The Glassfang Syndicate
Adventure Recaps
The Glassfang Syndicate
Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Temoren Cairnwright
•
Temoren Cairnwright - Adventure Notes
Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Another month in the Syndicate, and I am starting to feel… established. Not settled. That would be dangerous. But established.
The most notable development: Fetch.
I have refined the Homunculus Servant spell enough to properly bring him into his own. He is no longer just something I built—he is a companion. Capable, responsive, and far more useful than most people would expect from something his size. He now wears the tricorn hat from the Goat Mayor (long story), which allows him to understand everyone. He still speaks through me, which is probably for the best. One of us should sound coherent.
I have continued sparring with others in the Syndicate and have improved significantly in how I manage my tools and wand together. There is a balance to it—positioning, timing, knowing when to act and when to let others take the lead. I am getting better at it.
My cobbler skills proved unexpectedly critical during travel through the Ice Spires. Long distances, harsh conditions, and not a single member of the party suffered exhaustion from poor footing or damaged boots. I will say this plainly: good boots save lives. People underestimate that.
I have also learned to scribe spell scrolls. I can produce them quickly now, though I would not yet call the process refined. There is still inconsistency in the work. That will improve.
The roads between Loudwater and Shining Falls have proven increasingly dangerous. During one patrol, we recovered a young boy named Milo from some displacer beasts. They were not acting out of malice... just hunger. The situation itself was… unclear. Milo claimed his friends abandoned him. His father claimed he had none. The truth is likely somewhere in between, and not a comfortable one. Either way, the boy is alive. That is enough for now.
The Syndicate continues to grow. New faces arrive regularly, which means new skills, new variables, and new risks. The kobolds remain as they are. Thrax is still… Thrax.
As for me, my atlas work continues to develop. The connections are stronger. More reliable. I am beginning to see how it could scale beyond small groups.
There is still a great deal I want to build.
I am looking forward to whatever comes next.
Salviron Lisel
•
Every day the road to Loudwater and Shining Falls grows in danger. Solia mentioned the monsters have grown in strength since the Syndicate was founded. I think the strength—magical or physical— of those of us in the Syndicate are drawing more creatures to the space, making it dangerous in general.
Each day either begets fighting against creatures that you stumble upon or set traps if you leave the Syndicate’s doors. But members are nice, a camaraderie is built here that I’m not yet sure what to make of. But either way—it’s good to have come this way.
I can feel myself getting stronger in my magic and have learnt varying protective spells so I’m grateful for it.
Arlie and I talked briefly about staying with the Syndicate and setting roots here. I have to admit, it’s a nice idea. I wasn't with Arlie or Assy since the beginning but it was enough to know. And having a place that's...semi-safer would be nice.
The strangeness of creatures attacking just keeps getting worse and worse. Mimsy died in the Syndicate’s laboratory—Arlie and I barely made it there to defeat the elemental that caused the mess. And I’m not sure what happened but in Loudwater, I thought I saw Ivor dead on the ground. I had been alone at the time and I am not fit to carry others but Fenris seemed to come across him instead. I think he ended up revived but I haven't seen him since.
The rest of the month was a bit busier and we did get more Syndicate members so hopefully things keep growing.
Na'ima
•
15 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
A lot has changed in a month.
I have gone on several missions for the Syndicate, now, with frequent trips between the hub and Loudwater proper. The road is a dangerous thing, something I knew from the time I arrived over a month ago, facing the metal bull. But there are hags. And fairies. And politicians so corrupt it makes my toes curl. But I smile, and show my tusks are not a dangerous thing.
Someone called me 'the leader' yesterday, after I berated them for a foolish choice. Coranzen, a drow with more sword that backbone. He is strong, and brave, but he is new. I do not know how to take this, as I do not consider myself a leader. Maybe I do. I feel as though people listen when I speak, and respect what I have to say, but I do not believe that is what it takes to be a leader. I stand up to injustice, and advocate for a nonviolent solution, as I have proven with the bandits near Secomber and protecting the Graylings when they came out of the woods and surrounded us, but a leader is more than this. A leader is...
A leader is--...
Not me.
On one of the first missions, I ruined the reputation of the Syndicate, and spent days repairing it with Ivor and Surx, two members I have come to enjoy. Ivor is a warlock with a pseudo dragon named Agrate, and Surx is a fey with a knack of changing his form (a trait that he utilizes to my agitation on occasion). We have returned multiple times since then to the city of Parnast, where we are getting plenty of missions. But I allowed a boy to join us on a dangerous mission. I made that choice, and felt the weight of it on my shoulders. I still do.
The Syndicate, itself, has expanded. Many members are buying homes and businesses, as I have hardly seen Yashir in this month. I am trying to do the same, especially since it is getting crowded around the Syndicate. I have taken up painting, and recently have been selling my series of paintings of Loudwater to get one step closer to that goal. Painting is different than dance; more permanent. I am trying to get comfortable with this forever quality...
Mimsy died yesterday. That felt oddly permanent, too. I nearly died the other day. That felt permanent.
I do not like permanence. I live for the ephemeral, the intangible and impossible to contain and hold down. This is what dance is for, the power of a moment, a movement, a gesture... But, I have found that I cannot save everyone, despite my best effort. I try. Gods above I try. Everyone around me needs to be permanent so I may flow freely around them. When they shift, when they fall... I feel stuck.
I feel rooted.
I am not a leader. I am not a rock for others to rely on. I am a reprieve from the weight of the world.
I am here to ensure everyone gets home, no matter what it takes.
I hope to continue to do so...
Until next month
Na'ima
Mimsy McGuffin!
•
Tarsakh 20, 1502
I died a few days ago. I would not recommend it.
But overall, my time here has been... fine? This is not a good way to make coin, but it is a good way to make allies. I've settled in with a group that seems capable against danger. Ive explored the study of alchemy. I will update this as more develops.
Ivor Bersk
•
Ivor Bersk
Second month in the Syndacate
Life keeps going, I think I have found my rhythm and some people whose company I enjoy.
There are some interesting points in the region, looking forward to know more about them.
Surx
•
22 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
its been a month im here, fun place this is, the people certainly are different everyone has their on little quirk and history.
The region seems chaotic, so many things try to kill you.
The missions are something else too, heard the other day some of the new guys stoped a ritual that would destroy the world, and me myself discovered a plot to revive a angry serpent god and stuff. well aint much to say for now, the plot is still on going and only time will say if they will do it
well since we talking about missions, Parnast, hate the place, the mayor or what ever Raggnar is, DONT GO THERE!
-surx
Arlis the Shade
•
Arlis
I've... had a lot to think about lately. There's been a lot of shit happening not only on the roads, but also in town. Got attacked by fish people... Ivor and me almost died trying to get away. Some ghost spectre of a neighbor attacked me, Sal and Mims when I was moving a wardrobe for a couple of shitty geezers... there was a bunch of other stuff too... Mims died at the Syndicate. Some water elemental got to him before Sal and me could. We did our best and raise up the money to revive him. 2,000 fucking gold... just... I've never seen that much gold!
But beside that... I had a few talks with people that got me thinking. They... actually see me. I'm not a shadow, or just some dumb fucker that hits stuff.. They see me. Asked me what I liked and what I wanted to do... if I was gonna set root here... I talked to Sal and even though it's real dangerous here... we both like it here... so... yeah... I think I will...
I also had a,weird experience the other day. Found a circle of stones with a little tree in the middle... the rain wouldn't reach the inside of the space, like there was a barrier. I think I finally know what that tree is from my dreams...
Yashir adh Rumahr
•
22 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
This month has been characterized by cleaning up the messes of the past month, and discovering or creating new and exciting ones.
The Syndicate continues to grow in renown, not to mention in membership. I met several newcomers to our ranks, and there are many more I've yet to meet -- for I have largely absented myself from the hall to deal with my own affairs and side projects. Solia and I have reconciled, at the least, and this is good and fortuitous; I disliked being at odds with her. She and Shev are still very much at odds, though they work together with cold courtesy. Bri accompanied Solia and me on a mission to hunt down Orlak, the goblin that slew her, but she is taciturn at best, and I feel as if the opportunity to get to know her better was wasted.
The actual work has slowed, for me at least, perhaps on account of competition from the new members; there are fewer jobs to go around for the number of willing hands. Those jobs I have taken have been mostly continuations of prior ones. Yet my own business flourishes, and several members have set up their own -- Jax, Solia, and Na'ima, that I know of. I hope that theirs do not face the tribulations that mine has. Shining Peaks has been beset from all sides, suffering some four attacks in as many tendays. Yetis, giant toads, harpies, and vindictive cyclopes angry about the deaths of the harpies. My grounds are running out of room for trophies.
As fast as the Syndicate is growing, it is not without its own troubles. Shev and Bri were apparently beaten and robbed in an inn in Loudwater. Both Solia and Mimsy, who I've only met in passing, have met their demise and been raised. Across the region, we seem to be met with suspicion despite our efforts to quell the disproportionately common monster attacks and misfortunes that seem to surround us. It is disconcerting, to say the least. One can hardly travel the road to Loudwater, or even be secure in their own home, without facing attack.
Still, I have hope for the future. Our powers have for the most part swelled in proportion to the troubles we have been obliged to face, and suspicion notwithstanding, we still find welcome about town. I am confident that with time and continuing effort, we will soon establish ourselves securely.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Artemyeva Innokentievna
•
Party: Artemyeva Innokentievna, Loderr Dragonsword, Athena Broadmaw, Roteye Bogrut, and an imp (forgot his name) (OOC: Desky Broom Cackling Bone the Oversize Imp)
We were hired by the village of Parnast to forge an alliance with the etan Gralm to prevent him from forming an alliance with Bad Fruul, a rising political force that has united several giant tribes under one banner.
Setting out from the village, we were ambushed by a hobgoblin and his goblin company. They died quickly, except for one goblin, who we found was actually a pixie in disguise.
The pixie's name was Oblivillish, and he was cursed by the fey lord in the region, Thornakiss, after slaying a stag under his protection. In return for his life, he lead us through a feywild portal, to Gralm's camp. There, we found his army exhausted- they were being harassed by fey at night, preventing them from sleeping. In return for dealing with this, and 'proving our strength'- by which they meant drinking and lifting heavy things, because of course they did, the [a few lines of text are crossed out].
The fey harassing them, for their part, were former members of Thornakiss's group, though banished, likely for eating meat. We killed one of them, and two escaped. Gralm signed a treaty to fight Bad Fruul.
Salviron Lisel
•Dragon Hunting
I received a last minute notice to join on a job to be a guard for a caravan. From what I know we have a lot of spellcasters to be as guards for this caravan but we can probably do what we need to do anyways.
As we went down the road, a...dog showed up on the road. It was a golden retriever that was radiating magic to it. It had a collar on it that said we needed to return the dog to a Wizard Tower in the North Dragonspire Mountains for a reward. The dog's name was Dell and she belonged to Leonardo.
Before we could figure out what to do, Dell began alerting to something off the path and Arlie would kill me if I didn't follow Assy's whims so off we went to chase. Dell led us to a cave opening and well, we went inside.
This cave was incredibly hot and kept getting worse the further we entered. There was a crevasse with lava at the bottom which definitely explains the heat in portion. There was a few rotted crates and boxes all over.
We continued moving through the cave, getting through a steamy space that was being affected by a device from the Elemental Plane of Fire. And then there was a door with a puzzle on it that Sylk figured out the code for, causing it to open and we were greeted by a lot of hobgoblins.
Instead of fighting, we did convince them to come with us back to the Syndicate. Then we found animals that were captured and caused Dell to freak out. Luckily the hobgoblins still decided to return with us but when we exited the cave the dragon that owned this lair and hired the hobgoblins showed up. His name was Torch.
After a moment, we luckily managed to take out the dragon. Thank gods for that.
Sylk Teke'zynge
•
(The following is written in an obnoxiously gorgeous handwriting...)
They're Good Adventurers, Brent
28 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Thrax prepared a mission for a group of five (Astraelis, Mila, Mimsy, Salviron, and myself, Sylk) to venture into the currently storming Dragonspire Peaks. Our goal was to assist with escorting a caravan to the Citadel of the Raven, though we would never find this Citadel. Shortly into our adventure, we were met with a canine, a "golden retriever," as the others described. Everything about her radiated magic, and her collar described her name to be Dell. Her owner, Leonardo, requested her return if she was lost. After discussion with the caravan, we set out to see what had upset Dell and followed into the woods.
A cave mouth greeted us, filled with steam intense enough to ward away the rain. We wandered in, with Mila's flying feline familiar scouting ahead for us. The cavern left little impression, other than it being painfully filled with geysers that threatened our every step. One fork in the road led to a sleeping quarters with a molten rock moat and a hidden door, containing more treasures. The other side of the fork, past a fire elemental gemstone, led to a puzzle door. Salviron's alchemical knowledge deduced the solution, and I entered the code.
Inside were a handful of hobgoblins and their smaller goblin counterparts, as well as cages containing surface-dwelling animals. Dell rushed ahead, barking for their freedom. Mila and I requested the goblinkin free the animals, and in return, we would escort them to the Glassfang Syndicate. They explained their skepticism due to their current employer, a dragon named Torch, would not take too kindly to this betrayal. We wore them down, freed the creatures, and escorted the large group outside the cave.
On the way to the caravan, we were accosted by Torch and four hobgoblins. Torch was angry, spewing fire on us all and shouting he wanted the dog. Dell healed our burns, and a tense fight began. The red wyrmling fought with much might but clever spells and tactics made him little of a match for our intrepid team. When he fell, the hobgoblins surrendered. We convinced them to go with us to the Glassfang Syndicate as well.
The caravan had a guest when we returned, none other than Leonardo the wizard. He thanked us for Dell's return, and explained the dog had been an Archdruid in these lands. She had felled Torch's mother in the past. Eventually the stresses of life wounded her resolve, and she decided to live the rest of her days as a happy canine. Leonardo gifted us magical items as well as his gratitude. With an army of goblinkin, we easily completed our escort of the caravan, and returned home.
Loot
All notes are listed with accuracy to the best of my memory. -Sylkran "Sylk" Teke'zynge, 28 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Mila
•
I accompannied other members of Syndicate - Mimsy, Astraelis, Salviron and Sylk - into guarding the Caravan through Dragon Spine Mountains to the Citadel of Raven. My companions were mostly grumpy about the rain and my attempt at cheering them up by summonning Scratch - my sphinx of wonder familiar - didn't help because he also got upset about the rain. Caravan stopped upon seeing a dog - a golden retriver - on the road. We investigated, finding out it is friendly to Scratch, and everyone else, and seems to be owned by local wizard named Leonardo. The dog seemed agitated and wanted us to follow. her somewhere. Thinking either the wizard is in trouble that we should deal with or, if we leave his dog without help, we will have wizard trouble, I sent Scartch after her.
The dog was clever enough to lead us to a cave, filled with steam. The heat and small geysers of steam gave us the run for our money, especially in one large room. After solving a puzzle, we found a room where group of Goblins and Hobgoblins were keeping animals in cages. The dog was very agitated about letting them be free. Thankfully, I offered Goblisn and hobgoblins to ditch their curent empolyeer - a Dragon named Torch - and seek employment at Syndicate. With everyone's help we managed to convince them and lead the large group out of this horrible cave.
On our way back we were attacked by the Torch, who exploded Scratch and almost killed us, if it wasn't for dog to heal us. We gave our all agaisnt the creature and beat it. I managed to convince few Hobgoblisn that were Torch's bodyguards, to also seek employment at the Syndicate. I am very happy that I managed to save few of my brethren from the awful life of servitude. Now I need to help them find new job at the Syndicate. I hope they manage to adjust.
Also, we found out the dog was a retired archdruid in diguise and the Dragon had personal vendetta against her, for killing his mother. World sure is strange.
Second also, I adopted a moose. Hope they have stable big enough for them at Syndicate headquaters.
Na'ima
•Back to Parnast! Arriving rather late, Jax, Fenris, Surx, Ivor, Agrate, and myself headed to the Golden Tankard to speak with Raggnar. He was speaking to a very handsome elf, but greeted us with enthusiasm as he invited us over for a drink and a meal. Immediately, he started off telling us of the plights that currently effected the town. Apparently, a Kagrota Threeteeth, Mother of Bones, and her army of orcs and ogres had attempted to slowly starve out the city. Two watchtowers had to be constructed, and that was also why there was the new stranger, the hot elf named Tove, who operated as a scout.
If this wasnt bad enough, apparently there was someone in town attempting to undermine it from the inside. Carts were breaking, and someone tried to burn down the new construction. Raggnar was quick to blame Gundalin for these occurrences, to the eyeroll of his lovely daughter Elsbeth who seemed in good spirits despite the recent parting of her lover. Of course, there was then a knock at the door, and Wallace himself arrived! The town had apparently pitched in to bring him back to life, a beautiful thing, and he, of course, said he has sworn off adventuring.
The lovebirds were dismissed by Raggnar, and they snuck off.
He said he wanted us to investigate these occurrences, and solve any issues. We agreed, and after a lovely meal, headed towards the stables for a good night's rest. Tove was there, complaining about a crying baby inside making it difficult to sleep. He also was worried about Goddard, Tove's equally handsome brother, who went missing a few days ago. We said we would mention something if we heard.
Jax, Fenris, and I got ready for bed, while Ivor and Surx went out looking for trouble. They spotted Goddard, and through the mind link, told us. I woke Tove to inform him, and he went rushing out shouting his name. There was a reunion, and Tove seemed very happy to see his brother, who was incredibly out of it. Surx was suspicious, I told him he was just jealous of attractive people.
The next morning, we heard commotion as horses had been poisoned! We immediately rushed into action, well, Fenris and Jax did, healing the two horses who still lived. Ivor spotted Sylas worried in the crowd, and I went to him and asked what was troubling him. Apparently, tensions were so high that he was concerned that he would be blamed for this poisoning, simply because he was the apothecary. I reassured him that wasnt the case, and we went back to his to ask about what he knew. Fenris cast Zone of Truth, so we knew he was honest. After Jax and Surx determined the type of poison, we also discovered that Sylas grew it in his backyard. And recently, some had been harvested...
We went to Gundalin, who was working on a cart. He didnt enjoy seeing us, but we started questioning him with the Zone of Truth. He obviously had no hand in the goings on, and only wanted what was best for the city. But it was clear someone was sabotaging the carts, and with the horses this morning, it was clear someone was trying to starve out the city. We did some digging into Wallace's room, fearing that he was in this nasty business, and we found some of the poison clippings and a set of shears in the workroom. It was clear something was up, and we went searching for Wallace!
He was easy to find, rushing out of town. Surx tackled him, asking what he was doing, and he revealed a letter reading:
W,
I have a surprise for you, I think you'll really like it. Meet me in the usual place this afternoon.
E
Fenris spotted someone in the treeline, looking at us. He and I followed it, and were able to track Tove. Something foul was afoot, and after a quick hold person, we tied him up. He revealed that he and his brother had tried to frame Wallace for everything going on in town. Suddenly, Screams and smoke rose from Parnast, and Tove started freaking out. We rushed back, and while the others put out the fires, I held onto Tove. He said he had something in his pocket, and I read this..
I will give you a second chance because I am kind. Ogan, however, isn't. He will feast on one prisoner each day until you cripple the village and return home. If we run out of prisoners, your mother's blood will sate his thirst. Work quickly and some of you may survive. Cross me again and Illyna's fate will be far worse.
Kagrota Threeteeth, Mother of Bones
The group decided to nip it in the bud and take care of Kagrota. We had Tove lead us there, and combat broke out! Kagrota was a powerful caster, an orc I could almost respect, but after she insulted my jewelry, well, I was pleased to see her dead. We let some orcs flee, and saved some prisoners, but there was no Illyna. Tove and his brother fled, as well, so something nefarious was going on... Not that we could do anything about it.
Well, with that mystery solved, we returned the captives back to their homes, and informed Raggnar of the plot conducted by Tove. He was thankful, though, I doubt this the last time that the Syndicate will deal with him or the city of Parnast.
Salviron Lisel
•Municipality of Felgolos, islands near Candlekeep
We were hired by the Lord's Alliance to investigate a dragon that like puns... I'm not entirely sure on all the details but we had to go to the Municipal Court of Felgolos which is inside a bronze dragon's demiplane. They had a sign on the foor that stated "No Loitering, Littering, or Unlicensed Wordplay." We entered the court to sit in and listen. A man was on trial for throwing a tomato at a performer before it was legally disappointing.
I'm still not sure what is going on.
But we had to break some people out of jail...by telling absolutely awful jokes.
I feel like everything involved in this was an awful fever dream.
Luckyfoot
•
The investigation of the Municipality of Felgolos was a bit of a strange experience. My companions today were Mimsy, who I'd worked with previously at the Gloomwood Cemetery, as well as Astraelis, a human, Salviron, a man I believe to be of elven descent and Tapioca, a Tabaxi. It seemed to be hosted entirely on a demiplane, which contained a court room as well as a very strange prison. The court room was quite fine and was presided over by a halfling judge, who was aided by a bailiff. We sat in on the sentencing of a halfling who had thrown a tomato at a bard before it was "legally" permissible to do so. The fine was a simple copper piece, which seemed to be a waste of everyone's time in all honesty.
The second trial was of a pair of friends who seemingly told bad jokes and were sentenced to be imprisoned in the highest tower. As they were escorted past us, they threw us a note in a balled up bit of paper. Mimsy read it out, which turned out to be a request for aid which we decided to oblige. We followed them out a different door, one that brought us to a stone hallway with glass constructs and bronze birds. With only one door at the other end of the hall, we headed over and tried to catch up to the pair and the bailiff but found ourselves inside a kitchen ran by two kobolds instead. It seemed like the punishment was that they would be forced to relive and repeat the joke that earned them their sentence, which seemed somewhat cruel. Thankfully, once someone told an appropriately bad, or perhaps a sufficiently good, joke it appeared to free us all from the cell. The Kobolds thanked us and promptly left the stone hallway through the exit behind us.
Another journey down the same hallway saw us in a garden this time, with a tiefling gardener forced to relive their joke as well. Once again, a joke was all that was required to free them, and this pattern continued with the trio of bards we encountered in a tavern cell as well. It was after this that we appeared in an empty cell, though we could hear the two prisoner's joke and complaints. One more joke brought us all back to the hallway once again, though the end of this one had us in another, cozier hallway. Upon knocking on the door to the judge's office, she seemed to take umbrage at the thought that we might have been attempting to make a knock-knock joke. She seemed to dislike the idea of us attempting to free her prisoners with unsanctioned jokes and so set upon us a trio of clockwork drakes, as well as a pair of porcelain dolls. After dispatching them swiftly enough, she activated some strange magical device that encased her in a protective bubble, though once again, a joke was sufficient to make her crack. It was then that we were graced by the presence of the dragon, Felgolos, who approved of our humour and rewarded us with some small treasures and trinkets before returning us back to the material plane. We agreed to simply return to Candlekeep to submit our findings and then we were promptly teleported back to the Syndicate.
All in all, a strange experience but a profitable one.
Theodore Crane
•
GLASSFANG SYNDICATE — EXPEDITION REPORT
Submitted by: Theodore Crane
Expedition Date: 26 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Location: Waterdeep - Blue Alley
SUMMARY A brief factual account of the expedition's objective and outcome.
ENCOUNTER LOG A chronological account of all hostile engagements.
FINDINGS & ACQUISITIONS Items, intelligence, or assets recovered.
RESOURCE EXPENDITURE Consumables used and current stock.
Jaeherys Sunspear
•
It was supposed to be a quick job, get the item that was requested, get out. Unfortunatly, the greed of my crew took over and we faced way more perils than was needed. The job is done, anyways. Found quite an interesting illuminating sword, should be a nice adition to my treasury.
Sylk Teke'zynge
•(The following is written with obnoxiously neat handwriting.)
The Blue Alley
25-26 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Jaeherys, Roteye, Sylk (myself), Theodore, and Vernal traveled to the Yawning Portal of Waterdeep and spoke with the Masked Lord, Mert. The task was to retrieve a unicorn statuette made of celestite, in return for two hundred and fifty gold pieces (fifty each, split five ways). We agreed and asked around the tavern for information on the Sea Ward's Blue Alley, finding little but speculation and hearsay as to the wizard's dungeon. Following the Waterdhavian Theodore's lead, we proceeded.
The entrance hallway included a ledger in which attempting adventurers would sign their names for entry. We discovered a mural, containing our visages suffering fates at the behest of traps, a note regarding a secret door fifty feet south of a barred window (undiscovered), as well as options- gold to the west, and silver to the east. Choosing east, we found two doors (later explored) and a relief of a skeleton. A button was pressed in its maw, and a third door opened. We arrived to a rather clean room, and a door beyond housing a voice requesting entertainment. As we perused ideas and played our various instruments, several Boggles accosted us. One swiped Vernal's blade and tossed it into a fiery pit. Another attempted to take Theodore's backpack and my own boots. Though the Boggles weren't necessarily hostile, all but one fell to our attacks, as we could not successfully avoid them. Later, we'd find the strange voice from a bronze statue named Keilier, demanding a specific riddle to be told (undiscovered). Scrawled along the walls was the phrase, "Utter madness. PURE RUBBISH" (undiscovered). We left Keilier to his own devices.
As the fray continued, another room held an illusion of Mystra's clerics, fading into that of Kelemvorites destroyed by undead. A phrase, and part of Keilier's riddle, was along the walls- "GET THROUGH." A tense altercation against two specters occurred. Beyond the illusory room was one with walls of mirrors, containing the celestite unicorn statuette we needed. A brief riddle involving closing one's eyes so their material possessions wouldn't teleport away entertained us. Regardless, we retrieved the statuette. Though our hubris got the better of us, and we desired to investigate the dungeon further after a short rest.
The room before the specter one contained copious piles of coin and a phrase saying "Take only what you can truly afford." We decided to take none of it, especially as the coins seemingly spelled "ALL FAKE" along the ground. The next room beyond contained bars along the edges and the voice of a magic mouth. "Beyond these gates lies paradise. Enter them as you entered life, and you may yet find it; grasp the jewel and grasp the iron, then be whisked away to the truest of rewards." We never discovered the meaning of the jewel or the iron, and decided to come back if we discovered answers. We never did.
A room on the left contained a highly volatile workshop. Theodore retrieved healing potions but warned us not to use fire...
The room at the end of this hallway, as well as the furthest point north we explored, contained a seemingly bottomless pit, and platforms hanging above it by chains in the ceiling. As Jaeherys proceeded ahead of us to retrieve a hanging glowing sword, ash mephits attacked. Our monk friend returned to us as we picked off the flying nuisances, and we shut the doors against other mephits to not need to worry about them. Vernal detonated the workshop when the rest of us had moved on. Fortunately, only an ash mephit was caught in the blaze.
We returned towards the entrance, to the two undiscovered rooms from before. We learned these rooms connected in a horseshoe-like shape though were filled with unfortunate traps. One side placed me in a floating state, nearly electrocuting myself. Using the flight, I attempted to traverse the other hall's spike pit, though the flight wore off before I could reach safety. We navigated everyone through the lightning room and to a silver door, which Roteye and Theodore made short work of. A junk pile appeared before us, though I would be remiss to not call it the Hidden Bear Trap Room. Vernal was caught and skeletons flooded the area. Though Jaeherys and myself nearly met our fates, the tactics of the other three kept us tethered to the Material Plane. Vernal and Roteye poked a discovered altar that contained gemstones. A shadow appeared, felled fast by our skills, but enough was enough. We all left, though fortunately, a bit more wealthy than when we had entered.
Masked Lord Mert was thrilled, paid us for our time, and we began the long walk back to the Glassfang Syndicate.
Loot
All notes are listed with accuracy to the best of my memory. -Sylkran "Sylk" Teke'zynge, 26 Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Roteye Bogrut
•
[In a practiced, but unremarkable hand.]
From the Recollection of Roteye Bogrut
The 26th Sun of Tarsakh, Dalereckoning
The very first step into my career as an agent of The Glassfang Syndicate was arduous, and nearly spelt the end for several of our number. Sylk, a drow and apparent catalyst of this excursion, alongside Vernal, perhaps the most odd of the company being a sort of construct, helped carved through the ranks of undead and elsewise with arcane blasts that suited warlocks. It hadn't come up in conversation the source of their power, but it mattered little in that forsaken dungeon, and much less than that they held their own. Jaeherys held the focus of monk, but in the largest frame of a dragonborn I've witnessed such discipline, and at times bold and headlong in the way he took the brunt of the blows. But besides, he kept our spellslingers from much of the harm and that deserves commendation. Theodore, a scholarly sort that carried a roguishness about him in the way he could navigate a lock's tumblers. He knew his way around a prod and tiller as well, carrying with him a hand crossbow. And finally myself, shored up with Waukeen's blessings and a surety that proved to be undeserved.
Our goal, at the behest of one Lord Mert, a mirthsome noble of some renown among Waterdhavians though unfamiliar to me, had been a sculpture carved of pure celestite. Had I more time, I would have like to study its facets and discover more of its origins. I would have also enjoyed some determination of its value, apart from the gold promised for its retrieval. I have my suspicions the margins are canyon-wide between our payment and its appraised value, though fortunately we managed to escape with just a touch more than gold. And it did not come without great peril. To remove some worry, this is where I will say we all managed to come away within our mortal coils if only just. With that, I will make note of some of our encounters within.
The antechamber of the Blue Alley has us all signing a ledger of visitors, ominous in that not every name was marked off. Suspected then, and all but confirmed thereafter, the names were struck from the record for having perished in the arcane vault. A hallway opened to a mural depicted what may have been many of these deaths, and stranger still were depictions of our own potential ends. We would find a room inexorably tidied, and likely being touched up as I write this well after our departure, by dedicated hands of boggles. Strange creatures, perhaps called to task by a wizard's statue of poured bronze that resided in a side closet and demanding entertainment. A song was played, Sylk and Jaeherys with lute and flute respectively, and perhaps to the statue's dissatisfaction the boggles were summoned. Ultimately it wasn't song or show the statue was interested in but a riddle whose prose seemingly would be earned through exploring the vault's chambers exhaustively.
Boggles juggled the task of cleaning the chambers and retaliating after a deadly charge from Vernal that would ultimately push us from the room and deeper into the dungeon, Vernal's sword being lost in the process. Perhaps in search of escape from the commotion, Jaeherys would lead this particular charge into a room of murals from which shadowy spirits ambushed us. It may have been to our advantage we weren't taken much by surprise, already on edge in the ongoing buffeting of boggles. They were dispatched handily enough, and in the muraled chamber we peacefully made our way to our prize. Sat in a room made of a singular unsegmented mirror was the celestine unicorn. Headlong again, Jaeherys attempted to collect the item but an enchantment saw that he would exit with little else but what was granted by nature. The enchantment was bypassed by passing through the threshold with eyes shut, a solution to a disembodied declaration 'all that one saw belonged to it'.
With the unicorn in possession and dragonborn clothed, we would proceed into a room half-masked by smoke and with large metal saucers, each suspended by a single chain that ran to the ceiling. They were arranged in a series of steps like stones in a creek and Jaeherys with considerable agility tasked himself with traversal. We, or rather one of us would know the true depths beyond the layer of smoke the saucers floated above. A thankfully survivable depth that would earn our dragonborn companion an illuminated sword, its value to be determined. Less thankfully, it earned us all a hectic scuffle with a gang of mephits.
Surviving that, and considerably worse for wear, we abandoned what mephits were left behind doors they couldn't open and traced our steps back. We had the intention of hastily looting what could easily be grasped on our way out but those plans quickly fell by the wayside. Two halls that turned out to be joined at the end, one had lightning rods high up the very tall walls arcing elemental energy amongst themselves, and the other a pit of spikes too long to leap. Sylk had the idea, and the rope to enact it, of making a tether for us to reel in should things go awry as he went down the lightning hall. Awry things went as he found a pressure plate. A trap of the arcane variety made him weightless and worse still, floating up towards the crackling webs of energy.
Our quick action pulled him back to safety. though my contributions were up for question given my lacking strength. Truthfully, I felt my own feet lifting from the floor with only my weight lending aide to our efforts at several moments. But a floating Sylk at the end of a rope was found to be to our benefit. We guided him to the other hallway where he could float effortlessly across the spiked pit. Best intentions were whittled by the poor timing of the enchantment's end. Sylk fell from the air and into the pit, subject to grisly piercing and yet another pressure plate. He was elevated again but instead of magic, it was the mechanical throwing of the spikes in the pit towards the ceiling. Still, Sylk would persist with good spirits and a vitality granted by his given arcanism.
Beyond even these trials lied a room that wouldn't be out of place in the tribal strongholds of my youth. All manner of litter coated the floor of the next chamber and in its midst were hunters' biting traps made magically invisible. Each of us that dared to set foot in the room found several traps and certainly not by intention. With several of us either injured, anchored, or both, we were ambushed by armed skeletons that flooded the room. I did get the pleasure of witnessing the natural boons of dragonborns of gold as be breathed a column of fire to soften them up. But he would fall, and Sylk would follow, gravely wounded during the onslaught. The three of us that stood, and barely so by my reckoning, were able to clear the room and keep our allies from the brink, earning a handful of gems and the final attempt of a lone specter that surely aimed to keep them.
Perhaps too much time has been spent already to write this into record, and inopportune as I've yet to clear myself wholly of blood, sweat, and mephit muck. But I hoped to capture the memory and spirit of the slog endured. My prayers to The Golden Lady this evening will be that the coin spent for deserved recuperation doesn't subsume our earnings so much so that generosity is thought to be a burden.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•23 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
An anomaly with the Syndicate thus far, this was more a personal mission than a sanctioned Syndicate job, we were *not* called upon to do anything at all. Last tenday, Solia, Bri, and I all sallied forth in pursuit of Orlak, a vicious little goblin who we captured in a previous mission, and who subsequently murdered Solia before making good his escape. According to the wanted posters scattered around Shining Falls (and apparently surrounding towns as well), he had carried out numerous murders since.
This mission is not directly about him. During our pursuit of Orlak, we came upon a band of murderous cannibalistic gnolls. Outnumbered, we elected to pass them by for the time being, but vowed to return to end their threat before it could spread to the Syndicate, and to end their blight upon nearby towns. That is what we came to do today.
We had discovered, also, along the way, a fallen Dwarven statue. In an old Dwarven script upon its base, we deciphered a memento that referenced an ancient Dwarven city, and speculated on the possibility of a subterranean network of tunnels that might still exist. If so, we imagined, Orlak might be hiding there.
Returning to the ridge and cave where we had discovered the gnolls last tenday, accompanied this time by volunteers Na'ima and Surx, we took some time to set up a series of ingenious traps to even the odds. They served us well in the battle to come. Na'ima drew the beasts out of hiding, and we engaged most of them outside their lair. Defeating them handily, we proceeded inside to search the cave. We found many corpses, including one who appeared to be some sort of fiendish cultist, but no living victims.
A second party, returning from the gods know where, entered the cave behind us, and we stood to battle against them and their giant hyena mounts. Though spread out and outflanked, we nevertheless prevailed through good tactics and teamwork. Our injuries were minimal and our losses none at all. An unqualified success, all in all.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Na'ima
•To be entirely honest, I do not know what the purpose of this attack was. Keeping the Syndicate safe is a noble endeavor, certainly, but as I am writing this I am not sure that was all that we were doing. Tensions were already high as Yashir, Bri, Solia, Surx, and I headed out to the location that the first three saw a large collection of Gnolls. I didnt know the first thing about them, if I am honest, but apparently they are quite the threat.
As I mentioned, though, tensions were high. I dont know what happened on the previous trip, but it made the whole mission... weird.
Despite this, though, we were an effective team, arriving at a cave where they last saw them. We decided to set up traps, leading them to us. This was the wise decision, it seemed. We had a close call, nearly alerting them to our presence before we had finished laying our trap. Thankfully, when I shook my hips and brought them out, they were caught in bear traps and nets!
The combat went rather well, although rather short... This was obviously not all of them. I recommended a rest, but that wasnt possible as we saw corpses littering the interior of the cave. I checked for any survivors. A fruitless search. These gnolls were obviously capturing and killing people. During our search, a second wave came into the cave, and combat resumed once more.
Their leader was a monstrous beast, and the fight nearly drained me of all I had to offer. It drained practically everyone, it seemed, as we took out gnoll after gnoll... The threat had been taken care of.
I hope this was the right thing. I dont know if I believe in preemptive strikes, or if they are morally correct. Too much to think about, there...
Solia Faolanri
•
Solia Faolanri
23 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
We saw them on the hunt for Orlak. A whole band of them, down below the cliff as we passed on the road to Orlbar. The trail wasn't a good one - we were grasping at straws and found evidence of dwarven tunnels on the journey. Not knowing what to make of that, we pressed forward toward town. It seemed the best bet. That's when we saw them. I was exhausted - too tired from keeping too fast a pace over too many days. We opted to come back and fight another day.
Which... we did. The gnolls had been hunting extensively in the area, and their numbers were many. We rigged the mouth of the cave with traps and a log to create a choke point. It was effective, and we managed to get in without too many injuries. Then, we explored the home and confirmed that these were part of that same underground network of tunnels made by ancient dwarves. How far they extend and where they go, we're not sure. Orlak could have taken them, he could have stayed topside. We know now only that he's stolen a number of material components necessary for a summoning circle. A problem left for us to deal with later.
As for the Gnolls, they're dead. All we could find in the tribe, and the location is noted in case we need to come back to clean them out again. We didn't find the other halfling child, and we didn't find any additional information that is of any use.
The search continues...
Salviron Lisel
•Cursed Road
We were asked to patrol around the cursed road and make sure random creatures weren't killing travelers that weren't equipped to handle them. So we set off and a bit into our patrol we found a satchel that was full of gold. Arlie threw an axe at it but nothing happened. However when he accidentally kicked it, we were shunted off plane.
After this pressure as we were transported, we found ourselves in a colliseum--where an announcer said we were to entertain the massive crowd in the stands. Before anything nefarious happened, a smaller man called us over to an opening in the colliseum and explained that we were in a dimension within the Feywild. The announcer is the Creator. And anything in the colliseum that we imagine we can create.
He demonstrated by having Arlie imagine his favorite food and a steak appeared in his hand. He also asked for a knife and fork which appeared as well. Everyone else began to try conjuring items and whatever was imagined came true. It was definitely a strange phenomenon. Apparently my schooling from Bardic college is going to come in handy here.
We fought a few different creatures and eventually landed on a BALOR. I took a chance with the conjuring and entertainment being the main goal, summoning a powerful magic item and cracking it over my knee causing a giant explosion of damage that luckily did not kill us all but unluckily the balor was able to get out of the way and avoid a lot of the damage.
After we ended up down, we were teleported to a spectator box where a wondrous feast was set out there was a small goblin girl that said we did a wonderful job and that she wanted to watch the rest of the show. The balor made quick work of Na'ima and Jax that survived the large explosion and afterwards when the fight was over a lot of the patrons watching started leaving. The goblin girl let us know that she was so happy that we were participants.
She paid us for our time and gave us a few magic items before sending us home.
Arlis the Shade
•Party: Arlis, Astra, Jax, Na'ima, Sal
Location: Cursed Road
So we were told to go patrol the roads and along the way we ran into a random bag of gold. Thought it might be trapped so we tried testing it. I totally didn't touch it! But we got transported to this colosseum place and we were asked to fight stuff there. We were told that we could use our imaginations and whatever we could imagine could come true. So we went wild! Fought a bunch of crazy things, but it was real fun. Come to find out this little goblin girl was behind it all. All she wanted was a bunch of people to play with her. I would be down to coming back and fighting again. Hells yeah, lots of fun!
Yashir adh Rumahr
•20 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
Captain Aurora of the Cutlass has called upon us again. It was such fun the first time.
This time around, we were not obliged to do battle at sea. Instead, we were asked to infiltrate what is apparently a pirates-only establishment in the Trackless Sea. Our specific task was to learn what we could about a pirate crew called the Dark Tide; we were told that they had once been "code-following" pirates, whatever that means, but had turned to a terrifying cult.
Arriving at Waterdeep, we set sail for the island and... well, we were given the tools we would require to serve our purported parts as pirates. The others -- Shev, Surx, Bri, and especially Na'ima -- seemed to take great joy in their roles, whether for the sake of performance or wish-fulfillment. I... well, I did my best, but it is against my nature. I resolved to let them do the talking.
And talk they did, once we landed. First, they talked their way past a (physically) piggish man named Rummy Goldsnout, and then they talked their way through The Salty Mast, the bar where we were meant to find information about the Dark Tide. How we were to find such information was beyond me at the time, as a sign out front forbade their entry, but in we went anyway, with the assumption that the locals would at least know something about our quarry.
They did, as it turned out, but most were not willing to talk about them. Bad omens, I understand. But the group, minus myself, continued to talk, and learned what they required. A whole crowd of the Dark Tide pirates had taken a large room at the top level of the inn, and there their captain settled disputes amongst the crew from a literal throne. They became increasingly rough and unpleasant, and then one day, they simply vanished, leaving the room a mess.
At the bidding of one Captain Blakemore and the bartender, we went up to investigate the room. After prying off the boards the bartender had had put up and unlocking it, we passed through and looked around. The room was indeed an opulent mess, but Surx gathered enough papers to find references to Jotur -- an old world-sinking sea serpent god who was purportedly trapped beneath an island -- and that island, and a horn. We had been given to understand that the pirates had been talking about freeing Jotur from his prison, after having made a pilgrimage into an eternal storm that rages where that island was supposed to have been prior to its sinking, and being the only ones to return from such a mission.
Searching the throne, we found the horn. The moment I picked it up, we were dragged into a sort of living memory. In this vision, if vision it was, we witnessed the sinking of the island and the rage of Jotur, and participated in the defense of a priest of Valkur and a priestess of Umberlee as they worked their magic upon the horn, trying to break the curse that trapped us and several other pirates within. The captain of these pirates had already succeeded, apparently, but had left them behind. Needless to say, we also succeeded, and were immediately returned -- with these pirates -- to the room at the Salty Mast.
Questions yet abound, of course. Where did the captain go? Why did he leave behind the horn that was apparently key to loosing the god he seems to serve? It may be that my understanding of matters is deeply incomplete. What I do know is that a band of violent pirates is hells-bent on sinking the whole world beneath the ocean and letting a dark god rule over all. Whether they are capable of such or not, their effort alone will make them dangerous indeed, for who knows to what lengths they will go?
I suspect this will not be the last time we hear from Captain Aurora, or of the Dark Tide.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Surx
•TIME TRAVEL EXTRAVAGANZA?
Hey, whoever might be reading this :)
Oh man, this one was a fun one.
So, I don’t know much, but everyone except Na’ima had some history with this pirate crew that contracted us. I think it was a good history? Either way, they knew each other. Our mission was to infiltrate a pirate-only tavern.
After talking a bit with Aurora, the captain, and listening to some of the crew, I noticed they were going on about some end-of-the-world nonsense, something about a giant serpent destroying everything, and then the gods dropping an entire island on it. You know, classic religious cult talk to scare people into following them. Don’t fall for that, kids.
Anyway, the mission required disguises… and PIRATES! Aurora got us a bunch of pirate clothes. Oh yeah, the gang: me, Na’ima, Shev, Bri, and Yashir.
After some thinking, we all came up with pirate personas: Me: the Crimson Corsair, a hot redhead man (man, because there was already a hot redhead woman among us), Na’ima: the Boar, Shev: Shiv, Bri: Red Blade, and Yashir… honestly, I forgot his :(
Welp.
We got to the tavern, where there was this pig-looking bouncer. We had to convince him we were pirates—surprisingly easy.
Inside, there were… a lot of pirates. Shocking, I know. We split up to gather information. Everyone picked up bits and pieces, but Na’ima ended up talking to the right people and got us the full story.
So, there’s this pirate crew called The Dark Tide. Long story short: they were researching something related to that giant serpent I mentioned earlier. They had a room in the tavern and caused quite a bit of trouble before one day just disappearing. Only the captain ever left. Spooky.
We got ourselves the key, and a crowbar, and broke into their room. Pirates are very superstitious, so it was locked up tight.
Inside, there wasn’t much, just a mess and more of that serpent-and-gods mumbo jumbo.
Then Yashir, like an amateur, decided to touch a horn he found.
And we all got teleported.
To the past.
Yeah. Time travel. Because things weren’t weird enough already
We ended up on a beach, and it was chaos. Remember the serpent? Yeah, she was there—VERY far away, but also VERY big. So big we could barely even see it. People were running everywhere.
So we ran too.
We ran into the missing crew, and they told us they were stuck in a time loop. You remember the part about the gods dropping an island on the serpent? Yeah. That. well I think it was that island.
They said we had to protect some priests during a ritual involving the horn. If we succeeded, we could use it to get back.
So that’s what we did.
We fought off a multi-headed dragon thing, two fish-like creatures, and two water elementals. We held them off long enough for the ritual to finish. Then, when the priest came over—probably to thank us—Yashir just grabbed the horn from her and… blew it.
And that got us back.
So yeah. Apparently, someone is trying to free a giant serpent god that wants to destroy the world.
Which raises a question: how do people even join these cults?
Like seriously—who wakes up and thinks,
“Hmm, I want to free a god that hates me and will definitely kill me. Yeah, that sounds great. Can’t wait to destroy the entire world for someone who despises my existence.”
What the fuck?
- Surx XoXo
Na'ima
•The open sea; a place of salty dogs and piracy. We, that being Yashir, Surx, Bri, Shev, and myself, all boarded the ship known lovingly as the Cutlass in Waterdeep, where Surx and I were introduced to the Captain Aurora, her first mate Cirrus and Bartholomew. Apparently, the others had previously worked with the Mistborne before??
They informed us of a strange cult, The Dark Tide, that wanted to bring back a giant sea snake god like figure that would devour the world I think? It was trapped beneath the long gone city, and also might have a never ending storm somewhere near here?? The rumors were countless, mostly hearsay I think. But, the truth of the Dark Tide was that they were spotted near the Salty Mast, a pirate tavern that was exclusively for pirates. The Captain wanted us to gather any information we could, so, this meant we got TO DRESS UP AS PIRATES AND PLAY PRETEND!!
I was thrilled by this.
The rest of the party was less.. enthusiastic, Yashir especially. Apparently, he doesn't like lying, but I told him performance wasn't a lie, it was pretend. There are differences. We all had pirate personas we had to undertake; mine was The Boar, Bri was Redblade, Shev was Shiv, Yashir had one but quickly abandoned it, and Surx was Crimson Cuck or something. The party approached the tavern, where we saw a new sign that stated, NO DARK TIDE. Their message was clear, and we tried to enter.
But, were stopped by a quite handsome boar man with a lovely septum piercing named Rommy Goldsnout, who wanted us to prove that we were pirates. Oh, I proved something alright. He tasted like cheap ale and hardtack. I never felt more alive.
Inside, there were plenty of pirates, all with very tight lips when it came to the Dark Tide. Except for one group, that were... incredibly dangerous, by the looks of them. Not that I consider myself particularly soft, but when compared to them? Well... There really isn't a comparison. They were tasked with 'taking care' of a room upstairs by the proprietor of the establishment, Red Mags, and they wanted to bum the job off on us. I gladly took them up on that, and informed the others as we took a trip up the stairs....
We needed a crowbar to pry the boards from it. It was nailed shut, because apparently they viewed it as cursed. The Dark Tide, a week or so ago, entered the room with 4 men. A Captain leader and three others. But, after their time in the space, only he emerged.... We entered a room in disarray. There were papers scattered around, all with runes of conjuration to travel to other planes of existence? There was a coral throne, and a horn atop it. As soon as Yashir touched it, though, we were teleported to the beach, where people were running screaming.
When we turned to look at what they were fleeing from, we couldn't quite comprehend. A massive snake, this Jottaur, miles away and extending up into the sky. The rest of the party wanted to go and fight it; I brought them back into reality and we followed everyone towards the city. We came across three members that seemed to be calm amongst the panic, and quickly reasoned they were the Dark Tide that didn't leave the room. Apparently, this was time travel, and we were stuck in a loop unless we could ensure that a horn was made, the very same horn that brought us here. It was being crafted in a tower near the beach, and we had to defend it from monsters that they had failed to kill... multiple times, apparently. They knew this was the way out because their captain did the same, but abandoned them to this fate.
We went to the beach, and held off water elementals and a hydra. When the horn was constructed, with one mighty blow, warriors swept in, fighting back the hordes of beasts that remained, and carried us back to the future with the three missing members. They were ever thankful, and when we gave them over to Captain Aurora, I think she took them into her crew? Unsure.
Either way, I am officially a pirate, and can't wait for the next mission on the open sea!
Mimsy McGuffin!
•Thrax sent us through a portal with absolutely no explanation. But hey, I need money, and my motley crew of compatriots seemed capable enough, so in we went.
We ended up in a graveyard centered in a dark and gloomy forest, no idea where in the world itself. But we heard a cat yowling for help. We move in, unsure what else we were brought here for. We found the kitty stuck inside an empty, recently dug grave. Using magic hands, we were able to rescue the cat, who was wearing a tag indicating her name is "Obsidian."
She seemed to want us to follow her, and naturally we did so. Into a mausoleum of course. In there, was an ancient statue of mystra, an orb, and several undead that popped out. I thought we were planning on just leaving, as the undead were advising we "get out." But alas, one of our members stayed behind to fight, which meant we ALL stayed behind and fought. We felled them relatively easily, and Obsidian led us to a set of scrolls. On them, were the details of a Netherese necromancy ritual, and a map to the location, very convenient.
So off we went again! We were able to find our way through the forest, and stumble upon the ritual. What followed was a terrible battle. Two of us fell, and were brought back. BUT we were ultimately successful, stopping the necromancer ritual. And saving the world.
Luckyfoot
•A record of the investigation at the Gloomwood Cemetery on the nineteenth of Tarsakh, in the year 1502
My first job as a part of the Glassfang Syndicate was a strange one. It began with the Syndicate's leader performing some higher circle magic that teleported myself, some sort of imp goblin hybrid by the name of Desky, a dragonborn by the name of Mimsy and a strange, animated construct by the name of Vernal. I'd always been aware that there were all kinds of races that took up adventuring, so I suppose that rumor was truer than I expected.
The main object was to investigate strange occurrences at a cemetery, which had me feeling somewhat confident as I anticipated it would be somewhat similar to my experiences with archaeology with my father. Upon our arrival, we saw a sorry sight. The graves were overgrown, having fallen to the rigors of time. We discovered ancient Draconic writing that I believe may have been Loross or Netherese. After exploring for a few minutes, we heard the meows of a cat. Desky seemed to be disturbed, making some very strange comments that led me to believe he has a deep hatred or fear of felines, perhaps both. We found the cat trapped in a particularly deep grave that seemed unstable. Thankfully, Mimsy and Vernal were capable of casting mage hand and were able to work together to free the cat, which we later discovered was named Obsidian. After some strange discussions regarding both cats and cadavers, we decided to follow Obsidian who seemed to have a destination it wanted to lead us to.
Upon following Obsidian, we found what appeared to be a mausoleum in relatively good condition, when compared to the rest of the graveyard. As we entered, our attention was caught by a pristine statue of an older incarnation of Mystra, one that I believe was created during the reign of the Netheril, which supports my earlier conclusion about the language being used on some of the graves. We did not have much time to investigate before we were assaulted by three ghostly apparitions. Their touch was cold and draining, though I managed to find a small door in the altar under the statue of Mystra, which contained an orb that seemed to solidify their forms enough for my companions' magic to affect them. My weapons were ineffective, unsurprisingly. We managed to dispel the ghosts, and I offered a prayer to Mystra to see them through to their true afterlife. We took a break to relax and recuperate somewhat, where we also found some potions. Mimsy was able to identify them as being greater potions of healing, which was a relief to have on hand.
Obsidian took the lead once more, leading us to a secret passage underground. Our path was blocked by a portcullis, though with a good application of leverage I was able to lift it out of the way before getting it stuck overhead to allow us to proceed. We maanged to spot a trap as well, which Vernal disable with some forceful application of magic until it was triggered safely. Proceeding deeper into the catacombs, we found a sarcophagus and some papers, one of which featured a map of the cemetery and the second I have transcribed below:
"To the Disciple of Shadows, The time draws near when the veil between life and death will tear asunder. The ritual must be completed beneath the blood moon, within the cursed grounds of Gloomwood Cemetery. Gather the bones of the restless, those who cannot find peace, and bind them with the threads of the abyss. The Obsidian Spire awaits, shrouded in the eternal night of Neverwinter Wood. Within its ancient walls, the key to unholy power resides. The dead shall rise at your command, an army of shadows to sweep across the land. But beware—forces linger within the Spire, remnants of a forgotten age, and they do not slumber lightly. You must proceed with caution, for those who would stand against you draw near. They may seek to unravel our plans, but they cannot stop what has already begun. The darkness will claim what is rightfully ours. Do not fail me.
—Your Master of the Black Flame"
We were uncertain of when the letter was sent but with the map in hand we felt it best to investigate the area. Approaching the so called Obsidian spire, we found a necromancer in the middle of some kind of ritual, supported by two skeletons. He spotted us and a battle erupted. I managed to remove one of the gems that appeared to empower the necromancer, though it still seemed like he was somehow empowered by the other three. It was a bit of a blur, I was hit by some kind of necromantic ray and I lost consciousness briefly. Thankfully, the rest of my companions were able to finish him and Mimsy fed me one of my potions of healing. After some more investigation, the leader of the Syndicate opened another portal to allow us to return.
I believe I need some more practice with my bow, and I will be training to scale structures somewhat more effectively, as if I had been faster I may have been able to disrupt the ritual more effectively, given the gems powering the ritual were placed atop fifteen foot tall pillars. We were rewarded well for what we found and I plan to spend the gold I've earned to purchase some useful tools and equipment.
- Luckyfoot
Na'ima
•After a week, without the assistance of Surx as he considered himself 'too good' to help out anymore, I, Ivor, Coranzen, and Loderr were approached by the golden pseudodragon representative of Seer, who we discovered was named Hising (though, that might not be the correct spelling as the pseudo dragon does not know how to spell), who informed us of our mission. We were to go back to the Wizard's tower, and are tasked with searching its interior and bring back as many books and scrolls as we can. After some preparation, and a very inspiring dance if I do say so myself, we were teleported back to the top of the tower in the swamp south of Parnast.
Somehow, it smelled worse than it did before. The corpses we left had begun to rot and melt away, and I recounted to those who weren't at the battle between the Syndicate and Mother Fingers how everything went down. We then began exploring, as the entrance to this place was not clear. I went to the statue to the northeast, casting prestidigitation to clear of the years of moss and muck. Others began to explore, and Cor came to confide in me that he was thankful to see me. We had a nice moment, as he admitted he felt like a fish out of water in this circumstance. I assured him he was needed, and I noticed the arm of the statue could move. I told him to give it a try, and it operated like a leaver, opening a divot in the stone table near the center of the roof. I also revealed the face of the Gargoyle, and a plaque that read: Earth Remains Strong Protecting All.
We approached the opening, and noticed it had prongs perfect to hold the amulet we looted off Mother Fingers. Placing it in its slot, stairs opened to the tower. After making our way down, we saw our first puzzle. A combination of 4 god's symbols, Candle and Eye for Deneir, Hand with a finger pointing up for Aezuth, an open scroll for Oghma, and a seven star for Mystra. Ivor gave us each a religious lesson, ordering them alphabetically, as a new door opened. We were greeted by a level with a plethora of puzzles and statues to each of those four gods. I was interested, but Ivor practically lost his marbles over it. We split up, solving the riddles around, or, in my case, disabling the traps to retrieve the items that each held. When it came to a door, I tried to disable it with Cor's help, but didn't have any luck, triggering the trap as it shot poison darts at us.
THIS MUST HAVE INCREDIBLY ANGERED HIM TO THE POINT OF LOSING ALL REASON, AS HE KICKED DOWN THE DOOR!
A gargoyle came to life in the room inside, and he and I took care of them quickly before the others could arrive. However, this inadvertently broke the abjuration spell on the tower, as it started to shake. It would undoubtedly fully sink into the swamp now, but not for a few days, at least. We checked out the north portion, and each, after pairing each offering with an elemental corresponding to the primordial the offering bowl was dedicated to, felt oddly blessed. We then continued on, further down into the tower.
Another puzzle, with colored doorways. There was a message about needing to sing their praises, and I suggested we all sing. It was a beautiful quartet, but did nothing. Still really special moment, in my opinion. We then realized that the poems on each of the offering bowls above were connected to each of the doorways, and went back to memorize them. We made our way through them, with some damage from one that none of understood, before we came across a workshop. Ivor touched a book, and started another encounter. It was over quickly as the magma babies were weak. Then, there were three doors, one hidden as we uncovered a treasure trove. I looted quickly, shoveling it into a chest, before we went to the other doors.
A library was behind it, with 5 undead watchmen standing guard. They didn't seem to move, just... watch. Loderr started to negotiate, but the main one at the desk held a boney finger to its lips. We walked out to discuss. Coming back in, we asked if we could take the books; it shook its head no. We left to discuss. I went back and noticed it was writing, since it couldn't speak, we got paper and let it communicate that way. I asked if it was cursed with eternal life, it wrote yes. I asked how to free it from this academic prison, it wrote death.
We walked out to discuss.
Ivor suggested a quite convoluted strategy involving doors and ambushing them as they rushed out in retaliation. It was... a plan. We started it, and the skeletons didn't rush after us. I peaked in, took an arrow for my troubles, and cast cloud of scimitars, and ran back. They shut the door.
A foolish plan, to assume that they would follow. They were told to protect the books, so that is what they would do. We all rushed in, and managed to take them down. Gathering all the books and scrolls we could possibly carry, we were paid handsomely after climbing a staircase that led to the ROOF SOMEWHERE??? HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE THIS BEFORE?!
Yashir adh Rumahr
•14 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
This was an odd mission. Back to the Moonshae Isles, where it seems that everything that can go wrong, spectacularly will.
The captain of the guard in this city contracted us to come look into a murder. It was an odd one, he said, and one the guards could not -- or would not -- solve themselves. His reasons for outsourcing help so far away remain entirely opaque, but I am reasonably certain that they are one of two: either he was amused to do so, or he was simply to lazy to do his job himself. I suppose it could also be both. The entire town was absolutely obsessed with baked goods, which struck me as oddly sinister.
Well. Bri and Shev examined the victim. I do not know what they found, save for what they told us -- a black ooze in his head and in parts of his body. Solia and I, in the meantime, went to question the victim's neighbor, who had found the body. A pleasant old woman, or so it seemed. She seemed less interested in the murder than in offering us cookies. I declined.
The woman seemed friendly enough, but she avoided our questions and concealed what she knew. When pressed, she attempted to cast a charm upon us, and worse. Combat ensued. I shall not beat around the proverbial bush any farther: she was dead already, and filled to the brim with the same vile black ooze. It packed quite a punch, and was quite caustic when it splashed on me every time I struck it, but Solia and I were able to nullify it in short order.
But the trouble was not over. More slimes were popping up throughout the city, and we had to hurry to contain them before more people were infected. As we went, striking them down as we found them, we slowly learned about them: they were, I now understand, devouring knowledge. They left behind blank books, consuming the words and information contained therein. They consumed their victims' brains in the same way, and assumed their lives to avoid notice, as they had with the old woman.
Finally, we learned the source of the oozes: the city's largest central library. We traveled there and found it practically empty, save for one intoxicated young man. We pressed him for information and sent him on his way.
The library was rife with tiny oozes, each one slowly erasing the books they came across, each one making its way to some central location. Following one, we discovered a trapdoor.
What we found beneath was... predictable. So predictable that Shev felt the need to predict it out loud, and we all rolled our eyes and agreed. A giant slime was down the stairs, comparatively intelligent and powerful. It made empty excuses for its villainy, claiming responsibility for the vandalism of the city's books and for the murder, yet believing itself vindicated by virtue of... just learning? I can't be guilty because I'm just learning? I think that was the general point.
Whatever the case, we fought. A second slime dropped down from the ceiling to support it, but Solia locked it down with her arrows while Shev, Bri, and I finished off the comparatively smart one.
The useless captain was grateful to us, and rewarded us with a pittance of gold and a job-well-done.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Solia Faolanri
•Party: Solia, Yashir, Shev, Bri
Place: The Moonsea
Day: 14 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.
We were engaged by the captain of the guard in this city to investigate a murder he described as… irregular. He offered little in the way of useful context, and less still in explanation for why such a matter required assistance from outside his own ranks. I cannot determine whether this decision stemmed from negligence or idle curiosity. It may well be both.
From the moment of our arrival, I found the city itself disquieting. Its culture appears singularly preoccupied with baked goods—an enthusiasm so pervasive that it borders on the unnatural. I have learned to trust such instincts. Environments that present as overly pleasant often conceal something less benign beneath the surface.
While Bri and Shev examined the victim, I accompanied another to question the neighbor who discovered the body. She presented as a kindly older woman—hospitable, eager to offer us cookies before engaging with our inquiries. I declined.
Her demeanor remained pleasant, but her answers were evasive. When pressed, she attempted to influence us through magic. That alone confirmed my suspicions.
What followed was brief but instructive. The woman was already dead, her body inhabited by a corrosive black ooze. The substance reacted violently when struck, lashing out with caustic force, but we were able to destroy it without sustaining serious harm.
Unfortunately, this encounter proved to be only the beginning.
Reports quickly spread of similar creatures manifesting throughout the city. We moved to contain them, engaging and destroying the oozes wherever they appeared. In doing so, we began to understand their nature. They consumed knowledge—literally. Books were left blank in their wake, stripped of all text. Their victims suffered a similar fate, their minds emptied and their identities assumed as a means of concealment.
This trail led us to the city’s central library.
We found it largely abandoned, save for a single intoxicated young man who provided little of value before we sent him on his way. Within, the infestation was extensive. Smaller oozes moved methodically through the stacks, erasing information page by page, each one progressing toward a common destination.
Following one such creature, we discovered a concealed entrance leading below.
As expected, the source awaited us there—a larger, more advanced specimen. It demonstrated a degree of intelligence and attempted to justify its actions, claiming that its behavior was merely an extension of learning and therefore beyond reproach. The argument was unconvincing.
We engaged it. A second ooze joined the fray from above, but I was able to contain it at range while the others focused their efforts on the primary threat. Both were ultimately destroyed.
With the source eliminated, the remaining activity ceased.
We reported back to the captain, who expressed his gratitude in the form of modest payment and commendation. The matter, for now, appears resolved.
I remain unconvinced that this city is as benign as it presents itself.
Ivor Bersk
•We escorted Raurus Thane or whatever his name was, following the star map the gnome drafted.
An amazing place. A map to the location was drafted by me.
Na'ima
•This was, perhaps, one of the more unique journeys I have attended in my time at the Syndicate. We were requested by Raurus Thane, a gnomish astronomer from Secomber, who said that he had a Revelation that there are 'special runes' somewhere nearby. Apparently, the 'stars' showed him this. I am not one to question someone who was willing to pay us, so I, Tapioca, Fenris, Ivor, and Loderr lead him on a journey into the wilderness.
Ivor tracked our progress with cartography tools, making a map on the road. Raurus was a rather talkative companion, describing his dreams and his life work with fervor, which made stealthing a futile effort. I didn't mind as much, until, of course, I noticed someone hiding up the road. I stopped the group, and called out to them, letting them know we could see them. A bickering back and forth between the pair, they revealed themselves and their fellow bandits, identifying as Frank, Jenny, Paul, and Kepner. This made the leader, Captain Maelis, quite upset, chastising with a, "Why am I paying you this much money?!"
Their mission was to grab Raurus, and as they enclosed on us, I offered them twice whatever she would pay. This had no effect on them, and suddenly, with Kepner's whistle, dire wolves appeared. Combat broke out, and we started to take them out one by one. We ensured to not kill any of them, except for Tapioca, who ruthlessly killed two of the dire wolves. They tried to flee, but thanks to Loderr, he held firm to Maelis, and we were able to capture an interrogate them. They had orders from one Hadrik to bring Raurus back with them. Might’ve been false, might’ve been one of several. She described him as "human, as far as I could tell. Medium height. Lean build. Kept himself covered, hood up, gloves on. Dark hair, maybe. Nothing loud about him."
We don't know much about him, but this is a starting point should we wish to investigate later.
We left them hogtied and continued to the runes. Upon a perils plateau was a massive sundial, with intricate runes around its circumference. Approaching, three harpies revealed themselves and began to sing. I managed to maintain my focus, but the rest of the party was not as lucky. The battle could have gone far worse, leading to a long drop and a sudden stop off the stoney edge. Swarms of Stirges, too, made an appearance, but we managed to slay all the creatures.
Raurus was ever thankful, assured that he made the right choice in hiring us. We explored around, and I found a Ruby of the War Mage. I kept it as compensation. The others found items of their own, but that is for them to share, as I am not claiming anything on their taxes for them. Potentially, we might return to discover the truth of this Hadrik...
Salviron Lisel
•Me, Na'ima, Surx, Ivor, and Mila were invited to the town of Parnast and we were to be tracking hobgoblins looking for a wizard tower. These hobgoblins may be working for a hill giant named Badfrual and they want us to investigate and see if there is plans to come after the town. Badfrual usually has different tribespeople that follow her like goblins, giants, ogres, etc.
Near everyone else in this group seems to have beef with the man that hired us...
But anyways we went off to begin our job and a golden pseudodragon sppeared saying "Seer" is requesting access to the wizard tower and that they'd pay us for it. A few of use recalled the Seer has hired the Guild before and has shown trustworthy at the moment now. But it was agreed to give them the wizared tower if we so find it.
We ended up walking through a swamp. :I
As we continued through, we found dead hobgoblins. They were laying on muddy parts of ground and half underwater. So we began our investigation. One of them had a magical Conjuration ring on them but I'd rather not get near them in the event of something dangerous. And as if on cue, the water rippled at its edges as if small creatures were coming. We prepared ourselves for battle and mud elementals bubbled up from the water and then the actual water started to come to life like a dragon. We defeated the elementals and the water but another mud elemental was just...watching. He smelled awful. He called himself Feetor and I really can't descirbe the smell. But he did tell us about a powerful leader called Momma Knuckles that's deeper in the swamp, living on an island.
We proceeded forward after checking the hobgoblin corpses for items. We had to walk for hours. Luckily we didn't get lost. Feetor still smelled bad. But eventually we came across an encampment. Much of the group outside myself and Ivor went ahead to see about communicating with whatever was inside and then I receieved a mental ping from Surx letting us know that they did not succeed in talking to whatever was inside and we had to battle. There were ogres. Smelly ones. This is the worst day and time of my life.
The battle was rough--Momma Knuckles was some type of hag and we defeated her but the ogres decided to run away to joing Badfrual. Mila--for whatever reason decided to yell the Syndicate's name for them to say they should behave or else we'd come after them. Now. This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. Why are they yelling about who we are and giving away our identities. I can't.
We investigated the remains and looted everything out, finding the camp was around the actual wizard's tower. I suppose that would be prepared easily. I don't want to come back to this smelly place though.
Na'ima
•After mending the relationship with Parnast, Surx, Ivor, and I made our way back with Sal and Mila, as the infamous Ragnar Redtooth had requested help from the Syndicate once more. It was... a rough meeting, as both Ivor and Surx utterly fail to play nice with people we hate. Subtlety in the Syndicate? Unheard of.
He, however, was worried about a war band of Hobgoblins to the south, fearing their mission to uncover some 'wizard's tower' would end up with them aligned with Badfrual, a female hill giant who already had a sizable army of ogres, trolls, goblins and the like. Frankly, I found that this could have been negotiated, especially with Mila the Hobgoblin accompanying us. Wishful thinking, on my part.
Making our way south, we were stopped by a golden pseudo dragon with clouded eyes. Blind, one can only assume; but the most blind of us all was Ivor as he immediately agreed to do whatever the tiny creature asked without a single question as to the intentions behind its request. It served 'Seer", a name I read somewhere, but Seer needed us to find this Wizard's tower. Since Ivor agreed before we could discuss, we added this to our to do list.
We came across a dead platoon of hobgoblins. They were half buried in the swamp, and as we were inspecting the bodies, mud mefits and a water monster attacked us. It was no issue, despite how much Sal protested to the smell and the conditions. A pudgy mud mefit came out and congratulated us for our victory, saying that he would align himself with us. Feetor was his name, and he smelled... unique. I sprayed him with perfume. It didn't help. But, he was a massive help, telling us of Mother Fingers and her Boys, another powerful faction in this swamp. When pressed on it, Feetor informed us that she was near that Wizard's tower, so we had him direct us to her home.
It was a dreary 6 hour march through the swamp. Imagine if we didn't have a guide.
We came across ogres, and I told Surx that we should approach and start negotiating with them. Surx, of course, is incapable. We started combat, and whittled down their numbers. Mother Fingers was, of course, a hag, and I nearly killed her. I nearly killed her. That conniving pixie Surx had the audacity to take the kill from me, standing right in front of me, smiling like the smug bastard he is. This has utterly soiled his reputation in my mind. I am utterly enraged, even now, writing this days after.
One ogre escaped. I think Mila, in a moment of pride, voiced who we were to it as it fled. A foolish decision that is sure to have concequences. But, who is to say? They could have been too concerned with their life to listen, running breeze could have filled their ears, or they could be too stupid and forget. It was an ogre, after all.
Upon further inspection, the area was the top of the wizard's tower. Apparently, it had sunk so far into the swamp that it was utterly underground. I must return, and see to the end of this endeavor.
Mila
•I have joined Surx, Ivor, Salviron and Na'ima to a mission on behest of mayor of Parnast. Apparently there was a band of Hobgoblins spotted seeking wizard's tower in the swamp. The mayor was an individual whom my companions had poor opinion of. And he didn't exactly endear himself to me with his assumption I'm one of the hostile Hobgoblings, already captured. We did manage to learn the Hobgoblins are likely serving in what my village used to call a "grab-bag" army - assortment of random mercenaries, tribes and bandits of different species, unified only by presence of one warlord leader. In this case, the warlord was a hill giantess, Badfrual. I guess giants like to keep my people under their boot as well.
Before we could venture on our quest, however, a pseudodragon familiar showed up. On behalf of some sort of Seer, it requested we keep the tower out of Hobgoblin hands and allow them later exploration of it,. Since some of my companions remembered the Seer as an past client of Syndicate, we agreed to this offer.
I was hoping that, once we meet the Hobgoblins, we will be able to talk to them and maybe even convince to switch sides. Unfortunatelly, by the time we found them, they have already been slain. Their killer (Water Weird, I believe), that attacked us with a bunch of Mephits. One Mephit, which smelled horribly, observed us fighting these enemies. After our victory, he offered to lead us to leader of local forces in the swamp - Mother Knuckle. After I gave fallen Hobgoblins quick burial, stinky Mephit lead us to her lair. Which turned out to be on top of a sunken tower, likely the very one we were looking for.
We tried to sneak into the camp, posing as "monsters" looking for work. But this attempt failed so hard the only explanation is that we run into Faerun's most paranoid Ogre. We were force to defeat Mother Knuckle and her Ogres. Some of them fleed after seeing their leader fall. Hearing them plan to join Badfrual, I attempted a preemptive intimidation tactic. I told one of them to make sure to let Badfrual know what quick work Glassfang Syndicate made of his previous employer. My reasonign was that it may cause the giantess to think twice before crossing our paths. But my companions felt that it would rather provoke her to seek us out, and killed the Ogre. A shame, but they did make a fair point, so I won't be arguing.
Surx
•Did I ever write how much I hate Parnast?
So yeah, another mission there. My boy Raggnar :) was worried about a group of hobgoblins that were “too close” to town. (Not close enough, in my opinion.) Apparently, they wanted to join a hill giant’s army at some wizard’s tower.
So, me, Na’ima, Ivor, Sal, and Mila went to where these hobgoblins were supposed to be. On the way, a tiny dragon appeared, and Ivor—being weird about dragons—didn’t even let the thing speak before agreeing to do its bidding. That might be something he needs to work on, honestly. Anyway, the tiny dragon asked us to find a wizard’s tower.
We eventually found the hobgoblins… dead, in the middle of the swamp, with no apparent cause. Well, we figured out the cause soon enough—mephits and these water snake things started attacking us. We dealt with them without too much trouble, and then another little, smelly mud mephit showed up and started talking. Very annoying creature. Still, it led us to the wizard’s tower from before. Quite a long walk, by the way.
When we got there, we found a group led by someone called “Momma-something,” with around ten ogres under her command. We tried to infiltrate their ranks, but that didn’t work, so we had to fight our way through.
When we finally reached this “Momma” figure, turns out she wasn’t a person she was a hag. A sea hag, to be exact. Honestly, I feel a bit bad for them. They’re so ugly that people and animals fear them on sight. I imagine that’s part of why they end up so cruel they can’t really make friends. Must be a difficult existence.
Anyway, the rest of the group was terrified of her :)
Not me, of course. I see beauty differently. When you can be whoever you want, it’s hard to judge based only on appearance… though, yes, she was ugly.
It was a tough fight. I was handling three or four ogres at once, but I’m good, so it was manageable. In fact, I even killed the hag myself—with a single hit. All me.
Once she went down, the ogres lost their nerve and ran. We let them go, and no one said anything that could cause trouble for the Syndicate.
All is good :)
Surx
Mila
•Our thrio took an invitation to attend the festival in a small village deep in the forest. Feeling less experienced and afraid how people would react to a Hobgoblin, I fell back on letting Mimsy and Artemyeva do lot of talking. So when I say "we" talked to someone, I mean mostly them. I was observing village's odd customs - the mayor was a goat, for one. My Sphinx liked the mayor and I let them play together. This turned out to be a mistake, as a small child freed the goat to play with both, and the goat ran to the forest. Village's rulling council informed us the Festival is set to sacrifice a Mayor to Not-So-Good Neighbours who live in forest beyond the river, in exchange of them not killing children. Hence why the mayor is a goat. If the goat would not be sent to other side of the river by sunset, the deal would be broken. Situation was dire and I must admit, with shame, pressure made me slipp into some old army habbits and be rude to one of villagers, who only tried to help. We already were on thin ice with villagers after my companions tried to negotiate payment for fiding the goat, and my outburst did not help.
We managed to track the goat to the forest on other side of the village, where we discovered a different group, composed of Satyrs and Dryads, who invited the Mayor to their festivities and feed him food that gave him sentience. We convinced the Mayor to relinquish his title in favor of nearly identical goat who was, to quote, "an asshole". We also convinced one of Dryads to go back with us to join the festival. Hopefully, the villagers and these Fey will form an alliance against the Neighbours.
We took a boat with new Mayor to other side of the river. But it was already sunset and the being that was receiving sacrifices tried to claim the deal is broken. The village's original mayor, help shrunk in a bottle by this mysterious individual, told us the villain behind this plot loves contests and riddles. Figure he is some sort of Fey as well. So we challenged him to one and managed to solve it. He stormed off, alongside his lackeys, who appeared to be some sort of Goblinoids. Adding Fey to the long list of those who force my people into servitude. Something I will need to research further.
We returned to the village and returned home via a portal. Lessons learned: I need to work on my people skills, research ties between Fey and Goblinoids and not let my flying cat out of sight again.
Coranzen Hyluan
•
Coranzen Hyluan, the drow barbarian refugee who was took in by the Syndicate went on his first task. The border of Elturel had groups of comonners trying to salvage resources and group up in order to make a caravan off of town. This was due to the demonic invasion. In the ensuing chaos, groups of robbers took to terrorizing the townspeople.
The group (consisting of Na’ima, Surx, Coranzan, Mimsy and Dahlia). met with Dara, a wise-beyond-her-years child that asked them to speak with the Miller, the Blacksmith and the Innkeeper to round up resources and join the caravan. They first moved to the Blacksmithing shop, discovering the smithy and his assistant were roughed up by ruffians, and had their supplies stolen. When a mysteriously convenient knock came at the door, an elven woman spoke of the same men. The party investigated and found a temple, that had behind a magical well mirage, a cult sacrifice happening. They fought the cultists, and slayed the demon that burst out of an innocent hostage. The group then headed for the mill and had the task of convincing a hard-headed villager to come along, so that the miller’s heart might rest easy for his friends safety. After succeeding, they went to the Inn and found the building in flames. The party rushed in and had to fight through multiple hordes of lemures, devil distorted creatures. They broke through doors and locks, and managed to rescue the innkeep and his family (with a quick discussion on the execution of the “check the pulse” manouver).
They then round up all the individuals and their supplies and sent them to Dara, while the party was rushed through a portal by the guild leader. Who assured them the job was complete.
Na'ima
•It is important to note that the context by which we were sent to this mission were incredibly rushed, and, frankly, Thrax did very little to inform us of the circumstance that we were being sent into.
However, even with proper forewarning, I doubt that we would have been able to fully prepare ourselves.
Elturel was where we were teleported. What remained of it when we arrived, however, was a crater. Answers were few and far between, but, despite this, a child named Dara, maybe 9 years old, Ghorin, a priestly man, and Clyde, a goat, were already seeing to evacuation and relocation. This is what humanity is; even in utter hardship, people rise to the occasion and help their fellow neighbors to see everyone survive. There were three other places we needed to check, to gather supplies, lives, and weapons for the long refugee trip ahead. Whillum at the Smithy, Ippon the General Supplies, and The Inn called the Fabled Faun.
Mimsy, Surx, a new member Cor, and myself, were joined by a pink trifling named Dahlia. The first stop was to the Blacksmith, who was on edge. Apparently, the other side of humanity was already at play, too, as he was recently robbed of all his weapons. A elf woman ran in, and informed us she was attacked by bandits on the road. We went, following the path, grabbing a cart for supplies, and came across an abandoned temple. With a secret side door, We found a cultist group that summoned a demon after a brutal sacrifice. Something truly inhuman was happening here. But we didn't have time for this. Taking the weapons back, we picked up Whillum (Willem?) and headed for the inn.
The inn was on fire. Immediately, we leaped into action, and had to fight off sludgy face abominations. We saved the innkeeper and his wife, though, nothing could have been done to save the building. We were sent home, but, I think we did good. Saved as many lives as we could.
Surx
•This one is also way too overdue.
So, a fun one too. I don’t know much about demons well, I know they like contracts and such. Bunch of nonsense in my opinion; a good old verbal agreement is much better. I’m losing the plot, sorry.
So we all met for a mission: me, Na’ima, Mimsy, and Coranzen, who at the time was a newbie in the Syndicate. Thrax shows up, explains basically nothing, and just teleports us away.
We go through the portal and appear in… I don’t even know how to describe it. A massive hole in the ground where Elturel was supposed to be. Demons everywhere, refugees lots of them. We met a few, including a pink tiefling who was a bit of a snob, in my opinion, but that doesn’t really matter.
The refugees asked us to gather supplies, weapons, and more refugees, so off we went. We got to a blacksmith, and while we were talking to him, a woman conveniently knocked on the door, claiming there were bandits and other dangers outside. All lies she was clearly up to no good. But nobody believed me, so we didn’t do anything about it.
Next, we went to a temple. I personally didn’t notice anything strange, but the others found a secret door. We went down the stairs, and sure enough demonic ritual. Very fun, indeed. We tried to stop it, but they managed to transform the poor guy on the table into a spined demon. We killed all the cultists, though Cor went down for a bit luckily, he was quickly healed.
After that, we found an old man who refused to leave his house. I almost knocked him out to drag him along, but it didn’t come to that we convinced him to leave willingly.
Then, our last stop: an inn that was on fire. Inside, there were these blob-like demons looked like multiple people fused together into a mass of flesh. Truly fascinating, not going to lie. Never thought something like that could exist. Anyway, we killed them all and managed to save the people inside.
Buuut while me, Cor, and Na’ima were doing that, Mimsy and the pink lady Dahlia, that was her name were apparently trying to “help” a dying man… by going through his pockets. They claimed they were checking his pulse through his pockets. I don’t know how nobody else found that suspicious, but okay.
With the inn cleared and people saved, we returned to the caravan of poor souls. Mission complete, I guess. I still don’t really understand how the Syndicate works, but we got our gold, so that’s good :)
Salviron Lisel
•We decided to head to the tree we were told about on our last job. The druid's name was Khorshad if I'm remembering correctly. He said its the largest tree in the forest but...that may be near impossible to find considering its, y'know, a FOREST.
But I digress.
We headed out with me, Arlie, Assy, Fenris, and a new guy called Yargol. The badges we were given didn't have anything marked but they did have some type of magic on them that after I identified it, I learned was divination magic of some kind.
We headed off into the forest and followed the badges directions as it seemed to heat up while we kept walking. While we kept going, it just felt like we were walking for hours, much longer than we actually were. Having detect magic up was like a beacon of light--everything was magical. It was almost painful.
Fenris seemed to find the right path but then he sunk into a mud bog and we had to drag him out of it. So Arlie checked a different path and found another symbol carved into a tree. This one a bit different than what we've seen previously but Yargol was able to tell that it is the Druidic symbol for "Road". Arlie checked another road and that one had symbols indicating "Pain". We decided to not go down that road.
We went through the path and came to a pool of water that was surrounded by stones with runic symbols on them. Using magic that aligned with the symbols and their meanings seemed to make them glow but there wasn't anything that happened. It took us a moment but we managed to figure out the riddle and a tunnel opened up.
Against better judgement, we went through the tunnel and the magic here was ancient...much older than anything else I've felt. Roots were stacked together into the form of a giant face. It spoke in our minds and asked what we were doing there. Arlie gave a very direct response but there was no interaction from the form face. I told it about wanting to help with the animals that are suffering and the brand and was invited inside to enter the tree essentially.
It took them a moment, but everyone else joined in behind me and we found ourselves in the heart of the Emerald Enclave. We saw Falken who introduced us to the others in the Circle of Leaders. He said one is a researcher so I beelined it to her. She'd be the best person to talk to in my opinion. I explained to her about the runes we found and she says they seem to be ruins that change a creature's natural instinct. The symbols seem to be returning to how it was before people started settling on the land and once it was returned to how it was supposed to be--the brands magic fades because that is no longer a target.
We explained everything and the Warden said there was a prior Enclave member that broke from the Enclave itself and may be one that would have the strength and belief to do this. A couple of the members got into an argument-- one believes there is too much industrial growth while another does not think that should be halted.
We agreed to assist the Emerald Enclave in following this through.
Arlis the Shade
•Party: Astra, Arlis, Sal, Fenris, Yargol
Location: Uh... forest?
So... not sure how well I can explain this, but... here we go.
So last job we were told to go find the Enclave people at a big tree and that's what we decided to do. We kinda found a guy from the Syndicate along the way and he came with us. Found out the guy that told us to go there is named Khorshad. Said it was the largest tree in the forest and we found out that the emblems he gave us kinda sorta pointed us in the direction we needed to go.
We played warmer-colder for a bit until we came to an area with multiple paths. Big Guy tried to look down a path and got stuck in some sinking mud. Had to get all of us and a magical pigeon-horse to get him out. Figured that's not the way to go. So I started looking at some of the different paths and found that there were more symbol thingies carved in the trees. One of 'em the guy we found could read. Said 'road'. We checked another one just to be sure that would be the right one. Figured it's not the best to go down the route that said 'pain'.
We came to a clearing with a pool of water and a bunch of stones with more runes. The others were able to figure out what order to activate them to make a hidden pathway reveal itself. Once we got through we were welcomed to the Emerald Enclave hideout.
We met a bunch of members who... were oddly friendly. Were they expecting us? Guess so. We talked a bit to 'em, they talked to us. Sounds like Astra was making friends with one of the dwarves... one of which kinda reminded me of what Solia was talking to me about earlier in the day... About what her brother said about nature and preserving it and shit. I wonder if the two know each other.
Writin' this in their hangout. Still got more questions to ask... a lot of questions...
Fenris Corhelm
•
The group gathered at the Syndicate and proceeded to follow up on the mission we were given to find the Emerald Enclave bastion in the nearby woods around the Greypeak Mountains. The only real clue we were given was that the tree the bastion was located at was in the middle of the forest. Using the skills at our disposal, we trekked further and further into the forest being lead by Yargol who seemed to be pretty familiar with forest travel. We eventually found ourselves at an area where the path split off in multiple directions. I spotted a large set of exposed roots by on of the paths and thought they might belong to this large tree we had been looking for. The others agreed but when I continued forward, I immediately sunk up to my midsection in mud. Feeling myself starting to sink deeper, I managed to pull from my pack my coil of rope and toss one end to the group. It took quite a while but they were finally able to pull me free. Astra slapped my backside again, not really sure why she's so keen on doing so but afterwards the mud was cleaned from my clothes magically. A few of the others spotted more runes and Yargol was able to read them. Finding the one labeled "road" we followed that path to a small opening. In said opening was a ring of stones with runes with a well in the middle. As we entered the forest closed behind us and the path we had just been on disappeared. Through some trial and error, we managed to figure out the right way of activating a few of the stones that allowed us to travel deeper into the forest where we came upon a massive tree with what looked like a face on it. It asked us why we were there. We each stated our reasons and were teleported onward where we met with the Enclave. Each of us spoke with different members, well Astra did less talking and did more beard sniffing but I digress. The leader wished for us to form an alliance with them and work with them to figure out who was behind all the goings on lately. We agreed and then were given pins with magic upon them to make travel easier between the Syndicate and the Heartwood Tree. I returned to the Syndicate while a few of the others stayed and spoke with the Enclave further.
Mimsy McGuffin!
•31 Ches 1502 DR
Well, Ive been here for a few weeks.
I must admit, I am not having the best time. Though, the reliable food and drink has been nice, and the company is nice. I've been hesitant to explore, many of my associates are much more equipped to handle the dangers of the road. Though, my coin purse is feeling light, suppose I will need to get out there some time, as Ive only had 2 contracts. One, I almost died, and the other I was able to keep conscious. Hopefully the later becomes a trend.
31 Ches 1502 DR
Solia died, Shev was turned to stone. This is a dangerous place
(previous note got deleted >_>)
Temoren Cairnwright
•It has been a little over a month since I signed up with the Glassfang Syndicate back on the 25th of Hammer. I expected travel, contracts, and the occasional interesting problem. So far, it has delivered exactly that.
Our patrol toward Shining Falls was the most serious work yet. Goblins riding worgs had been harassing travelers along the runoff. We managed to deal with most of them, though not without some close calls. Bri went down hard at one point, but Solia and I managed to coordinate getting her back up while I worked to keep Jax from doing the same. I also discovered that keeping myself mobile is sometimes the best way to keep everyone else alive. Somewhere in the middle of all that I apparently sprouted radiant wings. I have no explanation for this yet, but they were helpful.
There have been quieter moments too. I have made a little coin in Shining Falls selling some of my maps and doing cobbler work for the halflings in town. Boots wear out quickly around here, and it turns out people are happy to pay someone who can fix them properly.
I have also been sparring regularly and getting stronger. Strong enough now to fully maintain my homunculus servant, Fetch. He has technically been with me all along, but he is considerably more capable now. Being short has its logistical challenges. Fetch solves many of them.
Not everything has been smooth among the Syndicate members. Solia and Thompson have had a bit of a rift after a hag apparently tried to bargain with Solia to break his heart in exchange for removing her feelings entirely. I told Thompson what happened. I am still not sure if that was the correct choice, but those two seem incapable of simply talking to each other like reasonable people.
Aside from that, everyone has been good company. New faces seem to arrive every day. The kobolds remain enthusiastically kobold. Thrax is still Thrax, though Na’ima insists he is not a proper orc since he apparently cannot speak their language. Na’ima herself is a fascinating person and I suspect I will learn quite a bit from her.
All things considered, the Syndicate has been exactly what I hoped it would be: a place where capable people gather and interesting work finds them.
Here’s to more adventures… and hopefully a few treasures along the way. I am still very glad I signed that contract.
Temoren Cairnwright
Artrificer Cartographer
Na'ima
•15 Ches, 1502 DR
I debated whether or not this diary entry would function better as a piece of prose or poetry. I considered the greats, such as... well, considering I do not know of any greats in either of those genres of artistic expression, I am left with the fact that I, alone, must regale those who turn their eye to it with how my life marches on. Form remain formless, as it will undoubtedly blend both prose and poetry. I am no good with words, and thus, will not be limited by literary critique or the shackles of tradition.
I am a dancer. I wouldn't quite consider myself a musician, despite my understanding of rhythm and melody I am not the best performer. I just like to dance. I like to feel my body move, and use that movement to get what I want. Most of the time, that works. Here, at the Syndicate, however, they speak a different form of dance, as Yashir puts it. The dance of battle.
And, while the few sparring sessions I have had, with him, Mimsy, and Temoren were certainly educational in this new way of dancing, nothing opened my eyes more to the terrifying reality in which I adopted than running into three metal ox. They were easily three times my size, with horns of steel the length of branches. Monstrous, killing machines, they turned one of our own to stone with a blink of their eye. A few of us barely survived the encounter. Despite taking one out with my scimitar, I do not feel confident I would be able to do so again.
Then, there was the man on the road, whose body became a beast. It was unnatural, a horrible ailment that I was happy to have avoided catching. Both of these fights, I managed to remain unharmed. This is unlikely to continue forever.
I must get stronger. I must use what I know to survive. I am not someone who uses weapons- this is a possibility for the future, but I am floundering at this current crucible. I am a dancer, I know all the steps. I will use these to progress. No amount of training with others is going to teach me what I already know.
I am a weapon all on my own.
I have my first mission in a few days. I must be ready for it.
Na'ima
Salviron Lisel
•Assy, Arlie, and I joined the Syndicate this month. A kobold exploded in our faces when we signed up. I don't even know anymore.
Otherwise, we went with Tem to explore Shining Falls and some nobles tried to tax us while we were on the street! Do they not understand how taxes even work???? I'm so lost. But we continued back to the Syndicate and ended up finding the dumbest child I've ever met. I hate children. He was abandoned by his friends that ended up being FAKE people--not even real. But whatever I guess.
Before we even learned that though, Arlie took the kid back tot he Syndicate with us since he lives in Loudwater (what kind of name is that???) and then we headed out after a couple days to return the kid home. This tentacle cats stole the kid and then we had to do some weird convincing to get him back before he died. But we got him back home and learned his mom died and his dad is a mess and the kid is stupid.
Another day I went out with Arlie to go and get a new spellbook and these woods are stupid and dangerous but we stumbled into Assy that was off the path and picking flowers. So of course we had to go see what she was doing and then she fell into some sticky web cocoon. There weren't any spiders...at least that we saw but oh my, that could have ended so badly.
We had another job that involved more of the same symbols and this thing called the Emerald Enclave and apparently there's some kind of nonsense happening with them. I don't even know anymore.
I guess it'll just have to be a trip from here. I'm not sure if I'm happy about that.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•28 Ches,1502 D.R.
These are tumultuous times.
The Glassfang Syndicate is, as an organization, still very new to the Shining Falls locale. Accordingly, I am relatively unfamiliar with the ordinary course of things. Perhaps the region has always been like this. Perhaps, when one settles down long enough, it is the way of things in all places. I wouldn't know. My life before the Syndicate could hardly be described as settled. Be that as it may, I was never aware of the sheer variety of tribulations that plague an apparently sleepy little halfling town.
Goblins. Yetis. Hags. Vermin of unusual size. Giant metal bulls that turn you to stone. I have lost count of the monsters and the hazards I've faced, and that's just the local fauna with which one must evidently contend on the way to the outhouse. Such a reckoning does not begin to categorize what we've faced on formal missions abroad -- teleported to the literally damnedest of places to do battle with other people's problems. Well. At least we get paid for that. And by "that" I mean everything from goats holding political office to griffins to pirates on the high seas to infernal engines of war in the Nine Hells themselves.
We have made enemies of nearly all of them, and loose alliances with some few. Though I, for one, have sought to keep neutral and give my loyalty to the coinpurse as befits a mercenary, it has not always been possible to avoid taking sides. Still, as an organization we seem to remain on good terms with all of the local big names, for now at least.
It has been a lucrative business, at least incidentally. While our first few jobs paid poorly for the danger to life and limb, I did acquire several valuable magic items, the sale of which funded a burgeoning business for me. I have grown somewhat in skill and power, and Kasim has spoken -- albeit without words -- for the first time in months. It gives me hope that he may one day recover, if I can offer him enough. Yet I am discomfited, for I have some cause to suspect he may be hiding things even in his reduced state.
My new colleagues -- whose roster expands weekly -- have developed their own powers. All bring their own varied talents, but I wonder if some of them are less well inclined toward the mercenary lifestyle as they might think. I have taken a step or two back from the social aspects of the Syndicate, for I have, I think, allowed myself to grow too close to some of them for my own comfort and theirs. It ill befits a mercenary to shed tears for fallen comrades, or to worry for the wellbeing of aught but his own purse. While I have tried at every turn to foster the camaraderie that will keep us alive in the field, at every turn I have seen those seeds sprout into unwholesome drama if anything at all. I've retreated to my business endeavors for the time being, and shall respond to calls as they come.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Arlis the Shade
•28 Ches, 1502 DR
Been less than a month since Astra, Sal and me joined the Syndicate. Not gonna lie, I was real skeptical at first... Weird ass lizards as servants seemed like a sketchy gig. But... Yeah I kinda like it here. Met some cool people. Some weird people... And I think I'm making some... friends. Yeesh... Maybe I'm getting too comfortable here. Gross.
Haven't been on many jobs, but some things been happening. A village near the Star Metal Hills was being harassed by griffons, which we took care of. And just yesterday we took care of some real mean plants and a mossy troll. Don't think the jobs are related any. The griffons were just real hungry and would take the horses. Some people too. We came across some starving wolves while we were tracking down the griffons too.
Which reminds me... there's been a shit ton of danger along the Delimbiyr River on the way to Loudwater. I've encountered lost kids, tentacle cats (displacer beasts), big ass cocoons of spider web with dead husk bodies, flying lizards (flying kobolds)... Lots of these creatures have been acting a little weird tryin' to get food. There some kind of game shortage or something? The tentacle cats tried to take the kid we were escorting home! Fucking hells it was a bitch to get Milo back... But the cats had starving cubs of their own... and the wolves in Star Metal Hills... they were starving too. Never before did rations come in handy so much...
And don't get me started on the fucking bee problem in Loudwater. Solia and me took care of 'em for now. But holy shit was that annoying. Got the price of rations to lower though, so, hells yeah.
The job last night that Boss Man suggested us for was... different. Well, not really different in what we had to do. Go in, kill some stuff, find info. That's typical. But... cause there's somethin' going on. Sal found some weird ass runes carved in trees that apparently were made by someone powerful or could use powerful magic. There weren't no birds or wildlife around that shoulda been. We snuck into a village that was completely destroyed. All the people killed, nothing making a sound except for these plant things. They were mean as fuck though. And the mossy troll. Had to fight 'em off. Once we took 'em all out we talked to a guy from the Emerald Enclave and told him what we found. He seemed concerned... He asked us to find their hideout in the forest to tell the higher ups what the fuck is happening... I'm not the best at explaining this shit. That's what Sal is for. I want to go find them and talk to them. Maybe their special tree is the same one I saw in my dreams... Weird ass trees.
Solia Faolanri
•Solia Faolanri
39 Ches, 1502 DR
How do I summarize all that's happened? I feel like a different person than when I arrived. I don't know if that's good or bad. I miss my family. I miss waking up to Tara's laughter, and a gruff but genuine good morning from Jaru. I miss bacon over the campfire, hot tea to ward off the chill at night. I miss the sound of rain in the trees while I'm safe, and warm inside the shelter.
But then I found this flyer, and I found these people. At first, I thought it could be something to bring back the feeling. But... I don't think it really works like that. The group I arrived with - Bri, Yashir, Jax, Shev, Thompson and Tem all took root quickly, and I thought maybe the same comfort would settle in. But, it didn't. Personalities clash, trust is difficult to give and to earn, and the road around the Syndicate is dangerous. Hags lurk the forest, making deals with the weak-hearted, goblins lie in wait to ambush tired travellers and yeti descend from the mountains with destruction on their mind.
In this short time, I've made friends and foes. Sometimes they're the same person. We never spent a lot of time around people, Jaru and I. We knew one another, and came to know Tara, but large groups were things to be avoided. That bothered me then, but I understand it better now. Solitude brings peace and balance. But at the same time... I don't know. I fluxuate between wanting to go and wanting to stay. My heart's been hurt as much as my body, and the people and places we've seen and been have a way of making you stop and look at things in new ways.
The work that the Syndicate brings has been pretty diverse. I've visited cities and rural towns to hunt Griffons and Goblins, and all the way to the Ice Spire to rescue Frost Giants. I've even been sent to the Hells. I've met real, actual members of the Emerald Enclave, and we've had dealings with Harpers and Zhentarhim alike. Each job seems different, but at the end of each, we all end up a little stronger and little wiser.
Groups of other people have trickled in slowly, too. One by one, the Syndicate grows and so do I.
Temoren Cairnwright
•Filed by: Temoren Cairnwright
Apologies for any misspellings
We were met by Wum Burdun, one of the local frontier scout leaders, along with Scövja Thurfurst, whose son had been taken. The problem was not just the kidnapping, but where it happened. Their people cannot cross into the Coldwood without breaking treaty, and since the Blood Riders had apparently decided giant children count as fair game, we were hired as the neutral solution.
King Heartwich wants peace kept if at all possible, because rampaging giants tend to complicate diplomacy. We were offered 1,000 gold and given five days before the giants stopped waiting and started responding.
Scövja told us her son, Burleigh, vanished after a fight near the edge of the mountains and the Coldwood. When she returned home, she found dead humans and horses and believed her son had taken several of them down before being captured. Their own scouts had been searching for days with no results.
At the camp in the Ice Spires, we found two dead humans and one dead horse, drag marks into the woods, and clear signs the Blood Riders had been there. The corpses were branded with a giant rune meaning death. Solia found a frozen finger with a ring, and nearby was a massive axe buried under fresh snow marked Ligia over a family crest. It was clear only two giants had been at the camp, but they had fought off more than ten humans and horses before Burleigh was taken.
At the Shining River, we found another dead body wedged between rocks. Solia spotted an ambush waiting across the river, and Yashir noticed a shimmer coming off the corpse. We determined he had been killed by a humanoid weapon through the chest, and we recovered an amulet with the initials E.T., worth around 200 gold.
After making camp, we found the Blood Riders’ holding site. Burleigh was chained in a cage, and Solia handled the rescue beautifully. She talked a horse into causing a distraction with promises of apples, picked three locks, and got the boy out without raising a full alarm. Very clean work.
On the way back, we were intercepted by a Blood Rider Captain and her group. I cast Faerie Fire and lit her and her horse up like a set of trail markers. The rest of the party made quick work of them after that. Solia landed the finishing shot on the captain, and while it was admittedly brutal, it was also extremely effective. Burleigh joined in by throwing rocks, and giant children throw rocks with frankly alarming force.
We returned Burleigh safely to Scövja Thurfurst and Wum Burdun, both of whom were very grateful that we were able to resolve the matter without technically breaking treaty, despite the Blood Riders having started the problem in the first place.
As for the team: Fetch went down on the first day, but I repaired him the next morning. Shev hit hard and took excellent advantage of targets once I had them lit up. Solia was exceptional throughout with stealth, lockpicking, animal handling, and ranged attacks. Her bow remains deeply concerning in the best possible way. Yashir fought bravely and did a good job pulling enemy attention, though he did go down once and required repeated healing after throwing himself into the middle of multiple enemies. Effective, yes. Advisable, less so. I would gently recommend remembering the rest of us are here to help keep him alive.
Overall, the patrol was a success. Burleigh was recovered, the treaty remains intact enough for politics, and no giant retaliation was triggered. That is about as clean an ending as we were likely to get.
Shev Vremyonni
•
30th of Ches, 1502 Dale Reckoning
Where: Ice spire? i believe weve been here before.
Who: A furbolg and a bleedin ice giant of all things?
This one felt like some proper hero work. weird was to start i know. but thats what you read about in all those stories right? people fighting for those most wouldn't think twice about leaving on their own? but ill be damned odd times were living in.
We were back up north again. seems we should consider another outlet up there. we were enlisted for another search and rescue. now we've done a few at this point. so what made this one different. to prevent a war i believe between giants and giant slayers. a frost giant mother had inquired for us to find and rescue her son from what she assumed were a group of giant slayers. they didn't want us to make it known we were affiliated. so we acted as a radical third party. came across and thwarted an ambush attempt from a bunch of orcs. after which we found the giant slayers camp and. . well. its a tich hard to hide a giant in a cage. and so to we had found our employers son. Solia putting her impeccable stealth talents to work managed to infiltrate the camp and free the giant. with the help of a diversion of some horses. dunno how she managed that one. but, regardless. we got the poor lad out and made good head way up until the river. no surprise the giant prisoner that had gone missing caught some attention. the aimed to cut us off. but it was ultimately a failure on there end. we defeated the enemy and brought the chap home to his mum!
Solia Faolanri
•Solia Faolanri
30th of Ches, 1502 Dale Reckoning
Where: Ice Spire
Who: Shev, Yashir, Tem and Solia
The mission was to find and recover - dead or alive - the son of Scövja Thurfurst. She was a giant that had lost her son Burleigh. He'd been taken by Blood Riders, who are hunters of Giants. The trek was difficult. I'm not used to moving through deep snow and mountains, but we managed well enough. We encountered some polar Owlbears near their territory and had to put them down. Eventually, we came to a wrecked camp and I found a woman's finger frozen to a massive axe with a signet ring attached to it. I kept them, not knowing what to expect to find, really. We determined that something large had been dragged off, so we followed the trail.
That led to a huge camp of Blood Riders, and a certain young Frost Giant that had been shackled and caged. We came up with a plan. I spoke to one of the warhorses and convinced them to go for a run and rally their friends to do the same. The chaos was enough to get the whole camp stirred up, which made it easier to break Burleigh out of his imprisonment. He didn't want to help us fight them... there was a treaty that he was worried about violating if he incited the violence despite his capture. We fled, trying to escape a fight.
That worked, until we ran into a Blood Rider commander who wanted to take Burleigh back. I realized who she was... she told us to give back what belonged to her, so I tossed her the finger in my pocket. She didn't like that much.
After the fight, we took him back to his mother and made a bit of a name for ourselves in the area. That felt pretty good. Jaru would have been impressed, I just know it.
There are still a lot of questions unanswered. I think it'd be useful to research some of the species in the area in the meantime... it can only make the hunt more successful in the end.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•30 Ches, 1502 D.R.
Summoned by the same party we had helped some time ago in the distant north, we were called upon by people whose names I cannot pronounce to rescue, much to my surprise, the son of a frost giantess.
The boy had been taken by the Blood Riders, who had apparently raided a scouting party's encampment some days prior. There was some sort of uneasy truce between the two factions that prevented the giants and the scouting force from mounting their own rescue mission -- but nothing prevented them from hiring us to do it, since we were outsiders. We were, however, admonished to avoid bloodshed as best we could all the same, to preserve relations.
We traveled for days, facing owlbears and cold and rockslides of snow. I am still picking snow out of places I'd rather not mention, but with the aid of horses I'd negotiated for, we made it to the battlefield in good time.
The camp was devestated, of course. We expected nothing less. We poked around a little bit, but found little other than a woman's finger hewn away by a giant axe. Little worth salvaging, but we found the path of our quarry well enough. They had dragged away a giant; it was not difficult to follow.
We followed that trail to a river, where we faced an Orcish ambush which Solia was clever enough to spot. We were more prepared for them than they expected, and though one escaped us, all the rest perished. We continued on our way.
The camp of the Bloodriders was abuzz with activity, and the frost giant child was caged in the center. This proved no particular difficulty for Solia, not aided by the combined magical power of the rest of us. She slipped up to the cage, started an insurrection of horses, and freed the giant child, and we all slipped away in the chaos -- even the giant, all unspotted.
Nevertheless, when we reached the river of the orcish ambush again, the Bloodriders were waiting for us. They made threats. Solia gave them the finger -- and I mean that both figuratively and literally, as she produced the severed finger we'd found at the scout encampment, which belonged to the Bloodriders' leader, and threw it at their feet.
Combat ensued, needless to say. Through trial and pain and the power of our newly-freed companion, we prevailed, leaving them all dead.
So much for not shedding blood. We returned the child to his grateful mother, and were paid for our good work -- though I must admit to feeling a touch useless, myself. Still, any one you walk away from.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Salviron Lisel
•Thrax gave us a memo stating he was please with our work with the Emerald Enclave and wants us to investigate around and report anything we learn back to the Enclave. I, Arlie, Assy, Fenris, and a changeling met up outside the Syndicate. Apparently, their name is Surx and they've been sober for 7 years. But we finished our introductions and headed on out.
We went down the cursed Delimbiyr road--and I don't care what anyone says its cursed and stupid and terrible.
Of course I got detect magic up again and we searched around to see what nonsense we could find. Everything was strangely quiet. Being outside is not my forte but it was way too quiet. Fenris reminded us that it was quiet when we came across the white wolves from before. This gave me the thought to check for the symbol we found again and I found one that seemed residual in its magic, not actually active right now. I had Surx carve through it and the remaining magic vanished--so it could not be reused.
Fenris found some footprints that were faded but it could be determined that the rain and the vegetation around the space have faded the prints but the plants in this space is overgrown. They are growing faster than usual. I've read enough to know that this may be the work of druids. The symbol and the plant growth don't seem to correspond but are in some way connected.
We followed the path and it seemed to be the correct choice as we found more symbols. We destroyed each one we found and as we kept moving there were just so many vines growing all over. We came to buildings that were covered in vines and seemed to have pulled things apart. The road remained fineand the vines covered everything that led a perimeter to what looked to be an old homestead.
Arlie and Surx moved forward first, they were much quieter than the rest of us. Surx did something that connected him with me and Arlie telepathically. It was a strange sensation and was very whispery. It was quiet for a moment and then we found strange spiked vine creatures. They attacked us and as we started engaing them, a troll came out of one of the buildings. It took some effort but we defeated the vine creatures and the troll after shooting them with fire.
We started wandering around the place and found more of those symbols. We found some left over gold and magical items but as we were doing so, we spotted a cloaked figure coming down from the mountain. It stopped and...stared at us, doing nothing but watching. He introduced himself as part of the Emerald Enclave.
He knew of the Syndicate and told us that while he doesn't trust us, it is a matter of making sure the information we know stays in certain hands. He gave us these tokens to an Enclave Bastion. They weren't the ones marking the symbols, he didn't seem to know about the symbols that we've found. He said they are cold brands and that a powerful creature is the one that did these brands.
As we discussed, he said the Enclave itself may not be safe. The token he gave us to the Bastion is for the Circle of Leadership. Find the tree at the center of the forest and we will find where we need to go. He changed into an animal before I could ask how much he trusts the Circle of Leadership.
Surx
•So the mission was to scout some forest and report back to the enclave, pretty basic.
The gang runs into a Troll.
Welp, after a week without any assignments, I get to finally go on one. To start, I got the mission details from Thrax — enclave, people doing missions with them, something something... got to the forest by the road where everything tries to kill you, and scout the area because some druid people want that info. Pretty basic. Can’t see why they chose me for that mission, but okay, I’m desperate.
Well, I met some new faces that got assigned to the mission as well:
Salviron: little weird magic man, had to be carried multiple times and looked like he was about to pass out of starvation.
Astraelis: little weird magic woman, same as Salviron minus the carrying.
Fenris: big muscular divine magic man, very good for climbing.
And Arlis: already met him, so I didn’t care to take notes, gets angry.
So yeah, we met in front of the syndicate, I did the [REDACTED] with all of them, and went on our journey. There I got some more info about the previous jobs they’ve done.
Far enough we went into the forest, since I’ve noticed some non-fun fey activities, I tried looking for that kind of stuff.
So while I was looking for any fey activity, some of the group noticed it was very quiet in the forest, so we did some more investigating and found weird magic symbols. They had some magic on them but very little, and for some reason the vegetation appeared to be growing faster.
We kept following the trail and found some more of the symbols, and after some more walking we found a village that was completely destroyed and overgrown by magical weed monsters.
Arlis and I decided to go a little further stealthily. Did not go well — Arlis was found, and I think around 10 of the weed monsters appeared. Quickly, I killed one. As the monster fell, it alerted a bigger “fish” in the area, and a Troll appeared out of nowhere. (I don’t know shit about Trolls — scary thing doesn’t die, gotta do a puzzle to kill it).
Well, we killed it, and I started looting. We found some weird magic items and two more of the symbols. Then a figure that was watching us from afar started to come closer. He called himself [WOW ITS A SUPER COOL NAME], a druid from the enclave. I took the front of talking, but that didn’t stop Salviron from being a little aggressive with the strange man. He told us the location of a druid bastion around the area and gave us a broach so that we could enter the place with no problems.
That was the mission.
Ass - Surx
ches 28
Arlis the Shade
•Party: Arlis, Astra, Fenris, Sal, Surx
Location: Somewhere between the Rolling Foothills and the Grey Peak Mountains
We received a note from the Boss Man about working with some Emerald Enclave? Not sure what the fuck that is, but apparently they liked the Syndicate's work and wanted our help with something else. Sal did his magic thing and looked around for anything sus. He did find some weird runes that were carved into a bunch of trees. We scratched them out just in case they might be dangerous. It was real weird because all around us where we should have heard birds or should have seen some kind of wildlife... it was quiet. Nothing. Creepy. We knew that meant something bad was around.
We followed a path that led to a ransacked village. Didn't see anyone, but there was apparently some weird noises. So Surx and me decided to go scouting ahead. Surx looked high and I looked low. Ended up finding these thorny plant things that didn't really like us being there. They attacked and we attacked back.
And then the fuckin' troll showed up. But me and Big Guy held down the fort while Astra, Sal and Surx handled the little guys. Or... tried to. They did some thorny ground shit and tangled 'em up for a bit. I figured out that the troll REALLY didn't like fire, so I did a big brain and oil slicked my sword and lit 'em on fire with my tinder. The troll went down and we cleaned up the rest.
There was this weird ass guy just waiting for us, so we decided to talk to 'em. He mentioned something about being with the Emerald Enclave. He thought we did a good job too, and we told him about the runes we found as well as what we fought. He seemed real worried so he gave us these brooches so we can go to a secret place to meet some important people of the Emerald Enclave. Apparently it's supposed to be a secret or something. Told us to look for a particular tree.
I wonder if it's the same tree from my dreams...
End Report.
Fenris Corhelm
•We set out to investigate more of what had been happening in the area for the Emerald Enclave. In our search around the forest near the Greypeak Mountains, we came across more of the strange brands but they seemed to have exhausted any magic they had. Eventually we stumbled upon a destroyed farmstead that also had some of the same markings. A few of the group moved silently forward and Arlis went into the overgrowth that was surrounding the destroyed homestead. That's when we came under attack. Strange living vines started whipping out and I rushed forward to join Arlis on the front lines. As we were fighting, a loud noise came from the homestead and out emerged a large troll covered in vines and moss. It jumped down to where Arlis and I were and started clawing at us. It's claw rent through my chainmail but through some healing magic, I was able to stay on my feet. Arlis and I started chopping at the beast but it seemed to be rapidly healing itself. One of the group hit it with fire magic though and the healing seemed to stop for a few moments. As the battle raged, more of the living vines fell and eventually Arlis struck the final blow on the troll by coating his blade in oil and lighting it as he slashed the beast through it's torso. After the battle ended, we were approached by a member of the Enclave who gave us pins and a mission to find the bastion of the Enclave and inform them of our findings when we could. We returned to the Syndicate afterwards, a little bloody but no worse for wear.
Salviron Lisel
•We received a wanted poster of sorts...for griffons. They wanted us to get them out, dead or alive. We got to a tavern and met our contact, Gundar Shornshield, who informed us that there are two adult griffons and unknown how many children ones. The griffons showed up at their town around two months ago and have been attacking horses and taking them back--partly indicative that they are taking them back to feed their babies.
Before we could even go out to handle the issue, a scraggy guy came bursting in and said the griffons were attacking the market. We headed out that way and found 5, FIVE baby griffons attacking some horses. WHY are there always so many creatures??????????
We engaged them and this was a shit show. The horses ran off and killed their handlers, the griffons killed the horses and flew off with them. I don't even know what happened. Gundar came with back up archers by the time everything was finished--THANKS I guess. We headed off with Arlie leading the way to the StarHill Mountains or whatever it was and ran into malnourished coyotes.
Why is everything malnourished? Is this more yetis? Are the griffons stealing their food? The world may never know.
I used ten days of rations to convince them to ignore us because I'd really rather not fight them. Looks like I just need to carry hoards of rations on my person if every creature here is just malnourished! Everything is going to continuously try and eat us. Mimmy and I used magic to make up an illusion with sustenance to further distract them as we ran past.
Arlie led us further through the mountains and we found starmetal! It was a decent sized chunk too so we tucked it away to sell later. Afterwards we came to a cliffside with a bunch of corpses at the bottom. The corpses had magic gloves on them so we took them--learning the griffons are more than liekly at the top which is why the gnomes died. After putting on the gloves I just felt even more connected to their magic. They make climbing much easier.
I have never climbed something before in my life.
These gloves did all the work. I was lucky enough to not just fall off the side. But Fenris caught the attention of the griffons and we were immediately attacked. Great. After a worrisome time we managed to defeat them all and take the eggs as well as getting magic staffs.
Arlis the Shade
•Party: Arlis, Sal, Big Guy (Fenris), Mimsy, Grannie Tapioca
Location: Somewhere in Star Metal Hill
We were asked to help out this village with their griffon problem. Lots of griffons had been attacking their markets, killing their villagers and their horses. We were asked by Gundar Shornshield to help get rid of 'em. We were told they didn't care if they were alive or dead, just wanted them gone. Also if we can bring any eggs back in one piece then we'd get a pretty coin for it.
As soon as we headed out of the tent, we found griffons were attacking the damn market! We rushed in as fast as we could but they'd already killed a couple horses and village people. We knew they headed west towards the Star Metal Hills and I tracked them down.
We ran into a group of wolves, but Sal did some quick thinking and took the rations he had left and we tossed them to the wolves to distract them. That's the SECOND TIME rations saved our asses... We're gonna need to get a lot more for our future travels... WHO FUCKIN' KNEW rations were so useful! Also why the fuck are all these animals in the area starving? What's going on here???
We made it to a cliffside where I was sure the griffons were nesting out and found some dead gnomes wearing some cool gloves. We took the gloves and found that they allow you to climb real good. We used them to start climbing the cliff, but the griffons heard us. We had to fight 'em, and we managed to kill them all before they dropped us to our deaths. Thank whatever fucking god of the sky is listening cause those scrolls and Mimsy's magic helped out a lot. Otherwise I might have just been a splat on the ground.
Anyways we got a bunch of cool shit.
End Report.
Fenris Corhelm
•The small town of Longsaddle hired us to rid them of some griffons that had nested nearby and were flying in and killing their horses. Upon arriving there, we went to the local tavern where we met with our contact. As we were discussing the job, one of the townsfolk ran in and rattled off the market was under attack by griffons. We hurried there and found a few young griffons attacking some of the horses. We went on the attack but in the scuffle a few of the townsfolk that were trying to help were killed as well as a couple of the horses. I managed to knock out one of the griffons but the others took off. Afterwards we went on the hunt. Managed to stumble upon some wild hungry beasts but through the ever useful trick of just throwing food at them, we made our way by without a fight. One of the group found some strange looking metal and picked it up as we continued along finally finding the nest. It was high upon a cliff and underneath were bodies of what I assume was another group of people hired to take out the griffons. We found some useful gloves that helped with the climb but no sooner had we started that they noticed my presence. I really am not built for being stealthy.....The fight began and even after a few close calls, we bested them. We gathered a few of the eggs for the town, I assume for them to raise as mounts and also found some interesting items amongst the bones and debris of the nest. Headed back to Longsaddle and received our payment.
Salviron Lisel
•We met before the Syndicate with Falken of the Emerald Enclave that was to take us to our client which we learned as Teela Hodgkins. We headed to her farm and learned of some issues she was having in regards to strange sounds she has been hearing.
She's been hearing howls and many of her animals have been disappearing and some being killed. She's not able to keep up with the lot of things that have been getting hurt. She had seen shadows skulking about her farm--different ones a few other times. One was large and hulking that crashed through a fence while others have been on four legs.
She let us know that other farmers in the area have also been experiencing the same thing and even the hunters have noticed less game in the woods--which may give reason to why those large cats we had to rescue Milo from were so starved. Chappo can apparently speak with animals and learned more from them and I guess that makes sense since he's a not-capybara.
We were given the run of the place to investigate and as per usual, I brought up detect magic to assist and found an aura around a large barrel that was supposed to hold water but has been destroyed and not usable now. I stuck my head inside and saw a strange symbol branded into aa piece of wood that was in the barrel. The symbol was like a frost brand and Assy was able to gauge that the brand is like a calling card and drawing attention and energy to the farm itself.
This gave me reason to believe there are more so around the farm I went, searching for more brands. We found additional brands through the farm and removed them, their magic fading when we had to scratch through one on a tree. Chappo found some fur by a pond and believed it to be a yeti's fur so we headed out to search outside the space and through the forest.
I found another symbol on a tree and when Na'ima scratched it out this time the magic seemed to flare up before vanishing as the brand was ruined. Before we could get any further, a cloud descended upon us and descending from above was some white wolves and what I assume to be are ice elementals. It was rough but we managed to take down the wolves and then the elementals caused fog to cover the entire field and when it dissipated they were gone.
We investigated around and found another symbol on a rock and scratched that away before we learned that the yeti has moved on. We went back to the farm and told Teela about what occurred.
Fenris Corhelm
•An Emerald Enclave member by the name of Faulken hired us to go the farm of a lady by the name of Teela Hodgkins who'd been having trouble with strange unknown creatures trespassing onto her land and killing her livestock. When we arrived, we spoke to her she told us she never got a great look at the creatures but that not all of them shared similar silhouettes. We then went about investigating the farm. I broke away from the group and investigated one of the barns but only found large footprints. The others managed to track down strange symbols that had been branded into various places. They broke them and afterwards we headed off in an attempt to track down these creatures. We came across a break in the forest that seemed to have a few of those symbols branded into some of the trees. As we approached, a large fog cloud rolled in and then disappeared revealing two large white wolves and strange flying creatures made of ice. Battle ensued and upon slaying the two wolves the other creatures retreated. Seems the large footprints I found belonged to a creature known as a Yeti, but it had already retreated up into the mountains. I carried one of the wolf's bodies back to the farm that Teela could use for meat until she figured her livestock situation.
Na'ima
•This adventure was certainly one for the books. Faulken, a shorter male representative from the Emerald Enclave (an organization that I did not believe existed), took us to the home of Teela Hodgkins, an elven female farmer. She reported strange sightings in the night; howling, things stalking, shingles from her roof, and the disappearance of many animals. I assured her that we would handle anything that would threaten her or her livelyhood.
My companions were all strange, except for Fenris. Chappo, an anthropomorphic... chappo? Sal, a standoffish wizard noble, and Astra, a prissy divine wielder. They all had their talents, but we certainly were a rag tag group. Chappo spoke to a variety of animals, Fenris checked the parameter, Astra complained about the mud, and Sal located magical symbols. These were strange symbols that attracted whatever these monsters were, to which I was quick to break all those that were found. If they were the cause of these continuous attacks, then they needed to be removed.
We continued on, destroying more of these symbols as they came up. We found fur, tracks of larger humanoids, a variety of signs as to what could have came through here. Of course, this did not prepare us for the cold chill that came down from the mountains. Two massive wolves, and flying icicle men, intent on killing us. Fenris and I immediately took to one wolf, as the others dealt with the other monsters. It was a long fight, nearly a full minute of strikes. The wolves could breathe cones of cold, and the icicle men exploded when they met their ends. But, after taking care of the two wolves, the icicle men created thick fog clouds, and ran away before we could take care of them, as well.
I skinned one of the wolves, as a trophy of our battle, but we returned to let Teela know that we had taken care of the issue, and that she shouldn't be bothered again. She was grateful, and gave us compensation for our troubles.
Na'ima
•Fuck the Fey.
Rules, stipulations, 'blood will be met with blood'? Their backwards mentality and absolutism has ruined the Glassfang Syndicate's reputation with the town of Parnast, despite my best efforts and intentions to keep things non lethal. A courtesy that they did not extend back to us, nor the common folk of Parnast.
I will explain.
Naten Natenson (or, who he introduced himself as upon meeting him. Real name is Surx, a changeling novice to the Syndicate), Ivor, and I all arrived to Parnast after receiving a letter to rub some more elbows in Parnast from the Zhentarim. I was immediately profiled by a human guard, who I eased tensions with by explaining our purpose in the town. Philip Philipson, that is the guards name, told us that Raggnar, the town's leader, was a controversial figure. He previously aligned with the Cult of the Dragon, under the pretense of 'keeping the city safe,' though, Philip was quick to point out it lined his pockets despite the hardships the town still faced. Raggnar also is in charge of the guards??? A fact that slipped my mind until writing this, and one I shall touch back on later.
We went to the Golden... something, a tavern, where we met Raggnar and his daughter, Elsbeth. He, a portly man, greeted us warmly, and gave us ale and food before we were to discuss business. I gave some flattery, which he was happy to repeat very loudly to all in attendance, but we got down to brass tacks. Food was minimal, and they needed 'big game' if they were to have a proper feast that Raggnar was planning on throwing. That is where we would come in, and he told us of some being spotted in the Weathercoat Wood. This is a dangerous forest, but nothing we couldn't handle.
At this time, Gundalin Cartwright and his son Wallace, entered, and Gundalin accused Raggnar of bringing in more outsiders for his nefarious plots, and immediately the two started bickering. Wallace and Elsbeth kissed, a cute display of affection, as I asked if their fathers were always like this. They both said, "Yes", in unison, which told us all we needed to know. Wallace insisted he come with us on our hunt, saying he longed for adventure. Though we were hesitant, and upon seeing his makeshift armor, we acquiesced. Mostly because he could provide a horse and cart: two things we would need if we were to hunt three large elk and bring them back to town. I am not strong enough to carry one elk, and my two compatriots are.... just as fragile.
We set off the next day, and arrived to the Wood where there was a thick mist of Blue Smoke.... Hard to breathe, but manageable, we tracked down an Elk. Plotting how to take care of it, Naten knocked an arrow and I prepared a starry wisp. A voice told us to leave, and that we 'couldn't do that', to which we all launched our strikes against the elk. The beast fell, which was the start of something far fouler than game. Sprites attacked, as did a tree itself. Wallace was crushed, in the blink of an eye. The sprites targeted the horse, too, but I insisted that we do not kill any of them. My previous experience with sprites tells me how territorial they are, but they do not deserve to die for such a thing. Ivor did not listen to this. His fire magic is great, his foolishness is far greater.
Barely surviving, we drug the cart and elk back to Parnast, and were met with sorrow. The feast turned into a wake. I spent all night comforting Elsbeth, but the damage was already done. A boy was dead that did not deserve to die. I hoped this was the end of it. But hopes are not truths, and they do not always become them.
At the wake, a sprite came with three giant wasps, attacking all. I barely clung to life, their stingers were laced in a vicious venom, but some civilians were not as lucky. Nature ran its course, we were helpless to stop it. We did try to take care of them as quickly as possible, I managed to down two and knock out the sprite, but the common folk and Raggnar blamed us for this. Us?? Where were his guard during this time? How were we responsible?
I grabbed a mason jar and tucked the little vermin in it, taking her broach for good measure. When she woke, the sprite, she told of the Prince of the Pixies, and how he was angry at us for hunting in his wood. Despite everything, despite the lives that were lost, we were blamed. Blamed??? After all we did? The sprite tried to make a deal with her backwards fae speak; I did not allow it. If peace was to be reached, we were not the facilitators. Raggnar was forced to make that deal. However, this, atop of the common folk who passed, lead to us being practically banned from Parnast. Our... reputation was soiled.
We did all we could, and get all the blame for it. Innocents die; is this our responsibility? Even as death comes knocking at our door, we are to put aside our lives for them? They, that could not see that we were guiltless in this? I cannot see it.
I will drink my sorrows now. Perhaps I will make amends one day. Perhaps it isn't worth it.
*Na'ima*
Surx
•This is way overdue, but oh well.
So, this was my first mission with the Syndicate good times, even if it was sooo long ago (like, one month). We were tasked with going to Parnast, being good sports, and helping with whatever they needed something involving the Zhentarim. So off we went: me, Na’ima, and Ivor.
Right at the village entrance, we got profiled because Na’ima is an orc, but we managed to resolve things without much trouble. The guard who stopped us pointed us toward the tavern, so that’s where we went.
There, we met a questionable individual named Raggnar. He wanted us to hunt some big game for a festival happening that day. Oh, I forgot to mention the conditions in that tavern were terrible. They gave us a squirrel to eat. Yeah.
Anyway, back to the important part: his reputation was pretty bad because he had helped the Cult of the Dragon, and now he was desperately trying to rebuild it. After he gave us the quest, a very angry guy showed up and started arguing with Raggnar. While they were going at it, we noticed that Raggnar’s daughter and the other guy’s son had a thing for each other. Could’ve been a beautiful love story… but, well, he died the next day. Don’t worry about that for now.
The son came up to us and begged to join the hunt. So we said yes :)
The next day, we woke up early to go hunting with the son. Don’t ask me his name. He died so fast it wasn’t worth remembering. Sad, I guess.
We spent some time wandering through the woods, which Raggnar conveniently forgot to mention were fey territory. There was this blue mist that made it hard to breathe. Eventually, we found an elk, and just as we were ready to take the shot, a sprite suddenly spoke. It startled me, and I fired killing the elk instantly.
Then things went downhill. A bunch of sprites and a tree decided to kill us, and just to prove a point, they turned the poor lover boy into a pancake. Not with magic just a giant tree stomping him flat. Na’ima didn’t want to kill any of them, so we held back… except for one that Ivor accidentally(?) cooked alive.
We won the fight and quickly left, carrying pancake boy and the elk. When we got back to the village… yeah, not great. The boy’s father started crying very sad stuff. Instead of a festival, they held a funeral.
During this funeral, the sprites attacked again this time with giant wasps. And for some reason, the villagers decided it was a great idea to start killing themselves climbing onto tables and shoving an old guy into an open flame. Absolute chaos.
We won the fight and captured one of the sprites. We tried talking to her, but after a bunch of nonsense, Raggnar decided we had to do community service.
And that was it.
Hope that village exploded. With much love,
Surx XoXo
Na'ima
•16 Ches 1502
My first mission was a resounding success. Perhaps the Glassfang Syndicate, despite the connotations that the name might suggest, is capable of doing some good in this world, and bringing balance to those who need it most. I assumed that all who joined would be bloodthirsty fighters, mercenaries with no regard for life other than their own; today showed me that this was anything but the case.
Initially, we were sent to the Duathamper forest to investigate strange occurrences involving travelers being accosted on the roads by grey/green creatures. We were to handle them, by any means necessary. Coming through the forest Fenris, Mimsy, Tapioca, and myself were accosted by these figures, who I was quick to recognize of Orcish heritage. Speaking in my mother tongue, I learned that they were here begging for help, and we were all eager to provide. Well, I was, at least. I cannot speak for the others' emotions, considering they were concerned by the other grey orcs encroaching and encircling us from the tree line.
These concerns were unfounded. No harm was intended, as they were truly desperate for help.
We were taken to their community, the Graylings, where we spoke to the Chieftain Dhahzukk, a grey orc with clouded eyes. Two shamans came up to treat our wounds, of which we had none, which surprised them. Others they brought back to their simple camp must have gotten... violent. I told them we were not of that sort, and were here to provide assistance, with whatever they may be needing. The Chieftain told us of two tusklings, Georgie and Anak, who went off into the forest one day and came back incredibly ill. This sickness had spread, with seemingly no cure. We were tasked with venturing to where the little ones had, and finding the source to this illness. I agreed, but not before Mimsy asked about compensation... writing in orcish ||Greedy Penny Lips||
Heading off into the trees, Fenris did an expert job following the tracks to an abandoned and run down farmhouse. Inside, we heard little cries for help. Tucked away were three sprites, Caliphe, Lumiona, and Jarrah. They said that there were screams in the night, and that no animals had found rest or peace during this time. They had followed a "swamp creature" to this place, which I discovered webbed tracks to back up their story. They wished to save the creatures and put an end to the screaming. Mimsy secured us another payment for this mission, but I see it as excessive. Caliphe joined our troupe, with a magic lantern, said to reveal all hidden things.
Following the sprite's lead, we came across two elks fighting each other. Caliphe morned them, as they were fighting through sleepless exhaustion. I gently put them both to sleep, but even through that magical enchantment, they still twitched. Mimsy determined, that whatever this was over them, it wasn't magical. Just... exhaustion.
A scream in the distance. Our party rushed to find its source!
We were lead back to the Graylings' camp. Where, bursting out of one of the huts, came a massive sickly toad, trying to swallow the sprite whole!
Battle ensued, and while we dispatched of the thing quickly, an angelic presence arrived. Beautiful, regal, time stood still as she passed by each of us. This was, of course, until her true form was revealed, and she screeched at us. The same screech that plagued the nights in the forest!
This hag was strong, but not strong enough for our troupe. I, emboldened to protect a Tribe, made it my personal mission to eradicate the witch from existence. My magic blended her into nothing but cloth scraps, which released the curse over the tribe.
We received payment, though, I argue that seeing each of them safe was payment enough for me.
Don't mind 55 gold though...
Na'ima
Fenris Corhelm
•Were hired by the town of Elmwood to investigate greenish gray creatures popping out and chasing people along the road. When we started down the road, it turned out to be orcs who were looking for help with their sickness. A Chief Dhahzukk asked us for help. Followed some tracks to an abandoned farmhouse where we met a trio of Sprites names Caliphe, Lumiona, and Jarrah. They said they were tracking a swamp creature that had no business in the area had been spotted. They believe it could be the reason for the strange behavior of the animals in the forest, as well as the screams that keep them up at night. Caliphe joined with us in searching for the creature causing the issues, because she had a lantern of revealing. We ended up going back to the orc camp and found that a giant frog had latched itself upon one of the sick kids. It jumped out and ate the sprite but we killed it quickly and Caliphe was able to free herself from its stomach. Upon it's death, a woman appeared and then revealed herself to be a hag. She was a little sturdier but we were able to take her down quickly enough as well and freed everyone of the sickness.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•11 Ches, 1502 D.R.
Once again, the Syndicate has been extended a courteous invitation to a party destined to go terribly, terribly wrong.
Thrax himself teleported us to Baldur's Gate for this one. There were carnival games and carnival foods and carnival rides and carnival people, but the main event was an apparently terribly important horse race, a derby as they call it. We were to participate in the race; Thrax apparently betted heavily upon it, and was relying upon us to win it at any cost.
Well, he must be disappointed. No sooner did the officious petty lord in charge of the affair stand up to begin speaking than we were all sucked into Hell.
Reader: I do not write these words lightly, nor do I jest. The four of us -- myself, Solia, Bri, and Sylthas -- were all dragged unwilling through a portal to Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells. It happened. If I make it sound abrupt, if it seems jarring and bewildering to the reader of these notes, then I have perhaps begun to do the experience justice.
When we regained our bearings, we were met by an especially odious rakshasa, who gave us an ultimatum: it was he who had called us to this place, and we could either do his bidding and be sent home with a substantial reward, or... find our own way home. His bidding was to recover a trove of soul coins (twenty-eight, to be specific) from a rival of his. We were given a hellish engine of war to help us accomplish this task. Needless to say, we accepted.
We were given a list of encampments controlled by the rakshasa's rival. Armed with our customized infernal machine, we rolled up and laid waste to the guardians of two of them before we found the coins required of us and more. We were then recalled, but before we could be given our reward and returned to our home, the aforementioned rival arrived with a small army of their own machines, and we were forced to hold them off while the portal was made.
We accomplished this task as well, and in the end, the wretched creature kept its unholy word. It sent us home with a small trove of valuable magic items, to find that the derby we'd come for was already entirely over.
Is it... is it wrong to say that I rather enjoyed the experience? Hell notwithstanding, the machine was mighty almost beyond measure, and I regret that the thing disintegrated upon crossing through the portal back to the Material.
Well, it is over, in any event, and I am certain we shan't be hearing from that creature or his infernal people again.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Solia Faolanri
•11 Ches, 1502 D.R.
Solia Faolanri
Location: Avernus
Well, I'm pretty sure this was supposed to start out as horse racing. But, that didn't happen quite the way we expected.
It was a lot less racing and a lot more portal-to-Avernus-and-Soul-Coin-recovery. Which we were all a little worried about, until we actually got started. We were told that our host's cache of soul coins had been stolen, and we needed to get them back. The best way to do that was to use an Infernal war machine.
We found an encampment of... things... that we observed and then ended up attacking. We found some soul coins on them, and knew we were at least on the right track. Then, we stole their war machine and went to find some more. We did and there was this snake-haired lady that was trying to turn us all to stone and we ended up just kind of driving by her a bunch of times and the swords on the side of the war machine did her in. I unlocked some new skills myself and figured out how to sneak aboard one and stole it, too. Then we were attacked by this giant flying horror monster.
We finally had eyes on where the largest stash of coins was, so we ended up chasing a group down in our new war machines. We fought them, too, got them back and returned them to their owner! That's probably fine!
Anyway... I would say I don't want to go back to Avernus, since it's generally not a great place, but I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a lot of fun.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•5 Ches, 1502 D.R.
The Syndicate was called upon for a rescue mission, and myself, Cal, Solia, and Shev were chosen for the work. Seer of the Lord's Alliance, and a dwarf named Amelia, tasked us with locating a dwarven expedition that had been trapped within a holy site by a small army of ogres and an avalanche. She gave us directions and advised us that time was of the essence.
Accordingly, we made all haste along the path prescribed for us. Though we were ambushed along the way by a pair of owlbears, and ran afoul of a small avalanche ourselves, we made it to the ogre encampment in good time. Solia, to her credit, was able to steal a pair of signal horns from the ogre sentries, and we sounded one as a distraction, then slipped through the encampment in the chaos. Within the holy site, we met the band of dwarves we'd come to rescue, and in good enough time that none had perished. A small band of ogres attempted to change that fact with a random attack, but we were able to fend them off. Then, on the advice of the leader of the task force, we used a giant sarcophagus lid as a sled, triggered an avalanche, and road forth from the site.
With us we carried a great stone tablet, radiating magic and covered in ancient giant runes. This we left with Seer, though not before we made our own copy of the runes.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Solia Faolanri
•Party:
Yashir, Shev, Cal, Solia
5 Ches, 1502 DR
The Far North
We met with Seer and Amelia. Amelia was a dwarf that had been with a party of her kin that were beset by ogres and an avalanche uncovered what looked to be a holy site for Giants. She and her people were there for three days before a few of them escaped to find help. Ogres had couched in, setting up an elaborate camp and Giants were expected in the coming days.
We rushed through the mountain passes and encountered owlbears. It was a mild fight, and we pushed through to find the camp. After stealing a few of their horns, we were able to blow a false alarm and then sneak past and into the ancient temple. We found most of the dwarves had survived. There was a brief but brutal fight with a small party of ogres that seemed to have attacked them a few times in the same way. Then, the rest of the camp erupted in a ritual of fighting. We managed to rescue not just the dwarves, but also recover a huge ancient tablet of Giant magic, and take it back to our employers.
There is more to all of this, I believe. For us, I made sure to make a copy of all the runes and language on that tablet for our own research.
Shev Vremyonni
•When: 5 Ches, 1502 DR
Where: North. somewhere. . . . .
Why: recover a dwarven expedition and possible artifact recovery.
Possibly one of our most absurd jobs to date.
the Syndicate were enlisted to find and recover a Dwarven expedition. They were researching runes or something and other. we found one of their party members. dead in the snow. pressing onward we found a ogre encampment. even in the cold they smell dreadful. there were to many to take in a head on battle. so we needed to make a plan. Solia, with the aid of some invisibility magic. was able to sneak into the camp past a few guards. grabbed a signal horn from one of them. and we were able to use a familiar to sound it to lure them away. once through the camp, we made our way into a cavern the dwarves were huddled up in. a strong defensible position but they were trapped. After some talk we had to formulate a plan to get them out. some of the ogres had returned and started to file in. but we held them off with only a casualty from the dwarves. we took the lid from a sarcophagus that was in the cavern. one belonging to an ice giant mind you so it was quite large. and had ridden it to freedom by way of an avalanche we had triggered.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•4 Ches, 1502 D.R.
Is there any such thing as a straightforward mission? To date, I have not been on one that was what it seemed.
Myself, Jax, Shev, Sylthas, and Bri were chosen for a mission to Waterdeep. There we met an old friend of Thrax's, who enlisted us as muscle against the eventuality of pirates. From the beginning, the mission was a little bit different from what was implied: the impression I gained from the initial letter was that we were sent to protect a merchant ship against the possibility of pirates, but the captain of the Cutlass soon informed us that, no, the Cutlass was in fact a warship disguised as a merchant ship, intended to lure forth a particular pirate ship and disable it, then -- having looted it -- destroy it.
We each learned a little about the workings of a ship, a series of painful lessons in our own ineptitude for the task. I am, perhaps, being too harsh; we are all of us first-timers before the mast, and there was much to learn, so mistakes are inevitable. Still, it seemed as if misfortune dogged our steps. But we did manage to learn the ropes, as it were, and for the sake of practice -- and to lure out our quarry -- we destroyed an old wreck that had been blocking a trade route.
As intended, the noise of the destruction practically summoned the pirates we sought. They unleashed a hail of cannonfire upon us, but they did not expect us to respond in kind. When we did, and they learned the hard way that our ship was armed, they attempted to flee. We pursued, and were the faster. After a short second exchange of cannonfire, I rammed the ship and thereby crippled it. As the crew began to abandon ship, we boarded and stood to battle.
That battle went fairly well. The captain was troublesome -- his pistols nearly struck Jax down -- but between the lot of us we began systematically wiping out those able to fight. Things took a great turn, however, when Bri knocked one of them into the water. That pirate was immediately devoured by a giant shark -- and then, as if summoned by the blood in the water, a second giant shark flew -- yes, flew -- out of the water, ridden by an armored elemental who refused to answer my entreaty for peace.
Needless to say, the battle became more complicated. The shark was a formidable threat, and the rider was no small challenge, either. Bri and Shev both nearly perished in the fight before we laid the creature low. At that, the elemental fled to the depths and was not seen again. It is worth noting, however, that the elemental and shark were not neutral in the battle, and entirely took the part of the pirates.
With all combatants defeated, we looted the ship and, and the direction of the captain of the Cutlass, sank her, bringing the job to a successful close.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Bri Willoughby
•We were summoned to water deep to assist with pirate hunting.
We took the voyage, and learned much about working a ship. With time, we attracted our quarry.
After our ships fought, we attempted to board them, which resulted in direct combat. The pirates were tough, but what was worse was the massive shark and the elemental that was atop it. It flew through the air, and attacked with fury.
We bested the shark, but the elemental got away.
We don't have any answers to how this was related to the pirates. But I feel that this is not the last we will see of them.
Jax Waures
•
They tried to get me to swab the poop deck! The poop deck! How dare they?!
Sure, we were hired by a ship to try and bait pirates into attacking us to take them down, and were to aid around the ship some, but they ASKED ME TO SWAB THE POOP DECK! Absolutely insufferable. Preposterous! To think they would ask someone of my bearing to swab the thrice damned POOP DECK! First of all, these hands are far too delicate for manual labor. To dirty such is practically sinful! Secondly, IT WAS THE POOP DECK! YES I'M STILL ANGRY ABOUT IT ALMOST 3 WEEKS LATER DON'T JUDGE ME!
-Jax Waures
Shev Vremyonni
•When: 4 - Ches
Where: Starting in Waterdeep. ended up somewhere out at sea
Why: hunting Pirates
Another hazy recollection. I remember we were hunting some pirates? had set a trap. they took the bate and we attempted to fight them on their ship. then I dunno I recall flying sharks? water elemental? something went wrong. very wrong. but I'm not entirely certain what? I blacked out at one point. first time on the job. rather proud of that fact that it took this long. though I was brought back by Jax and t would appear we managed to finish the job more or less? over all a good day.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•24 Alturiak 1502
Today we were hired by an anonymous third party whose identity we do not know to participate in a battle in the nearby town of Orlbar. The agents who approached us were unnecessarily duplicitous, but they did provide us with a map and a plan of attack to coincide with an orc assault.
Our part in the battle was to slip into an occupied warehouse and strike down the leadership of the facility. Despite some difficulties in crossing the river, we reached the warehouse in good order and made our way in through the skylights. By some considerable fortune, we dropped down directly upon the leader of the warband. She proved extraordinarily slippery, however, and we ended up having to fight half the facility in the process of tracking her down. That said, we were up to the challenge. It was a complicated fight, but in the end, we managed to pin down the leader. Cal landed the killing blow against both her and her bodyguard, which impressed me greatly.
That was the job. We were not obliged to report back to the agents who gave it to us, as we had received payment in advance.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Bri Willoughby
•We were hired by a mysterious and handsome harper agent, one we will never see again.
Their interest aligned with ours in taking out the Axe Biter clan around shining falls. There was a battle in orlbar planned, which gave us ample opportunity to sneak and take out the rogue zhentarim outfit.
And we did so, after battling our first opponent: the river in this weather.
Thanks to Jax's magic, we were able to maintain an advantageous position as we moved in on the warehouse. We took an aerial approach, aided by Solia's Aurelian.
I entered in first, dropping on the leader of the outfit (not that we knew at the time.) Yashir and Cal maintained battlefield control, utilizing the elements to hold back reinforcements, and I took position in the front line.
We fought well, and came out victorious. We collected our compensation, and that should be the last of the damn axe biters.
Jax Waures
•This time, we weare hired by an anonymous third party to fight in a battle in Orlbar. But we were given a map of the city and the plans of an orc band that would coincidentally happen at the same time. We were to slip into a warehouse occupied by some unsavory parties and take them down. We crossed a frozen river to sneak into the city (though I was nearly pulled under the ice by a clumsy companion) and ghosted into the city.
Somehow. Some way. We chose the exact building that had the boss of this unsavory party in it. Thus ensues what was at first a quite comedic fight where I got heavy use out of the command spell, and much rolling like a pillbug from the boss. It nearly became a very grim day when reinforcements arrived, but some healing from Cal and I managed to keep everyone alive and well. We triumphed in the end, and were not required to report back.
Shev Vremyonni
•Catching up on my notes here. so apologies if this one is a bit fuzzy.
Where: The Black Road, Through the Great Desert
When: the 20th of Alturiak
Who: N/A (Zhentarium)
Why: A caravan escort across the desert. weapons, supplies, spices. all sorts of goods. we ended up having to lost a bit of the shipment and the pact animals. but we managed across fine enough. had to contend with some Hobgoblins but they weren't of great issue.
Temoren Cairnwright
•Filed By: Temoren Cairnwright
Patrol Title: Goat Mayor
DM: Ezra
Location: Basht, Moonsea
Temoren, Shev, Sylthas, Bri, Yashir
Local Contact: Dagobert Valder
Local Goat Guide: Ladeaux
We arrived in Basht during their annual Goat Mayor Election festival. The town square was decorated with bunting and hawthorn hedges, and the current “Mayor,” a brown goat named Snowball, sat in a pen wearing a tricorn hat adorned with flowers and drinking beer from a bowl.
Snowball disappeared shortly after our arrival.
At the pen:
A trail of carrot chips led to a hawthorn thicket, where we found a young girl, Emma, who admitted she accidentally let Snowball out. She indicated he fled toward the forest.
Town leadership then revealed the truth:
For generations, a Fey entity demanded an annual male child as sacrifice. Later, through negotiation by Robin Goodman, the offering shifted to adult men, and eventually to the ceremonial “Goat Mayor.” If no offering is delivered, the town faces destruction.
With guidance from Ledu and a charm provided by Livie Alfera to resist Fey glamour, we entered the woods.
Encounters included:
We eventually entered a springlike glade hidden within the winter forest. Present were satyrs, a dryad, and Snowball.
They required participation in their festivities before conversation. We complied. They confirmed:
They provided us with a substitute brown goat identical to Snowball.
Notably: the goat spoke.
While wearing the tricorn hat, the goat spoke fluently and with personality. When the hat was removed, it ceased speaking entirely and reverted to normal goat behavior. The hat functioned as a magical conduit, likely a comprehension enchantment layered with vocal translation.
This was… deeply unsettling.
We delivered the goat to the forest’s edge as instructed.
An unseen Fey presence declared us late. Nearby, a man trapped inside a glass jar identified himself as Robin Goodman. The Fey announced the arrangement would end and sacrifice would revert to a child if displeased.
A game of Fidgel (Fairy Chess) was proposed, with a puzzle in place of a full match.
Terms:
Sylthas cleared the board decisively.
The Fey honored the bargain:
Yashir uncorked the jar. Bri identified the imprisonment as a Fairy curse. Robin Goodman was freed.
Basht’s cheerful festival concealed a centuries-old Fey bargain. Through strategy rather than sacrifice, the contract was ended.
Also, for record-keeping purposes:
The goat spoke.
It stopped speaking when the hat came off.
I would like that noted clearly in case I ever begin to doubt my own memory.
Filed,
Temoren Cairnwright
Yashir adh Rumahr
•19 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.
We received, oddly enough, an invitation to a tiny festival in a practically unheard-of hamlet a thousand miles away. Were it not for Thrax's connections, I don't know how we would have made it, but make it we did -- myself, Bri, Sylthas, Shev, and Temoren together.
Inviting outsiders to this festival was apparently a remarkably liberal step, one practically unheard of. With good reason. The festival was to honor the ascension of a literal goat to the office of mayor. The goat was to be the village mayor, in a very real and legally-binding sense. It will, I am certain, come as an absolute shock to the reader to discover that there was more going on behind the scenes than was first apparent.
The festival went well enough to begin with. We were greeted with varying degrees of cordiality, depending on whether the townsfolk in question approved of inviting outsiders or not. We watched their mayor-elect, in a little tricorn hat, drink, in the manner of goats across the world, from a bowl on the ground. Beer. Beer was the only drink they served anyone, the goat included, but they served it liberally. We met the town council and were welcomed, and informed that the town was looking to expand its connections. The area is purportedly dangerous, and they had determined, after all these years, that it would be best to make friends outside.
Our meeting with the townsfolk was interrupted by a sweaty, oddly dog-like man. Alas! The mayor had gone missing from his pen! This was a matter of grave consequence. The Council, in begging for our help to rectify the matter, told us the real story of their town. Some generations ago, it seems, a dark, hooded figure threatened the town with its complete destruction, unless they yielded up a boy-child as sacrifice to his Blood Lord. This, to their shame, they did. Again and again and again, every year, for ages. Then one day, their mayor came up with a plan: convince the hooded figure that a man would make a better sacrifice than a child, a man in a position of power, to satisfy his Blood Lord's hunger. The mayor commended unto him, henceforth, once a year, the mayor of the town. The figure accepted, and... well, that is the story of how the town took to elevating a goat unto the position of Mayor every year. The figure stood by its bargain and accepted the goat. Now their sacrifice had vanished, and it was up to us to find it, lest the town be destroyed.
Enough exposition. The goat had been accidentally released by the daughter of one of the town council, and had wandered into the forest -- a forest inhabited by what the townsfolk called "The Neighbors," speaking of them only in hushed tones. Fey folk, of course. We followed the goat's trail -- aided by the odd dog-like man, who only became more canine in nature as time passed -- into the woods, and must, at some point, have stumbled through a fey portal. We battled giant snakes and wil-o-the-wisps, slaying them save one wisp, who escaped with a petulant parting word. We proceeded then along the goat's continuing path, and passed into a clearing wherein, under the direction of a satyr, a celebration was taking place. Numerous wee folk, satyrs, dryads, and such creatures frolicked and danced and played, ate and drank and made merry. We were invited -- with great insistence -- to partake ourselves.
None of us were so foolish as to eat their food or drink their drink, but to appease our "hosts," we all performed some act of entertainment or another. The satyr Cornelius was pleased enough to allow us to speak with the goat-mayor. And speak with him we did. It seems the hat now permitted him that power. The mayor was happy where he was, pampered and fed even better than he had been in the town, and did not wish to return. The fae of the clearing had made friends with him, and would not suffer him to be taken against his will. But rejoice! for there was another goat, and this one was an asshole, and they did not mind having him taken in the mayor's stead. And so the mayor named this second goat his legal vice-mayor, and then abdicated his position, and we dragged the asshole goat kicking and screaming back to town.
Too late; for time had passed, in the manner told in stories, and the hour we spent in the fae world was half the night in ours. We returned to the town at half past midnight, and the time to turn over the sacrificial Mayor had passed. But the Council bade us go forth and negotiate with the hooded figure on the edge of town. And so go forth we did.
The hooded figure, as it turned out, had made a bottled captive of the Mayor who had originally struck the goat-mayor bargain -- Robin by name. The warlock was amused that his game was at last at an end, and intended to destroy the town. We challenged him to another game, and he was pleased to accept. He set the terms: if we succeeded in solving his puzzle perfectly, he would leave the town be henceforth (and, at my urging, release Robin from his captivity); solve it to his satisfaction, and he would accept our asshole goat for this year; fail, and he would obliterate the town as intended.
It was Sylthas who solved the puzzle, much to all of our astonishment. The warlock upheld his bargain and released, Robin, swearing never again to darken the threshold of the village. The festival was over, and our impromptu contract complete, and so we returned in good spirits to the Syndicate.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Sylthas
•
Wow people are dumb. First they eat and drink food offered by a fey. Then they just straight up agree to a deal with a fey. I mean have they never heard of all the people that die horribly due to both of those things. I feel like there should be a do and do nots of the fey posted in the syndicate. But yes, we got a goat, we fought some snakes, we got a different goat we saved a person and the town. Blah blah blah
Gyaba
•
The Syndicate once again sent out a band with the aim of resolving this goblin problem around the Shining Falls area. I suggested we go to the Zhentarim and ask for any information they may have (seeing as how their mark was on the strategy map found previously in the goblin encampment). I figured if they were having their business disrupted by goblins also, then it would behoove them to trade with us. However Solia and Bri seemed more inclined toward the Emerald Enclave with this tactic. So we went there instead.
We encountered an insufferable Harper who needed safe escort to the Emerald Enclave grove, so we took him with us and delivered him. The druids et al pointed us to a dryad friend of theirs who had gone missing, so we went there, fought and killed a "banderhobb", freeing the dryad, the end. By the way, a recovered journal or missive or whatever informed us that the banderhobb had been created and placed in this area by the Zhentarim in apparent alliance with the Axebiter goblins. So. Maybe next time we listen to Gyaba. I am, after all, quite skilled at cutting straight to the heart of a problem. 🗡
Anyway, we reclaimed our pay for our efforts from the bodies of the slain. Which included two hobgoblin fighters, one hobgoblin mage, a quadrupedal wingless dragon shitfuck, and the banderhobb.
Sylthas
•One of the dumbest people I have ever met is a Harper. We went to the emerald enclave and got to burn some hobgoblins and their dragon. then we got to burn a giant toad to save a tree. And apparently the zhentarim are working with the goblins or something like that.
Sylthas
•Kobolds in the walls. a whole bunch of them. I got to burn a whole lot of kobolds on this day, as well as some paintings. I also managed to get a chromatic orb to triple kill. It was awesome. Fire everywhere, and not a single kobold left living.
Gyaba
•We failed our contracted task -- locating and apprehending an escaped criminal, Elsie Rumknuckle -- and were therefore rightly unpaid by the contractee.
What follows is provided simply as context for the above statement.
During our visit to Honeypuddle, we were caught in the crossfire of two smallfolk gods feuding over the Pudding Faire that was occurring that same day, and as such what seems to you to have been a one-day failed contract on 14 Alturiak was, to myself and my coworkers, two weeks of increasing inanity as we relived the same day over and over until we finally succeeded in creating a specific series of circumstances. I will not belabor you with the details. Suffice it to say that I had to shove my hand down an idiot halfling's throat and save him from choking on a live eel every day for 12 days. While also expending an inordinate amount of energy failing to convince Sylthas to stop being a liability.
Let the record show that the only reason we were trapped in this time loop is because Sylthas deliberately exposed the group to the arguing gods when we were, up to that point, successfully hidden and out of harm's way. Let the record also show that the specific circumstances we had to create were "the perfect day", ergo the Faire going off without a hitch, ergo everyone being safely able to enjoy the festivities without mishap. We were all of us made perfectly and explicitly aware of this stipulation on the "second" day (the first repeated day) by the goddess Cyrollalee. It stands to reason that even knowing the bounds of our release, we needed 1-2 days to gather information and discover what it was that needed doing, where, and when. THAT BEING STATED, let the record also show that we were trapped in that hellish loop for an additional TEN DAYS longer than we should have been due to Sylthas's blatant disregard for the collective "good". While the rest of us were doing our damnedest to gather intel, save lives before they were lost, prevent injuries before they could happen, and otherwise correct the course of events before they could run afoul, fucking SYLTHAS:
I feel no guilt nor personal failing for not having managed to apprehend Elsie amidst all that chaos. In summation and to be very clear, I hold the entirety of our failure of our contract up to the fault of Sylthas being such an enormous impediment to our success. Truly, we are only here today, back at the Syndicate, experiencing the 15th and et cetera, no longer trapped, in spite of Sylthas's worst efforts.
End of fucking report.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
((OOC, I just want to clarify again - as I did in game - that I, Zee, have nothing against Cratom the person. But unfortunately Gyaba, in-character, will carry this beef against Sylthas for the rest of their days.))
Sylthas
•I dont understand what everybody was so annoyed. it was a timeloop, we could do anything we wanted. Free burning material. So.. it came back to bite us a little. But it ended up fine. We got these nice stones for saving the faire from the evil god Uldin or something.
Jax Waures
•This... fucking.. job.
I don't even want to write about it. But I should.
We were hired by a halfling in a town called Honeypuddle to apprehend a criminal by the name of Elsie Rumknuckle. We failed in that task due to extenuating circumstances. She was to be at a festival the town was hosting, and we needed to find her amongst this festival. It was the great pudding festival, and we did find her and put her under arrest during the final event. But then, someone turned the mayor into a frog. We thought we could follow and try to help, but as it turns out it was a god, and another goddess had followed. They began arguing, and for some reason that may forever elude me as I have more common sense than a damned peanut, Sylthas decided to expose us to the pair of arguing gods. I won't go into detail as it may damage my mental health and Gyaba has covered it quite succintly.
We were cursed and forced to repeat the 14th of Alturiak for 2 weeks because of Sylthas' incompetence, but eventually we broke the loop, failed the contract as Elsi had been part of the loop as well, and killed a group of mercenaries that were also part of it and were opposing us (they say it's because they had to watch their companion die every day since he was injured, but they could have just come to us for healing for the man..?)
I'm getting a headache writing this so I will stop here.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•14 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.
On a routine mission to escort a merchant caravan from one place to another along the Stojanow River, myself, Jax, Kervae, Shev, and Bri were accosted by a dog that was not a dog. The dog's collar indicated it to be the companion to one Leonardo. Despite our misgivings -- well, some of us -- the dog was convincing enough to induce us to leave the caravan behind to follow it.
(Not to worry. We received letters of indemnity. The merchants *insisted* upon it.)
The dog led us to a great cave. Somewhere nearby, if I recall my historical geography, a mighty dragon was slain in battle some fifty years ago by an adventuring party, led by a wizard called... Leonardo. The site still remembers its passing, it seems, for it was stricken with unseasonable heat and eruptions of steam. Shev was able to engage in telepathic communication with the dog, and learned that her "friends," a number of woodland creatures, had been taken captive in an effort to draw her out.
We passed through the cave, navigating steam geysers and pit traps and assorted hazards. Bri succeeded in solving a puzzle that opened a door, and through that door we encountered goblins and hobgoblins in the service of a creature called Torch. It perhaps goes without saying that Torch is the creature who captured the woodland animals in the first place. Those animals were present in the chamber, and we were able to cow the goblinoids into submission.
Departing the cave with the woodland creatures (and the not-a-dog) in tow, we pressed on toward the nearby tower of the wizard Leonardo, to return his companion. Along the way, Torch descended upon us with fire and fury -- all packaged up in the body of the tiniest, snot-nosed little wyrmling that ever held a grudge. The game he talked was substantially bigger than he was himself. His ego was boundless, but we brought him low and emerged mostly unscathed.
Upon returning to the caravan, we were met by the wizard Leonardo, who thanked us for returning his companion. We then fulfilled our original purpose and escorted the merchant caravan to their ultimate destination. Very accommodating folks, these.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Jax Waures
•This day we were hired by a merchant caravan to escort them along the Stonajaw river, and overall the actual escorting experience was rather peaceful. But of course, there will always be a hiccup with these contracts. Along the way, about 3 days in, a golden retriever approached our caravan and after a while we somehow realized it was trying to lead us somewhere. After we got a writ ensuring we would not be responsible for any damages that happened to the caravan while we were gone and dealing with this (they were oddly going along with this? Like, very adamant that we followed this random dog).
The dog led us to a large cave system which we explored, with steam vents coming up and burning us. After some slow exploring, we found that the dog was leading us to a group of goblins and hobgoblins that had kidnapped a group of animals (apparently the dog's friends. Also the dog was a person I think?) under the service of a supposedly terrifying dragon.
We freed the animals and left, but were chased down by the dragon. Which was.. a tiny one. No taller than any of us. We ambushed it and took it down, and scared off the bugbears that had followed it. Then we returned to the caravan and were greeted by the dog's... I don't even know what their relationship is. A wizard in the local area that had killed the parent of the dragon we had killed. We were paid, finished the caravan, and returned to the Syndicate.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•13 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.
Myself, Solia, Chappo, Shev, and Kervae were contracted out by an acquaintance of Thrax's, the mayor of Longsaddle -- a small, distant village under the control of a wizard family called the Harpells. They had been plagued of late by griffin attacks -- just two of the creatures at first, but more than that after a few months.
(The math on this phenomenon is not complicated.)
Our orders were to slay or drive off the griffins, and after what seemed like days or tendays of travel, we had the surprise opportunity to begin shortly after we arrived: several young (I did say the math was simple) griffins attacked a trio of horses a short distance from our rendezvous point. I thought that the best approach would be to frighten them off, but the others drew weapons and brought forth spellfire. Either way, the young griffins retreated, with Solia in hot pursuit to track them to their nest.
The griffins, it must be noted, were hardly the threat. The horses, on the other hand... I was kicked in the head. Twice. My dishonor knows no bounds, and I fear for whatsoever intelligence I may ever have dared to claim.
Well. Guided by Solia, we followed a trail of blood through mountains and plains. A pack of starving coyotes would likely have troubled us, but Chappo had a word with them (I swear to you this really happened, it is not a lingering figment of my repeated kicks to the head) and instead they elected to guide us to the eyrie we sought.
Soon enough, we climbed a cliff (at the bottom of which lay many gnomish corpses all strewn about; we have asked no questions). At the top were two fully-grown griffins and two more young. Immediately, one of them seized me and took to the air, and I would surely have met the same fate as the gnomes down below, but for Kervae's swift intervention.
We slew the elder griffins and drove off the young. The job is complete, and our contract intact.
My dignity, like my skull, is another matter entirely.
Chappo Barat
•
Friends who came with: Kervrae (Prefers Lady Nerym), Solia, Shev, Yashir and me!
When we went: 13 Alturiak, 1502 DR (Febuary 9th 2026)
Where we went: nice little place called longsaddle and then another mountain! I'm noticing a theme...
Why'd we go?:The mayor I think asked us to stop some griffons from causing problems
What happened?:
we went to the nice little town of longsaddle! Was a long trip but we somehow got back on time? Time is weird. Anyhow we arrived and a new friend told us a buncha griffons were causing some trouble. So he wanted us to help out, which was lucky timing because a buncha young ones were causing some nice horses a great deal of trouble. We couldn't save one but the other two were okay! I healed em up and the nice foks takin care of em even gave me some things to drink. A coupla the babies got away but they pointed us in the direction of the nest.
Going up the mountain we met some unfortunate coyotes, seems the griffons bein there displaced some local ecosystems. Always a shame when that happens, do wonder how these griffons ended up here in the first place. I imagine something has displaced the griffon's natural habitat and that pushed em our way. Hu... oh yeah I fed those new coyote friends and they led us to the griffon nest! Such nice fellers.
We found the nest and there were a buncha poor unfortunate dead gnome folks, bashed about and cut up by the griffons. Just goes to show what happens when nature gets disrupted without proper cause. Anyway the griffons were dealt with and we made it home safe. Little sad about all the death but at least some life was saved.
-Chappo
Kervae Nerym
•
Contractor: The Mayor of Longsaddle
Objective: Deal with a Gryphon infestation
Personal Account: While in Longsaddle, as we were discussing the details of the infestation, we were made known that the gryphons were in the midst of an attack on the village so we pursued. We encountered a grouping of young gryphons in the midst of their attempt to make off with horses that belonged to the people of the village. We began our attack until they retreated. Their retreat gave us the opportunity to uncover the location of the nests.
Solution: Once we reached the nests, we killed a large portion of the gryphon population causing them to scatter from their roost near Longsaddle.
Shev Vremyonni
•Who
Kervae, Yashir, Solia, Chappo, Shev
What
We were contracted to journey out to Longsaddle to take care of a influx of Griffon attacks terrorizing some of the local traders and horses. In fact while receiving our briefing the horses outside the establishment came under attack by juvenile griffons. we quickly dispatched them. with one getting away. this fortunately was perfect for us. giving us a lead to follow and track the nest.
this lead us to base of a cliff. which. . .for some reason. was littered with the corpses of gnomes. but. Tymora was with us that day. fore the gnomes had all left behind gloves that granted us the ability to scale the cliffs with ease. but we were greeted not with more juvenile but full grown griffons. wonderful creatures. but. . .rather viscous. had I not been gifted with a tattoo that carried a charge of feather fall. a few of us would have meet our fate that day.
Where
Longsaddle
When
Alturiak 13, 1502 Dale Reckoning
Why
Pest Extermination - Type Griffons.
Solia Faolanri
•Party:
Kervae, Chappo, Shev, Yashir, Solia
We were summoned to Longsaddle to assist with a gryphon problem.
Juvenile gryphons attacked a settlement and were attacking the horses. They had also been responsible for killing local livestock.
We followed them to their nests on the cliffs and encountered the bodies of climbers that had previously tried to deal with them and were thrown from the peaks. We ascended, located the nests and dispatched them. Kervae claimed an egg as her own though I’m unsure what ended up happening to it.
Yashir adh Rumahr
•11 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.
I confess, after my last adventures, I took on this contract with trepidation rather than hope. In fact, were it not for a sense of duty that compelled me to finish a job left incomplete, I may have passed it up entirely. I may, in fact, have elected to cut my ties with the Syndicate and find another means of accomplishing my goals, for mercenary work has ill befit me.
Let this stand as a lesson in perseverance. Myself, Bri, Solia, Thompson, and Sylthas ventured forth to finish the job we had started weeks ago, with the goblins of the Axebiter Clan. We were given directions by the prisoner we took from the ill-fated initial skirmish, and soon encountered a patrol. We were better prepared this time, thanks in large part to Solia and her canine companion Briarfael, and we struck down many goblins and their wargs -- as well as a great Ogre -- at minimal cost. Bri was clever enough to capture their strange wizard, who was himself clever enough to surrender, and he proved a surprisingly valuable source of further information.
Armed with this information, we proceeded to the cave that was the local Axebiter stronghold. Despite Solia's unfortunate encounter with a beartrap, we eliminated the guards outside before they could raise an alarm, and continued inside.
Within the cave were many traps, whose locations our prisoner could not recall. We formed up admirably and employed tactical positioning and use of terrain, and engaged the enemy at range. The enemy force included not only goblins but bugbears and hobgoblins, which I have seldom heard of working together in harmony. The fight was bitter, and taxed us all greatly, but we were able to slay the leaders and finish their minions without casualty (save for Briarfael, but I understand she will return unharmed in time).
Within the cave, navigating many pitfalls, we uncovered much that is disconcerting. Most notable was a battle map, which laid out numerous force positions of which we had been unaware. This tribe has, it seems, been at war with Orcs, and the Zhentarim, Harpers, and Emerald Enclave all had their own marks upon that map.
Our neighbors, it seems, are restless. But I am undeterred. This successful battle against a superior, dug-in force has restored my faith -- in my comrades, in my choice of paths, and in my own prowess. Whatever the forces arrayed against us, I am confident we shall make our own mark, in bold print indeed.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Sylthas
•More goblins to burn. there was something about previous people being ambushed so we were good on that front. we made sure to scout, and by we i mean Solia. we then got to burn a bunch more goblins
Yashir adh Rumahr
•10 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.
A relentless nightmare began with a charming letter, sent to the Syndicate by one Veradda Stoor. In this letter, she directed us to several caches of treasure belonging to ancient giants, purportedly abandoned, which we were to retrieve. Why, I do not know; she did not instruct us to bring the contents of these caches to her. Perhaps those who worked with her first would know more, but I do not. Nor did I see any purpose in questioning the matter.
Two separate caches did she identify. The first, at the summit of a high mountaintop. Myself, Gyaba, Sylthas, Chappo, and Kervae ascended the mountain and were summarily attacked by giant owls. We disposed of them handily enough, solved a minor riddle, and rang a great bell to dispel a wall of force that barred our entry into the mountainside. Within, we found several braziers, which we began to light, along with a great slab depicting a god of the giants of whom I know little. When one of our number laid hands upon that slab, several small winged creatures sprang forth from the braziers and assaulted us. Practically mindless sentinels they were, bereft of any thought but to protect their sacred site. We dealt with them as well, and, doing so, revealed four great golden plates. Gyaba immediately seized them, whereupon a mighty storm giant strode into the room to issue dire warnings upon us. Gyaba took no notice and fled with the plates, but the giant seemed scarcely to mind; and she let the rest of us go.
And go we did, to the next site: a hidden door leading into another mountain in the range. Misfortune plagued my every footfall, from the trap sprung by Kervae's carelessness to a pit trap sprung by my own. I blacked out there, impaled upon spikes and gnawed by rats, and there I surely would have perished if not for the intervention of friend Chappo -- a most agreeable fellow, I must say. He succeeded in leading off the remaining rats, as well, and deeper within the cavern we went. In the centermost chamber, a great magic diamond summoned forth several stinging blobs, which did their best to undo Chappo's work of stitching me back together again. Fortunately, the others were able to destroy the diamond -- and with it the blobs -- before they inflicted lethal harm upon me. There wasn't much left to gather up, but we took what we could and returned home.
I feel somehow heavier now, and not in a good way. My many wounds and bruised ego aside, I feel the worse off now than when I first began. The wealth we gained was small, and certainly no bards will sing of my deeds -- I performed none worth speaking, let alone singing. I question, now, the wisdom of taking on a mercenary's life. Perhaps it is not my best path forward, after all. Perhaps it is no path forward at all.
Time will tell. For now, I shall get very drunk and pray to forget the unending torrent of indignities and failures I have suffered this night.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Gyaba
•I'm actually not clear on the context for this one. We got a letter from a scholar, I guess, who had two little leads on two hidden caches near-ish-by that they wanted us to find. Reasoning unknown - perhaps historical or cultural value...? Scholar shit. I don't know.
We found both. One was a giant shrine to Annam that had been desecrated by Dragon Cultists semi-recently. We were attacked by some steam and ice creatures and upon killing them the shrine rewarded us with four gold plates, which I helpfully carried on behalf of the party. Except that no one seemed to want them after, which I thought was weird, so they're just in my hoard now. Whatever. Anyway the other one was an I-don't-even-know-what in the side of a mountain face. Very icy. Very rats. Very haunted giant diamond that exploded into a diamond-dust-ghost that tried to get us to turn on each other, but we didn't, so HA.
The scholar who wrote us the letter to hire us did not pay us, but nor did they agree to beforehand, I guess. But we found the caches for them and in return for no payment promised, we took what wasn't nailed down, and I think that's fair.
End of report.
Chappo Barat
•Chappo's Notes!
Friends who came with: Kervrae (Prefers Lady Nerym), Gyaba, Sylthas, Yashir and me!
When we went: 10 Alturiak, 1502 DR (Febuary 9th 2026)
Where we went: ...um, definitely a couple mountains. One was real tall and went up past the clouds and the other was one with a big green wall
Why'd we go?: Someone named Verada Stoor sent a weird letter with a couple riddles with locations and the promise of treasure and some of my friends like that kinda thing! So I came with to help em!
What happened?:
This was a fun adventure! A little more violent than I would have preferred but it happens. First we went to big tall mountain with a bell since the letter said the other might have curses so it just made sense! We met some real big owls. They weren't happy we were there, territorial and all that, so my friends decided to fight em off. I tried talkin to em but they seemed all priesty and not actual animals so I had a hard time there. Then we solved a riddle! Gyaba is real smart and got it in one try. Inside an invisible cave (or was the wall invisible and the cave was visible? I don't remember) that we saw cus of the bell there was a big stone with carvings and old paint! I cast a bit of light so we could see better and some security fire and ice people showed up. They didn't seem to be able to talk like normal people so everyone assured me they were magicy made people. Not proper ones so I'm sure it was fine. Some tablets showed up made of gold so Gyaba got real excited and grabbed em. But then a big giant person arrived and said the cave was important to their people so we agreed to give em the tablets back! ..later.. after some talk. It's fine! Oh yeah and the cave used to be held by dragons but the giant friend said "it's now the time of giants". Wonder what that was about?
The next cave was much less complicated. Just a hidden door, some rat friends who were hungry, and a cursed diamond that made me see stuff that wasn't real. I knew I could trust my friends! Still recovering from all that but turned out all right! My friends got treasure! I'm so happy for them! Oh speakin of Lady Nerym doesn't like being touched and seemed nervous about my healing, so make sure you speak with her about healing before you do it. Consent is important after all!
-From Chappo
Kervae Nerym
•Contractor: Verada Stor
Objective: Retrieve Treasures
Personal Account: The location of two different caches were sent to the Syndicate by letter. Representatives of the Syndicate went to the two different locations named to retrieve them. The first was found on a high mountain, covered in snow and aggressive beasts. It was discovered to be an ancient Giant shrine to one of their gods and had a unique defense system.
The Second was located within a cave system that doubled as a trapped maze. Within, rats and spikes littered the floor, guarding a large gem that seemed to be cursed.
Solution: We killed the beasts, triggered the defense mechanism, destroyed the summoned targets and Gyaba was able to run with the treasure as we confronted a Giant that warned of the consequences.
Solution (cont.): We traversed the maze and destroyed the gem - as it summoned dangerous conjurations that threatened the lives of the group.
Sylthas
•Continuing to deal with the hoards. still not sure why we were doing this. I assure you, if I ever find stuff out about a hoard im not hiring people to go after it. ill go after it myself. I got to burn things again, some owls, some rats, some other things.
Bri Willoughby
•Location: Waterdeep, just outside of the city, at Seely Farm.
We were hired by the guild of fletchers. They have a contract with Seely Goose Farm for their feathers to make their arrows. But the farm has not been making good on their promise. Due to this, the guild is loosing serious coin.
The farm was originally owned by Reanne Gosling, but she recently sold it to her nephew Liame Geeson.
We traveled to the farm to see what the deal was. When we got close, we found a statue imbued with transformation magic, before hearing cries of help. In a nearby pond, a talking goose was being attacked by another goose (who was just honking and saying 'die die die!'). We twarted the aggressive goose, and saved the other.
The goose we saved was named Geesus; a not so skilled mage, who's misuse of magic turned everyone into geese. And with all the chaos, Liam imprisoned his aunt, and hid away the deed to the farm.
We were able to defeat Liam and restore order back to the farm, much to the gratitude of the guild of fletchers.
Gyaba
•We were hired by the Waterdeep Society of Bowyers and Fletchers, who were distraught at having lost contact with their goose-feather supplier, the Seelie Goose Farm. So we went to follow up. We encountered an intelligible talking goose calling themself "Geezus" just outside the farm. Geezus was being attacked by an unintelligible talking goose. I believe it was Kervae who assessed the aggressor goose to be some kind of were-creature or otherwise under a transformative effect. (As in: a were-goose.) We subdued the aggressor goose, and attempts to interrogate Geezus if he was the source or cause behind the transformation (that had so enraged the other goose) were met with incomplete denials and confused argumentation. Abruptly, we were all turned into geese. Yes. I wrote what I meant.
Geezus explained it was a mis-cast spell of his which was affecting all of Seelie Goose Farm which we could break if we restored the former owner to ownership. Apparently, the new owner - Liam - had bamboozled the former owner - Reanne(?) - and then locked her away so that his deception could not come to light. My waterfowl-turned compatriots descended upon the bunkhouse proper while I investigated a trapdoor we'd discovered in an outbuilding closet. I'm not sure what happened, but Reanne (also goose-cursed as we were) was below, and I retrieved her and brought her back aboveground. I believe Liam was properly subdued. Someone found the deed to the farm and once returned to Reanne, we all returned to our proper upright and unfeathered forms. Reanne then agreed to continue the existing contract with the Waterdeep Bowyers and Fletchers.
Geezus was sufficiently contrite for the miscast spell that caused all the complication. Though I still think we should have reported him to the Waterdeep authorities for such irresponsible magicking, but what do I know.
We were paid as agreed.
Chappo Barat
•Friends who came with: Kervae (Prefers Lady Nerym), Gyaba, Shev, Bri, and me!
When we went: 8 Alturiak, 1502 DR (Febuary 7th 2026)
Where we went: the Seely Goose Farm!
Why'd we go?: some arrow makers in Waterdeep, they were a whole guild!
What happened?:
we were headed to the Seely Goose Farm.... OH! It's a pun! That's fun. Anyway, seemed the owner passed it on to her nephew and he hadn't renewed the contract yet so the fletcher guild wanted us to check on things. Well.. it got a bit weird. We got there and a real mean goose was attackin another goose. poor guy was just yellin for help, so I did! Later we found out he was wizard named Geesus, poor guy had a speech problem so he accidentally turned everyone into Geese. Didn't really bother me but everyone else seemed a bit bothered so we went and got it fixed. Just had ta give the deed to the farm back to miss Reanne Gosling from her nephew Liame Geeson. Bit a ruff guy, didn't really think how his actions would affect others so things got a bit ruff on him. Also goose shenanigans happened, those were fun.
-From Chappo Barat
Kervae Nerym
•Contractor: The Waterdeep Society of Bowyers and Fletchers
Objective: Investigate the state of the Seely Goose Farm and rebuild the deal once kept between the two entities
Personal Account: The protective ward of the Seely Goose Farm had become malfunctioned due to a misspoken spell. The Syndicate Representatives were turned into Geese and encountered someone affiliated with the farm a mage named, Geesus. After defending them from a goose that was much more dangerous than the average goose, we were informed that the property had switched ownership between previous owner, Reanne Gosling and her nephew Liame Geeson through forced means.
Solution: In order to meet our objective, we killed Liame and his subordinates, returned the farm's deed to Reanne, which allowed the contract with the Society resume as was previously standard.
Shev Vremyonni
•Who
Bri, Chappo, Gyaba, Kervae, Shev
What
We were turned into Geese. I dont recall what happened or why we came here but we all got turned into geese. My experience as a Goose was. interesting to say the least. morality morphs and becomes much more gray. the urge. THE INSTINCT to HONK is overwhelming. I never understood why geese were so hostile until i embodied being a goose. the misanthropy one feels. is indescribable. I have a new found respect for these noble beasts. and truly has given me a new perspective on life. though lets not be over-dramatic.
Where
Outside of Waterdeep, Seeley farms.
When
Alturiak, 8th, 1502 Dale Reckoning.
Why
Something about a business? see above.
Gyaba
•The contractee was a one Martancriff, I assume the leader of the new Cheesemonger's society of Waterdeep. There were apparently some concerns about two potential competitors in the then-upcoming Cheese competition the new guild was hosting in Waterdeep. (The concern being, of course, the loss of status and income of/for the guild should the competition provide a platform for criminal activity or harm to attendees.) We were pointed to two men, a human with a D-name and a halfling with an absolute statement of head- and facial-hairstyle. Calkin, I think his name was.
Anyway, we were able to identify Calkin's "cheese" as Lurien spring cheese -- basically a highly addictive Halfling drug in cheese form -- which he had deliberately modified to be a drug palatable to and psychoactive in all humanoids (not just Halflings). We confronted him, he showed no remorse and in fact attempted to flee. Which attempt we successfully stopped. We handed Calkin and his accomplices over to Waterdeep authorities. As for the human with the D-name that I can't remember: He was a standup gentleman, actually, who once we informed him of the potential issues in his cheesemaking process, he willingly withdrew from the competition and vowed to reform. No further action was necessary.
Upon returning to the Cheesemonger's Guild's cheese competition the next day to report our findings, the final judging was interrupted by a terrorist attempt by a warped so-called "cheese elemental" going by the presumably self-ascribed moniker of "the Brieholder". The elemental attacked the crowd - which fled safely - and my compatriots and I successfully subdued the beast.
Martancriff and the Cheesemonger's Guild were adequately grateful and upheld their end of the contract. (That is, providing the agreed-upon payment for our blood loss and time spent.)
Shev Vremyonni
•Who
Solia, Thompson, Gyaba, Cal, Shev
What
We were enlisted to help investigate some accusations of fowl play during the annual cheese competition. the community? board? something like that. had some credible concerns they wanted us to follow up on. one person was attempting to distribute some addictive cheese. another. was keeping some sort of illegal creature we had to coax into a room.
The competition itself was a bit dodgy as well. A cheese. . creature? of some sort appeared that we needed to put down. we receieved an array of cheese goods. . . .over all odd day.
Where
Waterdeep
When
Alturiak 7th, 1502 Dale Reckoning.
Why
Help those in charge of the cheese festival insure a fair competition.
Solia Faolanri
•Party:
Thompson, Shev, Cal, Gyaba, Solia
We were invited to a wonderful festival where local cheesemongers were entering their wares for judgement. I’m not much for dairy, but there were some interesting offerings of rare origin.
We were asked by the Cheesemongers Association to check on a few concerning situations. One dealt with a compound that was making the cheese wildly addictive. They tried to bribe us but we ended up getting them disqualified. It seemed unfair to have that kind of advantage.
Another was using an illegally obtained creature to alter their cheese and it was making people sick.
We were able to resolve all situations with minimal conflict and enjoyed the festivities afterward!
Sylthas
•We went on a job to find a treasure hoard for some reason? Don't know why we were hired to do this. Well i got to burn some goblins at least. It was fun.
Temoren Cairnwright
•Field Report
Filed By: Temoren Cairnwright
Affiliation: Glassfang Syndicate
Subject: Veradda Stoor Cache Investigation
Location: Black Road to Parnast, Base of the Greypeak Mountains
Objective
We were commissioned by the famed treasure hunter Veradda Stoor to investigate five rumored treasure caches. Our instructions were to travel the Black Road toward Parnast and meet her at a designated clearing at the base of the Greypeak Mountains. From there, we were to begin locating the first of the caches.
Purpose stated: recovery and exploration.
Purpose implied: evaluation of our capability.
During travel along the Black Road we observed:
The rune markings appeared deliberate rather than ancient. No immediate arcane resonance was detected at distance.
Upon arrival at the clearing at the base of the Greypeak Mountains, Veradda Stoor was not present. Instead, we located a letter addressed to us.
The letter indicated:
We elected to investigate the southernmost cave first.
Initial Conditions
Combat Notes
We encountered:
Upon arcane observation and post-combat analysis, I determined the following:
This suggests an external caster or lingering enchantment within the cave system. The origin of the spell remains undetermined.
Within the area we discovered a small bear.
Cairn remains stable and cooperative but will require monitoring to prevent dominance disputes.
We expected treasure.
We found a test.
And perhaps a shrinking problem.
Respectfully submitted,
Temoren Cairnwright - Cartographer, Artificer, Reluctant Goblin-Exterminator
Shev Vremyonni
•Solia Faolanri
•Party:
Solia, Thompson, Sylthas, Temoran, Shev
Date:
5th of Alturiak, 1502 Dale Reckoning
We were hired by a treasure hunter to track down some caches that had been hidden in the mountains. It promised to be lucrative, so we accepted. There were several in the Greypeak Mountains.
We were set upon by goblins, and a somehow undersized giant. They were dispatched. Thompson found a similarly undersized bear named Blooddrinker, and I observed questionable behavior from a party member. Harmless… but notable.
Bri Willoughby
•We were summoned by the mayor of Shining Falls, a human woman who's name I don't believe we caught.
There have been a number of thefts and robberies by goblins, just to the South East of the village. Thankfully no fatalities, but a troupe of traveling merchants failed to arrive to the village as expected.
We were tasked with clearing them out and ideally figuring out the source of the sudden influx and hostility.
As we tracked them, we were ambushed on the road by no less than 8 wargs mounted by 8 goblins. We fought hard against them. 2 or 3 goblins got away, and we brought one back to shining falls for questioning. We were unable to continue closer to the goblin camp, as we were heavily injured from the fight.
There will be more information to follow I hope.
More information:
The goblins are part of the axe biter clan. Their numbers are few, under 10. They were given orders only to steal, not to kill. Which is weird for goblins. Their motives are still uncertain
Yashir adh Rumahr
•After endless weeks of waiting, spent in sparring and eating and recovering from sparring, our patience was finally rewarded. Our first contract with the newly-established Glassfang Syndicate was delivered by the mayor of the nearby town of Shining Falls.
The town had, she informed us, been faced with some difficulties, presumably related to a band of goblins that had taken up residence recently: thefts, disappearances. Though she had little coin to offer, we nevertheless agreed to assist: myself, Solia Faolanri, Temoren, Bri, and Jax. Each of us for different purposes, I imagine. I will not speak to theirs, but for myself, a light purse earned now might yield a heavier one later. This was to be a small and local job, but done correctly, word of our deeds might spread, and greater contracts begin to come in.
In any case, we were given directions: northeast from Shining Falls. Solia and her unearthly canine friend Briarfael were able to pick up a trail to direct us more accurately. We were not, however, vigilant enough to evade the ambush. For as we paced through the forest, arrows began to fall around us, and eight warg-riding goblins attacked without preamble.
Immediately, the gaps in our training began to show. We had each of us accustomed ourselves to fair, one-on-one duels, or something similar at least. And so we scattered when we ought to have stood fast together, each moving to engage a different group of foes, and it was nearly our undoing. I very much include myself in this assessment, to my shame. Bri and Jax both were nearly slain. It is well that nearly all of us possessed some means of rapid healing, or the battle would undoubtedly have ended tragically.
It went very poorly for us in the beginning, needless to say. In the end, however, we rallied, slaying all of the wargs and many of the goblins, and driving off the rest. One we took prisoner for questioning.
Though we defeated this band in the end, we were sorely pressed to do so, and gravely wounded and exhausted all. I dislike leaving the job unfinished; it reflects poorly upon us, unprepared though we were. But we could not have survived another battle against a foe forewarned against us by those that escaped. There remains more to be done ere the contract is fully complete to my satisfaction.
Nevertheless, the mayor was well enough pleased with what we did accomplish. We were paid in meager full, and claimed some spoils to sell for a small bonus besides. I intend to follow up, once I have recovered, and see the job properly completed.
-- Yashir adh Rumahr
Temoren Cairnwright
•Patrol Report: Shining Falls Runoff
Filed by: Temoren Cairnwright
Party: Bri, Yashir, Solia, Jax, Temoren
We traveled out toward Shining Falls and received our assignment: reports of travelers not returning, tied to a group of goblins mounted on worgs. I had only heard of worgs before. I will not be making that mistake again. The threat was active, aggressive, and required immediate removal from the runoff area. We cleared them out… to a point. We reduced the menace and broke their control of the area, but the cost was high and we came close to losing multiple members of the patrol.
Bri went down hard. Hard enough that the situation could have become a collapse if Solia and I hadn’t coordinated quickly. Even surrounded by teeth and blades, Bri’s refusal to stay down is notable. Once she was brought back up, she continued to press forward like the ground had only interrupted her briefly.
To keep others standing, I needed to stay standing myself. I realized quickly that mobility was my best defense, and I used it to reposition out of danger, create distance for crossbow fire, and still provide support. I was able to blink out of immediate threat, keep pressure on the goblins with my crossbow, cast faerie fire, and send healing where it was needed, including to Jax and Yashir.
During the engagement I manifested what can only be described as angelic wings. I am not a religious person and I have no interest in pretending I understand the source of it. For my purposes, they were guiding wings: they kept me alive long enough to keep others alive. Jax apparently thought I was leaving him to die when I moved away. I was not. Someone had to remain functional to keep the rest of us from falling apart, and I had the tools to do it. I gave Jax my two healing potions afterward. If nothing else, it should help him feel better about being earthbound and mortal.
This patrol was harrowing. If Thrax did not fully scrutinize the danger level of the assignment, I recommend that be corrected going forward. That said, it did strengthen something important: my resolve that I am on the right path with my studies. My atlas work is only going to improve, and when it does, it will improve the odds for everyone around me.
Solia lost her companion during this. I believe it is a setback, not an ending. The bond she had with that creature was rare, and Solia herself is steadier and stronger than she seems to believe in the moment.
Yashir fought valiantly. While he was positioned farther from the rest of the group, he kept enemies occupied and drew attention that could have turned on the patrol. That matters. It deserves acknowledgment.
Bri is a powerhouse. Her sword work was impressive, and I am glad she did not bring that full intensity into our sparring session. I believe the outcome would have been different. She also made a sound, strategic call in taking one goblin prisoner, which may prove useful depending on what they know and who they answer to.
Jax and I… may have bonded. I nearly let him die, didn’t, and he asked for help up while fully aware I could not physically move him. It was, in its own way, reassuring.
I don’t know what the next assignment will look like after Shining Falls, but I know this: we have work to do, and the Glassfang Syndicate will be ready for it.
Jax Waures
•Our first contract! Oh how naive we were. We were hired by the mayor of Shining Falls, as there was an issue of goblins in the area that were stealing from locals and merchants. We were tasked to remove them from the area, and along the way figure out if there were more as well as why they were being hostile.
We tracked them down to near their camp, but were ambushed upon approaching. It was a rough fight, with around 8 goblins and worgs. Bri and I came close to death, myself being knocked unconscious several times and resuscitated by healing. It was.. not fun. Several goblins got away, and we were unable to proceed to their camp, though we did capture one for interrogation to find more about their clan.