Savage Tide Session 7

So the party had some time to themselves, and decided to follow upon the lead that the wanted criminal Bargle the Infamous was hiding out in an abandoned plantation house called Mistamere, 50 miles out of the city, and just north of the outpost Castle Rakin.

Stopping by the Church of Tartastia, the party picked up a wanted poster with Bargle's likeness and found out more about his crimes in league with the Black Eagle Barony, and his murber of the cleric Aleena. Then passage in a cart heading south to Castle Rakin was booked, and the party set off out of the city. The journey took 3 days, with interruptions from dire wolves and an irate owlbear, but eventually the party arrived unscathed at the castle - which turned out to be little more than a wooden fort and outpost for guards protecting the plantations and their workers. They holed up at the Lusty Wench tavern for the night, observing the trade in various illicit goods filling the courtyard.

The next morning the party left for Mistamere via an overgrown trail, arriving just before midday. The plantation house and surrounding defensive wall were i na poor state of repair, largely choked with weeds, and with several areas collapsed. Running up to the house, the party encountered two carrion crawlers which darted out of hiding. Whilst in battle with the tentacled vermin, a band of kobolds that were occupying the house rushed to close the gates to the courtyard and bar their entrance. The party avoided a bloody breach of the defences by managing to intimidate the kobolds into fleeing with their lives in a heated exchanged over the walls, allowing them to enter unscathed.

The entire upper floors of the house were collapsed. The party snuck in via a side window and found a room designed to appear trapped but actually harmless - a typical kobold ploy. The kitchen was inhabited by two harpies, who were quickly dispatched. The party moved through two strangely ornate bedrooms and obseerved some undead waiting in another room - and decided to avoid fighting them and head straight downstairs. Waiting in the basement were angry beetles that sprayed a caustic oil at those that disturbed their next. Making their way through the complex, they found a small army of kobolds hired by Bargle to defend against intruders. After several pitched battles, the party slew the kobold leader, and captured a kobold lackey to serve as a guide. Several traps and puzzles were also found - as well as the body of Flenser the rakasta that had set out on his own to find Bargle - and his demise.