A while back I played a couple of games of Through Sunken Lands and Other Adventures involving a character called Tilly, a Thief and member of the thieves guild in Jundarr.
She had stolen the wrong thing from the wrong person and was wanted by both the rich merchant she had stolen from and the Thieves Guild for bringing the guilds name into disrepute (if that was actually possible), so needed to leave Jundarr quickly.
Tilly was just an NPC in the first adventure but she ended up being more fun to play than the PC’s I had created. In the second adventure I rolled her stats up using the Licenced Thief playbook and teamed her up with a character called Moonwane, rolled up using Cosmic Champion playbook.
The pair went to the Southern Lands where they became part of a conflict between Chaos and, well, everyone else. In the final battle the two became separated, Tilly defeated a demon of chaos who had killed their mentor a priest named Karlock, but her rune sword was destroyed in the process.

This adventure sees them reunite once again.

Return To Jundar.

Moonwane stepped off the boat on to Jundarr’s busy harbour. The journey from the Southern Lands had been long but uneventful.

Moonwane felt alone. The fight in the tracktless sands against the chaos hoard was over. Victory had come at a cost to him though. Farhad who had been his guide in the South and his winged cat Whiskers had gone, and he feared his his mentor the priest Karlock and his friend Tilly the thief dead.

He had returned to Jundarr to head to the temple where he had once helped Karlock the priest, he had no where else to go.

Tilly opened her eyes, the bright blue sky and the jogging of the cart she was in caused her head to ache. She tried to sit up but didn’t have the strength. Where was she, she tried to remember what had happened but all she could recall was being in a bright room with a foul smell, then an explosion, after that nothing.

As Tilly became more accustom to the brightness of the day and the motion of the cart she was able to look around her. A woman in drab clothing was beside her in the cart.

“You’ve finally woken lass, you’ve been out for two days”.

Tilly raised her head, “where am I, who are you, what…”.

“We found you lass, though you was dead but thats something you are not. My husband and I are traders, taking ware to sell in Jundarr, in fact we are nearly there”.

Tilly sat bolt upright, “Jundarr, no, how did I get here, I was in the Southern Lands, I can’t be back at Jundarr”!

Toolbox

I am going to keep things simple for this session using only

Through Sunken Lands RPG
Mune GM emulator
Randomlists.com for those times when I need inspiration
650 City Encounters by Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips (if I get suck for a plot).

The Characters, Tilly & Moonwane

Possible Monster Encounters

Guards

Gargoyles

Ghouls

Skeletons

Possible NPC Encounters

The Haughty Merchant

The Master Thief

Petty Eldritch Noble

Priest

Scene 1 – Moonwane enters the impossible city

Moonwane looks around the harbour, he cannot decide if he is happy to be once again surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Jundarrs main docks or not.

Oracle question. Is everything as it should be at the harbour? Yes, and… (+1 intervention point)

The guards are very active in the dock area of the harbour but there is nothing unusual about that and Moonwane notices that in the harbour there are numerous merchants all offering the sort of wares likely to appeal the many visitors to the city. The harbour district is its usual busy self. Moonwane checks his purse is safe from the many pickpockets and thieves who also frequent the harbour district, thinks about buying food but decides to head straight for the temple district.

Oracle Question. Does anything happen to Moonwane on his way to the temple district? Yes, and…(+1intervention point, now at 2 intervention points)
Random verbs, Cry, Detect, Supply.
Moonwane makes a perception (wisdom) check. He needs to roll 9 or less on d20 and gets 9. Success but just.

Above the noise of the street Moonwane hears the sound of crying coming from a side alley. Drawing his dagger he walks towards the place the crying is coming from.

Moonwane makes a dexterity check to see if he can move silently and undetected. Needing 10 or less he rolls 14, a fail.

Moonwane curses the fact he is wearing chainmail under his robes and making enough noise to be heard by anyone nearby. Above the street noise and the rustling of Moonwanes armour comes the questioning voice of a woman, “who’s there”?

In a doorway is a woman cradling a child, she has been beaten up a little by someone, tears run down her reddened face. Moonwane reassures her that he means her no harm and asks what has happened.

Although reluctant at first, she eventually tells Moonwane her situation. Her child is sick and a wealthy merchant she knows said he could sell her a potion to cure her child. The potion has not worked and when she confronted the merchant he had two of his thugs beat her up. The merchant told her if she came to him again something worse would happen to her. Now her child is sick and she has no money.

Oracle Question. Is the merchant nearby? Yes, and … (+1 intervention point, now 3 intervention points so we roll on intervention table). Intervention Type – Wild.

Moonwane asks the woman who the merchant is and where he can be found. The woman tells Moonwane that the merchant has just been here, he and his thugs are probably still in the next street.

Moonwane, the woman and her child reach the end of the alley and look up the adjoining street. The woman points out a man a few hundred paces away as the said merchant. He is wearing fine robes and riding a white horse. Several men who the woman calls his thugs are walking on foot beside him.

At that same moment a bird like creature suddenly swoops down and attacks the merchant, stealing his hat from his head before the creature and the hat blinks out of existence. The merchant seems slightly ruffled but continues on his way minus his hat.

In the next instance the woman gives out a scream of fright as a black and white winged cat gripping a fine hat appears out of thin air and drops onto Moonwanes shoulder, “Whiskers!”

“Apologies lady, this is my erm… cat. He will not harm you”.

Moonwane tells the woman to go to the temple of the lady of the balance in the temple district and wait for him, he will meet her there once he has dealt with the merchant. He gives her a silver piece for food and promises to help her and her child then sets off after the merchant.

Scene 2 – Tilly enters the Impossible city.

Tilly has a memory that she is not particularly welcome in Jundarr and not wishing to draw any attention to herself she slips off the back of the cart she was in and walks alongside the horse leading the cart.

Oracle Question. Do the guards take any notice of Tilly as she enters the city? No, and…
Random verbs – Jail, Clean, Relieve

The gates into Jundarr are open. As usual there are numerous people entering and leaving the city, the several city guards manning the gate seem to cleaning the gates and are taking little notice of anyone.
The woman in the cart Tilly is next to gives a big sigh of relief as they enter the impossible city.

Tilly turns to her companion and asks “Anything wrong”?

The woman points to her husband “last time we came to Jundarr he ended up in jail, I was worried he would be stopped by them there guards”

Tilly looks at her husband and back to the woman, “he looks innocent enough, what got him locked up”?

“Lets just say not everything he trades is appreciated by the customers”.

Tilly has already noticed that the traders have two carts, one is empty, one is full of fruit and vegetables. Tilly asks the woman why this is.

Oracle Question. Does the woman give Tilly an answer? No.

In reply the woman just smiles at Tilly and says nothing.

Tilly asks the woman if they are heading to the Market district to sell their produce.

Oracle Queston, Does the woman give Tilly an answer? No, and…

The woman remains silent and her husband leading the other cart turns to Tilly, “you ask a lot of questions girl, what we do and where we go is our business only, you understand that”?

Checking over herself, Tilly finds she has her hand crossbows, dagger and a bag of silvers. Feeling like she has perhaps outstayed her welcome with the two traders she decides now would be a god time to leave.

Oracle Question. Do the traders allow Tilly to go? No, Because…
Random Verbs. Sigh, Command, Work.

Just as Tilly is about to slip away, the traders are approached by…

Oracle Question. Are they aproached by city guards? No, but…

I decide it must be an NPC roll d4 to see which one it is, I roll a 1. Haughty Merchant.

Oracle Question. Does the Haughty Merchant have any attendants with him? Yes.

a well to do and finely dressed merchant mounted on a white horse with (roll d6) 4 armed men. The trader takes hold of her arm and says in a quiet but forceful way “better you stay with us girl and say nothing, safer for us all that way”.

The traders wife sighs again.

Scene 3 – Friends reunite.

Moonwane with the little black and white winged cat wrapped around his shoulders follows the Merchant at a safe distance, or so he hopes.

Oracle Question. Does the merchant or his thugs notice Moonwane tailing them? No, but…

The merchant and his men are oblivious to Moonwane but Moonwane can tell that the merchant is looking for somebody in the crowd. As they near one of the gates out of Jundarr, Moonwane sees who the merchant was looking for. The merchant heads straight towards a man and two women with two horses and carts. Moonwane stops about a hundred paces from the merchant and stares in disbelief. “Tilly?” he exclaims to himself, Whiskers begins to purr.

Tilly, realising this is not a good situation to be in, looks around for a possible escape route should she need one.

Tilly makes an alertness (intelligence) test, she has alertness skill so get +2 bonus to her int of 13. Needing to roll 15 or less on d20 she rolls 2, a pass.
Oracle Question. Can Tilly see an escape route? No, but…

Two of the merchants henchmen stand beside Tilly, the others are near the trader. Tilly knows running is not really an option but then she spots a man walking towards them waving a fine hat in the air and shouting “Sir, sir, wait a moment”.

Tilly looks shocked and whispers to herself, “Moon, Whiskers? how can that be?”

Oracle Question. Is the scene as expected? Yes, but…

The merchant moves his horse right in front of the trader and begins to accuse him of selling him several potions which did not work and demands his money back.

Sensing trouble Moonwane begins to run towards the group, still waving the hat around and trying to get the merchants attention. Whiskers disappears into thin air. Tilly turns to the henchmen next to her and begins to accuse them of trying to take hold of her. In the confusion no one notices the Traders wife move quietly behind her husband and Tilly and cast a “Forgetful Mind” spell on the merchant.

Moonwane, now beside the merchant tells him he has dropped his hat and offers it to him.

Due to the forgetful mind spell the merchant needs to pass an intelligence test to see if he remembers anything? I give him an intelligence of 12, he rolls 13, a fail.

The merchant tells Moonwane “you are mistaken sir, that is not my hat”, he turns to the trader, “and you sir are blocking my way with your cart full of rotting goods, GET OUT OF MY WAY, ALL OF YOU”.

Not needing a second invitation, the trader and his wife lead their carts away from the merchant and his men, Tilly and Moonwane hug each other and ask in unison “how did you get here?”, both answer in unison “I’ll tell you later”. They walk after the trader and his wife.

Tilly catches up with the trader her dagger drawn, ” you can answer me this, did you sell that man dud potions”?

The traders wife is the one who replies “you swapped the real ones for coloured water again didn’t you” and thumps her husband over his head “you’ve already spent time in jail for that here, get caught again and they will hang you or worse”.

Moonwane draws his sword and points it at the trader, “a lady I know bought one of your coloured water potions from that merchant in hopes to save her dying child, her child is still dying and now she has no money, you will pay dearly for you con trick”.

The traders wife apologises for her husband and reaches into a box under the empty cart, she extracts a vale and hands it to Moonwane, “here, take this, it will heal the child, I promise you that and I promise my idiot husband will not pull that trick again”.

Tilly takes Moonwanes arm, “we better get this to her then”

Whiskers reappears and settles on Moonwanes shoulders again and the three leave the trader and his wife and head towards the temple district.

Next episode, the temple of the lady of the balance