Session Three (Graveyard of Empires Summary)

It’s my turn to recap, so here we go!

We continue where we left off, outside of Desric’s shop after collecting the reward for handing him the plans to Talessin’s automatons. He told the party to go and see Elspeth a the Cock and Bull.

Before head over to the Inn, Galron stops an older man, hoping to procure a map of the city. The man, Eed Kyng, tells us that we are currently in the Adventurer’s Quarter, and that we can basically find anything we need along the main road here, West Copper St. A paper market and a bazaar are back towards the harbour, and Treehorn Way, an alleyway next to Desric’s shop has an Alchemist’s.

Kyng, the proprietor of ‘Kyng’s Lanterns’, also urges Galron to try his shop as the Paladin is looking for a custom lamp. Further conversation reveals Talessin’s supposed involvement with foreign contacts, strongly hinted to be elves and perhaps not a good thing.

After this, the party enters the Cock and Bull, where we find Elspeth, the landlady. She doesn’t seem to think much of us, apparently having seen many a group in the employ of Desric, but offers us the townhouse behind the Inn, which we can rent for 30 Gold a month. The house, though sparsely decorated, is often used by adventurers helping Desric.

After some discussion, the party decides to trial it for a single night, paying a single gold, though Axel elects to stay in the Inn due to a lack of beds.

After a quick tour, Axel and Galron head out to run some errands, whilst the rest of the party stays at the Inn.

In this time, Ir’Alle approaches an elder elf, a sage called Ferry. He learns the location of a House of the Brotherhood, down at the harbour. In asking for person’s of importance in Midmark, he learns that Ferry is not a friend of Desric’s and suspects the Dwarf may be a supporter of the unease in the city towards it’s authorities.

Outside, Axel and Galron head first to the Alchemist’s. The shop is closed, but the owner, a rather attractive halfling lady, humours us. Axel enquires after healing potions, but they are too expensive for the party to currently buy (450g each). The Alchemist begins to get annoyed, but calms down when we reveal our naivete of such things, being new adventurers.

We then head to the local Ark, whereby Galron donates a portion of his earnings to a friendly female cleric, hoping to secure discounted healing for the future. Axel matches the donation as a show of goodwill.

Back at the Inn, Thorfus asks a blacksmith about acquiring better armour. The smith, Tylic Eraclid, admits he can only really do repairs, but recommends an elven armourer, Orsabet, down by the bridge.

Sthorm also approaches Ferry, asking the Sage to appraise the book and wand he ‘acquired’ in secret from Talessin’s tower. He is unable to identify the wand, guessing that it could be defensive in nature. The book, he identifies for 70g, and cautiously reveals it to be a basic spell book, and offers to buy it for 270g. Sthorm keeps it for now.

The next morning, Axel ribs Galron about his actions towards the various women the previous day. Although he claims he is just trying to haggle and charm, we all know the young Paladin is a horny teenager. Axel offers to take him to a brothel, but he declines.

The party returns to Desric, where he offers us a job. After some bad luck, a party he sent to Xen’Khel half a year ago went missing. They had been on a mission to open a previously locked up area, but their disappearance destroyed any hope of finding it, as they had the only known key. Desric’s research turned up a second though, and several weeks ago, he sent Galdor’s Free Company to collect it from a tomb deep beneath the University in Midmark.

The tomb, a remnant of the ancient Dwarven city Midmark is built upon is supposedly that of a high-ranking family. Galdor’s men managed to locate it, but turned back after they lost a man to trap.

Desric says that if we can finish the job, he would pay us 200g for the key, giving us looting rights to anything else we may find. The key is a gold or silver disc, roughly 5″ in diameter, engraved with Ancient Dwarven runes representing the Silver Throne. It is likely buried with the family matriarch. He gives us directions to the tomb, and also tells us that Galdor is staying at the Flotsam and Jetsam, near the harbour, should we need any more information.

Sthorm privately asks Desric as we leave if he wants the book or wand, but the dwarf can only offer 50g for the unappraised wand.

Following the main road towards the harbour, we stop of at Orsabet’s, where Thorfus commissions some chainmail, to be ready later that evening.

At Kyng’s Lanterns, Galron purchases a hooded lantern, made to hang from a pole, and several flasks of oil.

Next, the paper market, where Sthorm seeks out a mage called Velten. He exchanges the spell book in order to get the wand appraised, which to mage identifies as a Wand of Magic Detection, and despite having minimal remaining charges, is probably worth 1000g or so.

The rest of the party find Garviso, who sells maps, from which we purchase a maps of the city and the island of Curmidden.

Ir’Alle takes us then to the House of the Brotherhood to pay his respects. The dwarven cleric he speaks to seems to have heard of him, as a human in a dwarven religion is a bit of an oddity. When asked if Ir’Alle can offer any assistance, the dwarf asks that we see if we can uncover a missing group of surveyors, patrons of the House, lost in a swamp near the city of Varg.

After asking for further directions, we reach the Flotsam and Jetsam. Enquiring after Galdor, the man is brought to us. When asked about the tomb, he tells us it is dangerous, and it is probably better not to go at all. His group, although used to lighter work, are veterans, but they still lost a man to a revolving floor trap.

Further questioning reveals that they also had to drive out a Goblin settlement in order to get to the tomb, and that their path was marked in chalk, donated by the initials, GFC. He also claims the tomb was weird, full of odd stains and strange noises.

The party decides to spend the rest of the day preparing. We hire a pair of crossbowmen on Galdor’s recommendation, Sturloc and Kottar. The barkeep also points us towards an eager young boy, Kilmar, who we hire to be a torchbearer. Galron promises to buy the boy a proper weapon after the mission.

Returning to Desric, the dwarf admits the tomb possibly could have automated guardians and strong magical protections and traps. In this time, Sthorm sells Desric the wand for a large sum. After Thorfus collects his armour, the party stays again at the Cock and Bull, finally deciding to rent the house for a month.

The next day, we meet the hired help at the sewer entrance, supplying Kilmar with a lantern and a backpack. Entering the sewer, the party finds itself in a chamber housing the remnants of Galdor’s camp, denoted by GFC C1/30.09 written on the wall. Following the only tunnel in single file, we head roughly south, following further chalked signs and descending deeper until we find a cave-in mentioned by Galdor.

Climbing down a steep incline, we see the beginning of the ruins, what looks to be the mosaic walls of a dwarven bathhouse. The party notes the smell of salt water and something else more foul. Entering a large chamber, we can hear the sound of falling water, and momentarily the keen of what could be a wounded animal. Opening a door, Goblins suddenly appear behind the group, brandishing weapons and calling for us to leave.

The goblin speaking members manage to talk to the Goblin leader, discovering that we were thought to be Galron’s men returned to finish killing them off. Because of this, and the loss of several warriors, the goblin tribe had lost its home to the a band of ‘Frogs’, led by the ‘Bad Fish’.

After some discussion, the Goblins agree to let us into the tomb, but only if we help them retake their home from the Frogs. Following the leader into a smaller chamber, a second band appears from the room we tried to enter, effectively surrounding us.

The Goblin tells us how they have blocked the passages after several skirmishes, trying to force the Frogs into attacking from only a single direction. If we attack the Frogs, the Goblins we unblock the passages and ambush them from behind. In this time, we see another room with mosaic’s depicting the place of humans in the ancient dwarven kingdoms, that of possibly slaves and servants.

We decide to assist the Goblins, and the leader takes us to a set of double doors to the East, following the flow of water. At the door, Galron sense evil beyond, and we push them open to reveal a balcony from which the water falls. Upon it, a rather crude and disgusting statue made from the body parts of slain Goblins sits, and also a Frog.

We attack it instantly, and after a few seconds, the Goblin leader caves it’s head in with his Morningstar. During the scuffle, Galron is able to detect the Goblins alignment. The Goblin turns out to be evil, rendering him unable to assist it in any way, for fear of losing his powers.

We end the session stuck with that dilemma, hearing a final croak from the darkness in the room beyond.