The Roots
As Artair is heading back to tell the others what the plant-life told him, he notices something attached to a waist-high tree branch.
They stand above the Pack Lord in the clearing while he bleeds out. Many of the creatures are dead; a few have fled. Among those that have fled were the 2 Fangs that were seemingly of meaningful rank.
ARTAIR: Hey, take a look at this.
They decide this aligns well with their intended direction north. They realize the left-most arrow might be pointing toward Bear Island, which means the other one would be along the coast to the north-northwest.
They are deciding whether they should go west, then follow the coast or maybe go north through the mountains, then east. A twig snaps in the forest.
The Archers
The two archers are standing watch when they hear one of their own howl from the clearing.
HYROLD: Sundown.
Gyrlop looks at him with disdain.
GYRLOP: No.
HYROLD: Best kind of…
Gyrlop whips him in the face with his bow.
HYROLD: What the fuck, man??
GYRLOP: That’s on you. Shut up with that bullshit. Tired of it.
HYROLD: Doesn’t make it less true.
GYRLOP: Doesn’t make you less of an idiot.
Hyrold blots at his nose with his paw.
HYROLD: Hey, what’s that out there?
Hyrold points towards the horizon.
Gnoll hunters were specially selected for their ability to see far distances without any special equipment. Most gnolls can see maybe a half mile; hunters must be able to see for at least 2 miles.
Gyrlop looks through squinted eyes but can’t make anything out. His eyes had been getting a worse lately, and he’s been afraid to lose his rank so he’s kept it to himself.
GYRLOP: I think I see… Oh yeah, I see that.
HYROLD: Fuck you. Bullshit. That was a test. Who’s the idiot now? There ain’t nothing out here. There’s never nothing out here.
Gyrlop grits his teeth, but doesn’t say a word. They both have stood on the same guard together for quite a while; neither wants to lose the other, but there will certainly not be any apologies.
The aggression wanes and they get to talking about how boring the post is, but that the meals make it worth the boredom.
GYRLOP: I do wonder what this is all for. I’d never ask, but questions cross my mind.
HYROLD: I’ve overheard the Fangs talking with Pack Lord the other day and they said something about losing contact with the outpost to the south.
GYRLOP: Really?
HYROLD: That’s what I heard. Not sure why they think our location would be in danger. Could’ve been anything down there. I heard there are giant worms as big as the Wall down there!
GYRLOP: Oh come on. How could that be. Really Hyrold, you’re about the most gullible…
HYROLD: What’s that?
GYRLOP: I’m not falling for that again.
Hyrold turns behind them towards the forest.
HYROLD: No. Seriously.
Suddenly, they hear the sounds of their Pack Lord calling out, “COME OUT AND FIGHT!”
GYRLOP: Just the typical nonsense.
HYROLD: I don’t know man. That sounded more…
He is cut off by Pack Lord screaming out in frustration. Gyrlop and Hyrold look at each other.
GYRLOP: Look, if this is serious, we can’t exactly go in there with these.
He motions at their bows.
GYRLOP: It’s not like we’re ready for close combat here.
Just then they are joined by Turiolk and Jovkren. They agree that this sounds like more than rambunctiousness in the ranks.
TURIOLK: The other two from our post are meeting up with the rest of them on the other side.
HYROLD: Let’s start in.
Just as they take their first steps, they stop in their tracks when they notice a column of moonlight focused down on the clearing. There is more to this, but surely the rest of the pack would be taking down whoever is responsible. Right?
The four of them enter the woods. They get in about 50 feet or so before they can see a group of treefolk in the clearing. The gnolls glance around, looking for any signs of more of them. Was it really only four of them that have taken down Pack Lord Traygon?
They proceed cautiously. With all their focus on their prey and their relative lack of stalking practice recently, having been at this post for so long with very little activity, Jovkren isn’t watching his footing as well as he should be. He steps on a twig with a snap. The sound might as well be an ear-splitting screech. They all stop and watch the party for signs they’ve been heard or spotted.
Why All This Fire?
One of the treefolk conjures a flame in his hand and hurls it at Jovkren. He whelps as it scorches his fur and catches the fringes of his ratty leather. He quickly pats it out and rushes in to attack. The treefolk is rushing towards him as well. Jovkren’s mouth waters for the fresh meal he’s about to eat when suddenly, his opponent suddenly vanishes. He looks around for where he could be, but his has completely vanished.
JOVKREN: Tricky bastards! They use magic!
The other gnolls quickly get into defensive stances, but they know they must be the aggressors if they are to win the day and have their tendies. After just a few moments, they rush in towards the rest of the treefolk.
They land several successful blows, bringing one of them unconscious. Suddenly, a small spirit-like wolf creature appears beside Turiolk and bites through his skin. It feels as if he’s been bitten from the inside of his arm rather than from the outside. It hurts all the same, but the sensation is even more frightening.
Turiolk and Jovkren thrust their spears into the creature, plunging deep into the beast. The weapons don’t get any fleshy feedback, but they definitely did some serious damage.
One of the treefolk leans down to their fallen ally in the clearing. A shimmering blue aura surrounds the one lying on the ground and the other one just vanishes. The one on the ground stands up and brushes himself off before also vanishing.
Suddenly, Gyrlop is hit from behind by a splash of fire. It doesn’t cause him significant physical pain, but the psychological impact of fighting these things is taking a toll already. They are everywhere and nowhere all at once. How do they even fight these things? This must be what being prey feels like. Their only hope is to overwhelm their enemies. Clearly shaken, Gyrlop runs out into the clearing and falls to one knee. He calls out for reinforcements.
The spirit wolf is a little too close for Hyrold’s comfort and he takes a step back. The wolf notices this however, and manages to nip one of Hyrold’s fingers. Hyrold continues to back up as he notches an arrow, but stumbles backward and falls onto his back. A fire bursts out beneath him just as he strikes the rocky ground. He manages to roll out of the way, but not before his fur and skin is badly burned.
The only creature remaining in sight now is the wolf; all of the treefolk have simply vanished.
The wolf bites Turiolk again in his midsection, tearing a significant amount of flesh from his body. Blood quickly runs down his body. Turiolk attempts to return the strike, but lightheadedness is already setting in and he misses with his spear.
Jovkren attempts to skewer the wolf, but he catches sight of one of the treefolk with long claws lunging at Turiolk from the dim forest. It throws off Jovkren’s footing and the wolf easily sidesteps the attack.
Turiolk never stood a chance against this sneak attack. The treefolk digs its claws in deep and tears open Turiolk’s gaping wound and he falls to his back. The wound fills with a greenish sizzling ooze after just a moment. And a moment is all that the treefolk sticks around for before vanishing again. Turiolk whimpers with his last few breaths before falling silent. His wispy spirit escapes his body.
Gyrlop is once again afflicted with a spontaneous fire breakout on his back. He immediately drops to the ground to put it out. He falls onto a bonfire that was not there a moment ago. The smoke from his fur almost entirely masks the sight of the wispy spirit that escapes his burning corpse.
Hyrold sees one of the treefolk and looses an arrow at it. It strikes true! Finally. At least these things can be hit if they are seen. It looks to have caused significant damage too. The success is fleeting as he considers what it’s going to take to win the battle. A second later, this is confirmed when he is tackled by one of the treefolk. The creature bites through his neck, leaving an acidic ooze in the wound. Hyrold attempts to call out, but is only able to gurgle as his air escapes from his neck through a thick bloody pool. His wispy spirit escapes just as the treefolk vanishes again.
The wolf focuses his attention on Jovkren. Jovkren thinks of fleeing for a split second but knows that will be a fatal mistake. He must defend and riposte. Running… staying… the difference may not be material. The wolf bites hard and Jovkren realizes just how foreign these creatures are. Suddenly one of the treefolk is upon him. Fuck. Before he has the chance to react, the treefolk reaches out and touches him. He feels a sudden rush of cold wash over him; his fur stands on end as tiny icicles form. Frostbite burns his skin underneath. The frostbite fades after a second or two, and just as he is able to move again, the treefolk vanishes. He will not survive another onslaught. Where are their reinforcements?? Just then, he hears movement in the woods. Finally…
JOVKREN: OVER HERE!!!
The Roots
Duncann, currently 20 feet up a tree, hears more of these things approaching from the northeast. They’ve done well so far, but he’s not sure they can handle another large group of these gnolls. It’s time to run. Confident that these things can’t understand him, he shouts to the others.
DUNCANN: MORE ON THE WAY! FROM THE NORTHEAST! MEET WEST!
He fey steps to the top of another tree 30 feet to the west. Draven is sure to stop concentrating on his spirit animal so they won’t know where to follow them then he, and the others, follow along, dashing and fey stepping as quickly as possible westward.
Draven is the farthest west first and realizes he just fey stepped behind 2 hunters that were approaching from the west. This is a great opportunity to get the jump on them! He notices that Artair is just in front of the hunters about 20 feet or so, behind a tree. It doesn’t look like the hunters have seen him yet, so he holds his position, waiting for the right opportunity.
Duncann fey steps into another tree, and sees 2 hunters ahead. He looks around and doesn’t notice any other enemies, but he sees Artair is almost directly below him! He doesn’t yet realize that Draven is only about 20 feet behind the hunters, but like Draven, he decides to hold tight. He is hoping the hunters pass by without incident so they can get away.
The hunters move cautiously eastward through the woods. They come up to the tree where Artair is standing. Artair holds his breath. One of them steps beside Artair and springs into action once they notice him.
The gnoll hunter looses an arrow, but he is so close that Artair knocks the bow with his arm, sending the arrow wide and preventing a second shot. The other hunter is to his side and is only able to graze him with one of his arrows.
Draven unleashes a bonfire under one of the hunters, but it quickly jumps out of the way.
Artair fey steps away from the hunters westward and realizes he’s just reached the edge of the tree line. He continues to run through the open ground to get away from the amazing and deadly forest patch.
Lucian sees the commotion and bypasses it, following Artair closely. Duncann remains in the treetops and fey steps closer to Draven.
The hunters continue to look around for the party, but the bonfire’s light has thrown off their night vision and they cannot see much farther than the light cast from the fire.
Draven stops for a moment, watching the bonfire-lit hunters searching their immediate area. He lights another bonfire under the one that dodged it last time. This time, the creature is not so lucky. Its bow and leather armor ignite and it takes off running deeper into the forest towards the center clearing. The other hunter follows immediately after.
Draven fey steps closer to Artair and Lucian, running not far behind. They still don’t know where Duncann is so they get prone to watch the situation. It’s not more than a few minutes before the little guy comes running from the forest. Too early to celebrate, but it’s looking pretty good.
Artair, Draven, and Lucian stand up and continue to run westward, away from the forest patch. Duncann sees them now, and it is only a matter of time before they can feel relatively safe.
And that is how the Roots finished dispatching and escaping their first Gnoll Camp.
Group Gnoll Sex?
After about an hour’s travel away from the forest patch, they finally feel they’ve escaped.
DRAVEN: I’m not sure I’ll be much good to us if we don’t get a rest very soon.
They all agree and find a rocky outcrop to set up camp for what remains of the night and through most of the morning. Their rest is good enough to regain some health, but many of their abilities will require more time — or perhaps they need a better resting place.
They travel towards the coast then follow the shoreline northwards. The cold they feel day and night wears on them, but after a week of uninterrupted travel, everyone feels fully rested.
The terrain over this time has become increasingly rocky. First it was just a roughness felt with every step, then they found larger and larger rocky outcrops. Two large hills catch their attention near a cave with its mouth opened to the sea. At the shore near the cave stand several gnolls: 3 with spears, 2 with bows, and 1 of the more feral type.
Duncann is the first to point out that this cave might in fact be the circle along the shore on the scrap they found. Maybe that cave is hiding a boat! They decide it’s time to ambush them. They plan to split up into 2 groups, each taking the crest of a hill and coordinating a surprise attack.
Artair and Draven slowly make their way up the middle hill and peek over top. They see the gnolls just screwing around and know the gnolls have not spotted them.
Seeing that Artair and Draven are safely in place, Duncann and Lucian climb the first hill; the southern-most one closest to where they’d arrived. They climb the steepest section of the hill because the gnolls cannot have any line of sight on them. When they get to the top, they see that the middle of the hill’s apex is cut out and a hole descends underground with a ladder. It must go down 40 feet. He can see the bottom is rough and stony, but it seems to be a floor.
Duncann peeks over the edge and listens carefully. He can hear small grunts echoing through the chamber below. And it smells like…
DUNCANN: Fucking gnolls.
Artair and Draven can see that their friends have found something but don’t know what yet. They watch intently for any signals.
LUCIAN: Ok, let’s fall back and regroup.
Duncann waves his allies over with some impromptu signals. Draven taps Artairwith the back of his hand.
DRAVEN: You know what he’s saying?
ARTAIR: Is he talking about group gnoll sex?
They see Duncann and Lucian descend their hill so they follow suit and make their way over to them.
DUNCANN: We found a ladder going down from the top of this hill. The gnolls must have tunnels underground here. Probably a cave system.
ARTAIR: Ohhh… A group of gnolls in a tunnel. Not gnoll “tunnels” explored as a group.
DUNCANN: Whattt??
DRAVEN: Nevermind.
They all agree to have Artair do the first scouting mission as stealthily as he can to make his way to the cave entrance, and hopefully grab a boat.
Artair descends the ladder slowly. The scent from the smelly gnoll hole intensifies. Pungent, but not overwhelming. He reaches a point where his feet reach the top of a ceiling. This is definitely a tunnel as part of a larger cave system. He slowly makes his way down enough to see that the tunnel leads to either side of the ladder. In the dim light, he can see that to his right (west), the tunnel curves around to the right (north); to his left (east), he can see a gnoll at the intersection of a fork in the tunnels, to the left (north) and right (east).
Artair looks up and sees the others watching his progress. He waves for them to follow, but puts a finger over his lips so they keep quiet. He casts Pass Without Trace when they get closer and they continue down to the floor. They move away from the gnoll, deciding to follow the western tunnel that curves northward.
However, before they even start moving, the gnoll at the fork starts slowly towards them. Artair recognizes that although they’ve not been spotted yet, this gnoll spells trouble and needs to be taken out quickly and quietly. Artair produces his Thornwhip and thrashes it at the gnoll; it wraps around the creature’s waist. Artair pulls the creature towards him 10 feet with a tug. The rest of the party piles on, taking the gnoll close to death. In its badly-injured state, it is gasping for breath and tries to flee towards the east. It manages to let out a loud echoing cry for help just as Duncann manages to strike the creature. The gnoll falls to the ground in a thud, its blood running freely from its newly-administered head wound.
The party look to each other and hurriedly, yet quietly, agree to some semblance of a plan.
Spyders
Duncann quickly helps Lucian strap the gnoll to his back. Draven rushes up the ladder. Lucian carries the gnoll up the ladder and, once he gets to the top, Draven helps unload the creature while keeping low to the ground as to not alert the gnolls near the shore. The shadows that had enveloped them have now dripped away as they left Artair’s influence.
Meanwhile, Artair and Duncann transform into spiders to explore the tunnels unnoticed. They see four gnolls with spears and one feral gnoll approaching from the western tunnel. The spiders climb up the walls to the ceiling to watch and wait. The gnolls find blood not far from the ladder and seem to conclude that he went up the ladder. Three more gnolls with spears show up from the east. The two groups convey some information and seem to shrug it off, each returning the way they came.
The spiders follow the group to the west. The tunnel opens to a chamber maybe 50 feet across. Other than the way they came, this room opens to two tunnels, one directly across from where they entered (northwest) and another to the right (north).
The spiders follow the northern tunnel, which curves westward and opens to a cavern with 4 branches. Tunnels lead directly south, southwest, and northwest – the fourth branch leads to a circular pool of water about 15 feet across with only cave walls on the other sides. It looks like it could be fairly deep and might be part of some underwater tunnels.
Artair and Duncann want to reach the cave entrance near the shore, so they follow the northwest tunnel first, but that ultimately leads to a dead end. They follow the southwest tunnel next. More gnolls; two with spears, four with bows. They are standing around a sheet of fabric that looks very lightweight and is folded over itself many times. The room has no other entrances or exits.
Artair and Duncann hatch a plan. Artair enters the chamber along a wall undetected. Duncann leaves for the pool of water. He walks onto the surface of the water and morphs into a dolphin. He splashes around wildly making significant noise. Draven and Lucian hear some sort of splashing from the surface but don’t know what to make of it.
Within moments, six gnolls and a gnawer are standing near the pool, staring at what seems to be a confused and possibly trapped dolphin. The gnawer’s mouth waters with a newly found hunger. The four hunters are still in the chamber with Artair, but they are all at the entrance to the room with their backs to the fabric.
Artair sees his chance. He morphs back into himself, grabs the fabric, and casts Invisibility. He brings the fabric to the wall and packs it into his bag as quickly as possible while still trying to be quiet. Eventually one of the hunters looks behind him and does a double-take when he no longer sees the fabric. He calls out immediately and all of the hunters begin searching the chamber. The rest of the gnolls don’t know what they’re on about, but this dolphin is just too much fun to leave it.
Although the hunters get a little too close to Artair at times, he very adeptly evades their grabby paws. Whatever this thing is, it is very important to them. Artair slowly makes his way towards the entrance of the room. One of them gets a little too close for comfort and so Artair Misty Steps out of the room into the middle of the chamber, just behind the gnolls watching the dolphin. The hunters are instantly infatuated and confused by the shimmery mist that appears from nowhere.
Artair doesn’t wait around to watch what happens next. Still invisible, he cautiously makes his way to the ladder without incident. Draven and Lucian are lying down on top of the hill when Artair comes out, but they do not hear him, and they certainly do not see him. He gets close to them and says, “boo!” They both jump, startled, but hold it together – barely. He stops his invisibility just after to put them at ease.
LUCIAN: So what did you find?
ARTAIR: Duncann turned into a dolphin as a distraction while I stole a piece of fabric.
DRAVEN: Wait wait wait… a dolphin? For fabric?
ARTAIR: Yeah. I’ll get into that. I just hope he can get out of there. We think it led to an underwater tunnel system. I think we should make our way south along the coastline just a bit to wait for him. I have no idea what this fabric is, but it’s clearly important to these things, so we figured we should take it.
DRAVEN: I thought you were going down there for a boat.
ARTAIR: No boat that I saw… yet. There’s a whole cave system down there.
DRAVEN: You don’t say.
Duncann continues splashing until the gnolls get a little too rowdy and start attacking him. He takes the hits and quickly swims into the tunnel. He quickly arrives at a four-way intersection of underwater tunnels. He swims west and finds himself swimming under a dock. He surfaces and, after ensuring there are no enemies here, realizes this is the cave entrance. At the docks are two rowboats.
He knows he has a way out to the sea now, but he wants to explore the other underwater tunnels first. He explores the north fork and finds a dead end. He explores the east fork and finds his way at yet another four-way intersection. Both the south and east legs are quick dead ends, so he swims through the northern fork of this intersection. It quickly curves to the east and finds it ends in another pool that leads to a different section of the cave system.
He peeks his head out of the water and finds that he is along a curved section of tunnel that goes left (east) and right (curve to the south). He swims out to the sea, then south along the cost about 300 feet. He beaches himself and turns back into Duncann.
Duncann scurries across the rocky terrain straight away from the shoreline to intercept the way they’d approached the hills earlier. He turns towards the north just as he sees the others making their way south, presumably – hopefully – to meet up with him.
Duncann tells them about what he’d seen in the underwater tunnels and the boats he found. They tell Duncann about the unique fabric material Artair found in the gnoll hole.
Demonstrating Trust
In looking around the landscape for a place to rest, they notice some structure atop some of the larger hills to the east.
DRAVEN: Is that one of the clan towns?
LUCIAN: You know… I think it might be.
DUNCANN: Probably worth checking out.
ARTAIR: Agreed.
They start towards the east, planning to return for the boats later. Once they get out of the region, Artair breaks out the fabric so everyone can examine it. Draven cuts the corner with a dagger and runs his blade through is a few inches near the edge. It cuts fairly easily and frays into thin strands.
After they look at it closely, Artair Mends the material to its original state and they continue on their way. After two nights’ rest, they arrive at a well-established village in mid-morning.
The village does not have a surrounding wall, but it does have a short wooden fence-like structure. From here, they see large water wheels in the central area of the town. They come to the realization that the inhabitants must be quite technologically adept, especially for their size. There are great water wheels set up in a large stream running through the center of the village.
They walk up to the entrance, and those on watch ask what the travelers are seeking. The party tells them they are looking for a place to rest and someplace to pick up ointments and salves.
GUARD: And how should we know to trust you?
ARTAIR: How do you recommend?
GUARD: How would you recommend?
ARTAIR: I have no idea. I don’t think it’s possible to simply state or prove trust in a single conversation.
GUARD: I see. So no official business in any way. The only way I see is by a show of faith. How about you hand over your weapons and we allow you entry. You will receive them upon your exit. It seems that should be fair enough. We will both be able to prove trust in this way.
The party complies immediately. They provide even those weapons that are packed away to show they mean well. The guards look at each other with astonishment. They open the gates immediately. A man with some stature comes out of the town and directs a few guards to pack up the weapons. They appear to be treating them with respect and are bundling them up in leather wraps, showing that they will be stored and not taken for themselves. At least, that’s the show they provide.
The man motions for you to follow him. As the group walks through a town, they hear a horn blow. A signal of some import. It seems their arrival is not routine and this is getting some attention. Artair looks to his friends.
ARTAIR: I guess they don’t get many visitors.
He then addresses their chaperone.
ARTAIR: We’ve been traveling for quite some time. Is there a place we could get a meal? Someplace we can trust to drop off some of our heavier gear and stay for the night? We are also interested in providing patronage to your local market.
CHAPERONE: Yes of course. First, we will visit with The Committee and then you will be free to roam our town by yourselves if you wish.
ARTAIR: The Committee? I assume they are the ones in charge of this town?
Just then, someone nearby clears their throat.
When the party turns around, there are four people standing by and a fifth person is walking up behind them. One of the first four steps forward.
STRANGER: We are The Committee. We don’t need to make this a big deal, but we don’t get many visitors. We do have places for you to rest and for you to resupply. We welcome your company, but if you would, could you tell us why you are here and what we can do to help? Perhaps there is a way you can help us too.
ARTAIR: That would be great.
DUNCANN: We come from Winterfell.
STRANGER: From Winterfell. Really.
ARTAIR: Yes. We were tasked by some visitors there to learn more about the surrounding area, especially north of Winterfell, so that is what brings us here. We’re exploring.
LUCIAN: What can you tell us about these gnolls we’ve been seeing?
The five people look around to see if anyone overheard that question. In a more hushed tone, he answers.
STRANGER: I think we should discuss this behind closed doors.
Everyone agrees.
The Committee
They follow The Committee and their chaperone from the entrance leaves them. As they walk through the town, the party cannot help but be impressed. This does not seem to just be a random village; this is a rather adept community.
As they get closer to the water wheels, their size and quality are remarkable. There does not appear to be an agrarian presence, so these water wheels must be used for some other purpose. They are definitely as functional as they are aesthetic, requiring substantial craftsmanship and knowledge to build.
The Committee leads the party into a single-room building and closes the door. Most of the room is taken by a large table with many chairs all around. Though they don’t feel like prisoners, they don’t exactly feel free to leave. They are invited to sit on one long side of the table while The Committee sits in the chairs on the other long side.
Everyone except open man, the fifth one to join the group, sits in their chairs and prepares to listen. The fifth man remains standing and introduces himself as Rolf.
ROLF: Thank you travelers for taking the time to speak with us. You mentioned about the gnolls, so let us begin there. Well… where to begin… I’ll just put it out there and cut to the chase since you look quite capable. We were attacked by those foul creatures not long ago. They stole something from us and if you were interested in paying them a visit… We were planning to, but we are also not warriors. We’re more thinkers and inventors. We’ve already lost a few of our own when we retaliated, but we had to pull back. We sense they are going to attack again and decided it would be best to focus efforts on defense. If we are able to defend aggressively, we would have a better chance in our next raid to retrieve what they stole. We are reticent to send in our own as we are not warriors, as I stated. But you arriving here, now, and mentioning the gnolls… you offer an alternative… you are not our own.
Artair chuckles lightly and is not offended at the implication that they are expendable.
ARTAIR: What did they take from you?
Rolf looks at the rest of The Committee, seeming to request permission to continue and displaying the first instance that he alone is not the sole leader.
ROLF: I cannot tell you details exactly, but I can say that it took a very long time to make and it is a type of fabric.
ARTAIR: I see. And this holds value to you? If we were to get it back, that would be worth something?
ROLF: Yes. We’ve been working on it for years. But I’m not sure what we could…
It suddenly looks as if he has an idea. He looks to one specific woman on their side and she immediately understands what he is getting at. She gets up and leaves the room with some haste.
ROLF: Just a moment please.
The party is somewhat confused. Are these people telepaths?
The woman returns with a small container and hands it to Rolf then returns to her seat. He opens the container and looks at the contents, the lid blocking the party’s view.
ROLF: Yes, so, we believe they will be coming back to use because we managed to take something from them.
He turns the box around and places it on the table. He slides it closer to the Roots and they all lean in towards it. Inside the box, held up by some fluffy material to keep it safe, is a smoky quartz gemstone perfectly cut into a icosahedron.
After a moment, he leans over, closes the lid, and slides it back to his side of the table.
ROLF: I don’t right know what it is, but it did require quite the craftsman, so I assume it’s worth quite a bit. If you retrieve our fabric, we could hand this over. We don’t have a use for this particular item, but it should fetch a pretty copper if you get my meaning. Frankly, our men are worth more than the measure of their strength; their minds have brought us prosperity while the Starks have provided us peace. Until these wretched beasts showed up at our doorstep, that is. We have not requested the assistance of the Starks yet, so we hold no fault towards them for the lack of protection in this case.
ARTAIR: We can handle our own, but we’re not the best warriors. Do you have anything that might aid us?
ROLF: We have things like non-magical healing ointments and salves that our alchemists create, but we have no real weaponry to spare as that is not where we focus our efforts.
Artair looks at the others and they all seem on board.
ARTAIR: Yeah, I think this is something we could look into for you. I think we’d like to get some food and a good night’s rest, but we could plan our approach in the morning.
ROLF: Yes of course. I would like to first provide you with the information we’ve gathered. It is rather limited, so it will not take long to describe. We know there is a cave system and they are fairly sneaky creatures.
DUNCANN: How did your men get out of the cave?
ROLF: The team that went out there found a dock inside a cave, but given that some of those creatures were guarding the shoreline, we inferred that there was more here. They were able to find a ladder from the top of a nearby hill that went underground into a tunnel. They caused a distraction and got inside, but were overwhelmed and, well, only one of the three made it back.
ARTAIR: Prisoners? Or lost?
ROLF: We consider them lost, but we do not know for sure.
ARTAIR: Anything else around the region been weird in any way?
ROLF: We generally keep to ourselves, so I couldn’t say.
LUCIAN: If you don’t mind me asking, what do you use the water wheels for?
Rolf’s eyes light up.
ROLF: Oh those! One of the pinnacles of our achievements! We are able to use those to generate sparks of lightning in a controlled way. It gives us access to build things that were impossible before. It’s not magic though! There’s something physical about how the rotating wheel near copper wire… well… it’s something we’ve spent many, many years working on. We don’t typically build for military purposes though. Not that we are against that usage… it is the way of the world… but we leave that to the strategists and tacticians in the Stark employ.
LUCIAN: That is very interesting. And how about this fabric?
ROLF: I cannot give you a lot of information, but it is very lightweight and it catches air very easily. It can be made very thin and very wide while also being relatively tough. It’s almost like a sail for air currents and drafts. I cannot say more, you must understand.
ARTAIR: Like birds?
ROLF: Yeah! I’m glad you said it because when it’s been told to others in that way, we are treated as being off our collective rocker.
DRAVEN: What you have to do is flap your arms really fast.
ROLF: Yes. Well. We tried that early on and that does not work. Thank you for the suggestion though.
LUCIAN: What do you know of Bear Island across the channel?
ROLF: It’s a few days’ travel by boat and is currently run by the Starks. They have an outpost there, but we don’t get any communication from them. I don’t really know much more than that.
One of the men clears his throat.
ROLF: Sam, please.
Sam stands.
SAM: This information is within my wheelhouse, so to speak. The Starks have held Bear Island for quite some time. But it’s been contested between the Starks and Ironborn for quite some time. Thousands of years. For the past few generations, it has been under Starks control though. When House Hoare first took power on the Iron Islands, they had control, but they’ve since focused more on trade rather than what they call The Old Way. The Starks managed to take Bear Island, but the details of whether it was a trade or by force remains unclear. Before the Ironborn though, it was held by House Woodfoot, whose line ended with their control of Bear Island. It is rumored…
ROLF: Thank you Sam. I think that gives them what they were asking about. No need to bring in unverified information to the mix.
DRAVEN: Oh no, we love a good story. Please continue.
Sam looks at Rolf with an “I told you so” look. Sam gestures with a shrug as if to say, “it’s your rope.”
SAM: It is rumored that it once belonged to the Night’s King during the Age of Heroes. Though I should add that other Houses than Woodfoot may be his origin. There’s House Bolton, House Umber, House Flint, House Norrey, and of course House Stark. Some even claim he was the King of Winter’s brother. But I digress. Being of aid to House Stark, you should find comfort on Bear Island, but it never hurts to be wary.
ROLF: Yes. This is true. Thank you, Sam.
Sam sits.
ARTAIR: Yes, thank you, Sam. Switching topics, do you brew any of your own beer here?
ROLF: We do not, but we do have beer and other beverages of the sort. Stark Stout is a favorite.
ARTAIR: That sounds good to me. We should have a beer together. Oh and should we try not to speak of the gnolls in the open?
ROLF: I think…
He is being careful with his words.
ROLF: … our people are not combatants. They keep to themselves and focus on intellectual pursuits. I would prefer… but must explicitly say that I would not dictate… that you not mention the creatures. They are aware of them. We’ve been invaded, as I’ve said, and… well… I wouldn’t want to put undue worry on them.
DUNCANN: What is the name of this town?
ROLF: We just call ourselves the Inventors. I guess you can call us the Inventorship? We are just one of the some-forty hill clans in the region though we don’t have a lord or a house that leads us. We were once of House Wull, farther north, but forged our own way ahead with our our form of governance and a technology focus. I would add that their existence, as well as the others that swear fealty to House Stark, are the only reason we can exist as we do.
ARTAIR: Your task is certainly something we are interested in, but would it be ok with you if we just talked it over for a few minutes amongst ourselves?
The Committee agrees and leaves the building for them to discuss. They agree that they should just give them the fabric material now and request room, board, and some ointments. In addition, they will clear out the cave of the gnolls so they will no longer be a threat.
The Committee returns and the Roots reveal that they came across a fabric that meets their description and it is currently in their possession. Rolf feels the fabric and confirms that this is the item that was stolen. The Committee looks unsure of what should be done next until Artair just hands it to Rolf. Rolf looks shocked and incredibly appreciative.
ROLF: We are happy to give you this.
He hands over the box with the smoky quartz icosahedron.
ARTAIR: We could still go back to that cave and take care of the gnoll problem. But it was quite difficult to get this item out of there, so we would need some of the supplies we talked about earlier.
DUNCANN: And room and board, if possible. And perhaps afterward?
ROLF: All of this can be arranged. I will speak with the merchants and innkeep and if they will not provide it, I will personally cover the charges. Just let any of the merchants know that Rolf has given you “status” and that should be enough to get anything you need. And if you find any information about the two men we lost, please let us know.
ARTAIR: You can count on us.
The Committee thanks them and the Roots leave for the main square.
And that is how the Roots built their founding with The Inventors.
Downtime
They find a merchant and pick up two bright red healing potions and eight Keog’s Ointments. They ask about where they could eat and are pointed towards the merchant’s favorite location.
One thing they conclude on their way to the tavern is that everyone is fairly adept and there do not appear to be lower-class commoners in this town.
They arrive at the tavern and ask for their selection of beverages. They already know Stark Stout is on the menu, but Lucian is looking for something more exotic.
LUCIAN: You have any of that Fireplum Schnapps?
BARKEEP: I am sorry, but we do not.
LUCIAN: Do you have anything of that caliber?
BARKEEP: We do have some Rum of the Ancients.
LUCIAN: We’ll take four!
BARKEEP: That’s five gold pieces for each. Are you ok with that?
DUNCANN: How much for the bottle?
BARKEEP: That’s fifteen platinum pieces. I didn’t realize we had some high rollers up in here.
LUCIAN: We’ll just do the four.
ARTAIR: What’s so special about this stuff?
BARKEEP: Let’s see. I know they note it on every bottle.
He reads the label.
BARKEEP: Rum of the Ancients is no ordinary rum. No ser. Rum of the Ancients is an ancient art form crafted from a secret recipe of blended dark and light rums, handed down from generation to generation since the Age of Heroes, aged in Oak underground in the North for 25 years at minimum.
BARKEEP: Let’s see… It continues with a flavor profile… The aroma is that of complex oakiness and earthiness with a flare of cherries and chocolate. The enjoyer of such a beverage should expect a silky texture that envelops the mouth without a syrupy finish. A mix of spiciness and sweetness awakens the entire palette, leaving a breathiness of hard liquor that fades quickly into a very pleasant, almost fruity aftertaste .
BARKEEP: Still in?
LUCIAN: Shit yeah, we are!
After drinking their Rum of the Ancients and a few Stark Stouts, they have a fine meal and rest for the evening.
We end this session on Day 679 with the Roots having earned 1,250 XP each. They will be return the dreaded gnoll hole, and then to Bear Island.