Pursuing Lost Treasure/Summoned North (Pin Feathers record)

CHRONICLE: PIN FEATHERS

NOTE: As part of the original Blackwell Reunion/Green Sisters Attack, The treasure horde, if it is one of the DESIRES of the PCs from the Whisperer of Secrets, is on Dormu’s Peak in Scar Flow. The DESIRE, if survived, will provide a vision to lead the PCs to the hoard valued at 1000sc x the desire depth (lost HP).

Starting Characters: Arabus (Asaui); Earl (Atreus); Alanna (Ulrich); Ben (Asil); Corey (Krespar); Rocky (Danoir)

Date @ Start Common Year 10-13-9168

The Long Rest: The party, after facing two Green Hags and putting down the last threat to the Baron, takes a rest. They are welcome in the keep, and manage to regain their wits and health with the assistance of good food, a soft bed, and the baron’s apothecary. Daily, Feather gathers the group and admonishes them for not keeping her apprised of their whereabouts and engaging in dangerous risks without her approval. All sorts of rumors are now circulating, good and bad. Some message must be sent (1sc cost negotiated through the town watch since they are friends with Ulrich) to update Feather on whereabouts and plans!

• A new Soul Scourge effect: DETECT POISON AND DISEASE no longer functions for any by Druids.
• Tal Beckam from Diamond’s Curio Shop was sent away on a mission to gather/purchase components by Apprentice Ilma Volington (Apprentice Arcane to the Order of House Malor). No one faults her, she was subordinate, and it seems was meant to be away!? House Malor, other than the local ‘affiliated’ representative… has abandoned the barony. Herlad Sir Verel Blackdown cannot find siress Volington.
• Anders Marshall, Penny’s older brother, has been wounded (cannot use his left arm well – this means he cannot do some of the ferry work!). He was waiting to deliver financial reports (of the Ferry Crossing – for taxes) to the Barons scribe.
• Despite trying to save him, Jiles Kaer, a herald’s assistant to one of the High King’s Heralds’ and a member of the World Watchers dies. He was headed to the Southern Merchant Cities is all that is known. His sealed message and amulet are turned over to Sir Verel Blackdown.
• The knowledge of the “secret library” is shared by Ulrich. Trying to explore stealthily, finding the library entrance with suits of armor and 2 guards always present on rotation.
• Word arrives via Tal that senior Magister Answar of House Malor will send Dalcia Malor (of Grath-Malor bloodline!) to take over in Crestwold. This is whats known as “getting noticed”.

Common Year 10-20-9168 REPUTATION = +1 (saving the baron)

Shit Rolls Down Hill

Feather Explains: Aruna Grath-Malor (the lich!) was her Aunt. She will NOT have any fondness for Feather as Feather’s mother Geri engineered the killing of her aunt (admittedly, she had succumbed to Lichdom in her hate, after contemplating murder of an innocent and being pushed over a cliff by Farold Oshman). Things are not going to go well. Everyone needs to get the fuck out of dodge and let things calm down. Dalcia is a powerful wizard, Feather says that her presence should protect the baron for the mean time, while she figures out what to do.

The Baron is demanding now (through his herald) that the group PERMANENTLY STAY in the keep to protect his family. You can tell she takes it out on you, after the herald has taken it out on her.

Common Year 10-21-9168 Planning the Mission: The group is allowed to leave as a “training exercise” (Feather arranges this ‘leave’). During this time, the Sir Verel Blackdown meets with them in the morning and he agrees to help arrange for a crew and supplies for 1% of the treasure hall they speak of. He has been convinced by Feather that they draw more trouble and its better t get them away right now than forcibly make them stay for the baron – its a gamble Sir Vereal and Feather are taking together. If the Baron finds out, he may execute them both… but they are hoping in his addled state it wont come to him. They meet with navy personnel Sir Verel puts them in touch with. These agree to crew and supply for 2% of the total take – they do no fighting! Consider the gear “rented” – a deposit is paid in case it gets trashed.

Feather gets the group out “on exercise” again. She is up at dawn and the morning tide. She is hassled by the gate guards who are not supposed to let them leave. Feather has to order the guards, “as the duly appointed champion of the baron” to let them pass. Once this is arranged, she takes the Satchel of Mogg for safekeeping – this aint an approved mission of the Pin Feathers. The harbor is high and the tide is going out when the boat sets sail. As they are entering the river flow, a voice is shouting for them on the docks, demanding they return. It is Dalcia Grath-Malor. They ply the waters and fake a breakdown of communication – though its obvious to someone like Dalcia.

Common Year 10-22-9168 REPUTATION = -1 (leaving the baron)

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Slow and Lazy Along the Black Shore

Your visions are drawing you, following the crude sense of Ulrich at the bow, but not showing you the safest path. As you parallel the Black Shore, and then are drawn out into the gap, warm fog coalesces off the surface of the water, often obscuring things (but Ulrich still has his sense). You have to go at a snails pace with the forces working against you and fear of grounding. The rotting vegetation of Dwindor fills your nostrils and you get uncomfortable… you swear you hear whispers in your ears – which you know by now to ignore. You find yourself contemplating sailing into the treacherous waters of Scar Flow. Possibly to the myth shrouded Dormu’s Peak – pursuing your vision of a fabled treasure hoard.

The tides are moving swiftly, and the flows have a strong push, causing you to be pushed in multiple directions. The crew gets exhausted quickly once the nearness of the Black Shore is lost (only local barges can stay a safe close distance to the shore) having to combat the constant shifts in direction from current and wind. Scar Flow is very foreboding, and as you sail under duress with the crew constantly shouting to each other you know why its avoided like it was cursed.

Common Year 10-23-9168

Elancil’s Frustration:

The Witch of Dwindor’s Anger:

The Ferryman of Dwindor

A Peak in the Distance

The flash sometimes of something on the side of its peak.

A clear harbor:

Hoarwind Summoning

The distant horns of the Frost Giant colossi carry their call to arms across the land for all giants and colossi of Helca – the Blue Wall is in trouble. All the way to the storm giant peak where the PCs are at. A funnel like cyclone pursues their boat and grabs them like a giants hand off the deck and careening and spinning into the cold air. Spun endlessly like a rag doll, the PCs are carried north – though Krespar manages to save his bonded companion.

The PCs are dumped into a freezing cold tunnel in a glacier. There is a battle between one of the legendary frost giants of the north and an undead ice lizard. There was obviously a greater battle before the group arrived. The giant they manage to save, though they are drenched in his blood – forever imparting a weak resistance against cold. He gives them his eyes and axe, and a way of defeating the enemies he knows they will face and asks them to travel back down the tunnel to the place where his foes are coming from. One eye must be placed where a fierce wind blows and it will wreck all about it, the other can summon the Hoarwind to return them – theye eye must be split with his axe. He then sacrifices himself to collapse the tunnel on the undead horde digging its way out from the wreckage ensued when the PCs arrived.

The PCs face two feral ghouls and travel far down a curving tunnel till they get to an area with one of the blue veins of the Blue Wall exposed. Some demonic totem is set to watch and thawing the the ice, exposing the vein with its fell magics. The PCs gather what information they can, but destroy the unholy object. Its very presence radiates sickness and evil. There is a flooding, but eventually the “wound” in the ice is filled and the PCs escape the flood into a passage before it all re-freezes behind them, trapping any undead that may have been trying to follow them.

The PCs are on the top of a 500′ raised bridge over a massive chamber. Below are various crystal gardens, enclosures, tnnels, rooms, passages, hot springs and a meandering flow of glacier water. After a few exploratory attempts the zorde of zombies and skeletons and ghouls that was waiting silently activates and attacks. They wear the ancient armor of Dundaria, the fallen north. They move faster than normal. These are minions or the Lich Lords! The group prays to their various gods, and Krespar reaches out to the spirit of the Blue Wall and the giant. The gods hear their prayers and accept their offering of Essence, the frost giants power awakens and is guided by divine will. A cyclone of ice, water, and debris pushes past them and tears into the horde just as it is about to crash into them. Most are torn apart.

Heat is turned on – not sure from where. Group explores, some animations are breaking loose. There is a perfect square passage leading up, that goes a .5km and keeps going – and its getting colder in that direction. They find a secret room behind a tepid falls beyond the hot springs and smaller crystal garden. Rings of Ur-Dacateon are found, pictorials showing there are three, and a place to set them in the secret room and the sigil on the pathway. They are attacked by a wight that was once a soldier of Dundaria, holds the reigns of a ghoul “miner” that was once an ogre. The miner attacks the PCs and Asil calls upon his god to wield the frost giant axe. The feral ogre ghoul was raising his massive pick and was struck full in the chest, splitting him open as Asil lights up the cavern with celestial light and flies momentarily into the air, guiding the massive axe blade and dropping the ghoul and axe all at once. The wight handler somehow controls himself, drops to a knee, draws his blade and lays it across his knee in defeat.

It seems it is called Skeldenthian, Skeld for short. He was a loyal bondsman to a powerful northern wizard who trespassed and used one of Rastillions Diabolique. Not so far gone, the wizard accepted his potential taint and weakness, and nobly self sacrificed. His three most loyal bondsmen when with him into the afterlife, bound to protect to the book from the living for a thousand years. Another wizard – Bittermaw – disturbed their slumber, tricked their spirits, and they now follow him to ensure the “living” do not get access to the book (though Bittermaw is not living – he gets guardians for free). The guardian suggests you kill Bittermaw if you can. He suggests too that you see something down the ‘exit passage’ – he cannot articulate. He tells you his body was “grown” in the ‘Fields of Blood’ for his spirit to inhabit, and he was given his armaments by Bittermaw, who took them from his own barrow where his spirit once rested in guardianship.

A Final Plea from Atreus

[ATREUS] Atreus places his hand on Asil shoulder at the same time he cast guidance, he than asked Asil to translate for him. Atreus’s eyes light up with a white glow as he ‘sees’ into the soul of wight and knows his name and his truth. “Skeld, Noble guardian of the tome of power: I ask you to wait a moment so I make ask one more question. If we swear to return the book to your guardianship without reading the contents will you use your strength of mind to reframing from helping Bittermaw in this coming fight or if you find the strength to add us in the fight?”

Atreus knows he speaks truth, and knows that he truly is a victim caught up in all this. Skeld does not comprehend half of what he has seen or done, only that he was once a holy spirit, one of The Risen, bound in honor to a charge of guardianship. The light from Atreus burns away the tarnish of the armor the wight wears – you can see the ancient scale mail underneath. Its markings become clear now – ancient armor of a time of the early confederacy – one of the Ages of Dominion thousands of years ago. You can feel the wights anguish. His pain causes his face to twist into impossible shapes. He screams like the damned, causing you all to go for your weapons, but pounds his own chest with his cold dead hand until he can control himself again. “The book is with him! Yes! Once you have dispatched him, i will safely take my charge and return to fulfill my sleep of guardianship. Only 4 cycles must pass before my watch is ended anyway. I agree to this, I will stay cleaved to this floor of stone until i sense a living being’s presence near the book – then I will come for it!” He begins to hunker over, growing smaller and curling onto himself, hugging himself with all his will to ball himself up. “I can wait until my charge is over if need be, only the call of the living will stir me. For you, if you must rest to regain your strength, you must not let Bittermaw regain his. Seek out the hall of war from wence i came, there is the chattel. Deprive him of sacrifices to regain his strength. Don’t use weapons that will give away your presence with their marks. Do not let a full week’s cycle passssss….” And with this, he becomes a tightly wound spring, compressed into a ball. His weapon is still drawn, and he curled around it. The armor surprisingly supple for its ancientness and the cold.

Skeld’s Armaments: His blade is purposefully disfigured, notched almost serrated now. It faintly radiates wisps of something like black smoke that dissipate almost instantly. The armor is beat up + one bracer and helmet are missing – broken defending Bittermaw.

You move away from the balled figure, out of casual hearing distance. Blowing on the crystal garden edges and pinging them lightly, you make enough noise to prevent anyone from hearing you, but not loud enough to drown each other out and contemplate your next step. As you finish your conversation, in the momentary silence that follows, it is just enough of a window to prevent you from being surprised as 4 ‘wounded’ animations scramble over a rise and come at you silently…

MEANWHILE… Dalcia Confronts Feather

Dalcia Grath-Malor, scion of House Malor, imprisons Feather for two days. During this time, it becomes common knowledge some of the navy have absconded with supplies and are ‘mercenarying’ on the Sea Slug. Shit hits the fan. Feather refuses to give up the heralds role, and once Dalcia believes there is no connection to Apprentice Ilma Volington vanishing, Feather is released and Dalcia sets out tracing the apprentice of the order’s steps. She is interviewing everyone you do not want to be interviewed, and takes Tal Beckam with her EVERYWHERE. She is relentless and will not take no for an answer. Everyone becomes aware that she is a Scion of the order – of great power and importance to Ezrilus and the order’s connection to the goddess of magic. Lighbringers and Green Church alike are made to bow to her. This causes a lot of animosity. All criminal activity stops while she is initially making her rounds for days – theres a lot of ill will heaped on Feather and her companions, and the Baron’s Herald. Proof or not, theres is a lot of suspicion that somehow they are involved and its disruptive to nearly every aspect of life in Torrelson’s Ford while the scion is on the hunt.

• Anders Marshall, Penny’s older brother will have a limp but no other wounds

Feather will try and get close to Dalcia, offering her services; Dalcia will know this but attempt to subvert her to get more information than Feather is willing to divulge. The pace and intensity of the dance between them drives others away

Krespar will have a vision of his dog menacing crew to keep them in the area as he watches the sun cross the sky

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Characters at Ending of Record: Arabus (Asaui); Earl (Atreus); Alanna (Ulrich); Ben (Asil); Corey (Krespar); Rocky (Danoir), Lucas (Skevf)

Date @ End Common Year 10-14-9168

Getting Back to Torrelsons Ford

• Time elapsed: 4+12+5 = 21 days
• 100 silvers for another main anchor
• 1000 silvers for repairs on the ship
• Danoir: -1hp permanent damage
• 25 silver crowns: new thieves tools for Danoir
• 14 goblin ears for silver
• 10×4=40 silvers: Writing kits to complete a Gladnorian translation of Bittermaw’s journals.
• 3×50 silvers bottles of wine

Issue: What to do with the artifacts: fingernail of Lich Lord, Cauldron, Standard

DANGER: In their current format, they would attract attention. The evil fingernail which would normally be a beacon to the Lich Lords and power seekers is masked by the evil of the cauldron while its in it. You sailed into the harbor with a cauldron embedded in the boat (though covered by sail tarp) – there is a lot of gossip. If you attune them (you would have to tear off a fingernail of your own), they will attract attention, THOUGH THE SOUL MASK OF THE CHAIN MASTERS MAY HIDE YOU. Research on this would be required.

Cauldron of Blood: Used to summon and contain a spirit of blood, to teach knowledge and occult powers (requires sentient life blood sacrifice = this part is evil and the blood has soaked into the iron and tainted it). Bittermaw used it to summon a spirit or spirits that could teach him the Ritual of Transference of Life from a Great Static Entity (the Blue Wall) – a very specific, non reusable ritual. The ritual is incomplete in Bittermaw’s notes – he was completing sections of it as he went with fresh sacrifices. The spirit summoned by Bittermaw was evil and powerful, though it had already had sacrifice and could have been suborned to grant some minor knowledge (worth what the next step in ritual of bittermaw’s was worth) without much extra blood being shed.

1. Druids (oriented towards the triumph of nature and minimizing of civilization): They will likely dispose of them, perhaps even use them to strike at the Lich Lords
   
   Likely reward: bond with land, items, good will
2. Elders of The Saelish (oriented towards the pursuit of knowledge and empowerment): They will likely study them, not destroy them
   
   Likely reward: items of power
3. The Lightbringers (oriented towards order and triumph over the dark gods) or Green Church (oriented toward personal freedoms and preservation of nature in balance with limiting civilization): These are the standard hierarchy of their respective faiths.They will likely offer them up in sacrifice
   
   Likely reward: good will, healing, blessings, minor items, line of credit
4. Keep them and attune them, take their power for yourself, the fingernail obviously replaces one of your, cauldron needs blood and ritual, standard needs a flag and trappings

The group debates for a while. At one point, Krepar and his hound go for a walk. There are the leftovers of the feast (Atreus takes 3 bottles of good wine).

Krespar Follows Feather

Whatever conversation you are in with the others, you will have to leave it. Do you excuse yourself with a pretense (gotta go potty, walk the dog, or something) or actually tell them its a concern and go. Id say its too late, you dont know where she went… but you got a super sniffer with you who knows her scent.

> I’ve already said my piece in the conversations with the others. And Krespar’s stance has always been that Ulrich calls the shots. I would excuse myself saying I want some fresh clean air, and leave. I’d like to see if I can find Feather. Is feather the batshit crazy one or is that one of the other benefactor peoples we have? I definitely feel like she needs to know the full story of what she got beat for.

> Feather has that reputation of crazy – seems like a cover though, not your experience.

Hope it’s a cover, LOL. Cuz she took a beating for us, and Krespar feels he has a debt to her.

> She used to be flighty and chaotic. Since being betrayed and almost dying, shes more focused now and probably more lethal. Like her mother was.

You look at your dog, and pick up a pigeon feather from the courtyard. You hold it up, making the sign for human and feather and locking her face in your mind. The dog blinks knowingly and silently begins to go to work. He leads you out of the courtyard and onto the hill, heading east probably to go through the high class quarter, and through the old tournament fields and catch the east road out of town parallelling the river past the ferry crossing. She does not appear to be moving other than on foot and at a normal pace. Your dog is a good tracker, and you have no problem taking a shortcut through the two cemeteries on the hillside to catch up to her. Ahead you can see her following the muddy path out of an old event field to the main road below. You take another shortcut straight down the hillside, your ranger’s sure footing easily getting in front of her to a small copse of trees just beyond the old ruins of the gatehouse on the road. Sestra sits on the side of the road and whines to get her attention. She slows, recognizing her. Silently and stealthily you motion for her, peeling back branches for her to step through and letting them go to hide you two crouched down (it just looked like she went to pee from the road).

> You tell her about the items found and what you know about them. She says she almost wishes you hadn’t told her.

Its a solid bet everyone involved at a certain level is at the boat right now, interrogating the crew. It may be your boat, but the men are the Duke’s naval soldiers. She says that she is meeting a representative from The Companion Library at the ferry crossing. They are a walking encyclopedia of knowledge of everything in the annals of The Gallants, and in the local region. This knowledge-keeper may have a better understanding of these things than her, but they are here for a different reason. She says that you have to get the items out of the town fast. She does not want to know how or what, but that she trusts your team to make a good decision. If anything happens, she cannot be interrogated. You should use the ring to send a messenger to the group and have them meet back at the ship ASAP and do what you are going to do. She takes out a hidden money belt and tells you theres about 2000 silver crowns of gold coins in it and do whatever you need to with it – pay her back when you see her next. She wont say where she is off to – its best if neither of you know what the other’s next move is… but she asks you to trust her like she trusts you.

Danoir Follows Feather

you would have to catch Feather as she leaves town soon if that is what the party chooses
are you saying instead of going back with the group, you are leaving to find her?
well, i mean she has like a 15 minute head start. You would assume shes returning to the villa, so if you wanted to you could go in that direction at double time and hope to run into her.
Sacrifice cover for speed. Ok, so not shouting out the moment you see her… Get closer from behind and try and contact her with Message cantrip

You mosey over to the fireplace in the hall where discussions are being held. Everyone assumes you are in the dim shadows of the corner where the fire is dying. At one point, using the feasting as cover, you slip out over the balcony and down into the courtyard. The sun is setting and the keep’s walls provide more shadowy cover. The sun is really going down as you get to the open event field on a plain halfway down the hill traveling southeast – towards the eastern road that leads to the villa where you assume she will be going. You can see her going east below. She’s going slow in the mud.

you move down the trail, slowing as you draw near. She vanishes for a moment, and you flatten yourself in the shadows of the setting sun. She comes out from behind a bush, hitching her belt up like she just peed. She was probably seeing if she was being followed. You pick up trailing her after giving her a little distance to calm down. Then as you pass near the gatehouse ruins you send her a message. It’s in your voice.

She’s a cold one, like her mother. Unfazed, she keeps walking. In a voice you recognize she says to meet her at the ferry crossing. “The sun will be down by then. Pretend to stay in the city and not follow me directly.” The ferry is a half mile down the road, plenty of trees to hide the two of you

Danir follows the instructions

When you get there, there’s a full ferry crew around the camp house with a fire going. A few travelers are camped at the edge of the light, farthest away is her. It’s drizzling slightly and she’s making a field camp. You use the cantrip to avoid anyone hearing as you pull some branches up to make an overhang. You tell her about the items. She says she almost wishes you had not. She’s not got a plan but she says you can bet others from that meeting are interrogating the boat crew right now. She doesn’t want to know what you’re going to do with them but she appreciates the knowledge. She’s not going to tell you where she’s going. She doesn’t want to know where you’re going. That way. Neither one of you guys can say where the other one went. All she says is that she trusts your group to make a decision. That if you bring anything to the villa it has to be deposited in the cage in the basement. But she’s not sure that that’s the best solution either. Because everybody knows by now that there’s a locked room in the basement.

Before I leave Feathers company I’d like to ask her what she knows of the ur-ducateon, or where to find information.

Feather knows nothing of the Ur-Ducateon. What you describe is not something anyone in general, knew even existed. The only resource she can suggest is the CompanionLibrary in Braddon Bog. She thanks you, wishes you the best, and says that if you and yours choose to keep working with her, she would do her best – but she herself is on the outside now of things, and she is sure the villa will be watched. After she vanishes and heads east back to the villa (you assume) what do you do?

Wait until the next morning, since I’m already at a camp? Then check in with my peoples see if any news from madam what’s her face or the other guy is ready for me. Oh, and it’s life to clean up a little before. Cause I know I’ve probably gotta stink. To my knowledge is been a minute since we were able to bathe

well, you are beaten up, but same clothing styles and you speak the words of greeting that is tradition. you can wash yourself in the river, but the majority of the city, including baths, is closed till dawn.

a pair of riders pass the crossing without checking in. theres some shouting, but not much else. Normally they would be required to identify themselves

> Are they companions of mine? Or is it to dark = too dark

In the morning there’s a couple of officials that are taking the names of everybody going east but not west. So you head west back to town unimpeded

Coming back to town although there is no gate. There is the main road and on that main road there seems to be a group of people monitoring everybody going in and out of town. If you want to avoid them you can either go south through the open fields or north and climb the hill around them back up towards the keep and come back down on town on the other side

Climbing around them is probably the least watched way. But it’s also the longest. Going south and around through open fields is wet. Muddy and while there’s lots of cover, you’d be slogging through a lot of s***** ground that is possible also being watched
Climb up

There’s a bit of fog and cover going up the hillside. Plus you’ll be going past the two old cemeteries where there’s rarely anybody, especially in these weird times. It will take you a while to move on the low road to drop you back into town. You’ll be moving from scrub to scrub building the building shadow to shadow. At least I assume you don’t want to be seen. You’re not really sure where your friends are at this point. But you have a destination of your people and their enclave at cats cross.

Right now you’re disheveled appearance actually helped you with cover. The few moments that you have to cross in the light. No one really recognizes you

It’s about 10:00 a.m. by the time you move back through the town and go south to cats cross. There’s very little activity. You find yourself still having to move from shadow to shadow as a loan walker seems to be sticking out in this strange time. Because there are no crowds. It’s easy to see that there is a small crowd of people. A cat’s cross seemingly hassling the troop of Elon that are there. A raid seems to have taken place. There are the baron soldiers going through the homes and wagons and carts of the Elon folk. Looking for, as best as you understand. It, stolen goods and ill gotten gains. It’s a pure shake down. You watch from a distance for about a half an hour as it just gets worse. Kids are crying complaints and insults are being hurled back and forth and it borders on the edge of violence.

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