Pawns and Patrons: Episode 09

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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: Sky (level 1 Warrior) a surfer bro. 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.
* Fallow Wimple: Elderly Male Frog. Wizard.
* Court Wizard Augusta Rubey: Wizard Frog. Party have quest to find them because they disappeared with the Eldritch Scroll of Zocarzan.
==Recap==
===Night Watch===
Before going to bed the party set watches for the night. Streje Dude goes to the master bedroom with Babs, Fiona and the injured Henley, while the party go to the guest rooms. 
During Sky's watch he hears a voice say "Now. It has to be now." Sky hears the voices are coming from the servants quarters. Sky creeps up to the servant quarters to hear more. He hears Fallow Wimple and Edwina Wimple talking about doing the ritual right now to Naverst. Naverst insists to the others that things must be done in the proper order, and in the long term Augusta and "school" will appreciate it more. Fallow and Edwina agree with Naverst.
Sky sneaks away from the servant quarters and heads upstairs to talk with Streje about what he heard. However once Sky gets to the Master Bedroom he smells the incense that Fiona has used in the ensuite. Fiona is alerted by the sound of Sky entering the room and shouts loudly and breaks a bottle. Rehborah bursts into the room to investigate the noise and grapples Sky and asks what is going on. Fiona says she was just having a bath and people keep coming into the room. Naverst with Fallow and Edwina then come into the room to see what his happening. Naverst is unhappy that Streje has shared his bed with the others, and is unhappy that Fiona is using the bath tub since it meant for the Lord only.
Eventually the servants leave the room. Sky goes to Streje and tells him what he overheard. First about the ritual they want to hold, then about Augusta, who they came to the swamp to find. Both Sky and Streje try to avoid making a decision, so wake up Babs to decide for them. Babs wakes up from a dream where a large stomping noise could be heard outside the estate, but when she is awake she assumes she was just hearing Fiona. Babs decides they should just go to sleep and deal with the situation tomorrow. When Babs falls asleep her dream continues and she hears the monster stomp away from the Dude estate.
Dee and Bescri are on the third watch. Bescri finds in a desk in the master bedroom a portrait of Lady Ulna Dude face down. Lady Ulna was the matron of House Dude, and died a few days after Lord Steram Dude. She is holding a golden sceptre in the portrait, the same sceptre in Steram's portrait. There is no sign of where the golden sceptre currently is. 
Bescri tells Dee what she found. Dee says they'll have to look for the sceptre tomorrow.
===New Day===
Streje is woken at dawn by Naverst opening the curtains in the master bedroom, then serving breakfast on a tray to him. Naverst says he needs to go to Blobutant for things for the feast tomorrow. Scribbles volunteers to tail Naverst to Blobutant to see what happens. Babs tells Streje about their dream, but they don't understand the meaning.
Rehborah shows the party to the smoking parlour, then drags a billiards table into the room. Rehborah then heads outside to keep digging holes again.
===Divide & Conquer===
The party start their plan to talk to the Frogs separately. Streje, Babs, and Sky go to a guest room and call for Edwina to speak with. Edwina arrives but says she is busy with preparations. Babs drags Edwina into the room and insists she sit down. As Babs handles Edwina, she realises that Edwina's arm is that of a skeleton, covered in clothing and gloves. Babs pulls down one of the gloves to show everyone. Edwina cackles with laughter. This shows she is a corrupted wizard.
Combat: Party VS Edwina Wimple
* Edwina throws a magic missile takes at Sky, throwing him across the room, taking him out.
* Streje casts Choking Fog (Choking Frog) on Edwina, requiring Streje to use stats to make the spell successful. Babs shouts out for help, then goes to casts Magic Shield, but Edwina casts counter spell with Magic Missile, beginning a spell duel, that results in the Magic Shield & Magic Missile being stopped.
* The noise alerts the rest of the party to the situation and they start to rush upstairs to help. Kate & Dee rushes to the room. Streje throws a dart then takes cover. Babs casts Charm Person and Edwina is brainwashed.
Combat Ends
Streje calmly talks with Edwina before the rest of the party arrive in the room. Babs checks on Sky and finds that he has died. Babs then tells the rest of the party what happened while Edwina talks with Streje.
Edwina explains that Naverst wants to become the rightful owner of House Dude, which means draining all of Streje's blood and pumping it into Naverst's own veins. The plan was to poison everyone at the feast tomorrow, then drain Streje afterwards. Then they have to return to Frogomance to help Court Wizard Augusta Rubey summon the Froghemoth, a greater demon of the god Bobugbubil. Babs realises that is what her dream was about. Edwina draws a map to Frogomance.
The party sees Fallow Wimple start to climb the staircase outside. Fallow is no longer wearing his darkened glasses and sees that he has no eyes instead has burning coals set into them, meaning he too is a corrupted wizard. 
Combat: Party VS Fallow Wimple
* Agnes, the nearest to Fallow, casts Ekim's Mystical Mask on herself. Fiona then hits Fallow with a Warhammer. 
* Babs tells Edwina that Fallow is against the plan now, so the party have to take him out, otherwise they will never be able to drain Streje or summon the Froghemoth. This enrages Edwina. Edwina casts Magic Missile at Fallow, killing him.
Combat Ends
As Fallow dies, his body evaporates into steam that coils up into grasping tendrils.
===Post Battle Cleanup===
The party talk with Edwina more. Edwina explains she doesn't care at all about Naverst's plan and ritual, but is doing it because he has helped her out in the past. The lost sceptre is somewhere in the sunken wing of the house. Edwina says the party should head over to Frogomance to see if the summoning ritual as begun already. The party, except Dee & Kate, agree to go along. Dee & Kate stay behind to deal with the corpses. Streje wants the lost golden sceptre so goes to search the flooded section of the estate first.
Before Streje enters the sunken wing he sees two large creatures swimming there. Agnes casts Enlarge on Streje. Streje casts Choking Fog on the creatures in the water. It kills both the colossal leeches. Streje then goes into the water and searches. He enters a flooded art gallery and finds the Golden Sceptre inside a locked wrought iron displace case.
Inside Dee & Kate search the dead and find 81 golden coins in Fallow's belongings, as well as Fallow's Spellbook. 
Outside Edwina tells Rehborah that the situation is in hand, and she is just taking the party out for a walk. Rehborah goes back to digging.
==Experience==
Level 1 Party Members: Gain 6 exp each
Streje: Gains 2 exp extra for killing 2 colossal leeches
Category:Pawns & Patrons Episodes