PLYNCK

April 7, 2007

Plow 1, 5038

In the city of Bearsgate. The City Watch approaches Ben to subcontract the group to do odd jobs for the Watch. Report to Zoe Sergean. Need a group to guard the East Gate; salarly: 5sp each per day.

Meet Pierce Ward at East Gate. 10 hour shift. Some stay at gate, others at guard house. We're here as muscle.

First day all that happens is a cart breaks down that we need to help move.

Staying at the Inn: Monkey & Dog.

Innkeeper is named Gale Chater;cook is his wife Wilhelmina Chater; maid is their daughter Corra Chater; dishboy is their son Kendrick (Kenny) Chater; bartender is their son-in-law Bjom Burle; barmaid is his wife Petra Burle.

Kes will perform for 4 hours an evening, for 1sp plus tips. Artes goes to another Inn and practices his abilities to pick up a little spare change. Ulfgar goes along as unofficial backup. Artes palms a 1sp from a table quite smoothly. A second try succeeds, but the patrons are getting suspicious. So the come back to the Monkey & Dog.

Plow 2, 5038

Back to the East Gate again. Nothing happens. 5 more sp each. Ben goes to talk with Zoe Sergeat, to see if there is some way we can be of more help. Zoe says that they're getting complaints, from one section of the city, that pets are disappearing. Find out why. Salary still 5sp each per day, but with a bonus of a percentage of any confiscated booty. Ben checks with the group, then tells Zoe we'll do it.

Artes goes to the Hall of Records to look for irregular patterns. Ulfgar goes with him, looks for a map. The staff will not let him see any of their maps. By the time the hall closes, Artes has determined the locations of the ledgers he's interested in (property deeds, court fines). Kes ask Monkey & Dog staff if they've heard of these disappearances; they have not.

Plow 3, 5038

Go to the area of town where these disturbances are. Seems very empty. No kids or adults in the streets. But there are birds.

Ben sends Ulfgar and Artes to look around back alleys. Sends Kes and Jenna to talk to store owners. Ben, Zora, and Beri find temples and other community leaders. Meet in front of the Dirk & Buckler Tavern in five hours.

Kes and Jenna find store owners concerned about loss of business. Rats are still around. Only domestic animals and livestock. Jenna looks for kids, talks to one of shopkeeper's teenage daugher. She complains that friends are moving away. Kes asks if there is anything new in town, but "no". Jenna ask if any shops are doing better, "no" again. Animals ususally disappear at night.

Beri, Zora, and Ben go to the nearest house of worship, a shrine of Pelor. Ben asks to speak to head of Shrine, who is an assistant healer named Francisco. She started getting reports two or three months ago. She's only heard vague rumors. No signs of foul play (e.g., blood) or of rituals. No symbols of evil gods. No newcomers to area.

Ulfgar and Artes go to area where livestock disappeared to search alleys. Find a well traveled alley. Ulfgar looks for animal prints. Finds pig prints. Go to houses with pigs in yard. Man in first house - Glassford Burman - asks if they are going to restore his pigs. He claims he had seven, but we don't believe him. His pigs disappeared six weeks ago. Says he's heard about more recent disappearances to the North and West.

Ulfgar and Artes go Northwest, look for recent tracks. Walk around, trying to narrow it down to most recent losses. It appears to be centered on one location, with occurrences more recent as they go out (in a square). Most recent was a couple days ago.

Everyone gathers at the Dirk & Buckler.

Ben sends Jenna and Kes to talk to the tavern owner. Business has been horrible. Kes offers to perform as a way of gathering information. Kes sends a message back to the Monkey and Dog that she won't be able to perform there tonight.

Ben goes to find a pig for bait. Buys pig for 1gp. Seller has not had anything stolen. Buys 10' of rope as well.

Ulfgar and Artes try to get a better feel for the pattern of disappearances. Steadily expanding. Ulfgar asks people to report anything to the tavern.

Ben leaves pig with Beri and goes with Jenna and Kes to talk to a man who would not speak to Ulfgar and Artes. He refuses to come out and talk. Convince him to open door. He thinks people who left are wimps. He's a stonecarver, mostly carves headstones.

Ulfgar and Artes are fairly confident that, within the perimeter, whenever an animal is put out after dark, it disappears. Ben picks an abandoned house to use as a stakeout, and ties the pig up in its backyard.

Kes performs at the Dirk & Buckler. Zora stays with her.

Artes and Beri (with Volanthe) go to watch the stonecutter. Half an hour after his lights go out, Artes opens the back gate, goes to the back door, hears nothing, door is deadbolted. Goes to the front door and picks the lock, but that door is also deadbolted. Opens a window, hears nothing, uses piton to hold the window open. Climbs in through the window. Very cluttered, dirty room. Goes to the front door, undoes deadbolt. Removes piton and closes window. Explores, finds kitchen, family room. Opens internal door from kitchen, finds stairs down. It's quiet. Artes gets out his Continual Flame torch, finds workroom. Searches for secret doors and doesn't find any. Continues looking through house (not bedroom). Artes leaves the house through the window, after resetting the front door deadbolt.

Kes performed, got tips, but no info, and then goes to the stakeout house with Zora. Around midnight, Artes, Ulfgar, and Ben see a gargoyle break the pig's tender and fly away with it. Southeast in a straight line They race after it. Artes extrapolates where he thinks the gargoyle is headed. When Ulfgar catches up with him, the proceed to reconnoiter the house that Artes thinks the gargoyle flew to. It is deep within the "dead" zone, and appears to be all boarded up. Artes sneaks up to the door -- double doors at front of house, sided by boarded-up windows -- listens, hears nothing. Single story house which can be overlooked by some of the neighbor's higher houses. Artes goes up onto the roof of a neighboring house, doesn't see anything notable. Comes down, climbs to roof of boarded-up house. He exchanges hand signals with Ulfgar below, then walks the perimeter of the roof. Finds chimneys in the left rear corner. Comes down. Both go back to house, leaving markers so they'll be able to find it again tomorrow.

Ben gathers everyone, Ulfgar and Artes report what they've discovered and deduced. Ben sends everyone to sleep, so that by 9am everyone will be rested and ready.

Plow 4, 5038

09:00

In the morning a local boy is hired to send a message to Zoe, telling about the gargoyle and the suspected house.

Troop heads to gargoyle's house. Beri casts Mage Armor on herself. Artes, listens, hears nothing, finds no traps, opens door. Inside is a foyer with a door at far end, 20' away. Artes listens, hears nothing, finds no traps, opens door [Editor's Note: ok, that's really boring to type; consider it to have happened unless stated otherwise]. Hallway.

1. Zora kills Spider-1; Ulfgar kill Spider-2
[Editor's note: that's all the info in the diary.]

75 XP   running total:   75

Big room, dropclothes over presumably furniture.

0. Rat-1 misses Kes; Rat-2 misses Ben; Rat-3 misses Ulfgar; Rat-4 misses Ulfgar; Rat-5 misses Artes; Rat-6 bites Artes for 1.
1. Artes tumbles behind Rat-4 and sneakattacks for 4; Kes drops crossbow, draws sword, begins singing Inspire Courage, misses; Ulfgar criticals on Rat-3, kills; Ben drops crossbow, draws mace, hits Rat-2 for 8, kills; Beri moves behind other people; Zola hits Rat-5 for 13, kills; Jenna shoots at Rat-6 but misses; Rat-1 misses Kes; Rat-4 bloopers; Rat-6 bites Zola for 4.
2. Artes misses Rat-4; Kes's Inspire Courage begins taking effect, Kes hits Rat-1 for 8, kills; Ulfgar hits Rat-4 for 5, kills; Ben reserves for new enemies; Beri reserves; Zola hits Rat-6 for 12, kills.

400 XP   running total:   475

Under one tarp is broken furniture; under the other broken musical instruments. Nothing in rats' nest.
Kitchen. Stirges.

1.   Artes tumbles away; Kes continues singing; Zola jumps to the top of the table, reserves for a target, says, "Stirges! They suck blood!" Ulfgar throws axe at Stirge-1 for 9, kills; Stirge-2 attacks Zola, Zola strikes for 14, kills; Stirge-3 attaches itself to Ulfgar; Beri stays in the hall; Ben reserves for a target; Jenna goes under the table.
2. Artes tumbles to flank Stirge-3, sneak attacks, criticals for 9, kills.

450 XP   running total:   925

Remove the useful parts of the Stirges. Ulfgar carries. Jenna checks out ovens, finds nothing. Right pantry: nothing. Left pantry: nothing.
Dining Room.   Spider comes out from under table. Zola goes to spider, hits for 11, kills.

300 XP   running total:   1,225   SECOND LEVEL

Artes seraches the spider's nest, finds 20sp.

10:00

We're at the top of the stairs. Artes goes down, turns left. We follow. Find a bedroom. Artes searches cabinet. An owl flies out.   Ben casts Detect Magic. Nothing on the owl; no magic in the room. Owl flies away.

Another bedroom. Four Giant Fire Beetles come out from under the bed.

0. GFB-1 hits Ulfgar for 6;
1. Zola hits GFB-2 for 13, kills; Ulfgar hits GFB-1 for 12, kills; hits GFB-3 for 9, kills; Beri moves out into hall; Artes bloopers, loses turn; Kes starts singing, watches our back; Ben reserves for a target; GFB-4 misses; Jenna moves into hall to look for owl, doesn't see it.
2. Zola hits GFB-4 for 16, kills.

100 XP   running total:   1,325

Each beetle has two eye-glow glands. Place four in each of two vials; Ben and Zola carry.

10:15

Another bedroom, four rats.

0. Rat-2 bites Artes for 4.
1. Kes shoots Rat-4 for 5,kills; Artes hits Rat-2 for 6, kills; Ulfgar hits Rat-1 for 30, purees; Zola hits Rat-3 for 13, kills.

150 XP   running total:   1,475

Search cabinet, find 33gp.

Another bedroom (211): four hobgoblins.

0. Hob-3 hits Artes for 6.
1. Artes hits Hob-1 for 12, kills, moves down hall out of the way; Kes keeps singing, watches backs; Ulfgar hits Hob-2 for 11, kills, steps 5', hits Hob-4 for 9, kills; Zola hits Hob-3 for 12, kills.

300 XP   running total: 1,775

On the Hobgoblins, we find: 4 studded leather, 4 light shields, 4 longswords, 4 javelins, 200sp, one scroll. Beri determines that the scroll has two arcane spells: Invisibility (2nd) and Detect Secret Doors (1st). We take the silver and the scroll, Beri takes one longsword, will come back for the rest later. Ben casts Cure Light on Artes for 8.

Another bedroom. Artes opens dresser, small snake comes out, misses Artes; Ulfgar splatters snake for 27.

150 XP   running total:   1,925

At door of another room, Artes hears the sound of armor inside. Ulfgar knocks, no response. Ulfgar opens the door: four goblins.

1. Zola hits Goblin-2 for 14, kills, hits Goblin-1 for 15, kills; Artes moves to Goblin-3, misses; Kes sings; Goblin-3 hits Artes for 4; Ben shoots Goblin-4 for 9, kills; Ulfgar moves to Goblin-3, hits for 11, kills.

100 XP   running total:   2,025

Searching the bodies and room, we find 4 leather armors, 4 light shields, 4 masterwork morningstars, 4 javelins, and 5,000cp. Jenna takes one morningstar, we leave the rest for later.

Another bedroom. Artes searches dresser, finds 19gp.

Coming around a corner in the hallway, there is a giant centipede. Ulfgar charges, hits for 21, kills.

300 XP   running total:   2,325

Cut it up and take the useful part(s).

Another bedroom. Artes opens the dresser, a weasel pops out, doesn't attack anybody. Ulfgar hits it for 12, kills.

50 XP   running total:   2,375

Another bedroom. Artes opens the dresser, finds 21gp.

11:30

At top of stairs leading down.