RECAP: 5th Avengers, 10-18-20
by Tucker
In the morning, we gather around breakfast and discuss the night’s events. Balyx makes sure everyone knows of his powerful slaying of the fire elemental. We discuss the elemental and how to defend ourselves against them, to which Geth replies that fire elementals are defeated with cold or water, earth with wind, etc.
Lauris, who slept through the entire combat, marches into breakfast with a smile on his face and expresses that he slept great. The party explains the situation to him. The recap goes with the usual back and forth, and just as Balyx brings up finding the militia head, Elmo, the very same individual in question, walks into the bar, which Caela and Geth are able to discern from how he is greeted by the bartender.
Geth approaches him and offers to buy his ale. He asks for a moment of his time and explains we are looking for the Temple of Elemental Evil and our friend Kiro. Elmo says that they were parched and Kiro fell in the well, laughed and was no more. He kept going on about Threshold but no one goes there, he says. Geth asks a few more questions, and finds that Kiro’s remains were retrieved and blessed, and laid to rest according to the Church of Saint Cuthbert. Geth asks him to show us to the grave so that Jarry can pay his respects. We finish our ales and breakfasts and agree to head to the grave, where we discussed Kiro’s obsession with Threshold, which appears to have been something he was given to going on and on about without any real connection to himself or anything around Hommlet. Geth asks Elmo if he would take us to visit the heroes who defeated those responsible for the Temple of Elemental Evil in the first place. Elmo says two brothers, members of the original party, Burne and Rufus, a wizard and fighter, are working to build a keep on top of the hill, which is visible from where we stand. He motions to it and explains that those building the keep would be more than happy to see us, although they are quite busy building the keep.
Jarry is overcome with mourning, so we head back to the Welcome Wench to regroup. We see many of the patrons have already left, and observe some of the same from earlier. Over the next few hours there, we overhear some things, catchphrases like “That was odd,” Strange things happening” and people talking about a rock that had not been there the day before, and “Clerics of Tharizdun.” In short, we get evidence corroborating the idea that the Temple of Elemental Evil may be operating once more.
We also hear a good deal of conversation about the miller’s odd behavior. We agree to head over to check it out. It is a water-powered mill a short walk away. We can’t see the stone turning but it is quite obvious what happens at this place. We knock and the miller really denies any strangeness. Geth fails to talk his way into the mill, but catches a glimpse of something shiny flitting about inside. The miller says it would be good idea if we came back tomorrow, and Geth agrees. Geth casts Detect Magic and detects none, and reports to the group his findings. The group agrees it is likely a construct, but the paper ones we are familiar with have not been shiny.
Having been unable to get inside the mill, Balyx looks around for an open window to Misty Step into, and Geth steps into the open-air storeroom, finding tools and general supplies and crates and materials related to milling and transporting grains. The rest of everyone decides to sneak in to the mill in one way or another. Jarry turns Balyx invisible and he casts Misty Step to access the room above the mill. Balyx arrives in a room with a desk–shuffling around the papers on it, he finds information about the price of grain and other business related to mills. He walks down a hallway with stairs and sconces.
Lauris peeks in a window to the mill, and observes two laborers hard at it, preoccupied with milling. He is unable to perceive any metal constructs flying. Jarry sets about crying in front of the door. Geth, finding a locked door at the top of the steps leading to the loft, Wild Shapes into a rat to sneak under the door. Balyx opens a door upstairs to find a woman inside, who does not seem to notice him, and it does not disturb him at all to find the woman looking directly at the door that has just opened itself. Caela sends her owl to hunt and return a mechanical bird that she sees on the roof. Jarry’s sobbing attracts the miller, who lets him in.
Over the course of all the snooping, Joss misses the mechanical bird, and we are all either discovered or get kicked out.
