After a night filled with vivid dreams sent from his patron deity, Malachi decides to part ways with Orianna and Calaban. Upon his departure, the guild charter provided to the group started flashing a yellow light which after a light breakfast turned red and emitted a high pitched 'screeeeeeeee.'
Clearly, the only option for the group was to check-in with friendly local adventure guild master Rolf Giantsbane. Rolf explained that under current adventuring guild statutes a party must have no fewer than three members. To remedy the situation, he offers his cousin's son, Tibeldorf as a third, vouching for the new-to-town dwarven fighter's prowess and bravery (and potential favoritism to parties including him).
The group accepted Tibeldorf and set out at Rolf's behest to look further into the problems with the undead and Oswald the Angry who was expected to arrive into town later that day.
The group set off to the bottoms district in order to pay a visit to the Grim Lantern tavern. Tibeldorf and Calaban entered using the password the group had found on the followers of Loma two nights before, thankfully being the correct password for this establishment ("death carry you"). Both party members impressed the barkeep with their ability to take gutter shots (a boozy concoction from the spill gutter of the bar), though Calaban used cunning to only make it looks like he had taken the shot.
After trying to get information out of the barkeep, they were only able to find out that Oswald required a special meal that the barkeeps son would be picking up. They also overheard several followers of Loma (similar to the ones they had a run-in with previously) nervously talking about the fact that their brethren had failed to assassinate a "Duke Kidell." After a few other attempts to dig up information (including from a very grumpy werewolf and noticing an academic studying anatomy in the corner), the group followed the son to a butcher shop further in the bottoms.
The barkeep's son used a special knock to enter and Orianna, transformed as a cat, entered in behind him. Though well traveled and familiar with the natural world Orianna could not place the nature of the meat that the large butcher, 'Harold,' tightly wrapped for the lad. Upon returning the group further interrogated the bartender and after a failed bribe he let them know Oswald was a cannibal and would be arriving around dinner. Meanwhile, outside among the drunken rabble, Orianna had to defend herself from a drunkard mistaking tiefling a for unicorns and then trying to saw off one of her horns to gain her powers. A failed attempt to intimidate him with a fist full of fire (which only enhanced his lust for power) led to a face full of sprayed poisonous agony for the drunk. In an attempt to rejoin her friends, Orianna attempted to enter but could not remember the password. Using a nearby rat as a conduit, Orianna looked through the rats eyes as it entered the kitchen and was quickly killed to be used for food.
The group decided to investigate the situation in the hours before dinner, thinking they may have found connections between a missing persons case and Oswald. Though failing to secure an audience with the mayor of Wrenhollow, the group were informed that the missing people turned out to be from Havenhill and not Wrenhollow.
The group then investigated the graveyard where they noted the necklace they had gotten from the vampire the day before had power over the dead, but the power was rapidly diminishing. The local mortician mentioned a man who looked like the scholar at the bar poking around early.In a curiously open sepulcher, they found a wight trapped in a chalk circle with books and a bedroll strewn about. The wight regarded Calaban, who was wearing the necklace from last adventure, as his master and tried to follow his instructions (though he proved woefully inept). Dressing him up in robes he had pilfered from the followers of Loma they had slain, Calaban erased the chalk circle and ordered his new found thrall into the world. To which the thrall recoiled and refused to go into daylight.
The party made their way back to the Grim Lantern Inn where they saw one of Oswald's goons preparing a corner booth for his master, as well as nervously looking up at the ceiling. He was presently occupied in interviewing women.
Around the bar, were many of the same who had been their previously, and a bard was playing quick tempo'd, asynchronous music. Several Polinskarin barbarians had joined, as well as other less than savory individuals. Missing, however, was the scholarly gentleman who had been poking around the graveyard.
Eventually, Oswald himself showed up, and was quickly joined by several others at his table. He was a short squat man in full plate armor, with dark stubble and a spear strapped to his back. Their conversation was muffled by a lit black candle in the center of their table. Using her thaumaturgy, Oriana was able to dim the candle and cause it to flicker enough for its magic to malfunction. Calaban, who had recently learned to cast ritual spells, sent his familiar in the form of spider to the roof to listen in on the conversation. Oswald paid the bard to play the ballad of "Oswald the Valiant." The two goons from the mill guarded Oswald and were nervous he would find out about the vampire's death (Oswald was meant to kill it to gain renown)
The conversation of the group at the table spoke of recent exploits. They had previously been in a different county and were now seeking a foothold here. Among his companions were: Grinner and elderly Half-Orc Fence, Vex a Tiefling Wizard, and Five-fingered Flynn a Reachman. Flynn left the table to find a better drink. As Calaban's spider moved about the roof, he found two murder holes with crossbowmen aiming at the area in front of Oswald's table. Flynn returned shortly dejected after not finding much the way in quality whiskey.
Soon one of the barbarians threw some copper at the bard in order to hear a rousing rendition of "Rise, Polinskar" be played. To which Oswald had his goons bring him to the table, where Flynn deftly stuck a dagger under and up into his rib cage. The barbarian was then led upstairs to bleed out and die. Taking pity,
Orianna followed and healed the barbarian who offered the help of the Strongblood clan in anyway they could. Orianna then transformed into a snake and went downstairs in order to put her plan into action.It was Orianna's idea to poison Oswald's main course as it came out, but unfortunately, she was not stealthy enough and almost made a fine snake stew.
As the night wore on, the Grim Lantern became more and more rowdy and several of Oswald's companions left. Soon, only Vex and Oswald were left, and they conspired to remove Grinner from the group in order to have to split the money fewer ways. After a quick conversation, Vex teleported away and Oswald was left alone.
Calaban, alone snuck upstairs and dispatched the crossbowmen at the murder holes. One of which fell directly on-top of his and bled into it alerting Oswald. Calaban reacted by shooting a poisoned arrow into Oswald as he sprang up, the arrow, catching him between the joints of his plate armor and sticking deeply into his torso.
Running up, a foot race broke out. First up the stairs was Oswald, then Tibeldorf, then Oswald's men, then Orianna and then two Polinskarin barbarians, answering Orianna's call. Reaching the room and smashing the door down, Oswald could not find Calaban, and in his rage let out the full brunt of his fury on Tibeldorf. Tibeldorf valiantly fought Oswald as long as he could, often giving as good as he getting, but it was no use and he soon was knocked unconscious. In the fray, Orianna and the barbarians fell the two goons, and with combined effort, the party fell Oswald and found a coded message on his person.
They brought him back to Rolf at the adventuring guild. Though Rolf had no job with rewards offering a bounty for Oswald, he set to work contacting the towns he had wronged.
The group then went to a secret gambling establishment and slave auction at the local money changers (with their wight friend in tow), to see if this could be the source of the missing children problem of Havenhill. Calaban deceived the guards into believing Orianna was his date, and the other two who followed them were his body guards.
Inside, they met the scholarly gentleman who introduced himself as Professor Gray, someone who studies the cycles of life and unlife. Calaban challenged him to gambling, but they were unable to set stakes as Gray was only interested in information.
Soon the slave auction started and it was readily apparent by the first two slaves (Jarr and Bill the Reachman) that the slaves were pulled from the local jail. As entertainment the slaves faced harrowing trials to prove their worth.
Noting no children being sold, the group retired for the evening.
The next morning, preparing to leave for Havenhill, Rolf sent a runner with their rewards: a set of magical lenses, a pulsing gem with a +1 mysteriously etched in it, and a set of worn boots. As they did their shopping and preparing for the road, the group ran into Angrove Quinn once again.
The group informed him that his friend was nearby, though he was saddened to hear they could not give more specifics on his exact location in town. He offered to help decode the note they found on Oswald (being a master of linguistics and codes of course). It took time, but he found it was a ledger detailing large amount of money being moved, though Oswald only accounted for a fraction of it. The ledger was signed by Oswald's name, and under it was the signature "Sefton."
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