30 Rova (Sept) 4720
Tsuto Kaijitsu appeared behind
Kilgor and began using open-hand strikes, striking vital spots but not doing any lethal damage. However, as far as the party was concerned he was an escaped murder and had to be stopped.
Kumiko and
Gallious used magical attacks against him, which drew the attention of Ashenvale's town guards. However, they seemed panicked when they saw magic being used. Kumiko noticed draconic runes flickering just above the ground after the spells were cast.
Then a fireball crashed down on the party from a nearby rooftop and things got worse.
Not from the fireball. The magical energy from the blast did no real damage but was apparently absorbed into the ground. The draconic runes reappeared and crackled, glowed, and a colossal blue dragon emerged from the crackling energy. This was a manifestation of
Jembodorith, the creature slain on the site where Ashenvale was built, The creature cursed the land, and on the anniversary of its death, certain schools of magic would activate the curse and summon some form of destruction.
The heroes fought the creature off, but during combat Tsuto was rescued by his new "associate",
Lyrie Akenja.
The next day, the party (along with another pathfinder,
Kruusk The Chopper), set sail for
Turtleback Ferry. During the rainy three-day trip,
Alduin trained Kruusk, Kilgor, and
Jayvielle using his teachings of Irori.
When the party arrived at
Turtleback Ferry, they got rooms and began asking questions at the local tavern. After mingling with the locals at the Bottom’s Up Tavern in Town, the party overheard a number of interesting rumors. Aside from no visits from the Black Arrows, they heard about the sinking of a barge turned into a floating gambling hall run by the silk-tongued and lovely (in her own way)
Lady Lucrecia. It sunk about a month ago, but many of the villagers are still in a state of mourning for lost loved ones. A good number of the small population met their fate one night near midnight. The barge itself sank while drifting idly on Claybottom lake. There were no survivors — in fact, had a hunter returning home late not spotted the barge’s lights out on the lake winking out one by one as it slipped into the water, no one would have noticed the loss until the next morning. In the days following the tragedy, investigations into the event took place. Local attempts to dive down to the wreck to recover bodies failed due to a combination of the depth and the particularly vicious fish that have converged on the area. Today, half of the people of Turtleback Ferry believe a lake monster sank the Paradise, while the other half suspect that the barge was sunk by the combined weight of the sins of those on board.
Gallious noticed a man at a nearby table had a very intricate tattoo of the
sihedron rune on his inner bicep, partially covered by his shirt sleeve. The next day, he noticed another man with a similar tattoo on his neck, covered by his long hair. The party tracked the man down and questioned him about it. He confessed that Lady Lucrecia gave him the tattoo for a small fee. The tattoo would give him special discounts and privileges aboard the Paradise. But as he noted, that was no longer the case since the Paradise was now gone.
The heroes began the trek to Fort Rannick. Three miles out of town, Kilgor heard the sound of a wounded animal. They found a firepelt mountain lion caught in a heavy metal trap. Kilgor and Gallious freed the creature just as the hunter was coming to check his trap. That hunter was a massive, deformed ogrekin with six large hunting dogs. The hunter did not appreciate his catch being set free and sent his dogs to attack the party.
