The Curse of the Golden Sheep

**The Golden Sheep**

Player Cast: Dave, Malrakus, Calan, Gavin, Cordelia

NPCs: Rober Lanrough, Gavin's Family, Elias Booker, Brett Duff

**Day 1**

In the market square, Guard Captain Rober Lanrough and his subordinate Ardel Demao confront Gavin Shepherdson on rumors of the suspicious sale of a golden sheep. After a clever deception on the part of Gavin, the Captain revealed the golden sheep in Gavin's cart. While trying to bring Shepherdson to the guard post for questioning, the half-drow Malrakus interfered and abducted Gavin, while D stole the golden sheep.

After sending Ardel to gather the militia and find the sheep, the Captain pursued Malrakus with assistance from Calan Lato, Dave Sal-Trock, and Cordelia Evian. Upon being cornered, Malrakus agreed to free Gavin and assist in the investigation of the origins of the golden sheep.

The group travels to Gavin’s home to talk to his parents about the sheep and learns nothing. They then return to the guardpost to find that the sheep has been found. The Captain returns to managing security for the town during preparations for the upcoming Midsommer Festival, of particular importance as Princess Hatfield, cousin to Duke Vokkika is in attendance. He offers the party a reward for any information concerning the origin of this golden sheep. At this point, Dave leaves to fulfill his duty and guide the Princess and a number of other affluent individuals to the Duke’s lakehouse.

Cordelia talks to the people in Lord’s Row to gather any rumors. Besides talk of the Golden Sheep, Cordelia finds that the proprietor of the Stewton Herbalist shop is considered odd, though generally helpful.

The party begins their search by visiting Stewton Parish, asking Priest Elias Booker about possible methods for returning a golden being to normal. Booker promises to contact his superiors, informing the party that they likely cannot expect a reply before the festival. The party continues to the herbalist’s hut.

On talking with the herbalist, Malrakus suspects she knows more than she admits and intimidates her to convince her to give more information. The herbalist agrees to find more information and will have something for the party the next day. Malrakus then convinces the herbalist to sell him a health potion for 15G and steals another without her noticing. While inside her shop, he notices that she has three books, one in an unrecognizable language.

Cordelia, Calan, and Gavin stay within sight of the herbalist hut to watch for any action. They notice a young man come to the herbalist’s hut from the woods, then return to the woods. They follow and discover him leaving a marked stone in the hollow of a tree.

Dave and Malrakus meet at the general store, Donaldson’s Gathering and ask for any further information. Bree Sarja, Donaldson’s apprentice, informs them that the Duke’s servant Bret Duff has been favoring his right hand. On learning this, Dave and Malrakus decide to wait for the servant to return on another errand. On his return, they offer to help him carry things back to the manor and on the way manage to convince him to reveal his malady, which he has hidden for fear of being labeled a sorcerer. They learn that Bret picked up a golden fly he found on the road and later found his hand to be turning to gold. Deducing that the golden curse spreads, the party retrieves the fly and quickly rendevous with the rest of the party. They interrogate Gavin to determine if he had touched the golden sheep and learn that his father has been afflicted by the curse the previous day and was now slowly turning to gold himself.

**Spying**

Player Cast: Dave, Malrakus, Calan, Gavin, Talon

NPCs: Owen Townsend

The group camps near the herbalist’s house, suspicious of her intentions. Dave takes the first watch and sees nothing of note. Malrakus takes the second watch and disappears in the night. Calan wakes to find no one on watch and a stranger approaching the camp. He introduces himself as Talon. They notice a figure returning from the woods near the herbalist’s house. They catch him and learn that this is Owen Townsend. They learn that he was meeting someone in the woods and threaten him to get him to agree to let them meet his friend.

**Day 2**

Herbalist has diddly

**Snakes, Drugs, and Talismans**

Player Cast: D, Dru, Calan, Malrakus, Gavin

NPCs: Achichichic, Owen Townsend, Ioetta, Behort Stevenson, Lekaf Romeau, Ray Santander, Samson

**Day 3**

The group returns to interrogate the Herbalist and learns that there is a Yuan-Ti Pureblood named Achichichic in the woods who may know something. They go meet him and he’s suspicious and uninterested until he learns Dru is sympathetic to magic. He talks with Dru and agrees to tell them how to stop the curse if she agrees to bring others who are discontent with the current system to him. He agrees and he tells her about Owen and the amulet he carries.

They go find Owen in the General Store and Dru convinces him to hand over the amulet. Owen reveals that he’s a drug addict, his mother died and his father is always out of town. No one cares. They take the amulet to Gavin’s house and try to figure out how to help Gavin’s father. Calan casts detect magic and determines that the gold curse is linked to the amulet. Calan smashes the amulet, those nearby hear screams in their minds, and blood leaks from the shattered remains of the iron disk. Calan notices that the virulent magic has faded from those afflicted.

The group returns to Achichichic’s shack to ask questions about what happened. The pureblood is cagey but insists that as promised the curse has ended. When Drusilla argues that Achichichic misrepresented her intent, saying that her goal was to cure those cursed not stop the progression of the curse, Achichichic points them toward the Isle of Volusia where there once was a magical hospital. The pureblood mentions one Lekaf Romeau on the island who may be able to help reverse the effects of the curse.

The group stops by the Duke’s Lakehouse on the way out of town and talks with Behort who was on the island about ten years ago. He mentions the name of a friend of his who should still be there, one Ray Sandtander. He tells the group that glow root, a needed ingredient in a theoretical remedy for the curse, grows there.

As the group walks away, Malrakus and Dave overhear Samson scolding the woman they thought was the princess for nearly blowing her cover.

D decides to leave the group and find Garen, Maze, Shadow, and Baldemar.