accomplishedCHARACTERS:
Sahauviia the Green (Kathy Bauer) - Atlantean Sorceress
Mahoo of Aquaga (Nick Roberts) - Ulukan Scout
Sadikar al Tarnufeh (Tom Robinson) - Gondwanan Scholar
Calfuray (Joanne Clarke) - Tamarac Herbalist
Koomara Hadansi (Angela Marsh) - Galacean Scavenger
Orgaskemisqak (David Matchuk) - Lemurian Craftsman
Melucene Palleremos (Ellie Bauer) - Hesperian Priestess-in-Training
24th Du'uzu, Year 506 Second Age (SA)
Sadikar al Tarnufeh, Koomara Hadansi, and Orgaskemisqak, accompanied by Xeneus, systematically enter the bars and bordellos of the Klymeus portside. In each one, sadikar asks the publican if they've seen a short, ugly man, as they have a considerable sum to pay him. The barkeeper, Herak, in the Herakas Wine House, the sixth bar they enter, agrees that they've described Leus, one of his frequent customers. The Heroes engage a private room, and Koomara cuts a small hole in the curtain, so they can see Leus enter the main room.
Meanwhile, Sahauviia the Green decides to follow up on Agarato's advice, and find out who wants to know about ancient astrologers. She takes Mahoo of Aquaga with her, as the Ulukan will stand out too much in the taverns and bars, as well as Calfuray, and the three hunt down Uncas. Finding the man in one of his usual spots, Calfuray tells Uncas that she's willing to sell information to him. They want to know who the buyer is and what he wants. Uncas demurs, stating he's only a broker. He will go to the buyer and get back to Sahauviia (in whom he takes some interest) and Calfuray later in the evening as to whether the buyer wants to tell her anything.
When Uncas ambles away, Sahauviia says they will follow Uncas, and casts a spell of illusory dishevelment on the three Heroes to make themselves less obvious. Uncas, seemingly unaware that he's being followed, dodges through alleys and takes a somewhat twisty route to shake off any pursuit. The three Heroes lose him in the port part of Klymeus. Seeing that they are near a temple to Olokun, the Divinity of Deep Ocean, and check to see if Uncas has gone in there. One of the sisters sees Mahoo, and mistaking him for a sailor, tells him that dinner won't be ready for several hours. Both Sahauviia and Calfuray get a good laugh out of this, and dropping the spell, the Atlantean sorceress leads the other two back out onto the docks of the port area.
Meanwhile, back at the Herakas Wine House, Koomara, Orga, and Xeneus settle into their private room, while Sadikar sits in the common room. Koomara and Orga engage in a discussion about human souls, while Xeneus, confused about why they have brought him here, joins them in the conversation. They each sample some of the wine of the establishment, though the Lemurian is not overly fond of its "bland" taste.
When a short, ugly man with a twisted nose (that Koomara has begun to suspect is not a disguise) enters the common room, Koomara drags Xeneus over to the peephole. He confirms that the man is the messenger. Telling Xeneus to stay and enjoy his wine, Koomara and Orga approach Leus. Koomara taps Leus on the shoulder and says that he should come with them. The messenger is a bit confused, but he's relatively compliant and joins them at Sadikar's table. When Sadikar requests that he accompany them outside, Leus is resistant. Orga says that he can hit him now, but Sadikar is able to convince him to accompany them outside, where they can talk away from prying ears.
Outside the Herakas Wine House, the Heroes learn from the frightened, but still resisting Leus that the player Heroes have learned much from Lord Demios and that Leus informed certain nobles about the fact that their ancestors' tombs had been despoiled. They say that they know he knew of this first, and that the nobles would like to hear that he had been robbing their tombs. Using some sleight of hand and his knowledge of superstition, Sadikar "conjures" a small flame in mid-air [he spent a Hero Point to do it, Fire of course!], and Leus admits that he meets a man, usually once a week, who sometimes has something for him, but sometimes not. Leus tells them that he meets his contact at the Dancing Fish.
After stopping off for some food at one of the vendor stalls along the way, Sahauviia tells Calfuray and Mahoo that she wants to go back to the desecrated tomb that they examined earlier, as she believes they may have missed something. The Tamarac healer and the Ulukan scout are amenable to this, and Sahauviia leads them back through the city to the tombs.
They get an inkling that something is not right when they find two guards at a nearby mausoleum are dead. Calfuray examines the bodies; she finds that they were strangled to death by something very strong. Mahoo moves cautiously and stealthily towards the mausoleum itself, and notices a shadowy, ape-like form seemingly blurring in and out as it approaches the mausoleum doors. With tremendous strength, it opens the doors as if they were not locked. The owlman's wings flutter with surprise and fear, and the creature's senses allow it to spot him. With a single bound, the creature is upon the Ulukan scout, but before it can attack, a searing blast of green energy strikes the creature, causing it to scream and back off from Mahoo - Sahauviia's doing. Turning away from the Heroes, the ape-like shadowform enters the mausoleum of the Hauspas family. With but a glance at each other, Sahauviia, Mahoo, and Calfuray draw their weapons, and run towards the mausoleum.
The Friday night session of Atlantis: The Second Age went as well as I expected it to. There was somewhat more roleplaying than I had figured would happen, but the players seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit, and the back-and-forth banter between the various characters was quite fun to watch. The three players at the very end looked at me very worriedly after declaring they were heading for the mausoleum through which the creature had gone,but Kathy pointed out they're Heroes, it's what they do - and they certainly weren't hesitant about taking the action!
Given this was only the third time or so I've run the game in the past 7 weeks (iirc), I'm finding it somewhat hard to get back into the game and its mechanics, though having played in
spross's game for the month of July has made the transition somewhat easier. I didn't have any real problems running the session, though I had to look up a few game issues here and there, but that's par for the course. Mind Like A Sieve (MLAS(tm)), you know! :) That said, the session was great fun, and the players are having a lovely time of it.I'm looking forward to running the next session of this adventure, though I'm not sure when that will be, given I'm scheduled for a CT scan next Friday.