We continue exploring Boulderham…
We search the area – Rhun finds tracks of the bugbear, it appears to have taken off.
- Rem’e and Ariza enter the bulding from which the goblins came. It doesn’t look like the goblins were there long.
- Three human bodies (guards) are here – still have longswords and crossbows
- Not sure where they’re from – all bear the symbol of Blood Brothers – popular mercenary group hired around the area.
- No orders on them
- Doesn’t seem like they were killed by the goblins.
- A young human female face looks out door of smaller house. Ariza knocks on the door – “It’s safe. We just want to talk”
- Human female – dressed as a noble
- “Who are you?”
- “Ariza – here on behalf of Cronen”
- “I’m Gemma Kun of house Kun, and I’m glad Cronen sent rescuers out, but he’s a little late.”
- She opens the door – she’s dressed for the road, but very well dressed.
- Liadan: “Where’s your family?”
- “We had permission to be here – but were ambushed by hobgoblins. My uncle is in the house, but he’s dead” – Rhun checks on the uncle. He’s dead.
- “There are goblins and some kobolds, but I’m a wizard and staying hidden using magics, and sneaking out to get food from a nearby field… it’s overgrown but provides enough for food.”
- We ask about the dwarf. “That dwarf just walks around talking to himself, he’s weird”
- Liadan immediately gets a weird sense of dejavu about the dwarf house.
- “A crone has been coming by and speaking to dwarf.”
- We discuss if we should help her bury her uncle – or perhaps secure the area first.
- Rem’e: “Can you protect yourself?”
- “I’m a beginner – learning from my uncle … I could use some help. Can you help my family? They were kidnapped by bugbears?” (3 family members: older brother, uncle and aunt)
- Liadan: “In which direction did they go?” Jemma points North towards Turtzatz.
We examine the ruins of the mill. Just open to the elements – just a ruin.
We then examine the smaller house – all the shutters are busted. Looks completely abandoned. Nothing inside.
We examine the larger community room – empty for a long time. Shack nearby also empty.
- Ariza knocks on the door of the crone – windows tightly shut.
- Rhun finds that the dwarf’s singing is done.
- Ariza opens the door to the crone’s house. It smells rotten inside – the smell of death.
- Rem’e sees inside a torture rack in the middle of the room – stained from regular use. Even in the dim light, we can see torture instruments. Well used.
- Ariza notices etchings on the floor.
- Rhun had been looking out; Rem’e takes his place
- Liadan and Rhun look in the building – we recognize a symbol of Norgorber…
- Ariza listens at the internal door of the building
- Hears nothing – opens the door and finds three more bodies
- These bodies have been carelessly stacked
- Rhun examines the bodies — the middle corpse has a silver amulet.
- Suddenly – a huge blast of cold discharges from below the bodies. (trap) – glyph of warding
- Luckily neither Ariza and Rhun take harm
- Ariza dodges
- Rhun is hit, but not hurt by the blast (…)
- Rhun takes amulet – it is magical – grabs scroll and hands it to Ariza
- All bodies are probably prospectors in various stages of decay.
- Liadan reads the scroll: “Oh come all ye faithful”
- Rhun works with the amulet – has minor divination magic on it
- We get out of the torture house quickly
- Ariza looks into the dwarfs house – he’s not there – but none of the shutters have been opened
- Liadan checks out the house – knowledge arcana – she doesn’t quite get it; it just feels familiar. Without thinking she pulls out the glasses she got from the halfling residence. She sees nothing strange but feels like she did something right.
- Liadan sees a door to a root cellar through the window.
- Liadan helps both Ariza and Rem’e get in through the window.
- As soon as they’re in – Door of the root cellar slams open – “YOU CAN’T BE HERE!!”, and the Dwarf jumps out with big battle axe!
- BATTLE
- Rem’e attempts to pistol whip but misses
- Rem’e fires at the dwarf – hits! — Dwarf barely even notices
- Ariza opens the door and steps out of the way
- Liadan casts force missile and hits him
- DWARF – swings like a lunatic, using a funky looking axe
- Rhun channels energy – full healing (12!)
- Rem’e steps back and shoots – hits! big hit
- Ariza takes a five foot step out the door taunts the dwarf “come get this pretty!” and steps back again
- Liadan – another force missile
- DWARF buys Ariza’s taunt and runs right out the door – tanglefoot trap just barely gets him, Rhun takes an attack of opportunity but misses! Dwarf swings at Ariza and misses
- Rhun – uses burning hands and hits a little and sets the house on fire (argh!) – Rem’e is still inside
- Rem’e shoots dwarf from behind and hits – the Dwarf is still standing
- Liadan uses amulet MM – and hits with 2 of them
- DWARF yells in pain, but whips his axe at Rhun – strong hit
- Rhun tries to hit with mace but misses dramatically
- Rem’e uses acrobatics to hop out of the burning building – jumps on a chair and jumps out of the window safe and unharmed rolling in the dirt
- Ariza produces flame and throws flame at dwarf
- Liadan strikes with a sword and misses
- DWARF – swings axe at Liadan – cutting some hair off her head but barely misses
- Rhun swings with mace and misses
- Rem’e shoots, and as the bullet finds its mark, the dwarf sinks to his knees, falls on his face – his axe clattering near him – and he sighs with relief.
- Ariza runs into the building to see what’s in the cellar – makes her way in – takes some damage from the heat – cellar is full of stuff, some of it shiny – she makes it back out.
- We drag the dwarf away from the burning building (dirt floor, adobe brick) – Ariza examines the axe – is a dwarven war axe – no magic on the weapon, but some magic on the shield (magical aura – abjuration magic = small +1 shield – Rhun takes it).
- Liadan notices with the glasses some kind of divine curse on the dwarf – she sees an ethereal chain around his head – she recognizes that Norgorbor or Zancuthon could have created something like this. We all feel bad for the dwarf.
- Gemma comes out and stands near us
- Liadan sees nothing unusual on her.
- Rhun detects magic – she’s clearly wearing two magic rings – one on each hand – she has a satchel… we sense that her spellbook is in there.
- Liadan perceives that she’s been through the ringer: she’s in grieving.
- Rem’e senses that she’s relieved that the dwarf is dead.
- We hole up in the common building for about an hour and a half. Wait for the burning building to stop burning.
- We then head to the dwarf’s house. It is really quiet – it is late afternoon; Liadan notices that the local fauna have all run away.
- Inside Ariza and Rem’e clear off the root cellar door. Ariza goes down into the cellar. Rem’e notes that it looks safe – he sees a collection of some sort of crazy hoarder. There are rocks, mason jars … mixed into are little piles of gold:
- 277 GP
- 190 SP
- the coins are from everywhere – new albion, old hahn pieces, Turtzasian pieces
- 11 pieces of red onyx (50 gp apiece)
- Emerald size of robin’s egg – worth 500 gp
- Liadan comes down – there are some books down there:
- an intricately carved wooden box chased with precious metals — perhaps identical to the one we found in the house in Amber – it’s beautiful
- one book: “The Petrified Bones”
- one book is unmarked on the cover, near an inkwell
- (Rhun is watching the door with crossbow loaded)
- Rem’e has heard of The Petrified Bones: “You can look at rocks and see rocks and shells frozen in the bones.”
- Liadan wraps Ariza’s belt around the box – and lifts it – and it becomes visible to everyone.
We know we need to get out of here. Gemma says that she wants us to follow her family rather than find safety. They have a three day head start. We’ll be heading over the badlands over dangerous terrain. Gemma knows that these hobgoblins are probably looking for more slaves.
Rem’e finds the bugbear tracks – in mud a couple days ago – a pair of cart wheels heading to the north. We head two hours north.
- We camp on a spot on a hill out of the wind. Ariza casts some light for us to read by. Rem’e looks in The Petrified Bones.
- No author. Liadan looks over his shoulder – tools they describe (knowledge geography) are not those that would be from excavation. Rem’e finds that the leather is not from a cow…
- Rhun reads the unmarked book.
- Journal of McCownie, was mining with his brothers – uncovered something dreadful – all brothers dead, came across this ruined town – found some treasure in this house — from there it degrades into ramblings, dates get weird. He writes a number of times how much he loves the “Petrified Bones”
- Rem’e asks Rhun to examine The Petrified Bones – he recognizes the “The words behind the Mask” – Norgorber. 17 short texts – this is one of those short texts. …
- We decide to burn it – Rhun doesn’t have Sarenrae’s fire, so Rem’e uses his flint lock to burn the book. We keep the other book (the journal) to bring back to Habistaw.
- We sleep the night – in the morning we see a figure on the edge of camp. Ariza says, “Hi, Hemile”. She comes forward with hands forward to show no weapons.
- “How did you know it was me?”
- Ariza: “Who else would it be”
- We can tell that Heminile doesn’t know Gemma (and vice versa).
- Heminile asks, “What are you going to do now that you’ve found me?” We explain that we’re helping Gemma first, and we’d like Heminile’s company, and that we’re also tasked with finding seeking the truth about the murders in Basilisk Bluff.
- Ariza: “Cronen sent us out on dual purposes – we found Gemma; we also came to find the accused, but we need to help Gemma’s family first. And perhaps you can help us find the accused.”
- Heminile thrusts Vervinia’s hilt at Liadan – and says draw this weapon and say your name.
- Liadan draws the sword and it glows with light.
- Heminile explains the sword:
- Vervinia:
- Aximatic longsword +2 to chaotic creatures
- Glows when gripped by someone with elf blood
- Glows when someone tells a lie
- She thrusts the sword at Liadan. “Take it back to Cronen – it will tell him much of what he needs to know. I’ll help you track these hobgoblins, but swear to me that you’ll bring this sword back to Cronen.” Liadan swears it.
- Dawn breaks and Heminile grunts and heads off, striking a trail – pushing the pace; Gemma is barely keeping up. She leads us over the plains – one whole day going through the wilderness.
- She finds a camping spot – and we say oh…this is what a good camping spot looks like. She blends in.
- She has a little stone that zips around her head as she goes around looking at thing. A long skinny two handed blade on her back (elven curved blade), and her bow is in her hand.
- That night we camp again – pretty quietly. About half way through the night, Rhun wakes up in dark. I see another shape on edge of campsite. It is the shape of a human woman of advanced age … that of a crone. She reaches forward and grabs my hand and whispers a prayer I’ve heard before and I take 17 points of dmg.
- Heminile looks at me. I wake up and am ok.
- Next day we truck along. At mid day Heminile says, “we’re close.”
800 xp – dwarf (200xp)