3.2 Here We Go Again (Milestone - 4th Level)

SESSION DATE: May 25, 2024
PRESENT: Rory Emberscale, Mazira, Hathesni, Treznak

Deep Dive

![[Rory - 3.2 Here We Go Again.wav]]

Adventure Photos

Adventure Song & Lyrics

![[Quest for the Ivory Crown.mp3]]

In the lands where legends grow
Their journey starts, through highs and lows

(Spoken Verse 1)
In the wildlands, they set off bold
A band of souls with hearts of gold
On a quest, through daunting unknowns
For the bounty, to the throne

(Spoken Verse 1)
In the wildlands, they set off bold
A band of souls with hearts of gold
On a quest, through daunting unknowns
For the bounty, to the throne

(Chorus)
Riding hard, for the crown
In the shadows, they'll hunt them down

(Verse 2)
Through the forests, through the storm
With fire in hearts to keep them warm
At the Hanging Tree, destiny's call
Unseen dangers laid in wait for them all

(Chorus)
Riding hard, for the crown
In the shadows, they'll hunt them down

World Anvil Journal

sooo... i got thom muny the watht tiem i had to go owt tho i dethided i wud git a tatoo becuz i here they make u thtwonger ow thomethin tho y not u no. win i wint to git it the guy towd me that i had to dwaw it on mythelf tho he gaiv me tha needel and thwapd it on mah arm and it thtawted gwowing with magik and i dwawd thomethin that make me think of dwaugniw cuz he help me a wot win im fitin. tha guy thaid aww i had to do wath thay a magik wurd and it wud help me owt tho ill haf to twy it out waiter. and i pikt up thome mowe heewing poshinth to jutht in cathe.

n e way i thaw matilda tawkin with a cupple othew peeple tho i wint ovew there and met thome nu fweindth naimd hafethnee and twethnek. hafethnee ith wike thith cwewik ow thomethin and twethnek wookth wike a thneeky bawd cwiminel and vewy thort. we dint git much tiem to tawk with eech othew befowe the pewthon they wath tawkin too thint uth away to the hangin twee tavrin to git the hed of the weeder of the ivowy thwone and my fwindth keepth cawin it tha iwon thwone and im wike man u guyth dint withen did u he thaid ivowy not iwon haha.

tho now we hed off to find tha tavwin in the thity and finawwy we git there and nobody ith owtthide and the pwathe doethnt evin hav n e windoth ith kinda kweepy wookin to me it duthnt wook wite. we go inthide and shur enuff thewe ith a buncha peeple in hear they r dwinkin and eetin and havin a gud tiem. we wok over to tha bar and akth the guy if he nose abow the iwon thwone. im not vewy gud at tawkin to peeple tho i jutht wet the otherth tawk inthted. thin we go tawk to tha bownther by the dor and heth wike if u giv me muny ill tell u wat to order and matilda wath wike thath a wot of muny jutht to no wat to order and we wath all wike NO HETH TEWWIN U THE CODE TO GIT THE INFURMAYSHIN. n e way we payd him and he towd uth to akth for a boywowing owil tho we wint bak to the bartinder and akthd for that and thin he got all thewiuth and towd uth that he wath akshuwy the guy we wath wookin for.

we towd him that thomewon thint uth to kill him but we wud go away if he wud giv uth mowe than what thay wath gonna giv uth. he got all mad and the wights wint wed wich ith my favowit cowor tho that wath cool but thin he was wike OR and he shuk the thalt thaker and dithpeapr... dithapreer... vanithed and aww of a thuddin we wath fitin. we tuk them down kwik enuff and wath abel to git are muny bak fwom the bounther we kild. thin matilda fownd the weerd majik thalt tahker and thtawted thakin it. she thaid WHOA I FEEL WIKE IM GONNA GO AWAY SHUD I THTOP and we wath wike no keep goin becuth we gotta git that guy. she twied to take me with her but win the thalt thaker workd she jutht wint away and the thalt thaker just fald to tha gwownd. tho we all gwabd it and thook it up to and thin we all endid up in anothew bar wookin woom jutht wike we wath in but now thew wath a buncha guyth in hewe and a big ivowy thwone with wakthovar thittin on it. i think we fownd the wite pwathe.

wakthevar ith wike welp u fownd me now u can choothe deth or imwitpon... impwithnmtn... go to pwithon and thin twethnek cathted a thpale and the fite wath on. the firtht thing whakyvar did wath to twy to thcawe uth and it akshuwwy wurkd ekthept hafethnee dint theem to thcawed of him. but mabee she shudv bin thcawed cuth she wint down fatht win whakyvar wath all wike IM GONNA DO IT MYTHELF and wint nutth on her and matilda. twethnek hid behind a tabel and some chareth in hith dawk ball and i wath twyin to keep evwythin elthe fwom evwywon elth but i culdnt do it cuth i wath thuwowndid by orkth. he wath abel to taik me down awtho and aftew that i dont wemembew n e thing.

matilda thaid she towd him we wud wurk for them ow thomethin and twethnek twied to git away but didnt make it. they cot all of uth and tuk uth into the pwithon jutht wike they thaid they wud. at weatht they dint kill uth but now i geth we will haf to work are way owt or hope to git wethkude.

i feel wike i bin in thith thithuwa... thtuthcuwaysh... kind of pwathe befowe.

dwaugniw i got a tatoo of u on my showder now tho im hopin u can help uth owt yet agin that wud be awethom thankth.

Private Notes

• Purchased an Eldritch Claw Tattoo for 400g. Also purchase 3x Potions of Healing for 50g each.
• We've been offered a magical weapon or 1000 gold to dethrone the leader of the Ivory Throne. The Ivory Throne is a band of mercenaries which has grown to be a fairly strong one. They can take multiple contracts simultaneously and can fight as a single unit in battle.
• Treznak has criminal connections so he may know something more about this group. The leader's name is Raskovar, who is an orc. They're comprised of about 100 members. They're a mix of predominantly humans and orcs, but there are a few other races known within their ranks. Their base of operations is either in or around the Hanging Tree Tavern, located off the beaten path within Urithiru.
• We decide to just head toward the Hanging Tree Tavern and see what happens when we get there.
• We find ourselves at the entrance of the tavern. The first thing we notice are the large double doors. After some scouting around, we notice there are no windows. We hear voices from within.
• Mazira opens the door and steps inside to get some grub. The tavern is abuzz with the sounds of steins clanking together. Some obvious bouncers are nearby. There is a mix of orcs and humans sitting around. There is a large orc bartender currently standing behind the bar.
• Rory tries to see if any of the patrons seem more prominent or important than another, such as a group gathering around one person. He is not able to notice anyone like that. Seems normal.
• Mazira says she's new around here, and asks the bartender what folks around here like to do for fun. He grabs an ale, hands it to her, introduces himself as Rosco, and asks her where she's from and what brought her here. Mazira responds by saying we've heard about a group called the Ivory Throne and that we're curious about it, what they're about and whether they're looking for new members. He says they've all heard of them, but he's just a humble barkeep and tavern owner. He's proud to take over ownership from his father, but is otherwise just a humble barkeep. She asks if he might know someone to talk to about it, but he doesn't. Mazira questions the barkeep further, assuming that because he's heard gossip he MUST know someone to speak with. With her persuasive question, he suggests that she speak with the bouncers, as long as she doesn't interrupt their work.
• We decide to sit at the empty table near the bouncer at the entrance. Rory puts his elbows on the table and talks out loud, hoping to get the bouncer's attention by saying "Oh man it's been such a long day. When are we gonna find these people? We've looked everywhere!" The bouncer notices, but seems disinterested.
• Mazira approaches the bouncer. She says she just spoke with the bartender and was referred to him to inquire about the Ivory Throne. She says she has relatives in their ranks and would like to know more about them. Her persuasiveness works, apparently, as he asks her what she wants to know and how much that info is worth to her. She wants to know where to meet them or how to get in contact with them. He says for 100g he'll give her a very good recommendation on what to order. She doesn't immediately catch his drift, so Hathesni informs her that she should take him up on his offer. He reaches behind him on the wall, and slides something, opening a hidden compartment with a bag. He taps on the wall next to the bag, as if asking her to pay up. We each pay him 25g for his information, and tells us that the best thing to order is a "Boiling Oil". Sounds good to us, so we go back to the bartender and ask for a "Boiling Oil".
• On asking for the right stuff, Rosco's demeaner changes, looking more stern. He tells us to take a seat and that he'll be with us shortly.
• Treznakcomes over to sit with us after a human moves from the bar.
• Rosco reveals that he is actually Dohma Raskovar. Mazira looks at Treznak giving him the floor to speak. Treznak asks if we can speak freely here in a tongue that Rory doesn't understand. It doesn't appear that Raskovar understands the language either. After going through a few more languages he doesn't understand, Treznak finally just asks in common. This place is as good as any. Treznak asks him what he's willing to pay us to have the interest in Raskovar's head removed from the table. He says it's not the first price to be on his head and surely won't be the last. He asks if we're here to make threats, or if there's something he can do to help. Treznak says he's not opposed to being paid to return the favor. Mazira asks if he knows why he's such a target. He says it could be fear, or a basis of law and order who serves only themselves, envy, revenge... He doesn't know. It depends on who "they" is. He asks us if we're here to claim that bounty. Mazira says for the right price, no. He asks us what that price might be. Mazira asks him to let her convene with the rest of the party. Rory looks around to see if the temperature of the room and the rest of the patrons seems to have changed. It has not. BUT, Raskovar says aloud "Orr" and suddenly the all the torches in the tavern begin glowing red.
• Raskovar says so what do I have to pay you? We say 2000 gold and two magical weapons each, double what we were offered to off him. He says "You might be surprised about what I can and cannot do." He reaches for something under the bar, yells "KILL THEM!" and disappears in a cloud of smoke. Another guard comes from around the corner. INITIATIVE!!!
  • The bouncer near the door we spoke to earlier charges Hathesni and grapples her. As Rory attacks the bouncer, he swings Hathesni in front of the swing, hoping to use her as a meat shield, but Rory hits true anyway.
  • We're able to dispatch the group easily enough. Combat over.
• We search the bodies for any loot. We also get our money back for the info. We find:
  • 3p 30g
  • Magical item that Raskovar touched before teleporting away, resembles a salt shaker.
  • 2x Spear
  • 2x Chain Shirt
  • 2x Shield
  • Studded Leather
• Hathesni casts Detect Magic, and detects a conjuration magic on the tapestry that Treznak found in the hallway at the end of the tavern.
• Mazira tries to activate the salt shaker by shaking it and starts feeling like she's about to teleport away. She grabs Rory and he tries to to allow himself to go with her, but her hand just goes through him as she disappears. We assume we each need to shake it up, so we do, and we get teleported to a similar looking room, but with an Ivory Throne at the eastern end and a large door behind it. We must be on the right track.
• Inside the room we see a dozen orcs hanging out with a massive iron door on the east. On the Ivory Throne sits Raskovar. He says we can choose death, or imprisonment.
• Treznak begins to cast a spell from his sword. His Darkness spell goes off, starting combat. INITIATIVE!!!
  • Dohma Raskovar frightens all of us except for Hathesni on his first turn. That will make it a bit more difficult to connect with our attacks.
  • During his second turn, Raskovar uses a Legendary Action called "Do It Myself" to move up to his movement and take up to FIVE weapon attacks WITH ADVANTAGE. HUGE OOF. He takes out Hathesni with two swings, and attacks Mazira with the other three.
  • It takes several orcs to whittle away at Rory's health, but eventually they do. Rory also goes unconscious.
  • Rory doesn't know, but Mazira tries to make a deal with them for our lives. Raskovar says we can either be imprisoned, or serve them in some way.
  • Treznak tells Raskovar that he's giving up as well. Raskovar says if he'll drop his magical Darkness, they'll restrain him without further incidence. However, before dropping his Darkness, Treznak peers through the keyhole of the nearby door and uses Misty Step to get through the door and tries to make a run for it. After getting to the top of the stairs, he ended up at a massive ornate ivory door with guards surrounding it. There's a chance he could see through another keyhole again, but he misses that chance and ends up being captured and imprisoned with the rest of us. Combat over.
• We are taken to a cell somewhere seemingly within the walls of this tavern/base of operations. We will either need to accept whatever work they're willing to give us to get out of here, or wait to be rescued.

That's it for this session!