11th of Dust, 1045 - Agatha Grunt's Diary

Heading into the ruins, early in the game. Agatha Grunt (Elementalist), Edna Chuff (Thug),
Arthur Danglesack (Manboy-At-Arms) Belinda Twiglet (Apprentice), Stan Gusset (Archer)

It went well. Far better than I had expected for a first outing, given some of the idiots I have working for me this time. I got the grimoire I wanted and while it wasn’t as useful as I’d hoped, it is still worth having.

Having asked about a reward for finding the book, Edna Chuff just so happened to be the one who found the tome. I had half expected some push back about rewards, but it seems that what happened to Norris on the way in was enough to scare her into compliance. What a fortunate accident that was.

We actually came away with a second grimoire - similarly useless but again interesting - and Stubb found some Boots of Speed in that old warehouse. We’d have had even more treasure if Stan and Arthur hadn’t dropped what they were carrying just to run away from some ghouls. Still, far from a terrible outcome. 

I just wish we’d come away with a little more gold: only 30 crowns, once I’d paid Bunion his share and I begrudge him that, given his performance. Ran straight into combat with that awful dwarven wizard and his knight attendant, which is commendable, but failed to fell either of them. And then, on being magically pushed out of combat, turned tail and fled having been shot by an archer. Useless. Perhaps I’ll give him the boots. At least he might be able to run away quicker.

We’ve set up a temporary camp in an old Library of some kind. It’s dry and fairly secure and lots of the books still survive. I’d set Belinda to searching through them for something useful if only she could read but as it is she’d just look at some pictures and, oh I dunno, chew the rest, probably. I have to do everything around here. That said she accounted for herself well enough back in that scuffle. She dealt the final blow to some horrific construct thing (though I did the bulk of the damage, of course), re-killed a ghoul with a surprisingly good elemental bolt, and cast a few other spells like telekinesis and fast act. Twiglet is capable of some surprises, it would seem: I will have to watch her.

Only two of the gang went down: one of the thuggish types, Rupert, and Bertha, a thief. They both made full recoveries, which makes it cheaper for me but was much to the dismay of Stubb, who was more than ready to start going through their pockets.

On a completely different note, Bunion has come to me with a report that one of the hired thieves I took on, Percy Tosskettle, was apparently seen collecting the contents of Bunion’s chamber pot into a leather pouch and pocketing it. Bunion insists I speak with Tosskettle. 

Now I don’t know the truth of this and honestly it sounds to me far more like an Ephraim problem than an Agatha problem. So in response I pointed out that the day-to-day minutiae of dealing with employees was something that really ought to fall to the Captain and that I was in any case too busy; I then asked him what else he thought I paid him for, as it certainly wasn’t his martial prowess if the afternoon’s events were anything to go by.

For some reason these perfectly reasonable statements of mere fact seemed to make Bunion quite angry, to the point of turning a fetching beetroot red and threatening to leave. So I have once again adopted the moral high ground and have agreed to speak with Tosskettle in the morning. 

Again, I have to do everything around here. 

Twiglet provides covering fire as Edna Chuff and Brenda Stubb sensibly run away with treasure

Percy Tosskettle, fresh from killing the dwarven Apprentice, destroys a Ghoul in the basement and claims his reward

Grunt fires long-range bolts at a dwarven knight, while Stubb escapes

The complete warband pre-game

Meta

It really did go well. I drew the “I must have it” Ulterior Motives card and through some lucky dice rolls managed to secure the central treasure, two others, kill a whole bunch of uncontrolled creatures that the card summoned in, and cast a good number of successful spells. In total, managed well over the 300 experience points cap, two grimoires, the boots of speed and no fatalities. At one point I held all five treasures. It's a shame the gold total was low and that Bunion underperformed significantly - he was expensive, and takes a cut of the pay, too!

The opposing dwarves were routed, losing their apprentice (the third apprentice this wizard has lost) and escaping with just two members left alive. They rolled terribly all night. At least as much hostile contact was had with the Uncontrolled Creatures / NPCs, of which there were seven Ghouls and two Large Constructs, thanks to core rules and UM mechanics. The Constructs were too slow to be as scary as their stat-line suggests, but the Ghouls, low HP though they were, moved fast and hit hard. Anyway, I am going to need more minis if we keep on rolling NPCs like that. Shame.

Some good narrative developed, with Grunt fighting effectively but sensibly, and Twiglet making a series of brave, if stupid, decisions which ultimately ended well. I reckon Bunion’s underperformance, if continued, will create a rift between him and Grunt.

I have opted for the Library base option which, I think, best suits Agatha Grunt's character. At least I can't see her going for any of the other options any more than I can see her going for the library. She's arrogant and petty and utterly chaotic, but also not stupid and reckons that the library is most likely to give her the tools she needs to come out of the campaign alive and with some good money.