Welcome to Carrion Hill. Check into the discussion and go ahead and dot in here.
"Pathfinders, I have asked you together as a scouting party of a sort. There is a place in Ustalav that seems ripe for a new Pathfinder Lodge.
"It is the latest of cities to crown this summit, a monument to the filth and grime and waste of civilization. The city was built upon the battlefields of history past, for many have sought to control this key feature, this lonely hill in a sea of mud and mire. Only its name has remained constant through the ages—Carrion Hill."
The Venture-Captain waits for you to all settle down and then says, "Prepare for your trip. We have transportation waiting. Go to this city and observe. Stay a while, get to know the locals and government structure. Make your notes and then return to report."
|
"Hardly an auspicious tittle for a city if you can even call it that. Still we can try to forward the society's goals."
He turns to his familiar which to many might resemble a pile of rocks. He grinds his teeth communicating with the creature.
He turns to the party remembering that they would probably not understand their secret tongue.
"Yes, perhaps there might be some hidden dark magic as well in a place with such a ... storied past."
"We are ready to leave as soon as everyone else is."
The pile of rocks simply turns to the party to introduce itself. It speaks out its name which is strangely the same in both Terran and Taldane.
"Pebble"
|
A bright peach gnome is fidgety in her chair, swinging her legs and jiggling as she listens to the briefing, as if she's coursing with boundless energy.
"Pebble"
"Ohhh! You're both cute and awesome at the same time! I like you!" She gives Pebble and Igor a cheery wave.
"I don't have question for now! I will have questions when we get there but then will be too late to ask. Haha! I am ready to go!"
Ohmygosh he's just like me! Hahaha! I almost never have questions when I can get the answers! She does have one question, though (okay, more than one, but they're not very helpful): "So, we're just chilling there? And making friends or whatever? Huh. Ooohkay. I've never had an assignment like that before. Well, what could go wrong?" She winks a Raynard, who she could swear she's worked with before, but she just can't remember when...
|
"Why, you had me at 'battlefields of history past'," A handsome Elf with tawny skin, silver hair, and deep lavender eyes declares with a somewhat flippant cheerfulness. "Truth be known, 'carrion' has its values too...."
There is a slight, dry chill in the air around this gent, but even that and his looks has a hard time distracting your attention from his formidable panoply of equipment: In addition to his fine, slightly baroque clothing, an exquisitely-crafted bow, a bandolier decked with an assortment of wands, a beautiful emerald ring and an intensely-gleaming black breastplate, he wears a long, flowing overcoat the color of tarnished silver, with a pronounced collar and delicate, almost tentacular tails, that is somehow unnerving to look at for too long; across his back is slung a glorious, shimmering Elven sword, richly decorated with gems, its very appearance seeming to call out to the idealistic gallavanting hero in you; and in his hand he cradles the polished, intact skull of what could only have been a young black dragon - You can't shake the feeling that when you stare into its empty sockets, they are staring right back into you.
"Why, hello, Master Pebble, how do you do?" He continues, momentarily acknowledging the party member he evidently finds most interesting before turning back to the Venture-Captain. "What about room and board? Have you been able to prepare accommodations for us in the absence of a Lodge, or could you at least suggest something for us to seek out?"
The Elemental looks perplexed for a moment but after a brief translation from Igor he is set on the right track.
He bows slightly in Nectanebo's direction acknowledging his greeting.
The Gnome's actions of friendship are easy to understand and he returns her friendly wave with a rocky smile.
|
|
Igor looks at the others with the expectation that they might not be able to easily communicate with his familiar.
"He really only understands Terran and our own personal language of course. Not really a common language for those living above ground but many of the subterranean races do speak it as a second language."
"No, you are the advance team, so I assume you will figure out food and shelter as you go."
A wild looking gnome patters in, a little out of breath. Her snow leopard companion right beside her, sniffing the air and scanning the room. He snorts and seems to nod his head to her.
Thanks...I'm pretty sure they're not any trouble.. she says with a chuckle as she ruffles the hair behind his ears.
Sorry I'm a bit late...I was out with my other half camping out. I'm Lini...and this is Droogami...he's friendly....mostly. So...what have I missed... she asks the others.
|
|
"We're gonna rough it in Carrion Hill!" Pai pipes up immediately, and rather louder than necessary. "Scouting for a new Pathfinder Lodge! No contacts! No lodging! Just us and our wits and what we can carry! ...Right?" She cocks an eyebrow at the Venture-Captain, verifying her interpretation of the orders. "--Oh! And the place is as fancy as it sounds."
|
|
"Perhaps you have something there Pai. Camping outside the city at night might be a safer, cleaner and more affordable option. Especially as we have an outdoor enthusiast in Lini and finding a place for a big cat like Droogami might be a bit of a problem anyways. He cannot simply meld into a wall like my familiar can."
"How far is it actually to the city?"
"Are we ready to leave yet?"
Borax finds a Blue Book - it is a little sparse, but should help with your travels (including a map of the city on slide 1).
You are all given travel arrangements and a day or two to prepare, and then off you go.
The trip is rather uneventful, but as you come closer to your goal, the weather turns dark and stormy. The rain is unrelenting, occasionally a downpour, often just a steady light rain. As you dock, you notice that this city seems emptier than most you have visited. Few people are on the streets, and fewer still on the docks.
As you debark, there is a lone city crier shouting to any who may hear, “Carrion Hill needs heroes! Men of stout heart and bravery are asked to come to Crown Manor with all haste, there to receive a task worthy of their skill and talents and a reward of suitable magnificence. Make haste to Crown Manor! Make haste!”
Ahh...nothing like a bit of a sprinkle. Glorious! Lini says as she rubs the fur on Droogami's back to get rid of a few matted clumps. The manor sounds fine to me...ready, boy? she says to her buddy.
|
|
Igor looks less excited than some of the others about the prospects of rain.
He acts quickly as soon as he sees the sky begin to darken.
He gulps greedily from his water skin and then dumps the remainder onto the ground. He carefully dries out the water skin by inverting it and then using his shirt to absorb any remaining moisture. He then loads his valuable scrolls into it and places it within his backpack. He wraps his thick and colorful winter scarf around his spell book for additional protection before loading both into his backpack. He closes his backpack tight against the rain. In addition he places his Blood Boiling Pill into his component pouch which like most are shielded against the rain.
"Blasted rain. What a bother!"
@GM Fuzzfoot He can cram Prestidigitation into an open 1st level slot with Fast Study in 1 minute if needed to keep his Spell book dry from the rain. This seems excessive to me but GM's vary. I just want to role play his (and my) OCD tendencies. :)
The Elemental seems to be enjoying the rain or rather the experience of earth gliding through the muddy ground. He spends his time gliding and playing a primitive game of hide and seek with the rest of the party.
|
|
Nectanebo eagerly sallies forth toward this Crown Manor place, but seems pretty indifferent to the rain - his coat seems to do an excellent job of sheltering him from it.
|
|
Pai does a double-take at Nectanebo's coat. "Whoooaaa! Your coat is so coool! How does it do that?"
|
|
"Hm?" Nectanebo looks absentmindedly over his shoulder back at Pai. "Ah, yes, the Gloaming Shroud, my first great treasure! You know, you're the first one ever to ask. I found it in an abandoned house, on a day much like this one. It does what it wants, I suppose, save when it is doing what I bid. Still, I daresay it will be a very long time before it reveals the full extent of its mysteries to me...."
As Pai looks for a merchant, she finds that there don't appear to be any stalls open, anywhere. It is, in fact, quite strange.
The buildings here are densely packed, and the streets are well worn. Despite this, the city seems all but deserted—even the crows so often seen perching atop eaves and gables have taken wing and circle in the air above calling out in fear. The skies are dark and overcast, and rain continues to fall as you near Crown Manor. Shops are closed and even the beggars seem to be hiding.
Two Crows (guardsmen dressed in black leather armor and chains wielding bows and longswords) stand guard. When they see you approach, their somber expressions flicker with hope and they wave for you to enter the manor and follow them, dripping and wet, into the central hall.
In the great hall, several members of the Crows stand guard while the mayor, a distracted and worried man (named Vanton Heggry, as you will come to learn), sits in a tall-backed chair; apart from you, there appear to be no other adventurers present. When Heggry sees you enter, he straightens up and says, “At least we’ve got a few backbones still upright in this place,” then gestures for the you to be seated.
|
|
As she ruffles her short-cropped orange hair, Pai exclaims: "Wow, it's like a ghost town out there! I was looking to buy a waterproof bag, but there was, like, no one out there! Anyhoo, we're new in town, so we have no idea what's going on. But we're all pretty capable, so lay it on us! Whaddaya need?" Jumping up into a seat made for a much taller person, she swings her legs back and forth like a child.
|
|
Igor nods at Pai.
"Good idea."
The wizard seats himself and he swiftly shakes the excess water away from his equipment. He is sure to spend additional time and effort to ensure that his spell book is dry and clean. He then turns his attention to the mayor.
"Exactly what is your problem that you need solving?"
The elemental's eyes light up at the sight of so many new people. He stands quietly next to his master.
“I thank you for attending in our hour of need—Carrion Hill has a long history of battle, yet always before its enemies have attacked from outside our walls. We are fortified to defend against such attacks, but now we face an entirely different threat. Our enemy is already here, dwelling in the tunnels and catacombs below and surfacing to strike without warning.
“As you may have heard, the first of these attacks occurred early this very morning, when something huge came up from below in a part of the Tangles called Slipper Market. It partially destroyed a building and killed a half dozen locals before retreating into the ruined structure. The Crows were swift to reply, led by our own Commander Garus, but when they arrived, they were slaughtered to the last.
“Since then, the thing has moved on, surfacing no less than three times in different parts of the city, crushing buildings from below and slaying anyone it finds inside. I’ve got the entire force of the city watch in reserve, and with each new event they respond quickly, but the damage is always done by the time they arrive. Already there is talk of war and invasion, but I still believe that what we face is a single horror. If we can only figure out what it is, we might be able to defeat it. And this is where your group comes in—the horror has moved on from its initial point of entrance, but if you can explore the ruins in Slipper Market, perhaps you can find some sort of clue to tell us what it is we face. I cannot spare any of my Crows to aid you, for they are needed in keeping order in the streets, but if indeed you can find something... anything... about this monster from below, I will pay you handsomely: 1,500 gold for solid information, and twice again that amount for aiding in defeating the horror.”
Lini shakes the water from her hair and puts it in a rough tail to keep it out of her face as it dries and Droogami shakes himself off. She ponders a bit about what the threat could be.
Odd. Perhaps something was awakened from a slumber...or a creature has moved this way. Either way, it would be interesting to find out and remedy the problem. Wait..is there a map of the area? Maybe the places it dug through have some meaning or significance...
|
|
Igor speaks to the mayor.
"Perhaps you can at least pay for our lodging and food while we are here. Generally we would ask for a retainer for such a dangerous task but under the circumstances we can perhaps waive that fee. It would be a small gesture but it would be appreciated."
Igor looks to other party members to perhaps take the lead in the negotiations as this is not exactly his area of expertise.
|
|
"Sure, yeah! And if we need to buy something, at least you could make sure it's available and a fair price. I mean, all the stalls we saw were closed, so that makes it harder, you know? But anyway, I'm totally down for some monster tracking. What do you guys think? Maybe we'll even figure out why it's here!" Pai looks around at the remaining members of the group who haven't voiced their opinion yet for confirmation, not realizing that she should've at least asked for discounts on equipment. Oh, well. Haggling was never her strong suit.
|
Borax responds. "Yes. Well we know the creature can burrow. We should see if there is any link to the buildings it is attacking. We must also consider the creature is being controlled, a precursor to the invasion you fear. As the half-elf said, we'll need you to provide us with room and board while we investigate your creature."
|
|
Igor perks up at the mention of burrowing.
"We will need to investigate to find out more. It could be a giant burrowing worm, a Bulette or even a large enough Earth Elemental. Of course it could be something unique to the area. How interesting."
"At least with our friend here." (pointing to his familiar)
"We will know if there is anything tunneling underneath us."
"Yes, yes, of course. My servants will make up rooms for you now, and prepare a fine meal. Leave your bags, if you wish, but please make haste to the Slipper Market and look for your clues. The people are terrified."
Well, I'm ready. You ready, Droogy? Wanna go chomp on something? she says to the now excited leopard. He bounces in anticipation.
|
|
"Sure! Just, since we're new in town, can you point it out on a map for us? Since there's no one out there for us to ask directions... And maybe point out the places it's already attacked? OH! And can I buy a waterproof bag from you before we go? Real quick?" Pai winks at Igor and mouths: "It's for you! My treat!"