[No indication as to when this session happened in the real world, but it is likely still in 1999.]
Player Characters
Max Lucas - human male ranger from the Bayern District
NPCs
Session Begins, March 18, 18 IC
Monteflurio, a local sage specializing in ancient history, received word from another set of hired adventurers [Rory and Tarquin] that they had located a site he was interested in. He sent word to Tim that he was putting together a follow-up expedition and wished to hire the group now know as Tim's Outlanders. Not all members of the group were available for the follow-up expedition and had to decline. Tim was involved with the HET Department moving to new quarters at the University Annex, out on the Western Rim on land razed by the Goblinoid Horde last fall. Aureme was extremely reluctant to go underground and had a number of female students she was teaching fencing at the University. Monteflurio accepted their need to decline.
Using his contacts, Monteflurio was able to secure the services of a member of the Order of the Brambles, a sub-sect within the Brotherhood of the Rose. While this helped offset the loss of combat skills somewhat, Aureme would be sorely missed.
March 20, 18 IC
Montiflurio and his hired adventurers met at the White Horseshoe Stables on the West Bank, newly repaired from the Siege. Monteflurio had a cart loaded with all the supplies and two horses to pull it. The group consisted of the following people: Dangar Stonekleaver, Max Lucas, Monteflurio the Sage, Rory the Red, Tarquin the Mad, and Arturo of the Brambles. Monteflurio and Rory rode in the front of the cart with Arturo sitting in the back. Dangar, Max, and Tarquin rode their mounts and Rory’s horse was tied to the cart.
March 22, 18 IC
After traveling west on the trade road, the group was ambushed as the road wound through some trees. Max noticed some of the birdcalls the attackers were using for communication were inappropriate for the daytime and barely had time to warn the group before the ambush was sprung. The attackers were orcs using non-lethal weapons. They netted Monteflurio and Rory immediately and lassoed most of the horses.
The fight that followed was intense and the orcs were forced to quickly draw real weapons out of self-defense. Dangar was caught in a net and two lassos and was hoisted into the air. The orcs were starting to get an upper hand when Max pulled out the Outlanders’ lightning wand and started blasting trees into toothpicks. One of the trees fell onto the cart, destroying it. The orcs decided to grab as many horses as they could and ran. The adventurers were left with one captive, a smashed cart, and short several horses. To top it all off, the two kegs of alcohol in the supplies were also smashed. [Dangar and Rory both lamented this.]
The adventurers interrogated their single captive. This was greatly eased when the captive recognized the Outlanders in the group - the orcs now greatly fear "Boom-Bottle" and know he led the adventurers that attacked the Horde. From him they learned that the group that ambushed them are known as “Sting Tails”, not “Snake-Bites” like Go-Tok, and so their banner of passage was no good. [Off screen, Rory and Tarquin had negotiated safe passage with the Snake-Bites, an orc tribe recently moved into the local mountains. This is the first time my session notes directly mention it.] They also learned the point of the attack was to steal the horses. After interrogating the captive (and putting the heads of the dead orcs on pikes), the adventurers released him with a warning and a demand that the orcs deliver replacement horses to Freegate or “Boom-Bottle” will come looking for them.
Deciding they could not go on without more horses, the party turned around and walked back to Freegate to resupply.
March 26, 18 IC
It took them longer to get back to Freegate as they were now walking, but they did so safely.
End of Session.
Happening Off-Stage
The Sting-Tails decide to lay low for a while. While they are concerned about Boom-Bottle, they are not so concerned as to give the horses back. They are very confident that Boom-Bottle will not find their village. They will not return to the site of that ambush for a minimum of a year and a day.
DM Discussion
[Aureme's player finished her extended vacation from the US Coast Guard and had to return to station in Puerto Rico, so Aureme needed to be written out. We discussed what she'd be up to and teaching weapons use at the University, particularly to female students, seemed a good fit.]
[Tim's player wanted to try out a different style of character for a while, so he and I discussed what Tim might be up to since his new found fame as "Savior of the City". With land recently razed by the Horde on both rims, the University purchased the rights to some out on the Western Rim and moved the High Energy Thaumaturgy department there so experimentation with Tim's Double Distilled could continue without the threat of accidentally blowing up parts of the University proper. The University Annex has VERY thick walls to contain explosions, hopefully venting them harmlessly up and not out.]
The Investiture and Siege of Freegate - A Summation
Mansion Of Illusions
Session 2 [Not yet typed up]
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