Monday, July 27, 2020

Forest of Wyrd Session # 17 - Recovery and Rescue

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 3)
Ranza (Changeling 2)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 3)
Jonesomon (Specialist 3)
Thrax (Fighter 2)


Though now done with the Vernal Manor, the party decided to stick around for one more night. To see if Granya was able to escape. After a resting through the day, they once more settled in a twilight for the house's return. Once it had fully appeared, there was no sign of Granya. So Thrax headed over to the house to see what was afoot. Pearing in the ballroom window, he could faintly see through the opaque leaded glass that the massive party continued. Through the kitchen window he could see a figure he took to be Granya, so he knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, and he could see it was indeed the maidservant. She was quite agitated and upset, telling the fighter to go away. The house was in much too much of an uproar at the moment. She did get the scissors, but dared not try escaping until the Lady Vernal and the household had settled back to some semblance of normal. She also revealed to Thrax that even when she cut the string, the only way she could escape is via the stone, whose guardians worried her. Asked why she just couldn't walk away once the thread was cut, she noted any mortal who'd partaken of the Lady's hospitality were doomed to be trapped in Faerie. The only way out then was via the special magic of the cornerstone. 

Meanwhile, Ranza had been doing a little experimentation outside and discovered the house would only become visible to someone in the clearing at nightfall. And if one left the clearing when the house was visible, it could not be seen upon one's return. When she did this, the rest of the party was amused to see her walk right through the manor walls and come out the other side, for to the changeling the building didn't exist.

Deciding there was nothing they could do for Granya at the moment, the party headed back to Kreland's Ford with their loot. Jonesmon and Gnarl headed for the "Eight Imps and a Bear" tavern to check in with their spy Cemark to get the news. When the duo walked in the door, everyone in the place turned to look at them and suddenly all chatter and drinking stopped. The whole assembly stared darkly at them, and more than a few hands shifted to daggers stuck in belts. Carefully, the two headed to the bar, Jonesonmon plunking down a bag of silver pennies and telling the barkeep he was buying a round for the house. The barkeep pushed the bag back, and suggested it best the two leave if they didn't want bloodshed. They took the hint (and the silver) and left, but not before noting Cemark hiding in the corner doing his best to pretend he didn't know the duo. Gnarl went off to find the others, but Jonesomon decided to stick around and watch, hoping to get to Cemark when he left tavern. Which he did, dragging the clearly terrified Cemark along to the other establishment in town, the "Lazy Unicorn" for a drink and some answers. Cemark explained that word had gotten out about the party's role in taking out the bandits. Given the usual clientele at the  "Eight Imps and a Bear", many of them had been friends of the dead, and some had run with that gang at one time or another. So Cemark suggested the party should watch their backs. And he would do the same, saying now he was done with the party. Pressed about who was 'king of the bandit heap' now that the ogre and his gang were gone, he explained that a group of adventurers (Garath [Magic User], Michen [Fighter], Angus [Specialist], Fraklan [Specialist]) disguised as the 'Monks of the Fallen Fire' were the big name now. Seems they'd looted an ancient temple some time ago and were using the recovered religious accoutrements to disguise themselves and attack/rob travellers along the roads. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the party had taken the paintings and gone to see Thayn Clodwin. He was quite excited to see them, and even more excited to see the two missing paintings. He paid the party their fee with no hesitation. Learning they'd recovered other paintings by the great Cuthbin the Younger, he almost demanded they bring those to him as well to examine and purchase if they proved authentic. The party demurred and deflected for now, headed for the 'Lazy Unicorn' to rest for a few days and discuss options. They were a little worried that the Thayn may stab them in the back somehow, and that selling the paintings before learning more about them might be giving away valuable hints to future treasures. They consulted the quilt of augury regarding the Thayn, it indicated he would not send anyone after them if they left town with the paintings. So while not ruling about a sale to Thayn Clodwin in the future, for now they decided to slip out of town under cover of darkness (to avoid both the Thayn and the bandits), heading for Brakenrae. There they would consult the scholar Timpanius on the paintings. And for Jonesomon and Gnarl, try to intercept the three kids at the Goblyn Fair whom they'd been unsuccessful in rescuing the first time time they'd been in this time and place. 

Travel east was largely uneventful though unnaturally cool for the season. Or at least it was uneventful until they reached to scene of their bandit battle from a week or so before. The massive oak tree had been chopped up and the path cleared, but just beyond was a young man with a shovel, just dumping a final load of dirt on the verge. Glancing around revealed 7 patches of turned earth, each having a stick protruding from it. And on each stick hing a hat or helmet.  When hailed and asked his name, the man/boy grinned and answered "Aeog". They conversation that followed was largely one sided, Aeog responding with single words. And giving little information and grinning the whole time. After a few minutes, Aeog turned to go, raising a hand to forehead as if to tip a hat or tug his forelock. Thrax responded in kind, and the boy wandering off down the road towards Brackerae, soon disappearing from sight. Someone noted they'd killed 7 bandits at this spot, and the piles of upturned earth looked an awful lot like graves. Jonesomon noted one of the helmets last adored the head of one of the bandits. In response, Thrax went around stabbing his sword into each 'grave', hoping to prevent any incipient undead vampires  from rising. And with that, the party opted to turn their backs on the odd scene and continue on their way. 

Reaching Brackenrae and home, they noted activity in the field below town as preparations were underway for the Goblyn Fair. After some time to rest and restock, they visited Timpanius the Scholar. First they received his report on research into the Yellow Cloud Prophet; unfortunately, he had learned little they didn't already know. They also showed him the three paintings to see if he knew anything about them. Being unschooled in art, he could tell them little except the fortress town looked like an Imperium border fort. There had been a number of forts build after the Imperium repulse of the unseelie fey three centuries before; but he couldn't provide any detail on the one in this particular painting. Ranza then hired the scholar once more to investigate the Vernal Manor; looking for more information on it and the Lady Vernal in case they should return to the manor or be pursued by her and/or her minions.

And then plans runed to rectifying their failure some months before; to save the three children (Sim, Alish and Peta) from the ravages of fairy at the Goblyn Fair [see Forest of Wyrd Session #1-3]. And hopefully  murder the tittering fey bastard that had mocked and eluded them at the time . They decided the best thing to do was stake out the ruins and intercept both the children and the fairy. Arriving, they first swapped the fey apples with some regular ones, each pocketing one of the magical apples in case of future need. Gnarl hid in the burned rafters above the fruit bowl, holding a bag of flour and iron filings to dump on their invisible foe. Ranza and Tharax lurked in the bushes nearby, while Jonesomon and Hobbs stood guard at the sage circle fairy gate. The children soon appeared, being led along by a little old man in flashy clothing, performing tricks with glowing lights in his hand. He led them to the bowl, where Gnarl immediately dumped the flour/filings and screamed the children. He also tried to entangle the fey, but curiously it didn't work, even though the wood gnome was certain it would. As Ranza and Thrax charged in with more flour and filings, the creature tried to turn invisible and run towards the sage gate. The flour bombs (as well as a field of flour laid by Hobbs and Jonesomon), however, kept him visible. So the party took some swings and pot shots at him as he ran. But with a last irritating titter, he slipped past Hobbs and Jonesomon, and jumped into the sage circle and disappeared. 

Cursing their bad luck again, the party turned to the children and put the fear of the fairies into them. The three children ran back towards the Goblyn Fair, crying and bawling, and unlikely to ever stray from their mothers side again.  

TOTAL XP
1800xp (Gnarl & Jonesomon: 600xp each; Thrax, Hobbs, Ranza: 200xp each)

GAINS
Some fey apples

KILLS/VICTORIES
none

LOSSES
none

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Forest of Wyrd Session #16 - "No Plan Survives Contact with the Enemy"

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Gnarl (Wood Gnome 3)
Ranza (Changeling 2)
Hobbs (Hedgefey 2)
Jonesomon (Specialist 3)
Vergarious (Changeling 2)


After a day of rest and refit, the party once more awaited twilight's end and the return of Vernal Manor. Making their way to the stable, they  met Diamur Without Peer to discuss the plans for the evening. Dimaur Without Peer would arrange a late dinner with the Lady Lhiannan in her private dining room, in a separate wing from the Lady's chambers.  Then once the meal was well underway, they would get Cuthbin away from the Lady's boudoir, grab the paintings from her private gallery and the scissors with which to free Granya, then flee via the gate stone. Hopefully before the alarm was raised, or at least before any organized pursuit could be arranged. Diamur Without Peer had just one issue to raise regarding the plan; Granya would be busy serving dinner. She could  not help get Cuthbin as her absence would raise the Lady's suspicion. He also warned the party that, while he fully intended to hold up his end of the bargain, if it came to a fight he would raise his sword against them to maintain  his own position with the Lady Lhiannan.

With Granya out of the picture, it fell to the changelings Ranza and Vergarious to use their magic to disguise one as Granya's doppelganger and the other to ensure Cuthbin's compliance via hypnotism. The rest of the party would hide in Dimaur Without Peer's rooms to provide assistance/looting as necessary.  Unfortunately, the plan fell apart almost immediately. Cuthbin, upon answering the door, was initially fooled by Ranza/Granya. But the moment she spoke in a voice NOT Granya's, the artist  suspected all was not right. Vergarious and then Ranza tried to hypnotize him, but Cuthbin shook off the magic and started to become agitated and call for help.  Help arrived not as the artist expected,  in the form of  Gnarl, Hobbs and Jonesomon. They charged into the room and beat Cuthbin into unconsciousness, to both shut him up and hopefully break whatever 'link' he apparently had with Lady Lhiannan. They then piled furniture against the door, and everyone started to ransack the room to find the scissors. Gnarl meanwhile tossed back the potion of true seeing and raced into Cuthbin's room and then the private gallery. He noted a secret door leading into Diamur Without Peer's room, and wedged it shut. He then proceeded to grab the five paintings in the gallery, ignoring the vast number of images of a beautiful woman (presumably Lady Lhiannan)  which lay about Cuthbin's chambers. 

Back in the Lady's boudoir, there now came a knock at the door and a high pitched voice. It was  Gyntherium, the atomie chamberlain, demanding to know what was going on. It being apparent to him there was something amiss, within moments he was calling for the buggleburr guards in the upper ballroom. Thankfully, at this point the party found the scissors. Ranza also quickly looted a pair of scrolls and a rug from a chest at the foot of the bed, leaving the not so easily grabbed loose coinage behind. Meeting Gnarl in the next room, they smashed a window and shimmied down a rope to the ground, the still unconscious Cuthbin in tow. Making their way back into the kitchen they hesitated a minute or two. What to do about Granya? But it was soon obvious they could not risk staying to wait for her any longer; the sounds of search and pursuit were drawing near. Wishing to honour their bargain with Granya as much as possible, they gave the scissors to the killomoulis, along with instructions  on how to get back to the mortal realms using the cornerstone gate. Hopefully, Granya could hide the scissors and at some point use them to escape. 

With searchers now drawing near, the party made their way with haste to the gate in the cellar.  There they found the crysmal they'd bypassed the night before, sitting there waiting for them. And then a second one emerged from the gate stone; they had two guardians to fight.  They started to battle them, but several hard blows to the party and sounds of searchers in the kitchen above forced them to take a chance. Each pushed past the guardians to touch the stone, but only after Gnarl has used an entangle to slow the crysmal pursuit. Everyone touched the gate, and found themselves once again back in the mortal realm at sunrise. Turning to look at their captive artist, they were not particularly surprised to see him wither away, falling to dust and bone is a matter of moments. It would seem that Cuthbin the Younger's extended years did not extend into the mortal realm. 

TOTAL XP
7500

GAINS
Painting - Pastoral with fey #2 [500sp]
Painting - Pastoral with fey #3 [500sp]
Painting - Sarcen thayn riding through woods with retinue [500sp]
Painting - Ominous black and blue sky over a fortress town [500sp]
Painting - Glittering tomb of an Imperitor  [500sp]
Quilt of Augury 
Scroll - Protection from Petrification
Scroll - Protection from Lycanthropes 

KILLS/VICTORIES
none

LOSSES
Cuthbin the Younger