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• Aros – Lightfoot Halfling, Rogue
  • Rubber Ducky of Inspiration
• Galiena Erenaeth – Half Elf, Celestial Warlock / Druid
  • Dearbhán – NPC, Fairy Dragon (Galiena’s pet)
  • Kavium – NPC, Tiefling Paladin (Oath of Conquest)
  • Darko Wintersage – NPC, Undead Wizard (Flame Skull)
• Baldur – Human, Pack Chain Warlock (Spear) / Paladin
  • Khor’taur – Dragon Spirit inside the Dracospear
  • Hellina Kaitlyn Deramu – Human NPC, Wererat

• The party limps their way back to Korvask/Fourstone after having fought the Rot Troll that they’d been chasing (See Session 36)
• As they enter the town – they see the people looking around and can hear them say, “I don’t know where they went. We let them out to help. Now they’re gone. Maybe they got scared by the fire too.” “No, it couldn’t be the fire! They wouldn’t run from fire!” And there is an overall sense of confusion as to where someone – or something is
• Baldur steps into the center of town and announces how he has slain the Rot Troll
• One of the humans, who introduces himself as Vask Evenstone, explains how he’s aware of Lord Brenmoon’s men and his policies of no weapons or armor; but informs Baldur and the others that being such a small hamlet, Lord Brenmoon’s men rarely come out to Korvask, or Fourstone, as it’s now been called. Vask explains how his father was the original creator of the town – and that their ship had been magically pulled towards the island and crashed against the jagged shoreline. His father led his family here and formed the hamlet – eventually three other families who also crashed into the island in similar, mysterious, circumstances found their way to Korvask – and the town’s name was changed to Four Stone, each “stone” representing one of the founding families. But he explains that because it’d been called Korvask for so long, the names were interchangeable by the people of the hamlet
• Vask explains he would love to pay the party for putting down the Rot Troll, but because they’re a self sufficient hamlet – they don’t really have coin anymore – as they do their own hunting, farming, and leather work here – so they don’t trade with outside towns, and so never had use for money (explaining their money sunk with their ship somewhere off the shore of Eagle Rock). The lack of trading with other towns also keeps Korvask off of the radar of Lord Brenmoon and his men.
• Aros asks Vask if anyone in the hamlet is a tanner; they have some furs that need to be treated so they don’t rot
• Vask explains that he can treat both of the skins; and if need be make them into cloaks. Baldur asks if they’d know how to keep their magical properties; specifically that they have a Displacer Beast hide, that they know can be tanned with magical properties. Vask explains that there are no “fancy people” like Wizards and the like in the town; he can however treat them so that they deteriorate at a slower speed until the party finds someone who can properly tan them.
• Aros gives both hides over; and explains he can treat them both; but he’d like a cloak made from the Winter Wolf hide; Vask says he will get to work on it
• The party asks for a place to rest and Vask calls over his son, Gren and tells him to clear out the pigs and clean up the barn – gather some hay – and make some hay beds on the upper level of the barn, so that their guests have a place to stay for the night. Gren smiles, more than happy to move the pigs out of the barn, and into their pen for the night, cleaning up the mess and gathering hay and bringing it to the upper level of the barn

• Galiena asks about if there’s a bath available; and Vask explains not one ready; but there’s a horse trough that they can bathe in – and he mentions how all four of them stink of rotten meat – and Galiena explains it’s from the Rot Troll – and he nods, explaining he can tell, as he sees pieces of its flesh dangling all over them
• Aros asks about any near by rivers or lakes; and Vask mentions there’s a river not too far; comes down the mountain side; pure, clean, drinking water. Aros asks if they can bathe there; and Vask seems hesitant as it’s their area to gather clean water – but asks if they go down stream ever so slightly – to ensure none of the rot troll pieces infect their watering supply that should be fine
• Following the road, the party hear the sounds of howling again – just as they had the night before – however, this time it does not sound like wolves… but rather like a pack of wild dogs; thinking nothing more of it, the party moves on
• Along the way they encounter other members of Korvask making their way back from the river; fishing pole over the shoulder and a bucket full of fish
• Baldur engages in conversation with them; and they recommend using a fishing pole rather than a spear to fish; but Baldur explains he’s an expert “spearman fisherman” (a reference to Session 31) – the person explains that the island may be cursed, but the rivers are blessed with fish (unaware it’s the very curse that also impacts the lives of animals and allows them to cease aging after the animals and fish reach ‘maturity’).
• They engage in conversation; and acknowledge that the curse on the island has granted humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings immortality; among other races, it stands to reason that it extends to animals too; to ensure the growing population doesn’t starve
• Baldur mentions the dogs they had that they saw when the first entered Korvask; and Baldur mentions that they could be the oldest dogs alive because of the island
• The farmer agrees; then asks if anyone at Korvask has told them about the dogs
• Baldur explains they’ve not; so the farmer fills them in that after the dogs attacked the Rot Troll, they seemed to have gone made and ran off; never coming back – now they can be hear running around, howling like a pack of wild dogs
• Baldur and the others exchange glances, having heard the dogs while they slept in the barn and even on the way to the river
• Baldur thanks them and the party continues down the path; reaching the river and making their way down river, ever so slightly and finds an area, with a small calm area, where the river pours down from in the form of a very small waterfall, cascading down the stone and a perfect place to bathe

• Baldur leaps into the river and shouts, “Watch my ass!”
• Aros shouts back, “Already have! Going to turn the other way.”
• “Or the other cheek,” Kavium smirks.
• “Why you do you get to bathe – but when I want to you stop me?” Galiena shouts, her back turned to Baldur as he bathes
• “I’m not stopping you,” Baldur shouts back. “Come jump in and join me.”
• Kavium turns and scolds Baldur silently
• As Baldur sits in the water, and notices – just as the fisherman noted – there is indeed a lot of fish in the river. Baldur washes his armor thoroughly and spends roughly 30 minutes in the river before he – and his armor – finally feel clean
• During this time, however, Aros spots something in the trees watching them; and Aros quietly nods to Galiena and gestures towards the bushes where Aros spots something. Aros looks around and sees a tree about five feet away and gestures – so Galiena squats, back against the tree, hands cupped – and helps Aros up the tree – Aros moves across the branches and looks down and sees two dog-like creatures in the bushes; but the dogs seem to be emerging from the bushes themselves – as if their bodies were composed of plants.

• Aros throws one of his rations further down the path – to lure the dogs out of the bushes – and notices these two dogs – they seem to be carrying a bush or if the bush is connected to the very fur of the dogs
• Aros shouts down, “Galiena, catch me.” Galiena looks up – and Aros crashes into her, sending them both tumbling into the ground

• When Galiena is next to bathe, Kavium keeps watch – making sure Aros and Baldur don’t peek – though, strategically shining his own armor so that the reflect provides him a view of Galiena in the river – just to keep an eye out, of course. Aros tells Baldur about the dogs with the bush disguise – and eventually locates the dogs – this time more have appeared, apparently drawn by the promise of being feed.
• After several failed attempts at trying to befriend the wild dogs, and getting bit for his efforts, despite trying to feed the dogs – Baldur assumes the dogs are too rabid to be befriended

• Baldur notices that the rabid dogs do have an odor; similar to the rot troll
• The party rotates taking a bath in the lake – and the party spots yet another odd animal on the other side of the river – a large animal, easily as large as an elephant – but also seems to have plants growing on it

• After each of them have taken their town cleaning themselves up; they go fishing to gather some fish for Korvask
• The party then gathers their belongings and they head back to Korvask and explain to Vask about the “bush dogs” and the “elarockaphent” they saw – and Vask stares at them strangely explaining he ain’t ever heard of any “bush dogs”
• Baldur ends up using Minor Illusion to replicate what the dog looks like
• Vask looks, “That can’t be. That’s my hunting dog. He’s been missing since the Rot Troll attack. I feel like he might have gone feral…”
• The party asks about healing potions; and Vask explains they don’t really do healing potions; but he explains Surge Mudrunner goes out and gathers Whistling Leaf, and is the town’s herbalist. Surge explains that he doesn’t deal in gold and coin, but willing to trade. The party explains they caught sixteen fish that is currently in the center of town. Surge explains that it’s for the celebration – and he will take that as part of the trade. He explains he has 37 whistle leaf in his inventory but can’t part with them all – as they’re also needed during their hunting expeditions. Baldur continues talking to Surge, who offers to give the party 19 Whistle Leaf from his inventory for free. From there, Aros learns about Bral Forgestone and trades for some arrows as well as an Ivory Dagger, though not magical, is great for using against beasts. (DM Note – While a +1 Dagger towards beasts, the blade is not considered magical; it is simply an expert forged weapon)
• The party is extremely fun, full of good food and good company
• That night, when the party returns to the barn to rest, throughout the night the hear the howls of the wild dogs
• The following morning, Vask greets them as they come out and he explains, “I heard the howling all night. I am convinced that’s my hunting dog, and the dogs of our town. If they are sick, like you said – you saw some kind of fungus on them – if they can’t be cured, I am asking you to find them and put them down. They’ve been with us for so long and the curse on this island means they’d live forever, being sick and my heart can’t take that.”
• “We will find a cure,” Aros said sternly, unsure if such a cure existed…

TO BE CONTINUED.