Session 1 - Plaguestone, the town? Not to be confused with Plaguestone, the resort.
Hes (Goblin Champion Liberator 1)
Grunyar (Dwarf Cleric of Cayden Cailean 1)
Kat (Human Fighter 1)
Tick Tock (Goblin Alchemist 1)
Low on resources, the Pathfinder Society contacted 4 prospective members to look into some reports of a missing member of the Society, Noala Kesrir - an Elven Ranger. Her usually timely reports from the small nation of Isger (a vassal state of the empire of Cheliax), had stopped arriving at the Pathfinder Grand Lodge in Absalom.
The group set out the next day on a merchant caravan run by Bort Bargaith, a Dwarf merchant that had been plying the route between Almas, the capital of Andoran and Elidir, the most prominent city in Isger for many years. They were tasked to defend the caravan in exchange for the ride North.
The first few days of the journey were uneventful. Nearing the town of Etran’s Folly, the group heard howls penetrate the darkness of the night and were beset upon by 5 rather mangy looking wolves. Other wolves attacked farther down the caravan. Three approached from the west and were met by Kat and Grunyar. The other two approached from the East and leapt onto the bed of the caravan to attack Hes, while Tick Tock peered out from behind him.
Kat and Grunyar held off their wolf attackers with their blades and raised shields; Kat hewing at them with her powerful Hand and a Half sword while Grunyar yelled En Garde and assumed a duellists stance with his rapier. Each managed to bring down a wolf - while the Hes also fended off the other two wolves that had leapt to attack him, with Tick Tock firing away with his crossbow, reluctant to hurl his alchemical concoctions, thinking that the horses would probably panic from the noise. One pretty smart gobbo.
Suddenly a loud howl emanated from the forest to the north and was echoed by the remaining scrawny predators in combat with the party. Shaken slightly, Grunyar and Tick Tock stayed in the fray. Emerging from the forest was a much larger wolf, one that dripped a greenish bile from its mouth, breathing loudly and raggedly. It glared at Hes and Tick Tock before unleashing a stream of greenish vomit at Hes. He weathered the stream, while Tick Tock was fortunate to be just out of range of the attack. The wolf charged in to leap upon one of the horses backs.
Seeing a greater threat Kat turned to help her companions, taking the brunt of the Caustic Wolf’s attention and some severe injuries. The creature, grabbing her, tried to pull her to the ground, but Hes’ Liberating step prevented it from getting a grip on her. She did fall seconds later though, while the group desperately turned their attacks towards the larger wolf.
Seeing his companion fall, Grunyar pierced the brain of his foe, while raising his other hand to bring some healing life to his friend Kat, who teetered on the brink of consciousness. Together they focused their attacks on the beast, and the combination of rapier thrusts and crossbow bolts managed to bring it down.
After digging the horses out of a bit of mud, the crew arrived in Etran’s Folly about an hour later (passing the Plaguestone itself - a stone where medicine was exchanged with plague victims according to Grunyar), long after dark. Bort promised them a few stories and a good meal on him the next morning since he had a few tasks that he had to run that night.
The group were welcomed into town by the Bartender Delma with some drink and leftover food. Grunyar tried to make friendly with the sole patron of the bar, a bit of a thuggish looking man named Hallod, before being warned off by the help - a rather eccentrically dressed goblin named Phinick. They had a few more drinks before calling it a night.
End Session 1.
Session 2 - You ok, Bort? Bort?
Hes (Goblin Champion Liberator 1)
Grunyar (Dwarf Cleric of Cayden Cailean 1)
Kat (Human Fighter 1)
Tick Tock (Goblin Alchemist 1)
The next morning the party got up late. They hit up the few patrons in the inn as to the location of their missing Pathfinder Ranger early on while awaiting the luxurious lunch as promised by Bort Bargaith, the caravan master. Bort proved as true to his word as possible in a crappy little town like Etran’s Folly, and the group chowed down on meal of turnip this and turnip that, with a side of venison, while listening to Bort’s rather ridiculous stories from his adventuring days.
During the meal a fight broke out, with a server (Kolnral) being taken to task by a drunken farmer (Farmer Eallom) for spilling a drink on him. Apparently Eallom had a bit of an inferiority complex about living in the dead homes in the northern part of town. A fight broke out - and an extra mug seemed to be tossed at Hes,a goblin, while some local tried to get in a shot at Tick Tock, the other goblin, hoping that no one would notice. Tick Tock saw exactly what happened though and he threw a corrosive bomb at the farmer - causing him to writhe in agony on the floor. The sheriff looked a down at Tick Tock, who shrugged him off, though it did seem like the near death of the farmer did take a bit of the air out of the room. Grunyar healed up the farmer and managed to quell the hostilities.
The group got back into their feast, and Bort started up another of his stories, only to almost immediately start choking and turning purple. Despite ministrations Grunyar was unable to do anything to save Bort - though his medical expertise enabled him to be fairly certain that Bort was poisoned and hadn’t just suffered some kind of unlikely coronary.
The sheriff, Rolth, seemed fairly inept, and looked to the party as to what to do. Delma, the innkeeper had Bort’s body put in the cellar, while the party took up investigating Bort’s death at Rolth’s request. Kat thought that Bort’s death may have had something to do with his foray out into the darkness when they had arrived the night previous.
During the fight, the party noticed that Delma the innkeeper, Phinick the goblin, Sir Lawren (the PTSD-ridden knight), and Trin (a female server) had left the scene. Other possible suspects - the hapless bard Flonk, Amora the cook, Kolnral the server, Olf & Ulf the Ulfen caravan guards, Farmer Eallom and a few others were eventually let loose and told to remain in town but to go home.
The group met up with Flonk, but other than seeing that he had his strings replaced, were not able to glean much from him. Talking with Amora revealed that Phinick plated Bort’s dinner and Trin served it. She didn’t see anyone else in the kitchen. Amora seemed quite concerned about her reputation, and less distraught over Bort’s death, but she didn’t come off as malicious. Delma wasn’t able to reveal too much more - just that she didn’t think that anyone in her employ had any motive to harm Bort. She did tell the party that her father, Targen Fulst (the de facto mayor) might be able to tell them more about the town and its people though.
Before heading to meet Delma’s father, the group dug through Bort’s books. Tamli, Bort’s Half-orc second revealed that Bort kept excellent books, and also let slip that she would probably be inheriting the caravan and continuing on their business in Bort’s name. Bort’s caravan had many oddities, perhaps lending some merit to some of Bort’s tall tales, and true to Tamli’s word the accounting books were in excellent order. It seemed like Bort had visited Etran’s Folly 22 times in the last decade making deliveries labelled ‘reagents’ to a buyer known only as ‘H’ for rather large sums of gold. The deliveries all happened on the nights when the caravan arrived in town.
The mayor turned out to be fairly elderly, and he asked them to pull him around on his makeshift wheelchair-cart as he gave them a mini-tour of the town. The Plaguestone - the party already knew somewhat about; though he added a story about a local witch named Silwyth and her daughter Vilree who everyone suspected of starting the plague, and a Father Bolgrist (a local priest) who died during it. The Feedmill turned out to be a business started by himself over 50 years ago (before the Goblinblood wars) and taken over by his daughter Delma.
As the party neared a small local shrine to Gozreh, the god of nature and storms, a swarm of foot long mosquito like creatures dove down at them buzzing angrily.
End Session 2.
Session 3 - Some Fleas and a Bear
Hes (Goblin Champion Liberator 1)
Grunyar (Dwarf Cleric of Cayden Cailean 1)
Kat (Human Fighter 1)
Tick Tock (Goblin Alchemist 1)
The mosquito like creatures were Bloodseekers. As Targen Fulst pulled his cart over on himself, the party quickly set into action with Grunyar taking one out with a divine lance and Hes and Tick Tock making short work of others with a sling and some bombs.
Kat spun around and hacked away chopping down two, while another made its way past her shield and drove its stinger into her arm, only to end up in a bloody mess all over Kat’s armour as Tick Tock popped it with a well placed bomb. Another bit deeply into Grunyar, but that was all the damage they would do, as the group downed the rest of them and Grunyar gathered them around to group heal, putting an end to the few wounds that had continued to bleed on out.
They pushed the mayor around the rest of his usual route, and he told them the story of how Etran’s Folly had come by its name. Apparently it was well earned as the town originator had built a house on a hill far from the water supply only to have it later claimed by a fire. Shortly after telling that story the mayor nodded off and they dropped him off back at Delma’s house.
On returning to town the party were approached by Glunda - the gnome druid who had travelled with the caravan and taken care of the horses. The horses had been infested with fleas and she required some rosemary to rid them of it. Fortunately she knew of a source - a clearing a few hours away from town.
Everyone agreed to help, feeling that they might have need of horses later on. Within sight of the clearing the party saw a rather enormous Brown Bear had fallen asleep in the middle of it. They all attempted to approach stealthily, though Hes scraped up against a tree, waking the Bear.
The Bear instantly charged and reared over Hes. It took his arm in its powerful jaws. Kat hacked into the back of it with a mighty chop drawing its attention, as Grunyar healed up his goblin friend. Tick Tock hurled some bombs at it and the creature caught on fire, angering it even further.
Kat’s flurry of slashes left her open to the bear’s claws and it pulled her into a bear hug, though Hes quickly used Liberating Step to ensure that she could slip out of the things grasp. Grunyar gave it a command to run away, but the bear shrugged it off, before Hes poked up through the animals brain with his rapier, ending its life. They collected some rosemary and returned to town, finding a relieved Glunda, who thanked them and quickly ran off to bathe the horses.
Making their way back to the Feedmill Grunyar caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. Turning he saw Phinick, the goblin server, making his way rather stealthily to the Feedmill. As their eyes met Phinick bolted and, tired after their long trek and recent fight with the bear, the group decided not to pursue.
At the Feedmill they talked to Delma and she revealed that Phinick had been missing since the day before - when Bort had died. Thinking it unusual the party asked around to see if they could dig out Phinick’s hidey hole. They all agreed that it might be better if the two goblins, Hes and Tick Tock, approached Phinick alone so as not to scare him off. After checking out a few isolated barns around town they chanced upon him in the third one.
Phinick looked like he was going to run, but Hes and Tick Tock managed to calm him down. After he professed his admiration for their fighting skills - (apparently he’d seen a bit of the bar brawl before he ran out), he admitted that he had put something in Bort’s food after being threaten by Hallod, the town thug and bully. Finding it unlikely that Phinick would have the courage to lie to them, the goblins got the location of Hallod’s home from Phinick, and headed back to the Feedmill to rest before going to pay Hallod a visit.
The session ended there.
Session 4 - Sheriff Tick Tock and the Case of the Duplicated Ladder
Hes (Goblin Champion Liberator 1)
Grunyar (Dwarf Cleric of Cayden Cailean 1)
Kat (Human Fighter 1)
Tick Tock (Goblin Alchemist 1)
Before visiting Hallod’s residence the group thought they would check in with the person who passed for the sheriff in Plaguestone, Rolthe. After a bit of back and forth Rolthe eventually acquiesed and deputized Tick Tock. He even gave him his badge, though he expressed his hope that he would get it back someday.
Hallod’s residence, a dead home, in the shadow of an old willow tree, was in shambles, with the second floor having mostly collapsed into the centre of the main level. Seeing that the front door was left slightly ajar, everyone but Grunyar immediately became wary. Hes’ sharp instincts enabled him to spot tracks leading not to the front door, but rather to a back window. Kat quickly inspected the window as Grunyar stood guard at the front so Hallod might not escape. Kat was able to unscrew the shutter from the window leaving an opening big enough for a person to pass through.
As Kat pried open the window Hes heard Gruyar’s voice in his head asking if he was ready to go in. Hes confirmed that they were on the way in and the three passed through the window as Grunyar kicked the door open only to hear a loud thunk sound and find a spear buried in his side. Hearing Grunyar call out in pain Kat quickly ran back around to help him. She found him tending to his own wounds, and quickly checked over the rest of the inside of that side of the house while she was there - finding nothing but rubble and rubbish.
Gathering again at the back of the house the party all entered through the window again. Tick tock found a trap door leading down into a chute, and volunteered to lead the way into the tunnel. Being careful he sidestepped a metal trigger plate, and called back to the rest of the group to make sure not to trigger it as well.
At the end of the tunnel was a ladder descending into the depths of the earth, which Tick Tock led the way down. At the bottom of the ladder was a short corridor at the end of which appeared to be another ladder but was actually just a door :) As he dropped to the floor Tick Tock heard the sound of metal scrapping. Tick Tock stepped forward as the door at the end of the corridor sprung open and three enraged dogs jumped out at him, as another pair waited with jaws drooling saliva madly behind.
Thinking quickly Hes cast liberating step on Tick Tock and he was able to survive 3 vicious bites from dogs that found themselves surprised at how ineffective their jaws were at bringing down this little goblin. Grunyar dazed a dog from behind Tick Tock, but the group found themselves crowded up in a small area, unable to get past.
It still seemed like a perfect time for a fire bomb and Tick Tock tossed one right into the middle of the swarming pile of dog flesh, injuring some and lighting one on fire. Finally able to get around Tick Tock, Kat chopped one down, and Grunyar got off a solid daze on one, before killing it and charging over its corpse.
Tick Tock ran in farther, and seeing her friend in trouble Kat tossed some chunks of meat that she had thought to bring along in order to distract the dogs. The distraction worked, on one dog at least, and that took a bit of pressure off of Tick Tock, who was still surrounded, though greatly helped by the resistance from Hes’ Liberating Step.
Finally Hes managed to make his way through the mass of bodies at the door and broke in to poke one of the dogs dead. Gruynar stabby stabbed another, killing it, as Tick Tock drank one of his healing vials, just trying to stay alive while the dogs leapt at him as he clambered up onto a box. Once the group got out of the bottleneck the remaining dogs went down fairly quickly.
They found some alchemist fire and a murky brown substance in the area, and pushed through into the next room. The second room was a living quarters. Deciding that they had taken enough time, and didn’t want to give Hallod more time to set up anything nefarious, they forged on into a tunnel that went east from the living quarters.
After a 5 minute walk they found that the tunnel curved around. A glimmering blue light shone from around the corner. Following it around, the party found a pool of water with a blue light emanating from something in its depths. A large snake burst forth from the water with its tail arcing electricity, and they all gritted their teeth ready to face it down.
The session ended there.
Session 5 - Now I remember, this was the one that we were looking for….
Hes (Goblin Champion Liberator 1)
Grunyar ‘the Spear-Catcher’ (Dwarf Cleric of Cayden Cailean 1)
Kat (Human Fighter 1)
Tick Tock (Goblin Alchemist 1)
The battle with the giant serpent was over almost as quickly as it began. Kat advanced on the snake with shield raised, but from behind her in a commanding voice, Grunyar ordered the creature to flee. Briefly its eyes glazed over and it seemed unable to resist Grunyar’s words. It disappeared back beneath the surface of the pool.
As they continued down the tunnel the group noticed that the walls became more natural and less as if sculpted by human hands. After a ten minute walk, they came upon a small cavern that had light piercing in through the wall at the end. The entire wall was actually the root structure of the giant willow above. On a stump near the wall stood Hallod, the thug that they had been chasing down. A cage sat to his left, and within it was an emaciated robed figure. Near the entrance to the cavern were two dog cages that snapped open as Hallod barked that he had been expecting the group and the dogs leapt forward to attack.
Hallod got the drop on them and fired off a bolt from his massive crossbow, missing. Grunyar stepped up cast daze on Hallod, fogging his mind over for a brief instant. Kat raised her shield and moved forward, carefully avoiding a tripwire, to attack one of the dogs. The dog sprung forward but smashed its teeth on Kat’s raised shield, unable to break through it or get around it.
Hes fired off a sling bolt at Hallod and Tick Tock missed with a crossbow shot, both trying to stay at range as they were wary of possible traps, considering what they had already faced in Hallod’s home. Less reluctant however, was Grunyar, who charged forward - and again heard the thunk of a spear being launched from a hole in the wall. Grunyar cursed, almost going down, truly earning his new name - Spear-Catcher. He healed himself up and raised his shield.
Kat and Tick Tock worked on the dogs, killing them both, as Hes focused his sling shots on Hallod, landing a powerful shot right off Hallod’s thick skull. Already past the first tripwire Grunyar narrowly avoided tripping another one, as he advanced on Hallod, lunging but missing with his rapier.
Hallod showed his confidence with his Kukri’s tearing into Grunyar, leaving him in a puddle of blood on the floor with his third brutal hack. Seeing her friend in a great deal of trauma, Kat advanced warily at Hallod. Hes also stepped in to Lay on Hands and return Grunyar to the land of the conscious. Kat nicked Hallod, and he turned on her, slashing away and hacking chunks of wood off her shield, with one slice getting though and biting into her arm.
Grunyar rose and healed himself as Tick Tock snuck up the side of the room carefully looking for the second trap that Grunyar had called out to warn the party about earlier. He found it, and managed to point the spear launcher at Hallod, triggering it and catching him in the side with a his own deadly missile. That staggered Hallod and he found himself under assault from all sides at Kat landed a power attack and Grunyar, now recovered, stabbed away with the pointy end of his rapier.
Finally Kat landed a telling blow, cleaving into the top of Hallod’s head, killing him instantly.
Looking around the room they found a few empty vials - telltale signs of Hallod’s possible addiction to some kind of alchemical substance. They also saw the thin figure in the cage move slightly. It was Noala, the elven Pathfinder agent, that they had been tasked to find weeks earlier by Gorm Greathammer. A quick perusal of the crates showed that they had once been filled with alchemical agents as well, but now only residue remained. They also found a book dictating the delivery of some reagents by Bort, with entries matching up to those that they had found in Bort’s own ledger as well as a map of the area.
Kat savagely chopped off Hallod’s head as proof of their efforts, as Grunyar gathered up the frail Elven Ranger ready to carry her back to town. A short trip saw them back at the edge of Plaguestone. The first stop was to see Rolthe, who greeted them, but looking a little nauseated, told them that he didn’t want anything further to do with the situation (just please return my badge when you go, Tick Tock).
They also found Tamli, the Half-orc who was newly enstated caravan master of Bort’s entourage. She thanked them for their efforts and gave them a bit of gold for their troubles. She also asked, knowing that two of the band were supposedly devout followers of Cayden Cailean if one of them could say a few words at Borts funeral.
Grunyar, the Spear-Catcher, stepped up. He gave a moving speech about a Dwarf who was a master of caravans, who drove caravans…
The party levelled to level 2 and the session ended there.