Session 164 - "Bloodfest"
General Summary
Kyrrn visits the Gifts of the Swamp. Velexander meets Mayor Gredal where he tries to gain more information about Count Lowls and Gastur Lucas, subjects the town official gives very little details about. Then, not long after extending its services to the Mayor, the Fellowship is drawn into an investigation of a brutal triple murder... rumored to have been committed by a ghost.
Starday, Gozran 30, 4711 AR
Gifts of the Swamp
3.01p
Located in the southern tip of Illmarsh, the shop looks to have been converted over from a small house. It is covered with vines and hanging moss with the swamp abutting just behind the structure. It's similar in architecture to the rest of the town and bears a simple sign. Upon entering, Kyrrn is suddenly assailed with smells of spices and sulfur and the sounds of bubbling. A middle-aged elven woman wearing a dress with many pockets greets her. The woman's hair is tied back simply and she is busily mixing something at the counter. Kyrrn greats her in elvish and Jaleen begins showing her various ointments and perfumes. Using her aura sight, Kyrrn finds that Jaleen's friendly and earnest outward demeaner reflects her inner nature. Kyrrn passes herself off as a traveler that has been doing a walking tour of the surrounding countryside. When asked, she denies knowing anything about a hag. Jaleen in turn asks about any plants that Kyrrn has encountered on her travels. Jaleen does admit that sometimes things aren't always on the up and up in Illmarsh and that things come out of the swamp that are tough for the people to deal with. Jaleen seems critical of the Watcher in the Bay and does not involve herself with the "Neighbors" and brushes them off. Detect magic picks up some things around the shop, the most powerful of which is necromancy that seems to be behind her up on a shelf. Almost haphazardly bundled around a bottle is a set of prayer beads. Asks about nearby occult sites and the elf talks about House Undiomede and how they started the town. She also mentions that the mayor may have some books or stories about the area. Kyrrn casually out the Whispering Way symbol egg, but Jaleen doesn't react to it. Jaleen also says to be careful who Kyrrn talks about the neighbors and that she is not local herself, but has been here for the last 15 years. Kyrrn turns her line of questioning to the "Milk of the Mother", but says Jaleen doesn't know anything of it and even makes notes about. Kyrrn pushes the object with beads into her hand and the shopkeeper tells her it is an old piece that her sister recovered from a dig in northern Ustalav in a burial mound, emotional resonance of respect from a believer. When Kyrrn object reads the beads, she sees a young woman's face, unmistakably Kellid in features with dark hair, weather-worn light brown skin and brown eyes with a thin body. Despite this, the woman has a general hardness to her look. After making a few purchases, Kyrrn leaves the shop.Town Hall
5.01p
X is approached by the local lawmen. The sheriff appears tough and in his sixties, the undersheriff in his forties. They escort X to the town hall, a three-store structure that is the largest in town and well cared for. X nods to Kelath as he goes. The trio pass a young man as they enter and another young woman behind a desk. She waves them in as they go. The sheriff delivers X to Mayor Gredal. He is a scrawny man with oily hair and red splotched cheeks, wearing a coat and top hat. He breathes with a gurgling, watery breath. The mayor tells Velexander that he likes to greet all newcomers in town. Gredal asks his name, but X counters that he already knows that information. He also asks how long X will be in town who counters that it depends on how long it takes to sell whale blubber, a cover story X invented on the spot. The mayor says that it's good to have people selling their wares in town as it benefits the people there. X says to tell him about their "neighbors", a line of questioning that causes the mayor to kind of choke and give him the side-eye. The official says they are a settlement down by the bay, which doesn't really have its own name. Folks consider them a good luck charm. He says they keep to themselves and are never interested in normal trade dealings. The mayor asks if he heard that X was staying with Horace Croon. After confirming, he says X shouldn't really believe anything he says and that everything he talks about involves a conspiracy. X asks the mayor what he really wants to talk about. He admits that they don't really have many out-of-towners and that he is always on the lookout for capable folks that can be called upon in a time of need. X asks if this is one of those times, but doesn't admit to anything specific. Just to keep an eye out for anything that could come up and to make sure the festival stays safe. X asks if there's anything to the rumor of a hag coven nearby, to which the mayor seems aghast that it's even suggested. He also asks if there have been any riders of note lately that could pose a threat to the festival. The mayor can ask around about when he walks through the town later. The mayor asks about Gastar Lucas since X is supposedly working for him. X says that he is looking for him because he owes them money. Lucas checked in a few days ago at the Bountiful Catch, but the mayor hasn't seen him since. X also asks if he reports to Count Lowls. Illmarsh is predominately independent, but the Count calls up for taxes every now and again. X asks if he has seen him lately as he has gone a slight bit mental lately. The mayor has heard talk of him doing strange things, but he doesn't want to be involved with any of whatever it may be. The mayor concludes the meeting by telling him to make sure to get a Lantergeist mask because Glass Jaw Yvens is the greatest mask maker in the county of Versex. He then has Bertha see him back out.Town Square
5.31p
People have slowly beginning to gather within the square as the Fellowship meets back up. X and Kyrrn share information about their encounters.5.41p
The group start seeing people walking with masks, which are supposed to be worn to confuse and frighten evil spirits according to the lore. All the masks are weird and colorful, most likely to be family heirlooms. However, no one strange or unusual has shown up yet. The Fellowship takes up positions around the square. Glass Jaw shows up, a big burly man, and people begin lining up to purchase delicate and colorful masks. He appears to be of Ulfin lineage and is a large muscular, tall man. Kyrrn jumps into the line to purchase masks for X and herself. People begin setting up games such as apple bobbing and a kissing booth. Neferu and the Unworthy Soul linger around the Wall-Eyed Kraken and Kelath stays near the general store. X hangs near a bread maker while munching on a turkey leg and sipping on an ale. The wait takes a while because it seems that Glass Jaw actually chooses the mask for the person, not the other way around. Kelath has noticed the townspeople have been putting together a large, but controlled bonfire that is situated near the statue. It is located in a long trough from which the people begin lighting small decorative festival lanterns. X moves closer towards it. A small group of musicians start up and people begin dancing around the small lanterns and putting on their masks. Neferu and the Soul move to stand near the bread maker. A young woman goes up to Neferu and offers him a tankard of hard cider, apparently wanting to dance with him. X joins in.
6.41p
Kyrrn finally makes it up to Yvens and lays out her details. He gives her a hot pink feathered number for X and black matte mask with raven's feathers for herself. She gives X his and then dons hers and stays near the tavern, mimicking the dancing that she sees. Both Kelath and Neferu rebuff several offers to dance. Neferu sees the undersheriff hurriedly enter the town hall.6.51p
The mayor and undersheriff emerge and the mayor goes around, shaking people's hands. The mayor approaches Neferu and gives him a firm handshake. He tells him that he would like to meet and speak with him and the rest of the Fellowship in about twenty minutes near the town hall. Neferu notices that the mayor's eyes bulge a bit, speaking to skum-taint.7.11p
Meeting up with the mayor, the group notices that his demeanor is less smiling, but he greets them nevertheless, saying he hopes they are having a good time. He is noticeable sweating and appears stressed about something, but he tries to hide it. Kelath asks what is bothering him. The mayor solemnly says something just horrible has happened. Kyrrn asks where the sheriff is. The mayor then hesitantly tells them that the sheriff went to investigate a murder out in the Fens, the swamp surrounding the town. Some people went out and didn't come back, so the sheriff himself went and then was killed as well. This all took place while X was talking with the mayor. The undersheriff offers to deputize the group and take them out to the scene. They stress that they don't want the townspeople to panic, but they want to find out what happened.7.21p
The undersheriff begins leading the group east towards the swamp to the scene and the gathering of militia men. Kelath asks how the sheriff was initially alerted to what happened. He says kids like to go out into the swamp and fool around during the festival, but they quickly returned saying they had found some bodies. When he didn't return, the undersheriff got the militia together and investigated themselves. He found the bodies of the Breckage boy (also named Tam) and his girlfriend, Laurel, along with Anders' body. Grumph says that it doesn't look an ordinary killing, that a ghost named Old Crandle Dreeley who uttered his death curse was behind the them.7.31p
The Fellowship makes it to a group of six young men still dressed in their festival clothes, looking scared and nervous. Kelath gets the men together and asks them about what they saw. They detail much the same as they've already been told. They are still about a quarter mile from the site, so they continue on. Kyrrn asks about the supposed death curse. The undersheriff lowers his voice, eyeing the men, and tells them how Old Crandle Dreely was a lumberjack that went off his rocker. He had killed and butchered his wife and then fed her to a mermaid for good measure. He then started going house to house with an axe. Any house with an unlocked door he entered and murdered the people inside. When asked why he thought this ghost was involved, he says that the sheriff was decapitated with what could have been an axe. Grumph was part of the militia that caught the murderer. Dreeley was eventually chained to the Turn Rocks who said that it was the town that caused him to do it and that it would get its due because of it. The next day the only thing left of the man was blood on the rocks.Soddentimbers Swamp
7.41p
