Session 19: Roll for Dong (3/28/23)

Desnova 3, 1423.

After the battle against the beasts, the PCs call watches and rest within the safety of a tiny hut, and have Mockleg identify of the items they've found, including a beastportation mantle and morning star +1 with sharpened animal teeth. Aldren questions Nebol'shoy about how the dark druid knew his name, and the gnome reminded his companions that he is part of a greater druid Circle of this region of Brazoskov, to which the deceased once also belonged to. The watches go by rather uneventfully other than a pair of regular bats flitting about the captains, one of which Aldren is compelled to shoot with Quagmov's bow, and Nebol'shoy spies a wolfhound which later fetches the dead bat above the central cavern.

Once they are awake and refreshed, the PCs decide to circle around and explore the caverns further, first finding a back exit to the complex, and another stash of mining equipment, including some hardened reddish clay and unused timber beams that would have been used for kilns, tunnel supports and other contraptions. There are two chests covered in tight chains which prevent access, but after some hammering by Rucia's maul and (to a lesser extent) Bjork's pick-axe, they break them open, revealing thousands of coins (which Mockleg quickly estimates at 2,000 each of gold and silver), and a collection of large crystals that glow with a faint, warm orange light.

They next meddle with the strange archway of dwarf origin, Rucia first poking his head in to see that it seems to be some massive burrowed out corridor, lined with sparse patches of luminous white and flowering black mushrooms and fungus, and the corridor seems to go in both directions...meaning that this 'wall' between the arches is actually a magical portal. Eventually Aldren goes all in, and cannot get back out until Rucia reaches through and grabs the half-elf. Nebol'shoy also peers within, and thinks it looks like the mole-trails he remembers from his auntie's garden patch in his youth.

Afterwards, they use flaming sphere to melt away the ice to reach the suspended elf in the neighboring cavern, who they reveal to be a lost vigilante known as Gamlerel, who once fomented resistance against the tyrannical Blood Counts of Old Brazov. He is quite well preserved, but also quite dead, so they thaw the corpse out in one of the hot springs and then remove his thorny wooden armor. Aldren later insists on burying the body in the central chamber of the caverns and leaving a wooden carving to mark the spot. Nebol'shoy uses more flaming spheres to burrow through the rest of the ice, which leads into an unusual, abandoned ritual chamber...

A wave of fear and nausea hits the PCs, freezing Rucia and Bjork in their tracks, and the former detects that the place is one of great, ancient evil. Aldren, Nebol'shoy and Mockleg seem unaffected, and head in to explore the place. There are four effigies representing four aspects of the dark god Denzemuth, a Toad, Condor, Ram and Bear, surrounding a central platform which contains an ancient firepit. The pit, and the hollow bases of the statues, all contain inert shards of broken crystals, and more of the active, orange-glowing crystals sprout from the ceiling, floor and walls of the cavern. Aldren's comprehend languages reveals the names and titles of the aspects, but also the central platform read 'Raise the Pillar, Raise the Beat'.

Something is afoul...and Mockleg insists on the obvious placement of crystals within the bases and firepit, in order to replace a ward that has long been abandoned. The magician fears that the wave of horror that swept the party reeks of ill omens and might spread across the land. The rest of the party isn't quite so sure, and eventually there is a confrontation when Mockleg sneaks off to start placing more of the crystals within the bases! The handicapped wizard proves far more challenging than they would have expected, making the most of his magics to throw them off while he tries to retreat back into the 'shrine' and finish his work. After being assaulted with melee attacks, summoned constrictor snakes and a web spell, he is finally knocked out, but not before Aldren also begins to act strangely...

Noting fairly quickly that the half-elf is under the same magical sway as the magician, Nebol'shoy uses a chill touch and Rucia rushes the room to take him down before he can react with his dangerous ranged attacks. The pair are successful, and they get the half-elf out of their quickly and heal him back up. Once the pair are conscious, Mockleg reveals that he was only following the whispers in his head, a phenomena that also affected the half-elf. Rucia places all of the active orange crystals in the party's possession into the weird wall portal in the dwarven archway, and notices that they become inert when they are sent into that other place...

The party heads back to Zolovny, where they decide they've earned some drinks before getting rest for the night. Bjork entertains at the Flapping Salmon to cover the party's meals, and they speak briefly with Smoker at the door. Ekaterina Belov eventually joins them, and tells them she's looking around for Captain Verkhovsky but cannot find him. Nebol'shoy and Rucia get piss drunk and head down to the docks, with Mockleg, while Bjork and Aldren take Belov out to try and find the troublesome mariner, inquiring first at the Soverat Stockage where they learn he's been cavorting with a pair of two crimson headed dwarf females of great beauty, who the lazy local Soverats didn't even realize might be the Bitter Berg sisters on their own wanted poster!

They confirm with Smoker that some dwarves had recently arrived by rowboat, but the bouncer claims there were in fact 'three', not two. They then ask with Madame Iulyana at the House of Drawn Veils, and she claims that Verkhovsky met the sisters while both were about to offer patronage at the brothel, only the pair seemed mighty interested in the drunken captain's boastings of the hidden riches to which he alone has claim! Aldren and Bjork set off to warn the others that there might be a pressing matter on their hands...

Meanwhile, Nebol'shoy transforms into the Flapping Salmon's namesake and drunkenly explores the river about the docks of Zolovny, while a trashed Rucia grows concerned and tries to fish him out with no bait. Mockleg leads the dragonborn paladin off to the north of the village where he wont' drown, and attempts to sober him up a little, but to no avail, as the paladin goes crashing off to the docks again. As he attempts to relieve himself by the water, a confident Nebol'fish finally succeeds in overcoming his intoxication in fish form, and leaps out into the descending, golden stream...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Session 18: Guano Angels (2/26/23)

Desnova 2, 1423.

The PCs file into the cavern in the wooded hills north of Zolovny, following varied bloody, bestial tracks to an obstruction of rock formations at the end of the opening tunnel. They climb across, and note that they aren't the first to do so, as the beast-prints continue along a series of rocky shelves which comprise the remaining parts of the cavern. There is old mining equipment here, and they discover a few piles of remains against the far wall, some of which are humanoid, one having an intact leather harness of skinning knives which Rucia and Bjork acquire. Aldren notes a peculiarity with some of the tracks switching from human to deer, and vice versa. In the next area, they find a large cavern lit by moonlight from holes in the ceiling, with a spiny rock formation in the center, a light coat of snow and a staked flag that reads 'Peppershot Mining Co.' in Dwarven symbols. The bloodied beast-tracks swarm through the area and most of the tunnels leading up and off from it, with one exception.

Despite hearing various unsettling noises, our heroes proceed to circle this central chamber and examine the exits. They first climb to a hot springs cavern, with three open springs, one of which burns Nebol'shoy as he places his hand into it. There is bat guano all over the place, slicking down the rocky shelves into which the springs are set, and more drips onto the gnome from above. Aldren realizes that the largest of the three pools isn't too boiling hot, so the Nebol'shoy cleans off in there. More sounds emanate from areas to the north of the cavern network. The PCs leave the springs and head up another of the tunnels, which is obstructed by what seems to be a frozen waterhole or pond, roughly 30' across. With the diminishing darkvision, they spot that there is a graceful figure (probably an elf) entombed within the frozen room, and what appears to be another exit on the far side.

After hearing more disturbing growls and animal sounds, Aldren casts a web spell from his cloak, to cover the northernmost exit. They proceed to the next exit around the central cavern, and find a bunch of brittle, ancient crates of mining supplies, most of which fall apart when probed. There is also a finished archway of dwarven origin against the far wall at the top of some hewn stairs, but strangely it ends at a natural cavern wall...Bjork flicks a rock at the wall and it disappears within, not making a sound, and then a mage hand is used to stick an axe through, which is retrieved. A chanting is heard not far off, and the PCs decide they'll circle to that northern tunnel before further exploring the archway and the iced-over cavern. As Aldren removes his spell, the party is charged by a number of savage, bestial animals, all marked under the control of Quagmov, their quarry!



Cave bears, dire wolves, and blink foxes assault them, soon to be joined by more of the foxes, some giant bats, a pair of winter wolves, and an additional bear and dire wolf who fall through the roof of the cave. It is an elaborately laid trap courtesy of the dark druid/ranger Quagmov, who himself appears in the fray. In what is perhaps the group's most violent battle yet, numerous characters are brought low, only to be restored by healing word spells, the MVP that saves them! The fight looks grim, as even Aldren, perching on the wall thanks to his cloak, is assaulted by winged adversaries and arrows from the opposing druid. At one point, Bjork's thunderwave catches Mockleg full-on, nearly slaying the magician! But he misty steps to a safe vantage point and then tries to assist how he can, using illusions to distract one of the winter wolves long enough for the PCs to take down the rest of the bestial host...



As the fight tightens, Quagmov seems to recognize either Rucia or Nebol'shoy, or perhaps both, and taunts them, threatening their deaths, even naming the latter at one point. Aldren is hit by a blight spell and then a call lightning in consecutive rounds, but Bjork keeps lifting the half-elf up with his healing reactions. At long last, with much of the party brought nearly to death, a chill touch from Nebol'shoy takes down Quagmov, and his last remaining blink-fox minion is set free from his control...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

NPCs

Quagmov (human male): A burly, dark-haired human who doesn't seem as if he's shaved in some months, a scarred face covered in stubble. He's wearing thick animal hides, often dripping with blood from his own transformations, and a mesh of wolf and loon for a helmet. He carries a large, knotted oak bow, and his hides and furs are strapped to him with leather cords.

Session 17: Mannequin Pole (1/22/23)

Desnova 1, 1423.

The PCs return to Scoff's Pawn before heading out of Borgaborsk, remembering that they were due a small reward for their assistance in his basement. They arrive to find he's shoveled much of the junk down into the basement corridor, but tells them they can each take an item of their choice from the shop. Using detect magic, they find some curiosities: a strange clay bowl, a dustpan & brush, a scroll tube and an oddly shaped suit of plate mail, all of which seem to be enchanted. In addition, Aldren chooses the timepiece from Scoff, thinking it might be repairable to use for its normal purpose. The group then stops by the Smeltworks to get Bjork a new suit of armor, and they head off to the Quay where they find that both of their loaner boats have been sunk! They inquire with a local fisher who seems suspicious, after some bribery he tells them that there were some cloaked men who did the deed. Nebol'shoi goes to grab some new oars while Bjork mends the two craft, and the gnome suspects that some of the oars belong to them! The PCs at last depart the town on their mended boats, Rucia leaving Silvermane behind to spy if they are being watched or followed.

Some distance away on the Skorbi River, the paladin summons Silvermane back in a new form, that of a bulldog, and the animal seems upset at its new form. But they don't have much time to argue about it as they spy a pair of eyes looking at them from the water's surface. They drift away, but some hours later the group is assaulted on the river by a bunch of strange giant toads, with unusual tattoos on their foreheads and tongues similar to morning stars! They attempt to grab and swallow as many of our heroes as they can, and an archer appears across the river that can fire arrows which turn into snakes, one of which lands on each of the water craft! The PCs eventually manage to whittle away the large but rather dumb toads, thanks to some crocodiles summoned up by Nebol'shoi, but the distant archer runs off after transforming into an elk. The rest of the journey is uneventful, but against the current it takes them until the evening to return to Zolovny...



They notice the squawking of crows in the riverside village, and when asking other locals, they learn that there have been a number of animal attacks in the past few days...packs of wolves harassing traders and hunters, ravens pecking at small pets and children, and other creatures bothering the fishermen on the docks of Zolovny. ALL of these creatures have similar markings to the toads that ambushed the PCs on the Skorbi. They head to the Fairgrounds where they retrieve Aldren's owlbear-fletched arrows, and then they track down Iev Lamplighter who has apparently survived an encounter with the tattooed wolves. He has raised three of them guards, but he PCs find his tent and probe him for information, learning a little more about Cynispar and then having a potential debate about the morality of the necromantic arts. They then head off to their own crushed tents and Bjork throws up a Leomund's Tiny Hut for them to sleep safely.

Desnova 2, 1423.

In the morning they find Captain Condor outside their tents, and he's apparently been kicked out of the Soverat Stockage for cheating at cards. Nebol'shoi heads off to Old Shard to collect the healing potions the priest was making, and learns a bit more about the tattooed animals, which belong to a vengeful druid named Quagmov who has extraordinary powers with regards to his control of beasts. Knowing what they face, the PCs decide to lay out a trap, setting up a false camp somewhere near where Old Shard had a recent encounter with the druid in his elk form. They wait until nightfall and leave Mockleg as bait, but a poorly hidden Nebol'shoi is bitten by a stealthy tattooed fox! Another fox enters the camp, but when attacked, the two creatures seem to vanish to safety...Aldren can hear the cries of one that was injured, but when he tries to follow them, tracks appear only sporadically to the Northwest. The group catches up with Aldren, Rucia carrying along some camouflage, and they discover a large cave with many bloody tracks not more than a few miles to the northwest of Zolovny...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoi, Rucia

Session 16: Impin' Ain't Easy; or, The Cellar That Time Forgot (12/27/22)

Pulyana 30, 1423.

Something shifts beneath Scoff's Pawn after Bjork mends the proprietor's timekeeping device, and soon the three discover a secret door has been opened which leads to the basement. Scoff believes it must have belonged to the previous owner, although he never met them, as the shop was purchased through a broker. Bjork heads out to find the rest of the party and tell them about this new mystery, and it is decided that they will explore the cellar for some reward, to make sure it's safe for the shopkeeper. They find a mysterious, timeless corridor with a rug embroidered with mystical symbols, and torches which are in a frozen state of burning. The rug soon animates and attacks, but is easily dispatched by the party as it seems like it were meant as a deterrent for a simple thief.



They next find a strange kitchen, full of fresh foods and ingredients, but also strangely frozen in time, with a hearth flame burning still below a skillet. Rucia finds a list of ingredients and then sets about gathering them into the skillet to cook them into something, and strangely, the fire and skillet react, aging the mix into something rotten and disgusting, which would be appropriate for the decade of time since Scoff purchased the building. After draining the disgusting mix, they discover an organic-looking wooden key within the skillet which is left behind from the food. They head down to a deeper storage level with a wide stone chamber full of urns, crates, sacks, and kegs, all ingredients of which seem also to have never aged or spoiled...

There are two kegs in particular which are quite ornately carved with festive designs as if they were meant for a great feast or royal meal, and the key from the kitchen seems to fit one of their locks...but once Rucia twists it, several of the urns crack open, freeing some small winged, shapeshifting demons from their ensorcellment. The PCs have little trouble as a group, but once they attempt to use magic, several of them are repulsed from the chamber to random places about Borgaborsk. Nebol'shoy is tossed 50' above the paved street near the Pawn shop, and falls to his near-death, causing the blood hawks he had summoned to also disappear from the fight. Bjork lands in the waterway nearby, and Mockleg ends up disappearing completely! The magic of this place is strange and mighty indeed...and the trappings don't seem like they belong to a pawn shop, but rather a mystical tavern.



While the gnome and minotaur race back to the Pawn shop, Aldren and Rucia manage to finish off the imp-ish assailants, but not before both take a heavy helping of damage from the poisonous bites of the feral fiends. Nebol'shoy returns right at the end of the fight, and then Bjork joins them. They decide to seek out Mockleg and then rest, but despite combing the rooftops, businesses and even inquiring with a nearby guard, there is no sight of him. So they decide to take a short rest and then finish combing through the basement. The first keg, unlocked, contains a bitter, tarry liquid like licorice or molasses, while the second keg has something purplish and sparkling, like a night sky. The four PCs all imbibe this latter substance and find that it gives them a bit of pep and charge, a taste like a mix of wine and cough syrup, but they notice no differences. Blending the tarry slop with the mystical beverage seems to just neuter the latter.

They approach the next area in the basement, obscured by a bluish mist, to find a shrine lit by frozen candle flames of orange and blue. In addition, there are four beast eyes, coated in a crystal layer, and hung by chains to create medallions out of them. Try as they might, the PCs don't identify what creatures they are. There is also a tome of screaming faces, much like the holy symbol for the goddess Amaun, and Aldren closes the open book, finding a sheaf of paper, a 'last will' of someone named Cynispar. Turns out this was an enigmatic mage of recent legend, similar to Old Smight-eye, who was known for experimenting with magics. He scribbled something about the four eyes, that they were keys to a hidden Sanctum of Amaun below the Skolareum in Arkany, and also that he had asked the first question of the book, and regretted doing so.

An exit to this chamber leads out to the northeast of Borgaborsk, not far form Sleeper's Spinney, which the PCs revisit, Aldren leaving a sapphire tribute. They check again at the Novakovsky farm, but still no sign of Mockleg, and return to Scoff's Pawn to tell him what they've found below his shop. It turns out that their missing magician friend turned up at the Soverat Barracks brig after being teleported out of the basement, so Rucia and Aldren head there to spring him, which they do by persuading Kapitan Krummel. After reuniting, the PCs head back to The Hammer's Rest, and Mockleg identifies a few more items, Aldren's shadowy dagger and the book they just found, a Libram of Lost Secrets. They plot where to travel next before heading off to sleep.

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Session 15: Only mules rush in (11/20/22)

Pulyana 29, 1423.

The PCs notice something strange about the window clerk at the Jewelers, he has a strange sense of movement about him and always offers the same set amounts for exchanges (4gp, 40gp, or 400gp that they've heard). Still, Bjork manages to sell off some of the lower valued trinkets the party has accrued, like copper candle-holders, while the others consider the offers and decide to hang on to their items.

The PCs decide to follow up on a rumor they heard and inquire at the Novakovsky Farm about the owner's troubles. They arrive to find two lazy young humans fishing in a pond they built themselves, rather than working the spoiled harvest, and one anti-social mule chewing the crops. The humans offer Rucia some pie from the farmhouse and let him in on the racket they are running, scraping together just enough coin for gambling 'and whores' while giving the false impression that they're working. Rucia grabs one of the boys and the party approaches the farmhouse where they meet Sofiia Novakovsky. She has had troubles keeping employees on the farm for well over a year, a lot of them just up and disappear, she says she also hears strange singing on some nights.

Nebol'shoy finds some watery tracks near the edge of the Skorbi waterway parallel to the farm, and Aldren heads back into the town's walls to find something to protect the PCs ears in case the 'singing' has nefarious qualities...he ends up getting some rotka bottles at the Bolt Street Brewery for their corks. He is too late, however, as Bjork is caught under the spell of the strange farm song, once darkness falls, and decides it could be a hit! Nebol'shoy, Rucia and Mockleg follow him out of the farmhouse to the waterway, where he wades across to a strange looking female in a willow tree. Rucia notes that the being is undead, and something tries to snare Bjork beneath the water, but he breaks free! Rucia misty steps across to confront whoever is charming his minotaur companion, while Nebol'shoy summons up a pair of giant toads. He and Mockleg attempt to ride them as they leap across, but both plunge into the waterway, where they too are grappled by something below the water...



Rucia initiates combat with the strange woman, but she summons forth a watery humanoid creature and other drowned undead that crawl up from the Skorbi's banks. Though the dragonborn fights valiantly, he comes near to losing his life at the savage creature's attacks, all the while Bjork is fighting to protect her! Eventually the available heroes prove victorious, finishing off the watery temptress which causes the other undead and the elemental to collapse. Aldren rejoins the party, and they regroup back at the farmhouse, where they find that Sofiia has also collapsed! They search through the house, finding an old chest with some coins, baubles and a sketch book of a younger Sofiia with a black-haired daughter and a husband. The PCs think it would be a crime to leave behind her lovely pie and cooked goods, and even manage to find a recipe before they head back into Borgaborsk proper.

Rucia takes the old woman's body to Kaptain Krummel of the Soverat, who urges the dragonborn not to start a panic and keep the story simple, without the undead and curses and such. The rest of the group heads to the Hammer's Rest, where Aldren acquires three double rooms for the night, and Bjork ends up performing for the nightly crowd from the fist-fighting sport pit built into the floor. Rucia turns up after a bit, and the rest of the night is uneventful.

Pulyana 30, 1423.

The group heads back to the farm to search further, but first stops off at the Sleeper's Spinney shrine. When they arrive at Skorbi waterway, a shirtless Soverat soldier is digging graves for the bloated undead bodies the river-witch had called forth. He manages to convince Bjork and Rucia to do much of the work while he partakes of their leftover pie and a bottle of rotka. Our heroes then head across the waterway to search further. They find the faint reedy remains of the 'rusalka' that they had fought, but then Aldren stumbles upon a trio of booted tracks heading south along the water. The party finds a crate covered in foliage, trapped with a poison latch that they don't thankfully trigger. It's full of sets of clothes that look like they were discarded quickly, a couple of poison vials, and a piece of stationary inviting 'the Three of them' to the Cup and Quill at Arkany. The PCs surmise this might have been a stash belonging to the Bitter Berg sisters, and further tracks lead to what appears to be a boat launch.

Back in the town, they do some more exploring. Aldren and Mockleg returns to the Smeltworks to have a steel quiver custom-built from a suit of armor, while Nebol'shoy visits Rivet's Rings, where he learns that there are at least three magical rings for sale! Bjork and Rucia head over to Scoff's Pawn, where they manage to knock over some of the clutter before being confronted by the proprietor 'Scoff. Bjork notes a strange mechanical timepiece the owner wears, appearing to lack function, and he casts mend upon it...and soon it begins to tick...tock...tick...tock...

PCs: Aldren, Bjork, Nebol'shoy, Rucia

Kapitan Krummel (dwarf male): One of the broadest dwarves you’ve ever seen, with shoulders so square that in the dark you might mistake him for a crate or small building. He wears a suit of studded leather armor beneath a Soverat duster that denotes his rank as Kapitan, but no cap above his blocky skull. A cinnamon-orange wedge shaped goatee dominates his stubbled chin, and his receding hair of the same color is combed up about his bald pate to create an almost flame sensation. Scars from both burns and blades are in plentiful supply on his cheeks, neck and forehead. A masterwork battleaxe and warhammer are both slung from his belt, nearly dragging on the ground as he lopes about with the confidence of his station.

Lucien (human? male): A reedy, bespectacled man looking to be in his 60s, he runs the window at Forge Row Jewelers, offering peculiar fixed rates for trades of gems and jewelry. Claims to be an employee of the F.R.J.A. (Forge Row Jewelers Association), and has a series of ticks or quirks to his movement that can make the observant suspicious of him.

Ozahlin Flaskbelly (dwarf female): A dwarf female that would be quite comely if not for the mess in which she keeps her clothing and appearance. Her stained white tunic is half-tucked into a belt that looks as if it’s about to drop her breeches, and her golden-blonde hair, which seems as if it was tucked into a neat, braided bun, is now spilling out everywhere and frizzy, mingling with her considerable sideburns. The leather armor she wears beneath her clothing is clearly too large for her, and she sways around a wooden mug full of dice that makes an obnoxious rattling sound, while taking a drink from another that froths over with ale. Her leather gloves have tears in them, barely covering her left hand at all, but the one point of focus is the deadly-looking saber through her belt, its pommel, hilt and blade, all polished and sharp.

Rivet Runeblender (??? male): A short, strange looking humanoid with cracked gray skin, floppy ears, wide eyes and a long snout that covers up its mouth. A pair of thick spectacles sit atop the snout, that occasionally slide off, and have to be replaced by a thick set of nailed fingers bearing silver and platinum rings of its trade, some of which glow with faint, fiery light. It wears a dense leather vest with a few tools poked through it, and a pair of boots with the toes sticking out since they are also of an unusual shape.

'Scoff' Scherbakov (human male): A trollish, pudgy human with a large, beak-like nose, his beady eyes lie between empty-rimmed spectacles, one of them white foggy and possibly diseased. His balding gray hair is slicked back, with a bit of grease or oil too much, so that it remains shining on his liver-spotted scalp. He wears a deep blue tunic, torn most likely from struggling to move about his own shop, and has the finest object in the shop, a strange timepiece, hung about his neck.

Sofiia Novakovsky (human female): A kindly but crooked old woman wearing a hand-made but dirty dress, she has numerous beads and flowers glinting from her braids in her knotted hair, and a pair of wooden earrings shaped like cornucopias. Her hands have the scars of a crop-picker, but she wears some colored wooden bead bracelets to distract the eyes away. More importantly, she clutches a steaming, crusted pie in an iron pot and look as if she’s about to offer you a slice!

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