STATIC 10: Complications & Crackeel Landing

General Summary

Wherein the Blinkertons venture to Crackeel Landing in search of further transportation

On the Road

The quest to track down the gold earring'd one continued as The Interdimensional Blinkerton Detective Agency set out for Crackeel Landing to secure transportation to Froggmorden and to Svonalimm in the hopes that she can shed some light on who the GEO is.
The first thing our heroes encountered on the road was a giant hand, 5 feet in diameter, swarmed by huge flies. Of course, being detectives, they had to check this out. The flies were not pleased about this intrusion on their meal and attacked. After the flies were dispatched, a closer examination of the giant rotting hand was in order. This revealed three things:

1. It was gross.
2. It was severed. This is the hand of an even larger creature, somehow transported here without its owner. Most curious.
3. On its pinky was an Alchemist's Belt, apparently functioning as a ring for this massive hand. Hypatia, the resident alchemist, took ownership of this object.

Venturing further up the road to Crackeel found our adventurers encountering a libation merchant named Arijin Gemstout. He's got himself a bit of a problem--the wheel on his wagon broke and he is unable to replace it without assistance. Despite strong efforts from Corinna Himmelswander and Nero Rubicant, Hypatia managed to devise a pully system to get this job done. Nice! Gemstout was grateful and rewarded them with two bottles of his finest barleywine. Drinking these tasty beverages is sure to heal what ails you, even if that happens to be a stab wound.
Arijin's wagon wheel broke for a reason, however, and he explained that reason to be a creature of some sort that seemed to appear out of nowhere, then take off into the distance. Almost like it vanished. Very perplexing! Our heroes love a mystery and decided to investigate. Fortunately, this group contains both seasoned trackers and seasoned investigators of The Displacement, so the mystery creature was located without too much trouble.
It appeared to be a white girallon with a strange circlet around its head. After ascertaining the Blinkertons posed no threat to him, he greeted them in Common. It turns out that this girallon is named Wabash, and can speak Common due to the circlet around its head rendering him genius level intelligence. He used this intelligence to ask our explorers just what the hell is going on. Why is he here? Where is here? It quickly became clear that Wabash is another individual negotiating the Displacement and our heroes filled him in on what that meant. Wabash, perhaps equal parts curious and keen to get back to wherever his home is, agreed to use his considerable intellect to assist our detectives, but needed a spot to lay low, as a lot of folks don't know what to do with a girallon and are sometimes leery of him. The Blinkertons knew just the spot--Rhama's Lot. He should fit right in, and be able to both lend a hand to The Cutters and do his own investigations. With a promise to link up in the future, Wabash headed south to seek the Cutters.

Crackeel Landing

It was fairly late when our heroes arrived at the gates of Crackeel Landing. They decided to seek out a public house to both arrange lodgings for the night and inquire about a guide to take them to Froggmorden. The Sinker, a lively public house, seemed like the obvious destination, so our crew headed there. Once there, Nero procured beverages for our weary and thirsty travelers. These beers were expensive, but Zarri, brewer/bartender, assured Nero that it was worth it. Tasting the libation revealed why--these beers provided delicious visions, sometimes a memory of the past, and sometimes a possibility for the future. Here is some of what the Blinkertons saw:

• Sharkbait had a memory of his first Unstable Jester Krew concert. It was incredible to relive that magic moment.
• Corinna found herself in a spot of nostalgia, as the beer tasted like the Bluefruit pie that Nanny used to make.
• Hypatia had a memory of knowledge, the acquisition of it and teaching of it. This was especially centered on the tutelage of one Osborn Moonspark.
• Nero tasted victory, imagined or otherwise, and remained transfixed by that delicious taste.

It was then speculated that perhaps Zarri might be an avatar of Haesmer. He sure does seem to get around!
That wasn't the only thing happening in the tavern, however. Sharkbait sought out a jam session with a fellow musician only to experience that musician's attempts to pry into his mind. Rude! This was interrupted, however, by a quick knife through the musicians ribs by a halfling. The "bard" then turned into swarms of poisonous snakes, and combat commenced.
After this fight concluded, the halfling introduced herself as Fintrix Fernhorn--apparently of a fancy family--and invited them to her family's estate for a nice meal at their leisure. As she took her leave, Corinna could have sworn she asked our heroes if they are "one of us?" But it was offered in a near whisper and in a bizarre version of primordial, so she couldn't be certain. Strange!
It was now past the Blinkerton bedtime, so our detectives bought a night's rest in The Sinker's great room. The next morning, they decided to pay a visit to Crackeel Station to inquire about guiding services, and then maybe to the Fernhorn estate to see about a nice meal. On the way to the Station, they were accosted by a couple of tough mercenaries. A fight broke out and our heroes were victorious and continued their walk to the Station.

And That's Where We Left It

We'll see what else Crackeel Landing holds for the Blinkertons during our next session.

Varied & Sundry Details

• After her encounter with the fly swarms, something is now "hiving" within Corinna. What might this entail?
• On the way to Crackeel Station, Nero healed a desperately wounded individual who was certain to die without Nero's intervention. The wounded individual was very grateful. Afterwards, Nero saw crows apparently taking note of him.
• Speaking of Nero, Wabash and Nero might have a "friendly" sparring match at some point in the future. Nero is confident of his success in this endeavor. The other Blinkertons, while supportive, were a little more reserved.

Rewards Granted

• Alchemist's Belt, claimed by Hypatia from the giant severed hand
• 2 bottles of Gemstout Barleywine, which serve as an Old Fashioned Potion of Healing

Character(s) interacted with

• Arijin Gemstout, gnome purveyor of Gemstout Barleywine
• Wabash, Displaced genius Girallon
• Zarri, brewer/bartender, probable avatar of Haesmer 
• Fintrix Fernhorn, of the Crackeel Landing Fernhorns

Report Date

20 Nov 2022

Primary Location

Crackeel Landing