Session 1: The Black Mural

10th of Snowmelt

General Summary

The story begins with four soon-to-be heroes, Indra, Killian, Leaf and Uthal. The new adventurers first meet at the Hall of Heroes, the local adventuring guild in the city of Gildenwharf, a thriving city by the water flowing from the Sunrise and Sunset Lakes out into the Lighthouse Bay. Before the four adventurers can finish exchanging their introductions, the city’s central bell rings loudly out over the town. Two members of the city guard enter the Hall of Heroes with the message that our adventurers are to meet with the Grand Overseer of Gildenwharf, Belkoris Wilthorn. The newly formed adventuring party learns that the city has been plagued by sleeplessness and terrible dreams as of late. The problems arose around the same time that one of the usually very colourful murals in the Inward Ocean district was mysteriously painted completely black. Over time, creatures of entrancing beauty began forming in the dark paint of the mural. The creatures appeared as hybrids between humans and animals, and as more creatures formed, the sleeplessness worsened. Despite continuous observation by the city guard, no-one has ever been seen painting the mural. Re-painting has proved fruitless. Normally, these issues, while deeply worrying, would not be considered urgent enough to sound the alarm. But, that morning, the body of the guard stationed at the mural was discovered - he was murdered during his watch. Grand Overseer Wilthorn offers our adventurers 200 gold if they are able to solve this mystery and, with that, they set out to look for clues.
They begin their search at the body of the murdered guard. A close inspection of the corpse reveals strange, animal-like claw marks on the body and an even stranger symbol carved into his chest. Among his belongings is an old poster signed by the previous Grand Overseer of Gildenwharf with the following message: “Due to complications of the war, funding for the art project has been cut.” Additionally, they discover an old key with black paint splatters on it. Next, the adventurers visit the Inward Ocean district to examine the mural itself. They find traces of a wet, chalk-like, white substance near the mural. Upon closer inspection, they notice that the phrase “They will pay” is written over and over again on the mural in an odd pattern, the shape of which forms the same symbol that was carved into the guard’s chest. Our adventurers ask the guard currently posted at the mural about his recently-deceased colleague and learn that, on the evening before his demise, the murdered guard spoke to Ura, an employee at the Seafloor Dam. The Seafloor Dam, coincidentally, is the place of origin for the chalk-like material found at the scene.
With these clues, the party swiftly returns to Grand Overseer Wilthorn, hoping he may be able to answer a few of the questions that have bubbled up during the investigation. He tells them about an old storage shed used for painting supplies before the art project was shut down, as well as the names of several painters who were in the city at the time. He says he knows nothing of the symbol, but he will contact the library in Brothers’ Crossing for more information. While he is away, our adventurers sneak a look at his desk and find a note detailing the visit of one of the Griffion Knights of the Order, which is supposed to happen in two days’ time. Continuing their investigation, the party visits the place where the body was discovered - the Wharfmaster’s Hut. After a short conversation with Ivan, the head of the Goldendocks, their search leads them to the scene of the crime. The room serves primarily as an archive, containing documents dating back to a hundred years ago. They find a broken lamp and a bit of blood mixed with black paint in one corner. Unfortunately, the trail of paint quickly runs out, and the party is forced to head elsewhere for answers. They pay a visit to Ura, perhaps the last person to see the murdered guard alive, and are disappointed to find out she is all but helpful. The guard was supposedly a close friend of Ura’s, and she is unwilling to answer our adventurer’s questions. Despite this hurdle, the party learns that Ura controls the water levels at the Seafloor Dam, and that the deceased guard came by the night before to inquire about the schedule for these proceedings. Uthal gets the distinct sense that Ura knows more than she lets on, in particular about the old key found amidst the guard’s belongings.
Somewhat frustrated and decently hungry, the party goes to enjoy the hospitality of Greg and Gale Deepoak and have dinner at the Hall of Heroes. After dinner, they return to the Wharfmaster’s Hut to search the archives. They discover that one of the painters, Shahnameh Asteroth, found work at the Seafloor Dam after funding was cut for the art project, but was fired 20 years ago when he was seen to carve strange symbols into the ships. They also find out that a small cave was discovered in the Dam 80 years ago, but it was covered up with stonework. With the end of the day approaching, our adventurers head to the old storage shed, which has since partly been repurposed for military storage. A trail of paint leads them upstairs, where they find the remains of the old painters’ supplies. The painters’ lockers are still there, and the old key opens Shahnameh’s locker. Inside is a fresh bucket of white paint, a recipe to make more, and a detailed schedule of the water levels at the Seafloor Dam. The party expected to find black paint to match the trail they followed, but they put their confusion aside and decide to go to the Seafloor Dam, since the water has been drained for the night.
Our adventurers quickly locate the old sealed-up cave and attempt to look inside. A warding glyph hits Killian in the face, but he retaliates and manages to open the cave. The party follows a tunnel to a larger space within the Dam. There, they find a dishevelled and somewhat feral-looking Shahnameh sitting by a small pond, seemingly praying to something or someone while holding a strange coin. Killian and Uthal work together to impersonate the one Shahnameh calls “Master”. They successfully trick the old painter and collect bits of information as he mutters “Serve the King,” “They will pay,” “Must obey,” and “They will soon find you, too.” Eventually, Shahnameh grabs a paint bucket and brush from the pond, throws the coin in the air, and vanishes. The party follows the trail of paint drops back out through the tunnel. Two of our adventurers alert the guards and make their way to the mural, while the other two follow the pain trail. The invisible Shahnameh arrives at the black mural and begins to paint. The party attacks him and a fight breaks out. One of the painted creatures steps out of the mural and joins the fray. The guards, to the surprise of the party, do not interfere. In fact, they appear not to notice that anything is there at all. Despite this, the party defeats Shahnameh and the mural-beast, both of whom dissolve into black paint-like substance on the ground. The party fills a vial with the paint-like material and carefully picks up the coin Shahnameh left behind. They pay one last visit to Grand Overseer Wilthorn to report their findings and collect their 200 gold, and he identifies the Coin of Mad Invisibility for them. Thanks to our now-heroes, the night that follows will be the first peaceful night the city of Gildenwharf has known in weeks.
Next session: Session 2: The Birth of the LUKI Four

(Noteworthy) Characters Interacted With:

• Belkoris Wilthorn, Grand Overseer of Gildenwharf
• Greg & Gale Deepoak, owners of Gildenwharf local adventurers guild
• Ivan, wharfmaster of the Goldendocks
• Shahnameh, one of the Mural Painters
• Ura, Seafloor Dam employee

Report Date

05 Sep 2021

Primary Location

Gildenwharf

Grand Overseer Belkoris Wilthorn