Saturday Fantasy Trip Recap - To The Weeds!

Doing a bit of shopping, our heroes that use bows managed to pick up some new bows and arrows from Licheli's Shop of Unusual Bows and Arrows (from Fantasy City Scenes III) and a few other odds and ends. As they are in the marketplace, young Micheal shows up, begging for help:

Micheal comes running to the group - ‘Elspeth has Rat’s Bane. Their hideout is in rat-infested sewers, and she managed to catch the disease. In fact it is spreading like wildfire through the small group (Toddy, Estalar & Aleesa (twin elves about 6 - why are they abandoned in Edge City?), Eret, Wynna). Their manager, George, a wizened old man looking to be 90 but quick with his hands and mind, has been trying to help them. There is another half-dozen children about, but they seem ok. While two of the other children have been cured by a local cleric, there are other problems with the doctors, clerics and magic users with healing potions that are taking time, and George did not have enough gold. There is a plant that grows outside Edge City in the hills to the north that can be used.

I had made up a few notes for things to do and was thumbing through my book of Dreaded Diseases and Amusing Afflictions and the Rat Bane seemed interesting, especially as the child gang of thieves live in rat-infested sewers or abandoned buildings. Using yet another book about poisonous plants a decided on the vetch for some reason. No, it really makes no sense but hey, it is a small adventure at the moment.

First the group finds an apothecary that Hexis knows of, Eleanor Codington's shop (from Fantasy City Sites and Scenes II - see, finally using this stuff! Yay!) The Elf speaks for Dawn in Low Elvish a moment before getting back to common and asking what she can do. After the explanation, it turns out she has 5 bottles of an antidote for the rat's bane. Not many carry it as it only effects the poor who often cannot afford the cure, or do not know what it is until too late. And why only 5: because I intentionally set up 6 small children and I had 5 tiny little bottles for props...I think when my son was little we were planning on doing some sand in a bottle thing. Which only got as far as the bottles).

Alas, only 5 bottles for 6 children

Turns out there is a meadow up in Olmstead's Farm to the north, perhaps half a day walk, that has a field full of the plant, or weeds as Hexis and Axz keep calling the plant. Purchasing a healing potion as well, they are tasked with filling a burlap sack with the vetch so that Eleanor can brew up more antidote for rat's bane, and she will pay in another healing potion for that.

Taking the medicine, little 12-year-old Michael getting a ride atop Deimos, they find George and the children in a battered and abandoned tenement. They give the healing draughts to 5 of the children, Hexis being blunt about death comes to all, but they are off to get more weed to help cure Wynna. When Dawn asks about the twin Elves, George says that they were found on a raft under a bridge that is often a lover's tryst, so makes for easy pickings when the couple is otherwise distracted. The young Elves had fine clothing that Dawn recognizes as aristocratic clothing, but the children are in a delirium and cannot speak.

Just go down the road yonder, and turn right at the fork

Heading out, they get directions from the guards to Olmstead Farm, north and turn right at the fork. Heading out the first part of the journey is uneventful as Dawn sings to keep the company in good spirits, and they turn right at Guedliva's Inn (not knowing that the group of wanted murderers is under the well at this very moment trying to get through the dungeon there). The second part of the journey they encounter a small group of brigands, asking for a gold apiece to pass. Violet turns violent and unleashes the first attack with an arrow. Which missed, but fortunately misses Axz, who had moved behind the brigand.  Of course, a battle ensues, and one of the archers managed to shoot his buddy in the back (hey, it can happen to bad guys as well as our heroes!). They manage to kill all the bandits with the help of a summoned bear. Who, even with some dried salmon, was not too happy about being summoned from his berry patch and ordered to attack the bandit leader. Who he killed. The bodies had a little bit of money on them, along with some weapons. Wrapping up the weapons and hiding them a bit away from the road, they wrote no thieves here in the bandits' blood on their foreheads. Hearing a horse and wagon come up a few minutes later, they meet Mrs. Olm and her child William. They were returning from Edge City, dropping off a wagon of hay. The city goes through a lot of hay every day (and something to think about so that the horses are all fed in the city). While William is not quite old enough, he does look at Dawn perhaps a bit longer than his mother would like. As the group explains their mission, she gives them a ride to the farm. Deimos meditates most of the two-hour trip, regaining his strength from the magic used to summon the bear. Mr. Olm is at least 20 years older than his wife but does know of Eleanor and after a recap of the situation, sends them to the north pasture which is being let fallow this year and the vetch is growing wild. 

The group finds and fills up the sack, along with a second sack with roots and whatever part of the plant is needed to see if the apothecary can grow the plant in town. Violet had to tell the Lizardman and Goblin what to do as she has some amazing farmer skills. They clean up and enjoy a hearty meal and Dawn serenades the group again. They pick up a couple of rumors: two towns over graves seem to be emptying out, though if a watch is there nothing happens. And the Iron Castle seems to be mounting some attacks. Both rumors came from the Deck of Destiny - one of the players found that box and was looking through it as we played, so I had him draw out 2 random cards. 

We left with the group bedding down in the barn, the barn cats keeping clear of Axz. Unlike the cats around Fugh, these cats do not trust Goblins. And they are not sure about the lizard man either. Though Violet will wake up with a cat on her stomach, Deimos will have two cats curled around him, and Dawn has a cat that slept on her head. But at least they did not get bitten by rats!

Nothing too exciting, but we added some rumors from a random source, and I think the group had a good time. I do need to figure a more over-arching plan for them but so far mostly sandbox stuff. And figure an organic way to get Deimos another powerstone or something. Magic is hard for low level characters, but I like it that way. And I managed to use a few of the things I have, which makes me feel better about having all this stuff. If I can use it, then it is not just FOMO and the collector's impulse!