Children of Sorrow

[Nephis]

Here are the characters, leveled up:

JENDI

Spoiler

Jendi, level 2
Half-Elf, Warlock
Eldritch Strike: Eldritch Strike Charisma
Eldritch Pact: Sorcerer-King Pact
Half-Elf Power Selection: Dilettante
Background: Blackstone (Waterdeep)
Theme: Order Adept (of the Ebony Tower)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 14, Dex 12, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 16.


AC: 17 Fort: 13 Reflex: 15 Will: 16
HP: 31 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
History +9, Religion +9, Intimidate +11, Diplomacy +14, Arcana +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +2, Bluff +6, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance +3, Heal +1, Insight +3, Nature +1, Perception +1, Stealth +2, Streetwise +5, Thievery +2, Athletics

FEATS
Level 1: Arcane Initiate
Level 2: Cunning Stalker

POWERS
Arcane Initiate: Winged Horde
Dilettante: Beguiling Strands
Order Adept: Argent Rain
Eldritch Blast: Eldritch Strike
Warlock encounter 1: Shadow Tentacles
Warlock daily 1: Star Shackles
Warlock utility 2: Ethereal Stride

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Staff Implement, Potion of Healing (heroic tier), Drake trophies, Leather Armor of Dark Majesty +1

MYLISTRA

Spoiler

Mylistra, level 2
Drow, Cleric
Cleric: Battle Cleric's Lore
Background: Fugitive from a Vengeful Rival (Fugitive from a Vengeful Rival Benefit)
Theme: Secret Apostate

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 16, Int 11, Wis 18, Cha 14.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 14, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 14.


AC: 18 Fort: 12 Reflex: 14 Will: 17
HP: 29 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +6, Insight +10, Heal +10, Bluff +9, Stealth +12

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +4, Arcana +1, Diplomacy +3, Dungeoneering +5, Endurance +2, History +1, Intimidate +5, Nature +5, Perception +5, Streetwise +3, Thievery +4, Athletics

FEATS
Cleric: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Acolyte of the Veil
Level 2: Ki Focus Expertise

POWERS
Channel Divinity: Healer's Mercy
Channel Divinity: Favor of the Gods
Secret Apostate: Apostate's Freedom
Cleric at-will 1: Sehanine's Reprisal (Sonnlinor's Hammer)
Cleric at-will 1: Gaze of Defiance
Lolthtouched: Cloud of Darkness
Cleric encounter 1: Cause Fear
Cleric daily 1: Moment of Glory
Cleric utility 2: Shield of Faith

ITEMS
Ritual Book (2), Adventurer's Kit, Leather Armor, Dagger (2), Holy Symbol, Ki Focus, Disguise
RITUALS
Brew Potion, Comrades' Succor, Create Holy Water, Spirit Fetch

NEMO

Spoiler

Nemo, level 2
Halfling, Rogue
Rogue Tactics: Artful Dodger
Rogue: Rogue Weapon Talent
Background: River Smuggler (River Smuggler Benefit)
Theme: Child of Sorrow (Son of Alagondar)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 12, Dex 20, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 14.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12.


AC: 18 Fort: 12 Reflex: 18 Will: 13
HP: 29 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Stealth +11, Thievery +13, Bluff +8, Streetwise +9, Acrobatics +13, Athletics +8

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana, Diplomacy +3, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance +2, Heal +1, History, Insight +1, Intimidate +3, Nature +1, Perception +1, Religion

FEATS
Level 1: Cunning Stalker
Level 2: Backstabber

POWERS
Child of Sorrow (Son of Alagondar): Low Blow
Rogue at-will 1: Sly Flourish
Rogue at-will 1: Acrobatic Strike
Rogue encounter 1: Acrobat's Blade Trick
Rogue daily 1: Duelist's Prowess
Rogue utility 2: Tumble

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Leather Armor, Dagger (4), Thieves' Tools, Faerie Puppet, The Raven Queen's Shroud (level 3), brass cup with jade inlay (80 gp)

TORIQ

Spoiler

Toriq, level 2
Half-Orc, Warden
Guardian Might: Wildblood
Background: Forest Warden (Forest Warden Benefit)
Theme: Guardian

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 13, Dex 13, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 13, Dex 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8.


AC: 19 Fort: 16 Reflex: 14 Will: 15
HP: 37 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 9

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +10, Perception +10, Endurance +6, Athletics +7, Dungeoneering +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana +1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Heal +4, History +1, Insight +4, Intimidate +2, Religion +1, Stealth -1, Streetwise, Thievery -1

FEATS
Level 1: Warrior of the Wild
Level 2: Luck of Champions

POWERS
Guardian: Guardian's Counter
Warden at-will 1: Weight of Earth
Warden at-will 1: Thorn Strike
Warden encounter 1: Wildblood Frenzy
Warden daily 1: Form of Winter's Herald
Warden utility 2: Erupting Font

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Hide Armor, Longsword, Javelin (3), Climber's Kit, Potion of Healing (heroic tier), Dryope's Crown (100 gp), Heavy Shield, Gold ring with bloodstones (100 gp)

---

Nemo stares up at the night sky listening only vaguely to the desultory bits of conversations going on periodically between the others as they sit around the small fire and sip the tisane Myslistra has made for them. The halfling declined the need of one, just wanting to lie back and think through this day's adventures and what the following day's journey might bring.

Earlier, when he suggested returning to the surface, to where the drakes had attacked, rather than staying down there below, there was swift agreement and very little debate: apparently they all share the sense that - even though they have now removed the palpable taint - it would be lovely to breathe fresh air and see the sky. Toriq has spoken of keeping watch in pairs so that they can each be totally rested and catch their breath by morning. The halfling can tell that she would like to have a private chat with Jendi about various things that happened down below, but so far her brother has been avoiding such a conversation.

 

[darkbard]

Skill Challenge, Establish a safe camp/haven in dangerous territory, L3, C1 (4 Successes before 3 Failures; DCs 9/13, 1 Secondary Skill); 1 Success/0 Failures/1 Secondary Skill available.

Where before there were a few stars twinkling above, now reigns a thick grey-black. The wind kicks up precipitously, blowing dry leaves and debris about the small clearing.

"Squall's blowing in," observes Toriq. That's when the rain begins, first a few heavy drops; but soon after a driving, pelting rain, so cold in the autumn night that it amazes you it's not snow. The fire sputters, then goes out. Soon, you will be drenched. Though the night sky above your heads had been pleasant, you realize you need more protection from the elements than this.

Where do you seek shelter from the storm, and how do you effect it? Toriq had noticed a bear cave not too far from this site on the way in, but you'll need to evict its current occupant first. Or perhaps you take the time to construct a shelter of branches and leaves in the forest? None of you wishes to go back down into that place, even cleansed of Gulthias's taint as it is, but if you do you'll need to find some way of providing comfort to the cold stone of the temple's cobblestone floor. Something else?

Moderate DC.

 

[Nephis]

Pulling his cloak over the top of his head, Jendi says sullenly, "I guess we have no choice but to head back inside." Then he turns around to do exactly that. TORIQ ignores his tone but agrees with his words. Grasping his arm as he tries to thrust past her, she gestures at some of the less soaked pieces of kindling and wood already gathered. Shrugging, he picks some up to take with him, Nemo following suit. At least the halfling has a sweet smile for her, which she returns in kind.

She and Mylistra retrieve some of the large-ish branches with leaves that they gathered earlier while attempting to set this site up. They can still serve their intended purpose of bedding, now with the added job of keeping them warm from the stone floor of the crypt.

Reentering the crypt after the young men, Toriq scopes out the best place for them to bed down and for them to build another fire for warmth. "Over here," she quietly calls out, pointing to the broken bits of door and other pieces of wood. "We can add these to our firewood supply. Plus, we can build a fire here on top of this dirt: the air flow should send the smoke right outside. Not perfect, but good enough, under the circumstances."

Mylistra and Nemo immediately set about re-building and lighting the fire, while Jendi begins half-heartedly to gather up the splintered pieces of wood. Toriq pulls some of the larger pieces of door to use as barricades to make their space just a little harder to sneak into.

---

Toriq makes a Primary Skill Dungeoneering check to make the crypt a bit more comfortable for an extended rest: r6 + 9 = 15 vs 13 DC for a Success

 

[darkbard]

Skill Challenge, Establish a safe camp/haven in dangerous territory, 2 Success/0 Failures/1 Secondary Skill available.

The formerly-desecrated space may be cold and inhospitable, but at least it's dry, and the fire provides some cheer and takes the edge off the numbing dampness. But when you begin to unpack your rations, the Juniper's drytack biscuits and jerky, something is horribly wrong. The necrotic taint of this place, most likely the vampire's grave, has corrupted your supplies. The biscuits crawl with maggots, the jerky reeks of pollution, and your waterskins are sour and fetid. Somehow, you must deal with this catastrophe if you are to sate your need for sustenance (locate/create amenities (food/water/fire supply via hunting/foraging/survivalism etc)).

Moderate DC 13.

 

[Nephis]

MYLISTRA looks up from pulling out some foodstuffs from her satchel, a wrapped packet of Juniper's squirrel jerky in her hand. Her attention has been drawn by the nearby sounds of frantic searching, and she witnesses Toriq rifling through her own satchel and muttering to herself. Next to her are a number of packets similar to the one the witch is holding, thrown haphazardly on the floor. Every so often Toriq picks one back up, examines it, then - with a horrified gasp - throws it into the fire. Glancing around at the others, Mylistra sees a consternation similar to her own on the halfling's face as he watches Jendi mirroring his sister's actions.

"Stop!" Mylistra says to her friend, grabbing her shoulders. "What's wrong? Why are you throwing your food away?" Toriq turns to face her, desperation in her expression, another of Juniper's carefully wrapped packets in hand. "Look at this! How did it rot so quickly? What poison is still in this place?" Mylistra takes the package and opens it. Inside - as she expected - are perfectly dried apples and pears, looking delicious to the hungry witch. Returning her gaze to the warden's face, she examines it closely. Are there shadows swirling in her eyes? Just like what she saw in Jendi's earlier, near the grave?

---

Mylistra makes a Primary Skill Perception check to perceive that what Toriq and Jendi are seeing are illusions and that they are still clouded by their earlier experiences: r1 +5 =6 vs. 13 Moderate DC. Failure.

 

[darkbard]

Skill Challenge, Establish a safe camp/haven in dangerous territory, 2 Successes/1 Failure/1 Secondary Skill available.

Mylistra pops a dried pear into her mouth and chews. "See, Toriq? Perfectly good."

Toriq returns the witch's gaze, noting the black swirls in her eyes. And then Mylistra's face scrunches up in disgust and she spits out a mouthful of worm-ridden fruit, retching. Her eyes clear, though the pains shooting across her abdomen cannot be ignored.

"I ... I don't know what I was thinking," she explains with embarrassment.

Mylistra's belly aside, the growls of hunger afflict you all. That's when Toriq spots it: a remnant needlefang drake perched in a torch recess in the wall, cocking its head at the activity of these people near the warming fire. It's about the size of a chicken. Could be cleaned and spitted...

What do you do? Do you try to snare the drake? Seek sustenance elsewhere? Moderate DC.

The complication from Mylistra's microfailure is the complete depletion of all your rations. You will need to resupply after your next extended rest. Additionally, Mylistra suffers the loss of 1 Healing Surge from the distress induced by consuming spoiled food.

 

[Nephis]

Keeping her eye trained on the tiny drake, Toriq calls out quietly to the halfling. "NEMO. Don't come closer to me, but can you see what I'm looking at?" At his assent, she continues: "in a minute, I'm going to get up and walk toward it slowly. My action shouldn't frighten it precisely: just make it cautious. When it begins to retreat, I want you to follow it.. at a distance. It should lead you past where it normally forages: nuts, berries, a cricket or two, other insects." The warden pauses for a moment, smiling slightly at the sound of disgust behind her from Jendi. "Insects have very good protein, which we need after the combat we just survived and the fouling of our food." All this is said in the same even tone. "Does all this make sense, little one? No need to catch it: it would actually be a good thing if it and any other drakes who survived our little skirmish eventually take over down here. Less likely for others to move in."

She watches as the curious drake merely cocks its head -- actually probably his head, since it is so colorful. At the moment, from the vantage of his perch above their sitting bodies, he obviously feels safe. She hears Nemo get into place and call out an almost silent "ready." Slowly, her eye on the tiny creature, she rises to her feet. It immediately looks even more alert than it already was, leg muscles tensed. As she walks closer, it slips out of sight, and she can hear it scuttling along the passage beyond.

From Nemo, she hears nothing, neither his leaving nor anything else. She waits a few minutes. Then, concerned, she creeps cautiously to the doorway to look down the corridor for a sign of either drake or halfling. Still nothing. Not a single sound. After about twenty minutes, she turns back to the others to announce her intention to seek out the halfling, to make sure he is all right.

A tug on her shirtsleeve causes her to jump slightly then turn quickly around. There is the halfling, a little grubby in face and hand, crunching on something, and smiling. He holds out a pouch filled with some nuts, late crab apples, and lots of crickets. Popping one into his mouth, he says with his mouth slightly full, "m'brothers 'n sisters 'n I gather these for snacks! Better when they're fried, but still tasty!"

---

* Nemo makes a Primary Skill Stealth check to follow the needlefang drake to where it forages for food: r19 +11 = 30 vs. 13 Moderate DC. Success

 

[darkbard]

Skill Challenge, Establish a safe camp/haven in dangerous territory, 3 Successes/1 Failure/1 Secondary Skill available.

As a former resident of Grimmglimtë in the Lands Beneath the Surface, Mylistra is no stranger to beetles and other insects as a foodsource. They were never a favorite. And now, after having her stomach assaulted by the supernaturally-spoiled rations, it is all she can do to keep from retching at the site of the Halfling munching on a cricket. She turns and hustles away from the campsite and the glow of the fire.

But she, as do all of you, needs sustenance.

What do you do to distract her/keep her busy/take her mind off the ingredients/make the meal palatable, for her and for all of you (no one has much appetite in the face of a retching companion)?

Moderate DC for the win, and your long-sought-after Extended Rest!

 

[Nephis]

Nemo swallows hastily and wipes his hands on his breeches. In truth, he already ate about a dozen of the tasty critters and is full. Thinking quickly of ways his mother would distract his youngest sister when she was suffering from stomach ailments ... which sadly poor little Myrtle often was, may her soul rest forever in Yondalla's hands. Their mother would tell silly stories, with Nemo pantomiming the actions of various moments with ludicrous results. His little sister would be distracted enough to eat some of the porridge or at least forget for a while the pain in her belly.

The halfling walks over to Jendi and nudges him with a booted toe. "Remember the journey last summer? When my uncle Milo annoyed the captain and almost got us thrown overboard? That story we told together?" Jendi glances up with a frown, but a wry grin sneaks onto his face at the ridiculousness of that journey. He looks inquiringly up at Nemo. The halfling gestures with his chin toward Mylistra, turned away from the fire, shoulders hunched. At first the warlock shakes his head at Nemo. Then, with a shrug, he stands up.

"Did we ever tell you the story of the Drunken Blacksmith of Blackstone and the smoking flail?" Jendi asks the other two. "Well, let us recount the tale for you..." With Nemo portraying the drunken antics of the soused blacksmith in all of his tumbling, befuddled hilarity and Jendi's rendition of this historical tale with all its humorous overtones and sly nudges, even Mylistra eventually begins to forget her discomfort and munch on some of the apples and nuts. No, she will NOT break her vow to never let another insect pass her lips while she still lives.

---

Nemo makes a Secondary Skill Acrobatics check to assist Jendi's storytelling: +13 vs. 9 Easy DC = Autosuccess, for a +2 SS bonus to

Jendi's Primary Skill History check to tell a true if hilarious historical tale: r20 +9 +2 SS =31 vs. 13 Moderate DC. Success

 

[darkbard]

Skill Challenge, Establish a safe camp/haven in dangerous territory successfully completed.

Rewards: L1 C1 150 XP/4 PCs = 37.5 XP per PC. Let's round up this time to 40 XP/PC.

Okay, go ahead and take that Extended Rest! It's well earned. That's 5 1/2 combats plus 3 Skill Challenges and 3 Embedded Skill Challenges--a ton of activity for a first "day" of adventuring!

You've already signalled wanting to return to Ravenswood to pursue activity there. Decide on what you want to pursue specifically, rescue Beppa, intervene in Elena's arranged marriage, or something else. If you have anything else you wish to accomplish beforehand (sell loot, acquire a magic item or other gear (don't forget you've depleted all your trail rations through the microfailure!)), we can cover that first if you like. In either event, we'll smash cut to Ravenswood: You've already secured safety for this part of the forest; in fact, you can count on Dryope's Grove being a safe haven going forward. Unless something changes as a result of your actions in the fiction, of course.

So craft a bit of fiction narrating your journey back to and arrival in town (establish some more details about the nature of Ravenswood as you see it!) and include out-of-character answers to my prompts above; then I'll frame something accordingly.