Session 61

General Summary

• While Kesmet, Dwardazik, Grogery, and Marvin went out to the city to wrap up some things, Dazki remained at home with Barry to take care of some business of his own.
• Alice helped the party with some information about the zombies. The main piece of information she gave, which the party didn't know before: they get back up. So hit 'em hard, and double-tap. She also mentioned that the zombies are behaving erratically, doubling back around, even though we all thought that the party killed the hive lord.
• The party's cart and Rudy have been confiscated from the Horseshoe Road Inn by the government, probably when (and because) they were high-profile wanted criminals.
• They did some more shopping, details of which are not entirely repeated on this page.
• Back at the house, each party member in turn (except for Barry) shared their backstory with Marvin. They had a bit more discussion on Dwardazik's turn, reconciling Dwardazik's story with what Alfalfa had said recently.
• Dwardazik has become increasingly paranoid: he took an unusual interest in making sure all the doors and windows were locked before leaving Dazki alone (well, he had Barry), and he kept his armor on all night, waking up the next day feeling exhausted.
• During the night, Dazki managed to fully identify Baxton's signature Embroidered Mantle of Spell Resistance, figuring out the unusual extra effect that it has.
• The next morning, Grogery picked up his mace from Tilda, Dwardazik buried his money in the larder, Dazki mailed some letters, and the party finally headed out of the city towards Hershal's Rest, in search of The Flesh Artist.

Full Recap

The session opens with the party in their estate discussing their plans for what to do next, now that they're not currently criminals.  

Dwardazik: I was never a criminal!   Kesmet: I was a little bit of a criminal...   Dazki: It sounds like you've been a criminal for quite a while.   Kesmet: Only for a short while, several years ago, and that was as a front to attempt to commit murder! ...revenge murder.   Dwardazik: I thought you didn't like that whole "baker" thing?

  They change the subject and start discussing things that they want to buy. They intend to get some kind of carriage and oxen to pull it.  

Grogery: It occurs to me that the Temple of Pelor will probably have pretty good information about the zombie distribution, so it might be a good idea to stop by there before heading out, either today or tomorrow morning.   Dwardazik: Well, we have to wait for your weapon to get silvered first, so we have some time. Why don't we stop by the tavern and see if we've still got that cart and Rudy? If not, well, I'm gonna figure out what they did with our stuff!   Kesmet: Well, to be fair, we got that cart for free back at Muckwater.   Dwardazik: That's my cart!   Grogery: It would look a little empty without that pony keg on it, though...   Dwardazik: Grogery, you wanna wrestle?   Grogery: No, sorry, sorry!   Dazki: You guys can go ahead. I have a couple of letters to write.   Dwardazik: Writing to the wife, I see, eh?   Dazki: Writing to my family and stuff like that.   Dwardazik: Will you be all right here all alone?   Dazki: I'll be fine. Don't worry about it.   Dwardazik: ...all right. Stay out of the larder! Those are my special cookin' recipes. I need those ingredients!   Dazki: I'm just going to be in my room writing a couple of letters.   Dwardazik: All right. Because if you are hungry, you can tell me!   Dazki: I'm good, thank you. I'm OK. We just ate. I'll be fine.   Dwardazik: if we're gone for a while, do you want me to make something before we leave?   Dazki: I'll be OK. I can handle waiting until you guys get back.   Dwardazik: All right... make sure you lock the door behind us, all right?   Dazki: it'll be fine, Dwardazik. We'll be OK.   Dwardazik: And you use that spell or that little birdie thing... can we give the birdie thing to Dazki, just in case someone comes knockin' about this house? That way he can communicate with us?   Dazki: You're acting pretty paranoid all of a sudden, Dwardazik.   Dwardazik: I'm not paranoid!   Kesmet: Yea, Dennis isn't even in this city, or anywhere near it. The coward...   Dazki: I'll be fine, don't worry. You guys go do shopping. Just let me know what I need to pay for my portion once you get back.   Dwardazik, with a grunt: All right...

Not satisfied with that, Dwardazik sweeps the house, checking every room for assassins. In one of the rooms, he spots a human that he didn't expect to see there! Oh, it's just Barry

Dwardazik: Gah! Barry, don't scare me like that.

While Dwardazik is looking for assassins, and everybody is busy packing up to leave, Grogery has an awkward chat with Marvin.

Grogery: So, where did you get that mandolin? It looks pretty fancy.   Marvin: Oh, I actually just bought it very recently.   Grogery: Interesting...   Marvin: Do you like it?   Grogery: it looks pretty cool. Maybe you could point out the vender while we're out shopping?   Marvin: Uh, yea, I'll try to remember... where... where I bought it from. I think it was just, like, a street vendor.   Dwardazik, yelling from across the house: Are y'all packin up? Y'all should all be packin up!

They then discuss the purchasing of a covered wagon and oxen. Someone mentions that they should split it six ways, one for each of Barry, Dazki, Dwardazik, Grogery, Kesmet, and Marvin.

Dwardazik: I don’t feel comfortable askin' for Marvin to pay for a share that he might not be invited to. I just think that he is traveling with us right now. I don't think he should have to burden that financial responsibility.   Grogery: That's fair. I mean, we might end up keeping this for a while, and Marvin might not necessarily be around.   Marvin: Wha -- I can definitely contribute, guys.   Dwardazik: Huh?   Marvin: I can, 100 percent, contribute.   Dwardazik: You sounded like you were a bit... strapped for cash... back over at Tilda's?   Marvin: Well, yeah, in comparison to the shit I saw you guys throwin' around in the Undermart!   Dwardazik: WELL, I ain't gotta be told twice! He can pay for his share.

  The cart and oxen will cost 200 gold. Quick maths: 200/6 = 33.33, repeating. Barry hands 40 gold for his share.

Grogery: Oh, thank you Barry!   Marvin: So, Barry is coming with?   Grogery: Yeah.   Dwardazik: Of course Barry's coming with!   Barry: I, well...   Dwardazik: He's an equal member of the party!   Barry: I... we can all just stay here, though?   Dwardazik: Barry, sometimes you gotta leave the place that you consider safe, in order to go adventurin'. You can't just stay here and expect to be an equal member of this party, all right?   Barry: That's what I was sayin'! But apparently, I can be an equal member of the team and stay in the house?   Dwardazik: Not anymore. I'm putting my foot down!   Grogery: Well, OK, here's the thing. It's a house. We don't know how long we might be gone. It might be beneficial to have someone, like, look after it. Make sure people don't try and --   Barry: I don't want to be in the house with whoever you get to watch the house!   Grogery: No, I mean, you could be the one to watch the house, or you could travel with us.   Dwardazik: Stop enabling him!   Grogery: What am I enabling?   Dwardazik: He's a full-grown fishperson! If he wants to keep getting... He sighs. Look. He should get some experience leaving the house, OK?   Barry: Maybe we should put it up to a vote.   Dwardazik: You be quiet!   Barry: OK...   Kesmet: He should probably get, you know, the whole fish thing fixed? Get his memories back and what not? That would probably be for the best.   Dwardazik: I don't wanna leave Barry alone in this city without protection, all right? I want to have Barry with us, because I want to make sure nothing bad happens to him!   Grogery: Also, we are going after someone who has been known to use... unorthodox... healing methods. So, he might be able to do something about Barry? If it turns out this is legit...   Dwardazik: Even more reason to bring him along!   Dazki: Guys, this is not legit. This is someone who was working with Baxton!   Dwardazik: Now, just hold a minute! I agree with that. However, did we not just learn in the library that apparently Turmoil can have some kind of special healing, or special methods of curing things that seemed weird? Perhaps we can learn this guy's secrets and use it for Barry?   Dazki: All right, but I am against that idea.   Dwardazik: We're not gonna ask the Flesh Artist to perform his dark rituals. I'm just saying we might be able to find something that can lead to a cure for Barry!   Grogery: We also don't know a whole lot about the situation. There might be an actual powerful healer. Not necessarily the actual Flesh Artist guy, but... from what we've experienced from Turmoil, it's not really particularly good at fixing things.   Dwardazik: That's what I would think. Some of the stories that we read begged to differ, but I don't know which to believe.   Dazki: Well, the stories said that Turmoil can be reversed with time magic, somehow.   Dwardazik: I thought those stories also said that somehow those people were able to cure things with Turmoil?   Dazki: No, they were using time magic to cure unwanted Turmoil mutations.   Dwardazik, exasperated: All this magic stuff is confusing.   Dazki: But they were also intentionally mutating themselves with Turmoil.   Dwardazik: I mean.. Isn't that kind of our case here? Don't we just need some of that time magic, and then *poof*, Barry is better?   Dazki: We need to figure out exactly what they were doing. No one seems to know but them.   Marvin: Who's this ominous "them"?   Dazki: Some tribes out by The Phantasmagoria.   Marvin: And they were messing with Turmoil? Out there?   Dazki: Yeah, way out there.   Marvin: So let me get this straight. Turmoil is a physical substance?   Dazki: It can be.   Grogery: It's not a good thing when it is.   Marvin: That's a new one...   Kesmet: It looks like little slug. Or a... big slug. If it's inside a ship.   Dwardazik: It look like, imagine the darkest of darkness. Now imagine oil. Now imagine that the oil is trying to consume you. That's Turmoil.   Grogery: Have you heard of people suddenly getting this weird spiral scar around their eye?   Marvin: You guys mentioned that earlier, but again, I've been gone out of the city for a couple of months.   Grogery: Yea, that's what happens when someone stuck Turmoil inside their eye, and it doesn’t want to be there anymore.   Marvin, shocked: The eye doesn't want to be there anymore?   Grogery: No, the Turmoil.   Marvin: OK.   Dwardazik: To be clear, I think it was that the Turmoil was in stasis being controlled by Baxton. Once we slaughtered Baxton and his evilness, the Turmoil got released.   Grogery: As if it no longer had something telling it to be under control.   Dwardazik: So that’s what I believe   Marvin: Well, doesn't that imply that it can be controlled?   Dwardazik: That's what I was sayin'!   Grogery: The problem is who is doing the controlling.   Dwardazik: I said that back when we were dealing with Sol DeWork back in the infirmary! We just need to figure out the same magic that Baxton was using, and then control it, and get rid of it!   Grogery: But we don’t know if Baxton could get rid of it!   Dwardazik: Well, it's a start...   Barry: Does this mean that I'm coming with you, or that I'm staying in the house?   Dwardazik: Barry, I want you to come with me so I can watch your back and you can watch mine, all right? Now, if you decide that you absolutely don't want to go, by all means stay here, but don't expect a split of the treasure if yer watchin the house. Is that fair, everyone?   Everyone agrees.   Kesmet: I kinda want Barry to come with, because I'm feeling like we are not going to be coming back here.   Dwardazik: I want Barry to come with. I think it would be good for him. And I think he should get some fresh air outta this confining city. Barry, you're too scared to even walk the streets! At least outside of the city, you can stretch your arms!   Barry: I don't understand the metaphor.   Dwardazik: The metaphor is, you're cooped up in a cage. Would you not rather be free outside the city?   Barry: No.   Dwardazik: Barry...

Marvin takes out his mandolin and plays a song. He talks to Barry while casting Motivational Speech on everyone around. Dazki, who is still highly suspicious of Marvin, notices that he's about to cast an enchantment spell against him, so he attempts to resist it and fails.

Marvin: Barry, don't you want to see the world? Don't you want to own this cure that they're talking about? Why, you might even hear better music than I'm playing now! Don't you want to see what's out there? Plus, a cut of the gold!   Dwardazik: If we find any.   Barry leans over to Kesmet to speak with him.   Barry: I mean, this guy's not an equal member of the team, though, right?   Kesmet glances over at Marvin, scratches his chin a little bit.   Barry: We can only be so equal.   Kesmet: Nah, not yet. We don't know him. We met him today. He's hitching a ride.   Barry: OK, because if we have a second performer, I mean, it would only make the most sense to kick you out...   Kesmet, giving Barry one of his signature Kesmet looks: Barry, that's a horrible thing to say!   Barry: I'm just preparing you for an inevitable betrayal.   Dazki: Well then, maybe we should make him a full member of the party, then.   Dwardazik: Now, hold up.   Dazki: It's a joke. It's a joke.   Dwardazik: Oh, OK. I would just rather see Marvin prove himself first.   Barry: That was a secret.   Dwardazik: Well, Dazki's loud.   Barry: We must go acquire goods now, then?   Dwardazik: Right, yes. I've prepped my backpack, I should be ready to go. Let's go check out the tavern and buy some goods for our travels. We all agree that we want a carriage. Are we going try to see if Rudy is still there? Or are we just going to get some new oxen?   Kesmet: Let's go to the Inn, see if our stuff's there. If not, lets just buy a new carriage.   Dwardazik: Maybe we could sell off the cart and Rudy and get some new animals? Might help offset the cost of getting all this stuff. If there are no objections, Dazki, we'll see you in a little bit.   Dazki: See you in a while!

 

One Last Lap

 

Grogery: It seems super suspicious that we have a guy called "The Flesh Artist" walking around, and also a bit of a zombie problem.   Marvin: Yeah... maybe a coincidence, but that would be one hell of a coincidence.   Dwardazik: My memory's not so good. Do we know it's zombies, or is it just undead?   Grogery: It was some form of zombie. Remember when we went over to that farm to help take care of some zombies? That super weird horse thing shot us a bunch of times, and then your axe went crazy, and we had to crucify you?   Dwardazik: Riiiiight... He looks at Marvin. Yup. I remember that.   Grogery: The zombie parts were kind of weird. So if we can gather more information about where the Flesh Artist has been, and if we can gather more information about where the zombies have been, we can see if this is more than just a feeling, and then maybe we can tell where the Flesh Artist is by seeing where the zombies are.   Dwardazik: Sounds like a plan. Let's stop by the tavern, and then Temple Row, before going to The Market Bazaar. That way, we can make our purchases while knowing the most information.   Grogery: Yeah! ...and also, so that we don't have to drag everything over to the temple and back...   Dwardazik: Ah. Yes. Of course.

They hail a carriage.

Grogery: So, Marvin, what was the last big project you had?   Marvin: I was accompanying a decently large group. They called themselves "The Silver Arrows" _{or something like that, I dunno}, and just one morning, all their tents were eaten! I swear! Whatever got them, it left my tent alone for some reason. I hope it wasn't a horribly painful death.   Grogery: So were they just a party of adventurers sort-of like us?   Marvin: They were specifically rangers, very much "seek out the evildoers" sort of folks. I swear, they were eaten, they vanished without a trace!   Grogery: Interesting...

Orson Buggy and the Horseshoe Road Inn

The party arrives at the Horseshoe Road Inn, a little tavern for people who enjoy horses. Dwardazik enters. Orson is there.

Dwardazik: Hey, Orson! Are our cart and buffalo still here?   Orson: I... d-- no.   Dwardazik: What did you do with 'em?   Orson: I didn't do nothing, I -- hey, guys, how's it going?   Grogery: Hi!   Dwardazik: Answer the question!   Orson: I mean, it's all kinda been repoed, by the repo man.   Grogery: Who is the repo man?   Orson: You know, the guy that always takes all the stuff? You must not have paid a due, or... are you guys criminals?   Grogery: Not anymore!   Dwardazik: Saying that we're criminals is a sin against the Firelord!   Orson: I don't get out much, but there's only a couple of reasons why the government would take people's property, and you guys have been relatively good at paying me for rooms... relatively...   Dwardazik, growling: Are you saying that we owe a debt?   Orson: I mean, there's no debt among friends, but...   Dwardazik: If there's a debt, you're going to tell me! I am not going to be owing a debt to some tavern keeper when I can pay it.   Orson: Oh man, you're pretty high-energy today!   Dwardazik: I have places to be, my cart and my buffalo are gone...   Orson: Well, you haven't been to the room, but I've been holding it for you, per your request.   They square up with Orson and tell him that he can stop holding their rooms now.   Orson: I mean, it's real unfortunate what happened to your cart and bull back there.   Dwardazik: Ugh. Was it slaughtered?   Orson: I don't know what they do to those. They probably just sell it? I don't know, I've never had anything taken by the government before, and I mean, honestly, you should be using horses anyway, to pull a cart like that...   Dwardazik: Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. Allow me to thank you for holding our rooms for that entire duration!   Orson: Oh it's no biggie, really!   Dwardazik: Of course. What happened with our cart and our animal was of our own making.   Orson: Well, I would assume they had a reason to take it.   Dwardazik, grumbling: Now, if we have no further business here...   There's an awkward silence for a little bit.   Orson: Well... I mean, I'm not going to leave. If your business is done, then, I mean, you can leave. Or you could just stay? I just put a pot of tea on.   Dwardazik: Before we leave and go about our other business for today, I actually have a question for you. Have you heard any rumors coming from the small town of Hershal's Rest?   Orson: Buddy... I'm a tavern keeper. Nobody tells us anything.   Dwardazik: Oh. Nobody mentioned anything? No people staying the night from that direction?   Orson: Why would people sit down and chat with a tavern keeper?

They leave and hail a carriage to go to Temple Row for the next leg of their journey.

Temple Row

Down the road from the Cathedral of Light, there is a monk arguing with a gnomish postmaster, to whatever extent a member of a silent order of monks can be said to "argue" about anything.

Dwardazik: Well, it appears our... folk... over there is still doin' all right.   Marvin: You guys run into some interesting folk, it seems.   Grogery: Again, we have an almost supernatural ability to run into trouble.   Dwardazik: You'd be surprised. I just don't understand what's going on in this city. All I wanted to do was do some business, and it seems everything in this entire city keeps crashing into us.   Grogery: I'd like to think it's Pelor guiding us to be at the right place at the right time.   Dwardazik: ...right place at the wrong time, if you ask me.   Marvin: Yeah, I find it's normally the wrong time.   Kesmet: Seriously! We just walked around the city, ran into a mad-crazed person trying to seize political power or something, and for some reason he was using dark magic to do it. And then a bunch of stuff tried to kill us.   Dwardazik: It is strange, isn't it?   Kesmet: We need to get the fuck out of this city.   Dwardazik: I couldn't agree more!   Grogery: I dunno, I kinda like it here.   Kesmet: You have a cult following, of course you like it here!   Grogery: I don't have a cult following! Just a goblin that sometimes calls me "boss", and a dragon who's my friend, and that's about it.   Kesmet: What about the hundred other kobolds in The Spire of Beasts?   Dwardazik: And how many people have dragons for friends?   Grogery: Like 3 other people!   Kesmet: He doesn't like us at all. He's just your friend.   Grogery: He likes you guys...   Marvin: You guys know a dragon?!   Grogery: Yup!   Kesmet: He finds us entertaining. That's about it. But if you recall, he didn't attack you.   Dwardazik: You can't just say "Oh, I'm friends with a dragon" and expect everyone to just accept that! Some people don't even think dragons exist! Marvin, how many dragons have you seen?   Marvin: I've never met one, but I really want to! Their tales are legendary! ...tales, not tails.   Grogery: OK, I was going to say, we haven't actually seen this particular dragon's tail. It's a long story. If this trip out to Hershal's Rest turns out really well, then maybe we'll take you to meet our dragon friend the next time we are around Ashport.   Marvin: Oh I would love that!   Dwardazik: Oh, """""friend""""".   Grogery: He's really into storytelling, you two would get along well.   Dwardazik: To be fair, that is true. He's perhaps one of the most interesting storykeepers that exists. OK, we're here at the temple. How do you want to approach this, Grogery?   Grogery: I guess let's just ... walk into the temple and see who's there?

Alice Wellhear is here. She walks right over to the party, with a familiar look and determination about her: she wants to punch somebody. This time, Dazki isn't here.

Alice: Where is he?   Grogery: Where is who... oh, Dazki?   Dwardazik: Who are you lookin' for?   Alice: I'm lookin' for your most punchable face. Where is he?   Marvin, muttering to himself while taking down notes: "Everybody hates Dazki for some reason..."   Dwardazik: I don't know who you're lookin' for.   Grogery: He's back at our place, taking care of some book work.   Dwardazik: Bring it on, lass. If you want to get to him, yer gonna have to get through me.   Grogery: To what do we owe the pleasure this time?   Kesmet: Yeah, we didn't even do anything lately!   Marvin: Wait... ... ... Dazki's a dude?   Alice: Don't think I don't know about you people sneakin' around here behind the church's back and putting everybody in danger!   Grogery: What did we do this time?   Kesmet: If we're going to be accused, let's at least have it be a proper accusation.   Alice: And I know it was the elf!   Dwardazik: What are you accusing the elf of?   Alice: Look around the church, what do you see? Not any clerics, I'll tell you that!   Grogery: ...ahh...   Dwardazik: ...oh... that's right...   Grogery: Yeah, it seems like there was a rather large outbreak of this... thing.   Alice: There's only one mischievous motherfucker (praise be unto the Light).   Marvin: You are a curious paladin...   Dwardazik stands between Alice and Marvin before she could do anything.   Alice: Every single time, it's been you lot disrupting everything!   Dwardazik: Now, just wait a minute here. Those clerics are doing Pelor's work in The Palace of Pride right now.   Alice: You are manipulating the archpriest to do your bidding.   Dwardazik: I think such an accusation deserves an explanation. What were we manipulating him to do? I don't appreciate it when someone just sticks their nose and their opinions in my face like that.   Alice: Listen. You know how sensitive he is. You know how badly he wants to help everybody. And you're taking advantage of his generosity again!   Dwardazik: Grogery, can you explain the situation?   Grogery: Here's the situation. We have removed a great shade, that was doing evil work in this city. We think there may be another one that may be causing some of the zombie problems, and we are willing to independently go out and possibly take care of this problem. You know, defending people, and things like that.   Kesmet: While all you're doing is standing there accusing us.   Grogery: Stop!   Dwardazik: Yeah, you know the undead problem you wanted us to help with? We're gonna go fight that.   Alice: Finally, someone's been dealing with it. I've been stuck here trying to protect the archpriest from people like you. Like I said before, a church is no place for a paladin.   Grogery: So, we were coming to the temple to see if we could maybe help each other with this, because we followers of Pelor probably have pretty good information on where the zombies are, where they've been encountered, and things of that nature. We're going to try to track down the source of them.   Alice: And you're sure you're a cleric, not a paladin?   Grogery: Don't they tend to overlap from time to time?   Marvin: Paladin, schmaladin. Cleric, schmeric. As long as we're solving the problems and saving the day, what does it matter?   Alice: I will aid you in your quest, but you have to punch that elf for me. Because I know he's manipulated somebody to do something!   Kesmet: Do you know, or do you simply suspect and want to take vengeance on him without any proof?   Alice: The archpriest would never have agreed to the terms he agreed to without any outside... interference. And you oh-so-love to interfere.   Dwardazik: That's not fair!   Alice: No, it's not.   Kesmet: Hang on a second. We don't love to interfere. It's simply been a necessary evil over the last couple of days that we've been here in this damn city. Everything's trying to kill us!   Alice: Well, if you want to help me fight zombies and undead, I could sure use it.   Kesmet: You have to say the magic word...   Dwardazik just does a facepalm.   Alice, stopped in her tracks: ...what would those magic words be? Do you want me to go down on my knees and beg you, oh-so-kindly? She goes down on her knees, sarcastically. Oh, please, great and noble sorcerer, whom the archpriest is so indebted to, will you help me in this noble quest to free the world from undead? She gets back up. There, better?   Kesmet: Those were some really long and involved verbal and somatic components. Plus, I don't think that spell even did anything.   Dwardazik: Now listen here, lass, that was unnecessary. You know as well as anyone that we're gonna go kill those undead and help solve this issue.   Kesmet: Not only unnecessary -- it was ineffective!   Dwardazik: Now, I think we have to have a bit of a chat, here. Do we agree to take Alice with us on our quest over at --   Alice: I have to stay here.   Grogery: She's got to stay here to look after Isaiah. We'll go look for the source of the zombies, but -- He looks at Alice, who nods in agreement as he says these -- she can provide us the records that the church has on zombie sightings, combats, stuff like that so that we can have a better idea about their distribution and a time frame. If there's a necromancer or someone else who's wandering about making them, then we might be able to track their movements based on where and when the zombies appeared.   Dwardazik, whispering to Grogery: Should we do any kind of rites or anything before we go, while we're here? This is all kind of sacred to Pelor, isn't it?   Grogery, whispering back: It's a church, so that's where people worship. But it's also where all the business happens.   Dwardazik shrugs.   Grogery: If you feel like saying a prayer or what not, I won't stop you. It is very respectful to do something like that when people come to the church for things besides worship, if that makes sense.   Dwardazik: Makes sense to me. For healing, for knowledge, sanctuary.   Dwardazik turns to Alice.   Dwardazik: Will you show us to these records, then?   Alice: Yeah, I can do that.

Alice leads them to a room with a map. Dwardazik pulls out his journal to take notes of anything, since Dazki isn't here.

Alice: Now, we had that zombie incursion in the farms a couple of weeks ago, you recall, right?   Dwardazik: Aye.   Alice: Unusually coordinated, odd-looking zombies. Killing the leader there seemed to help. It usually does, there's usually like a hive lord. Very simple beasts, the undead. He... didn't stay quite as dead as we would have liked. They seem extra tenacious, but they've wandered off since then.   Grogery: OK.   Dwardazik: Do we know the direction?   Alice: There's really only three ways to go from Ashport.   Dwardazik: Marvin, could you point out the general location of Hershal's Rest on this map?   Marvin does.   Dwardazik: Are we getting any intersections of horde and town?   Alice: It seems like the zombies came from around there, but have since gone in a few different directions. Certainly not there -- that seems to be where they came from.   Dwardazik: That does not bode well...   Marvin: Well, we've got to go to the eye of the storm somehow.   Alice: This was, like, a couple of weeks ago, though.   Grogery: What would be the most recent undead sightings?   Alice: I don't have a lot of information, as I am cooped up here. They're not coming over here now, though. It's going back to normal. We've sent some paladins out further, trying to track down the ones that got back up. You say there could be some... there? She points to where Marvin pointed. "Hershal's Rest"?   Marvin: Yeah. On my recent travels, that's what I had heard wind about. There were some weird sightings, and I'd heard something about a "flesh doctor". People go to him to get cured, but then the area starts to have significantly increased sightings of undead.   Alice: Do you think they could have looped back around? Are they clever enough to do such a combat maneuver?   Marvin: I don't think so. The only undead that's ever clever, in my experience, are the ones that have a master.   Alice: Usually, a zombie horde just picks a direction and goes for it.   Marvin: Maybe they're not zombies, then...   Alice: So to have an undead change course is extra concerning.   Dwardazik: Is that really so unusual? Did we not just fight one of those, what did you call it, "hive masters"?   Alice: Right! So, this problem should have theoretically been solved! So the fact that it's not is concerning.   Grogery: There might have been more than one... or there might have been a hive master of hive masters that we still need to take care of...   Alice: Not to mention, they seem to be extra tenacious. They get back up!   Grogery: Either way, Hershal's Rest is where we're planning on going to try to get more information and, if we're lucky, find the source of this and resolve it one way or another.   Dwardazik: You have an interesting definition of "luck"...   Alice: What do you need?   Grogery: While we're over there, if you guys at the temple of Pelor come across new information or a new sighting, it would be good if we could get Sent that information? If it turns out that we're way off-course, then we could just travel straight to where the new suspected location would be.   Alice: Details are so fuzzy right now.   Grogery: Likewise, if we learn anything important, then we can send that information to you so that you could better protect people.   Alice: Yes. I will keep the spell prepared, at least on a cleric.   Grogery: OK. He turns to the rest of the party. What else do we need from the temple to fight these undead?   Dwardazik: Holy water?   Grogery: Holy water would be useful. We don't have a lot of that.   Dwardazik: I've only got one flask on me right now. Having more would be beneficial.   Marvin: Any other tools that you have lying around that might really... give it to 'em? The undead? Any, uhh... any magic?   Alice: Just... "a magic"?   Marvin: Yeah, just... just the one? Anyone in the church that can make scrolls, by any chance?   Alice: I have... you have a cleric, you'd be able to cast pretty much anything that a scroll would be able to do?   Marvin: Yeah, but you can never have too many scrolls.   Grogery: If they have some available, it would be beneficial. I can't have all spells ready to go at all times, and if we get into a really nasty fight, I might not have enough magic left over to do much.   Dwardazik, turning to Alice: Are there any scrolls that you might recommend we borrow just in case we need them?   Alice: We don't really have many spell scrolls, but you may have one of the first-level ones. Grogery begins leafing through them. We usually have a bunch of clerics around to do the casting for us, and seeing as how we currently don't, a lot of them are kind of...   Dwardazik: Would you rather have clerics sitting in the church worshiping Pelor, or out in the city spreading His knowledge and gifts?   Alice: Doing the dirty work of a terrible undead? Because that's what you're making them do right now.   Dwardazik: OK, I think we should wrap this up now?   Grogery: I found a scroll that may help a lot if we do wind up fighting against some undead. Having this available would let me dedicate more resources to other things. If we don't end up using it, then of course we'll give it back. If we do, then it will have been put to good use.   Alice: Fine. Now, heed my warning. These guys, if you do run into 'em, they get back up. If you ain't watchin' em, they'll get back up, man. You gotta make sure that fight is over.   Dwardazik: Any recommendations on killing them?   Alice: Overkill's pretty good.   Dwardazik: All right. "Hit 'em hard". We appreciate you workin' with us. Sorry about your whole, uh, cleric thing, but they are doin' work. Keep in mind that they're directly pretty much helping the city.   Alice: I just hope they don't become corrupted.   Dwardazik: Right, yes. Well. I don't think they'll become corrupted.   Alice: You are oozing confidence.   Dwardazik: Well, I mean, uh... ... ... right! Good bye!

They buy some holy water on their way out, and they leave, walking past the monk who's getting increasingly frustrated with the postmaster that he's arguing with.

/* for me: they left "the largest and most well-respected church in the city" at 1:23:25*/

Shop 'til you Drop

Lots of shopping happened, not roleplayed. I'm not writing that down, you should have your own records.   While the shopping went on, Dazki made some progress: he's unlocked chapter 1 of The Book of the Mirage.  

Dwardazik: All right, if we're all done here, let's all go back to the house?   Marvin: Sure! It's a pretty fancy house, too. I'm surprised that you guys don't really mind seeing it go.   Dwardazik: Who says we're getting rid of it?   Marvin: Oh, it sounded like you guys didn't really care about coming back here after you solved this thing with the Flesh Artist?   Dwardazik: No? I said I hated this place, and it sucks balls, and that it smells like... human... but all things considered, I still have assets here. This house, and I've met a couple of good dwarves.

They're home now.

Dwardazik: Dazki!   Dazki: Yeah, what's up?   Dwardazik: We're back. Did anyone try to attack ya?   Dazki: No, no one snuck into my room. I've just been up here.   Dwardazik: We got all kinds of goods! I've gotta get you up to speed on what we got.   Marvin: Speaking of getting you up to speed...

There once was a paladin named Alice
Though she gave off vibes of malice
A life she wanted to end,
Dazki just can't make friends,
Consider yourself lucky to walk away without a callus!

Dazki: Oh God, Alice?   Marvin: Yeah, she wanted to beat you up.   Dazki: Yeah, no, I think that's just how she tries to flirt.   Grogery: She presumed that the fact that we were able to contact Isaiah and convince him to send clerics over to help with the Turmoil thing means that someone must be pulling his strings.   Dazki: Yeah, she thinks I'm manipulating Isaiah into doing my bidding somehow, instead of just asking politely.   Marvin: Just asking for things normally works pretty well.   Dwardazik: Yeah, you know what I like to ask? IS ANYONE HUNGRY?!   Dwardazik goes over to the kitchen to cook.   Marvin: Whatcha cookin'? May I help?   Dwardazik: You can help.

Grogery fills Dazki in on the details. The zombies came from somewhere around Hershal's Rest, and then they seem to have doubled back around?

Dazki: So, Marvin, I'm sure you must have plenty of questions for us?   Marvin: Oh trust me, my list of questions is ever growing, but I'm hoping that they get answered along the way...   Dazki: If you have something specific, feel free to ask! We might not tell you everything, but... you know...   Marvin: That's very generous of you, it's just... it's been very enlightening to hear that Turmoil is a physical substance.   Dazki: Yes and no.   Marvin: It just gets more complicated...   Grogery: It is something that, kind-of by its own nature, defies explanation.   Marvin: I imagine so. Hey, how did you guys even end up here in the city? It doesn't sound like you're from around here.   Dazki: Nope. The Cloud District is why I came out here. My business venture was my initial goal, trying to create a machine to print books and papers and things like that, because what I want to eventually do is build libraries throughout all the kingdoms with hundreds upon hundreds of copies of books so that people can better educate themselves and make better decisions and essentially be much more independent from authoritarian regimes like this one and others.   Marvin: That's very noble of you!   Kesmet: I was running from The Hounds Guild, while at the same time attempting to look for circus talent to help rebuild my friend's circus, which the mob destroyed because he was hiding me from them.   Marvin: Whoa, OK. And that brought you here?   Kesmet: I mostly just followed him as he was looking for acts that he could add, since it was just the two of us left. And now he's gone. Now since I'm no longer on the whole circus path, I've decided that running is no longer good enough, and I need to finally take my revenge on the bastard who took everything from me. Unfortunately, he's not even in this goddamn city! We thought he was, because he had several of his goons here, and he's likely behind everything, including the Turmoil. Don't quote me on that... it seems a little odd for him, given what I know about him, but then again, it's been several years. He could be into weird shit now!   Marvin: I can't imagine what these guys would consider "weird shit", with all that they've been doing...   Marvin: Jeez. OK. And Grogery, how did you find yourself becoming a cleric?   Grogery: It is a long and kind-of interesting story. He takes out his signet ring. I am an adopted... son, I guess?... of the Daointaar elven nobility family, up in the Windscar. My family gave me a gem known as the Crystal of Destiny, and an address in Ashport. They told me, as my first major task, I was to deliver this gem. That brought me to Ashport, and along the way I met these people. We were all expected to travel into Ashport together because of the "plague". There was a formalized system for needing to have an amulet and someone to guide you in order to get into the city. So we all kind-of met each other doing that. I found the address and delivered my crystal, and obviously there are people who need my help here, so I'm going to stick around for a while.   Dazki: Aren't you going to mention who you delivered the crystal to?   Grogery: We've already talked about that a little bit... he knows we're friends with a dragon. That is who I delivered my crystal to.   Marvin: Another noble quest, it seems!   Kesmet: Hey, how come you didn't say mine was a noble quest?   Marvin, staying far away from that powder keg: Dwardazik, you're quite far away from Amber Falls?   Dwardazik: Yeah, I came here on business. You're gonna be surprised: I'm actually a trader! Even though I work in the mines, I still do plenty of business, myself. I came here to do some business in the city on the behest of my clan and, well, things haven't gone according to plan.   Dazki: Maybe you could elaborate on that a little, now, Dwardazik? After what we heard from Alfalfa... why are you actually here, and what are you accused of that people would want your head?   Dwardazik: I don't know what you're talkin' about! If you're talkin' about the bounty, I don't know, that could be recent, it could be the fact that the damned Rubymist have it out for me after slaying those traitors! But frankly, ...   Dazki: Yeah, I'm not buying it.   Dwardazik: I dunno. It's possible that there's some bad blood between our clans after what had happened in the... look, what do you know about dwarven clans and mining operations and things like that?   Kesmet: They drink a lot.   Dwardazik: ...Yes...   Dazki: I'm not particularly familiar with it. My family is more agricultural.   Dwardazik: Well, you know there are some areas that are the best for farming, right?   Dazki: It all depends on what crop you're going for, but yeah, I get where you're coming from.   Dwardazik: Well, imagine that there's only one good place to mine gems. And imagine that two clans are trying to mine in the same area, aye?   Dazki: Yeah...   Dwardazik: Business negotiations are made, some agreements. An accident happened, and the Rubymists blame me for causing the accident. I had nothing to do with it! It's those damn Rubymists and their magic! It's not safe!   Dazki: What was the accident? What happened?   Dwardazik: Look. Tunnels collapse, OK? It's all part of being a miner. Even with dwarven engineering, sometimes the earth itself can fail. Doesn't matter how good your support posts are, or how good your tunneling is, sometimes you get bad luck. Tunnel collapsed, trapped a lot of dwarves. Frankly, some people think that, since I was the only survivor, it was my fault.   Marvin: That's kind of ridiculous!   Dwardazik: Well, you know how it is.   Marvin: I do?   Dazki: It's politics. Somebody has to be blamed.   Dwardazik: It wasn't my fault! And, frankly, I blame the Rubymists. Their magic in the mines is not something to be trusted! Tried and true stone craftsmanship is all that should be used.   Dazki: You should never turn away help, even if it's from an unusual source...   Dwardazik: We were working together! I trusted those Rubymist with my life! Every miner has every other miner's back. We were down there, together. We mined, together. We profited together, we drank together, we ate together, we sang together.   Marvin: And you slept together! What?   Dwardazik: The point is, we were all down there, together. Despite our differences, and their study of magics, we were doing it for the betterment of both clans and, well, an accident happened and somebody had to be blamed. That's it. The Rubymists think it's our fault. That somehow, the Boulderhearths were trying to sabotage the mine, sabotage them, and take the mine for ourselves. Which is, frankly, absurd.   Dazki: So... you were not?   Dwardazik: Of course we were not! We were working together!   Dazki: OK! You put it right out there, so the question had to be asked directly.   Grogery: That box you were sent with to trade in Ashport, how does that fit in?   Dwardazik: That box was supposed to hold a gem for a gem trader. I was showing some goods to a customer here in Ashport, about some of the goods we could ship to here from Amber Falls. You know, a trade agreement. A sample. Unfortunately for me, that customer was either a Rubymist themselves or a Rubymist sympathizer. Inside of the box, instead of a gem, was a note that had instructions to assassinate me, calling me a traitor, claiming that I was disowned from my clan, insulting my lineage, my clan, and my honor. So as you can see, I've had some issues with clan politics, and frankly, it's pissing me off.   Dazki: What if, just bear with me here, what if it wasn't a Rubymist traitor that did that?   Dwardazik: That doesn't change the fact that the Rubymists attacked us at the alchemist's shop.   Dazki: I'm not saying anything about that. I'm saying, what if your clan also seems to believe that either you were at fault, or that throwing you to the wolves is the most efficient route for them?   Dwardazik: Never! They would never stoop so low! I refuse to believe it!   Dazki: Is there someone you could write a letter to asking? Is there someone in the city you could ask?   Dwardazik: I refuse to believe it, and I don't even need to look to answer that! If you're so curious, you can find out yourself, because I know it's not true.   Dazki: It seems like you're just hamstringing yourself by not asking the question, even if it is a hard one. You would never go into a mine without knowing what you were getting into down there, right?   Dwardazik: This ain't no mine you're talking about. You're talking about getting disowned from your city, from your clan, from your brothers and sisters and fathers.   Kesmet: Were you actually disowned, though, or was it all just a trick?   Dwardazik: I don't know, that's why I'm not even going to humor it. When I return to Amber Falls, I'm gonna ask my clansmen directly.   Kesmet: I think what Dazki was trying to say was, try to get the information beforehand, in the event that it is true, because that would mean that they got tricked into disowning you. The thing about the mine was a metaphor.   Dwardazik: Oh, I understand where you're coming from. You always speak in terms of stealthy and spycrafty stuff. I suppose I will seek to find out who is sabotaging my good name, and finding out the authenticity of it. Perhaps one of the noble clans is trying to backstab ours. It would be good to find out if something's going on or not.   Dazki: Thank you, Kesmet, for finding a different way to explain that for me.   Kesmet: So are we leaving to find Dennis?   Dazki: We're leaving to take care of the zombies.   Kesmet: Right, right. The more immediate threat. And then, going back to try to find Dennis.   Dwardazik: There could be clues about Dennis's whereabouts over there.   Kesmet: I sure hope so.   Dwardazik: Well then. Now that my whole life story is out, for everyone to listen to, I'm sure you all just want to rag on me? "Oh, he's such a good miner that he got sent out to be a tradesman instead!"   Marvin: You were too good at your job.   Grogery: You were making the others look bad.   Dwardazik: Hmmph. Do you want to eat or not? He goes back to cooking.   Grogery: So. All I have left to do is pick up my mace from Tilda's, and then I'm good to leave. Other than that, I have some leftover magic tonight, so if I know someone that anyone wants to send a message to, I can send to them.   Dazki: I'm good. But just so everyone is aware, I did give some information about our house and stuff like that to Gilda, and I sent her all of the information that Baxton had on her and her sister, saying that this is everything that Baxton had on you, do with it what you will.   Kesmet: Did you give copies of that to The Queen of Hearts?   Dazki: No, she didn't get any information about anyone we consider friends or allies or anyone we support.   Kesmet: Is there any sort of blackmail information in there about Dennis?   Dazki: You know, I didn't see anything specific about Dennis.   Grogery: Did we ever wind up figuring out what the deal was with that book of elven poetry and that hair comb with the bee in it?   Dazki: No, we didn't. All we know is that they're not magical.   Grogery: It seemed like maybe those belonged to Rosalin, but she said that she didn't know what those were.   Kesmet: We got those at the same time as we got that scrying book that we found by the font that spawned demonic fetuses, right?   Dazki: It didn't spawn them, I'm sure Baxton had something to do with creating them.   Kesmet: Fine, like, incubating demonic fetuses?   Dazki: Yeah.   Kesmet: Technicalities.   Dazki: Speaking of Baxton, what are we going to do with that ring? Are we just going to leave it in the Bag of Holding?   Kesmet: Is it magical?   Dazki: Yeah, it's the one that... He looks over at Marvin... the one that he died wearing.   Kesmet: Gotcha.   Grogery: If we wanted to, like, experiment with it while we're away from large population centers...   Kesmet: How about this. Several of the magical items that we partially identified, they seem to have some odd properties about them that a lot of us couldn't really determine. Dazki, you're pretty good with magic stuff. Would you be able to figure out the strange properties of the magic items?   Dazki: Sure, I can take a look at them.   Marvin: Man, you guys are some... mean sons-of-bitches!   Dazki: What do you mean?   Marvin: I dunno, just... the more I hear about this stuff. You guys murdered Baxton --   Kesmet: He started it! He tried to sell us crap in our minds, and then he got all pissy about it when we wouldn't take the bait.   Marvin: I'm sure he did!   Dazki: We're not as bad as all that would make us out to be.   Marvin: I don't think that. Honestly, this city needed a little bit of reforming, things are kinda nuts here. You haven't seen what it's been like for the past several years. I mean yeah, business is booming and everything, but, holy shit. It's just like, Big Brother and all that, watching everything. So yeah, I'm sure the guy had it coming, but... seeing all this here, it's just a whole other thing.   Dazki: He started out with his heart in the right place.   Marvin: The worst ones always do.   Dazki: Yeah. I just hope that's never me.   Marvin: Hey, you want people to read. That's pretty good! I don't think you can really go wrong with that.   Dazki: And he wanted to stop Turmoil and make people safe.   Marvin: Yeah, but I don't think you can inject books into your bloodstream and become a monster...   Dazki: No, OK, that's fair.   Marvin: If you do somehow accomplish that, let me know. That sounds impressive!   Kesmet: Let me know too! I could learn so much about fighting werewolves!   Dazki: He did offer me a lot of what I wanted, and I was very tempted by it. Not gonna lie.   Kesmet: Wait, I thought you weren't into him?   Dazki: I was tempted by the knowledge and power that he offered me. I was not "into him" like that.   Kesmet: ...right... gotcha.   Dwardazik: Guys, do you think we should maybe practice weaponry, make sure that we're fresh and ready tomorrow? Maybe we should prepare.   Marvin: We just need full stomachs!   Dwardazik: Of course, let's just eat.   Grogery: You know, speaking of injecting information into your bloodstream, there's a ritual I could learn later that could do something very similar, with legendary information.   Dazki: Unfortunately, farming cycles and things like that probably wouldn't be considered legendary information. You know, the things people need for their day-to-day use. Plus, that level of magic sounds extremely powerful and not really available to everyone, which is what I want to make sure this stuff is. I want to make sure it's available to everybody who would want it.   Grogery: It's very expensive to do.   Dazki: Which is why I'm hoping to get it to where books are not very expensive.   Dwardazik: Pretty interesting goal, there.   Dazki: Well, y'know, the more knowledge people have, the less they need to rely on me for it.   Dwardazik: True. It would make it convenient in trying to teach the beardlings how to have safe practices in the mines. Instead of having to use cave drawings and other things, you could actually give out books. Instructional manuals. Safety books. We could even start our own organization for mining safety!   Dazki: Call it, like, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or something?   Dwardazik: Something like that, yeah!   Marvin: I dunno, that acronym would never take off, in my opinion.   Kesmet: What about "Dwarven Safety and Health Administration"? "DSHA"!   Marvin: Yeah, that's much better!   Dwardazik: That does sound like a good name. No one steal it! I'm going to start "DSHA" when I return back to Amber Falls.   Dazki: It's all yours, Dwardazik.

 

Long Rest

Before going to sleep, Dwardazik goes around to make sure that the windows and everything else are locked.   Dazki offers Martin one of the empty rooms upstairs.

Dwardazik: Hey Grogery, you know how for security reasons, we watch each other's back and all that?   Grogery: Yeah.   Dwardazik: You don't mind if I pack up and chill in your room, do you? ...for security reasons!   Grogery: I don't mind... I mean, I still don't have a bed.   Dwardazik: All right. Don't mind me, then.   Dwardazik makes sure his armor is on, weapon and shield in reach, and settles in.   Grogery: You're gonna sleep in that?   Dwardazik: I'll be fine.   Grogery: Isn't that... uncomfortable?   Dwardazik: I'll be fine. I'll just keep watch. I'll be reading my diary notebook here.   Grogery: You are gonna get some sleep tonight, right? We have a big day tomorrow...   Dwardazik: I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!   Grogery: Every time you say "I'll be fine", I actually start worrying more...   Dwardazik: Not listening! Reading this book!

  Dazki fully identifies Embroidered Mantle of Spell Resistance and fails to make any headway on identifying Chromatic Wand of Magic Missiles.  

Dawn of the Final Day (in Ashport)

Dwardazik, stretching and yawning heavily: Grogery... I'm kinda stiff... could you give me a hand?   Grogery: ...have you been crouched like that all night?   Dwardazik, weakly: ...just making sure... it's tactical...   Grogery: ...OK... it's also tactical to get good rest... it is one of the tenets of Pelor to take care of yourself, and to make sure that other people are taking care of themselves.   Dwardazik: Don't worry about me, I've got this. Thank you for helping me up.   Grogery: OK, that's one more tally mark on the "worried about Dwardazik" column...   Dwardazik: Everything's good, let's go get some food!

  Dwardazik his money in the larder, Grogery gets his mace back from Tilda, Dazki drops off a few letters at the post office, and the party heads out.

The Grand Savannah

Throughout the Grand Savannah, large patches of person-high grass are occasionally disrupted by dark, towering pillars which are known to house giant ants (Ankheg). Each of these ants is roughly the size of a donkey.   Three main roads lead out of Ashport. One, going south, is the road that the party used when approaching the city from Hythe. The other two go northeast and east. According to Marvin, Hershal's Rest is somewhere roughly to the east of the city, in between those two roads. There are smaller roads branching off from the main roads. These smaller roads are more just compacted dirt paths where the grass has been removed, or else repurposed game trails. Fortunately, the game in this area is large enough where even a cart could get through the smaller paths.