Elementia Game 4

Game Master: Jeff
Game Edition: D&D 3.5
Players: Andrew, Dave, Elijah
Starting Level: 1

Quote of the Evening:
"Bravado."

Introduction

In the last game, Jeff left us with one hell of a cliff hanger, and frankly, things were about to take a turn for the worst.

Jeff wanted to do the write up for this game, so take it away Jeff!

When we last left our band of rebels they had retired to their favoured watering hole Shantese in a desperate attempt to shake the heat garnered from their merciless but glorious butchering of the recently appointed sheriff of the slum district earlier that day in the market. Their actions have put the city on lock-down meaning no lower-born citizen is allowed in or out of their tiers or the city.

With a dangerous plague afflicting Genaya's -slums causing the cursed to breath fire and burn the world- and an elven rebellion simmering under the surface of the city, Genaya is quickly becoming more dangerous.

Scene 1 Trouble at Shantese.

Sitting at a table in the bar covered head to toe in blood, Cyrano was hailed to a table near the the bar to speak with one of the dark bards. Mäaar, Ghar, and the alchemist they grabbed during their flight from the market looked on from afar as suddenly the hooded figure shouted out for the guards and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Startled, the gaggle of guards at the table adjacent to Mäaar, Ghar and the Alchemist got up to rush over to the cloud of smoke. Unable to effectively hide himself and coming face to face with the very real possibility of getting arrested, Cyrano was saved by his elven ally Mäaar and the barbarian Ghar.

With two well-placed arrows Mäaar assassinated two of the four guards from behind. Ghar then flipped the table and sunk his axe into the head of the third. Cyrano doled out justice with his own blade, and the four guards fell dead.

The bartender of Shantese was absolutely shocked at what has just transpired in his establishment and immediately closed and locked the front door. He told the party that it wasn't safe here. Shantese' reputation had attracted the attention of the city guard and they had begun ritual of  searching his place regularly. he had also heard that the ruthless Captain Keithra was coming for a personal inspection tomorrow. They could not stay long.

They party was surprised at how helpful Jarmir (The bartender) had been, but his hospitality was explained when he asked Mäaar what his rank in the elven rebellion was. Jarmir had been active in the rebellion for some time but had not seen him before. Mäaar told Jarmir about his camp, and Jarmir revealed that he has been turning a profit smuggling weapons and selling them to escaped elven slaves who were in the process of amassing their forces in a hidden sanctuary deep beneath the Genayen Underground.

Jarmir reasoned that the party was the same one responsible for the assassination of the sheriff in the market earlier, and decided to get something out of it. He told the three that a local organized crime outfit, operating out of a bar down the boardwalk called Fallen Waves, had been actively giving him trouble, trying to shut down his operation, and stop a weapon shipment that was arriving the next morning. He asked the party if, in exchange for his generosity in disposing of yet another mess they created, that they investigate Fallen Waves and find out what the mafia knows. The party agreed, on the condition that they be fed and allowed to rest before the journey. Jarmir agreed and his bar maid saw to their comforts.

After their baths and laundering their blood-soaked and clothes, the party reunited and decided to finally properly interrogate the Alchemist whose name was Dormin. The alchemist revealed that he was the leading scientist on the guild's research team researching the strange fire plague. He was under intense pressure from the Crown to start producing results, and on top of that he had been receiving anonymous death threats that have frightened him to the point of panic.

His research had revealed that the red residue left around the mouths of fire-breath victims indicated the ingestion of a liquid. He suspected the liquid was Elementia crystals but he had had no idea how they could be turned into a stable liquid. He also mentioned that the plague didn't just cause fire breathing, but there were also cases of  vines growing on people, and ones who they have found frozen solid along with surrounding area.

Dormin recalled the less stressful times for the guild before their former leader Dr. Xavin disappeared while on field study in the swamplands two years ago. Presumed dead, Xavin was the only one with the required insight into energy separation needed to further the guild's research.

The party offered Dormin sanctuary in Shantese for as long as it was safe, which Dormin gladly accepted. However he realized that he will need to return to the Guild to retrieve the rest of his research. Not being in any state to pull of that sort of caper at the moment, the group decided to crash after what had been one hell of day.

Scene 2 Captain Keithra Crashes Shantese.

Around 6 am the next morning the party was frantically awoken by Jarmir who claimed that Captain Keithra and his entourage were making their inspection far earlier than expected and that the party needed to leave right away. He lead Cyrano and Ghar out a back door and instructs them to hide in a large and itchy looking bush.

Mäaar, however, saw an opportunity and, decided to disguise himself as Jarmir's new slave; sweeping the upstairs and listening. He hoped to gather some more information about this ruthless Captain Keithra.

The guards searched the bushes outside, where Ghar and Cyrano hid, but the foliage covered them nicely. Inside Mäaar overheard Keithra harassing Jarmir, but unable to prove anything, the Captain of the guard grabbed Dormin, who claimed to have been kidnapped, and had his guards take him away.  Mäaar saw he need to get out, and so grabbing a bin of trash, he headed out back by the bush to "take out the garbage." Finding Cyrano and Ghar, he hid in the bushes with them until the guards finished searching Shantese.

After the Guards left, Jarmir went out back and instructed the party to head toward Fallen Waves and sort out the threat to the weapons shipment, which was due to arrive the next morning around 5 am.

Scene 3. The Waves of the Fallen.

The party quietly sneaked down the boardwalk to the edge of the plaza where the Fallen Waves stood. AS they arrived, they were stopped by a patrol of guards with a Steam Walker who were guarding the only bridge across the canal and to the bar. Not wanting to sneak-swim across in what was bound to be poopy water, it is decided that disguises were needed.

Looking around, Cyrano had the thought that maybe if they disguised themselves as harmless fishermen, the Guards would let them through to fish on the other side. They were standing next to a surf shop and obtained some fishing gear and rain cloaks, hoping that would be enough to fool the guards.

In their disguises the party went to cross the bridge, only to be confronted by the Steam Walker and the patrol. The guards questioned why Cyrano didn't have a fishing permit, but some smooth talking from Cyrano convinced the guard that the party was told to get fishing permits across the bridge, so they would need to get to the other side. Being either too stupid or too lazy to follow up, the guards let walker the party pass.

On the other side of the bridge, the group realized it was still too early in the morning for a bar to be open, so they camped outside, fishing on the edge of canal until mid-afternoon.

Mäaar and Cyrano were content to wait until a little alter, hoping to slip in with the evening crowd, but Ghar was fed up with waiting. He went over to the bar and tried to enter, only to be stopped by a large thug who asked him what he wanted, while berating him and laughing at for his stupidity. Realizing that to lose his temper would cost him his life, Ghar returned to his friends to find that the Thug watched him, and sicked the Guards ands their Steam Walker on them to show “this little prick” a lesson.

The three  barely managed to evade the Walker. They ran around the back of the Fallen Waves, and by some miracle and a natural 20 from Cyrano they were able to pick the lock of the back door and enter the establishment. They came bursting into the main room of Fallen Waves completely unannounced, and its tenants were not pleased.

Scene 4: A Red Tide in Fallen Waves

Three mafioso grab the party, asking if they enjoy breaking into members only establishments and having their body part removed. One of the pulled out a knife, but just before things got messy, the party was summoned over to a table at the back to speak with who could only be the mob boss.

The Boss was impressed by the cojones of the party and decided to find out what the three were all about. He too figured out that party were the market slayers, and during the conversation he dropped subtle hints as to his organization's control over various Elementia mining operations outside of the city walls. It would seem that many of the guards were in his pocket.

The party also learned that Jarmir was who he said he was when they asked the Don about him. The don was almost finished with the party when Cyrano, thinking fast, plays it up like the party wished to contract their services out to the boss' crime outfit. he was secretly hoping to gain the party access to the Elementia mines and possibly the upper tiers of society.

The Boss laughed and asked what the three could provide him that he didn't already have in plenty. Cyrano responded with one word:

"Bravado."

And thus the quote of the evening was born.

The don laughed and offered Cyrano and his friends work. Things seemed to be going well, when all of a sudden there was a commotion from the basement. Two men then brought an elf upstairs into the bar shoving him to his knees in front of the Don's table. Mäaar instantly recognized the captured elf as his old ranging partners and friend Maikeo, but kept his face hidden so as not to blow his slave disguise and get everyone killed. The Don was delighted to have such a valuable prisoner in his clutches stating that the elven rebellion would be over before it even got started.

Mäaar was in a very tough spot, he did not want one of his oldest friends to be killed right in front of him and was continually taking verbal abuse about "elven scum" from the mobsters. At his breaking point he silently moved his hand onto his bow...

Just as you could cut the hot tension with a butter knife, one of the thugs saw Mäaar move, and fires an arrow into Mäaar left shoulder. Angry that their “property” has been damaged The Don instructs Mäaar to take his revenge by brutally butchering Maikeo right there. A injury for an injury. The party was out of options.

It happened very fast. Cyrano hit the Don over the head, dropping him to the floor, Mäaar fired two arrows into the guard behind Maikeo dropping him, and the captured elf is given a weapon with which to defend himself.

The fight was bloody and the party managed to kill everyone in Fallen Waves including the shocked Don himself, who Cyrano accidently killed with a critical hit from his dagger. They freed Maikeo from his captors and decided to search the bar. Most of the bottles had been smashed in the fight, Cyrano was able to find a bottle of Boublanche Ci, one of the finest champagnes in the land.

Maikeo revealed that the reason the city was in such a state was because the wealthiest nobles and Senators are using tax revenue to fund their own personal armies and mercenary operations, rather then helping the city. Hunger and an unequal distribution of water from the city's aqueduct system were causing civil unrest, and Jarmir was revealed to really be a legit good guy providing weapons to the underground rebellion contrary to what the party suspected!

The weapons shipment coming into port tomorrow morning was destined for rebels underneath the Colosseum who would put them into the hands of elven gladiators who were to liberate themselves and return to the elven sanctuary to begin final preparations for an attack on the Genayan Senate. Maikeo needed the party's help safely moving the weapons shipment from the port to the Hypogeum of the Colosseum.

Maikeo also told them that one of the wealthiest senators in Genaya; Nexin Roth had been pouring a ton of resources into an archaeological dig at the ruins of the elven temple on the upper tier. Both Maikeo and Mäaar knew these ruins to be one of their people's ancient vaults where their most powerful Elementia related artifacts were kept out of the hands of dangerous beings.

Maikeo  did not know what was still in the vault since the Vexian Invasion, but he knew that if Roth got his hands on it the rebellion was doomed. He was unable to take men to the temple as he was quite badly injured and needed time to heal so he implored Mäaar to find a way up to the heavily guarded temple and retrieve the artifact before Roth and his goons do.

He suggested that the best way to reach the upper tier was joining the entourage of one of the nobles attending the gladiatorial games. this would let them go through the gates as they pleased. He also warned that the only way to reach the temple was buy Zeppelin so they would have to acquire one.

If they wanted to learn more about the temple, he told them that they visit the Witcher's Tale, a tavern in the upper, artistic District of Sinyvai. The Witcher's tale was frequented by scholars and archaeologists who might be able to help them As a final warning, Maikeo also told the party that a shadow force was organizing all of the street gangs in the Genayen Underground and that a dark purpose is brewing.

They must move quickly.

Scene 5: The Great Colosseum Caper

Despite the parties growing feeling of haste, they realized they had about fifteen hours to kill before the weapons shipment arrived, and that to attempt a raid on the temple in their weakened and ill-supplied state would probably be suicide. So, the party elected to descend into the bowels of the Colosseum and liberate the elven gladiators themselves. It was a bold plan, but Cyrano was confident that he could talk his way through. Overhearing the plan, Maikeo quietly Mäaar some Sleeping Sand Elixir to put on his arrows... in case Cyrano's tongue was not as quick as he hoped.

He then showed the party an access tunnel to the city's sewer system outside of Fallen Waves, and the group successfully navigated the smelly labyrinth, arriving in the hypogeum, and discovering an escape route for themselves and the gladiators in the process.

In the hypogeum, guards patrolled among animals and gladiators they kept locked in cells. It was going to be tricky.

Peeking through a crack in the door and performing a successful listen check revealed that in fifteen minutes Captain Keithra and an armed escort would be bringing the noble Lord Greymere down for a tour of the hypogeum and that both elven captives, and southern barbarian Captives from Ghar's territory are slated for a death match later that afternoon. Ghar and Mäaar were outraged at this and quickly hatched, and gave Cyrano some sleeping Sand just in case.

Mäaar approached one of the Beastiatii, again posing as a slave. His goal was to get a key to the animal pens and release the beasts to cause a panic. Mäaar was unsuccessful in his first attempt to grab the keys, and the The Beastiatii at assumed he was a slave and ordered Mäaar to retrieve a belonging or body part of the Human Gladiator Gorgok, who was locked in another sell. The Beastiatii was planning to complete a dark ritual he believed would prevent Gorgok from winning his match, thus making the Beastiatii a profit when he bet against him. Rather then dealing that nonsense, Mäaar simply chose to stick him with a Sand Elixir Soaked arrow and put him to sleep. With the keys in hand, Mäaar released the prisoners, and Ghar used his handle animal ability to whip a Lion, Rhino, and Gorilla into a frenzy, and charge through the narrow tunnels doing a lot of damage to what was caught in their path.

As the scheme unfolded, Keithra was showing Lord Graymere the other side of the area and Lord Graymere was forced to take cover in Gorgok's dressing room. The battle was on.

Mäaar just began dropping people with Sand elixir arrows including the beasts and Captain Keithra when they became to close for comfort. He was a like a machine gun, and his onslaught of arrows could not be stopped. The commotion caused guards to keep pouring into the tunnels, overwhelming the party. Several of the escaping gladiators fell, and then Gorgok the greatest gladiator in the land emerged from his dressing room.

With a single blow he killed a lion, who was about to maul Cyrano and then turned to face the bard. Before he could swing, the cheeky minstrel through all of his sleep sand into the giants face. He stumbled a shouted angrily before collapsing to the ground in a deep slumber. He was not likely to wake up for several days.

As more guards rushed down the stairs Mäaar and the freed prisoners made for the sewers! Ghar managed to seal the main door leading into the hypogeum stopping the guards temporarily and met up with Cyrano outside Gorgok's dressing room. Lord Greymere and his body guard were inside, and Cyrano convinced him and his guardian that the party was here to rescue him. He followed them out through the tunnels to safety, just as the guards burst through barred door.

It was close, but one of the gladiator slaves who Mäaar recognized as Jurassolese, one of the sons of an important elder in his tribe. He wanted to save the boy, but Jurassolese had other plans. He threw Mäaar into the room where the sewer tunnels were and barred the door. Holding back the guards and giving the party enough time to escape.

In the sewers, the rescued slaves went back to the elven sanctuary, following one of the rescued gladiators who knew they way.

Lord Graymere was thankful that the party saved his life, and offered them a position in his entourage, and access to the second tier! his body guard then gave each of them a couple Cure Moderate wounds potions and they headed off through the sewers.

Conclusion

It was an awesome round where a lot more of the story and what's at stake was revealed to the party. Now that some key elven warriors have been freed, the party should be free to focus on reaching that temple and extracting the dangerous artifact from. Cyrano proposed that hijacking the Zeppelin would allow them to establish a permanent base of operations from the sky effectively making them sky pirates able raid various Royal Targets on behalf of the Elven rebellion. Hijacking the Zeppelin is going to be a massive undertaking requiring some solid planning, and maintaining it even more difficult. I can't wait to see how this one plays out.

First you guys should stop in the Sinyvai District. I guarantee it will help you with the temple.

Thanks Jeff! Always a pleasure, and watch our adventure unfold in Elementia Game 5!