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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 23, 2018 20:15:36 GMT -5
Moathouse second expedition notes:
Following a week of recuperation at the Inn of the Welcome Wench, the party made a second foray to the moathouse, with five PCs {excluding Nessabella}, as well as Elmo, Spugnoir, Furnok of Ferd, Zert, and both the traders' groomsman and man-at-arms {with the party happily appreciating Zert's offer to pick up the expenses for the traders' men, as the party was now extremely depleted of funds!}.
The partys' mounts were left in the traders' mens' care in the hills above the boggy lowlands surrounding the moathouse. The party advanced single file across the rotting drawbridge and through its broken gates to enter the moathouse. (A brigand lookout spotted the partys' approach and retreated to the "black chamber" to warn his comrades, where an ambush was prepared by the brigands' leader).
As the party advanced up the broad, littered steps to enter the house portion of the fortress, Kerd directed a search and the rangers {Sylvan & Elmo} noted signs of traffic {human, animal, and perhaps otherwise?}. Nevertheless, the party advanced past doors at the apex of the stairs, passing one door flat on the floor, and the second sundered.
Thus they swept into remnants of a great hall, with its destroyed furniture, wall-hung tattered banners and tapestries, and heaps of rotting cloth thrown into the chamber's corners. A moaning breeze rustled leaves and dirt covering the floor, as torchlight caught the glistening of cobwebs hung from the walls and ceiling above. Broken off beams and chunks of stone intruded from above, in a menacing, entwined mass, stunting overhead passage to any creature larger than a rat.
A branching hall to the left, both festooned with and additionally at its end, adorned with a pair of stout doors...a second hall to the right, with stairs up to meet the completely choked rubble sealing the collapsed and ruined upper level of the fortress, past that yet more flanking doors with the beyond spilling into enigmatic darkness...and a heavy door across the great hall ahead...where to go?
All these choices were spurned, when instead a narrow opening just past the left hallway was the party's choice, and a rustling, squeaking horde of giant rats swarmed out from there through the ranks of the party, hungrily snapping their rabid teeth to mince fresh flesh! Yet the party fought back, with Elmo hatcheting a few right away with his sweeping, cleaving battleaxe. The critters shrunk back from Kerd's sweeping torch-flame, and Athyra, Dontae, Cornelius, Sylvan, Furnok, Zert, and Spugnoir skewered, smashed, sliced, and thus attrited several more - it was all over in a second round of battle, with the PCs left in gaping wonderment at Elmo's battle prowess?
There were some light wounds taken during the melee: by Sylvan, Dontae, Kerd, Cornelius, Spugnoir, Zert, and Furnok. Yet, at the end, there were thirteen dead giant rats, and a party with an appetite whetted for battle...
The giant rats' lair {a forgotten storeroom}, was searched, and a jug filled with oil was recovered from an upper shelf. Spugnoir was the elected oil-bearer, the marching order was set, and the party stalked down narrow stairs within {a long-lost gold ring laying on a stair-step going unnoticed}, delving into the dank moathouse dungeon, with Athyra and Zert leading the way, followed by Elmo and Dontae...
To be continued...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 23, 2018 21:08:45 GMT -5
I had to pinch myself...it's so much fun running this adventure again, over 35 years later!
Especially after what was to come next...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 23, 2018 21:15:45 GMT -5
Have you ever had PCs put a bounty on Zert's head following his betrayal of the party? How did you adjudicate that?
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 25, 2018 11:43:26 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
As the bottom of the stairs to the dungeon was approached, Zert hung back, yielding to Athyra's lead. A pendulous mass fell from the archway above with a sickening splat, and Athyra was coated by green slime, from her helm peak and fanning across her upper torso!
Zert jumped back and screamed, "burn it!", and Elmo, "scrape it off her!", as Elmo lunged forward, grasping at Athyra's belt. The rest of the party was at a loss for what to do, as Athyra stood shrouded in darkness, sensing prickly corrosiveness seeping to cracks of exposed flesh at the face and neck about her helm.
But Elmo's grip struck the pommel of Athyra's longsword, and he drew it hastily from its sheath. As the stunned party looked on, Elmo scraped the green slime onto the long sword, and then cast it down to the base of the stairs. As the party looked on, the green slime mass ate its way through the longsword, and the remnants of Athyra's corroded chain mail slumped from her shoulders, collecting into a misbegotten garland at her waist.
Then the partys' oil and flame were put to affect, burning the cast off green slime to ash, and also torching a second green slime mass spotted after Kerd directed to scan the dungeon ceiling ahead for any other threats.
The party gathered their courage and elected to soldier on with exploration into the moathouse dungeon, even though Athyra had lost both her longsword and chain mail armor to the green slime.
Zert quietly grit his teeth, knowing that his time to act was swiftly approaching...
To be continued...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 25, 2018 15:30:37 GMT -5
Continuation moathouse second expedition notes:
The party fanned out into a large area at the base of the stairs - sighting a few torn sacks, broken barrels, and shattered weapons racks - once a storage place and armory for the fortress? Great heaps of worthless rubble and broken containers and furniture rested in mounds at the western end of the room. Twin stone pillars flanking the stairway rose from the dungeon's stone floor, undergirding a ten-foot high stone ceiling.
To the east of the stairwell past the structural pillar, an iron-bound wooden door, set juxtaposed and faced to a twenty-foot wide corridor extending south into shadows at torchlight's edge, this with a rank of three more formed stone pillars buttressing its stone ceiling. This southern passageway stood lined with several {five or six?} cells on the west side, and was also pierced with an opening halfway down its east wall - more choices for the party, where to go?
The eastern door was chosen, and forced {silently and a little too easily?} ajar by Dontae, who peered into the littered storeroom beyond the threshold, discovering a completely unremarkable mess of filth and broken junk. Yet in the opposite corner of the square room, a second iron-bound wooden door stood ominous sentry as the party approached...
Dontae cast this door open into a larger chamber, it with a central stone pillar and additionally four others radiated diagonally towards the chambers' corners. But what was laired within much worse, a leering hideous hulk, rose up from pillars' shadows to stand next to the central stone column, drooling and seizing up Dontae and the front ranks of the party...
Zert yelled out, "run for your lives!", and turning, fled back towards stairs and the moathouse ruins above...
To be continued...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 25, 2018 16:50:01 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
So the party fled, with only a sole exception, Elmo, who closed with battle axe to meet the ogre's long, cleaving bardiche. "Dinner time for Lubash, a tasty morsel you will be!" growled the menacing hulk.
So it was a cold duel, and only Cornelius spun back around from his flight immediately after noticing Elmo's battle advance, to witness first blows.
Elmo and Lubash closed to fight with a tied initiative roll. So it was an immediate weapon speed factor check, with Elmo at the advantage battleaxe {speed factor 7} versus bardiche {speed factor 9}, he took the first strike against Lubash's answering cleaving sweep.
Elmo landed his blow and staggered the mighty ogre. Lubash's counter-strike missed wildly as Elmo slipped from the arc of the sweeping blade. The party had now slowly crept back to gape at the spectacle, with the exception of Spugnoir and Zert. And so they saw the final flourish, as Elmo's battleaxe cleaved Lubash's skull, and the ground trembled as the ogre's body stiffened and toppled, crashing down onto the hard stone floor. All the more now, the party stood in awe at Elmo's heroics.
A lone voice called down from the top of the stairway, "is it safe to come down?", and Spugnoir crept down to rejoin the party, stating that he had stopped at the top of the stairs, while Zert had continued on?
The room was canvassed by the party, and while they avoided the nest-heap of old clothing, skins, carpeting, and rags that reeked of ogre-stench, Lubash's large wooden chest was looted for its meager treasure of 823 cp, 46 sp, and 3 gp, and its other assorted knick-knacks of glass beads and brass candlesticks.
And at the southwest corner of the room, the heavy bar crossing an iron-bound oaken door was lifted, as the party discovered Lubash's pantry's grim captives: two lightly tortured humans, as well as a badly beaten gnome...
To be continued...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 25, 2018 21:48:33 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
The captives were brought forth from Lubash's grisly larder, with the merchants questioned first, as Sylvan attended to the badly beaten gnome, casting CLW to hasten healing of his bruised flesh.
The humans attested to being taken captive, themselves simply traveling merchants out of Dyvers, their caravan taken by marauding brigands. They spoke of being tortured somewhere within this horrid dungeon by evil men, who had probed for information of other planned caravans, their cargoes, and their warding defenses. They promised to send forth a reward for the party, once the merchants could return safely to Dyvers.
The gnome thanked Sylvan, and presented him with a plain iron ring, "if you are in need, and my people are nearby, show them this band, surely you will find ready aid!" He confessed to being a captured spy, taken and beaten by a vicious band of gnolls. He also vowed vengeance upon his malevolent captors, assuring of his eventual return to the Inn of the Welcome Wench after traveling back to Greenway Valley in the Kron Hills, both to report back to his people and to gain a long rest back to full health.
After a pause, the party decided to retreat back up the stairs to the moathouse ruins above, hoping to start their sojourn back to Hommlet...
Yet this plan was to be interrupted, as Zert's machinations surfaced...
To be continued...
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 26, 2018 10:43:52 GMT -5
I like how you had Zert try to cause trouble in more subtle ways, rather than simply turning on the party and attacking them when they were weak. "Burn it!"could have resulted in them getting rid of the green slime, but possibly killing Athyra in the process, as well! And "Run for your lives!" could have resulted in some dying in combat with the ogre while the others ran away, weakening the party overall. Well played.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 26, 2018 12:03:09 GMT -5
I like how you had Zert try to cause trouble in more subtle ways, rather than simply turning on the party and attacking them when they were weak. "Burn it!"could have resulted in them getting rid of the green slime, but possibly killing Athyra in the process, as well! And "Run for your lives!" could have resulted in some dying in combat with the ogre while the others ran away, weakening the party overall. Well played. Thank you - it was fun! This party has been keeping me on my toes, I didn't expect them to plunge straight into the moathouse dungeon on their second expedition. I was expecting them instead to explore the upper level ruins first. So I had to think quickly on what would Zert do?!
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 26, 2018 12:19:29 GMT -5
I like how you had Zert try to cause trouble in more subtle ways, rather than simply turning on the party and attacking them when they were weak. "Burn it!"could have resulted in them getting rid of the green slime, but possibly killing Athyra in the process, as well! And "Run for your lives!" could have resulted in some dying in combat with the ogre while the others ran away, weakening the party overall. Well played. Thank you - it was fun! This party has been keeping me on my toes, I didn't expect them to plunge straight into the moathouse dungeon on their second expedition. I was expecting them instead to explore the upper level ruins first. So I had to think quickly on what would Zert do?! And you probably have an inkling what Zert's next moves are coming in this second expedition...?
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Post by GRWelsh on Feb 27, 2018 8:36:40 GMT -5
And you probably have an inkling what Zert's next moves are coming in this second expedition...? My guess is he'll team up with the bandits of the Black Chamber to ambush the party.
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Feb 27, 2018 8:39:11 GMT -5
And you probably have an inkling what Zert's next moves are coming in this second expedition...? My guess is he'll team up with the bandits of the Black Chamber to ambush the party. Yes, you're onto Zert's next move, but it goes a bit beyond that also...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 10:22:03 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes: The captives were brought forth from Lubash's grisly larder, with the merchants questioned first, as Sylvan attended to the badly beaten gnome, casting CLW to hasten healing of his bruised flesh. The humans attested to being taken captive, themselves simply traveling merchants out of Dyvers, their caravan taken by marauding brigands. They spoke of being tortured somewhere within this horrid dungeon by evil men, who had probed for information of other planned caravans, their cargoes, and their warding defenses. They promised to send forth a reward for the party, once the merchants could return safely to Dyvers. The gnome thanked Sylvan, and presented him with a plain iron ring, "if you are in need, and my people are nearby, show them this band, surely you will find ready aid!" He confessed to being a captured spy, taken and beaten by a vicious band of gnolls. He also vowed vengeance upon his malevolent captors, assuring of his eventual return to the Inn of the Welcome Wench after traveling back to Greenway Valley in the Kron Hills, both to report back to his people and to gain a long rest back to full health. After a pause, the party decided to retreat back up the stairs to the moathouse ruins above, hoping to start their sojourn back to Hommlet... Yet this plan was to be interrupted, as Zert's machinations surfaced... To be continued... Meanwhile, an ambush had been prepared within the ruins of the great hall above. The brigands' leader set His eight men in final positions just outside of their "black chamber." "Remember the words of our Master, and fight relentlessly to victory this day," commanded Zert, "whatever few curs escape His ogre's grasp, ensure that all are slain to the final man - then your reward will be great, for they carry with them some coin!" The brigands' leader turned, "And what of you, Zert? Stand and fight with us, we could make use of your sword joined with ours!" "Bah, I have other matters of import to attend to, and will leave all the spoils to you and your men," spat back Zert, and turning, he strode down the broad steps into the moathouse courtyard, out through the broken gates, and across the rotting drawbridge. Leaving the stinking bogs behind him, Zert hastened up the trail into the hills above the moathouse. There, he found the party's steeds, guarded by the traders' man-at-arms and groom. Kobort and Turuko watched on, hidden in the scrub at a distance, "We must wait. Patience, my Kobort, these fellows here look tough, but whatever of the others, they must be mightily weakened, and yet carrying much loot for our taking." "The party has all fallen, I am the lone survivor," exclaimed the wide-eyed traitor, "you must ride quickly for Hommlet NOW!" I will take my steed, and the other warhorse as well. Take the rest of them to your masters at the traders' establishment, that shall be their spoils for this trouble." Wheeling his destrier, Zert grasped the reigns of Athyra's steed, trotting back down to the stinking bogs to head for the concealed tunnel entrance to the moathouse dungeons. The traders' men set off in a canter back up the scrub trail towards Hommlet. "Ready your warhorse and your lance, Kobort," commanded the scrawny monk, "you must run through any survivors that issue forth from the moathouse!" And with that, the strange pair advanced down the trail towards the moathouse...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 12:20:31 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
The party advanced single file back up the stairs from the moathouse dungeon, quickly sweeping through the rat-infested storeroom at the apex of the steps, fanning out into the ruins of the great hall. Only Kerd hung back at the rear of the party to guard the freed captives.
The party's rangers spotted the impending ambush, but lost initiative. ATTACK," screamed the brigands' leader. Fired crossbow quarrels and hurled weapons {a javelin, a spear, and a hand axe} flew at the party from behind cover, while three brigands took to the charge with halberd, voulge, and horseman's flail. Elmo advanced quickly to vanguard the counter-attack, flanked by Dontae and Athyra.
Spugnoir, who was readying to cast a sleep spell, was struck by a crossbow quarrel and fell to the ground, unconscious with zero hit points. Cornelius was able to cast his shocking grasp spell. Furnok of Ferd took missle wounds and quickly vanished from sight. Sylvan fell a charging brigand with answering arrow-fire, and then the melee ensued.
It was murderous...Elmo quickly cut down the two remaining charging brigands while taking a light wound. The party lost initiative as the brigands' leader drew his longsword to close to battle alongside a spear-wielding brigand. Four brigands continued missle attacks from behind cover, three with crossbows, one with hurled javelins.
By the time the party could counter-attack, only Elmo, Cornelius, and Sylvan remained standing to fight, the rest were either unconscious or worse? Where was Furnok? Dontae had been cut down by the brigands' leader's longsword. Cornelius landed a shocking grasp touch on the spear-wielding brigand, who flailed into electrocution demise. Sylvan continued arrow-fire at the concealed brigands, and took down another enemy. Elmo landed a cleaving blow to the brigands' leader with his battleaxe, staggering the warrior.
So it was Elmo, Sylvan, and Cornelius left to fight three brigands and their leader. The party finally won initiative.
That was when Furnok of Ferd reappeared, backstabbing a crossbowman to his death! And Elmo vanquished the brigands' leader with a mighty blow. Sylvan took down his third brigand with arrow fire.
The tide had finally turned, as the last brigand was then surrounded and cut down, but at what cost! The party rushed to attend to wounds of the fallen...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 13:39:16 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
Zert turned over Athyra's warhorse to his dark liege, "Whoever escapes Lubash's grasp below will surely fall to the brigands above!"
"You make doubly sure that happens just as you claim," answered Lareth, "there are to be no more loose ends!"
Zert ground his teeth, "Yes, my liege, I shall part with you now for oversight to those ends!"
Zert wheeled and returned down the long tunnel, exiting through thick briars and brambles and shrouding rocks back into the stinking bogs. He made his way back to the causeway, mounting his steed to trot carefully back towards the moathouse.
"What's this?!" he cursed under his breath, as he saw the party on foot up ahead, bearing their casualties in a crawl back up the track towards the hills above the moathouse. "Inconceivable!"
Yet, further up the trail, a well-armored, hulking figure rode out of the scrub mounted upon a destrier. The warrior, armed with a lowered lance at his side, and on his other hand also a short, sinewy associate? "Who are these men?" Zert muttered, yet hoped they would finish the malevolent work he had started.
"Either way, it's time to depart," he grumbled and turned his warhorse about, to take a circuitous route back to Hommlet, and clear out his room at the Welcome Wench Inn...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 13:59:24 GMT -5
The various personages and their motivations really made this harrowing second expedition a lot of gaming fun, although the party members became increasingly frustrated and desperate to make it out alive...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 14:37:35 GMT -5
It gave me more to think about as a DM - what would Zert do next, since he survived?
In my previous campaigns, Zert had either perpetrated to a successful TPK during a brigands' ambush, or else had died in the attempt.
What would you all see for options of what to do next with Zert as a NPC?
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 17:06:28 GMT -5
After the party looted the fallen brigands, they collected themselves to make for the trek back to Hommlet. Spugnoir came to, but was still too weak for anything other than slow walking.
Athyra came to also, but she was worse, and Furnok had to walk with her, supporting most of her weight.
Dontae was fighting for his life, "We need to hurry to our horses," Sylvan fashioned a makeshift litter from Spugnoir's pack supplies and scraps from the ruined great hall.
Elmo led the way up the causeway towards the hills above the moathouse, only to be blocked as a warrior in splint mail rode out from the scrub, astride a tall, broad destrier, heavy lance lowered.
A wiry figure appeared a few steps back and to the side of the mounted warrior. "Throw down all of your packs and loot, then return to the moathouse, all of you!" commanded Turuko, "or you shall surely fall to the mighty Kobort!"
"Over my dead body," answered Elmo hefting his battleaxe to the ready.
"You stubborn fool of a drunk!" screamed the thewy monk, "now you shall be skewered, ATTACK, KOBORT! RUN HIM THROUGH!"
And so Kobort spurred his warhorse into motion, and bore down upon Elmo the Scout.
And Turuko advanced quickly, while unsheathing twin daggers from his belt.
Dontae's litter was set down, as Sylvan went for his bow and arrows, while Cornelius grabbed a knife from his belt.
Kobort charged, and was sure that his lance would pierce deep into Elmo's gut, yet upon striking the leather armor, the point turned as if striking something hard and Elmo twisted sideways, bringing his battleaxe around to strike in counter-attack at the warrior. The return blow glanced off of the doughty warrior's stout mail.
Furnok set Athyra down, and disappeared from sight?
The Bakluni monk hurled daggers, with one striking Cornelius, dropping him as he drifted to unconsciousness.
Sylvan answered back with arrows, wounding Turuko lightly.
Kobort came about to make another run at Elmo, while Turuko and Sylvan closed to melee.
Kobort charged once again as Sylvan and Turuko traded blows, both missing with their attacks. And it was then that Furnok reappeared, landing a backstabbing attack on Turuko.
The monk's screams resounded as Kobort and Elmo clashed again. Kobort was sure that he had Elmo this time, yet his lance was turned aside? How could that be that leather armor was this rugged? Elmo's counter-strike also missed - it was tough landing a solid blow on this heavily armored warrior, especially from his lower-vantaged attack!
Elmo had taken some wounds from the destrier, however, he was still strong to fight on.
Kobort wheeled his warhorse as melee continued, with the badly wounded Turuko fighting for his life against both Sylvan and Furnok.
There were some more missed attacks, yet when Kobort's charge met Elmo a third time, his monk companion finally fell to Sylvan's and Furnok's swords.
Although Elmo took more wounds from Kobort's heavy warhorse, his heavy lance glanced off of Elmo again, and Elmo also missed a third attack.
Kobort came about and saw Turuko fall screaming in agony to his death.
"Noooo, this wasn't supposed to happen this way!" shouted the hulking figure, as he slumped confused in his saddle, lifting his helm off his tree-stump skull.
He dismounted and clambered to ground, rushing to cradle the limp monk in his brawny arms, weeping in dismay...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 17:27:47 GMT -5
Continuation of moathouse second expedition notes:
Sylvan attended to Cornelius, binding his wounds, as Elmo went warily to Kobort, and Furnok looted Turuko.
The hulking warrior looked up from his sorrow, "what does Kobort do now, what?"
It was then that Sylvan interjected, "Come with us, we need you! How was it that you became partners with this Turuko?"
"He said together we would become rich and famous, only I must follow clever Turuko!" exclaimed Kobort.
"You will become rich and famous with us now - would you join with us, and together, we will make back to safety in Hommlet?" asked Sylvan.
And so the party soon realized that their steeds and the traders' men were gone, and they limped back to Hommlet, heaping curses upon Zert's name...
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Post by davegibsongreyhawkdm on Mar 12, 2018 17:38:39 GMT -5
Dontae didn't make it. As the party returned safely to Hommlet, he passed on.
It was then a weeks' rest for the surviving party members to return to full health.
The party inquired about Zert at the inn, but Ostler told them he had come and gone before they arrived back to the village. The merchants and gnome were put up at the inn, with the party pledging payment for their overnight stay.
They also went to the traders' establishment for their gear and to complain that the traders' men had left them, yet Rannos Davl and Gremag explained that it was Zert that had hired their men, and had informed them that the entire party had been slain at the moathouse. Their goods had been turned over to the traders and paid for, would they want to purchase the items back from the traders?
The party cursed Zert all the more, and spread word in Hommlet that a bounty was offered for Zert, and they would pay double if he was captured and returned alive to the party...
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