The date is Tuesday, 13th June
The time is 7:00 AM
Chi arranges to get a warg pelt cured and turned into a cloak.
Sigmund attempts to find a trader or buyer interested in a magic mace. This requires seeking a dwarf priest named
Tordek to assess it and vouch for its quality when brokering a deal. Tordek isn't home so we leave a note for him.
Go and report to
Varis as requested. Find the halflings and Tordek already there. Tordek recognises the shield with a bow motif as belonging to a hunter named Halden, a resident of Skol. Varis recruits us to investigate the orc attack, and also go and warn people at the outpost of
Javik about the increased goblin activity (in the
Pine Needle Forest, 6 days to the northeast of Skol). Varis offers a fee of 50gp.
Sigmund talks to Tordek about selling the magic mace. He asks after its provenance. Sigmund says it's a family heirloom - Tordek is surprised and sad that he's having to sell it. A deal is agreed.
Tordek goes to break the bad news to Halden's family.
Later meet with Tordek who enjoys the opportunity of a beer with a fellow dwarf. He pays Sigmund four garnets (worth 100gp each) for the magic mace. Tordek learned from Halden's wife that he'd had his sons with him on a boar-hunting expedition to
Scrufa Moor. Fyren asks about the recent dwarf history. Tordek is from
Balinburg in the
Glacier Mountains to the north. Farmer
Fodel approaches, he's heard we are soon off to
Javik and asks to fetch him 500gp-worth of timber and transport it via pack reindeer, for a fee of 25gp each.
The time is 12:00 PM
Depart Skol to find the location of the orc attack. Peacefully travel along the Halfheim trail. Rest overnight.
The date is Wednesday, 14th June
Continue on. Around 10 am reach the funeral pyres of the victims. Find the ambush scene nearby. Spot some tracks heading up into the hills. Gets misty.
Encounter a halfling named
Rufus Goodbarrel. He is evasive and decries Varis' authority. He says he's seen no orcs. He reacts badly at the mention of boar hunting. He claims ownership of this area between Skol and Halfheim - says we are trespassing.
He turns into a wereboar, summons a herd of
wild boar and attacks us when it becomes clear we're not going to leave.
Fyren suggests that Rufus calm down and he calls off the attack. He demands we leave his land. We suspect it was him that attacked the hunters from Skol and he admits as much when we challenge him on it. There's a debate about the morality and legality of the situation. The fight breaks out again! A
Giant Boar ravages
Sigmund but
Idris prays to the gods and saves his life. We eventually prevail.
Following tracks and searching around leads us to Rufus' humble abode. Nothing of interest there.
Catch our breath and then head back down to the Halfheim-Skol road to start heading back. Meet a halfling patrol. Explain the mission for Varis and our recent battle with Rufus. They want us to accompany them to
Halfheim to speak to the Thane. We're not necessarily in trouble for our actions but the Thane will want to hear about the death of a (cursed) halfling.
Travel all day and into the evening until we reach Halfheim. Put up for the night in the Green Dragon inn (named after a green dragon killed in a nearby marsh a few centuries ago), with an appointment with the Thane the next morning. It's a lively and musical place. Tinnan buys a round of drinks for the entire pub. Spend a pleasant evening hanging out with halflings.
The date is Thursday, 15th June
Go to Appleyard Hall to see the halfling Thane -
Brice Appleyard. He asks for our news about Rufus. We explain about Varis, the orc rumours, the hunter attack and then what happened with Rufus. He points out we killed a (cursed) halfling and asks us to do a task as a gesture of goodwill... A group of
Trolls has set up home nearby, is stealing livestock and need driving off.
The date is Thursday, 15th June
Set out bravely in search of trolls, guided by
Ruby Dale (one of the scouts). Pause for lunch at the Hound and Moon, supposedly the best beer in Halfheim. Continue through the afternoon. We find three trolls! We swiftly launch an assault with the element of surprise, dropping one before it could even react. The other two charge but we kill another one with fire magic as it rushes towards us. The third rends Sigmund before succumbing to our brutal assault. These were ice trolls. Find some treasure, including a magical circlet which Fyren takes.
Go and report our success to Ruby. Celebrate at the Wizards Pantry restaurant and while away the evening.
