Northbound

General Summary

After setting out towards Issenkald, the gang spends three nights on the road before arriving at the coast of the Sindevian Ocean. They spot a small building, and after they warily approach it they find it is a small functional inn called the Warmbrew Inn. They talk to a group of travellers in there, meeting Dosany, Trysten and Daniel, and also encounter the innkeep Mikeah. After a while, a halfling called Pindle Trapper joins the party, and a certain amount of gambling, cheating and conversing takes place. Pindle and Barradock compete in the pub, and Barradock tells Pindle the tale of how Craig killed Skullcrack. After a while, Pindle is scared off by Arviel, and Norin hears about a mission that Mikeah has for them. They talk to him and he explains he needs someone to retrieve a family heirloom that was lost in the nearby Saltstone Mines years ago. The party accepts this task in exchange for a small amount of gold and a pair of sending stones that was lost in the mines with Mikeah's sister. Pimwrick, hearing Mikeah has dogs, asks if he can take one for protection, but they prove to be to vicious. Mikeah does offer him a puppy, as one of his dogs is soon to be with child. That night, Craig completes a ritual to summon Coleth, a white owl. The following morning, the group heads out. Barradock steals Pindle's books from Taulorth as they head out early. They find the mines relatively easily, finding a rather angry polar bear first thanks to Craigs wayfinding skills, and see a small ship is moored against the coast. Arviel sneaks up on some sailors waiting in a camp by the mines, but is subsequently kept as a hostage as the rest of the party manages to take a hostage from the sailors. Learning they work for the Trident Clasp, which is sponsored by the Dawn Legion, the party is angered - the Great Craig intimidates the sailors into releasing their hostage, and the sailors run back to their ship. Arviel, annoyed that she didn't get to kill the sailors, wants to head to the mines, but Pimwrick spots a strange set of bootprints that lead off to the side. A small rowboat is hidden where the bootprints originated, but no further clues means the party continues on to the mines. They manage to get down, scared of the enormous statues, and get into the mineshaft they need to go down - but things go wrong when a group of giant bats disturbs the fragile supports, sending stones falling down and blocking their only exit. Many of them are hurt, Arviel having lost one of her boots, and they take a quick rest, preparing themselves for whatever they may find down here.