Session Report 2: "You Damn Dirty Apes!'

Player Characters:

• The Bonz Level 1 Cleric, Human, Chaotic Evil

• Little Jacob Level 1 Druid, Human, Neutral

• Ludwig Kaiser Level 1 Fighter, Human, Neutral

  Down Time Resolution

  The Bonz arrived to the colony with no money so he took advantage of his secondary skill as a tailor / weaver to work for a spider silk weaving factory that makes clothing for artisan class citizens of Paradiso in bulk. He is maid a modest wage of one silver piece a day and works seven days a week. he arrived in Paradiso on 6/13/23. It will take him two days to find an employer. This would be a total of sixty four days of work, so he will be paid sixty four silver pieces over this time frame. In his off time he made three bottles of putrefied water, and bought a club to craft a weapon with the stingers he took from the Ixitxachitl encounter. I told him the crude weapon will have the stats of a sheleighly club, but the stingers would break after three hits and then it will just be a normal club.

  No one else had downtime because they didn't have pcs in the game yet.

We started the session at about 9 pm which is pretty late for us but one player had to work till 7, I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and he had to roll up a PC when he arrived. Fortunately the other players had read my posted rumors in our Discord server and had decided on what the party would do for the session.

8/19/23 There is an article in a local paper regarding the new high fashion trends of Krozpont capital of the old world. The merchants have taken a liking to wearing clothing made from fabrics derived from the glittering skins of giant dragonflies. Krozpont is willing to pay 600 gold coins per square foot for the skins back in the old world.

Their is also a job opportunity that had been posted to a work board in town by Maroni Security Contracting who operate as the guards as well as the army of Paradiso. The party goes to the nearest MSC post to inquire about the job. The guards tell them that traders and travelers alike have been attacked on the roads between Paradiso and a town to the North named Brightoni. The attackers leave no bodies or evidence when they make their moves except for the wreckage of the carts and wagons that have been ransacked. They suspect it is being done by either lizardmen, savage natives, or some new group of crafty bandits. They are willing to pay for intel depending on value and reliability, fifty gold a head for each of the perpetrators, and a bigger reward will be discussed once successful with a portion of the recovered good also be given to the adventurers.

After speaking with the adventurers for a little and realizing that they are foreigners fresh off the boat, they asked them if they would be interested in another more private opportunity. The party said they would be interested so they went inside to discuss it. An organization known as The Huntsmen Society has a hunting preserve to the North closer to the frontier where they hunt dinosaurs for sport. The MSC want to try to incorporate these creatures into their forces yet the Huntsmen Society won't sell or permit the MSC to hunt any due to "ethical concerns." If the party were to secure some eggs or even a full blown dinosaur, and deliver it to a MSC post in Cliffino, then they would be rewarded handsomely.

Little Jacob was conflicted on weather giving the dinosaurs to the MSC was a good move, so the party decided to stick with the original plan and try to stop the attacks along the road. The party geared up with four hireling spear men under Ludwig's command, as well as some birds and a guard dog. The party traveled on the road heading North out of Paradiso into the jungle. For the rest of the day, the party did not get any encounters even through night as they camped.

8/20/23 The party travels till they get to a bridge that crosses a small river. It is being patrolled by four guards with plate and halberd, two stationed at each side of the bridge. As the party approaches they are hailed by one of the guards and warned that the strange attacks have been occurring on the other side of the river and to be prepared incase they are attacked. The party thank the guard for his advice and continue across the river with no encounters for the rest of the day or though the night.

8/21/23 Its a quite morning as the party packs up to get moving for the day. Little Jacob and The Bonz pray to their deities and prepare their spells for the day, whilst Ludwig and his men pack up camp. They travel till midday when they see a disturbance up the road. There appears to be a cart tipped over with its wheel torn off. As the party approaches a roll for surprise which leaves both sides unsurprised.

A trio of carnivorous apes gathered around a fresh corpse eating the torn limbs of an unsuspecting merchant come out of the brush. The apes are enraged at the sight of the party ruining their high protein lunch. Initiative is tied for the first round. The apes charge at the party whilst Ludwig's men at arms set their spears. The spears deal a blow to one of the apes but the apes start swinging.

Fun fact about carnivorous apes is they have two attacks with their fists for 1d4 damage but if both attacks hit the target they get to deal rend damage for an extra d8 of damage. And that's just what happened to one of Ludwig's men. He screamed in agony as the ape picked him up and ruthlessly ripped him in two right down the middle by pulling his neck and shoulders, real nightmare fuel!

The Bonz throws an oil flask at the beasts but it goes wide and lands off into the tree line. Then the druids spell of speak with animals goes off. Little Jacob says," Ay mon' we don't need to be fightin' here. Can't we talk this out over a blunt mon'?" The very large ape who appears to be the leader responds angerly, "Nah, you humans are terible! You act like you own the jungles but they belong to us apes! Our Leader King Karin has unified the apes and we will get rid of the humanz and feast upon them!"

Seeing as peace appears off of the table the party declares actions and then roll initiative. The party wins and they take their attacks but the apes are fierce foes who have five hit die of health each, yikes! and Ludwig manages to make a decent hit on one of the apes with his long sword and slashes the beast across the eye. That will leave a gnarly scar! Then the Bonz with his great wisdom casts fear on the large ape causing him too disengage and flee the battle for one turn. The two apes still engaged swing at the men they are engaged with and pulverize both men into the dirt killing them. The one with the scar looks to Ludwig with revenge in his eye.

Next turn apes win initiative and the two take their swings one ape misses but the second makes both his hits and they both go to Ludwig causing rend. Ludwig is now torn in half by the ape and killed in a hauntingly gruesome fashion. His last words, "Get your damn hands off me you filthy apes!"

The last man at arm holds moral and swings at the apes with The Bonz and Little Johns hawks and guard dog. Little John casts Shillelagh on his club, its time to take revenge. Initiative is rolled and the party wins. The Bonz lands a big hit on an ape, but Little John comes in clutch with his shillelagh and crack the other ape over the head killing it. The alpha ape starts to approach and the other ape misses his attacks.

Next round our boys win initiative again and land some hits, then the apes who lost their surprisingly east moral check, disengaged and headed for the hills, the opportunity attacks from the party didn't land. With combat over the party takes a breather reflecting over what just happen and takes a moment of silence for the dead. They search the cart and find five hundred gold and two pieces of unidentified jewelry. The party takes time to fix the cart which they are able to do and pull it with them North to Brightoni. No further encounters for the day or the night.

8/22/23 The party travels all day and makes it to Brighitoni with no encounters at about 10 pm. They both get rooms at the Banana Cabaña,

XP and Treasure Split Between Little John and The Bonz

Carnivorous Ape - 327 xp

500 gold - 500 xp

(Two pieces of unidentified Jewlery) ??? XP

Ratings

The Bonz: E - Excellent, his cause fear on the largest ape probably saved the rest of the party.

Little Jacob: E - Excellent, not only did he finish off one of the apes but because of his speak with animals spell they gained more valuable information regarding the apes.

Ludwig Kaiser: D - Dead, even though he died he fought bravely and if he would of lived he would of received an E rating.