a-d-n-d-journal

[a-d-n-d-journal]

RIP

To anyone following this journal... You may have noticed that I haven’t posted any updates for quite a while...

We did have two more sessions that I didn’t write-up, but the party disbanded after that, and I lost all motivation to tie up loose threads.

Basically, the party spent another day/session in Everlund before heading north to Silverymoon (I think) to do a quest regarding stealing from the Margistars (spelling?), which we didn’t get to complete.

[a-d-n-d-journal]

three main parts of d&d culture are

1. *drops to 0hp* “I’m dead.” “You’re not dead yet”

2. rolling a bad perception roll and your dm is just like “you don’t have a fucking clue where you are. a room maybe?”

3. when the dm is narrating a scene for another character and your character isn’t even there so when you make a smartass comment about what’s happening the dm shouts “You’re not here”

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #24

Characters:

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)/barbarian

NPCs:

Krowen Valharrow, Turami male human wizard and head of the Harper contingent in Everlund

Dral Thelev, male half-orc; runs the Danivarr's House inn

The party reaches Everlund, finishes a quest, unlocks fast travel, and takes some downtime... I think we accomplished a lot this session!

"We travel about three more days, passing by Olostin's hold without stopping, and arriving at Everlund at midday (day 34). This is the first large city we've been in, so we ask for directions to the wizard's tower. Once there, we ask the head wizard, Krowen, if he can help us figure out what Jest is, because that is clearly more important than the giants terrorizing the countryside. Also, apparently he recognizes Kix and Rysiel as being from Eberron, whaaat?!

Eventually we do tell him about the giants and the attack on Triboar, and he gives us some scrolls. He also offers to trade us for the magical rod we looted from the fire giant. We accept, and he tells us more about the giant problem. Each type of giant is trying to prove itself ""the best"", and the Fire giants seem to be doing that by searching for something with the rods. Krowen also grants us use of teleportation circles around The North. Fast Travel: Unlocked!

After that, we remember to check in with Dral at ""Danivaar's House"" (inn) to complete Darathra's quest, but we don't tell him we've met Krown, and he sends us back to the tower.

Jest's tests will take about five days, so we hang out in Everlund. Mirri plays music for the public, raking in the money and providing a distraction for Kix--who has adopted a tressym and is using it to help him pickpocket (he also rakes it in). Meanwhile, Rysiel discovers the fledgling blackmarket, and tries to buy a wolf pup (unfortunately it'll take a few days to get one, and Rysiel declines) to impress Olivai."

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #23

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)/barbarian

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

NPCs:

Tamalin Zoar, female human; owner of the inn at Calling Horns, and defacto leader

Marta, female human; a butch blacksmith with a thing for adventurers

This was our first game without poor, cursed Zastu (her player had to take some time off for school, hence the 'convenient' curse). Many thanks to Rysiel's player, whose notes formed the backbone of this post.

This session begins on the road, and we fast-track the travel (about 1 day) back to Calling Horns.

The party meets with Tamalin (the innkeeper and leader of Calling Horns), and Mirri sings to her what they found. Tamalin still has questions, as the party tells her that there was only one Fire Giant in all of the moors (a fact she disbelieves), and that they defeated a whole nest of trolls (also blatantly false). They mention that the have an artifact from the Fire Giant, and show it to her in a back room/kitchen. She doesn’t know what the Rod of the Vonindod is or does, but she wagers that the wizards in Everlund do. She gives them the recommendation letter and tells them they can use it:

to gain a favour from the Hand of Yartar (warning them that they dislike men, and asking where their sole female member (Zastu) went), or

they can give it to the one-eyed half-orc innkeeper at Everlund (Dral Thelev, whom then need to see for another quest anyway), who will get them in touch with Tamalin’s cousin, who sits on the Everlund council, for a different favour (ex: meetings with various lords, etc)

Meanwhile, Mirri’s rousing song has attracted many of the inhabitants of Calling Horns, who all buy the adventurers drinks. Many more than they can handle—though they keep things civil in deference to their host. Kix eyes a human blacksmith lady with bulging muscles, wearing a leather apron and sleeveless jerkin. He watches her appreciatively, but doesn’t do anything about it... But Rysiel sees this and becomes impatient with Kix’ attitude. The half-elf druid approaches the woman, who had been watching to see what they would do. The woman immediately starts flirting and complimenting Rysiel on his slender physique (he still wears no shirt) and dragon skull helmet. Flustered, Rysiel admits he only came over to see if she might be interested in Kix, but she’s busy admiring his ‘exotic’ half-elf features. Rysiel leaves, and Kix comes over, but the lady seems disappointed that he isn’t a half-elf like Rysiel. Kix, being a changeling, subtly changes his appearance to that of a half-elf, which intrigues the blacksmith. She introduces herself as Marta and asks what else he can change... Kix tries to distract her with one of his new magic items—the iridescent butterfly, but when he tells her what it does, she gives him a different suggestion... Becoming increasingly flustered, Kix shows her his weapon—a masterwork rapier. Marta admires the craftsmanship, but favours partners who use more ‘rugged’ tools. Out of ideas at this point, Kix gets up to leave, but Marta grabs his arm. “Why are you leaving?” she asks. It turns out that Kix didn’t really have an objective in mind... But he lets Marta lead him to the stables, where he slowly notices that she’s already prepared an empty stall with an abundance of hay and leather straps.

Kix does not get much sleep that night.

The next day, the party stocks up on rations, including a visit to the blacksmith to get some hunting knives, and leaves at a reasonable time.

They travel for about a day, passing a crossroads where many travellers have chosen to camp in the past, but deciding to continue on toward Everlund for another hour or so. Just when they decide to make camp, they hear a rooster crow in the distance. Riceboy perks up, turns into a wolf and starts trying to find the rooster by smell. There’s no scent of the rooster on this road, so he runs back to the crossroad and takes the other path south. After going about five miles and doing some smell-based perception, he discovers the scent of chickens, and—miraculously—that of a familiar rooster. The scent leads him off the road and into the brush, where—somehow—he manages to find a rooster that only crowed once. It looks just like the one that he named ‘Jest’. He brings it back to camp, and  tells Kix off for calling Jest ‘dinner’. He explains he and this rooster just hang out sometimes.

Early the next day, the rooster escapes the rope Riceboy had tied, and he panics and goes back for him. Fortunately, he finds him on the road pretty quick, and asks Kix for help restraining the rooster.

Later, they see a fighter and a ranger leading a horse (a battered wizard/mage on its back) and the party asks what they fought. They stop to chat with the party. The three harried travellers describe giant fearsome beasts with bristles and fangs, and the mage mentions how lucky it was that they bought that scroll from that odd halfling in the wagon, else they wouldn’t have escaped. They also mention something about the halfling and his pale companion talking about portals.

The parry continues on. Soon they come to a plain stone wall, 10ft high and completely blocking the path. Atop it sits a rooster that looks like Jest. They check the cart and realize that Jest is no longer tied there. Mirri says that he doesn’t think this rooster is actually a rooster, and Riceboy agrees. Then and there, Riceboy decides to use Detect Magic on the rooster. Casting it as a ritual takes 10 minutes, so Kix and Mirri check out the wall in the meantime. Instead of going around the wall (the edges of which they can see) Mirri tries to boost Kix up to the top (10ft up). They fail. Kix suggests that he boost Mirri up instead... Once they get up on the wall, they’re noticed by the 4 giant boars on the other side, who are not happy to see them.

A fight commences!

Round 1

Two of the boars attack Mirri and Kix, and one of them hits the bard, almost knocking them from the deceptively narrow wall

Mirri casts Call Lightning, creating a cloud overhead, which shoots a lightning bolt to damage two of the boars.

Riceboy moves for better visualization, casts Call Lightning as well, throwing lightning at the same two boars, dealing 15 damage, and then shifts into a giant elk.

A third boar tries to attack RiceElk, but misses

Kix falls off the wall, stabbing at the boar.

The fourth boar moves around to attack RiceElk as well, but misses

Round 2

Two of the boars attack the changeling now in their midst, but them but miss

Mirri directs their Call Lightning cloud to strike the two boars again.

RiceElk also directs his Call Lightning, and kills two of the boars. He leaps over the corpse and goes behind the other 2 boars.

Kix deals damage with his rapier to a boar.

One of the remaining boars attacks Kix, but he uses uncanny dodge to half the damage he takes.

Round 3

Mirri uses Call Lightning to attack the two still alive. One of them dodges for half damage, while the other gets hit.

Two boars attack the giant elk, but miss. With a last Call Lightning, Riceboy kills the other two. (Riceboy gets the killing blow on all 4 of them!)

Atfter the fight, Riceboy finishes his Detect Magic ritual on the rooster... But he doesn’t find anything magical, and his Speak with Animals ritual can’t decipher the rooster’s speech either. With that logic, the rooster isn’t an animal. They debate a little more and decide to bring the rooster to a wizard in Everlund.

That night, Riceboy has what can only be described as a ‘fever dream’ involving an impossibly gigantic rooster floating out in space. He wakes up with a cold sweat an a clucking song he can’t get out of his head.

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Begin your villain’s evil monologue by having them stop to thank their sponsor, Blue Apron…

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #22

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)/barbarian

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

NPCs:

Olivai and Lukai; ~25 & 15yrs female & male humans; sibling barbarians of the Elk tribe on a quest

Today we tried something a little different, and the players each wrote down/told each other (and me) what they wanted to see happen during the session. Zastu's player has to take a little break while they go do some intense schooling this semester, so we wanted to get to a place where the character was taken care of, but not "taken care of", if you get what I mean. I am very glad to say that it worked out!

This session kicks off with a fight! At the end of the last session, Rysiel transformed into a giant elk, and led the one troll off into the moors on a chase. The rest of the party members—plus Olivai—fight the giant for a few rounds before Rysiel makes it back. During the fight, Kix makes good use of the terrain, hides behind a boulder, and uses his Uncanny Dodge to survive the devastating blows from the Fire Giant’s sword. Rysiel distracts the Fire Giant with his size, and Olivai has a hard time hitting with her bow. When the giant is dead, they divy up the strange loot in her sack—the scale from a red dragon, loaves of mouldy bread, and a bunch of gold and silver. They also take a closer look at the strange rod she was carrying. What is this? ((I tell them it's a Rod of the Vonindod, but nothing more, they'll need to attune it in order to use it, or make sense of it)) The rod is around 100lbs, so it's not easy to handle. They tie it to Rysiel, who is still in Elk form.

As they travel, Olivai answers Mirri’s questions about the different barbarian tribes in the north. The 10 tribes are collectively called the Uthgardt, and descend from a single god-hero.

The Elk tribe chief is old and stuck in his ways. Olivai and Lukai are from this tribe, and have left (were kicked out?) due to their progressive views on magic (believing the barbarians are being held back by their superstitions).

Black Lion raids homesteads if the winters are bad; their great chief (Stellok) wears Orc hide armor and has a fearsome reputation. His younger sister (Tysis) is a powerful shaman; They hate civilization; Don't try diplomacy

The Grey Wolf are werewolves, if you fight them, leave none alive—they will hunt you down to prevent their wolf blessing being passed to outsiders

The Black Raven also hunt down those who wrong them, as well as caravans, and ride giant ravens

Great Worm live in caverns in the mountains, hoarding treasure

Griffon clan rides griffons… Sometimes raid homesteads north of Triboar and Yartar

Red Tiger, raids along the Rauvin river, attacking Elves these days

Sky Pony and Thunderbeast are the most superstitious of the tribes, Olivai thinks they're tragically ignorant and they may have hidden magical item

Tree Ghost protect the Grandfather tree

That night, Olivai continues training Rysiel in the ways of the Barbarian. The sex jokes reach a climax, then peter out... There’s a lot of yelling (Rysiel is learning Barbarian Rage).

Each tribe has a sacred space—called a ‘spirit mound’—where they meet at important times of the year to perform ceremonies. The Elk Tribe spirit mound is Flint Rock, and their destination. Flint Rock is a series of mounds with cairns and standing stones perpetually shrouded in fog. Olivai reminds them not to harm or touch any animals they might see, lest they become cursed. They proceed to a giant stone slab, which Olivai says covers a coffin with the relic she needs, as well as the party’s reward for helping her. ((I have the players roll a series of Atheltics:Strength checks, and it takes a while for them to realize//me to explain that if they wish to keep trying, they can—but they need to continue rolling until there are ‘enough’ successes during an attempt. This represents the characters trying over a period of time.)) The stone is impossibly heavy, so they eventually bring in the horses to help with ropes, bardic inspiration, and cast some spells as well. Still, it takes some time before the slab moves and uncovers the coffin.

Inside the coffin is a giant-sized spear tip, barely wrapped in an old cloth. It appears to be quite heavy, but Olivai manages to hold it with two hands. She becomes nervous and impatient as the party stands around panting, and she points at the cloth she’s accidentally dropped, asking someone to hand it to her. The strain of moving the slab must have garbled everyone’s brains, because they have a hard time understanding her, and she loses her temper before Zastu finally hands her the cloth. But she gets to close. A stale chill washes over Zastu, and she starts to feel strange. Mirri and the horses start to notice the strange smell first. The horses shy away, and as Mirri stiffs the air to get a better sense of it, they’re overcome by a sudden sickness. The tabaxi doubles over, retching, and the horses run away into one of the valleys. One by one, the party detects a horrible stench, and they all vomit—except for Zastu, who deduces that she is the source, and retreats to another hill top. ((The characters are incapacitated//unable to move for 1d6x10 minutes, and Poisoned for another 1d4 hours)) It takes about an hour for everyone to recover enough to be able to move. The characters discuss what to do. Olivai explains that his must be a curse, because Zastu got too close to the ancient relic without being a tribe member. She feels bad, and tries to take some responsibility—Zastu will have to keep her distance from everyone, including them and other outsiders, but Olivai and Lukai will set her up in a cave they know of (to the south, along the Dessarin river), and bring her food for a while. Meanwhile, Zastu experiences the feeling of bugs and creepy crawlies along her skin. She manages to stifle her visceral reaction, but the feeling comes back periodically, threatening to erode her sanity.

Rysiel attempts to remove the curse by casting ‘Dispel Magic’ on Zastu at a distance, but she doesn’t feel any different. A cast of ‘Detect Magic’ on the giant spear head doesn’t reveal much—just a faint transmutation aura. After much prodding (by me, the GM), Kix takes a look at the creepy-looking back in the coffin, which is their prize, their loot. The bag is a magic bag of holding--capable of holding a lot of weight without weighing more than 15lbs. There's a magical coil of rope in there, along with a magical butterfly wing pendant, and a couple potions. No one else seems interested, so Kix keeps it all (though he gives one healing potion to Mirri). They also stow the very heavy Rod of the Vonindod in there. Eventually they gather up the horses—Bobble and Boris—and begin their journey back to the road.

The session ends at the road between Yartar and Calling Horns, where the barbarians leave to take Zastu to where her curse won’t harm anyone.

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Things I love to see in D&D players

Here’s something a bit different.

I saw something on YouTube yesterday that made me think. When I’m the GM, what do I really appreciate that the players bring to the game? Here are some, in a sort of vague order...

I love when the players...

...keep notes

Especially when they remember the names of NPCs and places, and their own objectives (as well as the ones I’ve given them)

...roleplay their characters

Especially during combat, and

Especially with each other

...actually know their character sheet

Where are the skills? The saves? The initiative...

...are thinking about their characters, and the world I’ve laid out for them, when outside of the game!

...know the (online) system

It’s just so great when they can click-click-click and know “Okay, I attack these three targets in this radius, the attack roll is this, and the damage is this”

...move the plot/story along

It's just so helpful when there's that one player who picks a side when the others are suggesting things to do, and just helps decide

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #21

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

NPCs:

Jimothy Smones (mentioned); human ranger

Tamalin Zoar, ~60yrs female human; runs the inn around which the small village Calling Horns rose

Olivai and Lukai; ~25 & 15yrs female & male humans; sibling barbarians of the Elk tribe on a quest

Writing this a week after the actual session.... Online as usual, but Mirri's player came over to mine to play. This game was entirely in 'the theatre of the mind'!!! That means that we didn't use any maps at all (well, except as I was setting up the the battle with the fire giant.), which was very impressive. I am proud of the players for that.

The game picks up with the adventurers finishing breakfast and relaxing at the inn common room/mess hall/bar.  Tamalin reiterates her quest for them to discover why the trolls keep leaving the Evermoors and threatening their village. She offers a letter of recommendation, which she says will be good in both Yartar and Everlund, to the right people.

The adventurers agree, and head outside looking for the friendly ranger, Jimothy, who helped them defeat a pair of trolls the previous night. They find his trail leading away from the site of the attack, to the north. The trolls' bodies have been taken care of, and the hole in the side of the stables has been hastily patched.

The adventurers walk for several hours, quickly coming to the conclusion that Jimothy has been following the troll trail  in reverse, back to the Evermoors, and is much more skilled than they are (having dedicated his life to such things), and has probably gained several hours on them. Will they ever catch up?

They spend a night in the hills, in a relatively sheltered site that Jimothy himself may have used. Early the next day, Kix and Zastu come to realize that they are being followed, but are unable to pinpoint exactly where or how many they are. Rysiel wildshapes into a dire wolf and takes Kix on his back to investigate with superior senses, leaving Zastu and Mirri behind with they horses (Bobble and Boris)

Very quickly the Kix and Rysiel see a bright (yet shadowy) humanoid shape further into the hills and sparse trees, and decide to follow it. The shape eludes them for a time, but not forever--soon they catch up and discover that the vague shape is just that--a shape, and not a person. The lights disappear as they approach. Rysiel can smell that at least one someone human is nearby, but cannot see them. Kix senses the same thing. There’s not much cover, where are they?

Back at the trail they were following, Mirri and Zastu try to keep a vigilant eye out for trouble. They both sense that someone is nearby, but it isn’t until Zastu zones out and finds herself looking at a scraggly bush that she sees a small child-like face. She calls out to it, but that only frightens him away--an adolescent boy jumps up and runs away through the hills. A moment later he reappears, and Zastu tries to entice him with food. The boy remains wary, so she places the rations on the ground and moves away. The two adventurers hear another sound nearby, and look to investigate. When they turn their attention back, the boy and the food are gone.

Meanwhile, Kix and Rysiel are trying to figure out what to do when a rough voice laughs from the brush nearby. A woman’s voice mocks them for not being able to find her, even as she moves hiding spots. Eventually she appears and compliments them for surviving in the hills. She openly admires Rysiel’s wolf form, showing no fear at all. She knows that he is a person, for she has been following them for a while now. She says that he has great potential--they all do, and maybe they could help her with something? The two of them are intrigued by the idea, but have trouble getting her to say much more. When they suggest they ‘find’ their friends, she says they have no need, she knows exactly where they are. She has been following them after all.

The barbarian woman introduces herself as Olivai and leads them back to the trail they were following. A teenage boy appears from behind a hillock and tells her that they have food. She introduces him as her brother, Lukai.

Once back at the trail, the six of them sit down for a midday meal, with the adventurers sharing their food. Olivai explains some things about the barbarian tribes, notably their distrust of magic. She believes that they must move forward, away from this thinking, in order to survive these trying times. She herself is something of a shaman, a magic user, but she needs something to challenge her tribe’s leaders. She can’t get it though, as tribe members are forbidden to touch sacred things without getting cursed. It should be fine for these outsiders though. The adventurers express some concern about being cursed, but Olivai convinces them it will be fine. She continues to compliment Rysiel, and tells him how much potential he has. He lives in the world, he is of it. These others? They still look like they live in wood and stone boxes. She obviously likes that he is a druid, and capable of changing shape. The others seem to think she is sexually interested in him.

They agree to go along with the two barbarians after being promised that there will be some magical treasure for them as well, and so they leave Jimothy’s trail, hoping he can continue to fend for himself. At one point they stop for a short break. Olivai has been extolling for benefits of being a barbarian, but Rysiel doesn’t understand the way she speaks, so she decides on a practical answer. She sucker-punches him in the gut, and tsks, shaking her head. See? Your body needs work. Lukai stands by, unsurprised. She did this to him not long ago--the whole tribe did. That’s how he got strong. Olivai encourages, then goads Rysiel into striking her back. She lives her furs to reveal clearly defined abs underneath a healthy layer of fat. Rysiel punches with all he has, scoring a direct hit. Olivai laughs, not flinching at all. See? Strong body. She can teach him to be like this. He has potential.

They continue on. Olivai reveals a little more about their quest. She left the tribe, maybe willingly, maybe not, but she needs a sacred tool from a sacred place to return to her family in power. All tribe members are family, and she misses them. Also, they must do as she says, or something bad may happen.

When they stop for the night, Olivai reaches into a hidden pouch, drawing forth a handful of bones. She tosses them to the ground and spends ten minutes humming over them, peering at them from different angles. When she finishes, she stands up, appearing to have decided something. She wishes to take Rysiel aside, saying she will help him use his body properly. The others joke again about how she wants to have sex. Olivai scoffs at this, Rysiel hasn’t even offered her a wolf (or other worthy kill/totem/prize), how could she even consider it? No, this is about the druid’s potential. She offers the group a pipe with some strange herbs in it, and the vision of those who imbibe goes sideways for a moment. These are sacred plants, and she would use them, along with some intense physical training, to help Rysiel live up to his potential. During this time, the party shares why they have entered the hills--to investigate the trolls. Olivai nods, yes, she has seen that the hunting has been poor lately--it’s probably related.

Lukai builds a second small fire nearby for the two of them, and they spend several hours punching each other and performing other strange physical tasks. In between each, Olivai pulls out another strange plant, crushes it, chews it, or lights it on fire before offering it to Rysiel. The druid hesitates each time, until Olivai goads him into it. She knows what’s best.

Rysiel wakes the next morning covered in bruises. His hitpoints are below maximum. They continue on. It’s not long before they landscape shifts slightly, but noticeably... Everything takes on a slightly grey-ish tone, and the valleys between hills are damp and marshy. The bushes seem to have half the leaves they should, and the trees are crooked. Crows replace sparrows, and rats replace rabbits. They have entered the Evermoors.

Lukai and Olivai have been taking turns scouting, with the boy being the one to leave the party most often. When he returns from one such trip, he whispers urgently to his sister. She disappears for a long moment before returning. There’s something they should see, maybe the thing they came out here to see. They follow along stealthily, leaving Lukai to watch the two horses. Soon they hear it--a loud, gruff voice belittling a smaller, raspy voice. Kix and Rysiel understand the language as giant, and quickly realize its nature. They use the cover of sparse brush to hide as they approach the top of yet another hill, spotting a fire giant in full plate shouting at a rather skinny troll. She holds a familiar rode of silvery metal--resembling the one the two fire giants at Triboar carried. The giant seems capable of yelling at the troll for a long time, it, her slave, has failed to find any food for them for a while now.

The adventurers quickly formulate a plan. Rysiel will turn into a giant Elk and lure the troll away, while the others ambush the giant. Then Rysiel will double-back and help out. The druid scoots away from the party to kick-off the plan. When he emerges as an elk, the giant points at him, sending the troll to hunt him down. Sadly for the troll, an elk is very fast, and Rysiel has to slow down to keep the troll following. Soon the two of them disappear, and the others move into position.

To be continued...

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #20

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Jimothy Smones, human ranger (guest player)

NPCs:

Tamalin Zoar , ~60yrs female human; runs the inn around which the small village Calling Horns rose

Darvin Buckman, ~40s male human, one of the caravan leaders

Writing this a month after the actual game... We had a visitor this session! A ranger named "Jimothy Smones" met the players at a crossroads inn. Mirri's player came over for the online session, while "Jimothy" and Zastu joined Kix and Rysiel.

This session resumes a battle already a couple rounds in. The four adventurers are still drunk from their rowdy night at the inn, and have disadvantage on their attacks because of it. Kix and Zastu have bardic inspiration though, and Rysiel has transformed into a dire wolf--which has pack tactics, an ability that effectively cancels out the disadvantage if an ally is nearby (which Kix is)

Rysiel and Kix are outside, attacking two trolls who are trying to claw their way into the stables, while Zastu tries stabbing the two monsters with her sword. Mirri is casting spells to help. A ranger is awoken by the commotion, and quickly makes his way to the stables. He sees what Mirri and Zastu are doing, and spends a couple rounds making his way around the inn to join the fight close-up. The man is Jimothy Smones, and he knows a lot about trolls. They regenerate, so hit them with fire! Rysiel transforms back into a person and conjures up a blade of pure fire, landing several hits before the trolls gang up on him. Meanwhile. Mirri casts a thunderstorm spell that rains down lightning every round as they direct.

Soon the fight is over. The trolls are dead and burning. Kix stabilizes Rysiel, until Zastu comes outside and revives him. As the five of them return to the inn, the proprietor (Tamalin Zoar) bumps into them on her way to deal with the issue they just solved... Obviously they are no mere travelers, so she invites them back to the bar, where she opens a good bottle of wine and explains the situation. Trolls live in the Evermoors, a couple days north of here, but usually they stay there. They’ve been encroaching more and more on this little village (Calling Horns) and the surrounding homesteads for a couple weeks now, and she wants them to find out why. They’ve had problems like this before (and with bandits)--hence the guards she employs, and demands for tithes to support--but not like this. It’s taking all her resources just to keep people safe-ish, and she can’t afford to send anyone to investigate. There’s a letter of recommendation to “important people” in Yartar or Everlund if they take up the quest. They say they’ll think about it, then head to bed. Or at least, four of them do. Kix slinks around a bit when the guards and militia return. He had planned on raiding the liquour, but this may do as well... Tamalin is chewing them out for not protecting the inn and stables, but in their defense, there were trolls also attacking people’s homes, and they had to deal with that. Okay, maybe that wasn’t as interesting as Kix had hoped, but at least it underlines the problem.

The adventurers enjoy a free breakfast with Jimothy, as reward for killing the trolls. There’s something weird about the eggs though, and Kix doesn’t believe the woman who served them that they are perfectly normal chicken eggs. He sneaks around a bit, trying to get into the kitchen, but people are going in and out of there constantly. Eventually he ends up outside, peering into the window. He sees a cooking bin full of the scrambled eggs that they had been eating--seems the cooks make them enmasse instead of individually. The rogue uses his arcane abilities to float an invisible mage hand in the kitchen, moving things around subtly, until he finds a rubbish bin with egg shells in it. He’s just lifting some perfectly normal chicken’s egg shells in midair when the woman standing there shrieks and hits them with a fry pan. Disappointed, Kix returns to the eating area.

Meanwhile, Jimothy also sneaks out and returns to the site of the troll attack. The bodies have been removed, leaving dirt and grass soaked with black icor-like blood. The hole in the stable hasn’t been patched yet. Trolls (and other giants) are his sworn enemy, so he decides to get a head start on tracking these ones down. His years of doing this exact thing pay off--he follows their path to the north, toward the Evermoors...

To be continued...

p.s. the eggs were scrambled with sheep's milk instead of cow; that's what was weird about them ;p

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #19

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard (College of Worship)

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Writing this.... Uh, about two months after the actual session. Whoops. Let’s see what I can remember...

Rysiel/Riceboy is in elk form... After realizing the giant elks will have nothing to do with him, he wanders back along the caravan line by mistake. Several of the caravaneers didn’t see him transform, and mistake him for the real thing. As Rysiel is a magnificent creature, the would-be hunters cannot believe their luck at such a feast wandering so close. Three of them get their crossbows out and proceed to shoot.

Rysiel runs into the woods, and quickly starts to outpace the humans. Thinking to help out his friend, Kix casts the ‘Minor Illusion’ cantrip and creates a loud Dragon’s Roar. The three who ran into the forest shudder and stop, distracted for the moment. The false roar also has the effect of scaring away the giant elk further down the road, and the caravan is able to proceed.

Later on that day, a ghastly creature shambles out of the woods near the road. No one sees it until it is almost upon one of the travelling humans, and our adventurers are unable to reach him in time--the monster tears him apart and starts eating. A fight starts, and the opponent is an emaciated troll. The monster doesn’t last long, and it takes a moment for the party to realize that this is maybe a rather sad-looking creature. Hasn’t it been eating? They burn the corpse with a use of Rysiel’s ‘Campfire’ cantirp, because it is gross.

That evening, they arrive at a crossroads, where a large inn sits. A couple buildings nearby house some humans, as well as basic shops to provide for travellers and generate some income to the outpost. Scattered around the nearby hills and countryside are several frontier houses and cottages, each with small farms.

This is Calling Horns, and they have wine and beds, which is all the party cares about. Zastu pays for her own (nicer) room, while the other three share another. Then they celebrate their arrival with the aforementioned wine, and get drunk.

They are woken in the very early morning by several loud scratches and bumps. It sounds like a banging against the building. The adventurers... Venture out to see what’s what. Rysiel turns into a dire wolf, prepared for anything. They all make their way down the dark hallways, and out to the stables, where the sound is coming from. Kix climbs onto Rysiel’s back, and the two quickly exit the stables, running around the fence and the building to the back. Mirri and Zastu stay with the horses, who have quickly become very nervous, and are shying away in their stalls. The sound is clearly coming from the other side of the wall inside a stall, so they guide the horse out--and not too soon, for a giant clawed hand breaks through the wood, reaching inside. Meanwhile, the Kix-Rysiel duo make it around the stable and confront their adversaries--two more trolls!

Now, it hasn’t been too too long since they went to bed... Which means they’re still drunk! All attack rolls and ability checks are made with disadvantage, oh no!

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #18

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

This is a pretty short session. It's been really difficult to align everyone's schedules, especially with summer coming up (work hours, social distance camping, etc), we basically just had to jam it in the first available spot.

The session kicks off with a chase after the remaining rogue. She flees through the alleys and across busy streets. After the first corner they turn, a very familiar rooster is standing in the middle of the alley. The characters note it, but continue on. It’s our first chase in the campaign, so we had to figure out the rules. I think it went OK. After some feral dogs get in the way, the party catches up to the poor rogue. (Kix’ flying tackle misses, but Rysiel’s does not) They spend a few rounds punching her, trying to knock her out. At some point a rooster crow is heard around the corner. While the others take care of the problem, Rysiel turns in a a fancy big-breasted hen and investigates. Turning the corner he finds out that the eerily familiar rooster is surrounded by big alley cats! And now Rysiel is too! They are rescued by Mirri, who pops around the corner to see what’s going on, and shooes them away. Rysiel tries to talk to the rooster, but doesn’t understand for some reason, even though he should....

Meanwhile, Zastu and Kix have managed to beat the shit out of knock out the rogue. They make a plan to carry her out of town (for some reason?) and dump her body. Both of them quickly realize that the streets are very busy, the town is surrounded by a wall with checkpoints (which they passed through), and the Hand of Yartar thieve’s guild is sure to notice. In fact... Kix has a sneaking suspicion they’re being watched. Mist suddenly fills the alley, obscuring everything within a foot of their faces. Crossbow bolts twang. From the air passing by their heads they can tell the archers missed on purpose. A woman’s voice rings out clearly, “Leave her and go.” The voice echoes down the alley, making it impossible to pinpoint. Kix’ spidey sense is tingling, but he can’t locate the thieve’s in their home turf. They leave the unconscious woman in the alley, and head in the direction they think is the exit (Rysiel turns back into a half-elf). Kix gets turned around though, and heads further in. He emerges from the mist and sees down the alley for a split second before it’s walled off with magical darkness. More crossbow bolts zip by. He has a moment of panic, unsure if he’s about to die, or which direction they want him to go in. He finally heads back into the mist, tripping a couple times before rejoining his companions.

The adventurers decide they’ve had enough adventure for the day, and get a pair of rooms at a likely inn. Of course, this means that a person must stay up in each room, to watch for danger... That thieve’s guild probably isn’t too happy about the murder of three of their members.

Late into the night, near the end of the first shift, Kix is keeping watch in a room with Mirri. He blinks, and slowly becomes aware that there is a human face staring back at him out the window and across the alley. The face resolves into a head and a body, sitting comfortably against the bare wall.

Kix starts talking, something to the effect of “Who are you, what are you doing here?” The woman’s face mouths the words “I can’t hear you, open the window” Kix is reluctant to open the window and potentially let the woman in, but realizes that he’d probably be dead if she wanted it. He cracks it a few inches. The woman goes on to tell him how lucky he is that they sent her, she’s saved so many from the machinations of the Hand of Yartar.... But anyway, they need to get out. Have you heard of the Harpers? Kix shakes his head no, as he was absent when the rest of the party members spoke to Darathra about them. The woman shrugs, no matter. We’re on your side, but you need to leave before dawn so I can stage the rooms. Kix turns to the sleeping Mirri. “I need to confer with the others....” He looks back, but the woman is gone. “Over here...” The voice comes from beside the window, where Kix can’t see unless he opens it. “You have 5 minutes, and then it’s your funeral. They know who you are, where you are, and consider you dangerous enough not to make mistakes.”

Kix quickly rouses Mirri and fetches the others, explaining the presence of this mysterious woman outside his window, willing to help them escape town. One way or another, the window is open. Zastu shows the silvered emblem with the three boars of Triboar to the woman. “You say you’re a Harper... Do you know what this is?” “Looks like the three boars of Triboar. Them and Yartar are rivals. What does this have to do with anything?” Zastu hums. “The leader, Darathra said she was a Harper, why don’t you recognize this?” “It’s not the symbol of the Harpers. I don’t know this Darathra, but it’s not surprising... We’re spies, we work in cells. Don’t you know anything? Anyway, we’re wasting time. If you’re coming, meet me at the back door, and follow my signals.”

The party decides to trust the nameless Harper, first seeing her lead them down the hallway out the back door. For the next 20 minutes or so, she leads them carefully around town to the stables, which are conspicuously empty. Despite the early hour, the streets are starting to wake up, and people are beginning their day. The party quickly grabs their new cart and horse from Triboar, plus the horse from Nightstone. Soon their are out the gates of Yartar, with the Hand and their mysterious ‘guide’ behind them.

They wait for a few hours until the caravan they were travelling with catches up, giving a glib excuse for being outside the walls already. The people of the caravan shrug it off.

The next few days travel west are mostly uneventful, but on the second night a faint drumming gradually grows into a steady pounding that makes the air vibrate. The clouds overhead show the light of many fires to the north, and chanting voices are heard as if miles away. Spooked out of their minds, the party decides to sneak away from the caravan to hide. Mirri is spotted by one of the caravan leaders, who smirks and remarks “Barbarians scare you?” The tabaxi bard has never heard of the Uthgardt Barbarians, but the man explains they are very common in the North. Judging from the sound, they’re having a ritual of some sort, and they probably won’t bother them this night, though it’ll be hard to sleep. If those barbarians wanted them dead, or even just robbed, it would have happened already, but they can go hide if they want. Mirri takes this information back to the party.

The next day, the caravan comes to a stop early in their trek. From the back of the procession of wagons, the adventurers can’t see what’s going on, so they move to the front.... Three bull elk block the path about a kilometre ahead. They seem almost normal, except for their size... They dwarf the road and the trees around them. Thinking to investigate//parlay, Rysiel turns into a stag and approaches. But before he crosses half the distance, the bull elks catch his scent and start moving aggressively--lowering their heads and stamping the ground. Then he remembers the most basic note about male deer--they’re extremely territorial, especially toward foreign males.

To be continued...

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #17

Characters:

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Noteable NPCs...

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the kind and queen

Othovir, human; runs a harness workshop, has impeccible work; apparently a mage

Urlam Stockpool, human; owner of the Triboar Travellers, a caravan escort company; dresses very well and sports a bright red eye patch with the Zhentarim winged serpent

Valken Naspeer, half-elf; Urlam's friend and body guard; dresses almost as suave as Urlam, his posture suggests that he's very dangerous.

Nemyth, tiefling; owner and proprieter of the Triboar Arms tavern

Jacoby and Persson Hysstryn, humans; two brothers who are looking for their long-lost brother, Mirak

Silvarren Loomshank, human; disgraced cleric of Helm

Kaelen Sarssir, human; owner of the Talking Troll tavern

Tolmara Hysstryn; Mirak's widow and owner of the Six Windows rooming house

This session kicks off immediately where we last left our adventurers...

It’s still late late evening, and Kix has returned to the Northshield House to fetch Mirri, hoping to use the fact that the tabaxi is a cleric (spoiler: theyr’e not actually) to win over Silvarren, the poor cleric at the Talking Troll (dive bar). ((They run into Darz on the way, who tells them about a wanted criminal and a reward, as way of thanks for fighting the giants’ party))

When Kix introduces Mirri to Silverren, it becomes apparent that the cleric takes offence to Mirri’s presumed comradery. Mirri fancies themself a cleric of Tempus (despite being a bard), the god of sky and war, who fights for fighting’s sake. Silvarren follows Helm, also a god of war, but mostly of justice and order. They do not get along. The poor cleric tries to explain this, and fails. Meanwhile Kix figures buying him drinks will help win him over, and it does to a degree, but doesn’t help clear up the misunderstanding. Silvarren must report to the temple in Red Larch, to the south, but he can’t leave because of his 5gp tab at the bar. His dedication to the god of order forbids it, even as he calls himself a poor cleric. Kix pays for the rest of the tab, and promises to meet up in the morning, also arranging funeral rights for those who died in the giant attack.

(note: they are now level six!)

The next day, they seem to forget about Silvarren (and the related quest with the two brothers’ dead brother), and start making preparations to head to the east, along the Evermoor Way. Urgala greets them in the morning, telling them that she can’t have them stay there on order of the Lord Protector (Darathra), and asks them not to be too hard on her. She also gives them a letter of introduction from Ghelryn to the King and Queen of Citadel Felbarr, in case they head out that way. The party arranges to travel with the caravan leaving town that day. Eventually they realize that this is the first time they will need food and supplies, and that the Lion’s Share Costor is an adventuring emporium, not a clothes shop. They stock up and buy a map, and Narth (the co-owner) pays them to take a delivery that’s on the way (they inherit a horse and cart), in Noanar’s Hold.

Eventually, the party leaves town, travelling about two and a half days to the fortified city of Yartar. The city sits on the other side of a river, with a walled citadel on the near end, connected to the main city by a wide stone bridge. The party undergoes a brief inspection, giving the guards no difficulty, though they give the side-eye to both Mirri (tabaxi) and Zastu (dragonborn).

Once inside, they find an inn to stay at, then set about looking for a place to drink. Mirri and Kix notice a rather extravagant boat at the docks, and take a closer look. It’s at the ‘rich’ end of the harbour, where the docks are behind gates and patrolled by guards. After watching for a while, Kix concludes that this is a boring city council//business style party, and no fun at all. Meanwhile, Zatsu breathes a sigh of relief at being in a proper city again. She looks around for signs of the local underground, and leads the party towards what she’s pretty sure is a secret bar or tavern.

They head down an alley and are stopped quickly by a couple of female human rogues... They speak in theive’s cant to Zastu, telling her she can come inside, but the others may not, because ‘The Hand of Yartar’ is women-only. Their plain speak to the rest of the party is gruff and spurning. They turn to leave, but Rysiel starts to cast a spell (to dump water on the rogue’s heads). Being overly cautious, and not well-versed in magic, they warn the druid not to try anything, and raise their crossbows. Rysiel appears to accept this, but he hides his hand motions and casts the small water spell on them anyway.

They were warned... Crossbows twang, and four bolts fly through the alley. The rogues have hidden backup! And a fight begins.

Most of the party run toward the entrance of the alley, but Rysiel stands his ground and starts casting attack magic. Zastu plays it safe and unhooks her shortbow. Mirri tries to be a peace-keeper, but the violent actions of the rest of the party undermine her attempts. Soon, three human rogues are dead (one having disappeared backward into a hidden window above them), and the last one is running.

Will the party take chase? She had quite a head start... But if they don’t, what are the repercussions?

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #16

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi bard

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Kix, changeling rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter; RIP

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the king and queen

Othovir, human; runs a harness workshop, has impeccible work; apparently a mage

Urlam Stockpool, human; owner of the Triboar Travellers, a caravan escort company; dresses very well and sports a bright red eye patch with the Zhentarim winged serpent

Valken Naspeer, half-elf; Urlam's friend and body guard; dresses almost as suave as Urlam, his posture suggests that he's very dangerous.

Nemyth, tiefling; owner and proprieter of the Triboar Arms tavern

Jacoby and Persson Hysstryn, humans; two brothers who are looking for their long-lost brother, Mirak

Silvarren Loomshank, human; disgraced cleric of Helm

Kaelen Sarssir, human; owner of the Talking Troll tavern

Tolmara Hysstryn; Mirak's widow and owner of the Six Windows rooming house

I’m writing this one weeks and weeks after the fact, so my memory is definitely rusty...

The epic, multi-game battle concluded during this session! Yay! The party helps deal with the massive fires that the magmins started, and then get up to their usual shenanigans.

Zastu helps split the party >:( by becoming suspicious of newcomer "Kix", and sends him/them on an errand to see why two brothers wanted to talk to the Lord Protector, Darathra. The stealthy changeling rogue follows the pair through the busy market square and to a dive bar not far away. He arrives inside only a few minutes after them, but they are already deep in their cups. The place is sparsely populated, but the few patrons are the kind of rowdy drunks you wouldn’t want elsewhere. Despite this, the two brothers can be heard complaining that the ‘Lord Protector’ will not help them find their brother, who has been missing for ten years. During an amusing conversation, it comes out that they’re convinced he hasn’t left town, due to the words of this here cleric... They gesture to a man in robes who is passed-out at their table. Kix agrees to help them out, for which they tell say they will reward the rogue ‘definitely’ (they have an heirloom or something, it’s vague because they are drunk). Eventually the cleric wakes up and heads to the loo, where he has a very awkward conversation with Kix while trying to pee. They talk a bit more inside (Kix changes faces at some point, but it’s unclear when), but it becomes clear that the cleric doesn’t know that they want, and Kix isn’t sure how to get it out of him. He leaves to get Mirri, hoping another cleric will have more insight.

Meanwhile, the remaining three go talk to Darathra about the giant attack. She's grateful for the help defending the town, but admits that she's in a difficult position in light of the news that they're all theives. She basically threatens to put them in jail if they don’t take this silver boar medallion to her compatriot in Everlund--several weeks’ dangerous journey along the Evermoor way. She’s a member of the Harpers, a secret network of goodly spies and magic-users who have helped keep the peace on the Sword Coast for centuries. She’s worried about how giants could have come this far into the Dessarin Valley without any word. She notices the stink-eye that Zastu is giving her. “Just so you know... If I go missing... You will be hunted down, so don’t think about it.” “So you’re accusing us of being murderers now?” Zastu asks, incredulous. Darathra shrugs and sighs. “I don’t know what you’re capable of, or what you’re willing to do. If I knew you were thieves, I wouldn’t have let you stay here. I specifically told you to stay out of trouble. (this is the frontier, and keeping order is paramount) I have put in people behind bars for less... The only reason you’re not in jail now is that you saved this town, and my life specifically.” ...it’s an intense encounter. When they leave, they nearly leave the silver boar icon behind, but something tells them they’re going to need it later.

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #15

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi "cleric" (of Tempus)

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Kix, ?race? rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the kind and queen

Othovir, human; runs a harness workshop, has impeccible work; apparently a mage

Whoops, still haven't written this one either

This entire game was an epic battle! Here's the turn order:

Mirri (PC)

Narth

all the Magmins

Darz

Urgala

Kix (PC)

Othovir

Sydiri

all the Orogs

(townsfolk)

Darathra

all the Orcs riding Axebeaks

Ildmane (fire giant)

Zastu (PC)

Rysiel (PC)

Okssort (fire giant)

Norgra One-Eye (orc)

Ghelryn

Round ....

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #14

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi "cleric" (of Tempus)

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon)

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief)

Kix, ?race? rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the kind and queen

Othovir, human; runs a harness workshop, has impeccible work; apparently a mage

As usual, I'm a little late writing this... :D

This entire game was an epic battle! Here's the turn order:

Mirri (PC)

Narth

all the Magmins

Darz

Urgala

Kix (PC)

Othovir

Sydiri

all the Orogs

(townsfolk)

Darathra

all the Orcs riding Axebeaks

Ildmane (fire giant)

Zastu (PC)

Rysiel (PC)

Okssort (fire giant)

Norgra One-Eye (orc)

Ghelryn

Round 2

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #13

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi "cleric" (of Tempus); rapier, lute, robes

Rysiel "Riceboy", half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon); acid burns, simple clothing (vest w/bare chest) and leather armor, scimitar

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief); white scales almost completely covered in a hooded cape and mask, leather armor, short bow and shortsword + dagger

Introducing...

Kix, ?race? rogue (Arcane Trickster); nice clothes, leather armor, rapier, shortbow

Saying goodbye to...

Teir, tiefling warlock;

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter; brunette, chain shirt, dagger, shortbow, wooden club

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the kind and queen

Urlam Stockpool, human; owner of the Triboar Travellers, a caravan escort company; dresses very well and sports a bright red eye patch with the Zhentarim winged serpent

Valken Naspeer, half-elf; Urlam's friend and body guard; dresses almost as suave as Urlam, his posture suggests that he's very dangerous.

Nemyth, tiefling; owner and proprieter of the Triboar Arms tavern

I'm a little late writing this, but notes from Rysiel's player really helped! :D

The adventurers wake up at the Northshield house, in a small two-bed room they decided to share, despite having more than enough gold to get separate rooms. Sydiri paid for her own room. Teir's brain has been spinning all night regarding the issue with upsetting some members of the Lord's Alliance. He decides to buy a horse from one of the stables and travel back to Waterdeep--alone--in order to petition the nobles there for forgiveness on their behalf. (Reminder: Rysiel attacked dwarves loyal to queen Dagnabbet of Mithril hall, at Zephyros' tower without provocation) He tells the others his plan, but doesn't invite them along.

Without her employer, Zastu has a momentary crisis about what to do. Luckily, Rysiel suggests they pay back those snooty guys at the Everwyvern Inn for being so rude. (Sydiri stays behind at the inn to hang out with Urgala, the innkeeper) They decide to break into the wine cellar, but first they head over to the Lion's Share to get servant costumes. Once there, Narth tells them that they don't sell such things. The Everwyvern Inn is an upscale establishment that provides its workers with uniforms. Besides, the Lion's Share isn't that kind of store... But whyever would they want to dress like servants anyway? The three of them visit the Triboar Arms to find something for breakfast, and to talk to Nemyth (the tiefling owner) about the Everwyvern House. The party is mostly upfront about their goal-robbing his 'competitor'. Nemyth balks at the idea, but maintains his suave composure. The Everwyvern Inn has very different clientelle, plus they have rooms, while he does not. "I can't be seen with their wine! I would go out of business. What did you think I would say?" He subtly guides them out back for a more frank conversation. He doesn't like the people who own the place, but if anyone asked him about a robbery there... He would have to pretend like he knew nothing. And no, he's not going to help! Here's what I know, he says... Half the people there are actors, paid to make the place look busy and exclusive. Second, the owner, Draven is a mage, so be careful of any magic, though you probably could tell that just by looking at all the glowing lights and floating plants. Third, he hires thugs to keep the riffraff out (the party had a run-in with them as they were considered riffraff themselves). The party presses him for information, such as how to get into the cellar, but Nemyth frowns at them. He knows nothing. It's uncertain if he's telling the truth or not. They give him a big tip of 100 coppers (1 gold/10 silver) for their meal, and head off to the Triboar Traveller caravan escort service to ask the same questions.

They approach the man wearing a red eyepatch with the Zhentarim serpant emblazoned in black, Urlam. They seem surprised when the immaculately-dressed human (and his suave half-elf bodyguard, Valken) recognizes them. Rysiel asks Valken if he's up for some mischief but doesn't offer context. Valken says he's on the clock, so Rysiel asks "Later?" Valken asks if he's hitting on him, and Rysiel asks in Valken wants him to be. Then they become more upfront about what they're after: "Hey, we want to rob the Everwyvern Inn's wine cellar. Do you want any?" Urlam purses his lips and shares a glance with Valken. He gives them a shit-eating grin. "Their wine is quite good, but I can't be seen with contraband bottles. Wouldn't want to have Darathra on my back." They try to get some information out of them, but all they find out is that the two of them like to eat there occasionally, and are on good terms with the owner, Draven. (I check Urlam's alignment, and roll a d100 to determine whether or not he tips off Draven, with 51-100 being a yes... I roll a 91)

The three adventurers stake out the inn from the trees, for about 40 minutes. They're waiting for a servant to come out of the inn, but grow impatient. They joke that they turn to crime as soon as Teir leaves. Riceboy turns into a cat to go in through a window at the back of the inn and unlock the door for the other two. Rysiel easily finds his way downstairs, but he also finds burly guards in waiting for them in the cellar. They're talking openly about Draven being tipped off, and the dubiousness of the warning. He reports back and they decide to try to steal from the other fancy restaurant instead. Despite the fact that this restaurant wasn't the one that was so rude to them, now they just want some pretentious wine, and to cause some mischief. They move to the trees on the perimeter of the Pleasing Platter, and Rysiel changes into a cat again to scope out the place. it's very busy in the kitchen, as lunch is approaching, but Rysiel is stealthy enough to sneak in. He finds someone (Kix) drinking behind a makeshift wall of barrels, who is happy to see him and offers cat-Rysiel some wine. Rysiel lets out a confused maow and then darts off to report back to his companions.

Rysiel and Mirri start performing out front of the restaurant to distract the workers, so Zastu can sneak in through the kitchen. (Keep in mind that this is a fancy restaurant in the country, not a bar in downtown Waterdeep) Zastu goes around back to the open kitchen door, and tries to convince the cooks to go see the performers, but they're suspicious and uninterested. "Why would we care that our bosses hired musicians out front? That happens all the time, and besides, it's almost lunch." She then tells them she has to go to the cellar and talk to someone who went down there. Somehow she's convincing enough that they go with that. "New Girl" takes Zastu downstairs, but there's no one in sight. The girl notices that the barrels are stacked oddly, and the two of them discover that there's a youngish-looking person in nice clothes wasted and drinking wine. New Girl leaves to get her supervisor. Zastu immediately tries stuffing bottles into this rando's bag, but quickly discovers that the weight and clinking of the bottles is inhibiting. She only has a moment, so she empties the bag again and just grabs one bottle. She also grabs the rando's arm and hauls him out of the cellar. They run into New Girl and Supervisor on the stairs, and somehow Zastu bluffs her way past them.

They collect Mirri and Rysiel--who are playing out front for no audience--and they go to the nearby abandoned house, which has obviously been grafitti'd and carved up by the local teens. New person/Kix is already pretty drunk, so the other three split the sole bottle of nice wine that Zastu stole. I guess they chat or something?

Their short rest is interrupted by a boulder crashing loudly into the building in front of them--the splinters and shrapnel flying everywhere while people start screaming. More boulders fly overhead and more crashes are heard. The field before them dips down to another level, hiding the approaching enemies. Only two heads on two broad sets of shoulders are visible at first, then several large flightless birds with axe-shaped beaks appear from behind the ridge with orcs riding them! They enter the town quickly and start harassing and chasing down townsfolk. They don't seem to be trying to kill anyone, but they aren't pulling their strikes as they ride past either. Lagging behind the axebeak birds are two groups of six goblinoid-shaped creatures, with skin like molten lava, all glowing and sinister. Everything they touch catches on fire, and they like to touch a lot of things! Seconds later, three larger orcs march up wearing heavy platmail, and behind those three another orc on an axebeak, but this one has a single ominously glowing eye...

Roll for initiative! Some of the townsfolk get ready for battle... I hand out character sheets for Darathra the Lord Protector, Ghelryn the orc/giantslayer, Darz the ex-rogue, Narth the wannabe adventurer, and Urgala the retired adventurer. ((Riceboy takes Darathra, Zastu takes Darz, Mirri takes Urgala, and Kix takes Ghelryn; I take control of Narth and Sydiri)) Mirri casts Vicious Mockery at the enemies as they advance. One of the Orogs (large orcs in platemail) is hit with psychic damage and has disadvantage on its next attack. Narth dashes from his store to see what's going on, and to see if he can help. The magmin (goblin-looking things) have fun lighting trees and fences on fire. Darz follows Narth to see what's going on. Urgala leaves her inn and takes out her shortbow. She sticks two arrows in the closest magmin, killing it. Kix takes out his shortbow as well, and sticks another magmin with an arrow, then uses their bonus action to hide around the corner. Sydiri shoots her own shortbow, sticking an orc with an arrow. One of the orogs jumps the fence of the abandoned house's yard, and attacks Zastu. Fortuntely, it misses with both swipes of its axe. Darathra sees Narth and Darz, as well as the advancing enemies. She dashes toward them, but isn't fast enough to engage just yet. The orcs on axebeaks advance. -one goes towards Urgala and Sydiri at the inn -one leeps the fence to attack Zastu, but misses -others continue to harass the townsfolk -three see the dwarf, Ghelryn, and attack their mortal enemy, injuring him greatly The two fire giants move forward, stepping over the fence, seemingly approaching Zastu. Zastu, intimidated, backs up to where Mirri and Rysiel stand. Rysiel casts the Tidal Wave spell, and manages to knock an Orog and one of the Fire Giants to the ground. The second giant is hit, but stays standing. Oddly, that giant only checks on their partner before continuing past the adventurers. The one-eyed orc is Norgra! He sees his sworn foe: Sydiri, and rides toward her on his axebeak, casting Spiritual Weapon as he approaches. The spectral spear attacks Sydiri, but misses. The dwarf Ghelryn manages to escape the three orcs by falling back into his house and barring the door. He dashes through to the other side to get away. --end of round one--

[a-d-n-d-journal]

Game Session #12

Characters:

Mirri in the wind, tabaxi "cleric" (of Tempus); rapier, lute, robes

Rysiel, half-elf druid (Circle of the Moon); acid burns, simple clothing (vest w/bare chest) and leather armor, scimitar

Teir, tiefling warlock (Pact of the Tome); acid burns, vibrant gold skin and black hair w/silver highlights, horns, hooves, expensive-looking clothes and leather armor, carries a dagger as his only (physical) weapon

Zastu, dragonborn rogue (Thief); white scales almost completely covered in a hooded cape and mask, leather armor, short bow and shortsword + dagger

Noteable NPCs...

Sydiri Haunlar, human (Chondathan) fighter; brunette, chain shirt, dagger, shortbow, wooden club

Darathra Shendrel, human; Lord protector of Triboar

Narth Tezrin and Alaestra Ulgar, humans; Own and run the Lion's Share trading store

Draven Millovyr, human; stuck-up owner of the Everwyvern House - an upscale inn and restaurant

Nemyth, tiefling; owner and proprieter of the Triboar Arms tavern

Darz Helgar, human; Groundskeeper for the two large caravan camps in Triboar; squirrelly

Urgala Meltimer, human; ex-adventurer and owner of the Northshield House (inn); her late wife died during an adventure

Ghelryn Foehammer, dwarf; master armorsmith, claim to fame is fashioning armor for the kind and queen

Urlam Stockpool, human; owner of the Triboar Travellers, a caravan escort company; dresses very well and sports a bright red eye patch with the Zhentarim winged serpent

Valen Naspeer, half-elf; Urlam's friend and body guard; dresses almost as suave as Urlam, his posture suggests that he's very dangerous.

I actually forgot to write out this game session, so I'm going to have to come back to it. This is a placeholder for now.

Point form! Events may not be exactly in this order... Zephyros lets the adventurers down south of Triboar. He 'kicks' Mirri out, but the tabaxi is tired of being cooped up in the flying tower anyway. The flying tower is seen from Triboar, and the five of them (Mirri, Rysiel, Sydiri, Teir, Zastu, plus Bobble the horse) are greeted by a group of about a dozen fighters on horseback. A human woman in her thirties leads them and introduces herself as Darathra, the "Lord Protector" of Triboar, and demands to know who they are, and what they have to do with that flying giant's tower. The party manages to convince Darathra that the giant's tower isn't a scout or attacking force, and they too come in peace. Darathra is not entirely certain, but she leads them into town to interrogate them further at the tower in the market square. As many of her entorage cram in there as possible. She grills them about their involvement with giants, and asks their purpose in town. They mention delivering the sad news of Darthag Ulgar's death to his ex-wife at the Lion's Share trading post, and tell the story of what happened to Nightstone. Darathra believes them and gives them directions to the trading post. She also tells them she'll be watching them and to stay out of trouble. Also also... Don't attack the gargoyles. They belong to the rich and eccentric mage in the mansion to the north, and they sometimes swoop overhead to startle people and alleviate boredom, but they don't hurt anyone.

Teir really really wants a bath, so the party heads to the very fancy hotel (the Everwyvern Inn) they saw on their way in. Unfortunately, the owner mistakes Teir's companions for "servants", and takes a strong dislike to their attitude. They are forcefully escorted out of the hotel.

The party visits the Lion's Share trading post, which is a large store on the edge of the market square. Narth and Alaestra greet them and help them with shopping. Some of the party is interested in clothing, and buy what nice vestments the store carries (which isn't much) (they may have also bought some adventuring equipment, I don't remember) They make conversation and Narth tells them about which inns and taverns to go to. On their way out, Teir quickly and quietly tells Alaestra about her ex-husband dying (he leaves out the part where he was eaten by giant rats, and then subsequently pulverized by Teir's spell). She's visibly shaken, but mostly keeps her composure.

They head over to the Northshield House, which is the inn Narth recommended. Urgala greets them and eyes them suspiciously. She doesn't tolerate any funny business, and dislikes adventurers in general. However, she does rent them a single room. The party is unsure of the prices (2 silver, compared to the 25 gold at the Everwyvern), so they only rent a single two-bed room. Mirri sleeps on the floor, and Sydiri gets her own room. Teir immediately sets about getting a bath while the others go find something to eat at the Triboar Arms.

This tavern is pretty clean, and the tiefling proprieter is charismatic. The party asks about giants, and he directs them to talk to one of the guides, who is a regular. They do, and find out that giants have been seen in the outlying area, but haven't come close yet.

(Not sure what happened in what order here...)

- Teir visits Darathra to ask about the Lord's Alliance, but Triboar isn't a member. She appears very distracted for some reason, but tells him that there's something else she can look into if given a couple days. - Zastu, Mirri, and Rysiel visit the apothecary and Zastu buys some herbalism-based healing kits - At some point the party reunites with Teir, and they visit the caravan escort/guard company and quickly realize that the owner is Zhentarim (his eyepatch has a winged serpent), and try to hire on has guards(?) They're uninterested, but mention that if they want to join a caravan, there's one going to Waterdeep and one to Everlund if they want to try to ask those people. (They don't) - They visit the weaponsmith and blacksmith forges to the north and buy some 'mastercraft' weapons - Zastu talks to the groundskeeper of the caravan campgrounds, and he appears a little squirrelly, but harmless.