Mini 12: Rottenham Report

General Summary

7th of Keltier 1524 Continued

  By 8pm they arrive at Rottenham. They had a brief encounter with Viscount Randall Afrindunn, captain of the knights of Avani. They head off to find an inn for the night. They see two different inns. Isabella's Ranch, and one opposite of the church of Erik called the Demon's Mead Hall. The church and Mead Hall have signs up that suggest an insight joke between the two places. The church of Erik has a tree going out of the centre of it. The group decides to go to Isabella's ranch.   The tavern is a log rowhouse, with a heather-thatched roof and shuttered windows. Several battered shields hang on the walls. It contains some planter boxes on the walls and a huge collection of alcohol behind the bar. The bar maids wear low tops and split skirts. The group orders some dinner. Baths are offered to the group that will be warmed up and ready for after dinner. All drinks come in tankards.   Isabelle switches Brienda's and Balthazar's drinks so there are some shenanigans. The group notices how well run the place is and tips generously. Isabelle asks about the mines. The wait staff is able to give some insight but recommend they talk to the local Major to get more details.   After dinner the group has their baths. They are shared gendered baths. Isabelle catches a mark on Brienda's back. After getting permission, Isabelle inspects it. She can see this is scarification and burned into her skin. It ritualistic, but it's not a birthmark. Though Brienda thinks it's just a birthmark. Her mother had the same one and was told it runs into her family.   Meanwhile on the boy's side they talk about Nobu's upbringing in the monastery and Balthazar shared about his life at the library. Afterwards everyone heads to bed.

8th of Keltier 1524

  In the morning Galanith is the first up and she is praying by the hearth. Everyone else is up and in the common space by 6:30am. Nobu, Isabelle and Brienda will be heading to the temple of Erik, Balthazar will look for a jeweller, and Galanith stays for breakfast.  

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Nobu sits outside the temple to start sketching as Isabelle, Kaida and Brienda head inside. A service is just ending. The main message seemed to be life and death go hand in hand. They have many services available throughout the day. A halfling priest is running the temple.   Galanith joins the group as everyone files out to find Isabelle sitting at the base of the tree praying while Brienda is sitting in the pews finishing her coffee. Afterwards they check in with Nobu and promise to come and get him when they go to see the Mayor before heading back to the inn to get some breakfast.  

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It takes two hours for Balthazar to find a jeweller. The building has a metal door, but the door and parts of the front of the house look like a tree and have been skilfully crafted to look realistic despite the change in medium from the door to the front of the building. It is called the Sylvan Jewel. There a wood elf serves him and is able to give him a pearl to purchase.   Balthazar gets directions to the local General store to get another set of gold weather clothing and other clothing.  

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At 9:30 the group meets up at the inn and goes to get Nobu to go see the Mayor. The Major is Count Daeric, but he did put up his position to a vote, and the town's folk kept voting him in. He's a very modest Noble, which the group is not used to. They are invited to the sun room for tea and biscuits.   They learn:

• The miners returned but were confused. Some said there was cave ins, some said the walls were alive
• The injured minors are at the temple of Erik.
• Help has been requested from the Capital.
• Isabelle suspects that gem elementals are involved.
• The mines are 10 miles away.
• If they solve the problem they will get 1000 gold. After a mine inspection they will get paid extra if the mine is still accessible.

  Brienda steals as many biscuits on the way out as possible when the group leaves. When they are outside Isabelle shares her thoughts that it might be an elemental. They split up. Balthazar heads to the town hall to do research, Nobu goes to get a night shirt before going back to sketching and the girls all go back to the temple.  

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At 10am Isabelle, Galanith and Brienda arrive at the temple. They speak with the priest about his patients. They learn:

• The miners fell through the wall into the shadow world.
• The creature came through the portals into this plane.
• One of the miners has been driven mad by what has happened.
• There are three patients in total at the temple.
• Dust came alive to attack the miners.
• The crystal itself attacked the miners.

Afterwards they head back to the inn to rest.  

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Balthazar goes to the town hall and starts to look through old newsletters. He learns about 1423:

• Sons of Hjalsone are Rvurik nomads that over work local resources until they are depleted. They were in the area. The temple of Erik was able to move them on.
• The Upper Anurire Trading Company was trying to get the local businesses to join their company. But the town's folk wanted to be independant and the Company had to be moved on.
• Some Elves attacked the local area. The temple of Erik saved the day. A blessed seed was planted at a festival about seeds and this grew to be tree in the temple today.

Afterwards Baltahzar heads back to the inn.  

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The group meet up at the inn for dinner. They make the plans to stay one extra day to do research. The two groups share what they learned. Also the group asks Balthazar to look at the mark on her back after dinner. Balthazar tells a story about family traditions where one family cut off the pinkies of every child born in the family.   Balthazar casts comprehend languages but finds the spell does not help him read arcane runes. Instead he tries Identify spell ritually. Brienda complains and all the things while this happens. Nobu keeps her entertained. This involves talking about a witches and they have good and bad thumbs. He even draws a caricature of Balthazar as a witch.   Balthazar learns:

• Brienda has had modify memory cast on her.
• True polymorphed and bound into this form so she detects as human and no power leaks out.

He tells Brienda she is magically protected but keeps it vague. As a result she wants to test this protection to find out what it does exactly. He has Nobu take Brienda out to get a drink so he can tell Isabelle and Galanith about what he found out and theorise with them. Eventually he also catches Nobu up about this as well. Brienda is very drunk by the end of this.   Isabelle talks to Brienda until she falls asleep.

9th of Keltier 1524

  Brienda is very hung over. Isabelle gets her some food. Isabelle heads to the temple. Balthazar has some breakfast before heading out to the town hall. He finds it is closed until 9am. He heads back to the inn and will instead go to the Mayor's house at that time. Nobu goes to paint more as he starts to add colour. Galanith will take Brienda out to learn to use a bow.  

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Isabelle attends the service before asking the priest about shadow rifts. She learns:

• The Priest's Uncle closed shadow rifts and he had a jounral.
• They're dangerous.
• They can be closed.

She will stay to read the journal  

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Balthazar heads to the Mayor's library and after a discussion with the Mayor, starts to get into some research.