Red Larch

Revisited

A Warm Welcome!

1. The Inn of the Swinging Sword

Kaylessa Irkell

The first stop the returning heroes made was to check to see if rooms were available at the large Inn in the center of town. They were greeted warmly by Kaylessa Irkell who assured them that they would be accommodated with four of her best rooms at a very reasonable rate.

As she lead them up the inner staircase to their top floor lodgings, she assured LiKi, who was walking quietly beside her, that "Things have been better in Red Larch since you rid us of the scourge of those creepy masked cultists! People are beginning to trust one another, and a spirit of pride and unity seems to have swept over the town! Business is up as more and more people from nearby settlements have arrived in town, seemingly with a mind to stay. But of course, with an influx like that comes challenges of their own."

"What has brought them?" LiKi wondered aloud.

After a moment of hesitation, Kaylessa responded, "well . . . there has been rumors of monsters raiding farms and cottages and people being dragged away, never to be seen again. But! With you here, we can rest assured that they wouldn't dare try something in good old Red Larch! I do hope you will be staying." At this, Kahntun and Alexander exchanged doubtful looks.

"Who can say where the winds of fate shall take us" LiKi vaguely responded. Leopold who had been absentmindedly fingering his lute looked up suddenly at the mention of the word wind.

Stannor Thistlehair

After settling into his room, Kahntun descended the stairs toward the lobby of the Inn. He ran into Stannor Thistlehair, the halfling who sold him information about the secret comings and goings at Waelvur's Wagonworks so many months back. They exchanged pleasantries and news. Kahntun noticed that Stannor seemed less unpleasant as he had been back then. Stannor told him that he had taken Justran Daehl's position as head brewer at the Helm across the street and found a new passion and lease on life. "Somehow, making the beer makes me less apt to engorge meself with it!" Kahntun congratulated him, thinking back on how Daehl, whom they later discovered to be a spy for the Crushing Wave Cult, attempted to poison them with beer. The pair continued to the Inn and enjoyed a friendly drink and a friendly chat.

The Swinging Sword Inn was looking better than ever when the party arrived.

2. Allfaiths Shrine

Suddenly, the front door creaked open, sending a brilliant beam of sunlight slanting across the boot-scuffed floorboards of the Helm at Highsun. Kahntun could see galaxies of illuminated dust particles dancing languidly in the still air of the tavern. Looking up, he noticed Alexander peaking his head in, beckoning him to go. Kahntun downed his dark beer, tossed a few coppers onto the bar, and slapped Stannor on the back, once again congratulating him for his turn of luck.

As he waited for Kahntun to join him, Alexander chuckled at the comical sight of the disproportionate pair: the tiny halfling and the lumbering half-orc, slumped over their mugs of ale, elbow to elbow, engaged in solemn discourse.

He continued to grin as Kahntun approached, holding the door for his brother in arms. They stepped into the high noon sun and made their way next door to the Allfaiths Shrine.

Lymmura Auldarhk

When they entered, a small gathering of locals was assembled, facing the acolyte Lymmura at the alter where she officiated a wedding ceremony. She looked up and gestured to a chamber in the back right of the shrine before continuing her sunny sermon to Sune.

Imdarr Relvaunder

Imdarr was waiting for them in his hermitage. They shared a quick drink from a small flask he retrieved from his a hidden pocket of his tunic. After exchanging some local news, Imdarr informed them that their Order of the Gauntlet contact would meet them at the Helm after sundown.

Haeleeya Hanadroum

Haeleeya enjoyed an influx of new customers from the countryside settlements, but she worried if Red Larch could sustain these refugees for much longer.

Meanwhile, LiKi walked over to Haeleeya's bathouse and dress shop. She thanked her for the beautiful dress that she had crafted for LiKi's dear friend Quelline Alderleaf.

While they soaked up the hot water and steam in a brightly tiled chamber, sipping chilled wine, they exchanged some local gossip. Apparently some Emerald Enclave members had just visited the town. They were working their way down to Goldenfields on a solemn mission that they were not at liberty to discuss. Haeleeya seemed to think that they were primarily focused on locating the missing delegates from the the missing Mirabaran caravan. LiKi told her friend what she knew and promised her that she would continue to do what she could in this regard.

She also mentioned that she had retrieved about fifty important books that had stolen from the dwarven sage, Bruldenthar; sadly though, the sage himself suffered a violent death at the hands of the Cult of the Crushing Wave. Haeleeya suggested that LiKi leave the books at Bethendur's Storage as members of the Enclave would surely return to Red Larch and be eager to recover the tomes. LiKi agreed.

LiKi shared information with her Emerald Enclave contact in Red Larch, however, was unable to give her friend details about her secret mission to rescue the azer craftsman being held by the fire cult.

Leopold, playing it cool at the bar.

Leopold made his way over to the Helm at High Sun tavern by the late afternoon. He was greeted at the bar by Garlan Harthurl himself; apparently news of the party's arrival had rippled through town like an earthquake, and the Helm's jovial, but cynical, proprietor was eager to appropriately accommodate these important visitors. Leopold was happy to oblige.

As Garlan bumbled through fawningly apologizing for the attempted poisoning at the hands of his former associate, Justran Daehl, Leopold turned his back to him, leaning with his elbows resting against the bar, a dark stout in a giant tankard resting in his left hand. He scanned the bar, even with his bejeweled patch jauntily covering his right eye. His unencumbered eye settled on the stage. "What's the deal? No performers tonight?"

Garlan grinned, replying, "Not as yet!" and it was settled.

Garlan Harthurl

The Helm was raking it in. Although they were often short on entertainment, his bar had been full of patrons of late. There was even talk in town of a small gambling operation being run out of the rooms in the upper floor; no doubt Garlan was enjoying a choice cut of the winnings.

Andri Mansour

When Alexander and Kahntun entered the bar, they noticed a hooded character reclining in a chair near a dark corner in the back of the common room. They approached and introduced themselves, correctly assuming that this was their brethren from the Order of the Gauntlet.

They exchanged information they had gathered with the member of their order, telling him what they learned about the Crushing Wave cult, their pass codes and phrases, and their prophet Gar Shaterkeel.

Andri Mansour informed them that a rogue element from the cult had stolen a powerful weapon and were attempting to sell it to members of the Zhentarim in Yartar. Undercover agents were attempting to infiltrate the cult and retrieve it before it was too late, and the information Kahntun and Alexander had just equipped them with would be vital in these efforts.

The Order was desperate to keep such a weapon out of the hands of the powerful criminal syndicate. He encouraged the pair to keep up their investigations and to deal harshly with any members of the elemental cults unwilling to see the error in their ways. He also promoted each of them to the rank of Whitehawk, suggesting that they visit Yartar should they have need of the order's resources.

At this point, LiKi who had been listening in at a nearby table reminded them about the devastation at Rivergard Keep. Andri believed that the same type of weapon that was used there is probably similar to what the Zhentarim are after.

Constable Harburk and his guard commander Zomith

The constable came in shortly after, bought a round for the assembled guests, and exchanged some news, chief of which was that they were still deciding what to do with the remaining members of the now disbanded secret society, the Believers.

A blushing Kahntun gave an awkward nod to his fellow half-orc, which was returned with a face.

The Following Morning

Leopold's eight hour performance that night was an event for the ages. He seemed at the peak of his talents, performing with a variety of instruments and weaving tales so magical and majestic through the imaginations of all in attendance that he inspired quite the drunken frenzy! It seemed that Red Larch had really been primed to cut loose and that Leopold was possessed by a supernatural power of performance. LiKi could have sworn that that as he played , a crisp wind cut this way and that. Not to mention, he performed fifteen feet above the ground floor, vigorously dancing, even as he balanced skillfully upon his immovable rod!

Shortly after sunrise, our four heroes were enjoying a hearty breakfast in the dining chamber on the first floor of the Swinging Sword. They were in high spirits as they gobbled up the assembled delights and washed them down with strong beer, laughing at the curious events of the night before.

Suddenly they heard a commotion outside. Someone shouted, "Hey, stop that!" A moment later, voices broke into a low, strange chanting.

When they ran outside into the morning glare, they saw several strangely dressed people standing in the street. One who looked like a priest chanted as the others opened a large box engraved with a recurring elemental symbol. Inside, a magical orb resembling a crystal ball pulsed and thrummed with power. The priest held the orb aloft, continuing to chant while the others knelt before it. Then . . . a moment later, the orb disappeared in a flash of brilliant light. This was immediately followed by a terrible earthquake.

This was a frustrating fight, dealing with apparent Earth cultists during a sustained earthquake. Here's what happened:

Alexander and Kahntun approached the cultists;
Alexander opened his weird tank and set it down; his water weird reached to attack the cultists;
several giant fissures opened up, devastating this area of the town;
LiKi and Leopold fell into one, but quick-thinking Leo cast featherfall, sparing them the damage they would have taken for falling 50 feet;
Kahntun was not as lucky as he was swallowed up by a different fissure, falling 60 feet and taking 30 hps of damage; he misty stepped his way to the lip of the fissure, but due to the shaking ground, had difficulty reaching the earth priest who was the target of his rage;
LiKi climbed back up, but was immediately pushed back into the fissure;
nimble footed Alexander was able to avoid slipping into the fissure that opened beneath him;
Leopold sent magic missiles at these enemies as Kahntun and Alexander attacked with their longswords;
When an exhausted, LiKi finally reemerged from the earth, she finished the attackers off with an angry fireball that's flame seeped into their stony armor and roasted them alive;
the earthquake continued for another thirty seconds;
suddenly, the Swinging Sword Inn, the Helm at Highsun Tavern, the Allfaiths Shrine, and two private residences collapsed;
LiKi and Kahntun were buried beneath the ruble, but were dug out by Alexander and the town's folk he was directing;
shit was fucked up; they spent the rest of the day digging out survivors in these central buildings of the town;
they recovered twelve dead bodies from the Helm and sixteen from the Sword, including the following notables:

Lymmura Auldarhk

RIP: a devoted acolyte to Sune, a sympathetic ear and guide to all; she had been coming to the shrine for decades, officiating at the marriages of many couples; widely loved and trusted; she will be missed.

Kaylessa Irkell

RIP: proprietor of the Swinging Sword, matriarch and a pleasant, sturdy woman in her time; caretaker of Red Larch; she will be missed.

Stannor Thistlehair

RIP: just turned a corner in life; found his passion as head brewer at the Helm at High Sun; had a promising career and bright future to look forward to, but ultimately shitty luck!

Ilmeth Waelvur

Hard-drinking, sullen man who cared nothing for the troubles of others. He was a main conspirator corrupting the Believers to the Black Earth Cult. Alexander questioned him roughly, learned that powerful weapons were made in a "node" called the Black Geode, then stepped back, allowing the town rip him apart.

TL;DR

The party arrived in Red Larch.
They met with their contacts.
They partied.
The town was attacked by the Earth cult who released a devastation orb that, you guessed it, devastated the town with earthquakes.
Many died; the town's entertainment district was destroyed.
Kahntun vowed to avenge the town ASAP.

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