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:

Session 3

THE EXCURSIONIST'S GUILD

13th-14th Meadowlark, 4433

Characters

Aladar IX, M-U 2 (Alex)
Eric Withakay, cleric 3 (Justin)
Lothos the Undesirable, elf 2 (Mike)
Robert the Swift, fighter 1 (Steve)
Suba-Jin, cleric 1 (John)

Morning at "The Sign of Olive & Lotus"

Aladar, Eric, Lothos, Meep & Tullius felt somewhat worse for wear after their night in the most upscale club in the Emerald City. Smeared with lipstick, smelling of expensive liquor & opium fumes, they tried to reconstruct their night:

-Eric recalled wandering drunkenly through Cliffside, where he was accosted by a guard patrol for "causing a disturbance." Only by paying a fairly substantial bribe of 275 silver did he avoid a trip to the drunk tank and perhaps an ass-beating from the irreligious guards.

-Tullius Junior was too hung over to go adventuring. Everyone remembered the shouting match he got into with another patron that night. The man had a Ming the Merciless-style moustache, purple robes, a tall conical hat and a Sactioning pin indicating he was a magic-user. The last thing he said was "You whey-faced, lily-livered cur! You haven't heard the last of Unazhon Conchobar!!!"

-Meep the dwarf woke up with soreness in his lower back. As it turned out, he had commissioned a tattoo while in his cups: great gothic block letters read "DWARVES SUXXX." Perhaps there was some hidden reason for this, relating to his departure from the ancestral dwarven under-realms? Time would tell. He was also too hungover to adventure.

A few other down-on-their-luck wastrels decided to come along with the group in search of action and treasure: Suba-Jin, a Tharbrian nomad dedicated to Hextor, spreading the gospel of discipline & violence amongst the horsemen of the steppes; and Robert the Swift, a dim-witted Legion veteran.

The group recalled hearing a strange rumour from another patron during their revelry:

“A printmaker named Ultan, while laying poison for rats in the basement of his shop in the Bazaar, has discovered a door that was not there before! He claims it leads to Wishery, the fabled land of dreams. Ultan charges 10 sp a head to pass through the door - no questions asked.”

Not interested in this tale at the time, they decided instead to pursue a rumour heard previously from a farmer about a mysterious building outside the Great Wall. Hitching up their wagon, they rode out of Viridistan with dry mouths and sore heads towards the Moon Gate.

Midway through the second day of travel, the gang passed through the imposing Great Wall of Viridistan, built by the ancients in days before men walked upright. Farmers, traders, slaves & other folk of all the world's races pass this gate in a never-ending procession to and from the Emerald City.

After asking for directions, a helpful (for once) guard directed the party westward along the edge of the Elsenwood. They proceeded along a clear path amongst well-manicured lawns until they came upon a bizarre, sprawling manor house nestled back near the woods. Four stories high, bristling with towers, angular with its steep shingled peaks, useless in Viridistan's balmy sub-tropical climate. It was built of dark stone and aged wood, trimmed in brass and wound with ivy. A carriage-house and old barn could be seen on the wide lawns in the background.


The Night Wolf Inn

The front porch looked inviting enough with rocking chairs and a large, sturdy iron-studded oak door. Aladar IX displayed an un-wizardlike boldness and ventured inside first.

The entryway was decorated in rich hardwoods (another strange thing in Viridistan, where most buildings are stone, brick or adobe) and washed in amber light from stained-glass windows. A macabre fresco covering the ceiling depicts a girl being devoured by a wolf, while a woman with a sword looks the other way. In the background, an older woman with a crown of roses walks down a path while dark clouds rain bones over the scene.

Behind a broad mahogany desk lounged a handsome middle-aged man with a glass of brandy. He introduced himself as James Everbleed, and offered to rent the group a room. Much discussion ensued. Several rooms were available, of which a few were mentioned by name. Forest of Dreams, Restful Seas, and The Stygian Library (James counselled against taking that one). They asked to see the Forest of Dreams.

They briefly balked at the prices - 40 silver per person, per night! But during their conversation, James mentioned that members of the "Excursionist's Guild" get discounts. Eager to save money, the group asked for more detail and decided to sign up, which James seemed quite happy about. They were nervous about his mention of 'guild quests' but his friendly & open manner reassured them somewhat. After paying an entry fee set by James which varied for each person, he got out his tattoo kit and inked a black wolf's head on the shoulder of each of them.

The other guests in the common room were a strange and diverse lot. Some Altanian warriors in traditional garb, a few sullen and strangely-dressed southern Ghinorans, a misshapen man in robes, and a bright red-skinned man in black armour with horns on his forehead! Apparently guild members themselves, they greeted the party's induction with a cheer and bought them a round of drinks.


Room I - The Forest of Dreams

Stepping through the door in the second floor hallway, the group found themselves in another world! Finely made furniture set up exactly as in an ordinary Inn bedroom stood in the deep shadows of giant trees that shifted at the edge of sight. The vast forest's floor was illuminated by multicoloured flowers that bled into the air like paint meeting turpentine, creating gaseous halos of colour. In every direction, the Forest of Dreams was thronged by fleeting shadows. A trail of golden lily bells led away from the furniture into the distance, and a giant tree, larger than all the rest, could be seen in another direction. Bewildered by this strange world, the group ventured away from the furniture in the direction of the massive tree.

Halfway there, Suba-Jin noticed a colourful sparkle in the shadows: three shimmering, multicoloured peacock feathers. Aladar had his dog "Mincemeat" sniff one and he led the group along a winding route through the forest towards the great tree.

The massive tree stretched hundreds of feet into the air. A whisper of wind surrounded it, resolving into intelligible words as the group drew closer - the tree could speak! It desired news of the outside world and friendly conversation, but the group was more interested in finding some loot. As it happened, the great tree recalled some 'two leggeds' had left a jingling bag in its branches some days ago, but warned about the prismatic peacocks roosting high in the tree which defend their territory viciously.

Aladar summoned his familiar Yegmoz to scout the tree and survey the wider region. It reported a sack left in the branches 100 feet above, and some large colourful birds roosting 50' above that.

Aladar, Suba-Jin and Eric dared to climb the tree to retrieve the loot, hoping to avoid the peacocks' notice. After a few tense moments they found a sack full of strange bluish-silver coins and a note:

"Anastasius:
Here is payment as agreed. Make it swift, for the Horned Empire does not smile upon failure. 

-Habakkuk"

With some loot and a cryptic clue for their troubles, the group made for the Inn furniture to plan their next move in this shadowy & ethereal world.


What Yegmoz Saw

When Aladar IX asked it to fly high and survey the forest. All 'clock' references are relative to the group's facing when they came through the Inn door.

-Line of twinkling golden lights leading from the room furniture to a wide grey body of water at 12:00
-Massive, round white structure of some kind at 9:00, surrounded by an area of darkness
-Great trees and shadows as far as it could see in any direction


Inn Exploration

Enemies Defeated:
none

Treasure:
220 blue-tinted silver coins, stamped with a symbol of flame & the words "Gordzu Kor"
3 chromatic peacock feathers