Session 1 – “A Hole That Opens”
Friday, October 25, 2024

A brief history lesson…

Zir.
In the middle of the desert, among rolling sand dunes, a city should not have existed.
But it did.
Dragonborn controlled the city for millennia.
Stories passed down say the reason for the city’s location was a jewel mine discovered by a Dragonborn named Zirathrek.
The jewels from the mine became highly sought after.
A settlement was built on top of the mine and it quickly grew into a vast city.
Who knows if that’s true.
The Dragonborn wrote the history books.
There is the Upper City, Mid-City, and Lower City.

The upper city…
It’s on the surface.
It houses the vast majority of the city’s populous.
The city’s trade, craftsmen, churches, and inns are all located in the upper city.
Everyone goes to the upper city.
Do you seek…
A strong drink?
A freshly seared half slab of wild boar?
A new mace and shield?
A warm place to stay on the cold desert evening?
A tailor for your clothes?
A companion for the evening?
It’s all found in the upper city.

The mid-city…
It’s just beneath the surface.
The upper class have their climate-controlled dwellings – away from the sun.
As the surface burns at 120 degrees, the mid-city sits at a cool 57 degrees.
[11:16 AM]
The lower city…
Also known as “The Core.”
It’s basically [in real world terms] the White House, Congress, The Supreme Court, and the Pentagon – all smashed into one highly guarded point hundreds of feet underground.

The City of Zir is intricately designed.
If one were to obtain maps for the whole city, it could be observed that the city is in the shape of an asymmetrical octahedron.
On the surface (The Upper City), the city is shaped like a four-sided pyramid with the Great Ziggurat at its center point.
The Upper City’s streets are all sloped upward toward the Great Ziggurat.
Stretching far below the surface are the mid-city and lower city that form the shape of a much deeper four-sided pyramid.

Zir went through many dark years.
Hundreds and hundreds of years of tyrannical rule can be seen in the minimalist/industrial architecture of the buildings.
Slave labor was used to construct most (if not all) of the structures in the city.
For the past one hundred years, Zir has thrived under a democratically elected panel of councilmen made up of both Dragonborn and Tiefling.
[11:16 AM]
30 years ago…

A ship, The Redemption, appeared on the western edge.
The lower and mid sections of Zir were instantly flooded with water.
Swimmers were rescued by the adventuring group, The Tub-O-Bones.
Many people in the city are split on The Tub-O-Bones, liked and disliked.
Were they saviors of the city?
Were they the cause?
Since this event 30 years ago, the city has thrived.
It’s in an oasis of hundreds of islands, known as the Gulf of a Thousand Islands.
Most of it is resort destinations.
Money is king.
Everyone is preying on others.
Adventuring is a tough gig, but fortune can be made.
[11:16 AM]
[Session Begins]

Adventurer’s guild on western docks of the city.
Sitting in the lobby, mostly empty chairs.
One other person in the lobby, timid, not looking adventurous.
Door to the boss’ office is open, 7 of us are seated just outside his door.
This boss is notorious, incomplete tasks still need to be paid, sometimes in blood.
We are waiting in a lobby, endless waiting.
DMV-style.
We have been there waiting for quite some time.
Little blue gnome at the edge of his chair, “What brings you here?”
He is dressed in a leather vest, tattered pants.
Gus asks him “Why he’s blue?”
Huge noise in boss’ office (like fighting) and hearing this, the little gnome pisses himself.
Boss’ bodyguard drags human body out.
We see the huge orc boss, Ruuk.
He counts us one by one, and has a job for all of us.
Ruuk hands us all flyers.
“This job is urgent, to be done tonight.”
“You’ll need to be back tomorrow morning.”
Ruuk gets up from the desk, he’s a huge 10 foot Orc.
Gus comes up behind Bob, acts impish.
Whatever J’zzy assigns us here, it is the job we will do.
Gus asks for directions, and Ruuk says south docks, can’t miss.
Observing the Ruuk’s room, you notice a large chest with a huge lock.
Noticing all around on all of the floor, the whole fuckin table, with blood stains, fresh, old, iron smell in the room.
[11:17 AM]
[Current Crew]

Auren
5’4″ elf, male
Pale skin, black hair, blue eyes
Scar on the cheek

Gostov Blintz (aka Gus)
5’4″ human, male
Red hair, glittery green leather, green cape, splotches of brown
Witty eyes, sharp smile
Sword on hip with a hand where the hilt should be

Evie Quinn
5’7″ half elf, female
White skin, jet black long hair
Brown eyes, slim, back pack

Bob
7′ minotaur, male
Dark black skin and fur
Tattered Barbarian armor, solid and barrel-chested
Animal hanging from pelt, large wooden trunk in hand

Varak Eli
6′ human, male
White skin, one grey eye, one blue eye, shoulder length brown hair
Black jacket down to knees, white shirt, pants with utility pockets

Barca
6’4″ dragonborn, male
Light blue scales, bright blue eyes
Solid but kind of tight muscles
Keeps an eye on everything
Shield in hand, lots of weapons

Buckthalamue
7′ human, male
Pale white skin, bald
Plays lute, makes people happy
[11:17 AM]
[Marketplace]

Magic items are largely banned.
There’s a real fear of magic items.
Ample alchemy stalls with all kinds of elixirs.
Healing is allowed with a permit.
Undead are very common.
Healing costs a pretty penny.
Loan sharks to pay for healing?
Undead might be missing skin, limbs.
Super poor city, people are begging.
Bob attempts to purchase 2 chickens.
He’s upset by the quality and attempts to barter for a better one.
Merchant gets pissed at Bob and tells him to “Fuck off.”
Bob rips the head off one of the chickens and drinks it’s blood.
Bob purchase some supplies a single potion of growth.
[11:17 AM]
[Zirian Swallows]

Group walks up to Zirian Swallows
The statues here are very polished in some ‘special’ area.
Everyone enters except Evie.
The current show is that of 30 couples on stage, fornicating to the rhythm of the music.
Varak walked out and the Evie walked in.
Gus walks to the bar, shoves his way through, goes for the side entrance after Evie, who has pushed her way through.
Bob goes for side entrance.
As the ‘climax’ of what was an incredible show comes to an end, the crowd goes wild, curtains close.
Curtains open, jazz band performs on the ‘wet’ stage.
Evie tries to find out if the guards are… soft.
Cut to bar scene – Gus at bar, still trying to get a drink, but the barkeep is busy and doesn’t see him.
Those there to see the show are leaving.
Only barflies remain.
Gus waves down the barkeeper.
His hand is lost amongst the barflies.
Buckthalamue takes a quick break in the water closet.
The attendant working the water closet makes conversation.
He’s seen a lot.
After washing his hands, Buckthalamue is offered a towel and a scent.
Buckthalamue drinks the bottle of scent and vomits on the attendant.
Buckthalamue leaves the bathroom – washed up and left
Valak is trying to pick pocket outside.
His mark appears to be an old lady and he carefully ‘retrieves’ her bracelet.
Barkeep finally gets to Gus and has him order quickly.
Gus orders 4 drinks, hands one to Barca, downs 3 really quickly, and chokes on the 3rd one.
Barca is sipping his drink, then asks about J’zzy.
Barkeep motions to the back.
Everyone heads toward the back.
[11:17 AM]
[J’zzy]

Buckthalamue makes kissy noises at the guards.
Guard holds his bulge back as Buckthalamue walks past.
Gus smacks head into door, attempts a barrel roll.
At the end of a dark hallway is a door with 2 more bodyguards.
Guards are not interested in letting us in, however it takes some convincing and one guard heads in.
Bodyguards motions at us and leans into J’zzy to tell him.
Gus and group moves in, Bob hangs back a little.
Gus tells J’zzy that we’re here because Ruuk sent us, for the urgent job.
J’zzy appears to be getting help from one of his attendants, and that job requires her mouth on his halfling cock.
J’zzy doesn’t appear to care that we’re even there, or talking
He is concentrating on the ‘job’ in front of him.
Evie wants to seem intimidating, comes off as alluring to J’zzy instead of intimidating.
Finally, J’zzy provides details about the job he’s paying them to do.
Job:
Go to the western dock and search for his shipment that went missing.
Look for a crate with big puffy letters painted on it that spell COMBS.
“It ain’t combs baby.”
Suspects that Will Wonyers from “Will Wonyers Wank-A-Thon” stole the crate, but need proof.
[11:17 AM]
[Distractions]

In J’zzy’s room, there are lots of lush furniture, his space is built for luxury and rest.
Over to the side, Buckthalamue notices pink powder – Double D’s, Double Dimm, 2D make you feel 4D.
This appears to be a platter with nose candy, yum!
Buckthalamue goes for the nose candy, it hits him as some of the finest nose candy around.
To distract from J’zzy noticing Buckthalamue with the nose candy, Evie created a sound (a voice off in the distance).
Bob slowly makes his way to the center of the room in front of the group and drops his loin cloth.
“Can I catch flies with honey?”
A performer comes over and goes to town on Bob’s junk.
Buckthalamue does the whole line of pink nose candy.
J’zzy notices one of his attendants servicing Bob’s bull cock and doesn’t know what to think.
Gus casts friends on J’zzy and Buckthalamue plays an inspiring tune.
Bob completes a 6 roper, he leans in and says something nice to petite girl.
Group exits and heads for the west docks.
[11:17 AM]
[Travel to West Docks]

Zirian Swallows is in south district, we’re headed for west dock, main port of the city.
We notice at this time of night, the bustling streets have been vacated.
Random walkers out, nervous being out at night – is it dangerous?
In an alley, we see someone being assaulted, bludgeoned.
Mugger in the alley is going to town on a victim.
Buckthalamue and Barca go to help the victim.
Performance from Buckthalamue.
Barca attemps to hit butt of dagger on mugger’s head.
Damage from one of the daggers hitting the mugger (first dagger missed).
Base of skull hit and mugger claps the pavement – teeth crack against the ground – out cold.
Varak checks mugger’s body for loot.
Buckthalamue and Auren check contents of victims spilled pouch.
Buckthalamue trusts Auren giving “half” to him.
Loot: 4x jewels of unknown value, 50 gold worth of coin
Ahead we see the wet dock below and an air dock above (for airships).
This place and time, lots of mechanics and air ships about.
Early technology exists here.
Vedalkens are most skilled artificers.
Lomar is the new Primus – God of Mechanus, the clockwork plane.
Lomar’s left over artifacts have spawned new technology.
Air ships match numbers of water vessels.
Gus writes a lovely note to apologize to the passed out good guy.
Buckthalamue crumples the note.
Barca carries the body to a nearby door, knocked on the door, left a gold piece on him, and walked away.
While walking away, you saw the door open behind you and the little person was dragged inside.
A vendor quickly pushes their cart past, eager to get to their destination.

End of session.