Recovering from their brave, tactical advance to the rear in
the face of certain ghosts, the group returned to the town with the children,
repairing back to Yuri’s cousin-adoptive-father’s tavern, the Laughing
Demon. They found the parents holding
vigil at the pub – and drinking their faces off.
Frelik hoisted a glass and drowned it, swaying and proclaiming
that he was getting hammered off the gross water.
Grateful for the safe return of their offspring, mothers
whisked their children off to bed while the fathers stuck around to hear the
party’s war stories. The group is
cheerfully informed that their tab is covered for the night, so the group
drinks as much as they can. Frelik tapped
out early, having downed an entire bottle of potato vodka, and passed out on
the table. Magpie went down next, which
led Akura, who was still sober, to arrange the two in a recovery-position
sixty-nine just for the fun of it.
The next morning, somewhat the worse for wear, the group
gathered in the tavern. Yuri’s cousin
frowned as he served them breakfast, “So... where are you folks headed?”
They explained that they are headed to Nerosyan. Zokar advises that they follow the river to
Chastel. From there they can either
follow the river or take a risk and strike off across the fields to Dravod
Knock, just on the Numerian side of the border.
The group thanked him for the advice and took their leave amidst many
tearful goodbyes.
The grateful parents met the party on the edge of town,
offering baskets of food and care packages, totalling enough food for a week,
as well as a wand of cure moderate wounds.
The rest of that day passed uneventfully, as did the camp
that night.
The next day, however, was not quite so quiet. Just after lunch, as they set out along the
river again, a pair of huge, hulking, feathered creatures loomed up, blocking
the party’s path.
Akura immediately took to the trees, stealthing along. Davros shrieked like a girl and dropped off
the back of his horse to cower behind it.
Valeria rode forward and fired, nailing one of the creatures
in the face. It growled then hooted a
little bit. The group surmised that
these feathered, furry creatures must be owlbears.
The creatures advanced on the group.
Frelik cried out, leaping off the back of his horse and
scrambling up a nearby tower ruin. Akura
emerged from the woods, whirling through a heel-down kick and nailing the
owlbear who had been shot.
Davros, with a low grumble, moved through the wall of
horseflesh before him to hurl a bomb at the same one Akura had kicked. That owlbear turned, owlbear-hugging Akura
while the other grappled Davros.
Valeria shrieked and fired at the same creature as before,
causing it to collapse and release Akura.
Frelik, in his infinite wisdom, did a backward roll and
attempted to leap off the tower sword first, missing horribly and landing at
the creature’s feet with a hollered “Shiiiiiit!”
Davros, trying to break the owlbear hug, managed to enrage
the creature and get himself attacked once again, calling for help.
Valeria, making a foolish choice, fired at the grappling
pair, narrowly missing Davros and striking the creature for minor damage. Frelik advanced on the creature, but it
snapped its beak at him, sending him into a very ineffectual rage.
Akura slammed a hard fist into the creature’s knee, but
missed with his uppercut as the creature fell.
Davros went limp in the owlbear’s arms, so the creature
turned his vicious attention on Akura.
While it was distracted, Valeria fired at the creature, putting a bullet
between its eyes.
Magpie rushed to Davros’ assistance, helping him recover so
he could heal the rest of the party.
Frelik, meanwhile, carved some buffalo style owlbear wings
out of the carcasses.
The next few days passed uneventfully, allowing the party to
reach Chastel in peace.
Valeria, riding into town first, declared, “Where is the
tavern, peasants! I have not had a drink
since Ravengrow!”
Avoiding the two-storey hooker, they pressed on to the
well-lit two story building that seemed to be a tavern. A battered sign of a one-legged sheep hung
over the door. The common room was
bustling with activity, so much so that the party was forced to take their
libations standing at the bar.
Akura inquired about rooms but the innkeeper, making his way
over to them, replied, “Sorry, but all my rooms are full with the spring
festival.”
As the party discussed potential accommodations with the
rotund man, a well-dressed woman approached the group timidly, seeming a little
put off by them, but clearly determined to speak with them.
With a quiet squawk of ‘mine’ Magpie walked over to the
woman, “Good evening, you seem to be...”
“Oh, hello, I... this might seem forward, but we get so few
visitors in town.... my name is Cecilia.
I couldn’t help overhearing your troubles.”
“Yes, we are looking for a place to stay.”
“You should come stay with me and my mother.”
“Oh good, is there anything we can do in exchange for your
hospitality?” Magpie offered. Her eyes
lit up but Magpie pressed on, “Anything I
can do?”
She shut her mouth and blushed.
“Sorry,” Magpie muttered, “It has been so long since I’ve
seen such a beautiful woman.”
Akura sighed and invited the woman to join them.
“Yes, actually we’ve had a bit of trouble in town,” she
murmured, “and you seem like a.... well-armed crew.”
“What kind of troubles,” Valeria demanded in a loud, drunken
voice, “Is it the kind involving death, or un-death?”
With a dirty glance at Valeria the woman said, “Perhaps we
should take this discussion somewhere quieter, and more private.”
She led the group, wagon and all, to a fair-sized estate at
the edge of town called Dromdel Manor glancing around nervously though they don’t
seem to be followed.
As they entered a street called Swan street, Cecilia began
telling the group about the murders; bodies appearing and people
disappearing. The townsfolk had
eventually managed to track down a deranged Halfling called Swanny Todd and
accuse him of murder but the Halfling escaped on the way to the gallows and was
now on the loose again.
Tears in her eyes, she told them that one of Swanny Todd’s
first victims was her young husband, Michael.
Fearing for her own life, she asks only for protection for a few nights
in return for a place to stay.
“It has been only two nights since he escaped,” she explained,
“but there have been no more murders to date.
All of his victims were nobles.”
When asked about her family, she explained that the house belonged to
her family and her husband had married into it.
Her father was out hunting and she hoped he would be back soon, given
the recent troubles.
The inside of the manor was decorated in greens and browns;
all colours and styles long-since out of fashion. As Cecilia opened the door, an elderly
Halfling servant appeared.
“M’lady?” he drawled.
“Ah, Barnsworth, these are our guests, aren’t they
wonderful?”
“Yes, m’lady, I’m sure that your mother will be pleased.”
“Oh, yes, mother.”
The servant showed them into an elegant sitting room with
some aged furniture and a bar in one corner.
“Please, feel free to make yourselves a drink.” She offered.
Still infernally thirsty, Frelik chugged a bottle of what he
thought was water. It wasn’t. He passed out. Again.
Akura dragged him outside and dumped him head-first into a
rain barrel.
Fifteen minutes later the elderly Halfling returned with a
plate of slices of boar, cheese and bread.
Cecilia brought in an elderly woman in a wheelchair,
“Please, let me introduce my mother, the lady Oraluna Dromdel.”
The elderly woman eyed them with displeasure, stroking the
tiny, rat-sized dog in her lap. A
mastiff was chained to her chair. “Yes,
my daughter says you’ll be staying with us...”
The old woman murmured, seeming faintly disgruntled, “Well, that will be
delightful.”
“Well, we don’t want to be any trouble.” Valeria smiled.
“Oh, no, it’s no trouble.”
The woman replied, “How long are you staying? A few days?
You do have... clothing?” She eyed the party’s shabby attire.
“We have been on the road for quite some time...” Akura shrugged, “But yes, we do have nice
clothes.”
“Very well, I am having a dinner party tomorrow night. You are welcome to attend.” Lady Dromdel said.
Something about that statement sent Magpie and Valeria into
a shouting match, at which point Lady Dromdel excused herself for the evening.
Valeria eyed Cecilia in an effort to determine if they were
the same size, but Magpie misinterpreted and hissed at her, “By the gods, if
you do anything with her I will make you into a new saddlebag for my weapons.”
“So, where are we sleeping tonight?” Valeria asked Cecilia, eyeing the Magpie now,
“Perhaps one of us should stay close to you just in case.”
The girl nodded, “Of course.
You may stay in my room, Valeria.”
Valeria winked overtly at the Magpie as Cecilia led her up
to her room.
Claiming various rooms, the group bedded down for the night –
except for Akura, who felt the need to explore.
To the left from the entry way was the salon, to the right
were the offices of lord Dromdel. The
foyer then led into the dining room where a pulley and rope operated elevator
existed to move lady Dromdel between floors.
Directly off the dining room was the living room, and beyond that a
kitchen, the butler’s quarters and a set of stairs that led up to the second
floor where Cecilia and Lady Dromdel had their rooms, as well as a guest room.
The basement consisted mostly of the usual linens and foods
which needed to be kept cool.
Akura searched the house, ensuring that all the doors and
windows are locked. In the attic, in a
back room, he found a worn and frayed cymbal-wielding monkey which seemed to be
staring at him from across the room. He
backed away and left it in peace.
Magpie, meanwhile, searched the basement but found nothing
out of the ordinary.
Yuri took a quick look around the stables, but, while they
seemed to still be in use, there were no animals present but the party’s own.
Partway through the night, the group was disturbed by the
baying of a hound and the yapping of a tiny dog from upstairs, but it ended
abruptly.
Akura crept up to the second floor, listening at Lady
Dromdel’s door. He heard the lady trying
to quiet the animals. “My lady,” he
called, tapping at the door, “Is everything all right?”
She made her way to the door, “Yes, yes, they’re all
right. Some nights they have problems;
other animals in the night.... They’ll
quiet down.”
Sensing that she was hiding something, Akura asked politely
if there was anything he could do before excusing himself and wishing her a
good night. Unsatisfied by her answer,
he lingered a few moments outside of her door, listening for anything strange,
but heard nothing.
The next morning dawned to the smell of coffee, eggs and
bacon.
“What happened last night?”
Frelik groaned.
“Let’s just say that clear liquids aren’t always
water.” Akura smirked.
Once the barbarian had recovered from his stupor, Akura
dragged him outside to study the ground underneath the old lady’s window to see
if someone had visited the old lady’s room during the night.
Valeria suggested shopping, exciting Cecilia who begged her
mother to allow for the purchase of new clothes.
The elderly woman heaved a heavy sigh, “Well, I
suppose. There isn’t much to be seen in
that town, but I suppose you may have a new dress made.” She turned to Valeria, “Do I need to pay for
yours too?”
“Oh, no.” Valeria
assured her.
“Very well. Then I
assume after lunch will be acceptable?”
Both girls nodded.
On the way into town Akura took the chance to ask Cecilia
about the creepy monkey he’d found staring at him in the attic the night before,
but her answer was less than satisfactory as she simply shrugged and said, “I
don’t know, there are many old toys from my childhood, and even some leftover
from my mother’s childhood.”
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