Sundered North PF Monday Session 1

Start: 6 am, Harvestide 2, 414 GA

Arriving in the briefing tent, the party received their briefing on the current situation by Sergeant Cotswold Norris. He was one of three sergeants in the Sable Eagles. He informed the party they are an auxiliary squad of the Sable Eagles, and he was to task them with their first assignment.

A woman named Rosalind gave them a brief overview of the town and its residents. She appeared somewhat tired and 'on the run', although she had been provided with a bath, meal, and change of clothes before providing testimony.

Norris told the party they are to investigate the strangeness of Forester's Rest, uncover why the town has not been raided, despite every town in the surrounding area being razed by the Splithand Orcs. The party was both tasked with uncovering the mystery and evacuating citizens from the area. The citizens primarily were to be extracted to the Sable Eagles' Camp. Additionally, he requested a report of the situation. If all of these parameters were to be fulfilled, he offered each of the party an item to select from the Officer's Chest.

The party departed the officer's tent, but not before Lazuli barged into the tent and spoke with Castiel. She heard the news evidently, and was distressed by it. They were escorted out of the briefing tent, and spoke briefly, while Asterion and Tuva collected their pack animals.

Castiel, Talroath, Asterion, and Tuva began their journey north. They traveled over the difficult, wild terrain, and made their way to the mill outside Forester's Rest. There, they were warily greeted by the miller, a man named Avery. He expressed his surprise at the presence of soldiers, and offered hesitant compliance with their inspection and questions. He seemed to initially shield his wife, Willow, from their questioning. Asterion and Tuva made sure to separate the couple while Castiel and Talroath spoke with Willow.

Upstairs, Tuva and Asterion found he separated sets of grain aside from the rest, as Talroath found a separate group of kegs in the cellar below. Both parties confessed 'the alchemist' put them up to setting aside a tribute for the orcs, but it was important to them not to let her know they spoke of this. Troubled but with their curiosity satisfied, the party denied Avery's offer to stay the night, because they still had work to do.

They moved on to the sawmill and spoke with a man named Johann, and his companion, Armand. Both were relatively standoffish. The party learned Johann inherited the sawmill and the machinery it came with it from his father. The sawmill appeared to operate on some dwarven technology powered by coal and cooled by river water. Armand appeared to know the ins and outs of its operation, and was relatively distracted with it when Talroath questioned him. Castiel investigated his ledger briefly, and found he was suspiciously rich for a simple sawmill operator. She passed this information to Asterion, who questioned Johann further on the topic. Johann admitted he was more than just a sawmill operator, and often purchased goods in this small town and traded down river. He didn't actually live in Forester's Rest, and he and Armand owned a house in Gorge Hold. This trading operation aided by his boat is how he managed to accumulate this wealth. Asterion questioned him on the obvious lapses in his ledger, and he came clean like Avery, eventually, admitting the alchemist spoke with them and required tribute to the orcs for their safety. He seemed reluctant to provide tribute, but thought it was the best thing to do for these simple people and the refugees.

Their business in the sawmill was done, so they headed to the inn for the night. They managed to stumble on a bit of a scene. The innkeeper, a man named Waymont, was quite deep in his cups. He was very, very surprised to see them, given the state of the area. He vented about his wife being killed by orcs, and having to care for his daughter who recently went missing. Her name was Rosalind. The party informed him she lived, and how she must have fled to the Sable Eagle's Camp. He seemed happy about this, but quite conflicted on what to do next. He was rather forthcoming about the alchemist and how she retrieved tribute from him. He blamed her in part for his financial woes, because he gave more than he could really afford to keep the other townsfolk safe.

After spending some time outside with Talroath to smoke, he thanked him and decided to turn in for the night. He had a lot to think about. The party purchased rooms and meals. Waymont thanked them for this.

Tuva meditated and spoke to Castiel about her faith. She communed with the stars and had a quiet moment in the still night.

The party rested at Waymont's Inn, and gathered for breakfast. Waymont apologized for the previous night, and told them he reached his decision. He would give up his inn and take refuge in the Sable Eagle's Camp, if they are willing to escort him. He resolved to make a new life for him and his daughter. The party agreed to return for him, and departed.

They traveled to the Alchemist's House, and found it to be much grander than previously described. The alchemist, a duskblood woman named Ailetta, was pacing inside when they arrived. She exited her house and was quite anxious to see them. After some arguing, she ushered them inside and spoke to an orcish collection party. The discussion seemed to go nowhere, and the commander showed his disrespect. The orcish party began to leave, and Castiel made a hasty decision to interrupt them.

Combat commenced, and the party emerged victorious. Ailetta whinged about how they did not know what a grave mistake they made. They resolved to speak with her more and get to the bottom of this situation.

End: 7 am, Harvestide 3, 414 GA