Back to Barcanton/quest notes/2015 03 18

18th March 2015

The scene opens with the party recovering from the attack on the grove.

At Cedarleafs request, they return to the grove and attempt to shore up the physical and magical defences. Linden, Jin and Andrei shore up the defences, while Mardram tends to the wounded.

Unable or unwilling to assist with these tasks, Mary roams the local forest with the Ranger patrols, looking for enemies and information on how the magical defences were breached.

Cedarleaf approaches Mardram to try the magical blended-healing that proved so effective on their first arrival, which the halfling readily agrees to.

As the glowing fire-whirlwind ends there is a terrific rending noise just before Mardram returns to his normal form. As he feet touch the ground, he is surrounded by a sudden growth of leaves and bushes.

Just then a thunder of hooves is heard approaching the Grove. As the weary defenders haul themselves to their feet to see a big wild Boar charging the open gates, Mardram calls out to let it enter - it seems he can sense the beast as it grows nearer. The Boar approaches Mardram and covers his face with wet slobber licks as he comes to terms with this new companion

Mardram himself senses changes in his very being as a results of the healing firestorm. Changes that are likely permanent.

The repairs and preparations continue into the evening, at which time Mary returns from her expedition reporting following some tracks that just... vanished.

Soon after this, Cedarleaf himself return with good news - the immediate threat to the Grove appears to be over, and while the group are welcome to stay as long as desired, Andrei feels they should check on the nearby towns.

Early next day the group heads out North back to the main road and then traces their path back West. As they travel they note that the icy weather they encountered on their outward journey has eased and the passes are much more pleasant, with farm hands out working the land, as cheerless as ever.

It is early the next morning when they reach 'civilisation' again - Barcanton.

At least it used to be civilisation, judging by the angry mob pelting rotten vegetables at Cerndrik and calling Gresham a murderer.

Andrei manages to talk most of the crowd down from ripping Cerndrik apart and with illusory help from Linden and threats from Jin they manage to get the crowd dispersed and Cerndrik into the Temple where he tells the story of the past week.

Gresham had allegedly killed a young couple and then vanished, and the town were claiming Cerndrik was hiding him. The paladin had confided that something was 'tearing him up', but would not elaborate beyond paranoid claims that the village was laughing at him.

The story continued that he had taken the boy to the tower and extracted information and killed him before travelling the inn to kill the barmaid.

Cerndrik talks of a kind of chaos taking over the people and reports that some of the mob outside were not of the village. He believed that Gresham must have been under magical influence from the Cult of Makash.

The group eventually decide to investigate the disappearance of the Reeve, Gadric Beech, who was last seen 10 days ago heading to Castle Drumar to look into reports of missing farm folk.

Late the next day they find the partially collapsed castle in front of them...