Rise of the Runelords Recap # 42 [RPG]

[9 Kuthona 4707]

Pinkeye’s Comeuppance once again gets underway on a cold, clear morning.  While she fishes, Briza expresses her concern to the other adventurers about whether Bey will have been successful in getting Arnald raised from the dead in Sandpoint.  Artemis says he thinks it’s unlikely.  Conversation turns to Sandpoint in general, with Kozen stating that she was only there for about a week but liked how it was far safer than Magnimar, with Kang agreeing that the added peace and quiet (and fewer guards) made Sandpoint a more suitable place to conduct his research.  Goragar says he plans to return to Sandpoint once he’s investigated the rumours of giants gathering in central Varisia.  Briza seems intrigued by Goragar’s talk of Gorum, even to the point where she borrows a holy text to read in her spare moments.

[10 Kuthona 4707]

Over breakfast, Briza reminds everyone that it’s Winter Week, and says she plans to get everyone gifts.  The appearance of a Varisian wagon on the north bank some hours later seems fortuitous, as the nomadic folk are known for carrying trinkets to sell.  However, Captain Othlo refuses to stop and Briza is forced to shout for one of the wanderers to throw her a random trinket in exchange for a hurled gold piece as the keelboat passes by.  She ends up with a pretty scrimshaw dolphin, and is quite pleased with the result.

At dusk, as the ship nears Whistledown, the crew begin loudly grumbling about Othlo’s adamant refusal to stop despite the fact that it will mean tomorrow’s Ascendance Day will be spent without any opportunity to celebrate.  Things start to get heated until Artemis brokers peace by noting that the ship would normally tie up at the banks at sunset, just an hour’s journey beyond Whistledown (which would be time enough for the shipmates and passengers to enjoy in evening in the town and return by morning).  Othlo begrudgingly gives permission, but notes that the ship will be leaving at dawn whether everyone is aboard or not.

Simmy Dams isn't shy about drumming up business
for his criminal enterprises.

Seen at night, Whistledown is quite beautiful.  Coloured globes surround everburning torches to give the predominantly gnome town a festive air, the white-thatched cottages look cozy and well-maintained, and the unusual wind chimes hanging from many eaves produce ever-changing melodies.  The streets are busy as the adventurers approach, with many residents attending parties or doing last-minute shopping.  The halfling shipmates head for a tavern sized perfectly to their race, while the adventurers stand in the center of town and discuss what to do.  Before their discussions go far, the group is approached by a disreputable gnome who is dressed much less colourfully than his peers.  The gnome boldly introduces himself as Simmy Dams and says he’s a sort of “welcoming committee” for newcomers to Whistledown.  It doesn’t take him long at all to essentially offer to escort Goragar to some sort of underground fight ring and to offer Kozen and Briza illicit narcotics.  Kang confidently proclaims that whatever “product” the locals are cooking up in Whistledown is doubtlessly far inferior to what he himself could make.  Simmy instantly forgets any promises made to the others and instead invites Kang to try his hand at manufacturing.  Artemis, far outside of his jurisdiction, can only shake his head and roll his eyes in disgust.

The adventurers split up.  Goragar has a couple of drinks in the Azure Cup, one of the few human-sized establishments in Whistledown.  Artemis purchases thoughtful gifts for his companions, while Briza and Kozen pair up to do the same thing.  Kang is led to Simmy Dams’ pesh lab and is quite vocal about how crude it is.  The master alchemist spends a couple of hours whipping up a virtually pure batch that Simmy knows will be a market sensation.  Kang leaves the lab with a hefty purse of gold coins for his trouble, having resisted Simmy’s entreaties for him to stay in Whistledown to launch a joint enterprise.  Soon it’s time for everyone to head back to the boat, even if the halfling shipmates are miffed that their time in Whistledown was shorter than they would have liked.

Shambling mounds are aggressively
carnivorous plant monsters.

The moonlit walk along the banks of the Yondabakari is quite relaxing until Kang and Artemis hear unusual sloshing coming from the river.  Kang realizes something big is about to emerge and shouts a warning while Artemis draws his bow, instants before a muck-encrusted mass of tangled vines and dripping slime crawls onto the bank.  A wave of dense, rotting plant matter knocks one of the halflings to the ground before the adventurers spring into action.  “Shambling mound!”  Artemis’ arrow tears a part of the creature’s chest loose, while Kang’s hurled bomb sets the creature ablaze.  But the explosion accidentally singes Kozen’s dog and nearly kills the wounded halfling.  Briza’s greatsword finishes off the plant-monster, and Kozen manages to save the halfling’s life mere seconds before it would have slipped away forever.

The rest of the walk back to the boat is less idyllic, but uneventful.  Near morning, while on watch, Briza and Kang see floating lights, small rainbows, and trails of stairs suddenly appear just above a copse of trees in the distance.  They wake Artemis, but he realizes the conjured images are merely rituals common to worshippers of Desna, and that a traveller’s shrine is likely nearby.

[11 Kuthona 4707]

As the ship gets underway, the adventurers exchange gifts in honour of Ascendance Day, the highlights of which include Briza receiving two new sets of fishing tackle, Artemis receiving a voucher so he can send a messenger to his wife for free, and Goragar receiving a battle-stained war banner to Gorum that Artemis somehow managed to find in Whistledown.  Even Tillia and Shalelu receive gifts, and the crew and passengers are in good spirits as Pinkeye’s Comeuppance leaves the Yondabakari for the wide, open vista of Lake Syrantula.  The hundred-mile long lake is a major part of the trade route between Magnimar and Korvosa, and even in the winter, fleets of fishing boats can be seen plying their trade. 

 [12 Kuthona 4707]

Esrelda Woodmere spends as
much time out in the community
helping her fellow Ilsurians with
mundane tasks as she does in the
temple attending to their
spiritual needs.

The keelboat hugs the northern shore of Lake Syrantula until dusk, when a small city built into the side of a hill becomes visible:  Ilsurian, one of the few predominantly human settlements in Varisia that isn’t controlled by any of the major city-states in the region.  Ilsurians are known for their independence and vigilance in defence of their liberty, with a famous law stating that every adult must own a sword and be available in time of need.  The ship ties up at Braeton Docks, with Captain Othlo announcing that the crew and passengers should plan for departure on the 14^th.  Artemis, still feeling the effects of his brush against death at the hands of the Dark Lady in Wartle, decides to travel directly to the local temple of Erastil.  He finds a lodge-like building covered in moss and decorated with wooden sculptures of various forest beasts; unfortunately, a note nailed to the door states that Sister Woodmere is out at the Felton farm.  His allies, conscious of the dangers that often befall adventurers, decide to accompany him, but they needn’t have worried: Sister Woodmere is there assisting with a difficult birth by one of the farm’s horses. 

When she’s finished, she welcomes the visitors to Ilsurian, and explains that they’ve come to a city with an excellent tavern, one of the best weaponsmiths in Varisia, and (for the past few days) host to an exciting carnival.  She says she’ll see what she can do to help Artemis with his problem, and invites everyone to stay at the Temple.  However, all but Artemis decide word of a tavern sounds more entertaining, and they set off through the darkened streets.  By the dim light cast by lamp poles, the friendly city of Ilsurian takes on a more ominous aspect, as several of the closed businesses spot “No Varisians!” signs.  Briza expresses dismay, but Kang and Goragar seem supportive of “decent” folk keeping distance between themselves and “thieves and conmen.” 

The Two Waters Tavern turns out to be a welcoming, jocular place, with several locals celebrating Winter Week.  The proprietor, a middle-aged woman named Noria Arephion, finds rooms for the travellers and tells them about the “Wheel of Freedom” upstairs.  In this makeshift shrine to Cayden Cailean, local fisherfolk have laid out a multi-colored ship’s wheel horizontally and pay homage to the God of Drink by spinning the wheel and imbibing beverages that match a particular colour.  Kozen notes that the trip downstairs to get a drink and back up to spin the wheel again (“paying Cayden his due”) seems dangerous for the drinkers, but Briza throws herself into the idea with full force, spinning the wheel long into the night until she eventually collapses, quite drunk, and is carried safely into her room.

[13 Kuthona 4707]

The adventurers wake in Ilsurian, with the prospect of a full day to explore the city before starting on the final push to their destination, Turtleback Ferry, the next morning.

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Director's Commentary (8/04/2018)

The journey along the river towards Turtleback Ferry continues in a fun, light-hearted session.  There were times I was worried the surprisingly number of sessions spent chronicling the journey might be a problem (since it's all summed up in a few paragraphs in the AP), but I think everyone had fun with it.  Little things like the Winter Week holidays (keeping a calendar works wonders for making the setting feel like a real place), Kang's side-trek to show a drug-dealer how to really make product (in true Breaking Bad fashion), and Briza's turn at the "Wheel of Freedom" kept the session going. 

I didn't have a lot of material to work with for Whistledown--essentially, a paragraph's description in one of the gazetteers.  For Ilsurian, on the other hand, I had a map and nice overview in the Towns of the Inner Sea sourcebook.  I also had a module, Murder's Mark, that takes place there, and I was thinking about trying to fit it in but it was for Level 1 PCs and I thought it would take way too much work to try to adjust everything (plus, I didn't want to derail the story from the AP).

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