Session 66 - Tavern Troubles
Rurik’s guns roar, Jaruul goes down, and Kailas’s rage turns on his own. Sneid ends it with three shots. Then the party trades a wrecked tavern for a new home, a name, and a road to Dravenmere.
Guns and Rage
- Dristuul’s Vermin Shroud filled the room — fog and a cloud of insects swirling around the bandits and Jaruul.
- A bandit with a crossbow fired twice, landing one hit.
- Kailas raged and tore into the nearest bandit.
- Korin attacked a bandit beside Rurik — one that had been turned into a sheep; the confused creature loosed a shot toward Jaruul.
- Rurik Drenn opened up on Jaruul with his two “boom sticks” — one hit knocked Jaruul unconscious.
- Dristuul ran to dispel his own Vermin Shroud, then threw a dagger at Rurik. Nyxara healed Korin and tended Sneid Arkmos.
Friendly Fire
- A cornered bandit shot his crossbow at Kailas.
- Kailas, lost in blind rage, swung at Sneid Arkmos (and missed), then bounded onto the counter, spotted the unconscious Jaruul, and smirked.
- Korin closed on Rurik and struck.
- Rurik Drenn holstered his guns, drew his sword, and laid into Kailas, dealing heavy damage — but Kailas was surrounded and could not move.
- Sneid Arkmos fired three times — two to the chest, one to the head — and killed Rurik.
- Kailas, still raging, hit Korin and shoved him into a wall; Korin answered with Hold Person, freezing him in place.
Watch and Learn
- Dristuul threw a dagger and tried to intimidate the last bandit into standing down — and failed.
- Sneid Arkmos stepped up — “Watch and learn, kid” — pressed his gun close, and made the bandit stand down.
- Dristuul searched Rurik’s body and found a broken gun.
- The party interrogated the sole surviving bandit, learning about the relationship between Aldric and Rurik, then let him go.
The Aurora Borealis Tavern
- The bartender was distraught over his wrecked inn; the party decided to help fix the damage. It took about three hours to make the place presentable again.
- Korin gave the bartender 50 gold; Jaruul had Kailas haul the bodies out the back.
- The bartender introduced himself as Tvil, and the establishment was renamed “The Aurora Borealis” (formerly The Vulnerable Swordsman). The party discussed better terms for the workers and agreed to stay the night.
- Hearing Korin’s armour rattling, Tvil joked that he should oil it, recommending lube from the Red Vale and pointing them toward a “very interesting Black ‘Smith’.”
Back to Aldric
- The party returned to Aldric Voss and reported that Rurik had been taken care of, discussing the Empire’s emperor and Kailas’s notoriety.
- Aldric told them to seek out Dravenmere — a heavily military settlement, mostly dwarves, tied to Empire royalty and once frequented by Corvin himself — where Kailas could learn more about his lineage.
- When Korin mentioned The Cradle, Aldric recognised the name. He spoke of something called The Intake and recalled that the Empire had once had a problem with missing children — though he could not remember the details.
- The party invited Aldric to visit the newly renamed tavern.
- As they turned to leave, Aldric called out to Kailas and challenged him to a duel — to test his mettle.