Session 0/1

The Players
The Paladin (Ian)
Name: Skin (Deeds of service, written on skin, eyes clear, the path shrouded)
Description:

Fun Fact: Has a rivalry with Ruttiger, even though Ruttiger is unaware of this rivalry and thinks
they are very good friends.

The Cleric (Jan)

Name: Claim (Fists Clenched, Heart Aflame, Mighty Staff, Born to Claim)
Description: Matt Berry.
Fun Fact: Is good friends with Gina, even though Gini slept with Claim’s mother… who is a
prostitute.

The Thief (Jord)

Name: Reginald “Gina” Smallbody
Description: A short halfing with cornrows.
Fun Fact: Is an orphan. Enjoyed sleeping with Claim’s mother.

The Wizard (Jules)

Name: Tomas Finc
Description: Balding man. Disgruntled office worker in his 60s. Soft looking. Pudgy.
Fun Fact: Is not very intelligent. Once had his bookstore burned down by no-good
paladins. Divorcee. Has children – who are they?? Just generally unlucky in life.
The Fighter (Mel)
Name: Ruettiger ???
Description: Tall, lithe, but muscular. Good looking.
Fun Fact: Ladies man. Promiscuous. Kills Goblins. Was once pen pals with Tomas as part of a
failed book club promotion in Tomas’ bookstore.

The Druid (Rambo)

Name: Ishmail.
Description: Is quite rough looking with wild hair. Wears ugly armor.
Fun Fact: Wears dead wife’s skin and uses her femur as a weapon. As was her dying wish.

The Adventure
The scene begins in the town of Waterfront where the Midwinter Gala is in full
swing. The party had heard about the Midwinter Gala in Waterfront from all the small
surrounding villages and everyone they came across told them they MUST attend the
Midwinter Gala in Waterfront. The Midwinter Gala is an wonderful affair, filled with joy and
fun for all ages of the city dwellers. The town of Waterfront is the hub of festivities, games, and
vendors and that is where we begin.

Wheels of carriages and drays crunch over the freshly-fallen snow, delivering visitors
from across the city to the Sea Ward. Despite the below-zero temperature, the atmosphere is
warm and jovial. Red velvet-covered tents line Delzorin and Diamond Streets; merchants offer
food, treats, hot coco, warm spiced wine, festive trinkets and toys to all the families passing
by. The air is filled with voices of carolers, laughter, and boastful comradery between
friends. It is early evening, and numerous campfires keep people warm, and torches light the
streets. Colourful decorations hang from every storefront and merchant tent. Children run
through the streets after each other, laughing and squealing until they fall over in a snowbank
from exhaustion, only to get up and start all over again after a minute has passed.

The group of you have just arrived and are at the beginning of Delzorin street where the
festivities begin. The aroma of sizzling spit meat, simmering strew, and freshly baked goods
hangs in the air.

The group first goes looking for something to drink, and Gina, being the most wealthy
member of the group, buys the group a round of ales from Wizdil's Wine for
the Wizended. Wizdil immediately recognizes them as "way-yonders" due to their lack of
cornrows, as is the current fashion in the town of Waterfront. He also tells them about the
concert happening that evening at the Cassalanter Castle. A famous bard, named Avia
Cavatina, has come to the town to perform and everyone is quite excited about it.

The group proceeds to get some dinner from Sigmund’s Spit of Scrumptiousness.
Sigmund notices them right away as way-yonders (due to their lack of cornrows) and proceeds
to also tell them about the concert occurring tonight at the Cassalanter Castle. The party asks if
Sigmund will be attending the concert tonight, but he informs them that he has to work the
meat booth tonight and will be unable to attend. The party then volunteers to watch
Sigmund’s booth so that he may attend the concert. Surprisingly, Sigmund is very reluctant to
leave his booth, which is the main income for himself and his entire family, in the hands of way-
yonder strangers that he has just met as he declines their offer.

The group is quite wary that everyone is telling them to go to the castle for the concert
tonight, but some investigation checks assure them that the merchants are quite friendly and
just want them to enjoy the concert. The group finds it difficult to believe that a town of
genuinely good people exists. Possibly due to all of the tragedies that have struck them in the
past, such as Tomas’ bookstore closing down. And also his divorce. And not seeing his children.
And his failed book club.

Proceeding to Cassalanter Castle for the concert, the group gets in line to meet
Willifort Crowelle, the aging Greeter of the castle. Willifort proudly informs them that the
Cassalanters run the town orphanage and soup kitchen. Skin inquires, perhaps rudely, as to the
financial status of the Cassalanters and how they come about their wealth. Willifort, unwilling
to discuss the financial affairs of his employers with way-yonders he has just met, skirts the
question and simply proclaims that they are the Cassalanters.

The party asks Willifort about the other activities that are happening at the Midwinter
Gala, and Willifort informs them of the Feat of Strength at the Super Smasher 5000. At this
information, Claim immediately leaves to search for this feat of strength. The Super Smasher
5000 is run by a man named Super. Once found, Gini must pay for the group again, and Claim,
despite desperately wanting to prove his strength, allows Tomas to go first. Tomas gently
lowers the hammer onto the anvil which causes the metal ball to rise 1/8th up the tower. The
crowd gives polite applause and Tomas seems quite happy with the result.

Claim is up next and refuses to use a mallet. He jumps in the air, spins with great fluidity
and brings both his fists down upon the anvil in heroic fashion. Unfortunately, the metal ball
rises barely more than Tomas’ attempt. The crowd gives polite applause again, but Claim is
quite embarrassed and disgusted by this result and storms off into the crowd with accusations
of shenanigans. The good-natured crowd looks uncomfortable with Claim’s accusations of their
beloved carnival worker, but quickly turn their focus to Ruettiger who has chosen to use the
largest mallet for his attempt. He crushes the mallet on the anvil and sends the metal ball
straight up the tower to ring the bell with such force that the crowd erupts in applause and
cheers.
 It was at this moment that Gina decided to pick-pocket Super, the carnival master. Gina
is successful in his thievery and steals 11 silver coins out of Super’s pocket, including a note
which reads:

Dearest Father,

As you know I have been working at the orphanage and soup kitchen in the
evenings for the Cassalanters for the past year and have saved up all of my money so
you could buy a nice present for mommy from me. I know 11 silver is a lot for an 8-year-
old girl to have and so I hope I will be able to get mommy the bestest present possible so
I can show her how much I love her and how much she means to me!
Thank you for doing this for me, daddy! I love you very much and can’t wait to
see what you get!

-Ellie

Following Gina stealing from a little girl, the group returns to the Cassalanter castle to
attend the concert. Upon entering the castle, the party realizes it is not much of a castle, but
more of a ranch-style house with a large yard. There is a small stage set up in the middle of the
yard with rows of bleachers set up in a horseshoe around the stage. There are children’s games
going on around the outside of the yard as well as a cart for ale and a cart for hot chocolate.

Claim immediately seeks out the strongest person in the yard, which happens to be the
adored blacksmith named Staget. Blacksmith Staget is talking in a group and notices the way-
yonder staring him down. This confuses Blacksmith Staget, but he simply turns his back as he
does not want a confrontation due to his good-nature and this being the merry festival of the
Midwinter Gala.

The party then slowly decides to take seats in the bleachers as the concert is about to
begin. Oddly, they all sit separate from each other as if they do not want to be in each other’s
company. Ammalia Cassalanter and Victoro Cassalanter then enter the yard from the house
and introduce themselves and then introduce Avia Cavantina. Avia begins her first song and
the crowd is awe-struck at the beauty of her voice. After she is finished, the crowd erupts in
applause. She then raises her arms to begin her second song, but before she does, she is
attacked by three devilish imps! Ruettiger is the first to jump to action as he dislodges an imp
from Avia and sets up in a defensive stance next to the bard. Skin, Tomas and Ishmail also
come to Avia’s aid and attack another of the imps that was engaged just as Gina comes out
from the shadows and backstabs the imp, disposing of it quickly before withdrawing back into
the shadows.

Claim, for some reason, attempts to pick up the hulking Blacksmith Staget and use the
great blacksmith as a club to attack the imp. This attempt fails horribly and Blacksmith Staget
shoves off Claim before running to Avia’s aid and kicking the remaining imp off her. Skin and
Tomas continue to engage the remaining two imps before Gina, again, comes out of the
shadows and backstabs one of the imps, killing it instantly. Then Ishmail, focusing all his fury
into, perhaps, his dead wife’s femur raises it above his head and brings it down upon the final
imp with a sickening crunch as the imp’s head explodes outwards in a shower of skull pieces,
brain matter, blood and ooze. The front row is showered with bits of gore as Ishmail again
brings the large femur down up on the imp. Again and again, Ishmail clubs down upon the
lifeless imp and in the distance a child is heard to cry out, “Stop, stop, it’s already dead!”

Following the battle with the imps, the crowd is still quite shaken and attempts to flee
the castle grounds. Blacksmith Staget and Woodworker Chrisman quickly attempt to calm
everyone and indicate that no one must leave until they figure out where the imps came from.
Blacksmith Staget then asks thanks the party profusely for disposing of the imps before he asks
them if they would be of assistance in figuring out where the imps came from. Claim, for some
reason, kicks over one of Woodworker Chrisman’s lovingly crafted chairs, breaking it, before
the party immediately demands a reward for helping the friendly town folk. Blacksmith Staget
relays that he is but a simple blacksmith and, like every other good soul in the town, does not
have great wealth. He indicates that the Cassalanters should be able to give them a reward.

With the party’s greed quickly settled, they begin assisting the lovely town folk in
figuring out why devilish imps suddenly attacked the bard on this eve. Skin heals Avia the bard
in gruesome fashion by taking on her injuries and Ruettiger then heals Skin by giving him a
potion, much to Skin’s chagrin. Tomas uses a spell to find if a there is a source of magic
emanating from anyone, but all he is able to determine is that there is a source coming from
the area of the Cassalanter’s house. Skin attempts to figure out if there is any evil person in
attendance, but he only finds a very faint aura coming from Elzerina Cassalanter, the young
daughter of Ammalia and Victoro Cassalanter.

Woodworker Chrisman finds a piece of scrunched up paper on one of the imps and
provides it to Tomas as he appears to be the most intelligent person of the bunch. Tomas has
no idea what is on the paper, but when Woodwork Chrisman hands the paper to Tomas,
Elzerina lets out a little squeak and quickly covers her mouth with her hands.

The party huddles amongst themselves and decides that they should speak with each of
the Cassalanters in their house to see if they can find any clues as to where the imps came from
and why they attacked.

The party, the Cassalanters, Blacksmith Staget and Woodworker Chrisman (carrying his
broken chair) proceed to enter the house… TO BE CONTINUED.