The Mired
The Mired is the name chosen by a traveling band of six adventurers active in Faulmoor during the Rotmire Blight. Its members have different skills, backgrounds, and reasons for taking the road, but share the dangers of a land where even an ordinary journey can become a struggle for survival. Unlike Faulmoor's noble houses or established orders, The Mired is a small, mobile company whose identity rests on the people traveling together.
Origins: Jorick Vance's Commission
The companions first came together through a job offered by Jorick Vance, proprietor of the Marrow Room in Greymire. Vance hired them to recover an object known as the Emberglass from the Pale. What began as paid work brought the newly assembled company into the ruins of a monastery dedicated to Lathander, where they recovered the relic.
Their return to Greymire brought a grim discovery: Vance was dead, his body displayed upon the city's walls. The commission that had brought the adventurers together had become part of a much larger and more troubling affair. The circumstances suggested powerful interests behind the original job, although the full nature of those interests and the reason for Vance's death remain uncertain.
The companions continued traveling together after the commission, eventually choosing the name The Mired.
Members
- Ken is a kenku bard whose talents include performance, persuasion, and unsettling magic.
- Agnes Kierkegaard is a human cleric of the Grave Domain, practiced in healing and matters of life, death, and the undead.
- Eggath Swearengen is a gnome artificer and Battle Smith, skilled with machinery, crafted magic, and firearms.
- Emonie is an elven fighter known for quick movement and proficiency with blades and the bow.
- Elandra Blackwell is a half-elven warlock whose magic includes destructive and protective spells. She travels with an owl named Archimedes.
- Bartholomew Cain, commonly called Bart, is a human monk trained in fast, mobile hand-to-hand combat.
The six travel with markedly different methods. Between them they can fight at a distance or at close quarters, tend the wounded, negotiate, and examine unfamiliar objects. Their future reputation remains a matter of deeds rather than any title bestowed by a lord or guild.
Bart's Blight and the Emberglass
Bartholomew Cain was bitten and contracted the Rotmire Blight. The Emberglass, held and attuned by Agnes Kierkegaard, has since kept the Blight's progression in check. Bart remains infected; he has not been cured. His continuing stability is one of the most consequential known effects of the relic, and an important concern for the company as it travels.
Companions and Associates
Eggath's Steel Defender is a constructed companion that assists the artificer in the field. It is not counted among the six founding members.
Archimedes is Elandra Blackwell's owl and a known animal companion of the company.
The Mired have crossed paths with the Lucent Endura through an investigation into missing members of that scholarly order. This connection should not be mistaken for formal membership or an alliance.
Other recurring allies or contacts may be recorded here as relationships become established. An encounter or a single conversation does not automatically make someone an ally.
Notable Relics and Possessions
The Emberglass
The Emberglass is an unusual relic carried and attuned by Agnes Kierkegaard. Its known powers are limited, and the object remains dormant. Its presence has arrested Bart's Rotmire Blight progression, although it has not cured him. The full nature and history of the relic are not established by the party's present knowledge.
Hadran's Burden
The group recovered Hadran's Burden, the preserved breastplate of Saint Hadran, during its expedition to Hadran's Rest. The armor had been kept in an Ilmatari shrine facing the saint's resting place. It is a sacred object associated with the tradition of bearing suffering on behalf of others. Its current individual wearer or custodian is not confirmed here.
The Periapt of Health
The company recovered a Periapt of Health at Hadran's Rest. Bartholomew Cain (Bart) currently wears the periapt.
Other Noteworthy Equipment
The company's other notable equipment includes a Wand of Secrets held among the group's possessions, Eggath's Immovable Rod, Bart's Rope of Climbing, Ken's Gloves of Missile Snaring, and Elandra's Brooch of Shielding. These are noteworthy tools and magical possessions, but are not all ancient relics.
Notable Expeditions and Events
The Commission in the Pale
The Mired's first shared undertaking was the recovery of the Emberglass for Jorick Vance. The discovery of Vance's body on their return turned a straightforward commission into an unresolved mystery. See Origins above.
Crookbend Station
While investigating Crookbend Station, the party discovered the remains of a Lucent Endura expedition. The scholars appeared to have been almost entirely drained of blood. The cause of their deaths remained unresolved.
Hadran's Rest
The group later explored Hadran's Rest while searching for members of a missing Lucent Endura expedition. They recovered Hadran's Burden and a Periapt of Health from the sacred site, the latter now worn by Bart. They encountered the disturbing condition of the saint's remains. During the expedition, the Emberglass opened a sealed doorway leading to chambers beneath the temple. A later attempt to use the relic on a damaged underwater partition produced no response. Their findings raised further questions rather than settling the older traditions of the Holy Sleep.
Reputation and Standing
The Mired have adopted a collective name, but their wider reputation, declared loyalties, formal leadership, and standing with Faulmoor's political powers are not yet established. Whether the company becomes known for mercenary work, scholarship, protection, or something less easily categorized will depend on what its members do.