The adventure continues! Last time, our heroes arrived in the town of Rukesti and met the vampire-slaying family of Armand Vanator. Now they hope to explore the town, heal and re-arm, and plan their next foray into danger!
Play time: 4 hours
Heroes:
- Drew the human Eldritch Knight – Level 4
- Ward the human Gloom Stalker – Level 4
- Rainen the dwarf Beast Master – Level 4
- Hugo the human Knowledge Cleric/Time Wizard – Level 4
- Asmund the human Divine Soul Sorcerer – Level 4
Breakfast
Waking up in the attic bunkroom in the Vanator House, the team shared what they had learned from Armand’s books. This included knowledge of local wildlife, the history of the Dalca Royal family, and the lore around Shifters. Then everyone went downstairs for waffles!
As the meal wrapped up, there was a pounding on the door. Asmund opened the door to discover a rotting corpse of a man shouting something about “heretics!” And several townsfolk had already arrived with crossbows to deal with this creature.
A brief battle ensued! Asmund commanded the zombie to flee, and the townsfolk fired a few bolts at it. Then the rest of the team emerged from the house. Asmund knocked the zombie prone, Drew smashed it, Hugo sliced it, and Rainen stunned it. But then Armand Vanator himself stepped out with “Roxana”, a huge crossbow covered in silver designs, and shot the zombie dead.
But not before the team demanded to know who it was. And it said… “Irina the Inescapable!”
The party was baffled at how this Templar kept coming back to attack them. So they geared up and headed out to explore the town of Rukesti.
Nose Job
First stop, the local Temple of Virune. Here they met Sister Xenia, the nun who was abducted by vampires from Frostwell. She revealed that she was saved by the Vanators and then settled in Rukesti, where there was a shortage of clergy. She wore leather armor on her wrists and neck, as well as a heavy belt of stakes and knives. A battle nun!
After making a donation to the Temple, Drew went into a back room with Sister Xenia who proceeded to pray over him to restore his severed nose.
Shopping!
Meanwhile, the team went out shopping! They visited Dmitri the smith, and Hugo left his breastplate to be repaired. They visited the tailor, where Ward and Rainen commissioned new outfits from a very serious couple. And they visited the apothecary, a grim old man who no one seemed to like, especially when they learned his potions were actually expensive.
They did however learn that the apothecary would pay them for blue rose petals, which he needed for his potions.
But soon Drew’s nose had regrown, although not exactly the same as before, and he was ready for adventure!
Armand Again
The group swung back by Vanator House where Armand was lovingly cleaning his Roxana. He gave Hugo a book about the undead, and offered to train Ward in vampire hunting.
But then everyone went out again to get a drink.
At the sign of the Weeping Widow
At the local pub, the team met the brewmaster Cosmo (and heard of his sister Cosma, who invented the Cosmopolitan). Drew learned there was a local named Oskar who would fight for money. Cosmo offered them three popular beers, and also winked that they might want to come back after dark to try something stronger.
Asmund started making tea with magic, which made everyone in the bar very nervous. The team tried to assure everyone this was holy magic, and when Asmund started babbling about Virune, Cosmo took it to mean Asmund was a bit touched in the head but harmless.
The day was waning, and Drew wanted to meet Oskar so…
Rumble in the Living Room
The team found Oskar’s house and met a little old bald, bearded man of 73 in a cute sweater who invited them and shooed his cats off the furniture to give everyone a seat. Drew challenged the old codger to a fight, and Oskar was pleased as punch to oblige. The tiny man stripped off his little sweater and shirt to reveal the glistening abs of a young Brad Pitt in Fight Club.
Roll initiative!
Over the next minute or two, the fighter and pensioner bludgeoned each other with bare fists. Drew was barely holding on, but Hugo and Rainen both healed him when no one was looking, and Hugo casted spells to give Oskar disadvantage once or twice. So after a very long bout, little old Oskar eventually slumped onto the couch and conceded the match.
Asmund saw Hugo casting spells, but did not intervene.
Oskar then went to the kitchen, got his cookie tin, and gave Drew ten shiny silver pieces. And then revealed that he too saw Hugo and Rainen casting spells to cheat, but didn’t say anything.
Bed Time
With darkness falling, the party hurried back to Vanator House for dinner. The town was already locking up for the night. At dinner, Armand revealed that he was very concerned about his children, who had gone out Hunting two days ago and still hadn’t returned. And he would appreciate if the PCs would go looking for them.
Ward wanted to go immediately, in the dark, but Hugo and Rainen were out of spells and Drew was badly injured, so they decided to sleep and head out in the morning.
And that’s where we ended!
DM Notes
This was a low-key session bopping around town. But we had a ton of fun. The players enjoyed exploring the town, meeting locals, and getting some business done. I think Drew is very excited to have a nose again. And everyone enjoyed the boxing match with old Oskar.
With the holidays coming up, it’s hard to know when the next session will be, but hopefully soon!
