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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Old Fezziwig" data-source="post: 932130" data-attributes="member: 59">Of Sound Mind, Session 1, Part 3The party arrives in Whiteford at the end of the market day.  A good number of townsfolk scramble about the main square, Wyrmcall Plaza, breaking down stalls and picking up their belongings.  A thin man, his dirty face streaked from tears, preaches and raves to a small crowd."Swallowed!  We're all going to be swallowed!  That's right.  Even you," he points towards the party, "all of us.  Deep into the abyss where we'll be kept by the one that hates us...  Every night, I can feel him.  Against my skin.  The deepest pits await us!  So, so very black and dark."  As he talks, he begins to move through the crowd, towards Jasper and Lucille, his tone becoming almost conversational.  "I'm not going back to the mine!  Never never never never never.  He talks to me, but I don't want to listen to his whispers.  Not me.  I won't go back into the darkness.  Not me, not me, not me."  He continues to babble along the same lines, alternately preaching and confiding.Lucille, drunk, is enthralled by the raving man.  Jasper, ever-vigilant, steps in front of the young wizard and brandishes his sword.  "Have no Fear, People of Whiteford.  It is I, Jasper of Lowenstein.  I will Protect You."  He turns to the man and places a hand on his shoulder.  "Have no fear, for the Might and Power of Torm is with you.  It will be okay.  For I will Protect You.  All of You.  Let Everyone know that Jasper of Lowenstein is here!"Someone in the group of townsfolk snorts, saying "So who're you to do anything about this?"  Snickers and head-shaking follow the heckler.  Jasper, unimpressed, spins around, "Who said that?  Torm is Glorious and will Save all of his Faithful.  Do Not be Afraid, Little Ones.  I am here to Protect you.""We're charmed, I'm sure."  The crowd laughs again and starts to disperse.  By this point, the Company is all but ignoring the raving, dirty man before them.  Eventually, a grandmotherly local leads the man off, castigating the party as she leads him off to one of the temples.  The party, barely cognizant that they've been dressed down by one of the townsfolk, decide to shack up for the night at a local inn, the Bell & Clapper, located just off the main plaza.The Clapper is fairly busy, but not exactly a festive place.  Whitman arranges for some rooms with the half-elven owner of the bar and sets about for some information gathering.  Drona and Fagan attend to getting the drunk Lucille into bed ("Can't we just go look at that dragon corpse now?  I'm not tired, and it'd be soooo interesting.  *yawn*  Really, I think we should go right away!  Is there any more mead?") and keeping Jasper from disturbing her.  Whitman chats with Tokket for a while, and Drona eventually joins him as well.Note: To be completely honest, I can barely remember this conversation.  It ended up with the party finding out the information below—likely, I rushed through this section and let the party find out too much too quickly, and too easily, but live and learn, I suppose.  This was, incidentally, my first time DMing any RPG since something like 1993 or 1994.* Three local children are missing, two boys and a girl.  A local adventuring company, the Heroes of the Bell has gone missing looking for the children.* No one knows why people are suffering from headaches, poor sleep, and nightmares.  Perhaps someone in town has offended one of the gods and the deity is punishing the town in return.  It's likely not the water, but you should all drink ale and wine to be safe.* Most people in town work for the New Mine (under Lucius Krekket) or in one of the town's two foundries.* Utrish, the local wise woman, has said the headaches will stop in a week, and she's been correct before.* The Bell in Wyrmcall Plaza calls people to meetings and warns them of danger.  It used to be used to warn that the dragon, Copperdeath, was coming.  A drunk once passed out up there and the sound killed him and shattered the glass wine bottle he was carrying.* Tokket's mother was a bard who helped to kill Copperdeath.  He has some of her mementos, including a sundered great axe and a journal that belonged to some of her friends.After the conversation with Tokket, the party retires to bed.  The night brings only fitful sleep and poor dreams.  No one in the party sleeps well.Whitman dreams of his tongue being ripped from his throat while he sings.  Fagan and Drona have dreams about piety, faith, and unworthiness.  In her dreams, Lucille has been stripped of her magic abilities completely.  Jasper never shares what his dreams were about.19 Kythorn 1372 DRNo unusual weather.The shaken party gathers in the common room and chats about how their nights went.  Lucille's the most bothered by far.  Fagan and Drona are puzzled, Whitman and Jasper annoyed, but the girl is scared.  Quietly, Fagan addresses the girl, "Maybe you'd like to take a walk with me?  I thought that I'd go and visit that wisewoman on the outskirts of town."  Jasper stands.  "A walk is a Wonderful idea!  Let me join you!""Lad, let the two of them have a quiet walk, I need you here to help me take care of some things."  Drona pauses.  "To help me take care of negotiating with Othic for his mead.  Aye, you'll be very helpful."  The dwarf does not look convinced, but by the time he finishes speaking, Fagan and Lucille have left and Whitman has retired to his room to study.Jasper, knowing he's been tricked, makes a move to save face.  "Well, yes, of course.  Negotiating Trade Deals is, in fact, part of my...""Wonderful, lad.  Look, we've a bit of time yet before Othic is due, what say we take a look about town.  We can look at the foundries an' pick up some bells."  The dwarf nearly drags the paladin out of the Clapper.Meanwhile, across town, Fagan and Lucille are deep in conversation."So, you had a rough night?""My mind was broken, it was terrible, Fagan.  I felt so helpless.  I couldn't cast spells, but I could remember casting them."  She shudders."That does sound pretty awful.""It reminded me of the plague.  Things like this happened to my neighbors.  It was terrible."  Lucille explains to Fagan about her upbringing in Scardale and the plague there.  By the time she finishes, they've reached the cottage of Utrish.  The apparently vacant cottage of Utrish.  No one is anywhere to be seen.  Well, except for the figure darting out through the bushes in the back of the house."Utrish?"  Fagan calls out and starts to head towards the woman."Um, yes, dear?  Were you looking for me?"  A fairly elderly woman turns at the halfling's voice.  She's carrying a pack, as if she's going away."Yes.  Are you travelling?""Oh!  This package.  Well, dear, family, a niece in Battledale.  Thought I'd go have a little visit.  You see folk so rarely these days, and there's no real substitute for family, you know."  She smiles uncomfortably, but the two adventurers buy her bluff."Well, we don't want to keep you, but we were wondering if you could help us out any.  Tokket suggested we talk to you about the headaches and all that.""Oh, the headaches and all that.  My, so concerned."  She stifles a nervous laugh.  "No need to worry about that.  It'll all pass in a week or so, dear.  No need to worry.  Oh, but my, doesn't time fly.  I need to be off, off to see my neph—, er, niece, you know.  Family is so important.  All I think about.  Good luck, dears!"  She heads off into the woods, leaving Fagan and Lucille behind.  Discouraged, the two head back to the Clapper.Drona and Jasper, out touring foundries, have been no more successful.  They fail to meet Krekket ("He hasn't come in yet, but'll probably be in this afternoon.  Would you like a small, sample bell, a keepsake of your visit to the Krekket Foundry?") or the owner of the other foundry ("Him?  We never see him.  We don't give tour neither.  Out with you, all right?").  The warriors turn back towards the Wyrmcall Plaza and breakfast with Othic.  A local man, some sort of errand boy, accosts them on the streets, "Meeting in the Plaza!  Midday!  That's near the tower!"  He rushes off.Shrugging, the two men head towards the Clapper.  When they arrive, they find the party waiting.  Othic is nowhere to be seen.  After some small talk and more time killing, Drona suggests that they go out to see if Othic's at his farm.  Before they can do anything, a young man, some kind of farmhand, bursts into the inn, wildly disturbed."Othic's been murdered!"Notes: I wish I could remember more of the conversation between Fagan and Lucille.  It was a much nicer moment in game than it seems like it was here, one of my favorites from the entire run, even up to now.  The encounter with Utrish was loads of fun for me as well.  Such trusting PCs I have.</blockquote>

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