“Thanks again for playing,” Gary said to Kate. “I know you were on the fence, and no obligation to keep coming out if you aren’t enjoying it. It helps the party a lot to have a magic user.”

“No problem,” Kate replied, smiling. “Besides, you’d have the car so I’d just be trapped at home if I DIDN’T come play! I thought that magic missile was the best first level spell, but it just feels like there’s nothing I can do after I cast my only spell. My AC is so high, since I can’t wear armor and with only 4 hit points it feels like I’ll die as soon as I enter melee.”

“Yeah, you’re right. You don’t want to try to get into the mix with the fighters without any armor and with so few hit points. Magic users tend to really get powerful at higher levels. At low levels they’re a challenge to play and you really need your party’s support to keep them alive. It can be a good idea to rest often to recover spells. If you’ve cast your only spell, you’re not adding much to the party until you’ve memorized it again.

“So, my character Damin memorizes spells too?” asked Anne.

“No, since Damin is a cleric, she prays to her god and receives spells from divine favor. It works similarly that the spell lasts until you cast it, then you need to pray for it again. The biggest difference is that you know all your spells already. You don’t need a spellbook like Kate’s character Nalda. She only has a single spell to choose from. You have a bunch!”

“But I lose them if I ever cast them? Forever?” Anne asked unhappily.

“Just until you pray for them, then you get them again. You have a set number of spells you can prepare, for you right now it’s one. As you go up in level and become more powerful you’ll be able to memorize more. Each time the party rests, you have the chance to pray and you can prepare one of your first level spells. You cast it whenever you want, then, after you’ve used it, the next time you rest you can prepare a spell again - either the same spell or a different one.”

Gary started narrating again, “So, Lady Grace lies dead in front of you and you’re out in the forest, about a 6 hour journey away from the Fort. What do you want to do next?”

“The ‘Fort on the Frontierland’ is the same as the module name, right?” asked Margaret as she considered their options.

“Yup,” confirmed Gary. “You sailed from the old world, passed through the city of Hope which was colonized 14 years ago and travelled inland a couple of days to get to the Fort. The Castellan there had hired the Blue Company, which sent your squad led by Lady Grace, to investigate the recent attacks on caravans trading with the Fort. You’ve been patrolling the area for 2 days and it’s mid morning when you encountered the spiders and lost your corporal.”

“Lady Grace is our corporal?” asked Frank. “Well, was, but yeah,” Gary answered.

“Now, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Dave began, turning on the southern drawl he’d decided to use when talking in character as the elf Hernan. “But are we going to be blamed when we turn up with a dead corporal?”

“Yeah!” agreed Anne, turning to Gary, “Will they arrest us for her death?”

“The conventions of the land are that you were going into the wilderness with the expectation you’d be facing danger. If you return with Lady Grace dead, the people at the Fort will probably just express their condolences.”

“Are we supposed to bring back her body?” asked Frank.

“That’s up to you I suppose. Your characters know that it wouldn’t be inappropriate to bury her where you are, but if you want to bring the body back with you, that would be ok too.”

After conferring, the players decided to bury the body after stripping her of her possessions. Margaret decided Beler would put on the necklace that Lady Grace had been wearing. Behind his screen Gary rolled dice twice and told them they travelled back, uneventfully, to the fort and approached as dusk began to fall.

“The side door to the fort’s main entrance opens as you approach and Sergeant Suzie welcomes you back. She’s equipped with chainmail armour, wears a helmet and is holding a halberd. She’s rolled up her chainmail sleeves to show off her bulging biceps. ‘Where’s Lady Grace?’”

“Alas, she fell to foul beasts in battle in the forest,” Margaret spoke as Beler, smiling uncertainly. “We laid her to rest in a peaceful area of the forest.” She shrugged a little as looked around at the other players.

“Sergeant Suzie expresses her condolences and tells you she’ll pass a report up the ranks and that the captain will probably meet you later at the inn you’re staying at.”

After verifying that the shops have closed for the day, the players decide that they’ll drink back at the inn until the Captain shows up. After a few hours she does. After expressing her regrets on the party’s loss, the Captain tells them a round of drinks will be provided by the fort.

“We thank you for acknowledging our loss,” Margaret said as Beler.

“Who will now be in charge?” Gary asked as the Captain “We’re assuming that you’re capable of continuing with the commission.”

After a conference, the party elected Beler leader and let her move into the single room that Lady Grace had formerly occupied, while the rest of the party shared a larger room.

Gary continued “Going through Lady Grace’s possessions, you find a journal where she detailed your training, the mission you’ve been given and your travels to get to this point. She is far more candid in the journal about her uncertainty and her worries. She has ideas about the training and development of each of your characters, which provides insight, and you each receive 150 experience points from considering them.”