River Country Karameikos

7th of Felmont

Midday at Brandonsford was thrown into a commotion by the hasty arrival of Mono, Dougal and Brother Dirk while being chased by fae wolfhounds.

The heavy door closed behind them, taking them into safety. Guards rang the alarm as they saw the monsters howling at the gates of town.

Albrys at The Clumsy Fox left their half pint on the table and rushed towards the gate.

Guards informed them of the arrival of a mounted figure... moments later, three more arrived, keeping their distance from the walls.

An angry, sweaty and breathless Brother Dirk, without hesitation, ran towards the Manor to retrieve Lives of the Saints, his donkey ears flapping behind him.

In between all this, a half drunk Squints joined Dougal, asking for the promised three extra gold pieces as he did his job. He staked out the alchemist's house, realising that Ingrid was the hooded figure and that she was spying on the blacksmith.

Three of the mounted figures broke formation, and they circled the town. The remaining rider with the wolfhounds walked closer to the gates.

Dougal climbed the wall and stayed there with the holy book, while Mono and Albrys went out of the gate to parlay with the mounted elf.

Both parties faced each other outside the gates. The silence grew uncomfortably, expectantly. The elf seemed to lose patience.

“Very well. You will not say it,” he said.

The hounds, getting closer and sniffing in their direction, joined the conversation... “West was empty. They smell like the fox. They ran.”

The elf reminded them... “We followed a word. It was a poor word.”

Mono and Albrys tried to excuse Dougal, while the dwarf was hidden behind the wall.

“So that's it. The hounds have already said it,” asserted the elf.

At that moment Dougal went out and planted himself in front of the gate. The mounted elf asked him to join the hunt. At that moment the dwarf started reading out loud from Lives of the Saints...

The face of the elf contorted in disgust as the words from the book came out of Dougal's mouth. It made him furious, and he sternly asked once more, “Hunters or prey?”

Seeing that the book hadn't worked, they resigned themselves and agreed to be hunters.

They were given a date: in eight days they would join the hunt. Then he turned around, and left the town.

Back in town, tired from their run and events, the party decided to take it easy.

They visited Ingrid's shop for querying on some identification services, too expensive for them at the moment, as 100gp for the identification of two potions was considered steep for the party.

With tact, they decided not to bring the information Squints found into the conversation, and just bought 4 mandrake root teas and 3 wolfsbane, spending a total of 55gp.

After the alchemist, they walked to the temple and had a talk with Dirk. They told him about their new plans of retrieving the Faun's wine, and that they would leave in two days. Albrys jokingly asked the brother to keep an ear out... Brother Dirk didn’t take kindly to the jest and asked them all to go. Nevertheless, Dougal insisted that Dirk meet them in two days, at sunrise, on this side of the gate.

Wandering around town, they headed towards Warwick's smithy. Here they entered the shop which was covered wall to wall with lucky charms, horseshoes, rabbit’s feet, and clovers nailed to every beam. They had a talk with the shopkeeper who was being hunted by hooded figures that left all sorts of things, and he had problems with iron supplies.

He said he wanted to go and check on the dwarves, but the Wyrm stopped him from leaving the town. They told him about the fate of the dwarves, and with a saddened face he knocked on wood and touched charms.

They promised him they would bring the iron back. In exchange, he would craft a device that Hilda could attach to the stump of her arm to hold her shield.

Just in case, Dougal bought a lucky charm from Warwick, a rabbit’s foot for 3 sp.

While Warwick, Albrys and Dougal were talking, Mono was poking around the smithy and found a piece of a burning note. The only readable parts were “I left the flowers, they are only flowers... I left the little...”

Discussing the events and the little note piece, they made their way towards The Clumsy Fox. There they got a free beer, and not having a lot of money, they went somewhere else to eat.

The only other place was The Golden Egg, a neglected plaster-and-timber tavern, quiet and oppressive. The tavern keeper, Quinn, hurriedly offered them food, bringing the price down to 2 sp the moment they said it was too much. He also snapped at hearing about The Clumsy Fox, calling Bentley a thief who was probably stealing his booze or had paid someone to do it, as his good alcohol kept on disappearing every night. He offered them 100gp if they could catch whoever had been stealing from him.

They ate the thin cabbage soup quietly, and left as soon as they could, back to the Manor, to have some rest.

8th of Felmont

A storm was brewing. Brooding thunder and dark clouds gathered upon the town.

They took the day to rest, as the previous day's forced march took a lot from them.

Dougal mostly rested at the Manor. He had a talk with Shelley about the manor's family, and the old lady spat on the floor at the mention of Thyatians and the Duke.

Mono and Albrys walked through town on some errands. They encountered Squints around, the halfling stopped them, and told them that Ingrid left some paper and flowers at the blacksmith's doorstep. He requested payment for his services.

9th of Felmont

Early at the Manor, before sunrise, cool winds welcomed them to a new day.

They quickly packed and started walking towards the gate. There they found a peppy Dirk, happy to not have donkey ears anymore, but a bit stressed. He calmed down the moment Dougal gave him Lives of the Saints. He hugged and held on to that book as if his life depended on it.

They headed out of town towards Fauns' Grove. They crossed the bridge, and remains of the goblin corpses still lay around.

With the winds from the northeast they ventured into the forest.

Not far from the edge of the forest, they encountered a deer corpse covered in stirges. Three of them paid heed to the party, but the adventurers ran... with the three stirges pursuing them from behind...

Dougal and Dirk killed the first stirge. Another one latched on to Mono and she slashed with her sword. The last one found a grip on Dougal, and started sucking his blood. Finally Mono killed this last one while a pained Dougal helped her keep the stirge in place.

After the encounter, they kept on walking ahead, towards Fauns' Grove. Dougal took Grimni's pipe and herbs, prepared the pipe and lit it. While thinking about the fallen dwarf's life and smoking, his pain started to mellow.

Before midday, a heavy, sickly-sweet aroma overwhelmed their senses, and the sound of mirth and music echoed around them, from every direction and none.

With caution and politeness, they checked the trees, and found old tapping markings.

Not too long after, the sound of merry pipes started to move closer, and moments later two fauns appeared from behind a tree. One of them carrying pipes, Lilt; and the other one with a goblet of wine on his hand, Cask.

With the fauns, they had a talk about the current state of the area, but these fae seemed not worried about the wyrm and such. They did remember Vivian. Cask offered them some of the wine, but none of them felt like it. Brother Dirk stood a little behind, with concern on his face and clutching the holy book tightly.

The fauns agreed to part with some wine in exchange for a gift, a gift with sentimental value. Dougal offered Grimni's ring, the Witness Ring, and Cask found this more than enough. Pleased, he gave them a bottle of their wine.

After the trade, Lilt and Cask left them and ventured forth into the forest, Lilt playing on his pipes a calming lullaby as he disappeared between the foliage.

Mono and Brother Dirk suddenly felt too tired and fell asleep.

Treasure

Enemies dealt with

• 3x Stirges, 39xp in total

XP to Award

5th of Felmont

Dougal and Mono decided to check out what was going on with that suspicious customer so late in the night.

They reached Ingrid's shop and house, and checked through the window. There was no light coming from the place, nor any movement. As they wanted to buy some mandrake root before leaving in the early morning, they just knocked... and knocked... No one answered, so they knocked again... until the neighbour next door stuck his head out of his window, and stared at them, before he went back inside.

Not wanting to cause more of a ruckus and get too much attention on themselves, they left Ingrid's house alone.

On their way back to their room at the Manor, they stopped at The Clumsy Fox and Dougal left a letter for Squints, with three golden pieces.

The letter said:

Squints; there’s some fishy activity going down with Ingrid and a mysterious hooded customer… We’re off for a few days, but could you keep an eye on her in the evenings? Here’s 3gp for you now, and 3 more when we get back. Don’t drink it all at once!

Stone heart’s blessing, Dougal

6th of Felmont

The manor was calm when they woke up. The building had cooled down and was fresher than the day before, as the warm, calm rain fell constantly over its roof.

Shelley was the only other person they saw as they left towards the gates. The maiden was quietly performing her routine tasks.

At the gate, the sleepy guard complained about everybody wanting to leave early, and when asked, he answered that the young priest was already outside.

Once outside of town, they met Brother Dirk, waiting for them, and a bit scared about the situation. He was excited to go out again on an adventure, as Father William had everything under control... but he forgot that once outside the protection of the wall, he would be exposed to the Dragon and whatever else lurked out there.

Before leaving, they quickly talked about taking the book "Lives of the Saints", but they decided against it, and without wasting more time, they started walking.

As they followed the river up north towards the dwarves' family, they discussed what they were gonna do and how they should be careful, since George, the woodsman, had told Dirk they were going in the direction of the Dragon's lair.

The rain kept on falling calmly over them, and soaked them to the bone. But the day wasn't cold, and this was more an annoyance than a hindrance.

With the Gustos River on their right, they walked for five hours. A path, more like a trail in the forest, diverged towards the northwest. They suspected this would take them to the dwarves' location, so they took it.

Not even 10 minutes into that path, the sight of a fox with a golden pelt looking straight at them made the party stop in their tracks. Awed by the sight of the creature, Dougal threw some of his dried meat to the animal. The fox accepted the offer, and while it was nibbling on the meat, the party took a break, sat on the ground and ate some food too.

When the golden fox was satisfied, it took the rest in its mouth, bowed and left towards the east.

Less than an hour after this, they stood in front of the remains of a big stone and log cabin that lay in a rotting heap at the base of the hill. On the hill itself, there was a shed that looked like an old post, and a lintel entrance to the mine, where evidence of a collapse could be seen.

They decided to search the ruins, so first, they searched the shed for tools. They found picks and shovels, and the three of them started to search the ruins to see what they could find.

Dougal, moving debris around the hearth of the burned cabin, found a scorched crate with 14 iron ingots and a broken pick with the word "Brol" engraved.

Mono found the corpse of a dwarf with a pouch and a pick under an ashed and collapsed beam. The pouch contained 11 golden pieces, and later on, Dougal read the word "Grelli" engraved on the pick.

Brother Dirk went towards the mine shaft, and from under the collapsed stones he found the body of another dwarf. When Mono and Dougal joined him, they were able to release the body from under the stones. The dwarf still had his pouch, and on his finger a ring that looked old. A pick with the word "Grimni" lay next to him.

The pouch contained three gems, a citrine (20gp), an amethyst (50gp), a ruby (100gp) and a pipe. But it was the ring that caught Dougal's attention.

The ring was dwarf-made gold, thick and plain. Three concentric triangles were cut into the band. On top, a dark red stone sat in a little crown of gold. This jolted his memory. The three concentric triangles represented peak, slope and root, a symbol of the Way of the Mountain Heart. The ring... called a Witness Ring? He could not remember the use of it, as it was something pertaining to the most spiritual path of the religion.

After talking about it for a few minutes, they reached the conclusion that Dougal would don the ring, and Mono and Dirk would be ready to help if something happened, even chopping his fingers. Swiftly. With an axe. A dismembering axe.

Nothing happened or changed when the ring was on the dwarf's finger... until a few seconds later, Dougal heard a gruff old voice shout "Oi boy, we need to help my brethren."

At the sound of this, Dougal turned around with his eyes wide, and in front of him he saw the ghost of Grimni, the oldest dwarf of the family. Only the one wearing the ring could see him.

He talked with Grimni for less than five minutes, and what Dougal learnt concerned him.

First, that Brol killed Grimni by collapsing the mine over his head. He also told him that he suspected Brol was west of here, at the mine where the brothers found the treasure.

Second, that Grimni used to be an adept of the Way of the Mountain Heart, closer to a priest. And that he left it many, many years ago, because the religion was getting rotten from the inside.

Last, he told Dougal that the Witness Ring would serve as a way of communicating with the soul of the person that died wielding it, but for a short period of time.

Before dissipating on the wind, Grimni asked him to be kind and merciful with Brol, his brother... he was not being himself.

After this interaction, Dougal retold the conversation to Mono and Dirk, as they didn't see the ghost, nor hear it.

With this information, the three of them spent some time searching the area where the cabin was, and found the rest of the corpses, except for Brol's.

They found Durni, Breni with a bejeweled silver beard comb (worth 300gp), Kedri and Hruni. This last dwarf was on the trail to the west that followed the mountain foot, with a pick hole in his chest.

A proper burial was given to these fallen dwarves, presided over by Dougal at the entrance to the mineshaft.

The ceremony was cut short, as the sound of running and howling creatures coming their way stopped them.

A few seconds later, two wolf-like creatures with shaggy black fur, glowing eyes and skittish energy were in front of them, frantically sniffing around, shouting towards each other, and asking the party "Where did the prey go?" and "Do you have it? We will kill you" with gruff voices.

Not even a minute later, four pompous elven hunters appeared mounted on immaculate stallions. The one that spoke for the group asked them about the fox without looking at Mono, Dougal or Dirk.

Dougal told them that the fox went west and they saw it six hours ago. The elf promised to hunt the party down if they were lying. And they left them, all galloping towards the west.

Dougal regretted not taking "Lives of the Saints" with him... damned fey.

It was still mid afternoon, and they decided to go west, to find the place Grimni was talking about.

After two more hours of walking under the rain, they arrived at the entrance of a cave that was surrounded by blackened corroded trees. They did not like this one bit, so they went back. As tired as they were, they were not looking forward to sleeping too close to this place. They believed the Dragon lay in there.

They found a quiet valley between the hills and set up camp for the night.

Slowly the rain stopped.

7th of Felmont

The valley woke them under a dry wind. The sun was starting to bake the trees and stones, drying the ground.

There were no issues during the night, and they were all well rested.

After they packed up camp and started walking out, they saw a glowworm track leaving the camp area. They followed it, curious, as innocent laughs were heard around them. The moment the glowing trail took them back to the camp and acorns were dropped over their heads, Dougal realised they were being tricked by fey.

Dougal offered a coin for an answer, and flipped a silver piece in the air. It disappeared amid an iridescent flurry of movement and wings.

"Have you seen any dwarf around here?" he asked. "No more dwarves around here, Dougal".

The dwarf flinched at the sound of his name coming from these sprites. He still pushed, "Another truth..." he requested by flipping another coin in the air. It was accepted as the previous one.

"You are being hunted... silly dougal, mono and brother Dirk... you are all going to die". The giggles that sounded all around them did not help them calm down.

With fear in his heart, and already stressed by the fey creatures they had met, Brother Dirk, against his ways, damned the sprites. And with a "zippity zap", a bolt of shiny light hit him on the head, making him grow donkey ears. More giggles erupted around them.

As soon as they realised they were being hunted by the hounds and elves, the party started a forced march, almost running, back to Brandonsford.

They ran for multiple hours without problems, but well scared, and half a kilometer before the bridge to the town's shore of the Gustos, they heard the howl of the hounds and the horn of the hunters behind them.

Not many minutes later, they also heard a swearing leprechaun calling for help by the river's shore. Dougal and Mono decided to stay and help, and Brother Dirk kept on running towards town and safety.

Finnian, the leprechaun, had a big salmon hooked on his fishing line, but all the thrashing and pulling had tangled the fishing line in his beard. He asked for help without them cutting his long and proud beard. Dougal cut the line while Mono pulled the salmon from the water, but the moment they were thinking about how to untangle the line and beard, closer howls were heard. Finnian's face turned pale, and he disappeared in front of their eyes.

Mono and Dougal ran for their lives towards Brandonsford, where the gate was opened by a waiting Dirk.

Brandonsford's gate closed in front of the wolves' snouts.

Treasure

• 14 iron ingots. (Left in the cabin)
• 11 gp.
• Citrine, worth 20 gp.
• Amethyst, worth 50 gp.
• Ruby, worth 100 gp.
• Dwarven pipe
• Witness Ring.
• Bejeweled silver beard comb, worth 300 gp.

Enemies dealt with

• None.

XP to Award

• 481 XP treasure (11 gp, citrine 20, amethyst 50, ruby 100, bejeweled silver beard comb 300).
• 481 XP total. Awarded.

5th of Felmont

Close to midday, not that it matters inside the barrow's cold and musty corridors, the party prepared to leave.

Dougal picked up the tools he had left at the stone table at the salon while they discussed what to do with the pool. After deliberations between him and Mono, they decided to leave it alone. No need to risk their lives for it.

What they took was the stones in the shrine room, the ones that triggered the alarm and called in the flying cackling skull.

They waddled through the mess of goblin remains, and up the stairs that took them back to the ground floor. There, the air was warmer and the cold that gripped their bones receded. But the moment they stepped outside the mound, the oppressive heat of the day hit them like a giant's slap. It did not take them long to start sweating under the summer sun.

The group decided to go back south with the Gustos river to their right, staying between the tree line and the shore as much as they could. While traveling they discussed what to do. Brother Dirk wouldn't leave the sword out of his sight until it was returned to town, and Squire Hilda, heavier than before, also told them she was planning on going back.

The flight of two circling birds a bit southeast caught their attention. Mono and Dougal both recognized them as carrion, circling the dead, or waiting for something to die. And as they got a bit closer to the bridge across the Gustos River, Mono and Squints scouted ahead stealthily. As they got closer, they realised the carrion birds were circling just above the bridge, and what they could see was a couple of dead goblins on it. They decided to leave the safety of the trees, the woods, and ventured forth towards the bridge. There they found a scene of fight and death. Scattered over the bridge were the mangled corpses of five goblins and a warg. All of them were bitten, clawed and scorched with some corroding substance. The bridge also displayed deep claw marks and the same scorching marks the gates of town bore. A big half destroyed net lay next to the scene. Fat tracks of the dragon's belly marked the bridge up and down the other side.

As they were investigating, the rest of the team caught up with them. At the same time, faint cries for help came from the south side of the bridge. There they found a tall and dopey human partly floating in the shallows beside the bridge, his back resting on the stones. They recognised him. They had seen him the day before, setting up a trap involving a dead pig for the dragon. He and his brother were the farmer's kids, and this half dead moron was Zach.

Zach was febrile and delirious, asking for help, and for them to check on Tad, his shorter brother... The brother was nowhere to be seen around here. And when they tried to move him, they saw his left leg was missing above the knee. Quickly, Brother Dirk used part of his robe to tourniquet the leg, while the rest created a stretcher with spears and cloaks.

They took turns carrying the delirious Zach back to town.

As soon as they arrived in town, Albrys, Billy and Hilda took Zach to Father William, Squints went to the Clumsy Fox and the rest of the party headed towards the Manor to talk with Godric, the steward.

They found Godric eating a few grapes and drinking some watered down wine. They told him a little bit about their exploits, and showed him the sword, but Godric only believed them once Brother Dirk confirmed the whole story.

They were invited to stay in a guest room at the Manor and store all their gear and loot, but they were supposed to go down to the Inns and Taverns for food.

The maiden Shelley took them down to their room. There they could refresh themselves and arrange their gear, before going down for a meal.

They stopped at the temple, to invite Brother Dirk for supper. The temple was not calm at the moment, as some sort of discussion was going on between drunken farmer Gill and Father William at the infirmary. Dirk, cleaned, shaved and with new robes and sandals, received them and enthusiastically accepted their invitation.

At the Clumsy Fox, the evening was already more animated than the previous night. Half the patrons were drunk and Squints was still telling stories about their adventures. And as soon as the party entered, they were cheered and offered free Fox Tail brews. Eric raised his pint and nodded their way in thanks. Here they learned that Tad had been able to run towards town after the dragon carried his screaming brother away, and that the mill was destroyed after the boys' encounter with the creature.

They had some pints and a thin rabbit and vegetables stew while they asked Brother Dirk to join them in their trip towards the Dwarven family up north. Brother Dirk couldn't promise anything, but they agreed that if he could do it, they would all meet the next morning at sunrise at the gates of town.

On their way back to the Manor, for a good night's sleep, Dougal decided to stop by Ingrid's to see if the alchemist was still awake, as he wanted some herbs and poultices. But before they could make it to the Alchemist shop, they saw a hooded figure emerge from behind the house and disappear into the town, covered by the darkness of night.

Treasure

• Warding Stones.
• 5gp from the dead goblins

Enemies dealt with

XP to Award

• 5xp. Awarded

5th of Felmont

Having rested for a couple of minutes, they went back deep into the mound. This time, before they checked the crypts again, Dougal peeked into the library and saw the diamond shaped shelves with scrolls on them. Leaving this for later, they went back into what they now recognised as Sir Wyllt's crypt.

This crypt with peeling murals on the walls depicting a tranquil green forest had a stone sarcophagus carved to look like a solemn human face with a beard, and next to it there was a table with an assortment of dusty and grimy bottles. Dougal and Squints checked the stone lid of the sarcophagus and realised it had been opened not too long ago, as it had tool marks and was recently chipped.

The tanks and fighters of the party stood in position around the sarcophagus. Squire Hilda with her shield and sword and Mono with the gravity sword... both ready to slash whatever moved in the sarcophagus the moment it was opened. Dougal, Albrys and Dirk were in position to move the stone slab, and Squints, from a distance, was ready to throw some stones if necessary.

Easily, the slab was moved, revealing the headless skeleton of Sir Wyllt holding his silver axe. Nothing moved, the axe glinted, Mono reached to snatch it. The moment she started pulling the axe, the skeleton did not loosen its death grip on the weapon, its body rising by itself. At that moment, Hilda struck down the awakened undead. A bloody fight commenced, the remains of Sir Wyllt wielding masterfully the dangerous axe.

The party was holding the monster at bay and breaking it down, until Sir Wyllt connected a powerful strike on the squire, severing Hilda's sword arm, blood spilling all over the crypt. From this moment, the combat got more dangerous and perilous, but neither Hilda nor Mono ceased their attacks. Splattered in blood, Dougal decided to drink one of the random green looking potions, healing himself. Not even a minute later, Hilda, without an arm, enraged and cursing every immortal, shield bashed the skeleton, dislodging part of its spine, while Mono slashed through its ribcage. Sir Wyllt dead again, covered in blood... just not his.

Immediately after the combat ended, Dougal helped Hilda with her arm, trying to place it back, while giving her another one of those green healing potions, leaving a single final one on the table. The skin healed, Hilda stopped bleeding, but the arm wasn't reattached. Leaving a stump midway down her arm.

Leaving a shellshocked Hilda to deal with her situation, Dougal sampled the other two types of potions. The yellow one made his body feel really relaxed for a second, and the purple one made his mouth go numb. They took all the potions left with them.

The other two crypts were searched for loot and secret passages, but nothing else was found in the crypts of Sir Myrddin the priest or in Sir Alfred's crypt.

Albrys, Dougal, Mono and Squints ventured back into the Cleric's Workroom, leaving Brother Dirk to take care of Hilda. There they found diamond shaped scroll shelves and a desk in a corner next to a rotting wooden footlocker. An open and beautifully illuminated book called their attention, the current page telling about St Arthur's life. They checked the shelves, footlocker and drawers of the desk, but they didn't find more than empty scroll parchments, a chisel, a hammer, a brush and a set of fist sized stones with runes carved in them. Once they cleared the room, taking the chisel, hammer, brush and some parchments, they called Brother Dirk to check the book. The cleric's face lit up after seeing the tome, surprised by finding a copy of Lives of the Saints in here. He told them how valuable this book was, and how the fey hated hearing passages from its pages. They took the book with them.

Before continuing, Mono downed the last green healing potion, and they made their way back to the salon.

At the salon they realised that the only place they hadn't been through was the warrior statues room. And for this, they planned to have three of them run through the room, towards the opening on the other side, in the hopes nothing would happen.

Squints and Mono were ready, and Dougal left his shovel and crowbar atop the small stone table in the room, to be able to run faster. As they crossed through the room, the ghost of what was Sir Myrddin emerged from the shadows with an unchanging scowl, in black robes, moving like ink in water.

Screaming at them as the trespassers they were, the ghost touched one of the nine statues. The statue charged in an instant towards Mono, crumbling in pieces after it hit her with the spear.

Another crazed combat started. Dougal, seeing the ghost was using the statues to harm them, started pushing them to the ground. Brother Dirk entered the room and tried to turn the undead, but sadly he was unsuccessful. Hilda rushed in front of the cleric, protecting him with her shield on her only arm. Albrys ran in too, to topple some statues, leaving Squints to throw stones from the salon.

Mono killed the ghost of the priest with her gravity sword, but not before it touched her. The chilling contact of the ghost against her body drained some vitality out of her.

Surviving this ordeal, they found themselves in a room with a statue in the center. This stone noblewoman held a sword horizontally in front of her, with proud eyes looking down before her. Behind her, flush with the wall, there was a closed set of stone doors.

Dougal, without doubting, kneeled in front of the maiden, and a voice as calm as a breeze in his head asked him, "What makes a true knight?". Not second guessing, the dwarf answered, "Honor!"... nothing happened.

After retelling this to the party, Albrys remembered the statues on the floor above, and kneeled in front of the maiden. The moment she asked the question again, Albrys answered with the four maxims of a knight: "Piety, wisdom, duty and valor".

The sound of stone against stone surprised them all, as the doors behind the maiden's statue opened for them, revealing the tomb of Sir Brandon, where a wooden dragon-headed ship sat in its midst, with a stone sarcophagus inside of it. Around the ship, treasures had been placed.

Before they opened Sir Brandon's resting place, they checked the treasures. The party gave Hilda a golden dragon emblazoned kite shield, and a jeweled chalice to Brother Dirk. Squints took the five brass urns that were around the ship.

Surrounding the sarcophagus, they prepared themselves for another undead attack. Albrys and Dougal opened the lid and they found the browned skeleton of Sir Brandon still dressed in his plate armor and holding his Holy Sword. After much debating, they grabbed the sword and were surprised that nothing else happened. They also took the plate armor before closing the sarcophagus and leaving the tomb.

Back in the maiden's room, Squints found a secret passage that would take them straight back to the shrine room.

Will they leave the barrow? Or will they search for forgotten and hidden things?

Treasure

• Silver Axe of Sir Wyllt.
• 3 green healing potions
• 4 purple, shimmering numbing potions
• 1 yellow, soothing potion.
• Lives of the Saints. Worth 2000 gp.
• Kite shield emblazoned with a golden dragon, worth 400 gp.
• Jeweled chalice worth 600 gp.
• 5 brass urns, worth 100 GP each.
• Sir Brandon's plate mail, worth 60 gp.
• Holy Sword of Sir Brandon.

Enemies dealt with

• Sir Wyllt's Skeleton (25 XP)
• Sir Myrddin's Ghost (125 XP)

XP to Award

• 150 XP monsters (Sir Wyllt's Skeleton 25, Sir Myrddin's Ghost 125)
• 3,560 XP treasure (Lives of the Saints 2000, kite shield 400, jeweled chalice 600, 5 brass urns 500, plate mail 60)
• 3,710 XP total. Awarded.

5th of Felmont

Steps coming from the corridor behind them stopped the planning and discussing. Were more goblins coming down the barrow?

They cautiously peeked around the corner, and what looked like a man carrying a torch was coming closer to them.

They recognised Billy, from Backwater, coming down the corridor. A young fellow, a squire, whom they hadn't seen since the day Mother Greenteeth was dealt with. Now a bit ragged.

After the reunion, they started planning how to proceed with the spiderweb covered armoury. Soon they came up with a plan to turn the whole room on fire and clear the spiderwebs.

Mono first grabbed an urn full of the sweet lavender scented oil, and ventured to the gate towards the room, there she hurled that urn towards the opposite wall spreading oil all over. For good measure, she took a step back as Hilda stepped up with a second urn before they could light the room. When a giant spider came out from under some debris, Hilda flung it against the spider's head instead. With no second thought, Albrys stepped up and threw a torch into the room. The whole place went ablaze and the spider screeched in pain as its body was licked by flames. A narrow fight continued through the passage to this room, as the party couldn't get in, and the spider struggled to get out. Billy and Dougal shot stones and pieces of amphorae simultaneously towards the creature's head, exploding an eye and lacerating the flesh, putting the spider out of suffering.

As they waited for the spider and the room to stop burning, they picked up two more oil urns and walked back towards the shrine room, and into the pool room.

While they deliberated on how to approach the weird ooze in the pool, Billy stayed behind in the shrine room emptying the offering bowls into his pockets.

They decided to pour the oil into the pool, and as they were doing this, the ooze started recoiling from the contact. Surprised by this behaviour, they investigated a bit more. A stone was thrown through the slime, but nothing happened to the slime or the stone. Dougal took a much needed rest. Undeterred, Billy crafted a hook, attached it to a spear with a piece of cord, and dropped it into the pool through the slime. Within a couple of seconds the hook and cord dissolved, foul smoke rising from the pool. The decision was easy, they left that pool and slime alone, not tempted by the glint of gold at its bottom.

Hoping the fire had consumed itself, they ventured back into the armoury, the charred corpse of the spider still smoking. They searched the place, Squints for hidden doors and passages, Billy for treasure, Albrys and Mono for the spider's poison.

Squints tapped and prodded at walls and came up empty. Billy did better, prising amethysts and an emerald out of the broken and burned shields and weapons on the floor. Albrys and Mono had the nastier job, crouched by the smoking spider, drawing poison from the fangs into a vial without poisoning themselves. They pulled it off, with slow, careful work, and a good amount of luck.

Dougal, without a torch, went through the western opening and found himself in a big room with eight stone chairs set around it, and in the center a short stone table with a pitcher on it.

As the rest came into the salon, they could see the wall paintings, chipped and flaking, depicting scenes of people enjoying recreational activities. On their way out of here, Squints took the bronze pitcher with him.

In the room west of the salon they could see stone warriors arranged in lines. Not wanting to step between the statues and disturb them, they backtracked and went south past the charred armoury.

They ended up in a corridor with several crypt rooms, but before they could properly investigate them, a heavily armoured skeleton of a knight in rusted plate, holding a broken greatsword, came out of one. It wore an electrum death mask. This giant confronted the party.

The combat was not an easy one. It was not their first fight under the barrow, and the narrow corridor did not help.

While Mono, Hilda, Squints and Albrys held the skeleton in the corridor, Dougal and Billy worked their way through the conjoined crypts to get around it. In one of them they found the mummified remains of a man, a platinum piece on each eye, hands still clutching two stone tablets. They didn't think twice about grabbing the lot on their way past.

The fight ended when Billy came up behind the undead and thrust his spear through its armour, while Mono and Hilda slashed with their swords, taking off its left arm and head.

Before continuing down the corridor, they backtracked to the salon to sit in those comfortable stone chairs and catch their breath.

Treasure

• 40 gold pieces and 45 sp.
• 6 tiny amethysts (25 GP each).
• 1 emerald, worth 300gp.
• Bronze pitcher, worth 80gp.
• 2 platinum pieces (2pp).
• Electrum death mask, worth 250gp.
• 2 rune stones with cleric spells (know alignment, silence 15' radius).

Enemies dealt with

• Black Widow (50 XP)
• Sir Alfred's Skeleton (35 XP)

XP to Award

• 85 XP monsters (Black Widow 50, Sir Alfred's Skeleton 35)
• 835 XP treasure (40 gp, 45 sp, 2 pp, amethysts, emerald, bronze pitcher, electrum death mask)
• 920 XP total. Awarded.

5th of Felmont

Before they kept on delving deeper in this barrow, they went back to the secret relic room. There they checked the candles atop the stone shelves. The seven candles were barely used and the golden holders were worth around 50gp each according to Squints.

A piece of candle wax was used to test the slime that was oozing from a corner of the stone slab in the crypt's corner. The wax melted as soon as it touched the substance, dissolving the stone.

Before they decided where to go, Dougal, carrying the dead goblin over his shoulder, descended the stair towards the lower level. As soon as he descended, cold, wet air stuck to his skin like a cold sweat, and the bodies of three dismembered goblins appeared at the foot of the stair. Something hacked and bit at them before they could run up the steps. Between the bodies Dougal found 3gp and a brass death mask possibly belonging to the wild eyed man. Past the goblins the corridor extended with wall carvings portraying woodland hunt imagery, one continuous scene running the length of the corridor. And seeping through the cracks, a mist fell slowly in gaseous streams. Before going back up, he left the goblin he was shouldering next to the other goblin corpses.

Back in the upper level, they decided momentarily not to go down, just in case whatever mutilated those goblins was still around. They backtracked towards the entrance and journeyed west towards unexplored rooms.

In the next room, they found a square room with vaulted ceilings, where four statues were placed one in each corner of the room. Each of them, depicting a knight with a sword etched into the base:

1. Rigidly gripping a sword and shield, with the word "VALOR".
2. Staff cradled in the arm, hands clasped in prayer. Etched into the base "PIETY".
3. WISDOM. Reading from an open book. The word "WISDOM".
4. Bent over, carrying a heavy load. Carved "DUTY".

Following the path to the west from this vaulted room, they found a small stone chapel with weathered stone pews, and a stone statue of a bearded man with a staff. Brother Dirk recognised it as St. Arthur, patron of hunters. The head of St. Arthur was covered in mold as water was dripping from the cracked ceiling directly above it.

As an act of piety, the dwarf reached up to clean the saint's head. But as soon as he touched the mold, it released a puff of spores, and Dougal ended up breathing them and coughing aggressively, spitting some blood. After this, he took a cloth, and reached again to clean the mold out of the statue. As soon as St. Arthur's head was clean, a blessing fell upon Dougal. The spores had damaged his lungs, but when he finished cleaning the statue he received a woods blessing, with a vivid image of the forests above their heads.

Brother Dirk, before the party left the chapel, realised the staff and monastic robes looked scarily too much like the ones depicted in St. Arthur's statue, making it in his eyes an invaluable saint relic, if they were able to prove its authenticity.

Not having anywhere else to go from this chapel, they backtracked to the crypt and gathered at the top of the staircase that led to the lower floor.

This time again, Dougal went first as a scout, leaving the rest behind. He decided to always follow left, so he dove on the first left opening after crossing the group of dead goblins. Here he found a shrine, with a 3 foot statue made out of clay of a nude, antlered man with arms extended to his sides holding a wand in his left and a spear on his right. The statue was atop a dais, and at his feet two offering bowls were placed and filled with gold and gems. Around the statue a ring of ten stones. Being careful, and curious about the contents of the bowls, Dougal used his staff to reach past the circle of stones.

On the upper floor, the rest of the party waited for the dwarf's alarm or return, but what they encountered was an increasing resounding noise of clattering stone coming from the lower levels, and following that, the approaching mad laugh of a creature. Albrys, Mono and Squints started walking slowly back to the entrance of the barrow, while Squire Hilda and Brother Dirk ran downstairs to help and protect Dougal.

The moment Dougal's staff crossed the stone ring, the stones started to glow and rattle loudly, calling the attention of a floating skull with mad fiery eyes bouncing around in its sockets. The dwarf grabbed a golden amulet from the dais, and ran outside kicking over a stone, and breaking the circle, stopping the rattling and noise. With Hilda and Dirk's help, they started confronting this barrow dweller. A few seconds later, Mono with Albrys and Squints came down to help their friends.

In the fray of the clash, Dougal raised the goblin corpse to aid the party against this flying threat. And with the rage of battle, no one even thought twice about it. While the zombie fought in his place, he went back and grabbed a handful of rubies.

With a swinging motion of her sword, Hilda catapulted this skull towards a wall, cracking it on the side and dislocating its jaw, leaving the inert skull behind.

Dougal checked the golden amulet, finding inside a scroll of protection from evil.

On their way back to the shrine room, they discussed with Brother Dirk about the morality of necromancy, but they agreed to leave the subject aside at the moment, as it might be more useful to keep this goblin zombie around for a while.

They ventured forth into a room west of the shrine where a circular pool of water was built into the floor. Globs of green slime floated on the surface of the water like algae, sometimes moving with intent. The glint of gold could be seen at the bottom of the pool. Just in case, they left the pool quiet, and stepped back into the shrine.

Here, they decided to take a break, but Dougal not wanting to lose time, went back to the corridor where the sounds of scratching and skittering could be heard. He delved deeper into the dungeon with the zombie behind him.

Around the corner, he saw a room with six broken and overturned clay amphorae, spilling out cheese, hardened bread, dried beef, and dried fruits. A dozen giant rats were fighting and eating the spoiled and rotten food on the floor. He directed the zombie to go in and take care of the rats, while he went back to the shrine.

After the party rested, they turned on new torches, and ventured back to the corridor, and to the amphorae room. There they encountered a dead zombie plus six dead giant rats. The rest of the rats were nowhere to be seen.

They explored the next room, a ruined armoury covered in spider webs. Looking into it without stepping in, they could see piles of broken shields and weapons under the webs.

Without going into it, they first checked another room to the east, with nine sealed amphorae standing in rows of three. They opened one, finding inside a cloudy, lavender scented oil.

Not wanting to take another rushed step, they gathered to discuss their options.

Treasure collected

• 3gp from goblins
• Brass death mask, worth 100gp
• Golden amulet, worth 150gp
• Scroll of Protection from Evil spell.
• 5 rubies, each worth 50gp

Enemies dealt with

• Sir Wyllt's Skull (25 XP)

XP to Award

• 25 XP monsters (Sir Wyllt's Skull)
• 503 XP treasure (3gp, brass death mask, golden amulet, 5 rubies).
• 528 XP total. Awarded.

4th of Felmont

The rain kept on falling over the woods, as the party with their retainers discussed and planned on how to approach the gigantic house and whatever lay inside.

After much consideration, a plan was formed: with ropes tied into a loop, a group of them (everyone except for Mono and Squints) walked around the hill to place themselves atop the roof of the building; the loop was hung from the chimney and dropped down the front of the house, and Mono and Squints placed whatever was hanging in front of the door as a contingency to trip the resident if a chase started.

With this set up, the two sneaky and courageous members of the party ventured into the house.

Together they opened the massive door, making as little a sound as possible, mostly made feasible by the thunderous breathing sound coming from inside.

As they stealthily ventured forth, they encountered a giant sleeping in a cushy chair, with his head slumped to the left, a big club behind him, and... was that gold? a golden necklace around his neck. On the other side of the cottage, a roaring fire over the hearth was heating a giant cauldron with boiling water and chopped vegetables. A rustic and big dining table with one chair, and in the corner, a wiggling sack.

Mono and Squints approached the sack skillfully and as soon as they made their intention clear and received acknowledgement from whoever was inside, they cut the rope that was shutting the sack closed. From the inside of it, a bound and gagged monk crawled out. The brother with brown monk robes tattered, and a red face because of trying to get himself loose, thanked them profusely as soon as he was freed, almost too loud to wake up the sleeping giant. Before anything else could wake up the giant, they decided to leave. The monk, Brother Dirk himself, the same monk Father William sent to recover Sir Brandon's sword, was guided under the rope outside of the house and around the hill to the roof. There he arrived with a slight limp, as he was wearing only one sandal, to meet the rest of the party. Albrys was the first one to notice the absence of Squints with the just arrived group.

Inside the cabin, a greedy halfling blinded by gold and with his only goal in mind, to make it big and never have to work again in his life, silently moved around the cottage, and behind the snoring giant. There he saw the chain was held together with a piece of rope, as the clasp was broken. Smiling at his luck, he drew his dagger, and with it cut the rope. Letting the necklace slide with dexterity, Squints took it from its owner before he could be awakened by all the handling and movement. Still inside, next to the door, the thief made a stop to breathe and to put his treasure in his backpack. Leaving the place with a grin and ecstatic with thrill.

Squints caught up with the party atop the hill, before they left him behind. The rope trap was dismantled, and all of them decided to go together to the barrow of Sir Brandon.

Before they left the hill, in a dramatic and quick movement, Brother Dirk cast his last sandal downhill, and guided the party through the woods barefoot. This time, they did not stray from their path, they foraged food helped by Billy, and made it there without any issues.

Close to dusk, they reached the entrance to the barrow. A white stone slab, set into the mound. After close inspection, the faded mural on its surface depicted a conquering knight. Not distracted by it, Mono found out that the dirt below was worked, which indicated it was recently opened. Upon this discovery, they split in two groups, and circled around the mound scouting for more information. Mono, Dougal and Squints, who traveled westward, found a group of tracks directing towards the door, belonging to goblins.

Another plan was formed. This time, exploiting the knowledge that goblins hate dwarves, Dougal offered himself as tribute to bait whatever group of creatures was there, and to lure them outside.

The brave dwarf entered the mound, where he found himself in the antechamber, where three wall mosaics depicting knights and people called his attention. Mixed in the mosaics, he found gems, but he decided to leave them there and continue with his baiting and run task. From the eastern door he heard noises. Slowly making his way to the arch that separated the rooms, he eavesdropped a conversation about leaving whatever was trapped inside there, undisturbed. From the shadow of the wall, Dougal started talking and taunting them. One of the tired goblins asked if "he was sent by Hogboon". Not even a minute later, the dwarf showed himself to the disheveled group of goblins, and they started to give chase.

With Albrys, Brother Dirk and Squints atop the mound above the entrance, and Mono and Squire Hilda hidden between the trees in the woods, Dougal ran out followed by the four goblins, and lured them to where Mono and Hilda hid. Albrys, not wanting to lose his range, cast Spook on one of them, and combat started. It was a fierce fight, where the party fought skillfully. With Mono, Squints, Hilda and Brother Dirk killing a goblin each. Searching the bodies, they found agates worth 100gp.

Night was closely upon them, and after such a confrontation, they decided to make camp outside the barrow, with a direct view of the entrance.

5th of Felmont

The prevoius night was calm, but the day started humid and oppressive, the density of the trees not helping the claustrophobic feeling of it.

While the rest was picking up the camp, Dougal was picking up a dead goblin's corpse and throwing it over his shoulder. Like this, they ventured back into Sir Brandon's Barrow.

Back in the antechamber, they paid attention to the mosaics, and saw their depictions. In the first one, a champion (possibly Brandon) gathers his men. Three figures stand out against the other knights: a shaggy giant of a man with a greatsword, a wizened priest, and a wild-eyed man with an axe. The second, possibly Brandon slays the dragon by driving his sword through its mouth. And the last one, Brandon and his men are knighted by a queen. As they were checking, they found together an amount of jades worth 230gp.

In the next room, filled with burial alcoves mostly containing piles of bones and rusted weapons, some of them already disturbed, they found an ornamental jewel-encrusted dagger, and an alcove that was sealed with a heavy flagstone. Dougal remembered the goblins were discussing something trapped behind something, and upon inspection, he found something oozing out of the corner and slowly dissolving the stone. He told everyone to leave that flagstone alone. In another alcove, the halfling noticed a seam on the stone, and opened a secret door to another room.

They crossed through the newly discovered room and found themselves inside a small place with stone shelves built into the walls, upon which sat thick white candles in golden holders. In the middle of it, there was a chest of polished dark wood whose lid was carved with twisting vines, flowers and leaves. Squints and Dougal found no traps, and opened it. Inside they found a quarterstaff and monastic robes.

With the staff and robes in their packs, they went back to the crypt, deciding where to go next.

Treasure collected

• Agates, worth 100gp.
• Giant's golden necklace, worth 400gp.
• Jades worth 230gp.
• Ornamental jewel-encrusted dagger, worth 200gp.
• Staff and monastic robes, worth 1,200gp as relics (if authenticated).

Enemies dealt with

• Giant (650 XP)
• 4 goblins (20 XP)

XP to Award

• 670 XP monsters (Giant 650, 4 goblins 20)
• 930 XP treasure (agates, giant's necklace, jades, dagger)
• 1,200 XP treasure (Staff and monastic robes).
• 2800 XP total. Awarded.

4th of Felmont

The morning was warm, and the gentle rain drummed lightly on the glass panes of The Clumsy Fox.

On the tavern floor, the party had a light breakfast while asking Bentley where they could get the gear they needed for their travel to the barrow mound. The innkeeper, moved by their decision to help the town, prepared and bundled for them some bread and salted fish rations. They also talked about maybe needing a mule, and Bentley went to wake up the farmer Gill, whose last mule was for sale. The drunk farmer woke up, hungover and radiant with the idea of selling the animal, but not even five minutes later he went back to the stables to keep on sleeping, as Dougal and Albrys found the price for the pack animal too steep. They would be travelling on foot.

Rested, packed, and satisfied by breakfast, they ventured under the rain towards the shops in town to gear up.

First they visited the General Store, whose owner Cedric asked them how much they were willing to pay for the goods they were buying, and ended up haggling from that price. They bought their supplies for 63 gold pieces.

Next they ventured into the Alchemist Shop, where they were welcomed into a cramped space smelling of herbs and strange powders, with clay and glass vials and containers crowded on every shelf. Here they met the shy and awkward shopkeeper, Ingrid. Albrys, as an initiated alchemist, was able to get useful items like Mandrake Root Tea and a quartz stone... when his eyes fell upon a piece of firelight citrine, a rather expensive stone that shone like a torch when shaken and could cause violent explosions if exposed to fire. Ingrid agreed to exchange the stone for a golden locket, as she realised Albrys knew about the dangers of this rock. In between doing business they talked with Ingrid a bit about the region and Vivian, the witch of the forest eastward. She told them that fairies were encroaching on the forest, and that Vivian could help them with this and the dragon. She and the witch knew each other personally; it was Vivian who helped her harvest mandrake root and other things. Nothing here matched Father William's talk of a pagan coven, just a shy shopkeeper and a woods witch who traded favors.

With all this information they left town on foot before midday, not towards the north and the barrow, but towards the east and the witch, believing she could give them relevant information or help.

The path before them was slightly hilly but mostly covered in shrubs and bushes, and not too far from town, Mono, Albrys, Dougal, Billy, Hilda and Squints found themselves in farmland. A couple of barns, houses and a mill soon appeared.

As they reached the mill, a figure working some nets atop it came rushing down wielding a pitchfork. The tall and dopey Zach, one of farmer Gill's boys, ushered them to keep on going and not steal from the farmhouse and barns. A few moments later, an almost toothless, stocky and short lad, Tad, came from between the buildings. They were crafting a trap for the dragon between the constructions, using a dead pig as bait and a net rigged to drop from the mill. The party, seeing these two idiots' plan, wished them good luck and returned to their journey.

Right after the farm, the wood turned dense, and the smell of pine under a warm summer day filled their senses.

Not so long after, the trees gave way and they found themselves in a clearing, where a garden filled with topiary creatures surrounded a pond and a wattle house.

As they made their way into the grounds of what they assumed was Vivian's house, the eerily detailed topiaries of woodland creatures, halflings, humans, and other beings weirded them out. The rumours about the witch being able to transform creatures into shrubs with her gaze came running back at them.

Before they reached the porch of the house, they passed the pond, where a swarm of at least ten nixies were flying around it or lounging by its edge. The nixies demanded they cast their weapons into the pond as tribute, or else the witch would turn the party into new shrubbery for her garden. Unwilling to enrage the witch, and thinking he would get them back, Dougal threw his silver dagger and the staff Freya had gifted him into the pond. The nixies, after such an offering, left them alone and went back to their business.

As they knocked on the door, a hunched, wrinkled old prune of a woman with a bulging eye and gray frizzy hair brusquely asked them what they wanted. Her demeanor changed as soon as they named Ingrid, the town alchemist, and again when they asked her about the shrubbery around the cottage. She talked about her hobby and passion for shaping shrubs with meticulous detail, showing them the tools of the trade. This calmed them a bit; at least some rumours were false.

After some talk, the party directed the conversation to more pressing matters. The old woman told them about the family of dwarves that lived upriver at the foot of the mountains, and how she was fond of Grimni, the eldest brother. She recalled that the last time she saw him, the dwarf told her they had stumbled upon a vast amount of gold in the mines. They also talked about the dragon, and how she thought the wine-like sap of the trees in the Faun's Grove could help bring the dragon down unconscious. She knew that this wine was magically potent, and that one sip could knock a mortal unconscious... and that she had used it before in her maiden years. But she warned them that fauns frequented this grove and did not take kindly to those who stole their drink. With this information and a pouch of herbs for Grimni's joint pain, they prepared to leave the cottage.

Before they left, Dougal asked if he could get his weapons back, and as they had been so helpful, Vivian went out to call off the nixies, allowing them to retrieve the dwarf's weapons and to take one extra item. Albrys stripped and jumped into the pond to return the items, but soon enough realized he could not breathe underwater, choked, and quickly returned to the surface. On a second attempt, and without trying to breathe under the water, he grabbed the dagger and staff, plus a gilded scabbard set with precious stones.

On the way out of the clearing, they weighed their options. Should they go to get the wine to try to help those idiot farmers? Or should they still go up north to retrieve Brandon's Sword? The sword won out, and they continued journeying north.

As the afternoon was ending, they lost their way in the thick and hilly woods. Without much warning, they ended up encountering a gigantic cottage made with three huge stone slabs placed on the side of a hill. The cottage was fitted with a tree-bark door, a window, and a moss-and-earth roof with a mud-brick chimney that billowed out a column of smoke. The droning sound of heavy breathing could be heard from outside. Warm, flickering light from the window poured out.

Mono and Squints decided to go stealthy and check through the window. There they saw a wooden dining table, a big pot cooking on the fireplace, a wiggly sack against the wall in the corner, and the legs of some big humanoid.

They went back to the group to share the findings and decide whether they would venture in or steer around and away from this place.

Treasure collected

• Gilded scabbard, set with carnelians arranged like blossoming flowers (400 GP).

Treasure Traded

• Golden locket for firelight citrine at Ingrid's shop.

XP to Award

• 400 XP (Gilded scabbard). Awarded.

3rd of Felmont

Under the oppressive weight of summer clouds, they made their way toward the walled town, pulling a cart laden with provisions for the townsfolk.

The wall loomed ahead, 10 feet of crumbling stone, jagged and half-swallowed by moss as the forest reclaimed it. The heads of two guards were visible atop the parapet, and smoke from cozy hearths curled into the sky.

As they neared the gate, they saw deep claw marks gouged into the mortar and corrosion pitting the old wooden gates.

A guard from above called down, demanding to know their business. After they answered, he bellowed for someone to open the gate.

Tobin the guard promptly guided them toward the Lady's Manor to speak with the Steward.

On their way, they took in the town. Approximately 500 souls lived here, mostly in thatched stone cottages. They passed two plaster-and-timber buildings, one an inn and the other a tavern. Not far off stood a small stone temple with a graveyard beside it.

At the Manor, they met Godric, a skinny, harried man clutching a ledger as if his life depended on it. He was running the manor in Lady Elara's absence. He expressed heartfelt thanks for the provisions but made it clear this did not solve all his problems, and he had many. In detail, he explained the town's dire state, its dwindling resources, and how several people had gone downriver asking for help but never came back.

After Mono, Dougal, and Albrys hauled the cart to the manor's warehouse, Godric sent them to The Clumsy Fox to speak with the town's reeve, Eric, as he was too busy to assist further.

As they crossed through The Clumsy Fox's door, they were welcomed by an amiable halfling, Bentley the innkeeper. The place was well-kept, and the scent of freshly baked bread, courtesy of Bentley's wife in the kitchen, filled the air. Several tables were occupied, and the buzz of bar talk hummed through the room. The halfling offered them his famous Fox Tail brew and bread. When they asked for the reeve, they were pointed to a table by the window, where Eric sat deep in thought, silent and staring outside.

With a barrel chest, muttonchops, and purple rings under his eyes, Eric told them about the situation: a dragon was terrorizing the town. Because of this, the farmstead was abandoned and the remaining cattle and pigs were penned in town. The mill had closed. He offered them a large sum of gold for whoever killed the dragon. After some more talk, he told them to speak with George the woodsman, who had an encounter with the beast and was now recovering in the temple.

Eric complained about how everything had happened at the worst moment, as their Lady and her guard were off playing soldiers at the Keep southeast of here, at the beginning of the Borderlands. He was dumbfounded that his Lady was trying to catch the Duke's attention to have her title recognized, despite it already rightfully being hers as the heir of Sir Brandon. In his eyes, Duke Stefan II should have already recognized her claim.

In between this talk with Eric, an old, gangly, and loud farmer named Gill came to their table. With a drunkard's breath, he told the story of how he saw the dragon, the size of a barn with wings, and how it left his farm with a cow in its maw. The most alarming part was how he told them they shouldn't worry anymore about the dragon, as his kids had left town some days ago to slay it. Eric's face, a mix of anger and worry, said it all... the farmer had sent his sons to their death.

Before leaving the inn toward the temple to talk with George, Dougal exchanged some words with a table of four adventuring-looking fellows, promising them a pint if they could meet later that evening. One of them, with greasy hair and rotten teeth, assured him they would be there for a pint, "pal".

The temple, a small, boxy, and sturdy stone construction dedicated to the Immortal Halav of Heroism and Protection, was still open in the late afternoon. Empty but inviting, they were met by Father William, with a droopy frown and a gray beard down to his waist. As welcoming as the town looked, the Father was less so, blessing the present human folk while acknowledging that "The divine light struggles to reach those so... close to the earth."

And just like that, all conversation with the Father was tainted by a racial quip battle between the slightly racist priest and the dwarf.

That fight aside, the Father said that Ingrid, the town's alchemist, was a pagan witch and part of a coven with the woods witch, Vivian. He also told them that Sir Brandon once slew a dragon, and that yesterday he had sent Brother Dirk to Sir Brandon's barrow to retrieve the magic sword, but he hadn't come back yet.

George the hunter was woken from a nap and helped by the Father to sit upright, as his right forearm was missing. William left the room to let them talk with his patient.

He told them that a group of hunters had left town a week ago to track and slay the beast, and they were sure the dragon was living around the foot of the mountains up north. Sadly, they were right. Close to the mountains, the dragon attacked them, killing the rest and taking his arm.

George also told them that the beast looked more like a fat alligator dragging its bloated belly along the ground than a barn-sized, winged creature. And that poison dripped and hung from its teeth.

Mono, a trained huntress, asked about vulnerabilities, making George stop to think for a moment. He told her that the dragon was covered in black, impenetrable scales, but its eyes and mouth were unscaled... and that could be its weak point.

They left the temple, as the hunter was getting tired of speaking, and approached the other tavern in town, The Golden Egg. Here, they were met with a less cared-for place, with a white-bearded, bony, and overfriendly barman. The atmosphere was quiet and oppressive. Dougal took a glance around to find the type of person who would take on a quest, but quickly realized that mostly peasants gathered here. They left the tavern quickly and without looking back.

Back at The Clumsy Fox, they got some beers for the group of adventurers and some thin stews for themselves. At the table they met:

• "Drop Dead" Ned, the greasy-haired fellow who had answered Dougal the first time. He was looking for the treasure of the dread pirate Carmelo the Cursed, believed to be buried deep in the forest. He wouldn't go out to look for it until the dragon menace was dealt with. He carried a tiny jar around his neck, from which a buzz could be heard every once in a while.
• Squints, a halfling with shifty eyes and a dirty mop of hair. He was ready to get out and make it "big", ready to never have to work in his life. He said he felt more comfortable hanging in the back with his sling.
• Squire Hilda, freckled with a gentle face, patient and well-meaning. Wearing chainmail, a sword, and a shield, she was ready to help them and save the town.
• Malzazerick, a thin and tall wizard with a big nose and short hair and beard, dressed in blue robes and a pointy hat, who billed himself as soon-to-be magnificent.

After some back-and-forth, and Albrys asking himself why he was even trying to help this town and hire this lot, Squints agreed to help for a full share and Squire Hilda joined them for 1 gp a day for upkeep and half a share.

In the inn, while drinking and talking, they also heard other rumors... like there being a man-eating giant in these woods. Or that the witch who lived in the forest could turn you into a shrub just by looking at you. And that a family of dwarves who lived out in the woods at the foot of the mountain hadn't come around in a while.

The night went by, and they went up to their room to rest and ready themselves for the trip to the barrow the next morning.

Hireling

• Squints, a halfling with shifty eyes and a dirty mop of hair.
• Squire Hilda, freckled with a gentle face, patient and well-meaning.

Rumors

• There are reports of a man-eating giant operating in the surrounding woods, though no confirmed sightings have been recorded by the town watch.
• It is said that a witch dwelling in the forest possesses the ability to transform individuals into shrubs through direct gaze.
• The treasure of the dread pirate Carmelo the Cursed is believed to be buried somewhere within the nearby forested region.
• A dwarven family that once lived in the woods and regularly traded metal goods with the town has not been seen in an extended period.
• The town’s alchemist is suspected by some residents of maintaining contact with a witch who resides deep within the forest.

2nd of Felmont

A week had passed since the "heroes" of Backwater returned from Mother Greenteeth's mound, or what was left of them.

Backwater went back to normal, as normal as it could be after some of its inhabitants were mutated to the point of uselessness and many others died. Not to mention the two new horses that had found their way into town, one of them now taking residence in the late Wizard’s herb patch. People from these regions, mostly Traladara, are hardy and have no time for despair. When things like this happen, and they happen not without pain, they hoist their breeches and keep on with their lives. Most of the deceased had served their purpose, stopping the pink ooze from coming down their river.

Only days later did the townsfolk realise that the ships from Brandonsford were no longer reaching the jetties. This was especially clear after goods from Riverfork Keep, meant for them, began spoiling in the warehouse.

And this was the reason Harlan, Yelena, and Old Man Rurik gathered once more, to send another, smaller group upriver. This time to Brandonsford, with a barge navigated by Carl and Gelund, and loaded with the crates and barrels meant for the fortified town some days ago.

In this group was Mono, daughter of one of the town’s hunters, who had missed the hag’s lair expedition because she was deep in the forest helping her father. With her went Dougal, the dwarf who’d spent the last couple of years in Backwater, mending nets and ropes at the warehouse. And last, Albrys, whose sheared travels had brought them to these remote parts.

This morning, under a sweltering sun, they began their trip upriver. Not far from town, Dougal convinced and bribed Gelund into stopping at the Merfolk Lagoon.

At the lagoon’s entrance, Aelindra, a merfolk whose scales still bore pink streaks from the ooze, welcomed them as soon as Dougal showed her Freya’s pearl necklace. She invited them to a "high tide bite" and offered to repair Gelund’s barge.

As they rowed toward the lagoon’s center, fish statues and the spiraling roof of a great underwater hall rose above the water.

They stripped to their undergarments and loincloths, then dove into the cold water, entering the white stone and coral hall through a dark tunnel near the surface. Aelindra eyed Albrys with newfound respect as their swimming skills surprised her.

In the hall, a place of leisure, rising platforms just above the water level served as tables, benches, sofas, and chaise lounges. They found themselves surrounded by a few merfolk: some playing harps, others singing, and a few deep in discussion. Aelindra seated them at a table and left to find Freya.

When Freya arrived, thanking her saviors once more, the first course was served: a clear, salty, glimmering soup. All the merfolk gathered around the table. For the second course, urchin, seawater termites, and mollusks were placed in the center. Freya explained their customs: sharing food meant sharing themselves, secrets, fears, dreams. Mono, suspicious of their intentions, feared something might happen without consent. Freya reassured her: "We only share pieces of ourselves." She demonstrated by eating an urchin and sharing her shame. "It’s already shameful enough that you rescued me from that hobgoblin net. But worse, I lost my favorite comb to the pink ooze weeks ago. I still cry every night over it." After her, one by one, they followed, each taking a bowl, eating, and revealing something, with varying degrees of hesitation.

After the meal, they talked and learnt that the merfolk had already cleared the path through Bonnyville and dismantled the dam. Dougal asked for a staff, and Freya brought him one: a driftwood staff set with seashells.

They left the great hall and returned to the barge, where Gelund's nearly toothless grin greeted them; the merfolk's repairs would keep his barge afloat for five more years.

On the barge again, they set course north toward Brandonsford. They passed where Bonnyville once stood, now just a tangle of driftwood washed up on the shores.

A few hours later, as the sun began to dip behind the treeline, a snallygaster dove toward the barge, drawn by the scent of food. The fight was clumsy and chaotic on the unsteady deck, but the party drove off the three-foot-tall bird-reptile hybrid. Its single eye had locked onto Billy the Pig, but its beak, full of lamprey-mouthed tentacles, latched onto Dougal’s arm, drinking his blood. The encounter left them shaken and wary of the land ahead.

Before sundown, they beached the barge and settled in for the night, some on furs, others on nets and ropes, keeping watch in shifts. The night was calm, warm as summer balm.

3rd of Felmont

The morning was overcast, and muggy, but being almost on the river brought some freshness to the day, at least for now. Some of them slept more than others. Mono was woken by a rusty Dougal, since they needed to empty the barge to move it back into the stream. After the vessel was afloat again, they restarted their trip upriver.

The hours went quiet, and the river stretched on, silent. After rounding a bend and passing a dense thicket, they spotted Brandonsford's riverside: jetties, warehouses, and scattered houses along the Gustos River. But as soon as they got close enough, their mood changed.

The jetties were barely standing, one of them was rather unusable, some of the entrances to the warehouses were ripped out, and everywhere was a mess of broken crates, barrels, clay and bottles. The smell of rotten food hung over the warehouse like a bad omen.

The group beached the barge and jumped to land. Carl and Gelund, fearful and confused, started unloading the contents of the barge. After Gelund asked Dougal part of his extra payment and bribe for the extra time spent on the trip at the Merfolk Lagoon, the dwarf launched on a sermon about duty and loyalty... Gelund spat on the water, turned around, jumped back onto his barge, and started moving downstream with Carl. Leaving Dougal, Albrys, Mono, and Billy in the middle of the ruined riverside settlement.

The walls of Brandonsford called them from less than a kilometer away, but they decided first to investigate the area. Mono examined the tracks and realised that whatever had done this possessed large, sharp claws, dragged its weight across the ground like a fat crocodile, and showed no interest in vegetables.

With this information, they loaded the crates and barrels onto a cart and ventured toward Brandonsford.

Treasure collected

• Freya's driftwood staff, set with seashells.

Enemies dealt with

• Snallygaster (300 XP)

XP to Award

• 300 XP (Snallygaster). Awarded.

26th of Klarmont

As they reached the muddy chamber where the flooded tunnel provided an escape from the wet, damp, musky mound, our brave (or lucky) survivors wasted no time diving through the tunnel to reach the river outside. Albrys, who had previously been blessed by Slig, the spirit of the river, found that he could breathe and move freely under the water. Its currents flowed around him, leaving a tickling sensation on his skin.

Meanwhile, in the safety of their rafts and canoes, the townspeople decided to head back to Backwater. Two of them, Albrys and Dougal, decided to explore some of the river’s features before returning to town, a town that was not their birthplace, but which they had learned to call home in recent years, or at least Dougal had.

With them traveled Billy the pig, whose owner had been split in half by the gravity blade just the day before.

The image of the lonely grave atop the hilly island in the middle of the river was too beautiful for Dougal to ignore. The moment they shored the canoe next to an old, sturdy, mossy one, he started the ascent towards the single gravestone. As he walked up the hill, Albrys’s eye was caught by the glint of gold. A golden locket sat on the plank of the old canoe. Being cautious but unable to resist, he used Ma’s Magic Spoon to pick it up.

Dougal’s hike was invigorating; the air, still heavy with the midday summer sun, was made fresh by the river on either side of him. However, the moment he took a deep breath and looked up at the gravestone, he saw a body of coalescing mist gathering in the shape of an undead monster that resembled a pale human form. Seconds later, he was confronted by a wraith. He was quick to scream and quick to think, but not quick enough to hit the target. He threw a clay bottle filled with faerie-blessed water, but missed his target. As soon as the wraith came face to face with him, he ran for his life down the hill.

Meanwhile, Albrys, who had already been warned by Dougal’s screams, was moving the canoe with Billy the pig back into the water and storing the golden locket safely in his jacket inner pocket. With the wraith on his heels, the dwarf waded into the water and climbed into the canoe. They all left the island safely, while the wraith screeched in pure fury.

Reaching the bifurcation of the river, where the choices were to confront a stretch of stale water filled with wooden debris infected by freshwater termites, or a stretch of river where a band of hobgoblins had stretched a net across it. Luckily for them, no hobgoblins were seen around, and they headed towards the net.

Soon enough, they realized the frayed hemp net was thrashing, and a fishtail was breaching the water’s surface. Realizing the size of it could mean it belonged to a merman or a big fish, they decided to release the creature. Dougal actively cut the net, freeing the creature, while Albrys held a rope that had been lassoed earlier around the end of the fishtail. The dwarf lost his hold and fell into the river just before being able to free what looked like a beautiful but disheveled mermaid.

The mermaid, Freya, felt ashamed of herself and made a display of gratitude to both adventurers, giving them a river pearl necklace and inviting them to her community, the Merfolk Lagoon. They also informed her that the Hag had been dealt with, and the river should now be free of future pink mutagenic ooze. Freya was pleased about this and asked some questions about the situation... Upon learning that Junior was now the sole inhabitant of the mound, and probably not happy about his Ma’s death, she was not left feeling too happy herself. Besides this, she was concerned about the reason for Greenteeth’s behavior, as the hag used to be, within the realm of possibilities, a well-behaved hag who cared for her mound and the nature around her. Her only ideas were that the people from Bonnyville or Backwater might have done something to anger her.

Having little more to discuss, and after exchanging farewells, Dougal, Albrys, and Billy the pig continued their journey back to Backwater, where they arrived in the late afternoon.

Treasure collected

• Gold locket, worth 250gp. Exchanged at Ingrid's shop.
• Freya's river pearl necklace, worth 200gp.

XP to Award

• 450 XP (250 gold locket; 200 pearl necklace). Awarded to Party.

25th of Klarmont

Two weeks ago, pink bright ooze began flowing down the river in blotches. A week ago, people stopped seeing the Bonnyville fishermen on the river; the village went silent. Five days ago, a group of warriors and one magic practitioner from the village went upriver. In less than a day, some returned mutated beyond help, two did not return, and a horse appeared in town. Backwater has no stables, and the hills, covered in thick forests, are no place for horses.

Today, the morning was warm and overcast. The air was thick, and sweat came quick. Pink ooze was still seen coming down the river from time to time. The elder’s worries did not seem to decrease.
Today was the day they decided to call for arms and send all who were capable (whoever could hold a pitchfork and was in shape to row) upriver to figure out the source of the pink ooze and put an end to it.

Fifteen or sixteen brave folks, and Billy the pig, picked up whatever gear they had, took some rafts and canoes from town, and ventured north in an attempt to bring normality to their lives.

The trip was not easy nor without complications. On their way upriver, they encountered:

• A giant catfish trying to capsize the vessels; it was repelled by a mighty oar strike to its head.
• Garret the woodsman, screaming on the riverbank, after a toad bit him. He was saved and taken aboard a raft.
• Turbulent waters that thrashed and buckled the vessels; at least one of them fell into the ooze and never came back. A few moments later, a horse swam out of the waters.
• A grove of berry bushes, and some valuable and nutritious berries were picked (50gp).
• Stagnant waters choked by wood debris. As they crossed it, they found termites latched to their vessels; the termites were dealt with on land.
• The River Man, who appeared in one of the vessels and rode along upriver for a while. Before leaping back into the river, he handed them 120 wet gold pieces.
• A swirling, small sloop (the Century) twirling at the river’s center. Below deck, four ghouls guarded a golden statue of a beaver (1500gp). The statue was retrieved, but it almost took their lives as it plummeted into the dark waters.
• A gravity blade (a sword +1 that pulls small unattended objects towards it) pulling the vessels towards itself, cutting them in half, along with their passengers. The sword was claimed.
• Aggressive mutated merfolk who suddenly appeared before the entrance to their lagoon, barring the way and splashing them with water.
• A swift merchant ship that traded them a silk armor, hard as leather (usable by magic users), in exchange for the berries they had found.
• A single gravestone atop a hilly island, with a mossy canoe on the shore. It was left unperturbed.
• Bonnyville, or what was left of it, uprooted and arranged in a wall. The blockage was circumvented, but they heard the screams of people from the forest.

After a long day of rowing and dealing with whatever the river threw in their path, they decided to make camp and pass the night on the northern shores of Devil’s Island, far from the screams that came from the forest behind Bonnyville.

At sunset, while they were gathering wood and pitching tents, Garret transformed into a feral weretoad and attacked his townspeople. At least three more died here. Garret took a body and disappeared into the island.
Despite this, they moved the camp further up and set up guards. The night was calm... oddly calm.

26th of Klarmont

On the next morning, they broke camp and crossed over to Bonnyville (or what was left of the village). The previous night, they had heard screams coming from there. They found a giant beaver rummaging around the remains of the town and maintaining the structure that was now a makeshift dam made of the dilapidated houses of the village. The beaver was preying on some ooze-mutated residents. The fight was fierce, but the peasants from Backwater defeated the monster.

After this, they continued sailing upstream with their rafts and canoes. Not far upstream, they found a big mound covered in a layer of felled trees jutting from the water in the middle of the river, just east of a similarly constructed dam. Pink iridescent ooze streamed from the mound, caking the dam and flowing downstream to infect the waters.

One of them went up north to check that side of the dam, and all they could hear or see were the repetitive sounds of wet slapping.

The entrance was found: an underwater cave mouth at the base of the mound. They dove through the flooded tunnels, leaving the pig on a canoe tied to the dam above water.

Under the muddy, wet tunnels, they encountered:

• A booby-trapped room with a treasure chest on an earthen plinth, gleaming in a sunbeam. The grindylows that clung to the ceiling laughed and mocked the folk who triggered the trap, and whoever was caught by the fishing net. In the chest, they found: 1,000sp, 100gp, a short sword +1 (made from a serrated sawfish bone).
• A chamber with tree branches stuck in the muddy floor, with 3 human corpses skewered onto them. One of them was recognized as a fellow villager from the upstream town of Brandonsford.
• A room with occult sigils painted all over it. A wooden totem of a catfish was stuck to the wall, shuddering. One of them touched it, and a rasping voice spoke to their mind: "Release me, break my prison, and I will grant you a blessing! The river spirit will remember." The totem was destroyed, the river spirit freed, and the character blessed as the giant catfish spirit swam through them. Now they could breathe and move freely underwater.
• A feeding chamber, with wood shavings all over the floor and 6 plump, white mushrooms that glow green in the dark. A giant beaver that was gnawing on a log was defeated here. One character picked up a mushroom.
• A nursery, with five giant beaver kits, as big as an adult dog, cuddled up on a nest of leafy green weeds. As they woke after the characters entered the room to reach the metallic objects they had seen there, they attacked, and the party retaliated... It wasn’t an easy fight, and some townsfolk were lost in this room. The survivors recovered: 150gp, a diamond ring (500gp), a woodsman’s axe (a battle axe +1).

As they delved deeper into the mound, they reached the sleeping quarters of the rebellious adopted son of the Hag. A vile, fishy odor overpowered the room, and crude drawings covered the floor. A pool was covered in a fine layer of pond scum, where a river troll was boredly floating in it. They engaged him in talk, as he was not allowed to leave the lodge, and his "ma" had taken his favorite knife. All this had happened since an albino giant beaver had come into the mound. They convinced him to help them get rid of the albino beaver by giving him his favorite knife, the one they had found in the treasure chest where the grindylows were.

Walking behind Junior, the river troll, they went towards Ma and Snowball, the albino beaver. On their way, they stopped at the bathroom, with a dark pool of cold mud, and found a mother-of-pearl comb (150gp) and a spray bottle of giant beaver musk (4 doses; giant beavers are indifferent to the wearer for 1d6+6 turns) in a drawer of the makeshift vanity.

Next, they stepped into Ma’s bedroom through a curtain of strung-up fish bones, where there was a bed of sculpted mud with a woven weed blanket and a giant alligator skin rug. From the opening on the north wall, an eerie magenta glow flashed periodically.

Junior was the first to step through the opening, going directly at Snowball with his retrieved knife and starting a fight. Mother Greenteeth, in the middle of this whole chaos, was ambushed by the brave townspeople, and her cauldron, filled with swirling pink chaos ooze, was toppled. Junior, unaware of his mother’s fate and having bested the giant beaver, did not realize the characters were fleeing the mound with his Ma’s Magic Spoon.

The group of brave townsfolk, fewer than a dozen now, six or seven plus a pig, left the mound and started their way downstream to Backwater, hoping their problems were finally behind them.

Treasure collected

• Nutritious berries worth 50gp. Traded for silk armour.
• 120 wet gp.
• Golden statue of a beaver worth 1500gp.
• Gravity Blade.
• Silk armour.
• Chest with 1,000sp, 100gp.
• Oilskin bag.
• 5 iron rations.
• Empty flask.
• Silver dagger.
• 60sp.
• 10gp.
• Short sword +1 (made from a serrated sawfish bone). Returned to Junior.
• White mushrooms that glow green in the dark.
• 150gp.
• Diamond ring worth 500gp.
• Woodsman's axe (battle axe +1).
• Mother-of-pearl comb worth 150gp.
• Spray bottle of giant beaver musk.
• Ma's magic spoon.