Simple premise for the 1st meeting, 1st adventure - bandits. But as usual, I have long reaching ideas and eventual pathways that this can go - and it's never as "face value" as the group thinks. I also like to name my adventures - and this one is called "A Touch of Spice". Comes from being an old Star Trek fan and enjoying the revelation sort of titles to the episodes.
This was a get together, role play, go out and get a feel for the area and the people that make it up. There will be d20 rolling at some point, but not for another meeting or two.
Write up follows:
Flimflam had a sit down with his son Ironboar about the possibility of running an adventuring group as the elder gnome had been asked by Baron Taugis to head a group. The younger gnome who was in the process of self pleasuring agreed to the group and the two of them spoke into the night about the meeting the next day and who might join up.
Meanwhile across town near Sutor’s Forge, the Rhyback family was sitting down to dinner. Derrick, the patriarch of the half-orcish family, listened to his 2 younger sons casually bring up the criers today and their interest in interviewing people for an adventuring party on the morrow. Device, the elder and templar cleric to Athena and Tempi, the younger and known to be a bit unstable and brutish, both wanted to join. Their mother was worried about them and wanted them to remember to come home often.
Device snuck out with a few bottles of homemade swill he had been making and “bribed” Flimflam Waywocket to accept his 2 sons into the group tomorrow. The gnome was familiar with Device and the younger one was familiar with Tempi, so it was assumed the answer would be yes.
On the eastern end of town just north of the Elven Quarter, a trio of three elves were meeting in the Ogre Doors Inn and knocking back a weak wine, each of them agreeing to join the possible group on the morrow. Enthir, the eldest, was a scribe and wizard, Marcus was a spellsword and archer, and Fist’al, the youngest of the 3, had come to town as a scout over a year and a half ago with lots of money in his pocket and never seemed to need for anything. They agreed to meet in the morning and apply for the job.
Plantmonth the 2nd dawned bright and clear and the Town Hall was opened with Zarik Ikarsbane, the local hero and town’s First Citizen, sitting court to help guide Flimflam and usher in the possible applicants. And it was a dismal showing. For the majority of the morning on three people showed to join: Device Rhyback the half-orc cleric, Tempi Rhyback the half-orc warrior and hothead, and Enthir the Grey Elven wizard who was outmassed by the Rhyback brothers by almost a factor of 3. Each.
Small displays of power were given as well as a short speech of who each person was and their skills and shortcomings. Eventually we learned that 2 other elves were supposed to come but hadn’t shown up as of yet. We agreed to each other and a Charter was requested from the Baron as well as a brief discussion of what our job would be.
Banditry was the first on the list. We had three of the furthest homesteads been targeted over the last 4 weeks where a variety of sundry items were taken. In one case, the Dormanger family, the eldest son had actually interrupted some of the theft and had been wounded in the scuffle. It was suggested we go and find what is going on that far from Shakun and bring the bandits to justice. 50 crowns if we disrupt their banditry and bring them to justice, 25 crowns if we are unable to recover the stolen goods.
At this point the 2nd elf, Marcus, strode in. Resplendent in his armor, a 4 and half foot long bow across his back, he looked every bit the elven warrior. His application was accepted almost immediately and we brought him up to speed. Flimflam had asked the Baron Taugis would lend us a horse and cart and we were given a swaybacked nag and hay cart to use, knowing we would have to return it at end of day.
We geared up and met at south gate where we took ownership of the cart and horse, climbed on, and rode out of town through the fields and homesteads. It took us the better part of an hour to ride to the furthest south and west homesteads – larger parcels of lands each over 70 acres large. The first family was the Jerinston family.
From our conversation with the family patriarch, Henes, we learned that he was robbed at dusk when coming back from town. They took his nag, the short cart he had been driving, as well as whatever he had gotten that day: 50 commons, 80 bits, 3 weeks of food stuff and feed for the horses, 40 worked 2x4 plankings, 2# of iron nails and the metal bucket they were in, as well was 5 yards of sky blue with white thread shot fabric he had picked up for the misses and daughter for the Gaia’s Day dance next week.
We know it happened on market day and he was a little inebriated on the way home. Also he could tell there were 2 assailants. One was behind him with a knife to his throat and he suspected a second one and it smelled faintly…pretty. It was dark and did not see and they took his stuff and left.
From there we went to the next homestead the Dormanger family. It was here that we spoke to the family leader, a proud man named Orin. He had been robbed twice – the first time they only took a single plowshare and he at the time thought his younger had left it in the field. The second time was just 3 days ago and his eldest son, Verim, was accosted during the robbery.
They took 1 yoke for his oxen, a second plowshare, 100’ of braided wire for fencing, some pliers and snips, 2 bridles, 5 gallons of distilled vinegar and 1 gallon of olive oil.
We spoke to Verim and had the young man healed, his arm wound was in bad shape. The Dormanger family was happy to talk to us and we sat at their table to eat. Verim was not very descriptive of what happened and some of his points were vague. It was at the early part of the morn and he was hit from behind, struggled, and then slashed and left there as they stole from him.
Under more direct questioning he claimed he was tired and went to his room to rest. So Flimflam and Ironboar went in to talk to him after Orin let us know that Verim was upset at moving out here 6 months ago and leaving his friends in the city behind. There was a girl involved, Liera, and she was part of a family that Orin didn’t want his son associating with.
The two gnomes talked to Verim but Ironboar and the young man grew angered at one another and then blows were thrown and the two men struggled as Verim claimed it was goblins and Ironboar called him a bloody liar. Flimflam was forced to heal the young man again and we got him to calm down and learned that Liera was there with her brother and some of her friends. They wanted to get some stuff and maybe have their own homestead. Verim had relations with Liera and was very in love but the gnomes think that she was using and duping the young man.
As for the goblins, he swears it was true and the goblins came from nowhere and attacked Liera and her friends and well as Verim and then everyone fled.
We went with Verim and Orin the back of the acreage where we saw the back gate had been forced opened and crudely wrapped with wire fencing. Some drag marks led off to the west and the hills there but that meant little to us as it was lost quickly.
We left the Dormanger family it was just after 2 PM on Plantmonth the 2nd and were talking of what we learned, Ironboar needing to chill the hell out, and going to see the Gallowspire family next.
No comments:
Post a Comment