In the Greenfields, the women wake up in a tree. The previous evening, they were attacked by wandering orcs. Phoebe (human paladin) led the group to a lone tree in the field, and Nimby (gnome ranger) used her new Pipes of the Sewers to summon a swarm of rats to ward off the orcs. To stay safely out of reach from the rats and any potential surviving orcs, the women chose to spend the night in the tree.

That morning, Nimby is first to drop down to the ground to loot what is left of the orcs. She finds a few copper coins and a couple shiny gems, which she pockets with a smile. Nimby loves shiny things. The horses had run off during the fight last night, so she follows the tracks to a small pond. She has a natural way with animals and is easily able to herd them back to the tree. By this time everyone else is down from the tree, and Zelena (elf wizard) is brewing coffee over a small fire. It is only a few hours ride to the city from here.  

Elturel is a bustling religious metropolis run by orderly Paladins. It is crowded with merchants, farmers, traders, and various artificers. The city is a very safe place to rest and conduct just business due to both the high standard of holiness and the “second sun” in the sky that provides sunlight thirty miles around. The city is wide awake twenty-four hours a day because night does not exist here. Through the center of town is a large stretch of beautiful greenery called The Garden. The women trot through this first to get a vibe for the city. A few couples and families walk past or are picnicking. The Garden leads north to a waterfall called the Maiden’s Leap. From here they get a clear view of the city skyline. They spot a dozen huge temples, shops, stables, and smithies, as well as a big open market space and hundreds of houses.

After storing their horses at the stables, they walk to the nearest alchemist. It is a cute two-story building with shuttered windows and a stone floor. A human mans the shop and has several very expensive options available. Vola (half-orc wizard) purchases one basic healing potion, and they leave the shop. They next find a smithy called the Steel Greatsword, operated by a brawny woman named Alice. Inside are a dozen fine weapons hanging off the walls and a wood oven in a corner with a few metal poles sticking out of it. Vola clocks a javelin with a lightning rod etched into one end, but the price tag says one thousand gold. While the others chat with Alice about her options, Vola grabs the javelin and slips away out of the shop. Phoebe picks up a mace, tests it out with a few swings, and smacks it down on the counter. Noticing Vola and javelin are missing and being the rich, pious individual that she is, Phoebe pays for the mace and the javelin.

Meanwhile, Vola wanders the streets looking for a temple for the Cult of the Dragon. After a few hours, she finds one unmanned shrine to the Dragon Queen and pays her respects. Phoebe also splits from the group after this shopping spree to visit her temple and spar with other paladins of Thor. Zelena, Issa (tiefling druid) and Nimby make their way to a big tavern called “A Pair of Black Antlers,” which is where their ally Leosin the Monk told them to seek out a man named Gunter Frume. The tavern is a huge restaurant and inn visited regularly by most citizens of the city. It has high ceilings, many levels above, and rooms to rent for sleeping or business. Currently, a bard is joyously playing a piano and singing for the crowd. Tables are full of people from all faiths here, but Thor’s hammer, Odin’s valknut, and Heimdal’s horn are the most prominent religious symbols on display.

The three women navigate the room to the bar, where several large men are cheering on the bard. Zelena catches the attention of a barkeeper and inquires after Mr. Frume.

Behind her a voice booms out, “Did someone ask for me?” Turning around, they see a tall hefty man clad in heavy armor polished so well they can see their reflections blinking back at them. He takes off his helmet to reveal his reddish beard and a sparkle in his blue eyes. He grins at the three and says, “Ah, are you the women Leo said would be coming by? Can I buy you a drink? How many can you handle?” He laughs and slaps Zelena on her back, knocking the breath out of her lungs. She grabs the bar to regain her balance. “A round for my new friends here, please!” He kindly orders the barkeep.

“What are your names?” he asks.

They introduce themselves.

“Pleased to meet you. I, of course, am Gunter Frume, Paladin of Thor.”

The barkeeper passes out a goblet of beer for each person. Seeing Nimby is a small person, Frume picks her up and places her on the bar itself so she can reach the goblets. Nimby yelps in surprise but is immediately smitten. She has never known such a pleasant man and has never seen a shinier breastplate and reaches out to touch it.

He catches her gaze. “Do you like it?” He knocks on the breastplate with his knuckle. “My chest is larger than most men, so I had this custom made by my friend Alice. She really knows how to manipulate steel! She made my boots too.” He stands up and does a little jig in step with the music.

Nimby just says, “Wow. We met Alice today!” Eyes wide, she downs her drink. Frume sits down again, drinks his in one gulp, and orders another round with a jolly laugh. Issa and Zelena nurse their first drink while Nimby cheers with him and they drink another.

Frume asks how their travels were and listens with rapt attention to Nimby explain how the rats had saved them from wandering orcs. He apologizes, “I am so sorry the orcs attacked your camp. Normally we paladins ensure the safety of the Greenfields region, but lately our focus has been elsewhere.” He orders two more beers and Nimby keeps pace with his drinking. It seems her previous time spent in bars has prepared her for this very moment.

Frume says, “I love a woman who can hold her liquor! I am truly impressed, my small friend! I have had enough to drink tonight, but how about we all take a stroll outside? I like to visit the practice fields from time to time.” He flips a few gold coins to the barkeeper and heads out a side door. Zelena and Issa exchange a confused glance, but Nimby follows directly behind him.

Frume leads them to an open circular field between a couple small temples. In the center are several hay dummies and, to the side, a few wooden weapons lying on a rack. The time is long past sunset, but the city is still lit up by the second sun. Zelena yawns and leans on her staff, looking around for other people. A cart rolls by led by an old man with a long beard. Two young boys run past chasing after a ball. She squints down the street at two women approaching the practice field; Vola and Phoebe are back from their respective places of worship. Zelena perks up and waves them over.

“Gunter Frume, paladin of Thor and friend of Leosin the Monk, meet the other members of our group.” Zelena quickly introduces Frume to Vola and Phoebe.

Frume vigorously shakes their hands and winks. “Pleased to meet you both. Now, which one of you all has thrown an axe before?” He picks up the biggest wooden axe on the rack and motions to the others to do likewise. Phoebe excitedly picks up the second biggest axe. “Let’s see what you got.” Frume says as he throws the axe at the closest hay dummy, the blade sinking into the straw of the legs. Phoebe throws hers at the same dummy, bashing off the fake head. “Nice one!” he says. Taking turns, they toss the remaining axes at the other dummies. Nimby volunteers to retrieve the axes for round two. Frume looks around the group. “Anyone else want to have a go at this?”

Issa and Zelena shrug towards each other again and pick up the smallest axes on the rack after Nimby returns. Zelena’s first one only makes it halfway across the field, but Issa is a natural. It knocks off the arm of the first dummy. By her third throw, Zelena manages to hit the feet. “Haha, excellent try, wizard. I am sure you will get it with practice. What a splendid evening. I must retire, but would you all be up for a horse race on the morrow? There is a trail I am dying to try out that goes around The Garden. What do you say? Meet up at noon at the Maiden’s Leap?”

Nimby excitedly shouts, “Yes, of course we’ll be there!” and hugs his leg goodnight. He pats her head, nods to the group, and walks off. “Wow, what an amazing man.” Nimby sighs. “We need to find horses for this race!”

Issa comments, “We already have horses. They are at the stables, remember? Plus, I can just be a horse! Why don’t I just run in this race myself?”

Nimby says, “Oh yeah! Can I ride you? I am smaller than a regular jockey! This was the best day ever. I’ve never met a more handsome man.” She lays down in the grass and stares up at the second sun.

Phoebe says, “He was impressive for a paladin. I’d like to race him too, so I’ll retrieve my horse in the morning.”

Vola pulls out her spell book and flips through a few pages. “I have a spell for this. I can create my own phantom steed and also ride in this race tomorrow.” She snaps her book shut and puts it away. “Where are we staying tonight? Did you all acquire rooms?”

Zelena says, “Well, I guess I can ride my horse too since you all are joining the race. We do not have rooms, but that can certainly be arranged! Let’s go back to that huge tavern where we met Frume.” The weary warriors march back to A Pair of Black Antlers and acquire rooms for the remainder of the night. It is well past midnight before they drift off to sleep, though no one can tell because of the excessive light of the second sun.

The morning comes quickly, and the women barely have time to retrieve their horses before meeting Frume at the Maiden’s Leap waterfall. Gunter is waiting with a beautiful strong black stallion. “Are you all coming along for the ride?” he asks.

Zelena and Phoebe are already on their horses. Nimby sits on Issa’s shoulders as she wild shapes into a brown racing horse. Vola whispers into the wind, and the wind itself forms into a spectral steed beneath her. “Follow the white trees and you won’t get lost. Try to keep up!” Frume says as he kicks his horse to start the race. “Hiya!”

The path begins clearly marked, with a tree painted white every few feet. Soon, however, the trees become denser, and it is harder to see ahead. Phoebe leads her horse to a tree with low branches and is tossed right onto the ground. After this the trees open up again to reveal a road. Many carts and pedestrians are plodding along. Frume’s horse leaps over a family and continues forward. Issa and Zelena navigate through the traffic and catch up to Frume. Vola however must come to an abrupt halt instead of trampling a baby carriage. The white trees then lead to a small stream of water. Frume rides adjacent to the stream for a few paces before having his horse jump across to the other side. Zelena tries to repeat his actions, but her horse jumps right into the water and trips on a rock. Issa beautifully navigates the terrain with Nimby on her back. Frume slows his horse to a canter and lets Issa pass him as they approach a giant tree with a white shield painted on it. He gives Nimby a big thumbs up and shouts, “Meet me back at the tavern!” Then he gallops away. Issa waits for the others to catch up before directing them all back toward the tavern where they find him at the bar again.

“Amazing. You women are truly an impressive band of warriors. Your unique skills together make a strong group. I’ve been keeping my eye out for powerful adventuring parties. Would you mind stepping into a private room with me? There are serious matters to discuss.” Frume’s eyes shift around the room and he nods toward the barkeeper. The barkeeper puts down the glass he was drying and reaches under the counter to grab a ring of keys. Frume says, “I’ll be in the back room when you are ready to talk business”The barkeeper leads Frume off to the side through a black door which closes behind them.

Issa says, “Well, that was super weird. Was he testing us?”

Nimby jumps down from her seat on the bar, “I don’t know, but I hope we passed!” And she quickly runs after him.

Zelena calls after her, “Nimby, wait! Well, I guess we can at least hear what he has to say.”

They all follow Nimby into the back room.

-Many of the names in the book are stupid. We as a group renamed a number of the characters as we encountered them. Frume is one. The book has his name as Ontharr, which is strange and hard to remember. Gunter is easier for me and for them. Another one is Elturel – Phoebe’s player wanted to change the city name to El Dorado, but this change didn’t stick.

-This whole episode came from one paragraph in the book where it is suggested that Frume can test the group out to see if they are worthy of a bigger task. The drinking game, axe throwing, and race were mentioned in the book but not spelled out in any detail. This is where DMing can be most fun. I had to improvise/homebrew these small encounters myself. I always say the book gives a good backbone and guidelines to a story, but the DM and players need to flesh it out.

-Nimby helped in the editing of this episode.