A Warm Soup (Age of Iron - DoD Online Campaign - Session 2)

PCs:

• Fal’lane
• Berserker lvl 1, Order of the Fang lvl 1
• Assault Ursine: Fang-Rot
• played by: Synergy
• Fintna'al
• Geometer Wizard lvl 2
• played by: Wingnut

++Session Notes++

• As evening falls around the town of Carrowmore, crowds gather. Riots are still happening around the sloop docked (or possibly beached) nearby, and refugees from the North and adventurers from the South continue to pour into the town after dark.
• The Eagles are incensed that Stary Hrad granted the party a boat (a skiff, in particular a yoal) and not them, and they storm off in a huff. "You WILL be seeing us again!" Fal'lane intimidates their leader and they slink off somewhat unimpressively, heading to a building with a sign depicting a heron eating a frog.
• Discussions are had out of character filling in some character details. "Fin", the party's Wizard, is part of a mercenary band called "The Black Company", and their leader goes by the moniker "The Master of Spirals". They have a reputation for having a high ratio of wizards to soldiers. Fal'lane alludes to a tragic event that separated him from his people in the mountains, and precipitated the start of a mercenary and adventuring career.
• As other members of the party disperse to rest, blow off steam, or pursue their own errands, Fal'lane decides to look for food and try to increase the party's supply of rations, and Fin decides to search for information about what lies ahead.
• Fin puts his ear to the ground and eavesdrops on the right people, managing to keep a low profile in town while gathering some very interesting rumors and overheard witness accounts.
• Two wizards apparently passed through town recently, headed upriver. They did not stay long, seemingly intent on reaching the dam.
• Refugees from Pollnacrom (the closer to Carrowmore of the two upriver villages) were discussing sighting one of the dreaded golems of the dam in their village, apparently destroying it. "Methodically dismantling every building and dumping out the people like dolls in a doll house, all with an eerie sense of calm" they said. This is further south than the golems have ever been sighted it seems, as they have not been known to ever leave eyesight of the dam.
• Fin overhears uncertain references to several other things, and the party's map is updated to include the whole of the drowned lands between Carrowmore and the dam

• The "Witch in the Well" is top of mind for both Fin and Fal'lane, so Fin makes a point of seeking out one of the children from Pollnagollum who they saved on Callao's raft, and who originally told them about this witch. The party reasons that if only children can see her, they must bring a child along. Fin finds the orphan lad in town, wearing an oversized nightshirt like a robe, and clutching a jar of dirt as if it were a teddy bear. The wizard tries to impress him with magic in an effort to show that he can keep the boy safe, and that he really can defeat the witch. Fin shows off some real War Wizard magic, performing a 2 MD casting of Control Iron to pull every iron nail out of a large, salvaged table outside one of the buildings, and then blasting all those nails Magneto style into the sky like a flak cannon, downing several circling carrion birds at once. It has the intended effect, and the child agrees to accompany them back to Pollnagollum village. They share that their name is Robert.
• Meanwhile, Fal'lane follows the Eagles to the building with the heron sign, which looks like it was originally on a different building and has been ripped off and nailed on this one. Inside he finds that this was once a rug merchant's store but has been retrofitted as the town tavern since the actual tavern ("The Heron") was severely damaged in the flood. It's very poorly ventilated and they do not have much, just casks of slightly waterlogged ale, soggy bread, and one large cauldron of a thin, sour smelling stew with some fleshy chunks in it (waterfowl and carrion bird, the barkeep says).
• Fal'lane sends his assault bear, Fang-Rot, into the establishment first, and follows shortly after as a display of dominance. It works very well, and a hush falls over the place, people clear space in the center of the room, and all eyes are on him (and Fang-Rot). The Eagles shrink into the corner and try not to make eye contact. Fal'lane walks up to the bartender (a well-connected local named Terbil Tem), and demands food, torches, and rope enough for the whole party.
• Terbil starts to barter, but when he hears the party is going to Pollnagollum to seek the witch, he offers all the requested goods for no payment as long as he and his four other companions can tag along. Fal'lane agrees, reasoning that they can leave some of the Church of the Optical God congregants behind and use some space on their funeral barge.
• Fal'lane collects the "donation" of: 5 x coils of rope (30'), 15 makeshift torches (broken wooden furniture wrapped in tar-soaked rags), and the entire cauldron of stew (10 rations)
• Fin joins Fal'lane at the Heron (new location!) with Robert in tow, and they sit down to eat some stew alongside Fal'lane and Fang-Rot. Fang-Rot has an interesting reaction to the stew, but Fal'lane isn't able to determine exactly why. They seem to really enjoy it and lick their bowl clean before looming over Fal'lane and nudging them for extra bites. Everyone eats the stew happily except for Robert, who just chews a bread crust and stares hollowly at the table. End of session! Will the party continue their streak of accruing followers, hirelings, and hangers-on every session? Will Terbil and his sallow faced friends probe useful when facing the witch? Will the dangers of the drowned lands even allow the party to reach Pollnagollum? As the old motto goes, "Play to find out!"