In Marineldol, the capital of Carondor, a merchant,
Perkin Waldum, hires
guards for his return to
Starstone County 400 miles to the North - a motley crew
(slightly scruffy gnome, female elf, unarmed human, halfling, dwarf). The
ongoing war has made true mercenaries very expensive so Perkin goes for
quantity at the cheap end of the market. The party lacks a cleric, Perkin having
turned down the only applicant a female half-orc. Scarcely out of the capital
the halfling scout becomes a pin-cushion and the rest of the party is ambushed
by hired thugs. Just when things look grim the female half-orc cleric,
Chaal,
appears and demonstrates her Hold Person (by removing head) spell despite the
best efforts of the gnome to kill her.
After a while the road follows the ridge of a range of low hills. At night
the party investigates a series of lights dancing round an old stone circle. The
elf finds the experience exhilarating but others find themselves shocked by the
lack of available treasure. Later on the same ridge a winged being informs them
that one of them will never reach
Ristenby in the North.
Closing on Starstone he party reach
Longbottom Down (by way of a detour
caused by a burnt down bridge). The main inn, ‘The Gaping Goose’, is full so
they stay at 'The Lord Varmok' named after a vampire slain by Starstone hero
Risten. Sadly the party mislay Perkin and Will (Perkin’s carter). overnight and
the party have to turn the inn and its cellars upside down before they recover
Perkin (but not Will who became a ghoul). An evil priest, Sarko, had been
conducting experiments below the inn to revive Lord Varmok but the interference
of the party ended these plans before Varmok could regain his full powers.
Sarko, however, escaped (happily leaving his assorted loot).
The party rescued from Sarko’s lair Ralph, a fighter fleeing conscription,
and Gerard, a local priest (temple duly grateful), as well as a full alchemists
lab (loot – well spotted Dindle). During the search for Perkin, some miscreant
appears to have broken into the chests the cart was carrying although Perkin
assures the party nothing was taken.