Journey South, Part 1

The party headed south from Tara along a game trail. The sky was overcast as they passed through Smuggler's Cove where just a month before they liberated a sailing ship and along the coastal plane between the steep ocean cliffs and foothills. 

While traversing the trail, they heard the cry of a great birds from the sky. Calderone the wizard (some say Calderone the Crazy) was able to discern to large birds of prey fighting above the cloud cover. A light mist began raining down on them, a mist of blood.

Suddenly, as the party looked upward, something fell from the sky, almost crushing Donal, the cleric. It was a huge shark, still heaving after being plucked from the sea. The cries from the creatures continued, with shrieks of pain and great concussive noises. The party waited for the victor to come down to collect its spoils.

Sure enough, a large griffon, badly injured cautiously landed on the opposite side of the shark to collect the prize. The griffon angrily cried at the party hiding in the trees, seemingly looking straight at them. It grabbed its prize and began to fly away, when Calderone unleashed a web spell on the hapless creature. Entangled in the webs, the griffon tumbled to the ground, the enormous shark nearly crushing it in its flailing. Tristan rushed forward with his bastard sword and dispatched the poor animal in a single blow, severing its head. 

The party harvested the animal for its magical bits and took a huge chunk of shark meet for dinner. While they were doing this a grizzly bear approached them quietly in hopes of ambushing them. Tristan was the only one who noticed, and with his bear repellant, created through great hardship, he sent the bear running back to its lair in confusion.

Moving on, the party came across a strange hedge along the game trail. The huge, semicircular hedge was not magical, but certainly didn't occur in nature by itself. Within the hedge were warriors, apparently turned to stone. Using a mirror, as the party had been warned of basilisks, they looked within the hedge to discover a sign! The crudely written sign read "Beware Basilisks," with some of the letters malformed or backwards.

Anarod the rogue climbed the hedge to get a better look, and what he saw was a sea of these stone warriors, and within the center of the hedge, three trees. The trees had an ornate tree house build atop it, with bridges between them, a spiral staircase leading upwards, and even a slide for easy exit. Standing on its hind legs at the base of the stairs was a curious bear.

The party called out for Finrose the druid, who they were told lived in this region, and after a time, the old elf appeared. His young human wife, Marisil  (daughter of Mad Luducus), and their two half-elven children, Lawren and Moira appeared at the windows to see the commotion.

Finrose brought the party into his home and made them welcome, explaining the threats to the region. As it turns out, the statues were of Northmen gods that the Tarans had discarded outside of town. Finrose was using them to scare off intruders, his children having made the basilisk sign.

Updated Map

The Second Month

Tara looks much the same as it did just a month ago, but the attitude is different. The people, once closed in on themselves and fearful of the unknown, now look outwards, to the future. A statue of Daghda, the All Father, looks down on them from on high, offering his protection and wishes for their prosperity. Evil ghosts and spirits no longer haunt their every move. Idle hands now have work to do, both in the crafting of metal items and extra workers for the fields. The shadow over Tara cast by the evil priestess of death has been lifted and the heroes of the land have been woken from their slumber. Yet, there is much to do, as Samhain approaches and the annual threat of fire and destruction looms. But that is still months away, and there is much to do in the towns defenses and the exploration of the region.

Knowledge: Geography - Lighthouses

Historically, light houses were first used in the harbors of cities and towns to guide ships. Only later were light houses placed to warn sailors of dangerous areas. Redstone Island is in the second category for several reasons.

First, the treacherous coasts around Redstone Island, due to its volcanic geography, are more dangerous than most nautical threats. The rocks rise up quickly and are sharp as razors, able to tear out the hull of a ship in a few moments. Historically, scavengers would settle around shipwreck areas to pick up lost cargo. Now imagine that in a fantasy setting with sea monsters and other threats looking for a tasty meal.

Second, in relation to the region, even though the coastline is a coupe hundred miles long, the island is very small and easy to miss as it sits by itself in the Erse Sea. Having multiple lighthouses is crucial to the town getting any trade at all. Miss the island because you can't find it and your next port of call is ten days away, if you make it at all, as you also need to skirt the dangerous Sunken Lands. With no functional lighthouses right now, that means trade is very light to the island as the threat is high.

Third, the island was "settled" by the Northmen, who came from the, you guessed it, north. They did not need a lot of lighthouses as their journey was shorter and less dangerous. Now most of them live far to the east, past the Sunken Lands and they face the same navigational threats as everyone else.

If you want to improve trade, you should definitely repair the various lighthouses, which use natural crystals infused with magic (continual light) to guide ships (you have two such crystals). A lighthouse at the Tara harbor would further increase trade and would be much appreciated.

How to Navigate: The approximate Earth year is zero. This means sailors tended to use the stars and moon to navigate, and most stayed along the coastline using landmarks or even scent (cities smell). There were no compasses or other navigation tools and even maps were rare. The Northmen, with heavy cloud cover many months of the year, could watch the birds. In fact, most voyages were very repetitive. Rather than the oceans as a superhighway, a medieval development, many sailors made the voyage between the same two towns with the same cargo for their entire lives.

 "When you get 11 fathoms and ooze on the lead, you are a day's journey out from Alexandria," wrote Herodotus in the fourth century B.C. 

Tara at 30 Days

Time to Samhain:  5 months

 The town is functioning better than it has in years. The people are more productive with more farming and iron work being done. Productivity from their faith has improved now that Daghda stands over them. The young heroes have been liberated from their addiction to The Eyes of Crom and are recovering. There is hope that the forest will one be safe for more widespread hunting and that the iron deposits to the north may one day bring them greater wealth.

Much has happened in Tara and the surrounding area in the last 30 days:

• Internally, half of the town's highly trained young people were liberated from a conspiracy to addict them from drugs and keep them pacified.
• Bandits to the south were dispatched, providing for safe passage of the iron miners.
• Smugglers were stopped and tons of iron ore recovered, along with a sailing ship.
• Old One Eye, a nasty worg that prowled in the southern forests, was taken down.
• The mystery of Bran the Trapper was solved and his body returned home.
• Iron ore veins were found to the north, and although not in production, should create quite a windfall for the town.
• The valley has been full explored and although many threats still exist, as they're are defeated, the area becomes safer.
• A statue of Daghda was uncovered to the north. This very large statue has magical properties that make the inhabitants of Tara more productive.

Some of the "concrete" results of these actions (changes in red):

Corruption +0; Crime -6 (from -5) Economy -1; Law +3 (from +2) Lore +2; Society +0

MARKETPLACE

Base Value 2,538 gp (up 8%)

Purchase Limit 12,690 gp (up 8%)

 Future thoughts:

• What the town needs most is more trade and an influx of people who want to live there. 
• Removing the Samhain Threat will have a huge impact removing the "curse" on the town.

Magic Items Available:

 

Magic Item	Price	Type
oil of mending	25 gp	Potion / Oil
potion of resist energy (Fire) 10	300 gp	Potion / Oil
potion of bear's endurance	300 gp	Potion / Oil
arcane scroll of level 3 spell, magic circle against evil (CL5)	375 gp	Scroll
arcane scroll of level 3 spell, ray of exhaustion (CL5)	375 gp	Scroll
wand of level 1 spell, magic missile (CL1), 26 charges	390 gp	Wand
medium sized heavy wood shield, +1	1,170 gp	Shield
medium sized heavy wood shield, +1	1,170 gp	Shield
lens of detection	3,500 gp	Wondrous Item
circlet of persuasion	4,500 gp	Wondrous Item
robe of useful items	7,000 gp	Wondrous Item
lesser empower metamagic rod	9,000 gp	Rod
large steel shield, +3	9,180 gp	Shield

Exploring the Hills

The party ventured forth once again into the Awayn River Valley. Their first objective was to find a cave of crystals that the wizard had determined must exist for Blackthorn's druidic rituals. Blackthorn was happy to tell them the location, provided they assist him with a problem. The guardian of an elder grove needed assistance, and the party was to figure out how to help. They headed towards the southern hills, but first had to cross the Cyclopean bridge.

The bridge was ancient, with the caving "They Shall Know Peace," in Hellenic, along with figures of humans being productive in various tasks. A slag pile of rusted metal armor and weapons lay next to the bridge approach. As the party crossed the bridge, the ranger was nearly pulled to the grown as a trap was sprung, his armor weighing him down. Simultaneously, a wolverine was conjured onto the bridge and it attacked mercilessly. Luckily the ranger resisted the magnetic pull and was able to slay the beast with help from the party.

After crossing the bridge, the party was once again attacked, this time by a goblin cleric riding on a dire wolf with her goblin minions. The battle went on for some time, and the dire wolf nearly ripped the throat out of the ranger before the party's cleric could call on Diancecht for healing. Eventually the goblin cleric and wolf were slain and the party discovered the cloak of the rangers father. Like with his sword, the man was nowhere to be found.

From the hills, the party ventured down into the valley into the elder grove. An agitated and badly injured owlbear attacked and the party was able to disable it before the dryad Carmentis appeared to tell her story. The owlbear, Hooty, was her guardian and she was in charge of the grove. 

Carmentis was sent to guard the elder grove as punishment for her inappropriate relationship with a baccae named Terissa. Lately she has been tormented by satyrs who persue her in the grove and who have tormented Hooty. Carmentis gave the general location of the satyrs and her lover, hoping the party may possibly slay the satyrs and bring her lover to her. No promises one way or the other, just an agreement to assist each other. In exchange, Carmentis gave the party a supply of elder boughs to show Blackthorn. The boughs are also known to be spell components for activating stone circles.

Blackthorn thanked the party for assisting Carmentis and sent them on their way to the crystal cave, where they found the crystals they needed for the broken light houses, along with a dead goblin who had fallen to Bran the Trappers arrows. Apparently it had made its way to this cave on its dire wolf before the wolf chewed through the strap attaching the goblin and went on its way. The goblin possessed a note, possibly to Crannog, informing him that the Tarans suspected nothing and would be easy to defeat in the upcoming Samhain raid. Also in the cave was a mountain lion who attacked the distracted party as they studied the note.

The party then made their way to the northern hills, finding additional evidence of iron ore deposits and another trap that nearly flattened the summoners eidolon. They discovered a field of blue poppies (another spell component) and witnessed a battle between two plant creatures that ended with the deaths of both. Finally, they discovered a tall statue of Daghda on a fountain overlooking the town, covered completely in vines, bushes and debris. Upon clearing away the debris, the water in the fountain magically began running clear. Those in town who could see the Daghda statue were nearly brought to tears as their patron of good harvests greeted them the next morning.

Finally, the last act of the party was to take the surveyors to the new iron ore veins. Everything went well over the next couple of days, including a quick dispatch of an angry brown bear, but on their return trip, they were ambushed by four dire wolves. The wolves must have been overconfident, as the party was neither surprised nor acted slowly to attack them. With precision lacking in previous battles, the wolves were dispatched in a difficult battle that found most of the party fighting from the ground by its end.

Cyclopean Stonework

Musky Zombies

The party started off again from Tara, once again headed down the mine trail. Questioning, the mine foreman, they realized there may be some valuable ore usable in magical creations at the bottom of the mine, but a cave-in made it impassible. Rumors of some scaled beast down below are probably just that, rumors. Something to be explored later.

Instead, they headed into the hills along the Rideline Trail, not much more than an animal track. They found a patch of blue whinnis, a moderately powerful poison and the druid Shade harvested some. He found goblin tracks nearby and tracked them into the hills, where he discovered a young goblin dead on the ground. Stuffed in his mouth was blue whinnis, with no signs of foul play.

The party returned to the trail and came across more goblins, but these were a bit different. These were shambling yellow musk zombies, according to the druid. Six of the creatures shambled down the hill and everyone hid. They spotted the summoner's eidolon and quickly bludgeoned it to death.

The group returned to town to follow up on some leads and returned two days later to find the source of the zombies. In the hills was the the yellow musk creeper living happily in a field of hot peppers, planted, it turned out, by the ranger's father. This was the pepper patch that he was hoping to find (the ranger was busy in town following up some leads). The party attacked the creeper. One of the guardsmen was slain instantly as he rushed in to attack, tendrils ripping into his brain, but the plant creature was quickly slain thereafter, due to the guardsmen sacrifice.

The party returned to town once again, paid a reward to the family of the slain guardsmen, and successfully recruited a young female cleric of Diancecht. With a cleric with them, they decided to finish off the zombies, and sure enough, her channeling of divine power fried them without much trouble.

While in town they had interrogated a smithy who had provided the bloomery for the bandits. He spoke of a shrine to The Horned One in the hills where he was recruited. The party made their way there and discovered the shrine, along with a secret entrance to chambers below.

The area below the shrine was made of a strange, gray crystalline structure that they determined was extraplanar in origin. Besides a staircase down to the structure, they had found a sinkhole that had claimed the life of a forlarren, an evil fey.

Exploring the chambers, they found a hot springs and a pool inhabited by a nereid who attempted unsuccessfully to charm the druid. They party struggled with it for a while, but they eventually brokered a peace.

Moving on, they found a chamber with frightening beetles that were repairing the floor where someone had carved a knot design. The beetles extruded the crystalline material that made up the structure. Beyond this room was a door with a Wall of Force and a Symbol of Sealing. The materials used to create these magical wards appeared to be from a variety of sources, including druidic, elven, divine and arcane. There had been a concerted group effort to seal off this area.

They explored the other side of the complex and found a strange snail like creature sucking out the insides of a chrysalis, a creature had been completely encased in the crystalline material (later discovered to be another Forlarren).

Fighting the snail, a specialized version of a flail snail with carrion crawler like tentacles, the party found their backs to the Nereid pool, and not surprisingly, she used the opportunity to break their pace, dragging the summoner, Maedock, into the water.

Despite the cleric having been sucked into the shell of the mollusk, Shade slammed the door on the snail to focus on the neireid. She was quickly defeated, once the party concentrated their efforts and the snail was turned to next. The Eidolon tore it apart and the slime covered cleric was rescued.

Various treasure was discovered in both the hot pool and the chrysalis with the forlarren, including a couple maps. The forlarren map included instructions to report on new defenses the town may have added and to avoid certain area, notably the area near where Blackthorn the druid lives and an unknown site in the forest. The second map was more of a treasure hunters map, which included this complexes location and the site of a cairn of a famous battle wizard. That is likely the next stop for the party.

Note in infernal: Scout the valley around the town and report back on any new defenses or any more of their nasty children skulking around. There is crude map of the valley showing the town, the hill trail and areas to avoid with a red “x” and a “do not go” (the druid Blackthorn and an area in the forest).

The final room of the complex contained a number of strange chairs that grew out of the floor. Those who sat in the chairs could combine their thoughts to create a kind of "hive mind," while the lead chair could send suggestions to the lesser chairs. This was clearly extraplanar magic and the party decided they would need to come back to this later.



Unholy Symbol of Crom