DF Novices, Sessions 39 & 40 - A Goodly Haul
The "A-Team" of Novices played last the last 2 Tuesdays as usual. I need a better name for this campaign than DF Novices, considering the party aren't novices any more. I am considering a few possibilities...
Session Dates: Tuesday 18 and 25 July 2023
Party roster:
Doran Longbeard, dwarf knight, 128 points (PC)
Eleanor Bayley, human thief, 138 points (PC)
Erizax Ofaris, human wizard, 148 points (PC)
Ben, half-ogre barbarian, 89 points (PC)
Merrill Tangled Tail, cat-folk martial artist, 65 points (PC)
Randall, human warrior, 125 points (NPC)
Renaud Aymon, human holy warrior, 103 points (NPC)
Agis Keylar, wood elf cleric, 135 points (NPC)
Methra, cultist of Subgar, unknown points (NPC)
Ganelon, cultist of Subgar, unknown points (NPC)
Campaign Date: 27 June onwards, Year 645 of the Vycenaean Empire.
After defeating the wight, the party searched the remaining chambers of Titan's Hand. They found some sort of wizard or alchemist laboratory, and a door beyond. The lab was full of bones and skulls piled up and littered about. Despite some initial caution, the party accidentally disturbed the bones and awoke or activated three flaming skulls and a skeleton.
In the cramped confines of the chamber, they fought a slow retreat. Ben was grappled by the unarmed skeleton, but he was less concerned by that than he was the semi-corporeal and hard to injure flaming skulls. Despite being grappled, the half ogre managed to force back the skeleton, and eventually he was able to slam it against the wall and crush it with his shield, finishing it off. Eventually the party won the attrition and defeated the skulls.
The room beyond was a small chamber empty except for thick dust, which had been newly disturbed by footprints. Natural light came down from a hole in the ceiling high above. The recent boot prints in the dust seemed to go one way only, entering the chamber, but not returning. Eleanor speculated that the occupant may have flown upwards and out through the aperture in the ceiling.
The room beyond was a small chamber empty except for thick dust, which had been newly disturbed by footprints. Natural light came down from a hole in the ceiling high above. The recent boot prints in the dust seemed to go one way only, entering the chamber, but not returning. Eleanor speculated that the occupant may have flown upwards and out through the aperture in the ceiling.
Having explored all the other doors they had found, the group returned to the magical stone door on the other side of the wight's tomb. That door had previously zapped Doran to near-unconsciousness (16 damage, ignoring armour), and the party was extremely wary of it. After some time of discussion of options, Erizax and Ben carefully took up the stone lid of the sarcophagus and attempted to smash the door. Ben was zapped (18 damage) and they dropped the stone lid, breaking it on the floor. The door itself appear unharmed.
Erizax noticed that the magical aura of the door appeared to have waned, although it was gradually getter brighter again; it appeared that it would not be long before it was back at full strength. He rushed to Doran, and they quickly inserted the key and were able to unlock the door without being zapped. At Erizax's suggestion, Randall wedged the stone door open with the broken sarcophagus lid and the party carefully proceeded while studiously avoiding further contact with the open door.
The chamber beyond was a small treasure vault. Inside was a large closed (and locked) chest, and a smaller chest which was open and brimming with copper coins. After determining there were no traps, they carefully extracted the chests while continuing to be wary of the magical door. They took stock of their prize...
Small chest (open) full of copper coins ($4544) and a silver dagger ($400*).
Large chest containing: a pair of ornate shortswords ($1000* each); a set of fancy metal cooking/eating ware ($1600*, 50 lbs) wrapped in decaying cloth; 5 silver ingots (1 lb, $1000* each); a cracked blue leather pouch holding 259 small golden coins (electrum; 0.1 lb, $100 each; $25900*, 2.8 lb total).
Add this to the masterwork broadsword (ornate, balanced +1 skill; $3600*) from the wight, the wight's rusty mail hauberk, the cape of invisibility and backpack of 612 copper coins found previously, and it amounted to quite a haul. The primary concern was how to get it back to Bridgegate safely and quickly, considering the party's exhaustion level from several days roughing it, and the risk of being attacked while vulnerable....
In the end, they decided that Eleanor would return to Bridgegate alone as she could make faster time unencumbered, at up to 3 times as fast as the group would together. She got back safely to town in one day, and in a couple days, through her contact Baris, hired a couple of porters to carry the loot. Resupplied with food, and with Baris as guide and the porters in tow, Eleanor returned to the Hand. The journeys were thankfully uneventful, and they made it back to Bridgegate with all the loot intact.
Once in Bridgegate, after taking care of the Cost of Living expenses, and paying off their debt to the merchant Talni out of their liquid cash, they considered how to convert their remaining loot into cash. They took the option to increase Eleanor's wealth 2 levels, from Struggling to Comfortable, meaning they would get paid 60% rather than 20% for their goods. This process took 3 weeks (I only charge CoL for the first week of R&R), and the group will have as long as they want for training time, placing special orders for equipment that isn't immediately available, etc (I will simply move the campaign calendar forward the necessary amount).
Now that the quest is complete, Agis and Renaud will both be leaving the party. The group wants to return to the cursed mine next, and the cleric and holy warrior each have their own more pressing commitments elsewhere. The players are deciding whether to hire an NPC healer to supplement their number before the next session...
Erizax noticed that the magical aura of the door appeared to have waned, although it was gradually getter brighter again; it appeared that it would not be long before it was back at full strength. He rushed to Doran, and they quickly inserted the key and were able to unlock the door without being zapped. At Erizax's suggestion, Randall wedged the stone door open with the broken sarcophagus lid and the party carefully proceeded while studiously avoiding further contact with the open door.
The chamber beyond was a small treasure vault. Inside was a large closed (and locked) chest, and a smaller chest which was open and brimming with copper coins. After determining there were no traps, they carefully extracted the chests while continuing to be wary of the magical door. They took stock of their prize...
Small chest (open) full of copper coins ($4544) and a silver dagger ($400*).
Large chest containing: a pair of ornate shortswords ($1000* each); a set of fancy metal cooking/eating ware ($1600*, 50 lbs) wrapped in decaying cloth; 5 silver ingots (1 lb, $1000* each); a cracked blue leather pouch holding 259 small golden coins (electrum; 0.1 lb, $100 each; $25900*, 2.8 lb total).
Add this to the masterwork broadsword (ornate, balanced +1 skill; $3600*) from the wight, the wight's rusty mail hauberk, the cape of invisibility and backpack of 612 copper coins found previously, and it amounted to quite a haul. The primary concern was how to get it back to Bridgegate safely and quickly, considering the party's exhaustion level from several days roughing it, and the risk of being attacked while vulnerable....
In the end, they decided that Eleanor would return to Bridgegate alone as she could make faster time unencumbered, at up to 3 times as fast as the group would together. She got back safely to town in one day, and in a couple days, through her contact Baris, hired a couple of porters to carry the loot. Resupplied with food, and with Baris as guide and the porters in tow, Eleanor returned to the Hand. The journeys were thankfully uneventful, and they made it back to Bridgegate with all the loot intact.
Once in Bridgegate, after taking care of the Cost of Living expenses, and paying off their debt to the merchant Talni out of their liquid cash, they considered how to convert their remaining loot into cash. They took the option to increase Eleanor's wealth 2 levels, from Struggling to Comfortable, meaning they would get paid 60% rather than 20% for their goods. This process took 3 weeks (I only charge CoL for the first week of R&R), and the group will have as long as they want for training time, placing special orders for equipment that isn't immediately available, etc (I will simply move the campaign calendar forward the necessary amount).
Now that the quest is complete, Agis and Renaud will both be leaving the party. The group wants to return to the cursed mine next, and the cleric and holy warrior each have their own more pressing commitments elsewhere. The players are deciding whether to hire an NPC healer to supplement their number before the next session...
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