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Jodo Kast Does The Adventure Path
- Thread starter Jodo Kast
- Start date
cthuluftaghn
First Post
Good session today! Looking forward to the write-up. Should make for a good story... exciting, dramatic, and often comical.
We've mixed up the gods a bit for this campaign, Rhialto. We're using a fairly generic game world based on the locales in the WotC Adventure Path modules, rather than Greyhawk proper. I've used many of the Greyhawk deities presented in the Player's Handbook, but Nerull has given way to Sheol, a LN death god. Sheol was created by the PC who plays Tothla, with some input from me. Sheol's priests use a modified death domain, and have the granted power to detect undead at will. Readers will learn more about Sheol here as the story unfolds.
THE SUNLESS CITADEL
Part 3: Renaelus Imprisoned
Renaelus sat moodily on a bunk in his small, neat jail cell, his head in his hands and his face turned toward the wall opposite the cell door. It was a thoroughly humbling experience to be imprisoned in a backwater town like Oakhurst. Renaelus still could not believe he had been caught. The job had seemed like such a sure thing.
Renaelus stood up and paced the cell a bit, looking very much like a caged cat. He was young, with short, spiky, disheveled hair and a boyishly handsome face. Though not a large man, powerful muscles rippled beneath his skin, honed from years of strength and agility training. Renaelus was very serious about his chosen profession, and he was well on his way to becoming one of the best second-story men in the business. At least, he had been before coming to Oakhurst.
The job was supposed to be simple. While in Brindinford, Renaelus had learned of a wealthy merchant in the small town of Oakhurst. A little research revealed that the merchant, Kerowyn Hucrele, maintained little or no security, and that the constabulary in Oakhurst was hopelessly incompetent. After performing some simple surveillance he learned that Kerowyn Hucrele kept a small fortune in coin and jewels locked away in a chest on the second floor of her business in Oakhurst. For the nimble rogue, scaling the wall to the second floor and removing the iron bars securing the window there proved to be child's play. He had crept stealthily into the building and found the chest almost immediately, securely bolted to the floor. The lock was good, but he was better, and he even spotted and disarmed the small needle trap before opening the chest. Inside were sacks bulging so with coins and valuable baubles that a broad grin spread across Renaelus' face and he breathed deeply of his victory. Unfortunately, what the rogue had not noticed when he opened the chest was the fine cloud of dust that filled the air. As he began removing sacks from the chest more dust was emitted into the air and Renaelus' nose began to twitch. He noticed the odd cloud of dust around him then, but it was too late. He was soon violently sneezing, wheezing and choking. He was so wracked by coughing and sneezing that his body buckled and collapsed to the floor, and he felt as if his ribs would crack from the strain of his spasms.
That was how the town constable, a tall, stern half-elven woman named Felosial, and her deputies had found him. And so the aspiring burglar had come to be confined to a tiny jail cell in a hayseed town in the middle of nowhere. The shadows were lengthening. It would soon be night. Renaelus sighed heavily and turned to the barred door of his cell. "What's for dinner, fellows?"
The two guards outside his cell looked up from their game of lanterloo. The men were yokels, and it frustrated Renaelus that they sat on the other side of the bars, free to come and go as they pleased, while he was in a cage. Given enough time, he would surely find a way to outwit his captors and escape.
"After I win this hand, Jym's going to fetch some stew from the Ol' Boar," said the one named Ben, a short, fat, middle-aged man with a long, curling gray mustache.
"You're going to lose the hand, and you're going to have to fetch the stew yourself, you fat old quail. I'm not goin' out after dark, that's fer sure." Jym was tall and narrow, with buck teeth and a bright red shock of hair growing in every direction on his head.
"Why are you two hobnails so scared of the dark all of a sudden, anyway?" Renaelus had noticed that the mood of his jailors had darkened over the last several weeks, and they had said little during that time. On the occasions Felosial would check in she seemed distracted and anxious. Something strange was afoot in Oakhurst.
"Some of the cattleherders around here have disappeared lately, their cattle too. They even found a few folks dead, all tore up like ...." Jym was silenced by a tap to his forehead from Ben's beefy pointer finger.
"How many times has Felosial told ya to keep quiet about that business?" The fat man threw down his hand of cards in disgust. "Looks like I'll be fetching the stew after all."
Just as Ben rose from his seat, the door opened and Felosial entered. "Hey beautiful," called Renaelus. He had made a game of making catcalls at Felosial to get a rise out of her. Anything to make his interminable confinement go by more quickly. This time Felosial did not offer one of her usual sarcastic retorts, but instead stood with her arms folded resolutely across her chest. Renaelus saw that another woman had entered with Felosial. Not just any woman. It was Kerowyn Hucrele.
"So this is the little man who tried to rob me. He does not look like much, Felosial, but as you insist you have no men to spare he will have to do." Kerowyn Hucrele frowned as she approached the cell and looked in on Renaelus. Sensing an opportunity, Renaelus straightened and offered a disarming smile. In response, Kerowyn Hucrele's frown only deepened.
"I have convinced the good constable here to let you free if you will perform a small task for me, rogue." The woman fairly spat the words. "My two children have disappeared in the old ruins south of here. If you will join an adventuring party in finding them, you will earn your liberty and a fair bit of coin, though not as much as you sought to take from me."
"Madame," said Renaelus, bowing deeply. "I am at your service, and will do my best to return your children to you safely. My freedom is all that I ask." In his mind he was busy calculating how many miles from Oakhurst he would be by dawn.
Kerowyn Hucrele issued a humorless laugh. "So there is honor among thieves yet, eh? If I have learned anything in my life, it is that nothing engenders loyalty except wealth. Love of liege or lady is a passing fancy, but I have yet to meet a man who does not have a price. I suspect yours is a rather cheap one. 250 gold coins for each child you return alive and well. Half of that for their signet rings if you find them beyond aid."
Renaelus' eyes widened. 500 gold coins was not a fortune, but it was a start. Perhaps he would linger in the vicinity of Oakhurst long enough to collect this reward after all. "I would be honored to assist you in this matter, milady."
Kerowyn Hucrele instructed Renaelus that at first light he would be escorted to the Ol' Boar Inn, where he would meet a woman named Brynja. Brynja would lead the expedition in search of her missing children, Talgen and Sharwyn. That night Renaelus slept peacefully for the first time since his capture, and dreamed of freedom and the open road.
Part 3: Renaelus Imprisoned
Renaelus sat moodily on a bunk in his small, neat jail cell, his head in his hands and his face turned toward the wall opposite the cell door. It was a thoroughly humbling experience to be imprisoned in a backwater town like Oakhurst. Renaelus still could not believe he had been caught. The job had seemed like such a sure thing.
Renaelus stood up and paced the cell a bit, looking very much like a caged cat. He was young, with short, spiky, disheveled hair and a boyishly handsome face. Though not a large man, powerful muscles rippled beneath his skin, honed from years of strength and agility training. Renaelus was very serious about his chosen profession, and he was well on his way to becoming one of the best second-story men in the business. At least, he had been before coming to Oakhurst.
The job was supposed to be simple. While in Brindinford, Renaelus had learned of a wealthy merchant in the small town of Oakhurst. A little research revealed that the merchant, Kerowyn Hucrele, maintained little or no security, and that the constabulary in Oakhurst was hopelessly incompetent. After performing some simple surveillance he learned that Kerowyn Hucrele kept a small fortune in coin and jewels locked away in a chest on the second floor of her business in Oakhurst. For the nimble rogue, scaling the wall to the second floor and removing the iron bars securing the window there proved to be child's play. He had crept stealthily into the building and found the chest almost immediately, securely bolted to the floor. The lock was good, but he was better, and he even spotted and disarmed the small needle trap before opening the chest. Inside were sacks bulging so with coins and valuable baubles that a broad grin spread across Renaelus' face and he breathed deeply of his victory. Unfortunately, what the rogue had not noticed when he opened the chest was the fine cloud of dust that filled the air. As he began removing sacks from the chest more dust was emitted into the air and Renaelus' nose began to twitch. He noticed the odd cloud of dust around him then, but it was too late. He was soon violently sneezing, wheezing and choking. He was so wracked by coughing and sneezing that his body buckled and collapsed to the floor, and he felt as if his ribs would crack from the strain of his spasms.
That was how the town constable, a tall, stern half-elven woman named Felosial, and her deputies had found him. And so the aspiring burglar had come to be confined to a tiny jail cell in a hayseed town in the middle of nowhere. The shadows were lengthening. It would soon be night. Renaelus sighed heavily and turned to the barred door of his cell. "What's for dinner, fellows?"
The two guards outside his cell looked up from their game of lanterloo. The men were yokels, and it frustrated Renaelus that they sat on the other side of the bars, free to come and go as they pleased, while he was in a cage. Given enough time, he would surely find a way to outwit his captors and escape.
"After I win this hand, Jym's going to fetch some stew from the Ol' Boar," said the one named Ben, a short, fat, middle-aged man with a long, curling gray mustache.
"You're going to lose the hand, and you're going to have to fetch the stew yourself, you fat old quail. I'm not goin' out after dark, that's fer sure." Jym was tall and narrow, with buck teeth and a bright red shock of hair growing in every direction on his head.
"Why are you two hobnails so scared of the dark all of a sudden, anyway?" Renaelus had noticed that the mood of his jailors had darkened over the last several weeks, and they had said little during that time. On the occasions Felosial would check in she seemed distracted and anxious. Something strange was afoot in Oakhurst.
"Some of the cattleherders around here have disappeared lately, their cattle too. They even found a few folks dead, all tore up like ...." Jym was silenced by a tap to his forehead from Ben's beefy pointer finger.
"How many times has Felosial told ya to keep quiet about that business?" The fat man threw down his hand of cards in disgust. "Looks like I'll be fetching the stew after all."
Just as Ben rose from his seat, the door opened and Felosial entered. "Hey beautiful," called Renaelus. He had made a game of making catcalls at Felosial to get a rise out of her. Anything to make his interminable confinement go by more quickly. This time Felosial did not offer one of her usual sarcastic retorts, but instead stood with her arms folded resolutely across her chest. Renaelus saw that another woman had entered with Felosial. Not just any woman. It was Kerowyn Hucrele.
"So this is the little man who tried to rob me. He does not look like much, Felosial, but as you insist you have no men to spare he will have to do." Kerowyn Hucrele frowned as she approached the cell and looked in on Renaelus. Sensing an opportunity, Renaelus straightened and offered a disarming smile. In response, Kerowyn Hucrele's frown only deepened.
"I have convinced the good constable here to let you free if you will perform a small task for me, rogue." The woman fairly spat the words. "My two children have disappeared in the old ruins south of here. If you will join an adventuring party in finding them, you will earn your liberty and a fair bit of coin, though not as much as you sought to take from me."
"Madame," said Renaelus, bowing deeply. "I am at your service, and will do my best to return your children to you safely. My freedom is all that I ask." In his mind he was busy calculating how many miles from Oakhurst he would be by dawn.
Kerowyn Hucrele issued a humorless laugh. "So there is honor among thieves yet, eh? If I have learned anything in my life, it is that nothing engenders loyalty except wealth. Love of liege or lady is a passing fancy, but I have yet to meet a man who does not have a price. I suspect yours is a rather cheap one. 250 gold coins for each child you return alive and well. Half of that for their signet rings if you find them beyond aid."
Renaelus' eyes widened. 500 gold coins was not a fortune, but it was a start. Perhaps he would linger in the vicinity of Oakhurst long enough to collect this reward after all. "I would be honored to assist you in this matter, milady."
Kerowyn Hucrele instructed Renaelus that at first light he would be escorted to the Ol' Boar Inn, where he would meet a woman named Brynja. Brynja would lead the expedition in search of her missing children, Talgen and Sharwyn. That night Renaelus slept peacefully for the first time since his capture, and dreamed of freedom and the open road.
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