Skull Mountain: Beginnings

[greyarea]

At the appointed time, a small older man dressed in dark leathers and blackened wool comes to the inn and gathers you. He answers no questions but asks you to follow him. He leads you out of The Rat and Pig and through dark streets of the Town of Wolford. The Mercat Square is quiet now, its stalls closed for the evening and the bustle of the day replaced a stillness broken only by passing watchmen. The pale moonlight makes long shadows on the dirt road, making the ruts and hoofmarks deeply black in the well-trod streets. You are lead to a large building marked as the Alderhall. The man fumbles at the lock for a bit with much clanking of keys before he opens the door. After ushering you in, he locks the door behind you. The interior is slightly musty and a very few candles set in sconces light the way, adding the sweet scent of beeswax. The man pushes past you and then waves you forward, leading you on. As you walk down the darkened hall, you can see that these are obviously government offices. It is easy to imagine this place bustling with business during the day, but at night it seems almost eerie.

Finally the man leads you through a more lavishly decorated office, with a huge oaken desk and velvet covered chairs, and through a heavy door to a windowless room, where rich tapestries deaden the sound and oil lamps provide flickering illumination. Waiting is a large table loaded with lamb stew, apples, bread and a small cask of ale. The aroma is rich and pungent. Behind the table is a portly, middle-aged man with intelligent eyes. Once you are in the room, the man who lead you there leaves, closing the door behind him. The room is deeply silent for an instant while the portly man assesses you visually and then inhales deeply and speaks.

"Greetings. I am sorry for the subterfuge but we are trying to be as decrete as possible in this affair. My name is Master Gint Grüber, and I am the town manager. I have the authority to speak and make decisions for the Lord of the town, Sir Taris.

"Please, feel free to sit and eat while I tell you why you were asked to be here this evening," Master Grüber says as he gestures to the meal.

"I was told of your abilities by those who know such things. You are a successful band of adventurers, which is just what I need for the task at hand, as it requires men of both skill and power. I am sad to say that Sir Taris' son Aiden, a boy of only fifteen, has been abducted. Now, had he been taken by brigands or petty crooks, he would be free at this very moment: the town's men-at-arms are powerful enough. But I'm afraid that this, this, vile act has been perpetrated by far worse than mere criminals.

"Near our fair town is a volcano which is known as Skull Mountain, where once there was a powerful cult. This evil, murderous cult once ruled these lands but was destroyed a hundred years ago by Saint Garth, patron of this town. I fear this cult is rising again and they are responsible for this heinous act. I believe that they have spies all over and would know if we amassed town forces and would kill the boy, hence my requirement of discretion.

"Aiden must be returned safely, before Sir Taris returns from the capital. And it is for this task that I intend to hire you.

"You will be richly rewarded. Sir Taris has well-lined coffers and I have the authority to pay you on his behalf.

"Further, if you are able to determine why the cult has returned, and put a stop to it, your reward will be far richer.

"As I said, the cult has spies, so I need your discretion in this matter. What say you? Will you save my Lord's son and destroy the evil men who are responsible?"

[Professor P]

KALVAIN (paladin)

KALVAIN remained standing during Master Grüber's plea, but listened intently, especially once the Skull Mountain cult was mentioned.

"While I did not appreciate the sneakery at first, I now understand your purpose. Is Sir Taris unaware of the abduction of his son? He should surely be notified. While I cannot speak for my comrades, I will surely aid in saving Aiden and quelling this evil cult. Strangely, when I spoke with Fr. Doburn this afternoon, he denied that the cult was reforming. Why would he do so if you think the cult is responsible for the kidnapping?"

[greyarea]

"Please do not concern yourself with Sir Taris," Grüber says, meeting your gaze. "As seneschal, it is my duty to decide how to involve the Lord in this affair. I would prefer you concentrate on rescuing Aiden and destroying the cult.

"As for the good Father Doburn, he means well but his faith could be blinding him, I'm afraid. He and I have never discussed this matter but I would think that his belief in Saint Garth's power would not allow him to contemplate the resurgence of the cult. Believe me, he is a good and holy man, but his naivety can be unparalleled at times. I have it on good authority that the cult is restored and behind this. Find Aiden and you will know the truth of it too."

[Scalydemon]

Anadrea

Stands near the curtains in a half shadow fingering her silver willow leaf chain necklace as the man talks.

"Seems a noble cause to rescue a boy in need, and there may be others among our group interested in your gold coins or sparkling baubles.... Why, may I ask is there a time frame set forth to rescue the boy before the Lord returns?"

[connivingsumo]

Dandy Dwarf speaks with a mouth half full and chunks of meat hanging out of his mouth and tangling in his beard...

"Aye Gruber! Tis'not right!! A lad o' Dwarf, Human, or even Elf sher'not be taken from hiz rutes! I be fer gettin'eem back to ye! Lord or no Lord - we be bringin the lad'ome!!" Dandy says, his mouth now clear of food and he emphasizes his enthusiasm by banging the hilt of his Dwarven war-hammer on the table with every slurred dwarf-common syllable.

[nathan]

Having arrived at the inn just moments before the appointed time, Cygnus approaches the bar and orders a drink. After only a few sips he suddenly spots the group headed towards the door, and after leaving some coins for the barkeeper, he briskly strides over before they depart. His hooded cloak concealing his features would be enough to draw suspicion, but he presents a copy of the note and the older man nods for him to follow.

Listening carefully to the seneschal's story, his eyes dart around the room, glancing over at the others before settling on Gruber. Once the chamber returns to silence, his voice chimes out from the back of the group.

"Admittedly this was not why I expected I was summoned. What more do you know of this particular cult? And what would motivate them to kidnap the boy?"

[greyarea]

Grüber sighs and addresses the druid, "This is generally a peaceful vale. Although we have some bad elements, things are mostly kept in check and no one fears for themselves or for their families. When some of the smaller villages in the valley started coming to Wolford, and thus to me, with tales of crime, I grew very concerned. As the reports grew worse--raids and thefts, slaughtering of good sheep, cult signs drawn in blood to inspire fear, kidnappings--I did what I could to renew peace. When I heard of peasants taken from their homes and sacrificed to the cult's black heart, I took more forceful action, ordering the watch and militia to step up patrols across the vale. But this cult has retaliated to this increased enforcement of Law by kidnapping my Lord's son.

"They seem to know where I order the men-at-arms. They have spies. They can sense my moves before I make them. And they have the threat against Aiden's life to still my hand.

"Their reign of terror is growing. Soon even the people of Wolford will feel it and not just the peasants and outlying villages. Soon even the good Father at the Shrine will not be able to deny that the the cult of the Obsidian Heart has returned. I know little of their origins--I am no sage--but I know that they worship the black heart of the mountain and they are darkly evil.

"That is the truth of it. I cannot attack directly, not while they have Aiden. My Lord would agree. That is why I must hire you to do this job. I must have peace and I must save Aiden's life."

He looks around the room at you, and addresses Anadrea.

"Sir Taris has hired me to administer his domain and make the daily decisions necessary to that end. When he returns, he must see his house in order and his lands at peace. That is my duty and that is what he expects of me, and I am hiring you to help ensure that that is the case."

[Professor P]

KALVAIN (paladin)

"Master Grüber, LAW! has given me the power to sense evil intent in the hearts of men. If you gather your troops, I may be able to sense your traitors. Once they are routed, we may be able to mount an assault on this cult."

[Spanningtree]

Dieter

This sounds like something akin to our abilities... what exactly is the compensation? When does your lord return? To accelerate our quest and reduce the amount of return visits we need to make to the town for healing we will need to get 3-4 draughts of healing before departing. It sounds like you lost your lords son in his absence and this is a situation that you are trying to correct before his return. I am concerned about collecting our compensation in the event your lord returns yet his son is still at large. Please put me at ease on this.

OCC: Dieter ladles bowls of stew for anyone that will take them (throws apples to Andrea and Vismund), finally gets one for himself and sits down with an ale.

[connivingsumo]

Dieter
OCC: Dieter ladles bowls of stew for anyone that will take them (throws apples to Andrea and Vismund), finally gets one for himself and sits down with an ale.

Dandy Dwarf Cleric looks at Dieter and holds his bowl out... "I likes stooo! En throw me one'o them pApples too pleez!"