Month: December 2014

Session 38 – Dec 17, 2014

Morning at the Lone Barrel, 8th of Denrilden, 

Adelard escorts us to the East Harbor docks. Before we shove off, he wishes us luck and wants us to take revenge for the Mercers slaughtered by the Punters lost last night. He has not heard anything about Ardman. He agrees to send word via canoe if anything significant happens while we pursue Rotho and Barnier.

We row north by northwest pass the Rock of the Kelwater prison, von Waybeck’s place then Waterman’s former office. Inconspicuously giving the Punters compound a wide berth, Finklemur notices Aardman walking along the rope bridge from the central tower to the covered pier along the Kelwater. The Boys quickly change plans.

Finkelmur jumps over board. Feigning drowning, Fink calls Starchie for help. Starchie heroically leaps and mimes a rescue, dragging Finkelmur towards the Punter’s open piers. Thorfus, Axel, Sturloc and Kotarr start yelling encouragement at Starchie. Thorfus drops in several admonishments at Fink for being a silly old man. The punters collect about their pier marveling at the spectacle. Chuq and Perrett use the distraction to slip into the water. They hide below the row boat’s gunwale opposite the Punters.  

At the most opportune moment, they swim for the covered pier. It is unoccupied. The two climb out of the water. Perrett bars the double doors along the northern wall. Chuq attempts to lock the single door near the double doors. Not having the key, his attempt fails. He directs Perrett to the wooden ladder to the 2nd floor. They emerge into an empty anteroom then burst through the west wall door.

Sitting at the only desk in this room is Aardmann. Chuq dives and misses. Perrett follows and pins Aardman to the floor. Aardmann is not cowed, he scrambles from underneath the spear held at his throat. Working as a team, Chuq and Perrett pin Aardmann to the floor. He is brained by Perrett. 

Along the open piers, the Punters present have helped Finkelmur and Starchie onto the pier. They ignore Thorfus’ entreaties to allow Finkelmur and Starchie time to recover from their near drowning. Under protest, the Boys row off to the north slowly. 

Wrapping the ledgers strewn about the room in one of the blankets from the bed, they and Aardman are secured in the large chest by the window. Both Perrett and Chuq carry the chest to the anteroom as the exterior door can be heard being unlocked. We are discovered! A punter tough and guard lieutenant attach Chuq and Perrett. During the scuffle, Chuq sticks the lieutenant with his spear and the two punters flee across the rope bridge. Perrett severs the rope railings with his sword. Falling with the bridge, both punters are slain by the fall. 

Death by severed bridge alerts the punters loitering on the pier. Slamming the door shut, Chuq and Perrett maneuver the chest to the trapdoor. Perrett lowers the chest to Chuq as Chuq is descending the ladder. The two successfully arrests the chest’s fall to the deck below. Aardmann is only slight tussled. Scurrying quickly all three plunge into the water still within the covered pier. Chuq and Perrett are pushing/towing the floating chest as fast as they can as Punters charge through the unlocked single door. Most follow along the wooden pier as two dive after us.

The ruckus caught the Starchie Boy’s attention and intuitively they row down river to cover Chuq and Perrett’s escape. The swimming punters can’t close fast enough. Finkelmur hurls a patch of 15’ darkness about the covered pier’s single door. It covers their approach and confuses the punters caught within. Axel and Kottar pincushion the swimming punters. Both slip below the waves dead. 

Boat side, the ledgers and Aardmann are extracted from the chest then we haul it in with us. With subdued haste, we row back to East Harbor. Aardmann is placed back into the chest and we send a runner for Adelard. Surprised by our early return, he adroitly switches gears and helps us sneak the Aardmann to the Lone Barrell.

Osith Whixley clears the inn of witnesses so that Aardmann can be put to the question. As expected, Aardmann obfuscates. That is until Perrett calmly takes his left hand pinky finger. Aardmann didn’t expect such ruthless treatment. Once his situation is made clear, his testimony overflows with details.

Here is what we learn before and after Perrett takes his pinky:

Almrich is supposedly his birth name; some other aliases used are Reinaldus and Crispin.

Originally from a local fishing village on the Kelwater, he moved to Vargen to find his fortune. Taking up with the punters two years ago, his lack of scruples made him a perfect herder of Grell’s Lambs. 

Perrett was pleased to hear Aardmann confirm that Grell’s Lambs are indeed enthralled intelligent peoples. When asked specifically about the Grell’s, Aardmann suspects the whole family is responsible for all the lambs from the City of Midmark. Newtown Islanders picked up by Midmark City watch are very likely to be found guilty for any infraction by Judge Grell. Custody is then assumed by his son, Elain Grell, who arranges passage across the bay to Caligan. Aardmann has worked the trip across the bay as well as from Caligan to points upriver along the Kelwater and Vargwater and seldom into Vargen.

It is an open secret amongst all the punters that Grell’s Lambs are slaves but not all the punters know any intimate details. The Mercers will be pleased to learn this.

His promotion to Weaponsmaster for the Punters was precipitated by his foiling a liberation plot. One of his partners, Aubrey Grodecop, became enamored with Em. The infamous Em liberated from bullywugs by an earlier team of Starchie Boys. She was a lamb and Aubrey a shepherd, the two conspired to escape together. Their mistake was asking Aardmann for help, he sold them out and the lovers were sold to the SilverThrone trading company; specifically, the Whitefall station located along the grey flood branch of the Vargwater. Axel and Thorfus were intrigued when they heard this bit. Unfortunately, we cannot share this with Aubrey’s brother at this time, he has left Vargen.

Rotho Waterman himself raised Aardmann to Weaponsmaster. Currently Rotho joined by Barnier Brocket and 63 punters are barging up the Kelwater. Rotho plans to search the Kelwater for an underwater cave entrance to a river Dragon’s lair. He expects to kidnap a young dragon to ransom it back to the parents for their treasure. The contraption Chuq discovered in the cover pier last night will allow Barnier to explore underwater without surfaces for breath and the young dragon will be secured with the special shackles they have. Supposedly, the dragon sphere will help in some way.

The Dusty Gnome moored in Caligan is waiting to unload a lot of the latest lost lamenting Lambs unto punters barges. Since Rotho left about dozen punters behind, the Dusty Gnome will likely wait for few days before anyone shows up to unload its cargo. Aardmann is willing to show us various delivery points upriver along the Vargwater and Kelwater but he doesn’t have any names to share. The only one he knows is Grimtooth, a gnoll leader working on Merchant’s road. 

Crispin Eichmeir captains the Flaming Maid, a ship that also ships Grell’s Lambs across the bay. He doesn’t know where the Flaming Maid is at this time. More than just curious, he was reading the ledgers for any leverage against his bosses. Lastly, he is willing to cooperate for leniency.

Taking a moment to confer amongst ourselves, we decide Aardmann’s testimony will be best used in Midmark. Lord Thorton can publicly denounce Judge Grell before the elections; he can also dispatch ships and marines to confiscate the Dusty Gnome. The liberated Dusty Gnome lambs along with Aardmann’s sworn deposition should help the Mercer’s publicly shame the Punter’s, perhaps bring justice to all of its members. Axel and Thorfus are eager to pursue the lead up the Vargwater to save Em and Aubrey. Chuq looks forward to dismantling the remaining slave trade routes up the Varg and Kelwaters.

Captain Ischaq Stans welcomes Perrett and Aardman aboard the Chastity Snake bound for Midmark. The Starchie Boys remain at the Lone Barrel to explain the current state of events to Phyllis Chaumbire of the Mercers. At first incredulous, especially as prestigious an organization as the SilverThrone as well as others using slave labor, she accepts our handling of the situation. 

Concerned that Rotho Waterman might have an adult river dragon under his persuasion, we want to follow him upriver. Hoping to thwart his plans and return in time to help in Caligan, we rush to the Starchie Boats moored in Eastharbor. Our team is augmented by several Mercers Mercs – Kelgax, Erris, Hangust and Barromir under the command of Adelard. Let’s get to rowing!

Session 37  December 11, 2014

7th of Denrilden

After Perrett and Brice conduct their investigation we decide to interrogate Ellisondro from the Wall District guardsman detail. Only now he is formerly of the guardsman detail. Captain Beamsly has placed Ellisondro on indefinite leave. Ellisondro’s has pursued the Beggar’s Copse Quicklings with almost quixotic zeal. Even now with a limp, he still plans to police Beggar’s Copse. Hoping to curb his enthusiasm, Chuq has committed his help in the near future. 

Changing the topic to why he was summoned, Ellisondro explained his habit of asking travelers if they have/want slaves is his own twisted sense of humor. It tickles his fancy that there might be a kernel of truth to the half whispers of Punters trading in intelligent flesh. When random caravan members clam up after his idiosyncratic questioning, he gets a little tickled. Believing his testimony, Chuq suggests Ellisondro not pursue any rumors himself but to keep an ear open for any news. 

Discussing this and other threads of our investigation, our war council decides the highest priority is the slave trade, specifically rumors of Grell’s Lambs in Caligan. Judge Grell of the City of Midmark will likely win his bid for Lord Mayor in next year’s election, and if he is part of the slave cabal his assumption of office could be catastrophic to the people of Midmark. Perrett eagerly agrees with this assessment. 

He also agrees that since Aardmann/Renauldus, the current Punters’ Weapons master, offered to get Ashton started doing milk runs from Kaligan with Grell’s lambs that there is deeper connection with the Punters than just Aardmann. This coupled with reports that a successful Dragon Sphere expedition will not only make the Punters incredibly rich it would also guarantee Rotho Waterman would replace Peter Thoral as Guildmaster, Perrett agrees interfering with the expedition tangentially forwards his mission and could create an opportunity to incriminate/expose the punters. For a while we consider that with Waterman & Brocket away on expedition, there might be a chance to secret into the Punter compound and unearth bookkeeping about the slave trade. Conceding that Waterman has a team of bean counter better suited to obfuscation than us, we figure any potential evidence might be unusable. 

The mercers are asked to hire several canoes/row boats to monitor the harbor and the KhelWater in addition to the spies loitering about Fens Edge and the punter’s compound. Its hoped that while we investigate the Punter’s compound at night or apprehend/trail Aardmann, that if the expedition gets underway we can pursue via rowboat whichever route they take. 

Fearing we are losing a chance to hinder the punters before the expedition begins; the Starchie Boys take a Mercer row boat that night to infiltrate the punter’s compound via the Khelwater. The plan is to use our potion of Clairvoyance to discern the location of the Dragon Sphere before it leaves Vargen. Chuq clandestinely swims towards the Punter’s piers as Ashton, Axel, Brice, Finkelmur, Thorfus and Starchie watch from the row boat. Approaching the covered pier known to house a fourth barge for the expedition, Chuq sees 6 punters fussing over a large mechanical contraption on the barge. They are arguing with each other about how to repair the machine in time for its intended use. Chuq hears that Barnier Brocket will rely on the machine to breath while searching the bottom of the river for whatever the expedition pursues. The weakness inherent in its use is discovered – the air that Barnier breathes will travel down tubes that connected to the machine. If something were to happen to the tubes, the machine will not help as intended.

Slipping outside the warehouse among the other piers, Chuq sneaks out of the river and infiltrates further into the compound. Within the center of the walled compound is a tower with four elevated rope bridges connected to warehouses cardinally located around the tower. One of these four warehouses is that which Chuq heard the mechanics fussing over the contraption. Another ware house directly opposite the covered pier is obviously occupied. It is well lit from within and many voices can be heard cavorting inside. The last two warehouse are dark and silent. 

Before slinking to the central tower, a punter guard armed with a short sword and hooded lantern is seen patrolling the bridge. Locking the send floor door of the covered pier, he saunters to the central tower. Locking the door behind him, he exits the opposite side and continues across another bridge into the loud warehouse. Avoiding detection, Chuq takes a moment at the central tower to imbibe the potion. Questing for the Dragon Sphere, his vision is of a dark room with a large locked chest, a more than modest bed occupied by a sleeping man and a single door opposite an open window overlooking a river. Willing his vision to the window, Chuq sees the silhouette of the Starchie Boys rowboat. Moving his mind’s eye without the window, he sees that the room is on the second floor of the covered pier. 

On the spur of the moment, Chuq takes a stab at the Sphere clandestinely. He climbs the tower wall to the rope bridge. Hearing the patrolman within the tower, he scrabbles further up the tower to a window ledge overlooking the bridge. The patrolmen exits the tower, unlocks the door to the warehouse and enters. Dropping down to the bridge, Chuq scurries across to the warehouse and clambers to its roof. Hearing the drop to the bridge, the patrolman quickly returns and calls out if anyone is there. Keeping still, Chuq watches him leave the warehouse door open and enter the tower. 

Trying his best to remain quite, the monk slips from the roof and spills onto the bridge making even more of a ruckus. This brings the patrolman back to the warehouse calling out for the intruder to show himself. Chuq hides behind the open door within the warehouse, surprising the patrolman as he bursts into the room. A quick thrust of Chuq’s spear misses the mark allowing the patrolman to reply in kind with his sword as Chuq launches into the air. Lifting himself up to the roof, the patrolman yells out load that an assassin is trying for Waterman. The compound comes alive as Chuq dashes over the roof to the river. 

The other Starchie Boys first know something is amiss when they see Chuq leap into the air and plunge into the river. Keeping quiet, he is quickly lost in the darkness. Not wanting to bring the bargemen down onto his buddies, Chuq swims down river past the piers. The Boys watch the commotion from the river. They are able to slip away.

Fighting fatique, Chuq swims/drifts with the current past Fens Edge. After resting under a pier in the predawn hours, Chuq eventually emerges from the water somewhere in South Harbor well after the fishermen have set out for the day. Wearing little more than briefs, Chuq visits the tanner that outfitted Ashton with his leather armor. They share a morning repast. Hearing a yarn about an overly ambitious morning swim, the tanner takes pity on Chuq. He tasks an apprentice to escort him to the Lone Barrel, asking for the cost of tolls only in return. Returning to the Lone Barrel, Thorfus pays the boy with a little something extra and the Boys compare notes. 

Adelard has bad news. The Punters’ have killed the Mercer spies in Fen’s Edge in retaliation. Our infiltration spurned the Punters to launch their expedition today. The Boys rush to follow – to the Starchie boats!

Session 36 3 Dec 2014

All of us who are able to complete our training get trained.

We end up with over 905 gold each!

Finklemur trades the value of his training, which he can’t use for 3 identify spells and we learn that Thorfus “matrix” sword is +2 with some other undeciphered qualities. The two potions we have are clairvoyance and extra healing.

Brice tells us of her visions and Thorfus reveals the key and she confirms that it is the one in her vision. She says she will meditate on the meaning of the ABCDEFG.

The dragon orb we had briefly from the Kobolds is blue and not the fire in Brice’s visions. Brice is willing to help retrieve an ancient dwarven artifact. She says that she is to accompany us to Xen Kehl.

We learn that the bargemen watched our misdirected and actual inn, while we hid in the Lone Barrel Inn.

We finally learn a possible fate of Em. Supposedly she ran off with a young man and got married to Aubrey. Aubrey took up with Adman who also went by the name of Reynaldus. We have heard the name Reynaldus before, we think in Midmark….

Perrette shows up at the Lone Barrel, and hilariously, Finklemur casts darkness on him. He has a sealed letter from Lord Thornton, and Perrette fills in the gaps of our knowledge. the elections for Lord Mayor are at the same time as the elections in Vargen. Judge Grell is one of the candidates. Haldor is dead and his role in the slaving is not known and Grell is lifiting him up as a hero.

Perette is planning to go to Cargan to investigate “Grell’s Lambs” which we believe to be a euphemism for slaves.

We then hear that all the key people of the bargeman’s guild have descended on their fortified compound and Arman gets a promotion to their arms master, and Barnier showed up with the dragon ball. 

Rotho & bargemen hiring mercenaries, but none of the attempted mercer plants can get in.

Flowernave, the boss of the ferry is in town too.

We then learn from Adelard that the kobolds sent an emissary to the mercer troops guarding the ford seeking to trade proof of the bargemens activity in the slave trade for the dragon ball.

Starchy’s Boyz also get their new S/B cloak clasps/medals, now that they are trying to lay low.

We decide that we need more information on the dragon ball and surmise that if we can get it, it will thwart some big plan of the bargemen. We learn that they are packing barges with enough equipment for some sort of expedition with very large size shackles, for a dragon??

Our plan is for Perrete and Brice to grab a teamster, or other person who has access to the bargemen compound to see what we can learn. 

We want to do both get the dragon ball and investigate Grell’s Lambs in Cargan, how well our investigators do at gathering information will determine our next course of action.

We wake up on the 25th Laurilden, having spent the night in the Kobold barracks. The party remains suspicious of Baewin after Barnier’s escape, and as such are referring to Ingeret the Elf as ‘Suzie’ for her protection. During breakfast, Adelard expresses his men’s desire to properly bury the dead slaves we found.

Initially wanting to leave some of his men behind to see to burial, we convince him and the other guardsmen that the living are the priority for the moment. It is unknown whether any Kobolds remain in the area, and the junlge is treacharous enough already.

We gather our stuff and leave, carrying Ashton upon a makeshift stretcher, and exit the way we came. With Chuq scouting, we make our way back along the stream and along the trails, eventually returning to the ford. Chuq goes to fetch our hidden animals and cart, startling Brygard (and the ghost of Baldin) in the process.

We pause here to completely clear the ford of traps, finding ten more of them, and in the meantime, Axel spots a figure across the river with the spyglass. A closer look reveals a solitary female dwarf, waiting on the road at the river’s edge, clad in chainmail and wielding a mace.

Since she is alone, we decide to cross, once more loading up the wagon with archers as a precaution whilst Chuq takes a swim. As before, it is a long and difficult crossing. Once within earshot, Axel call out a greeting, and she responds in kind, greeting him as a Forge-Brother.

Up close, she is striking (for a dwarf), with piercing eyes. We stop at the shore to converse, Axel and Thorfus jumping down to talk in thier native tongue. She is Brice Hissel, former Warden of the Rock, outcast due to her claims of receiving visions directly from Xen’Tellar. She is here due to his guidance, sent in dreams of a fiery disk, the god’s eye seen through a hole in the centre. She had left her home in search of its bearers, and her description matches the Xen’Khel key Thorfus was carrying exactly. Whilst we are cagey with our answers, she seems to infer that we do indeed possess it, and agrees to accompany us back to Vargan.

In exchange, she also agrees to heal Ashton of his injuries, returning the half-Orc to wakefulness. Once he is done cursing, we fill him in on recent events and continue on to Vargan. The trip is uneventful, but for passing another caravan, marked with a red wave-like sigil, who we inform of the ford’s clearing.

Back at Vargan, we see a team of City Guard hacking away at Beggar’s Copse, supervised by Elisandro, who is propped up on a crutch. Chuq heads over, both for information and to secure passage into the city. In our absence, things haven’t been terribly well. Beamsly had increased the patrols along the wall in response to our findings, partnering the guards up for thier protection. Several days later, whilst Elisandro was patrolling with Arnold, the Quicklings appeared again. Elisandro was knocked out, but poor Arnold was murdered by the creatures, disembowelled with his blood used to leave a message. A mage was called in to translate, and it simply read ‘Vengeance is swift. Strike not the quick ones.’ After this, the petty thefts continued, and Beamsly beefed the patrols up to four men.

Elisandro grants us entry, saying that we should speak to Beamsly when we get chance. We head straight for the Lone Barrel to see the Mercer’s Guild, stopping only to see Pevral at the Twelfth Knight. He comes out to see Gomez and Reinhard, and pays us right there for thier safe return, before accompanying us. Adelard leads the way.

Upon entering, the serving girl quickly fetches Emery Longstirap, and we relay to her what happened and what we found, Adelard backing up our claims. We also discuss Barnier’s escape, and find that Baewin simply could not explain what happened, especially with so many people (and two trained dogs) present. Barnier must be exceptionally skilled

Emery sends for Guild Mistress Phillis, and our payment for completing the job. Phillis talks to Ingeret, but feels we don’t yet have enough information to properly implicate the Bargemen. Realising that Barnier will likely be on his way to see Rotho Waterman as possible, its decided we need to get there ASAP to get what we need.

In the meantime, the Guild puts up the rescued at the Inn, and we discuss the Dragon Orb and its possible importance. Its at this moment Finklemur discovers the orb is missing from his pack, and we realise that Barnier must’ve stolen it during his escape.

Without the Orb, exposing Waterman would be difficult, but we decide to act anyway, hoping to bluff our way to an answer. Finklemur barters for the means to heal his arm, hoping that his magic would help in this situation, and Phillis agrees.

Emery takes the old wizard to Temple Square via horseback, whilst everyone else gets aboard Axel’s cart, Adelard accompanying us to guide us to Rotho’s base in Fen’s Edge, even paying the toll fees.

Stopping just short of the guard tower, the guardsman points out the building to us and we proceed. Outside city guards are milling about, alongside a number of grey-cloaked men not unlike the bargemen we encountered in the Kobold’s temple.

At the same time, Emery and Finklemur reach the Ark. Leaving the horse with an acolyte, they request to see the partiarch, and an Elder is brought to them who agrees to bring them to Patriarch after they ask for the means to heal Finklemur’s arm. The Partriarch resides in a small building within a garden, and he comes out to examine the injury. Unfortunately, it requires a really powerful spell to heal, and as such would cost them 6000 gold, and won’t even be possible until the following evening. Disappointed, Finklemur asks if the Guild will at least support some of the cost at a later date.

Across town, we leave some of the party in the street to watch for Barnier, whilst Chuq, Axel and Thorfus head towards the building. Chuq strides boldly towards the entrance to the Bargeman’s base, gaining the notice of the greycloaks in the process. He convinces them that we need to see Rotho, and we are taken in and lead to his room. Before we enter, it is made obvious that violence here could only end badly for us, with the city guard so close and obviously allied with them.

We talk to Rotho in the man’s office, spinning a tale of having met Barnier out in the jungle, alone and bloodied, saving him from an attack by Sumonsters. We explain that he left the orb in how possession, but disappeared, so we decided to complete his task and bring the orb to Waterman. Whilst the orb is currently ‘with a friend, visiting thier mother’, we promise to bring it to him later.

We discuss the orb itself, learning that the symbol corresponds to that of the legendary Crystal Tower, which was potentially located upon the Lonely Isle before it fell (though not to Chuq’s knowledge, being from there). The orb is apparently something that would be of great benefit to the guild, though we are unable to ascertain why exactly.

We barter then for a reward, pushing high due to it’s importance to not only Rotho, but also historically for dwarves, even factoring in it’s obviously high level of craftsmanship. We settle on a price of 20,000 gold, payable that evening, and Rotho even offers us futher work after.

Still lacking answers, we ask how he discovered that the Kobolds were in possesion of such an artifact, trying to pass it off again as if Barnier informed us of that. Rotho cites that he had done a lot of research and had luck on his side, expanding on the Kobold rumours by saying he had heard that a Kobold King, Faldinmixis, had set up the toll on the ford.

Jumping on that particular tidbit, we try to impress on him that the theft of what was obviously an important object of worship to the Kobolds, known for their reverance of dragons, would only serve to potentially push them to attack the city itself. With some difficulty, we get him to agree to warn the city watch, but fail at getting him to warn Adalun Beamsly directly, the Captain who would certainly have first contact.

Here we realise that we have lost, and only served to give Rotho suspicions and information on us, as the Guild Master jumps on any potential slips such as us having ties and a base in the Wall District. We misdirect him towards the Winking Swordsman as damage control, where we say we will meet him to exchange the Orb, which we have no intention of doing.

We leave, and he goes to speak to Captain Leofrick about the Kobolds. As we regroup, we see Emery and Finklemur have caught up, and there is still no sign of Barnier.

We head back to the Lone Barrel. Finklemur notices Aardman once again following us, despite Ashton’s warnings previously, and confronts him. The thief claims mere curiosity, referring to Ashton’s conversation when pressed. Thorfus approaches, and asks about the Punter-Mercer conflict, and we learn that Aardman has some sort of business arrangement with the Bargeman, claiming that he wouldn’t trust a Mercer. He also describes the Kobold situation as ‘lucky’ for the Punters, and is shocked at the idea of slaves.

He leaves, and we make haste to the Wall District, not noticing any further pursuit. Back at the Inn, we fill Phillis in on what occured. It’s obvious we shouldn’t go to the meeting, and should likely lay low for now. After some discussion, we realise that the acquistion of the Dragon Orb is likely tied to dragon expedition being planned in Fen’s Edge, further solidfied when we remember that Rotho Waterman’s name was cited when we were looking for experts on dragons in Vargan.

Things looking grim, we take advantage of the Mercer’s hospitality and keep our heads down, spending the next week training for the future.