The Second D&D Tarak Campaign - Overthrowing the Mayor

Welcome to the ongoing saga of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign I ran a little while back. It started off using The Sunken Citadel module from the Tales From The Yawning Portal source book, but was then fitted into my Homebrew setting and moved on from there.

In the last post, the party fought off an initial orc raid on the village of Oakhurst.

I hope you enjoy my D&D campaign write-ups, and the commentary I add to them. Questions, comments and feedback are welcome !

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After driving off the orcs, it was clear to the party that this had been just a small group from a larger incursion, exactly as Yusdrayl of the kobolds had warned of.

It was also clear that Mayor Vurnor Leng wasn't the right man to lead the defence of the town. Actually, he was an obstacle. Not because he was a deliberate traitor or anything, just that he was a terrible mix of stubborn, incompetent and alcoholic.

With the orcs gone, the party (well, mostly Erioch, who was the brains of the outfit) had a very discreet chat with Felosial, the tough and efficient commander of the Watch. Felosial had a very low opinion of the mayor, but also a strong sense of respect for authority.

When Erioch offered Felosial the position of interim mayor, she refused in no uncertain terms.

"I'm just a hired hand, a mercenary," she said. "If the mayor is to be replaced, and I understand the need for it, I cannot do the job. Oakhurst shouldn't just have a military governor imposed on it. But I think I know who might be qualified to take the role...."

With the mayor safely in his office indulging in a post-battle tipple (not that he had actually emerged from it during the fight...), Felosial took the party to the village general store. There, they met Kerowyn Hucrele, the owner.

It turns out that she was actually of noble blood, but had been living in quiet retirement on Oakhurst. She agreed reluctantly that the mayor wasn't fit to hold his post, and would step in temporarily if he was removed until the government of Tarak appointed someone to the job.

Now they had a candidate to do the job, the party lost no time in going to the Village Hall. They burst in on the mayor, causing him to spill his drink, and despite his protestations of outrage, dragged him bodily out into the town square.

There were a few villagers there tidying up after the fighting, and they all mocked Vurnor Leng very thoroughly, wanting to know which bottle he'd been hiding in when the orcs came to town.

The party had agreed with Felosial that the mayor's deposition should be done with as little violence as possible, and no bloodshed. They actually stuck to the agreement ! After all, a light kicking accompanied by some judicious Vicious Mockery from the bard spilled no blood.

After this, they dragged the now former mayor off to the Watch Tower, where a nice secure, plain (and drink-free) cell had been prepared for him. And that was that for Vurnor Leng.

Kerowyn Hucrele was known and respected by all the villagers, and when the party proclaimed her interim mayor, they applauded the choice with considerable merriment and glee. Felosial didn't do merriment and glee of course, but she did manage to raise a grim smile of approval.

The first act of the new mayor was to get the party to fetch the kobolds. The little chaps had been lurking on the village outskirts sniping at any passing orcs they'd seen. It was clear from the start that Kerowyn and Yusdrayl (the kobold shaman) saw each other as kindred spirits, each wanting to do their best to look after the people they were responsible for.

The kobolds were welcomed into the village, on condition that they contributed, behaved, and didn't cause any trouble. Yusdrayl was happy to agree with this, and set her people to work digging to create both an underground lair for themselves, and also to dig a sewer system for the town. This was their way to show their gratitude; they even promised to wash before going into the tavern !

Next time: The party takes the fight to the orcs....