April 7, NR Year 707, Continued...
We left our heroes on the evening of April 7, having arrived safely back at Fulcher's Hold after their adventures in their first dungeon.
After some discussion regarding what to do next, it was agreed that the larger treasure items would be stored at Fulcher's Hold for the time being and be dealt with later. During the evening, Duncan used Comprehend Languages on the books to determine what they were. Four were on subjects of little interest to the party (but which would have value to sages or collectors) including mathematics, geometry, astronomy, and the astral plane. The fifth book was a brief one detailing some Onorian families and their heraldry including crests, symbols and badges. The book included what seemed to be a sketch map of Onoria with various unnamed locations marked. This map, even without names to go with the locations, provided at least an overview of lands that the party knew nothing about. It was agreed that the book would be kept. The night passed uneventfully in a borrowed workers' cabin.
April 8
The party woke in the morning and set out for Olmsby, 6 miles distant. Before trying to find Shimmermere and talk to the halfling Mungo Padfoot (from the dungeon letter they had found), the characters needed to purchase some supplies and have minor repairs made on some of their equipment.
A couple miles short of Olmsby, the group came upon a farmer named Ned Greenbrier and his young son Tad. They claimed to be on the way to Tardesk (a nearby village) when the boy's horse slipped crossing a stream, throwing the boy. The horse had come up lame, and the boy might have broken an arm or wrist. Badric, the dwarven cleric healed the boy, while Melior the elven druid healed the horse. Ned was very grateful, offering a simple meal or place to rest in his barn should the party ever have the need. Ned was also able to sketch out a map of the Shearingvale for the group, adding to their knowledge of the area.
In Olmsby, the characters made their purchases (including a mule), but were unable to find more specialized items such as acid and holy water. They would need a larger town than Olmsby to find those things. A local blacksmith (Kallin) made some minor armor repairs, and was paid to make 25 small caltrops for Malachy the Barbarian. These would be ready in the morning.
The evening was spent in the Half Pint Tavern, chatting up the locals in search of information. They found that the Shimmermere that they were looking for was a halfling and gnome village in the Silver Hills a dozen or so miles to the northwest.
April 9
The caltrops were retrieved from the Kallin the blacksmith at mid morning and the party set out for Shimmermere. After an uneventful days' travel (12-13 miles), they arrived in the village, which was a collection of human and gnome sized buildings nestled between a few rolling hills which were dotted with halfling and gnome burrows. The town got its name from the Shimmermere pond around which the village was built.
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| Approaching the Silver Hills from Olmsby |
Wandering the town didn't take long, and the party soon settled into the Gold Rush Tavern for dinner and (hopefully) information.
Badric and Niam (the Rogue) ended up playing dice with a female halfling gambler named Bridda, who the locals referred to as "the Sneak." She won a small amount of money from them, and they saw no signs of cheating.
Duncan and Melior talked to the proprietors, halflings Jurgen Broadbelt and Timon the Lame. Upon asking about Mungo Padfoot, they were directed to a trio of older halflings at a corner table. Tamic, one of the elders, told Duncan that Mungo Padfoot had been killed 8 years before in an ogre attack on the village, but that his son Hugo could be found in Shadyvale (a half dozen or so miles to the north).
The party learned that ogres in large numbers lived in the far western end of the Hills, and that it was not uncommon for one or two to stray into the area a few times a year.
While this was going on, Malachy and Mordecai tried striking up a conversation with a rough looking warrior type and a prosperous looking halfling who were seated at another table. The warrior was introduced as Rolan. They didn't catch the halfling's name. Rolan was wearing the badge of the Sentinels as a cloak clasp, but he seemed reluctant to talk with strangers.
The party decided they would go to see Hugo Padfoot in Shadyvale in the morning.
April 10
Leaving in the morning and following Tamic's directions, they went three miles and then turned onto a well-traveled road heading north. Shortly after taking the north fork, they encountered an ogre in the trail coming at them. Malachy and Mordecai engaged the ogre, which dealt some significant damage with its' huge club. While they were engaged a second ogre came crashing out of the brush beside the trail, and Melior was knocked unconscious with one blow. The second ogre was held off by rapier attacks from Niam and a Witch Bolt spell from Duncan while the three melee guys finished off the first ogre. The second fell to the combined efforts of the whole party, but not before they had taken a pretty good battering.
The last few miles to Shadyvale were uneventful. Shadyvale itself proved to be a sheltered hillside valley accessed by a narrow canyon path. It only had 15-20 buildings, but there were many halfling burrows in the hills ringing the valley.
The party asked about Hugo Padfoot in the White Feather, the town's small tavern, and a serving boy was sent to fetch him. The party asked Hugo about his father and his travels, and were invited back to Hugo's burrow, where he brought out some of his father's journals. He read the scrap of the letter that the party had found, and speculated that the "fortress at the far eastern end of the hills" must be referring to Castle Langborne. Hugo then proceeded to tell them the tale of the necromancer Alferith Langborne and Castle Langborne.
It seems that a powerful necromancer rebuilt an old Onorian site into a stronghold about 45 years ago, and while the necromancer was not openly hostile, his presence made the lands for miles around very dangerous. Servants of Alferith would sometimes appear at towns in the Silver Hills or the Shearingvale to buy various things, but nothing has been heard of the necromancer in the last 15 years. It is assumed that he is either dead or has moved on, but the area of hills around Castle Langborne is still avoided. The tales of monstrous undead and other creatures haunting the area have not stopped.
April 11
The party gets a reasonably early start, and leaves Shadyvale to get back to the road north. After only a mile or so the hills end and the grasslands begin, with an easy to follow trail continuing straight north.
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| Heading north from Shadyvale into the grasslands |
A few miles into the flatlands, a group of bandits tries unsuccessfully to ambush the party. The eight bandits are easily dispatched after a brief fight. Continuing north, the hills they have been told to make for are apparent a few miles off to the northeast. Having been told that the easiest path to follow is to loop around the north end of the hills to find the path of an old road, the party continues north. After covering about 10 miles, they camp near where the grasslands rise back into hills. The night under the stars is uneventful except for the distant howling of wolves.
April 12
In the morning, the party skirts the north edge of the hills, find the remains of an old road. They follow the track southeast looking for a way into the heart of the hills. They find an overgrown road and follow it for a few miles. The road brings them to a sheltered valley with the remains of some sort of castle or fortress visible on a hillside across from them. They have traveled 6 miles through flatlands and hills, and stop to determine what to do next.
Next...Exploring the valley.
The Sage's Commentary - This was a good transitional session between the first dungeon and whatever comes next. The characters did a good deed for an Olmsby resident, learned a decent bit more about the area, met some more people, visited a couple new villages, and found the information that puts them (literally) on the doorstep of a new adventure.
While doing so, they even managed to get a good amount of experience in the form of 2 ogres (mostly) and 8 bandits (a little). The ogres were fun, and I am glad that they infest the Silver Hills. Ogres may be easy to hit, but they pack a real punch and can take a pounding before going down. Two ogres was a nice challenge.
There is one dilemma that I will need to figure out how to deal with sooner rather than later. The party ended the first adventure series with 450 XP, a good bit past the 300 needed for level 2 and on the way to 900 for level 3. They now have 660, and are not far from level 3. They will reach that soon; perhaps very soon after arriving at these new ruins (likely in the next session). I do want to have some aspect of training required for new levels and skills, but I am not yet sure how I want to handle that. I am not a fan of the "you wake up in the morning and find that you grew a level overnight and now know new spells and all sorts of other new abilities." I have some thinking to do.
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