Leaving Custone Report
General Summary
The Road
Our heroes left the town of Custone, heading west out of the forest and to Geton Towne. The first day of travel, they stuck to the road, and eventually encountered a trio of the living dead - a grim reminder that the consequences of the Death Mark temple were not fully known. With no further incidences, they eventually arrived at the midpoint camp between Custone and Geton Towne, to find that it was already occupied.
The dwarves setting up camp turned out to be members of the Dungeoneers, and they invited the party to share the space. They swapped a few tales of encounters with the undead, and the Dungeoneers inquired about their members that were in town. Assured of their safety, the dwarves went to sleep, while the party set a watch.
In the wee hours of the night, with Malcer on watch, an alarm bell sounded. A dwarf woke up, concentrated briefly, and the dwarf and the ranger set out to see what was detected. They found a giant badger, and Tigger quickly took care of it. The dwarf went back to bed, and the rest of the night passed without incidence.
The Arrival
The next day was uneventful until the party arrived at Geton Towne, where they renewed an acquaintance. The crows cages outside the city walls held corpses that had revived and been put back down, and a single living prisoner. While they did not yet know his name, they certainly recognized the face of the man they let go from the fallen tower, and he recognized them. He began by pleading to Carta that he had been unjustly imprisoned, and that freeing him would exemplify Mercy. While the Paladin of Adalci heard his words, he held to the truth of Justice, and said that he must learn more before he could assist.
With that, the Smooth Criminal turned his attention to the women of the party, thinking there were other cards he could play. While Sharlot and Durdeg did not know him from there, they did put together that they had seen him in Custone the night the book was stolen - especially once he admitted to being the thief. The prisoner attempted to bargain the book, and the location of more information about it, in exchange for his freedom. He likely overplayed his hand, demanding that he also be provided with a horse to flee town, but he knew that if freed like this and left on foot, he'd be ridden down within an hour. The party left him, although they did not forget.
Geton Towne
Leaving the prisoner, they entered the outer gate. There, they caught the tail end of the town criers address. The mention of a deadly disease caught their attention, and they tried to ask more. The crier told them he had to go, but they could follow him to the next spot and listen. This brought the party their first experience with one of the quirks of Geton Towne - their apparent desire to fleece every well armed traveler that comes within reach. At the gate, the guard turned them away, saying they were not allowed in. Of course, by paying the right taxes and fees, he would allow them passage. Durdeg, the worldliest of the group, balked at the prices asked, and they left to seek out other arrangements. Luckily, a merchant let them know they were being fleeced, earning himself goodwill with the travelers, and possibly enticing them to use his services in the future.
The party found themselves at the Silver Ball Inn, a comfortable place in the middle of the Between. They finally caught up to the crier, and heard of the carnival coming to town, the tournament, the schedule for trials, some religious rites, and the danger from the lobstrosities. With that, they all began to prepare for the night, by looking at nearby buildings and shops, and finally bedding down. Malcer had heard of the lobstrosities, and was prepared to hunt. He decided to get a room of his own to prepare. Durdeg was trying to come to grips with the town - he had been to towns, villages, and cities, on this side of the world and the other, and had never experienced anyone like this. Sharlot and Sif continued their search for more information on the book, before separating to find lodging. Durdeg, Carta, and Sharlot eventually ended up in the inn, while Sif used her connections in the Koleran College to stay the night.
The Hunt
The next morning, the group prepared for the hunt. Sharlot decided it would be more beneficial to get some research done in the town, and bid the rest farewell. After an overwhelming session of bargaining, the troupe had acquired trapping gear and a boat to the island. They planned to find bait for the lobstrosities by hunting through the woods, until the ranger, chasing a feeling, found a cave entrance.
They entered, and began to explore. While Mal had a feeling that what they needed was deeper in, they took the time to explore. They soon encountered what the blacksmith had called a ruster, and quickly put it down. They were able to milk some of the Ruster Secretions from it, and set it aside to sell back in town. They also found some of the rust monsters eggs, and took those, hoping that they would be of value as well, either to the blacksmith or the cooks at the carnival. A swarm of bats was disturbed by their presence, and Durdeg was bitten, giving a twinge of worry about rabies, but that was a later problem.
Further exploring, the quartet was separated by a fiendish trap. Mal and Sif were stuck in a small room, with only a spike lined tunnel as an exit. Luckily, Sif's familiar was able to reconnect them with the others, and V3 was able to help them chew their way out of the trap.
Wisely avoiding the spider web filled opening, the group attempted a different route. A glint of a coin hanging in the air alerted the group to a gelatinous cube scouring the corridor. They moved away from that, and decided to brave the webbed area. The ambush they knew was coming was sprung, and executed well thanks to the intelligent elf-spider that led it. But the monster and his two giant spider slaves were no match for the group, and as the corpses of the spiders lay twitching on the ground, the choldrith made its escape. With that, the heroes regrouped, to decide their next move.
Character(s) interacted with
Harrey Darkdelver
Gylas Erer
Darryl, Larry, and Joe Bob
Ichaff Wollstone, bookbinder
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