Spoils of Victory

The party had defeated the oni, Kimandatsu, rescued Ameiko and Ulf, and found the lost ancestral sword of the Amatatsu family, Suishen. It seemed their work at Ravenscraeg was done, save for the matter of hauling all the loot back to Kalsgard. Between Ameiko, Ulf, and the other prisoner, Lute Haggersly, they now had more people than horses, and there was no sign of a stable at Ravenscraeg. So the party decided to split up, with Shinjiro, Nicki, and Sawyer staying behind to gather all the swag by the front door, while everyone else went back to town to fetch one of Sandru’s wagons. After all, what could go wrong?

DM Rant About Caravan Rules

One of the unique facets of the Jade Regent Adventure Path is something called “caravan rules”. These are a special set of rules that describe how to build, use, and fight in caravans designed for cross-country trade and travel. When I first heard about caravan rules, I thought that sounded like a cool twist that would provide some diversity from the standard D&D play we’ve all done for years. But after reading the actual rules, and reading the experiences of other DMs in the on-line forums, I’ve decided not to use them. Actually, we should have been using caravan rules for some encounters ever since the party left Sandpoint, but this is the first you’re hearing about them (unless you’ve snuck a peek at the Jade Regent Player’s Guide). However, the next portion of the AP, where you’re trekking across the Crown of the World, is dominated by caravan encounters, and I felt it was worth a short digression to explain why I’m going a different route (no pun intended) than the AP designers intended.

Scouring Ravenscraeg

The party had reached the deepest depths of Ravenscraeg’s dungeons, and found themselves locked in mortal combat with the leader of the Frozen Shadows: the oni Kimandatsu and her ninja minions. She had been making it difficult to target her by disappearing and flying to a new location after each of her attacks, but Sandoval had solved that problem by coating her with Glitterdust. But she was still well out of reach on one of the ledges 20’ above the floor of the room.

Kimandatsu's Lair

Having spent the night in the ninjas’ dojo beneath Ravenscraeg, the party felt prepared enough (they hoped) to venture still lower into the depths of the Frozen Shadows’ fortress. They were hoping that Ameiko was still alive somewhere in the dungeons below. They made their way back to the stairs, noting that none of the alarm traps Bella had rigged seemed to have been disturbed, and began to descend.