Friends and Enemies, Old and New
Trouble with the Locals, part 1
General Summary
With the boy safe and extra weight in their coin pouches, the party decided to take some time off to spend their new wealth and process some of the information they had received over the previous week. Over the next month each person went their own ways before coming back together to decide on their next course of action.
Ernie spent his time furthering his craft and eventually created a homunculus using the amethyst gem he received from Naidrasala, and wrote a few correspondence. One to his family, and another to Professor Winsome Landy, who was residing in Lakeshore at the Mages Guild college. Ollie went to Harland Mugridge, working out a deal for land, and built his very own home. Myr decided it was important to reconvene with nature, especially after the harrowing experience they had just gone through. And finally Xorn attempted to contact a few of their former family members before falling into their usual pattern of substance abuse.
5th of Tyr, 636 Golden Era
Unbeknownst to the party a newcomer had arrived in town that morning by the name of Naveah, and she had been beckoned to come by her half sister Khaya Owens. The two had a less than ideal circumstance for reuniting which strained their already tenuous relationship. Khaya called the party to her tower and as a group they discussed the information that they had received in their last outing, and Khaya informed the party of a few secrets that very well connected a few dots for them. To summarize the conversation and the information therein:
At some point a knock at the door signaled the arrival of Harland Mugridge, who had come looking for the party. Sensing a good stopping point the party shifted over to Harland and his message. Rutherly Ordelbrandt was asking for them by name to assist in a local problem he was having in Serpent’s Mire. Having heard of the party through Harland, Rutherly decided to see if the party would be able to handle his problem in a similarly efficient manner. Harland wasn’t aware of all of the details but what he did know was that a recent string of kobold and lizardfolk attacks were making for a tense situation in the swamps and Rutherly would pay for their transportation costs if they agreed to come hear him out. The party reluctantly agreed to go after Khaya’s urging.
6th of Tyr, 636 GE
The first leg of their journey was to travel with a small caravan headed to Lakeshore where the party would split off at the Therion Fork and continue south. At dawn the following morning the party rendezvoused with the caravan and set forth on their trip. In the caravan was Brewmaster Glowkindle, his twin nephews, Reylin Stonebreaker, owner of the Prince’s Pisswater, along with his wife and six children, and two guards they had hired on as help. The party would be supplementing their security in exchange for free travel. The two business men were relocating to Lakeshore in what would be the first of many relocations as they expanded their operations. After settling in the caravan set forth and for the first day the journey was a quiet one. Rolling hills of golden wheat and the occasional spring of trees dotted the landscape, and Wolfpine Forest always at the edge of their vision to the West forever watching as they turned at the fork for Havel’s Path and made their way south of the Serpent’s Road.
7th of Tyr, 636 GE
The second day of their journey was not as simple. An uncharacteristic fog had settled down on the plains and visibility was not at its finest. At a little past noon the caravan ran into a small problem. Bandits. Before any of them were able to react they were surrounded on all sides by brigands armed with swords and crossbows as their leader made a showy entrance at the front of the caravan. However when the party saw the familiar face of the bandit leader the tables shifted in their favor. Rhezok the hobgoblin, who the party had nearly killed a few months back in Havel’s Pass, was properly scared of the party and the situation quickly changed in their favor as they proceeded to intimidate him into submission with the implicit threat that this wasn’t to happen a third time. Crisis averted, the party continued on their way and arrived at Therion Crossing. After crossing the Therion Fork by ferry the party split ways with the caravan and were given horses for the next leg of their journey. Arriving in Lugo at nightfall the party stayed at the Rusted Axe Inn before departing again in the morning.
8th of Tyr 636 GE
Departing Lugo early in the morning before sunrise the party made good time and arrived in the bustling trade city of Cruce by midday. Upon their arrival they were greeted by an affable lizardfolk herder by the name of Gakri who informed the party that he would be responsible for the next leg of their trek. Guiding the party to his ranch on the outskirts of the city beyond the defensive walls was his homestead. Gakri has a unique animal that he shepherds and is one of the few I’ve ever heard of that has managed to tame a Catoblepas. Vile and vomit inducing are the nicest way one could describe their smell and appearance, but I will give him credit. It is by far the safest I have ever felt traveling through Serpent’s Mire seeing as how no sane beast or person would want to be within several hundred feet of these mounts. As an aside Gakri’s homemade Catoblebrew and Death Cheese, while not instilling much confidence by their namesake, are actually rather exquisite treats, and I would highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. In any case, the group waited for the final patron who would be accompanying them and once they arrived they set forth in the hopes of reaching Mire’s Edge by nightfall.
Their new traveling companion was a traveling bard, a satyr by the name of Jihos Roussou. A bombastic and hedonistic character, Jihos provided entertainment by regaling the party with songs he would be performing later that evening in Mire’s Edge. One was a terribly dramatized and inaccurate version of some events that transpired in the Kel Adagh tribe of the Viverri people of the Sea of Sands, and the second story was a vastly simplified retelling of the formation of the Braen Collective. In his retelling the party learned about Castel Azgian, the mastermind, Solomon Mugridge, the man who could find anything, Cedric Ordelbrandt, the orator, Jaro Wyglif, the miner, and Ranyinde Artanáro, the general hailing from the depths of Wolfpine Forest. Together these five united the people and drove out the Salastellan Kingdom establishing their country with all but the last member taking up leadership positions while Ranyinde vanished into obscurity with whereabouts still unknown. By the end of Jihos’ stories the party finally arrived at Mire’s Edge just as night fell.
Seat of the Ordelbrandt family and lifeline of Serpent’s Mire, Mire’s Edge was a bustling city even at that hour. Wasting no time they parted ways with their guide and companion and made a straight line for the Ordelbrandt Estate. At their arrival the two lizardfolk guards Tapli and Mapli, twins, escorted the party into the estate where they were greeted by their prospective employer, Rutherly Ordelbrandt. Rutherly explained the nature of his request, the history of their truce with the Stinging Mist Lizardfolk to the party, and asked for the parties assistance with the new kobold clan that had taken up residence somewhere nearby. He told them:
Whippoorwill, the owner of the Trade Stop, a massive barn housing the largest outdoor market in Mire’s Edge, was a notoriously difficult woman to pin down as she traverses the support beams above the market keeping an eye on everything. The party however managed an audience with her and learned of a medical shipment that had been delayed by a few days, and she suspects the kobolds are behind it. She gave them directions and a key to locate the shipment, with the payment being anything not medical they can keep so long as they bring back the medical supplies. Satisfied with their information gathering and leads, the party decided to stay the night at the Boardwalk Inn before setting out into the swamp in the morning.
9th of Tyr, 636 GE
Fully rested the adventure began as the sun rose and the party journeyed into the swamp taking the northern road out of Mire’s Edge headed towards the northwest. By noon the party arrived at a suspicious set of wheel tracks that veered off the road into the trees with small footprints all around. The party investigated further, finding the wagons empty and covered in black ash handprints. There were however a few sets of kobold tracks that made tracking quite easy and arrived at the Serpent Stones, a mysterious set of waystones used as guideposts for those trying to find the temple. And the party did just that, but not before narrowly avoiding a confrontation with a Stinging Mist hunting party and their velociraptors who seemed to also be tracking kobolds. They waited until the coast was clear and continued on until they eventually found themselves looking out over a small lake with a temple perfectly seated on the water in the midst of being reclaimed by the nature around it.
Upon cursory examination the temple did not appear to be inhabited, but upon further investigation some of the branches had been cut back, lookouts were spotted in a central tower and thick drapes had been drawn up in the windows to block sunlight, likely due to the kobold's sunlight sensitivity. After much deliberation it was decided Ollie and Naveah would enter the front door in an attempt to parley while the rest of the party would provide backup if necessary. The kobolds however were not as keen on the idea. Upon their entry traps were sprung, imps were summoned, and overweight crocodiles waddled, but when the dust settled no one had died and the kobolds surrendered. One kobold was intimidated into showing the party to their leader, and he led them to the clan sorcerer, Wruenele.
Wruenele was a wily kobold with delusions of grandeur who flaunted his position over the other kobolds with ruthlessness. He conversed with the party and posed the idea of joining forces and killing their clan master, Nox. This obviously came as a shock to the party who hadn’t expected to run into the King of the Forests in this backwater swamp. They reluctantly agreed, unsure of what they would do when faced with this dragon. Wruenele escorted the party to the gate to Nox’s garden that was under guard by an urd, a winged kobold, by the name of Yuty. Unbeknownst to the party there were politics at play behind the scenes that they had unwittingly stumbled into however they would soon learn. Yuty reluctantly let the party in to see the master, but not before warning them to keep their weapons sheathed or risk her spear.
Through the doors they were greeted to a veritable garden with basin’s that formerly held ceremonial fires now housing a wide arrangement of exotic plants. In the center of the chamber was a large pool with a large statue of a snake sitting in the center. From the depths of the pool rose Nox, but perhaps not the one they were expecting. The wyrmling’s full name was Renfelbalathnox, however to the kobolds he was simply Nox hence the party’s confusion, and for simplicity, and with a dejected sigh, he told them to refer to him as Ren. Ren was the literal definition of the runt of the litter. Smaller than a kobold, more nervous than a noble’s lapdog, and a constant drip of acidic drool like a mastiff, Ren was perhaps the least intimidating dragon one could imagine.
With all of the false bravado he could muster Ren attempted to stand his ground against the party, but it became evident fairly quickly Ren was being manipulated by his sorcerer. Wruenele sensing the tides changing turned on the party trying to instigate a fight, but before it could come to fruition he was slain. Peace talks resumed soon after, and the party learned that Yuty and Ren both wanted to live peacefully with their neighbors, but Wruenele preyed on Ren's fears to encourage him to be ruthless and attack their neighbors. Eventually an agreement was reached and in exchange for supplies and trade Ren and the kobold clan would ensure the safety of trade caravans in the area. Ren even agreed to return the medicinal supplies they had recently "procured". The party collected their bounty and began their trek back to Mire's Edge.
Ernie spent his time furthering his craft and eventually created a homunculus using the amethyst gem he received from Naidrasala, and wrote a few correspondence. One to his family, and another to Professor Winsome Landy, who was residing in Lakeshore at the Mages Guild college. Ollie went to Harland Mugridge, working out a deal for land, and built his very own home. Myr decided it was important to reconvene with nature, especially after the harrowing experience they had just gone through. And finally Xorn attempted to contact a few of their former family members before falling into their usual pattern of substance abuse.
5th of Tyr, 636 Golden Era
Unbeknownst to the party a newcomer had arrived in town that morning by the name of Naveah, and she had been beckoned to come by her half sister Khaya Owens. The two had a less than ideal circumstance for reuniting which strained their already tenuous relationship. Khaya called the party to her tower and as a group they discussed the information that they had received in their last outing, and Khaya informed the party of a few secrets that very well connected a few dots for them. To summarize the conversation and the information therein:
- Khaya informed the party of her own history, namely that of her relationship with her mother Ranyinde.
- Ranyinde, who apparently was under the name Fenumiel now, met Levi Owens, a ranger that resided in Talbet, about 66 years ago, and the two settled down there with their new born child Khaya Owens.
- Gaelen Winterwatcher, the half elf wizard of Talbet whose lab the party had found along with a journal underneath the Wizard Tower Brewing Company, seemingly vanished from his home and was never seen again. Soon after Ranyinde left into Wolfpine Forest to investigate. She was also never seen again. Khaya was 6 at the time.
- Distraught over his wife’s disappearance, Levi spent the next 10 years making treks into the woods searching for his wife before eventually succumbing to his injuries after a particularly vicious journey. Khaya was 16 years old, and has been on her own since then.
- Fenumiel is the right hand of Nox, King of the Wolfpines, and is feared by all those that live within reach of the forest.
At some point a knock at the door signaled the arrival of Harland Mugridge, who had come looking for the party. Sensing a good stopping point the party shifted over to Harland and his message. Rutherly Ordelbrandt was asking for them by name to assist in a local problem he was having in Serpent’s Mire. Having heard of the party through Harland, Rutherly decided to see if the party would be able to handle his problem in a similarly efficient manner. Harland wasn’t aware of all of the details but what he did know was that a recent string of kobold and lizardfolk attacks were making for a tense situation in the swamps and Rutherly would pay for their transportation costs if they agreed to come hear him out. The party reluctantly agreed to go after Khaya’s urging.
6th of Tyr, 636 GE
The first leg of their journey was to travel with a small caravan headed to Lakeshore where the party would split off at the Therion Fork and continue south. At dawn the following morning the party rendezvoused with the caravan and set forth on their trip. In the caravan was Brewmaster Glowkindle, his twin nephews, Reylin Stonebreaker, owner of the Prince’s Pisswater, along with his wife and six children, and two guards they had hired on as help. The party would be supplementing their security in exchange for free travel. The two business men were relocating to Lakeshore in what would be the first of many relocations as they expanded their operations. After settling in the caravan set forth and for the first day the journey was a quiet one. Rolling hills of golden wheat and the occasional spring of trees dotted the landscape, and Wolfpine Forest always at the edge of their vision to the West forever watching as they turned at the fork for Havel’s Path and made their way south of the Serpent’s Road.
7th of Tyr, 636 GE
The second day of their journey was not as simple. An uncharacteristic fog had settled down on the plains and visibility was not at its finest. At a little past noon the caravan ran into a small problem. Bandits. Before any of them were able to react they were surrounded on all sides by brigands armed with swords and crossbows as their leader made a showy entrance at the front of the caravan. However when the party saw the familiar face of the bandit leader the tables shifted in their favor. Rhezok the hobgoblin, who the party had nearly killed a few months back in Havel’s Pass, was properly scared of the party and the situation quickly changed in their favor as they proceeded to intimidate him into submission with the implicit threat that this wasn’t to happen a third time. Crisis averted, the party continued on their way and arrived at Therion Crossing. After crossing the Therion Fork by ferry the party split ways with the caravan and were given horses for the next leg of their journey. Arriving in Lugo at nightfall the party stayed at the Rusted Axe Inn before departing again in the morning.
8th of Tyr 636 GE
Departing Lugo early in the morning before sunrise the party made good time and arrived in the bustling trade city of Cruce by midday. Upon their arrival they were greeted by an affable lizardfolk herder by the name of Gakri who informed the party that he would be responsible for the next leg of their trek. Guiding the party to his ranch on the outskirts of the city beyond the defensive walls was his homestead. Gakri has a unique animal that he shepherds and is one of the few I’ve ever heard of that has managed to tame a Catoblepas. Vile and vomit inducing are the nicest way one could describe their smell and appearance, but I will give him credit. It is by far the safest I have ever felt traveling through Serpent’s Mire seeing as how no sane beast or person would want to be within several hundred feet of these mounts. As an aside Gakri’s homemade Catoblebrew and Death Cheese, while not instilling much confidence by their namesake, are actually rather exquisite treats, and I would highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area. In any case, the group waited for the final patron who would be accompanying them and once they arrived they set forth in the hopes of reaching Mire’s Edge by nightfall.
Their new traveling companion was a traveling bard, a satyr by the name of Jihos Roussou. A bombastic and hedonistic character, Jihos provided entertainment by regaling the party with songs he would be performing later that evening in Mire’s Edge. One was a terribly dramatized and inaccurate version of some events that transpired in the Kel Adagh tribe of the Viverri people of the Sea of Sands, and the second story was a vastly simplified retelling of the formation of the Braen Collective. In his retelling the party learned about Castel Azgian, the mastermind, Solomon Mugridge, the man who could find anything, Cedric Ordelbrandt, the orator, Jaro Wyglif, the miner, and Ranyinde Artanáro, the general hailing from the depths of Wolfpine Forest. Together these five united the people and drove out the Salastellan Kingdom establishing their country with all but the last member taking up leadership positions while Ranyinde vanished into obscurity with whereabouts still unknown. By the end of Jihos’ stories the party finally arrived at Mire’s Edge just as night fell.
Seat of the Ordelbrandt family and lifeline of Serpent’s Mire, Mire’s Edge was a bustling city even at that hour. Wasting no time they parted ways with their guide and companion and made a straight line for the Ordelbrandt Estate. At their arrival the two lizardfolk guards Tapli and Mapli, twins, escorted the party into the estate where they were greeted by their prospective employer, Rutherly Ordelbrandt. Rutherly explained the nature of his request, the history of their truce with the Stinging Mist Lizardfolk to the party, and asked for the parties assistance with the new kobold clan that had taken up residence somewhere nearby. He told them:
- The Kobolds began being a problem around four months ago when they started raiding caravans and stealing from both the people of Mire’s Edge and the Stinging Mist Tribe
- The Stinging Mist Tribe began retaliating by lashing out at both the settlement and the kobolds, and the truce became strained as attacks started to become more frequent
- It was unknown where the kobolds made their home
- His goal was a peaceful solution where all groups could coexist, but if needed he could and would defend his people
Whippoorwill, the owner of the Trade Stop, a massive barn housing the largest outdoor market in Mire’s Edge, was a notoriously difficult woman to pin down as she traverses the support beams above the market keeping an eye on everything. The party however managed an audience with her and learned of a medical shipment that had been delayed by a few days, and she suspects the kobolds are behind it. She gave them directions and a key to locate the shipment, with the payment being anything not medical they can keep so long as they bring back the medical supplies. Satisfied with their information gathering and leads, the party decided to stay the night at the Boardwalk Inn before setting out into the swamp in the morning.
9th of Tyr, 636 GE
Fully rested the adventure began as the sun rose and the party journeyed into the swamp taking the northern road out of Mire’s Edge headed towards the northwest. By noon the party arrived at a suspicious set of wheel tracks that veered off the road into the trees with small footprints all around. The party investigated further, finding the wagons empty and covered in black ash handprints. There were however a few sets of kobold tracks that made tracking quite easy and arrived at the Serpent Stones, a mysterious set of waystones used as guideposts for those trying to find the temple. And the party did just that, but not before narrowly avoiding a confrontation with a Stinging Mist hunting party and their velociraptors who seemed to also be tracking kobolds. They waited until the coast was clear and continued on until they eventually found themselves looking out over a small lake with a temple perfectly seated on the water in the midst of being reclaimed by the nature around it.
Upon cursory examination the temple did not appear to be inhabited, but upon further investigation some of the branches had been cut back, lookouts were spotted in a central tower and thick drapes had been drawn up in the windows to block sunlight, likely due to the kobold's sunlight sensitivity. After much deliberation it was decided Ollie and Naveah would enter the front door in an attempt to parley while the rest of the party would provide backup if necessary. The kobolds however were not as keen on the idea. Upon their entry traps were sprung, imps were summoned, and overweight crocodiles waddled, but when the dust settled no one had died and the kobolds surrendered. One kobold was intimidated into showing the party to their leader, and he led them to the clan sorcerer, Wruenele.
Wruenele was a wily kobold with delusions of grandeur who flaunted his position over the other kobolds with ruthlessness. He conversed with the party and posed the idea of joining forces and killing their clan master, Nox. This obviously came as a shock to the party who hadn’t expected to run into the King of the Forests in this backwater swamp. They reluctantly agreed, unsure of what they would do when faced with this dragon. Wruenele escorted the party to the gate to Nox’s garden that was under guard by an urd, a winged kobold, by the name of Yuty. Unbeknownst to the party there were politics at play behind the scenes that they had unwittingly stumbled into however they would soon learn. Yuty reluctantly let the party in to see the master, but not before warning them to keep their weapons sheathed or risk her spear.
Through the doors they were greeted to a veritable garden with basin’s that formerly held ceremonial fires now housing a wide arrangement of exotic plants. In the center of the chamber was a large pool with a large statue of a snake sitting in the center. From the depths of the pool rose Nox, but perhaps not the one they were expecting. The wyrmling’s full name was Renfelbalathnox, however to the kobolds he was simply Nox hence the party’s confusion, and for simplicity, and with a dejected sigh, he told them to refer to him as Ren. Ren was the literal definition of the runt of the litter. Smaller than a kobold, more nervous than a noble’s lapdog, and a constant drip of acidic drool like a mastiff, Ren was perhaps the least intimidating dragon one could imagine.
With all of the false bravado he could muster Ren attempted to stand his ground against the party, but it became evident fairly quickly Ren was being manipulated by his sorcerer. Wruenele sensing the tides changing turned on the party trying to instigate a fight, but before it could come to fruition he was slain. Peace talks resumed soon after, and the party learned that Yuty and Ren both wanted to live peacefully with their neighbors, but Wruenele preyed on Ren's fears to encourage him to be ruthless and attack their neighbors. Eventually an agreement was reached and in exchange for supplies and trade Ren and the kobold clan would ensure the safety of trade caravans in the area. Ren even agreed to return the medicinal supplies they had recently "procured". The party collected their bounty and began their trek back to Mire's Edge.
Rewards Granted
- Cloak of Protection
Character(s) interacted with
Khaya Owens, Harland Mugridge, Glowkindle, Reylin Stonebreaker, Rutherley Orldebrandt, Uty Blackclaw, Wruenel Blackclaw, Renfelbalathnox
Report Date
01 Jan 2023
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Related Characters
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