Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 8056910" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Sunless CitadelSession #011 Dark Squad Glad-Handing Tour.Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).Buggles (played by Stu) Male Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 1/Rogue Lvl 2New Tricks (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 3Ramshambo (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue Lvl 3Vincenzo (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 3NPCsGarumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 3Erky Timbers Male Gnome Priest of TymoraThis is going to be a minnow in comparison to some of the previous updates, we had a list of things to get done- the return to Thundertree for story time and to collect their rewards, and then off to Neverwinter for a chunk of downtime activity. It all sounded so very doable, and then the roleplay and chat started up and… well, we got some of it done.Oh, and this is session 11, if you’re interested.So, we begin the navel gazing retrospective as the various members of Dark Squad, accompanied by the rescued Erky Timbers, and the revived Sharwyn Hucrele and Sir Bradford; wander away from the pile of rubble that is the (no-longer) Sunless Citadel. There’s a lot of chat on the way back to Thundertree- like over thirty minutes of… if we did this, but no… if we had done this, but no again.The deal is a nine foot tall menacing (undead?) elf/dragon feller escaped the sarcophagi the Dark Squad were after looting, and then with the Sunless Citadel’s return to the surface, the big bad guy lit off for the woods. The woods in question being Neverwinter, what’s more the nine foot tall monstrosity seemed to think it/he was “Ashardalon”, which the PCs know as being the name of some ancient (red) dragon that scorched the earth barren around the Sunless Citadel an aeon past.So, in a nutshell- that sucks, possibly. The thing is who do they tell, if anyone.The Dark Squad are collectively fretting a little, or else those that possess a conscience are, that’s- well, Vincenzo (defo), and maybe (a bit) Newt. The rogues- Ram and Buggles (and Newt) are regretting some of what came to pass but, not much. Their talk is mostly about the one that got away- what treasures were in Ashardalon’s coffin that they missed out on?Still the players and the PCs get their story straight, or at least how much of their story they are going to tell- and to whom. Particularly the fact that they have unleashed (inadvertently) the aforementioned Ashardalon on an unsuspecting world, oh- and the quasit- Jot.I’m happy to report that none of the PCs have anything nice to say about Jot, Buggles has really taken agin the little demon scamp, too bad- I thought he was a hoot.Last bit, and in conclusion- at the end of the Sunless Citadel retrospective stroll the following idea is mooted (by Buggles) perhaps in future we should talk about what we are going to do before we actually do it. The discussion here, again, is about the opening of Ashardalon’s sarcophagi, at one point in the action Newt was trying to open the thing while Vinnie was the opposite side trying to close it… there may have been another/better way.Although, as pointed out by Newt (and others) there was a lot of other stuff going on at the time, so- some things got missed, in conclusion (part deux)- we’ll do better next time.[Ashardalon chatter et al 200 XP][ATTACH=full]124510[/ATTACH]Thundertree in all its glory.So, to Thundertree at last, back to the start- it occurred to me to look back at the calendar on Fantasy Grounds at this moment, the Dark Squad were only in the Sunless Citadel for fifty hours and a few minutes. That’s level one to three, and a world of experience, in just two days- I like that, nice and old skool.It’s early evening, and so after dropping off Sharwyn and Sir Braford at the Hucrele mansion- a teary reunion, the Dark Squad are requested to return in the morning when the family has had a little time. Likewise Erky Timbers, gnome priest of Tymora is waved off at the shrine of Tymora in the village, with exhortations for the PCs also to return on the morrow.Then the glad-handing tour begins in earnest, first stop Rurik- the dwarven smith Garumn promised he’d investigate the sword wielded by Sir Braford. Well, a partial success- the paladin of Moradin got a good look at the blade, this when the (former?) paladin of Tyr was beaten into unconsciousness, back in the Twilight Grove. So, Garumn tells the smith what he knows- that it’s a fine blade and seems to have been forged by Durgeddin the Black*, and so worth a mint.*Durgeddin the Black was an odd/famous dwarf bladesmith from centuries (perhaps millennia) past, Durgeddin was odd because he forged blades, and in particular swords- that was his thing. However, swords are not really a dwarf thing, all very usable and that but… well, an axe- an axe is your friend. Or so most dwarves believe. Durgeddin was also a master smith- his work is sought by a great many (dwarven, and other) collectors, and very rarely found for sale anywhere.Hence the excitement about the fact the Dark Squad have found several clues to the long-lost and much sought Khundrakar, the location of Durgeddin’s last stand- the holdfast in which the dwarf reportedly met his end, there may be more swords to be had there… and the location of the master smith's forges.[ATTACH=full]124512[/ATTACH]Reidoth the Brown, the voice of reason.Back to the here and now- next stop on the tour, Reidoth the Brown, the blind eighty plus year old druid who challenged Vincenzo to find out about the relationship between the goblins and the magical fruit (etc.) in the Sunless Citadel.The Dark Squad tell their story some more, and remarkably its mostly the whole truth, there’s a little economy of language- “when the citadel rose from the ground the sarcophagi holding Ashardalon broke open and the abomination issued forth”, that kind of thing. No mention of the PCs role (if indeed they played one) in any of this. The discussion is frank and fruitful, Reidoth’s wise head and great soup are a pick-me up, he also has some healing potions to distribute, and thanks aplenty for the adventuring folk. This after first sending a little bird to whisper in the ear of Mother Willow, a fey spirit (dryad) of the Neverwinter Wood. Reidoth wants word of Ashardalon to get out, so that folk are a little more prepared should the abomination show itself.[Tell the truth to Reidoth et al 150 XP][ATTACH=full]124513[/ATTACH]Felosial, she's not happy.Then on again, to see Felosial- the mistress commander of the Thundertree guard, alas Ram has some bad news to deliver- Karakas, the ranger that lead the Hucrele kids into the Sunless Citadel, alas died there, trying to save his companion's lives. Felosial, as Ram suspected, was intimately acquainted with the fallen ranger, she is heart-broken, and angry. Remarkably Ram, who is not known for his softly-softly approach- save when he is creeping up on you in order to thrust his rapier through your throat, Ram is a delight- and sensitive, and caring.This DM is sore amazed, I honestly didn’t think the wretch had it in him.Things go sour however when the Dark Squad collectively confess to unleashing (sorta) the nine foot tall dragon/elf Ashardalon on the locale, oh… and the little demon thingy- Jot.Oh, and the Sunless Citadel is now up on the surface, and mostly just a teetering pile of rubble, so there’s that as well…Felosial is withering… adventurers- just gah! Although she remembers her manners and thanks Ram for returning Karakas’ signet ring, and then despatches guards to the Citadel to see what manner of catastrophe has been wrought there.[Bad news for Felosial 200 XP][ATTACH=full]124514[/ATTACH]Kerowyn Hucrele & Bert from the Ol' Boar Inn, both much impressed with the Dark Squad.That’s enough for the evening, the next stop is the Ol’ Boar Inn, and the barman Bert who is glad to see the guys, and gladder still when the locals start filing in to hear the Dark Squad’s tales of daring-do. Point of fact, Newt scurries up to his room and with the help of the flute playing wood elf, Buggles, the pair compose a thirty minute sung saga. "The Dark Squad in the (formerly) Sunless Citadel", and then bugger me at the first rendition he rolls a ‘20’ for his performance check. There’s not a dry eye/glass in the house- he’s a palpable hit. Thickset farming lads want to stand beside the tabaxi, while several of the local ladies are wont to make him purr.A good night is had by all.[Newt’s song etc. 75 XP]The next day? More of the same.First stop the Hucrele mansion, and an interview with the formidable Kerowyn Hucrele, the matriarch of this branch of the monied family. The old woman is distraught at the loss of Talgen (killed by Durn the hobgoblin) but is overjoyed to see Sharwyn back. There’s a lot of serious chatter for a while- mostly the terrors of adventuring and the things Sharwyn has seen/suffered etc. The continued dialogue is made more difficult however when Buggles grabs out the now rotting head of the Outcast to show the old lady. There is screaming… you’ve gotta love Buggles the wood elf, he mostly has no idea how to behave in polite company (a little more of why this should be later). Eventually, after a massive chunk of roleplay- Vincenzo is just warming up here, the Dark Squad- after collecting their 2,500gp reward (divided five ways) move on to a meeting with Sharwyn, at which point things get a little darker. The young Hucrele is in fear of a world in which unspeakable acts can happen, she’s talking about her enslavement by Belak/the Tree here.[Meeting with Kerowyn 100 XP][ATTACH=full]124516[/ATTACH]The beautiful Sharwyn Hucrele opens her heart to the Dark Squad, remarkably none of them make any smart arse comments.Once again, remarkably, Ram is the voice of reason and concern, he also gets some of his own story told- he knows about being a slave, he grew up in captivity… and so a bond is formed, and then there’s plenty more from Vincenzo- all great, he has a line for the slightly melodramatic world-spun wisdom.It ends with thanks, and promises of future help for the PCs- should they need it, just get in touch, the Hucrele’s are a big name particularly in Waterdeep.[There’s hope- chatter with Sharwyn 120 XP]Then some more, this time a visit with Sir Braford who has left the Hucrele household and is now spending time at the shrine of Tymora. But before we get to the paladin another chat, and warm thanks, from Corkie the gnome priestess of the chapel, and her firm friend- the rescued Erky Timbers- more healing potions are distributed. Corkie however makes it clear, the Dark Squad bears some responsibility for the release of Ashardalon. As Spike Lee would say- do the right thing, the implication being find out more and fix it.[ATTACH=full]124517[/ATTACH]Corkie (and the DM) take a moment to remind the PCs that they have unleashed (however inadvertently) a monster on the world (possibly).[Corkie tells the Dark Squad to do the right thing 50 XP]Then to the paladin, and we’re back to the sombre and the downbeat, Sir Braford is a broken man- with a sad story to tell- failure, in a word. The paladin of Tyr (possibly ex-paladin) is the last living member of his line, and so wont to stay alive- his adventuring days are however over, and his sword- which he introduces as Shatterspike (made by Durgeddin the Black- see previous) is the PCs reward. He wants nothing more to do with the blade, there follows twenty minutes of back and forth as the garrulous Vincenzo tries to draw the broken knight out of the shade and back into the light- a partial success. Although a full success for Buggles who taking Sir Braford for his word grabs Shatterspike, and then also manages to relieve the paladin of his mostly dinged to hell half plate armour.[ATTACH=full]124518[/ATTACH]Sharwyn Hucrele, Belak the Outcast & the broken paladin- Sir Braford, depicted before the Gulthias Tree, fond memories.[The down in the dumps paladin chat 125 XP]After another bout of chatter the rest of the Dark Squad catch up with Buggles, the wood elf has taken Shatterspike to be inspected by Rurik the Thundertree smith, as he requested. The dwarf has a story to tell, he knows a fair bit about Durgeddin, and the famous blade, he even recommends the PCs contact a dwarf he knows in Neverwinter- a certain Gundren Rockseeker (the PCs benefactor, and my favourite PC patron).Eventually it is decided that Garumn should wield Shatterspike, the dwarf paladin is honoured to do so.Then… well, it’s actually the summer solstice, and although slightly subdued the villagers of Thundertree are keen to mark the passing, with drinks and the making of merry, there’s even a great bonfire that burns late into the night. The Dark Squad join in, a little, with the celebrations, it gets slightly weird later on when Newt uses his magic to wander (unharmed) into the centre of the pyre, fortunately there are only a few locals around to see the tabaxi’s feat, and most of those have been drinking all day and night.One of those drinking heavily is Vincenzo, there follows a rambling speech which in precis is- “I love you guys…”, although it takes considerably longer to get said.[Last night in Thundertree and final speeches 100 XP]And so the next day the Dark Squad depart, on the two day journey to Neverwinter, being taken all the way by a local farmer in his cart- small recompense for the adventurers' troubles.En route to the big city there are two distinct subjects for discussion, the first takes the guise of a getting-to-know-you moment, the DM has asked the players to firm up a bit more of their backstory, specifically where they were born, and where since then have they ventured in faerun?I want to know so that I can plot what comes after…And so we learn, in brief here, but much extended at the VTT, that-Ramshambow was born a slave in Calimsham, eventually bought out of misery at the age of fourteen, he became a smuggler and pirate on the high seas- visiting many of the major ports, and some of the minor ones, on the Sword Coast.Buggles was born in Conyberry, his parents were killed in a troll attack, he eventually made his way into the care of Mother Willow, a dryad of the Neverwinter Woods- he also spent many years with his less than pleasant Auntie Ingrid, a green hag of the same address. He hasn’t ventured far from the woods in all of his years, although he remembers a journey to Luskan. As it turns out however time spent with treacherous fey and ‘mischevious’ sprites isn’t all shits and giggles.Garumn tells of his time in the cold north- Mirabar and Adbar, his years as a smith and then as a jeweller, eventually his time in the temple of Moradin, training to be a paladin of the all father. A wanderlust brought him south, mostly along the coast, but he barely stopped to see the sights, until he arrived in Neverwinter.Vincenzo, a foundling child discovered in the Evermoors, not an ideal start to life, raised in Nesme he quickly graduated to a life spent travelling, ostensibly as a merchant- but more so for the wonder of seeing new things. The shifter has spent the best part of a decade in the Dessarin Valley, and thereabouts- particularly the Golden Fields to Triboar route, although also visiting at various times the great cities on the coast- Baldur’s Gate, Waterdeep and Neverwinter.Newt has ventured the furthest, or else his clan have- all the way from their slave past in Port Nyanzaru, Chult. The tabaxi is also blessed/cursed with the wanderlust- and (seemingly) a song in his heart. The cat man was born and therefore spent considerable time in Waterdeep, honing his talent, but has also seen his fair share of the local flora and fauna all the way up the Sword Coast, even as far as the City of Sails- Luskan.Remarkably the above, while sounding strained here on the page, was actually a delight (as a DM) to kick back and listen to. Thanks guys- top work.Last bit, discussion point number two for the players/PCs while on the journey to Neverwinter, quite simply- what do we do with Garumn? At present I’m playing him as N/PC, but that can’t go on- I have other stuff to be about, although I love having the dwarf along, and I’d really miss doing the accent.Garumn is broad Scottish, with a bit of the vernacular.The decision proves easy- unanimous, Garumn’s staying on as an NPC, he retains his PC status on Fantasy Grounds but he’s going to be a somewhat stripped down version of a paladin- although he’ll level up, he’ll not have all the skills and spells. Just the minimum needed.Joy in my heart, I get to keep the hefty chatty (sometimes) dwarf.And that’s about it, don’t get conned- the above represents three hours of roleplay and chatter, it was marvellous- I did next to bugger all except blether all evening.[Adventure complete 250 XP]So, Neverwinter for downtime next session, and then we’re back on it- more adventuring in the Forge of Fury, hold onto your hat… I’m going to gie it laldy.  Just for info I have DMed the Forge of Fury maybe three times in total- back in the day, when it first came out- of the three adventuring parties (I remember) that went in there, well... two didn't make it out at all- both TPKs. While the third group didn't get to the end, they gave it up as a bad job (for a variety of reasons- mostly, as usual, internal strife) but at least they all emerged alive.It's a toughie, no doubt.Stay safe and well.Cheers goonalan.</blockquote>

Verification