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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mikeawmids" data-source="post: 7850955" data-attributes="member: 6776411">[Savaged) Rise of the Runelords / Sins of the Saviours / Session 8 / Part 1 (30/11/2017)Having forged four ithilliom weapons and defeated the stone avatar of Karzoug, the party abandon Runeforge and return to the teleportation circle on the far side of the frozen lake. The party return to Sandpoint via Thistletop and begin preparing for their imminent incursion into Xin-Shalast. Grogg struggles to find a buyer for the solid gold swan statuette he carted back from Runeforge. Karrack suggests that he pay a smith to melt it down and cast the molten metal into commemorative gold ‘Grogg the Smasher’ figurines.“Are these for the contest?” asked the smith as he fired up his forge.“What contest?” Grogg replied, a frown of befuddlement creasing his leathery brow.“The Contest of Champions in Magnimar, of course!” the smith answered, “It starts tomorrow. I would have gone myself, but someone has to mind the store. I would have thought that would be right up your – Hey! Hey! You forgot your bird!”Moments later, Grogg burst into the taproom of the Rusty Dragon, labouring to breathe after sprinting across town in a full suit of plate-mail.“Contest!! Magnimar!! Go!! Now!! Please!?”“We do kind-of have a ‘save the world’ situation here, Grogg,” Karrack answered, “I don’t really think we have time to go gallivanting off on some side quest. No, don’t you give me those big, sad puppy dog eyes! It doesn’t work with half-orcs, it just looks odd.”“Come on Karrack,” Andor said, “Karzoug has slept for thousands of years, a few more days won’t make much difference.”“You’re only saying that because all the taverns in Sandpoint have cancelled your tab,” Karrack snapped.“All this adventuring is thirsty work!” Andor replied defensively, “Plus, I hear the women in Magnimar are beautiful.”Ameiko gives Andor a dark look across the bar. Rast’s hand creeps towards the dagger at his belt.“Not that Sandpoint women aren’t without their rustic charms!” Andor added quickly, “I like a cheap ale just as much as a fine wine on occasion!”Silence descended on the tavern, broken by the screech of chairs being pushed back from tables as the men of Sandpoint rose.“Ok! Let’s go to Magnimar right now!” Karrack said hastily, his lizard-sense tingling, “No time to finish your drinks! Let’s leave this instant!”Karrack and Asha bundle Andor out of the tavern and down to the ‘Everstill’ before the locals can form a proper lynch mob. The refitted river boat slips its moorings and starts powering against the current, leaving a crowd of angry civilians glowering on the dock.---The ‘Everstill’ arrives in Magnimar the next morning. The bazaar of sails is abuzz with excitement for the contest and a crowd of cheering onlookers forms along the waterfront when Grogg’s vessel is recognised. Never one to shy from the limelight, Grogg stands on deck, performing feats of strength for the crowd, while his goblin lackeys toss handfuls of ‘Grogg the Smasher’ merchandise into the mob.Grogg spots a large crate being lifted off an adjacent barge by a metal crane. The crate has conspicuous air holes bored into the side and a menacing growling emanates from within the box. Suddenly, the crane arm buckles and the crate falls, breaking open against the side of the boat! A ferocious beast bursts from the wreckage! It has both a dragon head and a goat head attached to the powerful torso of a lion. It’s not immediately clear which head is most angry, they both look pretty pissed. Then the dragon head breathes a cone of fire into the crowd and that clinches it.“Monster!!” Grogg shouts gleefully, hopping up and down on the spot, “Ooh, Karrack, can I kill it, pleasepleasepleaseplease?”“Did you finish your chores?”“Yes!”“Then off you go, you little scamp.”Launching himself onto the feathery back of his pet roc, Grogg rose majestically into the air above the deck of the ‘Everstill’. At this point, it becomes apparent that Grogg has not invested any development points into the riding skill and his ascent become a whole lot less majestic as he barrel-rolls into a tree. Karrack leads Andor and Asha down the gangplank in pursuit of the rampaging chimera.Asha and Andor get stuck behind a group of people queuing for fresh oysters. Karrack takes a different route through the labyrinthine bazaar and spots the monster up ahead. He snatches a tender bunyip steak from the nearest vendor’s stand and throws it at the chimera, hoping to distract it. Fortunately, the meat lands in front of the beast’s carnivorous head and it pauses to gobble it up. This gives Andor time to break free from the mob of oyster lovers and t%## it with a stick. The goat head bleats and it runs out of the market into a busy intersection thick with foot and horse traffic.Andor chased after the retreating beasty, leaping over a wheelbarrow full of eels. Asha caught up just in time to be caught in the cone template as it spun around and blasted them both with fire from its dragon head. Fortunately, a passing carriage blocked the flames! The frightened driver leapt from his doomed conveyance and rolled in the gutter until his burning clothes were extinguished.Turning away, the chimera launched itself through the window of a tavern on the opposite side of the street. Andor, Asha and Karrack followed it inside and discovered there was already a full scale tavern brawl in place! Andor punched a man in the face and seized a frothy tankard off the bar, waving Asha and Karrack to go on without him. The chimera headed up a flight of stairs at the back of the taproom and the two heroes gave chase. Suddenly, the window at the top of the stairs shattered inward as Grogg hurtled through the grimy glass!“THIS – IS – STRENGTH!!!” he roared, swinging his twin axes and severing both heads!“Where did you come from?!” Asha gasped.“Fell!!” Grogg answered, pointing a bloody axe to the broken window, where his pet roc could be seen circling overhead.“Fight!!” Grogg states, noticing the brawl raging in the tavern below. He raises his weapons, eyes wild with unsated bloodlust.Karrack tries to explain that a tavern brawl is not traditionally a fight to the death. Meanwhile, Asha attempts to stop the fighting by performing a sexy dance on the bar, i.e: Coyote Ugly (I’ve not seen the film, but that’s the premise, right?). She is moderately successful, as her alluring gyrations distract the remaining participants sufficiently for Andor to pull off the coup-de-grace.“The winner!!” Andor cries, standing atop a mound of unconscious brawlers.Then Grogg punches him in the face! Andor goes down hard!“The winner!!” Grogg cries, standing atop a mound of unconscious brawlers.The bartender emerges from the back room and starts pouring drinks. He advises the party that it is a local tradition that whoever is still standing after a brawl gets a free pint. Asha suspects this tradition might explain the high number of brawls in the city.“I can’t wait to tell all my bartender buddies that THE Grogg the Smasher won a brawl in MY tavern!” the bartender said, “Wait! Shouldn’t you be at the colosseum by now? The opening ceremony for the Contest started hours ago!”To be continued….</blockquote>

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