Eberron s1e2 - let's flog this hobbo shite

Second session of our Eberron game. With way, way more stabbage, death, activating an artifact, more mayhem and death, avoiding upset dinosaurs, a run on udder salve, returning to civilisation and getting fleeced by Halfling healers, selling hobgobbo antiques, narrowly avoiding getting knifed to death in an alleyway, and scoring posh train tickets.

Recap

The players found ancient Dhakaani hobgoblin ruins and the resting place of legendary Dirgesinger Jhazaal. Over 9000 years ago, she fled in disgrace after losing a series of battles with unnatural hordes from the plane of Xoriat. Jhazaal lies buried with the mighty horn Ghaal'duur, which strikes fear in the hearts of enemies of the goblin race and fills goblins with mighty anger. After knocking out their two goblin porters (understandably pissed off that filthy non-goblins are looting Jhazaal's remains), the party takes a quick breather.

Roll call

• Falco, Human wizard 1 out of Karrnath, former acolyte of the Church of Vol, looking to become a freelancer of the Finder's Guild. Ultimately: in search of immortality.
• Rathan, (Stout) Halfling ranger 1 out of the Talenta Plains, an outlander warrior searching far and wide for news about his disgraced, outcast family member (who at this point has neither name nor background).
• Merrick, halfling Lhorsan, High Elf rogue 1; the player decided he wanted something else than the halfling he rolled up, so reskinned his character into this Elf with a haunted past. Free life-sucking cursed item for me to screw with, yay! We decide Lhorsan has always been with the party. Apparently he's a master of disguising himself as a halfling.

Session report

Mild carousing occured at the end of the session, but the group has been remarkably tight-lipped about their adventure. Here's what is known.

Stuff that's fun to write down even though the group didn't spread the story in their carousing is indented like this.

Ventured out from Gatherhold a week ago, in the employ of the disgraced scholar Hedrak. Returned with a diseased Hedrak and checked him in at the healing hands-enclave of House Jorasco. Sold antique Dhakaani weapons out of rare and exotic Byeshk metal for ~2500 gp total. Hit level 2 at the end of the session with some carousing.

In a small village of Dhakaani cave dwellings, had a hard fight with creatures from the dark under the world. Two Dolgrims and a Dolgaunt almost take the party down, but liberal applications of necromancy and Byeshk hammers turn the tide.

Employer Hedrak freaks out during the whole affair: don't hurt these specimens too much, they'll fetch a better price if you can mount them without visible wounds! ...Are you using those antique weapons to bash in their brains?? Put down that priceless relic! Mercifully, the Dolgaunt decides to bore into him with a thousand tiny tendrils, which shuts up the archeologist nicely. And gives him a beautiful infection for the party to deal with later.

Group barricades a room to take a long rest and recuperate. Lhorsan's armband prevents him from regaining hit points. Instead, he plays a bit of a tune on the ARTIFACT OF DOOM TO GOBLIN FOES. Will saves are made and failed, and the party races away from the sound of their impending death. Lhorsan is less affected. Looking around, he sees that Vrotmort, one of their goblin prisoners has managed to break his bonds. Bit of an adrenaline surge to hear the old battlesong, really. A well-placed illusion buys Lhorsan the time to rejoin the party. Soon, the sense of doom subsides. Having left all his equipment behind, Falco heads back for his spellbook and takes out the enraged goblin with sweet necromantic power. Lootage continues.

After all this, avoiding a belligerent Glidewing is just one more thing on the to-do list. The party decides not to push their luck and leaves the heap of shiny underneath the nearby Glidewing nest be for the moment.

Halfling chief Iliera rides up to the hammered, broken and bleeding group a couple of miles from the cave dwellings and is genuinely puzzled why anyone would want to enter into the haunted caves. She gives the group a pot of udder salve (good for little scrapes and bruises) which the party promptly slathers all over each other.

Party pays Jorasco Halflings to use actual remove disease magic on Hedrik after basic care does bupkis. Grateful Hedrak offers to share the findings of the expedition as if the three were actual full members instead of henchmen. Henchmen make it clear that this is already the de facto situation, but don't make too much of a point out of it.

Sold two antique Dhakaani weapons made out of aberration-killing Byeshk. Sale one to Black Axe Outfitters by Lhorsan went ok; sale two by Falco to a band of Hobgoblins was about to go south until a friendly Half-Orc named Artosh stepped in.

Half-Orc introduces himself as Artosh, expedition master for Tymen Rand. Rand is an extremely wealthy adventurer and a member of the Wayfinder Foundation. Talking to Falco, Artosh offers to get the party into the annual Wayfinder Auction so they can sell any other finds from their adventure at a decent price and get famous. A deal is struck; the PCs and Hedrak will board the lightning rail to Fairhaven to attend the Auction, sponsored by Tymen Rand Expeditions.