Whispers of the Past

 

Chapter 1
Message in a Scroll Case

Part 1: Journey to Crickwindle
3 Aurel 1317

  Following their foray into the Caves of Chaos, Draggart, Thurgin, Olwyn, and Bodkin retreated to the safety of Whitemire Keep, located on the edge of the Borderlands. Soon after, they were called to the Castellan's tower and asked by Captain Harond Nils to bring a message to the Watcher in Balintree. It seemed he needed more troops to help the increase in orc raids so close to the edge of the Kingdom, and had no men to spare to carry such a message. After a few days of recovery and preparing for the journey, the group departed on foot for Balintree.

  It was a chilly morning when they set out along the Broken Road that led back to Aris and the small halfling shiretown of Crickwindle. Thurgin noticed a large group of crows among the trees along the road more than once, and the party began to think they might be following them, but could not be sure. At least once during the night they thought there were attackers in the woods, but it turned out they were likely animals. After three days of travel, they arrived in Crickwindle unharmed and unhindered, and headed to the largest building in town, which turned out to be the Inn of the Lost, lodgings for larger folk, owned and operated by the proprieter, Jando Surefoot. They had a good meal and some good beer, and stayed the night at the Inn. There wasn't much in the way of news or rumors from the rest of the Kingdom, as Crickwindle is much out of the way. They set out early the next morning on the road north to Balintree.

 

Part 2: Journey to Balintree
6 Aurel 1317

 

  They settled down to camp on the first night out, and most of the night was quiet until during Thurgin's watch, they were beset upon by orcs. After a small fight, the orcs of the Broken Claw lay dead, but there were questions as to why they attacked, and why there were orcs so far north. The rest of the night was uneventful, and they moved on the following morning. They arrived at Featherwick Fork just after noontime, and simply passed through, not choosing to stop, as they felt their mission warrented the utmost speed. About three hours from Featherwick, they came upon three armed riders headed north at a gallop. They slowed to speak to the party, and it turned out they were Justicars of Tyr, on unknown business, but they were not hassled thanks to the presence of Olwyn and his prominently displayed symbol of Vesta. That evening was quiet, but the following day, in the late morning, they were ambushed by gnolls on the road through the forests. After dispatching them, they found the gnolls had no coins, food, or water on them, and made the assumption there was a camp nearby, but chose to forgoe searching for it, instead pressing on with their mission.

 

  Early the same afternoon, they came upon a wagon in the road with a broken wheel. A small gnome by the name of Xerxes Zaladron was trying to replace the wheel but was having quite the trouble. Draggart used his strength to lift the entire wagon just enough for the gnome to slip on a new wheel. He was very grateful, and offered to give them a ride into Balintree, as he was on his way back to his shop there. They all hopped on, and they arrived in the town a couple hours before sundown. Once at his shop, he offered a few magical healing potions and a large coin with a cog imprinted on both sides, and let them know if they needed anything they could return at any time.

 

Part 3: Who Watches the Watcher?
8 Aurel 1317

 

  The party decided to finish their mission and deliver the message to the Watcher. They asked directions and made for the East Gate and the Watcher's Tower. After speaking with the guards, they were met by Captain Trell and escorted to the Watcher's office. They were a bit shocked to learn that the Watcher is Elena Rathmore, a half-elven woman. She read the message, and afterward asked the party some questions about who they were and what they planned to do. She then asked another favor of them. The Wonderworkers were in need of an escort to take one of their explorers to the newly risen structure in the Fens. The party quickly accepted the mission, and were asked to meet at the gate the following morning. They departed the tower and were off to find a room for the night. Following the recommendation of some residents, they headed to an inn known as the Walking Giant, which Draggart recognized as the place that Eldin, the halfling trapper he met at the Keep, told him to go to and mention his name to the owner, Shando. Unfortunately, Shando was away, but his assistant Parn gave them a couple of good rooms to stay at. The next morning they awoke and hurried to the East Gate.

Part 4: Feldbottom Abbey
9 Aurel 1317

  They departed for Feldbottom Abbey to meet with the gnomes of Jond concerning their expedition to the Fens. As they followed the road that led to the Abbey, the party came across a number of gnomes setting up various strange equipment. A brief exchange revealed that the gnomes were studying some sort of celestial event that is soon to happen. The party moved on quickly to the Abbey itself, and were brought in to meet Gnish, the head of the Wonderworkers. They learned that the coin given to them by Xerxes was a Favor Token of Jond, and it entitled the possesser to a week's access to the Abbey's Library. He then introduced them to Xiltik, a member of the Explorers Guild, and asked them to accompany him to the newly surfaced ruins, and also noted that two others had not returned from a recent foray. The party agreed, and spent the night there to get an early start for the day long journey to the edge of the Fens.

Part 5: Through the Vale
10 Aurel 1317

  The party departed from Feldbottom Abbey and took the road that winds through the valewood along the Ridge. The day was mostly uneventful until they passed close to the Ridge Tower when Olwyn thought he saw a figure in one of the tower windows. They debated for a bit on whether to attempt to climb the Ridge and investigate, but decided their mission was more important, and that the tower would be there on their way back. They walked the rest of the day with no other problems, and settled in to make camp for the night on the moorlands a short distance from the edge of the Fens.

 

  During second watch, Draggart heard noise of what sounded like a loping animal headed for them at great speed. He roused the party and made for whatever it was. It turned out to be a great hound-like beast made of dirt, rotting material, and brush. A battle ensued, resulting in some injured party members, but they ultimately defeated the foul creature. The rest of the night went uneventfully.

Part 6: The Fens
11 Aurel 1317

  The next morning, they set out on the path which led into the depths of the Fens. The road was old, but not so overgrown that it couldn't still be used. Sometime in the early afternoon, they left the road and followed some lesser known trails which led north into the marsh. Soon after, they cam upon a group of heavily armed orcs in the midst of a battle with two large trolls. The party opted to slay the orcs, and avoid combat with the trolls, as it seemed they had a common enemy. Once the orcs were defeated, the trolls moved off uneasily on a fork in the path that led west, and the party kept their distance, choosing to still move north, and after a while decided to camp for the evening.

 

  Mid-morning the next day, the party came upon a large cut stone half out of the ground with the symbol of an hourglass carved upon it. The party guessed it a marker for the temple to Eos. They moved along a branching path, and found that it led to a very large pond. On the other side was the remnants of a stone wall, and it appeared they had found the recently unearthed temple which rumor had it was the Temple of Time.