Session Date: 2/10/2023
At the end of the last session we were headed to the inn to take our rest. The inn is rather packed as the shepherds are staying here rather than overnighting on the island - they are all nervous about the monster and things are a little grim, but nobody is upset at us specifically. Giacomo had gone to buy some spells before rejoining us at the end, and we all rest.
The next morning we go to the Nicklepenny Estate in Norrinshire to investigate the scarecrows. Nicklepennny is the family that “rules” the Norrinshire region. Scarecrows have been disappearing all over the region from multiple tenant farms,
There is a large ramshackle house with fields all around, and a road in the back going into the hills and ending at the mine, where there is far more activity than the farm fields. Giacomo can see more than twelve fields, and there are some fields that have scarecrows, some without. Two fields do have quite a few crows perched on fences, and to the southeast is a big tangle of brush forest with a very large number of crows and ravens. It is raining now, so there are no real songbirds out at this time.
Giacomo goes up to the manor door and knocks. A baby cries, and then it is not long before a tall, statue-esque dragonborn answers the door. Giacomo explains in his usual over the top way that we are here about the scarecrows, and the man calls for another dragonborn that is shorter, rounder, and in finery.
This is Ser Baggeton, though everyone calls him Nick. His steward - Pinewood - is gone at this time and thus cannot explain everything in detail. Giacomo cleans our boots with a spell as we enter, and we are treated to bread, cheese, and sausage. Nick makes sure that we feel at home and are comfortable.
Nick does explain that the farmers started planting three weeks ago, and he believes that the scarecrow thefts were just about immediate after. He thinks the first report was just before or just after the rains ended. He’s not sure why anyone would do this, but he does seem to have an idea of who it might be, but he doesn’t name who. He appears to be genuinely afraid, and he ultimately fesses up and says it may be the Witch of Norrinwood.
The Witch of Norrinwood has been around forever. When Nick was a boy she was a court mage under Baron Aberly or the old Marquis before Petra. She was dealing with powers far too high for her, and she was made a criminal, so she ran and since disappeared and has stayed quiet since. Calthel is aware that he is avoiding why the witch was never actually hunted down, and Giacomo directly asks if the warrant was ever rescinded. Nick doesn’t believe so, but we would need to check with the Marquis. He explains that she doesn’t leave the woods, but lies when whe says he knows nothing about meetings between the witch and the famers.
Calthel asks if any fields have been spared of the thievery and Nick explains that this is something Pinewood would know. He believes that Pinewood is at the mines placating Greystick - someone from far off that knows how to mine. He was a horse merchant in the Destran slopes before.
It is not long before Pinewood - a slender human man - arrives. He is a little nervous at the mention of the witch. At the other questions, he places pins in the map of the fields to highlight which have been affected: six pins on the east of the map before the wood. Generally, it is in a cluster and there are three fields so far unaffected: the two nothermmost and the the southernmost field.
Pinewood explains that the thieving is happening over night and some of the farmers have taken watch, though nobody has reported what is causing it. The watcher who lsot the scarecrow was Master Allorth - second furthest south, robbed three days ago.
The witch is thought to be in the northern part of the forest, as she has been seen at the northern well. Paths do not last in the forest and she could be the cause of it: she would be rather hard to find.
Sarras asks if Greystick may have seen anything as his goblin heritage might make him stay up later. Pinewood is nervous to answer this question, but he carefully answers that Greystick likely doesn’t know anything. We are also warned not to speak of nuns around him.
We take our leave and begin our investigation. Ships takes a little while to look around the manor and finds that one kitchen window has been wrenched open multiple times, with the flowers beneath trampled hopelessly. He keeps this in mind to investigate later as we are currently on the way to ask the farmers questions.
Affected farmers:
- Dalter
- First in the area to have finished planting
- Has lost three scarecrows total
- First and second to be robbed
- Has woods on both the north and east side
- Kinewood
- Grinman
- Suspicious of others, especially if they act strange
- Towhead
- ByhilHas an issue with the mine due to the noise (the fowl won’t key)
- Alworth
- Deer tracks in the field (no deer on the island)
- Could be goats and an issue with the mine (runoff)
Alworth mentions that he has concerns about the mien and has brought it up with Pinewood a time or two, but the miners are being difficult and won’t budge.
None of the affected farmers have put more scarecrows up because they don’t wish to keep losing the resources (straw, old clothes, turnips, etc.).
Kerran uses animal speak to a crow and asks if it’s seen anything. It says that the northman is blue with a circle on his head and keeps moving the scarecrows around - this is Dalter. It has not seen anyone take them out of the field, nor has it seen any move on their own, but the crows also sleep at night so it may have missed something.
We move to another crow and ask if it’s seen the witch, and it asks if we mean the magic one, to which it hasn’t. We asked if it has seen women in general, and it explains it’s seen humanoids that have gotten lost. The bird is 15 and has only been here 1 winter. As this second crow flies away, we notice it has red underfeathers. Sarras tries to cast detect magic, but is too slow to catch it. Calthel sends his own familiar after it with the instructions to follow it until the crow lands, then meet us back to the manor with a path to the crow’s home.
We go to the miners and speak to Greystick: a man with greying hair, yellowish-grey skin, slightly pointed ears, and is hard-muscled. He’s clearly in his 30s-40s. We find him snapping and slapping at the miners. His attitude sucks. He explains that he doesn’t care for the “peasants and farmers”: he only cares about mining. He doesn’t have any real use for the people around here and has no beef with anyone.
As we leave the mine, Giacomo notices Calthel’s familiar on the way back to the manor. We return and receive the report, with Siobhan explaining the crow flew to a house in the center of the woods and gives directions to a briar hedge in the center of the forest. There were two other special crows and many regular crows there. It did not see any people and the lights were off, but not unusual for the time of day. It is probably a 45-90 minute walk, and we decide to do that tomorrow.
Norrinshire Estate:
- Hugh Pinewood - steward
- Galata Sweetkin - wife, half Nick’s age 😬
- Cobard - Nick’s son, older than Galata
- Half white, half copper dragonborn
- Great hunter
- Ashara - gardener, herblore, etc
- Half elf
- Generally nervous to be here
- Afraid of poison
- Constantly reassures she has no magic
- Tobabeth - stablehand
- Drunk as a skunk on entrance
After dinner many go to play cards, but Sarras and Calthel go to put an alarm on the window. After everyone goes to bed, the alarm sounds, and Sarras grabs Ships and they go to investigate. They find that the cellar door is ajar, and they find Tababeth pilfering the wine cellar. She explains that Nick orders a lot of wine so the inventory isn’t closely counted (that is, he won’t miss any).
Sarras decides this is not an issue worth pursuing. Tobabeth confirms that she sleeps in the stable, which feels unfair, but sure. Ships repalces the bottle she offered him, and the two let her be and return to bed.