Here’s what happened in our 26th Scarlet Citadel session, beginning in Triolo in the Seven Cities and ending in the White Forest.
Fathrum the gearforged fighter was back this week, but Maya and Cauldvyr were both missing. Tricksy the river elf rogue made his second appearance so there were four characters in the group.
After last session’s tactical retreat, the group decided to have another go at vampire slaying. This time, we began the session with the characters in the sewers beneath the Caerlot Brothers’ warehouse, ready to take on the giant crocodile lurking in the murky water.
After Clairmont casts water walk and Tunde casts aid, the characters attack the huge reptile, making short work of it. As Farthrum is grabbed in the crocodile’s jaws, Tricksy delivers the killing blow.
Farthrum leads the way through the trapdoor into the warehouse above. The characters kill the two thralls, then Clairmont unleashes a radiant burst as Ferenc the vampire rises from his coffin. The vampire grabs hold of Clairmont and begin draining his blood yet again.
Farthrum’s sword reduces Ferenc to 0 hp, then Tunde and Clairmont blast the vampire with sacred flames to stop him regenerating. Finally, Tricksy stabs him in the heart with a stake, turning him to ash. The elf rogue pulls the velvet lining from inside the coffin deciding the material would be great for a new pair of underpants.
Meanwhile, Clairmont smashes all the expensive Triolan glassware the vampire was shipping back to Morgau, and Tunde and Farthrum throw the thralls’ bodies into the sewers. Then, they leave by the same way they came in, returning to their inn to clean up. Clairmont goes to the War Temple of Mavros and tells the high priest that the vampires have been dealt with.
On the following day, the group finally track down a new buyer for the loot they plundered from the Scarlet Citadel. Tricksy’s negotiation skills mean they get a great price – 9,000 gp – for the swag.
Their business in Triolo complete, the party set off for the White Forest. I used a 13th Age style travel montage for the trip. I asked one player to describe a problem that the party faces as they travel, then asked the next player to propose a solution. That player then comes up with a new problem for the third player to solve and so on, until everyone has had a go at inventing and solving a problem. So, as the adventurers travelled into the forest, they had to find a way across a river with a collapsed bridge, “rescue” Tricksy from a group of admiring young ladies, lubricate a rusty Farthrum, and deal with Bill the mule who had eaten a clump of psychotropic mushrooms.
After nine days on the main route north and the Old Elf Road, the characters arrive in the gnome village of Middlebrook. They are confronted by a pair of druids but Tricksy is able to convince the gnomes they are just passing through. The High Reeve Shendoltz Berryman welcomes the adventurers inside his tree trunk home and offers them giant elvish strawberries. Shendoltz also shares some useful information about the ruins of Erdovar, the characters’ destination, warning them that Bulukanna the cave dragon still lives there.
A couple of days later the characters run into a group of dragonborn – Mharoti spies, sneaking through the forest. The dragonborn are soon dealt with and the party are able to get back on their way.
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Main image by David Auden Nash
Richard Green | Game Designer 