The Keep on the Borderlands 2025 - Session 6.5 - Book Keeping, Guards, and Wards

Session 6 went sideways. Hardly anything was said about the party. So we have session 6.5. The party spends the week in the Keep. Hender and Sonny depart the party. They both had near-death experiences, plus Hender can get his job at the tavern back, and Sonny can court the drover girls. Who wouldn't want that? 

Rety takes 3 days to interview several replacements for Hender and Sonny and brings on Sybil for a fair cut of the treasure. Rety also makes sure she is good with the drover team, Hender, and Sonny, distributing a few more silvers to all. She charges the drovers with obtaining 2 or 4 mules and a long, slim cart. 

Using OSR Solo, the drovers can get the cart and mules, but it takes an extra day. Rety obtains some mundane but odd material for the cart. She has water barrels and tons of food, plus lumber and tools packed into it. Unfortunately, the party is not able to obtain more healing potions. 

Rety advances Sybil and Belaphon some coins to do herself and them a favor. They spend the next couple of days examining each other's spellbooks. This means the party spends the full week in the Keep.  

Let's take a "My Table Tradition" detour. I have special rules for spell casters with spellbooks. Each Magic-User can memorize a specific number of spells per day. In OSE, the MU sleeps for 8 hours and studies their spells for 1 hour. That seems fair and easy. 

In a scenario like what we have here, the party retreated to town early and has tons of free time. I have a special rule for this non-combat case. 

What if Belophon, with two 1st-level spells, studied Magic Missile twice but really needs Detect Magic today? Since he has access to his spellbook and is not in combat, he can spend 1d6 rounds reviewing the spell in his book and swap the memorized spell for one they have in their book. Having cast that new spell, he does not get to study again. That daily spell is spent. This is only good for non-combat situations, like the example of sitting in town for a week. 

This scenario doesn't really matter much. It saves time and paperwork. 

There is a second scenario that is much less friendly. Let's say you have access to an enemy's spellbook. A Magic-User can use Read Magic to decipher a spell and cast it right from the spellbook. This works just like a scroll, meaning the Magic-User doesn't use his memorized spells. It also means the spell is deleted from the book. This cannot be done with one's own spellbook. 

What Rety has asked both mages to do is share spells. Sybil has both first and second-level spells; Belophon can only copy the ones he can cast. He knows what the second-level spells are because Sybil can explain them, but can't scribe them. Sybil could scribe a second-level spell into her book, but not in Belophon's book. Sybil can scribe any spell from Belophon's spellbook as they are all 1st-level. 

Rety also hires two additional heirlings. OSR Solo provided the yes-no answers. I simply rolled 2 twenty-siders, comparing each roll to the NPC chart in B2. She hires one Dwarf and one Halfling. They are 1st-level characters. Norin the Dwarf is brought on as a mining and construction advisor, while Celia the Halfling will cook. They do not receive a share of the treasure, only a salary. They are not expected to undertake dangerous or combat duties.

Back in the Caves, the agents of Chaos are also taking action because they have a week to prepare for the next invasion. The hobgoblins and goblins have integrated. Room 27, the Storeroom, has been consolidated with the Armory in room 28. The goblins are now using Room 27 as quarters for the 10 males and 14 females. Six guards with spears, shields, and daggers are in the hallway to cover the stairs and secret door. 

The stairs leading to Room 23 have been completely clogged up with whatever trash and rubble the goblins and hobgoblins could find. The one section of stairs is packed floor to ceiling, with only a ten-foot area outside the door so spear-armed goblins can get in to defend the entryway.  

Outside, just north of Room 23, sit 3 goblins. They are instructed to quietly watch the entrance to D. They are not to engage in a fight; instead, they are to report any intruders. These are some of the adult golbins who are not included in the guard. They are not inclined to fight, but they do have spears. 

Near cave entrance F, 6 hobgoblins patrol outside. Two of the six have moved down to the floor of the valley to watch entrance E, while the other 4 stand watch. All of them are armed with crossbows. Even though the ogre is dead, they will not enter his abandoned cave. Why tempt fate?  

When the party returns, the denizens of the Caves will have some surprises for them.