Dramatis Personae
Beltin (Aasimar Dirge Bard/Cleric 10).
Bradley Weatherby (Human Dervish Dancer 10/Knife Master Rogue 7/Duelist 3). - MISSING PLAYER
"Jake" aka Alex, the actual character name but I refuse to go back and edit the old entries (Human Wizard/Rogue 10).
Astar Luno (NG Human Kata Master, Many of Many Styles Monk 10/Sacred Fist War Priest 10). Astar came in with the recent batch of Crusaders and is known by and affiliated with the group, but is not officially a member. This has not stopped the Usurer from gouging him like the rest of the Crusade though. He came to the Desolation to spread freedom and good and such and is now looking for a group to join up with. He heard of all of the members of the party from different people and realized these people were the rising stars of adventuring groups in the Camp and decided joining up with them would be awesome as they must be good people fighting the good fight against evil. What an idiot.
BW's rep grinding pays off as Astar mostly hears good things about him. Beltin and Jake come off as feared and respected, but also generally seen as fair.
Bad things happen to good people, Session 12.1 - 9/6/14
Beltin's talk with the assassins was handled in private. Let's call it a surprise until the appropriate time.
Day 18
Beltin and BW get their pre-paid purchases and everyone else gets ready to depart. Tomorrow into the Desolation!
Astar learned that the party was recruiting and heads to Jake's school to find Yohann viciously drilling the recruits, attempting to make them into a respectable fighting force. He stands idly by waiting to be acknowledged and after half an hour Yoahnn asks him what the fuck he wants. He says he wants to join. Yohann screams in his face and tells him to join the line with the rest. He does and exercise continues.
After another hour of this Yohann dismisses the rest of the dudes to their magic training and calls Astar to him. He asks if he has any magical talent. Astar replies with a "kinda." Yohann seems satisfied because as he says, real warriors don't need it. He then tells Astar they will spar. And then he smashes him in the mouth with the pommel of his greatsword and tells him to bring it.
Astar does. Yohann calls it after one round, heals himself with Lay on Hands, and tells him that he's impressed. He just bypassed the grunt stage and became an enlisted officer. Astar is proud of himself and is led into the barracks by Yohann and shown his bunk while the rest of the grunts toil outside on their magic training under the command of Roringard.
Inside, Yohann goes to a field desk and pulls out some parchment and clumsily writes a letter, seals it, and tells Astar to find one of the three party members. Dismissed! Before he goes Astar notices Mama Grim and is a bit bewildered, but obeys Yohann. He doesn't have far to go.
While this was happening Jake and Beltin met up at the Sip. Beltin walked in as Lucky has handing their share of the bar/inn's take to Jake, a practice which Beltin told Lucky to never do again. Out of game, both players know that Jake was just about to pocket the money and never bring it up again. Instead they decide to split the 600 bits (mostly earned from the inn, as the Sip isn't doing great) two ways, because BW certainly doesn't need any. With that done they talk briefly about the Sips issues and come up with an inkling of a plan.
The two decide to go check on Jake's school and see Mama Grim for the scheme they have in mind. They approach as Astar leaves and he immediately hands them the letter. Jake opens it and reads. The gist is:
"This guy is now an enlisted officer. He is a true warrior. If you need to leave someone behind to die heroically use Carl (the guy who tried to make the scroll of read magic and barely passed the poison test) as dying is all he will ever be good for. Don't lose this one, I like him. - Yohann"
Jake and Beltin ask what he can do and he says punch people. They seem unimpressed. Jake asks about magic and he says he can do some. Jake says to show him. He casts a self-buff. Jake yawns but tells Astar he will accompany the party into Desolation tomorrow and tells him to wait outside while they go in for a moment.
Inside Yohann snaps to attention and asks if they met the new guy. They say yes and Yohann again expresses how he is a quality recruit. Like the exact opposite of Carl. Jake and Beltin remain impassive, not yet having a real opinion of the new man. Yohann goes into a detailed status report on the training of the forces which both men know they are required to hear though they give no shits.
Beltin spaces out and Jake halfheartedly listens as Yohann explains the recruits are almost good enough to be the people you send in first to get slaughtered before sending in troops that actually matter, but it is a definite improvement from before when they were just worthless rabble. Things are progressing. With his report finished he salutes and leaves out the back to check on the magic training.
With Yohann gone, Jake and Beltin approach Mama Grim, but when she sees Beltin she appears deathly afraid for a second before immediately relaxing. She comments on how Beltin walks a dark road, the darkest road perhaps, and says she thought he was someone else for a second. Beltin inquires further.
Mama Grim mentions how a few years back (yeah...) she suddenly had the urge to step outside her shop, a rare occurrence. It was dusk and in the light of the setting sun she saw him and recognized him for what he was at once, though he wore the guise of a man most convincingly. It was a creature that reveled in the darkest pits of depravity, a creature of immense evil power, power that though she respected, she also deeply feared. She knew that if he saw her fear she would be utterly consumed. So she closed the door of her shop and waited, praying to the dark powers beyond that the shadow would simply pass by and leave her untouched. It did.
Beltin tries to get a more exact date, but Mama Grim only remembers it was years ago now, so so long. It happened a couple days before that awful giant Gurg and his Pounders met their doom on the road through the Desolation and Gurg was cut down in the street like the dog he was not long after. That must have been nearly 10 years ago now, says Mama Grim, lost in reflection. The evil she felt departed with that caravan, and at that point she laughed and laughed as she knew Gurg was damned. All that walked near that indescribable force of evil would inevitably be damned.
This is very interesting, but Mama Grim knows no more or has perhaps repressed any more appropriate memories. She lets the story drop and asks what her dearies needed. Jake asks for some poison that will make people sick. Mama Grim asks how sick because she has much poison. Perhaps one that will make them literally cough up their throat and die in agony? No, just making them throw up would be good, says Jake.
She pulls out some flasks and bottles some of the stew she is making for dinner for the recruits. She explains that its not done yet, so not safe yet to eat. She asks if they will stay for dinner. They refuse.
The two then call Astar in tell him to meet them at the Dancing Bear around midnight. He will be the look out while they apply some poison. Astar looks uncomfortable but says he will be there. They leave him and suggest he talk to Mama Grim if he needs potions.
Jake and Beltin decided to try to undermine the Dancing Bear; by making people who drink there sick they will undoubtedly drive more people back to Lucky's (and their) place. Awesome.
Astar meets Mama Grim and is obviously very uncomfortable, but she doesn't notice. He asks for Cure Serious potions and she gives him 4... while charging him 5 bits. Apparently she is remembering way back in her day when these things cost a nickel, but Astar is told out of game that this will not always be the case and to enjoy it while it lasts; that 7:1 gold/bit conversion rate for Crusaders hurt like a bitch, so he gets a one time bonus from the DM.
That night the three hang around the tent city and wait for things to quiet down in the Dancing Bear; it never really closes, but by around 3 or 4 a.m. it's almost guaranteed to be dead. Astar waits outside as Beltin and Jake go in with Greater Invisibility. No one is at the bar and the place is mostly empty besides what appears to be a high stakes poker game in the back. No bartender at the moment.
Jake goes behind the bar and starts spiking the taps and pouring the unfinished stew broth from Mama Grim into several popular brands of liquor on the shelf behind the bar. As he begins to finish, Floyd re-enters from a curtained off section nearby and walks back to his station. Jake is on alert but Floyd doesn't appear to notice him... but his eyes narrow and he begins to audibly sniff as though he smells something, perhaps the broth, that doesn't belong in his area but then seems to dismiss it as his imagination.
Jake ducks into the area Floyd enters from and sees a simple bed, a desk, and a trunk. That must be Floyd's "room." He doesn't disturb it and leaves. He taps Astar on the back to let him know the job is done and they leave and go to bed. They plan on meeting at the Sip of Blood in the morning.
BW was missing as a player, so how he spent his last day before the the planned excursion in the wastes will be retroactively handled next session.
Day 19
The following morning (really about 5:45 a.m., so a few hours later) Yohann wakes up Astar and tells him to report to his commanding officers. He woke him up 15 minutes before the rest of the recruits so he could prep and not keep them waiting. Dismissed!
Bleary eyed Astar hurries to the Sip, goes through the batwing doors, and finds it deserted. He helps himself to a drink and waits. And waits for a couple hours. Jake, Beltin, and BW sleep til about 10 a.m. and show up soon after. Thanks Yohann.
Around 8 a.m. Lucky comes out stretching and sees Astar drinking. He yells at him for drinking without paying, which Astar does not understand, but Astar puts his hands up and says he is just waiting for the party as they were supposed to meet there at some unspecified time and he is sorry for intruding. He gives 5 bits to Lucky for the drink and Lucky warms up; he loves when people set their own prices and grossly overpay.
He offers him another drink, a shot from the Decanter of Endless Grain Alcohol, which Astar drinks and barely makes the fortitude save against. Lucky holds out his hand and gets 5 bits. Astar asks for something less strong, puts out 5 more bits, and Lucky gives him some of the house special, grain alcohol and something vaguely fruity. Astar, feeling uncomfortable being alone with the horribly maimed barman, makes a comment about the good weather they are having.
Lucky laughs and tries to explain about the deadly weather in the Desolation, like bone storms and acid rain, by acting it out, but it is mostly lost on Astar. By the time the rest of the party show up Astar is a bit drunk. They look at him disapprovingly and reprimand him. Goddamn it Astar.
Through no real fault of his own, Astar is now the official party fuck-up, the comic relief who draws all the unfairness of the uncaring, but highly malevolent universe. If he doesn't yet regret joining the party... well, there is plenty of time for that.
To be continued...
