Session 253 – Secrets of Tyland (Part 13)

 - GM’s note: Critical encounters, the villains revealed at the next full moon… A lot happens in this session.

Day 26 - Swordsday – 11th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The dwarven would-be assassin has been dragged off and thrown into a vacant cell. Grant has made sure that the cell-door is Warden-locked so that he can’t get out. 

- Returning to Lady Marian, he checks that she is all right. He can tell that she is still shaken but she is presenting herself as calm. She remains at the celebration but it is a little subdued and she realises that the people won’t leave until she leaves. She asks for Ethan to escort her, and both Grant and Ingmar organise for a small group to make sure she gets back to the Mill House safely.

- Ander starts up a jaunty tune and the villagers resume their dancing. The festivities continue for another hour and then starts to die down. Grant finds the burly woman who looks out of place at the celebrations and he introduces himself and asks what brought her to Tyland Mill. The woman answers stiffly – she is clearly uncomfortable by being questioned but she answers politely. Grant decides to leave her be as she doesn’t seem to be a threat (for the moment)

- The Mill Lady reaches her home and she asks Ethan to remain so that she can talk to him. Ventur pours some wine and then leaves them be. She is no fool – she wants to know who Ethan is and why he is here. Ethan is candid with her and explains that he and Grant comes from a distant land. He admits to being a powerful sorcerer and healer, as well as being strong enough to defeat any man in Tyland Mill (except the Sheriff). He explains that there is something here in Tyland Mills that he finds troubling and he intends to stay until the problem is resolved. Marian listens and she believes him. She asks about the woman that he was with earlier in the day (a reference to Beethania) and Ethan explains that she was one of the fey whom he made a bargain with. In return for information, he had agreed to admire her for a day as if she were one of those whom he loves. But he was distracted when Lady Marian was hurt and the bargain was broken. He doesn’t know what damage was done but she is likely to be upset. Marian finds this whole story fascinating and they talk for some time. Marian promises to keep Ethan’s tale in confidence.

Day 27 - Saintsday – 12th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The next day Grant is up early to make sure there are no further disturbances to the festival. He is also aware that the Cult of the Crawler will be trying to sacrifice someone at the full moon – and the earliest that this could happen is this evening.

- Ethan has returned from the Millhouse and he tells Grant what has happened. He also explains that Beethania promised to tell him more about the Crawler and its servants that have been threatening the town. She implied that this has happened before and there is a story to be told. Grant asks what the fey lady wanted in return and Ethan explains that he thinks that she’s quite lonely. She remembers him from the Courts (GM’s note – which has not happened yet) and she asked for his complete admiration and devotion for a day. Grant is surprised by this as he knows that neither Abigail nor Isabelle would be happy with this arrangement – Ethan simply says that admiration and devotion can take many forms. He had no intention of tricking her and he was watching to see how it played out. Unfortunately the attack on Marian had spoiled things. He expects Beethania to be angry with him.

- They turn their attention back to the festival. Everything appears to be normal but today Grant expects someone to go missing. He looks around and only notes that Nadia is missing. He makes some inquiries and is told by her sister Irina that Nadia worked hard yesterday and is tired.

- The villagers drift in the direction of the fields where archery targets have been set up. Ethan notes that Beethania is already there and he goes to talk to her. She is not upset – quite the opposite – she praises him for going to Lady Marian’s aid. She suggests that he compete in the archery tournament to win her favour, and Ethan agrees to this.

- The archery tournament begins in the fields. About twenty archers take turns shooting at targets to determine the best. Ethan shoots well and is one of three to progress to the finals. The other two are Red, and Right-Eye Tom (Bo the Fletcher’s nephew).

- During the tournament, a large man arrives in Tyland Mills on a warhorse. He is dressed in heavy armour and Grant doesn’t like the look of him. The man comes over to watch the archery – he says something to Salthia and she avoids him. Grant notes that he wears the trappings of a Steel Eagle and he goes to meet him. The man is Raktor Stoneface, the leader of the Steel Eagles. He seems to be appraising Grant, and he asks after Grant’s deputy, referring to the one who sent a number of his men home without their horses.

* Sourced from Google Images but this represents Raktor Stoneface.

- They talk for awhile and end up sitting down for a mug of ale. Grant can tell that Raktor is a veteran of many battles but he is also a pragmatist. He is trying to figure out just how dangerous the people of Tyland Mills actually are, and in particular what sort of man Grant and his deputies are. Raktor has heard tales about Cutting Field but does not believe them. Grant offers to show him one of the fishmen and Raktor is interested in this.

- They watch the Bees’ Brawl, a wrestling match where the strongest men in the village are covered in bees wax and wrestle in a very muddy pit until only one remains. Raktor asks which one of the competitors is Grant’s deputy but Ethan is not competing.

- Theod of the Steads wins the wrestling match and is made ‘The Right Hand of the King’ for the duration of the Festival. The crowd cheers.

- Grant then takes Raktor to see the fishman that he holds in his custody. Raktor is more impressed with this but finds it hard to believe that there are hundreds or even more of these creatures. Grant also mentions the dwarven assassin to Raktor, hoping to provoke a reaction, but Raktor is as stony-faced as his name and is difficult to read. (Grant suspects that Lord Korab hired the assassin) Raktor then asks about having the horses returned and Grant refuses – he shows him the report that was filed and that the horses were impounded as compensation for ‘banditry’. Raktor’s attempts to coerce the Sheriff fail. Grant remains firm in his position.

- Showing Raktor out, Grant then returns to the archery competition. The three best archers shoot for the prize of a bag of coins and the title of ‘The Left Hand of the King’ for the remainder of the festival. Ethan shoots well but is ultimately defeated by Red, and Right-Eye Tom. Tom ultimately wins the competition. Grant notes that Ethan goes back to talk to Beethania. She cuddles his arm and looks very happy – clearly she didn’t hold a grudge from the previous day and she doesn’t seem to mind that Ethan didn’t win.

- As the day wears on, Grant tries to keep track of who may be missing. Many of the farmers and locals start making their way home to the steads but most stay for the closing ceremony of the festival. Grant notes that Sylvia is not there, Rowan is packing up her stall without John, Prigg’s wife is looking after the stall, and Gimilkina appears to have retired early. There seem to be many people missing. Grant decides to check on them, one by one. Eventually he realises that he hasn’t seen Salthia in a while and he goes to look for her.

- Salthia is sitting on one of the jetties overlooking the water. She looks sad. Grant goes to comfort her and she confesses that she didn’t enjoy seeing Raktor again – the women in the Weeping Castle aren’t treated very well. She asks what will happen to her after Grant leaves – she seems to know that he won’t be staying and she is scared what will happen to her when he does. Grant promises to look after her but she doesn’t seem to believe it. 

- Grant decides to stay with Salthia rather than attend the closing ceremony of the festival.

- As such, he doesn’t notice Ethan leaving with Beethania. When the ceremony is over and her statue is put back in Brother Horace’s house for safekeeping for next year, she takes Ethan’s hand and leads him into the forest. What follows is a game, playing hide and seek and finding flowers. The twilight fades quickly and the glamour wears off, revealing Beethania as she truly is in the moonlight of the full moon. She takes Ethan deeper into the forest and promise to tell him the story of the Crawler… if he can catch her…

The Fourth Sacrifice – Part 1

- Darkness has fallen over Tyland Woods and people have returned to their houses. Grant explains to Salthia that he needs to patrol this evening, but she is fearful when he explains that he doesn’t know who target of the Cult of the Crawler is, and he asks Tellurian to keep her company for the evening. 

- The full moon has risen. Grant is patrolling when Rowan mentions to him that John the Fair has not returned from an evening walk (which he often does when there is good moonlight). Grant and Rowan start searching for John. Rowan is very concerned and she confides in Grant that she loves John the Fair (despite there being a very unacceptable 20+ year age gap between them). Grant notices that someone is shadowing them but he says nothing of it.

- They find an article of John’s clothing and webbed footprints. Grant speeds up the hunt to find John in time. After fifteen minutes of searching, voices are heard in the darkness and he hears John crying for help. They find John the Fair tied to an old tree in the middle of a clearing. A masked cultist is standing next to him with a black knife and the clearing is full of Lurkers. Some of them have twisted bodies or armour-plating – they don’t appear to be normal at all.

* Sourced from Google Images but this represents the Priest of the Crawler

- Grant takes a moment to figure out who is following them. It is the burly woman who was out of place at the festival. He quickly decides that she can’t be after Rowan and he decides to attack the masked priest and save John the Fair.

- The priest holds the black blade aloft, charges the weapon with magical energy and announces that this is the “The Fourth Death, the Man with Two Souls”. 

- Transforming into a black-feathered night-owl, Grant moves to attack the priest but is intercepted by a demonic four-armed protector that swats him like a fly. The Lurkers move to attack him.

- The masked priest stabs down at John the Fair but it is too late. The moonlight has triggered a transformation. John the Fair is transforming into a werewolf! The werewolf quickly tears free of its bonds and begins attacking the Lurkers.

* Sourced from Google Images

- At this point, Grant and the John the Werewolf begin attacking Lurkers and the four-armed demon. The four-armed demon is difficult to kill because it regenerates at a supernatural rate – Grant can feel Umbra being used. 

- The burly woman also enters the fray, killing Lurkers with a pair of axes, whilst Rowan watches horrified from the sidelines.

- The masked priest decides to flee, and makes his way into the forest. Grant lets the priest go, figuring that he will not escape.

- The battle is over in minutes. Grant kills the regenerating demon and all of the Lurkers are slaughtered. At this point, the burly woman turns her attention towards John the Werewolf. She is a professional slayer and she is here to kill the werewolf that killed a young girl in Avery. She’s tracked John the Fair to Tyland Mills. To save John, Rowan embraces the werewolf and calms him sufficiently to reverse the transformation. The burly woman still wants to kill John (as there is no cure for lycanthropy) but Grant successfully convinces her that they have bigger ‘monster problems’ to deal with. Finally, she gives her name as Freya and she agrees to help Grant.

- Grant goes after the runaway priest but finds that he has teleported away by opening an Umbral vent. Frustrated and angry, Grant knows that he could pursue but he thinks he is likely to be ambushed on the other side. He decides to withdraw with the others and protect John the Fair, lest they try again. 

- Before he leaves the clearing, the tree awakens – it is Softbark, the treant-sister to Oldroot. She confirms that the Lurkers come from the Gorge and that the Crawler was never truly slain by Tyland Redmantle. The power of the Crawler is returning. They talk briefly and Softbark falls asleep again.

The Fourth Sacrifice – Part 2

- They make their way back to Tyland Mills. He finds Ethan absent but assumes that he is not a target. Grant has realised that there is another person in Tyland Mills that could be interpreted as a ‘Man with Two Souls’ – Ander Half-Elven. He assumes that if the Cult failed to kill John the Fair that they may try to kill the troubadour.

- Ander is still playing music at the Good Omen Inn. Fearing an attack from the river, Grant organises defenses around the Good Omen Inn, and keeps John the Fair and Rowan in the inn itself. Ander is already staying at the inn, and Irina makes it clear that she is expecting to spend the night with Ander. This is not surprising to Grant as he’s noticed Irina’s interest in Ander since he arrived.

- Grant stays up all night, making sure that no attack comes. When morning comes he finds Rowan and John still present, but when he goes to find Ander Half-Elven, he finds that Ander is missing and the three sisters are gone. Confounded and confused, Grant starts looking for another way out of the Good Omen Inn.

- He finds it in the kitchen. A trapdoor leads down into a cellar, and then into the catacombs of Undertown. Worse still, he finds a chamber that looks like it’s a secret headquarters of the cult – and there are personal effects left behind by the three sisters. 

- His head spinning from the revelation, Grant heads out to Softbark (who has fallen asleep again) and finds the dead body of Ander Half-Elven amongst the dead bodies of the fishmen. Ander has been ritually sacrificed as the Fourth Sacrifice. Somehow Nadia and Irina must have convinced Ander to leave with them, or they somehow drugged him. Regardless, they succeeded on the Fourth Sacrifice with a second attempt.

- Cursing, Grant returns to town to find that Ethan has arrived. They sit down in the empty Good Omen Inn to talk. Grant shares his news and then listens to what Ethan has to say. 

- Beethania told him that there were once three priestesses of the Crawler – Iriskara, the warrior; Sylkara, the high priest; and Nadakara, the shadow walker. Nadakara ensnared Sir Baros, the first knight to come to the area, and turned him into Kur-Rah, the Betrayer. When Tyland Redmantle came to find his missing friend, Baros had already turned to darkness and could not be reasoned with. This was two hundred years ago but the three sisters have returned. In these new incarnations, they seem to have remembered who they once were and are trying to bring back the Crawler.

- Grant notes the poor timing of this information – Ander Half-Elven is dead. He asks Ethan what he gave to Beethania in trade for this information. At first, Ethan says ‘affection’, but he remarks that she almost certainly used him. She took him to a place deep in the forest where there is a Faerie Well – the place where he assumes that Lord Wynterlyr is imprisoned. She assumes that she did this to spite her husband.

- Grant is not impressed. Ethan goes on to say that Beethania told him that someone has found a piece of Wynterlyr’s ring – the ring that has been split into three parts. Reunited all three parts and returning to Wynterlyr would free him from his prison. She asked Ethan to find it – she said that it would ‘please her’ for Ethan to find and wear it. Ethan doesn’t know what that means but he thinks she is playing him. However, apparently Lord Wynterlyr made the ring from ‘a piece of the Crawler’ – so it may have power over the Crawler itself.

- The pair weigh up their options. The three sisters can use Umbra and are almost certainly back in Nyrath, which is probably near the Gorge. However, they don’t have to go after them immediately – they have time. Lord Korab is a problem given that he has tried twice to remove Lady Marian. Grant wants him dead if he can get Marian’s blessing to do it. Ethan also points out that they need an army to stop the Lurkers, and that means getting the dwarves on-side by helping them to reclaim the Hexenhoof Mine and hopefully getting enough money to buy the Steel Eagles’ services as well. However, there is the problem that a piece of Wynterlyr’s ring has been found.

- Ethan agrees to go after Wynterlyr’s ring. Grant decides to talk to Lady Marian about what can be done to remove Lord Korab.

- GM’s note: And yes, it was very strange that Grant took both Fourth Sacrifice targets to the Good Omen Inn, right to the priestesses’ place of power. Grant was busy protecting the place from outside attack and never considered the possibility that the three sisters could be involved. The fact that Nadia was stung by a Nyrathi Bee and needed help to be healed was just an unfortunate coincidence. Sylvia and Irina had the magical talent to heal their sister but couldn’t use it without revealing their powers. That’s why they were so sad.

It also means that every time that Ethan used Eidolon or Sorcery, the sisters could sense it. They had prepared to deal with an Eidolon Master (hence the regenerating demon) but of course they had little or no knowledge of Grant’s abilities.

Session 252 – Secrets of Tyland (Part 12)

 - GM’s note: So we’re almost at the next full moon, and the 4th sacrifice. It’s the Festival of Bees – a chance for the Lords of Gossamer to relax? Maybe…. But probably not.

Day 25 - Fireday – 10th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- Red’s men leave town quietly before sunset. Red himself plans to return at suppertime on the first day of the festival when the Mill Lady can explain their bargain. He is carrying a written pardon and instructions for his men.

- The festival setup is almost complete when Grant heads to the Good Omen Inn. Inside, the festivities have already begun. Ander Half-Elven (the troubadour) is playing a jaunty tune while the locals cheer and sing along. 

* Sourced from Google Images but this is a piece of artwork by the legendary Larry Elmore. I’ve used this picture to represent Ander Half-Elven.

- Grant is about to join them when he sees a group of dwarves arriving in town. It’s late – well after sundown – and they look tired. There are almost thirty of them.

- Their leader, Ingmar Fellowthongs, calls out to Grant and asks where he might find his cousin. Grant helps him to find Thorn Fellowthongs (the smith), who is drinking in the inn, and then to find enough spare land to pitch tents for the entire group. The dwarves seem tired, but relieved to be at their destination. Ingmar is very pleased to see Thorn.

* Sourced from Google Images, this image represents Ingmar Fellowthongs.

- Grant stays at the Good Omen Inn until late, intending on making sure that everyone gets home safely. Salthia pops by, they talk, and she tells him that she’ll wait up for him. Finally when the last merry drunk is safely home, Grant heads to Salthia’s cottage for the night.

Day 26 - Swordsday – 11th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The next morning everyone is up early. The marketplace is filled with stalls and people have come from miles around to join in the festival. The Festival of Bees officially starts when a statue of the Lady of Honey is taken from the church (Brother Horace’s house) to the centre of town. Lady Marian says a few words as the bouquets of flowers are laid at the statue’s feet, and then Old Olo (as Honey Master) declares the beginning of the Honey Search. 

- Scores of children (and a few adults) head out in all directions, scurrying here and there, looking for the tiny honey pots that have been carefully hidden by Olo over the last few days. Ander Half-Elven plays merrily in the town square and people start looking over the wares that people have brought to sell.

- The mood is bright and festive. Even Widow Gimilkina, who was not impressed that the dwarves had set up their stalls so close to her own, has been pleased by their polite manners and their enthusiasm for her baked pies. Grant wanders around town and visits the stalls. He buys a brooch from Penny, a nine-year old entrepreneur with her own stall. He meets Bo, the only decent fletcher in these parts and buys a lot of his stock. He talks with Marius who has a stall of medicinal herbs. He buys a handful of sweets from Kadyn, one of the peddlers who has come from Old Oaks. 

- The three sisters from the Good Omen Inn have set up a stall selling ale and pies (although Nadia is hardly seen as she is always working in the kitchen). Mayor Prigg has most of his stock on tables in front of his shop. On the barges are a fishmonger named Karia and Alfrin’s general store. 

- Browsing here and there, Grant keeps an eye out for those who don’t belong. He is half expecting some of Red’s men to try something as they may not yet realise that there is an agreement in place.

- He spots a tall, strong looking woman who looks like a warrior. Her arms are pure muscle. She samples some of the food, but she is clearly looking for something or someone. Grant decides to keep an eye on her.

* Sourced from Google Images, this represents Freya (more on her in Session 253)

- Grant also meets Sir Vance, a wandering knight who arrived two days earlier. Vance is escorting Lady Marian around.

* Sourced from Google Images, this image represents Vance.

- It is a change of pace for Grant. Everything seems so calm. People are polite and relaxed around him. Sure, there is someone selling a faerie-touched horse and apparently some of the merchants from Stone Bridge aren’t here this year (due to Lord Korab and the Steel Eagles) but it’s nice to have some time to relax and enjoy. 

- Grant notes that Ethan and a young peasant woman are talking to Alfrin. When the conversation ends, they come over to talk to him. Grant introduces himself, and the woman says that they’ve met. She refers to him as ‘The royal birdcatcher’ which catches him off guard, as that was what some of the fey called him in the Courts. 

(GM’s note – yes, that hasn’t happened yet. But we will go back to that) Thinking fast, he realises that she isn’t human. She’s a fey wearing a glamour to disguise her true form. He guesses correctly that this is Beethania, the Honey Lady – even the statue has a certain likeness.

* Sourced from Google Images, I’m pretty sure that this image is by Gordon Napier (Dashinvaine), the same talented artist who painted Grant and Ethan. this image represents Beethania as she appears under her glamour.

- Beethania seems pleased to be at Tyland Mills, once again the centre of worship (for that is what the Festival of Bees is) and she seems to be very much attached to Ethan. Grant notes that Ethan is still wearing the pendant around his neck that Isabelle made for him. They make small talk, then Grant excuses himself.

- Meanwhile, wherever Ethan goes, Beethania goes. She walks closely with him, practically clinging to Ethan’s arm, not that anyone else notices. (GM’s note – Ethan and Beethania have met from the Court.) Ethan is very polite and careful not to anger her. Beethania herself oozes charm, and she flirts a little with Ethan. When they last met, she had competition. In Tyland Mills, she does not. She knows that Ethan can see her through her glamour.

- Grant has a late lunch and he picks a quiet place by the docks to sit down and have a pastie. He notes a dark-haired dwarf sitting by the riverbank, eating quietly. Again, this is someone who doesn’t quite fit in with the festive atmosphere.

* Sourced from Google Images

- At dusk, Old Olo declares the end of the Honey Search and a young boy named Efrem Rishavel wins the prize. He is crowned with golden flowers and named King of the Bees for the duration of the festival.

- With the end of the Honey Search a series of long tables are set up and a variety of foods are placed for a communal supper. Nadia brings out plate after plate after plate (she’s been cooking all day), as do many of the other women of the village. Lady Marian, the Mill Lady, speaks first, welcoming everyone and thanking them (especially those who have made the feast possible). She also rewards Efrem with a gold piece and a kiss. At this point, she also acknowledges her half-brother Red, and explains the bargain that has been struck which will mean that he will receive title but also vow to enforce the King’s law. Red’s bandits are no more. Red is offered an opportunity to speak, and he speaks well. The murmurs of the crowd are quickly silenced and people believe that this time, he really might have changed. Grant is then invited to speak as Sheriff, followed by Ingmar Fellowthongs. Ingmar thanks the people of Tyland Mills for their welcome and announces his intention to reclaim the Hexenhoof Mines to the west. 

- After dinner, there is the Best Pie Competition, in which the Widow Gimilkina (with her famous rhubarb pie) is pitted against Viera of the Steads (with her All Honey Marvel). A jury of six decides the outcome and Viera is judged the winner. To Grant’s surprise, Gimilkina accepts this with good grace but promises to win next year.

- Grant notes that Ethan is present at the dinner but he no longer seems to be wearing Isabelle’s pendant. That is shocking to him as it was one of the things that the fey most wanted when they spent time in the Courts. Why would he take it off with Beethania present? If he removed it, what did Beethania offer him in return?

- When the communal supper is finished, the tables are cleared away and Ander Half-Elven starts playing music that the people can dance to. While Marian and Vance talk politely, friends and couples dance. Grant keeps watch, occasionally talking to people, but he decides not to join in the dancing. After a while, Grant notes Ethan dancing with Beethania and he seems to be enjoying himself. It seems most unusual.

- Grant decides to go check on the Sheriff’s Tower (and the fishman still in the dungeon). When he leaves, tragedy strikes. A concealed assassin fires at Lady Marian and she is caught in the breast by a crossbow bolt. The impact throws her off her chair. The crowd doesn’t seem to notice at first and the music keeps playing. Sitting beside her, Sir Vance doesn’t seem to realise what happened, assuming that she has merely slipped off her chair, but Ethan realises at once. Pushing people aside, he dashes to Marian’s side and sees her eyes glazing over as the blood is soaking into her dress. Instinctively, he uses Eidolon and prevents her death. He draws out the bolt and starts healing the wound. (GM’s note – the use of Eidolon triggers another tremor in Gossamer Reality)

- Vance is astonished. He watches open mouthed and says nothing. Some of the crowd have realised that the Mill Lady has been attacked and they begin shouting. The music stops abruptly and the crowd is quickly hunting for her assailant. Grant dashes back from the Tower and races after the mystery assassin.

- Marian’s eyes refocus and with Ethan’s assistance she is able to get back to her chair. At this point, Vance snaps out of this and begins organising a search. He assures the worried onlookers that Lady Marian is unhurt. Marian stares at Ethan as she realises that he is a gifted healer but she quickly recovers her wits and stands to her feet (with a bit of help) to reassure the people of Tyland Mills.

- Meanwhile, Grant hunts the assassin in the dark. But Grant can see in the dark. He finds the discarded crossbow and heads out into the fields. He spots a dwarf-sized figure fleeing and chasing him. The assassin is cunning, more cunning than Grant expects. Grant has to avoid caltrops and even a bear-trap but he manages to catch up with the dwarf. It is the same dour dwarf that he saw on the riverbank. A running battle ensues with the dwarf hurling poisoned darts at him. Grant finally brings the dwarf down with a blow to one of his legs, but still the dwarf manages to stick him with poisoned blades. Subduing the assassin, Grant feels a number of different poisons working their way into him and he decides to use Umbra to nullify them. (GM’s note – the internal use of Umbra would cause minimal disturbance to Gossamer Reality)

- Dragging his quarry back to town, Ingmar Fellowthongs confirms that he isn’t one of the Fellowthongs dwarves that came with him. This dwarf is an outsider.

Session 251 – Secrets of Tyland (Part 11)

 - GM’s note: This session covers a number of days as Grant heads to the Tower of the Hawks and Ethan covers for his absence. We are very close to the next full moon, and the next sacrifice. However, the PCs don’t know yet who that sacrifice will be.

Day 22 - Towerday – 7th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The next morning is cold but still the rain keeps coming. Grant rises early and departs, heading south. Just after midday, he leaves the road and heads through the forest in the direction of the mountains and the known path that leads to the Tower of the Hawks. Late in the day, ‘Brick’ is tired and needs to rest. He finds a small shrine that seems to have sunken into the hillside and goes to investigate. There he finds a small domed temple dedicated to Lady Beethania, the wife of Lord Wynterlyr, and the one who has supposedly trapped her husband in a well which lies deep in the forest. Grant recognises her when he sees her statue. He’s met her before in the Courts of the Shadow Fey. (GM’s note – This adventure will be run. We will come back to it. We just haven’t run it yet. I gave David a choice as to whether Beethania had a connection to Grant or to Ethan and he chose Ethan) Beethania was one of the faeries who was trying to persuade Ethan to remove Isabelle’s amulet.

- At the feet of the statue lies a piece of metal – a third of a metal ring. Grant remembers seeing a stone statue holding the completed ring in the river caverns. He remembers what Oldroot said, that Lord Wynterlyr could be freed if the three pieces of the ring were reunited and it was returned to him. Grant thinks on this – no one has been here in a long time – and he decides to leave it be.

Day 23 - Wineday – 7th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- At first light Grant heads further into the mountains, hoping that he will be in time to rescue Tam. It is cold and overcast but at least it is no longer raining. Just before he departs, he offers a prayer to Lady Beethania, asking for protection for the town against the Lurkers. He leaves a flawless gemstone at her feet in return. 

- ‘Brick’ isn’t used to long journeys and the horse tires quickly as they continue to climb. The view over Tyland Woods is impressive and the distant Tower draws closer as the day wears on. Grant keeps his eyes out for large birds, figuring that the Lord of the Skies will probably have giant hawks looking for intruders. In the afternoon, he spots one but to his surprise, the great grey hawk lands nearby and knocks its beak against a rock, tapping out a basic message. The grey hawk wants to communicate with him.

- They can’t converse normally, but the hawk clearly understands what Grant says and can tap out yes/no answers to questions. Slowly, Grant gets more information about what lies ahead. ‘Grey Feather’ claims to be the lord of the hawks but things changed when a wizard arrived. The wizard is a danger to both the hawks and the people of Tyland Woods. Not only can the wizard control the hawks, but he is also merging the ‘people with two legs’ and the ‘birds with two wings’ into a new type of human-hawk hybrid. ‘Grey Feather’ is the only one who has been able to avoid being controlled by the wizard. 

- At last Grant reaches the Tower, and he decides upon a direct approach. Shapeshifting into a small bird (something he can only manage for minutes at a time without disturbing Gossamer Reality), he flies around the tower, looking at the upper level where he has been told that the wizard resides. Catching a glimpse of him in his blue robes in what appears to be the early stages of a ritual, Grant charges through the arrow slit and returns to his normal size. Grant flattens the surprised blue wizard, who promptly hisses at him in a most inhuman way, and Grant knocks him out. Tennelgast’s two hawk-hybrid apprentices move to defend their master but Grant deals with them very quickly. 

- He has arrived in the blue wizard’s laboratory and Tam is cooped up in a small cage. In another cage there is a healthy-looking giant hawk. It looks like Tennelgast was just about to start a ritual to merge them. 

- Grant frees Tam and goes to look for other prisoners. What follows is a battle up and down the tower where hawk-hybrids attack viciously but are quickly subdued by Grant. When the Tower is secured, Grant finds lots of odd things. There are catnip plants at the windows. There is a chained-up goat for producing milk. Tennelgast has a huge throne with a comfortable cushion. In a golden goblet there is … fresh milk. Grant wonders if this wizard is some sort of cat-hybrid, or cat-touched or just a shapechanged cat.

- Finding the Book of the Skies, Grant uses some minor magic to break the enchantments in play (a very low-key use of Umbra) and then realises that he will need Vendra (Tennelgast’s master) to undo the spells that have created these hybrids. He has also rescued a handful of prisoners, some of whom are in very poor condition.

- What follows is that Grant negotiates with Grey Feather to take Tam back to Tyland Mills and inform Ethan what is going on – that the hawks are now their friends are not to be fired upon. Grant then instructs two of the hawkmen to take the Book of the Skies back to Vendra and ask for her help. Grant will head back to Tyland Mills with Tennelgast to ensure that he cannot reassert control over the Hawks. 

Day 24 - Thunderday – 9th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The next morning, Grant forces Tennelgast to drink a sleeping draught that he has prepared, and then he heads back along the road that brought him to the Tower of the Hawks. The sun finally breaks through the clouds and it is a fraction warmer, but it is still chilly in the mountains.

- Grant reaches the shrine to Beethania but does not take the ring fragment. Late in the day, he attempts to talk to Tennelgast but finds the wizard both rude and arrogant. Despite the horse being very tired, Grant presses on to reach Tyland Mill, arriving well after dark.

- To his surprise he finds that there are many horses at the Good Omen Inn and a few new merchants in town. He finds Sergeant Parth standing guard outside the Sheriff’s Tower. Parth is pleased to see Grant but says that there is no space for the captured wizard – the tower is full of prisoners. Grant asks what has happened, and Parth defers to Ethan to explain. 

Ethan’s Story - Day 22 - Towerday – 7th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- Ethan pours Grant a drink and they sit down to go over what has happened. Ethan explains that he arrived back in Tyland Mills two days ago and found that he had just missed Grant. Mayor Prigg filled him in, including that Grant had hired three new deputies and that Thorn’s poor daughter had been found in the catacombs. Ethan was quite concerned about there being tunnels beneath Tyland Mills and he wanted to investigate, but the cell door was Warden-locked and Ethan figured that Grant must have had a reason for that, so he didn’t go further. Instead, he met Parth, looked over the river caverns again and went on some basic patrols. Nadia seemed to have recovered from her poisoning and her sisters offered Ethan a free meal to thank him. Ethan went to visit Thorn and pay his condolences. Thorn gruffly accepted and explained that he was waiting for the rain to end so that he could burn Jinny’s body. 

- Ethan mentions that a merchant named Saena arrived with two wagons, and a messenger named Squire Ventor arrived and left. 

- At this point in the retelling, Grant asked as to whether Marian had met with Red. After a pause, Ethan said that she had but the meeting had not gone well. 

Ethan’s Story - Day 23 - Wineday – 7th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- The rain finally stopped so Thorn started work on a funeral pyre. There had been no word from Gareth, Rein or Pyke but Ethan wasn’t about to start chasing after them and leaving the town undefended. So he kept Parth and Tellurian on duty in the village itself while he went on patrol.

- Ethan explains that he’d heard that the Steel Eagles sometimes acted little better than bandits, and one of the children came running into town saying that their farm was under attack. Ethan told Parth and Tellurian to hold the bridge into Tyland Mill and he charged out. The farmstead itself was only two miles away and when he arrived, the ten Steel Eagles were busy pillaging and looting everything that they could take with them.

- Ethan didn’t have a bow with him – Grant had taken that – so he simply moved to ‘arrest them’. The Steel Eagles didn’t want to surrender to one lone deputy, so Ethan ended up killing two of them and capturing eight of them – and six horses. It took him a long time to get all of the prisoners back to Tyland Mill and even then, there wasn’t enough space in the dungeon. He had to convert the first floor into a holding cell. Parth was quite surprised – he apparently hadn’t thought much of Ethan when they had first met.

- Ethan only joined the Jinny’s funeral after the pyre had been burning for many hours. He didn’t hear what Lady Marian or any of the others had said at her funeral. He said a few words to Thorn, and stayed with him awhile, and then got back to work.

- It was late in the afternoon that the hawk carrying Tam arrived in the village and Ethan received Grant’s message.

Ethan’s Story - Day 24 - Thunderday – 9th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- On Thunderday the town started working to smoke out the Nyrathi Bees. They had already brought a lot of lumber to the area, covered it up and now it was time to use it. 

- Ethan missed pretty much all of that as Parth and Tellurian were keen to be involved, and this left Ethan in charge of the Tower on his own. It was during this time that Squire Ventor returned without his horse, or his precious message. He’d been robbed by Red’s bandits the previous day and had to walk back to Tyland Mills. He was not very happy at all and demanded action. 

- In addition, Lady Marian tried again to meet with Red again to try to reach some sort of arrangement. This meant that she was in the Sheriff’s Tower when the bandits decided to take advantage of the fact that most of the township were busy smoking out Nyrathi Bees – and they took this moment to try to free Red.

- Ethan explains that about a dozen of them turned up and tried to persuade him to release Red. They seemed to have no knowledge of him, except that he was in the Sheriff’s employ. Ethan says simply that he captured most of them – a few fled and he didn’t feel like chasing after them given the number of prisoners already in the tower. Ethan chuckles when he tells Grant of Red’s reaction and Marian’s reaction. Neither one of them expected one man to be able to do that.

- All in all, Ethan explains that there are eight Steel Eagles and now eight of Red’s bandits (including Red) in the Tower. It’s become quite crowded.

- Ethan pours Grant another drink and says that he doesn’t know what to do with the prisoners. Feeding them is costly.

Day 24 - Thunderday – 9th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- Back together, Grant tells Ethan about his adventures. He mentions the statue of Beethania and Ethan notes that he saw a similar statue in the old temple to the west. He expects that he will be a target of the fey for the foreseeable future, ever since they went to the Courts. (GM’s note – more on that will be revealed at a later date) Grant tells Ethan about Tennelgast and his hawk-hybrids. He hopes that Vendra will be able to turn them back.

- Ethan remarks that the Festival of Bees is only two days away (on Swordsday), and they need to figure out what to do with Red’s men and the Steel Eagles. Grant suggests that they move out of the Tower temporarily and stay at the Good Omen Inn but leave a guard in place. Ethan agrees.

Day 25 - Fireday – 10th Day of Rainmoot (Spring)

- With the weather finally improving, the townspeople of Tyland Mill and the arriving merchants begin setting up stalls in the town squire. Grant leaves Ethan to manage any security issues that come up and he decides to press the Lurker to tell what it knows.

- The Lurker has been docile and refusing both food and water for days. Grant tries to talk to it – it is very hard because although the creature clearly understands, it is unwilling to say anything. It seems to want to die. Grant decides to use a little Umbra to weaken its resolve and it starts to tell what it knows. The Lurker doesn’t know anything about Cutting Field – it had been in the tunnels beneath Tyland Mills for almost two months, tasked with protecting its kin who were clearing the clogged passages. It stares blankly at Grant as he presses about sacrifices at the full moon – it doesn’t appear to know anything about the plan, or who these ‘Three Servants’ might be. It does know about the Crawler, the god who is sleeping and will return, but seems ignorant of any plans which might be useful.

- Grant is disappointed and decides to head to the Millhouse to meet with Lady Marian. On the way, he finds that she is coming to meet him. They talk on the way back and Grant explains about Tennelgast and the hawks. He also points out the number of prisoners that are currently in the Sheriff’s Tower and that he needs Marian to provide some guidance as to what to do with them.

- Marian and Grant pause at the edge of the township, and Grant suggests that he talk to Red on her behalf and sound him out – figure out some sort of bargain that both sides would accept. Marian thinks for a while and accepts this proposal. She would like him to explore options but makes no promises as to whether she can accept what he proposes.

- While Grant heads to the Tower to talk to Red, Marian seeks out Ethan to talk with him. Marian had no idea that Ethan was a competent warrior until she saw for herself how he handled Red’s men. She is curious about him – where he comes from and why he travels with Grant. Ethan answers her questions with deference to her station. He explains that he and Grant have been friends for many years and have had many adventures together. She asks if he thinks that Grant could be persuaded to stay as Sheriff of Tyland Woods. Ethan pauses and suggests that she ask for herself as he cannot speak for Grant. Marian chuckles at the diplomatic answer and asks whether he will stay. Ethan’s thoughts are with Isabelle, Abbie and Hilda but he admits that he may stay longer if there is still need for him here.

- Grant releases Red from his cell and invites him to the kitchen to talk. Grant explains that punishment for banditry is quite severe but the massacre at Cutting Field has given Red the opportunity to ‘turn over a new leaf’, make a deal with Lady Marian and stop being bandits. Grant is very persuasive. Red doesn’t really want to be a bandit – he wants a title and lands, but he is very protective of his men. Red admits that his men are at the old Silvertrout Manor, on the eastern side of Chestnut Creek, and he would want title to that manor house as well as some sort of title to go with it, and a pardon for his men. 

- They discuss options. Lord Korab has proven himself to be hostile to the Mill Lady and the Lurkers seem to be numerous enough to wipe out a village of almost a hundred people. The Mill Lady needs Red and his men. The alternative is that they hang them all and either Korab or the Lurkers will likely wipe them out.

- Red is intrigued. He has no problems siding with Marian, his half-sister, and likes the idea of one day becoming the Lord of the Weeping Castle (once he has proven himself). But he wonders whether Marian would accept that. His people have done terrible things to survive. There are thieves and murderers amongst his people. 

- With this news, Grant returns Red to his cell and then goes to find Ethan. They talk for a while. Ethan wonders if Red is willing to say anything to get free and whether he will keep his end of any bargain that is struck. Grant points out that he did reveal where the bandits are based. Ethan wonders if he could be lying but Grant is sure that he was telling the truth. He and Red seem to have developed a rapport and he doesn’t think Red would directly lie to him. Red doesn’t seem like a bad guy – Grant thinks that he can work with him.

- Ethan comments that the preparations for the Festival of Bees seem to be going well. A troubadour named Ander Half-Elven has turned up, and he already seems to have developed a bit of a following as he plays merry tunes. Most of the stalls have been set up, and already the Good Omen Inn is full of merrymakers.

- Grant excuses himself and goes to talk to Marian. She listens to the proposal and agrees that it is worth further conversation. Red is released once more and Marian talks with him whilst Grant listens. After an hour of negotiation, they have reached an agreement. Red and his men will be given pardons for all past crimes and released. Red will be made Lord of Silvertrout Manor, and Protector of Tyland Wood. She expects the banditry to stop and for Red to adhere to the laws of the land. That also means that he’ll need to dispense the King’s justice where required or defer to herself or the Sheriff where he cannot. The property that has been stolen is to be returned. 

- Both Red and Marian seem pleased and relieved that an agreement has been reached.

- The three of them then talk about what is to be done with the Steel Eagles. Grant suggests that they kick them out of Tyland Mills without their horses so that they have to walk home. It’ll serve as a lesson – this was actually Ethan’s idea but Grant likes it. Marian and Red agree to this.

- Marian leaves to organise the paperwork for Red’s release and Red is returned to his cell. He gives the good news to his men and there are cheers from the cells.