Burning Witch Adventurers Session #92- The Rescue of a Pair of 'Thieves'

The bard Fancy paid for the following intelligence on the whereabouts of his missing partner Peaches and the living suit of armor, Ferris:

The Illustrious Company of Khourau parleyed with about a half dozen ogres in the southeastern most section of Level 3 of the Complex. The ogres say they have imprisoned a pair of "fruit thieves". They say one of the thieves is a human woman while the other is just an empty suit of armor. The ogres shared about the thieves because they want the word spread among adventurers how seriously they take keeping their word and how they are waiting for their bargain to be fulfilled.

 One Fancy's prior delve, the party had become separated from their retainer, hireling, cat, and dogs. When the party of Crannoc, Fancy, GaWoosh, and Wolfgang never reunited with the rest of their group; worry set in. From the Burning Witch, Fancy plotted a rescue attempt. The concern for the missing rippled through the whole adventuring community of Orm and into the Drinking Crow. Bors Redbeard, honor bound to rescue the former retainer who saved the dwarf's life, decided to end the retirement brought on by the loss of his legs. He rode the Grim Reminder (a large shield with caster wheels attached) over to the Burning Witch in order to join the efforts. He dragged one of his fellow Dragon Slayers with him. There, the details were shared and a loose rescue plan was hatched. The following party were later recorded passing through the Iron Gate of the Rani and into 'The Complex':

The following party:

• Bors Redbeard (Level 5 Dwarf)
• Palla (Level 0 Amazon hireling)
• Sunya Strong (Level 2 Fighter hireling)
• Copra Kaan (Level 6 Vat Spawn Antaur)
• Fancy Jean-Yves Beauvollier (Level 6 Bard)
• Smokey Proag (Level 3 Hafling)
• Kiddo (Level 3 Magic-User)
• Gorky (Level 1 hireling)

The party returned well over three hours later with a exhausted Peaches and a worse-for-wear Ferris in tow. The group handed over 91gp and 3sp to the tax of the Iron Gate. After the party split their treasure, Bors Redbeard took pieces of chain and Ferris over to the black smith. He was over heard negotiating 10gp for a days worth of repairs to Ferris' armor and another 100gp for about a week of skilled labor to connect the pieces of chain together.

Later, Bors was seen composing again in his journal at the Drinking Crow. He had not written in it since he decided to retire after the sacking of Orm. Prying eyes caught glimpses of the following entry: 

Bors’ Less than final entry

It’s nice to be back in the saddle. Ferris and Peaches were caught in the Complex and were held prisoner, and there is no way I would let my friend Ferris stay down there. I took down the Grim Reminder and used that as a means of transport. I had Sunya Strong and Palla to come with me. I figured with Sunya’s reputation of great strength, if there was a place where I needed help to get through, she was the right person to do it. Copra was with me as were two members of the Burning Witch, who I have not journeyed with before, but we were all there to rescue friends. 

I have found that I am not as useless as I thought I would be. I was able to hold my own against the two ogres that we fought. The important thing is that our friends are rescued, but Ferris is in bad shape. I’m taking my friend to the blacksmith to try and repair him. I also found this armor off the lead ogre, it’s my size but it needs repair work. Hopefully this will help me get back to my adventuring days, and maybe my pursuit to become a paladin will be back on track.

Even with the return of Peaches, Fancy Jean-Yves Beauvollier had a heavy heart. His friend and constant companion (except when he is not) Freedom is still lost in the halls below. Apparently, the sapient cat fled in the ambush that saw Peaches and Ferris captured by the ogres. The bard spends his time trying to master some new or long forgotten spell that would allow him to locate his lost feline pal.

Smokey Proag and Sunya Strong were seen celebrating the successful rescue with a tavern crawl starting at Riverwine. They made a point of showing off the magical fruit they acquired on their adventure and telling others that a quartet of golden-skinned vat spawn are willing to sell them. They have posted up in the old ogre lair on Level 3 while they wait to for some direction on the whereabouts of their leader. He was last seen as a prisoner in the cells of the ogres.

At the peak of the hirelings carousing, they could be heard taking bets on which adventurer would get the short straw of telling Crannoc that his two dogs were eaten by ogres.

Treasure

• 13gp in loose coins stamped with the Eye of Terror emblem
• A flask of gnomish shine (claimed by Kiddo)
• Crated filled with 15 crystal pears (two each for every party member and one each to the hirelings)
• Pieces of a dwarfin-sized chain shirt +2 (taken to the blacksmith by Bors to be fixed)
• Gold plated gnome skull belt buckle worth 700gp
• A sack filled with 200gp

Experience Points

• 913xp from treasure
• Drunken vat spawn guards devoted to the Eye of Terror felled 4 x 15xp
• Wall creeping carrion crawlers crushed 2 x 75xp
• Clank, Ogre boss, killed 1 x 225xp
• Peaches and Ferris liberated 2 x 50xp

Player Character Cut

• 136gp 9sp 5cp ea. (68gp 4sp 7cp ea. to the hirelings from the 111th)
• 362xp ea. (181xp ea. to the hirelings from the 111th)

Write-ups, art, or maps submitted as play reports earn PC Level x 100xp. While I know what Fancy is doing with his downtime, anyone else is free to let me know if you want to take an downtime activity.