Downtime

It may not seem like it if you read through the Session report below. But the players spent a few hours of game time doing downtime activities. Playing online I find roleplaying does not come naturally to everyone especially if not everyone in the group knows their fellow players. I still have players who ask me (the DM) "Can I ask character X if he will do Y." Rather than just asking the other character in or out of character. Part of the issue is the lack of familiarity playing by voice over the internet causes and part of it is the limitations of voice technology. If more than one person speaks at once no one can hear anything. So players tend to take turns talking to the DM or DM's NPCs.

Session 62: Lantosh in danger

Lakima (human magic-user), Eathwund (human fighter), Alonso (human fighter), Aashdoshan (human necromancer), Domago (human cleric NPC), Lantosh (human fighter NPC), Fenris the Filch (human thief NPC), Vervork Merwin (human fighter NPC).

The Black Dragon Company sets out upriver by boat to Edgerton. They have paid for passage on a small riverboat captained by a man called Glendower. The captain points at his two crewmen and grunts out the names Gunther and Hack. After an hour of travel, they see a strange fog bank hanging low to the river ahead. The small boat heads into the cooling mist of the fog and the boat slows as the wind slackens. While Glendower seems unconcerned several of the adventurers are suspicious and they ready weapons. They are correct as they see motion in the fog. As the ship moves forward the shapes in the fog resolve into the forms of women swimming in the river. The women have matted hair festooned with weeds. Their skin is greyish-green and their eyes glow green. Lakima guesses (incorrectly) that they are nixies and he calls out warnings for everyone to plug their ears. The women silently swim toward the boat. Gunther leans over the rail to look at one of the women and makes eye contact. A moment later Gunther jumps over the railing and falls into the river. The woman embraces Gunther and he slips beneath the surface of the water in her embrace. More warnings are yelled out to avoid looking the creatures in the eyes. Glendower calls out repeatedly for Gunther but there is no response. The boat continues to travel through the fog and then breaks through into sunshine again. The fogbank and the women drift off behind them.

Glendower continues on abandoning his crewman. Within a few hours, the boat arrives in Edgerton and docks. The adventurers disembark onto the dock. Lakima takes the flask of green flame liquid he collected in the shrine to his wife’s alchemy shop. The rest of the adventurers head over to the Chapter House with their pet Hippogriff on a leash.

Once Lakima arrives back at the Chapter House, everyone heads out again with their captive Zweis Radu. Zweis Radu is delivered directly to Lawlord Brightmoor. Brightmoor asks about their mission to destroy the source of the green flame in the swamps (the ingredient used to make potions of human control). They fill him in on what they accomplish and Lakima tells Brightmoor how they came to capture Zweis Radu. Brightmoor cannot hide his concern when Lakima casually talks about compelling a demon to capture Zweis Radu. As they leave, Lord Brightmoor asks Domago to stay to discuss another matter (either foreshadowing a future adventurer or expressing his concern over Lakima and Aashdoshan).

The adventurers all rest for the remainder of the day. The next day they meet with their manservant Huntley who lets them know that he has hired servants for the Manor House including a cook. Lakima’s wife Alayna has already moved into the new home. Most of the adventurers make plans to move their belongings to the Manor House. But Alonso and Vervork decide they prefer to continue to live at the Chapter House. Lakima suggests they keep the Chapter House as an office.

Alonso, Vervork, and Lantosh head over to Cromly’s Smithy. Alonso picks up his new Black Dragon scale shield and Demon Skull helm. Alonso asks Cromly about the demon skull and Cromly notes that there is some sort of magic attached to it. Vervork and Lantosh purchase upgraded magical armor from Cromly.

Eathwund goes around to the Sign of the Purple Bugbear tavern and is happy to find that everything is in order. The locks are secure and the tavern just needs staff for it to open. Eathwund puts up handbills advertising for a tavern manager and staff. Across town, Lakima sends a runner to put up handbills asking for an animal handler for a rare beast. Since he is unable to stable the hippogriff “Gnomeat” Lakima takes the beast over to the abandoned Fleetwing Stables. The stables have become the home of the urchins who inhabit the Market square part of the town. Lakima gives the urchins 10 gold to look after the hippogriff properly.

Over the next week, the adventurers arrange for movers and settle into the Manor House. Aashdoshan stakes out a spot in the cellar to set up a laboratory and Lakima sets up shop in the attic. Lakima brings in Isaac the carpenter and gets an estimate on building an aviary in the attic for the hippogriff. He also asks the carpenter to build him a library in the attic. They speak to their old friend Gareth the scribe and he is able to recommend Moffat who is a fellow scribe to work out of the Chapter House managing their businesses.

Lakima’s flyer looking for an animal handler is answered by Morganna, a woman who runs a zoo of exotic animals outside of town. She offers to buy the hippogriff. When Lakima declines her offer she is disappointed and refuses to recommend a handler. Lakima ends up getting three men who offer to look after the hippogriff. He introduces all three to the hippogriff and hires one called Derval that the beast does not snap at. Alonso wanders over to the militia training yard in the Citadel and introduces himself to the Guard Captain Ragnar. After showing his skill in some training sessions against the guards – Ragnar asks Alonso to help train the militia.

Eathwund hires a tavern manager, Yana Malster who helps him in hiring more staff. He ends up hiring six staff. The Sign of the Purple Bugbear is soon open. The rooms open day and night but the tavern serving only between noon and midnight. Eathwund has to outlay several hundred gold coins to buy suppliers to get the tavern open.

After a week of downtime, the adventurers on a break get set into a rhythm. Lakima is busy studying magical texts. Eathwund checks in on the tavern every day and often stays for much of the day to learn how things operate. Alonso goes to the militia training yard every day and attempts to teach the recruits how not to get killed. Aashdoshan vanishes into the cellars beneath the manor and is rarely seen. Domago stays at the Church of St. Aleena helping to feed the poor. Lantosh shows up at the Manor house or the Chapter House trying to keep busy. Vervork spends time at the Dancing Dragon tavern gambling. Finally, Fenris does a lot of sleeping and drinking.

Fifteen days after returning from their mission in the Bleakmarsh, some of the adventurers who stay at the Manor House are awakened by knocking at the door. Huntley greets Watch Commander Sgt Frans and four of his watchmen. Lakima, Eathwund, and Lantosh come to see what the visit is about. Sergeant Frans informs a surprised Lantosh that he is under arrest for an attack on Tarquin Torenescu last night at the Frozen Crow Tavern. Lantosh protests his innocence claiming to have been at the Manor all night but he has no witnesses. Frans claims that a dozen witnesses saw Lantosh stab Tarquin with a dagger after an argument. It was only the chance passerby of Abbot Marta that allowed Tarquin to be healed in time to prevent his death. Frans insists that Lantosh be taken to the watch station in manacles under guard. He assures Lakima and Eathwund that a cleric of St. John will have spells that can get to the bottom of this attempted murder. They reluctantly agree to let the watch guards take Lantosh away. Sgt Frans remains and shows them the dagger used in the attack. It is a simple blade with a strange engraving on the blade of a ship being dragged under the waves by an octopus. Sgt Frans asks where Lantosh got the weapon but no one remembers him having such a weapon.

Lakima sends a messenger to the Chapter house asking Alonso and Vervork to come to the Manor House. A short time later they arrive. On the way, they hear town criers in the street calling for Lantosh’s arrest dead or alive. Sgt Frans arrives and tells them that Lantosh escaped and killed three of the watchmen. The fourth watchman with them is missing. He demands to know where Lantosh is hiding and threatens to search the grounds. Lakima and Eathwund profess no knowledge of where Lantosh might be. Frans does a cursory search of Lantosh’s quarters and then leaves. The adventurers discuss what has happened.

Later in the day most of the Company head over to the Watch Station to speak with Sgt Frans. Most of the soldiers are out searching the town for Lantosh. But Frans agrees to take them to the location where the bodies of the watchmen were found. Strangely, it is in an alley behind the Church of St. John, not on the most direct route from the Manor house to the Watch Station. They find three shrouded bodies in a vacant square. A pair of Clerics of St. John are saying rites over the bodies. Frans tells them that there are no witnesses to the brutal murders by Lantosh. Lakima asks for time alone with the bodies but it is refused. He shrugs and asks Aashdoshan to speak with the dead.

Aashdoshan casts the spell and summons up the spirit of one of the dead guards. Aashdoshan first asks who killed the man. The ghost responds telling them that his fellow guard Hagar killed him two nights previously. He does not know why. There was no warning. Aashdoshan asks why they took this route to the watch station while escorting Lantosh. The spirit replies that he died in an alley in Mirdtown not here and he knows no one called Lantosh. The final question asks why he was killed and the spirit has no idea. Sgt Frans is incredulous of the spirit’s response at first, which clearly exonerates Lantosh. He asks the Priests of St. John if the adventurers are pulling off a clever trick or illusion. But the clerics say that they felt the presence of the spirit and it could not lie. Frans admits that he is confused as to what is going on and does not know what to do. Lakima suggests a search of warehouses and boats leaving town. He thinks that maybe Lantosh has run afoul of pirates from his home in the Shattered Isles. Frans does give that order to the watch leaders.

Lakima asks the adventurers to join him on Asboro Bridge. With a clear view of the town, he removes the Arrow of Direction from his Bag of Holding and asks it where Lantosh is now. The arrow points in the general direction of some boats tied up to docks near a warehouse. Lakima, Alonso, Eathwund, Vervork, and Aashdoshan head over to a small riverboat that is being unloaded. They ask the captain of the boat if they can come aboard and he tells them to push off. The conversation escalates and soon the captain directs two longshoremen to clear off the heroes. Eathwund and Alonso subdue both men in a matter of moments. Shocked, the captain, yells “Were tumbled!” and leaps into the river and swims away. They search the crates and find weapons hidden under bolts of cloth. A watchman arrives and asks what is going on. Once told he takes the longshoremen into custody. The cargo is found to be contraband. Lakima asks the watch to search the nearby warehouses. This takes several hours and Lantosh is not found but some illegal contraband is found.

Lakima notes that the arrow could also have been pointing at the old warehouse where they encountered the Veiled Society many months earlier. They send for Fenris (still no Domago with them) head over to the old warehouse. The Veiled Society warehouse looks abandoned as before. Lakima consults the arrow again and finds it is pointing down beneath their feet. Eathwund spots the symbol from the dagger (a ship being dragged under by an octopus) in faded green paint on the door of another nearby warehouse. This warehouse is built of stone and is right on the riverbank. The warehouse looks abandoned but they find that the doors are solid and the padlocks on the door look new. Fenris proves to be unable to pick the lock. Vervork hits it with his sword but it appears very solid. He also attracts the attention of people in the neighborhood. Aashdoshan casts a knock spell on the lock and it falls to the ground. They swing the double doors open and walk into a crowded warehouse.

Leaving the door open they find the warehouse is crammed with crates and barrels. Two lamps hanging from the rafters light the chamber and Lakima notes that means the warehouse is not abandoned. As they walk about, Lakima spots a crate that moves. He jumps back and narrowly misses as a mimic transform and swings a pseudopod at him. Vervork and Aashdoshan also come under attack by two more mimics. Aashdoshan and Fenris dash back to safety while Vervork, Eathwund, and Alonso attack with their swords. Lakima casts Charm Monster on one Mimic and it stops attacking him. Alonso and Eathwund manage to kill the other two mimics. Attracted by the noise of fighting, a pair of guards from a nearby shipping company stop and question the heroes but Lakima assures them that they are exterminators. The men leave once they spot the oozing piles of muck that is all that remains of two mimics.

Alonso goes over and shuts the warehouse doors so they will not invite any more curious locals to check on them. They head to a nearby door and find a partially collapsed chamber. A jagged hole in the floor of the chamber. On the other side of the hole, Fenris finds a square shaft descending 40 feet to water. A rope ladder descends down the shaft. A barrel bobs in the water at the bottom of the shaft. Fenris is sent down the ladder and comes back up to report there are no doors or secrets in the shaft. Lakima also climbs down and checks but finds nothing after a thorough search. They do find that the barrel has a false bottom full of ballast rocks that keeps it upright. While they stand about discussing what to do Lakima tells them that he thinks the barrel is a means to descend to the bottom of the shaft. The rest of the adventurers look at Lakima quizzically not understanding him. Lakima tells them not to worry I will explain, but we need Domago. He sends Fenris back to the town to fetch Domago from the Church of St. Aleena. The rest of the heroes sit down to wait.