The PCs decide it might be best to further explore the hidden hold they've found in the Vernal Wall, and so they press on, up thousands of crudely fashioned stone steps, deep up the mountain, until their way is blocked by a large, immovable stone slab. An unused torch sconce is discovered, but no secret mechanisms to pass further. They turn back towards the wooden lift, exhausted after so many thousands of steps. While taking a breather, they hear the sounds of whistling approach up the stairs from the entrance. Slab and several others decide to wait in ambush, and he is able to sneak attack the sole goblin, but the tough thing is only rendered unconscious. Lt. Langston decides to deliver a coup de gras, while Slab checks its rucksack, to find nothing but a handful of copper coins and a head of cabbage. Slab then disarms an alarm on the lift, and Mudgol uses several spells to determine how far up it leads. His locate object spies a winch about 150' up, after a clairvoyance at 200' fails. Odd Jon and Langston have reservations about proceeding any further, so Slab lights the wooden lift platform on fire with a flask of oil, and the PCs leave after the flame starts burning up the ropes.
As they near the exit of the pass between the Vernal Wall, the PCs spy the glint of steel in the late afternoon light ahead. Slab and Darkahn scout forward behind stone cover, and find a field of smaller boulders spread through the mouth of the pass. Suddenly, boulders are hurled at them, nearly missing! It appears the Skull Collars have set an elite task force about blocking the trade route out of Floivin Province, and the PCs are up to their neck in hobgoblins, bugbears, worgs, ogres, and a hill giant. In addition, a dozen goblins join the fray from a pair of hidden caves in shallow pools of water along the sides of the pass. It appears the Skull Collars have had such an ambush in mind, and perhaps used it before! The battle is deadly, the elite goblinoids and giants moving immediately to take Mudgol out of the fight, but the wizard is able to wreak some hell upon them. In the end, the PCs survive without any losses, but heavily banged up.
Looting the enemies, they find a heap of coins and javelins, and a lacquered wooden shield with a reddish pig emblem on it in the giant's bag, which Mudgol determines to be magical. After they impale the goblins and giants' heads on the various captured javelins, setting a grisly warning to those who would follow, they decide to camp out in the pass, taking the Northern ambush cave. Aside from a quickly dispatched goblin looter and a mysterious splashing sound nearby, the night is uneventful. The PCs have also noted that the southern hidey hole has a pass leading into the mountains, perhaps connecting with the hold they discovered earlier.
Verne, Malarous 10th, 868 ID
The PCs rise, distribute some healing spells and potions, and begin the march east, out of Floivin Province. The Frail Forest persists for many more miles, and as the new day fades, they enter the Blue Barrens. Soon they pass the Wetspar from the south, along the Westermarch Road, and while Slab expressed interest in exploring the submerged structure (in the Palepool), Langston decided they must march forward to the next town, to rest for another night. Slab relents, and they proceed, coming upon the mining community of Traeger late in the evening. The Fourth Eidolorn soldiers greet them with kindness, except the half-orcs who some suspicion is cast upon, and they tell them that Mudgol should meet with their local Wizard Elite, Teklos to register his presence and learn the 'ropes' of what magic is and isn't allowed in the towns and cities of Toul Tabor. Langston heads off with Mudgol but also arranges to meet Captain Vrask of the Fourth Eidolorn at the House on the Barrens, a local inn.
Most of the PCs move to get drunk, chatting up the half-elf barkeep at the House. Inquiring after whores, Slab is told to frequent the town's tavern, The Sapphire Glass, where some expensive prostitutes may indeed hang about. Instead, the dwarf gets ripping drunk, treating the local soldiers and patrons to a round of booze. Meanwhile, the barkeep, Bonn Dailor, is fascinated that Darkahn, an elf, is in his establishment, and invites him to chat later in his private quarters. Darkahn refuses, fearing sexual advances! Mudgol and Langston encounter a strange, muttering lunatic in the streets of the village en route to the Wizard Elite's house, and after offering up the Professor to touch, the lunatic attempts to devour it! Langston manages to save the amphibious familiar from a gastric prison, and they arrive at the Wizard Elite's house, asking for Teklos. It turns out that the guards were mistaken, that Teklos has moved on, and the present Wizard Elite is known as Ultremis. He gets Mudgol registered while chatting about the rules and about possible spell trades. He also offers to buy Mudgol's ring, to no avail.
Captain Vrast arrives and chats kindly with Langston and the others after reading their writ. He tells them they must continue along the Great Westermarch, crossing the Fogspan (a vast bridge above the Foggy Gorge), to Tarair in the Grazelands, where they'll find Commander Vhelok. He offers them coin to pay their toll on the Fogspan, demanding that they not attempt to traverse the swampy lowland itself. Langston retrieves Mudgol, and the other PCs trick the wizard into believing that room #5 is his for the night, when it in fact is the half-elf barkeep's! Finally, he heads downstairs and confronts the barkeep, who puts him in room #1 with a black-cloth waddled, snoring brute with a two-hander by his bedside.
PCs: Betrys, Darkahn, Langston, Luz, Mudgol, Slab
NPCs
Barthos the Babbler (human male): Impossibly aged, withered to a tan grapeskin, this hook nosed elder spits as he mutters to himself, casting angry and nervous glares about him constantly while he clutches a stinking, cow-hide bound tome in his arms. Some sort of waxed wooden sigil hangs loosely about his neck on a string of wooden beads, and he has discolored eyes: one reddish, one blue. In an altercation at Traeger, he almost eats Mudgol's familiar the Professor before Langston scares him off.
Bonn Dailor (half-elf male): A fiery haired, handsome half-breed with a square jaw and greenish, gelatin eyes, he tends the bar of the House on the Barrens with a pent wisdom. His hair is short on the sides, long in the back and tied into a massive square braid, and he wears a gold-trimmed apron over russet finery. He's particularly fond of elven visitors, and is delighted to speak his elven tongue when Darkahn arrives.
Ultremis (human male): An extremely thin, tall elderly man who speaks with grace and wears violet robes adorned in glittering star patterns. Ultremis is the recent replacement for Teklos of the Wizard Elite, who has moved on to serve in Wattlewinch where he can explore the local flora and fauna of the Foggy Gorge. Ultremis is an astrologer in addition to a wizard, and lets Mudgol in on the rules of the Province when it comes to offensive and defensive magics.
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