View source for The Wreck - Chronological order of Events

[[File:The Wreck.png|right|450x450px]]
Four very different people survive a shipwreck and end up on a tiny island. These are their stories.

== The protagonists ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|[[Darius Naffles]]
|-
|[[Dauphine Tirfelya]]
|-
|[[Oscar]]
|-
|[[Quinton Gemweaver]]
|}

== Dolac ==

=== Four journeys ===
This is how our four friends ended up in the capital of [[Dolac]]; [[Avale]].

==== Quinton Gemweaver ====
Quinton starts his journey to Avale following the Fiumare river. On the way he ran into a band of [[Nikanish]] who were trying to protect a tribe of bullywugs and the druid was asked if he wanted to help and he does. Later his camp was overrun by zombies but he managed to get away with all of his belongings.

Then a town happened to be visited by a bunch [[Kashtin]] revelers when Quinton arrived and this lead to some very hedonistic days. Journeying on alone was quite the contrast but the beautiful landscapes made up for it especially the [[Dolac#Sevso Sound|Sevso Sound]]. From there it took a number of bridges to the islands in the Tal delta and a ferry to get across and make it to Avale where he finds an '''inn in the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Cegir Town|Cegir Town]] neighborhood'''.

The city is huge and there is much to see. Quinton starts by getting a shave at Hair Me Out. Next he buys a mince mop from a street vendor. While walking and eating he nearly collides with a square-jawed, blond-haired man that steps out of an outhouse, dusting down his clothes, mumbling to himself.

A few days later in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Downpark|Downpark]] he passes by the Pursue Hickory bank and comes to a square where an expensively dressed gentleman is tending to a vagrant, pouring a potion down his throat which seems to make him feel a lot better.

During another exploration of the city, this time in the North of Grove Way neighborhood, also known as [[Avale - Neighborhoods#NoGWay|NoGWay]], Quinton is lured into alley, where he is surrounded by four assailants. Things look bleak, this is an unwinnable fight and flight will also be difficult. But then an unassuming woman, short, with a cleft chin, and her dark hair in a knot, appears, and the four robbers run, saving him from an ignoble fate. The woman gives him a smile and leaves. There is no sign of her when the druid makes it back out on to the street.

The next day posters are being put up all over town saying the Admiralty is looking for able bodied men and women for an expedition of a few weeks. The pay is no less than 4 gp per day; more than enough to get Quinton to sign up.

==== Dauphine Tirfelya ====
On her donkey she makes it to the border with [[Otteun]], it’s been an interesting journey already, seeing the mammoths roam. Then Dauphine continues on to [[Midtal]], she’s never seen a big city and this is her chance. From the first inn in Otteun she finds out that elves are seen as rather exotic, people gaze at her, some small children even pull her hair.

The caravan she was traveling with, promptly got attacked on only the second day but fortunately they managed to fight off the robbers, Dauphine having to use her shortsword in anger for the first time. Midtal was an interesting experience, still getting lots of looks on account of being an elf but getting bothered a bit less. Surprisingly she made a little money when someone offered to pay her to paint a portrait of her.

Avale seemed the best possible next destination and the druid took passage on a river barge. The slow journey down the river gave plenty of time to focus on certain things she had been ignoring and to get to know her fellow travelers. At one village stop, Dauphine helped out one of her new friends when he was cheated on in a game of Three-Dragon Ante, managing to recover all the money.

The barge arrived at Avale disembarking everyone in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Kalehaven|Kalehaven]]. Two of her fellow passengers knew of a '''good inn in the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Longsee|Longsee]] neighborhood''', called the Other Inn, and so she joined them and walked there, taking a room on the third floor. It cost a little extra but the view of the Tal estuary is worth it. The first thing she sees is a short man with a white mustache, wearing a small hat catch a girl who picked a dwarf’s pocket. He hands the money over to the victim and then takes a piece of pastry from his pocket and gives it to the child before letting her go.

Here, too, people still find elves quite the attraction, she finds. The nearby fish shop, For Cod’s Sake, introduced her to all kinds of new food and then she was told about another place that she just had to go visit. Following directions she went to the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Oakhurst|Oakhurst]] neighborhood, where on Falanae Avenue she passed by Elassidil Villa, headquarters of [[Thal Lithel]]. At the intersection with Korb Street, a boy on crutches was brusquely told by a man in a carriage to get his ass in there. And then when the conveyance drove away she saw it; the Feywild Shroomhouse.

The next day posters are being put up all over town saying the Admiralty is looking for able bodied men and women for an expedition of a few weeks. The pay is no less than 4 gp per day; more than enough to get Dauphine to sign up.

==== Darius Naffles ====
After finishing his priestly training Darius was told to find his way in the world. Any direction was as good as the other but his father had told him that some far-flung family of his lived in Avale, so why not go there first?

On his way through [[Mifora]] his skills were called upon numerous times. Usually to give his blessing or heal the wounded. But one time he arrived at a village where a recently deceased had risen. Using his god given powers he quickly destroyed it, maybe a little more thoroughly than the grieving family had hoped for.

Then in another town, when money was low, Darius joined a group of adventurers who promised riches. The Toast of Tetia proved to be better at boasting than questing. It was only due to Darius that no one died and the riches turned out to be a single gem, that, split five ways, did not amount to all that much.

A less than stellar encounter with a wild boar made Darius happy to finally arrive in Avale. He’s told of a small shrine to [[Ehlonna]] in the '''[[Avale - Neighborhoods#Abrinol|Abrinol]] neighborhood and the gnome finds an inn nearby; the Steaming Pot'''.

Walking through the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Clover Hill|Clover Hill]] neighborhood, Darius sees three attractive, middle-aged women coming out of Smells by Design, a perfume shop. As he passes by, he overhears part of their conversation: “Did you hear, Meghan Wellington is back in town, but the state of her...” says the brunette. “I heard she was married off to some [[Godfall]] dwarf who kept her in his cellar,” adds the blonde. “Who cares, Lilia, we have things to do down the road,” counters the redhead. “Alice, always chasing the sublime,” comments the dark-haired one.

The next day posters are being put up all over town saying the Admiralty is looking for able bodied men and women for an expedition of a few weeks. The pay is no less than 4 gp per day; more than enough to get Darius to sign up.

==== Oscar ====
The halfling wakes up with a headache in a small, stone room on a cot, a tiny window high on the wall provides some light. A pitcher of water stands on a table. In one corner there is a small hole in the floor that smells of excrement. A single door, locked or barred, blocks his way. Once a day the door is opened just wide enough to slide a bowl of gruel and a spoon inside. He can’t see much more than a hallway and a soldier, there is no sign, or smell, of the old man.

After the second night he wakes in a new environment, feeling weak and listless, like that one time he ate those red mushrooms. He finds himself in a large, wooden room that lists from side to side. Around his leg is a manacle that is clamped around a stout wooden beam. A scarred man wearing a red cloth hat comes to him twice a day, bringing food that is incredibly hard, he needs the also provided drink, grog, to make it chewable.

Additionally the sailor makes sure to check his manacle and the beam every time. He can move along the beam, about a meter or two, just enough to reach the small barrel smelling of excrement. There are many crates and barrels but all are out of reach. At least there are the rats who visit him at all hours. He supplements his diet this way.

After a long journey the ship reaches port, all the smells tell Oscar they are next to land and he makes sure he’s prepared. When the sailor removes the manacle the halfling pushes the man’s head into the wall, as hard as he can. Then he is up the ladder and soon on deck of the ship. The sight of a huge city in front of him is frightening but he sees the wooden pier and jumps onto it, running away from the ship and towards the city, pushing people away when he can’t avoid them, one, carrying a large crate, falls into the water.

Weak with hunger he makes his way into the city, there are so many people! He stumbles about, going wherever seems most quiet. He comes to a small park but is immediately chased by men wearing blue tabards. He keeps moving, coming to a road in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Gill Gardens|Gill Gardens]] where he startles a man and a woman in an intimate embrace. She hides her head behind the man as Oscar runs off and minute later he almost gets trampled by a horde of girls all yelling and chasing after a man with salt and pepper hair.

When it gets later in the evening there’s fewer people around but then the smell of food hits his nose and his stomach rumbles loudly. He follows the scent and finds a place where people sit outside and others come from inside a building, bringing food and putting it on the tables. He times his approach well and manages to snag an entire tray of food, running off, spilling some but losing any pursuit, hiding in a garden as he gobbles down the meal.

He sleeps there, hiding himself in the bushes till he is woken in the morning by all kinds of unfamiliar sounds and smells. A woman comes into the garden and Oscar bolts, leaving her confused shouts in his dust. Eventually he ends up at the south end of the city, in the '''[[Avale - Neighborhoods#Old Yards|Old Yards]]'''.

Things are rather grimy here, but then he finds a market, so many stalls with food and other things. People seem to pay him less mind than in other parts of the city, everyone just trying to live their lives. He sees people handing over small discs of metal as they point at food and are then handed what they desire. He doesn’t have any of those but since grabbing and running worked last night, he tries again, grabbing a dead chicken and running off. These market people don’t like this at all and he is chased by multiple vendors and stock boys. But one greengrocer seems to see the lighter side of things and throws Oscar an apple from his stall which the halfling catches expertly before slipping under a stall and down an alley, eventually losing his pursuers.

The next day posters are being put up all over town saying the Admiralty is looking for able bodied men and women for an expedition of a few weeks. The pay is no less than 4 gp per day; unfortunately Oscar can't read any of this. And he, sadly, doesn't spot the men who come when he's sleeping and knock him out, shanghaiing him.

== Sarodin Sea ==
Those signing up weren't told much and that's because it turns out to be a '''pirate hunting mission'''. A flotilla lead by the Whiskered Admiral is going to search for a small pirate fleet that was spotted not too far away. The navy is sending four ships; the Prince Willim, a 1st charter ship, two 2nd charter ships, the Ranhem and the Crowned Griffon, and a 3rd charter ship, the Arms of Dolac.

It's early in the morning and those shanghaied wake up feeling the worse for wear, it smells of sweat and sick, there are many conversations around. Some rays of sunshine penetrate the murk, the floor beneath them is moving in all directions. People are getting up from the floor and soon a hatch opens, the sunlight suddenly very bright, and some people come down a ladder.

Standing next to the ladder are a balding halfling, he looks to be in charge, a dwarf with a short beard, a half-elf, she has a rather big nose and her hair is dyed black, quite badly. Further there’s a gnome, her face looks to be sliding down her skull, and a large half-orc, with blonde dyed hair.

The halfling speaks: “I am Bosun Miller and you are on board the majestic Crowned Griffon, the best ship in the entire navy, run expertly by Captain Drumpf and Quartermaster Onel.” At the mention of the last name some people involuntarily scrunch their noses, he apparently has quite the musk. Miller continues: “We are on a mission to take out a pirate fleet and make sure these murderers, rapists, and drug dealers will never make it to our homeland.”

“Now, most of you might not be here voluntarily but you are finally going to do something worthwhile with your lives and get paid really well for it,” he tells the crowd. “Until we get anywhere near the pirates you will be assisting with the running of the ship, Chief Mate Luktnicks here will further explain.”

The dwarf looks around, “you will be doing grunt work even a wet goblin can do, complain or shirk and you will be going overboard, try your luck with the sharks. You might have noticed your weapons and armor are missing. We don’t want any accidental stabbings or other fights, get in one and you’ll get intimately familiar with the cat o' nine tails as wielded by Karoline here,” he motions towards the half-orc. She scowls as she looks around and rumbles “leave it”.

“You’ll get your weaponry back when we near the pirates, you can even put on your armor then, if you are fool enough to want to drown with it. Until then you report to the second mate, Juliana,” he points at the half-elf, “or the third mate, Kristi,” he motions towards the gnome.

Our four friends are selected by third mate Kristi to help with pulling the sails when there is need to, she puts a sailor in charge of them. The four introduce themselves to each other but soon find that the halfling doesn't speak. Quinton gives some grapes to the halfling, who we will refer to as Oscar, for the sake of convenience. Darius asks: “isn’t this the demon child?” The others shrug their shoulders. Then he speaks in Infernal: “do you understand?” Oscar doesn't, but Quinton does!

The gnome's question stems from the fact that during their weeks in town '''they heard lots of stories''' any time they were in a tavern, or really anywhere a lot of people gather and gossip. It's definitely possible they heard stories about other people with the same name or looks, but '''this is what they all think they heard about their new friends'''. It might all be just poppycock of course!

Quinton learned the following: people have said Oscar was being raised by an elf. Darius does not actually know where his mother is buried. He looked for the grave but never found it. Maybe for the best, because he would like to dig her up to find out how and why she died. Dauphine has a strange fascination for dead things. It's said she sometimes talks to dead animals.

Dauphine heard these stories: Rumor has it that during his training Darius wounded and even killed small animals to learn and practice his new spells. Most of them failed, which resulted in unneeded suffering. Quinton used to dress in women's clothes. Oscar is a wild child who will eat anything he comes across; plant, animal, human?

Darius heard the following rumors: Dauphine keeps dead animals rotting in her backpack. It's best not to follow her too closely when traveling because the dead smell coming from her backpack can only mean she's keeping dead birds... or something. Quinton became the owner of the family business at the tender age of 17. And... Oscar is a demon child.

Oscar doesn't understand Common but he was lurking and heard people say the following, even if he had no idea what they were saying: Darius buried his own father. He even fixed and prepared the body so that it could be presented in a coffin. Which was one hell of a job since his father died in a fireball. Darius invited all the locals to the funeral, but nobody came. Dauphine has found her armor in a second-hand shop. Quinton is said to have a scar from a date gone wrong on an undisclosed body part.
The four get to know each other a little better that first day and are put to work when needed. At this point it becomes clear to Third Mate Kristi that Oscar doesn't speak Common or even understands it. She complains to another crew-mate about the shanghai-ers, how they are bringing in totally useless people, which is overheard by our friends.[[File:Bound shark.png|right|300x300px]]
At some point Darius looks over the railing and sees a shark swimming just under the surface. But this is very strange, it looks like there is a sort of metal cage around its head. He calls over Kristi but it's gone when she arrives and she waves away his story, blaming it on his sea sickness.

Quinton tries to write something on the mast but is immediately scolded by a sailor who are a superstitious bunch and this spells bad luck.

The next morning our friends wake, and while they might still feel sea sick, their recent experiences have unlocked new abilities inside themselves. [They reached second level.]

During the next days they all get to know each other even more and experiment a little with their new found abilities. Quinton uses his Message cantrip to send a message to Darius, which freaks him out at first. Oscar hunts down a rat and eats it. Darius immediately calls Third Mate Kristi over and shows her that the halfling is not useless at all; he's a great ratter!

Then, during the night, '''a massive storm hits''' the flotilla. Our friends are asleep in the hold when they get tossed all over as the waves pummel the ship. A huge hole in the hull makes the ship list to the side. In nautical circles this is what is known as a ‘bad sign’. Before the party even knows it, for that is what they are now, they '''find themselves in the water'''. Huge waves spell their doom but fortunately '''half of a loading trapdoor floats nearby and they manage to cling on to it'''. Twice someone loses their hold due to the storm but twice they are rescued by the others.

=== Tiny Island ===
After floating on a calmer sea for many hours they eventually '''wash ashore on a tiny island''', about an hour before dusk. They have nothing but the clothes on their backs and maybe one trinket or other item they kept close. The island is not a bounty one; one rock spur sticks about eight meters up in the air, the beach is more pebble than sand. There’s one small tree, not doing too well, other than that just some shrub bushes that don’t grow much in the way of food. One can walk a full circle around the island in about ten minutes.

There are some things that washed up on the shore with them. A large, iron anchor twisted into a spiral, they have no idea how it got there, it would definitely sink and not float. Oscar finds a cloak clasp shaped like a kraken, he has no idea what a kraken is but it looks nice so he keeps it. A barrel of mead is a nice find and they all immediately quench their thirst. Quentin finds a banged up scroll case that contains a scroll of [https://5e.tools/spells.html#enhance%20ability_phb Enhance Ability].

Oscar searches the island for food and other useful things, finding just a few berries and mushrooms but near the shore he finds [https://5e.tools/items.html#jellyfish%20vine_hhbh Jellyfish Vine], which are not dissimilar to a plant he knows; he'll be able to fashion this into something that will improve a weapon for a short time. Meanwhile Quinton has gone up to the one tree and found a branch that could serve as a weapon. He tries to make it into a quarterstaff but it becomes no more than a club.

Our friends discuss what to do next and Dauphine suggest climbing the rock spur to see if anything can be seen there, Darius and Quinton decide to go with. Oscar, who hasn't understood a word of the discussion follows a short distance behind. And he gets a great view of the three ahead '''falling through a thin sheet of rock into a shaft below''', debris flying everywhere.

The halfling gets there in time to see there is a force field at the bottom of a 30' shaft that has slowed down everyone's fall and they end up on the floor with little to no damage. Oscar then uses the handholds that have been carved into the rock to climb down to the others.

The bedrock has been carved out to create a room, the ceiling is about 15’ high, the shaft in the middle of it. It is pretty barren, on a stone shelf lies a book that has been totally overgrown with mold. A corridor leads away, there is a tiny bit of light coming from around corner. Only two of our friends have darkvision, Quinton can see almost nothing, the force field provides a little light.

A magic mouth on the wall starts speaking in an unknown language to most but Quinton knows Ancient, though he has never heard it spoken before; '''“This is containment area Manahuia. You do not have the proper authorization to be here. Leave now and do not return lest you’ll be destroyed.”''' Oscar has made it down by now and Dauphine tries to see if she can rescue a page from the middle of the book but fails utterly.

A minute later the magic mouth repeats its message and then '''incorporeal snakes come through the walls and start to attack'''. They are hard to hit and there are many, so the party flees down the one corridor. Here they find a natural cave that has been carved in places to heighten the ceiling to about 8’. There are signs of combat, scorch marks on the walls, a broken arrow lies just inside the corridor.

To the back of the cave is '''a dark opening, about three meters in diameter, maybe it’s their imagination but the inside of it seemed to move a bit, throb'''? It is almost entirely blocked by a stone wall that is crumbling, the druids are versed in Arcana and recognize it as one made by the Wall of Stone spell. Almost a foot of water has seeped into the cave and in the murky water they can just about make out four small mounds of stuff. In the left back corner of the room lies a ball of something rubber-like wrapped around itself.

The snakes haven't followed, yet, so they have time to explore. Three of the four mounds contain a dead body, very well preserved, and also a number of items. Going through all the items takes time but will likely lead to some good finds so most of our friends go through it carefully, whereas Oscar grabs something at random. The odds are 2.78% but he manages to grab a necklace of teeth, not unlike one he was wearing and lost in the storm!

Darius has gone to the rubbery thing and it slowly starts moving a little, waking up? It takes a while but it slowly unwraps its appendages and turns out to be some kind of golem-like entity? The party has been collecting items for a while and now the first incorporeal snake has found its way to them. The rubbery thing attacks with just a single appendage at first and hits hard; doing not just hit point damage but also giving Exhaustion to those hit.

Every round the golem attacks with one more appendage and escape becomes a necessity. Dauphine uses two Thunderwave spells to destabilize the wall and then Oscar manages to place the butt of the spear that Quinton found and gave him, in exactly the right place and he levers up and a huge chunk of wall comes down, enough for them to enter the strange tunnel that looks a lot like the inside of an esophagus, [[wikipedia:Peristalsis|peristaltic contractions]] and all.

Dauphine really wants more of the items but is hit again by the rubbery being and when the incorporeal then critically hits her, she's brought down! It's not easy but the others manage to get her out; Darius using a Cure Wounds spell and Quinton helping by providing another target for their foes. Everyone ends up inside the tunnel and the creatures don't seem to want to enter it.

As they walk down the sloped tunnel they heal themselves as best they can. The tunnel is long and continues downward, only after a long walk they arrive in another cave, slick with water. The tunnel looks about the same at this end as the other, very strange. Things look to be safe so our friends decide to have a long rest and '''look at all the items they managed to grab'''.

Dauphine found a potion of Stupendous Healing (3d10+level) and she knows these are very rare and not for sale, it might be worth a nice amount. She also found a bracelet made of gold, set with turquoise stones. Quinton found one exactly the same, each bracelet should be worth about a hundred gold pieces. Other items she managed to recover are a [[Demon Dash|'''Demon Dash''']], which she gives to Darius, and a water-proof scroll case containing a number of gems (200 gp worth) and spell scrolls of [https://5e.tools/spells.html#false%20life_phb False Life] and [https://5e.tools/spells.html#skywrite_xge Skywrite].

Darius found the rather strange [[Cyphers & Potions#Arakaen Mana Parasite Potion|'''Arakaen Mana Parasite Potion''']] and Stridden Boots that can give the wearer explosive speed as billowing flames blast from their feet and set anyone they get near to on fire. He also found a really strange tiny, red stinger; '''[[Phlegethos’ Pick]]'''. Quinton found the '''[[Spent Spear]]''' which he gave to Oscar and the halfling managed to grab the necklace with teeth; '''[[Past Primal]]'''.

[Room with the mounds of stuff and some of the items there with thanks to Dale Friezen.]

'''Darius rips a pant-leg from his trousers and turns it into an improvised mask''' which he puts around his face, only '''his eyes are still visible and they are purple''', instead of the blue they were earlier.
[[File:Steam Mephit.png|right|349x349px]]
After some good sleep they set off down the slick rock corridor, going ever further down, the temperature drops even more and everyone gets a headache. Eventually they come to a fissure, vapor rising from it, about ten foot across.

Right after Dauphine jumps over it, small, winged humanoid creatures with pale skin and wisps of vapor rising from their nose, mouth, and ears rise from it. They shed drops of steaming water when they move.

The creatures attack with their steam breath, hurting our friends quite a bit but they have quite some capabilities of their own and Oscar manages to use his Past Primal to critically hit one of them, killing it instantly.

The path continues on until they reach what must be a really big, stone door. A large stone frame runs up, across, and down a single slab of stone. There is no handle or lock visible but on either side there is a hole in the stone, just a bit bigger than a finger. After some discussion Darius and Dauphine '''each put a finger into one of the holes and the door slides open diagonally'''.

==== Midnight Altar ====
Beyond the doorway is a square room about 50’ on each side carved out of some kind of blue stone. A midnight altar, wrought from some superterrestrial metal, stands at its center. Faint lines of golden energy radiate from the altar along the floor to a large door. Above the altar float a number of symbols, most are white, two are purple. In the middle of the two side walls sit levers, both pointing up.

At the far end of the room is a large door, made of a dark wood and covered in many sigils that all radiate with magical power. Around the door and on the floor emblems have been carved, the same set repeats; a skull, a cloud, a triangle pointing downwards, something that might be an explosion, a scorpion. The door doesn’t seem to have hinges, a lock, or a handle. A tiny crack has formed at the bottom left of the door and a dark orange substance has seeped out, it looks like a small drop of syrup or honey.

Our friends investigate the room but can't make heads nor tails from the symbols above the altar. The door seems to be warded to keep something in, this might be some strange mystical prison? '''Darius rips off another part of his trousers and uses it to dab at the small drop of strange substance at the foot of the door, it absorbs into the cloth.'''

A Detect Magic spell shows that the two levers probably aren't connected to the warded door and since there is nowhere else for the party to go they decide to pull on them simultaneously. When they do, two things happen immediately. '''There is a sinking feeling as their room starts to float down''', and six parts of the wall are blown away and beyond them are niches in a strange shell like shape. Each contains a bench that is angled ninety degrees, a receptacle holding a potion vial, and a lever.

Everyone feels the pressure increasing in their heads and it stands to reason it will only get worse. Darius darts into one of the niches and pulls the lever. When he does so, a force field covers the open side of the niche as it is pushed away from the wall and starts to float to the surface. The gnome drinks the potion, figuring it might be needed at this point, it turns out to be a healing potion. When the escape pod pops out of the water it lands horizontally on the waves and the force field disappears, the bench is now in the right position to sit on.

Having seen the result of Darius' action, Oscar is next to scramble inside a niche and pull the lever. Dauphine and Quinton stay a bit longer, wondering if there's something else they can do here but with the pressure mounting, they too make their escape. Once on the surface, all of the pods find a way to each other and cluster together.

As they float there our friends talk about their experiences as Darius tries to explain to Oscar that the potion is a healing potion. The party discusses the '''strange black and white vision that talked to them as they entered the room'''. No one saw it in the room but somehow each saw a black and white apparition talking to them, it looked like a rather enigmatic version of their race. And it promised lots of power if they would help 'it', and clearly whatever the entity was, it was quite powerful. But '''they all declined its offer'''.

After floating in the middle of nowhere, the island is not in sight, for most of the day, they get very lucky and spot a ship. It's '''a fishing ship, the Twilight Wanderer, from the [[Sarodin Sea#Hundred Mile Islands|Hundred Mile Islands]]''' and our friends are taken on board. As he does so, Quinton notices from the corner of his eyes what looks to be '''a huge head sticking out of the water''', from about halfway up the nose. It's right at the horizon and must be enormous but it moves away before anyone else can spot it.

The crew consists of four people, all quite sunburned; Captain Raisa, tall, skinny, and quite sociable, Zaria, she has a broken nose, muscled arms, and is quite chatty, Blazh, he wears an earring with lapis lazuli, is missing a finger, and carries a hooked knife, he's quite jovial, and Kyrilu, a rather hirsute individual who squints a lot and is a bit grumpy.

The ship is cramped with eight of them on it but they make it work as they set sail home to Abrinol, the neighborhood in Avale is named for it. During the journey our friends get to know the crew a little better and learn of the fascinating culture of the Hundred Mile Islands, though Quinton isn't charmed by it and conspicuously moves away when these things are discussed. That first night everyone on the boat sees '''a falling star, blue streaked, and very low on the horizon, crossing the sky'''.

After a, blessedly uneventful, journey of a few days '''our friends arrive on Abrinol'''. It's quite the sight; the buildings on the island are all made of wood and painted red, though a Dolac would say their quality was less than they were used to. Off to one side of the town there are a few houses that are clearly built in older Dolac style, including one tavern, the Maiden and Flagon.

A few warehouses in Dolac style are situated to the left of the harbor, that’s also where two large piers can be found, each has a ship anchored there. The Prince Willim is one of those, it looks to have taken quite some damage from the storm. The other ship is a large merchant vessel named the [[Hythe Maritime Services|HMS]] Floris.

Captain Raisa invites the party over to dinner at her house and even offers to let them stay the night. First our friends go do a little shopping, selling the gold bracelets they found to get some new clothes and supplies. A few merchants sell flotsam and jetsam; they recovered a number of items from the flotilla, including Dauphine's [[Coloured lenses of Scotopia (Tanaquilya Lomë)|colored lenses of Scotopia]] and her [[Nochtoina]]. She buys both and also a part of the Crowned Griffon's name plate, it reads "owned". Oscar waits until the merchant is distracted and steals a gold tooth.

Our friends first go to the Prince Willim to see about passage, though none of them are much enamored with the navy at this point. They are offered passage, however they try the HMS Floris as well. The sailor at the gangplank has good news and bad news; the ship is sailing for Avale tomorrow, but all passenger berths are filled. When our friends ask if there's really nothing to be done, relaying how they were shipwrecked, a voice speaks from the railing and invites them up.

A blonde man, tall and wide shouldered, the type you would cast in your play to be the paladin or king, welcomes them onboard and '''introduces himself as Gerrut Hythe but tells them to call him Keeper'''. Apparently their story had an effect and he offers them passage and would like to discuss their experiences with the Admiralty.

The next morning, after a lovely dinner and a fun time in a tavern, they board the HMS Floris and find out that Keeper has vacated his personal cabin for them, he'll use a hammock on deck. They discuss bound sharks; he's seen a few over the years, but the giant head is totally new to him, and he has no experience with tiny islands and strange, sinking rooms.

== Dolac ==
Our friends make it safely '''back to [[Avale]]''' where the first order of business is to find an inn, as they decide to stick together; they learned that to get any adventuring work you need to be signed up as a group. They are told the Grey Minstrel Inn is a good place for what they are willing to spend so that's where they go.

As they approach the place in the Bow Valley neighborhood they see an old woman in dirty coat sitting on an upturned bucket at the entrance to an alley. A brown mackerel tabby with gray field lays on a window sill and gets up stretching its back. A little girl with pale skin and big, blue eyes, in an old coat dances to music only she can hear. Inside the inn a lute missing its strings and a broken horn hang on the wall, a statuette of a panther, wooden and painted black stands in an alcove.

Next on the list is more shopping; our friends sell a number of the items they found and use the proceeds to buy weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. Dauphine has a shield made from the Crowned Griffon name board. Quinton looks into getting pan-flute lessons and ordering business cards.

Then '''a visit to the Adventurers Association''' in Kesslia. They have to fill out a form, asking where their strengths lie and '''give a party name, for some reason they decide on "The Daltons"'''. After a a short while they are lead to the offices of Jerry Tidwell, who will be their agent from now on. He's a tall halfling with dark hair and a big nose, and very outgoing, energetic. He offers them coffee that he has specially imported from [[Haza]].

They discuss what he can do for them as he plays around with a silvered horseshoe in his hands, in some places the original iron clearly visible. Jerry tells them they are in luck; Grand Master and [[Dolac#Government|Torchbearer]] Geppert Cross, of the Guild of Cartographers & Surveyors has died recently and there are '''jobs available as honor guard'''. It only pays 2 gp but he explains that it's important to get a relationship started with any guild, they are much more likely to hire people they have worked with in the past, and usually don't look closely at what the work was.

He also advises them to get a ‘money person’, it's such a waste to keep your money in a pouch or under your bed. The money person knows the best banks to put them in or other investment opportunities. “Me and some friends bought the rights to the Dolac blue conifer; whenever a single one of them is sold we get part of that,” he explains quite animatedly. He suggests a bookkeeper; Carla Tebaldo, she's a gnome and does most of his investments.

=== First Jobs ===
Our friends are told to go to Save Nine in the Fabrics neighborhood to pick up ceremonial staves and robes with the Guild of Cartographers & Surveyors clue compass rose attached to them. Next they report to the Domicile of Diligence in Uppark. The procession will go to the Mother Mensual cemetery in the Dawnbloom Heights neighborhood and every hundred feet two people peel off to stand to the left and right of the street.

On their way they hear people in the crowd along the street talking. A halfling wearing a poncho with multicolored, diagonal lines comments: “you know what a dead Torchbearer is? A good start! I say burn them all, what have they ever done for us?” A woman in a hat with a blue compass rose emblem tells her companion: “I heard that thing that fell from the sky destroyed the entire city of [[Kostul]]!” A gorgeous half-elf in a blue dress says to her friend, who is equally stunning: “I used to have so much fun with Old Geppy, he was the loveliest little lapdog”.

When our friends get near Carriage Court it is their turn to take up positions. A dwarf with a beard woven into an intricate pattern asks: “Did they appoint anyone in place of the dead guy yet?” A man eating the last bit of his deep-fried giant answers: “No, this bunch are traditionalists and wait till the body is in the ground.” To which the dwarf replies: “Well, I hope that whoever gets in will be in favor of lowering taxes on labor, it’s got so bad I can hardly compete with foreign crap coming in.” Says the man: “This guild? Don’t hold your breath.”

As the funeral procession comes closer a man steps into the street, right between where our friends are standing. He throws a bottle of oil to the cobbles and pours another all over himself. He cries: “They ruined me! Those gods-damned guilds and their rules, destroying the common man and do they care? Do they fuck all!” as he takes out a tinderbox. People scramble backwards.

Our friends immediately respond and an Entangle spell plus a Command spell by Darius prevent the man from lighting himself on fire. Then Dauphine knocks him to the ground and the four of them work him to the side of the road before any of the dignitaries get there. When they do, one of them comes over to the party, a man with a heavy set build and hangdog facial features, who introduces himself as '''Alun Djames, a Master of the Stevedores Guild'''. 

He's impressed with what they did and invites them over to his home for dinner the next day. Our friends arrive at his home on Sevso Island, located right at the river with a view of the rest of the city, and get introduced to his wife and three children. Dinner is great and Alun promises that he'll rustle up some work for them when he can.

The very next day Jerry sends a messenger; he has '''work for the party'''. "It's a twofer!" he exclaims enthusiastically when they enter his office. He has received requests from the '''Alchemists & Apothecaries Guild and the Messengers Coalition'''. Both seem to him a good match for our friends and he hands them the parchments; '''[[AAG - Request 1|Request for Ingredients]] & [[MC - Request 1|Missing Messenger]]'''.

==== Kenohob ====
Our friends make it to Kenohob without any trouble, all the while having kept an eye out for Herleva. Once there they find outshe picked up her package and left, right on schedule. They also learn that wild animals have been coming into the village causing havoc, this is not normal behavior, usually they know the risks and avoid the hamlet. Only last night the Furious Farmer lost a number of cows due to a wolf attack.

Our friends go visit her and the halfling tells them, pointing at the forest with her scythe, that the wolf went back into the nearby forest. Darius asks to buy an old scythe and our friends then track the wolf, they are quite skilled at this and easily follow its tracks between the trees. They lead to the dead body of the wolf, with an zombie boar standing over it. Battle is short and swift with the boar snuffing it in the end; Oscar critically hitting once more.

There's only an hour or so of daylight left but again our friends prove very proficient at tracking, following back the path the boar took. They arrive at an '''ancient barrow mound, deeper in the forest'''. Sitting on top of it is a '''redheaded girl and her dog, which looks quite undead''', but not in a way that Darius, or the others, have seen before.

The party talks with the girl as the carefully close and spread out a little. She '''confirms that she is Herleva''' and tells them that on her way back to Avale, her dog Snuffles dashed into the forest and she followed him. It lead to the barrow mound, one side had collapsed a bit and left a hole big enough for the dog to go through. '''When Snuffles came back out it was very much changed and now, anytime it came near a creature it turned it into a zombie.'''

The girl herself is fine, definitely not undead, though she is clearly malnourished. There is some speculation among the party about why she is not a zombie, maybe only beasts are affected? They throw her a goodberry and she eats it, feeling a bit better. But it's clear to her the party doesn't want things to stand as they are. She pleads with them to leave her and Snuffles alone, telling them she'll try and make sure it won't infect any other creature, she'll give them all her meager belongings but please, don't harm her only friend in the whole world.

The party has other ideas though, Darius definitely wants to end the undead dog's existence and the others agree that that's the best course of action. Quinton starts by casting a Sleep spell on the poor Herleva so she doesn't have to witness what is about to happen. Zombie forest creatures have by now made their way around the barrow mound and a battle ensues.

Darius uses his Turn Undead ability and a zombie wolf runs away. But the other opponents are tough and some of our friends are brought low, fortunately between the four of them they possess quite some healing magic. Darius activates his Stridden Boots and uses them to great effect, burning four enemies before the boots burn up completely and hurt him. Combat is over soon after with the party victorious.

The gnome uses his undertaker tools on Snuffles fails to learn anything useful. Our friends '''burn all the undead''' and they then very carefully investigate the hole in the barrow mound, using a large stick and a rope to pull a bone dagger and a wooden box from the interior. The engraved box contains twenty-six teeth, each engraved with the mirror image of all letters of the alphabet; when pressed into something soft they leave an imprint.

Our friends put anything that will burn into the interior of the mound and then light it, hoping that whatever turned Snuffles into what it became can be destroyed this way, or at least stop it from happening to anyone else. They then carry Herleva away and wake her up. She is incredibly distressed when told that Snuffles is no more and Quinton uses a Charm Person spell to blunt the edge.

Back in Kenohob they take a room at the Whispy Vapor Inn for all five of them, Herleva is still very sad about the events and Quinton goes into the village and finds someone with shepherd puppies and he brings two back for the girl. That definitely brings a smile to her face but it's a good, persuasive talk they have with her that eventually convinces her not to sneak out of the room at night to go back to the barrow mound.

The party all agree it's not a good idea to have Herleva go back to Avale by herself and figuring there is no rush for the other job '''they return to the capital with her and deliver her to the Messengers Coalition HQ'''. They then do some shopping and start the return journey to Kenohob the next day. From there they go south as indicated by the request and eventually come across an ogre.
[[File:Ogre Howdah.png|right|355x355px]]
But that's not all there is to it; someone built a palisaded wooden fort on its back! And in there are two goblins, one speaks up as the party approaches. “Ah, perfidious questers! Surrender your treasures and artifacts and your existences will be spared!” Our friends do not feel inclined to take this deal and move closer and the goblin speaks again: “Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational Flak Ogre!”

Battle is on and the two goblins are very adapt at sniping at the party with spell and bow before hiding behind the wooden cover again. Unfortunately for them they miss as often as they hit. The ogre hits more often and harder but it turns out that two druids with two Wild Shapes each have a nice buffer of hit points to make it through a fight.

'''Eventually the ogre topples''' and both goblins roll away, the spell caster of the two manages to escape, hurling insults as she disappears. The other the party manages to kill, unfortunately it doesn't have loot worth anything.

The next day our friends split in two groups and '''manage to find all the ingredients''' requested by Herb’s Store. They set up camp near a marsh and then proceed to '''have a very strange dream''' featuring a blue and green painted carriage and a mansion with a butler and long corridors full of doors.

=== Avale ===
Our friends deliver the ingredients and ogre parts and Herb, the proprietor, shows them a number of interesting items he is willing to sell them for their services, he tells them to check back often as his stock changes frequently. When they return to the Grey Minstrel Inn they are accosted by '''a dwarf with a rather tangled and unkempt beard'''. He is looking for a job and introduces himself as '''Aracuda Shovi''', it's clear he is far from home but our friends don't have any work for him. Dauphine asks him if he has ever heard of a Stone Dragon cave; he tells her it rings a vague bell, he will find her if he remembers more.

'''The piece of cloth that Darius dabbed in the dark orange substance''' has grown over time and the next morning he wakes to find it has wound tight around his torso and learns it's '''now an armor of sorts: [[Vessel Wraps]]'''. The quarter-scythe that he ordered has been completed and he pays with it by trading in his old armor. Oscar has seen Dauphine's shortbow and wants to try one as well so they buy one for him.

The next day a message from Jerry, their agent, arrives. He has '''a job for a druid to sub for one who got sick, the druid is to wild shape into two different animals for a play being staged at the Catifras theater in Oakhurst'''. He also included three free tickets for the play that night. Dauphine and Quinton decide that he should be the one to take the job and he goes to the theater that afternoon. The marquee reads: “'''Hanno Salt stars as Jack Hoida in Jack Hoida and the Forgotten Temple'''”.

He is met by the '''Long-Suffering Assistant Director''' who explains they need a panther in the first act and a giant snake in the third. He is then introduced to the Water Wrangler, the Pyronicist, the Sound Effecter, and the stage hands. He briefly meets Hanno Salt, a dark haired, square jawed man in dark pants, a white jacket with dangling fasteners, and black gloves, who sucks on a licorice stick and soon leaves with a giggling blonde. Quinton learns the play is about intrepid explorer cutting a swathe through vines and canoeing down white-frothing rivers in a territory composed almost entirely of jungle and implausible traps. He gets to practice his part with the Nervous Stand-in.

In the evening our friends take their places in the audience and Quinton is in the wings. The play starts with a bard singing an opening song as the backgrounds change and stagehands walk out with placards showing who plays who. At the end of the play another song is sung. Some quotes:<blockquote>"...and of course, Queen Tamarka was my lover, but now she wants my head on a stick. All because I gave away the secret of her immortality..."

"...and that's when I married the love of my life and retired. Only for her to be murdered six months later, dragging me back into my old life..."

"...after that I spent a year undercover as a pirate under Captain Rosaline, the River Rose. Also my lover, by the way. And come to think of it, she also wants my head on a stick..."</blockquote>Quinton does an ok job and is in the changing rooms afterwards when Hanno Salt steps in. “The production went as smooth as can be, you all deserve a drink. I love it when a play comes together,” he tells them before he leaves with a giggling blonde, not the same as the one in the afternoon. Quinton goes of with the cast and crew for a drink and the rest of the party also goes to a nearby tavern for a libation or two.

==== Night at the Museum ====
Not much later '''another job''' offer comes through; our friends are to '''act as guards for some animals on display at the [[Avale#State Museum|State Museum]] during a fundraiser'''. They are told to look the part more than anything; wear all the armor they have and bring their biggest weapons. At the location they are met by the '''Harried PA''' who explains she had to make a deal with the museum guards; the party has to stick to their location with the animals and are to leave everything else to the museum guards.

The event takes place in two large, connected rooms and in one corner there is a display; "'''Animals from [[Neniros]]'''". There's a large cage containing an orangutan, a large box with glass front and top in which a huge anaconda lies. Two smaller boxes with glass tops and fronts hold Neniros toads and blue poison dart frogs. A small cage hanging from a pole contains a single orange and black bird; a cock-of-the-rock.

The caterers are busy setting up tables full of food and drink and at some point someone calls out; “'''Hey, Naffles''', where in the Nine Hells are you?” Darius calls out that he's here but another voice also pipes up. This turns out to be '''the gnome's second cousin, Dersigos''', who works catering this evening. Then the first guests start to arrive.

Once everyone is present a short man with a large mustache steps up on a small podium. Quinton saw this man on his first day in the city, near the Pursue Hickory bank. They learn that he is '''Joseph Lacombe, the Grand Master and Boss of the Guild of Bookkeepers, Notaries & Scribes'''. He holds a short speech:<blockquote>“Friends, welcome, it is good to see so many familiar money pouches, I mean faces. We are so fortunate to be able to congregate here this evening and enjoy all the world has to offer, great food and drink a plenty. But we should spare a thought for those less fortunate, those that live in squalor, who don’t have a job, whose children are sick and going hungry. We should not allow our society to let this go on and thus I have started the Solutions for the Infirm charity and call on you for support. Please enjoy your evening in this wonderful ambiance but make sure to donate generously as I know you can.”</blockquote>He then steps from the podium and approaches one of the guests. “If it isn’t '''Fitzwallace-Keely''', my favorite guild boss, Jeffery, we need to talk about you opening your coffers,” he says, grabs a drink from a tray and then moves away with the ruddy haired man wearing an expensive suit with embroidered green scales.
[[File:Constrictor Snake.png|right|300x300px]]
The '''place is filled with the great and the good''' of Avale but unfortunately our friends don't know any of them and no one points them out to them. They do recognize the holy symbols of [[Osprem]] and [[Lirr]], so there are at least two, likely high-ranking, priests present. There is also a tiefling woman, she must be from the [[Kasarian Embassy]]. There are definitely a lot of guild members as many people wear guild insignia. Darius recognizes three socialite ladies when they oh and ah over the blue frogs; he saw them exiting Smells by Design when he first came to Avale.

Some time later there’s a flash coming from the other room and then lots of smoke, coughing people stumble into the adjoining room where our friends are. The party holds position near the animals, Dersigos and another waitress, this one more nattily dressed make their way over, still hacking and trying to catch their breath.

Eventually the museum guards go in and it becomes clear '''the Flame of Dolac, a transparent fiery orange Jacinth carved into the shape of a flame, is missing'''. '''The Humtache is called in''', lead by the '''Well-Meaning Detective Inspector''', a short man with a white mustache, wearing a small hat. Dauphine actually saw him from her room at the top floor of the inn catching a pick-pocketing girl.

After a little while he comes over to our friends and asks if they have been in the other room at all. Seeing as they haven't, he asks them to help interview some of the witnesses; he's pressed for time as all the powerful people in the room are bristling at being held here. He takes them over to talk to four men. The first introduces himself as '''Roger Newsome''', of the Mimico Newsomes, he adds when all he gets are blank faces. He's wearing a bracelet with a huge piece of jade and a ring set with a fire opal. He explains that he and his three friends Arthur Elliot, Theodore Grady, and Horace Sims, are gem aficionados, they call themselves the Stoned Boys. Unfortunately none of them have anything useful to report.

Our friends report this and then return to the animal corner. There they start discussing what the thief might have done; there were museum guards at all the exits and no one left the building so it should still be here. They then realize that putting it in one of the animal cages/boxes would be a great way to have it smuggled out and be relatively easy to retrieve.

With two druids present it's not too hard to talk to the animals and '''the anaconda complains about a sharp stone''' that was dropped into its box. '''Our friends let the Well-Meaning Detective Inspector know''' this and he agrees that just keeping an eye on the animals when they get transported out of the museum tonight should be a good way to catch the thief red-handed.

But then the party start to plot further and now think it might be safer to remove the gem from the snake box and put it with the blue poison dart frogs. They do so and then five people arrive to take the animals away. Darius and Quinton feel one of the five is ‘off’, the way she behaves is just different from the others and she doesn't do much.

Darius tries to cause a distraction but things go quite wrong and the animal people are quite unhappy and sort of send the party away. Near the exit the Well-Meaning Detective Inspector is waiting for them. He tells them that he put one of his detectives with the animal people but the party doesn't tell him that they moved the gem, thinking that he could actually be in on the theft.

Once outside our friends are accosted by the '''Indignant Reporter''' from the [[Avale#Vulpine Count|'''Vulpine Count''']]. He was at the fundraiser and has lots of questions but the party dismisses him and go off to find the animal people. They follow their wagon to a warehouse of sorts and see them all go inside. Some time later four people leave the warehouse; the Humtache detective is still in there.

Loads of shenanigans ensue and at the end of it all '''Dauphine has apprehended''' the '''Natty Napster''' a block away from the warehouse. '''She doesn't have the Flame of Dolac''' on her and when the Well-Meaning Detective Inspector and his people '''rush back to the warehouse they can't find it there either'''. It's not with the frogs and not with the anaconda either.

Our friends leave the Humtache to their troubles and go get some sleep. In the days after, they learn '''the gem has still not been found''' and the Natty Napster can't be charged with any crime. There is also some general news; clouds have been seen in the shape of dragons; is it a sign?

==== Wayward Son ====
Some days later '''a distraught mother''' comes to the inn; she heard about the party finding the girl from the Messenger Coalition and '''her Wayward Son is missing''' and she has no one to turn to. Our friends promise to help and learn that she lives in the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Woodfall|Woodfall]] neighborhood, working two jobs. Her son often goes to the [[Avale#White Bridge|White Bridge]] and to Promise Fields.

Quinton spots the little girl with pale skin and big, blue eyes, in her old coat and he pays her to organize urchins to go look for the half-orc boy. Our friends then go out to look themselves and eventually find the boy's best friend who tells them that the Wayward Son made a bet he could find an oyster and left town to find one in the river.

Fortunately the party are quite skilled at tracking and they are pretty sure they are on the right trail. It takes a number of days and along the way they meet [[Ranna Amethystall|'''Ranna Amethystall''']] before eventually '''finding the boy''' near some cliffs at the riverside. A fight with some nasty creatures is unavoidable but our friends are victorious and save the Wayward Son while '''Oscar's blanket protects him and reveals to be called [[Thola's Blanket]]'''. Among the loot is a [[Cyphers & Potions#Disguiser|Disguiser]] cypher.

The party returns to Avale and return the boy to a relieved mother. And learn of some news; the Black Hare tavern is going out of business. Quinton is approached by the urchin girl and she wants quite a few silver pieces from him as she had loads of urchins looking for the Wayward Son for a full week. Not much later our friends run into an '''old acquaintance of the druid from back in [[Loveria]]; Brad Beck'''.

“Yo, bro, I haven’t seen you in what, two years? Still burning all that sandalwood? This dude, the stories I could tell you. I’ve got a great line on copper ore, want me to hook you up, bro?” He takes the party out to dinner and regales them with (embarrassing) stories about Quinton. He also asks them to help him smuggle saffron into the city but they politely decline.

==== Jilted Jinnie ====
Then an '''urgent messages from Alun Djames''' arrives; the Stevedores master wants them to get to the docks as soon as possible. Once there, he explains that he needs their '''help smuggling the guild's top boss and [[Dolac#Government|Torchbearer]], Jinnie Affo, out of the city'''. Not only are the Humtache looking for her, but so are numerous guilds. He promises to “square it with Adventurers Association later”, and gives each of them a gem worth 25 gp.

He further explains she can't leave by boat as all will be searched. He has a wagon waiting for her at [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Parade Fields|Parade Fields]], they need to get her there unseen. But before that '''she needs to go to the Stevedores HQ in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Hookville|Hookville]] to liberate some documents from her office and she wants to say goodbye to her family who are waiting for her in her brother-in-law’s house in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Cegir Town|Cegir Town]]'''. He also makes it clear that if she were to die for any reason, '''her body can never be found'''.

The party sets off with her and decide to go see the family first as it'll be later in the evening when they visit the HQ and fewer people will be there. They manage to avoid several Humtache patrols and searching guild members before they are get accosted by six robbers in a dark alley. Their spells are enough to make the criminals flee but this has drawn the attention of a search party from the Guild of Glaziers & Mirrorers. It takes a lot of bluffing but they manage to talk their way through without having to reveal who is wearing the big, dark, hooded cloak.

Our friends run into some familiar faces and with the use of a super urchin have a smooth five minute family goodbye before moving back north to the Stevedores HQ. Jinnie gives the party a clear description of where to find the documents in her office and the two druids make their way inside, find them, set fire to some other documents and then leave via the window as giant spiders.

Now our friends have to go all the way through the city to Parade Fields, sticking to alleys except for Dauphine and Quinton; one of them wild shaped into a horse and the other is leading them, walking a parallel route to scout for the others. In [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Kesslia|Kesslia]], as they are looking to cross the street both Darius and Jinnie '''notice a girl being dragged into the next alley over'''. Darius looks at the guild boss and she grimaces; "we move on". As they cross the street and enter the next alley they hear sounds they would really rather not have heard, and so does Oscar.

Without further problems they all make it to Parade Fields. Just beyond some construction work for gakker grounds with stands and a concessions building they see a covered wagon waiting, just as Alun told them there would be. Two horses are standing in front of it and a driver sits on the box. Our friends sneak through the construction to get a closer look and notice the driver hasn't moved a muscle.

Quinton goes to investigate and sees that the man sitting there is very lifeless and rather blue. He moves to the back of the wagon and finds it filled with a random assortment of stuff that would work to conceal someone behind. He goes back to the others and they decide that Dauphine, who has some skill with wagons, is going to pretend to be Jinnie and drive the wagon to Kenohob to possibly draw out whoever killed the driver. The others will then hopefully take care of them and go meet the druid in Kenohob, where Jinnie can then take the wagon or find new transport.

Dauphine drives away without anything happening and after a bit of a wait the others set out on foot towards Kenohob as well. When they are about three hundred feet from the construction site '''Jinnie stumbles and an arrow protrudes from her back'''. She is turning blue and none of our friends is able to save her, she '''soon lays dead on the ground'''. Expecting more arrows to follow, the party quickly grabs the body and moves to the nearest cover.

When no other attacks follow they discuss what to do next, remembering Alun Djames' words that Jinnie's body can't be found. They decide to go in the direction of Kenohob and when they get near a forest they find an empty spot inside it and burn the Stevedores Guild Boss' body there as they take a long rest.

The next morning Darius seems very unhappy indeed and they bury part of Jinnie there and take the rest to disperse over their journey to meet up with Dauphine in Kenohob. Once there, they return to [[Avale]], seeing the old woman in her dirty, green coat collecting pebbles near their inn, where a message from Alun is waiting, saying to come see him as soon as possible.

Alun Djames speaks with them briefly at his place, learning of what happened. He's rather sad that Jinnie didn't make it but relieved her body won't be found. Quinton wonders if he had anything to do with her death but the man's feelings seem sincere. Her disappearance is dominating the news in town, lots of rumors are going around about her being corrupt and defrauding the government for sums of money up to one million gold pieces in some tellings of the story. Other news says the Black Hare tavern has been bought and renamed to the Thirsty Recruit.

==== Up the Alley ====
The next day Darius returns to the home of Jinnie's brother-in-law and leaves 65 gp for her grieving family. He then continues '''on to the alley where he saw the girl being dragged into''' and after a very thorough search '''finds a small silver earring'''. He tells Dauphine what happened that night and she gets quite distant after hearing the tale. Then the gnome shows the piece of jewelry to Quinton who appraises it as of not much value.

Darius has a very close look at the ring and spots two tiny letters: RT. Our friends decide to go to a jeweler in the hope to get more information. The nearest is Rock Bottom Prices but there they get nearly no help, being told to try someone where upscale. At Family Jules in Kesslia the party gets a lot more help. The middle-aged gnome woman behind the counter brings out her grandfather, an ancient gnome with huge, bushy eyebrows.

The old one takes out a loupe and finds the jeweler’s mark. “Such sloppy repair work, bah, does no one have pride in their craft anymore?” When prompted he tells them the letters in the earring mean it was made by Rings and Things in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Jeoran Terrace|Jeoran Terrace]]. When Darius takes the earring from the jeweler's hand, the ancient gnome grabs his wrist, quick as water. "What is wrong with you, boy?" he asks, "you are full of emptiness." He tells Darius to stay away from his granddaughter as the party leaves the premises.

At Rings and Things they don’t keep a list of sales but due to the repair work the woman there recognize it as one sold to '''Joser Jalbuck''' for his daughter. When asked she tells them he lives at Bell Way. Once there they learn he works at Wesson's Smithy and won't be home till the evening. Eventually they talk to him in his home and explain they found an earring that must belong to his daughter. He takes it and thanks them, saying he will give it to her when she gets home. Our friends ask some questions about her and her state of mind, which makes the halfling rather suspicious, but they do learn she works at a mansion as a domestic servant.

They wait for her to return home and intercept her, resulting in a very awkward conversation. They learn she works for the '''Verdin family''' in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Gill Gardens|Gill Gardens]] and, yes, when walking home about a week ago, she was dragged into an alley and assaulted. Oscar puts her a little at ease by using the Heart Sight ability from [[Thola's Blanket]]. She doesn't want to talk about it but tells them that the assailant smelled heavily of Hatchet, a popular perfume. And after more pressing, she tells them that the son of the Verdin family, Gabriel, wears the perfume, but so do his friends.

Darius tells her they will try to get justice for her and won't contact her again so she won't have to relive it again. On their way back to the inn they discuss what they can do to bring the culprit to justice and Dauphine tells Darius: “you could have stopped him earlier, now it’s much more difficult”. The next morning the party goes to Gill Gardens where they do some very thorough gathering of information before trailing the son to a tavern where he meets up with friends and they observe the group but no one sticks out as particularly suspicious.
[[File:Kerstkaart 2025.jpg|right|410x410px]]
Then when they walk home, red skies are gleaming, sea-gulls are flying over, swans are floating by, they are approached by a rather thin, tall man who asks them for help finding part of his conveyance that he lost while driving home. Quite a few things happen, including a visit to the This Is The Yeast We Can Do Brewery, before they recover the bauble, get a sweet reward and a thousand memories.

The next morning a letter is waiting for them at the inn, it's from '''Brook Jalbuck''', she has remembered that the assailant smelled so heavily of the perfume that it seemed he was drenched in it and '''she doesn't think it was Gabriel Verdin'''. Our friends decide to investigate the perfume angle and Quinton takes the lead, visiting the nearest perfumer; Eau My Gods. There they learn that Hatchet, known as Bobcat in certain other countries, is very popular indeed, so much so a bootleg version of it is made. The girl at the shop mentions that only a week or so ago there was actually a burglary at Heaven Scent in Kesslia.

Their new destination clear our friends visit and learn that one or two people broke in and made a mess of things, breaking a lot of the supplies. One person has actually been arrested by the Humtache, he left a rather easy to follow trail. The alley where Brook was assaulted is just one street over, giving our friends little doubt as to what happened, though they wonder why someone would be so dumb.

The Humtache HQ is in nearby [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Downpark|Downpark]] and our friends happen to know a certain '''Well-Meaning Detective Inspector''', so that's who they go and see. When he brings them to his office he starts by '''interrogating Darius, telling him that when they looked back at the events at the warehouse it became clear the gnome was there alone with the Flame of Dolac''' for at least a minute. Did he take it? Why was he there? The priest doesn't have any really good answers to these questions and things get hot under his collar. But without any direct evidence the Inspector eventually drops it and asks for the reason of their visit.

They tell him what they know of what happened in the alley and of the burglary at the perfume store. It's not his case and the Inspector won't let them talk to the suspect but he'll have a talk with the officer in charge. Walking home Dauphine asks Darius outright if he stole the Flame of Dolac and the gnome denies doing so. “Don’t ever tell me you stole it,” the druidess tells him.

Returning next day they learn that the '''suspect, Douglas, fits the height and build of the assailant''', which also matches Gabriel's. He hasn't given up his accomplice and hasn't admitted to being in the alley either. '''The officer is pretty sure he did it''' though, but without a confession they can't make it stick. He will be going to jail for a year for the break in though. '''Darius then writes a letter to Brook''', telling her the man won't be going to jail for doing what he did to her but will be in jail for something else.

== Sarodin Sea ==

==== Chirurgeon Browns ====
The party receives a message from Jerry, their agent, and it tells them to '''go to a house on Lookout Road in the New Dunum neighborhood, and to bring [[Otteun#Food|bay ribs]]'''. They buy half a dozen at a street vendor and go to the address. The door is opened by a blond man with very square jaws and a pointed chin. He wears leather pants, as many people do here, and a plaid shirt. He asks if they are the adventurers he hired and then invites them inside.

He introduces himself as '''Hirsute Looking Glass''' and is rather surprised at the lack of reaction to his name, mumbling how normally people all get up in his business over it. He takes the box of bay ribs, immediately sucks the meat of off it and throws the bone over his shoulder. His place is quite a mess; there's an old couch he indicates for them to sit on, an old wooden trestle table that has seen better times and all kinds of alchemical equipment is covering any flat surface.

He tells the party he needs them to '''go to Hogan Island and bring back a log of tomko tree''', at least a few meters long. Why go all the way there? It's the nearest place that he learned the trees can be found. He has '''hired a ship, the Wetterlund''', that will bring them there. And why does he need adventurers? Apparently the island is uninhabited but full of dangerous forest creatures; baboons, owlbears, regular bears, giant varieties of toads, wasps, spiders, etc. In short; no lumberjacks were willing to take his contract, such nonsense!

Having eaten all of the six bay ribs by now and told them all they need to know, the man now herds them from his place and tells them to bring him back his tree as soon as possible. Oscar has been reacting strangely to this man and the feeling seems to be mutual so it doesn't take long before the party is back out on the street. Fortunately Dauphine remembers reading about tomko trees; they are quite tall with a dusky bark and dark leaves with tiny holes in them. They always grow in a ring of twelve for some reason.

Our friends go do some shopping; cutting down a tree that size won't be easy. [[Quinton Gemweaver|Quinton]] happens to walk by the vintage shop Second Hand News in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Little Perches|Little Perches]] where he sees a rather interesting robe hanging behind the counter. After some tough negotiating and borrowing some money, he pays 84 gold pieces and his pearl trinket to become the new owner of the [[Robe of Advantages]].

'''The Wetterlund is a large ship'''; pretty close to the Crowned Griffon that the party sailed on before. '''Captain Reynolds''' is a brusque halfling with red hair in a ponytail and a limp. She invites them for dinner in the captain's quarters and they enjoy a really tasty meal. Our friends learn about the captain's former career; cheese rolling. She broke her leg in multiple places but is still very enthusiastic, describing how she barreled downhill, chasing [[Cheeses of the world#Glevum|Twin Glevum]] cheese. Over dinner it also becomes clear to the very observant that '''Darius doesn't eat anything of his meal'''.

In the morning they sail past [[Sarodin Sea#Gannet Island|Gannet Island]] and after a good number of days they arrive at their destination; '''Hogan Island''', it's bigger than they expected. As it's an hour before dusk they decide to wait till the next day. At dawn they all get into a launch and are rowed over to a small beach. It's quite misty in the morning and the mist is so firm that you need to push through it, one could even sculpt it.

The flora here is rather strange, some is much larger than elsewhere, other much smaller; there are tiny apple trees with apples the size of cherries, and huge oak trees with very large acorns. Massive mushrooms grow here as well, including [[Sprite member|sprite members]] that are almost two meters tall. Dauphine notices that the [[Mist Shard (Hírëmir)|Mist Shard]] feels more moist here on the island.

Our friends come across '''a piece of green and blue fruit, the colors swirling slowly around its skin'''. Dauphine's studies indicate it will grant some kind of boon when eaten but she doesn't know what kind of benefit it will be. However, Darius tells them he wants it as it can be used to improve his armor. Eventually it is decided he can use it and his [[Vessel Wraps]] gains the Store property.

After about a day and half, helped by a Locate Animals or Plants spell from Dauphine they find the tomko trees they are looking for; a circle of twelve. Very sharp vines grow between a number of them and Darius uses his scythe to remove them. As he does so, they are attacked by creatures made of just twigs full of needles. They launch these in great numbers and when most are taken out, a much larger specimen arrives. It's a bloody fight but our friends persevere.

Afterwards Darius cuts open the big creature hoping to find something to take back to Herb's Store but there's not much. Meanwhile Oscar discovers that [[Thola's Blanket]] has gained the Pins and Needles property. Our friends came prepared and brought the right tools to cut down one of the trees and then cut off a three meter piece.

It takes a good while but they bring it back to the ship and load it on board. The journey back gets eventful when a pirate ship approaches but '''Captain Hornigold''' doesn't stay around for long.

== Dolac ==
Soon our friends find themselves back in [[Avale]] and deliver the log to '''Hirsute Looking Glass''', putting it in his backyard that is full of esoteric things; other logs of wood, strange stones, a cauldron that could fit Quinton, and more.

They return to the Grey Minstrel Inn and learn the latest news; the '''[[Pholtus|Pholtan]] Church of the Sun''' in Downpark burned down when they were away. Dauphine quips that at least none of them were responsible for this, for a change. In the evening they have a drink at their favorite tavern; the Grape Escape. Instead of the nice, relaxing evening they hoped to have, instead they get an encounter with the fabled '''yortho''' and might just have saved the entire city.

==== The Great and the Good ====
'''Jerry''' invites our friends over to his office at Venture Hall and informs them that the Solutions for the Infirm has hired them to run security for less than a day and are paying extremely well, once again. He also has a present for them, tickets to a new play, Turnabout, at the People’s Playhouse in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Farmhold Hamlet|Farmhold Hamlet]] as a thank you for a fruitful relationship with the '''Adventurers Association'''.

It turns out that the play is not what they expected and while Darius and Oscar have a whale of a time, the other two leave early. Two days later they report to a square in town where Solutions for the Infirm has set up a large tent and roped off the area. The party is met once again by the '''Harried PA''' who explains that they are giving new clothes to the indigents and our friends are to make sure everything runs smoothly.

There are crates with clothes stacked outside the tent, all made by '''Eldritch Honor of [[Thimonnier]]''', in the sizes small, medium, and large. At the exit side of the tent a large trestle table holds baked goods for those that have gotten their new clothes. And there lies the current problem; urchins have been darting in and grabbing food of the table that technically isn't meant for them.

'''Joseph Lacombe''', the founder of the charity and top boss of the [[Avale - Guilds#Guild of Bookkeepers, Notaries & Scribes|Guild of Bookkeepers, Notaries & Scribes]], is there himself and comes over to the party and thanks them personally for their work at the State Museum during the fundraiser, he heard about all their good work. He doesn't stay long; after the first few indigents have received their new clothes he gets into his carriage and leaves.

Quinton rather escalates things with the urchins and they retreat but from what they are yelling, they will be back soon enough. The druid goes into the tent to ask what to do but only finds a man and a woman dressed in white, measuring an indigent's head and noting things on a clipboard before giving them a set of clothes.

He is directed to the small tent and finds the Harried PA there, who has finally found a moment to relax and is rather sad to be disturbed once again. She tells Quinton to do whatever is necessary and will see if she can get more food delivered. The urchins soon return with reinforcements and things turn into something of a battlefield with two fog clouds covering one flank. Eventually hostilities are ceased and at the end of the day there is food left for the urchins to take as the tent is broken down and the square restored to it's regular form.

A number of days later another job lands; our friends are to provide security for someone in the employ of '''Jeffery Fitzwallace-Keely''', boss of the [[Avale - Guilds#Mercantile Guild|Mercantile Guild]]. The instructions are to meet them early in the morning at the Coop in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Kalehaven|Kalehaven]]. There they meet the '''Glib Adviser''' who brought two empty backpacks and hands one over. They go across the market and a number of merchants hand over small, heavy pouches, likely filled with coins and or gems that are put into the backpack.

From there they travel up town, going through a number of neighborhoods and stopping at different places, including the Tabernacle of Industry, temple to [[Ulaa]] and the [[Kasarian Embassy]] where some of them see their first ever tiefling, every time a new pouch fills one backpack and then the other. At some point they notice some shady types are following them but the Glib Adviser walks them to a nearby Humtache station and he goes inside for a good while, making the pursuers give up their quarry.

Eventually the city tour ends at a small warehouse in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Abrinol|Abrinol]], where a group of four adventurers or mercenaries are just leaving. The Glib Adviser thanks them for their services as he takes the backpacks. Since things ran so smoothly and they spotted the possible waylayers he tips each of them a gold piece. Dauphine wants to go back to the Tabernacle of Industry and talks there with the priest who handed the Glib Adviser a pouch. She asks what this transaction was for but is told that's above her pay-grade.

=== The Stoned Dragon ===
Some days later '''Aracuda Shovi''' appears as our friends exit the inn. He tells Dauphine he '''remembered some more about the Stoned Dragon Caves'''; it's near some place called New Monkhome, you get there via the cellars. The elf tries to confirm that it's an actual name and not a nickname, the dwarf thinks so.

She then asks Alun Djames if she can use the library at the Stevedores HQ, and he's fine with that. There she learns '''New Monkhome is the ancestral home of the Count of Ranhem, found near Ranhem, capital of Guel province'''. It's not exactly around the corner and she asks the other party member if they will come with her to try and find the cave and recharge the [[Mist Shard (Hírëmir)|Mist Shard]].

They accept and soon they are taking a barge up the river to [[Thimonnier]]. From there they travel by road, fortunately the journey goes without any problems, unless one would count their spending of 150 gp at {{TextAnimations|Text=Crazy Clyde’s Clearance Crates|Rainbow=1|Bold=1}} where Darius even tries to pick pocket Quinton.  

When our friends '''arrive at New Monkhome''' they find it's not a castle, there's no signs of a moat or curtain wall. But '''the building is very, very old''', even the one wing that was a later addition is still many centuries old, it could have been a proper castle long ago. It’s busy, there a number of carriages parked out front, a wagon is being unloaded off to the side by what looks to be the staff entrance. A banner says: “'''Welcome to the Armorers & Weaponsmiths Guild National Congress'''”.

They are met by '''Lady Ranhem''', dressed impeccably but anyone with a good eye can tell the clothes have been repaired more than once. “Welcome to New Monkhome, are you the people Torchbearer Albert Charles is expecting?” she asks. Before anyone can answer, she says “excuse me one second.” She walks over to a girl of about 15 and a boy of about 12 and speaks to them. Quinton's sharp ears pick up the conversation: “'''Ermengard''', '''Goswin''', you know these are busy days and they are important, not just for your father and I, but for you as well, you want to live here, don’t you? Then please, help out, there is so much to do, go inside and ask Jervis what you can do, please be a dear for me.” Neither looks very enthusiastic but they go inside and Lady Ranhem returns.

Our friends get into some real negotiations; they ask for a tour and to spend the night but she explains that with the current guests everyone is too busy and there are no rooms left. But they offer one of the [[Cheeses of the world#Ciwiruil Adv’Tmyywy|Kasarian Cheese Horns]] that Quinton found in one of his crates and she offers them a place to sleep in some of the empty staff rooms.

With a deal struck they go to said rooms and after a quick talk with a local rat they learn about the entrance to the cellars; it's almost right next to their rooms. It's still early in the afternoon and they quickly go have a look. The cellars are full of broken furniture, rolled up carpets, old painter’s supplies, empty frames and racks that might have held bottles, weapons, armor, who knows, there’s a stuffed bear that has seen better days, and a tree root comes through the ceiling, causing part of the cellars to have some standing water.

They spot a secret door that hasn’t fully closed, beyond it a narrow passage leads to 10-foot wide and high ancient stone tunnels that are likely of dwarven make, all spotlessly clean, lit by continual flames. Looking for any signs of what direction to go, our friends find raspberry jam prints on the wall. They pick a random direction and start walking.

They find empty rooms behind the doors in the corridors; it looks like whoever left and took everything that wasn't bolted down. Right around a corner at an intersection standing aimlessly are a corpse riddled with shards of glass and a skeleton still wearing scraps of armor and holding a shield and a longsword. Their eyes light up red as they turn to the party. Battle is swift and the party wins. A few corners later a skeleton stands in the corridor carrying what looks like its own skin. Then it suddenly throws the skin at our friends and the skin animates, trying to wrap itself around whoever it hits. This fight is not as easy but our friends still come out on top. '''Darius checks every undead carefully''' for any tell tale signs of a necromancer, '''he wants all of them destroyed'''.
[[File:Gelatinous Cube.jpg|right|375x375px]]
They continue on and come to an intersection where to one side they see what looks like the '''entrance of crypt''', they can see sarcophagi. But standing in front of the entrance is a flaming skeleton and it hurls bolts of flame at anyone it sees. As they start start shooting back Oscar moves into the opposite corridor and steps right into a gelatinous cube. Things get really hairy as the cube moves up and engulfs Dauphine, others manage to jump out of the way.

The druid almost succumbs but a Healing Word spell from Darius brings her back and she then manages to escape from the ooze. It's quite hardy but eventually they bring it down and then immediately go back to fighting the flaming skeleton. It's flaming bolts hit hard and it manages to bring down Darius who is then brought back by Quinton. Lots of spells and arrows later the skeleton crumbles to the floor.

Now our friends see a new figure standing just inside the crypt; it's '''Goswin''', the-12 year old son of the count and countess. In his hands he holds '''a large disc of infernal iron inscribed with Infernal writing, with a hole in the middle'''. Darius and Quinton both read Infernal and see that it's something called the '''Seal of Souls''', it could be the instrument that created the undead creatures.

When Quinton runs up to the boy and tells him to lay down the artifact, Darius and Oscar follow, but the boy shouts "no, it's mine!" and '''Necrotic energy flies out in a cone, bringing our three friends down''', only Dauphine, who didn't rush, is outside of the effect.

[[Robe of Advantages|Quinton's robe]] stabilizes him as Goswin takes some steps back, the expression on his face showing he did not expect what happened. Dauphine uses goodberries to bring the others back and then a rather tense discussion develops with the 12-year old, who still clutches the Seal of Souls, but promises not to use it.

He confirms that he created the undead but according to him they are harmless, he just played with them and had no idea the party fought their way through them to get where they are now. He also did not know about the gelatinous cube. They are standing inside the crypt now; there is quite some dust here and many sarcophagi, deeper inside there seems to be an ossuary. There is also a large plinth with relief art depicting a man being crowned and an empty recess which looks to be the home of the Seal of Souls.

Running footsteps can be heard and three people arrive; '''lord and lady Ranhem and their daughter'''. The man sends his wife and children back upstairs, telling them how important it is to make sure the event at the mansion goes without a hitch and promising the party he will explain to them what is going on.

In short; '''the artifact was created for the family shortly after the [[Collapse]] by a Duke of Hell and it is how they attained their position as Count of Ranhem'''. However, the item came with certain requirements. At age 16 every heir must pledge themselves to the Seal, if that should ever not happen, all ancestors, dating back to the one who made this deal will rise as undead with the sole intent to do as much damage as possible.

The count had no idea that his son had found the crypt and the artifact, he is horrified the boy used it to create undead, he tells our friends that the family decided over six centuries ago to never use it again and so far they had kept to this. He promises that he will take extra precautions, lock the item away, to make sure something like this can never happen again and he begs them not to talk about this to anyone.

The man also explains that it's been quite difficult these days to make enough money to be able to afford the upkeep of the place but moving is not great, considering where the family crypt is and what their options would be. Our friends appreciate his position; they would like to destroy the item but lord Ranhem says that according to what he was told by his father and those before him that that will also make all his ancestors rise as undead.

As our friends discuss all this Dauphine wants to know what the language on the seal is and then asks Quinton why he knows Infernal and if he has a pact himself, he answers he does not. They can't think of a real solution for the Seal of Souls and decide that it's probably safe in the current Count's hands but they do fear that any future generation might get other ideas which could lead to real troubles. They decide that for now they will not do anything but should the learn anything during their adventuring careers or gain certain powers they might come back here.

They also discussed the [[Cave of the Stone Dragon|Stone Dragon Cave]] with the count who lets them know in no uncertain terms that there is no such thing here; what there is, is a coal fire, which people seem to repeatedly interpret as a dragon snoring underground. He tells them they are free to explore the rest of the place, telling them he knows there are natural caverns deeper down. He doesn't know what the complex was used for in the past, only that is was likely of dwarven make and existed before New Monkhome was built, the crypt was added then as well.

He goes back upstairs to help out with the event and our friends explore further, eventually finding what seems to be a dwarven kiva with a large ramp running down along the wall of the hundreds of feet deep chamber. As they make their way down they trigger a trap that shoves everyone but Darius, who was taking up the rear, down into the chamber.

Fortunately all of them still had their Feather Fall boon and thus make it down safely, including Darius who jumped over the trigger for the trap only to land on a trigger for a second, similar trap. At the bottom they '''find the skeleton of what looks to be a dwarf'''. His clothes and leather armor are mostly gone and laying around him are the remains of an axe and a hammer with a spike. A crossbow exploded into many pieces, its marvelous silver inlay now all twisted up but a similar inlay can be seen on the obsidian amulet around the skeleton’s neck.

Laying further away are a number of hizagkuur springs and folded umber hulk chitin plates, all twisted or outright destroyed. A backpack on the skeleton’s back has been mostly eaten away, the same goes for much of its contents. What’s left is some torches, a mess kit, a holy symbol of [[Ulaa]], a sergeant’s insignia, and a dried mindflayer tentacle.

Dauphine takes a look at the amulet and finds out it is '''a sentient magic item called the [[Temple Ton]]'''. The sentience is happy for the druid to take it and wear it, looking forward to new adventures.

Further exploration leads to a cavern where the only other exit has collapsed and where one of the walls is much too hot to touch; the coal fire. The party returns to the mansion and stay to help out in the kitchen, making sure the event goes smoothly for the family. Afterwards they even help count Ranhem to create a small vault to keep the artifact in so no one can just take it. Before they leave, Dauphine gives Goswin the book How to Become a Bard, that she got from one of the clearance crates.

==== Getting a head ====
On their way back our friends stay the night in the '''town of Balmer'''. They have a drink at the Lumber Hulk tavern where they spot '''a rather strange looking woman'''. Some people at another table keep looking over at her, but then, most people are. But those four rush over to start a brawl with her, hoping to garner glory by bringing her down.

Our friends jump in the fray and help the woman, not that she really needs it; four drunk villagers are no match for her. Afterwards she buys them a drink and they learn that she is '''[[Chrysanthemum]], a bounty hunter'''. They enjoy some time together, trading stories, before she calls it a night. Quinton is approached by a young couple to join them for a night of fun but the druid declines.

The next morning our friends are approached by a '''bald halfling woman with a missing left hand'''. She says she saw them at the tavern last night and wants to hire them. “'''Bring me the head of Lelio Euphorbia''',” she tells them, to then explain that it's a bust that was kept in the lobby of the Critical Hit Theater. She is the current owner and Lelio was the founder. She suspects that it was stolen by someone from the new theater that opened across town recently; the Natural One Lounge.

The party walks over to the theater with her and looks for clues but doesn't find much. However, the woman's niece was present when the bust was stolen and saw the thief. She'll be at the Critical Hit after lunch and our friends decide to go check out the Natural One Lounge. It looks to be empty and Quinton uses a Misty Step spell to get inside at the backdoor, opening it for the others.

Darius shows Oscar how to use [[Phlegethos’ Pick]]; the halfling seems to have a talent for it, he opens the door to the office in no time. There's no evidence of the bust or any clues to its whereabouts. Oscar also opens the safe and helps himself to the bag of money inside it. When he later has time to count, he finds out there's 43 gp worth of mostly silver pieces in there. He gives the cleric a handful but the gnome can't condone this behavior and puts 30 gp of his own money back into the safe before closing it.

By this point the sound of conversation about the backdoor being unlocked had alerted the party that people had arrived. Quinton grabbed a janitor's coat and mop and pretended to be the janitor, only for a man to call out, asking what he was doing with ''his'' coat! The druid starts talking in Ancient and acting erratically. The man and woman who arrived think he's addled-brained and the woman goes off to get the Humtache, the man follows her, not wanting to be alone with Quinton.

Eventually the other three manage to leave the theater without being seen and they meet up back at their inn and have a nice lunch. Then they return to the Critical Hit Theater and get from niece Hilna the robber's description. She also says she found a little piece of fabric trapped in the doorway, likely coming from the man's jacket.

This is great news for the druids as they can wild shape into a dog and hopefully follow the spoor. Dauphine does so and manages to lead the party to a workshop where the windows are mostly covered up. She tries to follow the scent further as the likely robber has traveled further these last 48 hours, regrettably she loses the trail a few streets later.

Back at the workshop Oscar unlock the door and Dauphine slips inside, still in dog form. She manages to not step on a tripwire attached to a bunch of cans that would have made a lot of noise. Oscar goes in second and not only avoids the trap but even disables it in one smooth motion. The suspect seems to be in the back part of the workshop and they plan their approach. Dauphine goes inside and pretends to be a dog with the zoomies.

As she does so, both the front and back door to the place are busted open and a number of Humtache guards rush inside, arresting the person at the workbench, one Ollie Stein. Our friends are held and questioned on the spot, one of the guards is then sent to the theater to confirm their story of recovering a bust for them. Meanwhile Ollie has been taken to the HQ and the remaining guards are searching and cataloguing the place.

Once released, the party goes back to the inn and decide to wait till evening to search the workshop and attempt to talk with the robber. They don't find anything useful there and then go to the Humtache HQ. On the way they discuss many ways to get inside and how to make Ollie tell them about the bust. Using the [[Cyphers & Potions#Disguiser|Disguiser cypher]] Quinton makes himself look like the arresting sergeant and pretends to have a sore throat.

He and Darius enter and they successfully bluff their way into the cells where the cleric pretends to be there to measure Ollie up for a coffin and give him his last rites. They tell the robber that the owner had a heart attack due to the theft of the bust and both he and another prisoner call bullshit, he can't be held responsible for that. But they have managed to rattle the boy and when the 'sergeant' tells him that he also thinks it's going to far he says that he's willing to make the bust disappear so he can't be held responsible for the crime. Ollie tells him that he stole the bust for an old gnome who's name he doesn't know. But he can give a pretty accurate description and tells them they met at the Noble Nap inn.

Our friends leave and the next morning they go to this inn and find a gnome fitting the description having a late breakfast. Quinton sits down at the man's table and tries to engage him in conversation but the man is utterly deaf and not interested in a talk. But they do manage to learn that he has a room here. The party also gets a room on the same floor and break into his room when the gnome goes out for lunch. They don't find the bust or anything incriminating, nor any weapons or magical paraphernalia. But he sure has a lot of keepsakes and other sentimental nick-knacks. Most importantly; his name is on his steamer trunk; '''Archibald Euphorbia'''.

The follow him to lunch and then decide to talk to the owner of the theater about this new discovery. She tells Darius and Quinton that Archibald is Lelio's son and that years ago he made an offer for the bust but it was very low and she considers it part of the theater which Lelio wanted to remain in its original state. Our friends make some suggestions about him maybe buying the bust but then leaving it at the theater, or maybe even convince him to exhibit more at the theater.

Back they go to the Noble Nap and then things go sideways when a guest sees Oscar listening at the door to room 101. Quinton pratfalls to distract people but soon enough the concierge shows up and tells them to leave. Dauphine runs after him and it takes everything she has to persuade him to let them stay.

They now decide to lay everything out to Archibald by writing a letter with their proposal. Some time later he shows up at their door and accepts the suggestion of a small exhibition of his father's things in the theater lobby. As they walk over to the Critical Hit he starts to get really enamored with what he now starts to think of as his plan. '''A deal is soon struck''', the bust will be returned, and he is even going to pay for extending the size of the lobby.

The party gets paid and they then return to their own inn where a certain Humtache sergeant is waiting for them. He wants to talk with Darius who tries to bluff that he accompanied him into the station last night. They are all taken to the station and none of them manage to convince their interrogators of their innocence. But since no real harm was done and the investigator hates the paperwork, '''he just bans them from his town''', he wants them to leave next morning.

Back at the inn there's another surprise; a package had been delivered for Oscar two days ago but they only hand it to him now. It's a present from  '''[[Chrysanthemum]]'''; a small stuffed toy of a furry marsupial with big ears and a big mouth, which turns out to be a [[Cyphers & Potions#Damager|Damager Cypher]]. There's also a note that the halfling can't read, saying how the bounty hunter thought this might be helpful in his travels.

On the way back to Avale a flooded road means a detour via to village of Dunwoody, known for its natural springs. And it seems they arrive just in time for [[Ehlonna#Holy days and observances|Ehlonna’s Turning Ceremony]]. The villagers speak of divine providence that just now a priest of the Goddess of the Woodlands turns up, and an elf as well! They tell Darius that their local priestess died recently and ask his help with the ceremony. He will do so and the party is given a free stay at the local inn and a sumptuous meal is cooked for them. In the evening, he and Dauphine shadow a girl called Kendra and then a banquet is enjoyed.

==== Training Montage ====
Our friends arrive back in [[Avale]] and learn of some recent news: there was an explosion at a tannery in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Kipfield|Kipfield]], the Three Tanners, one of the owners lost his life. Back at the Grey Minstrel Inn they see the old woman in green coat looking through trash, and the brown mackerel tabby jumping from one balcony to another as they walk in and get their old rooms once again.

[[Bruneor Argent]] who resides in Dauphine's [[Temple Ton]] amulet is happy with her carrying him but he thinks that she should toughen up, and he is also of the opinion that Darius could be a much better healer. So he takes them to the '''[[Avale - Neighborhoods#None Turned Away Clinic|None Turned Away Clinic]]''' in the Lost Bay neighborhood. '''Durit''', the old dwarven woman who keeps the place running takes B.A. now being inside an amulet in stride, and they are sent in to meet all the medics.

Bruneor has them working 14 hour shifts for five days where they get to deal with an average week of issues at the clinic. Highlights include cauterizing a bleeder that almost reaches the ceiling, dealing with a cow's breech birth, amputating a leg, two rival gangs arriving and threatening each other whilst demanding help for their many wounded, an outbreak of cackle fever, and on their last day, the nearby Lacombe Asylum collapses, leading to a 20 hour shift where they try their very best to save who they can.

In this same week Quinton comes across a poster: “Confidently Communicating Commitment; Lessons in Leadership”. Five evening seminars at the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Scarlet Bonnet|Scarlet Bonnet]] for 25 gp that will improve leadership skills. Since he has been looking to improve himself in that regard, he signs up and that evening finds himself in a room with almost exclusively guild middle managers.

On the stage appears a very slick woman who introduces herself as '''Zeran Merados'''. She explains that every of the seminars will be dedicated to a different c-word: credibility, communication, commitment, confidence and creativity. She is full of energy and pumps the room up as she starts into her first talk.

Afterwards some of the audience go for a drink at the tavern and invite Quinton along. Here he meets a young gnome; '''Emser Quinson'''. He's quite the character with his bright orange shoes and tattoos of bells on his hands. They get to talking and when he learns of the seminar asks what the druid thinks leadership really is.

The next evening they meet again and the evening after that again. During this third seminar Quinton managed to look past all the buzzwords and realized that none of it has anything to do with real leadership. He invites Emser to come to the next evening's seminar as he thinks they could convince the others to their point of view.

And the gnome is waiting at the hall before the seminar begins and the druid takes him inside. As Zeran comes up on the stage Quinton rushes up and starts talking, managing to take the wind out of the woman's sails long enough to invite his new friend up on the stage. He gives Emser the word and the gnome starts telling the audience that they don't have to be sheep and listen to nonsense for five long evenings; revolution!

The crowd responds enthusiastically and that's the end of the seminars. Lots of people swarm Zeran and she promises to repay them all. However, the next day she isn't there as promised and is not to be found again. Quinton has a drink with some of the middle managers and convinces one to give up his job; "woodworking has always been my passion, I'm resigning first thing tomorrow!" the woman says.

Everyone but Oscar can do with a break after all that's happened and they learn that the Adjective Noun tavern has something rather special; the '''Wheel of Death'''. This is a wheel with no less than a thousand numbers and lots of prizes to be won. It's installed there to promote the soon to come opening of a new casino, the He Bluffs Me Not in the [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Longsee|Longsee neighborhood]].

Oscar has a go and manages to spin the wheel to 000; Death! In actuality Death is just the patrons having a good laugh as you get completely covered in tar and are then locked up in a cage in the middle of the establishment. But to show they are not all bad you get one chance to avoid your fate; simply throw a bullseye on a dartboard from the other side of the room.

The halfling takes his position and throws. He hits the board but the dart bounces off and lands on someone’s plate on a nearby table. Meanwhile the board falls down, rolls slowly to the right over the tail of sleeping cat in the corner and then falls flat. The cat jumps up with a screech and launches itself into a passing barmaid. She cries out and stumbles back in a pirouette, her tray hitting a bottle on the bar. The neatly lined up bottles slowly, and then faster, fall over, neatly in a row.

The last bottle hits the counter and the cork shoots from it and bounces against the walls a few times before hitting a Sandy Table player in the back of the head just as he was about to take his shot. He launches his disk wildly, it hits the side and flips into a parabolic trajectory landing on the head of a Kasarian tiefling, rolling between his horns and traveling onwards, flying through the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, catching on fire before landing right into a very alcoholic drink which immediately vaporizes with a whoosh.

The goblet teeters one way and then the other before finally falling right next to the plate, hitting the handle of the spoon which has the dart laying on it. The dart gets launched towards the corner of the room and once it has lost all energy it flips and streaks downwards, landing right in the bullseye of the dartboard laying on the floor. The tavern erupts when this happens and many people come over to give Oscar a pat on the back.

It's been quite the week but at the end of it Dauphine is a lot more Tough, Darius can consider himself a Field Medic, Quinton became an Inspiring Leader, and Oscar has Bountiful Luck.

=== Super Tuesday ===
A few days later '''Jerry''' invites the party over to the '''Adventurers Association'''. After a customary coffee where he regales them of his latest money making scheme; lending money at Under-Barrow Savings to buy up turnip futures, he tells them that Super Tuesday will be in two days time. Since they are new to the city he wanted to make sure they understand that it will be more than pandemonium, the guild bylaws are insane and it will be the craziest day of the year.

It's the day of all the guild elections and that means loads of people on the streets all day, many wearing guild colors and some getting rather boisterous and unruly. Urchins and other pranksters might try and waylay ballot chests that have to arrive at the counting station on time or they won’t be validated. Sometimes it’s not pranks though but quite serious.

Our friends have been hired by the Guild of Stevedores and will be the ones to escort one of the ballot boxes. Every guild does things differently so all Jerry can tell them is that they will be escorting two guild members both chained to a ballot box. They will go to a voting station and then after voting closes they need to escort them to the counting station.

Jerry hasn't been told where either of these places are, he suggests talking with the guild and also advises them to make sure to be at the guild HQ in [[Avale - Neighborhoods#Hookville|Hookville]] at the break of dawn, or even earlier, maybe spend the night in a nearby inn. After impressing upon them enough to take this job seriously he let's them go and wishes them well.
[[Category:Events]]