Out and About

From Ardrana

After returning from their first mission, SniffWind and company returned to Imor and the Red Dragon Inn. The group learned of an upcoming concert by the bard Orpheus, but were told their prospects for getting tickets was pretty grim. They would have to check at the ticket center in the BountyPlace to be sure. They did note, however, that the concert brought a lot of young women to the city, and SniffWind, Thorodin and WildFire flirted with a number of them.

Exploring Imor

Meanwhile, Tripper Leebow explored some of the residential area, finding himself at Barb's Diner and learning some things about the less fortunate folk of the city. After talking to Tripper about his little adventure, Li-Jorus went out himself and met a fellow named Cliff, who recommended he check out Roxy's for an evening diversion.

The following morning, the BountyPlace was abuzz preparing for the parade to welcome Orpheus. Kessa went out to get information about getting in to see his show. Li-Jorus didn't have enough to pay for a ticket, so SniffWind agreed to loan him some cash. The three of them, along with Tripper, went out to view the parade. Li used the opportunity to attempt some pickpocketing, but without much luck. Ralnar took a walk around the city, and he briefly visited the First Observatory of Mastepha, where he sought advice from Frydal, a Dwarven priestess.

Meanwhile, Thorodin met up with Kendra WillowSight, who asked him to tutor her and a friend of hers, Ashley. The three of them went off to the library just as Ralnar returned. WildFire also emerged, and the two of them spotted a group of dwarves at a nearby table. The dwarves' leader, Grumblor, briefly chatted with Ralnar.

SniffWind's transgression

Outside at the parade, Orpheus finally arrived, accompanied by his 9-foot-tall servant, Lastrigon. Tripper decided he was interested in what the two were thinking and cast thought capture on them both. Meanwhile, SniffWind met a couple of other fans and read a bit of the minstrel's biography. He then decided he would try and meet Orpheus and went out onto the parade route. When he was stopped by the police, he tried to talk his way out, but was eventually hauled off to a holding area. Tripper followed him while Li sent a message to Sgt. Keeler.

After being processed, during which a drunk recognized him as "that guy who sang the Beer Song", SniffWind was led into the holding cell. Inside, he was approached by a young woman named Judith Scarsdale, who struck up a conversation. Discovering that they'd both been arrested while trying to meet Orpheus, they hit it off quite well. It turned out that Judy was a member of one of the city's important families, and with the help of a man named Efrem she was released, and had SniffWind released as well. The two went back to the bar, where SniffWind introduced her to the party, but shortly thereafter Kendra came back from a rest, and Judy quickly made an excuse to leave. Kessa also felt the tension of the encounter and took it upon herself to go over and chat with Drumblor and Strumblor, two dwarves who were setting up their instruments for a performance.

Moments later, SniffWind received a message from Sgt. Keeler, saying that any further behavior such as his would result in the party's removal from their mission. While the party digested this, the two dwarves began performing. Kessa went upstairs to find Evadne packing, and discovered she would be joining the Imorian Army.

Back downstairs, the dwarves were getting a poor reception, and the crowd began chanting for SniffWind to perform. He got up on the table and began chanting, but lost his balance and fell to the floor, spraining his ankle. Tripper tried to heal him to no avail, and the dwarven bards helped him upstairs, where Kessa also ministered to him with similar results. Meanwhile, the party's former companion Tom came in with two friends, and after playing darts with Tripper for a while, Tom found out about SniffWind's little escapade in the market.

Further exploration

The next day, the party went out into the city once again. Li received a message from Cliff, asking him to meet him back at Roxy's. There, he asked Li to help him with some ticket scalping for Orpheus's show. Tripper and Thorodin decided they would see how some of the less fortunate folk of Imor lived, but after a discussion with a young boy learned that the society was not as stratified as they thought, and after running into Li they all headed back to the RDI.

Meanwhile, Kessa visited the First Observatory, where she had a lively discussion with Fiorello Lorenzo, a Halfling priest, who invited her to return in three days for a knowledge-sharing ritual. From there, she encountered a historical tour of the city being led by a woman named Aurora. Kessa mentioned this to the rest of the party, who agreed it might be good to check out.

SniffWind, Drumblor and Strumblor also went into the market, with SniffWind getting some curative herbs from Rose's Herbs & Spices. On their return, Judy was outside the RDI, and invited SniffWind, along with the rest of the group, to a party being thrown the following evening at The Golden Geyser in honor of Orpheus.

Dorella appeared at the RDI, apparenly also leading a historical tour. The group was led around the city, and while in the Imorian Commerce Center learned that the crest they'd seen during their previous mission belonged to the Scarsdale Family. They also got a look at what lay beyond the walls of the city: a barren wasteland dotted by the ruins of various cities laid waste during the Great Magic War. SniffWind stayed behind, albeit reluctantly, to work on the mission report.

After the tour, Ralnar headed to the main library at Imor University. Kessa, SniffWind and the two Dwarven bards checked out the Orpheus Exhibition at Embry's Experience that Kessa found out about during her earlier jaunt. Li and WildFire stuck close to home in the marketplace while Tripper and Thorodin decided to visit Roxy's, but ended up visiting Trinket Trance and enjoyed a quiet walk through the agricultural area.

Later that evening, everyone returned to the RDI for dinner and received a visit from Efrem to finalize a head count for the soirée the next evening. Everyone except Ralnar and WildFire said they would be going, and Efrem pressed them, saying Judith would be disappointed, but to no avail. The group then met in a private room SniffWind reserved to review and sign off on the mission report. Li suggested that, since the crest in the tunnels belonged to the Scarsdale family, the party might ask them about what they might find should they return to the underground passage.

The following morning, the party gathered themselves for their meeting with Sgt. Keeler, at which SniffWind game him the party's report. Keeler chewed out the group, especially SniffWind, for letting information about the mission leak, and warned them not to allow such leaks to continue. Also, it was mentioned that Fred was not being particularly cooperative with Imorian Military Intelligence, but had revealed some information that might be useful. The party would be notified of their next assignment in a couple of days.

As the party made their way out of the military complex, several party members discussed the possibility of questioning the Scarsdale Family at that evening's party. Meanwhile, WildFire was meeting Ashley Scarsdale herself -- twice -- and the two bonded somewhat over their mutual interest in archery. Li went back into the marketplace to scalp some more tickets and gather information about the Scarsdales, while Ralnar and Kessa discussed some uneasiness Ralnar had been experiencing.

The rest of the group took to the streets again. SniffWind and Thorodin wandered the marketplace in search of a device that would detect magic, but had no luck. Tripper, however, never returned from his journey, and as the night wore on the party became concerned. Not finding his signal on their maps, the group spread out through the city to see what they could discover. Kessa and Ralnar visited the First Observatory, and Fiorello told them of both the groves outside the city and the possibility that Tripper's wristband might have been reprogrammed. WildFire and Li went to the military and filed a missing persons report, while SniffWind and Thorodin went to the Tourism and Information Center, where they got no help whatsoever.

Everyone rendezvoused back at the RDI, and decided that they would not wait for Tripper, and would go ahead to the party at the Golden Geyser and hope that he turned up. Efrem arrived with several Tenser discs to bring the group to the Geyser, and shortly thereafter Judith and Ashley appeared, and the group confirmed that they are, indeed, sisters, with Ashley being the elder.

Party at the Golden Geyser

The group was transported to the Geyser, and entered one of the larger buildings, to be greeted by the eruption of a true geyser. Judith quickly began making the rounds, introducing SniffWind to the other guests. At first Ashley treated WildFire as her escort, but once the group arrived at the party she abandoned him to meet her friends. Li held court at a table in the corner, telling stories, while Kessa and Ralnar gravitated toward a familiar face, Aurora, who was also a guest. Thorodin made a beeline for the pool, where he met a young woman named Lorin.

The party went on, with the biggest event being the arrival of Robin Ellison, a local athlete and celebrity. Grumblor and Drumblor set up their instruments to perform, but just as they were about to begin, there was a commotion on the balcony. Thorodin looked up, and it appeared that one of the statues had come to life and was wreaking havoc upstairs. As the group reacted, a second commotion began among the baths, and a second statue appeared. Thorodin fired a magic missile at this one while the rest of the party prepared for battle.

WildFire was able to get Ashley out of the building, but found no guards to help. Meanwhile, Judith charged upstairs and snatched up a shishkebab skewer. SniffWind followed her, while Li and Aurora went up the opposite stairs. The second creature rampaged through the bath area, tossing a tray full of glass bottles at a group of partygoers, killing a teenage boy. Ralnar and Kessa made their way there while Thorodin went to get his weapons, only to impale his foot on a large chunk of glass, taking him out of the battle. While hobbling around inside the dressing area, he told the attendant to call for assistance, but the communication panel was inoperative. Kessa checked on the fallen boy, then went to help Thorodin.

The group on the balcony had a bit better luck with theirs, dispatching it with minimal issue, but the other, with only Ralnar after it, was able to kill another guest before being destroyed by the dwarf. Ashley returned with Efrem, who thought that perhaps the target of the attack might have been Orpheus, who had been scheduled to arrive earlier but had not. The party guided the remaining guests out the servants' entrance, then left the Geyser themselves. On their way out of the complex, a messenger hailed them and gave an envelope to SniffWind.

After returning to the RDI, SniffWind opened the message, and discovered that Tripper, who had been missing all day, was being held by the military under suspicion of murdering a man named Joseph Tuttle. The party set out to find out just what was going on.

Cast of characters

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

Adventure timeline

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Clear Across the Barrens Out and About Tripper's Trials
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