In today's pilot instalment, our unlikely heroes - Chris the Warlock, Picadilly the Paladin, Sister Mary the Nun, Stab the Spellthief and Diaspo the Monk find themselves drawn into a curious conspiracy.
While exploring Sharn during the Wildnight celebrations, our adventurers became involved in a dangerous prison break. Amidst the chaotic parades and drunken parties, a band of criminals being transported from the Citadel prisons suddenly broke loose, and started rioting in the streets.
Being good, Picadilly the Paladin entered the fray, dragging Chris the Warlock, whom she'd just rescued from would be assailants in a nearby alley with her. They were trailed by a sketchy looking Half-orc with purple scales, while in a corner, Stab skulked, surreptitiously looting while the riot was in full swing. Sister Mary observed, as was her wont since she was from a cloistered order of observant and gossipy nuns.
An Ettin had escaped! And so had several hobgoblins, and more than half a dozen goblins. They'd somehow escaped from their prison carts, accosted the guards, and were now attacking the revelers, nearby property, and anybody that happened to be in their way as they attempted to make their escape down the main boulevard.
Our heroes joined the battle quickly, with Picadilly taking swings at hobgoblins and goblins left and right with her mallet. Chris helped pick them off with his Eldritch Blasts, and even Sister Mary kicked a few of the ruffians about with her high heels.
Diaspo the Half-orc participated as well. As he noticed the slaughter get out of hand, he roared a challenge at the Ettin to attract the two-headed giant's attention, succeeding all too well. The Ettin reared up and brought a prybar down on the half-orc, turning him into a pasty goo. The Ettin then proceeded to attack everyone else, knocking them about with the prybar and hurling cart wheels.
Things seemed to be going badly for everyone, when Stab decided to activate the magic of his dagger. He hurled it into the Ettin, causing it to explode in a flash of fire. The fire consumed a nearby goblin and hobgoblin as well. Unfortunately, it also consumed Diaspo's remains, turning him into barbeque.
The Sharn Watch arrived shortly after, rounded up the surviving prisoners, and took the party in for questioning. Everyone was released, except for Stab, who was released only after he acquiesced to follow the laws of Sharn under oath. Even Diaspo was revived, albeit in changed form. A certain benefactor had offered a sum of money for his reincarnation - Diaspo was now a gnome!
The following day, our party discovered who their benefactor was. It was none other than Baron Trelib d'Medani, a local noble from the Medani House, which runs the Warning Guild and looks after the security of many parts of the world. He revealed that he was interested in securing the help of the party to retrieve a lost item - a silver statue of a basilisk with precious diamond eyes.
A cursory examination of the area where the statue was kept revealed that somebody had filched it with the help of a magical powder called the Dust of Silent Passage. The Baron also pointed out that his daughter, the Lady Zelani, had followed some clues of her own which led her to a silversmith's shop in the Bridge district, and suggested the adventurers investigate.
The party split up. Sister Mary and Stab visited the Tyrant's black market in the Cogs, where they discovered some damning information about a strange fellow wearing a rubber face mask and carrying a dog handled walking stick.
Piccadilly, Chris and Diaspo visited the silversmith's, and discovered that the smith had in fact been bludgeoned to death with a blunt object. Searching the smith's shop, they discovered that it had been robbed clean, important records had been destroyed, and even the safe was open. There was another clue here, however. Diaspo found an earring downstairs, beneath a cushion, while Picadilly found one by the upstairs window. They also discovered a cushion that had a crossbow hole through it, and some spots of blood.
Returning to compare notes, everyone began to see pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and these bits led them to the sanctum of Victor Saint-Demain, a celebrated Sharn Inquisitive, who might have some involvement with the crime and its ancillary crimes - including possibly murder, blackmail, fraud, and other such things. As everyone headed to Victor's home, Sister Mary stayed behind in the inn to prepare a Locate Object spell, to help her divine where the statue could have been hidden.
Coming to Victor's home in a water tower on Clifftop, our party (minus one) decided to take the sneaky approach, and had Chris spider climb his way to the rooftop, where he discovered a sealed hatch. He dropped a rope down, and helped everyone climb up. Stab picked the lock on the hatch, and everyone descended into the laboratory, where they discovered several more traps, what appeared to be Victor's dead body, and mechanisms that were set to cause the tower to explode.
After disarming the mechanisms, the party descended on Victor's room and study, where they looted... I mean impounded several pieces of silver jewelry, as well as files detailing several criminals who had escaped from the prison carts, and a nefarious schematic for a lightning rail train disaster.
And thusly, the plot thickens.
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Treasure and Experience
1. All adventurers gain 2,000 xp total.
2. Everyone regains 1 Action dice if they used it today.
3. The following items were uncovered today in the adventure:
a. Lady Zelina's Earrings - Quest Item. A pair of gold earrings set with rubies. Supposed to be heirlooms.
b. Sword Mould - Quest Item. A mould for a sword cane (rapier) retrieved from the silversmith's shop.
c. Incriminating documents - Quest Item. A stack of files about escaped convicts from the prison convoy. Also, schematics for a rail car disaster at Terminus Station. Other documents also include a prison manifest, tax returns, and a ledger of expenses showing Victor's generous donations to an orphanage. Also a writ for the title deed to a property called the Gate of Gold, purchased for the sum of 20,000 gp. This property is supposed to be converted into a school for the poor.
d. A dead body - Quest Item. Presumably Victor Saint-Demain. Face is... defaced with acid. Found dressed in Victor's bowler hat, trench coat, and carrying a dog headed walking stick (masterwork rapier in a stick).
e. Several sets of expensive silver jewelry - Worth 500 gold pieces in all. Collected as evidence.
f. An unidentified potion - retrieved from Victor's laboratory.
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Clues So Far
a. Victor Saint-Demain - A celebrated inquisitive (i.e. detective) in Sharn. Solved numerous crimes for House Medani, and also arrested the six criminals who had escaped from the convoy. Was presumably spotted in the Tyrant black market purchasing the Dust of Silent Passage. Also, may be dead if body in home was his. Schematics and documents found in his home. On bad terms with Medani after recent argument.
b. Escapees - Vrinn the Changeling, Scrimshaw the Gargoyle, Mange the Shifter, Regla the Choker, Grimjaw the Half-orc, Durok the Hobgoblin. All arrested for various crimes by Victor. Escaped from the same prison convoy 3 days ago. Now at large.
c. Silver Statue - Silver basilisk statue. Originally stolen by Vrinn the Changeling. Went missing 3 days ago. Stolen from pedastal warded with alarm spells. Dust of Silent Passage was used in the crime. Divination magic suggests the statue is no longer in existence.
d. Dead Silversmith - New smith, recently arrived to Sharn six months ago. Mostly served expensive customers. Found beaten to death. Large humanoid footprint in back garden. Signs of robbery and violence in the house.
e. Documents - Criminal files, tax invoices and purchase slips, and the schematics retrieved from Victor's house.
f. Lady Zelina - Vanished two days ago while investigating the silversmiths with her party of 3 others. Earrings found at crime scene. Described as having been a sorcerer/cleric and handy with a crossbow.
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