Move 190: Meeting with Lord Carman
Garyld's Carpentry Shop--Afternoon, 11 Eleint 1374 DRBefore the group left the inn, Andren requested that he be given Jelenneth's things, "I'll take them to her parents when I tell them what you've told me." He took Echo's suggestion of talking to Snagger, sitting at the table with the two dwarves until it was time to go to the meeting.
Snagger joined the group as they left the inn, leading Gerrd by the hand, probably more out of habit by now than anything else. They met Daelen outside. He was cleaner, although dripping wet and carrying his armor rather than wearing it.
Garyld's shop was a large open studio filled with blocks of wood, piles of lumber, tools, and sawdust. One corner of the room contained a collection of long and short bows and arrows. On the wall above them was a map of the area. Semheis was already present, sitting on a mostly completed chair. Lord Carman and Garyld both sat at a bench in front of a table. Other furniture in various stages of completion provided everyone with a seat, if not necessarily a comfortable or clean one. Garyld looked much calmer than when he had stormed away from the party earlier, quietly whittling down an arrow shaft with a sharp knife.
Lord Carman smiled as everyone entered and found a place to sit. "Thank you for coming," he began. "I know that you must be in need of rest, so I promise not to keep you long. I am often called away from my lands by my other duties, however, and I am troubled by the problems that have been occurring during my absence. So, please, who would like to begin?"
Aloysius sat in the back of the room and remained quiet. He seemed intent upon avoiding eye contact with Garyld.
Echo walked over to the corner of the room with the map of the area and looked at it before sitting down.
"Nice to see you again, Garyld," Jana whispered to the man as she sat near him. "Hey, when whatever it is we're doing here is done, I'd like to ask you about a trip I'm taking to the Blessed Woods."
Garyld nodded at Jana and her request to speak with him after the meeting concluded.
"Do you mean the disappearances?" Jana asked hesitantly. "We think we know where they are. We're, uhm, going back after 'em in a few days, after we get some supplies and, uhm, take care of a few things."
Echo nodded at Jana, "He needs the whole story, about the orcs and all. There was a tribe of orcs living in some caves below the old mines. There's a whole system of tunnels down there. The orcs were working with a priest of Cyric named Ranchefus, kidnapping people. We met some funny looking gnomes there who told us they were taking all the spellcasters deeper in. There, uh, seems to be an entrance to the underdark there. Have you ever had any problems with stuff coming up through that before?"
Lord Carman shook his head, "Through the old mines? There has never been any trouble there, as far as I know. I will check the old town records and see if I can uncover anything. As for these orcs, this priest, and the kidnappings...the group of you know much more about this than any of us. We know little other than people have been disappearing. I would appreciate you giving me the entire story in as much detail as you can. Garyld has questioned the orcs you brought into town and gotten no useful information from them."
"They spit on me," Garyld offered without looking up from the arrow shaft he was working on.
"Yes," continued Darius, giving the old ranger an odd look, "they still seem hostile, to a foolish degree, considering their situation. All they would tell him is they were serving the will of their god. We will need a morspecific account of their crimes in order to pass sentence on them. And the goblins as well, as I still have no idea what part they played in this." The lord looked at the group to see who would supply the additional details he requested.
Most likely to everyone's horror, Aloysius stood up and took a deep breath.
"These orcs belong to a tribe known as the 'Blood Skulls'," he began. "First did I encounter them in the New Mire when they and their human co-conspirators attempted to abduct Tersa Gilson." An oddly dark expression washed over the mage's face. "They're dead now."
"Later, we all encountered more Blood Skulls in the Thornwood. They attacked us whilst we camped. They, too, took their rest in a darker plane. Underneath the mines we spoke of are a series of tunnels. Within those tunnels we found a set of huge doors. Beyond these doors were a hoard of Blood Skulls and their damnable lizards. We managed to liberate a few persons they held captive - namely Snagger, Semheis of
Torm, and a man named 'Gerrd' who seems most distraught over his captivity. Snagger advised us that at one point, young Jelleneth was a captive as well. As for the goblins, we know not if they are involved in this at all. They may well have simply been in the wrong place at the right time. Howe'er, some other goblins seemed to be connected to the flooding in the New Mire. That is where good Pug passed. So far as Stargazer is concerned, a goblin be a goblin."Aloysius took another deep breath. "The Cyricist's name is 'Ranchefus'. He only has one eye. We have encountered him a number of times as well. The first time was in the Thornwood. We later discovered that he had occupied a formerly abandoned keep therein. After we routed him from there, we encountered him again within the mines. This man is very dangerous. He has a special fondness for undead and apparently has some method that he employs to develop fanatical devotion in his followers. Yea, they seem to be quite mad at times. They also smelled oddly of fish. He and the orcs seem intent 'pon apprehending spell casters for some foul purpose. According to some gnomes we met in the tunnels, the spell casters are being taken deep underground at the behest of some, as yet, unnamed master. The gnomes also said that the illithids are somehow involved."
He took a moment to think about his story. "In short, methinks that covers most of the information that germane to the situation. No . . . .wait. There's more. The New Mire is flooding and the gnolls from the north are on the move because their shaman apparently has been abducted. The tunnels that are under the mines may connect with some tunnels that were under Ranchefus' keep. I know not as some of the others explored those tunnels."
"I believe they do as we encountered orcs in our examination of them and it seemed the only plausible way for Ranchefus to escape from the keep. I don't remember if they had the skull crest or not." Blacky added "This priest of Cyric has been defiling other gods' shrines and seems to have a penchant for cutting the one hand off of certain gods' priests as well."
Aloysius sat back down. "Tunnels, kidnappers, Cyricists, orcs . . . .and we seem to be the only ones who know anything about it. But fret not, Lord Parlfray knew naught of these happenings either. Many companions have we lost to these black forces. It all seems so very . . . .hopeless."
He shook his head in dismay.
"Let's not forget about the Zhent slave caravans passing through
Thurmaster. They seem to be involved in this as well. Although as an opposing evil to Ranchefus. I'm not sure how they fit in." Blacky said.
Lord Carman smiled tightly at Aloysius, "I will be certain to send this information to Lord Parlfray as well. I would like to hear more about how you believe goblins are connected with the New Mire. As for these goblins, I am hearing you right in that they have done nothing to your knowledge?"
"The orcs," Lord Carman sighed, "have admitted to kidnapping and murder under the guise of religious fervor. They will be hung at dawn unless some of you have a reason that they should not be."
"They have supplied no defense?" Olaf asked.
The lord nodded at Blacky, "I have heard about the caravan troubles in Thurmaster. I am not sure how that would relate to any of the rest of this, other than another sign of troubled times in the area."
"Gerrd," he looked at the silent man, "needs to go home. His family lives in the hills between the old mines and the active mines. If I can not find someone willing to take him, I will do so myself." With that, he walked over to the wall where the area map was and removed it. He put it on the table and asked, "Where in the Thornwood was this abandoned keep?"
Jana remained quiet when the map was produced."Nay," replied Aloysius, "to my knowledge, the goblins we captured have done nothing foul. Mayhap we simply prejudged them due to their species. The goblins in the Mire were of a different hue. 'Twas my impression that their shaman was acting deceitfully in telling us that he knew nothing of the flooding. He wore a ring that was inscribed with something akin to a wave."
He walked over and looked at the map. "Stargazer be not a cartographer, but methinks the keep was somewhere near . . . . here," he said, pointing to a spot on the map. "And attacked were we by Blood Skulls along the Hog Brook. Kuiper was most helpful to us. Four of us were attacked by large, shambling creatures that lived in the river. Methinks Kuiper referred to them as 'crags'. He seemed to believe that such creatures were most out of place. Apparently, the 2 headed canines that accosted us were as well. I know not if all of these matters are related, but certainly there are many matters of concern in this area."
He rolled his eyes. "At least Tauster got his damned box."
Aloysius didn't seem too concerned about the fate of the orcs.
He glanced over at Olaf. "Olaf, where were thee and Semheis when you were apprehended?"
"Lord Carman," he continued, "Lord Parlfray employs a wizard named Tauster in Thurmaster. We are in need of obtaining certain magical services that none in our
group can provide. Hast thou a wizard in thine employ whom we may consult with afore we depart for Thurmaster?"Olaf looked embaressed, "We were asleep in Semheis' shrine."
"No," inserted Garyld. "When I tried to question them, all they had to say for themselves was that the will of Gruumush was being served."
"Lord Carman," Aloysius continued, "Lord Parlfray employs a wizard named Tauster in Thurmaster. We are in need of obtaining certain magical services that none in our group can provide. Hast thou a wizard in thine employ whom we may consult with afore we depart for Thurmaster?"
Lord Carman shook his head, "There is no wizard living in Milborne. What type of magical services are you in need of?"
Semheis looked at least as embarassed as Olaf when the matter of their kidnapping was mentioned.
"Interesting . . . ." mused Aloysius, although it was perhaps unclear as to what he referred."Hmm? Oh, a thousand pardons," he replied to Darius. "Spell exchanges, that sort of thing."
He made a half turn and took a long look out of a window. "Lord Carman, to your knowledge, has anyone else disappeared from this area other than those we have already spoken of? Perhaps there are other locals who are proficient in the arts?"
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