Session 4 Report
General Summary
The party recuperates after the hard-fought battle with the hobgoblin's forces. Figuring that they've already said their goodbyes, they once again go around Fallwood and head back on the road north again, towards the nebulous goal of talking to Lady Anna about the influx on monsters in the region.
During a long, uneventful few hours on the road, the group discusses on their reasons for traveling together beyond having bonded over drinks. Big Richard reveals that this is the first time he's been out of the forests for a long stretch and is glad to have good company with him. Jett says she is a seeker of adventure and vaguely mentions that she will never return home now that she has her freedom. Valqinor says that he longs to see a true elven conclave in order to be more in touch with his elven heritage after being raised in a mostly human city. Lephnut reveals that he is on a mission to find and kill someone.
As the sun wanes in the afternoon sky, the group spots a body off the side of the road, slumped by a tree. Whatever flesh laid on the body is long gone as only a skeleton remains. On its body are fine clothes of indeterminate yet clearly old age and strapped to its back is a large wooden chest, nearly the size of a cabinet. When Big Richard reaches out to the body to grab the fancy looking monocle on its face, a skeletal hand reaches back and stops him.
After a moment of surprise when the skeleton gets up, they are introduced to a jovial man named Melvin. From the discussion, Melvin is from a time long past, though he somehow lives on as a skeleton and has immediately gone back to his trade of a wandering merchant, offering to trade with the party. He explains that he deals in rare and magical items, though even he is unsure what he has for sale, as it is determined by what the chest on his back spits out. He calls this his "loot box."
Intrigued by Melvin's knowledge and deals in magic items, Valqinor asks if he can identify the ruby ring they found in the goblin's cave hideout. Melvin examines the ring closely, first with his microscoping monocle, and then with a seeming magical effect, and is unable to determine what exactly the ring does, other than confirming that it is indeed magical. He advises Valqinor not to put it on. He also notices engraved on the underside of the ring is an emblem-- a fanciful letter 'M' inside two concentric circles-- though he lacks knowledge of the current era to know who might this belong to.
Big Richard takes up Melvin on a trade. Melvin explains that to open the loot box costs 10 electrum, which is flabbergasting to the party as most countries have stopped using electrum as a currency long ago, if they ever did to begin with, and use the much simpler copper, silver, gold, and platinum denomination now. After Big Richard successfully persuades Melvin that silver is the common currency used in place of electrum in the current age, he pays the fee and Melvin tosses the silver to his back, which is devoured by a long tongue that appears from the chest. Melvin then pulls out of the chest a dark green cloak that billows dramatically despite the lack of wind. The party wants to purchase more items from Melvin's loot box but lack the necessary amounts of silver. They attempt unsuccessfully to persuade him into accepting other coinage but he will not budge, now convinced that silver is a rough equivalent of electrum and will only take silver (or electrum) for his trades. They even briefly consider heading back towards Fallwood to try to get some change but ultimately decide that they will move on. As they depart, they see Melvin jog off and disappear into a portal.
They only manage a few more miles of travel before it is too dark and they are exhausted by the day's journey. Taking camp off the road, they eat from their rations and sleep on their bedrolls, taking vigilant shifts to keep watch. Though it is not the most glamorous lifestyle for some in the group, it is enough for all to feel rejuvenated in the morning.
In the morning, they encounter another curious sight in the distance: this time, a supply caravan of two wagons. Leading the caravan is a dwarf and the two guards he has driving the wagons stick out to the party as strangely familiar-- their garb looks identical to the guards that were with Finn in Fallwood. The dwarf hails the group and asks for news from the south where they're coming from. He explains that they are a supply caravan heading towards Fallwood, though they have been delayed by the conflicts in the region. When the party explains that they already saw a supply caravan in town led by Finn, the dwarf is incredibly worried. One, because his caravan is the only one being sent to Fallwood so he has no idea who this other group is, and two, because he does recognize the name Finn of the Special Research Commission, but the last he heard was that Finn had disappeared nearly two months prior.
The dwarf finds out that the party is heading northward in hopes to speaking to Lady Anna and he says that the closest settlement on the path will be Distow, which is ruled by one of the barons under Anna's command. He tells them if they are headed that direction, they should inform the authorities of the strangeness in Fallwood and gives them his name to invoke-- Lieutenant Gambrell. Gambrell and his caravan rushes forward to Fallwood as the party continues northward to meet the baron of Distow.
Character(s) interacted with
Melvin
- Big Richard convinced him that silver is the trade currency in the current age, with a conversion rate of 2 silver to 1 electrum. Now Melvin will only trade in silver and electrum
Gambrell
- Impressed by Big Richard's knowledge of dwarven
- Gambrell told the party to mention his name when they inform the authorities in Distow of Finn and his guards
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
