Location, Location, Location

3/28/1999

Prelude

Elsewhere in Ansalea
How is it that you have failed me?
It's the Urd my liege, they grew fearful and fled.
Do not tell lies human.
Lies?
The captain told us they were inexperienced, yet they slew one of my men by spell in mid-air.
And so you fled
---- Smack ----
Now, my new captain, if you would like to retain your position, I should like to see results
As you wish my liege.

Summary of the Adventure

The company returned to Ansalea during the previous adventure with an eye towards going after the Urd. After some preliminary investigation, the group decides to travel to the Vault instead. They have standing orders from the Baron to cleanse the area of orcs.

Along the way to the Vaults the group is attacked by a pack of hyenas. The fell beasts are destroyed after inflicting only minor damage, and the trek continues.

Upon arriving at the Vault, there is some discussion of what to do next. Androth and Taernac want to approach under a flag of truce and talk to the elf girl, Nerissa. After much debate, most of the group halts 200 yards from the pallisade; Daran, doubting their wisdom, stops 400 yards short of the pallisade

Inside the walls, the three elves meet. While tensions with the halfling Methil remain high, they eventually strike a bargain. Nerissa debates killing them, then decides against it as long as the whole company will sign an oath saying they will only attack the pallisade and its occupants in self-defense. Uderstandably, Androth and Taernac balk, but then Nerissa explains that she, along with all the orcs in the compound is addicted to a strange substance found in a fountain deep in the vault. They can't travel more than a day from the keep.

Androth remains inside while Taernac goes out to ask Harkonen to draft the agreement. Harkonen modifies the language slightly, but signs it. Several members of the company refuse to sign, but Taernac returns to the keep with the signatures of several members.

Nerissa reads the agreement and is wholly dissatisfied. She burns it and drafts a new one which Androth takes outside. Jameson not only refuses to sign it, but tears it to shreds. In the midst of Androth's anger with him, Jameson rides off.

Androth returns and Nerissa is much angered but is eventually soothed. She lets the two of them leave on their word not to attack her. Once outside, they take the rest of the party to Silvery Falls, where they tell Rethgif, the leader of the village and Nerissa's supposed father, of her current state. He takes up arms against his own daughter and he and the company return to the pallisade.

Meanwhile, Jameson returns to town and explains to the Baron, through his seneschal Pendergrast, that the two elves may have turned against the Baron to ally with the elves of the pallisade. He also accuses Harkonen, Daran, and Calidon of being active conspirators. Pendergrast, angered and frightened by this revelation, consults the Baron and dispatches nearly four score of men to the pallisade.

The two groups return to the keep at nearly the same time and a conflict insues. The Captain of the Guard places everyone in the company save Jameson under arrest but allows them to live on condition they swear the will not to take arms against his men or attempt to escape, but rather they will join him and his men in their attack on the pallisade.

As the attackers move to surround the pallisade, Nerissa and Methil emerge under a flag of truce. She proposes that her enclave become a fiefdom and that she enter the service of the Baron. As they parlay, a group of Urd attack. The captain, seizing opportunity, tells Nerissa that he would believe her if she killed the Urd in a show of good faith. She conjures a fireball which kills more than half the Urd dead and sends the rest running.

Satisfied with her loyalty, the captain dispatches Jameson and Harkonen to get further instructions from the Baron. They explain the situation to Pendergrast, who consults the Baron, then prepares the necessary papers.

The offer having been accepted, the company returns to Ansalea where they stand trial for treason. Upon weighing the evidence, Pendergrast, acting at the Baron's behest, dismisses all charges and requires Jameson to apologize and pay each of the accused 10 gold pieces as an honor price. Since Androth is a knight of the Elven court, his price is to be 50 gold. When Jameson questions whether it is 50 or an additional 50, the charge is adjusted to 60 and Jameson is barred from speaking in Pendergrast's presence again.

Hearing of the Urd attack, Pendergrast offers a bounty of 5 gold for Urd thumbs, which the party seems mildly interested in obtaining.

In Character Moment of the Night

Jameson: I apologize
Brother Urbane: On your knees!

Taernac: If you promise to never again doubt my honor, then your debt to me is forgiven

Player Moment of the Night

Tom: I just want to know what's going on! I'm tired of going places then just coming back.

Lou (about Dave): He can take care of himself, he took three lines on the sheet!

Tom: A few weeks ago I remember a party member swinging a two-handed sword at me
Joe: You were coming right at him!

John: Jaime was sleeping...
Joe₁: ... it off

Treasure Summary

No treasure this engagement unless you count honor prices...

Experience Summary

Player	Adventure	Bonuses, penalties and what not	Total
Andivarai Shea	1500	Decent roleplaying, no serious issues	6000
Androth	1400	Bonus for keeping his oath and acting with honor. Penalty for hiding objectives, being arrogant, and munchkin proficiency tactics	8950
Brother Urbane	1500	Decent roleplaying, no serious issues	9000
Calidon	1500	Decent roleplaying, no serious issues	6900
Cedric	1600	Bonus for trying to get the facts first.	4300
Daran	1500	Decent roleplaying, no serious issues	6850
Jameson	1400	Penalty for accusing the party, bonus for getting his vengeance for the earlier slights, penalty for cheesy apology	4000
Taernac	Ftr: 850 M-U: 850	Bonus for keeping his oath and acting with honor, especially on the honor price. Penalty for hiding objectives.	Ftr: 4850 M-U: 4450

I've decided to assess penalties for behaviors that I don't want to have recur. These are the ones that happened this time. I think most of you know me well enough to know what they all mean, but here they are, spelled out. Examples given are not meant to insult specific players, but if you see yourself in one of them...

Hiding Objectives

I realize that there is sometimes a need for secret objectives. I don't believe this was one of those times. Saying afterwards "We never said we were going to kill them" while accurate, is of no value

Keeping an oath

Should be self-explanatory, but if your character is supposed to be honorable, this is worth points. If keeping it is really inconvenient, it could be worth more.

Munchkin Tactics

Arguing over calls which are not obviously wrong, citing incompatible rulebooks, and generally being a jerk about the rules during a game will result in penalties every time. I'm tired of it. If you are so certain that I'm running the game wrong, start your own!

Being Arrogant

I could probably cite myself and every other player for this lots of times, but if your arrogance causes problems within the group, it's going to be penalty time

Accusing the party

Unless you have concrete proof that the party is doing something wrong, reporting them to the authorities is right out. Why would anyone want to adventure with someone who would rat them out for any questionable behavior?

Gamemaster Comments

I'm not entirely sure why no one trusts anyone else or has any respect for anyone else, but I don't like it. I realize that some of what has gone before, particularly with the Ansalea Ax Company is part of it, but I don't think we're going to have much fun if it continues.

I blame most of what went wrong last time on the players not giving each other (as players and characters) any credit for anything - Tom assumes most of the group is up to no good, Dave mocks Tom's reading ability even after it's been established, Dave & John don't tell anyone what they're really trying to do, etc.

It really needs to stop somehow and there's no way that I can do it as gamemaster. If it doesn't improve, then the game will probably end soon - I'm not really interested in running a continuous squabling match between rival factions of players.

One thing I have done is penalized experience points for behavior I don't want to see in the game. I will continue to do so...

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