Wandered Roads 54.5

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 54.5
October 1 - November 25, 2018

Campaign Timeline

Too Many Leads

Toilday 12th Kuthona, 4711

Closed for Business

The Carnival has been officially shut down and Sheriff Feldane has arrested the Master of the Carnival, Almara Delisen and taken her away. Berthold seems at a loss, he just stands there stammering outside of Jherizhana’s wagon, “I, I, I, I just don't know.” He sits down on a barrel and puts his hands in his face. About that time, Daellin and Thim arrive. They had caught wind of the trouble at the carnival and the group's involvement and hurried over. They are quickly informed about the three murders, the implications that the circus and its Sphinx are involved, the Skulks and their tribe of drug users, and the real situation with Jherizhana.

Just then, a tall, bronze skinned Keleshite man comes strutting up. He is dressed in the traditional clothes of Qadira, though a much warmer version of trust southern style. He carries himself with an air of superiority and looks around at the gathered folk and Berthold, with his head down. “Get up, animal man. What is goings on here? I see Mistress Almara being led off by the woman sheriff. How this has happened?” he shouts at the Master of Beasts. His accent is thick and his voice is commanding. He turns to the gathered members of the party and sneers briefly. “You. Were you not hired to solve  these problem? To me, this not quite seems to be the solution you are hired for. No?” 

Calina glances at the unknown gentleman and nods, "Yes sir, seems we have not found the perpetrator of these crimes.


"We have found many clues, though, and we have found a couple of Skulks, and have not found two others. This could be because Skulks aren't exactly easy to find. Might I ask your name and what is your position in the circus? Sir, you can count on our group to continue our investigation and it should go quickly now that our two other members have joined us," she points towards Daelin and Thim.

Calina blushes as she realizes how she's been chattering freely, not something she is comfortable doing. She steps back behind Kallin's large orcish body, without even waiting for the name of the imposing and commanding gentleman.

The man's piercing eyes follow Calina as she retreats behind her companion, and he lets out a haughty laugh. “I am Venlok, Master of Licences, captain of the guard and scourge of the indolent,” he says as he gently pats the coiled whip hanging from his belt. Several long knife scabbards also hang from his intricately detailed and decorated belt. “Yes, yes, I know some of this problems come from the guards not at right places. I take care of this very soon. But this other problems, the Mistresses being arrested, going to jail, this not ok. This your job. You figure this out now. If trouble come for Umbra Carnival and Mistress Almara then Venlok come for you." He crosses his arms and stares the entire group in the eyes. He seems confident and ready to take on the whole group at once if need be.

Samad rolled his eyes at the man’s bluster and stepped forward, a hand on his hip and his beautiful chin angled up. Annoyance gleamed in his golden eyes as he sneered at Venlock. “We certainly didn't need YOU to tell us that.” His sneer morphed into a mocking smirk. “But I suppose if it gives you an illusion of control in this situation, bark away you bladed dog, and let us get our hands dirty. As usual.” 

Samad, hips slithering coquettishly, walked swiftly around Venlok. Despite his confidence, he gave the man a decent breadth between them, but close enough to let the man catch a whiff of the flowery scented oils he uses on his skin. The Foxtooth’s eyes never left Venlok for a second until he turned to the rest of the group. His hair swaying like a luxurious dark curtain behind him after his graceful pivot, he spoke sweetly to them. “Well, shall we? I believe we have a lead at the docks?”

Venlok narrows his eyes at Samad as he circles around him and murmurs, “Garundi,” under his breath, followed by a snort. He then turns to Berthold, “I go deal with lazy Varisian guards. You deal with performers. If you cannot, I tell the Clerk that he is to step up and take command. I do not trust that Atepmo. No good come from Ustalav. You better man. You get up and do it.” With that, Venlok turns and stomps away, nearly slamming into Samad behind him, but deftly avoiding him at the last second.

As he leaves, Berthold regains some of his composure and stands. “Venlok is a good man. A bit harsh, but his intentions are in the right place. The well being of the Carnival is his main concern, as it should be mine as well. So,” he says, turning to Samad then back to the others, “you have a lead? Down on the docks? I shall not keep you any further. I must quickly gather the workers and explain to them this quarantine that the Sheriff has placed upon us. I do not like it, but I believe it is for the good of all. Thank you again for your assistance in this, I knew I was right in bringing you to Mistress Almara’s attention. Without you, things would be in much more dire straits!”

Alistar leads the way down to the docks where he immediately begins looking for the most worthless ugly stinking drugged out pieces of peasant offal he can find.

Shiver Me Timbers

Alistar and those that accompany him head down to the waterfront of the town. As they travel through the streets of Ilsurian, it is clear that the townsfolk are watching them and based on the nasty looks and glares, they clearly are associating the group with the Carnival. 

The cold weather seems to have put an almost complete halt to the work on the docks. Only a few boats were moored at the wooden piers, including Captain Othlo Janke’s Lucky Jenny. Most of the boats are small, one or two person craft, and appear to belong to fishermen, though some are clearly trappers and hunters’ boats as well.

After asking around for a bit, Alistar is able to get some directions to the local Shiver den, which is in a dilapidated, rotting shack near the easternmost docks, just down the hill from the Two Waters Tavern. The window and doors are boarded up and the roof is falling in. It is clear that the building has not been maintained well and it is a miracle that it is even standing still. 

Stepping as lightly as possible Alistar peers into the shack looking for a shiver addict to interrogate about who his supplier is.

As he approaches what looks like the entrance, he notices numerous broken glass vials on the ground. He also notices a strong stench coming from the building. Peering inside the dark and smelly shack, Alistar sees a trash strewn space with about a dozen or so ratty hammocks, most of them filled. A hunched over figure stumbles out of the shadows toward Alistar. “Ya got a bite? Jus’ looking for a bite, man. Com’on, gimme a bite,” he mumbles. 

Seemingly not interested in small talk, Alistar moves in aggressively, grabbing the man by the collar and slamming him roughly up against a wooden beam that normally would be supporting the roof but currently doesn't seem to be doing anything useful. “Where did you get the Shiver?” he demands. 

Everyone sees his eyes flash with a spark of electricity as he intimidates the drugged out peasant and the man, now suddenly sober blurts out, “Kadarru! Kadarru! The painted Varisian. Leave me be, I swear the truth of it!” The man breaks down, crying and blubbering on the filthy floor as Alistar lets go of him. 

Samad makes no effort to hide the disappointment on his face. Haven't the Varisians been through enough? He steps forward to address the shaken junkie. “Do you know where we can find this Kadarru?”

The man squeaks out the word “market” and points weakly up the hill toward the center of town. Everyone remembers seeing a handful of market stalls set up around the wide yard at the base of the statue of Ilsur, the founder of the town. 

Off to the market to find the painted Varisian who peddles poison.

Gone to Market

Alistar leads the rest of the group back up the hill toward the market. The statue of Ilsur rises up in the cold afternoon above the Two Waters Tavern the group had patronized the night before. Several brightly colored tents and awnings stand around the central area in front of the statue. Their colors seem out of place on this cold and overcast day. Only a few townsfolk peruse these stalls on this cold day. Most of the merchants appear to be Varisians, though there are a few spots that appear to be more permanent and are inhabited by folk of Chelish descent. Across the way, a man and a young girl can be seen perusing the wares on a table. The man and the Varisian working the stall get into a shouting match which quickly sinks to slinging racial slurs back and forth. The Varisian merchant throws his hands up high, causing his heavy fur cloak to fall back, revealing that he is not wearing a shirt and is covered completely in colorful tattoos.

Calina states quietly, "I believe we've found a painted Varisian."  She adds, looking to everyone else, "Do we rush in like always, or should we observe, and by observe I mean quietly, discreetly from a distance." She looks at Alistar for an answer. 

"Alright then," seeing the determined look in his eyes, "I'll stand right over here and when things blow up, Alistar, I'll have your back."

Calina leans back against a handy railing as Alistair walks fervently towards the Varisian's market stall. She looks with raised  eyebrows at the others. "Well?"

“I have a better idea, be prepared to follow him.” Alistar then as unobtrusively as possible casts Suggestion on the fellow and instills in him the idea that the boss wants to see him right now.

Alistar watches as the “Painted Varisian” pauses in his argument with his customer. He turns his head to the side as if thinking and holds his hand up to silence the other man. The Chelish man gives up his argument and walks away, but not before giving the Varisian a highly inappropriate hand gesture, doing his best to hide it from his daughter as they go. The Varisian then swiftly looks around suspiciously before sitting back down and pulling his cloak tight around his shoulders again. Alistar knows instinctively that his Suggestion spell has failed, though he is sure he cast it correctly. He assumes that Kadarru’s strength of will must have been stronger.

Kallin observes the painted man for a moment.  He looks to see if the tattoos have any special meaning.  Nothing really comes to him so he starts to scan the crowd to see if there are any spirits amongst the crowd.

Not close enough to really make out the details of the tattoos, Kallin turns and almost immediately notices a a restless spirit approaching. She is a Human woman, young, in her early 20s probably. She is quite tall, possibly taller than Kallin, and looks to be fairly muscular, though she wears loose fitting clothes that ruffle and shimmer. Her dark black hair is pinned back neatly and her blue eyes seem to shine with a ghostly brightness. She walks determinedly up the hill toward the market stalls, seemingly directly toward Kallin. As she gets closer, he can see that she is of Chelish descent and quite beautiful, though she appears to have a pained look on her face. 

The others in the group notice Kallin staring off down an empty street, as if he were watching something, but no one sees anything besides the deserted lane.  

Kallin stands and waits for the spirit.  When she is close enough, he waves in a friendly manner and says, “Hello, I’m Kallin.” 

The spirit seems anything but friendly. She charges right up to Kallin and crosses her arms, grunting loudly. “What are you doing just standing there? There's no time. That bitch from Whistledown, Grazia, is trying to kill me! I think she put something in my food! She's trying to steal Barrius from me! That whore!” Kallin watches as she clenched her fists and waves them wildly in the air, striking him several times. To his shock and surprise, the hits sting like being stung by a hornet. She scowls at him and then turns and marches down another lane, back toward the docks.


Kallin stares at the spirit for a moment then rushes after her.  He takes a few steps down the lane, stops, turns, and signals the group by waving and saying, “C’mon, I think I found a spirit that may help!”

Session Notes

I love my home gaming group. I love planning and prepping for them and then knowing that I would never have to use a single bit of my previous work if I just had a random NPC tell them a random rumor or toss in a off the cuff tidbit of info. I know ALL PC's like to chase anything they think might be a lead, but this group makes it their life's work! So much fun! Love you all!

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by Dan E
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

and +Jason GURPS as the DM

Wandered Roads 53.5

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 53.5
September 9-27, 2018

Campaign Timeline

Layover in Ilsurian

Moonday 11th Kuthona

Meeting a Man for a Drink

The group finds the bar that Berthold Flavion, the Master of Beasts of the Umbra Carnival, had picked to have some drinks. The Two Waters Tavern is a nice enough establishment and appears to have an equal mix of patrons of both Chelish and Varisian heritage. There are a few Half-Orcs, two Dwarves and even an Elf sitting with a Catfolk woman in the corner. A quick look around the room shows that Berthold has not arrived just yet. The Human woman behind the bar shouts a welcome to the group as they enter, “Greetings friends, welcome to the Two Waters Tavern! I’m Noria, what is your pleasure?”

Noria

catwoman

“Greetings Noria! It’s a pleasure to share a drink in your fine establishment this evening. I’ll take a glass of your finest wine. An elvish vintage would be most excellent.” Daellin bends his head slightly and flashes her one of his infamous grins. He’s confident that he looks his best tonight. He did after all make sure to use his brush just before entering the Two Waters.

The woman behind the bar smiles at Daellin, “My finest vintage of Elvish wine you say? I’ve got a bottle of etherwine from Sovyrian. 1000$ a glass. Let me run get that out of the vault… after I’ve seen the coin that is.” She leans over the counter, eyeing up the Elf carefully. She turns to the others, “You all seem like a fairly mixed lot, but just so you know, I don’t tolerate any type of bad talking or putting folk down because of who they are or where they come from, other than that, welcome and enjoy. I can take your drink orders as soon as your friend here counts out his coin.”

Daellin has trouble hiding his surprise. “Etherwine? I’m afraid, my dear, you absolutely must tell me the story about how you came to have a bottle of etherwine. I dare say that may be even more interesting than the wine itself.”

Daellin pauses for a moment assessing the bartender in front of him. “Perhaps you can bring us something a bit less exotic to sample while we discuss how you came to have such a rare and incredible spirit in your vault. Not that I question the authenticity of the wine but I'd hate to have your integrity questioned if that wine is something less than what's been advertised.”

She smirks at Daellin, “Once you pay for that glass, and buy me one as well, I just might tell you how I came to have it, but until then, keep dreaming, friend. How about a much more reasonable priced bottle of wine from out of the Mwangi Expanse far to the south. For you, I will sell a bottle for 150 silver, much more reasonable, don’t you think? Brewed by the Wild Elves of the Alijae tribe and transported over 3000 miles. Well worth the price. Will definitely be the most interesting and exotic wine you’ve ever tasted, I’ll wager. Of course, I can pour you a glass of Kyonin’s finest, which is what I’m sure you are accustomed to, for a mere fist of silver.” She arches an eyebrow at Daellin, waiting for an answer.

Calina stands at the bar listening to Daellin's banter with Noira, who looks more than capable of handling the Elf's gift of gab.

During a break in the conversation, Calina says quietly, “When you get a moment, I would love to have a glass of honey mead."

Noria nods and smiles, as Calina sits on the nearest bar stool, not too far from where Daellin is sitting.

Noria smiles at Calina. “Of course,” she says cheerfully as she pours her the drink. “I take it you'll be toasting to the Drunken Hero on his Ascension Day this cool evening? What a truly blessed moment this is, the Umbra Carnival is in town, it is the beginning of Winter Week and tonight we celebrate Cayden Cailean’s ascension to godhood. To good fortunes and the Lucky Drunk,” she says as she holds up her own streaming mug to Calina's and to anyone else nearby with a drink.

“Bah, wine, wine, wine is that all you Elves ever drink? How about some Oldlaw Whiskey?” Alistair proclaims.

“Ahh, that'll keep ya warm on a cold night,” Noria says add she pours Alistar a drink. “That's an interesting accent, friend. Where do you hail from? I'm guessing Mendev or Brevoy?” She passes him his drink.

“Barony Lordis in Egede of eastern Mendev. Sir Alistar Lourdis at your service my lady’” he replies.

Calina raises her glass for the toast and takes a small sip of the mead and smiles. This is a particularly good mead. She nods her thanks to Noira. As she takes another sip, she hears Alistar's proclamation. Lord Alistar? Calina studies the man for a moment. “Is he telling the truth?,” she wonders.

Kallin looks around. His eyes keep falling on a group of half-orcs keeping to themselves in the corner. He distractingly says to Noira, “I'll have a...umm, Dwarven Blood Stout? I guess?”

Noria smiles at Kallin and pours him a large, frosty mug of thick red liquid. “Hmm, there ya go, friend,” she says to Kallin with a nod. She turns back to Alistar and intimates a slight bow, “Milord, welcome to make your acquaintance. We are blessed to have you in our presence. Please inform me of how we can make your stay in Ilsurian more comfortable.” She smiles at Sir Lourdis and hands him a silken napkin that she produces from somewhere under the bar.

Alistair smiles, “Sorry, lady I did not mean to mislead. I’m the third legitimate son of Baron Lourdis and by Iomedae’s grace I hope to never inherit the barony. Just Sir Lourdis or Alistar if you like. I do hope to someday be granted a barony, or more, through force of arms and the Art.” Taking the napkin “but I do appreciate the finer things.”

She nods at Alistar and moves on to attend the drink orders of the others.

Calina glances across the room and sees the Catfolk woman sitting at the table with an elf. She's heard of their existence but never saw one till this evening. She could walk over and introduce herself. Calina turns away and looks into the deep gold color of the mead. "No," she thinks to herself. She could never get up the nerve, besides the two people look like they are sitting at the corner table having a private conversation. Still, she can not stop taking the occasional glimpse in their direction.

Kallin keeps looking over at the group of Half-Orcs. He doesn’t know why but feels like they are staring at him. Finally, he can’t help himself, he spins around in his seat and looks at the biggest one and yells, “What!?”

One of the Half-Orcs starts to stand but one of his companions puts a hand on his shoulder then calls out, “Sorry, no problem here.” He glances at Noria then at a pair of Humans, a man and a woman sitting at the end of the bar. The Half-Orcs turn back to their drinks, ignoring Kallin, though one of them, the big one that started to stand, keeps looking back in Kallin’s direction. By their looks, the group looks like some kind of mercenaries or adventurers as they are armed and armored similarly to Kallin and his friends.

Ehlyna drinks her beer quickly, belches, and excuses herself back to the boat. Everyone is well aware that Ehlyna has just not been herself since those last moments in the upper reaches of the Lady's Light. Her fire had just gone out. Hopefully her return home to Janderhoff will do her good.

The group drinks and finds themselves relaxing a bit after a tiring week on the Lucky Jenny. After the first round, Jo offers to go find lodging for the group, asking how many rooms she should book.

Thoroughly convinced now that the barkeeper is either lying about her wine or misled about its authenticity; Daellin orders a glass of Kyonin’s finest. He takes a seat with the rest of the party and tries to relax a bit. “Perhaps three rooms would be the best Jo. We can all double up for the evening. I for one will enjoy sleeping on something that isn't swaying and rocking around all night.”

“Double up? No sir I would like a room to myself, ask if it has a bathhouse or do the servants bring the water up? Also who should I see about getting my clothes and gear clean?”

Noria brings a delicate glass wine glass filled with a sparkling blue liquid. Little bubbles float to the top of the liquid, then become a faint pink as they float out of the glass, popping just above the rim of the glass. Daellin takes a drink, noting it is a fine vintage of traditional Elvish wine. Jo nods at his suggestion for 3 rooms and heads out to find appropriate lodging. Jo takes careful notes of Alistar’s requests. Noria suggests the Crossed Blades Inn over on Brightsceptre Avenue. “It is a high quality establishment that should be able to accomodate all of your needs and is on the other side of town, away from the hubbub of the carnival and the bustle of the docks,” Noria explains. Jo nods and heads out. Noria tells Alistar that the Inn will be well equipped to deal with his dirty laundry.

After a short while, Berthold Flavion arrives. With him are a few carnival workers, including the Ulfen man that awarded Kallin with the King of the Carnival crown. Berthold greets the group and suggests they take a recently vacated table nearby so they can all sit and talk. Noria brings another round of drinks at Berthold’s request and everyone drinks. The Ulfen, who Berthold introduces as Narthi Vangkot, is pleased to see that Kallin still has his King of the Carnival crown on. Kallin reaches up and touches the paper crown on his head. Instantly he looks over to the group of Half-Orcs and notices them chuckling quietly as Kallin realizes he has been wearing a paper hat all evening. The group is also introduced to Stitch, a Chelish man whose skin is covered by thousands and thousands of stitches from “wounds so many you couldn’t even count!” The other carnival worker that Berthold has brought along is an older woman with whitening hair and a well weathered, almost gray complexion. She introduces herself as Denetha, the Sword Swallower. Her voice is raspy and seems to fluctuate from high to low as she speaks. She explains this as the side effect of swallowing swords for so long. She smiles a lot but mostly only speaks when spoken to. Berthold continues to be gracious, thanking the group for helping rescue and secure the escaped baby dragon. He gives everyone a small wooden token that he says will grant them admission to the carnival, zoo, and sideshow area for the rest of the week.
  
Kallin realizes he is kind of tired. He decides that a nice walk would be good for his soul before he heads to bed. He wishes all a good night, thanks Noira for her hospitality and jokingly tells her, “Watch the elf, he is a crafty one” and gives her wink as he heads out the door. He walks proudly with his paper crown. He realizes it is silly looking but he has never won anything, so he is proud. He meanders around, he realizes he standing in front of a cemetery. He enters to see who he may meet.

A short time after Kallin leaves, it seems like the tavern gets considerably busier, and Noria finds herself running herself ragged trying to serve all the patrons. The pair of Humans that had been sitting and drinking at the end of the bar get up and help Noria with serving drinks. The conversation with the carnival folk is pleasant, if not a bit strange. It seems that they have a very unique take on the world, one even an adventurer can find different.

After a while, Jo finally returns to the establishment and says that she has procured rooms at the Crossed Blades Inn and that she has convinced the proprietor to keep the kitchen open a little bit longer for the group. “It smelled wonderful. It was almost too much for my nose to take in,” Jo gushes. She seems truly excited about the food, in a way the rest of the group has not seen her excited before. “Cottob says he has freshwater shrimp, goose and even Dragon on the menu tonight.” She turns to Alistar. “Alistar, I mean, Sir, or Lord Alistar,” bowing slightly now that she knows that he is a knight. “The Innkeeper, Cottob, is very interested in meeting you. He says he is always happy to serve visiting nobility but when I mentioned that you were also a mage, his little face lit up. He says he knows all the mages within a week’s travel and would love to make your acquaintance. Oh, and I was not able to fully secure your lodgings, as I did not have enough coin to pay for the suite, but he said he would hold it for you for the next hour.” She turns to the others, “I was able to secure two other rooms, one with three beds and the other with two beds. He gave me a deal since we were associates of Sir Alistar.” She looks around at the remaining group. “Oh, yea, Ehlyna went back to the boat? Where has Kallin gone off to? Calina, will you be sleeping back at the boat as well? I know you don’t prefer in town lodgings when you can avoid it.” Calina nods and Daellin explains that Kallin went for a walk and would head to the inn later. “That works. I can take the smaller room and share with the Priest if you three,” motioning to Daellin, Samad and Thim, “want to take the other room. But really, we should get a move on to the Crossed Blades if we want a hot dinner, and I am not joking when I say it smelled amazing!”

Berthold smiles at her review of the Crossed Blades, “I have not been there, but it sounds like a wonderful place. It is getting late, and we have a lot of work to do in the morning before the carnival opens, so we will take our leave of you as well. Thank you again for your help earlier today. We hope to see you tomorrow at the carnival!” Everyone says their goodbyes and the carnival folk leave.

As the remaining companions finish their drinks, their attention is drawn to the bar where Noria is yelling at a group of sailors trying to pay for drinks. “Spear and Bow! You think you can pass those worthless chits as payment for the finest liquor on Lake Syrantula? Your Chelish coin is no good here! Payment in Shields and Sails here, Abadar minted or nothing!” The man and woman that had been helping her earlier once again get up from their stools at the end of the bar and make their way quietly toward the disturbance, hands on their weapons, but not making a sound or drawing attention themselves.

Getting up Alistar says “We should leave before the riff raff start a brawl and we never get to supper.” As he tosses some coins down to pay for his drink and gratuity, then rapidly heads toward the exit.

“I believe you are correct Alistar. It does seem like things will get a tad more exciting around here rather quickly. I'm ready for a hot meal and a warm bed. Neither of which we will get if we get caught up here in a ruckus and have to spend the night with the magistrate.” Daellin quickly finishes off his wine and moves to follow Alistar out the door.

The Crossed Blades

Everyone else agrees and the group heads off through the night to the Crossed Blades for a hot meal and a soft bed. The air is quite cold and everyone’s breath shimmers in the moonlit air. Jo leads the way through town to the Crossed Swords Inn. It is a nice looking establishment, 3 stories tall with a large barn out back and what looks to be a space for a garden as well. About half the windows in the building glow with a warm firelight. Numerous chimneys have dark smoke billowing out of them and the place just seems to give off the feeling of warmth and comfort.

Upon entering, the group is met by an astute and well-mannered Halfling that introduces himself as Cottob Oldbubb, the owner of the Crossed Swords. He smiles at Jo and then turns to Alistar. “It is a pleasure to have a guest of such noble standing, Sir Alistar. Your suite is being prepared just now, there is only the matter of payment. The rest of you as well. If we can handle the payment, then please, have a seat in the dining room and I will have my staff bring your supper out. The dining room is empty but filled with highly ornate tables and chairs. Numerous tapestries cover the walls between the windows and several fireplaces. It has a very homey, comfortable feel about it.

After a hearty meal, everyone settles in for the night. Daellin, Thim and Samad share the larger room and Jo bunks in the smaller room with the 2nd bed for Kallin, whenever he returns from his evening stroll.

Kallin Visits the Cemetery

A little earlier in the evening… Kallin finds that he has wandered through town and up the hill. Looking back, he has a good view of the town laid out before him. The flickering lights of torches and lanterns stop abruptly at the edge of the large lake below. Occasionally the bright moon will peek through the clouds and shine off the dark waters of the lake. He turns back to the cemetery nestled in between some wooded areas. The horned bow and arrow of Erastil can be seen perched over the iron gate. Pharasmin symbols are prominent as well. Everyone prays to the Lady of Graves in the end, he thinks to himself. The cemetery is quiet and peaceful and initially he does not sense any spirits around. Instead, he wanders between the headstones for some time, sometimes stopping to read an inscription or running his hands across the rough stone edges. Finally, close to what he this is midnight, he hears the sound of someone panicked, breathing heavily. Kalling turns and sees the spirit of a man rushing toward him, looking back over his shoulder.
Kallin places himself in front of the man and says to him, “Stop what is it that is troubling you. Maybe I can help?” Kallin feels the coolness of the spirit as it rushes through him and says, “I can’t stop.! They are coming!”

The man, or spirit, is well dressed. Kallin thinks he looks to be of Chelish descent, though most of the townsfolk here in Ilsurian seem to be of that stock. Whatever it is he is fleeing from, it does not allow him to stop and talk to Kallin and the portly ghost continues running through the cemetery, now away from Kallin. He looks back several times, a look of complete terror on his face.

Kallin yells, “Seriously, I might be able to help. I’m priest of Pharasma!” He watches as the spirit moves farther away. Kallin starts to feel the chill in the air and thinks about heading back to Noira’s to find out the sleeping arrangements but something is holding him here.
The spirit stops and turns, looking at Kallin. “Oh, hello, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Are you interested in any of our more modestly priced pieces?” He waves his hand out in front of him, as if showing something to Kallin.
Kallin surprised, looks down. Then he says as looks back at the spirit, “You are a merchant? May I ask your name?” Kallin reaches down as if pick something and comes up with something that looks like a spirit version of a pen. He smiles at the object since this is a new experience for him.
“Well, my good man, a fine choice. And my name is Archivin Walder, proprietor here at the Locked Box. I can’t say I’ve seen you around town. You must be new. Welcome to make your acquaintance.” He bows slightly to Kallin, then looks back over his shoulder, then back to Kallin, “would you please excuse me for a moment, I’ll be right back.” He turns as if to go then disappears. He does not reappear. Kallin waits for him for some time, but he doesn't return, nor do any further spirits manifest in the area.
Eventually, he decides to go find out where his friends secured lodging for the evening. A quick stop at the Two Waters Tavern points him in the direction of the Crossed Blades, a very nice inn on the northside of town. He finds his way to his room and is surprised to see that he is set to bunk in a small room with the former Grey Maiden, Jo. She appears to be sleeping when he comes in, so he is as quiet as he can be. He notices that all of her gear, as well as some of his, has been thrown on the empty bed that would be his. As he puzzles over this, Jo rolls over and says sleepily, “Oh, you’ve returned.”

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by Dan E
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

and +Jason GURPS as the DM

Wandered Roads 51.5

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 51.5
July 15 - August 7, 2018

Campaign Timeline

Looking For Dijjit

Moonday 4th Kuthona

Sad 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 E
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

and +Jason GURPS as the DM