This is the first game recap from my new campaign, a replay of Monte Cook's Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil dedicated to pure gonzo mind-blasting.
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The whole thing began with Vig, Jeff's half-orc monk, getting the boot from the monastery in which he figured (previously) to live and die. "Vig," said Master, "these men mean to kill you, and you must take your leave of us. We will detain them while you make your way - I suggest east, toward the rising sun."
Meanwhile, Pho (Sarah's human rogue/fighter) got a tip that a dwarven noble was going to recruit help for some kind of esoteric job. Weird thing, though - recruiting talent in a backwater like Hommlet? Guy's gotta have an angle ...
The Church of Pelor sent Kedrin (Kelly's human cleric/fighter) to Hommlet's Brewfest gathering for reasons I hope Kelly clarifies, since my notes on this matter are shit. And further, I remember that Shaun's Zeppo the druid was particularly awesome, although any gnome riding everywhere on a panther is a sort of fantasy version of Colt .45 - it really does work every time. Again, though, my note-taking smells of the sewer.
So everyone descends on Hommlet on the Tuesday of Brewfest, which is the festival week separating fall from winter. As the name implies, it's very alcohol-oriented - on the night in question, Hommlet was hosting three packed tents - a music/beer tent, a wrestling/wagering/liquor tent, and a rootbeer/kids tent. Zeppo was rocking the kids tent, letting the wee ones pet Badger (his panther), generally being gnomish. In the background, watching and listening and remaining unnoticed, was Pho.
View this now from a nearby hilltop - village, river, glowing tents full of revelers; put an armored man ahorse in the foreground, looking down upon the scene. Notice the man's sun-symbols, those of his horse - this is Kedrin, and this is where we began the story in play.
Kedrin descended to the city, happening upon a still-distraught Vig just at the edge of town. Vig explained that someone wanted to kill him, and Kedrin immediately sussed out the half-orc might need sheltering under the protective arms of the Church of Pelor.
Unfortunately, the Church was partying. An acolyte sent the pair to the tents.
A quick search of the tents led them to the wrestling tent, where Yethir was at the center of a mad wagering bubble. The observant Pho figured the hulking half-orc and the dude in armor were likely to be the locus of serious action, and made her way there. Zeppo had just preceded them, using his break-time to win drinking bets with locals.
Kedrin displayed admirable patience, first shunning a wannabe named Chatrilon Unosh ("maybe we need to work together, eh? I know people"), then trying to explain the situation - "Vig needs sanctuary, no you don't know me, etc. etc." - to a drunken, distracted local priest. The whole thing was interrupted by the appearance of Pho's dwarven noble, Umber, who strode in all self-important-douchebag style, surveyed the folks in the tent ... and strode up shamelessly to the hulking guy in PJs and the dude next to him in gleaming armor.
It was quickly decided that maybe a pow-wow away from the hoi polloi would be ideal ... and maybe this dude scalping the locals from panther-back should attend? So they retired to the Welcome Wench to plot and scheme.
Umber is a noble dwarf, it turns out, part of the ruling families of the Principality of Ulek to the southwest. His cousins and uncles led an expedition to the north, following rumors of rare metals in a particular patch of mountains north and west of Hommlet. His proposal, arrived at after some back-and-forth, is 2k up front each, and 20k each for verifiable word of the fate of either or both of Umber's cousins. Minds are blown, and everyone signs on.
Sometime during the negotiation, a man bursts in, shouting for "Rufus, Burne or Elmo." He was told by Vesta, the waitress (the only otherperson in the place) that they were "off checking out a hobgoblin raid." He blundered out, shouting for help, and the group returned to Umber's presentation.
Finally, the aforementioned Chatrilon slunk into the room in pursuit of the goth half-elf waitress Maridosen; they seemed surprised to see a meeting in the common room, but Maridosen slid smoothly into waitress mode and got the party going a bit. A time was agreed for setting out, and everyone enjoyed a drink ...
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