“Yes, I was born in Longsaddle” Thia begins to narrate. "My father, Beiro Galanodel, was an elf who had settled in the hamlet long ago. The magical nature of the place tickled his elven nature. My mother, Juliette Varenoir fell in love with him once he rescued her, saving her from a fire I am the fruit of their initial intense love! Over time, their story became tormented... their profound differences over time extinguished the spark that had united them... but even when this happened, at least I remained! They both continued to love me, but I could no longer bear to see them separated, to have to choose who to live with... I told myself that it was time to make my own life! I tried to make myself hired by the Sharnshields and Martha soon noticed my enthusiasm... In my opinion she even liked me... However, she took me out of the stables and promoted me to her personal servant - but, as I must have already told you, Mistress Martha behaves more as a friend than a mistress".
Once in the Fuzzy Quarterstaff:
"One Harpell is by no means the same as another!" Thia laughs "But Blinn is an important member of the family - a person who will probably know what to do with your information. I could also introduce you, of course... but you wouldn't need to be shy, after what you've managed to accomplish!"
However, before you can go back to your decision, the young half-elf girl has already launched herself with her usual enthusiasm and has already reached the half-orc table: "Good morning, Mr. Blinn Harpell! How are you? Allow me to introduce you two heroines whose fame will soon spread; do you know the problem for which my Mistress Martha contacted you? Well, the ladies Tarysaa and Ardana are two members of the group of heroes who just today managed to remedy it! And, not content with this, they come to reveal some news that will certainly be of interest to you!"
The half-orc wizard raises an eyebrow questioningly, looking intently from one to the other of you. In a deep voice, he invites you: "Please sit down, my ladies. And so you have solved Miss Martha's problem. It cannot have been easy. And now, you come here, with news of interest to me. Do you happen to intend to solve also a problem of mine? Is it a problem I already know I have? And if I don't know, are you sure I would be better off finding out and having to deal with it, rather than ignoring it and continuing to relax in front of a mug of beer?"
His eyes stare at you intently… not in a hostile way, not at all; in an attentive and interested way... It seems that this eccentric half-orc is curious to find out what you will answer to his questions.
Ardana shakes his hand, or attempts to if Blinn is not so inclined. "Well met Mr. Harpell, I will let Tarysaa tell the full story but first, are you familiar with the prophecy Martha solicited, that the saving of her Dobbian would come from a marble archway in the hills south of town? Do you know of such a place?"
Tarysaa sits and sighs. She remembers this kind of 'introduction / interrogation' from some of her professors at Silverymoon University. And no matter what one answered, it was never 'good enough'.
"Kind Sir, thank you for taking the time to hear us out. Not being familiar with the 'command structure' of the Harpell family, we begin here, with you. That said, yes -- our band was lucky enough to discover magic which brought Martha Sharnshield's lover back to life. How we got there is a longer tale... parts of which we felt the Head of the Harpell family needed to be aware of."
She shifts in her seat and looks over at Ardana and cocks an eyebrow -- as if to ask if she wished to begin or not.
"Ah, my ladies..." sighs Blinn, taking a sip of beer as if to steel himself "If we answer questions with other questions, where can all this lead us? Only to an endless army of question marks? And at this point I might ask myself: 'good, but can an army of question marks win a battle'? I might... but I don't want to digress too much. So, come on, my ladies, give me satisfaction and answer my first questions. In your opinion, the problems must always be faced? Or can ignorance sometimes be a good thing? And is what you want to talk to me about, objectively, something that is better to face... or to ignore? Answer me honestly... and I will answer you too, don't worry".
Thia tries to whisper to you, without being noticed: "It's a well-known characteristic of his, that of posing lots of apparently unrelated questions about philosophical or arcane matters... Don't be too intimidated... He's harmless... And sooner or later you can convince him to get to the point".
"I think ignoring our tale can be of serious consequence for the Harpells and perhaps all of Longsaddle - so I think it must be faced not ignored. Tarysaa, please explain you are more familiar with arcane things than I"
Tarysaa scrunched up her nose as she considered the questions.
In your opinion, the problems must always be faced? "Some might hand wave that position and say, 'It will take care of itself.' Perhaps. And perhaps, there ARE certain problems that must be faced before they become even bigger problems that can not be ignored."
Or can ignorance sometimes be a good thing? "Some say, ignorance is bliss. No, ignorance is ignorance. To willingly work at ignoring a problem or circumstance is just being lazy."
And is what you want to talk to me about, objectively, something that is better to face... or to ignore? She starts counting off items on her fingers, "Objectively? I can think of two issues the Harpells can NOT ignore. One related to the family itself and one related to the safety and security of Longsaddle and the surrounding lands. hmmm maybe it is THREE issues... depending on your stance regarding goblins?"
"Then again, it might be FOUR issues - since the Zhentarium are part of our narrative?"
"Make it SIX issues if you include the fiend we encountered AND the open teleportation circle that is still active after 250 years?
Or is it SEVEN issues... since one 'experiment/prisoner' broke out; destroying a large part of the underground area we visited... and was NOT encountered in our explorations... so may still be abroad in your lands?"
"I suppose I could go on, but my fingers are tired from 'demonstrating' when they should be wrapped around a drink. SO, unless you have more philosophical questions, can we tell our story and let YOU decide what might be worthy of your Family's attention?"she stares intently into Blinn's eyes and does not blink.
"I am inclined to agree with you, my ladies!" Blinn starts to smile "And in fact I do not intend to ignore the news you have come to tell me! So, please..."
The half-orc suddenly seems to lose himself behind a sudden thought and meets Tarysaa's gaze again: "You started listing the problems by counting on your fingers... And you were almost out of fingers, did you notice? Alright, you mixed things up a bit... goblins and fiends are certainly not problems of the same order of magnitude... one eclipses the other, we could say... But still, you were running out of fingers. Possible that the great archmage Bigby, who was so focused on hand-themed spells, didn't pass down any to help us count problems above ten? Yet, compared to the great wizard's other hand-themed spells, one spell for to provide an additional hand and count problems in number greater than ten would have been trivial... Why didn't he develop it? What do you think, Tarysaa? In reality, would he have developed it and would it have been lost? Or did he have good reasons to not develop it? Such as the fact that anyone who neglects more than ten problems is destined to soon lose the ability to count?"
“But not now” Blinn returns to the main issue, making a hand gesture as if to sweep his digression about Bigby, hands, spells and problems off the table. "First things first: where was I? Oh, yes: so, please, tell me everything in order. Surely, together we will identify the best course of action".
(OOC: I didn’t explicitly say but Nim inferred in his conversation with Daisy that he would be by her side with Clas, ready to venture out in search of her husband. So Nim indulges in his prize, enjoys the feasting and awaits Daisy’s command to set out. Wether that is right away or upon the return of our friends heading to the Harpells.)
(OOC: I didn’t explicitly say but Nim inferred in his conversation with Daisy that he would be by her side with Clas, ready to venture out in search of her husband. So Nim indulges in his prize, enjoys the feasting and awaits Daisy’s command to set out. Wether that is right away or upon the return of our friends heading to the Harpells.)
(OOC: Oh, OK... But both Clas and Daisy decided to stop there and not also play the liberation of Daisy's husband... so we won't play that part too - or at least not explicitly. With the return of Tarysaa, Ardana and Zentromya we will definitively conclude the campaign).
Tarysaa begins to recount the events of the last day? It seemed much longer now.
First, how an odd assortment of strangers all answered 'the call' of Martha Sharnshield. How the 'task' was to find a magical item that could bring her dead lover back... to become the father of her soon to arrive baby. As best she can, she will recite the 'divination' done for Martha and how it pointed to a place underground with a white, stone arch at the entrance.
Second, how the newly formed band of adventurers travelled south out of Longsaddle and into the woods to the west. Coming upon goblins. And finding their hilltop fort / encampment and their leader, Chief Rukuz the Merciless . How we left without coming to blows from the encounter. Tarysaa can also show the hastily drawn map to show where that hilltop goblin encampment was. <<< The first finger
How, soon after, we ran into a goblin, Wumgu, that had been run out of 'the beautiful den' -- the burrow cave with the white stone arch in front. His tribe in 'the den' had been attacked three months ago. Approximately 30 goblins in his tribe - every male, female, and child goblin -- killed by the Zhentarim; led by a half-orc with a battle-axe and a winged serpent coiled around his arm by the name of Mhurren Flick. We entered the burrow by a back tunnel carved out by a large, burrowing creature and methodically took out the dozen Zhentarim and their 'king'. Unfortunately, the winged serpent escaped... we suspect it was winging it's way to the nearest Zhentarim outpost to report the discovery of this secret outpost. <<< A couple more fingers
Once all the Zhentarim were dispatched, we freed 2 captives who were in rough shape -- Milo, a halfling and Solitude, a tiefling that had been tortured and maimed. The Zhentarim were waylaying travellers along the Long Road and selling them as slaves. Both were fed and healed as best we could and released to make their way to Longsaddle or other points far from the burrow. <<< Was there no news of missing travellers? No notice over three months concerning an infiltration of Zhentarim? <<< sooooo many fingers
One of our party questioned the freed prisoners and discovered her husband, Garlik, had been a prisioner but had been sold to a slaver called Snaketongue -- someone who does business with the yuan-ti of Najara. <<< Slave trade under the Harpell's noses? That was a finger I didn't even flash earlier.
Examining the half-orc's 'throne room', we discovered an actual throne with a carved image. Tarysaa can show the sketch she made of the carved image -- a bit of heraldry -- two wolves facing each other on opposite sides of a horse with particularly elongated legs.She will explain how this triggered some of her university studies in history; recalling the information concerning Kylth Harpell. How Kylth was active around 1250 DR - approximately 250 years ago. Which seemed to be about right concerning how time-worn the white marble arch appeared to be. <<< The 'link' to the Harpell Family and it only gets better!
Searching the 'throne room' we discovered a hidden passage which - it appeared - the Zhentarim had not yet discovered after three months of occupancy! This passage led to a spiral staircase downward. We were 'greeted' by Elky, a small boy -- which turned out to be some very realistic rendtion of a person... but one could wave their hand through the image with no response from Elky. Elky was also 'unaware' that 250 years had passed. This level (1) was magically protected and alarmed. Then described the yellow flag system. Also the many flaming orbs still active and primed to attack intruders. Also, the undead in armor. <<< Magic Mouths (?), undead guardians, and more... all still active after 250 years.
Making it down to a second 'lower level', we encounted more alarms, traps and puzzles to obtain purple flags to use in the third level, referred to by Elky as the prison level. Tripping another set of alarms, we scrambled down to the third level. She will describe the mosaic and other images seen. The alcove of dragon's breath / fire. And, finally, the immense area torn up so badly with many surprises. The release of a yeth hound from a Rune Circle 'prison' . The attack and defeat of the prison guardian ?beholder?, Xomox. The trapped fiend and other denizens such as a Barlgura and a celestial. (( she will keep the description of our golden friend vague )) The ACTIVE teleportation portal in the prison area. Conjectured to be the one Kylth used to grab his prisoners for his own experimentation OR the means of how the one escapee got away? We are uncertain. <<< Still areas of this long, lost dungeon / research lab we did not investigate; instead returning to Longsaddle with the Celestial to fulfill the task Martha had given us. To bring back her dead lover.
Daisy and a group of Sharnshield warriors are heading south the try to rescue Garlik from the slaver. We felt obligated to 'report' to you, the Harpells, about the Zhentarim, the goblins, Kylth's underground lair / lab... so it won't fall back into the hands of goblins OR the Zhentarim (or worse).
Me, personally? If I did not have to go aid Daisy in this rescue, I would imagine a slow, methodical exploration and examination of all the magics in the underground levels would be an amazing treasure trove of discovery and long unseen knowledge. I HOPE the Harpells can be trusted to be wise in their actions concerning this ancient 'find'. And... well... that's enough fingers and facts.
It may be all this was for naught. That the high most Harpell are aware of ALL of this... the goblins, the slavers, the Zhentarim and the lab. Then again, we felt obligated to 'let it be known'. Having living fiends in the area just seems careless. And NOT a problem that can be ignored in the hope 'it will go away or take care of itself'."
She stops and takes a moment to drink as her throat is parched with this long litany of events, facts, and names.
Blinn carefully follows Tarysaa's presentation, sometimes smiling condescendingly, sometimes nodding, sometimes widening his eyes in obvious surprise.
Once the elf wizard has finished, the half-orc mage can't help but smile in approval: “One can't say you're not accurate when you speak, Tarysaa”.
He briefly puts his thoughts in order, openly sharing with you what he thinks: "That various goblin tribes infest the hills, is unfortunately known to all, here in Longsaddle, my ladies... Those annoying little creatures sometimes even go so far as to try to carry out raid in the hamlet. Of course these attempts usually end very badly for them - but it is as if the goblin mothers are continually pregnant: no matter how many casualties they suffer in the course of their occasional assaults; sooner or later, a new group that believes itself to be more cunning, stronger or luckier than the previous ones arrives... and makes it necessary to defend oneself again. For this reason, I would not give too much importance to this 'Chief Rukuz the Merciless'. The Harpells do not waste their time swatting flies from the backs of the horse farms of Longsaddle, troublesome as the flies are. Likewise, we waste no time in destroying every goblin tribe we learn about. If this goblin leader attacks Longsaddle, he will have no better luck than his predecessors. Or if by chance he becomes a threat to the streets or businesses, then we will destroy him. But for now, as far as we're concerned, he can continue to feel like king of his own little mound of manure. It's a kingdom we won't bother contesting".
"More worrying is the question of the Zhentarim..." Blinn becomes more serious "You did very well both in eradicating them and in telling me about them. We don't want those scum here in Longsaddle. We will take care of preventing them from settling in that 'secret base' of theirs again. And we will show you our gratitude for what you have done. As for any 'missing travelers', no, we had not received any worrying news... but you must also consider that if a passing foreigner were to be kidnapped, we could easily not notice. Evidently, these Zhentarim have never captured a citizen of Longsaddle, someone whose disappearance we would have noticed. And the slaver you speak of, this Snaketongue, he is not known to us, but since he is unaware of the destruction of the Zhentarim cell , he'll probably come back... and we'll make sure we get him, so that he can meet the fate he deserves".
"The further discovery you have made is very interesting..." the half-orc's eyes light up "The heraldry you describe is that of Longsaddle - and therefore we Harpell also use it as our own. After all, we are Longsaddle. This Kylth Harpell that you mention doesn't come back to my memory, Tarysaa... but I'm sure that some of our older members will remember him! Or at least a trace will have remained in the chronicles and annals... It will be interesting to examine this unexpected testimony of the his past. Who knows what studies he had conducted and what results he had arrived at... Nothing exceptional, probably, or it would have been passed down, at least within us. But knowledge is always precious... I will talk about it as soon as possible with the other members of the family! We will take care to take exclusive possession of that place - since apparently it is ours, after all - so that external interference cannot unleash undue risks for the community and we will study what has been done there!"
"And all the details you have given us, Tarysaa," he mimes taking off his hat as a sign of respect - he only mimes, since he is not wearing a hat "will surely be incredibly valuable to us. The Harpells are there grateful, my ladies. If one day you need a certain spell to be cast, please come and ask us - if it is not something excessively onerous, we will provide it immediately, as a favor. Otherwise, perhaps we will ask you to provide the costs of the necessary materials, but the casting of the spell will be entirely at our expense. Furthermore, Tarysaa, considering the excellent qualities you have demonstrated, if you would like to study for a while with us as an apprentice, I will have great pleased to accept you. You are full of initiative, intelligent, accurate... in you there are the qualities of a great wizard. And by studying with us, you could develop these qualities more easily and more quickly than elsewhere. Think about it, if you want; and should you decide that the prospect interests you, come back here to find me… it will be an honor to help you become the archmage you can be”.
Tarysaa finally smiles and nods her head. "Our motley crew went into that place still wet behind the ears. I, myself, was ill prepared for what we faced - being not long out of university studies. I hope an experienced band of academics and mages can make 'safer' explorations in Kylth's dungeon/lab." She tips her mug one last time to gain every drop.
"And now, we must ride to catch up to our companions. We hope to be back in Longsaddle shortly, or at least in time for Martha and Doobian's wedding. Thank you for your time and attention. May Azuth and Mystra smile upon you."
Ardana says to Blinn: "One more thing Tarysaa did not mention - the corridors of Kylth's prison are filled with a magical mist - while we disposed of many of the magical guards, we did not find a means of removing the mist: These flags, " (Ardana produces her purple and yellow flags), "when held in hand, will enable the holder to see through the mists. I give these to you, in case they are of use to you when you venture there yourself. And thank you for your gracious hospitality, we will depart now.""
And so, after having also gained the favor of the Harpells, the ambassadors Ardana, Tarysaa and Thia return to the Sharnshield Mansion.
There you find Daisy, ready to captain her husband's rescue expedition and set off together.
The Sharnshield horses live up to their fame and, although the winter weather is not exactly ideal for travel, it doesn't take you more than a week to pounce on the unsuspecting slaver Snaketongue, who, suddenly finding himself surrounded by a band of armed knights, has the good sense not to fight. He tries to buy at least his own freedom with bribery, but Daisy and the Sharnshields are adamant. It seems like the Lizardfolk need to find a new contact.
After you return to the Sharnshield Mansion and prepare to meet the future, away from the Sharnshields, either together or each on his own, one last surprise awaits you: the well-known Adran Liadon joins you astride a robust black stallion.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the elf greets you politely, taking off his hat "in remembrance of what happened between us, I have prepared a parting gift for you, if you will accept it. I crafted it myself".
Adran takes out a copper bracelet from the large saddle pockets for each of those who accept. All the bracelets are identical, somewhat similar in color to his skin, with an Elvish inscription.
For those who know Elvish:
The inscription reads 'Idiot', written in big glyphs.
"Oh no, Liadon. I would not think to break up what must be your own, personal bracelet collection. Pray hold on to them and gaze on them daily as a rememberance of this day." Tarysaa speaks words in High Elvish which are magnitudes worse than what is engraved on the bracelets at Adran Liadon. "Then again, perhaps my new friend, Blinn Harpell, might appreciate your fine work." Slamming a fist into her open palm, she intones in a loud, clear voice, "Θρυμματίζω" ( Shatter ) centered on the offered bracelets.
A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupts from a point of your choice within range (the pile of bracelets being offered up by Liadon). Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw. CON 14
[[ and using my "Sculpt Spells" feature, I can make it so shatter does no damage to the fine steed Liadon is riding... nor anyone else in that 10 foot radii... while he and the bracelets can take the full effect. ]]
Thunder Damage: 8 pts.
As a parting gift for Liadon, Tarysaa used Prestidigtion to make his clothing smell like skunk scent. (( she has had ENOUGH of his smarmy attitude ))
Turning, she gives a sweeping bow to Martha and Thia. "Ladies, thank you for your faith in us and your hospitality. Your open hearts will keep us warm on many a fridged Hammer night. I shall be back as I have an open invitation to study with the Harpells. And let us not forget the upcoming wedding! Best wishes now and on that day and for the years to follow."
In pain, but strangely calm, Adran simply sighs: "Probably, you should have read the internal inscription that completed the sentence... but I guess it's too late for that" (and indeed it is... the bracelets are now destroyed and unusable). "We all are what we are and our action define us. It is still commendable that you took care not to involve my steed in your hasty reaction".
Without further words, the elf restarts his horse and rides away.
Zentromya, a little perplexed, admits: "I didn't understand much... Is this how we say goodbye, on the Prime Material Plane? However," she is quickly in good mood again "I'm ready to follow you! Where are we going?"
Yes... where? What future awaits our heroes now? And how will they choose to deal with it? Will they remain united or will each one feel attracted towards a personal journey?
What is certain is that, wherever they go, the greatness of the feat they were able to accomplish will not be forgotten. Throughout Longsaddle there is now talk of nothing other than the handful of heroes who were able to rescue an innocent man from the embrace of death. And in the little hamlet the tieflings are already looked at with less suspicion than usual, since all know that a tiefling paladin was part of the company that accomplished the incredible feat. Soon the word of the deeds of our heroes will also spread to neighboring towns...
...But that's another story!
(OOC: Grazt! Quest completed! If you want to post more about what the characters plan to do next, feel free to do so... otherwise we'll end this campaign here!)
During the small journey:
“Yes, I was born in Longsaddle” Thia begins to narrate. "My father, Beiro Galanodel, was an elf who had settled in the hamlet long ago. The magical nature of the place tickled his elven nature. My mother, Juliette Varenoir fell in love with him once he rescued her, saving her from a fire I am the fruit of their initial intense love! Over time, their story became tormented... their profound differences over time extinguished the spark that had united them... but even when this happened, at least I remained! They both continued to love me, but I could no longer bear to see them separated, to have to choose who to live with... I told myself that it was time to make my own life! I tried to make myself hired by the Sharnshields and Martha soon noticed my enthusiasm... In my opinion she even liked me... However, she took me out of the stables and promoted me to her personal servant - but, as I must have already told you, Mistress Martha behaves more as a friend than a mistress".
Once in the Fuzzy Quarterstaff:
"One Harpell is by no means the same as another!" Thia laughs "But Blinn is an important member of the family - a person who will probably know what to do with your information. I could also introduce you, of course... but you wouldn't need to be shy, after what you've managed to accomplish!"
However, before you can go back to your decision, the young half-elf girl has already launched herself with her usual enthusiasm and has already reached the half-orc table: "Good morning, Mr. Blinn Harpell! How are you? Allow me to introduce you two heroines whose fame will soon spread; do you know the problem for which my Mistress Martha contacted you? Well, the ladies Tarysaa and Ardana are two members of the group of heroes who just today managed to remedy it! And, not content with this, they come to reveal some news that will certainly be of interest to you!"
The half-orc wizard raises an eyebrow questioningly, looking intently from one to the other of you. In a deep voice, he invites you: "Please sit down, my ladies. And so you have solved Miss Martha's problem. It cannot have been easy. And now, you come here, with news of interest to me. Do you happen to intend to solve also a problem of mine? Is it a problem I already know I have? And if I don't know, are you sure I would be better off finding out and having to deal with it, rather than ignoring it and continuing to relax in front of a mug of beer?"
His eyes stare at you intently… not in a hostile way, not at all; in an attentive and interested way... It seems that this eccentric half-orc is curious to find out what you will answer to his questions.
Ardana shakes his hand, or attempts to if Blinn is not so inclined. "Well met Mr. Harpell, I will let Tarysaa tell the full story but first, are you familiar with the prophecy Martha solicited, that the saving of her Dobbian would come from a marble archway in the hills south of town? Do you know of such a place?"
Tarysaa sits and sighs. She remembers this kind of 'introduction / interrogation' from some of her professors at Silverymoon University. And no matter what one answered, it was never 'good enough'.
"Kind Sir, thank you for taking the time to hear us out. Not being familiar with the 'command structure' of the Harpell family, we begin here, with you. That said, yes -- our band was lucky enough to discover magic which brought Martha Sharnshield's lover back to life. How we got there is a longer tale... parts of which we felt the Head of the Harpell family needed to be aware of."
She shifts in her seat and looks over at Ardana and cocks an eyebrow -- as if to ask if she wished to begin or not.
"Ah, my ladies..." sighs Blinn, taking a sip of beer as if to steel himself "If we answer questions with other questions, where can all this lead us? Only to an endless army of question marks? And at this point I might ask myself: 'good, but can an army of question marks win a battle'? I might... but I don't want to digress too much. So, come on, my ladies, give me satisfaction and answer my first questions. In your opinion, the problems must always be faced? Or can ignorance sometimes be a good thing? And is what you want to talk to me about, objectively, something that is better to face... or to ignore? Answer me honestly... and I will answer you too, don't worry".
Thia tries to whisper to you, without being noticed: "It's a well-known characteristic of his, that of posing lots of apparently unrelated questions about philosophical or arcane matters... Don't be too intimidated... He's harmless... And sooner or later you can convince him to get to the point".
"I think ignoring our tale can be of serious consequence for the Harpells and perhaps all of Longsaddle - so I think it must be faced not ignored. Tarysaa, please explain you are more familiar with arcane things than I"
Tarysaa scrunched up her nose as she considered the questions.
In your opinion, the problems must always be faced? "Some might hand wave that position and say, 'It will take care of itself.' Perhaps. And perhaps, there ARE certain problems that must be faced before they become even bigger problems that can not be ignored."
Or can ignorance sometimes be a good thing? "Some say, ignorance is bliss. No, ignorance is ignorance. To willingly work at ignoring a problem or circumstance is just being lazy."
And is what you want to talk to me about, objectively, something that is better to face... or to ignore? She starts counting off items on her fingers, "Objectively? I can think of two issues the Harpells can NOT ignore. One related to the family itself and one related to the safety and security of Longsaddle and the surrounding lands. hmmm maybe it is THREE issues... depending on your stance regarding goblins?"
"Then again, it might be FOUR issues - since the Zhentarium are part of our narrative?"
"Make it SIX issues if you include the fiend we encountered AND the open teleportation circle that is still active after 250 years?
Or is it SEVEN issues... since one 'experiment/prisoner' broke out; destroying a large part of the underground area we visited... and was NOT encountered in our explorations... so may still be abroad in your lands?"
"I suppose I could go on, but my fingers are tired from 'demonstrating' when they should be wrapped around a drink. SO, unless you have more philosophical questions, can we tell our story and let YOU decide what might be worthy of your Family's attention?" she stares intently into Blinn's eyes and does not blink.
"I am inclined to agree with you, my ladies!" Blinn starts to smile "And in fact I do not intend to ignore the news you have come to tell me! So, please..."
The half-orc suddenly seems to lose himself behind a sudden thought and meets Tarysaa's gaze again: "You started listing the problems by counting on your fingers... And you were almost out of fingers, did you notice? Alright, you mixed things up a bit... goblins and fiends are certainly not problems of the same order of magnitude... one eclipses the other, we could say... But still, you were running out of fingers. Possible that the great archmage Bigby, who was so focused on hand-themed spells, didn't pass down any to help us count problems above ten? Yet, compared to the great wizard's other hand-themed spells, one spell for to provide an additional hand and count problems in number greater than ten would have been trivial... Why didn't he develop it? What do you think, Tarysaa? In reality, would he have developed it and would it have been lost? Or did he have good reasons to not develop it? Such as the fact that anyone who neglects more than ten problems is destined to soon lose the ability to count?"
“But not now” Blinn returns to the main issue, making a hand gesture as if to sweep his digression about Bigby, hands, spells and problems off the table. "First things first: where was I? Oh, yes: so, please, tell me everything in order. Surely, together we will identify the best course of action".
(OOC: I didn’t explicitly say but Nim inferred in his conversation with Daisy that he would be by her side with Clas, ready to venture out in search of her husband. So Nim indulges in his prize, enjoys the feasting and awaits Daisy’s command to set out. Wether that is right away or upon the return of our friends heading to the Harpells.)
(OOC: Oh, OK... But both Clas and Daisy decided to stop there and not also play the liberation of Daisy's husband... so we won't play that part too - or at least not explicitly. With the return of Tarysaa, Ardana and Zentromya we will definitively conclude the campaign).
Tarysaa begins to recount the events of the last day? It seemed much longer now.
First, how an odd assortment of strangers all answered 'the call' of Martha Sharnshield. How the 'task' was to find a magical item that could bring her dead lover back... to become the father of her soon to arrive baby. As best she can, she will recite the 'divination' done for Martha and how it pointed to a place underground with a white, stone arch at the entrance.
Second, how the newly formed band of adventurers travelled south out of Longsaddle and into the woods to the west. Coming upon goblins. And finding their hilltop fort / encampment and their leader, Chief Rukuz the Merciless . How we left without coming to blows from the encounter. Tarysaa can also show the hastily drawn map to show where that hilltop goblin encampment was. <<< The first finger
How, soon after, we ran into a goblin, Wumgu, that had been run out of 'the beautiful den' -- the burrow cave with the white stone arch in front. His tribe in 'the den' had been attacked three months ago. Approximately 30 goblins in his tribe - every male, female, and child goblin -- killed by the Zhentarim; led by a half-orc with a battle-axe and a winged serpent coiled around his arm by the name of Mhurren Flick. We entered the burrow by a back tunnel carved out by a large, burrowing creature and methodically took out the dozen Zhentarim and their 'king'. Unfortunately, the winged serpent escaped... we suspect it was winging it's way to the nearest Zhentarim outpost to report the discovery of this secret outpost. <<< A couple more fingers
Once all the Zhentarim were dispatched, we freed 2 captives who were in rough shape -- Milo, a halfling and Solitude, a tiefling that had been tortured and maimed. The Zhentarim were waylaying travellers along the Long Road and selling them as slaves. Both were fed and healed as best we could and released to make their way to Longsaddle or other points far from the burrow. <<< Was there no news of missing travellers? No notice over three months concerning an infiltration of Zhentarim? <<< sooooo many fingers
One of our party questioned the freed prisoners and discovered her husband, Garlik, had been a prisioner but had been sold to a slaver called Snaketongue -- someone who does business with the yuan-ti of Najara. <<< Slave trade under the Harpell's noses? That was a finger I didn't even flash earlier.
Examining the half-orc's 'throne room', we discovered an actual throne with a carved image. Tarysaa can show the sketch she made of the carved image -- a bit of heraldry -- two wolves facing each other on opposite sides of a horse with particularly elongated legs. She will explain how this triggered some of her university studies in history; recalling the information concerning Kylth Harpell. How Kylth was active around 1250 DR - approximately 250 years ago. Which seemed to be about right concerning how time-worn the white marble arch appeared to be. <<< The 'link' to the Harpell Family and it only gets better!
Searching the 'throne room' we discovered a hidden passage which - it appeared - the Zhentarim had not yet discovered after three months of occupancy! This passage led to a spiral staircase downward. We were 'greeted' by Elky, a small boy -- which turned out to be some very realistic rendtion of a person... but one could wave their hand through the image with no response from Elky. Elky was also 'unaware' that 250 years had passed. This level (1) was magically protected and alarmed. Then described the yellow flag system. Also the many flaming orbs still active and primed to attack intruders. Also, the undead in armor. <<< Magic Mouths (?), undead guardians, and more... all still active after 250 years.
Making it down to a second 'lower level', we encounted more alarms, traps and puzzles to obtain purple flags to use in the third level, referred to by Elky as the prison level. Tripping another set of alarms, we scrambled down to the third level. She will describe the mosaic and other images seen. The alcove of dragon's breath / fire. And, finally, the immense area torn up so badly with many surprises. The release of a yeth hound from a Rune Circle 'prison' . The attack and defeat of the prison guardian ?beholder?, Xomox. The trapped fiend and other denizens such as a Barlgura and a celestial. (( she will keep the description of our golden friend vague )) The ACTIVE teleportation portal in the prison area. Conjectured to be the one Kylth used to grab his prisoners for his own experimentation OR the means of how the one escapee got away? We are uncertain. <<< Still areas of this long, lost dungeon / research lab we did not investigate; instead returning to Longsaddle with the Celestial to fulfill the task Martha had given us. To bring back her dead lover.
Daisy and a group of Sharnshield warriors are heading south the try to rescue Garlik from the slaver. We felt obligated to 'report' to you, the Harpells, about the Zhentarim, the goblins, Kylth's underground lair / lab... so it won't fall back into the hands of goblins OR the Zhentarim (or worse).
Me, personally? If I did not have to go aid Daisy in this rescue, I would imagine a slow, methodical exploration and examination of all the magics in the underground levels would be an amazing treasure trove of discovery and long unseen knowledge. I HOPE the Harpells can be trusted to be wise in their actions concerning this ancient 'find'. And... well... that's enough fingers and facts.
It may be all this was for naught. That the high most Harpell are aware of ALL of this... the goblins, the slavers, the Zhentarim and the lab. Then again, we felt obligated to 'let it be known'. Having living fiends in the area just seems careless. And NOT a problem that can be ignored in the hope 'it will go away or take care of itself'."
She stops and takes a moment to drink as her throat is parched with this long litany of events, facts, and names.
Blinn carefully follows Tarysaa's presentation, sometimes smiling condescendingly, sometimes nodding, sometimes widening his eyes in obvious surprise.
Once the elf wizard has finished, the half-orc mage can't help but smile in approval: “One can't say you're not accurate when you speak, Tarysaa”.
He briefly puts his thoughts in order, openly sharing with you what he thinks: "That various goblin tribes infest the hills, is unfortunately known to all, here in Longsaddle, my ladies... Those annoying little creatures sometimes even go so far as to try to carry out raid in the hamlet. Of course these attempts usually end very badly for them - but it is as if the goblin mothers are continually pregnant: no matter how many casualties they suffer in the course of their occasional assaults; sooner or later, a new group that believes itself to be more cunning, stronger or luckier than the previous ones arrives... and makes it necessary to defend oneself again. For this reason, I would not give too much importance to this 'Chief Rukuz the Merciless'. The Harpells do not waste their time swatting flies from the backs of the horse farms of Longsaddle, troublesome as the flies are. Likewise, we waste no time in destroying every goblin tribe we learn about. If this goblin leader attacks Longsaddle, he will have no better luck than his predecessors. Or if by chance he becomes a threat to the streets or businesses, then we will destroy him. But for now, as far as we're concerned, he can continue to feel like king of his own little mound of manure. It's a kingdom we won't bother contesting".
"More worrying is the question of the Zhentarim..." Blinn becomes more serious "You did very well both in eradicating them and in telling me about them. We don't want those scum here in Longsaddle. We will take care of preventing them from settling in that 'secret base' of theirs again. And we will show you our gratitude for what you have done. As for any 'missing travelers', no, we had not received any worrying news... but you must also consider that if a passing foreigner were to be kidnapped, we could easily not notice. Evidently, these Zhentarim have never captured a citizen of Longsaddle, someone whose disappearance we would have noticed. And the slaver you speak of, this Snaketongue, he is not known to us, but since he is unaware of the destruction of the Zhentarim cell , he'll probably come back... and we'll make sure we get him, so that he can meet the fate he deserves".
"The further discovery you have made is very interesting..." the half-orc's eyes light up "The heraldry you describe is that of Longsaddle - and therefore we Harpell also use it as our own. After all, we are Longsaddle. This Kylth Harpell that you mention doesn't come back to my memory, Tarysaa... but I'm sure that some of our older members will remember him! Or at least a trace will have remained in the chronicles and annals... It will be interesting to examine this unexpected testimony of the his past. Who knows what studies he had conducted and what results he had arrived at... Nothing exceptional, probably, or it would have been passed down, at least within us. But knowledge is always precious... I will talk about it as soon as possible with the other members of the family! We will take care to take exclusive possession of that place - since apparently it is ours, after all - so that external interference cannot unleash undue risks for the community and we will study what has been done there!"
"And all the details you have given us, Tarysaa," he mimes taking off his hat as a sign of respect - he only mimes, since he is not wearing a hat "will surely be incredibly valuable to us. The Harpells are there grateful, my ladies. If one day you need a certain spell to be cast, please come and ask us - if it is not something excessively onerous, we will provide it immediately, as a favor. Otherwise, perhaps we will ask you to provide the costs of the necessary materials, but the casting of the spell will be entirely at our expense. Furthermore, Tarysaa, considering the excellent qualities you have demonstrated, if you would like to study for a while with us as an apprentice, I will have great pleased to accept you. You are full of initiative, intelligent, accurate... in you there are the qualities of a great wizard. And by studying with us, you could develop these qualities more easily and more quickly than elsewhere. Think about it, if you want; and should you decide that the prospect interests you, come back here to find me… it will be an honor to help you become the archmage you can be”.
Tarysaa finally smiles and nods her head. "Our motley crew went into that place still wet behind the ears. I, myself, was ill prepared for what we faced - being not long out of university studies. I hope an experienced band of academics and mages can make 'safer' explorations in Kylth's dungeon/lab." She tips her mug one last time to gain every drop.
"And now, we must ride to catch up to our companions. We hope to be back in Longsaddle shortly, or at least in time for Martha and Doobian's wedding. Thank you for your time and attention. May Azuth and Mystra smile upon you."
And, Tarysaa turns to look at Ardana. "Ready?"
Ardana says to Blinn: "One more thing Tarysaa did not mention - the corridors of Kylth's prison are filled with a magical mist - while we disposed of many of the magical guards, we did not find a means of removing the mist: These flags, " (Ardana produces her purple and yellow flags), "when held in hand, will enable the holder to see through the mists. I give these to you, in case they are of use to you when you venture there yourself. And thank you for your gracious hospitality, we will depart now.""
Tarysaa looks chagrined that she forgot such a large 'thing' and looks with appreciation to Ardana. "Thank you for catching my missteps."
She looks between Ardana, Thia, and Blinn. "Anything else before we depart?"
"Nothing else I can think to add, let us depart."
And so, after having also gained the favor of the Harpells, the ambassadors Ardana, Tarysaa and Thia return to the Sharnshield Mansion.
There you find Daisy, ready to captain her husband's rescue expedition and set off together.
The Sharnshield horses live up to their fame and, although the winter weather is not exactly ideal for travel, it doesn't take you more than a week to pounce on the unsuspecting slaver Snaketongue, who, suddenly finding himself surrounded by a band of armed knights, has the good sense not to fight. He tries to buy at least his own freedom with bribery, but Daisy and the Sharnshields are adamant. It seems like the Lizardfolk need to find a new contact.
After you return to the Sharnshield Mansion and prepare to meet the future, away from the Sharnshields, either together or each on his own, one last surprise awaits you: the well-known Adran Liadon joins you astride a robust black stallion.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the elf greets you politely, taking off his hat "in remembrance of what happened between us, I have prepared a parting gift for you, if you will accept it. I crafted it myself".
Adran takes out a copper bracelet from the large saddle pockets for each of those who accept. All the bracelets are identical, somewhat similar in color to his skin, with an Elvish inscription.
For those who know Elvish:
The inscription reads 'Idiot', written in big glyphs.
"Oh no, Liadon. I would not think to break up what must be your own, personal bracelet collection. Pray hold on to them and gaze on them daily as a rememberance of this day." Tarysaa speaks words in High Elvish which are magnitudes worse than what is engraved on the bracelets at Adran Liadon. "Then again, perhaps my new friend, Blinn Harpell, might appreciate your fine work." Slamming a fist into her open palm, she intones in a loud, clear voice, "Θρυμματίζω" ( Shatter ) centered on the offered bracelets.
A sudden loud ringing noise, painfully intense, erupts from a point of your choice within range (the pile of bracelets being offered up by Liadon). Each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Constitution saving throw. CON 14
[[ and using my "Sculpt Spells" feature, I can make it so shatter does no damage to the fine steed Liadon is riding... nor anyone else in that 10 foot radii... while he and the bracelets can take the full effect. ]]
Thunder Damage: 8 pts.
As a parting gift for Liadon, Tarysaa used Prestidigtion to make his clothing smell like skunk scent. (( she has had ENOUGH of his smarmy attitude ))
Turning, she gives a sweeping bow to Martha and Thia. "Ladies, thank you for your faith in us and your hospitality. Your open hearts will keep us warm on many a fridged Hammer night. I shall be back as I have an open invitation to study with the Harpells. And let us not forget the upcoming wedding! Best wishes now and on that day and for the years to follow."
In pain, but strangely calm, Adran simply sighs: "Probably, you should have read the internal inscription that completed the sentence... but I guess it's too late for that" (and indeed it is... the bracelets are now destroyed and unusable). "We all are what we are and our action define us. It is still commendable that you took care not to involve my steed in your hasty reaction".
Without further words, the elf restarts his horse and rides away.
Zentromya, a little perplexed, admits: "I didn't understand much... Is this how we say goodbye, on the Prime Material Plane? However," she is quickly in good mood again "I'm ready to follow you! Where are we going?"
Yes... where? What future awaits our heroes now? And how will they choose to deal with it? Will they remain united or will each one feel attracted towards a personal journey?
What is certain is that, wherever they go, the greatness of the feat they were able to accomplish will not be forgotten. Throughout Longsaddle there is now talk of nothing other than the handful of heroes who were able to rescue an innocent man from the embrace of death. And in the little hamlet the tieflings are already looked at with less suspicion than usual, since all know that a tiefling paladin was part of the company that accomplished the incredible feat. Soon the word of the deeds of our heroes will also spread to neighboring towns...
...But that's another story!
(OOC: Grazt! Quest completed! If you want to post more about what the characters plan to do next, feel free to do so... otherwise we'll end this campaign here!)