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.]

WE'RE BACK!

Welcome back to the game boys, thank you all for your patience. 

We are about to begin the YEAR FIVE (AKA Actually Year Four). 

Please read on for a recap, some updates and important changes!

*** CURRENT STATE OF PLAY ***

[This doesn't cover everything that's going on, only the most recent 'action items' of the last few sessions.]

Group 1 - Current Date: Thistleburn 12

Currently: Robert the Swift, Daqqa-Jin, Gorr, Xenos, Uriah, Young Joe Spruce and Lord Fesgate.

- The group is planning a return to the Night Wolf Inn to clear the gnolls occupying Fort Behringer.

- You have finally rescued Reymund the Pale, master bowyer. Gorr is about to spend a ton of his money to get a legendary item, and the rest of you should take notice. Chris took the initiative to make this happen in his first session, and has worked towards it since. His dedication is about to pay off in a big way!

- Guild Service for Robert the Swift is coming up soon (from Harvestime 1 - Goodgrove 11). You will have to RSVP to James Everbleed about your plans. You have the choice of Room IV or somewhere brand new. I estimate this taking about 3 sessions but could easily go longer. Remember that this counts as yearly guild service for any members who come along, and it's mandatory if Robert wishes to retain guild member status!

- You spoke and I listened! There is lots of adventure to be had in Room I - The Forest of Dreams. The lair of the 3rd demon Varthatov awaits you and LOTS more!

Group 2 - Current Date: Thistleburn 14

Currently: Clif, Finrod, Salzige, Cassia, Black Phalaros, Owen and Gaddock. 

- Clif needs to rest until Thistleburn 19. Many of you will need to train (see below).

- Review the play report for Session 40, then see the latest Downtime Thread in Discord for costs of living. (Who is paying to identify all your items?) I know many people wanted to ask questions or look for clues, so refresh your memories about that if you can. All of this must be declared before play resumes with this group, or you will miss the boat!

- You have found the Oil of Revelations which grants the ability to see hidden streets and paths through the city. This will surely help you in your mission for the necromancer Zalán to find the Shadow Market. You have enough for six people. Who is going to use it?

- You have raided the sorcerer Rogat's home. Where is he? Clues point to a criminal entanglement of some kind, and there is the path down to the Undercity...

- Clif has a mission from his elementalist mentor Unazhon: entering the astral fortress of the legendary Shodredh Dachod! You haven't made any progress in this direction yet, but perhaps upcoming events will provide clues.

- Going forward, you will find lower-level adventures in Viridistan. You can be confident that an adventure will be roughly level-appropriate for the character who hears about it, but may provide paths onward to more difficult things.

Everyone

- If you want to swap members between groups, you'll just have to wait 2 days for Group 2 to catch up. Otherwise we can proceed with the current composition.

- The Night Wolf Inn Midsummer's Day garden party is coming up in less than 2 weeks (Harvestime 2) and is open to Guild members and visitors alike. This will be a valuable chance to join the Guild, connect with NPCs (everyone's favourite elf waifu Rain will be there), make new friends, compete for cash & prizes, or play Evocation. Don't miss it!

- There is now a PLAYER'S CALENDAR page on Discord so you guys can see what day it is and when things are happening so you can plan accordingly.

*** RULES CHANGES ***

We're dropping some 'house rules' I added at the beginning of the campaign that didn't really contribute anything, and bringing the rules more in line with AD&D 1st edition (the way God and Gary intended). 

I hope that our long hiatus makes these changes less jarring!

Complex Alignment

To add some more depth, we are moving up to 9-point alignment! This might result in a few awkward moments but we will smooth them over. Other than a few class restrictions, you will be free to choose any alignment that you feel reflects your existing characters the way you've been playing them. 

Please remember D&D is a game of cooperation. 

I would assume by this time that everyone is familiar with classic D&D alignment but if you aren't, the following may provide guidance, along with the blurbs I've posted in the discord.

If you have any questions please DM me or ask in the discord.

With some exceptions, aligned & intelligent items that your character has been using for a while will be set to a compatible alignment so you don't get robbed.

Training

Characters will now have to train with a higher-level mentor to gain levels. This will cost both time (from 1-4 weeks) and money (based on training time multiplied by level).

When a character gains enough XP to level, they will be capped at that point and cannot gain any more experience until they train. However, they still take the same share of experience from the party if they continue to adventure (this extra XP is wasted). You will have to manage this yourselves.

Clif, Owen the Vitalizer, Gaddock the Inebriated and Cassia are the first to fall under this new rule, since they all leveled last session. They will need to train in order to gain the benefits of their new levels, and before they can gain any further experience. Clif needs to rest first before he can train.

Material Components

Some spells will now have expensive material component costs, to bring them in line with AD&D. We will handwave this in general. As long as a spellcaster has their "component pouch" with them, we can simply scratch the money off the character sheet and assume the components were bought previously, except in certain rare cases. There will be a list of affected spells in the player's document on Google Drive.

Heroic Points

A new bonus for you guys!

A simple and versatile house rule to replace other "survivability bonuses." They will balance out some of the lethality of classic D&D, are simple and flexible.

Heroic points can be used to save your ass in a pinch. The rules are simple:

- spend any number of points for a bonus to a roll before it's made (attacks, saving throws, whatever)

- spend a point to re-roll something once (no reroll chains)

- spells can be modified in some ways (saving throws, damage rolls, possibly others)

- you can hoard a maximum # of heroic points equal to your level, excess points are wasted

- points are NOT gained automatically but are awarded for good play, heroic actions, clever solutions, teamwork, playing your alignment, etc. by the DM

Each character will be granted a full stock of Heroic Points equal to their level to start with. Use them wisely, but don't be afraid to spend them when things get dicey - they're no good if you're dead!

Character Creation

Never let it be said that I am deaf to the entreaties of my dedicated players! 

We will now be rolling ability scores using 4d6, drop the lowest, ARRANGE AS DESIRED.

This means a lot of specialty classes with high requirements will be much easier to play. Enjoy rangers, illusionists, paladins and other such cool stuff! There will be some slight tradeoffs for this though (see below).

Spellcasting & Other House Rules

> Previously, all spellcasters got bonus spells for high attributes. This was a house rule I included to give low level study-for-it casters a bit more power, but it is not by-the-book at all, so it's out the window!

From now on, only CLERICS and DRUIDS will get bonus spells for high WIS. 

This means all Magic-Users, Necromancers, Elementalists, Incantrixes, & elves (Finrod) will be losing a fair number of spells per day! Sorry, guys. I hope you took advantage of this boon while it was yours, but it's gone now.

However, affected spellcasters may report to their magical mentors during downtime to get some limited-use magic items in order to smooth the transition into this new status quo. I will be correcting your character sheets for you.

> Another bone I'm throwing to spellcasters. Forget about Read Magic. What a waste of a spell!! There is already a secret language of wizards (called Grimscribe). So why cast read magic anyway? Stupid. 

From now on if you find some magic runes, you will just be able to read them if you know the language!

So you can delete Read Magic from your spellbooks, you never have to memorize it. Instead, every spellcaster will automatically know the written language that applies to them:

Magic-User and Elf - Grimscribe
Illusionist - Secret Tongue
Incantrix - Warding Tongue
Elementalist - Oremouth
Necromancer - Eldritch

These languages are closely guarded secrets, and casters will never teach their languages to outsiders. (This makes the Incantrix class really good, because they can read M-U and Illusionist magic). When you create a new character, these will take up a language choice just like any other - but your existing characters get them for free.

Spellcasters can try to use scrolls from other classes, but there will be a significant chance of failure or miscastings!

> Fighters, Barbarians & other melee classes are losing CLEAVE. We never use it anyway!

> Clerics lose "spontaneous cures" - this was another house rule I added that never got much use anyway. Now you'll have to plan ahead!

*** WHAT'S NEXT ***

If you've made it this far, DM me the passphrase "None. None More Black" and include the following information in your message:

- All of your characters' new alignments
- Your Group 2 character's downtime activities, if any (including training, see above)
- Any questions you need answered in order to achieve these requirements, and
- When you can play next
Do all this to get 1000 bonus XP per character.  [OFFER HAS BEEN FULFILLED]

Prepare for our first session to be a bit longer than usual, it will likely involve record-keeping, explaining new rules, refreshing our memories and updating before we get into playing. 

Then get ready for the COMEBACK SPECIAL!!!

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.

[NWI] A Letter Arrives

Thistleburn 12, morning

Robert the Swift is woken early by the chirping of his wondrous mechanical bird. A summer storm rages outside.

Over the rain, a strange sound can be heard at the window. Opening it reveals a grey pigeon chirping on the sill, soaked from flying through the downpour! The little bird has a tiny leather case tied to its leg. It waits patiently for Robert to take the package, then flies away into the tempest.

The case contains a two small scrolls written in neat script. The first is a simple invitation while the second provides more detail and a place to sign one's name:

Black Wolf,

Thank You for heeding your summons!

The Master appreciates your dedication and hopes your guild service will be swift and safe. Ms. Haven will be your Steward and oversee your service. Service is scheduled to occupy two uninterrupted weeks from the time you sign this document. Please plan ahead to meet this obligation.

Itinerary and Instructions:

- Basic Orientation
- Question & Answer session
- Service Begins
- Select One of the following Two Quests:

1. Rent Room IV and enter the wilds

- Using the boat provided, sail north towards the huge island.

- Make contact with the locals in Tanaroa by the great wall.

- They are under attack by some enemy force; discover the nature of this threat and find its location or point of origin.

- If possible, eliminate the threat. The Guild strives to cultivate friendly relations with the islanders.

2. Enter the Under-Stairs door using the provided Silver Key

- Enter the City and speak to Orixerxes the Soothsayer. Obtain directions to The Palace and information on what he wants from inside.

- Prepare for traveling across a desert. Discover the truth about the rumours of The Palace. If it is real, find a way inside and report back.

- If possible, obtain the item Orixerxes wants for the Guild Master.

Ms. Haven will check your work when you return.

Good Luck!

I understand this quest is perilous and am ready to begin,

________________________________

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]