Ravenbluff & Red Claw

The Path of Nightshade travel to Ravenbluff to investigate the mysterious events with the addictive ale known as Red Claw.

Roscoe asks Gilly when they’re gonna get paid for thier services as crew of The Dragons Redemption. Gilly says that Bobushio is in charge of the finances, so he’s gotta do it. Pays 120 GP for July through Septa.   Gerrig approaches Gilly to ask if he’s being distracting or problematic. He feels like he doesn’t know where they stand. He knows it’s not his place, but he worries about her and he doesn’t want to burden her. She says that he’s great as is. He doesn’t have a job, and he’s not used to it. He is a guard (fighter with a little bit of thief), he’s a Hill Dwarf. He isn’t sure where he fits and how to help.   Meera is pretty upset that she has to bunk with this punk teenager Highwing the Hippogriff. Thuniel does her best to convince Meera that it’s her responsibility to be a good example and teach Highwing how to be a war mount. Thuniel gives her a Silverbottom apple from Quel, and Meera grudgingly accepts. Thuniel helps Gilly earn some trust with Highwing, then she tries to talk to him about respecting Meera.   The party heads to Ravenbluff a city in Val Xora. The city is mostly dragonborn, with all other races as small minorities. From far, far away, we can see the Giant Guardian statue on the western part of the city. It is windy and has vast fields with windmills scattered across the landscape. On the way, Bobushio boobytraps the captain’s quarters/workshop with a Glyph of Warding. The Shades land in the water and sail in. Ravenbluff is smaller than Blightfen, but more compact and densely populated. Bobushio used to have a network in this city, in Darkbrook, but he hasn’t heard from them. He isn’t sure if they defected, died, or went into hiding. As they step off the boat, eight men and women, all dragonborn except for one human, sitting in the middle of the road. They have makeshift weapons. They look our way and their eyes are glowing red and their bellies are distended. Moz notices they are twitchy.   Thuniel suggests that Gilly send the ship away from the dock to make sure no one boards the ship. Moz relays to Carmella the order to cast off.   They stand up and demand our booze money, and try to mob the party. Thuniel shoots the weapon of the leader of the rabble and it makes them scatter. Other people on the dock back away, but quickly some town guards show up. Bobushio heads them off. The clear leader apologizes for the rough welcome, and he recognizes Bobushio. Gilly asks where to get the “great” ale.   The captain says that Red Claw is a huge headache. He doesn’t want to talk about it in the open, but there’s a nearby barracks. The captain is a green dragonborn, tailless. He’s built. His name is Captain Kollias Bayax.   Back at the guardhouse, he gets some refreshment, then says this all started a few weeks ago. Kollias says he needs all the help he can get because this is a problem. A few weeks ago, monks showed up with barrels and bottles of Red Claw, but only a few taverns bought it; Whizs Armchair general store in Tradetown, proprietor Penny Jamjar and she’s looking for more was one of the first. Additionally, a tavern called Therovan’s Rest (Therovan Mistrolaith, owner) near another guard tower has unfortunately addicted a couple of officers.   Kollias describes as soon as someone tastes it, they think it’s the best thing they ever had and they want more. The more they drink, the more they want. Everywhere sold out almost immediately. Anyone who has tasted it, is immediately obsessed. The red eyes and potbellies are more recent development.   The monks came back a few days later, and more people wanted it. The third time the monks came back, they were mobbed and had to ditch and run. The fourth time they came back, they were ready for an attack, and the cost was astronomical.   Bobushio asks about drying people out, but it’s been two weeks and they still have people in holding who haven’t bucked their addiction. People are spending all their money, and most people are still functioning throughout the day, until they hear there is more Red Claw, then they drop everything and run to get the good stuff.   The monks always come from the east. The monks appear to be dragonborn. People is that those who can’t get their fix turn to violence. They are trying to find the source of the liquor itself, but he has very few men who aren’t addicted and he needs them here to maintain the peace.   Gilly asks what the queen is doing, but Kollias isn’t able to say. Bobushio reads his thoughts: the queen knows what’s going on, but she has also taken the ale. She says she needs to stay out of the investigation because she is compromised.   There’s not a drop in the city to analyze. Purify Food and Drink doesn’t work. It seems like it might be a curse. The local clergy have been trying to remove curse on some officers whenever they can, but they still want it, just not to an addicted degree. They don’t go crazy and the red eyes go away, but we don’t know if they’ll relapse because another shipment has not yet come in.   Kollias recognized Bobushio and thought we seemed capable. The queen has asked him to recruit help wherever he can.   The party decides to help. The carts are pulled by mangy direweasels. The monks look like dragonborn and they are heavily armored and armed. He pulls out an empty bottle with the Red Claw logo on it. The last shipment was not bottled anymore, so now it’s just barrels. The mob bought it out by the time the shipment made it to the city.   Gilly sneaks off and pokes around his office. It’s cluttered and there’s a family portrait. She gets into his liquor cabinet and drinks a bit of mead that seems better than he should have. Gilly looks for information about the queen, but she cannot read Draconic. She just finds a document with the queen’s signature. ISAC has been keeping track of Gilly and takes a photocopy of the document. She finds nothing to indicate that Kollias is a dirty cop.   Gilly returns. Bobushio reads the note and the document says that the queen tried the ale, but she won’t get healed of the curse because her people need it more. She says she’ll go into seclusion and wait. He relates that to the party.   Bobushio thinks that we could get some wizards from the tower to cleanse people. Maybe once we know what’s going on.   The party then travels to Whiz’s Armchair where the first shipment was delivered and purchased. Outside the store are tons of people performing. The store is plaster with large windows and an enclosed deck off the back topped by an enclosed patio. Inside the general store is a large amount of books, in addition to lots of other stuff.   We’re met by an overly happy, plump, short gold Dragonborn with a tail. Penny Jamjar. She asks what she can do. She shares the history of the armchair; her father was stabbed in the back .   Penny admits that she bought the ale, but never even got to taste it. She got one shipment, but sold out a week and a half ago. Penny says the dragonborn monks were ugly, crimson dragonborn. They hardly spoke and gave her a great price. They spoke in Draconic. They said they came from the Scarlow Mountains, so she sent a friend to go try to get more, but they haven’t come back. The friend is an orange dragonborn with bright blue horns, Talisin. Thuniel buys some drinks.