Ptolus session 13: 2007-10-28
I manage to cut things ever-closer with these Ptolus session logs. This time it's less than an hour until the next game starts!
Story
The game resumed from last time with the team back at Grayson House and finally able to ditch the disguises they'd be wearing for the previous several days. Marcus was enjoying the opportunity to write a glowing report about the team's performance, having so successfully tracked down the Balacazar link to Linech's operation. Of course, his perfect report was immediately marred by the following events:
- While shopping for a wand-sized everburning torch at the Underground Markets, Brother Logan was nabbed at riflepoint by a bounty hunter named Barton and marched across town to the offices of Morgan Kaufmann, a protection racketeer under the Balacazars. Logan had been identified when passing through the southern city gate and her higher-ups wanted answers about the stolen pocketwatch. Fortunately for Logan, Morgan was one of the mellowest crime lords you could hope to meet, and responded very well to diplomacy. He told her that he was happy to help find the thieves again, and promised to return with the information. Released, Logan figured he'd dodged the (only semi-figurative) bullet and hastened back to Grayson House. All would've been well, except that of course Morgan send one of her footpads to shadow him back to the safehouse. In a recurring roof inspection incident, the sound of the prowler slipping on a broken ceiling tile alerted everyone to the fact that their location was no longer a secret.
- Cale was still carrying around a posthypnotic compulsion from the vampire spawn Dieter to meet at midnight at a South Market tavern. Dieter was also after the watch, and after some testy questioning compelled Cale to lead the way to Linech's burrow. An on-site search of Linele's coffin didn't turn up the timepiece, so Dieter commanded Cale to bring the coffin back to the manorhouse and departed to report to his mistress. Fortunately, Cale finally managed to succeed on a Will save and avoided this finally directive. He grabbed a wheelbarrow and took the coffin back to Grayson House anyway, having a close call with Captain Otis and the City Watch and the way back, and returning just in time to hear Logan's pursuer slip from the roof. His awkward explanations to Brother Marcus incidentally revealed Dieter's influence and Cale's previous lack of honesty. Marcus was highly unimpressed.
The team set lookouts and went to sleep. Marcus dreamed he was back in the meadow, under the stars. Nearby, a fellow with a sword was hacking down fenceposts. When challenged, he said he needed the firewood and refused to stop. The moon came out and he turned into a werewolf and attacked Marcus with the sword. Marcus had the presence of mind to wrap the silver chain of his ankh around his fist and use that to successfully beat back the wolf man. The grey shepherd with the hammer showed just as Marcus drifted back to consciousness: The sword is no good!
The commotion that awakened Marcus was a midnight attack by a detachment of the Balacazar manor guards. Logan and Cale had spotted them approaching along the street, and had plenty of time to wake the others and get into position. The attackers were soundly trounced, their fleeing wounded chased down and retrieved for interrogation in the morning.
Queensday, 15th of Wind 721 IA
The next morning Sebastian headed out to pawn the captives' gear and pick up food while Mali headed back to the Chapterhouse lab to identify the box of magical items and the remainder of the team interrogated the prisoners. Logan was openly scornful of the quality of the troops sent but failed to get them to break; their leader didn't seem frightened by the prospect of being consigned to the prison, due to the influence of his masters. Questioning them alone, Cale was recognized as Montague and got a much more respectful response.
Back at Chapterhouse, Mali discovered that the magic monocle allowed free use of the identity spell and used it to figure out all the remaining items: a 1st level pearl of power, a smaller pearl conferring the ability to speak Aquan, a +1 hideaway longspear, a variant eternal wand of shield, and a witchlight reservoir. Later she was joined in the library by Logan to hunt for answers. Suspicious of Castalla, she found that the name originated in an old angelological text as one of the celestials changed with enforcing divine law. She then turned her attention to this pocketwatch which everyone seemed to be after. In an impressive (DC 30) piece of research, she discovered that it was a talisman possessed by Yloueil, the demon who had originally taught the manufacture of the narcotic shivvel. Presumably its knowledge was required to reinstate production after the destruction of the Sallachlor Island facility.
Logan then hurried off to make good on his promise to meet Morgan again. He offered to help track down the thieves, and set up a third meeting for later on at the Church of the Lawgiver.
Sebastian had a productive day as well, returning to the Delver's Guild library (his old family home) and joining the guild in order to gain free access. The wealth of treasure maps and expedition reports allowed him to determine that the tunnels beneath Grayson House most likely led down to a region of Ghul's Labyrinth called the Pit of Ghanadaur. He spent the afternoon looking for Castalla, eventually tracking her back to the same tavern at which Cale had met Dieter. The session closed with Sebastian spotting Castalla at a table with Nick, passing him the golden pocketwatch.
Statistics
It'll be while now before anyone levels again (the level 5 target is 10000 XP), but bare-knuckling the werewolf in his dream sequence was remarkably lucrative for Brother Marcus, catapulting him well into the lead. Here are the overall experience tallies:
EL Encounter - Experience Point Awards - Cale Logan Mali Marcus Sebastian Total XP after session 12 6135 6372 6347 6447 6447 3 Marcus's dream battle against the werewolf fence vandal
- Werewolf (CR 3)
- Guards (CR 1 ×4)
People are being somewhat shy about the dispensation of the magical loot from the Sallachor Island lockbox. I know that Sebastian has laid claim to the mithral chain shirt, and the monocle is being considered lab equipment to be left at Chapterhouse.