Episode 13: The Magnificent Daggerface

## Episode summary

Backtracking slightly, this episode begins with The Party travelling north-west out of Bankton with a song in their hearts and three spoons in their luggage. It also clarifies that Don DiCorso paid them a 10,000 gold piece advance on the 30,000 gp they're getting for delivering the spoons.

As Angel's player was unable to make it to this session, she was excused away back to Bankton to check in with Hood, leaving them a man down (well, a female Gnome down) as they ran into the ambush that last episode ended on.

Draven flies up 40 feet to survey the area and quickly realsies that they are surrounded, with a barbarian ahead of them and a warlock off to the side, each protected by two minions, and on the steep hill by the side of the road are a scrawny wizard and a knife-wielding Warforged who introduces himself as THE AMAZING DAGGERFACE (see page image).

Dwarf Daggerface is less than thrilled that somebody else stole his name (despite the fact that this Daggerface was clearly using it first) and everyone else is less than thrilled that they're being ambushed, so the battle is joined. The warlock (who also has some scout levels for mobility) deals consistent damage, while the barbarian keeps Little One occupied and Black and the NPCs struggle to get past the half-plate-clad minions (see battle map), parly due to very poor die rolls on the part of Half-Orc Guy and DDF. Draven attempts to engage the ranged attackers on the hill, but they are protected by the wizard's *obscuring mist* and when Draven attempts to attack with his wand of *scorching ray*, he finds that it's useless, because ~~BX isn't actually Ray Romano, he just kind of sounds like him~~ Warfoged Daggerface can absorb the rays and fire them back at him with his *spell reflection* class feature.

WDF's dagger throws are highly effective (he's higher level than the PCs and has the master thrower prestige class) and soon everyone is knowcked out except Half-Orc Guy (who is dead) and Little One. Little One realises that his best shot is to try to get away and then come back with Angel to mount a rescue attempt, and despite his strong opposition to anything that even smells slightly of ~~common sense~~ cowardice, he circumvents the barricade and runs down the road, only for WDF to give chase with his run feat. Little One hides in the woods as WDF runs by, but rather than use the opportunity to escape, Little One leaps out and attacks WDF, but soon learns that the Warforged is less of a glass cannon than a mithryl-plated dagger dispencer. Little One soon goes down.

Black briefly awakens as the minions try and fail to remove his armour, but then falls unconcious again. Little One, meanwhile, dreams of a silver symbol on a black background (see image, right). He realises that this is a dream he's had many times before, but this is the first time he's remembered it after waking. He's also waking tied to a tree and staring into a knife-covered face.

This is the next session, so Angel's back, hiding in the trees. Everybody else is tied to the tree, including DDF, who has a bad over his head. They've all received first aid, but are only on a single hitpoint each. WDF reveals that his wizard magically communicated with their intermediary while The Party was unconcious and discovered that the contract has been called off and the bounty removed from the escrow account. Given that he's no longer being paid to kill them, and he lost two men that he'd had on the payroll for almost a week (it's Wednesday and he hired them last Thursday), he'll happily (well, angrily) give them the name of the contract setter (he'd invited WDF to his house): Matthew Patel. Apparently he's Jimmy's father and the druid who escaped from their battle with him told Patel Sr. that they were responsible for his son's death and this broke his heart, which broke his mind, which broke open is fat inherited bank account. His house is in Hengal and if they vow not to come after WDF, he'll let them go to track Patel down and get their revenge.

However, Little One regards WDF as a murderer given Half-Orc Guy's death and takes further umbrage with his having taken some of their gear and funds to cover widows' gelts and the other assorted expenses associated with losing a warlock and a generic minion bloke. Following a 20-minute argument, WDF finally agrees that he will leave Little One with all of his stuff, only taking compensation from Draven and Black. It's all the cash they had on them, but that's only about 1000 gp. Little One grudgingly agrees to swear not to hunt down or kill WDF or any of his companions. WDF cuts a small nick in DDF's bonds so that he will be able to get free and free the others as soon as WDF and co. are clear. As soon as WDF leaves, Angel comes out and frees them anyway, but it's the thought that counts.

Angel reports that Hood claims that WDF has been famous for at least a decade, which was certainly worth everybody almost dying to discover.

In the after-credits scene, Draven asks WDF what he'll do while they're dealing with Patel, and WDF tells him that they'll be tracking down the intermediary via the medium of BX's *circle dance*. BX is less than thrilled at the prospect. This is also the first time BX's name is mentioned.

## Trivia

* This is the first episode for which Demonac provided all of the art assets.
* This episode reveals that the TDDC world has days called Wednesday and Thursday and that Thursday immediately succeeds Wednesday.