When the Cait's Away

The adventure began when three travelers -- a Dwarven fighter named Blaven, an Elven ranger of the desert named Hafsa, and a Human mercenary named Rog -- arrived in the city of Agropthos after traveling through the Cardillic Desert guarding a caravan. They arrived at the Inn of the Shifting Sands, and began discussing what their next job might be. They were approached by an Elven mage named Cait, who told them she had come from the University Al Maneera to find a staff belonging to Quieref, one of her instructors specializing in water elementalism.

While they were talking, Isabella, one of the cooks at the inn, overheard, as did her companion, Aki. After Isabella checked in with Yanna, her contact with the local thieves' guild, they agreed to take on the mission. They went out into the city to seek leads on the staff's whereabouts, leading some of them to Safi's Mirage Arcana, where they spoke to Safi, the owner. With some monetary encouragement, he agreed to keep an eye out for the item.

Back at the inn, Cait's companion Naimos suggested visiting the School of the Sea, a local wizard school devoted to the study of elemental water, which was also the nature of the staff. There, they spoke to Headmaster WaveLee, who also promised to keep in touch with the group. The group again returned to the inn, where they encountered two gnomes named Doofenschmirtz and Doofenclaud, who offered their services as "support staff" - providing magical devices to aid the group.

In the marketplace, Blaven heard about an upcoming festival involving the temple of Varice. Noting that it coincided with High Sun, an important holiday for those who revere Varice, god of the sun and of elemental fire, Naimos became suspicious. That evening, Safi told the group that he had heard some boys discussing a stolen staff. One of them, Tifo, was known to Isabella, and the group went to find him at the Temple of Fire.

After talking to the boy, the group learned that the staff was to be sacrificed during the festival to honor Varice. Cait confirmed that the local fire cult had a long-standing rivalry with Quieref, a water mage, and admitted that the staff had been stolen from her. The party was able to rescue the staff in the nick of time.

Cast of characters

This adventure was an experiment in collaborative role-playing with no set Dungeon Master. It involved the following characters during its course:

• Aki - played by Korin Trytko
• Blaven - played by Shelley Proulx
• Cait - played by John Proulx
• Hafsa - played by Korin Trytko
• Isabella Valentino - played by Shelley Proulx
• Naimos - played by John Proulx
• Rog - played by John Proulx

Adventure timeline

Previous adventure	Current adventure	Following adventure
Rescuing the Crock of Cheese	When the Cait's Away	Gold and Glory