Session 58

CRIMSON CURSE IV

Blackmoon 6, 4433

Characters:

Lothryk, cleric of Njord 3
Andras, druid 1
Tarr the Younger, archer 2
Krom, fighter 2
Katamtaman Toxotai, archer 2
Gaddock the Inebriated, fighter 2
Veythar "The Dartist" Varros, incantor 2
(NPC) Zhalgas, fighter 3

Return to the Undercity

Group 3 recuperated and took the fight back to the Temple of Set, hoping to cure the Crimson Curse quickly before any of their number succumbed to the disease.

The party carefully passed the chamber of poison, climbed over a pit of snakes and carefully ducked past a hallway of dripping acidic fangs.

In a chamber filled with dead rats, they fought a hideous bat-snake hybrid creature with a lethal gaze attack. Tarr weathered this assault with great luck and the creature was destroyed swiftly.

DM: "It's always gotta be something with you guys, huh?"
DF: "No, it's always something with YOU!"

The party entered the cultists' temple proper, attempting to avoid contact with the Setites with mixed success. The situation devolved into a series of smaller combats throughout the temple as cultists and acolytes came upon the group at various times. Particularly strange were the cultists with ragged robes and madness in their eyes - snake venom addicts who feared neither injury nor death!

Player: "It's YOUR fault... that we're breaking into your evil lair!"

The group explored some old catacombs lined with burial niches and filled with wandering zombies, mostly turned away easily by Lothryk. Some treasures were recovered here and a few strange things observed. Andras fell into a pit trap in a hallway smelling of charcoal and did not want to use the helpfully provided ladder to escape. Instead, Tarr let down a rope for him.

DM: "I may as well tell you. The ladder also had a trap on it."
Player: "The old double-double!"

The group explored some monks' cells, passed some strange doors, and fought cultists in a room filled with odd tubes which piped sounds down from the surface! They heard the voice of Haroun, a monk at The Sequence. Apparently the Setites are eavesdropping on the very agency that opposed them? A powerful advantage!

The group recovered some strange vials, passed through a misty great hall graven with murals, and discovered a room occupied by... someone. After a tense conversation at the door, the group entered a library, apparently empty of foes. Thinking quickly, Andras cast faerie fire and outlined a small creature with bat-wings, which immediately fled! Katamtaman was not about to let this happen, chasing the tiny glowing imp outside and shooting it down with the enchanted arrows he found earlier.

DM: "The mural is bizarre and vaguely unwholesome."
Player: "It's AI slop!"
Player: "By Shakkur's hairy homeless balls!"

The party is currently in the library contemplating their next move. There seem only a few unexplored rooms in the temple, primarily one engraved with glowing runes...

Hero Points:

Tarr gets 1 for his clever idea to get past the dripping fangs, and 1 more for roping Andras out of the pit trap.

Krom gets 1 for being quick on his feet distracting the cultists, setting them up for a surprise attack.

Andras and Katamtaman each get 1 for their team effort and good luck with the library imp.

[Remember: a character cannot hold more hero points than their level. Excess points are wasted.]

SUMMARY

Note - Turned undead don't give experience points as they might come back and fight you another day. No great loss, as you can see most of these weak monsters give very little experience, so let's hope some of this loot is valuable!

Session 57

CRIMSON CURSE III

Blackmoon 2, 4433

Characters:

Tarr the Younger, archer 2
Berit, thief 2
Krom, fighter 2
Lothryk Bjargson, cleric of Njord 2
Gaddock the Inebriated, fighter 2
Katamtaman Toxotai, archer 2
Tardif, ranger 2
Zhalgas (NPC), fighter 3

The Hunt for Imin

Group 3 continued their exploration of the Undercity following some clues to the Chalice of Aldren. 

The group explored this fortified section of the undercity, which seemed closer to the seat of the Setites' power. Strange relics, an old mysterious shrine, odd tombs and enigmas were discovered. A few characters dug in some trash and luckily avoided a Rot Grub infestation.

Berit avoided being strangled and suffocated by an animated black hood left by an ancient torturer, and later managed to deal with another animated carpet with some quick thinking and preparedness.

The delve got bizarre when a magical door was discovered which revealed a different room depending on how it was opened. The two rooms each held a statue holding a treasure. Tarr seized a blue gem and was Polymorphed into a cat, while Tardif took a two-handed sword and was Polymorphed into a badger!

[Point of order: I completely forgot that being the victim of a Polymorph requires a system shock roll to avoid death! You guys got a free one this time, don't rely on it happening again.]

Undaunted by these setbacks the group pressed on and, solving the riddle of the door, used it to open a new pathway. They came upon a strange jackal-headed creature (surely a servant of Set) and his two bodyguards. The fight was short and brutal, and Tarr's feline form was invaluable in helping downed party members and distracting the foe, providing the group more combat opportunities. The jackal-man lost his stomach for the fight rapidly, so the party closed in and finished him off. 

The group followed the only lead left: a tunnel leading further into the Undercity. They discovered a crumbling chamber filled with giant snake statues. The bloated corpses of two thugs attested to the dangers. Berit and Tarr discovered that - yes - this room was filled with pressure-plates releasing poison gas. Luckily, nobody was killed!

At this point the group was low on spells and hit points, electing to retreat, sell their treasure and identify some magic items, and get Tarr and Tardif un-Polymorphed.

They spent a pile of money at Seven Visions (including some provided by grizzled veteran and company patriarch Robert the Swift) to reach the top of 2nd level!

Hero Points

Tarr: brave cat antics
Berit: good thinking and stepping into the line of fire

SUMMARY

Monster and treasure XP already awarded, money already divided.

Sessions 52-53

HOLIDAY IN VIRIDISTAN 

Blackmoon 1-2, 4433

Characters

Tarr the Younger, archer 2
Lothryk Bjargson, cleric 3 of Njord
Krom, fighter 2
Tardif, ranger 2
Berit, thief 2
Katamtaman Toxotai, archer 2
Gaddock the Inebriated, fighter 2
(NPC) Zhalgas, fighter 3

Bargains with Snakes

Group 3 of the Wretched Company had finally arrived in Viridistan! They sold off the trade goods from the Sea Ghost and paid their first mate Bloody Bjorn to watch the ship in their absence. He was also ordered to remodel it so the authorities wouldn't recognize it as a smugglers' ship, christening it anew as the Miserable Maid.

After making contact with Uriah and speaking to the Church of Seker, the group was keen to help the locals with the Crimson Curse currently rampaging through Otherside and track down the Chalice of Aldren, the holy relic Zhalgas was searching for. They had spoken to the monks of The Sequence to get more information, and tracked clues left by the smugglers to a tavern called the Smiling Sultan.

Lothryk and Berit managed to bluff their way inside and have a conversation with the person in charge: a bizarre amalgam of snake and human named Sasha. She had ties to various criminal enterprises including the gang of smugglers the group destroyed in their introductory adventure [see the Village of Braddol]. The duo explained that they had replaced Captain Sigurd and she would have to deal with them now, but their agenda was different and they sought to speak with the cult of Set. There were some tense moments of improvisation based on the meager clues the party had about all the players in this situation, but they made it out with some useful information [the hefty shares of the smuggling operation they paid surely went a long way].

The cult of Set had a base underneath The Morass, a crumbling muddy sinkhole in a neighbourhood near the river. Exploring it got the group accosted by leprous beggars, starving and drug-addicted, who wanted all their nice expensive gear! This turned into an unbridled slaughter as the beggars were cut down mercilessly.

After driving these urban scum off, the party explored the ruins at the bottom of the Morass. They found a secret passage under some debris leading to a tunnel below...

The Undercity of Set

Immediately as they began to explore below, the party were set upon by a pack of thugs and a cultist of Set! Things got vicious as the cultist deployed a wand to blast the group with fire, but was unable to handle the sheer number of attacks the group brought to bear.

The party began to explore the underground complex, scooping up some trade goods and a few curious items. They spoke to the cook (who knew nothing) and fought a tough battle across a rope bridge against some crossbow-wielding thugs. During the fight, Gaddock the Inebriated fell off the bridge into the water and had to be rescued with some quick thinking and a rope (lucky for him!).

Battling across the bridge put the group face-to-face with a pack of jackals who were also dispensed with rapidly. From there, the party descended to a lower, more open level and continued exploring.

They found a long-abandoned forge where they were attacked by an animated carpet and two daggers, which also proved a tense fight. After destroying the objects, the party found the blacksmith's concealed treasure - a masterfully made silver longsword and some gold.

someone: "This is just like in Aladdin!"
someone: "I used to have a rug like this."
Justin, probably: "We sent that bitch to a Whole New World!"

In an abandoned temple, they fought a zombified fish-man and then dredged its pool of muck to find an old and macabre icon. On the walls of this blue and green edifice the party saw the following disturbing message carved:

"Dark lord, baron of the unholy tide, we implore you to fill our gills with your retched slime so we may do your accursed bidding until the black waters cover all dry ground and you return to your people."

They passed on towards a great gate and engaged a group of turbaned fanatics with crossbows and swords. Fighting at range through the portcullis proved tricky but with some luck they won, and we left the party here debating what to do next...

Tarr: "Don't bend over too low, snake worshippers, or your master will swallow you whole!"

[Welcome back boys, sorry this one took a while, preparing for the convention and other things took precedence earlier in the year. I'm excited to get back to some blood & guts adventures in the Undercity very soon!]

Summary:

Visions of the False Sage

Last session most of the characters were granted a vision by the False Sage: a strange creature posing as the Sage of Lune while the real one is imprisoned on the moon. 

[Take notes or bookmark this one, as you'll probably be referring back to it later on. Some questions got a bigger or more complicated answer than others. If a character got an answer that pointed to a place you already know about, or were maybe planning to go anyway, I tried to give you some bonus information.

Some of you get 'instant gratification' answers that you could go investigate right now with your current knowledge, exploration and power level. Others are more long-term things, or lead to areas of extreme danger. As always, it is up to you to decide which are which and what to do about it!]

Finrod

"I wish to see the Temple of Esma, built by my people of old and since lost."

A cracked and crumbling dome of velvety white stone surmounted by towers is perched among the high mountain crags. Through a great crack in the white dome only darkness is visible, and then a brief blur of green, perhaps... the flap of a massive wing?

"Lost Esma can be found on the edge of the Elphand Lands, in the Pinnacle Mountains, on the highest peak overlooking Lake Pernicus."

After returning to the Night Wolf Inn, Finrod asked about the message he had seen on the notice board during the midsummer party. James Everbleed and the others he spoke to had no idea who put it up, or any information on the adventurer who was named in the flyer (Phanouel the Great).

Uriah

"Show me relics sacred to Seker or Solaris that I could use to make a blessed weapon."

"Beneath Wakelinus' Folly, the demon Varthatov keeps a weapon of light stolen from his enemies, a gemstone of scintillating colours. Seize it for yourself."

"In the undercity deep below Viridistan, underneath the Temple of Sürü Miklári and the Theatre of Sutrali Khibari, in the Court of the Triumphant Wedding lies a lost relic of Seker, the Head of the Hawk. It is in the possession of Uromén the Chortling Death, seneschal of evil. He knows not what he has, but is unlikely to give up his prize willingly."

Getorix

"Where can I learn the secret of the Philosopher's Stone?"

"In the City of Brass lies the Library of Xinraedaal. Contained within is all the knowledge accumulated by the city's builders over millennia. If what you seek is not there, then the library can point the way."

You already know the way to the City of Brass. It can be reached through the magical book your group owns: Evocations of the Doomed City.

Xénos

"Show me how I may obtain a weapon suitable for my skills."

In a field of utter blackness, only a distant archway of purplish-red fire can be seen.

"Venture beneath Wakelinus' Folly where the demon Varthatov stalks and the followers of Uthummaos hold their cruel rites. Pass through the Amaranthine Arch and walk the paths of utter darkness, where no light is permitted. Any sane man would fear to tread these halls, but there is the object of your search."

Owen

"Show me how to enhance my psionic talents."

A great cavern where a bitter cold wind howls, held up by an immense column of natural stone. The entire cave is punctuated with strange formations, both mineral deposits and sheets of ice. On the south wall, a rectangular dais of dun-coloured rock is drizzled with mineral deposits resembling melted wax. At the back of the platform, a 10'x10' mirror reflects a distorted image of the entire cavern.

"Venture into the cellars beneath the Night Wolf Inn to find this enigma built by the ancients and touch your reflection to receive its wisdom."

Salzige

"Where can I obtain the means to use the fireball spell?"

Watched over by five towering columns of white alabaster whose tops have been sculpted into flying seraphim, is an open theatre of incredible beauty. Each tier of seating is broad enough to spread a blanket and cut from a different color of pastel quartz. This rainbow of rose, green and lavender forms a stepped quarry with the stage at the bottom.

The backdrop of the stage is equally spectacular, being constructed of enormous boulders - each one an opened geode of sparkling white calcite.

Your heart pounds and you feel light-headed, for the stage is mired in a great trove of gold, jewels and other delights.

"This is the hoard of Al'lahab the red dragon, ancient and powerful. He dwells in the City of Brass near the Library of Xinraedaal, hoarding his treasure and flying on the currents of elemental fire. Here you will find the magic item you seek."

Joe Spruce

"Show me the location of any natural materials as strong as forged materials, or a way to make natural materials stronger."

"In the Groves of the Moon grow mighty and ancient trees that can only be harvested by blessed axes, for their boughs are stronger than any steel."

"In a high mountain fortress built by warriors of legend lives a craftsman with the skill to work this wood and many other materials besides. Only those whose hearts are pure shall ever get close enough to ask for his help. This fortress lies in a land of snowy mountains and volcanoes known to you as the Cerebral Cliffs."

[If & when you guys go to these areas, I will mark these spots on your map.]

Cassia

"Show me what you really look like."

A spindly and hideous beast, giant-sized, with an eyeless face and a forest of whiplike tentacles emerging from its head.

"If you must know..."

[If you guys fight the False Sage again and she "reveals her true form somehow" I will show you her stats thanks to the insight delivered by this vision.]

It was at this point that hostilities commenced with the False Sage. It is unlikely that further visions will be forthcoming, so make good use of this information!

The Last Will and Slightly Reversible Testament of Black Phalaros

This stalwart member of the Wretched Company began his career in the north exploring the forgotten Vault of the Warlord. Not very well known for his mastery of the dark arts (lucky for him), he became famous for his creepiness, thirst for knowledge, short-lived relationships with his mentors, ownership of the Hideous Monkey Statue, and his bizarre sense of humour.

His last will and testament follows:

Session 56 - Treasure & Magic Items

Here is a summary of treasure obtained in the last three sessions:

IDENTIFYING ITEMS [1400 sp]:

2 Javelins of Lightning [400 sp]
Single-use item. Range of 90'. On a strike, becomes the end of a 5' wide, 30' long lightning bolt. Deals 1d6 damage to the target. The target and any creatures in the bolt's 30' path take 20 lightning damage, save vs. spell for half.

- The Blank Mask [400 sp]
Mutes the emotions, giving the wearer +4 to saves vs. fear, charm, suggestion, confusion, emotion, etc. It also changes alignment to Lawful Neutral and reduces CHA to 9. Daqqa-Jin refuses to take it off.

- The Bleeding Cross [0 sp]
Zvezdana takes one look at this thing and explains that it is a unique and strange relic of the ancient world. Her sagely knowledge won't help. You will have to find out what it does through further research, other magical spells or experimentation.

- Queen's Lorgnettes [400 sp]
These shaded, gold-rimmed spectacles are held with a long handle instead of sitting over the ears & nose like most eyeglasses. In normal light they are useless and cannot be seen through. Against bright lights (spells, staring at the sun, etc) they can protect the wearer’s eyes from damage, granting +2 to saves and reducing effect lengths by half while worn – of course this will occupy one of the users’s hands for the duration.

- Potion of Extra-Healing [100 sp]
A bubbling purple-black syrup, smells like bananas and cinnamon. Heals 3d6+3 hp.

- Potion of Levitation [100 sp]
A thin, cadaverous-yellow fluid with threads of bubbles rising from the bottom. Smells like buttered rum and hashish. Levitate as the spell, 1d6+6 turns.

[I have taken the liberty of charging player characters shares of identifying costs based on the expedition where the magic items were obtained. As a result, the characters who were only at the Sage's Temple paid almost nothing (identifying one potion). This seems fair since they recovered much less treasure. Unless you guys ask me to do otherwise, this will be my policy with treasure breakdowns going forward, it seems fair and speeds things along.]

BOOKS:

Plain brown book, old and weathered, with a red cross on the cover. No title

Black book with nine-sided geometric figure embossed in gold on the cover. (magical) 

Book - "The Last Opus" 

Book - "Primacy" 

Book embossed with images of cavorting women & satyrs.  "Beyond Good & Evil" (magical)

Book covered in dust, bound in heavy rusted black metal plates. "On Coming Forth By Night"

NET WEALTH GAINED:

Daqqa-Jin, Robert the Swift - 3660 sp

Xenos, Getorix, Uriah - 4233.9 sp

Young Joe Spruce - 2002.3 sp

Cassia, Salzige, Finrod, Owen - 574.2 sp

EXPERIENCE TOTALS:

DOWNTIME CONCERNS:

- Xénos is capped and will need to train before he can gain more experience points. Level 6 awaits buddy!

- Owen the Vitalizer requires 7 days bed rest before he can go adventuring again.

Fear Points:

Recall that for every 20 days of uninterrupted rest with no activity, a character recovers 1 fear point.

- Robert the Swift has fought too many undead, and has slipped into a catatonic state! Until he recovers some fear points, there is a 50% chance he is simply uninterested in anything happening around him.  [14/14]

- Xénos is teetering on the edge, 1 fear point away from madness! [10/11]

- Young Joe Spruce is looking haggard after the last few encounters. [12/14]

- Finrod is coming close to the edge of his limited mental fortitude. [7/9]

- Daqqa-Jin is tough, but has been through quite a lot recently. [10/14]

- The rest of the party is doing well:
Owen [2/16]
Salzige [3/12]
Getorix [4/16]
Cassia [3/9]
And of course Uriah is immune.

Session 56

RETURN TO THE SAGE'S TEMPLE

Blackmoon 14-16, 4433

Characters:

Xénos, Assassin 5
Owen the Vitalizer, Cleric of Shang Ta 3

Uriah Sunstrife, Paladin of Seker 4

Salzige Brauen, Magic-User 4

Young Joe Spruce, Druid 5

Getorix, Magic-User 4

Cassia Tannin, Fighter 4

Finrod, Elf 4

To Question the Sage, Again

After dealing with some details in the Moonlit Zone and resting up, the group ventured westward to the Forgotten Village and then on to the Sage's Temple. They were not troubled by any passing foes during this time... the forest was ominously quiet.

They found the temple mostly as they remembered it, a tall rectangular structure covered in carvings, surmounted by a cupola dome. Scented smoke drifted from the shuttered windows, and it seemed deserted.

The party looked into the first level only enough to find the stairs upwards. They progressed through the top floor, discovering rooms both familiar and new. They were surprised by undead in a dead garden, but Phalaros' necromancy and Uriah's turning sorted them out quickly. 

After learning the undead command was of short duration and the creature would have to be destroyed in a few rounds:
Justin: "Just tell him to picture the bunny rabbits!"

They found the ritual room with a coffin of severed hands, but these proved more dangerous than before, animating and attempting to choke the group! They were turned and quickly sizzled in their coffin with several vials of holy water.

[The group visited some familiar rooms, no need to repeat everything. See the stories of the first visit]

The party found the three crone statues and attempted to trade their statistics, with some success [spending hero points helped here]. 

In a staircase room, they fought a brass soldier which was armed with a throwing discus, and had a sinister red glow in its eyes - the sage's guardians had been upgraded recently. This became clear when it exploded in flames after being destroyed! Salzige harvested a glowing, everburning magma-rock from the construct's remains.

The group ascended to the roof dome where they spoke with the False Sage, accompanied by nine more brass soldiers. Her manner was strange and unnerving as always, but things did not begin with hostilities. She convinced Finrod, Uriah, Getorix, Xénos, Owen, Salzige, Joe Spruce and Cassia to gaze into her moon-reflecting pool and experience a vision [Full report to come on these]. 

The only member of the party who didn't accept the offer was Black Phalaros, who had his own plans. 

Cassia asked "Show me your true face" and was greeted with a horrifying monster reflected back at her. As she was experiencing this vision, Phalaros carefully snuck up behind the False Sage and delivered a touch attack with a rigor mortis spell, paralyzing her for half an hour.

The fight was on! Ominous red light began to shine from the brass soldiers' eyes and a tense battle developed with the party carefully trying to dance around the deadly but slow-moving automatons, while the False Sage was carried to safety by another two. Several were destroyed, but things reached a crescendo of danger when the purpose of the magma-rock cores was revealed: three statues opened their mouths and breathed jets of flame, enveloping most of the group in an inferno!

[Lord have mercy I wish I had taken a screen cap of this moment.]

When the smoke cleared, Owen the Vitalizer was unconscious and Black Phalaros was nothing but a charred corpse [coming all the way down to -20 hit points!].

While they had winged the False Sage with some arrow fire, her brass soldiers lifted her on to the reflecting pool and they floated up through the cupola dome, disappearing up into the night sky!

The party knew that the crucial moment had arrived, and chose discretion. They hustled out of the room ahead of the pursuing brass soldiers, with Joe Spruce heroically dragging Owen behind him under a storm of discus-fire. After reaching (relative) safety outside the Moon Temple, the group packed their treasure out of Room I and returned to Viridistan to offload all their loot, identify magic items, study their treasures and plot their next move!

Stay tuned for:

- Treasure, magic item & XP breakdown post

- Black Phalaros' last will and testament

- Moon visions for everyone

- Downtime thread!

Sessions 54-55

GILDED DREAM OF THE INCANDESCENT QUEEN

Blackmoon 13-14, 4433

One subjective day passed in Room I.

Characters:

Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 5

Robert the Swift, archer 6

Xénos, assassin 5

Uriah Sunstrife, paladin 4

Young Joe Spruce, druid 5

Getorix, M-U 4


The Floating Palace

[DM Note: This game is posted out of order because we are playing this group right away. I will post the adventures of Group 3 in the Undercity soon.]

The Wretched Company was called by the Behringer Knights to investigate a strange teleporter in the Moonlit Zone near their fort. They all stepped on and were whisked away to a magical sanctum inside a storm cloud on the elemental planes.

They were greeted by some magical butlers taking the shape of talking storm clouds. The group soon learned the structure was built by The Incandescent Queen, a monarch of the ancient world. They explored some guest areas: a large meeting room and guest bathroom with some leftover "cosmetics" (including a healing ointment). Two talking statues of robed women prevented the group from taking anything in their sight, but they returned to this room a few times later to make use of the healing goop.

One room was a huge ocean where they found some strange items, potions and some valuable-looking ancient liquor. They used the queen's boat to sail around and visited a hot springs, a coral reef where Daqqa-Jin harvested some pearls, and a natural hot spring bath.

Through another doorway they returned to the regular hallways. The group fought some more cloud butlers who accosted them. They entered a room filled with flames which proved partially illusionary. Daqqa-Jin and Uriah ventured inside and were protected from the worst effects by the magic of the hot springs they had bathed in previously. Beyond the flames they discovered a shrine where they claimed some golden candelabras and a holy relic constantly dripping blood.

At the same time, the group were accosted by Mr. Halls and Mr. Waits, strange celestial beings with the heads of animals. These odd creatures detected the scent of CHAOS on the group and launched into battle! After a tough fight that almost saw Joe Spruce killed by a Mr. Halls' magical staff, an Enlarged Robert kicked Mr. Waits off the edge of the palace and into the clouds, knocking his bow off the edge as well (too bad!). The group is able to take Mr. Halls' golden plate mail and magical staff though (good work with Stone Shape, Getorix).

The party continued onwards and fought a pack of skeletons in a jungle room. These undead emanated a poisonous aura, damaging anybody in melee combat. 

They decided the jungle was not for them, and returned to the hot springs, then to the bathroom to heal and rest. At this point the mild vibrations they had noticed under their feet for a little while became more and more drastic. It was decided that they wouldn't be able to rest properly anyway and the company pressed onward.

Player: "I think we need a bigger healing potion."

They solved a puzzle in the Hall of Primaries and opened up a great treasure room filled with strange objects and treasure, pocketing most of them. They spotted a statue of the queen with real jewelry, but elected not to loot it.

DF: "Uriah kisses the ring."
Justin, I think: "Hah, simp!"

The group fights some more miasma skeletons by leading them into a flame-filled chokepoint, then disposes of some strange radioactive butterflies. After seeing a room filled with black mist impenetrable to their vision, they decide to climb the stairs and investigate the second floor. The whole structure is shaking by now and shows no sign of abating.

They find a room with a teleporter which does not work for them! Perhaps something is needed to activate it? They come across a room with two more talking statues, which they are able to 'kite' around the central hallway so they can run through the room they were guarding. 

Progressing through a richly appointed spa room with multiple hot tubs, they find the queen's library and bedroom! The party loots some of the queen's books and her porcelain masks. The queen has a few strange mirrors in her room but the party leaves them untouched. Crucially, they find an invitation to visit the palace! 

They use the invitation to get past the talking statues and learn the password to the teleporter. On their way out they stop by one more room and discover the bodies of the Behringer Knights they were sent to find. With the palace shaking uncontrollably, the group drags the corpses to the teleporter and leaves.

Player: "Maybe the Incandescent Queen will offer us a job?"

Another Player: "Yes, your job is to DIE!"

Player: "... I quit."

DM - Not a moment too soon! It was a matter of a few rounds until the whole structure fell apart. Thanks for helping me playtest this adventure fellows! If you had any thoughts or feedback (too hard/too easy, etc), message me and let me know.

Monsters Defeated (5620 xp awarded):

Mr. Halls (2060 xp)
Mr. Waits (1490 xp)
22 miasma skeletons (1034 xp)
2 cloud butlers (1000 xp)
6 sunlight moths (36 xp)

Treasure Gained: 

pearl-handled daggers x4 

sealed bottles of ancient liquor x8

assorted pearls x3

large black pearl

glowing blue pearl

gold candelabras x4

surgical kit

old maps of the planes

javelins inscribed with lightning symbols x2

potion of youth x2

book: On Coming Forth By Night

rare books from queen's library x5

queen's mask collection x5

Mr. Halls' staff

Mr. Halls' armour

the bleeding cross

flame tongue longsword

potion of water breathing

potion (of levitation?)

queen's lorgnettes

After two battles with the undead, everyone has gained 2 Fear Points.
Robert the Swift has 14 fear points now, equal to his WIS score. Aaaaiiieee!!!

[Setting Info] The Temple of Nephtlys

Nephthlys is the goddess of wealth and fate. Merchants sacrifice to her to decrease the risk of their journeys. In the last thousand years her temples have become a focus for banking with merchants able to make deposits in one temple and withdraw them in a temple in another city. She has temples or shrines in all the major cities of the Empire. 

Her primary temple is on the Street of Gods, in the shape of a gigantic black sphere that takes up almost a city block, and puts the temples of many lesser gods completely in the shade. From here, her High Priest Grenspanios oversees all financial transactions. 

The goddess herself is depicted as a beautiful woman with the lower body of a spider. Nobody knows why this is, although some irreverent types joke that once a man begins dealing with the usurious priesthood of Nephtlys, he is forever ensnared in their 'webs' of debt and credit - but most are careful not to say such things within earshot of the masked and robed priests.

TEMPLE SERVICES AVAILABLE

Nephtlys' priests accept all customers regardless of their piety or lack thereof - as long as they bring money!

- Holy water, incense, and religious/mystical paraphernalia are available in generous quantities.

- Magic items are sometimes sold. At any time, there may be potions, scrolls, and some completely random magic items available. Items of interest are also purchased by the temple, after magical identification (one day required).

- Money-changing to other denominations (silver to gold, etc.) is at a 2% processing fee. The temple will also purchase and sell easily converted valuables such as gems, jewelry and art objects.

- The most popular financial service is the sale of certificates in the form of silk strips which may be easily carried in clothes or perhaps a turban without detection. The certificates are redeemable at any of Nephtlys' temples, and of course many other locations at face value. Available in denominations of 200, 500, 1000 and 5000 sp at a surcharge of 10%, they are absolutely secure from duplication or counterfeiting. They save against all harm at +4.

- Deposits of coins and other valuables in the treasury are at a monthly 2% of deposited value.

- The temple will handle wills and other authorized transactions on a 5–10% commission (depending on risk and complexity).

- Sophisticated financial instruments are available to the discerning customer making an investment of over 5000 sp. These high-risk, high-yield derivatives count as carousing (at a rate of 5 sp = 1 xp), but there is a chance of a big payoff in the future.

[DM Note: does this mean that Lolth, the AD&D drow spider goddess, doesn't exist in this campaign world? Are Nephtlys and Lolth the same?? I guess you'll just have to find out...]

Session 48-51

AGAINST THE BAT CULT

Harvestime 5 - Goodgrove 18, 4433

Characters:

Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 5
Robert, fighter 5
Xénos, assassin 5
Uriah, paladin of Seker 3
Young Joe Spruce, druid 4
Finrod, elf 4
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

After the garden party, the group returns to Viridistan and catches up on a few things: 

- Salzige is retrieved from the clutches of the Inquisition in a surprisingly cordial meeting. The guards with him didn't ask for anything. The sorcerer is missing a finger now, and tells the party about his harrowing captivity and what the Inquisition wants from the group. 

- The party blows some money carousing with their noble acquaintance Vasu Cervantes. A few mistakes are made: Xénos acquires expensive tastes and carousing now costs double for him. Cassia wakes up in the middle of Ugtargnt's temple, incensing the uptight priests with her inebriated blasphemy!

- Information is gained from two sages at the Shadow Market.

- The group spends time training and gets details on interesting quests from their mentors (more later, we wanted to jump right into the action on game day).

The Guild Quest

Robert and his comrades return to the Night Wolf Inn for their first Guild Quest. They meet up with Ms. Haven, a scarred veteran of many battles and high ranking Guild member. She lays out the situation for the party: the Guild group A Motley Crew have gone missing in Room IV and somebody needs to find out what happened to them and mount a rescue if possible. If the Wretched Company can solve the problem the first group were sent in to deal with, so much the better.

Before they leave, she gifts them some items that may be useful: a few potions and two amulets of tongues, used to speak with the room's denizens.

The party enters Room IV and searches the furniture, discovering two finely-made cutlasses which they take. Using the small sailboat provided they head north, seeking a huge island and the village of Tanaroa.

They reach Tanaroa on the second day of sailing and meet the friendly islanders who address them as "Wolfclan." The Guild has managed to foster friendly relations with the locals here. The party rests, buys supplies and gathers information about their quest and the members of A Motley Crew.

In the morning they set out with a local guide who takes them as far as the tar pits, a day's travel past the Great Wall. Daqqa-Jin's tracking skills come in handy and he picks up the trail of a group who passed through recently. It leads north into the hills, and eventually to a mist-shrouded cave entrance. The group descends!

The Cave of Mists

The company explores the cave and rapidly gets stuck into a huge pitched battle with bloodthirsty primitive cultists, accompanied by giant scorpions and a few members of A Motley Crew, now turned to evil!

Use of the Four Winds Bar and Entangle spells turns the battlefield into a giant area-denial zone, and even a pincer attack from behind cannot stop the group. They are able to capture Sebastian the assassin, and rescue most of the other captured Guild members before they can be sacrificed to the crude bat idol. Conylt the cleric does not survive, after fleeing into the lair of a demon deeper into the caves.

The party encounters THE LIZARD-LORD, a strange talking green statue, and pilfers a few gems, but the being seems unable to pursue them. Later, they will sneak around it to pilfer all its treasure.

After resting, burying some of their treasure and sending the survivors of A Motley Crew back to the Tanaroa with their guide. The sorceror Usucachi attacks the group at night with a summoned earth elemental, but is defeated (thanks to Young Joe Spruce's Call Lightning spell, which blows up the pistol he was carrying - oops!).

The party delves deeper into the caves. Bypassing the fly-demon with a holy symbol of Camazotz, they open the great doors into the lower level and enter... 

The City of Bats

The party explores the ruined city. They encounter degenerated, pale lizardmen and interrogate them. 

Many ghouls, mummies and giant bats are fought and much treasure obtained. Several similar-looking bat idols are taken - one from a giant scorpion, one from a mummy, another from a replica of the city. There are some close escapes but the group does well against their foes, deploying all kinds of tactics and avoiding traps with careful observation.

They cross a river of blood, explore ruined buildings, see a room filled with lava, and climb some pyramids. They find a man frozen in a block of ice, but can't think of a way to get him out. They fly over a (probably) trapped floor using the Four Winds Bar.

Young Joe Spruce catches some ghouls in an Entangle.

Thinking quickly, Daqqa-Jin kicks a sneaky mummy into a pit.

They meet a nereid named Ixcacolel, trapped in a pool of water, and give her the Bat Crown so she can escape her confinement.

Finally placing all four bat idols atop the great pyramid, the gate is opened to the inside. The group battles the final guardians of Camazotz, the DEATH BATS!

Xénos lines up a backstab on the biggest bat he's ever seen.

After a tense battle, these final guardians are slain and the sanctum of Camazotz is ripe for plunder. Uriah and Finrod feel ill simply entering this evil place, where reality itself distorts in a dizzying undulation. Ever bold and greedy, Robert the Swift pries the ruby-studded golden eyes from the great idol of the bat-god, and takes its obsidian teeth as well. 

Upon a sinister blue altar lies an artifact of great evil: the Book of Dreams, which describes the granting of wishes by human sacrifice. The group decides to take it and bury it, for now. Returning to the surface, the Wretched Company plans to rest and recuperate, and then perhaps the City of Bats holds a few more mysteries?

The Return & The Treasure Map

The group took up most of the treasure, buried the rest, and headed back to their boat. Scouting ahead of the group, on the second day Finrod spotted a strange nest of two giant spiders. Dropping flaming oil from above drove them from their nest, and then a barrage of ranged attacks caused them to speak, begging for mercy from the group. They were driven away and their gold coins looted.

Returning to Tanaroa, the Wretched Company was greeted by the locals, overjoyed that the cult of the Bat God was broken, and the grateful members of A Motley Crew, including Sebastian, whose domination by the forces of evil was finally over! The assassin was a bit miffed to see Xénos wearing his magical armour, but he reluctantly accepted that such was the price of fighting for the bad guys and - not dying about it.

Loading everything on the boat, they took an alternate route inland and returned to take the rest of their buried treasure, passing a few zombies along the way.

After loading up their boat so it was almost ready to sink under the treasure's weight, they scouted out the location marked on their snakeskin treasure map. In the wastelands stood a plateau with a crumbling temple to some forgotten god: scouting it out invisibly, Finrod spied a great black dragon resting in the courtyard, and flew away with all haste!

Returning to the Inn, the group got a message left by the Behringer knights: they have discovered a gateway to a ruin of the ancient world, and want the Wretched Company's help exploring it. Also, the war against the Mad King is escalating, and they need all the help they can get!

Their new weapon passes allowed them to stroll through the Great Wall checkpoint with ease. Thanks, Inquisitors! In Viridistan the group sold off their mountains of treasure, had their money changed to gold coins and identified their raft of magic items. Many future plans are being made. Many characters reached level cap. Lord Fesgate needs to rest and recuperate after the shock of too many fights with the undead.

What's next for the Wretched Company?

Some Weeks Ago:

A group of young and reckless adventurers disembarked from the Sea Ghost in Viridistan and sold off a mountain of trade goods and contraband, gaining much experience in the process. After training, they plan to investigate the Crimson Curse plaguing the city...

From The DM:

When I told everyone to come over for a one-shot game on Halloween 2019, I never imagined this game would make it to 50 sessions! Thanks for coming back again & again boys. We have plenty more thrills & spills coming up in the future!

Monsters Defeated (11642 xp):

2 sabretooth tigers (1020 xp)
6 giant bats (120 xp)
Pumacaja (AKA "bat-boy,") antipaladin (290 xp)
Sebastian, assassin (660 xp)
Usucachi, M-U (290 xp)
Conylt, cleric (660 xp)
42 primitive cultists (840 xp)
2 giant scorpions (380 xp)
earth elemental (2800 xp)
3 lizardmen (141 xp)
2 mummies (1720 xp)
13 ghouls (611 xp)
giant black widow spider (80 xp)
giant scorpion (190 xp)
5 giant bats (100 xp)
6 DEATH BATS (1740 XP)

Treasure Obtained (Total value something like 35,000 sp):

pile of silver coins (in chest)
pile of copper coins (in chest)
bronze shield
gold armlet
gold scepter
fire opals x5
lava rock heart of the bat idol (4500 sp)
Usucachi's spellbook (spider climb, magic missile, summon familiar, invisibility, darkness globe, locate object, ESP, stinking cloud, blink, water breathing, haste, wall of ice)
headband studded with pearls
golden ore chunk
marble urn
electrum ore (4x)
bag of pearls (11x)
gold and jade amulet
golden torc necklace
amulet of Camazotz (2x)
treasure map scrawled on a tattered snakeskin
potion (violently bubbling scarlet, with a tiny iridescent feather floating in it)
scroll of Neutralize Poison
Blizzard Bag
priest scroll (from Conylt)
assorted jade items: jaguar, egg, nose plugs
coins (500sp, 900 copper) (Xénos picked up)
granite bust w jewelry
57 gold coins (already split up)
potion (bright amethyst fluid with dark indigo specks) 
assorted jewelry (11 pcs)
priest’s bat mask 
golden goblets (2)
onyx skull 
magic sword w/ bat wing handles 
Bat Crown (given to Ixcacolel)
Bat Idol's gold & ruby eyes (5000 sp each!!)
Bat Idol's onyx teeth (16)
Book of Dreams [placed in storage]
Assorted magical weapons, armour & shields looted from foes

After fighting many undead, the group have gained 3 fear points each. Lord Fesgate seems to be acting erratically after so many harrowing encounters, and needs to rest!

Sessions 47-48

THE PARTY: CONCLUSION!

Harvestime 4, 4433

Cassia, fighter 3

Finrod, elf 3

Salzige, necromancer 4

Black Phalaros, necromancer 3

Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4

Robert the Unsociable, fighter 5

Xénos, assassin 4

Young Joe Spruce, druid 3

Uriah Sunstrife, paladin 2

Oddrick, cleric 3 of Odin

NPC - Lord Fesgate, Fighter 4

NPC - Vasu Cervantes, Fighter 2

The Inn is Under Attack!

A horde of creatures emerged from the woods and swarmed towards the Night Wolf Inn.

The Wretched Company sallied forth, along with several high-ranking Guild members to meet the foe and buy time for the Inn's employees and other noncombatants to get to safety. Deploying the Four Winds Bar and their spells, they cut through the enemy's ranks until the more powerful foes got closer, and then fought a delaying action for several minutes, eventually retreating into the Inn itself.

The Inn's magical defenses (a group of gargoyles in the shape of winged wolves) helped out, crunching through the weaker foes outside.

Meanwhile, Karakaël appeared in the tavern to report a horde of enemies rising up from below the Inn's cellars! The Wretched Company hurried downstairs to fight on this second front.

A horde of the same wretched creatures waited behind some locked portcullis gates. One of the 'leaders', a hideous and short fishlike entity, was able to speak. It addressed the party, asking for its "sister" Oolpoollib. The Wretched Company didn't know what to do, especially when the beasts produced several wood elves and a few unfortunate Guild members as hostages, including the young & helpless Ruby Stone!

The conversation was short and unproductive. The creature spoke harshly but cryptically about the Guild Master. 

Just when it seemed there was nothing anybody could do, terrible magics were unleashed. A few party members collapsed with crippling headaches while the monsters began to explode, unleashing a storm of blood & gore throughout the cellars. Waves of fire and lightning followed, destroying whole packs of creatures. The magical assault emanated from a stooped, cloaked figure leaning on a staff, surrounded by a dark halo of energy...

Was this the mysterious Inn Master?

Monsters Killed:

tons!!

Treasure Gained:

none

Experience:

[This is a "story award" for lack of a better term, based on character level and how many days of the festival characters attended. There was no opportunity to gain treasure, and the mass combat XP would have been divided among a huge number of allies. So this award is my thanks for showing up and trying out a different game session from the usual! This XP award is unique and breaks past training caps, just this once. It has already been added to your XP totals. - DM]

Cassia - 900 xp

Finrod - 900 xp

Salzige - 400 xp

Black Phalaros - 900 xp

Daqqa-Jin - 1200 xp

Robert - 1500 xp

Xénos - 1200 xp

Young Joe Spruce - 900 xp

Uriah Sunstrife - 600 xp

Oddrick - 300 xp

NPC - Lord Fesgate - 600 xp

NPC - Vasu Cervantes - 200 xp

Somewhere in Viridistan

Unknown date, 4433

Three other people enter the room. Two are clearly guards, tough looking Viridian veterans who stand at attention on each side of Salzige. The third is an old Ghinoran woman: she wears an ornate gown of foreign design, a circlet studded with gems around her brow, her fingers covered with gold rings of various sizes and shapes. Her walnut-coloured hands shake with weakness. Phaidros holds her arm and helps her into his chair, and Salzige sees that she is blind - her eyes are blank and white.

"Allow me to present Lady Metztli, of the distant south," intones Phaidros. "My lady, the subject is before you."

Lady Metztli grabs Salzige's hand and flinches visibly. "Aah! Much darkness I see, in the land beyond shadows! We will purge you of this blight now... Hold him!" The guards each clamp down on Salzige's shoulders and hold his head still. Lady Metztli's sightless eyes stare directly into his and again he gets the sense of having his mind and soul scrutinized -- but this time, the pain is immense!

The agony burns every nerve ending in Salzige's body, as if he were immersed in boiling magma. It seems to last for eternity... at a certain point he begins to hallucinate, entering a waking dream. He hears Lady Metztli's voice echoing in his mind: 

"We will rewrite his future for him..."

Salzige's Dream

The face of the moon was the Hideous Monkey Statue, mocking as it leered down from the sky. Below, Zalan schemed and cursed in a graveyard, calling up the dead for his vengeance. An army of undead rose, devoured their maker, and swept across the land in a great holocaust of blood. A few terrible figures led the charge: at the forefront were a vampire in a jagged pointed crown; and a floating, legless skeleton with a circlet and a staff.

Against them was arrayed a strange army: in the front were the wood elves, painted savages with spears and rocks. Beside them walked more bizarre examples of elfkind: some ghoulishly pale and tattooed, others with night-black skin. Behind these were shadowy creatures, almost like elves, their very skin the stuff of darkness and dream. Behind these, driving the charge, were tall ethereal beings with glowing skin and shining armour, blasting their foes with terrible eldritch forces.

These two armies met in a titanic conflict, a war which spread to every corner of the world. Even the Emerald City was consumed with flames!

The fires died down and acrid winds scoured the dust of the city away until nothing remained. Over the ruins of the Empire rose a massive horned monument to evil: a statue of Yredelemnul, the goat-demon, lord of death!

Lady Metztli's voice echoes: "This is as it may be, not as it must be..."

...

An androgynous figure in black clothes walks down darkened tunnels. It passes a huge, glowing red ruby on a marble platform, then walks down a white staircase, passing beneath three golden gates.

Later, this same being stands in a dark room before an ancient, weathered book written in blood-red inks. On a stone block rest a plain golden cup, an oddly-shaped skull, and a jewelled spear. The cloaked figure intones unpronounceable words from the book, and ripples of darkness flow from the walls, plunging it into a sea of liquid black. From this sea of darkness rise humanoid shapes, bodies of pure blackness which climb the walls, drag it under, and flow out of the room in a flood...

An ibis bird floats on a vast lake dotted with rushes. It is peaceful. The bird speaks, and its words bring a sense of serenity and wisdom, but afterwards they cannot quite be recalled...

A great set of golden merchant's scales... 

A floating fortress inside a storm cloud... 

A crumbling white dome, set amongst the mountain peaks... 

A distant glowing star, streaking blue and pink trails across a silvery-grey void... 

A frozen city beneath an enormous glacier, with a blood-soaked gate guarded by a demon..

...

...

Special: Village of Braddol 4, 5

THE SEA-GHOST

Summer, 4433

Characters:

Tarr the Younger, archer 1

Xasan Karimov, barbarian 1

Lothryk Bjargson, cleric of Njord 1

Ryoga, incantor 1

Krom, fighter 1

Arkane Gnossienne, cleric of Anubis 1

Katamtaman Toxotai, archer 1

Philip, fighter 1 (NPC)

Samuel Browne, fighter 1 (NPC) R.I.P.

"Bloody" Bjorn, fighter 3 (NPC)

Zhalgas, fighter 3 (NPC)

Avast!

The group hatches a plan with Samuel Browne to ambush his former smuggler comrades, using the signal chart found in the Haunted House.

Using a rented fishing boat, the party poses as the smugglers they only recently killed, with the turncoat Samuel in front. When the ship, the Sea Ghost arrives, they sail out with half their group covered by tarps.

This ruse allows most of the group to get onboard before the smugglers realize something is wrong and a battle breaks out!

The fight quickly becomes a swirling back-and-forth struggle. The enterprising Ryoga begins barricading doors to prevent reinforcements. Half the group gets webbed while Xasan, Philip and Samuel chase down the first mate Bloody Bjorn. From the other direction, Captain Sigurd blazes a one-man trail of destruction across the deck nearly killing several people, and Tarr takes bowshots at targets everywhere.

The battle turns when Tarr kills the wizard Punketah, Samuel convinces Bjorn to join the group, and Sigurd is slain in a desperate melee with Xasan, backed up by Tarr's bowshots. The appearance of more foes from belowdecks only prolongs the inevitable.

At this point three hooded and cloaked figures break through a door Ryoga had barred. One conjures poisonous snakes from out of his eyeballs (?!) and all 3 make for the fishing boat with one of the smugglers.

Samuel is bitten by one of the poisonous snakes. Feeling the icy touch of death, he seizes the asp in one hand and dives headfirst into the fishing boat, hoping to take some of the fleeing foes with him! For a smuggler, he went out heroically.

A torrent of bowshots and some flaming oil kill a few, while a thrown rope snares the boat. One of the cloaked men flees in the water, one is dead and the third held by his own reflected spell.

Now in possession of the ship, the group gets Bjorn to show them around. They find plenty of treasure and clues.

They free the prisoner Zhalgas, a desert warrior on a pilgrimage from the Holy Cities.

They interrogate the cloaked man they captured, who turns out to be a cultist of Set. Using a clever trick they persuade him to talk, and learn of a magical relic called the Chalice of Aldren, already in possession of the Setites somewhere in Viridistan!

The group has a ship, a pirate crew, a hold full of cargo and a mystery to solve. What else could a 1st-level adventurer ask for?

Enemies Defeated (853 xp):

8 smugglers (150 xp)

captain Sigurd (260 xp)

Punketah the conjuror (100 xp)

Foul Frithof (65 xp)

2 asps (78 xp)

2 sinister robed guys (200 xp)

Treasure Found: 

various silverware, jugs etc (500 sp)

banded chest: locked

brass-bound chest: locked

500 sp inside

captain's potions: (already noted)

sea charts (nice to have)

crew's chests: pack of playing cards, 2 sets of dice, address book filled w/ladies' names

parrot: a magical talking bird from a far-off land (value unknown)

longsword (magical)

wand (magical)

ring (magical)

assorted coins, jewelry, gems (553 sp, 7 cp)

Note to Captain from *"Black Leaf"*

Crude drawing of jeweled goblet

demonic statue

box that rattles with coins (unopened)

box with a... voice inside? (unopened)

In the Cargo Hold:

90 bolts of silk

81 brandy casks

219 wine casks

3 casks of soap

1 cask of salt

[Treasure values posted when you sell it all off in Viridistan, see downtime thread!]

Experience:

Lothryk is capped at 1565 before treasure XP, and needs to train!

Sessions 45-46

THE MIDSUMMER PARTY

Harvestime 2-3 4433

Characters:

Cassia, fighter 3

Finrod, elf 3

Salzige, necromancer 4

Black Phalaros, necromancer 3

Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4

Robert the Unsociable, fighter 5

Xénos, assassin 4

Uriah Sunstrife, paladin 2

NPC - Lord Fesgate, Fighter 4

NPC - Vasu Cervantes, Fighter 2

For Those Unable to Attend:

You missed the social event of the season!

The Night Wolf Inn's midsummer garden party was a rousing success. Financed from the Guild's own coffers and the contributions of dues-paying members like you! 

This was one of the most successful gatherings in the Guild's history:

The party had 872 attendees over the course of three days. Over 2,000 meals were served; 1,400 pints of beer poured; 128 bouts of wrestling, armoured and unarmoured melee; 350 arrows fired; 210 spears thrown; 59 prizes awarded; 0 deaths and only 1 disappearance!

Read on to learn more about the experiences of our Guild members at this year's party:

Day 1

The group arrives with old Olayinka, who thanks them and walks off to meet her old friends and set up shop. 

The opening ceremony is marred only by the presence of the local tax-collection bureaucracy. Finrod's interruption and the legal acumen of Mr. Blackrest put these troubles to rest swiftly, but the party may have made an enemy.

Cassia and Finrod join the Guild for free. Daqqa-Jin gets a magical tattoo at great expense that grants him a magic shield for a limited time.

The party meets the salt merchant Thando, now prosperous, who tells them to see him later. They buy some astral dust, then some magical cigarettes from a slug-man. They bid on some treasure maps at auction, but don't win them.

Many characters join the contests of skill and arms, most progress up the leader boards to the next day.

Some wild wood elves arrive, and after a tense moment they are welcomed. They brought ominous warnings of evil forces entering the forest and humans despoiling their grave-sites.

Salzige and Finrod get alcohol poisoning at the drinking contest, coming nowhere close to winning. Cassia and Uriah do well at the singing contest. Daqqa-Jin tries his hand at Evocation, watches other players get cursed and walks away with a bit of money himself.

The group investigates the library, speaks to a kindly old man doing research, and is asked a strange question by a talking bust of Asmodeus (shudder!). They learn a few clues about the cellars.

In the smoking room, they hear the mounted animal heads chant a strange song which Rain magically translates for them.

Assorted rumours and chatter was heard from other attendees, too much to write down here.

Day 2

When the party wakes up, Salzige is missing! Finrod has a note in his pocket: 

"You know what to do. -B"

The Inquisition is at it again! The party concocts a plan with James to bring some fake "stolen information" to Bolivar to get their friend back. We will see how it works later on.

Daqqa-Jin wrestles TORG the ogre and wins! He gains a potion of heroism as a prize and moves on to day 3. Cassia and Uriah both lose at dueling in extremely close matches. All those in other contests of skill continue.

At the auction, Finrod wins an expensive mithril ingot, useful!

The group goes fishing and is almost eaten by a giant carp.

Other guild members come up to the party asking questions - almost like a fan club. The party tells the story of the Four Winds Bar and Daqqa-Jin demonstrates its power, and they relate their adventures in the cellars. The low-level rookies are suitably impressed.

A notice board is tacked with signs, including advertisements for adventurers wanted and announcements of brave expeditions.

Uriah does incredibly well at the singing/oratory contest, reciting an ancient hunting poem of his people. He has a strong chance of winning on the final day.

Black Phalaros has not done much so far, but decides to try Evocation, and plays an entire nine hands at a prestige table! Not only does he win some good money but he draws a mystical combination and is warded against death for a month. The entire tavern watched this event in rapt attention, he is developing a reputation as a savvy gambler in the Guild.

Late at night, the party watches a fight in the ballroom, where a barbarian fights a massive illusionary dragon and loses (badly). They learn how the ballroom works.

Blessedly sober, the group goes to sleep in preparation for...

Day 3

At the auction, many wondrous items are sold. Finrod buys a magical Everfull Purse of gold.

Thando finds the group and thanks them with 6,000 silver worth of jewelry!

Phalaros buys the magical book Evocations of the Doomed City for a kingly sum. This book will summon up the mythical lost City of Brass.

Nobody wins the archery, spears or knife contests, but several prizes are won for placing: free time in a few Inn rooms, and maps to points of interest within. One map is for Room I, and will surely be useful in the war against the Mad King.

Daqqa-Jin loses his wrestling match but wins several magic potions for making 3rd place.

Uriah wins the oratory contest and chooses a pack of IOUN stones, getting tremendously good results!

In the smoking lounge at the end of the night, the Guild VIPs are playing a high-stakes card game when a horde of monsters emerge from the woods! Even James seems shaken by this development - the whole Guild is in danger!!!

Treasure Gained:

jewelry box (6000 sp)

Experience Gained:

none