Rise of the Runelords Recap # 98 [RPG]

[5 Pharast 4708 continued]

 

Having narrowly escaped Runeforge with their lives, the Heroes of Varisia discuss what to do next.  The consensus is to return to Sandpoint, so Ava teleports the entire group in front of the Rusty Dragon.  Once inside though, they find out that proprietor Ameiko Kaijitsu had made arrangements with them to stay at the White Deer Inn the next time they were in town—it seems that Kang’s alchemical experiments have pushed the Rusty Dragon’s cleaning staff’s patience to the breaking point!  The adventurers dutifully troop to the White Deer, a grand affair with rooms overlooking the Varisian Gulf to the north.  Kang immediately starts setting up his alchemy lab.  The three adventurers discuss plans to visit Magnimar in the morning to see about having Jinkatsyu returned to flesh (and life), while Erik asks whether the material the group took from Runeforge (flasks of the prismatic liquid from the central pool and mirror shards from the Shimmering Veils of Pride) could be combined with an item radiating enchantment magic from outside Runeforge to forge another dominant weapon (his firearm).  The usually-confident Kang is forced to admit he just doesn’t know, but says unbridled experimentation is the key to new discoveries.

 

[6 Pharast 4708]

 

Ava tries to teleport the adventurers to the Black Shield tavern in Magnimar, forgetting that the establishment was closed down by the authorities for customs tax evasion.  Fortunately, the trio appear at another tavern in Dockway named the Pesky Mermaid.  The sound of barking from within and a quick glimpse through the window reveals that dogs are quite welcome inside.  But the adventurers don’t have time for drinks or socialising, and they stay focussed on scouring the city for a magic-user powerful enough to take the first step in restoring Jinkatsyu to life.  It takes a few hours to narrow down leads, but in time the adventurers are given directions to the Stone of Seers, the city’s most esteemed school of wizardry.  The school has an air of elitism and the adventurers’ plebeian backgrounds do them no favours.  But money speaks, and with the school in the midst of a planned expansion, the head of the Stone of Seers is persuaded, for a sizable donation, to cast the necessary spells to return the stone segments of Jinkatsyu’s body to flesh.  Once done, Ava immediately prays to Sinashakti and channels divine power to restore the kitsune to life.

 

Having completed their most important task, the adventurers return to Sandpoint via magic.  In the Sandpoint Cathedral’s storeroom/shrine to Sinashakti, Ava expresses prayers of gratitude while the others fill Jinkatsyu in on what happened since the massive statue of Karzoug animated and stomped him to death.  Jinkatsyu expresses interest in returning to Runeforge and slaying the dangerous creatures and villains inside before they escape to wreak havoc on the world, but Erik expresses confidence that they’re trapped inside.  Jinkatsyu, however, raises the possibility of Karzoug freeing them.  The argument remains unsettled as the adventurers run some other errands in Sandpoint and teleport back to Magnimar in the same day!

 

The adventurers sell thousands and thousands of gold pieces worth of equipment salvaged from their adventures in Jorgenfist and Runeforge, with their fundraising interrupted only by a military parade (in which Lord-Mayor Grobaras receives credit for “leading the crack team that repulsed the giant invasion in the north”), the appearance of a strange, floating object the size of a house made out of fabric and bearing an advertisement for “Nisk Tander’s Emporium of Alchemical Delights” (which Kang almost attacks), and an attempted robbery by members of the Bloody Knuckles gang (the battle ends quickly and with the ruffians much the worse for the attempt).  That evening, the adventurers find a new inn, the Blasted Ferret (notable for the presence of a tombstone in the center of the common room!) and bed down for the night.

 

Having survived the trials of Runeforge, the Heroes of Varisia have certainly earned the right to enjoy the fruits of civilisation.  But something is stirring far to the northeast; will the adventurers arrive in time to stop it?

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Director's Commentary

This was one of those sessions necessary in a long campaign where the PCs heal up, sell their loot, and resupply.  I always try to have some little dramatic incidents or subplots to advance, and use random encounter tables to keep the PCs on their toes.