Episode 3, "Where’s an Ogre to shop?"
Campaign Date: IY 780 Wap 20-25
GM:Dave Nelson, Andrew Smith
Characters:
Uff, half-ogre, barbarian, level 1, Marlon Kirton
Cletus McNasty, gnome, ranger, level 1, Dave Nelson
Maxentius, human, paladin, level 1, Dave Nelson
Orestes, human, alchemist, level 1, Dave Nelson
Blake, half-elf, adventurer, level 1, Marlon Kirton
Narstan “Stan” Shoemaker, human, merchant, level 1, Andrew Smith

Log:

Wap 20th, Riverburg
Uff travels back to Riverburg with Cletus McNasty. Uff does his best to get information from Cletus on how he might find some armor for his half-ogre sized body. Cletus does his best to explain throwing in a few tidbits about his armor and where it chafes him. Specifically, that Uff might try Daggertown, a secret thief’s hideout in the Pig Thief Hills or Big Orc Mountain. Uff then tells the gnome to get lost. Cletus wanders away into Riverburg. The City Militia will not allow Uff to enter the town at Riverburg, fearing him to be a spy. Uff decides to go north to try his luck at Big Orc Mountain.

Maxentius is stopped in the marketplace by a beggar crippled by the early stages of an infestation of finster weevils. Maxentius gives the pauper a single gold coin and then proceeds to lecture the poor wretch on the evils of the moral cowardice that led him into his situation and how he should turn to the light of the Bor. One, after all, cannot guarantee success, but can nevertheless always deserve it. Several other beggars do their best to avoid Maxentius.

Greasy Bill Swenson finds out that Narstan Shoemaker is a square egg when he tries to get the shopkeeper to join him in a scheme. He suggests that there is a half-ogre outside town looking to buy weaponry and if Stan will just do business with him, he’ll make some cash. Stan will have nothing to do with it, as he was busy pining for his ladylove, the fair Rosalyn.

Narstan waited outside Master Luigi's Zither academy for Rosalyn and Merilee. Rosalyn asked if Merilee could join the date and they went to the Silver Chalice. Rosalyn agrees to go on a picnic with Narstan on the 24th, despite whatever her father might say. Narstan manages to bargain the final price of the wine down on the condition that he bring a sample of Redbeard single-malt scotch.

A mysterious stranger named Orestes, who wishes to buy some flour for biscuits, later visits Narstan. Orestes then also borrows Narstan's house to make potions, upsetting Narstan's landlady. As a favor (and to pay Narstan back for the singed socks) Orestes agrees to make Stan a "love potion" to give to Rosalyn. Orestes fails to recruit Narstan for a treasure-hunting trip into the wilds.

Wap 21st
Uff travels north toward Big Orc Mountain. On the way he meets an Ogre named Bundu. Bundu is talkative at first, but when Uff reveals that he is a member of the Copper Vein tribe, Bundu is enraged. Bundu is, of course, a Bloody Skull, the sworn enemies of the Copper Veins. Uff kills Bundu in short order.

Uff arrives at Big Orc Mountain, where a small patrol of Orcs takes him to see Captain Puss-Eye. When Uff explains that he has come to get some armor, the orcs suggest he kill Umbo for his suit. The orcs whip themselves into a frenzy in anticipation of an ogre-fight and rush him along to Umbo. Umbo mercilessly pounds Uff into a greasy stain on the floor. Uff just clean ran out of luck and couldn’t catch a break. Uff’s corpse was chucked into the garbage pit to feed the grease worms.

Wap 22nd
Maxentius the paladin enters Riverburg on his quest to defy the orc tribes of the mountains. He enters the Cathedral and talks with the canon priest, Father Cotswold. Maxentius’ plan is to enjoy a fine supper, vigil the night in the cathedral and then ride forth in search of a sign from Bor, much as in the holy Book of Justice, Saint Hugo writes about Sir Ulfius and how he saw the white stag in the wilderness as a sign. This passage was right before the verses regarding the Bastinet of Somes and the Boar of Leprosy. Father Cotswold and his altar boy Farnsworth both join Maxentius at the Silver Chalice for a meal. As the three leave that evening, Maxentius spots Rosalyn and sweeps her off her feet. After planting a long, juicy kiss he replaces her and exits.

Wap 23rd
After a vigil in the cathedral, Maxentius rides north from Riverburg, looking for a sign. After several hours ride, he spots what looks like a low keep tucked in a young copse of woods. Maxentius investigates and finds an ancient prison keep left over from Sir Rannos' time. Maxentius knocks at the remarkably well-preserved keep and is greeted by a frail hermit named Cronom. The prison is named "The Prison of Wode" for the river to the South. It has an outer wall; a small 20x20 keep with two levels, and a larger jailhouse with a dungeon below. The hermit explains that this particular keep was blessed by none other than Sir Ostler himself to imprison all manner of witches, sorcerers, and demons. Cronom explains that there are three magical seals within the cells and torture chambers below the jailhouse to keep the restless dead below in check. However, two of the three have been compromised and he worried that the third could go at any time. After swearing to return with help to defeat the evil within the prison, Maxentius rides back to Riverburg.

Wap 24th
Narstan arrives at Rosalyn’s house to retrieve her for the picnic, but her father laughs in his face and chucks him out. Just then Maxentius arrives and Narstan, filled with jealousy, thinks that he his a rival suitor for Rosalyn, when he in fact is there to raise funds for the attack on the cursed prison. The father, the Mason’s Guild Master, named Master Farlworth, is impressed by the courtly Maxentius and agrees to an “anonymous” donation of 600gp for Maxentius’ crusade, if he will also squire around his daughter, to show her the finer things.

Maxentius raises the banner of Bor in the town square, but is only joined by Narstan, who hopes to equal his supposed rival in heroism. Narstan recruits the adventurer Blake for 100gp of the capital. Maxentius hires 7 mercenary spearmen from the Swordsman’s guild, paying the full “dungeon” bonus. Maxentius announces in the square that his crusade is now prepared, thanks to an anonymous benefactor. On the way out of town, the column publicly salutes Master Farlworth’s house.

Wap 25th
Maxentius returns to the prison with his group. Cronom is nowhere to be found. Leaving one spearman to guard the horse, the group descends the stairs. Maxentius takes the lead, closely matched by Narstan (who holds the torch). The wards inscribed by hand by Sir Ostler into the walls of the stair have been ruined by bloody handprints and splatters of bile and feces. The group is ambushed by a group of skeletons as they pass through a hallway of prison cells. Two spearmen flee the supernatural threat, but the group stands firm. One of the spearmen is seriously wounded, and Maxentius sends him back to the surface.

Blake trips the lock of a door that leads past the second seal of Ostler also corrupted by the undead. Past the seal, the group is attacked by zombies reaching up from pits below, and then from zombies ambushing them from above who try to push the living into the dark pits. One mercenary is wounded gravely and two cower out of sight. After the fight, Maxentius has the two cowards take the severely wounded man back to the surface, at which point these two cowards flee the compound entirely, let their names, Ybot and Ekim be cursed.

Finally the party descends into the lowest level where they encounter a room completely empty save for some deserted cells and some torture equipment. The party notices that much of this equipment has the look of equipment that Sir Rannos may have consigned to have made.

In one corner of the room, a final seal of Ostler encircles three cells. This one appears intact, but inside one of the cells is a hand-dug crawlspace into the bare rock. The party examines the crawlspace, Cronom calls from the stairs. Maxentius has no part in the obvious trap, however. A standoff ensues as the undead cannot cross the seal, and Maxentius ponders his next move. "Bury them alive!" the ghoulish hermit calls to his undead army and several zombies are dispatched to close up the crawlspace escape route.

Maxentius sends Narstan off through the crawlspace to get help (at Narstan’s own suggestion, good lad). Blake launches several crossbow bolts at the fiends from behind the magic barrier. Finally Maxentius and the two remaining spearmen rush Cronom and pen him into a corner. He is soon slain and the three warriors hold off the other undead by a stout shield wall, until, freed from the destroyed Cronom’s control, they wander off.

Maxentius and Blake purge the dungeon of remaining undead and find some small treasure. Narstan returns with some of the spearmen, too late to be of help.

The party returns to Riverburg in triumph. Maxentius even returns 70gp of the funds to Master Farlworth, much to his surprise and delight. Farlworth gifts it back to Maxentius, who buys and nice outfit and takes Rosalyn to the Silver Chalice for a wonderful evening, while Narstan bites his knuckles in envy.