PTC Mission Summary

Part One: Sword & Sorcery & Retail (Oxford)
Marty, Matthew, Nels, Miles, Val'drin, Bambi

The Knights were briefed about a mission to Oxford to meet a mage who owned a bookstore, who had received a mysterious shipment, which had  been broken open when he got into work that morning, and was filled with webbing.  Mr. Broggon believed that the escaped creature was still in his basement, and had asked the Knights, as his ally, to come help him clear it out.

Arriving at the bookstore, Broggon greeted them and got them tea and coffee.  Just at that time, another delivery was made and when Broggon bent over to examine the shipping label, a tentacle burst out and grabbed him, dragging him into the crate.  As they struggled to free him, Bambi recognized the creature as an otyugh just as it broke loose.  Val'drin managed to get in the killing shot and spoke to Broggon, who aired his suspicions that he was being targeted for his work with Shadow and magic, and that both crates had been sent from something called "PTC" on the label.  He offered them some equipment that might help before they headed towards the trapdoor where the other crate had been stowed.

Below, they found the remains of the crate, and that a door had been busted out, the hall beyond it full of webbing.  They followed it into a hewed out area that forked in two directions.  Val'drin, however, walked right into a web.  They were subsequently attacked by some little spiders, which they managed to kill.

They continued though the tunnels, running into some dog-sized spiders next.  Nels and Val'drin managed to kill it, and Val'drin commented on how he'd prefer not to be the one who killed them himself, because Lolth took special interest in those who killed her beloved spiders.  Under some webs, they found a large chest, which Val'drin picked open, filled with potions and a magic longsword enchanted with a haste spell, which Nels laid claim to.  

They headed forward and found a bear-sized spider, which they immediately attacked, drawing the ire of some smaller ones as well. Upon killing it, they headed into a chamber beyond.  It was full of what seemed to be egg sacs, which they found a way to set on fire.  Broggon told them that he had had no luck finding out who "PTC" was, and they took their leave to grab some dinner.

Tobago mission summary

 Thoster, Christos, Aedan, Hook, Penelope

The Knights were briefed about rumors on the island of Tobago that hinted at a smuggling network revolving around slaves, through a place called the Devil's Fire Tavern, slaves that might have come through the Slovechnian slave trade.

They arrived at the tavern, where Hook became convinced from a sarcastic lead that they were looking for a "Walter White".  Christos noted that they were being watched and Thoster and Hook staged a barfight as a distraction.  Christos noticed a man coming in from a door that led further into the building, tracking in wet, red mud, and read his lips to learn that they were keeping slaves in a cavern.  Penelope and Aedan decided to try posing as potential buyers, and went to speak to the owner, Corwyn, while Christos snuck through the door.  When the barfight accelerated and Corwyn had to go deal with it, they followed Christos into the back, which seemed to be a storeroom.  They discovered their way into the rooms below and Thoster was disturbed to find a tapestry dedicated to Oghma, god of bards.   Behind it, they discovered the entrance to a tunnel which led to a portcullis, which was trapped - it slammed shut with Christos on the other side and subjected him to brown mold.  Aedan managed to get the lock open, and they continued on, hearing barking. They discovered a pen full of dogs guarded by a half-orc, who let one loose on the party.  Christos killed it readily, and he and Hook took down the half-orc before it could release any others.  After some argument over what to do with the remaining caged dogs, they left them there.

They found their way into a cave where slaves where being held and guarded by pirates and another dog.  They took them down easily (Christos, once again, killing the dog) and they freed the grateful slaves.  Christos noted that they had tattoos that had been branded on them, which Thoster had heard of - they were a way for slaves to be magically tracked.  Realizing that the only way for these people to be truly free was to remove them the hard way, Christos flayed the tattoos off one of their skin and Penelope immediately healed them. Realizing how long this might take, they decided to try to get the prisoners out alive.  

They decided to head back and explore another tunnel.  Doing so, they found an exit and got everyone out.