Ragnorra Session 1

Full Recap of Session 1 of Ragnorra

The party attended House Rowanmantle's presentation on the bounty for Lord Kortyl's fiancee, Hisbelda, and their child, Sonya's safe return(5k ea, 10k for both), or the return of their bodies(4k ea, 8k for both). The presenter, a dwarf named Gregor Hammerhand, had very few leads, other than potential goblin involvement, and news that the goblin and orc tribes of the south have temporarily banded together for unknown reasons. He specified Hisbelda and Sonya disappeared two weeks prior.

They noticed another party assemble for the same task. The party consists of Sarth Ogresson, a half ogre, Taatha, a red wizard, Reiner, a rogue type, and Sir Derrings, a paladin of Torm.

Kal questioned a jester performing for the presentation about the sad state of the village. He informed them of the general negative opinion the populace has of the king of Cormyr, because instead of going to war, he accepted the bribe for control of Easting the Zhentarim sent him. It is common knowledge he accepted their offer because his country is struggling in the aftermath of the spellplague, and he cannot afford the manpower or cost of a war right now, as the Zhent right next door are in a much better position.

The party joined up, and questioned a simpleton named Newman. He seemed to have a generally positive impression of the occupation and knew very little.

They questioned one of the bannermen of Gregor Hammerhand, and found out that Hisbelda and Sonya stayed at the Sunrise Inn before they went missing.

Next, they headed to the Sunrise Inn. They found out it was closed, from the guard, Ostwyc. The party bribed him for entry, and he allowed them in. Inside, after another bribe, they found out that Hisbelda, Sonya, and an entourage stayed in the inn, and left without their entourage. The party searched every room, and found stains of centipede poison on the furniture in two of the rooms.

They headed to the marketplace. In the marketplace, the party questioned a Luirish hin merchant, Mingli Barleybrew, about the town. He revealed he was new in town, and a these stalls were temporarily rented, and to talk to the administrator for more information. Additionally, he mentioned this is a popular location for travelers to pass through. Kal purchased a dagger and a sheath for the dagger from a weapons vendor named Sanazad Bi Haag. Vix purchased a fruit pie from a baked goods vendor named Hannai Bi Guzri. Ronja and Vix questioned Hannai about the situation of the town a bit and found out that she had a positive opinion of the state of things, and a very negative opinion of the herbalist, who was being questioned by the tax collector. The party questioned the potions and scrolls vendor, a cormyran man named Gotthart. He empathized with the people in this town, and revealed Hisbelda and Sonya left in the early morning without their entourage. Kal purchased a scroll of sleep from him.

The party eavesdropped on Administrator Witold and Newman, and ascertained Newman was an informant. He was telling Witold all about the presentation, the party, and the others gathered there. The party observed a tax collector and his goons shaking down Rulthaven, the herbalist, an elderly man. They waited until the tax collector passed by and got out of his way.

Next, they spoke to Rulthaven the herbalist. He informed them he was leaving town soon, because the Zhentarim were charging him exorbitant fees for not working on the state farm, and living where he did for most of his life. He seemed angry, and had little hope for the situation. He begrudgingly admitted that he made a mistake and sold someone dressed as part of Hisbelda's entourage the poison, which could also be used as a heart medication. The party wished him the best and moved on.

They traveled in Vix's wagon north on the High Road, towards Proskur, for 11 hours with no incident until then. Vix spotted a felled tree in the road, and swerved to avoid a collision. She narrowly missed colliding with it, and drove the wagon into the ditch. Nobody was harmed. The party noticed another wagon to the south that had fared much worse. The wagon was on its side, and two men, a horse, and a dog were slain nearby with arrows sticking out of them. The party investigated, finding a key on one of the men, provisions, and too much coin for them to rightly be holding on to. The men seemed to be merchants or teamsters of moderate means. Among their belongings, they found a chest containing an enormous key the size of Vix's forearm.

Shortly after this, the party was attacked by three goblins. The goblins carried weapons and armor of good quality, and poisoned arrows. The party vanquished the goblins, and were unable to determine the make of their equipment, but they were able to match the sample of poison Vix took in the inn with the poison on their arrows. There was a disagreement on how to handle the unconcious goblins, and the party ended up agreeing on slaying them, and burying them with their armor and clothes.

The party investigated the goblins' camp and found cots and possessions. Among their posessions was more coin, bottles of Suzail rum, many of which were empty, and an unusual emblem bearing the heraldry of house Darstan. Kal took a look at the emblem and recognized it as an official license to privateer, under the authority of Cormyr's house Darstan. He realized this is incredibly unusual not only for goblins to possess such a license, but for one to be issued at all. In the past, Cormyr has only issued these in times of great struggle, such as when the country was losing a war, or in truly dire times. Even during the spellplague and times of troubles, these licenses were issued very, very sparingly.

Taking some time to bury the goblins, move the felled tree, and pushing the wagon back on the road, the party decides what to do next.
The current date and time is Kythorn 2, 1396, 2 am.

334 XP for encounter.