Sugar and Spice
Session One of the First Iourn One-Off

Sharday, 5 Scatterseed 203

A gang of goblins chop down some venerable sylvan trees in an enchanted glade in the Cullbarren Peaks. Their action releases forest spirits from within the trees who want revenge against all humanoid life in the area. The goblins are observed in their work by the witch, Ishara.

Sunday, 12 Scatterseed 203

Janna and Toby, aged five and three seasons respectively, run away from the small logging village of Weyland, high in the Cullbarren Peaks. They find their way to the aforementioned sylvan glade, which is some distance from the village. The vengeful spirits enter the children, who fall into a fevered sleep and soon die. The spirits possess bodies, and it these demonic creatures that are returned to Weyland by the dead children's father, Tobias.

Caladay, 4 Keenaxe 203

The Timberlake ambassador-to-dwarves, Niergan, assembles a team of adventurers to deliver important papers to the dwarves of Underbarron. The group consists of the famous Gnome Ranger (aka Spugnor Thrang) as well as Malachi de Chersiré, priest of Vítaeous and gentleman hobbit; the monk Tuzzle Van Rashten; Allianna DeNeuvre, a human wizard; the paladin K'Sminck; a gnomish sorcerer called Sadira Jaroo-Jaroo and Stouty Hairyfoot, a hobbit who is anything but a gentleman. The group heads off into the mountains.

Caladay, 11 Keenaxe 203

The party passes through the town of Weyland on their way to Underbarron. They make chummy with the warder Tobias and his family.

Vítday 36 Keenaxe 203

After a long and arduous journey through forests, up mountains and down dark tunnels, the party arrives in the dwarven clanhold, deliver Niergan's message and generally make merry with the dwarves.

Sharday, 40 Keenaxe 203

Amid much celebration the party leaves Underbarron for the return journey.

Terday, 16 Chillbone 203

Tobias of Weyland heads out on patrol with his deputies Gent and Tarlas looking for signs of gobin activity. They are absent from the village for the entire evening. The possessed Janna and Toby flee Weyland again, having infected their 'mother' Alessa with a disease that will eventually kill her and make her body ripe for possession. By running away they hope to lure as many of the men-folk out of the village so they can return and infect everyone else. Why they had waited so long to act is something of a mystery.

Zephday, 17 Chillbone 203

The party arrives back in Weyland just as Tobias is about to lead one of four groups out of the village to scour the forests in search of his children. He is glad to see the group and begs for their help. They agree, and Malachi asks to look at his ailing wife. The affliction confounds the priest as well as the wizard and the sorcerer, but he does notice some unidentifiable black squiggly things in Alessa's blood. This revelation causes Malachi to dash outside and have a quiet screaming fit. Some blood is drained and the creatures are closely examined; they appear to be some sort of parasite of unknown origin. Stouty Hairyfoot picks some of the creature up on the blade of his knife and they scurry toward his flesh - he throws his dagger out of the window and later burns the creatures from it. Meanwhile, Tuzzle has ascertained that no-one else in the village is affected by the mysterious illness. As there seems to be nothing the party can do they opt to head into the woodland. Tobias will accompany them, so five groups will scour the local terrain. Allianna believes they should consult the local wise-woman, Ishara; Tobias agrees that this is a good idea.

After two hours of travel the party comes across fifteen goblins in a empty clearing. They are suffering from the same disease as Alessa but at a much more advanced stage. As Malachi bleeds one of the goblin, Stouty tries to set one on fire - his hatred for the creatures winning out. Suddenly another goblin enters the clearing. Allianna immediately tries to reason with it, but it attacks and she puts it to sleep with a spell. As the party recovers from the shock another band of goblins appeared. Between them, Allianna and Sadira manage to sleep all but two of the creatures. These two flee, one is brought down by Stouty with an arrow in the back. All the sleeping goblins are tied up. Allianna interrogates the original goblin and discovers that they had been sent to find out what happened to the goblins who are lying in a fevered coma. The goblin blames the party for what had happened to his friends. Meanwhile, Stouty takes the goblin he killed in the woods and tries to infect it with a flask of Alessa's blood. This works all too well, and he returns to the clearing. The group then have a fevered discussion over what is to be done with the goblins. Stouty advocates butchering them all just in case they are trouble. Allianna vociferously protests and storms off when it is apparent that the rest of the party agree with the hobbit. The helpless goblins are killed and the party move on to the glade where the children were originally found when they ran away in the spring.

Arriving in the clearing at dusk, the party spend some time searching around the jagged tree-stumps and crystal clear water. Suddenly, Ishara appears. She tells the party about the goblins cutting the trees down, and the vengeful spirits. She says that the spirits enter the bodies of people making them sick (like Alessa). As long as someone is sick (and not dead) the spirits can be driven out by a good dose of positive energy. Malachi's ability to turn undead will accomplish this. Once the victim dies the spirit takes complete control of the body and nothing can be done to save the original occupant. The party reason that this must have been what happened to the children. Tobias is at a loss and obviously distraught. Armed with the knowledge that they can save Alessa, and must do before it is too late, the party hurry back to Weyland.

Caladay, 18 Chillbone 203

After camping the night, the party return to Weyland an hour after first light. They would have arrived earlier if not for the Gnome Ranger's stupid sense of direction. The halfling Stouty has left the party by this time, believing that the rest of them want him dead because the paladin his sensed evil in him. On arrival the group finds the gate to the village swinging open and all the people inside in the same state as Alessa. Then Allianna catches a glimpse of the child Janna and gives chase. Janna stops, comes over to Tobias and crushes all the bones in his hand. Malachi turns the spirit and she flees. The group give chase with Allianna putting a magic missile between its shoulders and the K'Sminck finally cutting it in two. Tobias grabs the paladin in rage, until he sees the body of his daughter desiccate in front of him. It looks as though she died last spring. Meanwhile, the boy has appeared behind Malachi. He turns it too and the boy runs off screaming for the gate. Allianna shuts the gate with a cantrip trapping the boy in the village as the Gnome Ranger gives chase. The spirit possessing Toby double-backs into the path of the monk, Tuzzle, who gives it a swift crack with his quarterstaff. This staggers the child, but doesn't stop it punching the monk out with one blow. In is left to Allianna to end the creature's threat with a swift crossbolt to the forehead.

Over the following days Malachi does his best to drive the spirits from the folk in Weyland. Alessa is restored. Word is sent to Timberlake and more clerics of Vítaeous arrive to help. Allianna returns to the glade and plants new trees near to the old ones the goblins callously destroyed. She hopes to have made peace with the spirits so they will not cause such destruction again.

The End of Sugar and Spice
Stouty Hairyfoot returns in The Deeper Shadow, The Darkest Night

Sugar and Spice Index