Session 3. - Crossing The Eiselcross
General Summary
19th of Hearthfrost, 1439 A.P.
After discovering the source of the infection and defeating Hulil, the party wearily trudged back to Palebank Village with the information they'd gathered. When they finally reached the outskirts of the village around dusk, they came upon what looked like the remains of a fight. Amidst the chaos, a crowd of villagers were trying to dislodge a wagon that was stuck in the ditch. The party spotted Elro the sherriff as well as their avian compatriot, Deadeye, in the group helping.
Elro and Deadeye both saw the party and once the wagon was righted, they came over to greet them. Both were extremely relieved to see the party alive. Elro had feared that after their last conversation, they hadn't fared well in either the storm or with the bandits. He'd had to stop Deadeye from heading out into the storm multiple times, the small kenku had been very concerned about their well being. Elro stated that he had been planning to send out a search party that day, but with the wolves attacking the wagon and it overturning, manpower was light. The party was interested in hunting down the wolves but Elro practically told them to head to The Laughing Cat, get some food and mulled wine and he'd be by once he finished up with the wagon to find out what they had discovered. After a wholesome, long overdue meal that didn't consist of frozen berries (for once) the party caught Deadeye up with their adventures and tried to relax. Arbor was noticably agitated and sat close to the fire as a precaution. Oorr seemed indifferent but constantly wiggled his fingers and checked their flexibility when he thought no one was looking. Elro eventually joined them and the group brought him up to speed on their discoveries about Frigid Woe. They shared what information they had about Hulil selling a vial of the stuff to an Irven Liel. Elro got the innkeeper and after a brief conversation they were asked to follow the tall tabaxi innkeeper. He took them to a small private room at the back of the inn. He knocked quietly and once the door opened, quickly introduced the group to Irven - a travelling bookseller, his partner and their two adopted Faun daughters. Irven answered what questions they had about Hulil and when asked he handed over the glowing blue vial. Irven and his partner were extremely panicked when they discovered the connection to the recent deaths and implored the group to find the cure because the whole family had been fascinated with the vial and handled it frequently. The group promised to find a cure and then were ushered out by the innkeeper before the Liels became more agitated. Elro paid them for their efforts and asked that they stick around for a few more days as he wanted to check on a few things and may need to rely on their expertise again. The party were exhausted and slept soundly despite the number of unanswered questions they still had. They awoke late the following morning. Elro came to visit them and advised that he'd done some research the night before and found an obscure note written in the margin of the town's archive that mentioned Frigid Woe and the cure... apparently a golden liquid stored in small vials though no location or formula was mentioned. Everyone surmised that any antidote would likely be found in the north across the mountains, closer to the crash site. As they discussed the potential of a trip north, another constable interrupted to let Elro know that the Liels had awoken this morning to familiar blue veins on their arms and legs. All four of the family had contracted it and were distraught beyond measure. Elro offered to pay them 200 gold to find a cure and return it as soon as possible. When they accepted, he sketched out a map of the pass north to Syren's Vale, a small camp on the other side of the mountains where many treasure seekers congregated and planned trips into the ruins. If anyone would know where to find this cure, it would likely be there. The party set out almost immediately. The cold had come to stay permanently but Elro had ensured that everyone was well equipped to deal with it. The first day north was mostly uneventful other than them once again spotting the wolves that had been following them. A few pointed arrows from Urith and Deadeye scattered them however. The second day into the mountains the weather turned on them. By mid-afternoon the snow and wind were causing white-out conditions. On top of that, they were losing the light fast. Thankfully Deadeye was able to scout ahead and found an inn/waystop just off the trail. The innkeeper, a large red-haired Ilsaran by the name of Oaken, offered them a warm meal and a room. He also mentioned that he was having a big sumer blowout and tried to sell them some summer clothing. They politely decline the clothes but took him up on the offer for a room and meal and then retired for the night. The next morning, they awoke to the sound of birdsong and music. Through the windows they saw trees with deep crimson leaves and pale white bark... and not a drop of snow. They searched through the small inn and found no sign of the innkeeper from the night before. Cautiously they stepped outside and were greeted to a pleasant spring morning, completely incongruous to the fierce winter storm they faced the night before. Gone too, were the mountains and all the landmarks Elro had drawn on their map. Cautiously they went down the lane towards the noise and things quickly got stranger. They discovered a whole town that definitely wasn't on Elro's map. The villagers were decorating the square in preparation for the annual spring festival of Hollin, which baffled Angrar as he was sure Hollin was still another four months away. At first the village seemed like any other, but the more they looked around, the stranger things got. Many of the villagers were humans or elves but many of them were species that none of them had ever seen before. Some looked like walking rabbitfolk, others were squat, dour and bearded humanoids. Others still were weird elephantine creatures with sharpened tusks and long trunks, As the party stood there in dumbfounded shock one of the rabbitfolk approached them in a friendly manner and wished them a Joyous Hollin. No one was quite sure what language she spoke but they all easily understood her and when they replied, she understood as well, even when they switched tongues. She introduced herself as Lanaleer and answered their myriad questions. They were in Creepingdale, a village on the edge of the Tarbloom swamp. Lanaleer had never heard of Palebank Village or the Eiselcross Mountains. She said the only mountains she knew were the crags many weeks to the south. When asked where Oaken the innkeeper went, she furrowed her brow and didn't seem to know who they were referring to. The party were solidly convinced that they had travelled hundreds, if not thousands, of years into the past. As the festival and bright colours surrounded them and most of the group accepted their new location, both Oorr and Arbor were anxious to find a way back. When asked what was going on, Lanaleer was able to tell them that it was the annual Hollin festival celebrating the return of spring, however they did notice a nervousness in her voice when she talked about the festival and when pressed she said that the postman who was going to deliver the post to the town's four guardians had gone missing. She directed them to the post office to talk to the postmaster for more information and hoped they could help the town. When the party entered the post office - a cave at the edge of town that led to an underground lake - they were a little baffled. The bafflement instantly changed to confusion and outright disbelief when the slimy grey-green shape of an aboleth rose from the lake and greeted them in a polite and genteel manner. The aboleth tutted absently as they instinctively reached for their weapons and greeted them warmly. He introduced himself as Yhktakyly and was genial and friendly. He advised that his postman, Muklor had gone missing delivering the candygram offerings that the town sent to it's four guardians as a thank you for protecting them. The postmaster feared that his employee had been waylaid by bandits who were frequently interfering in the area. He offered them a small cash reward of 40 gold each plus the boon of reading a piece of mail from the office if the party found Muklor. Oorr quickly agreed for the party (it was a quest of noble intent after all) and after getting some directions, they set off into the swamp in search of Muklor, who was apparently a "bugbear" - whatever that meant. Before they left, Yhktakyly did also offer them jobs as postal workers but they all politely declined, fearing it was a trap or pact of some sort. Despite never being in the swamp before, both Deadeye and Urith used their natural talents to lead the group through the miasma of stagnant water and flies. After several hours and only one missed turn, they came across a camp that had been overrun by something. A quick investigation showed signs of a struggle and bootprints leading to the east. They followed the tracks and came across another camp with bandits and what looked like another figure tied up. After a short fight, the party overcame the bandits who seemed fairly ill-equipped and hard pressed. They untied the figure who identified himself as Muklor. While he was alive and healthy, he didn't feel like he could deliver the candygrams and feared to go back into the swamp in case there were more bandits. Muklor asked the party to deliver the candygrams in his stead and gave them directions on how to find the four guardians: Gran Arbovel, Byren Bleu, The Bleak Ranger and Torblexor, The Black-winged Death. After some debate as to what they were going to do, they finally set off looking for the guardians. They decided to first search for the Bleak ranger, figuring there may be some kinship between him and the party's rangers. Using Muklor's directions, they slogged through more swamp and eventually came to an abandoned camp with strange tracks leading deeper into the Tarbloom. Following the tracks, the party eventually came to an incongruous crystal clear pond with a small island in the center. From the shore, the group can see a shovel propped up in the dirt along with a backpack beside it. As Angrar waded out into the pond, something amorphous reached out and almost engulfed him. Hidden in the water and practically invisible was a Gelatinous Cube that attacks ravenously. After a hard fought battle the cube was defeated and the party makes it to the island. Finding several healing potions and a map leading to another part of the Tarbloom. Following the map through the muck, the party eventually came across a broken wagon with a small sign on it that said: "Wagon broken, please don't steal. Back in a few minutes". They snooped around some and discovered a couple of large crates. Oorr managed to notice and disarm the gas trap attached to the crates but failed to notice the string of bells that jangled clearly once they opened the crates. As they were digging through the crates, a dark skinned turtle-creature emerged silently from the underbrush and levelled a crossbow at them. She was extremely suspicious of the party and only a quick thinking Arbor saved them from being skewered. The ranger questioned them about Muklor and after begrudgingly accepting their answers, bluntly told them to leave the candygram and be gone. The party didn't waste time, did as they were told, and quickly headed deeper into the swamp. Using Muklor's instructions, they decided to find Byren Bleu next. Thankfully the swamp seemed to be drier and well tended in that direction. As they approached the second guardian's location revelry and a shrill, high pitched singing could be heard. They unexpectedly stumbled into a clearing where a rat sat high in a tree playing a violin while a small winged fae creature with blue hair flitted about singing and playing a tambourine. The fae didn't immediately notice the party and continued dancing and singing until a large constrictor snake in another tree spoke and got his attention. The sprite introduced himself and after exchanging pleasantries, challenged the group to a dance competition before he would accept the candy gram. Oorr rose to the challenge and successfully beat the small fae who cheered and laughed. He also granted Oorr a strange bubbling blue potion as a reward. After leaving the sprite's demesne, they headed towards the lair of Torblexor and after a brief run in with a couple more bandits, they discovered a sunken cavern that supposedly led to Torblexor's location. They gracelessly climbed down into the overgrown cavern and after reorienting themselves headed through the archway inscribed with the following:“All who enter forfeit their lives under the shadow of Torbelexor, the Black-Winged Death.”. Once through the archway, they quickly got lost in the warren of tunnels. After travelling for some time they entered a small chamber that filled them with an immense sense of dread and foreboding. Nothing untoward happened but the effects were hard to shake. The next room they came to was seemingly empty at first, but as they crossed the floor, they disturbed a uncounted mass of small insects that swarmed up and bit and stung the group incessantly. They only escaped by running blindly down the tunnel on the far end of the cavern. The insects followed but were quickly lost behind them. The darkness was palpable as they eventually found their way to a set of iron doors depicting a winged dragon razing a village. A booming voice filled with malice threatened them from the darkness beyond where a pair of small glowing green eyes glared down at them. The voice demanded to know why they had come to disturb him. The party stayed back by the door and spoke of the candygram they were trying to deliver. Torblexor demanded that they leave the offering and once they had, he seemed satisfied and promised to spare the village for another year. The party quickly made their exit and as Deadeye was taking his torch back into the outer chamber, Suljurn's enhanced vision caught a glimpse of what rested on the throne... a small black rabbit with glowing green eyes. The Saurial chortled to himself as he left and did not share this revelation with the others. Once they had extracted themselves from the cave, they made their way towards their last delivery - The one to Gran Arbovel. As night fell, they found a small hut nestled on the roots of a great tree. From within, warm cheery firelight could be seen and the smell of freshly baked cookies drifted down into the swamp below. As the group approached a kindly, old female appeared briefly at the top of the stairs and beckoned them to join her. The party were hesitant and in a hurry. Angrar was the only one to climb up while the others waited below. Gran offered the cookies to him and he graciously ate them, despite them being stone cold and rock hard. Gran seemed disappointed at his lack of reaction but hid it well. After a brief, and borderline rude conversation, Gran begrudgingly accepted the candygram and sent the party on their way, but not before forcing them to accept a gift of hers in return, a box of chocolates. Leaving the old lady behind, the party headed back to town as quickly as they could. When they arrived they were greeted like heroes and the townsfolk cheered wildly when they heard that all four candygrams had been delivered. Despite the late hour, most of the village was awake and an impromptu party broke out in the village square. The group politely excused themselves and went to report back to Yhktakyly. The weird but genial postmaster was absolutely delighted at their successful return and ensured that the party received their due rewards, producing a small, damp, pouch of gold for each of them from within the lake and offering each a chance to read over a piece of mail. Initially hesitant, eventually they all gave in to the gentle cajoling of the aboleth to read a juicy secret. Urith was the last hold out and repeatedly declined as politely as he could... it was only at the last second that he changed his mind. The letters they read were varied and strange and no one shared the contents with the others until much later. Some talked about the infidelities of Harald and Anni-Frid. Another was a letter to the Hogfather from a boy named Ralphaniel. Yet another, was a letter from Garlow to Muklor warning him that he had quit and was a free man. Yet another was an ambiguous yet direct warning stating that "He" was feasting on your memories. After the letters were read and returned the aboleth seemed extremely satisfied. He congratulated them once again and nodded politely when they made their goodbyes, though he did once again offer them jobs, which they again declined. The group made their way back to the inn and slept after a very long and exhausting day. When they awoke the next morning, the inn, the swamp and the village had all disappeared. They were huddled around the smouldering remains of tiny fire in the hollow shell of an derelict cabin. The snow was piled high and the blizzard had passed. Above the mountains, the sky was a piercingly cold icy blue. Their bodies stiff with cold, they started to break camp and everyone seemed awkwardly trying to figure out if the whole thing had been a dream. On everyone's pillow lay a small envelope with a note inside. The note was written in a flowing script with golden ink. It said simply
"Thank you from the village of Creepingdale"As everyone read their notes, they heard the aboleth's genteel voice speaking the words inside their head. The golden ink then swirled on the paper and quickly ran down onto everyone's arms before they could react. They all felt a warm, prickling sensation run through their arms and then were knocked back by an unseen force as it felt like a gong had been rung inside their heads. When they regained their senses, they each discovered they had instantly learned new knowledge.
Rewards Granted
- 226 xp
- 1 Bubbling blue potion
- Box of Fae Chocolates
- 1 Feat
- 120 gp
Character(s) interacted with
Notes
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Deadeye Cliffhanger
Oorr Rosetta del Hilltopple
Chaotic Good [Tar] Faun (City Watch / Investigator)
Rogue 4
Sorcerer 1
Rogue 4
Sorcerer 1
37 / 37 HP
STR
10
10
DEX
18
18
CON
12
12
INT
8
8
WIS
12
12
CHA
16
16
Urith Thane
Suljurn sah-Ghad
Arbor Nox
Angrar Ironbrow
Report Date
09 Oct 2022
Primary Location
Secondary Location