Previous Session Recap
Main Quest
Reminder of the main quest here
Side Quest
Reminder of the side quest(s) here
Session Notes
Scullerman we captured has died in the moat, impaled by stakes just under the surface of the water, “sharp water”
Scullerman knew something about the plan to put the prince to sleep. There’s something larger going on around the country with the gray shirts and goblins cropping up.
We head back to the drawbridge, Ser Arthur Lilly is manning the drawbridge with a cadre of halflings. 1 copper per head to go through the tunnel because we’re with a knight.
Tunnel of Hillock: stone square tunnel going through the hill, lamps every 20 feet or so, glowing blue but emit white light. Around 20 miles long
G 12 arcana check: lamps don’t flicker like lamps, has seen something similar back home, gnomish candles, work in tandem with a spell called continuous flame
Mac 11 perception: little alcoves after the first mile, cozy rooms, seem to be stores that halflings can sell their wares at
Sully’s Chicken & Biscuits: small line, very cozy, looks like a halfling’s home, Mac knows Sully
Sully has heard crazy rumors about the prince being banished to another realm by an elf with fae magic, Mac tells him what happened
Mac talks about what happened in Sothers the previous night.
INVESTIGATION CHECK: Mac and G are too engrossed in their meals
Moss and E are in agreement that it’s odd the same rumor is going around like someone is ahead of us spreading it
A is stuck on there being someone ahead of us, I recall the day it happened when Celethorn was arrested, I was part of his retinue and recall the elves from Vardomina getting questioned by the knights, The knights were going on about what could have happened, rumors were flying around the city
Anything about the refugees? Don’t see many people coming from the other side until about halfway through the tunnel, it opens up to a much larger alcove, seems to be the center. If this tunnel were made by halflings, it would be more rustic and wooden and much smaller, the carvings in the stone is dwarven. The alcove feels much more like it was made by halflings, town of Hill Hart, mini metropolis. Tons of halflings bustling around, some more travel worn and dirty. Central pillar is carved into shape of a woman with bank teller windows set into it: goddess of change and travel, The Changebringer. Halflings traditionally see her as the patron saint of the road and travel, around the rest of the world, she is the goddess of currency.
Fountain at the base of the statue with a Plaque on the ground: Change on the Road, luck on the way. People are tossing coins into the fountain as they pass by, we all toss various coins in, nothing really happens.
We continue on to the rest of the tunnel. Mac 20 history check: Northers end of the tunnel is rounder and more halfling like. Mac remembers Ser Norman telling him about the collaboration of halflings, dwarves, and humans to make the tunnel to facilitate trade between Crestin and Axle.
The lights start to change into a golden color, much warmer than the rest of the tunnel. This is not what it’s been like in the past. Oncoming traffic grows exponentially, refugees coming in to go to Hill Hart. At the end of the tunnel there’s a large commotion and yelling of “I need everyone to take 10 steps back”
There is a line of humans in armor on the far side of the drawbridge holding back angry halflings that have been waiting for days to go through the tunnel. There’s a knight and 15-20 armored guards, Ser Taren Azale
Ser Taren asks for Mac to help if he can, he informs people of the fight in Southers to try to calm them. It doesn’t work, the halflings start to push into the guards. The guards pull out their swords and threaten to cut people down if they don’t disperse. They reluctantly do.
Ser Taren tells us that this is the worst this has been so far, there’s only been an uptick in numbers the past couple weeks. And there’s a group of wounded people congregating at the shrine of the Wild Mother.
We head to the shrine to help who we can. There is a priest of the wild mother, Justoo. Brings me over to a man with a bruised abdomen. I ask him what happened, attacked by goblins, he was hit with a club in the solar plexus. I heal him.
G tries to discreetly feed the hungriest kids but his robe rips and biscuits fall out of his pockets and he gets swarmed.
Mac asks Ser Taren if the duke has done anything about the goblins. Able bodied men have been called to Might to rally. Ser Taren is conflicted about what he has been charged to do here in Hillock. Mac tells him of the encampment of vagabonds in the Blackboles
We set up watch and go to bed. Moss wakes up in the middle of the night to singing, Gnorman notices her stirring. Moss hears a familiar voice singing a familiar song. She gets up and walks towards the town. G waits a minute and follows behind. The voice getts clearer as Moss gets closer to town. Statue is on the edge of the forest, has a crown and necklace of flowers on, they were at it’s feet earlier in the day.
Moss touches the statue and sees a vision of a field from the perspective of laying on the ground, sees a fire and figures int he distance. Sees dark shadows coming in from the edge. The fire goes out and hears the sounds of fighting. Takes hand off the statue and is back in front of it, the flowers are at the feet of the statue. She comes to consciousness and checks that everything is “concealed as it should be”
G uses prestidigitation to tap her on the shoulder. Sees her turn and cover her mouth and her eyes turn bright golden for a split second. She explains it as “trick of the moon” and looks back at the statue.
Statue is of the Wild Mother, goddess of nature and the wild world. The statues are the closest thing to temples to her. Most people use them as a place to give thanks when traveling through the forest, her actual temple.
Moss is normally alone when these things happen. This is the clearest she’s heard her mother’s voice in a dream before. Moss kind of threatens G to keep quiet about what happened. Her eyes flash again before she heads back to camp.
Moss goes to sleep and G sketches Moss’ eyes in his notebook.
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NPCs This Session
Summary