The Road to Wicklow Mill
The second of High Sun 1493
Tasked with investigating the spoiled flour that is being sold by the Mill at Wicklow, the party set out the following day. Featherfew set the course, and Pebbles gathered supplies. On the way out of town, the friends stopped by a shrine to Levistus, the God of equivocation, half devilish half divine, and the patron saint to all those trapped in unfair contracts and bad deals. Some left a tribute there: Den performed a dance, Enid placed one of her acorns, and Pebbles broke a link of chain. Enid also found a shattered padlock, etched with the initials CF and JH inside a love heart.
Featherfew also met his mentor, Rimple Welby: the inscrutable halfling was perched on stile, smoking his pipe. Welby claimed that it had been raining in the hills, but the level of the river had not risen as one would expect it to. Featherfew reported what he had learned from speaking to the ancient gold dragon catfish, Ol’ Melton, and then made the smoke of Welby’s pipe form an image of an elven knight using the prestidigitation cantrip.
Electing to re-enter the Old Wood, the party found the atmosphere of the forest different, less oppressive, than that fateful Meadowtide night. They stumbled upon a dilapidated hut, which upon entering, they realised was the hidden still of Ol’ Jago, a friend of Gander Farlight, Den’s adoptive father and publican of the Groomsman’s Rest. Den recognised Jago’s particular brand of powerful gin. Pebbles, searching the clutter, found some empty bottles and six vessels containing a vivid chartreuse liquid, which he identified as a potion of healing. After some discussion, the party agreed to take them, in exchange for an IOU.
Before leaving the woods, Burley identified some old tracks, which resembled the impression of a giant, crooked hand; similar to the contorted creature upon which the witch’s cottage was tethered. He showed them to the rest of the party, establishing that the freshest impressions were a few months old - perhaps coinciding with the most recent Meadowtide.
Stumbling across a quiet pond in the shadow of the woods, the party set about refilling their waterskins. At the water’s edge, Ilyad was attacked as a giant wyrm erupted from the still waters, clamping his jaws around her and dragging her into the deeper waters. Den overcame his fear of scaly things, but was unable to help; but Burley launched himself into the water and cut the jaw off the beast with one mighty swing of his great-axe. The relief was short-lived however, as another two wyrms slithered from their hiding places. There was a pitched battle, during which Pebbles’ unconscious body was almost dragged away by one of the wyrms. Burley was overcome with a powerful sense of deja vu, momentarily transported to a memory of Ellow’s pond in more peaceful times, when it was a swimming hole, filled with halfling laughter. The worms were eventually defeated, and Pebbles revived by Featherfew’s Healing Word. Enid claimed some of the beasts’ teeth, and Ilyad successfully skinned one of the creatures.
Moving on, the party glimpsed a dozing shepherd on a hillside. Waking him, Pebbles engaged in conversation with the fellow, whose name was Shelby Good. He let them know that he slept during the day because something was snatching the sheep by night. Featherfew spoke to the animals and they revealed that something with ‘dark wings and white eyes’ was preying upon them, claiming that it was able to mimic the sound of the shepherd and the sheep’s bells. He was also able to put Shelby’s mind to rest regarding the general happiness of his flock, and in return the party received directions to the petrified body of Sir Lamlas, the elven knight.
After a little searching, the party found the unfortunate knight, dressed up as a scarecrow in a nearby field. They cleaned his statue-like body, wiping away bird muck and creating a new scarecrow. They recognised how handsome the knight had been and admired his armour, etched all over with floral patterns. His posture was unsettling, one palm extended as though in offering, the other drawn up across his body as though in protection; his face was frozen in a look of shock. Ilyad placed Sir Hugo’s rose in the knight’s palm and Enid left an acorn; some gin was poured out, and a circle of pebbles was placed around him. Den made an exceptional sketch of the scene.
A little way out of Wicklow, the party worked together to rescue a baby goat from a dried up creek bed. Ilyad named it Gertrude, and led it away.
A stiff hot breeze blew dust from the path into the party’s eyes as they approached Wicklow Mill, hearing the creak of the structure’s mighty sails…