Brancalonia - Bay Of Princes

[xaosseed]

Giovanni, Polk, Mirla, Marnarius and Finnea Fox ventured to the Tomb of the Screaming Skull.

Running low on funds, our heroes take on a task from the recently ressurected Marchioness to go poison his killer Skullcrusher. Bringing along Fluffy the viperwolf cub that Finny had recently ‘domesticated’ our heroes set out for the city of Forza aboard the Miss Fit Z and their familar crew.

Arriving into Forza, the dockmaster is convinced by this party of two bards, two rogues and a blade-singer that they are a travelling performing troupe and on asked for places to go, recommends the fighting-pit at the Circular Spine.

Spending a day practicing and publicising their show, the crew turn up wt the circular spine, have Fluffy eat the booked performer and then put on a daredevil show with flaming oil, blade-dancing and, viper-wolf riding all accompanied by the two bards virtuouso performances. The crowd loves them, the passed hat is filled with coppers and distracted patrons do not notice their pockets being further picked. Elated, our heroes proceed into a full night of carousing after the performance and find themselves in the company of local ne’erdowells who cover their tabs in return for future favours.

A sober Mirla recollects all this and deduces their drinking buddies last night were the Gatebreakers, who work with Skullcrusher, as they regroup and plan the next day - most of which is spent duplicating a valuable document that was lifted during the show last night. Finally getting back out on the town, the group decides to intercept their carousing companions and after pitching their idea of a follow on show with Skullcrusher as the star, they are given direction to where he resides in the petrified forest and sent to what the Gatebreakers assume is their certain doom.

Another nights rest and the party set off into the great forests, turning the tables on some goblin spice plantation press gangs and using the official seal stolen from the dockmaster to assert their authority. With paroled prisoners and a goblin-cart of pepper they proceed onward toward the Petrified Forest.

Finally they find the howling desolation of the Petrified Forest and within it the fallen Tomb of the Screaming Skull. Unsettled by the howling winds, the prisoners flee, and the goblins wail their doom but the party proceeds. Coming to the base of the fallen tomb they find a campfire with an armoured, helmed figure sitting by it. Once the figure is revealed to be Skullcrusher they pitch their performance idea but find it humourlessly rejected. Further discussions are cut short by Skullcrusher bringing his great beaked axe into play and a fight ensues.

After significant effort, Skullcrusher is downed and then loaded onto the cart to haul back. Another performance at the Circular Spine goes well and then the party sets sail for home and reward by the Marchioness.

The Marchioness has also assigned the illusionist apprentice Alfonse to ‘extended practical studies’ at the Golden Cockerel to help out.

[xaosseed]

Ragnar, Tux, Boethius, Cpt. Sparrow and Sabasaba ventured to the Island of Creeping Doom and clashed with the Smiling Shark.

Alerted by the crew of the Miss Fit that they had overheard some ne’er-do-wells talking about how they had run aground a dwarven prince and were going to pursue and kidnap them, our heroes boarded the Miss Fit and set out for the Isle of Creeping Doom (probably just a name) taking advantage of the fine fishing on the way.

Arriving at the island and crossing the outer reef near dusk, they spy a wrecked dwarven vessel and the Smiling Shark at anchor with a camp on the beach.Otterling Sabasaba swims some recon - listening in on the camp, the guards on the Shark and poking about on the wreck - recovering documents, a seal-ring and a set of the princes pyjamas.

Deciding that this is the moment for speed, our heroes are put ashore by the Miss Fit and trek inland, picking up the scent of the prince. Pursuing the trail they avoid traps laid by the princes rearguard, trick the pursuers - none other than the infamous Butteratti - into a false chase and close in on the dwarven survivors, finding them on the grounds of a floating ruin of an elven tower.

Convincing the guardians that they are there to rescue them they enter the tower and find the dwarf prince tragically deceased from injuries sustained during the wreck. While an animated tea service waits on them they try to decide what to do with this unfortunate circumstance. Detecting a fiendish presence above they ascend the ruin and bargain with an imp that has been locked in the library of this ancient wizards tower for centuries.

In return for its freedom - both from Ragnars mighty grip and from the tower itself - the imp agrees to puppeteer the prince back down to the shore. Our heroes persuade the princes companions that Boethius is simply that good of a doctor and also persuade the animated tea service that their duty to stay at the tower is long expired and to come with them. They set out back towards another beach, dodging the Butteratti through the night as they go.

After signalling the Miss Fit and getting picked up just ahead of the Shark catching them, the ships conduct a pursuit around the island towards the break in the reef. The party deploys all their magical tricks and cunning, eventually seizing their chance as the Shark closes while they work through the reef to fire its sales with an accurate volley of flaming arrows, firebolts and the ruthless employment of a ‘reduce’ spell on the forward timbers of the Shark.

Leaving the Shark foundering, the Miss Fit makes rapid progress for the dwarfs original destination, Forza. The last of the princes servants takes on the mantle of the ambassadorship thanks to the rescued seal ring and documents, expressing the gratitude of the dwarven kingdom. The tea service adapts well to life at sea, being rapidly welcomed into the crew.

The dwarven embassy gifted them coin, vittles for the Golden Cockerel and full pardons for service to the dwarven king.

[xaosseed]

Thanks to Boethius, Hyde, Rogere, Marnarius and Basil ventured to the Necropolis of the Enchanted Depths

A familiar face, Alermo of Roccaspra who fought with the party against dragons in Treasure of the Bigat and Bride of the Bigat, arrives at the Golden Cockerel to seek the aid of our heroes. They have word that a brotherhood of would-be monster hunters - the Steel Drakes - find the world to civilised and seek to conduct a ritual to unleash monsters so that they might find glory in slaying them as in times of old. Alermo figures this is likely a dreadful idea but is no subtle magician and begs aid from the party to help stop this.

Marshalling their resources the party consult a local sage, finding that there are many, many possible monster summoning rituals varying from leaving out treasure, to Orbs of Dragon Command through to releasing monsters from sealed away vals. Realising the partial copy of the Great Red Book they ‘rescued’ on a previous adventure might hold the answer, they set to trying to locate the old dwarven vaults in the current day. To speed their travel to where Alermo had been invited for the ritual they once more call upon the Miss Fit and also enlist them to help interpret the maps.

Venturing down the coast to Forza aboard the Miss Fit, our heroes arrive into Forza and decide to overnight at the Circular Spine before venturing on to Darkwater, the village where the ritual is to be held. When Hyde shoots the brawler in the fighting pit, a mass melee kicks off which turns into the visitors from the Golden Cockerel taking on the two dozen other patrons. Giant hermit crabs are dual wielded, ceilings collapsed, barrels used to steam-roll patrons and multiple party members downed before they with through to victory.

The next day, venturing out along the road to Darkwater, they come to a shrunken town in the ruins of an old dwarven necropolis, a gaping rift leading down to the depths. Sneaking expertly around down they realise that what life remains here thrives on fishing relics out of the dwarven ruins below. They send Alermo on with instructions to play along with the Steel Drakes. Eavesdropping on the Steel Drakes camp of second sons, cadet-branch nobles and other noble no-accounts they hear of a scheme to open a dwarven vault below and release the monsters within.

Creeping into the ruins ahead of the Steel Drakes grand ritual the alchemists within the party marvel at the dwarven wisdom and capabilities etched on the great bronze walls. They find still functioning alchemical workshops, arcano-technical storage where extinct plants still grow and a great vault full of monsters imprisoned in crystal pillars filled with honey. Hatching a plan, the party cook up an explosive agent using the dwarves own ingredients and equipment, set it to detonate in the vault of crystal-encased monsters and rig the doors to be unopenable for the inside - and then wait.

When the Steel Drakes finally venture down to enact their ritual the party is waiting, warning Alermo to wait behind before trapping the rest of the Steel Drakes in the vault they long sought with a fizzing-fused explosive that shortly detonates, shatters many of the crystal prisons and grants them the monster slaying chance they sought. Once the screams died down the party tripped the ancient purge system to eliminate the monsters. This was only partially effective they found on peering back inside the vault, but decided to seal the doors and leave.

With Alermo to vouch for the plot, supported by the excavation notes and plans from the Steel Drakes, the parties send word to the powers-that-be of their service to the realm and request their just reward.

The reward pays for running costs for the Golden Cockerel and feeding of Fluffy, some of bounties were pardoned. The families of some of the Steel Drakes seek to discuss exactly what happened to their relatives, these conversations are probably best avoided.

[xaosseed]

Craig, Missy Mississippi, Ashington Shepherd William, Marcillus and Sylvio carried out the Ironoak Run.

Approached by Folbitz, a black-marketeer operating out of the Golden Cockerel, our party agrees to help escort him on a trading run up the river to Appollonia. Setting out on a barge, the party notes some shady characters approaching the Golden Cockerel as they round the river bend out of sight. Further up the river, swiftly driven by the strong efforts of Missy, Craig and Marcillus, they spy guards from Cat Castle also on the watch for traffic on the river but Folbitz has hidden amongst the cargo and they pass unnoticed.

Arriving at the riverside Inn of the Rugged Hearth, Folbitz has them stop early for the night then reveals that the real purpose of their trip is to pick up cargo from contacts of his inland. A barge full of obviously disguised river-patrol arrive and the players engage them in cards while Folbitz hides out the back. After taking most of the guards cash, angering the sergeant with talk of unions and hearing that Folbitz is wanted as a trader in hallucinogens and inciter of revolutions, the party venture out back and rough up Folbitz to check his story. Folbitz insists that the facts are the same but the perspective is different - the guards want him because new perspectives cause them to question the status quo. Squeezing him for more money the party ups their promised pay with performance bonii.

Departing the Inn they camp in the forest then venture into the Ditch of Serpents swamp the next day, stumbling over a dreadful Sleech which chews up Craig and Missy before being downed. Arriving to Ironoak, a druidfort, they are welcomed and granted hospitality and guided through the druids various brews and produce before being sent back on their way with cargo and a charter to trade their hallucinogenic mushroom wine.

Trekking back across the swamp and around the inn they load their barge and set off up river, getting a good head start before the guards notice and give chase. A long chase up river sees them in sight of Appollonia before they run the barge aground and offload the illicit cargo into the woods. Missy starts and argument with the guards, insisting they need better pay and lighter duties which leaves them arguing on their boat as they drift back downriver.

To finally enter Appollonia they spend a day creating a religious parade with wicker costume and sun masks for a festival to Pelor. Marching on the city their convincing display attracts more locals and further persuasive argument wins them entry to the city with Folbitz unnotived among them.

Folbitz delivers the ancient trade charter to the merchants guild then sells the now-legal mushroom wine, thanking the party for their assistance.

[xaosseed]

With funds and food running short, Rougher approaches Zell, Francis, Drog and Alek with a scrap page “recovered” from others of the group at the Golden Cockerel, a page from the Great Red Book marked with dwarven sites from the time of the elven invasion. He points out that all the other sites on the page have detailed catalogs of the contents but this one does not - it must be still sealed and therefore full of treasure! The site lies in the Ditch of Serpents, up near Appollonia - familiar terrain, Rougher assures them that no doubt the job will be easy

Sceptical but hungry our heroes hitch a barge ride up the river, noting someone tailing them as they leave and boarding another barge behind them. Laying a false trail that they disembarked at the end of the day at the Rugged Hearth, the riverside inn, they travel on a little more and disembark at the nearest point on the river to the place they seek. Hiking through the forest to the edge of the Ditch of Serpents as night falls, they spy campfires and move towards them. Finding some common folk from Appollonia in religious festival costumes camped for the night they join their camp.

Asked if they shared their dreams about the New Sun, our heroes lie that they do, put together the Appollonians tale with the festival cooked up by others from the Golden Cockerel a month previously and in the morning tell them they have had further revelatory dreams and lead them to the mapped site.

After some searching and more digging the find a stubby archaeolith tower, force the door and descend into the pitch blackness. Natural darkvision and gifts from patrons and deities furnish all the party ability to see in the dark but still it is disquieting as they descend. A spiral stair opens to a great ramp, both stained with ancient blood, watched over by a bastion. At the base of the ramp they find another door into darkness so complete even their gifted sight fails. Alek ventures in and plunges from the tilting blocks of the bridge into the frigid pool of liquid darkness beneath. Hauled back out by his comrades, Zell draws on his tabaxi gifts and boons granted by all his comrades and sprints across.

Locking the bridge on the far side lets the rest cross and they find a barrack room and a sizzling mutated goblin corpse. Poking at it a bit Zell consults his patron and is told this thing is anathema. Covering it with a blanket and trapping it beneath a chest, the party proceeds upstairs to the spiral library. There they find a shelves packed with scrolls that they figure must be valuable and start stuffing them into their bags. Distracted, they are ambushed by two more mutated goblins, these blazing with sickly light. Tipping a shelf and then casting back their physical forms before banishing them entirely, the party wins some quiet to further explore.

At the top of the library, the top of the bastion they had seen from without, they find a dwarven planning station and glean snippets of the Membrane Wars and the infectious light of a strange sun that spreads to herald its coming. The also find notes that this place is a containment unit and sigh as they realise the have to check whatever it contains is still there.

Making their way back down they find that the Illumined vessel they had trapped under a chest is awake and trying to free itself. They fail to snipe it from ambush and then have to sneak up on it from behind light-blocking blankets before dousing it with liquid darkness from the bridge room.

Fetching buckets of liquid darkness from the bridge room they proceed past many disturbed warning signs and find a pair of mutated goblins gnawing on the biomechanical roots of a great dome within which liquid darkness sloshes. The damage from the gnawing causes brief gaps in the darkness and when those capture the light of the goblins, the chamber blazes with the sickly light. Our heroes shelter beneath a blanket tetsudo and chase the goblins with mage-handed buckets of darkness as Zell stays out, braves the light and acts as spotter.

Finally a mildly irradiated Zell guides the others to dousing the last goblin with liquid darkness and they set to work Mending and Healing the contraption before retreating and shoring up the damaged barriers.

Back at the surface, with flasks of darkness and pockets full of scrolls, they exhort the New Sun cultists that they have been successful, that their work today will cause the New Sun to rise tomorrow but they must never speak of this place. Highly persuasive, the cultists are raised to a pitch of fanatical devotion and vow to take the secret to their graves.

The recovered scrolls sell off for enough gold to provide for the Golden Cockerel and Fluffy for another while.

[xaosseed]

Our heroes Astrid, Prismo, Philbert Brombeery, Lortash Brombeery and Kierkorak - are approached by Alfonse the apprentice illusionist on “extended practical study” at the Golden Cockerel with a tip that their master the Marchioness is looking for adventurers.

Visiting the Marchioness at their very overt wizards residence they hear how someone broke into a decoy vault looking for a dreadful book that they hold secure and that the Marcioness needs them to find out who seeks it and stop them as best they can. With satisfactory pay terms agreed, they set out with Rufus the butler to tour the vault site and be shown what tracks the Marchioness was able to scry out.

The ‘vault’ turns out to be a non-descript town-house, and after some prying and investigating they find no more info than valuables and decoys were ignored by whomever broke into the illusion-hidden vault. Querying the local grandma-on-her-balcony they find that a hogling visited a few nights ago and the week before then passed by with some others - a notably ugly man, a marionette and a worn-looking noble. Following the winding trail to a public well Prismo plunges in as soon as they arrive, drawing a crowd as they ‘search for a lost ring’ - the guard arrives being unusually alert but a remarkably quick and stealthy decision to vacate the premises has them avoid notice.

They decide to seek information at the Red Serpent, notorious for its rebels without cause, where pumping the barman for information and a brawl sparked by Prismo and Kierkorak lead to clues that identify the men seen outside the false vault - the Butterati - and to a new fighting pit in town. Venturing to the Iron Quill our heroes spot the Butterati and Astrid decides to flatter Ghino, leader of the Butterati and gets shown down to the ‘entertainments’ below while the rest trail along.

Venturing down a long spiraling staircase they find below a huge space, the Iron Quill bar just being the top turret of a great buried dome. Philbert and Lortash shadow Astrid and the Butterati down the nightingale staircase while birdfolk Prismo and Kierkorak glide out into the darkness and collide with a great black iron idol looming over the space.

Between poking around and querying the Butterati they find that fights are being held with a ghoul-nun from the Spinsterite Abbey and that the noble, Signore Maganza, has taken over the rooms at one end and is directing their efforts. A great altar to one side of the fighting circle is the last focus of the few dozen people gathered for the fights.

Prismo and Kierkorak commune with the Queen of the Terrorbirds as they perch upon her ancient statue while Philbert, Lortash and Astrid scout the rooms. Dreadful snarls and scraping noises come from one side so Philbert and Lortash sneak into the other. Within they find Signore Maganza and interogate him as to his plans. He readily admits that he seeks the Marchioness book to trade to an imp for the restoration of his houses fortunes - and Philbert and Lortash slay him where he stands. Deciding from the flash that the moment is nigh, Prismo and Kierkorak impersonate the dreadful statue and panick the crowd into fleeing back up the dark, railing-less staircase. The Queen gleefully approves as some plummet to their doom in the fighting pit…

Philbert and Lortash seize documents and valuables before joining the flight. Astrid detours to investigate the whispering altar, making some quick offerings of blood and treasure to have questions answered. With their colleagues climbing out, Prismo and Kierkorak glide down, have last moments with the altar and the spirit in the idol respectively before following.

The Iron Quill bar having been cleared by the panic, Lortash grabs some bottles while Philbert sets the place alight to bury the dark site below before they venture back to tell the Marchioness of their success. Without Maganza, there is no link to a buyer and the Butterati no longer seek the book.

Everyone gets paid by the Marchioness as promised in return for the documents grabbed from Maganza. The valuables from Maganza’s dresser provide enough for re-provisioning the Golden Cockerel and making sure Fluffy is fed.

[xaosseed]

Runs Free, Francis, Darla, Maxi the Tabaxi, Hyperion and Gwansora attended the Cat Castle Masquerade.

Our heroes found themselves on an unusually fine day in the Golden Cockerel - thanks to the largesse of the Duke, grace of his upcoming wedding. The food has been good these past weeks, the wine has been punchy and everyone has generally been enjoying themselves until this courier drops a package in front of Francis saying that this was to be published in the local newspaper.

Francis on opening it finds a note that says, by the time you read this it will be too late, I will be the Duchess of Catcastle and my guards will be on their way to fling you into my cells. The signature below it is Saetha, soon to be Duchess Catcastle. This puzzled and alarmed our companions for as best they knew they had no reason for Saetha, someone they had twice fought dragons alongside - in Treasure of the Bigat and Bride of the Bigat - to dislike them and also as best they knew the person getting married to the Duke was the Comptess de Rigilie, not Saetha at all.

A little bit of poking around outside finds a poster where there is a relatively crude woodcut that, if squinted at, could be indeed the figure of Saetha set beside the Duke in the announcements. Our heroes decide that they need to perhaps interfere with this wedding or at least stop Saetha getting married because they rapidly become convinced that she is masquerading as the Comptess de Rigilie to inveigle herself into the Duke’s arms. Cat Castle is locked down tightly except for a single opportunity - the grand masquerade before the wedding.

Asking around they figure that they know at least one friendly noble in Alermo de Rocaspera, the dragon slayer they have crossed paths with on multiple occasions - surely they have a masquerade invitation.

The heroes set out in different directions, gathering information before reconvening the following evening, having established that: Alermo is in residence at the Ordained Octopus, there is a manor for the de Rigillie somewhere in the town and the masquerade invitations were printed at a local printworks.

Chasing up Alermo they get a friendly welcome and with minimum convincing he hands them a copy of a masquerade invitation that Francis and Runs Free then use the local printing press to run up more pristine copies .

Meanwhile the others of the party go to household de Rigilie, some going in through the front door to act as diversion, while others infiltrate around the heavily ivied walls at the back. After very little time, it becomes obvious that the de Rigilie are a household of serpent folk, ancient and proud, with a great portrait of the Countess de Rigilie sitting on the staircase indicating that she is, in fact, also clearly a serpentfolk, and therefore the person in the photo in the handbills being portrayed as betrothed of the Duke cannot be the Comptess.

The cat-burglaring duo effect entry into the top floor, finding many rooms heated to an uncomfortable degree, and find the Contessa wrapped in fine silks and embroidery, reading a great book before her, heat-radiating sunstone. After convincing her they mean no harm, they attempt to bring the Contessa out to defend her name and chase off this imposter, before a lightning-genassi Majordomo intercepts them. They get some bad vibes, but it ends in a stalemate, with the Contessa insisting she will go to the masquerade, and the Majordomo having the player-characters ejected into the street.

With a little to-ing and fro-ing, a day is spent making costumes, and Alermo is requested to escort the Contessa to the masquerade to make sure that nothing untoward happens to her at the hands of the Majordomo. Our heroes follow shortly thereafter, and because they are not attempting to bring their fine wagon to the masquerade, they manage to skip the queue of quite a lot of the nobles and end up finding themselves in the masquerade.

Some running around and attempting to ascertain what is going within the masquerade on identifies that there is a large contingent of the household of the Duke and some other contingent much like our heroes dressed in costumes that are more elaborate than expensively manufactured. There’s a couple of attempted pickpocketing of the riches on display, and a watch laid over the Contessa and her hanging moon float then leads to a confrontation where the timely intervention of the players leads to the Contessa’s manservants being able to overrun those attempting to block her passage, drawing the attention of the entire ball, including the Duke and all those involved in this plot, including Setha.

With the Contessa asserting her identity and rights, Saetha realises the gig is up, attempts to teleport away, but Francis hold persons her in a lightning spell quick-draw contest. Restrained, Saetha is dragooned to the dungeons, and the Duke expresses his appreciation for their assistance before cancelling the nuptials. Our heroes make off with some filchings and other minor rewards, but also the gratitude of the Duke, which significantly reduces most people’s bounties

Everyone got paid by the Duke and an some extra cash was found by fencing valuables pick-pocketed from the masquerade guests. The Duke sent perishables from the cancelled wedding feast to re-provision the Golden Cockerel and make sure Fluffy is fed. In addition everyone had the 100gp worth of bounties against them pardoned.

[xaosseed]

Hyperion IV, Ragnar Stonefist, Wanda, Glug-glug, Canelli and Heart encountered the Wages of Vice.

After getting a letter requesting aid from Madame Samira Arah, Queen of Coins, our heroes set out for Zinda, arriving during the March of Vice, a festival celebrating the magnificent jeli fruit upon which the cities recent wealth has been built.

Entering the city they persuade the gate guard they are there solely for work, not to have fun and get the entry fee waived on condition of their not having fun throughout the festival.

Making their way slowly down the stream of people arriving into town they spot something interesting, the glint of gold in an alley. Investigating they find a dwarf, dead with all his valuables scattered around him. As Glug-glug was just establishing that this was a case of poisoning, guards of the Silent Verse turn up and shortly their after the head of security for the city - coincidentally Madame Samira Arah, their would-be employer.

Taken to a nearby coffee house for a discreet talk, our heroes are informed that the death they were found at was the second such attack on an heir to the Kings of Gold, the ruling merchants council of the city, of which she is a recently elected member.

They travel towards the Thornapple tavern to question the first survivor, Zenia Ruba and as they progress through the crowded markets, there is panic and mayhem as a stall holder attacks a richly dressed man - our heroes wrestle them down and tie up the snarling, snappping, incoherent merchant. Witnesses confirm a cloud of pink dust and a figure dressed in green and yellow just before the merchant went beserk. The guards arrive once more and attest that the near-death victim is another heir. After an attempt to back-track and pursue the green-and-yellow clad figure is foiled by the throngs of the festival crowd, our heroes proceed to the Thornapple to talk to the first survivor.

At the Thornapple they meet one of the Kings of Coin, Myx Nargis Ruba, the victims father, who is cagey with details and directs them to his daughter. Zenia describes how there was a pink mist then she felt ill and her servants, some she knew all her life, went berserk. At this point the dance act everyone was waiting for arrives and just as they begin their act, the lead dancer throws sequins in the air - accompanied by a pink dust - and suddenly the dancers are attacking Zenia!

Our heroes leap into action, tackling the lead dancer down and subduing them while the two back-up dancers come to messy ends at the hands of the pair of tabaxi fighters.

Shocked by this, Myx Nargis confesses that all the heirs were once pledged as payment to a witch in return for their creation of the jeli fruit but the witch is dead, so they suspect a curse. Our heroes figure a much more material hand is in play, the figure in green-and-yellow. Hearing that the festival parade is being lead by another of the heirs, they head in that direction hoping to intercept the attacker.

Squeezing their way towards the head of the parade they are just in time to see a sudden eruption of vines grappling the cart and its oxen, then a flung pouch scatter pink ash all over the cart occupants and guards. With half the party leaping to block the guards and the other half running to intercept the attacker, a frantic few rounds of parrying guards and chasing the agile attacker finally culminates in the attacker surrounded and surrendering on a rooftop.

A dark twist in the air appears and snarls curses, leading them to conclude the matter is not fully over, but the active threat is dealt with.

Their employer pay their wages and grants the reward for stopping the problem. Sale of jeli wine provides funds to feed and provision the Golden Cockerel and keep Fluffy and his brothers fed for another moon.

[xaosseed]

Darla, Nisfegerrik, Galadriel, Balthus Darkcloud and Francis completed Written in Blood.

Our heroes were presented with a missive by Rougher - a request by Folbitz the merchant to go to the town of Promise and meet the merchant Aunt Dellie. They met some goblin bargemen and made their way up river before hiking out to Promise.

The arrived to find the Awakening festival in full swing and joined in, getting dolls made, songs composed and performing magic acts. Suddenly, among the brightly dressed revellers, some shambling farmers attacked the crowd.

Leaping into action, our heroes defend the people and taken down the attackers, slaying all but one. As they fell the last, a lady emerges from the crowd - Aunt Dellie. The attackers were farmers from an outlying community, one of them with a drawing of a grim scene of grasping hands clutched in their hand. Examination of the survivor reveals some kind of magical control or coercion. After negotiating compensation, our heroes agree to check in on Dellie’s niece Kianna, in who’s hand the sketch was drawn.

Others of the community attempt to tag along with the heroes - Lady Dre and Proclaimer Ward - but they are seen off with harsh words and thrown fists before the party hike out to wards the farmstead where Kianna lives.

Through sickly fields and blighted terrain they travel before coming upon a farmer being chased through a cropfield. Fighting off the coyotes, the heroes rescue Uncle Polder who tells them something of the drying Ribbon and the dangerous Rattle. Staying overnight the heroes then hike out and are nearing their destination when the ground collapses and Francis finds himself in a pit fighting off crawling claws. Dispatching those, they continue, arriving at Kiannas farmstead they find a cluster of houses abandoned and daubed with grim paintings in red mud.

Carefully checking through the house they hack through the floor and find a tunnel stinking of rot and echoing with a faint song. Seeking the true basement entrance they find more controlled farmers standing stock still. These are attacked immediately and felled - two killed, two bound - before they continue down into the tunnels.

Down they go, into a newly dug cavern where they find a girl singing the song amids a pile of corpses and another pile of limbs. Confirming this is Kianna they find her confused and scared of ‘Culley’ her friend who drowned, no, who she saved. Trying to bring Kianna away, the heroes are confronted by ‘Culley’, the pile of limbs rising like a grotesque undead starfish to claw and crush them. Darla nearly meets her maker in its grip before they fell it and it splinters into a scurrying pile of crawling claws. Pursuit and flung magic destroys these claws before they get far.

With the monster, this soul-shaker destroyed, the remaining farmers begin to wake and after an hour so does Kianna, herded back towards Uncle Polders farm and thence onwards to Promise. Kianna is returned to a grateful Aunt Dellie.

Aunt Dellie rewarded everyone for restoring Kianna to her. The completed trade with Aunt Dellie and Folbitz provides food and provisions for the Golden Cockerel and keeps Fluffy and his brothers fed for another moon.