Episode 1: "Your Mission ... and Yeah, You Have to Accept It"

Game Date: 11/19/2014

Quest Information

 * Date: 1st of Tammuz, 837
 * Title: Recover the Stolen Art
 * Level: 1
 * Location: Ag-Rakade (home village of the PCs) 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
 * Ea-Nasir, leader of the Ahti-Wagrah merchant guild in Ag-Rakade
 * Tash-Kanetu, leader of the Dii'Duuresu merchant guild in Ag-Rakade
 * Three bandits
 * Various guards and staff of the Dii'Duuresu guild house

Summary
The party has assembled, after their training is complete, and given their first mission. Their captain, Ibbi-Adad, lays out the details. A robber broke into the Ahti-Wagrah guildhouse, and stole an idol prized by the guild leader Ea-Nasir. The party's assignment: track down the thief and recover the statue. Ibbi gives the party a warning: this theft could be the rival merchant guild, the Dii'Duuresu, playing a prank. These guilds are intense rivals and love playing tricks on each other, but he does not tolerate that in the village. He warns the party: no unnecessary violence! They are to recover the idol quietly, so this pranking can end right away instead of erupting into an escalating conflict of prank-counterprank. Such things can devolve into outright warfare. He emphasizes this by thumping on his protege, Ket-Ramat's, chest with his finger: he does not want to start a guild war!

The party, led by Shoklen, tracks the thief across the gardens and irrigation ditches of the village. Along the riverbank, they get the jump on three bandits. Easily defeating the clearly inexperienced bandits, the party finds that, indeed, these bandits stole the idol, on the direction of an unnamed benefactor who awarded them 150gp for their efforts. Confiscating their reward money, Shoklen releases them from their bonds and let's them go. The bandits gratefully flee from the situation, unharmed but perhaps a little wiser.

Information gleaned by the hapless bandits sends the party to the southeast where, over a small rise, they see the guild house of the Dii'Duuresu. It seems Ibbi was right! The guilds are playing tricks on each other! Unfortunately, it is broad daylight, and the guild house is crawling with guards, guard dogs, customers, and employees. The party thinks sneaking in and taking the idol will be difficult.

Fortunately, Shoklen finds a tunnel, poorly hidden by a rock and a tree. The party takes the earthen tunnel, and follows it into the guild headquarters. At the end of the tunnel, Ket-Ramat finds a short ladder and a trap door. Carefully, he ascends the ladder and peeks through the trap door. It led to a narrow hallway, with a ladder to the east, and a chest to the west. He checks the chest, opens it, and obviously missed a trap, taking two arrows to the chest. The wounds are severe, one arrow struck deep. Fortunately, the bard Dylan Minglewood has a few healing spells, bringing the scout back to his feet. Even more fortunately, no one seemed to hear Ket's cries, and the party is able to rest in the dank, dirt tunnel.

After a bit of time to catch his breath, Ket searches the chest. Four gems and a couple of scrolls for Lugal. Ket continues up the ladder, through another trap door and a narrow hallway. This time, they are able to actually spy on Tash-Kanetu as she conducts guild business! Even better, there they see the minotaur idol! It appears as described by Ea-Nasir earlier in the day: it is a carving of a female minotaur, with hands folded in apparent prayer, made of black obsidian with tiny emerald eyes and copper accoutrements. It is, indeed, a beautiful piece.

After some time watching the guild leader conduct business (some of it mildly suspicious), Lugal decides to use some legerdemain to distract Tash-Kanetu and swipe the idol. He cracks open the door to perform his trick, but is instantly spotted by Tash. Ket decided to go bold. He bursts through the door, flashes his badge, and orders the guild leader to surrender the idol.

The laughter that ensues is loud and raucous. Tash-Kanetu is just beside herself. She tosses Ket the idol and waves them away. The party exits quickly from the dirt tunnel ... to the applause of the Dii’Duuresu guardsmen. This entire escapade seems to be a setup, a fact proven by an irritated Ibbi-Adad. It appears he was waiting inside the Dii'Duuresu guild hall all along, and that this was a test of the party's infiltration skills ... skills which, apparently, should not have included barging in to Tash's office and brazenly asking for a surrender! Ibbi is visibly angry, but it doesn't matter. A highly entertained Ea-Nasir approaches, and rewards the party with some gold and a few smoke bombs from his own supply. "I have to admit", he says. "You certainly aren't the standard special operations squad, are you?"

No, indeed, they are not.

Outcome
Ea-Nasir's minotaur idol recovered and returned to Ea.

Party rewards: Return to Episode Guide
 * 150 gp from bandits (their reward for stealing the idol
 * four gems worth 25 gp each
 * two 1st level wizard scrolls: feather fall & false life, given to Lugal
 * 100 gp reward from Ea-Nasir
 * three smoke bombs, a gift from Ea-Nasir to Ket-Ramat
 * 132 xp per player