Adventure Log #57

THE CHARACTERS

Karieen-Priestess Ming Hau-Monk
Ross-Rogue
Estryellia-Sorcerer
Finn-Bard
Garu-Elf Ranger

Karieens introduction to Sylvia’s Rest society ends and everyone trudges home. Ross is in his room and hears some voices. Lighting a candle he sees no one in the room, his new hat is however in the middle of the floor. He retrieves it and lays down with it over his face. When he wakes up later the hat is back in the middle of the floor. Even when he ties the hat to his head the hat is back in the middle of the floor after he goes to sleep. He takes the hat over to Estryellia ( in the next room) to see if she can detect magic on it. “No, there’s no magic on the hat” she confirms.

Garu enters his room and sees that the elf that rescued him from the clutches of Van Sheree is there. He thanks the elf and inquires as to why he work up here rather than the elflands. The elf tells Garu that the Queen of the elves herself said that if Garu woke up in the elf lands he might never wish to leave them and there is much he needs to do in the land of the humans. The elf also tells Garu that there is one in the village that needs to be taught a lesson and Garu must help teach that lesson.

Karieen is heading back to her manor with an honor guard. They arrive to see a group of Manthootian warriors standing outside the gates, waving torches. They want to know where former priestess Linda is. They accuse her of stealing a “great one” (A young boy) out of the local Manthootian house. Karieen sighs and promises the warriors that she will look into the issue in the morning. They leave after one of the honor guards tells them to move along.

Karieen and the troops make their way to the temple instead of turning in for the night. Karieen goes into the temple and finds former priestess Linda with two boys. The children are playing with toy soldiers while Linda stands guard. Karieen notes that one of the boys is former paladin Marcus’s son; the other is obviously a Manthootian. Karieen talks to Linda about kidnapping children but the former priestess seems unfazed. She shows Karieen that there is only one piece of jagged metal still sticking out of her hand, meaning she needs one more child.

Linda tells Karieen that of the three paladins she will train she has been told that one will die a horrible death, one will betray the religion and one will be the tool of the goddesses fight for many years. Linda asks Karieen based on what she knows what she should tell a mother whose child she will take. Karieen gives a very good response about duty to the church and such. Then Linda asks if she thinks the woman will believe it. Karieen is unsure, then Linda withdraws the last shard from her hand and gives it to Karieen, saying that her unborn son will be needed as the final paladin, though he is years away Linda says she will come for him when it is time.

Roscoe leaves the room wearing the hat. He discovers that when wearing the hat he can see in the dark as well as see thought peoples skin. With practice he finds that he can also hear conversations of people far away. The party discusses the hat with Roscoe but he refuses to tell anyone where he got it from. He decides to go see Ming Hau his way to The Red (his master is known as The Red) chapter house Roscoe notices that he can see through the ground into basements of the nearby buildings, and then he begins to see strange shapes in the sky. At the Red House he meets Ming and they head to the ocean to enjoy each other’s company. At the ocean Roscoe starts to hear a voice that identifies itself as Ester.

When asked Ester says that she is on a ship far out in the ocean. Roscoe asks Ester to bring the ship closer and suddenly a storm raises up and the waves force him and Ming to higher ground. Off shore they can see a huge wall of water standing up. They both hear the voice of Tandy as he approaches; he’s wearing a red fez.

Tandy asks where Roscoe got the hat from (Tandy’s famous hat went missing last episode). Roscoe says he got it from a friend. Tandy says that he wants to see Roscoe’s hat. The Tok (Roscoe) steppes away from the dandy who has his arm stretched out to take it. Upon saying that he won’t let Tandy touch the hat Roscoe suddenly falls over.

When Ming gets to him she finds that Roscoe is dead.Despite his best efforts to console Ming, the monk is frantic to get Roscoe to a priest for healing. Tandy reminds her that with the gods in retreat there is no way to get a resurrection done. Finally seeming to tire of Mings grief Tandy snaps his fingers and Roscoe comes back to life. Tandy heads back to the town with his hat.

Estryellia finds out that her father is arriving by ship that morning. She goes to the Red House to await his arrival like a dutiful Sadakadishian daughter. After the welcoming ceremony is over she goes to her fathers chambers to talk to him. Her father is distraught that he has been the instrument of the destruction of so much of the army, however he says he will listen to her plight.

She confesses that her dealings with the Dark Woman Distaria have left her shaken, she is afraid for the first time in her life.Izaya (her father) who is being bandaged while she talks listens intently. When the young mage is done he tells her that there is nothing wrong with being afraid. He says that he is not ashamed of her for being afraid and knows that being his daughter she will learn to look the fear in the face and deal with the fate she has been given.

On to Stand Town
The party gathers their possessions and begins their trek along the Southern Trade Road. The road climbs the cliffs above Sylvia’s Rest they then march the twenty miles through the wood along the road to the village of Kida. Camping near the branch road that leads to Mountain Vale.

They party pushes through the forest and begins the climb over the low hills that separate the forest. Into two pieces. After an almost 30 mile march the party arrives at the village of Martby Morlan another recently build villages along the Southern Trade trail. They decide not to stop in the village; Ming mentions that it is named after one of the Deseratan warriors that led the Southern Crusades into Sadakadish . Estrellya adds that Paladin Martby also defeated a horde of Tre Hum Da that were coming up from the south, at this Ming gives credit to the former general for helping rid Sadakadish of the Tre Hum Da vermin.

After a continued march through the woods the group passes the city of Dymond Hold and heads into the mountains proper. Because the road is clear of snow the party makes good time going through the pass. At the summit of the mountains they can see the town of Near Water in the distance, the last outpost of the Deseratan Kennadom. Beyond the river near the Eastern Gate Mountains they can barely see the city of Stand Town.

Side Bar Adventure; Far to the North Van Sheree the general of the Voice from the East invites Scalla to her dinner table. She tells Scalla that their forces are in retreat from the elves attacks but that is of no matter. She offers the former human a goblet of blood, saying that when the Storm Walkers dined with her they seemed to enjoy that drink and since she is a part of their former power she might like it also.

Taking a small sip Scalla quickly drains the glass and then the bowl it was poured from. She finds that the elf blood makes her feel as if she were almost human again. Sheree tells Scalla that her spies have reported that the Southerners have begun rebuilding the paladins again. She laughs saying that they won’t have the time to let the paladins grow up before the forces from the Voice from the East attacks