Chapter One
Campaign: Shadows Over Ealdwood
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The Wizard's Apprentices
Characters
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Game Sessions
2021-11-14
Vodni Brana, mid morning...
Albrecht and Diezalau are apprentices to Zsbysek The Resplendent, the most well-known wizard in Vodni Brana. A letter arrives, informing Zsbysek that a brewery he owns, Wizard's Tower Brewery, has been overrun with giant rats. Zsbysek gives Albrecht and Diezalau a bag of 175 silver and tells them to go deal with it.
Albrecht and Diezalau gather up a group of acquaintances and sell-swords, and head west to the brewery. They are greeted at the brewery by Glowkindle, the gnome brewmaster. Glowkindle explains that they had been digging in the cellar to expand the storage area, when they broke through to an old section of the wizard tower. Giant rats swarmed out, attacking the gnomes and killing Glowkindle's nephew.
The gang heads down into the cellar and manages to kill all of the giant rats. They proceed into the old section of the wizard tower...
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2021-11-21
The gang explores the rest of the old wizard tower, killing a few giant centipedes and a giant spider that spins flaming webs. They spend the night at a pub in the nearby village of Tashalar, happy to have accomplished their mission.
In the morning, they discover that their valuables have been stolen (other than a healing potion). They find a calling card with a note on the back:
Wisp Shadowfoot, Gentleman Thief
(back) Johan's warehouse, midnight
With a mixture of anger and curiosity, the gang heads to Vodni Brana. They find Johan's warehouse, which is an abandoned waterfront warehouse. They look around, but do not find anything interesting or threatening. Albrecht and Diezalau check in with Zbysek, letting him know that they accomplished the task he set them. He grudgingly acknowledges their success, and get back to working on his memoirs.
The gang waits for midnight...
2021-11-28
Midnight arrives, and the gang waits in the empty warehouse for Wisp Shadowfoot to arrive.
And he does, although no one sees him. A voice in the darkness tells them that he will return their belongings and owe them a favour, if they get rid of the Way Hill Slashers.
Wisp explains that the Way Hill Slashers prey on the same wealth residents of Vodni Brana as he does, but unlike him, they kill everyone. This has resulted in people increasing their security, and making their traps more lethal. The gang probably does not care about that, but surely such brave and heroic individuals would want to remove a gang of ruthless murderers...?
Wisp tells them that the Way Hill Slashers have been recruited from among the worst of the worst of Vodni Brana's criminal underclass. Even the notorious Copper Blades have lost members to the Way Hill Slashers.
Wisp knows little of the Slashers' leader, other than their name -- Vex'Tiel -- and that they're an ice elf. However, he does know that the Way Hill Slashers are planning a job this very night. In fact, they are probably on the way to their prey now.
Wisp doesn't know who they are targeting, but he does know that they always leave a few of their crew at the Eagle's Feather, a former tavern on the north side of the inner city.
With that, Wisp drops a card, which Ogilvy identifies as having a sending spell on it, which the gang can use to contact Wisp later, to collect on the favour.
The gang heads to the long-disused Eagle's Feather, and makes quick work of the half-dozen Way Hill Slashers cooling their heels there. They leave one alive, briefly -- just long enough to find out where the rest of the gang has gone.
The gang arrives at Wildstone House, the home of a wealthy Havlin merchant and his family. The Way Hill Slashers are already there, but have not yet completed their plan to rob and murder everyone.
The battle begins...
2021-12-05
The gang rescues the Wildstone family, killing the Way Hill Slashers and cornering their leader, Vex'Tiel. Vex'Tiel slips away, but not before telling the gang that her actions have been for a greater purpose. She is finding and killing members of the Cult Of Corruption, who seek to end the world in rot and ruin. The gang is skeptical.
The gang spends time talking to the city guard, explaining what has happened and why. The people of Havlin Town express their gratitude. Eventually, the gang returns to the Eagle's Feather, where they discover that someone has been here recently, taking most of the maps and documents that the gang had previously found.
Whoever it was left behind two chests. Bohdan opens a chest, which tugs a spider thread, which tugs other spider webs... and hundreds of spiders boil out of the webs in the corners of the basement.
2021-12-12
The gang defeats the swarms of spiders and gathers the loot left behind by Vex'Tiel, then returns to the mansion of Zsbysek with Murdan, a dwarf who had been held captive by Vex'Tiel.
While questioning Murdan and debating their next plans, they realize that they are being spied upon by someone invisible. A game of hide-and-seek ends with the capture of the invisible spy -- a Havlin wearing a magic cloak of invisibility.
The gang takes the Havlin back to the basement of the Eagle's Feather. They create an illusion of Vex'Tiel, and question the Havlin spy, pretending to be in the employ of Vex'Tiel. The Havlin appears convinced, and they prepare to send him to spy on Anton, Lord Dvorak (whose name the Havlin spy had overheard, and whom he believes to be the next target of the Way Hill Slashers)...
2022-01-02
The gang interrogates the havlin, and are about to turn him over to the city guard when he cleverly distracts them and makes a break for it. Unfortunately for him, Alice and Diezalau are not taken in by his ruse, and they cast spells at him (Hold Person and Magic Missile). Jakob gags the havlin and they take him to the central guard station.
Unfortunately, the havlin died from his wounds, which puts the gang in an awkward position. The guards decide that the havlin probably had it coming, and they are late for lunch, so they don't arrest the gang, for now.
The gang decides to check in with Mr. and Mrs. Wildstone, the havlins they rescued the previous evening. They are recovering while they oversee the repairs to their home, and they are happy to answer questions and help the people who rescued them. The two pieces of information that seem most relevant are the upcoming Autumn Festival party being given by Lord Anton of House Dvorak, and the possible connection to the temple of Cymothoa.
The Wildstones are happy to give the gang their party invitation, along with a letter naming the gang as the Wildstones' guests.
Back at Zsbysek's manor, Zsbysek the Resplendent tells his apprentices Albrecht and Diezalau that he has been invited to a party this weekend. He does not intend to go, but they are welcome to attend in his place if they like.
Meanwhile, Albrecht, Jakob, Ogilvy, and Reznik go to the temple quarter to talk with a priest of Cymothoa. The priest does not seem suspicious or sinister, and describes the work of Cymothoa (decay and decomposition) as simply a part of the natural order.
However, on the way back to Zsbysek's manor, ALbrecht and the others are ambushed by a half-dozen priests carrying holy symbols of Cymothoa! It is a close fight, but the gang prevails.
Dressed in their new formal attire, the gang gets ready to go to the mansion of Lord Anton of House Dvorak.