With thanks to Maxi the Tabaxi @Kirgul , Gwensora @Happy , Giovanni Giovanni @neon.tetra , Hyperion IV @mcbasm789 , Thomas Wetsack @Nepu , Archie Gruble @Rhode , Balthus Darkcloud @Flameorc for completing Goblin Mail, our final (for now) visit to Brancalonia.
Our heroes received a letter from the Merchant da Pra, whom they helped previously in Pesto Alla Lungarvese. They ask that a package be delivered to their aunt out in the Penumbria borderlands - with the catch that the package needs to first be retrieved from the goblin post office.
Venturing into town our heroes find the ramshackle goblin post office, barge into the office and are directed to customer service. They point them to the boss. After scrambling up the stairs to find a loud and horrible break room they interrupt a card-game-argument to get directions up to the boss. Forging their way through drifts of letters and thieving gremlins they arrive at a second more civilised breakroom and thence to the bosses office.
The boss queries them then sends them to customer service, where the party splits. Half deciding to just try searching the next room - special package storage - and the rest returning to customer servce. Archie decides to follow the ‘faster service’ ladder and finds Griselda the All-Seeing. Directed from their to the basement and Agatha then venture down and find Agatha who despite the irregularities, directs them towards the special package storage.
Arriving first into special package storage, Thomas, Hyperion and Giovanni poke about in the giant stacks of parcels and when Thomas casts a Detect Magic, filching one or two. As the others arrive, and finally bring some light to the gloomy room, a giant book worm is revealed nibbling packages in the far end of the room. Returning (most of) its packages, they are told the latest delivery has already been sent to the roof. Scrambling up the ladder they find a giant stork in its nest and a baffled goblin staring in, with a sack of packages abandoned nearby - and a trio of hogmen sneaking up to grab it. Shooing off the hogmen, our heroes attempt to reconcile the stork and goblins confusion over the hatched winged lizards in the nest before Balthus manages to grievously insult the storks parenting skills and they are chased off.
Archie and Giovanni grab the package they are looking for and dash back down the inside of the post office while everyone else follows the hogmen back down their grappling-rope.
Abandoning their plan to deliver the package today, our heroes return to the Golden Cockerel with two packages - one for the Wizard da Pra and another covered in ancient return addresses and warning stickers. Giovanni cuts this open and find a mysterious animated bug which speaks a strange tongue. They give it a lute and it plays music unlike any they have heard before. Deciding not to worry about it, they leave the bug at the Golden Cockerel and set out again to deliver the package.
Hiking around the Gropewood, towards the great shadowy border of Penumbria, they camp overnight at a shepherds hut and then hike on in the morning, coming on the tower of the Wizard da Pra.
The tower is the last standing remnant of a castle, every other stone of it blasted away from the tower. The way is clear to the door and they venture up, knock, and on no reply make their way inside.
Spotlessly clean surface, stone plinths, ceramic guide-plaques and odd relics under glass domes meet them as they poke around, venturing up towards the sound of a voice. Maxi pokes into some darker nooks and finds a broom moving about that Thomas stays to investigate while everyone else climbs the tower.
The tower has blind angles and hidden stairwells and it takes some effort for everyone to find their way up. Meanwhile Thomas spies on the approaching broom, noticing only at the last moment that it is encased in a Gelatinous Cube! Dashing up the stairs, Thomas fails to follow his fellows correctly and finds himself on a stairway that collapses into a chute and slides him back out of the tower. The rest of the party arrive at the top and narrowly avoid being tossed into other chutes by collapsing plinths before Archie looses patience and shouts for someone to come get their package.
The Wizard da Pra arrives, takes their package and thanks them before leaving them to pick from their hidden cabinet of wine and preserves.
Our heroes snack then hike home to the Golden Cockerel. They get paid by the Merchant da Pra, throw money around at cards and finally indulge in a grand carouse, one where Gwensora manages to attract the eye of a profligate nobel who pays for all their expenses! Truly one of the great debauches at the Golden Cockerel.
As well as the usual level up plus 10 days downtime, everyone gets 30gp each in payment from Merchant da Pra, plus an additional 30gp from sale or trade of the fine liquors and preserves from the Wizard da Pra’s tower. The trilobite automaton brings in enough custom to help keep the Golden Cockerel in food and wine for the next little while.