5.1 Darian's Arrival
The Frostyear Guardians, Book I:
The Heroes of Adrest
10th of Chesi, Afternoon
Several weeks earlier, late 2nd of Syeri, Earbour
Several weeks earlier: after having aided the Earbour town guard deal with some local bandits, Alex enjoyed the celebration of a job well done. The wine flowed freely for hours before Alex made his way to his room. He closed his eyes and was dead to the world. Suddenly he awakened, the room lit by flames that lick at the wood, though there is no heat to be felt, and no fear, just a sense of calmness and right.
DARIAN: He worries about the excess of flames in his room. He will look around for his spear, and try to open the door carefully
The handle on the door is cool to the touch, but refuses to move in any way. All of your gear is where you, admittedly haphazardly, left it the night before. Strangely enough nothing seems to be damaged by the flames. There is a soft whispering, almost indistinguishable from the sound of the fire.
A WHISPER: "What do you seek within the flames of battle?"
DARIAN: He would have taken the time to take his shield and spear, but no armor. After hearing the whisper, he snaps toward where he thinks it's coming from in a spartan like battle stance, spear over shield.
(nervous) "I'm done with battle. I had my share already."
A soft chuckle. You spin around, nothing is there, save on a small bedside table sits a chessboard, pieces are arranged on it in no order that you can understand. They are made of stone in far too many colors: red, black, green, and so on. Your eyes are drawn to a single red knight in the center of the board.
DARIAN: He looks around, for the origin of this unseen voice while he walks to the chessboard, never dropping his guard.
(curious) "What are you? What do you want of me? *he shouts to the empty air*"
A WHISPER: "*The words seem to come from no place in particular, they are everywhere and nowhere at once.* You live. To live is to struggle. There will always be another battle. Always another war. The stage is set, will the piece be there to play its part? Or will chaos run wild where nothing opposes it?"
DARIAN: He will reach for the red knight and examine the piece on his hand
(pensive) "So this are my options? Let destruction run loose or be a pawn on someone's game..."
(curious) "What IS my part in this game?"
A WHSIPER: "No game. A struggle. A battle. Evil rises. It will be faced; must be beaten. Will you be the one?"
The piece is oddly warm and comforting in your hand. It seems to be made of some sort of red marble like stone.
"All pieces move upon the board. Some are better suited than others. Victory places the best pieces where they can do the most."
DARIAN: Darian looks at the piece kindly. He is afraid what he knows he must do, but he must do nonetheless
(worried) "Blood... Will there be blood in my hands won't it?"
A WHISPER: "There is always blood... split in victory or defeat. The choice is yours. In Ardrest eldritch evil triumphs. Seek those that stand against the tide that has long been growing. The first moves of a longer game are upon you."
DARIAN: He exhales deeply with his eyes closed and places the piece back on the board.
(confident) "So be it."
He will walk back to his armor and start to put it on.
Darian awakened in his room, the flames were gone and though his head still swam with alcohol, one word from the dream reverberated in his head: Ardrest. Consulting maps and those he knew, it was a small down to the south and east, barely a blip on the map. It was not terribly hard to find passage there, however, as the town was apparently preparing for its local "Fortyear" festival, a harvest celebration held every 14 years that drew in travelers and merchants eager to sell their goods.
DARIAN: Although not really happy, he knows what to do. He will get supplies and get ready to travel to Ardrest, ready for trouble.
10 Chesi, afternoon, Ardrest
It took you some time to set up and travel over land to Ardrest. The town is a simple thing, along the road leading to town (which is how you entered) is an open air market, and a modest inn. North of that on a small hill seems to lie the town proper with most of the homes, the shrine and what passes for authority in the area.
The town itself shows signs of recent fighting, some of the wood blackened by fire, some of the windows broken. It is the afternoon of the 10th of Ches.
DARIAN: He doesn't like what he sees. He will ask around, especially in the inn, for the ones responsible for the destruction. Its either the ones he is supposed to help or the evil they are fighting. Finding either one is ok.
Darian heads into the inn, it is a small drinking hole sort of establishment, a couple of the locals seem to be well into their drinking already, while the barmaid, a pretty, young human with dark hair pours drinks for them. She approaches you.
MARTI: (cheerful) "Oh, another newcomer. Sure are a lot of you these days, welcome to the Decrepit Crab, what can I do for you?"
DARIAN: He smiles at the pretty woman.
(friendly) "Something to good food and a good drink, and maybe a room to rest the night."
MARTI: "*The tavern girl smiles back and gives a wink. You would guess her age to me early to mid teens.* Well, good's all a matter of opinion I reckon, but we certainly got food and ale. As for rooms, we still have one spare, if you're looking for one where you don't have to share... I can get all of 'em for you for 6 silver for the day."
DARIAN: He holds a gold coin up
(friendly) "This will cover it all. Take the change for yourself..."
(curious) "Now, you look like a smart girl... I have seen some signals of destruction around town... Do you know what happened? And WHO did it?"
MARTI: (cheerful) "*The girl favors you with a smile and a saucy wink before tucking the coin into her bodice.* What? Well that's a loaded question, been a busy few days, eh? Who? Well everyone's got a theory on that."
DARIAN: (friendly) "You look resourceful... I would like to hear your theory"
MARTI: "Way to hear it, things have been going wrong ever since ever, round here. Normal small town stuff. People not staying out of other people's business if you ask me. But just 4 days ago, goblins come out of the forest in the middle of the night and set the town on fire! Took some kids with 'em. Had some local adventurers that brought them back, some missing teens too. People are already calling them heroes."
"Who do I think did it? Hmmm, well you got people going missing all over from different places. The "heroes" saved more people just last night. Seems to me there's gotta be something real bad with it's eye on Ardrest. A demon or a dragon! Afterall if we have heroes in town we gotta have something bad for them to fight, eh?"
DARIAN: (worried) "Yeah... we have got something bad here..."
(curious) "Now you wouldn't know where these "heroes" are, do you?"
MARTI: "*The young girl gives a sly grin.* They should return here tonight, one of them is madly in love with me, you see."
DARIAN: (playful) "Who can blame him?"
MARTI: (seductive) "Oh my, well aren't you something? I'm not claimed by anyone, yet. And the more's the merrier, no?"
DARIAN: (playful) "I'm sure that must be a whole lot fighting over you, but I'm... not a fighter"
He will leave the young girl and find himself a table
Darian rolls [[1d20+Insight (Wis)]]=17+5=22
Darian, you catch it just for a second, the tavern girl's face drops and there is a seething anger and prideful confidence behind her deep blue eyes. Then it is gone and her playful smile returns. She bustles off to the kitchen, returning with ale and some sort of strew. The food is decent, filling.
DARIAN: He feels bad for hurting the girl's confidence. She is a sweet girl, but to way too young (she is like 14 right?) And he is on this hell bound trajectory of following a voice in his dream so he wouldn't drag her. He is pretty sure he just ate spit stew
After some reflection, Alex spends a bit of time observing the other patrons of the inn.
(As a matter of fact she is exactly 14.)
The tavern fills up slowly as night approaches, it seems to be the only real place to drink in this town, so naturally it is quite full.
There seem to be two distinct groups forming merchants from outside and locals. For a town a week before a major festival, the atmosphere seems... cautiously optimistic at best. From what Marti has told you, the town seems to be recovering from a lot going wrong at once. Some people quietly mumble into thier cups that the worst of it might be over.
DARIAN: Darian will look around for a local complaining about local affairs, if he is drunk its even better
There are plenty of people drinking, you manage to find an older man, who looks like he's seen man days and not many of them sober.
DARIAN: Darian will grab an tankard of ale, and offers it to the man, just when his cup get empty
(friendly) "Oh hey there, mate. Your cup is looking a bit dry,here take mine"
OLD SAM COOPER: "*The old man looks up at you with bleary eyes.* Thash might kind of ya young man. Ain't enough people around thesh days who respesh their elders, I shay!"
From the look of him, you figure him to be in his 60s or more, and is clearly a regular at the crab. Most of the patrons seem to give him a polite smile and a roll of the eyes.
DARIAN: (friendly) "True enough, sir. People this days lack the proper respect . I even heard stories of dangerous trouble makers in town"
Alex will make a silent pause waiting for the old man to fill it
COOPER: (amused) "Trouble makers? Eh, these kids these days don't know nothing! They say Kelvin was up ta snatching young gals, but back in my day if you weren't careful real monsters came from the forest for ye! Not just little goblins!"
(condesending) "Why in my day, if someone wasn't getting kilt before every festival it weren't no party! I was just a boy when the Mayhill's all got ate!"
DARIAN: (friendly) "Ahhh... these were the days when, you had to wrestle owlbears by breakfast. Say you know where Kevin? I have an bet I have to settle with him, but I can't seem to find him."
Darian takes a quick look to check or Marti, a bad feeling on the back of his head
COOPER: (alarmed) "*The old man's blery eyes focus for a moment looking troubled.* Dey gots him locks up in the jail... I wouldn't go telling no body yoush hish friend! He tried to sell the girls! N- Not like what happened to Milly!"
(panicked) "Ain't no body gonna sell her! They... they came in the middle of the night! Ripped her apart from the inside! *hic* Nothing left but blood and clothes! Ohhhh... Milly!"
Marti, the young tavern maid, makes her way over, setting another tankard down in front of the old man.
MARTI: (friendly) "Don't pay Old Sam no mind. The age is getting to him. It's best not to get him riled up though, *she favors you with a smile and a wink.*"
COOPER: (cheerful) "to Marti: Ohssh, thank you Milly, yoush sho beautiful. The besht big shister, ever!"
DARIAN: Darian looks down avoiding show how sad he is for the old man and his sister. He offers the old man a sympathetic smile and a firm pat on the back as he stands up
(tense) "You are a good man Sam. I will leave you to your drink"
((DM should I wait for the party at the inn or can I go to the local jail interrogate Kevin?))
((They have already been there at this point. So go ahead if you like, or wait until they come back to town.))
DARIAN: Darian will pay Kevin a visit. As soon as he steps out of the inn he puts his spartan helmet on. Darian looks much more dangerous and sinister when his delicate face and blond hair are drowned in shadow
It is not terribly hard to locate the town hall and the attached jail, they are the only large stone buildings in Ardrest outside the shrine. You enter into the small jailhouse and find it tended by a middle aged dwarf, with a well groomed black beard and a look of not having slept in far too long. His desk and many of the walls are covered in a variety of paperwork. There is a halfling man with graying-blond hair in a cell in the back. The dwarf looks up as you enter.
DARIAN: (serious) "I have to came see a prisoner named Kevin, I was sent to investigate his crimes"
"By a god" he completes on his head.
GM rolls [[1d20]]=15
ANSIL: (suspicious) "You were... sent to see 'im? On who's authority pray tell? *The Dwarven man looks up and down with a critical eye, casting a glance at his spear by the wall, then back at you. He lowers his hand.*"
(tired) "Aye... well if you're an assassin you're at least a polite one. My name is Ansil, I'm what passes for the law in this town, and you don't need to tell me it's a sorry state of affairs. I know. If the Lord's Alliance or whoever you work for is here to throw their weight around get in line behind the rest of the mess in Ardrest these days."
(disgusted) "Kelvin Underbarrel is back in the cells there. Former adventurer, father, brewer, gang leader, and now slaver. Just don't go spreading things around too much, I have far too much paperwork here to face a mob with torches..."
DARIAN: (serious) "Believe me friend I'm no assassin nor do I answer to the Lord's Alliance. I work for... a higher authority, but if you care about fixing Andrest we are on the same team."
He nods under his helm and proceeds to Kevin's cell
Kelvin is a halfling man, perhaps in his 50s, his blond hair slightly graying in places. He has a wild, furtive look about him, and his eyes seem to dart about with some sort of madness. As he looks at you, it is hard to tell if he is looking at you or past you.
DARIAN: (disgusted) "How far have you fallen... once an adventurer full of hope and ambition, and now this... Proud of yourself?"
KELVIN: (desperate) "Oh yes, yes another to taunt me in my failure! Never could they understand what I did. What needed to be done! Tell your foul masters that Kelvin fought the darkness to his last until petty assassins brought him low!"
DARIAN: (mocking) "Fought the darkness by slaving people. In what deranged world is what you done justifiable?"
KELVIN: (passionate) "Small minds. Yes. We could never expect them to understand. They don't know how to face them. They took my wife and child! Things no blade can cut! Better a servant in a house then a witches play thing. They come at night. Maybe then come for you and then you'll know. But it will be to late! There's not enough time you see! Fortyear is coming! Hide the girls away!"
DARIAN: (serious) "That is what is coming for this town, a witch?! This is the darkness you wished so much too avoid that you forgave your honor?!"
KELVIN: (panicked) "Honor!? Honor? Oh we'll see how your honor saves you when your dark masters come to gnaw on your bones! They'll have you and your family too! *The small man rocks back and forth in his cell laughing.* She comes at night. She'll promise you blood. All of their blood will be on your hands too!"
ANSIL: (disappointed) "He's been like that since those adventurers brought him in last night. I can't make one bit of sense out of his ramblings. But sure enough they brought in a lot of evidence... something's going and taking people right around the Fortyear festival. And if Kelvin's not totally crazy it's been doing it for near 100 years... right under our noses."
DARIAN: Kelvin ramblings about blood makes his memories of the night all his battalion was slaughtered. He stumbles and leans on a wall as the bloodshed plays on his head
(brooding) "to Kelvin: No more blood will be shed... Not while I'm here."
(serious) "to Ansil: This man is mad, but he is no fool. You have until the festival to reinforce the town's defense."
ANSIL: (tired) "Aye. Between myself and my four remaining deputies, we'll get right on it... my deputy Flyndak is out investigating with our local heroes now... the festival is in 9 days, so if yer planning on doing something do it quick."
DARIAN: (passionate) "Same to you. Be weary, a storm is coming. I can feel it in my bones" He puts a hand on the man's shoulder as he leaves the place. He is going back to the inn
The path back to the inn is an easy walk. The time is still mid-afternoon. Several of the villagers watch you as you walk by, clad in your strange armor, but no one says anything. Either they are used to seeing strangers or they do not want to mess with you.
DARIAN: When he notices it he takes off his helmet. He is a bit self-conscious about it. He fills it makes he looks dangerous, so he tend to take it off when in social situations, although he forgets Once he gets to the inn he will check on Marti. He worries that something might happen to her, since she is on general pattern of the targets
You find the young tavern girl working the tavern's main room alone. More patron's have filled the room and she seems to be the center of the chaotic din of a tavern preparing for its evening activities. The girl seems quite at home, even enjoying the mess.
DARIAN: Darian sights in relief. He will himself a seat and keep his eyes open for anything dangerous, but despite this he will relax for a bit.
MARTI: (curious) "to Darian: Oh, you made it back! Any closer to finding the monster that's set its sights on our little town? Do you think it's close by?"
DARIAN: (worried) "to Marti: I had made progress, but... Things are getting dangerous. Have any of your friends of your age gone missing?"
MARTI: "to Darian: Missing? Every girl has times when she goes missing and when she does not want to be found. The only ones who went missing are the one's Kelvin took... and well Jandi's Halfhill's baby, that little thing is still missing. I hear. Jandi is simply torn apart by worry!"
(curious) "Do we have more abductions to worry about? More monsters in our midst?"
DARIAN: (worried) "to Marti: I think so... and I want to see you, as safe as possible. Just stay away from anything dangerous and try not to be alone."
(curious) "You say a baby was stolen...Where could I find this Jandi?"
MARTI: "Well, way I hear it, Jandi was up here beggin' most anyone who would listen for help. If she wasn't with Ansil... or any other man, perhaps she went home to her farm? To hear her tell it, something snatched the baby in the night and made it disappear. Or maybe it died and Jandi just can't admit it."
DARIAN: (curious) "How far is the farm?"
MARTI: "Oh, I reckon you could make it there before dark. If Jandi's in any shape to entertain you for the evening."
DARIAN: (worried) "Let's hope I can come back before it's too late... and you. I want to see you safe, remember what I said."
He will jokingly kiss the hand of the girl if allowed and head to Jandi's farm
As you kiss her hand, the girl's wry smile falters for a moment and she looks confused, even touched and for all the world like a normal teenage girl.
You make your way out of the town, it takes you a bit to locate the proper farm from the several identical ones, but you do. It is still early in the season, but on this particular farm nothing has been planted, the fields overgrown with weeds, and the farm house is dark.
You do however, spot a single small candle light moving in front of the window of a small farmhouse.
DARIAN: He will walk into the farmhouse knocking to warn of his arrival. He will try to look as non threatening as possible
After a few moments, you are met at the door by a young halfling woman that looks as if she has not slept or taken any care of herself for weeks. She is gaunt and hollow eyed, holding a small candle, despite the fact that there is still plenty of sunlight outside the farmhouse. (Think Wynnona Rider in Stranger Things).
JANDI HALFHILL: (desperate) "H- Hello!? Who are you? Have you found her?!"
DARIAN: (kind) "No... but I am looking for her. Can I enter?"
JANDI: (desperate) "Yes... yes! Come in but be quiet. We have to be able to hear the baby if she cries!
You can help look for her. The poor thing she's not even a year old yet!"
DARIAN: (kind) "Sure... could you tell of the day... when they took her"
He ducks inside and takes a quick survey of the state of the house
JANDI: (confused) "Four days maybe? I don't know... it all seems the same..."
It is a small and unremarkable farm house. In the main room all of the furniture has been pushed out of the center of the room and against the walls. Children's toys have been scattered about the floor. It is dark inside the room.
DARIAN: "Do you know where it happened? Where she was?"
JANDI: (suffering) "*She will lead you to a small, cramped bedroom. A child's crib sits under a window. It is empty.* Here! Here. I put Alma... sweet little Alma to bed. And then she was gone in the morning!
There was no sound! No person was here but me!"
DARIAN: He will investigate the room the best he can
(curious) "Found anything wierd? Did anything strange happened that day?"
Give me an investigate roll
Darian looks around [[1d20+Investigation (Int)]]=11+0=11
JANDI: (desperate) "Anything odd!? I work up and my baby was gone! You have to find her! She's all I have left, since my husband passed."
The room seems normal enough. Nothing in the room including the crib and the window seems damaged in any way. Looking out the window you see more fallow fields, giving way towards a gradual slope upwards to woods on the horizon. There is a odd flattened circular area of grass about five feet from the window.
DARIAN: He kneels so he look her in the eyes
(confident) "I will find her."
He points to the strange circular patch of grass outside
"Do you know what is that?"
She has the look of someone who had never noticed it before. You make your way outside. The spot in question is about a foot in diameter, on a normal day you might dismiss it as just a bad patch of grass, but when you look closer at it, it makes you think that someone had taken a log, jabbed it into the grass and then twisted until all of the grass beneath it was mangled and dead.
JANDI: (confused) "It's dirt? I know I should have started the crops but Rosco's gone... now Alma... They took her in the night!"
Darian rolls [[1d20+Perception (Wis)]]=8+5=13
Darian spots another one of the circular depressions not far away and another. Each are about 4-5 feet apart, like the footsteps of a very large creature, but without having seen one you would take them for just dead patches of grass. The tracks seem to come from the south to the window and then turn back away again. You follow them for approximately 30 feet, when they just suddenly end near a twisted and leafless tree.
On the ground by the base of the tree are several mottled red feathers, the largest just about a foot long.
DARIAN: ((Is she with me?))
((We'll say she's generally following you around while you are about her house.))
DARIAN: Darian puts his helmet a readies his spear.
(serious) "to Jandi: You should wait for me inside."
Jandi is no fighter and will gladly back away as soon as you make it clear that violence is possible.
DARIAN: Darian snaps into his usual spartan guard. He will approach the tree and poke it with his spear
The tree does not react. You do notice scars in its branches like bird claws, but much larger than any bird you've seen.
DARIAN: Darian goes deeper into the woods, looking around for more claw marks or tracks
The forest stands perhaps two miles away. You would know it to be the Trollbark Forest based on maps, and likely have heard rumors of it being the sort of forest in which many things hostile to decent people live. It would not take you terrible long to jog at least to the edge of it.
Give me a survival roll.
Darian survival check [[1d20+Survival (Wis)]]=16+3=19
You make your way to the edge of the woods. Strangely enough the massive circular footprints are nowhere to be seen, as if whatever made them at the farmhouse vanished into thin air. As you make your way into the forest itself, attempting to find some signs of whatever took the halfling child, you hear a sudden noise to one side. As you whirl about, a lone stag bursts out of the underbrush, running full speed at you. Its muzzle is red, with foamed blood as it takes a bound, lands poorly on its legs and skids to a halt in front of you. A long spear is protruding from its side.
DARIAN: Darian stops and stares at the stag dumbfounded.
The beast makes a pitiful moaning sound and then lies still, in the small clearing you find yourself in. The Trollbark is the type of forest where it is easy to get the feeling that humans are unwelcome; large oaks grow high above you, their leaves blocking most of the sunlight and the most hanging from branches casting odd menacing shadows.
A VOICE: (tense) "*A high pitched voice, almost a shriek really, calls out from somewhere above you,* Reee, stupid man-thing! Not your forest! Not your kill, reee!"
DARIAN: (serious) "And who are you to claim this forest as yours?"
You look upward, following the sound of the voice, and have to do a double take. There on a branch above you is a naked woman, the dappled sunlight playing off her pale skin. She has sharp, aquiline features and a long nose. She is squatting on a branch some 20 feet above you.
There is a rush of air and the heavy beating of wings and suddenly the woman is standing over the slain stag. From her back emerges a set of silver feathered wings which she flares out making herself look larger as she pries the spear free of the body. The woman's legs seem to have an extra join in them and end in long dark, bird-like claws. They look quite sharp. She points the spear to you.
A VOICE: (tense) "Not my forest. Not man-things either!"
DARIAN: (serious) "Then we stand here as equals."
He points his own spear at the winged woman.
(threatening) "And if you respect me we will have no quarrel."
"Just as you, I'm on the hunt. I hunt for something that takes babies."
REENYA, THE HARPY: (annoyed) "Reee! Reenya no take man-thing babies! Too small, too noisy, not enough meat! Reenya want babies make own with man-thing."
The woman latches one of the large claws at the end of her legs into the stag's throat and drags its body back away from you a step.
DARIAN: He takes a casual step closer, trying to show how easily he can caught up with her if she tries to flee
(curious) "And do you know one who does?"
REENYA: "*The harpy takes two large hops back, beating her wings for extra distance, her spear still leveled at you.* Stupid man-thing! Trolls, ogres, dragons, all eat man things, not Reenya!"
She fixes you with a stare with her black eyes, her face looking very much like a owl at this moment. She casts a look at the stag on the ground, then back at you. You get the feeling she is thinking if it is worth it.
DARIAN: (kind) "I'm looking for one who can leave larger circular tracks and vanish into thin air. I'm not you enemy today unless you make me... but I need to find whatever took this baby. Why don't we help each other?"
He pokes the stag with the blunt end of his spear to call attention to it
(amused) "This looks like a lot of food...It would be a shame to waste it"
Give me a persuasion roll.
Darian tries to sound reasonable [[1d20+Persuasion (Cha)]]=4+0=4
REENYA: Reenya beats her large avian wings, her taloned claws leaning the forest floor as she keeps the spear leveled Darian. There is a shower of stray silver feathers as she takes wing.
"Stupid! Stupid man thing! Reenya's feet not circles! Reenya not want leave track she fly! Stupid man-thing! Not want food anyway!"
DARIAN: He sighs in disappointment, looks at the stag,the blood around the spear wound makes him shiver. He back tracks back to the farmhouse disappointed on his investigation techniques
As the strange bird-woman flies off, you notice one silver feather bears a resemblance to the one you found at the farm, although it is the wrong color and half the size.
DARIAN: He takes the feather with him to compare with the other he has found. He doesn't knows much about animals and monsters. He wonder if the circles could be formed by something taking flight, but why would it hop around?
you can give me a survival roll if you'd like
Darian survival check [[1d20+Survival (Wis)]]=5+3=8
Looking at the two feathers you would guess the red one came from a similar harpy, though perhaps one twice the size of the one you saw. You've never heard of one that big, but it's hard to know. The circular tracks seem like they would have to come from some sort of very large creature, but you doubt something that large could just disappear or fly off naturally.
DARIAN: He walks back to the farmhouse, mostly not to make Jandi anymore worried then she already is
Jandi Halfhill is there, watching you with a worried, but slightly detached air. She is clearly hopeful seeing you return, but seeing that you are alone looks crestfallen. It does not take much to see that Jandi is a woman hanging on by a thread at this point.
DARIAN: (apologetic) "to Jandi: I'm sorry... I didn't find anything yet"
(kind) "to Jandi: But you can't lose hope. We will find you daughter"
JANDI: "Yes. Yes. You have to find her! She is so very small. She's all I have! Why would anyone take my baby!?"
The small woman is desperate and harrowed, but still tries and be a good host, making you some weak tea for your troubles.
(sad) "My husband and I tried so hard to have Alma... A sickness took him in the winter and now she is gone too..."
DARIAN: (tense) "Sorry for troubling you mam. I'm sorry I couldn't find her yet. I wish there was something I could do."
JANDI: (worried) "Please... anything you or Ansil can do... What did I do to deserve this punishment!?"
DARIAN: He will kneel to talk with the halfling at her level.
(kind) "Evil things do harm to good people. This IS NOT YOUR FAULT. You are a good person"
The young halfling woman blushes and looks away. She mouths a silent thank you and seems truly grateful for your help.
DARIAN: (kind) "Take care of yourself. Alma will need her mother, when we find her"
Jandi nods solemnly, seemly grateful just to know someone is trying to help her.
DARIAN: He will fix her hair a bit so she looks a bit less bedraggled and crazy.
(kind) "Take care."
He will stand up and take his leave, disappointed at himself for not being able to help the small woman. There is only so much you can do by yourself…
Darian leaves, his mind filled with the numerous threads that seem to make up the evil web centered on the town. The walk back as the sun begins to set is pleasant enough, but he cannot help but wonder just what is hiding in the darkness.
DARIAN: He walks back to the inn, kicking random pebbles as he makes his way back. His first day was a bit of a let down. He hopes that tomorrow I will be batter
It is early evening by the time Darian completes the short walk back to town, the merchants in the crude square across from the inn are just in the process of closing up their various stalls, and there seems to be a slow and steady migration of the locals and traders alike towards the Decrepit Crab inn. Further up the hill, most of the town's older and more official buildings: the townhall, the shrine, the smith and so forth are still lit by torches. While he did not uncover the source of this town's troubles, he did find plenty of desperate strings to follow, any of which could lead to the evil his vision threatened.
DARIAN: Darian will spend the rest of the night at the inn staring at the red feather. Investigation is definitely not his strength
You take a seat at the inn, in the evening it seems a much more lively place. Locals and traveling merchants almost fill the place and give it an air of restrained mirth. The bar is tended by a portly, middle aged dwarven woman, who notices you and makes her way over to take any order you might need.
MENDRA THE BARTENDER: (friendly) "Oi, didn't see ya here before, sweetie. Welcome to the Decrepit Crab, this here's my family inn. Let me know if there's anything at all you need. *She eyes the large feather in your hand,* that must be from one hells of a bird. Are you a hunter?"
DARIAN: (disappointed) "I whish I was... have you seen like it before?" (curious) "I imagine you are the mother of Marti. Good kid, she must give you a lot of trouble"
MENDRA: (proud) "Aye, well she didn't quite spring from my loins if you haven't picked up on the lack of family resemblance... but yes, I raised her from a babe. She's... a handful. Always been a bit of a troublemaker and too smart for her own good, but I don't know what I would do without her. I hear Kelvin and his thugs were snatching up girls her age... thankfully she's safe."
"A feather that big... would come from one hells of a bird, I reckon. I mean... I know some stories about birds big enough to snatch people, but those are just stories, like the crooked lady and cow-eaters. If you're looking for an actual bird: there's a hunter that comes to town on the regular like. I figure he knows a good deal about birds, being he kinda is one."
DARIAN: (curious) "A professional help would be of great help to be honest...You adopted her? What happened to her biological parents?"
MENDRA: (kind) "Check with Mr. Saleek, he's been busy helping the town anyway, I'm sure your paths will cross before long. And as for Marti... Hmmm, no one rightly knows who her real parents were... she just showed up on my doorstep. Why, it will be 14 years at the end of the month. I always figured it was some noble came here to enjoy the festival and have her illegitimate child away from court..."
DARIAN: (kind) "to Mendra: You are a good woman. Can't be easy to have such responsibility thrust upon yourself."
(curious) "to Mendra: She is a good kid. How many days for her birthday, I want to get her a present."
He tries his best not to reveal that he is deeply worried about the girls safety
The dwarven woman thinks for a moment favoring you with a curious look.
DM rolls [[1d20+3]]=3+3=6
MENDRA: (proud) "Oh-ho! Has she found herself another admirer? I heard tell you just got into town! She works quick, the dear girl! Well, nothing wrong with that at all. Just remember you're responsible if anything comes of it."
(apologetic) "The truth be told, no one rightly knows. It was 4 days after the festival that I found the small thing... We figure she was born no more than a few months before, she was very small, and with no sign of the parents... So I always just said the festival was her birthday, the 19th of Ches."
The dwarven woman seems unperturbed by her incorrect assumptions. It is easy to see when Marti picked up some of her ways.
DARIAN: (pensive) "Until the festival then.... I'm sure I will find what I'm looking for by then"
(serious) "I have to"
MENDRA: The innkeeper eyes you up and down for a moment.
(friendly) "Ahhh, well, yes... You'll be staying at least until the festival then? Let me know if there is anything you need during your stay, hun. I'm always up to keep my customers satisfied and to hear anything new and exciting."
DARIAN: (friendly) "Thank you, mam. I will keep my eyes open to this Mr. Seleek. I'm have been heard about a group of... adventures... that have been helping people around. Do you know where can I find them?"
MENDRA: "Ohh, yes! Right group of heroes those ones, dealt with both goblins and all those nasty Blacksash thugs! They've been right busy. I heard they left this afternoon with Deputy Greenvalley to look into something else. I sure do hope that this town runs out of troubles soon..."
(proud) "They all have rooms in the back here, when they're not busy saving the world from evil that is!"
DARIAN: (worried) "I think it will get worse before it gets better. Just take care of yourself and Marti"
MENDRA: (sad) "Ain't that usually the way..."
DARIAN: (confident) "I'm sure things will get better. And this is a promise
Give me a persuasion check just for the sake of it.
Darian is charming? [[1d20+Persuasion (Cha)]]=10+0=10
Mendra seemed to like that.
DARIAN: He tries to smile to reassure his point
Darian is like a ray of hope to the ladies of Ardrest.
DARIAN: Darian will spend the rest of the night drinking and eating. Observing people and making small talk with the people of Andrest.
In the time you spend integrating yourself with the locals you do hear a variety of rumors, such as the northern swamp is spreading, crops are failing, and undead have been attacking in areas to the south. The town seems generally abuzz over the recent news that Kelvin Underbarrel was running the local gang and kidnapping and selling the local youths; no one seems to know quite what to make of the news yet. Everyone seems cautiously hopeful that a local group of do-gooders will get to the bottom of this all before the festival.
DARIAN: Asks a bit around the undead attacks. It's an invasion or just some incidents?
The general consensus seems to be just attacks are more frequent then normal; there is no sign of a horde forming or any sense of purpose.
DARIAN: "Good... I horde would be a big problem. The best idea would be evacuating the town. Not go fighting hundreds of unread on your underwear" He mentions to a random person
The room is well into its cups by this point, but you get a mix of responses ranging from people too stubborn or invested to leave, to people thinking they should get out of town now. You also start a sub-conversation about who around town they might want to be fighting in their underwear; your name does not yet appear on anyone's list in that regard.
DARIAN: Darian will spend the rest of his time at the tavern. Last thing he wants is to be walking the dark streets with all the dangers loose in Ardrest
All and all, you manage to spend an enjoyable evening drinking with the locals. You eventually retire to your room. It is a small and sparsely furnished rural inn sort of place, but it is clean and the bed soft enough to give you a good night's rest if you so choose.
((So they *should* hopefully be back to the next day (in game), they're taking a long rest. And have one thing to look at, would you like me to handwave you over to them somehow or wait it out? You're free to keep investigating the town, I'm sure there's more for you to uncover.))
DARIAN: ((I will rest for the night.))
Give me a wisdom save, please.
Darian rolls [[1d20+WIS Save]]=12+5=17
You head to your room, and bed, possibly well enhanced with ale. There is a moment, where you come awake sometime in the middle of the night, vague memories of a bad dream, but it passes and you are able to roll back over and rest soundly for the rest of the night. Morning comes slowly, it is another cold morning in Ardrest, but the sun is out and shows promise of becoming a warm and pleasant early spring day.
Comments