You are greeted by a wise female halfling of forty-five, Qelline Alderleaf, a pragmatic farmer who seems to know everything that goes on in town. She is a kind host, and quickly calls to her son Carp, a spirited and precocious halfling lad of ten years. He is enchanted by the idea of being an adventurer and says that he was playing in the woods near Tresendar Manor when he found a secret tunnel in a thicket. A couple of “big ugly bandits” came out of the tunnel when he was there, and met with a pair of Redbrands. They didn’t see him, but it was close. Carp thinks that the bandits have a secret lair under the old manor house. He can take your group to the tunnel or provide you with directions to the location.
Qelline smiles at Loren and passes a couple seedcakes to him 'for the trip'. "Off you go Carp, but back quickly ya hear?" Carp nods to his mother and grabs his bag and cap and is out the door - "This way!" She gives Unthir a firm look you take to mean she hears you and will hold you to it. "He's like tryin to tame the wind that one."
More a castle than a house, Tresendar Manor stands at the east edge of town on a low hillside amid woods and thickets. The manor looks to be long abandoned and mostly ruined but Carp takes you to a tunnel entrance to what must have been the cellar or crypt area below the house.
Qelline says, "The Tresendar Family were nobles that lived there before the Orc Raids that ruined the town. I believe that most if not all of the places that now exist in town were built over the ruins of the prior town. Many of the family members were said to have been buried in the crypts below the manor and some say that they even rose again to defend their home from later intrusions. If that is true, they may have been formidable as one of the family was a great knight known as the Black Hawk who is said to have died in the battle."
"It is both an admirable and sad thing, their fall to the orcs." Iymbryl looks at the tunnel with a grimace. To dirty oneself with the grime of battle is foul enough, but the crawl underground does not seem quite as full of glory. Nonetheless he steels his resolve, reminding himself that the people of the town are counting on his aid. "I do hope I won't be a liability in there, my armor does not make for the stealthiest of movements and the space is tight."
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Iymbryl; Elven Eldritch Knight in DM Jynne's LMoP,
Maker; Vect Wizard of Automata in Conspiracy in the Stars,
Valhik Steeltemper, Gnome Blood Hunter in Archie's Tomb of Annihilation,
Kallaia, Tiefling Bard in Minotaur's Storm King's Thunder
There is a horrible smell of decay coming from the tunnel like rotting bodies. It is a decent size tunnel and apparently frequently traveled. Human travel is easy through here.
Primarily because he planned to task the young lad with a new quest the moment that this one had been accomplished.
He had held his bottle of sealing wax out on the walk to the tunnel and it had warmed to pouring temperature. When they arrived, he hastily removed ink, quill, & parchment. He then drafted a brief, but appreciative, note to the woman they met and folded it into a letter once the ink set. The wax was poured onto the center fold, and he used his thumb to seal the document.
He hands the paper to the young one, and explains, "If you return this, as well as this," he hands the boy a bottle of perfume, "To your mother, right away, you may have this." He holds a single, but true, gold piece between his thumb and finger in the air before lowering it down to the lad if he accepts his new quest.
Marching order - Velshir, Loren, Joshua, Lymbryl, Unthir (Sheyla let me know where you are when you post)
@Unthir
Carp grins at the pretty little bottle of fluid and then to the gold and nods his head quickly. "Yes sir!" and runs off in the direction of home.
A cold breeze fills this large natural cavern, carrying with it the faint scent of decaying flesh. A crevasse divides the cavern and is flanked by two rough stone columns that support the twenty-foot-high ceiling. An arched wooden bridge spans the chasm that continues on out of view. (Scale is 5 feet per square)
Velshir wonders about the smell. The corpses of the bygone conflict would surely not be so fresh. Perhaps this crevasse is the ruffians’ dumping ground of expired victims? He will creep forward cautiously to see what’s in the crevasse, if possible.
Marching order - Velshir, Loren, Joshua, Lymbryl, Sheyla, Unthir
@sheyla
You think its mostly the smell of a decaying body, but there's something more, not just death.
@ Velshir stealth check please and you see the following:
The crevasse is steep-sided fissure, 5 to 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Its rough walls appear to be easily climbable. Currently heaped at the bottom among broken and well-gnawed bones looks to be the half-eaten body of the Wood Carver that you match approximately from his description but from your experience. From your experience he doesn't look nearly decayed enough for the 10 days that have passed since his death. Away from the light source you see a little more of the first part of the cavern and a second bridge further up.
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You are greeted by a wise female halfling of forty-five, Qelline Alderleaf, a pragmatic farmer who seems to know everything that goes on in town. She is a kind host, and quickly calls to her son Carp, a spirited and precocious halfling lad of ten years. He is enchanted by the idea of being an adventurer and says that he was playing in the woods near Tresendar Manor when he found a secret tunnel in a thicket. A couple of “big ugly bandits” came out of the tunnel when he was there, and met with a pair of Redbrands. They didn’t see him, but it was close. Carp thinks that the bandits have a secret lair under the old manor house. He can take your group to the tunnel or provide you with directions to the location.
Velshir says,
”Sounds like we have a chance to strike at the heart of the beast.”
"I'll say... and it smells like Mrs. Alderleaf is one of the best bakers in town - is it... is that a seedcake?"
"Keep your stomach in line for the moment Loren." To Carp "Can you lead us to this tunnel lad?"
Unthir chimes in, "Yes, the tunnel is most important young one. With your mother's permission, I would ask you guide us close to it."
He considers the dangers, and knows a parent would be apprehensive. He speaks to his mother now,
"We assure you he will be safe. The right direction is essentially all we need to know once we're close enough, then we'd send him home."
Qelline smiles at Loren and passes a couple seedcakes to him 'for the trip'. "Off you go Carp, but back quickly ya hear?" Carp nods to his mother and grabs his bag and cap and is out the door - "This way!" She gives Unthir a firm look you take to mean she hears you and will hold you to it. "He's like tryin to tame the wind that one."
More a castle than a house, Tresendar Manor stands at the east edge of town on a low hillside amid woods and thickets. The manor looks to be long abandoned and mostly ruined but Carp takes you to a tunnel entrance to what must have been the cellar or crypt area below the house.
"Any clue who lived in a house this big before it got all broken down?"
@Loren and anyone close enough to hear -
Qelline says, "The Tresendar Family were nobles that lived there before the Orc Raids that ruined the town. I believe that most if not all of the places that now exist in town were built over the ruins of the prior town. Many of the family members were said to have been buried in the crypts below the manor and some say that they even rose again to defend their home from later intrusions. If that is true, they may have been formidable as one of the family was a great knight known as the Black Hawk who is said to have died in the battle."
"It is both an admirable and sad thing, their fall to the orcs." Iymbryl looks at the tunnel with a grimace. To dirty oneself with the grime of battle is foul enough, but the crawl underground does not seem quite as full of glory. Nonetheless he steels his resolve, reminding himself that the people of the town are counting on his aid. "I do hope I won't be a liability in there, my armor does not make for the stealthiest of movements and the space is tight."
Iymbryl; Elven Eldritch Knight in DM Jynne's LMoP,
Maker; Vect Wizard of Automata in Conspiracy in the Stars,
Valhik Steeltemper, Gnome Blood Hunter in Archie's Tomb of Annihilation,
Kallaia, Tiefling Bard in Minotaur's Storm King's Thunder
There is a horrible smell of decay coming from the tunnel like rotting bodies. It is a decent size tunnel and apparently frequently traveled. Human travel is easy through here.
Velshir says,
“This doesn’t smell like a bandit lair, something else might be going on.”
Velshir is happy to take point and proceed stealthily.
What is the party's marching order? Single file with Velshir so far
Loren will go second, his curiosity coming in strong and his stomach being well fortified by excellent seedcakes.
Joshua will be towards the middle and will pick up a rock and cast Light on it.
Unthir will go last.
Primarily because he planned to task the young lad with a new quest the moment that this one had been accomplished.
He had held his bottle of sealing wax out on the walk to the tunnel and it had warmed to pouring temperature. When they arrived, he hastily removed ink, quill, & parchment. He then drafted a brief, but appreciative, note to the woman they met and folded it into a letter once the ink set. The wax was poured onto the center fold, and he used his thumb to seal the document.
He hands the paper to the young one, and explains, "If you return this, as well as this," he hands the boy a bottle of perfume, "To your mother, right away, you may have this." He holds a single, but true, gold piece between his thumb and finger in the air before lowering it down to the lad if he accepts his new quest.
I suppose Iymbryl will go just before Unthir, shield up and handaxe out.
Iymbryl; Elven Eldritch Knight in DM Jynne's LMoP,
Maker; Vect Wizard of Automata in Conspiracy in the Stars,
Valhik Steeltemper, Gnome Blood Hunter in Archie's Tomb of Annihilation,
Kallaia, Tiefling Bard in Minotaur's Storm King's Thunder
Marching order - Velshir, Loren, Joshua, Lymbryl, Unthir (Sheyla let me know where you are when you post)
@Unthir
Carp grins at the pretty little bottle of fluid and then to the gold and nods his head quickly. "Yes sir!" and runs off in the direction of home.
A cold breeze fills this large natural cavern, carrying with it the faint scent of decaying flesh. A crevasse divides the cavern and is flanked by two rough stone columns that support the twenty-foot-high ceiling. An arched wooden bridge spans the chasm that continues on out of view. (Scale is 5 feet per square)
Velshir wonders about the smell. The corpses of the bygone conflict would surely not be so fresh. Perhaps this crevasse is the ruffians’ dumping ground of expired victims? He will creep forward cautiously to see what’s in the crevasse, if possible.
Sheyla would be fine going second to last. Could she make a survival or nature check to help determine what that smell is?
Marching order - Velshir, Loren, Joshua, Lymbryl, Sheyla, Unthir
@sheyla
You think its mostly the smell of a decaying body, but there's something more, not just death.
@ Velshir stealth check please and you see the following:
The crevasse is steep-sided fissure, 5 to 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep. Its rough walls appear to be easily climbable. Currently heaped at the bottom among broken and well-gnawed bones looks to be the half-eaten body of the Wood Carver that you match approximately from his description but from your experience. From your experience he doesn't look nearly decayed enough for the 10 days that have passed since his death. Away from the light source you see a little more of the first part of the cavern and a second bridge further up.