Chapter One - Bump in the Road (Estlarn)

General Arc Info
The first arc, that brings them together and sets them adventuring together as they deal with an immense ghoul threat to a town called Faravon.

Party Members:
Balthazar

Magda Tempris

Steve Lors

Synopsis
After meeting in the port town of Teloste in north-west Estlarn and surviving an ambush on the Ilti road by a group of well organised Ghouls, the group find themselves in the village of Faravon. With their exit points either exceedingly dangerous or leaving Estlarn, they let themselves be swayed into helping defend the village.

Their first decision to that effect is to clear at least one of the exits of danger so people can leave if they wish, choosing to hunt a pair of Axe Beaks that had made their nest near the Clenched Fist road. Whilst formulating their plan to head out, the group meet a woman who also looks over the notice board in the Starry Sky inn and Steve Lors recruits her very quickly. Her name is Elspeth and she is rather vague about her abilities, though she has already tried to read the minds of the folk in the tavern, most notably reading the minds of Magda and someone referred to as a Myllernese noble, who's mind is unreadable for some reason or another.

The job goes without serious incident and they even bag a giant spider for their troubles. During the hunt Elspeth reveals to the group that her abilities are magical in nature. Steve chats with some Heraklamorites on the road back and hears some few rumours from them.

They arrive back in town and receive their rewards, deciding to head afterwards to see a man called Atheln Rialdera, who had healed their woes after the ambush on the Ilti road. On their route to visit him, the group discover a humanoid corpse and take it to be buried by Altheln, lest it rise as a ghoul.

After a night’s rest at the Rialdera farm, the group split up; Balthazar, Elspeth and Magda head to inspect the site of the ambush and Steve decides to join the sortie from the village in checking up on Ulscir, the protector of Faravon. The larger group have a small scuffle with some highwaymen and manage to recruit them into helping protect the village, whilst Magda finds a Quasa glass knife and Elspeth finds some sort of advanced crossbow in the wagons. Meanwhile, Steve confirms that Ulscir is quite dead and after some suspicion, brings his lover, Vera, back to Faravon.

The group return a certain noble's belongings to them and in return for their extra honestly, they are bestowed with not only the payment for the job, but three additional potions.

Finally, they decide to seek the whereabouts of one Clensek Greer, brother to the owner of the hunting supplies shop. They find his caravan and peruse the lost man's journal; which mentions rabid animals and glass golems to the south. When searching the woods, they find that the nearby smuggler's den has at some point been overrun, though are lucky enough to find a survivor. After a brief encounter with some ghoul hounds, they attempt to exit the woods, though Steve is abducted by a strange creature and put in a hole with the very man the group searched for. He manages to escape, due to the creature’s negligence and the whole group make it back to town, the two rescued folks being taken to Atheln for treatment.

As we re-join our heroes, night is fast approaching the village of Faravon.

Synopsis
After chancing upon Clen Greer in the woods as well as another survivor, the party graciously accept a reward of fifty crowns (split four ways), before watching the two lucky survivors get carted off to the home of Atheln Rialdera and heading back to the inn to eat and discuss further plans. Steve Lors notices that Elspeth is acting suspiciously but is unable to pursue it due to a combination of the arrival of the Knight, Leonard Tavaren of New Fort Ostenfil, and Elspeth retreating to their room. After informing him of their discovery of the smugglers camp, Leonard decides to talk to the man they rescued at the farm and the group decide to help with the defences being set up at Traske farm.

Their day of honest work is interrupted by a man claiming that his friends had been kidnapped in the woods by ghouls. The party quickly spring into action, gathering some supplies and heading out into the forest on a rescue mission.

In the woods, the party is found by a ghoul that has separated from its pack and they only manage to deal with it before it can alert them due to a decisive strike from Balthazar splitting it down the middle. The scout the area by the river where they saw the smuggler’s outpost before and discover a few sources of smoke, the smuggler’s outpost itself and a smaller trail not too far to the south of it. The group temporarily split up, as Steve stays behind to put together traps whilst Balthazar and Magda inspect the ghouls’ river crossing, discovering a series of boats. When they head back, Magda spots something moving near the small plume of smoke, an old man leaning heavily on a staff from which skulls dangle. After discussions as to who it may be, they conclude that the man is controlling the skeletons that fight with the Ghouls and tentatively choose to cross the river and eliminate him and the threat he poses. Managing to sneak up on him as he deals with basic needs, they assault him quite effectively before he protects himself and asks that they instead talk.

The Necromancer offers the party a deal, help him be free of the ghouls by killing the ghast and he will turn the skeletons on the ghouls. He also wishes to be allowed to escape afterwards and offers them information on when the ghouls will attack. Furthermore, he offers them a chance to get a member of the group inside to save the captured guild folk, Mayris and Clasp, from the ghouls in return for alcohol. Steve offers to be that person and has a short but tense encounter with the ghast before breaking the guild folk out of their cage.

The party retreat briefly before heading back to the village for the final encounter with the Ghast. They break through the army of ghouls, leaving the guildfolk behind to support them from a distance, and confront the ghast lord. The Necromancer turns the skeletons on the ghouls as promised and after a climactic battle, the party defeat both the ghast and his pet necro-construct. As promised, they allow the Necromancer to escape.

They enjoy a short rest for a day, hearing rumours of a woman that destroyed a cluster of skeletons and ghouls with a powerful scream. The day after that they head back into the woods with the guild folk to reclaim their belongings, finding an uncontested path back to the smuggler’s outpost. Whilst they do not find any more survivors, they do find some magical items and valuable gems in a hidden compartment along with the guild folk’s weapons.

They head through the woods southwards, hoping to pick up some treasure that they had seen evidence, but are ambushed by an unseen enemy and forced to escape back to the Ilti road, where they hitch a ride with the Knights of New Fort Ostenfil, who are on their way back from killing the Wyvern. After being paid for their good work, they head on their way towards Mitteiladt and after a week on the road and a suspicious toll gate, they arrive in Tappenton.

We re-join our heroes in the Howling Hound Inn.