Adventure 13

Party Members:
Cloverdung – 4th Level Ranger
Othello – 4th Level Thief
Gubikla – 4th Level Magic User

The adventurers awake near the Pool of Silent Grace. For some reason, Hammar wandered off in the night. As camp is being packed up, Cloverdung approaches the naked blue lady in the pool, Nymawaya. He offers her the un-hatched owlbear egg so that she can raise it as a pet to help protect her home. She accepts the egg and provides Cloverdung with a few magical arrows (+2). With the camp packed, the group decides to head back to town to try and find the oracles, who might know more about the green book that can operate the magical portals.

As Cloverdung is leading the group through the woods, he notices an unusual patch of bushes. The bushes appear to be ‘staged’ in some way. Cloverdung takes out a torch and lights it, in preparation for flushing out whatever is behind the bushes. Othello decides to head around one side of the bushes when Cloverdung suddenly drops the torch and shoots an arrow into the brush. Apparently, there was something behind the bushes because a thud – splat sound is heard. From the side, Othello can see a human collapse, with an arrow stuck in his eye. An arrow comes flying out of the brush and strikes Cloverdung in the shoulder. Othello fires his hand-crossbow to put down a second human. Cloverdung returns fire to kill the final human left.

Meanwhile, the dropped torch begins to ignite the tall grass. So, Cloverdung and Othello begin to search the bodies. Gubikla pokes his head up out of the tall grass to see what is going on, and then joins in with the looting. Some weapons and gear are found. There is a silver ring found on each of the dead bodies. It appears to have similar gem-insets as the amulets the group has found on creatures that seem bent to harm them. Othello finds a note on one of the men that states they are to meet up with Bob in town, to ‘take care of the nuisances’. Cloverdung writes a note that states, ‘This is what happens when you mess with Hammar’, and places it on the bodies. Cloverdung pulls out his magical mirror and places it over one of the dead guy’s face. The mirror will retain the image and allow Cloverdung to use the face as a disguise. Cloverdung also grabs that guy’s clothes (gloves & armor) so he can dress as him, to complete the charade. The goal is to go into town, meet with Bob, pretending to be this guy for hire, to see who is behind this mess. As the group presses on towards town, fire is spreading in the woods.

When the group arrives close to town, Gubikla and Othello head to the Fishing Bear Inn, where the group currently has rooms. Cloverdung does not want to enter town at the same time, so he heads to farmer Picks place for some apple cider.

When Othello and Gubikla enter the Inn, they notice a couple of guys at the bar, wearing similar leather as the guys killed in the bushes. So, they decide to sit at a table and have a nice big lunch. While they are eating, they see one of the men in leather nod at the other, and then leave the bar. Othello studies the last guy at the bar and notices a large long sword across his back. Gubikla, secretly, casts detect magic and notice the long sword seems to be magical, as well as something in his backpack. Gubikla finishes his lunch, then heads upstairs. Once he is upstairs out of site, Gubikla casts invisibility on himself. Soon after, Squint comes walking bow-legged out of Hammar’s room. Gubikla can hear Hammar hollering for more ale. Gubikla follows Squint back downstairs and slips through the door as she opens and closes it. Now that Gubikla is back in the bar, he stands near Othello.

Meanwhile, out of town at the apple cider brewery, Cloverdung is drinking with farmer Pick and a couple of other farmers.

Finally, Othello has finished his lunch and decides to go for a stroll to the local weapons maker. As Othello leaves the bar, Gubikla notices the guy from the bar get up and follow. Once outside, the guy in leather motions another man in leather, hanging out by a shack. This guy, in turn, motions to another up on the roof across the way. Gubikla determines there are several guys, working with a system, to follow Othello as he walks through town.

Othello enters the weapon maker’s shop and begins to ask about getting a special dagger made. Gubikla waits outside, watching the men in leather keeping tabs on Othello. After several minutes of shopping by Othello, he finally leaves to go to a local temple to inquire about getting a special incantation casts on a weapon to make it magical. After lying about his allegiance to the church, he pays enough gold to get information about getting a weapon empowered with magical abilities. The thugs and Gubikla have followed Othello and continue to watch. While waiting, Gubikla notices his invisibility is about to wear off, so he casts another one. If Othello continues to shop too much longer, Gubikla is going to run out of invisibility spells.

Finally, Othello is content with his findings and decides to go back to the Fishing Bear Inn. When riding the ferry back to the Inn, Gubikla decides to fly across instead. Once Othello and the guy following him go back into the Inn, Gubikla flies to the roof. Before landing and going back into the Inn on the second floor, Gubikla hovers in front of Hammar’s window, trying to get a glimpse of Hammar and Squint doing it. Hammar is passed out while Squint is still going after it. Once back inside, Gubikla rejoins Othello at a table down in the bar. While Othello is buying rounds for everyone there (trying to get the guy watching him to drink too much), Cloverdung is entering town, disguised as the guy from the bushes. He is pretending to be a little drunk.

Cloverdung finally enters the bar and sees the one guy in leather at the bar. Cloverdung sits next to him and whispers, ‘Where’s Bob?” (hoping like hell this is not Bob he is asking). The guy whispers back, out front across the way with the others. Cloverdung heads outside and finds a small group of men in leather across the way. Cloverdung approaches and says “Here I am, what’s up?” Bob, a little confused because there were supposed to be three men total asks where the other two are. Cloverdung tells a story of how they came across a dead guy in the woods with a wagon full of ale. So, they decided to start drinking, a lot. Cloverdung says he realized they needed to move on and get to town, but the other two were too drunk to continue, so he left them. Bob buys the story and starts going over the plan to kill Othello and Gubikla, who are still inside the Inn.

There are 7 men in leather total; five will go in while one will stay on the roof across the Inn, ready with some loaded crossbows. When Bob tells Cloverdung to go around back, Cloverdung instead offers to go up to the roof to take that post, while the guy up there goes around back. Bob and the other 5 men head into the bar, staggering their entrances so it is not all at once. Bob sits at a table in the corner. The other 4 sit at two other tables. One is already at the bar. All of them are trying to watch Othello and Gubikla, without being noticed.

As Cloverdung reaches the top of the roof on the building across the road, he sees a man in leather, with two crossbows beside him, watching the Inn. Cloverdung (disguised still) approaches and tells the man he was sent to provide another loaded crossbow. Cloverdung offers to load the weapon while the guy continues to watch the door of the Inn. As soon as the crossbow is loaded, Cloverdung aims it at the back of the guy’s head and fires. The man takes damage, and as he starts to figure out what is happening, Cloverdung hollers “Oooopps”. The man does not buy it was an accident and swings his sword at Cloverdung. After a few failed hits, by both, the man screams “Traitor!” Fortunately, the men in the bar cannot hear what is going on outside.  Finally, Cloverdung connects with his sword and kills the guy.

Back in the Inn, as the men prepare to pounce on Othello and Gubikla, a fog starts filling the room from under the front door. A few of the men are surrounded by fog while everyone else in the bar comes to attention. Apparently, Cloverdung has cast fog from the rooftop in hopes of evening the numbers between his companions and the bad men in there. Finally, Bob shouts, from within the fog, “Attack!”

Gubikla, quick on the draw, blasts one of the guys with his scorching ray. Othello pierces another with his hand-crossbow and drops him. Cloverdung, on the roof across the road still, readies his bow and watches the front door of the Inn. One of the men charges into Othello and Gubikla’s table, knocking it over and pinning Othello behind it. A couple more men charge towards Othello and Gubikla. One of the men hears Cloverdung scream for the town guard, and decides to leave out the front door. Gubikla sees the two men charging him so he casts Thuderwave. One is damaged while the other is thrown back into the fireplace, dead and burning. The charging guy swings his battleaxe, missing Othello, but smashing the table. Othello kills him with his bow. The guy who ran out the front door is hit with an arrow by Cloverdung. While not dead, he is temporarily laying on the ground from the surprised impact. Finally, Bob comes flying out of the fog with his magic long sword (something is dripping from the blade) and strikes Gubikla. The damage is kind of severe; however, the paralysis is more of a problem. Othello is able to kill Bob before he can get a free attack on Gubikla. Outside, as the last guy tries to get up and run off, he is killed by Cloverdung with two more arrows.

As the fog dissipates and Cloverdung enters the Inn, there are dead bodies lying around, waiting to be searched. Othello and Cloverdung begin cleaning the loot off of the bodies, while Gubikla is still paralyzed. Silver rings are found on the guys, as well as some weapons. Gubikla finally shakes off the paralysis, right before Othello was about to search his body for treasure.

Cloverdung did learn from Bob that apparently someone named Snake is involved with this mess about trying to kill the group. The group should ask Borriss about this person the next time they meet.

Hammar comes staggering downstairs wondering why he has not received a fresh pint of ale, grabs a pint, and heads back upstairs.