Extinction Curse #4: The Sublime Beauty of the Natural World

It’s never too late to talk about the past! Here, our circus heroes’ dwarven healer is perplexed by local customs. –GM

3rd of Calistril, 4729 AR

Mayor Abber

As we entered the mayor’s office, we had to carefully step around the wasp nest that rested on the welcome mat. The chairs were infested with termites, so we stood as we addressed the mayor. He did not seem to notice the termites, or the locusts residing in his chair’s cushion, or the fire ants crawling on his desk, as he was in contact with all three specimens and a variety of others.

“Thanks for, the, uh, killing those worms, in the graveyard,” intoned the mayor, “While you’re at it, could you, uh, deal with some boars? There were these boars that like, killed some people.”

“I am slightly perplexed,” said I, “Is this town not an agrarian settlement that must frequently drive off encroaching wildlife in order to survive? Pray tell, how did the good people of Abberton go about their lives prior to our arrival if they are so hindered by porcine intruders?”

 

Extinction Curse #6: Cabin Fever

Since last we left our circus troupe, the party investigated troubles in Abberton as the Mayor paid a visit to the nearby druid Hermitage. The party cleared a wasp-infested mill and laid some local low-lifes low. They now follow a lead that the evil halfling druid was recently seen at the Lindell Barn just outside of Abberton. The party pyro tells their story. (-GM)

3rd of Calistril, 4729 AR

Alright kids, it’s me, Vorrim Ratsnatcher, here fer another story of my adventures. I think there were some other people there too, I never remember that sort of thing.

But, it was me and some other people. We was going to the barn to try an’ find some people what had gone missing. Early in the morning, we left the circus and went to go check a barn on the edge of town. Everything started off really well, but then the bushes started to shake. One of those plants wasn’t really a plant, it was a monster! 

Well, it was a plant. But it was also a monster! It attacked us and pulled some of my team towards it. Its tentacles were dripping with acid. I heard skin sizzle, and I threw a bomb and lit it on fire. It was a hard fight, but eventually, we killed it and went into the barn. Inside the barn, there were three elementals. One was made of rocks, and we just hit it until it died. The second one was made of fire, and a well-placed blast of water brought it down as well. But the last one was going to be a tougher fight.

Somehow, impossibly, our frenzy of attacks managed to do nearly nothing to it. It spewed fire over us, and slowly brought every last member of the party to our knees. All except one. Even on fire, Neji managed to just barely defeat the flaming creature. Even as he succumbed to his wounds, the elemental blinked out of existence. 

Neji crumbled to his knees. He seemed poised to burn to death. But the intervention of some kind god put out the fire, and we survived to fight another day.

-Vorrim (Raul)

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Neji, gnome sorcerer 2
Nepsun, dwarven cleric of Torag 3
Skaldrin, lizardfolk swashbuckler 2
Vorrim Ratsnatcher, goblin alchemist 2

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Extinction Curse #3: With a Bang!

Our heroic circus troupe helps Abberton deal with the recent strange goings-on, starting with the strange smell at Goldenlaws Church. What say the goblin? (-GM)

3rd of Calistril, 4729 AR

Vorrim Ratsnatcher

Okay. So. There we was, skulkin’ through the graveyard in search o’ something wot the talking doggo told us to be findin’, when we sees ‘em. Two hoomie muckers, standin’ round a big ’ole in da ground. Dey was diggin’ up one o’ dem graves. Now, we ain’t the type to ask questions afore blowin’ shi- sorry, stuff, up. So dat lizzerd man runs straight up an’ goes to take a swing wi’ dat dogslicer o’ his. But it can’t be that easy, innit.

Da first graverobber turns toward sword lizard an’ opens ‘is mouth to yell. But it ain’t sound wot comes out, it’s a purple wormy thing. ‘E goes to chop the maggoty bastard, but ‘is sword barely makes a scratch. Righ’ then, th’ first an second magicky folk comes round the corner. Sorceror shoots a rock with ‘is sling, and cleric tries to whip out his war‘ammer smack one of ‘em.

Now, I sees my moment. I takes out my first fiyaball an’ chucks it right down the wormy mouth. It hits ‘im square, and ‘splodes in a burst o smoke an sulfur. The worm bounces back wi’ a cooked food-hole, an’ bites at lizzerd man, takin’ a fat chunk out o’ his arm. Now, I ain’t likin th’ way these things are goin’, so I whips out another one o’ me kustom bomz an’ whips it at the purple maggot. Dis one ‘splodes with acid, not fire but the effect is the same. I killed one of ‘em.

About this time, the goddy magic boy gets knocked into a hole in the ground, an’ spends about a year getting out of it. While he’s digging himself free, me, lizzerd man, and normal magic boy are turnin’ the last worm into a puddle of goo. It was delicious. When th’ goddy mage gets his butt out of the hole, he heals us up, and we go to explore the area. We go into the temple, and that’s when we see the next group of ‘em.

There are two hell boys in there, one’s a big guy and one is little and flies. We real quick start chucking bombs n’ spells n’ stuff, and the little one goes down right quick. I take up some of my kemikles, and I mix up a fiyaball and an acid trip. I throw ‘em both at the big guy, and he starts burning like someone I hate’s house. Real quick, someone jumps out and cuts his head in to a bunch a pieces.

Behind a door, there’s an old ‘uman in goddy clothes. He gives us some shiny gubbins, and I get the brooch from the dead demon. We go out back, and keep explorin’. Soon we runs in to a group of my people, but they aren’t in any mood to talk. They take out their dogslicers, and I get my crossbow. This is gonna be a BLAST.

-Raul (Vorrim)

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Neji, gnome sorcerer 2
Nepsun, dwarven cleric of Torag 2
Skaldrin, lizardfolk swashbuckler 1
Vorrim Ratsnatcher, goblin alchemist 2

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Extinction Curse #2: Nature Calls

In our missing first chapter(!), the Circus of Wayward Wonders was about to debut when they found their ringmaster, Myron “Thunder” Stendhal, killed by snakes. Heroes stepped forward to run the circus in his stead. They then set on to solve the murder mystery, starting with the traveling circus’s camp…

2nd of Calistril, 4729 AR

“But everyone was having such a good time!”

After the rough stabbing of those horrible plants and taking the ringmaster’s things, we had many things to still do. The entire troupe was too scared to enter their wagons after the harrowing story we told reached their ears. Perhaps I told it too well.  

A few of us had sustained minimal damage, and we were feeling confident in our abilities. We readied ourselves to open the next wagon. All weapons were trained at the head level of the door. Skaldrin reached out with his claw and threw the door open… to find an empty trailer with nothing but dust. It was at this moment we realized there would be no rest tonight.  

But after checking only 2 or 3 more wagons, we heard screaming from not far away. The stage boys, who were chopping firewood at the time, came running out of the woods with snakes right on their heels. I still shudder just thinking of it. But these weren’t the same snakes from the performance; no, these had to be bigger, much bigger. None of us could land many blows on the largest one’s tough hide, and with Nepsun using all of his healing spells we barely survived.  

We stumbled back to the fire to find the whole group dancing.  But when I looked into the Professor’s eyes I knew something was amiss.  As we approached, we saw 2 grigs in the center of the circle, their legs rubbing together to create music that any man would dance to. We resisted their effects and had to push our way through the mass of dancers. Once we were through we dealt with them while taking minimal damage. We were able to interrogate, them but found nothing except for a magical stone. We released them after a debate and made sure they wouldn’t come back.  

“Everyone will whisper that nature is taking its revenge!”

We decided it would be a good time to heal up and rest, and most of the theatre was comfortable sleeping outside. But that was when our troubles really arose. After only an hour, Skaldrin saw someone approaching from a distance.  It was a halfling woman dressed in the garbs of the forest.  As we woke, she smiled and said:

“Isn’t this a pretty sight! I had hoped to murder more of you while the whole town was watching. That would have frightened them away from here for good! But a bigger slaughter might be even better; the foolish farmers and poisoners of Abberton will discover your rat-chewed corpses. No one will know how it happened, but everyone will whisper that nature is taking its revenge. And it is, through me! I’ll wager most of the town will be gone in a week, and the rest will fall easily. Then, perhaps, the land can heal from the cancer known as Abberton!”

We jumped into action against her and her small army of rats. We quickly realized we were hopelessly outmatched. We were tired and beat up from the night’s antics and none of us had any energy left for spells. We fought long and hard but we were no match for her. She knocked out the party, and the next part is second-hand information. The circus stepped up to fight together and they drove her off into the forest.

It was a time of celebration but also mourning. For as we woke, we heard the news of two that had died. The Bearded Man, as well as Mordaine the Magician who had been so happy to give her performance in front of all those people.  I know we will feel the true effects of her death the next time we perform.  

Mayor Abber

After some failed attempts to heal ourselves that did more harm than good, Mayor Abber appeared. He informed us about the state of Abberton and all of its troubles. There were very many: wild boars, the sheriff was missing. He also told us of the nearby hermitage of druids and said they couldn’t be behind what happened. If we could help him, he was happy to have us meet with their leader.

Some of our merry band had gone to investigate and we heard of the many dangers around town. We weren’t sure where to start, so we stayed close to home. All of our horses had somehow turned to stone.  

As we went to investigate, a cockatrice appeared. A horrible creature with a nasty penchant of turning people to stone.  In fact, during the battle two of us were almost turned into very nice lawn ornaments. (*cough cough* worth a lot of money *cough cough*)  We again tried to treat our wounds but couldn’t, so we decided to continue on.  

We thought the most pressing matter was the missing sheriff, so we went to his office with the mayor. He let us in, but we couldn’t find any clues so we decided to do something else.  

“Pray for us…”

We went to the church across the street and found two men digging a grave. They warned us not to come closer, but we were still suspicious, so we moved around behind them to see what they were doing.  Vorrim, the clumsy fool, tripped on a rake and they looked up and saw we were there.  That’s when they started to change…

Pray for us,
Neji (Kyle)

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Neji, gnome sorcerer 1
Nepsun, dwarven cleric of Torag 2
Skaldrin, lizardfolk swashbuckler 1
Vorrim Ratsnatcher, goblin alchemist 1

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