Kalvasto - Session 1 - "Blades and Embers", Also Entitled "Tundra Chainsaw Massacre"
General Summary
On the 24th of Eagle's Dawn, 1179, Nyx and Nala began their journey into legend. Our intrepid heroes found themselves indebted to the Rallac Family, one of the major crime familes that rule the city of Kalvasto, and were tasked with delivering a shipment of the drug known as Gorgon's Gaze to a smuggler known as Gillian the Weasel. A few hours into their journey, Nyx attempted to inquire about the details of their journey with Dobrin Resnick, the leader of the caravan, but was rebuffed. Nyx then attempted to get to know Nala, but his overly friendly demeanor, while genuine, was viewed as suspicious by the dragonborn and was met with a rather icy reception. Nyx then decided that conversation would be fruitless for the time being and decided to get out of site of the caravan and check in on his friend, a fire elemental named Kindle, to see how he was fairing in the cold and rainy midwinter morning.
Several hours passed of monotonous travel and the caravan was halted by a landslide of mud that had blocked the main road. Dobrin tasked Jovina and Milo to investigate the way they came for an alternative route while he assigned Nyx and Nala to check to see if a nearby forest had a game trail large enough for the caravan to pass through. The two of them headed towards the woods while Nyx collected a bundle of sticks. He then proceeded to light a torch in the mid afternoon sunlight as he anticipated the forest to be darker. When Nala questioned this he quickly attempted to cover the embarrassing situation by stating that it was to help dry their clothes and keep them warm. Whether or not this attempt worked or not is up for debate, though it is unlikely that it did.
The two of them did find a game trail that would be wide enough for the cart to pass through but it had been overgrown by forest undergrowth and would need to be cleared. Nala then proceeded to "Tundra Chainsaw Massacre" her way to clearing the entirety of the path. This action was so violent that it covered Nyx in vegetation and made it appear as if a huge creature had barreled through the forest. The two of them returned to Dobrin who took one look at Nyx's appearance and pulled out a flask and took a long swig.
As Milo and Jovina would take a few minutes to arrive back, Nala and Nyx decided to get to know the other members of the caravan. Nala decided to speak with Wilmer, an old hunched over mercenary turned cartographer, who had been bringing up the rear of the caravan and acting as the parties navigator. Nala asked about the parties destination and Wilmer informed her that a new entrance to the old dwarven highways that ran throughout Zaido had been discovered and that the group was taking the shortcuts due to heightened Trivenese border patrols. The layout of the tunnels change frequently due to cave ins and other creatures that inhabit the tunnels, though Wilmer informed her that the he was able to stitch together several maps to help guide them through. The two had a heartfelt conversation as Wilmer told the dragonborn that she reminded him of his granddaughter and that their was still good in the world. Nala was comforted that their was at least one person from Kalvasto who's warmth and kindness had not been erased by the cold of the tundra.
Nyx had a conversation with an unnamed dwarf that had been guarding the rear of the caravan. Nyx attempted to get to know the dwarf but any questions that the genasi asked was rebuffed with one word replies or grunts. In a final desperate attempt to successfully talk to someone on this journey, Nyx asked about the name of the warriors weapon, which was precisely the wrong question to ask the surly dwarf. The conversation swiftly ended as Nyx backed away from imminent death by axe and the dwarf took to staying as far away from Nyx as was possible.
When Milo and Jovina returned the caravan continued on its way. The journey continued for some time when Nyx and Nala spotted a patch of disturbed earth off of the main road. When the two of them investigated further they discovered that there was a grave with a headstone that read "Albin, sire to few, Father of many". A wilted flower lay next to the empty grave as there was no body to be found. As evening approached, the caravan began to makes it way into the mountains and they passed by a group of hunters that were heading back the way they came, presumably towards Kalvasto or nearby settlements.
The caravan decided to perch its campsite in the mountains with a clear view of the valley below. Nix decided to pitch his tent in the middle of the road in a self proclaimed "Power Move", with a sign outside that read "Caution, tent in road" that he had prepared for the journey in advance. After setting up her tent Nala began to write in her journal about the days events. Jovina was having trouble lighting the main fire due to the firewood being wet from recent rainfall. Nyx offered the firewood that he had collected earlier in the day and Jovina thanked him for his help and stated that he was far kinder than most people in this part of the world. She also warned him that many would seek to take advantage of his kindness but she also stated that kindness was a strength as well.
The dwarf and Jovina took first watch, Dobrin and Milo and Wilmer took the second, and Nyx and Nala took the third. While keeping watch Nala spotted an owlbear and her cubs in the valley below. This brought an end to the first day of their journey.
On the beginning of the second day, the caravan packed up their camp and continued onward. By midmorning, the group had approached the outskirts of the Gnarlwoods. Dobrin stated that they must go through the woods and use the Dwarven highways as heightened Trivenese patrols would make traveling along the main roads dangerous. Wilmer is uneasy at the prospect of entering the woods. While the forest is difficult to traverse, the party makes decent time along their journey. The dwarf and Jovina had taken point when a patch of Lurkvine attempted to ensnare the party. Everyone except Nala and the dwarf managed to escape its clutches. Nala managed to throw her dagger and sever the vine before it could drag her into the underbrush but the dwarf was not so lucky. After a moments hesitation, Nala leapt into action and swung her rapier into the brush as she went to go find the dwarf. The hesitation was the dwarfs undoing however as the Lurkvine had already broken the dwarfs neck and his body was suspended in the air. Nala returned to the party and the group quickly moved on while keeping an eye out for more Lurkvine.
Nyx noticed that a stag with a distinctive white spot on its neck was shadowing the party for some time. One of the axles on the cart was broken by the remnats of a severed Lurkvine tendril and the cart had to stop in order to make repairs. When the caravan had stopped, the stag made its appearance again in the center of the path and made eye contact with Nyx. It appeared to indicate that Nyx should follow. Jovina advised that animals, especially potential spirits, should not be angered and their warnings should be heeded. She advised that Nyx take someone along with with him and too not go too far from the caravan. Nala volunteered and the two of them set off to follow the strange stag. The stag stopped in front of the two and seemed to peer into their souls. Finding them satisfactory, the stag beckoned once more for the two too follow. Nyx used a message spell to communicate with Nala as they chased their quarry. Upon coming to a creek that the stag had crossed, Nyx attempted to run across a log but slipped and hit his head on the way down into the creek. Nala made it across without incident. The two of them continued their pursuit on the other side when in their rush to not lose sight of the stag, Nala stepped on another Lurkvine tendril but Nyx managed to cut the tendril before it could pull her and gave her a wink as he passed by. The two caught up with the stag when it vanished into a wall of brambles. Nyx decided to crawl through a small opening at the bottom of the wall and he entered some sort of shrine. A wall of brambles encircled a small lake. The stag was standing at the foot of a semicircle of roughly hewn steps. The stag vanished into a wall of solid stone.
Nala entered soon after and the two of them began to inspect a bowl carved into the ground with primordial writing around it. Nyx translated the writing into a riddle that read "There are four siblings in this world, all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second eats and is never full. The third drinks and is always thirsty. The fourth sings a song forever." After some deliberation, Nyx and Nala solved the puzzle by combining Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind in the correct order after finding inscriptions on the wall. The stone wall vanished and the two discovered an old druid supply cache that contained a healing potion and a minor magical trinket wrapped in oilcloth. The stag was nowhere to be found. The back wall of the supply cache had a carving that seemingly detailed the history of the Gnarlwoods though it was faded with time and a few pieces seemed to be missing.
The two returned to the caravan and continued on their way. Nyx and Nala noticed several disturbances in the brambles as if several possibly humanoid individuals had went through. As the group approached the end of the Gnarlwoods, the forest opened up into a clearing that contained a corpse with a rusty chest plate and a sword stuck in the ground in front of it. Upon entering the clearing, the corpse came to life and looked at the caravan with socket less eyes. The party heard undead howling emanating from all around them. They were surrounded.
Rewards Granted
Butterhut Squash
1 health potion
Character(s) interacted with
Dobrin, Milo, Jovina, Wilmer, Nyx, Nala, unamed Dwarf,
Report Date
01 Sep 2021
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
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