DM Jesse's Kingmaker PbP (Inactive)

Game Master Jesse Heinig

Playing catch-up!

Your initial investigation shows that something came out of the towers and fetched your rope, then went up the stairs to the chamber of the dancing bewitcher.

With a little help, you manage to disarm the gate trap... though you discover that it, too, was recently checked, this by something leaving a small furrow in the ground, maybe like a snake? So if you leave again it might get reset by another resident.

Based on your various knowledge you suspect that the other creatures are probably also fey. The evil maiden has set herself up with her own court!

Your examination of the area around the central tower shows that the dancing bedeviler did not chase you past the perimeter, but she visited the other towers (some of which you didn't enter) and then returned up her stairs.

You have a sinking feeling that she may have gotten "reinforcements."

So what's our plan? Feels like we should draw them out. Maybe some of the other fae are more aggressive. Maybe Jenya can pop her head up,
fire, and retreat?

Vallen is definitely put off by their discovery of the other fey tracks, sighing and running a hand through his thick and well-groomed blonde hair. "So is this some kind of fortress for evil fey? They were isolated before, but now they're probably all bunkered down in the central tower, waiting for us."

"Well, they don't know we're here.. yet. Cass, could you scout out the lower floor of the tower without being seen, look for traps or anything hostile? Then we'll know if they're all on the top floor and can rightly prepare to charge up the stairs."

Cassandra look at the new tracks with trepidation. She followed each to the other towers and looked up at each structure with concern, wondering what the dancing lady brought back from each. She walks back to the others, keeping the central tower in view and watching it's every crevice for red, beady eyes or a clawed hand slinking away. "Too many fey are much better at hiding than I am at spotting them. The two we already know can go invisible. And even if you can protect us from her dance we don't know what else she can do and there are at least 2 others in there. We should go ask Tig and Perlavish if they know what lives here. Or get there help in scouting the tower. I'd rather just bring the tower down then try and fight our way through."

Two new unknowns is terrible odds when the one almost killed us. Let's leave it or go find Tig-titter-tut and Perlavish for aid. Or go grab a few more NPC's.

I'm just fine with markin' this part of the map as DANGEROUS for the people in the city for now. Come back prepared with tanglefoot bangs and claptrops and the like. Jenya says.

Sounds like a plan!

Leaving the ruined towers behind for now, you strike out northeast into the woods, looking for Tyg and Perlivash. It's not hard to find them now; where you met Ilystria, there is a tiny faerie court in the woods. Her empty throne is surrounded by small candles, bobbins, buttons, and even a small stuffed toy dragon with a missing button eye.

The grig and the faerie dragon are only to happy to see you again.

"My queen!" says the grig with a bow.

Perlivash makes a happy circle in the air and then lands on Vallen's shoulder. "Hey! Our alliance has gone well!"

You ask about the tower, and Perlivash looks uneasy. Tyg-titter-tut says, "Oohhh, there are evil faeries there! A quickling, little man, so fast, buzz-buzz-buzz. And a grimstalker! Sneaky-sneak with big jaws. And their evil queen, the dancing lady, the baobhan sith. So beautiful, so evil, will suck out your life and leave you hollow!"

Although disappointed in the fact that they won't be dispensing any Narlmarch Court justice just yet, deep down Ilystria understands that choosing to retreat is likely the wisest option. And so she turns and trudges after the mortals, her spirit weighed down so heavily that she doesn't trust her wings will be able to bear her aloft. But as she is soon to demonstrate for her fellow rulers—and likely not for the first time, either—the depth of her emotions is rivaled only by their transience.

"My faithful courtiers!" Ilystria gleefully returns the greetings, her plant-like wings suddenly functioning just fine once more. "I feel as if it has been so long since I last saw your sunshiny faces!" Turning to find Perlivash perched on Vallen's shoulder, Ilystria nods before gently correcting the faerie dragon. "Our alliance is going well, but there is still much left to be done if we are to build a lasting accord between our Court and the mortal kingdom," she says, trying out the word she had heard others use in reference to the non-fey's court.

When Tyg-Titter-Tut admits to knowing about their evil kin in the tower, Ilystria looks positively scandalized. "You knew about them this entire time?" she asks, swinging her wide-eyed, pupilless gaze from the grig to the dragon, and back again. "But you never told me! We should have been waging a war against them from the start and trying to rid their influence from the surrounding lands," she says, sounding less like a Queen chastising her subjects and more like a friend exasperated by the forgetful antics of her other friends. "We may not have had the numbers for a direct strike, but I'm certain we could have found other groups of folks like them"—she hooks a thumb in the direction of her allies—"and convinced them to do it."

Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21 To identify the weaknesses or abilities of a quickling.
Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27 Ditto for the grimstalker.

Vallen seems relieved when the others make the decision he didn't want to; retreating. He knew his god would want to see the evil fae exterminated, but in the face of overwhelming and unknown odds Vallen managed to justify a tactical retreat.

The dwarf spends the ride brooding over whether they made the right decision. Torag teaches the value of discretion and biding your time in the fae of overwhelming odds, but could we have defeated them? Will the blood of any that die while we go about our business be on our hands?

Still in a funk as they arrive at the court of Queen Ilystria, Vallen quirks a brow at Perlivash landing on his shoulder, but does not make a fuss. "It could be better. It could be worse." The dwarf says gruffly, walking about the "throne room" while the others talk.

He picks up the stuffed toy dragon, turning it over in his hands. "Uh... I could fix this if you'd like. Only take a minute." If that wasn't enough to convince them, he points a fat finger to the dangling thread on its face. "It's missing an eye."

Upon learning that there were two more undiscovered denizens within that Unseelie Keep, Vladric was also readily in favor of leaving it behind in order to find out more information about it and stock up on needed supplies for dealing with them all.

Entering Queen Ilystria's domain for the very first time, Vladric keeps respectfully silent as he takes in the sights and sounds of not only the unworldly Fae surroundings but also observing the Fey Queen's two known courtiers, a tiny Fey dragon and a tiny Fey centaur-like lady with the lower half of a grasshopper/cricket (instead of a horse), as they interact with their Ruler and the gruff Dwarven Diplomat of Torag.

Although he doesn't know much about Quicklings, Grimstalkers, or Baobhan Siths, Vladric figures that he'd much rather prefer dealing with the other two before confronting the Dancing Sith "Elf"...

Well we'll have to deal with 'em at some point. Jenya says before asking the helpful faries Do those things leave their towers or do they stay there? If they stay put then we can leave 'em for later.

K:Nature vs quickling: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
K:Nature vs gimstalker: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 Also have dungeoneering +5

Cassandra mostly stayed out of the fairy politics mostly because she figured it was like normal politics but more lefter. Fairies were weird so normal adjectives would not do. Instead she focused on their home here in the woods. It was always fascinating to see, all the colors and little homes. She turns back towards the fae creatures when Ilystria reprimands them for withholding information apparently. "So can they help us? At least to scout the place?"

Things have continued to be not-great! Now the doctors don't know what's wrong with me. The only solution is to keep running until I get better... or don't!

"I didn't know they were there, specifically, my Queen," says Tyg-Titter-Tut obsequiously. "But I heard about an evil matriarch of the First World before, long ago. It doesn't surprise me that she has come here to oppose you!"

Perlivash the faerie dragon taps his odd fingers together in a strangely humanlike gesture and says, "I could fly in invisibly. But I can't really fight anything like that!"

What would you like to tackle in the meantime? You can do a little more exploring, or head back to town and rest and do a month of realm management.

Thoughts with you GM. Hoping for the first option for sure.

Well maybe we can explore a little bit on the way back home. But I don't mind making a beeline straight there neither. It's been a long trip.

I'm sorry to hear that Jesse. I think not knowing makes things worse, so I hope they figure out what's ailing you soon and fix it!

Ilystria moves to the grig's side when she notices the other fey's placating behavior and takes Tyg's hands in her own. "I never meant to give you my anger," Ilystria says, assuring Tyg and mangling the mortal's odd, at times unsatisfactorily expressive language simultaneously. Why she deigns to speak it with her fey friends, in her own Court no less, is a mystery to Ilystria. But perhaps she understands more of the mortals' concept of courtesy than she realizes. "Forgive me. My anger is my own. All this time we've played tricks on the mortals and had revelries while these evil fey have been conspiring against us! Their queen could have ordered an attack on us at any moment and I would have been defend to defend my Court! To defend the both of you..."

Glancing around the glade that is her throne room, Ilystria's gaze, at once ancient and vernal, falls upon the leaders of River Run. "But that time is at an end. I will go back with these mortals to their kingdom. We will make the bee's lines and together we will do away with the Court of the Evil Fey! And once that is done, we will build an alliance between our peoples that will last for the ages!"

I'm okay with either. We do still have an owlbear to wrangle though, right?

Thoughts and Prayers to you for the RL stuff, DM Jesse; not sure if it'll be at all applicable but sometimes, there's age-related stuff that happens when people get older (the usual stuff, like trouble with reading smaller print, etc.)- if that might even be a factor or not...

Unsure of the exact nuances of Fey Court Etiquette, Vladric will give a courtly bow to Ilystria and reply, "But of course, your Majesty, and it will be upon our honor as the representatives of the Ruling Council of Emeria that we shall gladly lend our utmost support to your justly cause.", defaulting to the generalized etiquette of the nobility of mortal humans.

If there's another nearby hex to be explored, we could do that although going directly back and stocking up on anti-unseelie equipment is a viable choice; how should we go about getting that done within our settlement?

Feel better soon GM. We'll be here.

His question ignored, Vallen takes the initative. He mutters a prayer to Torag and begins to magically repaired the battered stuffed dragon. Stitching tigthens and reseats, stuffing regenerates, the fabric returns to its original crimson red. A button, which strangely does not match the style of the other button, pops into existence and stitches itself into place.

Stunned that the buttons on each side were two different variations, heturns the dragon back and forth in his hands "It was originally like this? Was the person that made it blind? These aren't the same buttons at all!"

Disgusted at the lack of order and conformity, the priest puts the repaired, stuffed dragon back in its place. He huffs and turns back to the group, arms crossed. "We're already out here. Might as well keep exploring so we can prepare for the next Unseelie." The gruff dwarf complains, seemingly resigned to his fate.

How about explore on our way back so we can earn enough xp to level up!

Back in action.

What Tig said sparked recognition. The Grimstalker and Quickling were two very dangerous fey from what she read. And they were very lucky not to have faced all three of them. "The plants make sense now. Grimstalkers can control them. We might be able to deal with the Quickling if someone can hast a spell to slow it. It doesn't like that." She pauses. "I think we were very lucky to get out of there. We should prepare some stuff to counteract them if we go back. I would prefer to at least handle something before we go home, like the owlbear."

I am fine leaving them for another month. Less likely to be on guard. But also agree with Jenya. Would like a shiny new level before going home. Exploration or Owlbear.

Recreational owlbear hunting woo! We can stuff its head as a trophy?

Very well then!

You return to your little settlement to replenish your supplies and follow up on the rumors about the owlbear.

Sadly, most of the rumors are just that - rumors. Old hunters' tales, it seems, about a great beast that lives to the southeast, somewhere along the river country, but people never seem to agree on exactly where. All that's known is that it's blamed for the disappearance of hunters who stray too far in that direction, and a few fishermen say that they heard about it from stories from a friend of a friend who saw it once while napping on a boat on the river... a massive beast, the height of a young tree, something that a fisherman on a boat would only be too happy to get away from by poling back up the river.

Akiros and Ralan are only too happy to see your return. Akiros mentions that construction is continuing well, and Vallen's uncle Olin has matters well in hand, and has been muttering about constructing cisterns and an aqueduct system and drafting plans late into the evening.

Ralan points out your map as you show the places you've been and says, "You know, we know next to nothing about the areas southeast of here, like the eastern shore of the lake or the Gurdin River. Getting some of that mapped would help - and would also be useful in tracking those tales of that giant owlbear."

Akiros says, "Also, Jubilost left a note." He hands a scroll tube to you, which when opened reveals a hastily-written note on a piece of slightly damp parchment that says, Found a cleverly-hidden village in the woods north along one of the river fords. Near where your journals said you fought a couple tatzlwyrms. Hidden up in the trees. Investigating, will send more notes.

Akiros says, "This arrived by a messenger bird yesterday, so I don't know when to expect a follow-up note."

"Additionally," the ex-paladin adds gravely, "a young lad by the name of Tig Tannersen has gone missing. His parents are both locals and say that he has a fondness for camping and catching pets in the woods. He was last spotted heading west, saying that he wanted to see 'what was beyond that old tower'. I presume he meant Candlemere. Gods only hope that he didn't decide to try to enter the tower itself, as it's rumored to be haunted. The boy is a skilled outdoorsman and if he's simply lost he's likely to be still alive. The more forbidding prospect is if he runs afoul of a monster that tries to capture or eat him."

You also take the opportunity to let the local hunter Stas know that you defeated the hodag and reclaimed his magical spear from its lair. He's quite relieved. "That water dog was a beast! It was only a matter of time afore it killed someone else," says the veteran hunter while scratching his patchy, ill-trimmed beard. "You done a right good deed keepin' people safe from that monster."

Completing that quest earns another 400 experience points per party member, sooo close!

Vallen is glad to see that construction of the keep is going well, and all of the plans he and his uncle made are bearing fruit. The priest would rather be actually here actually helping, but his god seemed to have other plans for him, which included being some kind of big damn hero.

It was a relief they did not actually find this huge owlbear, and even more of a relief it could just be a local legend that died hundreds of years ago.

He stands with arms crossed over his chest-length beard while Akrios updates them on the latest adventures of their state-sponsered gnomish explorer, and his light blonde brows rise at the mention of a hidden village. "More fey, maybe? Do you know anything about this hidden village, Ilystria?"

The mention of some kid wandering off into the monster-infested woods alone makes the craftsdwarf shake his head. "Not very smart, eh?" Vallen says blunty, arms dropping to his sides. "If this Candlemere is haunted, it's my duty to exercise it at some point. If it's another elvish construction I'd like to uh... look at the stone too."

That sounded like a half-hearted suggestion they should go to Candlemere, but he was leaving open the possibility that they stay in River Run and never go running head-first into danger ever again.

Kid bein' lost should be highest priority Jenya declares And we should leave soon too. Can't dilly dally on somethin' like this.

Then feeling a bit self-conscious at making such declarative statements she follows up with If everyone else thinks so too o'course

Cassandra regretted not going back to the old fort and wrapped tings up there. Then at least it would feel like they made progress. The owlbear might not be real but missing hunters was a problem. Anything a skilled tracker couldn't get away from was a danger.

At Jubilost's message, Cassandra goes thoughtful trying to remember what was up that way. "Isn't that Tig and Perl's home is? I hope he doesn't bother them. I'd hate to see what happens when their pranks get mean."

But a missing kid was an even more pressing matter. "I agree," she says to Jenya. "We should see to that as soon as possible."

Once back in the mortals' kingdom, Ilystria finds most of the conversation between the leaders of Emeria and their courtiers goes over her head, figuratively and literally. When Vallen asks her about a hidden village, the gathlain flies up to read the note over the dwarf's shoulder. It takes her a fair bit longer to do so too, the fey queen's plant-like wings beating beside Vallen's head while she tries to decipher the hasty scrawl. Once she finally does, Ilystria answers with a very human gesture, hiking her shoulders up towards her tapered ears and shaking her head. "Considering my own advisors have been a little ...lax when it comes to informing me about the presence of others of my kind, I cannot dismiss the possibility out of hand. But I doubt it. If we fey hid this village in the treetops, your Jubilost would not have found it unless they wanted him to," Ilystria says, the pride in her voice unmistakably clear.

Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11 Just in case; does she know anything about this strange little village? EDIT: I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a hard 'no'.

Ilystria's delicate features scrunch up in confusion when Cassandra mentions a 'Tig' and a 'Perl'. "You mean my Tyg-Titter-Tut and Perlivash?" Ilystria considers the possibility for a few moments before once again shaking her head. "No. They were remiss for not telling me about the evil fey court, but they would have told me if they were entertaining one of your people's sproutlings," she answers assuredly. "If he was taken by my kind, it is more likely that he has become the pet of whoever rules the demesne he took the animals from." As the group considers going after the wayward mortal, Ilystria nods. "I will join you. If another fey has taken this 'kid', then I can help negotiate his return for a fair price."

Half-wondering what exactly would constitute a "fair price" for one lost lad taken hostage by the fey, Vladric wisely decides against asking Queen Ilystria for more clarification about such. Perhaps the rumors of hauntings in the tower is just that...

"With any luck, we'll find the Tannersen boy alive and in fair health once we've gotten near to this haunted tower. If he is as skilled an outdoorsman as he is said to be, then he should know enough to try and make his way back towards town. Still, it might not be a bad idea to have others traveling with us; that way, if he is found, he could accompany the others back to Emeria while we continue on with our explorations."

Know:Local on this Candlemere: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8.

Your knowledge of Candlemere and the possibility of a "hidden village" up by the tatzlwyrm nest is sketchy at best. Ralan is right - none of you is really an historian or bard; your knowledge of the region is largely limited to what you can map out.

You do know that Candlemere is a semi-ruined tower to the southwest that's rumored to be haunted. You can follow the lake shore to get there - it's on an island or peninsula, according to rumors.

Gonna move us on after Tig Tannersen, no relation to Tyg-Titter-Tut!

Resupplying, saying some hellos and goodbyes, and packing your gear for the next trip, you have a warm bath and a chance to engage in a few hours of leisure time before sleeping in your own warm beds. Fresh mattresses with feather or straw pillows remind you how much a home is a wonderful place to return after several days on the road.

The next day breaks clear, and you make your way southwest along the edge of the Tuskwater. The land here becomes swampy and difficult to traverse, and it takes you a full day to map the landscape and the lakeshore. Eventually you find a river that connects Tuskwater with another body of water - apparently Candlemere Lake is its own lake, simply connected with Tuskwater by a short stretch of river.

Each party member gains 100 experience points for exploration, which means it's time to level up!

The morning after you are pressing on hard and you come to an area of solid ground thick with bog grass and dotted with small cattail-clogged pools. A dilapidated mud-brick hut squats atop a small hummock in the middle, with a thin tendril of bluish smoke trickling through a gaping hole in its moss-covered roof. It's surrounded by a waist-high wooden fence, in which a single gate hangs askew. The fence is festooned with crude fetisehs crafted out of sticks, feathers, and animal bones. A lone crow caws noisily from the top of a nearby cypress tree.
A fist-sized rusted iron bell hangs from a hairy length of rope tied to a crooekd post next to the gate. A scarecrow is propped up midway between the gate and the door to the hut.

Use the Discussion thread to level up! I've taken the map back to the overland map and explored this new hex (down and left from your home area in the green-bordered hex).

"Whoa, Nelly." Vallen commands his horse as they approach the broken-down hut.

The dwarf sits and stares at the absolutely downtrodden state of the place, cataloguing in his mind the amount of work needed to turn put the place back into a livable state.

Not being able to take it any more, the dwarf shakes his head and makes a sound of pure disgust. "I know we need to ask for directions..." He says grffly, before extending his arm to point at the hut. "But this place not only offends my religious beliefs to their core, it is a mockery of the very concept of craftsmanship itself. I feel personally attacked by the state of the roof alone. Look at it! It's rotting away! Can we trust anyone that would shirk such important maintenance?!"

His arm falls in a huff, and he starts to eye up the bell at the gate, which seems like a good place to start. Making a decision, he dismounts from his house and stomps over to bell, boots squishing into the swampy soil all the way.

He takes the bell in hand and immediately begins praying to Torag; a white light envelopes the poor, oxidized instrument, and flakes of rust begin to fall off. "Just... let me do this at least, please. Then we can ring it."

Vallen starts casting Mending on the rusted bell, which takes 10 minutes. That gate is probably going to need a Make Whole spell, though.. And the roof? Yeesh, Vallen is no Thatcher unfortunately.

The first word that pops into Cassandra's mind upon seeing the little cottage was Quaint. A little run down, maybe, but not offensive. It would be a nice place to get away for a few days. In fact, upon seeing the little hovel, Cassandra vowed to build one herself to get away from the city every now and then. She'd never let it get to such a state of disrepair though. Following along Vallen's intended path she spies the bell, then the gate, then the fence and finally...

"Vallen wait. We should probably approach cautiously." She pointed what had her on edge. The little wood and bone fetishes lining the fence. She had no idea what a witch actually smelled like but she smelled a witch.

"I am approaching this caustiously!" He says in a quiet, yet feverish voice. "If you rang this bell as-is, the clapper would probably fall off!"

Vallen's outburst earns a curious look from Ilystria. She hadn't witnessed the cottage roof attack the dwarf, personally or otherwise, but she would understand if it had. She had thought Vallen might have learned his lesson about insulting structures back in the tower of her archnemesis, the evil fey queen baobhan sith. He must be a slow learner, she realizes with a quiet sigh. She would have to be patient with him and other mortals in general when it came to teaching them the ways of her people. It's a good thing that the Queen of the Narlmarches has an abundance of patience.

"Is it fixed yet?" Ilystria asks for the fourth time in half as many minutes. Sure, she had agreed to let Vallen "fix" the bell but she hadn't known how long it would take. "Is this necessary? The gate is already open. Could we not just..." Ilystria trails off then, going quiet as she starts taking small, subtle steps towards the open gate.

Base D20 Perception roll: 1d20 ⇒ 12 Will add in his leveled up Perception bonuses later on in an edit or another post if it becomes too late to edit.

Noting that Ilystria has already started moving towards the gate, Vladric will follow alongside (or behind, if there's not enough room) the Fey Queen Dignitary. "Your Majesty, will whomever lives here be welcoming of unexpected guests?"

S$+@! I thought I replied to this days ago. Sorry Vladric!

Ilystria looks up (and up and up) to Vladric, her elfin features scrunched up in a frankly unflattering manner that suggests confusion and a touch of exasperation at being asked such a thing. In her limited experience with them, mortals seemed quick to think that fey like herself held the answers to every question. But she supposes they can't be faulted for such assumptions given how many of her kind went out of their way to cultivate such an air of puckish all-knowingness. Herself occasionally included.

Of course, it also never crosses the small fey's mind that the mortal might simply be asking in order to get her thinking about whether or not the course she is on is a particularly safe one.

With a soft sigh and a shake of her head, Ilystria answers, "I know not. Never have I travelled so far outside the bounds of my demesne. I would say that I doubt one of my kind resides here, but after the tower"—the queen pauses to shake her head once more—"I feel the actions of my kin are strange to me now." The admission seems to make Ilystria sulky, the gathlain breaking her stride to stop in the middle yard and gloomily stare off into the distance. Only moments later she seems to come back to herself, blinking her eerie eyes rapidly before refocusing on Vladric and favoring the human with a bright, if sharp smile. "But I know of only one way to learn whether or not we will be welcomed."

S@@@! I thought I replied to this days ago. Sorry Vladric!

No worries, Ilystria; I've heard that the message-board's been kinda wonky since that playtest for PF 2nd edition came online. ;)

Base D20 Perception roll: 1d20 ⇒ 12

With his new +7 Perception totals, that 12 will become a 19. :)

As Ilystria looks up at Vladric with her countenance showing her expressed uncertainty and just a wee hint of exasperation, the Mivoni Nobleman and Present Ruler of the fledgling settlement of Emeria finds himself subconsciously holding his breath, while taking the utmost care to not flinch at that less than flattering sight of annoyance given by the Fey Queen Dignitary.

Half-wondering if he might have inadvertently caused some kind of unspoken rift between the two kingdoms of humanity and fey (which would be something that Forge-Priest Vallen would undoubtedly have to smooth over), Vladric gives a low sigh of relief once Ilystria's mercurial nature changes to something much more favorably disposed, if not altogether conciliatory, with her bright smile and reply to his initial query.

Deciding that the best course of action at present would be for both respective Rulers to share in their risk of adventuring into the unknown, Vladric offers a mollifying and apologetic bow to the accompanying Fey Queen as he replies with, "Then perhaps, as is only befitting for both of our respective domains, we shall see together whether that prospective welcome would be for weal or for woe then."

Vladric will either accompany alongside Ilystria to the unknown occupant's doorstep or will offer to act as an allied vanguard for the Fey Queen Dignitary- whichever she'd prefer.

Vallen patiently casts a simple spell and the old bell softly repairs itself, little cracks and flakes molding back together, weak and corroded spots refilling.

After he completes the spell, he rings the bell. It lets out a pleasant metal tinkling.

The door of the tiny hut slams open, and a hunched-over crone peeks out.

"Who's there?" she shouts. "Whaddya want?"

An old crow perched on the roof croaks at you immediately after she shouts to the group.

Vallen appears to be immensely satisfied with the repair of the bell, a wide smile suddenly breaking out underneath his well-groomed blonde mustache. "Now, this is doing Torag's work. Just listen..."

He carefully jingles the bell, taking obvious delight in the revival of its pleasant tones.

Unfortunately his good mood is shattered as the crone slams open her door, the dwarven priest flinching as he expects the entire hut to suddenly collapse... but it doesn't.

Exhaling the breath he did not realize he was holding, Vallen cups his hands over his mouth and shout back. "Greetings! Uh... we are emissaries from the Kingdom of Emeria. We're looking for a lost human boy named Tig Tannerson, whom we believe went to the tower known as Candlemere. If you, ah...Could you provide us with some directions to the tower?" His deep if uncertain voice projects well in the cool morning air.

diplomacy for request: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

The crone scratches her long, jutting chin. Then she says, "Candlemere tower is a day's journey thataway." She points further to the southwest. "Good luck! It is haunted by wisps and such unsavory things."

"You might do well to avoid the lizardfolk, too. They haunt the swamps all along the shores of the lake."

She grumps and seems to return to her customary demeanor. "Now go away!"

SLAM!

Well we need to find the boy right? Let's head on to the tower.

"Wisps?" He seems to be asking himself as the door slams shut in the distance. "Will o' Wisps?" Is said with a frown , turning to his companions. "I know what a lizardman is, but I have only heard stories about wisps."

Sighing, he nods to Jenya and returns to his horse. "Yes, let us continue. Hopefully the boy made it past the lizardfolk."

You leave the grumpy woman behind and continue heading southwest, following the banks of the lake. You note as you leave that the head on the scarecrow in her yard turns to watch you go.

The ground becomes muddy and swampy, though at least it doesn't have the stink of the Skunk River. Candlemere appears to be a lake that's connected by a short stretch of river with the Tuskwater. This is good information for mapping out the area immediately around your keep.

You peel away from the lakeside by nightfall so that you can sleep in the relative comfort of a dry area.

Another uneventful night passes.

On the morrow you rise and discover that a mist obscures much of the lakeside. It's chilly and seems to distort the landscape.

In the middle of the lake is the forbidding eponymous tower. From this distance with the mist it's hard to make out; Vallen guesses about 40' tall. It is a lonely structure on the small island with nothing else around it but low bushes and weeds.

Cassie finds no tracks along the lakeside. There are also no signs of a boat. Unless Tig was a good swimmer, it's unlikely that he got onto the island.

Another 100 experience points to each party member for exploring the area around the old crone's hut.

Don't look like he even made it this far? Jenya says doubtfully. Maybe we missed him along the way?

Vallen's eyes follow the scarecrow as it watches them leave, turning in his saddle with curiosity. He turns back around with a frown on his face. "I think that may have been a witch." He comments plainly as they move along the shore. "Do you think... what if... Don't witches make human boys into stew or something? We do not have many witches in the Five King Mountains, so I'm unfamilar with their... appetites."

Standing on the shore of the lake, Vallen squints as he tries to make out the tower in the distance. "Eh... I can't tell what the quality of the stone is from here. It will be difficult to deconstruct it and move it over the lake, regardless."

On the subject of Tig, the priest brings up his concerns about the hag again. "That crone was a witch I tell you. She's probably been soaking him in onion juice for days now."

It's her or the lizard folks I guess. Jenya says her face hardening. Who do we go after first? It's been days since Tig disappeared so either way. I don't think he's still livin'.

Well that was helpful. Cassandra thought as they walked away from the crazy old hermit. Initially when she slammed the door open, Cassandra jumped and reached for her bow. She then recoiled at the sight of the old woman. Wispy white hair. Gaunt face. Missing teeth. Pointed ears? Was she an elf? Elves didn't look like that when they got old. Half-elf maybe? Who knew? She didn't want them around and Cassandra was all too happy to oblige.

They traveled further away and finally found the shore of Candlemere Lake and the tower itself. "Finding someone lost in the forest is almost more luck than skill. Then again. Will o' Wisps are involved. Maybe some fae magic is at work. Maybe they floated him over. Or maybe you're right and he didn't make it this far. Any tracks he'd have left would be long gone by now."

Cass's instincts seem to be good; you don't find any of Tig's small human tracks, even in the mud near the lake. It does make sense that if he camped out, he'd stay near fresh water so that he had something to drink - either along the lakeshore, or following a river.

You don't see a ready way to get to Candlemere Tower itself unless you build a raft or engage in some other way to cross the lake.

You could cross the river and continue to follow the lake south, or follow the river west, or perhaps use a spell to try to divine what might've happened to Tig.

Ilystria quietly listens to the many different ideas floated around by her mortal allies about the whereabouts of their missing kin. "What is so special about this boy?" she asks during a brief lull in the discussions, unaware of how callous such a question might sound from one of her kind. Perhaps if she understood what made this particular 'human' so exceptional, she could better help narrow down who or what might have taken him.

Vallen sighs as he watches the tower off in the distance- in his mind's eye he can see all kinds of spooky ghosts and other undesirable abbreviations floating about. "Well... With the power of Torag we can walk across the water and reach the tower, but if there is no evidence Tig went to the island then we don't have any reason to risk fighting whatever is haunting the place, eh?"

Ilystria's question catches the priest a little off guard, his deep blue eyes staring at her for a moment as he wonders if this was some kind of fey prank. "He's lost and likely in danger... His family is probably worried sick. We seem to be the elected problem solvers in RIver Run, so we're doing our best to make sure he's returned safely. Even if we don't know him, he's special to his family."

It doesn't seem like crossing the river is smart since we don't even see signs of Tig here. This side of the river is the old lady and the lizards. Which one is closer from this point?

We could try the lizardfolk since we've already seen the Old Witch. Speaking about that Old Witch, not sure if it'll be okay to do so at this late of a stage but would it be possible for Vladric to have taken a 10 with Sense Motive upon the Old Lady/Witch while she was talking to the party?

"Well said, Forgepriest Vallen; perhaps if we were to find the boy, Tig, somewhere safe and sound and help to lead him back home, he might be more willing to lend his assistance to others so similarly lost when he becomes of age. That or we'll at least have the support of his parents among the populace, at any rate...". Returning things forward and paying back one's own life debts, these were things that the Mivoni Noble was very familiar with.

Looking about the shoreline and the closest area from which to procure enough wood to even ford across the river/lake, Vladric tries to determine if there were any signs of raft-making- however unlikely the prospect was. Trying to cross a lake while being presumably low on supplies, such as food, shelter, or rope to make some kind of conveyance to cross the water; seems highly unlikely but it couldn't hurt to check for these things though while we're here.

Base D20 roll, not sure if either survival, perception, or some other skill should be used: 1d20 ⇒ 19.

"Of course, in a more somber situation, if it does come to the worse for the young lad... at the very least, we should let his family know of his fate."

Oh, didn't realize the sight was back.

"Let's check the shore around the lake. If we find nothing we can follow the river. But until we find a reason I don't think we should head to the island." She nods at the tower but quickly turns away to walk along the lake shore looking for signs of a camp.

Survival: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20