Skullport Tales: Actual Play 4

Continuing from the last episode, the party continues on to the village of Forest Edge and meet Jeerdan. He’s not only the local priest, he doubles as the local ranger. His main concern, other than the blight that’s befallen the area, is the band of raiders led by a bugbear. The party question the townspeople, who don’t seem to know much of anything other than they’re going to starve if the blight isn’t lifted.

Because it’s a small village, there’s no inn to stay at. There’s a slaughterhouse, with a bunkhouse in back, that we can rent because all of the livestock has already been slaughtered. There was nothing to feed the animals, and that’s what the village has been eating. On watch shifts there is a presence that is felt but not seen. Or, not seen in a way that can be confirmed. Crowbar leaves the door to the slaughterhouse open on his watch shift, and may have seen a shadowy figure. Cody reads on his shift, and sees, hears, and feels nothing. Ahmatti has an experience similar to Crowbar’s. Ahmatti also dreams, and has visions, once more about “one born of shadow and crowned by starts”. No one, not ever the owner of the slaughterhouse, know what that means or if it’s connected to the figure Crowbar and Ahmatti may have seen.

In the morning the party sets off to find the raider camp. Four first level characters, and at least 40 orcs and a bugbear. We did think it through and discuss it, and had some tactics. They locate a cave entrance, guarded by a large ogre and a little orc. They try to Chewbbacca offense again, with Cody playing bounty hunter and leading Umrae’aun as if she’s a prisoner.  It doesn’t work. Umrae’aun engages the ogre, while the little orc runs into the cave. Cody throws oil on the cave entrance and sets it on fire, hoping to delay reinforcements or even asphixiate them. The other party members rush in from the treeline. Ahmatti summons a hyena to fight the ogre. Umrae’aum casts darkness on the ogre’s sword, blinding him and anyone too close to him, and uses her Sword of Dancing. Crowbar uses his axe. Umrae’aun takes serious damage and goes down, but Crowbar manages to finish off the ogre.

That was the end of the session. Now wee need to see if anything comes out of the cave, which is still on fire.

Notes
We earned enough XP to level up to 3rd. We’re doing fairly well. Even though we keep getting the crap kicked out of us, no one’s died and we eventually beat whatever we’re fighting. Our tactics are coming together a little tighter, too.