Session 9: The Mockery, Part III

Halflings Know How To Party

 * Fight just ended. Tomorrow: druids/wizards (Dreaming Dark), the Emerald Claw.
 * We were invited to eat with the halflings we defeated.
 * Canon for the shocking grasp gloves: black leather, fingerless, with wires arcing b/w them
 * Head over 20 mins to the halfling camp. There are a bunch of carts (Mogen immediately fixates on them) and dinos in cages. Leader halfling comes over and hustles us in.
 * A feast is ready! S brought some alcohol to give, “This is quite an exotic ale you’ve brought.” (Mogen, from outside: “It’s actually a lager.”) Lady halfling appreciates the gift.
 * Mogen is learning some cart tricks (underplating on the bottom, etc.).
 * After drinking for a while, they want to wrestle Tork. They make bets on how many halflings it will take to take him down. V goes off to make friends with dinos. - Tork vaults over the first one. - Round 2: one trips over a rock, Tork tumbles into the 2nd, who falls. - Vesun starts winning over some halflings to the side of Marxism. - Mogen starts developing Kalti brand to protect their carts to the leader of the halflings - Kalti’s Rain-Resistant Enamel . - Vik makes friends with a chained up raptor. - Round 3: about 5 rush him and he spins with his arms out to clothesline them, gets overwhelmed.
 * They get wasted and drink real late. Halflings are pals,.
 * The party drunkenly finds their way back (Vik rolls nat 20 to follow Hadrian’s scent back).

Deadly Interference

 * They see figures wandering around (one human height, 2 shorter, 2 taller - hobgoblins/lizardfolk) - S &amp; V sneak around to flank them (V=29). See them casting shit in the center of the arena (column of light).
 * Mogen wants to use her magic Geiger counter but needs to be closer. Vik and Sar sneak real good (V=28). Mogen detects the magic, needs to wait for school auras: human female most, rest = faint magic aura, ABJURATION magic.
 * One of lizardfolk sniffs the air. V says cheese it, they sneak away (V = 28).
 * Mogen has an idea: find rats, release into ring.
 * Finds one, goes to bed.
 * Wake up with three figures hovering over Tork. 2 hobgoblins, 2 goblin guards from before, s and small one (halfling tracker from before), leaning over Tork w/dagger.M, Vik, Ves all roll SUPER HIGH (19-20) and wake up. Ves blinds halfling with Light.
 * Tork wakes up, yells, tries to Ray of Frost, burns a hole through the tent and runs away.
 * Enemies: 1) Halfling tracker 2) hobgoblin, 3) one-eyed goblin guard 4) manbun goblin. Hadrian shows up at the door.
 * Mogen slams Vanesse’s battle axe into the halfling’s side. Vikrit grabs shortbow and shoots halfling. Vesun gets his mace &amp; intimidates.
 * Hobgoblin maces Vesun in shoulder. Manbun greatclubs Tork (at 3 HP.
 * One-eye flails at Mogen and misses.
 * V calls for Hadrian to help. He is yelling @ goblins. Tork Ray of Frosts. Mogen is misses hobgob. Vik shoots halfling in the back (ow) and hits Mogen.
 * H tries to run out, slashes Tork (1 hp) with poison? dagger. Hobby swings at Ves and accidentally throws his weapon over Vesun’s. Goblins take off. (he raises eyebrow) Sarienne sneak attacks the hobgoblin. V misses halfling’s leg. Mogen misses halfling. Ves nat 1s @ hobby and tosses his own mace now (“You idiot–”).
 * Suggestion: shocking grasp gloves have “kill/stun”.
 * 1 gob captured, Hadrian grabs manbun by neck, Tork kicks him in the balls.
 * Goblinoids give up. Vik snaps bow string. Sarienne catches up, can’t find halfling. Vik gets on his scent in the woods. S goes back.
 * Meanwhile they’re all interrogating the goblins.
 * They say halfling paid them off to kill them. Hobby says . Mogen cuts off manbun’s manbun when he says he’s not from Aundair, says we talk a big game, doesn’t know Tyra. He falls to his knees and they beg to be let go. The party is threatening. Mogen starts carving “traitor” into baldy’s head. Hadrian stops her.
 * Vik finds the scent in a cave. Pile of something. Vik finds his bloody clothes and shit. Cloak, dagger, mithril chainmail, potion (blue-white liquid), 2000.
 * Mithril chainmail is small! AC 4 max dex +4.
 * V brings everything back.
 * They send the goblinoids away. Hadrian: “Why did you DO that?” They rest. Debut of the Collideoscope - telescoping rod that makes people dumb when hit.
 * V comes back - defensive potion M says. Cloak is magic: abjuration. Signet ring too - same symbol as what Gul was wearing. Stargazer cult.
 * Vik trains rats to go to traps. “Gold bag” weighs a lot less than it should. They split it up (50 less each V gets 200 extra - 600).
 * Dagger to Tork: poison, does contact dmg. Initial: 1d12 HP, Secondary: 1d6 CON, Fort save = 16 DC.

The Next Day

 * They wander around the market. V glares at some House Tharashk jerks.
 * There’s a gnome yelling - “The houses control everything! Read the truth!” Pamphlets: The Truth Below. A bunch of symbols all over. By Pippo of Korranberg.
 * Claims lightning rail was built by dragons to control where people go. Sarienne leaves.
 * They kept saying “yeah we know”.
 * He starts talking about conspiracy about orgies . V yells “I’M OUT” and walks away. They start talking about a magic teleporting castle you can only see if watched loved one die, Mogen tries to sell him carts.
 * “You can’t trust anything you haven’t made yourself.” “You’re a SMART man, that’s why I build my own carts!”
 * Leans in and says “the magical wards that protect our world from demons have been weakened”. “Yeah we know. The first gate’s been shattered!” They tell him what’s up and he freaks out, says he’s gonna publish in his zine. He says to see him in Zilargo for the tip gives them some gold.
 * Shopping!
 * Vesun finds a wand of CLW. Not full charges, tries to sell for 1000 gold. 500 gold for 38 chgs.
 * Sarienne gives V her old thieves’ tool set cuz she got Masterwork one.
 * Poisons for Vikrit: 100 gold for spider poison. Fort save 12, 1d4 str dmg Initial, 1d2 dex dmg Secondary.

Opening Ceremony

 * TRAP!! 2 lizardfolk, 2 goblinoids, 1 human, 1 halfling run in. They stab grand druid in the throat, blood on Solomon’s Rock.
 * HALFLING IS THE GUY FROM THE BEGINNING, ON THE TRAIN!! Locks eyes with Sarienne.
 * Vesun casts Silence next to woman who is chanting. Vik screams “YOU FUCKING TRAITORS!” in Draconic at the lizardfolk. One grins at him.
 * Vikrit shoots the mage but it doesn’t stop the ritual.
 * 6 of us suddenly in a clearing in a forest, 10x10 feet. Conjuration magic (not illusion).
 * Vesun hears something in the forest. Vines start wrapping around us. Creature emerges: satyr. He says we’re in the Faerie Court and are in trouble. 6 tree creatures come out with bows. They explain to him, he says they have to see faerie king for trespassing. He says the other group (w/halfling) is here too elsewhere.
 * He starts playing the pipe to “make things interesting”. We are getting much smaller… ant-sized. A HUGE stag beetle.