Session 11 Recap & Experience Points Awards

The tremors came quickly, and grew more violent.  The demon Xtomchyzkatl was slain, and the spells lifted on the ancient Vault of Konykos—and now the very earth moved to reclaim this excavation.  For the company, deep in the belly of this doomed subterranean redoubt, there could be no delay at all.

The group proceeded first through the glowing blue door that Ipplie Amie had taken, and came quickly upon the glass-encased pedestal that had undoubtedly held Konykos’ greatest treasure.  The “Arcanband,” the demon had called it—surely this had been what drew Amie to the place.  A single pane had been smashed, and the case sat empty now.  There was no sign of the treacherous rogue.  And now came still more tremors, with the first shards of rock plunging dangerously from the ceiling.

Amie may have taken the Arcanband, but this was not all the wealth Konykos had stashed here.  A magic keyhole, opened with a key the party retrieved from Xtomchyzkatl’s gruesome remains, revealed a gap in the chamber wall that held three metal lockboxes.  The gnome Schlemeel opened one of these with his lockpicks, the dwarf Jowdain bashed another with his axe, and the elf Greyndalf employed his acid splash cantrip to erase a magical rune that protected the third.  Even without the Arcanband, it was a handsome prize, with a wand of lightning and a bag of holding amid hundreds of precious coins and other treasures.

But would the company live to enjoy it?  With the most violent shock yet, another sharp fragment of rock whistled down, crashing into the druid Yalla and inflicting a mild, yet ominous, wound.  Another falling shard would strike one of her companions just moments later, and then another, and another, and another after that. 

Hastily pressing forward amid the tremors, the party reached a dead end—but one with a most curious feature.  An earthen plinth rose several feet from the ground here, and on it a large crystal.  Looking into it, the inspecting adventurers saw the blanket of foreboding vegetation that had concealed this place: the gnarled black trees of the Evilgrove.  In unison, the group placed their hands upon the crystal, and in a moment they were gone.

The group reappeared moments later in the shadow of tall healthy pines, beside glistening streams of pure mountain water.  But the company recognized the distinctive ridgelines to the north and east: this was still the Shadow Valley.  And the hale green trees by which they now stood had been the Evilgrove.  With the curse lifted, this healthy grove would demand a new name.  Just then, the avatar of the Deva Osinella fluttered past, and rejuvenated the party members with a whisper of her divine elven magic.  Then she, like the Evilgrove and the dark chamber of horrors beneath it, was gone.

It was but a moment’s repose, however.  For as soon as the Deva’s avatar departed, the company heard distant drums beating from the southeast.  Looking to the ridge, the company saw them: a great host of pine goblins, carrying banners and battle flags and armed with spears and bows, clambering overland to the Shadow Valley. 

What had drawn the pine goblins, the party would learn soon enough.  The Quilderran scout leader, Pelifras, was here with his men.  What was left of them, anyway.  One of the elven scouts signaled to the adventuring company, and they fled together through the northwest pass toward the Quilderran village. 

Pelifras planned to sneak back to the village through the forest, traveling only at night and using the thick vegetation for added cover.  He expected to make only a few miles per night—thus taking several days of intense, stealth travel.  But the travelers were attacked only hours into its journey by a crew of trogs, who charged frenetically from behind a lazy stream.  Yet another of Pelifras’ scouts fell in this encounter, but the trogs retreated after the company killed the trog leader and the cleric Gambol issued an ultimatum to the survivors in an intimidating, enchanted voice.

Having beaten back the trog assault, the company continued onward with Pelifras and the remnants of his patrol.  They conversed mainly with Pelifras’ healer, the cleric Sanlou (of Cygnival), who explained that a great pillar of green light had risen the previous night from the Shadow Valley into the heavens.  Just as Pelifras’ scouts had gone to investigate, so had many of the local trog bands—as well as, evidently, the formidable pine goblin tribe to the southeast.  A number of Pelifras’ troopers had fallen in encounters with these trogs, and those who remained sought only to make their way safely back home.

The beleaguered party reached the Quilderran village the following day.  There, unlike human towns, they found a rather disorganized collection of huts, lean-tos, yurts, and other semi-permanent structures loosely scattered around an elevated citadel, consisting of many platforms and catwalks erected around the trunks and branches of an impressive central grove.  Before parting ways, Pelifras assigned one of his surviving scouts, young Kolla, to serve as a guide for the company.

The party soon rested, and endeavored to examine the treasures recovered from the Vault of Konykos.  A bottle of glowing yellow liquid was soon discovered to be a magical potion of heroism, before Greyndalf turned to decipher a set of magic scrolls.  Yet the mage found he was unable to read magic, his powers suddenly failing him in the exposed light of day.  There could be no question as to the cause of this condition: the accursed sigil Greyndalf had seen on a book he’d found in Konykos’ lair. 

Kolla led the group to the chapel of Cygnival, where the curse bewildered the local acolyte.  Unable to decipher its origins, let alone absolve the condition, the acolyte recommended the wizard seek out the High Oracle in Q’in—the great ancient city far to the west.  Kolla found it odd that the acolyte would direct the mage to an oracle of a different faith (Q’in being the center of the di-theist faith).  But Gambol, himself a cleric of Cygnival, explained that the centaur god is unlikely to bestow his favors upon non-adherents—and thus the acolyte wisely directed Greyndalf to the more universal deities of the Q’in di-theisms.

The company next traded with the sole passing merchant in the Quilderran village.  His stock was meager, and featured little that drew the party’s interest.  But he did expect a larger caravan through within the next week.  The merchant also knew the story behind the elven toe ring the company discovered on a skeletal foot in Konykos’ morgue: that a western branch of Quilderran use those toe rings to hold the spirits of evil men at bay—and punish the removal of such rings by death.

Finally, like all great adventuring troupes, the company located the elves’ answer to a tavern—an arboreal biergarten of sorts, nestled in perhaps the diviest nook of the treetops.  Only the proprietor was present, and though superficially friendly he barely concealed his contempt for the party’s unfamiliarity with Quilderran ways—going so far as to suggest that the Quilderran merely laze about in their forest village, not bothering to utilize the various huts and shelters the party had come across in its ascent to the elven home.  There was some truth to this, of course—but only some, and further explanation was hardly forthcoming. 

The barkeeper had heard the name of Ipplie Amie, though—and recalled hearing it from the lips of one Tawnica Morze.  But he could confirm only that Morze was a resident of the village, pleading ignorance on asking where specifically she might be found. 

As the sun dipped beneath the horizon and darkness crept over the Quilderran village, the company gathered to plan its next move.  Q’in beckoned.  And pine goblin drums echoed across the valleys.  

Adventure Notes:

·       Bag of Holding.  Among the most useful items to adventurer types are these magical bags, which can hold up to 500 lbs. and 64 cubic feet of mass, yet weigh precisely 15 lbs. at all times.  Only items that can pass through the bag’s (2-foot diameter) opening may be placed in the bag, however.  

·       Pine Goblins.  The company has long heard of the fearsome pine goblins.  Now, the company has observed them, albeit from afar.  Unlike trogs, or (by reputation) really and of the humanoid races, the pine goblins appeared orderly and tactical in their movements.  Most carried spears and bows, but they also carried battle flags and marched to actual drum beats.  Though not nearly as individually fearsome as the larger and more powerful trogs, you suspect the pine goblins may actually be the more dangerous foe, given their superior organization and (apparently) greater intelligence. 

Experience Points & Inspiration 

DM’s experience award moderation note: In this campaign, experience points are awarded for overcoming obstacles, solving problems, and achieving goals.  Although experience points are typically awarded for defeating adversaries, note that an adversary need not necessarily be killed to earn those points if the adversary can be defeated in another way.  Experience points are earned collectively and then divided among the player-characters.  In addition to experience points, players can earn inspiration for creativity, superior tactics, and especially strong role-playing.

The party faced a trog leader and 14 trogs in battle this session, fighting them along with Pelifras and six of his scouts—one of whom perished in the battle.  The company is awarded 50% of these 1,050 experience points, or 525 XP.  These are then divided between Jowdain, Greyndalf, Gambol, Schlemeel, Yalla, and Unagi, for a total of 88 XP per character.

In addition, the party earned experience points for the following accomplishments:

·      Using acid splash to defeat the rune trap on Konykos’ lock box, 60 XP;

·      Completing the Evilgrove/Vault of Konykos adventure, 2,500 XP

·      Reaching the Quilderran village, 100 XP;

·      Learning the story of the elven toe rings, 100 XP;

·      Effective interactions with Quilderran acolyte, barkeeper, merchant, 150 XP.

This total (2,910 XP) is divided evenly among the six current player characters, for an even 485 XP apiece.

In the midst of the trog battle, the cleric Gambol invoked his thaumaturgy spell to address the company’s foes with supernatural depth of voice.  Their leader already fallen, and now facing hopeless odds in a fight against magical enemies, the trogs quickly abandoned their assault and fled into the deep woods.  Cygnival looked approvingly upon this display of strength mixed with mercy, and awards an inspiration.

Final Session 11 totals:

·      Jowdain acquitted himself well in battle, garnering 573 XP.

·      Gambol pleased his deity and is rewarded with 573 XP and one point of inspiration.

·       Greyndalf remained a cunning and resourceful (and mostly naked) adversary, earning 573 XP.

·      Schlemeel still don’t give a f*k, but he picked up 573 XP.

·      Yalla was one with nature, and nature was one with her.  Or something.  She gets 573 XP.

·      Unagi looked fresh again and gained 573 XP.