The Elk run circles around us!

After the father and son duo head off toward Diamond bed, the group continues heading East. After a few days Wurm is starting to hate camping and traveling. They find a large clearing (wheat field). What is strange is that there is the symbol of Noir in the Wheat (like a crop circle). It can only be seen from the sky, but it is a clear that this is the "sign" Wurm was looking for. Mordilane finds a dead tree not too far off and is enamored with it and starts to peal off the dead bark. Once he peals off all of the bark, the tree appears to be made of fused bone. 

One of the areas of the crop circle (the tombstone portion of the Noir symbol) seems strange. After stepping within the circle, time seems to slow down. They determine that this area allows time to slow down by 1 hour per minute, giving the person time to rest or study and pray. 24 hours in the area  =  only 24 minutes in real time. A great find indeed. 

Wurm places down the foundation stone seeing a perfectly dug hole to accept it and feeling quite confident that this is "the place". After placing the stone a caravan arrives with a group of 13 masons. The leader of the group introduces himself as Master Mason Bierson Remley. He explains he is on a mission from god to build a church. He comes up with a quick sketch of the first chamber which will encompass the area around the strange time altering portion of the field. He also sets a stake in the ground of where the eventual front entrance will be which will look at and be centered on the bone tree 200 yards away. 

Bierson gives Mordilane a page of sheet music. Once he starts to play, a herd of Elk arrive at the site and start to run in a circle around the area. This piece of sheet music seems quite special as after he finishes the song, the entire page changes to a new song. 

The masons start pulling stones from bags of holding and begin work. The adventurers leave and head further east towards Evonmar. When they arrive, Mordilane finds one of his flyers hanging in the blacksmiths shop and immediately goes to work of drumming up excitement for his upcoming performance. He works his way through the community and finds himself in the company of Duke Orek Isenwood. The Duke is smitten with the Bard and invites him and and his friends to stay at his guest house on his estate. 

A formal dinner is produced for the "out of towners". A whole pig is presented and the group enjoys a quite lovely and elegant dinner.

During dessert a scream comes from the main entrance. One of the female servants has been murdered. Her vocal cords and entrails strapped around her, hanging from the girders above. Her eyes are also gone/ removed. 

Everyone heads back to their quarters. In the morning the Duke and several fully armed soldiers arrive at the guest house. He is not happy. He gives the group 12 hours to turn over the murderer before he is forced to call upon the clerics in town to speak with dead and call out the culprit. He assures the group that if they give up the member of their party that did such horrible deeds, he will be merciful. But if they don't, then all members will suffer the same fate as the murderer. 

12 hours.... 

Air ship crash, the portal, & the creature!

The group heads East another day and makes camp. Wurm spends time with the ghost and realizes he can concentrate and see through her eyes. Fascinating! 

After the nuns clean up breakfast, a large boom in the sky is heard. The group sees an air ship in flames crashing in a clearing in the forest and go to investigate.

There are human and Wyvren bodies everywhere. They witness three humanoids traveling to the ground on a floating disk. When they go to greet them, one is already gone. They meet a father and son fencing duo on vacation who had plans to head to Diamond city. 

Checking out the crash site, they find an open portal. It leads to an underground prison of sorts. Tentacles attack from the grates in the floor,  a strange metallic looking beetle and two strange purplish hounds escape behind a door.  After solving a few riddles, the group is able to obtain the keys to the prison chamber (floor). Instead of attacking the strange large tentacled creature, they parlay. MoPuck brokers a deal. The creature can only leave by taking the body of a humanoid. Patrina agrees and the creature enters her. She looks a bit odd, like her skin is not sitting right. 

The fencing duo spends the night and leaves in the morning after breakfast. They vow to meet again. The father and son leave towards the west for Diamond bed city. 

Abe finds another item.  One that turns his hand into wood. He can move it but it takes some effort. 

The nuns, the dragons, the murder in the woods

The group enjoys a healthy breakfast prepared by the 4 rescued damsels. Abe trips and falls on what he thought was a root. It turned out to be an intricate bone staff with magical properties. (might be the first item on his list of things he is looking for, but he is not sure yet)

Soon after the group is greeted by two clerics of Noir riding young black dragons. Applebottom gets a chance to ride one and is beyond the moon excited (even shitting himself). The clerics bring holy vestments and equipment for the four damsels. They perform a ceremony inducting them into the holy church order. 

Gourd the minotaur admits to licking the ass of one of the dragons and was rather intrigued!!!

The following morning one of the damsels is missing!!!! (Becka). Abe uses his tracking skills and unfortunately finds her disemboweled and hanging from a tree by her own intestines. 

Wurm calls on Noir for help and takes Becka's skull. He is granted the ability to speak with dead. He learns how she died. She materializes as a ghost and jumps on Wurm like a backpack.

Another strange encounter finds Abe with a new pet/friend. A baby Blue dragon. He names him Alexander. Alexander's first effort to impress his new friends is to eat Abe's snake, then belches. 

World tour!, the black foundation stone, & the damsels in distress

Varis has a heart to heart with the rest of the group (minus Rasa).

Mordinlane expresses interest in going on a world tour and has flyers made and sent out throughout the lands. The group gears up for their first "camping" trip out of the city. 

Varis, says he will stay behind to find his stuff that was stolen.

Wurm is given a new mission from the high cleric. He needs to place a foundation stone and hire a builder & architect to build a new church. He is told that he will know when and where to build it from a sign from god. 

The group leaves for the east and gets to the forest by nightfall. As they set up camp, they hear screams in the distance. They rescue 4 young maidens being savagely raped by a large group of thugs. They kill the thugs and bring the maidens back to a camp for a glorious meal prepared by Gourd (rabbit stew). 

They meet a new companion named "Abe" who also joins them for dinner. 

The forest is cold and damp and all of the companions feel it as they are used to warm beds inside of buildings with fireplaces....