I don’t always post session summaries but this one had some good moments worth sharing. This was a by-the-seat-of-my-pants session. There were a few ideas in my head but I wanted things just to happen and see where the dice and the characters end up. The most valuable tools for this session were (of course) Vornheim, the Drunken Debauchery Table from Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea , Rory’s Story Cubes, and my own warped imagination.
The player characters finally have made it to the Great City of Garnax. Here’s the highlights.
The city is named after the Great Wizard Garnax who hasn’t been seen in over a century. His tower still floats over the city. The Shadow District is the poor section town and is in the shadow of the tower. The wealthy used to live there until someone mentioned that bad things might happen if the tower’s magic goes crazy and the whole thing falls out of the sky.
They learn the best place to buy “interesting” items is the Night Market. It’s where the normal market square is just at night. The Night Market is run by woman named Lady Vasha.
The Thieves’ Guild has a strong presence in the city. It is ran by the Halflings. They don’t crap from anybody.
The fighter with demonic intelligent magic sword is visited by an artisan who was commissioned to make a custom scabbard. The scabbard is fine work of art inscribed with demonic runes that say, “I’m with stupid.” The fighter later goes on to anger the commander of the city guard.
The Thief (who for some reason) was in charge of the party loot looses a bunch of gold in a back alley cockfight.
The party rescues Lady Cleopatra of Thrawl who has the disturbing habit of collect finger nails and then carving miniature portraits of herself in them. The party deals with some thugs and is later rewarded by the Halflings for taken out unsanctioned persons.
The wizard finds a mysterious map and a bakery on the sight of the an old alchemy lab that had a “minor” alchemical accident. The bakery makes low grade bread for the local jail and asylum.
At the Night Marker things get interesting. The dwarf tries to buy and sell recipes at the potions shop without any luck. The party doesn’t buy any potions. They don’t even pick up any in the “Discount Grab Bag Bin”. The party finally is granted an audience with Lady Vasha. After some initial haggling and a little divination on the side. Lady Vasha offers to hire them to find the Keys to the Tower of Garnax. She explains that many a skilled adventurer (and thief) has attempted to enter the tower and have never returned. She knows of powerful wizards who have attempted to gain entry. They too have been fatally unsuccessful. Her research has lead to believe there are “keys” needed to enter the tower. She wants to the PC’s to get her those keys. She sends them off to a blind elf cartographer who makes magical maps via spirit writing for a map to the location of the keys.
She brokers a little side deal with the party’s wizard. She can get grid of that corruption. The wizard jumps at the chance. (Yes, I played fast and loose with rules as written but it was fun). The good news. The PC wizard learned two new spells. Patron Bond and Invoke Patron. That patron of course is Sezrekan. And the corruption. Oh that was replaced with Patron Taint.
And where are the Keys to the Tower of Garnax….