Our heroes lay prone in the moors, panting and gasping for air. Ralom looked around hoping not to see any other creatures entering the clearing. Varrid pulled herself upright and headed for the mound of clothes left where Burton Wescoat had fallen. She grasped the leaf armor and held it up for size. "Looks good on me," she mused, "What else is of interest here?"
Continuing her examination she picked up an amulet, a key, a cloak and a long-sword. "Those are all magical," said Ralom, "We will need Arvien to Identify them." Seglun immediately request the long-sword, while Arvien asked for the amulet given her stature would probably disallow use of the cloak. Ralom then provided some greatly needed healing to the party as they prepared to return to the Manor house, should it still be standing.
"What shall we tell the servants?" inquired Arvien, "They seem very loyal and I wouldn't want to cause them distress." "I suppose that we must tell them the master is dead," stated Varrid, "I wonder what they will do now." The fog had lifted and the party had an easy time returning to the Manor, just in time for breakfast. The kitchen was busy, Martine and Gabrielle were preparing the usual good meal. Varrid, Seglun and Drovic headed for the study to gather the group's "reward" from the safe. The rest of the party prepared to eat in the Dining Room. When Gabrielle entered from the kitchen, Arvien told her that they had some bad news. Did she know where Darrell and Douglas were? Gabrielle headed toward the servant's quarters to gather the Butler and Gardner.
Meanwhile, Varrid opened the study with the key she found with Burton's remains. Inside everything looked just as they had seen it two evenings ago. Varrid picked the lock on the safe and took out the coins and gems. Also in the safe was the deed to the Manor, Varrid gathered that also as the small group headed for Burton's bedroom. In the bedroom Drovic looked for any magic but found nothing new in the rooms. As this small group headed for the Dining Room they encountered Gabrielle, Darrell and Douglas heading there also.
"Burton Wescoat and Ann Campbell's ghost battled last night in the clearing and a final blow from each killed the other," relayed Arvien. "The master aged at least 100 years immediately and his dust from his bones fell onto the moors," she continued. "The ghost of Ann disappeared and the bog hounds, plus a large Moor hound turned to mud and straw," added Baru. "We believe that the curse on the Moors, the Wescoats and the hounds has been lifted," relayed Varrid.
Varrid was concerned about what the servants would do now that the master was gone. "Well we have plenty of work to put forth in repairing the Manor house," stated Darrell, "That is if the hounds are actually gone!" Douglas said that he would continue with the garden, while the women added that they would continue to cook and clean. "Must keep the place up for the new master or mistress," Gabrielle declared. "Good riddance to the bastard Burton," grumbled Martine.
The party decided that they would head back to Mordenshire to collect their bounty from the sheriff. "I doubt the sheriff survived," mused Ralom, "The hound attacks sounded nasty back there in the bogs." "We can always go back to the Beached Mermaid, they offered us some gold," Grunyar added.
When the party was alone Varrid showed them the deed, there was no will that anyone knew of and the deed merely indicated that Burton owned the land. "I wonder how we can get that deed handed over to us," queried Arvien, "I'll have to talk to a Solicitor in Mordenshire. This would certainly be a nice manor to own." "Who wants to own the a manor in this bog, damp, clammy and foggy as it is?" asked Drovic. "I think we should find out, can I have that deed?" demanded Arvien. She had no luck talking Varrid into that plan. As the party prepared to leave for Mordentshire, Varrid sneaked back to the study, leaving the deed and some cash in the safe for the servants.
It took the remainder of the day to return to Mordentshire, they headed directly for the sheriff's office where they found Sheriff Connor, who was suspicious of the heroes story. Asking what they knew of Sheriff McAndrew's death, and the other town members who died. The interrogation lasted for some time. Grunyar tired of this talk and headed for the Beached Mermaid to collect from Captain Nancy. Eventually the heroes left the sheriff and joined Grunyar. They regaled Captain Nancy with the story of the hounds, Burton Wescoat and his "bride". They assured the Pub patrons that the hounds were gone, although Baru wasn't convinced yet. After a free evening meal the group was assured that Captain Nancy would accompany them to the Sheriff's office in the morning to help collect their reward. Varrid inquired about the landscape, where were the closest towns, cities, etc. So northward lay Dementlieu, with the village of Inverness close to the border. To the south was Valachan, with the hamlet of Dundee about halfway there. To the east was Richemulot but no road led in that direction just moors and downs. At night the party decided to head toward Valachan, not the homelands of the Campbells (Dementlieu). The night was uneventful, no howling of hounds or other terrifying noises were evident, Baru was much relieved.
In the morning Arvien headed to the courthouse to determine the inheritance of deeds, while the rest of the party went shopping with their new coinage. At the courthouse the recorder asked if there was a will, if there was that would indicate who inherits the land. If not there would be a search for relatives, this could take a year or longer. If the search failed their would be an auction and estate sale. Arvien left disappointed, especially after she found that Varrid did not have the deed any longer. Shopping was hit and miss, there were no non-human sized armor or shields available anywhere in Mordentshire, in fact everyone the party had seen were humans. Human sized non magical equipment was available and Arvien even found a magic shop with some spell available. At around noon the party headed south toward Dundee. They made it about halfway there before nightfall, so they made camp with Varrid as the main watcher since she didn't need to sleep. Around 3AM, Arvien woke with a scream and saw Baru leap up from his bedroll, grabbing his sword, a fierce look upon his face as he scanned the whole party. Varrid and Grunyar, who were supposed to be on watch also woke suddenly to Arvien's scream but found themselves feeling peaceful and serene. Drovic wakened to a peaceful feeling, with the smell of the woods fresh in his memory. Seglun and Ralom acted slightly uneasy as they roused from the night's rest.
No one seemed to interested in the meaning behind Arvien's scream or Baru's behavior as they set off for Dundee. As night once again fell they reached the small hamlet, finding the Sheep and the Wolf as the only inn in town. Entering they were again amongst the hearty people of Mordent. They ordered some food and drink and asked about accommodations, which were available. During a lively discussion with the townsfolk they learned that the nightly howling of hounds had suddenly ended, the folk were much pleased at this occurrence. The local gossip mostly concerned the gypsy smith on the edge of town. At night, the vagabond plays his violin with such intensity that it can easily be heard in town, and those who have gone to spy on the gypsy have sometimes glimpsed strange lights. Some reported seeing a lovely woman, dancing seductively in the firelight of his forge until dawn, despite the knowledge that he lives alone with a small child. The townsfolk seem both titillated and frightened of the gypsy, but his work is better and cheaper than the smith in town. Others would like to see him leave, whispering conspiratorially about his mistress. You should ask Conrad, the town smith, about the gypsy, he has very strong opinions. Finally the party heads to bed, Ralom staying in the common room.
DM's Notes: The party earned 30XP for the nights adventures and now have 8000XP, requiring 6000 additional XP to reach 4th level.
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