Adventurers of the Crown — Joslyn Chapter

Tara 4th, 734 The Farmhouse

The party met with a cleric of Laurits who explained that one of the temple's priests had gone missing while traveling to aid a sick family at a farmhouse located roughly half a day's ride outside Joslyn. After gathering what information they could about the area, the group rented horses and departed the city late in the afternoon.

Travel proved difficult after nightfall. The old trail leading to the farm was overgrown and visibility was poor, forcing the party to move cautiously. Eventually they found a weathered fence post and decided to stop for the night. After eating a simple meal, they waited for first light before continuing their search.

With the return of daylight, the party quickly discovered they had passed the farm entrance during the night. Turning back, they approached the property and found it in a state of neglect. Much of the farm was overgrown and untended, though there were signs that someone had been using the buildings recently. Restin scouted ahead while Xander and Kelrik remained behind with the horses.

As Restin examined the farmhouse, he noticed evidence of recent activity despite years of apparent neglect. Approaching one of the windows, he heard the unmistakable sound of snoring coming from inside. While listening, the wind shifted, carrying with it the foul odor of rotting meat. Realizing something was wrong, Restin returned to the others. The group moved their horses farther away and out of sight before investigating the source of the smell.

Searching the nearby field, Restin noticed disturbed ground among the crops. As he moved closer, his foot suddenly broke through the earth and into a bloated corpse hidden beneath the vegetation. The discovery confirmed the source of the stench. As the group continued searching, they uncovered nearly a dozen bodies scattered throughout the field, all in various stages of decomposition. The gruesome sight was enough to cause both Xander and Kelrik to lose their breakfast.

Determined to learn who was responsible, Restin advanced toward the farmhouse. As he reached the porch, he heard movement inside. One voice mentioned feeding the horses in the barn, while another replied that it could wait until after they had eaten. The party quickly devised a plan and prepared an ambush inside the barn.

Their plan worked perfectly. Two of the occupants entered the barn and were taken down before they could raise an alarm. The party concealed the bodies and waited. Some time later, the remaining two bandits entered the barn and were similarly ambushed. The final survivor, a woman, attempted to flee when her companion fell. Kelrik mounted his mechanical spider and quickly overtook her. Maneuvering ahead of the fleeing bandit, he cast Color Spray, blinding and stunning her long enough for the party to capture her. They bound her, rendered her unconscious, and secured her for transport.

After searching the farm, the party collected what valuables they could find, along with a wagon and the pair of draft horses kept in the barn. They then returned to Joslyn with their prisoner and the body of the missing cleric.

Upon arriving at the Temple of Laurits, the party received an unexpected revelation. The temple had never requested assistance, and the cleric who had sent them to the farm was unknown to the temple's leadership. It became clear that the priest who hired them had been an impostor.

The party turned the captured woman over to the city garrison and reported everything they had discovered. They also delivered many of the recovered possessions in hopes of identifying the dead found in the field. During the investigation, Restin produced a detailed sketch of the false cleric. One of the guards immediately recognized the man as an actor who had recently been performing in the dock district.

With their report complete, the party received their payment and returned to the guild hall. There they stabled the recovered wagon and draft horses, returned their rented mounts, paid the associated fees, and concluded what had begun as a simple missing-person investigation but had instead uncovered evidence of a carefully orchestrated murder scheme.