Resuming the Kalamar Coin Trilogy, the group continues to find the ingredients to make their own coin of power, in order to fight back against Daresh and her own coin.
Two ingredients have been found already: a diamond touches by death and the breath of a dragon. The last ingredient is the blood of a devil spilled by a coward.
Halaan, the alchemist that is helping the group make the coin details the gathering of the last rare ingredient. The group wonders if any of their group qualifies as a coward.
"Deekin is not a coward, no sir," says Deekin. "I served the great dragon, which was fraught with peril! Deekin cleans dragon teeth. Only almost got eaten twice. Now, Deekin is brave adventurer!"
So the group goes to Geolain's hoping he has tracked down where to find a devil. The trip across town is uneventful but drenching, as the rain that came last night has continued on during the day, and people are avoided the streets.
Geolain says that there might indeed be a devil nearby, in the town of Xaarum. The group asks Geolain about the specific 'coward' requirement as well.
"Would the coward have to actually strike the devil to get his blood, or would something else work?" asks Raizix, while looking at Darwin.
"I am hypothesizing here, but I would say that if the required ingredient is blood spilled by a coward, then the coward need not land the killing blow. The devil could be killed prior to the blood-letting, or restrained in some way."
The group then sets out, deciding to save their coin and travel on foot rather than purchasing horses. The rain lets up just outside of Zoa, and the traveling is easy.
However, on the second day of their travel, they are suddenly ambushed by a group of orcs. The orcs swing out of the trees, riding logs designed to knock travelers into the muddy river below. This tactic works to some degree, sending Raizix into the river below. He begins to sink into the soft mud of the river bottom due to his weight and that of his plate mail.
As he struggles in the river, Darwin begins casting spells at the orcs, Ember throws daggers, and Jelena begins shooting arrows. Several orcs fall, but more spring from the trees.
As they are busy fighting the orcs on the west side of the river, Raizix realizes the predicament he is in when he hears a shout from the east side. He sees a bugbear wielding a wand, and then the mud surrounding him at the river begins to harden. He struggles and manages to extract himself before it solidifies, but barely keeps his footing on the now slippery rock on the riverbed.
In the fighting above, Ember and Darwin are holding off the orcs, and Jelena slips and falls into the river herself. She shots a well placed arrow into the bugbear, and he colapses in a heap. Raizix had just reached the east riverbank, when he sees a crocodile in the water coming towards Jelena. It snaps at her, but he wades into the water and quickly smashes it in the head with his greatsword, knocking it unconscious.
Ember and Darwin finish up the remaining orcs, and unable to communicate with one they kept alive for interrogating, leave him for dead.
Note: This was a somewhat short session, and I'm looking forward to the group entering a new city. They seem familiar with Zoa, and introducing a new city can be a fun experience.
The next game is tomorrow, so this is posted up just in time!
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