The Northern Fields

After all the people had been evacuated from the Northern farms the land sat quietly for a while. Those who walk through the are would from time to time swear they hear a clicking sound similar to the giant spiders of the abandoned house. Yet no matter who looks for tracks or signs of the creatures nothing but random sounds are found.

People who head to the Northern farms would begin to notice a number of spiderwebs in places. Mostly trees and in the homes. They are old webs full of dust and debris. Nothing sticky or new. The webs very in size from small common cobwebs to a few larger ones in the trees.

Leander Fleau would over hear a farmer discuss the webs. He would then ask if every one from the Northern Fields was accounted for, and then if any people have returned to thier homes, and not been seen. Quite concerned for the safety of the people he would set up a small camp in the Northern Tree lines, before hand however he would send a letter to Shadowdale. Asking a young farm boy to run it to town. He would give the youngling some gold coin.

There is no trace of what made the webs. They all seem a bit old as something made them a while ago, no fresh webs are found. In the webs are found all nature of creatures; birds, mice, raccoons, just about anything from the size of a large house cat and smaller. Even the bones of a sprite are found in one web. All the people that lived in that area were moved out over a week ago.

// map should be updated soon.

"Very curious..."

Jonah decides to set up an experiment and spends a day or so up in the most densely webbed barn or house.  He comes prepared to spend the night, as unlikely as sleep might be.  He tells both Sister Laura and Kendra of his intentions, in case something should go awry, but he doesn't anticipate anything catastrophic.

Sitting down with his prayer book, he settles in for the night to observe and listen...

[Base scores: Listen 18; Spot 18]
[Jonah will spend up to 48 hours there]

DeepFriedMoose wrote:

"Very curious..."

Jonah decides to set up an experiment and spends a day or so up in the most densely webbed barn or house.  He comes prepared to spend the night, as unlikely as sleep might be.  He tells both Sister Laura and Kendra of his intentions, in case something should go awry, but he doesn't anticipate anything catastrophic.

Sitting down with his prayer book, he settles in for the night to observe and listen...

[Base scores: Listen 18; Spot 18]
[Jonah will spend up to 48 hours there]

As you sit in the still barn you occasionally hear the sounds of large spiders moving about. The creepy noise they make as the chitter and the sounds of web making keep you on edge. Yet you still do not see any movement or sign of them.

On the second day you hear a bear roar in the distance and the spiders seem to head in that dirrection, for the rest of that day you hear nothing new. However that evening you feel a change in the place. Your skin gets goosebumps like a chill breeze blows across your back, yet you break out in a sweat. The hair on your arms rise and you can almost feel somesort of pent up energy around you...

A few more webs seem to gradually materialize before you, at first just a hazy shadow then it slowly gains more form and substance as the old webs become more soild. Once you can fully see the cobweb the energy disapates back into the area around you.

While this was unnerving what was really unsettling was you thought you might have, but then again may not have..but possibly heard a voice whisper in the breeze...

"Soon...." But it could have been your imagination.

*Keen enough of a survivalist to stay down wind of any humans and their friends, a looming figure watches people movements from deep in the thicket and out of sight.  Sensing any approach, he would rush off deep into the forest, hurdling huge tree trunks and boulders, finding his way to the forests on the edge of the Daggerhills and then out into the plains to meet with other orcs and relay what he has seen.  A sack full of invisibility potions at the ready.  

On his way, and after putting a good bit of distance between him and the northern farms he would cover his tracks with the brushings of a tree branch, or sprinkle a ful concoction of wolf urine and soured pigs blood to hide his scent, or step into creeks and travel upcreek or down creek 1/4 mile before steeping on land again.*

*Gran was reading over some notes while sitting out side the Academy, few others pass and trade words with him but oddly enough a man covered in cob webs came towards him. A man named Jonah Goodman, Gran would remember seeing him last the day they fought off those spiders on the bridge infront of the Academy. Jonah would give him samples of large bugs, animals, and the cob webs, Jonah also states that he is looking for Kendra and Sister Laura. Gran would thank him before taking the things into the summon room where they had the old spider sampling station set up at*

*calkin gives some instructions to Gran about how to progress* ))academy forum

Syvin travels with Jonah to the fields and observes the effected areas with trueseeing.

Last night a group of adventures clearing the Kobold mines ran into a number of spiders. As they were leaving they were attacked by more spiders and still more that seemed to appear out of the very air itself. They finally reached town and told others what had happened. Some ran off right away to see this menace and were soon over come by the eight legged monsters.

As the group made thier way north more and more spiders appeared out of tears in the walls between the two dimensions. Calkin lead a number of mages in an attempt to seal the breaches. As they moved north to the source of the tears they came upon a great bear battling the spiders. Luckily they managed to kill the spiders as the bear collapsed from it's wounds. Hawkley, Kendra, Ranya, & Kitty stayed with the bear as the others moved forward.

They continued to try to seal the holes when a hoard of spiders poured out of new tears and attacked the group many fell to the foul creatures but the adventures were successful in killing the creatures and strenghtening the wall. However the last giant spider spoke of "Mother coming to feast on thier flesh" before it faded into the other realm. With that the area reverted back to normal. The threat was over for now.

However as the group searched they found a man wrapped in webbing. He seemed to be the focus of the spider attacks and showed sighs to have been battling the creatures for weeks. He was taken to Shadowdale to recover after much healing was used on him at the site. His bear was taken to the druid grove to recover. When he was taken to the hospital and cleaned up one of the volunteers noticed his silver hair and twin horns. Soon talk started to spread that Azalar, son of Dove and Florin was in the hospital.

*after returning more spider samples to the academy for research, Calkin instructs Gran Nefzen on how to proceed on the research of overlapping dimensions. Including his latest findings on how to strengthen the barrier between them, and how this could be altered to created portals for teleportation throughout the dales.*

As the morning sun rises over Shadowdale's Northernmost Vale, a grim sight can be seen.  The earth is stiff, and where exposed appears white, as though a deep frost has set in.  Whether by magical means or mundane, perhaps a pinch of dirt on the tongue, those investigating quickly learn the white is salt, infused into the earth to spoil it forever.

More immediate to the attention of passers-by, however, is the body of an Akh'Velahr scout, brazenly left out in the open near the Northern Gate, fletched shafts visible at a distance.  Those searching further get an unpleasant surprise, the body of a young woman floating in the nearby well.

*in-game event.  posted with permission.

After her patrols, Kendra learns about this and makes her way to Myth Drannor to speak to the Keeper about one of his soldiers passing. The bodies have been taken to the Temple of the House of Plenty in an attempt to be raised.

((Which I'm assuming they couldn't.))

Neither victims return from death, sadly.

After a normal night of spring showers the salt water seeps into the ground. Soon the foliage begins to brown and wither. A few of the farmers who check on their farms return to town after looking at the fields speaking about how the ground will be unusable for five to ten years if not longer.

Finally hearing of the salting, Bryanna moves into the Nothern area and begins to inspect the extent of the damage. And while she accepts finding footprints may be a folly as it wasn't brought to her attention.. she is assuredly looking for signs of a pole-drag or cart used to move so much salt. She's not blind to other possibilities though they are not her strong suit. She does occasional try to search for traces of magic.

((+15 survival modifier, +6 Spellcraft, +17 lore mod. she's seeking for what exactly was done, how much land was damaged, and how it could have been done))

The recent spring showers have rendered it hard to find any footprints, but it would seem there was more than one person, it is difficult to tell exactly how many there are. There is no sign of cart tracks or a pole-drag, nor is there any sign of lingering magic.

What is obvious is that the fields were salted to poison the farmlands. The effects can already been seen. Most of the Northern Fields and Farmhouses were hit.

As Bryanna takes this in she continues to look for further clues in the area seeking to answer one question and only one question "How did they get a mountain of salt into this area to do this much damage?".