3rd quest of the Guild of Outskirt
(by Esme Khit’teen) This mission took the Outskirt Adventuring Guild trio to the not-so-end-of-the-road rural Road’s End Inn. A family of shepherds in that area had lost one of their flock – their daughter had gone missing with their sheep. Thus began a fine tale of how adventurers often find solutions that they were not even looking for. Visiting this rural one-stop inn was the first step to trying to find out more about the upset family and their missing daughter. Amazingly enough, the mission was solved before the first round of drinks had been drunk – the missing daughter was in the Inn. What Luck! However, there was more going on. Though the Inn seemed to be doing good business after being closed for several years – it had recently reopened and seemed to be thriving. People here seemed to enjoy it so much, that some even seemed disinclined to move on. So it was that getting Antellia home to her family was to be more of a challenge then it first seemed. She had actually been in the Inn for several weeks at this point - after returning from disposing of her family’s flock. She still seemed in no hurry to go home. Questions were asked, answers were given and some avoided. Arrangements for meeting someone who seemed to know what was going on were made for the next day. So rooms were purchased and sleep had. This is where the tale then took to the supernatural as Baazar, Leda and the scholar all woke up in the middle of the night in the same room. This was especially notable as Leda always slept outside and the other two had purchased separate rooms. The discoveries that followed were macabre and certainly disconcerting, but whether it was real or a dream they had no way to tell. As they progressed room to room to find a way out, it became obvious this was both similar and not at all like the Road’s End Inn they had fallen asleep in. After all, who builds a pond into one of their rooms? After each encounter being more weirdly disjointed than the last, the matter finally came to a crux. Though not readily apparent if the old hag in chains who suddenly appeared before them was a prisoner or the cause of this odd dream-like reality, the trio defended themselves. When the chains finally came to a rest on the floor after the epic battle, the hag dissolved into a key and the exit, while still guarded by witch hounds, became obvious. Once through the exit, they found themselves waking in their actual beds, no worse for wear and one inn basement key richer (the only feat still unexplained). What followed, was the piecing together of the tale – of an old woman accused & imprisoned unjustly. Her death causing people to be cursed to remain in the inn until one of two conditions were met. Needless to say, these outstanding Outskirt Adventuring Guild representatives had met the condition for permanent curse removal. While tidying up the gaps in understanding of the origin of the curse, with the person they arranged to meet, it was discovered that Antellia had already left for home as had a number of other “guests”. Once the team finished letting everyone know that any further odd problems might be solved by the reopened Outskirts Adventuring Guild, the trio checked Antellia had made it home and confirmed a satisfactory quest result, as reputable adventurers do. Soon triumphantly home again, the hardest working adventurers at the Outskirts Adventuring Guild ensured they were ready for the next opportunity to darken their doorstep. [Editors note: The innkeeper either had a part in the accusing of the old woman or their family had. Regardless, her shifty nature during this mission leads me to recommend that Adventurers pass this facility by, or at least be wary...who knows how flexible the morale character of that innkeeper is?]
0 Comments
(by Esme Khit’teen) Obviously word of the newly opened Adventurer’s Guild was starting to spread. So for the Guild’s 2nd mission the local merchant’s association knew who call on to solve a problem of bandits raiding their caravan’s and then fading into the nearby swamp. It wouldn’t be glorious work – but thus are connections and reputation made – one adventure at a time – and so the Wolfkin, Catfolk and Elf trio were joined by a wandering Mallard, fresh from the coasts. The trip was uneventful, no doubt due to the meticulous forehand planning – a trait all legendary adventuring groups had in common. The four arrived in the vicinity of where the scholar’s research and information placed their target – at the ruins of a once famous tower, previously known as the Tower of Sighs and ruled over long ago by the Knights of Elidan. Now crumbling and rumoured to be filled with ghosts, but also said to still contain the fabled, crystal clear waters of the Fountain of Truth. Easily spotted, the bandits were camped complacently on the hill by the tower. The Mallard, one August Tomenta, proved to be a formidable fighter in his own right. Between him, Bazaar the Wolfkin and Leda the Elf ... the small group of bandits were quickly and quietly ended. By far the most interesting part of this mission, was what happened next – the befriending of a Hill Giant blacksmith and the reopening of the way to the magic fountain below the tower. The fountain was kept company by an alter of red stone, a broken statuette and mounds of bones. It would seem this was also the final resting place of at least one war band of Orcs – their banner still present mounted on the wall. [Note: Banner seemed to be for the Clan of the Grinning Wolf and was preserved as by magic. For now resting with the Outskirts Adventurer’s Guild]. After determining the fountain still worked as legends told – enforced truth telling for a time – the group returned to Outskirt and brought the intelligent, friendly giant with them. It would seem Outskirts would have a new, armor smith and a very large protector. Another successful mission accomplished. End result, a happy Merchant’s Association and an adventuring Wolfkin merchant who now held the knowledge of said fountain ... along with it’s exact location. One of the miniature companies I have been watching for a long time is Yedharo Models. One thing that I have loved about their miniatures is that they do them in a way that is easily recognizable to many of the High Fantasy tropes that we are familiar with. Then they give each a twist that makes them very original and a whole bunch of fun.
I have wanted the female Orcs for a while now. I like them a lot. They are strong and capable warriors, have their own beauty to them, while not being overly sexualized and most importantly for me. I can believe that they would function in the role they would find themselves. These are very well detailed. Made of resin so care does need to be taken. They are not super brittle like many of the very early resins, but care does need to be taken when trimming parts off of the holders as resin does not like sheer forces. So far I love these minis and will be using them in RPG's. Primed most of them up ready for painting. |
CrewAaron, Adam, Cieran, Emily, Ken, Kelly, Louis Rebecca. Dream team extraordinaire. Archives
January 2025
Kritfayle Copyright 2022
|