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<blockquote data-quote="RealAlHazred" data-source="post: 6722487" data-attributes="member: 25818"><p><strong>Originally posted by iserith:</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>Barrow of the Evensong</strong></span></p><p> </p><p><em><strong>Starring</strong></em></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470050-The-Barrow-of-the-Evensong&p=6722494&viewfull=1#post6722494" target="_blank">Don Coyote</a>, human paladin (noble)</p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470050-The-Barrow-of-the-Evensong&p=6722492&viewfull=1#post6722492" target="_blank">Red Creek Rufus</a>, human ranger (outlander)</p><p>Madame Fortuna, half-elf wizard (sage)</p><p>Sergeant Brickyard, dwarf cleric (soldier)</p><p> </p><p>[I ran a game I wrote and posted here a while back this past Sunday at the grand opening of a local gaming store. This is the tale of that adventure.]</p><p> </p><p>While on the way to the city of Stronghold to find an answer to a question Madame Fortuna has long sought, the adventurers became lost in a sylvan forest known to be home to the secretive Fey Folk. Chance would have them come across a blink dog - Gambol, according to the medallion on his collar who followed them - who played fetch with them and led them to a hill that seemed quite out of place in the otherwise flat land. Strange trees grew from the top of the hill and from a tunnel on its east side came the sounds of singing which varied from haunting melodies to dissonant screeches and squawks. Gambol appeared to want them to go to the top of the hill.</p><p> </p><p>After some investigation, they also found a tunnel on the west side of the hill, this one dark and ominous with bones and spider's webs strewn about the foliage outside it. Cautiously, they approached the eastern tunnel. Don Coyote concentrated and sensed evil coming from within; Sergeant Brickyard surmised that this was the lair of a harpy, a monster he had encountered in the war. Madame Fortuna placed Don Coyote under a shroud of <em>invisibility </em>so that he might go in to take a closer look. He followed the sound of warbling to indeed find the lair of a harpy. Old Biddy herself sat atop a natural rock column at the far side of the cave, singing to her overlarge egg. A pile of skeletons - past victims - lay at the center of the place, not far from a set of large double doors intricately carved with elvish runes.</p><p> </p><p>It was Gambol that gave away the adventurers' position, barking and whining about wanting to go to the top of the hill rather than enter the harpy's lair. Old Biddy demanded to know who was trespassing, flying over to land on the pile of bones. That's when the adventurers rushed in: Red Creek Rufus netted her while Don Coyote and Sergeant Brickyard assailed her with blade and maul. Some well-placed <em>magic missiles</em> did the harpy in before her luring song could affect anyone at all. Some gold and silver was found in and around the pile of bones, quickly making its way into their belt pouches, as Sergeant Brickyard set about dismantling the barred door. Don Coyote and Red Creek Rufus were able to determine from the runes on the door that this was a tomb for the honored dead of the Evensong clan, a family of elves that lived in both this world and the mysterious realm of Arborea.</p><p> </p><p>As the door was taken down, a stench of rotting plant matter and a cloud of spores assailed them. Within, a chamber constructed of petrified wood was before them, a tangle of roots growing from the ceiling and disappearing seamlessly into the floor. Creepers crawled across the floor, golden fruit hanging from some of the vines. Four pillars that supported the ceiling were covered in slimy purple fungus which seemed to be nourished by piles of compost at the pillars' bases. A door on the western side of the chamber led elsewhere as did an arch to the north. Concerned about the spores here, the adventurers decided to leave the barrow and follow Gambol to the top of the hill.</p><p> </p><p>At the top of the hill, they finally saw what Gambol wanted to show them: A hole the blink dog had dug in the ground leading straight into another chamber of the tomb. A tree loomed above the hole - and it was home to a dozen or so stirges that slept fitfully. Any loud noises would surely wake them up so the adventurers had to be careful. As they lowered some ropes down, Gambol vanished, teleporting into the tomb using his fey magic. Madame Fortuna create a cloud of fog to hide their efforts as they all worked as quietly as possible to lower themselves down into the tomb. Luck was on their side and the stirges were not awakened (just barely passed a group Stealth check).</p><p> </p><p>They stood in a strange chamber with intricately carved walls portraying a scene of elves living among the branches of an immense oak tree. An archway dominated the northern end of the chamber. A wooden dial of some kind was constructed in the center of the room, surrounded by four petrified wood pillars. Tapestries hung on the east and west walls. A false door was set into the south wall. The adventurers took some time to fully explore this strange chamber, deciphering the glyphs on the archway to discover that this was an arcane device used to open a portal to Arborea - only they didn't have the know-how to activate it just yet.</p><p> </p><p>That knowledge was offered by the ghost of the caretaker of this barrow after the party encountered her as they explored east of this chamber. As they had proven themselves to be respectful explorers trying to help a blink dog and not tomb-robbers or necromancers, the caretaker told them she would explain the use of the arcane dial if they would rid the barrow of intruders that had vexed her of late: Old Biddy the harpy and Daddy Longlegs and his spider minions. The adventurers agreed and were already halfway complete with their task. The caretaker told them how to reach Daddy Longlegs lair through the western side of the tomb and off they went.</p><p> </p><p>It was a pitched battle against Daddy Longlegs and his two giant spider minions. Almost all of the adventurers were bitten with poisonous fangs, slashed with jagged claws, or bound in sticky silk. But with teamwork and perserverance, they prevailed! What's more, not only did they rid the barrow of the spider menace, they also saved three captives - Lily Guild, Gliff Runesigil, and Lady Thenorean - all important figures in the city of Stronghold. As the adventurers looted the chamber of any valuables, Don Coyote's retainers took these captives, weak from their ordeal, to safety to a campsite outside the barrow. Among the valuables, the adventurers uncovered some clues that pointed to a nefarious conspiracy that involved Daddy Longlegs and a mysterious group called "The Drab Men" to kidnap important people in Stronghold for purposes unknown.</p><p> </p><p>Having held up their end of the bargain, the adventurers met again with the caretaker who thanked them for their service and told them how to activate the portal: Find the lyrics and melody to a song on the roots that grow through the barrow, sing it to activate the arcane pillars, and then use the dial to point at the proper sequence of pillars to open the gate to Arborea. The caretaker also warned them of what killed her: The Iron Shadow, a curse that had robbed her of her motivation and imagination, causing her to lose her will to live. The adventurers surmised this was also the cause of the gray, washed-out look of much of the barrow and the appearance and demeanor of Gliff Runesigil.</p><p> </p><p>From here it was a matter of gathering the lyrics and melody from the roots. Two of these roots were no problem to get to at all, but the third was in a chamber they hoped to avoid - the one that smelled of rot and was clouded by spores. Cautiously they entered, taking care not to breathe in the foul air. Their efforts attracted the attention of animate patches of violet fungus that slowly moved into attack. A battle followed that saw Don Coyote nearly fall, but his comrades protected him while he got the final verse they needed.</p><p> </p><p>Back in the chamber of the gate, Don Coyote sung the song they pieced together with Rufus provided backup with his harmonica. The pillars flared up with brilliant colors - red, green, blue, and yellow. Figuring the lyrics gave them the necessary clues to dial the proper sequence, they selected red, green, and blue. The gate to Arborea opened with a brilliant flash of white light. Gambol barked twice as if to say "Thank you," before leaping through...</p><p> </p><p>And this is where we ended our adventure. All told, we played for just under 2.5 hours. I asked the players what they would see their characters doing if this were a continuous campaign. Red Creek Rufus and Madame Fortuna were very interested in seeing what Arborea was like; Sergeant Brickyard and Don Coyote felt a duty to unravel the conspiracy in Stronghold and/or deal with the orcs that were plaguing Lady Thenorean's people. So it would have been interesting to see how they would resolve that split.</p><p> </p><p>It was a fun little adventure and we all had a good time. It was nice to support the local gaming store by running games there for players I didn't know, only one of whom had any experience with D&D 5e. Most had backgrounds in 3.5e and 4e and were pleased with the simplicity of the system and not needing to use a grid. (I didn't pull out a battlemap for this game.)</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by bawylie:</strong></p><p></p><p>All that in 2.5 hrs? That's pretty tight play. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by pukunui:</strong></p><p></p><p>Sounds like a fun little dungeon. Do you have a map you could share?</p><p> </p><p>I'd also like to know more about Daddy Longlegs. It sounds as though he wasn't a spider himself.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by iserith:</strong></p><p></p><p> </p><p>Yeah, we kept up a fast pace.</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>Yes, I posted the adventure in its entirety here: Barrow of the Evensong.</p><p> </p><p>Daddy Longlegs is an ettercap.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by pukunui:</strong></p><p></p><p>Cool. Thanks. I must have missed that. </p><p></p><p>Aha.</p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by josephhawk:</strong></p><p></p><p>I played Red Creek Rufus in this session and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We did keep things moving very quckly. 2 of the players in the group are members of my weekly home game and they were still talking about it last night. </p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by iserith:</strong></p><p></p><p>Cool! Pretty much the best result I can hope for as DM is that somebody is talking about my game while playing someone else's game. So take<em> that! </em><img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Originally posted by sleypy:</strong></p><p></p><p>Nice recap. Sounds like it was a lot of fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RealAlHazred, post: 6722487, member: 25818"] [b]Originally posted by iserith:[/b] [Size=3][b]Barrow of the Evensong[/b][/size] [i][b]Starring[/b][/i] [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470050-The-Barrow-of-the-Evensong&p=6722494&viewfull=1#post6722494"]Don Coyote[/URL], human paladin (noble) [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?470050-The-Barrow-of-the-Evensong&p=6722492&viewfull=1#post6722492"]Red Creek Rufus[/URL], human ranger (outlander) Madame Fortuna, half-elf wizard (sage) Sergeant Brickyard, dwarf cleric (soldier) [I ran a game I wrote and posted here a while back this past Sunday at the grand opening of a local gaming store. This is the tale of that adventure.] While on the way to the city of Stronghold to find an answer to a question Madame Fortuna has long sought, the adventurers became lost in a sylvan forest known to be home to the secretive Fey Folk. Chance would have them come across a blink dog - Gambol, according to the medallion on his collar who followed them - who played fetch with them and led them to a hill that seemed quite out of place in the otherwise flat land. Strange trees grew from the top of the hill and from a tunnel on its east side came the sounds of singing which varied from haunting melodies to dissonant screeches and squawks. Gambol appeared to want them to go to the top of the hill. After some investigation, they also found a tunnel on the west side of the hill, this one dark and ominous with bones and spider's webs strewn about the foliage outside it. Cautiously, they approached the eastern tunnel. Don Coyote concentrated and sensed evil coming from within; Sergeant Brickyard surmised that this was the lair of a harpy, a monster he had encountered in the war. Madame Fortuna placed Don Coyote under a shroud of [i]invisibility [/i]so that he might go in to take a closer look. He followed the sound of warbling to indeed find the lair of a harpy. Old Biddy herself sat atop a natural rock column at the far side of the cave, singing to her overlarge egg. A pile of skeletons - past victims - lay at the center of the place, not far from a set of large double doors intricately carved with elvish runes. It was Gambol that gave away the adventurers' position, barking and whining about wanting to go to the top of the hill rather than enter the harpy's lair. Old Biddy demanded to know who was trespassing, flying over to land on the pile of bones. That's when the adventurers rushed in: Red Creek Rufus netted her while Don Coyote and Sergeant Brickyard assailed her with blade and maul. Some well-placed [i]magic missiles[/i] did the harpy in before her luring song could affect anyone at all. Some gold and silver was found in and around the pile of bones, quickly making its way into their belt pouches, as Sergeant Brickyard set about dismantling the barred door. Don Coyote and Red Creek Rufus were able to determine from the runes on the door that this was a tomb for the honored dead of the Evensong clan, a family of elves that lived in both this world and the mysterious realm of Arborea. As the door was taken down, a stench of rotting plant matter and a cloud of spores assailed them. Within, a chamber constructed of petrified wood was before them, a tangle of roots growing from the ceiling and disappearing seamlessly into the floor. Creepers crawled across the floor, golden fruit hanging from some of the vines. Four pillars that supported the ceiling were covered in slimy purple fungus which seemed to be nourished by piles of compost at the pillars' bases. A door on the western side of the chamber led elsewhere as did an arch to the north. Concerned about the spores here, the adventurers decided to leave the barrow and follow Gambol to the top of the hill. At the top of the hill, they finally saw what Gambol wanted to show them: A hole the blink dog had dug in the ground leading straight into another chamber of the tomb. A tree loomed above the hole - and it was home to a dozen or so stirges that slept fitfully. Any loud noises would surely wake them up so the adventurers had to be careful. As they lowered some ropes down, Gambol vanished, teleporting into the tomb using his fey magic. Madame Fortuna create a cloud of fog to hide their efforts as they all worked as quietly as possible to lower themselves down into the tomb. Luck was on their side and the stirges were not awakened (just barely passed a group Stealth check). They stood in a strange chamber with intricately carved walls portraying a scene of elves living among the branches of an immense oak tree. An archway dominated the northern end of the chamber. A wooden dial of some kind was constructed in the center of the room, surrounded by four petrified wood pillars. Tapestries hung on the east and west walls. A false door was set into the south wall. The adventurers took some time to fully explore this strange chamber, deciphering the glyphs on the archway to discover that this was an arcane device used to open a portal to Arborea - only they didn't have the know-how to activate it just yet. That knowledge was offered by the ghost of the caretaker of this barrow after the party encountered her as they explored east of this chamber. As they had proven themselves to be respectful explorers trying to help a blink dog and not tomb-robbers or necromancers, the caretaker told them she would explain the use of the arcane dial if they would rid the barrow of intruders that had vexed her of late: Old Biddy the harpy and Daddy Longlegs and his spider minions. The adventurers agreed and were already halfway complete with their task. The caretaker told them how to reach Daddy Longlegs lair through the western side of the tomb and off they went. It was a pitched battle against Daddy Longlegs and his two giant spider minions. Almost all of the adventurers were bitten with poisonous fangs, slashed with jagged claws, or bound in sticky silk. But with teamwork and perserverance, they prevailed! What's more, not only did they rid the barrow of the spider menace, they also saved three captives - Lily Guild, Gliff Runesigil, and Lady Thenorean - all important figures in the city of Stronghold. As the adventurers looted the chamber of any valuables, Don Coyote's retainers took these captives, weak from their ordeal, to safety to a campsite outside the barrow. Among the valuables, the adventurers uncovered some clues that pointed to a nefarious conspiracy that involved Daddy Longlegs and a mysterious group called "The Drab Men" to kidnap important people in Stronghold for purposes unknown. Having held up their end of the bargain, the adventurers met again with the caretaker who thanked them for their service and told them how to activate the portal: Find the lyrics and melody to a song on the roots that grow through the barrow, sing it to activate the arcane pillars, and then use the dial to point at the proper sequence of pillars to open the gate to Arborea. The caretaker also warned them of what killed her: The Iron Shadow, a curse that had robbed her of her motivation and imagination, causing her to lose her will to live. The adventurers surmised this was also the cause of the gray, washed-out look of much of the barrow and the appearance and demeanor of Gliff Runesigil. From here it was a matter of gathering the lyrics and melody from the roots. Two of these roots were no problem to get to at all, but the third was in a chamber they hoped to avoid - the one that smelled of rot and was clouded by spores. Cautiously they entered, taking care not to breathe in the foul air. Their efforts attracted the attention of animate patches of violet fungus that slowly moved into attack. A battle followed that saw Don Coyote nearly fall, but his comrades protected him while he got the final verse they needed. Back in the chamber of the gate, Don Coyote sung the song they pieced together with Rufus provided backup with his harmonica. The pillars flared up with brilliant colors - red, green, blue, and yellow. Figuring the lyrics gave them the necessary clues to dial the proper sequence, they selected red, green, and blue. The gate to Arborea opened with a brilliant flash of white light. Gambol barked twice as if to say "Thank you," before leaping through... And this is where we ended our adventure. All told, we played for just under 2.5 hours. I asked the players what they would see their characters doing if this were a continuous campaign. Red Creek Rufus and Madame Fortuna were very interested in seeing what Arborea was like; Sergeant Brickyard and Don Coyote felt a duty to unravel the conspiracy in Stronghold and/or deal with the orcs that were plaguing Lady Thenorean's people. So it would have been interesting to see how they would resolve that split. It was a fun little adventure and we all had a good time. It was nice to support the local gaming store by running games there for players I didn't know, only one of whom had any experience with D&D 5e. Most had backgrounds in 3.5e and 4e and were pleased with the simplicity of the system and not needing to use a grid. (I didn't pull out a battlemap for this game.) [b]Originally posted by bawylie:[/b] All that in 2.5 hrs? That's pretty tight play. [b]Originally posted by pukunui:[/b] Sounds like a fun little dungeon. Do you have a map you could share? I'd also like to know more about Daddy Longlegs. It sounds as though he wasn't a spider himself. [b]Originally posted by iserith:[/b] Yeah, we kept up a fast pace. Yes, I posted the adventure in its entirety here: Barrow of the Evensong. Daddy Longlegs is an ettercap. [b]Originally posted by pukunui:[/b] Cool. Thanks. I must have missed that. Aha. [b]Originally posted by josephhawk:[/b] I played Red Creek Rufus in this session and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We did keep things moving very quckly. 2 of the players in the group are members of my weekly home game and they were still talking about it last night. [b]Originally posted by iserith:[/b] Cool! Pretty much the best result I can hope for as DM is that somebody is talking about my game while playing someone else's game. So take[i] that! [/i]:) [b]Originally posted by sleypy:[/b] Nice recap. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. [/QUOTE]
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