Journal of Rollo Lavius 1

Entry #208 - The Hommlet Cock-up

(G208 08/08/2014 via Roll20 - JF(GM), Mira, Al)

DAY 219 (16th Marpenoth) continued...

Cale and Mathmoss ordered elaborate suppers and plenty of booze for their dinner. Cale danced to the singing of the local 'bard' although perhaps he was a little tired and did not put on his best performance.

Meanwhile Mathmoss had his eyes on the serving wenches and was heavily tipping the good looking one in order to see where it might lead.

Cale drank until he was drunk and his youthful good looks attracted the attention of Margo the Miller's daughter but by then he was too far gone.

Mathmoss had a dance with one of the local women until the singer was dragged home by his children.

Cale woke up and asked 'Where did the music go?' but then made every one happy by buying a round of drinks for the whole room.

They finally got round to arranging rooms. The Miller's daughter wanted to meet Cale in the morning but he just grunted and went to bed. Mathmoss had a much better time and took the wench, whose name was Derndie, to his room for the night.

DAY 220 (17th Marpenoth) (october)

Today was not going to be a good day for young Cale Cresthill but he wasn't to know that yet and came down for his breakfast as normal. Mathmoss was there also, noticing that his new girlfriend had risen early for work. Mathmoss thought she would make a good guide for the day though and gave the innkeeper enough money to pay another village girl so Derndie could join them.

Once they left the inn to begin their investigations they noticed that they were being followed by a boy and girl, the children of the singer in the inn. As strangers in the village, and such odd looking ones, they were attracting attention.

They located the house that was the home of Freddorick. Cale knocked but there was no answer.

The door was found to be locked.

When asked who knew Fred the most, Derndie replied that he had been most friendly with Jaroo the druid. So that was their next port of call. The little boy and girl still followed them. Their names were Francie and Neely. When he saw them arrive, Jaroo gave them some money to get some food and they scampered off.

Anyone appearing at the Grove was expected to donate something for the poor of the village. When Cale checked his pockets for change he found that 50 gold coins had been stolen from him! He presumed it had been while he was drunk.

Now, Cavu had told them to keep his name out of dealings with the people of Hommlet so when they asked Jaroo is he had a spare key to Freddorick's house he was very mistrustful.

Mathmoss then went to the local temple priest to arrange a casting of the 'Zone of Truth' spell for 120gp. Cale wasn't so keen though and voiced the opinion that 'It won't make any difference to his attitude.'

Next they tried to enlist the help of Humperdink who was happy to lie on their behalf but was told to tell the truth. Unfortunately though the truth was that he didn't really know Cavu and Mathmoss and couldn't say for sure if they were trustworthy.

While Humperdink talked to Jaroo, Cale noticed a large black hairy ball snoring in the corner of the grove. He went over to investigate but backed off when Mathmoss warned him, 'It's a bear!'.

They gave up on Jaroo and went to talk to Elem Oats the captain of the militia. They were faced with the same problem though. They looked foreign. The villagers were mistrustful - and after all who could blame them? There had been a lot of strange and dangerous characters through the village just recently and the countryside was full of orcs, half orcs and northern barbarians.

Cale asked if there was a 'Criminal Underbelly' in Hommlet. Oats slammed the door on him.

Another route of enquiry closed to them, guided by Derndie again they went and talked to Fred's landlord. They had no luck here either, they were too foreign and dangerous looking.

They had a bite to eat at the inn for lunch and Mathmoss went to the local general store to buy a sai (a type of dagger). Cale thought that breaking in to the house in the night was the only way forward. While that would have been a good idea if they'd done it straight away, Mathmoss pointed out the awkward fact that they had been round the whole village asking about the house and would be prime suspects if the break in was noticed!

Cale suddenly announced 'I have an idea!'. It turned out to be a very bad idea. Four children followed him as he left the inn but he gave each of them a silver and off they scampered.

Mathmoss shrugged and gave Derndie the nod. They then went upstairs to his room and had a much better time than Cale was about to have.

Cale put another gold on the collection plate as he arrived in the grove but for reasons that may have seemed sensible at the time he started threatening the druid.

This had the effect of turning the placid hairy lump in the corner of the grove into a huge clawed killing machine which charged into Cale.

Three people who were in the grove fled as the fight began. Jaroo shouted at Cale to get out but the dancer stood his ground, whacking the bear with the blunt end of his scythe.

Cale tried to talk to the druid to calm the situation down, but Jaroo continued to tell him to get out of the grove. When Cale stunned the bear with one final blow, Jaroo mistook this for a fatal injury. Crying 'No! Not Bear! Prepare to die!'

Still Cale did not leave or make any attempt to flee. Jaroo summoned four crocodiles (one of my favourite tricks!) and set them on the dancer. Cale managed to Dervish Dance around them all though and very nearly killed the druid before he could take on the form of an eagle and flap into the sky.

Again, Cale did not flee, although badly injured he stood his ground bravely, but was quickly savaged to death by the crocodiles.

**

Now. Just to add my own thoughts on this incident. Speaking as a druid I feel sorry for Cale. His heart always seemed to be in the right place, but he had a habit of making bad decisions. Diplomacy not being his strong point he had tried to intimidate the druid. Not a good idea to a senior druid with years of experience and indeed, within his own grove.

One would not walk calmly into the Halls of Justice and start threatening Hammer Lord Hykros Allumen for instance.

So, you may argue who was in the right at this stage, but a bear is a savage animal and seeing its master threatened in his own home it attacked. Cale should really have left at this stage, but this time tried diplomacy, something he was not well suited to.

When Jaroo attacked it was only going to go one way and Cale should have used his expert skills in ducking and weaving to flee the scene. Perhaps a nice big donation to the grove would have smoothed things over after that? But instead he stood his ground and died. It is very sad that a young man from the northern deserts, perhaps unfamiliar in the ways of southern druids, should end this way, but ultimately it was of his own doing. In any event, to continue...

**

Mathmoss was roused from his peaceful sleep in the inn by Jaroo and Captain Oats. They told him to leave the village at once. When he asked why Jaroo told him of the attack.

'It sounds more like you murdered him!' decried the ninja.

The following witnesses were called:

Mrs Murfle, the leather workers wife

Mr Weaver, the weaver

Mrs Hopps, the brewers wife

Like all small villages though, everyone knew everyone else and Mathmoss was deluding himself if he thought the witnesses would do anything other than back the druid that had lived in their midst for forty or more years.

In fact, I am lead to believe Mrs Murfle was Jaroo's sister-in-law and Mrs Hopps his second cousin.

So, the mission falling apart, Mathmoss left town. He tried to at least retain Cale's possessions, but these were confiscated. He paid the priest to cast 'Gentle Repose' on what remained of Cale and placed in a box (after being partially digested by four crocodiles there was no need of something so big as a coffin) and he left the village by himself, Humperdink now wanting nothing to do with him apparently.