Module: In
Search of Adventure (The Veiled Society)
In
Search of Adventure – The Veiled Society
"Threshold! The northernmost town in the Duchy - and your last stop
before your adventures begin. Threshold, the gateway to mysterious castles,
lost temples, deadly caves and caverns. You have heard the stories and legends,
now you wish to see for yourself."
Characters:
Anastasia Byli (formerly Vorloi): Anastasia Vorloi
is a fairly attractive 15 year old. She stands about 6
foot and is approximately 145lbs. She has long red hair that falls in loose
waves down to her waist, and eyes that look like pools of ink. Her smooth skin
glistens like bronze in the noonday sun.
Around the city she wears
fitted black pants that lace up the sides of her legs, a red linen blouse; a
black bodice wraps around her waits and laces up on either side. Black leather
boots come up just past her knees and fitted black leather gloves adorn her
hands. On her back a cloak, the color of her hair, falls down almost to her
ankles where it ends in a rather ragged and torn edge. She seems to wear this
cloak with the utmost of pride. There is a throwing axe and a sword on her left
hip.
Anastasia carries herself
in a proud and dignified manner. She seems confident in all she does. Her
father, Lord Vorloi, a general in Duke Stefan's army,
taught her swordplay since shortly after she could walk. While no one expected
her to go through the shearing, her father was only too proud to cut her cloak,
give her a sword and watch her go out to prove herself truly a Vorloi.
Since the shearing a few
weeks ago she has traveled to the neighboring city of
In the evenings she has a
room at a local tavern, and spends the evenings socializing with the locals,
sharing in a few drinks, and then quietly retires to her room for the night.
Haverly
Thornwood:
Kollin
Jaleron: A slightly dim-witted but well-rounded warrior.
Krayven: Krayven is a short, frail young lad of about
twenty winters. At first glance he is physically unimpressive and quite clumsy.
His hair is a greasy, an almost faded black, as if the very strands themselves
had given up on him. His sleepy eyes look out from their perch amid dark
circles above a boring nose. He is neither ugly nor attractive; he merely is.
He is only slightly sullen and withdrawn, and his presence often invokes
feelings ranging from mild pity to slight annoyance in those around him.
Unfortunately, one glance reveals much of this man.
Krayven
grew up among a group of woodsmen and trappers who lived within the outer
reaches of the
Krayven
was often told during his younger years that he was named after his father, a
fool of a man who had the courage to carry on with an affair, but never to own
up to the bastard child that resulted. His step-father was a cruel man who
raised him with no shortage of disgust or rage. His mother, in turn, raised with a detached care; she saw Krayven
as an obligation rather than a son.
Krayven
was not unintelligent and was eventually able to find patronage in the character
of Marsden the Magnificent, a petty showman and even
pettier merchant. The young man traveled with and worked for Marsden in exchange for food, a bedroll, and a few magic
lessons. When the indignity of his position became too much for him to handle, Krayven set off to make his own way in a world that seemed
determined to ruin him. Not long after, he found himself where he is now: much
worse off.
Shayesti: Shayesti grew up in the Alfheim
town of
She also enjoyed playing with mechanical things like locks and
traps.
Unfortunately, this cost her dearly once when the lock she was
trying to pick had a needle trap she failed to find. That incident cost her an
eye and the respect of her parents. In hindsight, she
probably shouldn't have been playing with the lock on her mother's magical
laboratory doors.
Soon after that, her mother left Shieldtree
on a voyage to Glantri. Her whole caravan dissapeared without a trace one night as they camped on a
misty hillside. After that, Shayesti
decided she should be the one to inform her father of the dire news. So she
took what supplies she could carry and set out to the south on a journey to Karameikos. Eventually, she found herself in the town of
Virilyth: Virilyth is
a Callari Elf being held prisoner in the Black Eagle
Barony. He traveled to Specularum intending to enlist in the Elvenguard,
but was found entirely too average for that elite unit. Determined not to return to the Callari lands a failure, he set out with a sword, bedroll,
and a couple of days’ provisions with no real set goal but to find
adventure. He quickly found it, being
set upon by the Baron’s agents and held prisoner as a suspected spy.
Introduction:
Date: Gromdain, Klarmont the 2nd,
AC 1000
Location: Town of
You
have been requested Townmistress Sascia
to deliver a report to the scribe Franz Dubloi in Specularum. You
will be given a small sack of gold to cover all traveling expenses.
Anastasia is more then happy to
deliver the message and more the happy to aid the town in whatever way she can.
Virilyth has no desire to return to the simple
life of the Callari lands and has formed deep
feelings of camaraderie for the party he has faced danger with. He agrees
heartily to join them in further adventures.
Shayesti gladly continues with the group to deliver
the message to Specularum for Sascia.
Is it your desire to travel back through Threshold to pick up any
banked monies? Specularum
does offer more in the way of saleable goods.
OOC: Since we were unable to
gain much in the way of treasure from this last adventure, I would agree to
going south by way of Threshold to pick up banked monies. Shayesti
looks forward to some shopping!
"Indeed, some time in my home city would be nice
after our recent troubles, lets get our money and ride
to Specularum."
"One direction is as good as any other for me. I
have yet to spend more than a night or two in Specularum,
but I am sure that I will be able to manage."
Then you set out. Your DM has
made an error. You cam
to your current location by being force-marched through open countryside. As the safest methods of travel are by the
Duke’s roads, you would have to go through Specularum
to reach Threshold. So your banked
funds are unavailable unless you wish to postpone your mission. Assuming you do not, it takes you 4 days to
travel to Specularum.
You are able to find food on the trail on the first day, but you are not
so lucky on the next three and are forced to eat rations. Luckily the gold you were given bought you
all you needed.
Date: Nytdain, Klarmont the 5thth,
AC 1000
On your fourth day of travel, with the City of
Anastasia will keep
riding, staying to the road, but being wary. One hand on the reins of her horse
the other just an inch or so from her sword hilt.
Shayesti will keep a wary single remaining eye on
the beekeepers while riding by, her weapon ever near at hand. "What a
beautiful day it has been. Very good for a journey's end."
The men seem to pay you little attention as you ride past them. By the end of the day you have arrived at Specularum.
Specularum
This is the capital city of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos and is the most important city in the area. Specularum and the
Duchy are ruled by Duke Stefan Karameikos the
Third. Specularum
is the Duke’s home and the trading center of his dukedom. About 50,000 people live in or very near the
city. They are farmers, traders,
craftsmen and sailors.
The
city is accessed by a port. The port is
protected on the seaward side by two long breakwaters. A large river east of the city allows ships
to carry cargos inland.
Just
south of the city is the Duke’s private estate; mostly well-tended woods and
gardens surrounded by a 15’ tall wall.
Poor
workers and petty thieves live just outside the city walls.
The
city is a crowded, noisy, unsanitary place.
The streets are very narrow, twisting and dark. Trenches in the center of the streets serve
as the only sewer systems. Pigs, chickens,
geese and goats are not uncommon in the poorer sections of the city.
Most
buildings stand one or two stories. They
are made of dried clay brick or mud and wattle, constructed on a wooden
frame. A few buildings are made of stone
or fired brick. Most businesses are on
the ground floor, the owner living upstairs.
Water
is drawn from public wells, or from the river when the
tide is flowing out.
Crime
and gangs are not uncommon.
The Festival of Lucor
Entering Specularum
The gate is open.
A few soldiers with spears lounge near the entrance. They wear tabards of red and blue with a
device of a ship on the front. Beyond
the gate is a narrow muddy street. It is
choked with people. Most dress in their
best clothes and many wear brightly-colored outfits. Jugglers and fire-eaters are scattered
throughout the crowd. The noise from
whistles, drums, singing and happy chatter make normal talk difficult.
“Halt! Do you
wish to enter Specularum?” shouts a guard inside the
gate. “The tax is 8 silver pieces, each
of you. All but daggers must be bound
with cloth. Unbound weapons are
fined. Murder by unbound weapons is
punished by confiscation of property, or death for the landless. Interference with the Duke’s men gets you
prison. Treasonous activity is especially
nice – it gets you one day of slow torture and then we draw and quarter
you. So enjoy yourselves.” The guard appears quite bored. He tries to watch the festival out of the
corner of one eye as he recites his speech by memory – becoming interested only
when talking about the punishment doled out for crimes.
Anastasia dismounts pulls the tax from her pack and binds all her
weapons accordingly.
" Yes, we do wish to
enter. We need to deliver a message from Luln to scribe Franz Dubloi. Oh
and where might I find the General this fine day is he attending the festival
or busy training?"
“And
how would I be knowin’
that? Generals don’t report to gate
guards in this city.”
Virilyth binds his weapons and produces the
required tax.
Krayven briefly consinders
binding his spellbook, but decides against it with a
chuckle. Doing so would bring more attention to it than he would wish.
“You’ll
not be finding a scribe working during the Festival of Lucor.”
You
notice that 3 silver of each 8 the guard collects goes into his pocket. He checks all weapons to see that they are
secure. He lashes swords with thongs and
wraps spears and the like with rags.
After binding your weapons, the guard appears to forget about you and
turns his attention back to the festival.
Beyond
the gate swirls a crowd of people. Mud
churned up by stumbling dancers cakes on the crowd’s
boots. People jostle each other,
straining for a look at acrobats, knife-throwers, dancing bears and
minstrels. The smell of sewage, grilled
meats, breads, sweat, and wine mingle in a strange, but inoffensive odor.
Suddenly,
the crowd sways to the sides of the street. The music fades and changes to bells and
chanting. Statues carried by several men
seem to float above the heads of the crowd.
A sedan chair, borne on the shoulders of the clerics, follows.
“The
procession is coming!” shouts a young boy.
The
procession is led by a beautiful young woman.
The procession stops. Something
is happening at its front. Three men are
arguing. A general hush falls over the
crowd as everyone moves back from the procession. Two men, one small, plump, and pock-marked
and the other tall and lean, are arguing with the lead bearer of the sedan
chair.
Angrily,
the small, plump man says to the lead bearer, “Bald-headed fool,
do you Torenescu think you own the street? There’s space for all of us, without your
ape-like behavior!”
The
lead bearer contemptuously waves a rod in the small man’s face. “Out of the way of the Procession of Lucor, Radu rabble!”
The
tall, lean man, spitting on the statue of Lucor says,
“That old fool? You make me laugh!”
The
lead bearer strikes the tall man, knocking him into the filth. The smaller man tenses, ready to lunge.
What
do you do, if anything?
Krayven is inclined to keep his distance, but
will continue to study the situation.
"Perhaps we should alert the watch." says Virilyth.
Two
men in green livery break up the argument and pacify both sides. Anastasia identifies the green-liveried men
as Vorloi servants.
What
would you like to do?
Anastasia will go to the liveried men and offer them any
assistance that she can.
The
men wave you back. “All set here. Move along, miss.”
Turning to Anastasia, Virilyth asks
"Can you enlighten us as to what just happened? I'm afraid the politics of
the human kingdoms are indecipherable to me."
"Well in general causing a disturbance will get you jailed
until you can settle down. Chances are they will take him to cool off and he'll
miss the rest of the party. We may want to ask around for more information though,
as I don't recall this sort of fighting and name calling when I was last here.
Let's see what we can find out, all meet back at the Wild Wyvern Tavern when
the sun hits the spire on the
Anastasia looks like she
is having fun being back in her home city.
"Ah" replies Virilyth,
nodding.
"If we're on our own
for the day, I'd like to find an honest trader. Can you direct me Anastasia, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the city?"
Please,
everyone, tell me what you’d like to do/ find/ purchase, etc. with your hour or
so in the city before sunset.
Virilyth will find a trader to do business with.
SELL
Chain Mail
Short Sword
BUY
Short Bow
40 Arrows
Dagger
Virilyth
gets 20 gold for his chain mail and 3 gold 1 electrum
for his short sword. The short bow
costs 25 gold, 40 arrows cost 10 gold and a dagger costs 3
gold.
Anastasia would like to find a trader
Sell:
Shortsword
Shield (she has 2 if I'm not mistaken)
Riding Horse and it's tack (if noone else needs a
horse)
Is the chainmail she has the lighter weight chainmail from the last adventure. If
so can she get it
identified, and
if it is as good or better then her plate, she would like to switch to wearing
the chainmail and sell her plate. If
not open it up to anyone else who can use it.
Buy:
Shortbow
(assuming this is like 3.5 and you can use a shortbow
from horseback)
20 arrows
Anastasia
gets 3 gold 1 electrum for her short sword, 5 gold for her extra shield, and 50 gold for
her riding horse and tack.
It
will cost you 100 gold pieces to get a guaranteed analyze cast on your
armor. It is the lighter set
that was found. You
do not have that much so I’m holding off on your
purchases until you decide.
Krayven, new to this city, will head to the inn
slowly while getting a feel for the area. He will
acquire a room for himself and wait for the
others in the common room.
Krayven
finds that the inn is very crowded, He is told there is one last room
available, a tiny thing that can not hold more than three people. If he wants it, he may have the room for 1 gold per person staying in the room.
Krayven will put forth the single gold for now.
We can assume the party meets up without incident. Who, if anyone, will be sharing the room with
Krayven?
Anastasia will check to
see if there is another inn with space for everyone, if not she will see if the
common room has space.
Anastasia is able to find one other room at a different inn, and again,
no more than 3 people could fit in it.
The commons are packed solid with festival-goers.
"Lets split up and
take both of these rooms, we can always meet up in the
morning."
"Krayven and I will be
fine in this room." says Virilyth.
"Is our plan to
locate this scribe in the morning?"
So Krayven and Virilyth in one inn and Anastasia and Shayesti
in the other?
"Chances are we will
not be able to find this man until after the festival, but we should keep
looking. We'll need to get a description of him and find out where he spends
his free time."
and
yes on the sleeping arrangements.
"When we do find this scribe, will we be needing
to... befriend him? " Krayven
asks, a slight glint to his eye.
"Being that casting spells of that nature is a
violation of law, I would hope you are not suggesting that you wish or plan to
use any spells in the city against peaceful civilians."
Anastasia's tone turn cold
and militant, and it is clear that she will hear absolutely no more of it.
Shayesti runs back into the room after being gone
for a bit. "There you all are! So sorry I dissapeared
back there, but during that scuffle I saw a familiar face in the crowd and went
to check it out and I was right! It was my father who I've been seeking all
this time!!" Shayesti's happiness suddenly seems
to drain away as she furtively looks back up to continue. "I don't know
how to say this, so I'll just do it... My father needs me to assist him with an
important family matter, so I find myself having to leave you now on the verge
of our next adventure. I apologize to each of you and thank you for being true
companions for as long as I've known you. You shall not be forgotten."
With a tear emerging from her single eye, Shayesti
turns and darts back out of the room and away from the group.
OOC: Though it pains me, I
must leave the adventure for more important matters in real life. We will soon
be moving and free time will be at an even steeper premium I'm afraid. What was
said above is true for me also. I've enjoyed gaming with you all and thought I
should at least have the dignity to stop by and say goodbye instead of just
disappearing like others have. Hope the game keeps going and stays fun. Sorry
to make the party even smaller. DM has my permission to use Shayesti
any way he wants or needs as an NPC or whatever. Goodbye all, and enjoy.
My thanks for letting us know and good luck in any future adventures
you and of your characters have. If time
becomes available and you have the inclination, check back in with is and I’m
sure there will be space for you to play.
I think it’s fitting that Shayesti continues
on her own rather than becoming a tool of the DM, especially given we’re in a
large city.
Thank you again for your participation. I enjoyed playing with you.
Chris
First Event
(The
citizens have finally slowed their celebration of the festival, although it has
taken much time, food, and strong drink.
From nearby in the smoky common room of Anastasia’s inn comes a loud
tipsy voice.
A
scarred man points at Anastasia. “Hey you there! Want
some work? Here, sit and drink. I need strong bodies. Theosius is my
name. You look brave. Do you want to earn money?”)
Second Event
(After Anastasia departs for her quarters, and as Krayven stands outside the inn, getting a breath of fresh
air, a man walks by. He lurches
drunkenly along. He smiles and nods as
he passes. Suddenly, three hooded men
step out of the shadows and the drunken man turns around. None of the men carry weapons openly.
“So, new to town, hm?” asks
the drunken man, who now appears quite sober.
“You look like you need some work.
Now, we have some things that need to be done and you look fairly
smart. I’m sure you would want to help
us. You staying here?” he asks, pointing
to the inn. “Be a real good idea if you
didn’t leave for a while. We’ll see you
tomorrow night. Here, catch,” he
says. He throws a small bag.
With that the men slip into the shadows and run
away. The bag holds 20 gold pieces.)
(Anastasia will join the
man at his table. "I'm Anastasia, is the work for a a
few? I have some friends staying at another inn, and I
wouldn't think of taking a job without them.")
Theosius says, “Of course, if they’re trustworthy! I’m looking for just that sort to perform
occasional duties for me. Nothing
illegal, but it may be dangerous. If you
accept I can offer you these three gold coins as a sign of good faith. I will call on you when I have need.”
As Shayesti
leaves, she passes a large man approaching the group. He is young, with short
brown hair and large, expressive blue eyes. The man wears a suit of banded
mail, old and dinged up, but well polished and obviously maintained. A wooden
shield is slung to his back and an unadorned bastard sword hangs from his left
hip.
"I couldn't help but
overhear you have a vacancy in your group. I was wondering if you could use another
hand in...whatever you are doing. The name's Kollin. Kollin Jaleron."
Kollin
steps forward to shake hands with whomever will greet
him.
"By your equipment,
I'd say you've got some experience in this line of work. More than me, anyway. I've spent a decent amount of time with caravan escorts
and that sort of thing. Not a bad way to make a living for some, I guess, but
I'm hoping for bigger things. There are guys I've worked with who are
approaching sixty and they still talk about the time orcs
attacked thirty years ago. I hope to have more interesting tales by that age,
if you catch my drift."
Kollin
stops, realizing he's getting off topic.
"So, there it is. I'm
good with a blade and dependable in a scrape. What do you say?"
Anastasia steps forward and extends her hand to the
newcomer. "I'm Anastasia Vorloi and this is Krayven and Virilyth. We have
indeed got a vacancy it seems, if you are good with a sword I'm not opposed to
you joining up with us, we’ve definitely got some tales, the more of us that
travel together the more likely we are to survive a few more."
Anastasia sits down at a
nearby table, "Come sit with us, we'll have a drink and tell you some more
about us and you tell us a bit about yourself."
Anastasia looks at Krayven "Besides odds of us finding anyone until after
the festival is slim, no one works during the festivals, well except the guards
and tavern keepers, and no one stays in one place. Trust me I know this city, I
grew up here. We're going to have to get the message to someone who can find
him no matter where he is, we'll need the guards help."
Krayven, having followed Shayesti
out for some air returns shortly, a bemused smile on his face. He pauses
momentarily to consider the large man addressing Anastasia, but the smile remains.
"My name's Krayven. Good with a blade? You
wouldn't happen to know the city well, would you? We could use some help
looking for a scribe..."
He trails off and turns
back to Anastasia he continues: "I think I've just been recruited by a
group of enterprising locals. Perhaps there might be some coin for us in
helping them out."
Krayven
gives his best smile.
Sorry, to clarify, the meeting happened after Anastasia had retired to
her inn. But we can assume you have all
met back up next morning.
Loshdain, Klarmoth the 6th, AC 1000
An
inn in Specularum, The Grand
Duchy of Karameikos
At
the
It is morning at the inn. A cat stalks something in the corner of the
room. The innkeeper’s daughter sweeps
last night’s dinner off the floor. From the back comes the clicking of dishes
and the splash of water. A traveler snores loudly in the corner. Suddenly,
the door swings open and an elderly lady frantically looks about.
“Please, some kind sir. come
quick to help me!” she pleads, panic overcoming her. She looks about for anyone to answer
her. “Oh save me! There are demons in my house. I know it!
I hear them at night talking to each other. They want to catch me. Please!” she says, falling to her knees.
The innkeeper runs in, kneels beside the old woman,
and tries to comfort her.
“Goodwife Thanato,” he
says, sounding concerned, “what are you doing?
Sit down proper.” He turns,
saying, “Could anyone help this poor old woman?
Could anyone look in her cellar to find the problem?”
Anastasia stops mid sentence
and stands up and approaches the goodwife, the friendly jovial demeanor is
replaced with a militant and concerned demeanor almost instantly.
"Certainly, we'll give her whatever aid we can."
Anastasia kneels down by
the woman "Please tell us whats wrong."
Goodwife Thanato clings to Anastasia and
tells you her story. Something, she
swears, is in her root cellar. She can
hear it moving about – sometimes during the day, but mostly at night. Things are moved and food is missing. Just minutes ago was
the worst. This time she heard voices
and they were calling to her. She begs
for your help. Behind her the innkeeper
quietly holds up a gold piece and points to it.
"Sir, while I can
not speak for my companions, I will accept no coin for this. A citizen is in
need, how could I ignore the call. Please take us to
your home, we will get to the bottom of this at
once."
Anastasia rises her arm out to support the woman.
"We will make you
feel safe in your home again."
Kollin looks at the woman while she speaks
with concern.
"I'll check it out.
While I can't imagine what demons would want in a root cellar, but I don't
claim to understand the ways of demons. Maybe a vagrant moved in or some kids
playing a prank. Whoever they are, shame on them for scaring a nice woman like
yourself"
The big man cracks his
knuckles and stretches his arms.
"It'd be my pleasure
to take care of this."
The old woman thanks you enthusiastically and leads you to a house a
few feet away from the inn. She shows
you the entrance to her root cellar. It
is a trapdoor at the back of the kitchen, beside the brick and plaster
oven. She refuses to go any
further. Opening the door reveals a dark
set of stairs, but there seems to be a glimmer of light from below. You’ll have to proceed single file
Krayven follows along deep in thought. When they reach the trap door he allows the others to proceed him.
Virilyth stands ready in the kitchen with his
sword drawn. He will follow the others down the stairs.
Kollin looks at his companions waiting at the
cellar door.
"Umm...I guess I'll
go down first."
The warrior straps his
shield to his forearm, then draws his well-used
bastard sword.
"Anyone gotta light of some sort?"
Anastasia will leave her shield on her back, and her
sword peace tied.
"I'd be careful
drawing that we have not been given clearance by the law to draw blades in the
city. If you injure anyone, including whatever we are after you may well be
jailed. Krayven, do you have a torch or source of
light you can spark up for us?"
Anastasia makes for the stairs.
"I'll take the lead, I'm fairly sturdy in all this metal, besides with all
this on I'll be a good way to test these stairs."
Anastasia says the last
bit with a chuckle and moves onto the stairs, as soon as a light is produced to
light the way she will head down.
"I do not, nor any magic that may help in that
regard. I do see some light in the back of the cellar,
of if you wish, I am sure the old woman has a candle around..."
Krayven
begins searching the room (quickly!) for a lightsource.
Goodwife Thanato provides you with a candle
in a holder. She apologizes for not
having something brighter. Who will
carry it? (if not the lead it would have to be someone
next in line for the candle to do any good)
Krayven could hold it second in line, if no one else has the
free hand or inclination.
"I'd like to keep my hands free for subduing whoever is
causing all this fuss. So if you would please Krayven
that would be a huge help."
With the newfound light,
Anastasia begins heading down the stairs.
Virilyth will bring up the rear with his sword
in hand.
(Spells: Sleep)
Kollin steps aside to allow Anastasia to take
the lead. He falls into the marching order behind Krayven.
1.
Under a Garden
A large earthen cavern is covered with a pool of
ankle-deep mud. The room is criss-crossed with supporting beams and planks cover the
roof. Large blobs of mud seep down
between the cracks. Across the chamber,
three thin and naked men shovel by the light of a feeble lantern. Three ugly, armored creatures watch them
work. The creatures are hobgoblins, very
ugly humanoids with pointed ears and misshapen teeth. Their skin is a pale, earthy color. They carry swords.
It appears that you have caught them by
surprise. The party gets a free round in
which to act.
Krayven will cast Charm Person on the closest of the hobgoblins.
Magic happens after movement and missile combat. Does anyone wish to do anything in those
phases?
Anastasia will move to
tackle a hobgoblin.
Kollin will move forward, sword drawn, to try
to intimidate one of the hobgoblins from drawing his sword. If the creature
reaches for his blade, however, Kollin will attempt
to strike him down.
Virilyth will move up with the others with his
sword drawn.
((If melee breaks out -
Standard Melee))
Surprise
Round
Anastasia
moves to a hobgoblin, as does Virilyth and Kollin.
Krayven casts his spell, and
the targeted hobgoblin looks at him with sudden recognition and raises his hand
in greeting.
Anastasia easily grabs one of the surprised kobolds.
The hobgoblin being intimidated by Kollin moves his hand away from his sword hilt, gazing
slack-jawed at the size of the fighter (Kollin rolled
a 12 for his intimidation check.)
Round
1
One of the workers drops his shovel and runs toward
your group.
The party won initiative this round.
Anastasia has grabbed a hobgoblin, Krayven has charmed one and Kollin
has intimidated one.
What do you do?
"Help us bind these
others!" Krayven demands of the charmed
hobgoblin, pointing to his former companions, but makes no other move.
Virilyth whirls towards the running man, raising
his sword to strike and shouts "Stop!"
The naked human falls to his knees before Virilyth,
a confused look crossing his face. “But
I thought you were here to rescue us,” he pleads.
Anastasia continues wrestling with the hobgoblin but
it breaks free (Anastasia’s wrestling roll was a 3.)
Anastasia asks Krayven to
have his new “friend” come help her. She
also tells Virilyth to sheathe his sword and get some
blankets from upstairs to cover the men.
The hobgoblin covered by Kollin
slowly raises its hands, while Krayven’s friend says
to him , “But I have no rope.”
Round 2
The hobgoblins have won initiative, but there is only
one still active.
That hobgoblin draws its sword and attacks Anastasia,
hitting her for 1 point of damage.
Anastasia intends to strike at the acting hobgoblin
with her fist.
What do the rest of you do?
Kollin steps forward, sword pointed at the intimidated
hobgoblin's heart.
"Hey, um...Kraven, is it? Can you get your new pal to disarm this one. I don't want to drop my shield."
He turns back to the
hobgoblin.
"As long as you don't
make any sudden movements, you'll be fine. You try anything, my friend, and I
will cut you in two."
Krayven further instructs the charmed
hobgoblin: "I see, well, please, take this one's sword and place it
against the wall, before we are forced to harm him."
Virilyth replies to the man "Stay here, you
will not be harmed."
He goes up the stairs to
look for blankets.
As Virilyth goes upstairs, Krayven’s new friend takes the surrendering hobgoblin’s
sword.
Anastasia
swings her fist at the hobgoblin (17 rolled), dealing 3 points of damage. The hobgoblin is stunned for 1 round.
Virilyth
is still upstairs, what do Krayven and Kollin do?
Krayven monitors his hold over the hobgoblin, waiting for Virilyth to return.
"We will need
something with which to bind them"
Anastasia, uses the time while the hobgoblin is stunned to look at
the men.
"You will be safe, we
will get you blankets with which to wrap yourself and see that you get to
safety. How long have you been here?"
Anastasia draws her dagger and places it against the neck of the stunned
hobgoblin as she speaks and turns back and glares at the creature.
The last hobgoblin puts his hands in the air
One of the men answers, “we were captured almost a
year ago and have been digging tunnels under the city ever since.” The man points to a tunnel that leads further
underground.
Virilyth returns with
blankets.
Krayven’s friend stands at
his side, eager to assist him.
"Virilyth,
guard this one, I'll go and see if we can get some rope and fetch the guards.
They'll want to question these things."
Anastasia kicks the
hobgoblins sword away from his hand and motions him over where the other
surrendered hobgoblin is.
After making sure they are
fully guarded, Anastasia will go check on the three prisoners.
"Are you thirsty or
hungry? I'm sure we can arrange a meal and some clothes for you, but you'll
need to wait here until I return with the guards so they can ask you some
questions."
Krayven askes his new
friend: "Why have you been digging under the city?"
"Very well." replies Virilyth.
He stands over the creature with his sword drawn.
“Food and water would be lovely,” one of the men responds. “We’ll wait as long as we’re not left alone,”
says another.
“That simple,” says the hobgoblin. “Men pay us to dig tunnels. We don’t ask why, we like whipping little
men, watching them work. I think men use
tunnels to hide things, and sometimes to go places when streets don’t work.”
Kollin speaks, glaring at the hobgoblins with his sword drawn.
"Well...I'd say you
need a new line of work. So, why don't you tell me about these men who pay you?
Who are they? Where do you meet them? Tell me everything and you may survive
this."
The creatures that surrendered aren’t saying anything, but do stare
slack-jawed as the third one gets weepy.
It turns to Krayvin, “We not know you would
come down here. Not sure
who pays us, they just leave money now and then. Why he so mad?” it says as it jerks its
clawed thumb toward Kollin.
Anastasia goes upstairs
and asks the good wife to bring down some food and water to the three men and
that she will reimburse her for the expense of the food and drink. Anastasia
will briefly explain that the men were captives and that the situation in her
basement is now under control, but she needs to fetch the guards to that the
creatures, that were holding the men prisoner, in for questioning.
Anastasia will head out
and look for the guards and will apprise them of the situation and lead them to
the house. She will also look to see, while getting the guards, if there is a
tailor shop open anywhere so she can get the three men simple clothes to put
on. If she can not find a shop before finding the guards she will hold off on
the clothes.
Goodwife Thanato is happy to provide the men
with food, water and clothing. She is
very grateful for what you have done, but looks concerned when the men mention
“tunnels further in.”
The guards are not terribly difficult to find, and do
come to the house, taking statements and the bugbears prisoner, even though Krayvin’s friend looks terribly hurt about the whole
ordeal. In answer to any questions you
might have, however, the guards are very matter-of-fact, in a “Yes, well done,
citizen, now move along, nothing else to see here,” sort of way.
After the guards leave
with the hobgoblins, Anastasia looks to the others.
"We should check
these tunnels, if nothing else we can give the Goodwife some peace of mind,
plus I don't like the idea of someone tunneling into my home."
Looking at the woman,
"Would you mind us
looking further, I don't know how deep the tunnels under your home go, but we
can check them for you and make sure there will be no further trouble to
you."
"Agreed. We should
investigate this further, nothing good can come from this if left
unchecked." says Virilyth thoughtfully.
"We should track back
the way they entered."
Kollin nods, sheathing his sword.
"Agreed. We search the tunnels and check the extent of their work.
Probably find all the answers we're looking for."
Krayven looks resigned.
"If we must. I suppose there may be some gain in following these
tunnels, if only a hobgoblin's cache of goods. I highly doubt that the
creatures began their tunnel from within town, so we may have quite a trek
ahead of us. There are likely to be other groups of diggers as well. I hope we
are all prepared?"
"Lets buy some supplies and plan to head out, a
lantern and some oil, food, water, anything else we might need. Some rope may
be a good idea as well, and we can set up with the inkeeper
for a few days of stabling for our horses. We also still have this message to
deliver to the Scribe, but until the festival is over I am unsure as too how we
can find him."
Anastasia will ask the
goodwife how many more days of festival is planned,
and make sure the woman is feeling better now that the source of the sounds has
been discovered.
Goodwife Thanatos is deeply distressed. “Oh, please, I can’t bear another moment
knowing there are things down there.
Please, can’t you take care of them for me? The guards won’t care if I say I have a
problem and the festival goes on for days now.
I will fetch what you need and see that the innkeeper cares for your
animals.”
"Of course Ma'am,
we'll make sure this troubles you no more. We need
only a few provisions, here is a few gold, we will keep guard in the cellar. You have my word we will stop these creatures from
troubling you and our fair city."
Anastasia will give her
enough money to cover the lantern, 4 flasks of oil and a coil of rope, as well
as a weeks worth of rations and a 4 extra waterskins
Goodwife Thanatos returns quickly with the
supplies. They cost 38gp.
At the back of this cavern is a narrow tunnel that
snakes back for 30 feet and ends in a light wooden panel.
"I'll carry that
lantern to free up your hands," Krayven offers.
"At least the light will be with me if something happens to go
wrong!" he says with a weak laugh, hopefully in jest.
Anastasia hands Krayven the
lantern, and straps on her shield, leaving her sword in it's
scabbard she unties the binding on it, so she will be able to draw it if
needed.
"Let's head out, and
be alert we don't know where any of the tunnels lead, if we are found in the
wrong place with weapons out we'll be in the stocks."
"I'll march near the front if it's just as well, I
can see further than the light." says Virilyth.
His sword is back in its
scabbard. He unwraps his bow and positions his quiver
over his shoulder.
Kollin reluctantly sheathes his blade and guards the rear of the
party as they proceed into the dark.
You find yourselves at the wooden panel, in a tunnel so narrow you are
cramped, even moving single file. What
do you do?
Anastasia will attempt to
carefully and quietly see if the panel can be moved. If it can, she will move
it just enough to see into the next area.
Virilyth stands by, ready to
peer into the darkness beyond the panel and alert his friends to any danger
lurking there.
2.
Fortunato’s Cellar
Beyond the panel is a dimly lit cellar, some 20’ x
20’ in size. A similar panel can be seen
15’ down along the left hand wall, but it has been slid aside, revealing a dark
tunnel. The air in here is dry and
smells of meats. Cured hams and sausages
hang from the beams. In the center of
the cellar, two hooded men busily dig up the floor. A large bundle lies nearby.
“Come on,” says one man. “I think this is deep enough. Let’s get it buried and go.”
“No,” says the second man. “I want this to make it deeper. Nobody can ever find this but us.”
Krayven's eyes dart around, looking for a safe place to hide
should the need arise. He grips his dagger and torch tightly, his thin hands
pale further.
Anastasia motions everyone to be still and silent, and
watches, as soon as their hands are full with whatever they are planning to
bury, she will make her move on them.
Kollin struggles to see what is going on from
the back of the pack. When Anastasia motions for quiet, he acts accordingly,
waiting for his chance to act.
As you watch the men dig a little more and load the bundle into the
hole. They fill the hole with dirt, move
some items over the spot and leave the chamber through the other opening.
Carefully Anastasia removes
the panel and moves into the chamber. After making sure the coast is clear she
begins moving the items piled on top of the buried object.
"Lets
see what those men were so interested in hiding."
"We can use the spades the prisoners were
using." says Virilyth
You dig up the bundle and open it, surprised to find the body of a dead
young woman. Examining the body shows
she was strangled from behind, possibly by a rope or thick cord. She has no other injuries on her body. Under her fingernails are a few strands of
red hair. On her right check and palm is
dried blood.
Krayven looks down at the corpse, a little disgusted.
"Perhaps she belongs
upstairs?" he offers.
Kollin looks down at the body. His expression
grows dark as he examines the corpse.
"I'd love to have a
word with the men who buried her," he says as he checks the edge of his
blade with his thumb.
Anastasia's face darkens as she look over the girl."We must find those men,
and bring them to justice."
ooc: How good a look did Anastasia get at the two
men?
The light was poor and your vantage point was not optimal. You do not think you could pick them out of a
group in the city.
Do you proceed on or head back up?
"Let's look for clues, these men must have left some evidence behind."
If each of you helps it takes about 10 minutes to do a thorough search
of the area. You find nothing beyond
what has been indicated; the body, the meats, and the panel covering the other
tunnel leading out of this cellar.
Kollin looks at the panel from a decent distance.
"I guess we should go
through there, right?"
The young swordsman looks
to his companions for some confirmation.
"Agreed, as much as I hate to leave her here, we
must uncover some proof that this was not our doing, so we can bring the true
culprits to justice. Also we must find the source of these tunnels; the entire
city is at grave risk if these tunnels were to be found by our enemies."
Then I take it your decision is to continue on. Not ten feet past the exit, the tunnel
splits, one section going straight and the other
turning sharply to the left. A quick
reconnoiter shows that the left-hand tunnel dead-ends. You continue on until the tunnel turns to the
right, going 10 feet before it turns again.
There is a panel covering an opening to the left. Removing the panel reveals that the tunnel
goes 25 feet to the left before turning.
You must choose which branch to follow.
Krayven waits, unspeaking, but hardly silent. He shuffles his
feet, scratches at his scalp, and shifts the torch he caries from one hand to
the next. And back again.
Kollin examines the paneled passage. He frowns
and turns to his new companions.
"All these twists and
turns. We should be careful not to get lost. Anyway, I think we should go down
this way to the left. If it has this panel in front of it, maybe it is guard
against light or sound. Maybe something is going on? More
digging, perhaps?"
"Agreed, lets go to the left, and if we stay with a
wall always to our left there is no chance of getting lost. If all we take are
lefts we need only take rights to make our way back."
Removing the panel reveals another tunnel. After a couple of minutes, the tunnel splits
left and continues on straight.
Following your previous indications you take the left-hand tunnel. You carefully make your way, single file
through the tunnel for about 10 minutes.
3. Kobold Exploration Party
The tunnel ends in a dug-out cave, dimly lit by
torches. From the cave comes the sound
of several creatures. In the middle of
the room is a group of kobolds struggling to place a wooden support beam. One turns
towards you and begins to jibber. The
beam slips a few inches and a small hail of dirt falls over the room and the
kobolds.
The tunnel to the room collapses in billows of
choking dust. One of the kobolds hisses
in common, “Come help us or we will all be trapped!”
Anastasia will move forward so as to
help keep the area from collapsing.
As soon as the area is
stable however she will attempt to grab the creature who spoke common.
Kollin jumps forward, dropping his sword and
shield. He grabs ahold of the support beam and pushes
it into place to the best of his ability.
"I can help with
this. Some of you pay attention to the kobolds."
Kollin
voice is strained from the physical exertion, spoken through gritted teeth.
We are in initiative order.
As
you enter the cave the kobold lets go of the beam. Anastasia is the first to grab the beam and holds
it firm.
Both
sides tied initiative so we’re going to individual initiative.
Five
of the creatures attack Anastasia but only one hits, dealing 4 points of damage
to her.
Virilyth
is up, then 2 more kobolds, then Krayven,
Anastasia has grabbed the beam, then 3 more kobolds, then Kollin.
Krayven will attempt to stay on the far reaches
of combat, striking any kobold that may stray too far from the others.
"Oh you'll wish you
had never hatched you filthy little vermin. I'll see to that."
Her eyes fixed on the
kobold who spoke in common.
"Finish them quickly
but make sure that one stays alive enough for some interrogation."
In the interest of keeping things going:
Virilyth attacks one of the
kobolds, (17 rolled) dealing 1 point of damage to it.
Two more kobolds surge forward and attack Anastasia,
one of them hitting her for 1 point of damage.
Krayven stays back.
Anastasia is holding the beam.
Another kobold moves and attacks Anastasia, but
misses. Anastasia is now completely
surrounded by kobolds.
The last two kobolds advance on Kollin
and attack, but both miss.
Kollin grabs hold of the
beam, lending his support.
Round 2
The kobolds have won initiative.
The kobold that Virilyth
hit in round 1 squeals and barrels past everyone,
fleeing down the hallway behind you. It
makes it some 20 feet behind Krayven.
The kobolds continue attacking Anastasia, 2 hitting
her for 3 points of damage each. The
second kobold attack takes her down.
Luckily Kollin is there and the beam does not
fall.
The last two kobolds attack Kollin
and miss.
What do Virilyth, Krayven and Kollin do?
Krayven will give chase after the lone kobold, hoping to find a
clean hit as its back is turned...
Kollin is frustrated by his inability to do
anything but hold the beam. He braces himself for impact from
the attacks he is sure are coming.
Krayven
easily makes it to the fleeing kobold.
(Posting
for Virilyth) Virilyth attacks, and misses (8 rolled).
Krayven
attacks from behind, hitting the kobold (19 rolled) with his dagger for 1 point
of damage, slaying the beast.
It’s
a new round and the party has won initiative.
What would you like to do?
Based
on previous rounds I have Krayven holding (waiting
for kobolds that try to get away) and Kollin holding
the beam.
Virilyth,
I assume, attacks a kobold, hitting it (18 rolled) for 4 points of damage,
instantly killing the creature.
Two
of the kobolds attack and miss Kollin,
but the third strikes the fighter, dealing 4 points of damage and taking him
down. Down, too comes
the beam and the ceiling dealing 1 point of damage to everyone in the cavern,
except Krayven, who was waiting outside. The kobolds and Virilyth
can free themselves in 1 round.
What
does Krayven do?
Krayven will move back towards the others, and
help fend off the last of the creatures and to help clear debris.
Krayven
moves back into the cavern and stabs a kobold with his dagger (19 rolled) for 1
point of damage. The creature goes
unconscious.
Three
of the kobolds dig themselves free from the rubble.
Round
4
The
kobolds have won initiative.
The
remaining three kobolds dig themselves free as one of the ones that freed
himself last round runs past Krayven and down the
corridor.
The
other two kobolds who are free advance.
One
attacks Krayven, hitting him for 2 points of
damage. Krayven
goes down.
The
other attacks Virilyth, hitting him for 2 points of
damage.
Virilyth
is able to dig himself out of the rubble.
Round
5
The
party has won initiative. Virilyth is the only one conscious, along with five
kobolds, all whom have dug themselves free. What does he do?
(I
believe we may have lost Virilyth.) Seeing no other course of action open to him,
Virilyth attacks a kobold but misses (8 rolled.)
The
remaining kobolds all flee the cavern.
Virilyth
is left alone. Checking the bodies of
his fallen comrades he is chocked to discover that both Anastasia and Krayven are dead; but Kollin is
still alive.
Not
knowing what else to do Virilyth decides to return to
Goodwife Thanatos and have her summon help. As he travels back through the tunnels,
however, he discovers that Goodwife Thanatos has
already done just that
In
the room with the body are several guards.
They immediately seize Virilyth, charging him
with the murder of Lucia Vorloi, a niece of Baron Vorloi. On
information gathered from the distraught Virilyth,
the guards find and retrieve the bodies of the other adventurers.
A
day passes and Virilyth and a now-healed Kollin are subjected to an examination by a clerical
tribunal. This process allows them to
prove their innocence without difficulty.
Virilyth
is excused based on a health complaint, but Kollin is
ordered to accompany a tribune to the scene of the crime. With him are two clerics, obviously important
by their garb. On the way they collect a
young man by the name of Haverly Thornwood,
explaining that the guard is a bit thin in numbers these days and they are exercising
their right to deputize citizens. On the
way they also stop off at a temple, where a now-living Anastasia Vorloi waits. She
explains that her family’s influence and a request for her cooperation in
investigating the murder prompted a Raise Dead Fully spell to be cast on her
behalf. Further ramifications and
obligations, although almost definite, are unknown to her. It has also been explained to her that her
family’s resources are no longer available to her, even after her shearing time
has passed. In fact, she has been
ordered to assume a different surname.
Anastasia assumes the surname of Jhyrasti, and removes her cloak from the shearing
and packs it safely away.
With a nod and a word of
thanks, to those responsible for bringing her back, she gets right back to her
duties.
The young deputy, Haverly, moves in
closer to the two warriors. "Looks like you folks have been through a
rough time or two. Me--I've had nothing but good furtune
and lucky breaks so far. Look at me, I've been in town but three weeks and I'm
already drafted into the watch as a deputy!" he exclaims, banging a armoured fist against his plated chest. By the muted sound
of the metal it is clear that the thick armour hides
a body of considerable bulk itself.
"So what's this all about,
anyways? Those priests barely gave me enough time to slip into some pants (let
alone any armour!) when they dragged me out of bed.
Serves me right, I suppose, sleeping well past morning."
Through it all he smiles
brightly, highlighting his cheerful eyes.
Anastasia extends a hand in greeting to the new comer.
"Welcome, we could use some of your good luck to be sure. I'm Anastasia,
Anastasia Byli."