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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9397969" data-attributes="member: 16069">Catch The PidginKirkgate Interlude #1The Adventurers (in alphabetical order).The Genocide SquadMaggie 'O (played by Jim), Female Half-Elf (Entertainer) Cleric of Umberlee Level 1Sadistica Ashdaughter, Spawn of the Demon Dragon aka Sadie (played by George), Female Drow (Acolyte) Sorcerer Level 1Thrunorus Garn aka Thugg (played by Bear), Male Half-Orc (Soldier) Barbarian Level 1Yen Stonefinger (played by Kev), Male Lightfoot Halfling (Hermit) Monk Level 1&Psylk's CuttersLunk (played by Pete), Male Rock Gnome (Outlander) Barbarian Level 1Muldoon (played by Rob), Male Human (Charlatan) Rogue Level 1Psylk (played by Rob), Female Drow (Spy) Ranger Level 1Stonk Drubbins (played by Pete), Male Mountain Dwarf (Soldier) Cleric of Dumathoin Level 1DEAD PCsWaiting.To-do list/Quests-Find Dicky Bird aka The Fat Pidgin, and bring him home safely to Edna Gingster, keep in mind Dicky could be travelling incognito.Find and investigate the ancient dragon burial site Dicky was looking for, Dicky might be there.Also, what’s with the kobold bandits?And so, to Kirkgate…But first a note about PC names- I like them to be short, just so when the pictures get taken you can read them on Fantasy Grounds.I tell the players this all of the time- like a broken record.The shortest name George has ever done for a character in one of my games- 47 characters in it.Pete & Rob have been on Fantasy Grounds with me pretty much from the start, and Maptools before that… so they know the rules, hence- Lunk, Muldoon, Psylk & Stonk (Drubbins).Then, to the action- actually there’s no action, so…Here it is.Kirkgate.[ATTACH=full]371446[/ATTACH]And the only place open when the PCs arrive is The Old Gatehouse Inn, to which the adventurers therefore decamp.Keep in mind that this is a no-heavy-lifting(-for-me) type adventure, and so- a linear narrative, which the adventurer’s/player’s will of course attempt to mess with but, I ain’t for bending- no, siree.So, it goes a little like this- roll initiative, then in init order PCs go where they want (or else where’s open) and talk to who they please; then a bit of roleplay followed, always, by a check.The DCs are always going to be 11, so hardly onerous.Make the check and the PC gets a little more info for the plot/story (and a little XP) and we move on to the next guy in initiative order. Of course they need to be asking the right questions, of the right people, but… it’s pretty basic. I’m not going to let the players stray too far from the plot/story.PCs can only make one check on their turn, and buying and selling stuff (if you want to haggle) is a check, so…Four turns through the combat tracker and that’s the morning/afternoon/evening done, and thus time moves forward.So, there are around fourteen (I just counted them) nuggets of new info or plot points to be had here in Kirkgate, all the PCs need to do is unlock them. It’s very mid-80’s/90’s electronic RPG-game you will have noticed (age-dependent), that’s not an accident.So, the new info gained is, and initially from Dreb Webfoot, the owner of The Old Gatehouse Inn-Dicky Bird aka The Fat Pidgin is travelling under the new name of Mr. Pidgin, it took the Genocide Squad twenty minutes to get to this revelation (they had to guess) and…Pete: “What do you think he’s calling himself.Rob: (Thinks) “Pidgin?”The Psylk’s Cutters exactly four seconds.Mr Pidgin had been staying at the Inn (for three days) mostly exploring the village and talking to a few locals. On the fourth day he packed his bag and headed off- direction unknown.Mr Pidgin didn’t come back that day, but then on the evening of the day after- he came back, only with two small friends in tow- Mr Pidgin cleared his room- with the help of his friends, and then departed without saying a word to Dreb. He had paid to the end of the tenday, so Dreb didn’t think much of it. It didn’t help that the Innkeep was busy with the Meat Raffle (always popular) when the three little folk arrived, and so he didn’t get a chance to have a word.[ATTACH=full]371447[/ATTACH]Dreb Webfoot, owner of The Old Gatehouse Inn, and the first source of info to be tapped.The PCs also learn that Mr Pidgin spoke at length with Girton Crowstanley, a local man, an old farmer who has lived in Kirkgate all of his life.Dreb also mentions that ‘Flanella’ knows the region better than anyone else- ‘Flanella’, actually Fionulla (the locals can’t/won’t say her name correctly) is a half-elf, and a ranger.[ATTACH=full]371448[/ATTACH]Fionulla, it’s not that difficult to say.Fionulla and Girton are both in the bar, and so-The PCs chat with Fionulla goes awry (for both adventuring parties- funny that), they learn nothing- and soon after the ranger excuses herself, and hot foots it out of the Inn.Sadie (from The Genocide Squad) follows the half-elf out of town and into the local woods, where she loses the ranger.The Genocide Squad are certain that Fionulla is up to no good.Psylk’s Cutters barely notice she’s gone.[ATTACH=full]371451[/ATTACH]Oh look, there’s Girton Crowstanley.Girton’s opening line- “I remember when all of this was fields…” sets the tone. Everything hereabouts is all still fields.To begin with Girton has to be persuaded that the adventurers are friends of Mr Pidgin, this before he will say anything, and then- when assured- he needs to be bought a number of drinks while he rambles on.And so-Girton spoke to Mr Pidgin about an ancient site said to be the last resting place of some equally ancient great dragon’s treasure. Girton tells the PCs exactly what he told Mr Pidgin- it’s all a lot of nonsense, the ‘ancient dragon burial site’, is-“A great bluddy dark cave, wiv girt ‘oles in the flur, and likesee bumps yer ‘ead.”In short there’s no treasure to be had there. But Mr Pidgin, according to Girton, was adamant, and going to check it out, anyway.“An’ tha’ wuz thu las’ I seez ov ‘im, luverlee littul feller- gor me a chaser wiv evry roun’”I tried to make Girton as unfathomable as possible- have fun with it is my motto.Girton is further persuaded to draw the PCs a map to the locale, it only costs them three more pints of Ol’ Tadger.The adventurers purchase rooms in the Inn for the night, take supper and then breakfast when they rise and shine the next day.Both adventuring parties spend the morning in the village, exploring the place.[ATTACH=full]371452[/ATTACH]Hammertime, prop. Gonk Hammerschlag. He also does a fifteen-minute skit at the local Chuckle Hut. He’s a laugh-riot.[ATTACH=full]371454[/ATTACH]Rondo A La Turk, she’s in charge at the Kirkgate Barracks, although don’t get your hopes up there are only six paid guards in the walled village.[ATTACH=full]371455[/ATTACH]Jefron Puddleduck, the sage- every village has one.So, the PCs head out of the Inn and do a little light exploring of the village- still trying to get any more info there is to be had about the whereabouts of Dicky Bird aka The Fat Pidgin aka Mr Pidgin.But there’s also a new topic of conversation, or else enquiry.Dreb has convinced the various PCs that something needs to be done about the kobold bandit problems hereabouts.So, the adventurers are also discussing this with a variety of folk- there’s a consensus, someone needs to see the local Lord and offer to get things sorted.Note prices in the shops in Kirkgate are 150% PH, because the merchants are not getting through… because of the blasted kobold bandits.Anyway, the PCs (both groups- it’s very linear) head to see Lord Gethwyn Crumble to offer their services only…[ATTACH=full]371457[/ATTACH]Derek & Clive the very sweary guards will not grant the PCs an audience with Lord Crumble, unless they bribe them (very expensive) or else get four ‘respectable’ locals to come and see them to demand that something be done.And so, the PCs briefly revisit several of the places they have already been to garner the support that they need, and then a few more new places beside-[ATTACH=full]371459[/ATTACH]Sister Margaritta, and the Church of Chauntea (I could have found a better picture, but I didn’t).[ATTACH=full]371461[/ATTACH]What-Ho Smythe, prop. WH Smythe, they sell everything.And eventually, after a little more effing and jeffing from Derek & Clive the PCs get an audience with-[ATTACH=full]371462[/ATTACH]Lord Gethwyn Crumble.And soon after they get hired.The PCs will be paid 50gp (total, not each) for ‘fulsome proof that the kobold menace has been curtailed’, and with an additional 1gp paid for every kobold tail they return with- a bounty.Get in.And with that, and after a little more provisioning the two adventuring parties head out of Kirkgate, next stop the ‘ancient dragon burial site’.Just a note- The Genocide Squad actually picked up two maps of how to get to the ‘ancient dragon burial site’ (from Girton and Jefron), which may account for the fact that Psylk’s Cutters (with just one map- Girton’s) got lost and spent an extra hour tramping through farmer’s fields.Of more significance perhaps, Psylk’s Cutters spent a lot of money on ammunition- the archers have two quivers of arrows each. Is that significant? Well, again- maybe…Psylk’s Cutters have quickly learned that shooting mooks is easy to do, and at +5 (burn the Move and Minor) well, fish in the barrel-ish.Note, Yen (played by Kev) was absent for this session, and because it was all info gathering and roleplay- or else this bit of it was, then he received no XP (for this bit). Keep in mind the Genocide Squad are only doing the encounters here when one of their number is away for the session. Otherwise, we’d be playing the Dark Squad.So, new XP totals, the PCs get 10 XP for every new bit of info unearthed/or plot/story advanced-Maggie ‘O (Genocide Squad) 246 XPPsylk (Psylk’s Cutters) 231 XPSadie (Genocide Squad) 217 XPMuldoon (Psylk’s Cutters) 215 XPStonk (Psylk’s Cutters) 205 XPThugg (Genocide Squad) 196 XPYen (Genocide Squad) 171 XPLunk (Psylk’s Cutters) 168 XPIt’s a competition, remember.Stay safe and well you lovely people.Cheers- the players (various) and goonalan.</blockquote>

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