The Missing Gnome

Gunter and Sylvannas have just been trapped in a meat store with two Slaadi. After trading only a couple of blows with the sladdi, they realizie they might be a little outmatched in power. They decide to try and escape. As they manouver their way around the store, Michold yells at the slaadi, "They cannot be allowed to escape!"

Michold donns an odd looking plague mask while putting one over the face of his beloved, Ellaide. He then has one of the slaad break open the death's head coffer, releasing a number of disease ridden rats. The rats soon join the fracas and in the battle Junia is felled. Michold uses the opportunity to flee out the back door.

Sylvannas and Gunter are able to make it out onto the streets of Triel and Sylvannas wastes no time in blowing her war horn to hopefully bring the others.

Back in the Singing Wind Inn, Princess Elora hears the horn and tells the others. She summons a flock of giant owls and together they ride the owls following Princess Elora towards where the sound came from. When they arrive, landing the owls in the middle of the street, with the few people in the street running to take cover, they also meet a few of the city's militia, The Hellriders.

Its a Love Potion

After a quick and urgent explanation, the Hellriders enter the store only to find the slaadi fled. Junia , her brother and his fiance remain. Junia is quickly attended to and cured of the disease which courses through her body. Messick offers to cast Zone of Truth to assist the city guards.

Michold falls under the influence of the magic, forcing him to tell the others everything. He had always wanted to have a beautiful woman love him. One day a figure approached him. A hooded robed figure, a tabaxi....at least he thinks. She smelled of the grave. She told him that she could provide a bit of magic that would help him. He just had to give the woman he desired the potion she would provide. In return, she asked that he accept the occasional carcass provided to him. He may use the meat as he sees fit, but the magic box he would find inside he must take out into various parts of the city and open it. She would give him a mask that would protect him.

Keep up the distribution of the disease boxes and she would keep providing him with an enhanced version of Philter Of Love.

Hearing this the Hellriders have enough information. They take Michold away to meet his justice.

Later that day, Elvar The Grainlord, visits the group to personally thank them for helping to save the city from a horrific and decimating disease. He allows them to have their weapons back.

Proving both their capabilities and their righteousness, he asks them if they may do the city yet another good turn.

The Missing Gnome

Elvar tells them of the granary equipment that is meant to transfer the harvest grain to the storage buildings. It was built by Lorick, a gnome tinkerer. The machinery has broken down and requires the skill of Lorick to fix. Without this much of the harvest will rot. Lorick has been summoned but he has not arrived. Nor has the small group dispatched to summon him.

It is not like Lorick to miss a chance of earning a coin purse. Besides he is a friend to Triel and Triel takes care of its friends.

Would they go and find the gnome?

The group agrees to come again to the aid of Triel. But horses and gold would help.

Elvar agrees and the group sets off to find steeds.

Soon after, they are mounted and set off in the direction of Lorick's home, in the nearby forests surrounding Triel.

Master?...Not Master.

As they travel into the forest following the ever narrowing trail. They come to two smalll odd metal statues on either side of a very narrow trail. Able to approach only by dismounting they cautiously approach the structures. The heads of the metal constructs follow the group and soon they can be heard to say, "Master?", then in a more disappointed voice, "Not Master."

Just to be sure Gunter blasts the head off of one of the small figures. Sylvannas
runs past them and pauses just in front of a small piece of shiny metal sticking about an inch out of the ground. The piece of metal rises up, tips over and touches the ground. A burst of electrical energy spreads out along the ground hitting nearly everyone. Princess Elora watches on in horror as she is hovering above the ground.

After trying to figure out what is attacking them they quickly move on and find the small home of Lorick the gnome. It is built into a small grassy hill, with a stream flowing nearby all in small clearing in the forest. Everything is quiet. No sign of activity from within the home shows itself.

As the group moves closer to he home, two grassy hillocks rise up out of the ground revealing a balista-like construct hidden underneath. "Master?.....Not Master." And they fire bolt after bolt towards the group. Before long the group is able to disable the two devices.

Lorick's Journal

Inside the small home. Scrolls of magic, blueprints and various plans are strewn across a few workbenches. The entire home is a single room with a small bed off in the corner and the rest of the room dedicated to construction of devices or plans for devices.

The group finds Lorick's journal which speaks of him going into the Forest Of Wyrms for the much prized Gulthias wood for his constructions. But while there he had noted the odd markings put on both rock and plant throughout. Fearing for his safety he returned a few days later, this time with a clockwork huntsman for protection. But this time he saw several demons, some with the same markings that he had seen before upon themselves. There was some small lesser demons which he said he was able to capture, hoping to somehow use their energies to power his contraptions. But the demon hoards continued to grow.

Knowing when he is in over his head (not hard for a gnome), he retreated but thought perhaps he had been spotted. So he left his huntsman to protect his retreat and he returned home, hoping that he had not been followed.

Demon Powered Clockworks

Meanwhile, Princess Elora found a secret compartment below the workbench, hidden with an illusion spell. Within she found two large cases locked with some sort of keyless lock. It had the symbol of wind or air on it. The locking cylinder could not be removed by touch, force or magic. Eventually, through the ingenuity of Princess Elora, she was able to remove the locking cylinder and opened the cases.

 Inside were to clockwork inventions, similar to those seen around his home. But these had dangerous looking metal barbs on their legs and had eyes that began to glow a disturbing red when the cases were opened. Before anyone could inspect them the clockwork beasts jumped out of their cases skittering along walls and ceilings attacking the group. They would shoot small cylinders of meta downwards to hit individuals as well spraying fire all around. In the small house, no one was safe.

As they battled the demon inventions, they finally were able to destroy them but as each device was destroyed it would explode in a fiery death, shrouding the entire group in fire. Several are badly hurt but eventually they emerge from the smoking hole that was Lorick's home and into the twilight of the forest.

Along the ground a small mouse that whirs and clicks catches the attention of Princess Elora.
Why does this mouse whir and click?

The Blood Veil

The group awakens the next day. The Singing Wind Inn they are in is friendly but with almost no one around. All is not well in Triel. Few people move about within the city. Most choose to hide away in their homes, trying to avoid others for fear of catching the Blood Veil. The sickness which had begun to spread throughout the city a few weeks prior has people scared.

The disease starts off mild, with cough and malaise. But within a couple of days, the disease progresses with a red rash covering the face, hence its name. Within another day most people, if not treated by clerics or the mages, will perish.

Seeing The City

When the adventurers assemble in the common room of the inn they plan their day. Messick wishes to get armor made for his dog, Justice. Eda and Sylvannas wish to seek out spells or other magical items. Tort, the tortle, wishing to learn more about the culture of the city, roams around, ignoring signs and warnings telling people to stay out of quarantined areas. The disease has hit certain sections of the city hard and those living in those areas have been ordered to stay within their homes.

Finding Another Death's Head Coffer

Tort seeing something familiar lying in among a pile of refuse bends to retrieve it. It is one of the Death's Head Coffers. A blackened wooden box, measuring about a foot and a half squared with it's borders decorated with arcanic looking white runes which swirl together sometimes to form the crude form of skulls. This one is open with a dark looking rat with red eyes nearby. Tort grabs for the box and decides to bring it back to show the others.

The Lavender Boutique Scam

Some of the others move about the city and come across a huge line of people. The line stretches for several blocks. When questioned they find out that a store called the Lavender Boutique sells for a gold piece, a potion which can protect one from the Blood Veil. People line up everyday and hope they can continue to afford the potion for everyone in their families until the disease is either cured or ceases it's assault on the city.

Eda and Princess Elora pay off a woman to take her place in line. There is a lot of yelling about this from the rest of the line but the line is appeased when the woman leaves the line and goes to find a place in the rear of the line. Moving along with the line, they soon enter the shop and it seems to be a fairly efficient process. A person takes their gold piece, another person provides a small potion vial, once imbibed, the empty potion vial is returned to another person, and the line then exits the shop.

 Once drank, the potion makes one feel warm and well, but the adventurers find out it is simply a warming spell. Not a healing or restoring potion. This will not protect anyone from the disease. This is made evident as some of the group start exhibiting signs of the disease. Messick uses his magic to cure them but it is clear, the longer they stay here, they more likely it will be that they will have to continually battle this disease.

When Tort returns with the Death's Head Coffer box and shows the group they immediately recognize it as the same type of box that they had found within the kobold warren, where they had encountered the humanoid cat-like creature whose form was rotted, mostly hidden under a hooded robe. Gunter, uses identify and tells the others that it is a box intended to hold a disease or diseased creature in stasis until it is opened. It then looses any magic it had.

A Deal To Good To Pass Up

Gunter and Sylvannas meet with one of the acolytes from the local apothecary. He tells them that they do not have much to sell in the way of magic potions or items. Lately, with the Blood Veil disease all resources have been devoted to potions of healing and restoration spells. They are having trouble keeping up and have had to reserve most of these for the nobles of the city and those that have coin enough. But once he is shown a gem that they have in payment, his story changes. He has access to a couple of unclaimed items. If they meet him the next day they can make an exchange.

Gunter and Sylvannas look at each other and look at the gem. They apparently have no idea what it is worth.

The group returns to the inn later in the day and share their stories of the city. They talk to Junia and she tells them that they should return to Daggerford soon. They ask if she can wait another day or two, the deals they have in place should only take that long. She agrees and says she can use her time to visit her estranged brother. She has built up the courage and besides he's getting married soon. She must see what insane female would marry him.

Michold's Meats

Sylvannas and Gunter accompany Junia to go meet her halfling brother. He runs the local meat shop, Michold's Meats. When they enter the meat shop two large cloaked burly men enter the store behind them. They carry a carcass strung up on a pole carried between them on their shoulders. Gunter says a greeting to one of the hooded figures. They respond with an awkward sounding, "Bring Meat.". Gunter shrugs it off. Junia introduces them to her brother Michold.

Michold, the halfling is not an attractive member of his race. He has straggly greasy hair and hunched back. This would not be half as bad if his personality compensated but he is brusque and rude. He and his sister argue soon after reuniting. They are interrupted by a beautiful statuesque human woman who enters the main room from behind the counter. She immediately goes up to Michold and hugs his greasy head to her chest as she professes her love for him.

Michold introduces the group to his bride-to-be, Ellaide. Her beauty is matched only by her unwavering sunny disposition. She constantly giggles as she twirls Michold's greasy hair in her fingers as she kisses him often. Michold is obviously enjoying both the attention from Ellaide and from the shocked expressions from the others in the room.

Michold tells Ellaide that he has brought her a drink and that she must drink it up like the good girl she is. When she tells him that she's not thirsty he admonishes her and tells her that they have talked about this and she must drink. It is for her health.

When Michold tires of his company he tells them he is busy and they must leave, as he gestures to the two burly men carrying a carcass to wait. Gunter casts detect magic and as he moves around the store he sees the liquid Ellaide has nearly finished drinking glows with a strong magic, as does something from within the animal carcass the two men are carrying.

With a flourish Gunter slices open the carcass to reveal a Death's Head Coffer inside.

The two creatures roar in surprise and they shrug off their large cloaks. As they rise to their full height they reveal themselves to be slaadi, a green slaad and a red slaad....and they have decided that hiding is not longer an option. Killing is preferred.

On To Triel

After leaving the kobold warren, the group returns to the camp. There the survivors of the kobold raid have done their best to recover from the damage and are preparing an evening meal when the adventurers return.

An Adventurer Is Born

The next morning, with a hard frost upon the ground, the group prepares to move out and continue on to Triel. By now, Lady Mara has heard of the groups adventures in the kobold warrens and she swears that this is the life for her now. She is determined to become and adventurer, just like her caravan protectors. Sylvannas promises to teach her how to use her dagger. They talk and practice as the caravan moves along. Marcon, Lady Mara's hired protector, listens and scowls, he tells Merrick his job is solely to get Lady Mara to Triel and put her into the hands of Elvar The Grainlords household. There she can decide if she wishes to marry the Grainlord's son or not. It matters not to him.

Turt, the tortle, who always dawdles behind, pauses as he listens. The rough road now passes through a wider clearing with forest on either side several yards away. From the west side of the road, within the forest, Tort thinks he hears something. He calls to the others and tries to describe what he heard. His mimicry skills are poorly lacking, and his imitation of the sound comes out more like a belch.

Sylvannas, sends Lady Mara and her squire back to the safety of the caravan while the group, while she moves towards the woods to investigate. Sylvannas sees a human male being mauled by an owlbear. He screams and then goes silent as the owl bear rends his back open with its massive claws.

The Owlbears and Werebear

Sylvannas moves back silently through the forest and as he passes the others, now entering the forest to investigate, Sylvannas tells them its an owlbear. Too late to help. Might as well move on. The others decide its important to see if they can help. They fight off the owlbear and heal the fallen human. When he rises back up he transforms into a massive bear. Together they kill off the owlbears, charming some, but the werebear has fallen again.

They tie the unconscious human to a strong tree and wake him. Under Messick's Zone of Truth they hear the man's story. His name is Filip Burtdum. Yes, he has been a werebear for years now. Ever since he and his smith mentor went into the woods to cut wood. There they encountered a massive bear. It killed his mentor, Olfstock, and would have killed him too if he had not escaped by jumping off a cliff into a rushing river below. Unfortunately, he did not escape unharmed. He had been slashed by the werebears claws and weeks later, he found himself under a full moon, in the woods near his house, with a carcass of a deer in his clutches. He found he transforms whenever he experiences strong emotions. Because of this, in the middle of the night, he packed a few belongings and left his home, leaving his wife and infant child. He did not trust himself. He has spend his years in the woods trying to keep it in balance but has found it more difficult in the recent years. Monsters abound and he still hasn't found the werebear that transformed him.

Releasing Filip, the group moves further into the woods to make sure they have completely cleared out the area. They come across a cave. After some debate as to whether or not they should enter the cave, they find a small group of owlbear cubs. Small and defensless they mewl at the group. The group argues over what to do with the cubs. Leave them be and they will grow up to attack and kill others on the road. They decide to kill them.

The Killing Of Small Owlbear Cubs

That's when they notice, hiding behind a tree watching them is Lady Mara. They call her over and tell her if she wants to be a part of the adventuring group she has to prove her metal. She must kill the owlbear cubs. She immediately draws her dagger but then looks at the small defenseless creature. It's soft feathers surrounding a cute face. Is it smiling at her? Tears running down her face Lady Mara stabs it through the chest. She screams and stabs again and again. Sobbing uncontrollably now. Finally the others pull her off and she runs back to the caravan.

 When the group returns to the caravan, they find Marcon glaring at them demanding to know what happened. Lady Mara has locked herself in her wagon. The group explains and Marcon looks displeased but resigns himself to simply getting the caravan going again.

They continue on to Triel.

A Vigilante Ambush

They travel for hours. A fine mist fills the air and the chill makes the ride miserable for that last few hours. Soon they see the walls of Triel in the distance. As the sun begins to approach the horizon behind grey clouds, the adventurers see a wagon ahead on the side of the road. A man kneels beside a removed wheel. A woman and a child sit nearby wrapped in canvas to keep the chill of the mist off of them. Messick goes up ahead and approaches the wagon. He asks if everything is alright. The man stands and scrutinizes Messick and then the others. He calls out, "It's them!", and attacks.

The woman and child discard the canvas they have been huddled under and join the battle. The woman moves gracefully as she slashes with her short swords and moves about the group with ease. The child, now revealed as a dwarf, attacks with an axe. As the rest of the adventurers rush to join in, several arrows fly down from a small bluff several yards away. The group moves to the far side of the wagons for cover. The attackers continually yell such things as, "Make them pay for her death!" and " We'll show you how we deal with those that murder innocents!" and the man who was feigning fixing the wagon wheel shouts to the others "Remember….we want to take them alive…..if we can.
But Elvar said that if it's our lives or theirs…..make them die painfully!"

Eventually, they kill the attackers but are still harassed by one of the archers on the bluff. Sylvannas jumps on a nearby horse and pursues up and over the bluff. The archer, trying to flee, mounts his horse and the chase is on. Sylvannas, draws her bow and fires. Even on horseback at full speed she hits her mark.

Unfortunately for Sylvannas, her attention was on the fleeing archer and not the terrain. She and her horse plummet into a small gorge in the otherwise flat plain. Injured, both to body and pride, she rejoins the group. They do not mention her stumble...but their smiles do,

They decide to take the wagon, as it is in good shape. Mystora replaces the removed wheel and attaches it to her horse.

Soon they arrive at the gates of Triel.

Garren's Wagon

The guards posted at the gate look at each other worried.

They call for more guards. One of the guards approach them and asks them why they have Garren's wagon. The group explains the attack and then have to explain how they have not murdered anyone. After some tense dialogue, the group finds that Jay Harris had arrived days earlier and told the city that Lady Mara was murdered by those who were hired to protect the caravan. This angered the citizens and some of them took it upon themselves to seek revenge.

Not only was the marriage celebration something the citizens were looking forward to but it would make political inroads to link Triel to the Waterdeep allegiance.

The group calls out to Lady Mara to come out of her wagon. She does so. She does not look like nobility. She is dischelved, hair cut short and ragged, clothes dirty from the road and blood splattered from the owlbear cubs. She is still shaken and is not the composed Lady Mara the group was expecting.

The guards call for Elvar to come and make a decision. Elvar arrives shortly and hears the group out. It is decided that Jay Harris should be present. Until such time, the group must surrender their weapons and stay within the city. They are taken to the Singing Wind Inn and are given a meal of succulent meat and bread.

They have no fear that once they can face their accuser, the foul Jay Harris, things will be sorted out easily.