The group spent this meeting following the clues which had them running back to Erylond and then again to Paxian and finally Bork Keep. The "solution" involves going into the Terror Dungeon and gives the party an opportunity to adjust the makeup accordingly and try the delve again. Their mission is focused on a particular locale and destination and then leave - but that remains to be seen if it'll be the play of it.
Write up follows:
It took us a few minutes to ready ourselves for the trip back to Erylond from Paxian, the bad news about Hjalgrim weighing heavily on the cavalier’s mind. The decision was to go back to the Wizard-Lord Shandrila, present her with the stoneware jug, and then ask her if she know of the Freyleaf Astringent and possibly a way to ameliorate its effects.
We decided that we would force march our way westward, trusting to the night, our strength of arms, and the purpose of our trip to keep us safe. We left Paxian through the main gate, passed through Slopover, and then made our way to the main Trade road where we espied one of King Seljack’s mounted knights sleeping on the side of the muddy roadbed using his horse’s stomach as a pillow.
By a quarter after 6 we were out of Canaslan and moving at a ground eating lope westward. This late in the day we say few travelers until almost 8 when a 3 cart caravan coming our direction on its way to Canaslan reported the road behind them was clear all the way to Erylond save for a Thorpe to the north of the road where some villagers were have a local festival. We both passed without issue and by quarter to 10, passed the merriment making village as we had expected.
We trouped on, growing more and more tired and weary as we travelled, the miles passing behind us until we eventually saw the lights of Eylond in the distance and we arrived at the East Gate by 11:15. The guards passed us in and we stayed along the main road along southwall until we managed to come to the Mages’ District on the east end of town. We went to the Tower of Winds, expecting to leave message that we’d like audience in the morning when we were informed that Wizard-Lord Shandrila is currently up and often stays awake for days at a time. Yes, she would see us now.
We dropped weapons and were made welcome once again at her study on the third floor where Shandrila met with us. We gave her the jug, she checked the seal, checked the contents, and declared herself happy with the matter. She asked as to Thimbles and his wares and then we turned to Hjalgrim and his affliction on his back. She looked it over and gave Hjalgrim a pitying look.
The “Crackling” is indeed fatal – faster is a multiple or concentrated dosage does get upon one’s skin. Freyleaf is not grown anywhere near here, instead it appears in an area between here and Asgard referred to as Freystag – a sort of pocket garden where the lord of nature grows wondrous things and tries them out to see if they can be incorporated here in Midgard. Freyleaf is harvested there (often without Lord Frey’s knowledge or consent) and then it is rendered down, dried, pulverized, and reconstituted under exacting parameters to become the Astringent – the entire process taking the better part of a half year.
As for cures, there is none – its job is to dry out spores, molds, slimes, and fungi – anything without a skin. We asked about gelatinous creatures and she said to a lesser degree – gelatinous creatures such as cubes have a membranous skin and is not the best. She did suggest that if a slime or ooze of sufficient mobility and virulence were placed upon the Crackling area, it should be enough to cease its spread and end the affliction – but this was educated conjecture at best.
Does she have any slime, or do we know anyone who does? The long answer? No, that sort of stuff is highly dangerous and typically needs a dark wet area to grow and thrive. A few crazy people in the past have tried to transport and sell it but the damage done was astronomical and 11 of the nearest 15 cities have such types of slimes and oozes declared as illegal to have, own, buy, or sell.
We thanked her and left, heading north to the Livestock district where we took a pair of room at workman’s tavern called the “Fox and Hen.” Ok, Does Thimbles have green slime? Trip back to Paxian. Terror Dungeon? Maybe it’s there, that’s a day to the east. The group remembered seeing some at a lake near the Base Camp in the Moratian Mountain passed Sorton – 6 SOLID days to the west. And no guarantee it was still there.
According to Shandrila, it was maybe 4 or 5 days of spreading Crackling as it works its way further across the person’s skin and then 5 or 6 days of terrible agony and it continues to consume them outside and works its way deeper into their body and then death. Hjalgrim thanked the group for their efforts and we decided to send some aviaries out tomorrow. One to Thimbles in Paxian to see if he had any and green slime and if so, get it ready for us. One to Connal @ Bork Keep and ask him to let us know if the group had found any green slime and where to go and get it – reply to us in Paxian if need be. And Hjalgrim wanted one to be sent back to Sorton to the Temple of Tyr there – because he was under the impression according to his vision at the time of his knighting that he had a “purpose” and was not supposed to be this close to death. The entire situation had shaken the cavalier and he was much more tractable and understanding to the group.
We slept and Dizzy might have gone out to ask his contact at the Stinky Cat if they had any avenues on where to get green slime from before coming back and the group getting to sleep. We decided not to eat hear and instead went further south to a restaurant called “Salted Toys” where we ate our full and were back on the road by 9ish going east to Paxian. Hjalgrim had sent off the 3 avians earlier and we hoped to arrive in Canaslan with some good news waiting.
It wasn’t.
He had none on hand and only a small number in the time in the past had he ever had an opportunity to get some. Of all the adventuring groups, only the Unseen Hand, run by a dwarf named Walt Grimbeard, ever had the green slime to sell, and it was a few small vials that he transported in enchanted glassware to withstand blows. How much? Thimbles had paid at one point as much as 20 crowns for a vial but its only if he has a market and buyer for it because it’s terribly dangerous to store and transport and illegal as hell.
Hjalgrim helped pay for Thimbles to write to Walt in Erylond (we assumed) if he would know WHERE to find green slime in the Terror Dungeon and if so, forward that info to the group there as soon as possible.
We then pressed on to Bork Keep – arriving there just after 8 PM that night. We got to meeting from the outriders, informed of what was required of us, and then met with the locals in the Keep and directed to the Visitor Halls where we saw our companions were actually in the Terror Dungeon at this time. We looked into the aviary where we received OUR note addressed to Connal and Thalin…wrote a missive to Pha-iyr Carom that we DID have King Seljack’s signature on the Letters of Credit and we got sidetracked in order to help a hurt companion.
We had an opportunity to then meet with Lord Corface Bork, learn about the group’s efforts so far, and then rested.
It was Spiritmonth the 9th in the morning when the Vanguards of Ragnarok were all together again. We all shared our experiences over the last 4 or 5 days with each other. The decision was that half the party head back to Erylond with the two Letters of Credit and the other half go into the Terror Dungeon armed with Darius’ map in order to find the room we suspected had the green slime in it. Avulstein was belligerent and commented often that he had survived death twice and for now was NOT going back into that fucking hellhole. He had some nasty words with Dizzy and Hjalgrim who called him out for not paying him back for the cavalier laying out HIS share of the Terror Dungeon Amulet.
We decided that Hjalgrim, Percy, Negan, Sybil, Gryg, Peris, Dizzy, and Connal would be going back into the Terror Dungeon for the third time after 7:30 this evening to take care of Hjalgrim’s back. We made some purchases, moved some equipment around, and after resting the day and adjusting our spells, were ready to go to the Terror Dungeon again.
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