Session 1: Journey to Underfall Report
General Summary
We began with the party arriving in Ilsurian, a small coastal city where they were to board a ferry to take them up the Skull River, to Turtleback Ferry.
Ms H, Aroldus, and Atalia wanted to look into arranging transport, while Corken and Enri were just happy to be some place warm and have a drink. Corken and Enri went to the Two Waters Tavern; Corken drank quietly and observed the local populace, while Enri adopted a nautical character and - after a couple of mis-cues - was able to earn the praise of one lonely sailor who was drinking in the corner.
Ms. H decided that the best place to find someone who could arrange their transport was the tavern, so they also went into the Two Waters. They found their way upstairs and, were asked if they had tried the ferry offices yet. After answering no, they fell in with a band of Calienites who were "Worshipping the Wheel" upstairs, and spent most of the afternoon drinking there.
Atalia and Aroldus, having followed Ms H. into the tavern, asked the bar-keep who they should talk to. She recommended a ferry captain named Clifton, stating that of the two ferries still running at this time of the year, he was by far the better choice. She gave them directions to the Braeton docks' offices, where Atalia and Aroldus found a group of men playing cards near a fireplace.
After asking for Clifton, they met the amiable-enough Half-Orc captain, and negotiated for transportation up the Skull. He indicated that his crew and ship wouldn't be ready to leave until the morning, so the group took rooms in town for the night.
Ms. H wanted to get a feel for the underbelly of this town, so they waited up until the wee hours of the morning, watching out the window over the docks. Seeing nothing by the early morning hours, they caught some sleep.
The voyage north was uneventful, with the party arriving in Turtleback Ferry three days later. Aroldus talked to the barkeep in the one small tavern in town, who happily answered his questions. The barkeep indicated that it was true that nobody had been seen from Underfall in quite some time, but that there were a variety of possible reasons as to why. He also indicated that a courier had headed up to Underfall to deliver the post, and had not been seen to pass back through town - though it was certainly possible that he had taken another route after leaving Underfall, however unlikely that may be.
Leaving Turtleback Ferry, they headed north on land until they arrived at The Iron Maw, the mountain pass which leads up to Underfall Valley. In The Maw, they encountered a small band of Orc raiders who were waiting in ambush. After dispatching them, the party found a few trophies taken - presumably during raids - and only a couple days worth of food. The orcs themselves were malnourished.
There was some debate amongst the adventurers (primarily, Ms H and Aroldus) as to whether the Orcs were waiting specifically to ambush them, or whether the regional famine had affected the orcs and caused them to be more aggressive in seeking supplies.
After pressing on up the pass, they were caught out by a blizzard that swept in quickly. Ms H's quick thinking allowed the party to take cover in a cleft in the rock face, giving them shelter from the storm and place to group together for warmth. The next morning, they dug themselves out and pressed onwards.
Ms H's keen eyes saved them trouble once again, as they spotted something buried in the snow. Taking the time to dig it up, they discovered that it was one wall of a bridge that the snow had blown up against. The party decided to cross over the bridge itself - un-knowningly avoiding a barely-frozen pond that had been covered by a layer of fresh snow.
Finally, they reached the head of the pass, and caught their first glimpse of Underfall valley:
An ancient watch-tower guards their approach into the valley below. Beyond that, the valley stretches out - and they noticed that there was substantially less snow in it than to be expected; and that the wind blowing out of the valley was significantly warmer than the air in the Iron Maw.
Several farms and farmhouses dot the valley, and a damaged windmill sits on top of a small hill. From somewhere behind the windmill, a column of black smoke is rising.
Character(s) interacted with
- Barkeep and patrons in Ilsurian
- Clifton Keelsoul - Half-Orc ferry captain
- Barkeep in Turtleback Ferry
- Orc raiders
