Against the Cult: the next direction (1.4)

Here's a summary of what has happened already.

Cecily Raptor, famed elven hero, has retired from adventuring after saving villages and defeating villains for hundreds of years. Now she runs the adventurers' guild, "Dungeon Busters!" Cecily has sent a number of novice adventurer employees - Aanbo the monk, Klak the paladin, Morgran the cleric, Ogbar the barbarian, Quest the mystic, Sara the ranger, Thacogygax the sorcerer, Xana the warlock - to the town of Hochoch (which she was instrumental in rescuing more than a century ago) to explore the possibility of opening a franchise office of Dungeon Busters there. The adventurers are to a) determine if there's a need for adventurers in the area, b) demonstrate the heroism of the Dungeon Busters organization, and, if successful, c) set up a branch of Dungeon Busters in Hochoch.

The party arrived in Hochoch and found that adventurers are very much part of the local culture here; nearly every family had an adventurer as an ancestor, and many local landmarks were named by/for adventurers. Everything seemed peaceful in Hochoch, though the party kept hearing reports of strange things happening in the nearby town of Orlane. Then a mortally-wounded miller rode into town, telling how his assistant brought some strangers to the mill and then attacked him. Joined by Durren, a human warrior who'd been raised by elves and wanted to sign up for Dungeon Busters, the party went to the mill and defeated a bunch of bandits who had kidnapped the assistant's wife and occupied the mill, holding it for the infamous bandit known only as "Black." They wondered why a bandit would want a mill as a base of operations and couldn't think of any good reasons without knowing more.

Hearing that Black's bandits often waylaid travelers on Cecily's Road between Hochoch and Orlane, the party decided to set a trap for Black, masquerading as wealthy merchants in an ox-drawn wagon traveling through the Dim Forest to Orlane. But on the way, they ran into Abel Jarl, a forest crofter whose son, Devek, had fallen into a death-like sleep. Aanbo, Quest, and Morgren went with Abel to examine the comatose boy, and discovered from one of Devek's sisters that he'd ventured into an old ruined temple and poked himself with something which sent him into a magical sleep. While they were at the farmhouse, the others waited in the road. There they met a traveling minstrel, Jonbon, on the road from Orlane. As they talked, they heard a large animal in the woods. Xana made the sound of a dragon's roar, hoping to scare away the predator, but instead it goaded the monster into defending its territory. The predator, an owlbear, leaped out of the trees, smashed Jonbon's wagon, and killed his mules with one pounce, then knocked Klak down with a swipe of its paw. The oxen panicked, broke their traces, and ran. The monster completely ignored the party's attacks, clearly looking to challenge the dragon. It left only when Xana tricked it with the sound of the dragon flying away. They healed Klak, and the party went with Jonbon to the farmhouse. Jonbon played soothing music, and Abel agreed to leave with the Dungeon Busters to take Devek back to the temple in Hochoch. They loaded the unconscious boy in a handcart and all the adventurers left with Abel back to Hochoch.

After they had traveled for a couple of hours, Abel suddenly realized that he'd been charmed by Jonbon to leave his wife and kids alone with a stranger! After a few moments of indecision, Abel decided to trust the party with his son and headed back to confront the man who'd magically compelled him. The party split, Ogbar, Aanbo, Xana, Durren, and Quest running back to the farmhouse with Abel, while Sara, Klak, Morgran, and Thacogygax continued with Devek to Hochoch. On arriving at the farmhouse, that part of the party discovered that Jonbon had drugged all of Abel's family, retrieved one of the oxen once the innocents had fallen asleep, and loaded the unconscious woman and children into his wagon, which he then drove back toward Orlane. Running hard, Ogbar and Aanbo caught up to the wagon, fought and subdued Jonbon the kidnapper, and discovered the deeply-drugged-but-still-alive members of Abel's family in the back. They turned the wagon around again and headed back to the farmhouse for the night, with Jonbon bound and gagged.

Sara, Klak, Morgran, and Thacogygax arrived in Hochoch with the unconscious Devek early the next morning, exhausted and hungry from hours spent trudging with the hand cart (and a tense encounter with a hungry bear). The temple's priestess, Diana, examined Devek and conferred with Morgran while the others got a meal prepared by the temple's acolytes. Diana announced that the boy Devek was accidentally poisoned by coming in contact with - possibly injected or pierced by something - some powerful kind of magic sleeping potion. To craft an antidote, she would need to know more about the potion, by at the very least examining a sample of the potion. That would require finding the place where he was stuck.

The party is regrouping to consider what to do next. Morgran and some of the others have decided that they will remain in Hochoch and begin scouting for the location to set up the Dungeon Busters guild hall while remaining on hand to keep tabs on Devek.

This is where we resume the game.

Cecily had sent the party ahead to scout out the area and to assess the need for a branch office of the Guild. Cecily was so confident that there was need, however, that she sent her lieutenant, Olpert Razorson, after them later that same day, with a caravan wagon of supplies for setting up the guild office in the area. As more Dungeon Buster aspirants arrive and are vetted, Cecily sends them on to different regions. Knowing that Olpert will have things well in hand, Cecily sent Albertus, Kragga, Joseph, and Theran to Hochoch within days of his departure.

Wagon travel is slower than walking. Olpert only arrived last night, just as the Hochoch group was leaving the Temple of Rao. They spotted Olpert and after he reserved a room for himself at the Inn of Eternal Rest, he heard the reports of all the Dungeon Busters representatives in town: Sara, Morgran, Thacogygax, and Klak. On the strength of their stories - and the fact that the party has already earned goodwill for the organization by rescuing Shalla and the mill from bandits - Olpert has decided that he doesn't need to assess other locations in the region. He's mobilized the team to begin the next stage of opening a new franchise: setting up offices, getting the word out, and finding a site to begin constructing a guild hall. They discussed the plan long into the night, determining specific tasks for each one of them.

As the day dawned, they got to work. Paying Devane for the privilege, Olpert has pulled his caravan wagon into a corner of the Inn's courtyard. He spent the morning with Thacogygax, unloading just enough from the wagon to set up a temporary workstation: a desk, a couple of chairs, writing and drafting supplies. Sara was given a number of Dungeon Busters broadsheets, which she took to a scribe to add the details of "Hochoch" and "Olpert" and "Inn of Eternal Rest." Now Sara is wandering the region, putting up the broadsheets, giving her time to do some soul searching (as she thinks best while walking). Klak has spent the morning scouting the city for likely places to construct a guild hall "worthy of Fus Bardagaskegg," talking to farmers to see who might be willing to sell a piece of their land. Morgran has been meeting with various tradespeople in town, spreading the word about Dungeon Busters, pressing the flesh and plying them with drinks at the Cube, and letting it be known that Dungeon Busters is looking to hire builders.

Last night at the Jarl farm, Abel needed a lot of reassurance that his family was only drugged. He was so scared and furious at their kidnapping that it took both Durren and Quest to talk him out of murdering their captive, Jonbon. Convinced that there may be more to glean from him, the party decided that they'd take Jonbon back to town with the others in the morning. At Abel's insistence, they locked the bound-and-gagged villain in the woodshed, but to be certain, Durren stood guard over the bard. Abel eventually calmed down and thanked each of the Dungeon Busters with his typically effusive, hyperbolic praise. After thoroughly scrubbing out all the cookware (suspicious that it might still hold traces of whatever drug Jonbon used), Abel prepared a decent late-night meal for the party. Quest took some out to Durren and joined him in his vigil, intending to probe Jonbon's mind for further information. Abel prepared comfortable beds for Aanbo, Ogbar, and Xana, and as it was already quite late, the party soon fell asleep.

As the day dawned, Quest was the first to rise, and he announced "I'm going to go back to town now, to tell them what has happened." He left while the Jarl family was waking up, groggily, recovering from their being drugged. Abel greeted their waking with delight. Xana, Ogbar, Durren, and Aanbo got to see another tearful reunion, notching up another heroic success to the Dungeon Busters. Elista prepared a ton of much better food for the group (each of those characters can add up to 5 rations to their inventory) and wished them good fortune, but it's clear that she's eager to get Jonbon off of her farm and out of her life. She sent a care package with Aanbo for Devek, "who surely is awake now and missing his family." Abel looks at each of the heroes in the eyes. "Thank you, Magnificent Potentates! You are ever welcome here! For all that your Majesties have done for us, I can never repay you. It is not fair of me to ask, but if my son is alive again, would you bring him back to me? I wish that I could go with you, but I can't bear to leave my family again so soon. May the gods have blessed my son Devek, and may they bless you, too!"

As the family waved goodbye to the party, Durren took the rope and led Jonbon out of the woodshed and down the track back to Cecily's Road. Not burdened with a wagon and pulling impatiently at the ropes anytime Jonbon seemed to be slowing their progress, the party made much better time on the return trip, arriving back at the bridge across the Realstream River in mid-afternoon.

Aanbo, Ogbar, Xana, and Durren arrive at the Inn of Eternal Rest with their captive just as Theran, Joseph, Kragga, and Albertus arrive to check in with Olpert.

It's mid-afternoon now; if the party decides to leave today and hurries, they might make it back to the Jarl farm before full night, and the ruins are not far from the farm...close enough, at any rate, for Devek to sneak over there and back when finished with his chores without being missed at a meal. Sunset'll start in about three hours.

Lienne giggles to be called a "lady," and takes Albertus' arm in mock-courtly manners. "Ooh, I'm not so highborn as that, m'lord...! But I will show you where we put people awaiting the court's judgment."
As she inevitably draws attention to herself, Olpert gestures for Aanbo, Ogbar, and Joseph to lean in so he can whisper to them with less chance of being overheard. Lienne proceeds slowly across the courtyard with Albertus and Xana, the bound Jonbon in tow, her voice ringing brightly across the open space. Her monologue and Olpert's mutterings overlap.




They're walking and talking at a measured pace, so Joseph, Ogbar, and Aanbo are easily able to catch up to the group. By that time, it's become quite the procession, with more and more residents coming out of their doors to see what the fuss is about.

So it is that a large crowd arrives at the holding cell to cheer on the heroes of Hochoch as they arrive. The cell is a secure stone structure near the Market Square at the center of town. There are narrow windows - perhaps one hand-width tall - with bars about 10' off the ground, just under the shallow eaves. There are two iron-reinforced doors with hinges on the outside, barred with heavy wooden beams that are locked in place with complicated-but-sturdy gnomish locks. A second lock prevents the thick metal sliding door set into the bottom of each door from being opened from the inside. Cormac Smith is here, and when Lienne explains an only slightly-embellished tale of the miscreant's capture (emphasizing how valiant Ogbar and Aanbo were), Cormac leaves for his smithy. As he's gone, Diana explains that her acolytes are responsible for feeding the occupants (and emptying their night pots) whenever someone is kept in the cell to await the next Town Court: the Temple of Rao is currently entrusted with the small keys for the sliding doors. The occupants can never see the people who feed them, which prevents a lot of magic from being used. But even if they could be charmed, only the person entrusted with the bar keys - currently Cormac - can open them, and he makes sure never to be alone when he opens the cell. They make sure to never have both types of keys in the vicinity of the cell at the same time.

The crowd explains that Kris Reeve is due to arrive in about three weeks' time. When the reeve arrives, Hochoch convenes a Town Court, right near here in the Market Square. The whole town appears to make accusations, testify, and judge. If there isn't agreement, Kris puts a trial to the accused. As a reeve, he is an officer of the Brenin's court, and endowed with certain powers that enable him to get to the truth of the matter when necessary.

Cormac arrives a short time later, returning with the keys for the doors. He unlocks one bar and lifts it in one massive hand. With the other, he swings the heavy door ponderously open. As you all watch Jonbon very closely, Diana removes the ropes that bind Jonbon's hands and arms. Jonbon, still gagged, looks around at the crowd with wide eyes, rubbing his wrists. Cormac growls: "Keep your hands still and don't try to say anything until I've closed the door." Diana pulls the gag from Jonbon's mouth. Lienne gives a little gasp of recognition. Then Jonbon enters the cell when Cormac prods him with the beam. Cormac slams the door shut again, replaces the beam, and locks it into place.

When it's clear that the drama is over for now, the crowd slowly disperses, and the party moves far enough away from the cell to be out of earshot. They are left alone with Lienne on the other side of the Market Square. Lienne breathes: "That's Jonbon the Busker! He came through town about a month ago, played at the Inn for a few days, and then traveled on." She shudders. "He was one of them that complimented me on my accent!" She takes a deep breath and looks at each of you. "I...it's getting toward suppertime. I should be heading home." She begins to hurry away, then turns back and waves. "Thank you! Thank you, all!"

It is late afternoon and Jonbon is locked up. What do you do now?

On the way to the Temple of Rao, Aanbo sees a familiar massive shape trying to look inconspicuous in the shadow of a building: his friend, Thacogygax the thraakon. Thacogygax is looking even more awkward than usual...almost bashful. He shuffles forward to face the monk and performs what Aanbo has come to believe is a thraakon gesture of warm greeting. "I...walk with you...tell you me..." In this sort of very broken, croaking Imperial, Thacogygax converses with Aanbo as they walk toward the Temple. As best as Aanbo can decipher, Thacogygax explains that he has found work that is less warlike here in Hochoch, helping Olpert. He is contented with this. But today he found out from Nyomba (it takes Aanbo a bit to realize that 'Nyomba' must be a person) that he is not the only thraakon here in Hochoch. There is another extradimensional war refugee - a thraakon with dull grey scales - who arrived months ago, living here in town. Thacogygax went to meet it immediately; its name is Sperodstamentzner. As they arrive at the Temple, Thacogygax sorrowfully tells the monk that, while he values Aanbo dearly, he will be staying here in town to catch up with his new friend and do work that isn't as likely to remind him of the war. He seems very anxious that this might harm their friendship.

An acolyte shows Aanbo in to the Temple of Rao convalescence chamber, where he meets fellow dwarf Morgran, who apparently has been here often enough that he's a routine sight in the room. The acolyte discreetly steps aside for their reunion, but monitors the nearby patients so that she's close enough to come if there's need. Morgran the pirate reeks of alcohol, but is apparently no more drunk than usual. "It's good to see ye, agin! I've bin playing drinkin' games wi' ever' sort of builder an' worker all the hours o' the day, tellin' 'em 'bout are need fer a hall. Can't handle thar liquor, f'the most part, but they seem int'rested. I stopt a bit early so I could visit the poor child, here, afore dark. I've been taken by his plight, I have, I don't mind tellin' ye." He puts his huge, calloused hand on the pale boy's slim shoulder for a moment. "Thar's been no change wi' Devek since we brought 'im in yesterday, still an' pale as death." He lowers his voice as he turns back to Aanbo so that the acolyte can't easily overhear, "That priestess Diana has quite the digs here, but I'm not entirely sure that the Jarl family should put all thar hope in Rao. Mind ye, thar ain't nothin' wrong with a sun god, exac'ly, but thar's no one like Kord fer healing wounds. The problem be that this boy hain't taken no wounds exac'ly, an' certain 'tis that he warn't in no battle. Aye, I've been takin' breaks to pray fer him, but no sign of more life, not yet...I'll keep at it, of carse..." Then the old pirate's eyes light on Elista's parcel in Aanbo's hands. Morgran takes the cloth-wrapped bundle from Aanbo and pats it approvingly. "Ah, this must be from the boy's own dear mother...a pack o' goodies sealed wi' love. This'll be sure to do 'im good. I'll see to it that the boy will get this gesture of 'er affection as soon as he wakes..." He sniffs at the bundle. "...unless he doesn't come to by midday tomorrow. T'would be a sin fer lettin' such fine victuals go to waste...and ye know I'm no sinner!" He shifts the parcel to one hand so he can scratch an itch with his prayer wheel.

Satisfied that Devek is in good hands and that the best hope for his recovery is to find out how he was put to sleep in the first place, Aanbo says his goodbyes and hurries to catch up with the others.

Eager to prove themselves and discover some secrets that might save the young crofter boy, the rest of the party heads south and passes through the East Gate, then turns east toward the Realstream. As they go, Xana and Ogbar recognize the doughty figure walking toward them, north along the river bank toward the bridge: their fellow Dungeon Buster, Klak Jarnskjoldur. A last few farmers trudge past, heading home from fields tended on the far side of the river. Klak stops at the bridge and waits for the group's approach off to one side, waving to the group, apparently concerned that the party will overlook him, despite the huge shield and axe slung by straps over his back. A few of the farmers nod and smile at the adventurers, and one man, leading a horse, calls "Good job driving out that bastard Black and his army at the Battle of the Mill!" as he goes past. You overhear him say to his child, riding on the horse, "Take a good look, boy. Those are the Heroes of Hochoch!"

As you draw near, Klak smiles and addresses you in his normal, lugubrious way. "Hey, Xana! Hey, Ogbar! Any new jobs?" He listens for a bit, if you have anything to tell him, and he greets each of the new party members seriously, with deep, respectful bows, his weapons clanking awkwardly as he dips. "Kragga, Joseph, Albert...I mean, Al...Theran. Well met and good luck. You all seem very capable. But if you ever need to brush up on any skills, talk to Xana; she's an expert in many subjects and is willing to teach them for a reasonable fee. She taught me how to grow my beard fuller!" He models it proudly. "So I'm sure you'll all do Dungeon Busters proud. As for me, I've been doing what I was ordered to do: going from farm to farm all day talking to the owners about buying space for our guild hall. Farmer Tost just away...uh...south...there?" Klak points. "He's a good dwarf, but he's chatty. He sat me down and we had some good ale and talked about stuff. Well, he talked, mostly. He says he's tired of...uh..." here he pauses and does a decent impression of a crotchety old dwarf, "'trying to compete with those damn farms in Orlane.'" He shrugs. "It sounds like he's willing to sell. Selling stuff is easy! All you have to do is listen, and I'm GOOD at listening. The Captain always said it was my strongest talent!" His teeth shine brightly in his dark beard, but then his brow furrows. "Or...wait...is it selling, if I'm the one who's buying? Does that mean he was selling to me?" He looks really worried for a bit. Then he shrugs again. "I don't know. But hey, I don't have to! I'm off to tell Olpert and he'll figure it out. Then I can get some of Cook's elk roast at the Inn. He may be an elf, but he sure does know how to prepare a good meal." He heads out with another wave. "Good luck with helping the boy!"

As you watch the dwarf clank stolidly back toward town, another familiar figure approaches, this time from across the bridge. This is Sara Stone, the shy human ranger. She stops and greets you all, eyes mostly downcast, flicking her gaze up only briefly as she meets Theran, Joseph, Kragga, and Albert. She smiles bashfully at Albert's invitation to call him Al and keeps pushing her long hair back over her ear each time she looks down and it falls forward again. "I'm glad you're going back to help Abel and his family," she says, quietly enough that she's hard to hear. She addresses this next to the whole group, but you get the feeling that it's particularly to Ogbar and Xana. "I'm...not going to go with you on missions like that for awhile. I trust you with my life, but...I don't like how I am when there's trouble. The other day I killed somebody...no, not just somebody. I killed at least five men, in that fight in the mill. I can still see their faces when I close my eyes, and I'm worried that I might start to see them in my nightmares. I want to help people, but I don't want to be haunted by how quickly, how easily I can kill. Until I get OK with this, I would be a liability to you. So...I wish you the best, I really do, but I can't go with you. Not now."

As the party considers how to respond to this, Aanbo jogs up. Nearly all of the party has been accounted for, there's two and half hours to sunset, and the road heads east toward the Dim Forest on the other side of the bridge.

"I'm sure that exploring the ruin where Devek met his end...well, his misfortune...will be plenty of adventure." Sara smiles at Joseph, walking with the group across the bridge despite her protestations that she wasn't going to join them. Her eyes widen at the paladin's demonstrative kiss...She thinks "This one is almost as stilted as..." "Where is that strange man who wanted to join us? Durren...uh... Oldsword-something? Is he not going with you?" She scans the group again. "And what of our old friend, Quest Damoran, Xana? Has he been given some other mission, too? Last I saw him, he was with you at the farm with Devek's father..."

Aanbo runs up and has his conversation with Sara, walking her partway back across the bridge. She waves and calls back "Goodbye! Fare well! May your paths be clear and all your trials victorious! I'll look to see you again in a few days' time!"

You are on the east bank of the Realstream River. The lowering sun is at your back. The East Road - known hereabouts as Cecily's Road because your employer carved it out of the wilderness more than a hundred years ago - stretches before you toward the Dim Forest, Abel Jarl's home, Orlane, and, somewhere within reach of the Jarl farm, the ruin that Abella Jarl told you Devek visited right before he collapsed into his death-like sleep.

Having said their preparations and goodbyes, the seven Dungeon Busters adventurers - Xana the gnome Warlock, Theran the elven Druid, Ogbar the human Barbarian, Kragga the half-elven Wizard, Joseph the halfling Rogue, Albertus the human Paladin, and Aanbo the dwarven Monk - head out down the East Road.

The way is familiar to Aanbo, Ogbar, and Xana, and the party makes good time. They arrive at the place where they leave the road to go to Abel Jarl's farm - obvious because the covered wagon that Rufus loaned the party still sits, empty, at the side of the road to mark the spot. Heading into the gloomy woods as twilight falls, the narrow path is brightened by many, many fireflies, igniting their glow like a huge glowing blanket rising around the party and spread out to welcome them. You hail the house as you approach, somewhat relieved to see the warm glow of light in the windows. Abel opens the door cautiously, then throws it open wide and welcomes you all in.

It is a small kitchen/dining/living room, but the family - Abel, Elista, Abella, Emiless, Torren, and even little Wenderly - make room as best they can for the heroes and all of their equipment. The fire is roaring, there is more stew bubbling in the pot, and the family eagerly greets each of the heroes they have not met before now. Then, the introductions complete, the family looks at you expectantly, wondering what news you have of Devek.

At first the children are alarmed at so many people filling their home...especially because so many of them are so LARGE. But as Xana and Aanbo take turns relating what has happened to Devek in town (with Ogbar occasionally humming, nodding, or harrumphing for emphasis), Kragga creates small sparks which he makes jump from hand to hand. The kids are delighted (even Abella, who tries so hard to seem mature, smiles in delight) when the sparks start his sleeve to smoulder, and he demonstrates the power of slapstick inadvertently as he smacks at the embers with hands that are still sparking, causing more areas to scorch. Thinking it was all intentional, the children applaud Kragga when he finally extinguishes all the little smouldering bits, and Aanbo looks around quizzically, wondering what in his account of Devek's plight had them so entertained.

Abel nods as Elista, who had immediately started cutting more vegetables and adding water to the pot as soon as the party had arrived, begins to ladle out stew into bowls that Abella and Emiless bring to each person in the room. Wenderly clings to his mother's skirts, watching everyone with wide eyes. There is a simple table in the middle of the room with eight chairs of differing heights; Abel sits in one, and each of the party members sits in another. Xana and Joseph find that two of the chairs are the right size for them to sit and use the table comfortably, as they are about the same size as Torren and Wenderly. Excited to help, Torren rushes around, bring each person a wooden spoon, back and forth across the room in a haphazard pattern. When everyone has been provided with food and a utensil, the children and their mother settle down on various pieces of furniture, Wenderly in Abel's lap. Abella smiles shyly at Albertus. Elista says a quick prayer of thanks to Merikka for the bounty, pausing for a moment to allow anyone else to add devotions to another deity, then Abel announces in his Keolish lilt: "Let's eat!"

After a few minutes of companionable munching, Abel puts down his spoon and turns to his daughter Abella. "So, Abella, I know you followed Devek to that ruin at least once." Abella gives a start, but Abel shakes his head. "I told you, you're not in trouble, dear, but Devek needs the help of these heroes. Would you tell them how to get to the ruin?" Abella is a little tongue-tied at first, then she finds herself more at ease directing her narrative to Joseph. Abel translates her Keolish to Imperial for the sake of any heroes who don't speak the local language.

"I didn't go all the way there; I was a little s-uh...hesitant to go there, because you told me not go too far from home, daddy. But, one time, I did ask Devek where he'd gone. I thought he went off to visit Jonquil - he's got a crush on Jonquil - and I saw them holding hands once." Abel and Elista exchange questioning glances here; it's clear they had little idea that their boy had any romantic aspirations. "But he said, no. He said he'd gone northeast until he hit a stream, then followed the stream north. He said that he found an old ruined building made of stone. I didn't believe him, and I teased him about Jonquil. He told me that the next time he went, he'd show me that he wasn't lying. That's when he brought the stone back."

As Abella is relating this account, Abel reaches up onto a shelf and pulls down what appears to be a pottery shard. But as he hands it to Aanbo to pass it around the table, you all realize that it's a fragment of an ancient, crumbling bit of masoned stone, marked with a faint, circular symbol. As the stone is passed around, Abel continues the narrative where Abella stopped. "He brought that back with him the last time he went, and fell down dead right after he gave it to Abella...or so we thought. That's when I went to look for help. Abella...well, she was scared to reveal her part in this, and didn't say anything about the stone until after it was clear that Devek wasn't dead. It was only after you rescued my family from that madman and took Devek to the temple that she got up the nerve to tell me."

Kragga recognizes the symbol as a sort of religious symbolism, clearly representing the sun. Probably some symbol of a sun-worshipping faith.
Aanbo sees that the symbol is similar to that of Pelor, the sun god, but the disc of the sun is enclosed with two very faint etchings: swooping lines as of outstretched arms or eyelids, though one of them ends in a curlicue. As with any faith, there have been many offshoots and sects of the worship of Pelor across history; this is likely to be one of them. Parl was one, Pae another. The stone is clearly a worked piece of some sort of sedimentary rock, very old, and likely the corner of a large block probably four hands' width on a side.
Albertus recognizes the symbol as that of Pae, an ancient avatar or aspect of Pelor whose symbol was the disc of the sun with the body of serpent coiled around it like eyelids: an ancient god of light, life, growth, and regeneration which hasn't been worshipped openly in Keoland for centuries.

The meal finished, the family cleans up the bowls and scrub out the cauldron. Enlisting the help of Albertus, Kragga, and Ogbar, Abel moves all the chairs upstairs, and Elista, Abella, Emiless, and Torren carry down hides and blankets to lay out for the guests to use as bedding. There's the usual jockeying for space for a while before Elista recognizes that there isn't really room for all seven adventurers and all their gear in the one room, so they move Torren and Wenderly out of the boys' room upstairs so that three of the adventurers can stretch out up there (on two beds and a fair bit of floor space) and not have to lie on the dining table.
As the group swaps stories, the younger children gradually fall asleep and their parents carry them upstairs, until it's only Abella, Elista, and Abel staying up as the fire has burned down to a soft glow of red coals. Abel announces that he and Abella will show the party the way to the stream in the morning, and they thank everyone for the stories, as well as for all the help they are giving their family, and they head upstairs to sleep.

The next morning dawns slowly, with the sunlight diminished by the trees of the Dim Forest and diffused by the fog typical of these areas close to the Rushmoors. Elista and Abel rise with the dawn, tiptoeing around the supine adventurers as she starts a fire in the hearth and he takes the cauldron to fill it from a rain barrel outside. Once the fire is blazing and the cauldron is starting to steam, they get the kids to help with the rest. Abella collects several eggs, and Abel reaches up for the jar on the high shelf they reserve for special occasions: the remains of the last sack of oats they had bought from Hale Arneson, the miller in Hochoch. Emiless and Torren go out to milk the goats and gather morels and miner's lettuce, respectively.

Thus it is that, as the party rises and brings the chairs back downstairs, the Jarl family has a hot breakfast of omelette and porridge for everyone, with a bit of watered down mead (Abel apologizes; they're at the bottom of their last cask) to wash it down.

As soon as the pots and pans have been emptied of every last trace of food, Abel rises and says "Well, we'll be going now." Recognizing the signal, Abella dons an old, slightly-too-large cloak from the peg and hands an equally shabby one to her father. They lead the way outside. Abel takes up a stripped and oiled old branch that he uses as a staff and heads off into the woods towards the morning light, as best as anyone can see through the very light drizzle that quickly forms beads of moisture on clothing, hair, and packs.

The crofter and his family have cleared the underbrush near their homestead, and travel is quick on the thick layer of leaves that line the forest floor. Condensation drips from every leaf and branch, making a intermittent pattering to accompany your footfalls. Within ten minutes or so, you reach a small spring, which feeds into a tiny pool. Several small birds flutter up from the water's edge as you approach. A little rivulet of water drains from the pool down a channel to the northeast; Abel and Abella lead you down alongside this channel. Soon the way gets more difficult, as fallen branches and wiry shrubs show that you've reached the edges of the area that the Jarl family has cleared, and the party is forced to walk single file. At one point, the path narrows into a ravine as the little trickle of water spills down a stepped waterfall; with care each party member is able to descend the mossy rocks without slipping or catching any of their gear on an obstacle.

After another twenty minutes, the land levels out again, and Abel stops the group, somberly pointing to a fallen tree trunk. "This is as far as we go, Abella. Tell them the rest, and we'll head back." Abella nods and steps forward. She smiles at the group and points along the direction of the water's flow. "If you follow the stream here, in a mile or so it flows into a larger brook. That's as far as I ever went. But Devek told me that, when you cross the brook, you turn left on the other side and follow it for a couple of miles. It forks there, where two streams meet. Follow the right stream and in a few minutes more you'll see the ruin amongst the trees. If you get to the...he said that if you got to the beech trees, you've gone too far."

The father and daughter bid you gods speed and good fortune, and they had back to their home. The girl's directions are fairly straightforward, compared to other directions you've each received in the past. Probably the only thing that has kept this ruin from being well-known are the rumors of man-eating beasts and monsters that inhabit the Dim, which discourage wider settlement and exploration.As you proceed through the Dim Forest, how fast do you want to go: slow, moderate, or fast? The faster you go, the more noise you will make, which is more likely to attract the attention of anything in the woods, but the fewer chances you'll have to run into something. Slower travel means it'll take longer to reach the ruin, more care, less noise, but more time to possibly run into things in the woods.

Albertus sees the fallen tree trunk, which appears to have fallen some time previously, as it's crumbling from rot. But peering a little closer, he recognizes that only the mossy bark of the tree had rotted. The inside is still firm wood, exposed by the savage effort of some large clawed beast that has ripped the hard wood apart. The others had shared about their encounter with an owlbear: this may be a sign that one remains in the area.

As the party progresses at a moderate pace through the brush and bracken, Aanbo's keen eyes note traces of something else's passage: broken ferns here, a bit of scraped moss on a brookside rock there. Jonathan also notices that something has passed this way before the party. Eventually there is a gap in the trees and a shallow place by the water, in which the monk and rogue spot a few neat tracks going in both directions: the footprints of a small human wearing rope sandals. They agree that it's likely to be the path that Devek took, and the mud was thick enough in this spot that his footprints haven't been completely erased by the drizzle yet, even though the teenager last passed through here days ago. Now knowing what to look for, the party begins to follow these tracks, and the way through the forest becomes a little bit easier.

After crossing the stream, Devek's path diverges from Abella's directions a bit: instead of following the headwaters, it cuts directly north through the trees away from the water's edge. After a bit of debate, the party decides to follow Devek's track for a bit, confident that Theran can easily return them to the water if they lose the path.

But the way is relatively clear, and there are many signs of Devek's passing: occasional footprints still visible beneath the fronds of huge ferns, broken leaves that show his passing. Away from the water, there is no sound other than the clanking of gear and the trudging footfalls of the party. The woods seem muted with the moisture, hanging thick about you, somewhere between a sprinkle and a mist. Soon enough you see a darker shape amidst the trees: the remains of a large building, perhaps five times the height of Ogbar or Kragga, overgrown with foliage: trees and ferns that have rooted on every horizontal surface, tendrils of creeping ivy that has grown up many of the vertical surfaces. You stop to consider the shape while it is still half-obscured by the thick air. There is no sound from the ruin. Devek's tracks continue in a straight line toward it.

As the party has chosen which path they have taken, I am wrapping up this thread and will continue the narrative in the next thread, "The Forest Ruin (1.5)."