Blossoms 23 [Day 1]
After traveling down to the Storm Keep and selecting our rewards, we gathered in a local tavern to discuss our options. My Wish itched at me to go at the Green and Black Pool, but Dismas looked queasy when it was suggested. Instead we considered going south… But the regions to the south were rumored to be in a state of war.
After some deliberation, we decided to ride west into the Triarchy, following some rumors that the men determined to be reliable, and news of the Dread Lord’s defeat (the birds themselves are singing of victory in the west!) I joked, I could step out there myself, and ask around, but aside from a few chuffs no takers.
We purchased provisions for the journey, and staged supplies to head out immediately. We leave just after breakfast. We estimate 25 days travel, with the wagon. Dismas didn’t want to go without it.
The weather is good this morning, a good start to a long journey.
Blossoms 28 [Day 5]
We have finished crossing the rivers today. Intermittent storms and gusting wind made us happy to have the wagon to warm and dry in from time to time. We passed near the castle at the White River ford, and we were reminded of the fall of the Red Maiden. It’s said nothing grows where she fell.
Planting 5 [Day 10]
We passed by the Abbey of the Rill. Quite an impressive monastery. I’ve never seen architecture like it.
Planting 10 [Day 15]
We’re just outside of Esber, and we encountered the Martainese Ingrid, astride a horse with her conroi. If I may, she was quite the beauty. She hailed and asked us about the road, and Soren answered it was quiet and explained our path of travel. She referenced having friends in the Triarchy, and returned to her patrol.
Planting 11 [Day 16]
We’ve arrived in Esber. They have begun taking the hoardings off the wall. First time in my … several generations. I pray they can keep them off for a good while. The druids have done good work.
The Martainese has reportedly moved many forces of Good into the Briars, elves and gnomes, and the prickly wilderness is now a bounty of good food and flowers. I wish I could see it. And the road will be improved all the way up to the mountain. Now that will be a sight to see one day. Even mithril dwarves from Kuzdun around, to supervise that construction!
Planting 12 [Day 17]
Everyone reported in the next morning, a little hung over perhaps, but ready for the road.
We passed through Oldbridge. Rumors flew about when we stopped to water the horses, that the Archwizard Orion had long been dead, and that his old friend Dante and his son had been taking his place pretending to be the old wizard, intending to deceive Pathin. The scholars discussed that illusions and other magics were in use to pull it off, the Baron of Copperhill was in on it, and many of the orcs in the Stonehills were a part of one great spy network reaching west.
Quite a feat.
Planting 13 [Day 18]
Almost to Wyvern keep, overhead we saw a man in blue platemail riding a hypogriff. Didn’t expect I’d see Heroh Hoth, the Guardian of the Graywall today. Marl said he normally stays south of Freetown. Rumor says the Red Maiden, when she lived, fled in his presence.
We can see from our camp the staking has begun for the Tourney season. Alas, we will be missing it this year.
Planting 14 [Day 19]
We woke early and led our convoy to town, and hitched up for the Easter services in the Keep’s town. Afterwards, we settled in for the day to rest before we pushed into the stone hills. We’ve already drawn up lists for equipment we’d projected to need, and would be able to purchase them in the morning with ease.
When we went to the inn to reserve a night we were recognized immediately, and found our own money no good. The room was ours, as compensation for our services during the siege. And we found no trouble with the ale or food, as other locals chipped in too. Lauded as heroes for our part, however small.
It’s just a little too much for me.
Planting 15 [Day 20]
We thanked our host well when we left in the morning, and purchased our supplies and got them loaded and departed west. Yesterday I had eyed curls of ivory flanking the road, but as we came up to them we could see what they were in full. Huge mammoth tusks, sunk into living rock a mile from the Keep. We have entered County Burn, ruled over by the Lady Bridget.
Planting 17 [Day 22]
We were encountered by a patrol of Lady Bridgett’s men before sunset. One stepped right into our path, wearing hide and with a composite that was nocked, but his other hand was well away. Armed with a Keshi knife and sword. He challenged us with where we were going. Soren answered, and then we were asked if we would submit to a check of alignment by their cleric. We agreed… and then 12 more men emerged from the brush around us. I kick myself for not having noted them.
The cleric found nothing amiss. He commented of a general curse upon some of us. Not oppressive, just detectable.
Satisfied, the patrol leader then pointed us to a campsite nestled in a T where the road splits off towards Duhkinnik. We saw a skyship pushing north as we were unhitching the horses. Not an oar or sail among them.
Planting 20 [Day 25]
We reached the far end of County Burn today, marked like the east end. The road was the finest I’ve ever seen, and finer than Dismas’ dwarf, Abraham has seen also. Gave him a little concern. The road traveled south-southwest, and seeing nothing else we followed. Brand new, with not a spot on it. A month old, maybe? What could make work as fine as a dwarf?
Planting 23 [Day 28]
Today we encountered an Western Oliphant. It was in the shape of an elephant, but only about 8ft tall, and with a forked trunk. It called out and asked for the conditions of the road. So strange a sight I had turned in my saddle to look in bewilderment at Soren. Fortunately our scholars recognized it.
He passed a half warning, that the dwarves may be coming, and continued on with a salute. Strangest creature I think I’ve met so far.
(like this, but without the space gun)
Planting 25 [Day 30]
The mystery of the road has been solved. A Triarch road crew consisting of antmen from a distant land were working at what appeared to us to be a furious rate. These antmen were like centaurs, with their forelimbs raised like hands. The ant-foreman was the size of a mastiff, and flanked by two bull-sized. The remaining force were the size of ponies. These antmen were from Shar Murche, and are citizens of the Triarchy. The antmen were paying their part to the great project with work for the infrastructure, not least of which is the roadwork before us. Past them ahead was a bare dirt track, only cut by the wheels of carts.
They were accompanied by three humans on horseback and one sitting at a table. One horseman approached us, and conversed, welcoming us. It appears they are in great need of settlers to come now, of which the antmen are just one set.
Abraham has heard of the them, and it appears the dwarves and antmen are allies in a distant land.
Planting 26 [Day 31]
We encountered a river ford near sunset, and it appeared the antmen had already staged materials to build the bridge, piled wide and high waiting for them to come through. Even markings for a little keep to control the crossing.
We crossed before the sun kissed the horizon. The water came to our knees on horseback. On the far side, the signage said Riverkeep was SSW, Rosewood WNW, and the turnoff to Silvertower is WNW. We will decide where to go in the morning.
Planting 27 [Day 32]
It's a little after breakfast, and we can see a column of cloud coming this way. We are mounting up, but staying off the way. It’s coming here much faster than I would expect anything to be able.
It was a dwarven steel wagon, under the flag of Khuzdun, moving under its own power. It turned in the direction of Rosewood, and we elected to follow.
Low Summer 5 [Day 38]
We’ve passed a number of other antmen on the road, going in both directions. A turnoff went to Shar Murche to the SW, and after that we saw a little less.
We’ve come across a rise that gave us a view of Rosewood still some miles distant. You can’t miss it, shining a vibrant rose red. I wonder how they achieved that color.
39 Low Summer 6 [Day 39]
We’ve reached the city of the Serene Mage, Owen.
The patrolmen leaving the city wear a rose symbol, fastened to either their armor or cloaks.
The walls of this city are massive, reaching far, far above our head and casting long shadows even at midmorning made of stone and colored dusty red. The timber frames inside the city were also made of wood colored rose red also, vanished and shining.
The city itself looks like it could hold tens of thousands… but is largely empty. Not abandoned, just… not yet occupied. Few towers reached the sky.
We were drawn to the largest structure, aside from the Rosewood Tower itself, the Red Rose Inn and Tavern in the SE corner. It had its own tower of wood that spun to the sky, above even the walls, where for an arm and a leg you could stay the night.
From a copper piece to
1 gp for 3 meals from the menu and the horses are cared for to
10 gp per person to stay in the tower with the menu and the alcohol is mostly covered.
For dignitaries, and the like I imagine. The space for people and horses was just massive. The innkeep himself was strange, vaguely elf-like, but glowed when stepping through shadows. We learned he was given a patent to the inn, and until rescinded or passed on, there would be no other tavern or inn needed in the area controlled by Rosewood. A vast swath of territory, in land alone, that boggles.
We rented inns and stable spots for the horses, and washed off the road dust, and settled in to enjoy the night in this city.
Low Summer 7 [Day 40] [Pentecost]
We stirred for the Pentecost service, and watched a Skyship dock at a secondary spire on the tavern and unload foodstuffs.
We hung around for a little bit watching the orc work crews, and enjoying the warm sun and gentle breeze, when Dismas called out to serjeant Sandor who turned in complete surprise. He and his men have taken their wealth to settle around the Riverkeep, and was picking up some stuff delivered by the daily ship.
They turned out to have a story, and had gotten settled in just two weeks before the fall of the Dreadlord, and he and his men had been apart of the militia at Riverkeep, and didn’t have to face any fighting. And he and his men have integrated into the local guard, and he even got to preserve his rank.
We asked after some rumors and he had a lot to hand. Apparently quiet around Riverkeep itself, but it’s a crossroads to other places with it in spades, to the SE. Rumors of the last of the great dragons killed, and offered a map into the three passes of the black mountains: Eagle Valley, Dell of the Mad Mage, High Morath. A ton of stuff rumored, from renegade orcs, to other humanoids, to bandits, to a golem with the mind of the mage who built it, trying to acquire immortality.
We also listened in for local rumors to the city itself, and that gave us additional details:
The flash of light sometimes seen from Rosewood keep is the Serene Mage returning from Heaven. He lives in heaven, has a wife that is an angel, and just comes here to fight the good fight.
The antpeople are trying to get a queen to come (currently queenless). Hoping it would become the equivalent of a lord, and become a true county.
The Silver Duke isn’t really a human, but is a silver dragon, that is perfectly loyal to the Triarchs, such that he doesn’t admit he’s a dragon.
Seeker and Eressarn with the villages Yandreel and Farhalt is actually the only Triarch and the other two are just his henchmen.
Brightstar is actually the Red Maiden, and is so powerful because she wasn’t killed, she was mind controlled with a charm spell, and when she breaks that mind control, she’ll turn all the Triarchs into monsters and rule the west.
Pathin faked his death and retreated into the Bramblewood where he’s rebuilding his power and will return with a mighty army of the dead again.
The monks at the Monastery of the Excellent Way are to protect against the Horse Keshi, because the Horse Keshi are going to come and destroy the Triarchy for intruding upon their domain.
Evidently the Great Khan is mad the Triarchs built their kingdom here without permission. Not our problem, and I don’t think the Triarch’s, really.
Once we saw Sandor off, we returned to thinking of where we should depart. We spotted two sets of ruins and considered riding into the Bramblewood also. But… we decide to go investigate the orc ruins to the northwest. The scholars knew some history of it, that the Horse Keshi had destroyed it a century ago, and avoided by them because of the many orcs buried there. And more than that, it’s unclaimed by any faction that we know of. We will depart in the morning, it’s approximately 5 days away.
Low Summer 10 [Day 43]
We had an encounter with 16 ogres who came charging at us from a great distance away. Hailed on them with missiles, and then Soren’s men used a spell that slowed their leaders and exploded. They broke quickly, and we chased down their leaders. We searched around briefly, and determined they were likely wanderers. A few hours later we reached the Monastery of the Excellent Way.
Low Summer 13 [Day 46]
We have finally come up on the city, and surveyed it. We plan to rest up and prepare for our exploration in the morning.
Low Summer 14 [Day 47]
We plan to enter into the ruins cautiously. Nothing ever remains empty for long out here. We figure there are buildings for 50,000 people. A massive complex of buildings and people. Searching it all by hand would be tedious and hard. I’ve an idea in that direction…
-----
We were not quite cautious enough, but fortunate. I had ghosted ahead of the party with my cloak up, and was keeping an eye out, but didn’t see our attacker. It launched an illusory intellect devourer at us, that appeared to go after our brownie, and rip into him as we tried to hack it to death. And Dismas at one point in that fight until the cleric’s spell went off took a swing at Bill, missing fortunately. We then heard a woman’s voice from no single source, threaten to kill Dismas with the point of his own sword, if we didn’t fork over 10,000 goldpieces.
Bill thinking fast, raised the chime of opening and rang it. At the same time, Dismas dropped the sword quickly, assuring he was released from whatever magics had chained him.
Behind a chunk of wall that opened, was from the waist up a beautiful woman, and from there down was the body of a badger. The creature screamed at being revealed, and set itself to fight.
Dismas threw one of his darts and did wicked damage, and I deployed the Winged Elf figurine and pointed to the creature and the iron cobra leapt from Molly’s pack, slithered up and bit into it. The lamia collapsed then and there.
We cautiously entered it’s lair and found a number of items we could tell were magical immediately. We are resting and tallying our findings. There’s even a carpet of flying among these items, and behind it a way down further. Dismas used Identify and set about to assessing the magic items recovered.
Soren is shaking for some reason. Cursed scroll of some type.
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[Session 1 Rewards]
100xp for making Rick laugh
Treasure so far:
Copper statuette 400gp value
12 silver armbands 100gp each, in 5 gp segments (is a Keshi thing) = 1200gp value
Crystal coffer worth 5k goldpieces, inside: 100pp == 5000 + 500 = 5500gp value
Matching iron crown and scepter 5k each: as set, worth 12000gp value
Rolled up rug (magic): Rug of Welcome, maxed size carpet of flying. Can smother people, make a bridge, etc. Can turn into handkerchief and fit in a pocket.
Scrollcase and scroll: Cursed oswit scroll (RESISTED: a good thing too, this thing is like a nuke of hungry rats). 100gp ivoryscroll case, and blank piece of scroll-ready vellum
Leather cloak (magic): Cloak of flying
No divisions this session, as we are still out in the bush!
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