Notes from the Cedrin 2 campaign game played on 22 Jan 2000.

Daralie regales the people in Nestor’s Inn with tales from her temple. Sylvain wanders about the Inn and listens for rumors. She learns that the Pool of Thunder, the town’s only source of water (created supposedly by Zeus with a lightening bolt), went dry a few weeks back but it filled again almost an hour later. The Pool does get low on water during the dry seasons. No one knows the source of the Pool’s water. Sylvain then overhears some people talking about increased bandit and orc activity of late.

Bornt, a beardless dwarf, orders ale

When Daralie begins pouring wine for the patrons in the Inn, Nestor tells her to get out as she is interfering with his profits. Daralie argues with Nestor. He explains that this is his place of business. If she gives it away the customers won’t buy it. He orders her out once more and the party then comes to her rescue. Nestor relents but tells her to put her bottle away and order something.

Sylvain leaves and goes to the pool where she strikes up a conversation with a Priest of Zeus, who is guarding the pool. It is late and no one is around the pool. The priest seems bored. Sylvain asks if the blood in the pool could just be from someone bathing in it. The priest shrugs and says perhaps. Sylvain asks if anyone has tried to figure out the type of blood and is told it is not animal or human, exactly what the priests aren’t, or can’t say. Sylvain asks if a watch is being kept on the pool and is told there is always a watch on the pool.

Sylvain wonders if the blood is coming from the bottom of the pool. The priest says, “Or from Zeus.” Sylvain quietly wonders why Zeus would put blood in the pool then asks why a god would support the desecration of one of their creation but the priest responds that gods cannot desecrate what they create.

Bornt tries to get Nestor’s attention again but he is still too busy.

Sylvain returns and calls the group together. All gather, except for Lexus, who is upstairs, not having officially met the group yet. Sylvain explains the tainting of the pool and wonders if the group wants to do the town a favor by finding out what is happening. The group agrees and they settle in for the night (it is 8 PM when they decide this). Yolanda and Korion rent rooms at Mrs. Biddle’s Boarding House, Daralie sleeps in the Priest’s Quarters, and the rest spend the night in the Inn.

The following morning, the group gathers at the Temple of Zeus, Sylvain and Daralie request an audience and a minor priest meets them at the bottom of the steps leading into the temple. Sylvain was hoping to meet with someone with greater authority about the recent defilements of the pool. The priest is horrified and begins to question why they defiled the pool.

Sylvain quickly corrects the priest that they did not defile it but they have heard stories and they wish to talk about them with one of his superiors. The priest wonders who is talking about the pool being defiled.

Bornt wanders to the pool and looks in to find that it looks bottomless. He then looks around for a bucket.

Daralie explains there are stores of recent sightings of blood in the Pool of Thunder. Sylvain adds he heard stories in the Inn the night before. Then peremptorily tells the priest not to delay them anymore. The priest asks who they are.

Daralie leaves Sylvain talking with the priest and goes to the Pool of Thunder. Yolanda is also examining the pool.

Bornt continues to look and then tries to pick up one of the rocks lining the pool but finds it is secured, they do not move. He tries to dig down beside the rocks with his fingers but finds the sand is hard-packed and will not dig easily.

The pool appears bottomless and is roughly 30 x 20 feet. The water is sparklingly clear and tastes sweet with a tingle. There are no plants growing around it or algae growing on the rocks that surround the pool. There are no nearby trees and no other bodies of water empty into it, that they can see. The only holes in the rocks are where they fit together. The rocks go down to where they rest on what looks like packed sand. The water must drain away into the sand as fast as it seeps in. The water is absolutely still, no signs of movement. Touches send ripples but these quickly dissipate.

Bornt toss a silver piece at the pool but a nearby watching priest levitates it away and into his hands. He smiles at Bornt for the contribution to the temple. Bornt dips his hand into the pool and takes a drink. He finds the water sweet with a tingle. It cures his hangover almost immediately. Pudge drinks and the group fills vials and flasks with the water. Korion drinks and get the same results. Bornt moves off and starts talking with one of the priests guarding the pool and observes that the nine priests guarding the pool are extremely vigilante.

Korion also talks with a priest and finds that they consider the water as coming from Zeus. No other explanation as to its origin is necessary.

Sylvain wonders if people can get in the pool and finds that people bath in it all the time. Korion wants to bath but is told she can only take in her skin. Sylvain watches Korion carefully as she undresses and gets into the waters of the pool. Korion is very cold. Korion leaves the pool and tells everyone that the water is VERY cold, as if from melted snow. There are mountains 20 miles north of town.

Bornt asks the priest why they are watching the water. He is told it is their duty, for which they are purified nightly. The High Priest and Lord Kethor command them to do this thing.

Korion wonders if it is unusual for people to bathe in the pool. A priest responds that many who are ill bathe in it. The priest wonders if Korion’s afflictions have been healed. Korion says yes.

Yolanda wonders what is different about the healing performed by drinking vs. bathing. Korion says drinking heals one hit point per day while bathing helps an open wound. A priest adds that any afflictions of the skin, abrasions and cuts, as well as lesions and festering sores are healed.

Daralie attempts to push Bornt into the water but a nearby priest teleports them underneath a nearby tree where they both fall in the grass.

Sylvain, having not heard from the priest that entered the temple for almost an hour, tries to get answers from one of the priests guarding the pool. She finds that these priests cannot answer that sort of question. She wonders who can give her that information and is told to ask a priest in the temple.

Lexus O’Keef runs by as the group is examining the pool. He is running almost as fast as the horse he is following. When he sees the groups, he stops and the horse goes on by. Bornt asks Lexus his name and where he is going. Lexus answers with his name and says simple, “Down the road.” In subsequent discussions the following rumors are revealed by Lexus who has been working down on the docks while the group examined the pool.

The group bombards Lexus with questions as he relates the rumors he has heard but he only answers, “I don’t know, I’m not from around here.” When he’s done, Lexus says, “Nice meeting ya,” and wanders away even though he is pressed to join the group, which is trying to figure out what is going on with the pools. He does agree to meet them later at the Inn.

Yolanda asks the priests if they have seen the birds. Priest answer no. Birds just fly around and dump on Lord Kethor’s statue.

Korion comments that Lexus’ clothing color scheme is dreadful. Lexus says that it all looks gray to him. Yolanda asks if he can see more colors than gray and is told nope, just shades of gray.

Bornt asks the priest by the pool about the metal shortage. Priest answers there has always been a shortage since the Cedrin Wars. Bornt is surprised that the shortage has continued for the 5 years since the end of the Cedrin Wars. Yolanda is also surprised since there is no shortage of metal on the Isle of Light because the dwarves there have opened mines. The priest says the shortage is because they can’t reopen the mines up here. Bornt asks why are they are still closed. The priest says they send men to reopen the mines and they don’t come back. Bornt wonders where these mines are located. He is told 35-40 miles north in the mountains and that he should talk with Mrs. Biddle, who runs the boarding house, as she owns the mines.

The group then heads to the Boarding House to talk with Mrs. Biddle. From her they find that she has tried to open the mines 8 times and failed.

Korion wonders at the coincidence of there being 9 priests by the pool and if the group tries to open the mines, it will be the ninth attempt.

Mrs. Biddle says she can’t afford to equip another party but adds that if the group could get the mines open she would share half the first year profits with them. Sylvain quietly says that getting them open and keeping them open are different issues. Korion wonders how much it would cost to equip a group.

Mrs. Biddle responds the last group cost 1000 gold pieces. Bornt asks how many went and she says 100, 80 of them miners.

Sylvain thinks that a reconnaissance mission might be what is needed.

Mrs. Biddle says she couldn’t pay for that type of mission. She has no money.

Bornt is surprised because she runs the Boarding House. She answers that she’s thinking of closing it because of the orc trouble last month. Bornt, thinking that the orcs had stayed in the house advises her to burn the place down.

Sylvain, remembering information he got from priests by the pool, quickly say no. Orcs had climbed the walls and desecrated the pool. He asks for a map.

Mrs. Biddle adds that they came over the wall and killed Old Man Hisker and all his kids. Lord Kethor took out all the Kethians and killed almost 100 orcs.

Bornt pushes for a map.

Mrs. Biddle says she gave her last map to the last group but if they just follow the roads north until they come to mine tailings they should find the mines just above them.

Bornt, the no-beard dwarf, surprises everyone by asking what a tailing is. He is told they are discards from the mine that didn’t hold any ore.

After a little more discussion, the groups decides to set out for the mines as soon as they can get equipped.