The Green Hermit
Hero
We are attempting to have a maxxed out campaign. Time will tell if it actually happens -- especially since we just started.
Tyranny of Dragons
The Green Hermit
Hero
Adventuring Group
- Thoradin Ironfist -- Shield Dwarf, Paladin, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1 (Played by my son, Memo)
- Criella -- Tiefling, Rogue, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 1 (Played by my daughter, Gen)
- Andry Thorngage -- Lightfoot Halfling, Druid, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1 (Also played by Gen, begrudgingly, so I only have to play one PC along with being the DM)
- Kaya -- Uthgardian Barbian: Elk Tribe, Ranger, Alignment: Chaotic Good -- Level 1 (Played by yours truly)
- Kung Lao -- Human, Fighter, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1 (Played by my younger son, Lane)
- Thokk -- Half Orc, Fighter, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3 (Played, reluctantly, by my husband, Alan)
Last edited:
The Green Hermit
Hero
1st day of Kythorn
It was late in the day when several adventurers, Thoradin Ironfist, Criella, Andry Thorngage, and Kaya one by one stumbled upon a campsite in the middle of a forest. There they spotted an old man with canaries. After quizzing each of them on why they were wandering the wood, he gave each of the adventurers a healing potion and sent them on their way to Greenest -- which was under siege by a blue dragon and a horde of raiders. They fought their way past kobolds and humans to the keep. Three children were saved along the way, but the adventurers were unable to save their parents. Just as they entered the keep, around 11:00 p.m., the portcullis slammed shut -- barring all further entry.
Upon reaching the keep, they took a short rest before recovering enough to seek out the person in charge -- a man called Governor Nighthill. The Governor asked them to go through a secret tunnel to evacuate more of the town. Unfortunately, the tunnel might have been unknown to most of the town, but the rats had not forgotten it. After an unpleasant skirmish, the adventurers eventually found themselves at an old rusty, locked gate.
Before they attempted to unlock the gate (they had been given the key), Thokk, one of the famed heroes of Phandelver showed up -- possibly looking for loot more than attempting to help. For the time being, he agreed to stick with the adventurers, but nobody was sure if they could trust him. They were also joined by another fighter seeking fame and glory, a young fighter from the keep named Kung Lao -- whose eyes were unsettlingly white.
Kaya unfortunately broke the key in the lock, but Thoradin was able to force the gate open. That was unfortunate in its own way, though, because the noise brought a group of raiders who ambushed the adventurers as they ventured out into the stream. It was a tough battle,
but the adventurers eventually prevailed. However, they barely survived, so the group limped back to the keep to be healed by Kerri Nighthill, the governor’s lady. Hopefully others would be able to use the tunnel, because this group was too wounded. It was now 1:00 a.m.
2nd day of Kythorn
As soon as everybody but Kung Lao was healed (he had to sleep off his injuries) everybody was summoned to the battlements, because the dragon was finally attacking. (Up until now, he had mainly been sending lightning bolts at buildings and stray townsfolk). Fortunately, Kaya and Andry both spoke draconic and were able to convince the dragon to go away. Before leaving, though, he mentioned that all the loot the raiders were collecting was going to his queen, Tiamet -- the evil goddess of the dragons, who was supposedly chained in Hell.
Shortly after the dragon flew off, a half-dragon fighter challenged the keep to send out their best fighter for one-on-one combat. Thokk took up the challenge, so a few hostages were released. Thokk didn’t injure the raider in the slightest before being knocked unconscious. Healers rushed to save Thokk and all looters left as the sun rose over the horizon.
Everybody went back into the keep and collapsed for a long rest.
It was late in the day when several adventurers, Thoradin Ironfist, Criella, Andry Thorngage, and Kaya one by one stumbled upon a campsite in the middle of a forest. There they spotted an old man with canaries. After quizzing each of them on why they were wandering the wood, he gave each of the adventurers a healing potion and sent them on their way to Greenest -- which was under siege by a blue dragon and a horde of raiders. They fought their way past kobolds and humans to the keep. Three children were saved along the way, but the adventurers were unable to save their parents. Just as they entered the keep, around 11:00 p.m., the portcullis slammed shut -- barring all further entry.
Upon reaching the keep, they took a short rest before recovering enough to seek out the person in charge -- a man called Governor Nighthill. The Governor asked them to go through a secret tunnel to evacuate more of the town. Unfortunately, the tunnel might have been unknown to most of the town, but the rats had not forgotten it. After an unpleasant skirmish, the adventurers eventually found themselves at an old rusty, locked gate.
Before they attempted to unlock the gate (they had been given the key), Thokk, one of the famed heroes of Phandelver showed up -- possibly looking for loot more than attempting to help. For the time being, he agreed to stick with the adventurers, but nobody was sure if they could trust him. They were also joined by another fighter seeking fame and glory, a young fighter from the keep named Kung Lao -- whose eyes were unsettlingly white.
Kaya unfortunately broke the key in the lock, but Thoradin was able to force the gate open. That was unfortunate in its own way, though, because the noise brought a group of raiders who ambushed the adventurers as they ventured out into the stream. It was a tough battle,
but the adventurers eventually prevailed. However, they barely survived, so the group limped back to the keep to be healed by Kerri Nighthill, the governor’s lady. Hopefully others would be able to use the tunnel, because this group was too wounded. It was now 1:00 a.m.
2nd day of Kythorn
As soon as everybody but Kung Lao was healed (he had to sleep off his injuries) everybody was summoned to the battlements, because the dragon was finally attacking. (Up until now, he had mainly been sending lightning bolts at buildings and stray townsfolk). Fortunately, Kaya and Andry both spoke draconic and were able to convince the dragon to go away. Before leaving, though, he mentioned that all the loot the raiders were collecting was going to his queen, Tiamet -- the evil goddess of the dragons, who was supposedly chained in Hell.
Shortly after the dragon flew off, a half-dragon fighter challenged the keep to send out their best fighter for one-on-one combat. Thokk took up the challenge, so a few hostages were released. Thokk didn’t injure the raider in the slightest before being knocked unconscious. Healers rushed to save Thokk and all looters left as the sun rose over the horizon.
Everybody went back into the keep and collapsed for a long rest.
Last edited:
The Green Hermit
Hero
Adventuring Group
Left the Group
DM's Note: My husband plays Thokk, but he is not a very enthusiastic player and basically shows up only when we need help not dying or when we have a new player at our table. (We foster, and our group is only family, so this happens semi-frequently.) He also refuses to create a new character, so Thokk never dies. We go along with this so that he still shows up when we need him.
In Memorandum
2nd Day of Kythorn, Cont.
The party (except for Thokk who was nowhere to be seen) woke up around noon to a summons from Governor Nighthill. He wanted them to find the raider’s camp, figure out how many raiders there are and most especially who the leaders are. For their troubles, he promised to gift them with 250 gp apiece. He was also kind enough to supply them for their trek (although the raid had used up all the mistletoe to Kaya’s dismay). This was especially useful since a couple of the adventurers had no distance weapon and the Kobolds had left lots of slings and bullets behind. Thoradin and Kung Lao were all about taking up the quest immediately, but the females in the party insisted on talking it over first. They were easily convinced, though, and soon set out after the raiders.
Before the adventurers left the keep Thoradin Ironfist decided he needed to remind the group about the strange sequence of apocalyptic dreams that led him to Greenest in the first place. In his dreams, the world was destroyed by cold, choking fumes, lightning storms, waves of acid, and horrible fire. And the dream always ended with ten evil eyes glaring at him from the darkness. Thoradin wondered if, since Tiamat is a dragon with 5 heads and 2 eyes on each head that all breath a different element, Tiamat is the one he sees destroying the world in his dreams. Bringing this up earned him inspiration.
DM's Note: This actually surprised me. Even with the blue dragon giving them hints about Tiamat's return, I did not think that Memo would connect this with the dream for several more sessions at the earliest. Making connections is not always his strong suit.
Right before they left, an injured monk, Nesim, tells the group that his master Leosin, another monk, has disappeared. After going a tad bit ballistic when Thoradin mentioned his dream, Nesim told them that Leosin knew more about the raiders and dragon cults than anyone he knew. Since the adventurers were headed to the raider’s camp anyway, he wondered if they could look for Leosin while they were at it. The group had mixed feelings on how important this was in an already dangerous mission, but they told Nesim that they will think about it and continue on.
Once outside of town, the raider’s trail headed straight south and was very easy to follow. About 5 miles down the trail, the group spotted a young red dragon circling to the south. Could that be where the camp is? Kaya, the resident dragon expert of the group (a dragon raid in her youth is what led to her being allowed the unheard of [for Uthgardians] use of magic), mentioned that red dragons usually live in volcanoes, so the group started to worry that the raiders might possibly be creating an army to break Tiamat out of Hell. At this point, they were all getting fairly paranoid. Criella earned inspiration for freaking out so thoroughly that she got the rest of the group freaked out as well.
DM's Note: This was actually unplanned. Lane still has a level 1 character, so I was trying to roll up a battle to give him XP. Instead, both times I rolled up a dragon sighting that I had only included on the table to add flavor to the game. (The table had 3 battles, one helpful encounter, and 2 "flavor" sightings. I might have to rethink this ratio for future use.)
A few miles further along, the group saw a smoke plume rising in the sky. At first they assumed it was the raider’s camp, but when they got closer, it was obviously too small of a fire. Sneaking up to it for a closer look, they saw a few stragglers -- some humans around the campfire and a group of kobolds off to the side. The human raiders were focused on eating, didn’t even have their weapons at hand, and were easily ambushed. Three human raiders were killed, and Thoradin knocked the fourth unconscious with his shield -- all before any could reclaim their weapons. Things may have gotten dicey after that, but the 8 kobolds that accompanied the party (who were wise/paranoid enough to have their weapons on them, unlike the humans) snatched up their food and left. While waiting for their captive to gain consciousness, the hungry adventurers lunched upon the raiders’ chicken.
- Thoradin Ironfist -- Shield Dwarf, Paladin, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Criella -- Tiefling, Rogue, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 2
- Andry Thorngage -- Lightfoot Halfling, Druid, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Kaya -- Uthgardian Barbian: Elk Tribe, Ranger, Alignment: Chaotic Good -- Level 2
- Kung Lao -- Human, Fighter, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1
Left the Group
- Thokk -- Half Orc, Fighter, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3
- Staying true to his nature, when the adventurers woke up after the siege, Thokk was nowhere to be seen. (He may have needed psychiatric help after being beaten to a pulp so easily.)
DM's Note: My husband plays Thokk, but he is not a very enthusiastic player and basically shows up only when we need help not dying or when we have a new player at our table. (We foster, and our group is only family, so this happens semi-frequently.) He also refuses to create a new character, so Thokk never dies. We go along with this so that he still shows up when we need him.
In Memorandum
- Everyone is still alive. Yay!
2nd Day of Kythorn, Cont.
The party (except for Thokk who was nowhere to be seen) woke up around noon to a summons from Governor Nighthill. He wanted them to find the raider’s camp, figure out how many raiders there are and most especially who the leaders are. For their troubles, he promised to gift them with 250 gp apiece. He was also kind enough to supply them for their trek (although the raid had used up all the mistletoe to Kaya’s dismay). This was especially useful since a couple of the adventurers had no distance weapon and the Kobolds had left lots of slings and bullets behind. Thoradin and Kung Lao were all about taking up the quest immediately, but the females in the party insisted on talking it over first. They were easily convinced, though, and soon set out after the raiders.
Before the adventurers left the keep Thoradin Ironfist decided he needed to remind the group about the strange sequence of apocalyptic dreams that led him to Greenest in the first place. In his dreams, the world was destroyed by cold, choking fumes, lightning storms, waves of acid, and horrible fire. And the dream always ended with ten evil eyes glaring at him from the darkness. Thoradin wondered if, since Tiamat is a dragon with 5 heads and 2 eyes on each head that all breath a different element, Tiamat is the one he sees destroying the world in his dreams. Bringing this up earned him inspiration.
DM's Note: This actually surprised me. Even with the blue dragon giving them hints about Tiamat's return, I did not think that Memo would connect this with the dream for several more sessions at the earliest. Making connections is not always his strong suit.
Right before they left, an injured monk, Nesim, tells the group that his master Leosin, another monk, has disappeared. After going a tad bit ballistic when Thoradin mentioned his dream, Nesim told them that Leosin knew more about the raiders and dragon cults than anyone he knew. Since the adventurers were headed to the raider’s camp anyway, he wondered if they could look for Leosin while they were at it. The group had mixed feelings on how important this was in an already dangerous mission, but they told Nesim that they will think about it and continue on.
Once outside of town, the raider’s trail headed straight south and was very easy to follow. About 5 miles down the trail, the group spotted a young red dragon circling to the south. Could that be where the camp is? Kaya, the resident dragon expert of the group (a dragon raid in her youth is what led to her being allowed the unheard of [for Uthgardians] use of magic), mentioned that red dragons usually live in volcanoes, so the group started to worry that the raiders might possibly be creating an army to break Tiamat out of Hell. At this point, they were all getting fairly paranoid. Criella earned inspiration for freaking out so thoroughly that she got the rest of the group freaked out as well.
DM's Note: This was actually unplanned. Lane still has a level 1 character, so I was trying to roll up a battle to give him XP. Instead, both times I rolled up a dragon sighting that I had only included on the table to add flavor to the game. (The table had 3 battles, one helpful encounter, and 2 "flavor" sightings. I might have to rethink this ratio for future use.)
A few miles further along, the group saw a smoke plume rising in the sky. At first they assumed it was the raider’s camp, but when they got closer, it was obviously too small of a fire. Sneaking up to it for a closer look, they saw a few stragglers -- some humans around the campfire and a group of kobolds off to the side. The human raiders were focused on eating, didn’t even have their weapons at hand, and were easily ambushed. Three human raiders were killed, and Thoradin knocked the fourth unconscious with his shield -- all before any could reclaim their weapons. Things may have gotten dicey after that, but the 8 kobolds that accompanied the party (who were wise/paranoid enough to have their weapons on them, unlike the humans) snatched up their food and left. While waiting for their captive to gain consciousness, the hungry adventurers lunched upon the raiders’ chicken.
Last edited:
The Green Hermit
Hero
Adventuring Group
Left the Group
2nd Day of Kythorn, Cont.
Eventually, Thoradin got bored of waiting and splashed water on the prisoner’s face until he woke up. This eventually worked, but the prisoner was mostly incoherent and upset that he was being splashed with water instead of wine. Saying his name was Melshas, he claimed to be forced into the cult through blackmail. He wanted out, and trying to earn the group’s trust, told them that there were three leaders: Resmir, Frulin, and Cyanwrath (who the kobolds seem to be in love with). Melshas also claimed that there was a rearguard checking for followers. Although they didn’t trust him, the adventurers decided to bring Melshas along -- although Thoradin insisted that his hands remained bound behind his back, along with having a rope lead. (Kung Lao thought the rope should be tied around the prisoner’s neck, but Thoradin grudgingly conceded that would be going too far.)
Before heading out, Kaya dug a small pit behind a large boulder (the very one the weapons had been leaning on) and buried the raiders’ four scimitars. They also hid the bodies in the grass after deciding that it would take far too long to dig graves with their swords and battleaxes. Then Melshas led them around the ambush and to the edge of the raiders’ camp. Along the way, they saw a flock of vultures feasting on another dead raider, but that was all the excitement they had. When they safely reached the camp, Criella snuck closer to get a sense of where everything was. After she reported back, Thoradin took Melshas aside, talked to him quietly for a bit, and then slit his throat (keeping Melshas’s pocket change for himself). The adventurer’s were conflicted on whether or not they should have killed their prisoner, but they all agreed that they couldn’t take the chance of leaving him unbound and that they would probably be captured immediately if they attempted to bring him into camp as their prisoner.
Around 8:00 in the evening, the adventurers snuck into the raider’s camp and pretended to be part of the cult. They were so successful that they all got conscripted into chore duty:
3rd day of Kythorn
After an uneventful night, the adventurers decided to roam around the camp, eavesdrop, and possibly find a way to get to the leaders in the big tent. Thoradin and Kaya decided to watch a card game before splitting up. Unfortunately for Thoradin, he got hauled off for guard duty in the northern tower. The rest of the group continued spying on various dice games and whatnot. (More people seemed to be relaxing than actually working.) During this time, Criella and Kaya learned that the monk Leossin was with the prisoners, but they did not learn where the prisoners were actually being held. All they knew was that there weren’t very many, which is why they kept getting dragged off for chores. Criella eventually got hauled off for guard duty as well (this time in the southern tower -- the kobolds were not to be trusted). Shortly thereafter, Kaya got shanghaied. This time it was her turn to help prepare a luncheon for the hungry raiders.
During all of this, Kung Lao somehow managed to avoid any chores at all and he continued to eavesdrop. When the meal bell rang, he met up with Criella -- who was shirking guard duty. The two kobolds she was supposed to be on guard duty with had attacked her, and she had run away in fear. If caught, she planned to lie and say she had been sent off. Since the kobolds were clearly not trusted allies, she felt that there was a reasonable chance that her tale would be believed. Fortunately, this theory was not put to the test, because after Kaya was finished cooking, she came over and sent Criella to the cook tent to help prepare the evening meal.
Kaya was then sent to the kobold tower since Criella was no longer there. She too was attacked by the kobolds, but instead of running away, she killed them where they stood. She then quickly abandoned her post, hoping that everybody would assume that the kobolds killed each other. Figuring she had pressed her luck enough for one day, she headed to the cave, where she was soon joined by Andry and Kung Lao who had reached the same conclusion. Eventually, Thoradin furtively snuck in as well.
His guard duty had gone no better than Criella’s or Kaya’s. Fortunately, in a heroic battle, he had managed to kill his two human attackers, even though he had to use his Lay on Hands and Cure Wounds (twice!) in order to do so. Also, unlike the southern tower, the northern tower was away from the camp and he had been able to hide both of their bodies. Then he stayed put until the next watch took over. When questioned about the missing guardsmen, he played dumb, saying that nobody had been there when he got there. He was convincing enough that his replacements decided they must have abandoned their posts. (Actually, it wasn’t hard to convince them. These raiders didn’t seem very organized.)
Criella was the last one to return to the cave. After discussing their many close calls, they decided to sneak out in the middle of the night and head back to Greenest. The adventurers have not seen any prisoners, let alone Leosin, but it seemed to them to be too dangerous to continue searching. They have at least discovered that he was in the camp and presumably still alive. They also have discovered most of the information Governor Nighthill had sent them to gather. Before leaving though, they a long rest was greatly needed in order to heal and regain spell slots.
DM's Note: Since I know that my players are still learning how to take effective notes, I made use of Criella's backstory of being a con artist. Her history makes her know how important it is to convince marks to pay up, so she "took copious notes" (that I conveniently handed to her) to pull out if Governor Nighthill proves to be leery of paying them the full amount.
Also, if they end up not discovering the prisoners from Greenest and rescuing them, there will be a bit of fallout back in town -- especially since one of them is a 6 year-old boy. I figure they need to have some incentives to start asking more questions.
- Thoradin Ironfist -- Shield Dwarf, Paladin, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Criella -- Tiefling, Rogue, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 2
- Andry Thorngage -- Lightfoot Halfling, Druid, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Kaya -- Uthgardian Barbian: Elk Tribe, Ranger, Alignment: Chaotic Good -- Level 2
- Kung Lao -- Human, Fighter, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1
Left the Group
- Thokk -- Half Orc, Fighter, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3
2nd Day of Kythorn, Cont.
Eventually, Thoradin got bored of waiting and splashed water on the prisoner’s face until he woke up. This eventually worked, but the prisoner was mostly incoherent and upset that he was being splashed with water instead of wine. Saying his name was Melshas, he claimed to be forced into the cult through blackmail. He wanted out, and trying to earn the group’s trust, told them that there were three leaders: Resmir, Frulin, and Cyanwrath (who the kobolds seem to be in love with). Melshas also claimed that there was a rearguard checking for followers. Although they didn’t trust him, the adventurers decided to bring Melshas along -- although Thoradin insisted that his hands remained bound behind his back, along with having a rope lead. (Kung Lao thought the rope should be tied around the prisoner’s neck, but Thoradin grudgingly conceded that would be going too far.)
Before heading out, Kaya dug a small pit behind a large boulder (the very one the weapons had been leaning on) and buried the raiders’ four scimitars. They also hid the bodies in the grass after deciding that it would take far too long to dig graves with their swords and battleaxes. Then Melshas led them around the ambush and to the edge of the raiders’ camp. Along the way, they saw a flock of vultures feasting on another dead raider, but that was all the excitement they had. When they safely reached the camp, Criella snuck closer to get a sense of where everything was. After she reported back, Thoradin took Melshas aside, talked to him quietly for a bit, and then slit his throat (keeping Melshas’s pocket change for himself). The adventurer’s were conflicted on whether or not they should have killed their prisoner, but they all agreed that they couldn’t take the chance of leaving him unbound and that they would probably be captured immediately if they attempted to bring him into camp as their prisoner.
Around 8:00 in the evening, the adventurers snuck into the raider’s camp and pretended to be part of the cult. They were so successful that they all got conscripted into chore duty:
- Thoradin & Andry helped prepare a late meal in the cook tent. (Since the raiders had been trickling in all day, they were well behind schedule and hungry raiders are dangerous raiders.)
- Kung Lao was ordered to weapons drill. While there, he got challenged to a duel to the death by a one-armed man. Kung Lao was disarmed almost immediately, but got saved at the last minute by a sergeant hauling off his challenger -- apparently he had killed off too many of the other raiders and his superiors had had enough.
- Criella and Kaya had to help tend the animals.
3rd day of Kythorn
After an uneventful night, the adventurers decided to roam around the camp, eavesdrop, and possibly find a way to get to the leaders in the big tent. Thoradin and Kaya decided to watch a card game before splitting up. Unfortunately for Thoradin, he got hauled off for guard duty in the northern tower. The rest of the group continued spying on various dice games and whatnot. (More people seemed to be relaxing than actually working.) During this time, Criella and Kaya learned that the monk Leossin was with the prisoners, but they did not learn where the prisoners were actually being held. All they knew was that there weren’t very many, which is why they kept getting dragged off for chores. Criella eventually got hauled off for guard duty as well (this time in the southern tower -- the kobolds were not to be trusted). Shortly thereafter, Kaya got shanghaied. This time it was her turn to help prepare a luncheon for the hungry raiders.
During all of this, Kung Lao somehow managed to avoid any chores at all and he continued to eavesdrop. When the meal bell rang, he met up with Criella -- who was shirking guard duty. The two kobolds she was supposed to be on guard duty with had attacked her, and she had run away in fear. If caught, she planned to lie and say she had been sent off. Since the kobolds were clearly not trusted allies, she felt that there was a reasonable chance that her tale would be believed. Fortunately, this theory was not put to the test, because after Kaya was finished cooking, she came over and sent Criella to the cook tent to help prepare the evening meal.
Kaya was then sent to the kobold tower since Criella was no longer there. She too was attacked by the kobolds, but instead of running away, she killed them where they stood. She then quickly abandoned her post, hoping that everybody would assume that the kobolds killed each other. Figuring she had pressed her luck enough for one day, she headed to the cave, where she was soon joined by Andry and Kung Lao who had reached the same conclusion. Eventually, Thoradin furtively snuck in as well.
His guard duty had gone no better than Criella’s or Kaya’s. Fortunately, in a heroic battle, he had managed to kill his two human attackers, even though he had to use his Lay on Hands and Cure Wounds (twice!) in order to do so. Also, unlike the southern tower, the northern tower was away from the camp and he had been able to hide both of their bodies. Then he stayed put until the next watch took over. When questioned about the missing guardsmen, he played dumb, saying that nobody had been there when he got there. He was convincing enough that his replacements decided they must have abandoned their posts. (Actually, it wasn’t hard to convince them. These raiders didn’t seem very organized.)
Criella was the last one to return to the cave. After discussing their many close calls, they decided to sneak out in the middle of the night and head back to Greenest. The adventurers have not seen any prisoners, let alone Leosin, but it seemed to them to be too dangerous to continue searching. They have at least discovered that he was in the camp and presumably still alive. They also have discovered most of the information Governor Nighthill had sent them to gather. Before leaving though, they a long rest was greatly needed in order to heal and regain spell slots.
DM's Note: Since I know that my players are still learning how to take effective notes, I made use of Criella's backstory of being a con artist. Her history makes her know how important it is to convince marks to pay up, so she "took copious notes" (that I conveniently handed to her) to pull out if Governor Nighthill proves to be leery of paying them the full amount.
Also, if they end up not discovering the prisoners from Greenest and rescuing them, there will be a bit of fallout back in town -- especially since one of them is a 6 year-old boy. I figure they need to have some incentives to start asking more questions.
Last edited:
The Green Hermit
Hero
Adventuring Group
Left the Group
4th Day of Kythorn
The adventurers woke up early in the morning and decided to actually plan out whether or not to search for the prisoners before leaving or just leave with the possibility of coming back for them later. Andry decided to try out her Wildshift ability and turned herself into a mighty battle rat so she could explore without being conscripted for work duty. This plan worked. After finding the prisoners and seeing where they were, she went back to the cave to share her information with the others.
After talking it over, they decided to free all of the prisoners and escape with them. However, there was no longer time to do it before the camp stirred, so they settled in for a day of planning and resting. Nobody felt it was worth taking the chance of leaving the cave and being discovered. After a brief discussion, they were pretty sure that nobody had taken enough notice of them to realize they weren’t out and about.
5th Day of Kythorn
At 12:30 in the morning, the mighty adventurers decided the camp was quiet enough to make their escape attempt. Once the adventurers got to the hut where the prisoners were, they hurriedly talked to them and found out who everyone was. (Thoradin complained that they could figure who everyone was later, but no one listened.) Criella then quickly got them out of their chains and they snuck out of the hut -- having first lent weapons to those with nightvision. They did not think of healing the wounded, though, so Thoradin carried an injured teenage girl and Leosin limped along as best as he could. They were discovered by 3 kobolds, but they easily overpowered them and escaped the camp. On the way back, they encountered a pair of drowsy harpies by their cache of weapons. After a brief discussion, they decided to bypass the harpies and forego the weapons. A couple miles further, they ran into another pair of harpies, but Andry turned herself into a fierce, vicious boar long enough to distract them with loud noises. The rest of the trip went smoothly (especially after they remembered their healing powers) and they made it back to Greenest around 10 a.m.
DM's Note: Not a whole lot actually happened in this session, but my players started thinking more strategically, which was a big plus. And they started realizing that their spellcasting abilities could be useful in non-combat situations.
- Thoradin Ironfist -- Shield Dwarf, Paladin, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Criella -- Tiefling, Rogue, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 2
- Andry Thorngage -- Lightfoot Halfling, Druid, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 2
- Kaya -- Uthgardian Barbian: Elk Tribe, Ranger, Alignment: Chaotic Good -- Level 2
- Kung Lao -- Human, Fighter, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 1
Left the Group
- Thokk -- Half Orc, Fighter, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3
4th Day of Kythorn
The adventurers woke up early in the morning and decided to actually plan out whether or not to search for the prisoners before leaving or just leave with the possibility of coming back for them later. Andry decided to try out her Wildshift ability and turned herself into a mighty battle rat so she could explore without being conscripted for work duty. This plan worked. After finding the prisoners and seeing where they were, she went back to the cave to share her information with the others.
After talking it over, they decided to free all of the prisoners and escape with them. However, there was no longer time to do it before the camp stirred, so they settled in for a day of planning and resting. Nobody felt it was worth taking the chance of leaving the cave and being discovered. After a brief discussion, they were pretty sure that nobody had taken enough notice of them to realize they weren’t out and about.
5th Day of Kythorn
At 12:30 in the morning, the mighty adventurers decided the camp was quiet enough to make their escape attempt. Once the adventurers got to the hut where the prisoners were, they hurriedly talked to them and found out who everyone was. (Thoradin complained that they could figure who everyone was later, but no one listened.) Criella then quickly got them out of their chains and they snuck out of the hut -- having first lent weapons to those with nightvision. They did not think of healing the wounded, though, so Thoradin carried an injured teenage girl and Leosin limped along as best as he could. They were discovered by 3 kobolds, but they easily overpowered them and escaped the camp. On the way back, they encountered a pair of drowsy harpies by their cache of weapons. After a brief discussion, they decided to bypass the harpies and forego the weapons. A couple miles further, they ran into another pair of harpies, but Andry turned herself into a fierce, vicious boar long enough to distract them with loud noises. The rest of the trip went smoothly (especially after they remembered their healing powers) and they made it back to Greenest around 10 a.m.
DM's Note: Not a whole lot actually happened in this session, but my players started thinking more strategically, which was a big plus. And they started realizing that their spellcasting abilities could be useful in non-combat situations.
Great work, and by the sound of things the kids are getting into something more than just hitting/fighting stuff, kudos for that.
I love the fact that the guys went around/scared off the Harpies at the end, wise-folk- I've DMed children before and some of the little buggers would (given half the chance) charge Tiamat armed with only a pudding spoon (such is their fury).
Just for info, and only if you feel like sharing- how long are the sessions? How often do you play?
Cheers Goonalan
The Green Hermit
Hero
Our sessions last from about 2-4 hours. When they start being spacey or wandering off, I get them to a good stopping point and call it good for the day.
How often we play is a bit more erratic. We schedule it for every Sunday that is open on our calendar, but with the knowledge that things could easily come up that makes us cancel. Actual play is usually only once or twice a month -- and some months get skipped completely. If they ever decide to have their friends join, we'll have to be more locked into a schedule, but that is one of the benefits of having everybody in the same house.
The Green Hermit
Hero
Adventuring Group
Left the Group
After making their way to town, they reported to Governor Nighthill and got their promised rewards. Then the group split up. Kung Lao decided that he had had enough of the adventuring life and went back to working in the garrison. Andry and Thoradin decided to stay at the Silver Pegasus and live in comfort while Kaya and Criella stayed at a boarding house in the poorer, but more affordable, part of town. Andry found work at the local orphanage and Kaya helped out at the tanner’s in exchange for working on her own projects. Criella decided to use her downtime learning Elvish from Nightbreeze, one of the prisoners they had rescued. Thoradin didn’t even pretend to spend his time wisely, spending most of his days carousing. His exploits in Greenest became legendary.
DM's Note: I really need to find something to call ourselves other than "they" and "the adventuring group."
DM's Note: Lane moved on to another house. Fortunately, we had reached a reasonable place for his character to leave the group. It is possible that he will meet up with us down the road for another session, but very unlikely.
On their first night back in town, Thoradin fell in love with a lovely maiden named Maya -- who immediately cheated on him with a gnome, Zook. Zook and Thoradin instantly became enemies, but that did not stop Thoradin from carousing until dawn each and every night. A few days later, he realized that either Zook was a worse enemy than he had thought -- or he had more enemies than he knew about -- when he woke up behind the Lonely Star. He had no memory of the day before, and even less idea of how he had ended up behind THIS tavern, since he was positive that he had confined all his carousing to The Prancing Satyr. His pouch was also 65 gp lighter. Vowing vengeance to whomever had done this dastardly deed, Thoradin promised to split the money with Criella if she helped get it back. Always up for a caper, especially when it involved money, Criella gladly helped investigate. This did not interfere with her daily lessons, because they were over long before Thoradin was awake enough to go carousing. Eventually they discovered that Thoradin had gone off with a tiefling by the name of Green Tom, due to the color of his skin. (Criella was intrigued by this, since tieflings are not usually green. Thoradin didn’t care about that, but he immediately suspected drugs in his ale.)
DM's Note: I had the inn keepers and barkeeps figured out before we got to town, but the truly memorable characters were the ones that resulted from the carousing. I had the kids come up with the names and races as needed, which made it much easier on me.
Everybody in town seemed to know Green Tom, but nobody would admit to knowing where to find him. Running into a dead end, Thoradin and Criella decide to return to the Lonely Star and investigate further -- Thoradin’s head had hurt too much for him to think about this initially. The barkeep was a surly fellow who didn’t seem to want to answer any questions or gain any business, so there was no help there. However, when they looked around the alley, Thoradin noticed drag marks on the ground. Following the marks, Thoradin and Criella found themselves at the orphanage where Andry was working. What followed next was greatly amusing -- to everybody not named Thoradin.
Joseph Snailbottom, the head of the orphanage, greeted Thoradin with a broad smile, thanking him for his generous donation. Apparently, having accompanied Green Tom to the orphanage, Thoradin had decided to bless the children with his gold. (Thoradin immediately decided that he needed to lock up most of his winnings from now on.) Then, following an assuredly foolish dare, Thoradin had charged into the closed gate headfirst, knocking himself unconscious. (Andry was sweeping in the hall during this conversation, and was doubled up in laughter.) Mr. Snailbottom had been under the impression that Green Tom had helped Thoradin home, but apparently that was too much work and he had just dragged him around the corner, behind the tavern.
Knowing how his money went missing, and not willing to demand it back when the children so clearly needed it, Thoradin grumbled . . . and immediately went back to carousing, earning around 600 gp (the raiders hadn’t managed to find all of the wealth in Greenest). Criella, on the other hand, decided to continue the search for Green Tom. Thoradin hadn’t really seemed to give up the money out of his own free will, so now she suspected drugs as well. As a tiefling, she had a hard enough time in towns, and definitely did not want Green Tom to make her life harder. By a decent amount of sleuthing, Criella heard rumors about Chauntea, the goddess of the harvest, turning Tom green. Deciding she needed to hear more about this, Criella paid a visit to Chauntea’s temple. There, she discovered the priest was actually the one who had cursed Green Tom, not Chauntea herself, because he kept dragging others into bad situations out of jealousy. The curse can only be undone if Tom can convince others to make good choices that benefit others. The catch is that the victims have to be willing and aware of what’s going on.
This was obviously not what had happened in Thoradin’s case, so Criella found Green Tom’s house (She is a much better investigator than Thoradin, who cares mostly about carousing) and left an ominous note telling him that he’s being watched.
Eventually, when even Thoradin was getting tired of carousing (you could only get into so many brawls with Zook) the adventurers received a note from Leosin, inviting them to lunch at the Silver Pegasus. Even then, Thoradin thought about skipping lunch for more carousing. He really was starting to get bored, though, so eventually he agreed to go. However, he did drag himself out of bed early in the morning to carouse some more, and found himself with another girlfriend before lunch -- this time Zook’s sister, Tana.
During lunch, Leosin asked the group to spy on the raider’s camp some more. He had heard from some friends of his that were also concerned about the Cult of the Dragon, and everybody agreed they needed to know more information before they could act. Because the adventurers already knew their way around camp (and hadn’t been captured like Leosin) they were the ideal spies. There was no rush, though, as the raiders seemed to be settled in for a while. I would say the group talked it over, but Thoradin was so bored that he jumped on the opportunity immediately and didn’t give anybody else the chance to debate it. Everybody had already done the little shopping they needed (half off at the smithy for saving his apprentice!), but Kaya needed a couple more days to finish making the last of her riding gear -- Thoradin spent all this time carousing.
On their last day in Greenest, Criella went to check on Green Tom one last time, but this time was caught in the act. Fortunately, she was able to fall back on her old con artist tricks and convinced him that she was just curious about other tieflings in town. Despite his initial suspicions, Green Tom decided that he was just being paranoid and let her go on her way.
The adventurers are all prepared to leave in the morning. The town is ready for Thoradin to leave.
DM's Note: This was the first time we have used downtime and I wasn't sure how it would go. Memo had way too much fun causing havoc.
- Thoradin Ironfist -- Shield Dwarf, Paladin, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 3
- Criella -- Tiefling, Rogue, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3
- Andry Thorngage -- Lightfoot Halfling, Druid, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 3
- Kaya -- Uthgardian Barbian: Elk Tribe, Ranger, Alignment: Chaotic Good -- Level 3
Left the Group
- Thokk -- Half Orc, Fighter, Alignment: Chaotic Neutral -- Level 3
- Kung Lao -- Human, Fighter, Alignment: Lawful Good -- Level 3
- After returning from spying on the Dragon Cult, he decided that the adventuring life wasn’t for him and asked for his job back in the guards.
After making their way to town, they reported to Governor Nighthill and got their promised rewards. Then the group split up. Kung Lao decided that he had had enough of the adventuring life and went back to working in the garrison. Andry and Thoradin decided to stay at the Silver Pegasus and live in comfort while Kaya and Criella stayed at a boarding house in the poorer, but more affordable, part of town. Andry found work at the local orphanage and Kaya helped out at the tanner’s in exchange for working on her own projects. Criella decided to use her downtime learning Elvish from Nightbreeze, one of the prisoners they had rescued. Thoradin didn’t even pretend to spend his time wisely, spending most of his days carousing. His exploits in Greenest became legendary.
DM's Note: I really need to find something to call ourselves other than "they" and "the adventuring group."
DM's Note: Lane moved on to another house. Fortunately, we had reached a reasonable place for his character to leave the group. It is possible that he will meet up with us down the road for another session, but very unlikely.
On their first night back in town, Thoradin fell in love with a lovely maiden named Maya -- who immediately cheated on him with a gnome, Zook. Zook and Thoradin instantly became enemies, but that did not stop Thoradin from carousing until dawn each and every night. A few days later, he realized that either Zook was a worse enemy than he had thought -- or he had more enemies than he knew about -- when he woke up behind the Lonely Star. He had no memory of the day before, and even less idea of how he had ended up behind THIS tavern, since he was positive that he had confined all his carousing to The Prancing Satyr. His pouch was also 65 gp lighter. Vowing vengeance to whomever had done this dastardly deed, Thoradin promised to split the money with Criella if she helped get it back. Always up for a caper, especially when it involved money, Criella gladly helped investigate. This did not interfere with her daily lessons, because they were over long before Thoradin was awake enough to go carousing. Eventually they discovered that Thoradin had gone off with a tiefling by the name of Green Tom, due to the color of his skin. (Criella was intrigued by this, since tieflings are not usually green. Thoradin didn’t care about that, but he immediately suspected drugs in his ale.)
DM's Note: I had the inn keepers and barkeeps figured out before we got to town, but the truly memorable characters were the ones that resulted from the carousing. I had the kids come up with the names and races as needed, which made it much easier on me.
Everybody in town seemed to know Green Tom, but nobody would admit to knowing where to find him. Running into a dead end, Thoradin and Criella decide to return to the Lonely Star and investigate further -- Thoradin’s head had hurt too much for him to think about this initially. The barkeep was a surly fellow who didn’t seem to want to answer any questions or gain any business, so there was no help there. However, when they looked around the alley, Thoradin noticed drag marks on the ground. Following the marks, Thoradin and Criella found themselves at the orphanage where Andry was working. What followed next was greatly amusing -- to everybody not named Thoradin.
Joseph Snailbottom, the head of the orphanage, greeted Thoradin with a broad smile, thanking him for his generous donation. Apparently, having accompanied Green Tom to the orphanage, Thoradin had decided to bless the children with his gold. (Thoradin immediately decided that he needed to lock up most of his winnings from now on.) Then, following an assuredly foolish dare, Thoradin had charged into the closed gate headfirst, knocking himself unconscious. (Andry was sweeping in the hall during this conversation, and was doubled up in laughter.) Mr. Snailbottom had been under the impression that Green Tom had helped Thoradin home, but apparently that was too much work and he had just dragged him around the corner, behind the tavern.
Knowing how his money went missing, and not willing to demand it back when the children so clearly needed it, Thoradin grumbled . . . and immediately went back to carousing, earning around 600 gp (the raiders hadn’t managed to find all of the wealth in Greenest). Criella, on the other hand, decided to continue the search for Green Tom. Thoradin hadn’t really seemed to give up the money out of his own free will, so now she suspected drugs as well. As a tiefling, she had a hard enough time in towns, and definitely did not want Green Tom to make her life harder. By a decent amount of sleuthing, Criella heard rumors about Chauntea, the goddess of the harvest, turning Tom green. Deciding she needed to hear more about this, Criella paid a visit to Chauntea’s temple. There, she discovered the priest was actually the one who had cursed Green Tom, not Chauntea herself, because he kept dragging others into bad situations out of jealousy. The curse can only be undone if Tom can convince others to make good choices that benefit others. The catch is that the victims have to be willing and aware of what’s going on.
This was obviously not what had happened in Thoradin’s case, so Criella found Green Tom’s house (She is a much better investigator than Thoradin, who cares mostly about carousing) and left an ominous note telling him that he’s being watched.
Eventually, when even Thoradin was getting tired of carousing (you could only get into so many brawls with Zook) the adventurers received a note from Leosin, inviting them to lunch at the Silver Pegasus. Even then, Thoradin thought about skipping lunch for more carousing. He really was starting to get bored, though, so eventually he agreed to go. However, he did drag himself out of bed early in the morning to carouse some more, and found himself with another girlfriend before lunch -- this time Zook’s sister, Tana.
During lunch, Leosin asked the group to spy on the raider’s camp some more. He had heard from some friends of his that were also concerned about the Cult of the Dragon, and everybody agreed they needed to know more information before they could act. Because the adventurers already knew their way around camp (and hadn’t been captured like Leosin) they were the ideal spies. There was no rush, though, as the raiders seemed to be settled in for a while. I would say the group talked it over, but Thoradin was so bored that he jumped on the opportunity immediately and didn’t give anybody else the chance to debate it. Everybody had already done the little shopping they needed (half off at the smithy for saving his apprentice!), but Kaya needed a couple more days to finish making the last of her riding gear -- Thoradin spent all this time carousing.
On their last day in Greenest, Criella went to check on Green Tom one last time, but this time was caught in the act. Fortunately, she was able to fall back on her old con artist tricks and convinced him that she was just curious about other tieflings in town. Despite his initial suspicions, Green Tom decided that he was just being paranoid and let her go on her way.
The adventurers are all prepared to leave in the morning. The town is ready for Thoradin to leave.
DM's Note: This was the first time we have used downtime and I wasn't sure how it would go. Memo had way too much fun causing havoc.
Last edited:
Similar Threads
