Chapter 3: Exploring the Village

June 1

The group goes to talk with the survivor. Neiia calms the man down and the man tells them that he had hidden here in the field that night and couldn’t get away when those creatures were in all directions. They go back to the house and examine the ghouls. All except the halfling are clearly country folk, but the halfling is dressed too well to be a country person. Neiia recognizes that it is Rogors Craesby.

An key is found on Rogers Craesby and when Kieron starts looking for a letter to Neiia. It’s not found on the halfling, but inside the house. It’s in middle of the table. The letter says:

Take the fever into you, my love it shall be but, the first of my gifts to you.

The key has some heraldic symbol and Neiia recognizes it as the Foxglove coat of arms. Neiia and Ra start resting, Kieron starts examining the house thoroughly, Jaysek piles the ghouls together and burns them. Inside, Kieron finds a loose floorboard. Under the board is a small chest. Kieron notices that the chest is locked and she can’t get it open, so she takes the chest, puts the board back and lifts the chest out through the window. After that she examines the rest of the house. Outside, Jaysek has gotten the ghouls burned. Kieron takes the horse and rides around scouting the surroundings and fetchimg that chest. After that she circles around a bit more and then returns to the others. She asks if anyone has looked at the barn. No one has, so they peek inside. Apparently the ghouls have used it as their nest, because it smells even more than usual there.

They peek inside. In the barn there are lots of bones and other debris. The barn is L-shaped and in its corner is a big 11 foot high stone head. The stone head’s expression is determined and resolute, but at the same time it has somewhat of a fearful expression mixed in. Kieron recognizes that it’s one of those stone soldiers left from the elven empire, and according to the farmer it’s supposedly just a head, nothing else.