Rangers Upon the Coast - Session 7

A group travels to Dun Dulnadd and spends time weathering a bad storm with the raiders there, who are celebrating their recent successful venture in capturing a haul of illuminated manuscripts. They then travel north to an abandoned brewery where the manuscripts are said to come from, and encounter a group of men wearing stone dog masks, with whom a fight breaks out. The battle turns ugly and the party beats a retreat.

Party

Kel / Sonorant (Anthony)
Alfred (Slasher)
Beimir (Neal)
Roderico (Sergio)
Stoat (James)
Refereed by Michael

Intention

Pursue the illustrated / illuminated / illest-rated manuscripts (we’re unsure of how they’re originally described), investigating along the western coast of Albann.

Summary

Alfred, Beimir, Kel, Roderico, and Stoat head to Dun Dunalad to follow up on rumors of religious manuscripts. A bad storm keeps them grounded at port for a few days, where they befriend a couple of revelers, Kranald and Gorf, who are enjoying the spoils of their recent raid with the prominent raider, Luthel. The party ropes the two of them into acting as guides to an abandoned brewery, the alleged source of these manuscripts.

At the brewery, the party wisely splits up immediately, and the group of Alfred, Kel, and Roderico fall into a trap laid by a group of Latin-speaking folk wearing dog-masks. Alfred attempts to communicate with their leader, but the leader is clear in wanting only their lives in either servitude or death. Beimir and Stoat conduct a sneak attack on the dog-people, lighting the room on fire and giving the others just enough of an opening to escape. Roderico jumps through the fire, badly singed and barely hanging on to life. Kel is skewered, but shrugs off the shallow wound to escape. Alfred, however, is cut down. Kel impulsively jumps back to pull Alfred to safety. Against all odds, they manage to escape with everyone’s lives, a few jugs of mead, and a mask, much like the assailants wore.

Boasts

No boasts were made this session.

Rumors

The manuscripts were traded to a merchant who travels south to Moerheb Weald, where they manuscripts are expected to fetch a high price
Around north Ruislip there is a cave where one can find dogs with human faces. There are potentially more valuable manuscripts there.

Full Notes

The party heads to Dun Dulnaad to ask around about manuscripts; arrives in inclement weather. There are signs that there will be a storm the next day
They check out the gathering hall by the docks that houses and feeds travelers who pass through the city. The ambience is “very pirate-y”.
Beimir approaches the tavern master for a drink and some gossip. They talk of Luthel’s recent haul, big enough to make a few of the locals very wealthy. The tavern master points to a group of drunkards who supposedly know more..
The drunkards, Kranald (who is very drunk) and Gorf (less drunk), offer an eager and jovial welcome. They’re celebrating meadallday, where you drink mead all day. The party learns that the two worked as rowers for Luthel when he brought in his big haul..
Despite the language barrier, Alfred asks “…books?” which is enough to get the revelers talking about a merchant traveling south, to whom they sold the books.
Kranald and Grof have differing memories on where the manuscripts came from. Kranald says that they pulled them from a cave (around north Ruislip) populated by dogs with the face of men. Gorf insists they were from a brewery where they found men with the face of dogs. The two admit that, as rowers, they never actually made any landfall in any of their adventures, but both adamant about their recollection.
The party decides to head to the brewery, apparently somewhere on the northern coast of Albann. However, the coming storm keeps them grounded for the day, so they stay the night.
In his portable lab, Beimir concocts a mixture (deemed the Bloody Beimir) for the two drunks to help alleviate their terrible hangovers. It works for Kranald. Not so much for Gorf. Alfred recites a verse about hangovers.
While it’s still pouring, the storm subsides enough to permit travel the next day. Beimir offers some directions, and warns of Lutrin’s people attacking ships in the area.
Wanting more specific guidance, the party convinces the two to join them on their trip to the Horn of Albann.
Late in the day, at around the horn (02,05/06-ish) the party spots a small patrol, flying Lutrin’s colors. The patrol consists of a karvi, and other smaller vessels.
The party diverges from the planned course to make landfall and avoid an encounter. It turns out this was unnecessary because the patrol hails them in acknowledgement, but leaves them in peace.
The next day, the party passes Caelkirk. Now fairly deep into Lutrin’s territory, they worry about hostile engagements, they sail on, giving the city a wide berth.
Along the shore, they spot a compound. Many boxes dot the landscape in orbit around this compound. It is clear even from a distance, that thick, floral vegetation has taken over the locale. Kranald and Gorf confirm this is the brewery. They alight.
Alfred recognizes the boxes as beehives. Finding the lack of buzzing suspicious, they inspect one to find them long abandoned.
They approach the compound and identify what appears to be a cathedral wing of the structure. Kel asks Kranald and Gorf if they should expect violence. They emphatically confirm that resistance will be encountered.
Alfred knocks on the door with his staff, reciting some words traditionally used as call-and-response among holy folk. The knocking creaks the door open. No response. Inside, there is nothing but overgrowth. Silence.
There are some vague, but obvious signs of traffic having gone through recently, converging to the south and out the door.
Kranald and Gorf are tasked with staying by the donkey-led cart in case they need to make a quick retreat. Alfred consults his piglet on the dangers of this place.
The party very wisely splits into two groups. A-Squad: Alfred, Roderico, Kel, and B-Squad: Beimir and Stoat. A-Squad intends to explore the inside, while B-Squad checks out the surrounding area.
A-Squad enters what appears to be a chapel. There are signs of life. Something has made its nest here. There is an old campfire and some bedrolls. Fur on the floor. Blood as well. Old meals and refuse.
B-Squad circles the compound.
A-Squad hears B-Squad moving outside. The doors suddenly slam shut. Alfred calls out “Hello?!” Roderico lights a torch and they approach the doors. Alfred pushes the door. It does not open.
B-Squad hears Alfred’s call and respond. Through the windows, A-Squad catches them up on the situation. B-Squad tries to enter, but they find the main entrance barred closed as well. With no other options, they resume their search of the outdoors area. Having circled half the compound, they find another set of doors. The two argue about whether to enter because whatever trapped A-Squad is likely dangerous, and the two of them are not equipped for close-quarters combat.
A-Squad finds some fancy mead and a mask bearing the face of a dog. Kel pulls out her grappling hook and some rope and suggests they pull the door down together. Kel sets up the rope, everyone grabs on and begins pulling. Alfred mutters a prayer and screams loudly as he pulls, and largely thanks to his strength, they pull the door off its hinges.
Through the door, they see around six dog-masked humanoids. One is wearing a red cape, adorned with gold laurel motifs. The others start growling and ready an attack, but the leader stops them, points his sword at A-Squad. He shouts in Latin, “What are you doing here!?”
Alfred, in Latin, responds. “We heard tell of a brewery around here, and we were curious about your ales.”
The leader is surprised by the response, but doesn’t buy the excuse, reasoning that his group has only been here for six months. Alfred admits he did not tell the whole truth, and says that the real reason that brought us here was Alfred’s spiritual inclinations.
The leader tells Alfred that he isn’t “The Alpha” of his people. The leader proclaims that the A-Squad has the option to take up the masks and serve him, or otherwise die.
Outside, B-Squad hears Alfred’s shout and a loud crash. They decide to breach the doors and help A-Squad. Led by Beimir, the two creep through to gauge the situation. They follow the sounds of discussion in some unfamiliar holy-sounding language, and find A-Squad in their predicament. Having come in from the other side, B-Squad has not yet been spotted by the dog people.
Kel and Roderico tell Alfred they refuse to bow down to another master. Noticing two vague shapes of their friends behind the dog-people, Alfred quotes a verse about fire, first in Latin and then in Pictish, to give B-Squad the signal to attack.
Having carefully aimed her bow at the leader’s head, Stoat looses an arrow. The arrow does not fly true but still connects with his shoulder. It does not seem to bother him much, and he turns to face the ambushers. Beimir then follows up, slinging a bottle of oil at the dog-people, thoroughly dousing the group.
Alfred and Roderico simultaneously toss their torches to send their enemies up in flames. Roderico grabs a bunch of mead jugs. As does Kel, who also grabs the dog mask. Alfred hauls his pig.
A few of the dog men are taken down in the fire, but the remaining ones react as a unit, avoiding the brunt of the flames. One dog-person, engulfed in flames, stabs Kel with a spear, demanding she return the mask. Alfred is also attacked but bears it well. Roderico jumps through the flames, feeling the full bite of the fire. He lives only because his clothes are still sopping wet from the ceaseless rain.
Kel and Alfred follow suit. Kel makes it to the door, but Alfred is tragically cut down. Upon hearing Alfred fall behind her, Kel freezes and turns around. She drops the mead jugs and runs to the unconscious Alfred. The dog-people have now recovered from the shock of the fire, and slowly approach them. She summons all her strength to lift Alfred, and narrowly escapes.
Roderico feels guilty about not going back to save Alfred and Kel tells him that if somebody’s gonna endanger themselves it should be her.
The party leaves with 4 bottles of mead, worth a total of 20sp, the stone dog mask, and, crucially, their lives