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Story Hour
Erkonin (Campaign #1) [Session 46: Making Deals with Devils is Stupid as well as Bad]
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<blockquote data-quote="prabe" data-source="post: 8040993" data-attributes="member: 7016699"><p>Session 2: Shadows and Stairs</p><p></p><p>Dramatis Personae:</p><p></p><p>Imaktis - Tortle Cleric (Nature)</p><p>Mo - Goliath Bard</p><p>Orryk - Forest Gnome Monk</p><p>Fiona - Half-Elf Wizard</p><p>Taman - Human (variant) Rogue</p><p>Joybell - Forest Gnome Paladin</p><p></p><p>GM: - Everyone Else</p><p></p><p></p><p>Third Day of Feast of Sky, 748 (Campaign Day 1)</p><p></p><p>Before leaving the shipyard, we decided who got what of the treasure we found (which we decided was better done in the privacy of the empty boatyard rather than at a pub). Then we went to the nearest pub, the Pewter Oar, on the border of the Pierton & Nook neighborhoods.</p><p></p><p>Imaktis went off on his own for a bit while we were getting settled (and getting the first round with the one gold that was not easy to divide amongst us) but he knew where to come back to.</p><p></p><p>Some of the other people in the pub had seen us fighting the zombies, so we were treated to a few drinks by grateful people, in addition to buying a few on our own. Mo, Taman and Fiona make arrangements for rooms at the Pewter Oar.</p><p></p><p>Joybell asked someone who looked like a shipyard worker about that last yard down the line (where the wight and zombies were) -- have people been working there like normal? Have things been weird? The shipworker said that there were people walking around it and he’d assumed that they were the right people.</p><p></p><p>We introduced ourselves to each other, at least a little bit. It turns out that no one is from Embernook -- Taman has lived most of his life in the woods somewhere (but not near the druidic circle that Joybell grew up near). Joybell, who stayed in the city for a few nights here and there during her training at the Basalt Henge (about a day’s travel out on the Black Field) had spent more time in Embernook than anyone else. Most of the party arrived in town the day of the Incident.</p><p></p><p>We talked about continuing to work together, because that one evening’s work was very profitable. Joybell and Imaktis were both in as long as we were making a name for ourselves helping people and doing good. We don’t want to be just out for money or being random. But if we’re helping people, then yes, we’re for it.</p><p></p><p>Taman, who plays a flute, and Mo, who plays a pipe (instrument) that is also a pipe (smoking), had a small music contest for the price of a drink. Mo played a “light and jaunty dwarven song about killing duergar”. Taman played the song his dad taught him. Which is the song he knows. They were both good but Mo did win the contest.</p><p></p><p>Orryk and Fiona talked about elemental magic.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, when folks started getting too drunk. Joybell and Orryk went to the lodging house (run by a rock gnome named Queena) where Joybell stays in town. Orryk asked about where he could do research on the elemental planes and was pointed to the loose association of wizards in Centerkeep, who don’t really work together, but they are connected and pool resources. He should be able to find an archive or library there. He was also pointed to the Nook, where he can ask around about freelance wizards who aren’t joiners.</p><p></p><p>An important bit of local culture we learned from Queena is that people in Embernook, once bought, stay bought -- so you can count on someone not ratting out that you asked for information if you pay them not to.</p><p></p><p>Imaktis went to the temple district and talked to the clergy there (while he was also there getting a place to stay) about the Shadowfell. He learned: Wights make zombies and control a limited number of them directly. Wights and Shadows want to kill people, and will make other undead along the way, but the main goal is killing. Wraiths make spectres. And Ghouls want to eat people. Some undead are more connected to Orcus (who is not a god, he’s a demon-lord and can’t grant spells, but can make havoc).</p><p></p><p>Shadows are especially bad because they make more shadows in an exponential progression sort of way. When Imaktis told them about the shadows we encountered in the shipyard they were more concerned about that than they were about the wight. Imaktis was fortunate to have survived.</p><p></p><p>Because of all of this some humanoid cultures burn corpses to prevent animation and undeath.</p><p></p><p></p><p>1 Sunnin 748 (Campaign Day 2)</p><p></p><p>The next morning, we all met up again at the Pewter Oar. Mo bought breakfast for everyone, including eye-opening breakfasts, meat and eggs.</p><p></p><p>Over breakfast we discussed our goals for our conversation with the Watch Chief, Ullar Truehammer, who Mogree referred us to the night before. We agreed that we wanted to find out what happened, we wanted to be authorized to look into it further, and we wanted some sort of a reward (though there was a bit of a difference of opinion as to whether we’d be satisfied with the knowledge of a job well done or we wanted living expenses (or more) in addition).</p><p></p><p>We went to the Watch House in Centerkeep -- a stone building a couple of stories tall. The person at the desk took us up to Chief Truehammer, who was clearly expecting us. As soon as we walked in, while Joybell was explaining what happened (at length) and the Commander Mogree had told us to come talk to him, Chief Truehammer pulled six pieces of paper out of one drawer of his desk and six arm-bands out of another. As he was handing us the papers, Joybell asked if he even knew our names and he rattled them right off. (I suppose it helps that we’re a pretty distinctive group -- two Gnomes, a Tortle, a skinny Goliath, a half-elf and a human. (In a largely human city.)</p><p></p><p>The arm-bands identify us as associated with the guard -- if there’s a scrap or a problem, the guards won’t attack people wearing the armbands, because they’re assumed to be helping. The Papers authorize us with the rights and responsibilities of the city guard -- we are deputized as members of the Watch, but it is an entirely at will arrangement on both sides. We can leave when we want or they can fire us.</p><p></p><p>We are going to be making the standard wages for a Guard -- 1 silver piece per day each. We are also allowed to keep what we find. Chief Truehammer wants us to report it (in case something that was specifically reported stolen turns up) but we can keep it.</p><p></p><p>Mo tried hard to negotiate for higher wages. Joybell “helped”.</p><p></p><p>Mo (to Truehammer): You’re asking us to fight this for one silver a day…</p><p>Joybell (to Mo): Oh, no, they’re not asking. We’re offering.</p><p></p><p>We also got some information from Chief Truehammer. Outbreaks of undead and people creating shadowpools in the city is not a normal thing in the city. Good to know. However, anyone who made one Shadowpool might make more, so this person needs to be stopped permanently. Orryk (I think) asked if there had been any fiends summoned into the city or incursions of fiends. That has happened in the past. (Joybell was completely shocked by this.)</p><p></p><p>Istin’s Yard, the shipyard, is a family business (owned by the Istin family, not surprisingly) that has been in the city for a long time. He gave us the address for the family residence, so we could go talk to them. He had some information for us -- the ship in the yard (where the shadowpool had been set up) had been there for about a month. Istin’s had been contracted to do restoration below the waterline, which is why the ship was in drydock. This was to be a very thorough refitting of the ship, so the owners have not been expecting or demanding updates or information.</p><p></p><p>The people who were turned into zombies had been largely identified. Most of them were workers at Istin’s, though not all of the workers are among the dead. There were a few who have not been identified but may have been revelers or visitors to the city. (The ones the rat saw carried away by the zombies.)</p><p></p><p>He also gave us the names of some of the wizards in Centerkeep to talk with about the creation of a shadowpool and if anyone has been publicly looking into that. He gave us a letter of introduction to two of the wizards.</p><p></p><p>Someone (maybe Taman or Fiona) asked if there was anyone in the city’s government, the Council who might be disgruntled. Or if the City Administrator might be somehow sabotaging the city. We were told that the City Administrator (who serves at the pleasure of the council and has been doing so for seventy years) was completely beside himself when he heard about the Incident. Chief Truehammer wasn’t aware of any infighting on the Council, though he said he wouldn’t be. But he could go to the Watch’s representative on the Council and ask there.</p><p></p><p>We told him that he could get a message to us either at the Pewter Oar or at Queena’s lodging house.</p><p></p><p>After leaving Chief Truehammer’s office, we went to the Istin family residence to talk to them. On the way, Mo used Prestidigitation to clean us all up and make us presentable. We decided to wear the guard armbands when we knocked on the door. (At least, some of us “decided”. Imaktis was wearing his all the time and Joybell was following Orryk’s lead on when to wear it or not.)</p><p></p><p>At the Istin house, a butler took us, after a moment’s wait, to see Ser Istin (“Ser” is a title, not a name) and were introduced by the butler as “guardsmen”. The armbands worked. Sort of. Ser Istin was a human gentleman in his 40s dressed nicely. He had been informed of the Incident at the shipyard and was aware that he’d lost most (nearly all) of his workers. Joybell and Mo felt like he was honestly upset about that, though it was hard to tell if he was more upset about the loss of life or because he needed to hire a new workforce.</p><p></p><p>Mo asked if this had happened before. We were told that it’s not unheard of for a worker to fall or have an accident and be injured or even killed. But never before had the entire shipyard been attacked like this.</p><p></p><p>He had not personally been to the shipyard in weeks -- he had a foreman for this lengthy refitting project (the foreman, Orn, was among the definitely dead) and his presence wasn’t required on a daily, or even weekly basis. He gave us the names and addresses of three workers who weren’t turned into zombies -- it’s not certain that they survived, but they at least haven’t been identified as dead. There were no third-party contractors hired for this project.</p><p></p><p>Mo asked if he had any enemies -- if this could have been an attack on his business (with the dead workers simply collateral damage) or on him personally. Ser Istin denied having any enemies. The other shipyards are rivals, but they’re not really enemies -- they charge about the same and have about the same expenses, and if he’s got a ship in his dry dock, it doesn’t hurt him to have work go to another yard.</p><p></p><p>Mo tried to get Istin to pay us extra to look into it, but because we were there as guards, Ser Istin wasn’t biting. “It would be worth every copper I pay in taxes…”</p><p></p><p>After we left the Istin house, the party separated for the afternoon. Mo and Joybell went to talk to the three workers who were not among the definitely dead. Everyone else (Taman, Fiona, Orryk, and Imaktis) went to talk to the wizards in the Centerkeep.</p><p></p><p>Mo and Joybell went first to talk to the nearest worker in Pierton, a Rock Gnome named Burlin. Burlin came out on crutches with a splint on his lower leg. Mo immediately offered healing, but Burlin said he’d gotten all the help that healing magic could give and it would just take time for the injury to fully heal at this point. He got hurt at the yard about two weeks ago, in just a normal sort of occupational accident. He hadn’t seen any weird people going on or off the ship -- but some of the other workers had seen someone who didn’t belong there and one of those was on our list of possible survivors. As they left, Mo slipped Burlin a gold coin to help him out until he was back on his feet.</p><p></p><p>They went from Burlin’s to the house of the person who might have survived who’d seen someone strange at the shipyard, a young human named Tarl. Tarl had heard about the stuff that happened at the yard, though he quit a couple of weeks before because he got a better offer (helping to run his brothers shop on Allacross bridge). He did remember seeing someone strange come off the ship one morning when he and a few others got there very early to stage some equipment and supplies for the rest of the work crew. They got there early in the morning (pre-dawn) and saw a tall, skinny human man wearing studded armor and a sword walk off the ship and out through the yard without stopping to acknowledge or talk to them. It was weird to him, because there’s not much worth stealing on a ship in drydock. Mo asked if he would believe that anyone who worked for Istin could have done something that would have killed so many people. Tarl said no, but he would believe it about that strange man. He smelled like dead meat. Apparently, the night watchman saw the man leave the shipyard, but hadn’t seen him enter in the middle of the night.</p><p></p><p>The final worker, visited mainly for completeness’ sake, was named Zenan. He was actually still an employee of the yard, if the yard was still a going concern, anyway. He’d missed work the day of the Incident because he’d called in sick with a stomach bug (Joybell thought that it was more likely he was hungover from too much revelry at the festival, but no matter). When asked if anything had seemed strange about the ship or what was going on at the shipyard he said that the first deck down near the bow (where the shadowpool formed) smelled a little funky and had been getting worse. Like something died there. And it was cold in that area and it just never warmed up. He hadn’t seen any strange people going on or off the ship. He also said there were no new workers.</p><p></p><p>The other team, Taman, Fiona, Orryk and Imaktis, went to Centerkeep to talk to some of the loosely organized wizards (not a freelance wizard). The two they were given an introduction to were Tulmor (a woman in her 50s) and Barnett (a man in his 30s), both humans, who share a tower in the city. Tulmor did most of the talking.</p><p></p><p>They had been informed about the shadowpool that was formed in the shipyard and gave some information about them. The tricky part of setting up a shadowpool is knowing what’s in the Shadowfell in order to make the correspondence. Once one has the knowledge of what is there, it’s just a matter of moving things around to make the correspondence. It is theoretically possible for it to have been made from the Shadowfell side, though she’d never heard of anyone doing so. It is also possible that it was made by accident, but that is very rare.</p><p></p><p>Taman asked if someone could have remade the shadowpool overnight because it only took us a few minutes to move things around enough to break it. Fortunately, it takes a bit of time (two weeks) for the shadowpool to form once the correspondences are set and during those two weeks there needs to be no sunlight in the area (including spells that specifically make sunlight).</p><p></p><p>Taman tried to get information about how one knows what’s on the Shadowfell side to make the correspondences -- would divination or scrying spells work, for example, but my notes don’t indicate that we got a satisfactory answer to that. But that knowledge is the hard part of making a shadowpool. Setting one up on a ship in drydock isn’t a bad choice for a long-term but not permanent pool -- as soon as the ship moved out of drydock it would have been broken in any case, but the ship wasn’t going anywhere until the repairs were complete.</p><p></p><p>We were told that if one sees enough shadowpools, one can start to recognize whether they were made by the same person. There becomes something almost like a style about it.</p><p></p><p>Taman asked if anyone had come around asking about shadowpools. Tulmor said that no one had paid them for that information, as a way of indicating that they had not been bought.</p><p></p><p>Orryk had some questions about the elemental planes and crossings to them and he and Fiona got an invitation to come back and look at the books in their personal library about it.</p><p></p><p>Also Taman hung back to ask a personal question and paid Tulmor and Barnett to look into it. And to not tell people they’d been paid to look into it.</p><p></p><p>The party met back up at the Pewter Oar to share the results of our conversations over dinner. When we were finishing up the main course, a guy in a guard uniform rushed in, sweaty and exhausted, breathing hard, and very spooked and said that Mogree had said to find us...things...human-like things were eating people in Fisher’s Walk (on the other side of the river).</p><p></p><p>We left him collapsed in a chair at the pub and went running toward Allacross bridge and the Fisher’s Walk district on the other side of the river. After we crossed the bridge, but before we got really into that neighborhood, we heard screaming from inside a building near the bridge.</p><p></p><p>There was a sign outside the building that said “Kell’s Boardinghouse.”</p><p></p><p>When we got there, it was late evening, but there were still a few hours of light left, we saw a person, screaming, run out through the door of the boardinghouse, slam the door shut behind himself, then fall on the stoop as his scream died away. As he lay there a flickering black form came out of his chest then went back into the building, passing through the door.</p><p></p><p>Looking around outside the building there’s a small yard and service alley in the back.</p><p></p><p>That was a Shadow -- which meant it was a higher priority than the “human-like things eating people” (maybe ghouls), because Shadows multiply.</p><p></p><p>The front door of the building was closed and all the ground floor windows we could see were shuttered on the inside. We were reluctant to get too close (remembering what happened to Orryk at the shipyard office when he nearly got dropped by one) so Mo grabbed a rock to through through the window and shutter.</p><p></p><p>As he threw the first rock, Joybell cast Bless on herself, Orryk and Imaktis. Orryk readied a shot with his short bow.</p><p></p><p>When Mo threw the rock, the shutters got knocked open and we saw a dining room with a shadow in it. Orryk immediately fired his readied shot and hit it.</p><p></p><p>Mo threw a rock through the other front window and there was a shadow in there as well, which Orryk also shot at.</p><p></p><p>Taman then went and opened the door and saw a shadow immediately inside. Taman shot it with his short bow then Imaktis went in and killed it.</p><p></p><p>Imaktis: I have cleared the building. It is safe to come out.</p><p>Orryk: Imaktis, there are two</p><p>Imaktis: naughty word.</p><p></p><p>Fiona saw another shadow inside the house and cast fire bolt on it, but missed. It moved up on Imaktis and Taman, then another one did the same. Fortunately both of them missed with their attacks.</p><p></p><p>Joybell (who had the shittiest of all possible inits for a front-line fighter -- last after everyone, including the bad guys) finally was able to get up to Imaktis and Taman.</p><p></p><p>Taman took one down with his rapier, then Orryk and Imaktis hit the other one. Mo cast vicious mockery on it, but it saved. Another one came up through the floor to attack Taman while the one people had been hitting attacked Imaktis. Joybell used her new Protection fighting style to protect Taman, since Imaktis has that Tortle AC. Taman dropped one of those two and Imaktis hit the other one and then taunted it. The final blow on that one was delivered by Fiona.</p><p></p><p>That was <strong>4 Shadows</strong> killed at this point.</p><p></p><p>Looking around on this floor, we found two corpses in the parlor. There was also one in the dining room and one in the kitchen and the one on the front step. That meant that there were still more Shadows coming (there needed to be at least one more than the number of corpses because one had to make the first corpse). Looking around in the kitchen, Imaktis found stairs both up and down. We knew from the outside of the building that there were two upper floors; apparently there was at least one basement level as well.</p><p></p><p>Another Shadow came down from the ceiling right next to Mo. Taman and Imaktis killed it.</p><p></p><p>Fiona cast Dancing Lights and sent the lights down the stairs. Orryk went downstairs behind them and saw 3 more Shadows in the basement. Having used a double move to get down there he used a bonus move to Dodge. Mo dashed down after him and attacked.</p><p></p><p>One of the Shadows hit Mo and he used his Goliath resistance ability to reduce the hit point damage, but couldn’t affect the strength damage, so his strength was reduced to 4. Taman got into the combat in the basement with a dash and a sneak attack and did good damage, but we were piling up on the stairs and couldn’t get people into combat. Fiona couldn’t get a clear strike at all.</p><p></p><p>Mo did a Thunderwave, partly in an attempt to push them back and make some room for us to move in. Fortunately he killed one outright but the other two made their saves and didn’t get moved. Joybell managed to take advantage of being a little gnome to slip through the stair rails and get down into the basement and got a good hit. So did Taman and Imaktis, but the thing was still standing. Fiona shot it with her fire bolt. Orryk dropped one. Joybell tried to protect Mo with her shield during an attack, but it still managed to hit and did strength damage again. He dropped to 1 strength. (One more hit from these things and he was going to be dead and us with no way to bring him back.) Joybell laid on hands to heal the necrotic damage but couldn’t help with the strength drain. Fortunately, someone managed to drop that one.</p><p></p><p>Running total: <strong>8 total Shadows</strong> now killed.</p><p></p><p>Imaktis: This house is clear.</p><p></p><p>We looked around in the basement just a little bit -- there was a coal pile and some storage boxes.</p><p></p><p>Also two more corpses, bringing that total to 7.</p><p></p><p>We all started moving back up the stairs -- most of us moving and then dodging, to give them disadvantage on attacks. Imaktis and Fiona got to the stairs to the first floor and were attacked by another one. Fortunately, it only did one strength drain to Fiona. Imaktis hit it and Fiona retreated away from the front lines. And once again we were bottled up on the stairs.</p><p></p><p>Another one came out and attacked Imaktis, and he said “No” and raised his arms, and his AC went up against the attack. (Apparently our cleric cast a Shield spell, hmmmmm….)</p><p></p><p>Fiona managed to get out of combat, but Orryk couldn’t get into it and spent several rounds just dodging. Joybell used her Divine Smite ability for the first time to try and clear up a bit of the bottleneck -- it worked to the extent that one of the Shadows was killed (pretty much evaporated). Taman was able to move up and attack. Orryk hit one and killed it.</p><p></p><p>Imaktis, looking around: I have cleared the floor.</p><p>Mo: We should have just set the house on fire.</p><p></p><p>Fiona and Mo stayed at the bottom of the stairs, while Taman explored the rooms on this floor (bedrooms for the lodgers, with at least three more corpses) and Imaktis continued up to the second floor. Where he found another corpse and another Shadow. Only Imaktis was even on the second floor at that point.</p><p></p><p>Down on the first floor, Orryk was attacked by one that came out of the ceiling at him and suffered necrotic and strength damage. Joybell wasn’t able to get into melee, but she was in position to throw a javelin. Taman killed the one on Orryk, finally.</p><p></p><p>Fiona and Mo, both having suffered strength damage (and being low strength characters to begin with) spent a lot of time well behind the front line (such as it was) staying out of the bottlenecks, with Mo kind of hiding behind the wizard but still contributing with inspiration.</p><p></p><p>Mo inspired Joybell with a song and she managed to get a hit which opened up space and cleared a bottleneck. Imaktis hit it and then Fiona fire bolted it and it dropped at last.</p><p></p><p>Final tally: <strong>12 Shadows</strong> killed. 10 or 11 corpses found (an appropriate number, because there needed to be at least one more shadow than corpses).</p><p></p><p>Imaktis: This floor is clear.</p><p>Orryk: Imaktis may be right.</p><p></p><p>And he was.</p><p></p><p>We put on our guard armbands (because we didn’t want to be mistaken for marauders when the watch arrived) and went back down to the basement to look around.</p><p></p><p>In the basement we found:</p><p>1000 cp</p><p>600 sp</p><p>70 gp</p><p>2 silver ewers, each worth 25 gp</p><p>Wand of Magic Missiles (Mo)</p><p>Brooch of Shielding (Fiona)</p><p>Starburst Flail (when picked up, it emits dim light in a 5’ radius. When it hits a target, it emits bright light in a 20’ radius and dim light in another 20’ radius) (Joybell)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="prabe, post: 8040993, member: 7016699"] Session 2: Shadows and Stairs Dramatis Personae: Imaktis - Tortle Cleric (Nature) Mo - Goliath Bard Orryk - Forest Gnome Monk Fiona - Half-Elf Wizard Taman - Human (variant) Rogue Joybell - Forest Gnome Paladin GM: - Everyone Else Third Day of Feast of Sky, 748 (Campaign Day 1) Before leaving the shipyard, we decided who got what of the treasure we found (which we decided was better done in the privacy of the empty boatyard rather than at a pub). Then we went to the nearest pub, the Pewter Oar, on the border of the Pierton & Nook neighborhoods. Imaktis went off on his own for a bit while we were getting settled (and getting the first round with the one gold that was not easy to divide amongst us) but he knew where to come back to. Some of the other people in the pub had seen us fighting the zombies, so we were treated to a few drinks by grateful people, in addition to buying a few on our own. Mo, Taman and Fiona make arrangements for rooms at the Pewter Oar. Joybell asked someone who looked like a shipyard worker about that last yard down the line (where the wight and zombies were) -- have people been working there like normal? Have things been weird? The shipworker said that there were people walking around it and he’d assumed that they were the right people. We introduced ourselves to each other, at least a little bit. It turns out that no one is from Embernook -- Taman has lived most of his life in the woods somewhere (but not near the druidic circle that Joybell grew up near). Joybell, who stayed in the city for a few nights here and there during her training at the Basalt Henge (about a day’s travel out on the Black Field) had spent more time in Embernook than anyone else. Most of the party arrived in town the day of the Incident. We talked about continuing to work together, because that one evening’s work was very profitable. Joybell and Imaktis were both in as long as we were making a name for ourselves helping people and doing good. We don’t want to be just out for money or being random. But if we’re helping people, then yes, we’re for it. Taman, who plays a flute, and Mo, who plays a pipe (instrument) that is also a pipe (smoking), had a small music contest for the price of a drink. Mo played a “light and jaunty dwarven song about killing duergar”. Taman played the song his dad taught him. Which is the song he knows. They were both good but Mo did win the contest. Orryk and Fiona talked about elemental magic. Eventually, when folks started getting too drunk. Joybell and Orryk went to the lodging house (run by a rock gnome named Queena) where Joybell stays in town. Orryk asked about where he could do research on the elemental planes and was pointed to the loose association of wizards in Centerkeep, who don’t really work together, but they are connected and pool resources. He should be able to find an archive or library there. He was also pointed to the Nook, where he can ask around about freelance wizards who aren’t joiners. An important bit of local culture we learned from Queena is that people in Embernook, once bought, stay bought -- so you can count on someone not ratting out that you asked for information if you pay them not to. Imaktis went to the temple district and talked to the clergy there (while he was also there getting a place to stay) about the Shadowfell. He learned: Wights make zombies and control a limited number of them directly. Wights and Shadows want to kill people, and will make other undead along the way, but the main goal is killing. Wraiths make spectres. And Ghouls want to eat people. Some undead are more connected to Orcus (who is not a god, he’s a demon-lord and can’t grant spells, but can make havoc). Shadows are especially bad because they make more shadows in an exponential progression sort of way. When Imaktis told them about the shadows we encountered in the shipyard they were more concerned about that than they were about the wight. Imaktis was fortunate to have survived. Because of all of this some humanoid cultures burn corpses to prevent animation and undeath. 1 Sunnin 748 (Campaign Day 2) The next morning, we all met up again at the Pewter Oar. Mo bought breakfast for everyone, including eye-opening breakfasts, meat and eggs. Over breakfast we discussed our goals for our conversation with the Watch Chief, Ullar Truehammer, who Mogree referred us to the night before. We agreed that we wanted to find out what happened, we wanted to be authorized to look into it further, and we wanted some sort of a reward (though there was a bit of a difference of opinion as to whether we’d be satisfied with the knowledge of a job well done or we wanted living expenses (or more) in addition). We went to the Watch House in Centerkeep -- a stone building a couple of stories tall. The person at the desk took us up to Chief Truehammer, who was clearly expecting us. As soon as we walked in, while Joybell was explaining what happened (at length) and the Commander Mogree had told us to come talk to him, Chief Truehammer pulled six pieces of paper out of one drawer of his desk and six arm-bands out of another. As he was handing us the papers, Joybell asked if he even knew our names and he rattled them right off. (I suppose it helps that we’re a pretty distinctive group -- two Gnomes, a Tortle, a skinny Goliath, a half-elf and a human. (In a largely human city.) The arm-bands identify us as associated with the guard -- if there’s a scrap or a problem, the guards won’t attack people wearing the armbands, because they’re assumed to be helping. The Papers authorize us with the rights and responsibilities of the city guard -- we are deputized as members of the Watch, but it is an entirely at will arrangement on both sides. We can leave when we want or they can fire us. We are going to be making the standard wages for a Guard -- 1 silver piece per day each. We are also allowed to keep what we find. Chief Truehammer wants us to report it (in case something that was specifically reported stolen turns up) but we can keep it. Mo tried hard to negotiate for higher wages. Joybell “helped”. Mo (to Truehammer): You’re asking us to fight this for one silver a day… Joybell (to Mo): Oh, no, they’re not asking. We’re offering. We also got some information from Chief Truehammer. Outbreaks of undead and people creating shadowpools in the city is not a normal thing in the city. Good to know. However, anyone who made one Shadowpool might make more, so this person needs to be stopped permanently. Orryk (I think) asked if there had been any fiends summoned into the city or incursions of fiends. That has happened in the past. (Joybell was completely shocked by this.) Istin’s Yard, the shipyard, is a family business (owned by the Istin family, not surprisingly) that has been in the city for a long time. He gave us the address for the family residence, so we could go talk to them. He had some information for us -- the ship in the yard (where the shadowpool had been set up) had been there for about a month. Istin’s had been contracted to do restoration below the waterline, which is why the ship was in drydock. This was to be a very thorough refitting of the ship, so the owners have not been expecting or demanding updates or information. The people who were turned into zombies had been largely identified. Most of them were workers at Istin’s, though not all of the workers are among the dead. There were a few who have not been identified but may have been revelers or visitors to the city. (The ones the rat saw carried away by the zombies.) He also gave us the names of some of the wizards in Centerkeep to talk with about the creation of a shadowpool and if anyone has been publicly looking into that. He gave us a letter of introduction to two of the wizards. Someone (maybe Taman or Fiona) asked if there was anyone in the city’s government, the Council who might be disgruntled. Or if the City Administrator might be somehow sabotaging the city. We were told that the City Administrator (who serves at the pleasure of the council and has been doing so for seventy years) was completely beside himself when he heard about the Incident. Chief Truehammer wasn’t aware of any infighting on the Council, though he said he wouldn’t be. But he could go to the Watch’s representative on the Council and ask there. We told him that he could get a message to us either at the Pewter Oar or at Queena’s lodging house. After leaving Chief Truehammer’s office, we went to the Istin family residence to talk to them. On the way, Mo used Prestidigitation to clean us all up and make us presentable. We decided to wear the guard armbands when we knocked on the door. (At least, some of us “decided”. Imaktis was wearing his all the time and Joybell was following Orryk’s lead on when to wear it or not.) At the Istin house, a butler took us, after a moment’s wait, to see Ser Istin (“Ser” is a title, not a name) and were introduced by the butler as “guardsmen”. The armbands worked. Sort of. Ser Istin was a human gentleman in his 40s dressed nicely. He had been informed of the Incident at the shipyard and was aware that he’d lost most (nearly all) of his workers. Joybell and Mo felt like he was honestly upset about that, though it was hard to tell if he was more upset about the loss of life or because he needed to hire a new workforce. Mo asked if this had happened before. We were told that it’s not unheard of for a worker to fall or have an accident and be injured or even killed. But never before had the entire shipyard been attacked like this. He had not personally been to the shipyard in weeks -- he had a foreman for this lengthy refitting project (the foreman, Orn, was among the definitely dead) and his presence wasn’t required on a daily, or even weekly basis. He gave us the names and addresses of three workers who weren’t turned into zombies -- it’s not certain that they survived, but they at least haven’t been identified as dead. There were no third-party contractors hired for this project. Mo asked if he had any enemies -- if this could have been an attack on his business (with the dead workers simply collateral damage) or on him personally. Ser Istin denied having any enemies. The other shipyards are rivals, but they’re not really enemies -- they charge about the same and have about the same expenses, and if he’s got a ship in his dry dock, it doesn’t hurt him to have work go to another yard. Mo tried to get Istin to pay us extra to look into it, but because we were there as guards, Ser Istin wasn’t biting. “It would be worth every copper I pay in taxes…” After we left the Istin house, the party separated for the afternoon. Mo and Joybell went to talk to the three workers who were not among the definitely dead. Everyone else (Taman, Fiona, Orryk, and Imaktis) went to talk to the wizards in the Centerkeep. Mo and Joybell went first to talk to the nearest worker in Pierton, a Rock Gnome named Burlin. Burlin came out on crutches with a splint on his lower leg. Mo immediately offered healing, but Burlin said he’d gotten all the help that healing magic could give and it would just take time for the injury to fully heal at this point. He got hurt at the yard about two weeks ago, in just a normal sort of occupational accident. He hadn’t seen any weird people going on or off the ship -- but some of the other workers had seen someone who didn’t belong there and one of those was on our list of possible survivors. As they left, Mo slipped Burlin a gold coin to help him out until he was back on his feet. They went from Burlin’s to the house of the person who might have survived who’d seen someone strange at the shipyard, a young human named Tarl. Tarl had heard about the stuff that happened at the yard, though he quit a couple of weeks before because he got a better offer (helping to run his brothers shop on Allacross bridge). He did remember seeing someone strange come off the ship one morning when he and a few others got there very early to stage some equipment and supplies for the rest of the work crew. They got there early in the morning (pre-dawn) and saw a tall, skinny human man wearing studded armor and a sword walk off the ship and out through the yard without stopping to acknowledge or talk to them. It was weird to him, because there’s not much worth stealing on a ship in drydock. Mo asked if he would believe that anyone who worked for Istin could have done something that would have killed so many people. Tarl said no, but he would believe it about that strange man. He smelled like dead meat. Apparently, the night watchman saw the man leave the shipyard, but hadn’t seen him enter in the middle of the night. The final worker, visited mainly for completeness’ sake, was named Zenan. He was actually still an employee of the yard, if the yard was still a going concern, anyway. He’d missed work the day of the Incident because he’d called in sick with a stomach bug (Joybell thought that it was more likely he was hungover from too much revelry at the festival, but no matter). When asked if anything had seemed strange about the ship or what was going on at the shipyard he said that the first deck down near the bow (where the shadowpool formed) smelled a little funky and had been getting worse. Like something died there. And it was cold in that area and it just never warmed up. He hadn’t seen any strange people going on or off the ship. He also said there were no new workers. The other team, Taman, Fiona, Orryk and Imaktis, went to Centerkeep to talk to some of the loosely organized wizards (not a freelance wizard). The two they were given an introduction to were Tulmor (a woman in her 50s) and Barnett (a man in his 30s), both humans, who share a tower in the city. Tulmor did most of the talking. They had been informed about the shadowpool that was formed in the shipyard and gave some information about them. The tricky part of setting up a shadowpool is knowing what’s in the Shadowfell in order to make the correspondence. Once one has the knowledge of what is there, it’s just a matter of moving things around to make the correspondence. It is theoretically possible for it to have been made from the Shadowfell side, though she’d never heard of anyone doing so. It is also possible that it was made by accident, but that is very rare. Taman asked if someone could have remade the shadowpool overnight because it only took us a few minutes to move things around enough to break it. Fortunately, it takes a bit of time (two weeks) for the shadowpool to form once the correspondences are set and during those two weeks there needs to be no sunlight in the area (including spells that specifically make sunlight). Taman tried to get information about how one knows what’s on the Shadowfell side to make the correspondences -- would divination or scrying spells work, for example, but my notes don’t indicate that we got a satisfactory answer to that. But that knowledge is the hard part of making a shadowpool. Setting one up on a ship in drydock isn’t a bad choice for a long-term but not permanent pool -- as soon as the ship moved out of drydock it would have been broken in any case, but the ship wasn’t going anywhere until the repairs were complete. We were told that if one sees enough shadowpools, one can start to recognize whether they were made by the same person. There becomes something almost like a style about it. Taman asked if anyone had come around asking about shadowpools. Tulmor said that no one had paid them for that information, as a way of indicating that they had not been bought. Orryk had some questions about the elemental planes and crossings to them and he and Fiona got an invitation to come back and look at the books in their personal library about it. Also Taman hung back to ask a personal question and paid Tulmor and Barnett to look into it. And to not tell people they’d been paid to look into it. The party met back up at the Pewter Oar to share the results of our conversations over dinner. When we were finishing up the main course, a guy in a guard uniform rushed in, sweaty and exhausted, breathing hard, and very spooked and said that Mogree had said to find us...things...human-like things were eating people in Fisher’s Walk (on the other side of the river). We left him collapsed in a chair at the pub and went running toward Allacross bridge and the Fisher’s Walk district on the other side of the river. After we crossed the bridge, but before we got really into that neighborhood, we heard screaming from inside a building near the bridge. There was a sign outside the building that said “Kell’s Boardinghouse.” When we got there, it was late evening, but there were still a few hours of light left, we saw a person, screaming, run out through the door of the boardinghouse, slam the door shut behind himself, then fall on the stoop as his scream died away. As he lay there a flickering black form came out of his chest then went back into the building, passing through the door. Looking around outside the building there’s a small yard and service alley in the back. That was a Shadow -- which meant it was a higher priority than the “human-like things eating people” (maybe ghouls), because Shadows multiply. The front door of the building was closed and all the ground floor windows we could see were shuttered on the inside. We were reluctant to get too close (remembering what happened to Orryk at the shipyard office when he nearly got dropped by one) so Mo grabbed a rock to through through the window and shutter. As he threw the first rock, Joybell cast Bless on herself, Orryk and Imaktis. Orryk readied a shot with his short bow. When Mo threw the rock, the shutters got knocked open and we saw a dining room with a shadow in it. Orryk immediately fired his readied shot and hit it. Mo threw a rock through the other front window and there was a shadow in there as well, which Orryk also shot at. Taman then went and opened the door and saw a shadow immediately inside. Taman shot it with his short bow then Imaktis went in and killed it. Imaktis: I have cleared the building. It is safe to come out. Orryk: Imaktis, there are two Imaktis: naughty word. Fiona saw another shadow inside the house and cast fire bolt on it, but missed. It moved up on Imaktis and Taman, then another one did the same. Fortunately both of them missed with their attacks. Joybell (who had the shittiest of all possible inits for a front-line fighter -- last after everyone, including the bad guys) finally was able to get up to Imaktis and Taman. Taman took one down with his rapier, then Orryk and Imaktis hit the other one. Mo cast vicious mockery on it, but it saved. Another one came up through the floor to attack Taman while the one people had been hitting attacked Imaktis. Joybell used her new Protection fighting style to protect Taman, since Imaktis has that Tortle AC. Taman dropped one of those two and Imaktis hit the other one and then taunted it. The final blow on that one was delivered by Fiona. That was [B]4 Shadows[/B] killed at this point. Looking around on this floor, we found two corpses in the parlor. There was also one in the dining room and one in the kitchen and the one on the front step. That meant that there were still more Shadows coming (there needed to be at least one more than the number of corpses because one had to make the first corpse). Looking around in the kitchen, Imaktis found stairs both up and down. We knew from the outside of the building that there were two upper floors; apparently there was at least one basement level as well. Another Shadow came down from the ceiling right next to Mo. Taman and Imaktis killed it. Fiona cast Dancing Lights and sent the lights down the stairs. Orryk went downstairs behind them and saw 3 more Shadows in the basement. Having used a double move to get down there he used a bonus move to Dodge. Mo dashed down after him and attacked. One of the Shadows hit Mo and he used his Goliath resistance ability to reduce the hit point damage, but couldn’t affect the strength damage, so his strength was reduced to 4. Taman got into the combat in the basement with a dash and a sneak attack and did good damage, but we were piling up on the stairs and couldn’t get people into combat. Fiona couldn’t get a clear strike at all. Mo did a Thunderwave, partly in an attempt to push them back and make some room for us to move in. Fortunately he killed one outright but the other two made their saves and didn’t get moved. Joybell managed to take advantage of being a little gnome to slip through the stair rails and get down into the basement and got a good hit. So did Taman and Imaktis, but the thing was still standing. Fiona shot it with her fire bolt. Orryk dropped one. Joybell tried to protect Mo with her shield during an attack, but it still managed to hit and did strength damage again. He dropped to 1 strength. (One more hit from these things and he was going to be dead and us with no way to bring him back.) Joybell laid on hands to heal the necrotic damage but couldn’t help with the strength drain. Fortunately, someone managed to drop that one. Running total: [B]8 total Shadows[/B] now killed. Imaktis: This house is clear. We looked around in the basement just a little bit -- there was a coal pile and some storage boxes. Also two more corpses, bringing that total to 7. We all started moving back up the stairs -- most of us moving and then dodging, to give them disadvantage on attacks. Imaktis and Fiona got to the stairs to the first floor and were attacked by another one. Fortunately, it only did one strength drain to Fiona. Imaktis hit it and Fiona retreated away from the front lines. And once again we were bottled up on the stairs. Another one came out and attacked Imaktis, and he said “No” and raised his arms, and his AC went up against the attack. (Apparently our cleric cast a Shield spell, hmmmmm….) Fiona managed to get out of combat, but Orryk couldn’t get into it and spent several rounds just dodging. Joybell used her Divine Smite ability for the first time to try and clear up a bit of the bottleneck -- it worked to the extent that one of the Shadows was killed (pretty much evaporated). Taman was able to move up and attack. Orryk hit one and killed it. Imaktis, looking around: I have cleared the floor. Mo: We should have just set the house on fire. Fiona and Mo stayed at the bottom of the stairs, while Taman explored the rooms on this floor (bedrooms for the lodgers, with at least three more corpses) and Imaktis continued up to the second floor. Where he found another corpse and another Shadow. Only Imaktis was even on the second floor at that point. Down on the first floor, Orryk was attacked by one that came out of the ceiling at him and suffered necrotic and strength damage. Joybell wasn’t able to get into melee, but she was in position to throw a javelin. Taman killed the one on Orryk, finally. Fiona and Mo, both having suffered strength damage (and being low strength characters to begin with) spent a lot of time well behind the front line (such as it was) staying out of the bottlenecks, with Mo kind of hiding behind the wizard but still contributing with inspiration. Mo inspired Joybell with a song and she managed to get a hit which opened up space and cleared a bottleneck. Imaktis hit it and then Fiona fire bolted it and it dropped at last. Final tally: [B]12 Shadows[/B] killed. 10 or 11 corpses found (an appropriate number, because there needed to be at least one more shadow than corpses). Imaktis: This floor is clear. Orryk: Imaktis may be right. And he was. We put on our guard armbands (because we didn’t want to be mistaken for marauders when the watch arrived) and went back down to the basement to look around. In the basement we found: 1000 cp 600 sp 70 gp 2 silver ewers, each worth 25 gp Wand of Magic Missiles (Mo) Brooch of Shielding (Fiona) Starburst Flail (when picked up, it emits dim light in a 5’ radius. When it hits a target, it emits bright light in a 20’ radius and dim light in another 20’ radius) (Joybell) [/QUOTE]
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Erkonin (Campaign #1) [Session 46: Making Deals with Devils is Stupid as well as Bad]
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