Session 34: Eschbach Shenanigans
General Summary
Archi, Arne and Magnar wake up and Arne decides to mess with the doors a bit. Arne is lying in his bed absolutely exhausted. And Magnar comes knocking.
Coming in Magnar & Arne find Archi still in bad shape. A long rest has helped but he's still in bad shape. So, the former two decide to go to get some food in The Eschbach Shields. Archi messed around with the strange metal finding that it changes colour to a black colour with greenish tinges.
At the Eschbach Shields, there is a bunch of Burgeaters and Wyndsunheordians who challenge Magnar to check with the Goblins to see if there is any monsters nearby to hunt. They look t o Magnar to show the Burgeaters how good monster hunters they are.
Arne is told that there is an apothecary in town that seems to be in a bit of pain, and that is known to supply under the counter potions. Also, Granny Barrowbye is looking to speak to Archi.
They decide to go to the apothecary who is named Jean Luc, and originally from a family of apothecaries based in Orleans. He has bandaged hands & forearms on display. They buy a potion to help heal up Archi, and Magnar notices a box secreted in his building with a skull carved into it. Warned that it may cause Archi to essentially void himself if took, as that is a common side effect. Other effects may happen as well or in place of it.
Taking it back they find a spider crawling up the back of Magnar which is removed and it scuttles off.
Getting in to the house Magnar also hides the dolls Archi gave him, and a bucket is produced.
Archi downs the mixture and gets off relatively fine except for one minor side effect. He is left in the meantime with an erection out of nowhere. Deciding to go to Granny Barrowbye and try to walk it off, the three set out. Barrowbye opens the door after seeing them earlier, and she lets them in. Speaking exclusively to Archi she tells him that the Witches Coven is in trouble and at least one may be kidnapped by Morwenna, her Hag sister. Morwenna can be found either at a Sir Geoffrey's court or her own place a wreaked ship just off the coast.
Also, he is given the correct instructions to how to animate dolls, and supplies the right spell to Archi. She also warns him that she needs someone with magic to keep an eye on her in case her dark side comes back out and magic can help to clean up any mess if it does.
Going back to the rest, Archi distracts Jean Luc, while Magnar slips in and takes the box with the skull design.
Archi also decides to read the mind of Jean Luc, and get the following:
- A girl on what looks like a thronelike chair made of spider silk.
- A Half Elf in noble clothing with a limp getting handed a box with a skull on it.
- The Half Elf bringing a large spider egg to Jean Luc and other poisonous material.
They take it to the council who tells them that they are looking for evidence to lift Jean Luc, but the Burgeaters are too obvious. Also, they have heard off this Half Elf but can't seem to get too much on him. He is hidden from them and the Thieves of Frankia.
Going to the church, Father Tossil explains the skull mark is used by many apothecaries to mark poison and likely that. So they go to the sacred grove.
There two Priests take one of the six vials and drinks a portion. Falling over violently poisoned, the other heals him. When back up they state that at least some of the poison was from snake toxins, and the rest is spider toxins and likely something else to cause the toxins to enter the bloodstream.
So, they decide to go and take a look again. They get a Burgeater to distract Jean Luc before disappearing in under an Invisibility spell.
They slip down in and place an Alarm spell on the box to see if the Half Elf collects it. Then they look in the basement.
There they find a cobwebbed basement with a giant spider and the girl (about 12 years old) hanging on the roof of it. The spider drops to the ground and they knock off the Invisibility and the spider attacks with Magnar stepping forward before getting his sword stuck in some webbing. He gets bitten and the girl drops to the ground.
Magnar eventually gets to kill the spider, and the girl spits some type of poison onto him.
They Dimension Door out of the building getting their gear they had to leave behind. Jean Luc gives them some antitoxin, and they wait.
At night, they find Jean Luc has packed up some stuff, going to the messengers in town and then getting a horse. He soon takes off and they decide to follow, before realising he is heading to Orleans. So, they turn round and go back to town.
There they approach the messengers who has just let the message go by bird that will arrive in Orleans before Jean Luc. He is fleeing Eschbach before he can be lifted for supplying poisons, and to send someone else to take up the task. It is addressed to the Picard family.
Also it seems that the poisons have been lifted with no clue as to when.
Making their way to the shop, they find the girl asleep and wait for her to waken. When they do they give her some food from a stockpile left behind so she can at least eat, They manage to persuade her to stay there and they will help look after her.
When they go to leave and report back, an arrow is shot into the main door dripping with the same poison and a note attached. It goes on to say "I know what you have done. Don't try to find me. The Equaliser". This person is likely the Half Elf and a bit of an urban legend, a character responsible for a few deaths in Orleans, in the east, and nearby of those that are of scurrilous reputation.
Archi is temporarily given the building to act like a potion seller and the girl is to be made a temporary ward to him while Magnar is to kill the girl if she starts acting up. If anyone of the Picard family shows up, they need to be vetted & watched to make sure they are not up to the same tricks as before, And they may not get the house / shop back. Also, the final decision about the girl will be made by Duke Grimmaz Fyrwin when he arrives back in town.
Archi decides to call the girl Hilda.
Stormthrower Bloodaxe
Warlock 3
14
15
14
15
16
19
Fleec Snow
Rogue/assassin 8
12
18
16
14
14
16
Reolus Rhin
Rogue 20
9
20
14
10
13
19
Grimmaz Fyrwin
Fighter 14
18
18
18
14
14
14
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