Hello all!
I ran my first session using the BB as the foundation, altering some story elements and adding in others as I needed. I want to segway into the Rise of the Runelords adventure path. Slightly annoyed that I can't get a hard copy, as I hate .pdf's. Oh well.
Please, tell me how you think I did! Hope you don't mind a read, though.. :)
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We find the group of adventurers making their way into the town of Sandpoint. The group is made up of a half-orc druid, a half-elf ranger, and a human fighter with his guard dog companion. The half-orc draws quick glances and hidden glares from some townsfolk, while the rest busy themselves with festival preparations. With four days to go until the Swallowtail festival, the players take in the sights while trying to stay out of the way.
However word quickly spreads of the newcomers which attracts the attention of Sandpoints Mayor, Kendra Deverin, who requests their presence at the local garrison. Arriving shortly thereafter they meet the Mayor alongside Sandpoint Sheriff Belor Hemlock.
Hemlock explains that there has been a sudden rash of attacks against livestock, and, very recently, a farmer. With the festival so close the mayor wishes matters handled quickly but is hesitant to dispatch the town guard for fear of leaving the town vulnerable during the festival.
The Mayor speaks up to explain that two large farmsteads to the north were attacked, and that they sit in close proximity to an old keep. Explaining some of the history of the keep, she also reaches into a leather satchel and retrieves a black fang, similar to a bulls horn only larger. The ranger and druid note that it appears to be a fang, made of of hard carapace, likely from an insect or arachnid.
The party agrees to stop the beast in return for monetary compensation. Sheriff Hemlock tells the party to stay on their toes, as unusually large Goblin parties have been sighted in and around the northern forests. At this point the party is introduced to Leopold, a young cleric from the local temple. He over heard much of what transpired and insists on helping the party. While Hemlock and Deverin disapprove of the young boy accompanying the group, they receive permission from Father Zantus. He saw it as part of Leopold's destiny, as he had dreamed of the young cleric bringing light to a place of darkness the night prior.
The party takes note of their inventory, makes some small purchases, before heading out on their way to investigate the area of the attacks. An hour passes before they come to a fork in the road, one way is more noticeably traveled, used by both merchants and the way to get to the farmstead of the Whites. The other path leads to the smaller farmstead of the Edrians. The ranger makes note of a third path, overgrown and not traveled in many years, which leads in the direction of the keep.
The group opts to travel to the larger farmstead. They arrive later and note the sight of black smoke and burning meat. Quickening their pace they arrive to see the damaged farmstead being tended by several young men under the direction of an older man. Fences are broke, livestock lay dead, and the air has a slight smell of bile.
They speak with the older man, farmer Harrison White, and learn that the attack happened two nights prior, just after dusk. At first, they thought it was goblins, but from the sound of the cattle and size of the commotion, it grew quickly apparent something else was attacking. Farmer white had his wife, his four daughters, and two of his grandchildren hide themselves in the basement while he and his three son-in-laws went out to try and drive off whatever foul creature besieged his livestock.
What they found was pieces of of cattle, two large bulls appeared almost melted. In total, 9 cattle were missing, five appeared dead in various pieces and states, and the rest seemingly were dragged away by something inhumanly large and strong. White pointed out to his broken fences, where the earth looked as if plowed, and mentions that you can see hoof prints in the earth from the cows attempting to pull away from whatever dragged them. The next day he sent out two of his son-in-laws to retrieve a group of the towns guard, but they returned without aide. The party made note of his anger towards the mayor and sheriff. White then speaks of bad omens in the air, and tells the party that he'd like to get back to cleaning his land of the foul taint. He turns and directs the oldest of the young men to pull the half-melted bull carcass into the fire.
The party inspects the broken fence and scraped earth, and decide to venture into the forest to follow the path this beast made. They travel for 10 minutes before the broken trees, torn ground, and all other tracks seemingly disappear, but with the aide of the fighters dog they track by scent. After a short time they notice that they travel the unused path that lead to the keep. Stopping, unsure of continuing forward, they decided to forge their way instead to the other farmstead to make sure they're missing no bits of important information which could aid them later. It isn't long before they spring several crude traps, one of which, an arrow trap, severely injures the half-elf ranger. They back track a bit and make their way to the proper trail but also wonder why the Goblins would booby-trap the area in between the keep and the farmstead.
As they travel, Leopold tends to the rangers wounds and tells the party of Allan Edrian, a younger farmer who, though likeable, had a tendency for the drink. Most of the work done at his farm was due in thanks to three wives. It was Allan who disappeared the night before
It grows dark as they make their way onto Allans land, and the group makes note that a single light shines in the farmers house. In the darkness the Half-Elf and Half-orc spot overturned wheelbarrows, broken crates, and dead fire pits used to ward off wild animals. They quicken their pace and knock on the door of the house, only for the frightened voice of an older woman to respond.
After a small conversation with the help of Leopold, the group is let in to a barricaded house. A young girl lies on the floor with two older women tending to her. The young girl has been poisoned by the arrow of a goblin. Leopold goes to help the girl as best he can, but replies that Father Zantus and the other clerics of the temple can only help her in this condition.
Before a plan can be made to escort the women and children to Sandpoint, a goblin war cry is heard in the distance. The party helps defend the house and fight off a small goblin band, capturing one for interrogation. From that goblin, they learn that the 'Spider' has turned some of their fellow goblins against them and that their chief, Gutwad, has ordered their death. This particular band hoped to take advantage of the spiders destruction and raid the farmstead for food and fun.
The group decides that Leopold and the fighters dog escort the women and children back to Sandpoint, while the rest will travel to the Whites farm to convince him to send his family to Sandpoint for saftey. After getting everything in order, they journey back to Sandpoint alongside Whites wife, daughters, and grandchildren.
There they meet Tsuto Kaijistu, who approaches the group before they could go any further into Sandpoint. He makes a deal with the players, saying that the Spider is hurting his merchant work. The longer they stay, the longer the spider lives, and so he quickly and rudely sends them back on their way after an agreed amount of monetary compensation.
They make their way directly to the keep, noting the acidic erosion of the statue at the keeps mossy entrance. After fighting off a strange pair of Goblins, with arachnid-like features, they make their way through the old keep. Finding a magical red stone, a sea creature guarding a magical sword, and a pristine wood toy. They fight off two large spiders and a swarm from a pulsating egg sac. They return the toy to a wounded Goblin party who explains more of the Goblin-abominations and that the Spider is especially weak on it's belly. It recently went through a process of moulting, shedding it's old and tougher skin as it grew.
Traveling further into the lair of the Spider, they're ambushed by it and two smaller spiders. They, however, pull through by a combination of team work and the Verminbane Blade they recovered earlier. The Ranger, with the blade, dealt a painful blow to the Spider which sent it scurrying out of the keep and away into the forest. Inspecting the area, they find a stash of golds and magical items, including a scroll, left presumably by a rumored wizard who hasn't been seen in decades.
They also find the cocooned body of Allen Edrian, who appears to have died of suffocation. The party gave the scroll to Leopold, who used its magicks to instill life into Allan again, and helped the bewildered farmer out of the keep.
Making their way back to Sandpoint, they reunited a man with his wives and are welcomed as heroes. The Swallowtail Festival will celebrate both the newly finished Temple and the courage of three strangers willing to go beyond and above.
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I was totally surprised they used the scroll n Allan, but also incredibly proud of my players.
I'm running the next session tonight, so, let's see how I do!
Thanks for your time, hope you enjoyed my players adventure so far.