Mattsters of the Mattiverse Session 13

...last episode

After defeating Arekla and making our way to Dell, the Crone gave us our next task.

A Cash Problem

• Specifically, the problem was that it was burning a hole in our pockets. SO WE MADE IT RAAAAIN
  • Formulae for the alchemists
  • Cloaks of resistance for those without them
  • Enhancement bonuses to armor for everyone!
  • Edi gets a metamagic rod
  • Lots of random purchases, including lycanthrope-fighting gear
• This takes us six days (Russ spends the vast majority of that scribing, everyone else is gathering information and dealing with logistics)

Traveling Time

• After taking care of mundanities, we set off with a caravan (wage of 20 gp apiece), East to Cherhit!
  • The trip takes eight days. It is uneventful. The Old Godswood is pretty and serene.
  • Apt takes up gambling. He wins some pittance

• A night is spent in Cherhit, then it's off in the morning to Chalice at another small guards' wage (15gp apiece)
  • 12 day trip, still uneventful

• At Chalice, we find a sailing ship. We can't get work (none of them are looking for jobbies), but Apt is able to negotiate the price down a little by virtue of our use in a pinch.
• Explanatory text appears:

The Stormchalice trade network is one of the oldest in the world, so the sailors here are experienced and competent. You find the prices here remarkably consistant as a result.

• It's a five-day trip to Tecria's Reach, leaving Celestia and entering Ubrekt. Apt has a short bout of seasickness, but it's cleared up pretty quickly. The voyage costs 27gp apiece.
• Next, river barges to Turstram via Middrom. 4gp a head. It is here that we are nearly at the border of Ubrekt.

Turstram was once linked economically to the now ruined Wydmoor. Having lost its major trading partner, Turstram does not seem to share the prosperity that still exists in the south. With no bogberries coming from Wydmoor, nor pilgrims to sell goods to, the economy of Turstram has disintegrated. Hakani workers have been turned away from their jobs and unemployment and discontent among them is high.

What refugees have been able to make it into Ubrekt are concentrated here, often squatting in buildings abandoned by those who have already left for the South.

The only remaining economy in Turstram seems to be the martial one, as the wages of the border garrisons is the only coin circulating in the city. As such, the city's reputation as a sleepy and friendly town is not much on display here, and the atmosphere feels decidedely tense.

• There is some discussion about how to cross the border. From Turstram, there will be no more civilization for quite a while--the group decides to chance the patrols on foot, and make its way through Crestfell

The Wydmoor Approach

• With high survival and stealth, crossing the border is easy. We have no issues.
• We make camp outside of Crestfell. The next day is spent crossing it--it takes us 10 hours, so we force march to keep from spending the night in its confines

• Camp again on the other side. We get our first taste of the wilds, in an ambush!
  • Three ogres come out of the shadows to bash us with their giant clubs
  • Horrible perception rolls mean ogres get right up to us. It's lucky that the first attack is soaked by Gokar, because it is a massive (40-hitpoint) blow.
  • Other ogres from from the other side to bother Apt. They get in a hit.
  • Everyone else wakes up. Apt hastes the group, Russ buffs a bit and engages two of the ogres to soak their damage, Edi channels to mitigate some of the ogres' work. Gokar gets angry and starts dishing out as good as he got--the ogre next to him quickly falls.
  • Once the party gets rolling, the tide quickly turns. Gokar runs in to finish off one of the ogres flanking Russ, and the final ogre attempts to escape. He is then quickly dispatched, like a dog.
• The ogres have some spoils from previous encounters, including Wydmoor electrum, a magical spear, and a wand of cure light wounds.
• The party continues its rest, and continues to trudge northward.
• We get to a river, swollen with Spring rains and snowmelt. With alchemists' swim speeds, ant haul and rope, it's crossed without incident.

• After this, we have crossed into the greater Wydmoor area.

Wydmoor Environs

• The party decides to try to find the Lizardfolk the Crone mentioned, tracking the swamps, heading vaguely North.

• They have little luck in this the first day. On the second day, they encounter signs of Orcs.
• Almost immediately, a sobbing woman is audible. Russ immediately thinks it's a trap (as is his way), but the party investigates nonetheless.
• A Human woman is tied to a tree. She looks badly abused, and asks to be rescued before the Orcs come back.
• The party approaches cautiously. Then, an ambush!
  • Arrows fly from a forested area at Russ and Gokar. They all miss pathetically.
  • Russ moves up to engage. Gokar gets approached from one side and turns to deal with that.
  • Edi uses Fireball. IT'S SUPER-EFFECTIVE! Six orcs immediately regret their decisions that day.
  • Apt rushes up to release the woman. The instant he approaches, she drops her disguise to reveal herself as... a Green Hag! She hits Apt, who manages to barely shrug off her deadly poison!
    • Only Russ manages the knowledge roll to figure out what she is. He soaks an AoO (which misses anyway) to cover Apt and take the Hag's attention.

• • Gokar finishes off his mooks and makes his way to the Hag. Apt steps back to let Russ engage her in melee while he makes use of Spiritual Weapon and Bane.
  • The hag attempts to poison Russ a couple of times. She misses once (blur), and he succeeds his save the second time. There is no third time--Apt and Gokar have had time to do their work and finish the job.
• Russ moves to keep the hag alive for some questioning, and the party does its usual loot ritual. She turns out to have a secret stash in the tree, and a magical cloak

Awards

• 3gp, 8sp each as the balance of income/expenditures for getting to Turstram
• 25 xp to Russ for Chalice's new name
• Ogres:
  • wand of cure light wounds, 36 charges
  • +1 spear ("Not Balsag's Spear")
  • a pile of Wydmoor electrum
  • 600 xp each
• 500 xp each for crossing the river
• Green Hag Ambush:
  • cloak of resistance +1
  • gold pieces
  • 500 xp each
• 15 xp to Edi, Gokar and Apt for the Dead Ugly achievement