Saturday, February 25, 2017

Seeing the forest for the trees

Gozran 28, 4712

The sisters are summoned to the Citadel early in the morning to meet with their brother Roscoe, commander of Fort Inevitable. Roscoe informs Darelle and Daryle that the halfling population of Dimsdale has risen up against their Hellknight protectors and are preventing any more felling of timber as required in his order of Calistril 28, 4712. Furthermore, they are holding seven Hellknights hostage. Roscoe wants them to head to Dimsdale to settle this dispute with the haflings, but there is neither money to be offered nor flexibility on the amount of wood that needs to be collected. The Hellknights originally estimated that over three million board feet were needed to renovate the town, and currently about 75% of the destroyed part of town has been rebuilt. Roscoe tells the sisters that the most recent estimates from Thorne indicate that another 750,000 board feet of wood is needed to complete the repairs.

Darelle uses her tree token and sends a messenger bird to notify Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, that they are on their way. Daryle suggests that her sister talk to Mother Holworth about any known way to speed growth of trees. Mother Holworth reports that many decades ago, there was a fey named Eithne. She has met her several times as a small child in the small woods surrounding the pond in the back of the farm. She remembers her being very tall, with long hair stretching down to her feet. She once gave her a pouch of magic seeds. When planted, these seeds immediately grew to their adult size and bore fruit, which retained some of the magic. Over the course of a few years, Mother Holworth's garden grew so fertile and rich that it became the envy of the neighbors. She doesn't know of a way to attract Eithne, and she seems to simply appear and disappear without making a sound or leaving tracks. She also hasn't seen her in many decades.

On the way to Dimsdale, Darelle plays her golden flute in the hopes of attracting fey folks, but either there are none around at the moment or they do not wish to be contacted. She then decides to gathers some fresh healing herbs.

The sisters arrive in Dimsdale midday. A camp of roughly one hundred Hellknights has been erected a mile down the road from Dimsdale, out in the plain. The landscape around is entirely barren. They have cut down everything around the western portion of the village. Dimsdale itself is now protected by a stout stockade fence. Maralictor Gregg is the Hellknight officer in charge of the camp. Darelle introduces herself to the commander and presents her commission. Gregg explains that his orders have been to cut down all of the trees. He reports that the inhabitants of Dimsdale resisted the cuts when it got too close to the village, and there were several incidents that forced the Hellknights to destroy some homesteads. A week ago the halflings stole wood overnight and built a stockade around the village, capturing seven Hellknight soldiers in the process. These soldiers are now being held hostag within the village.

Daryle points out to Gregg, who is not from this area, that most of the mead drunk in Fort Inevitable comes from Dimsdale. More selective cutting would preserve the environment and allow for the necessary shade to protect the plants and flowers that the bees use to produce honey. Gregg admits that he did not know the village derives much of its wealth from alcohol, but he has his orders to enforce. Daryle tells Gregg that the sisters will head into the village and negotiate directly with the Mayer. Perhaps there is a simple way to resolve this issue.

The sisters then move to the village itself. They are refused access at first, but when they introduce themselves they are welcomed with open arms. Dunleaf Appletop is thrilled to see them. He tells them he got their message, and inquires if they have come to help them against the Hellknights. He informs them that he has sent several messages in the last two weeks requesting their assistance, but the sisters never received any of them.

Back at his house, Dunleaf Appletop tells the Coopers that Hellknights have cut trees near houses, and have demolished houses when the residents refused to allow the trees being cut on their properties. No one was killed, but a few people were hurt in the scuffle. He admits that they took the lumber to build the stockade, but only to protect themselves against a Hellknight assault. Appletop realizes that the village does not stand a chance against the large force outside the walls, but if they have to they will resist to the bitter end.


Daryle mentions that everyone has to pitch in to rebuild the damage Fort Inevitable suffered. Appletop replies that Shim Longbranch, local ranger and wood expert, has estimated that the Hellknights have already harvested over four million board feet in the last three months in this area alone, and that there are several other harvesting areas. Darelle sends her tree token to report the problem to Gerald so he can investigate where the wood has gone.

Darelle asks if there are any parts of the forest that are not protected by spirits. Appletop reports that a fey named Eithne, but the fey has not been seen in at least a year. Darelle and Daryle meet Shim, who tells them about the gnarled old man who has moved in to the forest across the river. He's left the path alone, but is protecting the forest with his wolverines. There has been fey folks all around the village, but with the clear cutting they have left, and without Eithne's protection it's not clear what the impact will be on the mead production in the fall.

The Coopers return to meet with Maralictor Gregg, and begin negotiations. They expected Gregg would not see reason, but he seems surprisingly malleable. Daryle examines a copy of the Maralictor's orders, and they do in fact specify clear-cutting all around the village. Gregg agrees that if the wood came from across the bridge, he would not have to cut the remaining trees on this side of the ravine. Darelle states that Appletop is opposed to that, due to the gnarled old man's presence and possible retribution against the village. Gregg replies that he must get the wood as ordered. Daryle asks him how the wood is transported. Gregg replies that every day the same team of oxens, carts, and teamsters arrive, load up the wood, and take it to Fort Inevitable. But according to Shim, most of it does not make it there. Gregg compares his notes with the quantities requested from the Fort and notices the glaring discrepancies. He agrees to escort the carts from now on to ensure their safe delivery. Daryle proposes a compromise. The sisters, Gregg, a couple of Hellknigths, and Appletop should cross the bridge and contact the gnarled old man, then negotiate the harvest of the best trees from the other side. Appletop agrees to this course of action, but only in exchange for the Hellknights leaving Dimsdale alone afterwards. Gregg agrees that if enough wood is harvested, the Hellknights will leave Dimsdale alone.

The party crosses across the river. Darelle yields "We seek to parley," but no one answers. The party gets off the road, and heads into the woods. After ten minutes, they still haven't encountered anyone. Darelle uses her ranger's abilities and talks to a squirrel. The squirrel tells her that the gnarled old man is nearby. They reach a clearing near the river, with a large group of rocks piled together. Eight large wolverines lay on the rocks, sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun. They seemed unfazed to see the Coopers.

Suddenly, an overpowering smell of rot drifts through the clearing, and the gnarled old man comes around the rocks. The wolverines warily eye him. He tells them that they shouldn't have gotten off the road, and that now the village will pay for their temerity. Darelle asks him why he's doing this, and he reveals that he enjoys chaos. It turns out that the old man has only been around a few months. When Daryle reveals that they need to harvest wood from this side, the old man attacks. Six Twigjacks appear and join the fight. The wolverines do not. The battle goes poorly at first, with all members of the party suffering grievous wounds, but eventually the gnarled old man retreats by transporting through plants, leaving his twigjacks behind to die.

Exploring the pile of rocks, Darelle finds a cave. In the cave is a giant about 10 feet tall encased in amber. She has very long hair and fine features. She fits the description Mother Holworth gave of Eithne. The Coopers free the fey from the amber after much effort. Eithne reveals she had been targeted by a spell about a year ago that encased her in this magical cage. Darelle asks Eithne if she has any seeds that would help the Hellknights meet their quota while keeping the village forested. She provides the ranger with enough oak seeds to grow the wood needed.

Darelle plants the trees, then the harvest resumes. As trees are felled, more are planted and immediately grow back. By the end of the day, the Hellknigths have harvested enough wood to meet their quota, while enough seeds remain to replenish the forest around Dimsdale. The Coopers successfully negotiated a settlement between the two groups, much to Maralictor Gregg and Mayor Appletop's appreciation.


Gozran 29, 4712

Having received the message from Darelle, Gerald investigates the lumber's disappearance. The one caravan the Cooper sisters  interacted with took the lumber to Fort Inevitable, but it was accompanied by a Hellknight patrol so there wouldn't have been the opportunity to divert the lumber.  were not able to extract any meaningful information from the teamsters.

Gerald tracks a disgruntled teamster whose tongue gets loose when fueled with free alcohol at the Juliver Arms. After a few drinks, that teamster reveals that large quantities of lumber  are being diverted to a water landing in the suburbs of the dead city of Mosswater. The wagons are unloaded there, then the caravan departs and returns to the harvesting site. When they return with another load a few days later the lumber has been removed. The teamster doesn't know who gets the lumber, and he and the rest of his team do not tarry in the area.

Further inquiries reveal that all caravans are now accompanied by Hellknight patrols, so all of the wood is now being delivered to Fort Inevitable.


Gozran 30, 4712

Despite Gerald's best efforts, he is unable to locate Eithne  in the area of Dimsdale. On his way back he reflects that his membership in the Hellknights might have been a distraction for the fey. However, in talking to Abernard, the old wizard identifies a spell that might be of use. Called Discern location, this spell can find any object or creature anywhere. Due to the difficulty of performing this spell, however, he indicates that it probably will cost 1,800 gold pieces to acquire a one-use scroll. He can arrange to secure such a scroll, which will take 2d8 days, or Gerald can trek up to Starfall, capital of Numeria, which will take you about four days to get there. Either way, getting a load of lumber to Mosswater at the same time should provide enough time to locate its eventual destination. Now, if only Hellknights were not supervising all caravans of lumber...

Friday, February 10, 2017

Playing Catch in the Pleasure Garden

Gozran 3, 4712

On his way out of Fort Inevitable to conduct business, Thorne receives a message from the gate guard. The note, from Roscoe, tells him that the Coopers and Omok headed out to the Emerald Spire yesterday to gain access to the 13th level. Forgetting his business, Thorne rouses Rowen out of bed and the two of them head to the Spire.

Reaching the 12th level, Thorne and Rowen spot Gerald by the control panel of the automaton factory. Gerald appears to be carefully documenting the function of each button. Rowen makes a noise and Gerald attempts to in the shadows. Thorne and Rowen decide to mock Gerald, and Thorne grabs the large parchment Gerald was working on. On it, in a childish hand, Gerald has noted the function on more than half of the symbols. To mess with Gerald, Thorne changes some of the symbols on the parchment. Rowen then grabs the paper and throws it behind him. In an award-winning theatrical performance, Thorne lays it thick by claiming to Rowen that Gerald has always been the best brother and that he would always be there for him. Gerald doesn't buy it and remains hidden. Rowen tires of this little game and pulls Gerald out of his hiding space.

Gerald tells his brother and Rowen that he's trying to figure out how the old Atlanz magic was engineered. He asks Thorne to push four buttons at random. Thorne does so, and then runs away. When nothing happens, Gerald gets closer to the console, only to be zapped. Having wasted enough time, Thorne and Rowen leave Gerald behind and ride the elevator down to the 13th level.

Coming to the room with the two statues, Thorne considers pulling the spikes that hold the double doors open, but decides against it. Inside the large cavern, Thorne goes to the theater and is met by the imp who leads the orchestra. In no time music from demons begin to play, and Thorne suddenly loses the will to live the music is so bad. In fact it is the worst he's ever heard. After twenty minutes Thorne manages to pull himself out of his chair and he drags his carcasse out of the theater, but not after being hit by a bolt of lightning.

Rowen, meanwhile, does not like the look of the alien plant life that fills the underground cave. He casts fly and travels through the cavern. He spots several tracks, and he decide to head to the bathhouse. Landing on the bridge, he knocks on the door. Omok grabs him and brings him in. Rowen has rejoined the party, and Roscoe fills him in on what happened.

Thorne also makes his way to the bathhouse, and knocks on the door. Another lively discussion takes place among the siblings as to whether they should open the door, and they eventually decide to let Rowen open the door. Puzzled by the three bathtubs and not knowing what the third tub does, Rowen dips his toes in the muddy tub. Nothing happens. However, he finds a figurine of wondrous power at the bottom of the tub.

The Coopers explore the rest of the cave on the south side of the river, and find nothing else of interest. They debate how to get across the river. Roscoe decide he will jump the river. The current is very strong and pulls him away quickly, but the Hellknight reaches the other bank and climbs out of the river. He is soon joined by Omok, who transported through the stone wall of the bathhouse. The two of them head down a pathway. They find the body of two dead drow fighters wearing mithril armor and equiped with rapiers. As Roscoe examines the bodies to make sure they are truly dead, Omok disturbs a hellwasp swarm and soon both are engaged in combat. The remaining Coopers on the other side take a few pot shots at the swarm, but when Roscoe notices the drow reanimating he decides he's had enough of both the swarm and the dead drow, so he grabs the first drow and throws it in the river.  

Daryle fishes it out when it passes by her, because she wants to get that armor. Unfortunately, she did not notice it had reanimated, so she is taken by surprise when it attacks her. The Coopers fight courageously and take numerous wounds before they are able to destroy both the swarm and the drow. Roscoe heals everyone, and Omok provides more healing to Rowen.

With everyone now across the river the Coopers enter the hallway and arrive in a museum. There are five pedestals, with objects placed on four of them. The first one features a sleeping yet purring cat. The second is a large dire shark tooth. The third is an oversize brain. The fourth pedestal is empty. The last pedestal features a helmet made of the shrunken head of a cyclop. Roscoe grabs the tooth and considers stabbing the brain, but the sight of the helmet attracts him. The paladin takes the helmet and notices its magical capabilities. He detects evil in the room, and only the brain registers as evil. Daryle and Darelle pet the cat, but it doesn't wake up. Omok dispels the magic that keeps the cat in suspended animation, and it immediately turns into an angry skeleton. Omok throws the cat at Thorne. The undead cat claws Thorne's left eye. Thorne throws the cat back at Omok, and this angry and violent exchange goes for a few minutes, much to the delight of the other Cooper siblings, before Roscoe puts an end to it. exchange the dead cat back and forth.

Darelle examines each pedestal, and discover that there is a small plaque written in Azlant under each. With much difficulty, the cat's is translated as "My very first familiar." The tooth is translated as "Never saw a sea creature so big." The third states "The brain of my enemy." The fourth and empty pedestal's plaque reads "The weapon of my youth." The final pedestal says "This helmet never saw me coming."

While the party is searching the artifact room, Rowen opens the door to the north and walks in the large cavern. At the end of the room he sees both a large undead sitting on a throne and armed with a big sword, as well as a beautiful woman who asks the wizard to come closer. He feels compelled to do so, and closes the door behind him. In no time the undead removes Rowen's soul and eats it. Rowen now feels listless and disconnected from life. Plus, he is under the thrall of the beautiful woman.

Roscoe decides to explore the rest of the cave full of plants. Walking by a large thicket of vines, he is attacked by what looks like a giant alien flytrap that manages to swallow him whole. Luckily, Darelle and Daryle hear the struggle and intervene. The combat with a moving plant is harrowing, but eventually they manage to rescue Roscoe and defeat the flytrap.

Meanwhile, Omok still considers what to do with the brain. He turns around for a moment, and when his gaze returns the brain is gone. Suddenly he is attacked from above and the brain manages to possess him. When the Coopers return, he fires a lightning bolt at the other members of the party. Combat ensures between Omok and the Coopers, and a well targeted hit by Roscoe forces the brain out. As Roscoe, Omok and Daryle fight the brain, Darelle opens the door where Rowen previously ventured and suffers the same fate.

With the brain defeated, the Coopers regroup and notice that there are only four of them left: Omok, Thorne, Roscoe and Daryle. It's clear to them that both Darelle and Rowen must have entered the room. Roscoe rushes in, and is confronted by a Devourer. In the battle that ensues, the party comes close to defeat but successfully manage to slay the guardian. The succubus, meanwhile, once agains teleports away, leaving Rowen and Darelle behind. The Devourer's chest glows with swirling patterns, and Omok identifies them as souls. Thorne carves the souls out, and all but two fly away in the nether. The two remaining souls begin floating above  Rowen and Darelle, respectively, and their condition does not seem to improve. They also spot a hovering platform that can take them down to the next level down.

Omok realizes that their bodies will need to be reunited with their souls, but only a powerful ritual in a temple will be able to manage such a feat. The Coopers decide to head back to Fort Inevitable.