"I can get rid of this 'doomsayer'," injected Gavril. "That's my specialty!"
"Maybe he'll go with us on the boat to the cave," added Erevel, "He doesn't have to make it there. It's a large lake."
"Now we really only have to get him to stop spouting this nonsense," Ciprian said in despair. "No one said we had to kill him."
The party was in 'deep' discussion after their meeting with Cesadia. They were heading toward The Stain to get a bite to eat and a drink.
"Perhaps we won't get kicked out of this place," Ursina sighed.
"Maybe you won't, I haven't been kicked out of anywhere, yet," Ciprian boasted.
The Stain looked like the oldest building in Thrushmoor. It was a simple two story building with second floor dormer windows. There was an outside staircase leading to the second floor. The doors were open so the group entered and commandeered the largest table in the establishment.
The serving girl sauntered over and asked what the group would like. Paullus asked what the menu was.
"Smoked Fish, of course," was the reply.
The group ordered fish for all with ale to drink. As the party sat further discussing their next move the barkeep wandered over and said.
"You'll have to pay before you can get your food. No more tabs or paying after, everything is pre-pay here. You'll of course understand." The man then glared at Gavril and Paullus.
"What you don't trust us?" asked Armania.
"Well you know what happened at the Silver Wagon. I don't want any occurrences here," he replied.
Ciprian tossed 2 gold on the table and the man picked them up quickly and thanked the party for their cooperation. Gavril was still ranting about the mistreatment as the food arrived.
"Are there rooms to let here?" queried Gavril of the serving girl.
"Why yes but they are booked just now. A couple of men, dressed nicely, arrived four days ago. They spend the night but they leave during the day," she replied.
After eating Gavril excused himself to use the outhouse. Outside he climbed the stairs to find a small hallway with two doors on opposite sides. Listening at the doors he heard no noises and finding the first door unlocked he entered. Inside was a simple room, bed, washbasin, small armoire and a chair. Inside the armoire were sleeping clothes and a traveling bag with no contents. Nothing else stood out in the room so Gavril headed across the hall and entered the other room. Its contents were similar, different style furnishings but just as simple. In the traveling bag in the room was a note.
Lenk,
Bring yourself and any of your other compatriots to Thrushmoor. Meet me at Iris Hill.
Melisenn.
Downstairs the group was finally coming to a decision to find the fisherman Toli and ask him to take them to the cave. Gavril returned and told the party what he had found upstairs in the boarding rooms.
"Say miss, do you know the fisher Toli Remsatter?" asked Armania.
"Surely, he is sitting there at that table," she said indicating a young man talking to a comely female to the left.
Gavril stood and moved to the table and sat down staring fondly at the man.
"Do I know you?" asked Toli as he turned to look.
"No, but we could use your help," said Gavril indicating his compatriots.
"I don't have time for your questions," Toli stated and turned back to the woman.
Armania and Ursina came over to join the discussion as Gavril slunk back in his chair.
Turning on the charm Ursina asked Toli about the cave and the Briarstone Witch. Toli responded more favorably to Ursina.
"Ooh yes I know where the Witch is staying. That cave, she is kidnapping people, probably eating them. I know the second vanishing is coming any day now. I can't get Cesadia to listen to me and investigate. Elgrior knows too, he is telling everyone 'The End is Near'. We can only get a few people to listen. Sure wish the Magistrate was here, he would help ..."
"Excuse me but we would like to investigate the cave," Armania interrupted. "Can you take us there?"
At this the young woman got up to leave the table and in fact left The Stain altogether. Paullus followed her outside. He saw here merely walk up the street back toward the center of Thrushmoor shaking her head.
"When can we leave? The sooner the better," Toli stated, excited that someone finally wanted to help.
The group followed Toli to a small pier and clambered into his rather crowded fishing boat. He rowed with enthusiasm eastward along the shore until they came upon a small strip of muddy sand choked with reeds. The entrance of a low case sat just at the lip of the bay. Scraggly vines draped over the top of the cave and hung like tangled hair over its mouth. Erevel and Ursina approached the vines. Ursina looked for magic and didn't see anything within the cave. It was hard to see past the vines but an area certainly opened up behind them. Paullus attempted to notice anything unusual about the vines but didn't see anything.
Erevel stepped forward and was immediately attacked by vines. She was grappled as she struggled against the power of the vines. The rest of the party stepped foward to attack the vines with their various weapons. Just as they were all in position the reeds and all the plants in the area attacked every party member. Each of them managed to avoid the entangling vines except Ciprian, who was bogged down with vines.
The Vine then squeezed Erevel inflicting more damage as her struggles to escape slowed down. Another round of attacks further damaged the plant but Armania's Flame Strike seemed to do no damage to the sodden vines.
Paullus managed to knock the sap out of the plant and Ursina immediately drew her new death knell wand and drained the dying strength of the plant to herself. After a bit of healing applied to Erevel, she and Gavril moved through the remaining vines into a six foot high cavern. The muddy floor was covered with footprints, a wooden barricade sealed off the tunnel at the far end of the area. Erevel could see that another tunnel led to the west. Erevel moved forward to look into the tunnel and felt a trip wire at her ankles, followed by blades slashing at her and Gavril.
"Damn it, I just wanted to look into that tunnel," Erevel yelled in frustration.
Seeing that the barricade was made of wood, Armania moved her flame strike next to it trying to start the whole thing on fire. All that happened was a lot of extra smoke filled the area as the fire started to dry out the small tree trunks lashed together with thick twine.
Finally able to move freely Erevel and Gavril moved up and looked to the west. A dark limestone chamber that smelled like wet mulch opened before them. The ceiling lowered to about five feet here and the chamber was bare aside from a scattering of bones on the floor surrounded by footprints appearing to be of a shod human.
"Let's leave this room alone. I'll look through the barricade," announced Gavril.
Peering through the cracks and gaps Gavril could see a larger chamber filled with a hazy smoke. There was a pale yellow light pulsing in the chamber. The barricade had loops of rope tied onto each end. They looked like handles and it appeared that the barricade could be pivoted to allow entry. Gavril, Erevel and the suddenly stronger Ursina pushed the barricade to allow a five foot or so entry which Gavril sneaked through to look deeper in the cave. To the east the floor sloped down and against the eastern wall stood a table littered with cooking pots, glass flasks, and other tools. Nearby was a smoldering campfire and a wooden crate. Standing with her back to Gavril was a woman holding a spear dressed in robes. In a semicircle nearer to Gavril were four powerful looking canines watching him with piercing yellow eyes, darting their tongues across sharp white teeth.
DM's Notes: No experience for the night until the group finished with the current encounter.
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