Session 2

## **Summary**

### **Part 1: Returning to Town**

We picked up our session where the previous session ended. It was roughly 2am local time, and our heroes found themselves marching back to Tema's Rest with a half-naked Harold Stigmar in tow. Having recently been freed from bondage and torture, Harold was happy to be back in civilization. The PCs reunited Harold with Vondrir, informing Vondrir that they were unable to rescue the other dwarf (Siegfried), who was clearly tortured to death.

When the PCs awoke the next day, they were introduced to Jenny's character who was definitely a male. Clearly a man. I mean, look at that beard. Quite manly.

Jenny's character, "Piebeard" spent the last couple of days in the employ of Frederick Togren, a professor at the Sanctum Arcanum, a university in Whitegarden. Buh deBurg recognized Togren, but kept that information to himself. Frederick talked everyone's ears off, telling anyone who would listen that he was on an expedition to learn more about the Hyperboreans (a race totally not inspired from Conan), and to hopefully find evidence to prove his theory that the Hyperboreans had settlements on this part of Tiphor. The rest of the party was then introduced to the rest of the expedition.

* Sylva, a professor of ancient history
* Nymea, an eager student and obvious teacher's pet.
* Drew, a bumbling idiot
* Gedney, an overly optimistic gnone that is definitely NOT Mickey Mouse
* Regas, a very AMAZINGLY NAMED half-orc with a bit of a secretive side.

Frederick successfully hired the PCs and informed them that they will be setting out on their adventure the next day.

The rest of the day was filled with interesting minor events.

* Korvin Ironmane became fast friends with Lithopedion Stoneridge and "Piebeard".
* Everyone managed to return their wands to Wizard Bob!
* Ivellios Presley and Tim Bucket Jr. obtained two more wands to test from Wizard Bob!.
* Hank Scorpio expertly convinced a table full of people that he needed to take a furious poop.
* The PCs questioned Vondrir, trying to figure out why he was a target for the bandits. They were able to uncover that Vondrir comes from a very wealthy family, and that perhaps someone was trying to ransom him for a large sum of money
* The PCs watched nonchalantly as Vondrir Flaskrock got kidnapped by a cloaked figure
* Tim Bucket Jr. tried to find ways out of his cabbage farming responsibilities. Cabbaging is hard work.

The next morning, the players set out on their journey.

### **Part 2: The Journey to Yolbiac Vale**

This part of the adventure was rather uneventful. The group spent the next 3-4 days traveling the Quillande Road south of Tema's Rest. The group was fortunate enough to not have any random encounters. But the only thing that really hampered their trip was the weather. Most of their trip was marked with icy rain.

It was during this part of the journey, however, that the party discovered Regas' dark secret. Concerned by his continual disappearances, "Piebeard" convinced Hank to follow Regas and investigate what he was up to. After some very successful stealth checks, Hank realized that Regas was writing some supremely terrible Gothic Poetry. This was quickly disseminated to the rest of the party. And boy howdy was that poetry bad. But I would like to thank Hank Scorpio for making this discovery. It was truly hilarious.

After the poetry incident, the party found themselves in the Yolbaic Valley, a dense, dark, and ancient forest. The woods were certainly a strange place, and being constantly shadowed by a flock of ravens helped reinforce that belief. After a day of hard traveling the group eventually made it to The Avauntz Inn, the real last refuge in the area. The party met some interesting folk, learned about the strange goings on in the lands (people having bad dreams, bandits occupying Timberval, possible dragons!) and rested for the night. During the night, Hank, Tim, and "Piebeard" all had terrible dreams... visions of being followed, restrained, or even killed. But even those dreams weren't enough to dissuade our hearty group of level 2 adventurers!

### **Part 3: The Forest: Day 1**

The first day of travel in the forest was rather uneventful. The day was marked with heavy rain. You left your horses behind and started trekking through the forest. Your travel was constantly hindered by rough terrain and fallen trees. You also noticed that your group was still being followed by a flock of crows.

It was around mid-day that your group was ambushed by bandits! It was during this fight that Ivellios Presley uncovered the magical effects of his newly acquired wand of magic missiles. It caused him to switch places with himself, one hour in the future!

The fight was over rather quickly, as the PCs were able to overwhelm and crush the bandits with ease. You managed to capture and interrogate their captain (with the help of Litho's command spell). You learned that this group of bandits was led by Borisha the Black. Ivellios was able to persuade the captain (through a very interesting use of song and prestidigitation) to give him a way into Timberval. Feeling benevolent, the PCs let the captain live and sent him on his way with nothing else but a dagger.

During the night, a rather eerie event occurred. The entire forest went silent. Trees stopped rustling. Crickets stopped chirping. Wolfs stopped howling. Just utter silence. The silence still remains a mystery.

### **Part 4: The Forest: Day 2**

The morning of the second day started out with the rain subsiding and getting replaced by a thick layer of fog. Given the troubling nature of this environment, all the players had to make exhaustion rolls: with Hank and Piebeard unable to succeed the check. After clearing camp, the expedition set off into the woods. During their journey, some people noticed black figures following them... darting through the fog and vanishing in the trees. Some people tried to investigate, but nothing was found.

Undeterred, our heroes continued on their adventure, hoping to find something... anything... that Togren could use to further his theories. Within a few hours, the party stumbled upon a clearing that contained a healthy smattering of relics of Hyperborean origin. A stone monolith depicting a sacrifice... a bone blade (easily identified by our resident cabbage farmer)... a bloody dagger from the bandit attack yesterday... and an old human bone.

During the excavation, it was discovered that Drew had gone missing. The group successfully managed to complete their very first skill challenge and found Drew semi-conscious on the ground. After briefly questioning him, it seemed like he was not in control of his actions. Something or someone called out for him, beckoning him to go deeper into the forest. He didn't remember much... but whatever it was took his food and water.

### **Part 5: The Forest: Day 3**

Once again, sleeping in the forest took its toll on one of the party members with Buh suffering his first point of exhaustion. It was also revealed that during the night the camp was raided. Some food, water, and other provisions were stolen. But no one on watch recalled seeing anything out of the ordinary.

Like the previous couple of days, the party is still being followed by a group of crows in the sky. But the thickness of the fog made it too difficult to discern any more information. After breaking camp, the group ventured even deeper into the forest, hoping to find more clues about the Hyperboreans. After a few hours of travel, the expedition stumbled on a grizzly scene: a clearing full of dead/dismembered/gutted bodies arranged in a ritualistic spiral. In the center of the spiral were a dozen severed heads. Surrounding the bodies were four stone monoliths, nearly identical to the ones found the previous day. Further analysis of the site revealed obvious signs of tunneling. Piebeard came to the conclusion that the creatures that have been following the party were subterranean. This tidbit of knowledge confirmed Sylva's suspicions, and she confronted Togren with her worries. Sylva revealed that the creatures following the party were most likely Jaundools... an unholy union of Hyperboreans and demons. Sylva contended that the Hyperboreans in this area were most likely outcasts forced to live in this area. And the creatures hunting them were the horrifying ancestors of those outcasts.

The discovery of this site and Sylva's revelation clearly unnerved the entire group. Drew attempted to flee once again, but was quickly stopped. Togren realized he was in over his head and suggested that they should retreat. Everyone unanimously turned around and began the journey back to the Avauntz Inn. However... something was preventing the group's progress. No matter where they went, they kept coming back to the massacre site. The group settled in for the night. Buh set alarms around the camp and on the food. Ivellious desired to make a super fortress out of tents. Letho comforted Sylva. Tim slept with cabbages.

### **Part 6: The Forest: Day 4**

Unfortunately, this morning was worse than any that came before it. Drew turned up missing, with only a collapsed tunnel the only evidence left behind. The food, however, still remained. But the news of Drew's disappearance only further demoralized the group. Even Gedney was distraught. It was decided that Drew was a lost cause, and the group broke camp and attempted to make their way back to civilization.

But once again the group was being followed by those pesky crows. Curious to learn more about them, Hank ascended one of the trees to get a closer look. Curiously enough, the crows were accompanied by a lone white raven. Instinctively, Hank called out to the raven... but the raven simply ignored his greeting and flew off.

Hours went by, but no matter where they went they group kept returning to the site of the massacre. Fueled slightly by madness (or sleep deprivation), Piebeard began desecrating the ritual site. Smashing monoliths... throwing bodies... tossing severed heads. Hank Scorpio unsheathed his weapons and laid motionless on the ground. It was then that the Jaundools attacked. The party put up a solid fight, felling 1 or 2 of the beasts... but their fight was futile. The entire expedition (save the PCs) were captured... leaving our heroes alone in the forest.