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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mikeawmids" data-source="post: 6333452" data-attributes="member: 6776411">Rise of the Runelords (Season 3 / Episode 6) – 10/04/2014 Atop the crumbling shadow monastery, Grogg the Smasher demonstrates his heroic strength once again by slaying a terrible dragon. Shadow-Solaris reverts to his humanoid form and dies in the half-orc’s muscular arms. His body dissipates into an inky black murk, leaving Grogg throttling an empty suit of (magical) armour. The real Solaris rushes over to intervene before the angry half-orc damages his inheritance. The two sunblessed monks summoned to aid the heroes during the final confrontation with Shadow-Solaris stare at the elf in slack-jawed confusion. “Master Solaris…!” they stammer, “The prophecy indicated it would be you that defeated the shadowcurse, but you didn’t really do anything.” “It only looked as though I did nothing!” the flustered elf explains, “I was pretending to be weak and useless to catch my enemies off guard… and it worked!” The monks do not appear convinced. One asks Grogg for his autograph. The half-orc presses his bloody hand against the man’s chest, leaving a vaguely fist-shaped smudge on the fabric. “I’ll never wash this robe again!” the monk promises. Abbott Aereon appears, his frail body supported by two younger monks. The old man has been mortally wounded during his imprisonment within the shadow monastery. Before he dies, he pulls Solaris close and restores the elven wanderer’s memories. Solaris remembers who – or rather, what – he really is. He giggles like a schoolgirl, but chooses not share this revelation with his companions just yet. Having made peace with Solaris, Abbott Aereon dies. A halo of blinding light encompasses his earthly remains, forging his soul into a magical blade. Grogg grabs the sword as compensation for the damage that Shadow-Solaris and his cursed monks inflicted upon his beloved ‘Everstill’. Noticing that Asha is still lying unconscious with blood pooling around her head, Karrack insists that the monks attend to the cleric’s wound. He and Solaris decide to remain at the monastery while Asha recovers her wits. They make the most of this time to meditate and learn some kung-fu (GM Notes: I allowed Andy, Doug and Steve to take their advance mid-session, rather than at the beginning of next week to represent this training montage). The rest of the heroes leave much sooner, celestial eagles deposit them on the deck of the ‘Everstill’ the next day. The boat docks in Magnimar and the heroes visit Mayor Nivlandis to make their report. For restoring Fort Rannick to the Black Arrows, each member of the group is rewarded with 1000gp. Grogg is disappointed to learn the grand tournament has been delayed due to problems with the construction of the new arena (GM Notes: I had planned to run a second side quest focussing on Grogg’s reputation as a famous gladiator, but decided to try and get the AP back on track instead. This can always be explored in a later rotation, assuming I can rekindle my dying love for Savage Worlds). The heroes return to Sandpoint (except Karrack, who visits the goblin shanty town of Hope (Stinkpoint) that he helped build). They have been absent for a long time and Ameiko is keen to get back behind the bar of the Rusty Dragon. She is outraged to learn that her tavern has been seized by the mayor’s office on some trumped up charge. The building has been stripped bare and boarded up. Storming over to the town hall, the heroes learn that Mayor Deverin has been displaced by their old enemy Haldeem Grobaras (formerly the mayor of Magnimar, before the heroes revealed his corruption and ineptitude). The new mayor has bought in his own man (Cubbin) to replace Belor Hemlock as the town’s lawman, he and his goons are little more than a band of officially sanctioned thugs. Rast concludes that Grobaras is nursing a grudge against the party after they sabotaged his political future in the City of Monuments (GM Notes: No s##*!). The heroes pay a house call on the former moyor. She expresses her suspicions that Grobaras rigged the recent election through a combination of liberal bribery and physical brutality. The heroes resolve to speak to the other members of the Sandpoint council about their involvement in this mess. Meanwhile, Karrack discovers that the small goblin community of Hope has been burnt to the ground. He picks through the ashes and finds tracks leading north, into the Nettlewood. Since their homes were destroyed, the Stinkpoint goblins have returned to Thistletop. They recognise Karrack and explain that the new sheriff drove them off. Karrack resolves to return to Sandpoint and confront the arsonist. The lizardman is also able to reassure Snot the goblin’s concerned mother that her precious snotling is alive and well. Back in town, Asha visits Father Pascal at the Sandpoint cathedral and notes the priest is sporting a black eye. She persuades the meek mannered cleric to open up to her and learns that Sheriff Cubbin roughed him up to ensure his support for the new mayor. Meanwhile, Rast and Grogg find Belor Hemlock drinking heavily in Fatman’s Feedbag, a sleazy dive on the waterfront, supposedly run by the Sczarni. Their former adventuring companion, Sergeant Krogg (GM Notes: Cariryn’s PC from rotation one) is trying to convince the former sheriff to drink responsibly. Together, they manhandle the grumbling sot over to Ben’s warehouse to sober up. Rast encourages the guardsmen to ignore the pickled eyeballs staring down at them from around the room (they were harvested exclusively from animals and humanoid monsters, each jar is meticulously labelled to avoid confusion/prosecution). Ben himself is busy hobnobbing with Titus Scarnetti. He manages to discourage the lumber baron from further business dealings with Grobaras. Finally, Solaris calls in on Cyruss Drokken, proprietor of the Sandpoint Theatre, who supported the new mayor’s campaign in exchange for the promise of a generous patron. Drokken turns out to be a vain, self-centred dandy who cannot comprehend the threat a man like Grobaras presents to the community. Solaris also learns that Drokken has composed a musical called ‘Grogg!’ and the titular half-orc has already given the green light on the production (for a paltry 5% of the profits). Resolving that something must be done about the new mayor, Rast spends the rest of the morning in the makeshift laboratory he has set up in the basement of Kaijitsu manor (where he and Ameiko are staying until they recover the deed to the Rusty Dragon). He formulates an embarrassing but non-lethal poison and dedicates the afternoon to watching the town hall for an opportunity to administer it to his target. While he is waiting, he notices smoke rising from the Kaijitsu estate. His wife’s home is burning! Rast takes to the air and flaps towards the fire. The rest of the heroes also spy the smoke and join the dwarf outside the burning mansion. Sheriff Cubbin and his men stand around the house, preventing anyone still trapped inside from escaping the inferno. “I’ll tell you what I told those filthy goblins!” the lawman shouts over the crackling flames, “You aren’t welcome round these parts no more! Turn around and we’ll let you walk away!” Rast goes into a dive towards the burning house. He hits an upper storey window with enough force to break the harpy wings affixed to his back. Crossbow bolts ping off the exterior wall. “Ameiko!” Rast cries, shrugging off the splintered glider. The heat inside the mansion is intense and the dark smoke fills his throat. Rast breaks an azure bauble off the bracelet that Ben gifted him on his wedding day. Shattering the gem summons a water elemental to douse the flames, while the dwarf searches for his beloved. Meanwhile, Solaris charges the corrupt lawmen, who turn out to be a little more dangerous than your regular sellswords. Cubbin’s first attack opens a hole in the elf’s stomach. Entrails glisten between bloodied fingers as Solaris applies pressure to the grievous wound. Cubbin raises his sword to finish the job, but the blade is knocked aside by Karrack’s staff. “You must be Sheriff Cubbin,” the lizardman says, “Let me tell you what I told ‘those filthy goblins’, that I would find the man responsible for destroying their homes and make him pay!” Asha drags Solaris out of the way and implores Sarenrae for healing. Two of Cubbin’s goons advance on Grogg, who swings his new, magical sword and severs both of their heads in one ruinous arc. The flaming blade instantaneously cauterises the ragged neck wounds, Grogg is disappointed, he quite enjoys being doused in arterial spray (it looks good on the posters, y’know). Before the bodies hit the ground, the half-orc is charging across the lawn, heading for the burning stables where the baby roc was being kept. A halfling maid employed by Ameiko’s family staggers from the front door, coughing and spluttering. One of the sheriff’s men readies his sword to cut her down, only to find an arrow sticking out of his upraised arm. “Let her go!” Ben commands, readying a second arrow, “You won’t get a second warning.” Karrack disarms Cubbin and strikes the man between the eyes, knocking him on his ass. The lizarman wrestles with his conscience as he watches the bloodied thug crawling towards his blade. Before he can come to a decision, there is an explosion from within the Kaijitsu mansion, the force of which knocks everyone off their feet! The fire has found Rast’s alchemical stores and set of a dangerous chain reaction! Poisonous green smoke begins billowing from the house. Cubbin and his remaining men take this opportunity to fall back towards the town. The heroes are faced with a difficult decision – pursue the scoundrels before they warn Grobaras or rescue Rast and his wife from certain doom?! To be continued…!</blockquote>

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