The Tarak D&D Campaign - Trading and Partying In Filrath

Welcome to the next post in a series where I describe the adventures during a 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran a little while ago.

Last time around our players finally wiped out the brigands who had been plaguing the Filrath road through Heimial Forest..

In Filrath - Trading

After killing off the bandits, the rest of the journey to Filrath was relatively uneventful. They arrived at the fortified town of Delholm, seat of Baron Ulric. I've posted about him before, in Worldbuilding Prompt #451 - Marv Makes A Siege Engine

Delholm is a smallish city or large provincial town. Its walls are painted a vivid terracotta red, with red tile roofs on each tower and wide strung between them to protect the battlement walkways. The citadel is in the centre of town, small but strong.

Within the town, most buildings are wooden with infilled daub walls and roofs steeply pitched against the winter snows. The main market is in front of the citadel.

After a perfunctory interview with the town guards (who appeared reasonably relaxed, and explained that as long as they don't use magic in town or murder anyone, it's a decent place), the party went off to find lodgings . They booked rooms in the Thunor's Hammer, based on a couple of them wanting somewhere with (they hope) a lively party atmosphere at night. They would get that, and then some.

Having done that, they then went to the market to sell the merchandise they'd carried from Tuadun. The party bard, Scarlet, was assigned as "chief salesperson". When I asked her to roll on charisma to see how well the sale goes, the dice came up a natural 20. Very nice ! They came away very happy, having sold everything at a price significantly above their expectations.

In Filrath - Partying

To celebrate, they went back to the Thunor's Hammer and bought everyone there a drink. It was the start of what they hoped would be a night of exuberant carousing, a party to let off steam and commemorate all their achievements so far.

They hadn't realised that they were in the roughest tavern in town, and the evening rapidly degenerated into a barroom brawl once the locals realised there was money to be had.

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio

The fight was fairly even at first. The locals outnumbered our adventuring heroes by about three to one, but individually were no match for experienced adventurers. Both sides were quite happy to dish out non-lethal damage, and the only weapons in use were clubs, cudgels and a couple of sidearms where the flats were being used.

But although most of our players remembered what the town guards had said, it was almost inevitable that one of them would forget (or just not care) in the heat of the moment. The character who did it wasn't a surprise to me; it was Nairo the Aasimar mage.

Nairo had kept a low profile for most of the fight, sitting back and trying to avoid being noticed (yeah I know... not easy for an Aasimar !)

But when one of the locals came at him with a club, Nairo didn't stop to think. He announced that his life was in danger, and that he was acting in self defence. Then he hit his attacker full in the chest with all three bolts of a Magic Missile spell.

The fight stopped, and the pub went quiet.

The mood changed from jolly fisticuffs to something far more serious. The landlord, Thor Smarjasson (who just happened to be a retired local thug well known to his regulars) pulled a large double-slotted heavy crossbow from behind the bar and told the party in no uncertain terms to stand where they were until the constables arrived.

It was clear that Thor would be willingly backed up by all the patrons who were still upright, as they produced an assortment of swords, axes and bows.

When the constables arrived a few minutes later, they were in enough force that the party would have a serious fight on their hands if they tried to resist. Despite everyone else backing away from Nairo and trying to look innocent, the whole lot of them were arrested. But the constables weren't unreasonable; they issued receipts for weapons taken and let them keep their cash. That disappointed the locals !

Image created by AI in NightCafe Studio - yeah, AI doesn't quite get the idea of a double-barrelled crossbow, but it's got Thor just how I pictured him, so close enough !

In Filrath - A Night In The Cells and A Deal

The party were expecting what happened next. They were consigned to the local jail to spend a night sobering up and cooling their heels.

Very sensibly, they decided to stay put and let the situation play out. Nairo was convinced he'd done nothing wrong and that they'd be let go in the morning.

What actually happened was that when morning came, they were taken before Captain Tor Heimar, Captain of the Delholm Constabulary. He gave them a brief lecture about the seriousness of their crimes and then made them "the offer".

In order, he said, for them to be released without charge and allowed to return to Filrath in future, he had a job for them. They were to go to the eastern boundary of the Duchy and seek out a rebel known as Enthor of the Woods who has been causing problems for quite some time. They are to offer him amnesty if he surrenders himself peaceably, and to kill him if he refuses. If they succeed in this mission, they will be rewarded.

Naturally, the party jumped at the chance to not just avoid punishment, but to have some adventure and earn a bit of cash !

Next time..... Enthor of the Woods