Freeport Forever [3/6 - Company Of Heroes] FINAL UPDATE!

[Smeege The Mighty]

I don't know about the player, but the character was mighty put out by it. I take full responsibility for the outcome of Nevroth's backstory. I'm not sure how much of a surprise it was, though. The players were coming up with a variety of theories, including "maybe she became a pirate".

Nevroth's player here. When I came up with his background story, I had his mother kidnapped to provide a convienent plot-hook. I fully expected her to be brought back, probably as a pirate. Didn't think she'd be a ship's captain, or quite the b*tch she turned out to be (much of her attitude was left out of the DM's post).

Another minor detail left out was at the end, when she basically challenged me to a fight, Nevroth told her that he wouldn't stoop to the level of attacking her. However, he (and I) was faced with a tough choice. His alignment was Chaotic Good. This encounter was going to change that, but I wasn't sure in what direction. I considered shifting to Neutral Good, eventually becoming LG. This would have been this proving that law and order was desperately needed.

Instead, he's gone to CN, deciding to more directly express his hatred of pirates in general, and that crew specifically. Parika (who's player happens to be my wife... yes, I got lucky and married a gamer!) has volunteered to aid him in this hunt, in exchange for any loot we find. Hopefully, this will turn out well, as I really don't want to make another character just yet.

 

[pogre]

Instead, he's gone to CN, deciding to more directly express his hatred of pirates in general, and that crew specifically.

Oooooo MAN! I love PC grudges!

 

[pogre]

A friendly *bump* to ask: Have you played yet?

 

[peteyfrogboy]

A friendly *bump* to ask: Have you played yet?

Yay, my first bump! Unfortunately, we haven't gotten to play yet. In the meantime I've been starting up a PBEM for a friend of mine with no access to local gamers. Because of the speed difference between live gaming and PBEMs, I set the new game on the mainland. Not only does this keep me from having to deal with conflicting calendars, but it has also forced me to detail a lot of the mainland. I haven't decided yet if I'll post it as a story hour, but it should be very easy to do so. We'll just have to see how it progresses.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Terror In Freeport: Part 1

WARNING: This section contains spoilers for the Green Ronin module Terror in Freeport. Read at your own risk.

Brother Edwin walked into the inn, passing Moira as she left. He waved to the three companions. "Oh, I'm glad you're here. I think I might need your help again." He went on to explain that he had been feeling uneasy lately, as if people were watching him. He also had a suspicion that the cult temple they had found was not being cleaned out like the authorities claimed it was. To top it off, he had taken Lucius home after the librarian had had a fainting spell at the temple, and as he put him to bed he saw a strange figure come into the room and steal one of Lucius's scrolls. he had been too afraid to confront the mysterious thief, but he felt sure that it was no mere burglar. Rachel and Parika agreed to help, not only because the priest was offering them a reward but also as a distraction for Nevroth.

***

"This is the place, eh?" asked Rachel dubiously.

Parika scrutinized the run-down inn. It was crammed in between two shops in the shadow of the Old City's high wall. "Edwin said that Milos was using the alias 'Devlin', and my sources tell me that someone named Devlin was staying here at the Marquis Moon."

Nevroth was in no mood for discussion, and he went in the door. Aside from a couple of early bird drunkards nodding off in a corner, the only person in the common room was a gangly youth behind the desk cleaning his fingernails with a knife.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine named Devlin. He said he was staying here. Where can I find him?" asked Nevroth.

"Don't know, don't care," said the young man, not looking up from his grooming.

The manhunter reached out and grabbed the front of the boy's shirt, pulling him halfway across the desk. The knife went clattering to the floor. "You'd better start caring. Devlin. Which room?"

"Se-second floor. Third door on the right."

***

Parika pushed the door open. "Hardly a challenge," she said as she put away her lockpicks. The room beyond was packed full of books and other curiosities, with shelves lining every wall. It was clearly more than a bolt hole for the false priest. The three of them fanned out, searching through the room.

"No bed," noted Rachel as she poked through a pile of pillows on the floor. A few reptilian scales fell out from between them. "Just this little snake nest. Nothing here, though."

Nevroth examined a collection of snake-headed but otherwise unremarkable staves. He also opened the small stove, finding nothing but greasy ashes smelling vaguely of incense. "Nor here"

Parika went over the shelves with the practices eye of a burglar. She found a lead idol that was the mirror of the one in the hidden temple. She also noticed that some of the books seemed to have been removed, replaced with common volumes of fiction. Most of the others dealt with masonry, architecture, and other construction-related subjects. Peering behind one of the bookcases, she saw that one book had fallen down and gotten wedged against the wall. She worked it free and examined it. An Account of Mettalls Base and Pure -- it didn't sound like the sort of book that would make her eyes bleed. She flipped through it, finding little but dry metallurgical information. At the back of it, however, she found a strange drawing. "I think I may have found something."

"What is it?" asked Rachel as she abandoned her fruitless search.

"I'm not sure," said the thief. "It looks like a drawing of a building. There are some strange markings with arrows pointing at parts of it, and this symbol appears al lot." She pointed at a glyph shaped like the letter "V" inscribed in a circle. She close the book and slipped it in her pack. "Maybe Edwin can make something of it."

Nevroth was looking at some other items on the shelves, including a collection of what looked like albino rats in a black syrupy substance. He tapped on one of the jars and the rat inside came to life, scrabbling at the glass. The two women looked at the creature with disgust, but Nevroth took the jar down of the shelf. "Interesting," he said. "Who knows when this might come in handy."

***

The sun was high overhead by the time they left the Marquis Moon. Their discussions of lunch plans were cut short as they saw the scene out in the street. Three burly orcs were menacing a young man carrying a messenger's satchel. "Help!" he cried. The orcs looked up at the newcomers and growled at them. They broke off from their victim and charged Nevroth, who happened to be the first one out the door.

Parika and Rachel dove to the sides as the orcs surrounded Nevroth. The half-elf reached for her bow and backed away, not relishing the thought of close contact with the snarling orcs. Rachel drew her cutlass and slashed at one of them, jumping back before the orc could swing his axe in return. Meanwhile, Nevroth tried desperately to hold his ground against the three attackers. The messenger ran to hide behind Rachel.

Nevroth managed to slice one of the orcs, but he took more punishment than he gave. Parika tried to land an arrow in one of the orcs but couldn't get a clean shot with Nevroth in the middle of them. Rachel continued to jump in and out of the melee, cutting one of the orcs each time. As she backed out, however, she felt a searing pain in her back. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the messenger grinning and holding a bloody dagger. He scrambled away from her, taking refuge behind one of the orcs. Rachel cursed, but went in to slash one of the orcs again, finally sending it to the ground. Unfortunately, the other two kept hacking at the bloody manhunter, taking him out of the fight as well.

Parika stepped back and fired again, but she was still close enough for one of the orcs to rush her, delivering a powerful blow to her chest. She withdrew from the fight, diving into a nearby alley. Rachel stood her ground now, trading blows with the other orc. She got in around his guard and slashed him across the throat. The messenger knew which way the wind was blowing by this point, and ran off down the street.

Restored by one of Edwin's healing elixirs, Parika emerged and feathered the remaining orc again. Between her and Rachel, it was soon lying next to its comrades. The women found Nevroth to still be alive, if only barely. They picked him up and rushed toward the temple of St. Fargoth.

DM Notes:
* I should have scaled back the fight with the orcs, since the party was short handed and low level. Nevroth really should have been dead, but with a couple points of DM fiat healing he was actually able to stabilize on his own. I can forgive myself a little fudge since I forgot to adjust the diffiuclty properly.
* I was just reading through the back half of the module and I realized that I inadvertently moved the bricked up building to Scurvytown. I did it from the very beginning, so at least I've been consistent. On my map it's in the Eastern District where it's supposed to be, though. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Terror In Freeport: Part 2

"Orcs attacking you on the street?" asked Edwin. "That's bizarre. At least, in that part of town it is."

Nevroth grimaced. His freshly healed wounds were still raw and aching. "Someone was watching that place and waiting for us." He looked at Parika. "Do you still have the book?"

The half-elf nodded, taking it from her pack and handing it to Edwin. She showed him the drwing on its last page. "What do you make of that?"

Edwin examined the drawing, his brow furrowed in thought. "It looks like a drawing of Drac's lighthouse, with some sort of mathematical formulas I don't understand. I wonder what Milos -- Devlin, whoever -- would have to do with it."

Nevroth scratched his chin. "The lighthouse, eh?" He recalled seeing the tower on his way to the city. It was situated on a smaller island south of Freeport's harbor. "Maybe we should go check it out."

Edwin frowned. "I don't know that tht would be wise. Milton Drac has been building that thing for ten years, and it's due to be opened next month. I doubt that we could get past the security there without more reason than our vague suspicions."

"Then where else should we look?" asked Rachel.

"Well, I still think there's something going on in that old temple," said Edwin. "It might be worth checking out. Perhaps there's some other evidence there that we missed before?"

***

Parika ducked her head back around the corner. "Damn. There are guards out front. They're wearing armbands with a "V" inside a circle, like we saw on that drawing."

Edwin raised an eyebrow. He peeked around the corner quickly. "Interesting. Those are some of Verlaine's private guardsmen. I hadn't made the connection before."

"Verlaine?" asked Rachel. "Who's that?"

"He's the head of the Captain's Council. Very powerful -- not someone we would want to make angry. Though if the markings on that drawing were referring to him... I just don't know what to make of it."

Parika frowned. "Well, I guess storming the door is out, then. Maybe we could try to distract them somehow?" She looked down at her slim frame, then over at Rachel's curvier physique.

"Oh, I don't think so."

"Not to worry, ladies," interjected Nevroth. "I have a plan."

***

Nevroth tapped the badge hanging around his neck. "We need to go inside. Official Manhunter business."

One of the guards, a stout man with a bushy black beard, glanced at his two companions, then back at Nevroth. "What business?" he asked dubiously.

"I'm tracking a criminal, and I have reason to believe he may be hiding in this building. It's very important that I find him quickly."

"Yeah? Who sent you?"

The manhunter shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't say. Confidentiality, you know."

The guard crossed his arms. "We would have seen anyone going in our out," replied the guard. "What does he look like? Maybe we've seen him."

Rachel stepped up to the man, hands on her hips. "Look, buddy, I don't think your boss would be happy with you stalling us like this, if you know what I mean."

The guard blinked. He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Whatever. You can go in, just don't touch anything." He motioned to one of the other guards. "Franz, you go in with 'em."

***

They left Franz behind in the cellar; he said he would wait for them there. For whatever reason he wasn't interested in following them all the way into the temple complex.

"What were you talking about back there, "If you know what I mean"?" asked Parika.

Rachel just smiled and shrugged. "I was just making stuff up. It worked, didn't it?"

Edwin had set his amulet glowing again, and the dark tunnels looked much the same as they had before. The pit was wedged open this time, though, and they could see the bloodstains below from their previous battle. The secret passage was closed, however. Parika found the catch again and swung the door open. "Nothing here," she said. After a moment, she added, "I think I might hear something, though. Nevroth, let's you and I scout up ahead." She gestured at Edwin and Parika. "You two follow behind a ways, I don't want the light to give us away, but if there's trouble we'll need you close."

Nevroth and Parika felt their way along the winding tunnel. The sounds Parika had heard were getting louder; it sounded as though there were people moving around in the cavern up ahead. Soon they saw a dim light illuminating the damp walls of the cave. They moved forward to investigate, but as they reached the cavern Parika's boot scuffed against a rock. A voice hissed, "Intruders!"

Nevroth looked into the cavern, seeing three serpent men carrying crates and a human woman wearing a glowing medallion. He charged two of the serpent men, drawing blood on one of them with his short sword. Parika stayed back within the tunnel, firing an arrow into the one serpent man that she could see. Edwin ran up at the sounds of battle, but Parika waved him back. "There's light here already. Stay back where it's safe."

The serpent men hissed in anger, dropping their crates to the floor. They had no weapons, but they still had their fanged mouths. One of the two facing Mevroth sunk his teeth into the manhunter, but its poison was not strong enough to affect him. The other skirted the melee, leaping at Parika but unable to land a bite on her. Rachel came running up through the tunnel at this point, ready to put her cutlass to work. Parika and Edwin got out of the chargin warrior's way, and she shoved the slender serpent man back into the cavern.

The female cultist circled around to where she could see down the tunnel. She gestured at Rachel and uttered a profane syllable, causing Rachel to cringe with a cold -- and all too familiar -- sense of fear.

Meanwhile, Nevroth struck down one of the serpent men with a slash and thrust of his swords, turning to face the other. Parika tried to shoot past the others in the tunnel at the cultist, but couldn't get a clear shot. Edwin withdrew as he had been ordered, taking the light back down the tunnel. Parika was in shadow now, though she could still see her targets. The serpent men continued their onslaught, though Nevroth was again able to resist the burning venom. Rachel turned and ran blindly down the tunnel toward the retreating light.

The cultist grimaced and thrust her spear at Nevroth, but failed to penetrate his armor. As Parika finally slew the creature in front of her, the cultist gestured and muttered a few words. Mist rose up from around her fet, soon filling the chamber. Nevroth could hear the sounds of footsteps retreating, and soon the cavern was dark. Despite the fog and darkness, he and Parika were still able to take down the last of the serpent men.

By the time Rachel had returned, there was no one left to fight. She wanted to hunt down the cultist, but the others figured that she was long gone. Besides, they reasoned, Edwin had the only light, and they would need that to examine the crates that had been left behind.

"Fine," grunted Rachel. "But if I see her again, I'm going to gut her like a fish!"

***

Parika looked at the contents of the crate and scratched her head. "Okay, gold goblets I can understand. I can sell them, even, which makes me happy. But bricks? What are they doing carrying around bricks?"

"I don't know," said Nevroth as he examined one of the stone blocks. He ran his fingers along the side of the brick. "What's this? It feels like there's a seam through the center of it." He set the brick on the floor and bashed it with the pommel of his short sword until it cracked along the seam. Revealed in the center of the brick was the same twisting symbol they had seem elsewhere in the temple, painted in gold.

"That's bizarre," said Parika. "Who would put that in a brick?"

"Maybe it's some sort of secret society thing. Maybe if there's one of these bricks at a certain location in the house, then a cult member lives there?"

Parika shrugged. "Maybe. Or they could be used to dedicate a building to evil. Either way, I don't like it." She turned to Edwin. "Can you tell if they're magical?"

The priest chanted briefly, then gazed at the pile of bricks. "No, no enchantments."

"Hm. Well, I'd feel better if we could bless them or something, in case there's something evil about them."

"I could perform a consecration ritual," offered Edwin. "We could put them in the old temple and kil two birds with one stone. I don't know how much good it would do, but it couldn't hurt."

Parika nodded. "Sounds good."

Rachel picked up the lid of the crate. "So what about this? It says here that these were coming from someplace called "Bierce Vintners" and going to 100 Wave Avenue."

"I haven't heard of Bierce Vintners," said Edwin, "but Wave Avenue is just about the most expensive place you can live in Freeport."

"Interesting," said Parika. "We'll have to check that out. But tomorrow, I think."

Edwin nodded. "All right. I'll head back to the temple after I do the ritual and get in touch with you tomorrow."

"I could use some sleep after all this... not fighting," said Rachel. "Back to the inn, then?"

"You go ahead," said Nevroth. He turned to Parika and grinned. "I think it's time to go take care of that business we were talking about."

 

[DiFier]

Woo hoo another Freeport story hour. good going. it's fun to see what other people do with these modules.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Thanks for stopping by! You guys have set the bar pretty high as far as Freeport story hours go.

 

[peteyfrogboy]

Interlude: The Morning After

Parika woke with a start, her hands clammy with sweat. She sat up in bed. The night had not been a restful one. Nevroth's "business" had left her feeling uneasy, and her sleep had been plagued by disturbing dreams. She picked up her brush from the bedside table and started working the tangles from her hair. It was a familiar task, and one that gave her some comfort.

It had sounded straightforward enough when Nevroth suggested it: since he couldn't seek direct vengeance on his mother, he planned to take his revenge on her crew. It was a simple plan, and it went as smoothly as any she had ever seen. Nevroth had found two of the pirates in port and followed them into a bar. Somehow he had even befriended them, tagging along on their pub crawl. By the end of the night they were all staggering, but Nevroth was in fact still sober. He had led them into the shadows of Scurvytown, using a roving gang as an excuse to detour down a dark alley. Between Nevroth's swords and her arrows from the dark, two inebriated pirates were hardly a challenge to slay.

She set the brush back down next to two small coin purses. Normally a double handful of coins would bring her happiness, but she couldn't even bring herself to count them. Parika had stolen before without remorse. She had even killed, whether in self defense or -- all too often, of late -- fighting evil cults. But this... this was different. Nevroth called it vengeance, justice, and maybe for him it was. Who were these men to her, though? She had told herself she was in it for the money, and nothing more; what did that make her? Mercenary? Assassin?

Parika shook her head. She had never known before what line she would not cross to achieve her dreams of greatness; she was not about to trade her dreams for nightmares. If Nevroth wanted to hunt again, he would be hunting alone.

 

[DiFier]

Parika woke with a start, her hands clammy with sweat. She sat up in bed. The night had not been a restful one. Nevroth's "business" had left her feeling uneasy, and her sleep had been plagued by disturbing dreams. She picked up her brush from the bedside table and started working the tangles from her hair. It was a familiar task, and one that gave her some comfort.

It had sounded straightforward enough when Nevroth suggested it: since he couldn't seek direct vengeance on his mother, he planned to take his revenge on her crew. It was a simple plan, and it went as smoothly as any she had ever seen. Nevroth had found two of the pirates in port and followed them into a bar. Somehow he had even befriended them, tagging along on their pub crawl. By the end of the night they were all staggering, but Nevroth was in fact still sober. He had led them into the shadows of Scurvytown, using a roving gang as an excuse to detour down a dark alley. Between Nevroth's swords and her arrows from the dark, two inebriated pirates were hardly a challenge to slay.

She set the brush back down next to two small coin purses. Normally a double handful of coins would bring her happiness, but she couldn't even bring herself to count them. Parika had stolen before without remorse. She had even killed, whether in self defense or -- all too often, of late -- fighting evil cults. But this... this was different. Nevroth called it vengeance, justice, and maybe for him it was. Who were these men to her, though? She had told herself she was in it for the money, and nothing more; what did that make her? Mercenary? Assassin?

Parika shook her head. She had never known before what line she would not cross to achieve her dreams of greatness; she was not about to trade her dreams for nightmares. If Nevroth wanted to hunt again, he would be hunting alone.

Wow your manhunter sounds like he's quickly stampieding past CN to CE. or maybe LE. killing 2 people who may or may have not killed your father or may or may not been a member of the crew when he was killed in cold blood sounds evil to me.