Topic: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

(Session Report 01)

My very first session in Dunnsmouth ended last sunday. My favorite quotes from one of my players from that evening was: „I am afraid of (rolling) dice now“. But let´s start at the beginning...

I was able to gather three friends of mine (all of them experienced roleplayers) for a sunday afternoon and evening, and they were willing to join me in my first ever session with Lamentations of the Flame Princess. At first I explained them the basic rules after I had handed them some empty character sheets (nothing about magic) and gave them the basic about the adventure once more (I had emailed those to them before). Then, I gave them pre-created characters and let them „draft“ those (without talking about the characters) and this was the group that was formed:


The centerpiece of the group was Jasper (“Specialist”), a rather simple (simpleton) shepherd who became a poacher during a harsh winter. He was a boyhood friend to Angus, and Angus and Japser where both drinking buddies of Cormagh.

Angus himself was a soldier who had lately lost his position in the personal guard of a local lord (who could not effort to hold all of his men after they had killed a few to many peasants as they crushed an uprising in his village).

Cormagh, was a dwarf who had come over from the Dwarven Realm (which replaced Scotland in my personal game world) to work as a craftsman but was thrown out by his master after a very vicious brawl with some fellow craftsmen.


They had heard of a bounty that had been placed onto the heads of the last four members of a group of bandits called the Brownfox brigands (the Witch-Daughter Shelly-Ann Webster, Martin O´Brian, Tommy Felkham und a guy only known as Edward). Those four were able to flee, and the King´s men believed that they fled south from their hideout, over the mountains and into a swamp near the coast. There, the only known center of population is a small community named Dunnsmouth, which was believed by some to have been eradicated a generation ago by the plague. But seamen from a merchant vessel that travels along the coast insisted that they were sometimes met by fishers from Dunnsmouth, out at the sea, who traded salted fish for metal tools. For a bounty of 200 sp for each of the cutthroats, the band of three was willing to take their chances.

Explaining the rules was quick, choosing the characters took a little longer and a little more time was spend semi in-character as the three began to make plans and to acquire weapons and gear (they had not much starting equipment, but starting some money instead). Their very first hard decision was if they would try to bring the four back alive or if they would try to kill them (the bounty was “dead or alive”). There was a discussion about transporting prisoners vs. transporting rotting corpses, at the end they spend money on shackles but agreed to decide on the spot what they should do. All the while, I had some medieval sound loop running to set the scene for my fictional harbor town of Spillswick, in which the characters would start in. As they were ready they called it a night went to the docks with the rising sun on the next morning, as the captain of the cog Madlein had told them to. At the docks, they met a mad beggar, and as they passed by they heard him ramble one thing or another as he argued with a seagull, but one word he barked caught their attention: Dunnsmouth. It was Jasper who approached him friendly to ask what he knew about Dunnsmouth, but the madmen hushed him with a look of urgency on his face... before he strolled away. Non the wiser, the three embarked onto the cog to begin their journey.

The day on sea was uneventful, but even so the ship never left the shore line out of sight both Angus and Jasper became seasick on the short journey. As they reached their destination all they were able to see was a thick bank of fog before the coast. A row boat was readied for them, but the captain of the Madlein gave them one last warning: he told them that about legends, of an old evil that had been waiting in the mountains and that Dunnsmouth itself was of ill-reputed and the people there were rumored to be both inbreed and mad. Never the less, they were brought to the pier, but the two sailors who brought them there hurried to get back. The fog was so thick that they might have never found the pier if it would not have been for a lantern that had been placed there, and the time they had spend in it upon entering the wall-like bank had been disquieting to them. (I had switched to some scary background music for the narration of that event, it had worked out quite well).

As they were about to start their journey four massive, black dogs charged out of the mist and stopped a step away from them while they barked and snarled threateningly. The three decided to hold still and not to make a move. A moment later, they heard a raspy, hoarse voice calling out to the dogs and a spindly old man came out of the fog and into view. He was bald, crooked and staggered forward while he leaned onto an boathook. The dogs obeyed to his orders immediately and came to his side, still watching the characters warily.

The unfriendly old guy who later introduced himself as Reginald Dunlop demanded to know who they were and where the PC where from (a fact that he forgot repeatedly during the conversation, only to ask again and again) and what their business in Dunnsmouth would be. The characters introduced themselves nicely and put up with the insults he spewed forth (“SPILLSWICK! Pah! Hav´been there, only two kind of people liv´there: those who have lice and those who have syphilis. Now, to which doya belong?!”). They showed him their wanted poster and asked if he has seen any strangers. Reginal, half blind that he is had to shuffle all the way to the lamp to take a long look, denied that any of these would be in Dunnsmouth and gave the poster back... and Jasper learned that he had been holding it upside down.  They bought some dried, salted fish from him and some of his booze (after they had to reveal that they had no barter goods with them, which earned them even more disapproval from Reginald). In the end, they were able to learn that Dunnsmouth was largely flooded and nearly devoured by the swamp by now, and they learned the direction to the Church (and thereby to the home of Samuel Dunlop and Obediah Duncaster and the ruin of the old guesthouse) from the old man. In addition, Reginal had let it slip that Samuel was a relative of his and that “the stupid ninny” was searching for some treasure he believed to be in the swamp and “he´s ain´t just no right anymore since his sista is dead”.

Jasper, Cormagh and Angus guessed that they had about two hours left till the sun goes down and decided it would be in their best interest to reach the church by then (“if push comes to shove, we strike up a camp on the cemetery!” And they already considered that to be the second best place to stay!). So, they packed up after haggling with Reginald over the rent of his skiff (20sp as a dead pledge, an sp a day as a rent). While they came past what must have been the home of Samuel Dunlop (a two story brick house in the middle of what seemed to be a flooded field) and that of Obediah (an assortment of small tree houses that looked like a home as well) they did not made contact with any of them but went straight to the church. After a long while they reached a large lake that seemed to have swallowed what might have used to be the center of Dunnsmouth: a number of ruins stuck out of the black-brown water, some of them only partially flooded, others had crumbled and sunken in. The mist seemed to swallow any sound there. At first, Jasper was reluctant to cross and would have rather moved around it, but the delay worried him: none of the three wanted to be outside in the swamps after dark. This was the first moment that they noted that the light was still as it was as they had reached the pier. So, they crossed it and checked one of the ruins that still was in a better state (after all, they were searching for some fugitive cutthroats), but as they recognized that a badger was inhabiting the ruin they decided to let it be (if the fugitives would be there, so they reasoned, the badger would have not).

After they crossed the large lake, they came past the ruins of an old guesthouse (the front door was unhinged, the former stable were just a pile of rotten wood and the middle of the roof had collapsed) but decided to move on as after listening quietly for a while (no sounds, no light, no fugitives, so they thought). Once they came near the hill the church had been erected on they needed to pull their skiff like a sledge, which Angus did. As it finally came into sight through the fog (that has thinned a little after they were away from the coast) they developed a bad feel about this: the church garden had not been tended to for  very long time, strange piles of reed where found left and right. They already had heard from old Reginald that Father Ivanopolus seemed to be out of his mind, but the actual signs of neglect fueled their unease.

It was Angus who leaned against the heavy church doors to push them open, and before he knew what happened he was struck down by a number of bricks that fell down onto him from above, leaving him with a serious head wound and a damaged shoulder. The inside of the church was dimly lit by a number of candles that somebody had lighted on the altar and what little light fell in through the stained glass window behind the pulpit. The priest seemed to learn against his pulpit and a couple of people were sitting on different pews but there was no sound and nobody even moved. Jasper was readying bow and arrow while Cormagh helped up Angus as a door left of the altar was kicked open and a massive silhouette moved out of it. The only detail the three where able to glimpse were the blades of the two-headed battle ax the unknown assailant raised as it stormed towards the PC, first in silence and then with a war cry.

Battle ensued and the dice where completely against the PC. I have -never- seen a complete group of characters rolling five “1” in a row when it came to damage. In the end, they barely made it and and Angus killed huge grizzled looking attacker with a slash over the throat. Himself badly wounded both from the trap and an ax blow to his his side, he toward over the opponent has he lay on his back and began to choke on his own blood, only to spit him HIS blood into his face. Then he sat down onto a pew and barely managed not to collapse.

To be continued...

Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2017-01-30 17:46:02)

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Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Second part of Session 01

As the fight was over, Cormagh helped Angus to tend his wounds (which were pretty bad, as the PC was down to zero hit points) while Jasper began to look around inside the church. As neither the priest in the pulpit nor any of the four figures on the different pews had move at all or had made as much as a sound during the fight, it was no surprise to the group that all of them were dead. What did came as a surprise was that all of the corpses were stuffed like animals and that their eyes and lips were sewn shut. The only exception to this was the corpse of in the priests garment, inside of the pulpit: here, the mouth was kept open with the help of a few wooden splinters (and the corpse was secured to the pulpit both by rope and by the left arm being nailed to it). Among the corpses were two of the bandits they were after (Martian O´Brian and the guy who was only known as Edward), the other two were a young guy (16 years old) and an old woman. The attire of both suggested that they could be locals. Otherwise, the search revealed nothing but the church chronic (a leather bound tome), a bible (at the pulpit) and a trap door leading below.

Jasper decided to check the room their assailant came out of. A light was still shining in their, but they had noted no move our sound from the room as they had checked the bodies. In the meanwhile, Angus put himself to rest onto one of the pews while Cormagh searched the body of the attacker before closing the church portal (by locking it with a large bar he found in the corner). The search of the dead body produced nothing more than his old Great-Ax, his leather armor, a few copper pieces and a key ring with some keys. Upon entering the room to the left (which the PC already had expected to be the quarters of the priest) Jasper became witness of another dreadful scene: the wooden desk that took up much of the room had obviously been used as a working table for taxidermy, both the tools of the trade as well as lots of large blood splatters were still present. The other door, leading out of the small, annex was nailed shut from within (with wood that obviously belonged to a pew), the hammer and several nails were still laying in front of the door. Jasper searched the room and found among some rations and the worldly belongings of the priest an assortment of candles, different wooden stakes, garlic, some small glass vials with a clear liquid and a strongbox (which they opened later with one of the keys: it contained more than 800 sp). Under the bed they found a LOT of straw.

By then, the characters (and the players alike) were puzzled and worried by the cause of events. They had found out that the madmen they had killed (who but a madmen would do something like THIS?) was not the priest (as they had guessed at first), as the robes they found weere much to small for a man of his size. The money they had found was much more than they had expected: they were aware that the Church gathered tithe, but how could a community that was isolated and did little trading gather so much money? Who was that madmen, and where were the other two wanted criminals? Who where the other two corpses, weren´t those people missed? And what was it with with the light outside? It should be dark by now, or sunset at least, but nothing had changed a bit since their arrival at the pier! And why had they found the tools of a vampire hunter?

As they opened the trap door, they did so very, very cautiously. A breath of foul, damp air greeted them as it opened up with a squeak. As it turned out, the cellar of the church was flooded (quote from Jasper´s player; while face-palming) “...of course.. how could it have been otherwise...”). They inspected it anyway, but found nothing of interest. Afterwards, they laid themselves to rest, but not before they had barred the church portal, beheaded the two stuffed criminals ("a price on their heads"), moved all the bodies into the priest´s quarters and set the trap back up that Angus had triggered (with some fishing line Jasper had with him). The door to t he priest´s quarter they barricaded with further pews (but not before they brought the bed into the church room). Jasper took the bed, Angus took his bedroll and slept on a pew and Cormagh showed a lag of piety by doing the same on the altar (none of the others made a thing out if. After a day like this...). As they woke up, the light was still as it was before and they were not sure if they had really slept at first. But soon they realized that they indeed must have slept, and it crossed their mind that they had another problem: the ship Madlein would pick them up in five days and expected them to wait at the pier... but how should they keep track of day and night?



To be continued....

Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2017-02-06 16:37:08)

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Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Third Part of Session 03

After they all were awake and decided that “night time” was over now, Jasper began to feel hungry and so they started their “day” with a meal (none of the characters had eaten much since the morning, but the events had driven them on and on). In the meanwhile Cormagh studied the church chronic (he was the only one of the three who was able to read and write). The latest entries turned out to be the unintelligible scribbling, but older entries of Father Iwanopolous told the characters that this”Twilight” is already lasting for years (and that non of the remaining inhabitants seemed to care much about it). After they found a register with all the souls of the Parish (from the time Father Iwanopolous took up his duty) they went through it and memorized who still has been here here 5 years ago. They checked the chronic for entries about vampirismn or other strange events beside “the Twilight”, but found none (they only thumbed through the chronic, so), while they sized up their situation and counted the silver from the log box.

All in all, Cormagh considered this to be enough to “call it a day and stay near the pier to wait for the Madlein.” His point of view was that they came to earn themselves 800sp, and  now they already had 800sp and two heads worth 400sp in total. He had a point there and only Angus seemed to have second thoughts about stealing from the church (but eased his mind that he could always donate 50sp to his local church...). Jasper agreed with Cormagh this was a good plan, but he still wanted to see if they could find the other two “...and perhaps we find out what is wrong here along the way”. Cormagh just shrugged and Angus was not in the spirit to argue (the fact that he used the booze as painkiller might have had something to do with it. Or the fact that the players were intrigued enough by what they had seen so far that they wanted to go on).

Their plan for the “day” was to leave anything they would not need really need to carry around (their tent, the bedrolls, etc.) at the church, so that this would become their base of operation for now. The silver from the strongbox, they shared equally among themselves. A quick search has revealed to them a long wooden box with gardening tools, and there they stored their belongings (together with the sack that contained the two severed heads). Everything else (including the skiff) they would take along and go back to the flooded area they had crossed on their way to the church “the other day”.

Jasper:        “But what if somebody comes here and steals our stuff?”
Cormagh:    “IF somebody comes here and steals from us, I will start stealing from the people here, too!”
Angus:     “...starting? Haven´t we just looted their church...?”

Cormagh answered with an open ended “Well....”, the other two smiled and shook their heads before they packed up to move back to the flooded area and began to follow its northern edge. On their way back, they came past the ruin of the old guesthouse again and checked it once more , but their was still no sign of any occupation. While they inspected the area, they noted a feint gleam in the fog to the north (after what might have been an hour or more they spend following the edge of the water, but that was just a guess as they had no method to measure the passing of time). They followed the shine, and the water grew more shallow, but not so shallow that they would need to pull their skiff again. At least, not before they heard the first sounds through the mist: quick, repeated strikes, like somebody would use an hammer on something. The noise disappeared and re-appeared as they came closer and after a while they came across small stone cottage with a crude wooden door, but with a burning oil lamp outside, hanging from a nine-inch-nail in the door frame. From the sound of it, somebody was working with hammer and nail on the other side of the house.

With a quick look the three assured another that they would try to simply call out and greet, and see what happens. Their call was not answered at first, but the hammering ended. From around the house came a tall, lean guy in erstwhile good, black clothes that were now stained with earth and dirt. In his left, he held up another lantern and in his right, he held a hammer. Surprise was clearily written all over his face (that was framed by curly black beard that has obviously had been cut with a knife instead of a razor, same as his hair), but he just said “oh... strangers... a moment please...” before he put down the hammer in front of the door and turned out his second lamp. The characters introduce himself, and the stranger introduced himself as “Johan van Kaus, the undertaker”. The characters had noted immediately that the man was speaking with a strange, thick accent but were unable to say where it was from (I tried my best to mimic a mix of English accent while speaking like I would have a numb mouth). Jasper asked him where he would be from “as your obviously not from around here”, and earned himself a rather miffed response by the undertake, who explained that “I have been hear since my childhood, and we van Kaus simply speak like that!”. The small faux pas was quickly forgotten as the PC explained why they are here and Johan was shocked to hear that “robbers and murders” would be on the loose around Dunnsmouth.

During their (otherwise polite) conversation they learned that Johan was mostly busy offering his service to those already dead “see, the graveyard has been flooded. So many coffins and corpses are now floating around in area, it would not be very christian-like to leave them like that. And a lot of them are from my family, and I won´t leave a van Kaus behind like that. Oh, no sir! I will stay till I refurbished enough coffins to give them all a proper burial at sea instead”. Furthermore, Johan made for them a simple map of the area (by crudely scrimshawing it into a part of broken coffin lid) and told them who would be living there. The characters also learned that it might be wise to stay away from the Samsons, and that if they would be looking for help they would better ask one of the Duncasters. And of course, that Johan was the last of the van Kaus in Dunnsmouth. As they parted, Johan murmured something to himself about “...robbers and murderers” before he went inside his cottage, turned out the light and barred the door from the inside.

To be continued

Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2017-02-08 09:49:22)

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Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Fourth part of Session 01

There the three stood, outside in the mist and deliberated on their next move (after they had walked a few steps). From what they had learned so far there was the ruin of an old sawmill at a river; a potential hideout. Johan van Kaus had mentioned a woman near the flooded, former center of Dunnsmouth he had never seen before, and one of the fugitives they were after was a woman (Shelly-Ann, the Witchdaughter). Other than that, they had gained an overview of who else was still living in Dunnsmouth, a total of ten households. From what they had heard about “those Samsons” they would better leave them alone (they did not seem to like strangers), but neither Johan nor Reginald had said one bad word about “the Duncasters”. Johan even called them “goodfolk” while that the nasty, foul-mouthed Reginald had not dispraised them in anyway. So, they decided to pay Herod Duncaster a visit, partially because his home was, according to the undertaker, the nearest one around and the only one they could reach without crossing a flooded area. The constant fog, lag of landmarks or orientation lines especially worried Jasper. He had asked Johan, who claimed that he would pick up floating corpses from the swamp, how he was able to navigate the fog anyhow. The fact that the undertake simply answered that he knew the surrounding area since his birth, and was thereby familiar with it, frustrated Jasper who had hoped for some landmarks or signs he simply had failed to note yet.
Going north, they got into trouble. The description of Johan van Kaus had mentioned some wooden pegs connected with a rope that would allow them to find (or at least: get near to) the home of Herod Duncaster. But there were none. It took them what seemed to be half an hour till they located  the missing peg, which had tipped and lay in the murky ground. From their on, they were able to follow the moldy length of rope from one peg to the next.

The home of Herod Duncaster turned out to be a tree house, not unlike the one they had seen early, but only consisting of a single room. As they called out there was no reaction at first, and the only one to peak out under the hides, that covered the window openings, was a curious black cat. Quickly afterward, a young, bearded fellow came to the window who smiled down on them with a surprised, but friendly smile. “My, my, my... strangers, and three of them! What have led you folks here?” As they introduced themselves and told him that they were after fugitive robbers hey exclaimed “Really? You have to tell me about that. My name is Herod Duncaster, please come up and be my guests. I hope you can handle the rope ladder”. The three could, so Angus´ wound started bleeding again. Their host recognized that quickly and produced some medical herbs from a small leather pouch, and renewed Angus bandages. While his household looked very simple (not to say, poor) there was one very particular feature: a collection of books.

While they enjoyed Herod´s hospitality (dried fish and -STRONG- booze) and chatted about Dunnsmouth, its inhabitants,  likely hideouts, whereabouts of the fugitives and “the fog” Jasper politely asked how it would come that a “seemingly world-open and educated man” like him would stay in Dunnsmouth. Herod gave him an understanding smile, and leaned forward a bit as he explained that ships would not come here often, and that the passage over the mountain would be a dangerous one. Other than that, he said, moving somewhere else would take some money, and despite his ability to read he only knew the life of the swamp people. Even if he would find work somewhere else, he would need some shilling to set himself up. And at that moment, Herod seemed to see a chance.

“You said you where after a bounty. How much do you get for them?” They answered rather honestly, but had not told him about the church or that they already had the heads of two of them yet. Herod nodded and proposed a deal “I can help you in finding them, if they are here. I was born and raised in this area and know the swamps here like the back of my hand. And, if you want to look for them you will sooner or later have to talk to the Samsons. They won´t react good to you...” he said, looking over to Comragh “..but if I talk to them there will be less trouble. They know me and have no reason to wish me ill. All I want in return is 50 Shilling (sp) and that you talk to the captain of the ship that brougth you here so that I can come along to Spillswick. If we don´t find anyone, you don´t owe me anything. What do you say?” The characters were willing to accept this terms, as they needed a guide, the payment seemed fair to them and all in all, there was no real risk for them. So, they accepted the deal. “Excellent!” Herod exclaimed “let´s seal the deal with a good drink” and  filled the wooden cups of each of them with his strong Moonshine like it would be water. Jasper was the first one who tried to make him fill the cup only halfway, but Herod insisted on filling it up to the edge “You all either down this with me in one go or the deal is not a deal!” Needless to say, the booze burned in their throats and exploded warmly in their stomachs, but it was only Jasper who ended up slightly drunk from it. Herod packed up some gear and supplies and once they were down, he readied his own skiff as well. “Your fugitives must have come over the mountain pass. If they would have come over the sea, my brother Obediah would have noted -something- about it. He regularly pays Reginald a visit, and if only to sell the old croaker some booze or when he joins him on the sea to fish with him. That means they might have either visited the Samsons first or they could be at the church. Let´s go to the church first and visit the priest, the Samson´s can fend for themselves.”

Cormagh quickly agreed to this plan, and all of the three kept quite about them having been at the church already... and about what they have found there. The first session ended when Herod opened the church portal.

To be continued..... perhaps in two weeks

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Last Friday my friends an I were finally able to get together for a LotFP-session again, and so the story of the three men that went to Dunnsmouth continued [first part of the second session]:

After opening the church portal Herod quickly noted that something was wrong: church benches had obviously been moved (the PC had used them to barricade the church portal from the inside during their sleep), there were not lit candles anywhere and a bed had been moved into the altar space! He shouted out the name of Father Iwanopolous twice without answer, so he readied the spiked club he had brought along and asked the PC to light a torch (which they did) before he cautiously moved to door to the Father´s room, only to find it nailed shut with parts of shattered church benches. Needles to say, Herod was alarmed and more than worried and the three made sure to act like they would see all of this for the first time and rather moved behind Herod and let him make his own guess instead of saying anything (that might have given their ruse away). So, it was Herod that told the PC what to do: they followed him back outside towards the other door leading to the priest´s quarter. He peeked through the window and saw the blood, at which point he started his best to shoulder the door open (which the PC new to be nailed from shut from the inside). To the characters surprise, he managed to break in after three or four attempts and was quiet shocked about what he found. All in all, he figured that the brigands the characters mentioned must have been after this and assumed that they had literally butchered him in his quarters before they turned the church into their little stronghold. That there was no trace of them and none of the corpse of the father either was something that he could not make head or toe of, but decided that he now had to warn his brother Obediah and his family immediately, as well as the other inhabitants of Dunnsmouth. The PC agreed and so they headed south again.

So they returned to the connected tree houses again, but instead of avoid it they made the acquaintance of Obediah and his family. As Herod was shouting out from below, his brother appeared up at a sidewalk of the largest tree house: a small but broad shouldered man in his 40s, with scruff beard, a round face and a nose that must have been broken quiet often in his life. The fellow welcomed his younger brother with some well-meaning mockery, but quickly became more serious after Herod told what (he believed that) had happened and invited the group up to his home. Never the less, he welcomed them with strong booze and the PC quickly guessed that the fact that Obediah squinted all the time had something to do with drinking that booze all of his life. He introduced them to his young, beautiful wife Jezebel as well. She set on her knees next to her husband (the guest where sitting on all the stools) and huddled against him while he petted her back and elbow, but locked at Jasper while she did so. Obediah did not noted and if Herod was paying attention, he pretended not to note. After hearing what his brother and the PC had to say, he decided that it would be best to gather all of the folks of Dunnsmouth in the church, but stated that he could not leave his family alone (Jezebel had jumped up in the meanwhile to see after the four children again as one of the boys started crying). The PC nodded to that, but where quiet surprised at Obediah´s conclusion “Alright, so me and mine will join you on your way to Edwin and Edwina. JEZEBEL! Get the children and wrap up a few things!” The three we a bit buffled that their group was turning into a little caravan, but ran with it as the headed out to see the next Dunlop household.

At Edwin´s and Edwina´s place (brother and sister in the 40s living together), Herod did the talking again and they quickly decided to move to the church together with Obediah and his family (after exchange some whispers that the PC overheard: something about jewelry…). The three then had the idea to instruct Obediah to move with his family and both Ewdin and Edwina directly to the church in order to gather the rest of the village by ringing the bell. Obediah was baffeled that he had not thought about it himself but added “well, I do not visit the church often aside from christenings, funerals and perhaps weddings” with a crude laugh. The characters were relieved that the merry-go-round-caravan-thing would stop _now_. But as they were already there, they decided to pay Pearce Dunlop a visit before continuing along a course around the village to visit Dunc Samson and Albert Dunlop.

To be continued…

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

[Second part of the report of my second about the three men who went to Dunnsmouth]

The home of Pearce Dunlop rested on one of the few remaining patches of solid earth and the characters soon had to pull their swamp boat like a sledge once more, but this time they were not treading on muddy ground but on grassland. A soft glow shone int the thickening mist ahead of them. They already had heard from Johan van Kaus that the Dunlops were “wealthy, and always have been”, but as the mist parted they were surprised to see a small manor, with a few stone steps leading to a raised door flanked by pillars reminiscent of old roman architecture. The door itself was made of an exotic, dark wood non of the characters knew. There once must have been an engraving , a heraldic emblem perhaps, but it had faded so much that it was impossible to tell if that beast walking on its hind legs was a bear, a lion, an eagle or something else entirely. After they announced themselves with a bronze knocker that had long turned green with patina they waited patiently under the dim lantern above (that burned with fish oil) till a burly lad in lackey´s uniform to small for his size came to the door . Even if they would not have already known that the head of the Dunlop family was served by two of the Samson´s, they would have known Abraham´s heritage by his ugly pig-face alone. The sturdy servant was wary of the armed group, but as they were accompanied by Herod they were asked in and led in to a small parlor. Fire was lit for them and they were asked to make themselves comfortable on the worn but still comfy leather furniture while they wold be announced to Pearce Dunlop. They had to wait quite a while but were served ginger tea and pastries (they later were rather tasteless and hard) by Abraham and his wife Agnes (a woman with hips like a horse), the house maid. Pearce Dunlop turned out to be a man of old age who was unable to move without the aid of a walking stick, and  had thin skin and next to no hair left. While his mind seemed a bit clouded, his eyes were still amazingly sharp and as the three stated their business, he was able to read the wanted posters they had brought along (and casually showed his disregard for woman by simply ignoring the fourth bandit of the Brownfox Brigands solely because she was).

The three quickly found out that Pearce Dunlop was either willful or weak-minded, as he ignored most of what the characters had explained as well as their question but instead offer to hire them  to “put and end to the three murderous gallows birds” and to ensure the safety of the manor. Herod Duncaster tried to explain the situation to Pearce again, but the aged patriach rebutted Herod´s interference so sharply that he left the manor in anger. The three shared a look among each other, and after Jasper had ensured that “protecting the manor” did not meant that they had to stay there all the time, they excepted this task as well (after all, it was the same job they had came for and if Pearce Dunlop insisted on paying them as well, why should they decline?). The readiness with which they, strangers, where hired without second thought made them wonder, and so they decided to check the surrounding of the manor (and where joined by Herod who had been waiting for them outside). They took themselves some time to check bushes, hedges near the manor as well as some trees and Jasper noted that somebody most have sneaked around the house a few days ago. They even noted that one of the trees had been climbed with the help of climbing spurs, and Herod assured that as far as he knew, nobody in Dunnsmouth would own such “..and what for..? We do not venture into the mountains”. But they knew that the brigands they were after came over the mountains, and were not unlikely to own such. The Pearce Dunlop or his servants must have noted -something-, so they thought, and that was why they were hired so eagerly. No further trails had been found that they could have followed, but at least they knew that their quarry had been around here in the last few days. Perhaps Dunc Samson would be able to tell them a bit more...

To be continued

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

[Session 2 / Part 03]

The three had to cross the river Dunn, and found out that the surrounding area was largely flooded. They set over cautiously, for the reed that grew high on both sides would provide excellent cover for an ambush. And after all, wouldn´t it be natural for bandits to waylay at a waterway? But the only thing that came dashing out of the plants´cover where a couple of ducks that fled as the boats came closer. The fog lighted a bit as they left the river behind.



The home of Dunc Samson turned out to be a simple lock cabin, surrounded by a pig pen and two further huts that were raised on small patches of rather dry land around the cabin. The characters were able to hear children inside before the deep voice of an angry man (Dunc) made them all shut up. They slowly navigated their skiffs through the net of swamp water channels that surrounded the dry areas and Herod called out to great Dunc, who never the less came out armed with a spiked club. The large guy with the wiry beard all around his face looked less than pleased as he spotted the three and shouted over to Herod “What ar yá and those damnstrangers doing here?!” Herod was able to to keep things civil and to assure Dunc that they were after bandits, “nothing else” and that they wanted to ask him if he had seen any other strangers recently. A mix of cunning and greed lighted up the ugly man´s face, before he yell over to his nosy family that appeared in the door frame that they “Betta get back inside befor ya make me hit ya again!!”. Then, he told the approaching characters that he had seen somebody, but they would only learn about it if they could make it worth his while. The PC are not averse to part with some of the money they already made (in fact, their pursers are FAT with silvery) and so Dunc begins to share what he knows for a piece of silver: he tells them that, as he was fishing at the banks of the river Dunn, somewhere near grounds of Pearce Dunlop, the he saw two strangers at the reef at the other side. His description matches that of the last two bandits the characters are after, Tommy Felkham and Shelly-Ann Webster, so Dunc described “her” as a tall guy with long hair (but it was known to the three that Shelly-Ann locked “unwomanly” and could thereby be mistaken for a guy). As the strangers where obviously armed, Dunc said that he kept his head down and watched from behind a cover of reed while the two pulled a small skiff out of the reed on the other side and traveled down the river with it (towards the coast). He although told them he had seen a woman moving about in the area, and had found out that she had took up residence in an old stone cottage southeast of him.

The three were pondering what to do next and Dunc barged in once or twice... a thing the loud-mouthed Samson should not have done for his own good. At some point, he referred to the two strangers as “one guy and that wench”, which Jasper noted. As he called him out on that (“..didn´t you said that you saw two guys...?”), Dunc went angry rather quickly and ordered them off his grounds, and even threated to attack if they would not leave. While he would have been no match for them, they decided to leave him alone anyway. After all, they did not wanted to risk further harm before they had found their quarry. But they were by now damn sure that Dunc must have lied to them, in one way or the other. Anyway, Cormagh was keen to learn about that woman that was to be found in the southeast. Johan von Kaus, the caretaker, had given them the same description as Dunc just had, and perhaps the other two could be found with her.

To be continued...

Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2017-05-02 12:14:28)

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

As the three left Dunc Samson´s grounds they heard the faint sound of a church bell in the distance, only recognizable as such as one listened closely to it. This was more than the adventurers had hoped for: by now, the absence of day and night and the peculiar indifference of all the inhabitants to it gave them a bad feeling about the mist and Dunnsmouth in general. While none of them has actually called the place cursed by now, they all by now harbored an unspoken doubt that leaving this place would be as easy as waiting for the ship to fetch them. Herod told them that there indeed was an old, abandoned stone cottage in the area where Dunc had claimed to see the strange, lone woman and that he could lead them there. So they moved through the fog and the reeds on the swamp water and between the small islands of higher ground till they found a small tongue of land. The reeds was high everywhere near the water, but the PC were able to spot a thatch roof as well as a few gnarled trees here and there. Japser sneaked near to get a better look and found the cottage to be a small, round one-room sort of thing with no windows (and just one small opening in the roof) and a very simple wooden door that was bound to the frame rather than secured with hinges. He did not heard any obvious noise from where he was, aside from those of a few rabbits in a hutch at the outside wall, but noted a small trail of smoke coming out of the old chimney. After a small discussion the three planned to have Jasper take up position in one of the nearby trees (so that he could see the door and open up fire with his bow if need would arise) while the others would approach openly and call out to whoever would be inside (in hope that somebody would answer by coming out into the open). Japser climbed the tree carefully, as it looked decayed and the bark was rather slick, but he manged to get into position without any troubles.

The calls of the others were answered and a woman opened the door. She looked a bit outlandish with her dark skin and eyes and reminded some of the PC of “those traveling gypsy folk”. While the gray streaks in her hair and the wrinkles in her face told them that she must be at least 40, she seemed to be of good health, blessed with a still pretty face and a remarkable smile. Aside from her white teeth and her poise, her clothes came to the characters attention: although they were as stained as one would expect from somebody that travels the bogs and swamps of the area, her clothes were well made and the fine leather boots she wore must have been expensive for sure. But what would a well off-women be doing out here alone, in this strange, half-deserted hamlet? Angus and Cormagh did their best to find out, after they introduced themselves as bounty hunter in search of dangerous brigands, of course. But the woman, who called herself Magda, only gave elusive answers and even seemed to enjoy baffling the armed strangers. All in all, they just learned that she had taken up residence in the abandoned cottage and had not seen any of the brigands. As Angus asked straight forward for her reason to be here, she gave back that “I find this place interesting”. She of course noted the bloody bandages on Angus and made some remarks that he for sure must have sustained serious wounds, so that the fighter in turn asked if she could do anything about them. “I could, but what could you offer me in turn?” She wasn´t interested in silver, and Cormagh and Angus did not offered anything that raised her interest. So she asked “Have you seen anything strange around here?” - “You mean, like that strange fog, the absence of day and night or the inhabitants of the hamlet that are not bothered by it” - “Yes, things like that” Magda smiled “but you haven´t seen what I mean, otherwise you would have known and told me... or you wish to keep silent about it”. She proceeded to ask them about a man, and gave them a description that fitted the bearded madmen that had assaulted them in the church open entering it. The PC decided to still pretend they would not have met the man (a wise choice, as Herod was still with them), and Magda seemed to believe the two but offered a deal to them. She said she could help Angus with his wounds, if he would in turn be willing to swear an oath “to deal with this man” when they would meet him. If Angus hackles were not raised already, they were now, and the English fighter was more than just reluctant to enter such an agreement. “Well....” Magda said “... I think I don´t even really need a vow from you”, and quickly made a few strange gestures with her arms and hands while she spoke words in a tongue unknown to any of those present. Before Angus (who isn´t having the highest Wisdom Ability) could act Magda finished whatever she had been doing and smiled at Angus... a smile that charmed the fighter completely. She then proceeded to hand him a little glass vial with a milky substances in it “drink this now, it will aid your healing”. Angus did (with a lot of nagging from the now disgruntled player who felt a -tad- betrayed, as in his opinion a fine warrior should have had the reflexes to respond to the situation... I will explain to him later that the next time his warrior deals with a magic-user, he will know what is going and will be given at least a chance as it won´t be his first time anymore).

They said there goodbyes and left the scene, and as Magda went inside her cottage Jasper climbed down the tree and joined the others. The encounter left them none the wiser, so they somehow did not feel like Magda would be in league with the brigands (a point of view that was very much shared by Angus). Still, Herod stated loudly and with a bit of fear in his voice what all of the others had been thinking already: that this woman must be a witch or sorceress of some kind. He made it very clear to the characters that he will honor his agreement and lead them around, but that he will not come back to this cottage again. “If this means a broken deal to you, tell me now. I will give you directions to your next location then, but will leave, without any demands of payment. There shall be no bad blood between us because of it”. The three assured him that their deal was still good and that they would not ask him to come here again. Instead, they wanted to head north in order to visit Albert Dunlop, and to later pay the home of Dicky Samons a visit.

To be continued...

Last edited by Gregorius21778 (2017-05-08 07:24:06)

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Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Session 02 / Part 05

Read here for the start of it all

The three left Magda (under the guidance of Herod) and headed north, to visit Albert Dunlop and later Dicky Samson. After a while swamp water dominated the surface where ever they looked and the PC used their poles again to steer their swamp boat. More and more dead or gnarled trees came into few in the mist, but not enough to call it wood. Their moldy or moss covered trunks dotted the landscape like silent watchers that gave testimony to the decay and desolation. Herod reminded the adventurers that they were not far from the ruins of the old sawmill of Dunnsmouth, a former source of work and income for the people, that went out of business as most of the surrounding trees that were good wood had been logged and processed. Only a few have been left where they are, for reasons unknown.

The characters agreed that it would be good to check the place, so Herod told them that the area around it was largely flooded, as it had been erected next to the river Dunn (that had become broader and broader till it flooded the area). Soon, they were punting their little skiffs through hip high waters and the pole sunk deep into the soft ground below. The fog was still with them, but it was not a solid wall near the river banks but an assortment of ragged and drifting patches among a fine veil of mist. Crickets gave their concert in the distance while toads and frogs made their presence known with deep croaks and strange gargling sounds. The waters where still and numerous gnats whirred about. As the old sawmill, a large wooden structure that had been erected on a foundation of now lichen covered cobblestone, came into sight the three noted somebody or something on top of the roof. They stopped their approach and tried to check if it could be a chimney or a pulley, but as the old ramp and pulley that used to feed lumber to the mill was clearly visible at the one end of the building, they decided to crouch low in their skiffs slowly reach the next old tree so that they would not have to rely on the mist alone as cover. Herod did not understood what they were doing, but kept quiet and made his way to the nearest tree trunk while he slipped into water. The sight of Jasper readying his bow was all he needed to be alarmed.

Failings of a GM: I should have rolled for Surprise for both sides at this point, with a bonus for the “guards”. While they were drinking a bit of moonshine, they were not drunk and had the better vantage point.

The three argued about their next move: while Cormagh wanted to simply go there and see what happens, Angus was not comfortable with “storming” armed people on higher ground (as they had noted some kind of arms with them, and promptly guessed that if these were guards, they would likely have spears or bows with them). Japser wanted to get into a position and observe the two, but Cormagh scoffed at that “We look at them, they sit there and perhaps look at us... what is that going to change, anyway?” Whoever Cormagh´s father has been, he for sure has not raised his son as one that would tweedle his thumbs! They finally decided that Cormagh und Angus would approach with their skiff in the open, but only after Jasper would have reached a good position for shooting. Herod stayed behind, as if that were the brigands they were after, his job was done and he had no intend to join the fight (which was alright with our troupe of bounty hunters: they had a deal with clear terms and would honor them). As the man-at-arms and the dwarf came into sight, they were quickly hailed by those on the roof who indeed readied bows. Angus tried a ruse, but soon after he had made himself heard over the space between them and the building, somebody shouted from inside of the old building and through an open hatch in the center of the roof “Those are the bounty hunters! They are after you! KILL THEM!” They recognized the voice as that of Dunc Samson and realized that he not only has been in league with the brigands but actually used the time they need to visit Magda to come here and warn the cutthroats!

Soon arrows started to fly and while Jasper was able to return fire, Angus and Cormagh were close to being sitting ducks on the skiff in the water. Cormagh, in a fit of compulsiveness, decided to jump of the skiff and into the water to get towards the old sawmill... and ended standing in swamp water that reached up to the dwarf´s chin! His armor and shield slowed him down, his short legs and the soft, sucking ground where no help either. Angus in turn decided to go down onto a leg and a knee on the skiff, after he used the pole to propel it forward so that he would drift towards the building while using his shield for what it was made for: cover. That way, he drifted past the dwarf while arrows embedded themselves into his shield with an audible !TWANNGG!. In the meanwhile, Jasper was able to shoot one of the brigands of the roof (who ended in the water on the other side with a loud *SPLASSH*. He was pretty sure that it had been the Witch-Daughter Shelly that he had downed, but his second mark decided that he had found his match and fled through the latch down into the sawmill. That change of the situation gave our heroes a pause.

Jasper slowly began to move around in a wide circle while both Angus and Cormagh reached the foundation of the sawmill. They found out that the old entry door had been nailed shut from the outside (perhaps as it had been closed down), they only other ways of entry seemed to be the opening around the old chute on the one end of the building... and of course, the latch on the top of the roof. While they could have reached both by climbing up the rusty chains of the old pulley, they decided against it as they were pretty sure that at least Dunc and Tommy Felkham, the last of the four brigands they were after, would be waiting inside with bows at the ready. Even Cormagh did not wanted to enter a battle on such unfavorable terms (and while the potion of Magda had already healed a good deal of Angus lost Hit Points, they remembered very well that a few unlucky dice rolls could spell their doom at this point). So, they began to throw a torch onto the roof. It did not do much on the slick, water-soaked wood, but they decided to throw another onto it... and another. In fact, they had brought about half a dozen (or more) along and guessed that they could take their sweet time with it: even if it would only result in smoke (as it was the case at the moment), this would at some point drive their enemies out. After all, those torches would burn for up to an hour.

As they were about to light the fourth, they heard Dunc from the inside who was ready to bargain their surrender. They would throw out their bows and other weapons (through the hatch) and would come out if they would promise not to kill them. The three agreed to that and Dunc further requested that Tommy would be allowed to kick the torches off the roof. Japser aimed at the brigand all the time, but he just did as Dunc had announced before both came out. They put them into the iron shackles they had brought along with them, and Jasper secured the corpse of Shelly-Ann (that was about to drift away slowly). Herod, who had watched from a save distance came closer again while Dunc spit forth insults and other niceties towards the characters. Angus had to hold him head first under the swamp water TWICE before the ill-tempered fellow would finally shut up. Tommy, in turn just glared at them with vile frustration. The three in turn began to wonder... and decided to remove the boards and nails at the large sliding gate so that they could see what´s inside the sawmill. Dunc was out of breath and Tommy just glared at them as they went about business. They all expected trouble, so Angus and Cormagh readied themselves while Jasper kept his bow ready but aimed as his captives while he tried to split his attention...

To be continued...

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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Re: Three men went to Dunnsmouth (Session Report)

Cormagh and Angus hacked through the boards that were used to nail the entrance shut. It did not took all to long, as the time and moisture had taken their toll on the wood already and most of the iron nails were rusty. All the while, Jasper had an eye on the captives who did not said a word but glared at the heroes in with anger and frustration. The sliding gate creaked awfully in its hanger assembly as Cormagh pushed it aside, and Angus kept his sword in hand while he held his torch inside to light the half-dark inside of the derelict sawmill. Little light fell inside from the still open latch in the roof and numerous little holes in the roof. They saw the old slight that was used to bring the trunks inside, the huge and now rusty saw blade that once turned the trunks into lumber, a large metal plate that had been used as a fire place and around it a number bedrolls, sacks and backpacks that gave testimony that this place had indeed been used as a hideout by the bandits. Just as they counted the sleeping place and try to assess the few belongings strewn around the old fire place they noted a movement up in the shadows under the roof…

Again, I failed as a GM in regard to the game mechanics: I am pretty sure that I forgot to let them roll for surprise AND during the following fight, I forgot to the take HD of the monster as a bonus to its attack. Poor monster… poor players who know believe that their characters are up to the task…

To their shock, they had to realize that there was a gigantic, hairy black spider sitting in the roof framework, the body all in all the size of a small bull. Four glistening insect eyes reflected the firelight as the monster stared at them and mandible that were about a feet long began to click as it came for them! Cormagh made a few steps back to get ready… and fell into the swamp water as had forgotten that he had been standing close to the threshold of the sliding gate. Angus reacted quickly and threw his torch at the monster, only then he would walk out of the door frame and onto the very small, slippery ledge of the foundation so that he would not have to face this beast inside of the sawmill. The torch hit the beast in the head and made it scuttle back in irritation for a moment..but that was it.

Jasper, not really knowing what was going on turned to aim the bow at the immense shadow that moved inside, but to his surprise the shackled brigand throw himself at him, crying “NOOOOO!” like he would be throwing himself into a shot to protect a love one! The spider made its move and came to the door after Jasper´s arrow had missed, Cormagh had raised himself while Angus got in position. The monster tried to get at Cormagh which its long and point limbs but was hacked at from the side by Angus who defended his comrade. The dwarf in turn grabbed small crock of lamp oil and threw it into the sawmill and towards the torch Angus has thrown, with all his might. While Japser pushed the captured brigand down into the swamp water and readied a new arrow, the inside of the sawmill went ablaze and the unnatural spider screeched. The air began to fill with the smell of burning wood and hair as Cormagh and Angus fought the beast and blocked its was out..or tried to. The dwarf was overwhelmed by the spider, but hacked at its underbelly. He would still have ended up beneath to many piercing limbs and dismembering mandibles wouldn´t it have not been for the warrior Angus who not only removed some of the creatures legs but beheaded the best in the end.

They withdrew from the sawmill and gathered both the corpse of Shelly-Ann and the shocked Herod who had been witness to the whole scene. Tommy, the brigand, cried like he would have lost a beloved brother or wife. As they headed back to the church in their swamp boots, Japser slowly tried to question the brigands, as Dunc Samson was still out cold (they had hit him over the head pretty hard in order to shut him up). Tommy was reluctant to talk to them, in grieve and bitter about the characters deeds as well as hopeless in regard to his own life: he knew that they were bounty hunters, and that the gallows were waiting for him in Spillswick. Still, Japser managed to learn from him that the four of them had came to Dunnsmouth over the mountains, as Edward had told them about an old hideout in the nearby mountain they could use to whole up till nobody would be searching for them anymore. In Dunnsmouth, they had planned to steal or rob a few provisions… and to see if their would be anything of value in the church. They started there, but as they entered into the church one of them stepped into a bear-trap between the pews and next thing they knew where that a large bearded men attacked them with a double-headed ax. He got Edward, so the rest of them fled as far from the church as they could. They stumbled through the swamp and the mist for a good while before the reached the river and decided to follow it to the coast (it was better than getting lost in a swamp!). They encountered Dunc Samson at the river and had been able to surprise and capture him. With a blade to his throat, he told them about the old sawmill and that they could hide there. But inside, “she was waiting for us”. They tried to fight, but “were subdued by her quickly,by her and Dunc… but she did not kill us… no… she enlightend us…made us one of the family… allowed us to stay with her”. The decided to stay as guards for now, and Dunc brought them some provisions now and then. He did so “for her as well.. but it was surprising how little she needed indeed…”. Still, they had scouted there surrounding and had of course had an eye on the mansion across the river.

Jasper noted quickly that he never called the spider for what it was, and always referred to her as a female being of superiority and adoration. He began to question the shocked Herod and feared that he would be part of it as well (after all, he had pointed them to the sawmill), but as he called the monster as monster, the simple poucher believed that Herod would be alright. Just before they reached the church, the brigand try to strike deal: if they would not deliver him to Spillswick, he would show them were the hideout is. “I am pretty sure that there is still something to loot there. Edward talked about traps that were left behind to deter intruders. It had been the lair of a different band of brigands who ended up in a trap of the soldiers a decade ago. Nobody made it out then but Edward, and he was reluctant to return. The three decided not to accept nor to decline the offer yet.

At the church the three did their best to look surprised as the gathered people of Dunnsmouth (really, just a few dozen souls) told them about what they found inside… but they were really surprised their own tale about monstrous spiders and people serving it was neither doubted nor something that caused shock, disbelieve or panic. Instead Obediah asked them if there had been any “religious objects… or cult objects… perhaps made of gold…?” And he did not asked in a way that seemed that he was keen about the answer… nor that he would expect anything but a “yes”. The three were witness to a quickly settled but bitter disagreement about what to do with Dunc Samon. The present Dunlop (all but Pierce and his household) wanted him to be hanged, Dicky made it answered that with a “dontcha dare touchim!!” while he raised not only his voice but his club as well. Obediah, speaking for the Duncasters as it seemed, told Dicky to “shotyadmanmouth! That´s not a time for this!” While holding his own club low, but firmly. The three asked who, by the by, would happen to be the leader of the community… a Dunlop who had introduced himself as Albert stepped forth exclaiming that “By tradition, and as it always had been, the Dunlop fami…” only to be silenced by Obediah and Dicky who shouted “SHUT THE FUCK UP” in unison.

At the end, it was ruled by Obediah (with the consent of the others) that Dunc would leave and never come back. Johan von Kaus later explained a few things to the three heroes… what this would mean for a man “around here, in the swamps”, how there had been a time, when Obediah was young, were there was a strange cult up in the mountains that had been uprooted and squashed by the folk of Dunnsmouth back then, how there were stories about those cult worshiping blasphemous monsters…

In the end, the danger was declared over, the three packed their belongings and became the guests of Edwin and Edwina Dunlop till the ship would arrive. They went back to the sawmill, to lock through the burned down ruin, but found nothing of interest in there. But they noted that the spider head that Angus had chopped of was nowhere to be found…

To be continued when the adventures of the three are continued.

With kind regards
Gregorius21778
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