Old School Economy

This past week I tried running a mystery in my Swords & Wizardry campaign. While I am running what is advertised to be an OSR campaign I do like to try something different just to change things up. I used “Nine-Tenths of the Law” from Dungeon Magazine 26 (Nov/Dec 1990) written by Willie Walsh for AD&D. I changed the maps and updated the plot to fit my campaign but kept the basic plot the same. The players were soon racing all over the town of Edgerton trying to find clues. The players seemed a little lost at times but eventually managed to pick up the necessary clues to move forward with the plot.

Like many mysteries, the adventure plot takes place according to a timeline that is fairly fluid. This allowed the players to take downtime. One player decided to advertise for an apprentice and another decided to buy an old run-down tavern. I have some veteran players in the group and they are doing their part to help me with the economics. I wanted to run this campaign in the style of the games I played back in the 1980s. Treasure is needed for experience points. A lot of treasure. I am cutting back some of the treasure in the published adventures but the players are still accumulating a fair amount. But they are not rolling in gold coins because they are finding things to spend the gold upon. They bought a Chapter House for the adventure company. They bought 50% in a struggling copper mine. They are repairing an old temple to a goddess followed by one player. One player has an expensive fiance. And now one player has a tavern - that is a wreck that will need a lot of work. Of course, now I have to come up with the cost and the time needed to repair the Tavern.

Session 42 Find Nerick

Players: Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alonso (human fighter).

As the session opens the players leave the Temple of Medamellara in the Valley of Heroes bound for Caster's Ford. In Caster’s Ford they find that Tolfin the riverboat captain is waiting for them. They pay him 20 gold and set out south for Edgerton. On the first day, they are ambushed by a band of goblins. The goblins have stretched a rope across the river catching their boat. Lakima uses fireballs’ to wipe out most of the goblins. They make camp at the side of the river and the goblins return late in the evening but are driven off.

They arrive in Edgerton late in the evening the next day. Their manservant Huntley tells them of a rough-looking man who keeps coming by looking for them. The next morning they meet this stranger. Holger Kurtz, the thief Domago saved who was dying in the crypt beneath St. Bethesda. Holger keeps repeating that he owes them a debt and is at their command. Lakima suggests Holger join up with the thief Carric. Domago suggests he help out at the Church of St. Aleena. Holger leaves a little confused. 

Eathwund goes to the magistrates and checks in on the ownership of the Ten Bells Tavern that they investigated the previous week (Red Cap Rampage). He learns it has sat unoccupied for 20 years. For a 200 gold transaction fee, he gets the legal title. That evening he goes over and checks it out. He ends up having to kill a giant spider living in the storeroom. He also spots the ghost of Mari Kell. She is still haunting the tavern - but is no longer violent.

So you bought a Tavern

Alonso spends time studying the Field Guide to Demons. Lakima goes to check up on Malyn the Apothecary. He finds three clerics of the Dark Lady in the shop having a conversation with Malyn. He leaves. Lakima decides to post a notice in the town square looking for an apprentice.

A few days later their old friend Marta, Abbot of St. Cuthbert, comes to visit and tells them of a man named Nerick he needs them to find. Nerick is a werewolf. He paid to be cured but changed before the spell could be cast. Marta offers 1,000 gold to find Nerick. He has no idea where to look. Lakima goes looking for a good sketch artist and finds one who agrees to create several images of Nerick from Marta's description. They post the images with a 5 gold reward around town. Even as the poster goes up in the Low Market a young man named Sligh approaches them. Sligh tells them that Nerick has a wife in town who lives near the Tax Collector's tower. He gets 1 silver for bringing them to the tower (5 gold if Nerick is there). They meet Cindal, Nerick's wife, who is very surprised that Nerick is alive and back in town. She tells them (for 1 silver) that Nerick went off on an adventure in the Cursed Marsh three months ago and did not come back alive. Only his friend Germad came back. She has been pestering Germad for compensation.

From the information provided by Cindal the players pay a visit to Germad. He is surprised that Nerick has returned. He is not surprised about the lycanthropy. Germad is now the Captain of the Citadel Guards. He does tell them that there was another surviving adventurer. The mage Lavinia Crane lives outside the town near the East Gate.

They visit Livinia who is rude to them and while surprised that Nerick has shown up clearly demonstrates her disdain for him. She and Lakima argue about magical prowess and she slams her door in his face.

For the next few days, the adventures try to find new clues. They check several local Inns looking for Nerick but do not find anything. They find that someone is taking down their wanted posters of Nerick. They ask Holger Kurtz to investigate. That evening Holger tells them he spotted a known thief, a member of local gang, taking down the poster. He offers to rough up the thief. Lakima suggests he grab the thief and bring him back. Holger agrees.

The next morning Holger arrives with Somblet the thief. Somblet turns on Nerick with a little persuasion. He tells them that Nerick is staying at the Bishop's Rest Inn outside East Gate. He has been paid 1 gold per day to tear down the posters. He has known Nerick for some time but finds that now Nerick has been acting strangely.

They head over to the Bishops Rest. They find they have missed Nerick by a few hours. He checked out in the early morning and headed into the town. The waitress the question mentions that he arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back but when he checked out he had a large bundle of goods.

Eathwund hires a man to clear the bats out of the second floor of the Ten Bells Tavern. Eathwund also starts looking for a carpenter. Lakima suggests he hire Issac the carpenter who built them a wagon. A hopeful apprentice applicant shows up at the Chapter House. Lakima tells him sternly about apprenticeship and gives him some notes to study.

Another day with few clues. Lakima, Alonso, and Eathwund check in on Germad again. No one answers the door but it is unlocked so they open the door and look in. They find the Captain has been murdered. Dagger wounds are in his back. The place has been ransacked. The group searches the cottage and Alonso finds the Captain's journal. It details the last adventure that Germad went on with Lavinia and Nerick and two others who were killed. It was to Artanal's Tower in the Cursed Marsh. The group had found a hidden treasure room. Nerick went wolf and ran off. Germad pocketed a strange gem that he did not tell Lavinia about. His journal notes that he and Lavinia disagreed on how to handle Nerick. Germad felt his old companion deserved another chance. Lavinia disagreed. They parted angrily. Germad writes that he felt guilty about his good fortune when thinking about Nerick. So he sold the gem to the pawnbroker Clearwin.

Murder!