Previously on Zhymballa
While exploring the caves below the abandoned monastery, the heroes rescue Gighur and seven other prisoners. While looking for an exit, the group meets a goblin who offers them a way out in exchange of the heroes killing as many undead as they can. The heroes accept, but the monastery is so packed with skeletons and zombies and they barely make it out alive.
A happy mistake
On their way home, Davos explains to his friend Til why he’s so on edge: he got the married daughter of a powerful Ridgeport merchant pregnant, and the father has decided that the best way to fix the family’s reputation is to kill Davos. The father hired an elite dragonborn mercenary group who has been trying to kill Davos for the past few weeks. Til promises to help him.
Night under the stars
The heroes and the rescued villagers arrive to an abandoned farm and decide to spend the night there. Sister Scarlet, the cleric part of the rescued villages, gets Salazar in her blankets, and they sleep together. Only they know what exactly happened during the night.
Trees and kids
The next morning, near Rockbreach, their destination, the heroes meet a ten meters high tree magically given consciousness and walking in their direction. The kid part of the group that the heroes rescued sees the amazing creature and runs towards it, but as he gets in front of the tree, the tree shouts “You foul goblin!” and smashes the kid with a fist the size of a halfling. The kid falls unconscious. Almost instinctively Salazar charges against the tree, and the rest of the heroes follow. It quickly becomes obvious, however, that the tree outguns the well-intentioned group. They then decide to try the diplomatic approach, which takes some finesse when you’re dealing with a massive creature with little intelligence and which was not designed to be sentient. Eventually they convince the tree that they aren’t goblins, and they point it in the direction of the abandoned monastery. Meanwhile Salazar revives the kid, no longer excited to see walking trees.
Mission accomplished
The group arrives in Rockbreach in time for lunch. All the villagers and Sister Scarlet profusely thank the heroes one more time before parting ways. Davos decides to stick with the group until the issue with the dragonborn is resolved, and Gighur, reluctantly agrees to go meet Minnesota. She congratulates them on their success, and pays them. Til brings her up to speed on the man leading the goblins and the undead and his plans. Minnesota seems intrigued and offers to meet at night during the “Thank you” party that the village is preparing for them.
Til and Dawn go explore the village, in particular they explore The Leaping Wolf tavern, but its owner, Misro, isn’t too friendly and, according to Til, her bedroom doesn’t contain anything of value.
Party!
The party takes place at The Bloody Lamb inn where all the heroes except Salazar are staying. Salazar is staying at his cousin’s place, his original reason to be in the area. Dawn decides to participate in the ale drinking competition, but he falls unconscious after a couple of beers and is out for the night. Meanwhile Til meets Bharash, a male dragonborn sorcerer with a penchant for thievery. They first met on the streets of Ridgeport years ago when Til taught Bharash how to pick locks.
A while later one of Minnesota’s minions asks the heroes to meet her outside of the inn. There, Minnesota asks Til and Bharash to clear the abandoned monastery of undead and to kill this element of uncontrolled chaos, Frederick, who adds too much risk to her business. In exchange the dwarf offers money and, more importantly, membership into her guild, The Caretakers Syndicate, and its information network. The heroes can almost touch the gold and the loot with their imagination, so they agree.
It’s complicated
After the conversation with Minnesota, and back at the party, Til and Bharash notice Sister Scarlet talking to Balana, Salazar’s beautiful cousin. This is followed by Balana hurriedly leaving the inn with her hands covering her face. With all the tact that the situation asks for, Til then loudly informs Salazar of the event in front of a crowd.
Featured characters
The heroes (level 2)
- Bharash: male dragonborn sorcerer.
- Dawn: male wood elf ranger.
- Salazar Astorio: male human paladin.
- Til Grassthorn: male halfling rogue.
NPCs
- Balana Astorio: cousin of Salazar.
- Davos Trickfoot: male halfling rogue, best friend of Til.
- Gighur Shatterheat: male dwarf merchant.
- Minnesota: female dwarf who hired the group to rescue Gighur.
- Misro: female human owner of The Leaping Wolf, the only tavern in Rockbreach.
- Sister Scarlet Turtleneck: female human cleric of Ulaa who wants to have sex with Salazar.
Places
- Abandoned monastery: ruined monastery northwest of Rockbreach.
- Ridgeport: coastal town ruling this province. Til, Davos and Bharash come from there.
- Rockbreach: small coastal village, the heroes’s home base.