Silken Threads

513WeSiTh

The party followed Naya who walked through the village confidently and with her eyes scanning the trees constantly. Starting with the trees that were attacked she checked for the tracks of the creature, creatures based on how many sets of erratic prints she could see heading towards the tree. Following the prints was the difficult part but locating where the creatures originated from came a lot easier.

The tracks led them to across the farm, sticking to the walls where the ledge met the stepped form of the farmland. At points they disappeared from the soil, grass and leaf litter but only for the tracks to be picked up again next to the wall as if something was digging at the wall for something. Eventually the tracks stopped, at the base of a tree that had black strips of cloth hanging from the vines.

A large mixture of bark, hardened sap and splintered wood revealed an empty silken cocoon. Cut through with sharp blades or claws with evidence that something had dug its way in, or out. There was evidence that there once was other cocoons in this tree however a hollow in the tree was all that remained. Looking around for the source the party with Naya and her fellow scouts looked for the creature that had reportedly snatched at the cocoons.

Towards the villages centre a large hole had been burrowed into the side of a house. Checking within with hatchets and blades drawn Naya crept forward. ‘I think we have a problem…’ she called out. Following her the party found the torn up interior of what would have been a cosy home. Three large silken cocoons lay cut open in the room with each of them having the same familiar cut out section. Something had either cut into them or cut their way out of the cocoons.

‘I think the grubs within the cocoons finished their changes. This is Tamaya’s house and has been vacant for a few months now and it looks like it was the perfect nest of the creatures that cut themselves free.’ she examined the silken cocoons that were as big as a humans torso – if not bigger. ‘They must have grown further once they emerged from these. Come, we have to confirm this so it wont be too late for the village.’

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From the Depths She Comes

512WeFrDeShCo

The party placed Sunraya in her bed next to her sleeping parents. As they left the room and looked around what remained in the village. The waters were quiet and still without the fishing boats out amongst the waves. The gulls waited, expecting the scraps from the latest catch that would never come.

But as the party watched the gulls swimming on top of the light waves the beginnings of fog started to creep across the water. As the fog crept closer to the jetty and moored boats the surface it thickened as if summoned from the waves itself. As the party watched from their position a large, hulking creature strode from the water onto the shore. Covered in large swaths of seaweed it straightened up and looked around the village with a cruel smile twisting its features.

A woman, some would say beautiful if not for the clothes that looked as if it had been salvaged from those lost at sea. As she sunk her toes into the sand, soil and gravel of the land of Launghui she inhaled deeply. ‘After years the blood oath is complete. The villagers that pillage the waters and refuse to trade with my sisters and mother is no more. The curse fully enacted.’ as she spoke water dribbled from her mouth.

A laugh, mad and joyful broke from her mouth. ‘To think the fish that they loved so much would be their downfall. It was easy mother! Like you said, ask the fish to feed upon the urchins and snails and the meat would be tainted with poison. As long as I kill them all before they wake in a few days time then they will be gone for good.’

The party watched as she strode forward, her eyes wandering across the houses and buildings of the port village. Before, they settled on them. ‘Some still wake sisters. Something that I was not planning for. Yet these are not the villagers that refused us, that drove us out, that attacked and hunted us. Or those who killed mother. No these as outsiders.’ she paused as she straightened herself. The touch of magic prickled their skins as she attempted to charm them.

‘You wont attack and drive me away like they did will you? Its been hard being lonely for so long. All we wanted was to partake in the feasts, the merriment from the creatures that they caught from the sea. Yet when we asked they drove us away. This is just fair and just retribution that we must do. Something we must see through.’ her words sounded like pleas, but the hidden threat was real.

The party were in danger of becoming the source of the sea witches hatred if they didn’t think quickly and act even more so.

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Creeping Carnivore

511WeCrCa

The rest of the day went by without too much of an issue. The party engaged in a few local competitions of strength, skill or intellect but the wait for the flower to bloom, and searching for Jiggo at request of the innkeeper that was housing them.

They managed to find a small trace of Jiggo – a scrap of his tunic snagged on a nail of a crate that belonged to one of the other halflings. Marks in the ground indicated that he had been dragged along the ground between some houses where the traces of him vanished. What was strange is that there we no foot prints, scraps of cloth, blood or anything that would indicate a struggle. Nor was anything heard by the neighbouring houses – it was almost like Jiggo was dragged silently.

With the disturbing revelation some of the hostility towards Colter died down, but not all of it. And after another quiet night the morning was a stark contrast. Calls of alarm, shouting and the booming voice from the high druid broke into the parties breakfast time. The source? Two more of Jiggo’s friends had gone missing, both of them having left to get to the bottom of what happened to Jiggo.

Again Colter had an air tight alibi having spent the night under the watchful gaze of the druids for his safety and to guarantee that he was innocent. But with another two missing people, one halfling and one gnome, it appeared that something foul stalked the streets at night. The adventurers that were in town, the party, however offered a unique position.

Experienced in the ways of hunting monsters and combat, unlike the gardeners of Morrowell they could route out the source of the problem and if it wasn’t too late save the missing halfling and gnomes from what ever fate. However, the druids were suspicious that what ever was taking the villagers was only coming out at night.

With a request of aid and offers of hospitality, and some pressure to find the missing people from friends and family within the village the party tried to work out what could possibly be causing the missing people. Their investigations revealed the same story, two bodies dragged off between and around houses with no sign of struggle and no evidence of what made the tracks.

That was until the party walked past a familiar plant, tripping over the vines that had spilled over the edge of the barrel and into the soils below. Could there be an assassin within this midst hiding in plain sight?

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Deep Corruption

510WeDeCo

It wasn’t long after leaving the delver guild hall that they realised that something was wrong. A man was arguing with one of the guards from the gate towards the Windhollow peaks and it didn’t look pretty.

‘I’m telling you. They have not left via the gate, nor have they received permission to leave via that rout by order of the guard. The further risk to life is and always will not be tolerated as per Khumric’s creed.’ the guard aggressively spoke.

‘And I’m telling ye’ you idiot that they already left. I want to know which of them went past on their way out’ the bulky dwarf used a sharp jab of his index finger to punctuate his sentences. As tempers started to flare the pair were broken apart. Taking this opportunity to suss out what was going on the party approached the gate guard and asked some questions. Recognising them as outsiders and from entering through the gates earlier today he was less hostile but still, anger boiled beneath the surface.

‘The idiot guilder over there, that is someone who’s part of an adventuring guild, says hes’ lads went through my gate earlier and he wanted to know who did. You see we record who leaves to those tainted places and who has come back – an insurance policy so we can let loved ones know who is lost to the delves.’ he itched his nose as he spoke. ‘With the current issue going on and the reports from all three delves we decided to close off this morning to obey the creed, the towns rules to prevent a calamity like what happened centuries ago. Eulric helps by keeping in contact with those outside of the walls and let’s us know who’s strayed from the path. But this lot.’ he thumbed at the dwarf who broiled at the gesture. ‘Say that they lost men last week and that some more lads went out looking for them. But the records don’t have them leaving through the gates either then or now.’

After taking a look at the records; the guild master must have had a word with the guards about their involvement in the investigation, the party spoke to the dwarf guilder. However, as far as the old dwarf was concerned his lads had left last week by request of a messenger to reinforce a group that ran into trouble and then again today, to reinforce his other lost men. The only clue – it was supposedly the same man that requested aid this morning was the one that requested it last week. The party at least had a lead.

Finding the man amongst a sea of people was nearly impossible, but as luck would have it sometimes when you go searching for signs of trouble, trouble finds you. They were asking one of the merchants who was selling relics, much like the ones they saw embedded in Eulric, when they heard a voice from behind them.

‘Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for you lot ever since I saw you in the meeting square.’ the party turned around to see the man that had asked for help earlier this morning. ‘I was unable to get the help needed and heard that you were experienced adventurers, not these relic hunters…’ he paused looking around as a familiar tingle of magic resonated from somewhere on him. ‘I can tell that you’re not convinced but I can say that you’re the only ones I can trust for this. I know a way out of the city past those annoying guards, if you can come with me now it’s not too late to save them and become like the heroes of old hey?’

For whatever reason the party knew that he their best lead to the missing party from before, and now the missing rescue team. As they followed him along the wall they came to a shop that looked like it specialised in relics, much like every other stall or market place in the town. As they approached the door a dizzying wave of magical energy came from the room so thickly that it could nearly be tasted. As they pushed forward through the magical haze they found hundreds of relics, round embossed disks of various metals on tables, in walls and in little boxes for sale.

Many of them resonated with something foul and as they move deeper they noticed a strange exchange between the man leading them along and the owner. The sound of a shutting door behind them told them what they needed. If they were to get out of this alive they would likely find in their fight for life the source of the missing rescuers.

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Cold Cuckooed

509WeCoCu

The party had found them again. The two individuals who had been seen ripping images down of Joe had been spotted again and this time they weren’t getting away. As they strode forward through the crowd the party stopped as they started to call out to a girl standing in front of another notice board.

‘Mistress Straken,’ one of them began as they walked towards the young woman. ‘We finally found you. Your mother asked us to come and find you to make sure that you were safe. With your father missing it is not wise for you to be without escort lest someone really did kidnap your father.’ the man continued.

‘Ah Kesper,’ she replied, the look of annoyance on her face. ‘I had to put out the posters to make sure people were aware that father was missing.’ she insisted.

‘Kendral, your father will show up. We will take those missing posters and put them up for you, but you must return to the manor now.’ the other offered with what appeared to be kindness.

‘Thank you Yjarl, Kesper. I have asked permission of most taverns and a few guilds to place these up in the area.’ she said as she handed over the small bag of tacks and the posters. As Yjarl walked with the girl, Kendral, Kesper waited until they were out of sight before depositing the stack of paper into an open fire before walking off.

The party had a bad feeling about this but they knew that at least one person would be excited to see Joe and hopefully in seeing Kendral that they would get the answers they need that even Joe had forgotten about himself.

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They had found that the young woman had returned to a large manor that was swarming with guards who would not let anyone near under order of the lady of the manor. They had found out that the lord, Donnovan Straken, had been missing for a few days now. The primary suspect was a group of thugs who were wanting a large ransom, so far the letter had come but no demands had been made.

However the party now suspected that their Joe Smith back at the Penitent Larder was Donnovan and that the girl was the key behind it. As they had waited for an opportunity to get inside the same man they saw burning the missing persons posters walked nearby and was caught bragging to one of the maids ‘Yeah, the lady’s advisor had asked me to to a special errand. You know I’m pretty important you see, report directly to the lady and her aid. Between you and me there will be some big changes soon and we may have a new lord.’

The maid of course giggled before being called to continue her work. The party maybe had a way in.

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The man winced but still resisted the party’s questioning. ‘Do your worst, he will do much worse to me if I tell you so I don’t fear you righteous folk’ Kesper spat at their feet.

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Den of Lies

508WeDeLi

The morning brought a gap in the storm and another body. Welk Tanner was found nearly cut in half as the first of dawns light poked through the window to the outside world. Despite being locked in side with the village healer, as a precaution against the beast, the healer claimed to not have heard or seen anything until the morning.

The window was smashed, the wood torn from around its frame and the room was a mess. There was even gore on the older mans tunic from how violent the attack on Welk was. When the village woke up to the screams of alarm and panic the elder had the healer locked away until the party could confirm the story by finding and killing the beast at its lair.

As they left there was a overwhelming sense of dread, a presence amongst the village and the woods as they walked in the direction of where they were planning to go. Moving further from the village the world became quite apart from the sound of their feet breaking partially frozen twigs.

Soon enough they came face to face with a cave, if that’s what it could be called. The party could smell it from dozens of feet away, the smell of blood and death. The ice hadn’t melted which clung to the mouth of the cave like frozen stalagmites and stalactites creating a frozen maw that gaped at them.

The party exchanged tense glances as they approached the cave entrance. The cold air seemed to grow thicker with every step, carrying with it a sense of evil that was almost thick enough to touch. As they drew deeper into the cave, the sounds of the forest faded away, replaced by an eerie silence that pressed in on their ears, broken only by water drops and the wind howling outside.

They stopped finding a trail of blood leading from the mouth of the cave and at its end, a pile of broken bodies and bones. The walls of the cave were riddled with ice like an infection, and the floor was littered with bones and skin, both human and animal. The stench of death was overwhelming, and the adventurers had to steel themselves against the urge to retch.

As they reached the end of the cave their heart sank. Nothing. There was no creature here lurking in the dark which pointed the rod of blame towards the kind healer, the one who gave no sense of evil about them. The flickering light of their torches cast shadows on the wall but revealed something amongst the dancing light. On the wall had been placed a twisted altar of bone, pelts and rope, covered in runes that glowed with a sickly blue light. As they watched the light pulse the air grew thicker with an oppressive energy, and the party could feel the weight of malevolent magic pressing down on them.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the chamber, and the adventurers turned to see a massive, hulking figure emerge from the shadows. It was the creature they had been hunting. The large twisted wolf that had limbs far longer than a normal canine stalked closer, the whispers and rumours did it no justice but now it stood before them in all its terrible glory. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and its white patchy fur was matted with blood.

But it was the second figure that emerged next to it, standing beside the creature that truly chilled their blood. The village elder, his eyes filled not with a evil but with a hunger that made it all the more worse. He raised raised his hands and pale blue light spread from the altar, up the wall and around the cave. Spilling like illuminate ink across the carvings in the wall revealing a web of ancient magic.

‘You must give an old man credit,’ the elder spoke calmly as he stroked the large not-wolf. ‘You have played right into my hands. An old man, a likely culprit and a village in need of saving. How we grew hungry when no one came by despite the storm I summoned.’ he said as he looked around the room, the light shimmering around him like a cloak of magic. ‘I had to use some of the flock to feed the village. But that’s over now with what you bring. Fresh meat, people expecting you somewhere and all evidence pointing you to the creature in the mountain. More adventurers, guards and clerics to come and purge an evil that waits so very hungrily for them.’

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