There are, throughout the world, dozens, perhaps hundreds of taverns, all similar to the Pale Wheel Guesthouse. Dim lights, dirty floors, and cheap drinks. And information, of course there is always information available for the right price. In this case, the right price was a bottle of amber liquid and a willingness to listen to a man to whom few people pay attention. But his story was definitely worth it…
The scariest monster in Castles and Crusades
Having searched the draugr forge and found it lacking in treasure, the group does something very unusual: they split up. Hammer and Ransook go one way, while everyone else goes the other.
Editor’s note: for a multitude of reasons, only Hammer and Ransook’s players showed up for this session. As they are the two least powerful PC’s in the campaign, things had to be toned down considerably, and eventually Willow was added as an NPC to provide medical care.
Hammer and Ransook encounter several of the draugr and an ogre ally, but little else of interest. In one main room, however, the two (and Willow) encounter three draugr armed with wooden clubs, leather armor, and a rust monster on a leash. Even though it does no actual physical damage, the rust monster tips the scales in favor of the draugr, and the PC’s are on the ropes most of the fight. The rust monster itself consumes Hammer’s bearded axe and Willow’s masterwork warhammer, mace, and chainmail suit. Ransook finally manage to lodge enough arrows in the rust monster’s armored hide, and the battle turns in their favor.
Finally, the three come across the stone bridge reputed to be the last stand of the Hammerhands. On the bridge of the bottomless chasm reside ghostly remnants of the dwarf army. Far beneath the bridge is a another shadowy threat, a belker. Hammer, with surprising ease, dispatches the belkar while Ransook is scaling the cliff walls looking for the Celestine Mirror. With the belker defeated, the ghostly veterans laid to rest, and the magical mirror recovered, the group heads back the surface.
Despite their victory, the group is hungry and now short equipment, so they head for the nearby town of Fair Oaks. Fair Oaks is anything but, however, as the PC’s discover that the authorities tend to round up outsiders as thieves and debtors as sell them into indentured servitude. After buying four prisoners from the courts, Ransook and the rest of the group decide to have a few words with the sheriff. Angry words become threats, and before you know it the PC’s have slain half the town guard and quite a few townsfolk and have lit several buildings on fire. Needless to say, the PC’s flee the city. Once safely away, Hammer informs the group that he has had enough of this quest (his own fault to begin with, some think silently) and heads out on his own.
CK Notes:
Both participants receive 1800 XP for the adventure.
Hammer’s player had been slowly becoming disenchanted with the lack of interesting advances available to barbarians. At third level he could only activate a power that made his a peril to his teammates. Looking ahead to fifth, all he had coming was the ability to essentially have a few extra hit points. Following this session, he asked if he could change PC’s completely. In the past I’ve said players could swap out PC’s any time, and in fact one had switched character classes, but this was the first total character change. Given Hammer limitations, both in abilities and personality, it seemed wise.
