Valldel Amakiir - 2nd Level Male Elven Rogue
Akadum Ironbeard - 2nd Level Male Dwarf Fighter
Dolin Stoneflare - 2nd Level Male Dwarf Light Cleric
Kethry - 2nd Level Female Human Wizard
29 May 981, Sunday Continued
Partly cloudy warm
Kethry notes that there are no spell books in Zelda's library but she does peruse Vingenti's Guide to the Power of Death - Making the Dead Work for You, The Nine Doors to the Kingdom of Shadows by Aristide Torchia, and Mysteries of the Worm by Ludwig Prinn.
The party gets Zelda's map to the sub-basement of the Inn of Two Goblins. It is accessed via a hatch that that is locked from above in the basement which leads to a spiral stair case down. Most interesting is the inscription on the wall:
Beware All Who Enter
These Benighted Halls of Stone.
Within Lies No Solace
Nor Any Comforts of Home.
Toiling For Our Crimes
We Must Dig Where We Dwell,
With No Freedom or Mercy
In Our Vast Stony Hell.
and a drawing Zelda made of fanged entrance ways. They express some interest in exploring this evening, but Zelda is not in favor as she wants to get to Drigbolton as soon as possible. They decide to not explore.
As dinner begins, they notice that all the goblins are missing. Most of the guests have boarded coaches and returned to Stattleford in the afternoon and those that remain are being plied with free food and entertainment clearly designed to keep them in the Inn. When they ask Zelda about this, she leads them to a balcony over looking the field of metal pillars. As the sun sets into the Moon Peaks far to the west a pool of reddish light falls at a certain spot in the field, and the goblins, there are hundreds, are gathered forming an orderly pattern in rows and columns. They begin chanting and beating drums: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ92Lz5KQfw. The party is disturbed and think that perhaps this should be stopped. Zelda tells them normally the goblins here are content to work and follow orders, but they get violent and will resist unto death if they forcibly removed from the Inn or if they are not allowed to do this, which they do on Sunday at sunset. She agrees that something is likely asleep, hibernating is probably a better word, beneath the Inn. May it perhaps start waking up now that the "veil has been broken" they ask? Zelda does not know, but her duty now lies in Drigbolton. At some point the dungeon beneath Two Goblins is worth exploring.
At dinner Shiso tells them that he is going to vist his uncle, Professor at the White College in Leechfield. He too is interested in things falling from the sky and Shiso was sent to investigate, like many of them. He wishes them good fortune and takes his leave.
Zelda tells them she will be taking her goods with them, clothes, furniture, library, lab equipment in a big cart and they will ride in a coach. Besides her will be two body guards, Felix and Percy, and her maid, a goblin called Iux. They ask how this goblin can travel away from the Inn. Zelda does not really know, but Iux has served her since she was small and accompanied her to the White College and they have visited her father's home in Drigbolton. Some of the goblins seem to be "explorers" and are able to travel away from the Inn.
This night Kethry recalls her familar Ex Libris and transforms him from a Rook to a Hawk.
30 May 981, Monday
Rainy
They load up the coach and cart and leave early planning to make Tealford before night fall. Kethry sends her hawk familar to fly over head and keep watch. As they approach the hamlet of Weston Netherly the hawk spies a large crater south of the River Pegridge. It is not new, covered in vegetation, but there is some green, glowing slime at the bottom. Kethry directs Ex Libris to try to gather some on the end of stick and return to her. This is successful and upon closer inspection, the green glowing stuff is magical but its nature, sometimes apparent by its magical color, is constantly changing. Kethry, Valldel, and Zelda recognize the stuff as Gloomium, a chaotic magical substance which is often very attractive to underground dwelling creatures. It can be quite valuable, but its effects can be unpredictable. Kethry gathers a glass jar, and is able to save a dose of the stuff.
At lunch time they arrive at the Weston Coach Inn. Dolin speaks with the Inn keeper James Mortigan. He says there have been no apparitions since the party defeated the Charred Hag and all seems quiet here. Xander's band of adventurers are still here. Xander is mostly done healing and they are planning to go back out adventuring again soon. They have lunch and move on.
Just after leaving Weston Netherly Ex Libris spies a strange stone structure in the fields west of Weston Netherly and north of the Midlands Ring Road. It is a round, tiered plinth amid the fields. They again decide not to investigate.
One of the horses comes up lame. Felix and Percy tell them that they can continue, but just much slower and they would not arrive at Tealford until well after dark. Dolin uses one of his Heal spells on the horse. That works, and they are able to continue arriving as the sun is setting. They check into the West Coach Inn.
They ask after the Crag Works and look in the newspapers. That mine is still closed, but all the other mines seem to be working with the occasional report of fell creature incursions. They go to the Temple of Hephaestus to look for Junior. She is there and says she has been working as a mine guard. She tells them tales that are obviously exagerated of derring do in the mines which seem to be constantly under attack, collapsing, or flooding. She does not know anything about the Crag Works.
Kethry finds a very relaxed halfling called Jon Fairbrain to be their torch bearer. She gives him 1 GP as a signing bonus and promises to pay 1 SP/day plus a 1/4 share of party treasure. He has no real skills but comes with a short sword and leather armor.
They head to the Miners Guild Office and find that the Crag Works have been declared unsafe for work and thus are closed.
They head back to the Inn and find a very unhappy Zelda. She has been unable to find a place to live here. After some discussion they decide to spend tomorrow morning here for Zelda to continue her search.
Jon Fairbrain hooks Valldel up with some excellent Pipeweed called Brignorth Bigly.
31 May 981, Tuesday
Terrible weather, cold, heavy rain
Kethry changes her familar hawk Ex Libris into an Owl called Dr Hoot.
They head to the Crag Works and find it shuddered and locked up. Valldel picks locks and they sack the office and find nothing out of the ordinary. Frustrated they break into the mine. It smells of smoke and they into the deep part of the mine where they fought the ghouls and started a fire. That big cavern has mostly collapsed and it would take a large effort in digging to get to the tunnel below that they glimpsed before.
Back at the Inn, they found that Zelda has been successful in finding some place to live here. Felix will stay behind with the heavy cart of goods to unload and set up her house, while the others will head with the light coach to Drigbolton. They should get there this evening.
They have an uneventful journey up into the hills with the Moon Peaks looming to the north. They arrive as the sun is setting. The manor looks fine, but Zelda decides it is too late to go to her new Drigbolton summer home and to head to the King Deer Inn in the hamlet. As they head south towards Drigbolton...
