Hay Blob
The grey cloaked wizard is still following the party.
The party is approached by a farmer named Garlan, seeking medical attention for his horse at his farm, and offers a place to stay for the night in exchange. The party agrees, partially to test whether the grey wizard is actually following them. The mare has a damaged tendon; Paxton casts Cure Wounds on it, healing it immediately. The party sets watches, and beds down in the barn.
Around midnight they hear alarmed pigs, and strange squishing noises (provided by Mike at 9:32). Waking everyone up, they discover a gray blob eating the hay.
Summoning Garlan, he tells them that these creatures are usually found by the river, and offers them 4CP apiece to kill it, though Fin offers to do it for the free night's stay.
They kill it, revealing some hay, a squirrel skeleton, and two leather scroll cases, one of which is badly digested. The second scroll turns out to contain the Second Truth of Foresight written in elaborate script:
When a river ceases to function you have perhaps fifty years left; you must consider escape.
Below that is noted in different handwriting:
The truths of foresight can be found by the eastern bubble for those brave enough to find it.
There's another scroll behind it, written in different ink:
this was found on a cultist. he would not talk, but he was probably planning to meet with others. keep an eye out for others spreading this superstitious nonsense. a worldwide panic is the last thing we need.
K
Fin recalls what is generally kmown about the Cult of Foresight, and Foresight himself.
The second damaged scroll is written in spidery handwriting:
For the western research facility:
20 barrels of wine, quality not important
2 tons of flour
half ton of salted beef pork or fish
half ton of dried vegetabjles
two iron mine carts with spare parts (the heat is affecting them faster than expected)
40 shovels (quality is important here)
10 5 inch by 5 inch by 10 foot posts per week
Clothing for
and here the scroll is too digested to keep reading.
Fin studies the papers during his watch, and the rest of the night passes without incident. Garlan brings breakfast and 4CP each. The party advises him that the blobs seem to be afraid of fire, if another one shows up.
Thr party resumes their trip, seeing a merchant caravan ahead, but no grey cloaked follower. Fin recognizes the caravan as glass merchants. A Half orc, an orc, two humans, an elf, a halfling and a gnome. The half orc invites them to travel with them for safety in numbers, and they're eager to hear any News. they are traveling from Denton to Feldkirk.
Paxton shares that he's heard the magistracy has been taking over Free Cities regions; the caravan has heard that its mostly very soft diplomacy,.ans that they want to build a wizard tower, which Paxton doesn't like.
The caravan shares that crops near Feldkirk have been getting damaged by ooze monsters. The magistracy is offering assistance, which farmers are taking them up on. They carry no glassteel, but have heard that in the magistracy, there's a new supply of glass from the walls that has become available, but nobody knows what the source is, and the magistracy is trying to crack down on it. The merchants want to avoid the area.
Fin suggests to Tara that they may want to investigate what the magistracy is doing in Feldkirk, but Tara wants to see the Broken River first. Fin confides to Paxton that their mission includes finding out whether the magistracy has anything to do with the river being broken, and investigating the extent of the. magistracy's reach into the Free Cities.
Tara asks Paxton about his negative response to the wizard tower going up. Paxton has lived in the Free Cities for awhile and identifies with them; he resents what he sees as the rich people coming in and taking over the more common folks.
Around midday, they see the grey cloak appear behind them. Fin posits that he may be more after the grain, or the delivery money. Paxton believes he's following Fin and Tara. The party resolves to confront him the next time they're alone.
The caravan shares news that the worshippers of foresight have been more active; Pargosh dismisses these as conspiracy theories and doesn't believes the gods are interested or interesting.
Fin tries to make some spare money using Mend to fix things; the gnome takes him up on the offer, and offers to sell a tinkers kit for 25GP, half price, but Fin doesn't have enough gold so the gnome pays him 7GP.
Tara gets Grubrak, the quiet and reserved orc, to come out of his shell a bit, and admits that he's grumpy because he's embarrassed because the caravan was attacked, and some glassware was broken, and he blames himself. He describes the bandits who attacked them as poor people who want food and money. He eventually cheers up, hearing that Fin helpes Mend the glass.
Pargosh insists on two people keeping watch, one from each group when possible, and the next several nights pass without incident.
The caravan is heading towards the city of Four, and invites the party to stay with them in Feldkirk. Fewer and fewer travelers are on the road.
Tara wants to find out where the grey cloaked wizard is staying at night, and confront him. Paxton points out that ambushing a wizard is dangerous. Grubrak wants to go with them, but the rest of the caravan doesn't want all the fighters to leave them unguarded, but will guard the wheat wagon.
The party sees the wizard make camp inside a magic dome; Fin recognizes it as Leomund's Tiny Hut. Tara suggests waiting until morning. As the party makes plans, Mike reminds them that Tiny Hut is a third level spell, with Fin realizing that their grey cloaked follower is at least a fifth level wizard, and warns everyone that attacking the wizard directly will likely result in them all dying; the party aborts their plans to attack the wizard, and heads back to the caravan.
Skip 10 days to the 2nd of Sixmonth, 2007.
The party decides to finish their delivery to Zauberfeld (which is inside the magistracy), despite their interest in magistracy activity Feldkirk. The caravan bids them farewell, and invites them to visit them in Four.
The party travels west towards the Old Bridge,as the grey cloaked wizard follows them.
On the 5th of Sixmonth, they spot a fire off the road, which turns out to be a burning homestead with some dead animals and footprints, but no human corpses. Paxton puts the fire out with Create or Destroy Water. Fin ascertain that these are recent goblin footprints, and that they dragged off two humanoids and led off some livestock to the north. The party follows the tracks north, and Paxton notices the tracks entering a concealed cave, and the party startles a goblin, killing him, revealing a tunnel leading further into the cave.