Session 11: In the Service of Gottlieb
Roster
- Mozeus
- Bluebow
- Hans
- The Dwarf
Session Report
The session starts with members of the Archives going around collecting overdue book fees. Mozeus allegedly has not paid his late fees for over a month. The party also receives a letter requesting the owner of the house’s presence because they are behind on house payments.
When they leave Stu’s house, they spot a few thieves trying to pickpocket and shake down people on the street. The party decides to follow the thieves, teach them a lesson, and maybe earn a reward for returning stolen property.
Following the thieves leads them to a dead end known as “Shady’s End,” a small alley notorious for criminal activity. Several thieves they were chasing wait there, ready to rough up the party for following them. The ruffians specifically say they do not want to kill anyone, only break them and remind them why stalking ruffians is a bad idea.
Even though the ruffians only want to bruise them, the party draws real weapons. The Dwarf cuts off one ruffian’s head, and combat ensues. Mozeus crushes another ruffian’s skull with his mace.
I roll a morale check, and the ruffians panic at what they just witnessed. They bolt from the alley. Bluebow takes a shot as they flee, hitting one ruffian in the shoulder, but the target keeps running.
Mozeus loots the dead ruffians’ pockets and finds 10 gold pieces, a few throwing knives, and a small list of prices for stolen items at certain fences.
The party then goes to the Archives to talk with Gottlieb, one of the patrons in the game. Gottlieb assigns them a job to pay off their debt. Rumors speak of a lost, buried library north of Krozpont in the mountains. The party must find it, chart its location, and bring back stone tablets concerning ancient religious rites. Anything else they find in the library they may keep—as long as they keep the entire job a secret.
The party rests and spends the next day buying supplies for their trek to the mountains. They also meet Piter, a subordinate of Gottlieb who will follow them on the mission and log what he finds. Later that afternoon, they finally depart for the mountains.
Along the way, Bluebow meets a badger, befriends it, sings to it, and gives it bread.
As night falls, the party sets up camp with their backs to a rock formation and establishes watch rotations. Fortunately, nothing disturbs them.
The next day, they spot about ten hippogriffs grazing in the mountain grass. Fighting them is impossible, and approaching them feels too risky. The party decides to spend extra time circling around. The detour takes several hours, but they avoid any encounters. Sometimes running or circumventing pays off, though it risks extra encounters compared to the one they avoided.
That night, they camp again and review their maps and notes to avoid getting lost. The party splits—half stay at camp while the others collect firewood. While gathering wood, they spot seventeen ogres. Count it: 10 + 7. Not fun. They run again and wait until morning to try their luck.
The next day, they make considerable progress into the mountains, watching for bears and bandits, both common in rugged, uncivilized regions. They spot bandits patrolling the foothills and wait until nightfall before continuing.
Once night falls, they press deeper into the mountains. They hear a loud gravelly voice grunting to itself, followed by crashing noises. They encounter a stone giant. Thanks to a favorable reaction roll, the giant greets them as friendly. Hans offers the giant some hooch he received from unknown lands during his living dream. The stone giant loves it and even hurls boulders aside to clear the party’s path through the mountains.
They eventually reach a stone bridge guarded by two trolls. It is the only way across the ravine, and they have come too far to turn back. The trolls must die.
The beauty of this being most players’ first AD&D run is that they do not know trolls regenerate until burned. The party downs one troll and works on the second, only to watch the first regenerate. At one point both trolls lie “downed,” only to heal like Majin Buu and attack again.
Eventually, one frustrated party member burns the bodies, and it works. During the fight, Mozeus falls unconscious. In a moment of odd genius, the party reasons that since troll meat regenerates, feeding some to Mozeus might heal him. I allow it, though severe side effects from eating troll flesh may appear later.
The party sets up a base of operations in a secluded troll camp near the entrance they believe is the one they seek. They loot what they can. The session ends with the PCs using their downtime to fortify their encampment and scout the nearby mountains for other possible entrances.
Aftermath
XP: 1800xp for befriending the stone-giant, 100xp for routing the ruffians, 1700xp for killing the trolls. 300xp for using troll meat Loot: Some type of potion (200xp), a silver brooch (1000xp), and some type of wooden wand (6,000xp). Total XP: 1,900 split between all four party members + 11,200xp split between Hans, the Dwarf, and Bluebow. (Going unconscious in a fight means gaining zero XP unfortunately for Mozeus.)
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