Location: Forests west of Rilan

Date: Lan the 10th-16th, 1334 Avard

Characters: Minetta, Jasper, Chimes, Hiko, Toox, Roland

After clearing out the two young white dragons residing in their fort, the Black Feather Troupe set in for the winter. They reached out to the ambassador of the Dragon Nation Wuron Sfa and were forgiven for the deaths of the two young dragons, and allowed to keep or dispose of their remains – save for the skull of the one at the fort. The skull might be used as a clue to the parents of the two young dragons. The troupe was given a special scroll that would, upon completion and sealing, immediately send its letter to the ambassador – the dragon known as Vristilistalamar (or Vrist, for short).

The Black Feather Fort was cleaned out and cleaned up by the masons and carpenters Eingrim had hired. Each of the rooms for the giants had been thirty feet tall, and about 300 square feet – downright monastic for 15-20ft tall hill giants and ogres. The rooms were restructured, with most being turned into two rooms, each with a height of about 15ft – one on each floor restructured to three 10ft tall rooms (minus beams and flooring and other structures). Stairs were built into the wide hallways or into the rooms themselves, and the giants' stairs were re-stepped to make life easier for much shorter humanoids. By the time winter was over, the interior of the fort had been completely redone into something warm and comfortable.

New staff were hired by Eingrim and vetted by the troupe. They hired a hunter, a cook, a maid, and some general laborers that would also act as guards. The maid was a kobold, which no one objected to. The laborers were orcs, which made like interesting for the dwarf Jasper. She was placed in charge of the orcs, which assuaged her dwarven sensibilities.

While the troupe had been investigating werewolves and a warehouse, they had found an egg. The egg belonged to a gryphon. It hatched, and they named the gryphonling Cleo. The young gryphon grew rapidly over the winter, taking a liking to all of the troupe.

On Curiss' Day, Toox was given a Dead Stone to install in the fort. It would help to prevent sentient undead, spirits, poltergeists, and other souls from infiltrating the fort.

Roland made a pilgrimage to Kashin, meeting with the Chosen of Xoriah and visiting the fortress-like temple of Rahne there. When he returned, he worked with the giant-sized forge and anvils, melting and reworking the heavy metals until he had a functioning forge in the bowl of the fort. The carpenters put in a roof for him, and the mason's put in a cobblestone floor. While they worked around one another, Roland forged a new sword. His enchanted Leaf Blade was good, but it had been someone else's blade they had found. He needed something that more suited his fighting style – and so he made a new blade. Working with a bit of the Eternal Flame (a gift from the Chosen of Xoriah) and help from Hiko and Eingrim, Roland crafted a new flameblade for himself.

Other than helping Roland or minor tricks, Hiko studied magic. He spent his time in the newly constructed library, or studied in his room, continually relearning magic, shifting his studies from the School of Illusions to the School of Conjuration.

Minetta visited as time and weather allowed, riding a sleigh back and forth the three miles to Rilan. She helped Eingrim to build a decent alchemist's laboratory in the hidden basement, and helped him prepare for his 'punishment' from Lok Magius. Eingrim had been told that, since he had deigned to teach an expelled student such as Hiko, then he would teach students that Lok Magius thought were hopeless – such as wild mages. Towards that end, Eingrim approached magic with a renewed ferocity. His studies of necromancy had failed him. He had died, and been resurrected (at great cost), and then was being punished for his teachings. Eingrim spent the winter changing his approach to magics, potions, and machinery.

Notes to Continue:
* maps + tapestry
* quagmire of the pens
* baron's visit
* church of Habrem bow
* trip downriver for navigation maps
* slavers discovered
* maps acquired in Teras at docks
* visit to cartographer friend of Hiko's

Date: AUG2020

DM's Notes: It's obvious that some of my players enjoy the minutae of running fiefdoms, while others long only for adventure. We flashed ahead about four months in game time, to give the players a chance to 'build' their home, and give the characters a chance to prep, plan, and recover.

Michael has a hard tasking. He has to stay true to his paladin's oath, while at the same time, doing what he thinks needs to be done. He started the campaign with one holbrace, and earned another for sending an ogremai into another plane. But he lost the second holbrace for not accepting the surrender of a frightened young dragon that was only just beginning to understand what it had done wrong. He earned the second holbrace back by freeing a group of slaves. Michael hesitated, though. His paladin's path is Oath of Redemption. He almost killed a slaver, but chose not to, thinking it might cost him his remaining holbrace. It would not have. I might have suggested he take the Oath of Vengeance, which might fit the character better, but it would not have cost him his holbrace. Being a paladin can be very rewarding, but it can also be very challenging.

Reference: Campaign X
Previous Episode: Xs2e23
Next Episode: Xs2e25

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