If Ulrich had the Sea King breastplate = @Ulrich: Ulrich will not let anyone do anything but a head on assault. He will have to be restrained. He senses that there is great glory here, and that everyone must grab a physical weapon, rally round him, and make a showing the bards will sing of!
When frost giant glacier forms, Hetman, sovereign Kueta Tomir and feather strike a deal. He will assist against it in return for her support of his people settling in the area. He is only willing to commit a certain amount, but he will. He has 30 warriors. Light fighters but an incredible endurance and stealth. Traps – like they do for fish, eels, and stuff… Feather gathers them, a few mercenaries she hires, and marches out of Torrelson’s Ford to confront a group of giants that is attacking the old settlements to the NE of the city at Yaran’s Round.
Date @ Common Year 12-1-9168 Nov – The PCs are tracking the path of the “giants” as they seem to randomly explore and lay waste to the smaller settlements north of the river. The PCs cross with their boat and the crew and boat remain for easy gettaway. Many settlements are destroyed. The old mill is wiped out. There is a trap in the waterfall after the giants attacks the PCs in the mill at night – coming up the river. The PCs climb up to the ridge line and parallel it going east. They encounter the fortified road entrance to the path next to the ruined keep and tell the soldiers there what they found. A lookout area is fortified with “giants” the PCs attack and wipe out. There is a menacing foe that manages to retreat – they sense a greater power in them. They rest and climb down the ship type net the giants used and pursue the next day.
Date @ Common Year 12-2-9168 Nov – The PCs come across the silver mine camp at its base. Everyone is dead. There is a game of cat-and-mouse in the silver mine with its new owner, a wizard. Evidence is found that the wizard made a cold bargain with the servants of the lich lords. The wizard escapes.
The Wizard Escapes: The Cold Bargain was struck and so the owner of the mine gives up his wordly life for immortality and power. It is unknown where the wizard excaped to, but he sacrificed his workers and was a conjurer of some type. He summoned demons and other-worldly things and was capable to transporting himself place to place to escape them. It is assumed he will be back, though the PCs took all his notes and documents from the mine they found,.
After silvermine, 1 short rest in mining camp
4 hours, find the entrance
4pm @ ¼ mile day 6
Date @ Common Year 12-3-9168 Nov – A short rest in the remains of the mining camp. Then travel cliff base to find the lair. The PCs are attacked by the blood blight outside of the servants of the Lich Lords. They decide to try and investigate – though they were only required to find the lair.
Sorin Attacks the Party:
Atreus Reaches Out: Purposefully allowing the blood tendril to attack your psyche, you channel the divinity of Thoth and your awakened mind to isolate the attacking victims of the fortress for a clue. The memories are painful, as they are filled with death. A thousand screams fill your head, but you call upon the clear light of knowledge, and it all fades. You follow one scream, a scream that recedes and you trail it in your vision. It goes through the fog and chains of cold, and instead of going into the gash in the side of the cliff, it goes up the cliff to a spot almost 15m up, a ledge. On it are 2 giant figures, waiting to ambush you. It flows back through a concealed passage. Swiftly, so swift it is impossible to get your bearings, you follow it and are before a mirror. In the mirror a human is sacrificed horribly and painfully – the source of the scream. You know from this mirror comes the power that is manifesting here. Then it goes dark.
Anubis condemns Asil: “You knew and did not inform your companions. When all knew, you sought no answers. And now the mark has been placed upon another – faint though the corruption is, its is there. Your conscience is corrupt with it. You must answer and be purged. A deed is required. Until then, you will not find your smite is backed with my divine fury.”
Return up to cliff top and the travel along the ridge edge to the find the entrance to the Frostfang Satellite lair. They rest before this, having been severely hurt over time and that Brother Eulogy attacked Atreus when his vampire hunger was unleashed. The entire area is fraught with traps and dangers unseen. They find the mirror in Atreus’s visions and destroy it.
Accepting the danger and the deed of destroying the Frostfang fortress was enough to restore Asil to grace.
There were 25 of the frosty giants. In a group, they radiated cold. Our arrows and sling stones slowed down and dropped to the ground, covered in ice. It seemed they were led by an intelligent one. When that one was killed, another would take over. We killed 4 the first few days, but on the third day, they hid behind a wall of fog and sleet – a storm settled in the area. The volunteers were freezing – I did all I could to keep the fires burning and warmth flowing. They hit us at night, and the first route happened. We lost about 3 dozen that one night, as many as we had lost in total thus far. We rallied at a point in Yarans Round, and made our stand. The barricades slowed them down a bit and we fended them off for two days while they threw stones and came in groups, circling around us. Where they could, they tore apart buildings and animals. On the 5th night, they did not come in an organized fashion.It was as if the intelligence had gone from their planning. They came at us in a wave, first throwing a pair of stones, then the entire wave rushed us. Myself, Dalcia Grath-Malor from House Malor and the remaining minor priests of the Green Church hurled our magics, concentrating on one at a time while the priestess of light kept the area illuminated. We lost another 30, mostly volunteer refugees of Tarmysia, and the hired (by House Malor) War Wizard Altheyus of Kalascor (a merchant city in the north) but killed ten of them in a pitched battle throughout the night. When dawn rose, the remaining began to move back to the ring of fog. We decided that it was the best opportunity, before they regained the intelligence behind their attacks. All of us hit them with everything we had before they could get back inside. It cost us dearly – another dozen mixed soldiers and volunteers. None of us had anything mystical left to throw, all of us were fighting with whatever weapons we could find. About 8 were left and made it into the safety of their ring of cold. Only a dozen of us remained… and then nothing. That must have been when you took them out. In total, the deaths caused by them were over 125, plus whatever was in your area. Probably 250 total, plus livestock, plus destruction of property. It would have been in the thousands were it not for the Gallantine presence.
> PARTY REPUTATION +1
New! Herald’s Quarterly 9169, 1st Quarter!
Upon hearing about the Emperor’s Answer, You get the feeling the Harbormaster in Lilymarch meant your group to be the one that escorted her when he asked if you were interested in other jobs – it would have been prestigious.
Confirmed – The Baron’s Half Sister: Maryland Cerstwhile in the town of Krellian on Tiger Ridge – she is a warden there by title. She escorts pilgrims to the Red Bone Monastery and has a stable and group of guards – retired older watchmen mostly. She is known to not be interested in politics, a bit rough around the edges, and seeking to eventually retire as deputy/warden of the monastery and its surrounding vale and inhabitants.
Boat and crew = 40 days to make trade run to Karolak; they have a run-in with Gwinn which harry them but not board. They are forced to turn back without the authority of the PCs to confront the Gwinnish Navy. Attacked and hit with fire arrows – a few fires, sail tears, minor damage.
After that, the boat is moored in the harbor at Torrelson’s Ford with all the PCs supplies.
+1 day (8)/ +1 day info spread/+1 Long Rest = +7
Feather ‘Sanctioned’ by the Baron of Crestwold:
Feather’s Mission: Into the Riverdans.
Wrath of the Baron: Ulrich’s betrothal is called off by the Baron! Ulrich stays with his betrothed until their courtship is ended because of the changes the elementals wrought – the temporary and some permanent changes on the landscape (and lack of permission she asked on each item).
Spends other time with Asil discussing justice, nobility, and aspirations…
16 days > Jesse and Atreus @ Torrelsons Ford
Travels
16 days > Jesse and Atreus @ Torrelsons Ford
Travels; During most of the first month was traveling to Mev to look into the guild of Solars, traveling back and then inserting himself amongst the contacts Asaui built. Amongst the contacts I am maintaining the aliases that Asaui used. I will take a bottle of wine to Roger (the former page) and tell him that it was a gift from Asaui, who unfortunately would not be able to deliver it himself after his untimely passing.
In the second month I want to spend a lot of time casing Frauds operation, always in disguise as a slum dweller. Additionally he contacts Lucky and see if he is a viable option to step in should Fraud be removed. Lucky seems to have “buried the hatchet” with his old rival. He tries to dissuade Jesse from disrupting the status quo – though he is not willing to snitch on the PCs and wont commit to anything, he does not say no. HE is still very busy working for him to recover sunken artifacts. While he does not engage in slave trade, he does not seem particularly inclined to do anything about it. Nor does he know if Fraud continues to do so – only that he once did. Lucky “severed ties” (heads?) with the two crew the party identified of his before and that seems about the extent he was willing to go.
Jesse experiments with the material components the druid sent him, to see if any can be used to eliminate the somatic/verbal components of casting a spell. They only empower spells though, and cannot be used for such.
Amongst the guild of solars he is following up on the hint that the fellow wizard he met in the companions library dropped about his book satchel. If the time and resources are available I would try to scribe some spells. Catapult, Tensers Floating Disk, Unseen servant, Detect thoughts, and Misty step are his current ‘priorities’, but obviously no wizard will pass up whatever is available if they can afford it.
Travels; To see the druid to get a introduction to the lizard tribe whom aided them and perhaps get training from their masters to improve his martial arts. The druids agree, and ask him to poison the loggers and fishermen of area near the Wonald Delta and Moorswood – just to make them sick, not kill them. He learns the beginnings of Draconic.
Argues for and gets an addition @ villa for construction – courtroom for dispute resolution “small claims court” – it will be off the main front courtyard, near the gate. He spends time in Torrelsons Ford, spreading silver in goodwill gestures to get townsfolk used to him.
He gains another measure of his clerical abilities. The sect of his order, Vanishing Ardents, are not so vanishing any more!
Feather has been infected by the anger of the Moorswood and druids there (purposefully?), and is threatening to kill the Baron. Danoir initially approaches the druids about solving the problem and controlling the outcome. The druids spoke of corruption previously (saying that his line should be extinguished), and his half sister, though staying away from politics, is a hard and capable person by all accounts.
SUMMARY OF WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT SICKNESS: This is not the first time the health of the Baron’s family has come up. In fact, it’s finally reached a point where you know there must be either someone planting rumors, or there is a hint of truth buried in it all. The thing that is most hard to discount is that someone is said to be offering a reward for a cure of some sort. And that someone is not just anyone, but the Baron’s herald himself. Wasting the herald’s time would surely bring down the law on those who spread such rumors, so there must finally be something to it. Each week, the herald holds court near the Briarwood, for any petitioners seeking legal redress that is minor, and that the Herald can handle. Odd for the nobles to hold court outside the keep, but the whole Cerstwhile family has been reclusive and secretive for a few years now. Rumors initially heard:
POISON from Druids: +2 days to get to delta/+4 more to cold eye and convince, plus to delta/+4 days to poison; It is decided that Danoir will take both poisons just in case, as well as some of the potions we have in the party pool. The second poison, that causes immense pain, that he Danoir took as a just in case, the druids divine that he intends to use it on Feather. They give him a speed potion in disguise. So, they give him 2 poisons, in addition to the one that was meant to be placed into the camp of the loggers and hunters on the delta. After talking to the druids, and offering to kill the baron and end the corruption (whatever it is), Danoir enlisted the aid of Jesse to try and accomplish it. They discussed it with the rest of the group except Asil.
The PCs will have access to the standard defenses as part of the PCs trust from the days of the war – its in the annals. A few guards in the great hall, guards on the walls, at the gate and inner courtyard – the rest in barracks. They send an animal messenger – using the ring of House Strend – “Feather’s mind has been compromised by the pranin moorswood druids”.
> Guards = F2 (hp 20) action surge, second wind, long sword, ring mail
Jesse: Im seeking to hire an Entertainer for the keep – is there anyone to hire for distraction; enthrall potion available to use! Hiring the bard – ken the troubadour; “serenade the baron for signing the peace” 24 hrs 20sc original material is created – patriotic/nationalist; @ sunset = use enthralled (rolled a natural 20 – all gate guards and the guards inside the main courtyard will be occupied and unavailable for security. Before Danoir and I actually go to the Keep to kill the Baron I would like to try and accomplish the following: Don a disguise and do some minor intel work to see if any outland merchants, dignitaries or low level nobles are visiting the Baron, and find out what their household colors are. Ideally I’d like to get clothing/materials to loosely disguise us as someone from one of those parties or a minor local house. They find out the Baron is coming back from the peace talks were he signed his name to support the Duke and Earl in ending the war with Gwinn. He is throwing a banquet for his vassals to declare loyalty to him and restore the peace and commerce of peace time support of him and his family. WE will go as a butler and dogsbody to the family/rep.
The rest of the group goes to Tiger Ridge and prepare to entice the Baron’s half sister to assume the mantle of leadership. Ulrich even toys with the idea of marrying her and taking control of the barony. At 10am the boat sails from Torrelsons Ford to up the river; The harbor master notes and allows.
Danoir makes the best disguise of his entire life! Manages to conceal a weapon. Both he and Jesse bluff their way in successfully. Several successful searches finds a back entrance through servants area. There is a gift table, but they manage to deceive the formality enforcers. Lots of searching, mingling, and mapping out the back rooms and great hall. All soldiers noted. A dumb waiter to the barons bedroom is found. The Herald is absent, though they do not notice! Jesse has his cat Ardath Inhabit one of the cats in residence in the Keep to scout things. At 2pm it goes in. Danoir is hidden in the bedroom of the baron’s sick daughter, across the hall from the barons bedroom.
Detect thoughts from House Malor in servants nets them while they are talking in garderobe, though they cannot tell who is talking, only that a trigger word has been said.
Once Danoir has gotten upstairs, he sees the baronial procession leaving from the master bedroom. He overhears the barons 2nd wife Virginia – she seems to dislike the baron, but is doing it for her family. HE sends a message (cantrip) to Jesse after.
9pm baron leaves – by 9:30 the hall clears out. Jesse is upstairs on the opposite side of the great hall. After the feast of the Baron, where his vassals and subjects came to praise him and pledge their loyalty in enforcing and abiding by the peace, the PCs make their attempt to assassinate him. Danoir and Jesse make the attempt. At the end of the evening, in a side chamber the Baron and special guests make a toast after everyone else has left. At that point, the Baron’s herald switched places with him, and walked his wife back to the chambers. The Baron makes his way to his dead sons Room: Bricked up windows, everything out in the open, no place to hide = safe for Bron until he gets the “all clear”. They have been on extra guard since the first attempt on the Baron’s family. After the last attempt on the daughter’s life, the baron has increased protections. It turns out, Verel Blackthorne has personally cast wards.
Danoir hides in the sick daughter’s room across the hall. Danoir cleverly manages to enter the Barons room with Jesse’s cat providing a distraction. Once in the room he is hidden, invisible. However, the herald casts spells, discovering his presence. He casts a sleep spell at the area in front of the door, through his most powerful expression, and manages to just barely sleep Danoir. When Danoir becomes conscious, no alert has been made. By then, Jesse, invisible and on the other side of the keep sees the Baron exit his dead son’s room and go down the stairs with a guard. Jesse escapes, while Danoir is questioned and manages to draw deep upon his rogue’s skills and fortune of the Elon and convince the herald that he is an agent of Gwinn, and IS BELIEVED!
Danoir’s Death: Danoir goes to the gallows as a traitor, keeping his secrets to his grave. So convincing was he, no justicar is summoned. The Gallants disavow him and his life and possessions are forfeit to the Baron. The others are interrogated, but pass all mundane tests of deception. Though suspicious, the herald relents in pursuing things further. The relationship with him may be burned forever – for as he says – he can no longer trust anyone as an ally.
What will become of Feather? Was her passion for the Baron’s blood slaked in the sacrifice of one of the Gallants? It seems so, at least temporarily.
Volstagg joins the group – sworn into the cadre by Feather after meeting Huff along the way east, helping him escort with the body of the fallen comrade Danoir on a travoy to the keep.Baron’s Debt: It is revealed that the Bank of the Silver Stacks, who the Baron has borrowed money from, has sent Aaron Mokar (a representative) to collect. The Baron cannot pay, and the money to host the peace talks with Gwinn cannot be used to make payments. There is political uproar. The Baron takes out more loans to hire a wizard to protect his family from assassins, based on the betrayal of Danoir – he no longer trusts them or House Malor. House Malor is angered beyond reckoning.
Wizard Duel: House Malor and the wizard of the Silver Stacks get in a heated argument, the baron demands the right to defend himself and family using trusted defenders. Matias, wizard of Halas Blaze School occult order manages to provoke House Malor with its senior representative Dalcia Grath-Malor away on a mission. A impromptu wizard duel ensues…. HOUSE MALOR LOSES. Matias is pledged to the bride Ulrich was once promised to as a reward for his loyalty.
New Tariffs: The Baron decrees that no trade for the Barony of Crestwold will be allowed directly up the Murchart River without going through Torrelson’s Ford and its tariffs first – countering the work the PCs have done to increase direct trade up the river. This is obviously a play for power by the Silver Stacks. It will cut into the profits of the Josie and trade group the PCs are allied with (as well as their enemies?).
Crippled Function: The Baron also decrees that no private mercenaries are allowed to operate “in the lands Crestwold” without a fee and approval from the Baron. He revokes any permission of the Gallants. House Malor provides legal representation for Feather and the Gallants – the alliance is required to check the influence of the banks officials!
Using the current laws and legal help from House Malor, Feather gets the deed to the silver mine transferred to her ‘house’, a newly decreed (by the Earl of Bar-Innis) “House of (Aelishan of) the Black Feathers”.
Despite the name, they are not bound to the goddess – its just their history of involvement with it. Ulrich is given one of the two Seeing Stones to communicate to Feather with. One is given to Ulrich, the other is kept by Feather.
After the sacrifice of the Tarmysian refugees, Feather sees to it that The ancient and loyal Hetman, sovereign Kueta Tomir of the Tomir “barony”, is given the plots of the families murdered by the “giants” to his people in the Lower Gnaefor area. Additionally, 8 volunteers form “The Sea Feathers” – a company of mercenaries under Feather to be used in service to the Barony. In addition to the warriors, another 8 volunteer for logistics. They take one of the coastal schooner boats the refugees came in and outfit it for patrol along the Black Shore, using half the compliment at any given time.
Circumventing the Barons decree of ‘in the lands’ of Crestwold, Feather commissions them as privateers for House Malor. The Sea Feathers are used for escort duty in Coldstream Channel of the Gwinnish capital ship sailing to the peace talks in Lily Glenn. See Herald’s Quarterly 9169, 1st Quarter. There they will observe it, escort it, and report on the talks under an official flag of the House of the Black Feathers.
Asil is taking six months off and continues to seek redemption and change his oath!
Athena is introduced to the group!
There is a big “show of favor” – the new owner will sponsor a day of contests and promise to re-open the mine. It is a hastily put together affair and Feather is not informed until the day of when she is meeting with Dalcia Grath-Malor of House Malor in the new keep. It is surmised this was on purpose, to exclude the Gallants. Dalcia uses her powers to transport Huff to the event to represent the Gallants. The whole town comes out to a pageant obviously bankrolled by the Bank of the Silver Stacks. There are contests, with the interest of Sidrus Mell situated to win them ahead of time. Huff’s presence and strength throw a monkey wrench into the plan.
* Cart Race (Cartwright) – Huff does not win. * Lifting (teamsters) – Huff wins! * Throwing – Huff wins! * Swimming – Huff wins! @ Night * Drinking – Huff wins! * Dancing – Huff Wins! The moot celebration of his people comes in handy. It is strange but compelling and highly athletic. Josie persuades the judges by orating. Huff meets a woman named Anna Waithe from an acting Troupe: The Climax Assembly – has a good night out with her, no questions asked but nothing more. The PCs win the majority of the contests, negate the “good will” towards Sidrus Mell. Josie rallies townsfolk to place pressure on the Baron to allow Feather to purchase it.
Josie oration and rhetoric wins the day, with a little big of legal knowledge. The Gallants recover some good will and the opportunity to purchase the silver mine. The deed, maps, and everything are given to Feather. Josie bankrolls a loan from the League of the White Lily for her to purchase it.
Feather explores the remains of the silver mine and finds several collapses and senses an entrance to The Deeping. She convinces the druids to use an earth elemental can be used to close the connection to The Deeping, shore up the collapsed or dangerous tunnels, and find another main vein – it will be deep and going west. Feather will try and recruit dwarves to re-open the silver mine. Not an enclave, but just a dozen for 20 years to eek out some silver for the local economy. The dwarves agree to a longer term once they discover the work done. To try and regain some goodwill, the first 5 years profit are pledged to the Barony of Crestwold’s coffers.
> PARTY REPUTATION +1
Feather gets a visit from a Lady Dilmaeth of Dunstrand City. She says she represents a faction of nobles and is wondering what the intentions of the Gallants are, relating to the baron and his family. She claims to know that the group conspired to kill the baron – not just Danior. She does not reveal how she knows this, and Feather never admits to it.
Bella Returns: In her guise of Bella, the dragon returns to visit Feather at the new keep! She tells her to beware of Lady Dilmaeth. She says the Gallants should leave Crestwold or they will have to face her wrath. Feather is unable to get more information from her, but if a dragon is sending a warning, it does not bode well. She beleives she has to increase the reputation of the Gallantine order in Crestwold to try and head off any disaster in the future. She is going to study her mothers journals and her own tome her mother bequeathed to see if she can find anything buried there that may point the way – she was devious and only concerned about the order and its fate.