Session #27: Vrrp!

Last week, as the strange ghostly entities of the Immortal Dead began to make their presence known throughout the city of Cothon, and merchants began their selling of the various masques and costumes to be worn by pranksters in the subsequent festivities, and as various pranks and carousings had already begun to grow noisome throughout the city, a smaller coterie of adventurers set out through the Gate of Mourners in the east of the city.

Carrying with them a chlen-hide coracle borne on a hand-cart, the company drew many "knowing" looks from passersby on the streets of Cothon, certain that the adventurers were out to set up some prank--perhaps filling the courtyard of some rival's apartments with water, and setting the coracle afloat in its midst? Nevertheless, they departed through the aforementioned gate and seemed determined toward the Weirding Caverns on the eastern slopes of the Tel al Safina ...

• Heijo (magic-user 4)
• Bartholomew Pettibone (magic-user 4)
  accompanied by Gan ad Din (fighting-man 1)
• Persephone (fighting-woman 4)
  accompanied by Finbar (renyu)

It had already been forgotten that this small group had set out earlier in the day by the time they returned--under the dim red light of the great sunset and the swift-swinging stars above. But just as their departure had drawn strange looks at their boat, so their return drew wondering new looks at the two strange mantis-creatures borne on the shoulders and arms of Heijo and Persephone:

Word inevitably spread from the taverns after Bartholomew's return to Cothon-Under-Star and Persephone's return to Kantor Kabljauhof--how could the small strange new mantis-creatures not cause talk?? Called something like vrrp! by both Heijo and Persephone, they were admitted to have come from another round of trading with the mysterious Zoq-Fot-Pik that dwell in the Weirding Caverns. Persephone, following her vocation as an animal trainer, intended to work with the insectile creatures to develop them into the watch-creatures that the Zoq-Fot-Pik claimed they could be.

Also won through trade with the same Zoq-Fot-Pik was the handful of gems the small company was able to sell for a bit of beer-money. Nothing quite like recent hauls, but a bit of lucre nonetheless:

The Lucre

• 2260 gold from 8 gems (1@10, 1@50, 2@100, 4@500)
• 2 vrrp! (to be trained by Persephone)
• whatever knowledge was gleaned from conversation with the Zoq-Fot-Pik

The Learning

• 2260 xp from treasure

The Cut

• 645 gold, 7 silver, 1 copper to each player-character
  322 gold, 7 silver, 2 copper to Gan
• 646 xp to each player-character
  323 xp to Gan
• a vrrp! each to Heijo and Persephone