(This is a copyrighted campaign!)
Episode 1: Secrets of the Library (02.09.18)
The adventurers find themselves in a city where there is a commotion outside the finest looking building in a shabbily-built town - the library (funded by the Bentons - the rumors say because she was being blackmailed). They discover that during the day, the library kicks out it's owner and anyone who tries to enter. At night, though, entry is permitted. The librarian begs you to try and exorcise it, and you enter at night. There you meet a young ghost girl (Banshee), about 16 years of age, who hides behind a massive pile of books. Eventually she sits on top of the nearest very tall shelf and continues to telepathically throw books onto her large pile, watching you, but mostly ignoring you. If you disturb her book pile, climb up on her shelf or try and enter the room in the left corner of the building, she will attack you. The adventurers discover another apparition - the ghost of a soldier (Auniss) who beckons you around the shelves into the reading area. There is his encampment where his men greet you jollily. They are excited you have joined their ranks to "defeat the enemy" tomorrow, which they are vague about. Anytime the adventurers ask about the ghost girl, they can get her name out of them (Lulu), but Lulu will fly through them and restart them if she is mentioned. At some point, one adventurer notices a bird in a very high window just sitting there and watching. When midnight comes, the soldiers attack the broadside of the room in the left corner and disappear through it. Lulu allows them into the room after the soldiers have left, and the adventurers discover it is a map room, where they find a map of an underground tunnel system, with the note: Property Of Ro. If the adventurers chose to open the stone door that is the Restricted section, there is a side battle of 5 Shadows. To the DM's digression, the adventurers can be allowed a morning/day to plan, recuperate and research. Have the adventurers find out (somehow, and only if you think necessary) that the town had a visit from soldiers twelve/eleven years ago under the claims that someone/the library was hiding the rebellion. No one wants to be associated with the rebellion or 'they'/The Crux will come and hurt the town. If anyone asks about Lulu, she was the daughter of the librarian and she left a note when she committed suicide, but her body was never found. The next night, Lulu is sitting on her pile of books, but she seems more pensive. She can whisper at any point that "It's time somebody knows" but otherwise, she speaks very little. She allows the adventurers, either by her own choice, or through the persuasion of the players, into the map room, where they discover young boys and girls, older women and men, a rag tag army of what they learn is the Rebellion. Ro is the one to greet them at the door, with an impressive head of brown hair. Ro is a ghost, but he is still wary, and can greet you with a symbol, either with the back of a closed fist, or the palm of an open hand. He is a young boy, and the rebellion is also kind to you, excited that you will help them defeat the enemy! The adventurers can discover a couple more Rebellion passwords, and also that Ro was Lulu's beau/boyfriend. Lulu, out on her book pile begins crying/wailing. She finally cries, "Enough, enough, ENOUGH!" and the ghosts vanish. At this point, the adventurers can chose to attack Lulu, or she will initiate battle, or if they want to try and negotiate her with her, she will remain agitated and probably Wail at some point. Then she disappears into the book pile. Now that she is gone, the adventurers are free to dig through the book pile and will discover the receptionists desk. If they search hard enough, they will find entry to the underground tunnel system that the map they have has on it. If they enter the tunnel, they discover Lulu's grave. At this point, if they choose to go into the tunnel, the town is awake and threatens to shoot them if they do not exit. If the adventurers give in and come out, then Lady Benton finds them herself the next morning/episode. If they stay in the tunnel and run away from the townspeople, they arrive in Lady Benton's yard no matter which direction they go. The reason the townspeople attack is because they wanted the adventurers to exorcise the library, but they discovered too much and they want them either killed, threatened to remain quiet, or out of their town as the town (I called it Saintstown) is small and cannot afford The Crux to come after them, and they want no affiliation with the rebellion and see the fact that the librarian/Lulu were hiding some as extremely shameful and scary.
Episode 2: The Benton Manor (02.16.18)
The adventurers follow the tunnel. It is damp, disused and in disrepair. Sconces hold moldy torches, old campsites are long trod into the dirt. I threw in a beginning fight of rust monsters in the tunnel equal to adventurers in your campaign, so in my case, three.
When they arrive at the end of the tunnel, it narrows and starts to steepen. If adventurers choose to follow it, they come out into a beautifully manicured garden in the backyard of a beautiful manor. The DM can decide if there is a gardener present who spots them or if they emerge unnoticed. I find it better to emerge unseen so that no one else will question about the tunnels. Lady Benton finds them, either through her gardener, or her children, or she spots them herself. She is a wealthy woman, living in a beautiful manor that looks slightly out of place in the farm/western land, with her husband out working a lot, and three daughters who look identical to each other - each three years apart (Margaret, Marilyn and Mary). She invites you in for a chat, and says she was just hearing about you/looking for you since they don't get many adventurers in this area, and she wants to hire you for a simple task. She is ditzy, but very wealthy, and generally kind, just ignorant. She explains, a little bashfully, that she was once a mistress for the King of Kyrel and one night, the Rebellion raided the palace in search of a "seed" that had been foreseen by their "Seer." (Lady Benton does not mention she was pregnant at the time) They didn't hurt anyone, just merely held them back as they searched forcefully. With no luck, they left, but Lady Martha Benton heard rumors that they would return in twelve years. The twelve year anniversary is soon approaching and she wants the adventurers to take her emblem, which carries great power and prowess, to the stable keeper, Imotepp, who will help you get to Kyrel, which is one of the three great floating cities in the sky. Kyrel is also known as the "City of Fallen Angels" by the lay people, but anyone from Kyrel hates this disgraceful name. Once the adventurers get to Kyrel, she wants them to ask the King of Kyrel for reinforcements to protect her on the twelve year anniversary. She feels the King owes it to her and she will pay the adventurers handsomely. If the adventurers accept, she allows them to stay the night.
That night, at a farm land not too far away from the manor, the adventurers are awoken by screaming. They rush over the small roll of hills to see the farmer's wheat field beginning to catch fire. A scary black-haired woman wearing a cloak and accompanied by a great hulking hunchbacked beast, and a muscular slim beast, is silhouetted by the fire that is beginning to rise. She is holding a young man by the forehead, and he is terrified. If the adventurers attack her, she sprouts wings, flies into the air and shouts, "I am not the enemy you should be fighting!" before flying away, with her beasts following her swiftly on the ground. The adventurers hear screaming coming from the field. They can choose how to, if they, interact with the young boy in front of the field that is catching fire. Hopefully the adventurers will attempt to put out the fire. They soon discover that there are four helpless farmers in the field being slashed to death by Scarecrows, While you have limited visibility while in the field, and the Scarecrows could pop out of nowhere (I wanted it to be eerie) the adventurers must find the farmers and help them out. I matched Scarecrows to farmers, so there were only four, but you can add more and make up your own rules when it comes to simulating the wheat field fight. I used a literal battleship format, with numbered squares and limited spaces to move/see.
(This is a story-heavy episode - not a lot of combat)
Once the farmers are safe, the farmers are very grateful. offer the adventurers anything they need, and say if they ever need help - to call on the favor the Marshford family. (Player quote: "Rich in heritage, but not in wealth") The adventurers then head to Imotep's stable, which they see from a couple miles away because of the giant flying blankets that appear to be suspended over a simple shack and tied to a gazebo next to it. Imotep offers them the skyfish at his stables, which are essentially flying manta rays, which the adventurers lie on to ride. You can make up varying names, ages and compatibility/experience for the skyfish, (Plié (old, experienced), Delia (young, less experienced), Grace (young, very inexperienced)) but the adventurers then make rolls to see how well they mount, or handle the animals. At some point, an adventurer notices a magpie sitting atop Imotep's shack. At this point, adventurers are likely to notice the pattern of re-occurring bird (see Episode 1) and may grow suspicious. If they attack the bird, the bird simply dies, and a new one simply shows up, either soon or later. If they continuously kill off birds - you can stop sending birds, the birds can hide or become more wary. You can even send mice.
The adventurers take a fifteen minute ride on the skyfish to Kyrel which is a floating city amidst the fog that surrounds a mountain range. You can take this opportunity to describe the beautiful surroundings. The bird can follow them (it probably would - and be exhausted) and remind them that it is very cold. Have their skyfish do various things depending on what the adventurers do or what happens. But otherwise, it is a peaceful journey, and they reach Kyrel pretty harmlessly. In my campaign, we had a little bit of a problem with docking. I gave them limited docking space and limited experience with the skyfish, so one of them went bolting up to the top, but otherwise, they eventually dock peacefully, to the DM's discernment. There they seek entrance with the King of Kyrel. The guards on the dock can search their packs, but once they show the sigil of Lady Benton, most guards let them through. The city is a quiet, rather unsocial city, made up of a lot of gold, white marble and accents of light blue. It is crowned with a castle of more gold than the rest of the cities, the middle is mostly marble houses and the bottom is a flat ring around for arenas, docking platforms, etc. You can have them notice it right off the bat - or you can have Kyoyla/show show them later, but they might notice that amongst the fog, in the sky there is a ring of light that there are a bunch of half-dead humans with wings flying around, looking miserable. If anyone is asked to explain, they explain that that is an entrance to heaven, and those angels are those who were cast out and are desperate to get back in. You can have a sobbing angel drift down to the city, and all the people of Kyrel ignore it. Maybe explain rumors that Kyrel came from heaven - that is why it is floating and that is why there is an entrance so close, but no rumors are founded.If the adventurers make their way to the castle in the middle, the guards let them through to another area as they check the sigil for fraud, and check with their supervisors. In this second room, everything is light blue and cushier. You meet a young boy, somewhere from 3-8 (up to you) with light blue eyes, light blue hair and light blue robes with gold stitching. He comes up to the adventurers as they wait and wants to touch their rough or colorful clothes as they seem unfamiliar to him, after which he leaves. You can have someone explain or realize that this area is for the King's mistresses and all of the princes/children. The boy doesn't say much, but his name is Nufoo/Nafu if anyone asks him or anyone else. Once the guards pass you on from this part of the castle, you are led by one of the king's much more talkative servants up to the top of many marble stairs until you are finally in the throne room. I added flavor text of a banquet being set up during your discussion with the king and him looking a little hungrily over your shoulder because apparently the "duchesses" were coming. Meant nothing. The King hears you out, rolls his eyes a little, but knows he owes it to her and comes up with the brilliant idea of sending Pride 11. The servant leads you out to a training yard on the right side of the city (the docks were on the left - and the entrance to heaven with the bedraggled angels is on the right - hence the protection, since the angels are known to attack that side when they get desperate/angry - there can be rumors about Kyrel being the reason for their prevention into heaven - just out of desperation) Out on the training grounds, they see stout and able men practicing, and all wearing high tech suits that enhance their abilities, obviously the royal army/guard. The servant leads them past Prides 23, 24, etc, to Pride 11, which to the adventurers shock is on a smaller court, about as big as a tennis court, and is composed of 11-14 year old boys! Their leader's name is Sijjon, and he is 24 years old (not a boy), with electric yellow hair and a constantly angry face. He is unkind to the servant's request even though it is from the king, but one of the boys, Ruko, perks up. He says Lady Benton is his mom. Sijjon is not happy about the order, but through whatever means (I had Ruko pull Sijjon aside and talk to him) Sijjon begrudgingly agrees after Ruko's crowning/party. Ruko is a prince (Lady Benton + mistress of King of Kyrel = prince). You can have the adventurers fight any of the members of Pride 11, including Sijjon, and discover that they are incredibly strong. Whether this is invoked by you, Sijjon, or the players themselves is unimportant. It's after that that two figures come to fetch Ruko from practice to get him ready. One of them is a kind little maid with an eyepatch named Maize (May-zee), and the other is a tall slender cat man nearing on seven feet named Kyoyla. Kyoyla seems to have an all-knowing gaze as he asks if the adventurers want to join him for a walk. If they agree, Kyoyla asks them about their pasts, names, ambitions, etc, and seems to know when they are lying. I had Kyoyla lead them to the "dangerous side" of Kyrel (the right - next to the angels/entrance to heaven) which Maize points out, and shows them the angels and explains. I found this helpful in building the character's trust of Kyoyla and a good conversation starter/ ice breaker. Kyoyla goes off to help get Ruko ready for the ceremony. The adventurers can do whatever they want until the ceremony, just give them the time. The day Lady Benton wants protection is not for a couple of days, and Pride 11 is to leave tomorrow night. The ceremony of Ruko's crowning goes down without a hitch (unless the DM decides otherwise) but even though Kyoyla loves Ruko, he seems antsy to leave. The adventurers are surprised by how few people attend, but with how many princes there are, crownings are fairly common. They also have great seats since they attend with Ruko's caretakers themselves (Kyoyla and Maize). Afterwards, Kyoyla leaves hurriedly. If anyone follows him, they see him go down into a smaller house at the bottom of Kyrel and meet with a large man with raven black hair and a full suit of impressive armor accented with light blue jewels. If they hear them, Kyoyla asks how long the man has been waiting and then tells him it's almost time. Kyoyla then leaves and heads up a secret way up the right side of the city to fetch Ruko who is packing his things to move from the "nursery" to his new room in the palace. Kyoyla seems to gesture to him that it is time to leave and though Ruko is shocked that now is the time, he obeys and comes with Kyoyla. At the after party, any adventurers who attend notice guards being pulled out and then being shuffled down the hallway. There becomes a large crashing and hullabaloo outside and the party stops abruptly. The right side of the castle is being attacked by angels! If the adventurers choose to join the fight, it's advisable to have them notice/pass another commotion where a surplus of guards have swarmed a small house at the bottom and are banging on the door shouting things like, "We know you're in there!" At this point, the large gentleman in the armor with light blue jewels comes out swinging a censer and brandishing a windlass qama (Persian sword), and seriously takes out the guards. He runs through them and jumps on a skyfish at the docks and flies away. Over on the right side of the city, you can roll initiative and make a big deal of the fight with the angels, but as most of the angels are weaponless, their main defense is to grab people and throw them off the city to plummet to their deaths. The adventurers can roll as they are attacked by an angel doing this exact thing. Meanwhile, during Kyoyla's shortcut on the right side of the building to get Ruko down safely and privately, they are attacked by a whole fleet of angels which Kyoyla tries to fend off, but eventually one grabs Ruko and flies him away from the city. Distressed, Kyoyla tries to save him (as I'm sure so will the adventurers) but Ruko falls. Plummets. Miliseconds become hours. Ruko falls past the first level of the palace, then the entryway, then the houses, and then soon the arenas, and right at the last minute (whether in plain sight or the adventurers swore they could see it) a skyfish-mounted knight swoops out of nowhere and saves him. It's not graceful, and you can decide if the adventurers actually see it - but Ruko is safe.
Episode 4: Kyrel (Part 2) (03/02/18)
This episode was probably the first that I planned something and something completely different happened/ they took longer in one area than the rest, so I have extra for next time. But I'll tell it like it actually happened since cool things got revealed. Also, Nemo got replaced with Thed.
The adventurers watch Ruko fall off the city and be caught, but are the very few who do. If the adventurers are craving combat after a heavy storytelling game, they can be allowed to finish off the fight with the angels, but once that fight is over (if they choose to fight it), skip ahead a few hours, or atleast a night. Kyoyla has withdrawn to his quarters and is not speaking to anyone. Kyoyla claim he saw Ruko die. The King pays the adventurers what Lady Benton would have and sends the soldiers to her. The King trusts Kyoyla and believes him when he says Ruko is dead. Sijjon (Ruko's Pride leader) however, does not. He can even confront Kyoyla or be found outside his room, either fighting or steaming off after a fight. I actually wrote a script between the two for the disagreement. Rememer - Kyoyla is calm and rational and Sijjon is hot-headed and tempermental. Sijjon does not believe Kyoyla. When the adventurers address Kyoyla (if they chose to address Kyoyla) Kyoyla explains that it is best if the kingdom thinks he's dead. Kyoyla then talks about how the adventurers are probably wondering what they should do about Lady Benton's guard and explains that the King now has to send soldiers to Lady Benton, not merely to protect her, but also to announce the death of her son. The King pays you your dues, what Lady Benton would have. Kyoyla hints that he might have a job offering. The adventurers may notice small rolled-up scrolls on his desk. If asked about them, he says not to mind them and sweeps them into a desk drawer full of them. If the adventurer's are hesitant about taking Kyoyla's job offer, he mentions that he knows how to help them find the obelisks if they can just help him protect something. He essentially says he wants to test them. If they take him up on his offer (since it does correlate with their main motive) they are told to be ready to sneak out that night. Let the adventurers do whatever they please til then. If they visit the King (which they are likely to do in the beginning), have them see Nafu again. Mention lightly that he is wearing light blue, with gold seams and a black and red necklace. It's almost fun not to draw attention to it, since the DM has been very adamant about the color scheme of the city up to this point. (white, gold and light blue) If they don't notice the necklace right away, have Nafu say something secretive like "The lady comes to visit me" and have him hang out near balconies or open windows (the lady has wings). If the adventurers investigate the necklace, they find it is conjuration magic, or a sigil that basically is whispered or squeezed to request a presence. Nafu can whisper secrets about the lady to the players whom he trusts or really try to get to know him. I even had a moment where Maize, Ruko's old maid, newly assigned to this part of the nursery, comes out to get Nafu to go to bed and one of my adventurers disguised themselves as Kyoyla and they had a chat since Maize missed him.
When the night has finally come to leave, the adventurers wait for Kyoyla down on the docks and see a shock of electric yellow hair (Sijjon) sneaking into the soldier's stables. If they attack him, it is a rickety fight since the dock around the skyfish is only big enough for a single file of men, so they are kind of fighting around each other if they are attempting to throw any hits. If they reasonably ask him where he's going, he says to look for Ruko or Ruko's body. Kyoyla stops him and leaps nimbly onto his skyfish to convince him not to go. Sijjon replies, "If Kyrel fell out of the sky - I still would not care for Kyoyla's advice." It is actually so far unimportant if he actually gets off the city and goes or not. If you need him to show up later, just say he left again after Kyoyla and the adventurers left. Kyoyla can stop him with the argument that he was being foolish by leaving his Pride behind. Kyoyla just doesn't want to be followed. Before you leave, Kyoyla burns his desk drawer full of rolled up scrolls.
When you and Kyoyla head out with skyfish (you basically steal Imotepps) it is beautiful ride through the night toward Arite, the city of greater fallen angels. Kyoyla flies you toward Arite, he then veers toward a human city next to it called Mottsville. When you land down, you notice a man tied to a tree. If the adventurers choose to do anything about it, have the man either follow them or stay near the tree or wander off to find more pain. I actually had them enter the village and talk to people before I mentioned that they had saw it. Or have Kyoyla to tell them that he is a very strong man, but to leave him alone. If the adventurers get good perception checks, they notice in the darkness - his wings. He is an angel. When they are led inside by Bishop (the large man who busted out in Kyrel in the armor with the light blue gems) they find a small shack with a young girl with purple hair (Renji), her grandmother, Bishop and Ruko, who is lying on the bed, completely drenched in sweat and in a lot of pain. Bishop explains that when he fell, his suit broke and since it protected him from so many diseases for so long, he is now being swarmed with all of them at once. The grandmother comments on needing medicine from the apothecary, and sends you there. I actually drew a map of the small portion of the city they're in. Bishop hears screaming outside the door, and any who go to investigate, find a Yochlol attacking a family of villagers out of their house. As the adventurers fight the Yochlol (whom can transform back and forth into a giant spider, etc) three Quasits appear. As they fight the Quasits, I had one adventurer run to the angel's tree and cut him loose, and he is a strong battler as well. The Quasits also have strange powers, and as they battle, they hear a roar from down the street, along with the fluttering of wings, slithering, hissing, yowling, rustling, scratching. They run into the Apothecary.
Episode 5: Attack on Mottsville! (03/09/18)
(My attempt at combat-heavy)
This episode was very much one thing - me trying to get the character to feel absolute chaos as the Crux attacked them (though I never explicitly said it was the Crux). Kyoyla tells the adventurers to run to the apothecary, but they don't know what to grab. I had Bishop reason that if Ruko is suffering with every disease that any bottle would do since it would cure atleast one of them. I also had a box full of holy water that they found and could take as many as they want.
The rest of the campaign was simple - create the feeling of chaos by throwing demon after demon at them. In this campaign I actually was introducing a new player who won't be with us long, but the character she played very well might be, which was the young sorcerer Marcus and his clay golum, Firnuss. They are part of the rebellion. When one of my characters ran out to find Kyoyla, I had him make saving throw after saving throw to get away from all the demons I was throwing at him, but he failed one and was knocked unconscious on which Marcus saved him. I then attacked them with a Hezrou and a Cockatrice. One of my players tried to scare them all off with an angelic illusion.
Some of the demons I threw at them were:
Barlgura - I had it roam around the city as this giant gorilla it was, kind of the hardest hitter I had and I pitted it at them at the end.
Vrock - flew around the city and just added eeriness I hope?
Shadow Demon - had one scrape at a player when they entered the town hall
Chasme - knocked the same player ^ unconscious while he was running out on the street
Hezrou - pitted against Marcus and an unconscious player
Magmin - smashed through the apothecary windows were one of my players and Simon were and started setting fire to everything. Also attracted to Firnuss.
Dretch - lumbered around on the streets. Were part of a hoard that one player took out.
Black Pudding - I SO wanted to use this, but never took the chance
Nightmare - Bishop eagerly tried to mount one and successfully caught one, but I had it stampeding through the streets, some of my players had to make dexterity saving throws to avoid it
Cockatrice - I repeatedly told them they were being attacked by a chicken and they knew it was the chicken should be worried about (Cockatrice's turn those they scratch into stone)
Manes - used ... kind of? Not really.
Manticore - this beast trapped them in the church and told them riddles. I liked him actually :) I think I'll use him for the next adventure.
When the adventurers had the ran back to the house Ruko, Kyoyla, Renji and Grandma were in, whether to ask about medicine or to give medicine they have, they find Grandma dead and everyone else fled.
Somehow - get the players to hear about all the people crowding in one of one of the buildings (I had a bathhouse - a school - a church - a town hall, and just randomly picked the town hall) In my case, I had Marcus say he saw Kyoyla and Ruko running down the street a certain way, so I had an eyewitness. But you can have just noises, like crying out or screaming, or they could just notice the demons congregating around a certain building. When they find the building they have run into (remember - keep up the random encounters of combat the entire time) they find the people trapped there and must find a way either to save them or to get them out and to safety. If they choose only to save Kyoyla, weak and finally-standing Ruko might insist they rescue people as his princely nature comes in. They can either fight off the demons straight up, or Kyoyla can suggest an alternate route if they do not search for them themselves, in this case, my Kyoyla suggested needing a way up to the top of the belltower in the town hall (which one of my players - the one who asked him actually) so they could get flying sky fish to come and retrieve them a bunch at a time (or maybe one by one) and deposit them on the mountain next to Arite. I would suggest this is where you end up your characters since it is the next part of my personal plot. Also, the adventurers notice a pastor/priest gentleman holding up a weak barrier, but a barrier nonetheless to also save the people. His name is Pastor Fredrick, and he may have a small part in the next plot. One of my adventurers (Schelm) expressed pride in him since he liked the idea of a character with magic who waits around to someday use it for good.
Episode 6: Assistance from Arite (03/16/18)
I think I might be switching over from telling you how to run this campaign to telling you just what happened. I'll try and give helpful tips to backtrack when you need it.
With everyone in the bell tower ready to take off, I had them notice that they were not actually alone, and that Pastor Frednick was in the town hall with them, rummaging around in the town hall closet. With the other characters urging him to join them at the top of the bell tower, Marcus actually went down to get him, and while Pastor Fredrick insisted they pay him no heed, Marcus found out he was carrying a baby. Marcus didn't inquire too much to anything about it, but they noticed it was one of the most exhausted babies they had ever seen. The sky fish had assembled, my crew had two manta rays and a flying fish (Delia, Grace and Appaloosa). They decided amongst themselves who was riding with who - Frednick with Marcus, Schelm with Travis and Thed alone. They flew up to the top of the mountain where they discovered the village surrounded by angels with weapons. The angels approached them and asked what all these people were doing here - and that there could not be mortals on a mountain so close to Arite (city of angels). The leader of the angel's name was Adriel, and when the adventurers asked him if they had any other ideas on where to relocate the people, Adriel looked over at his second-in-command and told the adventurers quietly that they would love to help, but there are codes and laws. If the village would simply pass a test to prove their majority worthiness, the angels could grant them one wish from their great guardian spirit, Alil the Couatl. The demons that were raiding Mottsville halted a long distance before the bank of the lake below the city of Arite and would come no further, so the village people were safe. The village people made their way down the mountain to the bank of the lake and began getting in. My adventurers, of course, plunged themselves in. One even drove a sky fish in. Marcus kept tabs on Pastor Frednick, who seemed to hide from the angels and exclude him and his baby (Muriel). When Marcus asked whether the baby was stolen, Frednick was kind of vague about the whole ordeal. He actually hid in a forest/glade off to the side of the lake. Marcus finds out the baby is an angel baby by taking a closer look at some point (I had it happen on the sky fish they were riding together). At the lake, Marcus told Simon about the whole ordeal, who marched into the forest. He grabbed the baby from Frednick and told Marcus that Pastor Frednick has been using this baby's angelic power as a power source for his own spells, and was draining the baby dry. Frednick would have attacked Simon (to which one of my adventurers, Travis, replied, "Yeah RIGHT, against SIMON?") if it hadn't been for Marcus's good persuasion roll to both of them to keep their temper. Simon left with the baby and Frednick stormed off into the forest.
When each of my adventurers entered the lake, I had different visions planned out for them. For Thed, he was floating in space, kind of in a limbo kind of state. When he attempted to drop a coin, it just floated in the air next to him. I had something touch his feet and soon he was standing on a pedestal. Suddenly the cream walls began spreading with color. Each one he threw a coin at made a musical note. Knowing Thed would like that - he began throwing coins at each of them, making music. Creatures at the bottom, (I imagined them as red humanoids with no faces and long fingers like claws) screamed and held hands to their ears. Then Thed was choking on water and emerged in the lake. Travis, who flew a skyfish into the lake, suddenly felt very cramped and found himself crawling down a tunnel (He comes from a town called Cramsville). When he reached a crevice in the side, it was only small enough to look through, but he saw a plush lavish home/fortress with beautiful rich looking furniture and the sounds of a party, dancing and wine-clinking in the background. As he crawled farther forward, he found another crevice through which he glanced and saw a battleground, fighting and death. When he finally reached a location where he could stand up, he was presented with three items on pedestals - a jewel, a mirror and a sword. He chose the mirror and when he lifted it to look into it, he saw a crowd of people behind him and began choking on water. When Schelm stepped into the water, he saw a spool of thread in front of him. When he reached for it, it moved quickly to another location in the air. Even when he attempted not to reach for it - it moved. When he didn't chase after it, it bugged him, moved, flitted around, getting faster and faster. Even when Schelm asked whether it was leaving trailing thread behind, I said no, but it really was, because when it had circled around him a couple of times, the thread tightened and bound him, and then he was hanging upside down in a Drider's spider web, which was coming at him with its horrible fangs and brandishing a sword, slashing at him with it's legs. When he woke up, he was actually not choking on water, but tied to a tree, where Sijjon had dragged him from the lake and blindfolded and gagged him as well. Sijjon demanded Ruko's location. When Schelm was evasive or cocky, Sijjon started digging his dagger into his thigh. Then he cast a scroll that was a Zone of Truth spell scroll. After Schelm had spilled what he had, Sijjon came in to kill him, as he wanted no witnesses. Just as he was about to do that (and I assure you the other characters were well on their way to attempt to save him) Imotepp stepped out and took out Sijjon with a knot of wood. Then he brandished his crossbow on his back, and shouted, "Where are my SKYFISH?" (considering they basically stole them). Imotepp has ridden Elvis, the "retired" sky fish as his watch dog, since this kind of thing could easily happen a lot. This was a situation I had no planned outcome for, I merely wanted to see how the adventurers would react. You can also have the angels find Imotepp's body in the fire and chaos of Mottsville and call the adventurers thieves and murderers, but that could take the story in a whole different direction. The point is that they get the sky fish in the end. Thed made a wise decision. He offered Sijjon's power armor for the sky fish. Imotepp took them up on the offer, and we decided on a couple more magical items that Sijjon was packing with him, considering he was packing for a journey. We divvied those out, cracked open the power armor and even found Sijjon's sky fish, which made four in total (two manta rays - two flying fish). With all the people beginning to congregate at the mountain for the verdict from the angels, the adventurers had to decide quickly what to do with Sijjon, as he was now unconscious and soon to be suffering with all the diseases his suit had prevented him from getting. They eventually just left him with Renji, the purple-haired girl who had cared for Ruko. She willingly took them on. My girl who plays Marcus hated letting that story end not be tied up, since she wanted to take him with them, but Bishop urged that they not take him where they were going, considering it was a secret location. (Which BTW - Bishop has been riding around wildly on his Nightmare whom he has named Reaper this entire time, he barely shows up for the verdict) The angels say the city of Mottsville is worthy and Alil comes down from Arite to grant them a wish. At first, my adventurers got very caught up in helping them decide their wish, but in the end (and almost wisely so) they leave the wishing up to the village and start packing up to go. By the way - Marcus had given the command to Firnuss to get up to the top of the mountain, and Firnuss is finally there by now. Kyoyla had taken a ball of clay from Firnuss. When the adventurers speak to Firnuss, his eyes flash to let them know Kyoyla is listening, and Kyoyla said if they were ready to find him and Ruko, just to have Firnuss lead the way since he would find him. I also wondered how they would get around the issue of Firnuss being so much slower and following him. Thed tried to cast Speak to Animal and ask Delia if she thought she could lift him, to which she replied very weakly, "I am very tired. And he looks very heavy." When he asked Sijjon's sky fish if he could, he first asked his name, to which the fish replied, "Martin! NO! Rappudius!! No, no! WAIT! It's LORENZO! LORENZO RAPPUDIUS LUTHER KING MARTIN THE THIRD." They ended up tying their mounts (Delia, Grace, Reaper, Appaloosa and the newly named and prideful Lorenzo) to Firnuss's waist or chest so they could sleep atop them as Firnuss trudged along the way to Kyoyla. Also, Simon gave the baby to Adriel. He groveled a lot but baby angels are super rare, so Adriel instantly took it back, and it was thought Frednick did not find it in the lake as he said, but more probably stole it. Also it was discovered that Simon fell from Arite into the lake and was dragged out by Malcolm of Mottsville, but as for how important that it is, we'll see.
Episode 7: Knock House
From here on out, just assume I am a heavy story-based DM
The adventurer's traveled forward, sleeping on their sky fish while Firnuss trudges forward. He brings them to a beach at the foot of a bunch of cliffs, all of which are riddled with nesting pegasus. A male pegasus flies overheard protectively, but does not attack unless provoked probably. They keep going and see a couple of bronze dragons even. At the very end of the beach, there is a giant bronze dragon nesting that Firnuss leads the group to. He seems to want to go forward, but the bronze dragon is in the way. I had an NPC yell something like "What a lovely waterfall" and all of the sudden they are staring at a rippling bronze dragon turning into a waterfall. After a while, they all figure out is an illusion and have to make a couple rolls to get through, et cetera. When they finally get through, they walk up a steep forested pathway. Firnuss gets attacked by a Shambling Mound, so roll initiative. But at the last moment, a shepherd boy comes up and pries the Shambling Mound (whose name is Russell) off of Firnuss and calls it back. He is accompanied by a younger boy. The adventurers up to now have noticed eggs splattered on trees, dolls, messes of all sorts littering the path and whooping of kids even. When they finally go up the path, they see a mansion, or a very big house, but it's an absolute mess. Upon closer inspection, they find Kyoyla's slug/mount and just a ton of kids wandering the yard. This is Knock House, and it is an abandoned mansion infested with children. You meet Glavel, an older girl, maybe 15-18, who is more of a tinkerer. She welds and works with metal and wears more of a leather bra which results in her nickname of Tummyburns. You also meet Shanachie, a story-telling little boy who has no hands and who is the one who keeps up the illusion that protects Knock House. He doesn't speak very much other than to tell stories and is Glavel's little brother. The house is infested with children. Their story is that the Crux came and destroyed neighboring towns and this is basically where all the orphans come to live. They seem to actually have a pretty happy life, playing and working. They actually have a little economy and their main source of currency is batteries.
The Big Reveal/Basically the Whole Plot:
The adventurers find Kyoyla and Ruko up in the top loft of the house (First tier- play? Second tier - market place, Third tier - attic room/beds) Kyoyla tells them everything. He tells them that Eric Maker (The Human God) had put into a backup plan for the obelisks that The Other was planting around (see Atlantean's D&D plot. Oh wait, he didn't write it down). The Other was planting obelisks so he could pull the realities apart, but Eric Maker was planting seeds in people. These seeds would label people as "Awakened Ones." When an Awakened One died, another pre-planted seed would just re-ignite in another person, and they would become the Awakened One. There were also two different and far more important, powerful and rare kinds of seeds. The Yin and the Yang. These two seeds were a woman and man duo that were the ones who could "Awaken" the Awakened Ones. The only difficulty with these is that if either of these died, they had to be reborn as a completely different person. Hence why the characters had met Ro in the first episode, he had been the male Awakened One from years ago, but had been killed when his beau Lulu (the banshee) had let his location slip. When Lady Benton had talked about the rebellion coming to Kyrel and searching her and everyone else for a seed, she hadn't mentioned she was pregnant. When Kyoyla, the seer for the Rebellion, saw that the seed was within Lady Benton, he told the Rebellion to stay underground while he stayed and got a job at Kyrel as a guardian for Ruko. From there, he raised Ruko, and told him of his true heritage. On his twelfth birthday, he finally took him away, which is what you witnessed at Kyrel. Kyoyla explains that when the Crux found out about Ruko's rebirth, they kidnapped the female half of the Yin and Yang, Zitsugaya, and purposefully didn't kill her so she wouldn't be reborn. So now that she has gone missing, Kyoyla has found it maybe better if they focused on finding obelisks in each realm and the corresponding Awakened Ones. He also reveals that Bishop is the only Awakened One they have discovered thus far. There are only a few things they know about how to tell Awakened Ones from other people. One is that the Awakened Ones seem to inherently know they are a little different, but they couldn't tell you why. Two is that they seem to be attracted or atleast chosen nearest to the obelisk, so they will be nearby. And three is that The Other and anything powered by him, including The Obelisk, cannot kill (or probably really harm) an Awakened One. They can die from natural causes or even from an unrelated war or wound, but they cannot be killed by The Other.
This was basically the big revelation for the group, because now they knew what they were fighting for. Also, Simon was loving playing with the kids, and Bishop was nowhere to be found.
Other than that, I allowed the adventurers to barter, using what they had or knew with the kids to obtain batteries and haggle in the market place. Gave a couple random magic items. Schelm (Atlantean) took up the scheme to teach kids religion, sort of, and gained a disciple, whom I randomly named Ezekiel/Zeke. Some other fun crazy stuff was that Travis had kids pay batteries to jump off the roof with a parachute he'd acquired, Schelm offered a free water slide with his decanter of endless water (which I gave him and he has used on multiple occasions) and I thought it was funny that Thed kept prestidigitation things to clean them.
Oh! It was actually during this episode that I introduced a new character, and I had her play my old character, Rook. I kind of fumbled up who had the bone key which is what I wanted Rook to have on her entrance. I think I will have that player create a new character. But Thed also got swapped out for Nemo since Rook came from Terrathar and he figured he would swap them out since Nemo would want to be somewhere where the track is clear to victory.
Kyoyla said he would give them their mission tomorrow night. (a.e. next episode)
Episode 8: The Beastlands: (Pt. 1) Kalili (04/06/18)
I gave the adventurers the chance to do anything else in Knock House, but they had pretty much already done that. I mean, Nemo gave Tummyburns armor so she doesn't get cancer. Kyoyla also received a message from a magpie from Renji saying that Sijjon had already developed more immunities than Ruko, and had now bust out of Renji's house and disappeared. But other than that, Kyoyla introduced them to the next mission. He told them that it was his homeland that he moved away from called The Beastlands. He said he was sending you to the basic coordinates where he believed the obelisk to be and you would hopefully find the Awakened Ones there as well. The adventurers didn't really ask any questions. You can choose, if they request it, to have any certain NPC with them. If they ask for Bishop (which mine haven't yet), there is a little bit of a difficulty with such a request. Other than that, Kyoyla opens the bone wand and lets you through to the ---
Beastlands! You stumble out upon a jungle. A giant centipede can skitter out from under one adventurer's feet. If any adventurer tries to climb, you can have monkeys harass them. Just emphasize that this is a land of beasts. I described them at the edge of a jungle, so to the north and the east, it was higher since it was the way out of the jungle onto some plains, and the west and south were dark as they were the way deeper into the jungle. Out on the plains, there is a herd of semi-horse creatures with rounder muzzles than usual horses. Much, much farther way, there are indricotherium, or short-nosed pachydermish like creatures who are twice the size of elephants.
The basic idea of the Beastlands so far as I saw it, was the Prehistoric age of the Mammals. Between when the dinosaurs went extinct and humans took over the earth, there was a period in there were Mammals started taking over. I based all my monsters on creatures from National Geographic's Prehistoric Mammals book.
The horse-like creatures are flicking their ears over towards some hills just southeast of the adventurers. If you creep closer, they hear two people yelling as if they are fighting and the clanging of steel. If you look, they see two humanoids fighting. One is a lizard like humanoid, with a thick tail, decent leather armor and a short sword, while the other is a lean tall cat-like humanoid, wearing more tribal furs and brandishing a ginormous axe. She and the lizard are fighting and it is obvious that the lizard is losing. They are also both fighting in front of a Megalania, which was a 20-foot komodo dragon, which is halfway out of it's cave and hissing at both of them. When the cat woman lets the lizard man stagger away, she turns to the Megalania and chops off it's head. She's after the eggs inside and enters the cave and re-emerges with them. She then either probably discovers the adventurers or they make themselves known. Her eyes seem to have the same widening/seeing affect that Kyoyla has and she looks unamused when you explain what you're here for (the obelisk). She explains that she is Kyoyla's sister and that she knows where the obelisk is, and to follow her.
When you follow her, you come to a cave behind the mountains at the bay of a still lake. There is a plethora of beings out in front of the cave working. Amongst them are Rajeet (my name for cat people), Kuo-Toa (small crazy fish people), Kenku (small crow people), Bullywogs (small frog people). The Rajeet seem to be the leaders, and while they don't oppress or bully the smaller species, they certainly don't seem to respect them.
The cat woman leads you to the border and hands the eggs to her second, named Bobeillo, and whom says her name, Kalili. Kalili tells you you are "Purlgura" (Outcasts) and not allowed to come into the tribe. You must stay in the shack on the other side of the lake. To stick it to the man, my adventurers cleaned up the shack. It was kinda funny. She says there is a price for the obelisk, but that she would tell you it later.You also notice a couple of mad Kuo-Toa who just wander around, gabbling madly.
That night, you witness a feast going on over at the shore. They all eat and chant and then dance, and then pass out. The eggs are also used in the ceremony. There is a guard, but they wake up soon. The next morning, a bloodied, patchy Kenku brings you a tray of food. If your adventurers are anything like my husband, they feel bad for it because it is on the bottom of the pecking order and befriend it. His name is Auk and my adventurers went on a side quest to make furniture/a helmet for Auk in which Auk showed his prowess by killing a giant centipede which was the goal. They also cooked the meat which came from the centipedes and attracted a couple more hungry Bullywogs which began telling them how they had rapturous dreams during the ceremony, and sometimes about an obelisk. They talk about how one must pass the trial of fire, the trial of earth, the trial of wind, and ... oh... bullywogs always forget the last one... (lol, the trial of water, duh) But each trial is gauged depending to the skill of the one being tested.
Kalili calls Auk and the Bullywogs roughly back, but then comes over and sits down in your shack. She begins to explain to you that Kyoyla is an old fool. A "Yin and Yang"? A "God's backup plan"? "Awakened Ones"?? There is no such thing. The only reason The Other made the obelisks was to pull the realities back together! Everything Kyoyla says is gutterspew. Have you actually SEEN anything in action? But she says she will humor you. And if you pass the trials, she will show you were the obelisk is. She leaves.
That night, in the tent, a little pair of eyes is seen peeping in on you guys. It is a little lizard girl who runs on discovery. If you follow her, she leads you to a dingy hole in a mountain, where the lizard man Kalili was fighting earlier emerges to check the path behind her. If you are not careful, you will be spotted and confronted. My adventurers actually left and came back with cookies (bug cookies lol), but Ergath (the lizard man) can talk to you now if you so please. He confronts you and explains that the Bay Cave was originally the Lizardfolks.
OH! Up to now - you have noticed every member of Kalili's tribe has a small dark crystal on a necklace. You notice that in the Lizardfolk as well. They explain that in the Beastlands, a way to control beasts is essential, and that is what the obelisk granted them through their crystals. But when Kalili came, she abused the power of the obelisk and killed off so many Lizardfolk, and sent them running. If Ergath invites you into the second-hand cave, you see a group of starving 20-30 Lizardfolk, with only mainly young children between them. Ergath appears to be the only adult male. There is an "older" girl who is maybe 20, and an older grandma named Mama Shaman. Mama Shaman is at first hesitant on letting you in, but she is their medicine/religious woman and trusts Ergath. Ergath is mostly of the mindset of "what else can we do?" Ergath explains that some Lizardfolk, namely his oldest boy who wasn't killed, tried to complete the trials to find the obelisk since the Lizardfolk had learned to depend on it for survival. Kalili basically saw right through their ruse, which is how they know she has seeing abilities, and killed them as basically a mockery at the last trial - the trial of water. The Lizardfolk suggest that you infiltrate the cult and find out where the obelisk is by passing the trials. Mama Shaman is dying because of her need to be near and communicating with the obelisk.
Episode 9: The Beastlands: Pt. 2, Trial of Earth! (04/13/18)
The adventurers were called into Kalili's tent where she explained that they would need to finish trials before she'd show them anything, including who she believed The Awakened One to be. She said the adventurers had to agree to be subject to every rule that the trials encompassed. The first one was that amongst the adventurers, they could only bring eight items. I included clothes. The adventurers were marked in as beginning their precursory trials, with ceremony and painted, etc. Then they were told to climb a mountain. I basically just simulated combat and threw crap at them. Large crows, giant spiders, rhinoceros-resembling prehistoric mammals. I basically came up with the idea that the mountain pulsated black energy (I named it Mt. Ghakis actually after a mountain in Curse of Strahd) and during these pulsations, the animals would become evil, irritated, more... attack-y. (It's totally a word) but after, they were pretty chill. The adventurers had to climb up to the top to fight Megalania and collect their eggs for their own ceremony. (Megalania are 20-foot komodo lizards that really existed) I hoped the taking away of their items would be affective at like camping and stuff, but one character had "meld into stone" spell, so they just slept in stone. I had animals just sniff around their food and stuff. There was a big hullabaloo with the Megalania, as they had three females and one male, and we worked out the details of how many nests, who was where, how many eggs one in each, how many were acquired and how they were acquired. My adventurers still have yet to leave the mountain.
Episode 10: The Beastlands: Pt. 3, Trial of Wind! (04/20/18)
This episode was interesting because we stayed up until 1 AM accomplishing it (which was super cool. Faithful players!) A lot happened and most was not intended.
The adventurers finished up the Trial of Earth. I had them see an Irish Elk (a large prehistoric deer with impressive antlers) on a faraway mountain staring intently at them, find a torn up boot and get attacked by a Smilodon (Saber-tooth tiger) just for affect.
When they got down the mountain, they did various things like heal, prepare for next trial, get their stuff back, talk to friends they'd made in the tribe and visit the Lizardfolk living in the neighboring cave. The Lizardfolk told them all they know about the next trial - the trial of Wind, which is that they will be expected to partake of the egg of the Megalania that they brought back and they will have visions of their mounts that they will be expected to find and tame to ride a race that constitutes the Trial of Wind. I also included a character called Rowatan who was going to accompany them. A kind of clumsy Rajeet that had not yet passed his Trial of Wind, I was planning to hand him off to another player who will come eventually.
When my adventurers found out about the whole drinking the drug/egg thing they were a little less thrilled. One of them got out of it by having his invisible fairy hold a pouch in front of his mouth. This character had also prepared by getting recommendations from the Lizardfolk on good mounts and going back to Knock House to get Kyoyla to help him with the location and the taming. He tamed a giant ostrich/"chocobo" and then claimed he saw it during the ceremony. There was a little bit of a run in as the head priest Bobeillo started disbelieving him, but I just fixed it by saying Bobeillo didn't believe he had seen anything, so he didn't believe he would be able to find one, or tame one (which this character already had done with the help of a native...)
As for the other two characters, they had basic visions, feelings of bliss, etc. They saw the pelt or feeling of the animal and then the location where it was as clear as day. We spent the next little bit retrieving our mounts (I chose a large antelope for one and a boar/pig for the other. I highly recommend National Geographic's Prehistoric Mammal's for this ark) The character who already had his bird stayed with the Lizardfolk and found out Ergath had gone missing, for which the characters went and searched for him and found that he had been attempting to hunt when Kalili had come and hurt him and left him to die.
Update: When the characters returned to Knock House, Knock House was hunkered down and silent. On further investigation, the characters found that they were all shushing each other and hiding as there were rumors that there was "Ryker's search patrol" overhead. On further investigation, they find out Ryker is a count who lives in Erihn and has been trying to locate Knock House. When the adventurers look out, they see the woman they saw back in Episode 2, the one holding the farm boy's head and the one who set the crop on fire and left the adventurers to deal with scarecrows.
OkaY! Trial of Wind! We finally got to the Trial, and the characters lined up along with Rowatan and four other NPCs who's goal was either to hurt them, dismount them or win the race before them so they wouldn't get the "advantage" promised to the winner for the next trial.
I just chose three types of terrain, for me it was flat plains/grasslands but they were threatened by a stampede (Bobeillo used his magic to push all mounts forward at the beginning of the race, and then to push forward the stampede) then mudslides/narrow cliff face so they could only file on one by one and slip each other up, and then hot porous ground where a couple NPC mounts tripped/gave up. Throughout the race, I had them roll initiative multiple times, basically every round and whoever rolled the highest was in the lead. I chose the positions of my four other NPCs (Rajeet riding a buffalo, a camel, a pig-dog and a prehistoric zebra horse and had them either attack or just race for the finish line. The winner gains "advantage" in the next trial.
Episode 11: The Beastlands: Pt. 4 - Trial of Fire! (04/27/18)
The adventurers were prepared for this trial in a very similar way with a chanting ceremony. In this case, the character who had won the race in the Trial of Wind, I took him aside and told him he got to choose what creature would fight who, but I gave him only the Prehistoric name, which in this case was "Titanoboa, Sarchosucchus, Mastodon, Procoptodon." Now you could look these up easily, but without any context, I had this character assign each one to himself and then to the other contestants. He chose Sarchosucchus for himself (a massive 18,000 lb alligator), Titanoboa for Atlantean's character (a 40-ft long snake), Mastodon for another (wooly mammoth), and Procoptodon for my NPC (a prehistoric kangaroo, which is perfect cuz my NPC is clumsy) and it just went from there. It seemed like a very masculine ceremony as the characters were lead to a fiery four circled arena by all of the male Rajeet who acted very much like it was a football game, pounding chests, making bets, shouting, being crazy men. The arena was four circular platforms (120 ft wide) in a sheer valley of black cliffs, which the Rajeet sit upon like bleachers. All of the platforms are surrounded by fire and magma, the gaps between the arenas as five feet, and any character who crosses takes fire damage. One platform of your choice is actually elevated and is 60 feet high. I chose this as another "advantage" of the one who ran the race in the Trial of Wind. The trials begin with large doors swinging down wherever you'd like, but connecting to the arenas (can be in the sides of mountains or in the floors of the arenas themselves) and the monsters corresponding to the contestant emerge. It was basically just a fight fest from there. One of my heaviest combat sessions so far. I learned a lot more about combat though and was able to start gauging my characters capabilities and learn how to work around spells that I had difficulty with before, so a good growing moment before. I also introduced a new character to the guild and she stayed in the shadows and helped my clutzy NPC fight his Procoptodon by entangling it and fireballing it. It was messy. I even created a scene where that character, not wanting to draw attention to herself, hid in the shadows and waited till the scene was clear before she left, but not before Bobeillo spotted her and instead of being alarmed he just seemed to know she was sent from Kyoyla and said, "They may have passed the first three. But they'll never get through the fourth" and left.
Kyoyla also left a sign around her neck with the words "Needs Good Home" and "Don't forget about the arrow" on the back. (The characters have an arrow that was intended for Kyoyla, or his race specifically)
SCREW IT. Here are the names of my adventurers so I can just refer to them from now on:
SCHELM - trickster. Played by my husband.
TRAVIS - fighter. Played by my brother and will be leaving us soon.
NEMO - defensive winter fey(?) Played by my brother-in-law (also played THED when existed) (Also has fairy named Nillan)
FREYA - our newest character who just got introduced this episode. Played by a friend.
ROWATAN - currently a Rajeet NPC, but trying to pawn him off on another player who might join
Episode 12: The Beastlands: Pt. 5 - Trial of Water! (05/04/18)
Very simply:
The Lizardfolk suggested, before the trial, to get as much information as possible because they had lost someone to this trial and it seemed rigged, so my adventurers unburied the head of the Lizardfolk who had been killed to raise him from the dead momentarily to interrogate him about finer points of the trial. They learned Kalili rigs the Trial of Water to choose only contestants of her choosing. She had a Megaladon under her control and the adventurers fought it along with her. They hid the Lizardfolk below, hoping to use the remainder of their crystal to help persuade and coerce whatever beast Kalili would use. There was also a fiasco where Rowatan (now a PC) betrayed everyone because he was intimidated so Kalili lead a tribe of girls to go investigate the lake, so my adventurers tried to head her off on a giant magical bird, and I made them terribly superstitious over big black birds and head back, frightened.
When they were finished and Kalili was killed (she is a barbarian, so make sure that she rages and gets multiattack), Mama Shaman (of the Lizardfolk) persuaded the Megaladon to show them where the obelisk was, to which he led them to the lake at Bay Cave where Nemo had investigated earlier to discover a square space where an obelisk would have once been. Travis distracted everyone by screaming Kalili was dead (which she was) and having them all exit the cave at the Lizardfolk's request so that Mama Shaman could enter and locate the obelisk. Gathering the rest of the Lizard-folk out from danger, the Lizardfolk lead my adventurers to the plains where the Irish Elk from previous encounters stood atop a mountain. The Indricotherium (large elephantoids) bowed their heads and allowed all the Lizardfolk and adventurers to mount. The Irish Elk lead the Indricotherium to a certain space, over a difficult journey, where the Lizardfolk rip open a portal to a pocket dimension which holds a small town that is teeming with large beasts being used for domestic purposes, such as pulling carts or being milked in pastures, etc. This is the hidden Lizardfolk town that these Lizardfolk beast hunters had come from on an effort to teach young ones to hunt (there had been many more adult men and women, but Kalili killed them with the power of the obelisk) and Kalili had basically done the equivalent of throwing the keys into the car, because standing smack-dab in the middle of the village.
The adventurers put the talisman on, the pattern on the talisman completes itself. Then Mama Shaman uses one talisman like a dowsing rod to locate the fact that Ergath is the Awakened One, which is news you have to break to him, exactly what it means (my adventurers had Kyoyla tell him).
Zui and Ergath also want to get married, and are interested in finding out about Gods to help harness power to tame beasts.
Episode 13: Knock House Interlude - Monastery of Mayhem! (05/11/18) This episode took place in Vampire's (Mermaid's boyfriends) house.
The adventurers return to Knock House to discover Kyoyla with his vest/coat off and his sleeves rolled up as he is in the back, teaching the children to spar. Simon has gone off to patrol after the fiasco with the demon lady flying. Kyoyla will ask the adventurers to report. If they try to have Ergath meet Kyoyla (like mine did because Kyoyla is better at explaining than them) Ergath cannot pass through the bone wand portal without Ruko touching him. He can pass back to his own realm without Ruko's assistance. Also, when Auk comes back with you (because he needs to) Kyoyla looks at him and with his all-seeing powers, sees Auk has a "troubled past." Zeke (Ezekiel, Schelm's disciple) has mastered small spells and is still faithful.
The adventurers find out about Bishop's dark addiction of necromancy. They stumble upon him and are attacked by a furious wind elemental. Bishop is seen calling upon/ inhaling powers of necromancy, and when stopped, explains that it is like a drug. He used to have everything since Ro and Zitsugaya could awaken him and he loved the feeling of ultimate power that came with it, but ever since Ro died and Zitsugaya was kidnapped, he has had so little exposure to it, that it has driven him a little crazy so he turned to other things to fill him with that power.
Simon returns, completely bloodied and pierced, he barrels into any player. When he regains consciousness, he seems a little stunned, but finally leaps to his feet and explains that the demon woman did this to him while he was patrolling. While he has no ideas of retaliation for her, he did see a monastery being held hostage by demons (possibly demons that followed you from Mottsville) that he intends to go rescue. He asks if you will assist him.
The small monastery is around a mountain range atop a small mound and is surrounded by cemetery/gravestones. It is called the Hope of the Good Hill church and celebrates a certain hill where something sacred happened. It is currently surrounded by gargoyles, with a harpy perched on the roof and headed by a manticore who flips through a book mockingly. The church is imbued with holy magic, so the demons can't enter, but they are sieging and the manticore is trying to find spells.
After the fight (because assume there will be one) you free the few adults and children hiding in the monastery. You learn it is also a pseudo-orphanage and see Shanachie's name on one of the cubbies. (Shanachie is the young boy who is missing his hands and tells stories to create illusions to hide Knock House) If they investigate it, they find a bracelet that used to hold something large and circular in the middle, some papers with some stories written on them (transcribed for him - one about a Celtic swirl wolf stealing a princess, one about a giant throwing a key in the river, and one that appear to be scribbles that Shanachie, in his un-handedness, appears to have tried to write himself) and some terribly worn shoes. The monastery explains that he used to live with them, and was very frightened and scared at first, but then became quite a chatter-box. Something then happened to clam him back up again, however, and the monastery couldn't explain it. You return to Knock House, where Kyoyla has been fiddling with the bone wand and is ready to send you to your next escapade.
Episode 14: Grimdark Pt. 1 - Klaus and His Cause! (05/18/18)
Very simply, my adventurers entered Grimdark. This time I tried something different. I tried writing down scenes before I introduced them to maybe wring some more narrative detail about of them. I think it helped paint the picture a little more clearly, but I'll make adjustments as I go. For your convenience, I'll drop the ones I wrote here:
On emerging from the portal that Kyoyla presents to you:
The interior of this realm is dark, in almost sickening contrast to the bright and cheery realm from whence you just stepped. A thick pea-soup darkness pervades everywhere you turn, save in the distance - a couple muted twinkling lights of a town. The silence is chilling, and even though you are alone, you feel watched. The fog curls around your legs, blown by no wind.
If they investigate/move forward:
You move your limbs - and are met with something hard and rattley and realize you have hit a tree. In the darkness, you realize you could not see the very low twisted forest that you yourself were standing in. Ev en ow, if kept still, the trees leaves most fade into what you present to be the sky. The distant flickering lights beckon.
If they walk forward, they see the town lights, but they also see the lights of a closer inn:
You emerge upon an inn that seems newly-built, but old as well - as if it has been untouched by time. Four lanterns hang at the back entrance where you are viewing. It stands squatly with a wooden roof, two windows and a back door that leads to a dumpster. (Outsiders Inn)
If they start to walk towards that inn (or you can put this another place, but I prefer it here):
The mist rises up around you - obscuring your vision. It feels as if you have been transported to a different place entirely. A young man steps out of the mist, his footsteps light, his face pale and intimidating. He wears a sneer and investigates you then sniffs haughtily. Without even saying a word, he turns and walks back into the fog, snapping his fingers and muttering, "Empirica would never approve.": (You are back at the back of the inn.)
If they enter the inn:
Within the inn are many empty chairs and empty tables. Only one table is occupied by two dark elf women who keep their voices hushed as they discuss something privately, cackling every once in a while. Behind the bar stands a hulking giant of a man (Bartholomew) who looks like the tattered remains of a man-pig hybrid with a half and half face, and sitting on a stool in front of the bar is a broad-shouldered man with bristly hair lining his arms and the back of his neck. He looks deeply troubled. (Klaus)
If they speak to Klaus, he tells them that he once had a best friend who was a vampire named Vincent. If the adventurers describe the man that appeared before they stepped up to the inn, Klaus confirms the match, and that they were confronted by Vincent. Klaus says that he and Vincent were an unofficial law force for the only town in the small realm of Grimdark. It's been a couple years since Grimdark was sealed off from the rest of the world, and nothing gets in or out. Vincent also spoke a lot about Empirica before he disappeared. Klaus thinks Vincent is behind the sealing off of Grimdark.
If the characters go to the town of Barovia:
The town coordinates web - a collection of dark square houses, all of differing dimensions compliment each other well. If there weren't as many cast shadows - this may have been a pleasant place. The unfortunate atmosphere doesn't seem to bother some of the citizens, as you see a large pile of straw that some villagers come by to gleefully add their contribution to. A figure of high stature comes by to check on the pile. A boisterous pub operates down a road, surrounded by brothels. At the other end of the road atop a hill and opposing is a church. Behind the townsquare is a large cathedralesque palace of a town hall. (The baron lives within)
Try to mention a character named Felix and his blind father De Lacey, and a golden cat with large ears, turquoise eyes, turquoise rings around it's tail that watches or visits the adventurers, but leaps away when pursued. The pile of straw being laid in the middle of the town is preparation for a festival that the Baron is holding to boost moral as everyone is gloomy and pale. Food is pretty tasteless as well. It is not important what you improvise for the village, whether its the bar, the church or the Baron.
Episode 15: Grimdark Pt. 2 - Babayaga! (05/25/18)
After some hopeful coercing from villagers and Klaus, it is made known to the adventurers that Babayaga, in the forest, knows everything, but it is impossible to get to her. When the adventurers try, they enter the forest next to Barovia:
These woods are thicker than the ones you first arrived in- and almost most present - crushing in on you. You feel as if you turned - you would see a branch reaching out to grab at you in a similar way a raking hand might. When you are all quiet, it seems you can hear things that are impossible to tell which direction they are coming from. Things like rattling, scraping, muffled shouts, crying. You are almost shocked from your skin when something actually does move - it's the figure of a woman, moaning mournful and floating across the pathway up ahead.
If the adventurers attack the ghost, she disappears. If they engage her in conversation, she tells them her name is Elizabeth and urges them to get to Babayaga - no matter the cost. She talks of her long -lost brother, but is vague. She eventually fades.
As the adventurers continue up the path, they see jack-O-lanterns in a specific pattern. These jack-o-lanterns are a puzzle that they are supposed to solve in order to get to Babayaga. If they pass all of these jack-o-lanterns, the path before them starts to loop. It is only when they solve the jack-o-lantern puzzle that the path opens up before them. If they are really struggling, have Montgomery, a jousting ghost (optional: jousting with a tree) appear at the end of the jack-o-lantern trail and help them with clues. The puzzle goes like this:
There are four colored pumpkins with faces, and four white with triangles. The faces are irrelevant. The colors are not. Of the four colored pumpkins, there are two blue, one green and one yellow. The colored pumpkins have a correct order and that is: Blue, Blue, Green, Yellow. (B, B, G, Y) If a character tries to change the color in the colored light pumpkin, it will not change. However, they can change the color in the white light triangle pumpkins. The pattern starts with a colored pumpkin of your choice, (preferably not in the correct order) and are interspersed equally by the white light triangle pumpkins. So it should go:
Colored
Triangle
Colored
Triangle
Colored
Triangle
Colored
Triangle
If the adventurers try to destroy the pumpkins, they can be destroyed, but they will eventually return right back to the way they were given a little time. They are enchanted. If the characters realize that the triangles represent A's (which is a clue Montgomery can give them if they're really struggling) then the first letters of the colors (B, B, G, Y) will spell "BABAYAGA." In this way - the path opens in front of them.
When they pass the puzzle, they emerge into a clearing:
The clearing you come out into is free of fog - but is still terribly dim. Atop a small mound off to the right sits a small shack, chimney puffing. The shack is quaint - with garnished windows and a steep roof. The nestled mound is surrounded by stones and boulders, radiating out from it in circles. The forest continues into darkness on the other side of the clearing. You hear something move.
If the adventurers try to pass any of the circles of stone surrounding the cottage (number is up to DM, I only had three) a zombie's hand will reach up and grab them. The trap will be activated and they will fight emerging zombies.
Once they defeat the zombies, or they manage to get past them to the shack, they can enter the shack and hear some terrible snoring. They see a small pair of feet sticking out from underneath a bed. On the stove, a label stirs a pot of soup all on it's own. At the foot of a rocker is a scarf knitting itself. A broom that leans agains the entryway has a personality and will usher characters inside if given the chance. The only way to wake Babayaga is to touch her or to read outloud a story from her storybook which one of the enchanted objects shows you where it is. When you get to the end of the story, she bursts out laughing or crying and saying, "That's my favorite part of the story!" She greets you warmly, but mischievously, and asks what you want. When you ask her any questions, she rubs her chin thoughtfully, but says she won't give you any information without a price. Other DM's can decide on what she has them pay her, but I chose for her to ask a story of them. My adventurers told the first arc's story - The Beastlands. I made sure to actually make them tell it, the best or worst parts, the vagueness or specifics. I made them try to make it sound like a fairytale and less like a recap. Those not telling the direct story were expected to make appropriate sound affects.
When she gets her enchanted quill to write down the story, she closes her enchanted book and tells the adventurers (I even broke out a deck of cards) that the obelisk is hidden in the LostLands in GrimDark with Empirica. But the way to get there is obscure. You must obtain three Egyptian-esque items in order to find the path. She says you have already seen one which is the golden cat in Barovia, which you must catch. She tells you that there is another piece at the Burrough (which is Klaus has been adamant about NOT going to considering they are extremely superstitious and not a fan of Klaus and his theories. Also, if Klaus does not go with you, have them meet back up with him at the Burrough if they go alone, and switch the Babayaga and the Burrough episode - but make sure they get the piece - either an ankh or a scarab beetle, which I think scarab beetle fits better personally). Babayaga also tells them that there is the last piece (out of three) at Mad Merlin's castle.
Babayaga then has her home sprout chicken legs and take you to the edge of the forest. The festival is going on in Barovia.
Episode 16: Grimdark Pt. 3 - The Burrough/ Mad Merlin (06/8/18)
The adventurers, very simply, went to search for the pieces Babayaga had told them to find. The golden cat, a scarab beetle, and a collar for the cat (ankh) - all very Egyptian-y. My adventurers chose to go to the burrough first (I'll spell it how I want, okay?).
Description I wrote:
The burrough is nothing impressive. In fact, you would have missed it had Klaus not pointed it out to you. The entrance seems like a tiny covert hole in the ground behind a rock, further covered by darkness. But when the rock is round and the right path is followed, it reveals the hole to be nothing less than a cavernous entrance that is easily stepped down into. The opposing rock is also covered in strange jagged symbols.
If the players ask what they say (because Klaus can read werewolfian)
He who howls and he who bites
Beware the path of the moon's full flight
Most of my werewolves were hybrids, either humans bristly with hair or donning wolf faces, but when the adventurers descend into the burrough, they are greeted by Karluk and someone else on guard duty, who escort them to a "special room" to wait to speak to the Chieftess. Klaus comments that this must be a new tunnel. Klaus was hesitant to come to the burrough, because they say they are kind of crazy, but it is his old home. This room is in the middle of two hallways, the one you came down, and another one going around a corner that you cannot see. The characters wait for as long as they are willing. The DM can mention there are scrabbling sounds coming down the hallway you entered by. If anyone goes down the unexplored tunnel, they will find a coffin (or any sort of trap to the DM's digression) that if opened, a small ring/funnel/cylinder (whatever) starts spewing poisonous gas. If they run up the hallway they came down, they find it blocked off by the werewolves packing it with dirt. The dirt wall they have created is 60 feet thick, pre-planned with layers of dirt, then small rocks, then large rocks, then a boulder. Inscribed on the bottom of the coffin is "Die Infidels!" (essentially) in werewolfian. The adventurers must find a way to get out. I also had a werewolf cast Blade Barrier so that anyone who approached the wall would be stabbed by incorporeal blue glowing swords.
However the adventurers get out (dig another direction, blast through the wall, etc) the Chieftess and her bodyguard Pahiti are then there, and exclaiming, "What is going on here?" The Chieftess takes them aside and explains that there has been a rapidly spreading crazy religious faction in the burrough that she is having difficulty controlling since she has recently been having many nightmares about something she must find in the LostLands and has been patrolling it, leaving the burrough to their clutches. The Chieftess has a scarab beetle in her headdress that she is hesitant to give to you, but says she will think about it since it might have something to do with her dreams.
My adventurers then went to Mad Merlin's to find the collar. They had to cross through the forest, and Vincent (the vampire from before) is constantly appearing, peering from behind trees and shadows and watching them cowardly, but uncovertly. They stumbled upon a graveyard full of dancing ghosts and skeletons. I just let that one play out and see how my players reacted, whether they danced with them, played music, stayed out, or hurt ghosts/skeletons. Just kind of a fun random moment. There were slow dances and interactions, and eventually all the undead crawled back into their graves and Klaus said he'd heard about those parties, but never seen one.
Large and foreboding, the famed Mad Merlin's home is not the ramshackle hut of a supposed madman you were expecting. It is nearly a castle, a large square made of stone build into the side of a mountain and illuminated eerily. The smell around it is musty, vaguely full of dust and sweat. The only discernible feature is a large bundle of wires atop the roof, pointing upward, and the only sound an occasional cackle and crackle from within.
It is a large open space within with stairways on either side leading up to the banister which leads to the roof, tables along the sides filled with body parts, and a large table in the middle with a completed body, overshadowed by the thick tentacle of wires hanging down from the ceiling. Mad Merlin stands near the body, and grabs the nearest adventurer as if they were life-long friends to show them his creation. Then he tells him it's time to throw the switch!
The mound of assorted human flesh stirs on the table. A limb twitches and suddenly the chest shakily begins to rise and fall. You hear the wet sound of eyes opening or perhaps lips parting. Triumphantly, Merlin shouts, "IT'S ALIVE!!!"
The adventurers have indeed stumbled upon fantasy Frankenstein's lair. True enough, the golem comes to life and attacks everyone in the room (Roll Initiative!) When they defeat the Flesh Golem, they can either find or be directed to a collar with an ankh tangled up in the wires on the roof.
A quip I wrote for the specific situation of my adventurers since I knew my adventurers would pit their golem against the monster:
The two golems clash in the center, each large hand grappled by other. A silent howl seems to form Firnuss's lips while the flesh golem roars. For a moment, their strengths seem equal, but then the flesh golem's contorted muscles start to give way. Sensing the folly, the flesh golem's leg clatters into a table as it feints to the left, sending Firnuss clashing to the ground, which then the flesh golem descends upon and begins wailing on, fist after fist. Firnuss makes another attempt and catches his fists. The golems are once again trapped in a grapple that sends them both rolling. (I didn't know who would win, so I left it at that)
Note: At some point in this episode of the adventure, you can have the characters meet Flumph, a ... well... Flumph. (Look it up in the Monster Manual) A glowing floating tentacle-y helper, who touches her face a lot and says "ooooo" and wears her heart on her sleeve. She also knows whatever you need to know. (A guide) I had them meet her right before they entered Merlin's lab, but I would have prefered on having them meet her after the burrough.
Episode 17: Grimdark Pt. 4 - The Pyramid (06/15/18)
Now with two of the items (basically), my adventurers set out to find the golden cat. Depending on your adventurers skill, you can make this easier or harder. It literally is exactly what you'd expect. You have your adventurers chase down a golden cat through a town. Finding it I think would be the trickiest part, but after you find that cat, characters can use any means necessary to catch it, and DM can decide how hard it is. If any character can speak with animals, the cat is insisting he has nothing to do with that crazy Babayaga!
(Also, if at any point, the adventurers try to go talk to Babayaga again, her house is gone, leaving behind massive chicken footprints)
My adventurers went back to the burrough to find the Chieftess, they found out she was patrolling the LostLands. If the adventurers go to the LostLands, they find the Chieftess and Pahiti very easily, by calling. The LostLands are a forgotten corner of GrimDark that seemingly consist of nothing but cloudy skies and fog. The ground is flat and adventurers are often lost or terribly turned-around.
When they combine all three objects (put the scarab (which The Chieftess finally lets you borrow since she sees the cat and is in watchful proximity of what you do with it) into the ankh, which you tie around the cat's neck) the cat will take off in one direction into the LostLands. If you follow him for long enough, you will round a sort of enormous mist-covered bluff and find a pyramid like the Great Pyramids of Giza. (NPC's include: Flumph, Klaus, Chieftess and Pahiti) On investigation, you find a small doorway on the corner of one side of the pyramid. Have the characters tell you who goes first and in what order, then cut them off in the middle, separating one group of players from the other (make sure the distinction of who is where is clear). When the door shuts, Flumph, in the front, leads the players onward. Meanwhile, those who have been left behind now have to battle Vincent, who seems deadly at first, but then surrenders after a little bit of a fight (or he goes all the way, whatever you wish). My adventurers actually scared him off with a flash of daylight. Vincent also used persuasion-y spells to turn Klaus against you, and tried with the Chieftess as well. Pahiti pins The Chieftess to the pyramid to try to get her to snap out of it (That is, if these three are in the fight. Suggestion Spells will be depending on players present). When Vincent is gone, the adventurers have to simply remove the large stone in the doorway to unblock the entrance.
As the other players fight Vincent, the ones in the pyramid ascend up a cramped claustrophobic space (look up the interior of the pyramids, I recommend Jeanette Leardi's The Great Pyramid: Egypt's tomb for all time, it has a nice map of the interior). The adventurers in the pyramid are approached by three "rogue" servants or guardians, each of which has an animal head (like Egyptian mythology), up to DM's digression. But they are chattery and taunting, and they surround the adventurers, telling them they cannot pass without answering some riddles, which I wrote:
The fifth wall in a four-sided room: The ceiling
A room that only you and your siblings share: Your mother's womb
A weapon that breaks the sound barrier: A whip
What does AWOL stand for? (Trick Question: Absent Without Leave, or "a wall" stands for whatever it's built under)
If the adventurers answer without a problem, they let them pass, cackling and hissing all the way, but if they fail miserably, they most likely will attack after much goading and insulting. The most likely answer will be a happy medium between the two, and the DM can decide what goes down depending. Make it a tense situation though. And, of course, you can always have the fight with Vincent end quickly so they can get some help. Also, if you decide you want to add booby traps along the way, (which I totally intended to do, but totally forgot) there are some cool ones in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's guide, like poison darts.
When the adventurers get through the hallway into the king's chamber, they meet Empirica, an Oriental looking vampire who is either weeping, mourning or staring off into space forlornly next to a sarcophagus. She is non-threatening in the moment, but is extremely agitated and factual. She tells them the truth on basically everything (unless you want your characters to finagle for it). She used to live here in this pyramid happily with her husband Djoser, both undead, both immortal. It is tradition in Egyptian mummification process, they put the intestines, stomach, liver, and lungs in sacred jars (which for affect of her passionate speech, I had her thrust one jar into the hands of each adventurer) but the Egyptians believed that the heart should remain in the body since it is where emotions come from. Djoser's heart was the only reason the pyramid functioned, could defend itself, and the servants and Djoser came to life. Years ago, it was stolen and hidden. Without it, the pyramid became lifeless. Lonely and distraught, Empirica enchanted Vincent fourteen years ago to close off the realm so that she could search for Djoser's heart. She believes whole-heartedly (pun intended) that the heart is somewhere in the realm, but she still cannot find it. She mentions Djoser's son, Imotep, did not get along with his father (Empirica is not Imotep's mother) and denounced the throne to become a fickle wanderer. Empirica suspects him. My adventurers suspected The Other. They are actually now going off to find the heart (which is not in GrimDark, BTW), but when they asked Empirica where the obelisk was, she just pointed to a corner of her pyramid. When the adventurers travel outside the pyramid and in that direction, they find an obelisk guarded by a massive Androsphinx who sleeps in front of it. If the adventurers slip around him unnoticed, great. If they wake him up, he wakes up amused and listens to them kindly. He explains that he is protecting his master from whatever evil may radiate off of the obelisk (his master = Djoser) and he has waited patiently, fueled by most of Empirica's power, for the awakening of his master. (He's on your side) The Chieftess marvels at how she has found what her nightmares have been about. She is the Awakened One, and if the adventurers don't figure this out, she explains what she feels to them to draw them closer to that conclusion. If they explain it to her, she gets it pretty easily and accepts her fate. (She's super cool)
(Also, if at any point, the adventurers try to go talk to Babayaga again, her house is gone, leaving behind massive chicken footprints)
My adventurers went back to the burrough to find the Chieftess, they found out she was patrolling the LostLands. If the adventurers go to the LostLands, they find the Chieftess and Pahiti very easily, by calling. The LostLands are a forgotten corner of GrimDark that seemingly consist of nothing but cloudy skies and fog. The ground is flat and adventurers are often lost or terribly turned-around.
When they combine all three objects (put the scarab (which The Chieftess finally lets you borrow since she sees the cat and is in watchful proximity of what you do with it) into the ankh, which you tie around the cat's neck) the cat will take off in one direction into the LostLands. If you follow him for long enough, you will round a sort of enormous mist-covered bluff and find a pyramid like the Great Pyramids of Giza. (NPC's include: Flumph, Klaus, Chieftess and Pahiti) On investigation, you find a small doorway on the corner of one side of the pyramid. Have the characters tell you who goes first and in what order, then cut them off in the middle, separating one group of players from the other (make sure the distinction of who is where is clear). When the door shuts, Flumph, in the front, leads the players onward. Meanwhile, those who have been left behind now have to battle Vincent, who seems deadly at first, but then surrenders after a little bit of a fight (or he goes all the way, whatever you wish). My adventurers actually scared him off with a flash of daylight. Vincent also used persuasion-y spells to turn Klaus against you, and tried with the Chieftess as well. Pahiti pins The Chieftess to the pyramid to try to get her to snap out of it (That is, if these three are in the fight. Suggestion Spells will be depending on players present). When Vincent is gone, the adventurers have to simply remove the large stone in the doorway to unblock the entrance.
As the other players fight Vincent, the ones in the pyramid ascend up a cramped claustrophobic space (look up the interior of the pyramids, I recommend Jeanette Leardi's The Great Pyramid: Egypt's tomb for all time, it has a nice map of the interior). The adventurers in the pyramid are approached by three "rogue" servants or guardians, each of which has an animal head (like Egyptian mythology), up to DM's digression. But they are chattery and taunting, and they surround the adventurers, telling them they cannot pass without answering some riddles, which I wrote:
The fifth wall in a four-sided room: The ceiling
A room that only you and your siblings share: Your mother's womb
A weapon that breaks the sound barrier: A whip
What does AWOL stand for? (Trick Question: Absent Without Leave, or "a wall" stands for whatever it's built under)
If the adventurers answer without a problem, they let them pass, cackling and hissing all the way, but if they fail miserably, they most likely will attack after much goading and insulting. The most likely answer will be a happy medium between the two, and the DM can decide what goes down depending. Make it a tense situation though. And, of course, you can always have the fight with Vincent end quickly so they can get some help. Also, if you decide you want to add booby traps along the way, (which I totally intended to do, but totally forgot) there are some cool ones in Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's guide, like poison darts.
When the adventurers get through the hallway into the king's chamber, they meet Empirica, an Oriental looking vampire who is either weeping, mourning or staring off into space forlornly next to a sarcophagus. She is non-threatening in the moment, but is extremely agitated and factual. She tells them the truth on basically everything (unless you want your characters to finagle for it). She used to live here in this pyramid happily with her husband Djoser, both undead, both immortal. It is tradition in Egyptian mummification process, they put the intestines, stomach, liver, and lungs in sacred jars (which for affect of her passionate speech, I had her thrust one jar into the hands of each adventurer) but the Egyptians believed that the heart should remain in the body since it is where emotions come from. Djoser's heart was the only reason the pyramid functioned, could defend itself, and the servants and Djoser came to life. Years ago, it was stolen and hidden. Without it, the pyramid became lifeless. Lonely and distraught, Empirica enchanted Vincent fourteen years ago to close off the realm so that she could search for Djoser's heart. She believes whole-heartedly (pun intended) that the heart is somewhere in the realm, but she still cannot find it. She mentions Djoser's son, Imotep, did not get along with his father (Empirica is not Imotep's mother) and denounced the throne to become a fickle wanderer. Empirica suspects him. My adventurers suspected The Other. They are actually now going off to find the heart (which is not in GrimDark, BTW), but when they asked Empirica where the obelisk was, she just pointed to a corner of her pyramid. When the adventurers travel outside the pyramid and in that direction, they find an obelisk guarded by a massive Androsphinx who sleeps in front of it. If the adventurers slip around him unnoticed, great. If they wake him up, he wakes up amused and listens to them kindly. He explains that he is protecting his master from whatever evil may radiate off of the obelisk (his master = Djoser) and he has waited patiently, fueled by most of Empirica's power, for the awakening of his master. (He's on your side) The Chieftess marvels at how she has found what her nightmares have been about. She is the Awakened One, and if the adventurers don't figure this out, she explains what she feels to them to draw them closer to that conclusion. If they explain it to her, she gets it pretty easily and accepts her fate. (She's super cool)
Episode 18: Knock House Interlude - The Mission's Been Compromised! (06/22/18)
I am revisiting this after a very long time of not DMing (It is January 31st of 2019) and I will be DMing tomorrow, so I thought I'd get this up to date with the very little that I remember
The heroes return to Knock House where Kyoyla shows them a note that was found at Knock House (that I wrote) that says:
"Dear Kyoyla,
I hope this letter finds you in good health, as I need you at your full capacity to understand what I'm about to say. I swore my allegiance to the King of Kyrel before your precious Ruko even dreamt of wielding a weapon, and your reckless behavior at Kyrel upsets me to the point of treason! You have insulted everything I stood for! Be prepared for no relent - for I will track down Ruko and turn in whatever organization you have delusions of starting. Your efforts will not mean a thing, Kyoyla! I'll make sure of it!
I thank my new-found friends for promising to deliver this letter to your so-called "hidden" place of sanctuary. You are not quite as stealthy as you think.
I hope one day you regret that mine was the path you crossed.
~Sijjon"
On the back of the note is another smaller note that reads: "Please let your lovely Kenku compatriot access this side" and then a whole bunch of hieroglyphs underneath that are unreadable to anyone but Auk, but he never reveals exactly what they say. (CLUE to Auk's true identity, a message from the enemy. The heroes cannot translate and if they really persist, just tell them the first word says "Don't")
Also, hidden in the lines of the letter somewhere, is written the small microprint "Kyoyla, Zitsugaya is alive"
Kyoyla is conflicted because this letter simultaneously brings good and bad news and he suspects that it was carried by someone who knew their position, but was not working for the enemy. This could mean they leaked their location to the enemy, but Kyoyla decides it is better safe than sorry to keep the orphans of Knock House here. One of my heroes, Nemo, decided to take them to a sanctuary on their home realm, Terrathar, and into a society he created called Oak Home. All the kids are relocated there, and Kyoyla then sets out a plan to begin searching for more information on Zitsugaya and the war in general traveling disguised as bush herds, so Ephraim/Heziah leads the way.
On the way out to gather ourselves and begin our covert life, Ruko reveals that the signature upon the letter is not actually Sijjons. (It is Ryker leaving a fake note with Imotep who delivered it to you). Then Nafu (Ruko's younger brother from Kyrel) shows up, and still has his red glowy necklace. Kyoyla does not trust him. But he wants to join you! Because he missed his brother or some crap like that.
Also, Shanachie REFUSES to leave Knock House. He will not leave. No matter what the players do, he will not. If they charm him, put him to sleep, or use other forceful coercive methods, there is a loud booming voice that cries out "TOUCH HIM NOT" from nowhere and has no definable source. If they still persist, then you can choose to either zap them or let them. Just make it very obvious Shanachie is supposed to and wants to stay here, as he is what hides Knock House with his illusions.
That was basically all I remember happening.
I am revisiting this after a very long time of not DMing (It is January 31st of 2019) and I will be DMing tomorrow, so I thought I'd get this up to date with the very little that I remember
The heroes return to Knock House where Kyoyla shows them a note that was found at Knock House (that I wrote) that says:
"Dear Kyoyla,
I hope this letter finds you in good health, as I need you at your full capacity to understand what I'm about to say. I swore my allegiance to the King of Kyrel before your precious Ruko even dreamt of wielding a weapon, and your reckless behavior at Kyrel upsets me to the point of treason! You have insulted everything I stood for! Be prepared for no relent - for I will track down Ruko and turn in whatever organization you have delusions of starting. Your efforts will not mean a thing, Kyoyla! I'll make sure of it!
I thank my new-found friends for promising to deliver this letter to your so-called "hidden" place of sanctuary. You are not quite as stealthy as you think.
I hope one day you regret that mine was the path you crossed.
~Sijjon"
On the back of the note is another smaller note that reads: "Please let your lovely Kenku compatriot access this side" and then a whole bunch of hieroglyphs underneath that are unreadable to anyone but Auk, but he never reveals exactly what they say. (CLUE to Auk's true identity, a message from the enemy. The heroes cannot translate and if they really persist, just tell them the first word says "Don't")
Also, hidden in the lines of the letter somewhere, is written the small microprint "Kyoyla, Zitsugaya is alive"
Kyoyla is conflicted because this letter simultaneously brings good and bad news and he suspects that it was carried by someone who knew their position, but was not working for the enemy. This could mean they leaked their location to the enemy, but Kyoyla decides it is better safe than sorry to keep the orphans of Knock House here. One of my heroes, Nemo, decided to take them to a sanctuary on their home realm, Terrathar, and into a society he created called Oak Home. All the kids are relocated there, and Kyoyla then sets out a plan to begin searching for more information on Zitsugaya and the war in general traveling disguised as bush herds, so Ephraim/Heziah leads the way.
On the way out to gather ourselves and begin our covert life, Ruko reveals that the signature upon the letter is not actually Sijjons. (It is Ryker leaving a fake note with Imotep who delivered it to you). Then Nafu (Ruko's younger brother from Kyrel) shows up, and still has his red glowy necklace. Kyoyla does not trust him. But he wants to join you! Because he missed his brother or some crap like that.
Also, Shanachie REFUSES to leave Knock House. He will not leave. No matter what the players do, he will not. If they charm him, put him to sleep, or use other forceful coercive methods, there is a loud booming voice that cries out "TOUCH HIM NOT" from nowhere and has no definable source. If they still persist, then you can choose to either zap them or let them. Just make it very obvious Shanachie is supposed to and wants to stay here, as he is what hides Knock House with his illusions.
That was basically all I remember happening.
Episode 19: Erihn pt.1 - Lumbia (02/01/19)
The main gist of this episode is simple (but the people I play with always seem to take their time enjoying it, which is cool) and it was planned for one, but turned into two sessions. (and I guess I can see why)
We started on this episode after over 6 months of me not DMing, and it began in a busherd's house (I said their last name was Heziah) and they were all being pulled together as new recruits to begin looking for Zitsugaya. (This gives the players an excuse to make new characters if they want and new players an excuse to be there. I had them all power down or start at level 5). Kyoyla heard that Zitsugaya's tribe, the Lumbia, have information regarding her. So your mission is to be disguised as busherd and cross over into Ryker's territory to get to them. You have to dress up very plainly, and then try to hide whatever you dare on your person or in the bush,
The journey includes several checkpoints that only busherd can cross with signals and passwords, like "The Iron Wolf" "Long Live Count Ryker" and "May the four winds be enslaved forever." and some simple hand gestures that served as signals. I made up each checkpoint with depending number of guards and scenarios, like, for instance, one was crowded and full of 14-18 guards you had to shove through and keep your bush safe from. Another was full of a couple who were gambling and fooling around with women. I made three checkpoints of any variety and at every checkpoint, I just privately rolled a dice for each character to see if they were inspected or not. There was bribing, lying, spellcasting, or just plain having nothing to hide.
The bush need sea mist and movement to produce their fruit and they are herded by what look like golf sticks, which you push the bush along with. There are different sizes, with large ones (only a few to a herd) that are as large as cows, to medium ones (the most common) to the babies and runts (The small.) In my campaign, the small ones liked music more than others.
Other things seen along the journey was a magpie that was following them. (I even had a character cast a spell that made it so the magpie could be spoken to, and the magpie was very vaguely saying, "Ope, don't mind me, just doing the thing" and it follows the herd the entire way. If the players kill it, another one replaces it eventually.
When the players finally reach Lumbia (I didn't intend for it to happen, my tongue just started doing it, but there was a massive language barrier) The Lumbia allow one or maybe two people to come to the shaman/chief's tent and present you with a map. They try in very broken Common to explain it to you and say that you need to go to "Struin" a river city farther East/out.
While you are being briefed, other characters may interact with the Lumbia. My characters began playing them songs, which they watched with rapt anticipation. He even set out a hat to get some money, but the Lumbia people, having no concept of begging, put on the hat and began to dance.
One or all characters are then tipped off to the rumbling of hooves that suddenly approach (I even had a Lumbia running ahead screaming the Lumbian word for "Monster!") and are the foretelling of a Gorgon! (Look it up in the Monster Manual) that the players and the ill-equipped men (spears) of Lumbia fight (the women and children run for shelter in the trees). When you defeat it, you find the symbol of the Iron Wolf upon it. The Lumbians offer to let you stay the night.
Episode 20: Erihn pt.2 - Struin (02/15/19)
Your adventurers can continue to have interactions with the Lumbians, mess with the magpie or do anything else they desire. If they choose to take the encounter, there is a large woman in a tent who cannot seem to leave her tent without difficulty, so she stays there. If anyone engages her, they discover she is Zitsugaya's mother, who just gushes and worries about her daughter. She tells them anything they want to know that she knows, obviously. The Lumbians also think of the Gorgon or "monster" as evil and will be moving their tribe away from the dead beast in the morning. They all stay far away from it. But once you are ready and have taken a rest, continue on your journey with Ephraim. If you capture or near a sleeping magpie, you can see or take a scroll of paper from off it's leg that reads "Be kind to your fine-feathered friends." My characters captured it, which is fine. As long as the bird is alive and is able to see, no new magpie is sent. They do notice as they travel that another dark bird drops something farther away. If you go to investigate what it is, then note who went, because it is a mouse (basically a magpie spy substitute) and it is now clinging unnoticed to the clothes or the steed of the hero of your choice.
You continue to cross the plains (and I mean flat!) cliffs and things of Erihn, in Count Ryker's territory. There are no more checkpoints, but there are still aerial patrols that are not always visible, so make sure your adventurers do not entirely feel completely free to do whatever they want as they are still under surveillance. (Use a flying demon if they engage or see the aerial surveillance, and throw one in whishing around in the sky every once in a while). Have some difficulties with the herd, as Ephraim is the only experienced one actually among you, he does look a little frazzled and tired even if he is keeping the herd together just fine. Ephraim does talk to you about the city that the Lumbians have pointed you towards, which is Struin. He says it used to be on his route, but that changed, but he can make an exception for you guys. The coast also begins to curve and peel off into different islands that you will have to cross. It's more like a swamp or a whole bunch of small islands in a river, and the bush should avoid direct water dousage, so the journey gets a tad more challenging, but you start to see sailboats on the horizon. You are essentially walking amidst equal parcels of land and water, and islets and brooks, while facing an ocean you will eventually reach, but where Struin is located is on the edge of a peninsula. On the east of Struin, the islets and ocean. On the right, the peninsula connects heavily back to the land and is covered with trees. I wish I could draw a map, but I'm not sure how to navigate that.
Anyway, as you approach Struin and keep the bush out of the water, you notice a girl kneeling down nearer to you and scooping silt into her bucket. She gets really excited when she notices you. If characters ask why she is scooping silt into a bucket, she says, "Oh, clams, minerals, the key, haha! Who knows! Just whatever we can find here in Struin!" Her name is Etta Lynn and she is very friendly (and preferably should be played with an Irish accent, as should the entire village of Struin). She claims you as her "find" or "friends" as she rushes back to the village to let them know that they have visitors!
As you hobble after her, Ephraim explains that Struin is named for it's River Struin that runs through it from the ocean, that it used to be a busy merchant port town before the Crux and Ryker, and now is a less populated fishing village. And overall, Ephraim warns you - they are FRIENDLY.
As you near Struin, you notice people waving crazily from the shore. It seems the entire village has stopped what they are doing to come greet you. They call in the ships from the sea. They start making food and finding fiddles, they pat you on the back and ask all about you. Very friendly people. And they begin an impromptu party for you!
Feel free to interact with any and all Struinites! Have them note that the river is tapped in many ways, with water wheels, fishing nets. It's obvious the river is a large resource for them. I had one of my characters flirt with the village girls, who gave him a meat pie and they ate together. The girl's name was Singhi, and she ran away when she gave it to him, but then he caught her and asked her for two forks so they could eat it together. (Pretty cute, actually)
You meet Odell, a smaller scrawny man who is considered the leader. He asks if your boots are wet and if you'd like them dried. Etta also kind of claims you and shows you Latva and her three dogs who run in a giant hamster wheel and use some kind of bellows system to dry things on a rack. Etta insists you put your boots on the rack and let the dogs run for them. I had a funny moment where Etta asks, "Do you want to pet the dogs? Do you?" And Latva just smoked her pipe when no one answered and then finally Latva said, "Well, do ya?" So we petted dogs. In D&D.
Struin tells you two tales - one is about the key that Etta mentioned earlier. If the characters catch Etta saying it, she brushes it off with, "It's just a joke, it's just something we say in Struin. It's just said that there's a key in the river and if you find it, you'll free what Count Ryker captured. It's just something we say." Also, (and this can happen at the party, I know it did at mine) But Odell tells the complete story of the key, which is that Count Ryker hid something precious up very far away and very safe, and so he hired the largest giant to stand atop the highest mountain and the giant threw the key with all his strength down into the river Struin, where the people of Struin leapt to look for the key, but were too late, as the key was swept down the river, RiverClaimed. Odell also tells of a story for the kids to go to bed, but I'll get to that later.
One of my characters asked to see the landscape around because he heard from some of the villagers that Count Ryker was due to scout the land soon, so he wanted to keep a lookout for him. When the Rebellion was in full swing, Struin was caught in the crossfires at times, so, thankful for their mountain and water that separated them from either side that the Rebellion and the Crux chose to fight on, they built an old watch tower atop the mountain to look out over the west. The character sees nothing, except for far, far away aerial surveillance. Struin is pretty heavily covered with trees where the village is, but is fairly exposed where the ocean is.
Either as the characters walk up through the forest towards the watchtower, or whatever character Etta or they take a fondness to Etta, someone has to notice that Etta hears some pipe music coming from the forest and her eyes get wide. She says quickly, "I have to go!" and she rushes off into the forest after it. I'm sure someone will eventually follow her, and if they find her where she's gone, then they notice (hopefully inconspicuously) that Etta is meeting a boy in the wood, a boy who is a couple years her senior (We're talking she's 12-14, he's 17-20) and is dressed in absolute finery. A doublet covered in intricate gold stitching, velvet pants and a cape. Somewhere on him (whether a ring or on the clasp of his cape on one side) is the symbol of a wolf. If the characters listen in, read their thoughts or approach them both directly, the information they can get is that the boy's name is Terrence (if they MUST know, and persist in asking, his last name is Ryker, but he seems to have a hard time saying it), he has met with Etta here often before and basically lets her know he's there by playing the pan flute. Etta can mention that he can't come down this time because of the visitors, but it seems like all of Struin knows about their meetings and secret relationship, maybe even has welcomed him down when no evil is looking. Terrence means NO ill will towards Etta, even adores her as a little sister and a welcome distraction to his life and is a content and kind soul and Etta of COURSE denies that he is "NOT MY BOYFRIEND" if asked. Terrence was playing a tune called "The Foggy Dew" (I recorded me playing it with the "flute" setting on my piano. A good version to learn it from is the one performed by The Chieftains). Have Etta ask him what that song was, and have him get sad, explaining that it is a song about soldiers marching to their death in the foggy dew. It seems personal to him.
Etta can either be discovered, Terrence can be confronted, brought down, whatever ends up happening with the characters is not actually of much consequence so long as Terrence tries not to reveal exactly what his last name is, and is not intricately entwined with adventurers when Ryker comes. He needs to be easily indisposed. In mine, Etta just brought him up food and three of my characters spied on them.
Back in Struin, the party is basically ready and they begin playing the fiddle and serving food. You can add a religious element, like a prayer, as these are good people, but for the most part, the party is raucous and lively! I played a drinking song (Heave Away by The Fables) to liven the mood as I was trying to convince everyone they were having a party that was totally and utterly only me, but they seemed to have a good time, with Schelm swooping up an older married woman who didn't get to dance much anymore, and him lighting up the shoes of the dancing twin girl onstage. It was very jolly, much food, much merriment. Just as the party is reaching it's peak, Odell decides to tell a story to get the young 'uns more tired to get to bed. He tells of young boy who had a powerful magic, that anything he wrote with his hands became reality! He made horses and bunnies, and many interesting things that he wrote or drew, but one day, being a curious boy, he created a beast that was unstoppable. The beast leapt from the page, and in a rage began burning the sky and burning the lands, and it cried out, "Why do I not have a name? I must have a name! It is the end of creation, is when I have been named!" But the young boy had no name for the beast! So the beast named itself! It cried, "If you are them, then I will call myself-"
But before Odell can finish the story (or he can if you want), there is a call from outside the pavilion, that shouts "ODELL! What is the meaning of this livelihood?"
Odell: "Does a city need an excuse to throw a party?"
Odell is a little drunk, but he is accompanied by two other men. Outside on a horse, wearing nice finery, and having sleek long black hair is a man waiting. His name is Yaeger Kristoff. (Yaeger is his title. It means someone who attends someone of nobility or higher up. He is Ryker's first hand man.) The party of Struinites tells all the adventurers to hide. They better hide. The Struinites seem to show utmost respect to Yaeger, bowing heads and maybe kneeling, and let Odell talk to him, who is less respectful. He mocks Yaeger Kristoff for roaming the land searching for his religious salvation last year and searching for a man called Bishop. (A hint drop)
Yaeger ignores his jeers and asks for Terrence, Ryker's heir. He knows he's here. Give him to them.
Odell knows Etta goes to see Terrence often in the forest, and says so, but he hasn't seen him here today. Kristoff keeps insisting, until finally, a presence is felt, and Count Ryker himself and four other knights astride horses come around the bend. Kristoff says he guess he doesn't have to retrieve Terrence alone. Even Odell seems scared and respectful of Count Ryker. Make sure he has an air of authority. Don't make him ever joke, don't make him too cocky either. He's a great war general, serious and stern. He asks where Terrence is.
At this point, someone has to get Terrence. I was lucky enough to have one of my adventurers sneak out the back and tell him someone was here for him, but if not, Terrence can come of his own free will or a Struinite can go get him or call for Etta. Or the timing could be right and Etta could be down among the villagers to run up and tell Terrence. Either way, Terrence comes bolting down (or emerging from the crowd), completely panicked, but choking it back. He is also respectful and scared of Count Ryker, and probably apologizes hastily. Ryker can ask something like, "Is this your... hobby?" to which Terrence relies, "Yes father." Ryker nods to one of his knights who gets off his horse and helps Terrence on in front of him and mounts again. Ryker leaves, probably saying something to get the last word in, something like, "And next time, Odell, watch your tongue." The caravan leaves.
They can also ask more questions bout visitors before you leave, which Struin keeps quiet for. They don't tell a word, even though it's their necks on the line, and they do look nervous if they lie, but they do it for you.
After they leave, Etta is distraught. She buries her head in her hands and sobs a panicked sob (yes, I really acted this out). She is terrified what this is going to mean for Terrence, since she cares for him deeply. She confides this in the adventurers, but eventually runs to her mother's house for protection and sanctuary. It is not until the next night when the adventurers are sleeping in Odell's house (He lives alone, but is never lonely is what he says) that Etta approaches them in the middle of the night, either staying near them until they wake up or waking them up. Luckily, I had an elf character who didn't need much sleep, so she saw Etta in her distressed state. When approached, Etta confesses she knows you are not busherd, right? She says she doesn't know what you are, but the pricks all along your arms are what give you away as amateurs. She figures you are against Count Ryker. She doesn't know what side you're on exactly, but as long as you're against Count Ryker, she wants to help. She tells you that Count Ryker has a castle built into the mountain and well hidden by the forest, but anyone walking that general direction can find it. She thinks it might help.
Ephraim is able to stay with the bush in pens the Struinites offer.
The player finds the mouse the next morning.
You continue to cross the plains (and I mean flat!) cliffs and things of Erihn, in Count Ryker's territory. There are no more checkpoints, but there are still aerial patrols that are not always visible, so make sure your adventurers do not entirely feel completely free to do whatever they want as they are still under surveillance. (Use a flying demon if they engage or see the aerial surveillance, and throw one in whishing around in the sky every once in a while). Have some difficulties with the herd, as Ephraim is the only experienced one actually among you, he does look a little frazzled and tired even if he is keeping the herd together just fine. Ephraim does talk to you about the city that the Lumbians have pointed you towards, which is Struin. He says it used to be on his route, but that changed, but he can make an exception for you guys. The coast also begins to curve and peel off into different islands that you will have to cross. It's more like a swamp or a whole bunch of small islands in a river, and the bush should avoid direct water dousage, so the journey gets a tad more challenging, but you start to see sailboats on the horizon. You are essentially walking amidst equal parcels of land and water, and islets and brooks, while facing an ocean you will eventually reach, but where Struin is located is on the edge of a peninsula. On the east of Struin, the islets and ocean. On the right, the peninsula connects heavily back to the land and is covered with trees. I wish I could draw a map, but I'm not sure how to navigate that.
Anyway, as you approach Struin and keep the bush out of the water, you notice a girl kneeling down nearer to you and scooping silt into her bucket. She gets really excited when she notices you. If characters ask why she is scooping silt into a bucket, she says, "Oh, clams, minerals, the key, haha! Who knows! Just whatever we can find here in Struin!" Her name is Etta Lynn and she is very friendly (and preferably should be played with an Irish accent, as should the entire village of Struin). She claims you as her "find" or "friends" as she rushes back to the village to let them know that they have visitors!
As you hobble after her, Ephraim explains that Struin is named for it's River Struin that runs through it from the ocean, that it used to be a busy merchant port town before the Crux and Ryker, and now is a less populated fishing village. And overall, Ephraim warns you - they are FRIENDLY.
As you near Struin, you notice people waving crazily from the shore. It seems the entire village has stopped what they are doing to come greet you. They call in the ships from the sea. They start making food and finding fiddles, they pat you on the back and ask all about you. Very friendly people. And they begin an impromptu party for you!
Feel free to interact with any and all Struinites! Have them note that the river is tapped in many ways, with water wheels, fishing nets. It's obvious the river is a large resource for them. I had one of my characters flirt with the village girls, who gave him a meat pie and they ate together. The girl's name was Singhi, and she ran away when she gave it to him, but then he caught her and asked her for two forks so they could eat it together. (Pretty cute, actually)
You meet Odell, a smaller scrawny man who is considered the leader. He asks if your boots are wet and if you'd like them dried. Etta also kind of claims you and shows you Latva and her three dogs who run in a giant hamster wheel and use some kind of bellows system to dry things on a rack. Etta insists you put your boots on the rack and let the dogs run for them. I had a funny moment where Etta asks, "Do you want to pet the dogs? Do you?" And Latva just smoked her pipe when no one answered and then finally Latva said, "Well, do ya?" So we petted dogs. In D&D.
Struin tells you two tales - one is about the key that Etta mentioned earlier. If the characters catch Etta saying it, she brushes it off with, "It's just a joke, it's just something we say in Struin. It's just said that there's a key in the river and if you find it, you'll free what Count Ryker captured. It's just something we say." Also, (and this can happen at the party, I know it did at mine) But Odell tells the complete story of the key, which is that Count Ryker hid something precious up very far away and very safe, and so he hired the largest giant to stand atop the highest mountain and the giant threw the key with all his strength down into the river Struin, where the people of Struin leapt to look for the key, but were too late, as the key was swept down the river, RiverClaimed. Odell also tells of a story for the kids to go to bed, but I'll get to that later.
One of my characters asked to see the landscape around because he heard from some of the villagers that Count Ryker was due to scout the land soon, so he wanted to keep a lookout for him. When the Rebellion was in full swing, Struin was caught in the crossfires at times, so, thankful for their mountain and water that separated them from either side that the Rebellion and the Crux chose to fight on, they built an old watch tower atop the mountain to look out over the west. The character sees nothing, except for far, far away aerial surveillance. Struin is pretty heavily covered with trees where the village is, but is fairly exposed where the ocean is.
Either as the characters walk up through the forest towards the watchtower, or whatever character Etta or they take a fondness to Etta, someone has to notice that Etta hears some pipe music coming from the forest and her eyes get wide. She says quickly, "I have to go!" and she rushes off into the forest after it. I'm sure someone will eventually follow her, and if they find her where she's gone, then they notice (hopefully inconspicuously) that Etta is meeting a boy in the wood, a boy who is a couple years her senior (We're talking she's 12-14, he's 17-20) and is dressed in absolute finery. A doublet covered in intricate gold stitching, velvet pants and a cape. Somewhere on him (whether a ring or on the clasp of his cape on one side) is the symbol of a wolf. If the characters listen in, read their thoughts or approach them both directly, the information they can get is that the boy's name is Terrence (if they MUST know, and persist in asking, his last name is Ryker, but he seems to have a hard time saying it), he has met with Etta here often before and basically lets her know he's there by playing the pan flute. Etta can mention that he can't come down this time because of the visitors, but it seems like all of Struin knows about their meetings and secret relationship, maybe even has welcomed him down when no evil is looking. Terrence means NO ill will towards Etta, even adores her as a little sister and a welcome distraction to his life and is a content and kind soul and Etta of COURSE denies that he is "NOT MY BOYFRIEND" if asked. Terrence was playing a tune called "The Foggy Dew" (I recorded me playing it with the "flute" setting on my piano. A good version to learn it from is the one performed by The Chieftains). Have Etta ask him what that song was, and have him get sad, explaining that it is a song about soldiers marching to their death in the foggy dew. It seems personal to him.
Etta can either be discovered, Terrence can be confronted, brought down, whatever ends up happening with the characters is not actually of much consequence so long as Terrence tries not to reveal exactly what his last name is, and is not intricately entwined with adventurers when Ryker comes. He needs to be easily indisposed. In mine, Etta just brought him up food and three of my characters spied on them.
Back in Struin, the party is basically ready and they begin playing the fiddle and serving food. You can add a religious element, like a prayer, as these are good people, but for the most part, the party is raucous and lively! I played a drinking song (Heave Away by The Fables) to liven the mood as I was trying to convince everyone they were having a party that was totally and utterly only me, but they seemed to have a good time, with Schelm swooping up an older married woman who didn't get to dance much anymore, and him lighting up the shoes of the dancing twin girl onstage. It was very jolly, much food, much merriment. Just as the party is reaching it's peak, Odell decides to tell a story to get the young 'uns more tired to get to bed. He tells of young boy who had a powerful magic, that anything he wrote with his hands became reality! He made horses and bunnies, and many interesting things that he wrote or drew, but one day, being a curious boy, he created a beast that was unstoppable. The beast leapt from the page, and in a rage began burning the sky and burning the lands, and it cried out, "Why do I not have a name? I must have a name! It is the end of creation, is when I have been named!" But the young boy had no name for the beast! So the beast named itself! It cried, "If you are them, then I will call myself-"
But before Odell can finish the story (or he can if you want), there is a call from outside the pavilion, that shouts "ODELL! What is the meaning of this livelihood?"
Odell: "Does a city need an excuse to throw a party?"
Odell is a little drunk, but he is accompanied by two other men. Outside on a horse, wearing nice finery, and having sleek long black hair is a man waiting. His name is Yaeger Kristoff. (Yaeger is his title. It means someone who attends someone of nobility or higher up. He is Ryker's first hand man.) The party of Struinites tells all the adventurers to hide. They better hide. The Struinites seem to show utmost respect to Yaeger, bowing heads and maybe kneeling, and let Odell talk to him, who is less respectful. He mocks Yaeger Kristoff for roaming the land searching for his religious salvation last year and searching for a man called Bishop. (A hint drop)
Yaeger ignores his jeers and asks for Terrence, Ryker's heir. He knows he's here. Give him to them.
Odell knows Etta goes to see Terrence often in the forest, and says so, but he hasn't seen him here today. Kristoff keeps insisting, until finally, a presence is felt, and Count Ryker himself and four other knights astride horses come around the bend. Kristoff says he guess he doesn't have to retrieve Terrence alone. Even Odell seems scared and respectful of Count Ryker. Make sure he has an air of authority. Don't make him ever joke, don't make him too cocky either. He's a great war general, serious and stern. He asks where Terrence is.
At this point, someone has to get Terrence. I was lucky enough to have one of my adventurers sneak out the back and tell him someone was here for him, but if not, Terrence can come of his own free will or a Struinite can go get him or call for Etta. Or the timing could be right and Etta could be down among the villagers to run up and tell Terrence. Either way, Terrence comes bolting down (or emerging from the crowd), completely panicked, but choking it back. He is also respectful and scared of Count Ryker, and probably apologizes hastily. Ryker can ask something like, "Is this your... hobby?" to which Terrence relies, "Yes father." Ryker nods to one of his knights who gets off his horse and helps Terrence on in front of him and mounts again. Ryker leaves, probably saying something to get the last word in, something like, "And next time, Odell, watch your tongue." The caravan leaves.
They can also ask more questions bout visitors before you leave, which Struin keeps quiet for. They don't tell a word, even though it's their necks on the line, and they do look nervous if they lie, but they do it for you.
After they leave, Etta is distraught. She buries her head in her hands and sobs a panicked sob (yes, I really acted this out). She is terrified what this is going to mean for Terrence, since she cares for him deeply. She confides this in the adventurers, but eventually runs to her mother's house for protection and sanctuary. It is not until the next night when the adventurers are sleeping in Odell's house (He lives alone, but is never lonely is what he says) that Etta approaches them in the middle of the night, either staying near them until they wake up or waking them up. Luckily, I had an elf character who didn't need much sleep, so she saw Etta in her distressed state. When approached, Etta confesses she knows you are not busherd, right? She says she doesn't know what you are, but the pricks all along your arms are what give you away as amateurs. She figures you are against Count Ryker. She doesn't know what side you're on exactly, but as long as you're against Count Ryker, she wants to help. She tells you that Count Ryker has a castle built into the mountain and well hidden by the forest, but anyone walking that general direction can find it. She thinks it might help.
Ephraim is able to stay with the bush in pens the Struinites offer.
The player finds the mouse the next morning.
Episode 21: Erihn pt.3 - West Castle (03/01/19)
The characters are now still in Struin. If they confront the mouse, the mouse refuses to give them any information, giving a stubborn resistance. They can kill or also capture the mouse (my guild chose to just capture). Then they are free to do whatever they want to in Struin. Etta has stopped talking to them, instead going about her chores and casting them longing glances. If approached, she is busy or doesn't say much. She is still torn up inside about Terrence and worrying about him. The rest of the village is pretty much the same. They go about their days, still happy to see you and have you there with them, but basically expecting you to leave soon, since you are a "bushherd." The women probably offer you some lunch items. Maybe the men will offer you simple tools.
Ephraim waits patiently, but if you ask him about how much longer you have and if you can go check out the castle/fortress in the mountains, he says he can walk the bush around the islands to get their fruits growing. They are nearly ripe, so he says not to worry about that, but they only have one or two days at the most. He definitely does not (can not) want to come with you. He will stay behind, as will the bush.
When characters begin their journey up to the castle in the direction Etta told them, you can have either a few character or all characters begin to notice circles of wind following them as they trek ever upward into the mountain. If they pay attention to any one win particular for long enough, it begins to form into a humanoid likeness until a Wind Elemental stands before them, beautifully formed and obviously radiating wisdom and age. The figure never speaks. Maybe whistles and conveys an emotion, but never speaks words. It watches you and follows you if you continue upward. If the adventurers try to ignore it, they will get lost or even never see the castle. Eventually, if anyone shows it compassion or attention, it comes forward, or forms closer to you, swirling it's form around a small piece of metal. You as the DM can decide why and when the air elemental gives it to any player who shows interest or who tries to take it, but essentially this is the Western Wind, and it is deciding to trust you even though it is being enslaved by Ryker to guard his castle. So this essentially an act of betrayal so TRY to get your adventurers to feel the gravity of giving you this key will bring? Not totally necessary, but brings a certain feel to the story.
Once they have received the small metal piece, (I actually cut out a key and then cut it into multiple pieces that I will be giving them if they chose the castle quest, which is where they go to each four corner castle (North, South, East, West) and find each piece, with an ending piece given to them by someone else, so five pieces total. If they choose to go the gatekeeper route (which is far more likely) than the keys can be used as bargaining pieces? Something else? Not sure.) they can continue onto find the castle.
The castle is unmanned, unguarded and maybe even a little in disarray/ mildewy. This is Terrence and Ryker's basically summer home, a place they can get away to, host parties, or back in the day it was an ample military base for formulating and strategizing against the Rebellion, since a lot of the fighting happened just over this mountain range in Struin's backyard. The majority of this episode is you exploring the castle, which I will give a description of because I don't know how to put a map on here. There are two important things to find, one more than the other. The other can be improvised to be found or discovered later, I just like my method of finding it.
Your adventurers are bound to check for guards and booby traps, but they will find none. You can choose how complicated you want to make the front door. It's not a big deal. They could just smash a lock, or it could just swing open. In my case, I had a character who could mimic Ryker's voice, so I used that to say that he had to say a password that he had learned to open the door. So he wracked his brain, remembered it and the doors swung open. Like I said, not a big deal.
Inside the front door is a large living room with a large rug and lined with cases and trophies and any and all varieties. It does seem like these are second hand wonders, almost more like a storage space for the lesser items. Be careful what you say is in there, considering adventurers can take whatever they please and I didn't want to give them magical objects or bonuses that they didn't deserve. Some items I used was an embellished case with a human hand curled up in it, and an elephant head. Other than that, just basic spears, dented armor, jewelry, etc.
On the back of the wall of the large room is a stone staircase that leads up to a banister that hovers above the back and one side wall.
On the ground floor, there is a door under the stairway, a door in the back wall and a door in the side wall. The door under the staircase leads to a set of stone stairs that lead into a damp darkness. When you reach the bottom, which is only maybe 10-20 steps, there is a door which seemingly has melded into the stone, with it's hinges and handles all completely solid into the wall. It has elven written all over it, and imbued in the fancy patterns on the door are the phrases "The Goblin" "The Earth Elemental" "The Acrobat" "The Sea Queen" and above the door is written, "WEST GATE." Nothing the characters do will open this door, no key and no spell.
The door on the ground floor on the back wall leads to a hallway, if the characters enter this hallway, they are attacked and have a battle with five shadows. Shadows are actually pretty scary monsters, with their Life Drain attack and can permanently change your strength modifier until days of rest. My characters certainly didn't like them. When they are defeated, or the hallway is made clear, there are five more doors, two on each side and one on the end. The first on the right is a maintenance closet. The second on the right is a bookroom/study, which is in a dingy stone damp room, but made to look better than it actually is. The door on the end of the hallway is a way to the stables, or some kind of cavern for beast keeping. The second door on the left is a pantry with very little food left (a couple jars of pickled eggs). The first door on the left is a bedroom with a closet. Once again, a very shabby room, but made to look better than it actually is with finery. There can be a journal in this room, that is obviously Terrence's room. The journal does not really say anything helpful, there is a certain amount of fear to the entries and respect for the Count.
The door on the side wall of the ground floor leads to a maid's chamber. There are ratty beds and a dirty bag of maids clothes. That's it. This also has a window and another door leading outward to the side that maids (and consequently your adventurers) can exit from.
If the adventurers climb the stone stairs to the banister, they are greeted by a suit of armor at the landing between the stairs and the balcony. Behind this armor are two more shadows. You can wait until the adventurers are farther and sneak up behind them, or just confront them with more battle then. There are five doors on the balcony. One at the front on the landing leading to a turret. Two along the balcony's back wall. Another door on the corner as the balcony turns that leads to another turret, and another door on the side wall where the balcony stops.
The first door that leads to turret, leads up into a stone staircase. At the top is a watchman's tower with no noticeable features. As the adventurers come down (and you can time this as you please) they notice a door at the bottom of the stairs that wasn't there before. If they enter this door, they find a dim, what appears to be a study, full of astrological charts and books. Obviously much better loved than any other room, where Ryker must sleep and stay. In this is one of the important things you are supposed to find: On top of the dresser next to the simple bed (For a rich man, this room is surprisingly lacking in finery) is what appears to be a shrine. On this shrine is a single picture and candles that eternally burn magically and safely. This picture has the elven for "My Son" written on the bottom of it and it is NOT Terrence. This is important. If the character do not find this picture here, have them find it in Terrence's journal later, or hear it by word of mouth from someone else some other time.
The second door along the balcony leads to Dining Hall, with a throne at the back and shelves lining the walls. The third door leads to a council room, very much an Arthur and the Round Table kind of feel to it. If character choose to explore these rooms deeply, feel free to make stuff up. (That's what DMs do), even to throw in more Shadows as they are Ryker's preferred guardian for the interior of this house, but there is nothing significant or important about these rooms.
The fourth door is most important. It leads to the right turret, and begins on a stone staircase just as the other door did, but it does not let you go up. The more the adventurers climb the stairs, the more it just circles around the door is no farther away. They must either cast Dispel Magic or figure out some other way to break the curse to the DM's digression. Mine considered climbing the tower from the outside, which I didn't prefer, but if you're okay with it, it works.
When they reach the top of these stairs, they are in a modestly furnished bedroom, where they see the faint figure of a thin dark skinned girl facing the wall and consequently the bed in the room, with a small dragon flying circles above her. Optional: At the top of the stairs is a rug with footprings embedded into it. When character stand on this rug in the footsteps, they can all the sudden see clearly that Zitsugaya (whom the figure is!) is not actually in this room, but in another room elsewhere, but now she can communicate with you, though at first she treats you disdainfully because you look and sound like Ryker to her. She does not know where she is. If you ask about "The Goblin" "The Earth Elemental" "The Acrobat" and "The Sea Queen" she says they are Ryker's gate keepers. If you don't ask, Kyoyla will explain it to you later, so it's not a big deal. The other adventurers who don't stand on the rug can be tipped off as to her whereabouts by her moving and interacting with items that are not in the room and not matter what, if they are not standing on the rug, she cannot hear them. Zitsugaya can tell them anything (once she realizes they are not enemies, she may ask for passwords or questions only the rebellion could answer) that you would like her to. You can even have her mention she is trying to starve herself to death. There can also be shadows in this room that are hiding closer to her visage and can pop out and attack if you get too close. In my case, a Paladin cast a preemptive spell and made them flee out the window. Good move, Donny.
The dragon that swirls above her is real and in the room. It's name is Fu and it is Zitsugaya's pet, or it was when she was free. It can be spoken to using a spell, but speaks in a cheerful chirpy manner. It has the ability to glow brightly on command, to turn invisible and to spit a little fire. It is generally cheerful and amicable, brave at times, shy at others and an overall pleasant companion who will now join you. It is a Psuedodragon in the Monster Manual, with a few modifications.
The fifth door on the balcony is a classroom with a table, chairs, a board, some books and some glass windows. Whoop dee doo. You can keep looking around the room for signs, and it's obvious this is where Ryker attempted to homeschool Terrence.
At the point where you are finished exploring the castle or have begun to get too much information from Zitsugaya, you hear a noise of a door slamming and metal scraping on stone outside in the main room. When they come down the main room, they see a knight with an Iron Wolf on his chest adjusting a gauntlet and saying. "I thought Terrence left some things behind. I didn't know they'd be vagabonds."
It's Ryker and he will kill and confront each and every one of you until you get out of his castle. He is a BEEFY BOI. He is a Level 17 Fighter with three different feats. You can build him yourself or contact me to get his character sheet, but in short, he is made to make the adventurers PEE THEIR PANTS. You really want them to understand and understand quickly that he is not someone to mess with. In my case, unfortunately, we lost a good Paladin who continuously threw himself at Ryker (He did!!) and was murdered in cold blood. And we ended our session on that very chilling note.
(RIP Velstadt. We'll miss you buddy. Favorite character Aos Si has played so far and it is NOT fun killing characters! (Okay it was kinda fun))
The castle is unmanned, unguarded and maybe even a little in disarray/ mildewy. This is Terrence and Ryker's basically summer home, a place they can get away to, host parties, or back in the day it was an ample military base for formulating and strategizing against the Rebellion, since a lot of the fighting happened just over this mountain range in Struin's backyard. The majority of this episode is you exploring the castle, which I will give a description of because I don't know how to put a map on here. There are two important things to find, one more than the other. The other can be improvised to be found or discovered later, I just like my method of finding it.
Your adventurers are bound to check for guards and booby traps, but they will find none. You can choose how complicated you want to make the front door. It's not a big deal. They could just smash a lock, or it could just swing open. In my case, I had a character who could mimic Ryker's voice, so I used that to say that he had to say a password that he had learned to open the door. So he wracked his brain, remembered it and the doors swung open. Like I said, not a big deal.
Inside the front door is a large living room with a large rug and lined with cases and trophies and any and all varieties. It does seem like these are second hand wonders, almost more like a storage space for the lesser items. Be careful what you say is in there, considering adventurers can take whatever they please and I didn't want to give them magical objects or bonuses that they didn't deserve. Some items I used was an embellished case with a human hand curled up in it, and an elephant head. Other than that, just basic spears, dented armor, jewelry, etc.
On the back of the wall of the large room is a stone staircase that leads up to a banister that hovers above the back and one side wall.
On the ground floor, there is a door under the stairway, a door in the back wall and a door in the side wall. The door under the staircase leads to a set of stone stairs that lead into a damp darkness. When you reach the bottom, which is only maybe 10-20 steps, there is a door which seemingly has melded into the stone, with it's hinges and handles all completely solid into the wall. It has elven written all over it, and imbued in the fancy patterns on the door are the phrases "The Goblin" "The Earth Elemental" "The Acrobat" "The Sea Queen" and above the door is written, "WEST GATE." Nothing the characters do will open this door, no key and no spell.
The door on the ground floor on the back wall leads to a hallway, if the characters enter this hallway, they are attacked and have a battle with five shadows. Shadows are actually pretty scary monsters, with their Life Drain attack and can permanently change your strength modifier until days of rest. My characters certainly didn't like them. When they are defeated, or the hallway is made clear, there are five more doors, two on each side and one on the end. The first on the right is a maintenance closet. The second on the right is a bookroom/study, which is in a dingy stone damp room, but made to look better than it actually is. The door on the end of the hallway is a way to the stables, or some kind of cavern for beast keeping. The second door on the left is a pantry with very little food left (a couple jars of pickled eggs). The first door on the left is a bedroom with a closet. Once again, a very shabby room, but made to look better than it actually is with finery. There can be a journal in this room, that is obviously Terrence's room. The journal does not really say anything helpful, there is a certain amount of fear to the entries and respect for the Count.
The door on the side wall of the ground floor leads to a maid's chamber. There are ratty beds and a dirty bag of maids clothes. That's it. This also has a window and another door leading outward to the side that maids (and consequently your adventurers) can exit from.
If the adventurers climb the stone stairs to the banister, they are greeted by a suit of armor at the landing between the stairs and the balcony. Behind this armor are two more shadows. You can wait until the adventurers are farther and sneak up behind them, or just confront them with more battle then. There are five doors on the balcony. One at the front on the landing leading to a turret. Two along the balcony's back wall. Another door on the corner as the balcony turns that leads to another turret, and another door on the side wall where the balcony stops.
The first door that leads to turret, leads up into a stone staircase. At the top is a watchman's tower with no noticeable features. As the adventurers come down (and you can time this as you please) they notice a door at the bottom of the stairs that wasn't there before. If they enter this door, they find a dim, what appears to be a study, full of astrological charts and books. Obviously much better loved than any other room, where Ryker must sleep and stay. In this is one of the important things you are supposed to find: On top of the dresser next to the simple bed (For a rich man, this room is surprisingly lacking in finery) is what appears to be a shrine. On this shrine is a single picture and candles that eternally burn magically and safely. This picture has the elven for "My Son" written on the bottom of it and it is NOT Terrence. This is important. If the character do not find this picture here, have them find it in Terrence's journal later, or hear it by word of mouth from someone else some other time.
The second door along the balcony leads to Dining Hall, with a throne at the back and shelves lining the walls. The third door leads to a council room, very much an Arthur and the Round Table kind of feel to it. If character choose to explore these rooms deeply, feel free to make stuff up. (That's what DMs do), even to throw in more Shadows as they are Ryker's preferred guardian for the interior of this house, but there is nothing significant or important about these rooms.
The fourth door is most important. It leads to the right turret, and begins on a stone staircase just as the other door did, but it does not let you go up. The more the adventurers climb the stairs, the more it just circles around the door is no farther away. They must either cast Dispel Magic or figure out some other way to break the curse to the DM's digression. Mine considered climbing the tower from the outside, which I didn't prefer, but if you're okay with it, it works.
When they reach the top of these stairs, they are in a modestly furnished bedroom, where they see the faint figure of a thin dark skinned girl facing the wall and consequently the bed in the room, with a small dragon flying circles above her. Optional: At the top of the stairs is a rug with footprings embedded into it. When character stand on this rug in the footsteps, they can all the sudden see clearly that Zitsugaya (whom the figure is!) is not actually in this room, but in another room elsewhere, but now she can communicate with you, though at first she treats you disdainfully because you look and sound like Ryker to her. She does not know where she is. If you ask about "The Goblin" "The Earth Elemental" "The Acrobat" and "The Sea Queen" she says they are Ryker's gate keepers. If you don't ask, Kyoyla will explain it to you later, so it's not a big deal. The other adventurers who don't stand on the rug can be tipped off as to her whereabouts by her moving and interacting with items that are not in the room and not matter what, if they are not standing on the rug, she cannot hear them. Zitsugaya can tell them anything (once she realizes they are not enemies, she may ask for passwords or questions only the rebellion could answer) that you would like her to. You can even have her mention she is trying to starve herself to death. There can also be shadows in this room that are hiding closer to her visage and can pop out and attack if you get too close. In my case, a Paladin cast a preemptive spell and made them flee out the window. Good move, Donny.
The dragon that swirls above her is real and in the room. It's name is Fu and it is Zitsugaya's pet, or it was when she was free. It can be spoken to using a spell, but speaks in a cheerful chirpy manner. It has the ability to glow brightly on command, to turn invisible and to spit a little fire. It is generally cheerful and amicable, brave at times, shy at others and an overall pleasant companion who will now join you. It is a Psuedodragon in the Monster Manual, with a few modifications.
The fifth door on the balcony is a classroom with a table, chairs, a board, some books and some glass windows. Whoop dee doo. You can keep looking around the room for signs, and it's obvious this is where Ryker attempted to homeschool Terrence.
At the point where you are finished exploring the castle or have begun to get too much information from Zitsugaya, you hear a noise of a door slamming and metal scraping on stone outside in the main room. When they come down the main room, they see a knight with an Iron Wolf on his chest adjusting a gauntlet and saying. "I thought Terrence left some things behind. I didn't know they'd be vagabonds."
It's Ryker and he will kill and confront each and every one of you until you get out of his castle. He is a BEEFY BOI. He is a Level 17 Fighter with three different feats. You can build him yourself or contact me to get his character sheet, but in short, he is made to make the adventurers PEE THEIR PANTS. You really want them to understand and understand quickly that he is not someone to mess with. In my case, unfortunately, we lost a good Paladin who continuously threw himself at Ryker (He did!!) and was murdered in cold blood. And we ended our session on that very chilling note.
(RIP Velstadt. We'll miss you buddy. Favorite character Aos Si has played so far and it is NOT fun killing characters! (Okay it was kinda fun))
This episode was actually pretty simple, but because of character interactions, we managed to draw it out for a whole session which is the goal. At the begiining, I explained a scene no one could see which was where Ryker found the two cages with the magpie and the mouse which had melted off of Velstadt's goat when he ahd dissappeared, and he opens the magpie's cage up, pulls it out, looks it int he eyes and says, "Ulisses. You and your little toys. PICK A SIDE." or something to that effect and then crushes the magpie in his hand. Then he tosses the mouse into his shadows, where they suck the life quickly out of it and leave a dried little mouse mummy husk. Afteward, he resets all the shadows so there are a TON more whizzing and hissing around in the castle as the guards and then he exits, mounts his horse and leaves with his knights. Really try to discourage the adventurers from re-entering. Too many shadows. Seriously amped up guard.
So afteward, the characters had a lot of mourning for the character who had died, they went off into the forest, went into great detail on how they buried him and respected his funeral rites. There was a lot of mourning and I let the characters have their time to do whatever they thought appropriate to respect his passing, and then that player introduced his new character in the forest so they got to know him for a little while.
When the adventurers returned to Struin, they found everyone in a somber mood, and actively avoiding you which is a stunning contrast to how you were greeted. You find out that a dead body was dropped in the middle of Struin as a warning. It is Imotep, and he has a warning creepily etched into some part of his body, or is clutching a paper that says, "Traitors leave one way or another." When the characters have finally realized the warning Struin has received and why they are scared. the leader of Struin (Odell) or any Struinite will put a hand on a lead character's shouler and say in their somber Irish accent, "I think it's best you leave, lad." The village is shook up and scared for their lives. But, if your characters are anything like my characters, they will want more information after what they learned in the castle. I even had my paladin who was sweet on Singhi approach her, who liked him and wanted to help him, but was equally scared. He was really sweet about it. If the character ask anybody (especially the leader) about "What do you know about The goblin, the earth elemental, the acrobat and the sea queen?" they are very hesitant. They just insist they don't know, and that's a good thing because Ryker is intentionally hiding them. Stuin knows nothing about Zitsugaya, not even her existence in the Rebellion, but they might recognize the phrase "Dragonclaw Maiden" if it's been dropped and the characters know it. Struin however DOES know about the four castles, one to the east, one to the west, one to the south and one to the north that Ryker keeps. He also has enslaved each of the four winds to keep guard over each. Each castle is something different and you can decide if Struin knows and can tell you. I preferred not to add to the mystery. The West one is hidden, as a fortress or a summer home (which you just found and infiltrated), The East is a prison for political prisoners, and it's very posh. The South is his residential home, where he usually resides and rules and the North is a torture prison for prisoners of war and Rebellioneers.
Now you must figure out how to get out of Ryker's territory. Ryker was now on the look out for them. You can figure this out as a DM, but I needed them out of there quick and easy, so I had Ephraim give the coordinates to Fu, the psuedodragon they had acquired and she/he flew off with the coordinates/a message wrapped around it's leg. Fast forward two days and a triangle appears in the sky, zapping and sparkling and you can hear Kyoyla say, "Nope, that's not it." and then disappearing to show up 120 feet away from you. It is a four foot tall triangle door way, through which peers Kyoyla, Ruko and Bishop from the back. Kyoyla asks you come to him because this the closest he's been able to get the coordinates and doesn't want to mess it up. They take Ephraim inside as well, as his bush's fruit are very ripe and ready. It's very odd for him not to have to make the trek back and just instantly be home, also it's better for his bush because they don't need (or want) to walk anymore. In fact, he might ask you to help harvest them to help before all this happens.
When you return to the bushherd home, you brief Kyoyla on everything you have, and he can confirm or tell you things Struin told you or didn't. He can basically fill in the gaps on information you had before. He knows Imotep was Ryker's magic dealer, making sure all of Ryker's enchanted objects were enchanted by different magicians and wizards. Kyoyla thinks if he killed him, he must have meant business or found him to be a traitor. Kyoyla confirms the four castles, asks if Zitsugaya was emaciated, and if she was, he tells you he suspects she is trying to starve herself so the Yin can be reborn. Also, Fu ADORES Kyoyla. They go way back.
can choose to do whatever you want. It worked out well for me because Schelm wanted to drink himself into a stupor after Velstadt's death, so Auk and Bishop joined him and Bishop even took off his armor and let some of his backstory slip, including his fancy and regret for a woman named June. I had two other characters do mock combat.
During this time, I had Ruko and Nafu play outside behind the house and have each character notice that all of the sudden, they are both swooped away by different monsters in different directions. By the time the characters get there, both boys and their captors are 180 feet away. I made it so that you cannot see clearly what is taking them, but Nafu's captor is a large furry beast on the ground (Jeselika's Quaggoth) while Ruko's is a flying humanoid (Jeselika, the succubus). Make sure to make disadvantages due to the darkness of the night. I had adventurers (BEFORE THEY COULD META GAME) hold up fingers on the count of three. One for chase Nafu, two for chase Ruko and three for do nothing. We actually ironically had a good amount after each, but this may not be the case for you. Of course Kyoyla goes BOOKING it after Ruko, as does Bishop. Ruko is more valuable, so I hope more of your players choose him.
Chase scenes are a little interesting in D&D, I mean we just rolled initiative and tried to keep numbers and distances as straight as we could in our heads, but you can do it how you see fit. I am going to admit, both of these sides of the chase have certain objectives:
1.You want Nafu to get away (The Quaggoth takes him. If they get too close, you can also have Jeselika's Displacer Beast and Cloaker to assist in him getting away. Heck, you can have Nafu cast spells on people like suggestion to make them go away. NAFU GETS AWAY.)
2. Bishop saves Ruko. This is significant because it's supposed to be a turning point for Bishop, as he has been kept back this far, with his addiction and Kyoylas concern. When Bishop awesomely pulls this rescue (fudge good guys numbers for bad rolls and bad guys rolls for good to help usher this along), he finally confronts Kyoyla, which is shown in the below scripted confrontation. Please improvise as you see fit, but the point is that Bishop is holding Ruko after he just saved him.
BISHOP: That is IT. You can't have your precious awakener until you take me seriously!
KYOYLA: Bishop, give Ruko to me.
BISHOP: No. Ever since Zitsugaya was captured, you know what it did to me, and now everyone does. But you cannot put me on the back burner forever, Kyoyla. "Right-hand man" is just a title until you let me do something again!
KYOYLA: I'm not letting you go back out there. If the Crux found you, not only could they capture you and keep you to our disadvantage, but they could promise you the power you crave. I fear you will believe them and think they mean it. I need you here.
BISHOP: So I can do what? (He holds up Ruko) Save your tuccus from tussles like this? You used to be able to take care of us, Kyoyla.
KYOYLA: I can take care of us. I will take care of us!
BISHOP: Not alone you won't. You have your priorities Kyoyla. I have mine. And you know I'm not someone who works behind the scenes.
KYOYLA: You are too big of a risk.
BISHOP: Then I am a risk you are going to have to take.
Of course this can be modified, but this is the general gist. Bishop demands to be allowed on the frontlines and Kyoyla is hesitant. There is some tension. Characters can help mediate, but Kyoyla allows it. You can also throw the excuse that Bishop has the advantage in the next realm.
When you return to the bushherd home, you brief Kyoyla on everything you have, and he can confirm or tell you things Struin told you or didn't. He can basically fill in the gaps on information you had before. He knows Imotep was Ryker's magic dealer, making sure all of Ryker's enchanted objects were enchanted by different magicians and wizards. Kyoyla thinks if he killed him, he must have meant business or found him to be a traitor. Kyoyla confirms the four castles, asks if Zitsugaya was emaciated, and if she was, he tells you he suspects she is trying to starve herself so the Yin can be reborn. Also, Fu ADORES Kyoyla. They go way back.
can choose to do whatever you want. It worked out well for me because Schelm wanted to drink himself into a stupor after Velstadt's death, so Auk and Bishop joined him and Bishop even took off his armor and let some of his backstory slip, including his fancy and regret for a woman named June. I had two other characters do mock combat.
During this time, I had Ruko and Nafu play outside behind the house and have each character notice that all of the sudden, they are both swooped away by different monsters in different directions. By the time the characters get there, both boys and their captors are 180 feet away. I made it so that you cannot see clearly what is taking them, but Nafu's captor is a large furry beast on the ground (Jeselika's Quaggoth) while Ruko's is a flying humanoid (Jeselika, the succubus). Make sure to make disadvantages due to the darkness of the night. I had adventurers (BEFORE THEY COULD META GAME) hold up fingers on the count of three. One for chase Nafu, two for chase Ruko and three for do nothing. We actually ironically had a good amount after each, but this may not be the case for you. Of course Kyoyla goes BOOKING it after Ruko, as does Bishop. Ruko is more valuable, so I hope more of your players choose him.
Chase scenes are a little interesting in D&D, I mean we just rolled initiative and tried to keep numbers and distances as straight as we could in our heads, but you can do it how you see fit. I am going to admit, both of these sides of the chase have certain objectives:
1.You want Nafu to get away (The Quaggoth takes him. If they get too close, you can also have Jeselika's Displacer Beast and Cloaker to assist in him getting away. Heck, you can have Nafu cast spells on people like suggestion to make them go away. NAFU GETS AWAY.)
2. Bishop saves Ruko. This is significant because it's supposed to be a turning point for Bishop, as he has been kept back this far, with his addiction and Kyoylas concern. When Bishop awesomely pulls this rescue (fudge good guys numbers for bad rolls and bad guys rolls for good to help usher this along), he finally confronts Kyoyla, which is shown in the below scripted confrontation. Please improvise as you see fit, but the point is that Bishop is holding Ruko after he just saved him.
BISHOP: That is IT. You can't have your precious awakener until you take me seriously!
KYOYLA: Bishop, give Ruko to me.
BISHOP: No. Ever since Zitsugaya was captured, you know what it did to me, and now everyone does. But you cannot put me on the back burner forever, Kyoyla. "Right-hand man" is just a title until you let me do something again!
KYOYLA: I'm not letting you go back out there. If the Crux found you, not only could they capture you and keep you to our disadvantage, but they could promise you the power you crave. I fear you will believe them and think they mean it. I need you here.
BISHOP: So I can do what? (He holds up Ruko) Save your tuccus from tussles like this? You used to be able to take care of us, Kyoyla.
KYOYLA: I can take care of us. I will take care of us!
BISHOP: Not alone you won't. You have your priorities Kyoyla. I have mine. And you know I'm not someone who works behind the scenes.
KYOYLA: You are too big of a risk.
BISHOP: Then I am a risk you are going to have to take.
Of course this can be modified, but this is the general gist. Bishop demands to be allowed on the frontlines and Kyoyla is hesitant. There is some tension. Characters can help mediate, but Kyoyla allows it. You can also throw the excuse that Bishop has the advantage in the next realm.
Episode 23: Mountain Plane pt. 1 - The Undertunnels (04/05/19)
(My husband said we needed a win after all that loss, and I used Roll20.net for a lot of the combat)
(Also I had characters level up at the beginning from 5-6. Seemed time, and they needed to get stronger)
When my characters returned to this disappointment, they watched Nafu get stolen by the Quaggoth and protected by the Cloaker and the Displacer Beast (though you do not have to disclose at ALL what these animals are other than sight) and Ruko was safe, but Bishop and Kyoyla's atmosphere was tense. I had one character who was a ranger who's panther got down to 0 HP and fell from clutching one of the monsters, so I had to determine what happened to her. I could have killed her, but I decided to cripple her instead, on the back leg on which she fell on a rock, giving her disadvantage on Strength checks that will involve running or jumping. I thought it was a fair trade off seeing as we had just lost Velstadt and I didn't feel like killing another party member as annoying as familiars and ranger's beasts may be. You can improvise the rest of the night, as it is late when this separation and drama occurs, and everyone retires back to the cottage, with Kyoyla very relieved to have been able to keep Ruko. If there is talk of Nafu giving away location, or anything of the matter, Kyoyla assures the adventurers he will handle it. He asks who is going on the next interplanar trip to find the next obelisk (which should be all adventurers) and for them to pack up and get a good night's sleep for the rest of the night.
The next morning, he opens the portal into a dark dank tunnel that he expects you to enter. You leave with Bishop and the rest of the adventurers. During this stint of the adventure, it should be atleast a semi-priority for the players to begin to like Bishop, so please include him in on conversations and combat, but he looks to them for the most guidance, he doesn't want to overstep his boundaries. He's respectful, charming, a little comedic, very strong. Work with him, make him likable.
The players step into a tunnel which is about two-people-walking wide and if they investigate, or you just want to tell them, it was obviously dug by something burrowing through the earth (I figured Purple Worm, but it really doesn't matter). As they go along, they are attacked by an Ankheg who bursts out of the wall, followed by a swarm of centipedes (just see Swarm of Insects and the Centipede variation) out of the same hole. The Ankheg and Centipedes have poison, and honestly, I would suggest maybe adding more swarms of Centipedes, they were kind of anticlimactic.
As they go along, the tunnel appears to go through a carcass. So imagine a smaller purple worm is burrowing along and they come across the carcass of a GIANT purple worm, so they just burrow through. That's essentially what's happening. You have to cross through and over the corpse in order to continue onward, but the corpse is crawling with Carrion Crawlers (How many is up to you, I went with 4) and they are not disturbed unless you try to cross the corpse, which you have to do in order to continue forward. Another combat encounter. I was rather pleased as one character thought, "Well I can move earth, so we'll just go around the corpse," but of course, as he began digging, he found the corpse extended (because it's a giant Purple Worm) and I was pretty pleased that that had been the plan from the beginning. Characters can turn tail and go the other way or attempt stealth checks to get through unnoticed at the DM's digression. Mine of course attacked it. As they fought it, Rust Monsters snuck up behind them (I had the people in the back notice them - namely Bishop) and began attacking, trapping them between carcass/Carrion Crawlers and Rust Monsters. I personally would really love it (and had it happen) for the Rust Monster to attack Bishop and his ridiculous shiny and metal armor, it gets rusted beyond repair and he leaves it behind. I like the vulnerability of it, like he's still with you, but he has to leave something important to him behind. It comes in handy too later. Let the adventurers win against all these encounters, obviously, do not make them too hard, but a feeling of grossness or claustrophobic would help add to the atmosphere.
As the adventurers go along from whatever the result of the battle (Note: Most monsters described here also have many poison related abilities, so get ready for the possibility of poisoning, and special poisoning from different monsters with different effects) I liked just adding to the story of the tunnel and had a Purple Worm burst out of the wall and just slide past them for a while. I thought it was pretty cool.
Then they come to a wall covered in Fire Beetles. If they investigate the wall, they find the beetles are so clustered together that they are actually hiding an opening in the wall that leads to a natural geyser, or a natural water slide, which of course is warm, but not too hot. The beetles have clustered around it for the warmth and don't really bother you unless seriously provoked, just a pretty idea. The idea is to get the characters to ride the water slide down, so tell them they see light and feel wind at the bottom of the tunnel to entice them. If they still don't go, they can certainly wander as much as they want, but the way out is the water slide. I had one character send a familiar down to be able to scout what was at the bottom, but I said it was too turbulent, too steamy with too much of an updraft for him to get through (it was a Raven). (Okay, in reality, I said, "I'm not going to tell you, that'd ruin the surprise" which was a less than smart move as a DM, but I couldn't come up with a reason fast enough that he couldn't go down) Bishop removes his armor, upset by losing what is so valuable to him, but knowing it is ruined with rust (which spreads so I'm told) and that he won't be of any use in the water with it.
As they take the hot spring slide, they end up in a hot tub-esque pool, with steep adobe walls, and flat on the spot where the hot spring is pouring out, which also has an adobe spout molded into it as they slide out. On investigation, they find they are floating around with chunks of food. They have slid right into a giant's soup pot. As they figure out how to get up (Bishop can wind surf if there is no other way), they discover on emerging at the top that they are in a giant's kitchen! With tables and bowls and the whole she-bang! They also can eventually hear footsteps as they all climb/fly/teleport to safety on the table nearby. The only thing on the table is a giant stone bowl. (Actually, it would be really helpful to have Bishop initiate the rescue if no one else can think of something quickly. Attempt to have Bishop save them out of the pot unless someone comes up with something faster, which mine did.)
The person that emerges from the wall/door is a giant woman, wielding a ladle and seemingly made entire of compact dirt (Which, by the way, the whole room is, not a lot of stone, they are obviously underground). If she sees you, she swats at you out of shock, but is generally kind at first, asking what on earth little humanlings are doing down here in the Undertunnels and how on earth you even got down here. She is confused if you tell the truth. She calls in two of her sons to see what's in her kitchen named Limestone and Granite. She tells you her name is Abby. (also, if anyone gets stuck in the soup, it does continue getting hotter, so take that into account for damage if the case arises)
When you explain your scenario, she listens with wonder. She whispers to one of her boys, and and if any adventurer catches it, she is saying, "They'd be perfect!"
If anyone asks what they'd be perfect for, or even asks her if they could take them to the surface, or do any number of helpful favors, she says, "Well, we can't rightfully do that, seeing as we think we're gonna make you our slaves." Which is where the session ends.
(It was funny, my adventurers wiped their brows and said, 'Oh that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought!' 'Yeah, I thought she was gonna eat us!' which was humorous. Also, Abby and her sons have Southern Charming accents, atleast in my edition. You can make them gruff or something else)
Episode 24: Mountain Plane pt. 2 - The Dao's Plan (04/12/19)
The Dao/(Earthen Giants) pluck our adventurers of all their weapons and set our adventurers to some manual labor. This was interesting to see how they responded and how they interacted with the humongous objects, as some pouted, some cooperated, and some tried to trick or use magic. I had them do mundane tasks that did not present an opportunity for escape. All things considered, Abby was pretty civil (though she doesn't have to be in your campaign. I just find playing the mean slave-driver isn't my thing). She explained she's testing you as she needs only the best slaves for the task ahead. If the adventurers ask for what task (which they should if she mentions it enough, and if they don't, then just let her tell them) she says to fit in a tunnel because you are small. She explains that the Dao and the Minotaur have been at war for some time now and have only recently come to a standstill because the volcano forge over which they have been fighting over has now had all it's entrances blocked off by petty get-backs from each side. The only way into the forge currently is through the Thri-Kreen tunnels, which neither race can fit into, but whoever gets in their first and finds the way to the forge can essentially "stake their claim" and win, or so Abby believes. If any of the adventurers make trouble, try to fight or are openly rebellious, Abby's sons, Limestone or Granite can deal with them in their strong but stupid way if you don't want Abby to have to deal with it. Abby pushes you to do your chores, and is generally kind-spirited. She also REALLY should mention (especially if a good character asks about any obelisks) about the Black Spire in the Prometheus Forge volcano that looks almost exactly like that!
If you choose to spend a night before their assignment, I had her put a cake cover over them. A Galeb Duhr, or an earthern servant comes and stands stoic guard over them. Characters can interact with him, but he doesn't say or know much. He is just there to make sure none escape. The characters can choose to do what they want with their night. REMEMBER BISHOP. At this point, there should be moments, where you drop your DM attitude and just become Bishop interacting with them and forming a plan. Like for instance, if you choose to have Abby put their weapons within their reach with a couple spells, Bishop could argue that if you're going to 'go along with the slave plan' that you shouldn't have your weapons back or it'll wreck the façade. If the adventurers want to escape, they are free to try. If caught by the Galeb Duhr, he tries to smash them or recapture them and even when exiting the cake cover and exploring the room, the doors are completely just indented entryways of walls of dirt, which the Dao just morph through when entering or exiting a room, so there is not really a way out except for the spout in which they came in (have Bishop discourage this? or Dao's probably plugged it up when soup was done). If they somehow manage to get back through this, figure out how to loop the tunnels full of monsters to the next plot points.
The next morning Abby comes to fetch you and gives each of you a random weapon that she confiscated from one of the other adventurers. Choose at random, and each gets only one. It's an interesting experiment to see who will keep what and what will get swapped. She takes you to a mousehole to her, a cavern to you and tells you to go down there with your escort. On entering the tunnel you meet Saffitz, who should be described as looking like a Tiefling, but is actually a Cambion, which may or may not be important (meh) but she smokes, tells dirty jokes if asked, but otherwise she has little regard for the adventurers. My adventurers chose to really embrace the whole slavery thing, so they followed her. If the adventurers want to make a break for it, Saffitz does little to stop them, also claiming that she too is a "slave by choice" and maybe hinting she has some ulterior motives for doing what she does maybe to do with her family, but never elaborating. She leads them down the cavern, making them stop and wait out monsters periodically. She knows the caverns well and eventually leads you out from an opening into a field (with normal sized grass, not everything is huge) As you walk, you can see in the distance the gray mountains with the Minotaur fortress, the brown mountains behind you that the Dao live under and then, as you continue walking out of the shadow and the cliffs of the brown mountains, the hulking behemoth of the Prometheus Forge volcano. Describe it's awesome size and appearance.
While on this field, without really much explanation Saffitz begins booking it. The characters soon realize they are being chased by something burrowing underground and a Bulette comes bursting out of the earth. It chases them to eat them, and they must fight it or outrun it. Encounter!
As they continue along and are out of the brown mountains, they are finally next to a forest, in which they eventually hear some muffled grunts and panicked shouting. If they choose to investigate, (make sure Bishop's interested if they aren't!) they find a hill giant acting like a happy two-year old because he's got a young adult man tied to a tree, who is clutching a ladle. I would prefer if your characters can figure out how to outsmart the giant rather than engaging him in combat, I think it's a cool opportunity, but if they charge right in, that is an option and there are stats. If it suits you to have the captured human help or get free, the ladle he carried actually can transform into basically anything.
In my case, my characters did just use magic to help the human and the Hill Giant threw a fit (named Grud, but did anyone ask? NO) and rescued the human out into the forest. His name is Todd, he can be defensive at first if anyone says weird or threatening things to him, but he is thankful for the rescue. He is VERY protective of the ladle/whatever it turns into. He follows you guys a while in order to get away from the Hill Giant. Bishop took him under his wing because he knew how rare humans were around here. Bishop can also explain to adventurers if they ask about his "advantage" he has in this realm, that the Sky Knight temple is here in the mountainous planes. It's in a cloud above the Artic mountain range, very difficult to get to, but hey, they had plenty of monsters to fight and get stronger here.
Todd's story is that he was coming inland from his beachtown (beaches because it's less likely things will burrow underneath with water and sand and so on) to look for food when he was captured. He is hesitant to say much about his ladle, just that it's important to him. Saffitz leads you on to the Minotaur's fortress in the gray mountains.
In my case, my characters did just use magic to help the human and the Hill Giant threw a fit (named Grud, but did anyone ask? NO) and rescued the human out into the forest. His name is Todd, he can be defensive at first if anyone says weird or threatening things to him, but he is thankful for the rescue. He is VERY protective of the ladle/whatever it turns into. He follows you guys a while in order to get away from the Hill Giant. Bishop took him under his wing because he knew how rare humans were around here. Bishop can also explain to adventurers if they ask about his "advantage" he has in this realm, that the Sky Knight temple is here in the mountainous planes. It's in a cloud above the Artic mountain range, very difficult to get to, but hey, they had plenty of monsters to fight and get stronger here.
Todd's story is that he was coming inland from his beachtown (beaches because it's less likely things will burrow underneath with water and sand and so on) to look for food when he was captured. He is hesitant to say much about his ladle, just that it's important to him. Saffitz leads you on to the Minotaur's fortress in the gray mountains.
Episode 25: Mountain Plane pt. 3 - Minotaur Infiltration (04/19/19)
Minotaurs are about 3/4 the size of Dao/ The Earth giants you encountered. We spent way more time in the Minotaur's mountains (which is good, honestly) than Beachton. The characters slowly and sneakily start meandering around Minotaur town. Now this was tricksy, because I don't know why, but I hadn't planned a ton for this town, but here's what I basically invented on the bat. Todd does not need to come with you, Saffitz definitely does not, Bishop definitely does.
There is one central "Base of Operations" I think we called it where the Minotaurs will gather for dinners. All homes and 'buildings' are hollowed-out mountains. The lower level of the main mountain was a feasting hall of sorts, with only one door in. Off to the side in a smaller hollow in the same mountain was a storage unit that Minotaurs brought what they'd reaped in the fields too for the feasting hall. There are other storage mountains nearby as well. This storage unit on the side of the main mountain has an entryway inside of it also to the feasting hall, where they essentially access supplies. It's more of a fridge? than a barn. My characters got to the main mountain by hiding under a cart of some minotaurs reaping out in front of the village and then brought it to this side of the mountain. The feasting hall has a bar and cupboard at the far end facing the door. This is where they make the food. Mainly breakfast I think I surmised. There are also mugs that obviously belong to great leaders, and are kept up on the cupboard as a sign of status for when they come in and drink. In front of the bar and covering most of the main room are long tables and chairs (think Hogwarts) and on either side of the bar, spiraling off to the upper floor are stairs.
At the top of the main mountain there are windows (which my characters used various ways of surveillance to look all around this town) and up top of the main mountain and above the feasting hall on the second floor is a minotaur nursery, where young, young minotaurs are kept as they grow.
The rest of the mountains are kind of formed in an enormous circle, but if they are not storage for food, they are usually just homes. As the ring of mountain homes nears the base of the mountain, those mountains are a little more sunk into the earth, maybe with deeper homes. The area around this place is pretty barren, but on the outskirts as you leave the minotaur town in any direction is into foliage. The volcano and the mountains are on side of the establishment, and the weak aspen trees leading to the ocean are on the other.
Now the fun part - how to find this so-called entrance? My character surveyed, hid in bushes in the side. One of them even climbed up to the window of a minotaur home, and mimicked a little girl minotaur's voice, saying, "Daddy, where did you say that secret entrance was again?" This confused both father and daughter, and the father Minotaur said, "What did you say daughter?" and she said, "Nothing!" I explained that her asking him something like that was like asking, "Daddy, why did our neighbor get arrested?" or "Daddy, what does the IRS do with our taxes?" Like, it's a thing that the officials handle and he has little to no idea about. You get that inclination as you go around, that this isn't a thing most people are jabbering about, but those who do know about it want to keep it a secret. If they are desperate, you can make a family/home/minotaur have a clue that the entrance is in the nursery.
In my case, my adventurers went to the feasting hall and looked for someone who looked like he was in charge, which they could tell from the way he dressed and acted, they found one. They then said something or mimicked a voice or something to make him think about where the entrance is, and then read his last thought or some spell like that. The leader minotaur is directing other minotaurs on the cleaning up of the mess hall, and he then says he has to go check something and goes upstairs to the nursery, so you thereby discover the entrance is in the nursery. The adventurers can decide what to do now as they are soon left along in the feasting hall as everything closes up. In my case, they were already creeping up the enormous stairs (with Bishop hoisting the dwarf) when they discovered the leader minotaur coming back down and they had to hide in the crevices of the giant stairs in order to not be squashed.
When they enter the nursery, in my case it was at night, there are cradles on one side and a playplace on the other. Being a wetnurse up here is a full time job for minotaurs, but only a few are needed at night as there are only somewhere between 6-10 babies up there at a time, and they mostly share cradles. Just for flavor text, I included a preemie minotaur baby who has a wetnurse by their side through the night to make sure they make it. And being the bleeding-heart he is, my husband's character Schelm had to try to heal or visit the sick little baby (disguised as a straw doll nonetheless). Meanwhile, the other characters can explore the room and find a corner filled with rocks in an otherwise pretty clean nursery. The biggest rock is as big as a two story building to you guys. You can cast spells if you want, but Bishop's first instinct is brute force. He begins moving the small rocks even if you tell him to wait for you to prepare a spell. When he gets to the big rock, if nothing else has happened, he insists on pushing it with all of your help. I was a little ashamed, since some of my players just INSISTED that because their strengths were bad they wouldn't help, but I thought of it more as a team building effort, though I have to say most helped. Bishop had to budge it alone a couple of times, but you finally move it and see the entrance to a surprisingly human sized tunnel.
Now this is where it gets complicated. Look up "ODESSA CATACOMBS MAP" and use one of these as your guide. The point of this (for me) was to frustrate my players. I wanted them to feel like this terrain was literally just so pointless without a map. They actually basically kept up with me perfectly, but they realized they were going to need a map. I also did it in an interactive way. I had them explain who was going to be the map keeper and I drew a cardinal rose (North, South, East, West) on the board. This should not be changed, unless your players need a little challenge, or maybe they only get it if they actually have a compass on their character.
I took a small portion of one of these Odessa Catacombs I had actually copied out of Atlas Obscura and basically drew portions of it in different colors as they went along, telling them that they could see so many forks, turns or when they hit dead ends (which was basically the whole time). When they were done with about three to four dead-ends or just a portion of the maze, I erased it and started the next part, just like how you would experience a real maze. They kept up amazingly! Way better than I thought! I would almost recommend not using the cardinal rose and drawing everything whatever direction you want the next time, because that's how it can be in a maze, so long as you can keep it all straight. Bishop is nervous about the idea bout going underground without a map and encourages this idea, but still has no idea where a map would be. The tunnels are also completely uninhabited, and eerily quiet with no wind, no sign of life. There are runes or writing here and there, but not in any language anyone can understand.
SOMEWHERE along this maze, preferably later as they are getting frustrated or tired, they find a room embodying an alliance with humans with bug people you can reveal now or later (Todd must've told them) called Thri-Kreen (Monster Manual). This room has pictures and writings on the wall talking all about an alliance between Thri-Kreen and humans and how they shall help each other in coming endeavors and will assist one another because they both live in a world full of bigger monsters, and an ally is appreciated. I even made a hastily scrawled and badly gramatized English/Common version of a promise from the Thri-Kreen to the humans that all the players can read just to drive it home. This room can mention that humans have the key/map because Thri-Kreen trust them. This should give a clue as to you need to find the humans in order to get through these catacombs.
Hopefully your characters can find their way out. Keep them accountable to the way they turn, keeping your eye on your map, see if they can figure it out. I was hoping mine would stumble around, but they made it out perfectly. This entire maze endeavor takes a couple hours, anywhere from 3-5, and it is tiring. Bishop definitely feels it at the end of it all. The concern could also be pointed out that the rocks could be moved back over the entrance before you get back, so maybe time is of the essence. By the time you come out of the labyrinth, it is day, and baby minotaurs are at play, along with many more nurses. Sneaking out of the nursery will be much harder of a challenge, but I'll leave that up to the DM.
When they exit the mountain, they ask Todd about Thri-Kreen (I assume, I hope) and he affirms what they found, that humans and Thri-Kreen used to work together. He offers to have you come back to his village. He still keeps his ladle nearby and close, hooked on a belt or something, and treats is especially well. He takes you to Beachton. Saffitz does not follow.
Beachton is a small Western-themed town on the beach. Todd introduces you to Sherriff Helm who is concerned about a ship out on the ocean, since there are not many other humans around. My players chose their places quickly, with one going straight to the saloon, one camping out and sleeping in a rock in the ocean, one found an unusual grove of trees. The last one met and befriended Macy, a girl Todd introduced as his sister, and when he did so, his ladle on his belt had mysteriously disappeared...
Episode 26: Mountain Plane pt. 4 - Beachton (04/26/19)
The players find themselves in Beachton, a small Western themed town that sits on a beach with less than one hundred occupants. I could not believe how perfect the positions my players had chosen had been.
My character in the saloon looked around for a black market dealer for drugs, because that's his thing. But while he was in the saloon and we were re-introducing characters into the new world they'd missed a session of, they met the stage performance. Her name is Diana, and she is a singer that is obviously the main draw to this saloon (other than the beer). There are only about 4-6 other men in here, all waiting for her scheduled show. As Diana enters stage, players could hear someone off stage say sternly, "Only two songs Diana." It is noticed that she is thin, but not healthy thin, and almost looks a little bruised and emaciated.
Diana began her show politely. I literally played woman ballads on my phone for her voice.
Some suggestions for this performance are:
If You Knew My Story from Bright Star the musical
Way Back In The Day from Bright Star the musical
(Two others from Bright Star if you don't like those are At Long Last and So Familiar)
She sings these nice songs, and then can see someone in the audience (it actually was one of my characters lol) who maybe looks a little down, and she calls to them saying not to be blue, and that she will now sing a happy song. But as she begins on her third happy song (I kind of started Sun is Gonna Shine from Bright Star, but that one has multiple voices, so be careful), she is grabbed roughly, by a white bearded gentleman wearing a decent suit and drags her roughly off stage. He can shout, "I said two songs, Diana!" The orchestra abruptly stops playing and all the men go back to their drinks, knowingly. I had one character essentially follow her offstage and really mess with Mr. Oldman. Make him a grump, but don't just let him be defeated. He needs to hold a little fear in the hearts of the men of the town, and have some authority. You can give him better stats than I did, maybe even have some tricksy magic items. The general feel is that there is magic in this town, but mostly in objects and not in people. Magic might be
With the other characters, the dwarf druid who entered the forest talked to the trees. Now, these are not ordinary trees, that much is obvious from the beginning. They are in a cluster of about eighteen or so, with humongous dark wooded trunks, and leaves at the tops that are a blue. The whole "forest" glows kind of a blue aura to those sensitive enough to see it. When talked to, these are very happy trees, who almost pity the weak aspens nearby that they aren't getting enough nutrients. Anyone speaking to these trees gets the impression that they were planted by ancient ones long ago, that they have a little bit of magic imbued in them, and they have a mystical past. They also have carvings in their trunks of stylized animals. Just, all animals. They can mention the Landspeakers are the ones who put them here and enchanted them, then mention they left, but they know little else. They are very happy content trees. At night, they do something different, but we'll get to that.
The person who lived in the rock by the sea notices the ship out on the far bay, and a line of concerned men from the village coming to the front of the beach to observe it, maybe even armed. They just stand and watch, speculating for a while. Bishop has joined them and he is now wearing a proud Stetson (cowboy) hat. The men eventually disband as the ship doesn't do anything, and go towards the aspens to begin chopping. The train comes into station. It is a hulking box of metal powered by steam magic, and just a really rudimentary train. It comes to take the trees they chop down and take them to a facility where they are just processed and probably sold to minotaurs or other relatively humanoid hugelings, or atleast that's what I made up really fast in my head just in case any of the adventurers jumped on the train, which I realized way too late was totally a possibility. That is the main work that the men here do is cut down trees, but the town still very much has a frontier Western feel to it, so try to encapsulate that.
The adventurers can essentially do whatever else they like. I naturally had people who investigated Diana and Mr. Oldman's relationship, and for the sake of simplicity, I kind of had Mr. Oldman disappear and be off doing other things, and Diana staying in the trailer. When adventurers asked the general story, you can make something up to explain why she sings for him, I kind of thought it was a family debt, or just a toxic relationship. If Diana is approached in the trailer, she just simply says she loves to sing, and that her life is what it is. The trailer is probably locked though, and Diana seems hesitant to let you in. If you do break in before the 7:00 show (which is advertised around town), the trailer is split into what appears to be hers and his section. There may be a vibe of sexual objectification as he is a mean man, and she obviously is a pretty woman. Her half is covered in dresses and makeup and vanity lights and music sheets. It's a place where they both live, with fabric in the middle for privacy. But close quarters.
Definitely try to include some crucial quality time with Macy. Have characters interact with her, and she follows them wherever they go. She is horribly shy and has her older brother Todd, just in case anything bad happens, who is very protective of her, and if the adventurers need to have a push or idea in any general direction if they have nothing to do, Macy can timidly suggest things. In my case, they showed her my ranger's panther to calm her down, and my ranger started playing the pipes, which Macy started copying EXACTLY. Make a point of this, at some point, Macy makes the EXACT same sound as something as in not just a good mimicker, but the exact sound. This will start to help characters be tipped off. If they ask her how, she gets really shy and flustered and refuses to say anything else. If they cast detect magic, then she lights up with transmutation magic, but try to avoid this. My druid also really wanted to go chill out in her trees, and Macy followed her once she trusted her. I had some fun and told the druid that her trees were emitting a beautiful blue glow. When she investigated, she found glowing blue animals floating, flying, climbing, crawling, slithering, gliding all over the forest. She had to gain their trust, and scared them away accidentally by being excitable, (also, other adventurers were with her) but something scared them all away and Macy asked timidly if she wanted her to bring the animals back. My druid of course readily agreed, and so Macy howled EXACTLY like a wolf to bring them back. The animals eventually do, and the characters enjoy a beautiful light show. I read a book about Native American (whom the Landspeakers are based on) before this, so I made sure to try and be vibrant in my descriptions of the blue light animals interactions.
Also, if asked, Macy knows the following:
The forest was planted by the Landspeakers who were a race of people who lived juxtaposed to the other humans, but also went farther inland long ago and were never seen again.
The man in the town with records, or the oldest is Mr. Oldman.
Later that night is Diana's 7:00 show, and it's everything you'd think. She sings beautifully, and there are many people gathered there that night, basically the whole town. I didn't have Mr. Oldman present, but it makes sense for him to be, so include him if you can. Use as many female ballads as you can, I can suggest a couple (mainly from musicals). This show goes on much longer than two songs. My characters had fun playing around in the bar with magic or interactions while she sang.
Nothing Stops Another Day from Ghost The Musical
(With You from Ghost the Musical)
Celtic Woman - preferably solos (if they have any...)
~MORE WOULD BE COOL~
Try to make the voices not sound too different. I chose mostly low voiced woman songs.
Now here's something you need - some interaction with the pirates. In mycase, I made it be after the concert, and they basically attempted to steal Diana and information or valuables in her trailer, but you can have this happen anyway. They could be hijacking the train. You could go out to them using Water Walk when all the men are gathered at the shoreline. They could start burning down homes at night. You just need a little interaction with the pirates. I think the more you tie it into the old-timey theme, the better, but that's just me. Make them be a catalyst for some sort of action, such as they steal the information you needed from Mr. Oldman, or Diana now owes you a favor for rescuing her, or the village does. When you interact with the pirates, they can say they are being paid (could be Mr. Oldman or even Saffitz) or they are out for themselves for treasure, or maybe even the forge. Their leaders name is Richmond who shoots a magic gun/cannon, and his first hand man is Usopp, who shoots magic slingshot. They look like Zorro and Possu from One Piece, respectively. I imagined Rickmond suave and Usopp excitable (actually, he was going to be played by my husband, but we didn't get that far) but play them however they want. The idea here is JUST: PIRATES.
At some point, you also need to give just a tiny clue to the fact that Macy is a shapeshifter. In my case, one of my adventurers actually found a flower that had transmutation magic, and was a hint but they didn't know it. I did mention she would grow whiskers, but quickly hide them. I had to cram my confirmation right at the very end, as one of them glanced her turning from a spying cat on them to a girl and slinking away. Just give clue.
Macy and Shapeshifting - forest coaxing
Diana and Mr. Oldman - her 7:00 show
Pirates
Some suggestions for this performance are:
If You Knew My Story from Bright Star the musical
Way Back In The Day from Bright Star the musical
(Two others from Bright Star if you don't like those are At Long Last and So Familiar)
She sings these nice songs, and then can see someone in the audience (it actually was one of my characters lol) who maybe looks a little down, and she calls to them saying not to be blue, and that she will now sing a happy song. But as she begins on her third happy song (I kind of started Sun is Gonna Shine from Bright Star, but that one has multiple voices, so be careful), she is grabbed roughly, by a white bearded gentleman wearing a decent suit and drags her roughly off stage. He can shout, "I said two songs, Diana!" The orchestra abruptly stops playing and all the men go back to their drinks, knowingly. I had one character essentially follow her offstage and really mess with Mr. Oldman. Make him a grump, but don't just let him be defeated. He needs to hold a little fear in the hearts of the men of the town, and have some authority. You can give him better stats than I did, maybe even have some tricksy magic items. The general feel is that there is magic in this town, but mostly in objects and not in people. Magic might be
With the other characters, the dwarf druid who entered the forest talked to the trees. Now, these are not ordinary trees, that much is obvious from the beginning. They are in a cluster of about eighteen or so, with humongous dark wooded trunks, and leaves at the tops that are a blue. The whole "forest" glows kind of a blue aura to those sensitive enough to see it. When talked to, these are very happy trees, who almost pity the weak aspens nearby that they aren't getting enough nutrients. Anyone speaking to these trees gets the impression that they were planted by ancient ones long ago, that they have a little bit of magic imbued in them, and they have a mystical past. They also have carvings in their trunks of stylized animals. Just, all animals. They can mention the Landspeakers are the ones who put them here and enchanted them, then mention they left, but they know little else. They are very happy content trees. At night, they do something different, but we'll get to that.
The person who lived in the rock by the sea notices the ship out on the far bay, and a line of concerned men from the village coming to the front of the beach to observe it, maybe even armed. They just stand and watch, speculating for a while. Bishop has joined them and he is now wearing a proud Stetson (cowboy) hat. The men eventually disband as the ship doesn't do anything, and go towards the aspens to begin chopping. The train comes into station. It is a hulking box of metal powered by steam magic, and just a really rudimentary train. It comes to take the trees they chop down and take them to a facility where they are just processed and probably sold to minotaurs or other relatively humanoid hugelings, or atleast that's what I made up really fast in my head just in case any of the adventurers jumped on the train, which I realized way too late was totally a possibility. That is the main work that the men here do is cut down trees, but the town still very much has a frontier Western feel to it, so try to encapsulate that.
The adventurers can essentially do whatever else they like. I naturally had people who investigated Diana and Mr. Oldman's relationship, and for the sake of simplicity, I kind of had Mr. Oldman disappear and be off doing other things, and Diana staying in the trailer. When adventurers asked the general story, you can make something up to explain why she sings for him, I kind of thought it was a family debt, or just a toxic relationship. If Diana is approached in the trailer, she just simply says she loves to sing, and that her life is what it is. The trailer is probably locked though, and Diana seems hesitant to let you in. If you do break in before the 7:00 show (which is advertised around town), the trailer is split into what appears to be hers and his section. There may be a vibe of sexual objectification as he is a mean man, and she obviously is a pretty woman. Her half is covered in dresses and makeup and vanity lights and music sheets. It's a place where they both live, with fabric in the middle for privacy. But close quarters.
Definitely try to include some crucial quality time with Macy. Have characters interact with her, and she follows them wherever they go. She is horribly shy and has her older brother Todd, just in case anything bad happens, who is very protective of her, and if the adventurers need to have a push or idea in any general direction if they have nothing to do, Macy can timidly suggest things. In my case, they showed her my ranger's panther to calm her down, and my ranger started playing the pipes, which Macy started copying EXACTLY. Make a point of this, at some point, Macy makes the EXACT same sound as something as in not just a good mimicker, but the exact sound. This will start to help characters be tipped off. If they ask her how, she gets really shy and flustered and refuses to say anything else. If they cast detect magic, then she lights up with transmutation magic, but try to avoid this. My druid also really wanted to go chill out in her trees, and Macy followed her once she trusted her. I had some fun and told the druid that her trees were emitting a beautiful blue glow. When she investigated, she found glowing blue animals floating, flying, climbing, crawling, slithering, gliding all over the forest. She had to gain their trust, and scared them away accidentally by being excitable, (also, other adventurers were with her) but something scared them all away and Macy asked timidly if she wanted her to bring the animals back. My druid of course readily agreed, and so Macy howled EXACTLY like a wolf to bring them back. The animals eventually do, and the characters enjoy a beautiful light show. I read a book about Native American (whom the Landspeakers are based on) before this, so I made sure to try and be vibrant in my descriptions of the blue light animals interactions.
Also, if asked, Macy knows the following:
The forest was planted by the Landspeakers who were a race of people who lived juxtaposed to the other humans, but also went farther inland long ago and were never seen again.
The man in the town with records, or the oldest is Mr. Oldman.
Later that night is Diana's 7:00 show, and it's everything you'd think. She sings beautifully, and there are many people gathered there that night, basically the whole town. I didn't have Mr. Oldman present, but it makes sense for him to be, so include him if you can. Use as many female ballads as you can, I can suggest a couple (mainly from musicals). This show goes on much longer than two songs. My characters had fun playing around in the bar with magic or interactions while she sang.
Nothing Stops Another Day from Ghost The Musical
(With You from Ghost the Musical)
Celtic Woman - preferably solos (if they have any...)
~MORE WOULD BE COOL~
Try to make the voices not sound too different. I chose mostly low voiced woman songs.
Now here's something you need - some interaction with the pirates. In mycase, I made it be after the concert, and they basically attempted to steal Diana and information or valuables in her trailer, but you can have this happen anyway. They could be hijacking the train. You could go out to them using Water Walk when all the men are gathered at the shoreline. They could start burning down homes at night. You just need a little interaction with the pirates. I think the more you tie it into the old-timey theme, the better, but that's just me. Make them be a catalyst for some sort of action, such as they steal the information you needed from Mr. Oldman, or Diana now owes you a favor for rescuing her, or the village does. When you interact with the pirates, they can say they are being paid (could be Mr. Oldman or even Saffitz) or they are out for themselves for treasure, or maybe even the forge. Their leaders name is Richmond who shoots a magic gun/cannon, and his first hand man is Usopp, who shoots magic slingshot. They look like Zorro and Possu from One Piece, respectively. I imagined Rickmond suave and Usopp excitable (actually, he was going to be played by my husband, but we didn't get that far) but play them however they want. The idea here is JUST: PIRATES.
At some point, you also need to give just a tiny clue to the fact that Macy is a shapeshifter. In my case, one of my adventurers actually found a flower that had transmutation magic, and was a hint but they didn't know it. I did mention she would grow whiskers, but quickly hide them. I had to cram my confirmation right at the very end, as one of them glanced her turning from a spying cat on them to a girl and slinking away. Just give clue.
Macy and Shapeshifting - forest coaxing
Diana and Mr. Oldman - her 7:00 show
Pirates
Episode 27: Mountain Plane pt. 5 - Beachton pt. 2 (06/07/19)
Diana says she would like to spend the night in the jail cell with the sheriff for protection or Deputy Helm suggests it. (Deputy Helm is called Deputy Helm because there was a great sheriff that died in all the Mountain Plane monster chaos, and he never took the title because he didn't feel worthy. I just made that up. It never made it into my actual game play.) If the players ask Diana for the maps in Mr. Oldman's carriage, or go to look for them, a lot of things were stolen by the pirates, including the valuable things lol.
I also gave my druidic dwarf a staff at the beginning of the game that grew into her lap after she slept a night in the Landspeaker forest because she spent so much time in the Landspeaker forest. Dang, I need to make the stats for that.
The adventurers (a couple of them) confront Macy on her shapeshifting as they enter Todd and hers house, and Todd is getting dressed and breakfasted before his shift on the train today (the one that takes the aspens to the minotaur fields where they sell/process them (I dunno)). Todd is very reluctant for Macy to tell them, but Macy trusts you and wants to finally tell someone (it didn't hurt that my group also had a shapeshifter, so she turned into a cat, and in return Macy turned into a blue cat to finally spill her secret). Macy gushes that she wants to tell them all about it, but she would prefer to do it with Todd there, and would a couple of adventurers be willing to come on the train with her and him so she can explain in private? hopefully a few will say yes.
Meanwhile, Bishop has taken to staying atop the mountains that make up the arms of the bay and watching the pirate ship that still has not left too far, and is still on the horizon. If the adventurers go up to talk to him (it is a little bit of a climb) they find that he does not look good, he is suffering from withdrawals bad, and has summoned Haseth (his air elemental) to help him keep an eye out. Haseth has a patch of purple creeping over his shoulder like a fungus. If asked about it, (in his native Aerian tongue of course) he says simple, "I must carry my master's burden too." One of my players suggested Bishop was using an air telescope to watch the pirates, which is just too cool to pass up, but once again, he is gaunt, bags under eyes, faint breathing, not looking healthy, but insists he is fine, he'll get through, be able to rest once those darn pirates are gone.
The train is a rickety piece of garbage, barely holding together already what it has. It is welded metal and steam powered. It is not a strong piece of machinery, but it gets the job done. On the train with Macy and Todd, they are just finishing up loading the aspens for their first trip and Macy explains everything she knows. She's been able to shapeshifter since she was very small, and Todd confirms this. She explains that when she was very young, Todd and her lost their parents, and so in lack of many things they didn't have to take care of themselves, she often took the form of a ladle, or felt comfortable because it was the first thing she turned into to help Todd as a real piece of equipment. She was the ladle (and the consequent sword) that Todd had when you first rescued him. I loved seeing my players finally realize that.
Macy explains that she can only turn into limited things because she's never really tried anything crazy. She can turn into an assortment of animals (biggest I said buffalo, but it's up to you. I just figured because she's more shy, and Todd insists she keeps it a secret, her range isn't huge) but most of the other things she can turn into are smaller than her, and she has to generally know the composition of them. She can explain that they know how this happened was that her mom drank a lot of tea of the small transmutation flowers while she was pregnant but this did not come up in my game. I was even thinking if the players collected enough tiny transmutation flowers and made tea out of them, they could have one transformation or something.
While Macy explains this and she asks you guys about you (she is much more open now! She has friends!) all of the sudden, a giant thudding begins, as if giant footsteps running, and sure enough, over the hill, you see two idiotic hill giant brothers Grud and Thud now chasing after your train with big clubs, hoping to swing and hit you guys for fun. It is just you, Todd and Macy in this little train, and Todd spends most of his time trying to get the train to go faster while Macy can be coerced with good persuasion checks to change into useful items, but she probably mostly curls up in a corner in fear for most of the fight.
The adventurers must fend off the hill giants, get out of the train, or escape from them. They gain fast because the train is not all that fast. My other adventurers claimed that with Bishop's air telescope they could see this going down, and decided to go help by casting some flying spells (And Bishop can drift them down on his air board or with air magic as long as someone preferably stays on the hill to watch the pirates). I cut down the time drastically for what it would take to get to them because I wanted the other characters to feel included in the encounter and it's much less fun with only two adventurers. If the hill giants actually manage to land a hit on the train, it can tip, or mine even derailed a little bit and they had to figure out whether to bail, ride it out or some way to stop it. It was fun interactive experience. In the end though, I think it is good to include Macy's shapeshifting as she sees you fighting for their lives. I had her turn into an anvil and then Todd throw a chain around her and then toss her out the window to stop the train. After the encounter, remember who does and who does not know about Macy's powers and that they would hopefully respect Todd and Macy's wish for it to remain a secret. Macy can walk out as a limping pony or a small object Todd can hide, because Todd insists he has to walk back to town to tell the village of the upturned/out of control/whatever happened train, and he takes Macy with him. He also mentions they should either leave immediately or move the giant's bodies (if you killed them) because dead bodies on the surface of the earth in the Mountain plane can attract unwarned giant worms or bulettes cresting the surface to eat them, so you can move them far. If any adventurers go back with Todd and Macy, Macy takes a nap, she is exhausted, and Todd attempts to make a horrible dinner (it's really nice if someone else who goes with them can cook, then he starts to warm up to whoever they are.)
If adventurers can get the aspens to the minotaur field, great! Nothing else happens, they come to a field full of little aspen trees manned by a couple humans and minotaurs, they drop it off, minotaurs can offer to help blow out the dents in the train, and do so, and they can see big creatures devouring the hill giant bodies that were hopefully pushed more inland.
If the adventurers choose to go back up to the bay arm mountain with Bishop (which is where he will head) it is getting late, and it is almost time for Diana's 7:00 show. Bishop notices the pirates are moving. I drew them slowly across our whiteboard moving across the lip of the bay, but not going in. Some of my adventurers alerted the town, which were all at Diana's show, and Deputy Helm and many men began fortifying the bay, getting ready for an invasion, but the pirates ship disappeared around the other arm. When adventurers went to go investigate, it is anchored off the coast and some small life boats are coming toward the shore, probably one or two. The adventurers are likely to think this is an invasion. They can attack, but pirates do have pistols, and one of them starts calling "Diana! Are you there? Diana!" if unprovoked or "give Diana back you scoundrels!"
Meanwhile, anyone watching Diana's show sees she is rushed to leave, and ducks out after her show quickly, especially since all the men are protecting their harbor and she's losing her crowd, she may even call her show off early. Mr. Oldman is nowhere to be seen, or maybe he closes her show, and then disappears, either way, he doesn't really seem to notice or care Diana's rush. If anyone closely watches her at the back indiscreetly, she climbs the stairs to her trailer and then looks around, and then hastily (maybe grabs some things?) and rushes off into the aspen forest and toward the shore where the pirates are waiting.
Any adventurers watching will realize that Diana and this pirate (Richmond, maybe the captain, probably is) are setting up a rendezvous because they are in a romantically relationship. Thankfully, I had reasonable characters who talked to the pirates, (also my characters had seen their massive pile of gold and glittery things on their boat) if they are less reasonable, you might want to remind them that the pirates most likely have the map they need to get into the Prometheus Forge (the giant volcano presumably through the route you found in the minotaur nursery)
Richmond explains (probably because he thinks you're from Mr. Oldman) that he won't be doing anymore jobs for Mr. Oldman, so don't ask! When prompted or simmered down, he explains that Mr. Oldman asked his crew to sneak into the city and kidnap a younger girl named Macy, but that since Richmond was in love with Diana, he tried to take the chance and told his crew to take her instead. This infuriated Mr. Oldman presumably. When you explain you are not on his side, and if you can get a map on his ship he gives you the maps he took from Mr. Oldman, and you realize that the route you were taking in the minotaur nursery was all totally dead-ended and that there is a different route hidden on the back of the Prometheus Forge. Richmond makes a big deal of giving Diana jewelry, specifically a necklace. He could even ask you to be present for a ceremony or something, just make a kind of slightly big deal about this necklace that he gives her. The crew is also huge.
When you get back, Macy has been kidnapped, the back door to her house is swinging open and Todd is barely waking up as you tramp into his house (or he could be the one who raises the alarm if adventurers don't investigate directly) and Mr. Oldman is nowhere to be found.
Episode 28: Mountain Plane pt. 6 - Prometheus Forge (06/21/19)
As far as I remember, they somehow followed a trail to Prometheus Forge, somehow. Either tracking or being able to use a spell to locate maybe a ring on Mr. Oldman or something. They find a way to Prometheus Forge. Also, from the map they have found, or other means as necessary, they pick up Saffitz on the way (she's easily a way to show you in) but finding there is an entrance hidden on the back of Prometheus Forge behind some sagebrush. Saffitz either goes in first or last. When you enter, you are on a ledge and there is lava 120 feet below. The door closes behind you, lodges in place. I liked putting Bishop behind it away from you guys so that he can spend his turns getting the door open, so if they need help, he can break it open or if they manage then he doesn't. The ledge is boobytrapped, with a large "quicksand" pit on the right side. On the tip of the ledge is a flyswatter like trap that will whap anything off the edge that gets too close. On the far left is a rope net that will scoop up anyone who steps on it. Far away across the pit of lava is Mr. Oldman shaking Macy ferociously, seemingly interrogated her. His normal white skin has given way to red skin and he has wings and a tail. On the far left to the cavern is a lip full of large stalagmites. (I don't think that's how volcanoes work, but hey)
In a cool menacing way, Saffitz reveals that they've been compromised (meaning her and Mr. Oldman). If anyone makes a check to see what Mr. Oldman is saying to Macy, they can hear him yelling, "You can change it! I know you can! Stop resisting! Change it! Don't lie!" And Macy is sobbing, "I can't do it! It doesn't work that way! Stop it! please!"
Saffitz then attacks you and the traps go into affect. The pit alone should begin to sink about half your party. Saffitz flies and she attacks the players. I also like adding near the end Macy comes over, turned into something large and intimidating. I chose a giant blue pterodactyl. You do not have to.
After the fight is over, and Saffitz and Mr. Oldman are most likely dead, you can investigate the lip full of stalagmites. Macy is drawn to it and Saffitz and Mr. Oldman might have mentioned it was what they wanted Macy to transform. The obelisk is hidden in this forest of stalagmites, but because of heavy illusionary enchantments (in rune circles on the wall that cannot be damaged) the obelisk can not be discerned. There's something hidden here. And the longer you stay there, the louder a thrumming occurs in your head until all the characters start getting headaches, especially Macy.
Bishop suggests talking to the Sky Knights to get answers. He thinks they are the next best option. But the journey won't be easy.
Episode 28.5: Mountain Plane pt. 6.5 - Minotaur Sub-plot? (08/31/19)
Yeah, Atlantean and I did one alone since we moved to Logan. We basically recorded it for Wolfman on his mission. This was Atlantean's character following up with an NPC, a preemie minotaur baby, he was concerned about. You can listen to the recording. We just basically fool around in the minotaur village to get Bishop's armor back (which I conveniently moved) and checking on the baby who's name is now Fala. So, yeah. But we got Atlatean's character and Bishop to the edge of the Olympus mountains (the ones covered in snow that the Skynastery is on top of). We planned on introducing Atlantean's second NPC (Ydmyk) if this is the way we want to keep recording these this way. The recording is in my Voice Memos.
Episode 29: Mountain Plane pt. 7 - Olympus Range (10/04/19)
(This one is also recorded on Atlantean's voice memos)
You may start in the volcano if you so wish or want to, but for the most part, I had my characters start in Beachton, especially since Macy most likely would like to go home after that traumatizing experience. On Bishop's suggestion of going to the Skynastery to get more assistance on locating the obelisk, he also warns the party that the journey is part of the initiation ceremony to locate and arrive at the Skynastery. It is a harsh journey, full of blistering winds, freezing temperatures and arctic beasts, so Bishop tells everyone to prepare. The issue here is that Beachton is not wealthy and resource-rich. It can sell you basic things, but nothing eccentric, especially fur coats or winter gear pack. These people live on bare essentials, so the characters will have to be creative with what they can obtain and what they can prepare. Bishop prepares very little. He buys a bag of jerky. His armor and wind abilities will keep him safe, but he might not explain that. But Bishop would explain that there are yaks on the Olympus Range that one can kill for fur and meat, and Bishop did so for his first mission up there. As soon as the characters are prepared for the journey, you set out for the Olympus Range. Also, the villages of Beachton are starting to throw you guys sour looks as the adventurers are the ones who arrived and then people started disappearing and pirates arrived. Macy for a while is kind of your only friend for a while, and will help you as long as you stay.
You make a large circle around the Minotaur gray range, since you kind of want to avoid the minotaurs. You arrive at the Olympus Range, with only what you have brought. The rest from here is just a basic encounter by encounter scenarios. Some of my suggestions is starting out small and building and maybe being a little harsher than me. The point of the journey is a test run by the Sknastery to see if the visitor is worthy to visit their temple. Bishop had to pass it to find them at first (alone, mind you, which is the way it is normally supposed to be done) but with multiple members, I found the journey a little easy, especially since they were smart with their spells, so remember to really throw it at them. Some random encounters I wrote down and pulled from were yak encounters, snow storms/blizzards that they had to hunker down/find or make shelter from, saber tooth lions/tigers, treacherous icy cliffs they had to scale and avalanches. That more than enough gave them stuff to work through. In our experience, we had a drinking fest below a well built tent during the blizzard. The worst that happened was everyone got drunk and a pinion came loose and almost stabbed somebody in the head. Then they came out of their tent and saw saber tooth footprints which was some suspense (oooo).
At the very end of their encounter (I would do some hard climbing right before this) they then encounter the Ice Wolf Guardian, who is a giant wolf with ice spines up his back, whom I gave the stats of a Yeti to. Maybe make him a little scarier than I did, I guess I struggled with that, and give him scary icey powers! When the character defeat the Ice Wolf Guardian (whom Bishop recognizes from his first time, this guardian reappears to be slain by the brave and the worthy), the Sknastery appears high above their heads, a previously invisible building floating on a cloud. If the characters cast any spells that have to do with the sky (like casting a storm), you can give them a hint as to they feel/sense something in the clouds up above if the opportunity arises (the Skynastery)
Episode 30: Mountain Plane pt. 8 - Skynastery (11/22/19)
On finally slaying the Ice Wolf Guardian (or you can give it a better name), the Skynastery reveals itself high up in the clouds, or just a little higher than the mountain you just climbed. Stairs also reveal themselves. I made it a little precarious (cuz, ya know, if you made it this far you shouldn't be scared of some banister free floating steps)
At the top you are greeted by a dark skinned man with robes and his fingers bedecked with light blue rings, with his arms folded. He helps each of you onto the Skynastery, but he seems a little hostile toward Bishop, whom is trying to avoid coming in first by scooting to the back and avoiding eye contact. Finally when everyone has made it onto the Skynastery in their own special way, they confront one another. The man, whose name is Cumulo, says, "You have a lot of nerve coming here."
You can leave some suspenseful tension here, or characters might speak up, but Cumulo and Bishop stay engaged. If characters actually try to attack Cumulo, have Bishop stop them. Most of my characters just readied themselves for action. Bishop looks ashamed.
But then Cumulo grabs him in a hug and says, "But aren't we glad for that nerve to be back here where it belongs" or something to that affect. "Now get inside there, Cirrus will want to punch you on the shoulder."
You meet Cumulo, he is the leader the Skynastery. At first, he was the only one I had my characters talking to, and I slowly introduced the other characters. Cirrus, a large man with the exact same armor as Bishop, he is the leader of the war training. Nimbus, the page and young boy who is the mischief maker. Stratus is the librarian of the sacred texts of the Sky Knights. Alto, the religious leader who leads meditations, chants and theory lessons. And then there are three other people running around, two of them are a set of twin boys named Mycroft and Hyrum, and the other is a orange-haired woman who seems to be avoiding you, and specifically Bishop. Bishop also looks nervous to the characters who pay attention to him. It is the off-season for the Sky Knights, so there are no recruits in training, other than Nimbus, really.
Cumulo offers you to come inside to sit and have some food if you are hungry and explains anything the characters want to know about the Sky Knight's process. They send air elementals into the world to scout potential knights and they bring them back to the Skynastery if they so choose. To be a Sky Knight is a worthy occupation. It is one step closer to being an angel, and the knights are commonly deliverers. They train them in the ways of air and wind magic and only if asked, Cumulo does mention a couple recruits pick up storm magic. (namely that Bishop seemed to have a knack for it, if want to drop that) There is also a mine below the Skynastery that air elementals are mining Stratospherium out of if you want to mention that, maybe something seen as they mount the stairs.
Cumulo can explain the theories and philosophies behind the Sky Knight principles, that it is an order the tries to teach that honesty is the best policy essentially. They believe heavily in transparency in character and morals. You should be what you seem. Secrets only hurt you and others around you. Cumulo tells you about Stratospherium, an element only mined here in the Skynastery in this very cloud. He explains the rings on his fingers are made of Stratospherium, and he takes one off to show one character of his choosing. He puts the ring in their hand and asks them to tell a lie or a story. When the character tells a falsehood, the blue Stratospherium ring crumbles and turns black. And that is the main property of Stratospherium, is that it only stays it's wonderful glowing light shade of blue if whatever is touching it is truthful. If characters want to get technical, with paradoxes, etc, like some do, pieces of Stratospherium turn varying shades of blue on halftruths\paradoxical situations. He can even show them pieces of art done with varying pieces of blue Stratospherium telling certain lies. It could be a beautiful art form. Also, the blue gems in Bishop's armor, in the shoulders or wherever you said they were, are Stratospherium stones, but you have to actually be touching with skin contact to enact them. So characters actually have valuable lie detectors (atleast two) if they dare break them out of Bishop's armor.
This being said, Cumulo does have many Stratospherium rings dotting his fingers, so make sure, that when playing him, not to ever tell a lie or this would betray his character.
Characters now have the choice to explore the Skynastery, which is not huge, and not hugely populated. You can choose to have encounters, either begun by you or just lay people in wait. I, unfortunately, was not able to get to this part yet, but I will tell you what I do when I do in the next episode. I also wanted to get June and Bishop to atleast say a word to each other, but I forgot (but it's important!) Characters can go to the library and learn about cloudsmithing or whatever else they want to try to find information about, but the main text will be about philosophies, magics and elementals of air, wind, cloud and sky. There is a forbidden library section that Stratus (the librarian) and Cumulo, or any of the Sky Knights will not let you enter. You can even throw some magical hexes to keep people out if you so desire.
Cumulo finishes showing you the Stratospherium, and either addressing select characters or the group as a whole, he explains they have a Stratospherium room that he would be willing to show to those he chooses. He cannot stress enough though that, once inside, your characters CANNOT lie, or the room that his people have used for centuries to see events and truths, will go dark, and he cannot let that go unforgiven.
The Stratospherium room is a little hidden, but it is also very small, because Stratospherium is pretty rare and it is probably very difficult to make an entire room out of it. I explained it as a very narrow hallway where only three or four of you fit shoulder to shoulder. Make sure characters are careful about what they say. For goodness sake, be careful bout what you say! You can also have characters only peer in on Cumulo's orders if you don't trust them.
Once inside, the walls of this room are that beautiful light metallic blue, but there are pictures glinting in their inlaid gemstone like surfaces. Explaining a couple of these scenes could be nice imagery, but these are essentially important moments of either the past or the future, some the Sky Knights hardly know. Maybe some Cumulo points out to you. The reason I had Cumulo so anxious to have them into this room was because he had seen an image on the wall that echoed all of them, with little characters in the front dressed exactly like them. The image has all of the characters stepped forward and holding up their hands as if they have received something from the sky, and the sky in the picture does look a little cloudy. In the way background, which you can make a character find with a perception check if you'd like, there is Shanachie. If the characters recognize Shanachie in the back of the picture in the Stratospherium room and say his name, Cumulo is nothing but impressed and questions them heartily about it after exiting. He asks them if they have truly met Shanachie and is absolutely shocked if they say yes (which they should because they have...) He asks about Xanafin, if the characters have met him, to which the characters should reply no. Cumulo seems reeled by the existence of Shanachie. Ryker is also far in the background if you want to drop that for a good perception check, but another perception check will get you that Bishop is not there. Cumulo wants your guild to see this picture. Have the characters make a perception check, and whoever gets the highest, or even whoever is a little closer to the door as they are peering at this mural over other people as Cumulo shows it to you, sees some words glinting over the top of it that Cumulo and the others can't see from their angle. If the characters choose to point this out, Cumulo is shocked as he did not notice the words and will call in Stratus (the librarian) to take a look. Stratus writes it down and takes a while to decipher it. If he receives help from character, that is fine too, but it is air elemental or elvish or a complicated ancient language of Stratospherium. After the translating process (which you can make long or short depending on encounters) they finally come to the conclusion, that it is, thankfully, a short phrase, and it says "Children of the Storm." This is where I ended for the most part for impact!
Meanwhile, after you feel encounters are pretty good or you just want to throw something at your characters, there are suddenly large booming noises and the characters realize on leaving the monastery (or that the Sky Knights point it out) that the war between the Dao and the Minotaur has restarted and they are fighting around the Prometheus Forge, from which the characters just came. They are mostly using boulders and their hands, and there is a great cloud of dust accumulating around the area. There are sounds of large violence long into the night that subdue and restart. It is become a bad battle.
Depending on if you have introduced them or not in front of the characters, June and Bishop are either off somewhere alone or they are still avoiding each other.
Episode 31: Mountain Plane pt. 9 - June & Bishop (01/24/20)
~Not Yet Released~
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