Campaign Journal: The Road to Chirath

The curtain rises on our heroes:

• Fulvus: halfling
• Slick: Thief
• Jax: Barbarian
• Orzu: Gnome (returning after a hiatus)

After the return to Neuforde, the party refitted and hired up a few new horse-guards and drovers. And, of course, they asked Hugo what he might have in stock. The gnome alchemist has a couple of his special healing potions available, as well as an "explosive paste" that Slick took interest in. Hugo also gave the party a crock of "caustic sludge" (alchemical waste) that they may find uses for.

Some catch-up of events and discussion, as Orzu's player has been on walkabout for a couple of months. The decision was made to head to the city of Chirath, regional capital for the Hougon Duchy, since a number of potential resources were rumored in the city and surrounds.

Bright and early the next morning, the party rolled out. A long day of travel, and no untoward events, brought the party to the gates of the town of Laford, located at a 'Y' in the trade road. The guards were roused and reluctantly opened the town gates. They grumpily pointed the party toward the town's inn ("The Half-Full Cup") and went back to their guard-house. 

The halfling proprietor took a look at the party and their retainers, did some quick mental calculations, and said, "Wait a moment." Some commotion and noise was heard from upstairs, and he returned. "A room has just opened up..." The local beer-seller was happy to talk shop with Fulvus, and essentially shared the family recipe. Everyone had lodging and a good stew to close the night. Slick stole a hat (pointy, indigo).

The next morning, the party was greeted with pastries from a local shop and sent on their way with well wishes. Some time after noon, the party crossed a river ford. Buzzards were spotted in the sky. Slick dismounted, went invisible, and scouted ahead.

Always a good sign

Sure enough, the remains of a recent, desperate battle. A Chirath patrol had encountered a Chaos force, and both parties appeared to have fought to the death. Slick returned to the party to report, and they returned to the field of battle to loot, er, look for survivors. None were found. Identifying sigils were collected to carry to the next outpost. Slick collected a "nice" scimitar with a matte black blade. Deducing that it might be magical, but curious if it might be intelligent, the sword was presented to Faith Perpetual. "Dumb," it said. Collecting a few more artifacts, the party departed. 

The next town, Sokniholm, had a Chirath garrison, and the party passed on the word of the patrol's demise. A recovery party was dispatched. Slick hid the scimitar in the wagon...

The party checked into "The Wizard's Pipe" for the night. Orzu found a fellow cult member (he had previously joined a cult as the result of a carousing mishap). They traded secret hand signs and went off to kill a goat or something. 

The following day, the relic gauntlet of Sister Sowena's Fist indicated a possible barrow off the road. Following it like a water witcher's stick, sure enough, a barrow was located. 

The party crept down some steps, and Slick managed to crack open a locked double door. Upon opening the door, corroded wires were found, indicating a lucky trap failure. They passed a hall of "Old Khador" statues, and a collapsed area. Two more doors were passed. The trap on the second door was still functional, and zapped Slick for some significant damage. It also incinerated his newly-stolen hat. He had a sad.

Slick quaffed a Hugo Healing Potion(tm). This one was from a bad batch, and Slick spent the rest of the explorations cramping and nauseous. 

Sure enough, the doors guarded a funeral chamber, with a snazzy sarcophagus. Jax and Fulvus pried off the lid, revealing a deceased knight. Moments later he rose, shakily. He looked at the relic gauntlet, and at Faith Perpetual. Attempting to speak, he realized his lower jaw had fallen away. Frustrated, he stepped out of the sarcophagus, motioning. No one caught the hint, and he grabbed Orzu's spellbook, flipping to a blank page. Finally, the party caught on, and the knight was given a quill and ink. 

"I am Brother Odom. Am I called again?" Yes. A brief status report. "I have soldiers."

Retrieving his sword, the undead knight led the party into the deeper extent of the tomb. The party passed another Khador statue, this one garlanded with several gold and silver chains. It was noted that they were lifted and disappeared by some invisible entity.

The knight led the party on. The lower chamber of the tomb was a cavern, damp and heavily festooned with fungus. As were the remnant soldiers. They rose, and Brother Odom stepped back. He turned to the party, motioning them to cover their eyes. All did, except Orzu, who was attemping a spell. Doh. 

A blast of light, and the zombies were damaged and stunned for a moment. Orzu was blinded, and his spell went off. A number of bulls charged from the ceiling to floor. Hench Torvald picked Orzu up and carried him out of harm's way.

The party closed with the corrupted soldiers, trading blows in the close quarters. Mushrooms were diced. No Orzu, you shouldn't taste one.

Battle done, the party decided what to do with their new ally, since an undead knight trailing them to town would likely not make a good first impression. Did he know were Hardbrand Tower was? Yes. Your old allies guard the tower. You should join them, but stay out of sight on your travels. The knight nodded and walked off into the woods. Orzu's vision cleared.

courtesy of u/Raznag

The party camped along the road that night. All was quiet until the horses alarmed, and one of the guards shouted that something was moving in the brush. Torches flared, and a giant constrictor was spotted attempting to stalk a horse. The snake was dogpiled. A miscast light spell didn't blind the snake, but it did illuminate the battle nicely. Jax beheaded the snake with aplomb. Fulvus took the head for his brewery wall collection. Jax skinned it for later accessorizing.

Morning and onto Chirath. The city, like Acroria, had been rebuilt, and expanded, although to a greater extent than the northern city. The walls appeared to have been rebuilt taller than their original construction. Dust of caravans were seen, and a new arena ("The Bear Garden") stands outside the western gate. 

source

The gate guards questioned the party as to their affiliations and purpose in town. They inspected the various snake body parts in the wagon. 50gp, apiece, to enter. Affronted by the fee, Orzu took the guard captain aside and found a bottle of whiskey in his pack, offering it to the guard. 15gp, apiece. Done. 

Weapons were accounted and peace-bonded, as this was an orderly, law-abiding city. Of course.

The party asked after lodgings, and the guard captain was invited to dine with them at one of the finer places in town. He accepted the invitation, as well as recommending an inn ("The Crossed Blades") just outside of the south city gates, with its amiable dwarven proprietor.  

The party checked into the inn, met the owner, and settled in for the night.

DM Notes:

Covered a bit of ground. Again, with a couple of players down, things moved fairly quickly. 

I'd prepped up elements for whatever direction the players chose, so the folder was a bit thicker than usual. Some features, like Chirath City Limits, I'd written up some time back, so that was just a simple printing. But it gave me an opportunity to sort my game night portfolio, as it had gotten a bit disorganized.

Slick was the only party member to not have a magic weapon, and since this is a generous DM, and he'd volunteered his hench to stay with the naga, a magical weapon needed to "fall off the wagon." I'd made up a list of ten magic weapons, so Slick's player got to roll for the weapon found in the dead hands of the patrol captain. It's a "dumb" magic sword, but does have a secondary quality, to be revealed later.

The barrow was a quick write-up using the above map. I'll stat it up and post it later, although the fungal zombies were lifted from The Banshee's Tower. Poor Brother Odom. He had a rough day, losing his soldiers, and his jaw. 

Hugo really needs to work on his quality control.