1. Journals

Sheepish Sacrifice

Session
November 23, 2020

In leveling up, Cora made a deal with the Thin Man to change her rolled health of 2 into a 10, bringing the Coin to 2 charges.

Ulkatel 30th, 951 IaC

  • Cora and Ilryn arrived in the late evening to Cloverhall, finding Steve sequestered away behind a pile of books in in guild library
  • Steve recalled his recent adventure across Atherdale, where he mistook a group of travelers for guild members, following them all the way to the border of Midradir
    • As a token of friendship, the travels gave Steve a magical choker that would allow him to breathe underwater
    • Steve was kidnapped by bandits on the way back, but managed to escape after his captors forgot about him
    • During his travels, Steve was haunted by dreams involving pure darkness, hearing only the furious sounds of quill applied to parchment
    • After going through guild records and discovering multiple tax discrepancies from years ago, Steve also read about a consistent series of attacks that appear to happen every two decades or so that involve travelers through the Scratchwood being assaulted and having their eyes stolen
    • If the records were to be believed, the next attacks should be occurring within the year
  • After catching up with Steve, the party ruminated visiting the guild shop, deciding instead to go for a drink
    • Walking through the main hall, the three ran into Eliza Millheart, who asked them if they wouldn't mind taking care of the situation in Beckley soon, as a child had been recently killed, increasing the stakes of the mission
    • The group agreed as Eliza warned them about the shakey scenario involving Tunban Fetterly, Nuniel Masselby, and the murder of Dunavar Lexhand, cautioning the group to make her aware of any missing details involving the mysterious circumstances therein
    • The group deflected Eliza's implication and instead headed out for drinks, but after conversing on the road, decided to double back and fill Eliza in on all the details
    • Eliza thanked the party, informing them that the guild is a tightly run organization that places the safety and protection of its members and reputation above all else, implying her capability in making such problems disappear
  • Tired, the three headed for the Steaming Sword, listening to more of the tall tales of Ordus Cheskull
    • After getting from drinks, Ilryn began to work with Ordus on creating a ballad praising his valor and bravery, working with the barkeep into the night as Cora and Steve watched on in amusement
    • Ordus mentioned that the following day would be Riverdyne, a day where work was ordinarily forbidden, and that a small ceremony would be held at the local Fectern temple

Venerikine 1st, 951 IaC

  • Not particularly interested in honoring the traditions of Fecto, the group headed out to Beckley to handle the sheep issue, arriving around midday
    • Waiting for them in the gathering hall were sack lunches packed by Eliza, along with Rorug Fletsworn, who attempted to recruit the group on an archeological expedition to the south
  • In the small farming settlement, which the party learned was an integral part of Reedenford's export economy, the party received directions to the Wenslow farm
    • In addition, they learned that the commoners seemed to have multiple ideas on the true nature of the beast attacking the sheep, including accusations of lycanthropy and vampirism
  • Arriving at the Wenslow farm, Steve went off to examine the nearby sheep as Cora and Ilyrn entered the Wenslow home, meeting Artem Wenslow, Fala Wenslow, and their daughter, Yerra Wenslow.
    • Observing a house torn to pieces, the pair listened to Artem's interpretation of the recent events and his son Orin Wenslow's disappearance.
    • Artem was convinced that a werewolf had taken Orin, and had melted down the family's silver to coat his pitchfork in
    • Fala rejected Artem's theories, claiming the beast to be a vampire, as Yerra had seen it fly
    • The antagonized Artem left the cottage in a huff, taking his red-hot silver pitchfork with him
    • The pair spoke to Yerra, the only one who directly witnessed the beast, and saw it take her brother
      • Yerra claimed the beast had a back of nails, large, sharp teeth, bled a lot, and could fly
      • Fala played down some of Yerra's descriptions, believing that she had an overactive imagination due to other "creatures" she claimed to see on a regular basis
    • As Fala became more distressed, the pair met up with Steve, who discovered that the sheep were all in fine health, but that the spots where blood had been spilled in the dirt were devoid of grass, as if it had been burned away
  • Heading back through the settlement in an attempt to find Artem, the group spoke with other residents of the area that all had their own ideas of what was going on, despite not being witness to anything themselves
    • The party met an elderly woman that owned some sheep in a nearby farm that had lost a few herself, though she was of little help to the group
  • Steve made his own attempt to speak to Yerra, enticing her with some of his rations and learning of what she witnessed in more detail
    • Steve learned that the Wenslows had begun keeping their sheep in their barn as their numbers dwindled, but Orin had foolishly left the house after dusk to "scare off the beast"
    • Yerra witnessed the creature walk up to Orin without a sound, "cover" him completely, and fly away with large wings afterwards
    • Fala offered the party a place to stay for the night after Steve expressed his desire to monitor the fields after sundown
  • The group contemplated their next move, deciding to sacrifice a sheep as bait, bought from the old lady down the road
    • Observing the sheep in shifts, Ilryn fell asleep as Cora barely managed to keep her eye on it before Steve woke up
    • As Ilryn slept and Cora became distracted, the sheep wandered just out of Steve's vision before he barely managed to spot a flash of spikes and a shadow flying up into the sky, absconding with the sheep
    • Yelling to wake the Wenslows, the group chased the figure, but its great speed carried it into the forest and away from the party's vision
    • Ultimately, the party decided to wait until daybreak to pursue the creature

Venerikine 2nd, 951 IaC

  • The party ventured into the woods near the farm, following scratches and marks made on trees throughout the eerily quiet forest
  • Eventually the party happened upon a cave lead up to by tracks consistent with the creature, and they chose to enter
    • Attempting to sneak through the rocky and narrow cave (doing so with a light to allow Cora and Steve to see), the party made their way to the back, happening upon what appeared to be some sort of nest
    • Backtracking, Ilryn cast Invisibility and investigated a foul-smelling passage in the cave, and as Steve and Cora watched, Steve was attacked by the strange creature
  • The party entered combat with the creature, a strange being with a back covered in stony spines, a large, toothy mouth that opened across its face, multiple bat-like eyes, and wings tethered to its arms that terminated in sharp spikes
    • Catching Steve off-guard, the beast pierced his sides with his spiky appendages, then attempting to consume him
    • A well-timed shield from Steve protected him from the maw of the creature, as well as the corrosive blood that spilled out as a result of the beast tearing its own mouth open large enough to swallow a man whole
    • Steve Misty Stepped away from the beast, launching firebolts as Cora and Ilryn engaged it directly
      • Ilryn was surprised to find that her new rapier appeared to cause its opponents pain, but did not harm their flesh
    • The beast turned its attention to Ilryn, stabbing her and bringing her in to eat her whole
      • Ilryn faced off against the gnashing teeth and burning blood with all her might, using her feet to push against the beast's pull as her shoes corroded away
    • As the beast began to bleed more, it took a defensive stance, growing its spines to protect its body as it completely covered Ilryn
    • Gambling that the beast might have a noctilionine connection, Steve attempted to confuse it with sound as Cora slashed and back away in time for Ilryn to launch a Thunderwave at point blank
    • The beast continued to attempt to eat Ilryn, but Steve's Portent saw futures in which the attacks of the beast ended in failure as a final Thunderwave from Ilryn blew the beast to bits, and Cora a little bit as well
  • The party pulled the beast down from the ceiling, roping it up and dragging it back to Reedenford the hard way
  • Arriving in town late in the night through the underground tunnel, the party found no one available to process the contract, though Rulan Vinesweep guided them towards a processing room to keep their kill
    • Ilryn decided to wait up with the corpse in the processing room until morning, when Adamine Longshallow arrived, processing the mission and awarding the group 85 gold, which they split evenly
    • Janis Tannerson arrived to take a look at the kill, identifying it as a lone Hellbeck, a powerful creature that usually resided in packs deep in the forests
      • Janis commended the party's efforts, and advised them to cover themselves in spit if they ever fought another one, as somehow it neutralized the active agent in the hellbeck's corrosive blood
    • Eliza arrived later, apologizing for not realizing the danger of the mission, but expressing her pride in the group. She advised the party to take the body of the beast to Tunban, as he wished to acquire it

Venerikine 3rd, 989 IaC

  • Dragging the corpse of the beast across the town square, the party was commanded by Tunban to hang the hellbeck's remains across a pole on the second floor of Tummel Tower
    • Cora paid a townsperson 5 copper to borrow his ladder to accomplish the task, much to the horror of a number of passersby
  • While returning to Cloverhall, Cora ran into a pair of knights from the Silver Eye
    • The taller knight introduced himself as Levinus Thansur, and the smaller knight as Mercesa Hanwin, though Levinus claimed she did not speak much
    • Levinus reached out to Cora through the power of Unavaranu, sensing rage behind her smile
    • Levinus cautioned Cora not to forget her devotion to the goddess above all else
    • The knights left to the southwest towards Midradir on a mission of faith, mentioning the temple of Un in Reedenford as they left
  • Back in Cloverhall, Cora opened the strange, thin box she found underneath Serpent's End, finding it to be a magical ladder
  • The group was approached by Tamidilly Rideonvattle, who informed them a trader of magical items was in town, but he required Electrum as currency for his trades
    • Tamidilly informed the party that Rulan was capable of trading gold for electrum, but at a loss
  • Ilryn and Cora pitched in to fund Steve's research, allowing him to buy an expensive pearl from the guild shop in order to cast the spell Identify, which he used on a number of the party's items

Kanka is built by just the two of us. Support our quest and enjoy an ad-free experience for less than the cost of a fancy coffee. Become a member.