(S051) Skola Vale Errands

Returning to Skola Vale, the party rescues a tortured half-orc, delivers a fortune in raw emeralds to Morenars Neyers, and drops off the beholder corpse. Invited to a noble estate and presented with plots of land ahead of an upcoming title ceremony, they learn of a dangerous new feral beholder haunting the northern mines.

📝 Session Summary

The Wild Cards were called The Menagerie by some until they came up with the name The Wild Cards.

• Barlo: A grizzled tabaxi barbarian who has been doing some work for a network that one should be wary of.
• Bastion: An orphan human who spent his life studying magic and blades, even though his elder pushed him away from the sword. He replaced Reginald.
• Calliope: This bardic faun joined the party late when she needed to find help to save her homeland.
• Reginald: A leonin cleric who was off to show his family's royal background and would later find out there were secrets leading to him becoming a king.
• Sas: A tortle hermit was given an item of power and a quest.
• Shadow in the Snow: This tabaxi got a coin, and her curiosity set her on a path.

🎬 Scenes

• Scene 1: Barlo's Backstory — From The Bronze Canyon in Kampos. Gave up Tabaxi name, "Smiles". Help move people. On way to Eushia to help Black Road with a client. Currently on ship near Carrune.
• Scene 2: Bastion's Backstory — When Bastion Bladesinger was very young he lost both of his parents to a plague. He took care of himself as he taught himself how to use the rapier his father once wore. He lived in Dyrt and watched all of the great knights. He also had an interest in the ways of magic and he wished he could do both – use swords and excel in magic – like many elves he had heard about.
• Scene 3: Calliope's Backstory — Calliope was born into the nestled highlands of the Oraniad Mountains. The Skola Vale, wild and free, blessed by the gods and inhabited by whimsical Satyr and Faun. Deep within it among the lush valley, reside the Dawngreets, a long generational line of storytellers and lore keepers.
• Scene 4: Reginald's Backstory — He was born at home, a modest-sized mansion where his family lived a modest means – even though his father could never stop talking about how they were royalty and yet this was the only lands they currently possess. His childhood was generally a happy one full of several friends. He was an only child.
• Scene 5: Sas' Backstory — Sas was born on the continent of Oth'Mar – a content mostly inhabited by Tortles and is far to the south of the Carrune Isles.
• Scene 6: Shadow's Backstory — Deep in the snowy mountains high in the north, there lived a large group of Tabaxi, The Blinding Wild Clan.

📜 Missions & Quests

• Completed:
  • Established individual party origins and initial connections to the world of Dierde.
• Active / Discovered Threads:
  • Barlo's ties to the smuggling rings and the Black Road.
  • Bastion's mysterious past and fallout with Grognard.
  • Calliope's quest to save the Skola Vale.
  • Reginald's pursuit of his family's royal mint commission and claim in Neyer.
  • Sas's vision of the Cat Goddess Bast and journey to find her lost lands.
  • Shadow's golden coin and mystical calling from her clan shaman.

NPCs

S051: Skola Vale Errands

Date: 2023-05-13

Short

After surviving a brutal ambush, the party looted the attackers' remains and discovered a tortured half-orc named Shakwort tied to a nearby cart, his partner already dead beside him. Using bardic inspiration from Calliope and healing from both her and Sas, the party revived Shakwort and opened a sealed lockbox — revealing a fortune in raw emeralds — which they later returned to its owner, a wealthy businessman named Morenars Neyers, earning a reward of ten thousand gold pieces. Shakwort, grateful for their aid, explained that miners in the region had been going mad and developing physical mutations for months, a mystery that remained unsolved. Morenars Neyers added to the party's concerns by revealing that a second, far more feral beholder had appeared in a cave network to the north, killing miners on sight. He also demonstrated a new magical messaging network he had helped fund, cheekily dubbed "Twitter." The party also consulted with an eccentric enchanter named Grumminfiz Finklebottom, commissioning custom saddlebags from a beholder corpse and a set of enchanted studded leather armor with a weightless dimensional pocket for 2,500 gold, and received a competing quote from a crafter named Lars for 15,000 gold with a faster turnaround. A gnomish gem mage shared the principles of gem-based enchanting with the party but firmly declined to teach outsiders, citing strict traditions tied to Gnomengraad and a distant city called Gnomengraad.

The session's most significant development came when the party was formally welcomed as representatives of the Vale. A faun named Rhine, assistant to the Elder, moved the party's airship to a grand hollowed-out tree embassy and presented each member with an official pin bearing the Vale's insignia, warning them not to lose or sell it. A title ceremony was set for two weeks' time, at which the party would swear fealty to the Elder and be recognized as Lords and Ladies of the Vale. Rhine also laid out a map of their granted settlement, and the party began planning their plots: Bastion claimed land for a wizard tower, Shadow and Sas pooled their plots for a multi-story inn and tavern, and Barlo chose a forested hillside plot for their owlbear companion Artie to roam. With formal nobility contracts in hand, a new beholder threat looming to the north, and the first stones of their settlement ready to be laid, the party settled into their embassy rooms for the night, the weight of both honor and responsibility ahead of them.

Summary

In the aftermath of a brutal ambush, the party picked through the remains of their fallen attackers, turning up a modest haul of coins and gemstones scattered among the bodies. But it was the battered cart nearby that truly caught their attention. Tied to a chair at its center was a barely-breathing half-orc, his face swollen and bloodied from what had clearly been days of torture. Beside him lay his partner, already dead. At the survivor's feet sat a heavy, full-metal lockbox bearing a seal etched with the letter "M" and the unmistakable shape of the island of Nair.

Calliope, despite a persistent cough and a poorly-timed sneeze at the end of her song, managed to weave a thread of bardic magic into the air around Barlo as he worked the lock. The inspiration was just enough. With a satisfying click, the box swung open to reveal a fortune in raw, uncut emeralds — rough green stones still crusted with bits of rock, packed nearly to the brim. Barlo's deadpan assessment was immediate: "They're just green rocks. Nothing here." Meanwhile, Shadow calmed the malnourished horse tethered nearby, and Calliope channeled healing energy into the tortured captive while Sas pressed goodberries into his mouth to bring him back from the edge of death.

The survivor, a half-orc named Shakwort, opened his one good eye and looked up at the party with cautious relief. He had been performing a secure cargo run for a wealthy businessman named Morenars Neyers when the hobgoblins ambushed them, hoping to force him to open the box — not realizing he had no idea how. His condition for trusting the party was refreshingly simple: "If you guys are gonna feed me, I'll go with you." The party agreed, and with the emeralds in hand and Shakwort on his feet, they set off back toward the Vale.

The journey took roughly six hours through a dense, magical rainforest alive with strange beauty — leaves that shifted color with the time of day, vines draped with purple flowers that snapped shut around unsuspecting insects. Along the way, Shakwort filled in the gaps about the troubles plaguing the local mines. Miners had been going mad, and some had even begun manifesting physical mutations: scales appearing on skin, extra eyeballs emerging from strange parts of the body. The problems had been mounting for months, and no one had been able to explain why.

Upon arriving in the Vale, the party wasted little time in escorting Shakwort to Morenars Neyers's office — a well-built brick building that served as the businessman's local base of operations. Morenars Neyers himself was not yet in town, but the receptionist accepted the lockbox on his behalf, and a cloaked figure emerged from the back to secure it. Shakwort thanked the party with genuine warmth, promised to retrieve his partner's remains, and departed to find a bath and some rest.

Next, the party hauled the beholder's corpse to the underground workshop of Grumminfiz Finklebottom, an eccentric enchanter whose cluttered space was separated from a large dissection room by a curtain of hanging beads. Artie, the party's owlbear companion, stood guard over the cart while the others brought the body inside. Grumminfiz Finklebottom examined the beholder with barely-contained excitement, counting every eye stalk, peering into the central eye, and scribbling notes into a small pad. He confirmed he had everything he needed and set to work planning the custom saddlebags, while also taking Artie's measurements for the fit.

The conversation quickly turned to more ambitious commissions. Grumminfiz Finklebottom agreed to craft a new set of studded leather armor fitted with a special dimensional pocket — one that could hold up to twenty pounds of material without adding any weight to the wearer, no matter how full it became. The total cost came to two thousand five hundred gold pieces, with a completion time of twenty days. He also mentioned a botanist named Chlyoris Clovenleaf, the only person he knew who crafted the kind of sealed crystal jars the party carried, and spoke of a crafter named Lars who operated a floating research facility and had reportedly found ways to speed up the enchanting process considerably.

From the workshop, the party made their way to the Arcae, only to find their airship was no longer in the yard. A faun named Rhine, assistant to the Elder, came down to meet them and explained that the ship had been moved for safekeeping. She led them north of the Elder's keep to an enormous hollowed-out tree that served as an embassy for important representatives of the Vale. Inside, grand staircases swept up through multiple floors, and each party member was given a key to their own private room. At the very top, a wide deck wrapped around a rooftop entertainment room complete with a hot tub — and there, parked securely above the treeline, was their airship.

Rhine also presented each member of the party with a small pin in a light wood box trimmed with gold, bearing the insignia of the Vale: a tree with deep roots and a sweeping canopy. She was clear that these pins were not to be lost, sold, or given away — they marked the bearers as official representatives of the Elder. A title ceremony was scheduled for two weeks' time, at which the party would swear fealty to the Elder, receive their deeds, and be formally recognized as Lords and Ladies of the Vale.

With the ceremony on the horizon, the party turned their attention to the settlement they were being granted. Rhine spread out a map showing the keep, a cliffside, a wide navigable river leading to the Fey Run, and a series of cleared one-hundred-by-one-hundred-foot plots of land ready for development. The party began staking out their claims: Bastion chose a plot near the keep for a wizard tower, while Shadow and Sas agreed to pool their plots for a multi-story inn and tavern, with the upper floors reserved as living quarters for the group. Barlo selected a plot near the forested hillside, where Artie would have room to roam and hunt. Word was sent to Jeets, who had been managing the keep in their absence, to wait until the ceremony before returning to town.

Their meeting with Morenars Neyers, when it finally came, was eventful. He rewarded the party handsomely — ten thousand gold pieces — for recovering his stolen emeralds and aiding his guards during the ambush. But the news he brought was troubling. A second beholder had manifested in a cave network a couple of miles north of where the first had been defeated, and this one was nothing like its predecessor. Where the first had been cunning and manipulative, this green-scaled beholder was feral and vicious, killing miners on sight without strategy or subtlety. Midway through the conversation, a folded blue paper bird fluttered in through the window and landed on Morenars Neyers's shoulder with a soft chime before dissolving — a demonstration of the new magical messaging network he had helped fund, which he called the Traveling Winged Information Telepathic Enchantment and Retrieval system, or "Twitter." The service cost a thousand gold a month and a hundred gold per message, and Morenars Neyers seemed quite pleased with it.

The party also reached out to Lars via magical message, inquiring about the enchanted studded leather armor they hoped to commission. His reply came back with a quote of fifteen thousand gold pieces and a ten-week timeline — a significant improvement over what other crafters had offered. He also expressed keen interest in the party's collection of sealed crystal jars and suggested they speak further at the upcoming ceremony. Meanwhile, Bastion spent quiet hours transcribing new magical knowledge into his spellbook, and Shadow practiced lockpicking, purchasing fresh sets of picks to replace the ones inevitably broken during training.

Barlo paid a visit to a gnomish gem mage who had set up shop in the Vale, hoping to learn the basics of gem-based enchanting. The gnome was warm but firm. He explained the principles of his craft — storing spell energy within specially prepared gems and releasing it through sockets carved into rings, gauntlets, and armor — and even showed the party a ring with interchangeable gem sockets that granted different powers depending on which stone was fitted. But teaching outsiders was out of the question. The tradition belonged to Gnomengraad, and sharing it with anyone outside that community was a punishable offense. The gnome mentioned a distant city called Gnomengraad, far to the east of the Orion Islands, as the heart of this ancient magical tradition, and noted that he was working toward opening his own gem magic shop in the Vale — if only he could secure a steadier supply of the specific gems he needed.

As the evening settled over the Vale and the fireflies and pixies began their nightly drift through the trees, the party returned to the treehouse embassy to rest. The title ceremony was two weeks away, a new beholder lurked in the northern caves, and the first stones of their settlement were waiting to be laid. Four formal contracts detailing the terms of their elevation to nobility had been placed in their hands for review, and the weight of what was coming — both the honor and the responsibility — hung in the air like the soft glow of the Fey Run at dusk.

Scenes

Looting the Ambush Site

Following a successful defense against an ambush, the party investigates the remains of their attackers and discovers a nearby cart with captives and a valuable lockbox.

• Bastion and Shadow investigate the bodies of the fallen bugbears and hobgoblins, finding coins, sapphires, and other gems among the roughly six to eight attackers.
• The party discovers a beat-up cart containing a weak, malnourished horse and two tortured half-orcs — one already dead and one barely alive, tied to a chair.
• Shadow finds a high-quality metal lockbox at the feet of the surviving captive, bearing a seal with the letter 'M' and the shape of the island of Nair.
• Barlo attempts to pick the advanced lock on the metal box, and Calliope provides a bardic inspiration through song to assist him.
• Barlo successfully opens the box, revealing it is filled with raw, uncut emeralds of various sizes.
• The party discusses the sigil on the box, identifying it as likely belonging to Morenars Neyers, a wealthy businessman who owns local mines and had previously commandeered their ship.
• Shadow calms the frightened, malnourished horse found near the cart.
• Calliope uses Healing Word and Sas provides goodberries to stabilize the surviving half-orc captive.
• The survivor introduces himself as Shakwort, explaining that he and his partner were transporting the emeralds for the Morenars Neyers business when they were ambushed by hobgoblins who wanted them to open the box.
• Shakwort agrees to travel with the party back to the Vale, grateful for being rescued.

The Journey to the Vale

The party travels through a vibrant rainforest back to the town of the Vale, learning more about the local troubles from Shakwort.

• The party travels for approximately six hours through a thick rainforest with unique flora, such as color-changing leaves and carnivorous purple flowers that snap up insects.
• Shakwort discusses his work performing secure cargo runs for the Morenars Neyers mining operations and the recent troubles in the local mines.
• Shakwort reveals that miners have been going insane and some have even manifested strange physical mutations, such as scales or extra eyeballs on unusual parts of their bodies.
• The party arrives at the Vale sometime in the afternoon with Shakwort and the recovered cache of emeralds.
• The party notes they have not seen the blink dog companion since before or during the battle.

Returning the Emeralds to Morenars Neyers's Office

The party returns the stolen lockbox of emeralds to Morenars Neyers's office and says goodbye to Shakwort.

• Shakwort leads the party to Morenars Neyers's office, a well-built brick building used for his local operations.
• The receptionist informs the party that Morenars Neyers is not currently in town but is expected in a couple of hours.
• The party leaves the lockbox of emeralds and their names with the receptionist.
• A cloaked man emerges from the back, takes the box, and secures it.
• Shakwort thanks the party for saving him, mentions he will go clean up and eventually retrieve his partner's body, and departs.

The Enchanter's Workshop

The party visits Grumminfiz Finklebottom to deliver the beholder corpse for crafting and negotiate magical enchantments for new gear.

• The party brings the beholder corpse on a cart to Grumminfiz Finklebottom's basement workshop, with Artie guarding it on the way.
• Grumminfiz Finklebottom excitedly examines the beholder, counting its eye stalks and inspecting the eyeball, taking mental notes on every detail.
• Grumminfiz Finklebottom takes measurements of Artie to craft custom saddlebags.
• The party negotiates for a new set of magical studded leather armor with a special pocket that functions like a bag of holding, holding up to 20 pounds without adding weight.
• Grumminfiz Finklebottom agrees to craft the leather armor for 2,000 gold pieces plus 500 gold for the special pocket, estimating a 20-day completion time.
• The enchanter mentions he has other consignments that require beholder parts but keeps his clients' identities private.
• The party discusses using their captured creature jars to potentially speed up or reduce the cost of enchanting a plus-two item.
• Grumminfiz Finklebottom mentions a botanist named Chlyoris Clovenleaf who is known for using gem magic and collecting unique creatures in jars.
• The enchanter mentions hearing about a crafter named Lars who has a floating research facility and is finding ways to speed up magical crafting.
• Bastion pays 500 gold pieces for the special pocket and provides measurements for the new armor.

The Missing Airship and Meeting Rhine

The party returns to the Arcae to find their airship has been moved, and meets Rhine, a faun assistant to the Elder, who explains their upcoming titles and new accommodations.

• The party arrives at the Arcae and questions the guards about the location of their airship, learning it has been moved.
• A guard sends an assistant to fetch an official, and Rhine, a faun who works with the Elder, comes down to greet the party.
• Rhine explains that the Elder is very busy and that she will be handling the party's affairs.
• Rhine informs the party that a title ceremony will be held in about two weeks to officially grant them the titles of Lords and Ladies of the Veil.
• Rhine explains the need for the party to set up bank accounts and find a representative to handle their affairs while they are adventuring.
• Rhine mentions that Jeets has already started preparing the keep and is looking into establishing an adventurers' guild.
• Rhine mentions a new magical messaging system called the 'Traveling Winged Information Transport through Telepathic Enchantment and Retrieval,' using magical blue paper birds, though it is very expensive.

The Treehouse Embassy

Rhine leads the party to a massive hollowed-out tree that serves as a residence and embassy, where their airship is now docked.

• Rhine leads the party to a large tree north of the Elder's keep, featuring a grand double-door entrance and a staircase winding up its interior.
• The inside of the tree is hollowed out with grand staircases on both sides leading to multiple floors above a circular reception area.
• The party's airship is revealed to be parked on a large deck at the top of the tree, secured for safety.
• Each party member is given a key to their own private room within the treehouse.
• Rhine shows the party a large rooftop entertainment room with a hot tub and a wide deck surrounding the ship.
• Rhine explains that the treehouse functions as an embassy for important representatives, and that Reginald also stays there frequently.
• The party is told they may stay here whenever they are in town and that staff can provide meals.

Planning the Settlement and Bestowal Ceremony

The party reviews the details of their upcoming title ceremony and discusses the layout and development of their new settlement plots.

• Rhine explains the upcoming title ceremony where the party will swear fealty to the Elder, receive deeds to their land, and set up a bank account for the settlement.
• Rhine presents each party member with a special pin in a light wood box with gold trim, bearing the insignia of the Vale, identifying them as representatives of the Elder.
• Rhine presents a map of the settlement area, showing the keep, a nearby cliffside, a beach, a wide river leading to the Fey Run, and the available 100x100 foot plots.
• The party discusses building an inn and tavern to generate revenue from travelers on the main road between Forlorn and the Vale.
• Bastion selects a plot near the keep to build a wizard tower.
• Shadow and Sas discuss building a multi-story inn and tavern, with the upper floors serving as living quarters for the party.
• Barlo considers his plot, noting that Artie will need space to hunt in the nearby forest.
• The party sends word to Jeets to wait until the ceremony in two weeks before returning to town.
• The party debates the costs of different structures, including apartments, inns, and guard towers, and discusses the need for walls and barracks to protect the settlement.

Audience with Morenars Neyers

The party meets with Morenars Neyers, who rewards them for their help and reveals a new beholder threat in the mines.

• The party is ushered into a meeting room at Morenars Neyers's office with refreshments while waiting for him.
• Morenars Neyers rewards the party with 10,000 gold pieces for retrieving his stolen gemstones and assisting his guards during the ambush.
• Morenars Neyers reveals that a new, more animalistic green-scaled beholder has manifested in a cave network a couple of miles north of the previous beholder's cave.
• Morenars Neyers explains that this new beholder is more feral and vicious than the previous one, killing miners on sight rather than manipulating reality subtly.
• A magical origami blue paper bird flies in through the window and delivers a message to Morenars Neyers from the Kingdom of Dyrt, demonstrating the 'Twitter' communication system.
• Morenars Neyers explains the 'Traveling Winged Information Telepathic Enchantment and Retrieval' system, noting it costs 1,000 gold per month and 100 gold per message.
• The party discusses the possibility of hunting the new beholder for a reward, with Morenars Neyers indicating he can arrange compensation through his receptionist.

Negotiating with Lars and Arcane Studies

The party communicates with Lars about crafting magical armor and spends downtime in town on personal projects.

• The party sends a magical message to Lars regarding the crafting of enchanted studded leather armor.
• Lars responds with a quote of 15,000 gold pieces and a 10-week timeline for the armor.
• Lars expresses interest in the party's captured creature jars and says he will discuss them further at the upcoming ceremony in two weeks.
• Bastion examines a small jar containing a miniature beholder, which reacts aggressively when disturbed, shooting rays at the glass.
• Bastion spends time and gold transcribing spells into his spellbook, including Mirror Image.
• Shadow practices lockpicking during downtime and purchases additional sets of lockpicks.
• Barlo attempts to convince a gnomish gem mage to teach him the basics of gem magic.

The Secrets of Gnomengraad

A gnomish enchanter explains the nature of gem magic and why he cannot take on an outside apprentice, while showing the party examples of socketed magical items.

• The gnome explains the principles of gem magic, involving storing spell energy inside gems and releasing it into items through specially crafted sockets.
• The gnome shows the party a ring with interchangeable gem sockets that provide different powers depending on which gem is inserted.
• The gnome reveals he is from Gnomengraad and that his magical traditions are proprietary family secrets — teaching outsiders is a punishable offense in his homeland.
• The party learns about the gnomish city of Gnomengraad, located far to the east of the Orion Islands, which is known for its ancient gem-based enchantment magic.
• Shadow inquires about magical gauntlets with gem sockets that could enhance unarmed strikes and claw attacks.
• The gnome explains the mechanics of socketed gem gauntlets, including how different gems provide bonuses to critical hits or add elemental damage.
• The gnome mentions he is working toward opening a gem magic shop in town but needs a steadier supply of specific gems.
• The DM informs the party that they will soon become Lords and Ladies and should begin thinking about their personal heraldry and sigils.
• The party is provided with four contracts detailing the terms of their upcoming elevation to nobility for review before the next session.

Memorable Moments

"They're just green rocks. Nothing here."
— Barlo

Deadpan reaction after opening a heavily guarded, torture-inducing lockbox to find it full of raw uncut emeralds worth a fortune

"If you guys are gonna feed me, I'll go with you."
— Shakwort

The barely-alive, tortured half-orc's immediate and simple condition for trusting the party who just saved his life

Calliope provides bardic inspiration through song — complete with coughing and sneezing at the end — and Barlo still manages to crack the advanced lock on the first try.

A sickly bard's imperfect performance somehow perfectly inspires a lockpicking attempt on a box that had defeated multiple would-be thieves

A magical origami blue bird flies through Morenars Neyers's window mid-meeting, delivering a message from the Kingdom of Dyrt and revealing an expensive new global communication network called 'Twitter'.

The party learns that Morenars Neyers is one of the backers of a new magical messaging service that costs 1,000 gold a month

Morenars Neyers reveals that defeating the first beholder somehow caused a second, more feral green-scaled beholder to manifest in the inner caves, and it has already begun killing miners on sight.

The party's victory created a new and potentially more dangerous problem, raising the stakes for their next adventure

NPCs

Shakwort

A half-orc who performs secure cargo runs for the Morenars Neyers mining operations. He was found tortured and tied to a chair by hobgoblins who wanted him to open a locked box of emeralds. After being rescued by the party, he traveled with them back to the Vale, shared information about the troubles in the local mines, and departed to clean up and retrieve his partner's body.

Morenars Neyers

A wealthy and influential businessman who owns local mines. His sigil, featuring the letter 'M' and the shape of the island of Nair, appeared on the recovered lockbox. He rewarded the party with 10,000 gold pieces for retrieving his stolen emeralds and revealed a new, more animalistic green-scaled beholder has appeared in a cave network north of the previous one. He also demonstrated the new 'Twitter' magical messaging system.

Ratlok Darksky

An associate of Morenars Neyers who provided reports on the beholder activity in the cave networks, including information about the new green-scaled beholder manifesting in the inner caves.

Grumminfiz Finklebottom

An eccentric enchanter who operates out of a crowded basement workshop. He specializes in using exotic creature parts, like beholders, to create magical items. He agreed to craft a new set of magical studded leather armor with a special dimensional pocket for 2,500 gold total, to be completed in 20 days. He also mentioned a botanist named Chlyoris Clovenleaf and a crafter named Lars.

An expert in gem magic from Gnomengraad who operates in the Vale and is working toward opening a gem magic shop. He explained the principles of socketed gem items and gem-based enchanting but refused to take on outside apprentices, as teaching outsiders his people's traditions is a punishable offense in Gnomengraad.

Chlyoris Clovenleaf

A botanist known for collecting unique creatures in jars, sometimes for collectors and sometimes for use in enchantments and gem magic. Mentioned by Grumminfiz Finklebottom as the only person he knows who makes the type of crystal jars the party possesses.

Lars

A renowned crafter who operates a floating research facility. He was contacted by the party via magical message and offered to craft enchanted studded leather armor for 15,000 gold pieces in 10 weeks. He expressed interest in the party's captured creature jars and plans to attend the upcoming title ceremony.

Rhine

A faun who serves as an assistant to the Elder. She coordinated the party's transition into their roles as Lords and Ladies, showing them the Treehouse Embassy, giving each member a room key and a representative pin, explaining the upcoming title ceremony, and discussing the logistics of the new settlement.

Jeets

An associate of the party who has been managing the keep and settlement preparations. He is also looking into establishing an adventurers' guild and will attend the upcoming title ceremony in two weeks.

Reginald

A friend of the party who frequently stays at the Treehouse Embassy, especially lately.

Morenars Neyers's Receptionist

A staff member who manages Morenars Neyers's appointments and handles reward distributions in his absence.

Locations

Ambush Site

A roadside location where the party was recently attacked, featuring a long-term campsite used by bandits, scraps from other fights, a beat-up cart, and a malnourished horse.

The Rainforest Road

A dense, magical forest with reactive plants, including vines with carnivorous purple flowers that snap up insects and leaves that change color throughout the day. The party travels an established road through it for roughly six hours.

The Vale

The town where the party returns to conduct business, featuring Morenars Neyers's office, the Arcae, the Treehouse Embassy, the Vale Vault bank, and various shops.

Morenars Neyers's Office

A well-built brick building serving as the business front for Morenars Neyers's local operations, staffed by a receptionist and back-office personnel.

Grumminfiz Finklebottom's Workshop

A crowded basement workshop filled with tools, materials, and a large dissection table used for magical crafting and enchantments. A beaded curtain separates the main area from the large workroom.

The Arcae

A guarded location where the party's airship was previously kept, featuring a main house and a yard. The ship has since been moved to the Treehouse Embassy.

The Treehouse Embassy

A massive, hollowed-out tree north of the Elder's keep featuring a grand double-door entrance, a circular reception area, grand staircases, multiple floors of luxury rooms, a mezzanine, a rooftop entertainment room with a hot tub, and a large deck where the party's airship is now docked.

The Elder's Keep

The central seat of power in the area where the Elder resides and manages the territory's affairs.

The Settlement

A newly cleared area of land divided into 100x100 foot plots intended for the development of a village near the keep. Located on a short road off the main road between Forlorn and the Vale, with a gradient from high ground near the keep down to a riverside beach.

The Keep

The party's primary stronghold in the settlement, featuring a lower level equipped for a basic military force and situated near a cliffside and a wide river.

Fey Run

A wide river that flows through the middle of the Skola Vale and connects to the party's village, navigable by boat.

Kingdom of Dyrt

A distant region known for its knights, mentioned as the origin of a magical 'Twitter' message received by Morenars Neyers during the party's meeting with him.

The Vale Vault

The local bank run by a gnome in the Vale, where the party must establish accounts for their settlement's taxes and resource purchases. A minimum deposit of 1,000 gold is required for the settlement account.

Gnomengraad

A distant gnomish community known for its secretive and ancient traditions of gem-based magic. Teaching outsiders these traditions is a punishable offense.

Gnomengraad

A distant gnomish city located far to the east of the Orion Islands, known for its secretive and ancient tradition of gem-based enchantment magic.

Lars's Research Facility

A mysterious floating research facility where advanced magical crafting takes place. Lars is rumored to have found ways to speed up the enchanting process.

Items

Morenars Neyers's Lockbox

A well-built, full metal lockbox about a foot wide and eight inches high, bearing a metal plate with a seal of the letter 'M' and the shape of the island of Nair. It was found at the feet of a tortured captive and featured signs of failed break-in attempts — bent improvised lockpicks and nicks around the edges. Barlo successfully opened it with the aid of Calliope's bardic inspiration.

Raw Emeralds

A large collection of uncut, rough green gemstones found inside Morenars Neyers's lockbox, some still having bits of rock attached. The box was nearly full of them. The party returned them to Morenars Neyers's office.

Goodberries

Magical berries used by Sas to provide nourishment and strength to the malnourished horse and the dying captive Shakwort.

Beholder Corpse

The remains of the defeated beholder, complete with all its eye stalks and hide, delivered to Grumminfiz Finklebottom's workshop to be used as crafting materials for the party's saddlebags and other enchantment consignments.

Magical Studded Leather Armor

A custom set of studded leather armor commissioned from Grumminfiz Finklebottom, to be enchanted with protective properties and fitted with a special dimensional pocket that holds up to 20 pounds without adding any weight to the wearer. Cost: 2,500 gold total, completion in 20 days.

Crystal Jars

Five transparent-corked jars containing captured creatures, including a miniature beholder and a Fomorian, a broken jar labeled for an Ettercap, and an empty one labeled Pixie. Grumminfiz Finklebottom identified them as the type made by a botanist named Chlyoris Clovenleaf. Lars expressed interest in them via magical message.

Miniature Beholder Jar

One of the crystal jars, containing a tiny living beholder that remains aggressive when disturbed, shooting rays at the glass walls of its container.

Representative Pins

Small pins kept in a light wood box with gold trim, featuring the insignia of the Vale — a tree with deep roots and a large outcropping of leaves. Given to each party member by Rhine as official identification marking them as representatives of the Elder. They were told never to lose, give away, or sell them.

Settlement Map

A detailed map showing the layout of the keep, the surrounding 100x100 foot plots of land designated for development, the cliffside, the river, and the road connecting to the main thoroughfare between Forlorn and the Vale.

Bag of 10,000 Gold Pieces

A significant monetary reward pulled from Morenars Neyers's pocket and given to the party for retrieving his stolen gemstones and assisting his guards during the ambush.

TWITTER Origami Bird

A folded blue paper bird used for the 'Traveling Winged Information Telepathic Enchantment and Retrieval' system. One flew in through Morenars Neyers's window during the party's meeting, delivering a message from the Kingdom of Dyrt. The service costs 1,000 gold per month and 100 gold per message.

Socketed Gem Gauntlets

Magical gauntlets described by the gnomish gem mage, designed with intricate gem sockets that enhance unarmed strikes. Uncommon versions have one socket, rare have two, and very rare have three. Sockets can hold critical gems or energy gems to add bonuses to attacks or elemental damage.

Lordship Contracts

Four formal documents detailing the terms and conditions of the party's upcoming elevation to the status of Lords and Ladies of the Vale, provided to the players for review before the next session.

Spells

Bardic Inspiration

Calliope performed a song — even through coughing and sneezing — to provide Barlo with a bardic inspiration die (d8), which gave him the crucial edge needed to click the final tumbler of the advanced lock on Morenars Neyers's lockbox.

Healing Word

Cast by Calliope on the severely injured and barely conscious Shakwort, providing immediate magical mending that gave him enough strength to chew a goodberry and open his eye.

Mirror Image

A spell Bastion transcribed into his spellbook during downtime in the Vale, spending the required gold for special ink and two hours per spell level.

Sending / Magical Message

Used by the party to communicate with Lars regarding the crafting of enchanted studded leather armor, and by Rhine to relay messages to Jeets about the settlement and ceremony plans.

Classic

Last we left off, our intrepid band of adventurers emerged from the smoke and chaos of a brutal ambush, sifting through the wreckage to find not only coin and gemstone, but a half-orc named Shakwort — battered, bloodied, and barely clinging to life. Through Calliope's bardic inspiration, Barlo's nimble fingers, and a handful of goodberries pressed between cracked lips, the party cracked open a heavy lockbox bearing the seal of a man named Morenars Neyers, revealing a fortune in raw, uncut emeralds. Shakwort, grateful and pragmatic in equal measure, pledged his trust to the group for the simple price of a meal — and so the party set off through a living, breathing magical rainforest back toward the Vale, listening as their new companion painted a troubling picture of miners going mad, growing scales, and sprouting extra eyes in the depths of the local caves.

Upon returning to the Vale, the party moved with purpose. Shakwort was safely delivered to Morenars Neyers's office, a beholder's corpse was hauled to the eccentric enchanter Grumminfiz Finklebottom — who received it with barely-contained scientific glee — and the party found themselves welcomed into a grand hollowed-out tree embassy, each given their own room, a rooftop hot tub, and a secure berth for their airship above the treeline. Rhine, assistant to the Elder, presented each of them with a pin bearing the Vale's insignia and the news that in two weeks' time, they would stand before the Elder, swear fealty, and be formally recognized as Lords and Ladies of the Vale. Maps were spread, plots were claimed, and the foundations of something lasting began to take shape.

And yet, the world did not pause for ceremony. Morenars Neyers rewarded the party handsomely — ten thousand gold pieces — but brought with it a shadow: a second beholder had appeared in the northern caves, this one feral and savage, cutting down miners without cunning or hesitation. Commissions were negotiated, a gnomish gem mage guarded his ancient secrets closely, and a magical paper bird dissolved on Morenars Neyers's shoulder in a demonstration of something he called — with no small amount of pride — Twitter. Now, with noble titles on the horizon, a monstrous threat lurking to the north, and four formal contracts waiting to be signed, we return to our adventurers as the fireflies drift through the trees of the Vale, and the weight of what comes next settles gently over them all...

Middle English

Lythe and listin, noble folk,
To tales of valor, bold and true;
A party brave did bear the yoke,
And found what fate had wrought for you.

From ambush's cruel and bitter end,
They pulled a half-orc from the brink,
With emeralds green, a fortune's spend,
And Shakwort's gratitude to drink.
Through rainforest strange with colors bright,
Where vines did snap at insect's flight,
They learned of madness in the mines,
Of scales and eyes in twisted lines.

To Morenars Neyers's keep they brought their prize,
Then to Grum's workshop, strange and deep,
Where beholder's form before their eyes,
Would yield its secrets, dark to keep.
A thousand gold for armor fine,
With pockets deep that hold the line,
And twenty days to craft it true,
While Lars's price came into view.

The Arcae rested, safe and sound,
Within a tree of ancient grace,
With pins of gold and roots profound,
The party claimed their noble place.
Two weeks until the ceremony's call,
When they would swear before them all,
And stake their claims on Vale's fair ground,
Where wizard towers would be found.

Yet darker news came with the dawn—
A second beholder, fierce and wild,
Where cunning first had come and gone,
This feral beast was undefiled.
The miners fell to savage might,
As shadows gathered in the night,
And Twitter's birds did bring the word,
Of dangers that the party heard.

Now rest they in the treehouse high,
With contracts waiting to be signed,
As fireflies dance across the sky,
And futures yet remain unsigned.
The Vale awaits their noble hand,
To build and rule this magic land,
Where honor calls and duty waits,
Beyond the threshold of their fates.

Snarky

Our intrepid band of adventurers wrapped up their post-ambush errands with the energy of people who just got handed ten thousand gold pieces and immediately started spending it — which is exactly what happened. They rescued a half-orc named Shakwort from a torture chair (his bar for trusting strangers: "if you feed me, I'm in," which is honestly the most reasonable character arc in the campaign), cracked open a lockbox full of emeralds that Barlo immediately described as "just green rocks" with the conviction of a man who has never once successfully bluffed, and delivered the whole package to a businessman named Morenars Neyers, who rewarded them handsomely and then casually mentioned a second, feral, murder-happy beholder has moved into the neighborhood. Oh, and he demonstrated his investment in a magical messaging network called "Twitter," which costs a thousand gold a month and is already ruining everyone's afternoon.

On the upside, the party is now official representatives of the Vale — complete with tasteful pins they were specifically told not to lose, sell, or give away, which means at least two of those things will definitely happen — and they've been handed a map of their very own settlement plots to develop. Shadow and Sas are building a tavern. Bastion is building a wizard tower. Barlo picked the spot nearest the forest so Artie the owlbear can roam freely, which is either very sweet or a liability issue waiting to happen. A title ceremony is two weeks out, a gnome won't teach anyone gem magic under any circumstances, and somewhere to the north, a green-scaled beholder is eating miners. Everything is fine.

Limerick

From ambush they searched through the slain,
And found a half-orc wracked with pain.
With goodberries fed,
He rose from near-dead —
Shakwort joined the party's refrain!

The lockbox clicked open with flair,
(Calliope sneezed through her air).
"Just green rocks," Barlo said,
While emeralds gleamed red —
A fortune in gems, cold and rare!

To Morenars Neyers's they carried the chest,
Then Grumminfiz Finklebottom handled the rest.
The beholder was sold,
For saddlebags bold,
And armor with pockets — the best!

The Vale gave them rooms in a tree,
With pins, plots, and titles to be.
A tower! An inn!
New lordship to win —
In two weeks, their deeds would be free!

A second beholder runs wild,
Its green scales and fury defiled.
But Twitter took wing,
And Lars offered his ring —
The Vale's fate grows stranger and styled!

Exported from GMAssistant on 2026-08-16