Run Date: June 27, 2023
We had a new player join this session, and I think his older brother is looking to join in next week. Moving online definitely expanded the table, but I've yet to decide if I want to use a VTT or keep it simple. I have already had a couple of players ask me about playing factions in the world, and I have to say that it's tempting to jump straight in the fire. For now, I'll let caution win out until we're all more familiar with the rules.
PCs
Conner:
Lv1 Fighter
Tabitha: Lv1 Bladedancer
Baldor: Lv1 Barbarian
Tavi: Lv1
Shaman
Zarlag: Lv1 Ruinguard
Return to the Wolfe Manse
We opened with a quick Q&A, but didn't really cover anything of interest. The party decided to hop on in and start their trek back to the manse to try and find the golden holy symbol. Tabitha was navigator this round, and just after leaving the gentle tended lands of civilization discovered a ruined barrow mound. The party spent some time searching the area for any valuables and discovered pieces for ancient stone statuettes: a weather reptilian face and a quarter-sized claw. Not wanting to delay too long, the group continued their march until they found Blacktop; the former claim of Bazuman.
The players from last week explained what the Blacktop was. They were reluctant to set up camp, but their earlier time at the mound forced their hand. Thankfully, nothing came to eat them. They did wake up to the scent of ash and dust brought on by the morning winds. After packing up their camp, the party continued their march through the savannah, and eventually arrived at the manse.
The group marched up the overgrown cobbles, again spotting the endless supply of purple flowers, and peeked around the corner of the gate. They noticed no sign of the Wolfbolds from the previous week, but the fountain in the courtyard had ceased dripping. Feeling brave, they marched toward the main hall, only stopping when something from the old stable caught their eye: the brown mold had a section of black with glowing orbs. The group spent some time trying to figure out what it could be before Zarlag and Conner stepped forward to get a better look. It was just some harmless fire beetles chewing away.
On to the hall. Conner busted down the stuck door and the party filed in. They noticed the continued lack of Wolfbold remains and began to worry about what could have taken them. As the party headed upstairs, they discovered that the doors from last week were "swapped:" the one they left open was closed, and the other left closed now open. They slowly approached the closed door and Tabitha put an ear to it. She heard muffled conversations of a party within. After some miming with the party, she decided to knock.
The man behind the door told them to go away. The party shifted back down the hallway to figure out what to do next. There was talk of ambush, baiting the people out of the room, and finding another way around. To burn time, the group headed to the ferret room to see what was up. Whatever had been there had been butchered and cleared out. There was a distinct lack of wood or refuse save some of the vines that had creeped in through a hole in the wall.
The group then headed downstairs to try and find a secret entrance or alternate route to the stairwell they'd gone down last week. Unfortunately, their efforts proved fruitless. They played around with the throne, checked for levers, and finally were forced to rest. They heard some banging from the second floor and could swear they spotted one of the men sneaking down the stairs to check on them. After their rest, the group fell into battle lines and marched upstairs in anticipation of traps and an ambush. They were correct on the latter, and their foreknowledge prevented the group from faltering when the ambush came. From the ferret room burst two berserkers shouting and charging, or would have been if my initiative wasn't terrible. The group dispatched them quickly (also, low HD roll of like 3 so RIP). Zarlag didn't want to wait around so he kicked the door to the other room down, throwing the man behind it to the ground. Tavi followed up with a spear to the chest. One man was left in this former lair and charged Zarlag, but was unable to find a weakness in the Ruinguard's plate. Two more berserkers came around the side of the party from a secret door and landed heavy strikes on Conner and Tabitha.
It was at this point I remembered the new rule for readying when you cleave. Conner, being a fighter, was at the ready and cut down yet another berserker. The next round, the party cleaned up the remaining two and started exploring the camp. Unfortunately for the party, it seemed these guys were just passing through or holing up. They discovered three severed heads of morlocks in a corner, and only found some cosmetics on the bodies of the berserkers. I used the "What's in the Pockets" Axiom for this and ended up with kohl and hair dye. Jokes were made about them being sent out by their wives, or naming them after some beauty youtubers or some such.
With their main obstacle out of the way, the party finally headed down the stairwell in the secret room. Upon arriving on the landing, and not spotting any morlocks coming to greet them, the group headed south down a narrow hall that turned and opened into a pantry within a small cave room. They spent a few minutes here thinking about what could be in the various jars and crocks and whether any of it would be edible. While they were talking, a light shown from the tunnel opposite the one they entered from. Human conversation could be heard, but no line of sight due to the gentle curving nature of the tunnel. Tabitha set herself up as the obvious target while the others flanked the exit.
This little event turned into a tense back and forth between Tabitha and a group of brigands. My players are pretty lucky with reaction rolls, and Tabitha's luck held out while the groups negotiated. It's a good thing, too, because the others were ready to butcher these men at a moment's notice. After a short standoff and a wide berth, one of the brigands snatched a couple jars from the pantry and left for the exit the players had entered in.
After some more conversation, the party decided not to push further into a "maze of tunnels," and instead clear the rooms they skipped back at the landing. They started with a small eastern room containing morlock refuse and rusted weapons. Next the north room, where the party discovered the Wolf crypt. They looked around the alcoves and read the names on the placards. The party then had a long conversation about their stance on graverobbing. They then promptly popped all the sarcophagi open and started looting. The treasure wasn't terrible, but certainly not the haul they expected. Only about 250gp worth, all in various wedding rings. The party needed to rest before they could open the final sarcophagus.
Then Baldor said he had Endurance and fun was had. The group settled around their torch to take their breather while Baldor started pressing the lid open. As a reminder, Great Great Great Grandpappy Wolf was a holy man, and holy men have holy powers. A glyph exploded in Baldor's face with the deafening howl of a wolf. The blast wounded three of the PCs, and Fate was burned to avoid potential death. Tabitha tried out the Overcasting rules to heal herself from Daze while Tavi healed Baldor whose nose and ear had taken a hit. Zarlag, after Fate intervened, avoided falling at all.
With an explanation of the Mortal Wounds table out of the way, Baldor checked his work. The party found the golden holy symbol of Dynamis around the neck of an old skeleton, along with an immaculate mace, a ruddy shield, and a small chest. The group decided they'd had enough gambles and avoided opening the chest, instead voting to leave. Their escape brought nothing of interest, and the brigands from earlier were long gone. They still had some time in the day so started their journey back.
During Tabitha's night watch, she heard a sound coming toward the camp. Heavy footsteps marched closer and closer and she began to wake everyone up. Into the firelight stumbled a worn and starving fighter of unknown demeanour and origin. They chatted for a few and he asked for food and drink; which Tabitha provided. The group spent some time chatting him up while Tabitha and Baldor stepped away to discuss Baldor's habit of opening his mouth.
Once things were settled, the group returned to their sleep and watches, keeping a close eye on their visitor. He made no attempts at them and slept as hard as he could. Midway through the next day and the party realized that something did make off with some of their rations in the night because they discovered little holes chewed in their sacks and backpacks. Other than that, their return to Fayum was pleasant.
The party took care of their business, turning over the holy symbol, mace, and shield to Baron Wolf's steward. There was a short silence as Baldor handed over the mace, especially for no compensation, but no arguments were made. The group headed back to the Red Tankard (it returns) to crack open their new chest and relax for a bit. Within the chest, pried open with an axe, was a variety of coin and some other treasures, including a 500gp figurine of Dynamis himself. Happy with their haul and slow progress, the group returned to their drinks. They even invited the fighter they'd met the night before, Walter, out for an adventure some time. His mood had improved significantly, and he agreed to consider it at a later date; after some R&R.
Rewards (Totals)
1315xp PC
Afterword
More Fate burned this session to survive. I can't tell if I'm bloodthirsty or what, but it is a bit disappointing that the Glyph didn't kill anything. I had a conversation with the group after the session reminding them of a few considerations; mostly timekeeping. Not so much in the 1:1 sense, but the session sense. "Session time is your time," is a mantra of sorts (and a rule in the primer). If the players want to spent their time RPing away at the tavern, that's their prerogative. However, I felt it necessary to note that time spent faffing about or arguing too long is less time delving for treasure (and treasure means XP). That said, we're all still learning.
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