DMMike

Session 2

Phaux rolls into the village, looking to do business/visit with Manfred. He finds Asher climbing out Manfred's window, and promptly makes a friend. The two meet Silas and Hubert (formerly Moon the grey elf) outside town hall, where they make plans to free Michael, or uncover the mystery of the late-night merchant. So Asher and Hubert inquire about getting a nighttime pass, and return to the village square with blank forms.

Minutes later, the square fills with onlookers, and Caduceus, the Justicar, announces that Michael will be tried for unlicensed magic-use. If no one provided a convincing argument, the be-handing cleaver would fall after its restraining rope burned through. After some timid arguments from Asher and Hubert, Michael's trial came to an end. A knight of the secret order of Heironeous, a Paladin, rode through the crowd on a huge white horse, and freed Michael from the chopping block. Caduceus complained, but seemed unwilling to try stopping the Paladin, who revealed herself as a gorgeous woman. So she took Michael to the inn, and Caduceus announced the end of the...festivities.

Someone bumped into Hubert while the party was headed to the inn, and Hubert caught someone in the process of cutting off his purse. The thief took off into the crowd, and Asher and Hubert pursued him, but lost him in the crowd. Getting back to the inn, everyone settled down for lunch when the Paladin and Michael, still bound, came out to eat. The Paladin asked the party, as friends of Michael's, to find out where and when a secret dragon cult was meeting - since they were likely involved in Manfred's disappearance. Asher introduced himself, and the Paladin said that she was called Serendipity. In return for getting the information, Serendipity would return Michael to the village, and require him to register as a magic-user.

After Serendipity and Michael left the village, Asher left the signal to meet his underworld contact that night. Hubert, Silas, and Phaux entertained some information out of the nighttime gate guards, who revealed that the late-night merchant registered as Boremarry of Karlston. Asher made a donation to the shadowy-figure fund, and learned that his contact had sold some ceremonial daggers to a student of the falconry school.

The party members spent the next day drinking at the inn. Or more accurately, Silas spent the day drinking, Hubert and Phaux chatted and sipped (with Ex sitting obediently next to the table), and Asher tried his luck at picking inn locks (he failed). Some aristocrats came into the inn and started drinking. Then they started harassing Phaux, who performed a trick or two, with Ex's help. Then Silas performed a trick - which scared the daylights out of the younger aristorcrat. He ran away, and his friends followed. Hubert took the opportunity to become a woman (illusion only), which wore off when the aristocrats came back, flashing rapiers, and wanting a fight for honor. The party members, with a little urging from the innkeeper, took it outside.

One aristocrat tossed a dagger to Silas, who magically created water over the aristocrat's head (and did nothing to douse his anger). The challenger stepped up to Silas and stabbed at him - a clear miss. Ex ran into the fight, as did Hubert (with a not-very-priestlike Ice Glove spell), and the other aristocrats moved into the melee. Silas was stabbed in the gut while casting a spell, and Asher picked up the aristocrat's dagger, and brought it into the fight.

To be continued...

XP:
Asher 250, Hubert 300, Phaux 250, Silas 300

Hubert gets the coming-out-of-his-shell award, and Silas gets the scaring-the-daylights award.

Place your votes, for someone other than yourself, for session VIP. Winner gets an action point.