It’s hairy in the cave, and the monsters (such as 1-hit aqua-zombies, CC the flopping choker, a skeletal archer, and some spiked-tendrilled weeds (a real swamp thang) are like really handsy. Don’t read too much into anything, though.

After numerous poor dice-rolls and one PC-death, everyone squeaks through with no heals, no action points, no second winds, no way to radio for an air strike, and very few hit points (or hits, even). Gil used half (one draught) of the healing potion from Inius’s bag.

Our heroes emerge into a pastoral scene. In the distance are some dashing barbarian horsemen, riding forward to [do something].

NEXT: And Even In Arcadia?

Behold, the contents of Inius’s bag:

• A vial containing two draughts of a healing concoction
• A Parrying Dagger
• An ivory tube containing sheets of parchment in an unidentified language
• Sealing wax
• A signet ring, the seal of which Breadgar recognizes from adventurers in Baldur’s Gate, though he doesn’t know any specifics.

It is unaccountably cold, even/especially for this elevation, latitude, and season.

Floating downriver, our crew sees an apparently human boy up on aledge. Gil takes a shine to him.

His father hates the Netherese, and the boy seems impressed to be in the presence of warriors. He’s going to be a horseback warrior when he grows up.

The kid seems earnest. He explains that the grown-ups are on the other side of a cave/tunnel. A lot of the big people have trouble, but if the party makes it through, they’ll be proved as [whatevers] of his [barbarian social unit]. “May the Fire Lord look after you!” OMG, Breadgar has this totally great idea for an opera!

Our heroes’ slave caravan is attacked by goblins. In the commotion, they see a chance to escape, but not without their gear. Lazy bullet-point time:

• They are attacked by sucky, grabby, membranous-winged Sturges.
• Cloak, the cruel-SOB slave-supervisor is wearing The Agent’s cloak (from “Incident Involving Innias”).
• Gluther, the not-a-total-prick slave-supervisor passes Breadgar Inius’s bag (also from “Incident Involving Innias”), with a message: “Tell Inius to look for me in the Pushnar.”
• Our heroes splat some minions, kill some Sturges, wander through yellow smoke, mutually withdraw with a goblin hexer, get their gear (except Gil, mostly), and run off south into the mountains.
• Cloak still has The Agent’s cloak, and his bird may or may not have witnessed the escape.

This was pretty much a Playtest session for the new players and their characters.

- Innias, a sketchy troll of a human (not troll-ist!) takes our heroes through the Sewer-gate of Freedom, right into the arms of the local constabulary:

- Innias the Weasel bolts ahead, straight towards a mysterious, purple-cloaked figure (“THE AGENT”)

- After a brief, Three Stooges moment in which everyone in the party rolls eight initiative, Kruu squirms out the grate after Innias, towards THE AGENT and Cop #3. Innias furtively passes a Mystery Bag to Kruu. SLICE! Take that, Cop Number Three! THE BATTLE BEGINS!

As battles tend to be, the whole thing is kind of a blur. THE AGENT near-kills Innias, and offers Kruu 1000 gp for the Mystery Bag. REFUSED! Everyone gets bloodied. Of all the things in the world to be, Cap the hedgehog can turn into a tree! Breadgar heals Innias (Makeover!), takes three damage from THE AGENT’s poorly-thrown dagger. CAP CHANNELS THE POWERS OF <s>THE EARTH</s> FAERUN! Kruu has a dog-pal. Bite, bite, bite go the jaws. Whack, whack, whack goes the Sune-stick. Grab, grab, grab, go the tendrils. Two cops down (ethics check passed). THE AGENT turns tail, runs to the rooftops, unaware that he has an appointment. With. Fire. In a single bound, the athletic Breadgar scales the roof, readies his greatclub, and hits THE bloodied AGENT with Avenging Flame. Hey, nice cape…

- Things have calmed down a bit. Cap and Breadgar have the leisure to sit by the fire and bet on the outcome of dog-pal versus Cop Number Three versus Kruu-as-a-boar. (ethics check fails:) KRUU KILLS! Breadgar wins! Cha-ching! Just in time for Mom to come drag everyone back to the underground slave kennels.

- But where’s Innias?

BUM-BUM-BUUUUUM…

Kruu ended up with Inius’ Bag, a small leather case with torn edges and a small ivory lock.

Breadgar picked up the Agent’s Cloak, which is more of an Agent’s Cape on his enormous frame.