Mattsters of the Mattiverse Session 1

Mattiverse Quest Notes 2014-06-07

The Setting

• Prycedown, Celestia is where the adventure begins
• Celestia is in active crusade (on the Church's side) against Odessa. They hate Odessa.
• There are some disputed lands between Odessa and Celestia, because Celestia has been invading them.
• The Ashen Coast is a badland area.
  • It was ruined in the most ancient of times, when the Demi-Gods still walked the earth. It was once a great kingdom, whose ruin was brought by one of the Great Wyrms of the earth.
  • The ruins of the great capital remain today, the haunt of undead and worse creatures.
• It is roughly Midwinter, in 1401 FI

In Prycedown, Page 1

• The four find themselves in Prycedown for various reasons.
  • Russ is just off the end of a long voyage jobbing a crew with a ship. He is looking for his next source of work.
  • Mad Gokar is similarly in the market for paid employ
  • Edi has come to town to preach the word of Alexandria and raise funds for the Church's grand crusade.
  • Apt is on loose assignment from his own arm of the church (the Inquisitors). He spends his time looking for people who stand out. Edi, doing what he does, definitely stands out, so Apt has been keeping particular tabs on him.
• A Nondescript Guy approaches Russ and Mad Gokar (separately), and asks them if they'd like a job. They both accept (again, separately).
  • Apt overhears the Mad Gokar conversation and intercepts the Nondescript Guy as he is leaving, offering his own services. Nondescript guy says, “Sure, you come too. Maybe recruit someone else while you’re at it”.
  • Apt also spends a tiny moment hanging around Mad Gokar, sizing him up, before going off to find his others
  • He searches for interesting people and hears about someone with Russ’s description from an Old Salt ("a hobgoblin with a tail, pretty famous as an amazing swimmer")
  • He tries to find him, but he’s already gone somewhere (in fact, he has gone to scope out the meeting place and scrounge up some dinner)
  • That lead exhausted, he goes to find Edi, talks to him (mostly about Edi’s desire to start fires). Edi agrees to come to the meet-up.
• In the morning. They meet outside of town at a house. Russ is already there, doing whatever. Some smalltalk ensues.
  • Russ is hostile to attempts to engage him, and doesn’t talk much.
  • Edi attempts to engage everybody
  • Apt seems to soak it in, watching the interactions and injecting himself when it seems advantageous
  • Mad Gokar arrives last, and the bunch decide that's as good a time as any to enter.
• Nondescript Guy greets them. He leads them inside to a crone and a heavily-armed woman
  • The latter is referred to as Mardrigain. She carries a spiked chain and wears studded leather.
  • Nondescript Guy is referred to as the crone's manservant. His name is never given.
• The crone talks and talks
  • Oakhurst is a place
  • 120+ miles distant from Prycedown
  • Foresting, beehives, and nut orchards.
  • Simple road that goes to that place, probably about 5 days [slitherrr: This is 24 miles a day hiking, which is a damn good pace]
    • Well, it's not "hiking," really. It's unencumbered walking over a humble but well maintained road. 20-30 miles a day doesn't seem out of place. FWiW, I used the AutoREALM "days walking overland" ruler. -gm
  • A goblin comes to the town twice a year and auctions an apple, in Midsummer and in Midwinter
  • The Summer apple is said to cure all infirmity. The Winter apple is said to cause dreadful sickness
  • The auctions have gotten very popular
  • 500 x 4 gp for proof of doing this
• The Primary Mission
  • Check out the auction. Find the source of the apples, and remove it from Goblin control.
• Secondary Mission
  • Discover info about Hucrele twins, Sharwyn and Talgen
  • They were contracted for this same mission a month and a half ago, and have disappeared.
    • They didn't seem like the type to abscond, so the crone expects the worst.
  • They are the youngest of a prominent merchant family
  • 100 x 4 gp for information
• 100 gp is given as a retainer (and for supplies)
• The party agrees.

On the way back to town

• The Old Salt confronts them. He says something about a finder's fee, which gives Russ immediate cause for alarm.
  • He gives a furtive glance around, and spots a guy obviously trying not to be seen in the alleyway North. Russ immediately charges the Old Salt
  • Everyone else is surprised by this, including the ambush-in-waiting.
  • Mad Gokar wastes no time joining the battle. Apt uses a Bluff to disengage temporarily while getting his bearings. Edi, afraid this is all a misunderstanding, hangs around before joining reluctantly.
  • The ambushers get some good hits on Russ in the first round. He downs his mutagen and gets significantly uglier (if that were possible), and starts spearing and biting. Mad Gokar beats things merrily, and seems to be quite enjoying himself, in a rage-y sort of way.
  • Apt catches an ambusher by surprise with his bow, and pierces him good. Edi reluctantly starts to join in.
  • The Old Salt goes down with a bite from Russ. He spits a piece of him out and yells at the others, who seem disturbed at how badly things appear to be going.
  • Mad Gokar beats down another thug, and continues pummeling him even when he is on his knees begging for mercy.
  • Two other thugs are beaten. One runs. Russ pursues him for a bit, then gives up before things start getting crowded.
• The dust settles. Edi is flipping out. Apt calmly searches the bodies. Mad Gokar and Russ just seem pissed that someone might try to shake them down.
• Russ strings the Old Salt up and leaves him alive, hanging, upside down (it's Apt's rope--he buys more for him later).
• Buying things ensues, and the group all set off for Oakhurst.

Oakhurst!

• The trip to Oakhurst passes without incident.
  • Russ makes a couple of potions. Mad convinces him to collaborate on formulae, and they swap. Shared alchemy experiences allow the two to hit it off as well as two people of their sort might be expected to.
• They get to town. Apt and Edi start asking questions. Mad settles into a room. Russ searches on the outskirts of town, preferring solitude.
• Hucrele blacksmith [slitherrr: not sure what this note means, maybe Mattie can clarify]
• Karakas, a person with [slitherrr: someone? the blacksmith?], woodsman, very quiet and kept to himself
• Another traveler, Sir Brayford (a dwarf) -- had a sword called ShatterSpike. He was particularly crass, and made a lot of innuendo about his sword.
• Sunless Citadel
  • Down the old road
  • Dark place, old
  • In antiquity, this area used to be a thriving merchant kingdom
  • Old road used to be a good merchant road
  • Dragon rained devastation on the kingdom and ruined the old road
  • Citadel was destroyed by the dragon and fell into the earth
  • Monsters moved into it
• The goblin and his apples
  • The villagers hate when the goblin come to town
  • Outsiders come to bid on the goblin's apple.
  • Lots of Ubrekti university sorts come to see about the winter apple
  • A more general variety come in the summer
  • Typically goes for 100-250gp
  • Always a week or two after summer/winter solstice
  • Goblin walks in from the old road
• Russ finds tracks at an orchard (nut trees) that are weird
  • He convinces the group to follow them
  • They do. About an hour in, TWIG THINGS with poison clawy claws attack!
  • The battle goes smoothly. Russ continues to solidify his position as party tank. Some bombs are thrown to great effect.
  • No treasure
  • We carry the six corpses into town, presumably to dash upon the ground in the square

Rewards

• 50 xp Mattie for remembering something
• 50 xp to MSAllen for remembering something else
• 5 xp to slitherrr for fun whisper stuff
• 50 xp to each for PAGE 1
• 400 xp to each for beating the ambush
• 50 xp to each for beating the Twigblights
• 100 gp to each as retainer
• 5 sp to each from the thugs
• Achievement Unlocked: Homicide, 5xp to Mad Gokar and Slitherrr