Session 14: You called. I came. (9/20/22)

Pulyana 28, 1423

Silvermane loses contact with Rucia almost as soon as he confronts the new threat outside the Flapping Salmon...the PCs spy an adversary, the masked figure from the Fairgrounds, and several move to confront it, although they are partially barred by a stampede of tavern customers to escape this bad, developing situation. Several of the PCs get out first and are greeted by a trio of white, taloned hands that float about in small shadowy voids. They attempt to grasp onto our heroes, and when they are successful, they are ported into shadowy pocket realms of limited size...each containing a separate, shadowy creature or group of creatures trapped there. 

Nebol'shoy summons a group of shadowy rats to deal with the shadowy goblins that ambush him within his pocket realm, and eventually Mockleg ends up there. Ruci and the Salmon's bouncer Smoker end up in another facing off against shadowy, snarling wolves, and after a rooftop evasion, Aldren is nabbed by one of the hands, to square off against some tentacled monstrosity that grasps and pulls prey towards its shadowy maw! Out on the street, Bjork engages in a battle of spells and wits with the adversary, and even gets it to speak in a chill, whispering voice. For the longest time, it cannot put Bjork into a shadow realm until it finally has dealt with Mockleg and Captain Condor, the latter of whom ends up with Bjork and Aldren against the tentacled thing, which is flaying the life nearly from the trio!

Once inside, the shadow wizard begins to SHRINK the pocket realms, threatening to crush all within, but the PCs manage to destroy the creatures lying in wait. As each disappears, spilling the PCs back out into Zolovny, the wizard seems to weaken, and since he accrued damage from Bjork's attacks earlier, the closing of the third pocket realm destroys him outright. All that has left behind is a Spellbook with his name ('Sadomator'), which the PCs give to Mockleg, a strange violet bag that summons balls of fur which turn into creatures (claimed by Nebol'shoy), and the wizard's mask.

After the grueling battle, the heroes do some healing and return to their sleeping tent, still squashed from the earlier prank...to find that all the surrounding tents have also been trampled, some of them torn up with what must be a sharp blade. Bjork casts Leomund's tiny hut and the PCs sleep there until the morning...

Pulyana 29, 1423

Although their long term plans include traveling towards Arkany and/or Old Bloodwalls, the PCs are waiting on a few items to be finished, and also want to hover about Zolovny in case of further attack, so they decide upon a day's journey to nearby Borgaborsk. There is a bounty upon two dwarves known as the Bitter Berg Sisters, who are poisoners and hoodwinks, and they want to look for some leads there. First, Aldren and Condor speak with the Trawlers' Union about the paperwork to repair the Slack Mallard, and then the old sailor goes back to stay at the Soverat Stockage. They rent two bows, one for Bjork and Nebol'shoy, the other for Aldren, Rucia and Mockleg, and they row on a bright sunny Fall day down the Skorbi towards their goal. En route, Aldren has a tense conversation with the dragonborn about trust issues, but otherwise there are no unusual occurrences. They arrive at Belker's Quay, moor their boats and speak with a local soldier as they take in the sights. 

They head towards the Smeltworks, the smoggy center of the town, and speak with a few of the local smiths to pick up some ammunition. One dwarf Smith, Benzhi, tells Aldren that the rare black arrow he has inquired about was made by one 'Yacoby' who lives up in the Gargoyle Steeps. Another smith, a minotaur, speaks to Bjork of the axe he found in the Deepwood Barrows, clutched in the bones of a minotaur skeleton. They hear a rumor that a local farm might be haunted, and they might follow up on that as well, but first they head over to Forge Row Jewelers to make some exchanges.

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

Benzhi (dwarf male): A weaponsmith and vendor of the Smeltworks in Borbaborks, fairly non-descript with a sooty smock over a suit of fur-trimmed leather armor. His hair is jet black and his beard is braided into two spikes.

Old Borly (minotaur female): A minotaur, white with black spots, who works at the Smeltworks in Borgaborsk. She seems to have a great love for history, especially that of minotaur-kind, and assigns great value to minotaur-crafted items.

Sadomator (? male): An associate of the villains Csunori and Borya, appearing as a white mask with a cross-shaped slit visor floating amidst a billowing, shadowy cloak. A capable mage with unique abilities that let him manipulate the Shadowfell, transporting opponents into pocket realms populated with shadowy creatures, in addition to a nasty assortment of spells. Defeated by the PCs at Zolovny outside of the Flapping Salmon.

Session 13: The only good bear is a dead bear, or doormat (8/24/22)

Pulyana 28, 1423.

While on morning watch, there are sounds of a struggle nearby. Aldren and Nebol'shoy find the recent corpse of a local floating near the shore, and then notice a figure swimming near The Slack Mallard. It appears to be a shirtless elf carrying a knife of some sort, and climbs up onto the ship to avoid them. They pursue with Bjork and a rowboat, while Rucia has Silvermane, his bonded warhorse, and Mock'leg watch by the shore. The elf evades them, swims back to shore and then heads out of Zolovny towards the West. Aldren quietly heads belowdecks and hears some snoring, apparently that of Captain Condor, but they do not wake him up. He gets a good look about the ship, keeping in mind the offer he had from the local Trawlers' Union.

After finishing his morning prayers and preparations, Rucia goes to grab the Captain, and the group is not far behind. They tell him of the dead body, and Condor identifies it as a local who was helping him out for the promise of a berth on his voyage to the Isle of Skorbi. They decide it's probably not safe for the drunk to remain onboard, and he agrees, so he gathers a few things and heads off to the Soverat Stockage where the PCs manage to convince the lazy local guards to keep him locked away, lest he be assassinated by the figure that was stalking the ship. Once he's secured, the PCs make preparations to journey to Smite-Eye's tower and investigate, including a stop for Aldren to find some arrows. They spend a few hours traveling and eventually, as they make their way into the woods near the tower, they find some massive elk tracks, which themselves seem to divert around the very structure that they are headed towards...

Once they arrive, they find a strange site, a tower covered in swirling ivy and thorny vines, and a strange stormy cloud visible only overhead when once is within a close proximity to the tower. A sigil of an eye floats on a banner far above, just projected out far enough from the plant layers. There are also a pair of semi-circular gardens next to it, one with unusual violets and the other unusual indigo flowers. They can barely make out the location of a door, and Rucia decides to open it, only to be entangled onto the outer walls of the tower, which then begins to pierce him with thorns as it swirls and carries him higher up. He manages to misty step to safety. Aldren, standing on one of the gardens, notes that it begins to rumble, the earth churns and the garden itself is moving. He leaps to safety and they prod the other garden to note something similar.

After a few spells and some discussion, the group decides it might be best to later make another approach, perhaps with the key they might find where the map marked it near 'Old Bloodwalls'. They march back towards Zolovny, but come upon a scene of two massive bears in a conflict near the waters of the Skorbi. Aldren and a few other party members want to jump in, but cooler heads prevail, and the half-elf instead charts them a course where they can stay at a safe distance. Night has fallen once they return to Zolovny, and they decide to split up, some headed to the Flapping Salmon after checking in on Captain Condor, who accompanies them. Nebol'shoy and Bjork instead go to the Fairgrounds again, and they see a strange figure watching from the shadows, wearing a black cloak and a white mask with only a cross-shape to see out through. Whoever it is, they soon dissolve away from the PCs' sight, but they are nervous and decide to join their companions at the tavern.

Meanwhile, Aldren attempts to bargain with Captain Condor, to get his ship repaired and the deed for himself if he allows the old drunk to remain its captain (with Ekaterina Belov as first mate). They reach an agreement, that the Captain will PRETEND to have sold it (he steadfastly refuses to do so for real), thus getting the cheaper deal on repairs from the Trawlers' Union since Aldren will have the deed. He also begrudgingly agrees to the latter request. Rucia then casts zone of truth to try and determine if the Captain is telling the truth about the 'Isle of Skorbi' urban legend, and it turns out that the man at least believes he is telling so, and that he has the only map. As the minotaur and gnome rejoin their friends, they are suddenly all within the zone, and trying hard to stay true without revealing anything extra. As the spell dwindles down, and the PCs are warned of the strange figure at the Fairgrounds, the mask is spotted again the darkness outside the Salmon!

Rucia orders Silvermane to canter around and check it out, and what the warhorse finds horrifies it!

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Session 12: Bloke on the Water (7/19/22)

Pulyana 26, 1423.

The PCs decide not to stop and rest, but to remove themselves from the Deepwood Barrows as quickly as possible. They trek towards the edge of the Tzarswald, seeing several spectral images marching through the hills as soldiers, or performing activities like camping. None of them pay close attention to our heroes as they march on. Nearing the woods' edge, they see smoke against the moonlight coming from due south, an area where there is known to be a D'Vryn camp. The group votes to check it out and then readjust their course before morning. At the camp, they indeed find a waning campfire, and the whole area has been trampled and ruined, though they find no corpses. Three sets of large quadrupedal tracks can be found throughout, and they actually seem to exit eastward towards the direction of Zolovny. Rucia finds a d'vryn fashioned, tassled purse and the PCs also find a red banner similar to the one they found rescuing Pavli.

The group treks on deep into the night hours, returning to the riverside where they encounter a small canoe with a few lanterns drifting on the Skorbi towards the west. The sole occupant is a blue-robed, shaven headed human with tattoos etched on his face, who waves a the party's hails but proceeds onward. As they near Zolovny, the PCs notice the tracks they are pursuing veer to the north, dipping back into the Tzarswald before continuing. They arrive back at the abandoned tents near the docks and the spellcasters fall immediately asleep, while Aldren and Bjork split watches until late the following morning/noon.

Pulyana 27, 1423.

The PCs spend the afternoon hours performing a large variety of errands and tasks. An hour is spent with Mockleg ritual casting identify for a half dozen of the group's items, including a cloak of arachnida and an amulet of the devout dedicated to St. Rictus. Rucia summons his first bonded steed, naming it Silvermane. Nebol'shoy visits the Bloombark Tabernacle and Old Shard to identify the mushrooms he and Bjork dug out of the caverns beneath the Barrows. The dwarf says they can be made into curative potions, and offers to to so for a trade (Taanka's teas). Bjork, Rucia and Mockleg set up a stall at the Fairground where they manage to hock off a bunch of the mended short blades they found pinning the skeleton down in the tomb, as well as some copper candle holders. There is some interest in their jaw of eyeballs when they meet Iev Gravelighter, but Rucia refuses to sell them at this juncture in time. Aldern visists Olena Sallowmoon at her family's campsite and digs up some information about the Brothers Dimm, and where they might be contacted (Arkany) and whom (Rembolt Fuddlemuzz).



As the hours darken, the PCs meet up once more at their tent. Rucia decides to give the eye a brief glimpse of the spectral lantern that Aldren is carrying, as if to taunt whoever is scrying through the remote eye the chance to come after them. Nebol'shoy attempts to cast blindness on the eye as the lantern is revealed, but it is unknown if the spell succeeded. Rucia decides to ride about and warn both the Ganelari family (where he is robbed) and Sallowmoon family (where he is greeted by Bhruno, a swarthy D'vryn bodyguard), but not until he's visisted the Soverat Stockage and then dragged Senior Lieutenant Strada out of the Many Veils to warn him of the potential impending dangers to Zolovny (both necromantic and bugbear). Rucia also 'enlists' Iev Gravelighter should the necromancers come to collec their eye. The death priest seems to know of the antagonists and dislikes them as they are not followers of his god, Shroud.

Bjork and Mockleg head off to the Flapping Salmon where they converse with captain Condor who tries to enlist them for his vessel to find the Lost Isle of Skorbi. He claims he needs 3,000 gold and some time to get his ship up and running. Mockleg decides to perform and transforms into Baron Bleshmyrk, enthralling the entire tavern with his fables, while Bjork offered some musical backup. The pair was a smashing success and raked in some silver and a half dozen free drinks from the crowd. Aldren and Nebol'shoy visit the Trawler's Union where they find they can commission the construction of a river barge for themselves, or can try and purchase The Slack Mallard from Condor and have that repaired. The PCs reconvene yet again, deciding they will travel to the nearby tower of Old Smite-eye and scope that out, so that they can return for Nebol'shoy's potions and to ward off any of the potential threats that they themselves might have stirred up...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

'Condor' Verkhovsky (human male): An elderly man appearing in his late 60s, bedecked in a dirty Skovian naval coat that has faded from deep blue to an ugly shade of gray. He’s balding on top, but has a wild shock of gray hair behind his ears, and wears a wool cap with a copper duck pin to keep out the cold. His nose is heavily weather-beaten, his eyes a little too close tougher, and he reeks of rotja and pipe-smoke. His boots are worn through, with toes peeking out in grimy wool socks, and he wears a cutlass and Shasta sheathed at his belt.

Iev Gravelighter (human male): An impossibly thin wisp of a man standing almost six feet tall, with a narrow, pale face, a long, sharp nose, and gray, dull eyes. He wears a sealed gray robe that hangs down to a pair of impressively clean, black boots, and it’s woven with a skeletal lattice pattern of interlocked bones. From his wrist hangs a silver chain, and at the end of that, a frosted lantern which glows a dull green-white. A black comb or feather above his left ear seems to help sweep a long mane of fine, jet black hair to the right of his head, below his shoulders.

Olena Sallowmoon (D'vryn female): A graceful middle-aged woman with a slender build and vulpine smile, she wears her graying hair in a topknot and a black leather vest over a billowing white shirt with silver threads. Her crafty brown eyes peek out from a face half-covered in fine pinpoint tattoos of animal shapes and lines of cursive text, and her bone-ringed fingers clasp the hilt of a fat saber with decorative owl-feathers slung from its pommel.

Sviit (D'vryn male): A small, dirty-cheeked boy with tussled black hair and thick eyebrows, he is gaunt and slippery and a known pickpocket working either individually or for his Ganelari people.

Arkany Map

 

Session 11: The Ayes Eyes Have It (6/26/22)

Pulyana 25, 1423.

Within the ritual chamber, they discover a number of animated, crawling hands that dutifully light and snuff out candles around a summoning pentagram. At each of the five points is an unlit fire-bowl which the hands seem to be ignoring. There's a platform set into the wall on which there is a collection of old wooden anatomical dummies, of bipeds and quadrupeds. One of them is actually cast in stone, a dog with a blank collar. Bjork mends the collar, and a name appears in reverse, but in a language the PCs cannot currently understand. They find a crudely painted map on the bottom of the platform, beneath the dolls, and it appears to be of the present region, denoting the tower of old Smite-Eyes in a spiral, as well as a location deeper in the Tzarswald, southeast of Svodnikha, where a 'key' symbol is marked.

Nebel'shoy and Aldren move into another chamber, a ghastly laboratory full of cells, bone-piles, and a gruesome collection of limbs and heads of different creatures suspended from rusted hooks on the walls and ceilings. Bjork and Mockleg note a concealed door in the previous area, and they find an infirmary where various stitched abominations are laid out. Bjork begins to saw off their heads to be safe. Rucia joins his half-elf and forest gnome companion in the laboratory, and uses detect magic, realizing that the humanoid victim in the stocks is actually radiating necromancy! It shakes and shudders, and comes to life, and it's not the only thing in the room...several of the piles of bones and limbs stand up and begin to assault the party, one of which is a minotaur! To make matters worse, one of the cell doors opens and a snake-like skeleton with a skull at its end assaults Aldren nearby. The other PCs make their way towards the ensuing clamor to join in the battle.

The creatures in the stocks is unable to wrench itself free at first, despite its raging, but it does get there. fortunately the PCs have destroyed all the skeletons by the time it is rampaging, but not before taking some damage from the bone-snake, and thus they eventually take down the fleshy abomination. They search the corpses and cells to find several treasure chests, a vat of acid and a basin full of brains and other organs. Bjork and Mockleg begin trying to dig out the collapses stairway in the south of the chamber, while the others head up the stairway to the east. Inside is a bed-chamber and study which contains several named tomes: Abomination: Flesh and Bone Grafting for the Initiate (E. Petrenko); Encyclopedia and Taxonomicon of  Sentient Species, volumes 5 (Karnovya) and 6 (Thault) (Pendulum Press, Nekester, 861); and Opening the Old Wounds of the World (Stasia Vlasov). Rucia also finds a number of sheafs of diagrams and other papers signed off by a Borya Mikhailovich, which he takes upon his person. Andren finds some scholarly clothes in a chest, and strangest of all, Nebol'shoy finds a featureless black rectangle on the floor beneath the bed...

With the paladin holding him, the gnome reaches into the rectangle and feels a death-like cold sucking at his arm. He removes it but takes some necrotic damage. After conferring with Mockleg about the tomes, Rucia decides to throw them down into the black rectangle. Aldren looks over some of the other implements in the bed-chamber, and in a jar of eyeballs, notices that one is animated and staring at him and the others. Even when he shakes the jar, it re-emerges to stare. He covers up the jar, and they leave the chamber behind. Bjork has used his pickaxe to clear up rubble leading to the hill-top, and he hosts Nebol'shoy through. Rucia returns to the ritual chamber to destroy the crawling hands before the party joins their short companion on the hilltop. It is night-time, somewhat crisp and cold and there's a small amount of late autumn snowfall on the Deepwood Barrows.

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Session 10: King Mushroom's Arrival and Departure (6/5/22)

Pulyana 24, 1423.

The PCs walk it back down the opposing tunnel to find a sloped passaged leading deeper into the hill, and then decide to finish exploring ahead of where they were ambushed by the fungus-things. They find a skeletal corpse impaled by two dozen short bladed weapons, with some cryptic warning in code splayed out on the rock next to it. Aldren claims two of the daggers which seem to have an unusual magnetic attraction to one another, and Rucia takes a ring from the corpse's finger, which is brass, set with a jet and a swirling, unusual quality about it. Bjork takes out a bunch of the blades to mend later for sale. They head back and down the slope, to find an area with a boulder that has a small pool and a blind albino salamander sloshing about. Nebol speaks to the creature but it knows little else but 'hunger' and 'home', and 'strange shapes'.

They find a weak cavern wall which has collapsed into a proper tomb beneath the hill, but before they explore it they had back to a side tunnel full of fungus. Nebel and Bjork begin to clear out the area, but it's slow going, while Aldren sneaks down another tunnel to find a cavern containing six cairns, one of which has a skeletal arm sticking out of it. There's also a large, throbbing mushroom inside. Aldren heads back to gather the others, and they re-enter the cairn chamber. Bjork breaks off the skeletal arm and pokes the giant mushroom, which angers it, and a combat ensues. The fungal creature slams Rucia hard several times and poisons him, but its spore attacks don't pan out and its warning spores are useless since the PCs have already slain the lesser fungus creatures. The paladin finishes it off in a blaze of divine damage and the PCs set about digging up the cairns, each of which (besides the one with the skeletal arm) contains a tribute or token for whoever was meant to be buried there: a withered animal organ on a cord, a pair of bone cuff-links, a leather gauntlet with nail-spikes, a feather that is magical animated to tickle those it touches, and a dagger made of shadow-stuff. They dig up the last cairn and its indeed a dwarf skeleton.



The PCs next head into the tomb chamber, and are ambushed by a trio of undead with the ability to drain their life totals. The battle is grim, but the heroes eventually win out, and search the chamber to find a pair of silver scales and some coins. The sarcophagus up the stairs is empty, but they learn that it once belonged to Efka Deznovya, a Blood Count known as 'The Balancer' for his brutal means of settling disputes among his people. The group uses the chamber for a long rest, and luckily remain undisturbed, though Rucia notices some weirdness with the ring he took from the corpse earlier.

Pulyana 25, 1423. 

Before embarking further into the tomb proper, the PCs return to the fungal tunnel and Bjork and Nebel spend a few hours cleaning it out. At the end of the tunnel they find what looks like a seed pod or womb covered in a fungal film, and inside it contains 8 waxy mushrooms with red caps, in a sort of natural planter or incubator. Nebel digs out six of the stalks, realizing that they could be used as potential reagants for potions. After Rucia forces the stone door to the tomb open, they enter and find a study chamber which looks as if it was ransacked. Rucia finds some scales very similar to his own and his rage begins to build...they next head towards a foyer area and a rotting storeroom, in which they find the corpse of one 'Forna Grazilda', a note written from him to his 'Auntie', and a diamond-studded set of brass knuckles.

It turns out that this old tomb was being used as a hideout for the Brothers Dimm, the local enigmatic thieves' guild, until some rampaging undead, lead by an intelligent leader, assaulted it and took it over for their own ends. Forna was unable to flee in time, but sent ahead some of the other guildmembers to the city of Arkany. The PCs then find a barracks, with a trapped chest that has a map of local Dimm hideouts, including this one and a larger chapter located in Arkany. They manage to smash open the last door in the foyer and find a recreational room, in which they discover a bag of tin, copper, silver and gold candle holders, and two stoppered urns of elderberry jam, one of which makes Nebol quite ill! The next door leads to a proper ritual chamber...



PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Session 9: Bard-ecue, or, how do you like your ribs? (5/15/22)

Pulyana 23, 1423.

The PCs spend the last few hours of the day preparing for Bjork's showdown with Snowcock the Sonorous. After the minotaur changes into his gig suit, they scope out the Zolovny Fairgrounds a little better, seeing if there are any possible obstacles present. Bjork warms up for some of the patrons of the market, earning some coin, especially from Bekked who is trying to find some more drink. After a few more hours, the sun sets, and they begin to hear the sound of low percussion approaching through the village...the challenge is about to begin! Snowcock shows up with his trio of 'Cock-ettes', timpani pounding bodyguards who park themselves menacingly to the west of the stage. After an opening volley of insults and introductions, the bards square off on the creaking wooden gazebo which can barely support their bulk...

The battle is back and forth, with Bjork scoring victories in the first few rounds where his sharp barbs can outclass Snowcock's pathetic 'cow' jokes. But the increasingly impressive performance of the Sonoronous on his lute comes close to evening out the match, so somehow Mockleg's fuckery breaks one of Snowcock's strings! Furious, the bard hurls his stringed instrument out of the arena, and switches purely to his deep, smooth tenor, which booms further insults musically across the Fairgrounds. Nebol'shoy also teases some fuckery, but one of the Cock-ettes gives the gnome a death stare! Bjork abandons the cowbell, draws his frostwine lyre and cools off the audience's drinks while plucking a few melodies, and the battle is pressed once more. Just when it seems like Snowcock's inescapable tenor is going to seal the duel, Bjork distracts him with the pie he purchased previously, which, paraded about with a mage hand spell, distracts Snowcock just long enough to doom him..

In disgrace, the bird-themed bard trounces off the stage and (presumably) out of Zolovny, joined by his most loyal Cock-ette. The other two quit on the spot, embarrassed by their employer's failure. The small but enthusiastic crowd, now sipping their cold beverages, showers silver and copper onto the victorious minotaur, as well as a fresh cooked chicken leg and a pair of undergarments, that it turns out belong to Bekked. Bjork, newly inspired, rejoins his companions, returning the undergarments to Bekked's head, and the group retires to the same wharfside tents they were using the previous. Apart from some gaunt hounds seeking scraps, the rest of the night goes buy peacefully.

Pulyana 24, 1423.

The PCs wake up, make sure their supplies are packed, and say their farewells to Pavli, who is to be escorted by a now (presumably) sober Bekked back to Svodnikha. They discuss their next move, and decide to follow up on Old Shard's sightings in the Deepwood Barrows. After a few hours of Aldren guiding the party to the Northwest, and a near mishap with a slumbering giant bird in the Tzarswald, they arrive at the fell, hilly region, and decide to press a bit further to higher ground. Once they can get a good look about them, they decide to move further west and examine an old structure with an intact but toppled wall. En route, they are assailed by a pair of roving, angry owlbears, which they make quick work of, but not before fatal claw swipes nearly take down Rucia, Nebel'shoy and Mockleg! After the beasts are slain, Aldren collects one of their claws and a bunch of their feathers to use on arrows.



They arrive at last by the toppled wall, and find that this used to be a sepulcher to some lost hero of the Tricentennial War named Helya Gargovich. Soon after, Aldren notices suspicious tracks, which look to be a mob of creatures, perhaps undead, that the fisher-girl had told them attacked her family by the Skorbi River. They press further west in the direction of the tracks, and find a hill where they seem to have multiplied. The hill, it turns out is hollow, and as night falls they decide to proceed inside, finding a pair of old boots that look as if they were meant for stealth. As they press a little further, they find a larger cavern full of massive black fungi with gray stalks, and are attacked by some strange mushroom creatures hidden among the huge fungus...which look to have been dwarves or some similar creature before sprouting the blooms. Aldren notices that they operate almost reactively, like antibodies or puppets that fight in unison to protect the passage. As each is destroyed, it releases a puff of black spores into the air...which cause coughing and sneezing, but nothing else...yet.

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebel'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

The Cock-ettes (human females): A trio of women wearing white masks, feathers, and white leather harnesses, they accompany Snowcock the Sonorous around as his fanfare, each performing a timpani but also armed should any trouble go down.