Session Report: the Battle After the War
The other day I got the chance to run a one-shot I’ve been prepping with some friends while we were all in town for Thanksgiving. I really fell in love with the setting while planning it, a kingdom which had very recently won a long war against a nation of gnolls. Victory meant that there were now a great deal of unemployed soldiers, many of whom became mercenaries and treasure hunters. The tombs and dungeons that dot the countryside are actual ruins. You don’t need to worry about deathtraps or anything like that. Rather, dereliction and the competition are the main threats to treasure hunters. Previously, I had posted a set of backgrounds for this setting: http://beggarsthatride.tumblr.com/post/153655155486/backgrounds-for-a-fantasy-post-war-setting On this occasion there were three 2nd level PCs-- an orc inquisitor named Slymmire, a half-elf ranger named Clark, and a dwarf fighter named Stonewall. The players for Slymmire and Clark both rolled a 10 for their backgrounds, meaning that their hometown had rebelled against the king during the war. They decided that one of them supported their home and the other stayed loyal to the crown. Stonewall’s player rolled a 3, making him the party’s only veteran. They started in the city of Meraud, where a magistrate has just refused their formal application for a license of incorporation as mercenaries. Unfortunately, they’ve already arranged to meet a potential client, and operating without a license is a crime. Hoping that their client won’t ask to see the license, they meet with him, a noble named Felix Lotus. Lotus explained that he wanted them to get to the inner chamber of the tomb of the ancient king Maxaviel. His ancestor had been the architect of this tomb and passed on knowledge of its layout, as well as an emblem which he said would open the inner chamber when presented at the final door. Having been promised as much gold as they could carry, the party set out on the road. Passing by a gaggle of veteran beggars on their way out of the city, Slymmire’s player explains that he bought eight mules. It’s going to be an interesting journey. After a while on the road, a pack of wolves stalks the party, but is quickly run off when our heroes put up a fight. Eventually, they come to a bridge. On the near side, several veterans sit around a fire. Half of them are navy veterans, half army veterans. They advise that if the party makes good time, they should get to a town before dark. However, as the party crosses the bridge a gang of veterans emerge from the brush. Turning back, they see the men sitting around the fire have cut off their retreat. One man approaches and demands everything their carrying and the mules. Stonewall turns back and throws a vial of alchemist’s fire into the bandits behind them. The rest of the party draws their weapons and attack, but are almost immediately dissuaded by the rain of arrows that the bandits meet them with. As the bandits behind them grab four of the mules, the party jumps over the side of the bridge. Slymmire even manages to wrangle the remaining mules over with them. While Clark, atop his horse, holds most of the bandits off, the rest of the party escapes downriver. They regroup and proceed on. After dark falls, they reach a walled town. Noticing Stonewall’s war medals, the guard is hesitant to let them in, but they persuade him. They spend the night on good beds in a warm inn. The following morning, they reach the tomb of King Maxaviel. Unfortunately, they are not the first. Several mercenary camps are set up around the entrance to the tomb, and there is a magistrate at the entrance making sure that no one without a license is getting in. The largest mercenary group is the Blades of Verkol. They are gnolls who fought against Verkol (i.e. alongside the party’s country) and are not allowed to return home. They want enough of the treasure to be able to purchase their amnesty and return to their families. They have already cleared half of the tomb by moving carefully and diligently, marking hazards and spots where the floor is weak. Their leader, Veskin, is a decent, if gruff, individual. He ensures the magistrate is well-protected, because his group has a license. The second largest mercenary group is the Professionals, whose ranks are mostly made up of veterans. They take themselves way too seriously and know nothing about treasure hunting. Their leader, Captain Helen Fulton, is uninterested in sharing the treasure with anyone but her company. The final group, almost as large as the Professionals, are the Grand Old Boys. They hail from a country on the far side of the country, have funny accents and waxed mustaches, and make “armor” by covering their bodies in the clay of their homeland and letting it dry. Their servants constantly tend wagons full of the clay, keeping it wet. The Grand Old Boys keep their loot at the bottom of these wagons-- they were going to be guarding them anyway. The clay of the home country is by far their greatest possessions. They are led by Gago, a jovial pugilist and his daughter, Piura, a bard/rogue who is probably the most sensible of them. If I had had more time, I would have had the party spend more time in this camp. There’s so much you can do in a place like this, especially if you throw in a few irregulars who might also not have a license. It should be possible for the party to sign up with one of the mercenary groups if they make a good impression. The Blades will happily work with anyone who seems sympathetic to their attempt to get home and who agrees to let them have at least half of the treasure. The Professionals will pretty much let any veterans in. The Grand Old Boys will work with you if you seem fun to work with and Piura doesn’t suspect you’re no good. As it were, the party tried to sign up with the Professionals. Stonewall got in on the merit of his tour of duty. With his endorsement, Clark also managed to get it, but Slymmire was left as their “hireling.” They were given uniforms, better armor, alchemist’s fire, and told to keep it all clean. The following morning, they were sent with one Sergeant Lionel and a few Professionals into the tomb. As they went along, they noticed the diligent markings made by the Blades in previous expeditions, warning of hazards. They carefully avoided these, and made their way deeper into the tomb, eventually proceeding down a ladder set over what had once been a pit trap. As they went on, they encountered a few traps that hadn’t been marked yet-- a broken arrow trap that shot merely a gust of dust. As they entered one room, an iron golem was released from a compartment, but as it charged forward it fell through the floor and was never seen again. As they approached the innermost chamber they heard the clanging of metal on stone, a cracking, and a hiss, followed by screams. After a few moments, a Blade emerges and chokes out one word; “Gas.” The sergeant calls a retreat, pushing past the others as the tomb begins to fill with a purple mist. The party runs, and are almost lost when the sergeant accidentally pushes the ladder away from the wall after he climbs it.
When they emerge from the tomb, the Blade reports to Veskin that they had broken through the door of the inner chamber with pickaxes, but it had been trapped with a poison gas. The party looks at the emblem they had been given and wonder at exactly what its use would have been. Veskin invokes his rule for gas-- no one enters for twenty four hours so it can clear. He also sends the party a message, offering them four shares each if they ensure that the Professionals and the Grand Old Boys are not a position to oppose them. Happily, they destroy the Grand Old Boy’s clay and frame the Professionals. This leads to a confrontation in which Fulton decapitates Gago and decimates his outfit. The following day, both the Blades and the Professionals wait outside the tomb for the gas to clear. They race through the tomb towards the inner chamber. Once they reach it, they see it is wall-to-wall with gold bars. Veskin and Fulton duel atop the sarcophagus as the party lead the Blades against the Professionals. A fight ensues, etc. It ends with Veskin dead but Fulton defeated, carried away by what remains of her company. I’m reasonably happy with this one-shot. I feel it managed to establish the feel I was going for with this setting. I achieved a sense that the war is still very important and made clear that the distant past is decaying and without intelligent function. In a full campaign, I would try to ask questions connecting them.
