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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7637535" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Session #33 Hoard of the Dragon Queen #19 The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution Part 1.Brothers of the First Light.Lummins (played by Rob) Male Half-Elf Cleric of Lathander Lvl 5Lux (played by Sandy) Female Human Warlock Lvl 5Watt (played by Jackie) Male Human Bard Lvl 5Sgt Bobby Markguth (played by Pete) Male Human Fighter Lvl 5Secondary PCs.Hotlips Houlihan (played by Sandy) Female Halfling Rogue Lvl 5Derek Pilch (played by Jackie) Male Human Druid Lvl 5Hard Bonk (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Monk Lvl 5Sgt Harald Hardaxe (played by Pete) Male Shield Dwarf Fighter Lvl 5Note, this is session #33 of our game but only session #19 of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen scenario.We’re in a Lizardfolk longhouse just outside Castle Naerytar- not that the PCs, or the Lizardfolk for that matter, know the name of the place. The PCs have followed the Dragon Cult loot to here, in point of fact they were involved in transporting the loot over the last leg of the journey. They’re also aware that Rezmir (Half-Black Dragon) Cult leader is laired here. The castle is also home to a bunch of Dragon Cultists lead by someone called Dral, a tribe of cruel Bullywugs lead by Fartbox (Pharblex), and lastly the Scaly Death tribe of Lizardfolk.The Brothers of the First Light et al have made a positive impression on one of the Lizardfolk- Snapjaw, the young warrior is keen to overthrow the Bullywugs (and to a lesser extent the dragon kneelers = Cultists). The PCs are also keen to make this happen and are therefore in the process of stirring up the Lizardfolk- the scent of revolution is in the air.Late in the evening, in the Lizardfolk longhouse, the charming Brothers of the First Light (mostly Lux (Human Warlock), Lummins (Half-Elf Cleric) & Watt (Human Bard)) and Snapjaw are cajoling at least two dozen rapt Lizardfolk- “Do you hate the Bullywugs, all the time telling you what to do?”, “They killed your leader- Suncaller, are the Scaly Death clan going to take that?”, and, “Where’s your Dragon Lord now? You need help. We can help you to get your pride and/or spirit and/or fight back.”The Lizardfolk are rapt because the PCs are really putting on a show-Lummins is using repeated castings of Thaumaturgy to enhance and delight (like a crazy Signer), his finale involves a casting of his Spiritual Weapon (a glowing spear made of light) which hovers around the longhouse stabbing at imagined enemies.Lux is using repeated castings (At Will for her) of Disguise Self to assume a variety of faces during the section of the PCs lecture in which they talk about the story of their journey up until this point. For her finale she swoops around the longhouse courtesy of her Fly spell.Watt does a lot of the talking, usually Friends enhanced, but he also makes use of his Disguise Self spell. For the finale he works his way through his full repertoire of musical expertise- starting with a haunting flute solo, then a rousing viol chorus, then to pan flute for a lilting refrain and culminating in a Jimi Hendrix style bagpipe thrash-about.The Players have been planning this, there have been far too many e-mails sent between the last session and this- it’s been hectic, and a little bit joyous. There’s even a narrative to their presentation, and major themes- the corrupt dragon kneelers and vile Bullywugs, the Brothers of the First Light’s story (from Dragon Cultists to seeing the Light of Lathander) illustrating their journey to salvation- and their desire for revenge. The finale juxtaposes the Brothers journey with the plight of the Scaly Death tribe- the answer, rise up- shake your chains to earth like dew which in slumber have fallen upon you (to paraphrase a genius).And so, after a clutch of skill checks by all of the participants (all with a variety of bonuses) it’s all down to one roll (heavily weighted towards the PCs because of their planning, previous successes and great RP) because… well why not.And ‘15’ plus bonuses, that’s over 20… the crowd go WILD- the Glorious Lizardpeople Revolution has truly begun.The Players however have yet more plans to put in to action, and so after a night in the Lizardfolk longhouse the next day sees a variety of activities, their plans are very good-a)    The two Sgts hold meetings with a variety of Lizardfolk- sizing up their qualities and questioning them about the Cultist and Bullywug forces, the pair also learn that there’s another leader type at the castle at the moment- from the Lizardfolk’s description it sounds like the Red Wizard of Thay from the caravan is also here.b)    Reconnaissance #1 Lux (Invisible & Flying) goes for an hour long fly about, around, and through as much of Castle Naerytar that she can get to.c)    Reconnaissance #2 Derek Pilch (Human Druid) goes for a hop about (as a Giant Frog), ostensibly investigating the Bullywug huts, later the Druid Wild Shapes in to a Crocodile and goes for a swim in the castle moat- very relaxing, although there are plenty of other Crocs in there.d)    Reconnaissance #3 Watt & Hotlips (Halfling Rogue) (both Invisible) go for an hour-long incursion in to the castle proper to see how far they can get and what they can spy. The pair get a good way in, even going so far as to investigate (albeit briefly) a few of the buildings arranged around the Outer Ward.e)    There follows a further Q&A session with a number of Lizardfolk that serve within the castle, at the end of which the PCs have a rough-and-ready, but accurate, drawing of the castle marked with the locations of various groups of inhabitants.f)    Lastly, more planning- the order of the attack takes shape.And that’s all for the day, the PCs have used a majority of their high-level spells in order to achieve the above, and about an hour or more of real-world time to get it done. They’re ready, all that’s left is to wait for the perfect time to strike.Another night in the longhouse, followed by the rest of the next day spent in final preparations (including a further bit of reconnaissance done by a group of Lizardfolk lead by Snapjaw), the attack starts early evening.Note in-game every PC has been allotted an individual Lizardfolk for them to play (eight PCs with eight Lizardfolk), that’s right- for the attack they are going to use all eight PCs- two groups of four. So, each Strike Team contains four PCs and four Lizardfolk.If their allotted Lizardfolk dies then they don’t get another one, unless (and the PCs know about this) they can convince the Lizardfolk that serve Dral within the castle to join the revolution- in which case they get another four Lizardfolk as potential replacements.As with the PCs horses two of the Players (Jackie & Sandy, of course) insist that the Lizardfolk accompanying them on the attack be given names, and so we have- Swampy, Gawp, Ping & Pong, Gumbo, Big Claw, Bungle and George.It only takes twenty or so minutes to figure the names out.Ho-hum.Then the attack, starting with both Strike Teams creeping up to, and then launching themselves in to the Barbican, with one of the Strike Teams rushing straight up the stairs to attack the Bullywug inhabitants of the upper floor.We play both fights at the same time, which proves a little difficult to do- there are a lot of combatants, for the sake of the narrative I’ll describe one and then the other.Strike Team #1 = Lummins, Lux, Sgt Bobby (Human Fighter) & Watt (the Brothers of the First Light) plus four Lizardfolk.[ATTACH=full]113049[/ATTACH]The ten Bullywug ‘guards’ and their two Giant Frog companions are taken by surprise- Lummins fires in a trio of Scorching Rays, all hits- three Bullywugs are badly wounded. Lux’s Eldritch Blasts kill two others, Sgt Bobby and the accompanying Lizardfolk rush in to melee and account for another two between them. That’s thinned the pack somewhat.Last up (as planned- the PCs are on it) is Watt who fires up his Hypnotic Pattern, and only one Bullywug and both Giant Frogs are unaffected by the spell. The ‘guards’ have been decimated.Seconds later Lummins’ Sacred Flame takes down the only compos mentis Bullywug left standing. The two Giant Frogs however attempt to flee the scene, leaping over the PCs to get to the exit, one makes it out of the Barbican- the other is cut down. The fleeing amphibian doesn’t get far, already wounded, it succumbs to Sgt Bobby’s flung dagger.Meantime the Lizardfolk take the opportunity to attack (and slaughter) the Bullywugs affected by Watt’s Hypnotic Pattern. The fight is quickly over, with no hits taken by the good guys- very few of the bad guys got chance to attack, they were mostly concentrating their efforts on either dying or fleeing. The body of the fleeing Giant Frog is quickly recovered (when the coast looks clear) and then hauled back and thrown in to the moat.Things however are a little more fraught upstairs, Strike Team #2 dashes through the fight downstairs, ignoring the action, and straight up the stairs and in to the nine Bullywugs that are just waking up to the fact that they are being invaded.Strike Team #2 = Derek, Hard Bonk (Half-Orc Monk), Hotlips & Sgt Harald (Dwarf Fighter) plus four Lizardfolk.[ATTACH=full]113050[/ATTACH]The PCs (after their reconnaissance, and interviews with the Lizardfolk) know that there’s a drum situated in the Upper Barbican which beats the rhythm of castle life, and of course sounds the alarm should the castle be attacked.They need to knock out the alarm system.And so…Derek is first in to action with an Entangle spell which causes all of the Bullwugs close to the drum, who are only just getting to their feet, to be Restrained by the sprouting vegetation. The effect however doesn’t last- a lone Bullywug gets free and then fights its way through the tangle of plants and to the drum. Hard Bonk arrives at the same spot just in time to kick and punch the poor bugger to death.The remaining Bullywugs unaffected by the Entangle spell also do their upmost to reach the drum- Hotlips cuts one down and badly wounds another. Sgt Harald repeats the feat- one dead, one bloodied.The Bullywugs are being decimated- they immediately devise a new plan- FLEE!First choice is down the stairs- although that’s not going to end well, Strike Team #1 (or as you know them- the Brothers of the First Light) are downstairs.Of the three Bullywug’s left standing (and not Entangled) two head for the stairs, leaping over the PCs that block the exit, it doesn’t go well for either of them- Sgt Harald chases one of them down and slaughters it, the other is Thorn Whipped to death by Derek.The last Bullywug attempts to leap from the battlements down in to the moat, it leaps in to the air and… Hotlips thunks a dagger in to it- the creature is dead before it hits the water.As happened downstairs the Lizardfolk rush in and slaughter the one remaining Entangled Bullywug.The Barbican is taken, all of their enemies are dead. Remarkably none of the PCs have taken a single wound, however all of the Lizardfolk upstairs have taken hits- a pair of them are bloodied already, but the attack is a rip-roaring success. The entire assault is over in under thirty seconds and with a minimum of fuss- a little bit of a light-show but not visible from any great distance, and fairly quietly done.The plan is working.So, next up- Strike Team #2 settle in to the Lower Barbican, they’re job is to hold the place- from attacks within and without, a pair of Lizardfolk are left upstairs on watch- the beater for the drum is located, the PCs have devised their own signalling system using the instrument. It’s very basic the PCs system- one of the Lizardfolk will beat the drum loudly and repeatedly should the Barbican come under attack by a force that will surely overwhelm the defenders, or else some other event takes place that demands the attention (and attendance) of Strike Team #1.Next up Snapjaw, the would-be leader of the Lizardfolk Revolution is ushered in to the Barbican- he’s got a job to do, he joins Strike Team #1.That done Hotlips goes for a brief sneak about along the Causeway and to the edge of the Outer Ward, there are just two Bullywugs hopping about there, neither of them are aware of the attack it seems.Strike Team #1 moves up the Causeway and then briefly in to action.[ATTACH=full]113051[/ATTACH]Very briefly- the nearest Bullywug succumbs to a dagger in the throat courtesy of Sgt Bobby, while the other is scorched and cindered (to death) by Lummins’ Sacred Flame. The Brothers et al wait for thirty seconds- nothing stirs, and then order the Lizardfolk to go retrieve the fallen Bullywug corpses, which are then ferried back to the Causeway and thrown over the crenelated battlements and in to the moat.It’s feeding time for the Crocs.Just for info I’m rolling my random ‘What Happens Next?’ D20 every time the PCs et al do something that generates noise and/or light- just to see if something good, or better still- something bad happens, come on the Wandering Monsters.Next stage of the plan is to go and check out the Lizardfolk Guards that are loyal to the Dragon Cultist leader Dral. Snapjaw is going to attempt, with a little help from a few of the PCs, to persuade the group to come over to the Scaly Death Clan’s side.Through the Forge, which is empty at this time of the night, and in to the Lizardfolk’s Ready Room within the north east tower. The Lizardfolk within are less ready than expected- sprawled around the room relaxing, they do however leap to their feet and start barking questions when the Brothers et al enter in. At which point we get in to the roleplay…More of Dral’s Lizardfolk Guards come to join the hastily assembled meeting as the talk progresses, within a minute of their arrival there are easily twenty Lizardfolk facing the PCs et al, Snapjaw however is in the centre of the action.At the end of twenty or so minutes of roleplay including rehashed versions of the speeches from the previous Lizardfolk presentation, three of the four PCs aiding in this endeavour roll high (15+) and so Snapjaw seals the deal. The Lizardfolk Guards however are not as committed (yet) to the cause. Basically, the PCs get an extra two replacements should any of their eight Lizardfolk accomplices fall. However, if Snapjaw and/or the PCs bring back the head of Fartbox (Pharblex), the Bullywug leader, then the Lizardfolk here will truly join the cause (and the PCs get the maximum four replacement Lizardfolk).It’s the end of the session, and the DM on a whim wants to make the Lizardfolk a little more valuable to the PCs, Snapjaw promises the Brothers of the First light that should the following conditions be met-1)    Fartbox (Pharblex) killed and all of the other Bullywug’s slaughtered or else routed.2)    The dragon kneelers (Cultists) likewise routed, or surrendered, or killed.3)    Fartbox’s loot, and perhaps a few other ‘interesting’ items found elsewhere in the castle gifted to the Scaly Death Clan.4)    The ruined castle likewise given to the Scaly Death Clan.Then the Brothers of the First Light’s (just Lummins, Lux, Sgt Bobby & Watt) Lizardfolk helpers will swear (Snapjaw will make sure of this) to serve them for a year and a day. Basically, the four main PCs are given the opportunity to grab themselves a hench-Lizardfolk each, obviously they have to meet the conditions above, and (more importantly) keep the guy they have been allotted alive for this to happen.The Players are much impressed by this kind offer, all of them keen to have their own Lizardfolk domestic. The Glorious Lizardpeople’s Revolution just got even more interesting.Several of the Players enquire over e-mail during the days following the session as to whether the Lizardfolk can become PCs in their further adventures. Give ‘em an inch…We’ll see.The revolution continues in the next session; this was a fairly short one.</blockquote>

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