Fear and Faith
| Fear and Faith, pt. 1 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8/18/23 |
| Storyteller | Indi |
| Tier | Expert |
| Player Characters | Damian, Femi, Fen, Maki |
| Rewards | 250 Tilfel Minzels, 250 xp |
| Result | Success |
| Author | Fen (Foster) |
| Downtime | 2 |
We travel to Horsk Meste and identify the source of the disease affecting the town.
Log
I met with Damian, Femi, and Maki in the basement where the anchor ooze has a portal leading to Tilfel. We explained how the portal works to Damian and then passed through. Once we arrived, we were able to make our way quickly overland to the caves that lead to Horsk Meste. Entering the cave, we met with Bo who seemed to be doing quite well. He let us know that the kobolds were giving him some trouble again but he did show us the weapon that he's been using to fight them. Femi was even kind enough to give Bo a new pet. Bo accompanied us to the next bridge and showed us some lovely lights down below before we parted ways.
We made our way through the cave. Near the exit, we spotted a small light shining ahead of us. Damian, Maki, and Takus moved forward to take a look. They found a figure ahead who was unmoving and unresponsive. It seemed to be a trap. I was able to dispel the magic alarm that was set around the body and book and claimed the book to bury in place of the body, which seemed to be filled with quite a lot of evil energy. We moved on and eventually were able to exit the cave.
We camp overnight and make our way into Horsk Meste in the morning. There aren't many people around in the lower portion of the town. Femi and I make our way up towards the Round House and met with several guards who eventually bring us to meet Toghtoga, who seems to be the head of the town. I was delighted to be able to reunite with Norzti and she encouraged us to move on quickly. It seems that the people remaining in town no longer trusted Norzti or any follower of Tilati. A storm was coming and it seems that it would be bad for us to be caught in it while in the Minzel Wood.
Femi and I did what we could to help those who remained in Horsk Meste to deal with the disease that was plaguing them. Meanwhile, Maki was kind enough to give Damian a tour of the town. The remaining survivors were in bad shape showing all the signs of rotrock exposure. I've never had the chance to examine anyone who has been exposed and was at least able to determine that the exposure is not a curse as many have theorized. Instead, we were left to determine if it was a poison, disease, or something else. We went to check the Millhouse and managed to find the rotrock on the second floor of the building. We reported our success to Toghtoga and he generously rewarded us for our work. It's quite unfortunate, but there was nothing we could do for the victims of the rotrock.
We departed with Norzti heading towards the Minzel Wood to try and find the Prophet of Minzel.
_____
| Fear and Faith, pt. 2 | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8/20/23 |
| Storyteller | Indi |
| Tier | Expert |
| Player Characters | Damian, Fen |
| Rewards | 300 xp, 100 tilfel minzels |
| Result | Success |
| Author | Fen (Foster) |
| Downtime | 2 |
We traveled towards the Minzel Woods from Horsk Meste. We were forced to turn back after an encounter with a rhakshasa.
Log
Femi and Maki chose to stay behind and help treat the rotrock victims while Damian and I continued on with Norzti. I was a bit worried for Damian when he chose to accompany us, but I was willing to respect his decision to accompany me to the end of this expedition. The trail that we followed was not well trod, but we were able to safely navigate the side of the mountain. As we traveLed, I was able to teach Damian a bit of Noppe. I was quite pleased to find that he was a rather dedicated student.
When we drew near to where the Prophet's home, Norzti told us a bit about him. He had long been isolated and the call that I had received was a rare honor. She did say that he was known for his kindness, which was comforting, and that he was a friend both to the Women in Winter and the Men in Fire. I looked forward to meeting him.
We eventually came across the wrecked ruins of a gate on our trail with several nearby shards of ice imbued with magic. We decided to settle in for the night while Norzti attempted to craft the magical ice into a new gem (which is of use to the Women in Winter). We had a visitor in the night, a rhakshasa who asked Damian about an offer regarding Onadbyr. We chose to hear him out.
The rhakshasa asked us to open the gates for him that lead to the Minzel Woods. He informed us that the gate led to a Minzel Wood in the past. He offered us a very small cage which seemed to hold the rhakshasa that originally caused quite a lot of death and chaos in Onadbyr. We were reluctant to allow him through, but proposed to seek answers to his questions instead: "Where have the real Women in Winter gone? Where have the real Men in Fire gone? Where has the Prophet of Minzel gone? That is the truth I seek."
He asked us how we would prove our own good intention before Norzti seemed to panic (we later discovered that the rhakshasa had cast a spell on her without our noticing) and our conversation ended. The rhakshasa stated that he would instead just force his way through before moving to act on his words. His departure was accompanied by our group being attacked by various creatures of ice. The rhakshasa did force his way past the bridge while we were occupied and a rather fearsome guardian appeared to defend the now breached gate.
We turned back to return home and warn the city of the likely presence of more rhakshasa in Onadbyr.