Kleptikos convinces the former slaves and battered pikemen to help them move the loot carts to Valthrun where they can be converted to gold and shared with everyone (33% reaction roll modified to 63% - Uncertain but 55% prone to positive followed up by a 44% to seal the deal). They safely travel the 3 hexes from Gunnolfsfell to Valthrun.
Kleptikos handles fencing the goods and the party divides the remaining spoils. Brother Sully recommends that each PC give the surviving villagers 10gp each as settlement funds and send them off to Fort Rackham to help the settlement grow. Everyone agrees it makes sense to have a friendly bolthole and agree. Bro-gallo points out that it would also be a wise idea to pay extra to the remaining pikemen and the Bro-cenaries to maintain morale and ensure that the party doesn't develop a bad reputation amongst the mercenary groups operating in the area. Everyone agrees and each pay a 100gp bonus to every Bro-cenary as well as a 50gp bonus to the remaining pikemen.
I give a +20% bonus when Brother Sully announces this to both groups. Sharing the spoils has the intended effect, as the mercenaries (21 roll + 20% bonus + 25% CHA bonus adds up to 66% for an Uncertain but 55% prone to positive result followed by a 43%) and villagers (90 roll + 20% bonus + 25% CHA bonus adds up to 115% for an Enthusiastically friendly, immediate acceptance result) both positively react to the offers. Captain Lou wants to take the pikemen back to Tallow Watch and recruit some new members. He agrees to escort the villagers to Fort Rackham and convey a message to Lady Kophyn about the developments.
The party all gains sufficient XP to level up and will be out of action for for 3 weeks as they train, available again on June 8.
Individual Activities
In addition to their training, the Bros start other initiatives during downtime.
- Blastikus decides he wants to obtain a more secure location with privacy to begin more serious magic research in anticipation of eventually setting up a true sanctum. Through discrete inquiries with the appropriate agents, he has learned of a suitable stone house with a sturdy wall in the nearby hamlet of Eilifsdalsa (hex 299.301). The hamlet has a nefarious reputation of being a refuge for strange loners of dubious character and is avoided by most reputable people of Valthrun. He also finds a nearby farmhouse for use of any bodyguards and purchases both properties for 700gp, per AD&D DMG pg 107. He approaches the two half-orc fighters that they rescued from the monastery of Gunnolfsfell and makes them an offer to become his henchmen. Per DMG pg 35, Blastikus offers them 100gp and 300gp respectively, use of the cottage for lodgings, and armor weapons in exchange for their guard duties and occasional errand running. This brings the base chance to 30% with Blastikus CHA bonus taking it to 40%. Blastikus rolls a 28% and the skeptical half-orcs accept the easy duty. He recycles the gear from Bro-jira and Brother O'malley and the orcs seem content with the arrangement.
He sends them off to the new base and orders them to map areas west of Valthrun (i.e. reveal the remaining six mile hex centered on Valthrun) so that he knows what to expect.
Blastikus begins creating his lab and spends 1000gp (per DMG pg 116) to do the initial build out, with an additional 100gp monthly upkeep fee. This is all specialized gear that must be fabricated form scratch so I decide it won't be available until 6/19 (one month). Things are going to start going off the rails very, very, soon...muhahahaha! - Brogallo has received a taste of being a warlord commanding ravenous hordes and has found it much to his liking. While sampling higher-end drinking establishments available to his new found wealth, he's overheard some envious talk about his success on the battlefield and the resulting caravan of loot that made its way into the city. He spreads some coin around to notorious loudmouths and tells them some stories of his awesomeness, knowing the gossip will grow in the telling. Cheap propaganda is the best propaganda!
Desiring the scrolls in the hoard from the Oni treasure map, Blastikus confers with Brogallo and informs him that he would like to journey to the ruined city in search of the loot. Brogallo readily agrees since he too is obsessed with the treasure maps recovered from the Oni.
The magic item hoard in hex 301.499 is a 200 mile journey that will require a lot of preparation, so it will have to wait for now. The ruined city in hex 311.304, however, is a mere 10 miles and a source of ready loot. He wants more information about the surroundings to avoid a repeat of the recent bloodshed.
and decides to send the Bro-cenaries on another reconnaissance run.
He reckons it's time to expand the force and wants to hire more mercenaries. He rolls a 78 followed by an 8 and 10 on the mercenary table (DMG pg 30) which means he hires 10 medium horsemen and a mandatory L2 lieutenant (Lt. Stoner) along with a serjeant (Sgt. Rock). They all demand new gear, which he provides to match the existing squad under the command of Sgt. Slaughter.
Brogallo summons the officers and informs them of the command changes, placing Lt. Stoner in charge under Brogallo, of course. He informs them that he wants a detailed reconnaissance map of the area southeast of Gunnolfsell (i.e. the two six mile hexes centered on hex 306.300 and 312.306) so that they don't run into any nasty surprises and can hire additional mercs if needed. This is a "view and screw" mission, so the mercs are to avoid combat unless directly threatened. They make a copy of the existing map and move out to commence mapping.
- Kleptikos reckons it's more profitable to stay independent of any local cliques and begins building his own intelligence network. He quietly begins hunting down all street urchins and directing them to The Redneck Home for Wayward Munchkins with the understanding that they key their ears open and mouths shut. In return for information, he agrees to share some choice trinkets from time to time. Any waif that is too stupid or stubborn to play ball quietly disappears and ends up on the vermin buffet in the sewers. Liches Eat Snitches, after all. He also approaches every "professional evening entertainer" with similar offers and unsurprisingly finds an extremely receptive group that is all too happy to swap gossip for coin. These burgeoning networks will incur an ongoing monthly cost of 200gp, which Kleptikos considers cheap insurance against nasty surprises.
- Mighty Redneck keeps 1000gp as usual to cover his expenses and donates the rest to worthy causes. The continues funding The Redneck Home for Wayward Munchkins in Valthrun and, moved by the plight of Tallow Watch refugees, he opens up Redneck's Gumbo Kitchen to feed the teaming masses fleeing from the northern hordes. What a great guy! No way this will blow up in his face, right? Right??
Redneck's training takes place in the mountains outside Valthrun under the tutelage of an experienced and grizzled Ranger Lord named Brog Bersk. It was during his latest sessions that he is first introduced to Marcinius, initiate of the druidic Order of the Starless Wastes. Apart from some terse pleasantries, little of substance is discussed, but Redneck can't shake the feeling that he has broken through to a new level of...something. - Brother Fitzy and Brother Sully independently have an identical, profound psycho-spiritual experience. While deep in meditation and prayer to their patron deity, Mabelrode the Faceless King of Swords, they psychically transported to a realm far away from the Cold Wastes. They find themselves on a rocky island beneath a black starless sky, lit by an endless storm of incandescent purple lightning bolts. Buffeted by a howling gale that has stripped the island to the bare rock, they stare at the raw stuff of chaos that bubbles around the isle. They stand mesmerized as gargantuan behemoths of incomprehensible size rise from the tumultuous chaos stuff, only to instantly dissolve, fall back into the maelstrom and instantly reform into baroque structures of crystal and light. Entire civilizations and races of strange beings are born, prosper, decay and dissolve in the space on an eye blink. Feeling their sanity and sense of self begin to fray uncontrollably, they are shocked when they see a twelve foot tall being of crystal emerge from the chaos seas and stride toward them. Terrified, they stand helpless as the entity stops a mere arm's length from them and silently regards them. A pulsing yellow light radiates from within the creature and covers them with it's sickly golden hues.
"Kneel, mortals", the being says.
Understanding that this is a being of pure chaos, the brothers do the sensible thing and dive to the ground, prostrating themselves before this being.
"We have noticed you. Your world has changed. The King of Swords has entrusted you to us.", it says.
"Great angel, we...", Brother Sully begins.
"Silence!", the entity booms, its voice slamming into the brothers as a warhammer on a melon. "Do not mistake this as a conversation! We will speak and you will listen."
"You seek greater favor from the King of Swords, but are unworthy at your current level of psycho-spiritual development. He will never speak to your like and sends us to improve your limited mortal potential. We will grant you an increase in power in exchange for greater responsibility and adherence to The Faceless One's will."
"We will speak to you again when required and reveal the King's wishes. Execute them, or be destroyed. Say nothing to others in The Order. Begone."
With a thunderous explosion of mauve lightning, the brothers awake in their respective cells, in excruciating pain from the burns that cover their bodies. This was not a dream - it was a revelation.
