Session #72: Mr. Glass

[run by Max, recap written by him, with minor edits by the Scribes--thanks, Max!]

A group gathered around Durham to follow up on claiming the Durst family’s glass shop and forge (per a former expedition into the ruins of Tsur al Qadim).

Durham, fighter 7

• Pako, renyu

Najm, magic-user 5

• Alianor Drake, fighter 1

Heijo, magic-user 6

After conferring with Slyvaine and purchasing a few items, the party left from the Gate of the Mourners to head to Tsur al Qadim. They returned, Heijo with a few holes, by the same route. They were seen heading back to Sylvaine (where she has taken up long term at the Kantor Kabljauhof) and were overheard talking about a large undead creature stalking the ruins [a massive tsoggu? a dreaded vorodla?? ~the Scribes]

The Lucre

• Amber (100 gp)

• Alexandrite (600 gp)

• Deep Green Spinel (70 gp)

• Golden Yellow Topaz (400 gp)

• Golden Yellow Topaz (600 gp)

• Rhodochrosite (8 gp)

• Tourmaline (130 gp)

• Violet Garnet (600 gp)

• Zircon (50 gp)

• Quiver of 10 Obsidian Bolts

• 5 spell scrolls (identified by Sylvaine)

• 7 piles of glass

• 1 pile of stained glass

• 8 glass prisms

The Learning (3299 xp)

• 2558 xp from treasure

• 650 xp from Stained Glass Guardian (39 + hp)

• 51 xp from Glass Guardians, Soulless (13 + hp)

• 40 xp from Glass Guardian (7+ hp)

The Cut

• 1100 xp to each player-character
  550 xp to Alianor Drake

• 639 dinars (gp), 5 dirhams (sp) per player-character
  319 dinars (gp), 7 dirhams (sp), 5 fals (cp) to Pako and Alianor

• Quiver of 10 Obsidian Bolts (critical hits on a 19 or 20, and shatter on a 1)

• Scroll of Disguise Self

• Scroll of Color Spray

• Scroll of See Invisibility

• Scroll of Hide from Animals

• Scroll of Summon Monster II

• 7 piles of glass

• 1 pile of stained glass

• 8 glass prisms

• Potion of Greater Healing (Jointly purchased from Sylvaine by the player-characters for 200 gp each and by the end, not used)

As always, items without explicit value may be divvied by the company however is deemed fair, or may attempt to be sold "to the right buyer" with the use of downtime to increase shares of treasure (and xp). Explicitly valued items may be "bought out" at their gp-value by any player-character especially desiring them. And reports, drawings, etc. provided by player-characters to be published to this chronicle will earn the corresponding character 100 xp per level.

Session #71: Facility 47

[run by Jacob, recap written by him--thanks, Jacob!]

Setting out from Cothon, down the long-walk to Gadeed, this group of adventurers seemed optimistic that they might finally do as originally requested by the Bani Dawr: Clear the strange Facility so that the Bani Dawr can move in and begin their researches in full.

Najm (Magic User ?)

Kzin Friend (Magic User 1)

Durham (Fighter 7)

Barabajagle (Magic User ?)

Barlow (Magic User 1)

Revna (Magic User 5)

The group returned several hours later, their spirits high, despite their obvious lack of material wealth. While no carousing occurs directly, Barabajagle is heard talking to his drink late into the night several nights following the expedition–something about strange spirits, a deeply clouded mind, and some kind of horrible trauma. Though no new trauma is visible upon his skin.

The Lucre

• Nothing was hauled out of the Facility from this expedition

The Learning

• 1622 xp from the ru’un (500 + hp)

• 95 xp from the enemy leader (75+hp)

• Additional 1000 xp to each primary character for completing the adventure

  • 500 xp to Kzin Friend and Barabajagle

The Cut

• 1430 xp to Najm, Durham, Barlow, and Revna

  • 715 xp to Kzin Friend and Barabajagle

Several weeks after the expedition adventurer barbarians who participated in one or more forays into the Facility receive letters inviting them to meet with the Bani Dawr at their leisure, and collect their reward for their assistance in helping clear the Facility. At the same time the rumor mill is alive and well regarding this strange facility. While it would seem that the Bani Dawr have moved in, they also managed to come into some modest wealth during the process. In fact some of the rumors out of Gadeed speak of certain researchers, rumored to be working regularly within the Facility, are seen wearing oddly patterned gray colored clothing. A few suits of it have even made their way into the hands of a few wealthy collectors around Gadeed.

The reward from the Bani Dawr is divided by the number of adventures, with the final adventure counting twice as it was the one that finally opened the Facility to them.

Najm: With 5 expeditions, receives 1000 dinars

Kzin-Friend: With 1 expedition, receives 200 dinars

Durham: With 5 expeditions, receives 1000 dinars

Lars: With 2 expeditions, receives 400 dinars

Mara: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars

Barlow: With 3 expeditions, receives 600 dinars

Avin: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars (Can be collected by Avin’s “estate”)

June: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars

Revna: With 3 expeditions, receives 600 dinars

Althis: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars

Bart: With 3 expeditions, receives 600 dinars

Gan: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars

Heijo: With 5 expeditions, receives 1000 dinars

Dehuhada: With 1 expedition, receives  200 dinars

Arngeir: With 2 expeditions, receives 400 dinars

Any of these characters may forgo their reward of dinars in exchange for free access to the Facility, for research purposes, for the rest of this calendar year. If they do not, the fee for access to the Facility for a month is 100 dinars, adjusted after the expedition based upon the Bani Dawr’s findings to allow easier access to the adventurers.

And, as always: Player reports detailing the session, or artwork relating to the session, are worth 100xp per level.

Session #70: Torkol Here, Torkol There

[as noted earlier, the advent of the Kzinti warlord the Red Cloud has delayed the Scribes; which is to say, this is a very tardy recap of an expedition in January]

It has been some time since "Torkol" has been taken and held somewhere within the precincts of the Kantor Kabljauhof, with the agreement of his friends, most especially Sesel and Gan the Physician (not Gan-ad-Din). Their claim? That their friend had been "replaced" by someone not truly him ... the kind of rumors that certain old legends speak of, that secret "masters" of society move and shake everything according to their will.

Well, if there were any truth to the claim, Sesel was the man to go looking, and so he gathered a company together at Cothon-Under-Star, and they all set out for the place where all had been set in motion for Torkol to become "Torkol"--in the Weirding Caves, specifically seeking out the old "electric tree":

• Barlow (magic-user 1)
• Sesel (fighting-man 7)
  accompanied by Raoden (magic-user 5)
• Durham (fighting-man 7)
  accompanied by Pako (renyu)
• Revna (magic-user 5)
• Dehuhada (fighting-man 4)
  accompanied by Seven-Toes (renyu)
• Heijo (magic-user)

The company returned a little richer--and with a much distressed Torkol in tow! One may hope this is the "right" one ...

As the crew returned Under-Star to count their haul--and a fine one it was, as rumored by the serving-maids there, despite the private room proffered to the very well known Sesel, Survivors, & Co.--Revna was heard to be raving to herself more than usual, talking to "her pretty" and how "the fires will be bright, you'll see, we just have to find them." Anyone who asked about the meanings of these things found themselves with inexplicably hot feet and had to flee from her presence and intensely heated stare.

There was also talk later of something strange the Poor Brothers of the Dead had been asked to be ware of--a strange slouching sluglike thing that might emerge from the crypts?--but their attention has been rather more focused to the south of late, what with growing rumors of tsoggu and other strange things emerging from the ruins of Tsur al Qadim.

The Lucre

• 5000 dinars (gp) of older but legal mint
• 3080 dinars from 8 gems (2@1000, 2@500, 1@50, 2@10)
• ornamental silver scimitar with strange double-blade (1000 gp)
• a true-black (fuligin) cloak of dklakolel-hairs (1000)
• silvered conch-horn with an old Cothon-Under-Star sigil (900)
• still-supple feshenga-skin belt, silver-chased and with red gem-eyes (800)
• gilt raptor nasr brooch (500)
• a tripartite circle brooch, with an obsidian circle overlaying an emerald circle, overlaying a large red-garnet circle  (~7000 gp, if the right buyer could be found)
• a piece of a strange yellowish frond (taken by Revna)
• a ru'un "power cell"

The Learning

• 19280 xp from treasure
• 554 xp from the "electric tree" (500 + hp)
• 560 xp from the ru'un (500 + hp)
• 400 xp to each player-character for exploration into "the Brig"

The Cut

• 1637 dinars (gp) and 3 dirhams (sp) per player-character
  818 dinars and 6 dirhams each to Raoden, Pako, and Seven-Toes
  
• 3799 xp per player-character
  1900 xp to Raoden
• the strange tripartite brooch (can be sold to the right buyer for more gold)
• the strange yellowish frond (claimed by Revna?)
• the ru'un part

As always, items without explicit value may be divvied by the company however is deemed fair, or may attempt to be sold "to the right buyer" with the use of downtime to increase shares of treasure (and xp). Explicitly valued items may be "bought out" at their gp-value by any player-character especially desiring them. And reports, drawings, etc. provided by player-characters to be published to this chronicle will earn the corresponding character 100 xp per level.

Session #69: The Preservation of Avin

[run by Jacob, and recap by him as well--thanks, Jacob!]

After a few weeks of fitful issues, a small group gathers at Cothon Under Star. One Avin, having recently drunk of a strange red potion, has been getting worse and worse. Now her physician Gan (no relation to Gan ad Din) was desperate. Fortunately, barbarian adventurer Najm stepped in with the suggestion that they all visit the strange Facility, to see if any of the oddities there might lend aid, especially given the recent recovery of Kzin-Friend. As plans were made several other barbarians, meandering through taverns seeking their next adventure, joined up with the party.

• Barlow (Magic User 1)

  • Avin (incapacitated; Magic User 6)

• Najm (Magic User 5)

  • Elianor (Fighter 1)

• Durham (Fighter 7)

  • Pako (Renyu)

• Dehuhada (Fighter 4)

  • Seven Toes (Renyu)

• Arngeir (Fighter ?)

• Heijo (Magic User ?)

The party set out for Gadeed, guided by citizen Sesel so they can gain easy entrance to Gadeed, with Avin being dragged mostly unconscious behind the ‘porter’ Barlow. They did not return for several hours. When finally seen again, the mood was mixed, and their company was one-Avin short. Though they did not appear in total defeat, they did seem somewhat shaken.

Alas, as the small handful of treasures brought out from the Facility did not include any actual coinage the hirelings took their pittance of pay and departed without carousing.

Najm's map of this particular expedition

The Lucre

• A handful of strange spheres with colorful gems inside. (~500 gp)

• A tapestry depicting a shadowy monster at the bottom, with several sacrifices and rituals of cloaked cultists above. Of specific note is the ritual in the center, on the left depicting a strange ritual of cutting one of their number in half, and on the right a feast with 1 additional cultist present. Throughout the piece there are blood-red snakes slithering between the various rituals and images depicted. (~1000 gp)

• A knife fashioned from a large tooth. (magical)

The Learning

• 1500 xp from treasure

• 850 xp from the white skinned creature

• 10 xp from cultists x2

• 2300 xp from the not-quite-Avin

The Cut

Nothing here goes to Avin, as she was unconscious / could not actively participate in the adventure

• 776 xp to each player-character

  • 338 xp to Elianor

• The tapestry

• The gem-spheres

• The tooth-knife

Any (~) value items may increase treasure received based on being sold to the right buyer, and any dinar-value item can be bought out from the treasure by a character for its listed (base) price. Player reports detailing the session, or artwork relating to the session, are worth 100xp per level.

Session #68: Turducken Terror

[run by Joel, and recapped by him here, with minimal edits by the Scribes ... thanks, Joel!]

Many heroes both novice and veteran alike, gather in front of the foreigner’s red ship, responding to the call to adventure. Our adventurers are greeted by the ship’s crew, fine looking folk of pointy ears and sharp features [northfolk, surely? ~the Scribes]. The party was seen escorted into one of the hulls on the catamaran ship and entering a dining hall. The rumor has it the room is filled with an abundance of food and at the end of the hall sits Santana himself. An hour passes and the group is seen returning to the city making their preparations and hiring companions. Many from the twin cities gather to see the departure of the giant vessel; those counted leaving on the hunt for this unknown creature called the Turducken are as follows:

• Heijo (Magic-user 6)

• Gan (Fighter 5)

• Kzin-friend (Magic-user 1)

accompanied by Slith Sly (sakkra, hired by another party member)

• Sesel (Fighter 7)

• Barlow (Magic-user 1)

accompanied by Kogus (bulrathi)

Kogus on a 
mowaj mount ...

Santana's ship left with phenomenal speed to their destination--and the party was seen returning later that evening! While victorious on their hunt, certain members of the party return with more battle scars then they left with. News and rumors fill the taverns of a giant bird beast with three heads, flying reindeer [some kind of mowaj? hmela? ~the Scribes] and eggs of gold & stone.

The Lucre

... against the dread Turducken
(by Cullen, who played Kzin-Friend)

• 5500 dinars (gp) from gold chains and jeweled rings (payment from Santana for the Turducken bounty and the recovery of his pets)

• 2700 dinars from three egg-shaped treasures of stone & gold (900 gp per “egg”)

• Trophy feathers from the Turducken (claimed by Kzin-Friend)

• Trophy feet from the Turducken (claimed by Sesel)

The Learning

• 3900 XP from Turducken

• 1600 XP for the recovery of the “Los Renos Voladores” (200 xp per reindeer, 8 in total)

• 2700 XP from egg treasure

The Cut

• 1366 xp to each player-character

685 xp each to Kogus and Slith

• 1366 dinars to each player-character

685 dinars each to Kogus and Slith

• Trophy Feathers from the Turducken (claimed by Kzin-Friend)

• Trophy feet from the Turducken (claimed by Sesel)

Any item of value that a party-member wishes to possess may be "bought out" by adding their own dinars into the pot equal to its stated value; other items must be negotiated for by the members of the company, according to their desires.

And, as always, artwork, maps drawn by players, write-ups, &c. from the point of view of the characters, sent by players to be published here, will earn the corresponding player-character 100 xp per level.

Session #67: "Horatio says 'tis but our fantasy ..."

Like other expeditions near the limes of the past and present lunar year [this one was originally meant--the Scribes], this expedition was little remarked by the inhabitants of the Dual-Cities, not least of which because, like the last one, the departure of the company was by boat from the harbor and thence along the north coast, rather than the traditional hikes cross-country to the Tel al Safina.

It is surmised in town that certain factions among the barbarian-adventurers now have vested interests somewhere inside the Tel--both the Survivors of the Tel and Durham of the Ringing Anvil are rumored to have such interests--and Sesel, Voice of the Survivors, was heard to be gathering his fellows with exhortations that something was amiss near the locale of the Survivors' interests. Rumors of some kind of spirit or wraith accosting his hired men-at-arms on their patrols, and of something menacing skittering in the shadows ... all of which sound rather more in the nature of the Necropolis, and yet seem to be emerging out of the Ocean's Throat sea-caves ...

And so to investigate these weird rumors, Sesel gathered together this company, and the lot embarked on his courier boat the Silver Qaqtla to sail north along the coast:

• Avin (magic-user 6)
• Sesel the Voice (fighting-man 7)
  accompanied by Raoden (magic-user 4)
• Gan ad-Din (fighting-man 5)
• Heijo (magic-user 6)
• Revna (magic-user 5)
• Lars Ghar-Rider (magic-user 4)
• Pako (renyu)--sent independently by Durham

The group returned to Cothon, disembarking from the Qaqtla along the commercial quays, and then watching her sail back on her way to Sesel's Iqta' al Saahil al Shamaliy. Sesel was not among those who returned to town, having elected to remain at his iqta' and to arrange affairs there in light of whatever was discovered.

It seems there was little recovered by way of treasure--though not quite nothing--and the talk implied that Sesel was more psychically drained than his begging off to see to affairs at home would indicate. Nevertheless, there was a certain joviality to the spirit of the after-action drinking, and certain cryptic comments stand out: "I wonder how long it'll take to boil out?" -- "Bob seemed to think it might take a while, but maybe the poison'll get to it first!" -- "If it's susceptible! I just hope the boiling does the job ..."

The Lucre

• 3000 dirhams (sp), 800 dinars (gp)
• 1260 dinars from 6 gems (2@500, 2@100, 1@50, 1@10)
• one large weirdstone--said by Sesel to contain the vestiges of an Erga!

The Learning

• 2360 xp from treasure
• 444 xp from the strange "creature" (400 + hp)
• 200 xp per player-character for exploration into a new section of the Ocean's Throat

The Cut

• 314 dinars, 6 dirhams, and 6 fals to each player-character, including Pako
  157 dinars, 3 dirhams and 3 fals to Raoden
• 387 xp to each player-character
  193 xp to Raoden
• the "occupied" weirdstone (claimed by Sesel*)

*as Referee, I have divided out the gold as I always have, with equal shares, but only Sesel has any claim to anything more interesting; I feel it incumbent on me to posit that perhaps Sesel forfeit his share of dinars for this claim--but it is not for the referee to decide, but for party members. Experience will remain as published, but dinar (gp) values can be adjusted if folks agree it is appropriate

As always, items without explicit value may be divvied by the company however is deemed fair, or may attempt to be sold "to the right buyer" with the use of downtime to increase shares of treasure (and xp). Explicitly valued items may be "bought out" at their gp-value by any player-character especially desiring them. And reports, drawings, etc. provided by player-characters to be published to this chronicle will earn the corresponding character 100 xp per level.

The Red Cloud of War

Smoke rises southeast of Cothon-Gadeed, from the burning villages and vineyards of the Iqta' al Zaytun--clouds of smoke stained red with the light of the great red sun. The people of the Dual Cities tell each other on the streets, this must be the reason for his name--the Red Cloud, newly risen warlord of the Kzinti, master of Heroes, destroyer of Peace. Or so they tell each other as they meet in the streets, shaking their heads.

And all look to the strong walls of both Cothon and Gadeed, the masterwork fortifications of both klackon and human hands--and the great turrets that stand above, manned by retainers of the Guilds and the Bani-Houses, and the elite Knights Pylaea--and all hope and pray that it will not come to such War as it once did, between Man and Kzin, when the very walls shook under the fury of the Kzinti and their engines. But those days are over--those are the days of legend, of history--such days cannot now come!

And too, people whisper about the Souffets--after their refusal to join with the Hanse in their campaign against the pirates of the eastern seas; after their recall and snubbing of the great general Dalinar al Khalid, and suspicions against him--given all this, can Khosroa and Fadhlan be expected to muster any real resistance against the Red Cloud in this, their final lunar year in office? And they've already dithered these two months!

(

"Gadeed will fall!"

There will be an upcoming post detailing a way for player-characters to explain just what they have been up to in the "downtime" between January and now (going into April), given that the life of the Dual-Cities has been somewhat on hold during that time.)

Such is the talk in the streets these days, as refugees straggle in from al Zaytun with tales of Kzinti coming in out of the night, burning everything with their peculiar yowling hunting cries, cutting men down with claw, fang, and wtsai ... How could the Red Cloud of gathered such strength to himself already, to feel ready to challenge Cothon-Gadeed so directly?? The Iqta' al Zaytun is a breadbasket of the Cities, supplying olives, wine, oil, and all manner of corn and other foodstuffs. How could this upstart warlord already have mustered such force?

[Even the referee is surprised at this turn of events!--how indeed could the Red Cloud of come into such power? Well, it is "convenient" at least for the Scribes ... who can thus claim their lack of proper chronicling has been due more to their duties regarding this sudden onslaught, rather than having to attend to a greater number of personal matters in these last few months ...

... And rest assured, this is no moment like the apocryphal event in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor game when, after the players had spent too many sessions delving in the dungeons and neglecting the wargame proper, the cackling Arneson gleefully told his players that the baddies had won--no, the Red Cloud has not won in any sense! But perhaps he has at least shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with ...]