FRC Session 3…Adran and Acquisitions

In our last session, the PCs had learned that someone else had taken up residence in Cagair Keep. They had also defeated some bandits who had preyed upon a small homestead and fought a fairly large band of guards serving someone named Lady Hawke…the same person, it appears, who now hold Cagair Keep! They had made it back to Daggerford and had provide the constable, Sherlyn Miller, information on their discoveries and they planned to head back to Waterdeep to speak with the Magister about the things they had discovered. We pick up with their departure from Daggerford below the break.

This recap is from RJ. My GM comments are in [brackets and italics]. Some might recognize the idea of a PC inheriting a keep from an uncle as this is all inspired by the old Dungeon magazine adventure, “The Inheritance,” in issue #26. Many (if not most) of the details aren’t quite as written in that adventure but I have shamelessly appropriated the concept of the adventure.

We left Daggerford that morning, we couldn’t find a caravan heading back so we headed out on our own. It was an uneventful trip back and we arrived back in Waterdeep on the third day. [It was actually on the fourth day.]

We started towards Magister Seedius’s office; while walking we do discuss what we are going to say to the Magister (To convince him that I am the heir). We arrive at the office and our friend the clerk was there and Strik explained that we had a message from the Duke at Daggerford for the Magister. He told us the Magister was at lunch and would not be back until later. Strik looked at the closed door and started walking towards it. The clerk calls out “Guards!” and several guards ccome in. Strik stops and goes to sit down mumbling the whole time. Luther goes over and asks “How much?” The clerk says that money doesn’t matter he is not available until three. Luther asks if there are any public records we can look into about my lineage to prove I am who I say I am. He says he can acquire the information but it will take three weeks, after a bit of negotiation, he says it would be a week. I give him my father’s name, my mother’s name, and her father and mother. He writes the information down and takes his payment.

We decided to wait until the Magister comes back. An hour passes, then another, and another. Around three the clerk tells us we can go in. Strik is muttering the whole time as we walk in. The clerk follows us as we go in. [I believe Strick also was somewhat less than completely civil in his interactions with the clerk.]

We tell the magister that we have a letter, Strick starts to walk over but the clerk comes between him and takes the scroll [letter] over to the Magister. He breaks the seal, reads it, and lays it on his desk. We go on and explain that the keep has new owners that hold no allegiance to anyone. He nods his head and the clerk gets ups and leaves. He says “that is what the message says you told the sheriff”. Strik then says that we could run them out of the keep for you and the Magister asks “why would you do that?” Stik says for consideration for our friend. He tells us “why should I care? In two weeks it reverts back to Waterdeep. If anybody disagrees we will crush them.” Stick says that we could do it and there would be no risk to any of Waterdeep’s citizens. The magister says “that’s why we pay our soldiers.” Strik asks about my claim and the magister looks at me and “asks do you have anything more to back up your claim?”

I explain about my uncle having a scar, using magic, and about a saying he would use the phrase ‘a polished turd is still a turd …except when it isn’t.’ The magister asks if I will swear to this and I tell him I will. He then says that I will need 50 gold pieces. Strik says we don’t have 50 gp. The magister hands me a card with an appointment and another card that says 7pm Full Cup. We thank him for his time and leave. [The magister explained that he could arrange for a priest to confirm the truthfulness of Adran’s claim but that it would cost 50gp plus a “finder’s fee.” When it was explained that the party did not have 50 gp, he suggested that they go see his clerk to arrange their next appointment. The clerk handed Adran the cards and nearly did a face palm when Adran read the “under the table” card right then and there. The subtleties of what may be somewhat less than lawful activities in the magister’s office were, apparently, lost upon the would-be heir.]

As we leave I show everyone the card with the appointment time. We decide to head over to the Full Cup, but first we have to find it. We ask a bystander and he looks at us in disgust. We ask a guard and he tells us he is not a tour guide and threatens to take us to jail. [Wasn’t it more that he suggested that anyone looking to head to the Full Cup could be up to no good?] We decide to head to a seedier part of town; so we head to the waterfront. We ask someone and he just keeps walking. A boy comes over and says he can show us the way for a fee. Bran offers him a silver and he takes it and we follow him back into the city. I am lost as we go but we eventually go thru an alley and come into a part of the city that feels different to me. It feels like all eyes are on us. The boy points to a door and says “That’s where you want to go.” The door is closed, there is no sign, and the windows are boarded up. Strik asks “Are you sure?” But boy has already left.

Bran walks to the door and opens it. It is very dirty and dark in the room. There are some tables and a bar with a man sleeping on it. We ask if this is the Full Cup. He tells us to “f@ck off.” We explain that we have a meeting here and again tells us to “f@ck off”. We tell him we will buy some ales, he asks what time it is? We tell him its five and he groans and says “F@ck off I don’t open for another three hours.” We tell him our meeting is in two hours and he laughs but gets up and pours us six ales, it is the worst ale I have ever tasted. We decide to wait here at the tavern but don’t order anymore ale. [Wasn’t there also a bit of a discussion with the “barkeep” about your meeting? In particular, that you had no idea who you were actually meeting with…he seemed a bit amused by that.]

Around seven, a kid comes in and looks at us and says “do you have the invite?” I hold it up and he says to come with him. We all get up and but the boy points at me and says “Only you.” Two other big men come in, I tell him that I will go. I go outside with them and the two men stay at the door. The boy tells me I have to put a bag over my head. I do and a rope goes around my neck and I get dragged around [not literally…think more that Adran was on a leash or lead]. After about 15 minutes and being turned around we stop and the bag is taken off of my head. I look around and I am in an alley that is covered with cloths and surrounded by men pointing crossbows at me. There is a desk and a halfling is there wearing a bowler hat and he is staring at me. [RJ said something about how the scene reminded him of a scene from Firefly with the Badger character so I went with it and so the halfling was wearing a bowler.]

He asks my name and I tell him, he looks like he knows my name. He says that he has a job for me, it is in “acquisitions” and asks if we are good at acquisitions. I tell him we are very good at acquisitions. He goes on to explain that we will need to rob a caravan. He doesn’t seem too happy with me and starts yelling at me as he is standing on his desk. [Um, he didn’t just start yelling out of the blue…Adran said something that set him off.] I apologize to him for whatever I have done and ask what it is he needs acquired? He says it is a small brass and copper chest, it’s coming to Waterdeep in three days along the High Road, and will be guarded by caravan guards [and that you should not open the chest]. He goes on to explain that the caravan is with the Blue Coster a professional outfit and their symbol is a lion. He says that the job has to be done out of Waterdeep and tells me if I fail to acquire his chest I will be killed, my friends will be killed, and my family will be killed. [I think it was a bit more of a general intimidation that if you cross him or betray him, you’re dead!] He is going to pay us 100gp and I leap at the offer. He then looks at me and offers me condolences for my uncle and says that he knows a lot more that is going on. The hood goes back on and I am headed back, I hope, to the Full Cup.

When we stop and the hood is lifted and I am in front of the full cup. I go in and the two men who were here earlier leave. I go to talk to my friends and tell them we have a job. They ask me what it is and I tell them that I will tell them later. I think Luther asked the drunk man about making the Full Cup our base and he tells us to “get out, f@ckwad.” [I believe that the “innkeep” suggested that you make the Full Cup your “base” and wanted a cut of your business…a cut that he kept dropping and dropping and dropping. Strik declined and that’s when the innkeep told you to get out and never come back.]

We go back to the Maiden’s Tear and get rooms. We all gather in Luther’s and my room and I explain the job. I tell them all of it and they agree to do it, we head down for dinner. We eat dinner and agree to leave early the next morning.

We head out early and discuss how we are going to handle this. We first decide that we need to find the caravan and see how many guards there are. We head out a day and rest. We head out again in the morning and start looking for the caravan. Drusilia and Rory head out ahead of us to find them and report back to us. They find them and come and get us. We decide after hearing there are about 16-18 guards as wells as 8-10 waggoneers that we need to try and pull off the job at night.

They set up camp for the night and we watch and see how they are set up. They circle their wagons and put the horses inside the circle. There appear to be ropes tied between the wagons to keep the horses in. The men are sleeping out of the circle around campfires. There are eight campfires and one man on guard at each of them. There appears to be a captain walking to each circle checking on the guards. The guards are very professional, looking around, and paying close attention. We come up with a plan to put two guards asleep and let Dru and Rory to sneak in and find the chest. Luther suggest that we drive the horses away as in the chaos it might make it easier for them to search.

So I and Strik put the two guards to sleep and the pair head into the camp. They sneak by the sleeping guards and untie a section of the ropes. They go into one of the wagons and are in there for a bit. They come out of it and go into another one. [The wagon has numerous crates, boxes, and barrels of various sizes…no chest just sitting there. The goods look to be packed up for, well, transport.] I look over and Bran is taking off his armor and clothes. He starts covering himself in mud, I shudder, and I look back at the camp. I can’t see our sneaking allies but all of a sudden the alarm goes off. A streak of green energy shoots from the left as Luther casts his spell near the horses, unfortunately it spooked the horses to the back of the corral and not out of the opening.

I start to see a lot of movement and hear the sounds of battle, but it’s a lot more than just Dru and Rory fighting. I hear someone yell, ‘Die Heretic,’ over from where Luther fired his spell. I rush over there and Strick is coming with me. Bran is rushing towards the camp trying to save Dru and Rory and working himself up into a frenzy.

As we get closer to where Luther was, he starts running towards us with three men right behind him. I cast sleep at the men and two of them going down. Strick steps into the path of the last man and the man swings his scythe at him and Strik goes down; I am not sure if he is dead or alive. Luther turns and blasts the last man and he goes down. I go over and check on Strik and make sure he still alive. Luther takes care of the men I put to sleep [i.e., slits their throats].

I look towards the camp where Bran went and I see him surrounded by men attacking him. He has several men down at his feet. I and Luther start casting spells at the men attacking him. We bring a couple down. I don’t see Rory or Dru at all. Then we hear a sexy, gravelly voice yell out “Kill them all for our god!” [As I said that a voice called out from somewhere out in the darkness, one player asked if it was sexy and another asked if it was gravely and so it was a sexy, gravelly voice.] More men come out from behind the wagon and start attacking Bran.

Luther and I start to help him when another man steps out and tries to touch Luther and his hand is glowing. Luther and I step back and start casting at him. He says something and a vine grows between us and whips out at me and Luther [it was a barbed tentacle floating in the air] . I yell out caster and the man starts to move towards Bran. Other men come out and start towards me and Luther and I think the end is near when an arrow takes out one and I look and see Drusilia nock another arrow. Bran knocks the caster down and the fight is over.

[The session ended as soon as the fight was over. I think this might have been our longest combat in 5e so far. It was, essentially, a battle of three groups which included nearly fifty combatants overall. I shudder to think of running that in the last couple of D&D editions and wistfully think of how easy it would be in Savage Worlds.