CELESTIAL SUMMONS - GM Angelina's Campaign

Game Master Lady Firedove

Each player should post at least once per week to be considered active in the game. More posts are certainly welcome, though. Significant GM game updates will only come once a week on [Fridays or] Saturdays, but minor additions or clarifications may possibly be added during the week.

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For example:
Jane slumps in the chair, her brown braids falling over her shoulders, and her eyes gazing around the room warily.

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For example:
"I don't know what I'm doing here! Why are you guys so happy?"

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For example:
Hey, GM, is it okay if I have Jane notice a lizard on the ground? She would totally be trying to find a new pet.

CELESTIAL SUMMONS - GM Angelina's Campaign

GM:

You've always felt special, like you have some sort of a higher calling.
Well, now, either you've gone completely insane, or you've been proven correct.
You've dreamed of a woman summoning you to the cause of good... or, at least, strongly considering it.

"So, why should I choose you? What have you done with your life so far? What talents can you bring to the cause of good? And, most of all, how do I know I can trust you with this mission?" You dreamed a woman asked you these questions, and something about her made you want her to choose you.

"You have been chosen."

This thought echoes in your mind and spirit.

The lovely woman appeared to you a second time in another dream. She said you had been deemed worthy of the mission and she asked you to answer the call to help. She said you and others were being called together to solve a mystery and to right a great wrong. Something about her made you want to help her and trust her.

If you agreed to answer the call, she asked you to quickly wrap up your local affairs and travel to a town named Vigilant on the Eastern border road of the Kingdom of Theramark. She said to go to the Green Tree Inn on the Summer Solstice at noon to meet Eli and the others.

"Get to know them. They will be your allies in this quest. Strange as some may seem, each of them bears a good heart and a noble spirit. And besides ... they're your extended family, in a sense. You might as well start off on the right foot with them. ... Stay at the Inn that night, and I will share more with you in another dream. ... and, thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate you."

You make your way from your homeland to Theramark and arrive in the town of Vigilant on the Summer Solstice. You find the Green Tree Inn and ask about meeting someone named Eli. You are quickly pointed to a thick curtain drawn across a large doorway to a side room. When you pull aside the curtain, you enter a room with a single very large oval table. Standing at the head of the table on the far side of the room is a tall man wearing a strange stone mask. He nods at you and motions for you to be seated. There are already several other people seated here in silence. Bowls of fruit, loaves of bread, and hunks of meat and cheese on platters fill the center of the table, along with pitchers of watered-down wine and mugs. Some of the seated people have begun munching or drinking, but no one speaks yet. People eye each other warily or curiously, but everyone seems to be waiting for something.

Over the next few minutes, several more people arrive. Although everyone who arrives looks quite different from the others, everyone seems... distinctive in some way. It's hard to pin down precisely how. Finally, when no one else seems to be arriving, the man in the stone mask nods and speaks...

Eli:

The masked man paces a bit, stops back at his chair, and looks around.

"Greetings." he says, in a flat monotone, though one that's clearly accented, "I'm sure you're all wondering, at least to some extent, what you are doing here. It's a valid question. One that, to some extent, I share. This," he gestures to... his face?..., "is Calm."

Doffing the mask, the face of a handsome young man is revealed, bearing a radiant smile. "And I," he says, winningly, "am Eli."

His face, extremely expressive, transforms into a small frown. "I honestly know little more than you." He muses for a moment, then transforms into a friendly lecturer. "From what I can tell, we were all called here for a 'mission' of some sort, promised that it would be for 'the cause of good', and directed here, to Vigilant. The short version of what to do next is: eat, get to know each other, sleep, and dream. We should all be well-informed of what we need to know by tomorrow." He smiles, ruefully, "... at least... that is what I am told. I honestly don't know whether to believe her or not. The Innkeepers certainly seem to. And they have some sort of history - no, I don't know the specifics -" he holds up a hand, smiling wryly and warding off questions, "but that's not really the important thing. I can't find a reason to distrust her, and would like to hear her out."

His face softens, traces of wryness or ruefulness vanishing, "To that end, I suggest we all enjoy the rest of today, get to know each other, and sleep this evening in rooms, payed for, generously enough, by our mysterious benefactor. Sound good?" he looks around for nods of affirmation. Then, he speaks again. ...

GM:

You sleep at the Green Tree Inn that night, after meeting all those strange and interesting people who were also called and chosen.

The delicately beautiful woman with the melodious voice visits you in your dream again.

"I hope everything went well today. I hope you like your family members.
Yes, you are all family. You share a common ancestor... my Grandfather... an Angel known as Raphael here in the mortal World. It seems he was quite active here. He got around."

A slight smile crosses her lips, and you feel a warm glow in your heart.

"As far as I can tell, none of you are closely related enough to be called cousins, even distant ones, but you are family, nonetheless.
It is because of this blood connection that I am able to contact you in this way."

A frown creases her brown, and the sunshine in the World dims.

"I'm afraid I'm not currently ... at liberty to act as freely as I would like... but I hope that, for now, you will be my eyes and hands in the World, insofar as what I ask furthers the common good. Will you help me?"

A strong force within you wants to turn her pleading gaze into one of approval and gratitude. Presuming you agree, she continues...

"The plot is complex. Even I do not fully understand it. So, before I send you to the heart of the matter, you need to grow in strength and experience as a team, and I need to gather information through you.
Based on something I overheard recently, I am concerned for the safety of a small village to the north of Vigilant, also on the Western border of Theramark, but more isolated, and off the main trade routes. This village is named Endurant.
Please, travel north to Endurant together, and see if anything unusual is going on there. It may be nothing, it may be vigilantes, it may be fiendish forces, and it may even be too late, but please see if there is anything you can do to help, and, if there is something unusual going on there, please try to find out who's behind it and who or what they're looking for.
I'll have Eli ask the Green Tree Innkeepers Alice and Bob for the funds and items I left behind with them. Use these wisely to assist in your missions.
Be careful. Powerful forces are at work behind the scenes.
I will visit you again in dreams when I can.
Thank you, and may God bless you with safety and success!"

The dream fades and you wake with the dawn.

...

Eli:

Eli would be vocally noncommittal to her plea in the dream, other than informing her that he will definitely look into the matter and decide what is right and do that. Inwardly, however, he is thoroughly dedicated to this cause, and to her.

When he wakes, Eli would get washed and dressed quickly, head downstairs, and talk with the Treekeeps.

He would acquire the box, thank them, and inform them that Angelina is contacting them regularly, and, though not free to act herself, seems well enough, otherwise.

He would then work and direct all of those called by Angelina to breakfast in the backroom, where he has things to distribute.

Once the last person is there, he, too, would enter, and give some things away. Each person gets 10 platinum, 6 gold, 1 silver, and 1 copper. He explains that this comes from Angelina, having been stored for an emergency. It's not petty cash to buy nice things, it's funds for the express purpose of acquiring that which is needed to survive. He partially feels that it should go without saying, but he says it anyway: "Do not be wasteful with these funds. If you intend to use them for any purpose - any purpose - other than this mission, return them now, and I shall keep them for this mission, and for us all. This is not 'your' money. This is 'Angelina's' money. To do otherwise is theft from someone who seeks our good. This is the height of dishonor." His voice is entirely emotionless.

Eli keeps 10g and 10s remaining in the box, informing everyone that he's doing so.

He would show everyone the note, and inform people of the contents of the box: two potions of remove disease, two remove curse, two neutralize poison, and two cure serious wounds.

The note is a slip of paper in the box, resting across the top of the other items, as if labeling them all. On this paper there is delicate handwriting in Common:
Angelina, on the note wrote:
"For use in case of emergencies. God bless! -Angelina"
Otherwise, Eli would hold onto it (and them), as he's quite fast, and hopefully will be able to reach anyone rapidly should they need it.

He would inform them that he plans on going immediately after breakfast, and invites any who would to go with him.

After a comparatively short breakfast, he would clean the table and dishes, thank the Treekeeps again and, whether or not anyone else would, he'd head off down the road, unless anyone specifically wants to go, but needs to purchase something - he would wait for them.

Everyone else would have had more time to eat, as he was waiting for the last to arrive before doing so himself.

He would, however, travel with all that wish to go, not just by himself, and encourage others to do the same, if they plan on going. He encourages them to stick together in general.

...

Natanja:

Natanja looked up from her bowl at Cernan and smiled. "Aye, it could well be a straightforward investigation. I just prefer to be prepared for any event. And Angelina did say that Endurant was a village. It may not have a ready supply of goods if we decide we need them later. Just attempting to initiate discussion since the coin we have been generously gifted must be used for the missions we undertake."

...

Vincent:

Vincent, wakes and heads downstairs to eat breakfast. He doesn't say much, most of the time he tries to process the dream. I cannot act freely, seems like she is trapped somewhere or by someone. I will have to find out how far it is to this Endurant place, not far I hope. When Eli mentions about the funds provided and the speil about 'not his', he takes slight offense to the fact he may or may not be implying Vincent would give it to others. He is smart enough to know that the funds were given to help in getting to or providing aid to Endurant.
He asks around, and finds out that Endurant is only a few days walk from here. He checks his backpack, and organizes his gear to ensure everything is in their proper place. He secures his cestus on his left hand, and meets up with everyone at the entrance to town. He heads off when the group starts, keeping an eye out fir any potential dangers as they go.

...

GM to Chap only, in her dream:

Angelina hesitates but nods.
"It makes sense that you would wish to know more.
Let us say for now that I have reason to strongly suspect a man of significant power and influence of consorting with a particularly powerful fiend and, in fact, of helping this fiend to secretly consolidate his power here in the World.
At present, these entities have no reason to take any action against you and the others, or even to have any idea of your existence, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.
My hands are tied. I don't wish for yours to be.
The more specific my communication, the more likely it could be magically detected.
For now, it is my hope that you and the others chosen will grow in strength and experience together as a team, all the while collecting information about and evidence of this plot, and doing what can reasonably be done to thwart it.
There are other distant kin I reached out to in dreams, but they either did not have the skills and adventurous nature that those of you chosen did, or they were at an age or stage in life where calling them away from their families would have been wrong.
It is my belief that those of you chosen are tough enough, skilled enough, and free enough to face this challenge, and may hopefully stop a great evil.
I wish you grace!"

...

GM:

The days on the road pass with a mix of spirited debate and pleasant conversation as you get to know your new allies. The weather remains warm and dry. The night watch lookouts among you find no significant cause for concern. The mules clip-clop along.

Poterol, please mark 2 days rations used for everyone in the group from the group rations. It would be more, but I figure Shyness, Marius, and Natanja helped out with hunting and/or gathering berries, and Lesith with cooking, along the way, and the mounts could graze, somewhat.

After traveling for a few days, you break off the main road and head down a smaller dirt road toward Endurant.

While still some ways away from the village, your group suddenly falls under attack.
Four nasty little flying creatures appear right next to your traveling party, as if out of nowhere, surrounding your group.
Only about two feet tall each, they have wings, tails, reddish skin, and grotesque features.
They seem to radiate a sense of wrongness as one attacks Eli, one attacks Aeryth, one attacks Chap, and one attacks Kiwyn, with stingers on the ends of their tails.

Hideous shrieks emanate from the four creatures as they appear and attack:

...

PCs dismounted, several attacked and missed, Chap skewered Imp C and it dropped to the ground, and Vincent hurt Imp K. Imps attacked PCs and missed, Imp K healed up completely, and Imp C awoke and disappeared.

...

Imp E was shaken by Natanja's cause fear, shot by Sister Azmaria's silver bullet, stunned and blinded by Cernan's color spray, and whacked by Eli's stick.
Imp A was slashed to unconsciousness by Aeryth and Marius's swords, then picked to death by Lesith's celestial eagles.
Invisible Imp C was snapped at and barked at by Kiwyn's celestial dog, but seems to have escaped upwards, at least for now.
Imp K was stabbed by Chap's longspear and raked by Shyness's claw before it disappeared and tried to escape, but it was again raked by Shyness's claw as it did so, and, although it is invisible, it may have thudded to the ground nearby.
Aeryth and Poterol provided spell support.
Vincent and Kaya attempted to provide melee support.
Mules continued to panic.

...

Chap takes a step forward and, feeling around carefully, uses her longspear to pinpoint just where invisible Imp K fell, preparing to make a coup-de-gras attack next round.

Aeryth, rides his war-trained horse over next to where Kiwyn's celestial dog hops around, looking up and barking, near where Imp C dropped. Aeryth swings his sword wildly and impressively through the air, but doesn't connect with anything.

Azmaria reloads her pistol and fires at Imp E, the silver bullet again easily burning straight through the fiend's skin.

Marius commands Rex the Wolf to make sure Imp A stays dead, which Rex does by gnawing on it, this time succeeding in tasting imp blood. Marius himself begins the difficult task of trying to calm and collect the panicked mules.

Cernan turns and starts to color spray Imp K, but hesitates when he notices it has disappeared and he might hit allies. The spell fizzles.

Kaya floats down where invisible Imp K fell and successfully gives it a solid kick with her foot. From what she can tell, it seems to be prone on the ground, but she doesn't think she damaged it more.

Vincent kicks a bunch of dirt over the fallen body of Imp K to make it somewhat visible and calls for Shyness to kill it.

Poterol whacks Imp E with his morningstar, but doesn't think he hit it hard enough to damage the tough little imp.

Lesith calls upon heavenly healing fire to cure Eli's hp damage, while her remaining celestial eagle flaps over to peck at the invisible but semi-dirt-covered Imp K. Eli, you are restored to full hp.

Shyness, in her bloodrage, fails to notice Vincent's actions and suggestion, but instead runs over to Imp E and rakes a fierce celestial claw through the imp's tough skin, as if it were nothing. Imp E crashes to the ground.

Natanja moves over quickly to flank the unconscious Imp E with Shyness, thwacking it hard with her morningstar, and drawing more blood.

Eli, still unmasked and smiling radiantly, takes the opportunity to coup-de-grace the helpless Imp E, smashing the end of his walking stick down on the fallen fiend's throat, and ending its miserable life for good.

Kiwyn's celestial dog seems to give up on reaching the invisible Imp C and instead rushes over to join the celestial eagle in gnawing at the invisible-but-dirt-covered Imp K, while Kiwyn herself surveys the battleground for any additional threats.

Arabeth, smiling, unleashes a burst of healing energy that radiates all around everyone, making you feel awesome, and curing Kiwyn and Chap of all wounds. Kiwyn and Chap are now at full hit points.

Enemy Actions:

Eli's Critter Imp E is visible and dead.

Aeryth's Critter Imp A is visible and dead.

Chap's Critter Imp C is nowhere to be seen. It escaped. Even those with scent don't catch wind of it.

Kiwyn's Critter Imp K is invisible but covered with dirt, and nearly dead.
(...yet somewhat healed by Arabeth's channel and it's own fast healing).
Chap, however, finishes the job with a longspear coup-de-grace as her first action on the next round.
Imp K is dead.
Combat rounds are now effectively over.

...

Eli:

Still smiling, Eli nods, picks up his mask, and returns it to his face, seeming suddenly very, very tired, but impassive and emotionless. He stumbles a bit, before catching himself on Shyness' and Natanja's arms, then nods.

"Thank you, cousins. All of you. We are victorious in the face of our first contact with the enemy... however, now the enemy knows us."

Looking at them, he notes with no emotion, "These spirits will make fine crafting material for armor." he nods again, looking around. "They were also not working alone. One has left - I heard it declare such. It has also gone to warn one they only referred to as 'him' - a man who apparently entreated with these spirits of foul tempers and filthy mouths. They were here to stop us, because we were, to paraphrase, nasty 'nasty good scum', and, more importantly, 'no one gets through' because 'no one is supposed to know yet'." His words and voice betray no hint of how Eli feels about what he's just shared.

...

Kaya:

Kaya drifts up to the group having a discussion around Eli. "If this wicked man has a secret he means to keep from us, we had better make sure we find out what it is!" She says in good humor.

-----

Chap:

I'll hold onto the bodies until the time their bodies are of more use than wearing for protection. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of turning the evil against itself in such an ironic way, but these are necessary as evidence. Fiends such as these don't come to our world on their own, someone is responsible for bringing them here. I will examine them for marks so later we can find the guilty party.

...

Sister Azmaria:

Azmaria looks over the dead Imps. strange, they are still here. They should have vanished back to the abyss they came from. this is unusual.

She continues to examine and looks like she is lost in thought.

lesser demons that are summoned forth vanish back to their home when slain in this world. There is powerful demon magic at work here.

...

GM:

Vincent doesn't notice any pouches, valuables, or notes on the imp corpses.

Lesith rides ahead, with Shyness running and Aeryth riding after her to encourage her to wait for the group.

Marius, Natanja, Kiwyn, Eli, and Arabeth succeed in calming and rounding up the mules.

Chap takes the dead imps from Eli into her large backpack and mounts up on her mule to get going.

The group rides off along the road toward Endurant.

...

Marius, after a Vincent rant:

Marius turns on his saddle to peer at the bickering duo. "Maybe we could make a little more noise. Just in case that imp didn't get a chance to warn everyone."

He gives a half-hearted laugh, hoping to make it evident he's joking, not choosing sides. He's pretty sure all he did was make it more awkward. Even Rex looks embarrassed for him. "But Cernan's got a point, Vincent. I haven't had any family to speak of for years, either. It's been just me and Rex for just about as long as I care to recall now. From what I can tell, most of us share similar tales. No one's asking you to give up your past and join the happy time club, but we're stuck in this together, whether we like it or not. Shouldn't we at least play it smart, even if we don't enjoy the company?"

Marius pauses, then adds in a lower volume with a cautious monotone straight out of Eli's book, "Besides, we've already had one of our number depart. If you trust us so little, then you are welcome to join him." Was that too blunt? Perhaps - but Marius knew enough about the hunt to know the dangers of traveling alone or unwary. Like Lesith's pacifism, Vincent's stubbornly enforced solitude would also be tested. Marius wasn't sure he wanted to stick around for the results of either.

...

GM:

After healing up from the surprise attack and collecting three imp corpses into Chap's pack, you continue to ride together toward Endurant.

Only about a half-hour down the road, however, Lesith notices an acrid stench coming from somewhere up ahead, wrinkles her nose, and mentions it to the group. At first it is presumed to be the imp corpses in Chap's pack, but Natanja, Shyness, Kaya, and Marius soon smell it, too.

As the smell grows more obvious, Shyness, Natanja and Marius notice that the dirt road in this area is particularly scuffed up, and it looks like something has been dragged into the thick underbrush nearby.

Marius, Natanja, and Shyness follow the none-too-subtle trail off the path for only about 100 feet, and soon discover the gruesome source of the stench... five humanoid bodies, clearly wounded, piled on the ground by a small cart carrying large bolts of cloth, and other supplies. Two of the bodies, men, wear bloodstained leather armor, while three wear comparatively fine clothing, now ripped, dirtied, and blood-stained. The nicely dressed bodies include a middle-aged man, a middle-aged woman, and a teenage boy. You're not sure what happened to the horse or other animal that used to be harnessed to the cart. A few carrion birds pick at the people's bodies, although they startle and fly off when your group approaches.

If you examine the bodies,
DC 15 Heal Check:
They're human, they're dead, and they have been for at least some hours, though not for weeks.

DC 20 Heal Check:
They've likely been dead for a day or two, and their wounds look like they could have come from imp stingers.

DC 15 Knowledge (Local):
Based on the ages, dress, supplies, and weapons of the group, it looks like this was a traveling merchant family, accompanied by two guards. You don't specifically recognize them as being famous, however.

DC 15 Knowledge (Nobility):
Although three of the bodies are nicely dressed, they're not dressed nicely enough to be nobility, and you don't specifically recognize them as anyone famous.

DC 20 Perception:
You notice that there are two masterwork short swords lying nearby, that the older man in the nicest clothing has a bulging money pouch on his belt as well as a signet ring on his finger, and that the woman clutches a piece of paper in her stiff hand.
If you examine the cart,
DC 20 Appraise: [No one succeeded.]
If you use either of the following,
Detecting Magic:
You don't detect any magic.

Detecting Evil:
You don't detect any evil.

...

Marius:

He turns over the young boy, and sees injuries that could only have come from more imps. "Damn," mutters Marius, "These folks were killed by imps. Impossible to tell if it was the same band that ambushed us - but I'd certainly imagine so. They couldn't have been here for more than a day or two..."

...

Eli:

To the group, Eli states, "Ellen is the name of the woman. This must be her husband and children. They were coming to see their sister Rose, to sell clothing, as Rose does not consider anyone stylish in Endurant, and believed they may be able to make a profit. They were, like us, merely traveling to Endurant, seeking nothing in particular. We should return their bodies and goods to their family, if possible, to pay for their burial if nothing else."

Eli delivers the news in an emotionless tone, lacking any sort of cadence, and devoid of any passion or other tells, his face covered by an expressionless mask.

...

Chap:

Assuming we are going to probably make a habit of discovering corpses, I'll make a note to buy a prayer book so we can lay the dead to rest more quickly than this. Chap helps hoist the last body into the cart and then lifts herself up into the cart to. We'll ride with them. Their wounds will serve as more proof that the ones responsible have no way to escape the judgment that is coming for them. Good can continue even after we have left this world for the next, they will have their justice.

...

GM:

You continue along the road to Endurant, bringing a backpack of three imp corpses and a cart of cloth, supplies, and five human corpses wrapped in cloth.

You don't notice any other signs of danger or scuffles along the way yet, but after another half hour or so, you notice the scent of something burning or burnt carried on the breeze.

As you get closer to Endurant, it grows stronger, and you also notice a slight haze in the air, that starts to sting your eyes.

...

As you continue along the road to Endurant, and as the burnt smell and smoke sting increase, you come to a large, hazy field of ash and debris, with a few strange, partial structures.

It takes you a few moments to realize... this was probably a village.

Only a few small fires still burn. Except for the soft crackle of the flames, it's eerily quiet.

...

Eli:

"It seems we are unfortunately too late." says Eli dispassionately.

"We need to look for any hints and survivors. We may end up burying the bodies here. Let's go, cousins." No hint of feelings.

Eli dismounts and begins searching.

...

Cernan:

"Too late to figure out what was 'strange' in the village, yes. Too late too seek justice? Hopefully not."

"I say we fan out, in small teams. If possible, each group should have a healer, a fighter, and a spotter. We should move quickly, in case any survivors remain, and to see if there is anything to be learned before everything is ash."

...

GM:

After being attacked by imps and then finding five people murdered a bit further along the road, you eventually arrived at a smoking field of ash and debris that was once a village.
Only a few partial structures still stood and only a few small fires still burned. Except for the soft crackle of the flames, it was eerily quiet.
You spread out to search the ruins.

...

Natanja:

With each charred body or remain, hope that a survivour could be found among the debris began to dwindle. Natanja laid her hand on each body, but the life force that once lived within could not be kindled -- the fire had spread fast and all were caught in its grasp -- the Flame had a hard edge for all its beauty.

Quietly, among the hissing of fires being laid to rest, Natanja voiced a thought, "At least most died in their sleep"; a small mercy she mused silently. Her healer's mind railed against the inability to save.

Natanja reported her findings to her two companions and to any other kin close enough to hear her solemn words, "The fire has been burning for a few days by the look of the wooden structures and the diminished flame. I cannot discern if it was a lightning strike or some malicious act. See the surrounding brush and wooded areas? They barely caught alight and remain for the most part unscathed. The villagers had built a fire-break around the entire village. So it started within the village proper and was not a wildfire that spread into the town." The information flowed from her lips as a matter of fact.

"I cannot see any tracks here, among the building rubble. Mayhap Shyness and Eli have had better luck further out." The smell of smoke, water and wet ground assailed her nostrils but Natanja did not baulk. She gazed through the smouldering mists which billowed from the once burning buildings.

Natanja stared as the sun began to fall, its fire being banked by the quickening twilight. Looking to Cernan and Kaya she quietly instructed, "There are a few ruins and rubble we have yet to search. By Eth, I hope we can find a survivour, yet. Let us continue, cousins."

...

Eli:

"Grim." Eli explains in monotone to everyone. "There is an empty logging camp in that direction, abandoned." he gestures. "This seems certainly purposeful, with great malice and forethought. I do not believe it was random. The fiends possibly wanted this kept secret, or possibly did this to keep a secret." he explains calmly. "If we need a building for shelter, the logging camp should do." he gestures. "We should rest well, but keep more than one guard for the night, to avoid being taken unaware, like these were." he says.

...

Sister Azmaria:

pulling out a notebook she annotates her findings. attempting to detail the circumstances of the destruction and the dead.

she makes her way back to the group. devils, I believe a cult has brought forth something that they could not control. many of these people were killed before the fires. Imps, soldiers for the greater devils. they are seldom useful alone, they need direction. I fear something larger is in play.

...

Shyness:

Shyness and Eli circle the village in silence, looking for clues as to what happened. When they meet back up with the group, she waits until Eli finishes informing them about the lumberjack camp. "No tracks in or out of village. If someone did this, they covered tracks well, or arrived another way," she ends significantly.

...

Marius:

The hunter averts his eyes as Arabeth retches once more. "Yeah, it's uh, rough," says Marius. This whole comforting thing was not his forte. He'd spent too long away from other people, and his past efforts at similar gestures had only resulted in more misery. "Just - try not to think about it. There's nothing we could have done. This looks like it began before we even met back in Vigilant." Half-truths, directed more at himself that at the woman beside him. Was there truly nothing they could have done? He'd just have to hope it was so.

Apparently sensing Arabeth's discomfort, Rex approaches her and sits beside her. "Just look at that," Marius says, partially to himself. "He's saying we should trust each another. All of us, leaning on one another in the wake of this atrocity. So don't worry. There's nothing to apologize for. We're all taking it... our own way."

Later, when the group reunites:

As Marius walks up, he hears Sister Azmaria speaking of the fiends. "So, devils, is it? I'll confess a lack of knowledge in these things... but don't most fiendish beasts get a little overzealous with fire? And perhaps we should not so quickly jump to evil cultists and grand schemes. Any mortal man can set a simple fire. Perhaps a bandit's raid gone amiss?"

Though honestly, Marius didn't believe half of what he'd said. But if they were right, and Endurant's destruction was part of some larger plan... by all the saints of the heavens, what was it?

...

Chap:

Fair enough Marius we should not be so casual to jump to such grand conclusions, but I think the nature of our dreams and the reason we are here at all lends itself well to something grand and evil at play here. We should not turn a blind eye to what our spirits and guts are telling us.

...

Cernan:

Cernan doesn't have a lot to add. "The fire spread fast—no sign of what started it. Looks like the villagers had preparations against wildfires, but not anything like this."

...

Sister Azmaria:

there were signs of devil attacks on many of the bodies I found.

...

Natanja:

It had been a long day and the sun had set and still, she and a few of her kin were pushing aside heavier rubble and debris in an effort to find a living soul in the village.

They had come across a very large bed with two charred corpses laying upon it. Oko flew off Natanja's shoulder and landed on a nearby rock. Calling Kaya to her side, together they lifted the bed frame to move it aside and that is when Natanja saw her -- the child! She was skinny and a little younger than her brother Branek had been when he died -- she looked about eight summers old. The child was burned but not as extensively as the other villagers. Natanja sank to her knees among the ash and debris and her eyes glowed as she stared at the little, burned girl. Her heart constricted at the sight of the poor soul and she sat mute not caring that her clothes were now quite thoroughly soiled.

Wiping ash from her hand, Natanja reached down and laid it on the girl's hand and used her magic to stabilise her in case she would live yet. Natanja pushed her face closer to the girl's partially burned one and it was then she discovered there was breath still in the child! Shallow but enough to keep her alive. By Eth's grace!

Shocked by the discovery, she called out to her companions, "Kaya, Cernan, come and help me carefully lift her from this rubble. The child breathes! I would provide her with some healing."

With their aid, Natanja carried the child safely from the rubble and smoke and lay her on a patch of grass a little distance from the structure.

...

GM:

To clarify events:
You somewhat regrouped near the wagon after finishing most of your searching and had the conversation about weakness shortly before sunset.
Then, Poterol and others started unloading the five original bodies and making a pyre to burn them, while some went to start getting the logging camp ready for the night, and Natanja, Kaya, Cernan, Eli, and maybe a few others continued searching the rubble.
Shortly after sunset, Natanja found the girl in the rubble under the bed...
So I would guess that most everyone would still be awake, although a couple might have gone off to sleep.
Natanja stabilized the girl, called to those nearby to help get her out, and carried the girl to a "patch of grass"... which would have to be a bit of a distance away, outside the burned area. Perhaps it was near the short path leading to the empty logging camp and the stream.
You can decide where your character was when the girl was found, whether you would have heard Natanja or noticed her carrying the girl over to the grass, and whether you hurry over to join those with the girl.

...

Gina:

At Natanja's healing touch, the young girl's eyes suddenly fly open ... wide open. There is a sharp, hoarse intake of breath as her eyes dart around the circle of unfamiliar faces, then fixate on the strangely beautiful but frightening woman touching her. She whispers, terrified, as if to herself...

"Is this a nightmare, too?"

...

Gina:

"My town is Endurant, the home of the strong."

Gina speaks the words as if they are a well-practiced saying she has been taught.
As she does, however, she continues to look around, seemingly trying to recognize her surroundings.

"Wait... wait... This is the path to the water... But the town is gone!"

Her eyes widen in amazement, and she seems to be looking at your faces for answers.

...

Gina:

Gina nods slowly, taking this in...

"The fire nightmare. It was real."

She hesitates, then asks...

"Was... was the little monster nightmare real, too?"

...

Gina:

"I dreamed that four little monsters hurt mommy and daddy. They were ugly and smelly and they laughed and were gone like poof! I... I don't think they saw me. But mommy and daddy wouldn't wake up and they were hurt... And I wanted the nightmare to be over so I crawled back under the bed and went back to sleep."

...

Gina:

"Uncle Max lives a long way away in the big city. The big city is called Viligant. I went there to see him once. Sometimes he comes here to see us."

...

Gina:

"Hmmm...."

Gina seems to be thinking hard...

"Gina's Mommy?"

...she offers, trying to be helpful.

"Wait... Missez Gelthis. An' Mistur Gelthis. We're the Gelthis family!"

She brightens briefly upon saying this, then her face becomes expressionless, and she stares off toward the former-village, her eyes starting to fill with the first signs of tears...

...

Eli:

"This was done on purpose." he explains. "Deadly purpose. The question is why. What would induce them to burn a whole village. Endurant wasn't a font of spiritual power. It wasn't wealthy. It wasn't important. That we know of. What did they get out of this. What did they want. Something of this size is too large to hide for long. They could barely have managed longer had we not shown up, I suspect. Thus their motivation for doing this is extremely suspect. I suspect they were looking for something, attempting to keep a secret, or both. It would seem unwise to allow them time to enact their schemes further, or to return with such large questions unanswered. For if they are not answered in the eyes of all who are not us, how will things appear. Fourteen armed and powerful strangers - one of whom is made of fire - go to Endurant, and return with the only survivor who vaguely recalls things as if a dream, and some trade goods that are not theirs, but, alas, can be claimed by no one else. Mysteriously, they report Endurant destroyed by fire, but of course claim they have nothing to do with it. They have three dead spirits, which is good, but they have no bodies to prove how the people of the city died. When questioned, they can only claim that they followed dreams. Nothing here explains our presence, and everything makes us look bad. And we are still no closer to guessing the why, except secrecy."

All delivered without so much as a waiver in his steady monotone, Eli turns.

"I demand nothing, but I speak that it may be clear: we have learned nothing of value, and placed ourselves into a precarious situation. I am an Embishiu, a tribesman. Even though it has been long since anyone has shed blood between my people and the 'Kingdoms, there are still many with prejudices. I dare say that many of the rest of us are in similar situations, or could be in this instance. We currently have nothing to show our innocence. I do not wish to allow any who would do this escape either due to leaving too early or due to being imprisoned for false suspicions. We all must weigh in our council on this matter. One alone cannot decide it." Eli states, flatly.

...

Marius:

Marius shrugs his agreement. "Wouldn't be the first time I've been run out of town, but you've got a point there," he says with half of a chuckle. Would have been funnier if it wasn't true. "What I'm more concerned about is the girl's safety. I have little intention of letting the trail go cold. Someone's going to pay for this." He pauses, then resumes with a low, cautious tone. "But can we really justify dragging her along with us - can we protect her from whatever might lay ahead?"

...

Lesith:

Lesith speaks in low tone, not to wake up the child.
"Whatever ordered this massacre performed we can guess knows about us, or is about to, by the demon that escaped us. The demons feared we know about this before they wanted to, so bring this child to Vigilant, and warn the town, I think that is important. Vigilant must be warned. The child must be protected."

...

GM:

The night passes. People sleep. People keep watch. People greet the dawn.

No fiends or fires come in the night... and no particular dreams of note, either.

Eventually, all of you arise, except the still-sleeping girl Gina.

...

Kaya:

One of the few things she would say, quietly to anyone nearby, "This is truly the work of evil."

This may seem obvious, yet to Kaya it was significant. For her, enlightenment, getting closer to god, was always following saint Kamali's teachings up toward inner peace, which opens the heart to Heaven. One most be at peace, and detach oneself from the world.

The first truth of this way, is that life is suffering, and while that may be true, and while death is a part of that, this massive scale of death, this mass murder. This went far beyond suffering. It is the work of evil, an evil that must be stopped. Before, I followed you out of discipline, cousin of my dreams. Now, I know why we fight. On this insight, and the purse sensation of the lost of life, on emptiness and unity of purpose, Kaya silently meditated, having never known such horror before.

...

Cernan:

"'Missing pieces' is an understatement. Someone wanted an entire village killed, and had the resources to accomplish it. Maybe the question we should be asking is 'why?' Is this just some marauding horde of fiends laying waste to everything in their path, or was this a targeted killing, desecration, theft, or something else?"

...

Arabeth:

Arabeth continues to worry at a lock of hair.

"Could... could the Imps have neutralized every one in their sleep... And then... then what ever is was that caused the fire have struck?" Arabeth actually looks around at the village.. trying to gauge its total size... "How long would it have taken a creature of fire to simply walk through the village?" And then her gaze turns back towards the remains in the sack....

"And... do things from other realms stay in this one after their time is finished...?"

...

Poterol:

"Marauding fiends? Likely not." Poterol gazes off into the sky. "They had guards up. The imps, you recall. It is likely that they were here until warned that a large group, [i]us[/u], and defeated their sentries." He sighs, and feeds Merry a small nut. "In a camp, you place sentries to warn of those coming close. What were they doing here that required a warning such as that... Aside from the obvious, of course."

...

Arabeth:

Arabeth shakes her head, "No... I do not think that is so. We found the Imps as we moved along the road. They too had been moving along the road... away from the town. They found the people heading towards the town, who were ahead of us in heading towards the town." Arabeth looks about at the devastation

"Guards.. stay and guard...." Arabeth, however, offers a smile to Poteral to show she is amiable in her disagreement and nods that perhaps he offers his own, further, ideas.

...

Marius:

"Well, can imps burn down a town?" Marius admitted his lack of expertise in this area. Looking for evil to fight was one thing. Finding it was another entirely. "And even if they could, why? Aren't they the types of things to relish in the bloodshed they cause?"

The discussion was honestly unsettling him. Trying to understand the motivations of such creatures was... well, not good. He pat Rex on the head, offering him a hearty breakfast of meats from their supplies. Looking down at his wolf buddy, their eyes meet and an apparently unspoken conversation transpires between them. Finally, he breaks contact and goes to retrieve one of the rather unpleasant imp corpses.

Setting it before Rex, Marius takes a step back. "All you, Rex." The wolf steps forward, gives the imp a few cautionary sniffs, then recoils backward from the fiendish blood with a snarl. It even catches Marius off guard, who jumps forward with calming gestures. "Whoa, easy. It's already dead." Crouching down, he gentle pets the wolf while whispering to him. "We just need you to track the scent. There might be more around. Hurting little girls and burning down villages."

The wolf stares back at him. It is impossible to tell if he truly understands Marius' words, but he bounds off in search of a trail. Marius follows at a jog.

...

Eli:

"The imps we faced were not working alone." Eli states in his usual emotionless tone. "As previously stated, the living one vanished to warn 'him', whoever that is. I believe the imps were guarding - they simply moved further down the road each time they killed something. In this case they only killed one family and then we arrived. Considering they are not strong enough to carry our bodies far, they likely would have dragged us into bushes, and moved a little further down for the next travelers to come by." says Eli in his eery dispassionate flat tone.

He turns to look at Cernan. "And the question of why is something I have been asking the whole time. I agree. Why."

---

Kaya:

Kaya's easy rhythm of speech, even with the dark subject matter make her vocal reasoning sound like a meditation. "The question why would seem to have two answers: the obvious and the not as much. For the obvious, clearly whoever did this wishes to destroy life. As for the less obvious, perhaps the answer lies in the history of this town and what significance it had for the people of the world. If we assume that the arsonists are enemies of all people in the world, then perhaps this place had some tactical importance, or perhaps there was someone or something here, that the culprit did not wish for the world to have..."

Kaya's ears flip a bit as she looks around at her cousins. "When I looked through what remained, there did not appear to be a sign of struggle, only destruction. The people here did not seem prepared for whatever happened. Was that your impression as well, cousins?"

...

GM:

Based on the size of the village, and the number of corpses found, you would guess that everyone, or almost everyone, who lived in the village was killed. There was at least one body in every house-sized structure you could make out, usually several bodies. Plus, Shyness said she couldn't find any significant recent tracks leaving the village anywhere around the perimeter. In fact, now that you think about it, it seems odd that SOME people didn't escape the fire, even if it swept through quickly in the night. And, even a village this size (about a hundred people) should have had a night watchman or two posted on guard...

In the morning, you look over the still-sleeping girl that you are told was found in the rubble. She seems to be skinny and weak, perhaps somewhat malnourished and dehydrated, and suffering from a slight cough, even in her sleep. However, these things will probably heal with time, fresh air, and nourishment. Most any signs of burns, if there were any, seem to have been healed by your companions' magic.
--------------------

When Marius sends Rex to sniff out any scent of the little fiends, Rex bounds into the rubble and starts barking ... here, there, and everywhere. It seems he can still pick up the taint of the little monsters all over the place.

When Marius guides him to searching the perimeter, however, for any trail leading away from the village, Rex comes up blank, despite circling the entire area. With a soft whine of apology, he eventually sits back down at Marius' side.

...

Eli:

"As many of you may already know - perhaps all of you - we found the girl Gina yesterday late. Specifically, Natanja found her. She seems, by all counts, to be an ordinary girl. Her recollection is hazy, but she recalls horrible stinging creatures stabbing her parents to unconsciousness, after which she crawled under their bed and hid in terror. The fire happened, and she seems to have been mostly unconscious since then. She has one still-living relative, to the best of her knowledge, an uncle in Vigilant. There are many questions about what happens next and what we should do next. The spirits - 'imps' - that did this did not act alone - they spoke of warning 'him'. They also wanted to ensure that no one 'found out yet'. This indicates that there is a larger plan at work. We need to understand this plan, and eliminate it. We need to understand why this village was burned. This was not just for the joys of destruction, I don't think. There is a darker plan at work."

...

Eli:

Eli would look at Kayahidye, "It certainly seemed such for any that I came across. This meshes well with Gina's story: they were caught by surprise by the imps who killed them, and then fled."

...

Natanja:

"Either there was something here they wanted to find and destroyed the village to cover their tracks. Or this was a distraction for us -- like the scuffle on the road coming to this place -- the one who summoned them may want us otherwise engaged and not wholly tracking them or scrutinising their agenda."

...

GM:

As the sun rises, and after some discussion, Arabeth, accompanied by Rex, begins searching out human remains among the wreckage, and moving the bodies to the still-burned but somewhat more open area at the center of town that was probably once the village green. It is now the village grey, entirely covered with ash.

...

Gina:

Gina reaches slowly for the gun...

"...a holy gun to fight evil? Do you fight little monsters? There were little monsters here..."

Gina hesitates for a moment and bites her lip, a slight glistening in her eyes. Then, she speaks in a determined, if shaking, voice, while grabbing suddenly for the gun...

"I want to fight evil!"

BANG!

The pistol discharges scripture.
Fortunately, it was aimed at the ground a short ways away.
Gina, however, stands frozen, her eyes wide, still holding the gun.
After a moment she moves it slowly back toward Azmaria, opening her hand carefully.

"I'm sorry! What did I do?"

...

Sister Azmaria to Gina:

This here is my report back to my boss. i added this part here naming you an official Exorcist Trainee. all I need for you to do is write your name right here. and if you can't write your name, then i will help.

...
Eli:

Eli looks at Chap. "She seems to be handling it surprisingly well. Additionally, at present, we have nothing solid to prove anything. We cannot truly do anything at present because we lack information. Thus we are looking for information. By all counts, Vigilant is and was much larger than Endurant. What was done here, by all we can ascertain at present, cannot be done there with the same efficiency. The fact that the imps were eager to keep us away for a time longer is proof of that."

Eli looks around. "We are looking for anything at all. We need to warn Vigilant, and soon. But we also need to honor the slain. Spirits have great use for un-honored corpses, and can turn them into great puppets for evil. If you are eager to be quit of this place, may I recommend assisting in speeding the process along by assisting. It will be accomplished and we can return to Vigilant, unhaunted by the disquieted dead and possibly with more evidence to prove our claims or evidence of methods used here."

Eli looks at the ground. "Currently, all signs point to these people being alive but unable to move. I, myself, am finding it more difficult to move or react than normal from the stings acquired from the malicious little spirits from the road. Gina indicates she saw them stab her parents until they stopped moving. Presuming this is true, than this would explain why none escaped. But we need to find out why, or else this will happen again. Vigilant may be a target, or it may not. Without the answer to why, we could well be going to the wrong place and accomplishing the wrong thing, only helping the foe."

Eli looks across the field. "In this case, I would say that a strong day of patience should be used to ensure that haste and presumption did not undo what we sought to accomplish before we could accomplish it. We definitively reduced their numbers, and even if they gather more, there is little that could be done today instead of tomorrow. That is why, Chap."

...

Chap:

I strongly disagree with you Eli. She, Gina, is a child that just lost her family and home. The fact that she is 'taking it well' is proof that she doesn't need to be here.

As far as evidence, we have imp corpses, a witness, and a scorched mile of earth. The size of Endurant and the size of Vigilant have nothing to do with anything. We know next to nothing of the enemy numbers, power, and abilities. Stating this can not happen in Vigilant with efficiency is naive.

...

Eli:

He looks back at the wreckage. "You state this can happen again, and remind of our ignorance. I will once again tell you all we know. The imps stung Gina's parents into collapse. That my own body reacted similarly, and, still today, holds an unnatural sluggishness, suggests that one can eventually be paralyzed. Every corpse we've found has these stings all across their body. In the course of a night, it appears that an unknown amount of imps attacked Endurant, paralyzed all they found, and then burned the town once none could escape for reasons we don't yet know. We do know that, upon our arrival, they were not yet ready for people to learn of the destruction of Endurant - this is what they said to each other during the battle, as I've said. This speaks of not being ready to make their next move, yet. If their next move is anything similar to this one - the only move we know of - we have definitively reduced the number of imps that can participate in the attack by three. You hold the proof of this." he gestures to her pack.

Without a quaver, he continues, "Vigilant is, from what I recall, ten times the size of Endurant. It would require ten times as long or ten times as many imps. You are correct that we do not know their numbers, their plan, or why this occurred. We may find nothing. But if we don't look we will certainly find nothing. We may travel in the wrong direction. We may warn the wrong people. We may lose everything. And any clues that remain here, if any, may well vanish. Beyond that, we may cause the hatred of those dead here to well up, either of their own accord, or at the will of whatever man or spirit is behind this. We know there was someone behind this, because the imps spoke of warning him, and did not leave for the sake of guarding his plan, until it was too late for them. This is what we know, Chap. That and, despite our proof, no matter what we do, we may well look guilty. If we find nothing, at worst, we prevented the spirits of the slain from corruption. If we find something, perhaps we will gain information. I prefer to act on information we do have than information we do not."

...

Natanja:

"My mind aches at the thought of finding naught in our search. But if it were up to me, I'd go back to Vigilant, locate the uncle of the little girl, deliver her unto him, report to the city watch what we have discovered here and then I suppose we sleep and dream to hear instruction from the mysterious Angelina. She bids us go to some place and we go. It seems she is to set our course and we bide."

...

GM:

You made a cursory search for survivors on the day you first arrived at the smoking ruins of what was once the village of Endurant, and you succeeded in rescuing one young girl named Gina, who hazily remembered hiding under the bed as little monsters hurt her mommy and daddy.

You rested for the night at the empty logging camp near the village, then split into two groups for the day, one searching in the woods out around the village for any tracks or trail of survivors or enemies, and one searching the village ruins for clues, items, and human remains.

Now, after a full day of searching and work in or near the burned village of Endurant, sunset approaches.

---------

Marius, Poterol, and Natanja:

You're quite certain that you and your companions have made as thorough a search as possible, all around the forested outskirts of the burned village.
You're also quite certain that nothing larger than a rabbit left the village within the last week or maybe even two.

You did find a waste area/latrine spot a short distance from the village in the forest, but the tracks there all seemed to return to the village, just like the ones that went to the area of the stream and berry bushes near the empty logging camp.

Additionally, you're quite certain that no one arrived in town within the last week either, except for some tracks headed into town on the main road, which were probably made by your own group.

You're pretty certain it's not a case of anyone covering up their tracks either. You should have been able to tell, if that we're the case.

So, it seems there were no fire survivors other than Gina, unless they somehow flew away or were magically transported away.

Additionally, whatever enemies may have caused this tragedy seem to have either flown or magically transported away, unless they're still hiding invisibly in the village, or died in the fire, or could turn into bunnies.

You return to the burned village center to report back to the others, finding most of your allies gathered near a burial mound at the center of Endurant.
---------

Arabeth, Aeryth, Chap, Cernan, Eli, Kaya, Kiwyn, Lesith, Shyness, Sister Azmaria, and Vincent:

After a grueling and gruesome day, you've managed to gather all of the approximately one hundred bodies together at the center of town, and have created something of a burial mound.
Most bodies are too charred to tell, but those that aren't do indeed bear the distinctive imp stings in subtle places. (...not that you would have had any idea what those stings looked like before yesterday, with the possible exception of Sister Azmaria...)

Jewelry has been collected from the bodies and sorted by Eli. There are some nice pieces and some cheap pieces. Gina claimed a necklace she said her mommy wore. The only other piece which might be relatively-easily identified is a chunky gold signet ring with inlaid sapphires. The crest includes an image of a hawk clutching a vine. Gina commented that the fancy man who came to town every year for the summer festival wore that big shiny ring.

You are also able to collect a small assortment of basic metal tools and weapons that survived the fire (some crowbars, shovels, pots, pans, silverware, daggers, hammer-heads, axe-heads, arrow-heads, daggers, crossbow bolts, etc.) along with a masterwork rapier, a masterwork long sword, a masterwork great axe with an etched figure of a bear on the large axe-head, six masterwork short swords, and a masterwork dagger (which also has inlaid sapphires).

As far as actual coinage, you gather about 2,000 gp total in various types of coins.
(There could be more in the rubble, but you weren't taking the time to go after every copper.)

As sunset approaches, you gather near the burial mound at the center of Endurant. You notice Marius, Poterol, and Natanja returning from the woods, approaching you.

...

Eli:

"We mourn your passing, people of Endurant. We pray your spirits find rest, and we shall do all we can to bring your killers to justice and prevent this from ever occurring again. Sleep well, departed ones, and find no malice or sorrow to return. Be well in the land of the dead and at peace in the realm of the spirits.

...

Marius:

As the rites at the burial cairn seem to come to a close, Marius stands and brushes the dirt from his pants. With a seemingly carefree shrug, he approaches the others and shares the tracker's findings. "Nothing out there. Just a few rabbit trails, but nothing came in or out of the village on foot for a good long while. No fiends, no animals, and," Marius hesitates, his voice wavering slightly, "no other people. Gina's the only one left."

...

Natanja:

When Marius and Poterol gave their respective accounts of what their search had and had not revealed, Natanja simply added, "The tracks were not covered over or removed, we could determine that much. The perpetrators either flew away or were magically transported, it would seem. Unless they are somehow hiding in the village, invisible to the eye, were burned in the fire or transformed themselves into some kind of woodland creature, we cannot find sign of their presence or movement."

...

Arabeth:

In a pleasant and matching quiet tone Arabeth relates to Natanja all the details of what the group sorting through the town uncovered.

Affirming that the town's folk all seem to have succumbed first to the Imp's assault, which then left them completely prone to the raging fire which swept through the steading.

Arabeth indicates the small pile of goods and equipment recovered. Noting Cernan's possible use of the silver found to fashion additional aid against any further nastiness similar to the imps encountered.

As for the planning of the future? Arabeth hazards/guesses that a night of rest at the logging camp should see every one fit and rested enough to make as quick a march as the group and animals can back to Vigilant (That is the nearest, largest town? Yes)

...

Sister Azmaria:

I still find it strange that the logging camp was abandoned, even before all the troubles happened, I wonder what events preceded the attack and the fire, perhaps this town has been under siege long before all of this. Also I can find no signs of cultists activity,m no summoning rituals, whoever is responsible for bringing these demons forth hid his activity pretty well.

...

Eli:

Eli steps close to his cousin. "There was nothing significant, no." he explains in his un-emotive voice. "Many trinkets, a necklace that Gina said her mother once wore - she claimed it - and some money. Several tools and weapons. I regret that it seems to have been an uninformative day, even if the pyre-cairn is a good thing to prevent the rise of the dead." he explains, flatly.

His masked face turns to view the road. "The plan is to head back tomorrow. We will go as fast as we can without killing the mounts."

...

Gina:

Gina turns to Sister Azmaria with wide eyes.

"Um... well, it was the Summer Festival, so everyone was playing and having fun...even the mommys and daddys. People said a lot of stuff. What else do you want to know?"

...

Gina:

In response to Sister Azmaria's questions about the festival, Gina perks up...

"Well, the Summer Festival is a really big deal here. Everybody makes stuff for months and we decorate everything and bake all sorts of stuff and then we get all pretty and nobody works for like a week and there are games and races and contests and we finally get to eat all the stuff we made and play with the new toys. Everybody goes. It's mostly right on the village green. The mayor makes some boring speeches about stuff, but people are really happy anyway, and it's neat to see the visitors. We don't get many visitors here, but we usually have a few for the summer festival, like the fancy man who wore that shiny bird ring..."

Gina trails off, hesitating, the mention of the ring seeming to have brought her back to the realization that everyone is gone.

...

Natanja:

Looking down at the child again, Natanja stroked her cheek and asked gently, "Gina, the fancy man who wore the big shiny ring and came for the summer festival, do you remember what his name was? Or what other people may have called him as he moved about the village?"

She paused to allow the child to answer, if she could.

A short time later, she asked her cousins about the crest, "Anyone seen this hawk crest before or know of it?"

...

Gina:

In response to Natanja's questions about the fancy man, Gina pulls out of her thoughts, and refocuses to answer...

"Sure. He came every year to visit his sister, I think. He's somebody important from somewhere really far away. Mommy and Daddy told me to make sure I always call him Sir. Some people even called him Lord, but he only laughed and told them not to bother about that. He had really nice clothes. I liked to rub his vest cuz it was so soft. When I said I liked his ring, he told me how the bird picture was for his family name. He was Sir Hawk-Thorn, I think. His knife had the same blue shiny stones as his ring. They were really pretty."

...

Arabeth occ:

So... a whole town was destroyed... JUST to assassinate one person? Or perhaps fake one person's death/disappearance?

Or am I just being weird?

...

Chap occ:

Travelling: I think we should push to Vigilant as fast possible by any means possible. Chap can heal to support any exhausting of the animals.
1st Report: I suggest we notify both the head of the local government and the head of the guard
Say what?: Show him the imp corpses and speak of Endurant's fate and ask them what their plans are on responding to the incident
The Loot: There was a lot of stuff. I suppose if any use can be made by us we take it. The rest should be sold to Vigilant markets. Don't forget to donate 10%-20% for a memorial to Endurant victims.
Uncle Max: I'll leave finding Max up to people more skilled than I. Chap would just take her to an orphanage and inform the Head Mister/Mistress that she has family in Vigilant by the name of Max and ask that they do what they can to find her home.
Buying/sleeping/semantics: Chap leaves that up for discussion until more information is available.

...

GM to Cernan:
You mentioned the possibility of using the silverware found in Endurant to make some silver-tipped arrows or something similar. Do you have the necessary tools with you to do so? You have about three hours until you would need to sleep to be ready to ride with the group tomorrow. Alternately, you could volunteer to be one of the two night watch persons, craft as you keep watch through the night tonight, then sleep on the cart on the way tomorrow, and guard again when your group stops to camp roadside. Check your crafting rules and skill and let me know what you can/want to do.
-----

GM to Vincent:
You examine the dagger inlaid with the sapphires. It's very nicely made ... the sort of knife that would serve equally well as a precision letter-opener or a deadly weapon. It does seem to be of a similar style of metal-working as the hawk-crest ring, which is also inlaid with (smaller) sapphires.
As you consider what you have heard of the nobleman, you decide that the name Sir Hawkthorne does sound somewhat familiar. . . You're not sure where exactly he's from, but it might be somewhere here in the Kingdom of Theramark. In fact, you know you overheard a local commoner in Vigilant talking about some other greedy, tight-fisted noble, saying "Well, dammit, he's no Sir Hawkthorne, that's for sure. Guess they can't all have a heart."
-----

Vincent:

The next morning he tells the group he remembers hearing something about a Hawkthorn. He was a good man if memory serves him well, people said that not all could have a heart like the man..or something similar.

...

GM:

After paying homage to the deceased of Endurant at sunset, your group moves to the logging camp to eat, rest, and prepare for a grueling day of travel toward Vigilant tomorrow.

Two of you stay awake to guard the others tonight, planning to rest in the cart on the way tomorrow, then guard again when you camp roadside. Who? [Arabeth & Chap]

...
GM:

You all settle into your second night at the Endurant logging camp, after a tasty supper cooked by Lesith, with Arabeth and Chap staying awake to keep watch, and Cernan staying awake to craft a couple silver arrows each for Marius, Chap, and Eli.

...

GM:

All group members who were asleep awake to loud barking and some sort of squeal.
As you look around, you see Chap nearby brandishing a spear, Arabeth standing a short distance down the path holding a sword, Cernan near his crafting supplies, and a confused looking Rex getting up off of Kiwyn.
Rex looks around and growls, but does not seem to be focusing on any particular spot or direction.
You don't see any enemies.

...

Chap:

Chap is hesitant to lower her guard at first, muscles tense, heartbeat rapid.
Kasame'le! Chap curses into the night.
We were being followed, and by my guess it was another one of those invisible imps! There's no telling how long it has been watching us or who knows what else. Chap begins looking through her things to make sure nothing is missing.

...

GM to Cernan:

You've heard of some types of fiends being able to teleport, which would explain how there was magic, then there suddenly wasn't anything. There are multiple kids it could be, but, considering it seemed to have both invisibility and teleportation, and a scent that was foul to Rex, and flight capability based on where Rex jumped, and a shrill squeal, and the fact that it seemed to be spying on you, as pointed out by Chap... well, you'd probably guess it to be a Zebub.
Zebubs are small fiends known for their diseased bite (devil chills) and their infernal eye ability (they can replay visions of things they've seen to others, making them excellent spies).

...

Cernan:

"I think I've read about fiends like this. Whatever it was, it's invisible, can teleport, and probably reports back to something worse. Just keep your guard up along the road."

...

GM:

Although Lesith would prefer to start out now, the majority of you agree to finish resting, and allow the mules to do so, too, in order to be better prepared for tomorrow and make better time to Vigilant.

Although some of you take a bit to get settled down enough to sleep again, once you do, the rest of the night passes without incident.

Chap and Arabeth keep watch, Cernan crafts, and the rest of you sleep, waking around dawn.

By morning Cernan has made six silver arrows, which he gives to Eli, Chap, and Marius. Each of you three should note two silver arrows among your equipment.

The casters who need to do so take an hour to meditate, study, or pray, while the rest of you pack up everything you've salvaged onto the mules.

When you're all ready to head out, Sister Azmaria helps Gina up onto the cart bench, then climbs up to join her and drive the cart.

You bid a final farewell to Endurant. Gina glances over her shoulder as you ride away, and you notice she has tears in her eyes.

Arabeth, Chap, and Cernan lie down on the rolls of fabric in the back of the cart, and soon fall asleep, tired after a long day and night awake.

The rest of you ride mules (or horses) and keep an eye out for any sign of trouble on the road as you travel, pushing the mules and horses to hustle, and using healing magic to enable them to better do so.

...

GM:

The first day of hard travel passes without significant incident. The seemingly inevitable fiendish attack never comes. After 16 hours, around 11pm, you finally stop to make camp for the night along the roadside. Quite a few of you have used up healing spells or hexes on the mules. You're ready to rest.
Chap and Arabeth stay up to keep watch.

...

GM:

The roadside night passes, seemingly without incident.

Chap:
You never notice any evil presence or unusual magic during the night. (Eli's mask is magic, some people have magic potions, and a few others have minor magic items, but that's not too surprising.)
You will probably be asleep when the group first rolls into Vigilant, so you may want to hand your pack of imps off to one of the others, unless you want them to wake you, despite the likelihood of fatigue.

----
In the morning, Chap and Arabeth settle back in to rest in the wagon, with Sister Azmaria driving it, and Gina riding beside her on the bench.

The trip passes uneventfully, with no sudden fiendish attack.

After just a few hours travel, you approach Vigilant, which, you discover with some relief, still seems to be standing, and normal. It's late morning.

No one in the group knows exactly where in Vigilant to go to report to the Captain of the Guard, or to the local Church head, or to the Mayor, or to find Uncle Max, so you figure stopping at the Green Tree Inn to ask Bob or Alice Treekeep makes sense.

You bring your cart and horses and mules to rest at the stables near the Green Tree Inn. You might let Chap and Arabeth remain sleeping in the cart for now, and you probably leave someone to keep an eye on them and on most of the Endurant stuff for now, until you figure out what you're doing with it. The person or persons guarding the sleepers and stuff at the Stables can either be whoever posts to volunteer to do so, or whoever doesn't post a different course of action will be presumed to be doing the guarding.
Someone not staying behind to guard may wish to take Chap's pack of evidence along with them.

So, for now, everyone except Chap, Arabeth, and whoever's guarding them heads into the Green Tree Inn for food and information.

...

Eli to Bob and Alice Treekeep at the Green Tree Inn:

As soon as they are all in the kitchen, Eli turns to them.

He cocks his head to the side, a bit, thinking for a moment, before nodding to the others, and continuing.

"I will keep this short." he nods at his cousins and the Treekeeps, speaking in his unhurried monotone.

Calmly, he states, "No, things are not well. I shan't burden you with the details, unless you choose them. Be aware, however, that it is far more dire than any of us could have conceived. We need to speak with the leaders of Vigilant, and quickly, lest the town suffer terrible consequences. We need the mayor, the captain of the guard, and the most prominent priest in town, if any. We have no time to waste hunting these people down to talk to them - under my suggestion, we have wasted far too much time already." he explains.

He looks at Bob and Alice, steadily. In a voice lacking any worry or haste whatsoever, he continues, "Regardless, it is fundamental that neither of you spread rumors or panic about how dire the situation is. That said, I strongly recommend the following precautions be taken as soon as you can: locking windows and putting barbed nets around the outside, preferably with bells to alert any involved if anything gets caught in it or passes through - enough bells so that, say, four creatures working together are unable to disable them."

"Finally, if you know anyone named 'Max' Gelthis, or anyone related to the Gelthis family from Endurant. We have a survivor who may need to stay with her uncle." he says, emotionless.

...

Alice Treekeep:

Alice's eyes grow even wider at Eli.

"Wicked spirits given flesh?"

Her voice drops to a whisper.

"Do you mean some kind of fiends?"

...

GM to Cernan:

You would be aware that Vigilant is under the leadership of Lord Mayor Vertin, but that he is known to be a hard, somewhat distant man, who is unlikely to agree to a meeting unless one is requested by Vigilant's Captain of the Guard or by some high-ranking noble.
You would also be aware that Vigilant's well-run city guard is under the command of Captain Ronald, known to be a fair man, to whom significant safety threats should be reported promptly.
Finally, you would be aware that the most prominent Church in Vigilant is the Church of St. Pelor, and that the pastor, Father Peter, is said to be a kind man. The path of St. Pelor focuses on goodness, sun, light, strength, healing, and travel.

...

Cernan:

To the group: "Captain Ronald of the Vigilant City Guard is the official most likely to respond to a threat promptly. For religious guidance, the Church of St. Pelor is likely to be the most helpful."

...

Bob Treekeep:

"The Lord Mayor wouldn't let anything or anyone disturb him, unless you happen to be some hoity-toity noble, or the Captain of the Guard himself."

Bob looks at Cernan and nods,

"I agree. I should be able to convince Father Peter to come with us to see Captain Ronald."

...

Alice Treekeep:

Alice looks at the ring held up by Natanja.

"I think I've heard of a Sir Hawkthorne before, but, no, he doesn't live here in Vigilant."

...

Bob Treekeep:

"Here."

Bob hands his spatula to Alice, wipes his hands on his apron, then pulls that off and hands it to Alice, too.

"Alice, make sure the meat doesn't burn, then get the boy to see about locking the windows and watching the front door. I'll be back soon as I can."

He steps toward the back door and motions for all of you to follow him.

"I know Father Peter pretty well. I'm sure I can convince him it's important to come with us to see Captain Ronald. Are we stopping on the way to get Max?"

...

Lesith:

"Let's see the father first."

...

Eli:

"We should inform those guarding the mounts and cart about what's going on. We can do so as we pass by, if desired."

At Lesith's words, in the stables:
"We're going to meet an important priest, as well as hopefully gather the captain of the guard and, eventually, maybe the mayor." he nods.
He would also grab the bag with the imp corpses in it.

He looks at Poterol. "I would ask that you inform Chap that I have these, at present, when she wakes up." he places a hand on Poterol's shoulder. "Thank you, Cousin."

Nodding, Eli heads out with the others.

...

GM:

So, Eli, Natanja, Lesith, Cernan, and presumably some more of you leave the Green Tree Inn with Bob Treekeep. You stop at the stables, sharing apples with Sister Azmaria, Poterol, and (Kaya? Marius?) whoever else is guarding the sleeping Chap, the sleeping Arabeth, and the wagon.
Eli lets the guards know they're headed to find a priest, and a guard captain, and maybe a mayor.

"However, as for the Endurant bodies, most of them were too badly burned to find any other wounds on them.
But, on the few that were not as badly burned, Sister Azmaria's careful searching did find multiple imp stings on each.
Just so you know, it wasn't super-obvious that everyone was stung before being burned... it was mostly that you knew exactly what you were looking for based on previously encountering the imps, put the evidence you found together with Gina's story, and came to the conclusion that everyone was stung before burning up in the fire."

"Endurant was a village of about a hundred people. Vigilant is a town of about a thousand people. The city guard in Vigilant seemed to be reasonably well-organized."

"About city/guard sizes... Perhaps it's a lot for a town of its size, but Vigilant has at least a dozen, possibly two dozen, full-time city guards, organized under the Captain of the Guard, (which also double as military when necessary...no separate standing army.) Plus, there are quite a few citizens at least somewhat trained/armed to serve as additional militia, should the need arise...maybe that's why they're called "Vigilant." :)
The Captain of the Guard handles day-to-day security matters and petty crimes. More significant or important cases may be brought before the Lord Mayor of Vigilant, who also serves as something of a judge."

"However, yes, 75 imps could certainly do a heck of a lot of damage to pretty much any sized city! Keep in mind, though, that, although you suspect the involvement of more, you only have proof, at present, of the previous involvement of 4 imps, and the current existence of 1."