Campaign 1 session 4

On May 13th, the party prepares to leave Elridge and continue on their journey. During the week they've spent in Elridge while doing their activities, the party has seen many soldiers being coordinated for the war efforts. They saw Kel Marcus Thorne, the military leader of Cleyden, as one lead figure in the town. Theodor has spent time studying about the cult, and conveys his knew knowledge to the party.

The party head off towards Triton in the morning. They make it most of the way there and sleep beneath a hill on the roadside. The next day they arrive in Triton. The party eats at a tavern, and plan to continue their journey as soon as the can on the same day. After leaving the tavern, a man puts his arm around Brae, and pretends to know him. Brae goes along and also pretends, but once the man sees Brae's companions, he moves away and ends the conversation. The party pay him no mind, and continue on their way and leave town to the south. While walking, the party agree, if they arrive in a town, to pretend not to know each other in case they are spied upon or one of them is recruited into the cult. In the early evening Mundo hears something from the trees to their right. He informs the party of this, and Theodor sends his summoned owl familiar into the air. Soon after, four worgs attack the party from behind the trees. After Theodor manages to put one of them to sleep, the party is able to deal with the other worgs, although Mundo takes a deep wound from the bite of a worg. To finish off the last remaining worg, Ossie brings down her greatsword in a perfect strike on the sleeping wolf, and cuts it's head off. The party then set up camp on the roadside since it's getting dark. Mundo does not sleep well since he has nightmares of the worgs, so Brae heals him up a bit.

The next morning, on May 15th, the party continue on their way. Soon after, Theodor's owl in the air alerts him of two approaching figures. The figures turn out to be two men who are traveling lightly, and once they reach the party they greet them in an accent. The party does not care much, and after greeting them as well, simply continue walking. The two travelers whisper something to each other, but then also continue on their own way. The party soon arrives at a small village on the side of the road. The party go up to a certain house next to a barn, and ask if they could sleep in the barn. A fat man opens the door, and they agree on a deal to let the party sleep in the barn, and eat some soup. They set up in the barn, and the fat man brings them some soup. Theodor asks him a bit about the village. He also asks if he would like to drink with them, but the man refuses and says he must go to sleep. The party eat, and go to sleep as well. Theodor ritual casts Alarm at the door in the barn. Soon after they've went to sleep, the Alarm spell is triggered. Theodor wakes up the rest of them, and urges Ossie to go check it out. It seems quiet on the other side of the door, and Ossie opens it. They see two rabbits humping, and the rabbits flee once the door is opened. Annoyed with waking up for nothing, Mundo hides in a corner to sleep unmolested. The rest of the night goes uneventfully.

Waking up the next morning, the party leaves the village. They decide that they will not enter the swamp immediately, but will rather head south to Lodden to acquire more information about the cult. They camp along the way, and try to find some food. Only Brae is able to find some berries. Taking their typical watch order, and an Alarm spell on the road, the party sleeps on the roadside.

The next day on the 17th they arrive in Lodden. The guards ask for their weapons at the gate, since there has been some suspicious activity in the town recently. The party gives up their weapons, except for Mundo who is able to smuggle in a dagger. They head to a poor looking inn, which also holds a tavern downstairs. Each character buys a room for them self. They then sit around the tavern in different tables. Theodor talks to a few woodsmen at the counter of the bar, but has nothing more than a casual conversation. Mundo throws around some dice on the table where he is sitting, and a figure sits down at his table. The figure is an adult woman, and she challenges Mundo to a game of dice. Mundo agrees, and they play for 5 silver. Mundo tries to cheat, but is caught. The woman isn't offended, but simply just smiles and takes Mundo's money. She subtly signs to Mundo in thieves' cant if Mundo can understand her. Mundo signs back that he can. They continue and have a coded conversation asking about each others profession's. The woman introduces herself as Sandra. They continue talking and get to the subject of a magical sword, that a certain man that Mundo pretends to not know is looking for. He reveals that this item, supposedly, is in the Murkdor Swamp. She tells him that she knows about this particular swamp, and would be willing to give information on it in exchange for some gold. Mundo then introduces her to Theodor. Theodor and Sandra agree to a price of 5 gp. Sandra tells Theodor that the this base of the cult of Velthara in the swamp is not the only one, but smaller of the two that exist. She also tells him that there are about a dozen members residing there, at least from what she knows. She also tell them that the base is located in the north of the swamp, at the foot of some mountains. Afterwards, Sandra leaves the inn, and the party retire for the night in their own rooms.

The next day, the party head out for the swamp, and their weapons are returned to them at the gates of Lodden. They don't make it all the way there, and sleep in the grasslands for the night. In the morning, on the 19th, they find the edge of the swamp in the early morning. The swamp is a dank, moist, and dark place, with lots of water on the ground and thick trees blocking out the sun. Theodor hands the map to Brae, and Brae is able to navigate the swamp. They set off in the swamp. After a while, Theodor notices through the eyes of his owl, that a deer is following them from a distance. He informs the party of this, and Mundo stays behind attempting to hide and stalk the deer. The party moves on, Mundo stays hidden, but the deer is able to spot him. The deer then retreats a bit and goes behind a tree. Noticing his failure, Mundo then runs and catches up with the party.

The party treks through the swamp for the whole day, although they find it hard to know what time it is since the mist and the branches of the trees block the sun quite effectively. Theodor's owl notices the deer still following them. Once they reach a large pond, Brae notices a humanoid figure walking in the opposite direction of the party a few hundred feet to the right of them. The humanoid figure does not see them, so they decide to ignore it, but stay alert. It's getting very dark in the swamp, which clearly indicates that it's night time now. The party still decide to keep going, and arrive at the foot of some mountains. They find a small cliff where they set up for a rest. They take watches as normal, and Theodor ritual casts an Alarm.

Once they have rested sufficiently, the party starts exploring the the mountains looking for the entrance to the hideout. They find a stone structure in the mountain, which holds an entrance into a tunnel, and a stone plaque on the side. Theodor sends his owl to the entrance, and reads the text. It is engraved in the stone, and is written in elven. It says:

"Some want me hot, some want me cold. Regardless, many forms have I been known to hold. Enact upon me with care, and I might yet grant you repose. Imprudently consume yourself with me, and unappeased might your life enclose. "

Theodor recalls his owl, and conveys what he read to the party. He then ritual casts a Detect Magic spell, and the party then approach the structure. Once they reach the entrance, Theodor's Detect Magic tells him that there is an Illusion magic aura inside the tunnel. They then decide to try to figure out the riddle. They go over possibilities, such as water, or a rock. Theodor remembers and tell the party that the cult worships Velthara, who is the goddess of vengeance. They decide to go inside. While they walk down the hallway, they notice that Theodor walks a lot faster than the others and from Theodor's point of view, it seems like the others are walking in place. Since only Theodor is able to advance, they head back outside. When they come out, the deer from before approaches them. Theodor's Detect Magic notices that the deer is magical in nature. Brae attempts to cast Animal Friendship on the deer, but the deer notices this and hides behind a tree. A few seconds later, a young human woman walks out. She introduces herself as Selena, and that she has been following them for a while, since she did not know of their intentions. She tells them a friend of hers was recruited into the cult five years ago, and she has been looking for them ever since. She has been here in the swamp for a few months, and has been waiting for help.

During this, the party suspects that the answer could be "vengeance", and Ossie speaks vengeance out loud, and heads back into the tunnel. He is able to advance normally. He walks back out and informs the party. Before the party heads inside, Selena tells them she will watch over the entrance, and send inside an animal if something happens. She also casts Barkskin on Theodor. The party then speak "vengeance", and head inside the stony tunnel into the mountain.