Ragged Hollow: Beginnings

Lunadain, 8th Yarthmont

Risa and Percy Apples are two young persons from the sleepy town of Ragged Hollow on the north-eastern hinterlands of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos. They have been on their Halloo, a traditional wandering from the confines of their town upon reaching adulthood.

After six months exploring the Duchy, they are returning, a little more worldy and in the company of Lorgar, a forester from the south seeking the wizard Jethra who is rumoured to reside in the vicinity of Ragged Hollow.

Risa is the ropemaker’s daughter and a skilled tinkerer. She was a precocious child who never tired of climbing and tumbling. It is her cousin Tobias’s birthday in a couple of days and she’s looking forward to a home cooked meal and a soft bed.

Percy was an orphan who was taken in by the Temple of Halcyon and raised to be a godfearing young man. However, sent into the world he was tempted into playing cards and may have developed a bit of a vice. This vice though has paid off so far, for he returns having won the deeds to the old Windler mansion that lies on an island in the River Rime that runs by the town.

When they arrive they find the town eerily deserted and eventually locate the townsfolk gathered around the Temple where a golden veil of light has enveloped the entire compound. Desperate people try to break the barrier which repulses the blows of their axes and poles. Risa spots her parents and finds out that a thunderous noise was heard at noon when the veil came down, trapping everyone inside. She wonders if they could dig their way beneath the dome. Lorgar assesses the situation and determines that with all the clerics trapped inside, the only figure of any authority is young Percy as a paladin of Halcyon.

Percy speaks to the crowd and most of them disperse until something can be figured out. They leave trusting the clerics inside will work out a way. The distraught alchemist Omar approaches Percy and demands he do something to rescue his sons trapped inside. Percy retorts angrily and the old man deflates, offering a pitiable plea for their rescue plus a handsome reward. Lorgar reasons with the man that there are many who may need rescuing and the three will do what they can.

The group are joined by Rodwig, an elven adventurer who has an ill-fated reputation as the sole survivor of his last party. Hot headed and easily slighted, he is an object of fascination for the local youths of the town. He asks Percy what he is going to do and in turn is asked to help, although not in so many words.

In any case, the four decide to seek out the acolyte Justin who is the only member of the clergy not to be locked inside the golden veil. So they head to the Lost Ox Inn where the sleepy innkeeper Kennan greets them and fixes them an evening meal. He complains about losing two of his best customers to some bandit’s smoking den but Risa only seems to be half-listening.

The party sit down and speak to Justin who tells them that the night before Lady Constance, a paladin of some great reputation, and her squire arrived. They spoke only to the leaders of the temple and their arrival was not expected as Justin had to hurridly prepare their lodgings. Justin left in the morning to buy milk and found the golden veil in place at the same time as everyone else. He has been weeping at his misfortune to be so locked out of the temple.

Rodwig tells the distrissed acolyte to stop crying and answer their questions so he may do some good. But Justin has little else to share other than that the veil covers all the temple except the weather vane at the top of the bell tower.

Yet as the party talk about visiting Tobias, Justin recalls that Tobias had turned up at the temple a few nights ago in an anxious state and had been ushered to the infirmary in the cellar by Brother Seth.

As they wait for their meal, the party notice three strangers sat in the opposite corner. A stocky man with a thick black moustache and blond hair; a hulking man with a scar around his neck; a scrawny woman with red stringy hair. Percy and Risa accompanied by Rodwig decide to introduce themselves. They are told to “jog on” and this irritates Rodwig some. He questions them and the stocky man gives him a dangerous look as he responds “we are travellers and our business is none of yours.”

Percy and Risa are prepared to back away, with Percy offering to buy them a round of drinks for intruding upen them. But Rodwig gets even more angry and persists with his questions. The scrawny woman says to his stocky companion that “this one is an idiot” and perhaps at last Rodwig understands the potential danger as the entire inn quietens enough to hear a pin drop. He finally backs away and returns to his table.

Lorgar takes this turn of events as an opportunity for mischief. Leaving the inn, he find a wooded glade round the back to relieve himself into one of his own wineskins. Sneaking back in via the kitchen he gestures for Risa to occupy the inn keeper’s attention whilst he concocts a piss-and-ale shandy. Percy duly serves these to the three strangers. The hulking quiet man drinks heartily to Lorgar’s quiet, puerile amusement.

As their food arrives, they discuss Tobias’s possible involvement in recent events and Kennan overhears their conversation. He claims Tobias was obsessed with the old dwarf tomb on Mount Mourn.

The party finishes their meal and leave the inn, deciding to call on Tobias’s house where they are greeted by his overly polite godbothering mother, Susannah. She welcomes them in and serves Lorgar a stewed rabbit haunch. They ask her about Tobias. After lauding him and claiming he is the only one pure and good enough not to be on a path to damnation, it is apparant she hasn’t seen him in over a week. However, her passing comments about Tobias being an adventurer of the sort that would not leave his party in the lurch angers Rodwig. Soon his anger spills out and the frightened woman asks the the party to leave which they duly do.

As it is late, the party decide to retire for the night. Rodwig returns to his home and Risa finally heads to her parents. She offers her father’s workshop round the back as a place for Percy and Lorgar to camp. Her mother welcomes Risa home and her father frets about the sacred books and art trapped inside the temple. Both are devout followers of Halcyon, distressed by recent events in their otherwise sleepy town.

Everyone is asleep when at midnight, the temple bells sound ominously thirty-six times. Upon waking, Lorgar leads Percy and Risa up a hill to look at the temple under the waxing crescent moon. The golden veil shines eerily under the starlight filling Percy with a mixed sense of hope and religious anxiety. Elsewhere, Rodwig walks through the quiet streets of the town to take in the same sight and see what may have transpired to provoke the unusual bell ringing.

Seeing the veil still in place, the town of Ragged Hollow has a fitful and restless night with our young adventurers having a mystery to unravel in the morning.

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Gromdain, 9th Yarthmont

After their strange homecoming, the party meet at the Inn of the Lost Ox for breakfast and discuss their plans to unravel the mystery of the golden veil. Percy also wants to check out his new property – the Windler mansion.

Lorgar suggests they seek out the wise and Risa recalls the old wizard Radomir who lives on the edge of town. So they head there hoping he can explain something of what is going on. They sit in his cottage which is littered with books in every possible surface and crevice, and drink chamomile tea. The old man’s mind seems to wander and he is unaware of events in the town. At times he speculates wildly and recalls old theology that goes over the party’s head. Other times he refuses to hazard a guess at the type of magic that may invoke the golden veil. He seems particularly confused about whether he has seen Tobias, or even knows who he is, only recalling the kindly butcher’s girl who brings him food, Although he offers his services in magic or translation plus a handsome reward should the young adventurers locate any dwarven artefacts, the party decide he is of little use in their current predicament and leave.

In the lane leading to Radomir’s cottage they are confronted by three angry young women. Severine, athletically built with a bow slung over her shoulder leads the pack; Lyla, muscly with arms covered in snake tattoos looks dangerous; Betty, dressed in black frock and veil, holds a wrapped up rabbit’s carcass. Betty giggles as Severine taunts Percy and Risa. Yet it is Lorgar who gets the worst of her mockery. Not to be outwitted by such mean girls, he tries to get them to drink from his waterskin of piss. They suggest he drink first and he duly takes a swig but they are still not tempted by his ruse. Eventually the verbal sparring comes to an end, just in time to avoid Rodwig the hot-collared erupting violently.

As the two groups pass, Lorgar tries to fling the contents of his waterskin at the women but fails miserably. Alerted by the smell of the liquid they erupt in raucous laughter, mocking him for drinking piss.

The party decide to move on to the fishmongers by the river, hoping to get a boat across to the Windler house so Percy can claim his property. Martine the propietor of the Hooked Fin greets Risa warmly and as they talk, she tells of the strange lights she has seen over the water coming from the Windler house. When Percy tells her of his intentions, she recalls the story she has heard of the Windlers being murdered by a howling ghost and murderous metallic machine. Lorgar voices his concern they are ill equipped to deal with the undead, recalling some dubious lore about clerics. This puts a dampner on Percy’s hopes of being a homeowner at his young age.

To be continued….