Session 2 - Copse and Corpse

Fresh from their victory, the party eagerly spends their well-earned gp on various magic items and enhancements. Then, emboldened for their upcoming quest, they set out to find the Eladrin barkeeper than Jaden knew could help them.

The party enters the appropriate bar, which is crowded and noisy. The barkeeper is busily serving drinks. Kriv and Kava stand to one side while Rougi and Jaden go up to talk to him. To ensure the conversation goes smoothly, Rougi flashes a few gp. The barkeeper is perfectly willing to talk, and when Rougi shows him the symbol, he says that, yeah, he knows it - he has seen it painted on the wall of a tavern in Elslein, an Eladrin city to the east. The tavern's name is Qualion's. They question him further, but he doesn't know anything else about it, and he is pretty busy with customers, so they quickly part ways.

The city our heroes have been is named Zaimier; it's largely a dwarf city. A thick forest surrounds the city to the south, while a broad mountain range borders the city to the north. Elslein is only three days' journey to the east, and is the only other settlement less than 2 weeks away. (There are little villages scattered throughout the great forest, but they are small, usually farming communities with only a few plots.

Our adventurers set out on the road to Elslein. They have a fairly uneventful first day; at times the road is crowded, at others nearly empty. Eventually they camped for the night. Because Rougi, being an Eladrin, does not require sleep but can rather just go into a trance that gives him rest but leaves him aware of his surroundings, he kept watch the entire night.

The next day, the party proceeded, but with a little bit more caution. Around noon, they ran into a ground of elves traveling to Elslein themselves, selling foodstuffs and clothing items. They didn't recognize they symbol, and didn't really have much they could tell them. The elves moved on pretty soon, and due to a fast clip, were soon out of sight.

The road got more empty and the atmosphere more gloomy as the day went one. Though the road, a major highway, was broad and wide, the tree thickness on either side and the canopy overhead got thicker, and the sky grew cloudier. In the mid-afternoon, they ran into a group of human peasants moving from Elslein to Zaimier (the economy in Elslein has slowed a bit in the last couple of years). They were a little suspicious of the party, but answered their questions. They didn't know anything about the symbol, either. They did mention that they way ahead is a bit spooky, and then moved on.

As dusk begins to creep in, the party finds a large clearing right off the road, separated from the beaten path by only a small line of shrubs, but bordered about otherwise by thick forest. They decide to make camp here for the night. There are some signs of animal activity in the area, including some suspicious footprints, but they decide to take their chances.

Before they can even build a fire, three ghouls burst into the clearing, and attacked! So caught off guard was the party that their first attack K.O.-ed Rougi and left him bleeding and dying, and rendered Kava and Jaden immobilized. A short but intense battle followed - twice the party was brought to the brink of death and twice Kriv's spells brought them back to nearly full fighting power. But the ghouls were so powerful, and so often were their attacks immobilizing to the party, that they all quickly realized that the fight was hopeless.

Kriv and Jaden began to pull back into the woods, trying to gain some cover, Kriv still casting what spells she had left. Rougi, who was the closest to and hardest hit by the attack, could not get away fast enough, and one of the ghouls' bites brought him down for good. He collapsed, dead.

The party was almost starting to panic when suddenly, pounding footsteps were heard on the road. A female dwarf bearing the holy marks of Moradin came racing up the road, lept over the line of low shrubs into the clearing, and fired a radiant arrow into the fray. Unfortunately, she missed, and before she could reload, she also found herself set upon the ghouls, and Kava had already been killed too. Kriv, who has just reached the cover the trees, cried out in horror.

The dwarf let loose a strong blast of radiant light, knocking the ghouls back. Confused by the disappearance of the their other two prey, and frightened by the fearsome enemy in front of them, they turned and retreat into the forest. The dwarf and Jaden hastily stuffed Rougi's corpse into her Bag of Holding, and she and Kriv tried to lift Kava's body, but her 300-pound Dragonborn bulk proved too heavy. They were forced to leave it behind as they retreated rapidly down the highway.

After running for about a kilometer, they finally come to stop. Heart-stricken over the death of her sister, Kriv insists they go back for the body. The dwarf, whose name is Artin, says no, it is too dangerous. They make camp for the night in the middle of the road. Jaden and Artin swap keeping watch; during the middle of the night Jaden freaks out, thinking she hears the ghouls, and awakens Artin, but it turns out to be nothing.

The next morning, in the full light of day, they cautious made their way back to the clearing. There, Kava's body lay - the ghouls had torn at her flesh, but she was still recognizable and intact. Jaden respectfully stripped her of her armor while Artin amputated her hand, so that they would be able to resurrect her later. Kriv, with a heavy, heavy heart, dug a grave and buried her sister. After a short moment of mourning, they left. With haste, they made it to Elslein by that night.

Artin had been traveling to Elslein to consult with some of the other priests of Moradin at their temple at the edge of the city. In light of what has just transpired, she offers Kriv and Jaden rooms at the temple, which they graiously accept. They discuss briefly the price of getting Kava and Rougi ressurected, which will be 500 gp apiece. Artin says she will being in the morning, and wishes them a good night. Exhausted and heartsick, the two fall fast asleep.

Interlude: Advancement and Charachterization

From fighting the gladiators, and for role-playing such an interesting session, you have all been awarded 700 XP (now reflected in the session post).

You have of course all been awarded 17,000 gp. There are a number of things you may wish to spend this on. Some things you will want to keep in mind:

• Weapons: If you want to purchase a new mundane (i.e., non-magic) weapon (the kinds found on p. 218 of the Player's Handbook), you will have to actually purchase it this time, unlike when we were first creating charachters and weapons were free.
• Armor: Mundane masterwork armor (the armors listed on p. 214 that are price "special") are not available; the party will need to be much closer to level 16 before these can become available (see p. 212)
• Availability: The items in the Player's Handbook are a list of items that exist, but there is no guarantee the stores in the towns you are in have them in stock, or even know how to get them. As it turns out, the shops in the town you are in don't carry any magic items greater than level 10.
• Usability: Weight still matters. Don't buy more equipment than you can carry. Also, a lot of magic items fit into certain body 'slots.' If you have your feet slot filled, you might not want to buy another item fiting the feet, or else you will have to spend time taking things on and off to use one item or the other.
  
• Thinking Ahead: You might not want to spend all of your money now. There may be other expenses that are going to pop up as time goes on, and who knows how much gp you'll get from the monsters you defeat in the next couple of sessions. Just like in real life, be prepared for a rainy day.
  

I know some of you have already gotten a pretty good handle on what you want to get. If you don't have time to look over this stuff before the session, then that's my fault, and we'll go over it when we get together Thursday night.

Moving out of the nity-grity, I'd like to encourage you to think about your character's backstory; what motivates him/her? You don't have to share it with the group, but I'd like you to share it with me, because I think it will help make the campaign better suited to the type of game you all would like to play. I'm not asking for pages of material either, just a paragraph or two describing who this charachter, what they're after, and interesting tidbits from their past that could be part of future story-lines.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Session 1 - Anachorisms

Our party, having just been formed in a nondescript bar, learns that there is a gladiatorial competition taking place in town later that afternoon. The prize for the winners is 10,000 gp apiece! Enthused, the party decided to enter.

Rougi came up with a sneaky plan to substantially increase their winnings: hire several beggars from the streets who would enter in the contest with them, but they wouldn't have to actually fight. When the party won, they would be given a smaller share of the gold, allowing the party to split a greater portion amongst themselves. Kriv and Jaden were skeptical, but Kava and Rougi convinced them it would be a good thing to do for the beggars, even if it was just to help themselves out. After Kriv made sure that the beggars would be given a significant reward, she agreed to the plan.

Recruiting several beggars took time, but they eventually convinced four to join in. Together they made their way to the estate of the dwarf Sir Vondal Terisnock, the sponsor of the tournament (the first of its kind in this city, really). They were some of the last to fight, and so had a while to wait and plan their strategy.

When the time came, they were ushered into the arena -- actually a broad mesa cut into the side of the mountain ending in a steep cliff drop-off (fenced by a six-foot wall). A cheering crowd greeted them, and after only a moment, the ringmaster brought in their opponents -- five well-endowed human females, armed with slings and sickles and a terrible devotion to gaudy fashion accessories, particularly pink ones.

These female gladiators, while resilient, proved to be somewhat lacking in precision, and could not land many blows, thus our party came though the fight largely undamaged. They knocked each woman unconscious, and thereby won the contest and the prize (it was actually against the rules to kill them; they would have lost the prize if they had).

The victors are escorted back into the mansion where a female dwarf named Torbera greeted them and invited them to meet with the sponsor of the contest, Sir Terisnock himself. Despite some reservations from Rougi, they followed her to a lovely and ornate library, where Sir Terisnock greeted them with warm hospitality.

As they are ushered in, Jaden ponders what she already knows of Vondal Terisnock. She knows he is a good man by dwarven standards, but is regarded as being a bit irresponsible, as he lost his shirt in some business dealings some years ago, and very nearly impoverished his clan. He has rebuilt his wealth by now, but has never quite regained the same level of respect. She reflects on the well-known loyalty of Torbera to this man, and wonders what they have been brought here for.

Sir Terisnock told them they were of course entitled to the prize, but asked them if they would consider another offer. He offered to pay them 30,000 gp apiece in exchange for going on a quest for him. He made it clear that if they refused they would receive the 10,000 gp each, no questions asked, but urged them to consider his newer, better offer. The party wished to have some extra time to think about it, and Sir Terisnock said he would happily give them a week if that's what they needed. Bidding him farewell, the party went to the victory feast and then retired later that night back to the tavern from before.

Rougi and Jaden were not particularly interested in going on the quest, and wanted to get their 10,000 gp and be done. Kriv and Kava are much enthusiastic about the idea, and some significant discussion follows. In the end, they agree to go back and negotiate some with Sir Terisnock tomorrow. The beggars are sent away for the evening, though not before obtaining a promise from Kriv that they will be paid tomorrow.

The next morning, the four adventurers return to the mansion, and meet again with Terisnock. They explain that they would require the 10,000 gp upfront, as an advance, but are willing to accept only 29,000 gp apiece for the final reward. Terisnock readily agrees, and then explains to them the nature of their quest.

When he 'lost his shirt' all those years ago, his manor was actually raided, and the thieves made off a huge amount of his treasure. He nearly lost everything trying to meet his debts and keep his mines going after that loss, and it has taken him so long to recover that he is only now able to think about recovering his lost treasure. It is further complicated by the fact that he knows almost nothing about the people that robbed him, only that one of them had an unusual symbol tattooed on his/her right arm. (He was returning to his manor one night and saw them fleeing; only later did he realize the extent of their theft.) He wants the party to go after these thieves. He knows there is really little chance of getting his old wealth back, but at this point he is far more interested in punishing the ones who robbed him; he wants them brought back to face ‘justice.’

The party agrees to his quest, and after asking him some questions, he summons Torbera. She shows them the symbol of the robbers, which Jaden is fairly certain she has seen somewhere before. She cannot place it, but she is absolutely certain that there is an Eladrin barkeeper in town that will know exactly what it means. Torbera then gives them their pay - 10,000 gp each, with an additional 40,000 gp given to Kriv to distribute to the beggars (who Terisnock seems to regard as "junior" members of the party).

Back in town, the grateful beggars are given their money, and the party splits the difference among themselves, each ending up with 17, 000 gp. Victorious for now, and optomistic for the future, the party sets out to make good use of their new wealth.

Rougi makes an excuse and slips away from the party, and tracks down the beggars, demanding that the bulk of the money be returned to him. They flee, and while he is able to tackle one, the beggar no longer has the money on him, and is able to narrowly avoid the thrust of Rougi's dagger. When the beggar wriggles free and starts to run again, Rougi decides it is not worth it and rejoins the rest of the party. They are a little suspicious of what he has been up to, but do not pry, and so do not know what he has tried to do.

Rewards

XP: 700
Money: 17,000 gp (in-game award)
Treasure: None