Session #40: Sixth House Exterminators *Updated*

Last week, Durham approached Sesel at the great tavern Cothon-Under-Star with a proposal: "Let us at last return to the Sixth House!"

For it has been some months since the Survivors of the Tel and their comrades approached the other Attine Klackon-princesses in the Great Spire with the intent that they themselves should help cleanse the Sixth House of whatever malady of evil has infested it these recent months. And though at that time, the barbarians had engaged the creatures dwelling within the Sixth House, they had not declared any victory--and had also not yet returned! Hence Durham's proposal.

Though he has recently been engaged in a flurry of interests, both his own and concerning the Survivors of the Tel, Sesel was eager to take up Durham's proposal and roust his companions to the endeavor. Unfortunately, Avin has engaged in her own business; but more fortuitously, Zaida al Rashid answered the call immediately, clad in mail and accompanied by a man-at-arms from her House--for the noble Zaida was eager to avenge the hurts she had received on her last foray with the Survivors into the den of evil.

Others of the Survivors, meanwhile, remained encamped in their position on the coast well north of the cities, and so would require a rendezvous to gather--and to that end, this small company set out along the Pallbearers' Way, intending to swing north past the slopes of the Tel to gather their sometime-companions:

• Durham (fighting-man 6)
  accompanied by loyal renyu-servant Pako (renyu)
• Sesel (fighting-man 6)
  accompanied by squire Raoden (magic-user 2)
• Zaida al Rashid (fighting-woman 2)
  accompanied by "Randy" al Marashi (man-at-arms)
• Ravna (magic-user 5)

It was not until the next evening that any word returned of the fate of the company, when Pako came panting in through the Fishermen's Gate (proudly proclaiming to those at the Kantor Kabljauhof--his first stop on his return--that he had sneaked around the territory of the Barcidae and their Migdol and their passage-tax). After assuring Vituria and others that Durham was not dead, Pako then proceeded to undermine his argument by purchasing the Kantor's entire stock of sakkra-blood potions with writs of credit from Sesel and Ravna (to be charged to Cothon-Under-Star if the twain should not return), as well as from Durham's own cache at the Kantor. "No, no, Master is not dead," Pako explained; "These just, uh, how you say, uh, 'precautious.'"

Though clearly annoyed at the sudden mass-purchase, the alchemists nevertheless allowed it--this time--for Durham's sake. And so, much burdened by some thirty flasks of sakkra-blood, Pako more cautiously set out through the gates to make his way back toward the Great Spire.

And even so, it was not until the evening of the next day that the majority of the party marched into Cothon, along the Pallbearers' Way, but accompanied by a triad of bedraggled slaves, and also hauling quite a different burden than the palls of the dead--aye, their handcarts held an assortment of riches, of ornate Klackon-blades, of valuable ingots and bullion, and many a cask of fine wine, and box of rare truffle-delicacies. And though they did not flaunt it, nevertheless the rumor of their plunder has made its way through the taverns of Cothon ...

At the tavern Under-Star, where the lucre was finally meted out amongst the party-members, it was left to the man-at-arms al Marashi to brag about the company's exploits, under influence of the free-flowing wine his participation earned him. No doubt others will have their say, but "Randy" tells quite a swashbuckling tale of almost constant battles against strange creatures having the bodies of Klackons, but with the heads of worms, which sprayed a terrible fast-burning acid. Indeed, his mistress Zaida has taken to wearing elaborate henna designs to mask old scars from just such an attack.

Rand al Marashi, moustaches and all

After many battles, the company was ragged, but had managed to work their way into the main central court of the haunted manor of the Sixth House; so they departed through the heavily guarded main gate, which was sealed again behind them, and were then feted in the courts of the Fifth House, where Durham and Sesel entertained the Princesses of the Klackons with the tale. "Perhaps they'll regale you all, once their goldlust is sated!" Rand declares, laughing.

That was when Pako went for the sakkra-blood; once everyone was rested and healed up, the company returned to the Sixth House and there continued battling the infestation within; the three slaves here, Balqa and the other two, we rescued--rescued from the horrors of their fellow-slaves being used by the worm-creatures as a terrible feast, dissolved into an acidic slurry and then sipped up through proboscises--and we liberated much else besides (gesturing here at the carts and the lucre).

"Well, I'll leave the details to the others--I think they'll relish the telling of it." And with that, al Marash took his pay and, with leave from Zaida, proceeded out to town for a round of carousing ...

The Lucre

• a variety of Attine-specialty truffles, mold-cheeses, etc. worth ~2000 gold, but requiring a "find the right buyer" roll, to be rolled at +1 for association Under-Star
• 900 gold worth of bullion (600 from gold, 300 from silver)
• 2 green metal ingots ("zortrium" according to Durham)
• a set of "splendid" high-temperature tools useful in the forging of zortrium
• 1400 gold worth of whitesmithing tools of varying sorts
• *350 gold from 7 gems (2@100, 1@50, 4@25)*
• 300 gold for 3 wine casks
• two "splendid" Klackon-style estocs forged of zortrium
• another ornate estoc, retrieved from the gateway, and noted as "enchanted"
• 1500 gold for 2 ornate "parade" estocs (1@1100, 1@400)
• 1300 gold for 2 such ornate warhammers (1@800. 1@500), and
• 1000 gold for 4 gilt officers' maces (1@400, 3@200)
• 500 gold for common metal ingots (copper, tin, etc.)

(more was left behind in the interest of time, especially among the last items, i.e. wine, arms, and commoner metals)

The Learning

• 8900 xp from lucre
• 1284 xp from scribs x12 (100 ea. + average hp)
• 3965 xp from "newborns" x24 (150 + hp ea.)
• 100 xp to ea. player-character for exploring down to the fungal farm undercroft of the manor

The Cut

• 1735 gold to Durham
  1435 gold to Sesel, Ravna, and Zaida
  715 gold to Raoden
  145 gold to Rand al Marashi
• 4816 xp to Durham, Sesel, and Ravna
  2458 xp to Raoden and Zaida
• the two zortrium ingots
• and zortrium tools
• the two zortrium estocs and
• the magic estoc
• *77 more gold to ea. player-character, 32 more to Raoden, 10 more to al Marashi*
• *117 more xp to ea. player-character, 58 more to Raoden and Zaida*

*a handful of gems that were recovered mid-session were forgotten by the scribes when initially compiling this report; their value has now been added*

Finding the right buyer for certain items will increase the gold and/or the experience shares of characters involved in this expedition (i.e. selling the fine mushrooms, already accounted for in xp, would only increase gold shares; whereas deciding to seek a buyer for zortrium items without listed value would conceivably increase values for both gold and xp); it was agreed that Durham should receive 300 gold additional to his share because of his help procuring sakkra-blood; on a vaguely similar note, a character wishing to purchase anything out of the Lucre may "buy it out" by forgoing/spending their own gold up to the value specified here.

And as always, any written report, art, etc. provided from a character perspective will earn that player-character 100 xp per level and be posted to the blog