The Greyhawk Expedition – Dinner and the Tower

    This particular gaming session brought a couple of observers…friends of the DM: Emily and her BF, Dan.  Both have relatively little D&D experience, but oh boy, are they about to be thrown into the thick of things…

And why not, really?

   Taking over the playing of Krispy the Fighter is Emily, and Dan decided to take the Player’s Handbook and make himself a new character. And just like that, we were off.

To remind the readers, here’s our party as it stands:

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and his familiar, G'at the bat
Spencer: Eric, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb
Kirby Emily: Krispy, a human fighter
Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

Dan: A to-be-introduced-later Elven character

     When last we knew, the party was at the Able Carter Coaching Company, where Thalivar had just offered a hefty reward for the return of any missing/stolen goods.  The late afternoon sun was burning down brightly as the group stood outside the ACCC office, discussing their next move.  Two options were available:
      Head on straight to the castle ruins outside the city of Greyhawk, as all signs seemed to point to there as the place to start.  OR head back to the Drunken Dog Inn for dinner with Ricard Damaris, the proprietor.  While the group is pondering this, the fighter simply appears out of nowhere right beside them (much in the manner of Harry Potter or similar).  The party exchanges mildly surprised greetings with Krispy, but are otherwise non-affected by the sudden appearance.

     In the end, the group opts for dinner, and the DM exercises her power of Time Fast Forwarding, and it is immediately eight pm.  The atmosphere of the pub/inn is much more lively and animated.  Shouts of ‘Ho, there!’ carry across the room as Ricard spots the party and gestures them over to sit at the six-top where he presides.  Lance does an incredible Spot check on the evening barmaid and realizes she’s an elf, like him.  Urik’s horrible Spot check enables the paladin to do nothing but look at the elf’s breasts…but being a paladin, he feels guilty and looks away immediately.

     Ricard recounts for his friend, a man sitting next to him, in a great, booming voice, the events of the attack that morning and of his noble rescue by the players.  Then, he asks to know more of the characters themselves; Urik states he is here to see Riggby’s body in its funeral state, Lance is here to study animals (Ah! exclaims Ricard, then I will take you someday to see Lord Henway’s menagerie…quite the collection of exotic animals he has!) and Krispy informs Ricard she was hired by the paladin’s parents to protect him on his travels.

     The barmaids bring food and drink (prompting the players OOG to retrieve their own victuals and libation in the form of meat and cheese and crackers and some home-garden salsa).

     The Lord’s Table conversation turns to the other man sitting at the Lord’s Table.  He states that his name is Elten and that he is a City Watch Agent.  This piques G’leric’s interest and he attempts a Bluff, stating that he too is a City Watch official.  When it’s obvious that Elten’s not buying it, the gnome gets goofy and laughs it off…which impels Krispy to declare the wizard’s had too much to drink.  The DM has the fighter roll a Bluff check for fun, and Elten is far far far too clever to fall for Krispy’s lies.

      Eventually, most of the party notices four figures enter the bar, and all are wearing rough brown robes, like those of an ascetic monk order.  They move from patron to patron, speaking to each (or trying to) and gesticulating wildly at times.  It seems they have some kind of urgent message, but it also seems like most of the patrons are rather uninterested. G’leric casts Message, which allows him to speak telepathically with a target for 10 minutes per level (nearly an hour and a half in this case).  However, he has to point at the target whilst he speaks, which just slightly ruins the effect.  The wizard, so as not to make it too obvious, sends the cryptic message of “I see you.”  All four robed figures hear the message and look around for the source, but to no avail as the wizard lowers his hand and resumes looking casual.  The paladin does a Detect Evil and senses no evil intent among the group of men.  Krispy decides it’s time for another pint of ale and meanders over to the bar…very close to the group of brown-robed crazies.  A good Listen check allows Krispy to hear snippets of talk like, We are the clerics of St. Cuthbert, the eyes of the Evil One are upon the city of Greyhawk, prepare for the reckoning…

      Krispy makes her way back to the table and shares the Armageddon talk with the rest of the group, asking if anyone knows about a St. Cuthbert.  Urik (after a decent Knowledge: Religion check) explains St. Cuthbert is a god of revenge and retribution, and while he’s LAWFUL neutral alignment, most of his followers are good since usually evildoers are the ones who break laws.  However, even the good ones can go overboard…

     Like Krispy the fighter, who decides inviting the religious nuts over for a drink would be a good idea.  The barmaid is prevailed upon for more chairs, and Ricard takes a moment from his conversation with Elten to watch the new development at his table.

     Lance is prevailed upon to provide more information about Krispy’s eavesdroppings about “The Evil One”, and he recalls the local lore of Greyhawk and an evil demigod named Iuz (the paladin nods his head as Lance tells it, he recalls the stories as well) who was imprisoned by Riggby the cleric many years ago.  And now that Riggby has passed on, the time is ripe for Iuz to seek revenge upon the cleric and the city he held dear.  The brown-robed clerics approach the party and say many of the same things Lance has said, albeit in a lot more raspy, agitated, and cuckoo tones of voice.  They advise (rather loudly at this point) that Greyhawkians should abandon the city if they treasure their lives.  And just as it seems that the you-know-what is about to get real, Ricard bounds over and shoos the clerics down from the table and out the door.  He returns, smiling and laughing, claiming those rascals come in about once a week, preaching the same message of revenge.  The party lets the incident go…for now.

     Not long after this, a Spot check by the party denotes about a half-dozen young people have come in the door.  They retrieve pints from the bar and sit at a nearby table, glugging the ale immediately in one go.  Not that this is terribly out of place at The Drunken Dog Inn, but these kids seem awfully young…prompting Lance the elf to reflect that “I’m like their grandparent.” The kids are already on their second tankard and appear to be drinking it nearly as fast, and the party discusses for a moment what they should do…if anything.  The Drunken Dog Inn crowd is not what one would call an academic, studious bunch; it’s entirely possible things could get out of hand.  But, eventually, the party decides they are not being paid to babysit and head upstairs to their rooms for the night.

******************** THE NIGHT PASSES UNEVENTFULLY *************************

     The next morning, the party arrives down at the inn for breakfast (eggs and biscuits and gravy, it would seem), and in an instance of a late-night identity crisis, Krispy declares she will now be known as Ember the Executioner.  OOG, Emily likens her sudden change to what Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner is experiencing in today’s world.

 
     The party sits down to eat in the near-empty sitting area.  There is only one other patron in the Drunken Dog Inn, a slight-of-build yet striking elf is seated at another table…and he is watching the party with interest.  G’leric, the ever-friendly gnome, says, “I see you”…to which the elf responds cheerily with, “I see you too!”  He asks to join the party at their dining table and proceeds to tell them a sorrowful tale about a group of students who met a tragic end last night in this very barroom.  As it goes, according to the elf, the students had been drinking and aggravating the patrons, to which point the main young aggressor found a knife shoved in his back.  A moment of silence ensues as the party mulls this over, no doubt considering what they might have done to prevent it (or not).

     The dark-haired elf is not one to dwell on sadness, because he moves on quickly, asking, “So, what’s up right now?” (Make no mistake, this elf may be 234 years old, but he still knows the lingo of the young people)  The elf goes on to tell the party he is a trader, recently being the victim of an ambush and subsequent theft, and G’leric conducts a Sense Motive check.  For all practical purposes, the elf appears to be telling the truth, but G’leric is going to play that information close to the vest for now.  

     The general idea of the morning is to visit the Castle ruins and attempt to track down the goods of the Able Carter Coaching Company.  The elf, perhaps feeling like this party’s a little short on manners, finally introduces himself as Fayt.  The other characters greet him, and because that’s how the dice roll, the orc-hewing, tough-as-hell female fighter finds herself a little on the smitten side with this newest party addition. Oooh la la.

     Elves know their stuff when it comes to adventuring, obviously, because Fayt is the one who suggests shopping for adventuring supplies.  G’leric is in desperate need of rope, and so the group trudges on down to the Petit Bazaar to find some.  Sometimes the universe has a funny little sense of humor as G’leric purchases rope that is actually too heavy for his little gnome self to carry and thus, passes the new purchase to the meaty paladin for safekeeping.

     Zeeb and Lionel do the lion’s (and the zebra’s) share of grunt work as they ferry their party of adventurers to the fabled ruins of Castle Greyhawk, some hour or so north of the city.  The party is keen to point out Zagig’s bridge, the place of Ricard’s rescue just 24 hours previous.  A gray fog has settled in around the party as they traverse the path, and within minutes the crumbly ruins of what once might have been a great tower looms up in the near distance.  Lance seems to recall from some deep reserve of old Greyhawk lore that there may have once been three towers here, despite the presence of only one tower at present.  The wizard and paladin cast various Detect spells, and while there is no sense of immediate evil, both Urik and G’leric are unsettled by the stillness and dense fogginess of the environs.  Ember, always the fighter, has her greatsword at the ready.

     If the party is paying any kind of attention to the new guy, they’ll realize that the elf indeed has a pretty particular set of skills…in the area of ROGUE.  Fayt branches off to the right and keeps near the trees that skirt the ruins while the rest of the group continues along carefully into the clearing.  Fayt eventually rejoins the party, informing the group that it is ominously quiet, enough to alarm the rogue elf into pulling out his bow and arrow.  Lance the druid announces that he remembers that once upon a time, three great towers stood here: a Tower of Magic, a Tower of War, and the Tower of Zagig.  However, the Tower of War is all that remains…or that can be seen at any rate.  G’leric sends G’at out on a recon mission, and the bat returns to confirm the druid’s story – there are three sets of ruins, but G’at was unable to see more than shadowy outlines through the mist.  The druid also notices wagon wheel tracks leading up to the Tower of War (the only visible tower).

  
     Move Silently checks by the party determine that only the rogue and the druid are careful and quiet enough to advance closer to the tower for a closer look…everyone agrees the poor MS check by the fighter is a good enough reason to leave her behind for now.  Lance and Fayt creep close and notice a squat blockhouse positioned in front of the tower ruins…it’s obvious that the blockhouse is nicer and newer than the ruins…signs that the structure was built long after the tower.  Both characters see a lone dwarf standing the door as a sentryman, but to their delight, he has not noticed them, even though they are within one hundred feet.  Lance decides to return to the party and bring them around through the trees. Fayt hears the post dwarf whistling and opts to stride up, confidently, to the guardhouse door, to engage the dwarf in an interlude that looks a little like this:

F: Good day!

D: Well met, are you looking for entry into the Tower of War?

F: I am an explorer.

D: Ah, well! Then you come to the right place.  The Tower here is only the beginning of innumerable treasure to be found within in the depths of the dungeons here. 

F: Can I take a look around?

D: We are the Wardens of the Wartower, and none shall pass without our permission.  Come with me and I will take you to see our Guild Head, Stillguar.

The dwarf still maintains a sense of civility, and Fayt follows the dwarf inside the blockhouse. 

Meanwhile…

     The rest of the party approaches the ruins, and G’leric speaks with G’at, who informs his human that Fayt has gone inside with a dwarf.  Ember and G’leric listen at the door, rolling well enough Listen checks to hear the low tones of dwarves talking in relatively calm, friendly terms, but not well enough to discern the topics of conversation.  The blockhouse wall is roughly seventy-five feet long, and Ember can see windows at various intervals.  The party decide to move quietly down to one of the windows, some fifty feet down the way, and trying peeking in.

     Fayt, seated on a stool in the guardhouse common room, awaits the arrival of Stillguar.  A few other dwarves and other various humanoids are seated at tables in this room, smoking pipes, drinking out of a tankard, playing cards - the atmosphere is jovial.  Fayt has no problem with a Listen check, but he does not discern any piece of information of value.  It’s clear that while the dwarves here are friendly, they certainly aren’t free with their topics of conversation.   The dwarf who brought Fayt in has now disappeared into one of two doors on the southeast side of the room.

     It is widely know that wizards have a special, “favored” spell, and it seems that G’leric’s is Invisibility Sphere.  Casting it on the whole party, the group moves down the blockhouse wall to a window fifty down from them.  This is super-effective as it allows the party to peer into the windows and get a handle on the situation without alerting the dwarves to their presence.  The window provided a look into a room that resembles a dining area, complete with tables and chairs and cupboards around the walls.  G’leric volunteers to go through the open window and check out the scene further.

     The gnome gets a few feet through the large room and is beginning to sneak down a corridor when he passes gas.  There are several doors leading to small room all along the corridor, and when none of these doors open in alarm of the noise, G’leric breathes a sigh of relief (though he does not inhale right at this moment) and continues to a closed door at the end of the corridor. A solid Listen check indicates that there are humanoids in the room beyond, but their sounds of those of joviality, etc. Very carefully, he opens the door into the large common area beyond.

     Fayt has been sitting quietly on his guest stool, just as instructed, when he notices the one of the two doors open slightly before shutting quietly.  The dwarves in the room do not notice this, and the elf surmises someone has either entered or exited the room, unseen.  But before he can ruminate too much longer on this, the other door opens a rough-looking dwarf enters with the dwarf who brought Fayt in.

S: Grebold here says you wish to enter the Tower?

F: Yes.

S: We will allow you passage, but you will bring me a quarter of whatever you bring back with you to the surface.

     Fayt, in typical cagey rogue fashion, does not answer yes or no, but instead informs one of the card-playing dwarves, “Hey, he’s got an ace there,” on his way out the door.  G’leric realizes he’s in a bit of a sticky situation now, and carefully makes his way back through the door he came in. 

But, he's not careful enough.  A decent enough Spot check by the card-playing dwarves allows them to see a door randomly open...and then randomly shut.  And there's nobody there to do either of those things.  Thus, the investigation is on.  Fortunately, G'leric realizes this, and casts Ghost Sound, summoning the loud roar of a lion to distract/throw off his pursuers.  But what he wasn’t quite prepared for was the druid’s familiar, Lionel, who answers the Ghost Sound with a mighty roar of his own.  Things seems like they could fall quite apart here, but G’leric hustles back to the window he came through and hisses to Urik to throw the rope to him.  Excellent teamwork abounds as the party outside makes short work of hoisting the gnome back through the window. 

The gnome instructs the party to hustle back out to the treeline for cover.  Once everyone is safe and sound, G’leric informs the group that Fayt is also okay…as just said person is seen moving back towards them.  The rogue informs the party of the Wartower Wardens’ terms, and not one of the characters seem daunted about having to hand over a quarter share of treasure to a group of card-playing, ale-guzzling, lazy dwarves.

     And with that, the party appears to be on the edge of a night of danger and daring! Until next time!

Greyhawk Expedition - Into The City

Nothing like starting off an D&D adventure with a valiant rescue and some orc-hewing to engage players and get them excited about subsequent gaming sessions!  Subsequent in this case being the next day!

For your edification:

Brent: G'leric, a gnome wizard, and his familiar, G'at the bat
Spencer: Eric, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb
Kirby: Krispy, a human fighter
Elliot: Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel 

As the last session's recap was reread today, a couple of things were brought to the attention of the scribe...the 'e' in Eric is in fact supposed to be pronounced like the 'u' in 'uh'.  Uhrik, is how you say it, the paladin says.  And, he also notes, there's supposed to be a k at the end.  To simplify things for the DM (and everyone else in the party, really), the paladin changes the spelling to Urik.  Or, it is Urick?
And...the fighter wishes the readers to be aware that her last name is Crunch.

Le sigh.

Last session's ending consisted of a sound defeat of orc raiders and rescue of one important personage, Ricard Damaris (how important? The PCs are unaware as of yet).  They have agreed to set off for the Free City of Greyhawk to escort Damaris back to his establishment, The Drunken Dog Inn.  The DM reminds the players that the rescue and resolution also took an hour, max.  It is still the same day, and thus, any spells cast do not return, hit points do no renew, and equipment used must be accounted for.  Oh yeah, they all lament.

Urik casts Cure Light Wounds on Lance, and as they begin the two-mile journey back to Greyhawk, Ricard sends a backwards glance towards the destroyed caravans.  He wonders if they ought to let the Able Carter Coaching Company about the salvageable goods, and asks the party if they might be willing to take on the task of notifying the company.  The party agrees.

After about 25 minutes on the River Road, heading northeast, farms and houses begin to dot the countryside and it is obvious the travelers have reached the outskirts of the Free City of Greyhawk.  Soon after, a stone gate bars further passage into the city, with a lone guard stationed at the post.  Here, the adventurers' friendship with Ricard Damaris begins to produce benefits, as the guard, upon seeing Damaris seated upon Zeeb, becomes cordial and opens the gate immediately.  The guard (named Mark) notices Ricard appears pale and frail, to which Ricard freely admits the trouble on the road to Greyhawk.  Both gentlemen lament the upswing in similar caravan attacks in recent weeks.

Lance is questioned for a hot minute as he attempts to enter the city with a really, really big lion by his side.  The druid explicitly guarantees, upon pain of death, that Lionel will not maim any good citizen of Greyhawk.

A Knowledge: Local check for the druid moments later reveals that the party has entered on the south side of the city, and that they are traversing through the Slum and Thieves' Quarters, otherwise known as the Old City.  Remember, ol' Lance is 150 years old (elf-life), and frequently visited Greyhawk back in the day...but even he concedes the city has changed greatly in the three or four decades since he's been here.  Another several minutes of walking along the main thoroughfare (Ricard informs the party that Greyhawkians refer to this street as "The Processional") brings the party to another gate and another guard.  This one, Ricard does not appear to be on a first-name basis with, but nevertheless, the party enters into the New City.  It is midday, and the streets are thronging with businessmen, shoppers, and the general populace doing their thing.  The stone gate behind, now closed, appears to be the dividing line between a poorer, dirtier side of Greyhawk and its cleaner, safer, better-kept half.  Every city has their Ivory Towers on the hill as well as The Dark and Slimy Underbelly...as they say.

The Processional soon opens into a large clearing, where many vendors selling goods of all types are crammed in, hawking their wares for the many buyers passing through.  Ricard tells the players this is Low Bazaar, or the Petit Bazaar.  Minutes after this, Ricard indicates a left turn onto Horseshoe Road.  With great flourish, Ricard announces that they have arrived to the River Quarter, the liveliest, most colorful and entertaining part of Greyhawk.  The players marvel at Ricard's jocularity and enthusiasm, seeing as he was near death not an hour ago.  Another right turn onto The Strip leads to another right turn onto Cargo Street, and the players completely observe the fact that this is the Rodeo Drive of Greyhawk.  Bright awnings and shop signs run the length of the road, advertising all types of goods for the travelers who have the right amount of coin.

Within minutes, a wooden sign hanging out over the sidewalk catches the players' attention.  A silhouette of a dog, up on his hind legs, appears to be dancing? juggling? stumbling? is positioned under the printed words The Drunken Dog Inn.  It is a slow lunch hour inside with only a couple of patrons seated at tables inside.  A lone, grayhaired woman is tending bar, and a younger woman is wiping down tables and chairs and they both look up at the sound of the party's arrival.  The younger woman especially is glad to see Ricard and she rushes over and inquires as to what's wrong with her boss.

The minute the DM mentions the barmaid, the paladin's player makes a reference to the Dorkness Rising Gamers movie and asks, "Is the barmaid hot?" To which the DM makes no response, as she temporarily lost hearing in both ears.  The grumbly gnome wizard expresses mild concern at the pets being tied up outside (hello? really? a giant lion and a horse?), and instructs G'at to keep watch over them outside. Let's remind our readers that G'at...is a bat.

Ricard expresses a great desire to rest and heal in his private quarters and invites the party to dine with him later that night at his Lord's Table, which judging by the map of the Inn the party was given upon arrival, is in quite the place of honor.  He leaves with instructions for the staff to locate rooms for the party, should they wish to lodge there.  Again, the mention of the cleric Riggby, his upcoming funeral, and potential scarcity of lodgings enters the conversation.

G'leric turns to the bartender, who seems to be three minutes away from going postal, as it were.  She's old, grouchy, and generally not the best face to put at the bar to bring in the customers.  Perhaps it's why she's on the slower dayshift.  The bartender barks at the younger woman to take the players to the available rooms.  G'leric is quite fixated on two things as they survey the available rooms:

1. Is there a secondary exit? (after all, he claims to the wide-eyed barmaid, we "might have angered some people recently")
2. His boast of "I hit an orc today." While this is old hat info to the other party members, the barmaid appears to be impressed.

Bethel, the barmaid, describes that the room to their left has windows that open up to the back of the inn, and escape would be possible if one were to leap to the roofs of the other structures, some five or six feet below.  Otherwise, she laments to the frowny G'leric, the only true exit is out the front door.  The other room across the hall provides an excellent view of the busy Cargo Street; and thus, the boys take the back room and Krispy gets the front one to herself.  At this point, the fighter can't even anymore and disappears into her room for some R & R.

Alerting the Able Carter Coaching Company to the ransacked caravans on Greyhawk's outskirts is priority numero uno on the other players' list.  Bethel informs them the company is located in the Artisans' Quarter of the city, south of where they are now.  In addition to this task, G'leric has the notion of also finding a potion shop.  How lucky for them that Hauld's Apothecary is just down the street.  The friendly, portly chemist is glad to check his stores for healing potions for the players, and while he's in the back, G'leric uses the free moments to interrogate the paladin, wanting to know (just out of the blue) what Urik's dad does (A painter, Urik replies).  There must have been other impertinent questions too, enough to impel Urik to declare, "Hey, man, you just can't be arrogant."  Hauld returns before the beefy 180-pound paladin smacks the three-foot-tall wizard around...and ends up charging what G'leric feels are exorbitant prices for healing meds.  Hauld does not budge, despite G'leric's haggling, as he knows someone, somewhere in the River Quarter will certainly pay what he's asking.

The party heads south and comes to the open-air market known as the Low (or Petit) Bazaar within minutes. A Knowledge: Local roll by Lance causes him to remember that since today is Waterday, the crowds might be a bit thinner (or...watered-down perhaps?) than if it were, say, Starday, when most Greyhawkites have the day off, the crowds would be quite large.  At any rate, the party comes away with several treasures:

1. Lance: dark green robes (light, for summer wear)
2. Urik: a pound of chicken jerky
3. G'leric: cheaper healing potions (the gnome is naturally miffed he paid higher prices at Hauld's)

Several yards from the Petit Bazaar, Lance sees the familiar orange shield/black wagon wheel symbol of the Able Carter Coaching Company.  The men enter into a fairly spacious room where a wooden counter that runs the length of the entire office separates customers from the employees.  A door is closed at the back of the room.  Two men are present, one at the front counter and one seated at a desk near the wall.  Both men are working, shuffling papers, pushing pencils, etc.

Lance asks to speak to the boss, and the man closest to the counter introduces himself in a no-nonsense fashion as Thalivar, the ACCC's owner.  The other man is Garvent, he says.  As the party recounts their adventures of the morning and the state of the destroyed caravans, a successful Spot check allows most of the players to note that Garvent has slightly inclined his head towards the conversation, as if he is trying to listen, but not wanting to look like he's listening in.

Thalivar is very interested in what the players have to tell him, and the players have all kinds of questions for him as well.  It's a rather good exchange of information until things grow uncomfortable for G'leric, who then says he's a member of the City Watch...which is the WRONG thing to say, apparently.  Thalivar totally goes off on the tiny wizard about the incompetence of the city's police in regards to this matter.  However, later, it's revealed that G'leric's Bluff check did not outdo Thalivar's Sense Motive check...so Thalivar knew all along the gnome was lying, but he just really wanted the group to know what incompetent boobs the Greyhawk PD are.

After Thalivar calms down, more discussion ensues.  And especially interesting is the little tidbit offered when Lance mentions the wyvern retreating towards the north at Zagig's bridge. Thalivar asks if the wyvern was heading to Castle Greyhawk's ruins?  The party is not familiar with that place and can't answer correctly, but the hushed, awed way Thalivar mentions it seems pretty significant.  Urik takes the opportunity to enlighten the party quickly on rumors he's heard, about the return of old demigods and revenge upon the citizens of Greyhawk.  Oooo.  Thalivar then states these caravan/cargo attacks have quadrupled in the last few weeks and the merchant class of Greyhawk is beginning to panic.  That this is a rather serious situation is obvious to the party, as they listen to Thalivar urgently summon Garvent to retrieve as many coachmen as he can find, the idea being any available ACCC employee may hasten to the bridge to salvage what is left.

And then, G'leric wastes no more time and cuts right to the heart of the matter, inquiring: what would you give us if your problem was solved?  Thalivar tells them in addition to the three carriages from today, there are three others that have not been recovered, and if roughly 85% of *those* goods can be returned to ACCC, there is a 4,000 gp reward in it for the recovery team.  Thalivar also claims if the party returns in a day's time, he will have accurate inventory lists ready for the adventurers to take with them.

It seems as good a time as any to undertake a noble quest such as this and unlock the twisted myriad of Greyhawk's secrets.

And We Begin Again...Greyhawk Expedition - The Rescue

You know how it is...people's lives change.  Somebody moves out of state, somebody has a baby, somebody starts a new career, etc.   And it's all good stuff.

Over three years since the last post about any Dungeons and Dragons adventure of any kind...until today.  The adventuring party has changed quite a bit, and now consists of the Nelson Five.  But, again, it's all good.  Maybe someday, the adventurers that were once with us will be so again.

A few weeks ago, I located my copy of Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk and began rereading it with the fervent interest of someone who, despite the many insane projects going on in her life, felt compelled to add another creative endeavor to the mix.  So.  Even though I'd started DMing this particular campaign with the players from three years ago, I decided to restart it with a new party of players and characters.  Bear with me, then, as there are some elements that will seem repetitive in the first couple of sessions.

Without further explanation or justification, here are your players:

Brent (40): G'leric, a gnome wizard, and his familiar, G'at the bat
Spencer (16): Eric, a human paladin, and his mount, Zeeb (short for Zebra)
Kirby (14): Krispy, a human fighter
Elliot (10): Lance Dallas, an elf druid, and his familiar, Lionel the (giant-ass) Lion

No, really.  I'm not kidding about Lionel.  Seven feet tall and 450 lbs.  A mutant zoo escapee, if you will.  I guess it's to be expected when you let your son, who dreams of being a zookeeper and loves the fantasy genre, have carte blanche on his pet.

It's an early morning in mid-summer (the month of Reaping), as our party travels the River Road towards the City of Greyhawk.  Already, the sun is bright and hot, and the adventurers have seen nary a soul on the road north all morning.  As the group comes to the top of a hill, an easily-achieved Spot check paints the following scene for our players:

A great stone bridge leads away to the north, while the road the players are on continues more to the northeast, towards the city.  Small hovels line the roadside, and two cargo carriages are overturned on the road, their horses lifeless beside them.  At least three half-orc marauders are pawing through the shattered caravans and sifting through the contents.  The marauders nearest the party (still a hundred yards off) appear to be not only raiding the cargo, but separating the items into discernible piles as well.

Upon further observation, the party sees a huge wyvern perched atop on the bridge's stone pillars, and sitting astride it, a cloaked figure who appears to be directing the marauding filth.

A brief conversation between the four party members (and three creatures) elicits the following plan:

1. G'leric will cast Invisibility Sphere upon the whole party, and as long as they stay within ten feet of him, they will remain invisible.  Perfect for a little sneaking down the hill to investigate the situation further, whilst going undetected.

Upon nearing the closest sets of hovels, and coming within 30-40 feet of the nearest pair of orc raiders, Krispy (the fighter) can hear sounds of general terrorizing coming from within the house on the left.  A good Spot check roll allows G'leric and Lance to discern similarly upsetting movement within the house on the right.  Eric, the paladin, (and the one who really should give a flip) rolls poorly and is oblivious to nearly everything going on.  However, once the fighter illuminates the paladin about the evil at hand, he becomes fervently righteous and concerned (and foolhardy, as only a 16-year-old paladin can be)...and he and Krispy rush off to the house containing the sounds of terror, hell-bent on killing half-orcs.

G'leric and Lance chill out in the middle of the road with the lion and the horse, still protected by their bubble of invisibility.  Krispy and Eric no longer enjoy that lovely privilege as they kick down the door of House #1 to attack.  The pair receives one free attack for the element of surprise, and it all goes down like this:

1. Krispy fumbles her surprise attack, but Eric makes a clean, sound hit.  Both orcs are now aware and ready for battle, and the evildoers are dispatched rather handily by Characters Who Know How To Freaking Fight.

Meanwhile, the gnome wizard (squishiest of the party, btw) and the elven druid decide to take action against the two orc raiders many feet in front of them.  This means they will have to run towards the orcs to engage in melee combat, and it is only in the middle of the fray that the druid remembers he's actually more proficient with his longbow.  He considers running back to his original spot and switching weapons, but ultimately, he is encouraged to "finish it out" by the wizard and DM.  The giant lion joins the fray as well, clawing and biting, and soon, another two evildoers bite the dust.  But, not before both G'leric and Lance fumble attack rolls and incur damage on Lionel.  Good thing he's so freaking big.  G'leric, while not really fighting material, does his very best and does it bravely...and those orcs' knees took a hell of a beating from the wizard's quarterstaff.

So, between the two little guys engaging in their battle and the two bigger guys meting out their brand of righteous justice inside the house, it's no surprise that NOBODY noticed the malicious hooded figure upon the wyvern launch a Fireball right at Eric's horse (who, abandoned by G'leric in the middle of the road, lost his lucky little bubble of invisibility).  Upon killing the two orcs in House #1, the paladin and fighter sprint over to House #2, where scenes of menacing were seen through the windows just minutes or seconds ago...however, the killing will be left to the fighter this time as Eric sees that his horse is smoking, as if it might have recently been slightly on fire.  Of course, he stops to tend to that crazy business, and since Krispy is pretty competent in the area of fighting, the poor, evil-seeking-and-smiting paladin misses a chance to ride the Pain Train...but he does get inside the house in time to do a Heal check and realize the two humans inside this house are in fact dead already.  He prays for them and performs their Last Rites.

Out of game, a little poor sportsmanship-esque exchange occurs:

Kirby: I killed two orcs in two turns (the Great Cleave feat, you know)
Brent: Oh yeah? Well...I hit an orc once.

Using the overturned carriage as cover, Lance and G'leric begin to attack the hooded figure upon the wyvern.  G'leric summons a Giant Wasp, and Eric and Krispy dash to join their comrades.  After seeing some complicated hand gestures on the part of the hooded figure, most of the party sees a glittering cloud descending upon them...and in the moment when G'leric realizes the wyvern-riding sorcerer has cast Glitterdust, he, his Giant Wasp, and Krispy are blinded by the cloud, and will be so for the next six rounds.  Lance the druid casts Charm Animal in an attempt to befriend the great, scaly dragon...he yells, "Knock that person off your back" to the wyvern, but to no effect that the druid can see.

So, it's back to the bows and arrows, and the druid manages to do a fair bit of damage, wherein Eric implores Lance, "Don't shoot the man, we need to question him...go for the wyvern!"  And because G'leric is almost sixty years old and has been around the city block a time or two, he decides to cast Summon Monster despite his present blindness.  The creatures being summoned? Five Fiendish Hawks...which sound pretty badass, but will really resemble nasty mosquitos.

At this point in time, all party members who can see notice the wyvern's great wings begin to move and the creature and the figure riding it lift off and head off to the north.  Someone informs G'leric of this and he sends his mini-hawks off after them, lamenting that they'll probably disappear with a little poof! before they reach the dragon.  The lone orc raiding the last caravan has abandoned his inventorying and is looking for a fight, it now seems, and Eric is chomping to engage the fiend (prompting a comment from the immature paladin: we were boyfriend and girlfriend, and now we're engaged).

And there are days when being a paladin is fairly awesome, like today, when Eric decides to cast Smite Evil, which will do A LOT more damage to any EVIL target.  And the 23 points of damage he manages to get is indeed enough to decapitate the last orc raider.  And when the Glitterdust clears, the kills are attributed as follows:  Krispy - 3; Eric - 2; Lance - 2; G'leric - 0 (but again, the sore knees thing).

The paladin suddenly remembers that, as a paladin, he should really go comfort or help the assault victims from House #1.  The entire group accompanies him.  It's obvious these people, who are not only minorly injured and terribly shaken, are incredibly poor, prompting Eric to hand over some of his rations and Lance some coin.  This conversation ensues:

Eric (Spencer): Sorry for barging in (which the party didn't, they knocked, but whatever), but desperate times call for desperate measures.  What happened?

It's worth noting that the paladin is NOT only sixteen years old, he has an Intelligence score of 8.  Two pretty serious strikes again ol' Eric, and not even his 16 Charisma can save him in certain situations.

Victims: We were preparing our midday meal.  We had no warning.  The orcs burst in and we tried to stop them and they hurt us.  They were going to kill us!  You saved us!
Lance: Were the orcs looking for something specific?
V: We have heard rumors of orcs attacking caravans and stealing anything of value.
E: Okay, well, thanks for your time.
V: No, thank you!!

G'leric and Eric then stand outside for a moment, considering the giant stone statue positioned across the road from the bridge road.  A Knowledge: Religion check reveals it is a statue of Boccob the Uncaring (a little Player's Handbook research by G'leric prompts a On-The-Road-to-Damascus moment as the gnome wizard realizes he's found his Savior!)  Lance and Krispy begin to Search through the contents of the caravans, which appear to be mostly dry goods; preserved foods, bolts of cloth, barrels of ale.  A distinct logo is emblazoned on the coaches: a bright orange shield, a black wagon wheel in the middle, and the name Able Carter Coaching Company.

Oh, yeah, and finishing up his paladin duties is Eric, who enters the second house with the dead humans, disposes of the dead orcs, buries the victims, and removes six copper pieces from the premises.  Thoughts of giving the copper pieces to the living victims does not cross his mind, apparently.

A Search of the second caravan by Lance and Krispy reveals the same logo, and an easy Spot check reveals a third overturned carriage at the bridge's entrance. Lance uses his mad Track/Survival skills to note that the wagon tracks cross the bridge and head north, in the same direction as the wyvern's retreat.  He also notices many humanoid footsteps along with the tracks.  It doesn't take the druid and the fighter long to notice a man, laying supine near the dead horses of this third carriage.  He is moving slightly, but is obviously very hurt.  Lance casts Cure Serious Wounds, and the man looks a little less closer to death.

In an interesting accent that must come from casting such spells, Lance attempts to speak with the injured man and asks him how he was injured.  The fighter wants to know why the druid is talking in a feminine voice, while others wonder when Lance started talking with a British accent.

"I was in the middle of a fight with a hooded figure and that dragon stung me...I think I must be poisoned," the man weakly replies.

Lance suddenly recalls Eric's earlier boasts of "being able to heal poison ONCE A WEEK", and shouts down to the paladin, who of course stops doing his one paladin thing to come and do another paladin thing.  The injured man (nobody has bothered to ask his name yet) sits up gingerly as the paladin casts Remove Poison.  G'leric the wizard, trying to helpful and empathic, strokes the man's hair comfortingly as he comes around.

The man tells them he is the owner of an establishment called the Drunken Dog Inn, in the City of Greyhawk.  He claims that he was traveling from the city of Dyvers with some cargo when they were attacked by orcs, and the hooded figure immediately engaged him in battle while the other, lesser orcs went about wrecking the other caravans and terrorizing the villagers.  The party finally inquires after his name, and he tells them he is Ricard Damaris.

Lance immediately asks if Ricard can give them 100 gold pieces...but then later claims he was "just thinking it".

Ricard seems especially grieved by the loss, or theft rather, of his dearly loved sword, a blade of chaos, which was stolen from him by the hooded fiend after the wyvern had poisoned him.  A Listen check, then, by the party indicates there is movement in the bushes just near the bridge.  A man comes forward, tentatively, and says his name is Acton Kathenor.  He is wearing cleric's robes and offers to healing to Krispy, G'leric, and Lionel.  He claims to be of the Boccobite faith, and he and Ricard seem to know each other.  The paladin is a little suspicious on a couple of counts: a.) Acton fled the battle and hid instead of taking on the evil threat, and b.) Boccobites have the reputation of being distant and detached and "do-nothing" priests, which Eric has a hard time with, obviously.

At any rate, Acton encourages the party to head on to Greyhawk, as the great celebration of Riggby the Boccobite cleric's life and times brings thousands to the city.  Eric nods knowingly at the mention of Riggby...he has heard the name and legends that go with him as well.  Ricard, while not strong enough to walk the two miles into the city, plans to head there to his inn and seek further healing.  He offers the party "free lodgings there for a month" as thanks for the rescue.  Eric offers him use of Zeeb, which Ricard gratefully accepts.

And so, it would appear our merry band of adventurers is heading into The Free City of Greyhawk...

The Greyhawk Chronicles - Session Two

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.

The Greyhawk Chronicles - Session 1

***A huge thanks to Simon and Brent for their notes***

With the Beneath Two Suns adventure complete, the question of "what now" remained.

The 'Suns' DM expressed a desire to play a character, and with the addition of the newbie 'Limon' (remember him from a couple of entries ago?)...it seemed new characters and a new campaign were in order.  And thus, your trusty scribe humbly submits "Expedition to Greyhawk and Beyond".  With myself as DM, the new party consists of the following:

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)

Things begin in the rowdy, boisterous section of the city of Greyhawk, known informally as the River Quarter.  Channel Billy Joel for a moment and sing:

"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday, the regular crowd shuffles in..."

A brightly-dressed young woman stands on the raised stage.  A cheerful floppy hat is pushed back on her brown hair, and she holds a harp in her hands.  After given a brief introduction by the emcee/DM, the young bard is suddenly overcome by an attack of stage fright and asks the crowd (and OOG watchers) for forgiveness.  The patrons of the Drunken Dog Inn are a forgiving bunch, and after a rousing performance (and a decent Perform: Stringed roll), Duck the Bard is applauded soundly.  She also discerns a bawdy wolf whistle from the audience as well.  Giving a small curtsy, she makes her way to her seat.

About three seconds after that, an enamored "fan" approaches her.  A hulking, blond drunken sailor approaches Duck with articulate compliments like 'You sing nice' and 'I like you' (all the while staring at her chest).  Duck reluctantly allows DS to buy her a drink, and uses the ruse to escape to a darker part of the Inn.  Within moments, she is approached by two solemn-looking, brown-robed clerics, who claim to be representatives of the River Quarter Mission (clerics of St. Cuthbert).  They indicate that part of Duck's song spoke to them, particularly about her needing employment.  Duck is then advised to come to the Mission tomorrow morn to speak to a Father Gary, who will provide more information about a runaway girl.  It seems Duck may have a particular set of skills to retrieve this wayward child and return her to her nobleman father.  As the clerics leave, Drunken Sailor returns to engage in an intimate moment with the pretty, young bard.  Quick-thinking Duck asks the inebriated riverman to ask the bartender to sniff him.  DS appears confused, but Duck explains that his manly musk is so alluring, she wishes to duplicate it at the nearest apothecary...and the bartender will be able to pinpoint the particular elements of the sailor's odor.  DS stupidly assents, stumbles back to the bar, and Duck flees into the dark Greyhawk night.

The next morning:  

1.     The DM asks the other five members to roll dice, to determine character connections.  Results:

2.     Fenriz the bard and Atlas the paladin know each other: Atlas rescued Fenriz from some demons.

3.     Olly and Feykro know Duck (and are in fact, fans).  Duck is not familiar with them (but oh boy, is she about to be...).

4.     Lotus is the lone wolf.  She knows nobody and nobody knows her (but oh boy, are they about to...).

After a d20 dice roll for determining order, the five characters wake up, and realize three things:

1. They are shut in a 10x10 wooden mobile containment unit.

2. They are experiencing various physical afflictions (sore hands, stiff neck, etc.)

3. They are without their gear and weaponry.

4. They are in the tank with several other persons (as revealed when some of the party let their hands roam about).

One little porthole of light provides weak illumination for everyone but the human paladin.  A soft voice then informs the group that he "will pray for them", to which there is no response.  Lotus the monk is able to stand and proceeds to kick at the nearest solid wall; however, a Critical Fumble lands 8 points of monk-foot damage upon the brow of the paladin.

Atlas: What did I do to deserve that?

Lotus: Just get out of the way. (Atlas heeds her advice)

Fenriz the bard is moving towards the small square of light (prompting a round of "Don't go towards the light!" exclamations).  Olly the overly-helpful cleric happens to have the skill to pick the wagon door lock, and he opens the door a smidge.  In an unprecedented turn of events, Lotus attempts another kick and Critically Fumbles yet again.  This time she sweeps the feet of the bard out from underneath him, and Fenriz takes several points of head-against-hard-wooden-floor damage.  The bard is able to blink and sees a monk standing nearby, positioned as if she'd just physically exerted herself in some way.  Fenriz puts two and two together.  The following exchange then occurs:

Fenriz: Just what the heck is your deal?
Lotus: Just get out of the way!
Fenriz: I think you need to figure out what you're doing before you say that to me.
Lotus: Fair point.
Atlas: Did someone else get kicked?
Fenriz: ...the karate expert that doesn't know what the hell she's doing...

At that point, the party is fully aware of the wagon they're in has now lurched to a stop.  Gruff orcish voices are heard, and Olly can clearly make out that the wagon has happened upon a raid in progress, that the orc drivers know the orc pillagers, and that the orc drivers are planning to get in on the action.  After passing on this knowledge to the others, Olly risks opening the door wider, to which the paladin asks, "Should we jump out, then?"  The cleric responds (ohsobravely) with "Be my guest."  Another Listen check for the cleric offers up the special knowledge that the prisoners' gear is "somewhere up front" (wherever that might be).

Which is awfully good timing, considering the following conversation that has just gone down...

Atlas: Oh, hey..

Fenriz: How'd we get here?

Atlas: ...nothing, no.  Do you know where our gear is?

Fenriz: No idea.

Party members begin exiting the police wagon, and Atlas is especially impressed by Lotus, who moves past him extremely quickly and quietly on a great Move Silently check.  Olly the Cleric opts to army crawl it under the wagon, only to pop up near the front wheels with a "it's all clear down there".  Some of the other characters express a concern for Olly's safety, as it's likely he could be kicked in the head, or worse, crapped on.

Then, Fenriz the bard proceeds to spoil the monk's stealth by calling out, "Hey, is my stuff up there?"  And in a classic twist of irony, he then happens to witness Lotus execute a lithe, cat-like jump up onto the front of the wagon, compelling him to mutter, "oh sure, she can't kick, but she sure can jump." 

Atlas's natural 20 on a Search allows to easily see that the seat at the front of the wagon is actually a hinged lid, and alas! inside is a jumble of bags and gear.  Lotus tosses Atlas's longsword (in the scabbard) to him, retrieves her own stuff, and leaps down from the wagon before anyone else asks her to do things for them.  Feykro the gnome looks to get his stuff, but he finds climbing the wagon sides quite a challenge.  After exclaiming that he looks "so sad", Lotus boosts the druid the rest of the way up.

Meanwhile, an interesting exchange (and possibly budding bromance) is occurring on the other side of the wagon:

Fenriz: Atlas, can you drive a wagon?

Atlas: Probably...

Fenriz: So we can get out of here fast?  Let's get out of here. We don't know what we're dealing with here. Let's take off together.

Atlas: Seems reasonable.

But first, Atlas takes the chance to grab the rest of his stuff.  Holding up a "hodge podge of little people stuff", he inquires about its owners, to which the cleric pipes up with "Oh, that's me!  Bless you, sir!"  Fenriz also expresses his joyfulness at getting his guitar back.

Within seconds of everyone receiving their gear back, the DM asks everyone except Lotus the monk to make a Will Save.  A half-orc sorcerer astride a wyvern is parked atop a bridge some hundred feet away, and he has just cast Glitterdust on the party.  Lotus, Olly, and Atlas escape the Blinding caused by the spell.  And simultaneously, several orcs who've been terrorizing the small village inhabitants are aware of the party, especially Atlas and Olly, who've rushed headlong into the evil fray.  Lotus is aware of the enemies as well; she moves to engage two orcs and deliver unto them a power-packed foot to the face.

Feykro opts to hide in the bench compartment until his blindness passes, and Fenriz gropes his way around to the wagon's back, where he hopes to recover his vision and his senses.  And OH YEAH!  Feykro's wolf, whom we'd all promptly forgotten about, is commanded to sit on top of the bench.

Atlas scores a Critical and hews his orc.  Meanwhile, Olly has crept into a nearby hovel, where villagers (gender unknown currently) are being menaced by two more orcs.  It appears the cleric is some kind of rogue as he scores major damage on a Sneak Attack.  Feykro continues his sequestering, and Fenriz is slowly regaining his vision, and prepares his crossbow as well as a half-blind man can.  Lotus kills an orc, prompting the sorcerer to lob a Fireball at the party.  Atlas takes 14 points of flame damage, while the monk manages to dodge the entire thing.

More orc killing ensues, but not without some repercussions.  The sorcerer has also managed to zap both the monk and the paladin with Magic Missiles and Fireballs.  The monk is taking as many hits as she's giving, and at seven hit points, she retreats to a safe distance to recover.  In what can be construed as a well-timed tag team maneuver, Fenriz the bard stumbles into the fracas, just in time to take over orc-slaying from the monk.   In other action, the Dire Wolf is suddenly activated and begins biting the crap out of people.  Between the animal and the others, the remaining orcs are slain.  And with their arrows, Atlas and Lotus manage to drive off the sorcerer, who flees the scene to the northeast.

With all immediate threats eliminated, the party has a chance to catch their breath.

Fenriz: Is everyone alright?

Lotus: Nooooo.

Atlas (to Villagers in the hovel): Are you okay?

Villagers (shakily): ...yes.

The DM reveals that physically they are fine but may have suffered mental health damage and Atlas is asked if he wants to do anything about that.

Atlas: I'm a paladin, not a therapist.

Atlas loots the bodies in front of the already traumatized visitors, and when questioned about this, he responds, "that the fight against evil needs funding" and "we're not exactly the March of Dimes here". 

To assuage the fear the villagers might now feel at a paladin who's just looted throwing axes from two corpses, Atlas offers parting words of comfort:

"I am very, very sorry.  Please try to get over it." He then thinks and adds, "I will pray for you."

While this heartwarming exchange is going down - another, more heated one is occurring elsewhere.

Lotus: Anyone have a heal spell or potion? Anybody?

Feykro: Why should I heal you? I don't know you.

Lotus: So I don't punch you?

Feykro: I got a Dire Wolf...

Lotus: Yeah, you didn't do shit until I was dead.

Feykro, finally and begrudingly: Well, you HELPED, so...okay, I guess I'll heal you.

An indignant Lotus asks loudly "Anyone ELSE have a heal?"  Atlas calls out helpfully from inside the shack, "I CAN HEAL YOU!"  Unfortunately, Lotus doesn't quite understand from whence the voice is coming, and cannot respond.  Eventually, though, Feykro bestows 24 points of health upon Lotus.

General clean-up and battle aftermath continues, with these particular highlights:

1.     Lotus's appreciation towards her battlemates, Fenriz and Atlas...the particularly ironic thing, these are the same two she kicked earlier in the episode.

2.     Atlas spots not-quite-dead-body movement from a toppled wagon on the bridge, and urgently calls for the cleric's healing.

3.     Olly the Reluctant Cleric is quite set on remaining in the house with the traumatized villagers (one of them being discerned as 'male').  When he finally emerges, he looks different...a change of clothing?  Different facial features?  It's difficult to pinpoint.

4.     Feykro and wolf leave, on the road for Greyhawk.

5.     The gravely injured man is named Ricard, and he is poisoned from the sting of the wyvern.

6.     Ricard owns The Drunken Dog Inn in Greyhawk, and promises free lodgings for a month as a thank you for his rescue.  He also seems very distressed about his beloved sword, lost in a fight with the sorcerer.

7.     The group decides to use the prison wagon to take Ricard into the city.

8.     There is some surprise in the back of the wagon, as the cleric discovers the bard can sing ("Little People, Big Music").

9.     Feykro and wolf are overtaken on the road, asked for a ride, and are determined to continue on foot.

The next session will begin with the party entering Greyhawk, and what hijinks await this party remain to be seen!

Nine Months Later...Part Two...The End

Crom Critically Fumbles again (and then again, actually), followed by Gary's second Critical Fumble on the day.  Arnie, in desperation, makes his way to the feet of the beast and lays hands on him, casting Inflict Critical Wounds.  The entire party wonders what that feels like.  Ewwww...

There is more demon-slap damage, answered by a sweet fireball from Eva.  Gary the Ranger fumbles again and plugs an arrow into Arnie the Cleric.  Again.  At this point, several of the players notice the darkness is dissipating.  More punching, axeing, and chopping ensues.  Vanya's Heal check discloses that Hrunchuk is dead.  But...

the arrows are still flying.  WTF?  Gary, Eva, and Arnie continue attacking the archer off in the distance.  Everyone is in for the shock of their lives as the archer finally falls, and it is revealed the assassin is none other than...

POPORI!  Gary's Ranger friend!  Turncoat!  Traitor!

As Gary was the one who fired the fatal shot, he is quite overcome with disbelief.  Eva's attempt at solace goes like this: "So, who's the better ranger now?"

Gary Searches the body (of course) and finds a note on Popori's corpse.  Essentially, he and Nadima were in love and planning to run away together (after he'd killed her rescuers/protectors first, of course).  An interrogation of Nadima is pointless as she is stricken with grief at the loss of her soulmate.  Discussion then transpires about what to do.  Leave Nadima here?  Take her back to her father?  Take her to Campbell?

Eva comes in with the quote of the day: "We need to kill this bitch and get the hell out of Dodge!"  However, nobody else has quite the same level of enthusiasm, so no action is taken.  Until the group hears shouts - someone is calling their names.  Someone wearing the attire of the House of Campbell.  The messenger asks the company to bring Nadima to the General Assembly.  There is a general sense of incredulousness as the party wants to know: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

In what Tordek describes as "continuing down the rabbit hole", the party finally opts to escort Nadima back to town - if only to see where this all ends up.  As the group crosses a large bridge, a group of green-tuniced soldiers make their way towards them.  The green tunics are of the House of Estercari, and the party suspects they will try to make off with the princess.  But, nothing could be farther from the truth.  One of the archers steps out of the group and fires an arrow at...

PRINCESS NADIMA?!  WHAT?  Her own father is trying to have her killed! It is Eva's dream come true!

But, before they can kill the princess, a troop of blue-tuniced guards arrive to take on the greenies.  The party, refusing to engage in the battle themselves, enjoys a little leisure time here as they watch the two groups kill each other.  

Within a few moments, the battle is over, and the Campbell messenger and the party make their way to the General Assemblage.  Four hundred and eighty of the city's most important personages...and it takes every ounce of self-restraint on Eva's part not to launch a Fireball into the throng.  Essentially, here's how the meeting shakes out:

1. Campbell addresses the Assembly.  Presents the Princess to the men.

2. The Codifex seems quite put out his supposed-to-be-dead daughter is alive.

3. Princess tells of her father's betrayal.

4. Assembly decides to execute current Codifex.

5. Assembly executes current Codifex.

6. Campbell crowned new Codifex.

7. Party is offered the job of: Chief City Wardens. 

8. They accept.  For the most part.

And with that, the adventure of Beneath Two Suns has now come to an end.  But...for motives unknown to only Gary the Ranger, the following conversation with Princess Nadima unfolds:

G: Hi.

PN: No response.

G: Sorry about your father.  (Who was executed JUST NOW!)

PN: I'm not!  That rabble!  That rast!

Gary pulls out his Ring of Swimming and offers it to the Princess.

G:  Will you marry me?

(DM has him roll a Charisma check.  Gary Critically Fumbles.)

PN: How dare you?  (She slaps him soundly)

G: Well, how about a coffee sometime?

(Another Charisma check.  Another Critical Fumble.)

PN: Ahhhhhhhhhhh!  (She flees, utterly repulsed)

Meanwhile, Tordek has gone off in search of Wanek, of the House of Eward, who happens to own the group money for a job done earlier in the week.

T: We've killed a lot of people today.  So pay up.

Wanek: Okay.

Because of the new job descriptions, Tordek is now finally able to purchase and wear metal armor.  And Vanya puts a sweet new monk's belt on layaway at the local monk belt store.

And with that - REALLY - the adventure ends:

Nine Months Later...Part One

Oh manmanmanmanman!  Can it finally be?  The finale of the Beneath Two Suns adventure? 

YES!

As your trusty scribe, I am finally able to report: this blog entry is the culmination of a nine-month long adventure.  Prepare yourselves.

Lest you've forgotten, this party contains: a dwarf fighter, a sorceress, ranger, monk, barbarian, and cleric (all human).

The task at hand involves escorting Princess Nadima to the Forbidden Gardens and the Temple of Hrunchuk.  After crossing the canal (of red, scummy water), the group takes a brief break before making a vital decision:

Two paths diverge into a wood...which one will make all the difference?

Not that any of this group will have heard of Robert Frost, but the message is crucial, nonetheless.  The path to the party's south is the closest, and thus, seems as good as any.  The players trek a windywindywindy trail into the forest.  Oddly, the rangers choose not to roll any kind of Track/Survival/Knowledge Nature, inducing Eva to observe, "I guess Rangers have to care."  The sorceress sends her hawk (Lady Hawke) ahead to scout the way, and soon, the party is rewarded with news of "horse-like creatures" up ahead.  Inquiring minds want to know: Do we proceed?  Are they armed?  Are they vicious?  They have horns?  How many?  Are they unicorns?

In a move that would make bra-burners everywhere proud, the women of the party go on a recon mission.  Eva casts Invisibility on herself and Vanya the monk, who then Critically Fumbles a Listen check...temporarily going deaf.

While this is occurring, it is noted that Gary's fervent desire to have a weird pet familiar does not extend to the cool-ass buffalo the party is about to encounter.  Also, Tordek is experiencing alignment difficulties as he contemplates what to do with the Princess in the event of a stampede.  He finally decides he will throw her into the oncoming herd, but pull her back just in time to prevent her death, thus satisfying his bipolar nature.

The company plans to creep, ever so quietly, around the herd of creatures (who are quietly grazing)...and it seems to be going well, until Popori Critically Fumbles a Move Silently check.  His subsequent crashing about cause panic in the horned animals, who begin charging at once.  There is much swinging and punching and shooting and flaming.  A buffalo descends upon Nadima, and it seems for one glorious moment that she may be gored to death.  But, alas, she is not...and there is much disappointment.  Crom, however, in his flamboyant metrosexual way, performs a dazzling "El Matador" move on one of the moving creatures.

Soon, though, the smell of singed buffalo fur hangs acridly in the air.   

The company continues on until they come to a T-intersection, and a huge statue of a scary-looking demon type thing.  Somebody whose identity escapes the scribe at present remembers that the Princess was to be taken to the room under the statue of Hrunchuk in the Forbidden Gardens.   However, nobody has taken ranks in Knowledge: Hrunchuk, and consequently, it's unclear if this is the correct statue.  The group also perceives a group of men sparring off in the distance...who then perceive them...and who then advance towards the pondering party. 

Vanya, on a low Spot check, notices the rushing horde appear to be wearing the same type of clothing as her.  Arnie notes that this "seems like a holy place."  And Eva notes that it "seems like a monk-y" place.  General battle preparation go as follows:

Eva casts mage Armor.

Crom begins to instantly Rage.

Arnie attempts to use his new wand of Magic Missile.  However, a low Use Magical Device roll causes one charge to fizzle right at his feet.

The monk force rushes headlong into melee combat with the party.  They wield halberds, and OOG, a wife triumphantly corrects her husband on his weaponry knowledge.

A larger monk appears near the back of the group of fighting monks, and as he is indicated by a yellow dice, Arnie the Cleric is prompted to ask, "Lemon?"

Between Crom's sword, Tordek's axe, Eva's Magic Missiles, and Gary's arrows, the monk armada dwindles to one: Lemon.  Tordek, engaged in melee combat with him, takes an amazing 30 points of punch damage to the face.  And from there...things kind of fall apart...

Vanya Critically Fumbles (her second one) on an attack, and falls to the ground, but not before stumbling into Tordek next to her.  Crom then Critically Fumbles and slices Vanya while she's down.  Eva suggests Lemon would do well to stand back and let these three finish each other off themselves before she seals Lemon's fate with a well-placed Magic Missile. 

Giddy about her restraint in not killing the Princess, Eva excitedly runs to tell Arnie about it.  However, the cleric, fresh from a three-way with two monk fighters, is lying on the ground in pain.  He can only respond to Eva's exuberance with a weak thumbs-up.

After the battle, the group continues to answer the riddle surrounding the statue and its hidden room.  A plaque instructs all statue viewers to "Bow to Hrunchuk".  The group then forces Nadima to incline to the statue...she cries, but does so.  As expected, nothing happens.  But it was well worth a try.

Eva soon discovers a latch that releases a trapdoor.  The party sees a ladder that into a room below.  Gary descends, and is able to act as a cushion for the falling Princess Nadima, who has been pushed into the hole by You-Know-Who.  After that, though, Gary and the others who've descended into the room are agoggedly distracted at the numerous shelves containing all kinds of fancy, expensive swag.  Crom is drawn to a shelf that holds crowns and tiaras, and Eva soon joins him in picking out the most prettiest, complimentariest one there.  Because there's time, several of the party members do a Take 20 on Search check, which turn up two secret rooms.

Room #1: A pantry of sorts.  Gary the Ranger bursts in, and begins eating grain from a burlap sack.  A failed Fortitude roll on his part reveals the grain was rancid.  So, why did Gary eat the spoiled food?  Because, as everyone now knows, that's what Gary does.

Room #2: A lovely, gardenesque room with a tinkling fountain. 

Frustration is mounting for a few members of the party because per Campbell's orders, Nadima is in the place she is supposed to be.  AND NOTHING IS HAPPENING.  Many minutes are spent Searching, pondering, and venting...in the meantime, darkness has fallen (a fact that is often mentioned by the DM - it must be important). 

Eva casts Invisibility on Vanya, who volunteers to take the first watch near the statue of Hrunchuk up above.  It is not long before Vanya notices that she is surrounded by an "unnatural darkness"...and so she summons Tordek, the dwarf who has darkvision.  He too is awed by his inability to perceive anything not right in front of his own face, causing him to announce, "It's really dark."  Vanya descends into the chamber to retrieve Eva, who might have a handy little light spell.  The minute the monk is out of sight, the dwarf is attacked by crazy laser-beams that appear to be coming from somewhere above him.  He takes damage before calling for help.  And that help is greatly needed, because...

IT'S HRUNCHUK!  THE DEMON!  HE'S ALIVE! 

The DM instructs Tordek, Vanya, and Crom to roll Will saves, and while the monk and barbarian succeed, the fighter and ranger spend one turn cowering in fear.  The other players slowly emerge from the secret chamber below to help slay the beast.  Crom takes two points of slap damage from the demon, prompting him to shout, "Oh, no, you didn't!"  Cowering in fear obviously weakened Tordek, who Critically Fumbled his next attack, and sliced Vanya in the back for 17 points.

As if that weren't bad enough, arrows come zinging out of the darkness, piercing the players.  The darkness is still hanging, making battle extremely difficult for the party.

Stay tuned for Part Two.