2023-02-08 Disappearance in Deerwatch
Player Characters
- Ellis Tist
- Igoff Lau Tist
- Pragma Tist
- Mortha Tist
- Den Tist
Summary
The Tist siblings entered Salmund, where their family had purchased a home for them to stay at while seeking their own fortunes. The butler told them to return for dinner, and left to unpack the wagons and saddle bags from their caravan.
An old homeless man approached the children, welcoming them to the village and asking them for spare change. The children were disgusted and dismissed him.
While trying to decide what to do, Sheriff Karock put up a wanted poster offering a 400gp reward for a missing person. Ellis deigned to ask about it, and the group agreed to look into it. They stole the poster after Karock returned to his office.
The children piled into one of their wagons and demanded that the old homeless man, who they named "Bartholomew", drive them to Deerwatch. He accepted for a small amount of coin, despite making it clear that he was formerly a farmhand and not a coach driver. The Tists ignored him.
While passing through Brightmeadow, the children stopped at the Sparkling Goblet for some wine and beef stew. They attempted to gamble to earn their money back, but lost at cards despite cheating.
They continued to Deerwatch. When they arrived, they found the house of the missing man, Rusuf. They informed the two stationed guards of their intent to investigate.
They climbed the stepstool into the broken window and searched. Two new locks had been installed recently, and the smashed window had been boarded up. Two earplugs were found on the nightstand, an Emerald Feather Signal Ring was on the floor, and there were signs of a struggle, but no blood.
Ellis and Igoff followed some trails of footprints outside of the house. A few led out of the village to the south, and seemed suspect.
Den & Mortha noticed a pinkish glow from the floor. They chased it around the room, then deduced it was below the cabin. As Den poked an opening into the crawlspace from the outside, a swarm of rats with exposed brains attacked. The group killed the cranium rats with crossbows, insults, and pepper spray.
The group informed Sheriff Bolnir, who promised to check for infestation within the town.
The children continued south in their wagon, following the trail. The old man continued to protest in vain. Whenever they stopped, Igoff would use his 'imaginary friend' to cook and set up camp.
They found a former campsite of some travelers a few days ahead of them, with footprint trails in different directions. They decided to move at a faster pace. The wagon's axle broke when it got caught in a ditch. The party continued on foot, but the old man opted to stay behind, exhausted by the childrens' attitudes.
Goblins ambushed the family. The party was able to fight them off.
After a few days of travel, they caught up to a party of adventurers who had Rusuf tied to a post. The leader of the party, a monk man named James, told the group that they were former members of the Order of the Emerald Feather, and that they believed that Rusuf was possessed by the same brain creature that controlled the guild's leader. They captured him to question him about the monster's home and allies, but hadn't learned anything. James was planning to kill Rusuf after learning what he knew.
James allowed the party to talk to Rusuf, who claimed he was just a weaver living in Deerwatch. Rusuf mentioned that he felt like he was being watched the last time he collected reeds at the nearby pond, and that he needed earplugs to drown out a weird skittering noise so he could sleep (most likely the rats). He boarded up the window and installed more door locks to feel safer.
Igoff tricked James' group into believing he knew a ritual to check Rusuf's mind for possession. While pretending to perform it, Ellis decided the best course of action was to fight. Weapons were drawn and blood was shed.
The party killed the half-orc fighter and knocked out the other three, then tied them and Rusuf together to transport them home as a prisoner train.
That night, Missy's (the human rogue) head popped open, and an intellect devourer lept out to attack. Pragma woke the group, and together they squashed it before it could harm anyone.
The family returned to Deerwatch with the old man and the remaining prisoners. The local temple attempted to scan the group for possession, and deemed them safe. The party collected the reward for finding Rusuf, who returned home. The other two (James and a dwarf wizard named Bralgo) were locked up for the time being.
The party explained what happened to the Sheriff, who was disturbed about it. Ellis made plans to speak to James & Bralgo more later.
The group returned to their home in Salmund, finding the butler lazing about in their absence. The old man was nowhere to be found.
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