Part 1: Haunted Fortunes

Summary

The heroes receive mysterious invitations on the back of a Harrow deck, which leads to a small fortune tellers abode in West Dock, Midlands. There the heroes meet each other for the first time and learn that they have all be wronged by Gaedram Lamm.

A Varisian Fortune Teller eventually arrives and tells them her story, how her son was murdered by Gaedram and her precious family heirloom Harrow Deck stolen. She informs the heroes that she knows where he can be found and that this is why she called them together. Through the Harrow deck she learned that they too had been wronged by Gaedram and therefore (she hoped) they could help her get her revenge.

The heroes are quick to agree, but before they depart she offers them a free Harrowing. She reads each heroes past, present and future. As a result of which each character gets some Harrow points. (See my previous post Harrow Points for more details)

Each characters get 4 Harrow Points, with the exception of Watson who only gets 3

The heroes waste no time in going to Gaedram Lamm's lair, an old fishery in West Dock. They attempt to sneak in but quickly things escalate to combat. There are a number of dejected and press ganged orphans at work here who are cowed into attacking the heroes.

A desperate fight breaks out and for a while things are on a knives edge but soon after the fight turns in the heroes favour. Sol convinces the orphans to stop and eventually they turn on their oppressors. A giggle half-orc brute is cut down, while his associate, a shifty little gnome is captured.

The party question the orphans before sending them on their way, then proceed to hunt Gaedran Lamm down. Along the way they kill a guard dog then eventually find Gaedren hidden in a secret level below. Here a short bloody fight breaks out and victory quickly comes to the heroes. It is Mandraiv who deals the killing blow, a crossbow bolt through Gaedran's left eye.

A search of Gaedran's possessions and treasure finds a small horde of valueables; including Zellara's magical Harrow deck and a valuable brooch with a broken clasp. Sol recognises it as a brooch that Queen Ileosa has been seen to wear.

Of slightly more interest is a hat box stuffed with a decapitates head, the head which everyone recognises as Zellara's. Sol examines it and is certain that the head is several weeks old...

Encounter	Grit	Justin	Mandraiv	Sparrowhawk	Sol	Watson
Background	250	250	250	250	250
Lindsay mentioned in background	100
Giggles	100	100	100	100	100	100
Hook	67	67	67	67	67	67
Bloo the dog	23	23	23	23	23	23
saving the orphans	180	180	180	180	180	180
Yargin	33	33	33	33	33	33
Gaedran	100	100	100	100	100	100
Goobleguts	100	100	100	100	100	100
Total	953	853	853	853	853	603

Point of Note: There was an ad-hoc XP award for going through the trouble of physically taking the orphans to an orphanage (or something equivalent). While the party's efforts not to slay the orphans was commendable (and you got xp for 'defeating' them in combat); it was not enough to receive an altruistic xp award.