Day two of the trip started with a hearty breakfast! Once that was out of the way we moved almost immediately back to the game. We retrieved our materials from our cars where we left them overnight to prevent them getting wet, and were good to go.
When we left our adventures in the last segment they had just returned to town having saved Sir William and his squire, Kelvin. When they returned to town they summoned the local priest, Father Joseph Ellis. Father Ellis, being like most priests of the world, wielded no magic, but relied on herbs and ointments to aid the healing process. After he had done what he could for the two he informed Farley that his "fiance" who he had got together with during the feast at the start of game, had fallen very ill.
The following day Doran, the group's cleric, used his magic to revive the two unconscious warriors, though neither of them recalled what had caused them to lose their mounts and fall unconscious. While pondering that mystery the group was faced with another problem. The affliction that had befallen Farley's "fiance" seemed to be spreading. Over the next few days the disease spread like wildfire though the town, growing at an alarming pace. Following the advice of Father Ellis the group left the village of Ashvale and headed south for the Greenfield Abbey, where the monks there were legendary for their (non-magical)healing arts.
The group made good time to the Abbey and were given leave to search the records for information on the disease. Doran was the only one who knew the holy language that the records were recorded in so he alone was able to aid the monks in their search through the dusty tombs. Eventually he found a records of something called the, "Morbus Arcanus" which translated to the Sorcerer's Plague.
Armed with this alarming news the group hurried back to town, stopping only to visit the local Baron and garner some men from him to conduct their witch hunt back in Ashvale. Upon their return the group wasted no time in informing the local leaders of the situation and beginning to search homes for evidence of Sorcery. This part of the game, the mystery part, didn't go as well as I would have liked. The players seemed determined to go their own way rather than work as a group to reach a conclusion. They took a good deal of time to reach a conclusion, and that came only when they finally agreed to systematically search the entire town by going door to door and doing a thorough search (i.e. ripping up floorboards and destroying things when necessary).
Eventually they caught and burned a man for the crime of demon worship and sorcery. With this death the disease seemed to stop and those those infected began to get getter. Adding to this good news was word that Lady Enna, the Duke's niece and a reputed healer, had heard of the town's plight and was coming to due all she could to alleviate the suffering of the people.
Unfortunately, she never made it to the town. A lone soldier emerged from the forest, badly beaten and telling tales of monsters attacking their caravan and taking the lady captive. For the last time the group sprung into action and entered the forest, tracking the soldier and his horse back to the site of the ambush. There they too were set upon by demonic little green beasts with razor sharp claws. They fought their way through them and found the trail of the Lady Enna who had been dragged forcibly through the wilderness.
The group found their lair, but it was guarded by an enormous creature wielding a cruel looking club. Farley used his talent for distraction to get the creature to chase him while the others lie in wait. When the entire group surrounded him even the hulking mass didn't stand a chance. The group then wasted no time in entering the cave. They came upon an archway that lead to a large open chamber where a man in dark robes was chanting and wielding a silver dagger over a woman bound to a stone slab. Attempts to sneak were met with extreme failures and the wizard turned and lowered his hood to reveal (don don don) a women. Specifically, this woman was Sir William's lady wife, Eire.
Both sides screamed at the other to surrender, and soon people were drawing steel and casting spells. The evil Enchantress was joined by her vile Goblin minions and the group was hard pressed to win access to the room beyond the arch so as to confront the Sorceress. Eventually Lou, got a running start and charged in, blowing one of the creatures aside. Eire fought until the bitter end, but once her minions had failed her she followed close behind.
From there the group freed Lady Enna, collected Eire's treasures, and returned to the relative safety of the town. They explained the entire situation to Sir William who rewarded them hansom for returning his Liege Lord's niece, though he lamented his wife's dark path. He allowed the group to keep what they had found in Eire's lair including her Grimoire, her dark book filled with powerful secrets. Father Ellis suggested that the group destroy the book, but admitted it would be no easy task. The group agreed, but like the end of Conan, "That is a tale for another day." The Grimoire played a vital role in the game behind the scenes, but it was also in setting up a followup adventure should the players ever want to pick up these characters.
Next sement will have some out of game questions the players had in the wake of the game, and the third day of our trip which was mostly spent at King Richard's Faire!
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