Episode 2: "Things That Go :Bump: in the Daylight"

Game date: 12/4/2014

Quest Information:

 * Date: 15th of Tammuz, 837
 * Title: Attil’kusu’s Prize
 * Level: 1
 * Location: Ag-Rakade in Kassithe

Primary Cast (PCs)

 * Dylan Minglewood, halfling bard
 * Ket-Ramat, human rogue
 * Lugal, human wizard
 * Shoklen, human ranger

Supporting Cast (NPCs)

 * Ibbi-Adad, captain of the Ag-Rakade militia
 * Attil'Kusu, wizard
 * Kinya, hired goon of Attil'Kusu
 * Burga (deceased), hired goon of Attil'Kusu
 * Dryad by the River
 * Wagon driver

Summary
The party has been running simple patrols for a couple of weeks. Officially, there simply aren't any infiltration missions required at this time, but the party suspects Ibbi-Adad is simply irritated after the events in "Your Mission ...". The party is simply walking down the roadway, about to meet Ibbi, when the local wizard Attil'Kusu comes running down the road towards them. "Help! Help!", he cries. "They're tearing up my house!". The wizard very quickly explains the situation: some "beasties" broke in and are tearing up his house. The party leaves Attil and Ibbi and heads towards the house.

As they approach house, they see a disheveled man leaning against the gatepost. It is Kinya, an employee of Attil'Kusu. It seems he broke his ankle, and is leaning here catching his breath. "Be careful if you go in there", he says. He warns of "flying critters". "They killed Burga. Watch your head." Lugal wonders if they're stirges or monstrous bats or something else.

The party approaches carefully. The ever-curious halfling Dylan sneaks into the house's great room, which appears to be the wizard's laboratory. He spots several small winged creatures who hurl ... something. Dylan manages to hide behind the door. It appears sprites have swarmed in the house.

Lugal uses a well-placed sleep spell to knock out several of the fey critters, but there are more. The rest of the party moves in to gain control of the situation. The critters are using the wizards paraphenalia as weapons, throwing whatever they can get their hands on. They also have a few low level spells: Shoklen succumbs to their own sleep spell. Finally, Lugal (who can speak Fey) manages to get their attention. They are indeed enraged. "Free her!" they shriek. "Free her!"

Her? Her who? The party continues to make their way into the house. They spy several small cages, wrenched open, hanging throughout the wizard's lab. This is more than they were told: these critters aren't "breaking in", they're trying to escape, and want to take "her" with them.

Towards the back of the room, the party finds a heavily barred door. Unfortunately, at that time, Dylan and Ket are both blinded by a sprite's color spray spell. Lugal manages to convince the critters the party is here to help, and the party manages to wake Shoklen and fumble their way through the door. There, in a large cage, lies a woman, but not a woman. She has dark, textured skin and grey-green hair, and is barely breathing. Dylan tries to heal her with his healing word, but is only marginally successful. They need to get her out of there!

Shoklen carries the woman -- a dryad -- out of the house, and Ket tries to flag down a wagon. Attil'Kusu storms over, demanding the party return his "property", and is promptly attacked by the fey critters. He tries to get off a spell (narrowly missing Dylan with a sickly green ray), but is subdued by Ibbi-Adad. "Get her to the woods" Ibbi orders, but the party is already getting on a wagon loaned to the party by a passing drover.

Following the directions of the fey critters, they return the dryad to her tree by the river. After about an hour, a handful of bundles are ejected from the tree: a collection of handy poultices and a cloak of barkskin. Their task complete, they head back to the village. By this time, Ibbi has arrested Attil'Kusu for kidnapping of sentients, and the militia is swarming through the house, confiscating a lot of evidence. It appears Attil was performing a lot of disturbing research on these creatures, his research notes and spellbooks have all been confiscated to be investigated by experts. He senses Lugal's disappointment in the loss of the wizard's knowledge, Ibbi tries to appease him by giving him four spheres containing sleeping potion. He also gives two fine daggers of dwarven manufacture, confiscated from Attil's person, to Dylan and Ket for their own trouble.

Trouble is what they do, and maybe they got a better reward: the gratitude of a spirit of the forest.

Outcome

 * The dryad and fey creatures are released and returned to their home. The dryad is very appreciative and promises their aid, such as it is, if the party ever needed it.
 * The local wizard Attil'Kusu is arrested, and all his property (including spell books, ledgers, notes, and equipment, except for those items described below) confiscated. It appears the wizard spent more time researching how to capture fey creatures, but wasn't quite sure what to do with them once they received them. His research on the matter is vast and would take months of hard study to go through.
 * Attil'Kusu was exchanging letters with an enigmatic Hurrethe wizard known only as "J"; some scholars in Jow-Hadan, and a Copper Wizard named Zatil. He also appeared to do a lot of unnamed "work" for the Dii'Duuresu merchant guild in Aswayde, a city in Hurrethe.
 * Attil'Kusu's vaults are arcane locked, and there isn't a wizard in town of sufficient strength to break it. One has been summoned from the capital city of Bakretah.
 * Kinya turned state's evidence against Attil'Kusu and served a short sentence for his role in capturing the dryad.

Party rewards

 * a cloak of barkskin, given to Shoklen as a gift by the dryad
 * seven poultices, given to the party in general by the dryad
 * four 1st-level cure wounds
 * two 1st-level enhance ability: bull's strength
 * one 1st-level speak with animals
 * four sleep bombs, given to Lugal by Ibbi, out of Attil'Kusu's stockpile, as restitution for not being able to give him access to Attil's malicious spells.
 * two fine, dwarven-made daggers, given to Dylan and Ket by Ibbi from Attil'Kusu's belongings as a reward.
 * 375 xp per player

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