The enraged beastman howled to the heavens as it tore
southeastward across the farm known as Mistwood Fields. “I call that a
martenwere,” said the approaching farmer, flanked by his two sons.
“Shapechanger. Lycanthrope. Common steel will not pierce them.”
As if conjured from thin air, several more vicious
bloodmartens appeared behind the martenwere to ensure the creature’s escape.
This was hardly necessary, for the assembled adventuring troop had no intention
of giving chase. They held only two silvered weapons, had exhausted their
magical resources, and anyway had no hope of catching the speedy martenwere in
foot. The summoned bloodmartens snarled and charged, but were no match for the
blades and superior numbers of the heroes. The battle ended quickly, and when
the dust settled the martenwere had well disappeared from sight.
“You fight well,” declared the farmer, who introduced
himself as Savu Bari. His weathered skin suggested a life lived constantly
outdoors, whether in these farm fields or elsewhere. “And these are my sons,
Yasi and Cisse.” The farmer carried three silver-tipped spears, and tossed the
adventuring group two of them with a laconic expression of gratitude. “I thank
you for the help you have given our farm.” To this he added a small ring carved
from blue stone, which he suggested might draw a good price from one Estienne
Boulle—proprietor of the La Sirène boutique in the heart of Larkingwood. “I’d
love for someone to go into the Rock Marsh and hunt down the leaders of those
giant rodents,” Bari added.
On further discussion, Bari provided considerable intel on
the martenweres. They lived in a nearby wetland called the “Rock Marsh,”
described as an ordinary swamp except for a number of imposing rock formations
rising out of the soupy water. “The pine goblins up on Vitor’s farm say they’ve
counted three of the shape-changers so far,” Bari added. “The one who just ran
away they call Ordan. I’m not sure how they know his name, but then I don’t
speak Plekkish.” Bari added that the martenweres tend to emerge from the Rock
Swamp on moonlight evenings or even overcast days, and that he suspects they
live in “a few small dugouts or natural caves.”
The party also used the occasion to inquire about Bari’s
neighbor, Arets Vitor, but found Bari reluctant to say much about the topic.
“Mr. Vitor has made many accusations against me and even my sons,” the farmer
said. “But he is old, and his mind is perhaps failing. So we must have
patience.”
Following Bari’s suggestion, the company made their way to
La Sirène. Crossing through town, the adventurers were relieved to see normal
life resuming; the storm damage, mild in most places, was being repaired and
some bustle had returned to the streets. On the way, something caught the eye
of the shadowblade Twink, and drew him off into the crowd. The others hadn’t
noticed, continuing as a group of six to their destination.
On arriving they
found a shop full of luxury goods: fine silks, wool suits, and dresses of
brocade, as well as costume jewelry and artwork. But an ornate silvered bastard
sword hung from one wall, beside several silvered daggers. “That was the sword
of Teshtamire the Vigilant,” declared the shop owner, a thin human man with a
mustache and a fluffy collar who said his name was Estienne Boulle. “One of our
city founders. I couldn’t possibly let it go for less than fi- six hundred
silver.”
Even the daggers appeared a stretch given the party’s means,
at well over 200 silver apiece. Boulle’s tune changed, however, when Vagar
flashed the bluestone ring the party had received from Savu Bari. Boulle made
no secret of his fascination with the item, which was admittedly beautiful
despite being fashioned from rather low-quality aquamarine crystals and not
actually worth more than 15 or 20 GP at most. Boulle quickly cut a deal with
the party, trading two of his fine silver daggers for the item—at which point
the party inquired about silvered arrows.
Boulle strangely replied that he did not stock any
silvered arrows. But he then proceeded to complain that Arjen Per, the city
elder, supplied the Larkingwood Town Guard with silvered arrows from some other
(unknown) supplier and not Boulle. It was only then that Ailier Solenight stumbled across a
crate full of silvered arrows and crossbow bolts under a table in Boulle’s
shop. Needless to say, the company would leave La Sirène with their quivers
full.
But they would not leave immediately. For just as they
gathered the arrows, a short, spectacled human man passed through the entry
door and presented Boulle with a small carving of an unusual orange lizard.
Speaking in snappy darts of words, he demanded an appraisal Boulle, on
inspecting the carving, announced the work was “dreadful” and looked to “have
been carved by a cyclops.” Its value, the shopkeeper concluded was no greater
than 10 silver pieces.
The spectacled man was not surprised. He had come out of
concern for a local noblewoman, “Lady Kitto,” who it seemed had purchased a
number of these carvings at increasingly steep prices from the carver—an
unidentified artisan whose name began with the letter M. The carver was set to
visit the Lady again the next day, it seemed.
Though seemingly convinced the noblewoman was indeed being
scammed, the company nevertheless chose to prioritize the greater task: the
threat the martenweres posed to the outlying farms. They headed to the Blue
Bear Inn, where they found proper accommodation from the dwarven innkeepers
Duri and Nanain, before striking out for the Rock Marsh the next morning.
The Rock Marsh was not difficult to find, especially with
Ailier’s tracking skills. A distinct set of martenwere footprints led off the
road to the southeast, through a stone outcropping, to a trailhead that looked
across a dreary swampland pocked with rocky crags. Moving through the Rock
Marsh, the company first passed carefully by a knot of giant frogs obliviously
feeding on bog flies. This brought them close to the first of many black crags,
in front of which a narrow cave opening angled down into the earth. There wasn’t
much beside it, just a couple boulders and piles of smaller rocks that, mixed
with obviously excavated dirt, bled into the seemingly natural gravel of the footpath.
And there were ample signs of traffic: faint animal prints and a surfeit of
flies in the curtilage. Something must live down there.
After descending about three meters, the cave opened into a
gradually descending passage, winding laggardly to the right. It was just tall
enough to stand up, maybe with a bit of a crouch for the tallest members of the
party. Coming at last to the end of the narrow passage, the floor flattened and
the walls widened before the company, breaking sharply to either side.
Suddenly, charging fiercely from the left came a bipedal humanoid creature,
roughly five feet in height, with a beastly head and fangs and a rusty sword in
its right hand: a martenwere, much the same as the company had faced at the
edge of Larkingwood just hours ago. And to the right, a row of blood martens
charged the company from the rear.
Even so, the party had come well-prepared to face
martenweres—armed as they were with silvered clubs and spears. The martenwere
had clearly not expected this, attacking as he did despite the party’s greatly
superior numbers. The company made quick work of both him and his accompanying bloodmartens,
and found a few meager treasures in his dander-ridden lair.
Moving through the remainder of the cavern, the party
discovered two additional entrances—which suggested to them that other nearby
caves might have multiple entry points as well. The party also came across what
appeared to be unoccupied sleeping quarters for two more martenweres; where
they could be at this hour was anyone’s guess. Satisfied they had fully
explored the first Rock Marsh cave, the company exited back into daylight and
trekked further across the swamp.
Before long, the party came upon a beaten leading to a gap
in the base of another large rock formation. It was a tall cave, plenty high
enough for almost any man to enter standing straight up, with the bushes and
swamp grasses to either side covering a layer of old debris: bones, bits of
fabric, rusty tools and implements, and lots of dirt and grime. The party
quickly deduced that several large mounds around the perimeter of the cavern
opening were excavated dirt and gravel—some already covered with plants and
moss, others still dusty and bare.
Heading inside, the company found the entry tunnel tight and
jagged, forcing them to proceed single file. The ground was slicked in mud that
revealed numerous animal tracks—and not small ones at that.
Probing through the darkness, the party soon came upon an
area of thin pink mist, which jetted from a crevice in the floor at ~ 60 second
intervals. Holding their breath, the party members passed through the mist
without incident, reaching a roughly elliptical chamber that opened around a
small pond of gently rippling water that rose to within a foot of the floor
line. A thin beam of sunlight illuminated the water from a tiny hole high in
the domed ceiling above. Across the pool, the party found a wooden crate lain
sideways against the cave wall and filled with pitchers and small basins.
After brief investigation, the company left the pool and
delved further into the cave, coming upon a broad, foul-smelling storeroom. Numerous
crates, barrels, pots, and sacks lined the walls of this long, oval-shaped
chamber, and a vertical shock of limestone sliced through its northwest corner.
The broad limestone shard formed a natural pillar, leaving a dark space behind into
which the party members could not see…
Adventure Notes
- · The proper name of the “beastman” the party first encountered at Savu Bari’s farm is the martenwere. Having later tracked the monster to its lair and defeated it in battle, the company is quite familiar with its characteristics, at least in its bipedal form.
Martenwere
AC: 6, HD: 2+5, Thaco 18, Speed 20
Attacks: per melee weapon
Special abilities: summon/control bloodmartens, requires silvered or magical weapon to hit
- · The niftin is a colorful water lizard from the Great Cross Lake, a giant inland sea to the east. Numerous affiliated tribes, collectively known as the ”Lakemen,” live in the hills and forests mostly to the south and east of the lake. For this reason multiple party members suspect the woodcarver who has been bilking the Lady Kitto could be from that region.
- ·The pink mist that jetted up from a crevice in a Rock Marsh cave opening proved harmless to the touch, but of course the party members were careful not to breathe any of the mist into their lungs. Could warrant further investigation—though no one in the party has any immediate ideas about whom to inquire with regarding such subterranean gases.
Experience & Inspiration
- · The fleeing martenwere at Mistwood Fields summoned four bloodmartens to ensure his escape, which the party swiftly defeated. 80 XP.
· The company passed confidently by the giant frogs without angering them, avoiding a potentially dangerous encounter. 75 XP.
Session 3 totals: 985 XP
The total of 985 / 6 amounts to
164.17 XP per character. So we will round that up to 165 XP apiece for each of
the following player characters:
·
Jadearch
·
Brodrath
·
Tristan Pureheart
·
Vagar
·
Ailier Solenight
·
Brin Corso
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