Zoom 2024-08-06 21:00

The party spends two night in Dumas. We pick up information sent to us from the Perceval temple:
* They can't find much information on the Flamboyant Dwarf - they just have a name strongly connected to him: Cornack. This is the name of the captain of the legendary Blackeyed Gull https://get-the-gelf.fandom.com/wiki/Legend_2:_The_Fate_of_the_Blackeyed_Gull
* They also forward the news that Vinmira has turned up in Hightower in a very bad way. His eyes have been put out, his tongue split, his eardrums pierced, nose removed and fingers chopped off - all of which is non-regenerable. His mind is incoherent.
Party members draw down funds for 'expenses' and disperse to gather information, visit temples, go about their business etc.
* There are no reports of Blink Dogs anywhere near Dumas or to the north, but there are reports of flying creatures that sound like Sturges.
* There haven't been any reports of trouble from the mines to the north of Dumas.
* Shanah worshippers visit the Shanah temple. Wyldwood worshippers visit a small farmers' shrine to Wyldwood. Wun and Twoo are unable to find any shrine to Universal.
* Bazin pays a visit to the local smithies - though many of old Dwarven run smithies have been abandoned. He hopes to find some indication of mithril forging going on - but there is none. So he buys an anvil instead.
* Not much information of interest is to be gleaned, but Francis's chats with the local gentry show that Duke Reston and Elias Boran are unpopular and losing influence, whereas Sava Warson (Shanah High Priest) is gaining in influence.
* Twoo takes the opportunity to learn Burning Hands as a possible anti-Sturge spell.
The party plans to travel by road to Kijran, and then strike north to the mountain in 70.098 - the one with white triangle on it that obviously couldn't have anything whatsoever to do with the Golden Pagoda. So the party sets off for Elthan, and spends the night there at a Coaching Inn. There is a wagon train staying there who have come from Tronston (this is the main road to Tronston). We exchange gossip and information - the traders are interested in re-opening trade with Northlake and there is a general feeling of optimism in the air. We offer to take messages to people in Kirjan for the traders and locals. We hear that two (unremarkable) humans came through here recently intending to go to Listval - a village that was abandoned over 20 years ago.
We leave next day for Freedale, and after camping overnight we make it to Freedale by around midday. We decide we want to chat to the local villagers/farmers who out currently out working, so have an afternoon nap and then socialise in the evening. They make very good beer in Freedale - nothing suspicious, just ideal conditions for it, it seems. We ask about Listvale - it seems to have been a small farming community where conditions weren't good enough for the community to continue, so it was abandoned. They confirm that two humans came through recently intending to go there. Otherwise, passing strangers are rare - though they had five people arrive before the first frosts last year who said they were heading to Kirjan. Local hunters say there is evidence of Sturge-like creatures around, but none have been directly spotted.
We leave at the crack of dawn and camp in 72.102. Brokev is disturbed during second watch by Tooit trying to wake Twoo, and the sound of flapping wings made by flying creatures larger than bats,