Location: The Game Keep
Campaign: OAWYM, Session 14
System: Shadow of the Demon Lord
DM: Rusty
The Party:
Byzun (Gary) - Human Sorcerer
Grim Stormheart (Eric) - Dwarf Assassin
Malcer (Graham) - Human Warlock
Val Ravensword (Matt) - Orc Paladin
Dene Ledford - Val's Companion
Tatio - Malcer's Companion
The Session:
I missed last session, but I'm told they continued to party in town, met lots of new people, and Byzun got in a fight with a false prophet. Today the High Priest of Sarthal met with Byzun. The priest asked about battle with the prophet, and gave Byzun a pouch full of money. When the hour of the Feast arrived, we all put on our formal attire, and enjoyed a night of food, shmoozing, and dancing.
Dene wanted to dance with Val as much as possible, but other guests kept cutting in. One woman in particular kept asking Val to dance, which angered Dene. Val managed to calm Dene down, promising to dance with him more in the future. (Note to self: Decide Val's sexual orientation.) Later in the night, as our party all sat down together, Dame Gold joined us and asked a favor. She wanted us to meet her just before dawn, to discuss another job. We got in a night's rest, and went to meet with the Dame.
Gold swore us to absolute secrecy, then revealed that her brother was stricken with lycanthropy. This brother, Hassan Gold, was currently bedridden in another city, on an island about a week's journey away. Dame Gold gave us a potion that would cure Hassan's disease. The catch is that it only has about 40 days of potency left, so time is of the essence. The current protector of the potion, a Dwarf named Grim, was assigned to join us. We left right away, riding towards a coastal town where we intended to book a ship.
After a few hours on the road, we realized we were being followed. One of Gold's servants was riding hard to catch up with us. His horse gave out and we turned around to speak to him. "Disaster!" he gasped, and told us that Gold's manor had been raided and burned. We rode back and investigated. The manor was indeed now in ruins, many were dead, and many more were missing. The Dame was nowhere to be found.
We looked for clues. Rumor had it that the raiders left in ships with black sails. We found a dead raider, who sported a blue and orange fish tattoo. We discovered a journal in his possession, poorly written but still useful. Between the journal entries and the direction the ships were seen retreating, we estimated where we could find the raiders. Having memorized the contents of the journal, Malcer handed it over to the guards.
So now we faced a big decision. Two possible quests - Continue to deliver the cure to Hassan, or follow the raiders and hopefully rescue Dame Gold? It was a tough call, and we talked it over for a bit.
Hassan's medicine delivery had a strict time limit, due both to the potency of the potion and the advancement of his disease. Besides, even if we did rescue the Dame, she probably wouldn't be too happy to see us if it meant we'd let her brother die. On the other hand, if Dame Gold dies, there will be no one to pay us for saving Hassan. And Gold's situation might have an even tighter schedule than Hassan's. It's hard to say since we don't even know who has her and what they're planning to do with her.
We finally decided Hassan was the more pressing of the two. We booked an inn in town, intending to leave at first light. Before bed, we sat down in the inn's tavern to talk about the situation. Soon a messenger entered and told Val to meet him outside. Val went out alone, but told Dene to watch from the door. When Val got outside, the messenger was gone, but a Tiefling was waiting for her.
He told her that the Iron Circle wasn't finished, and handed her a bloody sack. The bag contained the head of one of our former contacts, a man who had helped us fight the Iron Circle earlier. Then the Tiefling drew his sword. Val charged, and the fight was on. Dene reentered the inn and alerted the rest of the party. Meanwhile, a Dark Adept and an Iron Defender joined the fight outside.
The Dark Adept cast a large zone of darkness, but Grim and Val had no problem seeing in it, so they continued to whack at him. Tatio dealt the killing blow, ending the battle. We stood there a moment, pondering the ramifications of this encounter.
So... at this very moment, the Iron Circle might be reasserting their power back in Albridge, rendering our previous victory moot. Meanwhile, Hassan Gold is dying and needs the medicine in our possession. And meanwhile, Dame Gold may be the captive of raiders, facing an uncertain fate. Three possible quests, all needing immediate attention.
We turned in for the night, and ended the session there.
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