D&D: Green Eggs and Hamh (Session 3)

The heroes awake after a peaceful night and soon make preparations to head out.  It was at this time that the barbarian finished cleaning off his gauntlets.  As he cleaned them they appeared to be simple, rusty, and well used gauntlets.  He was starting to consider how much he could get for selling them when they started to glow.  Then things got even stranger as they began to talk.  He learned that the gauntlets are home to a Ogre chief named Mrtok.  Mrtok was very happy to have been released from the box in the basement and said he had been stored there a very long time.  Mrtok was happy to join the adventure as long as there would be a little fighting along the way.

After welcoming Mrtok to the group, the heroes headed off to after the rider who left with the samples of their clothes.  They figured that he was heading to Rosedell and the shortest route there was through a city named Hamh.  But first they needed to make it out of the forest.



As they hiked out of the forest they came to a strange clearing that was surrounded by dangerous looking plants.  They appeared to have bodies of other adventures and animals tangled among them.  But they noticed something shiney on the body of one of these adventures.  The group takes a vote and everyone agrees the rogue should be as sneaky as possible and go get the object.  And to the surprise of the battle ready group, the rogue easily grabs the object without disturbing a branch.

Then the heroes, deciding not to press their luck, head off out of the forest.  When they reach the end they come to a rocky area that opens into wide plains.  Off in the distance the heroes see a goblin and a group of wolves approaching rapidly.  The group appears hostile to the heroes so they set up a trap.  The barbarian and the paladin strip a rope between two rocks while the hobbit is used as bait.  When the advancing group gets within range the hobbit and rogue start releasing their arrows. One wolf falls from a direct hit from the hobbit.  Another fails to notice the trap set for him and trips.  The wolf then rolls to a stop in front of the rogue who easily finishes him off.  The fight is over quickly and soon the goblin is begging for his life.  The heroes decide to grant him his life and even help stabilize his wounds.  But when the goblin asks for more help, the party quickly refuses and leaves him to nurse his wounds.

The party then continues on their way to the city of Hamh.  On the way, the bard tell them some of the history of the town.  They find out that it is a peaceful farming community and he recounts many joyous tales of the happy people there.  He explains that he will be happy to see the town again.

When the heroes reach the town, they soon notice that something is not right.  They notice that the normally busy streets of the town are very empty.  As they venture further into the town they find out that everyone is at the graveyard attending a funeral.  They wait until everyone leaves the graveyard and then they start to investigate what is going on.

They find out that the town is under attack from a horrible plague.  It appears to take about 3 days for the sickness to run its cycle and it ends in death every time.  They also find out that the children are affected first and seemed to become ill the fastest.  They find out that the plague first started at Pym, an old farmers, house.  The bard agrees to help attend to as many sick people as he can while the rest of the group heads out to investigate the problem.

When they reach Pym's house they learn that the sickness was first contracted by Pym's infant daughter.  When they approach Pym they find out that he is very upset because all of the eggs that his chickens lay are green and poisonous.  When asked about the plague, he explains that he noticed the youngest children who were not able to walk yet were the ones who got sick first.

As the heroes turn to leave he also asks them if they would be interested in his services.  The heroes are surprised to discover that he is also the towns graves-keeper.  The barbarian decides that it might be handy to have a grave already paid for based on his line of work.  He agrees on the fee that Pym asks and purchases a grave-site and tombstone. The heroes thank Pym and head on their way.

The next stop the heroes make is with Fetzweld, the town mayor.  But they soon find that to be a waste of time as he is an old gnome who has lost most of his mind.  He is unable to offer any useful information at all.  The heroes start moving around the town more and stop to talk to anyone they can find.  They find out that it was soon after Pym's daughter got sick that the next person caught the plague.  They also noticed that each death led to an increased number of deaths in three days.

During their search they also speak with Gentry who is an ex-fighter.  They learn that he helps hold the town together during goblin raids.  They also gain him as a friend because the gauntlets recognized him as being half ogre.  Mrtok greeted Gentry by forcing the barbarian to punch Gentry in the face.  Luckily Gentry was not offended and offered to help the party if possible.  The group asks him if he remembers anyone strange entering the town before the plague hit.  Gentry says that a strange wizard entered the town a few weeks before the plague happened.  He recommends that the heroes head to the town library.

The heroes reach the library and talk to the librarian, Atook.  They find out that the wizard entered the town demanding that the town hand over a strange book they had stored in the library.  Atook knew that is was a source of great evil and decided to protect it from the wizard.  They also find out that the wizard's name was Byfar.  They ask to see the book but Atook says that he does not trust them enough and will keep the book safe.

The group then heads to the bar to think about what they had learned and to see what new information they could gather.  In the tavern they find out that another funeral will be held the next morning.  They also gather a little more information about Byfar but it just reinforced the idea that he was angry about not getting the book. Some of the townsfolk remember him treating the town as he left.  The heroes feel that he is the one who caused the plague.  They also decide that it must somehow be linked to the graveyard.  They decide that just to be safe they will sleep outside the town.



The next morning they head to the graveyard but decide to watch the ceremony from a distance.  They are very hesitant to get too close to the grass around the graveyard.  As the sun is rising they move in for a closer look and notice a strange green dew on the grass.  The invoker is able to detect evil within the dew.  They also notice that the boots of the villagers are picking it up and they have a small layer of taint on them.  As the sun rises the dew evaporates and the grass appears safe again.  They study the grass and the taint left on the boots of the townsfolk.  They decide that holy water would be the best way to wash the taint away.

Since the town didn't have a church, the heroes decide to attempt to create their own holy water.  With the help of the paladin and invoker the heroes are able to make small amounts of holy water.  They notice that it is not as effective as normal blessed water but it was powerful enough to wash away the taint on anyone effected by the plague.  They decide that the impromptu ritual went so well that they would try recasting it on the lake in the center of town.


The ritual is a success and the water in the lake is able to clean away any of the taint.  They tell all of the townsfolk to wash anything that went into the graveyard and anyone who is sick with the taint.  They also recommend that the holy water be sprinkled on the graveyard until the effect is washed away.  The town is very grateful and offers to throw a party in the heroes honor that night.  The heroes agree to attend but first they head to the library.

Atook was very grateful that they were able to save the town.  He agrees to entrust them with the strange book.  He retrieves it from his magical safe and gives it to the heroes.  On the cover is the symbol they had seen on the yellow cloak.  They decided that it all must be connected somehow but they do not know how yet.

The heroes attend the party where everyone is very happy that they saved the town.  They make many new friends and everyone agrees to help them in the future if they can. The mayor decrees that the heroes will always receive a 50% discount on adventuring goods from the stores in the town of Hamh.  Fetzweld also offers them all of the money from the towns treasury but they turn it down.  They decided it would be more important to help the town get back on their feet.  The heroes then get a free nights stay at the inn before heading off to continue their adventure.

And that is how the heroes earned the title... "The heroes of Hamh"