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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 1025321" data-attributes="member: 7737">In Which the Kestrels Alight in Bellhold[Warning: spoilers ahead for Of Sound Mind, a module by EN World’s own Kevin “Piratecat” Kulp.]The adventuring company known as the Red Kestrels arrived in Bellhold by way of the single road that led there from Ruanon. That is to say, the Kestrels arrived in Bellhold after passing by the outlying farms; which is to explain that they stopped to assist the elderly farmer Othic with some recalcitrant horses.The keen-eyed Kell, in corralling the horses, noticed that each animal bore a kind of scar or sore on its forehead, just between the eyes, as though some thorn had pricked them there. However, he could discern nothing further so this little mystery went unsolved for the nonce. In gratitude for the Kestrels’ assistance, farmer Othic provided them with a hearty meal of lamb stew and as they ate, explained the history of Bellhold: how it had, some 49 years ago, been enslaved by Choth, a Nadziran sorcerer fond of shapechanging into the form of a dragon. The townsfolk had nicknamed him Copperdeath in reference to his fondness for that metal and his propensity for random slaughter.But, praise be to Kai, the town was freed from its enslavement thanks to the efforts of those famed adventurers Ahlissa Songsword, Thrommel Redstone, and their other less well known companions. Brogun’s ears perked up at the mention of Thrommel’s name, for it was that same dwarf who had been sent by the church of Kirabá to proselytize the region. Alas, Othic informed them that Thrommel had died during the final battle with Copperdeath – indeed, all the adventurers were now dead, Ahlissa having passed away some ten years previously. Though, of course, her son Tokket still maintained the Bell and Clapper, Bellhold’s finest inn and alehouse.Thanking Othic for the information, the Kestrels determined to head for this Bell and Clapper, as it came with such a good recommendation. Othic himself declined their invitation to join them for evening drinks, instead promising to meet the adventurers on the morrow for breakfast, at which time he admitted he would not be reluctant to indulge in a morning tipple. With that, Brogun, Kednor, and Kell walked the remainder of the way into Bellhold. It was a pleasant journey in the early summer evening, the temperature a bit brisk this close to the mountains but far from unpleasantly so. Through the clear air the travelers could hear the sound of bells being tested at their foundries and see the smoke from two forges near the river. (This provoked a scowl from Kell, whose concern for the pristineness of nature was well known.) Towards the center of town could be made out a church to Kai, its whitewashed walls and steeple shining warmly in the setting sun. Atop the steeple was fitted a mighty copper bell that locals called the Wyrmcall in mocking reference to the deceased Copperdeath.As the party was determined to take a room for a night, it was decided to head immediately for the Bell and Clapper before further exploring the town. Brogun and Kednor ventured inside, but Kell’s attention was taken by an unkempt man standing on a crate near the church, gesticulating wildly and haranguing the crowd. The Herbalish scout headed over to hear what this fellow had to say.“He’s waiting for us! Waiting to devour us all!” raved the lunatic, whom Kell learned (from the curious onlookers) was named Erwin. “But I won’t go back, you see. Never never never never never!” The man subsided into titters and furious whispering. As the crowd dispersed, Kell approached Erwin and greeted him. On the pretense that he was a traveler from distant Bautar, Kell convinced the madman that the customary greeting in that country was to grab an interlocutor’s head firmly and rub one’s hands across it while searching for healed-over scabs. [ It’s amazing what you can accomplish with the Bluff skill when you roll a natural 20.] However, Kell discovered nothing physically wrong with Erwin, so he decided to escort the poor man into the nearby church.Meanwhile, the two dwarves had negotiated lodging for themselves and their companion, and had fallen into conversation with Tokket Songsword, descendent of the legendary Ahlissa. The garrulous fellow rambled on and on about Bellhold – its history as well as its current goings on – and in between the bits of irrelevant gossip (including a comment on the fact that Lady Philippa was wearing much fuller skirts this season, which had caused a imitative change in the local fashion; a dissertation on the strange prophesies of the local wise-woman, Utrish; and a proud observation that the Wyrmcall bell in the church tower was so loud it had stopped the heart and shattered the bottle carried by an unfortunate drunk who fell asleep underneath it) Tokket conveyed two pieces of useful information.The first was that everyone in the town was suffering strange nightmares and sleeplessness. This had been going on for weeks, and had gotten so bad that most of the merchants, well-to-do, and those in the divine service of Kai had decamped for Ruanon, which in this single instance was more somnambulant than Bellhold. Kednor arched an eyebrow upon hearing this and glanced at his master, but Brogun was too intrigued by the second piece of information he had received from Tokket.For it turned out that the innkeeper was the possessor of several artifacts from the battle against Copperdeath: weapons, armor, some teeth and claws, and most interesting of all, a diary kept by the belated Thrommel Redstone. In most diplomatic fashion, Brogun convinced Tokket that as a fellow dwarf and servant of the Father of Battle, it should be his right to peruse the tome, which might, after all, be of use in the church’s current investigation into whether Thrommel was worthy of sainthood.Kednor began to explain that the dwarven religion did not ascribe to saints, as they believed that to do so would needlessly dilute the faith into tiny factions, but his ecumenical observation was cut short by Kell’s entrance. This in turn sparked a renewed round of questioning on the part of Tokket, answering on the part of Kell, and then additional questioning on the part of Kell (addressing Brogun and Kednor) and answering (to questions put to him by same), as well as further questioning and answering of, by, and for each one to the other.Brogun revealed what he had learned from Thrommel’s diary. Apparently something had happened to the ill-fated adventurers of yesteryear: their minds were somehow affected by Choth, and they were forced to work in the mines alongside the rest of the enslaved populace. At last, Thrommel, Ahlissa, and the others threw off the enchantment and went to confront Copperdeath – where, as an addendum to the diary written by Ms. Songsword made clear, the dwarven warrior-priest died in battle.It was now Kell’s turn to report his findings, which he did, explaining what Erwin had been ranting about in the town square. Mere moments later, the insightful Kestrels deduced that some similar mental effect was taking hold of the town, although by all accounts the original perpetrator of said effect was well and truly dead. Before any grisly speculation could begin on the nature and powers of undead Nadziranim, however, the shouts of a town crier from outside drew the adventurers into the plaza.There, upon a hastily raised platform, stood three personages of import: the town’s mayor, Hob Waterman, a short, balding man who was constantly wiping the sweat from his brow; the owner of the main mine and foundry, Lucius Krekket, a tall, dark man with a constant scowl on his face, who would occasionally whisper something to the mayor; and Lady Philippa Krekket, whose exact relation to Sommlending nobility was a matter of some confusion (and hence whose right to the title “Lady” was in some doubt) but whose homespun beauty and trend-setting fashion consciousness endeared her to the rustic citizens of quaint Bellhold.As things transpired, the mayor was reassuring the assembled populace that despite the nagging headaches and unpleasant dreams, there was nothing to be worried about. After all, Utrish the wise woman (a few cries of “witch!” were drowned out by the exasperated crowd) had foreseen that within a week, the nightmares would cease. What was most important until then was for production at Krekket’s mine and foundry to continue unabated, for Bellhold’s livelihood depended upon its reliable quotas of copper ore, copper bells, copper jewelry, copper flatware, and assorted copper sundries.“But what of the missing children?” someone in the crowd demanded. Mayor Waterman assured the concerned citizen that the local Heroes of the Bell were at that very moment no doubt searching for the wayward urchins. And of course no one had seen the Heroes of the Bell in a few days – did the townsfolk really expect the missing children to be hiding in Tokket’s pantry?Have successfully defused and deflected this question, the mayor once again urged the folk of Bellhold to remain calm and continue their work to supply the Lastlands with high-value copper-wrought manufactured goods. With that, the sullen but mostly satisfied crowd began to disperse. The mayor moved off down the street and engaged himself in quiet conversation with Lucius Krekket.Kell slipped into the shadows and eavesdropped upon the conversation.“… should have told people our production is down twenty percent this week alone…”“… the best I could, Lucius. These people are voters–er, citizens–not indentured servants. Besides, we’re still…”“… afford any more slowdowns, and — What? Yes, Philippa, the moon is looking particularly lovely tonight. — I may need to go to triple shifts, as long as no one is getting any sleep anyway, so that…”“… however you see fit, Lucius, and leave running the town to me.”By this time the two men (and one distracted and bored woman) were outside the mayor’s office and home (which were one and the same), so they bid each other good night. Kell waited until the Krekkets were safely out of sight, and Mayor Waterman was safely indoors, before circling back to the Bell and Clapper to report on what he heard. Which, upon further examination, was not much, nor was it in any way sinister.Brogun, ever a dwarf of action, desired to visit Utrish the wise woman at once, despite the lateness of the hour. He assured a dubious Kell that witches were known to keep strange hours anyway and, ordering Kednor to accompany them in order to ascertain Utrish’s moral proclivities, led the way out of town. Upon being questioned as to how he knew where to go, Brogun responded that the talkative Tokket had kindly sketched a quite detailed map of the town, conveniently enough marked with numbered indicators corresponding to a list of salient features thereabouts.[DM’s note: A moment of hilarity ensued when Kell’s player stated that after visiting Utrish, the party should next visit Tom Church, who must be someone important. After staring at him blankly for a full twenty seconds (while he stammered out the name “Tom Church” twice more) I realized that my sloppy handwriting was to blame: I had marked on the map the Town Church, in case the characters wanted to know where it stood in relation to the Bell and Clapper.]The Company of the Red Kestrel soon found itself outside a rude cottage in the woods east of town. The trees, branches, and bushes nearby were a veritable sea of fetishes, arcane insignia, and crude wards against dark powers. The cottage’s door stood ajar, and Kell thought he made out a banging from behind the building, as of a window shutter hastily closed.Brogun pushed open the door of the cottage with his toe and rushed inside, where he was set upon by a snarling, biting, clawing mass of furred fury that almost confirmed a critical hit to his eyes. Kednor stepped up and pulled the angry housecat off his master’s face, then placated the feline with a saucer of milk (the bottle having been left carelessly on the table alongside a still-warm mug of Jala). Kell gave the cottage a cursory inspection and pronounced it empty of other inhabitants. However, throwing open the rear window shutter, he pointed at the robed form of an aged crone attempting to hurry away into the woods, her progress hampered by her age, the darkness, and the thick underbrush.Double-moving each round allowed the adventurers to overtake and surround their target, who could not move without provoking a conversation of opportunity. “Leave me alone, you cretins,” she spat, “or I shall place a hex upon you all!”Several failed Diplomacy checks later, Utrish was in a nasty mood. She harrumphed that yes, she could sometimes see the future and that no, she wouldn’t show the Kestrels her oracular powers now. Yes, the nightmares would end in a week. And if they really must know, the nightmares would end because there would be no one left in town to dream, so there. Utrish then withdrew some small vials from inside her tattered garments and flung them to the ground, saying, “Take my potions and leave me alone. I’ve had enough of this gods-forsaken town.”None of the adventurers noticed the terror in Utrish’s eyes as she hobbled away from Bellhold as fast as her arthritic legs could carry her.</blockquote>

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