Act 1 / Interlude 4 - Seven Days in Gozran, Part 1 (July 9, 2014)

By the time the party had made their second report to Lady Devy, they had been in the Belhaim environs for three days. The next seven days would be calm in comparison to the first three, with the companions getting to know Belhaim, its inhabitants, history, and other potential threats in the area, completing self-appointed tasks (Iacobus), attending local religious services (Jiri and Shalora), and enjoying all that Taxfest had to offer... including being heavily taxed by the imperial authorities.  

Evening and night of Oathday, 10th of Gozran

When they returned to the Inn of the Wise Piper on the evening of Oathday, after making their report to the Baroness and seeing Bophre Malak and the Bellathis back to the Malak farm, the party mingled with some of the locals -- most good-naturedly, and one out of an unhappy sense of obligation (Iacobus). The magus had found that the young man he had spoken to earlier in the day about retrieving the remaining treasure from the Witch Tower dungeons -- Dario, son of Selia Waldemar, the town carpenter (not that Iacobus cared what his name was or who his parents were) -- was awaiting him with two other fit-looking young men and an equally muscular young lady. The four accepted to meet Iacobus at dawn the next morning to help him haul out the treasure, for a fee of 10 gold coins each, and a round of ale at the inn once the job was done (Iacobus was especially reluctant to agree to the latter condition, but eventually relented). For the sake of the safety of his hired hands, and more importantly to ensure that they did not cheat him out of a few coppers, Iacobus ended up deciding that it would be best if he led his workers on the morrow. The four friends were eager to hang out with the heroes and to hear of Iacobus and the companions’ exploits against the kobolds, but the irate magus rudely avoided speaking to them any more than he needed, had no interest in learning their names, and promptly barred himself in his room once he had finished his meal.

Iacobus: not the friendliest employer?

The remaining companions took pity on Iacobus’s hired hands, welcomed them at their table, and recapped the day’s highlights without mentioning the name “Aeteperax.” Part way into the evening, Shalora and Akiro attempted to improvise a number of flute and voice duos, which sounded less than inspired and somewhat out of key, but the inn patrons’ mood improved somewhat when Jiri bought everyone a free round of ale. Talia and the patrons were especially relieved by, and grateful for the group’s success against the kobolds.

Fireday, 11th of Gozran

Today was market day, and the companions found that the population of Belhaim had increased significantly, with many colourful gnome loggers milling about town, as well as wood folk selling everything from pelts, meat, mushrooms, wild onions and herbs, spring flowers (for making dyes), fresh fish, and other goods.  

Iacobus - Return to the Witch Tower and sale of the Canteclure family crest: As convened, the evening before, the magus and his four nervous hirelings met in front of the inn and left for ruins of the Witch Tower at first light, the peasants bringing wheel barrows, sacks and spades with them. It was a good thing Iacobus took charge of the group, else harm might have befallen them at the hands of ‘Zorg,’ the invisible fiend who dwelled in the torture chamber, or in the knee-deep toxic sludge that flooded one of the passages. In the end, Iacobus and his hirelings retrieved 18,500 copper coins from the dungeons, as well as the Canteclure family crest. The magus brought the family crest to Arnholde Devy, who was prepared to offer 100 gold coins to add it to his collection. Iacobus sought a second opinion on its value (insulting Lord Devy by doing so) from the town’s money changer, Chosk Grellen, who agreed with Lord Devy’s appraisal but would purchase it from Iacobus at a lower price in order to make a profit, since Lord Devy likely would be the only one interested in such an item.

Chosk Grellen, moneychanger 

Ultimately, Iacobus sold the Canteclure crest to Arnholde Devy for the 100 gold coins offered by the latter. The magus spent the remainder of the day in his room, counting his money, which he would eventually deposit in the vaults of the House of Abadar for safe keeping (at a rate of 2.5% per week). 

Canteclure family crest -- 

sold by Iacobus to Arnholde Devy for 100 g.p.!

Tour of Belhaim with Arnholde Devy: Theon Sensina, the flatulent bladder, and... studded leather barding for Mischief? While Iacobus was busy with his own affairs, Arnholde Devy took the other three companions on a tour of Belhaim, introducing them to most business owners and trades folk -- nearly two score people in all! There was a pride among the villagers which manifested in an upkeep of most buildings that was superior to that which the party had seen in most Taldan towns and settlements in their travels -- all in all Belhaim was a very pleasant village, even though many of the locals stared at the dwarf, elf, and Tian with undisguised curiosity. Lord Devy in turn took every opportunity he could to compliment the much-taller Shalora on her beauty and choice of clothes. At one point during the tour, the group stopped by Sensina’s Hides, and owner Theon Sensina was all too happy to greet the group (he was thrilled that they had managed to prevent the “kobold war” he thought was impending), and Shalora in particular, who had previously commissioned a special leather potion collar for Mischief. The cheerful man convinced Jiri to sit on a strange-looking leather bladder, which emitted a loud flatulent noise that made the leatherworker explode with laughter, while Arnholde rolled his eyes and blushed at Sensina’s uncouthness. Sensina offered the bladder as a ‘comical gift‘ to Shalora, who accepted it graciously and handed it to Mischief. She then asked Theon if he might be able to fashion studded leather “barding” for the fox, an item the leatherworker had never crafted before, but which he would be more than pleased to attempt for his “favourite lady” and “best customer... after Lady and Lord Devy, of course.”  Eventually, Arnholde’s tour took the trio to the home of Bassy, Belhaim’s oldest resident and local historian, near the end of Canteclure Road beside Delbin’s Devices.

Theon Sensina, leatherworker and prankster

A meeting with Bassy:  Bassy lives in a colourful home, much smaller than all the others in the village. In contrast with the white, brown and beige tones of other homes in the town (accented among Shelynites with brightly painted shutters and doors), her  four walls are a mixture of purple, pink, red, yellow, and orange, with murals painted over top the garish colours on three of the outer walls. 

The three murals illustrate: 

1. a human woman in full plate driving her sword into the heart of a black dragon;
2. a brightly coloured butterfly in a high mountain valley;
3. a long-tailed bird with a long, multi-coloured tail arcing back over its head.

The interior of Bassy’s house is very similar to its exterior: it has very low ceiling, and looks as though someone tossed buckets of paint at random on the walls, and then hung all sorts of paintings, portraits, and simple works of art all over the place. The companions found wood stove with kettle on it and the main room, a half-dozen chairs (both small and human-sized), a small table, and a small desk with ink pots, quills, and stacks of paper. 

Arnholde introduced Shalora, Jiri and Akiro to Bassy--an elderly gnomish woman with vibrant and penetrating bright green almond eyes and antennae-like eye brows of the same colour, and long faded pink hair with streaks of green. Her gnomish heritage explained how her grandmother could have personally known Belhaim’s founder a thousand years ago. Bassy welcomed the group into her cosy home in a child-like voice, kindly requested that one of two human orphans living with her prepare tea for the guests, and referred to herself as “the youngest resident of these parts.” Like many others in town, the old woman was immediately drawn to Mischief, gave him a pet and a scratch behind the ear, and brought him a bowl of water.

Bassy, Belhaim's oldest resident

As she was introduced to each of the three party members, Bassy addressed them individually in turn. To Shalora, stooping low inside the house, she said: “My dear... the colours of your cloak really bring out the sparkle in your eyes... which I can just barely make out from down here. So tall, like your kin... are you finding it difficult to breathe up there? I remember crossing the Five Kings Mountains once and I was so high I could touch the clouds, kind of like you... and it was so hard to breathe up there... but so beautiful to see everything with a bird’s eye view... I loved it!”

Shalora - Admired by all?

As her gaze went to Akiro, she spoke with delight: “And oh my, a traveller from the far east... I have always wanted to go there, but somehow always ended up going west, north and south instead. You’ll have to tell me all about your homeland, I’m dying to hear... I expect it’ll provide great inspiration for my next book.” Upon realizing that Akiro was mute, Bassy responded with an enthusiastic “Well, then, I’m sure we’ll be able find a way to communicate... lack of speech should not be an impediment to friendship and understanding, should it?”

Akiro - "lack of speech should not be an impediment 

to friendship and understanding, should it?"

Finally, to Jiri, the gnome said: “We don’t see alot of dwarves in these parts, but I wish we did... I’ve always had a soft spot for dwarves... so strong, burly and handsome, and a rip roaring good time if you give them enough strong ale... I find them all filled with so much more life and love than they let on underneath their party-pooper exteriors... Are you from the Five Kings Mountains, or from Maheto?... Great beard, by the way... puts the few “bearded” folks in town to shame, that’s for sure.”

Jiri - dwarven heartthrob putting 

the "bearded" folk to shame?

As Shalora and Jiri explained the purpose of their visit, Shalora bade the group to seat themselves. Mischief discretely placed Theon Sensina’s flatulent bladder upon the chair that Arnholde pulled toward himself, sitting without seeing the bladder. As the flatulent sound erupted, Bassy burst out laughing at the “clever little fox’s” prank... then caught herself and apologized to the now red-faced lord, who angrily exited the home and told Shalora to come find him at his estate if she had further need of him, as the village tour was evidently over.

Mischief: Proficiency - Flatulent leather bladder

Tea was served, Bassy chatted incessantly, and she was intrigued by the group’s recent adventures (she clearly had little love for kobolds) and reasons for the group’s visit. When they mentioned the name “Aeteperax,” her eyes narrowed. She was familiar with the name, but found it odd that someone should claim that name for themselves today--for the black dragon called Aeteperax had been slain a thousand years ago, an event that tied in directly with the founding of Belhaim. She summarized the story thus:

“The Dragon Plague years were quite eventful for northern Taldor. During the years between 3660 and 3672 by Aroden Reckoning, the region endured an explosion of violent and bloody depredations by no fewer than three dozen different dragons. Among those affected by the attacks was a young woman named Tula Belhaim, who lost her family when a black dragon named Aeteperax destroyed her hometown of Nazilli on the southern edge of the Verduran Forest. She would go on to become a great hero, and the mercenary company she founded--the Slayers of Nazilli--defeated more dragons than any group in those days [perhaps a dozen and a half, according to Bassy]. Her final triumph was slaying Aeteperax in the heart of a swampland deep in the part of the Verduran Forest known today as Dragonfen.

“For her service, the Taldan emperor awarded Tula the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region, including all of Dragonfen. Her legions of admirers soon founded a town bearing her name, its buildings built of limestone quarried nearby. 

“When Lady Tula was awarded the barony, the lands she had been given had long been inhabited by some fey and by the wild folk of the forest, folk who lived in accordance with the Green Faith. The influx of hundreds of people over the span of a few short years with different practices and beliefs--largely followers of Aroden and Abadarans, and some Shelynites,too--into the area known today as Belhaim generated conflicts and tensions with the wild folk and with the druids of the Wildwood Lodge, who were concerned with the damage the new settlers were causing to the forest. In time, Lady Tula managed to negotiate agreements with the Lodge, to strike a balance between the views of the various faiths, and to appease the fears of the wild folk, some of whom eventually chose to live under the Barony’s protection. All this was long before the Emperor signed the Wildwood Treaty with the druidic Lodge.”

At this point, Bassy lost the three companions, digressing into an overview of historical treaties, the lumber industry in the Verduran Forest, the establishment of the town of Wispil further north, and territorial and legal disputes between the druids of the Wildwood Lodge and the Barony of Belhaim that have ultimately resulted in the village’s decline and growing economic hardship. Underneath its well-kept appearance (in comparison to many other Taldan settlements), Belhaim apparently was on the verge of collapse... but none of this had anything to do with the party’s questions, aside from the gnome also reconfirming the overly lengthy absence of Azmur Kell, local representative of the Wildwood Lodge, and his wife, Rima, which has everybody worried…

Realizing that she had gone on a tangent and lost her audience (how she loved to recount every facet of the region’s history!), Bassy went on to speak of the fate of Lady Tula Belhaim, Aeteperax’s slayer:

“Lady Tula eventually married one of her fellow slayers, Arturic Canteclure, and built a castle atop one of the town’s hills (on the site where stood the Witch Tower). The couple had four children, but each one died of accident or misadventure before the age of 9, leaving the new barony with no heirs. Tula and Arturic’s relationship grew strained as the baroness grew morbid and obsessed with building a grand tomb for herself and her family. As she and her husband grew apart, Tula amended her will to have Arturic buried in a separate part of the tomb, rather than alongside her.

“Then, one rainy day, servants found both Lady Tula and Sir Arturic both dead not even a hundred feet apart from one another. Lady Tula was found impaled on the horns of a dragon statue beside the castle’s main doors. Sir Arturic was found laying on the road leading to the castle, his neck broken. Thereafter, Belhaim mourned a tragedy they could not understand or comprehend. The bodies were quickly taken to Tula’s crypt and buried according to her wishes, and the site was sealed.

“Rule of Belhaim fell to distant relations of Arturic’s, the Canteclures. More than eight centuries later, in 4500, Baron Sarvo Canteclure, a vicious lord who imprisoned subjects for the slightest infraction, joined an ill-advised rebellion against the Grand Prince, and his family and the castle were destroyed in retaliation. 

“Back in Belhaim, a man named Sir Arkold Devy was awarded the Barony of Belhaim for his role in helping to put down the seditious Canteclures. His descendents have ruled for the past two centuries. During this time, a few memorable events touched the region--most notably the earthquake that left the town unharmed, but caused the town’s quarry to flood. With access to the quarry’s fine limestone lost, Belhaim’s fortunes slowly  receded.” 

Throughout the meeting, Akiro was suffering rapidly worsening symptoms of illness--fever, aches, and a swelling of the dire rat bites he had suffered in the kobold lair. Seeing her companion’s increasing discomfort, Shalora asked a few last questions pertaining to Lady Tula’s tomb, to which Bassy replied:

“It’s in a remote part of Dragonfen, well off the old Quarry Road. You can find it if you follow Eskander Creek, a tributary of Rogue Creek that runs through the distant reaches of Dragonfen. Azmur Kell once told me that the crypt can be reached by following Eskander Creek north after you cross it for the second time on the Old Quarry road. The crypt is in an isolated mound, and whatever trail there might have been there is no longer discernible. You just have to follow the creek north... and hope you don’t sink in the bog, or get attacked by some nasty swamp beasts (blood-sucking stirges, giant snakes and leeches,...). My grandmother was there when it was built--she said it was well-sealed, nigh impregnable.”

As the party prepared to take their leave, Bassy gave them the following advice:

“If you’re really thinking about venturing into Dragonfen, I recommend you talk to Eudomas Biton at the hunting lodge just north up this road--aside from Azmur Kell, he has probably ventured into Dragonfen more than anyone else in town. Annagrit may also have some useful knowledge... if she’s willing to speak to you, that is... Most folks are scared of her and think she’s mad, but that’s what makes her so interesting...” 

Shalora helped Akiro back to the Inn of the Wise Piper, then purchased a fully charged wand of healing (cure light wounds) recently acquired by Xemne the apothecary at a cost of 800 gold. After that, she spent the rest of the afternoon tending to Akiro while Jiri went to the outdoor market in the green in front of the inn in search of a bird of prey he might purchase...

Jiri and “Kroc” -- new best friends? One of the vendors Jiri encountered at the market was a man who called himself “Kroc,” and who spoke with an accent that he could not place -- it definitely was not Taldan and did not sound typically Chelish or Qadiran, either. The man claimed to have come up from Mwangi and now made a living as a woodsman in the Verduran Forest. Kroc was at the market selling animal pelts and smoked game meat, but it was the beautiful falcon on the perch behind the vendor that caught Jiri’s eye. Jiri and the woodsman engaged in friendly banter for a long time, with the dwarf inexplicably taking on Kroc’s accent. In the end, the two reached the following agreement: Jiri would purchase Kroc’s falcon, Rhuben, and his falconry gauntlet for 150 gold coins; the dwarf would pay Kroc an additional 10 gold per week for training in falconry, with the onus on Jiri to go to the woodsman’s cabin near the Old Fishing Holes off Fisher Trail whenever the former’s schedule allowed him to undergo training; Jiri would bring Kroc ale every training day; and if the falcon was not fully trained by the time Jiri had to depart Belhaim, then Kroc would accompany Jiri until the bird and dwarf had formed a bond, with Jiri covering all of Kroc’s room and board as well as his weekly salary.  

"Kroc" and Rhuben

Starday, 12th of Gozran 

Akiro - a miraculous recovery: Through the night, Akiro had strange dreams and woke to find himself fully recovered, and all symptoms of his illness and traces of the rat bites completely gone, as if they had never been.  The Tian warrior spent much of his day walking his new pony, Speckles, in a meadow on the outskirts of town.

Speckles… What a pretty pony...

Iacobus - magic and money: Iacobus spent the whole day locked away in his room studying... and counting coins.

Jiri - falconry training begins: Jiri spent most of the morning and all afternoon with Kroc and Rhuben... Only time will tell if falconry training is enhanced via consumption of ale... 

Shalora - A quiet day...

Evening - supper at the Malak farm... is someone falling for Akiro? The Malak family invited the heroes to have supper at their dairy farm, across the Verdira River a few hundred feet east on Old Belhaim Road. Iacobus declined to attend. Between Bophre, her mother Isadorer, the seven other family members, Carlo and Sela Bellathi, and Shalora, Mischief, Jiri, and Akiro, things were crowded indeed in the very modest Malak timber home. The family, adherents of the Green Faith, was clearly unaccustomed to seeing dwarves and humans from the orient, and the guests were subject to silent, curious gazes from many family members at the beginning of the evening. Isadorer and Bophre did their best to break the ice--the entire family was genuinely grateful to the strangers for rescuing Bophre and for taking care of the kobolds--but they were simple, shy folk. A hearty beef stew, rye bread, variety of cheeses, and a fruity red wine were served for supper. Bophre recounted her ordeal and the deeds of the companions during supper, especially emphasizing the way Akiro had silently stared down the kobolds that held her and the Bellathis captive and convinced them to surrender without bloodshed. Despite the months of abuse she had suffered, Bophre spoke with an unmistakable inner strength. As the evening wore on and the wine jug was refilled and passed around a few times, the other family members warmed to the companions, joking and singing with Shalora and Jiri and exchanging stories with them. Bophre’s gaze often lingered on Akiro, but the absent-minded Tian man never noticed. 

Isadorer Malak, grateful mother

At various points in the evening, Isadorer mentioned a few other things that piqued the curiosity of the companions. She stated that, as is to be expected, there have always been wolves around Belhaim, but lately, there’s been a pack led by a beast of a wolf that’s got a taste for livestock... Ol’ Prake Abrassus saw it run off with a sheep in its mouth like a dog carries a bone! The incident happened a day or two before the companions arrived in Belhaim, and the shepherd had now placed a sizable bounty on the wolf. Isadorer also warned the companions to be careful if they decided to wander the surrounding hills, for they are full of caves and mine shafts, many of them infested with the ghosts of miners, she’d heard. 

Toward the end of the evening, Isadorer offered the companions the family’s life savings of 200 gold coins as a reward for rescuing her daughter, but they politely refused the money, being all too glad to have performed a good deed that helped the family. The whole clan invited the heroes to drop by anytime they wanted, and to call on them if the family could be of assistance to them in any way. 

As the companions prepared to leave, Bophre looked Akiro in the eyes and asked whether he would like to go for a walk along the river with her in the coming days. Clearly, her abduction by kobolds had not instilled fear in her. Taken off guard and uncertain how to interpret the request, Akiro eventually nodded “yes.” The young woman beamed with joy.   

     Bophre Malak… in love with Akiro?

Act 1 / Interlude 3 - Second Report to the Baroness (July 9, 2014)

As the party left the vicinity of the Blood Vow lair, they soon found the prisoners they had liberated earlier in the day -- Bophre Malak, and Carlo and Sela Bellathi -- emerging from hiding in the foliage on the north side of the overgrown road. The trio were tired, weak, ragged and had bruises on their faces and arms, but seemed to otherwise have been relatively unharmed; they expressed gratitude once more to their liberators, and were in good spirits given the imminence of their return to civilization and safety. Bophre, a young lady in her late teens, did most of the speaking on behalf of the group, and exhibited the most obvious resilience among the three.

Bophre Malak

The party and former captives stopped by Devy Manor on their way back into town in order to report to the Baroness. Lady Devy could not hide the discomfort of having blood- and mud-stained folk (and a fox) once again standing in her immaculate sitting room, but nonetheless instructed that the chamberlain provide refreshments to her guests. She was relieved that Bophre Malak and the two strangers had been rescued and that the party had neutralized the Blood Vow kobolds, but she was worried that a dozen or so of the kobolds had been spared and allowed to remain in the old quarry rather than being exterminated or driven off. 

Ultimately, she accepted the party’s assessment that the kobolds had been commanded against their better judgement by their chief, Roaghaz, and a newly arrived spiritual leader, to collaborate with the wizard Hunclay to engineer the collapse of the Witch Tower, and that Hunclay’s death was the result of a calculation error by kobold miners; the party believed that the kobolds had not intended to kill the wizard, and that they posed no threat to Belhaim. Indeed, one of the kobolds, Nighttail, was kept prisoner by Chief Roaghaz for voicing her opposition to his plans to work with the wizard and to bring about the collapse. Once the party released her, she helped them navigate the kobold warrens safely, and fought valiantly against the new cleric and Chief Roaghaz. Nighttail was now leader of the Blood Vow and promised that the tribe would once again be good neighbours, and the party deemed that it would be appropriate to allow the kobolds to redeem themselves... after all, was it not true that the town had known of their presence for years, yet never before had the draconic tribe behaved in a menacing manner? Upon further reflection, the Lady Devy agreed that the wizard ultimately was responsible for his own fate, and that it also was consistent with Abadaran teachings to resort to violence and extermination of potentially hostile neighbours as a last resort. Perhaps the kobolds did deserve another chance... yet she also made it clear that if the kobolds did not keep their promise, the consequences would be on the party’s collective heads. 

Lady Devy agreed that the companions had successfully completed this second commission, and commanded that they be paid the promised fee: a total of a dozen gleaming amethysts (worth 100 g.p. each). Arnholde made sure to remind them that Taxfest was just around the corner -- in just five days -- and that an Imperial Tax Collector would be coming to town.

The Lady was disappointed that the party had learned nothing about the fate of the Kells (the village’s absentee druidic guardian and his wife), but she and her son Arnholde went pale when the heroes relayed what the elderly Blood Vow cleric, Jakkol, had said to them before he died, concerning a “dread lord Aeteperax” and the bats he calls from the darkness as harbingers of chaos and lunacy, and how they would be “your doom as they have been ours.” They showed her the green and black dragon scales they had retrieved from one of Chief Roaghaz’s treasure chests; the black ones seemed a lot more faded and fragile.

“It... cannot be,” whispered Lady Devy. “You may not know this, but... Belhaim was founded more than a thousand years ago by Lady Tula Belhaim, a great hero and one of the Slayers of Nazili; the Slayers killed a black dragon by the name of Aeteperax in the nearby swampland, still known today as the Dragonfen. As a matter of fact, the old quarry sits at the edge of the Dragonfen. The Emperor had awarded Lady Tula the title of Baroness and the stewardship of the Verduran Fork region for her great deeds. Her legions of admirers followed and soon the town you now see was established, at the foot of the hill upon which she and her husband, Arturic Canteclure, one of her fellow Slayers, eventually built their castle... and which many centuries later was inherited by distant relations of Arturic’s. To my knowledge, there have been no dragons in the Dragonfen for more than a thousand years... at the very least, none that have made their presence known in a definitive or threatening way... Some villagers believe that dragons have always lived and continue to live in the Dragonfen, but there have been no confirmed sightings or any other concrete proof to support those claims...”

With renewed confidence, she added: “But who knows... perhaps the kobold chief simply invoked the name of the ancient dragon to instill fear and obedience in his tribe...” When the party affirmed that neither Nighttail nor any other kobolds admitted to having seen this Lord Aetperax, the Baroness’ became even more reassured.

Arnholde interjected that, “Bassy would probably remember a lot more of the details regarding local history since the time Lady Belhaim was granted her fiefdom.” With a laugh, he declared that Bassy “looks like a child, but she’s the oldest person in town. She even claims that her grandmother was a friend of Lady Belhaim.” Pointing at Shalora, Jiri and Akiro, Arnholde snidely remarked that “the three of you are bound to get along... she’s a Shelynite. And who knows, perhaps Jacoba Kivris at the Record Hall may have some documents pertaining to that historical period...”

Both Arnholde and his mother seemed to think that the notion that this new Lord Aeteperax would call on bats as harbingers of lunacy and choas sounded preposterous. They suggested that perhaps the kobolds themselves had succumbed to lunacy, perhaps by ingesting too many of the hallucinogenic mushrooms found in the woods?

“Either way then,” continued Lady Devy, “matters regarding this new ‘Lord Aeteperax’, whoever he is, if he exists at all, can wait. Assuming he does exist, he has made no threats or demands of Belhaim, and, Abadar willing, perhaps he got whatever it was he wanted from the wizard Hunclay and will not bother the village... let us not poke a sleeping dragon’s snout. And I kindly request that you refrain from mentioning this Lord Aeteperax to anyone else -- there is no need to cause an unnecessary panic among the villagers.” She asked that that the companions swear an oath to not suggest in conversations with the locals that someone claiming to be Lord Aeteperax was active in the region, save perhaps Bassy, if they questioned her.

“Perhaps we will find some answers in the wizard’s estate,” added the Baroness. “I dispatched a raven to Hunclay’s cousin in Yanmass yesterday afternoon -- if I have not received a response from her within a week’s time, then we may need to enter the wizard’s estate without her  express written consent. I will call on Jacoba Kivris at the Record Hall to provide me with a detailed account of my rights and obligations regarding the Hunclay estate under Imperial law, and in particular references to time frames and exceptional circumstances that I may not be aware of... this is the first time I have ever had to deal with this kind of... incident.”

Before taking their leave, the party reconfirmed their availability to investigate the Hunclay Manor at the appointed time, and also recommended the release of Sesserak from the village gaol; they would escort her back to the Blood Vow lair on the morrow. 

“Thank you again for your services,” stated the Lady. “I hope you will enjoy some well earned rest over the next few days... Tomorrow is Fireday, market day in the village. You may see a greater than usual number of folk about town, including many gnomish loggers down from the Wispil area, as well as some woodsmen and folk travelling the river. I will send word when we will be ready to discuss the matter of the Hunclay manor further... In the meantime, I request that you avoid venturing too far into  Dragonfen... I do not want to draw the attention or ire of this new Lord Aeteperax if we can avoid it...”

Arnholde (unable to conceal his interest in Shalora), would lead the party on a tour of Belhaim the next morning and introduce them to some of the residents and key business owners...

    

Act 1 / Episode 4 - The Blood Vow Lair, Part 2 (May 4, 2014)

After confirming that her prehistoric companion, Hak, had not been harmed while held in captivity, Nighttail led the party along a winding, narrow passage that ended in a cave upon the floor of which was a thick layer of straw. As Nighttail had informed her liberators that Chief Roaghaz’s chamber was “two more down,” she elected to leave Hak behind as the beast would not be able to negotiate the descent shafts. 

Nighttail halted Akiro before he could round a bend in the north end of the cave, hissing that a trap had been set at the narrow bend. The kobold helped Jiri spot and disarm a tripwire connected to a series of spring-loaded darts concealed under the straw. Beyond the trap and around the bend, the group found a 5-foot diameter hole, in which a thick, knotted rope descended into darkness.

Unsure what awaited them below, Akiro dropped his magically luminescent hat down the shaft. It hit the ground approximately 20’ down; some of the companions heard something yip and skitter away. Nighttail was unimpressed. She refused Jiri and Iacobus’s urgings that she lead the way down, countering that she was not as strong as the bigfoots and beard, and that she must ensure her survival if she was to take control of the tribe and ensure that peaceful co-existence with the bigfoot town is restored. Chief Roaghaz’s servants would undoubtedly have orders to put her to death if they saw her free and aiding the bigfoots. She could serve the heroes best by advising them from behind.  

In the end, Akiro clambered down the rope and reached the bottom of the shaft safely. The ovoid chamber into which he had stepped was devoid of features, save for a pair of murky pools and a single exit tunnel cluttered with rubble. Once everyone had made it down the rope, Nighttail explained that the pools were “snacking pools” in which the Blood Vow bred frogs for food. She added that in the next chamber, they would find a much larger pool in which lurked “big cranky biting turtles”... the bigfoots, beard, and ears and arrows should avoid stepping or falling into the water. 

Jiri took the lead here, trusting that his sharper dark vision would reveal threats before any of his companions might spot them. As he cautiously made his way through the rubble to the end of the curving tunnel, he just barely heard something shift ever so quietly beyond his sight and the end of the passage. He could see a large pool of dark water in the middle of a large, but low-ceilinged cavern. A kobold on the far side slung a bullet at the dwarf, while two others stepped forward and attempted to trip him into the pool using their miniature guisarmes. Jiri attempted to strike back at one of his assailants with his glaive, but missed. He took a step back into the passage to avoid being flanked or tripped into the pool.

When the whole party emerged from the tunnel a few moments later, they saw two kobolds (one with glaive, the other with sling), fleeing down a passage almost directly opposite the companions, across the pool, while a third guisarme-wielder ran west into another side passage. The heroes also noticed a third passage across the pool heading south east; Nighttail explained that that was the armoury. The party chose to inspect the armoury before going down one of the other passages, just in case more kobolds might be hiding therein, or that they might find some items of use. A quick inspection of the armoury revealed a dozen spears, more than a hundred sling bullets, four slings, three suits of leather armour, three wooden shields, two bows, all sized for kobolds, as well a human-sized iron longsword. The chamber also contained dozens of small picks, spades, iron spikes, hammers and other tools, and some coils of rope, chains, and manacles with keys. The companions determined that there was little of use to them among the assorted items and took nothing.

As Jiri peered into the tunnel down which the slinger and one of the guisarme wielders had fled, he noticed a single small pallet heaped with fur sitting along the south wall of the cave. As he and the others approached, they found an aged kobold, his green scales dull and his eyes shut tight, lying on the palette. “This be Jakkol, him be great priest of our tribe before Churgri come,” murmured Nighttail.

The aged kobold’s eyes fluttered open to reveal milky, blind orbs. In a raspy voice, he declared the following, in the Common tongue:

“I can tell by your scent that you are strangers here. If my nose tells the truth, you bring the destruction I foretold. Good... good. I had hoped to see our ruin before journeying to the afterworld, but I will settle for listening to it. Beware of the great scaly beast, strangers. He seems to speak reason, but his words are poison. And his bats, the ones he calls from the darkness... they are harbingers of lunacy and chaos... Dread Lord Aeteperax will surely be your doom as he has been ours.”

As if the act of speaking was too much, after delivering that cryptic and ominous message, the aged kobold died. After a moment’s hesitation, Jiri began to search Jakkol and the pallet. He found only a small and fragile phylactery carved from petrified bone and inscribed with a band of runes clutched by the dead kobold’s claws. Jiri and Iacobus both confirmed that the item was magical, but neither were able to identify its properties at the moment. Nighttail argued that Jakkol was a holy priest of the Blood Vow, and as the tribe’s imminent new leader, the phylactery should be hers... but Jiri disagreed and held on to the item, leaving Nighttail feeling even more sour toward the stupid beard.

Jakkol's phylactery

Nighttail informed the companions that both this tunnel, as well as the one down which the lone guisarme-wielder had fled, ultimately led to the same place: a big chamber that would lead to the “third down” and Chief Roaghaz’s hall. The current passage, however, would first lead them past a “cruel rat nest,” where rats even more vicious than those kept higher up in the complex. The group decided to follow the passage that the lone guisarme-wielder had taken. 

After marching for what seemed like a long distance down that passage, the heroes came to a wide bend. Three dire rats charged them from out of the darkness ahead, but the wider space granted Akiro, Jiri and Iacobus more space to maneuver effectively for defence and counter-attack purposes, while Shalora provided them with spiritual guidance. At the edge of the circle of light cast by Akiro’s illumined hat, the heroes saw a pair of kobolds run into yet another tunnel. Once the dire rats had been slaughtered, the party prepared to follow the sneaky kobolds down this latest corridor. Nighttail warned them that it was likely that a larger defensive force had been gathered here to ambush them along a narrow walkway 10‘ above the ground... but this was the only way to gain access to the lower level of the complex.

Led by Akiro, who vaulted under sling fire over the two guisarme-wielding kobolds that had taken defensive positions at the half-way point of the walkway as their brethren lobbed their bullets from behind the cover of a low curtain of rock, the heroes rapidly defeated their opponents. Nine kobolds initially defended the chamber, but once the first five had been slain and Nighttail stepped forward and declared in Draconic that the remainder would be spared if they surrendered, those still standing dropped their weapons, allowed themselves to be bound, and were lowered into the pits that yawned beneath the walkway. Another circular hole opened in the ground of this chamber, again with a knotted rope tied to a spike descending into darkness. The way to the “third down.”

Adopting the same strategy as before, Akiro dropped his luminescent hat into the hole. This time, the companions heard no reaction from below. Nighttail did not know if anything awaited the companions in the chamber below; the Blood Vow shrine and Chief Roaghaz’s hall were still further in the complex. Iacobus tried to convince Nighttail to descend first, so that she could show her courage as new leader, to no avail. Akiro ended up going first, and as he emerged from the shaft, he found himself completely unable to move and flanked by two silent skeletons. The undead slashed at him with dull scimitars, and from above, Jiri saw the Tian warrior fall beneath the blades, his blood spilling onto the ground.

Jiri heroically leaped down the shaft, landing with his legs spread apart in a defensive position directly overtop the prone Akiro. As the dwarf fended off the attacks of the skeletons, Shalora channelled healing energy to her beleaguered friends below, and Akiro’s mind gradually overcame the spell that had been cast on him, a red-scaled kobold wearing a rusty-brown cloak over chainmail and wielding a wooden staff carved with runes and capped with a crimson sphere etched with symbols conjured a glowing dagger that flew at Jiri. The spiritual weapon failed to harm the dwarf, shielded as he was by the power of love, but the infuriated red-scale closed in for melee.

Churgri the red-scale

As Akiro got up, he demolished one of the skeletons with his glaive, while Jiri stepped away from the bottom of the shaft. The red-scale unleashed a wave of dark energy that burned Akiro and Jiri. Then Nighttail emerged from the shaft, followed by Iacobus. The red-scale suffered a wound and stepped out of the melee while the companions fought the second skeleton. Shalora took the opportunity to channel Shelyn’s healing energies, which washed over her companions below. As the second skeleton crumbled, Nighttail charged Churgri the red-scale and drove her spear through her foe’s gut, slaying the priestess.

Jiri and Iacobus cast spells to detect magical energies in the area, and found four items radiating magic on Churgri: three stone flasks wrapped with a twisted cord and stoppered with a simple wood cork hung from a leather thong wrapped around her waist, the contents of which smelled and tasted slightly pepperminty, as well as the now blood-stained, scaled crimson cloak the cleric had worn over her hooded black robe and armour. Additionally, the heroes also found a spell component pouch and gold symbol of some unfamiliar horned entity among the cleric’s possessions. Churgri’s ornate quarterstaff did not radiate magic. An argument broke out once again between Nighttail and the companions regarding the distribution of the slain kobold’s valuables. In the end, three of the companions each claimed a potion, which Iacobus deemed were healing potions (cure light wounds); Nighttail retained Churgri’s enchanted cloak, which, according to the Taldan’s assessment, would enhance in very limited fashion the wearer’s resistance against enemy spells and harm caused by poison, environmental effects, and other such things (cloak of resistance +1). After some hesitation, Nighttail also decided to don Churgri’s chainmail. 

Potion of healing (cure light wounds) x3 

taken by the heroes from Churgri

 the red-scale's corpse

The party then advanced into a chamber so large that Akiro’s hat barely illuminated its total area. The ceiling was higher here, about 12 feet high, and aside from a passage leading out of the opposite, north end of the chamber, its only prominent feature was a malevolent-looking horned idol carved from stone and positioned in the centre of the cave. Curiosity got the better of Jiri and Iacobus, who searched for secret compartments both within and beneath the idol. They found none, and their spells revealed neither any magic or evil radiating from anywhere in the chamber, aside from what the party and Nighttail herself carried (including the twin “lucky sticks” tucked in her belt). Nighttail was clearly irritated by the party’s investigation of the idol, which she claimed represented an entity named “Duke Vapula.” Churgri reportedly spent most of her time in this chamber, and soon, the party would face Chief Roaghaz and his guards in the grand hall.

But first, as the companions advanced into the north passage, they came upon a wooden barrier blocking the entrance to another cave branching off from the main tunnel, beyond which stood a green-scale. The sentry did not behave in a threatening manner, but stood with spear in hand and without fear, rasping something in Draconic as the party approached. Nighttail informed the party that the sentry and the others in the chamber beyond guarded the “Cave of the Future”--where eggs and hatchlings were   watched--and would not interfere with the party’s assault on Chief Roaghaz. These guardians would only fight if the party attempted to harm their young and unborn. 

The next and final chamber would be Chief Roaghaz’s hall, but at the last bend in the tunnel before the hall, Nighttail identified the most devastating trap in the entire kobold lair--a thin layer of oil coated the walls, floor and ceiling of this passage, and anyone who walked in risked tripping over a number of well-hidden trip lines that would cause a dozen vials hidden in the ceiling to smash on the floor, ignite the oil and turn the entire passage into a fiery tube. With their guide’s help, Jiri and Iacobus carefully deactivated the trap; Iacobus even collected some of the vials from their niches in the ceiling. Based on Nighttail’s description of the effects, the magus believed the dangerous substance in the vials was alchemist’s fire.

Beyond another bend in the tunnel, the party came to a short flight of rough-hewn steps that opened into a large but low-ceilinged cave, the floor strewn with fresh straw. The bones of many different creatures, animal and humanoid both, hung from the walls. Two boulders bisected the cave. At last, they had reached Chief Roaghaz’s hall.  

A green-scaled kobold clad in a purple cloak with elongated sleeves and trimmed with crimson tooth-like patterns stood before the boulders and puffed out his chest. A dagger and a pair of scroll tubes hung from his bandoleer. The belligerent kobold addressed the party imperiously in the Common tongue:

“You think you can trespass in the lair of the Blood Vow Tribe with impunity? I am Roaghaz, and I serve the great Lord Aeteperax! He rewards his supplicants for ferocity and faithfulness. We shall add your bones to those hanging on these walls, and our great lord shall sup on your flesh!”

Before the party members could advance, Roaghaz pointed a wooden wand at them and uttered an arcane incantation. A huge web shot out of the wand, coating half the hall and reaching far into the entrance passage, trapping all of the companions and Nighttail, who stood at the edge of the web near Akiro. 

Chief Roaghaz

Roaghaz was furious that Nighttail the Glib, as he called her, had led the invaders against the Blood Vow and had now led them to his hall, and ordered his guards--who emerged from cover behind the boulders--to slay the traitorous rat. As the companions struggled to free themselves of the webs, Nighttail successfully blocked most of the guards‘ spear thrusts, while Roaghaz croaked another incantation that unleashed three bolts of magical energy that struck Akiro full in the chest before retreating behind the boulders. Iacobus was tempted to throw alchemist’s fire at the kobold chieftain, but feared that it would ignite the web and burn all those trapped within. 

Akiro was the first to free himself from the web. By the time he had done so, Roaghaz had conjured a double of himself. Given the close quarters, Akiro attacked the sorcerer with his katana instead of his glaive, and his swing promptly dispelled the illusory double. Roaghaz retaliated by blasting Akiro once again with another three magical bolts that nearly killed the mute warrior. The four guards remained focused on slaying Nighttail, but she and Jiri brought their opponents down one by one. Shalora and Iacobus emerged from the web, the elf rushing to Akiro’s aid, pulling his head back to empty a healing potion down his throat. Roaghaz now found himself with nowhere to run and no one left to fight at his side, and casting spells was now just too risky. As the pair of humans tried to flank him, the kobold’s fangs suddenly grew longer and he attempted to bite Akiro, unsuccessfully. As the last guard fell, Nighttail, who had sustained only a few light wounds, joined the fray against the chieftain who continued to rage about her treachery. Although he clearly could not defeat his foes, Chief Roaghaz fought to the death and cursed Nighttail as he perished.

Nighttail was elated by the victory, and the heroes praised her for her bravery in battle... and were secretly surprised by her skill and endurance, and glad they did not have to face her as an enemy. In the western section of the cave beyond the boulders, the companions found a large, soft pallet and two locked chests. They found a pair of keys on Roaghaz, and Jiri and Iacobus determined that in addition to the two scrolls and  the wand in the sorcerer’s possession, his cloak was also enchanted. A quick assessment by Iacobus revealed that a spell named glitterdust was inscribed on both scrolls. As he touched the sorcerer’s cloak, made of coarse animal-hair and dyed purple, and concentrated for a moment, he determined that the cloak’s magic had enabled Roaghaz’s fangs to grow (cloak of fangs). 

2 scrolls, each with the spell Glitterdust,

 claimed by Iacobus

One of the keys opened both chests, within which they found 1,895 gold coins in one chest, and six large green scales and an even larger black one in the second chest. “Dragon scales,” confirmed Nighttail.

Despite Nighttail’s protests that she should keep most of the treasure and magic items as they had belonged to the Blood Vow tribe, the companions insisted that they be shared evenly five ways, as “friends” would do... especially since they argued that most of the kobold treasure had likely been obtained by stealing from humans and other folk. Given the circumstances, Nighttail knew she had no choice but to agree to the terms. Iacobus claimed the two scrolls. Nighttail wanted to keep both Churgri and Roaghaz’s cloaks, but Jiri forced her to choose one or the other. After much thought, she gave Churgri’s cloak to Jiri and wrapped Roaghaz’s cloak around her shoulders. Churgri’s cloak smelled of kobold and blood, and was comically short and narrow when worn by the broad-shouldered dwarf... whether or not the red-scaled cloak enhanced or detracted from the dwarf’s beauty and style is a matter that remains open for debate. 

Churgri the red-scale's cloak of resistance (+1), 

passed down reluctantly by Nighttail to Jiri… 

would the small, scaled cloak enhance or detract

 from the dwarf's "beauty and style"?

The heroes reminded Nighttail once again that she had promised that the Blood Vow must be good neighbours, and they also suggested that a contract should be drafted setting out the terms of the peace. Nighttail agreed, but insisted that the heroes accompany her through the complex on their way out, so that they could announce to all survivors that she had been proclaimed the new chief of the Blood Vow and that they better listen to her or else there would be consequences. The companions did as she requested.

At last, the heroes regained the surface, glad to smell the fresh air and to see the light of the evening sun reflecting on the waters of the flooded quarry. Sparkles was still tethered, unharmed, where Shalora had left her, but Bophre Malak and the other liberated prisoners were nowhere to be seen...