Knitting Circle Adventure 2 Recap 1

What follows is a basic recap of the last several sessions of our weekly DCCRPG campaign...
After the liberation of Tenford, at the hands of the PCs (along with several cases of alchemical fire and the spherical, glowing green "outer being" known as Nymshea), the party was tasked with another quest by their patrons within the Knitting Circle. The "red demon" Aarghlan informed them of a cryptic message received from the arcane relic called The Drum of Chronos. The drum is an upright, copper and wax cylinder drum that rotates against a needle, producing sounds not unlike an ancient phonograph. It has served as an indispensable aid in detecting and tracking down various cursed relics, lost from Mount Celene during The Sundering. Acquiring these powerful artifacts is the prime directive of the Knitting Circle, for they realize that if any of these "items of the gods" were to fall into the wrong hands, they could be weaponized in the wars to come. And beyond this, it is known to the Circle that the The Lentokki God Kings are currently also seeking out these missing items. If the rulers of Lentokk were to utilize these items as such, it would tip the scales of the "2nd Usurper War" strongly in favor of the combined forces of Essendra Halbion and The Barony of Rocha.
The current message received from the Drum of Chronos implied that a missing item of unknown origin (but certainly one of the cursed relics from Celene) would soon arrive in the town of Bramble, where the Circle has an agent in the form of an old man known as Krimko, the Toymaker. It further implied that this agent was in mortal danger.
The party was tasked with traveling to Bramble and assessing the situation. Ultimately they should both collect the missing artifact (once they determine what it is), and protect Krimko from whatever fell plans are in store for him.

The Drum of Chronos' Message...

What follows is an exact transcription of the message "sung" by the phonograph-like device. It still has yet to be fully decoded as to its meaning, but the PCs are working on it presently...
“In chile toun of nett’lse styng,
Cometh round ure fresshe off’ryng,
Thy pryce fore which shalle be thee heyd,
Of cyrcl’d one yond pulles thee threyd.
In chile toun shalle come a’fyre,
To warme thee soules of her desyre.
Innocents canne an’ muste be spayr’d,
Whilst cyrcl’d one shalle be ensnayr’d.
Thoust thistl’d sage shalle growe o’ayge,
Thee sharpe an’ talle moste have theym alle.
Lest nowe thou trye thou shalle shur’st die,
Marche thuruh flayme n’winn’th thee gayme.”

ARRIVAL IN BRAMBLE

After a few altercations along the road, the party arrived in Bramble, a bit the worse for wear. They'd been suffering from the "phasing" effects that seem to surround all the PCs who were returned to life by the Knitting Circle, as well as those in their close proximity. This means that occasionally, and without warning, one or more PCs would simply vanish into the Ethereal Plane, while others suddenly reappear in our own dimension from their own Ethereal jaunts. All this lead to an inconsistency in the composition of the party. A problem they've just begun to get used to.
Upon arriving in Bramble, sometime after midnight, the party decided to check in at the local hostel in order to get a decent night's rest before seeking out Krimko in the morning. They found accomodations within the structure known as "The Slumbering Hulk."
Once inside, they were surprised to see so many northerner refugees (many from the various "barbarian tribes" north of The Dullwood), having traveled down from The Blight, seeking to escape some calamitous event. After asking around, the PCs determined that several northern villages had been burned to the ground by what some reported as "a great red dragon." However, no dragons have been seen in the west for millennia. So long, in fact, that many believe them only to be children's stories.
The PCs befriended a few barbarians from the town of Urs Aranol, who told them about another northerner who claimed to have slain the dragon. A man named Thourpe.
In the morning, the PCs found Thourpe in the communal dining hall of the Slumbering Hulk, and they set out to question him. He seemed quite the unlikely dragon slayer, as he was somewhat slight of build and nervous of disposition. However, he regaled them with his tale of lancing the fell beast ("as big as a long house, it was!"), mortally wounding it. He claimed to follow the creature as it began to fall from the sky, eventually catching up with it at The Churn, where the beast ultimately crashed beneath the waters and died. As the dragon sunk into the contaminated waters, Thourpe managed to hack off a talon from it's rear claw. In fact, he presented the talon for the PCs inspection. Indeed, it was a gigantic black talon, fit for a dragon. But something still didn't quite add up.
The PCs were soon distracted by the arrival of another adventuring party, consisting of four hardened men (who were yet wearing somewhat fancy clothes). One of the men wore a gold-gilded gauntlet. "The man with the golden arm," as he'd be later referred to as. The PCs introduced themselves to the new party, and learned that their company went by the moniker of "The Dread Compass." They further learned that the company was in Bramble looking for Krimko, for reasons withheld.
The PCs, sensing that the toy maker's life might be in danger, decided to take their leave of the company of adventurers and attempt to warn Krimko in advance. They set out from the hostel and approached Krimko's shoppe (entitled "Krimko's Curios and Delights"). Here, they found a sign on the door detailing the toy maker's temporary absence.
As the PCs checked to see if any doors or windows were left unlocked, they detected the impending arrival of the Dread Compass. Mandar found an unlocked, second-story window and proceeded within, as Claude set about to distract the company upon their arrival.
Krimko's shoppe was completely cluttered with curios and bric a brac, with items adorning every possible surface. Any one of these things could be some arcane relic in itself. One thing was clear. The old man trafficked in more than just children's toys.
Soon, three of the Dread Compass broke into Krimko's shoppe, while the man with the golden arm, a devious rogue named Diev Davon, confronted Claude. A fight ensued, but Claude managed to get the upper hand and knocked out Davon. When he attempted to remove the golden gauntlet from his left arm, he found it stuck fast. Claude then resorted to attempting to "cut it off." However, when he sliced into the arm, Diev Davon immediately VANISHED! All he left behind was a green hooded cloak.
Meanwhile, inside the building, Mandar began searching various rooms on the second floor. One of them revealed a golem built of clay, which quickly animated and began to pursue him. Mandar decided to hide in another room, and once inside was quickly attacked by a diminutive, animated Teddy Bear with a teenie tiny spear. Mandar managed to grab the bear before it could do any real damage, and at that point he overheard the breaking and entering of the other members of the Dread Compass!
He could even hear snippets of their conversation. "Find the book! And find the bear! Quickly!" Mandar put two and two together, determining that "the bear" must refer to the small plush toy in his hands. He questioned the bear, which quickly revealed its ability to speak. The bear said they must stop the thieves, and Mandar quickly agreed. The two proceeded to sneak up on the Dread Compass, using the clam golem, which had now turned its attentions to the thieves, to their advantage.
Unfortunately, amongst the three thieves was a powerful wizard named Yavir, who struck the golem with a bolt of lightning, instantly destroying it. Mandar attempted to magically induce sleep upon Yavir, but sadly failed, turning the wizard's attention to him. Still clutching the toy bear, he quickly retreated back down the second story hallway, towards the window he originally entered from.
Around this time, Claude, still outside, managed to yell for help. He brought down the attention of the constable, Huff Delacot, who quickly brought the town watch to the scene of the crime. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the three remaining members of the Dread Compass managed to escape.
Did they abscond with the magical relics they sought? What of this book they mentioned? And what of the talking bear? The PCs were left with many questions, as the constable began to lock down the crime scene. At least the party wasn't immediately implicated in the attempted robbery.
Now they must discover what exactly is going on here...