Zoom 2022-01-11 21:00

As I was going down the stair … (Day 167 on)
=== In Thricastle ===
“Now you’ve done it”
As the words of the magic mouth fade, the Party feels a collective rising of hackles, and several members experience various visions of Swanfeather’s last moments. The visions are different but consistent, but it will take the Party some time to fit the pieces together, and that is best left to time round the campfire. So, after sharing brief accounts of the visions, the party forms up and heads for the citadel. One point we all notice is that the voice of the most recent magic mouth was the voice of Ghassan, the dwarf in the vision, and not the same as the voice of earlier magic mouths we encountered in Tarkeep. Khurak scans the skies and the surrounding countryside. Brokev carries Swanfeather’s symbol. On climbing up to the citadel we see that it in worse condition than it appeared from a distance. Even the walls did not offer observation points to watch the inn, and the upper stories of the keep are clearly unsafe.
At the citadel we find some much better traps, simple tripwire alarms, but much better disguised than the traps in the inn. We also find signs signs of what we assume was Ghassan’s camp, abandoned about 20 minutes before we arrived. In the camp Ghassan has left a pewter tankard, clearly an object of virtue, resting on a stone with a written note (in Dwarvish), and a pool of water about 8” in diameter, through which we can just about scry the inn cellar where Swanfeather’s remains were found. Riff-Raff also dispels a glyph of warding, disclosing a compartment containing an old (not aged) notebook, a novice’s holy symbol of SARN, and a curious loop of black cloth. Some time is spent examining the items, detecting magic etc, and securing items to take to the evening camp, except for the SARM symbol which we leave untouched. Bazin reads the note which says “You’ll need this at night. Best of luck. Ghassan”. There is a clear area about 10’ radius around the stone with the goblet that has aged far less than elsewhere. The Party considers a “Venn diagram” test overnight with our original drum-piece goblet, but considers the risk too high. Both goblets are placed in the “box of goblet holding”, and entrusted to Umar.
Ghassan’s trail leads out of town then breaks off into nothing. The Party camps outside Thricastle, and tries out the “camp without trace” spell. There are no problems during the night, except for the usual (tactful) visit from a Shadow Clan scout.
=== Camp (Morning of Day 168) ===
The clan scout is able to tell us that the clan was aware of Swanfeather and the dwarf. The Dwarf has been around for 18 months or so, mostly outside the town – though he did ‘do something’ to the pub-sign in Tarkeep. Swanfeather had come first to Vendor, then about 5 days later to Thricastle. The clan had not paid much attention since they were deemed not to be threats. Garaf spends some time using his identify spells, then takes an additional sleep.
The Party spends the rest of the day travelling to Vendor, and camping once Vendor is visible on the horizon, but well out of range of the cold spots, we hope. Vendor glows a cold white at night
=== Items from Ghassan’s camp etc ===
# The pewter tankard – may be part	of the three item set of drum fragments (this is implied by the	runes engraved on it - Darrell to send us the exact wording.)	 It may repel the “cold-spots” in a 10’ radius. It does not	radiate magic, nor does an Identify spell reveal anything. Ghassan	had left a helpful note, torn from the notebook, saying we might	need this. Francis hopes this did not refer to the stone.
# The black cloth loop – enables a	cleric to use a spell slot to cast a 4th level spell to	create a pool of scrying.
# The book, had 12 pages, 6 missing,	but when Ghassan’s note was replaced in the book, it reattached	itself, and became blank, so there are now 13 pages. It bears a	runic inscription, which Riff-Raff spotted, and appears to be an	item that facilitates enchanting items. (Write the recipe into the	book, then tear out the page and burn it in the forge fire).
# Swanfeather’s holy symbol –	acts like a ring of wizardry for a true cleric, doubling 2nd	and 3rd level spells. It adopted the form of Wildwood	modern, when Brokev held it.
We also discuss Ghassan’s holy symbol that we had left untouched: No obvious magical effect, just a treasured item of the faith, which might prove necessary at some point in the Swanfeather quest. It also shows why Ghassan would go to great lengths not to touch Swanfeather’s symbol. It might react with the one he bears now.
=== The Visions of Swanfeather ===
We realise that it is 100 days since we last saw Swanfeather in Far Haven.
The visions introduce us to a dwarf Ghassan, a priest of SARN, who tends to Swanfeather very tenderly, and forces himself to conduct Wyldwood exsequies to honour her last wishes. Some of us experience her fading memories of Saratak’s mission. She met Ghassan, as she was supposed to, and is dying in accordance with Saratak’s vision. Ghassan was also instructed to meet and care for Swanfeather in her last days, as a precursor to seeing the path to his revenge. Ghassan seems to think Saratak has treated him fairly. Ghassan’s chief concern is to entice a party of hunters or adventurers to take up Swanfeather’s amulet, which he will not touch. It is not clear whether this constitutes passing on her faith, as Saratak’s prophecy required.
=== Vendor (Day 169) ===
Pausing only for a weather forecast, the Party assumes marching order, with Caradoc taking the lead as we reach the outskirts of the city. We can see that Vendor was more of a clan meeting point than a stronghold or developed city. There are no walls, and many buildings remain less than 2’ above the ground though there are some stone built structures towards the centre, but there are no obvious signs of mines etc. As the party moves towards the centre of the area Kirsten becomes upset. There is an old human dropping in and out of existence as it approaches. The party sees nothing at first, but gradually make out an urgently gesticulating figure (Michael Palin before he discovered choo-choo trains?), who leads us towards a well in what appears to be an old square, still falling in and out of existence. At the last, he appears by the well, but his throat has been ripped out. The well seems dry, about 25’ deep, with a small crouch-way leading off about 10’ before the bottom. Suddenly the well seems about half-full of bones, then they disappear again.
At this point Umar notices there is something wrong with the bloody time to-day, since the sun is awfully low, almost touching the horizon. It seems to be setting in fits and starts. The party decide to high-tail it out of town ASAP, and Umar takes the goblets from the “box of goblet holding” in the hope they may protect against the ‘Ageors’ after sunset.
As the session ends, Caradoc (at the front of the party) is attacked: Brace, brace (Nb Francis is not surprised, and will rush forward to share his +4ac with Caradoc if he can).
=== Points of note ===
Bazin has obviously been doing the “height-exercises”, and Kirsten is getting good at sniffing dwarfs. She can confirm that Bazin is still a dwarf, if infinitesimally taller than average.