**Session 1** The adventure began with the intrepid heroes [[Tyche Helikos]], [[Wilma Wimp]], and [[Caedus Darkfyre]] enjoying a quiet afternoon around a table in the common room of the [[Feather Bed Inn]] in the sleepy country town of [[Broadhurst]]. Their peaceful respite was abruptly interrupted when the inn's front door slammed open. The local blacksmith, [[Ashleigh]], stumbled inside, still clad in her soot-blackened smock. She was breathing heavily, and blood trickled from a wound on her forehead. Ashleigh rushed to a pair of adventurers seated nearby, desperately pleading for their aid. After a brief exchange, the two rose from their seats and departed, unwilling to help after concluding that the blacksmith could not afford their services. Left with no other option, Ashleigh turned to the heroes, fell to her knees, and begged for their assistance. Through panicked breaths, she explained that her daughter, [[Violet]], had been abducted by a horde of goblins. Without hesitation, the heroes accepted her plea and set out to rescue the missing girl. Ashleigh explained that she and Violet had been ambushed while traveling. The goblins had struck without warning, wounded her, and dragged Violet into the nearby [[Delian Tomb]]. Admitting that she was no warrior, Ashleigh remained behind and wished the party luck as they departed. Upon reaching the entrance to the Delian Tomb, the heroes quickly detected signs of an ambush. A small band of goblins lay in wait, hoping to catch them unaware. Having uncovered the trap before it could be sprung, the party dispatched the goblins with little difficulty before preparing to venture deeper into the crypt. Before entering, the heroes took a moment to examine the tomb's exterior. Its weathered stonework suggested it had been constructed many centuries earlier, likely during the height of the [[Caelian Empire]]. Chiseled into the stone above the entrance was the name [[Delius]], presumably the individual laid to rest within the ancient crypt. The heroes made their way into the structure. The first room of the tomb had been converted into a makeshift goblin living area, and a dozen goblins stood to face down the heroes. This is where the party met its first real resistance, or what would have been staunch resistance had Wilma Wimp not wreaked havoc in the goblin lines with her unconventional style of push-based warfare. After handily dispatching the goblins therein, the party looted the room and found three [[Healing Potions]], five ounces of [[Costmary Leaves]] and a [[Healing Potion Recipe|recipe in Caelian that describes how to make a healing potion]]. The heroes also noted that along the walls of this room there was an intricately carved fresco on the wall that depicted staving and wounded humans drinking from an ornate chalice that turned them into powerful, healthy warriors who battled a horde of demons. The heroes, with their knowledge of historical lore determined that the chalice shown was referred to as the [[Cup of Iulius]], a powerful relic lost more than a thousand years ago. Continuing forward the party came across a trap laid in the stonework of the tomb. Caedus deftly disarmed the trap and the party continued without incident. Upon entering the next room the party saw a large, red skull painted on the floor. In addition they saw several sarcophagi lining the walls and a statue of a proud human warrior holding a spear, built against the far wall. Not to be deterred the party walked in to the room, eager to rescue Violet. Upon making contact with the skull on the floor however, the coffins along the walls opened to reveal animated skeletal and zombified enemies. A fight ensued, only ending when Tyche blasted the skull sigil on the floor with a beam of holy energy. The skull erupted in flames and the undead turned to ash. Upon inspection after the battle, it was determined that behind the statue was a passage to another room. The party managed to carefully and quietly move the statue out of the way and made their way into the next room. In that next room the party found a number of goblin warriors, all arrayed around a large glowing energy field that covered a stairwell leading further into the tomb. In addition to the goblins there was also a bugbear, who was dressed in shamanistic garb and fetishes and who was channeling some kind of spell into Violet who was tied to a stone pillar in the room. As Violet thrashed against her bonds, the party saw that a stream of energy was being pulled from the blacksmith's daughter and into the barrier that protected the stairwell. The heroes charged into the room and fought valiantly to dispatch the goblin scourge and their bugbear leader, upon engaging the heroes in combat the bugbear bellowed something about stopping the heroes from interrupting [[Queen Bargnot|Queen Bargnot's]] plans. The battle was blow for blow, eventually coming down to just the bugbear and the party standing, and that did not last long as Caedus cut down the channeler with a stream of viscous magma earning himself the title of [[Violet's Savior]]. The party hurried to untie Violet who was now unconscious, but breathing. On their way out of the room the party looted the channeler and found the following: two [[Bloodbound Band|Bloodbound Band's]], two [[Volcanic Glass Lenses]] and [[Foesense Lenses Recipe|a recipe in Caelian that describes how to make Foesense Lenses]]. The party, Wilma specifically, carried Violet out of the tomb and reunited her with her mother, who could hardly contain her excitement and gratitude at having her daughter returned to her. As the group traveled back to Broadhurst Ashleigh expressed that though she wished she could pay the adventurers they were welcome in her home day and night and would be more than welcome to drop by and ask her any questions they may have about the town and its inhabitants. Additionally, Ashleigh was a skilled artisan and offered her services to the party in any projects they wished to undertake during their time in Broadhurst. The party bid farewell to the blacksmith and her daughter as they returned home. **Session 2** Upon saying goodbye to the pair, the party was approached by a robed human in his sixties with a friendly smile on his face. He introduces himself as [[Abbott Loric]] and is quick to thank the heroes for their work in rescuing Violet and inquired about their quest. The heroes detailed their adventure in the tomb and the ward that protects the next level. After the heroes bring up Queen Bargnot the Abbott remarks that a few decades ago the town, and region had been terrorized by a goblin queen of the same name. Everyone had assumed she had died long ago after the people of Broadhurst repelled her aggressions. He is surprised that her name came up, as she would be extremely old by goblin standards at this time. He told the heroes outright that he would prefer if the heroes were to get whatever was being protected in the tomb, lest it fall into evil hands. He once more heartily thanked the heroes for their assistance, and though the heroes had initial suspicions about the abbott, they quickly came to trust him and his earnest nature as a man of the Gods. He offered to walk with the heroes if they were interested in hearing more of the towns plights. The heroes agree and he tells them of the following issues in town: - The town's reeve [[Rosamund]] needs help looking into some thefts around town. - [[Vaughn]] the woodcutter is scared of bandits in the Silver Wood. - [[Mikael]] the carpenter was attacked by some kind of creature. - [[Harim]] is waiting for a shipment of leather that hadn't arrived. - [[Dunquat]] the stonemason is having trouble getting a shipment of stone from merchants in the inn. - [[Orson]] the charcoal burner is making a fuss about something or other. No one's sure exactly what. In addition to sharing the town's issues, the abbott offered his study and personal library to the party, if they have any need for the research materials therein during their stay in Broadhurst. He thanked the heroes once more for good measure and went about his business. The party returned to the Feather Bed Inn, where they already had rooms and upon entering the common room are waved down by a polder sitting at a table with four other people, all had the look of adventurers to them. As the party approached, the table of adventurers, one thing caught the eye, the ring worn by the wode elf. The polder introduced himself as [[Boddorf Buckfeather]] and the other members of his group as [[Targon]], [[Mara]], [[Illwyth]], and [[Gorek]]. They comprised a mercenary group known as the [[Gilded Hand]]. The party is initially standoffish with the Gilded Hand due to recognizing Targon and Mara as the two who refused help to Ashleigh previously. Boddorf apologized on behalf of his fellow mercenaries stating that they could not afford to take jobs that don't pay as they each had people to take care of back home. The polder then inquired as to their quest. The party explained in vague detail that they entered the tomb and defeated the goblins therein, rescuing Violet in the process. Boddorf is quick to congratulate the party for their accomplishments. Mara butted in very pointedly to ask if the heroes had managed to remove the ward that protects the next layer of the tomb. This fishing for information made the party wary but they confirmed that the stairway deeper into the tomb remained sealed. Mara was dismissive of any other information and did not reply to questions about why she was curious about the seal in the tomb. Caedus then asked why the Hand was just sitting around doing nothing instead of helping the townsfolk with their plentiful issues. Caedus pointed out that the shirtless dwarf Gorek, appeared ready to fight. The dwarf then challenged Caedus, who declined, and the dwarf went back to looking bored. Targon explained that the Hand was resting in Broadhurst after a successful campaign. Boddorf picked up the story and regaled the party with tale of clearing out the [[Cressan Tomb]] of cultists who worshiped the demon lord [[Aurumvas]]. Having had a moment to investigate it, the party determined that the ring worn by the quiet wode elf Illwyth was enchanted or magical in some way. Wilma inquired about the ring and the elf gives a non-committal answer and avoided follow up questions. Though the party did note that the elf now hid her hands as conversation continued. The party, now thoroughly suspicious of the Gilded Hand, parted ways with the mercenary group and went to their rooms to patch their wounds and rest after a long day of adventuring. During their downtime as they recovered from their quest, the party partook in various project works. Caedus worked on brewing health potions using the costmary leaves recovered in the tomb. He also set Ashleigh to work on crafting Foesense Lenses using the volcanic glass lenses discovered on the body of the bugbear channeler. Tyche researched what information she could find at the Abbott's library regarding means of entering the next level of the Delian Tomb. And Wilma went fishing. Obviously. After their day of respite, the party reconvened at the inn and spoke with the innkeeper [[Gweldyr]]. They spoke about the goings on in the town and in particular about Mikael being attacked. The innkeeper didn't seem convinced Mikael was telling the whole truth but urged the party to investigate anyway. The party set out and found the carpenter working away. After speaking with the party learned that he had set out to harvest wood as Vaughn the woodcutter was not doing so due to his fear of bandits in the woods. Mikael's search for wood had brough him to the south east, along the river. And just as he found a good set of trees to cut down he was attacked. Though he didn't get a good look at the attacker he described it as a big wolf. The wolf bit him several times and took a large chunk out of his thigh. He had barely made it back into town but was patched up by the abbott. The party wanted to investigate the wound but Mikael remarked that shockingly the wound was essentially done healing. The carpenter remarked that his surprise was shared by the abbott who also couldn't believe how healed he was. The party found this suspicious and wanted to investigate further. Mikael recommended the furrier [[Tansy]] as she had had some issues with traps being broken in that area lately. The party also decided to double check with the abbott that Mikael was telling the truth about his wound. They sought out the abbott who confirmed without a doubt that Mikael was wounded in the way he had described. The abbott initially would have been surprised if the carpenter was able to walk again let alone keep the leg after seeing his wound on the night of the attack, a few days ago. The abbott shared the party's suspicion that something wasn't right and remarked that he found it highly unlikely that a miracle should find its way into Mikael's lap of all places. The party then set out to the furrier. They met Tansy and inquired about her broken traps. Tansy confirmed she had several broken traps in the area Mikael had described. The party asked to see one of the broken traps and upon inspection confirmed not only was the trap certainly destroyed by an animal, it was also destroyed in a way that suggested that whatever broke it was intelligent. Tansy requested that the heroes bring back whatever it was that was doing the damage to her traps so she could skin it and mount its pelt. The party decided to investigate the region Mikael was attacked in, looking for clues as to his attacker's location and with hopes of tracking it down and putting a stop to it. The party traveled south-east along the Dunn River and eventually found themselves at the mouth of a cave. They were, however, not alone. In front of the cave also stood a terrified [[Yerris|sheepherder]] as well as the slaughtered remains of a dozen or so sheep. The sheepherder quickly explained that a beast had attacked him, his brother [[Oleq]], and his sheep, and had carried his brother away into the cave. The party, safely assuming that this beast was the same one which had attacked Mikael, assured the sheepherder they would find his brother and dispatch the beast. Upon entering the cave the party encountered a river bisecting a large cavern. Investigating the water for a means of getting across it Tyche and Caedus both laid eyes on their attackers just as they were set upon. Their attackers, sentient wolves made entirely from the water from the river, water wolves, attacked on mass after being spotted. The party beat back the wolves and slew the animated water creatures. Unsure why they were attacked in this manner, the party continued on and across the river eventually coming across a tunnel that led to another large cavern. In that cavern the party saw the beast they were pursuing, a hulking and fearsome werewolf, looming over a terrified looking sheepherder. The werewolf, having not noticed the party's presence spoke to the sheepherder, assuring him that no harm would come to the civilian, but that the werewolf would make him stronger than ever before. Wilma attempted to sneak up on the beast and put a stop to proceedings but was unsuccessful and was spotted before she could get close. The werewolf, now noticing the party, proceeded to bite the sheepherder twice, in what appeared to be a surgical and precise fashion, causing no unnecessary damage. The werewolf then turned to fight the party, enraged that its home was being intruded upon. The fight was difficult as the party not only had to contend with the agile and ferocious werewolf but also pools of water that caused magical ice to crawl up and injure anyone standing within them. The party proved to be too much for the beast however and Wilma decapitated it. Having defeated the beast the party investigate its lair. Caedus found and gathered a pound of [[Seagrass]], the utility of which is unknown at this time. Tyche gathered a few pelts from the werewolf's discarded meals with the hope that Tansy could use them. Wilma picked up the creature's corpse and began to haul it back to town. Before they left however Caedus investigated the pools of water and cavern itself. With a keen eye for magic and a sneaking suspicion that something unusual was happening in the cave, he determined that this particular location's barrier between the physical world and [[Quintessence]] was remarkably thin. It was assumed by the party that this explained the water wolves and the pools of magical water, if not the werewolf itself. Having collected their loot and with the werewolf's carcass in tow, the party met up with the sheepherder Oleq who had ran from the room. They tended to his wounds and brought him to his brother who still waited nervously outside the cave's entrance. The two professed their heartfelt thanks but were unfortunately unable to reward the heroes. The heroes, magnanimous as they were, told the pair they were after no payment, however Oleq was required to come with them back to Broadhurst. The sheepherder initially declined, stating his injuries were healing remarkably well already but the party insisted. With the defeat of the werewolf, the party now had some people management to do. Wilma carried the beast's carcass to the furrier's and had Tansy start to work on skinning the creature, advising her that more would be coming. Caedus went and fetched the abbott who the party wanted to loop into the whole situation. And Tyche went and informed Mikael that his presence was required at the furrier's. Having assembled the various townsfolk in Tansy's shop the party broke the news to Oleq and Mikael that they were infected with lycanthropy and they would need to be cured in order to continue their normal lives. The two took the news remarkably well and with the help of the Abbott were assured that a cure could be made and distributed to them in due time, but they were to watch out for any changes in their health or behaviors and keep a close eye on the calendar. Mikael and Oleq went home to recover further from their ordeals and the abbott brought the party to the side. He wondered if the werewolf had spoken at all. The party described what the creature had said to Oleq in the cavern but that it had not spoken further. The abbott wondered aloud about how the beast got to their sleepy country town and what had caused it to become a werewolf in the first place. Without any further means of questioning the creature he remarked that it perhaps didn't matter. At this moment the beast's head fell into his hands, having been thrown by Tansy and the abbott thanked the party again for their services to Broadhurst and took his leave. The party also departed with instructions to Tansy to skin the beast but to save it's viscera as it would be needed to fashion the cures for the townsfolk. She agreed and advised the party that the beasts head would soon adorn her shops walls. The heroes then decided to head to the charcoal burner's to investigate his issue. As they arrived they met the old and enigmatic charcoal burner [[Orson]]. The old man told them of his troubles, in a very animated fashion. He claimed that a huge bug had attacked him the day previous. And while he got away, barely, that the oversized insect had stolen his necklace. He wanted the party to track down the bug and to get his necklace back. The charcoal burner also claimed the bug spit fire. Caedus, having put the pieces together determined this was likely an [[Arixx]], an acid spitting bug the size of a horse. Caedus also noted that the arixx was a scavenger and didn't typically attack people. Orson then became offended and attempted to engage the spellcaster in fisticuffs. The charcoal burner was eventually calmed down and insisted he was telling the truth. Orson told the party that he had heard [[Ellery|Ellery's]] farm had been attacked the previous night and that they should start by speaking to her. Upon arriving at Ellery's farm the party noted several dead pigs scattered throughout the fields, all in various states of dismemberment or liquification. Ellery, a relatively serious and straight forward farmer, told the party that she had heard rumbling under the ground the past few nights but the reeve wouldn't take her seriously. Then last night something burst from the earth and devoured some of her herd. She promised the party bacon for life if they could dispatch the creature on her behalf and pointed to a large tunnel entrance in one of her fields. The party entered the tunnel and made their way through it, in an effort to locate the arixx's nest. Wilma with a keen eye for navigation and an uncanny knack for tunnel exploration, safely and swiftly ushered the party through the complex tunnel system until they arrived in the bugs lair. There they engaged the creature in combat. Not to be put down easily, the horse-sized insectoid used every trick it had available, eventually bringing Caedus to the brink of death. Tyche, in a moment of divine inspiration was successful in staunching the more serious of the bleeding and patching the more deadly of his wounds and kept the elementalist in the fight. The bug was defeated, and Orson's necklace was recovered. Upon recovering the necklace Caedus investigated it and determined it was magical in some capacity, though was unsure how. Wilma took the bugs head back to Ellery as proof it had been dispatched. The farmed reacted with relief and thanked the heroes profusely for their efforts. And reminded them that she would keep good on her word of free bacon should ever they darken her doorstep again. Ellery threw the bug's head to what remained of her pig's who greedily ate it up. The next step was Orson's. The old man was thrilled that the party had recovered his necklace though lamented that he had no means of paying them for their services. The party ensured him they were happy to help and required no payment. Caedus then remarked, offhandedly to Orson that the necklace was magical. Orson at this moment paused and seemed to change. He became far more lucid seeming and less inscrutable. He requested that the heroes sit with him and listen to a story. He told the party that he was a part of an organization known as [[The Coursers]]. A semi-secret society that charges itself with protecting the wild and natural places in the world from demonic or magical incursions. He also told the party that his doddering old man act was largely a front to keep his real identity and purpose a secret as he assisted any Coursers passing through the area. He noted how selflessly the party acted and how capable they were in dealing with the arixx. He invited them to join the Coursers. The party accepted his invitation and were given the title of [[Chantrelle]] within the Courser organization. Each were also given a silver brooch, fashioned to look like a twelve stringed lute as tokens of their membership. As the party departed they asked after the Gilded Hand and if they had been offered admission to the Coursers. Orson noted very specifically that he was offering membership to the heroes in front of him, and would not in any circumstances be offering the Gilded Hand membership. Orson thanked the party for their time and efforts and bid them farewell.