Session 13 Report
General Summary
[session 13: 30.04.2024]
25th of Hammermoon / Deepwinter, 1489, Year of the warrior princess
the moon is waxing gibbous.
Primrose’s hands are warm when she hovers them over any injuries you have gotten during the fight against the perytons. Salvia declines the healing, instead opting to summon his own magic to heal his open side. The antlers of the creatures could have done some serious damage, had they pierced any vital organs. After everyone has been checked and deemed not to be in any immediate danger, you sit down to pick apart the perytons, gutting and skinning them taking well over an hour. Viridian advices you to skin them while they’re still warm, especially if you’re planning on keeping any of the meat for further use.
After you’re sufficiently done with harvesting the carcasses and loading them off into Annie’s floating disc, Annie takes a moment to divine whether attempting the incomplete noontide prayer might be a good idea. What or who she’s asking these questions from in her augury, no one knows, perhaps not even her. It takes a while for her to figure out whether she has received an answer at all, but she gets the sense that it might in fact be … not the best idea as of now. You continue forwards, figuring out it’s a good idea to head towards the Eastway as quickly as possible. However, there might have been a slight miscalculation in deciphering the direction you’re taking, as instead of the road, you chance upon a small hut. Snow covers its thatched roof, and judging by the untouched snow, no one has been at least on the southside of the building in quite some time. You find a door, but it doesn’t seem like a front door.
On the front porch there’s several footsteps that have to be somewhat fresh, considering the recent snowfall. But no one seems to be home at the moment, and Viridian’s knocks on the door receive no replies. Annie is certain there’s remnants of a magical aura inside, but instead of abjuration, she gets a whiff of necromancy and perhaps something else, conjuration? But the traces seem old. Vilu is overcome with curiosity to peek inside, and eventually the rest of the party follows suit - since the door was unlocked, it cannot really count as breaking and entering, right?
On the mantelpiece you see a tapestry depicting a white fox running with a white wolf. The dredges of a fire are burning out, casting some light into the otherwise dark room. There’s a table set for three people, with empty bowls of what seems to have been porridge, most likely. There’s not much left of the food, as not many wish to be wasteful. In another corner there’s a small table housing writing supplies and several books, most of which seem to be rather steamy in nature as Annie picks up Delving Deeper - a duergar lovestory by Carlisle, a Bard.
There’s no inscription about the identity of the author, possibly hinting at the author wishes to remain anonymous under their pen name. Some of the pages seem a little sticky.
Viridian notices boots set next to the front door - made of stern hide, and surprisingly, likely in her size - or at least in smallfolk’s size, if not hers. On the windowsill sits a dried but somewhat wilted bushel of kanishta, a flowering herb that helps one ward off cold if need be. The most curious thing about the room seems to be the traces of dirt left on the floor, For the better (or worse) part of nearly two years now, the ground has been covered in snow, and as you stepped inside, all you left behind was small puddles of now melted snow. It seems out of place here. Vilu decides to take a peek at the other door in the room, but finds this one locked. But as they’ve mentioned before, they’re quite familiar with their thieves’ tools, and make quick work of the lock there.
In this room, the air is still, as if it hasn’t been disturbed in months now. A thin layer of dust has gathered on the floor. Vilu asks Salvia to come closer to shed some light into the darkness, and he follows close behind them. Behind the washroom, you find a nook that could be described as living quarters if one were to be generous. There’s enough space for a couple of bedrolls to be laid down, but that’s about it. In the corner there sits a chair, with a white gown set down on it. Closer inspection shows it to be made of good linen, with good stitching and colourful, bold embroidery on the front and at the hem. The hem itself looks dirty, as if someone had run in the forest with it on. It feels more like a modest wedding gown.
Close to the chair there hangs several scraps of paper from the ceiling, each of them inscribed with mysterious letters. Below the eerie paper slips, you notice a circular shape painted into the old wooden planks with dark brown paint. The same substance seems to have been used for writing the text, and it doesn’t take you too long to guess it’s likely blood - and likely the source of the necromantic energy Annie noticed earlier.
From the other room, Viridian yells that she has found something - a slip of paper that looks like a journal entry or perhaps a letter to someone. It’s written in a halting, sharp hand that seems to shake the further it reads - here and there the ink has smudged, as if the person wasn’t quite in control of their hand while writing it.
Find him and free him. I breathe with lungs that are his. I see with eyes that are His. Free him in exchange for your own freedom. Kill him. Find him and free him find him and free him findhim and free him. My hands burn I cannot feel them, this body is mine but isn't at all. Not anymore. Something's watching through my eyes and it's burning me from the inside. Freezing me He's watching he's always watching kill him. Find the others .Remember remmberm remember remember kill him
There’s more of us there’s more than just me I can not be the only one. I’m not worthy of the gauntlet anymore, so I shall don the blade and find the Others find him and kill him
You consider it might be the wisest choice to leave soon, but not before you figure out where the other door leads to - the one you saw from outside of the building.
Turns out, it is simply a locked storage shed - inside you find a pair of small-sized snowshoes, as well as with further snooping, Viridian notices a loose floorboard, under which there is an embroidered pouch that jingles as she lifts it. The leaves on the pouch are of green shamrock, and Viridian quickly takes it - to share the money with the rest of the group. You head back inside to split the gold coins, and decide to share with Salvia and Dannika. Viridian keeps the rest of the coins, at least until you find someone who can split the gold into smaller pieces of currency.
More than one of you seem rather rattled when you finally head out of the cabin and navigate your way to the Eastway.
It takes a little bit of walking, but eventually you notice the road, and follow it for a little while before it gets too dark to set up camp properly. Primrose is quite adept at seeing in the dark, and locates a good spot for you to camp in, and so you get to work. Viridian once more summons the chwinga to help you with your campfire and her tent. You all notice how the chwinga in these woods seem a lot more feral than the ones you befriended in Targos. Perhaps the chwinga living closer to cities appear more domesticated than others?
For a while, you chat about languages and what you should send Morven once the sending stone lets you use it again. Annie has picked up the book she found in Alcor’s dorm room, about lokharic languages. Salvia suggests offhandedly that he would feel more comfortable if you set up watch turns that didn’t count on a rabbit, but with some persuasion, he agrees to let the nightwatch be handled by Coco and Plotter - an almiraj and a mouse. Perhaps the wards Annie has set on the road ease his mind more than the animal companions.
You chat for a little more around the campfire and get ready for bed. The air is getting colder as night descends upon you.
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