Friday, November 13, 2015

There goes Gerald again!

Nehn 17, 4711

Having been tasked for asset recovery by the Hellknights, the Coopers successfully retrieved the Mosswater treasury and turned over a third of it back to Fort Inevitable. Daryle hid the remainder throughout Shadowborn Manor. But the missing money, which disappeared during the goblin assault on Fort Inevitable, still bothers the siblings. Where could the money have gone, and, more importantly, who stole it? The Coopers decide to investigate.

Darelle is the first to bring the subject up to Dr. Mordel. She informs him about the events that transpired during the last few months, leading to the Hellknight treasury disappearing. Dr. Mordel does not appear surprised, but confesses he had not heard this state of affairs. The Hellknights, he told her, have done a very good job keeping this information to their upper echelons. He tells her that residents of the Fort have noticed the Coopers' activities on behalf of the occupiers, and that they are earning a reputation as Hellknight lackeys. She replied not to worry, she and her brothers and sister were doing no one's bidding but their own. He told her he personally didn't care, he knew she was a good person, but this was a needle they needed to thread very carefully, otherwise they might get pricked.

Noah, meanwhile, enters Fort Inevitable and secures lodgings at the Juliver Arms, in the room across from Roscoe. He decides to spread the rumor that the Hellknights' bank was broken into and the money has disappeared. Noah tells Thom Braddon that hundreds of thousands of crowns have disappeared from the bank, and that there will be delays in making payroll. He further adds that several officers have questioned whether they would deposit money in the bank in the future. Quickly, this rumor reaches every corner of town, and many people present themselves at the bank to make withdrawals. The bank is able to meet all of its obligations, and the rumor is quelled. Unfortunately for the Coopers, the fact that they turned in a large amount of gold has enabled the Hellknights to meet their financial obligations, and it would take several large withdrawals from rich inhabitants to really shake the bank, something the Coopers are unable to engineer.

Later on in the afternoon, Darelle and Daryle wander the sewers, and discover that they look much the same. The Hellknights have fortified the main sewer leading past the citadel with a complex set of gates and heavy iron bars, but they have made no efforts to close the exit out by the field.

Daryle decides to head back home and explore the iron mine by entering through the well. The recent rains have filled up the well enough to make that path difficult to access. Daryle decides to not attempt the crawl and instead returns home.

Darelle concludes her day by buying two potions of invisibility before returning home for the night.


Nehn 19, 4711

In the morning, Daryle and Darelle head out to the Emerald Spire. Since they haven't discovered where the gold has gone, they decide to see if Greenhide was involved in the theft. The Spire has clearly suffered the full effect of the Helknights' assault during the green storm. The goblin defenses have been obliterated, the makeshift gates forced, and no signs of a goblin presence.

The sisters enter through the 3rd level access tunnel, hoping to gain access to the upper levels without being noticed. Unfortunately, they discover that all of the hallways on this level have been sealed. The Coopers can easily access the lower levels of the Spire, but they cannot climb up. Frustrated, they head back out again, and decide that they will attempt to sneak in through the secret passages on the ground level.

Coming out of the tunnel, they notice a large homemade flag flying from one of the Spire's tower. That flag was not there before they went down the tunnel. Upon closer inspection, the flag displays a crude obscene rendering and both sisters look at each other. Gerald is at it again.

Indeed. While the sisters were down on the 3rd level, Gerald, who had followed them, had decided to plant his flag as a juvenile prank. Unfortunately for him, he was challenged by two goblins after he had placed the flag, and following a short battle in which he was attacked both by a swarm of wasps, slipped on the icy ground and fell thirty feet, he quickly found himself unconscious and once again an unwilling guest of Greenhide.

Darelle and Daryle explored the area near the flag, and discovered several incinerated wasps, signs of a struggle, and marks where a body had fallen before goblins picked it up and dragged it inside. Once again, it is up to them to save Gerald from himself.

The Coopers breach the secret doors, and discover that the ground level has been badly damaged by the Hellknights. The goblins have tried to put it back together, but it lacks some of the fineries that were present there before. They encounter several groups of goblins, and successfully dispatch all of them. But as more and more goblins seem to be joining the fight, the sisters decide it is time to accomplish a strategic retreat lest they suffer Gerald's fate. They return to Fort Inevitable.

When Gerald awakens from his enforced nap, he finds himself shackled to a chair at the head of a long table. At the other end he sees Greenhide, who welcomes him back to the land of the conscious, if only for a short moment. The goblin chief then offers him a bowl of turtle soup...

Friday, November 6, 2015

The Treasury of Mosswater

Nehn 1, 4711

Noah Harve is a wandering rogue traveling through the River Kingdoms. After spending some time south, he decides to head towards Numeria. Having bypassed Fort Inevitable due to its unwelcoming reputation among rogues, he is forced to seek shelter when a storm comes through. He hides in what looks like an abandoned manor. After settling in, he falls asleep. In the morning, after a restless night, he hears the sounds of people outside.

Gerald, Daryle and Darelle arrive at Shadowborn Manor, having just returned from their first visit to Mosswater. Daryle discovers a set of humanoid tracks on her property, and decides to investigate. The tracks lead around the house, but do not seem to enter it. A cursory look reveals nothing is missing inside the Manor. Tired from the trek from Mosswater, Gerald heads to the kitchen and cooks an aromatic and mouth-watering breakfast.

With everyone inside, Noah steps outside the building through a window and leaves the property. He comes back to the front door and knocks. In the kitchen, Daryle is the only one who hears the knock at the front door, and she sends Gerald to answer it. In front of him stands a vagrant, smelling in need of a bath and haggard-looking. The vagrant introduces himself as Noah Harve, a passing traveler, and requests shelter for the day. Gerald finds Noah rather presumptuous and truculent. Noah is introduced to Daryle and Darelle in the kitchen, and he immediately recognizes them as the wanted triplets from Razmir. A price has been placed on their head: 10,000 crowns if all three are brought back alive, or 1,000 crowns for each head returned to the living god.

Daryle finds Noah shifty, but after some back and forth Noah and the Coopers agree on a contract. Noah will work for the Coopers in exchange for room and board. He will keep all monies he discovers up to 5 crowns, and this applies per find. In the conversation with his sisters, Gerald tells them that his plan is to gather enough evidence that if they must they can pin the theft of the Hellknights' gold on Noah.

With this business finally completed, the Coopers repackage provisions and head out. Their first task will be to secure a wagon. Daryle heads to the goblin mine near her property to get her hands on a wagon, but the Hellknights have already secured the facility and the guards on duty do not allow them to ener the mine. The Coopers must find another wagon. They finally settle on borrowing one from Alina Merlon, their aunt.She lends them an old farm wagon, and she lets them borrow her oldest horse, fondly named Poor Old Horse. Darelle has taken care of it over the last year, and it is pleased to see her. The Coopers hit the road again.


Nehn 2, 4711



The Coopers and Noah arrive in Mosswater early in the morning, after spending the night a few miles away from the center of the dead city. Nothing has changed in the last two days, and their hideout appears secure. They leave the wagon outside, but Darelle brings Poor Old Horse inside the restaurant to keep him protected. They then begin transporting crates of jugs filled with dye to the wagon. Over the course of the morning and early afternoon they manage to remove 40 cases of 6 jugs of dye and load up the wagon. But then Noah notices a brigantine ship quickly sailing up river. The ship sports a triangular flag, with a field of blood red, and a cat in the middle having clawed a bird. Noah runs inside and tells the Cooper. Darelle immediately recognizes the description Baron Katkil's flag.

The Coopers come out to prepare for attack, but they notice that the ghostly ship has already docked. Four specters rush up the road and attack. The battle lasts a while, but eventually the Coopers emerge victorious. During the battle Noah escapes with the wagon, but Daryle catches up to him. He had stopped two streets away to wait for the battle's end. Daryle still remains suspicious of this vagrant.

With a full load and enough adventure for the day, the Coopers return to Fort Inevitable where they arrive early the following morning. They turn in their cargo of dye to the Hellknights and receive a receipt from Maralictor Wirt for the cargo's value of 10,000 crowns.

Over the course of the next four days the Coopers empty out the basement of the restaurant and turn in a total of 30,000 crowns' worth.


Nehn 6, 4711

Once again the Coopers head back to Mosswater, this time without the wagon. The focus of this trip is to once and for all locate the mythical town treasury. They plan on searching every building until it is discovered.

They head out late at night, and they make good time, so much so that they arrive on the outskirts of Mosswater before the arrival of dawn. That's when they notice that the light of the lighthouse is on, with a lovely golden hue. The beam rotates every thirty seconds. Even at a distance, they can also hear the roaming sounds of creatures haunting the streets of the dead city. The Coopers decide to wait until the first light of days.

An hour after sunrise, the Coopers head straight to the lighthouse. It appears there was an attempt in the recent past to barricade the building, but it failed as the gates have been breached. Inside bones are scattered, but the presence of adventuring gear indicate that a party was here recently. Noah discovers a face mask, while Daryle finds a warrant, issued by Razmir, for the Riverbottom's arrest dead or alive. These must be the remains of the Living God's soldiers. The presence of these soldiers, seen only a few days ago heading to the lighthouse, seems to be a strong indication that they believed the treasure is in this building.

Among the bones Noah finds a strange rapier. Well balanced and exquisitely crafted, this weapon is also marked with Razmir's seal. Noah decides to keep it. The Coopers search the lighthouse. Darelle ascends to the top, and finds the light source. It is a strange crystal, about four feet in diameter and five feet tall, sitting on top of a stone pedestal. Darelle examines the crystal, and she discovers a hairline crack. She wedges her dagger in, and tries to pull it open. Unfortunately, she is unable to exercise enough force to move the two halves apart. When Daryle arrives she begins helping her sister, and together they are able to move each half away enough so that an arm can fit inside.

The golden hue is more pronounced on the inner part of the crystal. It is solid, but warm to the touch. The inner crystal is of a different material than the outer crystal. As night begins to fall, the inner crystal lights up, but the light is more diffuse than yesterday. Working together, the Coopers manage to put the two halves of the outer crystal back together.

Everyone then treks back to their shelter at the restaurant. During the night, they hear the cries and shambles outside of the monsters haunting the dead city.


Nehn 7, 4711

The Coopers come up with a plan. Over the next three days, they build a better barricade, retreating each night back to their shelter, and making sure that an access point remains open for the monsters to enter the lighthouse.

Nehn 10, 4711

On the third day, they close the doors and lay down large beams. They should be well protected tonight. When the light comes on, the Coopers can see the strange monsters outside moving in groups of two or three. They are hideous-looking, with large heads sporting no eyes but large noses. Each monster has four arms and four legs, and moves crouched low to the ground, grabbing and gnawing on bones with many sets of sharp teeth as they move about. The monsters come and examine the barricade, but do not push their way in.

Darelle and Daryle are once again at the top of the lighthouse. The crystal shines golden, and Darelle observes small sparkles inside that look eerily like coins. They pry open the outer crystal, and Darelle carefully moves her hand forward. Instead of hitting the inner crystal, her hand goes through, and she touches a few coins. She pulls them out. The gold crowns have a variety of faces and dates, but none of them are more recent than 100 years ago. The Coopers have discovered the treasury of Mosswater.


Nehn 11, 4711

In the morning, the Coopers head back to Shadowborn Manor with about 20,000 crowns. Over the rest of the month the Coopers manage to haul away 324,233 crowns from the Mosswater lighthouse. Most of it is buried around Daryle's property, but the Coopers submit 124,233 crowns to Maralictor Wirt. As a reward the Coopers are awarded 12,250 crowns and receive the written thanks from Lady Commander Drovust.