1.07 - The Bad Ideas

General Summary

Party leaves the House of Pain with a warning from Father Dan ‘Beware of the alliance between the Pale Dogs and Blackwater, it means trouble is on the streets’ They make their way to the Copper mug, but first stop off at a newsie selling The Spire. things they learn from the Barker Newies can come in and out of the quartiene 27 dead, death toll is growing Arden Blackwater is organizing the relief efforts. Pale Dogs have joined forces with Blackwater to help the community You know the location of the Grainery
The team arrives at the Copper Mug, once the Half Lady. The outside is blocked by an orc who becomes a friend of Dockshay and is convinced to leave his post. The Crew decide the best option is to pretend to be a band and stumble in. The Band Ideas is born.
Once inside the plan goes to hell in a handcart. Many orcs are roughing up the place and a large orc named Nexkbreaker is trying to extort a signature from a Centaur and a Marilith named Matilda and Seva. Dockshay fails to charm Neckbreaker and combat starts.
The crew start out strong with double thunderwaves including flying chairs, but find that the technique also exposes them to the center of a group of dangerous orcs and Dockshay quickly goes down. Tol flings objects at incredible speeds but fails to connect with his targets, then falls victum to a charging orc. Liam is flattened by a flung orc from Zizkek’s thunderwave, but heals Tol back from death. He also commanded Neckbreaker to grovel at the feet of Matilda, which flipped a switch in the Centaur and the bar-owner produced a wicked looking knife to plunge into the Orc’s back. Dockshay finished the task by whispering to the orc, causing the Shaman of Gruumesh to flee.
Ziz meanwhile, with the help of Tol’s lantern oil from his catapult spell, uses a burning hands to light the place in a controlled blaze, taking out quite a few orcs. But he too is fel by the orcs, or near to it. Only Liam is left fit and able and things look very bad indeed for the heroes. And In a heroic act to save his ‘friend’, Tol risks his life to leap tables and chairs and enter the fight near the growing fire to stabilize Dockshay. But all seemed for not, as the tide was turning against them.
Fortune smiles as Help arrives. First three orcs who had been watching a prisioner decide to join the fight. This left Sir Tomlin and his squirell friend Sir Gerald unguarded. He was quickly freed by Faezyre and the two began a bloody spree killing orcs with abandon. Additionally, Dalander arrived from a ‘quick errand in town’ to see that many of the orcs were now dead but Neckbreaker was getting away. He took a flaming shot at the one orc behind the bar but missed. The rest tried but failed to keep Neckbreaker from escaping, though Ziz knows which way he went and might be able to track him.
After the fight the party healed their wounds and talked with Matilda and Sir Tomlin. Here is what they learned
The Half Lady was willed to Matilda by the former owner. She changed the name to Copper Mug. A month ago the first report of plague happened in the tavern. The chef quit that day and seemingly left with one of the spoons hanging from the wall. Sir Tomlin is a fallen Knight of the Golden Cross. He seems to have a good heart, but a weakness for some undetermined drug. His only friend is a squirrel he keeps as an ally and named Sir Gerald. He knows the streets well as a Vigilante. The Pale Dogs have two hideouts that Sir Tomlin tells you about. They have a new leadership known as the Top Dogs. There are four of them, though noone has ever seen them and only Butch has ever been given a name.
Post Combat Wrapup, Loot, Boons, Bonuses, Etc The following are all the winnings from a very difficult combat that was creatively tackled by the team in both a tactical and roleplaying way. I always reward these kind of approaches generously.
Tol: Seva hears about your struggles with your catapult spell. She herself comes from a long line of archers and markswomen. She wants to thank you for saving her and her friend (and the bar) by offering you one of her rings. She has dozens of them on her 6 hands. This one is a simple silver band with an eye carved into it. ‘This helped me learn to find my target’ The ring is a Ring of the Mark. It will give you a +2 to your DC for your Catapult spell.(Earned for excellent Roleplaying)
Dockshay: Seva also talks with you. She is of a race that respects those who are morally flexible. Though she herself is leaning towards the good side, she sees the struggle you face in and amongst your ‘friends’ to do what is in your interest and theirs at the same time. She offers you, in private, an Yaun-ti recipe for a potion that she suspects might help. Potion of Influence will give advantage rolls to persuasion checks to its imbiber. How you choose to use such a potion is up to you. (Earned for excellent Roleplaying)
Zizkek: Using your totem as a guide, you spend the hours rest pinpointing the shirll whistle that only you can hear. On the wall amongst the junk is a Goblin Totem. This one is from a different tribe and has different markings, but is clearly a sacred item of your people. When you ask MAtilda she says it was hanging there when she started, though she remembers the former owner saying he bought it from a Goblin named Knucklebones. This Totem, if studies (attuned) will give any Goblin the ability to summon a one Goblin Spirit once per week.to perform a task. (Earned for excellent Tactical combat)
Liam: You talk with Matilda at great length. You find her warm and genuine. She seems out of place in this slum and you don’t find out anything of her backstory. But you do learn from her that you are not the only priest of Baccus in Ptolus. Another came to the Half Lady a year ago, a human named Bartleby. She says if he is still in Ptolus he is likely in the Temple district, should you want to seek him out. She says he left this behind, handing you stack of 10 leaflets of Baccus from a sect of the gods followers you have never heard of, ‘The Merry Path’. Using these leaflets in your spells will extend their potency by double the spell duration. (Earned for Excellent gameplay)
Loot: For the rest, there is loot. The Orcs have the following

• 279 Gold in loose change and gems
• Superb Soft Leather Boots (advantage on stealth checks involving listening)
• Idlemark – The name of this blade is engraved along base of shortsword. Sir Tomlin tells you Named Blades are rare in Ptolus but they are not unheard of. Worth investigating more. Suggests visiting Finnigan’s Claim in oldtown for more information.
• Bag of spices
• Leather Gloves set with Moss Agate.
• Small case of spell components (seemingly kept as trophies by the Orc)
• Tiger Eye
• Giant Nail Clipping
• Basilisk Blood
• Ectoplasm

Report Date

28 Aug 2020