Tales from the Rattlebones Tavern: Six Against Viridistan...

...or Beerbane's Bane!

Characters Present

Annapurna, 4th level Altanian  Ranger

Beerbane, 3rd level Altanian Berserker Barbarian

Ion Skamos, 4th level Tiefling Cleric of Set

Sobek-Ra, 4th level Orichalan Dragonblood Sorcerer

Waq Awaqa, [3rd] Level Viridian Warlock

Hjoldahr Braveflight, 3rd Level Dwarf Fighter

Events

• While resting at camp, Annapurna was able to spy a dwarven noble and his small entourage of three dwarven commoners walking through the Vapor Hills. She brought him back to camp and Waq Awaqa quickly took to this fellow noble, whose name was Hjoldahr Braveflight. 
• They all agreed that a second attack on the Viridian camp was in order, with Hjoldahr's servants guarding the camp in the meanwhile.
• They waited until dusk and again made their way to the strange cave which provides a back entrance to the complex the Viridian soldiers were exploring. 
• Again Ion Skamos used the stormy  powers of Set to clear a path that they might pass through the room filled with poison gas.
• They first attempted to explore beyond where they had fought the men of living metal, finding a room that appeared at first glance to be empty, aside from some strange discolorations on the floor and some ancient bones.
• Sobek-Ra soon found the source of these discolorations, as a strange mechanism in the ceiling shot a beam of energy at him, nearly killing him. Annapurna, acting quickly, destroyed the mechanism with a carefully aimed bowshot.
• Listening at the door exiting this chamber, the group heard the sounds of nearby Viridian soldiers searching through the complex. Not wishing to alert them they decided to double back to the poison gas room and take another route.
• From this new route they soon found themselves in a grand hall marked by columns of the same dark metal found elsewhere in the complex. These pillars it seemed housed a similar trap to the earlier chamber, and one must know the proper direction to walk in order to pass them without being vaporized.
• The party then used this to their advantage as they attempted to lure the soldiers they heard earlier into the trap. Unfortunately it seems the Viridians were already aware of the trap, though with some cajoling Sobek-Ra was finally able to convince one to get himself killed.
• Battle was joined, and during this battle Ion Skamos used the thunderous power of his dark god. Unfortunately, this alerted the other Viridians in the complex and soon the whole unit was upon them, including trained Viridian archers, the captain Sobek-Ra had encountered earlier, and a conjurer of some skill.
• The party retreated into a hallway in hopes they would bottle the enemy up, and at first this strategy seemed to work; however, when the conjurer came closer he loosed a fireball which incapacitated half of their number.
• While the survivors were able to recover the body of Hjoldahr and even revive Ion Skamos, the conjurer then summoned great black tentacles from the depths of some nether hell, which rent Beerbane limb from limb.
• Annapurna, realizing the situation was dire, produced the lamp which contained Salassim, and bade him to stop the Viridians. He responded "I shall try, Master. I shall try" and then flew into the grand hall.
• Much of the ensuing battle was unseen by the survivors, though the combat could be heard as great blasts of flame leapt through the air.
• Annapurna attempted to find the entrance on her own but soon was walking blindly without torchlight.
• However her flight proved in vain as soon Salassim had routed the Viridians and flew into the air to smite the ones which fled into the sun from the heavens.
• Soon the soldiers were dead and the survivors were able to lick their wounds. They agreed that they should commandeer the Viridian camp and its supplies. They hoped dearly that no reinforcements were on their way...

Treasure

600gp, salt fish (300gp), Jeweled turban (150gp), jeweled dagger (150gp), wand carved with image of Yezud

XP per Surviving Player 

730

Tales from the Rattlebones Tavern: Men of Living Metal...

... or Dungeons are a Gas!

The Men of Living Metal

Characters Present

Annapurna, 4th level Altanian  Ranger

Beerbane, 4th level Altanian Berserker Barbarian

Ion Skamos, 4th level Tiefling Cleric of Set

Sobek-Ra, 4th level Orichalan Dragonblood Sorcerer

Events

• Sobek-Ra returned to his compatriots and described the situation about the strange complex the Viridians were investigating. They debated what to do for some time, but the horrible thunderstorm they were in precluded their initial plan of setting fire to the Viridian camp, though each flash of lightning seemed to set off a cloud of methane within the Vapor hills in mockery of this fact.
• Sobek-Ra also told of a side passage which led into a cave. They agreed that they should scout this out to see if it could lead to the rear of the Viridians, or perhaps to the "eye" they sought.
• Using the cover of the pouring rain and the onset of dusk, the four made their way into the cave, which Annapurna was disturbed to find covered in a reeking fluid like the runoff from a mine. It seemed this fluid occasionally burbled up methane, which made the journey perilous and also meant that Ion and Sobek-Ra had to led their human companions closely.
• Soon they found a large hall made of an opalescent black metal. This hall also contained a noxious gas, created - they soon learned - by the mixture of the methane and some strange components held within large metal boxes. This gas, unlike that of the cave tunnel, was not flammable, but burned Sobek-Ra's nostrils as he held his breath and tried to explore the room without suffocating.
• Eventually it was decided that this room should be passed by, and the four all covered their mouths and hoped for the best, moving through it at great speed.
• Further down the tunnel they came to a large chamber... filled with orange crocodiles! They seem to have been changed by bathing in the impure water of the cave.
• Ion Skamos called upon the Slithering Lord of Darkness to cloak them in a cloud of fog, and they fled from the crocodiles, whom they worried would prove too much for them.
• There was then some discussion of if the poison gas from earlier could be blown out onto the waiting Viridians, but Ion knew his spells well enough to know that by the time they made it to the camp he would've merely dispersed the gas until it was harmless.
• So they decided to do a variant of this instead, blowing wind down the chamber to clear it of the gas. This was done easily and the party preceded to the first door within.
• Beyond, they found a section of cavern with stairs added of the same opalescent black metal as the gas chamber.

a re-enactment* of the action

• These they ascended and soon found themselves in combat with strange men made of the same metal! They knew quickly that these were no suits of armor, as blows through landed on neither flesh nor bone and no blood spilled from these strange beings.
• Beerbane rushed forward to face them but soon found himself surrounded. Luckily this was quickly rectified by Ion Skamos who used a thunderous blast to send one of the metal-men flying backwards into a metallic chest which spilled silver coins everywhere.
• Soon the metal men were defeated, with comparatively few resources used by the four adventurers; however, now that they had a fair amount of treasure, and since this was only meant to be a scouting mission, they decided to exit and make camp in the swiftly approaching night. 

the party's location at the end of the session

• The terrible storm gave way in the night to an unbearable mugginess, common in the subtropical lands of the World Emperor.
• Knowing that they would be unlikely to return to civilization any time soon, they decided they should bury the treasure they currently had. Since Annapurna is better versed in forests than in hills, they descended back into the Elsenwood for the burial. There they marked the spot by means Annapurna would remember.
• They then made their way back into the vapor hills and set camp in mid afternoon, hoping to wait until dusk to again plumb the strange structure the viridians had found.

Treasure

4200sp, 2 black jade "crab men" statues (150gp each), 2 metal crates (100gp each)

XP Per Player

285

* I neglected at the time to take a screenshot, so I recreated it with the tokens I had to hand later. I also didn't make the tokens you see for the metal men until after the session when I found a Krull comic I could use.

Tales from the Rattlebones Tavern: The Story So Far

Today's post is from longtime player in my game Michael. He has helpfully provided an account of the campaign so far so I don't have to write it.

The wood-elves of Khaled, hearing tales of Annapurna's care in returning the body of her friend and compatriot Sweetleaf to the wood-elves living in the shadow of the City State of the Invincible Overlord, sent word requesting her help. They asked that she and a party of adventurers follow one of the now-frequent Viridian patrols that pass through their territory, perhaps signalling a coming assault on their beleaguered people.

Arriving in Viridistan, and finding rooms at the Rattlebones Tavern, Annapurna and her associates were approached by a strange man offering gold in exchange for one of the mummies of Ancient Kings vouchsafed in coastal cairns to the east of the city. Returning with one of these mummies, or a considerable part thereof, the party has now agreed to meet the strange man in a mysterious region to the west, where he posits to utilise the mummy in procuring an ancient stone of strange powers.

Annapurna believes there is a possibility that the Viridian patrols may lead to this same place in the west, perhaps with a corollary purpose. Thus, not wanting to delay their request further, and hoping to combine two tasks in one, the party has gone north to Khaled to meet with the wood-elves there and pick up the trail of one of these patrols.

Leaving the small woodland village of the elves, known as Khaled, Annapurna began tracking the Viridian soldiers who had passed through the forest the previous day. While she was gathering food as they travelled beneath the trees, the others were set upon by a fearsome demon. When she returned, the demon had moved on, but laying there, nearly slain by the creature, was someone she had not seen since her time in the distant City State; Waq Awaqa, the magician. Quickly reviving him, he told the travellers he had been following this demon when it attacked.

They bent their attention again to the trail of the Viridians, and were led from the forest out into open hilly plains, redolent with clouds of noxious gas. The journey was also plagued by a rolling thunderstorm, and they soon discovered the clouds of gas were highly explosive in the lightning. They gave the clouds a wide berth.

Scouting ahead, Sobek-Ra discovered the terminus of the Viridians tracks. Some thirty of their soldiers were camped on the weirdly spongy ground, their tents arrayed near a stark, blocky archway of square black stone set into one of the hillsides. Disguising himself with sorcery, Sobek-Ra approached the camp, and spoke with the leader. He revealed that they had sent at least one group of soldiers through the archway, delving into the depths below the hill. They sought for something the leader would not discuss; clearly the same so-called 'eye' we were seeking ourselves.

Concerning the Wilderlands

I've been thinking about making this post for a while. Some of you may be aware of the extremely vile statements made by Bob Bledsaw's son. As Rob Conley noted his attempts to clarify or apologize have not been any better. For this reason Conley has decided to terminate his business connections to the Judges Guild. Last I heard Goodman Games was still working them to publish works by Jennell Jaquays in order to do right by her even if the Judges Guild is run by a shit, and I respect that decision.

I have no financial ties to the company and merely have talked about how I like the setting (in both it's original and d20 forms) on this blog numerous times. I also often run it. For a while I thought I'd never run it again but as summer approaches I find myself again in the mood for Sword & Sorcery adventure in lieu of or in addition to my normal spooky affairs. I have, in fact, restarted a Wilderlands game (with at least two of the characters from the old Cutthroat Inn campaign returning). I've decided my connection to the setting outweighs my feelings on Bledsaw II's racism. I would likely feel different if I had been involved with the business as the aforementioned people had been.

Anyway, I wanted to start posting about the campaign here but I thought I should clarify that my still using the setting is in no way an endorsement of anything Robert Bledsaw II has said or done.

Oh, and if you want to read a post about how to handle social justice issues in your tabletop rpgs I highly recommend this post by Humza.

Tales from the Boar's Head: Thalos' Tomb

A Bad Way to Go

Session Date

13th Day of the month of the Crimson Dragon 4500CCC (August 13th)

Characters Present

Aslog, Skandik Priestess of Odin

Velor Silent-stream, Half Elf Druid

Dabetha Darkmantle, Dwarf Storm Sorceress and devotee of Manas

Udogar Thalthaac, First Man Bard

Thalos, Tiefling Blade Pact Warlock (Deceased)

Events

• The party met with Thalos, a warlock from the Demon Princedoms far to the south, and convinced him to seek treasure within the tomb they had been exploring.
• Dabetha also took the time to make sure she had notes on the other possible adventures around Haghill and the City State.
• They left Haghill at dawn on the 13th and arrived at the tomb without incident.
• After reviewing Velor's map, they decided to try to explore beyond the chamber where they had fought a group of guard skeletons and, on a later expedition, the shade of a typhonic beast.
• Near this chamber they found what appeared to be an ancient library of sorts filled with scrolls. A skeletal priestly figure mechanically puttered around looking at scrolls seemingly without comprehending them. In the center of the room was a great brazier.
• Thalos attempted to test the skeleton's reactions by dimming the fire within the brazier. This prompted no reaction. 
• Before the party could move in behind him, Thalos attacked the creature with an eldritch blast.
• The rest of the party filed in, attacking with spell and sword, and the skeleton had no time to react before it was destroyed.  With its last act it attempted to push some of the scrolls into the fire but was unable to.
• Searching among they scrolls they found that many were blank, but that some still contained writing.  They were able to find an ancient King's List, a strange map, and a scroll of diminution.
• Dabetha, feeling there might be a secret door nearby, attempted to search for one using her stone-cunning, but to no avail.
• They then decided to see what was within the pit found in the room where Velor, Aslog, and the now gone Torin had faced a bronze cobra.  They, in fact, used the wreckage of this cobra as a weight for their rope as they lowered themselves down.
• Or rather some did.  Udogar, frustrated with dithering over whether to go down the pit or a nearby flight of stairs, jumped down and was quickly joined by Talos.
• Below they found a strange set of cells packed wall to wall with bones, as though a great many people were locked in them and left to rot over hundreds of years, and a torture chamber. 
• The torture chamber was guarded by a hulking skeleton with a great, two handed scimitar. Once he drew this vile weapon a swarm of scarab beetles appeared from no discernible location and followed him.
• Thalos attempted to fight the undead torturer while Velor and Aslog began to make their way down the rope.
• Dabetha jumped past the two going down the rope and cast a shield spell in mid air, using her storm sorceress abilities to gently land on the ground once this was done.
• Thalos took a mighty blow from the torturer, but what slew him was the scarabs. They swarmed over him - two swarms in one space! They then set about hollowing out his corpse.
• The torturer then turned his attention to Udogar and Dabetha, but Velor was able to intervene and do a great deal of damage to him.  Aslog also helped with her mace, which had great efficacy against the being.
• Udogar was knocked unconscious by the torturer's wicked blade, but Aslog was able to heal him.
• Once the torturer was dead, they felt some sorrow for their newly met and newly departed friend, but Aslog did observe that they had not been shieldbrothers long.
• Dabetha took the sword and began experimenting with it, finding that if any part of it touched the ground scarabs began to appear. She faintly heard the voice of Thalos's shade say "careful where you sleep."
• They then climbed back up the rope, retrieved it, and went down some nearby stairs. The sound of running water, which pervades the strange tomb, was even louder in this section of the dungeon.
• Beyond this they found another guard chamber of skeletons - 4 with swords and shields and 4 with bows. These proved to be more aggressive than the first set, with the archers firing as soon as they were within sight.
• The fight saw Udogar use illusions to great effect, creating illusory cover for his allies as they moved up the hallway and dealt with the sword swinging skeletons.
• Having spent many resources and lost a friend, the party decided to return to Haghill rather than continue exploring, at least for now.

Tales from the Cutthroat Inn: The Mystery of the Manipulated Mules...

...May Forever Remain a Mystery!

The "Beast Master"

Session Date

9th Day of the Month of the Crimson Dragon 4500CCC (August 9th)

Characters Present

Annapurna, Altanian Ranger

Red Hawk, Altanian Fighter

Grafari, Skandik Rogue

Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set

Events

• Red Hawk and Annapurna debated whether they wanted to do more tag team pit fighting or go it alone, deciding at last to continue as a tag team duo. They defeated a skandik of immense size (and possible giant ancestry), two Alryans who fight in legionnaire style, and a pair of Karakhans whose sword and shield/bow and shortswords mirrored the twain.
• Ion Skamos able performed religious duties at the Temple of Thoth the Terrible, gaining two favors.
• Grafari elected to spend his downtime preemptively scouting out the horse market where their mule was normally kept and where they purchased him. One night, during Grafari's stake out, a tremendous storm of bats appeared in the area in which he was hiding, drawing the attention of the guards who then thought he was the cause of the disturbances.
• He had done this because the hook that the party sought to pursue next was a thing they had cobbled together out of two pieces of information. 
• The first was that their mule had both a speed-based enchantment on it AND seemed to have a spell that caused it to be dominated by some unknown agent - though its actual behavior never seemed to show evidence of this.
• The second was that the Overlord was allegedly hiring exorcists to rid him of ghosts that were haunting his stables. The veracity of this rumor was never proved, but they believed the haunting to be caused by the same agent who hexed their mule.
• They decided to go inspect their mule for vampire bite marks, since the bats had shown up, but on their way down the Old South road they were ambushed by an Antillian assassin.
• The assassin offered no reason for his attack but seemed to focus only on the Altanian members of the party, each of which he downed with a poison blade.  However, the magic of Set was able to save them and also did a great deal of damage to the Assassin, who looked for a way out despite his quarry still living.
• He attempted to scale up a nearby wall, but Grafari jumped up and slammed the back of his head into the very wall he was trying to scale. 
• On his person they found only money; no orders or any sense of who he might work for.
• They then went and rested for a day so that Red Hawk could recover from his nearly mortal wounds.
• The next day they made it to Guardsman's Road before they were blocked by City State constables who seemed to be investigating something in the street.  They were ordered to return home or take a detour.
• Instead they persisted in some time trying to make out what they were investigating, but only saw that the constables were interested in a strange, damp section of road. The Rainbow Warriors gave up trying to figure out this mystery and returned on their way to the stables where they had their mule.
• There they encountered City State guards, one of whom recognized Grafari from the incident with the bats. The guard accused Grafari of being "involved with the ghosts" which prompted Annapurna to reply "he doesn't know anything about ghosts." Grafari, not willing to play along, responded "I know a lot about ghosts."
• Annapurna tried to use this purported knowledge to get hired as the exorcists, but a failed persuasion roll showed that the guard knew of the reputation of the Rainbow Warriors, who were known city wide for their lack of efficacy with things of the Other World.
• The party, exasperated, requested to see their mule, which was difficult to examine due to the guards crowding them. Luckily, Bumpkin Winterbur - the man who runs the horse market - arrived and made the guards return to their posts.
• Investigation of the mule turned up nothing, but detect magic showed that nearly every animal in the stable - even the rats - had some kind of enchantment placed on them.
• They then went to question the smith who occupied the same building as the stables - whom Bumpkin called "Madman."
• And he was mad! The party asked him many questions but Red Hawk soon got the feeling he had little to add and was unlikely to be behind any of the goings on despite his strange demeanor.
• Annapurna then investigated the floor of the stables for unusual prints, finding the soft steps of a pointed shoe belonging "either to a woman or a fancy lad."
• The party asked if they could use Madman's house to monitor the stables and both he and Bumpkin agreed, though admittedly only after the rather forceful assertions of Ion Skamos.
• That night a new set of guards stayed in the stables while the Rainbow Warriors watched through a peephole cute into Madman's wall.
• After the midnight bell, the party and the guards heard the sounds of large cats, which Red Hawk was able to identify as tigers, outside in the horse market.
• The Guards jumped to their feet and ran out to see what was making the noise.
• Grafari then sneaked into the stables, hoping to be able to see what the guards had found, but was interrupted by what were clearly the footfalls of an invisible person.
• Grafari grabbed the person, who became visible when he tried to dominate Grafari and make his escape. It appeared the man was a Gishmeshi in his early-mid 30s with a sort of wizardly bearing. 
• Grafari called out for help "he's trying to put the whammy on me!" And the rest of the party came running.
• They were able to subdue the enchanter due to his restrained state, but interrogating him seemed to do no good.  After some brief defiance he seemed to mentally "check out" and not respond in any way to their actions.
• Outside the party heard that the guards were losing a fight to two very non-illusory tigers. Red Hawk complained that they should aid them against the tigers even as he fastened the door shut.
• There was some discussion of what should be done, but during this discussion Grafari managed to stomp the Enchanter's face into the muddy street and drown him before the rest of the party realized what was happening.
• This caused the city to erupt into total bedlam! The animals in the stables began to freak out, as though suddenly aware of their circumstances after years spent in a coma. 
• The tigers seemed to react similarly, though whether or not they spared any of the guards is unknown.
• Annapurna wanted to figure out some way to let the tigers out of the city by opening the gates, but the rest of the party felt the best thing to do would be to beat feet back to the Cutthroat Inn before anyone found out they were responsible.
• On their way they heard what sounded like the other stables in the city being in a similar state. They also heard the distinctive cry of an enormous gorilla, but were unable to see such a beast. The sky overhead was filled with bats.
• Annapurna noted that they had in some way stopped a hideous conspiracy but also opined that they would likely never know what the conspiracy's goal was.

Monsters Defeated

An Antillian Assassin, The "Beast Master" Enchanter

Treasure Gained

280gp 180sp, Scroll of Magic Missile

XP Per Player

787

Tales from the Boar's Head: High Times in Haghill

First Session Date
July 30th (30th day of Vineyard's Bounty - 1st day of Crimson Dragon 4500 CCC)

Characters Present
Aslog, Skandik Priestess of Odin (Cleric 2)
Velor Silent-stream, Northern Elf Hermit (Druid 3)
Dabitha Darkmantle, Dwarf Storm Sorceress (Sorceress 1)
Udagar, First-man Courtier (Bard 1)
Pakhom, Altanian Warrior (Fighter 1)
Morcant the Magician, Avalonian Scholar (Wizard 1)

Events

• Velor visited the strange priest known to locals as Boomer, who worships a spider god. He was able to determine from the austere nature of the temple - a black cube with an open bronze dome, that it was not dedicated to Nephtlys but little else.
• Boomer appeared as a man with a great belly and round, hairless head but long, spindly limbs. His lily-white skin glistened with sweat. He charged Velor an exorbitant price to remove the strange disease given to him by the ghostly set-animal encountered in the tomb.
• Torin, the first-man barbarian who had been accompanying Aslog and Velor on their previous adventures, was called back to the City State for some kind of mercenary duty. Distraught by this, Huberic scoured the area until he found Udagar, a bagpipe playing member of that strange and ancient race, to serve as entertainment at his now near constant feasts.
• Udagar had been charged by some ancient member of the Reptillons to follow Dabitha but arranged for her to follow him in order to make some money in Haghill.
• Morcant and Pakhom had arrived because of rumors of a tomb containing ancient Orichalcan treasures.
• Aslog and Velor explained to these four the nearby tomb, and also why their other hooks (killing adherents of the Toad living in Mermist Marsh and dealing with flying snakes in the Dearthwood) should be avoided.
• After a day of feasting they headed into the howling hills, and found the tomb in the late afternoon.
• Entering the tomb there was some retreading of areas to explain the situation to the newcomers, but eventually they decided to take a path shrouded in darkness.
• ...That led to skeletons! Some armed with swords and some with bows. Battle was soon joined.
• Aslog's ability to turn undead proved decisive, as did Udagar's fiery breath which he belches through bagpipes.  Less decisive was Morcant's use of Fog Cloud, which temporarily made the undead very difficult to hit.
• Despite being victorious, the party felt it had used a large number of its resources and it would be best to return and rest, and perhaps feast a bit, in Haghill. 

This session was a bit short because we had four new people, two of whom came in after we had just gotten past introducing the situation and so they had to be caught up.

Second Session Date
August 6th (6 - 12th Day of Crimson Dragon 4500 CCC)

Characters Present
Aslog
Velor Silent-stream
Dabitha Darkmantle
Udagar
Alkmemna, Tiefling Noble (Warlock 1)

Events

• Dabitha spent the week between sessions gathering herbs, giving her one use of a medicine kit.
• After informing Alkmemna, who Aslog had met before, of the tomb and its treasures the party ventured into the Howling Hills.
• Near the tomb, they spied an Altanian barbarian acting as a sort of lookout  near a rock on a nearby ridge. Alkmemna, who saw him first, waved, which prompted him to blow into a horn he carried.
• Udagar began to blow on his bagpipes as a kind of dominance display - a "counter-doot" to use his verbiage.
• The barbarian seemed to take this to mean that he was summoning even more men, which caused him to run off the ridge waving his arms, presumably for his comrades to stop.
• While the party could not understand Altanian, Aslog was able to find a higher vantage point and see that there were a group of Altanians yelling confusedly at each other about whether or not they should attack. Eventually it seems the more sheepish members  of the troop won the day and the barbarians slunk off into the distance.
• During her watch, Aslog noted that there was a great tower in the distance and a circle of standing stones on a much closer hill.
• Entering the tomb they made their way back to where they fought the skeletons, but unfortunately the room was now home to a ghostly set animal much like the one they had faced previously! Battle ensued and both Aslog and Velor were stricken with the strange, lotus shoot malady the beasts carry.
• While wanting to go on, the disease made it too difficult for Aslog or Velor to participate in combat so they decided to return to Haghill.
• They arrived in the dark of the night, though the light was good because both Howla and Vanis were in the gibbous phases. They found Boomer sitting in his temple, disrobed, though once he realized his presents he covered his glistening white bulk with disturbing alacrity.
• Dabitha and Aslog, who had not entered before, realized that this was a temple to Yezud, not the spider god of the City State.
• Dabitha had used prestidigitation to make it appear as though Velor was nesting a group of spiders on his body, in hopes they could shave off some of the exorbitant rate. Boomer agreed to do this for Velor, but noted that Aslog's obvious devotion to Odin would mean she was lucky to get any treatment from him whatsoever.
• Boomer also revealed that the plants which sprouted from them were Amber Lotus, a plant held sacred to Set.
• They then asked Boomer to join them for a feast at Huberic's mead-hall, and he reluctantly agreed. 
• Huberic through an even bigger do once he saw they had managed to bring Boomer out of the temple, killing cows with his whips and trading stories. Huberic informed the party that along the Pagan Coast they had encountered the strange sand dunes that were home to giant moles - "big as a dragon."
• Ochcall Cat-eye, Huberick's skandik lieutenant, discussed a time when he found a strange tree bearing golden fruit in the Adderwood, claiming when he reached for an apple the tree bit him and nearly killed him.
• Boomer then shared his knowledge of the existence of a strange weapon known as the Infinity Blade that seems to "stretch infinitely" into other planes. He stated that this would be found in the Admantine Crypts of the Dark Star, reported to be somewhere in the Howling Hills.
• They asked Boomer if the tower they saw was the location of these crypts, but he stated that locals called it the Howling Tower, and that it is where the hills get there name - "well that and all the wolves."
• They then drank and partied all night, with Udaga getting a bit of a hangover (and a level of exhaustion) but they decided to try to return to the crypt the next day.
• Unfortunately, on their way Alkmeman spotted a group of 6 riders in the livery of the city state - a priest and 5 guards.
• The party decided to approach them and ask their heading and business, but the guards moved to block them from interacting with the priest.
• Udaga saw that the priest was a young man in a kind of old age makeup who had also used some sort of makeup to make his whole body look jaundiced.  This detail helped Alkmemna and Aslog know that he was a priest of Hamarkhis, but only made Udaga scoff at the strange actions of youth.
• Scoffing, it turns out, offended the priest, who swatted at him causing a blind red light to flash in the air. When the party regained its vision, Udaga was on the ground dying.
• Rather than flee, as Alkmena and Dabitha advised, Velor and Aslog waded in with spell and sword.
• Aslog's use of inflict wounds nearly killed the priest, whom a guard had called Jahungir, and a thunderwave from Velor finished him (and most of the guards) off.
• The rest of the battle was quite short but soon all the guards were dead and their horses fleeing.
• Feeling this a bad omen, the group returned to Haghill to rest for another week.

Tales from the Boar's Head

I've mentioned before that I've started running games at my FLGS.  I've decided to center that group around the Boar's Head Tavern in the CSIO. The first few sessions involved whoever showed up fighting against the same cult the Cutthroat Inn group fought against.  Last time, I started running an adventure originally made by Cole for his Swords of the Inner Sea campaign.  I converted it to 5e as well as changed some of the aesthetics to match the history of the Wilderlands.

You may notice that one of the characters is from the home group game I had to abandon.  Some of the players have migrated to the game store group.

Aslog, Priestess of Odin

Session Date
July 2nd (2nd Day of Vineyard's Bounty, 4500 CCC)

Characters

Aslog, Skandik  Priestess of Odin (Cleric 2)

Torin, First-man Warrior (Barbarian 2)

Velor Silent-stream, Half elf hermit (Druid 3)

Events

• Torin competed in some pit fights where his strange, draconic aspect drew a big crowd.  He won two of his three bouts.
• Aslog performed ritual services at the Temple of Odin.
• Velor spent his time in civilization enjoying its more decadent offerings.  While drinking and partying he met Kawab, an Altanian traveler who claimed to have recently seen the entrance ton an ancient tomb in a valley in the Howling Hills.
• Kawab offered to take them there for a fee, which led the trio to debate their other options: heading into the Mermist Marsh to kill servants of the Toad God for the priest of Tsathoggus, head into the Dearthwood to deal with the menace of strange, flying snakes, or attempt to burgle the manse of Xanatheira Lily-limb for the wizard Sarkand.
• They decided burgling was outside of their skill-set. Velor noted that the flying snakes were supposed to possess poison of great potency, and the trio all generally agreed the indigent priest of Tsathoggus's promise of an unspecified "boon" was too vague to be of value.  That left the tomb.
• After some debate over price, Velor paid Kawab and they left for the Howling Hills.
• Heading along the Twilight Road, they pass through the village of Darkfield, taking only a few brief moments to notice the strange, metallic spire that dominates the town and the distant sight of a tower of stone.
• They arrive in Haghill after dusk, but their hardy adventuring constitution prevents them from being too tired.
• Just outside the village, an assemblage of warriors - Skandiks, Altanians, and Tharbrians - watched as Huberic of Haghill showed off his prowess with a whip by killing grown bulls.
• Torin approached the group, and was greeted by shocked gasps from warriors who had never seen a member of the first race of "men" before. 
• He attempted to kill a cow with Huberic's whip.  When he failed he offered Huberic a bet that he could kill three cows without moving from at least three strides away. Huberic accepted this bet and offered 100gp. Torin then proceeded to spit a line of lightning out of his mouth, killing the three cows and winning the gold and the admiration of Huberic and his warriors.
• The trio and Kawab were taken to Huberic's meadhall where they were offered a chance to feast. Aslog elected not to, fearing she would be too tired for their journey to the tomb in the morning.
• The rest joined in the revelry but only Kawab felt the effects the next day.
• Despite his hangover, the Altanian led the trio of blue weirdos to the valley where he claimed the entrance lay. 
• The valley had no vegetation, unlike the scrubland seen in other valleys in the hills, and it appeared to be the remnants of a riverbed, long since dried up. In the center  was an immense stone slab.
• Aslog approached the slab ahead of the others. As she did so a troop of jackals appeared, their eyes inhumanly intelligent. 
• As she approached nearer one of the jackals opened its mouth and spoke in the tongue of ancient Orichalca. Aslog, handily, understood this dead language and realized that the jackal was warning her not to open the tomb.
• She explained this to the other members who decided the treasure within the tomb was worth fighting a few jackals. And fight they did, making short work of the jackals as they pounced.
• Using the combined strength of the four of them they removed the slab and were greeted with a set of stairs down into the earth and the smell of fresh, running water. 
• Kawab was told to wait outside and there was a brief discussion once in the dungeon about whether or not they should kill him. Torin wanted to get their money back but Velor looked down on such an obviously evil act and forbade it.
• They came to a chamber that was lit by the remaining sunlight above and Aslog struck up a torch. Inside were the remnants of ritual killings from when the tomb was sealed - much of their bodies now crushed into mummia by time.
• There was also a spinning wheel, a loom, and jars that seemed to be for dye. Inspecting the jars  they found a blue dye, a red dye, and one which seemed colorless but looking at it made their eyes hurt, much like the visual artifacts of a migraine.
• Beyond this chamber was a walkway suspended over some kind of pool. Velor decided that they should through the bodies into the pool, less they animate.
• When he went to do so, he noticed only too late the strange, stone apertures that lined the side of the walkway.  From one of these emerged an arm of normal girth but inhuman length, purple skinned and terminating in wicked talons.  The arm also grasped an ancient form of bronze scimitar which it used to hack at Velor, who was injured but not mortally so.
• Retreating, Velor then decided to use the bodies to test these arms, throwing them down the causeway. He discovered that every 5 feet there was an aperture containing one of these wicked arms. Torin and Velor worked together to lure out a great number of arms which Velor then cast entangle on. Thereafter the two hacked apart the immobilized arms.
• Aslog destroyed the remaining apertures with her mace before an arm could emerge. 
• The causeway, they found, was a four way intersection. Taking the way opposite the entrance, they found a huge relief of Set making the desert bloom in front of a great pit. Aslog noted that Set is an enemy of Anubis, and that may have been the reason for the jackals.
• In front of the pit was the image of an immense snake wrought in bronze. Both the snake in the relief and the brazen image had a strange, lotus-pod like growth on their heads from which protruded an extra number of eyes.
• Moving into the room, the bronze snake activated. Luckily, this beast was made in a time before steel and its immunity to normal weapons was overcome by the party's modern weapons.
• Leaving the broken bronze cobra, they made their way back to the intersection so as to not get in to deep and have their method of retreat cut off.
• Heading a little down the causeway to their left, the say an eerie green light and decided to double back and check that out later since it could portend intelligent foes.
• The other way led to a platform on which stood a terracotta statue of a priest. This statue held a real wooden staff in its hand which it raised as they approached causing a great wind. 
• Torin and Aslog were able to keep their footing but Velor flew from the causeway and into the pool. Once inside, his half-elf eyes saw that the floor and walls were covered in those terrible arms, in such a way that he was not sure there was any substance beyond them. The arms rushed toward Velor, elongating hideously and grabbing him.
• Aslog went to throw Velor a rope while Torin rushed forward to fight the statue.
• Velor was able to use the spell thunderwave to drive off the arms and make his way to the rope.  Once he was back on the causeway the combined might of the three of them easily overcame the statue, which broke at the top revealing a bare skull underneath.
• Then they returned to the room with the eerie light. Inside was a sconce with a torch on it that glowed the eerie green color. 
• The torch cast the shadow of a creature that was unseen otherwise - Aslog was able to tell that it was the outline of a Typhonian beast! 
• She removed the torch from the sconce seeing if the light would change (it remained green) and then approached the shadow.  Upon reaching the middle of the room where the creature would be if it were to cast such a shadow, she poked the empty air with the torch.
• Though the air wasn't so empty! The invisible fiend grew angry and attacked Aslog with its unseen claws.
• The inability to see the creature except by its shadow and the creature's great speed and ferocity took the trio aback, but they were able to slay the beast.
• Velor, who was injured in the battle, noticed that he had a strange, green shoot coming out of the wound. They decided this was likely some kind of hideous infection and returned to Haghill in hopes of getting it cured before their next outing.

The past couple of weeks we've failed to make quorum but hopefully their adventures in the Setite tomb will resume tonight.

The Cutthroat Inn: A Quick One

This session didn't last very long due to my feeling incredibly scatter-brained.  Still, some stuff did happen and it needs to be recorded.

Characters Present

Annapurna, Altanian Ranger

Grafari, Skandik Rogue

Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set

Green Sonya, Half-Orc Barbarian

Red Hawk, Altanian Fighter

Events

• The party was joined by Green Sonya and Red Hawk as the serpentine creature made its way towards the beach.
• They took several shots at it but the intervening water - it was about 3-4' beneath the surface - made it so that few of their shots had any effect.
• Ion waited to cast thunder wave on it once it cleared the shoreline, but instead the creature raised its head loch-ness style and fired two spells at him. The first was without effect so the Rainbow Warriors are unaware of its potential puissance, but the second was a bolt of lightning which not only struck Ion but Green Sonya and Red Hawk as well!
• Ion collapsed, not dead but dying, and the others retreated after realizing that they could do little while the creature remained in the water.
• As they fled, they saw the being's glittering crown dip beneath the waters of the.  Apparently the serpent was satisfied that it had seen them off.
• The warriors returned for Ion, whom Annapurna healed.
• Ion, his memory jogged by the shock of near death, realized that the style of crown the creature wore was that of ancient Orichalcan kings, and that his purple skin and hawkish features too looked like that nearly extinct race.
• Some discussion occurred about potential ways to kill this creature - procuring potions of water breathing or perhaps spells of the same from amiable wizards and attacking it beneath the surface. Poison was considered but Ion remarked that the creature would be immune to most mortal poisons.
• Finally it was decided that further research was needed and that perhaps other avenues of adventure should be pursued until the warriors had more experience under their belts.

Monsters Defeated 

None

Treasure Gained

None

Xp Per Player (in either or both sessions)

75

Wilderlands Player Handout

I wrote a players' handout for my Wilderlands FLGS game.  You may find it here.  It is also available in the sidebar of this blog.

If you have any thoughts on it, let me know!

Tales from the Cutthroat Inn: What's at stake...

in Oracle Lake?

Session Date

21st Day of Midsummer's Eve 4500 CCC (June 21st)

Characters Present

Annapurna, Altanian Ranger 4

Grafari, Skandik Rogue 4

Einarr,  Skandik Paladin of Thor 4

Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set 4

Events

• Grafari spent his downtime trying to rob people; however, he was unsuccessful and now the constables are trying to find this mysterious skandik assailant.
• Ion Skamos decided to preform religious duties at the temple of Thoth the Terrible.  This gained him a favor with the temple.
• Einarr performed religious duties at the temple of Odin.  This gained him two favors.
• Annapurna participated in the pit fights at the Cutthroat Inn. Her opponents were an Alryan using a traditional sword and shield combo, a fresh off the boat Altanian who utilized a strange whip/sword combo, and a troll tied to a post. She defeated the troll and the Alryan, but the new blood beat her to uproarious applause - since she previously earned a reputation as a heel.
• The Rainbow Warriors decided to look into a haunting in oracle lake they had overheard a drunken Altanian singing about many months ago.  His song is provided below:

Three nights awake
In Oracle Lake
The Lady cries for Help
Four nights she sleeps
And doesn’t weep
Her soul’s gone down a well

• There first idea was to try to find the Altanian, but they quickly realized he was likely a mercenary who had already left to patrol the Dearthwood.
• However, asking around they were able to turn up some things: the ghost appears in a little rowboat in the lake, she is incredibly beautiful, and she has haunted the lake for many centuries.
• The Warriors decided to make their way to the lake and eat by its shores while they try to determine the origin of the ghost.
• On the way, while passing through Silver Street, they passed under a group of goblin roofers.  Unfortunately for Annapurna, one of the goblins happened to decide the moment of her passing was the best time to take a leak. She moved out of the way only after she'd been hit by the stream.
• Einarr, hoping to dissuade the goblin from taking such actions in the future, hummed a rock at him but missed by a mile.
• Ion, less forgiving, cast sacred flame upon him, causing the goblin to burst like an over cooked hot dog and fall into the street.  The goblin's compatriots scuttled into a hole in the roof and hid.  No one called the guard.
• Upon making it to the North Gate, they were stopped and asked to pay 5gp a piece as a gate toll.  Most paid, but seeing that the guard was a Skandik, Einarr challenged him to an arm wrestling contest. Einarr won, but still paid part of the toll.
• While the contest was occurring, the other party members learned that a group of bandits had been operating north of the wall, near a ferry across the Roglaroon, and that a group of elves from the Irminsul forest in the Elphand Lands had arrived with great kegs of wine to sell.
• North of the wall they stopped by the great stadium and found that apparently this, the first day of summer, was a traditional time for Tharbrian-themed gladiatorial matches. They elected not to watch because they had other things on their mind.
• The gladiator school, which Annapurna was interested in, was closed but had a clear "NO SKANDIKS" sign on the door.
• They stopped for a bit in the Topaz Inn, where they met the inkeeper, a guard, and a strange foreigner.
• The guard informed them that the current bouts were "nothin" because "next week we're gonna feed a whelp of some noble from Warwick to a group of owlbears.  It's gonna be sick!"
• The strange foreigner ranted about a "Flying Sultan" who had a great palace in the Desert Lands. When asked for more information, he said he could provide none but that there was said to be a powerful oracle behind the Green Goblin Inn and perhaps that person would know.
• The owner informed them that the foreigner worshiped some god named "Miker? Michael? Mucker? I don't remember." He also stated that some guards from the nearby watchtower had recently seen a "crowned sea serpent" in the lake.
• They left the inn after a few drinks and headed to the lake. After observing it some they decided to inquire about the ghost at a nearby stone hut. 
• When they knocked they knocked a voice issued out asking "Who dares challenge the goblin king," but after intimating that they had killed a goblin this very day they heard only the sound of latches locking and flat feet scuttling away.
• Next they decided to inquire at the watch tower.  From the royal guard stationed there, Ion Skamos was able to learn the path of the ghost and her boat and where on the lake she disappears.
• They decided to make their way to the north shore, in accordance with what they learned from the royal guards, and passed by a burial ground which had a couple of likely treasure-filled tombs, but decided they were on a mission and shouldn't get distracted.
• They also passed by a smaller lake that had been made by Athena and a small shrine tended by a lone priestess.  This they left alone.
• Once on the North Shore, they looked for any sign of ruins or other intelligent construction that a ghost might haunt but found none. Einarr was able to tell that the area lacked some kind of spirit who should be present and was laden with a strange sorrow. The lake had an ominous quality that also was just at the edge of his spiritual senses.
• With little else to do, they waited for dark, and just as they thought that no ghost would show up, she appeared.
• She was the most beautiful woman any of the men had ever seen, despite being entirely a ghostly white.
• Annapurna called out to her, and while she looked in her direction she made no answer but attempted to flee to a boat that suddenly appeared on the shore.
• Arrows struck several of the party in the back, seemingly shot by no one but on a trajectory meant for the ghost. Einarr was able to determine this was part of the ghost's manifestation.
• Annapurna and Ion made their way to the water line and tried to watch by the light of a gibbious Howla and a hang-nail Vanis. Ion, luckily, has darkvision and so was able to see a long, serpentine shape making its way towards the boat from beneath the surface.  He guessed it would intercept the boat at precisely the area where the ghost was said to disappear.
• Due to his knowledge of all things ophidian, Ion was able to determine the creature was a water naga, and he noted the glint of gold atop its head in the moonlight.
• Once this was relayed to Annapurna, she made ready to shoot her bow at the point where it would breach the water.
• Just before it did so, they heard a cry of "Oh no! He comes!" in their minds from a soft, feminine voice.  Then the creature's head burst from the water and they saw its purple skin, the angular, kingly features of its face, and its golden crown.

We stopped there for the night and will pick up at this spot next week.

Monsters Defeated

1 Goblin roofer

Treasure Gained

Precious Knowledge

XP Per Player withheld until the adventure's end.

Characters for the Wilderlands

Like this post but for my FLGS Wilderlands game. Innana has already been claimed by someone. The other players, so far, have made their own.  Cole is responsible for both finding the PC portraits and color correcting them to match my crayon-colored-weirdos vision of the Wilderlands.

Aslog

• Aslog is a Skandik hermit and priestess of Odin. Her alignment is Chaotic Good.
• She was raised in a Skandik noble house on the island of Bezal. 
• Her home was raided by a rival band of Skandiks and her family killed.
• She was thrown on a raft by the raiders before washing ashore on an uninhabited island. 
• Odin appeared to her and told her to seek out the secrets of the Runes.
• She has made her way to the City State of the Invincible Overlord to see what secrets of the Runes may have led to the Overlord's ascension and to imitate her god in a life of wandering and adventure.

Innana

• Innana is an Alryan street urchin and rogue. Her alignment is Neutral.
• She was born in some village in the Northern Wilderlands, but she doesn't remember where.
• She was captured as a young age and raised as a slave in the slaver city of Antil. 
• She was able to escape with the help of a guard that took pity on her.
• After that she traveled the cities of the Western Wilderlands, thieving and foraging, until finally arriving in the City State of the Invincible Overlord.

Morcant

• Morcant the Magician is an Avalonian sage and wizard. His alignment is Neutral Good.
• He was raised in Valon, city of the Sea Mages, by a rich artisan.
• He was sent to sea wizard school where he became fascinated with the lost history of the Orichalcan Dragon Lords.
• He was selected by a sage and wizard who specialized in ancient Orichalca to serve as an apprentice.
• However, at some point he angered one of the nobles of that fair, northern city and was forced to flee.
• He has made his way to the City State of the Invincible Overlord to learn more about its Dragonlord past.

Pakhom

• Pakhom is an Altanian outlander and fighter. His alignment is Chaotic Neutral.
• He was born in barbarian Altanis.
• His parents abandoned him in the jungle when he was a babe, but he was found and raised by another tribe of Altanians.
• He became a warrior and a smith. He even had a wife.
• During a battle with a Skandik raiding party, he maimed a witch. The witch placed a curse on him that he would bring doom to his tribe.
• Fearing this curse, his tribe forced him to leave.
• He has made his way to the infamous City State of the Invincible Overlord to win fame and glory.

Alkmemnon

• Alkmemnon is a tiefling charlatan and Warlock of the fiend. His alignment is Chaotic Neutral.
• He was born and raised in the distant Demon Kingdoms to the south of the Wilderlands.
• He claims to have been raised as a noble, but his family was ousted from power and scattered throughout the world through the use of diabolic magic.
• He has spent the rest of his life lying and cheating until he can figure out a way to return and reclaim his birthright.
• He now finds himself in the City State of the Invincible Overlord, which overflows with wealth and has a number of ships ready to sail the Winedark Sea.

Arbrannon

• Arbrannon is a wood elf ranger and spy. His alignment is Chaotic Good.
• He grew up in the forest near Caer Cadwen in the land of Viridistan.
• He spent most of his life fighting against the World Emperor, ruler of Viridistan, and his demonic satraps - helping guide rebels and spy within the city and castle walls.
• The replacing of the satrap of Caer Cadwen with a demon of great power forced him to leave his forest in fear of his life.
• He has now ended up in the home of the World Emperor's chief rival, the City State of the Invincible Overlord.  He seeks to gain money and power before returning again to defeat Viridistan's demonic forces. 

Tales from the Cutthroat Inn: Death of the Black Spider!

Creepy crawly!

Session Date

14th and 15th Days of Midsummer's Eve, 4500 CCC  (June 14th)

Characters Present

Annapurna, Altanian Ranger

Red Hawk, Altanian Fighter

Grafari, Skandik Rogue,

Einarr Oddrson, Skandik Paladin of Thor

Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set

Green Sonya, Half Orc Barbarian

Events

• Grafari spent his downtime robbing people.  He was moderately successful.
• Red Hawk and Annapurna returned to pitfighting - defeating a pair of convicts and a single half-giant champion but losing to a pair of Alryan fighting women. Annapurna unfortunately was branded a heel for using her bow in the fight with the half-giant.
• Green Sonya continued her process of training mice to weave spider silk.
• Ion acted as a street preacher, but found the people of the City State to not be very separate to the doctrines of Set.
• Einarr similarly performed religious rights, though he did so at the temple of Odin.  He gained a favor from the temple.
• The party left on the city state with high hopes of finally ending the Son of the Spider God, now that they had both a cleric and a paladin who could do magical damage to the incorporeal creature.
• Their journey was hindered by the presence of many flying snakes in the Dearthwood.  The Rainbow Warriors consistently ran away from these, knowing their large numbers and potent venom could mean death for even a powerful warrior.
• Avoiding the snakes caused them to push on through the night and then rest the day of the 15th to avoid further exhaustion.  They did this in the culvert they had taken over from the winged apes.
• Finally they were able to make their way to the Halls of the Black Spider in the early evening of the 15th day of Midsummer's Eve. 
• They sought out the Black Spider, but were first barred by a ghostly figure (which they defeated) and then by a lesser giant spider (which they avoided).
• Finally they entered the large, cavernous home of the Son of the Spider God. 
• The Son seemed to be on the hunt, as it quickly webbed up Einarr who could now only see into the Son of the Spider God's strange, spectral realm.
• However, the rest of the party soon overwhelmed the demigod. Unable to make away with the meal without exposing itself to attacks from the material plane, the creature finally met its end due to sword and spell.

Monsters Defeated

1 Spectre, The Son of the Spider God

Treasure Gained

The head of a demi-god, 500gp in reward money

XP per Player

700

Tales of the Cutthroat Inn: Love's Labors Fled!

Session Date
2nd Day of Midsummer's Eve 4500 CCC

Characters Present
Annapurna, Altanian Ranger
Red Hawk, Altanian Fighter
Grafari, Skandik Rogue
Green Sonya, Half-Orc Barbarian
Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set

Events

• Red Hawk and Annapurna debuted as tag team pitfighters - The Ruby Two - and one their first bouts against a pair of pirates from the Overlord's dungeons and a set of Karakhan twins.  Unfortunately, they lost their third match to a set of grappling orcs who were bear-wrestling type spiked armor.
• The party found a note in the papers they had discovered in the Hag's chamber in the Stone Temple.  The letter is reproduced below:

Gracious and beautiful Sister, A fool thou art! Twice have your plans failed and I fear that soon it shall be thrice or fourice! Your attempt to raise Glaukos was ill-considered. Even the idiot second sister could’ve predicted his keepers would be more willful than you expected, if she was not dithering in the mountains looking for the Scorching Vault! I would say that she is ineffective as you, but at least she has yet to find the tools for her plan. You have already bungled two! Howla and Vanis have gone full again and still no mist comes to kill the men of the City State. You are lucky our sisters in the Court do not know of your failings - at least I think they do not. If this Midsummer’s Eve passes without my getting an earful from them I will be most surprised. With love and charity, The First Sister

• With this letter in mind, Grafari sought out the sage Angordis the Venerable who informed him that even in ancient times (c. 4000 years ago) the Scorching Vaults were already a ruin sought by adventurers. It was some sort of weapon forge - though he insisted forge was not quite the right term - for a civilization long dead. In order to make up for the price of the sage, Grafari planned an executed a series of muggings.
• Green Sonya spent time trying to teach some rats she can talk to how to sew spider silk into garments.
• The party then elected to go to the Stone Temple and hopefully clear it so it could serve as a new base.
• While passing through Silver Street in the early morning, they saw a large group of guards - 3 captains and 12 regulars.
• The captain, an Alryan fellow, stared at Green Sonya agape and declared "I must have her!"
• Sonya, taking this as flirting, decided to lead him on a bit in hopes of diffusing the situation, but once it became clear he meant to literally possess her - and keep her in a cage in the city jail(!) - Sonya thought better of it and fled.
• She ended up cornered by a group of guards in a slim alley off of the Street of Crafts.  Luckily, the rest of the party was able to climb up onto nearby buildings during the chase and meet her there with a rope.
• Red Hawk used his companion - Big Red the Hawk - to distract the guards while Grafari lowered a rope for their companion from a hidden location.  Green Sonya scrambled up and out of sight of the guards.
• They were then able to make it to the temple without incident.  Outside they dressed themselves in the robes they had found last time, feeling these were the robes of the priests of Pretressa.
• Sonya and Red Hawk worked to convince the mephits which guarded the temple that they were the true priests, this time apparently getting the lie(?) to stick.
• They were then joined by Ion Skamos, who had apparently made it to the temple before them.
• They explored the underground again making sure any sewer monsters that had come up were exterminated or driven away.
• The first set they found was a group of gricks which they scared off with fire and yelling, relying on the creature's not having resistance to fire damage in hopes that it would drive them away. It did so.
• The second was a group of goblins who they tried to make a deal with, but failing to warn them about the gricks that had recently fled into the sewer meant that the party soon heard the sounds of the goblins' untimely demise.
• Finally, after establishing the general layout of the place, the party bumped into a group of spiders from the Temple of the Spider God.  Luckily Sonya knew where she could get a device that pacified the creatures - since she is an initiate of Nephthlys, and returned shortly with it and pied-piper the spiders back to the temple.
• With that done, the party spent some time discussing what they would do next - more adventures in the City State? Finally slaying the Son of the Spider God? Investigating the lost pirate fortress of Glaukos the Impious? Figuring out where this Scorching Vault is and what interest it would hold for a coven of hags?  Hopefully we'll find out soon!
  

Monsters Defeated

Sorta none? A bunch were driven out.

Treasure Gained

Real Estate

Xp Per Player

250

Tales from the Cutthroat Inn: Fowl and Fair

...or Three Eggs in the Hand...

Session Date
26th Day of the Month of the Yellow Moon Dog 4500 CCC

Characters Present
Annapurna, Altanian Ranger
Grafari, Skandik Rogue
Green Sonya, Half-orc Barbarian
Red Hawk, Altanian Fighter
and the triumphant return of...
Ion Skamos, Tiefling Cleric of Set

Events

• Over downtime Grafari and Red Hawk got the two magical items they picked up last time (a +1 dagger that glows when "sea devils" are near, and an alchemical jug) identified.
• Annapurna returned to pit-fighting in the Cutthroat Inn, where she lost two of her three bouts.
• Green Sonya negotiated a blacksmith to come into the Stone Temple and put a grate over the entrance to the sewer (once it had been cleared).
• There was talk of Ion Skamos looking over the documents they found in the dungeon, but we decided to handle that later.
• The Rainbow Warriors elected to return to the Stone Temple and try to clear it out to turn it into a base of operations.
• Their first task was dealing with the cockatrices they had seen last time. 
• Their initial plan relied on Green Sonya fighting them alone, since she had grown bored of their more elaborate plans, but Ion ran in to help her since he (correctly) guessed Set's magic would be effective against these creatures.
• They quickly slew the beasts, with only Green Sonya having a slight stiffness of the joints after receiving a bite, and found that the robes they had used to build their nest were quite valuable and that they had three eggs.
• They placed the eggs in a belt pouch, and then removed the pouch and placed it near the entrance for safe keeping.
• They then returned to the statue room only to be confronted with the misty figures that had let them in the dungeon previously.
• Green Sonya attempted to convince them they were in the cult, but the creatures were wiser this time - knowing that the cult had scattered. Sonya then insisted they wanted to restore the worship of their goddess.
• The creatures were still angry and when it became obvious that they couldn't avoid a fight the party fled the dungeon.

Monsters Defeated

3 Cockatrices

Treasure Gained

3 fancy robes with moons and anchors (50gp each), 3 cockatrice eggs

XP per player

90

In other news: I've started running games at my FLGS. Right now it's all people who are new to D&D and they're playing through the same Stone Temple Pirates adventure.  Might post their summaries too once I figure out a way to handle the difference instances of the Wilderlands.