Game Recap - September 30th - Douka
General Summary
Having left the Temple of the Silver Moon, everyone finds that the caravan has left without them, and the weather that pushed them into the cave in the first place has cleared, leaving blue sky and a clear road ahead. Instead of the caravan, a small band of kobolds waits for them with wagons enough to carry our adventurers and their gear to the city of Douka.
Arriving in Douka, Dart and Darodin, pleading exhaustion, split off from the party for the time being, finding their rest in an inn within the walls of the city. Hoggs, having been summoned by a messenger, departs from the party with well-wishes, off to see to his bees.
The remainder of the party, Sa’rai (or “Mary” as she’s known so far), Reynauld, Calcine and Thawaka make their way to the Dancing Pony tavern and inn, directed there by one of the men in the market. Before making the recommendation, the man asked the party if they’ve heard anything of the blight affecting land near Droskar, for the last he’d heard, things had fallen from the sky and anything living was said to have been withering.
Within the inn, the party refreshes their thirst, compliments of a mysterious benefactor, who the party assumes to be the figure clothed in dark robes sitting off to himself in one corner of the inn.
Hearing rumors, though, of a mysterious fire that engulfed the town’s orphanage in the hamlets, the adventurers make their way out of the inn when they rise, and down to the orphanage, being greeted by Sister Sarah, who is found sifting through the burned wreckage, trying to salvage what little she can, putting aside toys and belongings that have mostly survived the fire. Conversation reveals that four children are missing from the orphanage, and that they were first assumed to have died in the fire, but their bodies weren’t found.
Footprints leading into the corn field behind the orphanage leads them to a farmer in the house that centers on the property located next door. A crochety old man who takes little joy in the playing of children in his cornfield has set out oversize bear traps within his field to discourage people from using it for anything other than growing corn. The footprints, however, lead into the forest that borders the hamlet, leading closer and closer to a wall of brambles that blocks their path.
As Thawaka thwacks his way through the brambles, Reynauld is hit with an arrow shot from a human hiding behind a nearby tree. After disarming the woman, she leads them into a cave on the other side of the brambles, where the party meeds a band of bandits, who claim to have taken the children so as to ransom them back to their families, given that they came from the upper crust of Douka. They demand enough gold to hire a wagon to take them out of Maris, because Maris has made it a crime to be poor within its borders.
The adventurers agree to speak to someone about the demands, and leave to make their way back to town as time sets upon our adventure for this episode. Stay tuned for more thrilling adventures this Sunday at 1pm. Don’t forget to bring snacks!
