Quote from Chris Henson on June 25, 2025, 3:42 amMembers of Mrsabo's caravan tied up loose ends in Ashalash, in preparation for leaving the next morning to travel to Feetal's Outpost.
• A small vessel, the River Mistress under the helm of Captain Adem sailed up to the small dock on the river, and unloaded a new passenger -- a Mythdrigg weaver (and fighter) named Anu, hailing originally from the Frost Rush by way of Dair. After a brief interview period, Mrsabo invited her to join her caravan team. She accepted.
• At the same time, Ja'Kear decided to temporarily leave the caravan to sail back to Dair, to see his father, and ostensibly to collect enough coin to return to Ashalash, to build some sort of presence to Sheysun. Before he left, he admonished Zungar to remain on the right side of the law, and took a letter from Mrsabo to deliver back in Dair.
• Anu checked in with Phantasmus, surrendering her weapons. Mrsabo told Phantasmus that she was part of the caravan. While inside, the group met Phantasmus' wife Tempefti. Mrsabo seemed to have an odd reaction around her, a feeling which Murtagh claimed felt like something out of alignment with nature.
• While Mrsabo watched the wagons, the rest of the group hiked up the hill on the eastern side of the village to see what Phantasmus had said was the remains of a tower which had once stood there. The stones that remained were quite large -- Kharos estimated the structure would have been 20 or more stories high -- and arranged in a circle. Most were heavily worn and mossified, but after some examination, many had small symbols carved into them in seemingly random locations -- symbols such as an hourglass, a frog, a tower, a door, and others.
• Kharos touched the hourglass symbol and experienced a strange flickering of light (unobserved by anyone else.). He appeared shaken thereafter.
• Murtagh cast detect magic and observed that each of the stones glowed very lightly, and that each stone seemed to emanate magic from different schools of magic. Additionally, in the center of the circle of stones, was the faint outline of a skull, emanating necromantic magic. Below it, was a small corner of stone protruding from the ground, which was also glowing with a magical aura -- the school of illusionary magic, usually referred to as Shadari magic.
• Zungar touched the hourglass symbol as well, and experienced the same light flickering effect. Following that, the skull symbol disappeared and was replaced by the outline of what looked like a tree.
• Kharos touched another of the stones, this time one that glowed with abjuration, and suddenly he saw the universe stretch out before him - a collection of lines of fate and chance tied together by a mysterious force he suddenly knew as Uthantu. Explaining his vision to the group, Renfold became visibly excited, and went about making rubbings of all the symbols on the stones.
• Murtagh tried to dig out the corner of stone that was protruding, but it seemed to be larger than just a corner, and could not be easily removed by digging around it, or through an enlarge spell.
• Following the investigation of the stone circle, the ground also took time to look at the tar caves as the base of the hill. A heavy petroleum smell hung in the air, and the tar of the pits was quite hot -- so much so that Zungar could feel the heat through his boot before he stepped into it -- and as a result, chose not too. The tar "stream" itself flowed out of the cave and into pools. Villagers from Ashalash harvested tar from some of the outer pools for construction and trade.
• The inside of the cave appeared to have hewn walls, and a ceiling that glowed with slight conjuration magic and "carved" with a repeating motif. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be any additional doors or crevices as a way in.
The next morning, the group retrieved their weapons and magic items from Phantasmus without issue, and prepared to set off for Feetal's Outpost. Murtagh asked the Reeve is there was anything he wanted from there, and he flippantly replied that he would love one of the automaton-golems from there to help protect the town.
As the group traveled southwest from Ashalash, the weather began to change. On the evening of the second day, ominous clouds gathered and bright green lightning began to flash from cloud to cloud. Despite the fearsome electrical storm that played out overhead, the wagons were attacked by a large pack of direwolves.
Rather than engaging the directly, or attacking the horses, the wolves circled to the back of the wagon where Mrsabo was sleeping -- which she had been doing since leaving the village. The wolves tore at her leg, which appeared to be affected by black toxic tendrils of discoloration, reaching up past her knee. As the party rushed to help, Renfold tried to fend the wolves off with his journal, yelling to everyone that Mrsabo was burning up with fever.
Murtagh gave Mrsabo a healing potion, which seemed to help with some of the wolf-inflicted damage, but did nothing for the wound itself. The skin around the wound was mushy and soft - something was wrong within, and traditional healing did not seem to cure it.
The lighting intensified. What was previously simple lightning now radiated outward, crackling from cloud to cloud, tracing the shape of a pair of antlers. More lightning ensued, now jumping to the arcane hum of the node which had formed above the wagons. The clouds began to swirl and rotate. The node itself crackled to life and a green bolt of lighting crashed downward, striking Murtagh. And then, the clouds parted to allow the full moon to shine down on the gruesome scene. There, as if the surface of the moon was a heavenly screen, was an image of the antler-helmed Elflawvin from the attack on the Sabelite monastery, looking down on the carnage below.
More wolves entered the wagon and ravaged Mrsabo, who moaned and writhed in pain. Anu and Murtagh tried to drive the wolves away but the damage was done. With a final bite, the wolves howled, and turned as a pack to withdraw from the wagon. All but one were felled by Alu, Zungar and Kharos. Blood gurgled from Mrsabo's mouth, and she called softly for Murtagh, clutching at something around her neck. Above the wagons in the night sky, the visage of the antler-helmed figure crossed its arms in a satisfied gesture. The rain stopped, and the lighting faded.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Mrsabo whispered, as Murtagh tried to stabilize the caravan leader. But it was too late. She had slipped away.
The object Mrsabo had been clutching at was the key to the lockbox in the covered wagon. Inside were several items:
• A scroll case containing a hand-drawn map of the ElfLaw
• A ring with an aquamarine stone. Inside, inscribed: "To the Endfeast and Beyond. Your Beloved Baasha."
• A small pouch, containing three diamonds, each worth 100gp
• A small ceramic frog with liquid inside
• A wooden heart -- that beat when Murtagh held it in his handsIs there anything that I forgot or that you would add?
-CH
Members of Mrsabo's caravan tied up loose ends in Ashalash, in preparation for leaving the next morning to travel to Feetal's Outpost.
• A small vessel, the River Mistress under the helm of Captain Adem sailed up to the small dock on the river, and unloaded a new passenger -- a Mythdrigg weaver (and fighter) named Anu, hailing originally from the Frost Rush by way of Dair. After a brief interview period, Mrsabo invited her to join her caravan team. She accepted.
• At the same time, Ja'Kear decided to temporarily leave the caravan to sail back to Dair, to see his father, and ostensibly to collect enough coin to return to Ashalash, to build some sort of presence to Sheysun. Before he left, he admonished Zungar to remain on the right side of the law, and took a letter from Mrsabo to deliver back in Dair.
• Anu checked in with Phantasmus, surrendering her weapons. Mrsabo told Phantasmus that she was part of the caravan. While inside, the group met Phantasmus' wife Tempefti. Mrsabo seemed to have an odd reaction around her, a feeling which Murtagh claimed felt like something out of alignment with nature.
• While Mrsabo watched the wagons, the rest of the group hiked up the hill on the eastern side of the village to see what Phantasmus had said was the remains of a tower which had once stood there. The stones that remained were quite large -- Kharos estimated the structure would have been 20 or more stories high -- and arranged in a circle. Most were heavily worn and mossified, but after some examination, many had small symbols carved into them in seemingly random locations -- symbols such as an hourglass, a frog, a tower, a door, and others.
• Kharos touched the hourglass symbol and experienced a strange flickering of light (unobserved by anyone else.). He appeared shaken thereafter.
• Murtagh cast detect magic and observed that each of the stones glowed very lightly, and that each stone seemed to emanate magic from different schools of magic. Additionally, in the center of the circle of stones, was the faint outline of a skull, emanating necromantic magic. Below it, was a small corner of stone protruding from the ground, which was also glowing with a magical aura -- the school of illusionary magic, usually referred to as Shadari magic.
• Zungar touched the hourglass symbol as well, and experienced the same light flickering effect. Following that, the skull symbol disappeared and was replaced by the outline of what looked like a tree.
• Kharos touched another of the stones, this time one that glowed with abjuration, and suddenly he saw the universe stretch out before him - a collection of lines of fate and chance tied together by a mysterious force he suddenly knew as Uthantu. Explaining his vision to the group, Renfold became visibly excited, and went about making rubbings of all the symbols on the stones.
• Murtagh tried to dig out the corner of stone that was protruding, but it seemed to be larger than just a corner, and could not be easily removed by digging around it, or through an enlarge spell.
• Following the investigation of the stone circle, the ground also took time to look at the tar caves as the base of the hill. A heavy petroleum smell hung in the air, and the tar of the pits was quite hot -- so much so that Zungar could feel the heat through his boot before he stepped into it -- and as a result, chose not too. The tar "stream" itself flowed out of the cave and into pools. Villagers from Ashalash harvested tar from some of the outer pools for construction and trade.
• The inside of the cave appeared to have hewn walls, and a ceiling that glowed with slight conjuration magic and "carved" with a repeating motif. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be any additional doors or crevices as a way in.
The next morning, the group retrieved their weapons and magic items from Phantasmus without issue, and prepared to set off for Feetal's Outpost. Murtagh asked the Reeve is there was anything he wanted from there, and he flippantly replied that he would love one of the automaton-golems from there to help protect the town.
As the group traveled southwest from Ashalash, the weather began to change. On the evening of the second day, ominous clouds gathered and bright green lightning began to flash from cloud to cloud. Despite the fearsome electrical storm that played out overhead, the wagons were attacked by a large pack of direwolves.
Rather than engaging the directly, or attacking the horses, the wolves circled to the back of the wagon where Mrsabo was sleeping -- which she had been doing since leaving the village. The wolves tore at her leg, which appeared to be affected by black toxic tendrils of discoloration, reaching up past her knee. As the party rushed to help, Renfold tried to fend the wolves off with his journal, yelling to everyone that Mrsabo was burning up with fever.
Murtagh gave Mrsabo a healing potion, which seemed to help with some of the wolf-inflicted damage, but did nothing for the wound itself. The skin around the wound was mushy and soft - something was wrong within, and traditional healing did not seem to cure it.
The lighting intensified. What was previously simple lightning now radiated outward, crackling from cloud to cloud, tracing the shape of a pair of antlers. More lightning ensued, now jumping to the arcane hum of the node which had formed above the wagons. The clouds began to swirl and rotate. The node itself crackled to life and a green bolt of lighting crashed downward, striking Murtagh. And then, the clouds parted to allow the full moon to shine down on the gruesome scene. There, as if the surface of the moon was a heavenly screen, was an image of the antler-helmed Elflawvin from the attack on the Sabelite monastery, looking down on the carnage below.
More wolves entered the wagon and ravaged Mrsabo, who moaned and writhed in pain. Anu and Murtagh tried to drive the wolves away but the damage was done. With a final bite, the wolves howled, and turned as a pack to withdraw from the wagon. All but one were felled by Alu, Zungar and Kharos. Blood gurgled from Mrsabo's mouth, and she called softly for Murtagh, clutching at something around her neck. Above the wagons in the night sky, the visage of the antler-helmed figure crossed its arms in a satisfied gesture. The rain stopped, and the lighting faded.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Mrsabo whispered, as Murtagh tried to stabilize the caravan leader. But it was too late. She had slipped away.
The object Mrsabo had been clutching at was the key to the lockbox in the covered wagon. Inside were several items:
• A scroll case containing a hand-drawn map of the ElfLaw
• A ring with an aquamarine stone. Inside, inscribed: "To the Endfeast and Beyond. Your Beloved Baasha."
• A small pouch, containing three diamonds, each worth 100gp
• A small ceramic frog with liquid inside
• A wooden heart -- that beat when Murtagh held it in his hands
Is there anything that I forgot or that you would add?
-CH