#SessionNote ## Waldo's Wandering Wonders You met Waldo! ![[Waldo_pic.png|500]] Waldo has been added to the list of [[Roving Vendors]] that have visited or frequents [[Loot Tavern|The Loot Tavern]]. You did some shopping and got provisioned up and set out on your hunt! [[Lutecia]] mixed you a [[Port Ale]] called a Piney Colada. It's a little earthy but still tasty. Upon heading through the portal to your destination, [[Lyta of the Embereye|Lyta]] swears she hears... carnival music? ## The Tanglepines Welcome to the [[Bottle and Barrel]]! You receive a warm welcome from Taturgal and get the lay of the land and the state of things. Here's the long and the short of it: * [[Dr. Francis Norman Stein|Dr Stein]] moved in to the area, and much like you saw with the [[Maphrok Jungle]], his experiments have been getting.... hinky. * Keystone and Foundation's governing body (Essentially a trade alliance) demanded he take action * Stein put up wards up and down The Neck of [[The Tanglepines]] to stop any of his creations causing issues (coded to his DNA and signature biomancy) * That worked great for a good while but something is now amiss attacking travelers seemingly indiscriminately * The Trade Alliance is pressuring Stein to figure it out * You also learn about the Owlboar and Frorpions * Oddly enough... [[Jacob Hargrave|Jacob's]] book has recipes for both... Tatugal lets you know you can find Stein in the main council building in the center of the town. Normally he's be in his tower, but that's been missing for a while now. Odd... You enjoy a nice meal and ale and make your way to the town council building. ## Dr. Stein, I presume You meet [[Dr. Francis Norman Stein]] face to face for the first time buried in paperwork and ledgers. Questions and answers to the best of his ability flow back and forth. There's a healthy amount of suspicion weigh against Stein but insightful analysis seems to show that he doesn't have any memory of the Maphrok Jungle or his old spellbook that [[Cadoperious (Caddy) Shortstout|Caddy]] has. Here's the brass tacks: * Stien's direction is that you should find the Tangleping Terror anywhere between Keystong and Foundation * No pattern to the attacks * If it's not hungry, it's not prone to attack * If he's at fault for this, he doesn't know how * In addition to the hunt payment: * An extra reward if you find his half-brother, Jonjo Starr or his missing tower * He gives you a picture of his brother a Blob of Biomatter that will summon him if you find either * You're only to use this if you're sure you've found one or the either or both ## The Hunt... Begins You set out in search of the monster. About halfway from Keystone to Foundation you come to a good sized clearing and see the following: * A rectangular outline in the dirt * 100 long, 40 feet wide * A pile of bleached bones and shiny metal * Investigating the bones (no bones from the knees or below) and pockmarked metal lead you to believe that acid was involved * Patch of burned and blackened earth 5-10 feet away from the outline * Investigating the patch you determine that it's the result of alchemist fire Looking around and figuring out what's happened here, you notice someone hiding in the brush across the path. Guthric was traveling with a group transporting lumber from Foundation to Keystone when they came across a tavern. His boss, too cheap to pay up for everyone to get a room and relax, had Guthric sleep outside with the goods. He says he started hearing screams from inside but when he tried to go in and see what was up, the door was locked and nothing he did would open it. He threw alchemist fire but the bottle just bounced off it like it was shielded or something. After a little bit, the tavern just got up and left on thousands of little feet of varying types. The tavern presumably *walked* off into The Deep. ## The 3 clues of the hunt * Acid damage * Footprints * Warded ## Following the Multi-Cultural Feet Tracks Tracking the trail of... whatever this thing is, you get a little lost and discover a statue of a man sitting cross-legged on the forest floor. The statue is of heavily armor cladded human with a large axe, hands on knees, just facing off into the distance. He has familiar face to one of the Josiahs from the Gauntlet. Shuffling around the statue, you find a small area rug. Caddy makes the leap that this guy was on a flying carpet and somehow got turned to stone. A quick scroll of Greater Restoration unstones the man. You learn he is indeed a Josiah that goes by The Righteous Josiah. He doesn't know how he got here or why. You learn he's a Paladin of Tyr. You also learn he's not aware of the multiples he is a member of. The conversation is interrupted by a portal conveying none other than Sam the Eagle, come to collect the errant Josiah and "get him where he's supposed to be." Some fangirling, some checks on intent, and safety out of the way Sam and Josiah leave you to carry on. Getting back on the trail, you come to a larger clearing. In the middle of that clearing is a tavern. ## Trivia What was the name of the house ale in The [[Bottle and Barrel]]? Send me your answer in your personal channel on Discord for a prize! You've got until the start of Session 8 to answer. ## What happens next? Let's find out together.