This week, the editors are reviewing the scored posts and determining categories these posts should fall in. The tags provided during the peer review process will be the primary factor, but we will also be looking at the original volume of OGT as a reference.

We’ll be starting with the 40 posts that represent the top 10% of nominations based on the peer review scores. As we look at the possible categories, we will also have to be asking tough questions about overrepresentation–not just the number of posts per category, but per blog as well.

At the end of two weeks, the plan is to have 80-100k worth of words. Then comes the contact with authors about copyright permissions and recruiting artists. If everything stays on schedule, Open Game Table Volume 2 will be released this summer.Similar Posts:

• Open Game Table v2 announced
• Skills and feats of d00M
• Alternate 4E class hit points
• WotC has a mini problem
• Making more of power sources

Encounter 26: Nature’s Lore
Encounter Level 3 (775 XP)

Overview
The PCs traverse the underpass and find themselves at the end of a long corridor facing two doors. The north door is locked, the key held by Belak. Behind it is The Outcast’s study. The other door is the entrance to the Twilight Grove, and is guarded by a squad of goblins. A door in the north wall of this room leads to the study. This encounter includes the following creatures:

• 1 glyph of warding (fire)
• 1 goblin blackblade
• 1 goblin sharpshooter
• 2 goblin warriors
• 4 twig blight saplings
• 1 twig blight thornsprayer

Area Description
Read the following to the players when the enter the study:

A layer of soil covers the floor. Rough wooden shelves, filled with a scattering of tomes and scrolls, line the north and east walls, while a rough-hewn desk stands in the center of the chamber. Fungus on the ceiling provides light. Several small bushes and pale saplings grow in the soil.

Read the following to the players if they enter the south door first:

Four goblins sort through twig and root piles on the floor. Beyond them, the collapsed southern wall of the chamber opens to a vast cavern of sickly plants, ruined walls, and hollow towers rising from a sea of briars.

The features of this area include:

• Illumination: Dim lighting
• Glyph of warding: A tome on the desk entitled Treasures of the Fire Lords (written in Draconic) is trapped. Anyone who opens the book without disabling the rune triggers the trap. The book is destroyed if this happens. The inside of the book is blank.
• Study door: The outer door to the study is locked (Thievery DC 25). Belak has the key.
• Treasure: Three successful Perception checks (DC 17) will reveal a scroll of tanglefoot bag, a scroll of delay affliction, and a druidic tome worth 150 gp. Studying the tome will provide a +1 knowledge bonus to the reader’s next Nature check.

Tactics
The twig blights attack anyone who enters the study that isn’t Belak. Any sounds of combat, or the explosion from the glyph of warding, will alert the goblins in the south room.Similar Posts:

• The goblin workshop
• Hall of the goblin chief
• The goblin gate
• Goblin guardpost
• Prisoners of war

I slid onto an empty stool and signaled for the bartender. He nodded in my direction, and I realized he was a gnome. My curiosity got the better of me and I peered over the counter. A platform sat a couple feet above the floor and ran the length of the bar. I sat back just as the bartender headed my way, and caught a man and a woman in the corner staring at me.

“So what can I do for ya?” he asked. I promptly forgot about the pair and inquired about rooms. The price for separate rooms would take the rest of our coin. I could sell the diamond I found, but I wanted to hold onto that for later. If what I heard about the iron supply was true, I would need all the money I had for equipment. The bartender saw my look and offered beds in the common area of each floor. I agreed and paid for the four of us.

I slipped off the stool and motioned for the others to follow as I headed toward the stairs. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the man and the woman who had been watching me at the bar get up from their seats and walked toward me. I stopped and turned to face them.

“Something about you is f-familiar, child,” the man said. I bit back an angry retort when I noticed the man’s pointed ears sticking out from his helmet. An elf. To him, I probably was a child. “Do you know a sage by the name of G-Gorion.” I let my hand slip to my sword hilt. How many times would I have to do this? Was I not safe even in a place like the Friendly Arm Inn? I gave a slow nod, ready for the worst.

“We are friends of his, and were expecting him,” the woman said. She, too, had pointed ears underneath her auburn hair, though her face was softer around the edges than the man’s, suggesting a less than pure heritage.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “He died.” The words were harsh, and I heard Imoen gasp at my tone. The sound shocked my own ears, and I hardly recognized my voice.

The two looked at each other then back at me. “You must be his ward,” the woman said.

“We share your loss,” the man added.

“I am Jaheira, and this is Khalid. Gorion wished that we become your guardians, if he should ever meet an untimely end. You are obviously old enough to choose your own companions now, however.”

“We could t-travel with you until you get settled; help you find your l-lot in life.”

“It would be a fitting last service to Gorion,” Jaheira agreed. “If you have no immediate plans, we should go to Nashkel. Khalid and I…look into local concerns, and there are rumors of strange things happening at the mine. No doubt you’ve heard of the iron shortage? You would do well to help us. It effects everyone, including you. We are to meet the mayor of the town, Berrun Ghastkill.”

I recognized the names from the letter I found on Gorion, but still found it hard to believe these two meant to help instead of hurt me. Yet, if they knew my father, perhaps they knew something about why someone wanted me dead.

“As Tymora would have it, I am already going to Nashkel after I get a good night’s sleep. My companions,” I indicated Montaron and Xzar, “wish to visit there as well.”

“Indeed?” Jaheira said, eyeing the two sternly. “Interesting. In that case, I definitely think we should travel as one. You can never be too careful about the dangers of the open road. Wherever they may spring from.”

I wondered what she meant by the last, but Jaheira offered no more. I shrugged my shoulders and lead the way upstairs. A couple of the beds on the second floor were already occupied, so we headed to the third floor. As we debarked from the stairs, an old woman–another gnome–got up from the overstuffed chair she occupied and ambled toward us.

“Well met. You look like you’re up for some adventure. Could an old lady impose upon you for some help? Seems I’ve got quite the spider infestation back home. Bentley’s been kind enough to let me stay here, but there’s nothing like the comfort of sleeping in your own bed. You go to my place in Beregost, clean those spiders out, and bring back my husband’s boots, and I’ll pay you some gold. Why, I’ll even chip in something extra if you grab me one o’ my bottles of wine. Here, take these vials of antidote in case one of them critters bites ya. Now, go on. Shoo.” She waved us off and returned to her chair, smiling and nodding to herself. I stood there, dumbstruck. The old gnome was soon snoring, and we took that opportunity to slip by to the common room.

None of the beds were taken, so we each claimed one for our own. Jahiera and Khalid excused themselves to their own room. I decided to go back downstairs for a bite to eat, and left the others to their own plans. When I returned, my belly full and my eyelids heavy. I noticed Montaron and Xzar laughing over a pair of gold pantaloons, and Imoen admiring herself in a new breastplate of leather. I shook my head, and laid down on my bed. Some questions were better left unasked.

Editor’s Note: The pantaloons are one of three similar items that can be used in the final episode of the Baldur’s Gate series. If you choose to return them to the nobleman, you earn some XP, but miss out on using the pantaloons in Throne of Bhaal. I prefer playing good guys, and would normally return the pantaloons, but by having Montaron be the one that takes them, I create a convenient technicality that absolves my conscience of guilt.Similar Posts:

• Goodbye Gorion
• Drakyn departs Candlekeep
• Ambush after dark
• Finding the Friendly Arm Inn
• The dead walk

Encounter 25: Ashardalon’s Shrine
Encounter Level 1 (175 XP)

Overview
A shrine to the red dragon Ashardalon is guarded by an undead spirit. Defeating the guardian will allow the PCs to discover potent magic still contained within a statue depicting the likeness of the great wyrm. A crumbling library off the shrine contains arcane and draconic lore that can aid the heroes. An underpass leads from the library to the sanctum of the Outcast. This encounter includes the following creature:

• 1 shadow spirit

Area Description
Read the following to the players when they first enter the shrine:

Dragon-carved tiles of granite comprise the walls and ceiling of this chamber, though many are crumbled and broken, creating small piles of stony debris on the floor. A huge, marble statue of a rearing dragon still stands in the curve of the western wall. A red glow lingers in the dragon’s eye sockets, suffusing the room with a reddish light that casts inky shadows. A redstone tile inset in the floor before the dragon is carved with runes that form a circle along the tile’s inner edge.

Read the following to the players when they enter the library north of the shrine:

Leaning and fallen stone bookshelves fill this chamber, though a clear path runs from one wooden door to the other in the opposite wall. Torn and burnt pages, bindings, and scrolls form piles of litter in the corners of the room.

The features of this area include:

• Illumination: Dim lighting.
• Dragon statue: An Arcana check (DC 21) reveals a strong magical aura emanating from the statue. A Nature check (DC 10) will allow a PC to recognize that the statue resembles a red dragon.
• Redstone tile: An Arcana check (DC 21) reveals a strong magical aura emanating from the statue. The runes are Draconic, and read, “Ea serpenta rau kaluva nyawisti” (let the sorcerous power illuminate my mind). Anyone who stands within the circle of the runes, and speaks the words aloud–they must be able to read Draconic–summons the magic of the dragon statue. A puff of spectral flame envelopes the creature standing on the tile, and grants them a temporary bonus to Charisma. The creature gains 1d4+1 points to their Charisma score. This bonus lasts until they take an extended rest. Once the magic is activated, it cannot be reactivated for 24 hours.
• Treasure: A Perception check (DC 18) in the main shrine reveals a loose stone in the wall behind the statue. Hidden behind the stone is 34 gp and two flasks of alchemist’s fire. The flasks’ stoppers are clay, shaped like a dragon’s head. Three separate, successful Perception checks (DC 20) in the library will uncover a ritual scroll of pyrotechnics, a scroll of alchemist’s acid, and a tome of dragon lore worth 150gp. A character fluent in Draconic can study the tome to gain a +1 knowledge bonus on a Nature check related to dragons.

Tactics
The shadow spirit hides behind the dragon statue (Perception DC 30). It attacks the first creature to come within 1 square of the redstone tile.

Similar Posts:

• Shrine of the Night Caller
• Forlorn notes and dragon riddles
• Rift node
• Identifying magic items
• Down a dark ravine

This is primarily a financial decision. Buying singles in the quantities necessary to run an encounter can be hard on the wallet. And you’re not always guaranteed the existence of a mini that resembles the monster. Should WotC drop their random packs and offer some of the set types I suggested, I may return to using minis.

In the meantime, I’m opting for tokens. Fiery Dragon’s various Counter Collections are the leading candidate, but I am also considering just scanning in art from the MM. I already have an idea of how I’m going to construct the tokens, thanks to my 3 years of graphic design education, but for those DMs that struggled through Arts & Crafts at summer camp, NewbieDM’s excellent tutorial can walk you through the process.

I’m interested in hearing from you readers what you prefer: minis or tokens. Vote on the poll below and share your reasons in the comments.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Similar Posts:

• Keep on the Shadowfell minis
• WotC has a mini problem
• What role best fits your playstyle
• Rift node
• Shopping for minis

Encounter 24: Arboretum Gallery
Encounter Level 6 (1400 XP)

Overview
The PCs enter a divided gallery from which branch several arboretums. The attendants of the areas do not react kindly to intruders. This encounter includes:

• 3 bugbear gardeners
• 3 skeleton shovelers
• 4 goblin cutters
• 1 thoqqua

Area Description
Read the following to the players when they first enter the gallery:

Nodules of luminescent fungus hang from the ceiling and walls, and grow in clumps on the compost-covered floor. The light has a slight nauseating effect, but is enough to reveal bas-relief carvings dragons on portions of the walls not obscured by vegetation. A bench containing simple gardening implements stands along the west wall. A medium-sized humanoid figure is carrying a a long-handled instrument with a curved blade while it tends to a patch of wan grass.

Read the following to the players when they enter one of the areas off the main galleries:

Luminescent mists blur the edges of this chamber. Glowing fungus dot the walls and ceiling, while the caps of toadstools, mushrooms, small polyps, puffballs, and lichens blanket the floor. The humid air reeks of rot.

The features of this area include:

• Illumination: Dim lighting

Tactics
The bugbear gardeners will call out for help when they spot intruders. Only the thoqqua will not respond. It will take 1 round for the goblin cutters and the bugbear in the north gallery to respond to the alert. The third bugbear and the skeletons will join the battle in 2 rounds.

Similar Posts:

• Compost central
• Rift node
• The goblin workshop
• Trophy room
• Nature’s lore

Kiran and Simpson followed Day into the undead warren, anxious to get to Kalarel and the rift. A zombie that was hidden behind the eastern door swiped at the heroes, but missed. One of the zombies from the west broke off and went after Kiran, but he stepped back and took it down with a bowshot.

As the adventurers made quick work of the zombies, a small, winged figure appeared at the southern end of the battlefield, and several party members felt the presence of something trying to touch their minds. They resisted, and the winged figure fled down the east hall while the ghoul engaged Day. All enemies were defeated just as the homunculus reached the doors at the end of the hall.

Day tested the east hall with her padded spear, but found no trapped floor tiles. I love to see how paranoid the players/PCs get, though I do have to be careful that their precautions don’t cause a lag in the action. They reached the doors and could hear the faint sound of chanting on the other side. Day opened the doors and I described the room using the text from the encounter. As the players placed their minis, several of them observed that the entrance on the map was actually blocked off from the main cathedral by some closed doors and walls.

Doh!

Even though I’ve read through the encounter several times before this, and noted the entryway on the map, I still forgot to take it into account. I struck from the record all the details but the sounds of three distinct voices chanting unholy rites.

The group moved through the rubble of the southwest walls until they can see two figures: the closest stood next to a column of glowing blue crystal and hefted a big axe; the other stood before a statue of a demon, blood flowing from the stone to a pit in the middle of the room. Both had their back to the party.

While Day signaled everyone to gather for a plan of attack, Darla decided to be a bit of an instigator and sent Gullyven forward close enough to shoot off a bolt of lightning at the nearest cultist. The gnome made his Stealth check, but his shot missed. The surprise round over, everyone rolled for initiative.

I had fun describing how the vampire minions ran up the walls as they closed with the PCs. And I was able to keep the berzerkers in play a little longer with the underpriest’s healing power. However, the dark creeper never really made an impact due to the party’s positioning, and they ended up capturing the Shadowfell denizen. The creeper didn’t give up much information, even in the face of Gullyven’s potent intimidation.

The PCs decided to tie up the creeper, knock it unconscious, and stow it in the back of the cathedral with the intention of taking it back to Winterhaven for justice once they finished with Kalarel and the rift. They moved to the pit and I described the four mechanisms at each corner that raised and lowered the chains. This was a change I made from the module, as it didn’t make sense to me that Kalarel would slide down the chains and climb up them whenever he wanted to move about the dungeon. So, the chains attached to the corners of a platform that acted as an elevator.

As the players descend, I had the decrepit skeletons fire their arrows. The party stayed in the central pool of blood, wagons circled. Gullyven was intent upon shooting Kalarel where he stood by the altar, at least until the skeletal sentinels advanced. Then the gnome sorcerer investigated the magic circle, hoping to disable it like he did in the graveyard, but learned that it would require the interruption of the whole ritual that opens the rift.

Meanwhile, Ansis used his Wall of Light power for the first time. Between the wall and Simpson’s bard song, the party had some decent defense bonuses and was gaining temp hit points at the start of every turn. I did get to fire off the wight’s horrific visage, pushing a couple of them out of the wall for a turn, but for the most part they hunkered down and blasted away.

When the first sentinel fell, Day made a charge for Kalarel. The scion of Orcus was knocked prone, but teleported to the magic circle. With the way clear, Gullyven headed for the altar and deciphered what is needed to counter the ritual: the five statues of Bahamut needed to be placed in a particular pattern on the altar, and the words of the ritual spoken in a different order.

I really liked that the updated version of Keep on the Shadowfell included a skill challenge to close the rift to the encounter. However, as has been the case so far in my experience with published WotC modules, examples of what a successful check equates to are rarely included. So I came up with the statues. Gullyven proceeded to race to his companions, grab their statues, and return to the altar.

Unfortunately, Gullyven failed the third, fourth, and fifth checks of the challenge. I was disappointed–I had really been rooting for the PCs to succeed in the challenge. So, when I made one last glance over the write-up for the skill challenge, and discovered that each failure resulted in a necrotic attack by the altar, I decided to roll back the challenge to the first failure. I rolled the attack and hit. I then asked Darla if she wanted to continue in light of the consequences. She did, and Gullyven succeeded on his next attempt.

Then he failed again. And again. I went totally soft on the players this point and asked if anyone wanted to aid Gullyven. The three other Arcane/Divine PCs pitched in and it was enough. This sequence repeated itself two more times before they finally succeeded in the challenge. Everyone was envisioning this shouting going on between the four as they fought:

Gullyven: “That didn’t work. What do I do next, guys?”

Everybody else: “Put the statue there. No, over there! And that one goes there.”

Gullyven: “I don’t know how to say this last word.”

Everybody else: “How do you spell it?”

It elicited some good chuckles.

With the ritual countered, the undead unanimated, and the rift sealed. I hadn’t made good use of The Thing in the Portal up to this point, only attacking Ansis once with it. I forgot that the upgraded version had a much greater range on its sliding attack than the original, and for some reason had it stuck in my head that it only attacked once Kalarel was in the magic circle.

By this time, the heroes had knocked some 40-60 hit points off Kalarel, he was the only enemy left standing, and we were at least an hour over our designated end time. The outcome of the encounter a foregone conclusion, I asked the players if they minded calling it a victory and stopping for the night. They agreed.

Our next session will be an interlude from this campaign. DeeAnn is going to DM a Paragon-level one-shot. I’m looking forward to playing. Following that, we’ll return to wrap up some loose story-ends. Then I plan to present the group with several hooks that will lead them to Thunderspire.Similar Posts:

• Challenging Sir Keegan
• Knight of the living dead
• The dead walk
• Investigating the keep
• Worse than ceiling rats

Encounter 23: The Goblin Workshop
Encounter Level 1 (200 XP)

Overview
The PCs find themselves in an alchemical workshop where Belak the Outcast’s goblin lackeys work to perfect an elixir that will turn living creatures into twig blight abominations. Several goblins are also at work on more mundane tasks. This encounter includes:

• 8 goblin cutters

Area Description
Read the following to the players when they first enter:

Two rows of columns, smothered in luminescent fungus, march the length of the hall. The cobbled floor is cracked and stained. Many small tables fill the spaces in between the columns, their tops littered with mortars and pestles, bowls filled with crushed leaves, chopped fungus stalks, and other plant specimens. Many doors lead off the hall. Some are partly open, and a variety of sounds are audible from behind them.

The features of this area include:

• Illumination: Dim lighting
• Goblin liqueur: The two goblins in the southwest room are busy mashing roots into a pulp and straining the juice from them into casks. Ten 2-gallon casks full of the crude alcoholic product line the wall.
• Dire rat experiment: The two goblins in the central south room are monitoring the health of a dire rat strapped to a wooden bench. Horrible, woody tumors protrude from various places on the rat’s body, and it will die within the week. The rat has been infected by the latest generation of a twig blight elixir that the goblins are working on for Belak. A dose of the elixir is contained in a crystal vial resting on a stand in the corner.
• Rift passage: A corner of the back wall in the southeastern room has collapsed, revealing a natural passage to the rift node.
• Smithy and leatherworks: The two goblins in the central north room are repairing armor, swords, and gardening implements. There are five short swords and thirty javelins in the room.
• Treasure: A total of 22 sp can be taken off the goblins.
• Worktables: The tables contain mashed leaves, fungus, bark, and roots from a variety of common trees, shrubs, and fungus, although all have a pronounced pallor, as if sun-starved (Nature DC 13). A successful Nature check (DC 20) would allow a knowledgeable PC to concoct a single-use poultice (+2 bonus to next Heal check).

Tactics
Any noise louder than a whisper will alert the goblins, who respond by attacking.
Similar Posts:

• Nature’s lore
• 4E Twig blight conversion
• The goblin gate
• Wood for the campfire
• Hall of the goblin chief

Painting minis is a hobby unto itself, and one I didn’t really have time for, so I was very pleased when WotC began releasing their pre-painted minis. The skirmish game held little interest for me, however. I wanted to use them for D&D. The random packs presented a barrier, so I resorted to purchasing singles on the secondary market.

The release schedule of the D&D Minis line also created a barrier for me. The factors that affected the decisions of what went into each release were guided by the need to support the skirmish game, not a DM running D&D sessions. I often spent long hours scouring sets for a comparable match, and often coming up with nothing because either WotC hadn’t produced a mini, or I couldn’t find it as a single.

WotC dropped the skirmish game with the release of 4E and shifted their D&D Minis line to support the latest edition of D&D. I cheered, until I saw what their business model was. Heroes would now be in their own separate line, and the monsters would still come in random packs.

It came as no surprise to me when WotC announced this past week that they were canceling the Heroes series and had a “new vision” for D&D Minis, in general.

I’ve made the same comment more than once over the last couple months in answer to the question about what WotC should do with their minis, so I thought this turn of events provided me with the perfect opportunity to spell out what I would do with the D&D Mini line if I was project manager.

First, I would continue to release Hero sets. Players have different needs from DMs, but still need to be serviced. Sets would coincide with the release of PHBs, and include a mini for each combination of race, class, build, and gender. WotC made a big mistake by drawing out the release of minis representing each race and class in a PHB long after the rulebook’s debut.

The minis in the set would come packaged in a different formats. The primary packaging would be singles. Players typically look for individual minis to represent the PC they are playing, and most players are involved in one game at a time. I would also have secondary packaging that included a male and female version of the same mini race/class/build, or all the builds of a particular gender/class combination, in one pack. Finally, I would produce a limited amount of sets by race or class (e.g., an elf set or a fighter set).

Monster minis would be handled differently. No more random packages. Instead, I would release sets of similar monster types, and I would release sets of all the monsters from a published adventure module. Based on how much time I spent putting together a spreadsheet of minis needed for Keep on the Shadowfell, the fact that the keyword search “keep on the shadowfell miniatures” is the all-time top search term for my site, and I’ve personally come across multiple forum posts asking for lists of minis for use with this adventure or that, I think the latter sets would be great sellers.

What type of miniature products would you like to see from WotC? I’d also be interested to read your speculation on what WotC’s new vision for their D&D Minis line will be.Similar Posts:

• Tokens versus minis
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“Ho there, wanderer.” An old man in a red hat and cloak ambled toward us. My hand tightened around my sword hilt.

“Stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man. It’s been nigh unto a tenday since I’ve seen a soul walking this road, and I’ve been without decent conversation since.”

I held my ground and my tongue. He seemed harmless enough, but the events of the past day had opened my eyes to the dangers beyond Candlekeep’s walls. I would not be caught unawares a second time.

The old man took my silence as permission to continue. “Traveling nowadays appears to be the domain of either the desperate or the deranged. If thou wouldst pardon my intrusion, might I inquire which pertains to thee?”

My eyes narrowed at the hint of a threat behind those words. Curt responses flashed through my head, and I knew if I did not answer quickly, Montaron would pipe in with his own insult. Or Xzar would blurt out some incoherent phrase in a shrill voice that clearly said “deranged” to any who heard. I took a chance that the old man’s concern was genuine.

“A fair bit of desperate, actually. Might you know the way to the Friendly Arm Inn? I was told I might find someone who can help me there.”

“That I would,” the old man said. “The inn is but a short distance to the north, and its doors are open to all. I have no doubt that thy friends shall be there, waiting with open arms. My sympathies for any hardships the road may have inflicted upon thee, though I am certain everything shall turn out for the best.”

I ground my teeth as he prattled on to keep from unleashing my anger. My father was murdered–not by the road, but some armored fiend that wanted me–and he was certain all would turn out for the best. He could take his sympathies and shove them.

As though he could sense my boiling rage, the old man looked up at the sky then back at me with a smile. “My. but I have wasted too much of thy time and said too much already. I shall take my leave and wish thee all the best.”

We parted to let him through then started off down the road without looking back. We followed the Lion’s Way past a south fork that led to Beregost, and soon after the road turned north. The soft thud of our boots on the cobblestones was counterpointed by the occasional chirp of birds or the sharp cry of an eagle. The hours past without event until a walled keep appeared on the horizon. We stood before its open drawbridge as dark fell. I had not seen any sign indicating how far til we reached the Friendly Arm Inn for hours, so I approached one of the guards stationed at the drawbridge and inquired how much farther.

“You’ve found it, traveler. Don’t cause no trouble with other guests and you’re welcome to stay.”

I nodded, dumbstruck. I had expected a roadhouse, perhaps two stories at best, not some towering fortress with impregnable walls. Imoen gave me a shove and we moved inside. A few individuals roamed the yard, mostly guards in leather with longswords in hand. I saw one of them yawn, and felt my own fatigue threatening to overwhelm me. We made our way toward the steps of the keep proper, but before I could put a foot on the first one, a man in dark robes appeared and the top and made his way down toward us.

“Hi, friend,” he called. “I’ve not seen you here before today. What brings you to the Friendly Arm Inn?”

“I am here to meet some friends,” I answered, my mind so fogged by the need for sleep that any thoughts of caution fled.

“Oh, you must be whom I am to meet then. Is your name Drakyn?”

“Yes, but no. Wait, I don’t think you were who I….” I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. Something was not right. Gorion had mentioned two people that would meet me, but I could not remember their names. Whoever they were, I was suddenly sure this man was not one of them.

“I may not be who you were expecting, but you are indeed the person I seek. Hold still a moment, won’t you.” He began to chant and wave his hands.

“He’s casting a spell,” Montaron snarled. Xzar shrieked, drawing the attention of some nearby guards. I slashed with my sword on pure instinct, events moving too quickly for my tired mind to keep up. As my blade arced toward the man, he finished his incantation and suddenly he split into three mirror images of himself. My sword passed harmlessly through one of them and it disappeared. I heard a twang from behind me and something whizzed past my ear. Another image winked out of existence.

That left one more, and the mage was starting another spell. Montaron and I converged on our attacker, joined by two of the guards, and the villain fell beneath our blows.

“Is everyone all right?” One of the guards asked while the other rummaged through the belongings of the dead man. We checked ourselves over and nodded.

“Is one of you Drakyn?” The other guard asked, standing up. He held an unfurled scroll in his hand.

“I am,” I said. “Why?”

“Looks like someone wants you killed.” He handed me the scroll. On it was written a bounty notice. Proof of my death would earn the assassin 200 gold. “You have the right to claim this man’s belongings,” the guard continued. “Let us know when you are finished and we’ll dispose of the body.” Montaron was down on his knees before the guard even finished speaking.

“A few scrolls and some gold,” he reported. I held out my hand and he grudgingly gave them over. I climbed the stairs without a word, my mind numb. I just wanted to sleep.Similar Posts:

• Goodbye Gorion
• Party at the Friendly Arm Inn
• Drakyn departs Candlekeep
• Ambush after dark
• Kobold ambush remixed