Intro/Hook

The Hollowbane Collective has always operated on the fringes of "respectable" sorcery. While the Grand Mage College dismisses your employers as "eccentric ghost-chasers" and "paranoid hobbyists," the gold in your pouch is very real. You’ve been summoned to the Collective’s cluttered headquarters for a priority field assignment. A local farmer in the hamlet of Oakhaven reported that a "stone tooth" grew out of his field overnight. It isn't just a rock; the Collective’s internal sensors—the ones the College calls "expensive toys"—are screaming with activity. You are to travel to Oakhaven and secure the site. The Hollowbane Collective believes these "anomalies" are tears in the fabric of reality. If they are right, the College isn't just being stubborn—they are leaving the world defenseless against a silent invasion. If the Collective is wrong, you are currently helping a group of conspiracy theorists break international arcane law.

Session One

(Preface: the notes for session one will be... less than ideal. I was taking them by hand at the time, whereas the notes for session two are much, much closer to an almost word-for-word recreation.)

The party meets for the first time outside of the Hallowbane headquarters. They head inside and explore for a short time. They see many books floating around, and Cass ends up making a deal to take two with him. Also, while inside the institute, before talking with Nerium, Cass and the party take a moment to speak with a blacksmith, Uthgar. While speaking with Uthgar, a small kobold, Zyppz, requests that Cass bring them two casks of mead when the party returns from their adventure. Finally, the party meets with Nerium to find out about their first job!

Nerium informs the party that they will be traveling to Oakhaven to see a local farmer by the name of Sal. Sal has reported a large "tooth" growing out of his field. Nerium instructs the party to arrive first and just scope out the scene and set up a perimeter until herself and two others can arrive to take care of this "tooth". The party agrees and is granted a 5gp per diem. They then leave the institute and prepare to leave the main city.

The party decides that they are interested in taking a carriage to Oakhaven instead of walking. However, the attendant who will be driving them is very young, and explains that it is his first day driving alone. He leaves to prepare the horses and carriage and the group is approached by several goblins who demand that they pay a toll to use the road. Arty is quickly defensive and begins to get somewhat upset. On the other hand, Sunny, being naive about the city, and very trusting of people, believes that the goblins are in fact, owners of the road and should be paid. This genuine caring confuses the goblins to the point of just walking away from the situation as Sunny and Arty argue. The party then joins Johnny the young wagon driver, and ride to Oakhaven.

Upon arriving in Oakhaven, the party splits up to purchase various items, and just look around the city before going to Sal's farm. Sunny, having been to Oakhaven many times as a child, goes to visit the general store where he buys cotton candy for his companions. Cass heads to the local tavern to purchase the two casks he was told to buy for Zyppz. And Arty heads to the local apothecary to check out some potions where he meets Belladonna. Arty somewhat flirtily bargain to do some work in trade for the potions, instead of paying for them. And Belladonna agrees (much to the other two players enjoyment). At this point, the party reunites and makes the further short journey to Sal's farm.

Upon arriving at Sal's farm the party does, in fact, find a twenty-foot tall tooth sticking out of the ground in the center of one of Sal's fields. They also find Sal staring, entranced, at this tooth. Sunny, while attempting to investigate this tooth also becomes entranced and then, enemies erupt from the ground! The party has a grand battle against a large snail and a great many evil vegetables. During the battle Sunny snaps out of his trance and contributes to the battle. After defeating the enemies, Nerium and her companions arrive. Sal snaps out of his trance, and Sunny, knowing Sal from his youth, walks the old farmer to the local inn to rest before heading to the Wolfbane families home for the night. Arty also heads to the Wolfbane families home as well to perform the work he had promised to do for Belladonna. And Cass heads to the inn for the night. Arty completes his chores, much to Sunny's chagrin and the session ends as the party rests for the night