The party was sleeping at the Nameless Inn about a half a days travel from Riddleport. In the middle of the night they smelled smoke and woke to discover that the inn was engulfed in flames that a group of bandits was starting. After dispatching all but one of the bandits and finding out that the innkeeper man, his wife, daughter, and two sons had been killed they interrogated the remaining bandit. He was none too bright and not very well informed. All he knew was that the orders to burn down the inn came from the boss’ contact that came from Riddleport and that the contact was referred to by the boss as " Z ".
With nowhere to sleep the party pushed on through the night into Riddleport arriving mid-morning. They were not in town 5 minutes when a barker came up to them with a flyer for a gambling event called “Cheat the Devil, Take His Gold”. The party decided to go check out the Golden Goblin where this event was being held later that day. While Ona, Faraois Siuloir, Edrik Earlhammer, Shifty, and Sharha looked around and talked to some of the guards at the Golden Goblin; Samantha and Bulosh took the captive bandit to the Riddleport docks and sold him into slavery. Ona thought something might be up and questioned Samantha before she and Bulosh left, she convinced him they were just going to scare the bandit (more) and release him.
After they were done talking to the guards the majority of the party went to a tavern that was nearby for some drinks. While in the tavern they were approached by a woman named Lavender Lil who had a proposition for them. She needed an escort to the Golden Goblin during the “Cheat the Devil, Take His Gold” event tonight. She said she was in trouble and needed to lay low for a while and she was meeting someone there that was going to hide her. The party agreed to help her. At this point Samantha and Bulosh returned and found the rest of the party in the tavern talking to Lavender Lil. Samantha decided that it’d be funny to mess with Lavender Lil and grab onto her horns. Lavender Lil did not take kindly to this and flipped out a war razor and returned Samantha’s kindness by informing her that if she did that again Samantha would leave without one of her breasts.
Of Mages and Thieves
Things go... right?
January 06, 2013
The party, with the exception of Ona who fell suddenly ill, escort Lavender Lil to the “Cheat the Devil, Take His Gold” event at the Golden Goblin. After they arrive they decide to stay for a little while and Edrik and Bulosh find the bar. A few rounds in Bulosh starts feeling woozy and then finds the lavatory. Suddenly there is a brilliant flash that blinds the patrons and guards of the Golden Goblin. A group of six individuals attempted to rob the Golden Goblin and its patrons during the “Cheat the Devil, Take His Gold” event. The party managed to fight them off before they could accomplish their goal of taking the event prize money and the patron’s belongings. As a reward for this Saul Vancaskerkin owner of the Golden Goblin offers to employ the players to help him get the gaming hall back on its feet.
During the day after the “Cheat the Devil, Take His Gold” event the players go around town asking about the " Blot " (as it is being called) that is over Riddleport. They find themselves directed to the Order of Cyphers. While at the Cypher Lodge, they ask about the " Blot " and find out that no one really has any idea what it is and so far all lines of inquiry have lead to dead-ends. The only thing that anyone has been able to discern is that something is in the Blotand very far away and it is radiating transmutation and evocation magic. Faraois Siuloir spent some of the day observing the local wildlife and noted that nothing seems strange with the way the animals are acting.
During the party’s first evening on the job at the Golden Goblin three drunkards come in and begin to harass patrons of the Golden Goblin, pushing a Half-Elven lady into a table and knocking all of the bets around on that table. Buloshasks them to leave, which causes them to become more belligerent and call him a “green-skin”. At this time Samantha approaches and is pushed down, very unceremoniously onto her butt, by one of the three drunks. She proceeds to stab him through the throat with her rapier. She then begins to saw the dead drunks head off in the middle of the casino floor. This causes other party members to drag her and the dead drunk’s corpse off into a back room. Bulosh again asks the drunks to leave, this time they do. The Half-Elf that was shoved introduces herself as Samaritha Beldusk to Bulosh and offers to do the party a favor in return for dealing with the drunks. Bulosh declines, saying he was just doing his job. Samaritha leaves the offer open anyway.
Snakes, Space Oddities, and Bored Meetings
in which Saul does the Safety Dance
January 13, 2013 17:00
The next day Bulosh talks with Saul about training the house security of the Golden Goblin. Saul agrees that this would be a good thing. Saul decides that Samantha will be guarding the vault from now on to keep her out of the public eye, especially now that she’s keeping the skull of the drunk she killed with her.
As Saul was finishing up talking to his new staff members a package arrived for him. He went and opened the package, inside was three venomous snakes. Saul ran off into the vault and the snakes were expertly handled by Faraois. Whom took the snakes outside and fed them chickens to satiate and calm them. After the snakes were safely outside Saulreemerged from the vault and was given the note from the bottom of the box. The snakes and note were a warning from a man named Klegg. Saul insisted that this matter did not involve his new associates and they shouldn’t worry themselves with it but he did have something for them to do.
A man named Lymas Smeed owes the Golden Goblin 2,000 gold and Saul wants his new associates to collect the debt. The party approached Lymas Smeed’s residence they find out he is a usurer. The door has a sign that reads by appointment only. Bulosh knocks on the door and doesn’t receive an answer. After a couple of tries with no resultFaraois and Samantha head to the back of the building to see if there is a back exit, which there is. Bulosh kicks in the front door and heads inside. Faraois and Samantha begin trying to kick in the backdoor to the building with much less success.
Once inside the group are confronted by a strange beast that they have never seen before (a baboon). Edrik moves in to swing at the beast but falls short. Then a crossbow bolt is shot from the stairs but it misses Edrik. Bulosh heads toward the stairs to engage the man with the crossbow. During the chaos of the fight Shifty is struck by the man with the crossbow, between the strenght of the shot and the poison on the bolt’s tip Shifty is brought low. Edrik moves to heal Shifty with his divinely granted healing power and Bulosh tackles the crossbowman.
At this time Samantha manages to break down the back door and Faraois moves into the building and quickly launches a stone from her sling at the baboon which flies wide. The baboon is slain by Shifty with his magic afterEdrik’s healing. Bulosh and the crossbowman fight up and down the stairs. The crossbowman realizes things are not going his way and makes a break for the door. He is tripped by Samantha and uses a vial of poison to take his own life. As he dies Sharha hears him mutter “… won’t Z”. The group searches the building and finds the 2,000 gold owed to Saul plus some and notice that the crossbowman, whom they now know to be Lymas Smeed, was carrying a masterwork crossbow, masterwork scimitar, 2 potions and wearing a suit of magical studded leather armor, plus some personal coin.
Later that night while working at the Golden Goblin all metal becomes magnetized for around 30 minutes. The group also discovers that Samaritha has begun working at the Golden Goblin. The next morning everyone except Faraoisnotices she is emitting a purple smoke. When looked at with detect magic she is surrounded by a faint aura of transmutation and evocation magic. Some of the group go to ask the Cyphermages about this. The Cyphermages are at a loss to explain either event.
When the group returns to the Golden Goblin they find that Bulosh has called a meeting for the next day. During the meeting Bulosh discusses his new training and security plans to the staff and asks Samaritha to learn fire extinguishing magic, which she agrees to do. As the meeting was coming to a close a man rushes in and tells Saul that his shipment isn’t being unloaded from a ship as planned and there may be some complications…