Session 04 - Valdris’s Birthday Bash

TL;DR

Six days after the parasite job, the party kept their promise to Count Valdris and organized his 851st birthday: returning Carla’s lantern, persuading Mira at the Slackline to build a blood-sausage cake, and haggling with Lancel the Candleman for roughly a hundred budget candles (plus a favor owed). The party arrived in Valdris’s renovated jazz ballroom, met a bizarre guest list, and actually made the old vampire smile - until his family crashed the party. Lady Thessaly, Krov, and Whisper demanded Valdris return for the Crimson Harvest (a ritual of slaughter). Valdris refused, the party fought, and the duck finally earned its keep by staking Krov. Na Mean lost 2 CON and shattered his shield to avoid worse; Whisper was staked; Thessaly charmed Valdris but retreated after a blunt speech about friendship and cake. The night ended with blood cake among ash piles, a new vampire ally, and loot: strange old coins worth 50 gold, a black silk glove, and the creepy doll.

Cast (PCs)

Na Mean - dwarven fighter; keeper of the angry duck; outdrank dwarves; lost 2 CON to a vampire bite; shattered his shield to negate a worse hit.
Imed - human ranger; longbow marksman; survived a blindfolded knife show; put down Whisper with a stake.
Eirik - Norse seer; joined mid-prep; kept Na Mean raging with Invoke Rage and threw in spear support.

Setting & Vibe

Locations: Edgerunner barracks, the Slackline tavern, Spindle Square market, and the mooring tunnels beneath the Dry Dock.
A comedy-of-errors shopping run that flipped into intimate horror when Valdris’s family arrived.
Jazz, candles, and blood cake on one side; ancient vampiric politics on the other.

Carousing Results: The Morning After

Na Mean’s Lucky Tankard

Na Mean outdrank Torgan Ironbelly and his dwarven crew at the Soggy Anchor, woke in an ale barrel, and earned the brewmaster’s grudging respect.

Gained: 4 XP, a lucky ceramic tankard, Torgan Ironbelly’s respect Lost: Dignity (temporarily)

Imed and the Blindfolded Knife Show

Imed was tied to a board by a blindfolded knife-thrower (Dead-Eye Marta), endured twelve knives without flinching, and woke in an alley still clutching a prize knife.

Gained: 4 XP, a luck token, a throwing knife, a story nobody believes Lost: “Several years of lifespan” (according to the table banter)

The Promise Comes Due

Returning Carla’s Lantern

Na Mean returned Carla’s lantern at the Edgerunner barracks and laid the flirting on thick.
Carla wrote a note for Mira at the Slackline: “Please make cake.”

The Slackline Cake Job

Mira agreed to bake a cake if the party served tables.
The group botched the service run (plates dropped, Lars furious), but the duck somehow did better.
The result: a messy but heartfelt blood-sausage-and-baked-goods cake, boxed for travel.

Spindle Square Candle Heist (by Haggling)

The party ran into premium-candle pricing (25 silver each) and negotiated hard.
They spotted a crate of “mishap” candles and cut a deal.
Deal: 100 ugly candles for 6 gold and a favor owed to Lancel the Candleman, plus a crate delivered to Mira.
A group name was floated: The Dark Wings / Duck Wings.

The Birthday Party

Valdris’s Ballroom

Valdris opened the door in full tux, proud and unreasonably formal. He’d redecorated his tunnel room into a small ballroom and invited the strangest crowd imaginable:

Devin the dock worker with a fish gift
A sentient portrait on wheels, full of complaints
An ancient goblin who looked older than Valdris
A skeletal-handed wizard
A slick salesman
Selane of the lake (briefly, before vanishing)

They presented the cake, lit the candles (on rocks and tables), and endured Valdris’s terrible poetry. For a moment, he was genuinely happy.

The Uninvited Family

The jazz stopped. Every candle snuffed at once. The door opened to:

Lady Thessaly (the matron)
Krov (giant enforcer)
Whisper (doll child)

They called Valdris home for the Crimson Harvest. He refused, revealing he fled to avoid slaughtering villages.

Boss Fight: The Valdris Family

Opening Exchange

Imed opened with a critical longbow hit on Krov.
Krov bit Na Mean, draining blood and permanently reducing his CON by 2.
Eirik cast Invoke Rage, keeping Na Mean in berserk mode.
Valdris joined the fight, slashing Krov with sudden vampiric claws.

Escalation

Whisper’s doll bit Valdris; the blood drain did nothing, but the damage hurt.
Lady Thessaly stayed back, then used a dominating gaze to charm Valdris.
The party chose to fight rather than let Valdris be taken.

Turning Point

Na Mean and the angry duck finished Krov; the duck staked him and turned him to ash.
Na Mean sundered his shield to negate a nasty hit from Whisper and avoid further CON loss.
The team focused Whisper down; Imed staked her after Na Mean’s finishing blow.

Exit of the Matron

Lady Thessaly called the fight off, warned the family would return, and retreated in mist. Valdris stood up for the party:

“They’re protecting a friend! They brought a cake!”

Aftermath & Rewards

Valdris’s Thanks

The party ate blood cake among ash piles while the sentient portrait complained about its eternal hunger. Valdris offered:

Old coins worth about 50 gold
A black silk glove dropped by Thessaly (magical)
Whisper’s doll (magical and unsettling)

Mechanical Notes

Na Mean: CON permanently reduced by 2; shield shattered.
Party: Owes Lancel the Candleman a favor.
Reputation: +1 with the Fringe Guard (vampire combat noted); +1 “Undead Relations” (word spreads you treat monsters like people).

Loot

Item	Description
Valdris’s Old Coins	Ancient coins worth ~50 gold total to a collector. Some from civilizations that no longer exist.
Lady Thessaly’s Black Silk Glove	Magical. Once per day, grants advantage on a Charisma (Intimidation) check — your voice becomes silk over a blade.
Whisper’s Doll	Magical and deeply unsettling. Once per day, whispers a secret about someone you can see (free Insight check with advantage). Also occasionally tells you things you didn’t ask about.
Krov’s Fang	Can be crafted into a Dagger of Rending (1d4+1 piercing, crits cause 1d6 bleed/round, max 3 rounds).
Vampire Blood (vial)	Alchemical component worth 25 scrip. Or could be used for… other things.

XP

Reward Category	Details	XP Value (per Player)
Gold & Valuables	50 gold in ancient coins + vampire materials (~40 scrip)	1 XP
Magic Items (Major)	Thessaly’s Glove, Whisper’s Doll	1 XP
Heroic Deed	Defended an innocent vampire from his murderous family	1 XP
Total XP Award		3 XP each

Current Party Status (Post-Session 4)

Character	Notable Conditions	Key New Items
Na Mean	CON -2 (vampire bite), shield shattered, needs replacement	Lucky ceramic tankard
Imed	Needs armor badly	Throwing knife, luck token
Eirik	Member of Society of the Pure Sky	Membership card

Ally & Contact Updates

NPC	Status	Notes
Count Valdris	Permanent ally	Tunnel sanctuary available; knows vampire lore; grateful beyond words
Torgun Ironbelly	Friendly	Respects Na Mean; drinks at The Soggy Anchor
”Grindstone” Holt	Contact (Snagmaz)	Retired pit champion; can teach dirty tricks; knows Old Infernal readers
Dead-Eye Marta	Friendly (Imed)	Traveling knife-thrower
Lancel the Candleman	Owed a favor	The party owes him; will collect

Lingering Threads

Immediate

Na Mean needs a new shield (shattered defending against Whisper).
Imed still desperately needs armor.
Decide how to pay off Lancel the Candleman’s favor.
The Suspicious Merchant (Shimmer) escaped during the battle — reported tunnel intel to the Rival Yard.
A Fringe Guard notice was posted: SEAM BREACH DETECTED in the Crossweave. Threat level unknown.

Personal Threads

Na Mean: Baron Grimsby wants revenge for the satirical song. CON reduced by 2.
Declan: A bard doppelganger has his secrets and his face. Harvin Goldtooth wants an apology.
Imed: Rella respects him but he’s banned from her tavern.
Snagmaz: Treasure map on his thigh. Devil’s name on his forearm. Grindstone Holt “knows someone.”
Eirik: Member of the Society of the Pure Sky. The seagulls are watching.
Lily: Madame Vex thinks she’s a dark oracle. Three free readings owed.

Long-term

The Crimson Harvest is coming — Valdris’s family will return with more than three.
The Rival Yard now has tunnel network intelligence and is escalating operations.
The Mirror-Mourner from Session 1 is still at large.
The Angry Duck — what does it want? Whose “internal soul”?
Valdris is a true ally, but the Valdris bloodline now knows the party’s names.

Quotes of the Session

“Try not to become a birthday snack.”

“You are a vampire, dear boy.”