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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Radiating Gnome" data-source="post: 1503" data-attributes="member: 150">Out of the Mines, into Romper RoomThe party managed to escape the mine system with their new allies, the Lizardfolk, along with the hostage children of the slaves that the Lizardfolk had been guarding. Once outside the mine system, the Lizardfolk turned the children over to the heroes and began their long walk back to the swamps that they call home. The Lizards considered the death of Bangren a high enough price to have paid, and were not interested in being much more help to the characters.As the lizardfolk filed away, the children, who had been cowed and well behaved around the imposing Lizardfolk, started to perk up and ask questions. A chorus of “who are you, where is my mommie, what happened to him (Eli), why are you so short, can we have something to eat?” and so on. Within minutes of the departure of the Lizardfolk the clearing the party was standing in with the children was boucing and lively as a halfling street festival. The children had been cooped up in the dark for weeks, and were enjoying being out in the open air. A few took an interest in Eli’s corpse, and it was all that Urk could do to keep them from playing with him like a puppet. Uri and Pah ran themselves ragged trying to keep the children from wandering too far into the woods, while trying to determine what their next move would be. Just when it seemed like they would lose all control of the situation, a shadow passed over the clearing. It was a dragon, one of Sear’s children, it’s scaly hide already pierced with several small arrows. The children, swept up with dragonfear, flew to Urk’s side, all trying to be the closest one to him. But the dragon keeps going, flying off out of sight in moments. The appearance of the Dragon gave the three heroes enough leverage with the children that they were able to get them moving towards Castle Spittlemarch in a fairly orderly, quiet fashion. After a short hike, the party was met by a team of four halfing scouts – they remembered one, Owen, from the keep. They compared notes, and Owen and his scouts returned to the Dragonpriest’s camp, outside the mine system, where the slaves are still cowering, despite the vastly depleted enemy forces, refusing to rise up against the dragonpriests until they know their children were safe. Owen and the other halflings refused to help babysit the children, snickering to each other at the trouble the three heroes were having.The party continued on towards the keep. The scouts sent word on ahead to the keep, and the party was met by a priest and a few servants on the road near the keep. The servants took the children on ahead towards the keep, while the priest tended to the party’s wounds as best he could. The party learned from the priest that the besieging army, made up mostly of mercenaries, had packed up and left when they heard that the mine was sealed and there would be no payment for them from the Dragon’s hoard. The small contingent of Dragonpriests and their supporters left in a hurry trying to avoid being captured by the Baron’s forces. This had left the pretender and a few followers, who also hit the road, running for shelter somewhere, hoping to regroup.The players entered the keep. At that point, things were still fairly subdued – there had been no news from the mines about the slaves, so victory did not seem complete yet. The party was taken to the chapel, where priests began to prepare Eli’s body to be raised. Soon, while those preparations were made, the news that the slaves were free, and the last of the dragonpriest forces were on the run, the whole story became clear – the actions of the Heroes in the mines had set in motion the chain reaction that dismantled the forces of the Dragonpriests in the area. The Baron ordered that Eli be raised with the last, rare, true resurrection scroll that the baronial family had, in a secret store room. This scroll was very old, having been scribed over a century ago, and kept as a hedge against the death of an heirless member of the Baron’s line. There was a great deal of protest, but the Baron insisted. In a few hours, Eli was back, in a bad mood. He smelling a little better, although his nervous flop sweat would always have that swampy rot smell to it, for the rest of his life. The Baron declared that there will be a feast the next day – a great celebration in honor of the heroes of Spittlemarch. The party, exhausted, slept until it was time to dress for the feast. At the feast, the party was honored, and given gifts by the Baron. Eli was given a familiar-looking Bow (actually Avaros’ bow, on loan. More on this later).Urk is given an enchanted Axe (+1 Keen greataxe).Pah is given a pair of small, well-made pistols. (I made a switch from the rules in the DMG for gunpowder weapons to those for privateer press’ Iron Kingdoms setting. Pah was given a pair of enchanted, +1 small pistols – small enough for her to train with and use reasonably, although they did slightly less damage (actually about the same on average, but at 2d4, it’s max isn’t quite so hight).Uri is given a cloak woven of enchanted spider silk (Cloak of Arachnia).Two of these gifts (cloak and pistols) came from Solen, while the axe came from the Baron and the bow from Avaros (as noted above – the bow is very special, and is only a loaner). Then a Bard stood up and sang the Ballad of the Heroes of Spittlemarch, something he’d written himself. It was obvious, as the rest of the people in the great hall sing along to the chorus, that they’ve heard it before, and it has captured their imagination, despite the fact that it’s clearly awful. The bard had done very little research – there was little sign of what had actually happened in the ballad, and the verse was so bad it had clearly been written quickly, probably over drinks.Next time: The Ballad of the Heroes of Spittlemarch.</blockquote>

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