Robby, Roddy, Carson, Shane, Penny and Lance all played today in the monthly Saturday Aarde (+500) campaign. We picked up the session where things left off last month, in Moporia. Everybody did some individual stuff in the city, including reports by the Joseph and Revan to their respective churches. Revan, determined to rid the world of the threat of Jaramon, learned from sailors and traders in town that Jaramon could be on the Isle of Ancients, perhaps in Moonmist (one of the first and most highly populated Purple Order settlements). The theory went that Jaramon, like the party, would go to where he could lick his wounds and re-arm himself after battle, and that Moonmist would be the most likely place, since more high elves from the moon Sonaeed were there than anywhere (or so it was thought by a couple of sources). More importantly, a high elf ship by the name of Moonmist was in port. Though the odds were against success, Telpin arranged for a gnome illusionist friend to create and sell the party a hat of disguise each, and the party bought passage to Moonmist on the elven vessel. Telpin (gnome bard) and Henderson (lizardman fighter/rogue) are the only nonhumans in the party. Only Flegal and Telpin speak elven, but everyone wore the hats disguised as elves for the voyage at 10 gp per head one way.
Unfortunately, waiting for them at Moonmist on the Isle of Ancients was an elven horse-mace captain with a monocle of True Seeing who could see through the disguise of illusion and had his unit attack the party the minute they set foot on the beautifully ornate docks. The party fought their way through the encounter, and the captain was forced to retreat with only a couple of surviving soldiers from his unit. Along the seabank were great tree castles built into ancient knarled sea birches. Fearing the monocled horse-mace captain would return soon with greater numbers, the party hid in a sea-cave nearby and reset their hats to a new set of purple order high elves. Upon investigation within the cave, a sculpted archway was found exuding lilac perfume along with sewage from Moonmist. With nowhere else to go, the party followed the sewer deeper, to about the center of the elven (formerly dwarven) town. They waited quietly until nightfall.
Listening at the ornate eight-sided manhole cover, the party determined they were near an inn or tavern of some sort, as a couple were heard nearby talking. Everyone emerged unnoticed and went into the great ballroom of the dance hall smelling of lilacs. Dante Blackmorg (Lance played him) tried to dance with one of the elven maidens, and ended up embarassing himself, but the party was still not exposed. Nearly 100 elves were there at the peak hour of business, and the party kept mostly to themselves at their table, sending their only elf-speaking members to gather information. Telpin and Flegal learned indirectly from a group of wizards playing darts that Jaramon was expected to be dropping by to play later on. Eventually, an opportunity presented itself for the party to confront Jaramon for his earlier crimes, when he departed to the privy to relieve himself. Attacking him on his own, under cover of Joseph's Silence spell, Jaramon would not have had a chance, except for his ring of teleportatation, which he was able to activate without a sound and escape with a few hit points left.
Knowing Jaramon has many wizarding friends, the party unscrewed the privy, moved it aside, slipped back into the sewers and replaced it where it was on their way down. Within a couple of hours, Jaramon and three companions were in the sewers, launching 10d6 fireballs at the party from a distance. The party charged their enemy, running hard and launching spells and arrows to the best of their ability. Telpin went to -9 hp (cauterized by the flames, though, he remained stable). Dante was slain. Pressing the attack, the rest of the group forced Jaramon to teleport away again and abandon his entourage. The party defeated a small dragon-like creation of his, and captured his enchanting sorceress and war-sorcerer. I awarded the party 3,500 xp. We will resume next month, in the sewers below Moonmist. Later, I leveled up Henderson, Mick the Gangly and Telpin. For each of them, reaching 5th level was a pretty uneventful plateau.
Until next time, keep gaming... but don't obsess. Remember there's a real world out there too.
No comments:
Post a Comment