Good grief! I am posting this almost a year after running through the adventure. Fortunately I am taking copious notes as I go, so that helps!
ADVENTURE RECAP:
Ralnor and Uncle Druinder had booked passage on a river barge that would take them to the capitol of the republic, the self-named city of Darokin. When they arrived, they inquired as to any ships that would be making passage directly to Specularum. As it turned out, there was a Soderfjord longship debarking soon for the lands of Karameikos, but the first mate indicated it would be several days before departure, as the crew had not yet returned from their hunting and trapping foray, and then of course they would need time to revel after their success...
The timing of the delay was ideal, as Ralnor would have plenty of tie to visit his reclusive cousin Falric, who lived a day's ride away in a small hamlet called Farstead. Druinder would once again be occupied with conducting his various business transactions, and so Ralnor purchased a pony and the requisite tack, and set out for Farstead.
When he arrived at the outskirts of the village, he was greeted by a most unfortunate sight:
Although several posses were formed, none were able to find Falric, and the villagers were desperate both for justice, as well as the return of their most prized possession. Before Ralnor could protest the innocence of his rather eccentric, but certainly not murderous, cousin, the judge interrupted.
He suspected their was more to the tale than met the eye, as legend held that only the innocent could hold the famed sword, and Falric had clearly bourne the weapon away while it was in his grasp. He therefore continued to investigate and uncovered the true murderer- the captain of the watch, who had been involved in an unsavory love triangle with the wizard and a local beauty. He now wished to hire Ralnor to retrieve Annacon and also Falric, if possible. He offered a large reward of gold, although Ralnor declined the treasure. He took the written pardon from the judge, and headed out for the abandoned mansion that had once belonged to a wizard where one of the judge's contacts believed he had seen an elf lingering about.
Reaching the mansion the next day, Ralnor began an extensive search of the premises, fighting several creatures that had taken up residence in the space, until at one point he discovered a secret passage downward below the mansion. There he battled additional monsters, including an ogre!
Falric had been roused from slumber when heard the sounds of battle and fled the area. As Ralnor pursued down one of the tunnels, shouting for his panicked cousin, he was caught in a cage trap!
When the fugitive elf came back to see who had been following him, he was stunned.
"Ralnor?" he asked incredulously. "What treachery is this?"
"No treachery, cousin," the younger elf replied. "I had come to visit you on the way to Specularum, only to find you a fugitive on the run!"
"Specularum?"
"I am traveling with Uncle Druinder, who has business there," Ralnor continued. "He is in Darokin even as we speak, waiting for our ship to sail."
"It is wonderful to see you cousin, but I am not going back, not while there is a price on my head."
"As to that, I have this for you," he replied, passing the pardon to his cousin. "Judge Miles found the true murderer, the captain of the watch. It seems Eorl Flan had double crossed him in regard to the brewing of a love potion..."
Falric read the pardon, and considered his cousin's words. "Just a moment," he said, ducking around the passage where the release for the cage trap was located.
"We have much to discuss on the way back to Farstead..."
As they went, Falric explained that Annacon not only glowed blue in the presence of lies, it also glowed blue in the immediate proximity of elves. Fearing that the villagers would take the glow in his presence as an indication of guilt, he grabbed the blade when it was brought near to him and fled. He had hoped that the sword's reputation for only being usable by the innocent would plant a seed of doubt, but he was uncertain (Ralnor probably would have used the word paranoid). Falric knew all this because of his research into the history and magic in the area, research which had ultimately been the source of rivalry between himself and Eorl Flan.
When they returned, all was explained and the Judge was quite pleased, both that the sword had been returned, and that an innocent life had been spared. Although Ralnor had offered his cousin the opportunity to join himself and Druinder on their trip, Falric declined. He said he would be glad to go visit before they left, but the seclusion of Farstead suited him just fine.
Before the elves departed, Judge Miles pulled Ralnor aside.
"You have done the people of this village a great service," he said. "And though you will not accept a reward of gold in exchange for your deeds, I would like to personally reward you for your efforts.
With that, he passed a large basket to the elf. Inside were two large wardog pups, which had come from the judge's most recent litter.
"I thank you!" the elf said, genuinely touched. "Falric has told me of the reputation of your hounds, and I am very grateful indeed!"
With a final salute, the elves rode off for Darokin.
"What will you name them?" Falric asked his cousin.
After a moment's thought, he knew the answer.
"Eslin," he began. "And Tarcil."
Falric chuckled appreciatively.
Innocence and Pursuit.
THOUGHTS:
Another fun module, also about 2 to 2 1/2 hours in length, although I think it took longer because I wanted to really read through and enjoy replaying the adventure.
Because of the relationship between the cousins, I decided that Falric would not be spying on Ralnor, or that would have ended things prematurely. Instead, Falric was in the "dungeon" recovering from a contest with the local bandits, whom Ralnor did not encounter.
All told, he fought a gray ooze, a crab spider, 4 hobgoblins, 5 stirges, 13 giant rats, a floating enchanted dagger, a giant lizard, and of course, the epic battle with the ogre that woke up Falric in another part of the dungeon.
The total loot situation looked like this:
Gems and Jewels - 3450gp
PP 3
GP 1184
EP 33
SP 1088
4 Arrows +1
Shield +1
Staff of Striking (10)
Cloak of Elvenkind
Ring of Protection +1
Monster XP = 615
Treasure XP = 4744
Total Monster & Treasure XP = 5,389
Bonus XP + 538
TOTAL XP = 5,927
So once again, Ralnor gained a level, and is now 3rd level as they make their way to Specularum. I am not sure if I can squeeze in the Keep on the Borderlands, or even Rahasia. Both would be awesome, but by soloing these adventures, Ralnor gains too much experience to stay at the Basic level for much longer. They would also require a deviation from the campaign theme so far, which is the trip to Specualrum. I guess we will see, but I really want to hit The Veiled Society, so I think that is where I am going next!
Also, I decided to put in the wardogs Eslin and Tarcil, which Erystelle has accompanying him in Blade of Vengeance, so that by the time I am ready to play through that, the dogs should be full-grown. A nice touch! I will have to decide where he picks up Starbrow as well, which is the horse Erystelle has in that adventure.
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