Princes of the Apocalypse Session 1
Day 1 to Day 3
Leaffall 1 to Leaffall 3
PC Killed 0 Monsters Killed 12 Villains Captured 2 Villains Escaped 2
Start Time 6:08 PM End Time: 9:08 PM
Take 10 down time days. 46 GP.
Magic Item +1 Dagger which sheds 10 ft dim light on command
DM Note. Everyone needs to take notes or open the writes on their devices; as there are too many names and plot threads for me to remember for you.
I had a very strong group of nine. Sly sorcerer 3 changeling. Bucky barbarian 3 human. Geronimo Barbarian 3 Half-orc. Ember Life Clerc 3 Human. Liu Fang (Lue) monk 3 Aasimar. Phillip Druid 3 Tiefling. Zephron Twilight Cleric 3 human. Mawdi Elrich knight 3 Bugbear. Aurai Circle of the Moon Druid 3.
The group is seated at the common leftovers table in the Swinging Sword Inn (page 22). High harvestide was yesterday and most of the town is slightly under the weather. Some of them have seen each other around town but never met till today. The reasons for their visit to Red Larch is not known. (Campaign hooks page 12-14).
Red Larch is a marble mining town which sells the finest marble on the sword coast. While small, a lot of traffic flows through the town. Being mostly sober and appearing down on their luck, they hint they need money.
Kaylessa Irkell is slightly grumpy because the Elders will not get off their behinds and do something about the plague rats at Lance Rock (page 151) and that her new stoves still has not arrived from Waterdeep. Hopefully the delegation coming in 15 days will have it on their merchant wagons. But she will drop 50 GP total if the plague rats are taken out. The group considers this but get the snackist for the pies they had yesterday.
Trying to go down the street the fall into the local bar Helm at Highsun (page 23). It is dark lit by only 3 candles and 3 oil lamps. The locals like it dim. Sly and Zephron talk to a halfling carpenter name Stannor Thistlehair who thinks evil is happening at his employer. Waelvur’s Wagonworks (27). They ignore the drunk half-orc caravan guard Zomith about her woes Last call is at midnight and the group decides to take Thistlehair home. (Great dictionary likes his name but balks at Waterdeep.)
Arriving at Mother’s Yalantha’s Boarding House (24). The first floor is a hoarder’s paradise. They have to zig zag just to get to the stairwell. Ms. Yalanatha starts flirt with (5 on d12. Not again.) Ms. Yalanatha starts putting the moves on Liu Feng while Sly and others climb to the third floor to deposit Thistlehair. The third floor is bunk beds. Think battleship four stacked high. The second floor is rooms where you can pack as many as you want.
Sly, “So mother does anything interesting happen in town or do you have good gossip.”
DM, “Let me read ahead. Mumble. Mumble. Everyone give me a perception check.” Some people hear other people sneaking out the house. Aurai, Geronimo, and Phillip stay behind while the rest with 300 ft of darkvision follow the suspects. Who enter the Waelvur’s Wagonworks (27) back shed and remove a trap door. The party waits a minute and follows.
Tomb of Moving Stone (153). The tunnel moves down and enters a huge limestone chamber which maybe under one of the roads. Three midnight dew cloaks are near a door. Sly steals one and the twilight cleric with 3,000 feet of darkvision takes the lead. They stop at an intersection. They can’t go east because iron cages are mostly hidden in the ceiling, leftovers from when a dwarf clan operated the mines. The north and south exits are nearly closed by doors in shape of dwarves are mostly open. The bugbear sucks his gut and the party sneaks on north. They get paranoid when they turn a corner and see a giant rat eat a foot a few yards away.
Zephron, “It only a giant rat what could go wrong. I enter the chamber alone DM.” “Eights rats”, screams Zephron.
DM, “How you want to do this?”
Rat, “I skip up the bodies of my brothers and bite the human’s artery and use as hose on my fellows.” Some of the group advance, while the other take pot shots at the rats.
Ember, “Healing word.”
Rat, “RATS!” A few seconds later no more rat problem. Moving on they find a chamber of floating rocks. Tiny rocks to giant size throwing. But when they take one out the chamber the weight returns. Moving on Sly and Zephron hear voices finishing a prayer.
Sly, “I throw open the door. Welcome brothers, as a member of um. AH. Um.”
Liu Feng, “Psst. Earth Cult. More detail in later comments below.” Sly and his minions talk their way halfway into the altar room before they are discovered. A nice fight follows. Loot and scoot happen. Sly takes the form of their leader. (DM some one look at how good the Changeling mimic thing works.) He opens the door to his right and steps through.
Grund, “I thought you were at prayer boss. Do you want to talk to the kid?’
Sly, “No. Shut it. We are going to the boarding house for a debriefing.” Grud half-orc thug is confused. (So is the DM). He puts the traps on safe and the group takes the kid out his pressing torture.
The kid Braelen Hatherhand gives up the following information. (I need to find his home location and page).
The Believers put him here as punishment for being disobedient. He failed to deliver a message from his father, Rotharr Hatherhand, to Ilmeth Waelvur. It was a slip of paper the boy didn’t read.
Rotharr is one of the Believers. Other Believers Braelen knows are Baragustas Harbuckler, Marlandro Gaelkur, and Ilmeth Waelvur. The boy also knows Grund isn’t really a Believer, but the Believers take care of him, so he does what they tell him to do.
The Believers are a secret group made up of some of the most important people in town. They guard the moving stones, and make sure no one disturbs the Delvers, who are entombed here. The Believers watch the moving stones carefully, because it’s a bad sign when they move, and they have to figure out what it means to avert danger.
Braelen isn’t angry with his father or the Believers. He believes this sort of treatment is normal, and he’s worried his father might find out the punishment ended before it was supposed to.
The chamber of moving stones and the buried Delvers are to the east, beyond three more stone doors.
Grud debrief mentions Baragustas Harbuckler a retired carpenter (page 157) was being question by Larrakh in the main chamber. Sly does not react when given this information about what was behind the door to his left.
After chatting up Mother Yalanatha, she talks abut Bears and Bows (149) before going to bed.
A long rest later, some of the group take up the quest. Sneaking up on the bandit high out is easy. Aurai tells the group he will distract the bandits wait for his signal. His signal is ripping off his fireball tattoo and taking out all but two of the bandits. Those two quickly surrender. And some how Geronimo makes a pet out the black bear.
We will pick this up back in town, next week. You all have your homework.
End of Session 591.
