Session 2 Part 3
A thorough search of the chamber unearths the following information-
- The well in the centre of the chamber seems to be bottomless, certainly it’s deeper than the PCs can fathom with fifty feet of rope and an everburning torch.
- Both cells have been used recently, one of them has only just been vacated- a half eaten meal and the blanket is still warm.
- The bell is ancient- made of tarnished bronze, it has no clapper so cannot be sounded. Furthermore there are carvings on the side showing a boat in the water, a tentacled creature also in the water, and some sort of port- there’s no sun or moon shown. The PCs believe that the entire scene depicts somewhere in the underdark- strange.
- The gold coins taken from the dead, and Dirk, are not from anywhere in the Nentir Vale.
- The bloody mess on the floor of the chamber are the remains of a sacrifice that took place yesterday evening- Dirk tells the PCs all about it (see below).
The PCs quickly discover the following from Dirk Tragga, who is locked in one of the cages-
- The prisoner is a young boy, no more than eight years old.
- The Butcher came to the lair less than twenty minutes ago, with a Half-Orc, a Goblin and an Eladrin, they took the prisoner with them. Dirk doesn’t know where they went, but he’s heard that The Butcher is leaving the city after the ransom is paid- what ransom the PCs worry, clearly The Butcher is not beyond lying to his hirelings.
- The Butcher can’t be the brains of the organisation, Dirk has heard him mention someone he calls ‘the Lady’.
- Yesterday night Dirk and his comrades cleared out of the chamber, down below The Butcher and some of his cronies sacrificed, well… Dirk is vague, certainly a prisoner and possibly a Goblin or two. They threw the bodies down the well.
And so what’s to be done?
The PCs have conquered all before them and yet they are no closer to finding where the prisoner has been taken- Dirk has told them all he knows, and they’re certain there are no more clues to be found in the bloody chamber.
Next stop an improvised Skill Challenge, it’s time for the PCs to make use of their sources, the people in Fallcrest they go to when they need to get information fast.
In the previous session each PC completed a questionnaire in which they provided me with details of their individual sources, each has one at the start of the game.
And so…
Encounter 5 Information Sources
200 XP Encounter Level 1
Skill Challenge Level 1 Complexity Level 2
As I say an improvised skill challenge, this because I had previously scripted the challenge but was dissatisfied with the outcome- too complex, too unwieldy; so I made something up on the spot. It went a little like this.
Each PC independently makes their way through the city to seek out their source and to find out what they know about The Butcher and his plans- if anything.
The PCs sources included- a mercenary captain, an upmarket whorehouse madam, a halfling river trader, a halfling thief and an elven ranger.
En route the PCs will be tested four times, they will each have to roleplay and make a skill check to overcome some slight problem, examples included- a surly bouncer (Intimidate), a sleeping drunken fop who is owed money (Stealth), a bevy of buxom beauties (Diplomacy), a gaggle of Sisters of Erathis (Religion), a stall collapsing on a young boy in the market place (Acrobatics), an injured bar keep (Heal) etc. Basically I just made up four separate minor incidents for each of the PCs, I decided what skill would be put to use by rolling a D20 against a list of skills (there are 17 of them), a roll of 18-20 and the PC decides what skill is going to the put to the test.
DCs for these checks were DC 10, then 11, then 12, then 13.
One of the players e-mailed me after the game to say that he had more fun RPing this section than he did fighting, and he loves fighting.
Back to the skill challenge- each of the four checks the PCs had to make served as an Aid Another for their fifth check- which takes place find their source and ask for information, obviously combined with a lot of role-play. The more failures along the way the longer the whole operation takes- further reducing the time left to rescue the member of the royal household.
And again the PCs got through this without any failures- harder still it seems is the order of the day- it was very enjoyable however.
The PCs discover yet more clues-
- The Half-Orcs were seen conversing with a merchant on the lower quays.
- The Half-Orcs were seen in the same place trying to locate births on a boat that was leaving today.
- An Eladrin swordsman visited the whorehouse last night, he had plenty of money to spend.
- Recently a number of Shadowmen, mostly of the Thug and/or muscle variety, have gained employment elsewhere.
The PCs head for the Lower Quays, it’s busy- bustling. The final check of the skill challenge requires four of them to role-play and make various checks- again as I dictate and describe the unfolding situation- again Aid Another’s. The final PC making a last check to finally discover the whereabouts- right now, of the The Butcher.
Success- The Butcher hired a warehouse from a merchant, they took possession of the building less than ten minutes ago.
ENCOUNTER 5 COMPLETE PC’S LEVEL 1 WITH 360 XP EACH
The PCs hot foot it to the locale, they have just less than an hour left to find the boy.
A thorough search of the chamber unearths the following information-
- The well in the centre of the chamber seems to be bottomless, certainly it’s deeper than the PCs can fathom with fifty feet of rope and an everburning torch.
- Both cells have been used recently, one of them has only just been vacated- a half eaten meal and the blanket is still warm.
- The bell is ancient- made of tarnished bronze, it has no clapper so cannot be sounded. Furthermore there are carvings on the side showing a boat in the water, a tentacled creature also in the water, and some sort of port- there’s no sun or moon shown. The PCs believe that the entire scene depicts somewhere in the underdark- strange.
- The gold coins taken from the dead, and Dirk, are not from anywhere in the Nentir Vale.
- The bloody mess on the floor of the chamber are the remains of a sacrifice that took place yesterday evening- Dirk tells the PCs all about it (see below).
The PCs quickly discover the following from Dirk Tragga, who is locked in one of the cages-
- The prisoner is a young boy, no more than eight years old.
- The Butcher came to the lair less than twenty minutes ago, with a Half-Orc, a Goblin and an Eladrin, they took the prisoner with them. Dirk doesn’t know where they went, but he’s heard that The Butcher is leaving the city after the ransom is paid- what ransom the PCs worry, clearly The Butcher is not beyond lying to his hirelings.
- The Butcher can’t be the brains of the organisation, Dirk has heard him mention someone he calls ‘the Lady’.
- Yesterday night Dirk and his comrades cleared out of the chamber, down below The Butcher and some of his cronies sacrificed, well… Dirk is vague, certainly a prisoner and possibly a Goblin or two. They threw the bodies down the well.
And so what’s to be done?
The PCs have conquered all before them and yet they are no closer to finding where the prisoner has been taken- Dirk has told them all he knows, and they’re certain there are no more clues to be found in the bloody chamber.
Next stop an improvised Skill Challenge, it’s time for the PCs to make use of their sources, the people in Fallcrest they go to when they need to get information fast.
In the previous session each PC completed a questionnaire in which they provided me with details of their individual sources, each has one at the start of the game.
And so…
Encounter 5 Information Sources
200 XP Encounter Level 1
Skill Challenge Level 1 Complexity Level 2
As I say an improvised skill challenge, this because I had previously scripted the challenge but was dissatisfied with the outcome- too complex, too unwieldy; so I made something up on the spot. It went a little like this.
Each PC independently makes their way through the city to seek out their source and to find out what they know about The Butcher and his plans- if anything.
The PCs sources included- a mercenary captain, an upmarket whorehouse madam, a halfling river trader, a halfling thief and an elven ranger.
En route the PCs will be tested four times, they will each have to roleplay and make a skill check to overcome some slight problem, examples included- a surly bouncer (Intimidate), a sleeping drunken fop who is owed money (Stealth), a bevy of buxom beauties (Diplomacy), a gaggle of Sisters of Erathis (Religion), a stall collapsing on a young boy in the market place (Acrobatics), an injured bar keep (Heal) etc. Basically I just made up four separate minor incidents for each of the PCs, I decided what skill would be put to use by rolling a D20 against a list of skills (there are 17 of them), a roll of 18-20 and the PC decides what skill is going to the put to the test.
DCs for these checks were DC 10, then 11, then 12, then 13.
One of the players e-mailed me after the game to say that he had more fun RPing this section than he did fighting, and he loves fighting.
Back to the skill challenge- each of the four checks the PCs had to make served as an Aid Another for their fifth check- which takes place find their source and ask for information, obviously combined with a lot of role-play. The more failures along the way the longer the whole operation takes- further reducing the time left to rescue the member of the royal household.
And again the PCs got through this without any failures- harder still it seems is the order of the day- it was very enjoyable however.
The PCs discover yet more clues-
- The Half-Orcs were seen conversing with a merchant on the lower quays.
- The Half-Orcs were seen in the same place trying to locate births on a boat that was leaving today.
- An Eladrin swordsman visited the whorehouse last night, he had plenty of money to spend.
- Recently a number of Shadowmen, mostly of the Thug and/or muscle variety, have gained employment elsewhere.
The PCs head for the Lower Quays, it’s busy- bustling. The final check of the skill challenge requires four of them to role-play and make various checks- again as I dictate and describe the unfolding situation- again Aid Another’s. The final PC making a last check to finally discover the whereabouts- right now, of the The Butcher.
Success- The Butcher hired a warehouse from a merchant, they took possession of the building less than ten minutes ago.
ENCOUNTER 5 COMPLETE PC’S LEVEL 1 WITH 360 XP EACH
The PCs hot foot it to the locale, they have just less than an hour left to find the boy.