Session 4: The Road to Grimmsgate

After defeating the hag, the party thoroughly loot her lair. As they gather up the last few gems, they notice that the dead whale the hag had reanimated as her lair was starting to break apart. They pile into the flying rowboat and zoom out, dodging decaying whale chunks (though Alain grabs a tooth just as they are flying out of the mouth.) They reconnect with Skyblossom and head back to Saltmarsh. There is little fanfare to be had there, though they give the Peryton egg to the town ranger. She is surprised as the egg hatches in her arms, but is taken with the cuteness of the young monster and promises the party that she will take good care of it.

The team flies back to Fandrel to meet with the Chancellor. He tells them that the Harvest Ritual was performed by Turpin while they were gone. Turpin has gone back to Rion, and the court is ready to head back to the capital at Marsay. The Primate left a note, however. There is an old, mostly abandoned village in the north part of the country called Grimmsgate. The young priest there thinks that the town's decline is caused by dark magics. Turpin himself had wondered about that, and so asked Chancellor Mazarin if he would send some people to investigate.

The road to Grimmsgate led through Rion, home of the magnificent Crystal Cathedral, and into the forest towards Andorra. As the party takes the side road to Grimmsgate, they are ambushed by a group of three werewolves! Alain is badly hurt in the initial assault, but the party fights back, and between the prowess of Ely'as knowing where to put his blade and Alain with his silver sword, the werewolves are killed, and the party can make their way into the town.

Session, oh, let's call it 3

After giving the egg to the Peryton, Kraggen, the party gathered in the square to decide what to do next. The mayor, quite flustered, gave them some money as a reward, and the group paused to consider the flock of gulls flying off to the southwest. Ola noted that, as a rule, Peryton's cannot control birds. Suspicious, the party decided to follow the birds, but they would need a ship. 

The harbormaster pointed the party to Brynn Seaflower, a middle-aged sailor staying at the inn. She had been sailing in the bay when a flock of birds attacked her and destroyed her sails. Her ship was repaired, though, and she was willing to take the party out to where she was attacked. Meanwhile, Alain visits Wildak, proprietor of the "Relic's Roadshow", to show him his sword. Wildak agrees that it's a very nice sword.

On the trip to the lair, Dyn gives Alain some tips about mapping, showing him using some maps he got from the harbormaster. Meanwhile, Ely'as mans the crows nest, and so is the first to spot the apparently dead while swimming in a large bed of sargasso. Brynn takes the party as close as she can, and the party sneaks into the mouth of the whale. The gullet leads them into the belly of the whale, where the hag is making some ritual preparations above a large open clam. The party attacks!

Ola turns into a giant crab while Dyn is quickly surrounded by the sea hag and her minions. He is doughty, however, and the fight quickly turns against the witch. She jumps into a rowboat which begins to float. But Ele'yas is able to grab the side of the rowboat and the party made quick work of the hag, much to the dismay of Kraggen who cried out "My love!" However, the party swiftly put an end to his grief.

Lyonia: House of the Beast

I must admit, I am unimpressed with Bailiff Oswald. I can see why Sir Thames, in Adreham’s Ledger may he rest, was the more senior of the King’s investigatory retinue. Our small coterie arrived to Leene by dawn’s first light following a rather uneventful journey. We were surprised to note a gaggle of villagers standing round a corpse. I had a mind to have a word with Oswald for his lack of industry in seeing to Sir Thames burial with greater haste considering the man had died a fortnight ago but we were told the body was not that of the knight at all but was instead the blacksmith, George. Concerned that Leene would soon run out of villagers, we inquired just how many such murders had taken place. The bailiff mentioned one other along with a host of farm animals.

From his description of Sir Thames and the condition of the other corpses, it appeared that poor George had died by similar means. Rather than be felled by that sinister apparatus, sharpened meat, it appeared George had succumbed to injuries from a talon or claw. Searching the grounds about the Leene Inn, we found a gory, bloody scene about some deep gouges in the ground, as might have been made by some feral beast.

Oswald implored us to travel to the blacksmith’s home several hours outside town to inform the man’s young daughter. The blacksmith was good and cold by the time we arrived so why Oswald did not move with greater alacrity to make such a notification himself, I know not. As I say, I am not much impressed by the man. Nevertheless, with some minor delays (the orcish cleric seems somewhat lacking in her facility with husbandry), we rode out to the blacksmith’s home and forge. We found the forge itself cold, the fire out completely and utterly. The home, being completely empty with no sign of George’s daughter, was nearly as cold as the forge.

In the kitchen, it appeared the floor boards had been pried up and a small lockbox drawn out. Said lockbox lay on the table unopened, though not from lack of trying. The lockbox was marked with claw-like gouges though the lock still held fast. Formidable against a feral hand, the lockbox could not abide my colleague’s lockpicks, and soon its contents were revealed. Within lay a note from father to daughter. Something about a silvered arrowhead crafted into an amulet. Against what, the note did not elaborate. The arrowhead itself appeared of elvish make and, upon further examination, like was indeed magical and carried enchantments targeting shapeshifters. For it to work, though, it would need to be shafted. How the blacksmith acquired the talisman, or found it bereft of its wooden component, he did not say. In the blacksmith’s study lay commissioned plans for an apparatus of metal bars and clasps, though we were not able to gain insight on who had commissioned the work. We did not find the blacksmith’s daughter but the state of the forge would seem to indicate she had been absent from the cottage several days at least.

Seeing no sign of George’s daughter, we searched the grounds. In the woods nearby, we found a set of tracks, small and booted. Following the tracks, the trail became difficult to follow as the trail gave way to what appeared to be a wolf’s tracks. The boot prints did not persist beyond their intersection with the wolf’s tracks and, as there did not appear to be blood or gore in the vicinity, we surmised that, despite how outlandish it may seem, whoever made them may have in fact become the wolf. Drawing this conclusion, we thought better of leaving the blacksmith’s amulet behind and instead lashed it to a supple tree branch, fashioning a crude arrow.

Returning to Leene, we implored Oswald to provide additional detail on Sir Thames’ murder. The bailiff took us to the knight’s cottage. Apparently, according to his wishes, he was buried in his garden. The townspeople noted that he was apparently killed some creature with large claws. I thought that an odd custom but who am I to question the aristocracy. Looking through the man’s effects, we found a letter detailing parameters for an apparatus similar to that identified among the blacksmith’s papers in his study. It appeared that Sir Thames himself had written a missive atop a stack of parchment. Like any decent cartographer, I was able to make a rubbing of this missive. It seemed to corroborate our concerns of a shapeshifter looming about and made reference to a curse and discussed the movement of a silver longsword to a drop point marked by an oak tree to be left after the full moon, which we calculated to take place in the next few days.

Crucially, whatever foul creature besets the village of Leene, it apparently does not seem to conform to parameters normally confining lycanthropes. It seems as though this evil is able to control its transformations, and may even be able to obscure its condition during a full moon. Oswald has wasted valuable time in his lack of deliberacy. We must redouble our efforts if we seek to prevent further tragedy from befalling the village.

Sessions 19 and 20: Mounded

The next morning, Remi returned from scouting the rest of the village. He found nothing, but the Bartknockers, feeling stronger with their magus back decided that they would take on the protean again and make sure the town had nothing to fear. Perhaps due to Remi's help, or perhaps with the knowledge they had gained from their first encounter, the battle went far more easily than the first round, and the Naunet fell beneath their blades. The next day, they used Remi's expertise more productively, and found a scroll of comprehend languages on the black market. They had thought they might just pay a caster, but reasoned that requiring a translation of an abyssal tome would raise questions they would rather not deal with. In the diary, they found a wealth of information, including the location of the slime base in the Rhenish fens, just north of Perrin. 

Gnick saw immediately that there were two paths into the swamp -- a high road to the east, and a low road that ran closer to the water. The party decided on the low road, and they proceeded into the swamp. After about an hour, Barth spotted a glint of gold on one of the hillocks scattered along their damp path. Seeing only bloodseekers flying around it, the group clambered onto the mound and dealt swiftly with the bloodsuckers. However, as Barth moved forward to claim the treasure, the mound lashed out with a pseduopod and slammed at the dwarf! The party began to get nervous after their first few attacks did not have the desired effect, but they soon feel into a rhythm and the shambler died alone.

Session 18: Under Assez Manor

The party enters the last room, a circular chamber sixty feet across with a golden statue on a pedestal in the center. The statue depicts the lady of beasts, a heretical version of Ryanna with the head of a lioness, ears of a donkey, and the legs of a goat. As they enter, the statue transforms into a Naunet before their eyes. Guy springs into combat faster than the foe can react and knifes it in the gut. Unfortunately, the usual organs seems to be missing and the creature barely notices. Barth charges forward to hold it in place while Clooney hits it with a touch of idiocy. Naunet strikes back with its tail, grabbing and squeezing Clooney in its tight grip. Gnick charges in to rescue him, casting Scatterscree to pelt the weird unnatural creature with stones. Ash also advances, and enchants Barth's weapon. Guy moves around to the other side of the beast, but cannot land a blow. Barth's attacks are also repelled by the creature's strangely repellent hide, but Clooney does manage to use the distraction to change into a spice weasel and --- BAM --- escape. 

The creature pounds Ash with its tentacles, but Ash holds his ground, and it bites at Barth in frustration. Gnick heals, and Ash shoots it with a Ray of Enfeeblement. Guy stabs it again, while Barth is finally able to land a solid blow, enhanced by Ash's magic. Clooney gives it an intimidating glare, but the creature is able to land a tail strike on Guy, grabbing him while he lands a tremendous bite on Barth. Gnick tries to remember where he's heard about this sort of creature before, but can't come up with anything. He then wraps up Ash's wounds, helping him somewhat. Ash begins charging up his chakra, while Guy wriggles free, though Guy's trip attempt does not succeed. The Naunet charges forward to attack Barth, landing a blow that Barth is able to shrug off. Ash kamehameha's the creature, giving it pause as the rest of the party prepares to flee. 

Guy moves up to assist their flight, trying to trip it again. The minion of Chaos grabs Barth with its tail and drives him into unconsciousness with the tightness of his squeeze. In response, Gnick moves back up to regenerate his comrades with divine energy. Guy steps up to help Barth escape from the creature's tail, and Barth retreats back. Clooney creates an illusion to slow it down, but the illusion only slows it down, and it's bite incapacitates Guy. Ash is able to let out another torrent of inner radiance. Gnick treats Guy, and Guy scatters caltrops in an attempt to cover the Barthknockers' escape. Meanwhile, Clooney fires off some magic missiles to slow it down. The protean however charges through the caltrops, knocking Clooney unconscious. Gnick heals Clooney, then continues his retreat. Clooney casts another phantom cloud, and Guy grabs weasel-form Clooney to run.

Session 17: Secrets

So, without warning, the swarm of rats attacked! Gnick threw up a swarm of rocks at them, but the rocks went wide, narrowly missing Guy. But a poison cloud from Clooney dazed the rodents, and Barth was able to kill a truly amazing number with just one swing of his axe. The remaining rats scurried up in his armor, biting and clawing the unfortunate dwarf. In response, Gnick summoned a swarm of insects, which killed the remainder of the rats, but left Barth with a lingering itch. After the fight, the Bartknockers are divided about what to do next. Barth wanted to go underground, but Ash was worried about some enemy burning down the building around them. Baby Bear wanted to finish exploring the first floor, so the party followed the bear.

Around the corner from the ballroom, the group found the winemaker's quarters, where Remi's parents lived. The room was much neater than the rest of the house, with a map of the vineyards on the wall and a bare desk in the corner. The desk is locked and trapped, but Guy is able to untrap it, and Barth, showing more skill than he had with the wagon, sawed off the lock to open the drawer. Inside there was a diary along with 100 gp in jewelry. The diary is in a language no one can read, but Gnick is able to recognize it as abyssal, the language of the demons.

Exploring further, the Bartknockers find the kitchen set up with extra tables and chairs, presumably to serve as a sort of ersatz dining room. Ash went to investigate the dumbwaiter in the corner, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Finishing up their search of the ground floor, the group went into the parlor. There the walls were decorated with the heads of animals, and there was a full-sized stuffed bear in the corner. Ash threw a sheet over the bear to spare Baby Bear's tender feelings. On the far wall was a fireplace and in the fireplace was the head of lynx. On entering the room, Clooney noticed it quiver, but couldn't tell what had caused it, so Gnick went in to investigate. Upon getting close, a grayish ooze reached out from the fireplace with a pseudopod, grabbing Gnick and squeezing him tight. 

Baby Bear slashed and Bart dealt a mighty blow to the slime, but it held tight and continued to squeeze Gnick. However, Gnick was able to reverse the hold, and Clooney ended the ooze's life with a well-place ball of flame. Barth searched the room, and found a pair of rubies in the head of the lynx. The group went up to the second floor next. In the master bedroom, they found a skeleton with a silver mirror held up over its thin hair and a four-poster bed with three posts missing. The dumbwaiter terminated in this room behind a pair of shutters. Barth walked up behind the skeleton as quietly as a well-armored dwarf can manage, only to find it a true skeleton, held together with wires. Frustrated, he searched the room, and tore the fourth bedpost off the bed, but he found nothing. However, they did find a pair of Boots of Elvenkind behind the desk.

Finally, the group followed the ramp in the ballroom down into the cellar. It led into a small, well-appointed tasting room, and from there into the barrel room. The barrel room still contained dozens of barrels of wine, but Guy warned that if they opened them improperly, they risked vinegaring the wine, and indeed it appeared that many of the barrels had been improperly opened. Behind the barrel room were rooms for gathering and crushing the grapes. Deeper in, the cellar turned into a natural cave, and as the Bartknockers entered this area, they were accosted by 10 zombies covered in an olive slime! Unfortuntely for the undead, they were no match for the party, and Barth's native constitution was enough to throw off the effects of the slime.

Going further down, the party entered a larger cave that seemed to be designed to serve as some sort of amphitheater. The floor was cut roughly into tiers as it descended towards a square platform 30 feet on a side, covered with arcane symbols and a dark script written in a brownish red ink. On the stage stood a gigantic bowl with long rusty chains hanging above it. The Bartknockers skirted the edge of the room and continued downwards.

Session 16: To Assez Manor!

 

Continuing on to Perrin, the group found a town under siege. It was nearing nightfall, but the streets were too quiet. The houses were shuttered, and while there was light peeking out from under the shades, the voices were muted. Guy scouted out the town, but found no one stirring, so the team moved immediately to Assez Manor. There, the walls were starting to crumble for lack of maintenance, and the proud iron gate that bore their words "Assez Bon" was rusting, and one of the doors was off its hinges. The grounds inside walls were in bad shape, the small family vineyard severely overgrown, and not a sound came from the cooperage or the barn. The party moved up to the manor house, and started towards the large, battered oak doors when Barth noticed something on the roof. Two of the gargoyles, gargoyles Remi had assured them were decorative, were moving to attack.

Barth stood in front of the party at guard, but the gargoyles showed a marked preference for gnome flesh, swooping towards Gnick and staying out of the reach of the dwarf's axes. Gnick found it difficult to retaliate, but Clooney was able to hurt the beasts with magic missiles, and Ash threw flames when he wasn't healing Gnick. Barth moved to guard Gnick more closely, and was able to land some opportunistic strikes, and the party eventually felled the beasts and moved into the manor. 

The foyer had been the scene of a battle, with bloodstains and broken weapons littering the red-carpeted floor. The door leading out were intact, but open, and the party went into the ballroom to the west, leaving the spiral staircase for later. The ballroom still showed some of its old charm, with marble walls and and elegantly carved wooden frieze above the fireplace depicting the Assez family. But the floor was littered with broken furniture, apparently cannibalized to barricade the windows of the room. Ash examined the fireplace and the frieze, but found nothing. Barth searched the floor and found a menuki, but also disturbed some rats that had been sleeping peacefully. Annoyed at having their slumber disturbed, the rats immediately attacked!

Session 15: A New Threat Arises

After the fight with the vampires, the party sorely needed rest, and so they holed up in the Proud Home for the rest of the winter. The next spring, after the roads had cleared sufficiently to allow for travel, they left for the Inn of Bonne Jouissance. There, they met the Rain Scribe, who fills them in on what's been going on. Equanimious Slurp has goons wandering the whole area collecting taxes and generally making life miserable for the people of Perrin. No one knows where he is staying, but he has a minion who somehow took over Assez manor without a big fight. Most of his servants are at least part slime now, and it seems like his end goal might be to convert the whole town to oozemorphs. The group thanks him, and sets off for Perrin the next day.

On the way to Perrin, the gang encounters four men in the road. They
demand cash for "taxes," and turn belligerent when the gold is not forthcoming. As the party readies for attack, their foes transform their arms into weapons and start attacking. Their initial attacks are surprisingly effective, even on Barth, but the party's greater tactical abilities are sufficient to put them down and end the fight. Afterwards, it's clear that their foes had been infused with ooze, making them harder to damage precisely and enabling them to transform their arms into weapons. 

Session 14: On the Road Again

After escaping the circus, the Players found an isolated spot just off the road where they managed to free Mario and send him towards Peaches. They thought that perhaps they could convert the circus wagon to something closer to a normal cart, but unfortunately, this proved beyond their skills at the moment. Despite the late hour, the group decided to head off towards the Proud Home. They had heard rumors in Tervel that the slime lord Equanimious Slurp was now acting in the open, and Remi wanted to return and defend his erstwhile home.

Unfortunately for the party, the road proved to be more dangerous at night than it had during the day. At a turn in the path, just after forest trees began to cover the dim moon, a pack of vampire spawn ambushed them! Half of the rogues swept down the path towards Bart, while the other half climbed nimbly over some large boulders on the side of the road to flank the group. The battle proved difficult, with Gnick in particular taking the brunt of the blood-suckers attacks. However, they were able to lie one of the fiends low, and after that the other members of the group started to withdraw, especially those who had already fed. Two more fell, but two escaped. The Players managed to drag Gnick to the Proud Home, where they spent a week recuperating.

Session 13: Welcome to the Funhouse

As the sun set over Tervel, the party continued to investigate the circus. Guy focused on the funhouse, believing that there children being held inside based on the rumors he had heard at the Proud Home. However, an obstinate gnome manned (gnomed?) the entrance, and refused to let Guy in, insisting it was being remodeled. Bart tried to see if there was somewhere in the back that could be crowbarred, but the fun house was surprisingly sturdy, and with the tight construction, there was no where to place the tool. Ash insisted that they couldn't just punch out a guard without more evidence, and so Guy made a note to return to the circus at a later date when they knew more about whether there were in fact missing children.

Bart had been exploring the east side of the circus before investigating the funhouse. In the center of the campus, he found a calliope. The organist, a human named Grimaldi, was happy to play a little tune for Bart on his instrument. Remi meanwhile continued to explore the sideshow tents before they met up near the cages to try and come up with a plan.

Clooney finally managed to pick the lock of his cage, but found the lock of Mario's cage too difficult, and with the prying eyes of the animal's overseer, they didn't want to tempt fate by trying too many times. Guy came over to try his hand, but likewise found it beyond his abilities. Together with Ash, they decided they should steal the wagon imprisoning Mario. Ash would distract the circus people by driving away their horses with fire, and Clooney, Guy, and Remi would hook the wagon cage to their own horses and drive off. Meanwhile, Gnick explained the plan to Mario. Surprisingly, the plan went off without a hitch! (Well, technically, one hitch). Once they were away from the circus, they had the time to free Mario, and give him directions as to where to find Peaches.

Session 12: Slavering Beast (Courtesy of Ash)

 

As Captain Rapacion turned into a slavering beast, again nude, I couldn't help but wonder if cornering us was his way of asking to be killed. As he was one wolfman versus a now moderately oiled force, the fight was mercifully short. Bart absorbed the majority of the blows as is his wont, while most of us took turns igniting the erstwhile Captain's fur on fire.

We rested once more, and there were some interesting rumors, but after some discussion, we decided that for now, the circus in Tervel was the most important destination to free Mario.

Happy to turn my back on Leene, we headed to the circus. I was reminded of my early years in Lyonia, making a living traveling from town to town, telling fortunes and warming beds. How many bastards are out there, and how many will inherit my curse? My only solace is hoping my little trouser eggs are poached by that self-same curse and the flames that surround me at times, so the answer is none.

Awaking from my reverie, we pulled up to Tervel and found that this circus that had employed Gnick was far larger and less transient than I had been picturing. Given that no performances were scheduled for the day, I began reconnoitering. I did not see the need for guile or disguise, as a person like myself would be a natural fit and this might be one of the few places where I didn't raise an eyebrow or two. I wasn't able to find the unicorns, but did talk to some of the workmen about the owners. I will meet up with the others around sundown to compare notes and decide what to do next.

Session 12: This Used to be a Playground

 

As the party heard a noise behind them, they turned around to see a wolfman, still clad in the tatters of the Captain's clothing. The combat that ensued was vicious but over quickly, with only Clooney sustaining any real injury, though he did not appear to suffer any lasting effects. The mayor was quick with praise, if not a monetary award, and tried to convince the party to stay on as guards. But their duty to rescue Mario the unicorn impelled them onwards. The weather mitigated as they traveled south, spending one night at the Proud Home before arriving in Tervel. The circus dominated that town, well known for the various schools of tricks, acrobatics, and circustry. 

The party decided that a variety of approaches towards scouting out the tents would be the best way to figure out how to move forward. Gnick advocated for letting the animals out and burning it all down, but the group thought this would attract too much attention. Clooney disguised himself as, in the words of Bart, a "dumb looking furry lion creature," and was welcomed to the ring of wagoned cages that included Mario the unicorn. He tried to pick the lock on his cage, but it was more difficult than he expected. Meanwhile the eponymous dwarf walked around carrying a box, trying to look like he belonged. Remi tried to charm the strong man, but was himself dazzled by the charms of his new best friend, the dancer of the seven veils. Gnick and Ash also toured the facility, where Gnick had a short conversation with Mario and promised he would get him out of there. He also saw a dumb looking furry lion creature that asked him to let it out, but Gnick didn't want to cause too much excitement. Guy was headed for the circus, but got distracted by some a shop selling nice afghans.

Session 11: Lycanthropy Misanthropy (Ash)

We barely escaped the slimes, dropping Remy's body off the balcony and dragging it into the street to keep him from being dissolved. After some more sleep and meditation on the mysteries of the flame, I was able to help Gnick and Clooney get most of Remy's blood back on the inside where it belongs. The next morning, by way of apology, the inn offered us an extra rasher of bacon for our trouble.

We decided to stay another day to let Bart finish up some hammering. I had a pretty bad day of fortune telling. There's only so many variations of "You will be crushed by a falling tree." that you can tell these lumberjacks before they get suspicious. Also nobody likes to pay for bad news, or bears for that matter. Clooney did some investigating and found out that a hooded figure had dropped off the wine vats full of blood oozes, and that they bore the sigil of House Amber

For the second night in a row, screaming woke me up. This time it was slightly more feminine and it was coming from a house across the way from the inn. We rushed to render aid, but Captain Rapacion was already there. An young woman said a man with a wolf's eyes was at her door when she went to lock up. It brushed past her and tore her husband to shreds. By the time we got there, the trail was cold and trampled, so there was no way to find the monster and nothing to burn.

We were getting ready to pack up and bid farewell to Leene, when Captain Rapacion stopped us and asked for help. In retrospect, that was odd. We split up to help him and his patrolmen keep watch around the town's borders. I found a dead maiden buried in the snow, maimed like the old man had been. When we met back up with the others, Gnick was wearing the top of a giant owl's head as a hat, so I'm guessing he has a complicated relationship with animals.

Eventually, we picked up a trail that seemed to belong to the killer, striding confidently out of town that we tracked to a local barn. There we saw some clothes were left in the snow and lupine paws made up the trail after this murderous naked weirdo polymorphed himself. We were able to follow the trail (back to town or inside the barn or another barn) and we discovered the mutilated corpses of the two patrolmen who helped rescue us from the slimes the other day. We decided to investigate the captains house, and found an arm in one of his cabinets! Turning around, we saw that the fiendish Captain apparently had a death wish I am quite happy to fulfill in short order (by cooking him (with my power of fire)).

Session 10: Wolves on Leene

 

As the temperatures began to dip lower, the party left Perrin in search of the circus where they believed Mario the unicorn to be held. The first day of their trip was uneventful, and they spent a restful night at the Inn of Bonne Jouissance, enjoying the roast pork for which that locale is justly famous. On the next day, the forest began to thicken around them. As they approached a bridge crossing a small brook, eight wolves emerged from the trees, flanking them as they attacked. The group was able to kill the beasts, but not without serious injury to Remi and Bart. Gnick was able to treat their wounds somewhat, but Remi in particular was still in bad shape as they approached Leene.

Leene is a lovely forest town, full of half-timbered houses and workshops where artisans fashion wooden goods from the timber in the surrounding area. The party went to a local inn, the Sign of the Barrel, where they retired for the night. In the middle of the night, however, the lighter sleepers of the group were awakened by the sound of something oozing through the windows of their rooms. Three blood slimes had infiltrated the hotel! The party made a brave stand, but especially with Remi barely standing, they could only manage a fighting retreat. Fortunately, the city guard showed up, and they were able to eliminate the threat.

Session 9: Los Banditos

 

The group decided that, given the presumed continued servitude of the unicorn Mario, they should follow the circus and liberate him on behalf of his paramour Peach. But first, they wanted to take care of the bandits that were plaguing Perrin, even to the point of robbing Lady Blanche Assez of her favorite necklace. Lord Marcel offered a reward for the return of the necklace and the elimination of bandit threat. The party decided that the best plan would be to bait them with an apparent cargo of wine and brandy; they also poisoned the brandy to weaken the camps defenses. Remy's silver tongue convinced his former employers to donate the wine and brandy to be used in this cause.

And for once, their plan went off without a hitch! When they had tracked the bandits to the camp, they found most of the thieves sleeping. Guy went from tent to tent, slitting throats as the bandits slept. One group who had either resisted the poison or the lure of demon rum was quickly dispatched before the party went to the central tent. There, the captain of the bandits Robbin' 'Ood tried to defend his stash, but he was no match for his enemies. The group repatriated the treasure to the citizens of Perrin, and then prepared to travel to Tervel, where they believed the circus awaited them.

Session 8: Let's Join the Circus!

Oh, what a terrible discovery I have made! Those scheming goblins at the circus have finally gone too far! Ay, those danged goblins... As Bart, my new Dwarf buddy from these parts would say, "donnez confidance ze bons gobelins!" I don't really speak the language so well, but I think he meant never trust those friendly goblins.

I found the telltale hoof pattern unique to my licornes and shortly thereafter came upon my precious, proud Peaches. Good heavens! - the poor thing was surrounded by ferocious bêtes de chat, and appeared to be losing the fight. Bart called them les chats de merde - and now I know that means cats of the moon. By the time we defeated these fiendish beasts, and I made myself over to my poor, pretty Peaches, she was being succored by my new compatriot Remy. Her wounds having been tended to, I gave her additional healing, for she still looked weaker than I was comfortable with. The air was filled with soot from a fireball someone used to hurt the moon cats as I attempted to ready my charge for a return to le cirque. Imagine my surprise, when she told me that she and Mario had escaped! I still didn't get it, but then she showed me the swollen welts on her noble hide, where the ringmaster had whipped her. How horrible!

Well that does it! - I am definitely not okay with the way Cirque de Gobelines Extraordinares blamed me for the mass escape of all of mes animaux - but now I know the truth - that it was in fact mes licornes that were behind the great circus animal escape. I only wish I had caught up with Peaches sooner - for she described all of the terrible treatments of the animals - oh the shame I am feeling for my poor animals who were counting on me. I have heard stories about druids losing their powers for harming their animals - and I must make amends posthaste!

No signs of my faithful Mario, but I trust he is better far far away from here. I trust that he and Peaches will be reunited, and can live a relatively calm life after all their abuse at the hands of the goblins. I am tempted to go back to the circus with Baby Bear - I believe they are about to pitch their tent in Tervel - for I must finish the job of freeing the beasts! If I am ever back at le cirque, then I must also remember to grab my juggling clubs, so that I can resume my practices.

Session 8: Random Things my GM Thought Were Good Ideas

Ever have one of those dreams where you are standing in front of creatures you can't identify and they are attacking a unicorn?? I think I may still be reeling from the affects of fighting the mushroom people? I have no idea, but this is where I found myself with my comrades as I regained conciseness. 

Barth, ever the fellow to throw himself head long in combat ran straight away into what would soon be the fray and started hacking with his axe. Everyone joined suit and within a short time we defeated these creatures and saved the unicorn. Gnick and I spoke with the unicorn and he explained how he came to be in this situation and the plight of his brother unicorn having escaped the circus. We felt bad that he now has to search for his brother but we wouldn't be able to help with this at the moment. We wished him well in finding his brother and went on our way. 

We've decided that we should head back to Perrin. We can return with our heads held high alerting the town to our successfully ending the threat from the druids and leshies. Barth is excited he can work in the blacksmith shop and repair/upgrade his armor. I need to check in with my family and see how things are going back at home. 

On the road we happened upon a traveler bearing a crest of  local group of militants. Under normal circumstances I would expect some hostility for my parentage but this adventurer seemed affable enough and even expressed some interest in our joining his group of comrades. All in all this was an interesting meeting as we've gathered not only does this group have a problem with the king but this individual hales from an area we planned to investigate. The local lord of this Castle Amber may have an association with the druid we just dispatched. 

Further along the road we spied a group of Gnolls. Expecting the worst we prepared ourselves for an ambush. Quite unexpectedly they were only on the search of information. They requested from us if we knew of the whereabouts of a Wemic. Though we had no clue of such a GnollsAsh had some general knowledge of, or an image of this creature being somewhere east of us. The Knolls thanked us for our information and mentioned there would be a reward for the capture of this criminal. We were told to share any information we had at an Inn in Perrin. I must say here that I am quite alarmed that in all my years in Perrin I've never seen nor known that you could pass information to Gnolls? There is something going on at home that I am not aware of and it doesn't feel right. 

Session 8: Riding the Unicorn

I did a search for 'unicorn hunted by cats and the results were delightful

It seems just after I finished fixing my sweet sturdy Babbette and the doughty Jean-Jorge we were off when Gnormal spotted the hoof tracks of his unicorn, such a coincidence! We follow these tracks a short distance then we see in the distance this unicorn horse being attacked by several moon cats (not funny looking dogs, I now know this). Zut Alors! This unicorn horse is the very same that Gnormal is looking for, and her name is Peaches. I am quick to engage, but the unicorn and cats are even faster, I feel somewhat helpless as I see the cats attacking Peaches.

No honor, there are so many of them! As soon as I can I run forward to engage the one cat that decided to face us with Gnormal, and the little fellow is doing his best even as the cat has him in its jaws. These cats are strong, but they are no match for our teamwork and tactics. I hope we can make it to the unicorn before it's too late. I try to trick some of the cats and get them to attack me by showing them my back, but they are not enticed yet.

We cut down the cat, and then move forward. While Remy, Baby Bear, and I engage the cats that move to face us. Clooney and Gnormal run ahead bravely to save Peaches. Clooney even got mauled pretty badly for his bravery, but he will probably just have a cool scar or something as a result. Cloony and Gnormal heal Peaches and Ash shoots a ball of fire in an arc over us that was such a beautiful sight, like the famous dwarfball player Rocky Buckets. Even though the cats never tried my shield they fell all the same, and my axe helped a little.

After that Gnormal spoke with Peaches, these horny horses can speak! Zut Alors! It turns out that Peaches and Mario escaped from Gnormal's circus and they are happier being free, we do not know where Mario is, but if we find him I hope it is a happy reunion for my hon homme!

We bid Peaches adieu, then finally made it to the road to Perrin and then, the traffic today, jeez. First we run into this very clean fancy knight on a horse. At first I was impressed because he has a nice shield, and some bird heraldry heraldry the other recognized, and I am learning that the tall folk are no so useless in a scrap as we tend to think, but he looks like the type that is mostly talk. Like a big fancy mine cart that you never mine with, but instead you just ride around the settlement trying to impress other dwarves with, but never get dirty, eh? Clooney keeps me from sharing my observations, how will this guy improve without feedback?? Probably for the best eh? It turns out he is from Castle Amber, which is where that evil elf sent his slimes, we were very canny, but it did not seem like he knew much. We will have to go there to investigate sooner or later, I can feel it in my beard.

We continue walking and then we see some gnolls waiting on the road. This was a gnoll patrol and they were looking for a Wemic criminal named Lyan el-Ritchie which is a new type of person for me, but I am very open minded. We did not know this man, but the gnolls they tell us if we can capture him then they will pay us 4000 gold!! Zut alors! What I could create with that, it really sets my heart aflame. Ash, he is a seer and he looked into his strange mysteries to provide some guidance to these fellows with his magic powers. Amazing! The gnolls tell us we can contact them through the tavern keeper back in Perrin, I sure will if I hear anything, I want that gold!!

Such a busy day!

Session 7: More bandit trouble

That stupid elf druid was making slimes for other elves (probably) to cause more mayhem, tabernak! After I slew him, we look around and find a neat arrow and his magic spear. I have been noticing Gnick trying to use his spear to poke the enemies and I know he is trying hard to fighter like a little bear so I give him some pointer later eh? He should get that magic spear to use, I think he will be a great warrior someday, and maybe I can figure out how to copy that enchantment to make better weapons for my bon hommes and Remy so they are better at fighting to eh.

So we head back to Copse de Letin to visit the other gnomes before going back to Perrin figure out what is next. The gnomes are hospitable as usual, but they know nothing of the other evil elves and I think maybe Gnick doesn't really convey his thoughts on this, but I am not one for talking so I mind my business.

The next morning we set off for Perin and we are enjoying a nice walk around some boulders and trees when this man says there is a toll on the road. But we did not pay it before, and he has a shifty look to me, so I think he is probably a ruffian I can scare off if I show him what a real axe looks like. But then, this smart human pulls out a little baby axe and thinks that will scare me! HA! He calls his friends who were hiding on the boulder, and they all have little axes in their belts like they are dwarven children, HAHA. I am sure he thinks that scares me, and I admit they were quick to try and take advantage, but those humans could barely hit the broadside of a cave troll with their little slings.

We know we are in for a rowdy fete, and I look at my bon hommes and wink because I know they are giving me the signal to do my thing and they will be right behind me. They move into the bushes which is a weird way to charge, but I see them throwing magic so that is useful I bet. Then my homme Ash gives my axe some magic and Attache ta Tuque I showed those bandits was a big boy axe does. I run up and chop the mouthy one and his friends they try to shoot me, but it mostly bounces off my armor, HAHAHA. One of my hommes, I think Cloony burns off the first guys face, then Ash runs up and becomes a ladder! So useful, what a good friend! I jump on his hands then run up the wall to get near the rest of the bandits who haven't run away for some reason. They think they have me flanked, but really they have front row seats to hear my axe sing a sweet song. One of them I get right in the face, then Clooney kills him too, such timing! Another tries to attack me from behind, but he finds out about Babette and she blocks his attack then pushes him off of the boulder so my hommies can mess him up. Babette, she needs to take a break so I put her on the ground and bring out her brother, Jean-Jorge. These guys, they are still attacking me with their little axes, and sometimes it hurts, but my homies got my back and I will use some of these baby axes for throwing later I think.

So we saved the money on the toll, and I like to think their ghosts learned a lesson about axe measuring contests.

Session 6: The Emerald Circle

As the four leshys move to attack, Clooney tries to convince them that they come in peace, but the leshys notice pollen on the party's weapons and are not receptive. Bart manages to deafen two of the leshys, but a leshy is able to deafen Remi in turn. After Remi burn one of the live bushes to death, it explodes in a hail of pollen, healing one of their comrades and causing small flora to swiftly grow in the area surrounding them. Remi uses the length of his staff to occupy two at once, and after Clooney intimidates one Bart kills it while Guy finishes off the last one. The group then heads back to the main corridor to finish exploring the complex. 

Down the first side branch, the party finds what looks like a study, with a desk and a small library. On the desk is a letter to "Emile," asking him if he's happy with the delivery. Remi recalls that there is a noble by the name of Emile D'Amberville in the area. Next to the study is a lab; the group lacks the skills to figure out what was being done there, but they enjoy the mushroom soup. Down another side corridor, they find a purple fungus. This time they kill it from a distance.

Finally in the back they find the druid. He starts monologuing about the Emerald Circle, how they want to curb the growth of civilization by unleashing a plague that will bring the Great God Pan to the world. Clooney convinces the druid mid-monologue that he wants to join the Emerald Circle, but this comes to naught when Bart charges in, dodging a web mid-charge and losing his shield to an acid arrow along the way. Guy marks him for death and Bart grapples the druid, taking another acid arrow (this time to the face.) Remi uses an arc of pure electricity to sideline the druid's leshy companions. As a last gasp, the druid unleashes a jet of water, but this misses badly, and Bart takes advantage of the opportunity to axe the druid in the back.