Chapter 5: The Doom That Came to Briarsgate

[Inferno]

Village of Briarsgate
The Gades' Farmhouse
Late Evening. Wednesday, October 19th, 576 CY
Cold, rain, mist





The adventurers converge upon the Gade Family Farmhouse (19).



The female stranger steps back from the armed stampede, instinctively unsheathing her sword partially, in reaction to all those readied weapons. She stays near Pelias, wary of the gnome trying to flank her, and oblivious to Hoom's warm smile, distracted by the chaos and panic unfolding before her, seemingly unaware of its cause.

As Ingrid ties the horses in the Gades' barn, Grothnak storms the house. The half-orc warrior races room to room through the ransacked home, and finds no living thing left. The darkened farmhouse is empty.

Ingrid gets a candle alight.



Long Bo stands guard outside as the others enter and see, by Ingrid's flickering candlelight, that the home was torn asunder and invaded. There are ax wounds in the door, and in the broken barricade of furniture behind it. Windows are shattered. Furniture toppled. Interior doors broken open. Mud tracked throughout, not all of which is Grothnak's.

For Hoom, and especially Grothnak, Pelais and Telkis, the Gades' violated home echoes sharply with all-too-recent memories.

Here, on this blood splattered floor, is where Pelias stood when he swore an oath to the Gades that he would protect them.

• • Pelias turns to the family, concern on his face. "I fear we have put you in danger by visiting. ...you showed bravery in speaking with us. I shall like to offer your family my protection."

Here, in this once cozy kitchen, now the site of a horrific struggle with carving knives, cleavers, an overturned family table, and Felicity's cold supper strewn everywhere, is where the Gades had begged them for help.

• • Trembling in the darkened kitchen, she weeps softly, “I am Felicity Gade and this is my husband, Killian.”
    

    

    The Gades.jpg (121.87 KiB) Viewed 1118 times

    ...Felicity sobs uncontrollably, "Please, Merikka! Please, merciful goddess! I beg you. At long last, let our prayers be answered!"
    
    Felicity Gade wipes her eyes and then looks into yours. She continues with a fragile, quavering voice, "Good sirs, please believe me when I tell you we are trapped in an unseen web of secrets. We live in terror, forsaken and forgotten. Briarsgate is dying. Once thriving and full of hope, our village has become a maze of locked doors and frightened faces!"

Here, at these windows, where now Telkis watched from shattered panes and muddied sills, is where the Gades desperately tried to convince them of the insidious transformation that had taken root within their beloved village.

• • “Please, sirs. Come to the back window. Let me show you,” Felicity asks as her trembling hand opens the curtains a crack. “There, the Foaming Mug Inn, over there,” she indicates the Abandoned Building (16) you passed moments ago.
    Killian says, “A dozen townsfolk were found murdered there one morning, including the proprietor. A sword fight. But no one ever discovered the reason. Those people were friends and neighbors! The building’s been abandoned ever since. A year now, I reckon.”
    
    Felicity points at the Blacksmith (15). "Over there. Poor old Jakob Smith. He's been out of his right mind for… coming on almost 10 months now. It happened suddenly and without cause."
    
    Felicity continues, "Past Jakob's. Through there. That Rundown Farmhouse (13), Young Llewellen Cobb’s place. His new bride disappeared mysteriously six months ago. On their wedding night! No explanation. No funeral. No tombstone in the town graveyard. Llewellen won’t say what’s come of her."
    
    Killian says, "Come to the front." He points from another window’s cracked curtains at the prosperous Farmhouse and Barn (18). "The widow Hochstedt’s spread. Her husband also disappeared this year. After 24 years of marriage. She’ll not speak of it. Nor will her three grown sons who live with her."
    
    “Beyond her, the Book family’s place," he says, indicating the Decrepit Farmhouse and Barn (17). “A whole family up and left without a word. They were our good friends. No warning. Just gone. This was nine months ago. Never heard from any of them since. We don't know where they went.”
    
    You all return to the back room as Felicity insists, “It can’t be that everyone is involved, it just can't be! In my heart, I trust the Mayor (at 10) and the Church (21), thank the goddess. But for some reason, we know not what, they've done nothing about it. You must believe us!"
    
    Killian looks Pelias dead in the eye and says grimly, "No. It’s good that you mistrust us, mister. You’re right to do so. So many strangers pass through here. Like yourselves. They think it’s safe. Because it’s a town. But it’s not. It’s not safe. Don’t trust the folk you meet," he implores in deadly earnest. "Don't trust your friends."
    
    Felicity pleads to Pelias, "The Weavers (5) in town! Speak to them if you don’t believe us! They’ve told similar stories, of strange happenings near them!"

Here, in the rampaged bedroom where the young children must have been torn from their beds screaming and begging, with no way to comprehend the sinister forces moving against them, is where the Gades last kissed their children goodnight.

• • "Mama? Papa? ...I heard voices," says a small child standing in the kitchen doorway.
    He is surprised to find Gnomish and Half-Orcish warriors sitting in his kitchen. "Hello," he says, shyly.
    
    
    
    The Gades excuse themselves from table to get their child settled back into bed...

Here, in this doorway, now rent asunder, was where they had last seen Felicity alive.

• • "Thank you, kind sirs, on behalf of our family and our village. I don't know how we can ever hope to repay you. May merciful Merikka watch over you, and soon deliver you and your friends safely back to us," says Felicity, tears freely streaming down her brave face.

Their sacred home trampled, ravaged and profaned, the Gade family had been taken.


Actions?





Status:
The Grey Mouser, Half-Elf Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 4, HP 1/10, Spells: 1/1 1st lvl. Groggy (-2 to hit)
Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 2: AC 4, HP 1/17
Hoom Feethos, Elven Magic-User/Thief 1/2: AC 3, HP 6/8, Spells: 0/1 1st lvl
Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 14/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 2/3 2nd lvl. Very groggy (-4 to hit)
Long Bo, Human Druid 2: AC 6, HP 5/15, Spells: 3/4 1st lvl and 0/2 2nd lvl
Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 2/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 2: AC 0, HP 15/19 Groggy (-2 to hit)

Magic:
Protection from Evil (Pelias): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Pelias.


Map of Briarsgate
NPC List for Briarsgate

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

Ingrid gasps at the sight of the massacre, but pulls herself together. She tries to study the mess on the floor. Are there track in the mud and blood to show that the victims were dragged out from the house?

Then she turns to her companions:
"Did they tell you about any other possible cult nests in town? We only know the inn so far..."

[Inferno]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric
She tries to study the mess on the floor. Are there track in the mud and blood to show that the victims were dragged out from the house?

Anyone who wishes to search for clues, please Save vs. Intelligence on 5d6.
(It would have been 4d6 had the crime scene not been stampeded by the party's muddy feet. )

Anyone Groggy or Very Groggy, from the hospitality of the Golden Grain Inn, please subtract 2 or 4 respectively from your Intelligence for this roll.

Thanks.

[Grognardsw]

Grey Mouser

Mouser listens to the party's reminescences about Killian's family while he unsuccessfully searches for clues in the house.

"It seems there are folks we could question, but with the town in murderous rage against us that is difficult. Killian said he trusted the mayor, church, and the Weaver family. Perhaps we should go visit the Weavers now. That is, a few of us, with others outside guarding. We may be under watch, and don't want the Weavers to fall to this same fate. If the Foaming Mug has been abandoned, perhaps we could use that as a hideout."

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

"I have a slight aversion to inns in this town... But this Foaming Mug sounds like a place we can hide out in, indeed. The church might be an option as well, but, honestly, we cannot be sure it hasn't been tainted. Same goes for the mayor. Otherwise they might have acted against this evil."

She studies the floors. If only Vodarte were here to read the tracks!

vs. Intelligence 12 [5d6-4] = 18-4 = 14

"Where are the Weaver family located? And what do we do about Pelias' new friend here?" she says, gesturing at the unknown lady.

[DadsAngry]

Hoom Feethos:

As Hoom enters the darken house it is quickly is illuminated by the lit candle in Ingrid's hand. Surprisingly the gruesome murder scene is all to familiar. Sadly Hoom is emotionless as his exposure to such horror in such a short period has dulled his senses. He moves about the small house looking for clues. As he passes Ingrid he replies to her inquiry.

Ingrid Esthof, cleric
"And what do we do about Pelias' new friend here?" she says, gesturing at the unknown lady.

Speaking to Ingrid in a somber tone "Worry not, she is of my kind and not susceptible to tricks of the mind as you human are. She wears the azure cloak of Corellon Larethian, protector and preserver of life. Her intentions are much like ours no doubt. I would worry about the humans of this dwelling and hope they didn't suffer long priestess of Trithereon."

Save vs. Intelligence (12) [5d6] = 23

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

Speaking to Ingrid in a somber tone "Worry not, she is of my kind and not susceptible to tricks of the mind as you human are. She wears the azure cloak of Corellon Larethian, protector and preserver of life. Her intentions are much like ours no doubt. I would worry about the humans of this dwelling and hope they didn't suffer long priestess of Trithereon."

"What do you mean 'of your kind'?..." For a split second, she stares at Hoom, than the lady. Of course, how could she NOT notice their uncanny appearance before? She bows towards the stranger, then towards Hoom. "I'm deeply sorry. I am not versed in elven lore. Excuse my ignorance and suspicion."

"My name is Ingrid Esthof," she introduces herself to the stranger.

She switches back to the matter on their hands.

"As for the poor Gades... I'm afraid their sufferings aren't over yet. I suspect they (at least some of them) were taken alive, to be subjected to the same mind altering process most of these villagers were! Forced to ingest some will-destroying poison... The question is - where does this take place?"

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis glances around the room, but can make no sense of the scene, other than the obvious signs of struggle. Cobwebs still cloud his mind from the poison he ingested at the inn.

save vs INT (10): [5d6+2] = 17+2 = 19

He turns his attention again to the window, keeping a look out for danger. "We need rest. I agree that perhaps holing up in one of the abandoned buildings might be our best option at the moment. We should go there while the rain still covers our movement a bit.... I'm reluctant to put the Weavers in danger as we did the Gades..." he hesitates a moment, a feeling of sadness mixed with frustration washing over him before he regains his composure. "Felicity mentioned the Mayor as a man she believed to be good. Still, we must tread carefully, I fear. If he is good, yet deluded, then we will be blamed for all this... and the Inn. Or perhaps he is aware of the evil influence and merely keeping up appearances...? Or he is compromised and dealing with him is futile. Ingrid makes a good point about the church. However, perhaps they merely lack manpower to enforce good? Do we risk going there? We can't very well move about freely in the day..." He looks the newcomer up and down, not sure what to think. "What brings you here, now, of all times, madame?"

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo knows full well what the others will find inside the home so, he stays outside.

He walks around the perimeter of the house, keeping a watch for anybody that might be heading their way.

[Zhym]

Grothnak howls with rage. "Grothnak-glob!" he shouts, followed by long stream of other orcish curses.

Finally, he collects himself and surveys the house, but he cannot make anything of it.

Int check (9): [5d6] = 15

"You ask the wrong question," he answers Ingrid. "The correct question is whether any parts of this town are not controlled by the cult. If so, we must find them, help them, and, if possible, organize them."

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

"You ask the wrong question," he answers Ingrid. "The correct question is whether any parts of this town are not controlled by the cult. If so, we must find them, help them, and, if possible, organize them."

"Not exactly. If they are a cult, even if they have the whole town at their disposal, they must have shrines, temples, cultic places where they worship whatever dark gods they pray to, and where they do the rituals. Of course, there's no guarantee that that place is even in town. It can be an unholy grove, a cave of forgotten horrors...

But this is all rhetorics. You are right: we should organize a resistance against the cult. The Weavers' house - isn't that the one right next to that bloody inn?"

[Inferno]

DM:

The strange woman follows Pelias inside, and is taken aback by the chaotic scene. Careful not to disrupt anything, she moves to keep her back against the nearest wall and stays out of the way of the others. Ignorant of the history or significance of the home she now finds herself in, it, or its occupants, must have meant something to the group as they search its contents with consternation. She surveys the room from her out-of-the-way position, but without knowing what she's looking at, or for, she fears her observations will be of little help to anyone.

She lowers her rain-soaked azure hood, allowing the others to get a better look at who she is, revealing her beautiful face, blonde hair and pointed ears.

She can't help but overhear the "discussion" between Ingrid and Hoom. "Very astute observation," she says to Hoom, complimenting him on his familiarity with her deity. "It would be even more impressive if you weren't of elven blood," she says lightly; not daring to make a joke of it in light of the current situation the group finds themselves in. "But --" she says, turning to Ingrid, "-- what your friend here says is true. While only of half-elven blood, my mind, I can assure you, is quite clear... current situation not withstanding," she says, using her eyes to indicate the chaotic scene of the house they're in. After a moment, she introduces herself to both. "I am Avril. Avril Hollysword. I arrived here in Briarsgate only a short while ago, just as this cursed storm started, in fact."

"I had no idea I would be walking into... this," she says somberly, then composes herself and responds to the open question from the gnome. "I received word that my estranged father -- an elf -- might be here, so I followed those rumors in hopes of possibly tracking him down. Instead, the fates crossed my path with your friend Pelias here, whom I still fear has wounds in need of attention."

"He may not be the only one," she adds, surveying the condition of the rest of the group.

"Dare I ask what has happened here?"

[Zhym]

Grothnak gives the newcomer a skeptical look. "Good people died—or worse," he says sternly in answer to her question. "People we promised to protect. People we abandoned." The half-orc looks at the ceiling and mutters another orcish obscenity. His green-gray knuckles turn white as he grips his halberd more tightly.

"Why did you come to this town?" he asks Avril. "If I pry, it is because this town has been bedeviled. Bakers, farmers—simple people, all with empty eyes and murder in their hearts. You do not appear to suffer their fate, but we must be cautious. You show up here, just after heavy battle, in a town full of enemies. We must be sure that you truly are an ally."

He looks around to the others. "There is now no reason to remain here. This house is no less vulnerable to attack than the inn was. Wherever we plan to go next, let us be on our way."

[dmw71]

Avril looks at Grothnak after his stern message. Instead of becoming defensive, she realizes that emotions are running high, so she calmly repeats herself. "I came to Briarsgate following rumors that my estranged father may be here," she starts. "Instead, after seeking shelter in an abandoned farm once the storm broke out, the fates sent your friend Pelias in my path."

"Speaking of which, if you're looking for a new place to hide out, I do know of an abandoned barn just south of here that could work."

[AleBelly]

Pelias is silent for a long while, looking behind furniture, under beds and even in cupboards. His face, pale from blood loss minutes earlier, is now ashen. He waves off Grothnak's concerns absentmindedly, not even looking at the half-orc. "If she wanted to harm us, I would be slain already." He says this without a hint of emotion.

His gaze stays fixed on the floor as he finds a bedsheet. He covers the symbol of Heironeus on his shield and tucks and ties the sheet edges to the shield's guige and arm straps. "I offered them my protection, and an ill fate has befallen them." His voice drones on in a slow monotone. "I am not worthy to bear the symbol of he who gives me power."

He draws the sword halfway from its scabbard and examines it closely. "Enemies in this village will feel not the flat of my blade, but the edge of it."

He finally addresses the others, but avoids their gazes. "I must rest. But tomorrow, my efforts will lie solely on learning the fate of this brave family."

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Warrior

Avril ... I do know of an abandoned barn just south of here that could work."[/dialog]

Turning from the window, Telkis eyes Avril critically for a moment, a bit astonished by her simple beauty, then comes to an abrupt decision. "Well, if you're evil, come to thwart us, we'll deal with that as it arises. I got a gut feeling that you aren't, though. And gods knows we could use any help we could get. The name's Telkis, and don't forget... I'm the shortest one in the group." He continues regarding her sternly for a moment, then smiles and extends his damp, gnomish hand. "Welcome, Avril. We've, ah, failed some friends of ours who lived here, a nice couple without whose advice we'd have never saved our friends held captive at the Inn. We must find them and help them if they still live." Turning to Grothnak he adds, "Yiu're too hard on yourself, Grothnak. Had we not all gone, those of us that did would have fallen. We could have taken no other course of action, to my mind. Let's move forward and do what we can."To Pelias he says "Will you strike down Felicity, sir, if you see her and she has been possessed? Let us not be too quick in our judgement of those who clearly are not in their right minds. If we kill all the villagers, then defeat whomever controls them and things go back to normal, who wins?" He lets that question hang in the air, then says "Let's check out that barn Avril mentions, what do you say?"

[DadsAngry]

Hoom Feethos:

Glad that the awkward silence that followed Pelias's proclamation was broken by someone other than himself, Hoom tries to bring a new hope to the party.
"With any luck we can find something to eat in the barn." he says as a low grumbling noise, which is barely audible, is sounded under Hoom's leather protection.

[Zhym]

Grothnak snorts at Telkis's remark, but not in an unfriendly way. "There is no greater glory than to die protecting the weak and honoring an oath," he states firmly. "But you may be right." His grip on Vadok loosens and his stiff back relaxes. He coughs and grabs his injured side.

He looks back at the newcomer half-elf with an expression that is only slightly less skeptical than before. "It was stupid of me to ask for a story I could not verify," he says. "I am sorry that questioning is required. But Felicity and Killian—the people who lived here, and who we failed—warned us not to trust anyone. Less than an hour ago, some of us were looking at our own friends with suspicion. To blindly accept a stranger who appears alone at night in a place like this would not be wise. Maybe you are who you say you are. Maybe you are not. But the way we met you is strange. How did you make it through the forest alone without being attacked? We met some of the creatures that live in that forest. Most of them would love to have tasted your flesh." Grothnak bares his teeth in his un-reassuring semblance of a smile.

He turns to Pelias. "I must disagree with you," says the half-orc. "A clever enemy may choose not to strike at first opportunity. Perhaps her mission is to gather information. Or maybe she judged you too strong a foe, or sensed that you would not be alone for long. Still, if you trust her..." His voice trails off and he stands in thought for a long moment.

"I still advise caution," he says eventually, stating what might be his personal motto. "I think some of you are blinded because you think she's pretty. My tastes do not lean toward old people who look like poorly-fed children, but to each his own." A turn of his snout-like nose shows what Grothnak thinks of the "attractiveness" of elves. "However, if it is the group's decision that she be accepted, I will not fight it."

[Grognardsw]

Grey Mouser, thief

"I was out for some time," the wounded thief says. "But has any of the arcane among us been able to detect if there is magick enchantment upon the villagers?"

Preferring strategies of stealth, he adds: "I am not sure leading a resistence is viable given the sheer numbers in the town working against us. Perhaps infiltration, spying on key citizens. Using cloaks of magic to surreptiously question mayor and church leader who Killian claimed are not under influence."

"But rest and healing in the barn sounds like our best first step."

"Hoom, did the papers you took from the tavern reveal any insights?"

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

"I was out for some time," the wounded thief says. "But has any of the arcane among us been able to detect if there is magick enchantment upon the villagers?"

"Unfortunately, I know of no spell, cantrip or incantation that can do that... The rules of the cosmos are sometimes against us,"Ingrid says. "But judging from their behavior - yes, definitely. They are under some weirding influence, of arcane or alchemical nature."

Ingrid is ready to trust Avril - for now.

"Let's head over to the barn while it's still raining. I have some food in my pack."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjgtWiykblo