(WOT1-1)

• Session 1: 2011-06-23
• Session 2: 2011-06-25
• Session 3: 2011-07-14
• Session 4: 2011-07-16

After returning from training at the Abbey of the Rose to become a Knight of the Order of the Sacred Shrike, Prince Gabriel is commanded to ride forth to parlay with Duke Lazar Becket to secure forces to help resolve issues taking place in the uplands.

He rides forth, in the company of Grayson Shadowbrooke and Sebastian Becket, the latter of whom graciously offered his services (after being commanded to do so by his superiors), bound for Baytown, where they will meet with the Royal Envoy James Vanderton before completing the journey to Gethrun-on-Imphras.

In Baytown, they find that Vanderton is not present at the designated meeting place. On further investigation, it seems he arrived in town, but was set upon by brigands, in the odd guise of "hill people", a local legend of Cymry barbarians who raid cities and abscond with slaves and valuables (a once-common practice, centuries ago, but certainly unheard of today). With the paid help of "treasure hunter" Stefan Bachmeier and the begrudging aid of tracker Faith, they follow the trail of Vanderton's abductors.

They journey into the Badlands, a wild expanse of the northern Bluet lands, fighting past giant spiders and strange fey creatures, and even slaying a "dragon". Ultimately, they arrive at an ancient Cymry mineshaft, which has been taken over by these "hill people". Upon confronting them, they realize that they are not people at all, but hideous slime-monsters who can take mortal guise. After a pitched battle, they triumph over the slime people and their leader--a Talontar Blightlord--who they were unable to question, as he was assassinated by an unknown woman with considerable skills in stealth.

After clearing the dungeon, they manage to recover Vanderton and restore him to health. After allowing some time for him to return to a semblance of health, and burying the "bodies" of their enemies, they proceed onward to Gethrun.

Once there, they part with Faith and Stefan (seemingly for good), and proceed onto the Ducal Palace. There, they meet Lazar Becket and Ilmara, the Queen Mother. Meanwhile, Faith and Stefan get in trouble at the Grand River Festhall and Casino; the latter escapes with his bounty, but the former is taken down by the guards.

Faith's body washes up on shore; miraculously, she has survived. The efforts of her faithful hound soon deliver her into the ministrations of Bastian, who puts her on the path to recovery. Meanwhile, Stefan, lying low to avoid any trouble, ends up finding more than he bargained for at a local tavern. Apparently, its basement is being rented out to unsavory types, and he arrives just in time to stop a coven of warlocks from sacrificing an innocent peasant girl.

The girl is delivered to the safety of the palace, where Grayson is able to determine that Stefan has the means of catching the would-be murderers: the blood on his daggers. With the locator spell crafted, he determines that the warlocks are within the palace itself. Before they can flee, the party confronts them. The warlocks fight well, but the party prevails...

Until their leader, Gareth "The Darkreaver" Danner, decides to trade his very soul for power, offering himself to the Queen of Whispers. He transforms into a hideous monster, betraying his ally Mari Nethket, and prompting her to join the party in his defeat. The battle is desperate, but the warlock is bested, nearly slaying the party outright with his death curse...and, in fact, slaying Grayson, who is returned from death by a genuine miracle, as Bastian conjures impossible healing power.

Grayson and Bastian slowly recover, their souls drained, as Gabriel spearheads the investigation into the warlocks. As it turns out, Gareth Danner and his apprentices were part of a conspiracy to overthrown the King, and were involved in the kidnapping of James Vanderton. Danner is posthumously tried and found guilty of treason.

After the Highharvesttide Festival, Gabriel reveals his true identity to Faith and Stefan, and asks the party to join him in a personal mission to address reports of banditry and rampaging monsters in the north.

Session 1

Enemies defeated:

• 5x Svart (aka Gibberling)

Aspirations achieved:

• 4x minor

XP awarded:

• 230 xp each (new total: 230 xp)

Treasure awarded:

• 1 sp
• 25 cp
• 100 cp worth of alchemy mats

Session 2

Enemies defeated:

• 1x Drachii (elite)
• 1x Monstrous Spider (elite)
• 27x Slime Half warrior/rogue/sorcerer (minion)
• 1x Talontar Blightlord (elite)

Aspirations achieved:

• 5x minor (100)
• 2x major (100)
• 1x epic (Faith: "perform a legendary deed") (100)
• 1x secret (50)

XP awarded:

• 1081 xp each (new total: 1311 xp)
  • 350 from aspirations
  • 731 from monsters

Treasure awarded:

• Dragon pelt worth 1,000 cp (leatherworking mats)
• Dragon breath sac worth 350 cp (alchemy mats)
• Dragon teeth, claws, meat, etc worth 150 cp (vendor trash)
• Spider chitin worth 500 cp (leatherworking mats)
• Spider poison worth 1500 cp (poison or alchemy mats); alternatively, 5 charges of Dire Spider venom (4 dex ots Fort ends)
• Spider silk worth 4500 cp (tailoring mats)
• 34 daggers (mkt val 1700 cp)
• 13 longswords (mkt val 1950 cp)
• 22 short swords (mkt val 1650 cp)
• 12 crossbows (10 quarrels each) (mkt val 1800 cp)
• 5 shortbows (20 arrows each) (mkt val 300 cp)
• 6 ordinary wands (mkt val 600 cp)
• 848 cp
• 13 sp
• 1 gp
• Dagger of Darkness: produces darkness (emanation 3) when drawn.
• 7x Potion of Healing I
• 2x Potion of Tall Bounds
• 1x Garnet
• 3x Peridot
• 1x Amber

Session 3

• Monsters vanquished:
  • 3x Nyth
  • 225 xp each (new total: 1536 xp)
  • alch/ench mats already awarded
  • 3 shiny stones worth 1 sp each

• Aspirations achieved:
  • Grayson: Propose a Reasonable Plan (minor), 1 ap
  • Faith: Score a Critical Hit (minor), 1 ap
  • Faith: Defeat a Foe Without Using Strength (secret), 5 ap
  • Total XP: 900 (180 xp each, new total: 1716 xp)

Session 4

Monsters Vanquished

• Gareth Danner (boss)
• Mari Nethket (elite)
• Special award for solo/duo battles

Aspirations Achieved

• Faith
  • Minor: Sleep with a Stranger (1 ap)
  • Secret: Survive a near-death state and recover on your own (5 ap)
  • Minor: Score a critical hit (1 ap)
  • Major: Accept an unfair challenge (5 ap)
• Bastian
  • Major: Convert someone to your faith (5 ap)
  • Epic: Resurrect someone from the dead (20 ap)
  • Minor: Heal a stranger (1 ap)
  • Minor: Relieve someone's suffering (1 ap)
• Grayson
  • Epic: Have a conversation with a dragon or divine entity (20 ap)
• Stefan
  • Major: Steal a magic item (5 ap)
  • Minor: Steal a valuable item (1 ap)
  • Minor: Pass a thievery-related skill check (1 ap)

XP

• 1,000 xp each from monsters (new total: 2716 xp)
• 1,040 xp each from aspirations (new total: 3756 xp, level 3)

Treasure

• Sack of Jewels (stolen by Stefan, not party treasure)
  • 2x Garnet
  • 2x Zircon
  • 1x Turquoise
  • 1x Quartz
  • 746 cp worth of JC mats
• Belongings of Gareth Danner
  • 2 gp, 9 sp, 50 cp
  • A large collection of literature
  • A wardrobe of men's clothing, upper middle class
  • A modest townhome, furnished
  • An alchemist's lab, complete with high-quality tools. With these tools, an alchemist could brew up to 10 potions at a time (instead of 5), and would gain a 10% material cost discount.
  • 3,580 cp worth of alchemical components
  • An enchanter's silver rod, a finely-honed instrument that improves the efficiency of enchantments. When used by a skilled enchanter to enhance an item, it imparts a 10% discount to material cost.
  • 2,945 cp worth of enchanting components
  • 4,812 cp worth of spell reagents
  • Cowl of Shadows: This black hood, when worn over the head, shields the wearer from thought and alignment detection, rendering him invisible to any purely mental means of perception, and rendering any magical auras affecting his person invisible to a wizard's Sight. It has a subtle effect on the attention of observers, causing them to consider the subject unimportant. Grants +4 Stealth.
  • Rod of Whispers: Keyed to a series of black stones (four of which were recovered), this rod allows the wearer to use Whispering Wind with the recipients at will, provided they are within 1 mile. It also grants +5 Hit Power, +10 Crit Power, and +5 Haste to spells. It is unenchanted and uncustomized.
  • Vital Stone: This strange lump of reddish crystal is a special soulstone, not powered by entrapped souls, but by the wearer's own. It leeches powerful emotions (hate, fear, anger), mildly moderating the wearer's mood; the main purpose of this is to store emotional energy for later release. It can store up to 3 points of Energy, recharging at a rate of 1 per 4 hours. The Energy can be cashed in as Mana, Vitae, Rage, etc. Wearers who normally suppress or moderate their emotions will gain reduced effect (max 2 Energy, recharge 1/day).
  • Enchanter's Ring: This ring may be used only by an enchanter. By feeding the ring 10 cp/level worth of enchanting mats, the ring is empowered to grant the wearer +10% Hit Power and +10% Haste with spells for 24 hours.