The Root of the Problem - Group 1, Session 3
from the game session held on 12 November, 2022
General Summary
The party of Ahronelle, the elven rogue, Dayve, the goblin alchemist, Endrin, the dwarven sorcerer, Hestia, the halfling barbarian, Osric the human fighter, and Raelin, the dwarven war priest had arrived at the mouth of the Tancreedy Mine in the late evening, and set up camp a short distance from the mine entrance, near the edge of the trees that covered the hillside leading up to the mine. As was their custom, they established their watch schedule and, after a meal of rations, settled in to get some sleep and recover from their encounter with the Troll.
First watch was uneventful. During the second watch, Ahronelle heard some strange noises, but could not pinpoint a source. After informing Dayve of this upon waking him for third watch, she took to her bedroll. [NEED TO FIX THE WATCH STUFF!!!]
The party entered the mine cautiously, with Osric and Ahronelle taking the lead. They passed down the entry shaft into a large chamber, but almost as soon as the lead pair entered it, a horrifying, wailing voice seemed to surround the group. "Thieves have come once more!" the voice moaned, sending shivers down the spines of all. Endrin and Hestia were particularly shaken by the voice despite being the two bringing up the rear and having only entered the mine to a point where the last shafts of sunlight were still reaching. Hestia, in fact, decided that she had enough, and volunteered to stand guard outside the mine while the others investigated further. Without waiting to see if others thought this was a good idea, she turned around and hurried out of the mine.
Other than the voice, there was no apparent threat, so the group collected their wits and continued, with all entering the main chamber of the mine. Looking around, they saw piles of what appeared to be old and rotting supplies, rusting tools, and several heavy burlap sacks. One of which had burst open, spilling its contents of rock chunks. Ore samples, perhaps? At first the party was careful not to touch anything, but after a few moments, two members of the group could not resist the temptation to examine things a bit further. Ahronelle attempted to open one of the two backpacks that were stored in an rough, natural alcove so as not to have been immediately visible from the entrance. At almost the same time, Dayve decided to sample some of the rotted grain in the provisions pile to see whether or not it was still edible (for him at least).
These interactions brought an immediate and terrifying response. A ghostly apparition appeared and, flying at an alarming speed, swept past - or through - both Ahronelle and Dayve. As it did, both experienced a wave of bone-chilling cold and pain which left them somewhat damaged. As the apparition moved, it cried out once more, this time demanding, "I must have justice!". As before, even the voice of this creature sent chills down the spines of party members, and as before, Endrin seemed to be the most affected. He and Raelin had just started to investigate one of the three shafts that led into the mountain from the main chamber when the spirit appeared, and Endrin ended up practically clutching at Raelin in fear. As quickly as the apparition had appeared, it disappeared once it had struck the two who dared to disturb things in the mine.
The other members of the party managed to keep their wits about them, though. Rather than attempting to strike back at the spirit, they called out to it, offering to help it find peace. After a few seconds, the spirit reappeared. This time, though, instead of attacking or crying out, it simply hovered - half in and half out of one of the cavern walls.
The party was able to get a good look at it now. The spirit appeared as an late middle-aged human, dressed like many of the miners and prospectors the group had seen around Stannilode, right down to the floppy hat and scruffy beard. "How would you help me?" it asked. The party conversed with the spirit briefly, asking who it was, and what "justice" was it seeking. It explained that it was Owain Karolus, and that he had been murdered by his partner, Tancreedy, after discovering the rich tin deposits in this mine. It had been Owain's intention in life to seek mining riches to provide for his family, which lived in far-off Laketon. Now, he feared, his family was worse off than ever - not knowing what became of him and having no income at all provided by him. He was aware, though he did not know how he knew this, that Tancreedy had sold the mine and took all the proceeds to retire to a well-off life in Karntstown. He wanted justice more than vengeance. He wanted Tancreedy punished. He wanted at least a share of the mine proceeds to be delivered to his family. He also hoped that his physical remains could also be returned to Laketon to be interred alongside his family.
This prompted the party to ask where those remains might be. The spirit led the group down one of the shafts that left the main chamber to a point where an apparent cave-in blocked the way. The two dwarved investigated and determined that this wasn't a cave-in at all, but merely an obstacle staged (poorly, as far as they were concered) to resemble one. Support timbers had been cut; they did not simply fail. Stone in the wall and ceiling were actually chipped out; they did not collapse in on their own. The tunnel was quite stable, in fact.
After clearing the debris, a task that took a few hours of hard labor, the party followed the spirit onward until they reached a much smaller chamber. This one held the mostly skeletal remains of Owain Karolus - a pickaxe still embedded into the back of his skull. The party found an intact ore sack among the provisions in the main chamber and used it to carefully collect the bones and other bits that once were the miner Owain Karolus. They assured the spirit that they would do their best to see that the justice he demanded was done as they left the mine and headed back to Stannilode.
Reaching the town, they confronted Dado Heywood, the Cooperative agent. Dado wasn't sure what to do about the accusations brought by the group against Tancreedy - this was all above his pay grade. He suggested the party bring their complaints/demands to Karnstown. He did provide them, however, with all of the paperwork that surrounded the ownership of the mine, asking that they be returned when everything was resolved. With that, the party headed back to Karnstown.
Arriving at the city in the morning, the group proceeded immediately to the building that housed the Karntown Mining Cooperative - a building that was larger and more officious looking than the city hall. They found their way to the head of the cooperative - an obvious relative of the Karn, based on her name. The Coop head listened to their story, then asked the party where they would be staying. She told them to expect a summons in the morning. They then retired to the inn to enjoy a hot meal and comfortable beds. Shortly after their arrival, though, they were visited by one of the Karn's people, and "invited" to dinner with the Karn at the usual restaurant at the usual hour.
Arriving at the restaurant, the party found the table set in a manner that indicated they would in fact be allowed to eat with the Karn. Another dish derived from the chittiki starchy noodle product was served - this time sheets that were shaped like curved conch shells were stuffed with a mixture of cheeses and served with a meaty sauce. After dinner, the Karn explained that, in the morning, they would be summoned to give testimony against Tancreedy by the Magistrate. He assured the party that Tancreedy was already "in custody", and his property in the city had been siezed. The Karn added, "After his trial and execution, we'll also see that his family is provided for and his bones returned home.
Sure enough, the next morning saw the group summoned to City Hall to appear as witnesses before the Magistrate. They conveyed their story of interaction with the aggrieved spirit of murder victim Owain Karolus, and presented the pickaxed skull as evidence. They were then dismissed before the "trial" concluded. They were met outside by another of the Karn's men, who led them to a back exit from the city hall. There, they saw a waiting carriage of polished, enameled black pulled by four black horses. The back of the carriage was opened, and a polished mahogany coffin was slid out and opened. Inside, the group could see a few sacks of what obviously held coins. "60,000 in gold for the family," the Karn's person explained. "Just put the sack of bones in next to them." The party did so. The coffin was slid back into place, the carriage sealed up, and the Karn's person got up onto the driver's bench. Sighing to the driver, he said "Let's get going. I'm not looking forward to the weeks on the road this trip will require, but at least the inns along the way are good."
Walking back around the building, the group noticed a gallows alongside the City Hall which had been empty when they first arrived, but from which now hung the body of Tancreedy - with a pickaxe still lodged into the back of his skull. A sign mounted above the gallows proclaimed, "Tried to cheat the Karn." The party only chuckled.
After a last night in the comfort of the inn, the group returned to Stannilode. During that last evening in town, they were visited by a representative of the Cooperative, who provided them with a "payment for service" of 50gp each. An updated packet of paperwork regarding the mine was also returned - they were asked to bring it back to Stannilode to be filed there. A quick inspection of the packet showed them a new title deed, referring to the Karolus Mine rather than the Tancreedy Mine.
On the last night along the road, they were visited by the spirit of Owain Karolus, which briefly explained that he was aware that justice had been done, and his bones - and his family's money - were on their way back home to Laketon. He was now at peace, and could move on. Finally, he informed the group that the mine was now "free to work by anyone that wishes."
Reaching Stannilode, the group returned to Dado Heywood in the Cooperative Office and gave him the revised paperwork. They relayed to him the assuranced from the spirit of Owain Karolus that the mine was now safe to work. Dado was grateful, and he produced - somewhat reluctantly as it was from his own personal stash - the 50gp each he had promised the party if they could get the mine operational once more.
Somewhat tired of the road, the party headed to the Tin Cup Tavern. They were no closer to uncovering anything about the "mysterious They" - the beings behind the witch who had cursed the well in Karnstown. Perhaps they could uncover some new information from the village gossip now that stories of "ghosts" would no longer be the main topic of conversation.
Dado Heywood (the Coop Agent in Stannilode)
The Karn
The Karnstown Magistrate and a few of the Karn's lackeys (minor)
First watch was uneventful. During the second watch, Ahronelle heard some strange noises, but could not pinpoint a source. After informing Dayve of this upon waking him for third watch, she took to her bedroll. [NEED TO FIX THE WATCH STUFF!!!]
The party entered the mine cautiously, with Osric and Ahronelle taking the lead. They passed down the entry shaft into a large chamber, but almost as soon as the lead pair entered it, a horrifying, wailing voice seemed to surround the group. "Thieves have come once more!" the voice moaned, sending shivers down the spines of all. Endrin and Hestia were particularly shaken by the voice despite being the two bringing up the rear and having only entered the mine to a point where the last shafts of sunlight were still reaching. Hestia, in fact, decided that she had enough, and volunteered to stand guard outside the mine while the others investigated further. Without waiting to see if others thought this was a good idea, she turned around and hurried out of the mine.
Other than the voice, there was no apparent threat, so the group collected their wits and continued, with all entering the main chamber of the mine. Looking around, they saw piles of what appeared to be old and rotting supplies, rusting tools, and several heavy burlap sacks. One of which had burst open, spilling its contents of rock chunks. Ore samples, perhaps? At first the party was careful not to touch anything, but after a few moments, two members of the group could not resist the temptation to examine things a bit further. Ahronelle attempted to open one of the two backpacks that were stored in an rough, natural alcove so as not to have been immediately visible from the entrance. At almost the same time, Dayve decided to sample some of the rotted grain in the provisions pile to see whether or not it was still edible (for him at least).
These interactions brought an immediate and terrifying response. A ghostly apparition appeared and, flying at an alarming speed, swept past - or through - both Ahronelle and Dayve. As it did, both experienced a wave of bone-chilling cold and pain which left them somewhat damaged. As the apparition moved, it cried out once more, this time demanding, "I must have justice!". As before, even the voice of this creature sent chills down the spines of party members, and as before, Endrin seemed to be the most affected. He and Raelin had just started to investigate one of the three shafts that led into the mountain from the main chamber when the spirit appeared, and Endrin ended up practically clutching at Raelin in fear. As quickly as the apparition had appeared, it disappeared once it had struck the two who dared to disturb things in the mine.
The other members of the party managed to keep their wits about them, though. Rather than attempting to strike back at the spirit, they called out to it, offering to help it find peace. After a few seconds, the spirit reappeared. This time, though, instead of attacking or crying out, it simply hovered - half in and half out of one of the cavern walls.
The party was able to get a good look at it now. The spirit appeared as an late middle-aged human, dressed like many of the miners and prospectors the group had seen around Stannilode, right down to the floppy hat and scruffy beard. "How would you help me?" it asked. The party conversed with the spirit briefly, asking who it was, and what "justice" was it seeking. It explained that it was Owain Karolus, and that he had been murdered by his partner, Tancreedy, after discovering the rich tin deposits in this mine. It had been Owain's intention in life to seek mining riches to provide for his family, which lived in far-off Laketon. Now, he feared, his family was worse off than ever - not knowing what became of him and having no income at all provided by him. He was aware, though he did not know how he knew this, that Tancreedy had sold the mine and took all the proceeds to retire to a well-off life in Karntstown. He wanted justice more than vengeance. He wanted Tancreedy punished. He wanted at least a share of the mine proceeds to be delivered to his family. He also hoped that his physical remains could also be returned to Laketon to be interred alongside his family.
This prompted the party to ask where those remains might be. The spirit led the group down one of the shafts that left the main chamber to a point where an apparent cave-in blocked the way. The two dwarved investigated and determined that this wasn't a cave-in at all, but merely an obstacle staged (poorly, as far as they were concered) to resemble one. Support timbers had been cut; they did not simply fail. Stone in the wall and ceiling were actually chipped out; they did not collapse in on their own. The tunnel was quite stable, in fact.
After clearing the debris, a task that took a few hours of hard labor, the party followed the spirit onward until they reached a much smaller chamber. This one held the mostly skeletal remains of Owain Karolus - a pickaxe still embedded into the back of his skull. The party found an intact ore sack among the provisions in the main chamber and used it to carefully collect the bones and other bits that once were the miner Owain Karolus. They assured the spirit that they would do their best to see that the justice he demanded was done as they left the mine and headed back to Stannilode.
Reaching the town, they confronted Dado Heywood, the Cooperative agent. Dado wasn't sure what to do about the accusations brought by the group against Tancreedy - this was all above his pay grade. He suggested the party bring their complaints/demands to Karnstown. He did provide them, however, with all of the paperwork that surrounded the ownership of the mine, asking that they be returned when everything was resolved. With that, the party headed back to Karnstown.
Arriving at the city in the morning, the group proceeded immediately to the building that housed the Karntown Mining Cooperative - a building that was larger and more officious looking than the city hall. They found their way to the head of the cooperative - an obvious relative of the Karn, based on her name. The Coop head listened to their story, then asked the party where they would be staying. She told them to expect a summons in the morning. They then retired to the inn to enjoy a hot meal and comfortable beds. Shortly after their arrival, though, they were visited by one of the Karn's people, and "invited" to dinner with the Karn at the usual restaurant at the usual hour.
Arriving at the restaurant, the party found the table set in a manner that indicated they would in fact be allowed to eat with the Karn. Another dish derived from the chittiki starchy noodle product was served - this time sheets that were shaped like curved conch shells were stuffed with a mixture of cheeses and served with a meaty sauce. After dinner, the Karn explained that, in the morning, they would be summoned to give testimony against Tancreedy by the Magistrate. He assured the party that Tancreedy was already "in custody", and his property in the city had been siezed. The Karn added, "After his trial and execution, we'll also see that his family is provided for and his bones returned home.
Sure enough, the next morning saw the group summoned to City Hall to appear as witnesses before the Magistrate. They conveyed their story of interaction with the aggrieved spirit of murder victim Owain Karolus, and presented the pickaxed skull as evidence. They were then dismissed before the "trial" concluded. They were met outside by another of the Karn's men, who led them to a back exit from the city hall. There, they saw a waiting carriage of polished, enameled black pulled by four black horses. The back of the carriage was opened, and a polished mahogany coffin was slid out and opened. Inside, the group could see a few sacks of what obviously held coins. "60,000 in gold for the family," the Karn's person explained. "Just put the sack of bones in next to them." The party did so. The coffin was slid back into place, the carriage sealed up, and the Karn's person got up onto the driver's bench. Sighing to the driver, he said "Let's get going. I'm not looking forward to the weeks on the road this trip will require, but at least the inns along the way are good."
Walking back around the building, the group noticed a gallows alongside the City Hall which had been empty when they first arrived, but from which now hung the body of Tancreedy - with a pickaxe still lodged into the back of his skull. A sign mounted above the gallows proclaimed, "Tried to cheat the Karn." The party only chuckled.
After a last night in the comfort of the inn, the group returned to Stannilode. During that last evening in town, they were visited by a representative of the Cooperative, who provided them with a "payment for service" of 50gp each. An updated packet of paperwork regarding the mine was also returned - they were asked to bring it back to Stannilode to be filed there. A quick inspection of the packet showed them a new title deed, referring to the Karolus Mine rather than the Tancreedy Mine.
On the last night along the road, they were visited by the spirit of Owain Karolus, which briefly explained that he was aware that justice had been done, and his bones - and his family's money - were on their way back home to Laketon. He was now at peace, and could move on. Finally, he informed the group that the mine was now "free to work by anyone that wishes."
Reaching Stannilode, the group returned to Dado Heywood in the Cooperative Office and gave him the revised paperwork. They relayed to him the assuranced from the spirit of Owain Karolus that the mine was now safe to work. Dado was grateful, and he produced - somewhat reluctantly as it was from his own personal stash - the 50gp each he had promised the party if they could get the mine operational once more.
Somewhat tired of the road, the party headed to the Tin Cup Tavern. They were no closer to uncovering anything about the "mysterious They" - the beings behind the witch who had cursed the well in Karnstown. Perhaps they could uncover some new information from the village gossip now that stories of "ghosts" would no longer be the main topic of conversation.
The session ended here.
Rewards Granted
50gp each was given to the party by the Karnstown Mining Cooperative (or the Karn himself?) for getting the mine to finally be workable. Dado Heywood provided another 50gp each out of his personal wealth, which he had promised the party if they could get the mine operational (and help make him look good in his job).Missions/Quests Completed
The party was able to determine what was needed to appease the spirit of Owain Karolus, and they got it all taken care of. The mine, formerly called the Tancreedy Mine, but now known as th Karolus Mine, should be productive for the village (and the Karn) now.Characters Interacted With
The Vengeful Spirit of Owain KarolusDado Heywood (the Coop Agent in Stannilode)
The Karn
The Karnstown Magistrate and a few of the Karn's lackeys (minor)
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