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Company of the Random Encounter ('complete' 14 Nov 2004)
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<blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1820799" data-attributes="member: 6294"><p>The tone of the second ransom note is very different to the first. Whereas the original note seemed formal, and was written in a tidy hand, the new one has a much more frantic tone, and the writing also looks hurried. Furthermore, there are splotches where the ink has run or been smudged, as if the writer was anxious or distracted as they wrote.</p><p></p><p>It also cuts the deadline for payment to only two more days, rather than four.</p><p></p><p>The group discusses plans. Mantreus suspects that Feroden and his friends organised this disappearance in order to get money to pay off Feroden's debts. Although the young man seems to have cleared his debts with everyone they have spoken to, there is no clear explanation of how he got the necessary sum to do so. They delicately broach the question with Margan Talhaus, who readily confirms that he has never provided his son with anything like the amount of three thousand gold.</p><p></p><p>"So they got it from somewhere else." Mantreus surmises, "And now they're trying to extort it out of his father, in order to pay it back again."</p><p></p><p>With this in mind, the sorcerer sets his familiar, Shadow, to observe Polas Vekkener. The cat has instructions to let Mantreus know if the young man leaves the house. Meanwhile, Mantreus plans to do some snooping around town and see what he can learn about the one-eyed gladiator.</p><p></p><p>Seraphina, on the other hand, has learned from the Talhaus servants that the family keeps another estate, some hours' ride from the city. She volunteers to go and look around the grounds, to see if there is any sign of the boy there. Khore offers to accompany her, but the halfling demurs. She has seen enough of the Paladin to know that the words 'Khore' and 'stealth' are anathema.</p><p></p><p>Khore and the Padre thus find themselves at something of a loose end, as Valkyre and Anastria take it upon themselves to speak with Margan Talhaus about Ealdswaith, and the illegitimate grandchild she is carrying. Talhaus, though evidently annoyed with his son's indiscretion, readily offers the young woman a position amongst his staff, as well as a tidy sum up-front, to ensure the child is properly cared for.</p><p></p><p>Seraphina's and Shadow's scouting turns up nothing of interest. Mantreus also learns little, except that its not wise to walk the streets of Marikest alone. He is jumped in an alley by half a dozen thugs, who beat him senseless and steal the not inconsiderable sum of gold he was carrying. As he recuperates, he, Khore and the Padre spend several hours wondering whether the attack was random, or ordered by someone with something to hide.</p><p></p><p>That night, the group assembles once more and heads down to the arena to meet Barak. En route, they are attacked by a strange, otherworldly creature. The beast resembles a large dog, but it has only one, baleful eye in the centre of its forehead, and seems to be able to pass back and forth between shadows.</p><p></p><p>Despite the creature's shadow-jumping ability, and the magical gaze of its hideous eye, the adventurers defeat the beast fairly quickly. Seraphina strikes the killing blow, thrusting her sword right through the creature's eye.</p><p></p><p>At the arena, Mantreus once more catches sight of the tall, white-haired woman. He does not approach her this time, but the Padre takes it upon himself to play matchmaker.</p><p></p><p>"My colleague desires you." He announces boldly, pointing back at the mortified sorcerer. The woman seems confused by this comment, at least until the Padre explains what he means. The hand gestures help. The message understood, the woman strides over the Mantreus. Staring down at him, she asks:</p><p></p><p>"Why should I mate with you?"</p><p></p><p>"..." says Mantreus.</p><p></p><p>"Go on, this is your big chance." Khore gives him a nudge.</p><p></p><p>"..." says Mantreus.</p><p></p><p>"He's usually very talkative." The Padre assures the woman, pleasantly.</p><p></p><p>"..." says Mantreus.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, the woman tires of the sport,</p><p></p><p>"Come back when you have proved yourself, small man." She instructs.</p><p></p><p>"..." says Mantreus.</p><p></p><p>Ten minutes later, Barak arrives. Apologetically, he tells them he has not been able to learn anything about Feroden's disappearance, thus far, but that he will continue to do what he can. He expresses dismay when the group mentions the new ransom note, and assures them he will re-double his efforts.</p><p></p><p>Seraphina doesn't buy it.</p><p></p><p>Taking advantage of her small size, she blends into the crowd and trails the smuggler around the room. Thus, she is close enough to hear when he pulls aside the dwarven berserker from the previous night.</p><p></p><p>"I need some muscle for a deal that might get nasty, two nights from now." Barak whispers, unaware of the listening halfling, "Come by tonight, at the usual place, and I'll fill you in."</p><p></p><p>The dwarf nods his agreement. Seraphina slips back to the others and tells them of Barak's conversation. The mention of a 'nasty' job, at the same time as the ransom comes due, arouses their suspicions.</p><p></p><p>"A wealthy smuggler could easily have given Feroden the money to pay his debts." The Padre observes.</p><p></p><p>Mantreus nods,</p><p></p><p>"And now he's looking to get it back - with interest."</p><p></p><p>"Finally, someone to smite!" Khore is content.</p><p></p><p>The group swiftly puts together a plan: they will make a very public exit, but leave Shadow concealed nearby. The cat will then trace Barak to the meeting place he mentioned, before fetching the adventurers so that they can discover what the smuggler is up to.</p><p></p><p>As Company of the Random Encounter plans go, it's not only surprisingly coherent; it enjoys the even more rare distinction that it actually gets followed.</p><p></p><p>Barak's lair proves to be a set of secret tunnels, under one of the port city's many bridges. The door into the tunnels is trapped, but Mantreus is able to disarm the mechanism, and the group sneaks inside. A small rowboat has been pulled up into the tunnel behind the door.</p><p></p><p>"Not a bad operation." Mantreus admires Barak's larceny, "Keeps the boat out of sight until he needs it."</p><p></p><p>Moving on, they discover a store room, containing several barrels and chests. One of the barrels has been freshly tapped, and the dagger that was used to do so lies atop it.</p><p></p><p>"Talhaus family crest." Khore points at the dagger's hilt. "It's smiting time."</p><p></p><p>It is smiting time indeed: the sound of voices can clearly be heard from the adjoining room. There's a quickly whispered conversation, and the decision is made to attack, before the dwarven berserker arrives to help Barak and whatever friends he has with him.</p><p></p><p>Said friends turn out to be a four ragged smugglers, and a young woman with a purple tattoo around her left eye. The smugglers don't prove much of a threat: Barak and the young woman are a lot more dangerous.</p><p></p><p>As soon as the adventurers burst in, Barak leaps onto the table around which his men are clustered. For a few seconds, he finds himself frozen there: held fast by one of the Padre's prayers. But then he shakes himself free and plunges into the fray.</p><p></p><p>As Barak and the smugglers attack with their swords, the young woman concentrates. There is a sound like a deep bass hum, and suddenly strands of a sticky, translucent substance start to form around Valkyre. The cleric of Dargrute dodges aside at the last second, and strikes the woman with her mace.</p><p></p><p>"Spellcaster!" she shouts.</p><p></p><p>"Psychic!" the Padre corrects, recognising one who shares his gift.</p><p></p><p>The battle rages on: Valkyre produces jets of flame from her hands, while Mantreus lays on <em>magic missiles</em> galore. The others hack their way through the smugglers, and grievously injure Barak's woman.</p><p></p><p>"Ulana!" he calls, hacking down Valkyre to move to his companion's side. The woman merely frowns at the injury: her tattoo pulses and fades, and the wounds are gone. The Padre just as readily heals Valkyre, and the odds are back to six on two.</p><p></p><p>And then the dwarven berserker arrives.</p><p></p><p>He smashes his axe into Mantreus, knocking the sorcerer sprawling, then cuts down Seraphina with two quick blows. The halfling gets in a blow of her own before she falls, but the dwarf laughs off the injury, spittle flying from his lips.</p><p></p><p>Ulana weighs into the fight once more by summoning a rain of white hot sparks, which cascade over Khore and the Padre.</p><p></p><p>"I've had it with you!" the Padre snarls at the woman. "St Cuthbert, aid me!" The cleric unleashes a mighty blow with his mace, which glows with a dull red energy as it strikes.</p><p></p><p>Ulana's skull shatters.</p><p></p><p>Khore, not to be outdone, swings his greatsword in a massive two-handed arc.</p><p></p><p>Barak drops dead beside his lover.</p><p></p><p>Outnumbered five to one, any normal man might consider retreat, but the idea never seems to occur to the dwarf. Laughing with the love of slaughter, he hews into Anastria, nearly bringing the elf to her knees. Then he open's Khore's chest from navel to nape with another swing of his axe. The Paladin sways on his feet, remaining conscious solely by virtue of his refusal to fall.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers have been making hits of their own, and now they start to pour the healing on: both the Padre and Valkyre chant prayers for Khore, while Mantreus feeds Seraphina a potion.</p><p></p><p>The dwarf still drops Khore with his next blow. When the Padre heals the Paladin once more, the dwarf knocks him down just as fast.</p><p></p><p>Despite treating Khore as his personal whipping boy, the odds against the dwarf are simply too much, and the berserker's battle rage is beginning to dim. As he downs Khore for the <em>third</em> time in the fight, Mantreus buries a dagger under his ribs. Blood dribbles from the dwarf's mouth, and at last he falls, stone dead.</p><p></p><p>After more healing all around, the adventurers search the rest of the small complex, finding Feroden sobbing to himself in a grimy cell that is six inches deep in river water.</p><p></p><p>"I can't help but feel that there was more going on." Mantreus frets the next day, as the group recovers from their battles. Feroden has been returned to his father, and the Company has been assured of the Talhaus family's gratitude. It should be a day of celebration, but the sorcerer isn't confident they worked the whole tale out.</p><p></p><p>The Padre takes a more philosophical view,</p><p></p><p>"Maybe. But we got the brat back, and now his old man owes us a favour. We're on the verge of big things, mark my words."</p><p></p><p>He doesn't know how right he is ... or how badly those 'big things' will go.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>NPC Notes (as promised)</strong></p><p>The three important NPCs in this adventure were Margan Talhaus, Werner Koch, and Skye.</p><p></p><p>Margan Talhaus was intended to function as the PCs' sponsor for the next few adventures, concluding with a chance for the group to acquire their own Keep. He actually got a chance to fill this roll, before the campaign ended. It's a pity he didn't survive it <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Werner Koch (the 'one-eyed man') was the Padre's real father. The Padre had been left with the people he thought of as his parents while he was still just a babe. The Padre's true mother had died, and Koch could not care for the boy, himself. That was what the Padre's 'father' was trying to say as he died. I'd intended for this to come out toward the end of the campaign, but we never got there.</p><p></p><p>I originally introduced the white-haired woman (her name is Skye) during Mantreus player's solo investigation into the Copper Pendant. At the time she was meant to just be a bit of otherworldly colour, and somebody who would be interesting to kill, eventually (I expected the group to fight the Ministry of Winds at some point). But when Mantreus' player started portraying Mantreus' interest in her, I felt the need to torment him a little by bringing her back <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Skye's ultimate fate was also changed. Rather than a willing member of the Ministry's evil plans (as I had originally meant her to be) I made her an unwitting one. That way, the PCs could battle the Ministry without killing her, and she could end up as Mantreus' cohort. The CotRE's combat effectiveness really would have benefited from adding a high-Dex, high-Str fighter specialised in the spiked chain!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Capellan, post: 1820799, member: 6294"] The tone of the second ransom note is very different to the first. Whereas the original note seemed formal, and was written in a tidy hand, the new one has a much more frantic tone, and the writing also looks hurried. Furthermore, there are splotches where the ink has run or been smudged, as if the writer was anxious or distracted as they wrote. It also cuts the deadline for payment to only two more days, rather than four. The group discusses plans. Mantreus suspects that Feroden and his friends organised this disappearance in order to get money to pay off Feroden's debts. Although the young man seems to have cleared his debts with everyone they have spoken to, there is no clear explanation of how he got the necessary sum to do so. They delicately broach the question with Margan Talhaus, who readily confirms that he has never provided his son with anything like the amount of three thousand gold. "So they got it from somewhere else." Mantreus surmises, "And now they're trying to extort it out of his father, in order to pay it back again." With this in mind, the sorcerer sets his familiar, Shadow, to observe Polas Vekkener. The cat has instructions to let Mantreus know if the young man leaves the house. Meanwhile, Mantreus plans to do some snooping around town and see what he can learn about the one-eyed gladiator. Seraphina, on the other hand, has learned from the Talhaus servants that the family keeps another estate, some hours' ride from the city. She volunteers to go and look around the grounds, to see if there is any sign of the boy there. Khore offers to accompany her, but the halfling demurs. She has seen enough of the Paladin to know that the words 'Khore' and 'stealth' are anathema. Khore and the Padre thus find themselves at something of a loose end, as Valkyre and Anastria take it upon themselves to speak with Margan Talhaus about Ealdswaith, and the illegitimate grandchild she is carrying. Talhaus, though evidently annoyed with his son's indiscretion, readily offers the young woman a position amongst his staff, as well as a tidy sum up-front, to ensure the child is properly cared for. Seraphina's and Shadow's scouting turns up nothing of interest. Mantreus also learns little, except that its not wise to walk the streets of Marikest alone. He is jumped in an alley by half a dozen thugs, who beat him senseless and steal the not inconsiderable sum of gold he was carrying. As he recuperates, he, Khore and the Padre spend several hours wondering whether the attack was random, or ordered by someone with something to hide. That night, the group assembles once more and heads down to the arena to meet Barak. En route, they are attacked by a strange, otherworldly creature. The beast resembles a large dog, but it has only one, baleful eye in the centre of its forehead, and seems to be able to pass back and forth between shadows. Despite the creature's shadow-jumping ability, and the magical gaze of its hideous eye, the adventurers defeat the beast fairly quickly. Seraphina strikes the killing blow, thrusting her sword right through the creature's eye. At the arena, Mantreus once more catches sight of the tall, white-haired woman. He does not approach her this time, but the Padre takes it upon himself to play matchmaker. "My colleague desires you." He announces boldly, pointing back at the mortified sorcerer. The woman seems confused by this comment, at least until the Padre explains what he means. The hand gestures help. The message understood, the woman strides over the Mantreus. Staring down at him, she asks: "Why should I mate with you?" "..." says Mantreus. "Go on, this is your big chance." Khore gives him a nudge. "..." says Mantreus. "He's usually very talkative." The Padre assures the woman, pleasantly. "..." says Mantreus. Eventually, the woman tires of the sport, "Come back when you have proved yourself, small man." She instructs. "..." says Mantreus. Ten minutes later, Barak arrives. Apologetically, he tells them he has not been able to learn anything about Feroden's disappearance, thus far, but that he will continue to do what he can. He expresses dismay when the group mentions the new ransom note, and assures them he will re-double his efforts. Seraphina doesn't buy it. Taking advantage of her small size, she blends into the crowd and trails the smuggler around the room. Thus, she is close enough to hear when he pulls aside the dwarven berserker from the previous night. "I need some muscle for a deal that might get nasty, two nights from now." Barak whispers, unaware of the listening halfling, "Come by tonight, at the usual place, and I'll fill you in." The dwarf nods his agreement. Seraphina slips back to the others and tells them of Barak's conversation. The mention of a 'nasty' job, at the same time as the ransom comes due, arouses their suspicions. "A wealthy smuggler could easily have given Feroden the money to pay his debts." The Padre observes. Mantreus nods, "And now he's looking to get it back - with interest." "Finally, someone to smite!" Khore is content. The group swiftly puts together a plan: they will make a very public exit, but leave Shadow concealed nearby. The cat will then trace Barak to the meeting place he mentioned, before fetching the adventurers so that they can discover what the smuggler is up to. As Company of the Random Encounter plans go, it's not only surprisingly coherent; it enjoys the even more rare distinction that it actually gets followed. Barak's lair proves to be a set of secret tunnels, under one of the port city's many bridges. The door into the tunnels is trapped, but Mantreus is able to disarm the mechanism, and the group sneaks inside. A small rowboat has been pulled up into the tunnel behind the door. "Not a bad operation." Mantreus admires Barak's larceny, "Keeps the boat out of sight until he needs it." Moving on, they discover a store room, containing several barrels and chests. One of the barrels has been freshly tapped, and the dagger that was used to do so lies atop it. "Talhaus family crest." Khore points at the dagger's hilt. "It's smiting time." It is smiting time indeed: the sound of voices can clearly be heard from the adjoining room. There's a quickly whispered conversation, and the decision is made to attack, before the dwarven berserker arrives to help Barak and whatever friends he has with him. Said friends turn out to be a four ragged smugglers, and a young woman with a purple tattoo around her left eye. The smugglers don't prove much of a threat: Barak and the young woman are a lot more dangerous. As soon as the adventurers burst in, Barak leaps onto the table around which his men are clustered. For a few seconds, he finds himself frozen there: held fast by one of the Padre's prayers. But then he shakes himself free and plunges into the fray. As Barak and the smugglers attack with their swords, the young woman concentrates. There is a sound like a deep bass hum, and suddenly strands of a sticky, translucent substance start to form around Valkyre. The cleric of Dargrute dodges aside at the last second, and strikes the woman with her mace. "Spellcaster!" she shouts. "Psychic!" the Padre corrects, recognising one who shares his gift. The battle rages on: Valkyre produces jets of flame from her hands, while Mantreus lays on [I]magic missiles[/I] galore. The others hack their way through the smugglers, and grievously injure Barak's woman. "Ulana!" he calls, hacking down Valkyre to move to his companion's side. The woman merely frowns at the injury: her tattoo pulses and fades, and the wounds are gone. The Padre just as readily heals Valkyre, and the odds are back to six on two. And then the dwarven berserker arrives. He smashes his axe into Mantreus, knocking the sorcerer sprawling, then cuts down Seraphina with two quick blows. The halfling gets in a blow of her own before she falls, but the dwarf laughs off the injury, spittle flying from his lips. Ulana weighs into the fight once more by summoning a rain of white hot sparks, which cascade over Khore and the Padre. "I've had it with you!" the Padre snarls at the woman. "St Cuthbert, aid me!" The cleric unleashes a mighty blow with his mace, which glows with a dull red energy as it strikes. Ulana's skull shatters. Khore, not to be outdone, swings his greatsword in a massive two-handed arc. Barak drops dead beside his lover. Outnumbered five to one, any normal man might consider retreat, but the idea never seems to occur to the dwarf. Laughing with the love of slaughter, he hews into Anastria, nearly bringing the elf to her knees. Then he open's Khore's chest from navel to nape with another swing of his axe. The Paladin sways on his feet, remaining conscious solely by virtue of his refusal to fall. The adventurers have been making hits of their own, and now they start to pour the healing on: both the Padre and Valkyre chant prayers for Khore, while Mantreus feeds Seraphina a potion. The dwarf still drops Khore with his next blow. When the Padre heals the Paladin once more, the dwarf knocks him down just as fast. Despite treating Khore as his personal whipping boy, the odds against the dwarf are simply too much, and the berserker's battle rage is beginning to dim. As he downs Khore for the [I]third[/I] time in the fight, Mantreus buries a dagger under his ribs. Blood dribbles from the dwarf's mouth, and at last he falls, stone dead. After more healing all around, the adventurers search the rest of the small complex, finding Feroden sobbing to himself in a grimy cell that is six inches deep in river water. "I can't help but feel that there was more going on." Mantreus frets the next day, as the group recovers from their battles. Feroden has been returned to his father, and the Company has been assured of the Talhaus family's gratitude. It should be a day of celebration, but the sorcerer isn't confident they worked the whole tale out. The Padre takes a more philosophical view, "Maybe. But we got the brat back, and now his old man owes us a favour. We're on the verge of big things, mark my words." He doesn't know how right he is ... or how badly those 'big things' will go. [b]NPC Notes (as promised)[/b] The three important NPCs in this adventure were Margan Talhaus, Werner Koch, and Skye. Margan Talhaus was intended to function as the PCs' sponsor for the next few adventures, concluding with a chance for the group to acquire their own Keep. He actually got a chance to fill this roll, before the campaign ended. It's a pity he didn't survive it :) Werner Koch (the 'one-eyed man') was the Padre's real father. The Padre had been left with the people he thought of as his parents while he was still just a babe. The Padre's true mother had died, and Koch could not care for the boy, himself. That was what the Padre's 'father' was trying to say as he died. I'd intended for this to come out toward the end of the campaign, but we never got there. I originally introduced the white-haired woman (her name is Skye) during Mantreus player's solo investigation into the Copper Pendant. At the time she was meant to just be a bit of otherworldly colour, and somebody who would be interesting to kill, eventually (I expected the group to fight the Ministry of Winds at some point). But when Mantreus' player started portraying Mantreus' interest in her, I felt the need to torment him a little by bringing her back :) Skye's ultimate fate was also changed. Rather than a willing member of the Ministry's evil plans (as I had originally meant her to be) I made her an unwitting one. That way, the PCs could battle the Ministry without killing her, and she could end up as Mantreus' cohort. The CotRE's combat effectiveness really would have benefited from adding a high-Dex, high-Str fighter specialised in the spiked chain! [/QUOTE]
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