157 A Mystery In the Woods
After defending the village of Pedwar from a gargun boiling, the party met up with Yegar, a priest of Azmodaeus who tried to explain why they were invited into the dwarven kingdom.
The party took a barge to the small village of Hogg Bottom the next day. There, they meet the Blacksmith Holden Isaco who tells them the Priestess took her ox-drawn cart out to walk the bounds of Hoggs Bottom. Typically this took her about 2 weeks, for she was limited to the speed of her cart, being in her late 60s. During the third week, they sent out a search party and sent a runner to the Khuzdan outpost nearby. They found the cart, on its side, with a rent. Neither the bull nor her were anywhere to be found.
He gave them a rundown of the area and offered whatever help the tiny village could provide.
Sir Tirn and part of the party followed his spell to the edge of the bounds where the trail stopped. Seenae and Sir Kjari went to explore the local temple.
7 Savor, 723
The women finish the cleaning of the church and we perform a mass focusing on St. Belsirasan (sp?).Maketa Seenaë Dyren casts a spell to enable the townsfolk to understand her and vice versa. They end the service with a hymn that both the Peonian and Laranian churches share. The people seemed to enjoy the service; at the end, Seenae leads them out of the church and thanks to them all for attending.
Sir Tirn of Selvos crow arrives and tells the party where his master andTamarie went in there for the missing priestess. The party heads out.
They arrive where Tirn and Tamarie are overlooking a strange encampment. When the party approaches one man sees them and calls for another name Alan; Alan approaches and refuses to listen to the party. As he turns away Tirn casts a spell. Alan leans over then starts to bend in an unnatural way, turning into a 30’ snake and attacks. The others in the settlement shapeshift into various animals and attacks as well. The party manages to kill the snake as the others approach, and succeeds in stopping the battle and parlaying with the other shapeshifters. They agree that we can take the priestess and they will leave the area and move to a nearby glade, waiting for word fromTrieste.
The party goes into the cave where the priestess was held. She says that the water is bad in there; behind her is a wall of mud. Seenae blesses the wall and it cracks: hidden there is one of the coins: Pora the Peacock. It is put in the box for safekeeping. Tirn examines the walls and ceiling, which are covered in writing and discovers that it is a madness curse. While Tirn and Herve stay behind to destroy the curse, everyone else escorts the priestess back to town.
They discuss the black-cloaked, possibly Morgathian trader who had dealt with the shapeshifter; they decide to go to the nearby fort to get more information on him or perhaps to find out what they should be doing next, and get some sleep.
8 Savor
The party heads to the nearby dwarf outpost; they run into a troupe of warriors, one of whom knows Herve. The dwarves that they speak with can’t remember the last time they saw the trader; they travel on and soon the fort comes into view. Inside they are introduced to Yaffin, a traveling merchant. The commander of the fort is an older woman named Dame Gernese. She is an Inquisitor. She says the trader’s name is Halen the chandler, and he lives west in a holding owned by a woman named Rylasel. He has a home out there; Halen has traveled the road for 5-6 years. Before that was another trader traveling the road for about a decade. His name was Boris. Dame Gernese tells us of the Riddlemaster, a Predilecki who holds one of the coins.
