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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: 7979257" data-attributes="member: 16069"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>We D&D.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Session #57 The Rise of Tiamat #16b The Third Council of Waterdeep Part 2.</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 11</strong></p><p><strong>Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong>&</strong></p><p><strong>Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Secondary PCs.</strong></p><p><strong>Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on.</strong></p><p><strong>Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8</strong></p><p><strong>Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8</strong></p><p></p><p>This is session #57 of our game, but only session #16b of The Rise of Tiamat scenario.</p><p></p><p>Only a short instalment this time, all that was left after the titanic fight earlier in the session.</p><p></p><p>And so, it’s all gotten a bit crazy, the later than usual (it took a good long while to get through the fight in the first half of the session) Pizza has been consumed, and the PCs are back in confused action.</p><p></p><p>The third Council of Waterdeep is a riot of colours, with Ambassadors and Kings et al being surrounded by their various guards and petty functionaries. There are fist fights as the various groups push and shove each other about to get clear of the area.</p><p></p><p>That is until Sgt Bobby (Pete) swings into action, the big lad stands on a table (actually on his chair around the gaming table) and starts shouting the odds, his speech- such as it is, is not stoic, heroic, or any other word ending in -ic. It is however very sweary and to the EXPLETIVE point.</p><p></p><p>In summary (and note I have exorcised the ‘language’ and replaced it with more friendly exhortations)-</p><p></p><p>“Where the Flipdiddly are you Nancypants going? The bad guys are all Flipdiddly dead. The Flipdiddly Portal is closed. You’re all still Flipdiddly alive. Sit the Flipdiddly down you Flipdiddlying Flipdiddlies.”</p><p></p><p>Then, of course, Sgt Bobby rolls a ‘20’ on his Intimidate check.</p><p></p><p>Lady Silverhand translates Sgt B’s Churchillian speech and grumpily, somewhat ashamedly (some of them), the third Council of Waterdeep sits back down again and soon after gets back to business, although a number of guards are allowed to remain in the chamber.</p><p></p><p>That went really well, and a nice surprise- Sgt Bobby (Pete) with a bit of chatter.</p><p></p><p>Note, Sgt Bobby was actually the third PC to try and calm down the situation, Lux and Watt both make attempts before big bad Bobby gets on the table, but the previous pair roll spectacularly low with their social skill checks (‘1’ & ‘2’, in that order).</p><p></p><p>Also note Dagult Neverember is bypassed for the rest of the meeting, his outbursts (mostly bad-mouthing the Brothers and in particular Lux) during the Dragon Cult attack have not made him any new friends. The rest of the meeting is chaired by Lady Silverhand and is all the better for it- although it’s still a confused mess in places.</p><p></p><p>Then comes the explanation, for what just happened- note the floating spectral heads of Severin and Rath Modar disappeared at the same time as the Portal. However, amongst the cacophony of insults from the Dragon Cult bad guys is a fair amount of gloating- basically, the Cult antagonists state, the Brothers and the Council of Waterdeep just got fooled again.</p><p></p><p>The result of which is a lot of sometimes garbled chatter followed by promises from the Brothers of the First Light that if they ever find anything like the Green Dragon Mask again then they’ll hand it over to the proper authorities, so it can be examined by experts.</p><p></p><p>In short- don’t do it again!</p><p></p><p>Then after a little healing, the meeting gets back into full swing.</p><p></p><p>The next topic of conversation is, of course, now they don’t have the Green Dragon Mask then things are ‘really bad’, and not ‘really good’, as the assembled dignitaries first thought.</p><p></p><p>The upshot of this twenty minute discussion is… Rian Nightshade (Special Advisor, and Zhentarim member... shh, that last part is a secret) reveals that she has received a communique from a high ranking Dragon Cult member, the guy wants to defect, and wait for it… drum roll… the fellow has got the Blue Dragon Mask, his ticket to freedom- he believes.</p><p></p><p>Well, we’ve been fooled before, and so it gets heated for a short while with lots of the delegates taking it in turns to point out the obvious- this could be another trap, or else just another wild-goose-chase.</p><p></p><p>However, King Melandrach and Ambassador Brawnanvil fully support whatever the Brothers want to do (these two guys are in the bag), also several of the other members of the Council are now firmly in the Brother’s corner, including Lady Silverhand, Sir Isteval & Ontharr Frume.</p><p></p><p>The Council of Waterdeep however is pretty much split 50:50 as to whether chasing the Blue Dragon Mask is a good/bad idea.</p><p></p><p>To help the PCs make their decision, Rian grabs out and reads (and then shows around) the actual document she received from the Dragon Cult wannabe turncoat-</p><p></p><p>“You don't know me, but we can help each other immeasurably. My name is Iskander, and I made a terrible mistake in joining the Cult of the Dragon. The cult's horrifying plans are sure to bring doom to all, but I can stop those plans with your help. Rescue me from the cult's clutches, and I will deliver to you the prize of prizes: the Blue Dragon Mask. Without it, Severin faces an insurmountable setback in his effort to call Tiamat back to our world. The mask is here in Xonthal's Tower, being studied and guarded by only a handful of wizards, including myself. The danger of my treason becoming known grows with every passing day, and if I'm discovered, I'll surely be killed. Please hurry, for the sake of everyone and everything you value.”</p><p></p><p>Furthermore Rian, and then the Harper representative- Remalia Haventree, confirm that Iskander, a mage who originally studied at the Hosttower in Leilon, is known to be a high-ish ranking Dragon Cult member- so, that much is true. Also, Iskander is purported to be a favourite of Jorgen Pawl, a senior Dragonsoul who does not hold with Severin’s ambitions for the Cult. Pawl is a traditionalist it seems; he thinks the way ahead for the Cult is the creation of more Dracoliches.</p><p></p><p>So, there’s that.</p><p></p><p>Discussions continue for a short while, Xonthal’s Tower it transpires is in the Greypeak Mountains, and about six days travel aboard the Flying Lighthouse.</p><p></p><p>The PCs dither for a while but the decision has pretty much been made- Lux (and therefore also Hotlips) are up for it, as is Sgt Bobby- it’s Watt and Lummins that have reservations.</p><p></p><p>The dithering doesn’t last long, the Brothers of the First Light tell the Council of Waterdeep that they’ll take the job and set off as soon as they can.</p><p></p><p>But first, one last topic to broach- the Red Wizards of Thay (via Lord Volmer) have offered to meet with the Brothers. The Red Wizards- the PCs further explain are not fans of Rath Modar, who it turns out has gone renegade.</p><p></p><p>More discussions follow, and again King M and Brawnanvil back the PCs, who are (it seems, most of them) keen to meet with the Red Wizards of Thay, although less so Sgt Bobby (but I’ve paid him to act this way- you’ll see) and remarkably Lummins, who is also (for some unknown reason, he didn’t explain himself very well) not keen on the meeting. Basically, he believes the Red Wizards are bad people, and not to be trusted. He’s not wrong there.</p><p></p><p>The surprise (for some of the PCs) is that other than King M and Brawnanvil all of the other members of the Council of Waterdeep are either dead against this course of action, or else erring towards caution. The final recommendation of the Council is (in precis)- don’t risk it, the Red Wizards are <u>really</u> bad people- their leader Szass Tam is a nasty bastard Lich, and not beyond taking sides with the Dragon Cult. This invitation is more than likely a trap.</p><p></p><p>Which sets several of the PCs/Players thinking, or else re-thinking.</p><p></p><p>Which soon after also causes us to take a second break in play as the grown-ups (some of the Players) bicker a while, it very quickly gets down to Sandy (Lux & Hotlips) & Jackie (Watt) versus Pete (Sgt Bobby) & Rob (Lummins). Girls versus Boys.</p><p></p><p>The result is a compromise (after another 15 or so minutes of chat), and surprisingly Pete’s idea- let’s go after the Blue Dragon Mask at Xonthal’s Tower, and if that proves to be a bust we’ll contact the Council of Waterdeep again with the intention of taking up the Red Wizard’s offer. Subject to any new information coming to light- a remarkably sensible suggestion, and one that the DM heartily approves of. Mostly because it was my suggestion, Pete was just playing the cards I had dealt him (remember I said a while back that I did a deal with Pete, well this is it unfolding).</p><p></p><p>Top banana.</p><p></p><p>That however is the conclusion of the third Council of Waterdeep, and time for me to share with you the new and updated version of Council of Waterdeep “Official” Score Table-</p><p></p><p>The Harpers +7 (5/7/10)</p><p>The Order of the Gauntlet +9 (7/9/12)</p><p>The Emerald Enclave +4 (5/7/10)</p><p>& the various Lords’ Alliance delegates-</p><p>Lady Silverhand +9 (7/9/12)</p><p>Lord Neverember +5 (5/7/10)</p><p>Ambassador Brawnanvil +12 (7/9/12)</p><p>King Melandrach +10 (6/8/11)</p><p>Marshall Ravengard +9 (7/9/12)</p><p>Taern Hornblade +6 (6/8/11)</p><p>Sir Isteval +10 (6/8/11)</p><p></p><p>Just to make clear all the members of the Council of Waterdeep were unhappy with the Brothers of the First Light for unleashing the fake Green Dragon Mask in their midst. Therefore, all members of the council deducted from 1 to 3 points from their scores, depending on how pissed off they were with the PCs.</p><p></p><p>For example-</p><p></p><p>Lord Neverember -3, he’s very pissed off.</p><p></p><p>Ambassador Brawnanvil & King Melandrach (and a few others) -1, hardly pissed off at all- some of the Council really believe that the Brothers of the First Light are the answer to their prayers. </p><p></p><p>Note the numbers in the parenthesis, let me explain- at the end of all four council sessions the PCs need to score +5 to garner one favour from the Harpers, +7 would earn them two favours, while +10 would result in three. The numbers in the parenthesis therefore indicate the scores needed for one to three favours from each of the delegates</p><p></p><p>Next stop for the Brothers, the Flying Lighthouse and a six-day trip to Xonthal’s Tower, but that’s the last-ish action of this session, because to finish off- joy of joys, the PCs are now Level 12.</p><p></p><p>That was quick.</p><p></p><p>The rest of the session is spent levelling up, see you next time aboard the Flying Lighthouse next time.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Goonalan, post: 7979257, member: 16069"] [CENTER][B]We D&D.[/B][/CENTER] [B]Session #57 The Rise of Tiamat #16b The Third Council of Waterdeep Part 2. Brothers of the First Light. Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 11 Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 11 Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 11 Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 11 & Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 11 Secondary PCs. Left at 8th Level- we’ll get them back if (and when) they’re needed later on. Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 8 Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 8 Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 8[/B] This is session #57 of our game, but only session #16b of The Rise of Tiamat scenario. Only a short instalment this time, all that was left after the titanic fight earlier in the session. And so, it’s all gotten a bit crazy, the later than usual (it took a good long while to get through the fight in the first half of the session) Pizza has been consumed, and the PCs are back in confused action. The third Council of Waterdeep is a riot of colours, with Ambassadors and Kings et al being surrounded by their various guards and petty functionaries. There are fist fights as the various groups push and shove each other about to get clear of the area. That is until Sgt Bobby (Pete) swings into action, the big lad stands on a table (actually on his chair around the gaming table) and starts shouting the odds, his speech- such as it is, is not stoic, heroic, or any other word ending in -ic. It is however very sweary and to the EXPLETIVE point. In summary (and note I have exorcised the ‘language’ and replaced it with more friendly exhortations)- “Where the Flipdiddly are you Nancypants going? The bad guys are all Flipdiddly dead. The Flipdiddly Portal is closed. You’re all still Flipdiddly alive. Sit the Flipdiddly down you Flipdiddlying Flipdiddlies.” Then, of course, Sgt Bobby rolls a ‘20’ on his Intimidate check. Lady Silverhand translates Sgt B’s Churchillian speech and grumpily, somewhat ashamedly (some of them), the third Council of Waterdeep sits back down again and soon after gets back to business, although a number of guards are allowed to remain in the chamber. That went really well, and a nice surprise- Sgt Bobby (Pete) with a bit of chatter. Note, Sgt Bobby was actually the third PC to try and calm down the situation, Lux and Watt both make attempts before big bad Bobby gets on the table, but the previous pair roll spectacularly low with their social skill checks (‘1’ & ‘2’, in that order). Also note Dagult Neverember is bypassed for the rest of the meeting, his outbursts (mostly bad-mouthing the Brothers and in particular Lux) during the Dragon Cult attack have not made him any new friends. The rest of the meeting is chaired by Lady Silverhand and is all the better for it- although it’s still a confused mess in places. Then comes the explanation, for what just happened- note the floating spectral heads of Severin and Rath Modar disappeared at the same time as the Portal. However, amongst the cacophony of insults from the Dragon Cult bad guys is a fair amount of gloating- basically, the Cult antagonists state, the Brothers and the Council of Waterdeep just got fooled again. The result of which is a lot of sometimes garbled chatter followed by promises from the Brothers of the First Light that if they ever find anything like the Green Dragon Mask again then they’ll hand it over to the proper authorities, so it can be examined by experts. In short- don’t do it again! Then after a little healing, the meeting gets back into full swing. The next topic of conversation is, of course, now they don’t have the Green Dragon Mask then things are ‘really bad’, and not ‘really good’, as the assembled dignitaries first thought. The upshot of this twenty minute discussion is… Rian Nightshade (Special Advisor, and Zhentarim member... shh, that last part is a secret) reveals that she has received a communique from a high ranking Dragon Cult member, the guy wants to defect, and wait for it… drum roll… the fellow has got the Blue Dragon Mask, his ticket to freedom- he believes. Well, we’ve been fooled before, and so it gets heated for a short while with lots of the delegates taking it in turns to point out the obvious- this could be another trap, or else just another wild-goose-chase. However, King Melandrach and Ambassador Brawnanvil fully support whatever the Brothers want to do (these two guys are in the bag), also several of the other members of the Council are now firmly in the Brother’s corner, including Lady Silverhand, Sir Isteval & Ontharr Frume. The Council of Waterdeep however is pretty much split 50:50 as to whether chasing the Blue Dragon Mask is a good/bad idea. To help the PCs make their decision, Rian grabs out and reads (and then shows around) the actual document she received from the Dragon Cult wannabe turncoat- “You don't know me, but we can help each other immeasurably. My name is Iskander, and I made a terrible mistake in joining the Cult of the Dragon. The cult's horrifying plans are sure to bring doom to all, but I can stop those plans with your help. Rescue me from the cult's clutches, and I will deliver to you the prize of prizes: the Blue Dragon Mask. Without it, Severin faces an insurmountable setback in his effort to call Tiamat back to our world. The mask is here in Xonthal's Tower, being studied and guarded by only a handful of wizards, including myself. The danger of my treason becoming known grows with every passing day, and if I'm discovered, I'll surely be killed. Please hurry, for the sake of everyone and everything you value.” Furthermore Rian, and then the Harper representative- Remalia Haventree, confirm that Iskander, a mage who originally studied at the Hosttower in Leilon, is known to be a high-ish ranking Dragon Cult member- so, that much is true. Also, Iskander is purported to be a favourite of Jorgen Pawl, a senior Dragonsoul who does not hold with Severin’s ambitions for the Cult. Pawl is a traditionalist it seems; he thinks the way ahead for the Cult is the creation of more Dracoliches. So, there’s that. Discussions continue for a short while, Xonthal’s Tower it transpires is in the Greypeak Mountains, and about six days travel aboard the Flying Lighthouse. The PCs dither for a while but the decision has pretty much been made- Lux (and therefore also Hotlips) are up for it, as is Sgt Bobby- it’s Watt and Lummins that have reservations. The dithering doesn’t last long, the Brothers of the First Light tell the Council of Waterdeep that they’ll take the job and set off as soon as they can. But first, one last topic to broach- the Red Wizards of Thay (via Lord Volmer) have offered to meet with the Brothers. The Red Wizards- the PCs further explain are not fans of Rath Modar, who it turns out has gone renegade. More discussions follow, and again King M and Brawnanvil back the PCs, who are (it seems, most of them) keen to meet with the Red Wizards of Thay, although less so Sgt Bobby (but I’ve paid him to act this way- you’ll see) and remarkably Lummins, who is also (for some unknown reason, he didn’t explain himself very well) not keen on the meeting. Basically, he believes the Red Wizards are bad people, and not to be trusted. He’s not wrong there. The surprise (for some of the PCs) is that other than King M and Brawnanvil all of the other members of the Council of Waterdeep are either dead against this course of action, or else erring towards caution. The final recommendation of the Council is (in precis)- don’t risk it, the Red Wizards are [U]really[/U] bad people- their leader Szass Tam is a nasty bastard Lich, and not beyond taking sides with the Dragon Cult. This invitation is more than likely a trap. Which sets several of the PCs/Players thinking, or else re-thinking. Which soon after also causes us to take a second break in play as the grown-ups (some of the Players) bicker a while, it very quickly gets down to Sandy (Lux & Hotlips) & Jackie (Watt) versus Pete (Sgt Bobby) & Rob (Lummins). Girls versus Boys. The result is a compromise (after another 15 or so minutes of chat), and surprisingly Pete’s idea- let’s go after the Blue Dragon Mask at Xonthal’s Tower, and if that proves to be a bust we’ll contact the Council of Waterdeep again with the intention of taking up the Red Wizard’s offer. Subject to any new information coming to light- a remarkably sensible suggestion, and one that the DM heartily approves of. Mostly because it was my suggestion, Pete was just playing the cards I had dealt him (remember I said a while back that I did a deal with Pete, well this is it unfolding). Top banana. That however is the conclusion of the third Council of Waterdeep, and time for me to share with you the new and updated version of Council of Waterdeep “Official” Score Table- The Harpers +7 (5/7/10) The Order of the Gauntlet +9 (7/9/12) The Emerald Enclave +4 (5/7/10) & the various Lords’ Alliance delegates- Lady Silverhand +9 (7/9/12) Lord Neverember +5 (5/7/10) Ambassador Brawnanvil +12 (7/9/12) King Melandrach +10 (6/8/11) Marshall Ravengard +9 (7/9/12) Taern Hornblade +6 (6/8/11) Sir Isteval +10 (6/8/11) Just to make clear all the members of the Council of Waterdeep were unhappy with the Brothers of the First Light for unleashing the fake Green Dragon Mask in their midst. Therefore, all members of the council deducted from 1 to 3 points from their scores, depending on how pissed off they were with the PCs. For example- Lord Neverember -3, he’s very pissed off. Ambassador Brawnanvil & King Melandrach (and a few others) -1, hardly pissed off at all- some of the Council really believe that the Brothers of the First Light are the answer to their prayers. Note the numbers in the parenthesis, let me explain- at the end of all four council sessions the PCs need to score +5 to garner one favour from the Harpers, +7 would earn them two favours, while +10 would result in three. The numbers in the parenthesis therefore indicate the scores needed for one to three favours from each of the delegates Next stop for the Brothers, the Flying Lighthouse and a six-day trip to Xonthal’s Tower, but that’s the last-ish action of this session, because to finish off- joy of joys, the PCs are now Level 12. That was quick. The rest of the session is spent levelling up, see you next time aboard the Flying Lighthouse next time. [/QUOTE]
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