Haunted Halls: Downtime in Eveningstar

Carousing, pastoral-style

Since the party struck it rich back in Delve 3, I decided to test out my variant carousing rules and had them throw a feast. My party and the NPC party are jointly funding it, although from a mechanical standpoint each group is rolling separately. I wouldn’t normally go into this level of detail for an NPC party, but I decided that since they found the treasure and returned to town together it would make sense for them to throw a joint party.

Selling the Loot

Using the Haggling rules in Carcass Crawler #2, Eldred sells the emerald rings at the Silver Branch (Eveningstar’s jeweler) for 6,800 gp. He later learns that Ivy’s party beat him to it and got a slightly better price as a result (7,200 gp) but decides to keep this to himself.

Lodging

The party stays in the best rooms that the Golden Unicorn has to offer for the princely sum of 1 gp per person per night. They feel that they should be loyal to their regular even though they’re rich now. Even Sassaran is convinced to stay in town rather than camping in her usual grove.

FEAST!

D6 rolls (for a village feast) determine that Trigg’s party contributes 400 gp each, while Ivy’s party spends 500 gp. The bonus XP takes Trigg, Ivy, and Berrybert to level 2, while Root the Wanderer achieves level 3! At this point I decide to implement another house rule regarding attribute gains on level up. My 3d6-in-order guys are fairly unimpressive, so the chance to improve feels appropriate. I’ll roll a d20 against two stats of my choice and one random stat. If the d20 equals or exceeds the characters attribute, it increases by 1. Trigg gets +1 Intelligence from staying up late going over the party’s expense reports with Eldred, while Old Dolf’s Charisma goes from an 8 to a 9. Perhaps he is becoming less wheedling now that he has some friends.

Preparations for the feast take several days: the cooks of both inns are kept busy, people from the outlying farms bring provisions to sell, and the monks of Lathander contribute a cask of their famous abbey-brewed ale. Tables cover the yard of the Golden Unicorn, lights are strung in its trees, and a space is cleared for dancing.

During the Feast

I quickly realized that my feast rules imply a very specific milieu and required some creative interpretation for a village feast rather than a lord’s hall. My feast rules always give a character a complication, with a saving throw shading whether the results are good or bad. I’ll note whether the character passed their saving throw or not in (brackets).

• Trigg (failed) – Received a Gift: A young woman presents Trigg with a feast-day shirt embroidered with designs that match the sunflower-and-hare heraldry on his shield. By accepting he is obliged to dance with her the whole night, which earns the concern of the girl’s parents who will be watching the adventurer closely from now on.

• Gimwort (passed) – Game of Skill: The locals tease the dwarf for his short legs and difficulty following their country dances. He amazes the crowd with a display of dwarvish tumbling, earning their good-natured approval.

• Sassaran & Taravol (both failed) – Secrets Revealed: with both elves getting the same result, I decided that they were both so pleased to have another elf to talk to that they spend the entire night in animated conversation. Sassaran learns about a series of caves in Starwater Gorge that the NPC party started exploring (the so-called Caves of Chaos), while Taravol learns everything that the PCs do about the Haunted Halls.

• Eldred (failed) – Fallen In Love: the poor enchanter has fallen head-over-heels for Arbold Tethyr’s fat daughter, who he encountered while shopping for lantern oil last time the party was in town. She considers Eldred to be a kind and charming man but she wants someone more robust for a husband. Eldred is heartbroken.

• Tansybell (failed) – Made a Boast: the halfling lass takes too much ale and (perhaps worried that she hasn’t done anything very adventurous yet) she vows to stand at the front of every battle on their next delve.

• Old Dolf (failed) – Granted a Boon: when Lady Winter of Eveningstar makes her brief courtesy visit to the feast, a drunken Dolf begs her for a kiss. She tells him (not unkindly) that when a Purple Dragon Knight receives the accolade it is customary for his lord to seal the ceremony with a kiss. Has he accomplished any great deeds worthy of knighthood? Dolf isn’t one for swearing solemn vows, but he does not harbor a half-serious daydream of becoming a purple dragon knight.

Summarizing the rest of the NPCs: the reticent Ivy surprises everyone with her pleasant singing voice, while Berrybert and Dagger get into a big argument and are thrown out. Meanwhile, due to a miscommunication over druidic rites of celebration, Root the Wanderer is banned from the Golden Unicorn henceforth. Some reaction and loyalty rolls determine that the NPC party stays together, setting up camp in an old ruined farmstead just outside of town.