Game Two, Part 1
Our adventurers return to the dojo with a rescued Chicken, finding the battle over and the dojo safe..
They report the details of the fight, and Grimble leans in when he hears the goblins and devils were fighting each other. Grimble suspects there’s rift between the Abyssal and the Infernal: each wanted the Chicken exclusively.
Grimble consults his loom, but whatever he sees there is inconclusive.
He decides he needs more information.
While Forf remains in the dojo to help restore the grounds and care for the animals, Tharla and Gregory are sent to Ur-et-Scatia with secret instructions. Brialle, Maeglin, and Calaena are given the task of finding out what Baron Saturday on the Isle of Craptopia knows.
To escort the party to Craptopia, Grimble sends for Danelia and Muffins Tuflel. Danelia, a gnome ranger from Grand Fenwick, is a Blightwalker — a society dedicated to gathering up dangerous artifacts pre-dating the war. Muffins is one of Grimble’s lawyers from the firm of Platinum, Silver, Bronze, Copper, and Iron — Gimbles’ representatives in matters of the Law.
The Baron is unlikely to part with any information about recent events, so he instructs Brialle to seek out Ogg, a cleric of her order in the town of Sea Side on Craptopia, and Danelia is instructed to secure the cooperation of Ioland, the Burgoman of the village. Grimble also presents Maeglin and Calaena with letters that they are to give Baron Saturday, once they arrive at the estate.
During this time, some of the adventurers are visited by omens. Maeglin is surrounded by ravens, who mock him with the phrase, “Take the steps, the steps to see!” Brialle dreams of an old man who is confused and anxious, repeating the names of spells he cannot remember and cannot choose: lesser restoration, remove curse, greater restoration, remove evil. Tadriel visits Calaena in a dream, instructing her to seek out any clues the Baron might have to “Ubu’s Pattern.”
They set off early in the morning from Grimble’s Island, warned that nighttime on Craptopia can be… “problematic.” They should arrive early enough in the day to establish contact with Ogg and Iolanda, and then get to the Baron’s Estate before sundown.
On the way over, however, Brialle notes storm clouds approaching, before she loses her balance and falls out of the boat. Calaena, reaches back and hauls her back on to the boat safely, but Brialle is correct to point out that there is a storm on the way. The journey to Craptopia is both harder and longer than expected. They arrive in late afternoon, and all are exhausted from the journey, save Muffins.
On the journey over, however, Brialle takes the time to get to know her companions better, though not too much better as they are for the most part tight lipped.
In the harbor, they see ships on varying styles and types, including a three-masted sailing ship from the pre-War era — the recognize it as a cargo ship traveling from the factories at Newur, with finished goods destined (probably) for Ur-et-Scatia. They see no sailers or crew on any of these boats. They see no lights or motion from the town. They see some sea birds, and that is all.
Tied at stone dock in the circular quay inside the breakwater, they guardedly make their way up the stone steps hewn into the cliff side. At the top, they enter the southwestern side of the town, which is an open market. It is empty. They investigate. There are no signs of struggle or battle.
Brialle wanders into a small barn in the yard of one of the homes, where she finds a golden egg. Some of the party see a flash of color and motion behind the house, but can’t make out who or what it is. Inspecting the egg, they see it is now silver. Muffins politely, but firmly, asks for the egg, declaring it “A matter of the Law.” Muffins takes the egg, which about the size of a chicken egg, and carefully places it in his pouch. Brialle is not entirely satisfied with this situation, as she like eggs — or more importantly, she likes the animals that come out of eggs that you find in mangers attached to houses.
Proceeding north, the party sees, just at the edge of the town square, a goblin mounted on a hyena. He wears a duck on his head and carries a large flag or standard tied to his back (they can’t quite make out the emblem, but they assume it is a duck.) He shouts out twice, once in Goblin and once in Undercommon, “You are welcome to what you find here.” He then dashes off.
Nearing the down square, the party finds a detachment of goblins. They carry the symbol of the duck. And, they are all dead. They have clearly killed each other in some kind of fight among themselves.
Proceeding to the town square, they find this too is empty, save a broom leaning against the fountain in the center of the square.
They investigate the buildings off the square, starting with the chapel.
The chapel is a simple building with a meeting hall and a room on the back, featuring a latter to a small bell tower on the roof. Entering the room in the back, Brialle recognizes this as the room from her dream with the distressed cleric. They assume this man to be Ogg, and they find the spells on is desk that he had been consulting: calm emotions, lesser restoration, remove curse, greater restoration, remove evil. They also find a chain shirt and a mace, presumably Ogg’s — which Brialle barrows for the time being.
They stay in the chapel that night, taking the time to learn a little more about themselves. Danelia explains that she is a Blightwalker, and her job is to gather up dangerous artifacts from the War and see to it that they are disposed of properly — and especially that they don’t fall into the wrong hands. She indicates that she has some sort of special container just for that purpose. Maeglin talks somewhat about poetry. Brialle talks a lot about everything. Muffins and Calaena mostly keep to themselves. It’s generally agreed to that Grimble is a weird guy. Danelia — who is from the Duchy of Grand Fenwick — expresses the opinion that everything in the West has a funny name and is populated by strange people.
Nearby, a mournful cry disturbs Muffins during the first watch. Muffins warns Brialle and Danelia at their watch. Danelia takes to the tower, hearing the mournful cry — but now at some distance.
The rest of the night passes without incident.
In the morning, Danelia and Maeglin investigate the Inn. Danelia discovers food. Maeglin discovers a chest being held at the Inn, pending the arrival of someone named Bord-Flak.
(phrom Phineus Fingers, in the Dragon Magazine)
The chest contains bags of gems (itemized below).
Danelia disapproves of Maeglin… barrowing… these gems. Maeglin is immune to Danelia’s disapproval.
In the town hall, they find the Doomsday Book, with the census of nearly a thousand people — all vanished. They find Iolanda’s journal, with a single entry noting that Iolanda has appealed to the Baron, who assures her that everything is as designed.
This is the final entry. In the guards station, they find no sign of worry or concern: the arms are still under lock. The building is in order. The captain of the guard’s armor and weapons are in his office. Danelia barrows the captain’s weapon, suspecting there are spirits about — and knowing that arcane weapons are needed to do real harm on creatures that are both in the material and the ethereal at the same time.
Exiting back into the square, they see the broom has moved.
Calaena investigate the broom with Mage Hand. The broom, disturbed, attacks and destroys the Mage Hand.
Muffins proceeds to attack the broom as a matter of the Law. This seems to annoy a number of other brooms, and they enter the square….
ROLL INITIATIVE!
Muffins struggles with the brooms, and he is nearly beaten to death. Maeglin assists Celaena in fighting off two brooms, while Brialle calls down a bolt of radiant energy that leaves nothing but a few embers drifting in the dim light of the still morning. Danelia does well with her crossbow, but in close quarters loses her grip on her newly acquired short sword and watches it arch gracefully out of her hand and sail across the square; Misfortune visits Danelia, taking pity on her for her terrible luck all night, and resets time. Drawing the sword, once again, Danelia watches it fly from her fingers, and Misfortune tells her that she’s pushing her luck with him, too.
As the fight with the brooms… rages… at least as violently as a fight can rage with animated brooms, a shadow peels away from a wall on the town square in the dim morning light, and attacks. The brooms prove to be dangerous, but the shadow is positively (or perhaps negatively) dangerous. Calaena, casting mage armor, manages to avoid the shadow’s life-draining strike. Maeglin finishes it off, striping shadow from shadow until the head of the spirit is disincorporated and drifts off.
The party, injured, exhausted, and somewhat embarrassed about nearly being killed by brooms, take a rest and heal.