Recent Rumours - Adventurers

[Copper Dragon]

Adventurers.

From self-made heroes to mercenaries, from social movers to vagabonds, from entrepeneurs to solemn wardens, they are as varied a group as can be. Many of them strike out in order to escape one life while others do so to build it. They know no kinship, no common goal or heritage; but may share an understanding through the dangers they all are willing to face - for whatever reason.

What the Impilturan commoner may speak of with a shrug might light a spark in an adventurer's eye. Surely, as uneven and loose a circle as these people form, gossip and rumour may travel among them like it does among housewives and fishermen. Didn't you hear...?

Below you will find a few of the things being discussed in Impiltur of late - told about or among the self-appointed danger delvers. In most cases, an appropriate Knowledge check (DC 10) is enough to have heard such a rumour.
This post will be updated with some regularity, and is fully intended for the exposition of character actions and adventure hooks. To counter bias about one's own PCs, the rumours will be posted, and thus regulated, twisted, softened or exaggerated by a different player (the original poster). You may send a PM to me for a rumour that you would like to see posted. Rumours will be bundled and posted in clusters every week or two weeks.

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Week 15
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Adventurers have tackled one fortified hobgoblin den. They might have met a dragon while at it: one of the expeditioners was brought back to Sarshel with his skin burned and charred horrendously. Word has it the charred groupmember could still be healed by the Triad's skilled priests but he has been despicably disfigured. Should one scour the Mal River's hills they might be able to scavenge the dragon's remains... if they dare.
• The performances of Abigail Beaumont have drawn more folk, including adventurers to The Kingfisher in Sarshel of late. Perhaps she has songs to share of treasure and glory?
• The sighting of a dark-clad, raven-haired woman has been more and more associated with the ominous nature of a black cat. Strange, isn't it, that in the last days of the King she was in Sarshel but not long after the bells tolled for him she vanished?
• People warn one another for the arrival of orcbloods in Outentown: it wasn't long ago that two hulks were seen cornering a handsome lordling and threatening him in plain sight. Perhaps there is a bounty on their heads if one asked around for the victim.
• Rumour goes round and round that a redhead adventuress is matching couples for a dance night - couples among adventurers, at that. If one were heroic and lonely, this could be their chance to meet the damsel they've been fighting for.

[Copper Dragon]

Week 16
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Hearsay has it that a trio of robed men responsible for the appearances of certain posters and pamphlets have been travelling between outlying villages and larger settlements, reading the parchments aloud on behalf of the illiterate and the witless. Preaching with religious fervour and conviction in the local tongue and dialect, they wear yellow masks resembling plain human faces - stylised yellow rose brooches attached to their attires.
• The notorious mercenary, Jonan Mard, is not only known for his sword but also his "sword". They say he has gained a lusty appetite for Hin, of all people.
• Many in Sarshel know, or know of, the Adorned Sister Kelda Adler and her husband, Paladin Jerek Adler. They have shown a fondness for supporting the St. Agnes Orphanage. Some believe they are expecting a little newcomer of their own. Some with a more venomous tongue grin and say that Sister Kelda is with child... but not Jerek's.
• The outlying hamlet of Vlasta - or Valsta? Vstala? who has ever heard of it, or cared? - was said to have been protected by adventurers most skilled. Still, they could not vanquish what attacked from the bogs, only hold it off, if that. The locals call it the Beast, others name it a Hound of the Hells. Which adventurer would come and best the beast? Who will fail?
  *It is possible that the rumour is older, but that it took a good tenday or more to reach the hubs of civilization.
• The Easting Reach knows a small handful of gifted wilderness trackers. One of them is the reserved and little spoken-of Aryen Caladras. Impilturans might not know him per se, but adventurers may have heard of him despite his reclusiveness. Strange that not even among the wildrunners is his location known or suspected.

[Copper Dragon]

Week 17
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Songhall has seen the return of the Stone Grouch, Hróin son of Bróin, and a company of dwarven, human, hin and elven composition. If ever there were an adventuring party reminiscent to the fairy tales, this could have been the one - albeit a deeply exhausted and much more grim version of such. Unger mac Rotu, Barnabis Bullroy, Celith the Master of Wilds and Winds were among just the few the old dwarf Hróin entered Songhall and climbed to the lower lands after. Did they come searching leads to a new adventure, or was one just behind them?
  *It is possible that the rumour is older, but that it took a good tenday or more to reach the other hubs of civilization.
• There is word of a savage man harassing travellers by Holmwich Vale down the Royal Road. He says he speaks for a thousand dead men.
• The foreigner scholar and professional dungeon-delver, Miss Blackwing, was seen at The Crowning Glory Inn for a discussion with a local - a savant and, judging by his attire, a noble at that. He was heard to express his doubts and skepticism regarding the Cormyrian woman's competence in her chosen field, much to her obvious displeasure. One wonders, if they care to that is, what this might mean for her going forward in an academic environment that seems keen on belittlement...
• One should be careful of old homes' cellars and basements, abandoned or not. Cold and hunger drive the Lurkers closer and closer to civilization. Jaded villagers warn of a crumbling house upon the West Road, northwest of Outentown, being home to hungry fey and kobolds. Shelter should be sought in towns rather than in such places... although the house is rumoured to hold great, ransacked treasure.
• They recognise the lumbering hulk Ornak throughout Sarshel. Hard not to: his frame is monstrous. It was the oddest sight, then, that he came through Sarshel's gates carrying the Dawnbringer Artemis D'Assanthe draped over his arms a tenday ago. Once, many moons ago, when the Monstrous Mountain had been the cause of increasing fear and outrage in the city, it was among others this priestess that spoke out in her sermons to defend him. Did he betray and slay her? Or did the orc-blood save her?
• Word is quickly spreading throughout Sarshel that the islander from Ruathym, known as Hjalmar of Holgerstead, has issued the itinerant soldier, Merney Valroc, with a public challenge to holmgang; honourable combat and duelling to first blood. The duel is set to take place in the outskirts of Outentown at sundown on Greengrass ((Sunday, 1st May)). Commoners shake their head but place their bets anyway.

[Copper Dragon]

Week 18
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Greengrass, the annual celebration of spring, happened a handful of days ago. Despite the snow it was not completely neglected. One festive event took place in Sarshel's Old Quarter at the local Dawnbringer's apartment, apparently gathering a great many adventurers for dance and drink.
• The duel that took place on the same date, supposedly ended with the winner gaining the favours of not one but two women. Villagers are undecided whom they would have preferred to win; the hedge-knight or the uncouth marauder. As long as they keep their blades only aimed at each other, though, people will be happy.
• A group of adventurers sought out rabid beasts and men in the far northwestern woods - or some say creatures from the tales: Shapeshifters. Could it be true? Or were they spinning mighty stories? They fought well and bloody, but barely escaped with their lives.
• Outentown's residents warn of the lean spring's consequences. Wolves have been seen preying on the East Road, and a bear has been seen in the farmlands as well. A patch of bear- or wolf-pelt would be paid for handsomely.
• Some innkeepers - the knowers of all adventuring things - say that one of the foreign ladies Highblade is not only a swordswoman but an eccentric scholar. While she is known for the clever gleam in her eye and the wry smile on her lips, she supposedly recently visited the Triadic Temple and had an unnerving epipheny. Since then, people say she's brought out adventurers into unknown and wild places, where she tests their mettle and experiments on them, before bringing them back to town, battered and bested by her hand. They seem to find it rewarding, though, because the adventurers whom she brings back are usually the same.

[Copper Dragon]

Week 20
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• The 7th of Mirtul: word of the tragedy that struck Sarshel travels across Impiltur. Rumours regarding this fateful eve and its aftermath are too many to count. Some say the very heavens were torn asunder to strike down the Temple of the Triad, others say an Elemental Evil was called upon the building. Whatever the case, the temple was ruined, and the most feared, most accursed word "daemon" hangs upon people's lips. Would-be adventurers who are unfamiliar with the region might be interested in acquiring a certain Wynna Blackwing's Dark Corners of Impiltur for alleged first-hand accounts of this day.
• Back in the secluded northwest, where the hamlet of Vlasta lies, people recall one recent tale with relief and pride: that of the Beast in the Bog being defeated. Although it had come at a cost, the Ilmatari, Warsword and adventurers who dealt with the fiend are mentioned in good faith.
• A fox has apparently been seen roaming the streets of Sarshel. It might have been drawn to the city by relatively easy pickings, a rare thing for the wildlife in the lingering winter. In the night one can even hear its lonely cry - a bad omen, or merely another sound of grief? Some however think the haunting call of the fox is the sound of some banshee's croon... A soul trapped in this realm after the horrors of seventh of Mirtul.
• While adventurers come from all corners of the world, Impilturans aren't wont to forget expeditioners from among their own people. The scout and entrepeneur Simhan, the 'rogue warrior' mister Corker, lady Peveril (with a residence in Sarshel) and the Far Water dame Aleira Nemesk are a handful said to hail from Impiltur.
• Beware: there have been shadowy silhouettes slipping into abandoned houses in Sarshel, perhaps to delve into the dark and damp sewers. What for? Between you and I, you might better pretend not to have heard of it...
• Heroic, opportunistic, and suspicious deeds have been too numerous in the wake of 7th of Mirtul. One would have to spend a full day in afflicted Sarshel and surrounds to hear half of them.
  ((Advised to check out Offline RP for the plentiful responses to this event.))

[Silver Snow]

//Hello all! In light of Copper's joining the august ranks of DMs, I volunteer myself to take on the role of rumormill for the adventurers. I am unfortunately not active in Euro times and would be relying mostly on proactive PMs from European players, so if there is someone that can span both major timezones willing to take this up, please feel free to supercede me!

If I have everyone's trust and blessing, I'll aim to follow the format and Saturday releases.

Cheers!

//EDIT: Having spoken to Ostheim, we determined he'd be the much better option to take this endeavor over, given his greater versatility between timezones and, frankly, totally superior writing style. I may aid where I can, but all contacts and PMs should instead go to him!

[Ostheim]

// Hey all, Snow and I decided that I'd be a better fit for this rumor duty; as Copper states in the initial post, all rumors PMed to me will be altered or edited to reflect the ambiguity of the rumor mill and the way gossip travels. While I wouldn't expect anything too outlandish, I wouldn't expect the truth of any rumor to be taken with anything more than a grain of salt. Snow's going to be helping me out with this and providing feedback on what I write, but I'd ask you direct your PMs to me. Rather than rely on what I see occurring in game (I can't always tell if I'm seeing something rumor-worthy or not, especially whether you deem it so!), I'm likely going to rely exclusively on the PMs you send to determine what gets posted, within reason.

All in all, I hope to adhere to the guidelines Copper set out and enjoy some good old fashioned writing to boot.

Thanks!

[Ostheim]

Week 23
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Some of Sarshel's citizens, doubtless far more attentive and skittish in the wake of 7th Mirtul, noticed a large party of adventurers set out towards the west, some of them only returning to the port city in the darker hours of the morning. Though it takes another day or so to get the rumor mill truly spinning, it quickly becomes obvious that a blow had been struck against the hobgoblins squatting within the Wood of Tusks. The returning adventurers, those who DID return, were a haggard and bloodied bunch, fueling the notion that more than a few had perished during the attack, the motivations of which are still unclear. Naturally, this has given rise to a number of related points of gossip.
• The most prominent slice of gossip comes from Outentown, where the elderly, winter-harassed spinsters are doubtlessly desperate for anything of note to talk about. They spread liberal word of that very same party of adventurers, some say led by the Adorned of Ilmater Kelda Adler, making their direct way for the humble shack of their local Ilmateri healer, Brother Garrmin. Though it was at an odd hour they visited, some say they remember seeing the group carrying the limp form of one of their companions with them into the shack. It was only about an hour later that the domicile was lit up by candlelight and low-murmured chanting from within, culminating in the majority of the adventurers leaving the place yet again, looking far more relieved than when they had entered.
  
  Some insist that some manner of divine intervention has occurred, wrought by none other than Kelda the Adorned and her intimate connection to her God. Others dismiss this as hopelessly fanciful, and that praying by the side of the fallen was nothing new. Few others still smile and nod their heads, proclaiming that the miracle was brought along by their very own Garrmin, leading to a very slight increase in traffic for the now-busy Brother.
• The Kingfisher Tavern, a beacon of relative prosperity in dreary Sarshel, has seen the addition of a new employee, the exotic Northerner Hothric Ivanis. His gruff accent and imposing size leave little to the imagination as to the fate of those who idly cross him. Most speculate his hiring as a logical conclusion to the tavern's arrangement with its relatively new bardess.
• The latest in a steady stream of Cormyreans, the arrival of the personable tracker and archer Élisabeth Duval is one viewed with equal measures suspicion and smile. Traditionalists of Impiltur set right back to griping about the influx of foreigners, especially those from the Forest Kingdom; might even more be on the way for some purpose?
• The curious presence of a number of raw meat offerings made during a lonely winter night in Sarshel does not go unnoticed; while some note an increase in guard patrols near the homes that saw the offerings visited upon them, others look on in stark envy as certain families enjoy the first proper meal they've had in weeks. Said families tend to see a certain amount of harassment inflicted upon them there-after, who can only meekly insist that they were chosen at random by a strange wandering huntress.
• Word trickles in along the road between Filur and Sarshel that lone travelers and even a full wagon or two have gone missing whilst traveling between the two places. These rumors reach an unhappy pitch when the hedge knight Merney Valroc is rumored to ride back into Sarshel, barely alive, after having had a deadly encounter with a large beastly cat on the roadside.
• In the southern Reach, occasional rumors spread northward regarding the presence of a burly half-orcan woman busily slaughtering as many monsters and creatures as she can get her hands - and axe, for don't they always use axes? - upon. While some small few make it clear they do not care who kills their monsters, others loudly ponder on when the monster killing the monsters will look into a mirror and do what is necessary.

[Ostheim]

Week 25
pertaining to the year of 1363DR

Spoiler:

• Following word of disturbances upon the Old Road to Thelnam, it's rumored that a group of adventurers led by the Highblade sisters embarked upon a mission to investigate, accompanied by several from Sarshel. Out for the entirety of the day, they only returned at dusk to Outentown, where spirits were reported to be decidedly low, a far cry from the jubilant mood one would expect from adventurers returned from a successful outing. Most agree, though, that low spirits are far more preferable to word that demons stalked the Old Road, as was feared. Still, the outing is yet shrouded in mystery.
• Responding to a notice made by a lonesome Outentown farmer, a group of kind-hearted stalwarts set out from the Crossroads north of the farming thaedar to seek out the man's lost pair of hounds. A number of curious pieces of gossip follow - that the dogs were slain by the adventurers themselves in a fit of typical cruelty for not being paid enough, that the adventurers 'spoke' to the dogs in some occult tongue, and that the dogs were beset by some nefarious goblin influence.
• A more heroic tale is spread as of late of the Eastern barbarian Jun, and how he supposedly single-handedly slew an ogre after being pounded by its cumbersome club into the dirt, only to rise when the ogre was caught-off guard to impale it.
• Much word is spread about hunts in the woods throughout the Uplands, ranging from poorly understood insinuations regarding the troupe contest of Filur, where a number of grizzled, hard-scrabble woodsmen harboring hatred towards Malar were known to have participated, to the more recent reports that another hunt is being organized by an Oathkeeper of the woods (an odd sort who makes regular visit to city and forest alike) to further combat the efforts of the Black-Blooded Pard.
• Following the hulking sea-raider's duel with a hedge knight near Outentown, folk ponder over their drinks as to whom Hjalmar Godefroy will take offense - and his giant axe - to next. Surely goblins and kobolds won't sate such a man's appetite for violence for long.
• In Sarshel - mostly around the docks and its numerous colorful taverns and dives - it becomes an unfortunately common topic of discussion, and much guffawing, as to when High Dawnlord Artemis D'Assanthe will, with the power of her God at her disposal, simply use Lathander's blessings to get rid of the scar on her face. Because that's how blessings work, right?
• Many in Sarshel continue to lament the onset of cats in their alleyways and the limitless bowls of food that have been prepared for them - people can only report the noise of clopping along the cobblestones in retreat whenever they try to catch the cat-lover in the act.

[Ostheim]

// A friendly reminder that I can always use rumor PMs from you guys! It could be completely fabricated stuff, for all I care!