08.28.21
"The Phandalin Games III: Revenge of the Smith
August 28th, 2021
When we last joined our adventurers, they were continuing the week long Phandalin Peace Games, a celebration of peace organized between the orcs and villagers of Phandallin. After divine intervention and some truely execptional combat the festival is nearing a close. We join our adventurers as they have just exited the final challenge of the event. The leafy labyrinth. As they exit they see a hooded figure sipping apple brandy who apparently won the labyrinth maze.
The party has a standoff with the hooded figure, who is mysterious and evasive in his answers. Close examination reveals he's a little smelly and unwilling to explain his motivations. He asks the party to introduce themselves. Keras introduces himself with a small song and a flourish. Demna introduces herself with a public display of nipple crunching. Lillian introduces herself with a display of fire magic, casting Burning Hands into the air. Billie introduces himself as a master of the city and questions his intentions. Dripp drunkenly wanders by. Billie tries to sense his intentions, and finds them unsavory.
The stranger then introduces himself as Ekxikas Fear, a wanderer and theif. He drunkenly shoots Psychic Blades in an attempt to intimidate Billie at his feet.
Lillian uses Sky Write to put the message "Don't Steal From Us Ekxikas" and Keras casts Thalmaturgy to make thunder ring out. Slightly intimidated he looks for the nearest exit.
The party remains cautious of the stranger, who attempts to drunkenly sneak away and freshen up. In his drunken stuppor he throws a rock down, imagining it as a smoke bomb, and wanders into the distance. Stumbling into a hog's water trouf, hemanages to get some of the grime and smell off off him.
The rest of the party instead wanders into the booths of the festival where they snack apon their favorite foods. Shortly into their dining Ekxikas rejoins the party soaking wet and hoping to secure some coinage. Sneaking past Keras he snags his panflute without anyone noticing. He finds a comfy alley and drukenly passes out.
Billie, Lillian, and Keras play ring toss at the closest booth where they win 47GP, 200GP, and 53GP respectively. The party returns to their manor, where Keras begins to prepare to play Song of Rest where he finds, to his dismay that his panflute is missing. Strongly dismayed Keras goes out in persuit of the drunken theif.
Keras finds him less than an hour into his search, passed out in a pool of his vomit. Using magical Sleep cast multiple times and with the knot tying skills of Billie, they strip, hog-tie, and leave Ekxikas the now naked teifling bound and covered in mud. Keras recovers:
- 2PP 50GP
Keras's Panflute
Locket
Ekxikas's Clothes
After a hour, the hog tied rogue wakes and is able to free himself with the aid of Psychic Blades and fire magic. Confused he attempts to find his items or something to protect his modesty. Not finding anything within stealing distance, he decides to sleep up on the roof of the inn. Where he promptly slips, falls to the ground, and remains knocked out at the entrance to the inn until the morning.
Toblin the inn-keeper finds the naked and knocked out Ekxikas still reeking of alcohol. Distressed, he seeks out Sildar Hallwinter who is unable to identfy the teifling, but determins that he must have simply had too much to drink. Sildar attempts to wake him. Upon waking, Ekxikas slowly explains that he's lost his clothes. Giving a sniff, Sildar offers to have him wash up and put some simple clothes on.
Sildar kindly draws him a bath drops in some lavendar bath salts, provides him some clean clothes, grabs breakfast, and explains that he's no stranger to waking up naked and passed out in the past. Toblin is upset, and Sildar explains that the stranger will be "arrested" for a few hours, and then hopefully left out on good behavior.
The party's waking varies drastically. Deitrick and the orcs gently wake (or very cautiously wake in the case of Demna) and feed the party. Deitrick shares his good news that he is now of the city council. The group eat their breakfast and chat up their orc clan friends. The discuss today's events. The battle royale and the maypole dance.
Ekxikas's breakfast is simple but the kindness shown to him is quite foreign. He rapidly eats the food and Sildar explains the days events to him and encourages him to participate. Ekxikas insists to pay for his kindness. Sildar explains that Phandalin doesn't really use much currency. Instead he takes on a small debt requiring assistance to the vendor from whom provided his clothes.
Demna spots Delialah who notices they now have matching brands on their bodies. Demna does not remember getting it but leaves this unmentioned. The party describes their encounter last night, peeking the interest of the orcs. The party's former orc scout friends Victor and Ricktor agree to keep an eye on this teifling. Demna's suggestion was of course that she eat him, but most of the orccs agree this is not appropriate. Georgio (Demna's "alarm clock") doesn't think this is an issue though and takes the opportunity to get closer to her,
In the run up to the battle royal, Lillian does some shopping finding a robe stylized as flaming feathers. The robe is designed to be worn under armor. She has her armor died black to match. She thanks the orc artisans, explaining that the apple brandy is on her.
Demna approaches Delilah who is arguing with her mother Linene. their argument seems to be about the new mark on her body. Delilah explains that the mark is part of an ancient power or curse on her family. It shows up only once in their life on the person who is their target of deepest affection.
Delilah is ashamed and explains she understands if she never wants to see her again she'll understand. Demna tackles her in a very tender romantic kiss. Demna essentially proposes to Delilah. They head off to their new cabin for a few hours before the battle royale.
Ekxikas spots Keras, vaguely remembering seeing him he gets his attention. Keras gives clothes and weapons. Now cleaned and smelling of flowers. Keras lies explaining that Ekxikas has approached him drunked and naked and covered in vomit. He offered Keras a large sum of money to clean his items and Keras graciously accepted. When questioned if Keras knows who left him hog tied. Keras explains that he last saw him sitting naken in a pool of his vomit. Ekxikas is entirely convinved, seeing him as a savior in this strange land.
Round 1: Dripp enters the arena to compete with his drake and is immediately disqualified. "No pets allowed." The party and Ekxikas take out 15 combatants just in the first round. Keras summons a wall of water to keep the competitors at bay. Billie exercises extreme athletics taking our several combatants. Ekxikas uses his rapier, and Lillian uses her erupting earth.
Round 2: In the next round Keras uses dissonant whispers against Lillian. She flees the ring haunted by the voices of disapproving ancient druids. Billie bests a massive orc in combat. Ekxikas uses psycic blades to take out an additional 2 combatants.
Round 3: Keras takes out two combatants with a shatter spell. Ekxikas takes out a another combatant with his rapier. Billie manages to hold his own, with a little help from Keras's Shatter Spell.
A ruckas rises up, Smitty bursts into the ring. Spouts hatred, explains this is a human town. Personally challenges Billie. Draws his weapon. Billie looks to Linene for approval to "deal with" this racist asshole and his minions. With a swift and truely massive hit from his staff knocks Smitty out in a single hit. The minions are immediately attmept to flee stating they'll be back.
Keras blocks their eascape using his wall of water to trap them and stop their escape. Demna happens to see the hub bub as shes taking a break to retreive some snacks.
Linene slowly enters the ring and picks up Smitty by the collar heaking his jaw and then smacking him again. Deitrick and Linene make a public motion as the council to banish them. The motion quickly reaches consensus. "motion passed" Linene shoulds and a magical brand appears pn each of the interlopers. They will be magically prevented from ever entering the town and their marks will forever show them as the filth that they are to all that see him. Keras dispells the wall and they all drop tp the ground.
A breif intermission is called before a final round between Billie, Ekxikas, and Keras. Billie uses the opportunity to get bears endurance cast on him by Lillian. The battle begins. Both Billie and and Ekxikas target Keras, knocking him out. With only Billie and Ekxikas remaining they go at each other full boar at each other. After several rounds, Ekxikas eventually pulls off a narrow victory.
Linene announces the winner snd hands Ekxikas a large golden trophy encrusted in jewels. Billie congratulated him and asks to see the trophy, as he noticed something strange at the base. Billie presses the small impression releasing a polished wooden tentacle. about 10 inches in length. It falls to the ground, and Billie blushes saying. I think you dropped something. Seeing the phalic object, Ekxikas laughs and lets him know that it must be someine eses. Billie graciously agrees to "find its owner."