Investigating Thistletop

Player Characters

Important NPCs

• Kaijitsu Ameiko, Owner of the Rusty Wyvern.
• Brother Zantus, Head Cleric of the Borderpoint Temple.
• 1.61803398875, Modron jeweler.
• Bordert Quink, Borderpoint sage.
• Risa Magravi, owner of Risa's Place and former adventurer.
• Besk Magravi, Risa's son and tavern manager.
• Isolari Gandethus, Wizard and headmaster of the Sovrano Academy.
• Veznutt, gnome mapmaker.

Locations

• Borderpoint, a town on Battle Coast between the Onyx Cryptocracy and the Scapolite Theocracy.
  • Rusty Wyvern, tavern and inn in Borderpoint.
  • Borderpoint Temple, dedicated to all the Totems.
  • Risa's Place, tavern in Borderpoint.
  • Sage Shop, a shop that sells research by Brodert Quink.
  • Sovrano Academy, Borderpoint's school and orphanage.
  • Jeweler, a jewelry store in Borderpoint.
  • The Way North, a map store.

Adventurer's Log

8th day of Diamond, year 54 of the Age of the Great Invasion

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• After rescuing Ameiko and speaking to the mayor, the party returns to the Rusty Wyvern. They discuss and plan while Zyindra makes lunch. They decide to sell the gold and silver dust and, after checking with Ameiko, also sell the silver flute. They get a fair price from 1.61803398875 the jeweler. Shiphrah keeps the masterwork thieving tools.
• The group reads Tsuto's journal and determines that Nualia and her followers are likely hiding out with the goblins of Thistletop island.
• Zyindra and Midge purchase supplies to make cure light potions and a sunrod. They begin working on that while the others go out to investigate.
• Maayan descends to Junker's Beach and finds Tsuto's tracks. She follows them, and a set of goblin tracks, north and east along the beach until they vanish into the water. Maayan determines that the pair most likely swam away since there's no sign of a boat picking them up.
• Shiphrah visits Master Gandethus, the headmaster of Sovrano Academy. She asks about his policy on taking apprentices. He suggests that apprenticeship is a long term commitment without prior study. She also asks if he has spiders in his basement. Master Ganethus is amused and informs Shiphrah his basement is just books and maps. He'll be glad to show it to her later, after lessons end.

Risa's map #1

• Lucius inquires on the docks about Thistletop. He is informed that no one sails there because the waters are unpredictable and it is easy to wreck on the many shoals. However, he is also told that the old wizard Risa, who now owns a tavern in town, once explored Thistletop as part of a band of adventurers.
• Lucius visits Risa, now an old, blind woman sitting by the window in her rocking chair. He learns the following:
  • Thistletop isn't a natural island but the head of some enormous statue that's fallen off and settled in the water. There are chambers carved inside.
  • She explored it roughly fifty years ago. Back then there weren't goblins living on Thistletop. They came later and built a fort on top of the island using lumber scavenged from wrecked ships.
  • Risa and her crew decided to approach the island via boat because the Nettlewood to the south of Thistletop is so thick and hard to pass through. None of her party were experienced woodsmen. It took them five tries before they navigated the shoals and came close to the island. Risa mentions that the map their expedition made is now in the care of the town schoolmaster.
  • They spotted a cavern on the far side of the island, above the water line and open to the air. They considered entering through the cave but saw tentacles reach out and pluck seagulls from the air. The party agreed to climb up to the top of the island instead.
  • The island has two levels inside it. The first level looked lived in and they found a temple with a big spider symbol. On the second level one of their party died when he was triggered a trap. Metal grates fell down on either side of him and then two statues chopped him apart. They deactivated the trap and continued exploring.
  • In a room just past the trap were a dozen or so torn up bodies. They were all wearing identical black robes and looked as if they had been ripped apart by a large, wild animal. When Lucius presses about the robes Risa can't remember much more, though she does suggest Brodert Quink, a local scholar, has a story about a dying man in a black robe coming to town before her time.
  • Lucius asks about the treasure she found. Risa has her son retrieve a box. She pulls a metal, seven pointed star carved from silver and gold. The star is flat and large, roughly one foot in length. Risa gives the star to Lucius, hoping it will bring him luck.

Risa's map #2

• Midge, done with her alchemy, visits Brother Zantus to inquire after Malfeshnekor. Brother Zantus doesn't know anything but recalls that Brodert Quink told a story about the name, once.
• Midge walks the short distance to Quink's sage shop and asks about Malfeshnekor. He tells her the story of a day sixty-two years ago.
  • "A modron of all things stumbles into town. Its wearing a black robe and wounded. Badly. It collapses just inside the gates. It's muttering in Invader, of all languages. I'm the only one who speaks it so they fetch me. I was just out of college then. Young. Full of ideas." He sighs. "It never wakes up. Has fever dreams. Keeps repeating that they summoned Malfeshnekor. They summoned Malfeshnekor in accordance to the Spider Mother's will. But it went wrong. Malfeshnekor tore them apart. It says two of them lured Malfeshnekor into a chamber. Locked it for all eternity. Said only ten minus three at 10 degree angles could open it. Said to never let anyone get ten minus three at 10 degree angles or it would get free. Then it died. Strange event. Never figured out what it meant."
• Lucius meets up with Shiphrah and they visit Sovrano Academy after lessons end. Master Gandethus shows them to the basement where he keeps his library and maps. He locates Risa's maps easily enough: there's a map of the shoals around Thistletop as well as crude maps of the two levels inside the island. Master Gandethus allows Lucius and Shiphrah to take the maps to the Way North, the town's map shop, and have copies drawn.
• After spending on making potions and the sunrod, crafting alchemical cartridges for Lucius' pistol and making copies of the maps the group has 333 gp left between their letter of credit from the mayor and the money they got by selling the dust and flute.

TO BE CONTINUED