(note: Some of this information has been obtained from other party members. As such I cannot confirm the veracity of the statements but also have no reason to doubt them.)
Mr. Tibbles ran off to keep up with the druid (we found out later that her name is Lily. Will refer to her as such from here on). He turned into a horse at some point. Aeolaric jumped on and they rode off together.
Ashe and Killian went through a beautiful stone archway into the druid circle proper. A tower in the distance had a glowing crystal shaped like a flower atop it. Ahead of Ashe and Killian was a fork in the road. To the left, thorny vines around a bush of beautiful flowers. Ashe, ever the fool, ran off to try and grab some of the flowers and was rebuffed by the thorns. (Scribbled below this hastily is ’Don’t come on too strong’)
Aeolaric and Tibbles chase Lily until she turns to a bird, flying over a chasm to the tower. They come back to regroup with the other two. Aeolaric is interested in the flowers for an academic purpose, it seems. He says the flowers are quite valuable.
Killian and Ashe sneak down the right-hand path and find some living trees. Living as in moving around and having faces and looking angry. They seem to be protecting a shard of the crystal flower. They turn back and fill Tibbles and Aeolaric in on what is going on. There is some back and forth between the adults as to what to do with the resources that this place has in abundance (namely, water and greenery). During this time, Mr. Tibbles becomes his normal cat form and frolicks into the thick vines. We fear for his safety for a few minutes before hearing a whirring and grinding noise. (Killian later said it was very similar to the beasts with Halcyon, but smaller). Tibbles has returned! And he cut a hole in the vines. Ashe tries to tend to his wounds and the whole group hop through the opening before it seals back up.
The group comes to another fork in the road. To the left, a group of buildings. Houses? Lodging for travelers? Whatever its original purpose, it is currently nearly abandoned. An armored and robed woman comes out to meet the party. She tells them that there are strange metallic swarms that are draining the animals and leaving naught but skins. They are also killing the druids. Very very few remain. Master Thornhart, the leader of the druid circle, has remained in the tower to rebuff the assaults from the strange figure commanding the swarms. The woman hands Aeolaric a vial of explosive. He hands it to Ashe. For some reason, he trusts her. Against all reason, he trusts her. We finally get the woman’s name. She is Reine. (Scribbled below this is ‘Ask her name FIRST’)
Father Killian goes into a nearby hut to tend to a wounded Scarlet Sister. After his ministrations, she tells him that there is a daily attack by the strange man. He sends all his swarms at once and it is likely he is the most vulnerable at this time. The creature has a red crystal heart, like the clay things in the Menanki. Aim for the heart.
Ashe and Tibbles rest up while Killian and Aeolaric scout ahead to see what they can figure out about the path ahead. A humming means that the time is coming. They wake up the slumbering party members and all head towards the cave the thing is said to be hiding in. It emerges and seems to have three swarms at its command. It compels them to the tower and Master Thornhart appears to command the vines to fight off the things. Aeolaric sneaks up behind the figure and cuts into it. As the swarms turn around to defend their master, Ashe intercepts one and commands it to strike the other swarm. She is successful and one swarm is devoured. The remaining few puncture Ashe’s armor and destroy it in the process. Several of the things make it through the armor entirely and stab into her.
Tibbles makes a brave leap to strike at the figure but misses and falls into the crevasse below. Father Killian blesses Aeolaric with the might of the Menanki and then makes his own weapon glow with power. Aeolaric rolls backwards and riddles the figure with throwing blades. Ashe charges foolishly forward, trying to show off her new abilities. She knocks the figure AND Aeolaric down into the crevasse. Aeolaric stabs the thing on the way down. That, coupled with the impact of landing, kill the creature. Tibbles tries to assist and catch Aeolaric. He is crushed and killed in the process. (There are watery marks on the page here)
Aeolaric the Kind and Father Killian the Faithful tend to the poor kitten’s broken form. Never ceasing in their determination to right the wrong done by the bard, they seek out the help of Master Thornhart. He takes Killian inside with him and they begin their work. It takes a few days. Aeolaric heals up and readies himself for the trip back home. True to his word, Fathter Killian returns with Tibbles, alive and bouncing. It seems that Lily is coming back to Argent Springs to act as a guide for Tibbles in the druidic ways.
The Scarlet Sister that Killian saved earlier says that the crystal was the source of the water and plant life here. Perhaps a similar object exists in the Menanki somewhere? More investigation is needed.
We retrieve the half shark corpse made of gold and bring it back. It is in the vault now. Which seems to be locked. More investigation is needed.
(Scribbled in the margins are ‘Ask her hobbies/interests’ and ‘Have her talk about herself’
I make no excuses for my actions. They were foolish and reckless and endangered my traveling companions. I would call them my friends, but I do not deserve to call them as such. I will be going on a trip for a short while. Back in a few days.
To everyone I have harmed, I am sorry. Truly. I hope I can make it up to you someday. Please let me know how.
-Ashe
I feel like we might need a guilt-off here between Ashe and Dra'alde, each certain they are the bigger monster and trying to make the other feel better about their mistakes..
Session 11:
3am on the night of our return from the Menanki:
It would be better if we left this blank..
Everyone’s still awake, I haven’t been able to convince them to let me cast Sleep on them to let them rest after what went down in there..
Gods, we completed our missions, but.. it wasn’t worth 40 gold.. Not even close..
Well, the day started out well, I gathered everyone together, and we made a garden on the roof, we’re using dog and bear droppings as fertilizer and the rain cloud is providing the water we need for the garden. It all went super well, we’ve got alchemical herbs growing, and a few vegetables, so we can make our own healing potions now, that’s good..
Then we headed down into the Menanki..
The shopkeeper lady is a huge thing of tentacles and floating eyes..
It was angered and scared by the black coins I possess.
I think I’m persona non-grata at her shop now..
We went deeper.. There’s a room filled with of hundreds of corpses..
I.. don’t want to go into details about what happened..
The short version is;
There was a mind flayer, It got all of us.
It claimed I resisted the attack, and was fully in control of my senses.. but that makes it worse..
I don’t know what the others saw, I was only shown the nightmare of the man we were leading to pay respects to his dead husband..
In the dream his husband turned away from him, and it was.. not a good reunion.. I.. Why didn’t I prepare fireball.
The mind flayer offered to devour me in exchange for everyone elses freedom, but I.. gods I don’t want to lose my mind, maybe someone else would do it, but I couldn’t.
I made a deal.
I gave it a scroll..
It let go of Rona and Lazz, I don’t know if my deal saved either of them, they might have resisted on their own.. I couldn’t ask what they saw..
It can teleport now.
I’m sorry.
-Dra’alde.
See though yours didn't have repercussions yet. Mine were IMMEDIATE
Look, Killian saved the cat-child-thing, cause it was Menanki's Will that a child not perish that night, and live to strive hard for it's existence. The record is totally intact.
In other, completely unrelated news, does anyone have any sweet crystal hearts on hand?
"Go down, kick ass, and set yourselves up as gods, that's our Prime Directive!"
I've made an Arcane Duelist character to play tomorrow. Aytaç will probably be back sometime later, but for now let's just assume he and Lang are working on like, a rooftop garden at the guildhall.
Anyway, his name is Maksym, and I picture him as a professional adventurer because he likes fighting and being an adventurer is a really good way to find new and exotic sorts of people to fight.
These are the bonds I have written up for him so far, let me know if you have any suggestions for a tweak to them or an additional bond.
THREE'S A CROWD: Convince me to fight alongside you, instead of dueling one-on-one.
IT'S JUST BUSINESS: I respect you as a co-worker. Try to show me that we can be friends, too.
I've made an Arcane Duelist character to play tomorrow. Aytaç will probably be back sometime later, but for now let's just assume he and Lang are working on like, a rooftop garden at the guildhall.
Stop pooping in my garden you sons of Silly Geese!
Week-long hunting expedition coming soon! Come, join the Scarlet Sisterhood on an excursion into the Wending Woods, to the west. We hunt game, feral beasts, and bandits.
Applicants looking to join on full time will be tested and vetted; all others will be rewarded proportionate to their glory.
Additional points of interest may be visited, time permitting.
Zephyr Quinn - Ranger - Chaotic (Free someone from literal or figurative bonds.)
Deity: Lumpy Shark Goddess — Animal companions: Simone the Raven and Castille the Rook
Leader: Allow me to make a decision so you can criticize it.
Scoundrel: Present me with the opportunity to put my penchant for taking things above the well-being of the group.
Hedonist: Present me with an opportunity or join me in overindulging in a vice.
Shae’ah - Druid - Chaotic (Destroy a symbol of civilization.)
Actual Cannibal: Offer onto me new flesh that I might sate my hunger.
Survival of the fittest: Adapt or die. Prove to me you are not fated to be my next meal.
Past Life: I remember only the faintest memory of home. The Mother Gator, the name Gurg, and the Great Beasts. Reveal their meaning to me.
Dra’alde – Wizard – Good (Use magic to directly aid another.)
Still followed by his loyal cloud — Forearm chipped (L2)
One Track Mind: Try to convince me magic isn’t the best solution to the problem at hand.
Reckless Planning: Go along with a dangerous magic reliant plan I cooked up despite your better judgment, then point out the obvious plans we didn’t take into account.
We are helping!: Let me help when I really, really shouldn’t.
Thrognar - Paladin - Good (Endanger yourself to protect someone weaker than you.)
Deity: Elfism — Forearm chipped (L2)
Weirdly Compelling: Ask me to speak for the group, or take the lead in a social setting, so that I can apply my robust skillset and deep understanding of social norms to the situation.
Zealous Convert: Inform me of a little known tenet of Elfism, so that I can use it to strengthen my faith or embarrass myself.
Courageous Vanguard: Follow my lead into a dangerous situation so that we can achieve glorious victory.
Maksym - Arcane Duelist - Lawful (Duel a worthy opponent.)
Three’s A Crowd: Convince me to fight alongside you, instead of dueling one-on-one.
It’s Just Business: I respect you as a co-worker. Try to show me we can be friends, too.
Sell-Sword: Pay me so that I will advise you on how to fight with a blade.
Please let me know if there's something different about your character that needs to be changed.
Allyxia on
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Erin The RedThe Name's Erin! Woman, Podcaster, Dungeon Master, IT nerd, Parent, Trans. AMABaton Rouge, LARegistered Userregular
Jordan needs a 'keeps us coordinated' badge. I am gonna work on that.
Went and registered the group for the escort job ahead of the crowd. Several members of the group showed up later in the day, unaware I had already registered for them. I suppose this level of professionalism is to be expected from a guild that can't even agree on a name.
Come next dawn, my impressions of several of said members remained questionable at best. The Scarlet Sister who was in charge at least made it clear that if anyone fell behind or was injured it was totally optional to save them. I don't think of myself as an uncaring individual, but it seems clear to me that some people who act like they're problem-solvers are just problem-creators, and trying to save them will just cause more problems.
(Wait, I'm not sure who these mission reports are actually for? Whoever is reading these, get in touch with me.)
There was enough foresight for the guild to rent a mule and cart for the journey.
Since the expedition was estimated to take a week's time, and we returned after only two days, you can safely assume that Circumstances arose. Our group was scouting ahead of the main caravan when we were set upon by large insect raiders. There were some armed with spears,
some with whip-like tendrils, and their leader (who was huge) had nasty, scythe-like arms. There were also some gross grub-things that swam through the sand and tried to suck the blood out of people like giant desert leeches or something.
Long story short, the bugs gave us a good fight, we killed the bugs, the Scarlet Sisterhood was impressed we'd managed to kill the bug leader and offered us a tidy sum to deliver it to their guildhall. After some negotiations, we were able to secure a price of 850 coins, and we returned to town and delivered the carcass.
Taking more jobs from the Scarlet Sisterhood could prove very profitable, and of course having another group that considers us dependable will make our own position stronger as well.
Final notes:
-Wizard needs to figure out how to cast more spells.
-Our guild's negotiator has a silver tongue. Keep him around.
-Maybe make a rule that you don't go drinking in celebration before the mission?
-They rented a mule and cart. Our guild doesn't own a mule and cart?
I think I know what Aeolaric is spending all his filthy lucre on.
In order of purchasing priority:
A big ass sign installed on the guildhall exclaiming "COMPETENCE LTD."
A horse/(other beast of burden), named "Cart".
Stables and feed for Cart.
A cart for Cart.
A subsidy for Dra'alde's tuition. And a copy of the book "GOOD DECISIONMAKING AND YOU".
I got a discount on the rented horse and cart, so instead of 50 coins it was 10. (We made a deal with the dude we got the gnoll meat with session 2). So if you wanna bargain for that shit, there's some leverage
I don't imagine Cart or their cart will be the big ticket line items. Return of the Mack just made a good point about a proper organisation having enough shit together to have a permanent solution.
Plus now we know that suckers will pay 50g to rent Cart and their cart. Given proper marketing we could turn a profit there.
The Bowl… It’s.. Blood!
This is terrible! We are calling on the goodness of any available adventurers. Quom’s Bowl is.. it is wrong! It’s been desecrated! We barely made it back to the temple alive. Some of us DIDN’T make it back. All of the holy water in our waterskins turned to blood. We fear that the same has happened to the source. Please, come with us. We need anyone with restorative capabilities or anyone who seeks to right a greivous wrong to come to the bowl! We know the way. We only need your strength.
- Scalidor, Seeker of Quom
Zephyr Quinn - Ranger - Chaotic (Free someone from literal or figurative bonds.)
Deity: Shark God — Animal companions: Simone the Raven and Castille the Rook
Leader: Allow me to make a decision so you can criticize it.
Scoundrel: Present me with the opportunity to put my penchant for taking things above the well-being of the group.
Hedonist: Present me with an opportunity or join me in overindulging in a vice.
Dra’alde – Wizard – Good (Use magic to directly aid another.)
Still followed by his loyal cloud — Forearm chipped (L2)
One Track Mind: Try to convince me magic isn’t the best solution to the problem at hand.
Reckless Planning: Go along with a dangerous magic reliant plan I cooked up despite your better judgment, then point out the obvious plans we didn’t take into account.
We are helping!: Let me help when I really, really shouldn’t.
Eruantion – Arcane Duelist – Good (Slay a menace to the innocent.)
Shares body with a Fire-Spirit – Forearm chipped (L2)
Honor-bound: Ask me to prove myself in a duel to gain your respect.
Leeroy Jenkins: Let me rush off without a plan and put us all in danger.
Rona Ironheel – Vampire – Lawful (Drink only when necessary, and only what you need.)
Wariness: Refuse to accept help from me because of my vampirism.
Necessary Evil: Ask me to carry out a task that needs to be done—whether it’s too dangerous for a normal person to attempt or too unpleasant for you to deal with.
Utja – Cleric – Lawful (Endanger yourself following the precepts of your church or god.)
Deity:
Erin The RedThe Name's Erin! Woman, Podcaster, Dungeon Master, IT nerd, Parent, Trans. AMABaton Rouge, LARegistered Userregular
We are going to do a season debrief in the next week or so.
If you are a player and want to be in it with us, stay tuned!
Players and everyone else are allowed and encouraged to send questions. If you have any, feel free to post them in here or pm them to me or email them to us at thatdndpodcast@gmail.com
Utja quietly pens an addition to the log, then walks away, adventuring pack and staff in hand. It reads thusly:
In all my travels and studies, I have rarely encountered a tale that began with so little to mark and ended so full of dismay and destruction. Never have I myself lived such a tale. Until now. Though my custom and worship so often leads me to hold stories and secrets within, rarely disclosing them, I share this story to the knowledge and growth of all who read it. Know the fear and danger is real, understand the threat we may not live under, and be a stronger adventurer in its light.
At a time in the past of which many are already aware, Quom’s Bowl, the holy water source of the Seekers of Quom, was corrupted, causing all the water within and from said source to turn to blood. Understandably, the Seekers looked to hire adventurers to travel to Quom’s Bowl and attempt purification of the holy water. Several members of Competence Limited answered the call for aid, to wit: Dra’alde, wizard; Eruantion, arcane duelist; Zephyr Quinn, ranger; Utja, cleric; and Rona, the ranger who was.
Though we had striven to proceed on this adventure alone, six of the Seekers insisted on accompanying us. Such was our lot, and so we traveled. For three days we traveled across the desert toward Quom’s Bowl in seemingly uneventful manner. I say seemingly, for much was revealed later that we failed to give its due significance at the time. The first day we encountered a group of ragged beggars along the side of the road, as one too often does it seems. We though little of it at the time, but gave them what food we could spare (muffins, it would seem, so many we carry with us). During the first night there was an odd noise that none of us thought much of. Nothing seemed strange until the morning when one of the Seekers, Jonas, seemed rather like an automaton. It was strange, but what was there to be done. Over the next night, there was another strange midnight disruption, and in the morning, more oddly monotonous behavior and speech. Yet, again, we were mostly preoccupied with the mission, the surroundings, ourselves; and had when Rona mentioned discrepancies in the number of Seekers, there was no longer any clear evidence of anything untoward, just the odd behavior. Do mark this. Had we heeded this seemingly minor strangeness, our adventure would have ended much differently.
On the third day of travel, we again encountered a group of ragged beggars. They seemed strangely like the first group, and yet it was impossible to tell if they were the same. Despite our arguments to the contrary, the Seekers insisted on incorporating these ragged beggars into our group. We did not trust them, but our basis for this was our increasing unease rather than evidence, so our caution was weak and ignorable. Thus the ragged group joined us and traveled with us. They took over the cooking, but most of us avoided eating the food they had made due to this growing unease. During this night, I was on watch when the disturbance occurred again. I saw a sand dune explode with impact and near silence. Something had impacted the sand at a great speed. I drew the attention of Rona to the strange event, and she agreed we should wake others and apprise them of this strangeness. We members of the guild discussed the situation, discussed the strange behavior of the Seekers, pondered options. Eru and Zephyr sought answers and information, discovering that we were in grave danger. It would seem our group had been deeply infiltrated by wight wolves—wight wolves that were hunting us.
Soon too much of the camp was awake, Seekers, beggars, all. Before long, the Seekers appeared before us and suggested that we travel on immediately. In the middle of the night. They then insisted.
It is here that the timeline becomes hazy, for many things happened, confusion was rampant, fire sowed chaos, and soon our tale became one we would not have chosen to tell. Around this time, Rona deemed it wise to consult with Death, and informed us that, as we had begun to fear, the Seekers were no longer themselves. In fact, only one, a small, energetic boy, was still a human. Yet Death gave us no word or warning regarding the wight wolves. Beware, those of you who walk with death, most of all: Death cannot see or perceive these creatures of destruction. You ignore this warning at your peril.
The young boy, being the last of the Seekers left to guide, became of high importance. Some of us went to great lengths to preserve his life in the oncoming chaos. It was in these next few moments that several things happened: the “Seekers” and beggars were set to sleep, the boy argued out of ignorance, a fireball was used to awaken those who were no longer human. There was a battle. The undead revealed their true faces reluctantly. They were strong and sought to destroy and assimilate. The wight wolves joined by mummies carrying evil daggers of bronze (beware these daggers, adventurers), advanced and endangered us all. The mummies sought sacrifice and curse. The wolves sought destruction. I will not elaborate on the darkness and gruesomeness of that battle. We fought in near desperation. Several died. Through prayer, through fire, through last acts of courageous guild members, through strong actions, the evil beings were defeated, but the cost was heavy. Of all who left to purify Quolm’s Bowl, only Utja and Dra’alde have returned whole and alive. Rona has returned as well, but is not whole and is in a state that is neither death nor life awaiting knowledge and care for healing. We entered the desert dulled by our confidence as adventurers. We left the desert aware of our weaknesses and loss. Mark this, adventurers. Mark the intrusion of creatures of death into this realm. Mark their subtlety and strength. I have gone to great lengths to share this knowledge to demonstrate how easy it is to miss the danger in front of you. The results of said danger need no elaboration: they speak grimly for themselves. Beware this tale. Know it is true because I have lived it. I have seen the dark creatures of death that seek to devour and assimilate. I warn you with my tale, my knowledge, that you, readers, may be stronger, honed by your wary fears, and not fail as we have.
Erin The RedThe Name's Erin! Woman, Podcaster, Dungeon Master, IT nerd, Parent, Trans. AMABaton Rouge, LARegistered Userregular
I know this topic has been dead since... Uh the finale, haha, but wanted to post a thing
If you have any questions for any of the DMs (Chris, Jordan, Andrew) or any of the players, please PM them to me. We are doing an end of season recap stream Friday and wanna answer any lingering things you may have
Posts
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
See though yours didn't have repercussions yet. Mine were IMMEDIATE
In other, completely unrelated news, does anyone have any sweet crystal hearts on hand?
Anyway, his name is Maksym, and I picture him as a professional adventurer because he likes fighting and being an adventurer is a really good way to find new and exotic sorts of people to fight.
These are the bonds I have written up for him so far, let me know if you have any suggestions for a tweak to them or an additional bond.
THREE'S A CROWD: Convince me to fight alongside you, instead of dueling one-on-one.
IT'S JUST BUSINESS: I respect you as a co-worker. Try to show me that we can be friends, too.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Stop pooping in my garden you sons of Silly Geese!
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Week-long hunting expedition coming soon! Come, join the Scarlet Sisterhood on an excursion into the Wending Woods, to the west. We hunt game, feral beasts, and bandits.
Applicants looking to join on full time will be tested and vetted; all others will be rewarded proportionate to their glory.
Additional points of interest may be visited, time permitting.
Zephyr Quinn - Ranger - Chaotic (Free someone from literal or figurative bonds.)
Deity: Lumpy Shark Goddess — Animal companions: Simone the Raven and Castille the Rook
Shae’ah - Druid - Chaotic (Destroy a symbol of civilization.)
Dra’alde – Wizard – Good (Use magic to directly aid another.)
Still followed by his loyal cloud — Forearm chipped (L2)
Thrognar - Paladin - Good (Endanger yourself to protect someone weaker than you.)
Deity: Elfism — Forearm chipped (L2)
Maksym - Arcane Duelist - Lawful (Duel a worthy opponent.)
Please let me know if there's something different about your character that needs to be changed.
Sell-Sword: Pay me so that I will advise you on how to fight with a blade.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Over some of the weakest beer you've ever had. Because elves brewed it.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
I may have turned Quoms Bowl to blood...
Tuckwin might have thoughts on how to fix that.
And other lessons learned tonight
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Come next dawn, my impressions of several of said members remained questionable at best. The Scarlet Sister who was in charge at least made it clear that if anyone fell behind or was injured it was totally optional to save them. I don't think of myself as an uncaring individual, but it seems clear to me that some people who act like they're problem-solvers are just problem-creators, and trying to save them will just cause more problems.
(Wait, I'm not sure who these mission reports are actually for? Whoever is reading these, get in touch with me.)
There was enough foresight for the guild to rent a mule and cart for the journey.
Since the expedition was estimated to take a week's time, and we returned after only two days, you can safely assume that Circumstances arose. Our group was scouting ahead of the main caravan when we were set upon by large insect raiders. There were some armed with spears,
some with whip-like tendrils, and their leader (who was huge) had nasty, scythe-like arms. There were also some gross grub-things that swam through the sand and tried to suck the blood out of people like giant desert leeches or something.
Long story short, the bugs gave us a good fight, we killed the bugs, the Scarlet Sisterhood was impressed we'd managed to kill the bug leader and offered us a tidy sum to deliver it to their guildhall. After some negotiations, we were able to secure a price of 850 coins, and we returned to town and delivered the carcass.
Taking more jobs from the Scarlet Sisterhood could prove very profitable, and of course having another group that considers us dependable will make our own position stronger as well.
Final notes:
-Wizard needs to figure out how to cast more spells.
-Our guild's negotiator has a silver tongue. Keep him around.
-Maybe make a rule that you don't go drinking in celebration before the mission?
-They rented a mule and cart. Our guild doesn't own a mule and cart?
-Maksym
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
In order of purchasing priority:
A big ass sign installed on the guildhall exclaiming "COMPETENCE LTD."
A horse/(other beast of burden), named "Cart".
Stables and feed for Cart.
A cart for Cart.
A subsidy for Dra'alde's tuition. And a copy of the book "GOOD DECISIONMAKING AND YOU".
Plus now we know that suckers will pay 50g to rent Cart and their cart. Given proper marketing we could turn a profit there.
Someone should correct him of this belief.
Under normal circumstances, that would have been all fireballs, all the time, and we'd all be dead.
edit: not because of the friendly fireballs, but because those insects almost killed us with only one or two of them awake at a time.
This is terrible! We are calling on the goodness of any available adventurers. Quom’s Bowl is.. it is wrong! It’s been desecrated! We barely made it back to the temple alive. Some of us DIDN’T make it back. All of the holy water in our waterskins turned to blood. We fear that the same has happened to the source. Please, come with us. We need anyone with restorative capabilities or anyone who seeks to right a greivous wrong to come to the bowl! We know the way. We only need your strength.
- Scalidor, Seeker of Quom
Zephyr Quinn - Ranger - Chaotic (Free someone from literal or figurative bonds.)
Deity: Shark God — Animal companions: Simone the Raven and Castille the Rook
Dra’alde – Wizard – Good (Use magic to directly aid another.)
Still followed by his loyal cloud — Forearm chipped (L2)
Eruantion – Arcane Duelist – Good (Slay a menace to the innocent.)
Shares body with a Fire-Spirit – Forearm chipped (L2)
Rona Ironheel – Vampire – Lawful (Drink only when necessary, and only what you need.)
Utja – Cleric – Lawful (Endanger yourself following the precepts of your church or god.)
Deity:
If you are a player and want to be in it with us, stay tuned!
Players and everyone else are allowed and encouraged to send questions. If you have any, feel free to post them in here or pm them to me or email them to us at thatdndpodcast@gmail.com
Thanks so much for everything!
@N1tSt4lker
Utja quietly pens an addition to the log, then walks away, adventuring pack and staff in hand. It reads thusly:
In all my travels and studies, I have rarely encountered a tale that began with so little to mark and ended so full of dismay and destruction. Never have I myself lived such a tale. Until now. Though my custom and worship so often leads me to hold stories and secrets within, rarely disclosing them, I share this story to the knowledge and growth of all who read it. Know the fear and danger is real, understand the threat we may not live under, and be a stronger adventurer in its light.
At a time in the past of which many are already aware, Quom’s Bowl, the holy water source of the Seekers of Quom, was corrupted, causing all the water within and from said source to turn to blood. Understandably, the Seekers looked to hire adventurers to travel to Quom’s Bowl and attempt purification of the holy water. Several members of Competence Limited answered the call for aid, to wit: Dra’alde, wizard; Eruantion, arcane duelist; Zephyr Quinn, ranger; Utja, cleric; and Rona, the ranger who was.
Though we had striven to proceed on this adventure alone, six of the Seekers insisted on accompanying us. Such was our lot, and so we traveled. For three days we traveled across the desert toward Quom’s Bowl in seemingly uneventful manner. I say seemingly, for much was revealed later that we failed to give its due significance at the time. The first day we encountered a group of ragged beggars along the side of the road, as one too often does it seems. We though little of it at the time, but gave them what food we could spare (muffins, it would seem, so many we carry with us). During the first night there was an odd noise that none of us thought much of. Nothing seemed strange until the morning when one of the Seekers, Jonas, seemed rather like an automaton. It was strange, but what was there to be done. Over the next night, there was another strange midnight disruption, and in the morning, more oddly monotonous behavior and speech. Yet, again, we were mostly preoccupied with the mission, the surroundings, ourselves; and had when Rona mentioned discrepancies in the number of Seekers, there was no longer any clear evidence of anything untoward, just the odd behavior. Do mark this. Had we heeded this seemingly minor strangeness, our adventure would have ended much differently.
On the third day of travel, we again encountered a group of ragged beggars. They seemed strangely like the first group, and yet it was impossible to tell if they were the same. Despite our arguments to the contrary, the Seekers insisted on incorporating these ragged beggars into our group. We did not trust them, but our basis for this was our increasing unease rather than evidence, so our caution was weak and ignorable. Thus the ragged group joined us and traveled with us. They took over the cooking, but most of us avoided eating the food they had made due to this growing unease. During this night, I was on watch when the disturbance occurred again. I saw a sand dune explode with impact and near silence. Something had impacted the sand at a great speed. I drew the attention of Rona to the strange event, and she agreed we should wake others and apprise them of this strangeness. We members of the guild discussed the situation, discussed the strange behavior of the Seekers, pondered options. Eru and Zephyr sought answers and information, discovering that we were in grave danger. It would seem our group had been deeply infiltrated by wight wolves—wight wolves that were hunting us.
Soon too much of the camp was awake, Seekers, beggars, all. Before long, the Seekers appeared before us and suggested that we travel on immediately. In the middle of the night. They then insisted.
It is here that the timeline becomes hazy, for many things happened, confusion was rampant, fire sowed chaos, and soon our tale became one we would not have chosen to tell. Around this time, Rona deemed it wise to consult with Death, and informed us that, as we had begun to fear, the Seekers were no longer themselves. In fact, only one, a small, energetic boy, was still a human. Yet Death gave us no word or warning regarding the wight wolves. Beware, those of you who walk with death, most of all: Death cannot see or perceive these creatures of destruction. You ignore this warning at your peril.
The young boy, being the last of the Seekers left to guide, became of high importance. Some of us went to great lengths to preserve his life in the oncoming chaos. It was in these next few moments that several things happened: the “Seekers” and beggars were set to sleep, the boy argued out of ignorance, a fireball was used to awaken those who were no longer human. There was a battle. The undead revealed their true faces reluctantly. They were strong and sought to destroy and assimilate. The wight wolves joined by mummies carrying evil daggers of bronze (beware these daggers, adventurers), advanced and endangered us all. The mummies sought sacrifice and curse. The wolves sought destruction. I will not elaborate on the darkness and gruesomeness of that battle. We fought in near desperation. Several died. Through prayer, through fire, through last acts of courageous guild members, through strong actions, the evil beings were defeated, but the cost was heavy. Of all who left to purify Quolm’s Bowl, only Utja and Dra’alde have returned whole and alive. Rona has returned as well, but is not whole and is in a state that is neither death nor life awaiting knowledge and care for healing. We entered the desert dulled by our confidence as adventurers. We left the desert aware of our weaknesses and loss. Mark this, adventurers. Mark the intrusion of creatures of death into this realm. Mark their subtlety and strength. I have gone to great lengths to share this knowledge to demonstrate how easy it is to miss the danger in front of you. The results of said danger need no elaboration: they speak grimly for themselves. Beware this tale. Know it is true because I have lived it. I have seen the dark creatures of death that seek to devour and assimilate. I warn you with my tale, my knowledge, that you, readers, may be stronger, honed by your wary fears, and not fail as we have.
If you have any questions for any of the DMs (Chris, Jordan, Andrew) or any of the players, please PM them to me. We are doing an end of season recap stream Friday and wanna answer any lingering things you may have