Session Four

Session Four was held in person at Mo and Ned's house on February 5, 2021. Ned, Mo, Angie, and John were in attendance.

Recap
PREVIOUSLY ON MONSTER HUNTER

After banding together to kill rats in a sewer in Winksomsin and stopping a plot by the Gnomish Mafia to kidnap Governor Gretchen Darkmire, the party became locally renowned monster hunters by traveling to a haunted house and saving a dozen children trapped inside by a lonely spirit named Alex.

''Following their heroic actions, the gang received an invitation to a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion which Governor Darkmire was throwing in their honor. They spent the rest of the week preparing for the banquet and causing a general ruckus around town.''

''On the day of the banquet, they noticed a dark hooded figure in The Wet Pelican watching their every move. After being warned by Fred that they were being watched, they followed and confronted the figure, who revealed himself to be Otto Skjeggstad, vizier to the governor. They let him go and he returned to the mansion, while the gang returned to The Wet Pelican to prepare for the banquet tonight….''

The Banquet
The gang had been waiting around for Saturday night to go to the banquet in their honor. In The Wet Pelican, they prepare. Silver says that she has a bad feeling about the entire setup and doesn't trust the governor, and that she'll bring weapons. This prompts everyone to start working on a contingency plan on how to defend themselves from an ambush. Fred complains about going bankrupt from giving out free drinks,and Silver gives him twenty gold coins as a tip, which is as much money as he normally makes in a fortnight. Fred ends up closing the bar to attend the banquet.

The time of the banquet arrives, and the party ends up inviting all the villagers in the tavern to join. Forty strong, they walk up main street (which has been done up pretty) and to the mansion. They are welcomed as heroes, and the house servants set to work making additional spaces and food for the extra guests. Meanwhile, Bread and Silver meet an elfish bartender named Zeph, described as a total ten, who flirts heavily with both of them and ends up hooking up with Silver. As the party continues, Bread steps outside to get some air and watch the moon set over the beach. Outside, they meet Malcolm McCoy, a dwarfish noble who owns land near Fischton, and the two exchange pleasantries.

Towards the end of the banquet, the party is formally introduced to Gretchen's husband, Bruce Darkmire. The Darkmires ask the gang to take a letter to the Black Fang Syndicate, who’ve set up shop in Castle Darkmire. They pay them 1,500 GP (300 each, already added to inventories) to help out.

At the end of the night, Zeph and Silver go home together, as do Tinkbot and Vance.

The Journey To Darkmire Castle
In the morning, Zeph sneaks out of The Wet Pelican, waking Silver in the process. He says he has to get home to his sick mother who lives at home with him. Everyone goes downstairs for one last continental breakfast, and end up roping Fred into one last game of Sevenbones. Fred wins the first round with a 3 gold match, then Silver wins the second with a 5 gold match. Remembering that Fred is having financial troubles, she sneaks the money into his cash register and hides it around his tavern.

The party saddles up and hits the road, traveling southwest towards Castle Darkmire. On the way, they encounter a dire bear cub. Bread attempts to rescue the cub from the roadway, but is attacked by the mother. They and Silver manage to herd the cub out of the roadway and fend off the enraged mother for long enough to get the party past without injuring either.

After some more travel, the party arrives at the smoldering ruins of the haunted mansion in the Darkmire Woods. After establishing that it's a safe area, they lock the gate and set a trap by it and establish a camp here for the night, as if they continued today they would reach the castle around dark. Vitali and Silver visit Alex's grave. Silver returns her creepy doll, and Vitali reads happy memories from her father's journal out loud. Tinkbot circles up the wagons and sets up camp while Bread and Tinkbot go to investigate the remains of the haunted house. They don't find anything, but are then joined by Vitali, who finds traces of magic. They determine these were left over by Alex and are harmless.

The party circles up and goes to sleep. During the night, a vampire jumps the fence. He is seen by Vitali and Tinkbot, who were on watch as they don't require sleep, and Tinkbot raises the alarm with his talkbox. They corner the vampire and fight him. Bread deals a devastating attack that brings him down to half health, while Vance and Vitali block his potential retreat. The vampire possesses Tinkbot and has him attack Bread, before becoming invisible himself, but is ultimately subdued and killed.

The party goes back to sleep. In the morning, they discuss the attack, convinced that the vampire didn't know who they were and was just looking to feed. Silver tries to convince the rest of the group to try to extort the Black Fang for the information in the letter. They go ahead and open the letter and read it, identifying it as a bargain allowing the Black Fang to stay in Castle Darkmire if they help the local government in the fight against the Gnomish Mafia. They reseal the letter, break camp, and continue to the castle.

Darkmire Castle
At around midday, the party arrives at Darkmire Castle. They're greeted by two guards at the gate, who they tell that they were sent by Bruce Darkmire. The guards leave and go to the castle, telling them to wait there. After a wait, the guards return and grant the party access, saying their master has granted them an audience.

The party is led up a winding path with steep dropoffs into a moat and through the front gates of the castle. Inside, they find a dining hall with a dinner party going on. Several local nobles are present, including McCoy. In the place of honor, they identify Murcian Senator Joe Bitin' and his wife, Jill. Bitin' asks why they've come, and Bread says that they are seeking the whereabouts of a former member of the Black Fang, Vladislavus Darkmire, who killed their family. Bitin' says that he hasn't heard from Darkmire in over a hundred years and, like the rest of the world, presumes him dead. Silver says that they bring information. She produces the letter and offers to sell it to him. Bitin' says that they have other ways of obtaining information and has them all arrested and thrown in the dungeon.

Experience
Attendance - Bread, Silver, Tinkbot, Vitali - 200 XP

Gettin' Lucky - Silver - 200 XP

Dire Bear Encounter - Bread, Silver, Tinkbot, Vance, Vitali - 640 XP ea.

Visiting Alex's grave - Bread, Silver, Vitali - 500 XP ea.

Camp Vampire Encounter - Bread, Silver, Tinkbot, Vance, Vitali - 1,280 XP ea.

Delivering the Letter - Bread, Silver, Tinkbot, Vance, Vitali - 320 XP ea.

TOTAL:

Bread - 2,940 XP

Silver - 3,140 XP

Tinkbot - 2,940 XP

Vance - 2,240 XP

Vitali - 2,940 XP

Loot
Dire Bear - Right after the bear encounter, you discover 520 gold apiece!

Vampire- Cloak of Resistance +1 (1,000 GP, 1 lb)

- Outfit, sun sensitivity (300 GP, 5 lbs

- Rapier, +1 masterwork (1,020 GP, 2 lbs)

- Ring of Protection +1 (1,000 GP, no weight)

- Vial x20 (1 GP ea, no weight)

- 182 GP ea.

See next: Session Five

See previous: Session Three