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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jeremy" data-source="post: 9736024" data-attributes="member: 4036"><h3>1/1/22</h3>The rest of the party awakens to the sounds of the festival.  Gribitz rushes out to party.  There are people mostly discussing parties later that night but some are getting their pregame on and dancing in the streets.  Gribitz does what he can to get sloshed dancing along with them.There is a banging on the mansion door and an announcement of an impatient visitor.  Grath opens the door to see the shapeshifting Gingor in his persona as the proprietor of the Fresh Food Inn.  His expression is sour.  He offers to pay the group to save his business.  He reports that snakes have been overrunning his business for the last couple weeks and now an unusually large snake has evicted him.  He wants the snakes gone!  Grath is tired of snakes.  Apparently the largest snake defenestrated Gingor.As a downpayment Gingor offers ten gold pieces.  Grath promises we’ll look into it later today.  Gingor shifts form into a woman and begrudgingly wanders off to find enjoyment in the festival.  The party decides to take care of the business and first retrieves Gribitz who just wants to keep partying.  After Veldra scoops him up, the party heads to the Fresh Food inn.Inside the giant constrictor that had been guarding the cultist mausoleum is perched up on the counter devouring other snakes.  Grath asks if Gribitz can ask the snakes to leave, else they will be exterminated.Gribitz and the snake hiss back and forth at each other.  Negotiations reach an impasse as the snake would prefer to eat us rather than leave.  Veldra casually slices a couple of the snakes on the way to the biggest one while Gribitz entangles a few more in vines that burst through the floorboards.  One of the snakes manages to put his fangs into Grath’s arms but he rolls his eyes and reiterates how tired of snakes he is, barely noticing its venom.Rho stomps across the bar and slams his great maul down where the snake was, shattering the counter top.  Grath’s creepy disembodied hands float around the bar punching snakes while he makes others rot away to dust with his necromancy.  Not to be undone, blackness begins to overtake Rho’s eyes slightly and smashes the head of the giant snake so hard that it atomizes into a fine red mist that necrotizes as it dissipates.The Fresh Food Inn is saved.  Mostly.  It's a little beat up.  Grath tries to clean up some of the property damage, Rho investigates for a cellar that allowed the snakes in.  Gribitz drinks up stale ale from various tankards around and dances with his vines until they fall limp.  Eventually the party declares this place is clean and returns across the district to the haunted manse they have made their home.Grath sets about cleaning the mansion top to bottom even though the bishop will only be consecrating the shrine in the wine cellar.  Rho enters his shattered bedroom with a disappointed sigh and settles down on his mattress on the floor.  The Bishop Lathier arrives promptly to Grath in full priestly vestments.  Grath details the exorcism of the manor while Rho peaks out of his room at the two in their funny clothes and hats walking through the foyer.The two clergymen head downstairs and perform the rites and rituals to cleanse and consecrate the shrine, blessing it to the martyr of suffering.  After the work is finished Bishop Lathier complements Grath on the work he has been performing and the word that has reached him.  The shadow of doubt crosses Grath’s soul and he studies the Bishop suspiciously.  It’s probably the natural reaction of a necromancer to a holy man.The Bishop provides Grath a scroll that describes a holy relic lost to their order that he believes will aid Grath in his crusade.  Grath gets a little teared up and escorts the Bishop on his way after gratefully accepting the scroll.  After collecting some coffee, Grath sits down to study the scroll.  It describes an area south of the capital and east of Honeywood.  Grath wonders if he can convince the party to search the area on the way to Arvenfall.Rhoseth is down for anything that delays his arrival back in dragonborn lands.  Gingor shows up to pay for services rendered but Grath returns ten gold for damages.  Gribitz is excited to go on a treasure hunt though Grath insists LOUDLY that is NOT what this is.  The party heads out, Mr. Flumph provides Grath a slice of blueberry pie as a farewell gift that he shares with Gribitz (after he pleads).On the road south to Honeywood the party passes Thromshfulsk the salesman who calls out to them.  He mentions he is heading south too.  Gribitz says the guy looks suspicious but Rho reminds him he just accepted chicken nuggets from him a couple days ago.  The party bids him good journey and heads south along the main road.The first day passes uneventfully.  But the second day a pack of goblins riding wild boars come across our path that turn out to be the TuskTakers.  The renamed remnants of a warband the party had defeated and Gribitz had accidentally given new purpose.  The little shaman greets them warmly and wishes them well reminding them that must humans don't have tusks to take.  By nightfall of the second day, the party reaches Honeywood and are rather surprised to see some dryads wandering the town.  While the party had previously negotiated a peace between the forest spirits and the town which makes its trade by (responsibly now) collecting the sweet sap from the trees.Gribitz visits Talion the young noble scion and his pet Mr. Fluffles the al-miraj, happy to have the chance to see them.  Afterwards he tries to bluff his way into Kruk’s kitchen but he tries the same exact lie as their last visit and it doesn’t work this time either.  Grath is NOT amused when Gribitz is plopped down by Kruk next to him and swears by Ilmater’s broken body to banish Gribitz to another plane if he makes any more trouble.Veldra asks Kruk if anything new has been going on in Honeywood.  He tells her about the Fall’s Harvest festival and how neat it was to have the creatures of the forest participate.  Rho asks about the other end of the bargain, Kruk admits having to limit their quotas of lumber and honey is an adjustment but Grath points out it is better than having workers kidnapped and killed.With Gribitz cowed, Grath enjoys a peaceful meal and nights sleep without having to police the troublesome goblin.  In the morning Veldra watches Rho’s morning ritual of unwrapping and rewrapping the colored strips that form the grip of his maul.  Gribitz emerges for some breakfast and is later joined by Thromshfulsk at the bar.  Gribitz eyes him sideways.  Throm asks if we’re leaving town soon and Gribitz accuses him of trying to horn in on our treasure hunt.Throm effects astonishment that the party is seeking treasure too as says he claims to be on his own treasure hunt.  However, he produces a map and points to an X on it where he says a tower inhabited by creatures that could be valuable components for him. He offers to share the location of the tower and whatever valuables might be within in return for someone to clear out the place so he can collect the remains of its guardian beasts.  He offers ten platinum a piece for the mercs that will do the work.He believes the creatures inside the tower include a chimera specifically that he wants the poison and blood of.  Additionally some gricks that he wants to grind up the beaks of.  Also he shows a doodle of an intellect devourer he claims can be rendered for potions that gift psychic powers.  Finally he asks if the party is interested.  Gribitz, being a moron, nods enthusiastically.Grath goes to get the others to discuss while Gribitz argues for half up front and gets it much to Kith’s delight.  Gribitz asks if they can take anything they find in the tower so long as they leave the corpses for Throm to harvest.  He agrees to that and the party makes ready to raid the wizard’s tower.  Rho quietly counts his blessings for yet another distraction delaying his inevitable homecoming.<code class="bbCodeInline">Grath is a Twilight Cleric of Ilmater.  While he imagines himself as a beacon of righteousness and humility his frequent use of spells that cause necrotic damage or interact with the dead has led to a running joke that he is a necromancer which he vehemently denies and repeatedly admonishes the party, or at least Gribitz, to not say out loud.</code></blockquote>

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