Session Five- Getting the ScentBouldershoulder and Etrigan arrived in Nestle expecting to find their allies from the swamps. They'd turned in their bounty at Outpost Ferguson, 100gp per Lizardman heart to the local mage, cashed in their reward for better gear and were eager to tackle The Forgotten Fort. Instead they found a note from the party with instructions to meet in the city of Kharington. Hoping to make the trip easier the dwarf sought a mount. The catkin had a similar idea and while his companion negotiated Etrigan stole into the stables and tried to make away with the prized horse Maximus. Yet it was our story's hero,
Old Grease Lightning, who proved the kind of mount a party would truly want. Smart, shrewd, and sturdy Grease Lightening had the Feliruu before he realized he was being chosen. Together the trio of Bouldershoulder, Etrigan, and Old Grease Lightning moved south along the kingdom highway to meet their comrades.
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The Temple of Thor was in turmoil. Three initiates dead, the main sanctum in shambles, Father Nicky and Donnerschlag gone. The temple, besieged by the machinations of The
Church of The Five Pillars and their mission to eliminate all other faiths, was in no position to truly investigate the affair. So when the party that found the fabled hammer came before him,
High Priest Borin, was more than willing to pay them for their efforts and offer them more for the return of the missing priest. The only clue was that Father Nicky had been seen the night before in the southern part of the city with a halfling by the name of
Nethras Hookhill. With that information the party set out to search Kharington. In the temple district the party came upon the coolest mule The Kingdom of Quinlain had ever seen, Old Grease Lightning, and his sidekicks Etrigan and Bouldershoulder. The party explained the current situation and asked for the trio’s assistance. Magnus interjected with an attack on Callaghan. The Half-orc was angry about being left behind to escape the Cult of Loki on his own. It took Rachel to quell his rage but once calmed he gladly joined the group’s mission to find Father Nicky.
Polaris, Magnus, Gar, Jareth, and Mr. Marcus explored Slab Town. Bouldershoulder, Etrigan, Rachel, Callaghan, and Old Grease Lightning searched The Shadow Side. The latter found answers in a shabby hole-in-the- wall called
The Shit Stain where Callaghan of The Many Colors learned that his books smarts did not impart street savvy. The dwarf was forced to bail him out and in doing so earned the attentions of the owner,
Big Molly. On the other hand Etrigan made contact with an
honest businessman, a gray furred catkin by the name of
Shard Tooth, and learned what he could about Hookhill. The former spread a bit of coin and and learned that their query would likely be found on The Shadow Side, the southeastern part of the city. Both paths led to the party finding each other on Tick Row. There the party commandeered a rundown house and after ensuring their privacy shared what they’d learned.
If someone wished to lay low in Kharington they disappeared at
Viking’s Folly. The Inn sat in the center of Rhodes Square directly on the border between The Shadow Side and Slab Town, the southwestern part of the city. The place was run by a man named
Adrien Lee. If Father Nicky was in hiding there was a good chance he could be in The Folly. Shard Tooth knew of Nehtras. The halfling was a lieutenant of
The Padded Feet, a small time gang that took control of a small block in The Shadow Side. The Padded Feet made the majority of their money from a bar in the center of their territory called The
Gnawbone.
With two locations to search the party split into two once more. This time Etrigan and Rachel went to scout out The Gnawbone while the others converged on Viking’s Folly…
Viking’s Folly was a rundown inn surrounded by an unkempt yard of overgrown hedges and old trees, the remnants of a time when Rhodes Square was the home of Kharington’s artisans of note. The half-orcs entered through the front, bought a few drinks, and took seats near the performing bard. Mr. Marcus quietly entered and sat at the bar. Bouldershoulder and the others entered through the rear causing much spectacle. The dwarf dragged Jareth by the scruff of his neck and dumped him in front of the bar. He looked around and paid for leaned in to speak in whispered tones with the barkeep. He arranged for the catkin cleric to be secured some place secret and safe. Jareth was taken to an underground prison-like compound and given a key. He was told he has the run of The Folly but to step foot outside was to render protection null and void. Bouldershoulder then explained to Adrien Lee that he would return with friends that would want to question the catkin and the proprietor shrugged and said it would cost a little extra. With that the dwarf left to find his assassin pair. In the meantime the others sat around, drinking and enjoying the bard’s music.
Jareth did a bit of reconnaissance and found that he shared sanctuary with a little person and a stranger who spent his time behind locked door. He learned that the little guy was likely a gnome but a bearded halfing could easily look the same. He attempted to discern the identity of the man behind the locked door but was unsuccessful. Bouldershoulder sent Etrigan to keep watch over the house on Tick Row and returned to Viking’s Folly with Rachel. He arranged for the assassin and Callaghan to get downstairs to interrogate the catkin and was reminded that people pay for their privacy and The Folly took security seriously. With that the dwarf left to discuss pastries with his feliruu partner.
Rachel and Callaghan were stripped of all but a knife and allowed into the underground sanctuary. There they beat Jareth for effect before The Many Colors donned one of his many faces, using his magic to disguise himself as Adrien Lee himself. As Adrien the illusionist explored the compound. the gnome greeted him happily before going to the surface to enjoy dinner. He listened at the sealed door but had no way of knowing that the room’s occupant had also gone up to eat. Eager to see what was inside the room, Callaghan peeked into the room’s keyhole and pricked his eyes on an unseen needle. His body went rigid and he was unable to move. Panicking over the caster’s paralysis Jareth and Rachel tossed him into the restroom. Upstairs, Polaris and Magnus ate across from the stranger from the locked room unaware that the party’s plan had gone awry. The gnome called for a plate of stewed sausage and peppers and raised a mug to the man that had given him a safe place to stay. Then he dropped his mug, there was no way that Adrien was in two places at once. Worried the little man rushed to speak to the innkeeper. There were a series of quick movements and people rushing for doors, and suddenly Viking’s Folly was on lock-down. The party was suddenly in trouble and the more experienced members were sharing a drink with Big Molly and Old Grease Lightning at the Shit Stain.
Adrien kept the party inside long enough for reinforcements to arrive and soon the party was evenly matched against dangerous looking adventurer types. The party was left with the decision to fight their way out or leave quietly for a fee. The latter was chosen and all but Jareth were allowed to leave but warned never to return. Embarrassed by their treatment the party slept at the house on Tick Row and contemplated revenge. Bouldershoulder, Etrigan, and their leader partied into the night with Bouldershoulder’s new girlfriend. The next morning the party returned to Rhodes Square with a grudge to settle and after a bit of debate Polaris sent Mr. Marcus to fetch The High Priest of Thor. By midday High Priest Borin arrived with the city watch and three dozen paladins. Marcus told him that the missing Father Nicky was being held hostage and Borin would see his man free. Viking’s Folly fell quite easily to The Watch while the party and the paladins of Thor observed but they weren’t the only watchers. Mr. Marcus was the first to catch sight of one of the thugs from the night before and ran away without a word to his peers. The thug gave chase. Inside The Watch had detained all within the establishment including the people in the underground suites. The gnome was desperate to be left within, the stranger seemed in his own world. Jareth and the two would have been taken to lockup but Callaghan vouched for the cleric who was instantly freed. All of this Adrien Lee took in with a mirthless smile. It was The Captain of The Watch that identified Adrien’s position as a citizen of note with ties to the governor and aristocracy of Kharington as well as rumored connections to a guild known as The White Wolves. There was no sign of Father Nicky. Worried that they might be in danger Polaris took Magnus to warn Rachel who had taken up position on the opposite side of the square to see if anyone attempted to escape the City Watch. It was in the roof of a three floor apartment building that Polaris was struck with an arrow. The trio tried to flee only to find that the building was barred shut. The half-orcs charged through the door, breaking the crates on the other side and mixing their volatile contents. The ensuing conflagration killed The King of the Ursine and left the others wounded. As a crowd gathered in the square to see the commotion two attempts were made on Jareth’s life and the group was set to full panic mode. Desperate they fled to The Temple of Thor.
The party had yet to find Father Nicky, the halfling Nethras, or Donnerschlag but they made their presence known within Kharington. What has become of the priest? Where is the fabled hammer? What will The White Wolves do in search of retribution?
to be continued… 
Message [Page 17 of 31]
Sounded really interesting.
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