The weather turned bad over the last few days and snow has started to fall on the landscape. The roads are becoming increasingly hostile. Two riders are on the jagged snow-speckled road and the Evermoors, a foggy marshland, lies ahead.
Mist and fog have descended and it’s unseasonably cold as the coach creaks along the bumpy road. The hand of one of the riders is bloodied. The afternoon gives way to darkness and the thick fog is making it hard to see.
“We cannot continue through this,” one rider says.
Ahead lights appear. The coach carries behind it a locked metal box. Inside there is a figure, manacled, face obscured with a dark hood.
The cart rolls through the intersection. Orc skulls, lichen-covered and weathered, are piled up on the roadsides.
The Calling Horns, a roadside inn along Evermore way, is known jokingly as the gateway to the Evermoors. They are a couple of days’ ride from Yartar and have been in this room just a few hours. There are a few guests, one of them – Nora, a lady of about 25, is staring out the window. She says absently, “The fog is really coming in now.”
Fynn, a gregarious man with a full-throated laugh, and Stanlake, a wayfaring traveller with a sword on his belt that he doesn’t appear to know how to use, are playing cards at a table in the middle of the inn. Tamalin, the inn-keeper, is around and Samuel sits by the fire. There is also a bodyguard, a desert person from the East – Ashtang. He has a scimitar.
They have all travelled together from Yartar. Thoradin is in the corner on a chair, leant back with his cloak around him, half crossed, sort of sleeping but watching the room. Miss Moss is drinking a beer and feeling a little grim. The atmosphere inside is nice enough, the food is pretty good. The horses are safely in the stables. Miss Moss may be feeling grim because Gunther is partying with his makeshift caterol spritz. It’s hard to know.
Londer demands a hot bath and is offered a sink with some cold water. Lia plays cards with the bartender’s children and is winning. Leshanna is taking it all in, not very happy with the change in the weather.
Alafundrel, he of the wavering accent, is the Seer of Flaberg. He introduces the specials – mostly meats and some special poultries. It’s a well-put-together place. Lia orders a rustic cheese board. When each guest’s food is ready, the waiter dances out and places down each order in a particularly delightful manner. He’s a real crowd-pleaser.
There is a ruckus outside. Bursting through the door, two very seasoned and hardened types come in. One is a half-orc lady, the other is a warrior man. Both are physically imposing. They carry between them a short figure in a dark hood and in magic manacles that glow softly. Snow comes pouring in as they burst through the door. One of them whispers to Tamalin. The only words that are audible are “..we’re going to need it.”
Tamalin walks back and closes the door with a smile to reassure the guests and returns to the bar. They take the hooded figure into the sleeping quarters and disappear. Thoradin listens through the door. He just hears some doors closing. Miss Moss notices that they are cautious – they are on high alert and being careful with the prisoner.
Leshanna moves over to Lia and Tamalin and asks Tamalin, “That looked pretty serious, what was that all about?” Tamiln just laughs it off. As Tamalin turns away, Leshanna asks Lia, “Did that look kind of like slavery to you?” Lia says, “Yes, it does but it also looked kind of official.”
Miss Moss mentions loudly, “Oh, I am a bit cold and I left my jumper in my room, I’ll be right back!” She walks out and sidles her muscly self past the other muscly people – it’s a tight fit – who nod courteously as she passes. They are clearly protecting the room, but they don’t seem mean. Miss Moss fetches her lightest jumper, as she’s really not that cold. She asks the guards, “ Who have you got there? Looks important!” She is encouraged to move along. Disappointed at her attempt at being charming and gainful, she rejoins the others in the dining room and sits back with Londer.
A pretty big commotion is heard in the direction of the kitchen. It sounds like the splintering or ripping of wood – never a good sound. There is a scream. Lia rushes towards the door and just as she does, Alefundrel comes running back through, with half of his side ripped out, blood and guts dragging on the floor, a right mess. He falls into the wall completely dead, blood smearing on the wall as he falls. He has taken with him his now forever secret recipes.
Lia and Leshanna rush into the kitchen. Ashtan rushes out and looks in as well. Miss Moss runs out to the guards and lets them know there is a situation happening. They just say they can’t help, they are busy, which surprises Miss Moss. She thought they were birds of a feather.
Outside there are now two enormous trolls, they are huge. One of them jumps over to the stables and to everyone’s horror starts eating a horse. Lia calls out in giant, “Stop eating the horse, if it’s food you want we can get it, we can give some!”. Leshanna chimes in, “Yeah!”
The troll turns to look at the elves, sees Lia and Leshanna and sneers at them. That’s does it. Lia pulls out her bow.
Gunther finishes his tune, throws his loot in the bag and grabs his faithful heavy crossbow and starts racing across the room.
The troll at the door rips the door off the hinges and rushes into where the adventurers’ horses are kept. The other one turns around and looks over where the spell has come from and dashes in as well. Thoradin looks over but notices nothing. Those still in the dining room hear some frantic banging from the sleeping quarters. Thoradin flings open the door and sees the guards yelling at the prisoner who is frantically bashing on the hotel room door. “Shut up!” Thoradin can hear, the voice short of breath.
“Sounds like whatever you have in there is dying! How about you open the door?” He queries urgently.
Meanwhile, Londer dashes towards the place where Osric the horse is. As he tries to look through the window, he kicks open the door to a room filled with a saddlery. Candles and lanterns barely light the room. A cart and two horses have been left in there. The wagon is a black Maria – a paddy wagon.
Miss Moss moves over to stand on a barrel near the rooms.
Coming out from the corner on the grounds, Thoradin sees a black figure. The figure takes out a crossbow and shoots it into the neck of the mail guard. He falls to the ground and holds onto his neck. The figure disappears.
Another person, similarly attired in pitch-black leather armour, identity hidden by a mask, jumps into the room, grabs a dagger and slams it into the chest of the female orc. It dives out of the room and disappears as well. A third figure comes through and shoots with a bolt while yet another rushes up and thrusts a dagger into his spine, killing the guard instantly. Again, the figure disappears. A fifth comes in and shoots at the guard, but misses with the bolt.
Outside, Lia moves up along the broken fence towards the broken stable door. Ashtang moves over and shouts out, “Take cover, shield yourself! Into the cellar!” He draws a crossbow.
Gunther moves into the stable to check on Bill, and sees that Osric and Boris are dead. Gunther lets out a tremendous shriek.
Leshanna moves over and tries to attack with a Ray of Frost.
Thoradin has been watching the scene and senses that the activity outside is a distraction for the activity inside to free the prisoners. He channels his deity and asks for advice about whether he should help the guard. He pulls out two old coins, with dwarvish writing “Wheel and Woe”. That’s his answer.
The troll runs over and takes a slash at Gunther with his claws. It is a big hit. He slashes again. Gunther cries out in pain.
Inside, the guard a halfling with red hair falls out onto the floor with poison mist
A light box like a fog – all of the consciousness of everyone turns purple and they pass out. There is a sound of turkey and they hear a voice “Again, again, let’s do it again.” And suddenly they are all back in the room, everything has returned back to when they were in the room to start with.
A familiar blue light appears to Thoradin, the light of his deity’s favour. He can remember. No one else can remember anything. He gathers the others and says
“Listen, those two guys in the other room they have Cora! Something happens outside and then all these flashes of people came in. I don’t know what happens outside but we have to save her now.”
Londer and Lia are skeptical. Suddenly there is a rip of wood outside.
A pretty big commotion is heard in the direction of the kitchen. It sounds like splintering or ripping of wood. There is a scream. Stanleafe calls out “What the devil?” Lia jumps up on the roof. Alefundrel comes running back through, he clearly has half of his side ripped out. He falls into the wall and blood smears on the wall as he falls completely dead. Lia, Londer and Miss Moss move outside and see the trolls eating a horse. Lia is on the roof. Gunther calls out to Thoradin, “What is going to happen?”
Those who weren’t sure before are now starting to think that Thoradin might be right.
From the roof, Lia can see the density of the fog surrounding. She decides to be stealthy in the clouds. Thoradin surges through the door and casts Hold Person on the guards. Thoradin whispers to Gunther “One of them has a key, get the key from him!” Gunther moves over and whips out his bagpipes and has a play “I’m going to take your key!” He walks over and takes the key out of the guard’s pocket and opens the door.
The room is a standard hotel room that has been set up as a cell.
Cora looks up and sees the bagpiping Tabaxi and suddenly a cannister comes through the window and green gas starts pouring out. She runs out. Thoradin and Leshanna greet her excitedly and she thanks Gunther. They lock the guards in the room. Suddenly, a black figure rushes in and takes a shot at Cora but misses. Thoradin grabs the bottom of the clothes of everyone and ushers them out the back, closing the door behind them. Cora shouts, I can’t be here, we need to get the fuck out of here!”
They start to move towards the others and more black figures start coming into the room. Thoradin calls for Spirit Guidance. Cora begins to hide behind the bar and can see a trapdoor below. Gunther, Thoradin and Leshanna jump behind the bar and crouch under the protection of the guardian.
Lia casts Spike Growth and the trolls start taking damage as they move towards the stables. Their movement is shambling from one place to the next in a frenzy.
Gunther asks Thoradin “Do you know what happens next?” Thoradin explains to Cora what he saw, no one knows what happened and if it’s going to happen again.
All of a sudden, assassins are everywhere, cross bow bolts flying everywhere and Fynn and Stanleafe are in action.
Suddenly, a purple cloud.
Miss Moss suggests dressing the innkeeper as Cora and doing a swap.
Londer looks under the bar, there is an underground cellar with a passage that runs from the bar to the stables, and then to the other end. Near the fence, there is a fake wall – with a quick push, it appears to continue along. Londer then goes to the kitchen, grabs Alefundrel and puts him (against his protests) in the safety of the cellar. He runs and lets the horses free. He has a look in the wagon and sees Cora’s weapons. He grabs them.
Some other things they are able to investigate; Fynn is a travelling botanist, here to explore the flora of the Evermoors. Stanleafe is downtrodden, looking for work. He is prone to doom-talk. There are 2 other guests; Samuel, a noble returning from a ball. The woman Nora Drisk is a grieving daughter who is on the way from Silvery Moon to Yartar to attend the funeral of her father. She is behaving strangely and it does not seem that she is telling the truth.
The time warp appears to reset every hour – bright light, purple, fills the sky and the time is reset. It does not appear to be triggered by anything we do. The desert man says he hasn’t been working there long but that the establishment was built on the ruins of another building and was the site of a famous battle of trolls. The tunnel goes out
Cora has been recruited to the Zantarium – a powerful group around Yartar. They have enlisted Cora using blackmail to make her be an assassin, killing bad people. She is now alled the Ferry Maiden by those who fear her. She was captured and arrested because she is suspected of murder.
Gunther has also had dealings with the Zantarium – he had contacted them to start a new life.
Miss Moss goes to examine the window. Immediately after the ripping wood, Nora goes over and shines a beacon of magical light out the window.
Back to the beginning of the loop, Thoradin casts hold person on Nora. Her demenour shifts as she realises what is going on. As the light went out in her eyes and the paralysis set in, the fog disappeared. The banging doesn’t start this time. They take Nora, tied up and levitating through to the hallway to the guards
Londer explains the situation – the attack seems to be about the prisoner. We are good, bold adventurers.
Nora’s eyes tremor in anger as they explain, pointing out the fog and explaining that they know Cora, the Ferry Maiden.
“Let her speak.”
Thoradin removes the spell and they all move into the dining room with Nora tied and Gunther has his scimitar against her neck. Tears fill her eyes and she explains, reluctantly, that her real name is Osafuror Margister and she is the sister of Iristrar Margister, who was assassinated by Cora. She has been planning this since she got word from her contacts that the Ferry maiden was to be transported through here. She had the cart attacked and created the weather to ensure she would be here.
“What about the trolls?”
“What trolls?”
Lia immediately runs outside and climbs on the roof.
She has no idea about the trolls or the loop.
The purple light source appears to be in the distance, about 5km into the Evermoors, it comes out from one spot and once the fog is gone they can see more easily. There is still lowlying mists and swamp.
Lia and Miss Moss are riding Patricia to identify the fog. They take a series of journeys. At the source of the light, there is terrain and an old hut – it is profoundly creepy. There are candles and a lot of arcaned vials of potions and jars. It’s looking very witchy. There’s a row of skulls on a wooden stand held up – human. Some of them look like they are very young. There is an old green skinned, tall woman with long white hair. She is thin, with white rags and carrying a jar full of guts and things – horrendous looking stuff. She has a cauldron and as she turns, they follow her eyes and can see a huge shape of a red-haired fire-giant coming from the other side of the marsh. The fire-giant has a leash with bits of leather and harnesses some trolls. It also has a rod of adamantite. The trolls are thrashing around and trying to get free. The giant comes into the sight of the hag. She reaches onto one of the shelves in fear and gets a jar of silver, extra-planar substance. She grabs some different things. Just as the troll is coming in, she drops everything into the cauldron and the sky goes purple.
The hag is a creature of unspeakable evil. They are the source of all the fairy-tale witches and hags. A creature that is incredible mischievious, cunning, playful and determined in evil.
The trolls at the inn are coming from another fire giant and they are fleeing after seeing the troll slave in the power of the fire giant. This is a land of trolls. Lia and Leshanna ask the trolls if they need help with the land being invaded by fire-giants. They are being enslaved. Kill the fire giants!
The adventurers try a number of different options with each restart and eventually approach the hag with everyone in stealth except Leshanna. Leshanna speaks with the hag, explaining that the spell has been resetting. The hag realises that the spell has been missing an ingredient.
After some talking, the hag agrees that the adventurers and she will work together. Lia tries to persuade the troll to turn on the giant, casts hunters mark. The fire giant swings twice at Gunther, missing both times. As he misses the second time, he suddenly begins laughing in fits of laughter and falls prone on the ground, impacted by Leshanna’s hideous laughter spell.
Londer swings at the giant while it is prone and does some good damage. A tremendous cleave and he is significantly damaged. He is still hideously laughing. Gunther lines up his crossbow and aims at his eye and hits. Damage is done but he’s no longer laughing.
The troll is pulling against the lead and trying to attack Cora and bites her. Leshanna calls out “Stop that!” in Giant.
The hag casts lightning bolt, it lights up the whole marsh and the bolt flies past the fire giant.
Miss Moss pulls out her longbow, takes aim and fires. She hits, doing a little damage.
Cora pulls her short bow out and takes aim from the shadows. She hits and does a lot of damage. She hides back in the shadows.
Lia takes aim again and misses and uses inspiration to hit.
The giant struggles to his feet and starts running away, yanking at the chain of the troll who runs after him.
Leshanna fires 3 bolts of fire and misses all.
Londer walks up and takes a swing, hitting. He’s bleeding now. Blood pours out from his armor.
Gunther fires a cross bow and misses.
The troll comes around again to Gunther and swings at him – biting into him.
The hag is cackling furiously. She casts hold person at him but he brushes it off.
Miss Moss takes another two shots with her longbow, hitting the giant both times. The arrows stick out from his armor.
Cora jumps out of the shadown and strikes again.
Thoradin takes another turn and misses again.
Lia takes aim with her bow, strikes and the arrow goes right after his chin so fast. There is a moment where he staggers back, shocked and then he falls directly onto the troll, incapacitating him. The giant is clearly dead.
Toodooloo Fuckos! Says the hag and she disappears.
High above the Evermoor there is the outline of a Castle
Loots: a varnished hag eye pendant. Thrown in the bag of holding
The adamantine rod
Collection of 4 red dragon scales