After action for 03/09/2021. Playing: P’wox (Aaron), Ironhide (John), Meltara (Keiran), Solaris (Julie), Elkas (Jose)
Date in Campaign is: 46th of Grentle.
The party back at the tavern askes the barkeep if he would sell them rooms. Being themselves they act weird and suspicious so he denies them rooms. They tried throwing Alshu's name around but this makes him even less friendly. Finding themselves on the street they are discussing amongst themselves their next move when they are approached by a cloaked figure who tells them "Alshu sent me. Follow me." and walked away. They follow him cluelessly down an alleyway and around the block to a boarded up storefront. The stranger knocks on the door, a little peek hole is slid open and he shows something. The door opens. He leads them inside. It's another dimly lit traven with small groups of 2 or 3 people talking quietly at tables. All of them are wearing muted colors and hooded cloaks. Everyone looks up as they enter and stares. Most go back to what they were doing when the stranger leading them waves at them. Sitting them at a table against a wall, the stranger waves over the barkeep and has mead brought over. He takes a long drink while looking at them... The stranger seems short and stocky..maybe a dwarf? His face is covered in scars. His raspy voice begins... He is called Broken Baron and Alshu has instructed him to tell the party the lay of the land as they are very much babes in the woods. Elkas askes "How did you get that name?" "Everyone earns a name..in time." He starts by telling them their clothes are too bright and attract too much attention. He has the barkeep go get them some hooded cloaks. Broken Baron shows them the symbol on the bar and what he has as a necklace on a copper necklace. It is a peace symbol. Some of the party recall having seen it on shop doors and in various places as they were walking through the dock area. Apparently this is the symbol of Alshu's group, called Reign of Peace. He fills them in on the Big Picture and tells them about some of the important local areas.
Big Picture:
Nobles: The Nobles of Kallamos have grown very corrupt over the last few hundred years. For the most part they stay in the Inner City and just to live a life of decadence. If any skilled entertainers or adventurers show up in the city they are forced to pay exorbitant taxes or work for the Nobles. The Nobles are also obsessed with anything that might upset the status quo. Rebels and possible Rebels are found and either exiled or killed (depending on the size of the bribe). The 'Legal' system in place favors the Nobles to an embarrassing degree. There isn't even a pretense of fairness.
Visitor Passes: Newcomers to Kallmos are issued a Visitor Pass. It lasts for a week. A visitor without a Pass and not on the Tax Roll can be subject to an Accounting. Extended Passes are for sale at various rates and there is a large amount of forgery and theft of Passes.
Tax Roll: A large book of names and figures, there are three copies and they are compared by the Tax board every few months.. By 'law' everyone pays taxes every year, which is equal to 2% of their worth. If your name is not on the Roll you can be held for up to the last 5 years of taxes (this is known as an Accounting). Anyone that lives in Kallamos knows their number in the book and their page.
Gangs on the docks: there is one big gang, Reign of Peace, run by Alshu and two smaller gangs that are his rivals, Serene Petal and Panic Blades. Panic Blades (run by Angel Moustache) is the more dangerous of the two as it does loan sharking and strong arm operations mostly, where as Serene Petal (run by Fearless Rose) does prostitution and small time drug dealing. Reign of Peace is mostly protection (keeping the small timers in check), bootlegging and fencing. For the most part everyone in these gangs uses a nickname.
Places:
Sorrow Pits: Large trash pits for the city and graveyard for the poor and unknown, basically a big collection of large pits with bodies and debris thrown inside and then covered up. Has a small shanty town on the side closest the city filled with poor and wretched garbage pickers.
Bleedingheart Clinic: A run down warehouse, kept running by three Acolytes, Holger, Duus and Aksel, worshipers of the Martyr god. Serves the poor and needy, by functioning as a soup kitchen, shelter and hospital. They also sell healing potions and buy potion ingredients.
Promise Gardens: A large fenced in garden area, cared for by a druid named Odddo. She also raises fruits and vegetables that she donates to Bleeding heart. Visitors are allowed but damaging the plants is a big no no.
Bayview Tower: This is the guard post that guards that patrol the docks work and sleep. It is three stories so one of the largest buildings in the area and houses about 40 people, 25 of which are the Blue Stripes (the dock guards have blue stripes on their shoulders). Most of the Blue Stripes abuse their power and are easily bribed.
White Petal: Is the base of operations of the Serene Petal. A largish two story manor in good upkeep that is painted white. It is for the most part a huge brothel.
Clear Water Trading Company: A large run down looking warehouse on the docks. Base of ops for Reign of Peace. The main floor is kept mostly dusty and empty with Alshu conducting his business in the back of the room at a large table/desk. The lighting is kept very dim.
Smooth Market: The local market square of the docks.. a lot of sellers and buyers. Not a lot of unusual stuff though. Lots of cutpurses.
He tells them to stay at this place, which is connected to the Lucky Steer. Around this time, the barkeep from the Lucky Steer comes through a door and is surprised to see them here. His name is Gnu and tells them to keep Alshu's name out of their mouths. Broken Baron leaves. Some of the party try to listen to the other tables but everyone talks quietly. They eat and Gnu gives them 3 rooms to use. Solaris grabs a key and heads up to go to sleep. Ironhide finds a spot against the wall and goes into standby mode. Elkas, Meltara and P'wox drink for a bit, then P'wox and a few hours later Meltara go up to a room. Elkas stays, trying to learn something. A group of two come and sit at a table near Ironhide, wondering why Gnu is decorating the place. Ironhide tries to scare them so they go to another table, shaking their heads. Elkas goes over and makes friends with them. Their names of Reckless and Nightingale. Nightingale is female and has a gravelly voice. They speak for an hour or two, telling Elkas about Ghouls at the Sorrow Pit, preying on the poor and wretched that live there. Reckless says he will tell Alshu about it in the morning. Nightingale whispers to Reckless. Elkas turns down a night with Reckless and Nightingale. Everyone goes to sleep.
SideNote: It is figured out that Ironhide eats and drinks and has to recharge from some as yet unknown energy source or item every few months. He can't get drunk, but he can taste things. He currently has 4 months of charge left.
In the morning P'wox is the first one up. He asks for raw meat and they bring it. P'wox goes to the Bleeding Heart, buys two Lesser Healing potions. Cures the disease of a sick child and is rewarded with a Minor Healing potion. P'wox put one lessor potion in his belt to use as a bonus action. Returning to the tavern, he finds Ironhide eating huge bowls of porridge after he had had two regular breakfasts. After an hour or two Elkas come down and tells the party what he has learned (kind of mixing things up but whatever). Reckless and Nightingale come down, get some porridge and leave, waving to Elkas as they go. A few hours later Reckless returns and tells the party that Alshu wants them to look into the Ghoul situation tonight. They are told not to do anything flashy and not bring attention to themselves, investigate and kill the ghouls if possible. That night Reckless leads them to the shanty town near the Sorrow Pits. The shanty town is mostly dark, as there are few inhabitants and most can't afford to keep candles or torches going all night. The party move through the shantys, Ironhide wandering into some huts to scare the inhabitants. Meltara enters a hut and roots around finding a not that badly soiled piece of cloth.. then leaves. They get to the pits and the stench is horrible, rotting garbage, vegetables and bones, possibly some unwanted bodies. They hear movement in the nearest pit but can't see anything. Elkas uses Dancing Lights to dimly illuminate the pit. The debris starts about 3 feet down from the edge, about ten feet in, they can see two Zombies mindlessly digging through the trash. Ironhide jumps into the mess, wading towards them and then attacking them with his great sword. Elkas uses Firebolt, lighting up the night and then Meltara uses Sacred Flame. Ironhide finishes off the two Zombies then wades deeping into the pit, falling into a smaller pit towards the middle and finding himself ten feet under the trash, 15 feet from the end of the pit. He hears something digging towards him. None of the other characters can see the fight as Ironhide and a Zombie engage. Trash is flying about in the pit.. And in another nearby pit, 5 Ghouls have been creeping up on Elkas standing there with his torch. The Ghouls attack but don't do much, P'wox breathing Lightning, Solaris using Word of Radiance and Meltara using Sacred Flame, breaking the darkness with magical flares and flashes. Ironhide has finished off the Zombie but is just floundering about in the trash, unable to climb up the slick wall, lucky for him he doesn't need to breathe or he would be dying there. P'wox uses divine smite, Elkas uses Magic Missile, more flashes and explosions. The Ghouls are all killed.. but the party sees a large group of torches coming towards them! They quickly use a rope to get Ironhide out of the pit and run out into the darkness beyond the city...
CLIFFHANGER!!!
Kill count=(3xZombies)+(5xGhouls)
Exp=(3x50)+(5x200)=1150/5=230 exp each
For completing the mission, but failing to not attract attention +50
Current Exp Totals are: P’wox 935, Elkas 935, Solaris 935, Meltara 935, Ironhide 985. All characters can level to 3 once they take a Long Rest (which might be hard while running from Blue Stripes).
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