In Search of Bryce: Part I Report

General Summary

Public Disclaimer: This session occurred 10 months ago and so the details are a little fuzzy :) Having moved into their new house on Main St and acquiring a sidekick named Jovril, the heroes moved onto their next task. Using some of their downtime, Jakob spent time with Zynmeyer to look into the establishment of a thieves' guild, and Yori scheduled a few meetings - the first with Providence leadership where it was decided a school should be built, and the second with local merchants who discussed the formation of a merchant's guild. The heroes also decided that they would begin their investigation into the lost Bryce Shaw and gathered information regarding the Spectral Quag. The team researched the following information:

There are many unknowns about the quag, including why the undead thrive there. Providence has, in the past, attempted to "cleanse" the quag and remove the undead, but they seem to return fairly quickly (they do seem to terminate the undead, but new undead fill the void over a couple of weeks).
In those encounters clearing out the quag, it has become rather well known that injuries are more deadly there than they would be outside of the quag. Death saves are made at disadvantage. In addition, its found that anyone who does die turns into undead, typically within 10 minutes.
There are many "spooky" (the technical term) or deadly hazards in the quag, from large bouts of fog, to the sun disappearing, to "death storms", which rain necrotic death rather than rain.
Many monsters fill the quag, and some rumors and legends tell of beast as large as undead dragons, but very little within the quag is actually alive.
Diseases are prevalent in the quag, with the most critical being the Plague Rot. Once acquired, the city is able to keep it at bay for a little while, but they have not yet been able to cure those that have been affected. Instead, they give just enough time for the family to say goodbye. Once that is done, they prepare a large fire and knock the infected out, before placing them on the fire. Allowing them to die naturally results in them becoming an infected zombie that can pass the infection.

A Chance Encounter

After gathering their information, the heroes headed off towards the last known location of Bryce - really with very little information as to his whereabouts. Approximately a half a day out of Providence, the party was jumped by a band of highway robbers. The heroes had little challenge defeating the seven ruffians, and quickly looted the bodies. On them, they found some interesting things:

Six of the ruffians had a red skull tattooed on the back of their hands, the bandit leader did not
They found a silver ring with a red skull engraved on it on the leader
The leader had a letter detailing orders for her.

Halylana - I have word that the four will be leaving Providence within the next week in a search for the Guard Captain’s son who is out here. I leave it to you if you kill them first or let them find the kid and execute them all at the same time. Heaven knows that Dorsey has been looking for weeks and hasn’t been able to find him yet. You might just prove your worth by succeeding in both missions.

Into the Quag

Having dispatched the ruffians, and with some new troubling news, the heroes continue towards the spectral quag. Rolling Hills and lush, green trees turn into thick, muddy swamp and Cyprus trees. They used water walk to make their way down most of the Spectral Quag without encountering too much resistance. After making landfall, the heroes worked hard to avoid the undead wandering the land. After a few hours, found a ran down shack that had significant signs of foot traffic in the area. Hanzy took a peak through the window, wiping away some of the mud and dust blocking the view, and saw a small child in the house. Instantly, she decided to send her echo into the shack and switched places with it, approaching the girl to see if she was okay.

Ghastly Ghouly, what do you hear… I hear him shout and scream with fear… Ghastly Ghouly what do you smell.. I smell his blood and his guts as well.. Ghastly Ghouly what will you do.. Boil his bones for ghoulish stew..

The girl, currently whispering something repeatedly, throws her head up towards Hanzy, blood covering her face and down her shirt, and immediately attacks, using her fingers and teeth as her weapons. The rest of the heroes, seeing this go down, attempt to enter the shack, breaking in through the window to help their compatriot. They find out quickly that the little girl is not alone, as two gargoyles come down from the ceiling and join in on the attack. By the end of the encounter, the two gargoyles and the girl lay dead, and the heroes live on, although the girl was able to land a solid bite in Hanzy's neck, which was now radiating black lines from it. They quickly search the room and find a small stash of coin, as well as some letters. Unsigned Letter:

There have been new developments. Our Goblin allies have been significantly affected by recent additions to the town and we have had to cut ties with some other individuals that failed in their tasks. Unfortunately, this puts us in a weaker position than where the boss wanted us to be by the end of the year. We are still trying to figure out the best way to carry out his mission. We will send more information when we have it.

Letter from Adelyn to Bryce: Blood is smeared across the paper.

My dearest Adelyn, I should never have left you and I regret that mistake dearly. Every day I wonder this miserable swamp, trying to find this bloody treasure while also avoiding the flesh walkers. The other day, I walked to the edge of the swamp, intent on going back to you, but I couldn't do it. I can't go back to that life. I need adventure, I need power, and for that, I need to find this treasure. Every day it seems as if there is more and more creatures I have to fight off. Luckily, I have set up a couple of safe spots to hide in and it has proven...

As the group goes to leave the shack, they realize that the one door in there had been barricaded shut.. from the outside. And that is where I left them...

Campaign

Visage of the Dead

Protagonists