Session 3

Disclaimer: all dialog is an approximation of the actual dialog that took place. Creative liberties may apply

Current location: Marin - Arcadia Region
Time: Evening

Having just heard from the mayor that we would not be allowed to travel further south before dealing with his problems, it was time to inform the prince. I took it upon myself to deliver this wonderful news, fearing dealing with royal annoyance. In the meantime, our righteous paladin Reinhardt made his way over to the refugee camp, and Fenn set out to do some late evening shopping at the market.

Making my way over the bridge, past the barracks, tavern and inn, I finally arrived back at Prince Sabas 's lodgings. The guards at the gate, clearly mellow from whatever booze they were drinking, greeted me with a resigned reluctance. "What is your business at this late hour?" the more composed of the two guards asked me. "I wish to speak to the Prince, if he is still awake. It pertains to his pilgrimage." I replied with my best commanding smile. One grunt and sigh later, the guard turned around and started heading inside. "Wait here, I'll see if his majesty is available," he said. I waited patiently for him to return, occasionally peaking at the remaining guard, who seemed more interested in his cup.

"Dear Adventurers, are you back already? What news?" prince Sabas asked, walking up. Not waiting another moment, I informed the prince of the state of affairs and the inevitable delay. Now, dear reader, since all of you paid vivid attention during the last session, there really is no need to reiterate what these dealings entail. Nevertheless, I will. Yes, there is no need to thank me.

The lands in this region, both east and south of Marin, are troubled by dark dealings and malicious forces. This danger has caused a large number of refugees who are moving up from the south and east towards Arcadia and Marin. The road wardens have closed all roads south of Marin due to the dangers. Only by decree of the Mayor Of Marin or an army commander can one travel south of Marin. The mayor is willing to grant us this freedom, on the condition that we help him with his problems. The towns of Caldrith and Kalikori to the east of Marin are plagued by cultists and enchanted beasts. Information from these regions is limited, and the mayor wants us to find out what is going on there and, if possible, deal with it. Doing this would take a few days. On the bright side, he offered us a total of 6500gp to deal with this problem.

In my infinite wisdom, during my explanation, I did not explicitly state that he would be waiting for us here while we were out dealing with this; by my reckoning, that was implied. Turns out, it was not. The prince excused himself to confer with his father. This left me standing with the definitely sober guards. As I looked over my right shoulder, a questioning look on my face, I made eye contact with the initial guard. "You want a drink?" he asked. "This could be a while." Knowing that dealing with royal disappointment is much better with a drink in your belly, I happily accepted. Turns out that what these guards lack in vigilance, they make up for in moonshining. I received a slightly sweet and potent brew that slid gently down my throat. Reinvigorated, I awaited the prince's return.

The prince stepped out again just as the last remnants of my drink rolled down my throat. No longer was he wearing his regal tunic and overcoat. Before me stood a weathered traveller. The prince was clad in a used brown-red cloak with a plain brown tunic and practical grey pants. From his belt hung a fine blade, and opposite it was room for what I recognised as a spell book. "Well," he spoke with a determined look, "when are we leaving?" Had my throat not burned from the alcohol, it might have been a sputter instead of a raging cough as I blurted out, "We! As in, you are coming with us?" "Yes," he said, looking quizzically. "It's just that," I started. "I mean... well... you know it's dangerous, right?" Taking a second to recollect myself and stop rambling, I continued, "We assumed that your excellency would be awaiting our return here." Before I could continue, he spoke up. "I have discussed it at length with my father. He believes that this will be a great opportunity for me to start on my pilgrimage." Pinching the bridge of my nose, I reluctantly gave in. "If this is what your majesty wishes, then so be it. Have a horse ready and be ready for departure at first light." With a slight bow, I started to turn around and head off. Before I left, however, I turned back and spoke again. "Actually, make that halfway through the morning. We tend not to be that punctual when it comes to mornings." I half caught an excited agreement as he was running back inside. With one last nod to the guards, I left. Not ready to rest, I went for a stroll through town, sending Sly back home in case anyone wondered where I went.

By the time I turned back from the market square and crossed the bridge, I ran into Fenn. Whereas my stroll had not yielded any excitement, he had encountered a small adventure. After splitting from the mayor's house, Fenn had gone straight to the market.
When he arrived, the nicer stalls were packing up, and leftovers were being gathered for the nightly refugee market. Marin, having a refugee camp the size of the city itself, had implemented rules about when refugees were allowed to use the market. Without these rules, the city's logistics would halt due to the number of people attending. Looking for bits and bobbles for his druidic rituals, which were the terms he used, he stumbled upon a hunter's stall. It being late, the stall had run out of most things, but it still had plenty of what Fenn could use.
Tending to the stall was a fair elven huntress. From his description, I would surmise her to be a woodland elf, but I can't know for certain, and on par with our reputation, no names were exchanged. Fenn had picked up on her unsettled nerves and frightful glances towards the edge of the market. She appeared to be keeping a weary eye on some stranger, and in turn, the stranger seemed interested in her. Being the good Samaritan, Fenn helped pack some of her wares and walked her back to the refugee camp.
The stranger saw this and started heading off. Fenn sends his owl familiar to follow the stranger. On the way to the refugee camp, the huntress explained her weariness of the stranger. She was convinced that this strange was a hunter of pointed ears, a despicable kind outlawed in almost all the parts of these lands. At the refugee camp Fenn, the huntress parted. She thanked him and said she was returning to the forest, where she felt safe from any pointed ear hunter.

At the conclusion of this retelling we arrived home, or what would pass for home while we were in Marin. There, having arrived mere moments before us, we found Reinhardt. "Ah, care for something to eat?" he greeted us. We both agreed that we could do with a bit and happily joined him in the kitchen for a evening snack. During this meal Reinhardt recounted his discoveries at the refugee camp.

Having arrived at the refugee camp even before Fenn had reached the market, Reinhardt had set out to do some good. The first person he encountered was a high priest named Renly, who, to no one's surprise, was more than taken aback by a genuine offer of help. While hauling some things around, Reinhardt and Renly spoke of the refugees and their experiences. Most of which had fled from the south. The newer ones, however, were coming from the east, from Caldrith and Kalikori. These speak of cultists, flying monsters and an ever-hungry toad. Not a normal toad, but a monstrosity the size of a warhorse with deep red eyes and unnatural rotten smell. Being kind-hearted and peaceful, these people stood no chance against these evils. Most still alive have fled to Marin, those who remain cower indoors or are taken by cultists. Before parting with Renly, Reinhardt handed him some 50 gold pieces to aid in the care of the refugees.
His next stop was the medical tent, where he used his divine powers to aid those with medical needs. Focusing his efforts on those who would likely not see dawn, he bestowed blessings of vitality. However, there was one peculiar case that required more than mending flesh or quenching disease. One man, dark crystals growing from his skin, was panting, grasping for air. Taking some time to speak to this man, he learned this.
A little over a month ago, people first spotted a sign of blight at the high hills north of Kalikori. Not thinking much of it, most had ignored it, and life went on. It was merely a week ago that the blight had kept down and reached the lower lands. Plants were dying, and strange crystal protrusions started to grow. This growth began to affect the people.
With the power of remove curse, Reinhardt cured the man of the crystals, at which the crystals pulverised in Reinhardt's hands.
Before leaving, a medic informed Reinhardt that most of the wounds seemed not to have been made by a bladed weapon, but it was almost as if the blood was forcefully ripped from them from the inside.

Now all chough up on events the three of us discussed our next steps. Reinhardt pointed out that these crystal growths could be some sort of food for the toad. The rumors of the toads effects on minds also let us to seek protection from such things. We planned on seeing the mayor for any aid or leads in magical trained people.

The following morning, after breakfast at around nine, we found ourselves back where we started, in front of the city hall. At the sounding of the third knock, the door swung open, and a servant greeted us. "Pleasant morning, adventurers. What can this office do for you?" "We would like a meeting with the mayor, be he available, we have some information and questions on the task laid upon us", I replied in the voice my father used when speaking to officials. "Most certainly," the reply came, "would you like some tea while waiting on the mayor?" "yes please" I replied followed by Reinhardt's "That sound nice." Fenn opted to wait outside, still drowsy from the night's rest and not wanting to appear rude or merely not wanting to be annoyed by social interaction.
Once inside, we wasted no breath and relayed all we had learned about the cult and the monstrous creatures. "I do want to point out that you hired us to gather information," Reinhardt said to the mayor after having explained the whole ordeal. "But I suppose that we might as well deal with the problem in good spirits and make ourselves some toad soup." He finished with a grin. "That being said, you would not happen to have some mind protection charms or a wizard that could cast such a spell lying about? You see, we have heard of the toad's mind-altering effects and will take every edge we can get." "Unfortunately, not, no charm nor wizards," the mayor replied. After a quick think, he continued: "The only one I could think of is the mage apprentice two doors down from your own lodgings. She is not very experienced yet, and her mentor is out of town, but who knows." Excited at the chance of some magic protections, we got up simultaneously. "An apprentice might do fine. Could you introduce us?" I asked. "Yes, we will be off soon and want to see the mage as quickly as possible", Reinhardt added. "I'll send word of you ahead so she will expect you. Best of luck, adventurers," the mayor spoke as we made our way to the door. We thanked him for the tea, collected Fenn and rushed off to see if the prince was ready.

To our great surprise, the prince was more than ready. Once again, in his travelling attire, he was sitting on the front porch reciting lines from a thick leather-bound tome. As soon as he spotted us, he jumped up, slammed his book closed, and attached it to the spot on his belt designed for such burdens. With an eager excitement in his voice, he spoke to us, "I'm all set, horse saddled, provisions packed, and blade sharpened. Where are we off to?" The excitement in both his voice and step had not gone unnoticed by us, and we all shared a quick, worried glance, wondering what we had gotten ourselves into now. "We are not quite ready to leave just yet," I said. Reinhardt walked up to him, asking, "Is your father awake? We have learned much about the dealings of our journey and thought it wise to inform you both, as well as ask for mind protections if you can spare them." "I'll fetch him right away," the prince answered. It was thus that, minutes later, Reinhardt would recite the tales for a third time, asking again for any mind protections against the toad. "We have but one thing that I could think of," the elven lord spoke, "let me send for a servant to fetch it."
Soon, a servant returned with an ornate wooden box of the finest dark oak. Opening the box showed a deep red velvet interior, with in its midst a gleaming talisman with a centre gem surrounded by elven runes. "It will not fully protect against the altering of a mind, but should offer the wearer a much greater resistance against being influenced. It is the only one we have, a priceless family heirloom. You may use it on your quest." We looked at each other, every one of us confident that whatever this toad had in mind for us, we could take it. Thus, it was decided that if the prince was still keen on joining, he should at least wear his own family's heirloom. As the prince started running off to his horse, we stopped him again. "Your majesty, before we leave town, we have one errand left to run. We are meeting the mage apprentice of this city. It might be best to proceed on foot for now," I spoke as we started walking towards the street where we spent the night.