Finding True North Report

General Summary

Anne as Dux the kleptomaniac and delusional Kobold   Frida as Scarlett the fencing prodigy Human   Maple as Wyrmin the stinky, stinky adult man Tiefling   Sofie as Katia DeCalthaar the overworked and shy class president High Elf   Vegard as Orthella Corina Dyshampheus the clockwork fangirl Tiefling     Ulrik the secretary gathers the three students willing to go on a mission to find and retrieve John North and Rodrick Herring. They are joined by the hired muscle, Dux and Wyrmin, who the party is sceptical to. After being given information on the area and mission by Ulrik, they head out.   Arriving at the initial swamp, Dux promptly looks for treasure at the bottom of a pool. Saved by a full team effort, Dux is distracted while Katia takes a full overview through her periscope. Following an old path in disrepair, the party ties rope between the members to stay in formation. This becomes a challenge when Dux is distracted by flickering lights inside a cluster of trees. He is kept in line by a swift grab by Wyrmin and loses interest as the lights pass. Having passed the alluring wisps, the party arrives at the Old Faerie Grove, an area of rotten stumps and logs upon some hills. Going through a field of wood and fungi, some party members have a hard time finding their footing. Katia and Orthella slips, and Orthella gets rapport spored, and hears the mycelium demand their vacation. In a hurry, the party narrowly escapes the enclosing mushrooms, and with no more ropes tying them together, press onwards.   Now in the Stirge’s Hollow proper, the party spots the old campsite the students used the day before. While heading there, Wyrmin notices the buzzing of a swarm of Stirges. With all but one member successfully hidden, the swarm closes in to investigate. In response, Orthella induces magical Sleep on the creatures, stopping their dive-bombing in its tracks. The party then each stabs, slices, fries, and cuts the throat of all nine monsters while they are vulnerable.   Finally at the campsite, they find little evidence of where John and Rodrick might have gone, until Wyrmin smells the distinct smell of teenage boys. Following his nose, he finds evidence suggesting they might have strolled further north from camp. Katia, having combed the area with Locate Object, finally picks up John’s jacket when following Wyrmin’s lead. The party continues to a small clearing, where it seems John have practiced his… unique hydromancy with ice sculptures from small ponds of water. Orthella has a touching reunion with John’s college jacket and finds a scroll of shape water. A scroll the party then never uses. The party also finds Rodrick’s sketchbook, which gives the clue to check out a rock-formation of outmost interest to the book’s owner.   Going up a hill towards a stone arch, the party spots a figure. It remains unmoving, and unresponsive to Katia’s Messages. Slowly approaching, but not without shouting at the figure, the party realizes the figure is a petrified John, and that pieces of what is assumed to have been a petrified Rodrick is strewn around the grass. As Wyrmin disappears into the crags to take the covert approach, Katia almost steps on the toes of a blood crazed Grimlock. The party is beset by two of these Underdark monstrosities, monsters which are beaten and bruised, but none the less attacks to eat. The party swiftly deals some damage to the meat-bags, but the fight gets serious when Katia is ambushed by a lurking Basilisk. Sneaking or invisible, Katia avoids the worst of its attacks. Scarlett directs most blows to herself, tanking for her teammates as they all manage to kill the Grimlocks. Having a hard time fighting the Basilisk while avoiding direct eye-contact, Wyrmin fires Eldritch Blast after blast from his spot in the bushes, but few find their target.   Dux takes a heroic stand as he stares down the monster, smiting it over and over, while suffering the risk of petrification. The two student mages then realize their magic missiles requires minimal eye-contact and pesters the monster from both afar and up close. Badly hurt, the Basilisk lands a brutal bite into Orthella, only to suffer the retaliation of her Infernal blood. Incinerated and dead, the party picks up the pieces of Rodrick, and an intact John statue, and find the safest route back to camp.   Back at Boska’s Barrow, Katia is furious with the reckless task given by Ulrik. The secretary fetches the local cleric barrow-guard, and the latter manages to heal John’s petrification. A little out of it, John is met with two fangirls and a strange party. He is grateful, promises several small gestures to the fawning young girls, and goes to freshen up for supper. Dux demands treasure, and when gold pieces are met with disinterest, Ulrik gives his dubious promise to help Dux get an entry into the Barrow itself. Wyrmin is thanked and compensated, and returns to his hole, vodka in hand. The next day, Katia, Scarlett, and Orthella heads back to the University, richer in both study-points and interactions with the popular John North.

Rewards Granted

Petrified remains of one student   The adoration of one honor student John North   Severely limited chances of gaining access to graves and barrows

Missions/Quests Completed

Found John North. Rodrick Herring sadly remains splinters of stone