Session 3 Report
General Summary
Winter-rain 22nd, 2191
While on their way to Saltmarsh from Ledchurch, Stinkbreath began to show symptoms of the plague. Fortunately, using his divine abilities, Garnus was able to restore him.
Winter-rain 23rd, 2191
The rat pack arrived in Saltmarsh to find a dirty and damaged people. Soldiers had their encampment outside of town and frequently patrolled the streets. Pikes with sahuagin heads lined the main entrance into the town. Measle told the group that they were from the Battle of Hool that he fought in to save the town. A town crier quickly ran up and greeted Measle, giving him an invitation to a party hosted by Gellan Primewater.
Garnus, seeing the poor state of the town, decided to look for people to help. He went to a makeshift triage tent at the Temple of Charun. He was a welcome sight and they quickly put him to work helping the people. As Garnus did his duty for the town, Measle took the rest of the group to Haines Manor where he lived. There, he introduced them to Baronet Mack Haines of Saltmarsh.
The minor noble was a friend and former adventurer of Measle’s and was there to aid them in their heist to a small degree. He provided the group with a place to stay and helped them in planning their heist. He was also very clear to warn them that Gellan Primewater was not one to be trifled with—he may be flamboyant and arrogant, but he is still a well-connected criminal.
Over the coming days, the party would prepare to carry out the job during the party.
Winter-rain 24th, 2191
Azid and Scraps went to the Local 413 trash union. Azid acquired some extra uniforms while Scraps was able to steal some equipment to complete their disguise.
Winter-rain 25th, 2191
Garnus rubbed shoulders with locals in the town. During his time helping at the local temple, he learned about a well-to-do merchant that many suspected was a slave trader named Mr. Wellsby. Even more to the disdain of many, Wellsby was also an outspoken member of the Cow Clucks Clan. The CCC was a racist organization known for their hatred of anthro-humanoid races. Mr. Wellsby is a friend to Primewater’s so it was safe to assume that he would be at the party.
Winter-rain 26th, 2191
Measle practiced some acrobatic tricks, trying to find a way to produce a seemingly natural distraction. As Mack Haines watched on, Measle proved to be less than convincing. His friend suggested maybe finding another way to distract people.
Meanwhile, Stinkbreath managed to talk his way onto the security team for the party. The security were excited to have not only a city watchman from Valera join them, but none other than Sir Bolascab’s little brother at that! They were certain that he would make an excellent addition to the team and began showing him the layout of the estate.
Winter-rain 27th, 2191
Measle attended the party at Gellan Primewater’s estate, bringing Garnus as his guest. As the party went on, many were enjoying the sounds of the popular bardic troupe ABBA’leth, but not Garnus the Resolute. Instead, he was eying down a suspected slave-trader and member of the CCC Mr. Wellsby. The merchant met his glares and returned them with disdain for the minotaur.
At the same time, Stinkbreath was taking his position upstairs near the door where the chest of loot was. He attempted to talk the two guards there into leaving their post to go and get a drink while he took their place. However, they were far too professional for that. That was fine for him though, because what the guards didn’t know was that the day before he had placed a dummy chest in that room and the real one was actually in the room next door, just waiting to get picked up.
Meanwhile, Azid and Scraps found themselves in a minor hiccup. Two garbage collectors from the Local 413 were there to take care of the trash from the party. Azid got into a heated debate with them that wasn’t going all to well when Scraps came to his rescue and convinced the two garbagemen that they could all work together. The real garbage collectors agreed to take the front of the house while the unknown imposters worked in the back. Once they were in, Azid gave Garnus a signal that they were ready.
Garnus stood suddenly, his chair skittering backwards. The room was suddenly hushed as he stormed towards Mr. Wellsby and yelling in his native tongue. Wellsby stood as well and looked just as angry, but that only lasted until the seven-foot-tall minotaur looked directly down on him. Terror filled his eyes the security quickly moved in case things became violent.
As this happened, Scraps snuck up the stairs to where Stinkbreath was posted. He silently made his way into the room with the real chest and put it in a bag, disguising it with garbage from the party. The bag was bulky and still a bit obvious, but they had planned for that as well.
Garnus was approached by the guards, but once he got the signal from Azid, he allowed them to escort him to the door. As this happened, Measle left his spot at the table and went back to the kitchen and began complaining to the cooks about his meal. He pushed one aside and insisted that he shows them how it’s done. The other cooks, unsure of how else to respond, took note as Measle put on quite the display for preparing a meal. With the kitchen staff distracted, Scraps was able to get the bulky bag out the back door and leave it with the other trash before returning to work the rest of the night. Garnus, having appeared to have left the party, snuck around back to get the chest and took it back to Haines Manor.
The rest of the party went on uneventfully, with no one the wiser to the heist that had just taken place. The rest of the group left at different times as to not draw suspicion, but they all eventually made it back to the manor.
They went through the chest there and found a few old history tomes regarding the Wasted West. They found a fermented eye and monkey’s paw. They also found a green leatherbound book with a brass lock and a giant goat’s eye in the center of the cover. Azid quickly determined that it was magical and began spending time with it. As he attuned to it, the lock opened and he began to read it. The words blurred together and gave him a vision of a black, tentacled beast with toothy maws gnashing at meat. They wrapped around him before he blinked and was safely looking at the book again.
The book was titled The Valcrist Folio and documented the lifes work of Anton Valcrist as he attempted to recover the Viridian Codex. The book contained some spells and actual pages from the missing codex. Garnus was interested in the book as well and tried to see it. Reluctantly, Azid gave to the minotaur for only a moment, which was enough time for Garnus to have the same vision of the horror before Azid snatched it back. Garnus warned him that the book was dangerous but left it at that.
Winter-rain 28th, 2191
The rat pack left Saltmarsh along with Measle’s pony, Ponier, that pulled a cart holding the loot from the heist disguised in crates. Later that day, a sudden hurricane struck.
Winter-rain 30th, 2191
The strange and sudden weather returned a couple days after leaving Saltmarsh. This time, it rained fire from the sky.
Springmelt 1st, 2192
It was the first day of the new year and the strange weather continued to follow them. On this day, it rained frogs. Stinkbreath, excited to eat them, tried to pick one up. The frog turned into sticky goo that melted in his hands.
Springmelt 2nd, 2192
The party arrived in the village of Ledchurch. Mayor McCheese was quick to great them and welcome the heroes back. They returned to the Tavern Inn where Ruth was happy to feed them. As they ate, a woman from across the room watched them.
The woman called out to them for someone named Kouvian. No one responded. She called a second time and Azid responded with, “Bless you.” She stood and sauntered over to the table. She was a red tiefling wear chainmail and boots. She looked directly at Garnus and said, “Kouvian, we must speak.”
The table eyed the minotaur who sighed and excused himself to go and speak with her privately. The rest of the ratfolk continued to eat, thinking nothing more of it, that is until Garnus returned with the lady and she spoke to Azid.
She introduced herself as Ariazes of Maillon and was an associate of Kouvian’s. The minotaur explained that Garnus was not his actual name but just a cover. He was really Kouvian Thunderstep and an agent of an order that worked on behalf of Veles. At this point, Ariazes asked if she could see the Valcrist Folio.
Azid was very reluctant and only allowed her to peek at it. It was all that she needed to determine that it was in fact a dangerous tome that she needed to take from him. When asking for it did not work, she offered to buy it from him. Measle, seeing the seriousness in the woman, offered to buy the book for her with even more money. Azid was still reluctant and Ariazes patience was wearing visibly thin.
Before further talks could take place, the odd weather suddenly struck again. This time it appeared that all of reality was fragmented into shards. Almost instantly, a cry for help came from outside. They looked out the window to see a giant hobgoblin riding a worg with accompanying hobgoblins on either side of him. He rode in and beheaded an old man as he did so.
Ruth said that it was Glodag. He was a crazy hobgoblin that believed that a magical sword was somewhere in the village. Usually, the local outpost had kept him at bay, but with them no longer there, he was free to attack. He begged the heroes to do something.
Ariazes put her conversation with Azid aside because she considered a hobgoblin that could warp reality to be a much greater immediate threat. The party went with her to engage the hobgoblin, who stood at least a foot taller than even Kouvian. Measle was the first to meet Glodag in battle and quickly discovered how formidable he actually was.
Glodag and the two hobgoblins proved quickly to be a serious threat for the party, seriously wounding many of the would-be heroes. Ariazes engaged the massive hobgoblin and proved to be his equal in skill. As she fought him, the rest of the party managed the other two hobgoblins. Azid attempted to cast one spell then cast another, completely different spell without meaning to. As he did this, Kouvian, badly wounded himself, managed to terrify the hobgoblins and worgs into fleeing.
Ariazes bested Glodag and he handed over his weapon and said that he yielded. She was going to accept his surrender when Measle stabbed him with a poisoned blade. The poison was not deadly, but did knock him unconscious. As he fell, Stinkbreath quickly put manacles on him.
With Glodag unconscious, Ariazed was concerned because the fragment weather did not disappear. She asked if the weather had been following the group, and they confirmed that it had. She now demanded the book because it needed to be destroyed. Azid was still reluctant to hand it over.
Kouvian, knowing that Ariazes would not take no for an answer, tried to reason with Azid. He told him that he could not control the power inside of it and that it would be a threat to everyone on Midgard if he kept it. Azid was about to argue with him when Ariazes used the shaft of her spear to quickly knock him unconscious. As Azid fell to the ground, she looked to the other ratfolk and they all shook their heads and put their hands up.
She took the book and placed it on the ground away from everyone. She uttered a prayer to Veles and a green bolt of lightning struck the book. All that remained were ashes.
Ariazes, turning to Kouvian, told him that Azid was a risk to leave alive. He had read the book and knows its contents. Kouvian said that he didn’t feel that he needed to kill him and instead took it upon himself to watch him. She accepted his offer and told him to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, she would have to speak to the Order regarding this new intelligence about Anton Valcrist being a potential threat.
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