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| Courts of the Shadow Fey [Parsantium] - session notes |
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| richgreen01 |
 Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:57 pm Post subject: Courts of the Shadow Fey [Parsantium] - session notes |
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Hi.
I ran my first session of Courts of the Shadow Fey last night and it went really well. Write up below. I've moved the adventure from Zobeck to my city campaign setting, Parsantium.
18th November
Khuma, Krivinn and Saethus are relaxing in a tavern in the Civic Ward near the Holy Basilica of Pelor when Meletius, a novice of the Sun God comes rushing in, asking for help. The archbishop is under attack in the basilica! The PCs rush after the young man to the temple. Pinned to the doors is a notice in Elven from the Hidden Ambassador Extraordinary of the Winter Court to the Fey City of Parsantium, His Excellency Glaninin Thelamandrine, revoking the charter of the temple. The party charge inside, followed by Sebastian who has heard the cries for help.
Inside His Radiance Arcadius, Archbishop of Parsantium, is being threatened by five shadow fey in black cloaks and armed with rapiers. Krivinn calls for them to stop but the scathsidhe take no notice, moving in to attack the elderly priest. The paladin rushes to his aid but is attacked from the shadows by two assassins wielding poisoned knives and is soon bloodied. Saethus and Khuma join in the fray – the wizard casts lightning bolt and the shifter attacks one of the shadow fey with his primal powers. Then, Sebastian moves forward to heal the archbishop.
Saethus casts a fireball on the shadow fey surrounding Arcadius, using careful aim to avoid setting the archbishop on fire. Khuma charges forward, drawing three opportunity attacks, and is forced to deny death to stay on his feet. His reckless charge does at least bloody the shadow fey assassin he attacks and he is luckily healed by a comrade before he keels over. Krivinn kills the first shadow fey, Sebastian kills a second and Khuma, polar bear-headed after unleashing his frost wolf rage, impales a third on his longspear. Three more scathsidhe are slain; the last one runs but is brought down by Khuma as he runs past.
The battle over, Sebastian introduces himself as Arcadius thanks the party for saving his life. The minotaur reveals he has come to the city in search of a man named Heinsoo who stole sacred texts from the Central Labyrinth under the island of Phokris. Krivinn explains that the PCs know this name and they have a list of books the elusive Heinsoo is trying to find. After searching the bodies and finding white feathers on the two assassins, the PCs decide to investigate.
Sebastian heads for the Great Library where he tries to find out if there is any connection between the various books on Heinsoo’s list – there doesn’t seem to be. Krivinn goes to see Orthas at the Celestial Bastion, keen to tell him that he, a paladin of Bahamut, has just saved the Archibishop of Parsantium from assailant inside his own temple. As he walks through the leafy Grand Ward, a deer runs across the street, followed by shadow fey hunters and their phantom hounds. Very strange. Saethus researches the shadow fey in the library inside the Marjani Minar. Meanwhile, Khuma can’t get a beer as all the barrels inside the Desert Sands Brewery have been soured by the fey “as a fine”. The shifter also learns that the Street of Tailors in the Maker’s Ward has vanished!
The party meet up and compare notes – shadow fey heralds have been appearing around the city, issuing proclamations and edicts on behalf of the Queen of Night and Magic. The PCs break into a building from behind where the Street of Tailors was – inside the internal door leads to a brick wall. A visit to the Desert Sands brewery doesn’t shed any more light on what’s going on. Then, a messenger snake appears – Bardas has invited the PCs to meet him at the city council chambers first thing in the morning.
19th November
The PCs meet Bardas and agree to stand guard over the council meeting – at yesterday’s meeting, several shadow fey appeared in the chambers and started discussing city business. When the guards tried to eject them, they found themselves locked out of the room with the councillors!
Despite their vigilance, the party are unable to stop the appearance of the Hidden Ambassador who announces that the King and Queen of the Shadowfell are taking control of the city again, and have appointed a viceroy to govern the city. After making this announcement, Thelamandrine vanishes. The PCs ask Bardas about the pact the city made with the shadow fey over 100 years ago but the Prefect claims to know nothing about it. He says he will search the city records and let them know what he discovers.
More strange events occur that day – goblin and fey heralds announce more edicts against the gods of the city, against cursing and drinking without toasting the fey. That night, all the PCs have the same dream in which they are invited to visit Winter’s Kiss, the ambassador’s home in Parsantium.
20th November
The PCs have never heard of Winter’s Kiss but try to find out by asking around. Krivinn argues with a goblin herald who tries to advise him not to openly proclaim his worship for Bahamut. Of course, this is like a red rag to a bull and the paladin takes no notice. As he waves his holy symbol under the goblin’s nose and then kisses it, it starts getting dark and sinister shadows move to surround the party….
Cheers
Rich |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: Winter's Kiss |
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Hi,
I ran the second session on Monday night. Write up below.
The fight with the cloying shadows was fun and confusing for the players but was also a bit confusing for me. I should have asked before, but how do the cloying shadows move in to attack in the first place if they have speed 0? Anyway, I ignored this and gave them a speed 6. I used identical numbered shadow counters so I could keep track of which was a minion and which was a passing darkness or umbral void, and ran the whole encounter on the atmospheric street map from the Gloomwrought boxed set.
Oh yeah, and to anyone running this, the invitation handout to Winter's Kiss is mentioned in the text but isn't in the adventure or in the web enhancement. It is, however, in KQ #12!
20th November (contd.)
The sinister shadowy creatures move to surround Khuma, Krivinn and Saethus – the PCs work out they are fey creatures from the Shadowfell, vulnerable to radiant damage. The shadowy beings take the place of the PCs’ own shadows and teleport annoyingly out of the way of attacks. One of their number is a more powerful creature known as a passing darkness which uses its power over the sun and the moon to conjure two replacements when a PC manages to kill his cloying assailant. At the end of the first round of combat, an old friend, the elf ranger Ella, appears and rushes to her companions’ aid, firing unerringly accurate arrows from her bow. After a few rounds, the PCs are able to destroy their foes and daylight returns. The passing darkness leaves ashes behind when its slain - if eaten, says Saethus, these will work like a potion of vitality.
Asking around town about Winter’s Kiss is getting the party nowhere so Saethus purchases the Consult Mystic Sages ritual from the Esoteric Order of the Blue Lotus and casts it. The spirits reveal Winter’s Kiss to be located in the counting house of the spice merchant Enneas Thel in the Emerald Ward. Surprised by this information, they visit the prefect and ask for a warrant to enter and search the counting house which Bardas is happy to give them.
That night, Saethus’ meditation and Khuma’s sleep are troubled by strange visions and dreams. Neither gains the benefit of an extended rest.
21st November
Krivinn goes to check on his shrine to Bahamut to find it’s been closed “by order of the Queen” and his two acolytes are nowhere to be seen. The PCs head over the bridges to the Imperial Quarter and knock on the door of the address they’ve been given for Winter’s Kiss. When a shadow fey footman answers the door, the PCs say they will return tomorrow, happy they’ve got the right location. They hire a messenger snake to send word to Bardas that Enneas Thel doesn’t seem to be living there anymore. Expecting trouble, they then visit the Mercantile Quarter to buy more potions of vitality.
22nd November
Krivinn goes to visit the Celestial Bastion in the Grand Ward to find it locked shut, also “by order of the Queen”. There is no sign of the Platinum Knights of Bahamut and local residents can’t provide any information as to their whereabouts. Rumours are also rife that scathsidhe have replaced the City Watch on the Victory Gate. Meanwhile, Khuma goes shopping and purchases some very showy white and gold clothes and an ostentatious jewelled gold turban for the party’s meeting with the Hidden Ambassador.
The PCs return to Winter’s Kiss and are admitted by the footman, Canderminne Tallowglass, announced, and shown in to see the Hidden Ambassador who is sitting talking in elven to a white owl. Krivinn, Saethus and an unusually eloquent Khuma manage to impress His Excellency enough for him to reveal a few key pieces of information, although the paladin comes very close to upsetting the shadow fey:
– The Queen’s claim to the city dates back to the time before its conquest by Corandias the Magnificent, when the shadow fey ruled the lands from the Ironcrags and Margreve Forest to the Griffin Water. As far as the scathsidhe are concerned, the city’s title reverted to them when Corandias’ dynasty fell and Parsantium was conquered by the hobgoblin king Kalgroth Ironheart.
– The Queen is sometimes amused to meet foreigners
– The Moonlit King is the one who declared the claim to Parsantium is both valid and of interest to the Court
– The Queen and the King are not always of one mind where affairs of state are concerned.
Ambassador Thelamandrine then goes on to subtly hint that if the PCs might want to travel the Shadow Road and meet with the Queen. If they were to do this, they would need a ritual to open the Shadow Road and that experts on arcane magic in the city might be able to shed some light on how to perform such a ritual. The conversation is then over – parting gifts are brought by the footman and the white owl polymorphs into a female shadow fey, the sorcerer Freja Owlsdaughter. Freja promises “a visit from her tailor” to Saethus.
Somewhat confused, the PCs are shown out into the street.
Cheers
Rich |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:38 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
I'm running this again tomorrow - huzzah! Does anyone have any idea how to pronounce "sluagh"?
EDIT: another question. What is the "certain level 16 wand" that the member of the collegium recommends the PCs take with them? (p.17). Is this a piece of treasure the PCs are given for succeeding at this challenge?
Rich |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 8:24 am Post subject: |
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| Oh, and, any advice on the Moebius strip encounter? |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 1:30 pm Post subject: The Shadow Road Ritual |
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Hi,
Played again last night. The write up is below. We roleplayed the search for the Shadow Road Ritual rather than treating it as a series of skill challenges - worked very well. Oh, and I went with "slerg" as the pronunciation for "sluagh". I'm using the Despair Deck from The Shadowfell boxed set and am toying with running one of the encounters from the booklet in that product instead of the two other Shadow Road encounters in the adventure. I'm really not sure I can pull the Mobius strip thing off....
There's a map of Parsantium here.
22nd November (contd.)
The PCs meet up with Brave Ella and head back to the Old Quarter. Saethus goes inside the Marjani Minar, the tower of the Esoteric Order of the Blue Lotus, to research the Shadow Road ritual in the library. Unable to go in with him, the others adjourn to the Kirin’s Rest, a nearby pub inhabited by off-duty wizards and students of the arcane arts. There, they get into conversation with Kordillian, the tavern’s resident alehouse drake, bribing him with beer and pork scratchings. The little creature seems to know a fair bit about the Shadow Road and tells the PCs of a fey called the sluagh. Meanwhile, Saethus has been chatting to the attractive Sahasran mantrika Jivanta who tells him about the Lych Gate and offers to get him an audience with Tapasranjan, the Master of Southern Magic and current Grand Master of the Order. Back in the pub, Krivinn upsets Kordillian – the drake responds with his discombobulating touch, causing the paladin to forget why he was in the pub in the first place and wander outside. When he comes back in, clearly confused, he mistakes Kordillian for a fearsome dragon and draws his axe. This uncouth behaviour gets him barred.
The PCs return home and get a good night’s sleep, although they share a dream of a shadow fey tailor measuring up Saethus for a new outfit.
23rd November
Saethus finds a suit of +3 bloodthread cloth armour waiting for him in the apartment’s living area, presumably left by the mysterious tailor. The PCs travel to the Poor Ward, asking Captain Saurish where they can find the Lych Gate. The gate is now part of the wall between the Poor Ward and the Dock Ward but is marked with fey symbols and clearly dates back to the days when Parsantium was Dhak Janjua. The PCs are able to activate the gate and get it to reveal the secrets of the Shadow Road ritual and to give a glimpse of the sluagh. The party buy some pig’s knuckles from a half-orc butcher to bribe the fey.
In the Dock Ward, the PCs track down the sluagh in his burned out home after visiting Brother Jerome at St Caspieran’s Salvation for directions. Krivinn stomps into the building and puts his feet through the crumbling floorboards. He manages to extricate himself and the PCs talk to Knuckletooth the sluagh, a wretched-looking fey creature. Khuma trades his memory of his death in the Hippodrome at the hands of the Grizzly in exchange for missing details on the ritual and where it must be performed – the Old Docks pier where the thuggee assassin Jagadish killed Ashna.
Saethus returns to the Marjani Minar to see Tapasranjan. The Grand Master turns out to be a vanara – a monkey-like humanoid. He gives Saethus the last detail of the ritual – a spinning lantern is a key component – and also lends the wizard a ring of shadow travel to aid them on their quest.
At sunset, the PCs head down to the Old Docks to perform the ritual. They spot Hidden Ambassador Thelamandrine and his goblin servant out for a stroll along the quayside, presumably not a coincidence. Getting into a rowing boat, Sebastian rows the PCs out into the Dolphin Strait as Khuma spins the lantern, pulling it in and out of a velvet bag, and Saethus performs the necessary elven chanting. The gate to the Shadowfell opens and the party pass through, finding themselves on the misty Shadow Road.
A short while later, the road takes the PCs into a dark forest where they are attacked by forest marauders and shadow haunts. The shadow creatures slide and push the PCs into 40 foot deep spiked pits – at one point, Ella, Khuma and Sebastian are all at the bottom of one of these pits. Eventually, the monsters are defeated but the gloomy surroundings start to prey on the PCs’ minds…..
Cheers
Richard |
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| terraleon |
| Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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| richgreen01 wrote: |
| Oh, and, any advice on the Moebius strip encounter? |
When we playtested it, I set up the battleboard with a set of parallel passages about 2 squares apart, representing the two sides of the strip. Then we ran it accordingly.
IIRC, there's a power that makes such a configuration useful because it puts opponents feasibly on the other side of the strip, and so you need to track their movement. Interestingly, characters have line of effect from one side to the other, and feasibly line of sight, based on the nature of the passage (which could permit teleporting through the ribbon, if you're so inclined), but that makes my brain hurt, so I have to treat it like a two-sided ribbon.
When you run it then, you can use the powers as intended, but keep people from having to leave the room for more than the moment it takes to tell them they're alone in a passage, but can probably hear the combat coming from either direction. Then they can puzzle it out for themselves.
-Ben.
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progressio sine timore aut praejudica - Spectemur agendo |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:32 am Post subject: |
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| terraleon wrote: |
| richgreen01 wrote: |
| Oh, and, any advice on the Moebius strip encounter? |
When we playtested it, I set up the battleboard with a set of parallel passages about 2 squares apart, representing the two sides of the strip. Then we ran it accordingly.
IIRC, there's a power that makes such a configuration useful because it puts opponents feasibly on the other side of the strip, and so you need to track their movement. Interestingly, characters have line of effect from one side to the other, and feasibly line of sight, based on the nature of the passage (which could permit teleporting through the ribbon, if you're so inclined), but that makes my brain hurt, so I have to treat it like a two-sided ribbon.
When you run it then, you can use the powers as intended, but keep people from having to leave the room for more than the moment it takes to tell them they're alone in a passage, but can probably hear the combat coming from either direction. Then they can puzzle it out for themselves.
-Ben. |
Thanks! I do like the idea of it but it's hard to get my head round the concept! Will give it some thought before the next session. I'm keen to get them to the Courts to start Act 2. |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:08 pm Post subject: Latest session |
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Hi,
Here's what happened in our game on Monday. The Moebius strip encounter worked fine - I ran it as Ben suggested, but changed some of the opponents to ones from the Shadowfell boxed set. I threw quite a few monolith footmen at them in succession as they explored the Courts as I was worried they'd get bored pretty quickly with no one to talk to!
Good session!
23rd November (contd.)
The Shadow Road heads into the side of a mountain – after going inside and travelling through the tunnel for a while, the road seems to twist underfoot. Ahead are two shadar-kai, mounted on fiery-hooved nightmares. The shadar-kai charge the party, attacking Brave Ella and Sebastian who are at the front. Krivinn is pulled through the floor of the shadowstone tunnel by a darkstone sculptor and is then held immobile for much of the combat, causing no little frustration to the dragonborn paladin who is forced to rely on his crossbow. The other PCs battle the shadar-kai and the nightmares without their stalwart defender, and annoyingly the sculptor seems to be able to immobilise members of the group from a distance. “There is something funny going on”, says Khuma, “things are twisted.” It’s Sebastian who realises the tunnel has morphed into a Moebius strip. Fortunately, Brave Ella’s archery is top notch and the elf ranger is able to take down both of the shadow humanoids and both fiendish horses too with her deadly arrows. Khuma is the next to be pulled through the floor by the sculptor but the shifter gets his revenge by killing his ebony-skinned opponent.
Searching the bodies, the PCs find a valuable mithril and onyx cameo depicting the Queen of Night and Magic, and also a twisted piece of stone which Saethus advises the others to smash to get them out of the loop they are trapped in. They do what the eladrin advises and are able to travel the rest of the Road, arriving at the palace.
A headless suit of armour greets the PCs at the Winter Gate leading to the Lower Courts, and allows them to enter. Once inside, the PCs explore their surroundings, entering the stables, the library, New Moon Hall and the other chambers but there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. After battling a couple of the monolith footmen (who have taken exception to the party’s presence), however, the PCs start to spot animals in some of the rooms and the previously empty New Moon Hall is now filled with forest owls!
When the PCs return to the courtyard, they are attacked again, this time by a monolith footman and an empty cloak. During this fight, Sebastian disappears momentarily, but is soon back again. After the fight, an invisible assailant tries to steal Saethus’ wand, and someone tries to trip Krivinn. There is a fair bit of giggling but the PCs still can’t see any of the palace’s inhabitants. A second battle occurs soon afterwards near the eastern gate with another cloak and footman.
Heading up the slippery, icy ramp to the Executioner’s Gate leading into the Winter Palace, Krivinn is told by the footman on the doors that he is of high enough status to be admitted, but the rest of the party are too lowly to be allowed in. The group goes back to the courtyard where they are attacked yet again, this time by two baying dog-demons and two crow-headed malphas.
After the battle, they can now see their first living humanoid inhabitant – the very pale elf musician Eracen. Over by the silver tree, several shadow fey rakes are idling. Eracen explains to the party that duelling is a good way for the PCs to gain status – it is currently the Poet’s Season so duelling is permitted….
Cheers
Rich |
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| Wolfgang |
| Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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Possibly my favorite section of this adventure is the slow reveal of the Courts. Sounds like you ran it masterfully: putting your own spin on the them with owls, footmen, and huzzah, Eracen arrives!
Thanks for sharing the writeup.
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Wolfgang wrote: |
Possibly my favorite section of this adventure is the slow reveal of the Courts. Sounds like you ran it masterfully: putting your own spin on the them with owls, footmen, and huzzah, Eracen arrives!
Thanks for sharing the writeup. |
I'm not sure about masterfully, but thanks!
We're really enjoying the adventure so far.
Rich |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:35 am Post subject: Some queries |
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Hi,
I'm running again on Monday night and have a few queries.
p.34 Guard's Hall - there doesn't seem to be door into this on the map or am I missing something?
p.34 Goblin Court - I'm assuming the tactical map on p.35 is beneath area [8] on the map but what do the PCs find when they enter the area on the ground floor?
p.68 Duelling - it says here PCs gain and lose just 1 status for winning/losing a duel. The status tables have much higher status gains and losses - I'm going to go with the status tables as they seem to make more sense
p.68 It doesn't really explain how healing works following a duel - I'm going to rule that duelling PCs can heal but not recover healing surges until the end of each season
p.48 The tactical map shows 4 quicklings and 2 grey ladies and doesn't show any of the spider women in the room, nor do they have stats. Are they therefore non-combatants?
Any suggestions or comments would be gratefully received! Looking forward to getting right into the sandbox stuff during this next session.
Cheers
Richard |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject: Ravens and Grey Ladies |
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Here's the write up from Monday's game.
I think Brightspur's stats are too tough for a duel against a 13th level PC - three PCs fought him and none of them won. His blinding power makes things a bit too tough.
There is a big status gap between Krivinn the paladin (21) and Khuma the shifter barbarian-shaman (-2). I'm not sure this is going to be a gap that can be closed easily so I"m probably going to let Khuma tag along with the others as a privileged servant, ignored by all and sundry.
23rd November (contd.)
Eracen offers to teach Ella the violin. The elf has a go on the instrument but only seems capable of producing a screechy "nee-how" sound. Giving up, the PCs retire for the night in the guest quarters but decide to set watches. While Ella and Sebastian are supposed to be standing guard, both drop off to sleep. When they wake up, the party's boots and armour have been polished; a note under the door reads "leave us milk and cookies tomorrow night."
24th November
The PCs duel with the Ravens in the duelling grounds. Sebastian goes first, losing to Josha Migallisti. Next, Saethus and Khuma both draw with the scathsidhe. Krivinn goes next, taking on and defeating one of the other Ravens. Finally, Khuma duels again but this time he loses. Refusing to join the Ravens, the PCs follow Eracen to the stables where Krivinn, Ella and Saethus (the high status PCs) can now see the Black Prince's blue horse, Lazulin, and the shadow hounds of the Margreve. They talk to Kolya the Kennelmaster who asks Ella to deliver the love poem he's written to Maurelle, one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting. In the smithy, they meet Tenpound Hammer (aka "Nails"); the goblin is mending the monolith footmen trashed by the party earlier.
Back in the duelling grounds, a monolith footman and empty cloak move to throw Sebastian and Khuma out of the Courts, but Ella takes them both out with a twin shot. In the kitchens, the PCs meet Blazing Barda the cook and ask her for milk and cookies to leave out for the brownies. Barda asks them to pay off his debt to the donkey-headed Fordin of the East and suggests the PCs should bray like a donkey when they do so. Ella isn't fooled but gives Fordin 5 silver pieces to get the milk and cookies from the chef.
Back out in the duelling grounds, Ella defeats Sir Yngress the Red of the River Court in an archery contest. The eladrin presents her with his +3 radiant longsword, “Heartsilver”, and tells Ella that Lady Sorreminx is also here.
Khuma has some violin lessons with Eracen but isn't any better at playing than Ella. The PCs rest for the night but actually a whole week passes. They don't recover any healing surges either.
1st December
Krivinn has received an invitation to come and see the Grey Ladies. Eracen offers to take the paladin and the other PCs there. The musician repeats the rumour he's heard that the Grey Ladies secretly worship Mammon – this sets the paranoid Krivinn off, prompting Saethus to tell him to "stop mentioning Mammon, you knucklehead!"
The Grey Ladies welcome the PCs and ask that one of them donates 13 hairs from his or her head to be woven into the loom. Sebastian agrees, pledges allegiance to the Ladies and is given a magical cloak in return. Krivinn trades his memory of defeating the Dockside Crew in the Old Fishery for a future critical success. Both he and Khuma can see through the illusions hiding the Ladies' true nature as spidery fey with six arms. The Grey Ladies ask the PCs to fetch them 20 strands of horsehair from Lazulin. The PCs make their excuses and leave.
Ella asks Eracen to take her to see Lady Sorreminx. The eladrin isn't in, but her door is answered by the flirtatious Sir Yngress who chats to the ranger, telling her that other guests in the palace include an ambassador from the Nine Hells and the Cockroach Demon Akyishigal.
In the Hall of Changelings, the PCs meet the dwarf scholar Narin Poolcryer who tells them about the Firebird that the Black Prince is obsessed with hunting. Krivinn challenges a tiefling, Caleb Quick to a bridge duel. Using the future moment of success he traded with the Grey Ladies, he defeats the tiefling with his first blow, catching him before he tumbles off the bridge.
The PCs' celebration is short-lived though, as Sebastian casts off his disguise, revealing himself to be a shadowy spy of the Moonlit King. He taunts the PCs before teleporting away.
Cheers
Rich |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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Hi,
Here's the write up from last night's game:
1st December, contd.
As the crowds disperse, Laurian the pixie introduces herself to Krivinn and offering her services. Back at the party's living quarters, Laurian organises food for the PCs from the kitchens, served by a hedgehog in a pinny and a pair of brownies.
The PCs go to bed. Krivinn is on watch when banderhobbs appear from under Khuma's bed and out of Ella's wardrobe, attacking the two adventurers while they sleep. Khuma is bloodied but manages to drive his attacker off. Meanwhile Krivinn tries to help Ella but keeps missing but eventually the banderhobb retreats into the wardrobe. The party search round after the battle but can't find anything although it seems likely the monsters appeared through some kind of portal.
One week later, 8th December
After their extended rest, the PCs have a hearty breakfast. Ella calls on Lady Sorreminx, apologising for giving up her badge in favour of the Birch Queen's. Chastised, the ranger puts the Lady's grasshopper badge back on. Lady Sorreminx explains she is here to marry off Shimmer, the River King's daughter, to the Black Prince. The PCs learn about the forthcoming Swan Festival.
Laurian tells Khuma that Jurok the Spear Goblin is keen to duel against him in the Lower Halls duelling grounds. Khuma is up for the challenge but the goblin impales him with his first thrust. The shifter switches to his longspear and uses storm of blades to strike four times, winning the duel. Jurok is fawning in his praise of the shaman. He takes the PCs to the Goblin Court.
Here, Moggo the goblin "king" asks the PCs to go after the strange monster that is preying on his people in the tunnels beneath the palace. Jurok acts as guide as the party head into the tunnels. After a short while they run into three goblins with bloodshot eyes under the influence of the sinister cambium imbalancer lurking behind them in the room beyond. Khuma is dominated after being hit by poison goo, then Krivinn charges in. The goblin minions are struck first but they stab Krivinn and Khuma with their syringes to save themselves. The dragonborn is struck by the cambium's needle fingers and contracts the disease dyscrasia. Ella is also attacked and catches the disease but is able to finish off the cambium with her bow.
Moggo is very grateful for what the PCs have done – he advises them to try and impress the Flame-Cloaked Consort, the Silver-Chained Courtesan or another potential partner to gain enough status to get into the Queen's presence.
Later that day, Krivinn gets an invite to the Tower of the Lords of Light inside the Royal Halls. Inside the Tower, the PCs are questioned by Revich, the Blind Seer, who asks them to drive Akyishigal the Cockroach Demon from the Courts. When Krivinn agrees, the angel cures the paladin's and Brave Ella's disease before sending them on their way.
Cheers
Rich |
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| einherjar |
| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:11 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 13 Jun 2011
Posts: 978
Location: Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
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Wow! The more I read of these session notes the more I want Courts of the Shadowfey. Are these NPCs all in the book, or are some of them yours/homebrewed? Your sessions sound great!
BTW This (COTSF) reminds me a lot of Julian May's seminal quadrilogy The Many coloured Land. Well done everybody involved.
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einherjar/Oceanshieldwolf/Morgan Boehringer
Senior Patron/Captain: Journeys to the West
Senior Patron/Sultana's Chosen: Midgard Tales
Wereapprentice: Bite Me! The Gaming Guide to Lycanthropes |
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| richgreen01 |
| Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Joined: 06 Apr 2008
Posts: 774
Location: London, UK
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| einherjar wrote: |
Wow! The more I read of these session notes the more I want Courts of the Shadowfey. Are these NPCs all in the book, or are some of them yours/homebrewed? Your sessions sound great!
BTW This (COTSF) reminds me a lot of Julian May's seminal quadrilogy The Many coloured Land. Well done everybody involved. |
Thanks! Laurian was just a name on an NPC list so she's mine really - she has a silly squeaky little voice. The other NPCs are in the adventure, although I added the banderhobbs because they are just so cool, and the cambium, which is a monster from Dark Roads & Golden Hells.
I thoroughly recommend this adventure - it's not for novice DMs by any means but we're having a lot of fun with it.
Cheers
Rich |
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