As if you need reminding:
Olly the halfling rogleric
(rogue/cleric)
Atlas the human paladin
Duck the human bard
Fenriz the half-elf bard
Lotus the elf monk
Feykro the gnome druid (and
his wolf Faanar)
This session opens with the gregarious Duck, who is offered
a job by Father Gary of the River Quarter Mission. A young nobleman’s daughter, Sarine, last
seen in the company of an unsavory man named Nico Damon, has gone missing (of
her volition? Forcibly? Unclear as of now!).
Although the rescue will likely lead Duck into the very nefarious part
of Greyhawk known as the Thieves’ Quarter, the anxious father is offering 500
gold pieces for her return. And although
it’s a dangerous, desperate mission, Duck really needs the money.
Duck happily strides into the Quarter (in her conspicuous
blue and yellow garb), and the guard standing in front of the Old City Hall is
less than impressed with her sunny smile and positive attitude. After a
three-gold-piece bribe, she gets inside to question the first two fellows she
meets, who inform her that Damon has an associate named Burl who hangs at the
Low Seas Tavern. Extortion is the order
of the day as Duck shells out more gold, learning only that Burl would be the
one to ask about Nico’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party has arrived in southern
Greyhawk, prompting a few looks but no real surprised stares. Three red
tunic-wearing guards approach and exchange good mornings. A brief
exchange ensues regarding the safety of the giant dire wolf that has just
entered the city limits. The druid
indicates the wolf will not cause trouble, and once the satisfied guards are
out of earshot, the following conversation transpires:
Paladin (to druid): Can you guarantee it won't bite?
Druid: Sure, but I can't guarantee someone won’t piss him
off.
Paladin: Lucky you didn't tell the guards that.
It's nearly lunchtime when the group arrives at the Drunken
Dog Inn. Lotus the monk assists Ricard inside the building, whilst Atlas tends
to the tethering of the wagon. Ricard is
greeted inside his establishment in a rather boisterous manner - everyone is
overjoyed to see him, although they express concern at his wounded condition.
Ricard gestures to his new friends and indicates that they were vital in
his safe arrival, and, thus, should be treated accordingly. On his way upstairs to be administered to,
Ricard repeats his “month of free lodging” offer to the party, and invites them
to dine at the Lord’s Table that evening with him.
The bartender, a disgruntled looking woman, indicates that
there are only three rooms left. A bit of roommate shuffling takes place
(Olly and Feykro, Atlas and Fenriz, and Lotus - solo) and the group is informed
that dinner is at seven. With some
leisure time at hand, the party spends it in this manner:
Atlas wishes to visit the River Quarter Mission to donate
his spare change and to “bump myself up 18 HP".
Lotus decides to undergo a four-hour meditation to regain
hit points.
Fenriz goes downstairs to the pub to "check the scene,
order a drink and mingle. And see if
there are any ladies."
Feykro decides to follow Fenriz.
Olly needs to oxyclean his robes, and remains upstairs (Olly’s
player is running an out of house errand).
Duck, at this point, wants lunch and so is downstairs
already.
Father Gary of the River Quarter Mission is exceptionally
pleased with the paladin’s donation, and explains the tough love approach that
St. Cuthbert's Mission offers, and that the gold will be greatly appreciated. Father Gary asks Atlas if he's new in town,
and Atlas indicates that he is, and that he and his new companions have met
adventure already on their journey to Greyhawk, with the timely rescue of Ricard
Damaris. The father then asks about the paladin’s mount and Atlas mumbles
something about the astral plane.
After Atlas is healed, a woman enters the room and explains her
name is Retha. She asks Atlas to see if he can find out what fate has
befallen her husband, Rokus, who went off exploring in Castle Greyhawk some
three years ago. Whatever end he met, she needs to know so it that she may be
at peace. Retha indicates her husband has the exact same piece of jewelry
as she, a wedding band with a distinct geometric pattern. Atlas
empathizes and promises to find out what he can.
Back at the Drunken Dog, Fenriz is minglin' and drinkin' and
wishes to know what the place has for entertainment. When the grouchy bartender tells him to ask
the night staff, Fenriz explains that if they want to see some real talent,
they should let him know.
While this self-serving exchange is going down, Feykro has
been observing people. A brightly
dressed woman sees him looking her way and waves at him nervously, and it is
quite abruptly that the druid recognizes the woman as a traveling bard whose
performance he remembers (fondly) from some time ago.
Fenriz, with a penchant for getting people’s names wrong,
attempts to be the ladies’ man of the session, setting his sights on the
barmaids. But, eventually, the party
members make their way to Duck’s table for various reasons, rendering her
extremely nervous and uncomfortable. It
turns out Bethel the day barmaid has talked Duck up as a “Castle Greyhawk”
expert, which intrigues Atlas, especially when the bard mentions the magic word
"demons". Atlas wants to
enlist her as a tour guide of sorts, but Duck says she has a job to finish...and
wonders if the group will help. Of
course they will.
Everyone (except the monk) sojourn to Low Seas Tavern, and while they do not find Nico or Burl, they are able to uncover Nico Damon's hideout...somewhere in a shady street of the Quarter.
After awakening and collecting the slumbering monk, the
party head back to the Thieves Quarter, where the rogue, and shortly the others,
sneak down a deserted alley, behind a shack, and into its cellar. An
altercation begins immediately, as one thug on the premise dies quickly after
getting one hit on Olly. The group opens one of two doors in the room, and are
jumped on by two more thugs. Atlas and Olly fight the two villains as the rest
of the group either block the doorway and hang out in the main room. The proactive Duck flings the second door
open and hurls a thunderstone into the pitch-black room. It detonates with a great
kaboomy sound.
The two thieves are slain by Atlas and Olly, and the group cautiously enter the second room to find the dazed and confused (and for the present, deaf) Sarine tied to the bed. She’s pretty out of it but the group convinces her to follow them back to the mission, where Duck explains to Father Gary that the thugs are dead and Sarine is safe, and atoning for her own guilt in deafening the kidnap victim, requests that Father Gary keep the 500 gold reward.
In one of those clever tricks from the DM’s bag, time suddenly...advances. Amazingly, it is now seven o’clock - time for dinner with Ricard!
The cheerful, gregarious, and fully healed Ricard welcomes his heroes to his table, and asked about their adventures so far. Every member of the party also offers their life story and what brings them to the city of Greyhawk. The group is told of Ricard’s missing blade of chaos, stolen during the morning’s ambush. As Fenriz mentions that he’s a bard, Ricard leaps in excitedly with his idea of a Bard Night, to be held in the next few days. Fenriz is to compose a ley about the party’s feats of daring rescue, while Duck is to present a ballad about her information gatherings (Duck looks a little green around the gills at this announcement).
The Drunken Dog’s proprietor also points out several things
in town that may interest the group, including such as a combat challenge issued
the monks at the Dark Moon Monastery. Atlas
is eager to go adventuring to Castle Greyhawk, and the others seem content to
do whatever happens. Duck is convinced to join the group at this point, which
signals the end of the Lord’s Table feast...as well as the gaming session for
the evening.
