PG Session 3: Rub a dub dub in a pretty hot…springs?

See Sessions 1&2 for previous session.

We open walking into the town of Green Stone. A beautiful town sheltered in the Moss Mountains; called so for the thick (1′ thick) moss that coats the mountains. This moss is kept alive by the large system of cave hot springs which keeps these mountains nicely warm.

The town sits between the mountains a large lake for which the town is named. The lake itself is crystal clear with beautiful green tinged stones on the bottom.

This town is both along the major trade route from Hailing cove and Maidbow, and is a major vacation destination for both the rich and the poor. A large variety of inns with varying degrees of fancy.

Our group made directly for the Flying horseman, urged by the puncture wounds in their sides to discover what was happening to them and why.

Entering the Flying Horseman

The flying horseman is a large but not especially nice inn in the area. Crew entered first grabbing a beer at the bar and surveying the lunch crowd; an amalgamation of locals, traveling traders, farmers, and a couple of other adventurers.

Zed and Clad entered next, purchasing a water and beer respectively (Zed without speaking), and grab a seat at one of the available tables.

Marmon and Jam enter some time after and both order a drink and rent a room for the night to gain access to the hot springs. They inquire to the barkeep about anything irregular or suspicious and the barkeep tells them nothing much suspicious has happened lately(lie) other than a bugler being arrested a few nights back(truth), and a room being destroyed by a half-orcish guest(truth).

Everyone followed suit purchasing a night in rooms. After the purchase the group heads to investigate the spa. They change into super cushy hotel robes and walk around the spa. Nothing looked especially suspicious.

The water’s herbal smell, Jam noted, was due to a cave dwelling plant native to these mountains known for its mild restorative and healing effects.  Soaking in the hot water removed any aches and pains from their travel and imprisonment. The pain from the injection site no longer is felt.

The group returned to their rooms in the inn and sent Jam’s sweet spider familiar into the the kitchen. The spider lets them know that behind the bar was in fact a kitchen, the chef was currently prepping for dinner rush. Behind the kitchen was a storage area for food, wine, and kegs of mead. There were stairs heading down but that area was not investigated.

Jam then sent his spider to investigate the inn-keeps quarters. He revealed a long hallway, a room with a desk with paper work on it and a bedroom off of it. He also discovered a  tiny bedroom and a larger bedroom with a larger bed.

Breaking and entering

Crew went about picking locks effectively letting all members of the party within. The spider remained stationed outside the door to warn Jam of anyone approaching.  Zed refused to take part in any stealing and remained by the door.

Clad led the investigation of the first room, he discovered a leather leather bound book with financial summaries that documented the amount earned at the inn each day and what was spent on supplies. He also discovered some inconsequential personal and business letters.

Crew unlocked the bedroom door, and the chest contained there-in. Within the chest among other things they discovered 50 gold and a secret ledger. This ledger only contained dates and money amounts. The group found there were payments made on the days they arrived at the inn.

Crew easily unlocked the bar-maids small bedroom and discovered a chest full of her clothing and a diary. They left everything and closed the door.

On the final room Crew was unable to unlock it. He felt the lock was too difficult for him, but given his previous success everyone felt he had redeemed himself slightly.  Only slightly but it is a bit of an improvement Crew!

After a bit of planning Marmon headed downstairs to create a distraction while Jam’s spider let Jam know when to go. Marmon hip checked a barmaid carrying a tray full of soup so that she fell. The soup burned the barmaid badly and while she cried in pain Marmon began berating her for bumping into him loudly.

Meanwhile upstairs Clad broke the door into tiny little splinters. Little tiny, tiny baby splinters. He was very satisfied with his new magic belt.

Crew successfully unlocked the chest and found nicer peasant clothes belonging to an overweight medium-sized humanoid. Probably of human or elven race. Clad took the peasant woman’s clothing because he felt like it. To wear this outfit it will need to be tailored.

The group returned to Crew’s room to plan their next move.

And then the night began to fall

The group elected to wait until the inn closed to see who the occupants were of the inn-keeps cabin, and to hopefully observe something interesting.

During their time waiting, the spider relayed to Jam, that a halfling man and an elven woman had left rooms and exited towards the spings and had not returned for a long period of time.

The group waited until the drunken inn patrons left and the barkeep with one bar-maid were cleaning the bar and tables. While waiting  a human man with dark hair headed out to the spings in a floofy robe.

Clad and Crew (who had spoken to the barkeep earlier and made him feel sort of bad about being a bit racist) exited the room and distracted the barkeep with idle chit-chat about the day’s crowd. While they did this the rest of the party stealthily entered the inn-keeps quarters and navigated to the room of an unidentified heavy set humanoid to climb out the window. Zed allowed them to use his rope though he was very clear that he wanted it back or expected to be reimbursed for his rope.

Late night bath time

Once outside in the inn’s small gazebo-ed garden the whole party headed into the springs. They changed into super comfy hotel robes taking care to bring only enough equipment that they could carry without being noticed. In the men’s chest room they noticed that two chests were locked in addition to theirs.

Circling the hot springs they investigated the source of the waterfall with the spider and discovered it went back a bit and opened out into a deep spring filled with non-herbal scented water.  And before you ask, we looked it up, spiders can smell.

After this they continued searching the springs the spider moving a bit ahead of them. They located Vince, the dark haired human from before. Clad and Crew went ahead to speak to him alone while the reminder of the party stayed hidden in the steam a ways back.

Clad asked Vincent about why he was in the spings so late. Vincent hesitatingly replied he was a bit shy and preferred to bath along. Crew hearing stripped immediately and climbed in the water. “Have you seen anything weirder than me around here?”

Zed was pretty sure Clad and Crew wanted to do awful things to this human man but he wasn’t sure enough to do anything about it.

Vince, pretty creeped out at this point, waded to the other side of the springs as soon as he could escape the conversation.

Jam, faking drunkenness, stumbles into the empty floral scented women’s chest room. He discovers that there is one chest still locked within. Crew hearing about a locked chest headed back towards the Men’s chest room to grab his lock picking set.

Not long after they hear loud splashing noises coming from the general area Vince had come from. They ran as fast as their multi-species feet could carry them across the slippery wet rock floor. They managed to catch a glimpse of human feet being dragged into a passage and the secret door closing.

They investigated the door and could find the edges. They knew if pushed in and then slid to the side to open. They returned to where they had stored their gear and re-equipped everything. Crew took the time to try and open the two locked chest. He failed on Vince’s chest but was successful on the Halfling males.  A set of clothing, a knife, and 5 gold were found within.

The group returned to the secret door and after comical attempts by the entire party to open the door using a crowbar, including the bit where Zed went to push it and just slid along the floor backwards. Clad not knowing his own strength pushed the door inwards with such force that it just fell over. Ahead a carved hallway extended ending in a T.

And this is where we ended because it was getting pretty late. The inn map of the explored areas will be uploaded soon.

The adventure continues with Session 4: Brain Bird Tentacle Monster!