Recap: Sad 8^th, 1327A. The whole of the party met at the fountain in Teras, where they accepted the mission from the cleric of Samis, Thalock Stoneknee. Working with a contact of Tram's, they sailed out of Teras that morning aboard the Bad Wind, which dropped off supplies at Stomalin Keep, and then sailed to Firland for resupply. There, they found a rowman to take them to the Star's End, where the party was the first to deliver its coffer to the monastery. The monastery sent them out to find a second coffer, nearby, which the party retrieved after a fight with the Bandit Brothers. They returned to the monastery, where they decided to stay the night, before going on to Tikanal.

DM's Notes: The success of the group in returning two coffers will be noted by not only the other mercenaries, but by the Star's End as well. Abbottess Cassandra and Brother Irol will inform their counterparts throughout the rest of Rakore, including Thalock Stoneknee. With a reputation for getting the job done, and then some, various merchants and peoples will approach the group with offers for missions.

Takanal is a small farming community near the headwaters of the Turan River. There are only a couple of docks on the river, for transporting feed and grain and leathers downriver, and bringing in luxury goods and metals upriver. The center of the town is a statue of Thravord Amorse, with a bleeding rock fountain pouring from his hands held before him, cupped. Thravord was a farmer turned warrior who beat back the last of the bandits in the region, nearly a century before. Around the town square is the old count's manor, the smithy, the church, and the Seven Sisters inn. The tannery and the Rabid Plant inn are located along the stream the river becomes, to the north of the city. Most of the buildings are of stone and wood mix, with steep roofs of wooden half-logs and wattling. The town has had the occasional stirge infestations, that crop up in the summer months -- at which time, mercenaries are often employed to thin them out.

• Small town (pop 1,500*, limit 800GP)
• conventional ruler (Baron Cardovar Thespulae, m human, 7^th-level fighter; cautious, bland, and stiff)
• Lawful Good
• 15 soldiers (led by 1 3^rd-level knight, Sir Antolin Tirod, m human
• one major church (Whalin/Barith worship, Father Tomalis Engrin of Whalin and Mother Thia Engrin of Barith residing -- married, both human, 5^th-level priests, affectionate, plump, and jovial) with alters to other gods gathered in back of the church, and maintained by three novitiates of Whalin under Father Tomalis -- one novitiate is a cleric-in-training (1^st-level)
• 8^th-level blacksmith (female dwarf named Jolain, specializes in farm implements, six apprentices), 5^th-level leatherworker (human male named Thalamar, specializes in tanning, four apprentices), 3^rd-level scribe/cartographer (human male named Thaddeus, specializes in calligraphy, speaks Common, Dwarven), 3^rd-level stonemason (human male named Candar, specializes in home-building)
• two tavern/inns -- the Rabid Plant, under Joseph Carndor (m human, 3^rd-level brewer; practical joker, friendly, with a tough streak), and the Seven Sisters, under Andra Modar (f human, 5^th-level barkeep; friendly, upper class, understanding)
• *1,100 Slate humans, 200 Amarans, 200 hill dwarves

Missions: After hearing of the party's exploits at Star's end (from whatever sources), a merchant named Calavat from Vridara asks for an escort to go with him to Firland, as he seeks markets. The pay is 1,000 silver per person, plus expenses, to see him safely to Firland.

The skipper of the Momma's Ghost, a man by the name of Captain Vowser (m human, 5^th-level sailor; scar through his balding hair, quiet unless he has something to say) -- knows of a local legend that began about a year ago. Count Vilassy of Takanal and some of his men discovered a set of ruins in the mountains, while hunting. They plundered some of the ruins, but lost some good men doing it. They sent the plunder by ship to Lok Magius for investigation, but the ship, the Wind Sprite, was found wrecked, half-way there. There was no sign of the plunder, or the crew, and the matter was dropped as 'a curse'. Count Vilassy died of heart failure the same night, during a massive thunderstorm. Supposedly, some of the plunder was magic weapons left from before the Storm Wars, but a lot of it was gold.

Wind Sprite: The ship crashed into a huge log that surfaced during the flood of the storm. The captain limped her to the shore, where she partially submerged. The crew tried to steal the plunder, but were set upon by a spider colony (loosed by the death of the old Spider Queen). The plunder, and the crew, are enwebbed in a colony west of the wreck, back behind a small ridge, and in the trees. That part of the river is eerily quiet, and the wreck is given wide berth because of cypress stumps, the legends, and the 'curse' of the plunder. The ship has a small sack of gold left on it (54GP), if you can battle through the monsterous spiders that have infested it.

Monsterous Spider, Small (6): CR 1/2; Small Vermin; HD 1d8; hp 4 each; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 30 ft, climb 20ft (40 ft, climb 20ft); AC 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex); Atk Bite +4 melee (1d4-2 and poison); SA poison, web; SQ vermin; SV Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +0; Str 7, Dex 17, Con 10, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 2

Skills and Feats: Climb +10, Hide +14, Jump +6, Spot +8, Weapon Finesse (bite)

Poison (Ex): DC 11, Initial and Secondary Damage 1d3 Str

Web (Ex): Escape DC 18, Break DC 24, hp 4. DC 20 to notice the web; attempts to break free gain a +5 bonus if there is purchase.

Vermin (Ex): Immune to mind-influencing effects.

3ft wide; body the size of a man's head

Monsterous Spider, Large: CR 2; Large Vermin; HD 4d8+4; hp 22; Init +3 (Dex); Spd 30 ft, climb 20ft (40 ft, climb 20ft); AC 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural); Atk Bite +4 melee (1d8+3 and poison); SA poison, web; SQ vermin; SV Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1; Str 15, Dex 17, Con 12, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 2

Skills and Feats: Climb +14, Hide +14, Jump +2*, Spot +7*

Poison (Ex): DC 11, Initial and Secondary Damage 1d3 Str

Web (Ex): Escape DC 18, Break DC 24, hp 4. DC 20 to notice the web; attempts to break free gain a +5 bonus if there is purchase.

Vermin (Ex): Immune to mind-influencing effects.

10ft wide; body the size of two men

Colony: The colony is centered around the hulk of a rhino beetle fourteen feet long, located in a small grove. The cocoons have encompassed everything within fifty feet of the hulk, to include deer, squirrels, and the crew of the Wind Sprite. Smaller treasures include three bags of gold (3x52GP), two bags of silver (2x48SP), and one bag of electrum (1x49EP), plus personal rings and effects of the crew (valued at 200GP). The greater treasures of the horde include the ruby ring of Alibazcar, a +1 flaming longsword, a potion of lesser restoration, a ring of feather falling, and Qualal's feather token (bird), as well as a large, emerald chalice -- and it is cursed (DM's option).

Stirges (4 - clutch): CR 1/2; Tiny Beast; HD 1d8; hp 5 each; Init +4 (Dex); Spd 10ft, fly 40ft (average); AC 16 (+2 size, +4 Dex); Atk touch +6; Face/Reach: 2 1/2 ft by 2 1/2 ft/0ft; SA Attach, blood drain; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +1; Str 3, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6.

Skills and Feats: Hide +14, Weapon Finesse (touch)

Attach (Ex): If a stirge hits with a touch attack, it uses it eight pincers to latch onto the opponent's body. An attached stirge has an AC of 12.

Blood Drain (Ex): A stirge drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage each round it remains attached. Once it has drained 4 points of Constitution, it detaches and flies off to digest the meal.*

*Note: Temporary losses to ability scores regenerate at the rate of 1/day -- or 2/day with total rest.