I believe the session went well! We found out that Gellac Thov and Ella Wilder have been traveling together. They served as deck hands aboard the Slippery Sprite. Bobo was bribed/hired by someone to smuggle a weapon aboard the Slippery Sprite. Talek's childhood enemy was one of the prisoners (neither recognized the other) and she's a serial killer. The keep across from New Unswich harbor is under the control of tainted monsters. The Slippery Sprite is no more. The forces at the keep sank her in the harbor. New Unswich is in need of adventurers to clear out the Slums and the Sewers in order for the city to expand and eliminate a vermin problem.
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I gave out language decoders to everyone so if something written in a particular language is found, if the party can speak that language, they can decode it. I also printed out all the city council's proclamations in the Common Tongue which is just different enough to look like a foreign language, but can be read by literate English speakers.
Over the next three weeks, I will be getting a better map of the Slums created (though the map from Beyond the Crystal Cave worked well as a starter). I am also going to get the maps done for some of the other areas such as the sewers and the civilized section of the city. I will have the information for all of the taverns, inns, and temples as well as the NPCs you'll be dealing with (including Ms. Serial Killer).
I'm thinking about bringing in a renown system and so I am keeping track of the number of critical hits made, critical skill successes, moments of greatness (not voted on, if you use an action point that causes something momentous to happen), and other items. I'll talk more about the renown system when it is written/added to the campaign.
I am not going to give out XP. I am going to keep track of how many successful combat and non-combat encounters are completed per character. That will determine how you gain levels.
Hopefully our Drow Cleric will be with us next time!
