Citadel's Shadow II, Session 100

Citadel's Shadow II, Session 100 is a session of the Citadel's Shadow II campaign, played on 30 January 2022 (UTC). The "PCs" in this session were essentially NPCs ran as PCs as part of playtesting Nordland Bestiary and Enemies Book. Note that events involving other characters occurred from Damirin 1+, 1742. These begin with Citadel's Shadow II, Session 87.
==Personnel==
===Game Master===
*GM: played by Alden Loveshade
===Player Characters===
* Belkin Shaumitz: gnome student of druidism at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth played by Miley Spears
* Broderick Fielding: human martial arts student of St. Bassard's played by Melissa Ryan
* Christiana Gartbo: stealthy human student of St. Bassard's played by Miley Spears
* Frieda the Inquisitive: curious human mage student of St. Bassard's played by Melissa Ryan
== Events ==
=== 1742 ===
Damiran 1 (Godsday): Scorpia Lee left the hospital and returned home to St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth. (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20200822+)
Damirin 1 (Godsday) (continued): Scorpia Lee, who had just returned back to school from the hospital, told her friends Christiana Gartbo and Frieda the Inquisitive about her adventure.  Both girls were students at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth in Delctra's Cauldron Borough of Trynser City.
Scorpia said she and the girls Fern the Siegemaster and Rajzhela Carnelian had been assigned bathroom duty to clean the girls' bathroom a few days earlier when they had discovered a covered hatchway with a ladder going down to passageways with pipes.  Scorpia said she had entered the area to explore, but she was attacked by a giant badger which bit her on the head and put her in the hospital (and explained her now much shorter hair).  Scorpia said she wanted to go back there to see where it led--if there weren't any more giant badgers.
Christiana had no real combat skills, and was very hesitant about possibly facing another giant badger that might be down there ("There's no such thing as only one.")  Frieda was decent with magical healing, and had very recently learned how to cast a fire ball, but hadn't yet learned how to aim it very well.  So Christiana told her boyfriend Broderick Fielding, who was training as a fighter, about it.  Frieda said she was curious to see where the passage led.  Broderick warned the two girls not to go, but said he was curious.  He didn't tell them that he was less curious about the passage than he was about being inside a girls' bathroom.
So the three human students made plans to go.  Broderick and Frieda wanted to go very soon, but Christiana said school officials would be thinking about the hatchway right now and keeping a close eye on things.  They'd have a much better chance of success if they waited three or four weeks before they went.  The other two reluctantly agreed.  (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20220130)
Damirin 37 (Godsday): After religious services, Christiana Gartbo and Frieda the Inquisitive went to clean the girls' bathroom at St. Bassard's School and Home for Disadvantaged Youth.  They had previously told the human assistant teacher Miss Minigallith Atakares that Fern the Siegemaster, who had been badly injured and had been in the hospital, hadn't been able to finish her assignment cleaning the girls' bathroom, so they wanted to do it for her.  Miss Mini, who ordinarily might have been more suspicious of volunteers, had been very concerned about Fern, and accepted their story.  But Miss Mini also knew the hatchway had a new lock on it.
The girls met Christiana's boyfriend Broderick Fielding, and the three human students discussed their plans to explore the hatchway that went underneath the girls' bathroom and connected to underground hallways, including how to deal with any possible problems.  (A giant badger had previously attacked student Scorpia Lee).
As it happened, their discussion was overheard by the male gnome student Belkin Shaumitz.  The boy told them he was studying to become a druid, so knew a lot about animals and had druidic spells that could help.  Christiana said they'd discuss it privately, without Belkin.
Christiana didn't want Belkin to go because he was terrible at keeping secrets, but Broderick said if they left him behind, he would probably give the whole thing away before they could even start.  Frieda agreed, and said it reminded her of a joke which she told and which made the other two groan.  The trio decided to let Belkin join them.
Frieda started going into the bathroom pushing a cart (in which a covered Belkin, who was good at camouflage, was hiding).  Christiana whispered to her to push it faster, because slow pushing made the cart seem heavy; Frieda said, "But it is heavy!"  Christiana also said to check to make certain there weren't any girls in there so Belkin wouldn't be embarrassed.  Of all people, the young (deposed) Princess Alarra Gormann was in there.  Christiana was tempted to pull a trick on the princess, but fortunately resisted the urge.  After waiting for another student to leave, Frieda and Christiana pushed the cart with Belkin.
Frieda made an obvious show of cleaning while Christiana quickly went to work on the lock on the hatchway.  Then another student came in, and Frieda had to fake clean.  The lock was average, so when the student was out of sight, Christiana opened it easily.  She whispered, "Standard St. Bassard's lock."  Frieda started to tell one of her cornball jokes about that, but Christiana left to sneak Broderick in.  The hidden Belkin was stuck listening.
The plan almost failed when student Snowy Zeddick came by in the hallway and saw Broderick and asked, "What are you doing hanging outside the girls' bathroom?"  Christiana came out at that very moment and said, "Waiting for me, of course."  Snowy went on, and Christiana snuck Broderick in.  Fortunately, the four students were able to enter the hatchway before anyone else came in--after Frieda convinced Broderick to stop looking around.
As Christiana and Frieda had been told from Scorpia who had gone in before, there was a magic light wand readily at hand, probably kept there for school staff or other hirelings who inspected the plumbing.  They saw the passageways with pipes lead off into the distance, which also was as they had been told.  It was where the school's plumbing ran.  They found old brickwork, with many areas bricked off, but saw some small cubby holes.  Belkin said, 'So that's what they were talking about."  He said he heard somebody had a hideout that looked like that, but he wouldn't say who it was--until Christiana asked if it was Zazzie, and he said no, it was Terron, the one who got locked up in Quarryside Juvenile Penitentiary.
The group continued on.  Then Belkin, who could see better in dim light than the rest, pointed and signaled there was something up ahead.  Broderick drew his sword (which, along with Belkin, had been hidden in the cart).  Soon, they saw two glowing eyes--of a giant badger!
With Broderick in front, the giant badger screamed and attacked.  It bit Broderick, while Broderick hit it with his sword.  Belkin said, "Let me try to tame it--too late."  Frieda started working up a spell, while Christiana kept an eye on things.
The badger didn't quit, and tried to bite Broderick again, but missed, as did Broderick.  Frieda made a fireball, but it also missed (Frieda: "I just have to learn how to aim").  Unfortunately, the fire did not scare the badger into running away.  The badger's next bite missed, but Broderick's sword did not.  The giant badger wobbled, but still stood.  It missed Broderick, but again Broderick did not.  His sword swing took the badger out, and it stopped moving.
Frieda cast a minor healing spell successfully (although barely successfully), which was all Broderick needed.  Belkin said, 'If we see another giant badger, please let me try to calm it down first."  Broderick said that would depend on whether it attacked first or not.  The group rested a bit, then continued on.
This time Belkin, when he saw a second badger and knew what it was, whispered, "Wait, please."  He cast a spell to sooth the beast, and it worked--critically well!  The giant badger not only didn't attack, it followed Belkin around like he was its buddy.
The group very soon found two much smaller, but still large, badgers.  The badger with them made a sound like "khrya-ya-ya-ya,' and the two smaller ones made a sound like a whistle.  Belkin said, "I think this (pointing to the big giant badger) is their mother and those are her cubs."  The giant badger went to them, and nursed them.
Broderick said, "We should kill the mother!  She'll turn on us defending her cubs!"  Belkin said, "No she won't; she's my friend," and pet the mother.  Frieda moved closer, but Belkin said, "Stop!  She accepts me; but Broderick might be right if anybody else gets close to her cubs."
The group stopped to watch and rest before returning. (Citadel's Shadow II adventure 20220130)
*
Category:Citadel's Shadow IIb
Category:Playtest