Dyvers Downs

Cast of characters:

Japheth Marvel: male human rogue level 1 played by David McMahon

Keri Ann: female human rogue level 1 played by Maggie Ruch

Aramil of Dyvers: female human rogue level 1 played by Williana Odhiambo

Cat: male Halfling rogue level 1 played by Mike Fowler

Background:

This is the second session of my new 3^rd edition D&D campaign. This week see the addition of the first non-human to the campaign, with Cat the Halfling joining the group. It is set in the city of Dyvers, and the characters are starting out as street urchins who have grown up in the Downs of the great city. For the map of the game I am using the map from the Thieves World supplement with a 180-degree rotation.

Moonday the 10^th of Ready’reat in the common year 591:

The Party has spent the last couple of days resting and discussing what to do about their future. Some want to take what wealth they have and see about going to visit the city at large, and get out of the downs, others want to take it slow and easy, and see if Miranda has any other work for the party to do.

Kemji approaches Miranda about visiting the middle class section of the city, and she gives him the name of an inn and also a potential employer of his scribe skill. Some party members even suggest getting a job, but this idea is quickly voted down. The party after resting up from the encounter on the roof, finally, approach Miranda, and she suggest, that the Head Hunters are getting a bit to cocky and perhaps they should be taken down a notch, and suggest that perhaps the party could hunt down a few for a reward for ears returned, of course this is to be kept hush hush between the party and Miranda. The party accepts the commission.

Godsday the 11^th of Ready’reat:

The party slips out of Miranda’s and head off into Head Hunter territory to where their headquarters are. After casing the place they chose to follow one gang member as he sets off from gang’s headquarters down the street.

In the process of stealthily pursuing the gang member, the party ends up near the location of their first encounter with the Head Hunters, and about this time the gang member goes into a building in the middle of a block. Cat goes over to the alleyway behind the row of buildings to see if he had noticed the party and was trying to give them the slip. A few second later the party goes to where Cat is and begin to discuss what they should do next. While the party is standing at the edge of the alleyway, trying to figure out what to do next, their discussion is cut short by the sound of 2 crossbow bolts flying past the party. The party turns around to see 2 Head Hunter gang members closing with them, and saying: ”hey, they don’t; belong here, lets get’m.” A combine missile and melee fight quickly ensues; the party is having terrible luck, when Cat gets the idea to climb up in the roof from the alleyway so as to get the drop on the two-gang members. Cat tosses his rope is up on the roof and is thankful to get a solid feel as he tugged upon the rope. As party members are weakening under the gang assault Cat has climbed up towards the roof and as he begin to get a grip upon the roof top, he sees a Head hunter on the roof, holding the rope under his foot, and aiming a crossbow at him. Before Cat can act, the Head Hunter takes a shot at him and releases the rope, fortunately the crossbow misses Cat, but the fall knocks him unconscious. About this time the other two halforcs have finished knocking the party out, and the scene turns black.

Earthday the 13^th of Ready’reat:

They party wakes up to find themselves in familiar surroundings, their rooms at Miranda’s. Miranda is there when they wake up, and when they start to ask her questions she replies: “ Well I heard of the tragedy that befell you, and that you where headed to the auction block so I chose to buy you, and your freedom will not be cheap.” Miranda then goes on to explain that they where going to be sold as slaves on the black market but she choice to buy them, and that is would be over 200 denar to get their freedom. As the party was thinking about their options, they also realized that they had lost all their equipment, except for what they had left behind, and all their coin that was on them.

Starday the 15^th of Ready’reat:

Finally healed up fully from the disastrous encounter with the Head Hunters, the party approaches Miranda about what they can do to begin working off their debt to her. Miranda offers some word of wisdom and reminds them that surprise ands stealth are their strengths, not necessarily standing and fighting. She also tells them that she has reason to believe that there is a place where they could break in and see about securing some armour.

So later that night the party sets out following the direction given to them by Miranda, and come upon a small used clothing shop, after casing the place from the front they go around the back and check out the back door. Checking the door and making sure it wasn’t trapped Japheth, opens the lock and goes into the room only to be hit by a bag of rocks swinging down from the ceiling, seems the party had missed a trap. After making sure the place is empty, it seem that Miranda information was correct and the place was deserted, they proceed to look through the place and upstairs they find several suits of leather armor and even a couple of studded leather suits too. The party then begins to slip out of the place, and Japheth attempt to reset the trap, and manages to injure him self once more upon the trap, and the party leaves, and sneaks back to Miranda’s.

Sunday the 16^th of Ready’reat:

The party goes through the armour they have “ acquired” and take what they want and give the remaining suits to Miranda to go towards their debt. After collecting the rumours of the Downs, the party decides not to try and get any additional weapons at this time as, the only lead they get to some weapons to liberate involves water and a boat and the group isn’t to keen on that idea. The party decides to take Miranda advice and use stealth and surprise to ambush a couple of Head Hunters.

Moonday the 17^th of Ready’reat:

Equipped as best as possible with the resources at the party disposal, they sneak off to Head Hunter territory. Planning ahead, and finding an alleyway, the party waits in hiding for a chance to even the score against the Head Hunters. Finally their chance comes when they see two-gang member walking down the street. Following the plan the party attack them using surprise and a combination of missile and melee the party is able to take them down though not with out wounds of their own, and Cat swears that it was a crossbow bolt and not his sling bullet that took the last one down. Bloody but victorious the party manages to leave the scene a few coins richer and with a suit of chain mail armour. Returning to Miranda’s the party is able to fence the chain mail and pay off their debt to Miranda, and have a few commons left over to decide what to do next.

Campaign notes:

So at the end of this session the party is able to reequip themselves a bit, and able to solve their debt problem with Miranda, and learned some valuable lessons on how to be rogues in a dangerous city. The party was awarded 500 experience points each of the characters, which means that 3 of them have gone up a level. At least one of the characters has expressed a desire to multi class to be a fighter, and another is thinking of becoming a monk in a couple of levels, if he can find a teacher.