What's happening in Taurhopa?

[ed.ch...@gmail.com]

Hi everyone - 

Our most recent band of adventurers - Aila, Dramble, Kallista, Newt and Xyrxina - traveled out to Taurhopa, an elven port city in the lands beyond the mountains. They were on a mission to return General Varisel's earthly remains to his people, learn more about the noble Latharas family, and above all, explore.

I realise how all this past tense is sounding, so let me quickly confirm, they're all fine! They have elected to stay in Taurhopa for the time being, as they have found other opportunities they want to look into. They have agreed to send a messenger back with a letter, via the elven plains people and the folks at Aldalorna. That letter will arrive soon and will have more information from them.

If other adventurers would like to join them in Taurhopa, after reading what they have to say, then let's talk about that on this thread.

[Richard Jackson]

It's entirely possible this letter will consist of just one word, repeated over and over, with varying numbers of exclamation marks... ;o)

[ed.ch...@gmail.com]

Given all the madness that is generally happening right now, the write-up / letter hasn't had time to get written, so I am presenting my own write-up which I mailed to players instead (with - most of -  their permission). If anyone wants to correct anything I've written here, please feel free. Not everything from the session is covered here, but these are the facts which are widely known.

Players who didn't go to Taurhopa: if you read through this, you'll know what's going on, and what the Taurhopa group are likely planning next.

October / November  2020 - "Four Towns and a Funeral"

Aila - Wood-elf Oath of the Ancients paladin

Dramble - Gnomish draconic sorceror

Kallista - Tiefling hexblade warlock

Newt - Dragonborn ranger

Xyrxina - High-elf noble ranger

Day 1 - Crossing the plains

Our adventure starts at the new dwarf-hewn steps, leading out of the Valley and down into the plains. Stopping briefly at Aldarlorna, to pick up horses and a cart to carry the ornate elven-carved coffin containing General Varisel's remains, the party head South-West across the misty plains, heading for Halda, a small encampment of plainspeople in the shadows of the mountains at the head of the Creller Pass.

The party end the first day camped atop the hill known as the Meeting Trees, and as the twilight turned to night, the lights of fires from fires began to appear one after the other on neighbouring hills, like islands rising from the mist. The plainspeople were returning home for the winter.

Day 2 - At Halda encampment

The party continued on to Halda, an encampment by a small lake at the foot of the mountains. Xyrxina and Dramble have been here before, but this is new territory for Aila, Newt and Kallista. Xyrxina catches up with Hilda, the leader of the camp, and finds out that over the summer, the inhabitants of Creller - deep in the mountain pass - ventured out into the forests to recover the body of the half-elf hunter Nerelle va Creller, so that she could be returned home and interred in the family chapel. Xyrxina and Dramble both talked to Hilda's daughter Sigrin, telling her about Heskeron's Tower on the mountain, and the haunted fort at Woodsend, respectively. Xyrxina goes hunting and returns later on with a boar, though she seems troubled and strangely preoccupied after the hunt, much quieter than usual.

Day 3 - Creller

The party pass through the arched gateway of the abandoned fort at the head of the Creller Pass, and journey onwards into the mountains, following the road. Along the way are blue-painted posts carved with mystical symbols, warding the road against the evil which lurks just out of sight in the forested hills on either side. Again, while Dramble and Xyrxina have been here before, this is new to Aila, Kallista and Newt.

The party arrive at Creller in the afternoon and are greeted by Thomas Finn, the barman and chef of the village's only inn. Everyone else finds rooms, but Aila feels the obligation of her oath to Varisel's spirit and keeps vigil with his coffin in the inn's stables. Finn brings her food, drink and blankets to keep her warm overnight.

Day 4 - Paying respects and traveling on

In the morning the party make to set off and continue their journey, but before leaving Xyrxina seeks out the va Creller family. She meets with Tenniel va Creller, the half-elf son of Nerelle and Manfred, and visits the chapel with him in order to pray for the spirit of his mother, earning Tenniel's respect and friendship.

Leaving the pass and entering the fallen elven kingdom of Sesseran, our party of adventurers head on towards Duhlmora, not quite reaching the city before nightfall, and choosing to set up camp on the outskirts.

Day 5 - Duhlmora and Nendëyanta

The party dip into Duhlmora ever-so-briefly, so that Xyrxina can show the rest of the group Martyr's Square, just inside the main gate. In the middle of the square, around a fountain, are six statues, each standing perhaps fifteen feet tall atop a stone plinth bearing their names and arms. One of these is Lady Eldareth Latharas, murdered councillor of Taurhopa, a cloaked elven warrior woman portrayed with her hair blowing as if in the breeze, and an axe at her belt. The same Latharas family coat of arms borne by Xyrxina is carved faithfully upon the plinth.

Leaving Duhlmora, the party round the western side of Lake Sakera, arriving at Nendëyanta in the evening. Nendëyanta is a town split into two halves by the river - also named Sakera - which flows from the southern side of the lake. The western side is mostly human and halfling occupied, while the eastern side possesses more of the high-elven architecture of the original Sesser settlement. The party find accommodation at the Old Bridge Inn on the western side, and  Dramble entertains the crowd with song and flourishes of theatrical pyrotechnics. Aila keeps her quiet night-time vigil once again, interrupted periodically by drunken cheering from the inn, and offerings of cake and halfling pastries from the other party members.

Day 6 - To Taurhopa...

After their night in Nendëyanta, the party move off, following the road to Taurhopa along the Sakera river. On the way into town the group passed a watch-tower on a hill hung with blue banners with the design of a ship flanked by two trees in white - the flag of Taurhopa. Making their way into the town itself, they find an inn - the Sun Inn - on the western side of the main market square, where Xyrxina loudly and indescreetly introduces herself ("do you know who I am?")

Surprisingly, this gambit pays dividends and the party are shown to the Latharas Suite, a collection of rooms reserved for visiting members of the noble family. The party's belongings, and Varisel's casket, are taken up to the rooms. However the party's arrival has not gone unnoticed, as even when they were walking through the market square they managed to attract attention to themselves, and around an hour after they arrived there is a knock at the door and two city officials in blue livery arrive with an invitation from Countess Ashilda Etrand , the elected leader of Taurhopa, to visit at her chambers. The party agree to attend, but tell the city officials that they will attend the next day, once they are refreshed - indicating to the Countess that they are not hers to command. A coach is arranged, which will pick up the party and take them to the council chambers at ten o'clock the next morning.

Later in the evening, after dinner, the party gather at the window overlooking the market square and Aila spots a figure on a roof opposite, above a bookstore. The figure, crouched on the roof with a spyglass, is wearing dark armour with a white wolf emblem on the chest, and seems to be watching the inn. Aila tells the others, and Xyrxina remembers seeing similar armour on three bodies found in a cave beneath Heskeron's Tower. The bodies found there looked like an adventuring party of some kind.

Our adventurers close the curtains and begin to turn in for the night. Xyrxina goes for a walk down to the docks, making use of her gloomstalker powers to avoid detection and sneak through the shadows. The docks are lively even in the night, with plenty of elven, half-elven and human sailors unloading materials from ships and entertaining themselves at the nearby taverns. In the Greenhaven Tavern, Xyrxina overhears rumours of pirate attacks on shipping coming in from a place called Vilarë, across the sea. Apparently the pirates have been targeting ships carrying high-value items such as Harmenor wine and spices.

Day 7 - Into the wolf's den...

The next morning after breakfast the party hear noises from the alleyway to the side of the inn, and see an unmarked coach arriving just before half-past nine. They go down and talk to the driver and are pleased to learn that this unmarked coach which arrived earlier than expected is a special coach laid on for the Lady Latharas. The party pile on board and are taken for a ride... as it were. After crossing the river, the coach is joined by two armed elves on horseback, who emerge from alleyways on either side and take up flanking positions just behind the coach - the riders again wearing the emblem of the wolf. The coach then takes a sudden left turn into a compound and the gates are closed behind them.

(You might think you'd have to get up pretty early in the morning to get the better of our party, but as it turns out, not that early).

Inside the compound is a large courtyard in which stand around a dozen similarly armed and armoured elves. The building in front of the coach sports black banners with a white wolf on them. This, we will learn, is Hossë Narmona, the Guild of the White Wolf. The coach driver opens the door and apologises for the inconvenience and the subterfuge, and the party are escorted into the building, along a corridor hung with various hunting trophies and militaria. Our adventurers meet the leader of the guild, an older high elf with greying red hair named Wyshana Staronor. Staronor's right wrist is badly scarred and her right hand is missing the ring and little fingers. Staronor is nothing if not courteous, but firm - and clearly views this new Latharas with some suspicion, subjecting Xyrxina to a test of her lineage using heretofore unknown magical powers of her family signet ring. After Xyrxina passes the test, the atmosphere in the room noticeably relaxes (if only slightly) and the party and Staronor begin discussing the situation in Taurhopa, and it is explained that the guild whose building they are in is an organisation set up by Eldareth Latharas and sworn to protect Taurhopa and its people, but who also sometimes travel further afield to explore, find treasures from the war, and kill monsters (in short, a combination of self-appointed city guard and adventurer's guild). Xyrxina learns something of her family's history in the area, while Aila learns some key information to locating Varisel's family. Staronor checks through the guild's records and finds that Varisel's grandson Centa is still living in Taurhopa and is a worshipper at the temple of Corellon nearby. The party leave the guild on good terms, and Staronor lets it be known that Xyrxina, as a scion of Taurhopa's noble line, will be welcome there should she need assistance (as to how far that offer is extended to the others, it's not clear). Some of the party (in particular Newt, Kallista and Aila) get the distinct impression that Xyrxina's arrival has added unwelcome complications to Staronor's world, but of course the guild leader was nothing but courteous. After the meeting is concluded, the party travel on by the same coach to the council chambers to the north of the guild compound.

On the way to the council buildings, the coach passes by well-to-do residential streets and a few more inns, before turning up an avenue lined with poplar trees which winds up the hill. The seat of the council is an imposing wide-fronted building at the end of this avenue surrounded by a wall with towers at four corners. As the party arrive - slightly late, due to their stop at the guild compound - raised voices can be heard from the Countess' chambers, followed by a loud thud of something heavy slamming into a wall and cries of "that misbegotten cow" (who could they be referring to?)

Aila asks if she and her companions have arrived at a bad time, but their escort assures her that they are expected and all will be well, then scuttles in to go talk to the Countess. There are more raised voices, followed by a clearly audible sigh, after which the party are invited in. The Countess is a tall, slim, grey-haired half-elf on the older side of middle-aged. She looks fed up and weary, and is smoking a cheroot which gives off a pungent, highly-spiced smell which permeates the whole room. The party introduce themselves and explain what has brought them to Taurhopa - Countess Etrand raises a grey eyebrow at the mention of General Varisel, and asks them a little more about their travels, remarking that Varisel was a noted war hero to Taurhopa. She provides the party with a letter of introduction to help them settle in and help smooth over any difficulties they might encounter in town (not that any are necessarily expected, but friends in high places are always useful!). Etrand also promises to introduce Xyrxina to her cousin Bellaluna Latharas, who is in town, though she regrets that the current head of the family, Ninleyn (Bellaluna's eldery father) is away at present, "on his island".

After meeting with the Countess, the party head back into town, deciding to walk this time. Dramble and Xyrxina spot a familiar wagon, parked outside a tavern called the White Stag - the wagon belongs to Hatheril the silk merchant, who they met in Creller when he was rather the worse for wear. The party decide to go into the tavern and spot the portly elven merchant at a table, enthusiastically (and possibly slightly drunkenly) talking to a dark-haired human man in his 40s with flecks of grey in his beard. The party decide not to introduce themselves immediately but sit at a nearby table for lunch and begin to eavesdrop (rude much?), learning that Hatheril is supplying cold-weather padded leather armour to the human, Roald, for an upcoming expedition. Xyrxina finally decides to say hello to Hatheril, and while he recognises her, it takes a while for the penny to drop. He exclaims "Lady Zimina! How lovely to see you again!"

"...Xyrxina...", our favourite elf warrior princess quietly corrects him.

Hatheril introduces his companion, Roald Heftriss, to the party and ebulliently tells them all of how Heftriss is organising an expedition to Black Crag to go hunt dragons, and exclaims how exciting it all is, and how brave Heftriss and his expedition are. Heftriss looks on, clearly unimpressed at having his personal business talked about to complete strangers. Nonetheless, Heftriss confirms that he is gathering volunteers for an expedition to be led by the Guild of the Wolf, and will be setting off in a few months. He tells the party that white wyrms have been seen nesting in the mountains high above Black Crag, and the guild is looking to kill the new dragons while they are still young, before they grow and become unmanageable.

Finally, towards the end of an already long and full day, the party call in at the temple of Corellon in the south-west of town to look for Centa Varisel. The temple is a round, domed building with a central pool inside, the water lit with tiny white lights which swim around seemingly unconnected to any physical support. The priestess at the temple, Valindra helps them by pointing out Varisel, a stooped and elderly high elf, deep in prayer. Waiting for him to complete his meditations, the group then introduce themselves and between themselves and priestess Valindra, begin making plans for the funeral. Aila returns to the Sun Inn, to keep her vigil, joined by two young temple acolytes. Xyrxina heads off to further investigate the rumours of piracy that she heard about the day before.

Day 8 and 9 - A vigil, a procession and General Varisel's return

The next day, more elves - followers of Corellon and ordinary townsfolk - come to the Sun Inn to pay their respects to the general. A crowd gathers outside as news of the war hero's return begins to spread.

The day after that is the day of the funeral. Varisel's ornate casket, carved by the elves of the Valley, is taken from the inn and carried to a horse-drawn hearse waiting outside. Townsfolk line the streets in respectful silence, watching the hearse go past and then following after it across the river to the temple. By the time the casket arrives at the temple a large crowd has gathered. The casket is taken from the hearse and carried into the temple by Xyrxina, Aila, Centa Varisel, the commander of the Taurhopa barracks, Countess Etrand and Wyshana Staronor. As an elven choir sings, the casket is placed gently at the side of the temple pool, and the priestess Valindra commences the funeral service. The worshippers and attendees are invited to speak and share any words they may have to say about the general. Finally, Valindra welcomes Varisel's spirit back to the temple, back to his home and back to his ancestors. As she speaks, a new white light sparks to life at the edge of the pool, dim at first, then brightening as it swims to join the others. General Antheri Varisel, commander of the Taurhopa forces at Wëordursenda, leader of the work on project Umbra, murdered father and grandfather, has returned home.