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We D&D- Tyranny of Dragons Part 2: The Rise of Tiamat #24b Strike Team 1 Part 2 A Ton of Undead.
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<blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7591390" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #20 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #6 Camp Dragonclaw.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Brothers of the First Light.</strong></p><p><strong>Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>&</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Dwarf Fighter Lvl 2</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 2</strong></p><p></p><p>Note, this is session #20 of our game but only session #6 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.</p><p></p><p>We’re on to <strong>Episode 2: Raiders’ Camp.</strong></p><p></p><p>So it begins again, the Brothers et al spend a little XP re-equipping, this after getting in their first Extended Rest for some time- they’re all Level 2 now. However the first caller they have on waking is Governor Nighthill, he has a proposal for the adventurers. Simply put he wants them to follow the invaders back to their camp and if possible to infiltrate the place, he has questions that need answering-</p><p></p><p>1) Where is the camp?</p><p>2) How many raiders are there?</p><p>3) Who are their leaders?</p><p>4) What is the motivation for these attacks?</p><p>5) If they plan to strike again, where?</p><p></p><p>The adventurers are also asked to recover any stolen goods they can, but Nighthill insists the answers to the five questions above take priority. He is willing to pay them 250gp each, which is a goodly sum of money.</p><p></p><p>The players talk amongst themselves for a while, clearly this task requires a great deal of roleplay, are they up for it- the answer is of course, yes. It helps that the guys already have a map to the camp provided to Lux (Human Warlock) by the Acolyte that she Charmed previously, they’re fairly certain they know who the leaders are (Cyanwrath & Mondath), also they fear the raids are motivated by a desire to build a hoard/horde fit for Tiamat.</p><p></p><p>Nighthill also introduces Nesim Waladra, apprentice to Leosin Erlanthar, who is still being sought by Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk); the fear is Leosin has been captured by the raiders. Nesim is concerned for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that his master has been investigating the raiders for the last three months. He may have vital information that could help to combat the Cultists, so gather information and a rescue mission.</p><p></p><p>The PCs stock up for their new mission, in particular Lux buys (or rather is gifted- she spends a little XP) several bottles of spirits and some fresh food- she’s a smart cookie, figuring out that food and booze are as good as passwords. That done the group get on the trail- note Hard Bonk is going to the camp so that there’ll be no problem recognising Leosin Erlanthur, also because the players have convinced me that five PCs is the future (for now), and they wanted for each of them to have a go at playing two PCs at the same time- it’s Rob’s turn with Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric) & Hard Bonk for this mission.</p><p></p><p>Down the track they go- the trail is easy to spot, also easy to spot is the fact that the Cultists are weighed down- they’re carrying the spoils of their raid.</p><p></p><p>About four hours later the Brothers spot a campsite, full of bickering Cultists (x4) & Kobolds (x8), the two groups seem to be arguing about the best way to cook a chicken (actually several chickens)- the Cultists want it with chips, the Kobolds favour a more immediate approach to the problem- kill it and eat it raw.</p><p></p><p>Either way the opportunity is too good to miss, the order however (from Lux- it seems she’s now in charge, Lux is of course played by Sandy- she likes being in charge) is to take a few of the Cultists alive.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113006[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Watt’s (Human Bard) Thunderwave only kills one Kobold, and now he’s stuck out in the open. Lux Eldritch Blasts a Cultists dead (obviously that one wasn’t going to be taken prisoner), while Lummins’ Burning Hands spell kills another two Kobolds and a Cultist. Sgt Markguth (Human Fighter) does as he’s told and rushes in and knocks a Cultist out cold with the flat of his blade. Hard Bonk uses his Step of the Wind to get to the last Cultist left standing- and then hits the guy three times (including Flurry of Blows) and rolls ‘1’ damage every time- the Cultist survives on one hit point.</p><p></p><p>So, mixed results from the surprise round.</p><p></p><p>The action starts in earnest and Hard Bonk is hit by a slinging Kobold- Lux Eldritch Blasts the miscreant dead. Meanwhile the last remaining (badly wounded) Cultist attempts to flee. Sgt Markguth cuts down a Kobold and goes chasing after the escaping Cultist- the tide breaks and the other Kobolds are also off and running. Hard Bonk chases one down and knocks it out, Watt repeats the formula.</p><p></p><p>Lux Eldritch Blasts a fleeing Kobold to pieces- she’s giggling like a loon, and enjoying playing a good guy who has a bit of bad guy about her.</p><p></p><p>The last Cultist however is getting away, and there’s only Sgt Markguth that’s close- he can’t overtake the fellow so he skids to a halt, grabs out a dagger and… THUNK, his aim is true- he kills it.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers scour the camp and gather their prisoners- they have a Cultist and two Kobolds, all securely tied, to chat with.</p><p></p><p>Also time for a short rest- the Brothers et al make chicken and chips and then start their interrogations with the Kobolds- which proves to be a waste of time- “there’s a dragon in the camp”, the first Kobold states- which gets the adventurers attention. Not to be outdone the second Kobold claims that there are two dragons in the camp, a bidding war erupts- the two Kobold prisoners finally settle on their being seven dragons in the camp- all of them different colours. Frustrated the Brothers et al turn to the Cultist prisoner for info.</p><p></p><p>The Cultist however is saying nothing, that is until Watt gets creative- “tell us what you know, or I’ll set the Sarge on you”, Sgt Markguth screams his demands in the guy’s face- most unnerving. “Or worse still I’ll introduce you to Lux”, Watt adds- Lux whispers in the Cultist’s ear and the next moment he’s in tears (‘20’), he spills the beans.</p><p></p><p>There’s a rearguard it seems, between here and the camp- note when I read this info in the module (that the Cultists give over the fact there’s a rearguard) I thought to myself- I’m not playing it that way, the PCs are going to have to ask directly otherwise they can find out about the rearguard the hard way. Sgt Markguth asks directly, he’s played by Pete- Pete buys and reads (and DMs) WOTC modules. What can you do?</p><p></p><p>The Cultist goes on to describe the layout of the camp, with a cave at the rear- “they call it the Nursery”. From the details the Brothers et al draw a map of sorts (which looks a bit like the place).</p><p></p><p>The next debate is what to do about the rearguard- Sgt Markguth is for doubling round and attacking it from the rear, Lux is for just going around- Lummins, Watt & Hard Bonk side with Lux. Sgt Markguth (violent Pete) argues for a while but Hard Bonk settles the argument- “we have been tasked to infiltrate the camp- gather information and to rescue Leosin- the fat man (Nighthill) said nothing about attacking and killing.”</p><p></p><p>What to do about the prisoners is a dilemma, right up to the point that Sgt Markguth kills the Cultist and frees the Kobolds, nobody seems unduly concerned, we move on…</p><p></p><p>An hour or so later and Watt, scouting a little ahead with Hard Bonk, spots the rearguard- or else where it’s likely to be, the Brothers et al spend an extra hour or so making a wide arc- going around the position, and then on to the camp.</p><p></p><p>The adventurers spend a great deal of time discussing how they’re going to infiltrate the camp, and then they see how poorly guarded it is, with stragglers still filtering in, so they just march in- no-one stops them, or asks for a password, or… well, anything.</p><p></p><p>DMs Interlude- at this point I get the PCs to make their Charisma checks to see if they’re going to get recognised at any point during their time in the camp- they of course don’t get to see their rolls (in the Dice Tower on Fantasy Grounds), nor do they know what the rolls are for. We have a winner- see later (next session).</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">[ATTACH=full]113007[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The Brothers et al, under Lux’s supervision, spend the next twenty or so minutes generally having a wander- through the lower reaches of the camp (Level 1) noting the presence of lots of Kobolds (over a 100, best guess) and the fact that there seem to be half-a-dozen hunters who are supplying food to the camp.</p><p></p><p>Further in to the camp (Level 2) are the tented accommodations of the Cultists et al, many of the tents bear Dragon Cult insignias, the Brothers of the First Light know about the factions within the cult- each attuned to the worship of one of the five types of chromatic dragon. This place looks much better organised, although there are lots of groups of men standing around, drinking- eating and telling tall tales about their heroics in Greenest.</p><p></p><p>They also note the presence of the guard towers, the cavern at the rear of the camp, and a very obvious command tent. The latter two areas are heavily guarded, no-one approaches the command tent without being intercepted by at least one Guard (there are four Guards in total) each accompanied by a large (and vicious-looking) Guard Drake. The Brothers give the area a wide berth, and instead concentrate their observations on the cavern at the rear of the encampment for a while.</p><p></p><p>The cavern entrance is also, and similarly, heavily guarded- however a line of wagons are waiting there to be unloaded- Kobolds and Cultists alike are gathering what are obviously the spoils garnered from the raid on Greenest and taking them within. Actually it is only the Kobolds that are taking the items in to the cavern, under the direction of a uniformed Cultist- possibly a Dragonclaw or a Dragonwing. It’s very well organised, a military operation.</p><p></p><p>DMs Interlude- I decided ahead of time to give the players a little time to wander before I started messing with them in the camp. You’ll see what I mean about messing with them below.</p><p></p><p>The Brothers et al have still not located where the prisoners are being kept however, note as well as the questions that Nighthill wants answering they’re also still on the lookout for the robed figure they saw casting a Fireball in to the Greenest General Store, they want to find out who this guy is so they can make him pay.</p><p></p><p>And so, after an hour or so of aimless wandering (and having still not spotted the prisoners) the players are at a bit of an impasse, it seems they’re going to have to talk to people. The three original Brothers of the First Light have made sure that Sgt Markguth and Hard Bonk are up to speed with regard to the typical signs and pass phrases that the Dragon Cultists use. The decision therefore is to split in to two groups- Lux & Sgt Markguth; and Lummins, Watt & Hard Bonk and to go for a wander and find someone they can ingratiate themselves with and ask questions- they also sorted out their backstories on the way to the camp. </p><p></p><p>However things do not go exactly as planned, having agreed all of the above, and also a time and place to meet up again (in an hour or so back at the entrance to the camp), the Brothers et al are approached by a Cultist (possibly a Dragonclaw) and barked at for a while- which is scary for a bit but with the ex-Dragon Cultists doing 99% of the talking it goes okay.</p><p></p><p>Dragonclaw Pang it quickly becomes obvious is looking for bodies to fulfil a variety of positions, and so the adventurers (somewhat to their dismay) find themselves being given various tasks to complete. Their initial panic wears off quickly, Dragonclaw Pang’s authority more-or-less legitimises their presence in the camp- basically they’ve just got themselves a hall pass.</p><p></p><p>And so, for the rest of this session, and for the first part of the next, the Brothers et al are running errands, obviously in-game we went around the table with each of the PCs getting their opportunity to act out the next bit of their task, however from a narrative perspective it’s far easier if I write this out one PC at a time.</p><p></p><p>DM Interlude- mechanics wise to complete their allotted tasks each PC had to make a minimum of five Skill Checks- three of the checks using (any) social skill, plus one Investigation or similar check, and one other check of their choice. Obviously they can make more than five checks, but that’s the minimum. They set their own DCs for their checks (minimum DC 8), so they can play it safe and make five DC 8 checks, or else they could stretch themselves- obviously successful checks at DC 15 garner more info, and impress more folk than checks at DC 8. Basically they decided how tough each challenge is going to be for their PCs.</p><p></p><p>And so-</p><p></p><p><strong>1) Hard Bonk the Watcher.</strong></p><p></p><p>Hard Bonk is given the easiest task by far, simply put the Monk gets guard duty- Dragonclaw Pang orders him to go fetch two other Cultists (Renk & Tadd) from the camp (Pang points in the general direction of the Cult tents). Then to head up to the Guard Tower above the plateau and relieve the guards there, basically to stand guard for the next 3-4 hours until they’re relieved… and that’s it.</p><p></p><p>Remarkably Hard Bonk has no problems with the first (and hardest) part of the task- he’s not the most talkative, and certainly not very charismatic. The initial problem then is finding Renk & Tadd, a majority of the surly Cultists are happily boozing and telling tall tales and in no mood to help him, that is until the Half-Orc starts barking at them and dropping Dragonclaw Pang’s name repeatedly. Thirty minutes later and Hard Bonk has rounded up the pair of recalcitrant Cultists and is now atop the high watch tower on guard duty- and there he (and they) remain for the next four hours.</p><p></p><p>Note Hard Bonk chooses to play dumb with Renk & Tadd for the first three or so hours of his duty, he answers questions with grunts and nods, or else with the minimum amount of information necessary to redirect the conversation away from him. He’s remarkably good at it- I figured the Cultists, beyond their homicidal (or otherwise) desire to see a world ruled by dragons, also had (or still have) wives, children and family- in short a past. So, I dreamed up a couple of dozen questions with which to pester the various PCs as they went about their interactions. Hard Bonk escaped my interrogation and gave nothing away. That said in the last hour of his watch the Half-Orc suddenly switches tactics- he has questions of his own, the Cultists however are not buying the abrupt change in Hard Bonk’s demeanour (his low Investigation & Deception rolls don’t help either). It gets tense very quickly- “Why do you want to know?” is the repeated reply. The guard duty eventually ends- and the trio are relieved, Hard Bonk has learned a few things (from Nighthill’s list of questions) but nothing substantial. He has however also alerted the suspicions of the pair- soon after duty Renk & Tadd go back to their tent and start to gossip about Hard Bonk- there’s something not quite right about the Half-Orc.</p><p></p><p>Obviously, the players are not aware of this… yet.</p><p></p><p><strong>2) Watt the Messenger.</strong></p><p></p><p>Dragonclaw Pang has a good job for Watt, he will be serving as his runner for the next four or so hours, delivering messages to all and sundry around the camp- from getting the Kobolds to do Dragonclaw Pang’s dirty washing, to checking on operations at the Nursery- the offload of the treasure garnered in the Greenest raid, to asking the Hunters to get more meat. It’s all go for Watt- running back and forth, he certainly gets to see all parts of the camp, including where the prisoners are kept. He even gets a good look inside the entrance cavern to the Nursery- there’s nothing much to see, it extends back in to darkness. Watt, at the end of it all, is the talk of the camp- people love his bawdy tales and gossip. On the one occasion he has to bark at a Cultist for not taking him seriously, the poor fellow almost soils himself, and then scurries to comply- passers-by, including a very hefty looking Dragonclaw (Gahn), compliment or else give nods of approval- good work, that man!</p><p></p><p>In short Watt receives a letter of commendation from Dragonwing Pang at the end of his shift, and the promise of a recall- Watt is Pang’s go-to guy. Watt also learns all there is to know about the camp, and more or less everyone in it- he can answer every one of Nighthill’s questions and has more info besides. Like the fact that this operation is being repeated elsewhere, and that the treasure from all of the operations is being sent north- there’s a caravan heading that way sometime soon. Also, the fact that the missing Monk- Leosin Erlanthur, is indeed being held prisoner, and that the Monk is being kept alive (and questioned- actually tortured) on special instruction of Rezmir (another Half-Dragon (Black)), who founded this camp and is by far the highest ranking Cultist present.</p><p></p><p>Lastly, and perhaps the most frightening piece of information that Watt learns, is that the fellow that Fireballed the General Store in Greenest is a Red Wizard of Thay, name unknown- however the evil bastard has apparently left the camp already- his talents needed elsewhere. The obvious implication being that the Red Wizards are involved in the operation- that’s not good news.</p><p></p><p>Just for info four of the five skill checks Watt makes are over ‘20’, and he set the DCs fairly high (he’s a risk taker) and all combined with excellent roleplay- the cheeky chirpy chappie who never fails to get things done. Watt (played by Jackie) has a blast.</p><p></p><p>Last one for this session, the other two guys next week.</p><p></p><p><strong>3) Lummins the Shifter.</strong></p><p></p><p>A simple task, possibly beneath the in-disguise Priest of Lathander- he thinks so, and carps about the fact endlessly, Lummins is tasked to help-out (later on to oversee) the Kobolds and Cultists shifting bags and boxes filled with items stolen in the raid. As with Watt, Lummins is up to the task- although not in the same league as the Bard. Over the course of the next four hours Lummins gets to see how the items taken from Greenest are at first sorted- with many of the best treasures being packed away and sealed safely and securely in crates, while the more mundane (but still saleable items) are stored much less efficiently in sacks and barrels. The horde is being packed away ready for a long journey and made to look like ordinary trade goods. The richest packages are even given an extra layer of straw topped with another layer of much less valuable items placed on top- the treasures beneath hidden from all but close inspection.</p><p></p><p>Dragonclaw Barlow is overseeing the operation, and like Watt, Lummins soon becomes the Dragonclaw’s favourite, much to the chagrin of several of the other Cultists- who’s the new guy? The Priest is barked at for a while by his jealous work colleagues, and with no suitable come-back. A little later one of the more envious Cultists (Lummins is getting all the easy jobs) squares up to the Priest of Lathander. It comes to nothing however, Dragonclaw Barlow intervenes and to make matters worse for the other jealous Cultists he decides to slope off for a smoke and leave the now smirking Lummins briefly in charge of the whole operation.</p><p></p><p>Lummins, as with Watt, learns all there is to know about the activities of the camp- the names of all of the leaders (Rezmir, Mondath & Cyanwrath, in that order) and more importantly that the Nursery is home to many interesting things including a clutch of dragon eggs, all of the treasure taken from over a dozen raids, and that Mondath- the camp commander (and his side-kick Cyanwrath) both spend a majority of their time in the caverns. </p><p></p><p>All in all, it has been a successful mission so far, at least for the three PCs discussed above, which brings us to the end of this session. Can the PCs carry on the good work- well, yes and no, as you’ll see next time?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7591390, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #20 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #6 Camp Dragonclaw. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 2 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 2 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 2 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 2 & Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 2 Secondary PCs Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 2 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Dwarf Fighter Lvl 2 Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 2[/B] Note, this is session #20 of our game but only session #6 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario. We’re on to [B]Episode 2: Raiders’ Camp.[/B] So it begins again, the Brothers et al spend a little XP re-equipping, this after getting in their first Extended Rest for some time- they’re all Level 2 now. However the first caller they have on waking is Governor Nighthill, he has a proposal for the adventurers. Simply put he wants them to follow the invaders back to their camp and if possible to infiltrate the place, he has questions that need answering- 1) Where is the camp? 2) How many raiders are there? 3) Who are their leaders? 4) What is the motivation for these attacks? 5) If they plan to strike again, where? The adventurers are also asked to recover any stolen goods they can, but Nighthill insists the answers to the five questions above take priority. He is willing to pay them 250gp each, which is a goodly sum of money. The players talk amongst themselves for a while, clearly this task requires a great deal of roleplay, are they up for it- the answer is of course, yes. It helps that the guys already have a map to the camp provided to Lux (Human Warlock) by the Acolyte that she Charmed previously, they’re fairly certain they know who the leaders are (Cyanwrath & Mondath), also they fear the raids are motivated by a desire to build a hoard/horde fit for Tiamat. Nighthill also introduces Nesim Waladra, apprentice to Leosin Erlanthar, who is still being sought by Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk); the fear is Leosin has been captured by the raiders. Nesim is concerned for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that his master has been investigating the raiders for the last three months. He may have vital information that could help to combat the Cultists, so gather information and a rescue mission. The PCs stock up for their new mission, in particular Lux buys (or rather is gifted- she spends a little XP) several bottles of spirits and some fresh food- she’s a smart cookie, figuring out that food and booze are as good as passwords. That done the group get on the trail- note Hard Bonk is going to the camp so that there’ll be no problem recognising Leosin Erlanthur, also because the players have convinced me that five PCs is the future (for now), and they wanted for each of them to have a go at playing two PCs at the same time- it’s Rob’s turn with Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric) & Hard Bonk for this mission. Down the track they go- the trail is easy to spot, also easy to spot is the fact that the Cultists are weighed down- they’re carrying the spoils of their raid. About four hours later the Brothers spot a campsite, full of bickering Cultists (x4) & Kobolds (x8), the two groups seem to be arguing about the best way to cook a chicken (actually several chickens)- the Cultists want it with chips, the Kobolds favour a more immediate approach to the problem- kill it and eat it raw. Either way the opportunity is too good to miss, the order however (from Lux- it seems she’s now in charge, Lux is of course played by Sandy- she likes being in charge) is to take a few of the Cultists alive. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113006[/ATTACH][/CENTER] Watt’s (Human Bard) Thunderwave only kills one Kobold, and now he’s stuck out in the open. Lux Eldritch Blasts a Cultists dead (obviously that one wasn’t going to be taken prisoner), while Lummins’ Burning Hands spell kills another two Kobolds and a Cultist. Sgt Markguth (Human Fighter) does as he’s told and rushes in and knocks a Cultist out cold with the flat of his blade. Hard Bonk uses his Step of the Wind to get to the last Cultist left standing- and then hits the guy three times (including Flurry of Blows) and rolls ‘1’ damage every time- the Cultist survives on one hit point. So, mixed results from the surprise round. The action starts in earnest and Hard Bonk is hit by a slinging Kobold- Lux Eldritch Blasts the miscreant dead. Meanwhile the last remaining (badly wounded) Cultist attempts to flee. Sgt Markguth cuts down a Kobold and goes chasing after the escaping Cultist- the tide breaks and the other Kobolds are also off and running. Hard Bonk chases one down and knocks it out, Watt repeats the formula. Lux Eldritch Blasts a fleeing Kobold to pieces- she’s giggling like a loon, and enjoying playing a good guy who has a bit of bad guy about her. The last Cultist however is getting away, and there’s only Sgt Markguth that’s close- he can’t overtake the fellow so he skids to a halt, grabs out a dagger and… THUNK, his aim is true- he kills it. The adventurers scour the camp and gather their prisoners- they have a Cultist and two Kobolds, all securely tied, to chat with. Also time for a short rest- the Brothers et al make chicken and chips and then start their interrogations with the Kobolds- which proves to be a waste of time- “there’s a dragon in the camp”, the first Kobold states- which gets the adventurers attention. Not to be outdone the second Kobold claims that there are two dragons in the camp, a bidding war erupts- the two Kobold prisoners finally settle on their being seven dragons in the camp- all of them different colours. Frustrated the Brothers et al turn to the Cultist prisoner for info. The Cultist however is saying nothing, that is until Watt gets creative- “tell us what you know, or I’ll set the Sarge on you”, Sgt Markguth screams his demands in the guy’s face- most unnerving. “Or worse still I’ll introduce you to Lux”, Watt adds- Lux whispers in the Cultist’s ear and the next moment he’s in tears (‘20’), he spills the beans. There’s a rearguard it seems, between here and the camp- note when I read this info in the module (that the Cultists give over the fact there’s a rearguard) I thought to myself- I’m not playing it that way, the PCs are going to have to ask directly otherwise they can find out about the rearguard the hard way. Sgt Markguth asks directly, he’s played by Pete- Pete buys and reads (and DMs) WOTC modules. What can you do? The Cultist goes on to describe the layout of the camp, with a cave at the rear- “they call it the Nursery”. From the details the Brothers et al draw a map of sorts (which looks a bit like the place). The next debate is what to do about the rearguard- Sgt Markguth is for doubling round and attacking it from the rear, Lux is for just going around- Lummins, Watt & Hard Bonk side with Lux. Sgt Markguth (violent Pete) argues for a while but Hard Bonk settles the argument- “we have been tasked to infiltrate the camp- gather information and to rescue Leosin- the fat man (Nighthill) said nothing about attacking and killing.” What to do about the prisoners is a dilemma, right up to the point that Sgt Markguth kills the Cultist and frees the Kobolds, nobody seems unduly concerned, we move on… An hour or so later and Watt, scouting a little ahead with Hard Bonk, spots the rearguard- or else where it’s likely to be, the Brothers et al spend an extra hour or so making a wide arc- going around the position, and then on to the camp. The adventurers spend a great deal of time discussing how they’re going to infiltrate the camp, and then they see how poorly guarded it is, with stragglers still filtering in, so they just march in- no-one stops them, or asks for a password, or… well, anything. DMs Interlude- at this point I get the PCs to make their Charisma checks to see if they’re going to get recognised at any point during their time in the camp- they of course don’t get to see their rolls (in the Dice Tower on Fantasy Grounds), nor do they know what the rolls are for. We have a winner- see later (next session). [CENTER][ATTACH type="full"]113007[/ATTACH][/CENTER] The Brothers et al, under Lux’s supervision, spend the next twenty or so minutes generally having a wander- through the lower reaches of the camp (Level 1) noting the presence of lots of Kobolds (over a 100, best guess) and the fact that there seem to be half-a-dozen hunters who are supplying food to the camp. Further in to the camp (Level 2) are the tented accommodations of the Cultists et al, many of the tents bear Dragon Cult insignias, the Brothers of the First Light know about the factions within the cult- each attuned to the worship of one of the five types of chromatic dragon. This place looks much better organised, although there are lots of groups of men standing around, drinking- eating and telling tall tales about their heroics in Greenest. They also note the presence of the guard towers, the cavern at the rear of the camp, and a very obvious command tent. The latter two areas are heavily guarded, no-one approaches the command tent without being intercepted by at least one Guard (there are four Guards in total) each accompanied by a large (and vicious-looking) Guard Drake. The Brothers give the area a wide berth, and instead concentrate their observations on the cavern at the rear of the encampment for a while. The cavern entrance is also, and similarly, heavily guarded- however a line of wagons are waiting there to be unloaded- Kobolds and Cultists alike are gathering what are obviously the spoils garnered from the raid on Greenest and taking them within. Actually it is only the Kobolds that are taking the items in to the cavern, under the direction of a uniformed Cultist- possibly a Dragonclaw or a Dragonwing. It’s very well organised, a military operation. DMs Interlude- I decided ahead of time to give the players a little time to wander before I started messing with them in the camp. You’ll see what I mean about messing with them below. The Brothers et al have still not located where the prisoners are being kept however, note as well as the questions that Nighthill wants answering they’re also still on the lookout for the robed figure they saw casting a Fireball in to the Greenest General Store, they want to find out who this guy is so they can make him pay. And so, after an hour or so of aimless wandering (and having still not spotted the prisoners) the players are at a bit of an impasse, it seems they’re going to have to talk to people. The three original Brothers of the First Light have made sure that Sgt Markguth and Hard Bonk are up to speed with regard to the typical signs and pass phrases that the Dragon Cultists use. The decision therefore is to split in to two groups- Lux & Sgt Markguth; and Lummins, Watt & Hard Bonk and to go for a wander and find someone they can ingratiate themselves with and ask questions- they also sorted out their backstories on the way to the camp. However things do not go exactly as planned, having agreed all of the above, and also a time and place to meet up again (in an hour or so back at the entrance to the camp), the Brothers et al are approached by a Cultist (possibly a Dragonclaw) and barked at for a while- which is scary for a bit but with the ex-Dragon Cultists doing 99% of the talking it goes okay. Dragonclaw Pang it quickly becomes obvious is looking for bodies to fulfil a variety of positions, and so the adventurers (somewhat to their dismay) find themselves being given various tasks to complete. Their initial panic wears off quickly, Dragonclaw Pang’s authority more-or-less legitimises their presence in the camp- basically they’ve just got themselves a hall pass. And so, for the rest of this session, and for the first part of the next, the Brothers et al are running errands, obviously in-game we went around the table with each of the PCs getting their opportunity to act out the next bit of their task, however from a narrative perspective it’s far easier if I write this out one PC at a time. DM Interlude- mechanics wise to complete their allotted tasks each PC had to make a minimum of five Skill Checks- three of the checks using (any) social skill, plus one Investigation or similar check, and one other check of their choice. Obviously they can make more than five checks, but that’s the minimum. They set their own DCs for their checks (minimum DC 8), so they can play it safe and make five DC 8 checks, or else they could stretch themselves- obviously successful checks at DC 15 garner more info, and impress more folk than checks at DC 8. Basically they decided how tough each challenge is going to be for their PCs. And so- [B]1) Hard Bonk the Watcher.[/B] Hard Bonk is given the easiest task by far, simply put the Monk gets guard duty- Dragonclaw Pang orders him to go fetch two other Cultists (Renk & Tadd) from the camp (Pang points in the general direction of the Cult tents). Then to head up to the Guard Tower above the plateau and relieve the guards there, basically to stand guard for the next 3-4 hours until they’re relieved… and that’s it. Remarkably Hard Bonk has no problems with the first (and hardest) part of the task- he’s not the most talkative, and certainly not very charismatic. The initial problem then is finding Renk & Tadd, a majority of the surly Cultists are happily boozing and telling tall tales and in no mood to help him, that is until the Half-Orc starts barking at them and dropping Dragonclaw Pang’s name repeatedly. Thirty minutes later and Hard Bonk has rounded up the pair of recalcitrant Cultists and is now atop the high watch tower on guard duty- and there he (and they) remain for the next four hours. Note Hard Bonk chooses to play dumb with Renk & Tadd for the first three or so hours of his duty, he answers questions with grunts and nods, or else with the minimum amount of information necessary to redirect the conversation away from him. He’s remarkably good at it- I figured the Cultists, beyond their homicidal (or otherwise) desire to see a world ruled by dragons, also had (or still have) wives, children and family- in short a past. So, I dreamed up a couple of dozen questions with which to pester the various PCs as they went about their interactions. Hard Bonk escaped my interrogation and gave nothing away. That said in the last hour of his watch the Half-Orc suddenly switches tactics- he has questions of his own, the Cultists however are not buying the abrupt change in Hard Bonk’s demeanour (his low Investigation & Deception rolls don’t help either). It gets tense very quickly- “Why do you want to know?” is the repeated reply. The guard duty eventually ends- and the trio are relieved, Hard Bonk has learned a few things (from Nighthill’s list of questions) but nothing substantial. He has however also alerted the suspicions of the pair- soon after duty Renk & Tadd go back to their tent and start to gossip about Hard Bonk- there’s something not quite right about the Half-Orc. Obviously, the players are not aware of this… yet. [B]2) Watt the Messenger.[/B] Dragonclaw Pang has a good job for Watt, he will be serving as his runner for the next four or so hours, delivering messages to all and sundry around the camp- from getting the Kobolds to do Dragonclaw Pang’s dirty washing, to checking on operations at the Nursery- the offload of the treasure garnered in the Greenest raid, to asking the Hunters to get more meat. It’s all go for Watt- running back and forth, he certainly gets to see all parts of the camp, including where the prisoners are kept. He even gets a good look inside the entrance cavern to the Nursery- there’s nothing much to see, it extends back in to darkness. Watt, at the end of it all, is the talk of the camp- people love his bawdy tales and gossip. On the one occasion he has to bark at a Cultist for not taking him seriously, the poor fellow almost soils himself, and then scurries to comply- passers-by, including a very hefty looking Dragonclaw (Gahn), compliment or else give nods of approval- good work, that man! In short Watt receives a letter of commendation from Dragonwing Pang at the end of his shift, and the promise of a recall- Watt is Pang’s go-to guy. Watt also learns all there is to know about the camp, and more or less everyone in it- he can answer every one of Nighthill’s questions and has more info besides. Like the fact that this operation is being repeated elsewhere, and that the treasure from all of the operations is being sent north- there’s a caravan heading that way sometime soon. Also, the fact that the missing Monk- Leosin Erlanthur, is indeed being held prisoner, and that the Monk is being kept alive (and questioned- actually tortured) on special instruction of Rezmir (another Half-Dragon (Black)), who founded this camp and is by far the highest ranking Cultist present. Lastly, and perhaps the most frightening piece of information that Watt learns, is that the fellow that Fireballed the General Store in Greenest is a Red Wizard of Thay, name unknown- however the evil bastard has apparently left the camp already- his talents needed elsewhere. The obvious implication being that the Red Wizards are involved in the operation- that’s not good news. Just for info four of the five skill checks Watt makes are over ‘20’, and he set the DCs fairly high (he’s a risk taker) and all combined with excellent roleplay- the cheeky chirpy chappie who never fails to get things done. Watt (played by Jackie) has a blast. Last one for this session, the other two guys next week. [B]3) Lummins the Shifter.[/B] A simple task, possibly beneath the in-disguise Priest of Lathander- he thinks so, and carps about the fact endlessly, Lummins is tasked to help-out (later on to oversee) the Kobolds and Cultists shifting bags and boxes filled with items stolen in the raid. As with Watt, Lummins is up to the task- although not in the same league as the Bard. Over the course of the next four hours Lummins gets to see how the items taken from Greenest are at first sorted- with many of the best treasures being packed away and sealed safely and securely in crates, while the more mundane (but still saleable items) are stored much less efficiently in sacks and barrels. The horde is being packed away ready for a long journey and made to look like ordinary trade goods. The richest packages are even given an extra layer of straw topped with another layer of much less valuable items placed on top- the treasures beneath hidden from all but close inspection. Dragonclaw Barlow is overseeing the operation, and like Watt, Lummins soon becomes the Dragonclaw’s favourite, much to the chagrin of several of the other Cultists- who’s the new guy? The Priest is barked at for a while by his jealous work colleagues, and with no suitable come-back. A little later one of the more envious Cultists (Lummins is getting all the easy jobs) squares up to the Priest of Lathander. It comes to nothing however, Dragonclaw Barlow intervenes and to make matters worse for the other jealous Cultists he decides to slope off for a smoke and leave the now smirking Lummins briefly in charge of the whole operation. Lummins, as with Watt, learns all there is to know about the activities of the camp- the names of all of the leaders (Rezmir, Mondath & Cyanwrath, in that order) and more importantly that the Nursery is home to many interesting things including a clutch of dragon eggs, all of the treasure taken from over a dozen raids, and that Mondath- the camp commander (and his side-kick Cyanwrath) both spend a majority of their time in the caverns. All in all, it has been a successful mission so far, at least for the three PCs discussed above, which brings us to the end of this session. Can the PCs carry on the good work- well, yes and no, as you’ll see next time? [/QUOTE]
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