Jade Regent Summary - book 1

[Bella]

When goblins armed with fireworks begin raiding merchant caravans on Varisia’s Lost Coast, the PCs enter the trackless swamps of Brinestump Marsh to put a stop to them. On their way to the marsh, the party runs into Lute Haggersly, a portly fish merchant traveling from Koravosa to Sandpoint. At the time, he was fleeing from some goblins who were shooting fireworks at him. In looking for the Halfling that may be able to help them, they ran into a chubacabra and a faceless stalker posing as the Halfling they were to find. (The Chubacabra’s body was never found by later merchants. And stories of the monster hunting in the thickwood start to be whispered) After defeating the goblins, the PCs learn of a rising undead threat in a nearby cave.

Investigating, they defeat the undead and discover a document that indicates a great Kaijitsu family legacy lies hidden to the north in Brinewall. When they see Lute in Sandpoint, he gave each PC a uncomfortable hug and kiss on the cheek as thanks for saving him. He also mumbled something under his breath about Kit being one foxy dude. Jo is also attacked by a group of what appear to be Witch hunters. They stabbed him, and he dropped, dying on the ground. As his eyes were closing, he herd one of them say they were not supposed to kill him. Only get some blood. Koya was with Jo at the time and quickly healed him. She confessed that they are the same group that attacked (possibly killed) his parents. They also killed the witch in the swamp.

Upon learning of her family somehow being tied to Brinewall, the PCs’ good friend Ameiko Kaijitsu gathers her resources, and with the PCs’ help, she and several others travel north with a caravan of Varisian wanderers to Brinewall, where a supernatural malaise afflicts Ameiko, rendering her comatose. Speaking in cryptic clues from her tortured sleep, Ameiko encourages the PCs to seek her family’s legacy in Brinewall. When the PCs do, they find the ruined castle itself firmly in the control of monstrous foes.

In the ruined town around the castle, they meet Spivey, a female lyrakien cleric of Desna who does her best to tend the small cemetery. They also free a woman named Kelda Oxgutter from a cell below Brinewall. Kelda is a Barbarian from the linorm lands (a Viking) and was here leading an expedition to look for forgotten lute in the town. All her party perished from a sea drake. She managed to kill it and decided to attempt to loot the castle alone, as true Vikings would! She has promised the group that if they wish to accompany her back to Kalsgard, she will see to it that they are properly rewarded (Kalsgard is days to the north and very much out of the way).

(Remember, something happened around 40 years ago that destroyed the small town overnight. No one knows what happened, but most are afraid of its “curse”.)

So far you have found one clue in the castle.

In one room, the PC’s found a number of documents, maps, and troop lists that date back 40 years ago. The documents are all in poor condition, but the party pieced together that the guards believed that the citizens of the village below were rioting and that several of the buildings had caught fire. They were preparing to mount an expedition to investigate and bring order, but there is no indication of their success or failure.