DM note: Axe beaks provide an increase in speed on the roads between towns (5 miles per hour instead of the normal 3), but they are also much faster than walking in the wilderness. Here is the general speed comparison:
Method of Travel
Distance per Hour (Wilderness)
Axe beak
2 miles
Dogsled
1 mile
On foot, with snowshoes
1/2 mile
On foot, without snowshoes
1/4 mile
Dog sleds have their own benefit, being that they can pull a combined weight greater than axe beaks while maintaining their speed.
All of these travel methods have a soft limit of 8 hours, after which you (and the mounts) need to make CON saves or potentially take a level of exhaustion every additional hour.
Perrin nods at the suggestion to burn the hands and Maud’s body. Better not leave them out in the open where something could mess with them. He doesn’t bother gathering them up into one pile and instead just ignites them with his magical flame. That was definitely proving to be quite the useful spell as of late.
When talk of the gold comes up, Perrin gestures back and forth between him and Sirius to indicate that he was going to do the same with his share. The poor fishermens’ families needed the gold more than he did anyways.
Aubreen takes his share, pulling his tunic forward to tuck it into the folds beside his other meager pouch. He needed a pair of greaves, perhaps a new cuirass would help keep his foes at bay. Pauldrons to cover his shoulders. Listening to his companions his hand slows, hovers before depositing the bag in his tunic. Didn't think of an Axebeak, but he wasn't going to slow them down. Dark what was that 25 - 50 gp and lodging. And donations? sheesh. what would that leave him? how many hags would it take to purchase the new armor. His thoughts drift to visions of dying hags, 10, 20, the math makes no sense, too many to count. He sighs.
"You are right Sirius," looking at his companions "The families would greatly benefit". I guess there are always more monsters to vanquish, more rights to wrong. Oh well, perhaps one day.
Aubreen hoists his pack "Civilization would be most welcome, I could use the rest"
DM note: I forgot to ask for a ration each + Bouncer after the long rest. Please subtract these if you have not already.
Perrin spends some time slowly burning away the monster. His flames are strong, but the environment is so cold that it takes a while for the heat to truly enter flesh. It sizzles away, blackening and cracking. Maud Chislebone is left behind unrecognizable, the husk of a corpse. All that remains of the hands are bones.
You cross the lake, backtracking your own steps, leaving the caves behind. The many meagre smoke plumes of Easthavens chimneys are the first thing you see. When you arrive in the town, it is barely noon, the dim light still gracing the frozen land with its presence. Easthaven is as busy as it ever gets, small groups of townspeople frequenting the streets.
As the party enters Easthaven, Marlede (once again) stuffs her coin pouch between her cleavage and closes the coat. If she catches anyone trying to steal from them, she makes it known that she saw them, but won't make a big scene, since it's legal.
Marlede will go towards Town Hall so she can talk to townspeaker Danneth Waylen. She wants to know if someone could (or would) analyze Maud's eye and tell her why it has 'divination magic' and what it does.
Aubreen notes Marlede's motions, a wise choice to secure your possessions in this town. He has been carrying his coins next to his breast since the last time they came through. "We still have a couple hours of light, I am going to see what Axebeak the merchants have for sale. I can reserve one for you if you wish". Aubreen is a little scared of bouncer and the other 'beaks. Not well versed in traveling on horse back, he recalls the last time he was aboard such a beast. Should have been simple, coming back from Harrowford, a small town outside the Gate. The beast reared, throwing the Half elf hard to the ground. Turned out it was just a snake in the road.
Worse still the 'beak, is not a horse. Gaining some resolve, he refuses to be left behind, or slow his companions. "We can meet at the Northlook later if that's ok. Wait was that in Easthaven? Where did we stay last time we were here?"
Aubreen seeks out the Axebeak seller and would like to see what else the market has for sale. He will browse but is really looking for a local Armorer.
Following the example set by Marlede, Sirius tucks his pouches of valuables deep in his coats. "What's next then? Shall we finally get to the kobolds or is there something more pressing? If my memory serves right, Yurgunn wanted us to check if her sister is okay. Or at least she didn't forbid us from doing that." He turns to continue walking, seemingly done talking, before jerking back to face Aubreen. "Oh and before I forget, Aubreen, could you give me those papers in Dwarven you found at the caves."
"Yes let us meet at the Northlook... or wherever we stayed last." Sirius accompanies Marlede to the town hall. Far beyond Aubreen's earshot he mutters: "On second thought I think the Northlook is in Bryn Shander. Oh well, we'll figure it out."
Arriving at the town hall, Sirius immediately requests for the speaker. "Good news! We got the bastard!" Sirius gestures for Marlede to show the speaker the hag's eye. "What can you tell me about the families of the fishers, may the Triad bless them? They must be in quite some trouble after losing the income of the fishers. A real tragedy."
Marlede looks momentarily surprised at Aubreen's kind gesture, and she appreciatively declines the offer of reserving an Axe Beak for her.
"That's kind of you, but I'd rather see the Axe Beaks for myself before making a purchase. They tend to be quite temperamental, and I believe it's best to see which one chooses me instead."
When he mistakes the inns we stayed in, she chuckles lightly.
"My, that's a long ways away from here,' she says teasingly. "The White Lady Inn is where we stayed last. I'll meet you there when I'm done with this fishy business."
In Town Hall, she'll follow Sirius' lead and shows Danneth Waylen the eye Maud removed from her socket.
"She fell for our trap and we made quick work of her. No more hags, giant skeletons, or annoying harpies to worry about, speaker Waylen. However, my friend here was able to use the Dzaan's wand and detected some divination magic within the eye itself. If it's not too much to ask, would any of the mages available be able to analyze it? I'm not versed in arcane magics, so I wouldn't be able to tell."
[ OOC: I'm interested to know if Captain Arlaggath is there, too. And you can assume that Marlede will tell speaker Waylen everything that happened from her perspective. ]
Aubreen of course will hand over the papers, a look of surprise upon his face. "You speak Dwarven Sirius? That I think would be a story worth hearing if we have the time."
Everyone in the party could be present for the meeting at the town hall:
After you ask for him, Danneth Waylen doesn't take long to emerge from within the town hall, busy wiping ink from stained hands before offering to shake. "I'm glad to see you well."
The perpetually dour facial expression on the speakers face lightens when Sirius proclaims victory over the hag. "Tempus be praised, what a victory!" Asked about the families, the smile quickly fades and Waylen says: "Yes, they are in mourning. The Ashbluffs lost a son, the Yarrows both the junior and the senior. Devin Stallard leaves behind an empty house. The neighbours will probably try to prop them up as best they can." The townspeaker can provide directions to the two houses of the living relatives, but is open to redirecting the money himself should you so wish.
He looks at the hag eye that Marlede shows the group, nodding. "Let's head inside. I have news and a guest, both of which are bound to be of importance to you."
Waylen leads you into a private office within the town hall. The rooms desks have been moved to the side, the bronze cauldron you brought back taking center stage. A human man dressed in flowing robes and headcloth kneels in front of it, a look of concentration on his face. After he notices you, he slowly stands and acknowledges you with a nod.
Captain Arlaggath stands in one corner of the room, holding a bundle of papers. As you enter, she looks up with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.
"This is Jabari of Blackstaff Tower, a regular visitor and friend of the town." The town speaker introduces those of the party that are present. Jabari politely greets you all. His eyes are a piercing yellow, flicking momentarily to the cauldron and then back to you.
Waylen continues. "You understand of course, that his presence here is a thorny matter just now. My people are understandably reluctant to house a wizard in their midst. Superstition is rampant. As such, please keep this meeting to yourselves." The speaker turns to Marlede. "He should be able to help you with the eye. But first, would you be so kind Jabari?"
Jabari says: "I have been told that you are the group that wish to sell this cauldron. It possesses strong magic, for it can be used to produce, no, conjure, great quantities of food out of nothing but snow. Not enough for the entire town, but it would greatly alleviate the shortages."
Waylen clears his throat. "As such, I would find it unconscionable to let the price stand at fifty gold pieces. I offer to pay you tenfold that for this wonder." He looks at you with intensity. "What do you say?"
At a different point in time, Aubreen is making his rounds of the various stores in town.
He comes across an establishment with the name Rurden's Armory. The shop’s interior looks like that of a keep preparing for siege — racks of swords and axes stand to one side, while suits of chain mail lie stacked on crates to the other (and the crates hold pieces ofplate armor packed in wood chips). Piles of helms stand alongside the crates, halberds lean in the corner, and shields and crossbows hang on every inch of the room’s walls. The building’s heavy, reinforced door, complete with a thick bar, rounds out the image of a garrison; only a painted iron sign propped against the back wall identifies the shop as a place of business. The dwarf shopkeep, Rurden, watches Aubreen with a keen eye, leaving the warrior alone unless spoken to. Apart from armament, Rurden's also sells all sorts of other adventuring gear for normal prices.
In the open market square, you also find a seller of Axe beaks, a thiefling that introduces herself as Ignomity. The axe beaks available for sale are: - Faust, a grey-speckled frazzled looking bird that looks around in a nervous manner - Behemoth, a particularly heavy bird that is missing the characteristic axe shape in its beak. The seller insists that it is still an axe beak with suspicious enthusiasm - Groom, the virtual opposite of Faust, a meticulously groomed specimen with a tapered black-on-white feather pattern arching down its neck - Razor, a skinny animal that eyes you intently from ice blue eyes and that sports a particularly spiky beak - Zixalix, a unusually green-feathered beast with red eyes and a pronounced head plume - Phantom, whose dark feathers and obsidian eyes give it a menacing aura - Cyclops, a grey bird who inspects you calmly with its one remaining eye, the other hidden behind a thick scar tissue
Each axe beak demands a price of 50 gp. A saddle and reigns are included.
Marlede:
Faust seems just as nervous as he looks, periodically asking: "Master? Master where art thou? What is thy bidding master?" Behemoth is a dull creature, languidly looking at you without replying to any questions other than those pertaining to food. Grooms personality belies the appearance, as it talks like an attentive bird, eager to please. Razor is mistrusting, yet is ready to serve a new master if the food is good and the lodgings warm. Zixalix is not able to utter a sound, but nods or shakes its head understandingly to respond to any questions. Phantom talks like a very young bird and is afraid. It says that it wants to go back home, but the only directions it can offer is that it's somewhere in the south. Cyclops talks like an old warrior, resigned but ready to serve
"That's amazing! You can ask for volunteers to serve the food from this cauldron and feed those in need! Are you sure there won't be any adverse effects, though? The hag that possessed it was a nasty creature. Evil to the core. As long as it's safe to consume the food, I'm alright with accepting any amount you see fit, speaker Waylen. But I won't speak for my companions."
You can all see Marlede is glad that something this good came from their hardships within those wretched caverns.
"As for the issue with the eye, I just need to know why it has divination magic infused into it. If it's cursed I'll just destroy it. I was planning to keep it as a trophy."
DM and anyone that goes with Marlede:
After leaving Town Hall, Marlede goes shopping for what she believes might be useful items during their travels. She's never had so much gold in her life, so this was a big event for her. Not to say she was ever in dire need of it, her father made sure that was never the case.
What would he be carving today? Mother would be starting to prepare dinner by now... I wonder if Amber is feeling well today... I really miss them...
At first, she thought that just getting a new bow and a new set of armor would be enough. But it rapidly spirals into a shopping spree of items she hadn't ever had the chance to purchase back at Bryn Shander. It was a new type of thrill.
After regaining some clarity post-purchase, she was left hauling her new acquisitions all the way to the Axe Beak vendor, Ignomity. Her friendly and enthusiastic disposition was to be expected of a business woman. But Marlede payed her little mind. What she truly wanted was to speak with each Axe Beak and determine which one felt most comfortable around her.
Faust was a little too nervous and theatric... Perhaps some other person with a less daring lifestyle could take care of him.
Behemoth, well, he wasn't much of anything, personality-wise. A big boy, with a big appetite. And Ignomity's insistence of him being an Axe Beak was suspicious. Best to leave him be.
Groom had a certain motherly charm to her. She's too pure to be my new partner. She would make a great mount for youths.
Razor's mistrust resonates with me. But I'm not looking for something transactional. If there's no trust, there might come a time when he abandons me for his own merit. Not that I would ever be mad at that.
Zixalix was a beautiful creature. Her emerald feathers and fierce crimson eyes impacted me the most. And her inability to speak isn't an issue. She seems reasonable and reliable. She might be the one for me.
Phantom was the one I was most nervous about meeting. But I had no idea that under such a dark and intimidating appearance lied a scared child that only wished to go back home. I cannot allow this little one's wild spirit to be broken and domesticated!
Turning to Ignomity, Marlede will ask:
"So, Ignomity. Phantom is quite the beast. I have a strong feeling that I should buy him, but first, I need some answers. Did you raise this one by yourself or did you purchase him? I just HAVE to know where he came from."
And her gaze intensifies as she speaks to Ignomity. Analyzing her mannerisms and speech patterns. Hoping that she will be truthful for once.
Perrin’s beak drops slightly in surprise when he hears what the giant pot can do. That would be an incredible asset for the town to have. Looking to the others, he nods his head in agreement with Marlede. Since he was giving away his portion of the hag’s treasure as well, it was nice to get a few coins from the pot as well. With that money, maybe he could buy himself a journal and start another field guide of the Dale’s wildlife!
Sirius takes out the pouch of 150 gold taken from the hag's treasure and hands it to the captain. "Please make sure this money gets to the families. I hope it'll at least cover all the funeral costs and set up the family so that they can figure out alternative ways of making money. If you suspect the families aren't in the emotional place to handle such large sums of money right now, you may stagger the payments as if it was the salary of the fishers."
"I must thank you for your honesty in the matter, I will happily accept that, if you see it fit. The town will surely find more use from the cauldron, than us four."
As Aubreen and Marlede shop for Axebeak, Sirius instead searches through taverns and any other places he'd think to find a bard. If I want people back in Waterdeep to know my name by the heroic deeds I've committed here, I must begin as soon as possible. If I spread enough stories of our adventures, I can build a good foundation for the even more legendary deeds that are still to come. If everyone up here already knows my name, when I stop Auril, the legend will surely spread like wildfire. Even the lord can't debate my prospects then.
As the party gather at the Inn, Sirius starts reading the dwarven papers and absentmindedly begins to tell Aubreen of how he got to know the Dwarven language. "It's nothing too exciting I'm afraid. I had a lovely dwarven maid when I was little, she sung old Dwarven songs to help me fall asleep. That really showed the beautiful, lyrical part of the language that's far too often seen as an ugly and rough language. That was the spark that inspired me to learn the language. She taught me too. She's really the only person I've talked to in Dwarvish. There aren't too many dwarven nobles in Waterdeep."
Sirius gets glassy-eyed and completely stops concentrating on the papers, now simply reminiscing of his childhood. It doesn't even seem like he totally understands he's still talking aloud. "I often wonder where she ended up. She always talked of her ambitions to explore and own a bakery. One day she finally did it and left the castle. I don't know where she went and if she succeeded since I got no letters from her. Back then, I thought she must've forgotten about me or didn't want to send me letters, but in hindsight, I think the Lord was throwing the ones that arrived away. She was my only real friend. Sure, I had noble "friends", but we only got along because our houses were allies. She could be anywhere in Faerûn by now, and I have no way to find her."
He focuses back up, now realizing what he had been talking about, clearly embarrased from emotionally opening up so much. Trying to escape the situation by engorging himself in the papers, he leans right onto them and very carefully inspects every word.
Aubreen caresses the helms, "Beautiful work, worthy of a true warrior." he says proudly to the Dwarven smith. "Your craftsmanship is impressive, may I?" he asks before lifting a pauldron from its dusty embrace. "How much for a full suit, I could trade in this marvelous mail hauberk" The price is too steep for him at this moment, he lingers but eventually moves on to wander other shops. In no particular hurry he finds the Axebeak merchant.
His experience with the beasts amounts to well, very little really. He has watched Sirius mount and ride his own beast, Bouncer. Aubreen was not lookin forward to this. He speaks with the merchant for several minutes, ensuring the hefty cost came with the saddle and leather rope things about its head. "And it will never attack me?" he asks. It would be a real shame to put down a thing that cost so much. "And I need to feed it every day?" His questions answered he approaches the flock? the flamboyance? the Murder? god he hoped not, what do you call a herd of axebeak?
Inspecting the birds he chooses at random, not sure how you choose to own a living creature. What parameters should he be looking at? "I will take the half blind one, a fine specimen" he says with feigned confidence. "The beast looks sturdy, strong and truly resilient, traits I will need in the future"
The start is rather rough and rocky. The bird bucks and stops suddenly underneath Aubreen several times. Nearly throwing him from the saddle. He is glad his new companions did not witness his struggles. Wandering the town upon Axebeak is a new experience. Many strange looks and false directions later he finds a kind older woman who informs him of his ignorance, "The Northlook is in Bryn Shander fool".
Another hour disappears, the town growing dark as he wanders, the streets all looking the same in the gloom. Upon discovering the town square where they burned the wizard and the guard at the town hall he asks for a list of the available inns and taverns. Thankfully it is rather short and he remembers the name of the place they staid in just two nights hence.
Finally arriving at the Inn, late, famished, tired from riding the bird he listens contently to Siruis as he enjoys a warm bowl of meager stew.
Accepting the coins offered for the reward (?) he loses himself in thought, only half listening about some Dwarven love of a noble man. The armor was expensive, but would be so helpful. if they gave everything to the fishers it would be a lifetimes worth of wealth, He could use the money, they might need it later. With the armor he could vanquish this dark. Could they? still too many questions. He needed the money more than they did. His confusion and guilt grows. His morals tested by the recent events. Overcoming not one but two woman through subterfuge. Ambushed and beaten they didn't stand a chance. His sense of righteousness has him in knots.
When Sirius offers his portion of Maud's gold to Townspeaker Waylen, Perrin also proffers his portion of the gold to the man. He points back and forth between him and Sirius while nodding to indicate that he wanted the gold to go to the same purpose.
((I would make a nice, long post about what he does afterwards, but I want to see what else the Townspeaker says before I do so. Sorry!))
As the party gather at the Inn, Sirius starts reading the dwarven papers and absentmindedly begins to tell Aubreen of how he got to know the Dwarven language. "It's nothing too exciting I'm afraid. I had a lovely dwarven maid when I was little, she sung old Dwarven songs to help me fall asleep. That really showed the beautiful, lyrical part of the language that's far too often seen as an ugly and rough language. That was the spark that inspired me to learn the language. She taught me too. She's really the only person I've talked to in Dwarvish. There aren't too many dwarven nobles in Waterdeep."
Sirius gets glassy-eyed and completely stops concentrating on the papers, now simply reminiscing of his childhood. It doesn't even seem like he totally understands he's still talking aloud. "I often wonder where she ended up. She always talked of her ambitions to explore and own a bakery. One day she finally did it and left the castle. I don't know where she went and if she succeeded since I got no letters from her. Back then, I thought she must've forgotten about me or didn't want to send me letters, but in hindsight, I think the Lord was throwing the ones that arrived away. She was my only real friend. Sure, I had noble "friends", but we only got along because our houses were allies. She could be anywhere in Faerûn by now, and I have no way to find her."
He focuses back up, now realizing what he had been talking about, clearly embarrased from emotionally opening up so much. Trying to escape the situation by engorging himself in the papers, he leans right onto them and very carefully inspects every word.
"I think that the way you spoke of your fond memories with her was beautiful. Don't ever be ashamed of that! I believe that someday you'll meet again. And by the time you do, our names will have spread far and wide as heroes! I mean, it can't be that hard. Lots of people already know me around Ten-Towns."
After a short pause to sip on her drink, she looks back up at Sirius with a scowl on her face. It's almost like she remembered something unpleasant.
"Oh, and whoever that Lord person is, I don't like them already. Throwing precious things like those away is unforgivable as far as I'm concerned."
[ OOC: I updated my previous post since Aubreen picked an Axe Beak. ]
Waylen responds to Marlede. "Yes, my thinking went in that direction..." he trails off, lost in thoughts. Jabari continues, nodding at the rangers suspicions about the cauldron: "The hag might have sought to twist the magic of this cauldron, but I'm certain that it is safe to handle now. Even so, it will be difficult to forget what she used it for."
Upon Marledes request, the wizard asks her to place the eye onto a handkerchief. He then produces a gemstone from a pocked and begins tracing it over the macabre object. After just a moment, his eyes widen imperceptibly. He flips the handkerchief over the eye, obstructing the iris and pupil.
"This eye is a means to spy upon you, to find you. I advise to destroy it posthaste. As for who might be using it, I can't say."
Waylen accepts the amounts of 150 gp from Sirius and Perrin, nodding. "That's very generous of you. I will let the families know."
When the group accepts to to sell the hags cauldron for 500 gold, Arlaggath and Waylen immediately look relieved. The speaker bows and says: "Thank you. Even if the cauldron should somehow run out of magic in the future, we'll be able to strengthen a large part of the town. It will save many lifes."
Axe beak vendor
Ignomity makes a big show of being supportive of any potential buyers, happily extoling each axe beaks virtues.
Upon being asked by Marlede about the origins of Phantom, Ignomity is momentarily thrown off her practiced routine. A brief look of surprise passes over the tieflings features, but she quickly recovers. "A enviable talent you have there miss. And you're a connoisseur too! Indeed, Phantoms story is a fascinating one: he joined the other axe beaks after a storm, walking straight out of the wilderness, like a shadow into the light. This happened in Bremen. It came running from the north, imagine that! There's nothing there, except the sea of moving ice. Poor thing is evidently not from Luskan stock, but it adjusted quickly to Icewind Dale." Ignomity approaches Marlede, the voice dropping to a whisper: "My persnal theory is that it came here via ship, some foolhardy merchant trying to brave the storms and ice floes." Marlede [Insight: 16] recognizes that while the speech is mercantile, it doesn't seem to be intended to hide.
Ignomity gladly answers all of Aubreens questions, including showing him how to mount the saddle "do it with gusto! one smooth motion!" and how to grip the reigns. The tiefling ensures him that these axe beaks are all trained and peaceful. She nods in approval at Aubreens choice of Cyclops. "Fine choice. Lots of experience, this one. Story is, it belonged to an orc warchief that once rode against Bryn Shanders walls."
Rurden's Armory
Rurden nods at Aubreens words, no small amount of pride evident in his features. "All produced in the Dwarven Valley, best quality ye can get in these blasted parts." He discusses the finely worked plate with Aubreen for a while, his face and hands suddenly animated as he recounts the story of how each piece was made. He nods with some regret after Aubreen mentions that the price is out of his reach.
White Lady Inn
Sirius finds that the most recognized bard in Easthaven is the one he had heard briefly play in the White Lady Inn two days ago. The halfling is softly playing his fiddle when you enter, looking up with an almost knowing smile.
He introduces himself as Rinaldo, bard extraordinaire. The halfling listens to Sirius' tale with interest, perking up especially if the paladin mentions anything about the groups adventures on the lake. Softly plucking the strings, the bard is clearly already thinking of how to embellish the stories even further than what Sirius has pitched.
Lowering his voice conspiratorially, Rinaldo says: “If you plan to solidify your mark in this region, perhaps the White Lady can help guide you? The tale of her is more than that. In fact, I plan to contact her spirit soon, with the help of a few of my friends. We live in dark times and you have the makings of a hero, surely you'd be interested to hear what a spirit has to say?"
Inspecting the partially burned dwarven writing, Sirius can make out a few intact passages:
“These caves are sacred to the frost giants. The carvings on the wall suggest that the giants came here to drown themselves. Did they use the hot spring as a sacrificial pool?”
“The wind truly sounds like a wailing woman. One could easily go mad in this place.”
“I think there’s someone living in these caves. Shortly after discovering the hot spring, I heard what sounded like a granny singing. When the song ended with a shrill laugh, dread sunk its teeth in me. Ye gods, that horrible cackle! I shall leave these caves in the morning and never return.
Sirius tells the bard all about what happened on the lake, conveniently leaving out being charmed by the harpies and being knocked out by the skeleton. He plays up the cunningness of their plan to trick the hag, a master of trickery. He also highlights his benevolence in helping the families of the dead fishers. After he's done telling the tale, he pulls the bard close and speaks to him under his breath. "Why don't you take some gold for your troubles. If you spread the tale well enough, I'll be sure to return here to give you even more gold. Oh and keep the knowledge of the payment on the down low, would you. We don't want any bards becoming jealous now do we." Sirius discreetly slips the bard a pouch containing 20 gold pieces.
At the bard's suggestion, Sirius scrambles to remember everything he knows about this White Lady (History: 14). At least the inn seems to be named after her so she must be a well-known character around here. "How soon will this be happening then? It does sound like an interesting idea. Should I bring the rest of the party or come alone?" Sirius tries to gauge the intentions behind meeting the White Lady. (Insight: (modified) 20)
Sirius darts his eyes back from the pages to Marlede as she tells of her fame. "What did you do before you joined us? Some mercenary work? If you're from here, you must know more about the White Lady, would you tell me what you know about her." Now focusing on Marlede, he once again forgets all about the papers.
When he finally reads the papers to the end, he informs the party of what he read. "Mostly nothing we didn't know already. Was one of the fishers a dwarf or is this a separate victim of the hag? At least there'll never be another victim now."
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DM note: Axe beaks provide an increase in speed on the roads between towns (5 miles per hour instead of the normal 3), but they are also much faster than walking in the wilderness.
Here is the general speed comparison:
Method of Travel
Distance per Hour (Wilderness)
Dog sleds have their own benefit, being that they can pull a combined weight greater than axe beaks while maintaining their speed.
All of these travel methods have a soft limit of 8 hours, after which you (and the mounts) need to make CON saves or potentially take a level of exhaustion every additional hour.
Perrin nods at the suggestion to burn the hands and Maud’s body. Better not leave them out in the open where something could mess with them. He doesn’t bother gathering them up into one pile and instead just ignites them with his magical flame. That was definitely proving to be quite the useful spell as of late.
When talk of the gold comes up, Perrin gestures back and forth between him and Sirius to indicate that he was going to do the same with his share. The poor fishermens’ families needed the gold more than he did anyways.
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Aubreen takes his share, pulling his tunic forward to tuck it into the folds beside his other meager pouch. He needed a pair of greaves, perhaps a new cuirass would help keep his foes at bay. Pauldrons to cover his shoulders. Listening to his companions his hand slows, hovers before depositing the bag in his tunic. Didn't think of an Axebeak, but he wasn't going to slow them down. Dark what was that 25 - 50 gp and lodging. And donations? sheesh. what would that leave him? how many hags would it take to purchase the new armor. His thoughts drift to visions of dying hags, 10, 20, the math makes no sense, too many to count. He sighs.
"You are right Sirius," looking at his companions "The families would greatly benefit". I guess there are always more monsters to vanquish, more rights to wrong. Oh well, perhaps one day.
Aubreen hoists his pack "Civilization would be most welcome, I could use the rest"
DM note: I forgot to ask for a ration each + Bouncer after the long rest. Please subtract these if you have not already.
Perrin spends some time slowly burning away the monster. His flames are strong, but the environment is so cold that it takes a while for the heat to truly enter flesh. It sizzles away, blackening and cracking. Maud Chislebone is left behind unrecognizable, the husk of a corpse. All that remains of the hands are bones.
You cross the lake, backtracking your own steps, leaving the caves behind. The many meagre smoke plumes of Easthavens chimneys are the first thing you see. When you arrive in the town, it is barely noon, the dim light still gracing the frozen land with its presence. Easthaven is as busy as it ever gets, small groups of townspeople frequenting the streets.
OOC- can you post the overland map of the dales again please.
[Sure thing, here's the map pack. The link should always work, so it's worth bookmarking: Icedawn maps]
As the party enters Easthaven, Marlede (once again) stuffs her coin pouch between her cleavage and closes the coat. If she catches anyone trying to steal from them, she makes it known that she saw them, but won't make a big scene, since it's legal.
Marlede will go towards Town Hall so she can talk to townspeaker Danneth Waylen. She wants to know if someone could (or would) analyze Maud's eye and tell her why it has 'divination magic' and what it does.
Currently DMing:
Aubreen notes Marlede's motions, a wise choice to secure your possessions in this town. He has been carrying his coins next to his breast since the last time they came through. "We still have a couple hours of light, I am going to see what Axebeak the merchants have for sale. I can reserve one for you if you wish". Aubreen is a little scared of bouncer and the other 'beaks. Not well versed in traveling on horse back, he recalls the last time he was aboard such a beast. Should have been simple, coming back from Harrowford, a small town outside the Gate. The beast reared, throwing the Half elf hard to the ground. Turned out it was just a snake in the road.
Worse still the 'beak, is not a horse. Gaining some resolve, he refuses to be left behind, or slow his companions. "We can meet at the Northlook later if that's ok. Wait was that in Easthaven? Where did we stay last time we were here?"
Aubreen seeks out the Axebeak seller and would like to see what else the market has for sale. He will browse but is really looking for a local Armorer.
Following the example set by Marlede, Sirius tucks his pouches of valuables deep in his coats. "What's next then? Shall we finally get to the kobolds or is there something more pressing? If my memory serves right, Yurgunn wanted us to check if her sister is okay. Or at least she didn't forbid us from doing that." He turns to continue walking, seemingly done talking, before jerking back to face Aubreen. "Oh and before I forget, Aubreen, could you give me those papers in Dwarven you found at the caves."
"Yes let us meet at the Northlook... or wherever we stayed last." Sirius accompanies Marlede to the town hall. Far beyond Aubreen's earshot he mutters: "On second thought I think the Northlook is in Bryn Shander. Oh well, we'll figure it out."
Arriving at the town hall, Sirius immediately requests for the speaker. "Good news! We got the bastard!" Sirius gestures for Marlede to show the speaker the hag's eye. "What can you tell me about the families of the fishers, may the Triad bless them? They must be in quite some trouble after losing the income of the fishers. A real tragedy."
Marlede looks momentarily surprised at Aubreen's kind gesture, and she appreciatively declines the offer of reserving an Axe Beak for her.
"That's kind of you, but I'd rather see the Axe Beaks for myself before making a purchase. They tend to be quite temperamental, and I believe it's best to see which one chooses me instead."
When he mistakes the inns we stayed in, she chuckles lightly.
"My, that's a long ways away from here,' she says teasingly. "The White Lady Inn is where we stayed last. I'll meet you there when I'm done with this fishy business."
In Town Hall, she'll follow Sirius' lead and shows Danneth Waylen the eye Maud removed from her socket.
"She fell for our trap and we made quick work of her. No more hags, giant skeletons, or annoying harpies to worry about, speaker Waylen. However, my friend here was able to use the Dzaan's wand and detected some divination magic within the eye itself. If it's not too much to ask, would any of the mages available be able to analyze it? I'm not versed in arcane magics, so I wouldn't be able to tell."
[ OOC: I'm interested to know if Captain Arlaggath is there, too. And you can assume that Marlede will tell speaker Waylen everything that happened from her perspective. ]
Currently DMing:
Aubreen of course will hand over the papers, a look of surprise upon his face. "You speak Dwarven Sirius? That I think would be a story worth hearing if we have the time."
Everyone in the party could be present for the meeting at the town hall:
After you ask for him, Danneth Waylen doesn't take long to emerge from within the town hall, busy wiping ink from stained hands before offering to shake. "I'm glad to see you well."
The perpetually dour facial expression on the speakers face lightens when Sirius proclaims victory over the hag. "Tempus be praised, what a victory!"
Asked about the families, the smile quickly fades and Waylen says: "Yes, they are in mourning. The Ashbluffs lost a son, the Yarrows both the junior and the senior. Devin Stallard leaves behind an empty house. The neighbours will probably try to prop them up as best they can."
The townspeaker can provide directions to the two houses of the living relatives, but is open to redirecting the money himself should you so wish.
He looks at the hag eye that Marlede shows the group, nodding. "Let's head inside. I have news and a guest, both of which are bound to be of importance to you."
Waylen leads you into a private office within the town hall. The rooms desks have been moved to the side, the bronze cauldron you brought back taking center stage. A human man dressed in flowing robes and headcloth kneels in front of it, a look of concentration on his face. After he notices you, he slowly stands and acknowledges you with a nod.
Captain Arlaggath stands in one corner of the room, holding a bundle of papers. As you enter, she looks up with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.
"This is Jabari of Blackstaff Tower, a regular visitor and friend of the town." The town speaker introduces those of the party that are present. Jabari politely greets you all. His eyes are a piercing yellow, flicking momentarily to the cauldron and then back to you.
Waylen continues. "You understand of course, that his presence here is a thorny matter just now. My people are understandably reluctant to house a wizard in their midst. Superstition is rampant. As such, please keep this meeting to yourselves."
The speaker turns to Marlede. "He should be able to help you with the eye. But first, would you be so kind Jabari?"
Jabari says: "I have been told that you are the group that wish to sell this cauldron. It possesses strong magic, for it can be used to produce, no, conjure, great quantities of food out of nothing but snow. Not enough for the entire town, but it would greatly alleviate the shortages."
Waylen clears his throat. "As such, I would find it unconscionable to let the price stand at fifty gold pieces. I offer to pay you tenfold that for this wonder." He looks at you with intensity. "What do you say?"
At a different point in time, Aubreen is making his rounds of the various stores in town.
He comes across an establishment with the name Rurden's Armory. The shop’s interior looks like that of a keep preparing for siege — racks of swords and axes stand to one side, while suits of chain mail lie stacked on crates to the other (and the crates hold pieces ofplate armor packed in wood chips). Piles of helms stand alongside the crates, halberds lean in the corner, and shields and crossbows hang on every inch of the room’s walls. The building’s heavy, reinforced door, complete with a thick bar, rounds out the image of a garrison; only a painted iron sign propped against the back wall identifies the shop as a place of business. The dwarf shopkeep, Rurden, watches Aubreen with a keen eye, leaving the warrior alone unless spoken to. Apart from armament, Rurden's also sells all sorts of other adventuring gear for normal prices.
In the open market square, you also find a seller of Axe beaks, a thiefling that introduces herself as Ignomity. The axe beaks available for sale are:
- Faust, a grey-speckled frazzled looking bird that looks around in a nervous manner
- Behemoth, a particularly heavy bird that is missing the characteristic axe shape in its beak. The seller insists that it is still an axe beak with suspicious enthusiasm
- Groom, the virtual opposite of Faust, a meticulously groomed specimen with a tapered black-on-white feather pattern arching down its neck
- Razor, a skinny animal that eyes you intently from ice blue eyes and that sports a particularly spiky beak
- Zixalix, a unusually green-feathered beast with red eyes and a pronounced head plume
- Phantom, whose dark feathers and obsidian eyes give it a menacing aura
- Cyclops, a grey bird who inspects you calmly with its one remaining eye, the other hidden behind a thick scar tissue
Each axe beak demands a price of 50 gp. A saddle and reigns are included.
Marlede:
Faust seems just as nervous as he looks, periodically asking: "Master? Master where art thou? What is thy bidding master?"
Behemoth is a dull creature, languidly looking at you without replying to any questions other than those pertaining to food.
Grooms personality belies the appearance, as it talks like an attentive bird, eager to please.
Razor is mistrusting, yet is ready to serve a new master if the food is good and the lodgings warm.
Zixalix is not able to utter a sound, but nods or shakes its head understandingly to respond to any questions.
Phantom talks like a very young bird and is afraid. It says that it wants to go back home, but the only directions it can offer is that it's somewhere in the south.
Cyclops talks like an old warrior, resigned but ready to serve
In Town Hall:
"That's amazing! You can ask for volunteers to serve the food from this cauldron and feed those in need! Are you sure there won't be any adverse effects, though? The hag that possessed it was a nasty creature. Evil to the core. As long as it's safe to consume the food, I'm alright with accepting any amount you see fit, speaker Waylen. But I won't speak for my companions."
You can all see Marlede is glad that something this good came from their hardships within those wretched caverns.
"As for the issue with the eye, I just need to know why it has divination magic infused into it. If it's cursed I'll just destroy it. I was planning to keep it as a trophy."
DM and anyone that goes with Marlede:
After leaving Town Hall, Marlede goes shopping for what she believes might be useful items during their travels. She's never had so much gold in her life, so this was a big event for her. Not to say she was ever in dire need of it, her father made sure that was never the case.
What would he be carving today? Mother would be starting to prepare dinner by now... I wonder if Amber is feeling well today... I really miss them...
At first, she thought that just getting a new bow and a new set of armor would be enough. But it rapidly spirals into a shopping spree of items she hadn't ever had the chance to purchase back at Bryn Shander. It was a new type of thrill.
After regaining some clarity post-purchase, she was left hauling her new acquisitions all the way to the Axe Beak vendor, Ignomity. Her friendly and enthusiastic disposition was to be expected of a business woman. But Marlede payed her little mind. What she truly wanted was to speak with each Axe Beak and determine which one felt most comfortable around her.
Faust was a little too nervous and theatric... Perhaps some other person with a less daring lifestyle could take care of him.
Behemoth, well, he wasn't much of anything, personality-wise. A big boy, with a big appetite. And Ignomity's insistence of him being an Axe Beak was suspicious. Best to leave him be.
Groom had a certain motherly charm to her. She's too pure to be my new partner. She would make a great mount for youths.
Razor's mistrust resonates with me. But I'm not looking for something transactional. If there's no trust, there might come a time when he abandons me for his own merit. Not that I would ever be mad at that.
Zixalix was a beautiful creature. Her emerald feathers and fierce crimson eyes impacted me the most. And her inability to speak isn't an issue. She seems reasonable and reliable. She might be the one for me.
Phantom was the one I was most nervous about meeting. But I had no idea that under such a dark and intimidating appearance lied a scared child that only wished to go back home. I cannot allow this little one's wild spirit to be broken and domesticated!
Turning to Ignomity, Marlede will ask:
"So, Ignomity. Phantom is quite the beast. I have a strong feeling that I should buy him, but first, I need some answers. Did you raise this one by yourself or did you purchase him? I just HAVE to know where he came from."
And her gaze intensifies as she speaks to Ignomity. Analyzing her mannerisms and speech patterns. Hoping that she will be truthful for once.
Currently DMing:
Perrin’s beak drops slightly in surprise when he hears what the giant pot can do. That would be an incredible asset for the town to have. Looking to the others, he nods his head in agreement with Marlede. Since he was giving away his portion of the hag’s treasure as well, it was nice to get a few coins from the pot as well. With that money, maybe he could buy himself a journal and start another field guide of the Dale’s wildlife!
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Sirius takes out the pouch of 150 gold taken from the hag's treasure and hands it to the captain. "Please make sure this money gets to the families. I hope it'll at least cover all the funeral costs and set up the family so that they can figure out alternative ways of making money. If you suspect the families aren't in the emotional place to handle such large sums of money right now, you may stagger the payments as if it was the salary of the fishers."
"I must thank you for your honesty in the matter, I will happily accept that, if you see it fit. The town will surely find more use from the cauldron, than us four."
As Aubreen and Marlede shop for Axebeak, Sirius instead searches through taverns and any other places he'd think to find a bard. If I want people back in Waterdeep to know my name by the heroic deeds I've committed here, I must begin as soon as possible. If I spread enough stories of our adventures, I can build a good foundation for the even more legendary deeds that are still to come. If everyone up here already knows my name, when I stop Auril, the legend will surely spread like wildfire. Even the lord can't debate my prospects then.
As the party gather at the Inn, Sirius starts reading the dwarven papers and absentmindedly begins to tell Aubreen of how he got to know the Dwarven language. "It's nothing too exciting I'm afraid. I had a lovely dwarven maid when I was little, she sung old Dwarven songs to help me fall asleep. That really showed the beautiful, lyrical part of the language that's far too often seen as an ugly and rough language. That was the spark that inspired me to learn the language. She taught me too. She's really the only person I've talked to in Dwarvish. There aren't too many dwarven nobles in Waterdeep."
Sirius gets glassy-eyed and completely stops concentrating on the papers, now simply reminiscing of his childhood. It doesn't even seem like he totally understands he's still talking aloud. "I often wonder where she ended up. She always talked of her ambitions to explore and own a bakery. One day she finally did it and left the castle. I don't know where she went and if she succeeded since I got no letters from her. Back then, I thought she must've forgotten about me or didn't want to send me letters, but in hindsight, I think the Lord was throwing the ones that arrived away. She was my only real friend. Sure, I had noble "friends", but we only got along because our houses were allies. She could be anywhere in Faerûn by now, and I have no way to find her."
He focuses back up, now realizing what he had been talking about, clearly embarrased from emotionally opening up so much. Trying to escape the situation by engorging himself in the papers, he leans right onto them and very carefully inspects every word.
Aubreen caresses the helms, "Beautiful work, worthy of a true warrior." he says proudly to the Dwarven smith. "Your craftsmanship is impressive, may I?" he asks before lifting a pauldron from its dusty embrace. "How much for a full suit, I could trade in this marvelous mail hauberk" The price is too steep for him at this moment, he lingers but eventually moves on to wander other shops. In no particular hurry he finds the Axebeak merchant.
His experience with the beasts amounts to well, very little really. He has watched Sirius mount and ride his own beast, Bouncer. Aubreen was not lookin forward to this. He speaks with the merchant for several minutes, ensuring the hefty cost came with the saddle and leather rope things about its head. "And it will never attack me?" he asks. It would be a real shame to put down a thing that cost so much. "And I need to feed it every day?" His questions answered he approaches the flock? the flamboyance? the Murder? god he hoped not, what do you call a herd of axebeak?
Inspecting the birds he chooses at random, not sure how you choose to own a living creature. What parameters should he be looking at? "I will take the half blind one, a fine specimen" he says with feigned confidence. "The beast looks sturdy, strong and truly resilient, traits I will need in the future"
The start is rather rough and rocky. The bird bucks and stops suddenly underneath Aubreen several times. Nearly throwing him from the saddle. He is glad his new companions did not witness his struggles. Wandering the town upon Axebeak is a new experience. Many strange looks and false directions later he finds a kind older woman who informs him of his ignorance, "The Northlook is in Bryn Shander fool".
Another hour disappears, the town growing dark as he wanders, the streets all looking the same in the gloom. Upon discovering the town square where they burned the wizard and the guard at the town hall he asks for a list of the available inns and taverns. Thankfully it is rather short and he remembers the name of the place they staid in just two nights hence.
Finally arriving at the Inn, late, famished, tired from riding the bird he listens contently to Siruis as he enjoys a warm bowl of meager stew.
Accepting the coins offered for the reward (?) he loses himself in thought, only half listening about some Dwarven love of a noble man. The armor was expensive, but would be so helpful. if they gave everything to the fishers it would be a lifetimes worth of wealth, He could use the money, they might need it later. With the armor he could vanquish this dark. Could they? still too many questions. He needed the money more than they did. His confusion and guilt grows. His morals tested by the recent events. Overcoming not one but two woman through subterfuge. Ambushed and beaten they didn't stand a chance. His sense of righteousness has him in knots.
When Sirius offers his portion of Maud's gold to Townspeaker Waylen, Perrin also proffers his portion of the gold to the man. He points back and forth between him and Sirius while nodding to indicate that he wanted the gold to go to the same purpose.
((I would make a nice, long post about what he does afterwards, but I want to see what else the Townspeaker says before I do so. Sorry!))
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
"I think that the way you spoke of your fond memories with her was beautiful. Don't ever be ashamed of that! I believe that someday you'll meet again. And by the time you do, our names will have spread far and wide as heroes! I mean, it can't be that hard. Lots of people already know me around Ten-Towns."
After a short pause to sip on her drink, she looks back up at Sirius with a scowl on her face. It's almost like she remembered something unpleasant.
"Oh, and whoever that Lord person is, I don't like them already. Throwing precious things like those away is unforgivable as far as I'm concerned."
[ OOC: I updated my previous post since Aubreen picked an Axe Beak. ]
Currently DMing:
Town hall
Waylen responds to Marlede. "Yes, my thinking went in that direction..." he trails off, lost in thoughts.
Jabari continues, nodding at the rangers suspicions about the cauldron: "The hag might have sought to twist the magic of this cauldron, but I'm certain that it is safe to handle now. Even so, it will be difficult to forget what she used it for."
Upon Marledes request, the wizard asks her to place the eye onto a handkerchief. He then produces a gemstone from a pocked and begins tracing it over the macabre object. After just a moment, his eyes widen imperceptibly. He flips the handkerchief over the eye, obstructing the iris and pupil.
"This eye is a means to spy upon you, to find you. I advise to destroy it posthaste. As for who might be using it, I can't say."
Waylen accepts the amounts of 150 gp from Sirius and Perrin, nodding. "That's very generous of you. I will let the families know."
When the group accepts to to sell the hags cauldron for 500 gold, Arlaggath and Waylen immediately look relieved. The speaker bows and says: "Thank you. Even if the cauldron should somehow run out of magic in the future, we'll be able to strengthen a large part of the town. It will save many lifes."
Axe beak vendor
Ignomity makes a big show of being supportive of any potential buyers, happily extoling each axe beaks virtues.
Upon being asked by Marlede about the origins of Phantom, Ignomity is momentarily thrown off her practiced routine. A brief look of surprise passes over the tieflings features, but she quickly recovers. "A enviable talent you have there miss. And you're a connoisseur too! Indeed, Phantoms story is a fascinating one: he joined the other axe beaks after a storm, walking straight out of the wilderness, like a shadow into the light. This happened in Bremen. It came running from the north, imagine that! There's nothing there, except the sea of moving ice. Poor thing is evidently not from Luskan stock, but it adjusted quickly to Icewind Dale."
Ignomity approaches Marlede, the voice dropping to a whisper: "My persnal theory is that it came here via ship, some foolhardy merchant trying to brave the storms and ice floes."
Marlede [Insight: 16] recognizes that while the speech is mercantile, it doesn't seem to be intended to hide.
Ignomity gladly answers all of Aubreens questions, including showing him how to mount the saddle "do it with gusto! one smooth motion!" and how to grip the reigns. The tiefling ensures him that these axe beaks are all trained and peaceful. She nods in approval at Aubreens choice of Cyclops. "Fine choice. Lots of experience, this one. Story is, it belonged to an orc warchief that once rode against Bryn Shanders walls."
Rurden's Armory
Rurden nods at Aubreens words, no small amount of pride evident in his features. "All produced in the Dwarven Valley, best quality ye can get in these blasted parts." He discusses the finely worked plate with Aubreen for a while, his face and hands suddenly animated as he recounts the story of how each piece was made. He nods with some regret after Aubreen mentions that the price is out of his reach.
White Lady Inn
Sirius finds that the most recognized bard in Easthaven is the one he had heard briefly play in the White Lady Inn two days ago. The halfling is softly playing his fiddle when you enter, looking up with an almost knowing smile.
He introduces himself as Rinaldo, bard extraordinaire. The halfling listens to Sirius' tale with interest, perking up especially if the paladin mentions anything about the groups adventures on the lake. Softly plucking the strings, the bard is clearly already thinking of how to embellish the stories even further than what Sirius has pitched.
Lowering his voice conspiratorially, Rinaldo says: “If you plan to solidify your mark in this region, perhaps the White Lady can help guide you? The tale of her is more than that. In fact, I plan to contact her spirit soon, with the help of a few of my friends. We live in dark times and you have the makings of a hero, surely you'd be interested to hear what a spirit has to say?"
Inspecting the partially burned dwarven writing, Sirius can make out a few intact passages:
Sirius tells the bard all about what happened on the lake, conveniently leaving out being charmed by the harpies and being knocked out by the skeleton. He plays up the cunningness of their plan to trick the hag, a master of trickery. He also highlights his benevolence in helping the families of the dead fishers. After he's done telling the tale, he pulls the bard close and speaks to him under his breath. "Why don't you take some gold for your troubles. If you spread the tale well enough, I'll be sure to return here to give you even more gold. Oh and keep the knowledge of the payment on the down low, would you. We don't want any bards becoming jealous now do we." Sirius discreetly slips the bard a pouch containing 20 gold pieces.
At the bard's suggestion, Sirius scrambles to remember everything he knows about this White Lady (History: 14). At least the inn seems to be named after her so she must be a well-known character around here. "How soon will this be happening then? It does sound like an interesting idea. Should I bring the rest of the party or come alone?" Sirius tries to gauge the intentions behind meeting the White Lady. (Insight: (modified) 20)
Sirius darts his eyes back from the pages to Marlede as she tells of her fame. "What did you do before you joined us? Some mercenary work? If you're from here, you must know more about the White Lady, would you tell me what you know about her." Now focusing on Marlede, he once again forgets all about the papers.
When he finally reads the papers to the end, he informs the party of what he read. "Mostly nothing we didn't know already. Was one of the fishers a dwarf or is this a separate victim of the hag? At least there'll never be another victim now."