Huren (the 9th month) 20, 1610 - Reunite with the Zone C Settlers
The PCs divvy up the items offered to them by Hanith Vorlan.
(John asks to retro-identify the ring he was given - it glows if the wearer is the elder of two people touching it - a significant item in Kelmonite society as it curtails any debate about who is the senior elder).
Egon uses Identify on all the items found:
- The comb will make beautiful hair from messy hair.
- The hourglass can announce the passage of hours or minutes up to an hour
- The mirror is so faintly magic it is unreliable as magic goes, therefore identify has difficulty defining how and what it does... but it does appear to be linked to Hanith and may be a means to contact or communicate with him.
In the wee-hours of the morn the PCs exit the burial mound and reunite with the setters who arrived at the edge of the Walnut grove yesterday and made camp. They encounter a group of watchman huddled under a tree as the light drizzle passes by.
The watchman are enthusiastic desipte the conditions - happy to see the return of Unlander, Sigmund, Teddy, Egon and Shadow. They are alarmed by the site of Wyd, but this is smoothed over. Puck is also new and brief introductions are made. A runner is sent to bring Harlon Olead (Lord Bellweather's man-at-arms).
Harlon is briefed on the events and the PCs are shown to their new tent circle - plans are made to speak with Bellweather in the morning.
Harlon sends some of the watchmen to bed as he takes over watch for them.
Sigmund stokes the tent circle embers to a warming fire. Some of the PCs linger and speak (Namely Sigmund, Egon, Puck and Teddy). Sigmund attempts to make a mud brick - but without the necessary wood-forms he ends up with something that looks like a meatloaf that, once dried and/or fired, would not stack worth beans.
Shadow climbs a walnut tree to rest there keeping tabs on his new allies.
At one point Shadow shows Sigmund his bowl with the symbol of Alpha.
The discussion does awaken a sleepy-eyed six-year old
Jason Burley who comes out to lean on Sigmund. Sigmund and the boy greet briefly befor guiding the youngster back to his tent where the startled
Audrey Burley thanks Sigmund and draws the youngster back into the tent.
Egon reads from Hanith's spiritual journal - it seems the Kelmonites are spiritual people, but lack a defined pantheon... instead venerating a concept/power/force of Wisdom and walking the great circle or ring.
Puck remains the last one at the fire and watches the sunrise.
Audrey awakens and begins making breakfast. Today is a big day as the bulk of the settlers will engage in mud-brick making as demonstrated by
Gowler Bluetips - the city planner.
Piles of cut weeds, water and mud-pits were prepared yesterday. A feast is scheduled to be held at the end of the day.
Lord Bellweather arrives at the tent circle in the morning - it takes longer than expected to arrive as the town folk intercept him in their excitement to begin the lengthy task of building a settlement. When he does finally pry himself free of the people he is briefed on what the PCs found (goblins, Hanith's apparition, and the fact that Alpha may "move from one solar system to another").
Pike Bellweather is visibly concerned about this - he has no immediate answer and the party vows to discover what they can. His best plan is to control what he can and keep the people focused and to withhold this alarming news until more can be learned.
After meeting and hearing Puck's tale, Bellweather is concerned that representatives from the
Tremon Alpha Settlement Board of Trustees are coming in less than two months. Puck's arrival via the Amok (a crashed supply ship) and the previous crash of the
Quark indicates Alpha's atmosphere may be a problem for small solarships - word must be sent to Etolar.
The PCs are invited to make mud-bricks, but Bellweather knows they will certainly engage in higher goals, but insists they join the evening feast. The PCs plan on exploring the rest of the Walnut grove and to press east to see what lies there (Wyd insists, its death and doom and not to go there).
The PCs set out for the eastern end of the Walnut grove... at the far end they find remnants of the evicted goblin tribe who are damp and miserable and getting riled up for war (face-paint, chanting, shouting, etc.). Seizing the opportunity the party attempts to sneak up on the green mites... Egon however trips over a walnut limb and does a face-plant - his loud "ooof" draws the goblins attention and a nasty fight breaks out. The lead goblin makes a break for it to the east and the PCs give chase... outside the cover of the walnut trees, the last goblin is killed and the PCs spot a large ruined city to the east.
As the PCs survey the city, Puck is of the opinion that the settlers ought to immediately move here. Sigmund is a bit more cautious thinking it should be scouted first. They begin to head for the ruins... on the way they spot a
winged dark form rise up from the palace ruins and fly over a bit of the city and then descend out of sight!
The PCs resume their approach along an old cobbled road. On the outskirts of the city a dozen creatures begin to emerge from some of the buildings there. They are very skittish, and seem to exhibit mutations - showing signs of various animals and asymmetrical structures. Some have wings, one has two heads. All of their gear looks to be salvaged items re-purposed as weapons, armor or gear. Sigmund slowly moves forward to attempt first contact with these creatures and the two-headed one seems to do the same. The rest of the creatures are fanned out in a haphazard skirmish. Egon uses comprehend languages to learn they are using very simplistic language and picks up words like "caution" and "food?"
Sigmund is doing a good job at calming the creatures and establish a rapport. He casts Goodberry and the magic effect sends them into an immediate uneasy nature a few run, but most stay but move back. Sigmund holds out the berries as a gift and the two-headed one sniffs and seems to be calmed. But as Sigmund speaks one of his (spells?) causes his appearance to take on a monkey-like face... at that the skittish and nervous creatures exhibit abject fear and flee for a grove of walnut trees near the edge of the city.
Sigmund is a bit disheartened... following Etolar's best thought out means of "first contact" is proving harder than it looks on paper. As they watch the creatures disappear, the PCs survey the nearest parts of the city and spot a number of structures within short range that may be worth exploring:
A tower
A small walled structure
A larger walled compound
They begin to head for the tower as it is on the city's south edge and relatively easy to get to directly.
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