Session 68 Report

General Summary

On January 7, 499 AV, Haymin’s Heroes met a group of four travelers on foot who were heading towards Rowadin. They spoke with them and learned that this group had been robbed by bandits on the road about for days south. This group consisted of a merchant named Varth Drubold, his business partner, and a pair of guards. Titta Morco offered to help them, telling them the party would look out for the bandits and recover their stolen goods if possible. In the meantime, it was decided that Selia Roselyn Maxwell would Teleport the travelers to Rowadin and then return to the party. Pyzar Zim accompanied her on the journey. The guards were placed in Pyzar’s Bag of Holding, so that Selia could transport five people with her. Selia and Pyzar explained the situation to Belpher Burrows and then escorted the merchants and their guards to the Outside Inn where they would be renting rooms. Once all was settled in Rowadin, Selia attempted to teleport her and Pyzar back to the party. However, there was a slight mishap. They appeared in the middle of a forest. Selia cast Fly on them and they rose up above the tree line to get a better view. But even from a bird’s eye view, all they saw was forest in every direction. Not knowing where they were, they decided to make camp and wait until the morning when Selia would try to teleport them back again. The next morning, the Teleport spell worked and Selia and Pyzar rejoined the party. The group then continued their journey south to Thunder Falls, Kainan, while looking out for possible bandit activity. That evening, Ladigo Farthon transformed into an eagle and flew a bit to the south, giving the road a wide arc as he looked for any signs of the bandits. He managed to find their camp and returned to the party to report. After a brief discussion, they decided to go after them in the morning. They were only a few miles away. On the morning of January 9, 499 AV, Haymin’s Heroes approached the bandit camp. The bandits were immediately on the defensive, holding their weapons at the ready. After a brief banter, Haymin’s Heroes drew their weapons as well, and four bandits reacted by firing their crossbows. The melee that followed was very one-sided and ended quickly. All the bandits were dead. Haymin’s Heroes found the merchant wagon and horses belonging to Varth Drubold. Selia then teleported to Rowadin with Pyzar to inform the merchant that his property had been recovered, and plans were made to teleport them back the next day so they could reclaim it. On January 10, 499 AV, Selia teleported them back to the road where the party awaited with the wagon and horses. Titta gave them all the goods that were found, whether it was theirs or not to begin with, as well as the extra horses the bandits possessed. Haymin’s Heroes took a small chest of coin that the bandits had after Varth Drubold accounted for all that was his. Varth thanked the party and invited them to seek him out if they were ever in Thunder Falls, and he would likewise do the same whenever he visited Rowadin. Then the two groups parted on their separate ways, each traveling away from home to continue their business. Haymin’s Heroes reached the Kainish border that evening and purchased rooms at the inn in the toll station/rest stop. There they learned that they were about 80 miles from Thunder Falls. The next day they continued on their journey, passing a rest stop every 20 miles. At the third one that day, they stopped for the night. They heard some news there about the Yuletide Killer, a story that Varth Drubold briefly mentioned to them before they had parted. A man had murdered and mutilated a mother and her teenage daughter and had been at large since the first day of Yuletide. The victims’ names were Lucet and Kinny Denderton, respectively. The suspected murderer was found dead a few nights ago in a mill by the river with a pentagram carved upon his chest. Coincidentally, Lucet’s son, Cleon, had suddenly disappeared and was wanted by authorities for questioning. Haymin’s Heroes reached Thunder Falls midmorning the next day, January 12, 499 AV. They booked rooms at the Thunder Falls Inn and then sought out the Ten Crown Caravan which they had learned was still in town. They walked around a bit and browsed the merchant stalls and entertainment on offer. Then after asking around a bit, they found Meritas and his assistant, Sistina. They approached them and spoke briefly. The party inquired about being hired on as guards for the journey to Rowadin to which Meritas seemed to reply favorably. They told him where they were staying and he told them he would let them know after talking it over with his assistant. Later that day, Mogi Delvin returned to the Ten Crown Caravan by himself on a reconnaissance mission. Under the cover of Invisibility, he approached Meritas and Sistina to observe them with Detect Evil and Detect Magic. He did not detect and aura of evil in Meritas, but Sistina possessed a strong aura. But both of them possessed magical auras. One of those came from a ring Meritas wore. As Mogi was watching them from what he believed to be a safe distance, he noticed Sistina make eye contact with him. He waved at her and she waved back. Mogi then walked away and told the party what he saw. The party asked around town after Cleon Denderton but no one had seen him in days. They learned a few more details about the murders and the identity of the suspected killer. His name was Tedro Alvar and he hailed from York. He joined the Ten Crown Caravan there and accompanied them to Thunder Falls. Then the day after they had arrived, he killed Lucet and Kinny Denderton. Tedro Alvar is now dead, killed four nights ago in some sort of ritualistic fashion in a mill where Cleon Denderton was employed. The young man is now wanted for questioning in connection with this murder. Everyone they questioned spoke highly of Cleon and regarded him as a pleasant and hardworking young man. That evening, Auren Sylynn was sent to the Denderton house to break in and retrieve some items that belonged to young Cleon. He found a comb with some hairs and a pair of boots. He brought them back to the inn and Kyrie Eleison Thatcher-Stone then used the hair to cast Scry on Cleon. The spell worked and his image and immediate surroundings appeared clearly in the liquid of the font Kyrie used as the focus of her spell. Cleon was dressed in studded leather armor and had a sword and shield on the ground beside him. He sat around a campfire with some other men whose images moved in and out of frame. One of these men spoke to Cleon and recommended he get some sleep. He mentioned that they were only halfway to their destination and would still journey another four days. Cleon settled into his bedroll and tried to get to sleep. Before the image faded away, they saw a holy symbol of Asmodeus, God of Sin, around the neck of one man who walked into view. They discussed what they saw and then Kyrie cast Sending to communicate with Cleon. She told him they were an adventuring party that wanted to help and asked him where he was going and if he was safe. Cleon replied that he was going to the Petrified Cave and that he was nervous. He also asked if Meritas had sent them. The party then asked around the inn about the Petrtified Cave. They learned that it was somewhere in the Giant Mountains, rumored to be the lair of basilisks. Haymin’s Heroes were unsure what this all meant and why Cleon was heading there. But they believed that Cleon was in some sort of trouble. They settled on going after him the next morning. With their magically enhanced travel speed, they should be able to catch up to him before he reaches his destination. They also considered confronting Meritas in the morning before leaving in hopes of shedding some more light on this mystery. Still uncertain of how to breach that subject with him, Haymin’s Heroes settled off to bed.

Campaign

The Heart of Embril

Protagonists