We played the thirteenth session of our Dungeon Module B1: In Search of Unknown AD&D 2e game last night. You can read past play reports here.
The roster for this session was as follows:
- Llombaerth, CG elf thief 3 (Adam)
- Mirkle, N human fighter 1 (Maya)
- Zommernar, CN elf fighter 1 (Nael)
- Bilodeau, man-at-arms (NPC)
- Graves, man-at-arms (NPC)
- Walgretor, half-elf porter (NPC)
Last we played, the party found the goblin Tobb imprisoned inside a chamber in the orcs' lair. The chamber also contained a carving of a fiendish looking idol surrounded by religious symbols and runes. Tobb was combative at first, but upon hearing that the party had slain Drak the orc, Tobb threw himself at their feet and offered to be their slave. Llombaerth could sense a dormant and ancient malevolent presence when he touched the stone carving. Robbernar examined the markings and concluded that they were consistent with pagan barbarian markings, older than Quasqueton itself. Fearing what power the stone might contain, the party convinced Tobb to stay there and ensure that the other goblins did not interact with.
The party left Quasqueton with their treasure in tow. Since they had been in the dungeon so long, it was now evening, and they decided to camp outside the ruins before beginning their trek.
In the middle of the night a shambling, robed figure approached their camp. It did not radiate any heat when viewed with infravision. The party loosed arrows at it, which had no effect. It affixed them with a baleful gaze, its red pinpricks for eyes causing most of the party to flee back inside the ruin in terror. Llombaerth watched from a distance as the figure rummaged through the party's belongings and pocketed the engraved silver plaque which had once been gifted to Erig, Quasqueton's captain of guards. The figure then wandered off and vanished into thin air.
The goblins inside the dungeon told the party that they had encountered the Ghost of Quasqueton, and that they were lucky that it had not demanded all of their treasure as tribute.
The following day, the party descended the hillside and struck out into the forest. The day was uneventful, and they made camp for the night. As they were preparing to sleep, they spotted a pair of animals that looked like bears circling their camp. A pair of owlbears burst through the bushes on either side of them. Mirkle slowed the first owlbear with caltrops while Llombaerth set the second on fire. The flaming owlbear pressed the attack against Robbernar, clobbering him with a claw before tearing his throat out with its beak.
The first owlbear fled into the woods while the second continued to attack. Bronson stood in front of it, waving his troch, and got his head knocked off by a swipe from its claw. Mirkle set her spear against its charge and skewered it. It fled the next round, and Llombaerth put an arrow in its back, killing it.
We picked up from there. The party built a cairn for Bronson and stripped Robbernar of any equipment and valuables. They hung his body up in a tree to keep giant ticks away (the players decided that since elves have no souls, they have no attachment to the bodies of their dead, and are okay with them being used for purposes such as this). Llombaerth took the owlbear's head.
While the party went about their work, they heard people approaching. An elf and two mercenaries appeared. It was Zommernar, daughter of Robbernar, here to find her father. The party let her know that she just missed him. Zommernar went through her father's belongings and took what equipment she needed. The two mercenaries were Bilodeau and Graves. Zommernar had paid them for two weeks' service.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully. The light winds from the previous day persisted, and it was now unseasonably hot as well. It would normally take them an hour and twenty minutes to get clear of the forest at their current movement rate (encumbered by their treasure). Because of the heat, it would take even longer - about two hours. It would take another eight hours to cross the farmland south of Timbershore, so they would have to force march to reach town in time.
It was a long, hard trek, with frequent stops to rest and hydrate, but the party made it back to town without any additional encounters. At the gate, they paid their entrance fees and duties and tariffs on their treasure and headed inside. Not wanting to get fined for carrying foreign currency, they headed to the money changer right away. I also awarded experience points for the recovered treasure at this time, but no one leveled up (Mirkle and Zommernar received only partial XP because both Maya and Nael's characters had died mid-expedition).
The party decided to track down a wizard to determine if any of their treasure items were magical. They asked around and learned about three powerful spellcasters in town: Albertyna, a wizard who lived in a manse in the River Ward, Blanchefleur, a feared cleric who lived in the shell keep in the Chapel Ward, and Lambrecht, the wizard who ruled over all of the town from his castle in the High Ward. Since the party was already in the River Ward, and because Albertyna sounded like the most welcoming of the three, they decided to seek her out.
It was evening now. As they made their way to Albertyna's manse, they encountered a foppish dandy and a noblewoman out for a stroll, accompanied by two armed guards. The woman was tipsy and the dandy was considerably drunk, stumbling, slurring his words, and laughing at his own jokes. The woman seemed perturbed.
The party stood aside for them, and Zommernar tipped her cap to the lady. The dandy said something unintelligible, stumbled, and reached to the lady to support himself, tearing at her dress. The woman's face reddened, she backed away, and one of the guards moved to separate the two. The woman began casting a spell, and suddenly the man began to float in the air. The woman made gestures with her hands and the man began to turn in midair. Sickened, he vomited on the street below.
The party asked the woman if she might happen to be the wizard Albertyna, to which she said yes. The party explained that they had been seeking her out just now, and wondered if she might be able to examine some items for them. She explained that this sort of work was a bit beneath her, but that an underling of hers, Thibaud, could help them. They gifted her with the pewter-studded cloak they had found in Quasqueton, which seemed to endear them to her.
Llombaerth showed her the owlbear head (which he was carrying around this whole time), which seemed to disgust her. She explained that such creatures had haunted the woods since Zelligar's time, and that there were many who believed the mad wizard was responsible for their creation. The party asked if Lambrecht might offer a reward for killing them, but she doubted it. She suggested that, as Lambrecht's agent, she might be able to requisition funds for such a purpose. She instructed the party to visit her manse the following morning.
As Albertyna departed, the foppish dandy, now unconscious, slowly drifted to the ground. The party rifled through his clothing and found some pocket change and four gems, three of which Llombaerth identified as being worth 500 gold pieces each! This alone was enough to get Llombaerth to level 4! At this point I'm considering doing away with 2e's class-based XP rewards, because it is getting a little silly and I feel bad for the rest of the party lagging behind.
The party took the dandy's fine clothes for good measure and dumped his unconscious body in a rubbish bin, then headed back to the Mooring Post to spend the night. Lambrecht enlisted the staff there to boil the flesh from the owlbear's head and return the skull to him, intending to turn it into a helmet.
The next morning, the heatwave persisted, but the winds had let up. The party headed over the Albertyna's manse, where they were met by Janek, an ornery middle-aged fighter who demanded they state their business. After a few turns of being needlessly annoying (and accepting a bribe), he summoned Thibaud, who proceeded to be annoying as well. Mirkle wisely complimented the wizard's stylish hat (a top hat with three tiers, like a wedding cake), which earned them entry to the manse.
They proceeded to Thibaud's study, a dark chamber which the wizard dramatically illuminated with a light spell. "That is but a fraction of the power I wield!" he declared. The magical light glittered gaudily off of a large statue of a nude woman.
The party laid out their items, including their copper and silver inlaid bronze statuette (also of a nude woman), which Thibaud lustily groped, licking his lips. "Where did you find this beautiful specimen?" he asked. The party explained that they had been to Quasqueton, and believed the statue to be a depiction of the stronghold's mistress.
That gave Thibaud pause. Apparently, Lambrecht had been searching for the stronghold, and would be none too pleased to find that some upstart adventurers had located it and begun to plunder its riches. Of course, he was obligated to inform Lambrecht of their trespass. The party explained that there was an even larger, more beautiful statue of a nude woman still in the stronghold, and wouldn't it be a shame if it were to fall into Lambrecht's hands? Thibaud coyly agreed that this would be a waste of such a priceless work of art.
The party traded the statuette in exchange for Thibaud's services in detecting any magic. No magic items were present, but Thibaud was interested in buying the bearskin (a rug would really tie the room together), plus the ring and the pearl the party had recovered in their first expedition. The party made the sale and headed to the manse's opposite wing to meet with Albertyna.
They found Albertyna in her study, brewing a hangover remedy using her elaborate alchemy set. She welcomed them in to have a seat. She had considered the possibility of a bounty for the owlbears and agreed to give the party 50 gold pieces for each owlbear slain, with the potential for a bonus if they rooted out the owlbears in their lair.
The party decided to inform Albertyna of their expeditions to Quasqueton. This troubled Albertyna. She explained that Lambrecht had a claim to Quasqueton, and that it was her duty to repossess any items recovered from there, as they rightfully belonged to her liege lord. The party had just sold the bearskin, which they were using to carry the treasure, so their arms were currently full with a looted tapestry, a pair of mounted ram's horns, and two barbarian swords. Now, if the items weren't from Quasqueton...well, Albertyna would have nothing to report. The party changed their story, instead claiming that they had stumbled upon the treasures in the woods. This pleased Albertyna.
The party asked if it would be a bad thing if Lambrecht came into possession of Quasqueton, to which Albertyna said no, of course not, Lambrecht is the rightful inheritor of Quasqueton and it would be good and just for him to be its ruler.
They asked if Albertyna was interested in hearing rumors about Quasqueton. She said yes, providing the rumors came from a veritable source. The party explained that they had "heard" that there was an ancient stone idol in Quasqueton which may or may not house some ancient malevolent entity intent on subjugating all who lived in the region. "That is a very troubling rumor indeed," Albertyna said, "if it is substantiated."
Since the party had shared a rumor with her, Albertyna felt it only right that she share a rumor with them. She had heard tell of a mercenary who had loudly boasted in taverns around town that he had been to Quasqueton and had single-handedly slain a "demon worm" within. He returned to town with a mule which he advertised as "the Mule of Quasqueton" in a desperate attempt to earn some money when carousing had left his pockets empty. Agents of Lambrecht had come for the man and brought him to the wizard's castle for questioning as to how he found the ruin, what he found there, and who he was with. She explained that most who are taken to the wizard's castle for questioning do not return.
The party asked if, by chance, some group of adventurers should stumble upon Quasqueton, whether they should avoid the place for fear of reprisal. Albertyna explained that Lambrecht is a cautious man, obsessed with portents and omens, and that he will take no action unless he determines that the stars are aligned properly for him to do so. She would never endorse the illegal plundering of Quasqueton, of course, but suggested that the party should keep their ears open for any further rumors about the place and report them to her upon hearing anything.
We wrapped the session there. This was another fun one! Lots of fun social interaction. It was good to get some of the town's NPCs introduced and to have the players learn that they really need to be careful about navigating the local politics and what information about their activities they choose to share. The encounter with Albertyna wandering the streets at night was a random encounter, and it was very fortuitous timing, so I'm happy with how that worked out. I had a lot of fun roleplaying the coy double talk interaction with her at the manse. We really got into a flow state and ended up playing a full hour longer than we had intended.
Next time, the party has a few more things to wrap up in town. They still need to sell the rest of their treasure, and they have expressed interest in recruiting some henchmen and in hiring a river boat to help them bring back more treasure from the dungeon. Then I imagine it will be back to Quasqueton for expedition number three!
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