KINGMAKER:
The Wardens of the Greenbelt
Entry 25.
Exploring Varnhold
The Wardens moved all the bodies into the bailey of the fort. They also sorted the weapons and treasures they could find. Searching through the keep and the spriggans' treasures proved worthwhile but they discovered little of real value apart from some good quality armour and weapons. The body of Agai, the spriggan leader, supplied most of the valuables; his crossbow and armour plus the loot from Varnhold held within his bag of holding.
The Wardens continued to load their haul onto their wagon and pack horses. Anza was keeping watch for the top of the keep when she noticed two figures approaching. These were women from the spriggan's village. They told Ione and the other Wardens that they were requested the bodies of their warriors be returned to them which the Wardens agreed to. They also told the Wardens that they had only taken over the town after the people had disappeared. Most of their village had been afraid to enter Varnhold as they suspected dark magic had led to the disappearances. The Wardens concluded that the spriggans posed no threat to them in the future and both sides agreed to live in peace from now on so long as the spriggans kept out of Varnhold.
Later the Wardens made their way back through the town; entering each building and looking for clues regarding the whereabouts of the villagers. The house of a gemcutter had been ransacked by the spriggans. Nearby a grain store was home to swarms of rats which the Wardens fought off. Next door was the home of a weaver, a loom stood in one corner. There were a number of wooden toys strewn about the house and its yard. Cowering under the loom they found a half-starved cat. Using her ability to talk to animals Ione discovered that it was called Dragon. It told her that its master had left her one morning when “a song called them away and they never returned”. She wants some food preferably some fish. The Wardens fed the cat and it followed them after that.
Behind these buildings stood a church dedicated to Erastil. They find a number of scrolls hidden within the altar “for use in emergency”. The cemetery has a number of graves; the latest being from several weeks ago. The largest building turns out to be the village inn “The Waterhorse”. The first thing they notice is the word “Nomen” scratched into the inn's door. Inside is a large spriggan staring at a table covered in strewn documents and although still standing the back of his head is smashed in. The body has a amber shimmer surrounding it. The Wardens searched the papers and the books they find in one of the guest rooms upstairs. They are the research papers of Professor Pendrod who had come to Varnhold to research a jade bracelet which had been found by one of the locals. Maegar Varn, the founder of the town had written to Pendrod at the Kitharodian Academy in Oppara who he knew might be interested in such an artifact. The rest of the papers described his research into the discovery. However the bracelet itself could not be found. The Wardens decided to stay the night at the inn. Meanwhile Ione transported herself back to Varn's Hall with the professor's books and documents. When she appeared from the tree at Varn's Hall she was met by the gnome wizard Emelia Garston and her unicorn ward; which had carried her to the tree at that exact moment. Ione up dated the clerics at Varn's Hall with what they had found and suggested they study what she had brought with her. She then returned to Varnhold with fresh food for the Wardens and some fish for Dragon.
In another house, that of Villas Gundersson the village warden, Wardens found a diary giving clues to how the village operated under Maegar Varns rule. They also found a folding boat. Beside the river they found the local potters house. This too had been ransacked by the spriggans. However a careful search by Havrik found a secret hiding place within which was stashed a fine set of flagons and platters. A note with them explains that they were destined to be a wedding gift for King Noleski's daughter next Spring. A tailor's house and shop next door still contained many bolts of cloth along with various tailoring tools.
Behind these houses and beside the river was the local livery and blacksmithy. The smell of the dead horses within is overpowering but large flocks of crows were disturbed from feasting on the carcasses. The crows attacked the Wardens who were lucky to dispatch them without suffering too many wounds themselves.
At the river Ione removed the dam down stream which had allowed the Chuul to hide in the dam's pool. It also allowed the river to flow and lowered the depth of water at the ford. Having crossed back over the river they came to the Brewery beside the river. There were a number of barrels of the local ale along with a lock-box containing the “secret” recipe for the beer. At the tannery the Wardens discovered unusual hides being dried and worked. The Wardens realised that these were not horse or cow hides but those of centaurs without the upper, “more human” parts.
The Wardens left most of the townsfolk's belongings where they had found them so that their owners could find them upon their return. They followed the road out of the town that led beside the Kiravoy river, heading north-east towards Brevoy.
