- GM’s note: Continuing the mystery of Tyland Woods. Something bad has happened. Something bad is coming. Can Ethan and Grant figure it out and save the day?
Day 11 – Fireday – 27th Day of Winterwane (Spring)
- Alfrin takes Grant (the Sheriff), Marian (the Mill Lady), Salthia and Jack downstream to Tyland Mills. Marian is impressed by Grant and when she hears that he is only filling in until a new Sheriff can be found, she asks him to reconsider. Alfrin talks to Grant on the journey – he has been looking for his uncle, Breldo who has been missing for almost two months. Breldo has a beautiful river boat called the River Rose. Apparently, Lord Korab refused to pay Breldo for the spices that he purchased, and Breldo fled. Alfrin was about to head downstream to Tyland Mills in the hope of finding his uncle and he is disappointed to hear that Grant hasn’t seen him. Jack is friendly towards Grant but says that he probably won’t stay long in Tyland Mills.
- They arrive at Tyland Mills later in the day. People come out to greet their arrival and Grant is pleased to see that his deputies, Gareth and Tellurian, have managed to recruit some local help. Lady Marian publicly thanks the new Sheriff in front of a crowd of people.
- Grant worries that Lord Korab could be sending a force to pursue them and he posts watches. He then sends his deputies to escort Marian back to her home (the fortified mill). Ethan has still not returned. Grant wonders where he is.
- Ventur (Lady Marian’s orderly) visits Grant and thanks him personally. He apologises for doubting Grant.
- That evening the mood at the Good Omen Inn is jovial. A lot of locals have gathered to hear Grant tell the story as to how he rescued the Mill Lady. Salthia makes it clear that she’s attracted to Grant but an opportunity doesn’t present itself. Grant wonders if he can find Salthia and Jack a job.
Day 12 – Swordsday – 28th Day of Winterwane (Spring)
- The next morning Old Olo is busy collecting jars for the upcoming Honey Festival. Celebrated in springtime, Olo is the ‘Honey Master’ for the festival and there is much preparation to do.
- Grant consults with Tellurian about what he saw at the Weeping Castle. Tellurian suggests that the woman who talks with rats could either be a witch, or could be ‘rat-touched’. It sounds like there are wererats in this realm which could explain some of Lord Korab’s heightened avarice. Grant asks Gareth and Tellurian to perform a patrol of the nearby farms. He plans to head north, just in case Lord Korab is sending a force to Tyland Mills to recapture the Mill Lady.
- Salthia and Jack have been put up for the night in the Good Omen Inn. Grant goes to speak with Jack, catching him just as he is about to leave. Jack greets Grant with a smile but says that he can’t stay. (Grant wonders if he is one of Red’s bandits). Before he leaves, Grant asks Jack about Salthia and Jack says that he heard that she stole a quantity of jewellery from Lord Korab’s woman, Lady Acatarina. He doesn’t know if it is true or not. This puts Grant on guard.
- Grant heads north but there is no sign of pursuit from Lord Korab. About twelve miles north of Tyland Mills, Grant meets a peddler named Ranulf who was robbed the previous day. He has been stripped of all his valuables and is of need of assistance. Grant escorts him back to town.
- After a report has been filed with details of Ranulf’s assailants, Grant goes to talk with Alfrin in case he has had any luck finding his uncle. Alfrin says that his Uncle was in Tyland Mills but left weeks ago, heading downstream for Cutting Field. Grant asks Alfrin to delay his departure as Ethan will be returning shortly and he may have news of Breldo. Alfrin agrees to this – he is still selling his merchandise and he is in no hurry to leave.
* Alfrin (Left), Tam (Right). Images sourced from Google Images but I think the one on the left could be from Paizo
- In the late afternoon, Ethan returns to the village with a boy of about eleven years old, and a black cat. He takes the boy to the Sheriff’s Tower and gives him and the cat some food. Explaining that he’ll be safe in the tower, Ethan goes to find Grant.
Ethan’s Tale
- Grant has just left the jetty when he meets Ethan. Speaking quietly so that no one else can hear, Ethan explains that they have a big problem. The entire town of Cutting Field has been wiped out and the people there have been massacred.
- Ethan recounts what happened in Cutting Field. He explains that he reached the town of Cutting Field the previous Towerday (4 days prior) but he could see no sign of life – no fires, no smoke, no movement – so he decided to retreat a few miles and sleep out in the cold. The next morning, it started to rain but he went in anyway.
- The village was empty. It looked like they had come under attack. The survivors had made their last stand at the tavern. There was blood everywhere but no bodies that he could find. The place was eerily quiet except for an occasional groan from the sawmill when the sails moved slightly from the wind. Ethan explains that he took time exploring the place, hoping for a survivor – someone who had witnessed the attack. It took some time for him to locate the boy who had hidden in a cellar and not been discovered. The boy gave his name as Tam and he said it had started with a sudden fog, and then the fish-creatures had come from the river. The reason that he survived was that he slept in the kitchen of his master’s house near the fireplace and he hid in the cellar under a rug when the screams started. He thinks that all the people were dragged away. Some of them screamed a lot as they were dragged off. Tam waited until all was silent and then looked for a boat, but the fish-creatures had destroyed them all. He tried following the creatures – they were taken north – but the fog was always too thick and he returned to Cutting Field to wait for help.
- Tam has lost track of time, but all this happened weeks ago. He had been scavenging for food from the houses and gardens to survive. On some nights Tam was able to tell him that the monsters came back but he hadn’t been found. The only other survivor that Ethan could find was a hungry black tomcat.
- Sensing that this place was still dangerous, Ethan asked Tam to remain hidden while he searched. He wasn’t hopeful of finding anyone still alive but he still needed to check.
- It didn’t take Ethan long to find out where the murderous fish-men had gone. About two miles away he found a deep cavern mouth, surrounded by yellow mist. The whole place felt wrong. Ethan had been feeling uncomfortable ever since coming to this realm, but this felt really bad – like death. He conjured up a simple light source and descended into the damp earth. The fish-men were down there, and some fouler creatures. There was no reasoning with them – Ethan was the trespasser here and he slew those he met. In a cavern of black moss Ethan found the bodies of the people of Cutting Field. An entire town’s worth of people, stacked in piles, rotting away. Nearby, he found a black statue of a fish-creature with black moss growing all over it. A thin tendril of fog was coming from this statue as if it was somehow generating the yellow mist.
- Ethan left that place of death and searched further. There were many other trails of these creatures but all came from the river. Ethan was going to retreat when he ran across an old man named Digger John who had been prospecting in the area. He was aware of the murders at Cutting Field but had chosen not to get involved in such terrible matters. Ethan told him about the cave and the bodies within it. Digger John didn’t appear surprised – he suspected that the whole area is cursed. Ethan noted that Digger John seemed to have set up camp in an area surrounded by faerie stones – each of the seven stones has a fey rune carved into it which would offer a level of protection to those inside it. Ethan went to recover Tam and the black cat and decided to join the old prospector for the night.
- That evening John told Ethan many things. He had travelled widely in the region for many years and heard many strange things – most of it was baloney but sometimes the stories could be true. He showed Ethan an amulet that apparently could be used to enchant any kind of spider – or at least that was what he was told – but it doesn’t work.
- Ethan didn’t sleep that night. He half-expected the creatures to find them, but they didn’t. After a long night, Ethan returned to the cave. He had realised that there was no way to cremate or bury the bodies by himself using ordinary means. Not without taking a long time and putting Tam in further danger. So Ethan decided to use Eidolon-enhanced Sorcery. He warped reality and ‘nuked’ the cavern, cremating the bodies, destroying the black statue and the evil-looking moss in the chamber. The hillside crumpled a little and the mouth of the cave collapsed.
- Ethan offered to take both Tam and Digger John back to Tyland Mills, but Digger John assured him that he’ll be all right. Ethan headed back with Tam, and the black cat.
Day 12 – Swordsday – 28th Day of Winterwane (Spring)
- His story completed, Ethan pressed Grant to know what had happened in his absence and whether there was any sign of the fishmen. Grant explained about his rescue of the Mill Lady and said that there had been no more sightings of the creatures. He also explained what he had found when looking for Brother Horace in the Old Temple and mentioned the Treant that he had met there. Ethan was pleasantly surprised by this and said that he would like to meet Oldroot.
- They decided that they could not conceal the calamity of Cutting Field, but should seek the counsel of the Mill Lady at once. Stopping to check on Tam (who had fallen asleep on Ethan’s cot), they walked to the fortified mill and asked to speak with Marian.
- Ethan was introduced and he explained what he had seen. The Mill Lady and Ventur (her orderly) listen attentively and finally she asks if there is any chance that Ethan could be mistaken. Ethan confirms that he is not and she turns her attention to Grant and asks him to do what he can. She will address the townspeople tomorrow and tell them what has happened. She also suggests that they meet again on Moonday (2 days time) to talk about what to do next, especially given that Tyland Mills has no army and they don’t know how many of these fish-creatures there are.
- Returning to the village, Grant decides to hire Salthia as a maid. He checks whether Old Olo has any objections and Olo points out that she will need a place to sleep that is not ‘among men’ (given that the Sheriff and his deputies are all sleeping in the tower). Grant agrees and decides to put her up at the Good Omen Inn until he can figure out another arrangement.
Day 13 – Saintsday – 29th Day of Winterwane (Spring)
- The next morning Ethan heads to the river caverns where they first encountered the fishmen. He has a bad feeling about the place but there is no new activity there.
- Midmorning, Lady Marian addresses the villagers in the town centre. She tells them that a calamity has befallen Cutting Field and all except Tam (the boy) have been killed. (Gina is shocked) Grant then addresses them as Sheriff and reassures them successfully. The people are afraid but they do not panic.
- In the aftermath, Alfrin asks if there is any news of his uncle Breldo. Ethan says that he didn’t see any hauflin boat in Cutting Field, but he urges Alfrin not to go there. Alfrin seems intent on going downriver to find his uncle, but he requests that someone go with him in case there is trouble.
- For the remainder of the day, Grant remains visible to the people while his deputies perform patrols. Thorn approaches Grant and asks if he has any news of his missing daughter (Jinny). Grant promises that he is still looking into it and that he has sent one of his deputies to the old temple to find out what has happened to Brother Horace.
- Grant has asked Ethan to go to the old temple, talk to Oldroot and search the lower level of the temple – find Horace’s body. Ethan agrees to do this.
- Later in the day, a small fishing boat arrives. A portly lady called Karia has been fishing for eels between Tyland Mills and Cutting Field. She sells her wares and talks to Alfrin. She has not seen Breldo either.
- Ethan does not return that evening.
Day 14 – Moonday – 30th Day of Winterwane (Spring)
- Grant is surprised that the Steel Eagles haven’t come to Tyland Mills. He assumes that if they haven’t come by now that they are not coming. There are no signs of the fish-creatures nearby and he wonders what to do. The bandits are a nuisance and will continue to harass travellers unless they are dealt with, especially given that there is a major festival in Tyland Mills in 2 weeks, but the real threat is the fish-creatures and too little is known about them.
- Ethan returns in the morning. He explains that he found the old temple and met with Oldroot. They had a good conversation - Ethan likes talking to trees and it seems as though Oldroot enjoyed his company. Oldroot explained that Lord Wynterlyr (the local fey lord) is imprisoned in a well, in the ‘forbidden’ part of the forest which is much denser and wilder than the rest. Oldroot has been stuck here for a long time due to his promise to Lord Wynterlyr.
- Oldroot tells Ethan the story of Lord Wynterlyr and Lady Beethania. Lady Beethania was the wife of Lord Wynterlyr. She was a protector of healers and bees, and a merciless breaker of hearts. It is said that Lord Wynterlyr had many lovers but one cut Lady Beethania most cruelly. Lord Wynterlyr fell in love with a mortal girl, and in revenge, Beethania made an arrow from her hair and stabbed the poor girl. To save her from death, Lord Wynterlyr turned the girl into a statue – but Beethania had her revenge. She stole a ring that had been enchanted by Lord Wynterlyr’s own hands, and cursed him to remain within the well until it was returned to him. She then shattered the ring into three parts and hid them so that Lord Wynterlyr would forever be trapped in the well.
- Oldroot sadly explains that he has been in this place for so long that he can no longer move. He wishes to see his brother Strongbranch and his sister Softbark.
- Ethan is moved by Oldroot’s tale and promises to try to help. Oldroot counsels Ethan to be careful. He then descends into the lower levels to hunt for Brother Horace.
- Ethan describes traps (one of which he only narrowly avoided) and also a desecrated temple which had been smeared with an evil-looking black moss, similar to what he had seen in Cutting Field. In that place he found Horace’s body. It was lying in a ritual pentagram, black candles burnt down to puddles of wax, a black dagger embedded in Horace’s heart and grave blooms scattered around. There were also two dead fish-creatures nearby – it looked like they had given their lives to touch a statue of Winterlyr in order to foul it.
- In examining the body, Horace and the corpses of the dead fish-creatures and all of those who were buried in the tombs came back to life. Ethan describes being attacked by waves of the creatures but he was not badly injured. The reanimated Horace screamed that there was no hope, and that five deaths would bring Him back. It was not clear to Ethan who or what Horace was speaking of, but clearly the temple has been deliberately corrupted and he can’t see a way to purify it without using Eidolon.
- Ethan asked Oldroot if he could describe Horace’s companion but Oldroot was unable to. Oldroot appeared to be aware of the corruption of Lord Wynterlyr’s temple but unwilling to say who or what the temple was now dedicated to. Ethan wanted to ask more about Nyrath but Oldroot seemed to have fallen asleep and would not speak further with him.
- On the way out, Ethan stopped to look at the book that Grant described which has stone pages so heavy that they could not be turned. Ethan was able to turn the pages easily using a telekinesis spell and he spent many hours reading about Lord Wynterlyr and the fey of these woods. There was mention of the making of the Ring that Lady Beethania stole from him. Ethan explains that there is a lot of history in that book but he isn’t sure how much of it is relevant to their current problems.
- With this new information, Grant decides that they should pay a visit to Marius the Black, the town healer (and drunkard) who is said to have once been a priest of Myrthala. Marius lives a little way out of town (to the south east). He has a vegetable garden and grows his own herbs (including grave blooms). It is late afternoon but Marius is still snoring away. Grant knocks on the door and finally wakes the sleeping dwarf. Marius doesn’t mind being woken but he assumes that someone has been hurt and there is an emergency of some kind. When reassured that there is not, Marius happily talks to them (although he is feeling a bit rough). Grant asks if Marius knows how to reconsecrate the old temple and Marius’ jaw drops. He explains that he knows healing but he’s not a priest (at least not anymore). Nevertheless, he agrees to help share what he knows – but it will probably require holy water (Brother Horace left a small amount in his house) or fire.
- Grant and Ethan decide to think this over. They wish that they had a priest accessible to them but there is no one in town with those skills.
- A merchant named Torius shows up in town. He has travelled from Old Oaks (to the west) with a wagon of goods. Grant suggests to Ethan that perhaps he will travel north with Torius and see if he can use Torius as bait to catch the bandits. Ethan shrugs – he is thinking that he should head to the Gorge and survey the area around it, looking for where these fish-creatures are coming from. He is worried that they have some sort of army.
- That evening Grant goes to meet with Marian, Ventur, Theod (who represents the farmsteads) and Mayor Prigg. They talk over dinner about the Sheriff’s plans and agree to them.
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