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<blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 641" data-attributes="member: 63"><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>Chapter Ten: Spirits </strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><em>Spirits of Friends </em></span></p><p></p><p>Soon after arriving in town, they leave Jeffery, the man they rescued, in the care of the priests at the Meliskan temple. Bhurisrava makes certain to warn the priests not to try any of those pagan rituals he’s heard about, or else the Lord will have his vengeance on them. The sight of a scrawny, short-haired redhead Elf chastizing them makes a few of the priests laugh. Bhurisrava leaves in a snit, muttering to himself. Roth comments to Bhur that he doesn’t really seem to know what he’s even talking about. Roth says he went to church a couple times when he was younger, and Bhur hasn’t been saying any of the stuff the priest said then. Bhur shrugs, but curiosity catches the rest of the party, and Harley eventually realizes that Bhurisrava doesn’t even own a Bible.</p><p></p><p>They go talk to Old Grizzler, whose house is within spitting distance of the Churnette River. Milbourne today is fairly bustling, people traveling to and from the farms surrounding the village, some even fording the river from Harlaton to the south. As they discuss whether to tell Old Grizzler about the dwarf body they found, they watch a barge being paddled upriver, eventually docking at the ‘bridge.’ If you recall, the bridge that was almost built over the river only went half way. Apparently its builder realized they didn’t really need a bridge, since the river is fordable. The bridge only extends half-way out now, and is often used as a mooring spot by boats.</p><p></p><p>After a little hesitation from Harley wondering if they should intrude on the Dwarf, James knocks on the door to Old Grizzler’s house. A few moments later a bark comes from inside demanding to know who the hell’s disturbing him. Harley tries to be polite, (“There’s something we think you’d want to see. It’s rather personal, sir, so. . . .”) but the Dwarf inside just growls. Frustrated, Bhurisrava says loudly, “Get out of the stupid house. We found your nephew. God.”</p><p></p><p>Almost immediately the door opens and an old Dwarf glares up at them, a scowl on his face. He is definitely your stereotypical Dwarf, thickly bearded, glowering, and stocky. Roth explains that they found some Dwarvish items that they think belonged to his nephew. Old Grizzler lets them in grudgingly, and tells them to sit down and tell him what the hell they’re talking about.</p><p></p><p>The house looked average-size from outside, but they discover it’s actually two-stories tall, making the first floor’s ceiling rather low. Everyone except for Harley has to bend over, so they welcome a chance to sit down, even if the Dwarf doesn’t have any furniture for anyone except himself. The room is fairly wide, and the Dwarf doesn’t want them to sit close to him. Once they’ve exchanged the barest formalities (“What are yer names?” “Sit in the corners where I can see you.” “Don’t get any of yer slime on my floor, Elves.”), James produces the platinum and steel helmet from his pack, along with the scroll case with the letter in Dwarvish.</p><p></p><p>Harley explains that they were looking for treasure in the Great Rock Dale, and discovered the lair of the wyverns. They know the wyverns must have killed someone, probably a Dwarf, and they. . . .</p><p></p><p>They notice that the Dwarf’s fingers are clenched tightly on the scroll from the scroll case. Harley goes silent, waiting for Grizzler to reply. After a minute, the Dwarf re-rolls the scroll and returns it to the scroll case, then tries to inconspicuously wipe his eyes. Grizzler thanks them for bringing him the news from his family and asks them to tell him everything that happened. He admits that he was once an adventurer himself, long ago hunting for treasure with a few of his friends, and it would please him to hear that the tradition of slaying monsters is still alive and well.</p><p></p><p>James looks at the others in confusion, obviously not in tune with how to deal with an old man’s loneliness. Bhurisrava knows what the Dwarf wants, but nervously waits for someone else to say something. Harley smirks slightly at her companions’ inability to deal with Grizzler, and she offers to tell him about their fight with the wyverns. Roth speaks up and says that the rest of them will talk too if they can get a little ale to make them all more relaxed and loosen their tongues. </p><p></p><p>Grizzler smiles warmly, then nods and tells them to all stand up. They do so, and then the old Dwarf tells them to stay that way until he comes back with the ale. This takes a few minutes, and they overhear him saying a low chant in Dwarvish, accompanied by the sound of filling cups with ale. James is about to sit back down, tired of standing up at a lean, but Roth warns him that Dwarves are really picky about protocol, and guests who don’t treat their host with respect are considered intruders. James grunts and remains standing, trying to ignore the low ceiling.</p><p></p><p>Once Old Grizzler finally returns, carrying a pair of mugs in each hand with a flask of his own at his belt, the room fills with the overpowering smell of Dwarvish spirits, so strong that Harley already feels intoxicated. Harley and Bhurisrava take polite drinks, James drinks cautiously, and Roth downs the first mug fairly quickly, only choking once. Old Grizzler beats them all in speed and quantity, then relaxes into his chair and tells them to sit down nearby, except for the storyteller, who has to stand. </p><p></p><p>Standing is a feat, because Harley’s already feeling woozy from a few sips. She begins telling the story, starting with how they heard about Old Grizzler’s nephew at the church. By the time she gets to them stealing the treasure map from the adventurers in Thurmaster, Bhurisrava is leaning forward in a sitting position, asleep with his eyes half-open. </p><p></p><p>As Harley spins her tale, she occasionally bumps her head and arms into the ceiling as she pantomimes the attacks against the wyverns. Every time she does so, she staggers for a little bit to regain her balance, then giggles at how dizzy she is. James drinks a little more, Roth a lot more, and so when Harley gets to the part about ‘pulling a Roth,’ she convinces James to stand over the unconscious form of Bhur to represent the wyvern, then tells Roth to do what he did in the cavern. Roth does so and misses James, but James gets off balance from trying to dodge Roth, and so both of them have to sit down to collect themselves. Grizzler laughs loudly at how weak humans and Elves are, commenting that you can’t really enjoy Dwarf spirits if you pass out before you get really drunk.</p><p></p><p>Harley finishes her story, and Old Grizzler brings them out of his greeting room to the dining room, which has an actual table. James carries Bhurisrava and deposits him on the chair, face down and eyes glazed but still slightly open. Grizzler pulls out some stores of stew, meat, bread, and cake, and throws an impromptu banquet, though he has a hard time getting the slightly intoxicated guests to sit in the proper positions protocols requires.</p><p></p><p>While they eat, he tells them some stories of his own adventuring career, about one time he and his friends met up with one of the last halflings in the world and they fought off a group of wizards who wanted the halfling for experimentation. Most of the halflings in the world were killed three thousand years ago in the War of the Burning Sky, and only a few hundred survive. Grizzler and his friends managed to defeat the wizards and took their magical treasures as loot, then gave the wizards’ tower to the halfling as a new home for him and his family.</p><p></p><p>Harley respons in kind by telling Grizzler (and Roth) about their encounter with the head and the mind-controlling bug at the magical fair. Roth shares a story about how he bought his magical lighter from a group of Dwarves who had been treasure hunting deep underground, and how the Dwarves beat him up and robbed him when he fell asleep from too much drink. Grizzler laughs at that and shares his own story. This goes on for a few hours, with James just sitting quietly and throwing in a few jabbing insults, and Bhurisrava just sleeping quietly with his face on the table.</p><p></p><p>Eventually Grizzler reveals that the letter was from the deathbed of the last other surviving member of his own treasure-hunting group. The letter was dated several weeks ago, and apparently his nephew had been bringing it with him. Now, Grizzler says, he’s the last one left from his old group. Harley pouts slightly and pats Grizzler on the arm, saying she misses one of her old friends, an old traveling companion of her own that she hasn’t seen for a few years.</p><p></p><p>Grizzler nods, and then they toast all of their lost old friends. Harley, figuring that she’s told enough stories for one day, finally finishes her first mug and passes out, while James watches over them calmly, polishing his sword. Roth also falls asleep, and Old Grizzler walks off to his bedroom. James waits patiently, dreary and drunk, but not sleepy. A few hours pass, and when the rest of them begin to awaken from their naps, Grizzler returns carrying a plain wooden case about two feet square and a few inches thick. The group is alert but relaxed; one of the marvelous qualities of Dwarf spirits is that it sets on fast, and it fades away just as fast, allowing maximum intoxication with minimum hang-over.</p><p></p><p>He sets it down on the table and lets it sit closed while he tells his story. He and his adventuring friends claimed one great treasure during their travels, a set of enchanted daggers that attune themselves to their wielder. Whenever they’re more than a few feet away, the wielder can return them to himself with a thought. There is a group of them, and so they attune to the group as a whole in addition to their individual wielder. If any wielder were to die, any of the other attuned wielders could then become that daggers new wielder, until eventually only one person who survives would possess all the daggers. They were symbols of camraderie and duty, and now he has discovered that he is indeed the last of his friends, because the last of the blades has come to him. </p><p></p><p>He opens the case, revealing four daggers of masterful quality. He smiles. “They’re yours now.”</p><p></p><p>The four daggers are unique, with their own powers, which Grizzler explains to them. He considers them family now for being willing to bring the news to a stranger, and for being even more willing to share their own lives and stories with him.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Daggers:</strong></p><p>Each dagger takes a week to attune itself to its wielder, and then will function for no one else until the wielder dies or passes it on. An attuned dagger will teleport back to its possessor if they are separated by more than 10 feet, by command of the wielder. Every dagger glows in its own unique way unless the wielder wills it to dim. Each dagger holds three charges, which are refilled in various ways unique to each blade. A charge can be expended to use the dagger’s special ability, or to give the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus for five minutes. </p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dagger with a white silk-wrapped hilt and flawless blade. The weapon will never stain with blood. It sheds soft light in a radius of five feet, and its attacks deal damage, but do not leave physical wounds to bleed. Whenever the wielder is unarmed and in danger, unless he has some other weapon at quick reach, the blade appears in his hand at the cost of one charge. It is recharged by act of giving charity in any sincere capacity.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dagger with a wire-wrapped hilt and a pommel of turquoise. The blade itself is etched with white feathered wings. The blade trails a faint shimmer of light when it moves, resembling a trail of feathers. It glows sickly yellow if the air around it is unsafe or toxic. At the cost of a charge, the blade can cast <em>featherfall</em> up to three times per day. It is recharged by using it to eat some meat of a wild bird.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dagger with a silvered blade, etched in black knot patterns, set into a hilt designed in the shape of an ebony panther. The blade sheds no visible light, but light seems to reflect in the eyes of every creature within 30 feet, making their locations vaguely visible to the wielder. It can cast <em>cat’s grace</em> at 5th level at the cost of a charge. It is recharged by wrapping it in black silk overnight. Once a given sheet replaces three charges, it dissolves into smoke at a touch.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A dagger has a plain silver hilt, pommel, and crossguard, but with a line of blue steel along the center of both sides of the blade. Whenever the blade touches liquid, it cools it, freezing a 5’ area in the span of a minute, or simply cooling a keg of ale in half a minute. It doesn’t freeze beyond this radius. At the cost of a charge for the next five minutes it can shift sizes among dagger, short sword, longsword, bastard sword, and greatsword. It is recharged by having it touch the wielder’s body throughout his sleep for an entire night. Upon awakening, the wielder will discover a pale blue mark where the blade was touching. This mark does not go away on its own, nor can it be magically healed, but simply exposing the skin to sunlight for a day will “melt” the mark. Until the mark leaves, the blade will not recharge. It glows as a <em>light</em> spell when the temperature is below freezing.</li> </ul><p></p><p>Amid much gushing from Harley of thanks and how much an honor it is, the group decides who will take which dagger. Roth claims the one that changes sizes (as I knew he would), Bhurisrava is forced against his will to take the white one that has the puny power, James takes the panther dagger, and Harley takes the dagger she christens <em>featherfall</em>.</p><p></p><p>As they depart to go on with their treasure-hunting, Grizzler stops them and asks if they found his nephew’s body. They say no, and Roth verifies that there weren’t any Dwarf bones in the wyverns’ bellies. Grizzler is curious, wondering what happened, but trusts that the four of them will eventually figure it out. He bids them good journey, and gives them each a flask of Dwarf spirits, telling them to come back whenever they want refills.</p><p></p><p>Roth walks five feet, downs his, then turns and asks for a refill.</p><p></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><em>Spirits of Foes</em></span></p><p></p><p>[meta: From this point on, Roth’s player Jacob was occasionally unable to make it because of scheduling conflicts with his job. So, from here on out, if Jacob wasn't there, then Roth was ‘in the tavern.’ He became a stalwart defender of that tavern, often drunk and never in any shape to go adventuring whenever the group might happen to return to town.]</p><p></p><p>Bhurisrava, James, and Harley leave Roth in the Baron of Mutton, the tavern, then head north, back to the Great Rock Dale. They ride horseback, commenting on how it was pretty nice to be able to help out Old Grizzler. Bhurisrava decides he wants to learn Dwarvish, while James wonders where he’s going to find black silk to recharge this dagger. Harley is quiet, thinking about how just a few hours ago she’d been considering leaving the Haranshire because it wasn’t worth the hassle, but now she feels actually welcome. Plus, she realizes that adventuring is actually fairly fun, with the right friends around.</p><p></p><p>They reach the woods nearby the Rock Dale about an hour before sunset, and James leads the way with the map toward “Ghosts 1 – magic in the bog.”</p><p></p><p>Travel through the Hardlow Woods is much easier than through the Thornwood, but it’s very rocky, so they have to leave their horses behind, tethered to some trees. They walk through the woods, quietly except for Harley’s attempts to get Bhurisrava and James to share more about their lives. Bhurisrava is apparently too embarrassed about his past, and James says his is boring, so they end up dropping the conversation soon.</p><p></p><p>About an hour later, Harley notices her dagger has begun to glow a light, sickly yellow, and indeed the air does smell. Swamp gas and various types of rotting stenches fill the air, and as they near a clearing the ground turns muddy and soggy, sinking their feet into the muck with every step. The sun has set, but the two Elves and half-Elf can see easily still, aside from the mist rising out of the bog ahead.</p><p></p><p>A dull moaning comes from the trees around them, and Harley cringes in panic. From the distance comes rattling, soft but ongoing, growing louder as James presses them forward in search of treasure. The moaning grows louder, and a second source becomes audible from another direction. By the time they reach the actual edge of the bog’s water, the moaning fills the air deafeningly, and the rattling sends shivers up their spines. </p><p></p><p>Harley wants to leave, but James shakes his head at the annoying noises and says that until something comes out and attacks them, he’s not going to consider leaving. Bhurisrava nods in agreement and calls out death again, daring the ‘ghost’ to show itself.</p><p></p><p>A fluttering fills the air overhead behind them, and through the mist they make out the pale shape of a wispy figure skimming a dozen feet over the bog. The figure flies over their shoulders and deep into the mists over the bog, disappearing into the concealing and wretchedly-smelling vapors.</p><p></p><p>They hear rustling in the trees nearby, and they all turn to look. Just as they turn, Harley spots another flying figure out of the corner of her eye, and she pulls James to show him. By the time James turns, the shape has disappeared.</p><p></p><p>Bhurisrava coughs and more meekly calls out death, saying it rather quietly. Harley glares at him, but Bhur shrugs and says it’s better to just face the ghost than to wait and let it taunt them to death.</p><p></p><p>James grows impatient, and fearlessly he climbs the tree that he guesses was the source of the rustling a moment before. As soon as he nears the boughs, there’s more rustling, and then the sound of a heavy cloth or blanket being flung. James catches sight of a small glowing leaping out of the tree before a dark cloth lands on his face and blinds him. Bhur and Harley spot a small gangly figure glowing pale white fly overhead into the mists as the more vaporous figures before did, moaning loudly as it shears past her. Crying out in fright, Harley runs. She ends up smashing into James as the warrior climbs down from the tree, and she claims that she was running to help him.</p><p></p><p>James grabs her by the collar and drags her with him toward the opposite side of the bog, saying that he’s not going to give up so easily. Bhur tags along, unwilling to be left alone with the ghosts, and as they walk James tells them what his plan is. He claims that the ‘ghost’ is going to be in another tree, and that he’s going to climb into the tree and flush it out. All he wants Bhurisrava and Harley to do is climb nearby trees and wait for his signal.</p><p></p><p>The moaning intensifies as they pursue the ghost, and the rattling fills the trees, like wooden beads in a thousand hollow gourds. Another wispy figure flies nearby them, not close enough for James to attack it, but close enough that they can make out its vague shape, resembling a glowing white curtain with hollow eyes and mouth glaring down at them. The wispy ghost flies away into the mist, and the rattling increases as in applause.</p><p></p><p>James grumbles in frustration and orders Harley and Bhur to the two trees nearest the one he plans to climb. He keeps looking into the air, listening for sounds of rustling, and finally there comes a rustling, along with another wispy ghost flying past them with a moan. James is about to start for the rustling tree when Bhurisrava points to the middle of the mist, where the last ghost has apparently stopped. It hovers above the mucky waters, too far into the mist to make out clearly, but obviously glowing brightly, waiting for them.</p><p></p><p>The rattling and moaning slowly fades away, disappearing first close to them, and then fading away from all the other sources around the large bog. Only one moan remains, coming from the middle of the bog, and it sounds plaintive, weak and lonely. Harley suggests that it might be in pain, and they should help it, while Bhur thinks that Death is calling <em>them</em> out.</p><p></p><p>James laughs and rushes for the tree. Despite his chainmail, he clambers up it quickly, carrying his sword in one hand. From the bough of the tree comes a short gasp, and then another blanket is flung up to fall upon James. He catches it with his sword and flings it away, then lashes out at the scrawny glowing figure cowering in the tree. </p><p></p><p>James shouts for the others to climb the nearby trees, which Harley and Bhur do warily. The figure in the trees, barely three feet tall and cowering with wide eyes, hisses at James and turns to leap away, then sees the others blocking off its nearest escape routes. James continues to climb, and the figure, unable to leap into an adjacent tree, reaches out into the air with its glowing hands and begins to fly away. James laughs at it as it flies away, and then swings down at something in the air. There’s a twang, and then the flying, emaciated ghost gives a cry. It falls into the edge of the bog with a splash, and then the ghost in the middle of the bog falls as well, disappearing in the slime and mist.</p><p></p><p>James climbs down from the tree and races into the muck to grab the short, fleeing figure before it can get to safety. Bhurisrava and Harley hang back at first, then rush forward when they hear the creature gibbering and screaming in a high-pitched, snarling voice.</p><p></p><p>James plucks the ‘ghost’ out of muck that was up to its chest, then carries the slight creature closer for the others to examine. Now that the creature can no longer move so quickly, the realize that it’s just a Goblin that painted itself with some type of glowing substance. James tells Bhur to get the rope and tie up the Goblin, and to Bhurisrava’s surprise he finds a nice length of rope just floating atop the bog.</p><p></p><p>Then they realize how the Goblin was pulling off its ruse. They guess then, and realize it later when they have more light, that there’s a complex system of ropes stretched between the trees on opposite sides of the bog, from which the Goblin was able to use to swing white sheets coated with glowing paint. The Goblin itself was adept as scrambling along the lines and ropes, and they realize that it knows enough Lyceian so it can tell them that it normally just lures people into the middle of the bog with one of it’s ‘ghosts,’ and then lets the people get trapped when he drops a net on them. </p><p></p><p>James kills the Goblin, realizing that it’s probably killed a lot of people with this trick. It looks to be fairly old for a Goblin, and most of the ropes look very well-used. Harley grimaces at the thought of what the Goblin has done, and also shivers at the idea of how many real spirits must have been lost because the ruse of the ghosts. James tosses the Goblin’s dead body into the treeline, and they set camp overnight outside the mucky area.</p><p></p><p>The next morning, the mist is still thick enough to conceal most of the ropes and lines, but they manage to disable the net trap that was used to trap and drown countless victims. It is to no surprise that they find several rotting corpses in the area of the trap, all stripped of most of their belongings. James regrets not forcing the Goblin to tell them where it kept its treasure, and a quick search turns up no cache of treasure. One thing they do find that is interesting, however, is a Goblin-sized shovel. James discovers a pit in the center of the bog, where the water is five feet deep. Apparently the Goblin had been digging a hole looking for treasure. James ignores the leeches in the bog and strips down to almost nothing, then goes diving for treasure himself.</p><p></p><p>James spends the rest of the morning doing that; Bhurisrava and Harley mostly abstain, digging only in the shallower areas. James does find many bones of men and horses, and they guess that this bog must have been the last resting place of many people, even before the Goblin created its ploy. For all of James efforts he comes up with only a few rotting pouches filled with gold and one scroll case, but Harley discovers a sealed case that has survived being buried in the bog. She opens it to find a letter dated a hundred years earlier, written to someone’s daughter. Inside the case is a fancy black choker with a large blue sapphire attached to the front, set in silver. Harley tucks the case away, not wanting to wear the lovely piece of jewelry until she washes off.</p><p></p><p>As for the scroll case, Bhurisrava tells them that it is magical, but to wait until they wash off for him to see what type of magic it is. They agree that if nothing else they probably saved the lives of some innocents, so the lack of great treasure is acceptable. </p><p></p><p>James walks the way back to their horses with his armor off, not wanting to spoil it. Harley eyes him occasionally, shaking her head in sadness that such an attractive man has so little personality. James ignores Harley’s looks, but Bhurisrava doesn’t it, and he quietly chides her for being lustful. When Harley asks why that’s a big deal, Bhurisrava stammers, then claims that God forbids it. After that Bhurisrava is quiet.</p><p></p><p>As they walk away from the bog, a low moan comes over the wind, and the hairs on Harley’s neck raise. She shakes off the chill and listens again, but can no longer hear the moan. Shivering at her own paranoia, she keeps her eyes to herself and follows the others without a word.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RangerWickett, post: 641, member: 63"] [size=3][b]Chapter Ten: Spirits [/b][/size] [size=2][i]Spirits of Friends [/i][/size] Soon after arriving in town, they leave Jeffery, the man they rescued, in the care of the priests at the Meliskan temple. Bhurisrava makes certain to warn the priests not to try any of those pagan rituals he’s heard about, or else the Lord will have his vengeance on them. The sight of a scrawny, short-haired redhead Elf chastizing them makes a few of the priests laugh. Bhurisrava leaves in a snit, muttering to himself. Roth comments to Bhur that he doesn’t really seem to know what he’s even talking about. Roth says he went to church a couple times when he was younger, and Bhur hasn’t been saying any of the stuff the priest said then. Bhur shrugs, but curiosity catches the rest of the party, and Harley eventually realizes that Bhurisrava doesn’t even own a Bible. They go talk to Old Grizzler, whose house is within spitting distance of the Churnette River. Milbourne today is fairly bustling, people traveling to and from the farms surrounding the village, some even fording the river from Harlaton to the south. As they discuss whether to tell Old Grizzler about the dwarf body they found, they watch a barge being paddled upriver, eventually docking at the ‘bridge.’ If you recall, the bridge that was almost built over the river only went half way. Apparently its builder realized they didn’t really need a bridge, since the river is fordable. The bridge only extends half-way out now, and is often used as a mooring spot by boats. After a little hesitation from Harley wondering if they should intrude on the Dwarf, James knocks on the door to Old Grizzler’s house. A few moments later a bark comes from inside demanding to know who the hell’s disturbing him. Harley tries to be polite, (“There’s something we think you’d want to see. It’s rather personal, sir, so. . . .”) but the Dwarf inside just growls. Frustrated, Bhurisrava says loudly, “Get out of the stupid house. We found your nephew. God.” Almost immediately the door opens and an old Dwarf glares up at them, a scowl on his face. He is definitely your stereotypical Dwarf, thickly bearded, glowering, and stocky. Roth explains that they found some Dwarvish items that they think belonged to his nephew. Old Grizzler lets them in grudgingly, and tells them to sit down and tell him what the hell they’re talking about. The house looked average-size from outside, but they discover it’s actually two-stories tall, making the first floor’s ceiling rather low. Everyone except for Harley has to bend over, so they welcome a chance to sit down, even if the Dwarf doesn’t have any furniture for anyone except himself. The room is fairly wide, and the Dwarf doesn’t want them to sit close to him. Once they’ve exchanged the barest formalities (“What are yer names?” “Sit in the corners where I can see you.” “Don’t get any of yer slime on my floor, Elves.”), James produces the platinum and steel helmet from his pack, along with the scroll case with the letter in Dwarvish. Harley explains that they were looking for treasure in the Great Rock Dale, and discovered the lair of the wyverns. They know the wyverns must have killed someone, probably a Dwarf, and they. . . . They notice that the Dwarf’s fingers are clenched tightly on the scroll from the scroll case. Harley goes silent, waiting for Grizzler to reply. After a minute, the Dwarf re-rolls the scroll and returns it to the scroll case, then tries to inconspicuously wipe his eyes. Grizzler thanks them for bringing him the news from his family and asks them to tell him everything that happened. He admits that he was once an adventurer himself, long ago hunting for treasure with a few of his friends, and it would please him to hear that the tradition of slaying monsters is still alive and well. James looks at the others in confusion, obviously not in tune with how to deal with an old man’s loneliness. Bhurisrava knows what the Dwarf wants, but nervously waits for someone else to say something. Harley smirks slightly at her companions’ inability to deal with Grizzler, and she offers to tell him about their fight with the wyverns. Roth speaks up and says that the rest of them will talk too if they can get a little ale to make them all more relaxed and loosen their tongues. Grizzler smiles warmly, then nods and tells them to all stand up. They do so, and then the old Dwarf tells them to stay that way until he comes back with the ale. This takes a few minutes, and they overhear him saying a low chant in Dwarvish, accompanied by the sound of filling cups with ale. James is about to sit back down, tired of standing up at a lean, but Roth warns him that Dwarves are really picky about protocol, and guests who don’t treat their host with respect are considered intruders. James grunts and remains standing, trying to ignore the low ceiling. Once Old Grizzler finally returns, carrying a pair of mugs in each hand with a flask of his own at his belt, the room fills with the overpowering smell of Dwarvish spirits, so strong that Harley already feels intoxicated. Harley and Bhurisrava take polite drinks, James drinks cautiously, and Roth downs the first mug fairly quickly, only choking once. Old Grizzler beats them all in speed and quantity, then relaxes into his chair and tells them to sit down nearby, except for the storyteller, who has to stand. Standing is a feat, because Harley’s already feeling woozy from a few sips. She begins telling the story, starting with how they heard about Old Grizzler’s nephew at the church. By the time she gets to them stealing the treasure map from the adventurers in Thurmaster, Bhurisrava is leaning forward in a sitting position, asleep with his eyes half-open. As Harley spins her tale, she occasionally bumps her head and arms into the ceiling as she pantomimes the attacks against the wyverns. Every time she does so, she staggers for a little bit to regain her balance, then giggles at how dizzy she is. James drinks a little more, Roth a lot more, and so when Harley gets to the part about ‘pulling a Roth,’ she convinces James to stand over the unconscious form of Bhur to represent the wyvern, then tells Roth to do what he did in the cavern. Roth does so and misses James, but James gets off balance from trying to dodge Roth, and so both of them have to sit down to collect themselves. Grizzler laughs loudly at how weak humans and Elves are, commenting that you can’t really enjoy Dwarf spirits if you pass out before you get really drunk. Harley finishes her story, and Old Grizzler brings them out of his greeting room to the dining room, which has an actual table. James carries Bhurisrava and deposits him on the chair, face down and eyes glazed but still slightly open. Grizzler pulls out some stores of stew, meat, bread, and cake, and throws an impromptu banquet, though he has a hard time getting the slightly intoxicated guests to sit in the proper positions protocols requires. While they eat, he tells them some stories of his own adventuring career, about one time he and his friends met up with one of the last halflings in the world and they fought off a group of wizards who wanted the halfling for experimentation. Most of the halflings in the world were killed three thousand years ago in the War of the Burning Sky, and only a few hundred survive. Grizzler and his friends managed to defeat the wizards and took their magical treasures as loot, then gave the wizards’ tower to the halfling as a new home for him and his family. Harley respons in kind by telling Grizzler (and Roth) about their encounter with the head and the mind-controlling bug at the magical fair. Roth shares a story about how he bought his magical lighter from a group of Dwarves who had been treasure hunting deep underground, and how the Dwarves beat him up and robbed him when he fell asleep from too much drink. Grizzler laughs at that and shares his own story. This goes on for a few hours, with James just sitting quietly and throwing in a few jabbing insults, and Bhurisrava just sleeping quietly with his face on the table. Eventually Grizzler reveals that the letter was from the deathbed of the last other surviving member of his own treasure-hunting group. The letter was dated several weeks ago, and apparently his nephew had been bringing it with him. Now, Grizzler says, he’s the last one left from his old group. Harley pouts slightly and pats Grizzler on the arm, saying she misses one of her old friends, an old traveling companion of her own that she hasn’t seen for a few years. Grizzler nods, and then they toast all of their lost old friends. Harley, figuring that she’s told enough stories for one day, finally finishes her first mug and passes out, while James watches over them calmly, polishing his sword. Roth also falls asleep, and Old Grizzler walks off to his bedroom. James waits patiently, dreary and drunk, but not sleepy. A few hours pass, and when the rest of them begin to awaken from their naps, Grizzler returns carrying a plain wooden case about two feet square and a few inches thick. The group is alert but relaxed; one of the marvelous qualities of Dwarf spirits is that it sets on fast, and it fades away just as fast, allowing maximum intoxication with minimum hang-over. He sets it down on the table and lets it sit closed while he tells his story. He and his adventuring friends claimed one great treasure during their travels, a set of enchanted daggers that attune themselves to their wielder. Whenever they’re more than a few feet away, the wielder can return them to himself with a thought. There is a group of them, and so they attune to the group as a whole in addition to their individual wielder. If any wielder were to die, any of the other attuned wielders could then become that daggers new wielder, until eventually only one person who survives would possess all the daggers. They were symbols of camraderie and duty, and now he has discovered that he is indeed the last of his friends, because the last of the blades has come to him. He opens the case, revealing four daggers of masterful quality. He smiles. “They’re yours now.” The four daggers are unique, with their own powers, which Grizzler explains to them. He considers them family now for being willing to bring the news to a stranger, and for being even more willing to share their own lives and stories with him. [b]The Daggers:[/b] Each dagger takes a week to attune itself to its wielder, and then will function for no one else until the wielder dies or passes it on. An attuned dagger will teleport back to its possessor if they are separated by more than 10 feet, by command of the wielder. Every dagger glows in its own unique way unless the wielder wills it to dim. Each dagger holds three charges, which are refilled in various ways unique to each blade. A charge can be expended to use the dagger’s special ability, or to give the weapon a +1 enhancement bonus for five minutes. [list][*]A dagger with a white silk-wrapped hilt and flawless blade. The weapon will never stain with blood. It sheds soft light in a radius of five feet, and its attacks deal damage, but do not leave physical wounds to bleed. Whenever the wielder is unarmed and in danger, unless he has some other weapon at quick reach, the blade appears in his hand at the cost of one charge. It is recharged by act of giving charity in any sincere capacity.[*]A dagger with a wire-wrapped hilt and a pommel of turquoise. The blade itself is etched with white feathered wings. The blade trails a faint shimmer of light when it moves, resembling a trail of feathers. It glows sickly yellow if the air around it is unsafe or toxic. At the cost of a charge, the blade can cast [i]featherfall[/i] up to three times per day. It is recharged by using it to eat some meat of a wild bird.[*]A dagger with a silvered blade, etched in black knot patterns, set into a hilt designed in the shape of an ebony panther. The blade sheds no visible light, but light seems to reflect in the eyes of every creature within 30 feet, making their locations vaguely visible to the wielder. It can cast [i]cat’s grace[/i] at 5th level at the cost of a charge. It is recharged by wrapping it in black silk overnight. Once a given sheet replaces three charges, it dissolves into smoke at a touch.[*]A dagger has a plain silver hilt, pommel, and crossguard, but with a line of blue steel along the center of both sides of the blade. Whenever the blade touches liquid, it cools it, freezing a 5’ area in the span of a minute, or simply cooling a keg of ale in half a minute. It doesn’t freeze beyond this radius. At the cost of a charge for the next five minutes it can shift sizes among dagger, short sword, longsword, bastard sword, and greatsword. It is recharged by having it touch the wielder’s body throughout his sleep for an entire night. Upon awakening, the wielder will discover a pale blue mark where the blade was touching. This mark does not go away on its own, nor can it be magically healed, but simply exposing the skin to sunlight for a day will “melt” the mark. Until the mark leaves, the blade will not recharge. It glows as a [i]light[/i] spell when the temperature is below freezing.[/list] Amid much gushing from Harley of thanks and how much an honor it is, the group decides who will take which dagger. Roth claims the one that changes sizes (as I knew he would), Bhurisrava is forced against his will to take the white one that has the puny power, James takes the panther dagger, and Harley takes the dagger she christens [i]featherfall[/i]. As they depart to go on with their treasure-hunting, Grizzler stops them and asks if they found his nephew’s body. They say no, and Roth verifies that there weren’t any Dwarf bones in the wyverns’ bellies. Grizzler is curious, wondering what happened, but trusts that the four of them will eventually figure it out. He bids them good journey, and gives them each a flask of Dwarf spirits, telling them to come back whenever they want refills. Roth walks five feet, downs his, then turns and asks for a refill. [size=2][i]Spirits of Foes[/i][/size] [meta: From this point on, Roth’s player Jacob was occasionally unable to make it because of scheduling conflicts with his job. So, from here on out, if Jacob wasn't there, then Roth was ‘in the tavern.’ He became a stalwart defender of that tavern, often drunk and never in any shape to go adventuring whenever the group might happen to return to town.] Bhurisrava, James, and Harley leave Roth in the Baron of Mutton, the tavern, then head north, back to the Great Rock Dale. They ride horseback, commenting on how it was pretty nice to be able to help out Old Grizzler. Bhurisrava decides he wants to learn Dwarvish, while James wonders where he’s going to find black silk to recharge this dagger. Harley is quiet, thinking about how just a few hours ago she’d been considering leaving the Haranshire because it wasn’t worth the hassle, but now she feels actually welcome. Plus, she realizes that adventuring is actually fairly fun, with the right friends around. They reach the woods nearby the Rock Dale about an hour before sunset, and James leads the way with the map toward “Ghosts 1 – magic in the bog.” Travel through the Hardlow Woods is much easier than through the Thornwood, but it’s very rocky, so they have to leave their horses behind, tethered to some trees. They walk through the woods, quietly except for Harley’s attempts to get Bhurisrava and James to share more about their lives. Bhurisrava is apparently too embarrassed about his past, and James says his is boring, so they end up dropping the conversation soon. About an hour later, Harley notices her dagger has begun to glow a light, sickly yellow, and indeed the air does smell. Swamp gas and various types of rotting stenches fill the air, and as they near a clearing the ground turns muddy and soggy, sinking their feet into the muck with every step. The sun has set, but the two Elves and half-Elf can see easily still, aside from the mist rising out of the bog ahead. A dull moaning comes from the trees around them, and Harley cringes in panic. From the distance comes rattling, soft but ongoing, growing louder as James presses them forward in search of treasure. The moaning grows louder, and a second source becomes audible from another direction. By the time they reach the actual edge of the bog’s water, the moaning fills the air deafeningly, and the rattling sends shivers up their spines. Harley wants to leave, but James shakes his head at the annoying noises and says that until something comes out and attacks them, he’s not going to consider leaving. Bhurisrava nods in agreement and calls out death again, daring the ‘ghost’ to show itself. A fluttering fills the air overhead behind them, and through the mist they make out the pale shape of a wispy figure skimming a dozen feet over the bog. The figure flies over their shoulders and deep into the mists over the bog, disappearing into the concealing and wretchedly-smelling vapors. They hear rustling in the trees nearby, and they all turn to look. Just as they turn, Harley spots another flying figure out of the corner of her eye, and she pulls James to show him. By the time James turns, the shape has disappeared. Bhurisrava coughs and more meekly calls out death, saying it rather quietly. Harley glares at him, but Bhur shrugs and says it’s better to just face the ghost than to wait and let it taunt them to death. James grows impatient, and fearlessly he climbs the tree that he guesses was the source of the rustling a moment before. As soon as he nears the boughs, there’s more rustling, and then the sound of a heavy cloth or blanket being flung. James catches sight of a small glowing leaping out of the tree before a dark cloth lands on his face and blinds him. Bhur and Harley spot a small gangly figure glowing pale white fly overhead into the mists as the more vaporous figures before did, moaning loudly as it shears past her. Crying out in fright, Harley runs. She ends up smashing into James as the warrior climbs down from the tree, and she claims that she was running to help him. James grabs her by the collar and drags her with him toward the opposite side of the bog, saying that he’s not going to give up so easily. Bhur tags along, unwilling to be left alone with the ghosts, and as they walk James tells them what his plan is. He claims that the ‘ghost’ is going to be in another tree, and that he’s going to climb into the tree and flush it out. All he wants Bhurisrava and Harley to do is climb nearby trees and wait for his signal. The moaning intensifies as they pursue the ghost, and the rattling fills the trees, like wooden beads in a thousand hollow gourds. Another wispy figure flies nearby them, not close enough for James to attack it, but close enough that they can make out its vague shape, resembling a glowing white curtain with hollow eyes and mouth glaring down at them. The wispy ghost flies away into the mist, and the rattling increases as in applause. James grumbles in frustration and orders Harley and Bhur to the two trees nearest the one he plans to climb. He keeps looking into the air, listening for sounds of rustling, and finally there comes a rustling, along with another wispy ghost flying past them with a moan. James is about to start for the rustling tree when Bhurisrava points to the middle of the mist, where the last ghost has apparently stopped. It hovers above the mucky waters, too far into the mist to make out clearly, but obviously glowing brightly, waiting for them. The rattling and moaning slowly fades away, disappearing first close to them, and then fading away from all the other sources around the large bog. Only one moan remains, coming from the middle of the bog, and it sounds plaintive, weak and lonely. Harley suggests that it might be in pain, and they should help it, while Bhur thinks that Death is calling [i]them[/i] out. James laughs and rushes for the tree. Despite his chainmail, he clambers up it quickly, carrying his sword in one hand. From the bough of the tree comes a short gasp, and then another blanket is flung up to fall upon James. He catches it with his sword and flings it away, then lashes out at the scrawny glowing figure cowering in the tree. James shouts for the others to climb the nearby trees, which Harley and Bhur do warily. The figure in the trees, barely three feet tall and cowering with wide eyes, hisses at James and turns to leap away, then sees the others blocking off its nearest escape routes. James continues to climb, and the figure, unable to leap into an adjacent tree, reaches out into the air with its glowing hands and begins to fly away. James laughs at it as it flies away, and then swings down at something in the air. There’s a twang, and then the flying, emaciated ghost gives a cry. It falls into the edge of the bog with a splash, and then the ghost in the middle of the bog falls as well, disappearing in the slime and mist. James climbs down from the tree and races into the muck to grab the short, fleeing figure before it can get to safety. Bhurisrava and Harley hang back at first, then rush forward when they hear the creature gibbering and screaming in a high-pitched, snarling voice. James plucks the ‘ghost’ out of muck that was up to its chest, then carries the slight creature closer for the others to examine. Now that the creature can no longer move so quickly, the realize that it’s just a Goblin that painted itself with some type of glowing substance. James tells Bhur to get the rope and tie up the Goblin, and to Bhurisrava’s surprise he finds a nice length of rope just floating atop the bog. Then they realize how the Goblin was pulling off its ruse. They guess then, and realize it later when they have more light, that there’s a complex system of ropes stretched between the trees on opposite sides of the bog, from which the Goblin was able to use to swing white sheets coated with glowing paint. The Goblin itself was adept as scrambling along the lines and ropes, and they realize that it knows enough Lyceian so it can tell them that it normally just lures people into the middle of the bog with one of it’s ‘ghosts,’ and then lets the people get trapped when he drops a net on them. James kills the Goblin, realizing that it’s probably killed a lot of people with this trick. It looks to be fairly old for a Goblin, and most of the ropes look very well-used. Harley grimaces at the thought of what the Goblin has done, and also shivers at the idea of how many real spirits must have been lost because the ruse of the ghosts. James tosses the Goblin’s dead body into the treeline, and they set camp overnight outside the mucky area. The next morning, the mist is still thick enough to conceal most of the ropes and lines, but they manage to disable the net trap that was used to trap and drown countless victims. It is to no surprise that they find several rotting corpses in the area of the trap, all stripped of most of their belongings. James regrets not forcing the Goblin to tell them where it kept its treasure, and a quick search turns up no cache of treasure. One thing they do find that is interesting, however, is a Goblin-sized shovel. James discovers a pit in the center of the bog, where the water is five feet deep. Apparently the Goblin had been digging a hole looking for treasure. James ignores the leeches in the bog and strips down to almost nothing, then goes diving for treasure himself. James spends the rest of the morning doing that; Bhurisrava and Harley mostly abstain, digging only in the shallower areas. James does find many bones of men and horses, and they guess that this bog must have been the last resting place of many people, even before the Goblin created its ploy. For all of James efforts he comes up with only a few rotting pouches filled with gold and one scroll case, but Harley discovers a sealed case that has survived being buried in the bog. She opens it to find a letter dated a hundred years earlier, written to someone’s daughter. Inside the case is a fancy black choker with a large blue sapphire attached to the front, set in silver. Harley tucks the case away, not wanting to wear the lovely piece of jewelry until she washes off. As for the scroll case, Bhurisrava tells them that it is magical, but to wait until they wash off for him to see what type of magic it is. They agree that if nothing else they probably saved the lives of some innocents, so the lack of great treasure is acceptable. James walks the way back to their horses with his armor off, not wanting to spoil it. Harley eyes him occasionally, shaking her head in sadness that such an attractive man has so little personality. James ignores Harley’s looks, but Bhurisrava doesn’t it, and he quietly chides her for being lustful. When Harley asks why that’s a big deal, Bhurisrava stammers, then claims that God forbids it. After that Bhurisrava is quiet. As they walk away from the bog, a low moan comes over the wind, and the hairs on Harley’s neck raise. She shakes off the chill and listens again, but can no longer hear the moan. Shivering at her own paranoia, she keeps her eyes to herself and follows the others without a word. [/QUOTE]
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