Welcome to Crowslook

General Summary

After meeting at the inn house in Barkbrook, the party met Morrin Whispermouse and walked the final day to Crowslook.  Quickly upon entering the town they heard about the missing caravan, the missing mayor, strange creatures in the Blackbog and the general issues the town is facing after the caravan has failed to arrive.  They introduced themselves to the half-orc town guard captain, Haft, and the resident college student Callie Wiseacre - who agreed to help them find Rakesh.  Saelkaen stole a small piece of quartz from Callie's room while she spoke to the party.   Once they'd brought themselves up to speed on the issues facing Crowslook the party settled down for the night in the Longship's Mast, with Saelkaen and Kog's mechanical owl Archimedes entertaining a young half-elf child in the inn common room.  In the light of the morning the party set off into the Blackbog, Callie in tow, and managed to track Rakesh from a wortflower patch on the outskirts of the swamp.  Coming across a camp of kobold kidnappers with Rakesh tied up and unconscious the party set upon them - between Saelkaen's deadly aim, Kog's well-placed Suggestion spell causing the kobolds to turn on each other, and Hayden's unreliable halberd they make short work of the kobolds and rescue Rakesh.  Fearing that maybe his skills have been oversold, Hayden becomes despondent at his poor performance against his first real combatants.   Healing Rakesh so that he is able to leave the Blackbog with Callie the party pushes on trying to track down the strange ape-like creature that attacked Rakesh and drove him into the arms of the kobolds.  Following its tracks Saelkaen led the party to the creature foraging idly by the edge of a stagnant pool.  Launching a ranged ambush on the creature made short work of it, though it being joined by another of its species and some kind of armoured, tentacled, avian-like creature drove the fight back against the party - Tolaris being knocked unconscious by one of the ape-creatures before it was killed.  Strangely the creatures appeared to take on each other's qualities in close proximity - the ape-creatures developing armoured plates and the avian creature becoming visibly stronger, though as each creature was killed the qualities receded.   Deciding to bed down in the blackbog rather than push further on with Tolaris injured and Kog's arcane reserves running low, the party sleeps through the night.  Hayden hears a call for help outside the borders of the camp, but after Saelkaen investigates and finds a suspicious humanoid resting against a tree, the party elects to ignore the call.  In the light of morning the party can find no sign of the humanoid who was calling for help, nor any tracks or markings around the tree he was resting against.  Unable to find any sign of the strange creatures further in the Blackbog, the party returns to Crowslook.   Arriving back in Crowslook the party is welcomed back and rewarded by Haft, who provides them 200 GP from his own pocket for rescuing his friend.  They attempt to check in on Callie but decide not to wake her after discovering she's been resting since she got back with Rakesh.  Rakesh himself gives the party 300 GP for helping Crowslook out, and a scroll of Summon Celestial he had been keeping as an emergency measure.  Saelkaen swipes a small golden hourglass from Rakesh's desk, then the party retire back to the Longship's to rest for the night where they resolve to find the missing caravan and investigate the source of the strange creatures in the Blackbog.

Rewards Granted

• 200 GP from Captain Bogstrider, for the successful rescue of Rakesh Goodfellow.
• 300 GP from Rakesh Goodfellow, for "services rendered to Crowslook".
• A Scroll of Summon Celestial (5th level), from Rakesh's personal stores, for saving him.
• The Crowslook Mayor's office is paying the party's bill at the Longship's Mast in perpetuity.

Missions/Quests Completed

• Save Rakesh Goodfellow from the Blackbog.
• Investigate reports of strange creatures in the Blackbog.

Character(s) interacted with

• Morrin Whispermouse, Veridian Trading Company messenger met on the road to Crowslook.
• Captain Marcus "Haft" Bogstrider, the captain of the Crowslook town guard and close friend of Rakesh Goodfellow.
• Callie Wiseacre, first-circle student serving in the Crowslook town guard.
• Cordelia and Naele, staff at the Longship's Mast.
• Lavena, half-elven child who became smitten with Saelkaen and Arkemedies performance in the Longship's Mast.
• Rakesh Goodfellow, once-kidnapped Mayor of Crowslook.