Gamelog - Noble gains and burdens

Emo Zine 13 120 pages and on Patreon shortly as I finish some sidebars. 

This is from my long-running Mesopotamian-inspired setting.

So my party got out the booby-trapped ziggurat test of the gods coming second place in possible outcomes and gaining their national greatness in war. The king gave them all titles and land and some special attention to keep them in the land of Ikathon a coastal river delta nation of fish and water gods. The party had 40k in gold and piles of gems and other crap. Each had a plot of land offered with 25 commoners. Apparently, you need a fortune in clothes to be a noble and hang in the royal court.

So the party wizard and the dragon spirit man got side-by-side lands. The wizard put in foundations for a tower to operate his library and school and many apprentices. It was across the river and her home city of Amazons was visible on the other side. She kept teleporting back and forth to the party village in the old country to check on their investments and assets in their home village. Her old master challenged her and conceded to her superiority (he is 7th she was 10th - was lower level when last in town. She also helped teleport Konga to the new village where they were unknown (ass-donkey hybrids the current age best mounts and chariot beasts). The smithy is also a fire shrine.

The dragon spirit put in foundations for an inn with a dock, a bunch of quality cottages for commoners, redsmith shop crewed by followers of the party fire priest. Also had a caravan trade postmarked out and both the wizards and dragons peasants and land was unified as the party HQ. Put in lots of tents while building went on. The snake spirit also got all the party jewellery to sleep on. He also got a bunch of his snake children jobs to run the businesses and his treasure mattress. They were from the three naga he had shagged and reached adulthood in faerieland. 

The combined village ended up with a hundred people on site mostly in tents building. Ended up with about 100 people mostly recruited from locals and snake cults the dragon spirit was intimately familiar with. 

The fire priest was offered to build a temple in the city of fish folk as they only had a small temple. The king offered to subsidise gold for a bigger temple. So party raised cash for a medium temple and with the king's money, it was a large temple. It would take a year but the priest now the head of his faith in the kingdom got to meet other priests as equals. This urban temple came with local fire cult members who helped build the temple and would act as its staff. The temple brewery and swine pens were operating from temporary reed shacks. In the meantime, he and his followers lived in the now-crowded small temple. Apparently, as head of the fire cult, he would get to light ceremonial lamps and bonfires and to burn and punish convicted evil convicted witches and criminals. His red smith priest was sent to the party river village to run the blacksmith but has about 30 people in temple staff. He looked forward to providing feasts of beer and pork to his comrades when the temple was finished. Most of the original people worship Enki and local fish spirits.

The barbarian fighter now quite civilised chose a domain near the coast and the border with the Tyraneans a civilised-barbarian young kingdom of usual allies. He was commissioned by the king to establish a chariot corp for the king. The king was getting a silver chariot to look like fish and wanted fish-themed armour for his konga. So they set up a konga breeding stable, a chariot workshop, barracks and an armoury and was in part subsidised by the king. Most locals at best had 4 wheeled oxen pulled battle weapons. Konga were the latest beast of burden as they were tame enough to pull a chariot and mean enough to enjoy battle. Some could even be ridden by a small rider as a swift messenger. The fighter back home was already working on setting up a chariot for himself as found a slightly superior magic one of the ancients. Built lots of worker shacks also. As many tradesmen and resources were required he had been reluctant before, Now the king was covering the expenses and ended up with a hundred people and also requiring imported food. As most were recruited from barbarians back home they tend to like sky gods. One of his followers built an ishtar shrine, 

So the party divided up some wealth to cash out those who didn't buy a temple or tower from party look and kept a healthy kitty going. Only five thousand gold left (not including lots of magic trinkets or gems or jewels. We better get some more cash now we need it. The priest also had a thief turned spy followed working of gathering info on the capital city & court. The party still were affiliated with a clan of nomadic grave robbers and some were settled in the new party river village.

So the priest secretary made a report on possible adventures and a team of subordinate priests began divination magic. So they could teleport home and plunder that ruined city they fled from but had snake fiends in were once imprisoned by a dryad. Unfortunately, their old village was doing well in the adventure business of looting the city so they crossed it off the list. Ishtar cults were looking for someone to recover inscriptions from a ruined eroded ziggurat temple in the cursed desert but even though they like helping Ishtar crossed it off as too much walking. Two uncovered ruins nearby uncovered had them asking gods about which had the most danger and magic and evil. Also determined to not bring followers into a dungeon as the fire priest was a better meatshield, healer and undead blaster. The gods warned followers would most likely die. (Phew three or four 9th-10th lv adventurers should be over armies of followers who become harder to manage - so a self-interested divine warning for the DM benefit).

So to the Treasure Pits of Elab they went. A brick mine had uncovered a statue and a passage into a palace where spectres had killed all who went inside. The party came and turned the undead and found chambers where spirit minions made bear and kingly snacks. Party got excited perhaps this dungeon could be converted into a VIP experience resort at 10000gp a night!. When they found the spectral harem the dragon spirit was keen and the rest of the party left him and found a pool with sexy spectral mermaids, a wardrobe of illusionary clothes and cosmetics, a spectral lion family and a library which had ghost books. They assumed they would get time to plunder later. Was a corridor they never went down as shedu guard statues scared party away.

When they found a sealed room with a beautiful woman begging for help the dragon spirit asked if she was the same succubi they met in a previous dungeon. She was very miffy about this so the priest used a magic item to banish her off the mortal plane while rebuking the demon harlot. The dragon spirit called her an idiot. "Don't you guys talk and try new tricks?"

Managed to solve the mystery and grab a pile of alchemist ingredients worth 15 thousand as the place collapsed in a trolley run. Faught the same snake demon almost three times and in one turn roll only got a few spectres who didn't survive holy fire blasts from the dragon and priest and a few fighter arrows to finish them.

Satisfied with a dungeon destroyed and some spending money it was back home for a feast in the village mostly made up of cleared land and surveying pegs and lines and tents.

Now higher level this adventure was one of my threefold flyer dungeons but needed to be made a bit harder. As I often do when my BX or ad&d guys get too good is use 5th ed or pathfinder versions that are usually worse. The snake demon was quite nasty and will probably want revenge. While the fish kingdom of Ikathon mostly treats the party as heroes plenty of others hold grudges for the party-busting fish cults and robbing them early in their careers. I hope to run the last few of my Mesopotamian theme dungeons and have the adventure to end it and meet the gods. Wizard is keen to invade an alien silver modron citadel.