2024-08-28 - A Champions Introduction

General Summary

After settling affairs with the homicidal goblin; the crew finds safe harbor in the small freeport of Peatbog nestled in the roots of Yggdrasil's Child, the astronomically sized tree that makes up the planetoid of Garden. This neutral haven for pirates and other un-affiliated captains had no issues with a crew laying low with a stolen ship. After several months of leaning the ropes of spelljamming and making contacts in the local watering hole playfully named The Bilge Pipe, the crew had grown close to the local Vanara matriarch Ammori.
Ammori on top of keeping her extended brood in check dabbles in fixing for some of the local free traders. She's taken a liking to Enki with his bitter bleak sense of humor and has decided to take the crew under her patagia. Once she felt they were ready to pilot the Kohaku without crashing it she informs them that she's heard of a job put out by the Church of Kelemvor, and that if they wanted to head out to Scarlet Harbor they could meet up with a Doomguide there who was looking for transport for himself and his cargo. Pulling up to the citadel swallowed by the shadow of the shell wall, the crew makes contact with Ulfric who negotiates helping him deliver the body of an adventurer to it's family home in Windheim, Mingabwe. The crew and the Doomguide settle on the the price of 50g for transportation to Windheim and delivery to the graveyard.
When arriving at the icy moon, they find that though it is spring where they land there is still plenty of snow. Asking around town they discover the towns temple complex is located up the side of the mountain, at the end of a rustic logging road. The crew is not outfitted for such a trek and once again they turn to Enki to help them navigate the base necessities for travel through winter environs. He advises them to check in with the general store where mamma money bags Tor'vay-nel showed her excellent business acumen by overpaying for supplies and renting two sledges and some stout goats to pull them up the hill. Setting out under clear skies they crew starts to ascend, but after two hours the weather changed as a blizzard blew in. Struggling to beat nightfall the crew endured the weather, and persisted making the complex just after night fall as the temperature dropped.
No signs of life were apparent from the temple complex, and bringing light sources closer signs of violence became plain to see. The front doors were tore from the hinges, All the livestock in the barn were torn apart and missing, and upon entering the primary sanctum the bodies of the clergy and other residents were found torn limb from limb. Investigating the bodies they determined that the wounds suffered were not consistent with any known large animals, but the claw marks and some of the blood stains looked like the hand print of a large humanoid. The crew not sure what to do decided that delivering the body to the complexes mortuary and peacing out fulfilled their contract and the Doomguide agreed that fulfilled the edict of Kelemvor, but as they were getting ready the gravely voice of reason reminded them that they were not outfitted to make the decent in a blizzard, at night. Begrudgingly they started to make themselves comfortable when Ah-tun noticed movement out in the yard. He had noticed the red stains on the white fur of a yeti, as it blended into the blizzard. Realizing he had been made the yeti attacked, turning Gadget into a smoking husk in a matter of seconds before backing off and disappearing into the blizzard. The crew and the Yeti took turns testing each other, neither wanting to leave their relative defensible positions. Senyo summoned an undead to flush out the yeti for them and getting a death stare from Ulfric, sent it out into the cold where it managed to hurt the yeti. Realizing that he would again have to penetrate the stone walls of the sanctum if he wanted to feast on the crew he busted in through the mortuary doors and attempted to flank the crew. Ah-tun springing to action rushed down the hall and started to try to wrestle the beast, Ulfric not as fast in his full plate came in next and using his divine connection warded the worst blows the yeti rained down on Ah-Tun. The two orcs managed to gang up on the yeti and keep it still enough to put it down.
Knowing that Yeti are usually peaceable Senyo performed an examination of the body. Finding the corpse riddled with tumors, that upon closer inspection looked to be eyes in assorted stages of development. Disturbed they checked the rest of the bodies as the Kelemvite performed rights for the slain, and found tumors starting to form in at least one of the priests. Things seemed peaceful and so the crew dug around some more, finding the journal of Brother Alonzo's the head priest. In it he details the last few weeks, receiving a gift of a silver statue from a friend, and in the last entry described the Yeti wanting to trade some venison for some produce from the complexes greenhouse, and it's enrapture with the statue. The crew bagged the statue; it did not give off any magic aura, but did have a palpable presence that caused one to linger on it. In the morning the crew made their descent and informed the locals of Windheim what had transpired. In thanks for removing the danger of a rampaging Yeti the townsfolk gave the crew a load of their lumber.
The crew decides to follow up their only lead on this statue that seems to drive people mad; the note that came with it that Alonzo had kept in his journal. It seems that a friend of his from seminary was posted on Anadia, and had picked up the art in a town there called Starwood Hills. As they would be passing by Toril on the way there the crew decided to stop by Bral and resupply, and possibly offload the lumber they just received. When returning from arranging the sale of their cargo and picking up a shipment heading to Anadia they get jumped right in the middle of the streets. A druid named Bola and his goblin associate Gristleburst attempted to flank the crew, splitting them. The plan worked as Ah-tun chased down the goblin alchemist and Ulfric the druid, leaving Senyo and Tor to deal with the pairs attack dog by themselves. After taking a bit of a beating from the Goblin Ah-tun managed to subdue him, and the Tor had managed to save Senyo from being ravaged by the dog, but Ulfric was having trouble with the druid. Once more his heavy armor slowed him when dealing with his more agile foe, who could stay just out of the reach of the champion. On top of that the druid had managed to land a devastating heat metal on said armor that was starting to cook the Doomguide alive. Bola who was taunting the champion instead of running away was flanked by the casters and a quick dispel saved Ulfric from the ovens of his breastplate. Both attackers subdued the crew decided to capture them and question them on board the Kohaku, out of port. The two attackers were mercs hired to dispose of the crew at the behest of Cordelia Glass, who seems is a little upset over the theft of the Kohaku. Despite the goblins best efforts to appear useful the crew decide to maroon the pair, giving them a weeks worth of rations and 1 dagger between them.
The crew continued on sun-ward and arrived at Anadia. Deciding to follow the local regs they land in Mistmeadow where they make their delivery. Once unloaded they start to ask around as best they can in the dock districts that the Anadian halflings restrict off-worlders to. As all the clergy involved so far were from the church of Lathander they started their investigations there. Meeting with the local Morninglord, Rivin Faustine, they explain what they found on Mingabwe. Rivin explains that the priest they are looking for has been assigned off planet but if they wanted to keep looking he could arrange for them to pass as members of his order, one of the few sects of off-worlders that have access outside the docking compound. Having one of his acolytes forge assignment papers he asked the crew to keep him in the loop and turned a blind eye to their leaving.
Traveling by road was fairly uneventful, though all members of the crew had the same dream of the stars being replaced by eyes while overnighting on the road. Once they arrived in Starwood Hills they found most of the townsfolk standoffish though Hopner Glowmoss, the local tavern keep, hissed them off the street and into his establishment. He asked the crew what they were doing here so early and that the shipment of silver was not ready yet. Feigning that their "employer" was unhappy with the status quo they finagled their way into the mines to inspect the shipment. Inside the mine things at first did not appear too out of place, other than the main tunnel being flooded. Ulfric decided to be the first to attempt the swim and when he popped out of the water he came face to face with the unknown. Ribbons of blue light played in the mine and a sub-dermal vibration was present. As he proceeded forward he came across a halfling singing to herself as she hammered away at her hand. When he approached her she asked about the eyes and her head hinged back being replaced with a giant eye and she attacked. Ulfrick held his own, and as he was finishing up Ah-tun managed to get past the water, then using a rope helped Senyo and Tor get through. Inspecting the fresh corpse did reveal more eyeball tumors, even in the ruined hand. Exploring the mine the team found a tunnel overgrown with a fleshy mass that's tentacles tried to crush anyone in the area. They also found a new tunnel that had not been fully expanded yet. At the end of it was a small alcove where Button Goodbottle, the mine foreman, was kneeling in front of a mirror containing a protruding eye trying to eat a hunk of the silver ore. As she mutilated her mouth trying to chew ore she managed to swallow some, and upon getting some done her body erupted into a mound of indistinguishable flesh, eye's and tentacles on all sides. Seeing the crew Button attacked and even managed to engulf and swallow Ulfric and Ah-Tun at different times of the fight. She proved to be a formidable foe, dropping both orcs and leaving wounds that would not stop bleeding in her wake. Once she was vanquished the team decided that the giant eye on the mirror needed to be popped.

Rewards Granted

XP

500
 

Treasure

Payment - 70g
Shortbow - 3g
Antiplague Lsr (3g)
Antidote Lsr (3g)
Wand of Heal (Lvl 1, 60g)
Explosive Dogslicer (10g)
+1 Staff (35g)
Studded (3g)
Hide (2g)
Alchemists Tools (3g)
Formula Book (8g)

BP

I'm still figuring this out