This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Welcome to Silver Spring Valley, Coldwater Prison, and the campaign!
This "Post 0" describes house rules, notation, and things that might otherwise be confusing. I intend to update it as we adjust and set the norms for our campaign. If you think there's a better way to organize things, send me a PM - I'm still learning and will not be offended.
This campaign is narrative-focused. Bring these characters to life! While writing your narrative, please put Named Characters names and extra-important details in bold font. I will write Unnamed NPCs temporary names in italics (example: Dwarf with shield). Each named character will also have a particular color font for their speech (PC colors listed under spoiler tag below). All unnamed NPCs will speak in "shades of gray." Additionally, all DnD characters tend to be multi-lingual. To have fun with language, including mixing multiple languages in speech and sometimes getting a sense of meaning without understanding the actual words, each in-game language will be assigned a real-world language as it's representative. We will include English (common) translations in spoilers, to save each other from always having to tab into Google Translate. The reference list of languages (and who speaks them) is also under this spoiler tag.
Lam the Bugbear speaks in red.
Sha-Gravis the Tabaxi speaks in blue.
Saffron Gale (Saffi) the Changeling speaks in green.
Hemlock the Firbolg speaks in maroon.
Saoirse the Fire Genasi speaks in burnt orange.
Common: English - All
Druidic: Welsh - Hemlock
Dwarven: Danish - Sha-Gravis
Elvish: Spanish - Saoirse, Hemlock, Saffi
Giant: Icelandic - Hemlock
Goblin: German - Sha-Gravis, Lam
Primordial: Irish (Irish Gaelic) - Lam, Saoirse
Sylvan: Portuguese - Sha-Gravis
Thieves Cant: Old English - Saffi
When narrating, you may describe attempting to do something that requires a dice roll, in which case you might say something like "I look around this post, trying to find an example of each different notation. (Perception check)," and then put the dice roll under a spoiler tag.
Perception roll: 6
If I think a dice roll wasn't necessary, no harm done. If I think that it should have been a different ability checked, I have access to your character sheet and can adjust appropriately. Likewise, if I think you should have rolled for something you didn't, I'll just send you a message asking for the roll. You may decide yourself whether to use the forum's dice rolling function, roll using your DNDBeyond character sheet, or roll using physical dice and just enter the number. I'm starting from a place of just expecting you to be honest, because cheating is no fun. If one of you rolls suspiciously and continuously well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We will be using Owlbear Rodeo for combat maps. I will regularly post a link and a password here in the forum. I will generally also roll initiative for everyone (I'd prefer for you to roll it, of course, but I think in PbP we'd end up waiting most of a day to have everyone make one non-interactive dice roll), and then I'll post the turn order like this: PC's name; PC's name; Monster, PC's name; Monster; Monster; PC's name; PC's name.
You narrate your turn, following the general narration guidelines. You are allowed to hold you turn or ready an action - just make that clear in your response. Under a spoiler tag, list movement, bonus action, action, potential reactions, and dice rolls for each. You are also encouraged to write If statements in that list, if you already know what you would do in certain conditions. A turn looks something like this:
(Name) sees the monster approaching (other name), and his protective instincts kick in! He shouts "Get behind me, my small weak friend!" Then, flying into a blind rage, he rushes over to (monster) and attacks viciously and repeatedly with his battleaxe! After attacking, he stands firm, ready to fight and protect his party.
Movement: Move to stand SE next to (monster) Bonus Action: Enter Rage Action: Attack with Battleaxe (extra attack). Attack: 20 Damage: 13 Attack: 24 Damage: 5 Reaction: If (monster) moves away, opportunity attack
Attack: 14 Damage: 3
If first attack finishes (monster), move to (other monster) and make second attack.
If you want to make an ability check during combat, that will take a full action. (If you think you have a case where it shouldn't, just write to me, we'll figure it out.) Owlbear Rodeo's built-in distance tool treats moving diagonally across squares the same as moving horizontally across squares, so we will also accept that as standard.
I think that's it! Although I'm sure that through trial and error the guidelines and format might be adjusted.
Welcome to the campaign! Here's a narrative introduction.
To the northeast of the great continent of Eoclus, the plains and forests give way to foothills, and the land becomes slowly more and more impassable as the Frosttip Mountains begin to earn their name. For most of the past year, the narrow, difficult road that wends furthest up into the mountains has been unusually trafficked, first by wagons beating a simple, ancient hammer as their banner, and later by wagons with bars holding convicts inside. Each of these transports rose slowly up through the rocks and crags, pulled by mules or especially sure-footed horses. After a particularly difficult stretch of road, on a ledge pressed against a stone cliff, precariously staring down at the chasm below, each of these transports would turn a corner and suddenly face one of this worlds true natural wonders: Silver Stream falls! From there, they could follow the river along Vuduinpass, and enter the beautiful, pristine, Silver Stream Valley.
The valley is a vast, generally elliptical bowl, roughly 30 miles in diameter. A river flows through the center of the valley, bisecting it into a northern and southern half. The river wanes to a mere 50 feet across in the late summer and fall, and waxes to up to 300 feet wide in the spring when it is fed by the year's snowmelt. The valley is mostly filled with forests, interspersed with some rocky outcroppings, plateaus, and meadows, and is ringed by the impassable Frosttip mountain range. Transport wagons these past few months have entered the valley, followed along an ancient road through under the shade of great Skyoak trees, and finally reached an outpost equal parts carved into and built on to a steep hill of dark granite. This outpost has been recently built by the Hammerstone Mining Company, and they have named it Coldwater Keep (although most call it Coldwater Prison). The HMC works to establish mines, lumber camps, and outposts in frontier regions, or to run them anywhere else. The HMC has a surprisingly excellent reputation for its prison correctional program, both for accomplishing its goals and for treating prisoners well. There is great demand for manpower here, and prisoners are being sent from all over the Duchy to work for their sentence. For most, this is a vast improvement to the dungeon they would otherwise have been thrown into. Some even come and offer themselves as indentured servants willingly, with the promise of work experience and a job if they prove themselves for a time.
Within the past few days, or as recently as an hour ago, you have arrived at Coldwater, you have been processed, your gear, armor, and weapons have been taken from you, and you have been ushered in to the "Yard," a square courtyard in the keep, where prisoners and servants can pass the time in the hours when they are not working. The guards here have made it clear that you are not a free man (or woman), but have otherwise not been unkind to you. The yard has the outer wall of the keep, on the south and east sides, and two sets of stairs up towards the cells and the rest of the keep in the northwest and northeast corners. At the top of each stair, a pair of guards stand - one with a crossbow, and the other with a spear and shield. There are 10 prisoners in the yard, and they are probably the most diverse group of people you have ever seen, each a different species.
Here, Billy Beerbelly is making his daily welcome speech, and most of the prisoners are listening intently. He is standing with his back near the wall, in the southeast corner of the yard. Billy is entering the start of middle age, of shorter-than-average stature even for a dwarf, and has a growing bald patch in his deep brown hair. However, he still has a beautiful, braided beard (although much shorter than most dwarves'), and has the physique of a man who does hard manual labor without complaint. He stutters slightly on some words, but he speaks clearly and plainly.Billy Beerbelly the dwarf speaks in olive.
"Welcome to Coldwater! I know it's been a hard journey here for everyone, and that many of you have been treated roughly by guards and the legal system up until now, but here you will be treated fairly, and with respect. You will no longer be judged by what you did to be sent here, or by(Billy nods towards a large bugbear among the prisoners) the role life has forced you into up until now. The Hammerstone Mining Company believes in second chances, and this is ours! Unfortunately, we can not trust you fully from the moment you arrive, but if you came with weapons or armor the will be returned to you after a few weeks, once they are confident that you will not attack them or try to escape. (Billy holds his own battle-hammer proudly in the air). There are three main jobs that you'll be doing here: Mining, Lumber, or Protection. Unfortunately, the elves, fairies, and other local populations do not recognize the HMC's right to use and work in this land, and there have been some escalating conflicts with them, so one of the jobs is to protect each other and this outpost from attack. I know it will be hard for some of you to trust the guards and the HMC, but I hope you can at least trust me! I've been an indentured servant with the HMC for three years now, and when my sentence has finished I look forward to continuing to work for them as a free man. There will be lunch of stew and bread served when the bell rings. It should be pretty soon now. Let me know if you have questions, and I'll try to help you out!
Please write a little bit about your character's experience of getting to the prison and being there so far, and then whatever you want them to do now in the Yard. Describe what your character looks like, and give their name and a general sense of their character. For now, you shouldn't have any equipment in your inventory other than clothing, and a spellcasting focus if that applies to you.
Sha appears to be a panther that walks upright. Dressed in common clothes, adorned with a holy symbol. Sha’s muzzle and eyes are salted with a bit of gray. Standing nearly 4’ at a weight of about 160 pounds, Sha is not large nor overly predatory looking. His eyes once perhaps a ruby red now a paler pink show a somewhat subdued but stubborn spirit.
”My name is Sha-gravis if any here wish to talk. Come sit with me you can have my bread. I think these lands have a lot to offer. Maybe the time has come. A ripe harvest waits to be had. Not every prison has bars, and prisoners still have a choice. Evenings on its way.”
Unless Sha has caused an upset, he’ll get in the grub line and head to a shady corner waiting to see if any will come and converse with him.
Even in a diverse crew such as this set of prisoners, Lam sticks out like a sore thumb. Standing at over seven feet tall, he easily towers over most of the folks in the yard. Stripped of his axe and wearing only a set of common clothes that’s almost big enough to fit comfortably, the golden brown bugbear feels naked despite wearing more clothes than usual.
He keeps his face neutral throughout the speech, which appears to anyone looking at him as a scowl. He nods back to Billy when acknowledged, but is otherwise silent throughout the whole speech. A small gleam in his eyes appears when Billy talks about the various jobs that need done at the HMC. Mining and lumber seem simple enough, but protection- that’s something he knows he can do.
Lam will not approach anyone and instead stand back and observe the crew of prisoners he came in with. If the food bell rings, he will approach the grub line and use his best manners to get food: “Lunch. Please.”He clocks the tabaxi but does not approach just yet, instead waiting to see who else might.
A tall, slender human woman stands in the middle of the prisoners, her red hair falling into long curls down her back. She thoughtfully watches the dwarf plow on, though the more observant people in the yard may notice a shade of skepticism in her eyes. When the Billy mentions trust--trusting the guards, and trusting him--Saffi rolls her eyes very noticeably, betraying her otherwise calm appearance. She then allows her emerald green eyes to wander over the rest of the people in the yard, taking in each for a space of time before moving onto the next. The dwarf wraps up his impassioned defense of HMC, and Saffi notes his tacit acceptance of the company's attempted dominion over lands likely held by fey or elves--how shocking it is that the tallfolk roll in and just think they own everything. Not that she particularly cares. She was taken out of the wildlands at such a young age, it seems like her memories of them are shrouded in mist. More clear are the memories of life as a curiosity, then her life on the street . . . the life that planted her firmly in Coldwater.
Sha's announcement shakes Saffi out of her thoughts, and she quickly joins the food line, keeping an arm's length between her and the massive bugbear. She's never met one before, but she's heard stories of their physical prowess. Accepting her bread and stew, the young woman turns to take a step toward the tabaxi's corner, not realizing he'd gone to sit there. Pausing awkwardly for a moment, she decides to continue on and sit next to him. She takes a bite from the hunk of bread and chews it slowly, allowing a bit of silence to permeate the air before speaking.
"I've not seen a tabaxi in quite some time," she says, the ghost of a smile in her eyes. They narrow slightly as they travel over Sha's holy symbol. "What brings you here, Sha-gravis? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you aren't in Coldwater Keep to reap its bounties. Unless, of course, you've been drinking the wyvern's milk, like everybody's new best friend Billy Bullshit over there."
Hemlock squats against the middle of the east wall of the yard, gently holding a sprig of mistletoe and reflecting on the past few hours. He had been in a state of shock from the moment the guards had grabbed and restrained him. He had tried to offer his help as a healer, but they didn't seem to want to know he could fix the accident he had caused, his differences suddenly mattering more than they had just a few minutes earlier. And then being stuffed in the wheeled box pulled by those poor mules. He had put his face against the cold cylindrical rods that allowed him to see out, and whispered calming words to them, trying to get some comfort himself.
And now he was in another small confined space. At least in this one he can stand up straight if he chooses to though.
He listens to the shorter, stouter, bearded one talking of things he didn't understand. Who is this Hammerstone Mining Company, and why won't they let him go? It was an odd title for a clan chief to be sure!
His ears prick up at the mentioned of Elves and Fairies. He knew Elves, they were kind folk who lived in harmony with the forest. At the least the ones he knew.
Indentured servant, more unfamiliar words.
As the short one finishes speaking, he looks around the yard, taking note of the other people there. None like himself, but that was no surprise. His eyes linger on the two furry folk. The larger one and the feline one. His curiosity is certainly peaked, never has he seen their like before, and it was comforting to see others as unusual as himself.
At mention of food, he sniffs the air. He knows of bread and stew. He liked the bread, but had learned from experience that stew covered a multitude of regrettable ingredients. He watches wide eyed as the other folk form a line.
He stands up to his full height and stretches muscles cramped from time in the wagon, showing he is tall compared to most standing at 6 foot 6 inches. His frame is proportionate to his height rather than being lanky, but he isn’t particularly muscled or butch. His skin is a pale bluish-green and he has black hair with a short black beard that doesn’t touch his top lip. His ears are large and pointed, sticking out from the side of his head rather than up. He has wide, striking amber eyes that are drinking in his surroundings, lingering on the large walls that have taken away his freedom.
He wanders towards the short, stout fellow, and speaks in a slow, low voice.
"Might I see the Hammerstone Mining Company? I wish to pay my respects to them, collect my amulet and take my leave. I do not like it here".
Wonderful start! Its great to begin getting a sense of how each of you write and who your characters will be.
A bell rings, and an unruly line forms on the eastern side of the yard, where a door opens and the smell of an earthy stew wafts out. Two of the prison guards descend to join the line, and while they keep their hands close to the hilts of their weapons, they also greet the new prisoners with an earnest welcome.
The room beside the yard is mostly filled by a large kitchen, with several stoves, storage, and cooking tools. A serving bar separates the kitchen from the rest of the room, leaving only just enough space for people to come in, grab a bowl and be served, and step back out of the door. A thick, dark stew has been hanging over a wood fire - those with experience in taverns and inns would recognize it as a perpetual stew, and rightly assume that is has been hanging there above the fire for weeks or months, with more water and food items added to it each day based on availability. It is late spring now, and the stew currently smells of a mix of mutton (sheep meat), root vegetables, and some fresh greens.
The meal is being served out by a goblin in plain clothes, who seems delighted to meet new people, and eager to please. He fills bowls from the stew pot, places them on the serving bar, and cuts two slices of bread to place beside each bowl. The goblin speaks more-or-less continuously, greeting each new person, not waiting for their responses, and then talking to the next. "Hi welcome! I hope you like stew, because stew is what we have. The bread is fresh each day as well. If any of you have special food needs, come see me later and we'll get those written down. Everyone needs to eat! Keep these bodies strong for the time ahead. Hi welcome! Stew for you, bread for Fred... actually nobody here is named Fred, that I know of. That joke was really just for me. Hi welcome! I Hope you like stew --" The goblin suddenly falls silent as Lam enters the room. After a moment, he continues rambling, but his eyes remain warily on the bugbear, until Lam speaks: "Lunch, Please." At this, the goblin starts laughing, and heaps an especially full bowl of stew to hand over. "Right away, my friend! Gee, I never knew a bugbear to say please! You can call me Grommit. I guess all sorts come together in all sorts of new ways here! I hope you like stew, because stew is what we have..."
Billy waits in the yard, watching to make sure that each person does go to grab some food, and doing his best to assuage concerns that are brought to him. A few different prisoners come and speak to him, and mostly they walk over to join the line afterwards. One dragonborn prisoner raises his voice and his fist, "How can you work with the people holding us prisoner here. We should fight for our freedom!" The guards in line look at him and reach for their weapons, but Billy says something quietly and manages to talk him down. The dragonborn also joins the line, and soon emerges with a warm bowl of stew and no complaints, for the moment. Billy begins to approach Sha, but stops when Hemlock begins asking questions.
"Might I see the Hammerstone Mining Company? I wish to pay my respects to them, collect my amulet and take my leave. I do not like it here".
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think you quite understand, big fellow. The HMC isn't just one person, its all of us! Although, some people have more authority than others, I suppose. when Captain Jonah gets back from the day's labor, I'm sure he'll be happy to look over your paperwork with you, discuss how long you'll be with us, and how best to make it a tolerable and productive time while you're here. He might even give the amulet back to you right away, if its just a personal item. For now, though, get some food and take care of yourself. I think its a good idea to start getting to know your coworkers, but if you need some time to process your situation, nobody will bother you if you walk to the other side of the Yard."
Billy continues towards Sha and Saffi, and addresses them both.
"It's good to see another man of the cloth here, although my faith differs from yours, Tabaxi. Evening is on its way. My faith is one of the things I've rediscovered in my time here, human, and I hope that you grow to see the good in all of this, as I have. I offer my friendship, for whenever you're ready to acce------
There is a loud bang from the wall nearby. It stands firm, but everyone can feel the reverberations in the stone. Guards' hands go to their weapons, and Billy falls silent, stepping cautiously towards the space where the noise came from.
Lam’s stomach growls at the sight of the stew. He still seems to make no attempt at a smile, but nods when Grommit introduces himself. He points a claw towards the Goblin. “Grommit.” He then points it toward himself to give his own name. “Lam.”His face still unmoving, one would have to look to his eyes to detect the friendliness in his face. The goblin seems a bit too busy to stop for a longer conversation, already making stew to serve to the next folks in line, so Lam doesn’t continue the conversation- instead he gives a small wave with the one paw he had pointed towards himself and lumbers off gratefully.
He sits on the floor near a wall not far off from where Sha and Saffron are talking to Billy (but not close enough to join the conversation) and is just about ready to enjoy his stew by slurping it up without the use of his spoon when there is a loud bang from the wall right near him. He is quickly back on his feet, surprisingly swift for a creature his size. Having left his bowl of stew on the floor, one paw goes to where his axe would be. Finding it absent, he just turns towards the wall and readies himself to attack anything that tries to get in. This could, perhaps, be his first chance to prove himself.
"Calm your fiery thoughts, fiery head. Calm your fiery thoughts, fiery head...". Saoirserepeated this to herself as she listened, arms crossed, to that Billy Beerbelly who was "welcoming" them to the prison. Ha! "Welcome"? To a prison? And, specifically in her case, for trying to protect a poor man from being beaten for not being able to pay his taxes? This had to be a really bad joke.
She breathed deeply. Once. Twice. Thrice.
"Calm your fiery thoughts, fiery head". Her mentors at the Order had repeated this to her so many times that she had begun to use it herself as a letany to help her calm down. What would she win by letting out her anger in the current situation? Nothing. Better to remain calmed, study the place, study their captors, the possible allies, and ... find a way to get out. Hopefully, one who wouldn't bring any more shame to her and the Order.
Silently, she positioned herself in line to get her stew and bread. Strangely enough, everything looked tasty. Not exactly what one would expect from a prison. She began eating slowly as she glanced at the rest of the prisoners without really trying to go unnoticed. After all this time, she knows that will not really happen, unless she covers her body completely (which, by the looks of her clothes, she clearly chooses not to).
Saoirseis tall slender young woman in her twenties. Long curly fiery-looking hair surrounding an ashen skinned frame, full of fiery colored cracks common to her bloodline. She's not unlike so many other fire genasi that exist around the continent, except perhaps for the many tiny orangish scars covering her arms which are skillfully mixed with her Order tattoos that, due to her current rank, only cover her right arm partially. As it happens with every mark in her body, the tattoos are orangish too.
Portrait by Lin Romanov (the only thing missing would be the tattoos, which would be similar in style to this art, but orange)
Fiery hair, fiery thoughts, fiery scars. That was Saoirse.Thought she was trying at least to calm down and suppress the second from the list.
As she heard the sudden beating on the wall, she stands up almost automatically. She tries to reach for where her scimitar would usually be, only to remember that she has been stripped of almost all her belongings. Clicking the tongue she just approaches Billy and says:
- Are we expecting trouble already? And how are we supposed to fight it without our equipment?
Hemlock’s ears droop slightly in disappointment that he won’t be able to leave straight away.
With a shrug, he looks across to where the food line is, and sees it has thinned out. He wanders over with the intention of seeing if he can help rustle up something suitable, maybe they have some nice mushrooms or vegetables.
When the bang happens and the stone wall shakes, he startles slightly, but makes no movement to draw weapons or prepare. He simply assumes this is normal, until he looks about and sees what looks like concern on the faces of others.
“Is this not normal?”, he asks of no-one in particular in his slow drawl, still looking around.
Saoirse, not waiting for Beerbelly to answer, turns to look at the firbolg who has just posed the question:
- Well, seeing how the guards and Beerbelly here- and tilts her head towards the latter -have reacted, it doesn't seem so to me. - She turns again to Beerbelly and asks again - What what's that, then? Do we need to worry? Just when I was starting to think this place was paradise!- she remarks, rather spitefully.
Billyresponds without turning from the wall, sounding fairly distracted."I hope its nothing - just stonework settling, maybe?.." Billy doesn't seem to believe himself. "But the locals have been getting more and more... insistent... that we shouldn't be here. Two days ago Captain Jonah brought back an... unwilling guest... and things have been especially tense since then. I'm sorry, this isn't the first impression I was hoping for for you. I really hope it doesn't come to fighting, especially with all of the new workers just settling in here."
He looks at the wall, but nothing else happens. After a few more seconds, the guards return to their lunch, and prisoners begin talking to each other again.
"The locals are getting more insistent...? Well, Can you blame them?", the fire genasi thinks. But what she says is:
- I'm sorry. Did you really say "unwilling guest"? Are we supposed to be "willing guests", then? - Saoirse raises her eyebrows, and looks at the firbolg and the rest of prisoners around Billy as if asking "did he just say that?".
Then she turns again to the dwarf and adds:
- And who might this "unwilling guest" be, if I dare ask?
At the seeming calm, Lam takes a moment to pick his bowl of stew back up and down the whole thing in one bite. His eyes flick between the dwarf and the fire genasi, paying attention to the conversation. He frowns and furrows his bushy brows in the fire genasi’s direction for a moment as he puts together that not every creature who came here to work for the HMC did so willingly.
At the fire genasi’s question, Lam turns to see how Billy might respond. Lam appears to still be on edge, like it would only take a word to launch him into attack mode.
“I’m certainly not here for the reasons they trumped up. I suspect nobody is. The HMC is certainly quick to grab anyone and everyone they can. I could be angry about my ignorant accusers, but I’m conserving my energy for when this friendly prison turns ugly.”
Sha looks over at the bugbear who just downed his stew in a gulp.
He gets up and bows toward Saffi, ”Please excuse me my fellow inmate, may I know your name?“
Afterwich he approaches Lam, speaking in goblin, “Großer Kerl, wenn du immer noch hungrig bist, kann ich das nicht essen. Wenn du es möchtest, gehört es dir"
Lam hesitates for a moment, studying the tabaxi. Seeing that the offer is genuine, he takes the food and responds, speaking in goblin as well: “Danke für deine Freundlichkeit. Wenn ich dir zurückzahlen kann, werde ich.”
“Thank you for your kindness. If I can repay you, I will.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Saffi ignores the dwarf's tone when he calls her a "human," chalking it up to either some sort of xenophobia or a reference to her true identity. She assumes it's the latter. She also ignores, of course, Billy's offer of friendship, thankful for the booming interruption. Taking the sudden noise as a distraction, the changeling instinctively gives Billy the once-over, looking for keys or anything of the like (Perception).
15
For a third time, she ignores the dwarf's blabbering about a captive local, though it weighs in her mind. She envisions a fairy, then an elf, then a gnome locked away in some dark, dank room, trembling and starving. Her cold, calculating look dissipates for a moment, as she stares into the distance. Fleeting memories of a blurry, gray child in a large, glass chamber bound in arcane manacles float through her head. She closes her eyes and rubs her neck, opening them as she hears Sha's voice.
"I'm Saffron, Saffron Gale," she says, pulling her long, ruby-colored hair back and following Sha over to Lam. "Most people call me Saffi, though."
Watching the Tabaxi give his food to the Bugbear, Saffi raises a hand to her chin, seemingly lost in a complex thought. She removes the hand and balls her fist up, as if steeling herself. Thinking of Sha's statement that he's preparing for things to get ugly, she decides, for once, on a truth. "I'm a changeling, for what it's worth. I'm usually happy to present myself as-is, so to speak, but around so many unknown people, this is my go-to humanoid look. I'm not really an 'honesty-is-the-best-policy type,' but there's no point building distrust with anyone who may be likeminded about the, um, intentions of this HMC-run gulag."
Saffron smiles at Lam, having overheard he and Sha speaking in Goblin. She didn't understand their conversation, but something about it has compelled her to find the Bugbear an endearing character.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
Hemlock feels a little unsure at the talk of fighting and unwilling guests, and the fiery haired ladies questioning of Billy was a bit too confrontational for him.
When the Genasi, who had answered his question about the noise, looks in his direction again he simply smiles meekly and gives a little wave with just his fingers. He shuffles his feet not knowing whether he should stay where he is or continue on his way to find food.
In the end he just stays put, between the three workers that included the two furry folk, and the Genasi and Billy. He could hear both conversation going on, but was reluctant to join either.
Sha looks back to Saffi really looks her in the eyes, in a whisper he says,
“Saffron Gale, I’m honored to know you. I’m a heretic of my faith, not an ‘honesty is the best policy’ type either. Knowledge is power and not everyone is worthy. Thank you, and yes we are of like-mind.”
Sha turns back to Lam continues in goblin,"Ist es wahr, was Billy gesagt hat, bist du wirklich hier, nur weil du ein Käferbär bist? Ich bin ^^kämpfe, um das Wort zu finden^^ tut mir leid, es zu hören, wenn das der Fall ist. Zumindest die meisten von uns hier, glaube ich, wurden eines Verbrechens beschuldigt. Sind Sie ein "freiwilliger Gefangener"?"
“Is it true what Billy said are you really here just because you are a bugbear? I’m ^^struggles to find the word^^ sorry to hear it, if that is the case. At least most of us here, I think were accused of a crime. Are you a ‘willing prisoner’?”
Welcome to Silver Spring Valley, Coldwater Prison, and the campaign!
This "Post 0" describes house rules, notation, and things that might otherwise be confusing. I intend to update it as we adjust and set the norms for our campaign. If you think there's a better way to organize things, send me a PM - I'm still learning and will not be offended.
This campaign is narrative-focused. Bring these characters to life! While writing your narrative, please put Named Characters names and extra-important details in bold font. I will write Unnamed NPCs temporary names in italics (example: Dwarf with shield). Each named character will also have a particular color font for their speech (PC colors listed under spoiler tag below). All unnamed NPCs will speak in "shades of gray." Additionally, all DnD characters tend to be multi-lingual. To have fun with language, including mixing multiple languages in speech and sometimes getting a sense of meaning without understanding the actual words, each in-game language will be assigned a real-world language as it's representative. We will include English (common) translations in spoilers, to save each other from always having to tab into Google Translate. The reference list of languages (and who speaks them) is also under this spoiler tag.
Lam the Bugbear speaks in red.
Sha-Gravis the Tabaxi speaks in blue.
Saffron Gale (Saffi) the Changeling speaks in green.
Hemlock the Firbolg speaks in maroon.
Saoirse the Fire Genasi speaks in burnt orange.
Common: English - All
Druidic: Welsh - Hemlock
Dwarven: Danish - Sha-Gravis
Elvish: Spanish - Saoirse, Hemlock, Saffi
Giant: Icelandic - Hemlock
Goblin: German - Sha-Gravis, Lam
Primordial: Irish (Irish Gaelic) - Lam, Saoirse
Sylvan: Portuguese - Sha-Gravis
Thieves Cant: Old English - Saffi
When narrating, you may describe attempting to do something that requires a dice roll, in which case you might say something like "I look around this post, trying to find an example of each different notation. (Perception check)," and then put the dice roll under a spoiler tag.
Perception roll: 6
If I think a dice roll wasn't necessary, no harm done. If I think that it should have been a different ability checked, I have access to your character sheet and can adjust appropriately. Likewise, if I think you should have rolled for something you didn't, I'll just send you a message asking for the roll. You may decide yourself whether to use the forum's dice rolling function, roll using your DNDBeyond character sheet, or roll using physical dice and just enter the number. I'm starting from a place of just expecting you to be honest, because cheating is no fun. If one of you rolls suspiciously and continuously well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
We will be using Owlbear Rodeo for combat maps. I will regularly post a link and a password here in the forum. I will generally also roll initiative for everyone (I'd prefer for you to roll it, of course, but I think in PbP we'd end up waiting most of a day to have everyone make one non-interactive dice roll), and then I'll post the turn order like this: PC's name; PC's name; Monster, PC's name; Monster; Monster; PC's name; PC's name.
You narrate your turn, following the general narration guidelines. You are allowed to hold you turn or ready an action - just make that clear in your response. Under a spoiler tag, list movement, bonus action, action, potential reactions, and dice rolls for each. You are also encouraged to write If statements in that list, if you already know what you would do in certain conditions. A turn looks something like this:
If you want to make an ability check during combat, that will take a full action. (If you think you have a case where it shouldn't, just write to me, we'll figure it out.) Owlbear Rodeo's built-in distance tool treats moving diagonally across squares the same as moving horizontally across squares, so we will also accept that as standard.
I think that's it! Although I'm sure that through trial and error the guidelines and format might be adjusted.
DM: Heavy is the Head
Welcome to the campaign! Here's a narrative introduction.
To the northeast of the great continent of Eoclus, the plains and forests give way to foothills, and the land becomes slowly more and more impassable as the Frosttip Mountains begin to earn their name. For most of the past year, the narrow, difficult road that wends furthest up into the mountains has been unusually trafficked, first by wagons beating a simple, ancient hammer as their banner, and later by wagons with bars holding convicts inside. Each of these transports rose slowly up through the rocks and crags, pulled by mules or especially sure-footed horses. After a particularly difficult stretch of road, on a ledge pressed against a stone cliff, precariously staring down at the chasm below, each of these transports would turn a corner and suddenly face one of this worlds true natural wonders: Silver Stream falls! From there, they could follow the river along Vuduinpass, and enter the beautiful, pristine, Silver Stream Valley.
The valley is a vast, generally elliptical bowl, roughly 30 miles in diameter. A river flows through the center of the valley, bisecting it into a northern and southern half. The river wanes to a mere 50 feet across in the late summer and fall, and waxes to up to 300 feet wide in the spring when it is fed by the year's snowmelt. The valley is mostly filled with forests, interspersed with some rocky outcroppings, plateaus, and meadows, and is ringed by the impassable Frosttip mountain range. Transport wagons these past few months have entered the valley, followed along an ancient road through under the shade of great Skyoak trees, and finally reached an outpost equal parts carved into and built on to a steep hill of dark granite. This outpost has been recently built by the Hammerstone Mining Company, and they have named it Coldwater Keep (although most call it Coldwater Prison). The HMC works to establish mines, lumber camps, and outposts in frontier regions, or to run them anywhere else. The HMC has a surprisingly excellent reputation for its prison correctional program, both for accomplishing its goals and for treating prisoners well. There is great demand for manpower here, and prisoners are being sent from all over the Duchy to work for their sentence. For most, this is a vast improvement to the dungeon they would otherwise have been thrown into. Some even come and offer themselves as indentured servants willingly, with the promise of work experience and a job if they prove themselves for a time.
Within the past few days, or as recently as an hour ago, you have arrived at Coldwater, you have been processed, your gear, armor, and weapons have been taken from you, and you have been ushered in to the "Yard," a square courtyard in the keep, where prisoners and servants can pass the time in the hours when they are not working. The guards here have made it clear that you are not a free man (or woman), but have otherwise not been unkind to you. The yard has the outer wall of the keep, on the south and east sides, and two sets of stairs up towards the cells and the rest of the keep in the northwest and northeast corners. At the top of each stair, a pair of guards stand - one with a crossbow, and the other with a spear and shield. There are 10 prisoners in the yard, and they are probably the most diverse group of people you have ever seen, each a different species.
Here, Billy Beerbelly is making his daily welcome speech, and most of the prisoners are listening intently. He is standing with his back near the wall, in the southeast corner of the yard. Billy is entering the start of middle age, of shorter-than-average stature even for a dwarf, and has a growing bald patch in his deep brown hair. However, he still has a beautiful, braided beard (although much shorter than most dwarves'), and has the physique of a man who does hard manual labor without complaint. He stutters slightly on some words, but he speaks clearly and plainly. Billy Beerbelly the dwarf speaks in olive.
Please write a little bit about your character's experience of getting to the prison and being there so far, and then whatever you want them to do now in the Yard. Describe what your character looks like, and give their name and a general sense of their character. For now, you shouldn't have any equipment in your inventory other than clothing, and a spellcasting focus if that applies to you.
DM: Heavy is the Head
*Sha-gravis *Fjörn Bhrünt *Leif Aulderoot *Saltstrider *Eron Colborn
Even in a diverse crew such as this set of prisoners, Lam sticks out like a sore thumb. Standing at over seven feet tall, he easily towers over most of the folks in the yard. Stripped of his axe and wearing only a set of common clothes that’s almost big enough to fit comfortably, the golden brown bugbear feels naked despite wearing more clothes than usual.
He keeps his face neutral throughout the speech, which appears to anyone looking at him as a scowl. He nods back to Billy when acknowledged, but is otherwise silent throughout the whole speech. A small gleam in his eyes appears when Billy talks about the various jobs that need done at the HMC. Mining and lumber seem simple enough, but protection- that’s something he knows he can do.
Lam will not approach anyone and instead stand back and observe the crew of prisoners he came in with. If the food bell rings, he will approach the grub line and use his best manners to get food: “Lunch. Please.” He clocks the tabaxi but does not approach just yet, instead waiting to see who else might.
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
Wonderful start! Its great to begin getting a sense of how each of you write and who your characters will be.
A bell rings, and an unruly line forms on the eastern side of the yard, where a door opens and the smell of an earthy stew wafts out. Two of the prison guards descend to join the line, and while they keep their hands close to the hilts of their weapons, they also greet the new prisoners with an earnest welcome.
The room beside the yard is mostly filled by a large kitchen, with several stoves, storage, and cooking tools. A serving bar separates the kitchen from the rest of the room, leaving only just enough space for people to come in, grab a bowl and be served, and step back out of the door. A thick, dark stew has been hanging over a wood fire - those with experience in taverns and inns would recognize it as a perpetual stew, and rightly assume that is has been hanging there above the fire for weeks or months, with more water and food items added to it each day based on availability. It is late spring now, and the stew currently smells of a mix of mutton (sheep meat), root vegetables, and some fresh greens.
The meal is being served out by a goblin in plain clothes, who seems delighted to meet new people, and eager to please. He fills bowls from the stew pot, places them on the serving bar, and cuts two slices of bread to place beside each bowl. The goblin speaks more-or-less continuously, greeting each new person, not waiting for their responses, and then talking to the next. "Hi welcome! I hope you like stew, because stew is what we have. The bread is fresh each day as well. If any of you have special food needs, come see me later and we'll get those written down. Everyone needs to eat! Keep these bodies strong for the time ahead. Hi welcome! Stew for you, bread for Fred... actually nobody here is named Fred, that I know of. That joke was really just for me. Hi welcome! I Hope you like stew --" The goblin suddenly falls silent as Lam enters the room. After a moment, he continues rambling, but his eyes remain warily on the bugbear, until Lam speaks: "Lunch, Please." At this, the goblin starts laughing, and heaps an especially full bowl of stew to hand over. "Right away, my friend! Gee, I never knew a bugbear to say please! You can call me Grommit. I guess all sorts come together in all sorts of new ways here! I hope you like stew, because stew is what we have..."
Billy waits in the yard, watching to make sure that each person does go to grab some food, and doing his best to assuage concerns that are brought to him. A few different prisoners come and speak to him, and mostly they walk over to join the line afterwards. One dragonborn prisoner raises his voice and his fist, "How can you work with the people holding us prisoner here. We should fight for our freedom!" The guards in line look at him and reach for their weapons, but Billy says something quietly and manages to talk him down. The dragonborn also joins the line, and soon emerges with a warm bowl of stew and no complaints, for the moment. Billy begins to approach Sha, but stops when Hemlock begins asking questions.
"Might I see the Hammerstone Mining Company? I wish to pay my respects to them, collect my amulet and take my leave. I do not like it here".
"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think you quite understand, big fellow. The HMC isn't just one person, its all of us! Although, some people have more authority than others, I suppose. when Captain Jonah gets back from the day's labor, I'm sure he'll be happy to look over your paperwork with you, discuss how long you'll be with us, and how best to make it a tolerable and productive time while you're here. He might even give the amulet back to you right away, if its just a personal item. For now, though, get some food and take care of yourself. I think its a good idea to start getting to know your coworkers, but if you need some time to process your situation, nobody will bother you if you walk to the other side of the Yard."
Billy continues towards Sha and Saffi, and addresses them both.
"It's good to see another man of the cloth here, although my faith differs from yours, Tabaxi. Evening is on its way. My faith is one of the things I've rediscovered in my time here, human, and I hope that you grow to see the good in all of this, as I have. I offer my friendship, for whenever you're ready to acce------
There is a loud bang from the wall nearby. It stands firm, but everyone can feel the reverberations in the stone. Guards' hands go to their weapons, and Billy falls silent, stepping cautiously towards the space where the noise came from.
DM: Heavy is the Head
Lam’s stomach growls at the sight of the stew. He still seems to make no attempt at a smile, but nods when Grommit introduces himself. He points a claw towards the Goblin. “Grommit.” He then points it toward himself to give his own name. “Lam.” His face still unmoving, one would have to look to his eyes to detect the friendliness in his face. The goblin seems a bit too busy to stop for a longer conversation, already making stew to serve to the next folks in line, so Lam doesn’t continue the conversation- instead he gives a small wave with the one paw he had pointed towards himself and lumbers off gratefully.
He sits on the floor near a wall not far off from where Sha and Saffron are talking to Billy (but not close enough to join the conversation) and is just about ready to enjoy his stew by slurping it up without the use of his spoon when there is a loud bang from the wall right near him. He is quickly back on his feet, surprisingly swift for a creature his size. Having left his bowl of stew on the floor, one paw goes to where his axe would be. Finding it absent, he just turns towards the wall and readies himself to attack anything that tries to get in. This could, perhaps, be his first chance to prove himself.
Portrait by Lin Romanov (the only thing missing would be the tattoos, which would be similar in style to this art, but orange)
Fiery hair, fiery thoughts, fiery scars. That was Saoirse. Thought she was trying at least to calm down and suppress the second from the list.
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
A map of Coldwater Prison:
DM: Heavy is the Head
Saoirse, not waiting for Beerbelly to answer, turns to look at the firbolg who has just posed the question:
- Well, seeing how the guards and Beerbelly here - and tilts her head towards the latter - have reacted, it doesn't seem so to me. - She turns again to Beerbelly and asks again - What what's that, then? Do we need to worry? Just when I was starting to think this place was paradise! - she remarks, rather spitefully.
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
Billy responds without turning from the wall, sounding fairly distracted. "I hope its nothing - just stonework settling, maybe?.." Billy doesn't seem to believe himself. "But the locals have been getting more and more... insistent... that we shouldn't be here. Two days ago Captain Jonah brought back an... unwilling guest... and things have been especially tense since then. I'm sorry, this isn't the first impression I was hoping for for you. I really hope it doesn't come to fighting, especially with all of the new workers just settling in here."
He looks at the wall, but nothing else happens. After a few more seconds, the guards return to their lunch, and prisoners begin talking to each other again.
DM: Heavy is the Head
"The locals are getting more insistent...? Well, Can you blame them?", the fire genasi thinks. But what she says is:
- I'm sorry. Did you really say "unwilling guest"? Are we supposed to be "willing guests", then? - Saoirse raises her eyebrows, and looks at the firbolg and the rest of prisoners around Billy as if asking "did he just say that?".
Then she turns again to the dwarf and adds:
- And who might this "unwilling guest" be, if I dare ask?
Down, down, down by the river ♫
Nessa | Alana | Ashur | Saxa | Saoirse | Auriel | Leeta
At the seeming calm, Lam takes a moment to pick his bowl of stew back up and down the whole thing in one bite. His eyes flick between the dwarf and the fire genasi, paying attention to the conversation. He frowns and furrows his bushy brows in the fire genasi’s direction for a moment as he puts together that not every creature who came here to work for the HMC did so willingly.
At the fire genasi’s question, Lam turns to see how Billy might respond. Lam appears to still be on edge, like it would only take a word to launch him into attack mode.
*Sha-gravis *Fjörn Bhrünt *Leif Aulderoot *Saltstrider *Eron Colborn
Lam hesitates for a moment, studying the tabaxi. Seeing that the offer is genuine, he takes the food and responds, speaking in goblin as well: “Danke für deine Freundlichkeit. Wenn ich dir zurückzahlen kann, werde ich.”
“Thank you for your kindness. If I can repay you, I will.”
Walks in [insert absurd situation].
Honorary Leader in the Pixie Peewee Powderpuff Pals!
Hemlock feels a little unsure at the talk of fighting and unwilling guests, and the fiery haired ladies questioning of Billy was a bit too confrontational for him.
When the Genasi, who had answered his question about the noise, looks in his direction again he simply smiles meekly and gives a little wave with just his fingers. He shuffles his feet not knowing whether he should stay where he is or continue on his way to find food.
In the end he just stays put, between the three workers that included the two furry folk, and the Genasi and Billy. He could hear both conversation going on, but was reluctant to join either.
Sha looks back to Saffi really looks her in the eyes, in a whisper he says,
“Saffron Gale, I’m honored to know you. I’m a heretic of my faith, not an ‘honesty is the best policy’ type either. Knowledge is power and not everyone is worthy. Thank you, and yes we are of like-mind.”
Sha turns back to Lam continues in goblin,"Ist es wahr, was Billy gesagt hat, bist du wirklich hier, nur weil du ein Käferbär bist? Ich bin ^^kämpfe, um das Wort zu finden^^ tut mir leid, es zu hören, wenn das der Fall ist. Zumindest die meisten von uns hier, glaube ich, wurden eines Verbrechens beschuldigt. Sind Sie ein "freiwilliger Gefangener"?"
“Is it true what Billy said are you really here just because you are a bugbear? I’m ^^struggles to find the word^^ sorry to hear it, if that is the case. At least most of us here, I think were accused of a crime. Are you a ‘willing prisoner’?”
insight with guidance 27
*Sha-gravis *Fjörn Bhrünt *Leif Aulderoot *Saltstrider *Eron Colborn