Session 1: Hupperdo or Hupperdon't Report

General Summary

A chilled, misty night hung over the industrious mountainside of Hupperdook, as 5* adventurers, some with previous connections, some without, walked the muddied path through the quiet fields of the Assembly Yard. The revelry of Upper Hupperdook provided distant but raucous sounds of partying and music, as most of the populace enjoyed their nightly festivities.
The night's cast included:
Fenn , the fisherman-come-Warlock who has been exiled from his village for dealings with devils, and the lack of a soul.
Lord Justice , a driven seeker of Justice with a keen mind for technological creation.
Aranck, a fungus-coated Tortle on a mission to protect nature in a foreign land.
Morgwyn, an outcast ranger travelling far and wide in search of knowledge to protect the forests of her home.
Tiny the Giant Dwarf , a far-from-home Duergar who dabbled too deep in magic beyond his knowledge, searching for someone who knows better.
Absent members included:
Joshua Till, an academic wizard ridiculed and unjustly rejected by the Soltryce Academy on a mission to prove his theories. He was caught up a town back with a bad case of hives, after investigating a local mushroom species slightly too closely...
Key points from the session:

The party met Audy Shudderstone, a gnome machinist who lacks the desire to party unlike his colleagues. He offered to guide the party to The Dusty Tap, a shady inn in Lower Hupperdook (The Blushing Tankard sounded a bit too pricey).

While peacefully walking and chatting, BOOM - the metal-clad cliff wall of the Gearhole Prison exploded in a shower of rubble and smoke. 6 cloaked figures were soon spotted by the party, heading straight towards them in their escape route!

Combat ensued with kobolds eager to "LEAVE NO WITNESSES" and a fleeing goliath woman, strikingly tall with dark tattoos covering her arms. Vines were called from the ground to ensnare the kobolds, some felled with greatswords and magic, others hunting traps... but with each fallen kobold came a high-pitched whining noise - and then visceral corpse explosions! Despite Fenn and Tiny's keen pursuit down an alleyway, the goliath twisted a ring on her finger and an immense, dark fog cloud spilled forth, securing her escape. Lord Justice, from a rooftop vantage point, ascertained her escape to the north. A lone kobold was captured alive.

Guards arrived at the scene, headed by Watchmaster Bram Gultchswattle, who immediately interrogated the party due to suspicions around their 'timely' arrival in the city. With the help of some local testamonies to their innocence from Audy and Lord Justice, the party were hired.

The Watchmaster offered 700g for delivery of the escaped Prisoner of War, Skenn Zabriss. 200g was granted up front to aid the investigative efforts, along with a red and copper insignia, marking them employees of the Watchmaster. Lord Justice negotiated a headquarters to run the investigation from, insistent on it being in a basement, for thematic reasons. The party were granted use of the Barracks' basement.

Investigation of Skenn Zabriss' prison cell took place, with access easily given by the Crownsguard once the insignia was displayed. The party uncovered leads including a broken automaton, shards of an explosive, and patches of crimson-red mud. They also encountered Yinra Emberwind, a headstrong elven bounty hunter, and bartered for a note she found moments before their arrival.

The Crownsguard, combined with Lord Justice's local knowledge, suggested initial contacts to follow on from the uncovered leads. These included:

Broken Automaton - Master Maker Cliff Tinkertop at the Builder's Plot

Crimson Mud - Zendasa at the Lay of the Land herbalist's shop

Explosive Shards - Blast Gaffer Sleese Firemark at the Firemark Facility

The party, with varying levels of enthusiasm for the act (Aranck left the scene due to moral opposition), interrogated the kobold, hanging it upside down in the basement and intimidating it with questionable techniques. They ascertained the existance of a lair outside of the city containing a 'Master', but triggered a key-phrase when prying deeper, causing the kobold to violently explode. Fenn was knocked unconcsious by the blow, but was quickly aided by Aranck - after they were assured they hadn't intentionally blown up this creature.

Morgwyn, fundamentally opposed to paying for accommodation, constructed a lean-to in the damp basement and led the decision that the party would rest here. Tiny considered conducting a prison break for a drow he briefly encountered in the Gearhole Prison, but decided against it with better judgement.

The next morning, now the city was active with zealous industry, the party headed to the Builder's Plot to meet Master Maker Cliff Tinkertop and his daughter Rissa. After struggling to secure the genius's concentration on what they were seeking, Cliff focussed and quickly identified the broken automaton as a shabby copy of a Vox Seeker; his own creation! Cliff noted this looked like the handycraft of Huron Stahlmast, who hadn't been seen in Hupperdook in over 5 years after being ousted from the tinkerers circles in the city. He had no guesses on where he might be, or who might know better, but offered to repair the Vox Seeker should the party require it. Lord Justice was quick to clarify that they didn't require those services, and fixed the automaton himself.

At the end of our session, the party are heading to the Firemark Facility, in the hope to continue their investigation and claim the baffling amount of gold promised as a reward.

Rewards Granted

200 GP Hupperdook Watchmaster's Insignia Broken Vox Seeker

Missions/Quests Completed

Given the quest to hunt down and bring Skenn Zabriss back to the Gearhold Prison, with a 700 gp reward.

Character(s) interacted with

NPCs Met:

• Audy Shudderstone, the Machinist
• Watchmaster Bram Gultchswattle
• Yinra Emberwind, the Bounty Hunter
• Master Maker Cliff Tinkertop

NPC Sighted:

• Skenn Zabriss, Kryn Dynasty Prisoner of War

Campaign

Wildemount Wanderers

Protagonists

Lord Justice

Fenn

Report Date

09 Jun 2020

Primary Location

Hupperdook

Secondary Location

The Marrow Valley