The part floated with their recovered boiler down river. The swift current moving them some 12 miles from the ruins.
They finally put to shore when a local farmer offered to help them. The farmer named Klinen told the party he and his son had been watching the river as recently all sorts of interesting things had been carried past their small village.
He even took the time to point out two dead skaven laying on the beach that had apparently drowned and washed up the day before.
The part was taken to a small village known as Holbek.
holbek is a simple village made of of five farms living communally around a village square.
The square contains a small general store, a town common building, a temple to the earth goddess Geb, and a few small barns. The five farms are each located on the outskirts of this village square with the river nearby to the west.
While moving around the town the party noticed a large retaining wall and some old foundations just uphill from the beach. Even though Johann is learned in history, he could not think of any forts historically placed at this sight. Though he did know that the area was once the edge of the Alerian Empire and small frontier forts were often built to keep watch over local river traffic.
When asked about the ruin there appeared to be a degree of superstition about the ruins. The farmer Klinen explained to them that the farmers of the village mostly stay away from them, and sometimes on the days of the solstice even see strange lights near them. The people of the farming village had never attempted any interaction withe the ruins beyond harvesting stones from the top of the ruin for use in the foundations of their barns and homes. (there is plenty of loose stone laying around from the old structure at the ruin sight. The village children play on top of the ruin all of the time but are strictly forbidden from playing on the retaing wall section.
The party were offered, beds and a warm bath for the nigh by Klinen.
After a bit of discussion the party decided that moving the boiler back to traders Leap would be a bad idea, what with the angry skaven and assassins and all.
They ask Klinen about purchasing the land near the ruins here in Holbek. He assures them that it's possible but not his decision. Klinen fetches the village's elder a man named Keler. Keller a priest of Geb and seemingly a respected voice in the community told the group that as a commune they would have to pull all of the farmers together before any decision could be made.
In the man time the Master checked out the local farm techniques looking for ways to improve the villages yield
Willhelm worked the whole night sharpening and mending the towns various farm implements because as a dwarf he thought the tools were in terrible disrepair.
The next day they did exactly that.
The leaders of the five farm families gathered in the village hall and had a moot concerning the land near the ruins and the possibly of the party using it.
In attendance:
Klinen: The first farmer the party met. He lives with his wife Marta, his 9 year old son Ulgar and his 19 Year old Daughter Brylrn. He seems well meaning enough. He keeps his mind on his wheat crops and the security of his family.
(you have met his family)
Caldwell: A smaller balding man lives on he east most farm ins a very modest farm house. His wife and his sister live with him. He seem to be most interested in what skills the party bring to the village.
(Married)
(three grown children)
Allarnd: A tall sturdy woman with a serious demeanor, her questions were measured and directed. She seemed mostly concerned with what the party planned on doing in the village and how it might effect her and the rest of the farmers.
(mid 30's)
(widow)
Narin Holbek: A young man and descendant of the towns founder. Narin wanted to know if the party could help get the villages produce to market more efficiently. He did not seem concerned about any danger this band of wandering vagabonds might pose.
(married)
(infant daughter)
Oakly Klien: a large obese man who was already drinking early in the morning, he was quick to decide that he wanted nothing to do with the party or the decision for the other farmers. He left the meeting early, making it clear he was not concerned one way or the other.
(Single are unknown, he could be 30 to 60 hard to tell)
Keller: the village elder and priest, he oversaw the meeting.
(Single mid 60's)
After a long session of questions and each character stating a case, including the master promising help with crops, Guthar offering the blessings of Thodin, and Willhelm throwing a sharpened plow sheer on the table and telling all of them that, "they had been neglecting their tools and he fixed em already."
In the end it came down to Johann making an expert plea to the farmers reason and divulging their plan to create a trading post where they woudl use their boiler to build a very fine boat with which they could deliver the villages produce much more quickly and in greater volume than the villagers could currently.
In the end the villagers decided to allow the usage of the ruins and the and around them in return for the promise of transport for their products and a portion of anything they pull out of the hereto for unexplored ruins.
The end results:
Keller: In favor of the party because they can help the town with their skills.
Klinen: In favor of the party for financial reasons (better transport of his wheat in the future.)
Caldwell: In favor of the party
Allarned: against the party she is afraid meddling with the ruins will be no good an that they will bring undue attention to the village.
Narin: remains skeptical but is in favor of the produce transport agreement.
Oakly Klien: Unconcerned.
The party gets its land.
The party immediately goes to explore the ruins.
It dose not take long form them to discover air shaft and a buried entrance.
The retaining wall after some cleaning the retaining wall revealed it's self to be made with a type of blue granite. Willhelm recognized the stone as not being local, but not exactly special either. It simply told him some one took some trouble to build these old walls. He also recognized the stone work as human, adequate but not up to his dwarven standards.
Once inside the ruin the party quickly realizes they are in the basement and subbasement fo what ever structure was originally perched on top of the retaining wall. However they also found a rusted portcullis at one end of the basement chambers which leads to a vaulted Room covered in chalky stone dust.
Using comprehend languages, Johhan ascertains that they are on top of a vast and ancient limestone mine. It woudl seem Johann figured, that the mines predated even the Alerian empire and were perhaps the mines that produced the materials for all the concrete involved in building the city of Careth. Regardless of why it was clear by the sheer scope of the mines that they had been worked for centuries then abandon and forgotten.
In a brief exploration Willhelm discovered the carapace of a large centipede and a skeleton trapped under a collapsed wall section. Willhem took the boot buckles from the skeleton and rejoined the group.
The other party members found an area with more wall carvings these telling of bad air to the north, weak veins to the south and water in the mines to the west.
Their explorations were interrupted by the sound of an emergency outside.
The party ran to find three large skaven guards on a make shift raft had cornered Caldwell by the river.
The had seen the dead skaven that had washed up on the shore and stopped to investigate. Caldwell had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and looked to exact some revenge on a farmer that had nothing to do with their kinrats deaths.
The party came to the rescue and fought off the skaven who were for their part a strong trio of former guards. The fight was quick but brutal with Willhelm holding the rats away from Johann and the master as the used magic to good effect. Guthar engaged on fo the rats dancing around the large skaven missing but also being missed several times.
Willhelm took care of one skaven with mighty hammer blows, causing the second skaven to loose it's nerve and run. Johann killed that skaven as it retreated with a fire bolt.
Willhelm used Guthar as a distraction to get the drop on the last skaven and rip it's throat out with his hook.
The villagers who saw the fight were impressed and honestly a bit intimidated by the groups display of power.
The group now knows that the skaven have been displaced from most of the Careth ruins and are forming into roving bands of raiders. Not wanting to attract undue attention to the village they placed all five of the skaven bodies on the skaven raft and simply set it adrift back in the swift flowing river.
This is wherein the session ended.
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