01 - 3/26
We begin our adventure in the small, peaceful village of Helgafel. Shane is away with her mentor Mithris, a member of the Wardens in White rangers. The two managed to track down and fell an Elk, and while skinning the creature noticed some faded but large paw print tracks. Mithris figured it to be the tracks of a large dire wolf that was known to be in the area, but Shane examined them closer and noticed these were actually Worg tracks. They were very uncommon to this area and usually were found far to the east in the World Spine Mountains. The pair finished parting out the animal and returned to a small station on the other side of the pass, before returning to the village in the morning
Valerie began by finishing up some work around the forge. Her father Azus had managed to temper a strange substance known as “Blue Ice” into an arrowhead. While rare, it is inherently magical and could be used to make weapons for the village. Unfortunately it is quite difficult to work with and easy to foul, so special care and heating is required to work the substance
Theta began by having a body delivered to his morgue, the Fallen Valkyrie. Delane, a worker in the village, brought the dead man at the request of Aubrin the Green. The man's name was Vackar and appeared to have suffered a blow to the head after working on a carpentry project. Since he was found with a bottle next to him, it was assumed he must have slipped and hit his head. Theta began to examine the body, and discovered some inconsistencies. He was drained of blood by a small incision, and had a small amount of some white powder on his pants.
Theta decided to investigate the mans connections further and went to the Inn. Here he met with Anton and Finnegan, both worked with the deceased on various construction projects. Both said Vackar was not really a heavy drinker, he was single, and didn’t have any family in the village to reach out to. Sensing something suspicious was up, Theta went over and talked to Shane, Valerie and Honey who were together at the table. The rest of the group decided to go along with Theta to see if they could figure out what the white substance was. Back at the Fallen Valkyrie, the group realized that the strange substance was actually just common flour. Next to the house vackar was working on was a bakery, so the group decided to ask Ragna a few questions. She seemed nervous, and while questioning a few clues surfaced. There were drag marks on the floor, and a bottle of liquor was missing from the shelf. After leaving, half the party followed her to see where she went while the others investigated the house. Inside they discovered in the basement that Ragna had a zombie chained to the wall! Deciding to not confront her tonight, the group left and returned in the morning.
She confessed that Vackar had discovered her secret, and she smacked him over the head with a frying pan. Rather than risk him telling the town, she made an incision and drained him of blood then made it look like he had drank too much and fell. Rather than turn her in, the group decided to chastise her and make sure she did not do this again. Finally the group left and prepared for the burial pit ceremony, where Theta caught up with the excitable gnome Nysany. She was excited to show off her new magic skills, as well as asking some strange questions about living beyond death.
Later the town gathered on the hill to cast the newly departed into the afterlife, and the man was dumped into the pit. While those from the south may see the ceremony as macabre, it is the way of life in Helgafel. Finally the group and the town settled in for a minor celebration of the Spring Equinox, and drinks were had in the Inn. Here Shane sang a famous tune called The Rangers Return, celebrating those that return after venturing into the wilds to protect the town from the dangerous beasts of the forest.
The gathering was interrupted by Aubrin busting in with a large wound on her stomach. A horde of hobgoblins, well organized and accompanied by bugbears and kobolds had invaded the village. The group rushed to defend the villagers, but the hobgoblins were ruthless and numerous. Some villagers were lost while others were saved, and the group began to wonder how they would escape this worrying situation
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