Tales of the Tense River Basin

Old friends gather as members of an adventuring guild and begin to explore the city of Provenance.

With a cursed dagger in hand, questions need answering. Fern leads the group to meet with more established guild members to learn more. With the insights of Reginald and Karessa, the dagger is realized to be made with advanced metallurgy unlike any found within the Basin. The hilt bears the thorny marks of magic wielded only by the Twisten Sisters, a dangerous trio of witches known to reside in the swamps to the southwest. Separately, Alagad manages to get on the wrong side of Vizier Meisier, the guild's in house magical counsel. Following up on the noise complaint posted on the guild job board, the group heads to Dewsberry and Spindle lane to meet with Francois Frollbie. Reports of a haunting cry emanating from his parlor have led him to requesting help. Along the way, however, they are waylaid by bandits who soon find themselves regretting their actions. Stripped of their weapons armor the brigands are sent running by the mercy of Fern, Alagad, and Havoc. But such actions make them vulnerable and the skies darken with a conspiracy of ravens descending upon them. Though successful in fighting them off, the nefarious obsidian birds continue to watch them. Twisted roots wrapped around their claws and embedded into their plumage, these ravens are the eyes and ears of Sycorax, one of the Twisten Sisters. Heading inside the Frollbie Estate keeps them from the birds eye view and the group begins their investigation of the source of the ominous calls from beyond the grave. But their investigation leads them to believe the source of the noise is somewhere outside the Frollbie parlor. Meeting the nearest neighbor, a pianist and Meudonian Elf who explains to Fern some of the lore of her people that had been hidden from her in her exile from New Meudon.

Returning to the Frollbie Estate the members of the Company of the Plumdart realize they need more information. Fern uses her ability to communicate with animals to enlist the aid of a local badger to dig beneath the road and discover the source of the sounds. A pair of pipes is discovered that must lead somewhere. However, in enticing the badger to their aid, the party soon finds itself waylaid by an entire cete of badgers, eager to be fed like their compatriot. With a promise to help them deal with the farmers to the west who won't allow them forage in the fields, they are soon sent off. But subterranean pipes still need investigating, and the party realizes that the abandoned well is their next best route. Havoc leads the way, using their wings to safely descend and begin the exploration. This abandoned structure opens out to a deep cistern, now overrun with rats the size of dogs. Cutting through the vines and roots that have taken over the passages forces the party into tight quarters and combat with the murine threat. Pushing them back successfully, until they reach the central chamber. A swirling pool of runoff and waste water drains into someplace deep below, and the rats are emboldened to defend their nest by the presence of a horrid werecreature with eyes of a rodent and claws that slice through armor like it is butter. The party is nearly wiped out by this adversary, but quick thinking of behalf of Havoc and the help of vanishing powder allows them to escape and regroup. Finally able to return and dispatch the wererat, Havoc and Alagad push forward hearing the cries and screams that inspired the noise complaint in the first place. These pipes connect underneath the Frollbie Estate and seem to carry the sound with them. This must be the source. Here, they find a shuffling and horrid decrept, a Screamer chained against the wall and a makeshift living space. Someone has been keeping him here in this undying state. Returning to the surface, they barge into the home of Hilda Gurty and question her. Finding that she is but a grieving widow, keeping her dead husband chained below, unable to part from him for the last three years. With some negotiation and compassion Alagad convinces her that the time has come to let him go.

Suspicion runs deep sometimes. Alagad Luhan , certain that Francois Frollbie was responsible for the death of Hilda Gurty's husband, hatched a plan to confront him. With Havoc Windsbreath acting as a distraction to bring Hilda out of her home Alagad led Francois through her home and down the trap door to where Hilda's reanimated husband remained chained up. Francois explained that although he has known to Gurtys for some time, both of them having lived at this intersection for many years, he did not know the exact circumstances of Mr. Gurty's death, except that it transpired in the fields north of Provenance. The investigation intensified with the use of illusory magic and the involvement of Havoc in the questioning. Eventually boiling over into magical vines summoned by Fern and an altercation as Francois tried to return to his own home. However, the truth came to light. There had been no wrongdoing on Francois' part, Hilda confirmed her husband died on the road to Carcassonne. The pay promised by Francois was of course retracted and his discontent was obvious. During the confusion and confrontation, Havoc attempted to dispatch the decrept Gurty himself and enraged the creature, causing it to fight against its constraints. In all the chaos as Havoc returned upstairs the Screamer and the previously tied up wererat escaped down the drain. The group sorely needed the aid of a recently made friend, Doc Pidge. A counselor ready to mend their fractured relationship. A good conversation and vulnerable admissions later it became clear that what the group needed most was some relaxation and a serious bath. This led them to Han's Spa , run be an affable Featherbeard Dwarf who helped the group to relax and rediscover their peace. Once the issue of Steamed Spirits taking over his hot baths was addressed of course. Now knowing that something is pulling these angry elemental beings from their world into this one, the group has a lead on what might be happening in the sewers beneath Provenance and a success to bolster their spirits.

With Alagad otherwise engaged, the duo of Fern and Havoc set to doing some right in the city of Provenance. Its a simple task ahead of them, locate Gustov the fishmonger and thank him for the excellent Halibut that he has supplied to the Company of the Plumdart. However, along the way the bane of all adventurers rears its head once more, a ginormouse rodent climbs the wall of a nearby home and Fern reveals her newfound ability to transcend her ordinary form and take on that of animals she encounters. Now as a rat herself she can see what was so appealing, the scent of fresh food wafts up from the kitchen. The rat is a clear danger and once dispatched the homeowner is so thankful for the help of the adventurers that offers of food and thanks are made. Its a new and fresh feeling for the Plumdarts; success. Fresh off the high of a job well done they try to tackle something greater, dangerous sea beasts. But the better part of valor is not dying in the middle of a river, so they opt to rest beforehand, making their way to the Meudonian owned establishment of Celestial Aromas further upriver. As night falls, they discover a bridge leading to a small island in the river, which they soon discover to be a celestial observatory. A place where Meudonian Elves in Provenance can come to try to discover and chart the stars.