FreeTheWeasel
Explorer
Greetings
Session 2. This post is a followup to my previous post HoTDQ - Went Way Better Than Expected.
This is very long. My apologies.
---------- Spoilers ahead! Avast! --------
When we last left the three 13 year old adventurers, they had successfully talked down a blue dragon, much to my amazement as the DM.
The Governor had complained when they first made the Keep that the Clerics were late and the party had intended to go rescue them several times, but they had been diverted. A rat swarm in a tunnel, a late night river sacrifice and prisoner capture, and a disaffected dragon will do that to you.
Now, that the Keep had been blown to bits, people vaporized, and the governor unconscious, it seemed like a good time to go get the guys who could heal people - but not before overhearing a bunch of soldiers on the wall pointing and muttering about the mill. It seems as though someone was lighting fires and waving torches out there.
The kids were faced with a dilemma: save the priests and save the people in the church and those the keep who needed the clerics, or save the mill and prevent the town from starving later. They deliberated for a long time and decided to save the priests.
They snuck up to the church successfully, observed a large group battering the front door, a crazed procession of death frenzy circling the church, and a group of four managing to smoke themselves half to death at the back. They wisely chose to take out the group in the back which they did in very quick order using ranged attacks and then quick melee. They convinced the people to let them in. They rolled high on persuasion and the terrified crowd formed up and they evacuated as the door was being smashed in. The constant pressure of the door really set them on edge. It was fun to watch them panic. They hustled everyone into the forrest just as the death procession came around the corner. Very quick. Very neatly done.
The mill, on the other hand, that didn't go so well. The party made arrangements with Escobert to secure the mill and wait for reinforcements , 10 minutes behind. They snuck up to the mill and failed miserably to ambush the four kobolds outside waving torches and lighting fires near the building but far enough away to avoid setting it on fire. The cleric went down and the bard had to spend her last heal to bring her up. The cleric went down again. The remaining two captured a prisoner (another one) and dragged the cleric and the kobold back to a merchants house to await the soldiers who arrived with the Priest Falconmoon from the church who healed the cleric.
They went to investigate the mill, correctly deducing that it was a trap. The bard had the cleric and the sorcerer throw her up to the second story open door (strength and acrobatics both > 10 DC). The bard wiffed her perception and then crawled in, completely convinced that the loft was empty. The other two and the soldiers went in the bottom and the ambush was sprung. The raiders were defeated, but the cleric and the bard went down. The soldiers carried them back to the keep where the priests fed them some of the last healing potions they had.
As you can see, I was doing my best to keep the party in the game. They had rescued the priests cleanly without any loss to the townsfolk and so I rewarded them.
After a short rest in the keep, they went up to talk to the now conscious Governor when the sally port was breached. Escobert directed the party to secure the waiting room while he and his forces counterattacked the raiders in the bailey. The part ran into the room to find two cultists unleashing an abush drake. Ohhhhh poop!
They made short work of the raiders (much to my surprise) then started mending the door using the Clerics Mending cantrip. As the door was halfway done, they were jumped by 3 more cultists who didn't do much better than the first group. As the door was mended, I had them make a dex check to remain on their feet by the explosion.
Here are my DM notes
---- Snip -----
Suddenly, the front gates are blown in with a deafening blast of fire, killing 5 soldiers in the archway as they are thrown clear across the Bailey and into the wall of the keep itself. They crumple to the ground like broken dolls.
An army of cultists, kobolds, and drakes pour through the arch and proceed to fan out, grabbing innocent peasants and putting dark blades to their throats. The drakes, barely held back by their handlers, herd terrified farmers and overwhelmed soldiers into groups who stand back to back, waving their swords in a feeble attempt at defense.
Instead, a giant creature strides into the courtyard, seven feet tall, roughly human shaped, but covered with blue scales and possessing the face and eyes of a reptile.
He speaks, his voice syrup and warmth "Defenders of Greenest! Lay down your arms. You have lost. Frankly, I expected better of you, but I suppose I should have known that a backwater hovel such as yours would be filled with rabbits instead of wolves."
The Governor appears at the top of the keep. "I am Governor Nighthill, protector of Greenest." The beast laughs at this. "Who are you? Why do you attack my people?"
The Half-Dragon responds "My name is Langdedrosa Cyanwrath, and my fellows and I came here to liberate you sheep from your backward religion and to usher you into the light of purity. Now, I am here for entertainment which up 'till now, you have failed to provide. You shall do better."
Governor - "Entertainment? It is too late for minstrels and wine. Take what you want and get out."
Cyanwrath - "I already have everything. As I said before, you will give me the only thing left to give. You will send me your champion that I might fight in single combat. I will test myself tonight."
Governor "I'll do no such thing. Have you not killed enough to sate your thirst for blood?"
Cyanwrath does not respond, but instead yanks a scimitar from a nearby cultist and shoves it into the hand of an old man who was caught nearby. He then grabs the old man by the neck and tosses him into the center of the courtyard, pulls a great sword from a scabbard on his back, and cuts the man down in a single, fluid stroke.
With a smile "I think you misunderstand. I will test myself tonight or I will kill each and everyone in this reeking nest. Now come now. Send me your best. Should he amuse me, I might just let the rest of you live."
Should the party delay, he next grabs Cuth, husband of Linan from the first encounter. Afterwards, he grabs a 10 year old girl.
If the party has not stepped forward, Sargent Markguth steps forward and is cut down.
--- Snip-----
Cyanwrath cuts down the first peasant and the kids roll persuasion to have him fight all three of them at once. Why not? Cyanwrath is an egomaniac.
He fights all three and they do their best, but their spells are gone, used up during the evening. Cyanwrath is infuriating. When they miss, he gently lets the attack float by, unconcerned. When they hit, he either ignores them or licks his own blood with his long lizard tongue and smiles.
They do not win and when the last falls, he walks over to each and calmly stabs each one. They are absolutely shocked.
Cyanwrath is about to demand another challenge when a distant but clear horn sounds, signaling a retreat. Cyanwrath smiles and announces, magnanimously, that "It is time to go. Perhaps I shall return some day. Sleep well until I do."
They clerics in the keep rush to save the party who are now at 2 death save failures. They are carried into the keep to await the coming of dawn.
D&D is dangerous and not without consequence. The party saved many lives and failed to save many more. They were beaten down by a really hateful enemy who smiled while being unbearably cruel.
It was truly memorable and they told me afterwards that they had a really good time.
Thanks for reading.
FreeTheWeasel
Session 2. This post is a followup to my previous post HoTDQ - Went Way Better Than Expected.
This is very long. My apologies.
---------- Spoilers ahead! Avast! --------
When we last left the three 13 year old adventurers, they had successfully talked down a blue dragon, much to my amazement as the DM.
The Governor had complained when they first made the Keep that the Clerics were late and the party had intended to go rescue them several times, but they had been diverted. A rat swarm in a tunnel, a late night river sacrifice and prisoner capture, and a disaffected dragon will do that to you.
Now, that the Keep had been blown to bits, people vaporized, and the governor unconscious, it seemed like a good time to go get the guys who could heal people - but not before overhearing a bunch of soldiers on the wall pointing and muttering about the mill. It seems as though someone was lighting fires and waving torches out there.
The kids were faced with a dilemma: save the priests and save the people in the church and those the keep who needed the clerics, or save the mill and prevent the town from starving later. They deliberated for a long time and decided to save the priests.
They snuck up to the church successfully, observed a large group battering the front door, a crazed procession of death frenzy circling the church, and a group of four managing to smoke themselves half to death at the back. They wisely chose to take out the group in the back which they did in very quick order using ranged attacks and then quick melee. They convinced the people to let them in. They rolled high on persuasion and the terrified crowd formed up and they evacuated as the door was being smashed in. The constant pressure of the door really set them on edge. It was fun to watch them panic. They hustled everyone into the forrest just as the death procession came around the corner. Very quick. Very neatly done.
The mill, on the other hand, that didn't go so well. The party made arrangements with Escobert to secure the mill and wait for reinforcements , 10 minutes behind. They snuck up to the mill and failed miserably to ambush the four kobolds outside waving torches and lighting fires near the building but far enough away to avoid setting it on fire. The cleric went down and the bard had to spend her last heal to bring her up. The cleric went down again. The remaining two captured a prisoner (another one) and dragged the cleric and the kobold back to a merchants house to await the soldiers who arrived with the Priest Falconmoon from the church who healed the cleric.
They went to investigate the mill, correctly deducing that it was a trap. The bard had the cleric and the sorcerer throw her up to the second story open door (strength and acrobatics both > 10 DC). The bard wiffed her perception and then crawled in, completely convinced that the loft was empty. The other two and the soldiers went in the bottom and the ambush was sprung. The raiders were defeated, but the cleric and the bard went down. The soldiers carried them back to the keep where the priests fed them some of the last healing potions they had.
As you can see, I was doing my best to keep the party in the game. They had rescued the priests cleanly without any loss to the townsfolk and so I rewarded them.
After a short rest in the keep, they went up to talk to the now conscious Governor when the sally port was breached. Escobert directed the party to secure the waiting room while he and his forces counterattacked the raiders in the bailey. The part ran into the room to find two cultists unleashing an abush drake. Ohhhhh poop!
They made short work of the raiders (much to my surprise) then started mending the door using the Clerics Mending cantrip. As the door was halfway done, they were jumped by 3 more cultists who didn't do much better than the first group. As the door was mended, I had them make a dex check to remain on their feet by the explosion.
Here are my DM notes
---- Snip -----
Suddenly, the front gates are blown in with a deafening blast of fire, killing 5 soldiers in the archway as they are thrown clear across the Bailey and into the wall of the keep itself. They crumple to the ground like broken dolls.
An army of cultists, kobolds, and drakes pour through the arch and proceed to fan out, grabbing innocent peasants and putting dark blades to their throats. The drakes, barely held back by their handlers, herd terrified farmers and overwhelmed soldiers into groups who stand back to back, waving their swords in a feeble attempt at defense.
Instead, a giant creature strides into the courtyard, seven feet tall, roughly human shaped, but covered with blue scales and possessing the face and eyes of a reptile.
He speaks, his voice syrup and warmth "Defenders of Greenest! Lay down your arms. You have lost. Frankly, I expected better of you, but I suppose I should have known that a backwater hovel such as yours would be filled with rabbits instead of wolves."
The Governor appears at the top of the keep. "I am Governor Nighthill, protector of Greenest." The beast laughs at this. "Who are you? Why do you attack my people?"
The Half-Dragon responds "My name is Langdedrosa Cyanwrath, and my fellows and I came here to liberate you sheep from your backward religion and to usher you into the light of purity. Now, I am here for entertainment which up 'till now, you have failed to provide. You shall do better."
Governor - "Entertainment? It is too late for minstrels and wine. Take what you want and get out."
Cyanwrath - "I already have everything. As I said before, you will give me the only thing left to give. You will send me your champion that I might fight in single combat. I will test myself tonight."
Governor "I'll do no such thing. Have you not killed enough to sate your thirst for blood?"
Cyanwrath does not respond, but instead yanks a scimitar from a nearby cultist and shoves it into the hand of an old man who was caught nearby. He then grabs the old man by the neck and tosses him into the center of the courtyard, pulls a great sword from a scabbard on his back, and cuts the man down in a single, fluid stroke.
With a smile "I think you misunderstand. I will test myself tonight or I will kill each and everyone in this reeking nest. Now come now. Send me your best. Should he amuse me, I might just let the rest of you live."
Should the party delay, he next grabs Cuth, husband of Linan from the first encounter. Afterwards, he grabs a 10 year old girl.
If the party has not stepped forward, Sargent Markguth steps forward and is cut down.
--- Snip-----
Cyanwrath cuts down the first peasant and the kids roll persuasion to have him fight all three of them at once. Why not? Cyanwrath is an egomaniac.
He fights all three and they do their best, but their spells are gone, used up during the evening. Cyanwrath is infuriating. When they miss, he gently lets the attack float by, unconcerned. When they hit, he either ignores them or licks his own blood with his long lizard tongue and smiles.
They do not win and when the last falls, he walks over to each and calmly stabs each one. They are absolutely shocked.
Cyanwrath is about to demand another challenge when a distant but clear horn sounds, signaling a retreat. Cyanwrath smiles and announces, magnanimously, that "It is time to go. Perhaps I shall return some day. Sleep well until I do."
They clerics in the keep rush to save the party who are now at 2 death save failures. They are carried into the keep to await the coming of dawn.
D&D is dangerous and not without consequence. The party saved many lives and failed to save many more. They were beaten down by a really hateful enemy who smiled while being unbearably cruel.
It was truly memorable and they told me afterwards that they had a really good time.
Thanks for reading.
FreeTheWeasel
