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Message: <blockquote data-quote="THEMNGMNT" data-source="post: 8668190" data-attributes="member: 6809274">25th session of Monte Cook's 3E Banewarrens campaign run with Shadow of the Demon Lord on Owlbear Rodeo.Five player characters at Level 5:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwarf Fighter/Warrior. Heir to a lost kingdom. His trinket is half of a treasure map. However, after being kidnapped by mysterious forces, his consciousness has somehow transferred into a Clockwork Rogue/Artificer. The whereabouts of his body are unknown.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Elf Wizard/Magician. Outcast from elven lands, raised in Ptolus, keeper of a dark secret. His magical traditions are Arcana, Teleportation, Chaos, and Fey.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Goblin Oracle/Magician. Responsible for the destruction of his tribe. Specialized in the Fire and Forbidden magic traditions.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Changeling Spellbinder/Rogue. Created by House Vladaam to replace a child they kidnapped and held in servitude. Naturally, she wants revenge. Two weapon fighter with the Battle tradition.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Human Paladin/Priest. Cleric of Lothian, the primary god of Ptolus. His magical traditions are Life, Theurgy, and Battle. His wife was murdered by undead and now he seeks answers.</li> </ul>Several sessions ago the dwarf fighter was kidnapped in the Banewarrens and taken into Ptolus. The other characters don't know who kidnapped him. Fortunately, his consciousness transferred into an automaton and so some version of him is still with the party. In this session, the characters focused their efforts on trying to locate and rescue him.What they don't know is that the dwarf was kidnapped by the Pactlords of the Quaan and is held at the tower of Jevvica Norr, a half-elf wizard who the players mistakenly believe to be an ally.They rested at an inn called the Ghostly Minstrel. In the morning a ransom note awaited them at the front desk. It told them to be on a particular bridge at midnight.With a day to kill, the characters did some investigating. They went looking for the elf wizard's mentor as well as Jevvica Norr. The mentor was missing, not seen in days. Stymied, they had to discover where Jevvica's tower was located. They went to the tower to see if she could help them locate the mentor, who is a friend of hers. They don't know (or even suspect) that she's a villain. The tower door was locked. No one answered a knock. The elf wizard summoned a sprite and sent it into the tower. It did not return. Clearly, something is afoot at the tower.The tower is located in Emerald Hill, a verdant neighborhood favored by elves. The dwarf has been getting flashes of sensory input that include freshly cut grass, so he has some vague clues as to where his body might be held captive. Yet no one put two and two together.In fact, the characters turned and walked away -- only fifty feet from the captive dwarf.Returning to the Ghostly Minstrel, the characters received a second note. This was from an ally at the Longfingers thieves guild inviting them to a midnight rendezvous at the Onyx Spider. The goblin oracle decided to attend, as he's interested in the guild.Wait, are you saying the players decided to split the party just before the ransom? Yup.At midnight, the characters approached the bridge, which spanned an epic river gorge. Three cloaked figures held a hooded captive. The characters were pretty certain the captive was not the dwarf -- and they were right. It was a set up. The hooded figures wanted the Bane Key in return for the "captive".A massive manticore swooped and landed among the party. The figures threw off their hoods -- and vanished. These creatures are invisible. The manticore had four attacks per turn. It was a wrecker. But the characters took it out in three rounds.Meanwhile, we cut back to the Onyx Spider. There, the goblin spotted a woman dressed like the hooded figures on the bridge. What's the connection?Next session: Invisible stalkers!</blockquote>

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