Jerker returned from his time at Lah’s Retreat with a purpose. He went directly to Aderian, asking him, “Aderian, I need you to listen carefully. Something has gone very wrong. When we-no I… gave away the bones of Saint Jaludi to that damned Devil I may have drawn a darkness upon myself. Lah believes, and I trust his wisdom, that these relics belong in the church, kept safe from harm. They are not just artifacts; they are sacred, and their absence may have drawn a dark presence toward me. As I had when I misused the cube, I drew the ire of a deeper darkness. I’m asking you, as a friend and as someone who has fought tirelessly against the undead, to return the bones to Lah. It’s not just about faith or duty, it’s about restoring balance and protecting ourselves from consequences we cannot fully see.”
Aderian agreed, handing over the ancient femur. Ollie, who witnessed the exchange, blurted out his disapproval. His position was that somehow honoring Bremlai, perhaps caring for his two widows, would better achieve redemption. He directly challenged Jerker to “be a man”. Never the less, Jerker left immediately with the bone.
Along the way, he met Ghevont on the road. The cleric made his own case against handing over the relic, concluding with, “the bones should remain with those who stand in the storm.” Jerker did not argue with Ghevont. “I thought that once, but then I realized these relics we carry hold powers we do not always fully understand… As with the cube you now conceal…” Ghevont clarified that while he disagreed, he supported Jerker’s decision to satisfy Lah’s request.
A few days later (2/20), both Ghevont and Jerker were back at the homestead. Ollie suggested that they continue the hunt for werewolves by following one of the two remaining treasure maps, the logic being absent any other leads, having some sort of destination in the wilderness was better than wandering aimlessly. He offered up a diary taken from the Cryptward and another map taken from the body of the elven adventurer what was inside the shambler. They chose the diary.
Elaria, the only team member able to read elvish, read through pages all morning. The Author was Lirien Telimor, “Third Scrivener of the Void”, a minor noble and cartographer for the Telimor line who became obsessed with the “geometry of the afterlife” before being interred. The book was bound in seven layers of cured lizard-skin and smelled of stagnant sewer water and ancient perfumes.
Elaria recited a few notable banalities as she flipped through the pages for clues to hidden treasure. Six consecutive pages wer dedicated to a formal complaint Lirien filed against a kitchen thrall regarding the “unbearable lack of salt” in a swan-heart pasty served three centuries hence. In another section, Lirien recorded a meticulously detailed list of seven left boots she found while walking, noting the specific grain of the leather for each, but never mentioning the right boots or where they were left.
Elaria could hardly go on. In another passage she read an entry spanning six days where Lirien described the “rhythmic dripping” of a single crack in a ceiling, categorizing the sound into seven distinct musical notes that “only the dead can truly appreciate”. Then, a rambling, seven-page poem about a “Compass of Bone” that allegedly points to “The Heart of All Boredom,” which turns out to be a description of a specific empty jar in the corner of her study.
Elaria was nearly overcome with boredom and lethargy herself, but did just manage to find a map that seemed to match their understanding of a mountainous area north of Muleshoe (hex 0208). They used the next several hours to gather supplies, which included several sheep they imagined would be an attractant for the werewolves.
In the late afternoon, they explored while the daylight remained. Against the jagged mountain backdrop, the charred ribs of a ruined farmhouse rose like a blackened cage. Hyena-headed silhouettes huddle in a circle around a central hearth, their shoulders heaving in a rhythmic, uncanny mimicry of human sobbing. Six tattered, blood-stained blankets were draped over the ruins of the porch, and the sweet, cloying scent of ‘healing herbs’ drifted on the mountain air. The wind through the broken rafters created a low, piping sound that mimiced a funeral dirge.
Ollie shouted at the figures. The unmistakable face of a gnoll appeared and hollered back. Aderian rushed to attack. Elaria stepped up and put most of the gnolls to sleep. Aderian made quick work of the slaughter. It appeared that the gnolls were attempted a ruse by pretending to mourn a dead child that was in fact only a bundle of rags.
The party camped there in the burned-out cabin and were not disturbed. Owing to the elimination of the gnolls, the threat level in the hex (0208) was lowered (1:10).
The next day (2/21), they searched all day, finding nothing remarkable. That night, Ollie was on watch when he heard the buzz of giant bees at dawn (2/21). He woke Ghevont who used magic to calm the bees and speak with them. He praised them for their industrious nature. He asked if they had seen any werewolves in the area. They replied that they hadn’t, but they had seen them three miles north.
The party ate a rushed breakfast and followed the old Tosasth road north, doing their best to count out three miles. Presently, they found themselves at a familiar residence. The home sat on a rise overlooking the road. A field of tall brush filled the distance between except for a well-marked path, along side of which wer several signs warning visitors to turn around. The sign closest to the road simply read “DANGER” and showed signs of scorching. Ghevont and Aderian remembered that this was home of Dacha, the owner of a nearby mine which Tienarth’s Raiders explored seven years before.
See Session #52 – Rashness and the Wrath of Wraiths. It was Dacha who had first warned them of the white dragon guarding the pass. This delayed their progress towards Tosasth for more than a year. See Session #74 – Lewd Libation for a description of how the party killed a succubus and took gold bars out of the safe in the mine. Not long after this, they met the elven cleric Rellora. See Session #75 – Return of Rellora. They had honored her Imelel ancestors by not raiding their tomb, and she had returned with a squad to assist in the quest for Tosasth. She also related at this time that Dacha was angered over their taking of his gold from the mine. This was treated as a problem to managed through avoidance. Since the elevator into the mine had failed, they resorted to a rope, and the party openly discussed the possibility of Dacha interfering by cutting the rope. It may not be carefully recorded, but at some point after this, they found the shaft collapsed. This forced them to return home by way of Hammerstone. See Session #85 – Return to Revelry.
Ignoring the signs, Ghevont and Aderian knocked on the door. A small panel slid open through which they saw part of the face of the old dwarf. He demanded they obey his signs and leave. Ghevont pressed for information about werewolves. Soon after, Dacha recognized the two of them and began cursing. He accused them of stealing the gold from his mine, demanding it be returns as well as a 5,000 gp penalty. Ghevont countered that they didn’t have the gold available. Dacha then demanded goods of equivalent value. When Ghevont offered more resistance, the dwarf produced a short wand saying, “perhaps this will persuade you” before exploding a fireball between the two of them. Aderian managed to take a step to side, avoiding the brunt of the blast. Ghevont was engulfed in flame, though damage was far from deadly. Most of the damage seemed to be focused on his helmet, which cracked and fell away as the seams detached.
The rest of the party gasped in shock, but remained well away. Aderian used his magic ring to jump on the top of the sod house, then shared the desire to get at the dwarf to take his wand. Down at the road, Ollie mused that they need not worry about killing the dwarf because they could always compel his corpse to tell them about werewolves. These comments did not please Nate, who as a paladin kept to a strict code of honor. Often in the past, Nate had done his best to look beyond acts of brutality an immorality. Once again, he became uneasy before the bloodlust of his companions.
Back up at the door of the house, Ghevont pulled out his rock enchanted with permanent darkness and tossed it against the front door, effectively making more blasts of the want impossible. A few calls from Jerker and Nate cautioned Ghevont and Aderian not to murder the dwarf. This seemed to further enrage the cleric, and he next encircled the sod hut in a wall of fire. The sod walls, naturally resistant to fire, were unaffected, but the thatch roof caught fire. Aderian stomped through the thatch to land inside. Ghevont, recovered his senses and dismissed the wall of fire.
After searching for ten minutes, Aderian found a trap door in the earthen floor. Nothing of value was found in the smoke-filled home. He decided not to descend into the hole. Down at the road, Nate made his case. He explained his commitment to an honorable life and that adventuring with disreputable characters could mean the total loss of the powers granted to him by the Anointed One. As a consolation, Elaria was able to scry Dacha, seeing him huddled in a tunnel, obviously upset but alive. The party reasoned he could recover from the damage to his home.
Elaria used her crystal ball to search for werewolves and found none, though she had a feeling her scrying was successful. They turned back south, figuring that the bees were likely mistaken.
The next day (2/23), they resumed the search of the area on the map. At midday, they recognized the particular rock face. Ollie gripped an unseen handhold and pulled open a hidden compartment. Inside were three platinum pieces, a pitiful treasure for several days of searching. Ollie had to wonder aloud whether this somehow a punishment from the gods for previous behavior.
When they returned to St. Orlan, Nate made his way to the temple in observance of his rites and seek advice from Father Anuak. See Nate’s Confession.
See also: Ghevont and Sivros
End Notes
- Days
- 2/20 – 2/23 Getting the treasure of Lirien’s diary
- Treasure:
- 3 pp put in Ollie’s pocket
- Combat (915 xp)
- 9 Gnolls 75 xp each
- Gnoll Chief 240 xp
- Characters (5.5 shares of 166 xp)
- Aderian (human, fight) 184 xp
- Elaria (hireling) 83 xp
- Ghevont (human) 1461 xp
- Jerker (human) 183 xp
- Nate (human) 183 xp
- Ollie 166 xp