O&F5 Session 1: Making Friends

1 Oakenfall, 103 Third Interregnum, Maremot   Oloward the Magnificent and Bubbles San arrive in Maremot on the first day of Oakenfall, stopping in to say hello to Lico, the cousin of Berardo Utreico from Utrei, who works at Ciatore's Commoditous Catch. Hungry as they are, they stop first at the Inn of the Foolish Manatee , where they meet Massimo Fischer , the innkeeper. As Oloward demands to eat manatee, Bubbles tells Massimo to serve him ham and say it is manatee (among other business conducted), a ruse that the wizard does not at first see through. As Oloward and Bubbles settle in, the overworked Curate of Saint Gulibert's Church, Father Cidrico Valone, comes in for rest, relaxation and alcohol, accompanied by his guest, the aasimar Tavi. Oloward tries to send Elegabalus the Major to eavesdrop on them; Elegabalus the Major tries to convince him that Tavi is saying that she fancies Oloward, the response to which Tavi overhears but does not act upon. As this unfolds, a third group enters the inn, consisting of the eladrin Elantadi "Ela" and her elvish companion Ievos, in the company of a childlike hooded figure who soon turns out to be the goblin child Crim, who they saved from lizardfolk in the swamp last night. They have come from Prior Brandarius Mor of Monsallorea to place him in the care of Father Cidrico, who eagerly inquires after Brandarius and accepts charge of the orphaned goblin. Just as Massimo brings everyone a round of beer on the tab of the curate, they are startled by the tolling of Maremot's campanile bells, raising the alarm.   As they hurry outside, they find the guards holding up a bunch of goblins that are scurrying into the town. Coming to the aid of the guards, the group of adventurers, assisted by Cidrico, make short work of most of the goblins when they are startled by the arrival of four lizardfolk mounted on giant lizards who appear to be chasing the goblins but who are also content to pillage and burn their way through Maremot. In a chaotic battle in which Oloward and Bubbles try to mount and tame the giant lizards, Tavi almost burns down the parish guildhall, the guards go down a number of times to be saved by Tavi and Cidrico, and one lone goblin survives by cowering behind a statue of King Hespius, they manage to save Maremot. Following the battle, there is a brief altercation with one of the guards who is not amused to see Oloward and Bubbles try to train giant lizards who killed some of his friends, and who is delightfully trolled by Oloward. In the ensuing discussion, Bubbles sets the lizard free at the behest of Tavi.   As they return to the High Town of Maremot, Oloward pronounces the group a group. Oloward picks up the goblin cowering behind the statue, pronouncing him his "friend". The poor creature accedes to all this and is led towards the inn, where Crim (after being promised magic lessons by Oloward) interprets the goblin's language and tells the party that they are Baublerock Tribe, rather than his own Bogmoss Tribe. They were trying to seek refuge in Bogmoss Village, without knowing that it was burned the night before by the lizardfolk. Meanwhile, in a conversation with Bubbles outside, Ela and Ievos reveal much of the same information, relating the tale of their finding Crim in the swamp being set on by lizardfolk and coming to the conclusion the incident in Maremot must be related. Gathering at the inn again, Massimo welcomes them back with tankards of Tenalaner Weissbier and, upon hearing that the lizardfolk came west across the river where they normally don't go, informs the party that the Baron of Fordefract, Lodo of Fordefract, might be up to something. Tavi remembers that he is indeed building a bridge and that she was chased away. The innkeeper speculates that the involvement of the Arlesians might amount to something more than building a bridge, and suggests investigating this as a possible cause of the lizardfolk's behaviour.   The party discusses what to do next before going to bed. Tavi advocates taking Massimo's suggestion, while Oloward wants to go directly after the lizardfolk with the help of the goblins. The goblins are, however, reluctant, especially little Crim. In the end, they strike a compromise: the party will go after the lizardfolk into the swamp, but they will not take Crim and his Baublerock friend along.   As the party settles on rest, Ciatore Caliberto, the flamboyant owner of Ciatore's Commoditous Catch and Lico's boss, storms into the inn, informing those present that the lizardfolk took Lico (and, more importantly, an artifact he was doing some work on). Ciatore tries to convince the party to move out the same day, but the party refuses, after which Oloward expertly trolls Ciatore by giving him a minor illusion pig's tail. After this final event in an eventful day, the party goes to their rooms to rest in advance of striking out into the swamp the next day…