Episode 8: Cottage Cultists
General Summary
12:15 AM, 10th of Vlaihr
The party makes their way back to the Grinning Kobold Inn after having just left Edraele's House. Celindriel asks a question to everyone within the group on whether there were any additional threats within Hirane that they may need to be concerned with. Ceona mentions that there is a strong possibility of hundreds or thousands of cultists now being after them, and Feadog mentions that they're unaware of whether or not there are any additional enemies currently aboard the Waterwitch. The party decides that it would be a good idea to investigate the Waterwitch before turning in for the evening...just in case.
As the party proceeded down to the docks, they make note of how quiet the hamlet seems. A single lantern burns on the deck of the Anellas which casts a faint light on the end of the dock, but there is no movement anywhere. The party does make out a small figure of some sort at the end of the dock. The party keeps an eye on the figure as they approach, and eventually recognize the shape as the Wolfhound that Kasek had encountered previously. Kasek takes half a ration and throws it on the dock ahead of the Wolfhound which then gets up, walks forward and eats the food happily. Kasek holds the other half of the ration out for the Wolfhound which approaches and takes the food from him. Kasek pets the dog and examines him. It's obvious that the Wolfhound is a stray, though he appears healthy with no signs of mistreatment or mange. Kasek comments on how the Wolfhound is a fine beast, and feeds him another ration. Ceona asks if Kasek likes dogs, and Kasek admits that he's trained a few dogs in his past, but nothing quite the size of this Wolfhound, which Kasek compares to being more like a Lion. Kasek holds another ration out to the Wolfhound and attempts to get the Wolfhound to sit, but the dog is unresponsive to his commands. Kasek informs the party that he'll stay on the dock with the Wolfhound and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. The rest of the party slides past Kasek and the Wolfhound and ascend the gangplank to the Waterwitch to begin investigating.
Ceona, Celindriel and Feadog begin ransacking the Waterwitch, spending a good 15 minutes investigating the various rooms on board. The ship is deserted, rooms are rather bare, and most of the crates on board are empty. Ceona calls out to the group that they now have a boat, but Celindriel is not entirely certain that is how it works. Meanwhile back on the dock, Kasek checks to make sure no one is watching before leaning in and scritching the dog behind his ear and whispers to the dog "Who are you?" The Wolfhound merely pants at him, enjoying the scritches. Kasek mutters "I feel like I know you." Again, the dog just stares at Kasek panting happily. Kasek stands back up, straightens his clothing and looks around, feeling slightly embarrassed and hoping no one witnessed the interaction.
The party returns to join with Kasek and debate on whether or not they could commandeer the Waterwitch now that they have dispatched the owners. The party concludes that the ship is more than likely to be considered property of Hirane, and Berny Page may have something to say about them taking the ship. Besides, as a party, they lack the technical ability to effectively sail the ship. The party decides to just head back to the Grinning Kobold Inn and turn in for the evening. Kasek attempts to have the dog follow them, but as they step off the dock and begin heading into town, the dog separates from the group and heads north along the shore, eventually disappearing out of sight. Kasek takes first watch, while Celindriel takes the second, and both watches go without incident.
8:00 AM - 10th of Vlaihr
The sun rises, and Celindriel lets everyone sleep in a bit. The party rises, gets ready, and all congregate in Ceona and Levkaria's room. Ceona begins telling Kasek they should get a huge breakfast of different meats, and Kasek is completely on-board with this idea. Feadog is somewhat skeptical about an all-meat breakfast, but is curious to know more. Ceona comments on how she's rather disappointed that the Tasty Gull doesn't 'actually' have seagulls on the menu, which is considered a staple in Verchein meals. Since Kasek just came into possession of a Heavy Crossbow, Ceona suggests that he get some practice with it by downing a seagull or two. Perhaps they could then carry it to Marger Gren and have her cook it up for them. The rest of the party, except Levkaria who is still dozing in bed, follows to watch as they leave the Grinning Kobold and head down towards the shore.
As they make their way down to the shore, there are a few Hirane residents pushing fishing boats out to begin their fishing day while a few loiter around their boats which are still pushed up on shore. The loitering residents watch the motley crew as they come down to the edge of the water and begins eyeing some of the few seagulls flying overhead. Ceona pulls a ration from her packs, breaks it up and scatters it on the ground. The party moves back from the food and waits in ambush. Feadog pulls out his pan flute and attempts to cast Vicious Mockery on a seagull flying overhead. The seagull looks back at Feadog and screeches back at him, nearly imitating the sound coming from the pan flute, but flies on unaffected. At this time, three seagulls land and begin pecking at the food Ceona had left, and Kasek fires a bolt at one. Kasek's bolt strikes true, and a seagull falls dead in a puff of feathers. Kasek attempts to reload quickly, but because it is a new weapon and the intricacies involved in handling a Heavy Crossbow, he is unable to reload in time to fire on the fleeing seagulls. Kasek then attempts to hit one that is flying overhead. As he aims, the bolt slightly falls out of the crossbow track, and is misfired when Kasek attacks. They party decides not to try any further and head over to the Tasty Gull eatery. While they walk, Ceona plucks the feathers from the seagull to prepare the bird for cooking.
They enter the Tasty Gull and see a female dwarf and a rather rotund half-elf man sitting at a table enjoying breakfast. Marger Gren can be heard in the kitchen cooking, and the party decides to take a seat at a table closest to the kitchen. After a few minutes, Marger comes walking out and welcomes the party back to her establishments. Ceona asks Marger if she could cook the seagull with stuffing, along with a large order of bacon, and Kasek chimes in also requesting a large plate of eggs. Feadog indicates he's interested in trying the gull as well, and Celindriel orders Mushroom-stuffed Apples. Kasek then decides to just order one of each item on the menu instead, and Marger heads back into the kitchen and begins cooking.
While waiting, Kasek excuses himself and heads over to the Warehouse. He enters the building and sees one of Berny's town guards snoozing in a corner. Kasek begins to sneak to avoid waking the guard, and attempts to assemble enough materials from the warehouse to create a make-shift poisoner's kit. He finds a few primer ingredients (raw ingredients for poisoner's kit), but is missing some key instruments such as a mortar and pestle, glass vials, and other tools. Satisfied, Kasek makes his way back to join the party at the Tasty Gull.
At this time, Marger emerges from the kitchen carrying a large serving platter with all manner of eggs cooked for the party -- sunny-side up, poached, scrambled, omelets, hard-boiled, etc. She scurries back into the kitchen to continue cooking. The dwarf female and the half-elf man call out to Marger that they're leaving, and she yells back for them to have a good day as they leave. Marger re-emerges carrying a platter of biscuits, toast and butter, and one of every dish from her menu. She then brings out a platter with a mountain of bacon, much to the delight of the party members. Marger, sweating from her efforts, tells the party that she is cleaned out of any more food. Kasek thanks her and asks for what is owed, and Marger, after taking some time to do the math, informs him the total comes to 57 silver and 19 copper. Kasek hands her 10 gold, and she is extremely grateful for their generosity. She then sprints back into the kitchen yelling "Oh! I almost forgot!". She returns with a cooked seagull on a platter and places it on the table. Marger then serves Dwarven Spirits for everyone and then excuses herself while the party enjoys their morning meal.
The party spends some time talking amongst themselves. Ceona tells Kasek how they've not experienced good drink unless they've had Verchein Moonshine, made from fresh glacier water. Celindriel asks what the Moonshine is made from, and Ceona tells her that she believes it's made from different roots, but which specific roots she's not sure. Ceona tells Celindriel that her partner typically is the one that makes it, taking roots from their garden back home. Ceona doesn't worry herself with how it's made, she merely enjoys drinking it. Celindriel smiles and goes back to eating. Kasek tells everyone that he's pocketed Lord Andel Caldel's gold, and it totals 550 gold, 37 silver, 92 copper, and several gems valued around 125 gold. Ceona nearly chokes on her food at the amount, and Feadog asks what Kasek's intentions are with that much money. Kasek states he doesn't have a 'plan' per se, he merely pocketed it until he had an opportunity to bring it up with the rest of the group. Kasek says there is a small part of him that wants to give a small portion of it back to Hirane, but he feels that they've earned it with the amount of work they put into the town. Ceona states she would like to use some of it to help get Levkaria back home if possible. Kasek thought that Ceona was going to be taking her home, but Ceona states that with this much money, they might be able to buy passage for her to go home. Kasek suggests splitting the gold 5 ways with the 5th portion going to Berny Page. As they are discussing this, Marger comes back in and begins cleaning the table where the female dwarf and the half-elf were eating. The party drops the subject for the moment and continues eating.
As the party becomes full, Kasek and Ceona begin collecting the remnants of the meal by stuffing it into their pockets and bags. The party also makes up a plate for Berny Page and Levkaria and say goodbye to Marger who thanks them warmly. They exit the eatery and decide to head to the Hirane Town Guard Barracks. As they walk, Feadog asks who is going to break the news to Berny about the money. Celindriel states that she wants her portion to go back to the hamlet of Hirane, and Ceona states she'll more than likely use her portion to spoil Levkaria. Feadog states that he would like to use his portion to collect a suit of studded armor and a hand crossbow when they are able, so he'll definitely be keeping his portion.
The party arrives at the Town Guard Barracks and find that no one is currently inside at the front desk. The party notices a handwritten note from Berny that merely says 'At Edraele's House'. The party then heads over to Edraele's house and knocks on the door, but receive no answer. The door is unlocked, and the party enters and proceeds upstairs to find Berny by Edraele's bed. He stands and welcomes them, and then asks for them to follow him back downstairs so they don't disturb Edraele sleeping. Back in Edraele's living room, they each take a seat and the party offers him the breakfast plate from the Tasty Gull. He begins to eat, and states he didn't sleep much last night as he was worried about Edraele. He thanks the party and Feadog specifically for helping and healing Edraele. Feadog says "About us helping, there's something we wanted to talk about....Kasek?" Feadog indicates to Kasek to fill Berny in on the money situation, to which Kasek slightly glowers at Feadog for being given the task. Kasek begins by telling Berny that Andel Caldel obviously had amassed a sizeable portion of wealth. He places the coin on the table and reveals to Berny the exact amount contained within the bag.
Audio Cut Out
At this time, our audio recording shut off, and the remaining portion of the game session was not recorded. The following information is a paraphrased summary of what transpired.
The party ended up being awarded the full amount of the money retrieved from Lord Andel Caldel's residence as a thank you from Berny Page for their services. Berny tells the party that he will sell the Waterwtich to help refill the coffers of the town, estimating he could get anywhere between 15,000 to 20,000 gold depending. Berny also awards the party 5 horses, and gives them a Writ of Ownership should they be questioned on whether or not they're the rightful owners. Edraele eventually emerges from upstairs, and thanks the party immensely for their help.
The party leaves and heads back over to the Grinning Kobold to check out, and say their goodbyes to Drossa Diggle, who also thanks them for everything they've done for the town. She also states that she wishes she could go with them, as she always dreamed of being an adventurer. The party collects Levkaria, their belongings, and head over to the stables where they collect their newly acquired horses.
As the party begins to ride out of town, they are stopped by Rosla Grurim who begs them again to find his missing daughter. He offers to pay them, but the party refuses and assures him that they will do what they can. The party then rides out of town heading east along the only road out of Hirane. After half a day's ride, the party eventually comes to a spot on the road where the Cyns Grove forest starts to come up alongside the road. Further down, the forest gives way to Troah Lake, and it is at this spot where Kasek notices a set of cart tracks that go off the road and into the forest, along with hoof and footprints. The party decides to investigate as dusk approaches. They follow a minor trail that leads back into the forest and eventually find a clearing where a woodcutter's cottage can be seen. The party stays some 200 meters back, but notice smoke rising from the chimney indicating someone was inside. The party decides to head back up the path and make camp some distance from the cottage so as to not be discovered.
8:00 AM - 11th of Vlaihr
The party rises and eats a quick breakfast. Ceona tells Levkaria to remain at the camp while they investigate, and then the party stealthily approaches the cottage. From their vantage point, they see one individual standing at the door dressed in brown and green leathers smoking a pipe. Off to the left of the cottage is a hitching post where seven horses are tied, and just out front and to the right of the cottage is a wooden cart. The party deduces that this must be where the missing delivery cart had disappeared to, and the party spreads out. Kasek attempts to get a better view of the cottage, but as he approaches, the individual at the front door extinguishes his pipe, grabs a bucket, and begins walking past the horses off into the woods and disappears from view. The party freezes as this happens, and after a moment, Kasek attempts to get closer.
Woodcutter Lodge by SirElghinn
Suddenly, the tree which Kasek is taking cover behind is struck by four arrows in rapid succession. Kasek drops to his belly and immediately looks around for enemies. The party discovers they are being fired upon by a Scout near the cart, and apparently one more that was the individual that had walked off into the woods. The party range attacks the one scout near the cart, which they eventually kill. The other scout near the horses disappears around behind the cottage. The party tactically moves up, and Celindriel approaches the front window of the cottage only to be fired upon by the scout who had apparently went inside the building. She dives through the window and eliminates the scout, only to find herself face-to-face with a Cultist. The cultist slashes her across her chest, and she feels the pulse of the Midnight Tears (Silver Raven Blend) poison enter her system.
The party discovers another room at the back of the cottage, and Kasek attempts to get a vantage by peering through the window from the outside. He enters through the window and finds another cultist. Eventually, the cultists are dispatched with no further injuries or poisoning. The party investigates the back room of the cottage and find Veta Grurim tied at the hands and ankles with a burlap sack over her head. The party also finds the bodies of Aghad Longhelm, the dwarven deliveryman, and a half-elf male named Curendir.
To Be Continued in Episode 9
Rewards Granted
- Two sets of ruined leather armor
- Two scimitars
- Two longbows
- 4 vials of Midnight Tears (Silver Raven Blend) poison
- 4 vials of reddish-pink fluid in a vial
- 2 Cultist Emblems
- Players advanced to level 2
Missions/Quests Completed
- Found Rosla's missing daughter, Veta Grurim
- Discovered the missing deliveryman named Aghad Longhelm
Character(s) interacted with
Click here for an audio recording of the session.
Takes a moment to load - be patient!
Takes a moment to load - be patient!
Celindriel Bryleth
Feadog Mhor
Kasek Bonebrewer
Ceona Haloren
Report Date
12 Jul 2018
Primary Location
Secondary Location
Levkaria Yumaia
Wolfhound
Marger Gren
Berny Page
Edraele Trisyra
Drossa Diggle
Rosla Grurim
Veta Grurim
Aghad Longhelm
Comments