Pawns and Patrons: Episode 10

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==Characters==
Anna: Babs (level 1 Rogue) the Brewer (and drunkard). Level 0s: Scribbles - Female Human Scribe, Hawkeye. Henley - Non Binary Human Chicken butcher, seventh son
Gen: Streje Dude (level 1 Spell Sword) the jester Frog-humanoid. Level 0s: Bescri - Female Human Scribe, Survived a Spider Bite. Ler Jwee - Female Human Jeweller, Survived the plague
Neal: Level 0s: Kate - Female Human Gardener who was raised by Wolves, Dee - Female Human Squire, born on the battlefield.
Rachel: Agnes (level 1 Wizard) is a seller of chests (familiar is Senga, an elderly miniature version of herself). Level 0s: Eevee (renamed Evelyn) - Female Human Noble, raised by Wolves, Fiona - Female Human Forester, survived the plague.
===Significant NPCs===
* Naverst Brow: Groundskeeper of Dude Estate. Elderly Male Frog.
* Rehborah: Naverst Brow's assistant. Adult Male Frog, tall and strong, speaks with simple words.
* Edwina Wimple: Elderly Female Frog. Wizard. Expert in medicine. Wants to summon the Froghemoth, a greater demon of the god Bobugbubil, into the world. Brainwashed by Babs with a spell to be the party's friend.
* Court Wizard Augusta Rubey: Wizard Frog. Party have quest to find them because they disappeared with the Eldritch Scroll of Zocarzan.
==Recap==
===Looting Estate Dude===
It is early afternoon in Swamp Dude as Estate Dude. Naverst Brow is expected back at House Dude in a few hours. Edwina Wimple is brainwashed by Babs and her husband Fallow Wimple has been slain. Streje Dude asks Edwina the location of the wealth of the estate, with the excuse it is an offering to Bobugbubil. Edwina says that Bobugbubil has no interest in riches, but in the slaying of creatures that prey upon frogs, such as large snakes. Dee suggests the "Great White Tadpole" the party have heard about, but Edwina says there is no such thing and that the frog-people of Blobutant are just being superstitious. Whatever this creature is, it isn't a Tadpole. The party can learn more about where to find this "Great White Tadpole" at Frogomance.
Before the party leaves, they loot Estate Dude. Eevee takes the key the party found earlier in Naverst's room could unlock something valuable and heads upstairs to use it. Kate finds a fancy riabbau vase in the entry hall, as well as the portrait of Streje's grandfather, Lord Steram Dude. Streje is convinced to let the portrait be taken for safekeeping and not to be sold (the Vace is taken to the attic so it'd be the last thing to sink into the swamp). Babs finds some crystal goblets and some silverware. 
Eevee arrives at the locked room and opens it, revealing a dust covered guest room with some ruined fine clothes on top of the bed. Eevee pulls aside some curtains to reveal the ballroom beyond. Eevee lifts the mattress and finds a delicate silver necklace (finely crafted), a pair of irmine gloves, and an invitation to a fête 52 years ago at Frogomance for Lady Ulna Dude (Lord Steram Dude's late wife).
Henley opens a locked armoire and discovers a set of stone stairs that lead underground. Henley goes down the stairs alone, lighting their path with a torch. It leads to a stone hallway with some swamp water that has seeped inside. At the end of the hallway is a arch doorway. It leads to a well maintained mausoleum. Above the sarcophagi is the inscription "The Strength of the Dude is in the Blood." Lord Steram and Lady Ulda's sarcophagus looked scratched in a way to indicate the lids have been removed more than once. Henley peaks into Lady Ulda's sarcophagus, and sees that her remains are wearing jewellery. Henley takes a gemstone encrusted necklace and 2 beautiful rings. Henley is afraid to open the Lord Steram sarcophagus and leaves. 
===The Giant White Tadpole===
The party leave Estate Dude, with Edwina leading the way, heading towards Frogomance. Streje Dude is concerned that Edwina still wants to kill him for Naverst. Babs is uncertain when the control spell with wear off and Edwina will turn on them.
The party travel onward. Later in the day they encounter a gigantic ape-like skull. The party stop their journey to investigate inside it, with Fiona entering first, followed by Henley and Kate. The party spot a Colossal Leech inside. Kate, seeing the Leech, just walks away. Henley hisses at the Leech while Fiona holds them back. Fiona then attacks with her club.
Combat: Party Vs Colossal Leech
* Fiona attacks with her club but then gets bitten by the Colossal Leech. The noise alerts the rest of the party to join in.
* Dee misses her attack. Babs casts Magic Missile at the Leech, but the spell fails. Henley misses their attack with their axe. Scribbles lands a hit with her dart.
* Agnes tried to cast enlarge but it fails. Senga charges in and hits the leech. Eevee hits the leech with her warhammer, killing it.
* Level 1 Characters Gain 3 EXP
End of Combat
Fiona checks for wounds and feels she wasn't poisoned by the leech. Fiona then puts the 2 halves of the leech up over the horse, Dartanion. Edwina is pleased the Colossal Leech was killed, but warns the party not to tell the people of Blobutant that they killed the "Great White Tadpole".
===Arrival at Frogomance===
In the evening the party arrive at Frogomance. An ivy encrusted tower rising out of a mound, the building has 2 wings. Streje Dude notices in the distance around the entrance to Frogomance is a large party of people. 6 knights, 8 horses, 8 men at arms, all wearing black clocks with an orange eye insignia on them. The symbol is "The Eye of the Overlord". The party immediately hide.
The party's reason for coming to Swamp Dude was to recover the Eldritch Scroll of Zocarzan from Court Wizard Augusta Rubey (of Mordland). The Overload also wanted this Eldritch Scroll of Zocarzan so are also earching for the Court Wizard.
Edwina says they had a prisoner inside the tower, likely Bellon the Spice Merchant (and original owner of Dartanion). He was imprisoned for knowing too much. Streje Dude is wanted for his involvement in raiding the abandoned keep near Oakwell, so hides himself with moss on the back of Babs's Moss Elk (Jager Mosster). Edwina says there is another entrance to Frogomance, but it leads into the caverns under Frogomance and no one has been down there in some time. The party find it preferable than dealing with the Overlord's Knights.
Dee suggests working with the guards, but the party disagree with this plan (except Ler Jwee) since that would cut the party out of the loot they need to pay taxes. Agnes then suggests pretend to side with the guards, but let the guards die in the traps inside. This plan is eventually disguarded as the party is worried the guards are strong enough to get past all the traps and kill Court Wizard Augusta Rubey with ease.
The party decide to go in the secret entrance, after disguising Dartanion as another Moss Elk. Edwina leads the way to the secret entrance, hidden behind some bushes. 
===Caverns Beneath Frogomance===
The caverns appear to be a natural cavern and not carved out. The cavern is dark so Dee brings out her lantern and gives it to Kate. Ler Jwee lights a torch. The party journey deeper. The cavern reeks of rotten flesh. When the path forks, the party take the right path.
As Ler Jwee walks though some of the water in the cavern 3 large leeches leap at her. 2 Leeches attach to Ler Jwee and start draining her. Ler Jwee calls for help as she uses her torch on the leeches which release right away. Ler Jwee then flees from the pool water.
The party try to edge around the pool to avoid the leeches, but they then leap at Agnes and begin to drain her. Agnes uses her fancy sword on them but doesn't hit. Senga hits one Leech off, killing it. Streje Dude hammers off another leech, killing it. Henley takes out the last Leech with their axe.
The party safely move though the pool of water. But they come across another pool of water in their way right away. Dee suggests they all run at once. Dee, Fiona, & Ler Jwee gets hit by a leech each in the process. Dee attacks the leech on her with her 2 handed sword. Fiona rips off the one on her and throws it away. Ler Jwee misses her leech with a dagger. Kate burns away the one on Ler Jwee but does so in an incompetent way that makes her the laughing stock of the party.
The party come to another pool of water and consider their options. Babs thinks if they protect the animal's legs well enough, they can use the animals to get across the pool. Babs cakes mud on top of the layers of moss on Dartanion the horse to protect their legs. The party then take turns riding the horses across safely.
* Level 1 Characters Gain 2 EXP
The party continue down the passageway and reach an large underground pond with an albino crocodile in it. Edwina points to the ceiling saying they lower "excess supplies" down here to feed the crocodiles. And it has been a while since they fed the crocodiles. The hook on a chain is lowered on a chain, activated by a winch. Streje Dude casts spider climb to tie a rope to end of the chain, then climb to the top to the winch to prevent the chain lowering.
Kate, Agnes, Eevee, Fiona, Babs, Henley, Ler Jwee, Bescri, make it up. Edwina, Dee, and Scribbles fall off the rope. Edwina casts Magic Missile at the Crocodile near them, killing it. Dee and Scribbles try the rope again and make it up. Edwina falls again. The party argue whether to save Edwina or not. Babs insists on keeping the rope down to save her pets who haven't been pulled up. As they argue Edwina is torn apart by several crocodiles. Babs feels the mind control spell fade away. The animals flee from the sight of Edwina being devoured to safety.
The party find themselves inside Frogomance itself. 
* Level 1 Characters Gain 2 EXP
Category:Pawns and Patrons Episodes