Tag: DnD

This is technically a recap of two sessions, but it’s also a lesson in play-style as well as how to react to your players’ desires. The Five have become a bit more than I intended. There is this overarching plot around Lorebooks and Scholars and Proctors. But one of the things that they’ve really enjoyed is exploration. Sure, a few d20s and damage dice once in a while are fun, but tonight’s session was much more about discovering the World of the Everflow.

That’s what they wanted and needed. They boldly went where no player has gone before. They discovered parts of Sheljar long abandoned.

Back on Summer 16 a few of them (Mo, Saffron, Behn and Samul) freed some captives from Parun’s strike on the caravansary. It took a lot of effort and Parun and his two primary henchman escaped.

More importantly a few NPCs which treated The Five well escaped slavery and decided to settle into the no-longer haunted Sheljar. But the tiny island where The Five took over an inn is not large enough for a dozen commoners and nearly a dozen heroes.

Tonight’s session focused on exploring the bog-city. Aamar, Behn and Samul (with Boo) needed to find another relatively safe island in Sheljar for their loyalists. So they explored.

There was only one combat. It was swift. A mulgob fired a huge crossbow at Samul’s head and Behn tossed a fireball their way. The bridge was nearly destroyed, but the gobs (five of them) were all tossed aside like bowling pins.

But that isn’t what the session fun. What made it fun was island hopping and creating a space together. The PCs and DMs worked to build the city. It wasn’t procedural like a video game, or preplanned as store-bought settings are, it was built together.

Together they found an island that looks like it could be a secondary base – defensible and spacious. There is access to the sea, without large ships being able to pull along side.

Sure, there is the small problem of a gobkin encampment nearby, but no DM isn’t going to toss a problem or two (there are also tunneling nightmares on nearby isles) towards their players.

But it was the discovery and fellowship that made the session enjoyable. Not combat, just the pleasure of finding something new.

The Five keep growing in size, but are far from completing their quest. The fogs of Sheljar have them on edge. They fear another tunneling nightmare striking their inn-home. Furthermore, the dead walk the night and there is the problem of their still hidden master wandering the bog-city.

Session Notes:
A guest player is here on a one-shot. They are playing a non-humanoid.
Ixnyx remains at the inn, working on an unknown project.
Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx.

Stumbling back from the battle at the temple the group is weary. They fear going back to the island with the city center and its Library of Glight. Over the next day they will set a watch. Sure, the Necromancer will have some time to recoup, but the group needs the health and energy, especially if more wights or tunneling nightmare’s show.

During their rest day Saffron goes fishing with her mage hand. Ajhenas’ heron helps gather fish as well. Samul is mourning the loss of Boo, his trusty lizard. Aamar is in the main room of the inn. Behn took a perch on top of the storage shed to paint the faint images seen through fog. Mo is up there as well.

Encounter: Pet Shop Boys

Limping through the thick fogs is a skeletal form. It has a spear it uses as a staff and a cape. Beside it is the ghostly visage of a massive warhound. Next to that is a tiny skeletal creature. Ajhenas is fishing at the base of the bridge and orders the skeleton to stop. This works, just short of the alarm zone.

“Stop!” Ajhenas shouts. The skeleton and its companions stop. “Approach,” the scout from Kirtin says. A few steps forward. The start and stop commands continue. Leaning on the staff like a weak old man the skeleton does not seem threatening.

Ajhenas mistimes his start-stop commands and the non-enemies, they cross Ixnyx’ alarm system. No longer is Ajhenas audience the two halflings on the storage shed, but the whole group, coming out into the courtyard seeing the creatures on the edge of the bridge.

When Samul exits the building the tiny skeletal lizard sprints towards the massive gladiator, leaping up into his leather shirt’s inner pocket. This thing is, was?, Boo.

Mo’s shortbow and Behn’s crossbow remain trained on the human skeleton. Ajhenas notices the cape is from a different light infantry unit than his own, one that was eliminated during the Awakening. Saffron asks the undying soul if it can talk, it shakes its head. She then follows up seeing if it can write.

Through a long conversation with a skeleton carving words in the dirts of an abandoned isle the Five learn that the skeleton’s master is angry about the destruction of the temple, but extends the offer of an animated Boo as a symbol that the two parties may be able to communicate with less violence. They arrange a meeting with the Necromancer. Tomorrow, the Five will see this man across the collapsed bridge that once connected city center to the grand market. There will be a gap between the adversaries, so while missile and spell fire could happen, retreat into the fogs will be possible.

Encounter: Enter a dragon

With time to prepare the Five (it’s not five, but this adventuring party hasn’t named itself) build a second rope bridge over the gap between where the old massive stone bridge fell apart. That rope bridge is about 60 feet above the water. The stone bridge had a massive rise so smaller sea-worthy vessels could round the market isle.

The also construct a couple simple defenses for the ranged fighters to use as cover. They’ll be shooting at shadowy objects through the fogs, but the cover provides some felling of safety. There are two of these. Some of the group is set to prevent a flanking action. Then they wait.

Marching in step two banks of four skeletons walk to the edge of the bridge. Taking a knee and placing their shields in front the first row provides defense for the second row and their bowman. These are all human sized, but the skulls indicate that not all are human. Two mulkon zombies stumble forward from the rear of the military unit to the edges of the rope bridges. Their massive forms holding the giant morning stars that are common among their living race.

These walking dead provide a defense for a large pitch black cloud of darkness that walks forward. This is powerful magic, not some mere illusion but a black that makes night seem like broad daylight. The group of adventurers is tense. If this meeting comes to violence they have a chance, Behn always thinks they have a chance.

Greetings are exchanged. Interrupting the pleasantries is a resounding screech comes from the sky. The skeletons aim their bows up, as does the group. This is something different – a third side to the potential conflict.

A winged form, somewhat related to the flying lizards of Mehmd comes into view, a second screech. There is a rider.

“DRAGON!!!!!!!” screams Saffron and she sprints away, cowering in an abandoned merchant booth.

And the fight starts. Bolts, arrows and spells fly out at the beast. The rider flings spells back. While in the air the wyvern does a spin move to avoid one of Behn’s spells. Its rider is flung aside into the water. Ajhenas runs down to the shore and Maurice leaps off the bridge chasing the stout form.

The rest focus their efforts on the winged beast, eventually slaying it. When it dies the Necromancer and his companions are gone. That group of Behn, Samul, Boo, Saffron and Aamar look down to the water.

Between the quick thoughts and strengths of Ajhenas and Mo they’ve captured the man. He is about 4 feet tall, with broad shoulders and a beard. He is a spell caster, once using a spell to get away from the group, but they recapture him. He has heavy armor, a hammer and is quite angry to find his mount is dead.

While interrogated he declares that he is a “Proctor of Grace.” He displays some contempt for the “pathetic” spells used in the conflict, and disgust specifically for Behn. Some of the group take this Proctor back to their inn. The rest field dress the fallen wyvern and take its venom from the stinger.

They now have a prisoner who can cast spells beyond what they do (he claims), wyvern parts and are no closer to learning the identity and disposition of the Necromancer.

The loss of Boo still haunts the group as they consider their next move in the audience of a few dozen decomposed bodies. The skeletal remains of a congregation loom over the party, their open eyesockets unmoving but seemingly following each nervous tic, every sideways glance.

Session Notes:
The player running Ajhenas wrote this recap. This is the first recap written from a single player’s angle and thereby gives new insights into the story.
Samul and Maurice are absent from the session, but they remain in the temple nave. Maurice also helps open a lock.
Shonie is still in Telse, they think.
Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx.
Ixnyx is back at the inn setting some alarms.

Given the disastrous, carefree door opening of Samul only moments prior, it is instead the recently revived Ajhenas who is entrusted with opening the doors of the temple. The Kirtin man still hasn’t fully recovered from the severe head injury that left him floating alone miles downriver. Silently he curses himself for not sensing the earlier trap that left much of the party injured. After due diligence, Ajhenas opens the left door into a back room, with Aamar, Behn and Saffron close behind. Injured and traumatized, Maurice and Samul wait in the rubble. Ajhenas’ heron remains outside on watch. Mitzie, Edgar and Barkley stay with the barbarian and rogue. If the skeletons animate the halfing and human will have some help.

Beyond the door the party finds a simple set of rooms and a pair of staircases. In one room lies a table with a set of unfamiliar books; Behn notes that the books have been disturbed recently. As much of the party examines the mundane items scattered about, Ajhenas goes to a window to look more closely at the side of the church farthest from where they entered.

To his astonishment, the thick fog that hindered their progress earlier appears to have completely lifted in the direct vicinity of the church, allowing him to see outside. There, ten yards out from the church, is a lone pole with a pennant hanging from the very top. A gruff word calls the others to the window, where no one is able to recognize the peculiar symbol adorning the flag. Behn takes note of it for later.

Having seemingly seen all that is there to be seen, the party considers the stairs and decides to travel downwards first. Their descent leads them into pure darkness, greeted only with a nasty stench not unlike a sewer. Saffron and Ajhenas light torches in an attempt to make sense of the room, but to no avail. It simply isn’t worth the risk, and an exploration of the basement is abandoned.

That leaves only the upwards stairs. At the top, nothing greets them save for a few more books with more strange symbols, and two more doors facing towards the back of the building. Behn presses his ear against the right-most door, and hears nothing living. Ajhenas is wary nonetheless, and opens the door with an axe at the ready. And sure enough, upon opening the great wooden wall, a wight blows by him to attack the rest of the party. In a moment of weakness, Ajhenas attempts to bring one of his trusty handaxes down on the nasty ghoul only to get it stuck in the doorframe. An encounter with the other leaves him badly wounded as a rusty sword slashes his chest.

Behn and Aamar have similarly poor luck despite seemingly excellent preparation. An attempt to disarm the opponent leaves both Behn and this new enemy without weapons.

Bernie, Aamar’s bear cub, rushes forth swiping at the wight attacking Behn. Saffron stands back in support. The fellow Kirtin-ite drumming inspiring beats, with secondary rhythm that place that same wight at a disadvantage.

Calling upon his long military career, Ajhenas attempts to isolate this armed creature from the rest of the party. The cut he sustained was deep, and the man has seen how man and beast alike fare with such wounds. His shield equipped, Ajhenas pushes his attacker deeper into the room from which it came, blocking the door with his body. He attempts to push it closed behind him, but fails; a most fortuitous fail.

In the other room, the party appears to have the wight in hand. A series of swipes and spells leave it all but defeated. Behn considers finishing it off, when out of the corner of his eye he sees the struggling Ajhenas alone, staggering with his shield high. Behn calls on one of his most powerful spells (I silently pray for good aim) and fires a bolt over the shoulder of the Kirtin man into the face of the looming creature. The wight lets out a horrific scream, barely clinging to the world of the living. Everybody looks on, anticipating that Ajhenas will run his longsword through the blight and earn his bravery.

But the man is too weak, a lumbering strike misses wide and his body is left open to a critical strike, which falls swiftly after. Ajhenas crumples to the ground, wondering if this is the day he dies, surrounded by foreigners in a foreign land for a cause he doesn’t fully understand. He thinks of his blacksmith parents, of his bonded bird, the halls of the academy and of the many mountains he will never traverse. It’s only when he feels the healing salves on his lips that he realizes just how overly dramatic he was being.

Helped to his feet, Ajhenas sees the smoking remains of the two vestiges of death. The man is not one who speaks, but Behn earned a few words of gratitude. Also to Saffron and Aamar, for their generous use of healing Everflow.

By now the light struggled to survive through the island’s fog. The party checks the accompanying door, which was gratefully empty. Ignoring the remaining upwards steps the party returns to the first floor, where Behln stops just before the party reunites with Samul and Maurice. He reminds the group of the  pennant flying outside and how it appeared to repel the fog. After some discussion, Behl bursts through a window and (with help) retrieves the cloth. As soon as he does though, the fog that was held back as if by a glass bowl flows back into the empty space, and a sense of dread envelops the group along with the thick air. Replacing the pennant does nothing. Ajhenas calls for Laurel, who through speaking with Aamar informs them that a green cloud is approaching from that side of the building (and also that it’d be a very good time to leave.)

The group reunites in the main chamber, ready to pack up and go. But the skeletons still sit in their pews, waiting for the sermon that will seemingly never come. Tired, wounded and annoyed, Ajhenas calls for the whole damn building to be burned down. But that idea doesn’t fly. Instead, Aamar sends the others on and lets forth a powerful spell from the center of the room which thunderously shatters the remaining bones.

From there it’s a race to get off the island, away from the now apparent green cloud, and to the party’s base of operations. But as they cross the long bridges that connect the haunted village to the mainland, a bell rings in front of them. Ajhenas mentally braces himself for another fight, particularly when a goblin approaches excitedly. It’s all the party can do to keep him from throwing an axe at the monster. It makes the coming introductions between hottie Kirtin outsider and former captive turned Five member Ixnyx rather awkward.

The green fog approaches no further, the group returns to the inn and the party settles down for rest at last.