Session 59: Uninvited Friend

General Summary

Some of the party meets up at the Eschbach Shields, where they are informed by Baldwin that there is no sign of the old man. They are also informed that the room (numbered 13) is now inhabited by a woman with an accent similar to Keller' She has a staff with what appears to be a Kenku skull on it. She appeared during the night after being turned away from the Grove and told she must carry out some late night healing. She seemed to go back later to the two houses she attended and mysteriously left them. Arne is informed of the marking on it and it reminds him of a marking used by the Shadar-Kai on some of their general magic items.

Getting suspicious Timble slips up the stairs and listens in.

He doesn't hear anything and slips in noticing that the woman is lying there wearing clothing similar to Keller when they first met. She has a backpack with a bunch of pouches on her belt. In the backpack there is two bits of wood with Ogham markings on them and two small vials of a thick reddish liquid.

He slips back out and when passing his own room, he notices the door slightly ajar. Going in he finds the window open and his bag has been tampered with. One of the cloaks of his burrow has been removed. He storms down the stairs angry. There he tells them what he has seen.

They are informed that another traveller had been in, and is a bard. Keller goes outside and a female with purple skin is playing a fiddle on the roof. Two guards threaten to shoot her down but Keller climbs up, and she disappears down below, where she slips the cloak back into Timble's possession, who gets upset and storms off to his room.

She is apprehended by the Thieves Guild members in the tavern, and Baldwin tells her that those sort of 'antics' ain't welcome here while the Thieves Guild operates in the town, and when it comes to jobs to check with them if there is anything outstanding or the possibility of it coming back on them. They also send her to the party as they regularly have jobs and might need her expertise. They also nickname her Fiddler after Fiddler on the Roof.

They notice Timble hasn't returned and find Timble in his room crying. They try cheering him up and eventually he goes to the forest near the Grove to get a bit of peace & quiet. he also passes some green Kobolds coming out of where Slythra is and leave.

Later in the day the woman leaves her room, and the rest follow.

Going to the north end of the new town, they lose her until she gets the attention of Keller and they go to the old Oak in the middle of the building there. Keller is informed that a 'handsome bard' has appeared at the court of the King of Munster and informed him of the corruption of their Grove and they talked to the High King in Tara. From there they had to flee, and most were killed. The bard disappeared after eating a grub from a small box.

It turns out that the corruption was in part a curse of sorts. A pale girl with black hair, red clothing, a red hooded cloak and red shoes accompanied by a small dog had arrived giving them the magic needed to transform themselves into the beings that would bring them closer to what they wanted with the promise of immortality too. It unfortunately transformed themselves into what they are now, and the majority of the leadership is now fully vampiric and the rest Dhampir. And her name is Grainne.

She is in Eschbach as it is one of the safest places for her as it is some distance away from other "sources of great magical power" like Tara but she's not know there. The girl said that she will appear here some time to meet Grainne if possible, and supply further 'gifts' etc. She is meant to be from a powerful 'Court' based in the Carpathians' wherever this place is, though it is thought it is in the east somewhere.

Keller keeps this in mind as it might be worth checking out, and Grainne will travel there to see what she can find herself. They part ways promising to keep in touch whenever possible.

Then the party splits for the night, and Magnar sees Keller & Timble going back in the direct ion of the tavern like father & son.....