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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 9617677" data-attributes="member: 16069">Dark Squad in the Secrets of SaltmarshSession #156: Arcadia Part 4. Q&A with the Cast.Dark Squad (in alphabetical order, no egos here).Daktari/Dak (played by Haggis) Male Human Uthgardt Sky Pony Barbarian Lvl 9Fellowyn Silverstream (played by George) Male Eladrin Wizard Bladesinger Lvl 9New Tricks/Newt (played by Bear) Male Tabaxi Warlock Lvl 9Ramshambo/Ram (played by Kev) Male Half-Elf Rogue/Fighter Lvl 7/2Vincenzo/Vinnie (played by Haggis) Male Shifter (Wildhunt) Druid Lvl 9DEAD PCs<s>Nicholai Barbaros Kostyiev/Nicky (played by George) Male Dhampir Cleric of Twilight Lvl 8 </s>RIPNPCs<s>Inverna Nightbreeze (played by George) Female Wood Elf Fighter Lvl 8 (Sidekick)</s> RETIRED<s>Garumn Male Mountain Dwarf Paladin of Moradin Lvl 5</s> RIP*<s>Tarbin Tul (played by goonalan) Male Human Bard</s> RETIRED<s>Ubmo (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 1</s> EXPLODED<s>Ubdug (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 2</s> EXPLODEDUb-Pam (played by Goonalan) Supreme Being Lvl 3*Trapped in the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors.Servants/FamiliarsGerald (Bat/Giant Bat) servant/mount of New TricksOwly (Owl) Vinnie’s familiarArchimedes (very scruffy & old, Owl) Fellowyn’s familiar.The Dark Squad’s to-do list-<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Find the other four Symbols of Ub, one was left in Deepbridge (Duergar fortress in the Underdark). The others need to be found, they belonged to- Rambles 'Shambles' Bowspirit (halfling killer from Lowhill), Antonio De La Crane (posh kid druid alchemist) & Giggles (crazy wood elf). All of these folk lived in the Saltmarsh region, the Dark Squad have found the De La Crane Manse (in the Dreadwood) and the De La Crane Crypt (in Saltmarsh Cemetery).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Nightshade is in the Deep Dreadwood- except she's not there anymore, but a big red dragon is?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Blackedge and the Goblin Stair?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame prepare the Witch's Tor for the coming of the starfall, the Witch's Tor is in the Drowned Forest, in the Mere of the Dead Men.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">To join the Pact of the Wild Flame track down the last member of the Pact, a wild elf adventurer called Giggles- and finally put her spirit to rest, and also recover her maze button. Location unknown. SEE 2. ABOVE.</li> </ol>This is session 156 and it’s an odd one- I appreciate that’s a stretch with some of the nonsense we get up to here, but, well… there’s been lots of other info available for the PCs to go find out- in their journey thus far, and things that I really thought they would do. Like the Goblin Stare/Stair, the prophecy says-“I am Golcanz and I am forgotten.The answer you seek is at the bottom of the Goblin’s stair/stare.”The Goblin Stair/Stare was discovered in session 30-something, or else its location was- it was further expounded upon by Hgraam, a hippyish Stone Giant the PCs met in the Underdark, he very specifically told the PCs to go there. A little later on- when the PCs singularly failed to investigate the Goblin’s Stair/Stare, I introduced other folk/encounters in an attempt to point them back in the right direction- there were goblin attacks, then hobgoblin attacks; the creatures came from, it was later discovered- the Goblin’s Stair/Stare. The PCs didn’t bite. Later still the Falcon, a local ranger hero lady, pointedly asked the Dark Squad to go and check the place out and put paid to the goblin attacks stemming from there. The PCs did something else and then forgot about it- even though it has been on their to-do list since 1847 (or thereabouts).There were a few other things that they also decided to not get involved with- Nightshade for one, the Bad Dead Ancestor that they have been looking for from even before they got to Saltmarsh. Or else- not looking for.I think some of this is my failure (I’m using failure as a word only- I don’t feel any shame about this error, it just kinda happened- and then we got running on something else), but… it needs fixing.What’s a DM to do?So, next place the PCs are going on their flying time-travelling castle is… the Goblin Stair/Stare, however to save a little time (because other stuff got missed too) I thought we’d have a Q&A session, a catch up for all/some of the main players, a chance for the PCs to sit down with some of their counterparts (enemies, possibly) and just shoot the breeze. Else, make sense of what’s going on here.Remember we were here-[ATTACH=full]400343[/ATTACH]Fellowyn has just won the Motor Goat grand prix and is doing his hip-thrust dance while perched on the top of a bank of arcade screens, Humphrey Far-Fer-Nar (one of the many creatures’ Newt has sold his soul to) is also present, and also ‘disco’.Then there are questions although not too many as Humphrey swiftly gets into his patter…“Welcome to the show…One by one- stepping out of the inter-dimensional bathroom, the same route the PCs took to this place, come well- a quartet of folk, and in the following order-Hgraam, the aforementioned hippyish Stone Giant, he’s actually a Stone Giant Dreamwalker, the PCs- last time they met him, really liked this guy.Mrs Badcrumble, the Dark Squad’s housekeeper, and that’s odd.Colin Um Accounts, a Tanarukk demon that Newt summons, quite often- the two don’t usually get on, Newt is very often very mean to Colin. Colin has already complained of workplace bullying and threatened to ‘go um HR’.And, at long last…Ashardalon, the nine or so foot tall dragon/elf terror (maybe), possessor of… a maze button.Afterall, the PCs have received and sent messages to Ashardalon, to date-Ashardalon: ‘I will be watching you.’Vinnie: ‘We need to talk.’And then Ashardalon’s reply-Ashardalon: ‘We do. I will come for you.’Well, here he is. The big end of level bad guy (maybe).[ATTACH=full]400344[/ATTACH]Here we all are. Some of us.Humphrey, the compare for tonight’s show makes it clear-“We’re all friends here, this is the intermission- if you like, Q&A- no violence.”And furthermore-“For every High Score you have left you can ask a question- any question, nothing is off limits but- be very careful how you word things. If anyone here has an answer to that question they will put their hand up, you can chose who you want to answer the question, but- each answer given will cost you one High Score.”The High Scores, you remember, were gained by playing a variety of arcade games in the earlier sessions and then spent like water by all of the PCs when they were in the grand prix finale, they didn’t know they had to keep a few High Scores for later.Bad DM, naughty DM.But still, collectively they still have nigh on 30 High Scores between them, although… they fall foul of the badly worded question for maybe 10-15% of their questions- it’s not a great display at times- stuff like.Q. “Do you know about XYZ?”A. “Yes.”One High Score spent. Not very enlightening.This, or else variants of this, seem to come around pretty often. The PCs even break to re-word, think about etc. what they’re doing… and then repeat the formula almost immediately after and spend another High Score for a Yes/No answer.The other thing they’ve done is fill in the gaps, they’ve figured out a variety of the prophesises, so, this is the first prophecy (which might make it important)-“Tell Wildroot that you wish to join the pact of flame, resist the urge to burn the woodsman to the ground- he will set you to your task.” The PCs have found Wildroot- he was in Vinnie’s backpack, he was a Quaal’s Feather Token (Tree) that was gifted to the PCs in their very first adventure, by the kobolds for killing a bunch of goblins in the Sunless Citadel. The PCs planted Wildroot in a magic circle and then later activated the Moon Pool there- which led to their first visit with the goddess Sehanine Moonbow. They still have not completed their tasks to join the Pact of the Flame, alas.“Discover the last ancestor, she that lives under the cover of darkness- the hag will have the answers.”This is Nightshade, the PCs have discovered, the last of the Bad Dead Ancestors- when they first arrived in Saltmarsh their investigations lead them to believe that Nightshade was laired somewhere in the Dreadwood, and then… they did something else. They later learned that Nightshade had fled the Dreadwood to who knows where, this because the DM got bored waiting for them to come to her.“When the hands move the end will have begun.”The PCs believe that the hands are part of a clock, and that they lie within the belly of a beast called “one thousand teeth” because that’s what prophecy #6 says. They’re right about everything- except they’re not the hands of a clock. Oh, and they also know that a great crocodile beast called One Thousand Teeth has been predating the lizardfolk they’re working for atm. The PCs thus have worked out that they’ll need to slay this beast.“WAIT!”“For the pale dwarf without a face to beg you- only then should you take the ghost home.”The pale dwarf is Ub, the PCs have worked out, and the ghost is probably Giggles (Buggles’ sister- this all happened a very long time ago) because they know she was killed and yet her spirit lingers on.But here’s the thing- Ub isn’t the pale dwarf (Ub has appeared as a pale dwarf many times in the past, an albino- but he isn’t the pale dwarf from the prophecy) and Giggles isn’t the ghost.That’s just one example, and the reason that I’m saying this is right, and this is wrong in the above is because the PCs took the opportunity (eventually) to check a few of their presumptions- and I do mean eventually.They asked a lot of questions that were based on their version of events which isn’t always entirely accurate.So, I’m not going to go through all of the prophecies here- although I probably will sometime during my summer break (I get 9 or so weeks off work, imagine that) and I’ll post a revised ‘what is known’ here in a later update. The PCs, in the Q&A session, found a lot more stuff out.But let’s take a brief moment for a few choice revelations, if you like-[ATTACH=full]400345[/ATTACH]Mrs Badcrumble is Nightshade, the ancient hag and missing Bad Dead Ancestor. She’s been dropping hints (Mrs B) and knowing far too much about lots of things from the moment the PCs first met her.They had no clue.To make clear- after further questioning- Mrs Badcrumble appears to be on the home team, she escaped the Land of the Bad Dead Ancestors courtesy of Ub, and… she may have the answers to a few of the PCs other questions.So, next reveal-The hands are not the hands of a clock, they are the hands of a statue.What statue?A statue of a man carrying a… crocodile.Where are they (the hands)?Inside a big crocodile called One Thousand Teeth.Where’s the rest of the statue?In Chult.Let’s get on…Who’s the pale dwarf?Gundren Rockseeker (the PCs employer, from all the way back in session #1).Who is the ghost?Try ‘what’ is the ghost.What is the ghost?The ‘Sea Ghost’ is Ram’s boat, you captured it from the smuggler’s/pirates.Where’s home?Chult.So, a lot more stuff gets worked out- and some more motivations for getting various things done start to spring up- they were always there, the DM would argue, but arguing gets you nowhere, better to just lead them by the nose every now and then.[ATTACH=full]400346[/ATTACH]A map of the Saltmarsh region. In the above Q&A two PCs, independently- although aloud and with all of the other PCs present, ask the following question-Where is Giggles?That blue circle has been on the above map for the last two-and-a-bit years, I put it there- one of the PCs did the arrow, it shows the location of… Giggles, in the dwarven ruins beneath High Top, accessed somehow via a sea cave.But we are all to blame- we were just having fun; we got carried away.Now (maybe) we can get back on track.There are more revelations, but I’ll save them for when I do the big write up in the summer about what the heck is going on here.Although…The Duergar are at the bottom of the Goblin’s Stair/Stare- bloody hell- it’s the Goblin’s Stair, just so I don’t have to write Stair/Stare again. The Duergar are going to show the PCs a door, the Duergar were put to finding the door by Ub- a long time ago.The door was made by Tracticus Halfpipe, the PCs remember that name too.The door leads into the ‘empty room vessel’, which the PCs eventually fathom- ‘spaceship’.Behind the door/in the spaceship are… the bad Modrons, the ones that Ub-Mo/Doug/Pam was sent to direct the PCs towards.Oh, and one last thing- none of the NPCs at the Q&A know what happens next, by which I mean after The Time of Ash begins (which starts when the pale dwarf without a face- Gundren Rockseeker, we’ve discovered, turns up) that part of the prophecy is unknown because none of the previous versions of the Dark Squad have ever got that far.However, what is certain- Ashardalon explains, a new god will take his/her/their place in the pantheon- depending on how this all plays out the new God could be Dendar the Nightserpent, or... someone more deserving of the mantle.Newt is absolutely delighted to hear this, and he has no known mechanism for keeping a secret, he lets everyone know- long and loud, who he thinks is in the offing for the godhood.More remarkably the other PCs have a semi-vote under the election banner ‘anyone/thing other than Newt for God’, and Daktari is the people’s choice for new deity.He’s a little embarrassed truth be told.Obviously, Newt shouts a lot throughout all of the above, and much of what follows- once he’s got an idea in his head.Later on, and this really is the last bit (nearly), the PCs ask Humphrey Far-Fer-Nar what he’s doing here again, beyond the gig as compare, he states-“God has a nice ring to it.”So, the smooth operator has also got his hat in the ring.You get Newt that at any time you could have asked who or what Humphrey is, I mean… really is, but you didn’t.Newt asked a lot of questions about himself, and how he can attain more power etc. All entirely within character. Nothing at all to do with the plot.And then lastly the PCs also realise that Colin Um Accounts has not put his hand up once, and certainly not answered any questions- what’s he doing here?“It is um my birfday. I am day out. Very nice. Tank you.”And then they’ve spent all of their High Scores and soon after are gone from this place.[ATTACH=full]400347[/ATTACH]Back to the Witch’s Tor. The PCs (eventually) remember to go and pick up the magical chest they left on the pedestal here- part of the ritual they had to complete to open the sarcophagi and send them tumbling into Arcadia.The chest has changed, or else- when they open it up there’s a fire inside of it, a floating, flickering flame- no heat, and several PCs pass their hands through it- no effect.It takes quite a while for the guys to figure this… can you guess?I just repeated the following- several times, not kidding, until they got it.“You came here to light the beacon. The beacon is lit.”Eventually they get it- the fire in the chest is the beacon.Oh, but the chest had spaces for three maze buttons on the outside, sort of embossed depressions, the PCs put two maze buttons and a fake maze button in these depressions earlier in their adventures. The chest reappeared- dropping from the sky- only it was titanic in proportions- fifty feet high/wide/deep- or thereabouts. Remember that.Anyway, the new chest has spaces for three more maze buttons on the inside now.That’s six in total.There are only six maze buttons- this is known.The PCs are hunting for five- one each, Ashardalon has the last.The chest, the PCs work out, is important.Then…[ATTACH=full]400348[/ATTACH]The PCs have to hang around for another hour while Daktari re-attunes Shatterspike, his stone cutting longsword- they’d forgotten they had conjured and then made permanent triple thick walls of stone here. This in order to keep the ceiling creeping aliens out- or else to slow the flow.Then…[ATTACH=full]400349[/ATTACH]Back to Castle Argentriver, and some checks to see if their adventure outside of the castle has changed any of the PCs in any way- but no, everyone makes their checks.We got there.The Dark Squad know a little more about where they are and what they’re doing, and where they’re going next.Next stop the Goblin’s Stair.Oh, and Ram’s back- Kev found his old token, there was much relief around the gaming table, that last feller looked like a jerk.Stay safe and well.Cheers the Dark Squad and goonalan.</blockquote>

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