Our heroes awaken on the pirate boat, docked at a fog-enshrouded isle. Tralamin has disappeared, leaving behind his magic compass Bradbury, and Jarmangle has somehow joined the others, with no memory of where he has been. Robyn, for whatever reason, does not wake from her slumber. The ship is otherwise empty, with the three pirates they had locked in the hold having disappeared. They try to use Bradbury to suss out Tralamin's location, but find that Bradbury is not properly functioning. The group decides to venture onto the island, slinging Robyn over a spectral horse summoned by Irving.
The adventurers encounter a small and rather creepy child, who directs their attention to his house, a large mansion overlooking a gated cemetery. At the house, they're surprised to find Tyne, dressed as a maid and with apparently no memory of her brother and his friends.
Other bits of weirdness abound. Feer's Mirror of Truth reveals that the lady of the house has no eyes. Said matron works a small knife into her own palm, which causes nosebleeds in those observing. The man of the house sits in his study, surrounded by fresh copies of books that are nearly a hundred years old. He alone seems to understand that there's something terribly amiss here, and tries to impart to our heroes a cryptic warning.
As they explore the house and its surrounding environs, the group splits up. Tyne disappears and reappears, seemingly without reason. Jarmangle finds himself alone with the palm-knifing lady and, despite the group's earlier surmise that she was an eyeless ghost of some sort, proceeds to bed her, much to her screeching delight. This tryst is interrupted when the group discovers that a coterie of stone gargoyles have carried off the still-unconscious Robyn to the graveyard.
The group gives chase, and battle is joined. The pantless Jarmangle is frequently knocked over as the mobile gargoyles fly by. Robyn finally awakens, and together the group soon makes short work of the gargoyles.
Exploring the cemetary, they discover the grave of the small boy they met at the dock-- much to the chagrin of the apparently alive small boy, who seems fearful of his mother. They find the bodies of the three pirates, all having met the same grisly demise: their skulls have been cracked open, and the brains sucked out. At last they decipher the father's warning: beware the illithids.
Venturing back into the house, they find a secret passageway into the basement. Strapped to a slab in that basement is Tyne, subject to some feverish torment; watching over her are three illithids: a man, a woman, and a child.
The battle that follows is, in a word, disastrous. The group huddles in a narrow passageway, firing arrows and spells into the room. The illithids move to the corners of the room, avoiding the projectiles, and sneak their way to the passage, using their dangerous psychic magics to stun the group. The lady illithid zeroes in on Irving and, considering the brain of a wizard-skunk to be a delicacy, proceeds to suck it out of his tiny skull, dropping his lifeless body on the cold, dank floor.
His friends panic, yet barely manage to turn the battle in their favor. They discover that Tyne has some sort of parasite burrowing into her brain. This, too, causes them to panic, and Jarmangle laments that Irving is no longer there to advise them on a reasonable course of action. Robyn and Feer manage to remove the parasite, but are unsure of the extent of the damage.
They return to the dock and pile into the lifeboat, as there is still no wind to power the ship. As they paddle onward, seemingly in circles, the fog suddenly lifts and they find themselves approaching the Bell of Harvest.
Tyne, still reeling and feverish, receives a mental message from Tralamin, revealing that he is in Justice, and surrounded on all sides by drow. The group pieces together that this is where Jarmangle has been, and that somehow, the strange magicks of the fog has switched the two. Leaving Tyne in the care of her bride-to-be Leesa, and pausing only to give Irving their traditional throw-the-body-into-the-air-set-it-on-fire-and-let-it-land-in-the-water send-off, the remaining trio speed towards Justice on a despearte rescue mission.
Showing posts with label irving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label irving. Show all posts
6.01.2011
4.10.2011
18. Escort Mission
A lot of stuff happened.
Irving discovered that the only way to remove Jarmangle's cursed mustache was to cut it off, but they could not locate Jarmangle.
Tralamin and Irving put in bids in the Hodam Mayoral election. Some goblins came looking for Ugblar's rings, and the group lied to them, claiming they didn't find the rings.
Melany talks to the group, sans Tralamin, about Tralamin's recent suspicious behavior, including soliciting assassins to kill Melany. Irving tries to pass it off as one of Tralamin's quirks, but assures Melany that they'll prevent anything bad from happening to her.
The group set out to escort Leesa and her sister, Hank, back to their father's homestead in the Bell of Harvest. They took a contingent of whores, a supply of booze along with them, and the dragon they had arrested along with them.
They came across the ruins of an Ettercap village, and two of the orcs that had slaughtered that village. They fought and slew the orcs and discovered battle plans that implied that Bergris's pirates were working with the orcs against the gnollish tribes.
They stopped at Kobold Pocket and dropped off the dragon as a replacement god for the kobolds.
Steering clear of both the orcish swamp and the gnollish woods (where, um, the dungeon master had all sorts of adventures, traps, puzzles, and skirmishes planned), they swung around the coast and headed east to the Bell of Harvest. They caught sight of some pirates, preparing to attack the gnolls. There was some talk of what, if anything, the group should do, and they finally decided to warn the gnolls.
Arriving at the Bell of Harvest, Irving, Tyne, and the whores went into the center of town to try and ply their wares. The others escorted the two girls back home, only to discover that their father is one of the richest cattle-barons on the Bell. When they later tell Tyne this, she's much more interested in Leesa, and runs off to propose marriage. Leesa accepts, and her father plans an elaborate wedding to take place in a month's time.
The group discovers that Robyn has been writing books under a pseudonym about their adventures, and that the achievements of the others are minimized to a large degree. Irving cautions Robyn not to reveal the truth about Tralamina's identity, and Robyn agrees.
That secret is endangered when Tralamin(a) attempts to seduce Leesa's sister, Hank. Hank shares her sister's desire for the opposite sex and is horrified to discover that Tralamina is male. Later that night, she runs to the inn where Irving and the prostitutes are staying and blabs about it. The whores, who have had their suspicions, blackmail Irving in order to keep it a secret. Irving agrees to raise their salaries when they get back to Hodam.
The next day, Irving, Tralamin, Robyn, and Feer go to check on the gnolls and discover that the pirates and orcs cannot find them. When they are about to head back home to Hodam, they are met by an hysterical Leesa. Calming her down, they discover that a group of pirates, likely working for Tyne's father, have kidnapped Tyne.
The quartet mug some pirates and disguise themselves, stealing onto a pirate ship where Tyne is supposed to be held. The ship heads for Bloodpurse Isle with the group on board. They try to break into the brig and are interrupted by some suspicious pirates. A battle ensues, but the pirates quickly surrender. Investigating the brig, they discover it to be empty.
Heading on deck, they find the pirates quickly abandoning the ship. A dense fog overtakes the ship, and suddenly, all of them fall unconscious.
Irving discovered that the only way to remove Jarmangle's cursed mustache was to cut it off, but they could not locate Jarmangle.
Tralamin and Irving put in bids in the Hodam Mayoral election. Some goblins came looking for Ugblar's rings, and the group lied to them, claiming they didn't find the rings.
Melany talks to the group, sans Tralamin, about Tralamin's recent suspicious behavior, including soliciting assassins to kill Melany. Irving tries to pass it off as one of Tralamin's quirks, but assures Melany that they'll prevent anything bad from happening to her.
The group set out to escort Leesa and her sister, Hank, back to their father's homestead in the Bell of Harvest. They took a contingent of whores, a supply of booze along with them, and the dragon they had arrested along with them.
They came across the ruins of an Ettercap village, and two of the orcs that had slaughtered that village. They fought and slew the orcs and discovered battle plans that implied that Bergris's pirates were working with the orcs against the gnollish tribes.
They stopped at Kobold Pocket and dropped off the dragon as a replacement god for the kobolds.
Steering clear of both the orcish swamp and the gnollish woods (where, um, the dungeon master had all sorts of adventures, traps, puzzles, and skirmishes planned), they swung around the coast and headed east to the Bell of Harvest. They caught sight of some pirates, preparing to attack the gnolls. There was some talk of what, if anything, the group should do, and they finally decided to warn the gnolls.
Arriving at the Bell of Harvest, Irving, Tyne, and the whores went into the center of town to try and ply their wares. The others escorted the two girls back home, only to discover that their father is one of the richest cattle-barons on the Bell. When they later tell Tyne this, she's much more interested in Leesa, and runs off to propose marriage. Leesa accepts, and her father plans an elaborate wedding to take place in a month's time.
The group discovers that Robyn has been writing books under a pseudonym about their adventures, and that the achievements of the others are minimized to a large degree. Irving cautions Robyn not to reveal the truth about Tralamina's identity, and Robyn agrees.
That secret is endangered when Tralamin(a) attempts to seduce Leesa's sister, Hank. Hank shares her sister's desire for the opposite sex and is horrified to discover that Tralamina is male. Later that night, she runs to the inn where Irving and the prostitutes are staying and blabs about it. The whores, who have had their suspicions, blackmail Irving in order to keep it a secret. Irving agrees to raise their salaries when they get back to Hodam.
The next day, Irving, Tralamin, Robyn, and Feer go to check on the gnolls and discover that the pirates and orcs cannot find them. When they are about to head back home to Hodam, they are met by an hysterical Leesa. Calming her down, they discover that a group of pirates, likely working for Tyne's father, have kidnapped Tyne.
The quartet mug some pirates and disguise themselves, stealing onto a pirate ship where Tyne is supposed to be held. The ship heads for Bloodpurse Isle with the group on board. They try to break into the brig and are interrupted by some suspicious pirates. A battle ensues, but the pirates quickly surrender. Investigating the brig, they discover it to be empty.
Heading on deck, they find the pirates quickly abandoning the ship. A dense fog overtakes the ship, and suddenly, all of them fall unconscious.
3.27.2011
17. Dungeon of the Vampire Lord, Part Three
While his friends braved the perils of the dungeon beneath the merman prison, Jarmangle was tending to his goblin, Hanoonk. Jarmangle found himself unable to cure Hanoonk of his mummy rot. Leesa, the young woman they rescued from the clutches of the Cult of Cloth-- who had been deflowered by Jarmangle's sister Tyne-- urged Jarmangle to join his friends and bring Tyne and Leesa's still-captive sister safely back, promising to look after Hanoonk in his stead. Reluctantly, Jarmangle agreed.
He soon found himself reunited with the group, and together they soon found the vampire, Romlyn. From a hidden vantage point, they set up a magical crossbow, aimed for the vampire's heart, that they had found in one of the dungeon's many trap-filled rooms. They sent Tyne back upstairs to step on the pressure plate in said room. Unfortunately, the trap misfired, and the arrow struck Jarmangle.
The group went into the vampire's room. A long conversation ensued, during which time the vampire revealed that Jarmangle's cursed moustache was likely eating him from the inside out. The vampire also insulted Tralamin's sense of style. A battle was joined between the group, the vampire, and the vampire's faithful owlbear. The skirmish was interrupted by the arrival of a monstrous bulette, which Robyn managed to drive off with a bit of beastbane. The owlbear was pushed into a chasm, the vampire slain, and Leesa's sister rescued.
Beaten and exhausted, the group found their way back up to Tyne barred by stones the bulette had overturned. They found another passageway back up, and, as they made their way back to Tyne through other means, they stumbled upon a secret room filled with treasure and magical apparel. One hat in particular proved potentially useful, as it allowed its wearer to assume the appearance of another.
Tralamin put on the hat, assuming the guise of his own fictional twin sister, unconvincingly named Tralamina. They now planned to pretend that Tralamin had died inside the dungeon, hopefully thus ending the eladrin hunt for him.
At long last the group found Tyne and exited the dungeon.
Loose Ends
In the day that followed, they managed to all recover from their various cases of mummy rot. Having lifted the Rings of Fire Immunity and Acid Immunity from the body of the vampire, they now wondered if they should keep their promise to give them to Ugblar, the troll Goblin Boss. They decided against it and hatched a contingency plan should Ugblar come looking for them.
Returning to Hodam, they introduced Melany to Tralamina, who they said had been left Tralamin's share in the brewery, pubs, and bawdyhouses. Melany at first gave some resistance-- claiming that without a legal will that said otherwise, Tralamin's holdings should pass to her-- but upon the revelation that Tralamina was in fact Tralamin, Melany was more cooperative. She agreed to keep Tralamin's secret, and helped the group to organize a public funeral for Brewmaster Tralamin.
And into all this, there flew a drunken young dragon. Sheriff Feer put on the Ring of Fire Immunity and arrested the dragon, forcing it to repair the damage it had done. It was suggested that the dragon could be given to the denizens of Kobold Pocket, thus smoothing over any remaining ruffled feathers with Hodam's trade partner.
Tralamin(a) and Melany put the Goblin Beer recipe that Tralamin had obtained from Ugblar into production, and it seemed to be a success.
Irving holed himself up with the necromantic books they had lifted from the vampire's library, hoping to find a cure for Jarmangle's cursed moustache.
Robyn went into business with Melany to start a cabaret/entertainment establishment. Leesa, still pining after Tyne despite repeated post-coital jilting, expressed an interest in working at the cabaret so that she might remain in Hodam.
Leesa's sister, however, longed to return home to the Bell of Harvest, and the group agreed to escort her home.
He soon found himself reunited with the group, and together they soon found the vampire, Romlyn. From a hidden vantage point, they set up a magical crossbow, aimed for the vampire's heart, that they had found in one of the dungeon's many trap-filled rooms. They sent Tyne back upstairs to step on the pressure plate in said room. Unfortunately, the trap misfired, and the arrow struck Jarmangle.
The group went into the vampire's room. A long conversation ensued, during which time the vampire revealed that Jarmangle's cursed moustache was likely eating him from the inside out. The vampire also insulted Tralamin's sense of style. A battle was joined between the group, the vampire, and the vampire's faithful owlbear. The skirmish was interrupted by the arrival of a monstrous bulette, which Robyn managed to drive off with a bit of beastbane. The owlbear was pushed into a chasm, the vampire slain, and Leesa's sister rescued.
Beaten and exhausted, the group found their way back up to Tyne barred by stones the bulette had overturned. They found another passageway back up, and, as they made their way back to Tyne through other means, they stumbled upon a secret room filled with treasure and magical apparel. One hat in particular proved potentially useful, as it allowed its wearer to assume the appearance of another.
Tralamin put on the hat, assuming the guise of his own fictional twin sister, unconvincingly named Tralamina. They now planned to pretend that Tralamin had died inside the dungeon, hopefully thus ending the eladrin hunt for him.
At long last the group found Tyne and exited the dungeon.
Loose Ends
In the day that followed, they managed to all recover from their various cases of mummy rot. Having lifted the Rings of Fire Immunity and Acid Immunity from the body of the vampire, they now wondered if they should keep their promise to give them to Ugblar, the troll Goblin Boss. They decided against it and hatched a contingency plan should Ugblar come looking for them.
Returning to Hodam, they introduced Melany to Tralamina, who they said had been left Tralamin's share in the brewery, pubs, and bawdyhouses. Melany at first gave some resistance-- claiming that without a legal will that said otherwise, Tralamin's holdings should pass to her-- but upon the revelation that Tralamina was in fact Tralamin, Melany was more cooperative. She agreed to keep Tralamin's secret, and helped the group to organize a public funeral for Brewmaster Tralamin.
And into all this, there flew a drunken young dragon. Sheriff Feer put on the Ring of Fire Immunity and arrested the dragon, forcing it to repair the damage it had done. It was suggested that the dragon could be given to the denizens of Kobold Pocket, thus smoothing over any remaining ruffled feathers with Hodam's trade partner.
Tralamin(a) and Melany put the Goblin Beer recipe that Tralamin had obtained from Ugblar into production, and it seemed to be a success.
Irving holed himself up with the necromantic books they had lifted from the vampire's library, hoping to find a cure for Jarmangle's cursed moustache.
Robyn went into business with Melany to start a cabaret/entertainment establishment. Leesa, still pining after Tyne despite repeated post-coital jilting, expressed an interest in working at the cabaret so that she might remain in Hodam.
Leesa's sister, however, longed to return home to the Bell of Harvest, and the group agreed to escort her home.
3.13.2011
16. Dungeon of the Vampire Lord, Part Two
Having been severely injured in their latest attempt to probe the depths of the dungeon beneath the merman prison, the group had returned to the surface to lick their wounds. The goblin Hanoonk was alone in being unable to shake off his mummy rot, and Jarmangle felt responsible. And so, when the group went off to retrieve Tralamin from the troll "goblin boss" Ugblar, Jarmangle announced he was staying behind to watch over the goblin. Tyne went with the group, but only after deflowering the rescued virgin Leesa.
Ugblar was disappointed that they had not been successful in defeating the vampire and stealing her rings, but let Tralamin ago-- he still felt bad about taking such a, well, trollish and uncivilized approach.
And so, the five adventurers-- Tyne, Feer, Tralamin, Irving, and Robyn-- returned to the dungeon once more, hoping to retrieve both the rings and Leesa's sister, Oola. They often found themselves retracing their steps and second-guessing themselves. "We didn't go down here, did we?" they asked, only to get lost in a maze of caverns and find themselves in previously-tackled territory.
The Cult of Cloth and their mummies were on high-alert after their previous excursion, resulting in several skirmishes. As they ventured further into the dungeon's depths, they confronted new horrors and traps. Tyne nearly found herself impaled in a bed of spikes-- Irving, at the last moment, conjured up a spectral ram and pushed the tiefling to safety.
Our heroes discovered the secrets of the Cult of Cloth-- they were men who worshiped vampires and projected their consciousness into rag-man bodies-- and found the room where their bodies were kept. The room was filled with bodily waste and guarded by mummies. Irving, perhaps unwisely, summoned a fireball in the room, causing the high quantities of methane gas to ignite. The adventurers barely made it to safety, and the Cult of Cloth was extinguished.
However, that still left the vampire itself. The magical compass Bradbury indicated that the kidnapped girl was nearby, but they could not find a passageway that led to her. Hoping to find access to her from another floor, they followed some stairs leading to unexplored areas on the previous floors. There, they found the library of Romlyn-- at last, a name to the vampire. Getting past the sentient door with a little bit of the ol' fey step, they raided the library for necromantic texts.
Leaving the library, they found themselves in a room they had inadvertently returned to many times before-- emblematic, they supposed, of the adventure as a whole, which still lacks a conclusion.
Ugblar was disappointed that they had not been successful in defeating the vampire and stealing her rings, but let Tralamin ago-- he still felt bad about taking such a, well, trollish and uncivilized approach.
And so, the five adventurers-- Tyne, Feer, Tralamin, Irving, and Robyn-- returned to the dungeon once more, hoping to retrieve both the rings and Leesa's sister, Oola. They often found themselves retracing their steps and second-guessing themselves. "We didn't go down here, did we?" they asked, only to get lost in a maze of caverns and find themselves in previously-tackled territory.
The Cult of Cloth and their mummies were on high-alert after their previous excursion, resulting in several skirmishes. As they ventured further into the dungeon's depths, they confronted new horrors and traps. Tyne nearly found herself impaled in a bed of spikes-- Irving, at the last moment, conjured up a spectral ram and pushed the tiefling to safety.
Our heroes discovered the secrets of the Cult of Cloth-- they were men who worshiped vampires and projected their consciousness into rag-man bodies-- and found the room where their bodies were kept. The room was filled with bodily waste and guarded by mummies. Irving, perhaps unwisely, summoned a fireball in the room, causing the high quantities of methane gas to ignite. The adventurers barely made it to safety, and the Cult of Cloth was extinguished.
However, that still left the vampire itself. The magical compass Bradbury indicated that the kidnapped girl was nearby, but they could not find a passageway that led to her. Hoping to find access to her from another floor, they followed some stairs leading to unexplored areas on the previous floors. There, they found the library of Romlyn-- at last, a name to the vampire. Getting past the sentient door with a little bit of the ol' fey step, they raided the library for necromantic texts.
Leaving the library, they found themselves in a room they had inadvertently returned to many times before-- emblematic, they supposed, of the adventure as a whole, which still lacks a conclusion.
2.27.2011
15. Dungeon of the Vampire Lord, Part One
Our heroes-- Jarmangle, Feer, Tyne, Robyn, Hanoonk, and Irving-- ventured into the dungeon beneath the merman prison. Discovering an illusory wall in the sleeping chamber of the mummies, they began working their way through a confusing labyrinth of traps and obstacles.
Along the way, they fought some more mummies-- Hanoonk, Irving, and Robyn contracted the dreaded mummy rot despite their best efforts-- and found themselves face-to-face with the Cult of the Cloth. Said cult appeared to be working for the vampire who the troll Ugblar said lived within the dungeon. They had kidnapped at least three virgins hailing from the Bell of Harvest, apparently to feed the vampire.
Our heroes eked out a slight victory over the cultists, and rescued one of the virgins, Leesa. Another they discovered already dead, and hooked up to a strange blood-draining machine, with pipes bearing the blood deeper into the labyrinth. Leesa said that the cultists took her sister to see "the mistress"-- likely the vampire.
Bruised and battered, our heroes returned to the surface, promising Leesa that they would venture back and rescue her sister from the vampire's clutches.
They rested that night in the abandoned fort. Irving managed to shrug off the mummy rot, and Feer, with her knowledge of the healing arts, was able to cure Robyn of hers. Poor Hanoonk, however, remained stricken with the disease.
Along the way, they fought some more mummies-- Hanoonk, Irving, and Robyn contracted the dreaded mummy rot despite their best efforts-- and found themselves face-to-face with the Cult of the Cloth. Said cult appeared to be working for the vampire who the troll Ugblar said lived within the dungeon. They had kidnapped at least three virgins hailing from the Bell of Harvest, apparently to feed the vampire.
Our heroes eked out a slight victory over the cultists, and rescued one of the virgins, Leesa. Another they discovered already dead, and hooked up to a strange blood-draining machine, with pipes bearing the blood deeper into the labyrinth. Leesa said that the cultists took her sister to see "the mistress"-- likely the vampire.
Bruised and battered, our heroes returned to the surface, promising Leesa that they would venture back and rescue her sister from the vampire's clutches.
They rested that night in the abandoned fort. Irving managed to shrug off the mummy rot, and Feer, with her knowledge of the healing arts, was able to cure Robyn of hers. Poor Hanoonk, however, remained stricken with the disease.
2.14.2011
14. The Goblin Boss
Our heroes awoke to discover a small party of goblins outside their fort. Said goblins had been instructed to bring Jarmangle & company to Ugblar, the Boss of All Goblins, who was none too happy to discover Jarmangle had made a claim to that title. The group reluctantly agrees to go with the goblins, except for Robyn, who was still recovering from her bout of mummy rot.
En route, the group is ambushed by hippogriff-riding eladrin, intent on taking Tralamin back east to face his death sentence. The group barely manages to defeat the eladrin. Feer attempts, somewhat successfully, to tame one of the hippogriffs. The question of what to do with their unconscious eladrin prisoners is a more difficult matter.
Irving suggests they find some ethical way to fake Tralamin's death, so that the brewmaster might continue his life and business under a new identity. Jarmangle and Tralamin suggest they "accidentally" smash one of the eladrin's faces in, then dress it in Tralamin's clothes. Irving says that this isn't exactly what he had in mind when he said "ethical".
In the end, they decide to take the prisoners with them, pressing on to the goblin encampment. There, they are searched by goblins to ensure they carry no fire or acid weaponry. Likewise, they make Irving promise not to use any sort of fire magic while in the encampment.
The reason for these precautions becomes clear when they meet Ugblar. The Goblin Boss is no goblin himself, but a very canny and surprisingly thoughtful troll. Taking over the goblin tribe in lean times (after all, there's not much civilization west of the Devil's Vulva for the goblins to rob), he's regulated their lives to ensure survival.
Jarmangle explains to Ugblar that he didn't say he was the boss of Ugblar's goblins, but rather an obscure tribe to the "south-west". Ugblar accepts this, and talk turns to the possibility of trade between Hodam and the goblins. Ugblar doesn't want much that Hodam has to offer-- the goblins have their own, much stronger, alcohol that renders Hodam Swill obsolete-- but is amenable to having the Hodamites expand out west; civilization means there'll be more for the goblins to leech off of.
Irving is a little trepeditious about this, but Ugblar assures him the goblins would only rob "within reason". Tralamin is interested in acquiring the secret of the goblin's brew for Hodam, and Ugblar agrees to give it up. However, they adventurers will have to harvest a particular kind of wheat that grows wild just to the north. The heroes agree on this course of action, reluctantly leaving their prisoners with Ugblar.
En route to the wheat field, they pass through a gnollish burial ground. The moustache Jarmangle stole from the fort's commandant starts to glow and itch; suddenly, the corpses rise from the dead, all of them targeting Jarmangle. This proves dangerous, as Jarmangle comes close to dying more than once. His sister manages to revive him each time. Surprisingly, Jarmangle proclaims his cursed moustache to be "cool". "I don't know if it's quite so cool," admonishes Irving.
They reach the wheat field, which is guarded by two minotaur. Irving and Tralamin distract them, enabling Jarmangle to sneak in and grab some of the wheat. They're very nearly caught but manage to escape.
Once back at the goblin encampment, Tralamin goes into Ugblar's tent alone to learn the secrets of the brew. There, he tricks Tralamin-- "Hey, poke yourself with this shiny needle" "Okay"-- and the eladrin falls into a deep uncharacteristic slumber. He intends to use him as a bargaining chip, to get the adventurers to return to the dungeon beneath the merman prison, find the vampire lord who lives there, defeat her, and bring the troll her magic rings. It's not so much a betrayal, Ugblar insists-- he just knows they won't do it otherwise, as he is a troll.
"Actually, it's kinda what we do," says Jarmangle.
"Yeah," says Irving, "you could have just asked. We don't care if you're a troll."
Ugblar apologizes, and promises to take good care of Tralamin, who will be unconscious for at least a few days, while the others venture into the dungeon.
En route, the group is ambushed by hippogriff-riding eladrin, intent on taking Tralamin back east to face his death sentence. The group barely manages to defeat the eladrin. Feer attempts, somewhat successfully, to tame one of the hippogriffs. The question of what to do with their unconscious eladrin prisoners is a more difficult matter.
Irving suggests they find some ethical way to fake Tralamin's death, so that the brewmaster might continue his life and business under a new identity. Jarmangle and Tralamin suggest they "accidentally" smash one of the eladrin's faces in, then dress it in Tralamin's clothes. Irving says that this isn't exactly what he had in mind when he said "ethical".
In the end, they decide to take the prisoners with them, pressing on to the goblin encampment. There, they are searched by goblins to ensure they carry no fire or acid weaponry. Likewise, they make Irving promise not to use any sort of fire magic while in the encampment.
The reason for these precautions becomes clear when they meet Ugblar. The Goblin Boss is no goblin himself, but a very canny and surprisingly thoughtful troll. Taking over the goblin tribe in lean times (after all, there's not much civilization west of the Devil's Vulva for the goblins to rob), he's regulated their lives to ensure survival.
Jarmangle explains to Ugblar that he didn't say he was the boss of Ugblar's goblins, but rather an obscure tribe to the "south-west". Ugblar accepts this, and talk turns to the possibility of trade between Hodam and the goblins. Ugblar doesn't want much that Hodam has to offer-- the goblins have their own, much stronger, alcohol that renders Hodam Swill obsolete-- but is amenable to having the Hodamites expand out west; civilization means there'll be more for the goblins to leech off of.
Irving is a little trepeditious about this, but Ugblar assures him the goblins would only rob "within reason". Tralamin is interested in acquiring the secret of the goblin's brew for Hodam, and Ugblar agrees to give it up. However, they adventurers will have to harvest a particular kind of wheat that grows wild just to the north. The heroes agree on this course of action, reluctantly leaving their prisoners with Ugblar.
En route to the wheat field, they pass through a gnollish burial ground. The moustache Jarmangle stole from the fort's commandant starts to glow and itch; suddenly, the corpses rise from the dead, all of them targeting Jarmangle. This proves dangerous, as Jarmangle comes close to dying more than once. His sister manages to revive him each time. Surprisingly, Jarmangle proclaims his cursed moustache to be "cool". "I don't know if it's quite so cool," admonishes Irving.
They reach the wheat field, which is guarded by two minotaur. Irving and Tralamin distract them, enabling Jarmangle to sneak in and grab some of the wheat. They're very nearly caught but manage to escape.
Once back at the goblin encampment, Tralamin goes into Ugblar's tent alone to learn the secrets of the brew. There, he tricks Tralamin-- "Hey, poke yourself with this shiny needle" "Okay"-- and the eladrin falls into a deep uncharacteristic slumber. He intends to use him as a bargaining chip, to get the adventurers to return to the dungeon beneath the merman prison, find the vampire lord who lives there, defeat her, and bring the troll her magic rings. It's not so much a betrayal, Ugblar insists-- he just knows they won't do it otherwise, as he is a troll.
"Actually, it's kinda what we do," says Jarmangle.
"Yeah," says Irving, "you could have just asked. We don't care if you're a troll."
Ugblar apologizes, and promises to take good care of Tralamin, who will be unconscious for at least a few days, while the others venture into the dungeon.
2.02.2011
13. Sphere of Destiny
Our group returns to Hodam, but just briefly; Sherrif Feer finds a group of eladrin waiting for her, seeking her assistance in arresting Tralamin. Melany supplies them with horses, and the group, including Jarmangle's sister Tyne, sneaks out of town and heads west.
They find the body of their friend Uncle and, after Tralamin has stolen the lint from his pockets, he is cremated.
They arrive at the Merman Prison and stash the dormant sphere of annihilation in Seldak's tower, locking the door.
They head down into the dungeon beneath the prison. This ancient dungeon contains many traps-- some still active, some long-ago-disabled-- and the bodies of many would-be adventurers. They loot freely from the bodies, as well as from secret treasure rooms. Our heroes encounter a group of goblins-- one of whom, Hanoonk, is adopted by Jarmangle as a sort of pet-- and a mummy, which Tralamin insists is just trying to be friends. Tralamin even attacks Robyn when the latter tries to defend herself from the mummy.
Tralamin and Robyn both contract mummy rot, but later manage to overcome it during an extended rest. The group fends off a bullette, discovers an underwater lake, and steals two jeweled eyes from an idol to a dark god.
Barely alive, and feeling they have explored the dungeon thoroughly, they head back up to the surface and make camp at the fort they had freed from the undead curse.
They find the body of their friend Uncle and, after Tralamin has stolen the lint from his pockets, he is cremated.
They arrive at the Merman Prison and stash the dormant sphere of annihilation in Seldak's tower, locking the door.
They head down into the dungeon beneath the prison. This ancient dungeon contains many traps-- some still active, some long-ago-disabled-- and the bodies of many would-be adventurers. They loot freely from the bodies, as well as from secret treasure rooms. Our heroes encounter a group of goblins-- one of whom, Hanoonk, is adopted by Jarmangle as a sort of pet-- and a mummy, which Tralamin insists is just trying to be friends. Tralamin even attacks Robyn when the latter tries to defend herself from the mummy.
Tralamin and Robyn both contract mummy rot, but later manage to overcome it during an extended rest. The group fends off a bullette, discovers an underwater lake, and steals two jeweled eyes from an idol to a dark god.
Barely alive, and feeling they have explored the dungeon thoroughly, they head back up to the surface and make camp at the fort they had freed from the undead curse.
12. The Dark Spire
Tyne explains that she first ventured into the Dark Spire alone after Tallybrooke fled Bloodpurse Isle. There, she met a group of drow, and barely escaped with her life. Tralamin is not eager to meet his dark elf brethren and tries to persuade his friends not to venture within.
Inside, they find many strange and wondrous things, such as a door that gets farther away the closer you come to it and a fountain that transforms those who drink its waters into a skunk. Irving transforms himself into a skunk and seems quite happy about it.
And, of course, they find drow-- drow who recognize Tralamin, and explain to his horrified friends that Tralamin betrayed the eladrin to the drow and the drow to the eladrin, and had become the sworn enemy of both. Perhaps against their better judgment, the group fights off the vicious drow to perserve Tralamin's life.
Jarmangle transforms himself into a skunk, eager to see what happens when his tiefling demonic transformation ability is triggered in skunk form; he gives all his gear into his sister's keeping. Faced with a boobytrapped locked door in a room with a strange portal, it is Tyne who must attempt to pick the lock-- and Tyne who fails. She is blasted into the portal, and the Linked Ring of Telepathy she shares with her brother goes dark. They fear she is dead.
They find Tallybrooke, who has been driven insane by the tower's weird magicks. He had come to seek out a djinn at the top of the spire, who might grant him a wish.
Making their way up the tower and solving its fiendish puzzles, our heroes find the djinn. They carefully parse their words so that they can bring Tyne back to them safely. They forget, however, to specify that she should have her clothes and possessions with her, including Jarmangle's equipment. Everything-- his demonic sword, his money, his tools, his clothing-- is gone.
Everything save the strange orb he found within the paperweight they stole from Firepalm. It is discovered that the orb is a dormant sphere of annihilation. Wishing to stash it somewhere where it will not do any harm, our heroes resolve to return to the Merman Prison and put it there. Perhaps, also, they will explore the dungeon beneath it, and Jarmangle might start to replace some of his lost possessions.
Inside, they find many strange and wondrous things, such as a door that gets farther away the closer you come to it and a fountain that transforms those who drink its waters into a skunk. Irving transforms himself into a skunk and seems quite happy about it.
And, of course, they find drow-- drow who recognize Tralamin, and explain to his horrified friends that Tralamin betrayed the eladrin to the drow and the drow to the eladrin, and had become the sworn enemy of both. Perhaps against their better judgment, the group fights off the vicious drow to perserve Tralamin's life.
Jarmangle transforms himself into a skunk, eager to see what happens when his tiefling demonic transformation ability is triggered in skunk form; he gives all his gear into his sister's keeping. Faced with a boobytrapped locked door in a room with a strange portal, it is Tyne who must attempt to pick the lock-- and Tyne who fails. She is blasted into the portal, and the Linked Ring of Telepathy she shares with her brother goes dark. They fear she is dead.
They find Tallybrooke, who has been driven insane by the tower's weird magicks. He had come to seek out a djinn at the top of the spire, who might grant him a wish.
Making their way up the tower and solving its fiendish puzzles, our heroes find the djinn. They carefully parse their words so that they can bring Tyne back to them safely. They forget, however, to specify that she should have her clothes and possessions with her, including Jarmangle's equipment. Everything-- his demonic sword, his money, his tools, his clothing-- is gone.
Everything save the strange orb he found within the paperweight they stole from Firepalm. It is discovered that the orb is a dormant sphere of annihilation. Wishing to stash it somewhere where it will not do any harm, our heroes resolve to return to the Merman Prison and put it there. Perhaps, also, they will explore the dungeon beneath it, and Jarmangle might start to replace some of his lost possessions.
11. The Fury of Seldak
Our quintet stops by Hodam en route to their ship, The Eve of Destruction, which they will use to travel to Bloodpurse Isle and the neighboring Merman City, so that they might stop Seldak from wreaking havok there. In town, Irving and Jarmangle consult a private detective, Vernjack, to try and dig up some dirt on Tralamin. It turns out Tralamin is wanted by the eladrin, and is considered to be a notorious criminal. Unaware of this, Tralamin talks with Melany and establishes a formal business partnership, giving both of them shared ownership of the brewery, as well as all the inns, pubs, and brothels in town. Hearing that they'll be travelling to Bloodpurse Isle, Melany suggests they try to firm up a trade agreement with Jarmangle's father, Captain Bergris.
They sail down the river, and as their ship approaches Bloodpurse Isle, they rescue a young merman. He is the Prince of the Merman City, and he is fleeing for his life; his parents have already been murdered by Seldak. They head to Bergris's palace, hoping he'll provide much needed aid, in keeping with his treaty with the mermen.
Bergris is not alone; Seldak is with him, and the pirate lord has agreed not to interfere, acting he feels in the best interest of his island. The discussion that follows soon leads to blows; Seldak animates the owlbear rug that Tralamin has been wearing and manages to escape. Bergris crosses swords with his son but lets him live; he warns them not to interfere, or else the trade agreement between Bloodpurse and Hodam will be forfeit. He also intimates that Tyne's life will be in danger.
But our heroes have no intention of being cowed. They agree to help the merman prince reclaim his kingdom, and he mentions a strange "metal whale" that a surface-man once used to visit them. The whale is kept in a small pond deep within the Gnollish Woods.
They sail up to the mouth of the woods in their ship, and then travel on foot. Jarmangle finds some berries and feeds them to his dire falcon; the falcon nearly dies, for they are poisonous. Feer saves it, but Jarmangle-- for reasons never quite made clear-- kills it with his sword. He tosses it in the air, and Irving sets it on fire.
They find the metal whale, and use it to travel to the Merman City. Wanting to avoid a direct confrontation, they bake some of the poisonous berries into a Merman delicacy, and send Tralamin to present it to Seldak as a peace offering. Seldak is suspicious, and Tralamin basically admits that it is a transparent attempt to poison him.
Seldak suggests that Tralamin join forces with him, and gives the eladrin an explosive device to take back to his friends. Tralamin takes the bomb back to the metal whale, and then tells his friends precisely what happened. They jettison the explosive, and engage Seldak in a final, climactic battle. Jarmangle nearly perishes from the crushing water pressure, but our heroes manage to triumph, ending Seldak's reign of terror and restoring the Merman Prince to the throne.
Our heroes discover that Bergris has destroyed The Eve of Destruction, and that Tyne has escaped his clutches, heading to the Dark Spire on the nearby penninsula-- the last place where Tallybrooke was seen alive. The group agrees to join her on her exploration of the bizarre tower.
They sail down the river, and as their ship approaches Bloodpurse Isle, they rescue a young merman. He is the Prince of the Merman City, and he is fleeing for his life; his parents have already been murdered by Seldak. They head to Bergris's palace, hoping he'll provide much needed aid, in keeping with his treaty with the mermen.
Bergris is not alone; Seldak is with him, and the pirate lord has agreed not to interfere, acting he feels in the best interest of his island. The discussion that follows soon leads to blows; Seldak animates the owlbear rug that Tralamin has been wearing and manages to escape. Bergris crosses swords with his son but lets him live; he warns them not to interfere, or else the trade agreement between Bloodpurse and Hodam will be forfeit. He also intimates that Tyne's life will be in danger.
But our heroes have no intention of being cowed. They agree to help the merman prince reclaim his kingdom, and he mentions a strange "metal whale" that a surface-man once used to visit them. The whale is kept in a small pond deep within the Gnollish Woods.
They sail up to the mouth of the woods in their ship, and then travel on foot. Jarmangle finds some berries and feeds them to his dire falcon; the falcon nearly dies, for they are poisonous. Feer saves it, but Jarmangle-- for reasons never quite made clear-- kills it with his sword. He tosses it in the air, and Irving sets it on fire.
They find the metal whale, and use it to travel to the Merman City. Wanting to avoid a direct confrontation, they bake some of the poisonous berries into a Merman delicacy, and send Tralamin to present it to Seldak as a peace offering. Seldak is suspicious, and Tralamin basically admits that it is a transparent attempt to poison him.
Seldak suggests that Tralamin join forces with him, and gives the eladrin an explosive device to take back to his friends. Tralamin takes the bomb back to the metal whale, and then tells his friends precisely what happened. They jettison the explosive, and engage Seldak in a final, climactic battle. Jarmangle nearly perishes from the crushing water pressure, but our heroes manage to triumph, ending Seldak's reign of terror and restoring the Merman Prince to the throne.
Our heroes discover that Bergris has destroyed The Eve of Destruction, and that Tyne has escaped his clutches, heading to the Dark Spire on the nearby penninsula-- the last place where Tallybrooke was seen alive. The group agrees to join her on her exploration of the bizarre tower.
10. Two-In-One
Our remaining heroes-- Jarmangle, Tralamin, Feer, Robyn, and Irving-- blockade the fort's entrance and reinstall a couple of traps they had disarmed. The zombie gnolls rush in and, after a long and tense battle, they are defeated and the curse on the fort lifted. Exhausted, our heroes make camp for the night.
As they slumber, they each of them have a strange dream, which imparts to each a different, cryptic message. (Tralamin, who does not sleep, recieves his message jumbled-up during his meditations.) Our heroes share their experiences with one another, but cannot quite make sense of it.
Come morning, they head for the coral palace in the dried up lake just southwest of the fort. They discover that, when the lake was filled with water, it served as a prison for the most notorious of mermen.
They learn that merman culture prizes mathematics above all else-- for them it is magic, religion, culture, and law. Mermen are also biologically immortal-- the gift of Seldak, who is also considered their greatest criminal because he solved "the forbidden proof". There are several towers that, in the past, one could have swimmed up. Irving possesses Feer's battleferret, and uses his magehand to float himself up the various towers, taking note of the corpses of the various mer-criminals, who died without water to breathe.
One tower, which houses Seldak, is inaccessible: a door, armed with powerful and deadly magic, blocks its path. But examining the door, our heroes soon realize that their strange dreams provided each of them with a key to the puzzle. Putting their information together, they are able to open the door without incurring its wrath.
The tower on the other side is still filled with water; indeed, the water does not rush out of now-opened door but stays there by some strange sort of magic. Jarmangle swims up the tower, but runs afoul of several explosive balls that were placed there decades ago. His life is saved thanks to the intervention of Seldak-- still alive, and desperate for vengeance against the mermen who branded him a heretic.
Jarmangle is quickly dominated by the psionic merman, and Tralamin seems eager to help him achieve his goal, much to Irving's chagrin. The wizard is hesitant to interfere in the mermen's affairs, but he, Feer, and Robyn decide that it is best to stop him.
Seldak, infuriated, uses his forbidden proof to create living beings out of thin air, and battle is soon joined. He proves a formidable opponent, opening portals to redirect their attacks and place himself out of harm's way. He manages to escape, using linked portals and his personal water-bubble.
During the battle, the floor collapses, revealing a sprawling ancient dungeon beneath the prison. It will, however, have to wait; they must stop Seldak!
As they slumber, they each of them have a strange dream, which imparts to each a different, cryptic message. (Tralamin, who does not sleep, recieves his message jumbled-up during his meditations.) Our heroes share their experiences with one another, but cannot quite make sense of it.
Come morning, they head for the coral palace in the dried up lake just southwest of the fort. They discover that, when the lake was filled with water, it served as a prison for the most notorious of mermen.
They learn that merman culture prizes mathematics above all else-- for them it is magic, religion, culture, and law. Mermen are also biologically immortal-- the gift of Seldak, who is also considered their greatest criminal because he solved "the forbidden proof". There are several towers that, in the past, one could have swimmed up. Irving possesses Feer's battleferret, and uses his magehand to float himself up the various towers, taking note of the corpses of the various mer-criminals, who died without water to breathe.
One tower, which houses Seldak, is inaccessible: a door, armed with powerful and deadly magic, blocks its path. But examining the door, our heroes soon realize that their strange dreams provided each of them with a key to the puzzle. Putting their information together, they are able to open the door without incurring its wrath.
The tower on the other side is still filled with water; indeed, the water does not rush out of now-opened door but stays there by some strange sort of magic. Jarmangle swims up the tower, but runs afoul of several explosive balls that were placed there decades ago. His life is saved thanks to the intervention of Seldak-- still alive, and desperate for vengeance against the mermen who branded him a heretic.
Jarmangle is quickly dominated by the psionic merman, and Tralamin seems eager to help him achieve his goal, much to Irving's chagrin. The wizard is hesitant to interfere in the mermen's affairs, but he, Feer, and Robyn decide that it is best to stop him.
Seldak, infuriated, uses his forbidden proof to create living beings out of thin air, and battle is soon joined. He proves a formidable opponent, opening portals to redirect their attacks and place himself out of harm's way. He manages to escape, using linked portals and his personal water-bubble.
During the battle, the floor collapses, revealing a sprawling ancient dungeon beneath the prison. It will, however, have to wait; they must stop Seldak!
12.06.2010
9. X Marks the Spot
Our heroes, accompanied once more by the dwarf Uncle, decided to follow the piece of map they had found on the body of the zombie-hunter aboard the Eve of Destruction. En route, they made peace with both the ettercaps-- finally triumphing over the terror of the desert, the giant fire beetle Klikslyth-- and the kobolds, who had been angered to hear about the killing of the young dragon in the dungeon beneath the Tomb of Gnollish Kings.
In their travels, they discovered a dried-up lake, in the middle of which sat a palace made of coral, surrounded by the skeletal remains of a giant sea serpent. They decided to explore its environs at a latter date, and to press on to the destination marked on the map.
That destination was an ancient fort, manned by skeletons and undead. The group managed to fight their way into the fort, and in their subsequent investigations discovered that the site was cursed. Each night, a horde of zombie gnolls would attack the fort, and the human zombies would fail to protect it. In the morning, the human zombies would rise again and prepare for that night's attack.
Our heroes found an unfinished letter intended for a jilted bride, and having finished the letter themselves, they gave it to the weeping skeleton. She found closure, and her own personal curse was lifted. Tralamin decided to take the skeleton's dress, and Jarmangle had earlier absconded with another skeleton's cursed mustache.
Feeling they could lift the curse for the entire fort, our heroes decided to prepare themselves for the zombie gnolls. The dwarf Uncle was not so certain, and ran away, rolling himself down the hill upon which the fortress was situated.
In their travels, they discovered a dried-up lake, in the middle of which sat a palace made of coral, surrounded by the skeletal remains of a giant sea serpent. They decided to explore its environs at a latter date, and to press on to the destination marked on the map.
That destination was an ancient fort, manned by skeletons and undead. The group managed to fight their way into the fort, and in their subsequent investigations discovered that the site was cursed. Each night, a horde of zombie gnolls would attack the fort, and the human zombies would fail to protect it. In the morning, the human zombies would rise again and prepare for that night's attack.
Our heroes found an unfinished letter intended for a jilted bride, and having finished the letter themselves, they gave it to the weeping skeleton. She found closure, and her own personal curse was lifted. Tralamin decided to take the skeleton's dress, and Jarmangle had earlier absconded with another skeleton's cursed mustache.
Feeling they could lift the curse for the entire fort, our heroes decided to prepare themselves for the zombie gnolls. The dwarf Uncle was not so certain, and ran away, rolling himself down the hill upon which the fortress was situated.
11.21.2010
8. The Master Blacksmith
The naval forces of the eastern empire have been repelled from the shores of Bloodpurse Isle by the combined efforts of its pirate denizens and the underwater inhabitants of the nearby Mermen Bay. This is due in no small part to the intervention of a familiar band of Hodamites, who restored the treaty between the pirates and the mermen after discovering the treachery of the empire's spy, Tallybrooke. Tallybrooke may have escaped-- rumours point to his destination being the Black Spire that lies on the nearby western peninsula-- but the pirate lord Captain Bergris-- Jarmangle's father-- is deeply appreciative and houses our heroes for the next few days, supplying them with ample food and drink.
Too much drink, perhaps-- the dwarven monk Uncle, sworn to bring Jarmangle back east to his adopted human family, finds himself heavily indisposed. Jarmangle and the others decide to take advantage of this, leaving Uncle behind and heading back to the continent. There they'll seek to find the master blacksmith, Orgath Blackhammer, in hopes of having their dragon scales and mementos made into fearsome armours.
Before they leave the island, though, they've two bits of business to attend to. First, they hire a local scallywag to cleanse their vessel of the bloody remnants of their battle with its undead prisoners. Secondly, Irving meets with Captain Bergris about the possibility of opening trade between Hodam and Bloodpurse Isle. Irving suggests that a Hodam pub and bawdyhouse be opened on the island; Bergris is amenable and promises to firm up the details during a future visit to Hodam.
The Gnollish Warning
They arrive on the continent without incident and make their way towards the dense woods where the blacksmith of Bloodpurse Isle said his former teacher resided. At the outskirts of the woods, they are met by a small group of gnolls-- part of a tribe native to these woods.
Our heroes tell them that they seek the blacksmith, and they're given permission to venture into the gnollish woods, provided they adhere to their law.
"Take what you need for sustenance, and do what you must to protect yourselves from harm, but do not destroy wantonly. Follow this law, and you will be a friend to the forest gnolls, and you shall be rewarded with one of our bows; disregard it, and your only reward shall be death."
Tralamin-- an owlbear rug still draped over him as a cloak, and still clad in rotting "pants" made from an elk, accentuated by a severed frogdog tongue used as a sash-- assures the gnolls that this is how they generally operate. Irving quickly promises the gnoll that they'll obey, and the head gnoll warns that they will be watched.
Mushrooms
Jarmangle searches for something edible, and comes across some mushrooms that no one in the group can identify. Jarmangle being Jarmangle and Tralamin being Tralamin, they decide to eat them anyway. It has no effect on Jarmangle.
Rage of the Owlbear
As they make their way into the woods, our quintet spies a large owlbear in the distance. A twig snaps off a nearby tree and lands on its head. This infuriates the beast, who begins to "attack" the tree relentlessly until, minutes later, it knocks it over.
Some discussion follows during this time as to how they might get by the owlbear without engaging it in battle-- a battle they could very likely lose. Usually in cases like these, Feer, Jarmangle, or Robyn rushes in and starts fighting, while Irving (and, in his more lucid moments, Tralamin) tries to find a creative solution. In this case, the roles are reversed; Irving seems strangely resigned to fighting the beast, while Robyn and Jarmangle provide the solution: Jarmangle sends his dire falcon after the beast and Robyn uses a explosive smoke pellet to drive it towards an adjacent bog. The rushing owlbear sinks in the heavy bog, writhing and snarling all the way, until it disappears forever.
The Wagon
In the same bog, they see a half-sunken wagon. Tralamin casts a spell over himself and Feer, enabling them to walk on the bog without sharing the owlbear's fate. To protect his owlbear "cloak", Tralamin leaves the rug beside the bog.
The mushrooms Tralamin ingested begin to kick in; as he and Feer make their away across the bog, he "hears" glimmers of light singing about how "awesome" he is. Once within the wagon, Tralamin begins conversing with a compass he calls Bradbury, who "claims" to have been left there by two halfling bounty hunters. Feer, of course, only hears one side of the conversation, and doubts Tralamin's assertion that Bradbury is a "magic" compass that points towards whomever its bearer is looking for.
That's not the only thing Sherriff Feer starts to doubt with regards to the flightly eladrin; in the wagon, she finds the remnants of a wanted poster bearing Tralamin's name and visage (wearing, as a hat, a dead puppy) but with no crime indicated. She also finds a hefty supply of some strange dust.
When they return to the group, Tralamin hallucinates that his owlbear cloak is a living owlbear. Jarmangle "kills" it, and Tralamin puts it on as a cloak once more. Feer reveals the wanted poster she discovered, and the group questions Tralamin about it; Tralamin is evasive, perferring to focus on his "magic talking compass", who will help them find the master blacksmith in exchange for a sum of gold.
Irving detects that the compass is magical, though Tralamin is the only one that can hear it speak. Feer is slightly perturbed to learn that the "compass" finds her sexually attractive.
Hedging Their Bets
Feer gives the strange dust to the alchemist Robyn, who determines that it is used to reveal faint tracks in the earth. They detect the tracks of halflings emanating from the bog into the woods; the tracks lead in the same direction that Bradbury points. Irving has reservations: what if the compass is really pointing towards the halflings that Tralamin says "he" is angry with? But the group decides to follow them for the time being.
Blackhammer's Cottage
Both tracks and compass point bear them North-West, but just off to the East they spot a stone cottage. On close inspection, it's revealed to be the home of Ograth Blackhammer, the Master Blacksmith. Now the others join Irving in doubting the compass's veracity, and "Bradbury" has fallen silent as Tralamin's mushrooms have worn off.
There's no answer when they knock on the door. Peering in the window, they see that it is unoccupied and in obvious disarray; there's been a struggle here. Robyn's dust reveals dozens more tracks, all around the cottage, and a bottle of Hodam Ale that should, by rights, not be this far south. These new tracks converge with the halfling tracks, and our heroes head once more in that direction.
The River
All the tracks disappear at the banks of a small but fast-moving river that rages through the woods. The five adventurers would be able to swim across it with no great effort, but their horses would have trouble fighting the current. Irving summons a wind and directs it underwater as a sort of counter-current, allowing all of them, humanoids and horses alike, to cross.
The Ants and the Plant
On the other side, they see a grisly scene; an orc lies draped over a rock, his armour ripped open. They soon determine the cause-- sharp-mandibled giant ants that suckle some sort of nectar from a strange plant. Jarmangle sneaks ahead and attempts to move the orc's body closer to the group so that they might inspect it. In trying to move the heavy orc, however, he draws the attention of the ants. The plant itself makes a strange noise, and more ants crawl out of the woods, apparently to defend it.
As our quintet fight for their lives, they soon determine that the plant is the major threat, and try various ways to destroy it. Magic missiles, warlock curses, bardic spells, and weapons both thrown and shot from a bow prove ineffective. More and more fresh ants heed the plant's call for help, while our heroes get progressively weaker and weaker.
Finally, Irving conjures a hand that rips the plant up by its roots. As he does so, the ants screech and fall over, losing their balance. Feer takes pity on the creatures and examines them. She determines that they're not in any pain, and that they'll likely survive without the plant.
Part II
The Orc's Secret
Irving uses a powerful spell that they found on the body of the headless dwarf from whom they borrowed The Eve of Destruction. This spell enables him to see the orc's last moments through its eyes. Sure enough, he was attacked by the ants. But that's not all Irving sees; he sees a number of other orcs, and a particularly feisty looking dwarf.
Studying the destroyed armour of the orc, Tralamin determines that it's a match for same worn by the orcs they fought in the swamps near Kobold Pocket. They only won that victory, and just barely, after tricking the orcs into consuming massive quantities of Hodam Ale. Now they understand how that empty bottle got outside the blacksmith's cottage.
Jarmangle is the only one among them who has not tangled with the orcs; he resolves from looking at the corpse that they don't look so tough. And now that Feer weilds the mighty Mouth of Death, and Robyn rides a skeletal steed-- both former possessions of the orcish war-chief-- surely, they'll be more than a match for whatever remains.
The Halfling Bounty Hunters
As they follow the orcish tracks and the compass point, they hear muffled cries for help just off the path. They decide to investigate, and find two halflings tangled up in the web of a gigantic spider. The halflings are fading in and out of consciousness, apparently drugged by spider-venom.
Tralamin suggests that they just leave the halflings there, so as not to deprive the spider of its meal. Irving pushes the spider harmlessly off its web and they cut the halflings down. Robyn and Feer administer healing to counteract the spider-venom, but the halflings do not regain consciousness.
Searching the halflings, Robyn discovers a scrap of papers bearing a list of names; at the top of that list is Tralamin. Again, the group attempts to get some answers about the warlock's past; again, Tralamin evades and instead suggests that they leave the halflings there to be eaten.
They decide to take the halflings with them instead; Feer ties them to the back of one of the horses.
The Battlefield
Soon the group comes across the scene of a pitched battle; orcs and gnolls alike lie dead and bleeding. The head gnoll, who has been following them, greets them dourly, and proclaims that this time, the orcs have been particularly egregious in their tresspassing. He shall ride to the other gnollish tribes, and make a true war against the swamp orcs.
Before he does so, however, he determines that the quintet have heeded his warning, and rewards them with one of his tribal longbows.
The Swamp
The woods give way to the orcish swamp as night begins to fall. They leave all the horses save Robyn's undead horse at the edge of the swamp, along with the halflings.
Soon, they meet the orcs and their blacksmith captive, and the battle is one of the hardest they have ever fought. Robyn and Feer, bearing the treasures of the fallen orcish war-chief, are particular targets but it is Jarmangle, unprepared for both the brutality and the tactical cunning of the orcs, who falls and finds himself near death. Feer attempts to heal him with the scepter she took from the Gnollish Queen of Peace, but discovers, to her horror, that his demonic blood is immune to the holy scepter's power.
Robyn rears back on her skeletal steed and rides across the battlefield. She jumps down to his side and using her bardic magic, brings him back from the reaper's grasp. Jarmangle, typically, uses this as an opportunity to hit on the comely elfin bard.
Though their wounds are many, the five do manage to defeat the orcs and rescue the blacksmith.
Denouement
It turns out that the orcs abducted Blackhammer to create a new sword to replace the stolen Mouth of Death, for it was Blackhammer who, in his youth, created that dark blade.
En route back to the woods, they run into a couple of unpleasant surprises: first, the halflings and their other horses have disappeared. Secondly, the gnolls have banned Blackhammer from the woods, for it was he that brought the orcs upon them. Our heroes suggest he take up residence in Hodam, which they assure him is slightly less cesspool-y since they came to town. Irving and Robyn circle around the forest, moving all the way south to get The Eve of Destruction while the others make camp on the edge of the forest. Irving and Robyn come up the Great River, pick up the others, and they all sail back towards Hodam.
Too much drink, perhaps-- the dwarven monk Uncle, sworn to bring Jarmangle back east to his adopted human family, finds himself heavily indisposed. Jarmangle and the others decide to take advantage of this, leaving Uncle behind and heading back to the continent. There they'll seek to find the master blacksmith, Orgath Blackhammer, in hopes of having their dragon scales and mementos made into fearsome armours.
Before they leave the island, though, they've two bits of business to attend to. First, they hire a local scallywag to cleanse their vessel of the bloody remnants of their battle with its undead prisoners. Secondly, Irving meets with Captain Bergris about the possibility of opening trade between Hodam and Bloodpurse Isle. Irving suggests that a Hodam pub and bawdyhouse be opened on the island; Bergris is amenable and promises to firm up the details during a future visit to Hodam.
The Gnollish Warning
They arrive on the continent without incident and make their way towards the dense woods where the blacksmith of Bloodpurse Isle said his former teacher resided. At the outskirts of the woods, they are met by a small group of gnolls-- part of a tribe native to these woods.
Our heroes tell them that they seek the blacksmith, and they're given permission to venture into the gnollish woods, provided they adhere to their law.
"Take what you need for sustenance, and do what you must to protect yourselves from harm, but do not destroy wantonly. Follow this law, and you will be a friend to the forest gnolls, and you shall be rewarded with one of our bows; disregard it, and your only reward shall be death."
Tralamin-- an owlbear rug still draped over him as a cloak, and still clad in rotting "pants" made from an elk, accentuated by a severed frogdog tongue used as a sash-- assures the gnolls that this is how they generally operate. Irving quickly promises the gnoll that they'll obey, and the head gnoll warns that they will be watched.
Mushrooms
Jarmangle searches for something edible, and comes across some mushrooms that no one in the group can identify. Jarmangle being Jarmangle and Tralamin being Tralamin, they decide to eat them anyway. It has no effect on Jarmangle.
Rage of the Owlbear
As they make their way into the woods, our quintet spies a large owlbear in the distance. A twig snaps off a nearby tree and lands on its head. This infuriates the beast, who begins to "attack" the tree relentlessly until, minutes later, it knocks it over.
Some discussion follows during this time as to how they might get by the owlbear without engaging it in battle-- a battle they could very likely lose. Usually in cases like these, Feer, Jarmangle, or Robyn rushes in and starts fighting, while Irving (and, in his more lucid moments, Tralamin) tries to find a creative solution. In this case, the roles are reversed; Irving seems strangely resigned to fighting the beast, while Robyn and Jarmangle provide the solution: Jarmangle sends his dire falcon after the beast and Robyn uses a explosive smoke pellet to drive it towards an adjacent bog. The rushing owlbear sinks in the heavy bog, writhing and snarling all the way, until it disappears forever.
The Wagon
In the same bog, they see a half-sunken wagon. Tralamin casts a spell over himself and Feer, enabling them to walk on the bog without sharing the owlbear's fate. To protect his owlbear "cloak", Tralamin leaves the rug beside the bog.
The mushrooms Tralamin ingested begin to kick in; as he and Feer make their away across the bog, he "hears" glimmers of light singing about how "awesome" he is. Once within the wagon, Tralamin begins conversing with a compass he calls Bradbury, who "claims" to have been left there by two halfling bounty hunters. Feer, of course, only hears one side of the conversation, and doubts Tralamin's assertion that Bradbury is a "magic" compass that points towards whomever its bearer is looking for.
That's not the only thing Sherriff Feer starts to doubt with regards to the flightly eladrin; in the wagon, she finds the remnants of a wanted poster bearing Tralamin's name and visage (wearing, as a hat, a dead puppy) but with no crime indicated. She also finds a hefty supply of some strange dust.
When they return to the group, Tralamin hallucinates that his owlbear cloak is a living owlbear. Jarmangle "kills" it, and Tralamin puts it on as a cloak once more. Feer reveals the wanted poster she discovered, and the group questions Tralamin about it; Tralamin is evasive, perferring to focus on his "magic talking compass", who will help them find the master blacksmith in exchange for a sum of gold.
Irving detects that the compass is magical, though Tralamin is the only one that can hear it speak. Feer is slightly perturbed to learn that the "compass" finds her sexually attractive.
Hedging Their Bets
Feer gives the strange dust to the alchemist Robyn, who determines that it is used to reveal faint tracks in the earth. They detect the tracks of halflings emanating from the bog into the woods; the tracks lead in the same direction that Bradbury points. Irving has reservations: what if the compass is really pointing towards the halflings that Tralamin says "he" is angry with? But the group decides to follow them for the time being.
Blackhammer's Cottage
Both tracks and compass point bear them North-West, but just off to the East they spot a stone cottage. On close inspection, it's revealed to be the home of Ograth Blackhammer, the Master Blacksmith. Now the others join Irving in doubting the compass's veracity, and "Bradbury" has fallen silent as Tralamin's mushrooms have worn off.
There's no answer when they knock on the door. Peering in the window, they see that it is unoccupied and in obvious disarray; there's been a struggle here. Robyn's dust reveals dozens more tracks, all around the cottage, and a bottle of Hodam Ale that should, by rights, not be this far south. These new tracks converge with the halfling tracks, and our heroes head once more in that direction.
The River
All the tracks disappear at the banks of a small but fast-moving river that rages through the woods. The five adventurers would be able to swim across it with no great effort, but their horses would have trouble fighting the current. Irving summons a wind and directs it underwater as a sort of counter-current, allowing all of them, humanoids and horses alike, to cross.
The Ants and the Plant
On the other side, they see a grisly scene; an orc lies draped over a rock, his armour ripped open. They soon determine the cause-- sharp-mandibled giant ants that suckle some sort of nectar from a strange plant. Jarmangle sneaks ahead and attempts to move the orc's body closer to the group so that they might inspect it. In trying to move the heavy orc, however, he draws the attention of the ants. The plant itself makes a strange noise, and more ants crawl out of the woods, apparently to defend it.
As our quintet fight for their lives, they soon determine that the plant is the major threat, and try various ways to destroy it. Magic missiles, warlock curses, bardic spells, and weapons both thrown and shot from a bow prove ineffective. More and more fresh ants heed the plant's call for help, while our heroes get progressively weaker and weaker.
Finally, Irving conjures a hand that rips the plant up by its roots. As he does so, the ants screech and fall over, losing their balance. Feer takes pity on the creatures and examines them. She determines that they're not in any pain, and that they'll likely survive without the plant.
Part II
The Orc's Secret
Irving uses a powerful spell that they found on the body of the headless dwarf from whom they borrowed The Eve of Destruction. This spell enables him to see the orc's last moments through its eyes. Sure enough, he was attacked by the ants. But that's not all Irving sees; he sees a number of other orcs, and a particularly feisty looking dwarf.
Studying the destroyed armour of the orc, Tralamin determines that it's a match for same worn by the orcs they fought in the swamps near Kobold Pocket. They only won that victory, and just barely, after tricking the orcs into consuming massive quantities of Hodam Ale. Now they understand how that empty bottle got outside the blacksmith's cottage.
Jarmangle is the only one among them who has not tangled with the orcs; he resolves from looking at the corpse that they don't look so tough. And now that Feer weilds the mighty Mouth of Death, and Robyn rides a skeletal steed-- both former possessions of the orcish war-chief-- surely, they'll be more than a match for whatever remains.
The Halfling Bounty Hunters
As they follow the orcish tracks and the compass point, they hear muffled cries for help just off the path. They decide to investigate, and find two halflings tangled up in the web of a gigantic spider. The halflings are fading in and out of consciousness, apparently drugged by spider-venom.
Tralamin suggests that they just leave the halflings there, so as not to deprive the spider of its meal. Irving pushes the spider harmlessly off its web and they cut the halflings down. Robyn and Feer administer healing to counteract the spider-venom, but the halflings do not regain consciousness.
Searching the halflings, Robyn discovers a scrap of papers bearing a list of names; at the top of that list is Tralamin. Again, the group attempts to get some answers about the warlock's past; again, Tralamin evades and instead suggests that they leave the halflings there to be eaten.
They decide to take the halflings with them instead; Feer ties them to the back of one of the horses.
The Battlefield
Soon the group comes across the scene of a pitched battle; orcs and gnolls alike lie dead and bleeding. The head gnoll, who has been following them, greets them dourly, and proclaims that this time, the orcs have been particularly egregious in their tresspassing. He shall ride to the other gnollish tribes, and make a true war against the swamp orcs.
Before he does so, however, he determines that the quintet have heeded his warning, and rewards them with one of his tribal longbows.
The Swamp
The woods give way to the orcish swamp as night begins to fall. They leave all the horses save Robyn's undead horse at the edge of the swamp, along with the halflings.
Soon, they meet the orcs and their blacksmith captive, and the battle is one of the hardest they have ever fought. Robyn and Feer, bearing the treasures of the fallen orcish war-chief, are particular targets but it is Jarmangle, unprepared for both the brutality and the tactical cunning of the orcs, who falls and finds himself near death. Feer attempts to heal him with the scepter she took from the Gnollish Queen of Peace, but discovers, to her horror, that his demonic blood is immune to the holy scepter's power.
Robyn rears back on her skeletal steed and rides across the battlefield. She jumps down to his side and using her bardic magic, brings him back from the reaper's grasp. Jarmangle, typically, uses this as an opportunity to hit on the comely elfin bard.
Though their wounds are many, the five do manage to defeat the orcs and rescue the blacksmith.
Denouement
It turns out that the orcs abducted Blackhammer to create a new sword to replace the stolen Mouth of Death, for it was Blackhammer who, in his youth, created that dark blade.
En route back to the woods, they run into a couple of unpleasant surprises: first, the halflings and their other horses have disappeared. Secondly, the gnolls have banned Blackhammer from the woods, for it was he that brought the orcs upon them. Our heroes suggest he take up residence in Hodam, which they assure him is slightly less cesspool-y since they came to town. Irving and Robyn circle around the forest, moving all the way south to get The Eve of Destruction while the others make camp on the edge of the forest. Irving and Robyn come up the Great River, pick up the others, and they all sail back towards Hodam.
11.07.2010
7. Jarmangle's Secret
When our adventurers return to Hodam-- the grisly spoils of their decisive battle with the young dragon well-hidden from kobold eyes-- they find that much has transpired in their absence. Melany, acting in Tralamin's behalf, has struck a very good trade agreement with the denizens of Kobold Pocket, exchanging shipments of Hodam's Famous Ale for their sweet darkwheat. A note was left for Jarmangle by the comely tiefling mercenary Tyne, asking that he and his friends meet her on Bloodpurse Isle. And a young human woman, Evelyn, has come from the East, claiming to be Jarmangle's adopted sister.
The latter proves to be true; she's come, along with her dwarfish bodyguard Uncle, to take Jarmangle back home. She asks him to stop this nonsense and tells him that their parents are worried. Jarmangle is not swayed, but-- happy to see his sister-- asks her to come with him and his friends to the dangerous, pirate-infested Bloodpurse Isle. Evelyn is horrified and doesn't believe that her sweet brother Jarmangle would do such a thing. To prove that it's him, Jarmangle reveals a brand on his shoulder-- a brand that he had when Evelyn's family found him as a baby and that's distorted over the years. He again asks her to come with them, and she refuses, deciding instead to leave for the East. She asks her bodyguard to accompany Jarmangle, to keep him safe, and to try and persuade him to give up this life of danger and adventure.
Before Evelyn leaves, Tralamin takes a fancy to the girl's parasol and tries to trade her for it, even offering the bloodied elk remains that he wears as pants. Evelyn, for some strange reason, declines.
Return to Firepalm
Irving suggests that the fastest way to get to Bloodpurse Isle would be to take the river down to the ocean, and he recalls that there was a port on the outskirts of Firepalm. They decide to return to Firepalm, so that they might either charter or, more likely given the homicidal tendencies of the town's residents, steal a vessel. Because of the danger posed by the fire dwarfs, they decide to travel light, leaving both their whores and ales at home. Perhaps there's trade to be done on Bloodpurse Isle, but it'll have to wait for a return trip.
They arrive in Firepalm near dusk and find it strangely devoid of insane, fire-bearded dwarfs. The one-street town almost seems deserted. The group decides to check into city hall-- after all, the mayor still owes them money.
The mayor is there, but just barely alive; he looks sickly, and seems not-quite-aware of their presence. Tralamin remembers that when they killed the dragon, the fiery creatures and the firepalm ore that resided in its lair grew cold and dead. Perhaps extinguishing its life-force also extinguished all the magic of the ore; now the fire dwarfs, deprived of it, are suffering withdrawal. Taking pity on the poor creature-- but not before looting his office of course, finding a sparkling gem-- they adjust his body so that he won't choke to death on his own vomit.
Jarmangle, feeling vindictive, suggests that they cut his beard off-- Tralamin can already see ways that he can use it as an article of clothing. The dwarf bodyguard Uncle is appalled and lectures them on the importance of a beard to his kind. They refrain from taking the beard, Jarmangle consoles himself with taking the mayor's mountain-shaped paperweight, and the group heads to the port.
The Eve of Destruction
There's one vessel in the port, a ship given the somewhat off-putting name of The Eve of Destruction. Warily, our heroes try to detect the presence of ghosts or demons before they even set foot on it. They detect nothing.
Once aboard the ship, however, Robyn-- whose vampiric blood aids in the detection of the undead-- has a bad feeling about what awaits below. Within the ship, they find the corpse of a headless dwarf. Searching his body, they find a number of items meant to protect him from the undead; the items obviously did not work as planned.
They also find a scrap of paper, once part of a map, with an "X" marked just west of the Devil's Vulva. They've not any time to consider it now, however, as they hear the shuffling murmurs of the undead in the next room. Determined to catch the foul things by surprise, our heroes rush into the ship's sleeping chambers.
A horde of zombies, detached crawling body-parts, and undead beasts await on the other side, controlled by a terrible wight. The last time they fought a wight, Irving nearly met his demise; since that battle deep beneath Hodam, however, they've fought fearsome orcs, sly kobolds, the cult of cloth, living statues, and, yes, that terrible and tragic dragon. With the element of surprise in their favour, and the benefits of battle-won experience-- not to mention a few handy, undead-targeting trinkets-- they easily trounce the undead. Only Uncle, the newest of their number, takes any serious injuries; coming from the East, he's not as familiar with the beasts and horrors that populate the West. But his mastery of the martial arts ensures that no blow struck against him remains unreturned, and he knows his wounds will heal.
They dispose of the undead and then, at Uncle's behest, they give a short burial at sea for the headless dwarf.
And then, with morning approaching, they sail down the river.
Part II
The Nameless Pub
Docking at Bloodpurse Isle after two days of sailing, the six adventurers-- not knowing where Tyne might be waiting for them-- stop in at The Nameless Pub not far from the docks. It's a rowdy, bawdy place, stuffed to the gills with cutthroats, mercenaries, and pirates. Listening to the boisterous bragging and secretive whispers, they're able to glom onto a few salient facts: most famous of all the pirates on the Isle, and to many its defacto ruler, is Captain Bergris. For decades the scourge of the Empires of the East, robbing their ships and ports with abandon, he'll ride the currents back to Bloodpurse Isle. He and his men are safe here as a result of a pact they've made with the mermen who live in the bay, and this fact, along with the many stories of his exploits, is responsible for the allegiance many feel towards him.
Some, however, swear allegiance to the new pirate lord Tallybrooke. He's already made a name for himself by throwing copious amounts of money around and providing plenty of work for the various scurvy dogs who populate the Isle.
The Drinking Contest
One particularly fearsome looking pirate challenges all comers to a drinking contest. Feer, Irving, and Tralamin abstain, but the promise of winning the pot entices Uncle, Robyn, and Jarmangle to throw in. Round-after-round, shot-after-shot, they try to outdrink each other. Robyn quickly falls to the floor, and the pirate who challenged them follows soon after. One of the others points out that Jarmangle and Uncle, being the only two left, could split the pot between them, but they're determined to stay in it until one of them falters.
That one, surprisingly, is Uncle, who proceeds to cover Jarmangle in copious amounts of vomit. Irving quickly uses his magic to clean the drunken tiefling, just in time for the latter to come face-to-face with Tyne.
The Job
Tyne has a job for them. In a cave on the island, guarded by pirates, is a stone given to the mermen that represents the sanctity of their pact with Captain Bergris. Her employer, whom she won't name, wants the stone. If they retrieve it, each of them will get 200 gold-- except for Jarmangle. Jarmangle, she says with a wink, will get whatever he desires of Tyne.
This sounds like a good deal for the lustful tiefling, but the others are suspicious. Irving, remembering how the magical ecosystem that grew around the dragon died along with it, is concerned that removing the stone might harm the mermen in some way. Feer, however, is pretty sure that the mermen are a naturally-occurring beast, and that the pact stone is likely just that.
That raises the question of why steal the stone? Tyne is evasive, but offers that her employer wants to renegotiate the terms of the pact, to ensure that Captain Bergris doesn't have a monopoly on the power of Bloodpurse Isle. This in turn raises another question: why doesn't Tyne just do it herself?
This she's more willing to answer. Jarmangle, with the proper disguise, could pass for Captain Bergris. Dressed as pirates, the group could get past the guards and into the cave. In case there are any mermen present, because living underwater they have exceptionally poor eyesight, they will in turn think Bergris is taking the stone and ending the treaty. Then, her employer can return with the stone to renegotiate the treaty.
The group agrees, but is wary; Tyne has put them in a tight spot before, and they're in no hurry to be tricked or trapped. They take the disguises she's given them and decide to plan their next move very carefully.
Recon
Thanks to an elixir provided by Tyne, Jarmangle is now slightly less drunk and Robyn is conscious if hungover. The group leaves Tyne to explore the town, stopping at a confectionery to buy cotton candy and ask the locals for information. They more-or-less confirm their suspicion that the obvious suspect to be Tyne's mysterious employer is Tallybrooke, as renegotiating the mermen treaty would tip the balance of power in his favour.
They stop in at a blacksmith, to see what can be done with the scales they looted from the dragon's corpse. The blacksmith freely admits that such material is beyond his kin, but says that his mentor, Orgath Blackhammer, the master blacksmith who lives on the mainland in the forest just west of the Bell of Harvest, might be able to work with it, for a price. He offers to place the multi-faceted gem Jarmangle took from the mayor's office into his sword-- that, at least, is within his power-- but Jarmangle doesn't have enough gold. The blacksmith spies Jarmangle's paperweight, also from the mayor's office, and offers to place the gem in exchange for it; Jarmangle's suspicions are aroused by the blacksmith's sudden interest in a supposedly worthless trinket and declines.
Jarmangle and Feer decide to scope out the cave before they all go marching in, and the others agree to wait.
The Cave
Jarmangle, disguised as Bergris, easily fools the half-drunk pirates standing watch. They're surprised that he's home, as they thought he had just left for the East, but Jarmangle insults their mothers in a suitably pirate-like fashion and they kindly shut their mouths. Jarmangle and Feer head into the cave and discover that there's not much to it; no tunnels or twists, no chambers, no death traps. There is, at the far end, a pool that seems to have no bottom, perhaps feeding into the ocean and the mermen city itself. Within the pool, set inside a magic bubble, is the pact stone, and guarding the stone is what Feer correctly determines to be a were-shark.
They exit the cave, find the others, and report their findings. If they can find some way to distract the were-shark, they reason, they'll be able to grab the stone. But what if the removal of the stone results in some sort of trap being tripped? Jarmangle and Feer had not detected any mechanisms, but they're also ill-versed in the ways of arcane tortures. Robyn offers that they might swap the pact stone with her Charm of Nebulous Shape and Size, and Jarmangle suggests using the bloody dragon meat to distract the were-shark.
They return to the cave-- Tralamin still wears his owlbear cloak over his pirate disguise, and "Bergris" introduces him to the guard pirates as his trusted ally, Lt. Owlbearicus-- and set their plan into action. They tie the bloodied dragon meat to a rock so that it will sink. As soon as it hits the water, the magical blood spreads, making the water murky and hard to see through. But they do see the were-shark descending after the meat before it becomes impossible to see.
Irving uses his magically-conjured hand to swap the charm for the pact stone. As the water starts to clear, they see that the bloodied meat also attracted the attention of some nearby mermen. Fooled, for the moment, by the charm, they do not realize the pact stone is missing, but they are confused as to why "Bergris" is in the cave, as they only meet to confirm the pact on the solstice, which is still three weeks away. Jarmangle apologizes and says he simply got the dates mixed up while at sea.
They leave the cave without incident, and then they find Tyne.
Tallybrooke
She confirms that, yes, her employer is Tallybrooke, and takes them to Tallybrooke's impressive manor house so that they might hand over the stone and collect their gold. The group, realizing that Tallybrooke is unlikely to have seen the pact stone, and wishing to be cautious, gives him the glittering jewel they found in the office of the mayor of Firepalm, passing it off as the pact stone. Tallybrooke takes the bait, and points the group to a table on which sits a heap of gold and announces that he is taking his leave.
They are, naturally, suspicious, but they determine that there's nothing magical or illusory about the gold. And so, they all take their money. All, that is, but Jarmangle, who steals away with Tyne for their proposed tryst.
The Secret
But as Tyne starts to undress, Jarmangle discovers that she has a brand on her shoulder-- very close to the distorted brand on his shoulder, which he used to prove his identity to Evelyn. When he asks about it, Tyne explains how she got it.
She is the daughter of Captain Bergris; when her father, her pregnant mother, and herself were captured by one of the empires of the East, they were all branded as pirates. Bergris escaped, but left Tyne and her mother in the clutches of the Empire. Her mother died in childbirth, and the baby, her brother, was branded a few days after his birth. Tyne doubts her brother survived.
The only thing she hates worse than the empire, she says, is the only other person alive with the brand-- her father, Captain Bergris.
Jarmangle reveals that he, too, has the brand-- and both of them realize the reason why he bore a resemblance to Bergris. Jarmangle is his son, and Tyne's lost brother. This, of course, puts the kibosh on their plans, and Tyne hurriedly gets dressed.
Wizard's Cipher
They join the others; Uncle tries to pump Jarmangle for details and Tralamin offers, given the short time they were away, that it happens to everyone. Jarmangle reveals that Tyne is his sister, and supposes he'll have to go back to hitting on the bard. Robyn, the bard in question, rolls her eyes.
Suddenly, the night sky is filled with strange signs. Irving intuits that it is a Wizard's Cipher. It's a cipher that disappears after a few minutes; even if you write it down, even if you memorize it, the cipher disappears from both page and memory. The translation would remain, meaning that it has to be cracked within that small window.
Eagerly, the entire group throws themselves into cracking it. Just as the words start to fade, they do; it's a message sent by Tallybrooke to an eastern empire, suggesting that the mermen pact is broken and confirming that he will be made governor of Bloodpurse Isle once the empire comes to destroy the returning Captain Bergris and his pirates. Tyne is shocked; had she known Tallybrooke worked for the empire she despised, she would never have sent for Jarmangle and his friends, would never have worked for him.
Returning the Stone
The group heads back to the cave, and finds within a group of angry mermen, readied for war with the pirates. Their trick has been discovered. Jarmangle, still doing a passable imitation of Bergris, apologizes and explains that a fiend named Tallybrooke was attempting to steal the stone, and that they took it only to prevent its theft. The logic might be screwy, but the delivery is convincing, and the "owlbear" they perceive standing next to Bergris is suitably frightening; the mermen agree to accept the stone and restore the pact, so long as the thief adheres to the mermen code and gives up one of their fingers. It's only now that they take note of one of the mermen, who has only two fingers and a thumb left on one of his hands.
Irving offers that it was his magically-conjured hand that stole the stone, and conjures another so that they might claim its finger.
Denouement
The pact restored, and all fingers intact, our heroes merely wait and watch as Bergris returns to the Isle, the empire fast on his heels. Said empire is quickly rebuffed when the mermen join the pirates. The empire flees, and so does Tallybrooke; in the days that follow, some report seeing him near the Dark Spire, an unholy tower looming on the mainland's peninsula.
Jarmangle and his friends (minus Tyne, who has disappeared) are brought before the real Bergris, who admires Jarmangle's audacity in impersonating him. Jarmangle reveals that Bergris is his father, and the conversation that follows is fairly awkward and not particularly warm.
Bergris does offer Jarmangle a place among his pirates, but Jarmangle has already found his place.
The latter proves to be true; she's come, along with her dwarfish bodyguard Uncle, to take Jarmangle back home. She asks him to stop this nonsense and tells him that their parents are worried. Jarmangle is not swayed, but-- happy to see his sister-- asks her to come with him and his friends to the dangerous, pirate-infested Bloodpurse Isle. Evelyn is horrified and doesn't believe that her sweet brother Jarmangle would do such a thing. To prove that it's him, Jarmangle reveals a brand on his shoulder-- a brand that he had when Evelyn's family found him as a baby and that's distorted over the years. He again asks her to come with them, and she refuses, deciding instead to leave for the East. She asks her bodyguard to accompany Jarmangle, to keep him safe, and to try and persuade him to give up this life of danger and adventure.
Before Evelyn leaves, Tralamin takes a fancy to the girl's parasol and tries to trade her for it, even offering the bloodied elk remains that he wears as pants. Evelyn, for some strange reason, declines.
Return to Firepalm
Irving suggests that the fastest way to get to Bloodpurse Isle would be to take the river down to the ocean, and he recalls that there was a port on the outskirts of Firepalm. They decide to return to Firepalm, so that they might either charter or, more likely given the homicidal tendencies of the town's residents, steal a vessel. Because of the danger posed by the fire dwarfs, they decide to travel light, leaving both their whores and ales at home. Perhaps there's trade to be done on Bloodpurse Isle, but it'll have to wait for a return trip.
They arrive in Firepalm near dusk and find it strangely devoid of insane, fire-bearded dwarfs. The one-street town almost seems deserted. The group decides to check into city hall-- after all, the mayor still owes them money.
The mayor is there, but just barely alive; he looks sickly, and seems not-quite-aware of their presence. Tralamin remembers that when they killed the dragon, the fiery creatures and the firepalm ore that resided in its lair grew cold and dead. Perhaps extinguishing its life-force also extinguished all the magic of the ore; now the fire dwarfs, deprived of it, are suffering withdrawal. Taking pity on the poor creature-- but not before looting his office of course, finding a sparkling gem-- they adjust his body so that he won't choke to death on his own vomit.
Jarmangle, feeling vindictive, suggests that they cut his beard off-- Tralamin can already see ways that he can use it as an article of clothing. The dwarf bodyguard Uncle is appalled and lectures them on the importance of a beard to his kind. They refrain from taking the beard, Jarmangle consoles himself with taking the mayor's mountain-shaped paperweight, and the group heads to the port.
The Eve of Destruction
There's one vessel in the port, a ship given the somewhat off-putting name of The Eve of Destruction. Warily, our heroes try to detect the presence of ghosts or demons before they even set foot on it. They detect nothing.
Once aboard the ship, however, Robyn-- whose vampiric blood aids in the detection of the undead-- has a bad feeling about what awaits below. Within the ship, they find the corpse of a headless dwarf. Searching his body, they find a number of items meant to protect him from the undead; the items obviously did not work as planned.
They also find a scrap of paper, once part of a map, with an "X" marked just west of the Devil's Vulva. They've not any time to consider it now, however, as they hear the shuffling murmurs of the undead in the next room. Determined to catch the foul things by surprise, our heroes rush into the ship's sleeping chambers.
A horde of zombies, detached crawling body-parts, and undead beasts await on the other side, controlled by a terrible wight. The last time they fought a wight, Irving nearly met his demise; since that battle deep beneath Hodam, however, they've fought fearsome orcs, sly kobolds, the cult of cloth, living statues, and, yes, that terrible and tragic dragon. With the element of surprise in their favour, and the benefits of battle-won experience-- not to mention a few handy, undead-targeting trinkets-- they easily trounce the undead. Only Uncle, the newest of their number, takes any serious injuries; coming from the East, he's not as familiar with the beasts and horrors that populate the West. But his mastery of the martial arts ensures that no blow struck against him remains unreturned, and he knows his wounds will heal.
They dispose of the undead and then, at Uncle's behest, they give a short burial at sea for the headless dwarf.
And then, with morning approaching, they sail down the river.
Part II
The Nameless Pub
Docking at Bloodpurse Isle after two days of sailing, the six adventurers-- not knowing where Tyne might be waiting for them-- stop in at The Nameless Pub not far from the docks. It's a rowdy, bawdy place, stuffed to the gills with cutthroats, mercenaries, and pirates. Listening to the boisterous bragging and secretive whispers, they're able to glom onto a few salient facts: most famous of all the pirates on the Isle, and to many its defacto ruler, is Captain Bergris. For decades the scourge of the Empires of the East, robbing their ships and ports with abandon, he'll ride the currents back to Bloodpurse Isle. He and his men are safe here as a result of a pact they've made with the mermen who live in the bay, and this fact, along with the many stories of his exploits, is responsible for the allegiance many feel towards him.
Some, however, swear allegiance to the new pirate lord Tallybrooke. He's already made a name for himself by throwing copious amounts of money around and providing plenty of work for the various scurvy dogs who populate the Isle.
The Drinking Contest
One particularly fearsome looking pirate challenges all comers to a drinking contest. Feer, Irving, and Tralamin abstain, but the promise of winning the pot entices Uncle, Robyn, and Jarmangle to throw in. Round-after-round, shot-after-shot, they try to outdrink each other. Robyn quickly falls to the floor, and the pirate who challenged them follows soon after. One of the others points out that Jarmangle and Uncle, being the only two left, could split the pot between them, but they're determined to stay in it until one of them falters.
That one, surprisingly, is Uncle, who proceeds to cover Jarmangle in copious amounts of vomit. Irving quickly uses his magic to clean the drunken tiefling, just in time for the latter to come face-to-face with Tyne.
The Job
Tyne has a job for them. In a cave on the island, guarded by pirates, is a stone given to the mermen that represents the sanctity of their pact with Captain Bergris. Her employer, whom she won't name, wants the stone. If they retrieve it, each of them will get 200 gold-- except for Jarmangle. Jarmangle, she says with a wink, will get whatever he desires of Tyne.
This sounds like a good deal for the lustful tiefling, but the others are suspicious. Irving, remembering how the magical ecosystem that grew around the dragon died along with it, is concerned that removing the stone might harm the mermen in some way. Feer, however, is pretty sure that the mermen are a naturally-occurring beast, and that the pact stone is likely just that.
That raises the question of why steal the stone? Tyne is evasive, but offers that her employer wants to renegotiate the terms of the pact, to ensure that Captain Bergris doesn't have a monopoly on the power of Bloodpurse Isle. This in turn raises another question: why doesn't Tyne just do it herself?
This she's more willing to answer. Jarmangle, with the proper disguise, could pass for Captain Bergris. Dressed as pirates, the group could get past the guards and into the cave. In case there are any mermen present, because living underwater they have exceptionally poor eyesight, they will in turn think Bergris is taking the stone and ending the treaty. Then, her employer can return with the stone to renegotiate the treaty.
The group agrees, but is wary; Tyne has put them in a tight spot before, and they're in no hurry to be tricked or trapped. They take the disguises she's given them and decide to plan their next move very carefully.
Recon
Thanks to an elixir provided by Tyne, Jarmangle is now slightly less drunk and Robyn is conscious if hungover. The group leaves Tyne to explore the town, stopping at a confectionery to buy cotton candy and ask the locals for information. They more-or-less confirm their suspicion that the obvious suspect to be Tyne's mysterious employer is Tallybrooke, as renegotiating the mermen treaty would tip the balance of power in his favour.
They stop in at a blacksmith, to see what can be done with the scales they looted from the dragon's corpse. The blacksmith freely admits that such material is beyond his kin, but says that his mentor, Orgath Blackhammer, the master blacksmith who lives on the mainland in the forest just west of the Bell of Harvest, might be able to work with it, for a price. He offers to place the multi-faceted gem Jarmangle took from the mayor's office into his sword-- that, at least, is within his power-- but Jarmangle doesn't have enough gold. The blacksmith spies Jarmangle's paperweight, also from the mayor's office, and offers to place the gem in exchange for it; Jarmangle's suspicions are aroused by the blacksmith's sudden interest in a supposedly worthless trinket and declines.
Jarmangle and Feer decide to scope out the cave before they all go marching in, and the others agree to wait.
The Cave
Jarmangle, disguised as Bergris, easily fools the half-drunk pirates standing watch. They're surprised that he's home, as they thought he had just left for the East, but Jarmangle insults their mothers in a suitably pirate-like fashion and they kindly shut their mouths. Jarmangle and Feer head into the cave and discover that there's not much to it; no tunnels or twists, no chambers, no death traps. There is, at the far end, a pool that seems to have no bottom, perhaps feeding into the ocean and the mermen city itself. Within the pool, set inside a magic bubble, is the pact stone, and guarding the stone is what Feer correctly determines to be a were-shark.
They exit the cave, find the others, and report their findings. If they can find some way to distract the were-shark, they reason, they'll be able to grab the stone. But what if the removal of the stone results in some sort of trap being tripped? Jarmangle and Feer had not detected any mechanisms, but they're also ill-versed in the ways of arcane tortures. Robyn offers that they might swap the pact stone with her Charm of Nebulous Shape and Size, and Jarmangle suggests using the bloody dragon meat to distract the were-shark.
They return to the cave-- Tralamin still wears his owlbear cloak over his pirate disguise, and "Bergris" introduces him to the guard pirates as his trusted ally, Lt. Owlbearicus-- and set their plan into action. They tie the bloodied dragon meat to a rock so that it will sink. As soon as it hits the water, the magical blood spreads, making the water murky and hard to see through. But they do see the were-shark descending after the meat before it becomes impossible to see.
Irving uses his magically-conjured hand to swap the charm for the pact stone. As the water starts to clear, they see that the bloodied meat also attracted the attention of some nearby mermen. Fooled, for the moment, by the charm, they do not realize the pact stone is missing, but they are confused as to why "Bergris" is in the cave, as they only meet to confirm the pact on the solstice, which is still three weeks away. Jarmangle apologizes and says he simply got the dates mixed up while at sea.
They leave the cave without incident, and then they find Tyne.
Tallybrooke
She confirms that, yes, her employer is Tallybrooke, and takes them to Tallybrooke's impressive manor house so that they might hand over the stone and collect their gold. The group, realizing that Tallybrooke is unlikely to have seen the pact stone, and wishing to be cautious, gives him the glittering jewel they found in the office of the mayor of Firepalm, passing it off as the pact stone. Tallybrooke takes the bait, and points the group to a table on which sits a heap of gold and announces that he is taking his leave.
They are, naturally, suspicious, but they determine that there's nothing magical or illusory about the gold. And so, they all take their money. All, that is, but Jarmangle, who steals away with Tyne for their proposed tryst.
The Secret
But as Tyne starts to undress, Jarmangle discovers that she has a brand on her shoulder-- very close to the distorted brand on his shoulder, which he used to prove his identity to Evelyn. When he asks about it, Tyne explains how she got it.
She is the daughter of Captain Bergris; when her father, her pregnant mother, and herself were captured by one of the empires of the East, they were all branded as pirates. Bergris escaped, but left Tyne and her mother in the clutches of the Empire. Her mother died in childbirth, and the baby, her brother, was branded a few days after his birth. Tyne doubts her brother survived.
The only thing she hates worse than the empire, she says, is the only other person alive with the brand-- her father, Captain Bergris.
Jarmangle reveals that he, too, has the brand-- and both of them realize the reason why he bore a resemblance to Bergris. Jarmangle is his son, and Tyne's lost brother. This, of course, puts the kibosh on their plans, and Tyne hurriedly gets dressed.
Wizard's Cipher
They join the others; Uncle tries to pump Jarmangle for details and Tralamin offers, given the short time they were away, that it happens to everyone. Jarmangle reveals that Tyne is his sister, and supposes he'll have to go back to hitting on the bard. Robyn, the bard in question, rolls her eyes.
Suddenly, the night sky is filled with strange signs. Irving intuits that it is a Wizard's Cipher. It's a cipher that disappears after a few minutes; even if you write it down, even if you memorize it, the cipher disappears from both page and memory. The translation would remain, meaning that it has to be cracked within that small window.
Eagerly, the entire group throws themselves into cracking it. Just as the words start to fade, they do; it's a message sent by Tallybrooke to an eastern empire, suggesting that the mermen pact is broken and confirming that he will be made governor of Bloodpurse Isle once the empire comes to destroy the returning Captain Bergris and his pirates. Tyne is shocked; had she known Tallybrooke worked for the empire she despised, she would never have sent for Jarmangle and his friends, would never have worked for him.
Returning the Stone
The group heads back to the cave, and finds within a group of angry mermen, readied for war with the pirates. Their trick has been discovered. Jarmangle, still doing a passable imitation of Bergris, apologizes and explains that a fiend named Tallybrooke was attempting to steal the stone, and that they took it only to prevent its theft. The logic might be screwy, but the delivery is convincing, and the "owlbear" they perceive standing next to Bergris is suitably frightening; the mermen agree to accept the stone and restore the pact, so long as the thief adheres to the mermen code and gives up one of their fingers. It's only now that they take note of one of the mermen, who has only two fingers and a thumb left on one of his hands.
Irving offers that it was his magically-conjured hand that stole the stone, and conjures another so that they might claim its finger.
Denouement
The pact restored, and all fingers intact, our heroes merely wait and watch as Bergris returns to the Isle, the empire fast on his heels. Said empire is quickly rebuffed when the mermen join the pirates. The empire flees, and so does Tallybrooke; in the days that follow, some report seeing him near the Dark Spire, an unholy tower looming on the mainland's peninsula.
Jarmangle and his friends (minus Tyne, who has disappeared) are brought before the real Bergris, who admires Jarmangle's audacity in impersonating him. Jarmangle reveals that Bergris is his father, and the conversation that follows is fairly awkward and not particularly warm.
Bergris does offer Jarmangle a place among his pirates, but Jarmangle has already found his place.
10.24.2010
6. Dungeon Crawl
Time to break the fourth wall just a little. While our heroes have thwarted the Curse of the Firepalm Mine and looted the Tomb of the Gnollish Kings, they really haven't spent a whole lot of time dungeoneering. The focus so far has been more on interacting with the peoples of the various frontier settlements and traversing the wilderness. This session, however, was an old-fashioned dungeon crawl, and while there were some great character-and-story moments, it doesn't really lend itself to the kind of session recaps we've done in the past.
The session pretty much started right at the doorstep of the Tomb of the Gnollish Kings, seeking to either rescue or destroy the young dragon that was sealed behind the Firepalm Door in the resting chamber of the Gnollish King of What Will Be. We skimmed over how Robyn acquired the skeletal steed that once belonged to the orc they bested in the last time, how Jarmangle's egg hatched to reveal a Dire Falcon, how Robyn gave him the glove he needed to command the violent creature, and how Feer asked the kobold Meepo to come along, so that he might talk with the dragon or any kobolds that awaited them inside.
Once inside the resting chamber, Tralamin used the ritual stone that the deceased Steampunk Gnoll gave her to open the door; both the door and the stone melted into a goopy pile of wax, revealing a tunnel. The six of them-- Robyn, Feer, Jarmangle, Irving, Tralamin, and Meepo-- headed down the sloped tunnel for about an hour. When they reached its end, they found themselves in a room walled with white polished stone.
I1. At the far end of the room, there is a fountain without any water. On either side of the fountain, two gnollish statues. In the center of the floor, there is a large and mysterious plate. Try as they might, they cannot open the plate. Tralamin determines that the statues are living/animated but currently dormant-- but not before he and Jarmangle damage one of the statues, cracking off a foot. Irving reaches into the fountain to pluck some kind of arcane coin.
I2. Here there slumbers a strange reptilian beast, a "Frogdog". It cradles between its stubby arms a Scepter bursting with electricity that gently strokes its head. The group decides not to bother it at the moment, but takes note of a staircase leading downwards.
I3. In this room, they find a crank. No matter how hard they try, they cannot get it to budge. Here, too, is a staircase leading down. And down they go.
II1. This corridor connects the two staircases, and in the middle, to the south, sits a fountain much like the first, only filled with water and coins. On either side of the fountain is an indentation in the wall; in each indentation, there's a heavy chain. When Irving puts his coin into the fountain with the others, the chains loosen; now the crank in I3 can be manipulated. Once they have done so, this fountain drains dry, and the back opens up to reveal II2.
II2. Once they enter this room, the entrance seals up behind them, and the room begins to fill with water. Meepo the Kobold recognizes the trap as a very old Kobold design and points out a circular plate on the ceiling. The water will rise up and press against the plate; once it holds its pressure against it for a set amount of time-- enough to drown the inhabitants-- the room will drain and reset. Irving uses his mage-hand; Jarmangle makes several attempts to climb up to the plate; eventually, they press it in. The water is drained-- now filling the fountain at I1, and the circular plate opens. Climbing up, Jarmangle finds himself in I1.
The statues have now been activated-- probably by the crank-- and they are engaged in battle with a number of Fire Dwarfs who have followed our heroes down. Also on the offensive is the now-awakened frogdog. Jarmangle shimmies back down to II2 and informs his friends of what's going on.
They sneak back up the stairs to I2, and staying out of sight, they watch as the statues clobber the snot out of the Fire Dwarfs. When the frogdog takes note of them, they, too, join the fray. Meepo makes a half-hearted attempt before fleeing, and in his haste he falls down the stairs.
Once they've won the battle, Irving investigates the fountain. Reflected in the water he sees a cavern filled with stalactites and bats. He puts his leg in and notes that it does not touch the bottom; he goes all the way through to find himself in the cave.
He beckons the others; they follow, and find themselves face-to-face with the Steampunk Gnoll.
Part II.
1. It is revealed that the Steampunk Gnoll has not come back from the dead, but rather hasn't died yet; he is the Gnollish King of What Will Be and as such ages backwards. This is his first meeting with them, and their last with him. He reveals that he has the Ritual Stone that Tralamin destroyed to open the door, and now that she's used it, he will move back through time so that he can give it to her. He warns them that there is indeed a dragon within, and that it must be destroyed for it is evil. Whether this is fact or gnollish prejudice, they cannot say. With that, he is on his way.
2. Passing through the melted wax of another former Firepalm Door, they come to the True Resting Place of the Gnollish King. The slab where he once rested is rigged to an arrow trap in the walls. The hallway to the east is blocked by a sort of mechanical door. Actually, though they don't know it yet, it's blocked by two mechanical doors.
These sets of mechanical doors, marked with an "X" in the corresponding four-way forks, are always parallel. And so, when the hallway running from 3 to 4 is clear, the hallway from 5 to 6 is also clear while the doors block access from 2 to 6 and 4 to 9; when 2 to 6 and 4 to 9 are clear, 3 to 4 and 6 to 5 are blocked. At the start, the passage-ways running north-and-south are clear.
3. In this room, two small foxes, a mother and a cub, made completely of living flame are menaced by a frogdog. The heroes scare the frogdog away, and in appreciation, the mother firefox illuminates a secret set of markings on the cave wall. This turns out to be two crude maps showing rooms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9, with the first map showing the north-south halls clear and the second the west-east. It also marks this room with an "X" and room 6 with a rotating arrow.
4. This room is filled with the remnants of an arrow trap. If our heroes wished, they could repair the trap and lure whatever harmful creatures they might come across to its waiting doom. Our heroes chose not to do this.
5. This room was occupied by a couple of kobolds. Irving engaged them in conversation and learned that they are the descendants of kobolds from Kobold Pocket who followed the Gnollish King who had killed the dragon and stole its infant. Trapped here "by gnollish trickery", they have carefully modulated their lives over the successive generations to ensure there would always be someone to tend to the growing dragon's needs.
Robyn reveals that they might intend to do harm to the dragon, and a skirmish follows. The heroes quickly and effortlessly squash the kobolds. They then explore the kobold settlement (11-17) and learn more about how their society works before heading south to 6.
6. This room is dominated by a giant crank. When all our heroes turn the crank together, they change the orientation of the mechanical walls from north-south to west-east. It takes them a moment to wrap their head around this. They turn the crank again, re-setting the hallways to north-south, and head back through 5 and 4 before bearing West towards 8.
8. There is a 2x2x2 cube-shaped weight here with a pulling-ring on top. The ring sits next to a 2x2x2 indentation in the floor. No matter how hard they push or shove it, they cannot get the magical weight to budge. Jarmangle used a dead kobold's hand to grab hold of the ring, and the weight moved.
I'll admit that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and I was kinda hoping they'd do something crazy like use Tralamin's lone ritual scroll of passwall on the floor at a sloped angle to cause the weight to fall into place. But they seemed kinda stuck and I wanted to reward Jarmangle's ingenuity, and so, the kobold's hand moved the gnollish stone, revealing a secret chamber filled with gold and armour.
7. This chamber was lined with miniatures volcanoes that spewed searing magma in the air at random intervals. Irving used his ice magic to freeze a part of the wall, and they all made a run for it, just barely escaping hot lava-y death. And then they found themselves back in 1, were a little confused, and then realized they should have turned the crank in 6, move west to 2, and then trek through 1, 7, and 8 back to 4 and then to 9, if 9 was, indeed, where they wanted to be.
They determined that 9 was the magic number after exploring the firefox caves (18-23), but weren't enthused about going back through room 7 again. And so, they went back to 6, turned the crank to clear the hallways going west-east, and used the Scroll of Passwall on the mechanical wall between 6 and 5. They then skipped over to 9.
9. This room exists primarily to let them catch their breaths and peer into 10 and, holy crap, there's a dragon in there. But before we get there, let's look at the Kobold Settlement and Firefox Caves.
Kobold Settlement
11. This main area, off of which all the others branch, was notable for the writing over each tunnel. In this campaign settings, kobolds don't have a written language-- but these ones do. Using a Comprehend Language ritual, Irving identifies the names of each room.
12. This greenhouse uses magical living fire to grow vegetables deep underground: radishes, beans, cauliflower, etc.
13. This kennel houses a number of frogdogs, which are bred to be companion animals for the kobolds.
14. There are a number of sleeping "pods" in the wall, where a number of extremely ugly-looking kobolds, most of them children, slumber. The floor is lined with a metal lattice, and surrounding the perimeter of the room are a number of spears; touching the lattice in anyway causes the spears to fly through the air. There is a lever near the wall; when the kobolds awaken, they pull the lever to disarm the trap. When they go to sleep, they reset it to keep themselves safe.
15. A small fishing pond is here. The kobolds are careful not to over-fish, so that there is enough to feed both them and the dragon.
16. A forge. There is a fireproof bucket near the anvil, which is used to carry the extremely-hot magical fire from room 23.
17. The library. It is here that Irving learns of the precisely-regimented laws and quotas that have been designed to sustain the kobolds, and their dragon, for over a hundred years without any contact with the outside world.
The Firefox Caves
18, 19, 21, and 22. All caves occupied by firefoxes, most of them tending to their cubs. As the heroes move deeper towards 23, they're supposed to do progressively more difficult endurance checks to make sure they don't pass out from the heat. After the first two really lousy rolls, though, I stopped asking them to do this.
20. Here there is the body of a kobold who has passed out from the heat and died. He carried a bucket with which he hoped to scoop up the living fire. A firefox sees that Tralamin carries a similar bucket and growls at him.
23. The heroes didn't come here until after they met the dragon, but if they had, they would have seen a broiling lake of magical fire, from which a number of firefox cubs are born. Said cubs are immediately adopted by waiting mothers.
The Dragon.
10. There is, indeed, a young dragon-- still much bigger than they would have anticipated-- and on its head it wears a very familiar owlbear rug. Yes, the same rug that Tralamin had worn as a cloak, which fell into the miles-deep chasm in the Tomb of Gnollish Kings, fell until it found its way here. Tralamin, whose grip on his sanity has always been slightly questionable-- he suggests, at one point, presenting the dragon's kobolds to it as food, but only after cutting off their faces so that the dragon wouldn't recognize it-- wants the owlbear cloak back and tries to strike up a bargain with the dragon.
The Dragon tells them that he swore for fifty years that if someone would free him, he would give them a heap of gold, but no one came. And so he swore for fifty years that if someone would free him, he would serve them without question, catering to their every wish. But for the last hundred years-- so angry is it that no one ever came--he swore that he would eat whoever came to free him, and then wreak terrible havoc upon the entire world.
This, naturally, leads to a fight. It's a tough fight-- Tralamin especially takes a lot of damage-- but eventually, they eke out some slight shade of a victory. There was some cool, creative stuff-- for example, Irving fired a couple magic missiles directly into the dragon's anus for extra damage-- and the dragon did a fair amount of damage, but, honestly? I don't think the fight was an exciting or as fun as some of our other fights. I think it's because the dragon was a single creature, and the tactical combat systems that distinguish 4e (much to the chagrin of some) really work better in situations with multiple opponents.
After felling the dragon, Tralamin claims her owlbear rug cloak and the others harvest souvenirs from the corpse: scales that they'll turn to armour, meat that will surely be a delicacy, claws and even eyeballs. Irving's a little perturbed by the way the others just dig into the dead thing, and all of them are given pause when two kobolds appear and begin to mourn the dragon, keening.
After the dragon
After the dragon, the volcanoes in room 7 grow dormant and the magma lake in 23 starts to cool. The firefoxes burn themselves out. The world of this dungeon is slightly less vibrant and less magical; such is the power of a dragon.
One little firefox cub, on the verge of death, moves Feer to pity. With the magic scepter Peacebringer, she touches the cub; it returns to life, now made of white radiant light. It follows Feer as it would a mother.
Conclusions
It was fun designing and running one of these sorts of adventures, and I really loved it when my players started to put together exactly how to traverse the dungeon. At the same time, it pointed up some of my weaknesses as a dungeon master; these sorts of dungeons need a clear statement of spatial relationships and elements, and I'm just not very clear when it comes to describing things. I can see it in my head, but I often use just the wrong word and give just the wrong impression. This was mitigated somewhat when I started forcing myself to use North, South, East, and West to describe where the tunnels were branching off; my habit of calling them "doors" when I meant "tunnel" or "opening", on the other hand, definitely worked against me. It was stressful and frustrating for both me and my players, and I'm looking forward to something more story-and-mileau-focused for next time.
The session pretty much started right at the doorstep of the Tomb of the Gnollish Kings, seeking to either rescue or destroy the young dragon that was sealed behind the Firepalm Door in the resting chamber of the Gnollish King of What Will Be. We skimmed over how Robyn acquired the skeletal steed that once belonged to the orc they bested in the last time, how Jarmangle's egg hatched to reveal a Dire Falcon, how Robyn gave him the glove he needed to command the violent creature, and how Feer asked the kobold Meepo to come along, so that he might talk with the dragon or any kobolds that awaited them inside.
Once inside the resting chamber, Tralamin used the ritual stone that the deceased Steampunk Gnoll gave her to open the door; both the door and the stone melted into a goopy pile of wax, revealing a tunnel. The six of them-- Robyn, Feer, Jarmangle, Irving, Tralamin, and Meepo-- headed down the sloped tunnel for about an hour. When they reached its end, they found themselves in a room walled with white polished stone.
I1. At the far end of the room, there is a fountain without any water. On either side of the fountain, two gnollish statues. In the center of the floor, there is a large and mysterious plate. Try as they might, they cannot open the plate. Tralamin determines that the statues are living/animated but currently dormant-- but not before he and Jarmangle damage one of the statues, cracking off a foot. Irving reaches into the fountain to pluck some kind of arcane coin.
I2. Here there slumbers a strange reptilian beast, a "Frogdog". It cradles between its stubby arms a Scepter bursting with electricity that gently strokes its head. The group decides not to bother it at the moment, but takes note of a staircase leading downwards.
I3. In this room, they find a crank. No matter how hard they try, they cannot get it to budge. Here, too, is a staircase leading down. And down they go.
II1. This corridor connects the two staircases, and in the middle, to the south, sits a fountain much like the first, only filled with water and coins. On either side of the fountain is an indentation in the wall; in each indentation, there's a heavy chain. When Irving puts his coin into the fountain with the others, the chains loosen; now the crank in I3 can be manipulated. Once they have done so, this fountain drains dry, and the back opens up to reveal II2.
II2. Once they enter this room, the entrance seals up behind them, and the room begins to fill with water. Meepo the Kobold recognizes the trap as a very old Kobold design and points out a circular plate on the ceiling. The water will rise up and press against the plate; once it holds its pressure against it for a set amount of time-- enough to drown the inhabitants-- the room will drain and reset. Irving uses his mage-hand; Jarmangle makes several attempts to climb up to the plate; eventually, they press it in. The water is drained-- now filling the fountain at I1, and the circular plate opens. Climbing up, Jarmangle finds himself in I1.
The statues have now been activated-- probably by the crank-- and they are engaged in battle with a number of Fire Dwarfs who have followed our heroes down. Also on the offensive is the now-awakened frogdog. Jarmangle shimmies back down to II2 and informs his friends of what's going on.
They sneak back up the stairs to I2, and staying out of sight, they watch as the statues clobber the snot out of the Fire Dwarfs. When the frogdog takes note of them, they, too, join the fray. Meepo makes a half-hearted attempt before fleeing, and in his haste he falls down the stairs.
Once they've won the battle, Irving investigates the fountain. Reflected in the water he sees a cavern filled with stalactites and bats. He puts his leg in and notes that it does not touch the bottom; he goes all the way through to find himself in the cave.
He beckons the others; they follow, and find themselves face-to-face with the Steampunk Gnoll.
Part II.
1. It is revealed that the Steampunk Gnoll has not come back from the dead, but rather hasn't died yet; he is the Gnollish King of What Will Be and as such ages backwards. This is his first meeting with them, and their last with him. He reveals that he has the Ritual Stone that Tralamin destroyed to open the door, and now that she's used it, he will move back through time so that he can give it to her. He warns them that there is indeed a dragon within, and that it must be destroyed for it is evil. Whether this is fact or gnollish prejudice, they cannot say. With that, he is on his way.
2. Passing through the melted wax of another former Firepalm Door, they come to the True Resting Place of the Gnollish King. The slab where he once rested is rigged to an arrow trap in the walls. The hallway to the east is blocked by a sort of mechanical door. Actually, though they don't know it yet, it's blocked by two mechanical doors.
These sets of mechanical doors, marked with an "X" in the corresponding four-way forks, are always parallel. And so, when the hallway running from 3 to 4 is clear, the hallway from 5 to 6 is also clear while the doors block access from 2 to 6 and 4 to 9; when 2 to 6 and 4 to 9 are clear, 3 to 4 and 6 to 5 are blocked. At the start, the passage-ways running north-and-south are clear.
3. In this room, two small foxes, a mother and a cub, made completely of living flame are menaced by a frogdog. The heroes scare the frogdog away, and in appreciation, the mother firefox illuminates a secret set of markings on the cave wall. This turns out to be two crude maps showing rooms 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 9, with the first map showing the north-south halls clear and the second the west-east. It also marks this room with an "X" and room 6 with a rotating arrow.
4. This room is filled with the remnants of an arrow trap. If our heroes wished, they could repair the trap and lure whatever harmful creatures they might come across to its waiting doom. Our heroes chose not to do this.
5. This room was occupied by a couple of kobolds. Irving engaged them in conversation and learned that they are the descendants of kobolds from Kobold Pocket who followed the Gnollish King who had killed the dragon and stole its infant. Trapped here "by gnollish trickery", they have carefully modulated their lives over the successive generations to ensure there would always be someone to tend to the growing dragon's needs.
Robyn reveals that they might intend to do harm to the dragon, and a skirmish follows. The heroes quickly and effortlessly squash the kobolds. They then explore the kobold settlement (11-17) and learn more about how their society works before heading south to 6.
6. This room is dominated by a giant crank. When all our heroes turn the crank together, they change the orientation of the mechanical walls from north-south to west-east. It takes them a moment to wrap their head around this. They turn the crank again, re-setting the hallways to north-south, and head back through 5 and 4 before bearing West towards 8.
8. There is a 2x2x2 cube-shaped weight here with a pulling-ring on top. The ring sits next to a 2x2x2 indentation in the floor. No matter how hard they push or shove it, they cannot get the magical weight to budge. Jarmangle used a dead kobold's hand to grab hold of the ring, and the weight moved.
I'll admit that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and I was kinda hoping they'd do something crazy like use Tralamin's lone ritual scroll of passwall on the floor at a sloped angle to cause the weight to fall into place. But they seemed kinda stuck and I wanted to reward Jarmangle's ingenuity, and so, the kobold's hand moved the gnollish stone, revealing a secret chamber filled with gold and armour.
7. This chamber was lined with miniatures volcanoes that spewed searing magma in the air at random intervals. Irving used his ice magic to freeze a part of the wall, and they all made a run for it, just barely escaping hot lava-y death. And then they found themselves back in 1, were a little confused, and then realized they should have turned the crank in 6, move west to 2, and then trek through 1, 7, and 8 back to 4 and then to 9, if 9 was, indeed, where they wanted to be.
They determined that 9 was the magic number after exploring the firefox caves (18-23), but weren't enthused about going back through room 7 again. And so, they went back to 6, turned the crank to clear the hallways going west-east, and used the Scroll of Passwall on the mechanical wall between 6 and 5. They then skipped over to 9.
9. This room exists primarily to let them catch their breaths and peer into 10 and, holy crap, there's a dragon in there. But before we get there, let's look at the Kobold Settlement and Firefox Caves.
Kobold Settlement
11. This main area, off of which all the others branch, was notable for the writing over each tunnel. In this campaign settings, kobolds don't have a written language-- but these ones do. Using a Comprehend Language ritual, Irving identifies the names of each room.
12. This greenhouse uses magical living fire to grow vegetables deep underground: radishes, beans, cauliflower, etc.
13. This kennel houses a number of frogdogs, which are bred to be companion animals for the kobolds.
14. There are a number of sleeping "pods" in the wall, where a number of extremely ugly-looking kobolds, most of them children, slumber. The floor is lined with a metal lattice, and surrounding the perimeter of the room are a number of spears; touching the lattice in anyway causes the spears to fly through the air. There is a lever near the wall; when the kobolds awaken, they pull the lever to disarm the trap. When they go to sleep, they reset it to keep themselves safe.
15. A small fishing pond is here. The kobolds are careful not to over-fish, so that there is enough to feed both them and the dragon.
16. A forge. There is a fireproof bucket near the anvil, which is used to carry the extremely-hot magical fire from room 23.
17. The library. It is here that Irving learns of the precisely-regimented laws and quotas that have been designed to sustain the kobolds, and their dragon, for over a hundred years without any contact with the outside world.
The Firefox Caves
18, 19, 21, and 22. All caves occupied by firefoxes, most of them tending to their cubs. As the heroes move deeper towards 23, they're supposed to do progressively more difficult endurance checks to make sure they don't pass out from the heat. After the first two really lousy rolls, though, I stopped asking them to do this.
20. Here there is the body of a kobold who has passed out from the heat and died. He carried a bucket with which he hoped to scoop up the living fire. A firefox sees that Tralamin carries a similar bucket and growls at him.
23. The heroes didn't come here until after they met the dragon, but if they had, they would have seen a broiling lake of magical fire, from which a number of firefox cubs are born. Said cubs are immediately adopted by waiting mothers.
The Dragon.
10. There is, indeed, a young dragon-- still much bigger than they would have anticipated-- and on its head it wears a very familiar owlbear rug. Yes, the same rug that Tralamin had worn as a cloak, which fell into the miles-deep chasm in the Tomb of Gnollish Kings, fell until it found its way here. Tralamin, whose grip on his sanity has always been slightly questionable-- he suggests, at one point, presenting the dragon's kobolds to it as food, but only after cutting off their faces so that the dragon wouldn't recognize it-- wants the owlbear cloak back and tries to strike up a bargain with the dragon.
The Dragon tells them that he swore for fifty years that if someone would free him, he would give them a heap of gold, but no one came. And so he swore for fifty years that if someone would free him, he would serve them without question, catering to their every wish. But for the last hundred years-- so angry is it that no one ever came--he swore that he would eat whoever came to free him, and then wreak terrible havoc upon the entire world.
This, naturally, leads to a fight. It's a tough fight-- Tralamin especially takes a lot of damage-- but eventually, they eke out some slight shade of a victory. There was some cool, creative stuff-- for example, Irving fired a couple magic missiles directly into the dragon's anus for extra damage-- and the dragon did a fair amount of damage, but, honestly? I don't think the fight was an exciting or as fun as some of our other fights. I think it's because the dragon was a single creature, and the tactical combat systems that distinguish 4e (much to the chagrin of some) really work better in situations with multiple opponents.
After felling the dragon, Tralamin claims her owlbear rug cloak and the others harvest souvenirs from the corpse: scales that they'll turn to armour, meat that will surely be a delicacy, claws and even eyeballs. Irving's a little perturbed by the way the others just dig into the dead thing, and all of them are given pause when two kobolds appear and begin to mourn the dragon, keening.
After the dragon
After the dragon, the volcanoes in room 7 grow dormant and the magma lake in 23 starts to cool. The firefoxes burn themselves out. The world of this dungeon is slightly less vibrant and less magical; such is the power of a dragon.
One little firefox cub, on the verge of death, moves Feer to pity. With the magic scepter Peacebringer, she touches the cub; it returns to life, now made of white radiant light. It follows Feer as it would a mother.
Conclusions
It was fun designing and running one of these sorts of adventures, and I really loved it when my players started to put together exactly how to traverse the dungeon. At the same time, it pointed up some of my weaknesses as a dungeon master; these sorts of dungeons need a clear statement of spatial relationships and elements, and I'm just not very clear when it comes to describing things. I can see it in my head, but I often use just the wrong word and give just the wrong impression. This was mitigated somewhat when I started forcing myself to use North, South, East, and West to describe where the tunnels were branching off; my habit of calling them "doors" when I meant "tunnel" or "opening", on the other hand, definitely worked against me. It was stressful and frustrating for both me and my players, and I'm looking forward to something more story-and-mileau-focused for next time.
10.10.2010
5. The Bard Said South
Returning to Hodam from the ruins of Justice, our heroes are surprised to meet Darface-- whom Sheriff Feer had deputized to look after the city in their absence-- about a half-mile outside of Hodam. Something's happened, but they're unable to coax it out of him; he does advise, however, that they seek out Melany behind the brewery and give the rest of the town a wide berth.
They do so, meeting Melany, and their wizard friend Irving. They have bad news: the townsfolk, angered by how Feer and Jarmangle had appropriated a number of horses, wagons, and supplies, had rioted. Darface was unable to quell the riot, and the city's grain-stores had been burnt to the ground. But at least, Melany says, you have some good news to help quiet things down.
Of course, they don't; most of the ale is gone, without a cent to show for it. The city of Justice has been utterly destroyed. The bounty on Aratin's head was unclaimed. And the six whores were exhausted not for coin, but by Tralamin and Aratin's raging libidos. This, Melany tells them blankly, is the very opposite of good news. Chances are, if word of this disaster gets around town, the lot of them will be lynched.
They decide to seek out another town to ply their wares, with the bard Robyn suggesting that they head southwards. They leave four of the whores, and the severely hung-over Jarmangle, in Melany's care; Melany, in turn, appoints Irving the protector of the prostitutes, so that they might not be ill-used by Tralamin.
Hunting
Having run out of food-- including the meat from Robyn's horse, the untanned skin of which is still worn by Tralamin as a foul-smelling cloak-- they keep a special eye out for something to hunt as they make their way south. Shortly after coming to a mountainous pass, they find an elk. Feer's longbow proves ineffective, and it starts to run off; Robyn, with an elf's special precision, kills it with an arrow to the head. Tralamin and Irving run over to pick it up.
A few yards from the elk's body, they see a group of ettercap hunters emerging from a hidden nook in the mountain. The ettercaps are lean with hunger, and seem prepared to fight over the meal. Wishing to avoid conflict, Irving offers them a third of the meat. The ettercaps find this agreeable, and leave our adventurers alone.
Feer cooks the meat-- it's gamy, but good-- and Tralamin decides to complement his rotting horse carcass with elk-skin pants.
The hat
Moving through the pass, they come to an obstruction; it's a huge plant, with a closed bulb the size of a man. Its roots and vines stretch out, thick and green, over the entirety of the pass. And entangled within that mass of foliage is the skeleton of a bard who wears a particularly fetching hat.
Tralamin-- and it's always Tralamin, isn't it?-- decides that he wants the hat for himself. Brashly, he rushes towards the growth and reaches for the hat. The vines lash out, grabbing him and hoisting him in the air; the plant's bulb opens, revealing seven petals, each lined with sharp teeth, and a sharply-pointed stem flinging out from the gulf of its seven-sided mouth.
Seeing the danger, Irving unleashes a magical blast of cold into the mouth, damaging the stem. Feer bravely rushes in with her sword in one hand and the gnollish mace Peacebringer in the other; before she can reach Tralamin, however, the vines grab hold of her, too. She hacks at the vine, but in vain; when she touches it with the Peacebringer, however, it releases both of them. They roll to safety.
Tralamin starts to reach for the hat again, but Irving intervenes, using his mage-hand to pluck the hat out of the mess. Tralamin puts on the hat and discards the horse carcass; Robyn, at long last, can bury what's left of her steed. The party pulls back and hits the plant with a number of ranged attacks, until it seems dead. Now that it's safe to approach, they examine and then loot the skeleton of the unfortunate bard.
Irving sets the plant mass on fire, and after it has burnt itself out, they ride their wagon right over its ashes.
The bridge and the gorge
Coming out of the pass and still heading south, the group comes to a deep, fairly wide gorge with seemingly no way down. There is a rickety old bridge swaying in the wind-- wide enough to accommodate the wagon, but unlikely stable enough to holds its wait. A number of possibilities, both ingenious and impractical, are considered, and it seems as if night will fall before they reach a solution. Finally, combining elements of various plans which brought new possibilities to light, which were then incorporated into other plans, which were then combined together, they arrived at an answer.
Capturing a small insect in a beer bottle, Tralamin and Irving use rope to lower themselves several feet along the cliff-face. Finding a crevice in which to place the bottle, Tralamin performs a difficult ritual-- made more-so by the fact that's he's hanging off the side of a cliff-- to transform the insect into a tree for a handful of hours. At the same time, Irving performs a ritual to increase its size, timing it so that it takes effect just as Tralamin has finished his ritual. The insect-turned-tree grows sideways from the cliff-face until its trunk stretches over the entire gorge, its branches destroying the rickety bridge and some mud huts on the other side.
Tralamin and Irving climb back up, and the group hurries over the gorge before the size-changing ritual loses its effect. On the other side, they meet a group of ettercap villagers who are quite upset at the destruction of their huts. Irving, however, is able to prevent things from escalating into violence.
They continue south, and as night falls, they make camp.
Part II
Kobold Pocket
Early in the morning, they come across what appears to be an ancient temple. The doors are blockaded with slabs; unable to find any mechanism to gain entrance, Irving opts to just knock on the door.
A voice answers, at first claiming, ridiculously, that there is no one within. The group explains that they're on a mission of trade and commerce. The voice relents, and, after a moment, the slab moves aside.
Two kobolds are in the room, operating cranks to move the slab; they rush off down a corridor, leaving the room empty. Irving peers in and notes a large cage suspended over much of the room, and cautions the others to be careful. No sooner has he said this, however, then he sets off the trap; luckily, everyone is able to avoid the cage.
A kobold appears, hoping to take them by surprise, and he is understandably miffed that they're not inside the cage. He distrusts them-- especially the elves-- but they're finally able to convince him that they are indeed simply trying to sell some ale and "entertainment". A couple of kobolds are sent to escort the wagon to the back of the structure-- which the first kobold calls "Kobold Pocket"-- and Tralamin accompanies them. The others follow the first kobold deeper into the temple.
It's been converted to a kobold settlement, with shops, homes, and areas for recreation. Irving, Feer, and Robyn take particular notice of the tall stalks of wheat growing here, without any visible source of sunlight; this is Darkwheat, the kobold explains, and it grows from the blood of their dragon. Said dragon was slain many years ago "by the gnollish kings", who "stole" its hatchling and sealed it up somewhere. Robyn realizes that this might be the "great evil" that is locked behind the door in the tomb of the Gnollish Holy Dead.
The Orc Problem
They are led to the leader of the kobolds, and there rejoin Tralamin and the wagon. The kobold leader finds the ale to be most excellent, and agrees to buy some "after the darkwheat season". Irving inquires how long that will be; the kobold says it won't be much longer. They're just waiting for the orcs to raid Kobold Pocket, butcher scores of kobolds, and steal the wheat, leaving only a few desperate scraps for the hungry kobolds.
It began when the ignorant kobolds tried to trade with the orcs; to an orc, an offer for trade is an insult. The kobolds then tried to give them some of the wheat, so that their lives may be spared; to an orc, a gift is an even graver offense. Orcs only accept that which they can take through violence and theft, and an insulted orc will err on the side of the former. This has been going on for generations; no matter how many traps they set, there are always more orcs, and a kobold can't hold his own against those mountains of muscle.
Tralamin says that they'll come back after the season, then, but Irving pressures the group to do something about these orcs. Learning from the kobolds that the orcs are completely unable to hold their liquor, the group decides to "allow" the orcs to "steal" the remaining ale, with Irving playing the role of the "victim". Then, the four heroes and the kobolds can make short work of the drunken hordes. The kobolds agree that this is a grand plan, and hold a feast in their honour.
Told it is a custom for guests to tell a story at a kobold table, Robyn regales them with a grossly-exaggerated version of their adventures, claiming to have single-handled destroyed the city of Justice (which, it could be argued, is technically true) and to have rid Firepalm of its dwarfs (which is an outright lie). Fully believing the prowess of their new friends, the kobolds prepare for battle.
Battle in the swamp
Robyn, Tralamin, and Feer wait with the kobolds some distance from the swamp where the orcs have made their camp. Irving drives the wagon into the swamp, and is soon set upon by vicious orcs. Using a smoke pellet to cover his exit, he watches from a distance as they discover the strong spirits within the wagon.
An hour or so later, the kobolds and the four adventurers head into the swamp together. Most of the orcs are passed out, or wobbling pathetically-- quick work for even the most cowardly of kobolds. However, a few orcs have proved to be made of sterner stuff, among them their fearsome leader Worgi, who holds the mighty two-bladed sword The Mouth of Death.
The battle is, in a word, hard-fought. Each of the four come dangerously close to death, and Worgi's armour proves frustratingly difficult to pierce, especially for Feer, who doesn't have the options that magic affords the others. Slowly, however, the half-dead and exhausted heroes manage to eke out the slimmest of victories. Feer claims Worgi's blade as her own, and they leave the swamp to tend to their many wounds.
Denouement
The kobolds are elated to at last be freed from the orcish raiders. They give the heroes a quantity of darkwheat to take back home as a gesture of good faith, promising to come to Hodam to trade after they have finished celebrating.
Feer, still hungry for adventure and danger even as it brought her close to the reaper's embrace, suggests that they return to the Tomb of the Gnollish Holy Dead to seek out the young dragon imprisoned within, to either vanquish the evil or free it if its imprisonment proved unjust. Telling the dragon-worshiping kobolds only the latter, the quartet adds two of the kobolds to its ranks, and heads back to Hodam so that they might prepare for the challenges that await them.
They do so, meeting Melany, and their wizard friend Irving. They have bad news: the townsfolk, angered by how Feer and Jarmangle had appropriated a number of horses, wagons, and supplies, had rioted. Darface was unable to quell the riot, and the city's grain-stores had been burnt to the ground. But at least, Melany says, you have some good news to help quiet things down.
Of course, they don't; most of the ale is gone, without a cent to show for it. The city of Justice has been utterly destroyed. The bounty on Aratin's head was unclaimed. And the six whores were exhausted not for coin, but by Tralamin and Aratin's raging libidos. This, Melany tells them blankly, is the very opposite of good news. Chances are, if word of this disaster gets around town, the lot of them will be lynched.
They decide to seek out another town to ply their wares, with the bard Robyn suggesting that they head southwards. They leave four of the whores, and the severely hung-over Jarmangle, in Melany's care; Melany, in turn, appoints Irving the protector of the prostitutes, so that they might not be ill-used by Tralamin.
Hunting
Having run out of food-- including the meat from Robyn's horse, the untanned skin of which is still worn by Tralamin as a foul-smelling cloak-- they keep a special eye out for something to hunt as they make their way south. Shortly after coming to a mountainous pass, they find an elk. Feer's longbow proves ineffective, and it starts to run off; Robyn, with an elf's special precision, kills it with an arrow to the head. Tralamin and Irving run over to pick it up.
A few yards from the elk's body, they see a group of ettercap hunters emerging from a hidden nook in the mountain. The ettercaps are lean with hunger, and seem prepared to fight over the meal. Wishing to avoid conflict, Irving offers them a third of the meat. The ettercaps find this agreeable, and leave our adventurers alone.
Feer cooks the meat-- it's gamy, but good-- and Tralamin decides to complement his rotting horse carcass with elk-skin pants.
The hat
Moving through the pass, they come to an obstruction; it's a huge plant, with a closed bulb the size of a man. Its roots and vines stretch out, thick and green, over the entirety of the pass. And entangled within that mass of foliage is the skeleton of a bard who wears a particularly fetching hat.
Tralamin-- and it's always Tralamin, isn't it?-- decides that he wants the hat for himself. Brashly, he rushes towards the growth and reaches for the hat. The vines lash out, grabbing him and hoisting him in the air; the plant's bulb opens, revealing seven petals, each lined with sharp teeth, and a sharply-pointed stem flinging out from the gulf of its seven-sided mouth.
Seeing the danger, Irving unleashes a magical blast of cold into the mouth, damaging the stem. Feer bravely rushes in with her sword in one hand and the gnollish mace Peacebringer in the other; before she can reach Tralamin, however, the vines grab hold of her, too. She hacks at the vine, but in vain; when she touches it with the Peacebringer, however, it releases both of them. They roll to safety.
Tralamin starts to reach for the hat again, but Irving intervenes, using his mage-hand to pluck the hat out of the mess. Tralamin puts on the hat and discards the horse carcass; Robyn, at long last, can bury what's left of her steed. The party pulls back and hits the plant with a number of ranged attacks, until it seems dead. Now that it's safe to approach, they examine and then loot the skeleton of the unfortunate bard.
Irving sets the plant mass on fire, and after it has burnt itself out, they ride their wagon right over its ashes.
The bridge and the gorge
Coming out of the pass and still heading south, the group comes to a deep, fairly wide gorge with seemingly no way down. There is a rickety old bridge swaying in the wind-- wide enough to accommodate the wagon, but unlikely stable enough to holds its wait. A number of possibilities, both ingenious and impractical, are considered, and it seems as if night will fall before they reach a solution. Finally, combining elements of various plans which brought new possibilities to light, which were then incorporated into other plans, which were then combined together, they arrived at an answer.
Capturing a small insect in a beer bottle, Tralamin and Irving use rope to lower themselves several feet along the cliff-face. Finding a crevice in which to place the bottle, Tralamin performs a difficult ritual-- made more-so by the fact that's he's hanging off the side of a cliff-- to transform the insect into a tree for a handful of hours. At the same time, Irving performs a ritual to increase its size, timing it so that it takes effect just as Tralamin has finished his ritual. The insect-turned-tree grows sideways from the cliff-face until its trunk stretches over the entire gorge, its branches destroying the rickety bridge and some mud huts on the other side.
Tralamin and Irving climb back up, and the group hurries over the gorge before the size-changing ritual loses its effect. On the other side, they meet a group of ettercap villagers who are quite upset at the destruction of their huts. Irving, however, is able to prevent things from escalating into violence.
They continue south, and as night falls, they make camp.
Part II
Kobold Pocket
Early in the morning, they come across what appears to be an ancient temple. The doors are blockaded with slabs; unable to find any mechanism to gain entrance, Irving opts to just knock on the door.
A voice answers, at first claiming, ridiculously, that there is no one within. The group explains that they're on a mission of trade and commerce. The voice relents, and, after a moment, the slab moves aside.
Two kobolds are in the room, operating cranks to move the slab; they rush off down a corridor, leaving the room empty. Irving peers in and notes a large cage suspended over much of the room, and cautions the others to be careful. No sooner has he said this, however, then he sets off the trap; luckily, everyone is able to avoid the cage.
A kobold appears, hoping to take them by surprise, and he is understandably miffed that they're not inside the cage. He distrusts them-- especially the elves-- but they're finally able to convince him that they are indeed simply trying to sell some ale and "entertainment". A couple of kobolds are sent to escort the wagon to the back of the structure-- which the first kobold calls "Kobold Pocket"-- and Tralamin accompanies them. The others follow the first kobold deeper into the temple.
It's been converted to a kobold settlement, with shops, homes, and areas for recreation. Irving, Feer, and Robyn take particular notice of the tall stalks of wheat growing here, without any visible source of sunlight; this is Darkwheat, the kobold explains, and it grows from the blood of their dragon. Said dragon was slain many years ago "by the gnollish kings", who "stole" its hatchling and sealed it up somewhere. Robyn realizes that this might be the "great evil" that is locked behind the door in the tomb of the Gnollish Holy Dead.
The Orc Problem
They are led to the leader of the kobolds, and there rejoin Tralamin and the wagon. The kobold leader finds the ale to be most excellent, and agrees to buy some "after the darkwheat season". Irving inquires how long that will be; the kobold says it won't be much longer. They're just waiting for the orcs to raid Kobold Pocket, butcher scores of kobolds, and steal the wheat, leaving only a few desperate scraps for the hungry kobolds.
It began when the ignorant kobolds tried to trade with the orcs; to an orc, an offer for trade is an insult. The kobolds then tried to give them some of the wheat, so that their lives may be spared; to an orc, a gift is an even graver offense. Orcs only accept that which they can take through violence and theft, and an insulted orc will err on the side of the former. This has been going on for generations; no matter how many traps they set, there are always more orcs, and a kobold can't hold his own against those mountains of muscle.
Tralamin says that they'll come back after the season, then, but Irving pressures the group to do something about these orcs. Learning from the kobolds that the orcs are completely unable to hold their liquor, the group decides to "allow" the orcs to "steal" the remaining ale, with Irving playing the role of the "victim". Then, the four heroes and the kobolds can make short work of the drunken hordes. The kobolds agree that this is a grand plan, and hold a feast in their honour.
Told it is a custom for guests to tell a story at a kobold table, Robyn regales them with a grossly-exaggerated version of their adventures, claiming to have single-handled destroyed the city of Justice (which, it could be argued, is technically true) and to have rid Firepalm of its dwarfs (which is an outright lie). Fully believing the prowess of their new friends, the kobolds prepare for battle.
Battle in the swamp
Robyn, Tralamin, and Feer wait with the kobolds some distance from the swamp where the orcs have made their camp. Irving drives the wagon into the swamp, and is soon set upon by vicious orcs. Using a smoke pellet to cover his exit, he watches from a distance as they discover the strong spirits within the wagon.
An hour or so later, the kobolds and the four adventurers head into the swamp together. Most of the orcs are passed out, or wobbling pathetically-- quick work for even the most cowardly of kobolds. However, a few orcs have proved to be made of sterner stuff, among them their fearsome leader Worgi, who holds the mighty two-bladed sword The Mouth of Death.
The battle is, in a word, hard-fought. Each of the four come dangerously close to death, and Worgi's armour proves frustratingly difficult to pierce, especially for Feer, who doesn't have the options that magic affords the others. Slowly, however, the half-dead and exhausted heroes manage to eke out the slimmest of victories. Feer claims Worgi's blade as her own, and they leave the swamp to tend to their many wounds.
Denouement
The kobolds are elated to at last be freed from the orcish raiders. They give the heroes a quantity of darkwheat to take back home as a gesture of good faith, promising to come to Hodam to trade after they have finished celebrating.
Feer, still hungry for adventure and danger even as it brought her close to the reaper's embrace, suggests that they return to the Tomb of the Gnollish Holy Dead to seek out the young dragon imprisoned within, to either vanquish the evil or free it if its imprisonment proved unjust. Telling the dragon-worshiping kobolds only the latter, the quartet adds two of the kobolds to its ranks, and heads back to Hodam so that they might prepare for the challenges that await them.
9.12.2010
3. The Terror That Came to Hodam
En route to Hodam, the five adventurers who braved the Tomb of the Holy Gnollish Kings-- Filliam, Tralamin, Jarmangle, Robyn, and Feer-- meet up with their friend, the human wizard Irving. While the quintet had tried but failed to save the life of the mysterious civilized gnoll, Irving was far more successful in tracking down Kylia and retrieving the gold she had stolen from the others. Thus reunited, the six heroes press on towards "the wretched cesspool of Hodam", renown for its drinking, gambling, violence, and whores.
But as they approach the once-bustling frontier town, they meet a red-nosed dwarf with a sad story to tell: temperance has come to Hodam. The Distaff Temperance Society-- a group of moralistic widows and spinsters-- has won the brewery in a card game and then shut it down. The prostitutes have been disappearing at an alarming rate, and the tieflings, once tolerated, are evicted without a second thought. The dwarf announces his intention to press on to Firepalm, but then decides to head to the city of Justice when Irving informs him that the Firepalm Dwarfs have been driven insane by the Firepalm Ore in their blood.
Jarmangle, with the help of the others, covers up his red tiefling skin and horns with a mask and some toweling. Thus disguised, they head into the town.
The People of Hodam
Our heroes soon make the acquaintance of Danald, formerly the owner of the brewery. It was his disapproving aunt, Matilda, who founded the Distaff Temperance Society. Ironically, she passed away just before the Society finally wrenched the brewery from him in a game with a card-shark called Lord Jasen. The legitimate gambling has been shut down, but a secret game is still held by the Society, which they use to keep the city in a perpetual state of poverty-- and thus ensuring that no one can question their power.
It seems a little silly to our heroes-- in a lawless town like Hodam, why doesn't someone just take the brewery back by force? But the residents are hesitant, says Danald; the Society is a bunch of old ladies, after all, and even the worst of scoundrels has to draw the line somewhere. Something might happen soon, though, if things don't get better.
They meet one of the society matrons and her gnollish slave. She sees nothing wrong with the Society's "good works", proclaiming that "pure blood is healthy blood"; she's convinced that the town's economy will bounce back, that somehow, there will be honest and civilized work to be found in this wilderness. Her slave seethes not-too-secretly with rage. Across the street from the brewery is what he refers to as sacred ground-- a scene of a great battle between a gnollish prince and a great evil. The evil's body was interred in the ground, turning the large mound of dirt and rock blood-red; the evil's spirit was sucked into the prince's blade.
And what were the humans of Hodam using the Blood Circle for? For boxing matches to the death, and other debaucheries. The humans, he says, are always meddling in things they can't even begin to understand.
Across the street, they see a procession of Society members running a female tiefling out of town. Jarmangle recognizes it as the tiefling with whom he flirted and crossed swords with at the burial site of the Gnollish Holy Dead. The disguised Jarmangle leaves the group, following the procession.
The group, meanwhile, meets a former prostitute, Melany, who is concerned about the disappearance of the other girls. An atypical whore, Melany is well-read and seems well-versed in economics, proceeding to lecture our heroes about the dangers of basing an economy around ale, sex, and gambling.
Tyne's challenge
Jarmangle catches up to the procession and convinces the Society matrons to let him escort "this filthy tiefling" out of town, as she might be dangerous. The Society is duly charmed by this masked stranger and gives custody of the tiefling, Tyne, over to him.
Once on the outskirts of town, Tyne recognizes Jarmangle, who flirts with her incessantly. Tyne is not impressed, but doesn't give him the cold shoulder, either.
Tyne explains that when the tieflings were booted out of town, she was permitted to remain, so long as she performed missions for Lord Jasen. One of those missions-- the most important-- was to retrieve the sword of the Gnollish King of War, the very sword that was now in Jarmangle's possession. Because she failed, she was now persona non grata.
Jarmangle seems exquisitely single-minded, hand-waving all that off as he makes yet another lame pass at his fellow tiefling. Tyne hints that she might be amenable to his advances if he can get revenge for her and kill Lord Jasen. Without missing a beat, Jarmangle agrees and asks where he can find Jasen; Tyne doesn't know. Somewhere in town. He only comes out during the secret card game, and only when the house is losing. Tyne leaves, and Jarmangle rushes off to rejoin the others.
Finding the card game
Jarmangle suggests that they enter the card game, win back the brewery, and then kill Lord Jasen. Irving is all well-and-good with the first two, but blanches at the last: just kill him, without provocation?
In trying to find the card game, they make the mistake of approaching a priggish Eladrin called Ofscar. Jarmangle casually insults him by referring to him as an "elf"; Ofscar challenges him to a duel by slapping him with his glove. Jarmangle, in turn, steals the glove, further inciting Ofscar, who now threatens to "turn them in" for attempting to find the card game.
The elven bard Robyn, perhaps a little tired of this flighty Eladrin, knocks him over and steals his coin pouch, containing some 500 gold coins. Irving is shocked at the behaviour of his traveling companions but says nothing about it.
Jarmangle is about to temporarily paralyze Ofscar with some magical stones he acquired from Tyne, but Tralamin has a better idea. He helps his fellow Eladrin off the dusty earth, and ascertains that Ofscar shares his thirst for knowledge and awareness. Tralamin gives Ofscar a powerful ritual scroll that's intended to impart absolute knowledge of one topic. Said scroll will leave him in a trance for hours; if the question is too cosmic for his brain to comprehend, he might be driven insane. Tralamin, of course, doesn't tell him that, but instead advises him to ask the biggest question he can.
Irving, again, is quite appalled when he learns the true possible consequences of Tralamin's actions. And while Robyn is now considerably richer, they've no clue as to how to get in on the card game.
That's when they meet Darface, a dwarf suffering from severe developmental disabilities. Darface, it turns out, knows exactly how to get into the game-- which building to go into, what words to say, and what the answer will mean. Others might dismiss him as a simpleton, but Irving listens intently to his words and deciphers their meaning.
The Pawn Shop
Before they take part in the game, however, they decide to stop at the pawn shop just outside of town, where Jarmangle hopes to replace his grappling hook, among other things. The pawnbroker is pleased to see them; everyone's been selling/pawning these days, but no one's been buying because no one has had money. In bartering with the pawnbroker, Jarmangle offers him one of the paralyzing stones, inadvertently encasing the broker in a statue-like layer of rock. With some chiding from Irving, Jarmangle gives the unaware broker the rest of the promised payment.
Lord Jasen
The game our six heroes enter isn't really about the cards, but about bluffing. Through their combined efforts, they quickly drive the dealer to bankruptcy. That's when the Society summons Lord Jasen.
Jasen is a very sickly but elegant looking human who ups the ante aggressively and seems particularly focused on the disguised Jarmangle, making veiled references to something in his possession. Jasen's fabled luck, however, seems to have run out, as Filliam and Tralamin are surprisingly adept at the game. In a desperate gamble, Jasen puts the brewery on the table, hoping to chide Jarmangle into gambling the sword. Instead, Jarmangle folds.
So focused was Jasen on Jarmangle, however, that he quite forgot Tralamin, who wins the brewery and a sizable amount of gold. Enraged, Jasen grabs Robyn and demands that both the brewery deed and the gnollish sword be "returned" to him.
"Or else," he says, curling back his lip to reveal his sharp canines, "I'll open her pretty throat!"
Part II
The Vampire and the Daywalker
Lord Jasen is a vampire-- even when looking quite ill, he's still more than a match for our fledgling heroes. He has, however, overplayed his hand; the Society members are horrified to discover that the handsome gentlemen is a member of the undead. His support in Hodam is gone, and he knows he'll be hunted down by its enraged citizens. Jasen, terrified, bites Robyn-- draining her dry in but a few scant moments-- and turns to mist, escaping into the night.
Using the Peacebringer mace that she took from the Gnollish Queen of Peace, Feer saves Robyn from the brink of death. She is, however, still feverish and unconscious. Tyne appears and leads the group to one of the whorehouses where they can hold up for the night.
As they watch over the ailing Robyn, they begin to piece things together. Jarmangle is incensed that Tyne put them up against a vampire, but she claims that she had no idea of his true nature. That must be why he wanted to get rid of all the tieflings, though, she says; there's a legend that the oldest vampires couldn't handle the "impure" blood of tieflings. Remember the slogan of the Society-- "pure blood is healthy blood"-- they realize that perhaps the same could be said of blood containing high amounts of alcohol. Perhaps Jasen tried to feed on someone with such an elevated level of alcohol and the resulting toxic shock is what resulted in his current haggard and sickly appearance. Irving realizes that in order to be one of those oldest of vampires, Jasen must be the ancient evil that the gnollish slave spoke of, and that the sword Jarmangle holds must contain Jasen's spirit and power.
Come the morning, Tyne has left and Robyn awakes but discovers that she has changed; the interaction of the vampire's bite and the holy Peacebringer mace has transformed her into a living "half-vampire" daywalker, a dhampyr.
The Fearless Vampire Killers
When the six adventurers walk out onto the street, they find it a scene of drunken debauchery. The entire town, realizing that Jasen is a vampire and, like the visiting heroes, realizing that the alcohol is toxic, decided to break into the brewery as a kind of protection. The group considers leaving things be, but Irving convinces them that slaying the vampire is the best course of action. Jarmangle agrees, and all six down a frosty one before setting to work trying to find Jasen's lair.
It doesn't prove a difficult task; the Hodam graveyard, colourfully called the Corpse-dump, has caved in, revealing a tunnel leading towards the Blood Circle. Our heroes venture into the tunnel before coming face to face with a magical sentry. This Eye of Alarm guards the entrance to Jasen's lair.
Irving creates an illusion of mist, making it easier for Jarmangle to sneak to the door, unnoticed. Jarmangle takes note of a host of undead horrors: former whores turned into vampire spawn, animated skeletons, the rotting corpses of two large dogs, and a wight dressed in the garb of a Society member. And then, at the far end of the chamber, there sits the accursed coffin.
Desiring to catch the undead by surprise, the six rack their brains for a way to thwart the Eye of Alarm. Filliam suggests that Irving create an illusion, a sort of miniature magical "drawing" of the tunnel that can be conjured directly in front of the eye. Irving does so, and it works!
Aunt Matilda, the Deathlock Wight
The battle that follows is fierce and hard-fought; Irving and Jarmangle both come close to death's door. But through valiant effort, cunning strategy, and the powerful fireball magic at Irving's disposal, the living proves victorious. Once Matilda-- the now-undead founder of the Distaff Temperance Society-- falls, the other undead crumble to useless dust.
Tralamin creates a wooden stake from his quarter-staff; Feer opens the coffin with a mighty pull; Robyn drives the stake directly into the groggy vampire's heart. Carefully, our heroes take the dazed, pathetic vampire out of its coffin and carry its corpse up the tunnel. Exposing it to sunlight causes it to burst into flames. Even as they watch it burn, they all know that if they should meet a vampire lord again, they will not achieve victory quite so easily.
Denouement
Filliam, now a much richer man, bids his friends good-bye so that he might return to the wondrous house where they tried to save the mysterious civilized gnoll. The remaining five elect to stay in Hodam for the time being, with Tralamin especially pleased to be the new owner of its brewery.
But as they approach the once-bustling frontier town, they meet a red-nosed dwarf with a sad story to tell: temperance has come to Hodam. The Distaff Temperance Society-- a group of moralistic widows and spinsters-- has won the brewery in a card game and then shut it down. The prostitutes have been disappearing at an alarming rate, and the tieflings, once tolerated, are evicted without a second thought. The dwarf announces his intention to press on to Firepalm, but then decides to head to the city of Justice when Irving informs him that the Firepalm Dwarfs have been driven insane by the Firepalm Ore in their blood.
Jarmangle, with the help of the others, covers up his red tiefling skin and horns with a mask and some toweling. Thus disguised, they head into the town.
The People of Hodam
Our heroes soon make the acquaintance of Danald, formerly the owner of the brewery. It was his disapproving aunt, Matilda, who founded the Distaff Temperance Society. Ironically, she passed away just before the Society finally wrenched the brewery from him in a game with a card-shark called Lord Jasen. The legitimate gambling has been shut down, but a secret game is still held by the Society, which they use to keep the city in a perpetual state of poverty-- and thus ensuring that no one can question their power.
It seems a little silly to our heroes-- in a lawless town like Hodam, why doesn't someone just take the brewery back by force? But the residents are hesitant, says Danald; the Society is a bunch of old ladies, after all, and even the worst of scoundrels has to draw the line somewhere. Something might happen soon, though, if things don't get better.
They meet one of the society matrons and her gnollish slave. She sees nothing wrong with the Society's "good works", proclaiming that "pure blood is healthy blood"; she's convinced that the town's economy will bounce back, that somehow, there will be honest and civilized work to be found in this wilderness. Her slave seethes not-too-secretly with rage. Across the street from the brewery is what he refers to as sacred ground-- a scene of a great battle between a gnollish prince and a great evil. The evil's body was interred in the ground, turning the large mound of dirt and rock blood-red; the evil's spirit was sucked into the prince's blade.
And what were the humans of Hodam using the Blood Circle for? For boxing matches to the death, and other debaucheries. The humans, he says, are always meddling in things they can't even begin to understand.
Across the street, they see a procession of Society members running a female tiefling out of town. Jarmangle recognizes it as the tiefling with whom he flirted and crossed swords with at the burial site of the Gnollish Holy Dead. The disguised Jarmangle leaves the group, following the procession.
The group, meanwhile, meets a former prostitute, Melany, who is concerned about the disappearance of the other girls. An atypical whore, Melany is well-read and seems well-versed in economics, proceeding to lecture our heroes about the dangers of basing an economy around ale, sex, and gambling.
Tyne's challenge
Jarmangle catches up to the procession and convinces the Society matrons to let him escort "this filthy tiefling" out of town, as she might be dangerous. The Society is duly charmed by this masked stranger and gives custody of the tiefling, Tyne, over to him.
Once on the outskirts of town, Tyne recognizes Jarmangle, who flirts with her incessantly. Tyne is not impressed, but doesn't give him the cold shoulder, either.
Tyne explains that when the tieflings were booted out of town, she was permitted to remain, so long as she performed missions for Lord Jasen. One of those missions-- the most important-- was to retrieve the sword of the Gnollish King of War, the very sword that was now in Jarmangle's possession. Because she failed, she was now persona non grata.
Jarmangle seems exquisitely single-minded, hand-waving all that off as he makes yet another lame pass at his fellow tiefling. Tyne hints that she might be amenable to his advances if he can get revenge for her and kill Lord Jasen. Without missing a beat, Jarmangle agrees and asks where he can find Jasen; Tyne doesn't know. Somewhere in town. He only comes out during the secret card game, and only when the house is losing. Tyne leaves, and Jarmangle rushes off to rejoin the others.
Finding the card game
Jarmangle suggests that they enter the card game, win back the brewery, and then kill Lord Jasen. Irving is all well-and-good with the first two, but blanches at the last: just kill him, without provocation?
In trying to find the card game, they make the mistake of approaching a priggish Eladrin called Ofscar. Jarmangle casually insults him by referring to him as an "elf"; Ofscar challenges him to a duel by slapping him with his glove. Jarmangle, in turn, steals the glove, further inciting Ofscar, who now threatens to "turn them in" for attempting to find the card game.
The elven bard Robyn, perhaps a little tired of this flighty Eladrin, knocks him over and steals his coin pouch, containing some 500 gold coins. Irving is shocked at the behaviour of his traveling companions but says nothing about it.
Jarmangle is about to temporarily paralyze Ofscar with some magical stones he acquired from Tyne, but Tralamin has a better idea. He helps his fellow Eladrin off the dusty earth, and ascertains that Ofscar shares his thirst for knowledge and awareness. Tralamin gives Ofscar a powerful ritual scroll that's intended to impart absolute knowledge of one topic. Said scroll will leave him in a trance for hours; if the question is too cosmic for his brain to comprehend, he might be driven insane. Tralamin, of course, doesn't tell him that, but instead advises him to ask the biggest question he can.
Irving, again, is quite appalled when he learns the true possible consequences of Tralamin's actions. And while Robyn is now considerably richer, they've no clue as to how to get in on the card game.
That's when they meet Darface, a dwarf suffering from severe developmental disabilities. Darface, it turns out, knows exactly how to get into the game-- which building to go into, what words to say, and what the answer will mean. Others might dismiss him as a simpleton, but Irving listens intently to his words and deciphers their meaning.
The Pawn Shop
Before they take part in the game, however, they decide to stop at the pawn shop just outside of town, where Jarmangle hopes to replace his grappling hook, among other things. The pawnbroker is pleased to see them; everyone's been selling/pawning these days, but no one's been buying because no one has had money. In bartering with the pawnbroker, Jarmangle offers him one of the paralyzing stones, inadvertently encasing the broker in a statue-like layer of rock. With some chiding from Irving, Jarmangle gives the unaware broker the rest of the promised payment.
Lord Jasen
The game our six heroes enter isn't really about the cards, but about bluffing. Through their combined efforts, they quickly drive the dealer to bankruptcy. That's when the Society summons Lord Jasen.
Jasen is a very sickly but elegant looking human who ups the ante aggressively and seems particularly focused on the disguised Jarmangle, making veiled references to something in his possession. Jasen's fabled luck, however, seems to have run out, as Filliam and Tralamin are surprisingly adept at the game. In a desperate gamble, Jasen puts the brewery on the table, hoping to chide Jarmangle into gambling the sword. Instead, Jarmangle folds.
So focused was Jasen on Jarmangle, however, that he quite forgot Tralamin, who wins the brewery and a sizable amount of gold. Enraged, Jasen grabs Robyn and demands that both the brewery deed and the gnollish sword be "returned" to him.
"Or else," he says, curling back his lip to reveal his sharp canines, "I'll open her pretty throat!"
Part II
The Vampire and the Daywalker
Lord Jasen is a vampire-- even when looking quite ill, he's still more than a match for our fledgling heroes. He has, however, overplayed his hand; the Society members are horrified to discover that the handsome gentlemen is a member of the undead. His support in Hodam is gone, and he knows he'll be hunted down by its enraged citizens. Jasen, terrified, bites Robyn-- draining her dry in but a few scant moments-- and turns to mist, escaping into the night.
Using the Peacebringer mace that she took from the Gnollish Queen of Peace, Feer saves Robyn from the brink of death. She is, however, still feverish and unconscious. Tyne appears and leads the group to one of the whorehouses where they can hold up for the night.
As they watch over the ailing Robyn, they begin to piece things together. Jarmangle is incensed that Tyne put them up against a vampire, but she claims that she had no idea of his true nature. That must be why he wanted to get rid of all the tieflings, though, she says; there's a legend that the oldest vampires couldn't handle the "impure" blood of tieflings. Remember the slogan of the Society-- "pure blood is healthy blood"-- they realize that perhaps the same could be said of blood containing high amounts of alcohol. Perhaps Jasen tried to feed on someone with such an elevated level of alcohol and the resulting toxic shock is what resulted in his current haggard and sickly appearance. Irving realizes that in order to be one of those oldest of vampires, Jasen must be the ancient evil that the gnollish slave spoke of, and that the sword Jarmangle holds must contain Jasen's spirit and power.
Come the morning, Tyne has left and Robyn awakes but discovers that she has changed; the interaction of the vampire's bite and the holy Peacebringer mace has transformed her into a living "half-vampire" daywalker, a dhampyr.
The Fearless Vampire Killers
When the six adventurers walk out onto the street, they find it a scene of drunken debauchery. The entire town, realizing that Jasen is a vampire and, like the visiting heroes, realizing that the alcohol is toxic, decided to break into the brewery as a kind of protection. The group considers leaving things be, but Irving convinces them that slaying the vampire is the best course of action. Jarmangle agrees, and all six down a frosty one before setting to work trying to find Jasen's lair.
It doesn't prove a difficult task; the Hodam graveyard, colourfully called the Corpse-dump, has caved in, revealing a tunnel leading towards the Blood Circle. Our heroes venture into the tunnel before coming face to face with a magical sentry. This Eye of Alarm guards the entrance to Jasen's lair.
Irving creates an illusion of mist, making it easier for Jarmangle to sneak to the door, unnoticed. Jarmangle takes note of a host of undead horrors: former whores turned into vampire spawn, animated skeletons, the rotting corpses of two large dogs, and a wight dressed in the garb of a Society member. And then, at the far end of the chamber, there sits the accursed coffin.
Desiring to catch the undead by surprise, the six rack their brains for a way to thwart the Eye of Alarm. Filliam suggests that Irving create an illusion, a sort of miniature magical "drawing" of the tunnel that can be conjured directly in front of the eye. Irving does so, and it works!
Aunt Matilda, the Deathlock Wight
The battle that follows is fierce and hard-fought; Irving and Jarmangle both come close to death's door. But through valiant effort, cunning strategy, and the powerful fireball magic at Irving's disposal, the living proves victorious. Once Matilda-- the now-undead founder of the Distaff Temperance Society-- falls, the other undead crumble to useless dust.
Tralamin creates a wooden stake from his quarter-staff; Feer opens the coffin with a mighty pull; Robyn drives the stake directly into the groggy vampire's heart. Carefully, our heroes take the dazed, pathetic vampire out of its coffin and carry its corpse up the tunnel. Exposing it to sunlight causes it to burst into flames. Even as they watch it burn, they all know that if they should meet a vampire lord again, they will not achieve victory quite so easily.
Denouement
Filliam, now a much richer man, bids his friends good-bye so that he might return to the wondrous house where they tried to save the mysterious civilized gnoll. The remaining five elect to stay in Hodam for the time being, with Tralamin especially pleased to be the new owner of its brewery.
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