Chapter 8: Against the Cult of the Reptile God

[dmw71]

Avril thanks Ingrid for sharing the healing from her god upon her. "For what it's worth," she starts. "I believe we should continue to hide out here for another night, and take advantage of this place while our location is unknown. Besides, Hoom and Mouser have been here before. They'll find us more easily than we'll find them." she adds.

"Tomorrow, I say we pay that hermit another visit."

[Inferno]

Day Six.
An Abandoned Farmhouse outside the Village of Briarsgate
Between 3pm and 4pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Cloudy, damp, cold, misty.







Beneath the writhing sky, the adventurers weigh their unenviable options.

They concur that if Hoom and Mouser still draw breath, the two rogues will return to this farm. But on little else does the group agree.

Grothnak suggests a return to Briarsgate to speak again with the hermit, or seek out the elves.
Bo wants to visit the elves now.

Pelias, among the most wounded, counsels that they rest another day and then investigate the abandoned Foaming Mug Inn (16) that the hermit mentioned.
Telkis tentatively agrees.

Avril wishes to rest another day and then see the hermit.

Moogeye, fearing their enemy will soon find their place of refuge, offers to divide the party and reenter Briarsgate during Pelias' rest to secretly observe the villagers in the hopes that, through their actions, the cultists among them will betray their identities. She asks if any will join her. No one volunteers.

While many possible plans are contemplated, none yet gain consensus.

It's been nearly 48 hours since they last saw the family of Felicity and Killian Gade alive.


Actions?


Please read:

Vote Scorecard:

When should we return to the village?

• Tonight: Grothnak, Bo, Moogeye
  Tomorrow: Pelias, Telkis, Avril
  Ingrid hasn't voted yet.

Once in village, we should:

• Visit the hermit: Grothnak, Avril
  Visit the elves: Bo
  Visit the Foaming Mug Inn: Pelias, Telkis
  Spy on the villagers: Moogeye
  Ingrid hasn't voted yet.

Should we split the party?

• Yes: Moogeye
  Other six haven't weighed in.

Ingrid, please vote.
Anyone that wants to change their vote, please do so now.
Once we get a majority, I need to move this along, my friends.
Thanks!

Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 18/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 9/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

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

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[Zhym]

Grothnak agrees with any of the plans voiced so far except those that would split the party. His suggestions should not be confused with votes.

[AleBelly]

"Ingrid, your healing powers are spectacular. It is clear your god favors you. If you may divine which course we should select, I will follow your wisdom" says Pelias.

He turns to Moogeye. "If the others are in danger, they need to be able to find us here. It is dangerous for you to scout, but I will not try to talk you out of it. But I still bear wounds from battle, and cannot suffer many more. It is wise for me to rest before facing further danger."

To everyone, he says "Do we trust the hermit or not? If so, I believe we must investigate the Foaming Mug Inn. The question of trust will be raised no matter who we talk to."

His vote remains unchanged, unless Ingrid is able to divine a course of action. However, he won't fight too much against other courses of action.

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

"Thank you, Pelias, for your trust. Trithereon can open his divine knowledge on the outcome of certain actions -- but he cannot aid me in decisions," Ingrid says.

"We should not split up, that's for sure," she says, after some consideration.

"As for the timing of our actions... Pelias and Grothnak are still wounded. I can channel Trithereon's healing once more to stabilize Pelias' condition. Then we can move out today. Because I'm afraid that the villagers will come looking for us any time now. They are plenty, and they know all these lands.

The abandoned Foaming Mug Inn is a good place to start. But we have to keep in mind that the houses around it are not abandoned."

Ingrid's vote: no split, Foaming Mug, tonight.

She can use her last CLW on Pelias.

[OGRE MAGE]

Bo

I also have a bit of healing that I can offer up if need be, although I can't claim it will be as effective as the girls was. He smiles at both the groups healers, trying not to play favorites.

I concur that we should move out of here now. If no place around here stays safe for long, we need to keep moving. This mystery will not be solved while we are at rest.

[Starbeard]

Moogeye looks a little defensive, but doesn't press the issue. She feels fairly confident that she could sneak around at least as well as any old vagrant. She calms herself down upon realization that, admittedly, she hadn't gotten the chance to witness either of the two missing pyromaniacs in the midst of their professional work.

Still, she remains anxious, and concurs with the suggestion to move on. "We have stayed long enough, and the longer we remain in an obvious location without a watch set on the village, the more likely we are to be found out and surrounded without our knowing it. I vote that we move on; if it seems likely that your friends will attempt a rendezvous here, we can leave something behind that they can detect as a message."

Moogeye's vote: Foaming Mug, tonight.
After conversing about the general layout of Briarsgate, she suggests swinging around and approaching from the Southeast; approaching from the north or east will make them quite visible as they walk down the open hillside.

[AleBelly]

Pelias agrees with Moogeye's suggested course of action. "A sign...yes..." he replies, and will enter the farmhouse to look for an mug, tankard or other similar drinking vessel. If he finds one, he will return to the barn and fill it up with straw to leave behind as a clue to their whereabouts. Not that he really expects the two to help them...

[Inferno]

Day Six.
An Abandoned Farmhouse outside the Village of Briarsgate
Between 4pm and 5pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Full moon, cloudy, damp, cold, misty.





Having reached consensus, the investigators of Briarsgate leave a signal for the two missing rogues and begin the long walk back to town.



The sun sets behind tumultuous skies as shadows overtake the world again. The cloaked moon renders the clouds luminous with ethereal light. The twilight journey through the ghostly landscape of mist and moonlight is uneventful. Nearing Briarsgate, they leave the Hookhill Road, cut south and circle around, entering the village from the southeast. There, they detect the faint aroma of smoke.

The adventurers find themselves in the overgrown cornfield (X) from which, two nights ago, they were ambushed by assailants unseen.





All is quiet. No one else is around. They see and smell the charred, skeletal remains of the barn that burned down around them. (structure south of 17)

They remember that to the northwest lies the dark, looming shape of the former Foaming Mug Inn (16). They recall a battered, weatherbeaten building, larger than the Golden Grain Inn, with boarded up doors and windows; a sign lying face down in the weeds before a broken porch; a roof with several holes; a back wall partially collapsed.



Through the darkness of night they discern lights from some of the neighboring homes (14, 15, 18). Others are merely vague silhouettes lurking in the mist. All are dwarfed by the scale and presence of the abandoned inn.

Distraught words about that large, foreboding structure echo in their minds.

“The old Foaming Mug Inn. 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.” -Killian Gade

"...I'll only tell of the evil that has infected Briarsgate like an insidious cancer. That evil took root a year ago, at the Foaming Mug Inn. I stupidly thought it had been stopped there. Stupid, foolish old man." -the Strange Old Hermit

Actions?

Map:

SE Briarsgate Map.jpg (230.09 KiB) Viewed 1768 times

X marks the adventurers. Lighter area marks visibility; all else is from memory.





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 18/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 3/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 9/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

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

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[dmw71]

As the groups approaches the charred remains of the Book family's barn, Avril suggests the rest of the group remains in their current position while she sneaks up and investigates the farmhouse itself (#17) to guarantee it is still abandoned. "I'll wave you forward once I've cleared it," she says, then, keeping low, quickly darts off ahead before anyone can protest.

[OGRE MAGE]

In the meantime, Bo casts his natural healing on the two fighters who are still the most wounded.

I hate the idea of being injured before we might need to fight. I have always thought that a group, especially the fighting members, should go in to a battle as healthy as possible.

Healing people after the fight only works if someone remains alive to do it.

Grothnak: CLW [1d8] = 6

Pelias: CLW [1d8] = 6

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis will do his best to remain hidden and await the signal of Moogeye. "Perhaps it would be best to also investigate the house (14). When we got trapped in the barn it was a result of not being thorough..." If any mice approach while they wait he'll wave them off, indicating danger. He readies his bow.

[Starbeard]

Moogeye crouches down and readies her crossbow, awaiting Avril's signal.

[Zhym]

Grothnak nods solemnly in quiet thanks for Bo's healing and keeps Vadok at the ready.

[AleBelly]

Pelias grips Bo's shoulder, smiling warmly. "Thank you, friend" he whispers.

[Fulci]

Ingrid Esthof, cleric

Ingrid agrees to Avril's plan and lays low, mace at ready, waiting for their scout's sign.

[Inferno]

Day Six.
The Abandoned Book Family Farm (SW of 17)
Between 7pm and 8pm. Friday, October 21st, 576 CY.
Full moon, cloudy, damp, cold, misty.







In the moonlit cornfield, Long Bo calls upon his Lord for holy blessings to heal Grothnak and Pelias. The sound wakes one of the field mice of Jenkins' colony, and Telkis quietly shoos him away.

Avril scouts north alone. Advancing down a cornrow whose overgrown crops blind her on both sides, she reaches the clearing and sees the black, smoldering remains of the barn, still glowing softly in her infravision.

The half-elven maiden creeps through the eerie shadows and mist to the Book Family's farmhouse (17). Doors and shutters swing freely here. Abandoned desolation, choked by weeds, all is quiet and cold within. She thought of what they had heard about this place.

• • “The Book family's place. 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.” -Felicity and Killian Gade

From this vantage point she can see, and remember:

The Blacksmith (15) whose unwalled shop is closed for the night. There is a pale light inside.

• • "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 and Killian Gade

The Carpenter’s Shop (14). A saw-shaped sign hangs before this well-constructed building. The front part of the house is unwalled and the shop is closed for the night. Candlelight burns within.

A Farmhouse and Barn (18) that look well-kept. There is also light inside this house, behind drawn curtains.

• • "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." -Felicity and Killian Gade

The Foaming Mug Inn (16). The size and character of the abandoned inn's architecture reminds Avril that Briarsgate had once been a prosperous village.

Foaming Mug Inn.jpg (241.61 KiB) Viewed 1737 times

But no longer. Within the weatherbeaten, boarded up structure, there is no movement, warmth or light.

Further north, mercifully out of sight, lies The Gade Family Farm (19). And beyond that, further still, the blessed Church of Merikka (21).

Avril waves to the others that the coast is clear.


Actions?


Map:

SE Briarsgate Map 1.jpg (234.74 KiB) Viewed 1737 times

X marks the adventurers. A marks Avril. Lighter area marks visibility; all else is from memory.[/ooc]





Status:

• Avril Hollysword, Half-Elf Fighter/Cleric 1/2: AC 7, HP 10/10, Spells: 0/4 1st lvl
  Grothnak Uthglukh, Half-Orc Fighter 3: AC 4, HP 24/28
  Ingrid Esthof, Human Cleric 3: AC 3(1), HP 10/16, Spells: 1/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Long Bo, Human Druid 3: AC 6, HP 18/22, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 1/3 2nd lvl and 1/1 3rd lvl
  Moogeye Comcra, Human Monk 2: AC 8, HP 11/11
  Pelias Blanchflower, Human Paladin 2: AC 2(0), HP 15/19, Laying Hands: 0/1
  Telkis Brassfang, Gnome Fighter 3: AC 0, HP 27/28

Magic:

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

Resources:

• Map of Briarsgate
  NPC List for Briarsgate
  The Story So Far (in words)
  The Story So Far (in pictures)

[ChubbyPixie]

Telkis Brassfang, Gnome... Swordsman?

While they wait for Avril's signal, Telkis goes over again in his mind the technique he'd thought of for the short sword and realizes... he's wrong. The pommel to cross guard ratio he'd been figuring into his calculation, he now realizes, is off by a few ounces. It's a short sword, not a club, Telkis! He'll have to think about it some more...

Telkis is no longer proficient in the short sword... for now.

He peers after Avril in the darkness. As soon as she gives the all clear, he'll trundle up as quietly as his armor will allow.

[dmw71]

Convinced the Book Family's farmhouse is safe, Avril waves the patiently waiting group forward. "Now, how to get across the street?" she asks aloud. "I propose we cross to the north and wrap around the well-kept farmhouse across the street that way," she says, pointing in its (18) direction. "There is light inside, sure, but the curtains are drawn so, if we're quiet, we could probably avoid arousing suspicion."

"Better, I think, than cutting directly across."


Unlike before, she will sit and wait while the group considers their options.

Sorry for the delay, guys.

[Starbeard]

Moogeye continues to scan for movement and lights, including along the bridge to the west if it's in view. She says nothing, but nods her assent to Telkis' suggestion.