Difference between revisions of "Now Entering: Promise Junction"

Latest revision as of 17:43, 8 November 2021

This adventure began with the group of adventurers led by Bardo disembarking from the Mutaradat al'Barq, having failed to retrieve the blue dragon egg. They were made an offer by an Elven artificer named AutumnRose, and arrived at the janni encampment to hear her out. After meeting with Jessa to barter with the magical items they'd found in the dragon's lair, Siege procured a suit of magical armor and several bags of holding were acquired. Solidus was also able to purchase an uncharged wand of fireballs.

The group then gathered, and Rose transported them to a Red Dragon Inn -- or at least, that's what was claimed, as there were some distinct differences from the usual, including races nobody present had ever seen. Rose then brought them down to meet the proprietor, Percy, whom Klaven recognized as the former barkeep of the RDI in his old stamping grounds, Semmarch. Percy noted that they were no longer on Ardrana, but in a place called Oberon Base -- the first RDI on another world.

Percy and Rose explained that the Red Dragon Inn was opening up a new location in Promise Junction, a town in eastern Arin that the organization saw as having potential. They wished to hire the party as trouble-shooters, performing tasks in the area for both the RDI and for the locals. Specifically, they were having particular trouble with Gar-Bears orcs, and were especially hoping that Eckhorn would become their strategic planner while also serving as a cook. They also enticed Solidus with the prospect of founding a temple of Varice, Bardo and Zammocaz with the possibility of founding a school of the arcane, and Emi and Makoto with establishing a thieves' guild. Gilbert would also have a permanent venue for his performances.

While the party mulled over the offer, the two mages decided to decline, wishing to continue their education at the University Al Maneera. Noting that this would leave the party short on casters, Siege brought up his friend Alvin Haler, who had been left behind in Gascar. After some further discussion, the party agreed, and they were brought through the Astral conduit that links the Red Dragon Inns to Promise Junction.

A New Red Dragon

The group arrived at their destination to find it almost entirely empty. The only people were a bartender, a barmaid, and one man sitting at a table. Rose introduced the proprietor, Sinjamin Brovory, and the barmaid, Kringa. Klaven soon joined the one apparent customer, who instead turned out to be Bramus, a warrior who would be working with the group. They were soon joined by Toshiro, a mysterious figure who said little but seemed to form a bond with Eckhorn, presenting him with a book.

Lunchtime arrived, and a few customers trickled in. One was a Dwarven merchant named Brox, who invited Klaven to check out the Dwarven shops along the road to the south. He mentioned that they were building that road to eventually connect to the Thair Mountains for trade. A bit later, another past acquaintance of Klaven's arrived: Airlia, who mentioned that others who frequented the Semmarch inn had come to the area, including their mutual friend Rodney.

After lunch, Bramus led the party on a brief tour of the village. The party took special note of the temple of Gruumsh along the main road and the ruined temple of Perasin across from it before moving on to the Dwarven settlement. Brox showed the group the road being built, then visiting the forge and the makeshift bar. Finally, they paid a visit to the shrine of Sedric, where Solidus purchased a charm from the attendant, Meether.

Meanwhile, back at the RDI, Toshiro took note of a newcomer, casting detect evil and detect weapons to clear him for entry. The party soon arrived, and Klaven engaged the new arrival while Solidus went with Toshiro to look for the mayor, a half-drow named Labeese, at the general store. The man identified himself as Ulsi Taligus, a messenger from the capital. They each confirmed that the other was staying the night. Solidus and Toshiro returned, having found that Labeese was likely at his manor.

The party set off, with Siege remaining behind to guard the inn. They crossed a walled-off area behind the inn to a large building, where they descended to an underground tunnel left over from the days of the Wars of Arin. After chasing off some giant rats, they emerged in a storage cellar, where they were met by Skwatch, the bugbear bodyguard of Labeese. He brought the group upstairs where they were introduced to the mayor and his two advisors: Shirella, a Human wizard, and Oashute, the Gnomish head of house.

Everyone present discussed some of the issues facing the village, and when Solidus mentioned building a shrine to Varice, Shirella advised him to be wary, as many of the locals were of an extreme chaotic bent. Labeese mentioned that the nearby forest, Eskalikor, was home to a newly-assigned druid named Tara Goldmoon. Nyla recognized the name, but wasn't sure of its significance. The conversation turned to the local orcs, whom Labeese said were the Chipmunk orcs, led by Chief Dadbod. The party was advised to keep the peace between them and the Gar-bears orcs, who often came to the village to push them around. After a brief discussion of the small arcane library in the walled compound, the party was dismissed.

As the party returned to the RDI for dinner, they heard dogs barking in the compound. Pausing to investigate, they encountered Quaithan, head of security for the compound, and his two blink dogs Morelen and Varice. Arriving at the inn, they were greeted by Jambanov, the minotaur serving as the night-time barkeep, and a Dwarven barmaid named Leeva with whom Klaven quickly hit it off. They found Gilbert at a table with Drusank, owner of the general store, and Noxin, the local exterminator.

Klaven went upstairs to rouse Ulsi, and the two came downstairs. Ulsi mentioned that he was bound for the small town of Spittlehobble in the scrublands to the east. Not long afterwards, Oashute arrived with two other Gnomes, whom he introduced as Oashirt and Oashelf, the latter of whom Emi recognized as selling trinkets on the street earlier. A bit later, three orcs came in and began to get rowdy. Gilbert changed his repertoire to attempt to appease them, but that made the Gnomes angry. One of the orcs, calling himself Sub-Chief Bogrod, went nose to nose with Bramus. The fighter looked for backup, but only Klaven obliged until Jambanov threatened Bogrod with a broken bottle, chasing them off to end the night.

First day on the job

The next morning, the party woke to falling snow. As they gathered for breakfast, Quaithan notified them that there was to be a staff meeting downstairs. There, they met the compound's healer, Lennoy, along with several of those they'd met over the past day. After checking in with everyone, Quaithan officially asked the party to investigate a report of stolen animals at one of the local farms. Since jeks were the primary suspect, the group's forces were split between the farm and the ruins of the mill, where jeks had been seen the previous day.

The farm was located among the humanoid settlements, and was owned by a goblin named Oczuk. Toshiro spoke to him, learning that the animals were stolen from his barn. After they were led inside, Makoto transformed into a fox in order to get the culprit's scent. This scared Oczuk, who ran outside screaming about "weres". This forced the party to quickly retreat, but not before Airlia thought she detected a trail leading west. Suspecting the Gar-bears orcs, they decided to meet up with the rest of the group before proceeding.

At the mill, the other half of the party searched the area thoroughly without much luck. They decided to search the nearby hillside the jeks had been using as a lair, and were soon joined by the remaining group members. On their way, Rin thought she saw something peering at them from the fetid pond behind the mill, but nothing else was seen. At the hill, the party found a large opening on the south side. It was decided that they would head inside immediately, with Siege and Airlia stationed atop the hill to shoot down any jeks that might flee.

As the group made their way silently through the tunnel, Makoto fell into a grass-covered pit, alerting the jeks to their presence. Klaven charged down, and dodged a thrown spear on his way to killing one of the jeks. The rest of the party followed him, with Klaven killing two more of the creatures before they panicked and scattered. The stolen mule was recovered, but it was surmised that the remaining animals had likely been eaten. Nyla was able to rope in one of the stragglers, and the party hauled him back to the compound for questioning. While some of the group brought the mule back to Oczuk, the rest helped Makoto back to the RDI.

The Gar-bears orcs make trouble

After Makoto's ankle was treated, several party members went into the tunnel below the compound to light the near end with continual light. Gilbert and Makoto performed for a while outside the general store to try and attract customers, while Rin created a poster to do the same. There were a few more customers that night as a result.

Just as the dinner rush was winding down, the front door burst open and five Gar-bears orcs strode in. While Solidus detected no chaos, Toshiro noted the orcs' evil intent, and soon enough one of them threw a mug at Gilbert. Bramus, Toshiro, Klaven, Siege and Nyla stood toe-to-toe with them, and with a little help from Makoto's illusions drove them off, with one orc dead and the rest departing and swearing vengeance.

The next morning, A Halfling named Borble arrived, sent by the RDI to question the captured jek. He attempted to communicate to the jek that his people were not to steal from the other residents, but he was dubious that it would do any good given the nature of jeks. Toshiro offered to provide food for the jeks if they agreed not to steal, and if they did work around the town. The party then presented this to Sinjamin, who was also dubious, but suggested that they discuss it with the mayor.

Meanwhile, Siege began work on a drum that the party intended to present to the Chipmunk orc tribe as an overture of friendship, with Makoto and Rin contributing to its construction. Also, the party continued installing lights in the tunnel, and began training to learn subdual techniques from Eckhorn. After lunch, Bramus and Nyla spoke to Labeese, who told them there would be no food to spare until growing season, and suggested they advise the locals to take precautions against further thefts.

Business picks up

That afternoon, a visitor arrived at the inn. Hailing from Odiferous, the man was a cheese merchant named Vulgarda. He had heard tales of the RDI from Great Priest Molbo, and traveled to Promise Junction to sell his wares. After samples of the cheese were tasted (or not), the group decided to see if the captive jek liked it, but it apparently did not. The party discussed how to proceed, and decided they would talk to the mayor once more in the morning. That night, Toshiro procured what little food waste there was from the inn's kitchen, intending to bring it to the jeks the next day.

The next morning, Quellit, the Gnomish nightwatchman, reported that the light at the center of the tunnel had been extinguished. Toshiro went with Eckhorn and Siege to the mayor, who told them he would give Toshiro a week for his plan to work, but in the meantime would call a town meeting, intending to include the jeks. Siege also got his approval to present the drum to the Chipmunk orcs.

After they returned, they were accompanied by the rest of the group as well as Shirella to investigate the doused light spell. While searching, Emi set off a magical alarm, which both Shirella and Solidus confirmed. They also noted that the blockade that had been there previously had disappeared. The party doubted that this was the work of orcs, and after resetting the light they resolved to investigate further.

Shortly thereafter, Alvin made his return via the RDI transport system, and after some catching up was quickly put to work in the kitchen, where he met the head chef Cellani. While Emi and Bramus delivered the invitations to the town meeting, Toshiro delivered his collected scraps to the jeks, who did not respond to the exhortations of him, Klaven, or Siege. Once everyone was back, they went to the jek's cell, describing the situation before freeing him.

Makoto followed him back to the hillside, then returned after a close encounter with a giant magpie. Meanwhile, several members of the party then commenced their investigation of the tunnel. They found no further tampering, so they began exploring the side passage. After finding a four-way intersection, they decided to gather the rest of the group before returning.

After dinner, Solidus and Toshiro went to the temple of Gruumsh to present Siege's drum. They met with High Priest Shazbot of the Chipmunk orcs, who accepted the item as tribute, and agreed to visit the temple of Varice once Solidus had completed it.

Merchants in peril

A bit later, Airlia returned to the RDI along with Rodney, who greeted Klaven and Rin, whom he also remembered from Semmarch. As they listened to Gilbert's performance, Rodney told a tale about the Gar-bears orcs attacking merchants on the road into the village. The group discussed how to stop them, and began to lay the plans for an ambush. It was decided that the party would procure a cart and horse, then travel somehow past the Gar-bears orc village to the west, then appear to be returning from the capital in order to lure them in.

The next morning, the party learned from Feetig, an attendant at Sedric's shrine, that there was a dirt road about 20 miles to the south, and set off in that direction. However, after consulting with Brox regarding what lay to the south, they decided to check things out from above. Rin used cloudview to survey the area, and she was unable to find any sign of an ambush point, only a lot of snow and trees. At that point, the group returned to the RDI to regroup, deciding it would be best to attempt to send a message through to the capital, using pigeons that would, hopefully, be provided by the local druid. Meanwhile, Toshiro attempted once more to communicate with the jeks, this time using enthrall to get their attention, to indeterminate success.

After lunch, Toshiro, Emi and Siege visited Drusank, who suggested that they send a message to Hobmeh, a half-Orcish merchant who was one of his main suppliers. While Emi worked on the message with Kringa's help, Nyla went into the tunnel with Toshiro and Alvin in order to set a trap for whoever had doused the continual light. Most of the party then went out into the village on patrol to meet some of the locals. They learned from one of the shopkeepers, a gnoll named Jengpo, that some of the villagers had also been having trouble with giant magpies.

After returning for dinner, Airlia told the party that Quaithan had heard loud noises in the tunnel. The subsequent investigation turned up a cut rope and a tuft of fur, but nothing more. Toshiro identified the fur as that of a rothé, a pack animal found underground. Gilbert then arrived to let them know that their trap had caught a Deep Gnomish mushroom merchant, who was freed by Skwatch.

Upon their return, they were met by the Gnome in question, named Yejoz, who had entered the tunnel from the UnderWorld. He told them that an entrance to the UnderWorld lay down to the north, and that other merchants -- and perhaps other, less friendly things -- would likely be coming soon.

While Bramus and a few others went to deal with the giant magpies, the rest of the group, led by Toshiro, conferred with AutumnRose regarding concerns about those less friendly things, but she told them that the RDI considered it the cost of doing business. They proceeded to bring their concerns to the mayor, who directed them to talk to Tula, the swanmay who was directing the effort to bring water from Lake Shen north of town, about creating a separate entrance to the UnderWorld in that area.

At the temple of Perasin, Alvin killed two birds with a snow cone, and the rest were driven off. While that was happening, Emi and Makoto went to visit Tula. She told them about a cave in the hill north of the lake, from which she had occasionally seen Dark Elves and Duergar emerge. Tula also expressed concern about two dead bodies that had been deposited in the lake by the gnolls.

After dinner, most of the group went to the town meeting, attended by representatives from the orcs, goblins, gnolls, hobgoblins and kobolds. Since no jek appeared, Labeese advised all the locals to be on their guard, authorizing deadly force if necessary to keep them from further thieving. He went on to warn that any further meddling in the tunnels under the compound would be punished. After discussing the supply chain problems, Siege asked for aid to learn about the village's history. The bodies in the lake were then brought up, and a gnoll named Musupa said that they were creatures from the hill that had attacked them. The meeting was then adjourned, as the party was advised that they would need to investigate both the attacks on the road and the cave in the hill.

After the meeting, Gilbert, having decided that he needed to learn more about the village's history and people, visited the village's other main drinking establishment, Blood, Bone and Brew. Klaven, Nyla, Solidus, Emi, Rin, and Vulgarda accompanied him. While there, they met a group of Karis who were in town escorting a pilgrim who was bound for Stavin. One of the orcs came over to harass the party members, and Klaven acted friendly toward him. The orc became belligerent, and the leader of the Karis, Brozhin, told Klaven that he was being challenged to a wrestling match.

While the others cheered Klaven on, Emi spotted the goblin representative, Puteawt, having drinks, and, after a brief exchange confirming that he understood cant, went over to have a conversation. He said that the nearest Thieves' Guild was in Floyk, but he would put in a good word if she came back with a personal item belonging to the priestess being escorted. After Klaven won the match, he invited Brozhin and the others to come to the Red Dragon in the morning before leaving the village.

The next morning, the three Karis and the priestess arrived. Solidus introduced himself to the priestess, named Chalcedony, and learned that she worshiped another deity of justice called Heironeous. After learning of his wish to build a temple, and subsequently being offered the option of having it be a combined venue dedicated to both their deities, Chalcedony decided to remain in Promise Junction to pursue that course of action.

Bramus then set about talking to Brozhin and his companions, Ishmakha and Mazhik. The senior Karis explained that he and Ishmakha had been tasked with eliminating an opponent of a high-ranking lord and failed, and so if they returned to the capital they would likely be executed. Sinjamin told Bramus that their story would be investigated, and that until that was complete they could accompany him into the northern caves with the rest of the group.

Cast of characters

This adventure was by John Proulx. Below is a list of characters who were involved at one point or another:

• Airlia - NPC
• Alvin - run by Phil Vlasak
• Bramus - run by Shelley Proulx
• Eckhorn - NPC
• Emi - run by Shelley Proulx
• Gilbert - NPC
• Klaven - run by Syd Howard
• Makoto - run by Lou McLeary
• Nyla - run by Lou McLeary
• Rin - NPC
• Siege - run by Phil Vlasak
• Solidus - run by Phil Vlasak
• Toshiro - run by Syd Howard

Adventure timeline