Fremont \Benji
Fremont \Benji (a.k.a. Monty)
Fremont, the protector
Old Dwarf who has seen the horrors of war at an early age and out of necessity learned some basics of abjuration.
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Alignment
pacifist
Birthplace
Molendenar
Children
Current Residence
Mariapool
Eyes
blue
Hair
thick locks of auburn
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Following Abar to Treasure
3/10/21
Abar, Uncle Buttershins, Granny, Felix
Following Abar we hear to Harpersgarten to try to find some treasure. We plan on making a replica map and asking around the town about what different landmarks may be on the map.
As we close to the city we meet a troll that Uncle Buttershins knew as short stack. He clarified a task he bartered with the troll. He wanted to troll to gather trees for the sake of the town so they could use it for lumber. Short Stack seemed unable to comprehend the idea still, he wanted to eat the trees. Uncle buttershins struggled to try to iterate the wishes of the town to the Troll, and after a while he seemed satisfied with his attempt and we pressed on.
We realize that the bridge is out and start heading west until we find a place where we can ford the river. Near the edge of lovers forest we find such a place and almost lose Abar to the current in the process. The forest is eery and almost seems to beckon us to wander in and die.
At Harpersgarten we are met with walls and guards who tell us we are unable to enter the city. Abar, Felix and Uncle were able to work together to fake papers and get Uncle into the city with a copy of the map. For future reference, I need papers from the red citadel or be with a paladin who can vouche for me. They chose to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the Red Citadel, due to having relied heavily on them in the past. It seems no one in this realm has had the best interactions with spellcasters. I guess I should be much less open about my own abilities.
Uncle was successful in finding some information from the town about the various landmarks. Apparently the standing stones north of the river is a meeting place for some sort of mages. Given the land's hostility that may be a good or a bad thing. We decide that the best course is to check the lover's forest for the treasure.
Into the woods we ran into some beasts that seemed to transcend the plane as they attacked us brutally (displacers). We managed to fend off three of them. We wandered deeper into the woods and happened upon a ritual ground of some sort. We lingered too long and were happened upon by a group of orcs who had a necromancer. It seemed they were likely going to be scarificing the poor lass.
A small victory was that I was able to gather some herbs and bring them to the Mad Hermit.
A return to the tower of Zenopus
2/28/2021
Abar, Fenik, Felix, Arastor
The Mad hermit's words tear at me and I feel unconvinced that the necromancer simon is disposed.
We first head to the town of Portsmouth to check on the poor girl Lamunda. Upon arrival we learn that the poor girl has succumbed to her disease and passed it on to her family. They are rotting to death. Fenik was able to detect the disease and learned that it is a form of mummy rot. The only way to heal them is for them to be brought to consecrated ground and have holy clerics look over them.
We informed the Mayor of Portsmouth of the diagnosis and he asked if the Red Citadel inquisition should be called. Ara-Stor aired caution for contacting the inquisition immediately for worry of the inquisition purging the town. We go into the tower now with two goals in mind. One is to find some magic cure to this disease that will plague the town. The other is to see if we cannot find information on destroying abberations that plague the catacombs of the lovers forrest.
We found kids outside the tower of zenopus. This did not sit well with me as these kids are playing close to horrors and evil things. I gladly informed them with some level of theatrics from my compatriots. The children fled home with great haste. As my friends worried about the effects of trauma I had instilled in the children I assured them I had seen worse as a child.
Among the new oddities we found in the tower there was a room with a sundial. A face in that room will answer questions for people. It has some light divination magic to it.
We asked the divination face several questions. Among them was where to find Simon. It is at the bottom of Zenopus.
To cure the disease, blood or fire are required.
We venture down and down. At the bottom we find a great hall with broken bridges. We could not see the whole way across. under the bridges were pits of bones that almost seemed to act as water. Skeletons attacked us and Abar pushed one into the pit. It was swallowed up and turned into a massive skeleton spider.
Another Foray into the Alleged forest for Lovers
2/21/2021
Fremont, Barley, Hops, Abar, Ara-Stor
We stopped by the old hermit's place. Ara-Stor introduced himself and did dishes for the old man.
I offered the hermit my services to gather some medicines. He gave me the description of three plants I plan to look for as we foray around the forest.
Ara-stor was able to find some uses for his mushrooms he found on a prior expedition.
We continue on our way to the hidden temple that housed the necromancy work at play, we found orc rummaging around in the surface. Rather than diplomacy the group goes straight for a fight.
We subdued them. Some of them sadly died in the fight. Barley interrogated the orc and found the white ax represents the Frost Ax tribe. This Orc let us know that the wizard Constantina will be traded by the shaman if she is to be traded. The red skull orcs live in the greenskin gorge. The Orcs seemed to dislike "pinkies" due to them mostly using "dead magic." We only left two survivors. One of them promised to stop hunting soft pinkies unless he is attacked first.
We delved down into the temple, we found similar monstrosities to our last foray. Haggard and bloody we make it down to the infernal sigil. Despite my numerous warnings Ara-Stor and Barley kept casting spells. Neither could hold their magic and they set the infernal thing off. We barely made it out with our lives as some demi lich was brought forth.
Legend of the Hidden Temple
2/17/2021
We head north (Sylvan, Abar, Tabi, Felix and myself) Sister Agnes wanted us to find a holy place and make a map to where it is, as well as make contact with the local priesthood should we find them.
On our first night in the grass sea abar had an uneventful watch, but Tabi happened to have found a snake and cooked it for a midnight snack.
Our small band decided to introduce ourselves to the mad hermit, hoping to gain some foresight in our quest. He confirmed there are several temples in the lover's forest, and gave us some directions in very specific terms that we dont typically use ourselves, paces and turns, feelings of the terrain rather than sightings. Sylvan took notes and hopefully can lead us.
When we came upon the temple we found a hole in the ground that led to catacombs with a rune spell at the bottom of this pit. It seemed to be a rune of necromancy suspended and waiting for something to finish it from firing.
Exploring the grounds we found zombies and animated skeletons, among gravestones and what seems to be a masoleum. There are several disturbed tombs. Felix was able to notice a rune which I identified as necromancy, but could not for the life of me tell exactly what it did. It was clearly missing from one tomb that still retained the body of a noble. It seems to me that this is the burial site for a long lost family line. Abar was able to take a family crested dagger from that body.
Down into the crypt we came across an orc with a red skull on its shield. As far as iconography I do not see anything that connects them to the orcs that I know to be holding Constantina. They happened to have had white axes as a motif in the other group.
We could see the rune at the bottom of the pit from a small set of port holes. I made out that the rune may be trying to revive something in a tomb near it. However it remains suspended in animation it may go off if the last few words are spoken. I am still cautious about whether casting spells around it may tip it to the point of finishing its nefarious will. We were unable to make our way to the rune itself. There were too many horrors. We had to leave, unsatisfied. We found a group a necromancer walking in the woods. We did not interact with them, but saw that they killed a squirrel with a necromantic cantrip.
We definitely need to come back with a group of clerics.
Wellness Check
2/14/2021
Flynn approached us about finding a wizard named Constantina. We are tasked with going to the tower of the wizard named Kestrel. Constantina is apprenticed to him and therefore he may have some knowledge that can lead us to her.
Adventurers : Beardless, Malnom, Flynn, Fremont, and Twigg
As we head out we find difficulty again with this tall grass. Maybe someone can do something about building a road.
Two nights of camping ended fine. We made it to the tower with no issues. It approaches evening and I hope refuge is to be found here.
The door to the cottage at the bottom of the tower is a magic talking door, that yelled at us for knocking on him. Flynn asked the proper way for approaching, and the door sidestepped the question. It may be best practice to say " 'ello" to any door that may belong to a wizard. When we asked about the wizard the door asked if we were the law. The door had no idea Constantina was missing, and was in apparent shock when we told him (him? them? we forgot to ask for the door's pronouns, another fact it may find rude of us).
The door finally let its face sink back in and let us in to see the wizard Kestrel. He did not believe us that his apprentice was missing and started looking under stacks of paper and books. After a minute of thought he remembered she was sickly and went to a hermit would dealt in apothecary means of healing. Kestrel said of the hermit that he was off his rocker, but overall a nice fellow. He may speak in a way we do not understand.
If we were to find Constantina, Kestrel said he would offer gold and tutelage. I asked further on the tutelage and he offered Abjuration as the finest of schools. He called me a man of culture, but was in grim agreeance when I argued I was a man of necessity. He briefly mentioned that and inquisitor was looking around last week. We had not had time to inquire further.
The hermit was closer to Maria Pool, about a day away from town, back in the tall grass.
The hermit was a tall old elf who lives modestly. He seemed to be mostly blind and believed Beardless when he said that he was related to the hermit. We asked for a map and sarcastically looked for one. He did give us directions to where Constantina should be, where the moss she is looking for should be.
I asked after Lamunda's boils. He said without a description of the boils there is nothing he could do. He asked that I look at the boils myself and get back to him. The hermit also suggested that the necromancer Simon is likely not really dead, and said that it was "Simon the Sinister."
In the dark wood the rabbit Uncle Buttershins stole from the hermit said that the woods were likely filled with predators. However the rabbit suggested he could get us closer to where the moss grows in these woods. When the rabbit went to inspect a tree further Malnom followed with others in the group, but he unfortunately was the one to get caught in a net trap. We then found ourselves surrounded by Harpies. The Hags did not respond to my apology and so I shot them with fire, assuming the creatures of ill nature.
The harpies never spoke to us, some orcs who did not seem to understand common came and saved us. They seemed interested in taking the teeth of the harpies. Saving us was an accident. One orc spoke goblin and we were able to communicate. They seemed to have taken Constantina.
Tired, we could not do a thing to stop them. We rested and Flynn sent a mouse after them, while we rested. Near morning a hawk visited Beardless, holding the mouse in it's talons. He eyed Beardless and ate the mouse. We followed the direction of the hawk and spoke to it. It threatened to eat us if we left the woods to the west and followed the orcs. Knowing we could not take the orcs, we left, planning to head back for Mariapool to tell the Halfling that Constantina was to be traded by the orcs to someone, we could not be positive who. Most in the party immediately assumed the mad hermit was a culprit in this mess. We stopped at the Hermit's hut and Twigg accused him to which he said that he had nothing to do with it.
We made our way back to Kestrel's and relayed to him what we knew. I stayed back with Kestrel. I returned the tome that Flynn had stolen, but did not tell the wizard who exactly it was that stole it. I stayed with the wizard and chatted about abjuration and battle plans for retrieving Constantina. I told him that Captain Montenegro and Mayor Thimbletoe were in charge in Mariapool and the explorer's guild for more help to rescue her.
The sinister secret of portsmouth
On our way east to portsmouth we camp for the night and see a large cat. It eyeballs Max Painless for some time and when he chose to arouse the rest of us, the cat chose to leave.
In the morning the we found a wolf on the road. Tabi attempted to feed it and then we noticed more wolves come out, Accompanied by a direwolf.
We make our way to Portsmouth and meet a drunk who asks if we are the Inquistors to exorcise the house at the north of town. Tabi somewhat brushed him off and we continued to the guard who confirmed that there is a haunted house. The guard also informed us that orphans are not allowed in Portsmouth. He said maybe if we could prove that we are not ne'er do wells, he would maube be able to vouche for us to the town. He had no idea there had been a necromancer named Simon in the tower to the west of their town, although he did know that a caravaner had come back with Lamunda. She is apparently still suffering a sickness, boils and the like. Simon's grimoire has some runes related to sickness, but without more research I dont know what I can do. Maybe if I talk to Max I can help the young cleric to heal her.
In the haunted house the second floor was uneventful. In the attic there were small stirges, demon bat monsters. We were able to subdue them fairly easily.
As we came down to the basement there was a paladin dead on the ground, some wine on racks and more weapons in barrels. Similar weapons to the ones found in the tower of Zenopaus.
In the basement of the haunted house we cleared out some bandits. As is my ways I was able to nonlethally subdue one and convince another to join the explorers guild. The last one standing told us that she would not join us "because he will kill me. He will hunt me down and Azad (the other bandit) too. You cannot protect us and I am more afraid of him."
Behind a secret passage I slipped in acid losing my new armor and hammer. I'm particularly sad about the hammer which I had used to knock people out. Unlike some of my companions I am very much against killing if I can avoid it. I try not to put my party at risk with my aversion to brutallity. But I am not for the senseless violence most days. I think I will live. As a wizard I lean more on my magic at times fairly often.
The group came into some contention as we went even further in and found even more bandits. These particular fellows sued for peace and asked to just leave. Tabi wanted to recruit them by force, Aukror, Max, and myself were all against it. Abar brought up the point of them possibly being an issue in the future.
We went back and were able to kill a skeleton alchemist, accruing some more artifacts. Among them is a tome of Constructing the Philosopher's stone, I plan on sharing with Ara'stor. I also obtained a bag of holding.
Azad told us that "the captain," is the one who she worked for. Not killing him may be unfortunate for her. The captain's name is Sandbar, who is into magic and possibly some divination.
some notes
2/6/21 12pm
I found some glowing mushrooms. Using my alchemy kit I would be able to distill it down into a luminous substance that would act like a torch. I stored some of them to attempt soon.
I also came upon a spellbook with a peculiar spell that looks as if it can stop a group of people, or at least slow them down with some sort of sticking stringy substance. Among other spells in this book it seems useful. I will study it more.
2/7/21 12pm
Found a satyr in a tree who was able to trick Abar into drinking a tea that put him to sleep. We were able to successfully save the satyrs he had in bondage (by subduing and stabilizing them). Using my alchemist kit I was able to identify that there is a moss, purple in color, that if I recognise on my adventure I could use to brew my own sleeping tea.
On the way out I was able to secure some bat guano to be used for alchemist fire.
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