Act 2 / Episode 4 - Into Dragonfen (Dec. 2014)

Moonday, 21 Gozran, 4711

The day’s planned journey to the Crypt of Tula Belhaim in Dragonfen started with some unforeseen difficulties and delays. During the night, Mischief and Jiri heard Iacobus moaning loudly and incoherently in his room. The fox awoke Shalora so that she might provide aid to the ailing magus, who was sweating profusely and trembling, his eyes glazing over. The warrior-mage’s wounds had all healed well after Shalora had cast her cure spells on him the night he had been nearly killed by the imp and accuser devil in Hunclay Manor, and she could see no other obvious cause for his sudden illness... perhaps he had contracted some sort of infection or disease when when injured by the fiends? The elf did what she could to ease Iacobus’s symptoms. Yet come morning, he awoke feeling chilly and weak and was slow to rise. Kroc (sans falcon) and Eudomas were waiting in the common room of the inn with the other companions when the magus finally emerged from his room. 

Iacobus stumbled over to the House of Abadar, hoping that Eupaphenia Targas, the Banker, would have access to a magical cure for his illness. The magus interrupted the Banker, who was hard at work poring over documents. Eupaphenia acknowledged that Iacobus looked very unwell, but neither she nor the temple had access to magic that could cure disease. The best she could do was offer to cast a spell that would temporarily alleviate some of the symptoms, but as this would be cast from a scroll containing a spell that was normally beyond her ability to cast and that she reserved for use among villagers in dire need, she was reluctant to make use of it. If the illness had indeed been contracted from a fiend’s bite, then she suspected that it would not be contagious. The thought that such otherworldly evil was on the loose in the area clearly alarmed the priestess. Iacobus offered to do some work on behalf of the temple -- perhaps assisting with clerical work? -- in exchange for one casting of the Restoration spell. Eupaphenia replied that she had no need for such assistance, but that a 200 gold coin donation to the House would help with eventual replacement costs. Iacobus was not willing to pay the suggested “donation” amount. Eupaphenia asked that Iacobus or one of his companions inform her if his condition deteriorated in the coming days. She would certainly help if the situation became dire. 

Back at the Inn of the Wise Piper, Shalora was able to lessen some of Iacobus’s symptoms with a spell of her own. Although the magus was tired and not in top form, he would not be left behind as his companions went on their trek to the crypt.

It was a humid and cool, misty morning. Villagers peered curiously out of windows, or from their yards as the party walked through town and across the stone bridge over Rogue Creek that marked the start of Old Quarry Road. Shalora rode Stampy, while Akiro led Speckles on foot; Mischief tried to stay clear of the horse and pony’s hoofs. The party with menagerie marched past the junctions for Devy and Hunclay manors -- the grey silhouettes of both hilltop mansions looking sinister in the mist. 

The old road -- now just a muddy track overgrown with beech, holly, thickets of deciduous shrubs, and low hanging branches of oak and blackwood -- meandered up and down through forest at the foot of rocky highlands. In short time, the companions made it to the site of the flooded quarry by which the Blood Vow kobolds laired, a half mile or so from the eastern edge of town, and all presently obscured by mist. At that point, Jiri and Eudomas noticed fresh, large, bipedal reptilian tracks followed by more numerous smaller ones heading east along the road into the swamp. The companions guessed that they had been made by Nighttail astride her mount, followed by kobold warriors. What were they doing in Dragonfen -- had their new kobold “allies” betrayed them to serve Lord Aeteperax?

It was a short distance through hilly forest from the flooded quarry to the edge of Dragonfen. The road beyond was little more than ankle-deep mud, as it wound its way into the veiled bogland.  

“Pea soup... a bad omen,” mumbled Eudomas nervously. “I don’t think it’ll lift anytime soon, either,” added the hunter. “Tula’s Crypt is not a pleasant trek at the best of times; this damn fog’ll only make it easier for the wolf men to sneak up on us... and they don’t call it Dragonfen for nothing... you sure you want to do this?”

It was evident that Eudomas was reluctant to press on, but he put on a brave face when the companions asked if he would prefer to come back when the fog had lifted... and especially when Kroc egged him further. The hunter tried to lighten the mood by sharing another one of his tasteless jests.  

“What do a whore and butter have in common?” 

Silence.

“They both spread for bread!”

As usual, the humour was lost on Akiro and Shalora... and unappreciated by Jiri and Iacobus.

No sooner had the nervous hunter finished telling his crass joke, that loud, yet distant roars chilled the blood in everyone’s veins... then they heard another, as well as sounds of vegetation crashing under foot, coming from much closer... The eyes of both Eudomas and Kroc widened with fear. 

As the party readied for the encounter, a tall, bipedal reptilian silhouette emerged from the mists, perhaps 20 feet ahead in the fen, moving in their direction. A handful of creatures less than half its size followed... Soon they were are able to make out more distinctly the form of Nighttail astride her saurian mount, Hak, followed by four spear-wielding Blood Vow kobolds.

Upon questioning, Nighttail informed the heroes that her party had been out trying to capture slurks (‘giant, long-toothed sticky toads’) in the swamp to help protect their lair, now that the Blood Vow were left with few warriors. A few moments ago, they heard big roars and wings, like a dragon... maybe two. They were scared that Lord Aeteperax might be out hunting, that he might be angry with the Blood Vow or make them do things against Big Foot town... the swamp was not safe at this time, so she opted to lead her hunters home. The story sounded credible to Jiri. 

Once the kobolds were out of sight, Eudomas and Kroc both wondered aloud what that thing was that the kobold leader was riding... they had never seen anything like it in the area, and it left them awed and even a bit shaken.  

“I always knew there were still dragons in the fen, but I’ve never heard or seen them before,” said Eudomas nervously. “Look, I don’t know that I can do this... If you want, I can give you your money back... I think my family needs me alive more than they need the money...”

The companions reassured the hunter that he would be safe with the party, as they had successfully dispatched a demon, a monstrous dire wolf, and an otherworldly undead horror during the past few weeks without suffering any casualties. Not wanting to lose face, and reluctant to reimburse the fortune he had just received, Eudomas accepted the party’s reassurances and renewed his resolve to lead them into the fen.

The further the party travelled, the deeper the mud became. Now and then, one of the companions came close to falling, or to losing a boot to the sucking mud. Shalora was somewhat more secure up on her horse, but even it struggled to keep steady on its feet from time to time. Rotting deadfall on the track slowed everyone’s progress, and it did not take long before cloaks and trousers were splattered with mud. The road itself was almost level with the surrounding murky pools and half-submerged copses of trees. The route occasionally wound past hummocky islets, and large lilly pads and colourful marsh flowers that temporarily replaced the smell of rot and decay with a sweet, fragrant smell. The fen was alive with the sounds of insects and birds... but no one heard the sounds of more fearsome predators since the encounter with Nighttail. From time to time, the mists swirled and parted just long enough for the group to spy steep, heavily forested hills arising ahead. The air was muggy, and clothes felt clammy against skin. 

A few hours in, the party stumbled upon the creepy silhouette of a large, dead blackwood that towered over the surrounding vegetation. A tree of similar girth lay across the track at the edge of sight. Stretches of spongy ground fanned out from the road, forming natural, if likely unreliable bridges, across stillwater pools of unknown depth. Buzzing flies threatened to drive the companions mad.

Akiro thought he heard a deep snort nearby, but was unsure of the direction from which it came. Was the fog playing tricks on him?

As Akiro and Jiri advanced, they spotted a winged reptilian form gliding down from the submerged forest, landing upon the downed tree that blocked the path. The creature, not much bigger than a gnome, snorted loudly, spread its wings and puffed out its chest, clearly trying to make itself looker bigger, more intimidating than it actually was. Akiro and Jiri kept creeping slowly forward cautiously, until the diminutive drake became spooked and flew from its perch and disappeared once again into the mists. The duo scanned the area, their eyes falling on sets of massive reptilian tracks beyond the fallen trunk far larger than any that might have been made by the wyrmling. The stillwater ponds to either side of the track rippled and heaved. 

Panic set in. 

Dwarf and Tian were slow to react as a pair of massive green dragon-like creatures the size of draft horses burst from the adjacent ponds and roared, one of them seizing Akiro with its rear claws, trying to pull him higher into the air. The silent warrior managed to pull himself free from the monster’s grasp, his lightning reflexes allowing him to tumble safely to the ground from a height of approximately twenty feet. 

Shalora managed to keep control of Stampy and Speckles and did her best to shelter Mischief. As the companions concentrated their arrow and spell fire on the beasts, the deformed, fiendish accuser devil Chirit materialized among the branches that crowned the dead blackwood, giggling with glee at the predicament the companions found themselves in. “Oh, this is going to be good…”

The second wyrm tried to reach out for Shalora with its claws, hissing that “elf meat” would be “more tasty.” The companions fought back hard, and as the one wyrm tried unsuccessfully to snatch Akiro once again, it soon found itself in danger of being mortally wounded. Now desperate to escape its deadly prey, the creature belched an acidic cloud that engulfed some of the heroes. Still, between Iacobus’s spells, repeated volleys of arrows, and Akiro’s acrobatic attacks, the beast that had targeted Akiro eventually dropped from the air as it tried to fly away, flopping with a heavy splash into the fen. The second monster roared with fury but gave up on its quarry and fled into the mists, but not before it too blasted its enemies with its acid breath. Miraculously, everyone, even Mischief, survived with only minor wounds, easily healed by Shalora and Jiri.

Chirit whined his disappointment at the outcome, but Akiro soon sensed that the devil had moved far enough away from the party that his evil aura was no longer detectable. Still, they would need to remain alert for his return or possible traps he may have laid for them. In the distance, they could still hear the mournful wails of the surviving wyrm.

Were the wyrms known to the kobolds? Were they kin of Aeteperax? Eudomas, who had missed each one of his shots due to overwhelming fear, was desperate to turn back, but knew he would never make it back without the companions now that they had angered a dragon. He steeled his nerves once again, led the party along an overgrown road that led out of the swamps and up into rocky highlands where stood a weathered and now largely featureless “dragon stone,” likely carved by some swamp dwellers from long ago. From there the track descended once again to the swamp, where it crossed Iskander Creek. From there, Eudomas veered off the road that continued on southeast into the misty fen, and instead lead the party north along the creek bank. 

Some time later, as the heroes approached a lonely earthen mound, they also heard disturbing moans, groans and gibbering coming from the same direction. The gibbering was maddening, driving some in the party to lose all sense of who they were, what they were doing, who their allies were… Eyes glazed, Eudomas loosed a shaft from his bow at Akiro, whose armour fortunately absorbed the worst of the attack. The others wasted no time forcing the woodsman to snap out of his dangerous stupor. 

The gibbering grew ever louder as party reached the foot of the mound, focusing their thoughts on anything but the maddening cacophony. A massive dragon skeleton came into view, partially sunk into the bog, partially draped over the low mound. Some of its black scales remained visible, even centuries later. On the side of the mound, just below the dragon skull, was a stone door with a keyhole. The gibbering came from within the dragon skull. The skeleton of a wolf was engulfed nearby, at the foot of the mound, in a sickly yellowish ooze.

Soon, the companions had to contend with deadly, alien foes on two fronts. Though he had no idea what it was, Iacobus recognized the gibbering horror holed up inside the dragon skull as something depicted in the black tome the fiends had stolen from Hunclay’s bedchamber the night the magus decided to make himself at home there. The abomination was a writhing mass of eyes, mouths and flesh that stared in all directions, its countless maws yammering ceaselessly. 

The jelly at the foot of the mound also came to life, diving into smaller and equally hungry units every time someone struck it with a weapon, each of the units lashing out with their own flesh-burning tendrils. Shalora stayed at a safe distance with Mischief and the mounts and supported her allies when necessary with divine healing and guidance, as Iacobus, Jiri and Eudomas tried with great difficulty to slay the creeping and constantly multiplying ooze. Meanwhile, Akiro and Kroc waged an even more difficult battle against the gibbering horror.

Iacobus eventually determined that arcane fire was a more effective way of dealing with the ochre jelly, but the battle with the gibbering, spittle-launching mouther turned against Akiro, who became engulfed entirely within the horror. Trapped suffocating and suffering from constant blood drain within the formless aberration, it looked as though Akiro was doomed… but as the warrior’s companions fought desperately to slay the thing from without, after annihilating the ooze he managed to cut himself free from within and finally slay it. Where did these abominations come from? The Tian, scarred, drained of blood and burned by the mouther’s gut acid, just barely clung to life. It was the closest any of the companions had come to dying since they had joined Silas Gribb’s caravan all those weeks ago, and it was all in vain…

The companions would not be able to explore Lady Tula’s crypt. The following was inscribed into the door to the crypt:

Herein layeth the remains of Lady Tula Belhaim, Dragonslayer and Great Hero of Taldor, First Baroness of Belhaim,  born the 5th day of Abadius, year 3647 in Nazili, deceased the 31st of Arodus, year 3699 in Belhaim;

and esteemed members of the Belhaim and Canteclure families;

and the most stalwart of the Slayers of Nazili.

  

May Aroden forever keep their souls.

Only those who, with noble intent and urgent purpose follow in the steps of Lady Tula, may cross this threshold upon petitioning the keeper of the crypt to enter this holy place.

May those who cross this threshold unbidden be forever damned.

Blarnin of Maheto

Jiri and Iacobus confirmed that the lock mechanism was far more complex than anything either of them had ever dealt with, and as the runes in the lower corner of the inscription indicated, the crypt had been constructed by a dwarven craftsman of great repute.

Once Akiro had been cared for, the companions vented at Eudomas. Why had he not told them that they could not enter the crypt without a key? He replied defensively that he had told them that there was little to see out there, and they still insisted that they wanted to see the crypt… so he did as they asked, and brought them to the holy site. 

Frustrated and worn out, the party began the unpleasant trek through the fen back to Belhaim. They would need to watch over the cataloging of Hunclay’s assets over the coming days, and then resume the hunt for the demon-bats, Chirit the accuser devil, the imp from the tower ruins, the tomes believed stolen by the fiends, and any other threats lurking in the area that might endanger the auction to be held in town in a month’s time…    

Act 2 / Interlude 1 - Alot of Words (November 16, 2014)

Starday, 19 Gozran, 4711

In the wee hours of the morning, the companions gathered in the common room of the Inn of the Wise Piper. Talia, her family, and the inn’s two other guests were unable to sleep due to the night’s terrifying events, so she brewed tea while the others kept peering through the courtyard windows, where the constabulary were busy ushering away curious and frightened villagers from the corpses of the two slain bat-things.

Sheriff Benhovy stormed in moments later to interrogate the party. What were those things? Demons loosed from Hunclay Manor? Had the companions encountered such things previously? What did the companions think they were doing in town... what were they after? Why did they target the courtyard of the inn, of all places? It’s as if they knew the companions were in the inn... which led the Sheriff to believe that either the bat-things were after them, or after something they might have in their possession... something they found in the wizard’s manor?

The heroes denied knowing what the bat-things were, or having encountered or heard of such creatures before. They had made no demands, and the companions had no idea why they caused the commotion they did at the inn, or what they might be looking for, if they were in fact searching for something.

The sheriff then focused his questioning on Iacobus... What happened to him? Why did he come screaming like a little girl toward the inn in the middle of the night, practically naked and all bloodied... where had he come from? The wizard’s manor? What was he doing there by himself in the middle of the night? Did those... black demons... attack there as well? Did any other threats still lurk in the manor?

Sheriff Benhovy and...

… Iacobus Tancredi, not the best of friends.

Iacobus was hard-headed vis-à-vis the sheriff, either refusing to answer his questions, or deflecting them with vague answers or even insulting remarks. The magus did not feel he owed the sheriff any explanations, as Lady Devy had hired the companions to perform a task that the constabulary was deemed inadequate to perform, and he would answer to the baroness and the baroness alone. Sir Benhovy took Iacobus’s evasive replies as confirmation that he too had been attacked by the bat-things at Hunclay Manor, and/or that other threats still lurked in the manor. The sheriff insisted that despite their contract with Lady Devy, the companions still had a duty to cooperate with the law and answer his questions, as he remained responsible for the safety of Belhaim... and those “things” that had attacked in the night posed a threat to the town. He could have the companions arrested for obstruction of justice, and Iacobus dared him to do so.   

The tête-à-tête continued for several tense moments, but the sheriff stopped short of arresting Iacobus. He announced that it was fortunate that no villagers had been hurt. Xemne was a little shaken after one creature forced its way into her shop and tore her shelves down, but she would get over it. The whole town, however, was now in a panic... the events of this night were even worse than when the kobolds destroyed the Witch Tower. Sir Benhovy suggested that the companions had sure brought dark times with them to Belhaim... and that they had unleashed something admittedly bigger than his constables could handle.

The sheriff then went on to enquire about Mathezic’s whereabouts. Where was he? Did he know what the bat-things were? The companions did not know.

As the frustrated lawman prepared to leave, he asked whether the party would have any need for the bodies and strange weapons of the dead things? Was it safe for the constabulary to touch them and take them away from prying eyes? He intended to hold the bodies at the garrison until morning, in case Lady Devy wanted to see them. Then, he would burn them. The heroes stepped outside to take another look at the corpses and weapons, which Iacobus had not yet seen. The constabulary had successfully dispersed most of the onlookers by then.

Iacobus was as baffled about the nature and origins of the creatures as his companions had been. They had not vanished or dissolved after being slain, so he concluded that they were not fiends of extra-planar origin. And the apparently non-magical, yet incredibly hard transparent glass-like weapons were made of no material the magus was familiar with. As he touched one of the blades, he felt a fleeting jolt in his mind. In the end, it seemed there was little more to learn from the corpses, so the companions consented to their removal. The sheriff grumbled that he hoped there would be no further trouble.

Finally, everyone turned in for the night. Akiro was intent on having his lamb sleep with him in the relative safety of his room, and although Talia initially gave the animal a disapproving look, she did not have the heart to part the sensitive Tian warrior from the traumatized beast.

***

Dawn came all too quickly, and with it a commotion in front of the inn. The exhausted companions, in their respective rooms, tried to ignore the noise. Iacobus and Shalora eventually peeked through their windows, and saw a group of angry locals assembled in front of the inn. The two dressed and went to the front door with Talia Orem. About a score of villagers--mostly folk the companions had never met or had any significant interactions with--were angrily protesting against the party, claiming that they had brought a curse on Belhaim and demanding their immediate departure. Jiri joined Shalora and Iacobus, and the trio attempted to be heard above the mob. Gradually, the number of villagers in the green before the inn grew, but now there were others--Eudomas Biton, Nilos Genser, Selia Woldenar, Theon Sensina, Emarthine Willoway, Big Bull Baccus, Caspar Tymek, Xemne, Isadorer and Bophre Malak, not to mention Talia herself, among others--who took the side of the outsiders. The supporters countered that foul deeds had been occurring since long before the arrival of the companions (such as the disappearance of the Kells and Bophre Malak, Hunclay’s involvement in dark sorcery and devilry, raids by monstrous wolves), but had been getting worse since the wizard’s death... evil had broken free from the wizard’s manor and the Witch Tower since his death. They argued that the companions had nothing to do with the collapse of the tower, and had been helping the town fight off the evils that had arisen since. If nothing else, they had saved Bophre Malak from the kobolds.

Tempers continued to rise. Iacobus and Jiri argued above the din that the tower collapsed before they arrived in Belhaim, so they could not be held responsible for the evils that now plagued the town... then Shalora gently whispered, and the protestors aggressively responded, that in fact, the Witch Tower collapsed the day after the companions came to town (“with that criminal and traitorous salt merchant,” specified some in the mob). Indeed, Iacobus and Jiri were in the wrong, which further inflamed the protestors, who now claimed that the companions “were in on the whole thing with the kobolds”... and they probably were in cahoots with the night demons... and the wizard Hunclay probably wasn’t dead -- had anyone actually seen his body??? This was all just a money-making scheme hatched by the outsiders! Hang them!

Iacobus called out that anyone willing could venture beneath the tower ruins to see the wizard’s corpse half-buried under rubble, but the protesters insisted that the companions should be responsible for bringing proof before the villagers. Shalora discretely reminded Iacobus that he had sold to Arnholde Devy (in a less than amicable deal) the Canteclure family crest that would permit safe passage beyond the metallic guardian to the area where Hunclay’s corpse lay... so there was no way the companions or villagers could safely return to that area. Oops.

After observing the face-off for a few moments from the garrison, across the green from the inn, Sheriff Benhovy eventually took action. He marched across the green with a smirk, and ordered his constables to break up the mob. Some of the protestors were slow to acquiesce and renewed their demands for the companions to depart, but finally did as they were told when Lady Devy, Arnholde, and their escort arrived on the scene. As he was turning to leave, Theon informed Shalora with a beaming smile that Mischief’s “fox barding” was ready.

The companions then had tea and breakfast with Lady Devy and Arnholde in the common room of the inn. The baroness had come to learn about the events of the previous night. Then, the Devys and the companions went to the garrison to inspect and discuss the corpses of the man-bats, in the presence of Sheriff Benhovy. The baroness could not hide her revulsion.

“Are these the same devils that Shalora had spoken of when she reported to me yesterday afternoon and said there were devils still bound in the cellars of Hunclay Manor?” asked Lady Devy. The reply was negative. 

The baroness then asked a number of other questions. “I understand that at least one more of these things remains on the loose?” This time, an affirmative reply.     

“What did the creatures want?” The companions did not know.

“Did you not mention to me at one point that an old kobold told you something about Lord Aeteperax having bats that were... how did you phrase it... harbingers of doom?” The heroes had forgotten old Jakkol’s warning and references to “bats” in the busy week since they had raided the Blood Vow lair. Yet the more they thought on it, they acknowledged that the baroness was correct, that Jakkol had indeed said something along those lines to them. 

“And now they have manifested and threatened the town directly...”

The companions asked whether Belhaim had ever been threatened by such creatures, or others for that matter. Lady Devy denied having ever heard of such creatures attacking Belhaim, certainly not in her time as baroness, but it might be worth asking Bassy if she knew of other instances. Lady Devy added that during her reign, Belhaim had never faced threats of the magnitude of those that had arisen over the past weeks. Wild animals typically were the most dangerous creatures the residents might encounter on occasion... and then nothing as big as the dire wolf the heroes had just slain. 

“What of these different devils bound in the cellars of Hunclay Manor... do they remain there?” she asked. Negative. Lady Devy’s head hung low at that point, and she put a hand over her mouth in disbelief. The baroness turned pale, her eyes watered. She looked completely defeated. 

After a few moments, Lady Devy regained her composure. She thanked the party again for delivering to her the chest of moneys and books they retrieved from Hunclay’s secret cave, and also for slaying the monster that had been preying on Prake Abrassus’s sheep. She then asked for more information regarding the state of the wizard’s manor. The companions informed her that they still had a few tasks to complete, but would send her a message when they were done and ready to take her on a tour of the premises, likely on the morrow. Though still perturbed by the recent developments, Lady Devy nodded her consent, adding that she would bring other experts in the community on the tour with her to assess damages. She then gave Sheriff Benhovy permission to burn the man-bat bodies, then departed the garrison with her son and entourage. “We are counting on you,” said Lord Arnholde on his way out, fixing his stern, yet hopeful gaze on Shalora as he uttered those words.

An uncomfortable silence then loomed between the sheriff and the heroes. The latter left the garrison and decided to sleep the remainder of the morning before doing anything else.

***

The companions spent the remainder of the afternoon conducting various errands and visiting various acquaintances to see if they could learn more about their mysterious assailants.

Shalora purchased Mischief’s leather “fox barding” from Theon Sensina, which was a perfect fit for her happy familiar. Theon’s missus, however, did not seem happy about the way her husband was flirting with the radiant elf maiden.

The companions paid Nighttail and the Blood Vow tribe a visit. Nighttail had made herself comfortable in Chief Roaghaz’s hall, but lamented that Hak could not join her down there. The newly appointed kobold chieftain assumed imperious and pretentious airs with her subordinates, as well as with her “big foots,” “ears and bows,” and “beards” allies. Nighttail’s liberators asked her about the man-bats, and whether she knew where to find Lord Aeteperax. She said that she knew no more than what Jakkol had told the companions concerning the bats. Lord Aeteperax’s lair was somewhere in Dragonfen, but she had never travelled there, so did not know exactly where it was. Only Jakkol, Chief Roaghaz and their personal escort had ever gone to visit the dragon, but all who knew of the lair’s location were either dead, or were still away in service of the dragon and had not returned since Nighttail had become the great chief. With the aid of magic, Shalora asked Nighttail’s entourage in their own language whether any of them knew the location of Lord Aeteperax’s lair. One kobold replied that his brother had left to serve the dragon but had not returned; he or she (Shalora was not sure of the speaker’s gender) had never been given any specifics regarding location. As they exited the lair, Shalora mused that maybe the party should make it a priority to help the kobolds build a lift for Hak, in order to secure the longer term cooperation of the kobolds. The others did not seem convinced that constructing lifts for large reptiles would constitute productive use of their time.

The party then went to Hunclay’s cave to check up on Maffei. No demons or devils had come to harass her since she was released, and she had no knowledge of the bat-things the companions described to her. Aside from that, she reiterated that she still felt very weak, drained, as though a part of her being were missing.

The heroes were hesitant to check in with Bassy, for fear that they would be roped into listening to neverending stories... and neverending lectures on Belhaim’s legal and economic context. In the end, they did pay her a visit, and were received graciously, as always. She had never heard of creatures fitting the description of the man-bats previously manifesting around Belhaim, or elsewhere for that matter. When asked if she might like to lead the companions to Lady Belhaim’s crypt, she wondered why they were interested in going there... and ultimately said that her short stature and old age would make it impractical for her to venture into the fen with them... She recommended that they take Eudomas Biton as a guide, and that they please come back and tell her what they see out there -- it could inspire a new story! She then proposed to read to them an excerpt from her latest work. “In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit…”

The companions found Eudomas at his lodge. Welcoming them in, he eagerly recited another one of his jests. 

“How do you get a rugmuncher to climb a wall?”   

The companions looked at each other, uncertain. Akiro and Shalora were not even sure what a “rugmuncher” was.

“You show her the crack in the ceiling!” He guffawed and slapped his knee, eliciting little more than groans from Jiri and Iacobus.

The hunter was less than eager to venture into Dragonfen. He had travelled there and knew where Lady Tula’s crypt was, but it was a rather unpleasant and dangerous trip, and he preferred to hunt and fish in the forest and on the outskirts of the fen, where there weren’t as many insects and blood-sucking stirges, the ground was firm, and the prey more familiar. On one trip, he had even come upon huge hairy men who howled like wolves and stood nearly ten feet tall! Yet acknowledging again the generosity that the companions had shown his family, he agreed to guide them to the crypt on Moonday at dawn.

Before withdrawing for the evening, the companions sent word that they would be ready to take Lady Devy on an inspection tour of Hunclay Manor after noon on the morrow. 

***

Sunday, 20 Gozran, 4711

On this quiet, sunny morning, Jiri and Shalora attended morning service at the Shrine of the Seven Roses. They found someone unexpected attending worship that morning -- Bophre Malak, whose family they knew were members of the Green Faith. Nilos Genser’s outdoor service was warm and inspiring, filled with song, dance, and poetry, interspersed with prayers on behalf of individuals seeking the fulfillment of love and beauty in their lives. 

At the closing of the service, Bophre approached Shalora and Jiri. Bophre shyly asked Shalora if she could ask her some questions regarding... Akiro. Why had her silent prince not invited her to go on walks, when she had made it clear that she was available and interested in going with him? Did he not like her? Did he not find her pretty? Did he not like girls? She and her mom had even brought him two jugs of fresh milk recently, but still nothing. All the men in town seemed to be falling for Shalora... could the elf give her some advice on how to make Akiro take notice of her? If necessary, she would be willing to pledge herself to the Eternal Rose.

Shalora and Jiri assured Bophre that there was nothing wrong with her, and that they would talk to Akiro... who was very shy and often had his head in the clouds, and certainly meant her no harm. Bophre was overjoyed with the reassurance, and hoped that Shalora and Jiri’s “talk” would soon bring about the results she desired. The lass left the Shrine of the Seven Roses with a spring in her step. Jiri mumbled to Shalora that he would have to take the boy aside to teach him about the birds and the bees.

***

After a last sweep of Hunclay Manor, the companions were ready to lead Lady Devy on a tour of the estate. Although it was Sunday and normally a day of rest for all in the community, she deemed the matter of “closing” the wizard’s manor urgent enough that she called on other community members to accompany her on the tour, including her son Arnholde, barrister Jakoba Kivris, carpenter Selia Woldenar, moneychanger Chosk Grellen, leatherworker Theon Sensina, stonemason Gregol Lenton, tinker Phedra Delbin, and even Abadaran Banker Eupaphenia Hardglow. These community members would assess damages to the wizard’s property and assets, in their respective areas of expertise. As an Abadaran knowledgeable in matters arcane, Master Iacobus Tancredi would also be invited to provide his own observations into the final report.

As the companions led the group, Eupaphenia Hardglow took a few moments to sanctify each room they walked into, sprinkling holy water around while praying that Abadar protect the residents of Belhaim and banish any entities on the manor premises that would seek to disrupt order, toil and lawful commerce in the community, and that might seek to claim the manor as the staging ground for their chaotic and destructive activities. 

Lady Devy and her entourage were disturbed by the corpses of the homunculus and charred kobold near the main entrance, and by the sinister cellars and stories of what they had only recently contained.      

Taking the companions aside and out of earshot of the other community members save for her son and Jakoba Kivris at the end of the tour, Lady Devy explained that once the report on damages, appraisal of property and assets, and proposed auction lots was completed and sent to Yanmass (along with monetary treasures recovered that had belonged to the wizard, she would regrettably have to await the response from Hunclay’s cousin before releasing any funds to the party... which could take several weeks. The baroness quickly added that she was of the opinion that, despite the damages and losses noted in certain rooms (the grand hall and observatory in particular, along with the two missing tomes), she was of the opinion that the party should be entitled to the full amount agreed to in the contract and would stress that point with Hunclay’s cousin. 

 First page of the original contract.

 Second page.

Third page.

Lady Devy then mentioned that over the next few days, all of Hunclay’s assets would need to be inventoried (including the properties and estimated value of any and all arcane items he possessed) before placing the most valuable and transportable of them in the vaults of the House of Abadar for safekeeping. She asked whether the companions would be willing to stay on site to keep the labourers and assessors safe from demon bats and other threats over the next few days -- and also whether they would agree to remain on guard at night in the manor and keep the premises secure until the time of the auction, in order to keep watch over the manor itself, as well as furnishings, works of art and books of lesser value that cannot be relocated easily to the vaults of the House of Abadar. The party agreed to do so starting on the coming Toilday. Iacobus insisted that either the current contract be amended to incorporate the new assignment and terms, or that a new one be drawn up. Lady Devy agreed that a new contract would be drawn up by Jakoba Kivris on the morrow, and that it would be ready for the companions to sign on Toilday; the companions had previously decided amongst themselves that they would travel into Dragonfen on Moonday to see the Crypt of Tula. 

Additionally, the baroness asked whether, once all assessments had been completed and valuables placed in safekeeping, would the party be interested in ensuring the ongoing safety of the villagers and guests coming to attend the auction by hunting down devils, demons and other threats known to be on the loose in the area. She wanted the destruction of anything that was not human and that had been conjured by the wizard or that otherwise was in his service. If possible, the heroes should find the lair of the demon bats and destroy them, and also retrieve any items lost or stolen.

Finally, she requested that the companions provide extra security at the auction, which would be scheduled to be held in three to four weeks time after the property and asset valuation report and proposed auction lots have been approved by Hunclay’s cousin. The event likely would attract attention, both good and bad, as well as wealthy bidders from far away, who would have to be kept safe. 

The party agreed to undertake all of the assignments, Iacobus insisting again that everything be drawn up in a formal written contract, and subject to a mutually agreeable fee. At this latter stipulation, Lady Devy blushed with embarrassment. She admitted that she could not pay much beyond the 5,000 gold coins agreed to in the previous contract for the securing of Hunclay Manor -- and even then she had already paid more than she could afford, as Devy Manor was in deep debt to... a variety of parties. The baroness did not want to burden the companions with details, and requested that they keep that information to themselves. The 5,000 gold coins already promised were largely going to be paid through funds provided by Hunclay’s cousin... but she did have a longterm plan for reviving the prosperity of Belhaim that she might share with the heroes at a later time.

Iacobus did not like what he heard. The baroness replied defensively that greed is not a quality befitting a devout Abadaran, who would not take advantage of a community in need. The magus agreed, but also made it clear that his life is not worth nothing, and that it therefore is not unreasonable to expect fair compensation in exchange for the undertaking of tasks potentially hazardous to one’s life and limbs. Lady Devy acknowledged the reasonableness of Iacobus’s position, and resolved that either she could help the party bid on certain items that belonged to Hunclay and that will be up for auction (up to a maximum of 7,500 gold coins coming from Devy Manor’s commission on all auction proceeds; the companions would be responsible for their own bidding, as she will not do it on their behalf)... or she could give them the equivalent sum after the auction is complete and all guests have left Belhaim safely. She would also make arrangements with Talia Orem to pay all room and board owed by the party to the Inn of the Wise Piper since the time of their arrival, and she had previously paid to the Imperial Tax Collector the treasure finder’s tax owed by the party to the Crown, which she had no obligation to do. 

Both parties agreed that the terms were mutually acceptable, and would be drawn up in a formal written contract to be signed by the companions by the coming Toilday.

***

As the companions returned to the inn later that afternoon, Jiri went off to visit Kroc in the vicinity of the Old Fishing Holes, to see if he might recruit the woodsman for their expedition to the Dragonfen.

The dwarf caught up with the far-southerner as he was starting to cook some “freshwater shrimp on the barby” outside his shack. It had been a few days since Jiri had last attended a falconry lesson. When he asked Kroc to journey into Dragonfen with the party on the morrow, Kroc was reluctant to accept the invitation. “Why would I go trampin‘ around through knee-deep muck in a mozzy-infested swamp for? I had more than my fill o’that while I was down in Mwangi. Not my idea of a good time. Why do you think I’m up here now and not down under? I agreed to teach you how to handle a falcon, and nothin‘ else. You’d be better off askin‘ Eudomas Biton, the hunter…”

Jiri countered that the far-southerner had also agreed to accompany him on his travels until he had become a competent falconer. The party already secured Eudomas as a guide, but they wanted another bow with them on their journey to Tula’s crypt, “just in case...”

Kroc was not enthused. He complained that he hated Eudomas, that the hunter was boorish company and a pain in the arse, that he never shut up. And if they had Eudomas, they surely did not need him.

Jiri did not relent, but in the end, Kroc did. “For fuck’s sake, Jiri, you stupid dwarf... Fine, fine, I’ll come along... But if I die out there, it’s your fault...”

Dragonfen awaited...        

Act 2 / Episode 3 - Night Terrors (October 9, 2014)

Late in the night, Jiri and Mischief both heard strange cries coming from the inn stables, as though an animal were alarmed or suffering. It sounded like... Akiro’s baby lamb? Was someone harming the party’s beasts? Mischief promptly licked and nuzzled Shalora awake, and when she finally rose and opened the door to her room, the fox darted to the far side of the inn to scratch at Akiro’s door.

Bleary-eyed, the three companions each grabbed a weapon and stumbled to the back door of the inn, and stepped out beyond its threshold. The lamb had ceased to bleat, but the ponies were spooked and restless in their stalls. Jiri spotted a winged figure across the yard, a few feet inside the entrance to the stables. Fearful for his lamb, Akiro ran across the moonlit yard with katana in hand to confront the creature. In mid-stride, he felt an explosion of dark thoughts surging through his mind, but nevertheless maintained his focus. Sparkles the pony reared and kicked at the intruder.

The paladin engaged the winged humanoid, which fought back with a serrated, glass-like blade. Jiri moved to aid Akiro, but found himself fighting off the same mental assault that the Tian had instinctively shrugged off moments before... and the dwarf then turned in time to see another of the winged horrors swooping down towards him out of the darkness. Both companions were unarmoured and sustained minor wounds from the serrated glass blades, which channelled brief but violent shocks to their minds, but both managed to slay their respective foes with successive thrusts of their blades--the one hovering above Jiri hitting the ground with a heavy thud. 

Akiro rushed to the side of the fallen lamb, the throat of which had been cut. It was bleeding profusely, its white coat stained crimson. With tears in his eyes, the Tian warrior layed his hands upon the gash, became a divine conduit and closed the wound. The lamb opened its eyes and bleated feebly... but Akiro felt relief wash over him knowing that the gentle, innocent creature would live. Knowing how much the lamb meant to her fragile companion, Shalora had also established a life link with it. The Orem family and the two other overnighting patrons gathered at the windows of the common room, looking with alarm on the drama unfolding in the back yard.

As Shalora moved toward Akiro and Jiri, she too felt some uncomfortable presence trying to overcome her mind, but she resisted. A third night demon launched at her from the inn’s roof, but she successfully dodged its attack.  This last creature then spent a considerable amount of time apparently toying with the companions, trying unsuccessfully to weaken them with psychic attacks, flying out of melee weapon range from the inn’s roof to the stable roof. Then, while Jiri knelt to take a closer look at one of their dead assailants, Akiro unexpectedly took the opportunity to make a daring acrobatic leap onto the stable roof, using Jiri’s back as a stepping stone. The paladin landed on the edge of the roof. The night demon hissed at him, then took the air, flying out of sight beyond the roof of the inn just as Sheriff Benhovy and his constables entered the courtyard to investigate the commotion.

The night demons did not resemble anything the companions had encountered or heard about previously. They were lanky and bat-like, with long tails, four narrow eyes, and wolflike paws... was it one of these things that had left its prints on the roof of Emarthine Willoway’s home? As the Sheriff started asking questions, a loud crash -- as if something were breaking through the door or windows of a home or shop -- followed by a shrill scream, came from nearby. The Sheriff, constables, and trio of heroes raced to the scene, witnessing the third bat-thing emerge from Xemne’s Tonics to take to the sky again, flying further into town and leading its pursuers on a frantic chase...

***

Meanwhile, at Hunclay Manor, Iacobus was sound asleep after having had a nice hot bath prepared for him by Mathezic. The butler had been reluctant to return to the manor, but a few coins from the magus (and an intimidating gaze) -- as well as an assurance that the estate was now free of malevolent entities -- eventually resulted in his compliance. The magus was perhaps the most content he had been in a while -- not only was he sleeping in the bed of a powerful wizard with a wealth of arcane and astronomical tools at his disposal, but come morning he would be studying potent spells and magic items without distraction.

Late in the night, Iacobus awoke to the annoying sound of flies buzzing about the room... he also felt the insects crawling all over him. He cast a spell to dispel the gloom, and found to his horror that hundreds of flies were flitting about the room, with still more coming down the chimney. Something undeniably was wrong. And he blew some flies out of his nostrils, wiped others out of his eyes and leaped out of bed, grasping his falcata as he made his way for the door in his underwear. Opening it, he called out to Mathezic, but got a far more sinister reply from the dimly lit library.

“No, I’m afraid not. Did you miss us?” crowed a familiar, yet unseen voice on the left, followed by a high-pitched falsetto laugh to his right. And then, appearing from out of nowhere, “Zorg,” the imp from the dungeons beneath the Witch Tower and Chirit, the bloated infant-fly accuser devil were upon him. Iacobus dodged the imp’s tail stinger, but Chirit wrapped his long slimy tongue around the magus‘ right wrist and bit sharply into it. As Iacobus turned to fend off another attack from the imp, Chirit summoned a swarm of rats that crawled up the warrior-mage’s legs and gnawed at him viciously. 

Overwhelmed by flies, rats, and a pair of devils, and not dressed for combat, Iacobus began to genuinely fear for his life. He ran across the library and down the stairwell to the grand hall, sustaining two other painful bites from the giggling accuser devil that pursued him. Barely conscious by the time he reached the lever that would deactivate the magic pit trap that he had reset prior to going to bed -- Iacobus turned and in desperation swung his falcata at Chirit and discharged his last shocking grasp spell as he struck the fiend. The devil shrieked in pain and then vanished. Iacobus did not see its corpse drop to the ground, but dared not linger in the manor any longer to determine whether or not he had actually destroyed the little horror. 

***

After leading Akiro, Jiri, Shalora, Mischief and the constabulary on a destructive and not-so-merry chase around town, the third bat-thing eventually fled into the night. A short time after they returned to the backyard of the inn, the companions heard someone pleading for help... and then, a bloodied Iacobus clad only in his underwear, bearing nothing else but his falcata, hobbled into the yard, just barely conscious. His skin was broken by dozens of nasty bites and stings. Shalora channeled Shelyn’s love, instantly closing the worst of her companions’ wounds. Party members then briefed each other on what had just happened at the inn, in town, and at the manor, and elected to return to the manor to determine whether the devils were still there... as well as the arcane items retrieved from both the manor and Hunclay’s cave. Shalora lent Iacobus some clothes, while she and her other companions donned their armour and adventuring gear.

***

When the party returned to Hunclay Manor, they encountered what appeared to be a hooded man with a flaming blade awaiting them in the wizard’s bed chamber, now devoid of flies and rats, not to mention devils. His voice was identical to that of the unseen being who had been ransacking the library when the companions performed their initial sweep of the manor a few days ago. He assured the heroes that he had no intention to harm them, and could easily have ambushed them had he wished to do so. Iacobus (?) countered that he had tried to kill them previously with the ice fog he had conjured, but the man maintained that he had warned the companions that they could die if they stepped into the spell’s area of effect, and some of them had chosen to ignore his warning... the fault therefore was theirs.

The man wasted no time getting to the point of his visit. He knew the companions had found a hidden cache wherein had been chests that he presumed had belonged to the wizard Hunclay. He asked whether the party had found an arcane tome called Secrets of the Dreaming Dark, whether in Hunclay manor or in the secret cache. They denied it repeatedly (and arguably truthfully, as they had not yet been able to confirm that the black, tattered tome they had found that they suspected was Secrets of the Dreaming Dark, was in fact that book). The man declared that it was essential that the party entrust the book to him without delay if they found it, for there would be dire consequences for all in Belhaim if they failed to do so. 

The man and his flaming blade then dissolved into mist and drifted up the chimney. But before he fled, Jiri had been able to determine that the man did not radiate an aura of evil... at least no evil strong enough that he could detect it. 

Looking through the assorted items that Iacobus had left in the wizard’s room when he fled the manor, the companions noted to their dismay that two had gone missing: the tome they suspected was in fact Secrets of the Dreaming Dark, as well as Ye Booke of Enhanced Fiendish Servitude. Iacobus was especially relieved that none of Hunclay’s spell books had been stolen. Given the conversation the party had just had, the enigmatic man clearly had not taken the missing books, which meant that the devils probably were the culprits... and the companions deduced that the devils and the man (if man he was) could not be working together. It looked like more than coincidence, though, that the bat-things had manifested at the inn around the same time that the devils had attacked Iacobus at Hunclay Manor... and their other rival must have arrived only a short time after the fiends attacked the magus. Were the bat-things allied with either the man or the devils? And why had they first targeted the animals in the inn stables?

***

The party conducted another careful sweep of Hunclay Manor and determined the following:

. no evil auras were detected anywhere in the estate, suggesting that the fiends had left the premises;

. the trap door to the observatory was open (there was no lock on it), so the imp likely entered the premises via the hole left in the glass dome;

. the door to Mathezic’s room was open, and he was nowhere to be found;

. the gate to Chirit’s prison was unlocked, and tools from the clockwork lab had been used to break the conjuring circle that had held the accuser devil;

. Maffei was still in her cell beyond the wall of light, and was not aware of anything that had transpired this night.

Jiri tossed a handful of the enhanced dust of darkness into the wall of light. The darkness and light swirled around one another, like intertwining serpents locked in mortal combat, until the light faded and magical darkness dissipated. Only the spell Iacobus had cast on Akiro’s hat now illuminated the room. 

The dwarf released the grateful shae from her cell, who reiterated how weak she felt from prior direct contact with the wall of light, how she felt as though the wizard had destroyed part of her body and soul forever. The companions asked questions again about Hunclay’s theories and why the shae was so dismissive of them. She replied that, while she was no scholar, the posited link between the Plane of Shadow and the Dark Tapestry seemed preposterous to her because the shadows of her home plane depend, to an extent, on the presence of light to cast those shadows; the Dark Tapestry, conversely, and as she understood it, was part of the material world, and was a darkness that existed independently of light. In hindsight, perhaps the darkness of the Dark Tapestry had seeped out from the realms of the Hinterlands of the Midnight Lord at the outer limits of the Plane of Shadow, to which she had never ventured, but she remained skeptical that even this was the case. After all, to her knowledge, the Hinterlands remained shadow, and not absolute darkness. She also wondered whether the void of the Dark Tapestry did not predate the emergence of the Plane of Shadow? How could one know? While the whole conversation went over the heads of Shalora and Akiro, Jiri and Iacobus deemed that the shae’s assumptions seemed reasonable.

The dusky and largely featureless woman who did not seem to have a completely material body donned her armour which, although of a unique but leather-like substance unfamiliar to the companions, definitely was material and decidedly feminine in form. The silver-blue armour--which looked more like half-plate than leather--combined with her elegant scimitar and short sword, gave the shae a bearing that was simultaneously graceful, deadly, and awe-inspiring in her otherworldly majesty. Maffei reaffirmed her willingness to accompany and aid her liberators in their upcoming battles. Yet until such day had come, she hoped to be able to hide in a place where she would not have to interact with the people of this world, who were so unfamiliar to her... and to whom she undoubtedly would be just as frightening. 

Maffei the shae

After some debate, the companions concluded that the most appropriate place for Maffei to find refuge would be, ironically, Hunclay’s cave. Jiri led her there just before the break of dawn, while the others gathered up the wizard’s magical books and items once again and returned to the inn. Shalora mused aloud on the way back that, given how the current assignment was essentially done save for the identification of arcane items that Iacobus still needed to perform, and given that the party currently had no other assignment, she would like to travel to Lady Tula's crypt. She was tired of spending time in dark, dank caves and cellars and looked forward to a journey in the open air. 

Her companions were too tired to discuss the elf's suggestion; and wherever the party chose to rest, security now seemed like little more than an illusion...