Hardcore Heroes: Episode 27

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== Synopsis ==
Upon arriving in Copperhill, the party senses something is amiss when they notice the local keep has disappeared. A peasant informs them it burned down and the local wizard, Joris, is defending against a knight named Kel Brindy. They head to the inn, now Joris's residence, where he declines their help against Brindy but discusses recent events, including mysterious assassinations and missing villagers. Joris shares limited information about these events and the knight's confrontations. Over the next few days, the party learns and practices spells, with Malakai retrieving Joris's spell books and Van sharing investigation findings with Joris. They eventually leave Copperhill, encounter a patrol warning of nearby murders, and return to Shirebrook to find Baron Valmont dead from poisoning. After speaking with a survivor of a village attack, they investigate the eerily empty village, discovering signs of blood but no evidence of a battle. Suspecting bullywugs, they plan to capture one for interrogation after ensuring Randy's safety in Shirebrook.
==Recap==
=== Sunday, 1509-09-04* ===
Having arrived in Copperhill late the party goes to sleep in the local inn they stayed at last time, however as they're making their way there something seems off.
They notice that the local keep is just gone and as they're standing in the streets and talking a local peasant comes over and explains that it burned down couple weeks ago. He also says that the local wizard, Joris, is fighting off a knight named Kel Brindy from taking over, but he refuses to comment on either of them until Malakai casts Suggestion on him. This gets the party information that he doesn't actually care that much who is in power, although Kel Brindy is known to have risen taxes on her people multiple times while Joris hasn't actually done much anything besides fighting her off.
They make their way to the tavern where Joris has apparently taken residence in. He receives them fairly politely, makes some light jokes and mentions that he is indeed living in town with his wife now. He refuses their help with dealing with the knight citing that Malakai would likely just murder her which could cascade into even more problems and attempts some small talk by asking how is Van's son doing which just confuses everyone. When asked about the scroll he says that the magic didn't work and that the cleric he hired to cast it together with the scroll had perished. Party asks about whether they might recruit Darf once more to which Joris shrugs and tells them he is his own man.
They also talk about the recent assassinations and learn there might have been about 8 to 9 total in recent months. Joris doesn't seem to have any valuable information regarding the fringe Malkis followers that have been going around murdering people.
Malakai makes a deal about going to get Jorises spell books and taking them back to the tavern where they could do some spell selling and learning.
Kain also talks about the disappearing villages near the Shadow Mountains, but besides defaulting to the fact that the Shadow Mountains have been cursed for centuries and that it just might be its natural state Joris does not offer anything. Van does however mention he can share the experiences he's had with him so they decide to reconvene tomorrow.
Kain offers sincere sympathies to the barkeep who has to deal with two wizards in his town now. One's that constantly insult his chicken.
Before they bed down Malakai goes to explore the burned down keep, he notes that one of the nearby nobleman houses has a single magic item in it, but he decides it's not worth the effort.
=== Monday, 1509-09-05* ===
Night passes uneventfully, they have breakfast and Van comes to Joris to share the investigation with him. It takes a bit of cajoling to get Joris to allow Healsing to cast his spell, him being a suspicious old wizard and all, however after Van casts a on the bartender he gives and the information sharing proceeds without an issue. They go for a while and first Van shares information regarding the Shadow Mountains then next he shows the information he got from the murdered family near Misty Rapids. The second bit seems to resonate with Joris a little bit and he shares an older memory a while back where he encountered a Malkis follower with a missing hand. He does propose though that the man could’ve been pretending to be a Malkis follower and he also proposes that the villagers from near Shirebrook might have been drugged in addition to the magical effects.
As this is going on Malakai rides towards Joris's house. He offers to cast Stoneskin on Jeeves, but he refuses citing that the ladies would not enjoy the appearance and who doesn't need some love every now and then.
While on the road they spot a small herd of elephant which Malakai studies for a few minutes pondering whether he could use it as basis for the shadow monsters spell, but concludes that they are a few hit-dice too strong.
As they approach the house Darf busts out of his house sword in hand ready to fight, but slowly deflates once he realizes its Jeeves and Malakai riding towards him. They greet each other and only with a little bit suspicion Malakai gets his spell-books as well as a crystal ball for Van. Darf tells him to greet Van and he departs back to Copperhill. 
Van asks Joris how he got his hand on a magic crystal ball to which he replies he just had a quartz ground down to a ball, Van realizes that he might have gotten the wrong idea and goes off to search for random bodies of water in town.
Kain inquires Van what sort of spells besides scrying he can do and then quickly regrets it after Van goes on a tirade of in how many ways he can control a person's life and mind.
Later in the day everyone assembles in the tavern, party notes Malakai's new fancy grey skin.
Everyone deliberates over what are the chances of their spell being spotted and how to specify the casting and eventually in a big brass bowl they cast their Reflecting pool. Ripples cover the bowl and then slowly transform into a scene with a closed stone room occupied by 12 hooded figures around a long table with clasped hands, muttering something as they stand in a circle. They wear black cloaks with red swirls around the sleeves. The room looks fairly bare, there are some chandeliers and a few dishes with simple food on them. Malakai attempts to cast Detect magic to  see through the pool and notes one of the figures has moderate abjuration aura around them. After everyone seems to have had their fill of spying on the mysterious figures they cancel the spell so that they don't risk alerted their quarry.
Van goes to seek out Joris for the possibility of him casting a hearing spell through the spying bowl, but he denies with his duty to protect the town by spying on the knight taking precedance. He does agree to write down spells for Malakai though. Malakai picks out Dimension door, Featherfall, Displace self and Clear audience for learning beginning with Dimension door then possibly rest being sent by courier. With the space in Malakai's spellbook running out they also start negotiating price for an empty traveling spellbook Joris had kept around in case Darf turned out to be magically inclined, but with a price tag of 100 gold per page it appears they might have trouble affording it and will need to make do with regular paper for now. 
=== Friday, 1509-09-09* ===
For 3 days Malakai learns his spell and for 3 days Van practices with Harvest Moon scimitar both of them succeeding in their tasks. Van learns that it indeed is a +2 scimitar. 
While they do their tasks Joris does occasionally go and confront the knight, always dealing non-lethally with her and her men. 
Once everything is done they say their goodbyes and party heads back down to Shirebrook. 
=== Saturday, 1509-09-10* ===
First night along their journey back north, Van is keeping watch by campfire when he suddenly realizes that there are stars missing in the sky, stars in Malkis constellation. Van thinks on this and since the stars themselves are the manifestation of gods themselves it could mean that the god Malkis is not in his home plane, whether having left it or having perished. 
It might be a bit early to jump to conclusions, but Van decides that he will seek out any clerics he can and ask them about this. Van prays to Chis and she answers with a cryptic message that sometimes the calming and beautiful feeling of a chaotic ocean torrent which you might never know where they will take you just needs to be accepted. Van decides that this might be a sign to not fight the changing times that could be upon them.
=== Sunday, 1509-09-11* ===
Whole on the road Kain spots riders in the distance coming their way through the grasslands. They move Jeeves inside the carriage while everyone else readies for possible combat. Eventually the horsemen get to a shouting range, they ignore Kains warning shot and ask the party to identify themselves. They question their motives, but quickly ease off once they learn of Vans clerical status. The leader shares some information with the party, that brown hooded men had murdered 2 knights near Plainsview and then departed to south and west. Party answers in kind informing them of the possible Malkis death cultists on the loose murdering nobles. Eventually they wish each other good travels and depart towards their respective directions. 
Soon enough they pass by Stromheim which is still closed.
=== Tuesday, 1509-09-13* ===
While on the road they try again to scry on the cultists, but Van's pool fails and Malakai realizes the golden horn is consumed in casting Clairvoyance so he abstains until Vans Reflecting pool succeeds. 
=== Saturday, 1509-09-17* ===
Finally they get back in Shirebrook late that night and upon arrival immediately hear that David Cornvel Valmont has died. They quickly seek out Rohana and learn that a peasant from village of Pinecone poisoned the late Baronesses husband because of him having grown suspicious of her after the murder of his wife. Again it was someone who closely worked with the nobles, a chambermaid and after she had been cough it turned out she was the one who killed Baroness Valmont as well. 
Rohana tells that there's also been attacks on villages near the Black Pine Marsh and a survivor has been put up at Dewdrop inn. 
They go find the woman and talk to her. She explains she was out gathering food and only managed to see her friend with a spearhead poking through her back at which point she ran without seeing who assailed them. She also heard yells coming from the village and this odd water-droplet-hitting-surface sound, multiplied by dozens. Kain gives her a few gold which she appreciatively takes and they resolve to head to the village tomorrow morning.
=== Sunday, 1509-09-18* ===
New day dawns and they pass over the river without problems. Later that day they find themselves in the village, however in a frighteningly reminiscing way it appears to be empty. No weapons, no arrows no signs of a battle. Randy takes in the sight with a gasp, but the party immediately sets out to investigate this familiar scene. 
Van finds some broken fence and clay pots, laying there as if dropped while Malakai notes a large rust coloured circle in the center of the village. Kain comes to investigate and finds that it appears to be blood, though there are no other marks, not even any footprints anywhere in the village. Malakai calls for party to attempt disbelieving the illusion, but that doesn't appear to do anything. 
Van asks Randy to collect some hair from anyone who was in the village so she brings her deceased friend's coat. They find a puddle and Van casts Reflecting pool which fails.   
Malakai attempts to detect magic, but this time there's no signs of it anywhere in the village. Instead they go to where Randy's friend fell and cast Thought capture, getting the last thoughts of her questioning is this how she's going to die. Needing more information Van goes to nap in one of the houses and once he wakes up casts Reflecting pool a second time. 
They see a murky dark undulation and are confused until a fish suddenly comes by. They realize it's underwater and continue inspecting the silty water bottom for any clues whether this is sea or river until a crocodilian creature passes by. Satisfied they decide to cast one last spell, Speak with dead and get the information that Randy's friend was killed by a bullywug. 
Somewhat taken aback by this turn of events they think back on when Shirebrook was attacked by them, obviously they are a major threat, but party doesn't seem to want to believe that they are the ones responsible for all these disappearances. Van proposes that perhaps the unknown mystical creature used the confusion of the bullywug attack to take away the bodies of the villagers. Randy pipes up that maybe it's the other way around, but it does bring up the problem of them going really out of their way into the mountains for the dwarven village. 
Speaking to one of the bullywugs would really give them a lot of insight so they decide they need to capture one, but probably not before they take Randy back to safety of Shirebrook. 
== Experience and changes ==
*Dates are extrapolated from a previous mention of an exact date.
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes