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Tales of the Legacy - Concluded
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<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 1810430" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>The group hurried through the rest of their morning. They attempted to confront the dwarven mason Mexalo Stonethumb about the tunnels and what he knew, but Stonethumb refused to speak with them, slamming the door in Kyle’s face. Convinced he was somehow involved but not wanting to break down the door in the middle of the day, they moved on. On the way to the river Tolly stopped by the wine shop on a hunch and spoke with Gretchen again. He learned that she did, indeed, keep two guard dogs named Buttercup and Cream Puff in the basement to guard her wine, confirming their suspicion that one of the tunnels emerged under her shop.</p><p></p><p> The group arrived at the riverbank close to Dagger Rock. Several of the group began stripping down in preparation for the swim to the obelisk. Tolly tugged at his breastplate near the neckline, and Lanara almost looked green.</p><p></p><p> “I’m not going swimming,” she said flatly.</p><p></p><p> “I have no wish to enter the water myself,” agreed Tolly.</p><p></p><p> Arrie, who was already wading out, turned around, water lapping at her knees. “Well,” she said, looking at Lanara, “if you want you can stay here with Autumn,” she pointed toward her sister, who was sitting on a nearby boulder watching. “But you have to come, Tolly. You’re the only one who knows about stonework.”</p><p></p><p> “Be that as it may, I cannot and will not swim,” he repeated.</p><p></p><p> Arrie sighed and climbed out of the water. She walked a short distance downstream, toward a cluster of small boats in the middle of the river. “Hey!” she shouted to the fishermen, “we want to hire a boat!”</p><p></p><p> One of the fishermen, who didn’t seem to be having much luck anyway, pulled in his nets and began rowing to shore. The keel ground to a halt in the sandy shoreline.</p><p></p><p> “A little bird tells me you’re looking to hire a boat,” he said.</p><p></p><p> “Yeah, a little bird with a fifteen-foot-long chain,” said Lanara quietly to herself.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, we would, sir, if you don’t mind,” said Arrie.</p><p></p><p> The fisherman looked at the assembled group. “I can’t take all of you,” he said.</p><p></p><p> “Not all of us, just him.” Arrie jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the Ardaran priest.</p><p></p><p> The fisherman eyed Tolly. “He planning on wearing that armor out there?”</p><p></p><p> “Yup,” answered Kyle. “Actually, I don’t think he can take it off.”</p><p></p><p> With a quick exchange of coin the group was once more on its way to Dagger Rock. Once they reached the lip surrounding the obelisk, they began walking around, studying it. Osborn was especially diligent, feeling around in the muck with his bare toes for anything unusual even as he studied the sheer stone surface. Tolly, safe in his boat, cast <em>detect magic</em>.</p><p></p><p> “The entire thing is faintly magical,” he said. “Perhaps some mild preservative enchantment, or the lingering aura from a more powerful spell. The dagger that Elmo gave us doesn’t radiate any magic.”</p><p></p><p> After a few minutes, Osborn suddenly stopped. “Wait a minute…” he knelt down and felt the stone surface under his feet, the water coming up to his chin. “There’s some sort of hole here, covered in slime… it’s deep, but narrow…” Osborn looked up at Tolly. “Hand me that dagger.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly tossed the dagger-shaped lump of metal to the hin, who immediately plunged it under the water. A moment later, those standing on the obelisk felt a slight shudder, and there was a sudden swirl of water just in front of Osborn. As the group gathered, they saw that a secret compartment had opened up in the stone just under the water. The fisherman’s eyes got large.</p><p></p><p> Osborn reached into the boat, where he’d stashed some of his gear in case he’d needed to climb the rock itself, and pulled out a small sack of coins. Pressing it into the fisherman’s hand, he said quietly, “We’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself for a while.”</p><p></p><p> The fisherman nodded and pocketed the money, likely more than he’d see from an entire season of fishing.</p><p></p><p> Meanwhile, Ari had already dove down into the chamber. She came up a moment later. “Looks like an old stash,” she said. “Most of it’s rotten, but there a few items left, including an iron chest. It’ll take a few trips, but I can get it all out.”</p><p></p><p> “Let me help,” Kyle said. He concentrated for a moment on his inner power, and called up his innate Talent. A translucent form appeared next to Kyle. “Go down into the chamber there,” Kyle said, pointing, “retrieve any item you can carry and bring it up to this boat.” The unseen servant immediately disappeared into the chamber, appearing as an amorphous bubble under the water.</p><p></p><p> It only took a few minutes to clear out the chamber. They quickly rowed back to shore, thanking the fisherman for his assistance and discretion. Osborn tried to jimmy the lock on the chest, but it was rusted shut. Autumn handed her sister a crowbar, and Arrie immediately put the “warrior’s lockpick” to good use, breaking open the chest. Inside they found a well-preserved book, three sealed vials, a gold ring fastened to a leather necklace, and a scimitar, the blade engraved with images of basilisks, displacer beasts, manticores, and hydras.</p><p></p><p> “Well,” said Lanara, looking over everyone’s shoulder, “either this’ll be our bonus for a job well done, or Grog’s farewell present.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p> Flush with excitement from their unexpected find, the group decided to have lunch at the Heathfire Inn. They’d hoped to try the Dagger Rock Tavern to see what Yuri and his elven helpers looked like, but it wasn’t open yet. The group ate a pleasant, if unremarkable meal at the Hearthfire. Most of the customers looked as if they’d been going there for many, many years. They talked with the locals as they ate, and learned a few interesting facts – the first was that no one had ever heard of someone named Jack Kineron in town. The story of Yuri’s parents was finally revealed; the original Kinerons had always been infected with wanderlust and a need to expand their horizons; so while Yuri’s grandparents had been part of the town’s founding, their children found Dagger Rock too settled for their taste, and simply left. The most important thing they learned was that Yuri was a short, balding man, and his workers Rinlin and Aeoli matched the description of the two elves Osborn had seen the previous night.</p><p></p><p> On the way back to the Happy Half-Ogre to rest, Osborn swung by the jail. “We’re coming by your place at midnight tonight,” he whispered to Sidon when he opened the door, “be ready, and you’ll have your answers.”</p><p></p><p> Sidon nodded. “Then I’d better get some rest,” he said.</p><p></p><p> That evening, Sidon was waiting for the party outside his home, dressed in his armor and carrying a sword. He followed the group into the graveyard, and his eyebrows arched in surprise when they lifted the secret trapdoor on Jack Kineron’s grave. Osborn put a finger to his lips, then cupped a hand to his ear. Sidon listened intently, and heard the same thing they’d heard the night before – digging.</p><p></p><p> “There’s a whole network of tunnels under the town,” Osborn said, lowering the trapdoor temporarily. “One branch connects to the cobbler’s stables, another comes out here, another in the basement of the winemaker’s shop, and another one in Grog’s basement. There’s one tunnel which ends in a small room that I couldn’t figure out how to get out of, but I think it comes up somewhere near the middle of town. The tunnel that you can hear them digging is headed toward the bank vault.”</p><p></p><p> Sidon’s eyes widened. “I think I need to see this for myself,” he said.</p><p></p><p> The group moved down the tunnels toward the sound of digging. Most of them stopped at the intersection to block any escape, while Osborn led Sidon forward to the bank tunnel. They came back a few minutes later.</p><p></p><p> “That’s Yuri, all right,” whispered Sidon, “and Rinlin and Aeoli too. I never would have expected anything this big.”</p><p></p><p> “We think that they have created an artificial panic in town with these robberies,” said Tolly. “Causing more people to place their valuables in the bank vaults. Yuri gets the money, Grog is voted out of town which eliminates the competition, and once the tunnel connecting the vault to Grog’s inn is discovered he would naturally be blamed for the robbery as well, leaving Yuri blameless.”</p><p></p><p> “Well, now what?” asked Arrie. “Do we jump them?”</p><p></p><p> “I think if we just confront them all together,” said Captain Bearclaw, “they should surrender without a fight.”</p><p></p><p> Indeed, as the group of nine seasoned adventurers rounded the corner and confronted the three diggers, they very quickly realized the odds were against them and gave up. The party helped bring the shackled prisoners up to the surface, where they were led into the jail by Sidon. Once secure, Sidon pulled out a pair of heavy leather gauntlets and began pulling them on.</p><p></p><p> “I’ll need some privacy to interrogate the prisoners,” he said. “I’ll send Raymond to go get Logan Ironhand up and join you. I think you ought to go take a look at the Dagger Rock Tavern.”</p><p></p><p> The group emerged from the jail, eager to put the final nail in Yuri’s coffin. “I think we should head back into the tunnels,” said Osborn. “I want to check out that dead-end tunnel one more time. If it leads into Yuri’s place, which I think it does, it’s going to be a lot easier to come up from below than it will be to find the entrance from the tavern.”</p><p></p><p> Sure enough, once Osborn crawled into the small alcove, he found what he was looking for. Perhaps Yuri and his crew had been less cautious tonight than before, but this time the hin easily spotted the hidden pull-ring that opened the secret door. The party emerged into a long room, containing nothing but a table with six chairs around it. On one wall was a map of the entire tunnel system, showing the intended path straight to the vaults. Autumn pulled the map off the wall and rolled it up. “Evidence,” she said.</p><p></p><p> Kyle looked at the table. “Six chairs,” he mused. “I think we’ve only caught half the conspirators here.”</p><p></p><p> Kavan’s head perked up suddenly. He’d caught the faint feel of a breeze where there shouldn’t have been as he walked toward the door. Stepping back, he examined the wall. “There’s another secret passage here,” Kavan said. He pushed on the wall, and it swung open.</p><p></p><p> “Wait here,” Tolly said, summoning a light. “I’ll check it out.”</p><p></p><p> The rest of the group sat patiently while Tolly went into the darkness. Osborn listened at the door at the far end of the room. “I hear something inside,” he said. “It sounds like a cat.”</p><p></p><p> They opened the door and found a small closet. Inside were two large chests, and perched atop one of them was a large cat. Osborn, Lanara, and Xu recognized it as the one they’d seen in the streets the night they’d tried to act as decoys. Kavan attempted to pick the cat up to pet it, but it clawed and hissed at him, then bolted out of the closet and down the hole they’d come in.</p><p></p><p> “I was just trying to be nice,” said Kavan sadly.</p><p></p><p> “Well, I’m sure it’s not your fault,” said Osborn, who was already working on the lock of one of the chests.</p><p></p><p> Tolly came back a minute later. “This leads into a large bedroom, I presume Yuri’s. There’s a hallway that leads into a hidden part of the tavern, where it looks like he’s set up some sort of gambling hall.”</p><p></p><p> “Is gambling legal here?” asked Arrie.</p><p></p><p> “I’m not certain. We’ll ask Captain Bearclaw when we get the chance.”</p><p></p><p> “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about it much,” Osborn said. He was working on the second chest, but pointed at the first one, which was open. “If I had to guess, I’d say that’s all the stuff that’s been stolen from the town.”</p><p></p><p> Within minutes Yuri’s tavern had let go all its secrets. Lanara found another hidden door while exploring Yuri’s closet, which led out into the main room of the tavern. She walked out just as Logan Ironhand and his son Raymond came in through the front door.</p><p></p><p> “Oh, you’re just in time,” she called out to them.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p> The party gathered around one of Grog’s large tables, enjoying the last remnants of a feast. Captain Bearclaw was with them, as was all of Grog’s staff, with one notable exception.</p><p></p><p> Between the diary kept by the elven wizard Aeoli (who was Rinlin’s wife, it turned out, not his sister) and Yuri’s confession, the whole story had come out. Yuri had known the elven couple back in Vharnath, and had recruited them for this job; in addition to digging, they had also been the burglars and muggers, using Aeoli’s magic to remain unidentified. Their accomplices were Jim Aransee, who turned out not to be quite the drunkard that everyone thought. He’d acted as the eyes and ears of the conspirators. Keeping an eye on Grog was Kayla, the cook’s assistant Grog had hired recently. A search of her apartment above the wine shop turned up a supply of debilitating poisons, which was apparently Yuri’s fallback plan should the bank heist go awry. The sixth conspirator turned out to be Mexalo Stonethumb, who turned himself in. Yuri had blackmailed him when the tavern owner found out that Mexalo had seriously overcharged the town for building the jail.</p><p></p><p> “So what’ll happen to them?” asked Arrie.</p><p></p><p> “Mexalo’s agreed to work off his debt. The others have been banished on pain of death. As for Yuri, everything he had – which turned out to be surprising little, thanks to his gambling debts – is forfeited to the town, and as for him… we’ll take care of his sentencing right here in town.”</p><p></p><p> As if Sidon’s meaning wasn’t clear enough, Grog grinned and drew his thumb across his neck.</p><p></p><p> “Well, if you’ll excuse me,” said Sidon, standing up, “I’m going home and getting some rest at last.” He walked out the door to the sound of hearty farewells.</p><p></p><p> “Well, yer as good as yer word, young’uns,” said Grog, grinning. “Ye saved my inn and my crew, and I thank ye for that. Now, I’ve promised ye a reward, and ye’ll get it – I’ve left it up in yer rooms, just to be discreet about it. Stay here as long as ye like before ye have to leave.”</p><p></p><p> Thanking their host profusely, the party soon went upstairs to collect their reward and turn in. But as they opened the door, they saw their instructor, Shilsen, sitting on the bed, holding the magical jambiya that Arrie had found on the orcs.</p><p></p><p> “So, it seems as though it’s been a job well done,” he said, looking at them. “You should be proud of yourselves.”</p><p></p><p> “Thank you,” said Tolly. “It was an interesting simulation, to be sure.”</p><p></p><p> “Simulation?” Shilsen smiled. “No, I think you’re mistaken. Dagger Rock is a real place, and you actually did walk here. It’s in the Farmer’s Circle, a group of villages that surrounds the city of Vharnath. No, you’ve actually been on a real mission, and helped real people.”</p><p></p><p> The party looked around at each other, not knowing what to say.</p><p></p><p> “The Tower feels that a final examination should take place ‘in the field’, so to speak, to give them a chance to see what it’s really like out there,” Shilsen explained.</p><p></p><p> “Wait,” Lanara said, “did you say ‘final exam’?”</p><p></p><p> “Why, yes, Lanara, I did. Aren’t you glad you came to class on time for this one?” Shilsen smiled as he stood up. “I’m pleased to say that you’ve all passed, and will graduate from the Tower. Speaking of which, the graduation ceremony’s in three days. If you set a good pace, you should just barely make it back to Trageon in time.” With that, Shilsen twisted a gem on a bracelet he wore, and vanished.</p><p></p><p> An audible groan filled the room.</p><p></p><p>-----------------------------</p><p></p><p>We learned some valuable things in this adventure. The main thing we learned is that a mystery-style adventure takes forever with eight players. THis is a relatively short published adventure, and it took us four sessions to finish. With a group as large as ours, there's no reason not to split up to investigate leads, which means the DM's dealing with four groups of two instead of one group of eight. We also ended up chasing a lot of red herrings and side plots (like Dagger Rock itself) that in a smaller group might have gone untouched. IN the end, we were all so weary of the adventure (including the DM) that the final confrontation was glossed over (though realistically Yuri and his flunkies had no chance against eight of us anyway). We've agreed to avoid these types of adventures in the future - though individually none of us has a problem with an investigative adventure, the group dynamics don't support this particular style.</p><p></p><p>So, from this point on no more school setting - it's for real now! (Cue ominous music)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 1810430, member: 5203"] The group hurried through the rest of their morning. They attempted to confront the dwarven mason Mexalo Stonethumb about the tunnels and what he knew, but Stonethumb refused to speak with them, slamming the door in Kyle’s face. Convinced he was somehow involved but not wanting to break down the door in the middle of the day, they moved on. On the way to the river Tolly stopped by the wine shop on a hunch and spoke with Gretchen again. He learned that she did, indeed, keep two guard dogs named Buttercup and Cream Puff in the basement to guard her wine, confirming their suspicion that one of the tunnels emerged under her shop. The group arrived at the riverbank close to Dagger Rock. Several of the group began stripping down in preparation for the swim to the obelisk. Tolly tugged at his breastplate near the neckline, and Lanara almost looked green. “I’m not going swimming,” she said flatly. “I have no wish to enter the water myself,” agreed Tolly. Arrie, who was already wading out, turned around, water lapping at her knees. “Well,” she said, looking at Lanara, “if you want you can stay here with Autumn,” she pointed toward her sister, who was sitting on a nearby boulder watching. “But you have to come, Tolly. You’re the only one who knows about stonework.” “Be that as it may, I cannot and will not swim,” he repeated. Arrie sighed and climbed out of the water. She walked a short distance downstream, toward a cluster of small boats in the middle of the river. “Hey!” she shouted to the fishermen, “we want to hire a boat!” One of the fishermen, who didn’t seem to be having much luck anyway, pulled in his nets and began rowing to shore. The keel ground to a halt in the sandy shoreline. “A little bird tells me you’re looking to hire a boat,” he said. “Yeah, a little bird with a fifteen-foot-long chain,” said Lanara quietly to herself. “Yes, we would, sir, if you don’t mind,” said Arrie. The fisherman looked at the assembled group. “I can’t take all of you,” he said. “Not all of us, just him.” Arrie jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate the Ardaran priest. The fisherman eyed Tolly. “He planning on wearing that armor out there?” “Yup,” answered Kyle. “Actually, I don’t think he can take it off.” With a quick exchange of coin the group was once more on its way to Dagger Rock. Once they reached the lip surrounding the obelisk, they began walking around, studying it. Osborn was especially diligent, feeling around in the muck with his bare toes for anything unusual even as he studied the sheer stone surface. Tolly, safe in his boat, cast [I]detect magic[/I]. “The entire thing is faintly magical,” he said. “Perhaps some mild preservative enchantment, or the lingering aura from a more powerful spell. The dagger that Elmo gave us doesn’t radiate any magic.” After a few minutes, Osborn suddenly stopped. “Wait a minute…” he knelt down and felt the stone surface under his feet, the water coming up to his chin. “There’s some sort of hole here, covered in slime… it’s deep, but narrow…” Osborn looked up at Tolly. “Hand me that dagger.” Tolly tossed the dagger-shaped lump of metal to the hin, who immediately plunged it under the water. A moment later, those standing on the obelisk felt a slight shudder, and there was a sudden swirl of water just in front of Osborn. As the group gathered, they saw that a secret compartment had opened up in the stone just under the water. The fisherman’s eyes got large. Osborn reached into the boat, where he’d stashed some of his gear in case he’d needed to climb the rock itself, and pulled out a small sack of coins. Pressing it into the fisherman’s hand, he said quietly, “We’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourself for a while.” The fisherman nodded and pocketed the money, likely more than he’d see from an entire season of fishing. Meanwhile, Ari had already dove down into the chamber. She came up a moment later. “Looks like an old stash,” she said. “Most of it’s rotten, but there a few items left, including an iron chest. It’ll take a few trips, but I can get it all out.” “Let me help,” Kyle said. He concentrated for a moment on his inner power, and called up his innate Talent. A translucent form appeared next to Kyle. “Go down into the chamber there,” Kyle said, pointing, “retrieve any item you can carry and bring it up to this boat.” The unseen servant immediately disappeared into the chamber, appearing as an amorphous bubble under the water. It only took a few minutes to clear out the chamber. They quickly rowed back to shore, thanking the fisherman for his assistance and discretion. Osborn tried to jimmy the lock on the chest, but it was rusted shut. Autumn handed her sister a crowbar, and Arrie immediately put the “warrior’s lockpick” to good use, breaking open the chest. Inside they found a well-preserved book, three sealed vials, a gold ring fastened to a leather necklace, and a scimitar, the blade engraved with images of basilisks, displacer beasts, manticores, and hydras. “Well,” said Lanara, looking over everyone’s shoulder, “either this’ll be our bonus for a job well done, or Grog’s farewell present.” [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] Flush with excitement from their unexpected find, the group decided to have lunch at the Heathfire Inn. They’d hoped to try the Dagger Rock Tavern to see what Yuri and his elven helpers looked like, but it wasn’t open yet. The group ate a pleasant, if unremarkable meal at the Hearthfire. Most of the customers looked as if they’d been going there for many, many years. They talked with the locals as they ate, and learned a few interesting facts – the first was that no one had ever heard of someone named Jack Kineron in town. The story of Yuri’s parents was finally revealed; the original Kinerons had always been infected with wanderlust and a need to expand their horizons; so while Yuri’s grandparents had been part of the town’s founding, their children found Dagger Rock too settled for their taste, and simply left. The most important thing they learned was that Yuri was a short, balding man, and his workers Rinlin and Aeoli matched the description of the two elves Osborn had seen the previous night. On the way back to the Happy Half-Ogre to rest, Osborn swung by the jail. “We’re coming by your place at midnight tonight,” he whispered to Sidon when he opened the door, “be ready, and you’ll have your answers.” Sidon nodded. “Then I’d better get some rest,” he said. That evening, Sidon was waiting for the party outside his home, dressed in his armor and carrying a sword. He followed the group into the graveyard, and his eyebrows arched in surprise when they lifted the secret trapdoor on Jack Kineron’s grave. Osborn put a finger to his lips, then cupped a hand to his ear. Sidon listened intently, and heard the same thing they’d heard the night before – digging. “There’s a whole network of tunnels under the town,” Osborn said, lowering the trapdoor temporarily. “One branch connects to the cobbler’s stables, another comes out here, another in the basement of the winemaker’s shop, and another one in Grog’s basement. There’s one tunnel which ends in a small room that I couldn’t figure out how to get out of, but I think it comes up somewhere near the middle of town. The tunnel that you can hear them digging is headed toward the bank vault.” Sidon’s eyes widened. “I think I need to see this for myself,” he said. The group moved down the tunnels toward the sound of digging. Most of them stopped at the intersection to block any escape, while Osborn led Sidon forward to the bank tunnel. They came back a few minutes later. “That’s Yuri, all right,” whispered Sidon, “and Rinlin and Aeoli too. I never would have expected anything this big.” “We think that they have created an artificial panic in town with these robberies,” said Tolly. “Causing more people to place their valuables in the bank vaults. Yuri gets the money, Grog is voted out of town which eliminates the competition, and once the tunnel connecting the vault to Grog’s inn is discovered he would naturally be blamed for the robbery as well, leaving Yuri blameless.” “Well, now what?” asked Arrie. “Do we jump them?” “I think if we just confront them all together,” said Captain Bearclaw, “they should surrender without a fight.” Indeed, as the group of nine seasoned adventurers rounded the corner and confronted the three diggers, they very quickly realized the odds were against them and gave up. The party helped bring the shackled prisoners up to the surface, where they were led into the jail by Sidon. Once secure, Sidon pulled out a pair of heavy leather gauntlets and began pulling them on. “I’ll need some privacy to interrogate the prisoners,” he said. “I’ll send Raymond to go get Logan Ironhand up and join you. I think you ought to go take a look at the Dagger Rock Tavern.” The group emerged from the jail, eager to put the final nail in Yuri’s coffin. “I think we should head back into the tunnels,” said Osborn. “I want to check out that dead-end tunnel one more time. If it leads into Yuri’s place, which I think it does, it’s going to be a lot easier to come up from below than it will be to find the entrance from the tavern.” Sure enough, once Osborn crawled into the small alcove, he found what he was looking for. Perhaps Yuri and his crew had been less cautious tonight than before, but this time the hin easily spotted the hidden pull-ring that opened the secret door. The party emerged into a long room, containing nothing but a table with six chairs around it. On one wall was a map of the entire tunnel system, showing the intended path straight to the vaults. Autumn pulled the map off the wall and rolled it up. “Evidence,” she said. Kyle looked at the table. “Six chairs,” he mused. “I think we’ve only caught half the conspirators here.” Kavan’s head perked up suddenly. He’d caught the faint feel of a breeze where there shouldn’t have been as he walked toward the door. Stepping back, he examined the wall. “There’s another secret passage here,” Kavan said. He pushed on the wall, and it swung open. “Wait here,” Tolly said, summoning a light. “I’ll check it out.” The rest of the group sat patiently while Tolly went into the darkness. Osborn listened at the door at the far end of the room. “I hear something inside,” he said. “It sounds like a cat.” They opened the door and found a small closet. Inside were two large chests, and perched atop one of them was a large cat. Osborn, Lanara, and Xu recognized it as the one they’d seen in the streets the night they’d tried to act as decoys. Kavan attempted to pick the cat up to pet it, but it clawed and hissed at him, then bolted out of the closet and down the hole they’d come in. “I was just trying to be nice,” said Kavan sadly. “Well, I’m sure it’s not your fault,” said Osborn, who was already working on the lock of one of the chests. Tolly came back a minute later. “This leads into a large bedroom, I presume Yuri’s. There’s a hallway that leads into a hidden part of the tavern, where it looks like he’s set up some sort of gambling hall.” “Is gambling legal here?” asked Arrie. “I’m not certain. We’ll ask Captain Bearclaw when we get the chance.” “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about it much,” Osborn said. He was working on the second chest, but pointed at the first one, which was open. “If I had to guess, I’d say that’s all the stuff that’s been stolen from the town.” Within minutes Yuri’s tavern had let go all its secrets. Lanara found another hidden door while exploring Yuri’s closet, which led out into the main room of the tavern. She walked out just as Logan Ironhand and his son Raymond came in through the front door. “Oh, you’re just in time,” she called out to them. [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] The party gathered around one of Grog’s large tables, enjoying the last remnants of a feast. Captain Bearclaw was with them, as was all of Grog’s staff, with one notable exception. Between the diary kept by the elven wizard Aeoli (who was Rinlin’s wife, it turned out, not his sister) and Yuri’s confession, the whole story had come out. Yuri had known the elven couple back in Vharnath, and had recruited them for this job; in addition to digging, they had also been the burglars and muggers, using Aeoli’s magic to remain unidentified. Their accomplices were Jim Aransee, who turned out not to be quite the drunkard that everyone thought. He’d acted as the eyes and ears of the conspirators. Keeping an eye on Grog was Kayla, the cook’s assistant Grog had hired recently. A search of her apartment above the wine shop turned up a supply of debilitating poisons, which was apparently Yuri’s fallback plan should the bank heist go awry. The sixth conspirator turned out to be Mexalo Stonethumb, who turned himself in. Yuri had blackmailed him when the tavern owner found out that Mexalo had seriously overcharged the town for building the jail. “So what’ll happen to them?” asked Arrie. “Mexalo’s agreed to work off his debt. The others have been banished on pain of death. As for Yuri, everything he had – which turned out to be surprising little, thanks to his gambling debts – is forfeited to the town, and as for him… we’ll take care of his sentencing right here in town.” As if Sidon’s meaning wasn’t clear enough, Grog grinned and drew his thumb across his neck. “Well, if you’ll excuse me,” said Sidon, standing up, “I’m going home and getting some rest at last.” He walked out the door to the sound of hearty farewells. “Well, yer as good as yer word, young’uns,” said Grog, grinning. “Ye saved my inn and my crew, and I thank ye for that. Now, I’ve promised ye a reward, and ye’ll get it – I’ve left it up in yer rooms, just to be discreet about it. Stay here as long as ye like before ye have to leave.” Thanking their host profusely, the party soon went upstairs to collect their reward and turn in. But as they opened the door, they saw their instructor, Shilsen, sitting on the bed, holding the magical jambiya that Arrie had found on the orcs. “So, it seems as though it’s been a job well done,” he said, looking at them. “You should be proud of yourselves.” “Thank you,” said Tolly. “It was an interesting simulation, to be sure.” “Simulation?” Shilsen smiled. “No, I think you’re mistaken. Dagger Rock is a real place, and you actually did walk here. It’s in the Farmer’s Circle, a group of villages that surrounds the city of Vharnath. No, you’ve actually been on a real mission, and helped real people.” The party looked around at each other, not knowing what to say. “The Tower feels that a final examination should take place ‘in the field’, so to speak, to give them a chance to see what it’s really like out there,” Shilsen explained. “Wait,” Lanara said, “did you say ‘final exam’?” “Why, yes, Lanara, I did. Aren’t you glad you came to class on time for this one?” Shilsen smiled as he stood up. “I’m pleased to say that you’ve all passed, and will graduate from the Tower. Speaking of which, the graduation ceremony’s in three days. If you set a good pace, you should just barely make it back to Trageon in time.” With that, Shilsen twisted a gem on a bracelet he wore, and vanished. An audible groan filled the room. ----------------------------- We learned some valuable things in this adventure. The main thing we learned is that a mystery-style adventure takes forever with eight players. THis is a relatively short published adventure, and it took us four sessions to finish. With a group as large as ours, there's no reason not to split up to investigate leads, which means the DM's dealing with four groups of two instead of one group of eight. We also ended up chasing a lot of red herrings and side plots (like Dagger Rock itself) that in a smaller group might have gone untouched. IN the end, we were all so weary of the adventure (including the DM) that the final confrontation was glossed over (though realistically Yuri and his flunkies had no chance against eight of us anyway). We've agreed to avoid these types of adventures in the future - though individually none of us has a problem with an investigative adventure, the group dynamics don't support this particular style. So, from this point on no more school setting - it's for real now! (Cue ominous music) [/QUOTE]
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