Episode 9-1
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Episode NINE - Problems in Hommlet, is it really the end? - PART 1
(You know mills are highly explosive. No, really?.)
- Godsday, 25th Planting, afternoon -
During their return to Hommlet, Lywen and Diane discuss about the
assassin. Diane thinks that she has recognized him, he was a merchant
living at the Welcome Wench. As it is now nearly certain that he was
working for the Dark God¹s cult, everyone linked to him is
suspect. Beside, Diane followed him the other day, when they departed
from Hommlet by the north road, he went out of the Inn just two
minutes after them and followed them until he reached the mill, near
the bridge where he stopped to speak with a man, the miller
probably. Hence the suspicion which starts to grow in Diane¹s mind
about probable spies at the mill.
When they enter Hommlet, the party splits. Some are going to report
last events to Rufus and Brune, while others are worrying for Spugnoir
(DM note: Xaod, even if was taken back to Hommlet, is still not so
much loved you see
). The death of evil cultists is always good
news and Rufus seems happy, Lywen speaks a bit with Brune about the
strange black stone object that Gandigoot found in some rubbles of the
Moathouse. The old mage is not able to give him any information about
the stone but he promise to study it as soon as possible (Lywen gives
the stone to him). During this time, Xaod and Spugnoir corpses were
taken to the keep "infirmary", the same room where Diane and Lywen
recovered a few days ago. Y'Dey, the canoness of the St Cuthbert
church arrives soon, warned by one member of the party. She studies
the bodies for a time and accepts to use raise dead magic on them
tomorrow. From the description of their deaths, she is not optimistic
about Xaod¹s fate. He could have been slain by death magic, but she
will do all what she can anyway.
But Diane and Lywen have yet an inquiry to do. After having heard
their thoughts about potential spies in the town, and more precisely
around the mill, Rufus advises them to speak with Elmo. And so a group
formed by Diane, Lywen and Rousing Fox goes out of the keep. They ask
for Elmo and are sent to the Welcome Wench Inn were they found not
only the captain of the guard but also Alahija.
After a short discussion, Elmo accepts to backup their "mission" at
the mill and gather some men of the malice to conduct an interrogation
of the miller. Our small group decide to go there as a scouting team,
nobody knows what these bad guys could do.
They collect Gandigoot on the way. While Lywen and Rousing Fox go
directly to the mill to speak with the men working there, Diane goes
round the building towards the miller house, and Gandigoot knocks at
the old trading post door (DM Note: you know, this fiendish hobbit
working for the cult and spying over the quiet Hommlet community ...
as Naddy says ... and Gandigoot is quite found of Naddy ... so
...).
All things go smooth S at least at the beginning, as it is often
the case with our heroes
. Lywen starts to question the three men
working at the mill. They explain him that the miller is gone to visit
a relative in Verbobonc since three days, he should not be back before
at least a week. Besides he knows nothing about spies or evil
cultists.
Rousing Fox and Lywen search the building but find nothing. The wizard
decides to use a magic detection spell and is now able to spot a faint
aura on the ground, near the west wall of the building. Rousing Fox
studies the ground and, casting the flour away, reveals a trap going
down. After a quick search he opens it. A small magical flame appears
right in front of him, after a second of surprise, Lywen cries to
everyone to hurry out of the building. No more than ten seconds after
the mill explodes in a burst of flame caused by the highly explosive
flour dispatched in the air. Everybody gather immediately near the
rubles, Lywen and Rousing Fox were able to escape with only small
scars, two of the workers were blasted away by the explosion, one of
them has survived but the second is dead and the third is still under
the wreckage. Soon Elmo and some militias arrive followed by
Killasha, and they all start to search for the last worker.
During this time Diane entered the miller house by the window over the
roof of the small back building used to store wood and corn. She
advances carefully in the dark and is soon assaulted by a strong
odor. It seems to come from a room, her rapier in one hand, she
silently opens the door with her other free hand. The odor is even
stronger here, after a tense minute she moves into the bedroom and
opens the wooden shutters. A stained blanket lays on the ground
something obviously hidden into it. With disgust and the distasteful
thought that she already knows what she will find, Diane opens the
blanket. Without surprise, she finds two corpse into it, already dead
for several days, probably the miller and his spouse. Disgusted, she
quits the house and warns Elmo of their death before rejoining her
friends.
The search of the rubble went well. The third worker was found and he
miraculously survived the explosion, protected by a big wooden
beam. They were also able to clear the trap going down and discovered
a small pit with a scale.
Soon they are all descended and search a small underground room. Six
straw couches lie on the dirty ground. All what remains is a writing
table with a wooden chair, a wooden iron circled coffer and a bronze
vase (DM Note: hum in fact not even the bronze vase ... naheulbeuk
joke). After an hour of search by Rousing Fox and Alahija they decide
to open the coffer. But they are more prudent this time, and Lywen
discerns magic around this coffer. As they are unable to remove what
they think is a magic trap, they ask for Brune¹s help. The old wizard
accepts to help them and arrives one hour later. He tries to dispel
the magic but fails (even NPCs can have bad dice rolls
).
They will have to wait until tomorrow for another try. As they are
still strongly concerned by potential spies in town, they ask Elmo to
post guards and Rousing Fox even spends they night concealed under a
straw couch (DM Note : such a sacrifice, these monks are really
astonishing
).
After this "incident", they all spend the rest of the day wherever
they want. Alahija is at the Inn, obviously. Gandigoot is still
courting the female leader of Hommlet gnomish community, the well
known Naddy Tomanloft. While the others are studying, or gathering
information about strangers in town since a month or so. Actually the
night comes and everybody takes a good sleep after such a day !
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Episode NINE - Problems in Hommlet, is it really the end? - PART 2
(A mysterious letter ...)
