G69: Red Caps and the Library Portal

A follow-up to G67, dm'd by the now legendary Greengoat on 17 February 2011. PCs were Hephaestus, a dim but zealous cleric of the Builder; Jean, a teen-aged gadabout; Royce, a "showy" Dwarf; the indescribable Rusty Buckles, Snickwick the Gnome, William of Silence, and Wintergreen the Elf. And Pritchard Hood

Summary

With business left unfinished (literally: they couldn't get paid yet), the Company returned to the Stygian level and finished exploring the rooms before the shadow-making statue of the unnamed naked, sandal-wearing god. A use of the Sun Globe created more shadows, creating a problem for the magic-poor group and laying Wintergreen temporarily low.

The chambers beyond were occupied by chain-clenched undead, and strong, armored skeletons. A web spell incapacitated many of these, and they were further pushed back by turning, but a red cap speeding down a nearby stairs nearly picked off a lagging Snickwick, before nearly going after Royce instead.

In a last room, there was a glowing, large porthole into another dimension, or a teleportation device. The room also had a chest of electrum hoops and other items of value. Eventually a few brave members entered the portal and found themselves, seemingly, deep inside some kind of fortress or other. On this side was a dead robed figure and a stuck door that went further into this unknown place. They plumbed the depths until finding reddish humanoid eyes piercing the darkness; they turned and fled, bracing the door behind them.

This was thought enough for the librarians, and the crisis of the lowest level of the library was averted. The party is promised a return on the next smelting run of bookshelf copper, but the mystery of the god of the strange rooms, and what exactly the portal connected to, remains.

Epilogue

The Company Of Crossed Swords tiredly come up the magical mill lift of the library and are greeted by a fretting Estween. Assurances of safety are made about the condition of the Stygian stack as the party starts to haul out amphorae, jangling sacks, and the very evident corpse in front of an audience of slack-jawed librarians. Splatters of blood and juniper needles are strewn all around.

The next day a delegation of the CoCS tours the Stygian stack with Estween to show it's vacancy of danger but the timid librarian stops and refuses to go into the lead-plate area, He makes some barely audible fussing noises. "Oh, I might have to tell Dean Fram about this, Head Staff Librarian Popell is in another of his bottle-meditations again. A portal, like a door? Why me? Why me?"

As the new library passes for the party are made Estween expertly shushes any discussion of the hardware stripping until later on. "Yes, yes, you will have your payment when we can get to it. This portal… This will make things complicated."

A couple days later a letter from the library arrives at Chateau Hazart. A crisp sheet of paper encloses a two worn and aged sheets of parchment.
The fresh sheet bears a hastily scrawled block script:

To the Company of Crossed Swords:
Things are getting complicated. Julis Fram, Dean of Campus works is coming to the library today and is demanding to see the the Stygian stack. Head Librarian Popell has made me committee chair of the new Lower-Stacks Interdepartmental Relations board and then kicked me out of his office. I think I may be taking a type of sabbatical soon but I found this memorandum in the library budget drawer when I tried to find out about this hole in the wall. Does any of this make sense? I have to go meet the dean.

The enclosed parchment is dated at the top, thirty two years ago.

To: Phlobin the Wise, Dean of Campus Works
From: Oolaan the Mysterious, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Department of Planar Studies
Re: Structural Work and Repairs to the Library

After the recent earthquake in Glantri City centered below our campus, I believe it is prudent to repair and reinforce the lower stacks of the library. The college campus is particularly prone to magical accidents and strange shifts in geometry because of the nature of our studies and the inexperience of our student body. The lower stacks contain a great wealth of of our magical heritage that is quite fragile to tumbling stone and susceptible to breakage. I propose a minimal outlay of funds for materials that can be used to reinforce the structure of the lower stacks. By using my vast knowledge of construction and personally overseeing my house-goblin work-crews, I can guarantee minimum disruption to the functioning of the library and safety for our vast stores of knowledge. Projected costs attached. Materials can be either signed for by myself or my assistant, Krakoth The Blonde.

The second sheet of parchment is a long list of materials that include such items as 750 standard sheets of lead plates, rivets, three portable forges, goblin ration costs, a stipend for magical components, several lanterns and oil, twenty terracotta pots, and two dozen juniper saplings.

Both sheets are signed by Professor Oolaan the Mysterious and approved by Dean Phlobin the Wise.


Individual Loot Found

  • Royce found the book "History Of The Dark Gods", inscribed on a series of waxen plates. Rimed by oiled wood and wrapped in ribbon. = 50gp
  • Pritchard found the book "Journeys Of Zarya Raisol", finely woven and embroidered tapestry scroll. = 150gp

Collective Loot Found (assumed to be cashed)

  • Fine red wine of unknown vintage in large amphora = 40gp
  • Refined oil in large amphora(15 flasks) = 30gp
  • Six sets of battered but fine plate mail with three crescent moons embossed on the chest-plate = 360gp
  • Six battered but fine melee weapons = 60gp
  • Small bloody leather bag filled with two inch long pure silver knives or daggers. Sixty four, all slightly different and worn = 640sp
  • Old cloth sack filled with 275 silver coins of both familiar and unknown minting = 275sp
  • A large cylindrical leather case that contains 18 inch diameter hoops made from polished electrum and gold of various widths. Twenty five of them wrapped in red velvet = 2050gp

Collective Items Found (able to be cashed)

  • Two excellent and durable hooded lanterns = 150gp
  • Magical partizan with deep ebony wood shaft, shining barbed blade, and red tassel. Name in filigree on blade head reads "Yukutz The Bloody"
  • Two pairs of sandals. Tan, sturdy, and highly comfortable. Greek style.
  • Individual passes to utilize the College of Magic Library. Small bronze medals with college seal and character's name embossed on the front.
  • Half share of all recovered hardware and value from the Stygian stack of the library. To be resolved in two months of game time or other arrangements as negotiated.

Miscellaneous Items (not immediately able to cash)

  • Glitteringly beautiful set of cursed human-sized chain-mail worn by Rusty Buckles esq.
  • One crusty Red Cap hat in a "blood-proof" bag.
  • Four damaged silhouette plates that seemed to summon shadows in the statue room.
  • One long-desiccated corpse with long blonde hair in dark robes and spell components at his sash.

Challenges Overcome

  • Red Caps x 2 = 100xp
  • Shadows x 3 = 75xp
  • Skeleton Warriors x 7 = 410xp
  • Completion of Company of Crossed Swords Contract = 800xp

Total experience from challenges = 1385xp
Total value of collective loot if cashed = 2631gp
Minus costs for identification of polearm and sandals = 2331gp
Total experience from collective loot = 2331xp

Session Totals

292gp per character
465xp per character


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