Runic Circles: T'Skrang and Troll

[etherial]

From the collected letters of Ursula von Knucklebreaker:

30 Borrum, 1421 T.H.

Dearest Mother and Father:

We hired a Scribe to accompany us to the two Nethermancer stones so that Pethrytholilanista could tie to them and we will at last have the full set explored. At Borgan's Rest, we hired the crew of the X'Egirathla II to ferry us to the stone not far from the river. Travel by Riverboat seems to be a delightful diversion and I recommend it highly.

We began to explore the T'Skrang Runic Circle on the fifth day of our adventure. Each Runic Circle lies in a nearly identical clearing, however this one had a noticeably deeper reflecting pool than the others. Thane stuck his head into the water, attracting the attention of the local fauna. A small clutch of crocodiles rose up out of the water and attacked him. We leapt to his rescue and I incapacitated one of them, but another managed to drop Zinj and drag him under the water. Another was killed, which we then skinned, and the last dove back under the water to consume my friend.

After some deliberation, Nurfec translated the recipes and Pethrytholilanista went to cast the spell, however it appears she picked the wrong location and the folks inside the circle were cursed and wracked with pains. I overheard some animals attracted by the spell and we beat a hasty retreat.

We returned to the Runic Circle two days later and Nista was able to successfully cast the spell, removing the curse. Apparently the Patagiatic T'Skrang are considered "blessed" and are thus the key to unlocking this Runic Circle. Our actions attracted the attention of the crocodiles again but we managed to send them back quicly. Another casting of the spell and my friends were marked by the magic of the runes.

In less savage times, we would perhaps have taken a riverboat around the mountains to the last Runic Circle, but the Serpent River remains a tantalizingly underexplored thoroughfare, and thus we were forced to tread overland and cross the Throal Mountains directly. We made a brief stop at Throal to get a good night's rest on the way North.

On the sixteenth day of our adventure, after wandering blindly through the Throal Mountains for two days, we ended up back at our starting point, the Gates of Throal. Thane needs to work on his Navigatory Skills, and perhaps we should pursue having a backup in the group.

On the twenty-third day of our adventure (surely having gotten lost again in the mountains), We arrived at the Iceclaw Moot and they directed us to the other Runic Circle. The Greater Rock Worm has not been spotted lately, but it is still believed to be in the area.

The Trollish Runic Circle is marked with various aspects of Trollish culture, with the odd clue being a reference to "mud people", the Trolls who sacrificed their horns for honor. We were told by the riddles to stand with the ones carved in stone, and some scanning of the area showed a fallen statue that had once been a Hornless Troll.

Pethrytholilanista was able to successfully cast the spell standing beneath the "mud people" lintel, giving her and Romari the appropriate marks. This drew the attention of some local Bears and Shrieker Bats. In need of a new animal companion (one dead and one wounded is not a good combination), I befriended one of the bears while my companions took care of the rest.

Bypassing the Gates of Throal upon my insistence, we visited the Baurschwine Farmstead on the Twenty-Ninth and final day of our journey to see if any change had precipitated in the central Runestone. Other than confirming that each Runic Circle had been tied to, its appearance had not changed. Be prepared to sell short, we have no idea what will happen when we bring every thread together.


Yours,

Ursula von Knuckebreaker, née Nusserman


PCs:
Pethrytholilanista, female Elf Nethermancer
Romari, male Elf Wizard
Thane Cawdor, male Troll Sky Raider
Ursula, female Dwarf Beastmaster

NPCs:
Damkina, a Bear
Nurfec Greathood, male Dwarf Scribe
Zimbu, a Monkey
Zunj, an ex-Ape