The Tears of Thenglas Part 3 - Fudwick's Tale Concluded

Session 1 Part 2

Player Characters

Eswin - 4th level Tuathan Elf Thief

Kieran - 3rd level Human Druid

Talos Redwand - 3rd level Human Wizard (Conjurer)

NPCs

Sir Edgar Salisbury - 3rd level Human Fighter

Thurin - man-at-arms and innkeeper's son

Ungash - man-at-arms and local gravedigger

Whitherbranch the Grueshach

After passing through Barrick’s personal chamber and finding a magical dagger, they finally arrived at Barrick’s laboratory. The floor was covered in ice, making movement difficult. On a throne carved o’ ice sat a terrible monster. It was half again as tall as the tallest human I’ve ever since, with coarse black fur and the head o’ a bison. Now its like hasn’t been seen in Inolba in centuries, but we Gnomes know them well, for they come from Tir-Na-Nog, that Faerylunde beyond the Veil. This was a Grueshach, one o’ the harbringers o’ winter. What it was doing near Brysgod was anyone’s guess, but sure as me aunt Sally is blind, this thing was evil. In one hand it held a scepter carved o’ bone and in the other it held a hunk o’ human flesh, which it casually munched on. Now I been across all o’ Inolba and tried some exotic fare, but I can’t think o’ much that would taste worse than raw human flesh. Surrounding the great beast was a cadre o’ ugly little goblins with yellow flesh, beady red eyes and rusty cleavers.

The heroes tried communicating with the beast, but it spoke a strange alien language that they did not understand, and immediately moved to attack them along with its goblin servants. The battle was joined. The goblins moved to block the heroes from their master, but Talos magicked all but one o’ them to sleep. The lone goblin, seeing its companions felled so easily tried to beat a hasty retreat, but Talos tossed a dagger at him and buried it in the base o’ its skull.

Undeterred, the Grueshach flew into a rage. He charged at Kieren, butting him with its thick skull, and sending him skidding across the ice. Salisbury moved to challenge the beast and they traded a few blows, each coming away bloodier as a result. Talos craftily used his magic to make Eswin invisible and the clever Elf moved in behind the Grueshach and tried to bury his weapons in its back. As he reappeared though, the Grueshach caught sight o’ him and he was unable to finish the beast off. For his efforts, Eswin was struck on the shoulder with the mighty bone scepter and though he felt icy chills shoot through his bones, he managed to stay in the fight. With the beast surrounded, it was only a matter o’ time before our heroes landed the killing blow, and sure enough Eswin drove his sword through the beast’s black heart and it slumped to the ground dead.

With the battle ended, the party searched the laboratory. For though they had killed the beast, they had not yet found the cause for the curse o’ winter. When they inspected the icy throne, the spied a small Faery frozen within. The Emerald Leaf Pendant they found in Barrick’s Library began to hum and when they placed it against the throne, the structure cracked open and out tumbled the shivering Faery. She introduced herself as Thenglas, Barrick’s lover, and the Faery o’ Spring. She had been trapped in the icy throne for over a year and had been prevented from bringing spring back to the lands around Brysgod. Now that she was free, the curse o’ the eternal winter was over. Noticing the Eswin look pale and sickly, she kissed his forehead and the poison coursing through his veins disappeared.

In the next room they came across the frozen remains o’ three humans and an Elf. Thenglas explained that they were not dead, but merely frozen. The White Widow Spider had bitten them and frozen them solid. With her warming touch, Thenglas thawed the men and they breathed the free air again. The leader o’ the company introduced himself as Brand Kratys, son o’ the Lord o’ the Westmarch and thanked the heroes profusely for their aid. The two other men were his men-at-arms. The Elf was one Luramin K’Naan, a spellficher from Cin-Da-Bor. He was a bit rude to the heroes and demanded that they hand over the bone scepter wielded by the Grueshach, as he claimed it was o’ Elven origin and needed to be returned to his realm. The heroes, though they did not trust the Elf, relented in the end.

Thenglas took her leave and began flying throughout the lands around Brysgod breathing spring back into the earth. By the time the heroes had returned to the village o’ Brysgod, the snow was melting and a warm westerly wind was blowing at their backs. The villagers greeted the adventurers with all the pomp and circumstance expected for heroes o’ the realm. Much feasting and drinking ensued, for it was a time to rejoice. After two years o’ unending winter, spring had finally returned to Brysgod.

And that me friends, is how the long winter o’ Brysgod was broken. Now if you’ll forgive an old Gnome, he must make his way to bed. Mayhaps we’ll cross paths again one day and I can share another tale o’ high adventure with ye.

The Tears of Thenglas Part 2 - Fudwick's Tale Continued

Session 1 Part 2

Player Characters

Eswin - 4th level Tuathan Elf Thief

Kieran - 3rd level Human Druid

Talos Redwand - 3rd level Human Wizard (Conjurer)

NPCs

Sir Edgar Salisbury - 3rd level Human Fighter

Thurin - man-at-arms and innkeeper's son

Ungash - man-at-arms and local gravedigger

Many apologies for my extended absence, but I was at the bar ordering meself a mug o’ warm cider when I couldn’t help but notice the bartender’s peculiar nose. While not as prominent as me own, it is still a fine nose, big and round like a ripe onion. O’ course, I had to compliment the man on his excellent snout, but he took offense as if I were insulting him. After much discussion, I was in fact able to calm the man down and assure him I meant nothing but respect. When all was said and done I think I managed to convince him. A fine man that bartender. If you get a chance next time ye go to the bar, be sure to check out his nose. It is a fine specimen.

Anywho, where was I? Right, right. Our heroes had just slain the White Widow spider and were making their way closer to the heart o’ Barrick’s Keep. But first they had to pass through the crypt area, where Barrick’s apprentices had been laid to rest. Unfortunately for our companions, the apprentices did not rest easy and their undead remains were blocked passage into the other areas o’ the keep. Two o’ them were mindless walkers, but the third, he was something different entirely. He had a long greenish tongue, razor sharp teeth for rending flesh, and patched skin the colour o’ a dreary Autumn sky. Before the foul beasts could lay their diseased hands upon the party however, Talos Redwand dazzled them with flashes o’ colourful magicks, rendering them unconscious. It was no difficult task after that to finish off the helpless creatures.

The party then set about searching the apprentices’ coffins, in hopes o’ finding some loot there. The job o’ a hero does not pay well, so those whose job it is to thwart evil must find recompense for their labours in whatever way they can. Some call it tomb-robbing; meself, I call it resourcefulness. Unfortunately, Kieren was a little too hasty in opening the first coffin and he set off a trap. A green mist filled the room and though it had no adverse effects on the companions, it did reanimate the corpses o’ the apprentices and the heroes had to combat the undead abominations once again. This time instead o’ spell, they used cold steel to slice the monsters to pieces.

Not wanting to make a second mistake, Eswin carefully checked the next two coffins for traps. The first one he disarmed easily and the heroes made out with some gold along with a vial o’ exploding liquid, which they secreted away for later use. On the last coffin, Eswin himself was a bit hasty and triggered a poison needle trap which pierced his finger. The poison made him feel queasy and unwell. Kieren inspected him and to his horror concluded that Eswin had but an hour or so before he dropped dead from the poison now coursing through his veins. Kieren prayed to Danu the Earthmother for aid and was able to slow the poison and give Eswin a few more hours o’ life. It was clear that they needed to find an antidote soon, or Eswin would succumb.

With time no longer on their side, the party began moving quickly through the rest o’ the keep. Passing through a ballroom filled with trash, they attempted to cross over to Barrick’s laboratory. But the room’s guardian had other plans. A translucent cube o’ jelly, nearly invisible to the eye, surprised them and grabbed Salisbury with one o’ its pseudo pods. The remaining companions hacked away at the strange creature and before it had a chance to drag the poor old knight to his doom, they managed to kill it.

The Tears of Thenglas - A Tale Told by Fudwick Turnipstew

Session 1 Part 1

Player Characters

Eswin - 4th level Tuathan Elf Thief

Kieran - 3rd level Human Druid

Talos Redwand - 3rd level Human Wizard (Conjurer)

NPCs

Sir Edgar Salisbury - 3rd level Human Fighter

Thurin - man-at-arms and innkeeper's son

Ungash - man-at-arms and local gravedigger

Surein ye heard o’ the cursed winter that befell the village o’ Brysgod not two years ago? Ye haven’t? Well then, gather round, gather round, and I shall tell ye the tale, for I was in Brysgod in the days that the curse was lifted. My name? Oh, it’s Fudwick Turnipstew. But that’s not important, for I play no part in the tale other than that o’ mere observer.

It was in the spring of 606 AT as the humans o' Inolba count the years. The village o’ Brysgod had suffered through an entire year o’ desolate winter; their crops had failed and what little aid that was sent from the capital was not nearly enough. I had come through Brysgod in search of a local potato soup recipe, for if you’re not aware, I’m a chef of some repute in the lands o’ the gnomish peoples. The Lord of the Westmarch had sent his son to investigate the cause o’ the curse, but he had failed to return. The folk were losing hope that they would ever see the buds o’ spring again.

One chilly night, some two weeks after the Lord of Westmarch’s son disappeared, three strangers walked into the tavern where I was enjoying the aforementioned potato soup. They made their intent known right away: they were bound for the ruins of Barrick’s Keep, where the cause o’ the curse was thought to be. They introduced themselves as Talos Redwand, a highborn wizard; Kieran, a druid with the dusky skin and long locks o’ the Godain peoples; and Eswin, a Tuathan Elf from the realm o’ Cin-Da-Bor. Before setting off to the ruins, they were joined by Sir Edgar Salisbury, a local madman in his twilight years who fancied himself a knight errant; Thurin, the innkeeper’s son; and Ungash, Brysgod’s gravedigger.

Now indulge me a while as I recount the history o’ old Barrick. Barrick was a human wizard who lived in these lands more than a century ago. He built his keep outside o’ the village o’ Brysgod thinking to quietly retire there and live out his remaining years. It was said though, that while he was there, he fell in love with a Faery who dwelt in the woods near his keep. Legend claims that when old Barrick died, his beloved Faery Thenglas continued to visit his home yearly to spend time with the shade of her paramour. Most o’ the folk in Brysgod thought tales of the romance between ghosts and faeries to be utter rubbish, however. But our story will prove that such tales are true.

As our heroes came upon the broken ruin of Barrick’s Keep, they discovered many unusual tracks in the snow, indicating that a number o’ strange creatures occupied the place. Leaving young Thurin to tend to the horses, they carefully entered the keep. In a small sitting room they came across the skull o’ old Barrick. When they lit the candle inside the skull, Barrick’s shade materialized, warning them that some foul creatures had overtaken his home. In a flash o’ fiery light, Barrick imparted some o’ his knowledge to Talos Redwand in the hopes of better preparing him for what lay ahead.

The party then headed to Barrick’s Library, hoping that they could gain some valuable knowledge by reading the tomes contained within. No sooner than they had set foot in the musty room however, they were beset by the room’s guardian - a clanking automaton of plate mail brandishing a rusty ax. The battle was swift and furious, but our party managed to easily out-maneuver the slow moving construct and it was not long before they sent it clanging to the floor, dispersing the magic that held it together. Unfortunately, most o’ the books within the library were ruined and useless, but our heroes did manage to find a green emerald leaf pendant, which – unbeknownst to them at the time – would aid them later in their exploration.

As they made their way eastward through the ruin, they came upon a crumbled outer tower. Strands o’ ice criss-crossed above them, making a haunting melody as the wind blew across it. Some o’ the party grew weak and their limbs sluggish as they listened to the wind’s music. Suddenly, a large spider dropped from the icy webbing thinking to make a quick meal out o’ them. It was white as the purest snow and radiated waves o’ cold air, further draining the strength from the sword arms of the group. Eswin and Kieran danced around the nimble bulk o’ the spider while Sir Salisbury charged it head on and Talos stood in the rear preparing to unleash his magic. Once, twice, thrice, the great spider’s frosty fangs sought purchase in the soft flesh o’ our heroes, but they were too quick. Once again, they surrounded their enemy and their blades sung as they slashed at the monster’s exposed flanks, until finally Kieran managed to bury his scimitar in the beast’s soft underbelly, pinning it to the wall in the process.

Twice our heroes had been challenged and twice they had answered, with nary a scratch against them. Yet there were greater challenges waiting ahead, deeper in the keep.

Forgive me, but my old throat grows dry. Abide here but a moment while I wet me whistle with some ale. When I be refreshed, I’ll come to the cause o' the village o' Brysgod's wintry woes, and how our heroes managed to lift the curse.