Session 13 Recap & Experience Points Awards (revised)

Despair gripped the gnome Schlemeel only briefly as the first dark, shriveled lines of the trog rot etched their way across his skin.  The company had solved this affliction once before—or, at least, the priest Mata Vuvu had done so, with nightweed cone the adventurers had supplied him.  That the infection should happen here was doubly fortuitous, as two hard days of travel had brought the company practically to Vuvu’s doorstep in Horl.  So a brief detour was decided—first the House of Opposition to take the cure for Schlemeel’s trog rot, then onward to seek the counsel of Sil-Hurk, servant of the toxic god Salomirak, somewhere in the eastern hills.

The party struck eastward, and soon came upon a solitary barbarian warrior who called himself Nomak.  He was friendly enough, and shortly revealed his intention also to find his way to Sil-Hurk’s shrine, making for a natural alliance.  Together, the group continued along the forest road to Horl—coming into view of the town bridge by noon.

As the company approached, however, a small troupe of the warlord Soo-Kiru’s men strode out to meet them.  Their blonde captain the company had seen before.  His name was unknown, but his bearing was eminently familiar.  Suspicious.  Not hostile, but he could be.  He came straight to his point.

“You are the men who defied the Lord Soo-Kiru,” the captain declared.  “You had some business in the Mud Cave.”

Stepping to the fore, the mage Greyndalf made clear the arbitrariness of Soo-Kiru Kiru’s prohibition, a peculiar strain of argument to which the captain showed no interest.  A decision had been made, evidently, and he was simply here to report it.  “Five hundred gold pieces,” the captain declared, and all would be made well.  The company could pay, and return to Horl unmolested.  Or they could decide not to pay, come what will.  The captain turned, and marched back with his men to Horl.

Putting aside the question of whether to meet Soo-Kiru’s price eventually, the company decided for its present purposes that the group’s newest members—those who had not participated in the Mud Cave excursion—ought to enjoy safe entry into town.  And so they did, escorting Schlemeel to the House of Opposition where they prevailed upon Mata Vuvu to once again exorcise the scourge of trog rot from a companion’s withering flesh. 

It was here in Horl that the druid Yala bowed out of the company, trading the looming dangers of the southern forest for a cheap room at Iriard’s Roadhouse.  But just as Yalla stepped out, the half-orc sorcerer Onog offered his services to the company and was soon afoot with his new companions as they traveled southeast into the wilds.

Within just a few miles, the party came across a pair of hungry, vicious brown bears that attacked without hesitation.  The cleric Gambol attempted to mollify the beasts with his speak with animals spell, but it was no productive use.  Something wicked tainted these bears, who saw in the travelers only meat and prey.  And yet the bears were scarcely the predator in this encounter.  Rather it was the adventuring company—well-rested and fully-stocked with arrows and spells—that mercilessly dispatched the animals and then dined on their meat. 

One of the bears, badly wounded by the company’s blades and magics, scampered into the forest before it fell.  The company followed its blood trail to that most predictable of lairs—a shallow rock cave, littered with the bones and debris of the bears’ past prety.  A brief search produced a modest scatter of coins and gemstones, all that remained of victims long since devoured.

Just beyond the cave to the east, the company spotted a light trail beaten into the underbrush.  This was not a known path to Horl, or to any settlement of men or elves or other peoples of goodwill.  For precisely this reason, the company opted to follow this track—and shortly came into earshot of its ordinary navigators.  The rumble of war drums echoed in the distance, and the beat was one the company had heard before: in the Shadow Valley, as a great host of pine goblins scampered over a ridge.

The party’s mages enchanted the rogue Schlemeel and the sorcerer Onog with invisibility spells, and they set off cautiously to investigate the distant drums.  Moving quietly through thickets and brush, the pair emerged from trees several hundred yards to the south upon a palisade of fresh-cut timbers.  The small fort encircled many dozens of pine goblin warriors and several thatched fortifications—most notably a tower, from which several pine goblin archers stood watch, and a small stable of some kind.  The unseen scouts sketched a crude map.  Then they circled back to inform their comrades.

Adventure Notes: 

·       Corrupted Bears.  Seldom in your travels have you encountered wildlife so vicious as the bloodthirsty brown bears (AC 13, ~ 40 HP) that attacked you south of Horl.  Lady luck was fortunately on your side that hour, and the party survived the encounter with nary a scratch.  Even the monstrous wolfpack that surrounded you in the western reaches had not been so inimical.  It’s been said the mere presence of a great evil can taint the very earth on which it dwells, along with the nearby flora and fauna.  But pine goblins?  Perhaps there is more than meets the eye.

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 fought two corrupted brown bears in this session, and is awarded 1,100 experience points for defeating these foes.  

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

• ·      Successful interaction with Nomak, the lone barbarian wanderer, 25 XP;
• ·      Successful interaction with Soo-Kiru Kiru’s aggressive guard captain, 75 XP;
• ·      Reaching Mata Vuvu and obtaining the cure for Schlemeel’s trog rot, 250 XP;
• ·      Successful administrative encounter at Iriard’s Road House, 25 XP;
• ·      Successfully scouting the pine goblin palisade, 250XP;

These awards total 1,725 XP.  We will round that up to 1,806 XP and divide among the six regular player characters (for 301 XP apiece).  The barbarian, who undoubtedly endured untold tribulations on his separate road to the Horl region, is awarded an independent share of 301 XP.

The adventure gods frowned upon the dungeonmaster this session, who was unable to get his proverbial shit together and probably forget at least half of what occurred before sitting down to write the recap.  In a poor attempt at compensation, the party is awarded two points of inspiration and may choose amongst themselves which characters to be assigned those points.

Final Session 11 totals:

·      Jowdain acquitted himself well in battle, garnering 301 XP.

·      Gambol pleased his deity and is rewarded with 301 XP.

·       Greyndalf remained a cunning and resourceful (and mostly naked) adversary, earning 301 XP.

·      Schlemeel still don’t give a f*k, but he did pick up 301 XP.

·      Yalla was one with nature, and nature was one with her.  Should the party require the services of a battle-tested druid in the future, seek her out at Iriard’s Road House.

·      Unagi looked fresh as ever and gained 550 XP.

·      Onog the sorcerer got 301 XP.

·      Nomak the barbarian got 301 XP.