Return of the Tyrant

[Sqwonk]

Look what I found.

The road is very weird. It seems to be made out of some sort of polished stone, but strong as diamond. The "world " on the outside of the road changes form grassy hills to snowy as the first day progresses.

During the night Angrimir has dreams/flashes of a City on a vast plain and elves in clear silvery coffins. Marcus dreams of what he could have bought with the 50 gp the Acolyte of Maruda charged him for a night of pleasure. Pepe dreams of chasing rabbits. So does Zenthilus, but they are obviously allegorical rabbits that are leading him on his holy quest.

A few hours into the second day a snow bank blocks the road.

"I thought the other world did not affect the road." asks Remilles.

"That is true." answers Udo, "but sometimes the road can be unstable. Usually, only right after the Gate becomes active. There is so much we do not know about them."

"Peachy." Remilees says under his breath.

As the group starts to dig a path through, they find a silver coffin pressed against the invisible barrier. It seems like there was a temporary crack in the barrier and now it is closed again. The closing "snipped off" part of the coffin. Angrimir closely examines the blob of metal as it starts to become more liquid. He barrows Marcus’s iron cooking kettle. "Not a proper container for liquid starlight, but it will have to do. It is very rare."

"What the [radio edit] !!! exclaims Marcus – his voice several octaves higher than normal. The snow has been moved to elvish face in the coffin, but farther down a humanoid creature with several tentacles coming form his head. Both are not moving- but well preserved.

The squid-head being, although human shaped, has several extra ribs.Remilles ponders that it may be a creature form the chaotic Far Realms.

The party quickly moves by the snow bank eager to get back the normal world.

 

[Sqwonk]

Before the group splits up to go there separate ways Udo gathers the party together.
"I wish your luck on your mission. Remember, find out all you can without letting people know what your are doing. Only your contact, Father Dumas knows of your real mission. I wish the church could give you more guidance, but all that it knows is that the signs point to Corvis as the return of the tyrant."
The party, on caravan guard duty, make the 2 week trip to Corvis with few problems – crappy weather, ambush from some swamp goblins, a Gorax and descriptive boxed text.

As we enter the city, Sir Brenned-DM, says "oh by the way Corvis is also known as the city of ghosts." You could almost heat the melodramatic dun-dun-da music.

Father Dumas shows the party where they will be staying and organizes a late lunch. He wishes them luck on their quest, but does not have the slightest clue where they should start. He does aks if they can help him on another matter.

"There has been a recent outbreak of grave robbings. The local constabulary is busy with the upcoming "Longest Night Festival." When the party accepts he continues, " The earliest was about a month ago with the most recent happening 3 days ago. That was on the Fullet farm just north of the city."

The party decides no time like the present and decides to go out the Fullet farm this evening. Angrimir state fatefully " I am not worried about something happending in the graveyard. More about a guard kicking us out or getting us in trouble.’

Father Dumas gives them some papers designating them with authority from the Church of Marrow.

The party goes out to the Fullet farm. Marcus keeps waiting for the dire Zombies to jump out of the dark and go for Angrimir’s brain. But the trip and dark are uneventful. The simple gravesite offers no clues. The farmer’s wife explains that her husband has been dead about 5 years. As the party talks to her about her husband they figure out that he and the list of 7 other missing bodies were all part of the big witch trial 10 years ago.

5 women were tried, convicted and executed as witches. Big scandal.

When they return to town, Father Dumas adds "Magistrate Ulfus Borlock was the prosecutor. He had evidence that the five witches were using spells and rituals to influence politics and other nefarious doings. They were executed and buried at what is now called Witches Wood. There is stone building, left from the Ogiroth Empire, where they were entombed."

Like good adventurers should- the party heads out to Witches Wood the next morning.