2022-10-15 Ashes of Klagen Manor
Player Characters
- Grey
- Balasar
- Green
- Pocket
- Tarhun
Summary
After meeting on the road, the party explored the village of Salmund. They met several shopkeepers and other strangers, including a drunken halfling and a roguish woman (Nora) in the Crossroads, the aloof owner of the Enchantry Al-Zabuj Mihadi, the owner of the Museum of Ancient History Jaida, the owner of the Celestial Study Quasar, and the town sheriff Navlar Karock.
Tarhun expressed interest in working with Quasar on arcane research in the future.
Balasar convinced Al-Zabuj to trade some spells from their spellbooks.
Sheriff Karock gave the party their mission: he suspected that the burning of Klagen Manor a few nights ago was not an accident. Starn was the last of his noble family, a reclusive but friendly man, and had five gnome servants. One human and two gnome skeletons were found in the ashes, believed to be Starn and some servants.
The party talked to a group of down-on-their-luck gnomes at The Crossroads, who were servants of Starn Klagen. The gnomes told how he kept to himself, sometimes traveled to the forest to visit a friend called "Granny", and occasionally had visitors.
Pocket spoke to Nora about Starn and learned that he was a criminal connection of hers.
The party visitied Reader's Haven and leafed through books about the Klagen family. They did not learn anything unusual about Starn's grandmothers, but did find his journal which mentioned a "Granny" living in the forest. They found a cryptic poem describing how to find her.
The party visited the charred remains of Klagen's manor. They found a potted rose that was completely unharmed by the fire.
Pocket discovered every track around the manor: some small footprints of gnomes, some larger of Starn's nature walks or other visitors, and one unusual set that only approached a window. The party followed the latter set, which led them into the Kazzin Forest.
They encountered a goblin camp. They talked to the goblins to negotiate passage, when they were violently interrupted by a gang of humanoids who attacked the goblins.
The party had mixed reactions; for the most part, they fought against the humanoids. While the goblins were defeated and few fled, the party nearly defeated the humanoids before agreeing to stop fighting.
The arrogant leader introduced himself as Falbin Wernethob, an officer of the Order of the Emerald Feather. He offered that the party could join them to help fight off goblins. When the PCs declined, he told them to go home and convince Sheriff Karock to pay their protection money (1000gp a month).
A voice in Grey's head commanded him to seek and obtain the emerald feather. He refused the command, and was able to resist the voice's influence- for now.
Green challenged Falbin to a game of dragonchess, waging gold against information. He won the match, but Falbin said that he could only answer some questions about the Order. Falbin paid the gold wager and talked about the Order, how its influence and power were spreading, and about how its mission was to protect villages of the Lowlands in exchange for [far too much] money.
Bitterly parting from Falbin's squad, the party followed the tracks further, arriving at a cabin in the woods.
Pocket was caught sneaking around the cabin. A robed woman confronted her suspiciously. Pocket and Green were able to talk the woman down, exchanging information to keep the peace. Her name was Tullia, and she admitted that the Order of the Emerald Feather had hired her and her companions as mercenaries to destroy the manor and Starn Klagen, who was a smuggler for a competing gang called the Murids. She provided the missive so the party could prove what happened to the Sheriff.
The party returned to town to report on the situation. Sheriff Karock paid them for solving the mystery.
Balasar gave one rose petal to Vist Thermil of Potions of Wealing to help research fire resistance potions.
Green communed with spirits at Vayla Temple with the rose, and discovered that they were repelled by it.
Pocket visited Nora, who invited her to join the Murids, stating they could always use more members skilled in the art of stealth, as well as more allies against the Order. Pocket agreed to join.
The poem and fire-resistant rose items will be held by whomever goes on a mission to pursue the enigmatic Granny.
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