Session 8: Summer Solstice Festival Endings

Date: 2025-07-22
Game Date: 20th and 21st Kythorn 1495 DR
Tags: Level 1

Summary

After dominating the pit fighting deathmatch, F.B.N. headed over to the Bluelake to participate in the drunken rowing contest to win a brand new boat. The contest requires a five-person team to row a flat raft to the center of the Bluelake and touch a model of the prize keel boat.

Contest Rules

The judges explained the following contest rules to F.B.N.:

1. Team Role Requirements:
2. One team member must serve dwarven ale to the rowers and backup rowers
3. Two team members must row and drink ale from the server
4. One team member is a backup rower if one of the main rowers passes out
5. One team member is the boatswain and must coordinate rowers and steer the raft. The boatswain also must touch the model of the keel boat in the middle of the lake
6. Competition Rules:
7. A judge will accompany each rowing team on the raft to ensure no magic is used to win the race
8. The first team to touch the model of the prize boat wins the race
9. Prizes:
10. First place: The boat
11. Second and third place: Purses of gold

The Rowing Contest

Kaladin was reluctant to participate as he is a dwarf and dwarfs do not swim! Josette gave Kaladin her Rowvinneed Mead to calm his fears. The mead tasted like black licorice (Kaladin's favorite candy) and mellowed him out.

Team Assignments:

• Valtair: Boatswain (steering and coordination)
• Jilliean: Server (dwarven ale distribution)
• Kaladin & Fordare: Primary rowers
• Josette: Backup rower

Race Events

F.B.N. started strong, neck and neck with six other boats, but Valtair got off beat with the cadence, causing Kaladin and Fordare to paddle the raft in a circle. Valtair managed to course correct, but the direction change caused Jilliean to break a bottle of dwarven ale.

With the course correction, F.B.N. fell to third place, trying to catch up to the elven team in the lead. Josette held onto Valtair as he stretched out to touch the model boat, but Fordare and Kaladin were too drunk to row straight. The elven team touched the model first, winning the race.

Result: F.B.N. won second place and a 500 gold purse.

Paying Off John's Debt

After winning enough money to pay off John Summers' debt, the party walked to the Beached Leviathan to pay Big Boss. John tried to convince Jilliean to let him captain a family boat, which she declined with just a stare of her narrow eyes.

When entering the Docks District, they observed drunken sailors being picked up and taken to ships—apparently a press gang operation.

The Negotiation

At the Beached Leviathan, John told Big Boss that F.B.N. was there to pay off his debt and that they had won a match at the pit fighting arena. Big Boss claimed John was behind on payments, invented fictitious fees, and inflated John's debt to 3,500 gold.

Josette counter-offered to go on a week of dates with Big Boss if he:

• Cut John's debt to 2,500g
• Covered the remaining cost F.B.N. owed to Big Boss for protecting the Dwarven Enclave's goods in Warehouse 7

The Sacred Font Ceremony

The party returned to the Dwarven Enclave. John continued trying to convince Jilliean to let him captain a family boat, which she declined this time with a threat to cut his throat.

At Potions & Provisions, they saw the street lined with dwarves holding candles and torches, with a large crowd gathered around Sentinel's Post.

Thorin Battlehammer had been waiting for Kaladin Battlehammer to return for the dedication ceremony for the Sacred Font of Mithral Hall.

Ceremony Participants

• Kaladin and Fordare Stoneheart proceeded to the ceremony (fighting off drunkenness from the rowing contest)
• Jilliean headed to the inn to sleep
• Valtair observed the ceremony from afar while writing in his journal

The Blessing

Kaladin managed to hold down throwing up during the ceremony. He led the Dwarven Enclave in dedicating the font to Gorm Gulthyn and asking The Sentinel to bless and protect the people of the Dwarven Enclave.

The font overflowed with water during the ceremony and revealed a beautiful decorated dwarven greatsword scabbard. Kaladin picked up the scabbard and heard Gorm Gulthyn command him to give it to Fordare. He gave a prayer of thanks and presented Fordare Stoneheart with the scabbard.

Fordare accepted the scabbard, and for the first time felt a sense of completeness radiating from The Mountain's Whisper, as if the scabbard belonged to the sword.

The party retired to the Hearth & Hall for the night, with Josette bringing John to Tree End to see his family.

Morning Arrest Warrant (21st Kythorn)

Around eight o'clock the next morning, the party was woken by loud shouts and bangs in the Dwarven Enclave. The Neverwinter Guard was yelling for Freya Battlehammer to come out of her house because they had a warrant for her arrest.

Kaladin, Fordare, Jilliean, and Valtair rushed out to Heroes & Hammers and found the forge surrounded by ten Neverwinter Guards and Captain Levaro Clearwater standing outside the front door.

The Bribe

Fordare and Valtair tried to convince Captain Clearwater that Freya was innocent and that new evidence had been sent to the Halls of Justice. Captain Clearwater was unwavering in executing the search warrant.

Fordare noticed that the other guards with the Captain were known to take bribes. Jilliean magically pulled out a bag with 100g and offered it to the guards to leave the Dwarven Enclave.

Captain Clearwater accepted the bag of gold and told the party that Freya needed to turn herself in by sundown.

Lord Neverember's Reward

After the Neverwinter Guards left the Dwarven Enclave, a man in a purple cloak walked up to the party and said "I knew I picked the right party."

The man revealed himself to be Lord Dagult Neverember. He thanked Dwarven Thunder and F.B.N. for killing the murderers in the pit fight and protecting the citizens of Neverwinter from future harm.

Rewards Given:

• Emberfall, the Protector's Blade (magical longsword)
• A wooden box containing small bronze statues of griffons (one for each party member)
• Instructions not to use the statues until he calls on the party
• A promise to take care of the warrant issue regarding Freya Battlehammer

Session Highlights

• F.B.N. takes second place in the drunken rowing contest and wins 500g
• Fordare Stoneheart receives a new scabbard for The Mountain's Whisper as a blessing from Gorm Gulthyn
• F.B.N. meets Lord Protector Dagult Neverember and receives a magical longsword

New Contracts & Tasks

The session ended with the party having breakfast at the Hearth & Hall and Nora Truesliver delivering mail to the party. F.B.N. received several requests for services and assistance:

1. Letters from Guildmaster Ryloth Emberfall

• Contract Completion: Confirms F.B.N. has completed the Broken Sword Adventure Guild contract; payment available at the bank
• New Contract: Clear out bandits and possible orcs in the town of Phandalin

2. Letter from Elandra Wintermoon

• Request: Assistance in retrieving a lost family sword from a dragon horde of a recently deceased dragon

3. Letter from Big Boss

• Request: Retrieve lost goods for a client from a dangerous tomb
• Reward: Property in Neverwinter

4. Letter from Rahvin Nevermoor

• Request: Immediate help retrieving lost magical secrets from a haunted mansion
• Reward: Knowledge in crafting magical items that will put Freya Battlehammer on the map
• Meeting: Corvus Corax workshop in the Tower District the next evening