Mattsters of the Mattiverse Session 11

Back to Town

• All done with the ruins, the party starts heading back
• There is an ambush!
  • Surprise round is arrows getting shot, a shadowy four-legged creature dashing just out of vision
  • Edi moves to cover, but is promptly surprised by a barbarian. He is missed, but then moves away and takes an AOO
  • Gokar charges in and starts wailing on the Barbarian. Joining the fray is a wolf. A round later, they are both dead.
  • Meanwhile, entangle comes and makes Russ and Apt sad.
  • Russ lobs a frost bomb, and otherwise just buffs and tries to get out of being entangled. It takes a while
    • He does at least draw some fire, so he's useful as a target
  • Seeing Gokar literally rip the barbarian and wolf apart with his claws, teeth, and fiendish horns, the druid flat-out books it.
  • Apt casts hold person on the ranger that is shooting from a boulder. The ranger proceeds to fail all the saves.
  • Edi runs up again and is once again ambushed, this time by a sorcerer with a longspear.
  • The sorcerer dashes up an color sprays Gokar and Russ. Russ is the only one affected, so he sits around for two rounds while the roots once again entangle him.
  • The sorcerer is rendered into a fine red paste after a single turn in range of Gokar. The ranger flees as soon as he is no longer held, leaving his bow.
  • Spoils:
    • masterwork composite longbow (STR +2) (610 gp retail)
    • masterwork long spear (305 gp retail)
    • masterwork heavy flail (310 gp retail)
    • wand burning hands 21 charges (630 gp retail)
    • potion of bull strength
• The party continues.
  • They pass two arguing halflings on the way back, and give them a wide berth.
• They reach town without further incident
  • Edi hobnobs around and gets gossip
  • Gokar unsuccessfully shops for things not available while daydreaming of smashing the tiny houses.
    • The arguing halflings were Didera and Corl, who are always arguing about Nolly and Belina. The latter are presumed eloped, and since Didera is hella racist, she doesn't approve.
• The day passes.
• In the early morning, Russ is woken from his position under the bridge by a running Halfling.
  • He tries to intercept her, but just kind of frightens the crap out of her.
  • She gets to the center of town, where Edi is already up getting ready for the wedding
  • It's Belina, wondering where Nolly is
  • Russ gets Gokar and Apt while Edi talks her down.
  • Discussion ensues, a search party is rustled up
  • Apt and Gokar join that, while Edi and Apt stick around

The Wedding!

• Edi aces the ceremony. Apt is almost moved to tears:
• Apt wins an archery contest!
• He does not win a log fight contest, however.
• Apt hobnobs:
  • "Maybe the Satyr (Laggo) made off with Nolly"
  • (nobody likes talking about Laggo, except to blame him for stuff)
  • People are concerned that eloping didn’t happen
  • Then stuff happens, but first:

The Search Party

• The searchers pick up the trail. There are two, made at different times
• Nolly’s ends about halfway.
  • Inspection shows he was carried off by something with talons
• Finding nothing else, they go to return with the news

Weddingus Interruptus

• Eerie pipes start to play
  • Apt and Edi resist the charm. About two-thirds of the audience succumbs and looks really chill with Laggo. The other third look pissed.
• Laggo shows up
  • "Hello wedding!", appearing nonchalant
  • He wasn't invited (shocker), and seems touched when Apt lies about trying to deliver the invite that never existed
  • Laggo goes on about how the villagers are mean
  • He has a masterwork dagger, which says is a gift for the couple
    • Apt offers to take it to the table. He notices it smells awful in the same way as the other Gnoll gear
  • They lead Laggo off from the crowd, which disperses now that the mood has been killed
  • Apt asks about where the dagger came from
    • Laggo lies
      • "I found it in one of the ruins!"
      • "Ruins to the West?" "No. To the North" (more like Northeast, ruins near town rather than the Monastery)
    • He still has an attachment to the town
  • Apt changes the subject to friendship
    • "Maybe it’s time to find some people more your speed?" "Maybe I will!" (they sense defensiveness on this last. Maybe he's made other friends? Maybe gnoll friends?)
  • Seizes on the clue
    • "If only you could help fight the mean gnolls, who are killing innocent people! Everyone would surely like you then."
    • Laggo seems amenable, but hesitant to actually go against the gnolls
      • "I just don't want my friend to get in trouble. I'm not friends with gnolls" (so she's not a gnoll, but something other)
    • Other probing by Edi indicates that Skazzyg is not the friend.
    • Apt expresses a desire to meet her
      • "She's my friend. Be nice to her. She is also friends with the gnolls. But she's my friend!”
      • "She likes to keep to herself, but I could take you to her. But you gotta promise to be nice"
  • Gokar and Russ show up about this time. They don't report until Laggo isn't listening.
  • Without any discussion, they follow Laggo into the woods

A Clearing in the Woods

• "Arekla!", he calls out
  • Suddenly, the gnolls that survived earlier attack!
    • Party is entangled. Russ and Edi escape entanglement without too much trouble, Gokar and Apt find it a little more difficult
    • Russ beats the ranger good. Apt finishes the job with a hammer
    • The druid turns out to be stubbornly hard for Russ to hit, and he doesn't get a single blow. Thankfully, the Druid doesn't do too much that is effective, either
  • A few rounds later, a harpy appears and captivates Apt and Gokar. They spend their turns trying to get to the harpy as she flies from tree to tree.
    • Russ fails his Knowledge(Nature) check. Gokar hasn't been able to make one yet (captivated)
  • The session ends, and will be picked back up in media res

Awards

• 600xp to all from the Gnoll Elites
• 75xp to Apt for winning over Laggo
• 50xp to Apt and Edi for wedding attendance
• 25xp to Russ and Gokar for search party contribution