[The Outlanders enter Thuringia, stop over just inside the border, and arrive at the city of Goebblein.]
[This session took place August 25, 2001. We were playing Champions 4th Edition with the Second Edition Fantasy Hero supplement.]
Player Characters
Tim, a Wizard - male human from the Free City of Freegate, graduate of Outlands University
Dangar Stonekleaver - male dwarf from the Northern Dwarven Kingdom
Max Lucas - male human ranger from the Bayern District
Rory the Red - Wizard and graduate of Outlands University, traveling companion to Tarquin
Malwyn – male High elf fighter and military expert
Darkfox – female human thief from Freegate, secret ID of socialite Karlyn Gryphshaw
Session Begins
June 16, 17 IC
The Outlanders traveled through the open plains another two days and arrived at a small village on the border of Thuringia just as the sun was going down. They secured rooms at the only inn and decided to spend some time in the tavern at the inn eating “real food” [that is, not trail rations] and arranged for baths. This got some odd looks from the locals, but the Outlanders were paying good silver and who were they to say no?
Wanting to resupply on healing potions, the Outlanders asked the bartender if there was a temple in town. The bartender told them that there was a new shrine belonging to the Crystal Brotherhood that might be able to help them. Having never heard of the Crystal Brotherhood, the Outlanders asked around for more information.
They learned that the Crystal Brotherhood was a “nondenominational” religious order that was started spreading in Thuringia. They do not follow any one particular deity but provide services to meet the religious needs of those without direct access to a temple. They recently purchased a building in town and renovated it. The Outlanders were told they couldn’t miss it – it was the only building in town painted solid white. Members of the Crystal Brotherhood could be recognized when they cast blessings – their eyes go solid white. This reminded Tim of something, but he could not remember what. The Outlanders, suspicious of the Crystal Brotherhood, retired to their rooms.
Later that night
The Outlanders independently [and without telling each other] snuck out of the inn in various manners and proceeded to the Crystal Brotherhood’s “White House” to investigate further. Tim, Dangar, Max, and Rory ran into each other as they moved through the village. Once they realized they were all thinking the same thing (the Crystal Brotherhood needs to be investigated further), they headed to the “White House” together. In the meantime, Malwyn and Darkfox, being stealthier, and noticing the rest of the Outlanders tramping around, moved around to the back of the White House and let the rest provide a distraction.
When the noisier group reached the White House, they knocked on the door. Getting no response, Dangar knocked harder and they waited. In the back, Darkfox and Malwyn could distinctly hear someone inside the building snoring. Eventually Dangar knocked hard enough for the snorer to wake up and move to the front of the building to answer the door.
While Dangar and company distracted and interrogated the priest at the front door, Darkfox broke in through the back and investigated the temple. She found it to be rather ordinary. She left before the priest eventually tired of talking with Dangar and Tim and shut the door on them. The adventurers returned to the inn and settled in for the rest of the night. The next morning, later than planned as they all overslept, the Outlanders left the village and followed the road to Goebblein.
June 20, 18 IC
The Outlanders arrived at the city of Goebblein mid-afternoon. Approaching from the south along the road through the apple orchards, the Outlanders were able to get a good look at the city before arriving. Built across a tall hill, Goebblein allowed the Outlanders to see many of the buildings on this side of the hill, including a building painted completely white – possibly another temple of the Crystal Brotherhood.
The Outlanders took a ferry across the Havel River and arrived at the city gate. They questioned one of the City Guards at the gate for a good place to stay and he recommended they hire Zeroun Seven-Fingers, a dragoman of some repute, and gave directions to the Nine Knuckle Grogshop where they could find him. They followed the directions to the Nine Knuckle Grogshop and found Zeroun shooting craps on one of the tables in the back.
After agreeing to payment terms and asking what they were looking for, Zeroun took the Outlanders on a short tour of the city, leading to The Tower at Goebblein, the best hotel in the city. Dangar attracted the manager’s attention quickly by slamming down a sack full of coins on the check-in desk and asking for a room. After a short explanation of room rates, the Outlanders secured the top floor suite of rooms and paid for a week’s stay in gold. The hotel manager personally escorted the Outlanders to the private pub reserved for those occupying the highest quality suites and asked them to wait while their rooms were prepared. While drinking the finest the pub had to offer (complimentary, of course), the Outlanders arranged for Zeroun to return in a few hours, after they had cleaned up from their trip and were ready to see the city.
After a relatively short wait, the Outlanders were escorted to their suite. Rather than having to climb stairs to the 10th floor, the manager took them to a door in a small sub-lobby. Showing them their “key”, a magical pass token, he touched it to a brass plate on the wall. There a small chime sounded and a pair of doors beside the plate slid sideways into the wall, exposing a 10 ft by 10 ft room.
The manager and the Outlanders stepped inside where the manager explained that this room was a magical conveyance called an “elevator” and pressed the upper of a set of two buttons on the wall beside the doors. The doors closed and there was another chime (this one higher in pitch), followed by a short sense of movement. Then the doors re-opened and instead of the sub-lobby they had entered from, there was an entry hall with an ornate set of double doors at the far end.
Stepping into the entry hall, the manager explained that they and the elevator had been teleported to the entry area for their suite on the 10th floor. He led the Outlanders to the double doors and touched the key to a brass plate set into the right-hand door. There was a beep and the sound of a bolt sliding back. The manager then opened the door and showed the Outlanders the suite of rooms they had paid for.
The suite had four sleeping rooms, each with a different decorating theme and large windows providing spectacular views around the western half of the floor. The rooms opened onto a central sitting room which had a small wet bar (freshly stocked), a set of “call tubes” that connect to the concierge’s desk, and floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls, providing a view along the entire southeast quarter of the floor. There was a dining room in the northeast quarter of the floor, also with floor to ceiling windows. Finally, there was a spacious bathing room with numerous amenities. Completely surrounding the rooms of the suite was a covered patio with numerous chairs and small tables. The patio was accessible from each sleeping room, a door in the south wall of the sitting room, and a set of large glass double-doors in the dining room. The entire suite area was magically kept at a comfortable temperature, with controls built into a statue of Serapha, Goddess of Weather, in the sitting room. Each sleeping room also had individual temperature controls. All of the windows had a brass strip next to them that, when touched, controlled the opacity of the glass.
After showing the Outlanders the features of the suite, the manager excused himself and left the Outlanders in a mild state of shock. Eventually the shock at the opulence wore off and, after dividing up the sleeping rooms, the Outlanders stashed their gear, bathed, and prepared for a night on the town.
At seven-bells-after-noon, Zeroun returned to the Tower and met the Outlanders in the private pub. Over the next several hours, Zeroun led them to a series of excellent eating and drinking establishments. Two significant events happened during this time. The first happened at a bar where there was wagering on fights. The fighting happened on the lower floor while the drinking patrons sat on the upper or balcony floor. Dangar decided to participate and headed down to the lower floor.
[There is a gap in my notes about what happened. The copy of notes I have might not be the final version, but it is the latest I still have.]
The second event happened on the way back to the Tower. The adventurers ran into two groups of temple acolytes shouting insults at each other, obviously working themselves up to fight each other. One group of acolytes seemed to be followers of Horne, God of War, and the other of Mithra the Huntress. Surprisingly, the Outlanders decided to avoid getting involved and had Zeroun guide them safely around the fight and back to The Tower.
Session Ends.
NPCs Met
Zeroun Seven-Fingers – Dragoman in Goebblien. Usually found at the Nine Knuckle Grogshop on Short Street. Friendly and urbane, he knows the town’s best eating and drinking places.
Happening Off-Stage
[Nothing in my notes, but the 5th Imperial Legion was marching en masse south from Loforch, through Tusmit and Thuringia, on their way to engage the Goblinoid Hordes.]
DM Discussion
[Mostly a traveling session, I was able to introduce the Crystal Brotherhood as a new religious faction and establish the tensions in Goebblein between the temples of Horne and Mithra. The Crystal Brotherhood are a background issue that I was introducing for much later adventures.]
[25 years later, I just realized I missed the opportunity to call it a "televator". Sigh.]
Road to Thuringia
Previous session: Session 1
Next Session: Session 3 [not edited yet]
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