16: The Heroes of Diamond Lake, part 1

In the week which followed the heroes triumphant return from the Dourstone Mine much was sold in the town. An ‘Adventurers Boom’ started for the local economy, and that as much as their deeds spread word of their fame to local denizens of the Cairn Hills. Maybe even a few in Greyhawk heard tale of their exploits in defeating not one but three evil cults at the base of the Dourstone Mine in Diamond Lake.
At the start of the week Master Melraque, the wizard who had contracted the group to find ‘the Fiend’s Embrace’ cloak returned with the magic items he has promised in trade. At the end of the week the Adventurers had divvied up the magical spoils of the adventure.

The group split and went their separate ways for a time. Aardgal went to the Shrine of the Green Lady on the opposite banks of Diamond Lake. Feldnar holed up with Allustan, scribing and discussing spells. Bornir arranged to have his Axe enchanted and spent much of his time eating and drinking. Aarth went to Luzare’s and learned greater subtleties in the game of Dragon Chess.
Since the group had been granted the contents of the cultists lairs by Lannod Neff, the Mayor, they were approached by a gang of men wishing to clean out the lair for 50% of the haul. Moregrim nearly spit out his ale when he heard that he rounded up some of the other adventurers to clean out the lair. Azreal, Stigand and Lath joined him.
As the four were collecting maces and shields from the skeletons they defeated, they heard a door open down a wide hallway, and horrible rasping-squeling noises along with the sound of heavy hooves as some creature rushed down the hallway towards them.
A Clydesdale sized prehistoric boar with boney ridges protruding from it’s body rushed into the room and gored Stigand. The four dropped their salvage and attacked the beast with vigor. It slashed Moregrim, and soon was dead. Over it’s body from the darkness came crossbow bolts. Azreal sent up a wind wall to block the missiles, and the crossbowmen retreated as the four advanced.
In the Citadel of Hextor the four took cover and Moregrim set his shield as he entered the room. A tense few seconds passed as the four crossbowmen held their fire waiting for a chance to strike. Lath ran past Moregrim and Stigand and suffered a minor injury to his calf despite his magical banded mail as he ran at the men. Soon two of the men were down, and Stigand had cowed the others to surrender.
In speaking with them the men had been a part of Dourstone’s mine guards but had been loyal to Theldrick, the leader of the Citadel of Hextor. When it was clear something was going on in the mine the four came down here and became trapped after the lift was ruined. They set themselves to wait, using the Dire Boar as a trap to overwhelm whoever came exploring.
The two men were pressed into service hauling goods and handed over to the Garrison troops guarding the entrance of the Mine. They will be charged with theft and attempted murder.

The group ranged about Diamond Lake cleaning armor, weapons, and laboratory items, and in the end netted a tidy profit. That evening Stigand and Moregrim observed a man being roughed up outside a tavern. A trio of Sheriff Deputies was beating him to a pulp. Stigand sidled over and asked what the man had done. It turned out he was a drifter looking for work and clearly had ‘the black pox’. Moregrim and Stigand stepped in and kept the trio from drowning the man in the lake as they had intended.
The man, Brennin, is a ‘swamper’ from outside Eru-Gael. His family was nomadic, and they were killed by Lizard Men from deep in the Mist Marsh. He believed it was the ‘Twisted Branch’ tribe responsible. They fed and cleaned him up and in the morning Lath cast Cure Disease on him and cleared up his condition. When the rest of the group was told of this man’s plight, Feldnar informed Allustan who thought it might be wise to form an expedition to Black Wall Keep, which was built long ago by Greyhawk to keep an eye on the Lizard Man threat from the Mist Marsh.
Azreal and Lath had met with a pair of Halflings during their evening out. Imwin and Mera Holebrace from Elmshire wished to speak with the brave group of adventurers who defeated the evil triad. It turns out Mera was Mouse’s cousin, and as his closest kin she had heard of his demise below the Dourstone Mine. They wanted to take possession of his body and worldly goods.
After some talk, and careful questioning about their lineage, the group agreed to turn Mouse’s house over to the pair. The groups belongings were removed from the place. The pair of Halflings eyed the half dozen graves outside the former Mine Office but said little except to ask: “Which grave belongs to Mouse? “The small one.”

The next day a dirty, tired little girl sought out help from Moregrim. 10 years old and her named ‘Primp’ she told Moregrim of her Momma sending her towards town as some creatures attacked the rest of her family in their home, which is a farmstead outside Diamond Lake.
Moregrim gathered as many heroes as he could, and they set off immediately with Primp in Moregrim’s cart to the farm. They found the place quiet, the front door unlocked. Moregrim entered the darkened house and saw a figure huddled in the corner a blanket drawn up over it. He approached, telling the lad everything would be fine, they were here to help. No response. Moregrim feared the worse. Shield in hand he drew back the blanket, and found a frightened looking boy of 13 – turned to granite. Moregrim stepped away. His mind raced. He yelled back to the rest of the group, he found a boy turned to stone. What could do such a thing?
Stigand had used his Dragon enhanced abilities to scale the side of the farm house and was walking along the roof, looking at quiet chicken coops and a quiet barn, bow and arrow in hand.
Moregrim continued to explore the farm house and found 2 more people frozen in stone trying to fight off some unknown creature. Axe in hand he opened the door to the kitchen. He found the back door, some broken cages, and a horrific creature. Part Cockerel, part lizard it’s baleful white eyes peered at Moregrim and it let out a horrible cry and charged Moregrim. It’s beak struck the dwarf fighter and he barely fought off creeping petrification.
Outside the beasts cry was heard and a second creature keened from the barn. Stigand readied his bow and fired, striking a second Cockatrice as it emerged from the barn. It fly at Stigand and tried to strike him. Both fights were over quickly. The two cockatrices were slain.
Afterwards they found a total of 6 people petrified. Also the back door had been broken in and just inside the door were two cages smashed open, they smelled of the creatures which had petrified the family. They didn’t tell Primp, instead asking if she had any relatives she could stay with. She responded there were relatives a few miles away at another farm house, and directed the 4 heroes to another, slightly larger farm house.
The people there greeted Primp with surprise, and took the heroes in. After Moregrim took the Father of the house aside he told him the fate of Primp’s family. Shocked the man said they would of course take Primp in, and tomorrow they would head bring the horse and cart to their relatives farm to see what they could do.
A simple stew and bread was prepared and the group had a hearty meal. As they sat back, a sudden wave of wooziness hit them. The food had been drugged! The three country folk drew short swords from concealment, and yelled for more to come and take the heroes. Several other men and women in leather armor ran into the room, and a sudden vicious melee erupted.
Even the ‘girl’ Primp arrived sans disguise showing herself to be a female Halfling. Now in armor and with a vicious short sword she attacked.
The fight went outside as the lightly armored attackers, expecting less resistance from the drugged heroes, fled the scene. Stigand pursued a little too closely and was attacked when he left the back door. He fell in a quickly expanding pool of his own blood.
Lath unlimbered his bow, and Azrael held one of the few remaining brigands. Only Primp escaped on foot.
With a female captive in tow, the foursome searched the rest of the famr house and in a root cellar found a family of 6 bound and gagged. The true residents of the farm, they were taken captive 2 days ago by the group, beaten, threatened and tied up in their own root cellar.
The heroes saw how elaborate this attack had been. But who was behind it?