Sundered North PF Monday Session 3

Start: 9 am, Harvestide 3, 414 GA

The party investigates the effigy more closely, and find one of the eyes is brown, and one is blue, matching up with Mortimer the Fisherman and Aeric the Hunter perfectly.

They take the supplies left in the camp back to the town, and decide to split the investigation. They noticed the townsfolk had gathered by the cottages, except Waymont, Aeric, and his wife, Zusannah, Maurice Rhodes, Ignatio & Carlotta Montague, Haifuz and Yunus Errine, Johann Maple-Leaf, and Armand.

Tuva returned to the inn to gather their animals and check on Waymont Frey, the innkeeper. He informs her Ailetta stopped by and told everyone to gather near the cottages, which he found strange. He did not comply because he wasn't about to leave their animals at his inn, nor his inn unattended before he could pack up his things. He followed Tuva back to the cottages.

Castiel pursued Aeric towards the temporary tents, where she assumed he and his wife would be gathering their belongings. She was partially correct - he was at the tents, but he was gathering what he could from the discarded belongings of the Montagues. Castiel interrogated Aeric, and found out the truth - he had given his eye in tribute to protect his wife and these people. She seemed to respect him for that, and brought the pair back to the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, Asterion spoke with the Spelman family. The youngest, Caroline, a woman in her early twenties, was overjoyed to have her baby back. She spoke how her husband had given his life to let them escape the sacking of Hibernal Hideaway, and how Timothy was all she had left of him. She rewarded Asterion with her herbal wares. It seemed she had little to give. She reluctantly warned Asterion her grandmother was sick after suffering from an arrow during their flight from a gray-skinned orcish archer. Tuva returned and inspected the wound.

Caroline Spelman told Asterion and Tuva how Ailetta Flynne took the wealthiest citizens of Foresters Reach on Johann Maple-Leaf's boat to Gorge Hold. She told the people she left behind she would return for them, but she doubted the veracity of this claim. Ailetta herself fled on Johann's boat.

Asterion and Castiel attended to the citizens while Aeric dug Ulrich's grave. Talroath searched through Ailetta's manor. It seemed the important things that would not implicate her in criminal activity had been cleared out, although notably, she left several things behind...

Tuva soon joined Talroath at Ailetta's house, and they continued their search in earnest. They couldn't make much sense of the large apparatus in her back room, other than it appeared to be used in alchemy. Collectively, they found a misplaced book which led to a secret room. This secret room stank to high hell. It housed the remains of the orcs the party killed previously, picked clean for parts. Various organs lie in vats on the walls, preserved and likely left behind because she would not be able to explain them to the authorities in Gorge Hold. Talroath and Tuva found reanimation fluid and alchemical preparations composed from remains prepared here. Furthermore, they found a flesh golem manual on a reading platform, opened to a page. The script was in Malphog, and difficult to understand. While they were leaving, they found a ledger implicating Johann in the purchase of several questionable ingredients for Ailetta. It seems possible he knew something of her designs, or at the very least, looked the other way. Tuva and Talroath met up with Asterion and returned to Forester's Rest.

Refugees in tow, the party planned the route which would take them through the shortest stretch of forest. They began their long overland journey, scarcely stopping to rest or eat.

Much later on their journey, when they were preparing to traverse the small stretch of forest, they noticed a group of orcs waiting in ambush. Talroath told everyone who could fight should, but few took him up on that. This obviously seemed to anger him. Aeric, Clarice Montague, and Val all stood ready to assist in the fighting.

The orcs appeared to be led by a half-orc archer firing poisoned arrows. She seemed to focus unduly on Castiel, for some reason. Val died during the fighting, and Tuva nearly shared the same fate, being knocked unconscious. Aeric as well, nearly perished. During the later stages of fighting, Clarice had a small breakdown and executed an unconscious orc before Talroath. She seemed not at all immune to the suffering of others or horrors of war, like her parents, and something in her, for better or worse, cracked at this moment.

Bruised and battered, the party prevailed. Talroath lectured the group of bystanders, particularly Waymont, on why they felt as if they could just stand by. Waymont sputtered out an apology, but ultimately capitulated that he had been cowardly and should not have just stood by. He clutched the club Talroath handed him for the remainder of the journey.

Clarice spoke to the party about after what she had seen here, she could not possibly return to Gorge Hold. She had resolved to face these dangers and do what she could for those who could not, because people like her parents would be content to sit around treating this war like it was a charade, like it was a play, when it was very tragically real.

Aeric didn't say much. He buried Val, the second man he had to bury that day. They continued on their journey to the Sable Eagle's camp. When they arrived, they were prematurely greeted by Sergeant Norris. He seemed somewhat surprised to see them, and informed them a woman named Ailetta Flynne had spread a rumor that they and the rest of the townsfolk perished in an orcish ambush on their return journey and were either dead or enslaved. He seemed glad it was just a rumor. Norris accepted Castiel's report, and congratulated them on a job well done. He entreated them to rest, bathe, and eat a warm meal. Furthermore, he supposed they had exceeded his expectations, and were entitled to a reward from the officer's chest. Castiel briefed him on Ailetta Flynne, and Norris said the report would be passed on to his superiors. He did not have the authority to write a warrant for her arrest, but he seemed to agree she should be investigated.

Clarice interjected near the end of Castiel and Norris's talk. She volunteered herself for service in the Nemnowyn army, and dropped her name to the Sergeant. He raised an eyebrow, recognizing the name of prolific merchants and landowners in Gorge Hold. But - who was he to refuse? He accepted Castiel's volunteering and asked Castiel if she wanted to include Clarice in her squad. Castiel thought about it and agreed. Norris decreed it, and welcomed Clarice to the Sable Eagles.

The villagers gathered up to be sent to the tent city around Gorge Hold. Before they were to be sent off, Aeric approached the party and thanked them for all that they did. He could not stay, because he could not leave his wife behind. He made his choice, even though a twinge of guilt was evident for not doing more. He seemed to genuinely appreciate the work the party did. They said their goodbyes, and went on their way.

It was a long day, but at last, it was over.

End: 1 am, Harvestide 4, 414 GA