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Session 13, Sir Evan and The Investigation

Paldegora 

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Session 13 – 2023-03-04

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Well, last telling had quite a lot of things happen. It ended with the death of Sir Charles, even though there were two priests on hand which could have saved him. He was so anti-magic that he wouldn’t allow them to try. He did at least, pass the reins of leadership on to Captain Evan Murdock. They also found the stiff and lifeless body of Rogard just inside the secret door to the tunnels the goblins and kobalds had built. This was a huge turn of events. Now I will tell you how this affected the Town of Frosthaven and what our adventurers learned from it all. 

We started at the secret door to Sir Charles home from the underground tunnels. Rogard was laying there stiff as a tree and foam coming out of his mouth. Sir Evan had us stay back in the cellar while Lt. Wright joined him. They drew their swords and examined the room. They both turned and moved further down the tunnel, out of site. “Kobalds! Unbelievable, kobalds!”, is what they heard next as Sir Evan discovered the first set of kobald corpses we left there. Sir Evan said, “Come with me, let’s go back!”. They returned and Evan ordered Lt. Wright to go upstairs and get some blankets and sheets to wrap up the body and remove it to the jail and put it in a cell until he has time to get Father Nathanial to come and look at it. Also have one of the guards upstairs get Sergeant Harris to get every available man and bring them here. Lt. Wright took off and Evan approached Elmer and the party and asked them to go to the main dining room and wait for him there. Angelique said, “Hold on! We came to find you and Sir Charles to have a talk with you.”. Evan tried to push that conversation off but Angelique was pushy and told him that what she had to say involved this area and what we found. Eryn added that it had to do with the kobalds, goblins, other things you are going to find down here. Evan said, “So obviously you guys are much deeper in this than I realized!”. Eryn added that, only in the fact that we went looking for whoever was stealing the chickens and stumbled across this whole underground sewer system and while in there, we ran into goblins, kobalds, a couple of hobgoblins, and some giant rats. The goblins had a plan, Angelique pulled out the note and passed it to Evan. Eryn told him, we were bringing this to Sir Charles, once we’d cleared out this threat. Angelique and Symon mention that there are two goblins tied up down the hall a ways. We kept those two alive so they could be questioned. Evan said, “Obviously, we have a lot to talk about.”, and he asked the party to wait in the dining room. Symon also brought up that there were a lot of traps and to be careful. 

Elmer and the party went to the dining room and waited. Evan and his staff kept working on the problem. After a few minutes, we could hear them in the foyer as Evan told Lt. Wright to send two men to the secret door in the cellar, don’t allow it to shut, and kill anything that comes through it, he was going to send a team in there. The party heard the front door open and a bunch of people pour in. More soldiers they’d guessed. Eryn cracked the door open attempted to get Evan’s attention. Sgt. Harris asked Captain Evan what was going on and was told that Sir Charles was killed, murdered. Sgt. Harris and the soldiers with him were stunned. He told the sergeant about the secret passage in the cellar. He told him to hand pick a team to go into the tunnels to explore it. He also ordered that two guards be sent to the Temple of Phi, and make sure that Lady Mary and Lady Anne are guarded, they may be a target for whatever is going on. Eryn approached Sir Evan, apologized for interrupting him but wanted to give him the map of the tunnels that they had made. Guards start dispersing as Lt Wright came back in and said, “The body has been taken to the jail.”. Sir Evan then invited Lt Wright to join him as he talked to Elmer and the party to find out what they knew. In the dining room, Angelique asked Elmer who Agatha Loraine was. He told her that they were his two daughters that went missing when all the people up north vanished. Sir Evan and Lt Wright made their way into the dining area. Evan then asked everyone to have a seat. At that time, he took a moment and told Lt Wright that he was promoted to Captain and would assume his former duties. He told him that they’d do the formal stuff later but for now, let us resume dealing with this current crisis.

Evan turned to the party and said, “Now, I’d like to know everything that’s been going on here and what everyone knows. Some of it I know myself. I know the book was taken from the crazy man, I paid for it!”, as he points to the scar on his face. He said, “So please tell me what the hell is going on.”. Eryn suggested that Symon explain it. Symon started with, “Well, when we were in court, you might recall that a report was delivered about the disappearing chickens, and the 500gps reward for information about these disappearing chickens. So, we went on the hunt for the disappearing chickens. That took us to searching the outer area around the town which led us to an entrance to a cave down by the river.”. Eryn laid out the map and he pointed to its location. He continued, “We found some chicken feathers near the entrance.”. Evan stopped him and said, “That’s the old sewer drain from the town and it’s got a portcullis and a padlock.”. Eryn said, “On that day, it was not locked or closed and there were footprints around the entrance going in and out of it.”. Evan said, “Okay, go one!”. Symon continued, “We entered, long story short, we ran into giant rats. There was no surprise there, but then we came across goblins. We managed to capture a goblin that told us some of the elements of what was going on. He told us that they were digging for a Grish-ta-nak. The leader in the sewer was a hobgoblin named Skull Cracker. They were the ones taking the chickens. They had special footwear that masked their tracks. You’ll find chicken bones everywhere. They were here to prepare for an attack from the north. Grish-ta-nak was readying for an attack on the city.”. Francesca had taken notes on the conversation with the captured goblin and Symon asked her to read through them. She read, “They were here to prepare for an attack on the city. Grish-ta-nak wants to kill everyone and take the gold. Pasha and the elite goblins were ahead. Pasha carries Skull Cracker, there are also kobalds. They take chickens and eat them, putting chickens in bags and leave some feathers so that they’d think animals did it. They wear things on their feet to hide their tracks which is why no one could find tracks. We asked him about the missing people but he knew nothing about them. He said that Pasha was a hobgoblin, big and mean. 

We asked what they were doing down here. He told us that we’re digging to a humans house, the big man. We took that to be Sir Charles.”. Evan said, “That would be sir Charles then, they’d dug that tunnel and built that secret door in the cellar. Elmer, have you ever heard the name Grish-ta-nak?”. Elmer replied, “No, but I’ll tell you this much, if you’ve got kobalds, goblins, and hobgoblins working together, somebody is controlling them. They don’t normally associate together like this. That is not good!”. Sir Evan agree, “Not good sat all, plus they are planning an attack on our town. They must have been operating down there for some time to be able to dig that out.”. Turning to the party and asked for the map. Eryn pushed It across the table to him. He looked over the map and said, “Wow, this is not good!”. Elmer said, “Grish-ta-nak, do you have any other information that we gleaned on who or what that might be?”. Symon said, “There is also someone named Bloodfist. The letter that Skull Cracker had said.”, he read the letter, “Grish-ta-nak says stay, hide, watch, and count. Will send others, make haste. When the orders come, kill the man leader first and then all others. Take stone house first. Make them dig tunnels faster.”  it was signed, Bloodfist”. Symon said it appeared that Skull Cracker answered to Bloodfist who answered to Grish-ta-nak. Evan asked if they’d learned where they might be. The party told him that north is all we got out of anybody. Elmer said, “This is bad! I’ve had my suspicions that something was moving through the woods, coming south, for some time. This bares it out in the worst way. I don’t recognize the language or the term for Grish-ta-nak. Whether it is a proper name or a title. “. Sir Evan said that he hadn’t heard of that either. Evan continued, “Seems odd that the murderers of Sir Charles apparently came into the house that way.”. Eryn told him they must have because when we found the secret entrance, one of the things we determined is that you couldn’t open it from the inside. To leave that way, meant they had to come in that way first. Elmer agreed, ”That is a typical kobald construction technique. I’ve seen it before. They are very good at doing that sort of thing.”. Sir Evan asked, “So they were going to kill everyone and take the gold, is that’s what they were after?”. “Yes”, replied Symon. 

Elmer said, "I'm not liking this at all.". Symon asked, "Are there enemies to the north who would invade, armies, tribes, other countries or areas". Sir Evan replied, "No, it's a wasteland to the north. There is nothing there anymore. Just ruins!". Eryn said, "on our way here, we kept running into indications that there is a larger thief guild presence to the north. Maybe they are trying to make some kind of move to grab some power.". Evan said that the thieves operation would not use goblins and hobgoblins for that sort of thing. They would do that themselves. This is very disconcerting! Francesca asks Sir Evan and Captain Wright if Father Nathanial does find out what killed the man downstairs, she would like to know what it was because our party had run into a couple of people on the way here that died in a similar manor. Evan said, "You have? He asked her to fill him in on that.". Symon said, "We were hired to escort this caravan for Elmer, through the guild. We were on our way to here and near the Misty Pond, we made camp. We had people on watch that night, that heard, not far from the camp, the muffled scream of someone. We investigated and found a thief who had been killed. She had made it into our camp, stolen a bag from Francesca's belongings, got back out of the camp and then somebody killed her. There was a message on her that said, “Jade, If you fail, it's the top floor for you!”. Her throat had been slashed with something sharp. There were no tracks around the body. Whoever did this, didn't appear to take anything of hers or the bag she had taken from Francesca. She just simply was killed in place by someone untraceable. We continued on to Munville and asked the barmaid if she had seen this Jade before, and she had. She remembered her traveling through there with two unsavory looking men. The next morning, as we gathered for breakfast, the same barmaid told us that she had just seen the two men near the stables. We decided to have a word with them and when they caught sight of us, they tore out of town on horses riding north toward Udenvale. We had breakfast and then continued on to Udenvale. 

We made it there and spent the night at the "Ye Old Slaughtered Goblin" tavern. We left there the next morning and headed to Frosthaven. On the way, we found a man on horseback, frozen like a stump, just like the man downstairs. We took the horse with him on it and continued on. That night while we camped, we had two people on watch and still did not see when someone snuck into camp, and took the body off of the horse and carried it away. We never knew they had been there until they were long gone. We found the horse empty, followed some tracks south, and then the rain got heavy and washed out the tracks.". Evan asked Captain Wright and Emler if either of them had heard of something that would do that. Neither of them had but both agreed it's some very nasty stuff. Francesca continued the story, "The next day, as we were getting close to Frosthaven, we ran into another man sitting on a stump in the middle of the road. He gave us the sign for parley. We approached him and it turned out to be an ambush. We got his name, it was Rawlin. He accused us of killing Jade and the other man on the horse. He and a large group ambush us and they paid the price. The few that lived, scattered to the south. Evan asked how many there were. We told him five to seven, Eryn thought more like nine or ten. Evan and Captain Wright agreed it sounded like Rawlin and his merry band. Eryn did let them know that Rawlin is no longer a problem for anybody. There was a note that they’d found on Rawlin and they showed that to Evan. It said, "Rawlin, you and your bunch quit fucking around and get on with it.". It was signed Theo. Evan handed the note to Captain Wright. Then he said, "Theo!". Symon asked if that name meant something to them and Evan told him it did. Evan, looking at Captain Wright said, "This just confirms more of my suspicions. Theo is a captain of the guards at the prison. He works for Warden Blackmore.". Captain Wright said, " I told you there was a stink about them. I've suspected it for a long time. But still, this is not proof of anything other than they were working with Theo and he was in charge.". 

Symon pointed out that the Warden had a couple of guests that he was dining with, at the Dogg Butt earlier, when Mary came to get us. He was going to give them some sort of tour of the prison. Seemed like a business thing. Evan told the party that Warden Blackmore had contacts all over, in other areas of Valdornost, over toward the west and the Emerald Cost. He's had people come in who have run prisons and stuff like that, to consult on methods and things, or there may be something more to it. He said, ”My bet is that there is something more to it. Again, I don't have concrete proof. Charles trusted him, I never did.". Francesca handed him a letter she thought he needed to see. The letter to Jade about, if she failed it would be the top floor for her. It was signed Theo. Eryn wondered, with Theo being the captain of the prison guard, if that meant the top floor of the prison. Evan said, that’s what he was thinking as well. Captain Wright asked how this all fit into Charles's murder. We pointed out that there are some very good assassins running around out there because they killed off Jade and her crew, two of them with the same method used on the man downstairs. Evan said, "Obviously, whoever did that also attacked and killed Charles.". Symon said, "At the time we were wondering, who would have the ability to do this. This is a skillset beyond anything I've ever seen. I've only heard in legends.".  Elmer said, "From what I'm hearing, the level of these people is something beyond what most of us can handle. And, that tells me, from my experience in the past, that somebody powerful is behind these people doing this. But, I don't necessarily think that Blackmore has anything to do with this. Why would he kill Charles. If Blackmore is running some kind of operation out of there, it sounds to me like he's had it made here. Why would he kill Charles, it's like he'd be cutting of the hand that feeds him.". Eryn asked, "Isn't Blackmore, Theo's boss? If Theo is running something out of the prison, wouldn't Blackmore know about it?". Evan didn't think so but Symon pointed out, that Rogard was in the prison. How he got out, Evan has no idea. Francesca asked, "Could Theo have been able to let him out?". Symon said, "Sergeant Harris came in to the Dogg Butt, just after Mary showed up to get us, to tell Blackmore that this Rogard fellow had escaped the prison. Apparently that happened quite recently as well.". Captain Wright said, "It sounds to me like the assassins got him out.". Sir Evan said, "That's very likely, that’s probably what happened.". Symon added, "Because of the book!". 

Francesca asked, "But how did they get in the prison?". Evan said, "That's a good question. It's one I want an answer to!". Eryn said, "If Theo is working with whatever group this is, he could have let them in.". Symon added, "They seem to be able to go where ever the hell they want so far, without being discovered. Perhaps they just got themselves in.". Evan said, "It still doesn't add up to me. Maybe the book will tell us some things. Sounds like we need to go find this book.". Elmer said, "Sir Evan, you must forgive me but from what I'm hearing here, and what's going on, whats coming down from the north, I need to get home. I'm worried about my wife, I'm an old man now, I don't do this stuff anymore. If there is anything else that you need form me, I'm willing to help you out and to help all of you", looking at the party, "as well but I'd like to take my wagon and head that way as-soon-as possible.". Eryn said, "we need to get our equipment back from the jail and leave with him to fulfill our duty.". Evan said, "I completely understand Elmer. I don't blame you either, I would be worried as well." Elmer said, "I left her there alone! She's pretty smart, we've both lived a long time, we know the signs of trouble. In general, she can take care of herself, from what I'm hearing here though, I'm probably going to get her and go to my cousins home, south. I think it may be time for us to get out of here.". Francesca suggested that we go ahead and get the book. Sir Evan turned to Angelique and asked, "what is your name again?". She answered, "Francesca!". He asked her, "Francesca, I'm curious, why did Charles say that you were in danger.". She answered, "I don't know either. You heard me ask him from what, but he never answered me.". He asked her, "What connection do you have to all of this? I'm not accusing you of anything, I just thought it was very odd.". She told him that she had felt she was being watched many times on this trip but doesn't know why. Maybe he knew something she didn't know. She's a priest but she's not a priest of Ahn. She's a priest of Nah. Eryn asked, "Is there a spell by which you can be watched from a distance?". Symon said, "Of course! There are scrying spells!". Eryn wondered aloud, "Could that be what you are feeling, someone watching you through a scrying spell? That might explain why you did't see anything but you felt it.". Angelique answered, "I don't know!". 

Angelique looked at Sir Evan and said, very respectfully, "With all of the danger you've got coming, I think you might want to rethink your laws. You are going to need all the help you can get. You've got people in that prison, for using magic. You've got fighters in there. You might need to release them and get them ready to go. If we need to, once we get Elmer home, if you want us to come back, we can. But I think you need to rethink what Sir Charles did.". Evan said, "Fortunately, I'm in charge now! Before, Sir Charles was my Lord Commander, and I didn't question his orders. I followed the laws that he laid down to the best of my ability. Personally, I thought those laws were over the top, especially in the magic use. Hanging somebody for thievery or murder, I'm happy to do it, but the magic I didn't understand. It has something to do with this book. We need to get this book. Maybe it will explain some things. Elmer, do you have time to stay while we do that?". Elmer answered, "Oh yeah, I want to see it too!'. Evan said, "Good, but first I'd like to go upstairs and look through his office that was torn up, to see if there is anything up there that might tell us something. Would you all want to come help me with that?". Angelique answered, "We could come help!". Eryn asked about splitting the group and letting a few go to the Court Room and either search for the book or make sure nobody is there searching for the book. Have you had guards put there to protect the room?". Sir Evan said, "Not yet! Let's do this first because I want to talk with you about something else.". They all followed him to the upstairs office. It was a total wreck, stuffing cut out of chairs, furniture smashed, books are scattered all about, and there was a bloody mess too. Eryn looked at the chest and it had been broken open. It looked like the bags were still in there. Symon asked, "Were there any witnesses to this, the wife and daughter were home when this attack occurred?". Evan said, "They were home, they heard a commotion upstairs, they came up and found him lying there, like he was trying to get out of the room, covered in blood. They helped him onto the bed, but they did not see anybody.". After some searching, they found nothing of interest in there. Eryn noticed that at one point, there were no guards in the room and there was an open chest full of gold and gems sitting right next to her. Again, it’s not what she is here for. Besides, Lady Anne and Lady Mary will need that to sustain their lives with Charles’s passing.

They left the room and headed down to the foyer where Sergeant Harris had gathered his men and waited. Sir Evan handed Sergeant Harris the map that Eryn made and told him to go through the place and see what he can find and report back to him. He told him he would be at the jail. Angelique told them about the two living goblins we had left tied up and pointed out where we left them. Eryn told them about the levers, where they were and what gates they operated. Again, the map dIdn’t show the two secret rooms. They also point out that the hatch that leads to the cell in the jail. Sergeant Harris was shocked to find out about that. He took his men and set out to explore the tunnels. Sir Evan, Captain Wright, Elmer, and the Company left for the courtroom. As they entered the courtroom, they found two guards, one on either door. Evan excused the guards while Eryn and Cal-El began systematically searching the room. It didn’t take long before Eryn found a secret compartment under Sir Charles chair on the dais. She carefully checked it for traps. Not finding any, she opened the compartment and within, found an object wrapped in a cloth, tied with a string. She pulled it out and put it up on the desk and waited for Sir Evan’s approval before untying it. He told her to go ahead. She untied it and opened it to reveal a very old book. Symon watched Captain Wright and Evan’s countenance, trying to see if one of them had a reaction to it or if one of them was a doppelgänger or something like that. He saw nothing of interest as the book was revealed. It looked like it might be made out of some sort of leather but it was not specifically apparent what kind of leather. There was no writing on the front of it. Evan said, ”That’s the book I took off of Rogard!”. Eryn noticed that Elmer wasn’t armed. She asked him what his favored weapon was. He told her the long sword. She passed him one, just in case all hell broke loose, as she said, “Someone is killing people, hold on to this, if nothing else, to defend yourself.”. Eryn also pointed out that there was concern that Francesca is being spied on or watched, and that because of that, they may be under threat of attack. Sir Evan agreed. They decided to take the book to Sir Charles’s office before reading it. He wrapped up the book and took it into the office, ordering guards to stand watch just outside the room, closing the door. Eryn suggested that we line up and make an impassable line and move across the room looking for invisible folk. They found none. She then thought to use the sand in her pouch, and with Sir Evan’s permission, swirled, slinging a thin spray of sand through the air to see if it stuck to anything that we couldn’t see. It revealed nothing. They appeared to be alone. Symon said, “You know, with magic, I could have done that with much less mess. Sir Evan said that he didn’t agree with that law and plans to resend it. He said that if we have any items here, we were welcome to get them back. 

They opened the book and started reading through it. Symon was shocked as he figured out what it was. The name he read is legendary. He said, “Oh my! I can’t believe what this is! This is the personal diary of the Grandmaster Wizard who was the second in line from the founding of the wizards guild, Azar! It appears to be a chronicle of when he met the Arch Mage of all time, the first wizard of Paldegora after magic came into the world, and his name was Tim Montague.”. Symon continued, “I don’t know if any of you know who Tim Montague was, he was the younger child and brother of the Montague family who were the most notorious and ruthless pirates of all time”. Eryn asked, “and he was an Arch Mage?”, to which Symon responded, “Yes, he was an Arch Mage!”. Cal-El recognized the name Montague from a sea ditty he grew up knowing. Cal-El got some paper and pen and wrote this out, “This is a sea song that I know from my childhood! The Pirates of Montague did pillage and plunder tis true, all but young Tim, hung with rope and pen, lost was his treasure too“. They started looking through it and it seemed to be a chronicle his time from meeting Tim, becoming his apprentice and studying under him. Then it moved to where they spent a lot of time on Montague Island which was the operating base for all of the piracy going on. Montague Island had since been lost. No one knew where it was. It disappeared and know one knew where it went. As they read through the diary, they got to the part where Sir Charles and others appeared to linger, the important part.  

=== Diary ===

Much discussion Tim and I had together on the subject today. There was no doubt in Tim's mind that the energy that creates magic flows throughout all creation. However, he is adamant that the dragons can tap into this and focus those energies through themselves. The way rainwater that has fallen and collected is channeled and becomes the flow in a stream or river. We have all been able to drink from that flow.

Although my understanding of all this is limited compared to Tim's, I have no doubt using magic maintains this flow and feeds the dragons. The more magic is used in the world, the stronger these dragons become. Tim would only nod to confirm this to me. 

Tim is overwrought with his failure. I know he suffers from a broken heart. Tim has become moody and withdrawn as if contemplating some great decision. I pointed out many times to him that he saved all of Paldegora from a terrible fate. He would take no comfort from me, only to say he needs me soon for an important task.

Unreadable lines (the words "Heart" and "future" maybe?)

Unreadable lines (the words "children" and "our souls" maybe?)

Unreadable lines (the word "stone" maybe?)

His warning chilled me to the core. If the dragons manage to escape, it will be our only hope. They will be stronger than ever before. Keeping them together would be a mistake.

Many garbled lines continue and then become readable once again:

To this, I have reluctantly agreed. I will secure the location map with magic and keep it in my possession. Then I shall take the orb, rod, and scroll and leave them with the White Priestess. In their possession, it will remain safe well into the distant future.  Once I depart, he will move the island and hide them with his magic. It was a tearful goodbye between us. He would say no more of it or change his mind about this. I shall miss my mentor and friend.

=== End of Diary ===

Symon knew and relayed that Tim founded all of the different schools of magic. He was an Arch Mage of all of the schools. The Order of the Arcane that Symon is very aware of and the different schools, on the island in the east, Tim Montague started that and Azar was the second in charge of that group. This goes thousands of years back.

There was more in the book that was very interesting to Symon, about the training Azar did with Tim. It’s probably a very scholarly read and a lot of the masters that taught him would be very interested in this book. This is the most relevant section to what is going on now. Symon said, “Sir Charles said, they have the map, but they don’t know how to read it. He had also said that Rogard talked too much.“.  The DM-God told us that obviously, he was pontificating about something. Xor asked Evan if we could have our confiscated belongings brought to us. He had a guard go and get the items and return them to us. Angelique asked, ”Are we allowed to use magic?”. Sir Evan said he would be rescinding that law very soon. He said he would also be commuting the sentences of the prisoners in prison for magic use. Sir Evan asked, “What does this mean to you guys?”, as he glanced to the book. Elmer said, “I don’t know if you know this, but my group was hired to help Prince Lundore deal with the dragon war up north, we went to the White Isle. Those things mentioned in the book were what he stole. He stole the orb, the rod, and the scroll! That’s why my team died!”. Eryn asked, “And he and all of his people disappeared with those things, didn’t they?”. Elmer replied, “Yes, all of the people in the northern kingdom, all of Coldspire, and all of the dragons disappeared!”. Sir Evan said, “I was very young when all that happened. My father was in the guard and I came down here with him. He was under Sir Charles command. I grew up here and went into the service. I was aware that everything disappeared up north. I lived here pretty much all my life under Sir Charles’s command. My goal at that time was to follow in my father's footsteps and join the Royal Guard, the Guardians of the North, the Wolves of the North. I was aware of what happened up north, but I’ve never been back there. I do know that everybody disappeared.”. Elmer said, “Sounds to me like all the trouble is coming from that way.”.

Angelique asked Sir Evan, “I know of two people in the prison, Shea and Fran, are going to be released?”. He told her he remembered both of their cases and he saw no reason to hold them. He didn’t agree with the decision to begin with but he didn’t question his commander. Angelique asked to be excused to let Kyra and Cassandra know about the releases but Evan asked that she wait a few moments. He was very concerned, and before anyone left this office, he stated ”Obviously, whoever is behind this is very powerful. Also, murdering Sir Charles, they didn’t even bat an eye at that. Whoever has this book is going to be a target! So the question I have for all of you, you all know everything that I know at this point, what do we do with this book?”. Angelique said, “We have it in our memory, burn it!”. Symon pondered the book and couldn’t see anything that would be a key to a map. If it’s magically encoded into it, he can’t see it. He would likely have to cast spells against it to see it. He thought, they wouldn’t have done what they have done for this information. He remembered that Sir Charles said that they had the map, they couldn’t read it. That’s likely why they wanted the book. They must have thought a clue to how to read the map was in this book. DM-God reminded them that Rogard came from the south and got arrested for vagrancy, they took the book from him and he went wild. The question now is, where was he going with it. Elmer stated that there is only Stonebridge, north of him, and then the ruins of Coldspire and Nordanlun, and beyond that is the waste, until you get to the Dragonspine Mountain. Eryn suggested that maybe Coldspire isn't empty anymore. Maybe someone has moved in and started rebuilding up there. Elmer said that was a good point, he didn't know of anyone venturing that way in many years. Symon pointed out that the goblins existence here suggested that there is more up there than just empty cities with Grish-ta-nak, Bloodfist, and this army on the move, planning an attack on Frosthaven. Elmer agreed that the empty city of Coldspire would definitely make a great place to operate out of. Angelique let Symon know that she is prepared to cast a Detect Magic spell on the items if we want to pile them all together to see what we got that is actually magical.

When the conversation returned to the disposition of the book, Eryn suggested that only a few people know of it's of its disposition. With the potential that Francesca is being watched, she shouldn't know where it is. Elmer agreed but said he didn't want the book. Angelique suggested that she not be present for any discussion about the books disposition, or even who would know about the books disposition. Eryn still blurted out that she thought that Sir Evan, Elmer, Symon, and herself be the only people that know. Angelique asked Xor to go with her while she visited Krya and Cassandra to let them know about the prison sentences being repealed, that Shea and Fran should be out in the next couple of days. They left to do that. Eryn wondered if we should keep the book close by, should we need to reference it. Symon said, "Frankly, it escapes me a bit, but if it's meaningful enough that they went through that much trouble to get it, then there is probably more to it than I have been able to discern at this point.". Eryn then asked if Captain Wright should remain for this discussion. Sir Evan asked Captain Wright to go check in with Father Nathanial, ”See to it that Sir Charles has been taken care of properly and that Lady Anne and Lady Mary are okay. Also, have Father Nathanial come, he'd like him to examine the body of Rogard to determine what exactly was used to produce that sort of a result.”. Captain right said, "Yes Sir!", and headed out. After he closed the door, Sir Evan said, "Captain Wright is of the finest family. I have no questions about his loyalty and sincerity and I trust him completely.". Eryn said, "That's good to know!". After a little discussion, it was decided that the Company Clandestine should keep the book. Eryn suggested that Symon keep it as he would be the best chance of figuring out how to use it, should we come across this map. Symon agreed that it seemed reasonable for him to carry it. If we can find a better place to hide it, then we can do that as well but for now, we will tell Francesca that it's been hidden and that only two people know where it is. Symon wrapped it up and put it in the bottom of his pack. Sir Evan paid them the 500gps reward for determining what happened to the chickens.

Meanwhile, Angelique made it to Kyra's and told her about Sir Charles and the new leader Sir Evan, and about the laws being repealed. She was upset to hear about Sir Charles but happy that Fran would be released soon. Kyra offered her any component she wanted for free. Angelique asked about identifying a couple of potions that we found. She identified the first one as a wizard potion of Gaseous Form. The second one is a potion of Fire Resistance. She also showed her the yellow/green potions that they’d found and she identified them as being a poison. She pulled a reference book and thumbed through it and came back and told her that she thought, though not 100% sure, that it is Wyvern Venom. She said, it's extremely deadly. It's extremely rare. Some magic groups would pay a fortune for this one bottle. Angelique told her that she had six bottles. She asked Kyra if this could cause someone to become stiff. Kyra said she didn't know what it would do to someone. She suggested that Father Nathanial would be able to tell us more about it. Angelique asked for some pearls and Kyra pulled out a chest with about 12 pearls. Angelique gave her the pearl that we had found that was worth about 200gps, 3 small Rubies, opal's worth about 200gps, and a few more miscellaneous gems. Angelique also asked about leaves of Sumac which she was able to get. She also asked for Fox Fire and Garlic and was able to get that as well. She told her that Symon might be by to pick up a few things later. Angelique left her and went to see Cassandra. She got to Cassandra and told her that Shea will be released soon and asked if she could get word to Dan. Cassandra said she could get word to Dan, and if Blackmore has done anything to hurt her, she will kill him. Angelique and Xor made their way back to the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Eryn posed a question to Elmer about the Dan Longmire group outside of town. They could be a potential help in these troubling times. They are quite formidable. Should we tell Sir Evan about them? Elmer said that he thought they already knew about them. He thought they had not caused any trouble in the town and that they would be safe if we told Sir Evan about them. Eryn told Sir Evan about Dan and his merry men and he agreed to talk to them once everything calmed down here. He felt he needed to consolidate things here first. Symon asked what Elmer's immediate plans were. Elmer said he would like to stay here and help but felt he needed to get home to his wife. All this news sounded very bad and he wanted to get home to her. It's three to four days to get there. Elmer headed to the Dogg Butt while the Company finished up some other business. Symon got some spell components he needed. He was able to get Rose Pedals, Gum Arabic, Sulfur, and Licorice Root. Eryn stopped by a bowyer and picked up some arrows. The party headed back to their room at the inn and gathered all of the stuff they had collected to cast a detect magic spell on them. There was a ring they found with the rats, it glowed as magical. The shield glowed, the morning star didn't glow, the ring with the white gem didn't glow, the studded leather didn't glow, the chain mail glowed, the elven short sword glowed, the other shield glowed, the ten arrows glowed, the bracers glowed, and the long bow glowed. Symon identified the Elven Short Sword as +1, the Chain Mail as +1, and the Long Bow as +1. Eryn took the Elven Short Sword, Angelique took the Chain Mail, Cal-El took the Long Bow. Angelique took the extra gear and sold it. We’ll identify the rest later.

Symon rested after casting the spell. Elmer waited to leave until the morning. Xor stayed upstairs with Symon but everyone else went downstairs to eat a nice meal before leaving in the morning. While eating, Sir Evan came into the Dogg Butt and spotted the party in the dining area. He headed over to their table and sat down. He told them that Sergeant Harris finished scouting the tunnels and found the two goblins that they'd told him they left alive down there and they were dead, someone had slit their throats. He held up the patch of the dragon shaped image. That's when we all realized we had forgotten to tell him about that. Eryn apologized that we had forgotten all about those. He asked that we relay this to Elmer. He added that this was not good. He said that this must have something to do with whoever is running the show for these guys. He also relayed that everything else was back under control and that if they need anything, to let him know before they leave town. Eryn let him know that they planned to leave in the morning. He left! While they were eating, Blackmore came into the building, looked around, waved at Dogger and headed upstairs. After a few minutes, he came back down the stairs with his two guests and the headed out of the inn. Eryn sat in front of the fire and drank her wine for about an hour. They all finally turned in for the evening. The night passed uneventfully. 

In the morning, they rose, Angelique passed the potion for Gaseous Form to Symon. The Fire Resistance potion she kept for when they found a use for it. They headed downstairs and have a quick breakfast with Elmer before they lit out on their trip. Symon still needs another 16 hours or so to be back to full strength. They headed out to the back and got into the wagon, Eryn sat up front. Symon rested while riding in the wagon. The wagon was full of supplies, like flour and sugar and other things he would need for a long time. Elmer guided the wagons through town and slowly toward the back gate. Angelique asked him to stop in front of the Temple of Phi. They got down from the wagon and went inside to talk to Father Nathanial. They went into the side office and spoke to him about the events of the previous evening. Angelique asked if he knew what kind of poison was used on Rogard. He told her it was a poison made from a fish. It’s one of the most deadly substances known of in Paldegora. She asked if there was an antidote for it. And he told her no, there isn’t one. Even the smallest amount can cause what they saw. He said it’s something you don’t even want to get on your skin, you don’t want to even touch it. Symon asked if the fish was from a particular region. Nathanial said, the fish is from the southern seas, to the far east, off the continent of Nox. He said this poison is an odd thing to see here. Nox is a very strange place. History tells us that it used to be the realm of the Black Dragon. There is a spire there, Blackspire, but it’s been abandoned for centuries. That fish is common off the cost there. Eryn asked what happened to Blackspire. He told her it fell into ruin thousands of years ago. Symon asked what the shelf life of a poison like this would be. Nathanial said he’s not sure but thought it wouldn’t last very long unless it is well protected in a vial or something like that, or maybe a magic vial. Symon said, “It seems really potent!”. Angelique asked if Father Nathanial had any potions of healing that we might be able to buy. He had two vials of extra healing(400gps) and three vials of of regular healing(200gps). Xor contributed 200, Eryn 200, Angelique 100, Cal-El 250, Symon 100. They purchased two extra healing potions. Angelique left a donation of 100gps and and Cal-El donated some coin as well. They returned to the wagon and continued on.

They exit out of the northern gate and begin a slow drive north. Not long after leaving the city, the terrain started to get more wild. There were only a few farms here and there. Eryn looked back at the sign to see if anything had been changed on it yet and it hadn’t. Very quickly, they found themselves traveling on an old road, very lightly traveled if at all. Elmer told a lot of stories from his adventuring days and after quite a while, he suddenly reined in the horses and stopped the wagon and looked upward and said, “That’s strange! Do you see that?”. Everyone looked up ahead and saw, in the air, about head high, that the air was sparkling. There was something in it that was really weird looking. Elmer said, “That has to be magic, whatever it is. Very strange.”. Eryn wondered if it could be a swarm of some sort. Symon asked Angelique if she could cast Detect Magic on it. She determined that it was within range so she cast it. It glowed and formed a rectangular shape. She was able to determine that it was moderate in strength but wasn’t able to determine what school of magic it came from. It was undefined and it sparkled and glittered and was stationary. If they kept driving, they would go under it and wouldn’t touch it. Eryn looked to see if there was a way around it. There was, to one side of it. Symon threw a coin into it and it passed through and fell to the ground undamaged. They decided to try and go to the side of it and began heading that way. When they get to about 10ft from it, It solidified and looked like a big sign. The sign said, “Ready for a P break?”. They had been on the road for most of a day now. After contemplating it for a moment, Symon remembered back to when a Gnome passed through Frosthaven just as we got there. Cal-El looked for signs of their passing and saw where another wagon passed through a few days ago. The tracks continued on down the road. Symon was thinking that Gnomes were very magical and if he was selling stuff, this might be an advertisement for it. He may be set up, just up ahead.

Let’s stop there. That’s a lot to get into. I think it will take you quite a bit of time to sift through it all. I’m parched and f ready for a glass of wine! We’ll pick up here when next we talk.

Don’t forget to turn on the recorder!

We got 100gold from the chicken reward, 34gold and a copper from sales of items

*** DM Q and A ***

Chris asked the DM, Are the people from Nox visibly different in some way from the people off this continent? The DM told us that they were mostly humans that were there at the time. In the ancient times there were a lot of the twisted groups that the dragons did, it was not a very nice region. It was very dark, very swampy. 

Chris asked, do they charter fishing from this area to there. DM said, not any more, there is hardly any trade going back and forth from there. 

Chris asked, so somebody had to through a lot of trouble to get that from there. The DM said yes, It’s more common for trade to come from Settar and the Setarians. They’re north of Nox, and like Europe is relative to America. Trade still goes on with them because of their airships.