- As our story opens:
- Cronen and others are helping unload things from Warsh’s wagons. Dessa is directing.
- Tuxel refuses hospitality and goes elsewhere
- Habistaw invites us up to his room once settled in.
- We are standing outside the inn.
- It’s 2PM.
- Rem’e asks Ariza what we think of Habistaw. Colorful – we all agree we should speak with him.
- We enter the bar. There are two barmaids inside: one behind bar, one cleaning up. “Welcome to the Bluff. Do you need rooms?”
- 2GP a night, sleep 2 (4GP total)
- They note we are not prospectors
- They show us to two clean rooms.
- No one is in the taproom.
- The main room could seat 60-80 – it’s sizable. It’s a place where people would convene.
- The whole area feels more like a military compound.
- Rem’e asks the staff about Habistaw. They seem a little sarcastic about him – “If you have a year to speak with him” …he’s been here quite a while – he has two rooms. (banter) Dinner ends at 10.
- Cronen Chin is the innkeeper and the lord
- We go to visit Habistaw – upstairs on the third floor.
- We pause for a minute outside his door. He’s tinkering with something.
- We knock on the door – we hear a thump, and some rustiling – 30 seconds later he arrives “Oh – you weren’t supposed to be hear unti 3 …Oh! it must be three”
- Inside there are tons of scrolls on the walls – we’re impressed by the amount of paper. On the other side of room, there’s a small set up where he’s working on something (like jewelry?); by window there’s a small table with velvet cloth on it and a little lump underneath. The place is fastidious.
- Liadan rolls arcana
- Rem’e rolls engineering
- he’s dealing with gemstones and fine silver. Maybe he’s making a fine chain – something to keep him busy.
- “Come in! Come in! So glad you’re here – would have more info but my crystal ball is not ready …yet! He pulls out scrolls a bunch fall out on him, one falls on his mohwak – he keeps pulling them out says “nope!”
- One scroll rolls over to Liadan’s foot …she picks up and peeks at the title.
- Ariza hears him mumbling about “where’s that prophesy… where’s that prophesy..” in gnomish.
- The scroll has five different languages – Liadan sees common, draconic, celestial, — it’s very peculiar, disorienting.
- Habistaw comes over and says “Hey! What’ve you got?? Oh oh oh yes! This is the one – the dragon! You have to stop the dragon! This is my prophesy!”
- Rhun considers him: he seems very sincere – he seems consistent in his peculiarities.
- “There is a tribe of kobolds nearby … as you, well you may not know – they are the least of dragonkind – they think they’re special – and they’re trying to lure a dragon to the area and they must be stopped!! And you will need help – from Habistaw the devine… not you or you.” (He points to Rem’e and Ariza). “But you and you.” (Rhun and Liadan.) “You are very tall. Please tell me you will help!”
- Ariza definitely wants to foil the kobolds.
- Rem’e: “What color dragon?”
- “Red – like my mohawk, but red. I have a map!”
- He keeps digging around among the scrolls.
- Rhun asks about Heminile … Habistaw looks at him funny; “That’s an odd question to ask”
- Liadan reads a scroll – “In four days there’s going to be a roast beef for dinner” and he’s goes into details.
- He finds the map. “Have dinner – stay – the dragon hasn’t come yet…. “ looks up “ …yet”
- Gives us the map – let’s Liadan see the prophesy – and lets her borrow it.
- Habistaw notes that he has scrolls he’s willing sell — this would improve Liadan’s spell book.
- Then he hustles us out the door.
- Liadan goes to study the prophecy. The rest of us eat. Rem’e wants to seek a blacksmith.
- Prosepctors have rooms now – they’re loud and excited to make themselves rich. Couple of Blood Brothers are there. Kind of boisterous.
- Rhun and Rem’e step outside and find Cronen and Warsh
- Warsh tells Cronen that we were good to have on the trip – ogres
- Rhun tells him we met Habistaw – they laugh about that …. but say he’s pretty good.
- Rem’e asks about the prophesy – kobolds and the dragon
- Asks if they’ve seen any kobolds. They haven’t.
- We then head over towards the smithy.
- Ariza is watching the prospectors at the bar. There’s optimism in the air. The Blood Brothers are bragging, the prospectors are talking about being new nobility (“we’re going to be so rich!”).
- Rem’e walks into the smithy to find a tall, strong human woman, hair tied back. Working on a spear. Her back is to us. Probably working on the garison. Rem’e gets into peripheral vision. She says “hey” – continues working. “I’m Lexera”.
- Rem’e: “We just arrived”
- She reaches to the side and takes a long pull from a flagon. “What brings you to the bluff … looking for gold? You can see I’m busy – garrison needs things, and I’m the one who makes it happen.”
- Rem’e: “What would it take to make armor for a fellow in my stature. What do you think?” He shows her his leather armor.
- “What do you want? Add some plates added to it? Hmmm….” looking him over. “That’s kind of crappy. You don’t want to wear that.” She looks back in her store room. “Yeah – I’ve got some material I could use. If I’m going to make you armor, I want to make something good.”
- Rem’e orders studded armour – ½ money up front, ½ on completion.
- Reme shows her his pistol – no idea what it is. She’s very curious about it. “What is it??”
- “It’s a weapon” … he gives her a brief run down on it … decides to give her a demonstration. Out back, Rem’e places a bar of soap on a fencepost, and pops it clean off. Rhun is observing with a piece of timothy in his teeth.
- Lexera: “That’s great! Where’d you get that?”
- “Of my own design – maybe you can help me work on upgrades to this”
- “Maybe I can!” She’s intrigued.
- Back at the inn, Liadan translates the scroll:
- The kobolds have been feeling bold
And courting wings of red
With payment of silver, jewels, and gold
For Rhun, Ariza, and friends foretold
Must stop them or we’ll be dead
- The kobolds have been feeling bold
- Rhun and Rem’e return, we gather Ariza, get some pints, and head up to see Liadan. Liadan reads us the poem
- Liadan shows us the maps. The maps are half poem, half scribble – “take a left at the two stump tree” etc. “From what I can tell of his scribbling, it’s a two day journey North” — more towards the badlands.
- We head down to the bar. It’s starting to fill up – off duty soldiers, Warsh, farmers have come in from the fields with their families; even some little kids here. We listen we talk with people.
- Rem’e asks about kobolds
- Ariza asks a farmer about the area. Rova – harvest is coming. Worst thing: ankhegs. They love penned in cattle…. fighting off these is worst thing going. Not too much trouble from hobgoblins.
- Liadan asks more about gnome
- Rhun asks about Cronen and barkeep about Wu. “Oh yeah, the auditor …sent to keep up on the gold. Sent by Cronen’s brother, the mayor.”
- “Little brother Melist can’t handle it that his big brother is out here. Thank gods that Cronen is out here.” We learn that Cronen is the mayor’s older brother. It seems clear that Wu was sent to annoy his older brother.
- Tuxel Wu enters the room. Most people don’t react to him. He stalks over to a table of four and sits by himself. Loudly calls for wine.
- “A toast for the Ogre slayers” Ariza & Liadan buy the next round for the blood brothers, Warsh, and Osho — resounding cheers. We watch Wu — he has a ledger out in front of him. He looks up, but largely ignores it. Rhun sends a flagon of wine to Tuxel. He acknowledges it, neutrally. They nod to each other.
- Grold and Durn appear “Oh my goodness – I can’t believe it’s you” …thye’ve done well for themselves – not mining, but panning. “We never got to thank you properly” They give us 25 gold.
- 25 gold
- We thank them and purchase them
- They go back to their business.
- Some shouting outside – three people walk in. Two farmers at each other, a third is keeping them apart. Whole bar quiets down staring. Third guy has a bow .. “Would someone get Cronen?” Two farmers are at each other – “you took it” “why would I take it” — big burly guys. One of the guys looks part orc … Someone in the room calls, “Dessa — someone needs Cronen”
- Things get quiet as soon as Cronen comes in
- Human farmer: “This guy took my cow …. at harvest time”
- Half-orc “No I didn’t – you’re always accusing me of stuff! — why are you always accusing me of stuff?”
- Cronen speaks up as voice of authority
- Priest of Erastil – Stephano – is the man with the bow: “There’s a cow missing; this one’s sure this one did it,” gesturing to the human farmer and nodding at the half-orc. “This one denies it.”
- Cronen holds forth an ornate, masterwork sword with a bejeweled scabbard and speaks to the two men: “You will put your hand on Vervinia and speak your piece.”
- Croenen: “Grasp the hilt of Vervinia’s light and speak the truth in this matter. Let the truth be known and Vervinia will judge it.”
- Human: “This guy took my cow… been encroaching on my stuff all season ….” etc – sword doesn’t do a thing. Nothing happens.
- Cronen presents the hilt to half-orc. “Speak your peace.”
- Half-orc “I didn’t do that – this guy just thinks I’m a hobgoblin – my father was an orc, I can’t help that.”
- The sword does nothing.
- Cronen: “You’re both telling the truth. Stephano – what do you think?”
- Stephano: “Ankeghs probably got the cattle.”
- Cronen to the crowd: “Can anyone help hunt some Ankehgs?”
- He looks at us. We acknowledge him.
- Liadan: “Can you tell us about these ankegs”
- Cronen sends the two farmers to separate ends of the bar, and Cronen and Stephano talk to us about ankehgs. Tells us about how they hunt and eat – about their acid. There are usually only a couple at a time.
- We go to our rooms.
- Next day we head out to the fields. We see the human farmer who’s still “missing a cow”. We head out to the edge of the fields – Ariza and Rem’e take the front. The areas is scrub – not tilled out here. It is a little spongy.
- ANKHEG: It doesn’t take long – the ground nearby ripples. An ankheg erupts from the ground and charges!
- Rem’e shoots at it and rapid reloads
- L: hit’s with MM – sears it
- Rhun: burning hands – it dips its head, lots of flame rolls off the top of it
- Ariza looks for a soft spot, and throws a dagger – hits!
- MONSTER – goes after Ariza, attempts to bite: 14pts – searing pain in her arm! Acid oozes out of its mandibles. Ariza manages to wrench arm out of his mouth, but is in a lot of pain, and is now engaged.
- Rem’e preps – fighting defensively
- Liadan – shocking grasp kills it
- Other erupts and grabs Rhun – but I break free
- Ariza – attacks, flanking the creature – hits as sneak attack
- Rem’e scoots beyond the fallen Ankheg and focuses his attack and blasts it – for 8 – big chunk flies off the beast.
- Liadan – scorching ray – hits the Ankheg hard, and it staggers
- Rhun – attempts to channel energy – but twists horribly, and a horrible damaging, foul force pours from him, and everyone gets hurt by a blast of grossness – Rhun looks alarmed and pale. And the others recoil as the disgusting force accosts them.
- Ariza strikes a killing blow to the Ankheg with her rapier and pulls out guts from it as it collapses.
- 1600 xp (400 per)
- Human farmer is gawking at us.
- Rhun steps away to be sick, and the others stare.
- Ariza mumbles, “Why is our cleric broken?”
- After collecting himself, Rhun returns a bit sheepishly to try more healing and has more success.
- We return to town to rest up. Rhun is certain the others are watching him warily. Liadan just shakes her head.
Adventures in Aervera