... someday. He smiles as his friend comes to stand in front of him with his artwork.
Daellin takes the leaf drawing offered by Kallin and studies it for a few moments. In truth it’s probably not much worse than what he himself would accomplish if he were inclined to make a mud horse. “Not bad at all considering what you had to work with Kallin. I definitely like it better than some of your other paintings you’ve done. I mean Sorshen’s taste was a bit ... ahem ... eccentric. I’m glad to see that you’ve moved on from that sort of thing.” He gently hands the decorated leaf back to Kallin.
“Perhaps we should try speaking with Riddywipple. He’s not going to want to hear this but we really don’t have time to delay any more. Every hour that passes puts more of his woodland friends at risk. Someone needs to stop this scourge before it decimates the entire forest.”
Kallin decides to see what Peck and Tarn`vasi are up to so heads off in the direction that he last saw them.
As the birds clear out, Kallin and Thim see what they were flocked around. It looks like a dead body of a person of some sort. One of the zombie pegasi was also grazing here, if Kallin remembers correctly. The body is face down and badly mangled and torn apart. One of its arms and part of one of its legs is missing. As Kallin approaches, he thinks he hears soft sobbing sounds coming from a small tuft of tall grass nearby. He pauses and looks at Thim, then realizes that the Half-Elf does not, or cannot hear the crying sounds.
Meanwhile, back on the trail, Riddywipple lifts his head and looks up, first at Calina then at Daellin. “Yes, let us press on, hey, how did you get so clean? We must get to the bottom of this pesky problem and zap the zombies and their mean master!” He flies up and perches on Calina’s shoulder, nuzzling against the side of her head, ear and neck. “Do you really think this could mean the end of Sanos Forest? This is my home, I’ve never lived anywhere else. I don’t want to move! How will I ever get all of my things to a new forest? And what if there isn’t another fallen, hollow log in a ravine in this new forest? What if there IS a hollow, fallen tree, but I don’t like it? No, no, no! We must get to the bottom of this and avenge my twice fallen Pegasi friends. Though you know what? I didn’t see Arinora with the group, maybe she made it out.”
Calina moves to her feet and smiles at the little dragon as he perches on her shoulder. "Riddywipple, rest assured that I will help you find your friend. And at the most remote chance that you would have to move, I would be honored to help you find the perfect new home for you."
Calina nods in the general direction of the rest of the party. "I'm pretty sure they would help as well."
She whispers to Riddywipple, "We didn't mention it before because 'some' of us don't like to brag." She gives Daelin a hard stare, "We are the Heroes of Sandpoint and have assisted the unfortunate many times. We will not give up on you and your friends."
After taking a breather. Alistar says “We should burn them. Set their souls free and clear the forest of this taint. If you give a little bit more time to catch a second wind I can create the pyre.” He then offers up a prayer “Dawn from on high vist us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. St. Judith, giver of hope, be with the fallen in their desperate hour. St Christopher, bearer of burdens, lift from where they have fallen. Amen."
Hearing no objections, Alistar uses create fire and then fast fire to incinerate the Pegasus. Alistar had hoped to gather some samples from the Kelpies but realizes that both of the aquatic creatures retreated beneath the surface of the lake and it is unclear whether they were defeated or just chased away.
Kallin cautiously approaches with his staff at the ready the small tuft of grass to see where the sobbing is coming from.
As Kallin examines the small tuft of grass, he sees, sitting in the center of it, the spirit of one of the forest creatures. It is a Faun and appears to have the lower half of a goat and the upper half of an Elf maiden. She sits there, crying looking down as if she were cradling something on her lap. As Kallin leans in, the Faun looks up, a startled look in her eye. She speaks to Kallin but he realizes that it musts be speaking some other language, because he cannot understand her. It sounds like it might be Elvish or some other sylvan tongue.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the path, Alistar casts some spells and begins burning the zombie Pegasi. It is more difficult than he imagined, due to the moisture present in the glade and the recently deceased nature of the creatures, but after quite a few minutes, he has the first of the abominations burning nicely. A thick, putrid, greenish-black smoke billows up from the monster’s burning corpse.
The twisting columns of smoke pique Daellin’s curiosity. He wonders what kind of fun Alistar, Thim and Kallin might be getting into without him. With a smile spreading across his face his long graceful strides quickly catch him up to the rest of his companions. He approaches Kallin as the half-orc is bent over obscuring the elf’s view.
His eyes widen in surprise as he steps up beside Kallin. He looks back and forth from the tuft of grass to the half-orc several times. His smile fades into a look of bewilderment at first. “Uhm... Kallin is everything alright? I would’ve sworn you were talking to someone for a moment there. Is there anything I can help with?”
While waiting for his friends reply Daellin looks at what is left of the mutilated body. “Huh, whatever could that be?” He asks more to himself than any of the group. Gently with respect to the dead he eases the gauntlet slowly from the grip of its its former owner. He brushes the loose mud and grass from the dented steel and examines it more in depth.
While Kallin, Thim, and Daellin check something out in the tall grass and Alistar works on burning the zombie corpses, Calina continues to sit on the path playing with Riddywipple while Samad stands nearby, impatiently tapping his foot.
Daellin examines the worn out gauntlet. It is old and rusty and has several holes right through the metal. The cloth or leather lining that once graced it's insides is completely deteriorated and only the faintest remnants remain. ‘It's clearly magic,’ Daellin thinks to himself as Thim looks on, having lost interest in watching Kallin stare at some tall grass.
Thim thoroughly looks over the body after watching Daellin slip the gauntlet from its hand. He searched for anything that might tell him how long the being has been dead or where they might be from. After spending some time looking over the body, Thim looks upwards at things have changed around him. There are some of his old friends, but they have taken up arms. Quickly his head pivots to his side, and reacting almost naturally, blocks an incoming hammer with his blade. The force from it knocks him backwards into the entrance of a tent and onto the ground. Suddenly the blur of two figures come into focus, and the shock of his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend bring him to his senses and he finds himself gazing off in the distance.
Thim rubs his eyes, taking several moments to come from this haze. He looks around catching that Daellin was still examining the gauntlet. He makes way over to the elf and looks down at it, taking in more of the items looks. “Do you think it might be magical?”
Kallin doesn’t take his eyes of the spirit as he sets his staff on the ground. He puts his hands up and shouts, “Hey, ummm...I have a spirit here that I believe is speaking Elvish. Can anyone translate?”
“Ehh, hmmm,” Daellin mutters as Kallin shouts past him. “I am right here, friend, and as you know, I am of fine Elvish heritage and speak all the finest Elvish words.” He turns to Thim, looking at the gauntlet he holds in his hands. “How about you, Thim? You clearly have Elvish blood in you, do you speak the tongue of our people?” Thim frowns a bit and responds that he does know some Elvish, but is not fluent in the language. Daellin turns back to Kallin, “Well, then, I suppose I can translate. Sadly, though, I cannot see any of the spirits. Nor can I hear anything.”
Thim notices that Daellin seemed to ignore his question about the gauntlet being magical or not. Realizing that he was still examining the body on the ground, Thim looks back down and sees that he had turned the body over before his flashback hit. The body is that of a Human man, bearded and stocky. He is dressed like a woodsman or ranger. The body bears numerous impact marks, probably from the hooves of the zombie pegasi, as well as many places where the undead beasts had begun gnawing upon him. He cannot be more than a few days dead as the body has not bloated enough in this moist environment.
Kallin jumps a little after Daellin speaks, and says “sorry, I was concentrating” Kallin faces Daellin and casts Affect Spirit.
Daellin suddenly realize that they can hear a small female voice crying and talking nearby in Elvish, though Thim can only catch every 3rd word or so, she is speaking so fast. The voice sounds like it is coming from the center of the tuft of grass that Kallin has been staring at.
The voice cries about losing her beloved Donnegal and the horror she experiences when her friends, the pegasi, attacked them. Daellin discovers that her name is Fysae and that her and the ranger, Donnegal, were attacked and killed, though Fysae does not realize she is dead and is somewhat confused about where Daellin’s voice is coming from. She is also confused about the Half-Orc she can see but cannot understand. Daellin tries his best to explain without giving her too much of a shock by telling her that she is a spirit and dead as well.
On the other side of the clearing, Alistar moves on to the second zombie pegasus corpse and he comes across the body of a mutilated faun, nearly trampled down into the mud. The body, which is twisted and partially face up, reveals what remains of a sweet, Elvish face and upper body with furry goat legs. The body is battered and mangled by numerous powerful impacts, possibly strikes from pegasus hooves. He calls over to the rest of the group and lets them know that he has found the dead faun. As he looks back at her, he notices a small pouch hanging from her belt that has the aura of magic about it.
Kallin looks at Daellin and asks if he could ask for permission for everyone to see her.
Daellin translates this request to Fysae and after a bit of explaining and smooth talking, she agrees. Kallin invokes the power of his Mistress, the Lady of Graves, and casts his spell.
Takes the small pouch from the faun and then attempts to drag the fauns body away from the Pegasus.
“My apologies Thim, I was a bit lost in my own thoughts there for a moment.” He holds the battered gauntlet up for the half-elf to take and inspect if he so desires. “Yes this does appear to be magical, although I have no clue as to what purpose the enchantment serves. We need to let Alistar take a look however if we want to know more.”
Daellin pauses for a moment as he processes what Kallin is trying to do. Once he understands, he addresses Kallin. “Let me assist you my friend.” He puts his hand on the half orcs shoulder and murmurs a few words in elvish. “Anna-o-lambe” he intones and Kallin seems to feel his ears tingle, even feel sharper ...dare we say pointy? Now Kallin discovers that he can understand elvish fluently. Daellin smiles one of his infamous grins as he notices Kallin checking his ears, which haven’t changed ... at least physically.
Alistar pockets the small pouch and easily moves the body of the deceased faun away from where the pegasus corpse lies. He deposits the body of the Faun near the path.
Back on the other side of the lakeside clearing, Kallin concludes his casting and then Daellin and Thim can now see the spirit Faun that Kallin had seen and they could hear. “Oh,” she says in Elvish. “There you are, hello. I am unsure what is going on here, but my love Donnegal has been slain and I am sad. These Pegasi have for years been our friends and allies, but when we came by to visit them recently, we found they had been killed somehow and turned into undead abominations. Deep in their midsts, we were overwhelmed. I guess I was knocked out and when I came to, I found my love dead.” She cries a bit more and appears to be stroking someone’s head in her lap, though no one sees anything there.
As burning these corpses is taking a lot longer and more energy than expected, Alistar finds a nice spot to sit down and have a short rest. He plans to rest for about 30 minutes then resume burning corpses.
As Kallin, Thim and Daellin talk to the young, deceased Faun, Riddywipple becomes curious of their activity and flies over, leaving Calina and Samad alone on the path. The small Faerie Dragon circles around then lands unceremoniously on Kallin’s head, shooing Peck away with a loud squawk. “I am feeling oh so much better now, I think my cuddles and pets have soothed my… why hello there Fysae, how are you? Where is Donnegal?” The Faun spirit looks up and sees Riddywipple and greets him, though the small Dragon cannot seem to hear her words. Fysae seems equally confused as to why she cannot hear her friend Riddywipple. “What is going on here, why can’t I hear her? Wait, who is that?” he cries out looking at the nearby mutilated body of Donnegal. “Is that, oh no, it is, isn’t it?” He swoops down and lands on the ground next to the body and begins crying all over again. “This is too much, we have to end this madness, this Marigana must be stopped! Please we can wait no longer!” He leaps back into the air and flies up in a tight spiral, yelling in his tiny, high pitched voice the entire way. Finally he stops rising and seems to stall and then fall, plummeting back to the earth, pulling out of his dive at the last moment and landing once again on Kallin’s head. “We should go now, I think. I saw some things slinking through the trees back there, several things. I was too high to get a good look, but it seemed that they were coming this way?” he indicates back behind them, from the way that they initially came. “We need to go this way anyway.” He turns back to Fysae and starts to speak but then turns to Daellin, “She is dead, isn’t she, this is some sort of spirit magic here. Please tell her I love her and I will avenge her and Donnegal, they were such a good couple!” He turns away, unable to look at his two former friends again and flies back toward the path but further down past where Samad and Calina wait, coming to rest on a branch from a small tree.
Daellin bows his head ever so slightly acknowledging Riddywipple’s request as the fey retreats down the path. Turning to the faun he kneels down bringing his eyes level with hers. “You are about to embark on a wonderful journey Fysae. It’s beginning is immersed in sorrow and it is no doubt frightening to embark. But have hope. Your beloved is awaiting you. Your friends like Riddywipple will cherish their memories of your love. Take heart that they seek to honor your life by bringing justice to those who have aggrieved you so horribly. Rest now little one and be at peace.”
Bowing respectfully to Fysae, Daellin stands. A solitary tear hangs at the corner of one eye as the elf turns and heads back down the path to join Calina, Samad and Riddywipple.
Kallin looks at the spirit of Fysae and he wishes he didn't have to explain these things to her but since he can magically speak her tongue, he does so as simply as he can. There is so much to convey but he knows Donnegal and Fysae will be taken care of. Kallin moves Donnegal’s body over to Fysae body. As Kallin kneels down to start the ritual, he cries a little over the body of Fysae. He then prepares them to meet Pharasma. Kallin grabs his staff and heads up to the path. He knows his purpose here, we must take down this Marigana.
Riddywipply flits about nervously, “Come, come, others are approaching, no telling what it might be. This place was coveted by many, like those nasty Kelpies. Others will bother and keep us from our task. Once we are done we may return and bask.” Looking back behind the group to where the Faerie Dragon indicated trouble was approaching, Calina gets a bad feeling.
“But I’m not done here. Surely the Hero’s Of Sandpoint can handle a few wandering monsters,” Alistar says with a haughty look on his face.
Calling upon the magic from his new gauntlet Alistar shouts “TO THE ABYSS WITH IT! BURN!” and ignites all five of the remaining abominations.
As Alistar hurries and ignites all the pegasi corpses. Huge clouds of black smoke fill the area accompanied by a noxious stench. Jo, the Grey Maiden, calls from the rear of the group, “Hey, all, something is coming. I see several figures moving through the bushes. Actually it looks like the bushes are moving!” She takes a step back and readies her sword and shield.
“Bushes moving, you say? That's not good. Sounds like Twigjacks. Not good, we should leave!” Riddywipply says.
Alistar heads off in the direction indicated by Riddywipply, “Come on we are done here.” At the same time he gets out a Paut potion and consumes it.
Daellin steps forward to where Riddywipple has found the prints. Sweeping his cloak up over his arm he crouches beside them careful not to get too much more soiled in the mud. He studies the tracks intently for a few moments. He’s hoping to confirm Riddywipples suspicion that these tracks do indeed belong to Arinora. Perhaps even get lucky and discern when they were made and where they are headed.
Daellin clearly sees the tracks that appear to be those of a horse, unshod, moving about somewhat erratically on the path but in the same direction that the party is going in. The hoof prints indicate that the horse, or pegasus possibly, was wounded as one of the hooves seemed to make dragging tracks here and there. His keen Elvish eyes also detect another set of footprints, much smaller, narrow and long, wearing poorly made shoes or wrapped in something. A further inspection of the area reveals numerous tracks of small animals as would be expected in a forest. There is an unexpected amount of what look to be porcupine quills as well spread around the area.
Daellin shares what he has found with the rest of the party. As long as everyone agrees he suggests heading after the tracks of the pegasus and the small footprints to see where they lead.
The tracks seem to lead in the same direction that Riddywipple was leading them. “Maybe Arinora was following them, trying to fight back, maybe even help the captured Gnome,” he says enthusiastically and continues down the trail.
Calina - Varisian Human archer and scout - played by Carol C
Daellin Silvanthalas, Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben L
Samad Aldhul, Human ex-mercenary - played by JeCorey H
Alistar Gavin Lourdis, Human Mageknight- played by Don K
Thim Westerdale, Half-Elf rogue - played by Malcolm G
Looking For Dijjit
Moonday 4th KuthonaSad Dragon
A heavy calm settles over the marshy lake-side glade as everyone makes their way back to the drier path. Though it is not hot, the air is thick with moisture here near the lake. Several members of the group are soaking wet and the rest are covered in mud from the run across the moist ground between the path and the lake. The Faerie Dragon, Riddywipple, curls up on a rock near the path and moans, his cries can be heard out loud as well as telepathically, which creates a strange sort of echo. “Oh my, they are all gone, all dead and now dead again! Acaclus and Rhokon, how could you let this happen to your nobility.” The strange little Dragon does a little flip and bounds off the rock and lands on Paka`s back, causing the firepelt to leap and growl.
“Did you know that a group of pegasi are called a nobility? That's very interesting to me. Not a herd our a flock, but a nobility. And they are such noble creatures. And my friends,” he says in his sing-song voice before breaking down into crying again. He spirals down to the hard packed earth of the trail and continues, “Capamedes, Demodas, I'll never see you again. Thyestus, Selerine, we'll never play games or race across the lake again even though I always let you win. Oh me oh my, this is almost too much to bear!” The dragon lets out one final, mournful howl then slumps to the ground, silent.
As Daellin steps back onto the path he pauses for a moment assessing the current situation. With a look of grim resignation he wipes the mud and grit from both of his enchanted blades onto his thoroughly sodden cloak. A brief inspection confirms them clean and free of any nicks or imperfections. With a hiss of metal on metal he slides both weapons back into their scabbards.
Rummaging around briefly in his pack he pulls forth an intricately engraved brush. Murmuring softly under his breath his eyes close briefly. An imperceptible breeze whisks about his lithe form. Slowly at first and then with increased speed the water and detritus radiate outward from his clothes in an elegant downward spiral. In no time his outfit is as clean and fresh as the day he picked them up from the tailor.
Feeling properly elvish again he relaxes ever so slightly. Concerned about Thim’s close call with the Kelpie and already forgetting about his own inadequacies he watches closely as his friends ready themselves on the pathway.
Feeling a bit sorry for their obviously disheveled appearance he attempts to attend to the needs of his companions. He’s definitely at least partially concerned about being seen with such a scruffy looking bunch of rogues. It’s a wonder that no one has confused them with scoundrels considering the state of their appearance. To avoid any possible confusion and subsequent embarrassment, he offers up his brush and it’s services. Who knows, they might just appreciate a bit of freshening up after an impromptu dip in the pond.
The lamentations of Riddywipple he ignores to the best of his ability. The fey creature hasn’t been traveling long with the company yet Daellin is already looking forward to their farewell.
Calina shakes her head at Daellin and walks slowly over to the poor creatures side. She sits down next to him and strokes his head gently. "I know your pain little one, and I offer sympathy from the deepest part of my heart. They were your friends, and it hurts very much to think of them being gone.”
"And right now, all you have is a heavy heart. This you can not escape. You must grieve first." She turns her gaze upward to the sky, and points to the white, fluffy clouds. "I'm sure your friends would love if one day, you would remember all the wondrous times you had and be able to smile again. You may even see them cavorting about in the clouds."
He continues to wail for a few minutes longer, then slows to a few sobs. He curls up next to Calina, lays his head on her lap and falls asleep.
Samad considers Daellin’s offer of grooming as he looks down at his mud covered clothing. Thim shakes and tries drying out his clothing as much as he can, shuddering more from the thought of being in the water. Riddywipple makes a strange bubbling sound as he sleeps and Calina can feel that he is quite warm as he snuggle up against her. Paka looks on in disdain and lets out a low growl before disappearing into some tall grass nearby. A dark cloudbank drifts in and obscures the sun as a chilly wind blows in from over the lake.
The sound of crows start to fill the air as several large black birds swoop into the area and land among the low foliage between the path and the lake. Kallin watches as his crow companion Peck and Tarn`vasi, the invisible spirit crow, fly over and join them.
Kallin watches his companion crows for a moment and smiles at fun they seem to be having. He looks to his other companions then realizes he needs to check them for whatever first aid that needs to be given. As he wanders the group, they mostly have a few scrapes, bruises and some fatigue which can be covered a little first aid. As he gets to Alistair, he sees and remembers that he took a few hooves to his body. Kallin starts by doing some first aid and bandaging. Then he stands in front of Alistair and casts a Major Heal to bring his health back up. When he gets to Daellin, he is just standing there with a forlorn look and a brush out. Kallin asks him, “Do you want me to use that?” The elf responds with a sniff and a “yes”. Kallin awkwardly uses it and says “Thanks”, shrugs his shoulders and moves on.
When Kallin is finished, starts to get a little bored. He spys a leaf with some mud on it and thinks, “That looks like a picture of an apple”. He gets an idea. He gathers up some mud and a big clean leaf, and a stick. He fills the stick with some mud and tries to paint a horse on the leaf. When Kallin finishes with his very childlike painting of what looks vaguely like a horse. He goes around the group to proudly show his accomplishment.
Just as he is removing the last of the gunk from his brush Daellin notices Kallin approaching. Hastily he stuffs the brush back into his pack with a mental note to introduce the half orc to proper grooming ... someday. He smiles as his friend comes to stand in front of him with his artwork.
Daellin takes the leaf drawing offered by Kallin and studies it for a few moments. In truth it’s probably not much worse than what he himself would accomplish if he were inclined to make a mud horse. “Not bad at all considering what you had to work with Kallin. I definitely like it better than some of your other paintings you’ve done. I mean Sorshen’s taste was a bit ... ahem ... eccentric. I’m glad to see that you’ve moved on from that sort of thing.” He gently hands the decorated leaf back to Kallin.
“Perhaps we should try speaking with Riddywipple. He’s not going to want to hear this but we really don’t have time to delay any more. Every hour that passes puts more of his woodland friends at risk. Someone needs to stop this scourge before it decimates the entire forest.”
Kallin decides to see what Peck and Tarn`vasi are up to so heads off in the direction that he last saw them.
Wanna See a Dead Body?
Curious, Kallin heads back off the path toward where the crows are congregating in the tall grasses near the trail. Thim watches him go curiously, then gets up and follows the Half-Orc. Trying to avoid the muddier parts now that the excitement of the battle is over, Kallin picks his way through the marshy area between the path and the lake, heading over to where a large group of crows has gathered. He smiles as he sees Peck and Tarn’vasi both perched up on a branch of a short shrub while the other birds swarm something below. Kallin calls out to the crows, thinking that since he has some crow friends, then other crows might automatically like him. That is not the case, though, and the whole murder cries out at once and surges into the air filling the sky with flapping black wings and indignant squawks.As the birds clear out, Kallin and Thim see what they were flocked around. It looks like a dead body of a person of some sort. One of the zombie pegasi was also grazing here, if Kallin remembers correctly. The body is face down and badly mangled and torn apart. One of its arms and part of one of its legs is missing. As Kallin approaches, he thinks he hears soft sobbing sounds coming from a small tuft of tall grass nearby. He pauses and looks at Thim, then realizes that the Half-Elf does not, or cannot hear the crying sounds.
Meanwhile, back on the trail, Riddywipple lifts his head and looks up, first at Calina then at Daellin. “Yes, let us press on, hey, how did you get so clean? We must get to the bottom of this pesky problem and zap the zombies and their mean master!” He flies up and perches on Calina’s shoulder, nuzzling against the side of her head, ear and neck. “Do you really think this could mean the end of Sanos Forest? This is my home, I’ve never lived anywhere else. I don’t want to move! How will I ever get all of my things to a new forest? And what if there isn’t another fallen, hollow log in a ravine in this new forest? What if there IS a hollow, fallen tree, but I don’t like it? No, no, no! We must get to the bottom of this and avenge my twice fallen Pegasi friends. Though you know what? I didn’t see Arinora with the group, maybe she made it out.”
Calina moves to her feet and smiles at the little dragon as he perches on her shoulder. "Riddywipple, rest assured that I will help you find your friend. And at the most remote chance that you would have to move, I would be honored to help you find the perfect new home for you."
Calina nods in the general direction of the rest of the party. "I'm pretty sure they would help as well."
She whispers to Riddywipple, "We didn't mention it before because 'some' of us don't like to brag." She gives Daelin a hard stare, "We are the Heroes of Sandpoint and have assisted the unfortunate many times. We will not give up on you and your friends."
After taking a breather. Alistar says “We should burn them. Set their souls free and clear the forest of this taint. If you give a little bit more time to catch a second wind I can create the pyre.” He then offers up a prayer “Dawn from on high vist us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. St. Judith, giver of hope, be with the fallen in their desperate hour. St Christopher, bearer of burdens, lift from where they have fallen. Amen."
Hearing no objections, Alistar uses create fire and then fast fire to incinerate the Pegasus. Alistar had hoped to gather some samples from the Kelpies but realizes that both of the aquatic creatures retreated beneath the surface of the lake and it is unclear whether they were defeated or just chased away.
Kallin cautiously approaches with his staff at the ready the small tuft of grass to see where the sobbing is coming from.
Spirit of Faun Past
As Kallin approaches where he hears the sobbing, Thim looks over the dead body that is smashed down in the mud and muck of the field. The Half-Elf notices that the deceased is wearing a strange and highly rusted gauntlet on his right hand. Thim has no idea what was worn on the left hand because that hand and arm have been forcibly removed from the badly mutilated body. The metal gauntlet appears to be in quite bad shape, though the the body is still quite fresh, only a few days old at the most based on the smell.As Kallin examines the small tuft of grass, he sees, sitting in the center of it, the spirit of one of the forest creatures. It is a Faun and appears to have the lower half of a goat and the upper half of an Elf maiden. She sits there, crying looking down as if she were cradling something on her lap. As Kallin leans in, the Faun looks up, a startled look in her eye. She speaks to Kallin but he realizes that it musts be speaking some other language, because he cannot understand her. It sounds like it might be Elvish or some other sylvan tongue.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the path, Alistar casts some spells and begins burning the zombie Pegasi. It is more difficult than he imagined, due to the moisture present in the glade and the recently deceased nature of the creatures, but after quite a few minutes, he has the first of the abominations burning nicely. A thick, putrid, greenish-black smoke billows up from the monster’s burning corpse.
The twisting columns of smoke pique Daellin’s curiosity. He wonders what kind of fun Alistar, Thim and Kallin might be getting into without him. With a smile spreading across his face his long graceful strides quickly catch him up to the rest of his companions. He approaches Kallin as the half-orc is bent over obscuring the elf’s view.
His eyes widen in surprise as he steps up beside Kallin. He looks back and forth from the tuft of grass to the half-orc several times. His smile fades into a look of bewilderment at first. “Uhm... Kallin is everything alright? I would’ve sworn you were talking to someone for a moment there. Is there anything I can help with?”
While waiting for his friends reply Daellin looks at what is left of the mutilated body. “Huh, whatever could that be?” He asks more to himself than any of the group. Gently with respect to the dead he eases the gauntlet slowly from the grip of its its former owner. He brushes the loose mud and grass from the dented steel and examines it more in depth.
While Kallin, Thim, and Daellin check something out in the tall grass and Alistar works on burning the zombie corpses, Calina continues to sit on the path playing with Riddywipple while Samad stands nearby, impatiently tapping his foot.
Daellin examines the worn out gauntlet. It is old and rusty and has several holes right through the metal. The cloth or leather lining that once graced it's insides is completely deteriorated and only the faintest remnants remain. ‘It's clearly magic,’ Daellin thinks to himself as Thim looks on, having lost interest in watching Kallin stare at some tall grass.
Thim thoroughly looks over the body after watching Daellin slip the gauntlet from its hand. He searched for anything that might tell him how long the being has been dead or where they might be from. After spending some time looking over the body, Thim looks upwards at things have changed around him. There are some of his old friends, but they have taken up arms. Quickly his head pivots to his side, and reacting almost naturally, blocks an incoming hammer with his blade. The force from it knocks him backwards into the entrance of a tent and onto the ground. Suddenly the blur of two figures come into focus, and the shock of his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend bring him to his senses and he finds himself gazing off in the distance.
Thim rubs his eyes, taking several moments to come from this haze. He looks around catching that Daellin was still examining the gauntlet. He makes way over to the elf and looks down at it, taking in more of the items looks. “Do you think it might be magical?”
Kallin doesn’t take his eyes of the spirit as he sets his staff on the ground. He puts his hands up and shouts, “Hey, ummm...I have a spirit here that I believe is speaking Elvish. Can anyone translate?”
“Ehh, hmmm,” Daellin mutters as Kallin shouts past him. “I am right here, friend, and as you know, I am of fine Elvish heritage and speak all the finest Elvish words.” He turns to Thim, looking at the gauntlet he holds in his hands. “How about you, Thim? You clearly have Elvish blood in you, do you speak the tongue of our people?” Thim frowns a bit and responds that he does know some Elvish, but is not fluent in the language. Daellin turns back to Kallin, “Well, then, I suppose I can translate. Sadly, though, I cannot see any of the spirits. Nor can I hear anything.”
Thim notices that Daellin seemed to ignore his question about the gauntlet being magical or not. Realizing that he was still examining the body on the ground, Thim looks back down and sees that he had turned the body over before his flashback hit. The body is that of a Human man, bearded and stocky. He is dressed like a woodsman or ranger. The body bears numerous impact marks, probably from the hooves of the zombie pegasi, as well as many places where the undead beasts had begun gnawing upon him. He cannot be more than a few days dead as the body has not bloated enough in this moist environment.
Kallin jumps a little after Daellin speaks, and says “sorry, I was concentrating” Kallin faces Daellin and casts Affect Spirit.
Daellin suddenly realize that they can hear a small female voice crying and talking nearby in Elvish, though Thim can only catch every 3rd word or so, she is speaking so fast. The voice sounds like it is coming from the center of the tuft of grass that Kallin has been staring at.
The voice cries about losing her beloved Donnegal and the horror she experiences when her friends, the pegasi, attacked them. Daellin discovers that her name is Fysae and that her and the ranger, Donnegal, were attacked and killed, though Fysae does not realize she is dead and is somewhat confused about where Daellin’s voice is coming from. She is also confused about the Half-Orc she can see but cannot understand. Daellin tries his best to explain without giving her too much of a shock by telling her that she is a spirit and dead as well.
On the other side of the clearing, Alistar moves on to the second zombie pegasus corpse and he comes across the body of a mutilated faun, nearly trampled down into the mud. The body, which is twisted and partially face up, reveals what remains of a sweet, Elvish face and upper body with furry goat legs. The body is battered and mangled by numerous powerful impacts, possibly strikes from pegasus hooves. He calls over to the rest of the group and lets them know that he has found the dead faun. As he looks back at her, he notices a small pouch hanging from her belt that has the aura of magic about it.
Kallin looks at Daellin and asks if he could ask for permission for everyone to see her.
Daellin translates this request to Fysae and after a bit of explaining and smooth talking, she agrees. Kallin invokes the power of his Mistress, the Lady of Graves, and casts his spell.
Takes the small pouch from the faun and then attempts to drag the fauns body away from the Pegasus.
“My apologies Thim, I was a bit lost in my own thoughts there for a moment.” He holds the battered gauntlet up for the half-elf to take and inspect if he so desires. “Yes this does appear to be magical, although I have no clue as to what purpose the enchantment serves. We need to let Alistar take a look however if we want to know more.”
Daellin pauses for a moment as he processes what Kallin is trying to do. Once he understands, he addresses Kallin. “Let me assist you my friend.” He puts his hand on the half orcs shoulder and murmurs a few words in elvish. “Anna-o-lambe” he intones and Kallin seems to feel his ears tingle, even feel sharper ...dare we say pointy? Now Kallin discovers that he can understand elvish fluently. Daellin smiles one of his infamous grins as he notices Kallin checking his ears, which haven’t changed ... at least physically.
Alistar pockets the small pouch and easily moves the body of the deceased faun away from where the pegasus corpse lies. He deposits the body of the Faun near the path.
Back on the other side of the lakeside clearing, Kallin concludes his casting and then Daellin and Thim can now see the spirit Faun that Kallin had seen and they could hear. “Oh,” she says in Elvish. “There you are, hello. I am unsure what is going on here, but my love Donnegal has been slain and I am sad. These Pegasi have for years been our friends and allies, but when we came by to visit them recently, we found they had been killed somehow and turned into undead abominations. Deep in their midsts, we were overwhelmed. I guess I was knocked out and when I came to, I found my love dead.” She cries a bit more and appears to be stroking someone’s head in her lap, though no one sees anything there.
As burning these corpses is taking a lot longer and more energy than expected, Alistar finds a nice spot to sit down and have a short rest. He plans to rest for about 30 minutes then resume burning corpses.
As Kallin, Thim and Daellin talk to the young, deceased Faun, Riddywipple becomes curious of their activity and flies over, leaving Calina and Samad alone on the path. The small Faerie Dragon circles around then lands unceremoniously on Kallin’s head, shooing Peck away with a loud squawk. “I am feeling oh so much better now, I think my cuddles and pets have soothed my… why hello there Fysae, how are you? Where is Donnegal?” The Faun spirit looks up and sees Riddywipple and greets him, though the small Dragon cannot seem to hear her words. Fysae seems equally confused as to why she cannot hear her friend Riddywipple. “What is going on here, why can’t I hear her? Wait, who is that?” he cries out looking at the nearby mutilated body of Donnegal. “Is that, oh no, it is, isn’t it?” He swoops down and lands on the ground next to the body and begins crying all over again. “This is too much, we have to end this madness, this Marigana must be stopped! Please we can wait no longer!” He leaps back into the air and flies up in a tight spiral, yelling in his tiny, high pitched voice the entire way. Finally he stops rising and seems to stall and then fall, plummeting back to the earth, pulling out of his dive at the last moment and landing once again on Kallin’s head. “We should go now, I think. I saw some things slinking through the trees back there, several things. I was too high to get a good look, but it seemed that they were coming this way?” he indicates back behind them, from the way that they initially came. “We need to go this way anyway.” He turns back to Fysae and starts to speak but then turns to Daellin, “She is dead, isn’t she, this is some sort of spirit magic here. Please tell her I love her and I will avenge her and Donnegal, they were such a good couple!” He turns away, unable to look at his two former friends again and flies back toward the path but further down past where Samad and Calina wait, coming to rest on a branch from a small tree.
Daellin bows his head ever so slightly acknowledging Riddywipple’s request as the fey retreats down the path. Turning to the faun he kneels down bringing his eyes level with hers. “You are about to embark on a wonderful journey Fysae. It’s beginning is immersed in sorrow and it is no doubt frightening to embark. But have hope. Your beloved is awaiting you. Your friends like Riddywipple will cherish their memories of your love. Take heart that they seek to honor your life by bringing justice to those who have aggrieved you so horribly. Rest now little one and be at peace.”
Bowing respectfully to Fysae, Daellin stands. A solitary tear hangs at the corner of one eye as the elf turns and heads back down the path to join Calina, Samad and Riddywipple.
Kallin looks at the spirit of Fysae and he wishes he didn't have to explain these things to her but since he can magically speak her tongue, he does so as simply as he can. There is so much to convey but he knows Donnegal and Fysae will be taken care of. Kallin moves Donnegal’s body over to Fysae body. As Kallin kneels down to start the ritual, he cries a little over the body of Fysae. He then prepares them to meet Pharasma. Kallin grabs his staff and heads up to the path. He knows his purpose here, we must take down this Marigana.
Riddywipply flits about nervously, “Come, come, others are approaching, no telling what it might be. This place was coveted by many, like those nasty Kelpies. Others will bother and keep us from our task. Once we are done we may return and bask.” Looking back behind the group to where the Faerie Dragon indicated trouble was approaching, Calina gets a bad feeling.
“But I’m not done here. Surely the Hero’s Of Sandpoint can handle a few wandering monsters,” Alistar says with a haughty look on his face.
Calling upon the magic from his new gauntlet Alistar shouts “TO THE ABYSS WITH IT! BURN!” and ignites all five of the remaining abominations.
As Alistar hurries and ignites all the pegasi corpses. Huge clouds of black smoke fill the area accompanied by a noxious stench. Jo, the Grey Maiden, calls from the rear of the group, “Hey, all, something is coming. I see several figures moving through the bushes. Actually it looks like the bushes are moving!” She takes a step back and readies her sword and shield.
“Bushes moving, you say? That's not good. Sounds like Twigjacks. Not good, we should leave!” Riddywipply says.
Alistar heads off in the direction indicated by Riddywipply, “Come on we are done here.” At the same time he gets out a Paut potion and consumes it.
Riddywipple Leads Onward
The Faerie Dragon seems relieved to move on away from the killing field filled with his former friends. He seems to quickly forget his sad and forlorn mood from a few moments ago and returns to his hyper and carefree self. He leads the group along the path and through the forest. A rushing stream can be heard of to the right through the trees somewhere nearby.”Oh look here, hoof prints,” the little Dragon calls out with glee. “I believe that Arinora made it after all! See here,” he spins in the air above a muddy patch of trail.Daellin steps forward to where Riddywipple has found the prints. Sweeping his cloak up over his arm he crouches beside them careful not to get too much more soiled in the mud. He studies the tracks intently for a few moments. He’s hoping to confirm Riddywipples suspicion that these tracks do indeed belong to Arinora. Perhaps even get lucky and discern when they were made and where they are headed.
Daellin clearly sees the tracks that appear to be those of a horse, unshod, moving about somewhat erratically on the path but in the same direction that the party is going in. The hoof prints indicate that the horse, or pegasus possibly, was wounded as one of the hooves seemed to make dragging tracks here and there. His keen Elvish eyes also detect another set of footprints, much smaller, narrow and long, wearing poorly made shoes or wrapped in something. A further inspection of the area reveals numerous tracks of small animals as would be expected in a forest. There is an unexpected amount of what look to be porcupine quills as well spread around the area.
Daellin shares what he has found with the rest of the party. As long as everyone agrees he suggests heading after the tracks of the pegasus and the small footprints to see where they lead.
The tracks seem to lead in the same direction that Riddywipple was leading them. “Maybe Arinora was following them, trying to fight back, maybe even help the captured Gnome,” he says enthusiastically and continues down the trail.
Session Notes
Characters Present:
Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by Dan ECalina - Varisian Human archer and scout - played by Carol C
Daellin Silvanthalas, Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben L
Samad Aldhul, Human ex-mercenary - played by JeCorey H
Alistar Gavin Lourdis, Human Mageknight- played by Don K
Thim Westerdale, Half-Elf rogue - played by Malcolm G
and +Jason GURPS as the DM
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