Session 4: Kipine Grove Report

General Summary

Date: Venday RainRun 17, 27930 9th Age

   

Finishing Up Errands

  Flidais, Tri, and Ettin traveled to the livestock seller to pick up Symon's laying hens. They met the farmer who has both cow and deer in his pasture. His adopted dwarf son Gunnor ran up with two squirrels, one of them injured. A raccoon, a badger, an owl, and two magpies also came up and followed Gunnor. Flidais helped him care for the injured one. He told her that he would like to be a druid, but can't leave his father. Tri and Ettin fetched the chickens. Etin investigated fence posts but found nothing.   The party returned to the inn and received their first adventurers' token for successfully doing the errands. As Valen returned to the inn from the south gate, he reported seeing a group of six paladins ride quickly toward the Temple of Huvoi.   As Etin and Flidais ate dinner, Tri and Valen traveled to the Duke's Lodge to deliver Casper's tea to the caretaker Silas. They met the wounded veteran and Tri asked for half of the tea. They learned Silas was a veteran of the Commonwealth army. Tri convinced Silas to join his new militia. He also gave the tea leaves to Flidais to investigate further.   After discussing their options, the party decided to go to the Kipine Grove that evening. Flidais did not have any spells, but Etin was keen to try and rescue Harold the taxidermist.  

Kipine Grove

  Ulmor the manager of the Trading Post guided the party to the Kipine Grove. He brought them along the unfinished road begun the previous Ward Duke.   They arrived at the grove after dark. Flidais searched around the edges of the clearing, but found nothing. Inside the clearing was a horseshoe shaped crumbing wall with an altar and a rectangular pit in front. Valen found the lined pit contained foul smelling liquid with burned bones that could be human.   Flidais investigated a burned area and found day old burned remains as well as a man's shoe (very similar to the shoe they found at the taxidermist's cabin). Valen looked at some carvings on the curved wall. A deer head there was carved into a skull version, as well as the word FIDAH. Etin identified the ruin as a religious shrine of some sort that has been fouled. Flidais said it belonged to the dwarves. Ulmor noticed a huge nest atop a tall tree and an arm hanging over the edge.   The party heard a loud shriek from a large beast to the southeast. Tri decided to climb the tree to the nest. Etin hid in the shadows at the base of the tree. The rest prepared for a fight. A monstrous winged beast glided in silently and attacked Tri as he climbed the tree. The huge Kipine landed. Etin ran up to try and pacify it, and Valen attempted to distract it with the bone, but the monster was enraged.     The party attacked the kipine. Tri investigated the nest and found the body up there was not the taxidermist. But he did find an antlered mask. Flidais and Etin and Ulmor attacked with their weapons while Valen attacked from afar. Tri descended and joined the fray as Flidais retreated. Everyone got a hit, although the beast was strong. The kipine gored Tri with its antlers and Tri went down. Etin picked a potion from his pack and poured it in Tri's mouth. Luckily he chose the healing potion and Tri recovered.   Tri was finally able to strike the final blow against the monster. A further search of the nest turned up a mace and a dagger whose blade had white flecks. The body turned out to be of an elf wearing the antlered mask. He had a rictus grimace, cracked fingernails, and bony spines under the skin. Etin took a sample of the bony spines. On his body was a scroll case, a stone wrapped in white linen, mason's tools, coins, a vial of blue liquid, and a pouch of salt.   Valen investigated the narrow well and found it was filled with the same foul liquid as the pool. The party did not investigate the scroll case or the wrapped stone, but instead returned to Thornwall. They all felt more experienced.  

Character(s) interacted with

Livestock Seller (Grundy Poole)   Gunnor, dwarven adopted son of livestock seller   Silas, caretaker of the deserted Duke's Lodge   Unknown elf in an antlered mask   Ulmor, manager of the Trading Post