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!

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

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

Session 41

THE SHADOW MARKET

Thistleburn 14-19, 4433

Group 2:

Cassia, fighter 3

Salzige, necromancer 4

Black Phalaros, necromancer 3

Finrod, elf 3

Clif, elementalist 4

Owen the Vitalizer, cleric 2 of Shang Ta

Gaddock the Inebriated, fighter 2

A Nighttime Discovery

The group spent some time training and doing research around town. Clif got a Wand of Lightning from his mentor, which has an unknown number of charges. He asked if his mentor could cast some spells into his Ring of Spell Storing [details forthcoming on that, watch this space].

Finrod spent some time at the Hall of Records, discovering that Rogat's home is built above an old temple of Armadad Bog, the Viridian god. He cast Charm Person on the clerk, so future research will be easier to do without pesky bribes.

After dosing themselves with the Oil of Revelations, Finrod and Salzige found the path to the fabled Shadow Market! They met a water-seller pulling his wares on a donkey cart, but he wasn't too talkative. 

They purchased the foul-smelling Incense of Zalamphel for the necromancer Zalán. Then they brought the rest of the group and everyone explored the market, speaking to its strange denizens and seeing what was for sale. 

They ventured down an alley and found a bricked-up door, and spoke to the terse men on a large mansion's balcony. They spoke to a down-on-his luck weaponsmith named Tolvaj, who owes 50,000 silver in gambling debts. met a fortune-teller who is also a member of the Night Wolf Inn adventurers' guild, and considered having their fortunes read with her magical cards. They met a tattoo artist who examined Salzige's guild tattoo and told him that it magically tracks his location! They found a shrine of ringing bells, which provides astral travel services. The group perused a bookseller's wares, there were a few magical scripts for sale:

They spoke to some sages and hired them to do research (one on the Astral plane, the other to discern the curse upon the Coat of the Panther), and bought a few pinches of Ghostdust from one of them, a rather unsavory fellow. They discovered the secretive Cockatoo Club, and learned the Waterday password "barbaric gelatin" from Tolvaj while he was drunk. 

With all this new information, now Group 2 has plenty of leads to explore. Where will the nighted pathways of the city take them next?

Monsters Defeated:

none

Treasure Found:

none

Treasure Sold:

Cursed gem & box (already accounted for)

NOTES:

Owen the Vitalizer is capped and ready to train again to level 3! 

[Normally this won't happen. It is an artifact of him gaining so much XP in Session 40, before we instituted the new training rules.]

Session 40

RETURN TO THE UNDERCITY

Thistleburn 12-13, 4433

Characters:

Cassia Tannin, fighter 2

Salzige Brauen, necromancer 4

Black Phalaros, necromancer 3

Finrod, elf 3

Clif, elementalist 3

Owen the Vitalizer, cleric 1

Gaddock the Inebriated, fighter 1

Wrath of the Black Cloud

The party stood in the hallway as a cloud of murky darkness swept out towards them from the sealed cabinet. Clif and Salzige tried to blast it with cold magic which seemed to have no effect, but it was eventually dispatched with a fire elementine, enchanted steel and Finrod's risky final strike with a torch. Salzige was knocked out by its icy touch, but after the battle he recovered quickly - the damage was but an illusion! What could be trusted in these rooms of shifting shadows?

The group resumed their search. In the sealed closet they found a confused & concussed fighting-man named Gaddock, the only survivor of the last group of thieves who came to plunder the house. They also picked up a nice black coat with some clues in the pocket [see #player-notes in the discord] and plucked some pieces of pure silver out of the hanging cobwebs.

Ascending to the roof, the party was ambushed by the final guardian idol, another hideous gargoyle! This one was brought low without too much trouble by a cooperative effort - newcomer Gaddock showed his bravery, charging it with only his mundane shield to knock it off-balance. 

After gaining the roof and surveying the area, the group scanned the neighbourhood and re-searched the house looking for anything they had missed. Finrod found a trapdoor to the basement under some stacked crates, and the group descended.

They found a few strange enigmas in the basement, and were haunted by spectral voices. In one corner, Clif spied an invisible chest hanging from the ceiling with chains. After taking it down, the brave elementalist tried to pry it open and was stabbed by a poison needle! 

With his skin rapidly turning purple, the party had little time to help. Salzige recalled an alchemist's shop nearby [with a combination of quick thinking and a lucky roll] and the group carried Clif there. They purchased a potion of Neutralize Poison and spoke to the proprietor a little bit, a strange old man named Hooktong Ash.

Next Door

After a badly-needed rest, the group returned to the Old City the next day.

They crossed from one house to the next, breaking their way into the neighbouring building through a bricked-up doorway. There were a few signs of habitation but nobody was around. They explored this dusty, abandoned building decorated everywhere with an aquatic theme. A few clues and some thorough searching revealed hidden treasures like gold coins, a bar of white metal (platinum!) and a strange potion decorated with eyes.

Again, they descended into the building's basement and explored. It was obvious they had entered a section of the Undercity! They passed through a temple room with a massive stone stele, by a fountain with an old inscription, and through a windowed passage that looked out over a huge chamber below. 

Beneath them they could see a hive of beggars & madmen dressed in rags, living a degenerated existence beneath the city. Passing along they discovered a fresco of a strange door, but decided enough was enough - it was time to leave before getting into a dangerous confrontation!

Monsters Defeated:

cloud of darkness (345 xp)

gargoyle idol (555 xp)

Treasure Found:

black cat coat

silver seal

bat amulet

silk cloak

silver ore pieces

electrum coins (1950)

potion

scroll

silver lantern

gold coins (200)

platinum ingot

vial decorated with eyes

everburning brazier (keeping)

rainbow crystal in wooden box

Treasure Sold:

silver seal (600 sp)

silk cloak (50 sp)

silver ores (250 sp)

silver lantern (225 sp)

platinum ingot (1000 sp)

(more about the rest in downtime)

Congratulations for finding a huge amount of treasure in this area!

Each PC gets this payout:

This is a combination of coinage shares & selling off treasure.

28 gold
278 electrum
124 silver (310-186 for identifying magic items)

Clif is now level 4!

Owen the Vitalizer is now level 2, and his experience total is capped at 3,124, one point away from 3rd. (You can't gain two levels at a time)

Gaddock the Inebriated is now level 2!
Cassia is now level 3!

NOTES

Congratulations gang on reaching session 40!

Most D&D games last about 10% as long as this.

As discussed, we are taking a short break while your long-suffering DM rations his limited mental faculties towards school. Please see the #downtime-activities page on Discord for downtime notes, identifying items, town activity between sessions, etc. This will be updated sporadically as I have time.

Gaddock the Inebriated made a lucky roll on the Random Items table, and began play with a Potion of Levitation! We'll just say that he forgot he had it in his confusion after being stuffed into the closet. Mike, let me know if you'd like me to roll for a chance that Gaddock is psionic.

Session 39

IN SEARCH OF THE SHADOW MARKET

Thistleburn 12-13, 4433

Happy birthday to Owen The Vitalizer, now 24!

Characters:

Cassia Tannin, fighter 2

Salzige Brauen, necromancer 4
Black Phalaris, necromancer 3

Finrod, elf 3

Clif, elementalist 3

Owen the Vitalizer, cleric 1

It was a hot day in Viridistan. A summer monsoon had just blown in off Trident Gulf and anybody who could manage it was indoors. While some of The Wretched Company returned to the Night Wolf Inn, others stayed in the city to follow up on a request by the necromancer Zalán to find the elusive & mysterious Shadow Market.

They began searching the Old City for a magic-user named Rogat, who was their only lead. They asked at a few places like the Eternal Flame Bar, learned a handful of clues, spoke to a snake-charming fakir, shopped around at Uugen's Market and ended up in a little alleyway called Coach Avenue at what they presumed was Rogat's home.

Coach Avenue

Nobody answered the door and the rain kept prying eyes off the streets, so Finrod climbed up to the 3rd floor balcony with some rope and the immovable rod. They were inside!

They explored the building, from the 3rd floor down to the first. They found a mix of abandoned & dusty rooms, rich living areas & magical enigmas. A font of water that reflected the moons' light almost hypnotized Phalaris. Areas of magical darkness obscured their vision. An ever-burning brazier gave off pungent incense. Some darkened hallways were strung with wispy spiderwebs, and ethereal voices could be heard in the distance.

In the study they found various celestial observations & love letters, and a strange threatening note crumpled up in the brazier, unburnt:

***

My Dear Mister Demazien -

You should cease your investigations at once. You know, as we all do, that delving into those mysteries beneath our streets is forbidden by strict decree of our Emperor. Should you become involved further, my servants would surely be moved to inform the Guard, and the consequences could be dire. Stay away from The Black Eel and my House.

Yours,
- H. S.

***

Several squat & ugly stone idols were scattered around the house, apparently carved by the owner himself. As soon as the group picked up the rainbow crystal on the top floor, one sprang to life and attacked! It emitted a field of silence and was resistant to mundane weapons, making the battle really tough. At the same time, Black Phalaris got controlled by a force which compelled him to attack his companions. Things looked dire for a moment, but the careful coordination of spells saved the day - Clif's Tidal Force and a Web and Sleep by Finrod got the group out of trouble.

Exploring the house further, one of the gargoyles had a powerful psychic attack which nearly killed Cassia. The use of Clif's elementines saved the group more than once from a stony doom!

After fighting a few gargoyles, picking up some treasure and investigating a few enigmas the party headed back to the Dragon's Eye to heal up, sell loot and return the next day.

Returning to the house, everything was as they left it. They found the corpse of a thief clutching a bat amulet below the staircase up to the roof. They destroyed another gargoyle with an elementine and Clif's magic but not before its evil gaze knocked the elementalist unconscious.

They used an elementine to open the sealed wardrobe in the magically-darkened room and a malevolent black cloud emerged, pushed past their water elementine and is now descending on the group, its inky tendrils reaching towards them...

Monsters Defeated:

3 gargoyles (1665 xp)

Treasure Obtained:

well-made robes

jeweled hat pin

purple carpet

rainbow crystal in a fancy box

Treasure Sold:

well-made robes (500 sp)

jeweled hat pin (500 sp)

purple carpet (600 sp)

(money already divided up)

Notes / Player To Do:

Owen and Clif have enough xp to level up as soon as they get to a safe area for a day (ie. not in the middle of combat where we are now).

Owen needs to pick a religion, do you have any questions about this or want a suggestion? Do Finrod and Owen want to roll for a chance of psionic powers? It's up to you. The first 3 players who PM me the phrase 'wiz biz' along with any information I've asked for will get 300 xp to the character of their choice. [offer ended]

Session 38 DOWNTIME & UPDATES

Thistleburn 11, 4433

The Wretched Company celebrated their new expanded membership roster by whooping it up at The Sign of Olive & Lotus, spending well over ten thousand silver pieces! Even the normally impassive eunuch Merinius is impressed - the group is moving into the ranks of the Emerald City's most decadent.

Clif hit the house spending limit last night (4000 silver pieces!), hoovering up liquor, throwing dice, grabbing the girls, sniffing powders and buying rounds for everyone. Somehow in this state he gambled especially well, winning some extra money [already added]

Finrod gambled especially poorly, losing extra money [already deducted]

Black Phalaris was in his cups and said something rude to an officer of the City Guard! This will surely cause problems for the group later...

Xénos drunkenly invited a young man named Vasu Cervantes on the group's next adventure! He seems to be the third son of some noble house and if he comes to any harm there will surely be trouble. [He will come along on the next session that Xénos plays in]

Hirath, the city guard sergeant who Finrod charmed, actually showed up to have a few drinks with the group. He hung out for a while and left at some point, you don't really remember when. He seemed pretty chill for a guard, anyway. 

Machado, Tafari & Kelci have all spent some of their shares on carousing and each gained a level.

Rumours & News:

When the characters go carousing they will automatically get cool rumours based on money spent. It's assumed that they are buying people drinks, chatting folks up, etc. What you hear might change depending on where you carouse (nobleman's chatter at expensive places, the 'word on the street' in dive bars, etc). If you want to just ask around town, the rumours will be the more generic news of the day in the marketplace or whatever.

***

- The undead war is still on, troops are mustering but there have been no decisive moves made yet. What is the Emperor waiting for?

- An elf over in Otherside is bragging that he has explored the legendary lost Temple of Esma and returned alive.

- Clif's mentor, the powerful elementalist Unazhon Conchobar told him a strange tale: long ago a lich-lord named Shodredh Dachod built a flying sanctum on the astral plane. Many treasure-hunters have sought the wondrous wealth inside, but a strange magic protects the place: the more powerful the searcher is, the harder the sanctum is to find! Unazhon himself cannot reach it; perhaps Clif and his friends will be able to?

- The church of Seker may have a task for Uriah in the near future, he should check back soon.

- Overheard at The Sign of Olive & Lotus: a man with a military bearing, perhaps an off-duty Legion officer was speaking about the undead war: "The vasthosts are ready but we haven't marched yet! The Emperor is going to let Shah Kijdawr deal with himself - and when the restless dead have wrecked all of Smyrsis Province, it'll be all the reason necessary to depose him and install someone new in Tell Qa. The two have never seen eye to eye."

- The necromancer Zalán has a request for his two apprentices, Black Phalaros and Salzige: find the mysterious Shadow Market. This enchanted location can only be found at night, by secret alleys & passages unknown in the daytime. The precise route is obscure, but a sorcerer named Rogat has been overheard discussing the matter - perhaps you can ask him?

- Finrod's mentor is an elf woman named Melpomene. She is something of a local figure in Elftown, wearing a simple black & white robe resembling a nun's outfit. She is concerned about rumours of a new criminal gang popping up called the Night-Born. Apparently they are exclusively elven and have access to strange magics that nobody else recognizes.

Downtime Activities:

Finrod read the Libram of Silver Magic, raising himself from 2nd to 3rd level! A precipitous increase for the elf.

Salzige read the Libram of Gainful Conjurations, raising himself from 3rd to 4th level! He also left the mysterious stone idol with Zalán, hoping his mentor could understand more about it.

Daqqa-Jin and Salzige have been overcome by the darkness of the Moonlit Zones! They have developed neurotic lassitude & are plagued by doubts and fears. This causes them to hesitate in battle. They will be surprised 50% of the time and suffer -1 to initiative rolls.

Uriah cannot carouse due to his paladin's code, but he may spend money on philanthropy. He decides to spend 338 silver on a worthy cause and donates to The White Hand, a tradesman's group that focuses on neighbourhood improvements in the Old City and Dockside. It goes well for a first attempt and although he is an unknown adventurer, a few folks take notice of him and are enthused to see a real-life paladin involved in their cause.

Philanthropy:

Donating money to various causes. Anyone can attempt this but it is (right now) the only option for paladins and others similarly restricted by a special code of conduct. It includes donating to various causes around town, attending events, or even giving out meals to the poor by hand. 

Philanthropic donations are capped by the character's social class. Right now everyone's is low (since they are mercenaries and assorted lowlifes). Although temples are powerful social forces, individual priests & paladins (especially those that go on adventures) can still be of low social class.

At your current class we will try out a cap of 1000 sp for doing philanthropy between adventures. After engaging in this activity and spending silver, make a save vs. spells and we'll see if anything special happens - there may be bad or good events, just like with carousing!

Cost of Living:

Prices have gone up with the undead army spreading from the Starrcrag Mountains. Suppliers of all kinds are finding lucrative deals with the troops so getting good stuff in town is becoming a bit difficult. Standard cost of living is up, which is reflected in the totals below.

I will remind you of these next session but here they are for now.

Experience Totals:

After carousing and using magic books, the party's experience totals are here:

Sessions 37-38

THE SLAUGHTER AT THE TOWERS

Thistleburn 6-11, 4433

5 real days passed during the sessions, including 10 subjective days in the Forest of Dreams

Characters:

Gorr, ranger 5
Daqqa-Jin, barbarian 4
Robert the Unconscious, fighter 5
Salzige Brauen, necromancer 2
Xénos, spy 2
Uriah Sunstrife, paladin 1
Cassia Tannin, fighter 1
Black Phalaros, necromancer 2
Finrod, elf 1
Clif, elementalist 3
Lord Fesgate, fighter 4 (NPC)

Battle For the Towers

The party was trapped in a moonlit zone prison tower, surrounded by a small army of gnolls and their leader the moon-giant Kucmalog. 

Investigating the ground floor brought the attention of two animated statues. Their stone surfaces were hard to crack, and Robert shattered his magical Executioner's Axe during the fight! The group opened up another prison cell and fought two werewolves. They rescued five knights of the Behringer family in the process, swelling their army's numbers further. 

The party negotiated with the moon-giant and convinced him to open the doors of the prison. At that point, battle was joined! Kucmalog laid down terrible strikes with his enchanted sword and called curses on the group, blinding Daqqa-Jin and Hamon and turning them invisible. His gnoll squads swarmed around the tower and a pitched two-rank battle was joined at the doorway.

The slaughter was terrible! Almost 30 gnolls driven mad with hunger, fear and rage, pressing forward with halberds. Occasionally one would stop to chew on a downed foe, or even one of their own number. The party led them into a trap with flaming oil, blinded them with the fireworks of the Four Winds Bar and then battled them nose-to-nose with the help of the Behringer family knights. 

One by one the party members were knocked out, blinded or otherwise incapacitated until only Uriah was still fighting. Just when it seemed like the gnolls might push through, the rest of the shades arrived from deep inside the tower, alerted by a flying Xénos. Picking up the fallen gnolls' weapons, the 100-strong rebel army pushed forward, slaying the ravenous beasts to the last.

The group was in possession of the field, but still in a tricky position - most of them were knocked out or crippled, the clerics were out of spells and several Behringer knights and shade soldiers had been killed in the battle. 

Even so, fate was with them. Other than a small pack of snarling gnolls who did not attack, the party was not molested on their way out of the Moonlit Zone and back to the rebel camp by the lake. 

Rauffe welcomed the group with all the hospitality he could manage. A great meeting took place with the rebel leaders and the party, with everyone sharing their stories and trying to piece together events. Reymund the Pale agreed to make an extraordinary bow for Gorr, as soon as a workshop can be assembled for him (costing about 8000 silver). Rauffe happily presented Daqqa-Jin with a glass lantern filled with ethereal fireflies as a gift for rescuing so many of his men. 

The party was asked to assist the rebellion further: 

-- The surviving Behringer knights want to recapture their ancestral home from the gnolls, but they need help.

-- The two priestesses are convinced something is wrong with the Sage of Lune - she has gone mad, or been possessed, or something! They want to cure this ailment and turn her back to the path of good, rather than destroying her for allying with the Mad King.

After being outside the moonlit zone for a day or so, the moonlight curse faded from Daqqa-Jin and Hamon. The party rested up, dealt with some logistical issues, brought some equipment in for the rebels and then headed out.

Back in the Night Wolf Inn tavern there were some interesting people. Uriah signed up to the guild for cheap, because he was broke. A ventriloquist was doing a spicy act about the Emperor. Some guild members were mourning a fallen comrade, others were preparing for a mission. A blue-haired elf in black chain named Karakaël was friendly and voluble. He was interested in the party after hearing they had found their Four Winds Bar behind the clock in the library. News of the group's success seems to have spread amongst other guild members.

The group returned to Viridistan to sell their loot, train, identify items and carouse.

New Arrivals

Meanwhile, the party who had recently raided the Vault of the Warlord in the distant north [see the special play report a while back] finally made it to Viridistan with their revived friend St. Nolan, patriarch of Seker. After Black Phalaris gave him back his Staff of Healing, he was so happy that he removed the curses afflicting the group from Warlord's gold.

After then paying to have the cursed gold itself un-cursed, the Vault crew still had 50,000 sp of trade bars left (!!!) which they split up into equal shares. 

Other details were figured out: Gorr had his madness healed with a Cure Disease spell and a cursed item removed by the church of MAN-PAC. Spellcasters dealt with their mentors and got new spells. Party members identified items, traded equipment and sorted out who could use which intelligent weapons.

With new alliances formed, the group agreed they would call themselves THE WRETCHED COMPANY.

To carouse as much as they wanted the group headed up to the Cliffside district, to the Sign of Olive & Lotus. Finrod charmed the gate guard, who was happy to let them pass with an invitation to join them for a drink later. At one of the most expensive joints in town, the group got ready to take some richly deserved R&R...

[More details on rumours, mentors etc. coming in DOWNTIME POST.]

Monsters Defeated:

28 gnolls (1316 xp)
1 needlebeak (190 xp)
2 werewolves (380 xp)
2 caryatid columns (560 xp)

Treasure Gained:

firefly lantern
friendship

Treasure Sold:

topaz eye gems (2*1400 sp)
sapphire eye gems (4*900 sp)
robes with gold thread (1800 sp)
cursed mace -1 (0)
vacuous grimoires (2*1000 sp)

Money Gained:

most players noted already

Xénos - 585 sp gained after carousing costs [see next post]

Special: Vault of the Warlord

Characters:

Finrod, elf 1
Black Phalaros, necromancer 1
Clif, elementalist 1
Kelci Hind, spy 1 (Lost an arm. Demoted to NPC after the adventure)
Jan, cleric 1 (NPC)
Machado, fighter 1 (NPC)
Tafari, cleric 1 (NPC)

In the distant east, halfway to the City-State of the Invincible overlord, a group of adventurers gathered at a remote lake. At the bidding of a priestess of the dragon-god Bahamut, they were on an expedition into an ancient tomb. Their goal: to find the legendary Black Blade, a cursed sword once wielded by a long-forgotten warlord.

The tomb turned out to be infested with zombies, a sleeping vampire, a zombie crocodile, another vampire, living statues, a ghoul, & a gigantic slime monster!

Machado the fighter carried a Lawful magic sword, and managed to stay alive through wave after wave of zombie attacks, and far worse.

Clif's elementines were tremendously useful, keeping zombies at bay and solving problems throughout the dungeon.

Finrod the elf had his ribs broken by a zombie and had to sit out the rest of the adventure, recuperating back at camp.

Black Phalaros the necromancer was able to animate plenty of corpses in the dungeon (including with a handy scroll he found), and used the skeletons & zombies in clever ways to deal with the dungeon's many monsters & obstacles. 

The group sent a sleeping vampire to his final rest, and confiscated his magic weapons. Both were curved blades of ancient & exotic make, one larger and one smaller. Their full properties are unknown.

[DM NOTE - these swords prompted me to double-check the magic weapon rules. Some of these might not be usable by the same characters, but nobody will take damage from them when play resumes -- we will assume that the proper character has been handling them. Their alignments are posted below. No more oopsies on this matter will occur!]

Jan the cleric was killed after reading an enchanted book in the library - his brain just melted!

Kelci Hind stabbed a vampiress in the back, dealing a powerful blow, but for his troubles he had his arm torn clean off and barely survived! Only clever magical preparations on Clif's part saved the whole group from certain doom in that battle. 

Black Phalaros: "If you like, I could re-animate your hand for you..."

Tafari the cleric of Asmodeus was helpful, healing the group whenever possible, but didn't really say much - was it natural reticence, or something more? We don't know yet.

The group found many strange & deadly traps and illusions. Clif touched an embroidered green carpet and was assaulted by a spectral horror only he could see! Clutching his chest, he managed to survive the almost heart-stopping horror...

Clif: "I saw the price tag, guys!"

They found The Singularity, a strange illusionary man who berated and confounded them with illusions - its only purpose seemingly to waste their time. It was guarding a vault of trade bars! The party loaded 115 gold bars out of the dungeon with the help of their zombie servants, a massive hoard! Unfortunately they learned too late that that the gold was all cursed...

They disturbed a gigantic purplish-black puddle of slime, which chased them out of the dungeon completely! When they returned, the slime had eaten all the organic matter in sight. Dead bodies, wooden shelves, leftover books, everything else. From then on, they had to keep watch for the giant slime-puddle and occasionally run away from it, or have one character lead it on a chase away from their goals.

The party found several preserved body-parts throughout the dungeon. A softly mumbling severed head on a shelf, a petrified arm in a basilisk's lair, a set of legs inside the stomach of a zombie crocodile. Slowly they assembled the pieces, which had not decayed at all, into an intact man. When they used a Stone to Flesh scroll on the petrified portion, the man returned to life. He was confused and helpless, but led them to the Warlord's final resting place.

In the extra-dimensional space where the Warlord was buried, four pillars held his final ghoulish lieutenants. These were destroyed one at a time by the group, and the black coffin fell open: inside was only a pile of dust, and the Black Blade. This cursed weapon was secured safely (thank goodness) and transported swiftly back to High Priestess Annavalaxia at the church of Bahamut. She rewarded the party with 1,200 gold pieces, and promised to destroy this weapon of evil before it could fall into the wrong hands.

The confused man was recognized at the church, and Annavalaxia brought forth a book about his legendary life: he was St. Nolan, a powerful Patriarch who lived over a century ago, lost without a trace on his adventures.

St. Nolan wished to rejoin his church in Viridistan, and asked the group to accompany him. As they had spent some of their cursed gold before anyone realized its ominous properties, the locals were only too eager to see them gone!

The State of Things:

- The party is traveling to Viridistan, accompanying St. Nolan as he returns to the temple of Seker.
- They have their gold bars & other treasures loaded on a cart & team of horses.
- Finrod is recovering from his injuries, but we will assume that when the group gets to Viridistan and are available to play, he will be fully healed.
- Everyone except Finrod (he wasn't there when it was taken from the dungeon) is has been cursed by the gold bars, and suffers -4 on attacks/saves, and possibly other effects, until this curse is removed. Note that unless the curse is removed from the gold itself, it will fall on any person who accepts even a single bar.

Monsters Defeated:

Zombies (many)
Sleeping Vampire (no XP though)
Blinded Vampiress
Living Statue
Ghoul
Zombie Crocodile
Warlord's Guardians

Treasure Obtained:

*** please note who is carrying what if you haven't already ***

Drum set
4 dangerous magical books (used & sold)
magic scimitar - Manhunter (Chaotic)
magic great scimitar - Aeon Blade (stats as greatsword) (Neutral)
scroll of wizard lock
scroll of stone to flesh (used)
metal scroll case
scroll of fly
scroll of remove curse (used)
assortment of potions (healing & some others unidentified)
some silver coins (already distributed)
wand of fireballs (1 charge remaining)
ring of spell storing (M-U)
dagger +1
chainmail +1
immovable rod
staff of healing (given back to St. Nolan)

115 cursed gold trade bars
(6 bars spent, 109 bars remaining - 54,500 silver pieces total value!)

Treasure Sold & Shares:

glowing topaz (500 sp)
chest of wizard's books, non-magical (1000 sp)
silver brooch w/ emeralds (3000 sp)
sapphire (1000 sp)

1,200 gold piece reward for finding the Black Blade
(split 6 ways is 200 gp each)

Cost-of-living and the cost of identifying some magic items has already been deducted.

Finrod: 193 sp + 200 gp
Clif: 1185 sp + 200 gp 
Kelci: 1185 sp + 200 gp
Black Phalaros: 858 sp + 200 gp
Machado: 526 sp + 200 gp
Tafari: 526 sp + 200 gp

Experience:

Black Phalaros, Machado and Tafari reached level 2!!
Clif and Kelci have reached level 3!!!
Finrod is still at level 1... such is the struggle of elves in this decadent age.

Machado & Tafari can be upgraded to PCs, or come on adventures as hirelings, but because they have classes & levels they'll get their own shares of XP automatically.