Swamp Trek III: The Search for Ter-raen

[Trouvere]

"Afair we get oan wi' findin' Corvin guilty an' choppin' his heid off," says Gildrim - and with his accent and face-concealing beard, it is difficult to tell whether he speaks seriously or with heavy sarcasm - "thaur's anither matter that's mair pressin', tae us."

The skin around his eyes wrinkles up with sorrow brought to the surface. "We've been dancin' aroond it," he says to Karl and Weel, "but ye must know Richard didnae mak it, by my bearin' his gear, if nothin' else. But Ah've his finger, cut fram his body."

He brings out the grisly relic, so recently part of a living man, now washed white by swamp water. He turns to the lizardfolk guide.

"Dae ye hae a priest high in th' favour ay th' gods, Apikotoa, amang yer people, wha can bring a body back fram th' deid? Ah've gold, Richard's gold, in th' main, tae pay for it.."

OOG: I can't see anything on that table to worry about, except the hideous unnatural abominations at %14-25.

 

[jkason]

Weel Naxel, human cleric

Weel blanches as Gildrim produces all that remains of Richard. He can't bring himself to speak as the dwarf asks about reincarnating their companion, only nod his support of the effort.

 

[Richard Rawen]

oog: I can't see anything on that table to worry about, except the hideous unnatural abominations at %14-25.

lmao!

 

[Scott DeWar]

Karl pales at the sight of the digit. He looks to Weel who is looking a bit shaky himself, so he remains silent.

 

[Rae ArdGaoth]

(OOC: I'm about to step in to close this down. I'd rather not RP the trial, if you guys don't mind, but we do need to make a decision about Richard. Richard? There is a druid available with reincarnate. Your choice.)

 

[Scott DeWar]

OOC: I would rather totally skip the trial as well. in fact i had tried to avoid it initally i think. what happened to our dm, by the way?

 

[covaithe]

After what feels like an interminable wait, the trial plays out with grim predictability. Corvin blusters and threatens, refusing to admit wrongdoing. Sister Anemone sits, white-lipped, bearing witness to the scene. Each of you testify in turn of what you know, as do several of Corvin's men and half a dozen lizardfolk. In the end, the five lizardfolk elders deliberate for only a few token minutes before sentencing Corvin to death by drowning.

Corvin is silent as his fate is pronounced. His hands are tied to a net filled with heavy rocks, and his feet to a long rope that passes over a sturdy branch above a nearby deep pool. Six lizardfolk haul on the rope, and when the rocks come free of the ground he swings, head-down, over the pool. They wait a minute for his swings to dampen, and before they lower him in, he turns towards the waiting crowd. "This isn't over," he asserts, all appearances to the contrary.

They lower him quickly. The swamp swallows him with only a few bubbles and some faint ripples to mark his struggles. After a few minutes, those fade away too, and the surface is still again. The lizardfolk silently depart, leaving the rope hanging taut above the surface.

"They will leave the rope there until it goes slack," Sister Anemone says quietly, sounding drained. "When what's left of the body has come loose. Then they'll recover the rope. It's valuable here. I always forget just how desperately poor these folk are, between visits. I think it will be a long time before I visit again, if ever. Outsiders will not be as welcome here in the future, I think. Speaking of which, it would be best to depart quickly. The less time that the lizardfolk and the remainder of Corvin's band spend together, the less chance there is of further tragedies."

The trek back to Cragger's Rest is wet, tiring, and quiet. Corvin's men avoid each other's eyes, and conversation is limited to quick words about the trip itself: submerged rock here, watch out for that branch, and the like. There are brief mutters when your lizardfolk escorts disappear between one hillock and the next, but they quickly subside back into sullen silence.

At Cragger's Rest, the men disperse toward their homes and families. Sister Anemone brings you to the inn, where she has you repeat your tales to several influential elders, including Meravia Tanabar, who, the sister explains, is Corvin's aunt and the force behind most the town council's decisions. Meravia is grim-faced through the retelling, but shows no sign of disbelief. As you prepare to go, she thanks you politely for your witness of these events. "You have seen us at our worst. I pray you will be more kind in your memories of us than we have been to our neighbors. Perhaps someday we may meet again in better times," she says, clasping your hands in farewell.

[sblock=ooc]Well, this adventure has sucked, no doubt about it. I'm really sorry about that, as it's mostly my fault. I'm particularly sorry to have taken such a long time to wind it up. I fell, without much warning, into a deep pool of lack of interest some months ago, and wasn't able to muster the necessary energy to finish it off at the time. And then I forgot about it. Again, my apologies.

I will work out XP and such right now, and we can finally call this done.
[/sblock]

 

[covaithe]

[sblock=XP]For returning the wagon to the Marchwands: 400xp
For resolving things with the lizardfolk: 600xp
For consistently good RP through a difficult adventure: 300xp
Total: 1300, divided three ways for 433 each.


time xp: This adventure started almost exactly a year ago, on 2nd October 2009. I can't find any time xp awarded in the middle, so that's 12 months each, times 50 xp / ECL. Thus:

Totals

• Gildrim: 433 + 12*50*4 = 2833 xp
• Weel: 433 + 12*50*2 = 1633 xp
• Karl: 433 + 12*50*2 = 1633 xp

I think that about wraps it up, unless I'm missing something.
[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

OOC: Thanks for the wrap-up. Been a hard road, but nice to see it finally end. I think the only thing left is if Richard wanted his reincarnation (and if he does, I'm not sure if that affects the XP or not; I believe he was only 'with us' for returning the wagon. Weel doesn't level in any case, at least, so it's not a big deal to me. And I think some minor retconning for the reincarnate wouldn't be so much that we'd need to RP it.

Weel is somber throughout all of the proceedings, the enthusiasm with which he started adventuring clearly marred by the various tragedies he and his fellows have faced. He cannot watch Corvin's drowning, much as he tells himself the man has brought this upon himself. He can barely maintain eye contact with the man's aunt as she stoically maintains herself and bids them farewell, can only manage a weak smile as a means of returning her hope for all to meet again in better times.

He's largely quiet on the road home, as well, staring at the distance as they finally return to Orussus after what feels a very long time away...

 

[Trouvere]

OOC: couple of thoughts.

Damn, we'll miss you (unless you recover your enthusiasm). For an uninterested energyless final wrap-up posting, that's some beautiful writing. A pity about all the loose ends, though... the house filled with corpses and grigs, still left unransacked, and Careless Clods-o'Dung running loose somewhere.

There was the coup de grace of a 5-hydra, which was by no means a guaranteed success. I can't remember the odds ottomh, but they weren't great. One blown Move Silently roll, or even a low damage total and a good Fort save, and it would have been very over.

Not RP Richard's reincarnation? Depending on the outcome, there could be some splendid RP possibilities. Maybe best to have it occur after the departure from Cragger's Rest, on the edge of the swamp? Hermit druid lizarfolk?

Finally, Alvar Thorne promised 2000 gp to Richard, Karl and Weel... though they did not quite fulfil the specific terms of the contract.