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Message: <blockquote data-quote="peteyfrogboy" data-source="post: 1297494" data-attributes="member: 5677">Debriefing"And that's when the ogre killed Delthic Duin?" Triesta Rhodes stood with her hands folded loosely in front of her, her severe black gown only accentuating her pale skin.Seraphim nodded. "Yes. It was awful. He was cut nearly in two. We didn't have any option but to bury him there in the forest." The halfling shifted uncomfortably on the antique chair. The small sitting room was decorated with a fortune in rare antiques and art, but the Rhodes sisters' peculiar tastes made the room seem somehow unsettling."A pity," said Triesta's twin Masenna, shaking her head slightly. She was dressed identically to her sister, and it was often hard to tell them apart when they didn't wear their monogrammed jewelry. "He was a talented musician." She frowned slightly and glanced at Triesta, who gave a brief nod. Seraphim could only guess what their wordless exchange was about, but she would bet her boots that Delthic had a life insurance policy with them that needed to be paid out now. Masenna looked back at her. "What happened then?""After Kharton fell -- that was the ogre's name -- the goblins lost heart and fled into the woods. There was no point in chasing them. Two of the prisoners the ogre had kept chained down in the bottom of the main tower had escaped during the battle and came to help us. One of them was a Wilderwoman sorceress called Wind In The Grass, and the other was Merrill Rowland, a Surian priest."Masenna's eyebrow quirked upward. "Rowland? That's not a Surian name."Seraphim shrugged. "I thought it seemed a little odd myself, but I never found an opportunity to ask about it. Anyway, the two prisoners told us that they had heard singing from one of the guard towers, the one that didn't have a bridge to the main tower. It took a little doing to get in there, but we found Avandrae safe and sound at the bottom of it. Obviously, she agreed to come back with us to Freeport. The other two decided to come along as well."Triesta checked the notes she had been keeping during the interview. "According to what you've told us so far, you had been gone from Freeport for three weeks at this point. How did you manage to get back in only seven days?""We were trying not to think about that. We rode as hard as we could coming back, but there was no way we could get back to Istaro, let alone Freeport, in just one week. Fortunately, the wizard we met in Travatti, Vincenzo Lutti, was willing to help us. It turns out he knows one of the wizards here in the Freeport Guild, Listrianna Morgill."Masenna nodded. "We are familiar with her.""Well, they worked out something so that he could use the Guild teleport chamber to get us back. In return, we agreed to do him a favor sometime in the future."Triesta frowned. "It's better to pay a wizard in cash."Seraphim nodded. "Unfortunately, we weren't in much of a position to negotiate at that point. The rest of it you probably know already. I assume you were at the opera?" The ragged band of travelers had returned to Freeport the very afternoon of the last performance of The Death of Varula. Word of their arrival -- or more accurately, Avandrae's arrival -- had spread through the city like wildfire. Everyone who was anyone in Freeport was in attendance; a few Guild wizards who arrived late set up floating platforms near the ceiling. Luckily, the elf had no need to rehearse her performance. The few people who had seen her in the opera the first time would later say that it was even better the second time. Gorsky nearly passed out when he saw the box office numbers."We were able to get third row seats," said Triesta with a smile that was mirrored simultaneously by her sister. She set her notes aside and picked up a ledger from a nearby desk. "We're pleased that your mission was successful and that you returned safely. However, in your absence, we have developed quite a backlog of work for you..."DM Notes:* There was a long hiatus before the fight with Kharton. By the time we actually got to play again, we were all pretty much ready to get to the next storyline. After the battle, I fast-forwarded them back to Freeport. When I gave them their deadline, I had no idea how long it would take them to actually complete their quest. I knew it would be close, but it ended up a much longer trip than they had time for. Early on I decided to give them a quick way to get back, at the low cost of another plot hook.* The two prisoners who broke out of Kharton's tower are being played by two new additions to our gaming group. I was quite happy to have some more cultural diversity in the party, which will allow me to explore some of the less central parts of my world.* With the addition of another sorcerer as a primary PC, Seraphim has been phased out of the party.</blockquote>

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