Aneeria

As the shadow disappeared above Garuuk’s body Kosef dropped to his knees, his face in his hands, trembling. He gripped the blade of his knife until blood dripped from his hand onto the ground. Loru mindlessly stabbed his dagger into the mutilated body of Garuuk until Adda limped over to him and gently pulled him off.

The bodies of the creatures quickly dissipated into faint mist, leaving the once green grass on ground blackened and withered. Only the body of Garuuk remained.

Kosef regained his senses after a few minutes and examined the runes which covered the walls of the inner courtyard of the keep, they were disturbingly familiar to Kosef and as he observed them they seemed to shift into the shadowy form that appeared above Garruk’s body. Kosef approached the wall and places his hand on one of the runes, it was crusty and cool to the touch and made of a dried substance, maybe something mixed with blood, that had been painted on the wall and was now dry. The runes stopped moving as he touched them.

Talia investigating the places were the bodies had just been gripped the crystal around her neck and dropped to a knee focusing on the crystal and reaching her other hand towards where the largest of the bodies had been. Suddenly she saw a vast broken landscape, four scattered spires protruded out of the ground at odd angles. The dimly lit air felt thick with a orange smog and the smell of death. There was no sun or other source of light in the sky. Across the vast broken plains she could see movement. She jumped back a bit shaken but quickly recovered her composure.

Rakham and Adda carefully lifted Murf and carried him to the shore of the island and placed him in the small boat. Talia complained, insisting that they should leave him on the island in his unconscious state but Rakham and Adda refused.

The rest of the party quickly loaded into the small boat and Rakham rowed them across the lake to the eastern shore. There they made landfall and followed the path back towards the three hills district of Tordan. As they followed the path the lake narrowed into a river leaving the island in the distance behind them. A inhuman cry echoed across the lake, Talia and Kosef glanced back and in the distance they could just make out what looked like a winged humanoid flying above the island. The party quickened their pace and after an hour or two managed to returned to the Helping Hand. There they rested for the afternoon and evening.

During the night Kosef snuck out the window of the Helping Hand. The streets were completely empty as he stealthily moved across the city. He noticed a creature watching the street from the second story of an abandoned building’s window. Its triangular face was just visible in the light from the lantern on the Weeping Hill wall. He continued to the Eastern Market and then to the district he had seen the symbol of the sun beneath the horizon. Proceeding down the ally he knocked on the wall and waited. After a few minutes one of the doors opened slightly and the face of a girl appeared. “Speak with the Fishmonger at noon tomorrow on the High Hill Circle” and the door shut. Kosef quickly returned to the Helping Hand.

The next morning Adda left at daybreak for the Temple of Nian. As the rest of the group ate breakfast a man dressed in simple but well kept clothes entered the Helping Hand and sat in the corner, Dagmar approached him and spoke with him for a few minutes, then he got up and left. Kosef approached Dagmar and asks if he had found out any information about someone to speak with about the arcane. Dagmar says he can arrange an appointment with Delina but she is expensive. Kosef agrees and awaits confirmation the following morning. Dagmar also mentions that the the Boar hunt has been canceled. A woman has butchered her family and is being hunted in the city.

After breakfast Kosef, Talia and Murf headed to the market. Talia listened to the rumors at the market and heard that the Boar Hunt would be rescheduled, perhaps in a week. The woman who is being hunted killed her husband and both their children, everyone was butchered, cut to pieces and no one knows why. Murf wandered to the east side of the market and found the bulletin board outside the east gate of the Weeping Hill. He saw a wanted poster with a picture of Talia on it and took. Then he grabbed a second poster of a man with a shaved head and a scar across the side of his head and face. He stopped when he heard a voice behind him. A women in her thirties, her sun bleached hair slicked back in a single braid stood behind him. She had a sword on her hip with a black grip and a hideous gargoyle face for a pommel. On her other hip was a curved ax for throwing. A dagger was strapped to each of her thighs. A thin chain with a piece of green jade carved in the shape of a falcon dangled from her neck. In a rough voice she asked “Do you plan on capturing him?” When Murf shook his head she reached out and Murf gave her the poster. She took it and tucked it into her vest. “I do” she said as she turned away and strolled down the street, a backpack on her shoulders and her cloak flowing behind her.

Kosef found the Fishmonger near the Eastern Weeping Hill gate. When he greeted the Fishmonger and he replied to Kosef like greeting an old friend. They discussed his family and agreed to meet an hour before nightfall to get a drink and catch up.

Kosef, Talia and Murf returned to the Helping Hand and reunited with Adda. Murf led them east through an abandoned part of the city. As they passed a ruined building Talia spotted a boar digging in the ground of a ruined building. She stealthily approached it before speaking to the boar. After a few simple words it asked “Teagon friend?”, she replied “friend” and it led her and the group through the streets. Soon several other wild pig followed the group along a small path which led to a small glen with a small stone building in the center. The building had a simple wooden door and stone walls that looked like they has been repaired fairly recently.

A robed figured emerged from the hut, his face was like a boars but covered in a course black beard with gray streaks, his shoulders broad shoulders hunched. In his cloven hands he carried a gnarled staff, his feet were cloven like a pigs. He introduced himself as Teagon.

Talia warned Teagon about the hunt and at first it seemed unknown to him but then remembered. He asked her to return when she knows when it is. When Talia said the white lady told her to come he asked if she speaks of a forest spirit and then says that the forest spirit has sent her for a reason. While they speak a huge boar appeared behind Teagon barely squeezing through the doorway of the hut. Talia carefully approached it and it sniffed her and pushed her with its enormous head. When she backed away it seemed to chuckle a bit. As Talia turned to leave Teagon stopped her, he stepped into the hut for a moment and returned with something in his hand. He reached out to Talis and gave her a simple corded necklace with a smooth black stone with one side carved in the shape of an old face. As they left the glen Talia asked someone to help her remember how to get back to this place.

After leaving Teagon’s Murf leads the group through the streets past a ruined small fort three stories high and then to what used to be a small plaza, now a grove of trees with a pool in the center surrounded by buildings. Talia sits on the edge of the pool dipping her feet while Murf stands at the edge. It appears the pool, bordered in stone, was probably a fountain at one time. It is a few meters across, less then a meter deep and filled with crystal clear water. The stone bottom is visible. At the center of the pool bottom an opening descends into darkness. Murf and Talia concentrate for a minute and the surface of the pool changes to a sky blue color. Adda observes the change as well but Talia and Murf are not sure what to do next.

Meanwhile Kosef patrols around the small plaza, as he does he hears something and turns to see a toad easily the size of a horse come out of the side of an abandoned building. Before he can move back it lunges towards him mouth open, but he manages to step aside. Slashing the toad with his sword Kosef retreats back towards to pool but as he does he sees two frog like humanoids with nets and spears watching him. One hurls its net towards him but he manages to dodge as he runs to the grove of trees around the pool.

Back at the pool Talia ties a rope around her waste and hands it to Adda before wading towards the center of the pool. She can feels cool water flowing into the pool for the spring in the center. Murf exclaims “I have an idea!” He mutters something and suddenly both Talia and Murf collapse. Adda quickly pulls Talia from the pool and sets her on the grass. Then Adda hears Kosef come rushing back to the grove. As she turns she sees a huge toad leaping towards them. She quickly flings her hand ax, sinking it into the toads mass as it crashes into the ground behind Kosef biting both his legs and grasping them in its mouth. Kosef cries out in pain as he manages to slip out of the Toads maw. Adda brings her great ax over her shoulder and slashes across the toads side. Kosef limps to the edge of the pool, one of his legs numb from the venom of the toads bite. He stumbles to Talia’s side and shakes her awake. As Adda prepares to attack the toad again the two frog like humanoids rush forward stabbing at her with spears, she manages to knock one of the attackers aside as he stumbles to the ground but the other jabs the spear into her side. Enraged she grabs the spear and shoves the blunt end back into the body of the frogman. The frogman lets out two croaks and all three of the frog creatures bound away.

Kosef wakes up Murf and the group quick retreats down the streets of Tordan and back towards the Helping Hand. They arrive safely and Adda manages to heal some of Kosef’s wounded leg. She takes a minute to go out into the sun and say a prayer. The group eats some food and recovers from their picnic.

Adda and Talia left the Underfarms carrying an unconscious Kosef. After Talia failed in her attempt to persuade a donkey to help them, the smaller tiefling managed to acquire information on the location of the Temple of Nian, a place to get help for the injured human. After hiking out of the Underfarms and north for about an hour they arrived at the temple of Nian. There, Adda took a vow to the Temple of Nian with her own blood and a promise not to go to any of the other Temples in order to help heal Kosef in a strange ritual performed by the bald priest. She also asked if the Temple could train here in the ways of healing. The priest told her to return in the morning.

Meanwhile, Loru and Rakham stayed behind, taking care of the slayed creature. The Dwarf harvested the creatures six tentacles and a single eye and then they decided to go to the tavern, assuming that the rest of the party will probably arrive there later. Waiting there, the bard haggled with Dagmar, the Innkeeper of the Helping Hand, and sold him some of the creature’s remains. Later that day, after Adda, Talia and Kosef returned, the group gathered together in the tavern and they feasted and bathed. After having a tense discussion with Dagmar, Kosef also managed to get an all inclusive, free stay at the tavern. Rakham also learned about a grey dragon, seemingly roaming somewhere east, 2 days travel from the weeping hill. Then they went to their rooms for the night’s rest.

Morning came and after a brief breakfast they decided to go to the market and, later, back to that temple. During their walk, they encountered a group of some apparently infamous individuals from The Lord’s Watch. Loru fooled their leader with some charming words and a little bit of magic. After they gained some distance, the party fled down an alley south from Weeping Hill Circle to hide from the now, probably angry, men. Hiding in the ruins of a building Talia decided to climb on top of the wall to get a look down the street. There she was spotted two huge wasps, almost a meter in length. She was able to cause one of the creatures to retreat back into a home in some brambles but the second Wasp flew towards her. She dropped from the wall and landed awkwardly on the floor. As the Wasp followed the party attacked and killed it with arrows and daggers.  Unharmed, they continued south coming to an old abandoned plaza with a stone well in its center.

The well appeared old and unused for many years. Dropping a torch into the well revealed that it was perhaps 15 meters deep and ended in a dirt floor with some sort of passageway leading way from the bottom. After a few minutes the touch light disappeared. The part decided not to investigate the well any further for the time being.

While the rest of the group remained hidden in the ruins of a building on the edge of the plaza Kosef made his way to the market to go shopping. The human carefully made his way to the market undisturbed and, while buying, acquired some information about the band called the High Hill Hunters. He returned to the party and from there, they headed towards the temple of Nian while avoiding the main roads as much as possible.

Inside the temple’s open air courtyard  they had a long discussion with the priest, as Adda decided to try the acolyte training. Talia stole some bread from a table but a priest noticed as she did and simply smiled at her. Full of suspicions, they left the tiefling there, settling on picking her up in the evening. Loru and Kosef went back to the Helping Hand to have a talk with Dagmar about them not ever being there. Unfortunately, they discovered that the previously encountered group has already made their way there…

Few tales begin without noble knights and highborn princesses. Legends need powerful heroes and dragons to be slain. Adventures, however, can start with but a little bit of ale… Theirs started in an ancient city of Tordan. It was in one of the city’s taverns, the Helping Hand, in The Three Hills district, where the lives of Loru, Adda, Kosef, Rakham and Talia would be intertwined with each other’s. After some, more or less friendly, introductions the group sat together and shared some cups of ale, while being surveyed on their preferable weapons by the dwarf. The barkeep, noticing this rather colorful bunch, offered them some coin for hunting crickets in the underfarms, as they, terrifyingly for the bard, happen to be a delicacy in these areas.

Following the directions of Dagmar the barkeep at the Helping Hand the group followed the ring road around the Weeping Hill  and arrived at the east gate. There they turned right and proceeded to the entrance of the Underfarms without incident. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and what looked like farmers came and went. The group entered the caves, making there way down a slopping tunnel marked with ware. After a few minutes they reached a huge open cavern with rows of various types of huge fungus being tended to by farmers.

Sending Loru on the hunt for the map of the tunnels he managed with a few charming words to find where the best safe hunting area was. However he decided not to go there. Not revealing this to others he led them to the second passageway on the left side of the farms. After descending for another ten minutes the group came to a junction with four new directions to proceed. After taking some time to investigate the tunnel leading upwards to the left and another that dropped steeply into darkness on the right the group continued forward. Almost immediately a darkness engulfed Kosef as he let out a cry. After one failed attempt Loru was able to use him magic to illuminate the creatures in the darkness. There they discovered a strange, tentacle creature that had engulfed Kosef. After several Ax blows, dagger slashes and arrows the creature lifted off of Kosef and fell to the cold stone floor. Kosef was unconscious on the ground below, crushed and spiked by the strange beast. After the group managed to slay the beast it took a team effort stabilized the human, few seconds before it was too late.

They quickly scooped him up and began to retreat back up the tunnel towards the underfarms with Loru attempting to drag the leather corpse of the creature behind.