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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9661651" data-attributes="member: 16069">Not KotSSession #007a: Bad Dice/Decisions? (Enc#10)The Inspectors.Chromium Malifax aka C-Fax (Rob), Male Silver Dragonborn (Noble) Paladin of Bahamut Level 1Mavis Golightly aka Mave (Sandy), Female Half-Elf (Acolyte) Cleric of Chauntea Level 1Arbuthnot McGow aka McGow (Al), Male Mountain Dwarf (Soldier) Fighter Level 1Snakebite (Kenji), Female Half-Orc (Outlander) Monk Level 1Travis Pickle (Yui), Male Lightfoot Halfling (Criminal) Rogue Level 1Dead PCsThe Inspector aka Spek (Kenji), Male Rock Gnome (Charlatan) Sorcerer Level 1- Killed in Session #2 by Eggnog the Kobold Dragon Priest.To-do list/Quests-#001 Save Dicky Bird aka The Fat Pidgin, and bring him home safely to Edna Gingster, although Dicky is on his way to the Narthex, which is in the Labyrinth, which is near the Seven Pillared Hall- which is in the Underdark- Bugger. Reward: 2000 XP & 1000gp each.<s>#002 Find and investigate the ancient dragon burial site Dicky was looking for, he might be there. Reward: 250 XP.</s> COMPLETE<s>#003 Destroy the kobold menace, including their leader- ‘Chopper.’ Reward: 250 XP & 75gp, with 1gp paid for every kobold tail handed in.</s> COMPLETE#004 Stop Orcus-worshipping Karl’s ritual to bring an undead army to Kirkgate. Basically, save the village, begs (eventually) Lord Crumble. Karl is in Kirkgate. 1000 XP & 250gp reward.#005 Find/Save Cheggers. That's it really, the PCs just need to find/save Cheggers (he’s with Karl, if he’s still alive), for Fionulla (the spy). Reward 100 XP.#006 Find and kill/capture the Bloody Heck- including any leaders. Recover any prisoners they have kidnapped. Find out where Karl is based. Reward: 400 XP & 100gp, with 1gp paid for every member of the Bloody Heck confirmed dead or captured.Well, there were a few revelations last time.Karl is in Kirkgate. Fionulla is his spy. Cheggers is with Karl (or else sacrificed already), and poor old Dicky Bird is heading into the Underdark and to a life of slavery.First thing’s first- the PCs still need to save Kirkgate, and so… they leap into action.Who am I kidding.What the Inspectors do is reiterate much of what happened last time, replay a selection of other scenes they’ve been present for, and then argue about the following-Should they get up and go right now- try to follow Fionulla/head back to Kirkgate, or- should they take a long rest now and then make the journey.Note, the DM has told the PCs that it will require a series of Survival checks to get back to Kirkgate, or else to attempt to follow Fionulla. The checks made harder because it’s about to get dark, and the PCs have only been the route once, and… several of them are not blessed with darkvision. Also, Fionulla is a ranger, and thus probably hard to track. In the daylight things will be much easier.But that’s not the end of the chattering here, the subject of the rest of it, which is also the most of it, is- who is Karl? The PCs remember the voice in the mirror, all the way back in Hagrid’s lair, the voice sounded like an older male, probably a human.So, several PCs have already offered a few runners and riders- top of the list, suspect wise, is… Jefron Puddleduck, the sage that asked the PCs far too many (for some) questions. That seems a little harsh- shouldn’t sages have enquiring minds? Also, the PCs have met Jefron twice I think, both times for 5-10 minutes each.Lord Crumble and WH Smythe are also on the suspect list.Lots of conversations (from weeks past) are revisited, and (most likely) very inaccurately replayed, with new meaning being found here, there and everywhere.Then the DM, about thirty minutes into the session, says something like- “well, you’ve been talking about things for half-an-hour now. So, that time is gone.”This lights a fire under the decision-making faculties of most of the players, and soon after-Tybo the goblin is told off by C-Fax and Mavis, then given about 5gp to spend, and then told to bugger off sharpish. Tybo scarpers.Note, Big Fat Ron (& Spiggot) were given (or else took) their freedom at the end of the last session. Big Fat Ron carrying a bag with 190gp of the PCs (Travis’) money in it.C-Fax uses the very last of his healing on Travis, while Mavis heals the still critically wounded Snakebite. Everyone (except Travis) has a healing potion, but that’s all they have in the tank (except Healing HD, although Snakebite & Travis have already spent theirs).Note, Mavis also attunes the Wand of Magic Missiles before they depart.Then, the PCs head off into the dense woods that surround Dragon Castle just as night falls (and the Survival DCs increase)- the plan is to try to follow Fionulla, if they can, and if not to get back to Kirkgate as soon as possible.Just to note, the PCs forget all about Sgt Groan (the hobgoblin torturer) who is still lying passed out on the stairs in the lowest level of the dungeon.The journey to Dragon Castle, with Fionulla showing them the way- and in daylight, took them five hours last time.And so, as above- the PCs head off into the dense woods that surround Dragon Castle just as night falls.And soon after are completely lost.Eventually they make it out of the woods, after some better checks- some more bickering, mostly about whether Mavis should keep casting her Light spell or not. It only takes the PCs 2.5 hours to get clear of the place, it took them an hour to get through the woods on the way to Dragon Castle.The next part of the journey is two hours of uncultivated wilds- which they stumble through in exactly two hours- easy. Their dice are fixed.The last part of the journey is two hours of rambling country lanes, farmers fields, and… the PCs dice are just broken.That’s when the stirges come out to play.Note, this wasn’t on my encounter roster, just some wandering monsters.[spoiler= The Bad Guys]Enc#10 Wandering Stirges 200 XP CR 2 Deadly.8 x Stirge (25xp each) As per MM Stirge except better HP spread = 1d3+1.Tactics- Drink all the PCs lovely blood.[/spoiler][ATTACH=full]405595[/ATTACH]Here we all are, following Snakebite, only one of two PCs with the Survival skill, and the only one with a decent bonus.In short order a stirge alights upon Snakebite, jabs its proboscis in, and then starts siphoning off the half-orc’s claret/blood. Another stirge repeats the trick with C-Fax who, in truth, didn’t even know the encounter had started.[ATTACH=full]405596[/ATTACH]There’s a bit of a panic. Snakebite wrenches the stirge off herself and rips it apart with her bare hands. Mavis and Travis meantime are the artillery- Magic Missiles and the rogue’s singing crossbow.The pair take down five stirges in one combined salvo.[ATTACH=full]405597[/ATTACH]But the stirge on C-Fax defies the odds and keeps on sucking his blood. The paladin falls, or else he has to spend his healing HD to prevent himself from doing so.Soon after however the last stirge is killed.The DM decides to penalize the PCs further by making them make constitution checks to see if they are exhausted yet.The (notetaking) DM calculates that the PCs have been awake and mostly in action for 17 hours now.There are failures- Mavis & C-Fax from memory.However, the PCs are now- the DM also lets them know (to tempt them)- only one hour away from Kirkgate. There are farms hereabouts, although- it’s 2 AM atm.The PCs go on- and continue to roll abysmally.And so, an hour later and they’re still an hour away from Kirkgate- they were heading in the wrong direction for much of the last hour, therefore the PCs find a spot, set a watch, and flop- they are all exhausted.Rest, at last.Then- rise and shine, and the way to Kirkgate is still difficult to spot, a hazy wet mist seems to have enveloped the entire region.Keep in mind we’re in high summer here.The wet mist is like the condensation rising on a warm spring/summer morn, when the sun comes up and the land seems to steam and fume.Only, the PCs have just enjoyed a full rest, and so it must be eleven bells already, the sun has been up for six or so hours.The weather is… odd.But the PCs are recovered, and the mist is not all encompassing, and when every now and then it parts- why, there’s Kirkgate.It takes another hour to get back to the walled village. Midday.Note, the PCs started off trying to follow Fionulla but never found one trace of her, they therefore stopped looking for her trail early into their journey. They just wanted to make it back to Kirkgate in the end.The guard on the town gate (Melvin Frizbee) hasn’t seen Fionulla, but then again, he only came on shift a few hours past.Note, the PCs think that Fionulla could have got back to Kirkgate from Dragon Castle by midnight (at the earliest), so she’s had plenty of time to… well, the PCs are not quite sure what comes next.Their plan is, however, to talk to no-one here in Kirkgate, except for- Sister Margaritta. Sister M is to be trusted, and- she knows the most about Fionulla, and she told the PCs that there was something wrong with her of late.Note, the PCs have connected the dots- Cheggers has been taken by Karl, Fionulla is Karl’s spy; the PCs have already discussed this and speculated that these two events are connected.Some of them (Mavis & C-Fax) even want to try and ‘save’ Fionulla.So, to the Church of Chauntea.[ATTACH=full]405598[/ATTACH]Through the mist.But that’s enough for the first part of this session.The next bit is a cracker.40 XP each for the random stirges.With a little XP distributed (in 10 XP ticks on my sheet) for various investigations and roleplay- Snakebite 30 XP, McGow 20 XP, C-Fax, Mavis & Travis 10 XP each.There were a lot of low rolls in there, let’s hope they’ve got them out of their systems.Cheers goonalan and the Tokyo Massive.</blockquote>

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