The Shackled City, Day 5 (2006-10-06, 6:30 PM) Chapter 1: Life's Bazaar

Players (Characters)
Scott (Rain)
Jeremy (Grokk)
Catherine (Amber)
Tony (Roland)
Rachel (Horkina)
DM: Tom (Garlen)

Back in Cauldron, the party searched out shops where they could sell their goods, especially the unusual automaton. Having already spent a good deal of time and money at Skie's Treasury, and knowing she dealt in unusual magical items, that was the first stop. Skie wanted to know more about this strange group of adventurers who kept bringing her such odd items. "What do you call yourselves?", she asked. Several names were suggested, and after a few minutes of discussion, the party settled on "Rubble Rousers". "Very well, then, Rubble Rousers", Skie responded, "you've been such loyal customers that you are now eligible for my special Adventurers discount." She then bought the automaton and several other items.

After getting a bit of rest, the Rubble Rousers returned to Jzadirune in search of rubble. They discovered a small nursery filled with toys, including a beautiful rocking unicorn, which they graciously donated to the Lantern Street orphanage.

The party headed back to the factory room in the north, and then searched to the east. An old forge held the key to the "I" doors in Jzadirune. A short humanoid creature with hooves, called a Dark Creeper, laired in a woodshop nearby. This was one of the "short ones" Keygan Ghelve had warned about. It proved to be only a minor threat. In a glassblowing workshop not too far away, a more powerful Dark Creeper named Yuathyb attempted to hide. He was infected with the Vanishing, which made him somewhat harder to locate, but Rain spotted him and he was quickly dropped in combat.

Yuathyb's treasury held a suit of armor. Roland suspected it might be a construct of some sort, so the party approached cautiously. The suit of armor collapsed when touched, spilling thousands of silver coins on the ground. A few clay urns held thousands more coins and a few pieces of jewelry, including a bracelet engraved in Dwarven: "To Sondor, my deepest love. Lorthan". In a secret vault behind this treasury, there was another suit of armor standing over a treasure chest. When the chest was disturbed, the suit of armor began to attack, provoking a hearty laugh from Roland. Grokk and Horkina handled the construct easily, and Rain retrieved a wooden chess set and other treasures from the chest.

The rest of Jzadirune was fairly uneventful. The party discovered another Pulverizer Automaton hidden by an invisibility effect, a room with an illusory forest, and a few more dark creepers and assorted vermin, but nothing particularly dangerous. With a full collection of Jzadirune keys in hand, the Rubble Rousers searched through the few rooms that had thus far remained locked. Jzadirune was now secure, so the party headed for the elevator to the Malachite Stronghold.

A new earth elemental occupied the space where the party had narrowly averted death four days before. Roland and Amber shot at it from range, and then Grokk and Horkina smashed it into bits with their axes. A few moments later an angry and very filthy ogre stepped into the room, swinging a foul-smelling sword encrusted with all manner of gross. He was quickly surrounded and dropped, and Amber provided healing for those who'd been struck by his powerful blows.

Rain discovered a secret passage that led to a room with an active forge. Two halflings and a dwarf were enslaved here, while several goblins and hobgoblins watched over them. Garlen angrily attacked the goblinoids while screaming epithets in their native tongue, and the rest of the party followed suit, but with less swearing. After the goblins and hobgoblins fell, the party took the prisoners up to Cauldron. One of the prisoners, a halfling woman named Maple, thanked the party for freeing her. She sketched out a simple map of the area and told the party of the stronghold's defenses. The dwarf introduced herself as Sondor, and Garlen recalled the inscription from the bracelet found earlier. Sondor was reduced to tears when Rain returned her bracelet. The town was ecstatic as word got out that three of the kidnapping victims had been rescued.