Hardcore Heroes: Episode 01

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== Synopsis ==
In the seaside city of Shirebrook, our heroes, including Van-Healsing the cleric, Malakai the wizard, Croak the thief, and Corni the fighter, uncover a sinister plot involving a Potion of Ugliness. After Corni overhears a dubious trade at his family's tavern, the group investigates, learning that a sailor named Jackard traded a virgin's blood to a mysterious man named Venlen. Their search for Venlen reveals he’s a powerful wizard who came by ship and headed south. The investigation leads to a confrontation with Jackard and his accomplice, Adriana, who confess their scheme to disfigure Lady Twintowers in a revenge plot. The heroes return them to the authorities, earning a reward and completing their mission.
==Recap==
Our Hardcore Heroes all live in Shirebrook when we first meet them, a city by the sea surrounded by swamps, rivers and uninhabited planes. Van-Healsing is a 22 year old human cleric of Chis, who oversees one of the local temples, namely the one in the merchant district. The human wizard Malakai is the only child of a seafaring merchant, who visits town only from time to time. The wealth of his father made Malakai grow up into a somewhat arrogant young man, who is apprentice to Rohana, a wizard herself overseeing the local magic shop. After helping out in the mornings, Malakai tends to visit the Halfpint, a tavern run by a Gnome family. Croak is a human thief, who unlike our other heroes doesn't originate from Shirebrook itself, but grew up in one of the surrounding villages as a peasant, whose family hunted and trapped for a living. This lifestyle was not what Croak was looking for in life. On his 18th nameday he moved to Shirebrook proper and got introduced to the world of crime by some Abed Twotoes, who since has left town towards Thornwood. Nowadays Croak mostly lies around in inns, gaining the necessary coin by unjustly means. The final member of the group is Corni, a Gnome Fighter and son to the inkeep of aforementioned Halfpint, for whom he brews ale each morning.
===Friday, 1509-01-01===
The party hangs out in the Halfpint one late morning. Only Corni is downstairs going about his brewing business, when he overhears a conversation through the floor planks. A Potion of Ugliness is traded for something "pure of heart and innocent of flesh". Corni heads to his friends with some ale, and tells them about the deal. Van, cleric to the goddess of beauty he is, instantly suggests to investigate these evil doings. They call over the barmaid, Cornis sister Zeyni, who tells them Jackard, a sailor Corni has seen on several occasions before, was sitting by said table just a few minutes ago. She couldn't see his trading partner, as he wore a hood, but she thinks he had a black beard and was human. Malakai as a wizard knows, magic potions are rare and can only be brewed by powerful (> Level 9) wizards. Van heads off to his temple, as the party agrees Jackard probably wouldn't speak openly about his dealings to a cleric. The other three go to search Jackard at the docks.
At his temple, Van searches his library for information on potions in general and a Potion of Ugliness in particular, but doesn't find anything useful. Neither is there any obvious God of Ugliness, who might oppose beauty.
At the docks the rest of the party heads to the Fish, a small ugly tavern by the sea, a place where scum and villainy live. Naturally, Croak knows the place and the people, and asks the innkeeper Threefingers, about Jackard. The sailor apparently married recently, and he might be found by the docks or at his house. They head to the latter, talking about how violent Jackard might be. The house turns out to be more off a shack, and only silence answers their knocks on the front door. They find the backdoor to be open though and enter. The shack is as untidy as its outside promised, and while rummaging through the things inside a voice from the backyard calls out asking what business they have in Jackard's house. Croak explains they have some business with him and were looking for him here, and the wary neighbor tells them he will walk them to the docks himself.
Back at the docks they find Jackard standing on the pier next to his little fishing boat. Croak tells him he wants to talk about a mutual friend of theirs, but rather in private, as all the surrounding sailors start looking at them talk. Thus, they had back to Jackard's place. There, Croak tells him they are following up on the trade that was conducted earlier, as there was some doubt about the product being truly "pure of heart". Jackard says he followed the instructions precisely. Croak asks him to repeat the steps the sailor was supposed to undertake in order to verify. Jackard repeats the phrasing from before, so the party probes him further. This puts Jackard on alarm and crossing his arms he asks for the name of their mutual friend. Croak just blinks at him so Jackard says he will now head back to work. Malakai calls for his attention, takes out his medallion and casts Hypnotism on the sailor, asking him to answer their questions to the best of his ability. Jackard tells them a girl working with his wife volunteered to have her blood taken, which he then delivered to the Halfpint to a man named Venlen. Jackard heads back to his boat and the party goes to meet Van at his temple.
Croak tells Van about the information they found. The party decides to ask around town, as none of them have ever heard of someone named Venlen in Shirebrook. They head to the tavern and plan to speak to Rohana.
Van expresses his disgust with using virgins blood for the potion of ugliness while Malakai makes a point that Venlen ought to still be in town, Croak adding that Jackard might also still be worth following. Van is unable to find anything relevant from temple people and everyone heads to tavern. Corni is also unable to get any useful information from any of the tavern workers. Another idea pops up and party attempts to find some biological traces from Venlen, but that also proves fruitless. In the end they just have a meal at the bar, praising the spiced potatoes. Croak goes to talk with Hubert, who's a very frequent customer at the bar, asking him whether he has seen a fellow named Venlen hanging out with Jackard. He doesn't seem to be able to recall such a persona though
===Saturday, 1509-01-02===
Rohana appears not to have any knowledge on Venlen and so party continues into the next day without much new information. Van-Healsing starts his day with a large influx of church goers and with some asking around comes to hear that lady Twintowers has been horribly disfigured during the night, notably after she had said something blasphemous the previous night. Croak immediately goes to Van's church and begins pick-pocketing. After the party reconvenes it is decided that Malakai will go talk to lady Twintowers to see if he can gain any information on this Venlen persona. Lord Twintowers turns out to be amicable person and they both set a meeting time for later the same evening. Meanwhile Croak and Corni try to see if the harbormaster has noted any shadowy figures resembling Venlen, but they run aground, however the town sheriff Tyrus Bellows seems more approachable and agrees to question Jackard as well as help with the investigation. Back to the other two, meeting with Twintowers is held early, revealing the truth about the potion of ugliness which the lord takes rather seriously. Turns out that one of the servants, Adriana, has been missing so they send someone to look for her. They also meet the lady herself. Croak and Corni find out that Jackard has apparently fled his abode and then later also find out they left the town at sunrise going towards Thornwood.
Finally everyone meets at the Chis temple and share the information that has been uncovered then go to meet the Twintowers to let them in on it. Unfortunately they decline to give them assistance in form of soldiers, instead 2 horses are offered. Some running around later, speaking with Tyrus Croak manages to discern tracks that ought to belong to the fleeing couple. They set out on the road, a while in they meet a caravan going the opposite way who report seeing two people dressed in black and with large backpacks and on the party goes even after the sunset. About an hour after darkness sets they spot a campfire on side of the road and blow out their lights in attempt to sneak upon their query, Croak takes the front, but barely stays out of sight, which turns out to be enough as one of the figures addresses the other as Jackard. Malakai stands back as Van and Corni first sneak and then full gallop into the camp seeking to overpower the couple before they can lift a finger. Fight itself is brief, Jackard falls unconscious to magic and then is beat unconscious on the second round, while Adriana is restrained by Croak and cries mercy.
On the way back information comes pouring out of Adriana, telling the party how they traded the potion for the virgins blood, how Venlen came via the Waveskipper and that he went south into the Shadow mountains. Reason for using it was to bring the lady Twintowers down to their level. Party arrives at the lord's house, they hand off the prisoners and receiving 100 gold in return for job well done while the prisoners are beat in the other room.
Category:Hardcore Heroes Episodes