and as a bonus action...seeing that he missed poorly, Theo calls on Helm's favor to vanquish the foe.
From 1st level, your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the Attack action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
With a rattling boom, the bolt strikes the zombie in place. Several pops can be heard, possibly some organs being burned to bursting. It falls back to the ground once more. However, the eerie light from the altar glows again, and brings back one of the other zombies by the door (Zombie 4). It slowly stands back up.
Viaya is up!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Uncertain of where exactly the dark reanimation magic is stemming from Viaya decides there's only one thing for it. Moving quickly as yet another zombie rises back to life, she lashes out with her rapier and dagger. Aiming to smash the skulls and clear the altar to see if does any good.
((Roll to attack?))
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Viaya knocks everything on the altar to the ground, separating whatever connection that was created in Yelfir's ritual. Meanwhile, the final zombie lurches over towards Zakon.
Relieved that Viaya has managed to destroy the magic of the altar, Zakon concentrates on the zombie in front of him, ignoring the putrid smell emanating from it. He strikes with his dagger, hoping to deal enough damage to kill it, the pain from his previous wound a dull ache in the back of his mind.
The final zombie collapses in a heap, Zakon's dagger sticking out of its head. With Viaya having broken the ritual, the zombies stay down this time. Kymel nervously looks around at all the carnage.
"I don't understand," he says. "I knew that Father Elajor always was unsure of Yelfir's devotion to the temple, but I never thought it would come to this... Demon worship? I... I can't believe this."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Letting out a large exhale now that the danger is over, Zakon strides over to the altar and begins examining it. What kind of foul magic was fueling the rise of the zombies?
Grateful her hamfisted attempt at stopping the ritual was apparently successful, Viaya turns back to the others just in time to see Zakon slay the final zombie. Ending the fight once and for all it would appear. Lowering her weapons, the elf moves away from the broken altar, giving Yelfir's body a wide berth. He's dead now, she can see that clearly but everything about him, about this place and about that ritual he was performing has her teeth on edge. She's more than happy to leave the poking around to her companions, walking over to Kymel as the gnome makes for the altar she's just abandoned and Theo begins poking around the other dark corners of the room.
"Is that what he was doing?" Sheasks Kymel. "Is Jalmath a demon then?"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Theo: The name doesn't hold any particular familiarity. When it comes to forces of evil, there are many, many minor deities and demons. It would be impossible to know for sure the specifics of Yelfir's descent into such heinous crimes. As you explore the room, there isn't anything in particular that sticks out. Among the refuse of the destroyed altar, there are a few silver items that may be worth a few coin, but other than that, nothing else.
Zakon: It appears that it was a low-level binding spell that was used to control the former acolytes. They were bound to attack anything that tried to destroy the altar.
Kymel shakes his head. "We were a very simple people," he says to Theo. "We had very little of value in this place, nor did we have reason to hide anything. The traps you saw were all we could cobble together before our slumber." He shrugs his shoulders at Viaya. "I had assumed that could be the only option. I don't know what specifically this Jalmath is. It could be an evil god, I suppose, but it's nothing you or I would know from our pantheon. Father Elajor would have probably known something about this, but I think it's safe to say he is no longer with us."
His entire body seems to slump, as the realization that he is the only survivor of his order sinks in.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Zakon moves over towards Kymel. He pats his shoulder awkwardly, attempting to comfort the man. "Well, it looks like you have some rebuilding to do - both the temple and your order. But I'm sure you're up to the task," he says with a kind smile. "In the meantime, we need to get back to Vall, the young boy who fell under your sleep spell."
Sheathing her rapier and dagger, Viaya waits patiently as the others finish poking about the room. Staying with Kymel and nodding at his response. "That makes sense." she agrees. "And unfortunately, you're probably right." The elf looks up as Zakon and Theo come over, head tilting at their words or comfort and goodbye to the grieving acolyte. They do need to go, they do have people waiting on them but it doesn't feel entirely right, leaving the man here on his own either. "You'll have an uphill battle ahead of you, rebuilding your home here." she says quietly. "A worthy one, but still. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. The world out there has changed, probably beyond all recognition in your eyes, but...perhaps your god let this all happen for a reason. Perhaps there is something about the world as it is now you meant to help heal or change. People have great need of men of faith in this day and age, especially my people. Travelling with us, even for a time might lead you to better circumstances than living alone in a ruined temple in the middle of nowhere."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Sorry, still dealing with sinus infection. They've put me on some kind of a steroid, so I've had very little sleep from all the jitters.
Kymel shakes his head. "I think your friend is right. There's a lot that needs to be done to try and fix all that Yelfir has destroyed. It may be hard to rebuild the order again, but right now, I need time to properly mourn and bury my fellow acolytes...my friends. There will be time for other endeavors later."
The three of you leave the temple, still many questions lingering regarding what went wrong and what evil force Yelfir pledged himself to. Still, these things seem minor in comparison to trying to return to the boy struck with the sleeping sickness and other issues regarding the invasion of Kolovoro.
Returning to the small farm, the antidote that Viaya had brewed works. Within an hour, the boy awakens. He relays a story similar to his sister's about finding the temple by accident and having something prick him when he reached for the door. His parents are more than grateful. They offer your group a small reward of 27 silver pieces to be divided up as you see fit. They also offer their farm as lodging should you ever come this way again. While there are other pressing matters, for now, a good rest is something you need.
So, 480 xp for everything that just happened. That includes the zombies, Yelfir, and curing the boy.
Show notes: Okay, so this was definitely a rough start for a first time DMing/playing any kind of D&D adventure. I'm all ears for criticism, what worked, and what didn't work. I do have a few notes of my own.
So, first of all, this particular adventure was The Dreaming Heralds, which you can easily get a PDF of online. This small, one-shot adventure was very useful for a first-time experience. It had a very adaptable story that could be worked to fit any world or scenario. The original version includes a world with Egyptian gods, so obviously, things were adapted to fit what was needed for the lore and history of Imela. It has a very straight-forward plot and simple mechanics to help first-timers navigate what they're doing. In those regards, it was a good choice.
However, there are a few hiccups with this one I want to point out. First of all, this adventure is very trap-heavy, and one I think was a lot for what was advertised as a 5-person 1st level adventure. Some of these traps had saving throws and checks with ridiculously high passing scores that 1st level players would have had a hard time with some of them. Plus, detecting these traps was not so easy in the way the story was designed. Some of the things I had to actually tweak just to ensure we didn't have any major casualties right out of the gate (That door with the amulet actually had no amulet as part of the trap. I had to give you that one since there was no disabling feature for this trap.). Second, as we slowly found out, the original maps that came with this were incredibly cramped for a 3-5 person party with all the small enemies present. By the end of the adventure, I think I had upscaled the size of the maps to help make it more manageable, but some of those were tight squeezes.
So, those are just the things I noticed with this. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure I'll have the time to really attempt DMing again. I've enjoyed just being a player on one of the other PbP games, but that one doesn't require me to be too active like DMing. If you want me to stick around, I can try to make room, or you can proceed however you wish. I'm not picky.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
If we were to continue, and I can make arrangements, would you want me to seek out a couple of other players to fill the group, or keep going as a smaller party of 3? Either way can work. With the adventures I have saved, some of them would only need to be mildly scaled down to accommodate. Up to you. If you know another player on here who would be interested, let me know. I had someone who sent me a PM last month, so I can see if they're still interested as well.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
I'd definitely love to continue if you are up for it but if you have too much going on I'll definitely get it. Dming is definitely a time commitment.
As far as growing the group that's fine with me either way. It might be safer to stick with us three, given we've had trouble holding onto other players in the past but if we can find a few solid, committed players that'd be great. :)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
So, what I may do is talk to Cogema and the other person who expressed interest. If they're on board, great. If not, then we can keep rolling as is. I won't hold any kind of open auditions since we seem okay with things as they go. In the meantime, I'll be looking over the next adventure set and see what things I need to do to tie it into the story. Since we are still in elf territory, I've talked with Viaya, and things may tie into her backstory as we go for now. Of course, as things progress (for as long as there's still interest), other character backstories may come into play later down the road.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Theo
and as a bonus action...seeing that he missed poorly, Theo calls on Helm's favor to vanquish the foe.
From 1st level, your god delivers bolts of inspiration to you while you are engaged in battle. When you use the Attack action, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
attack 11
bless 2
damage 5
With a rattling boom, the bolt strikes the zombie in place. Several pops can be heard, possibly some organs being burned to bursting. It falls back to the ground once more. However, the eerie light from the altar glows again, and brings back one of the other zombies by the door (Zombie 4). It slowly stands back up.
Viaya is up!
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
Uncertain of where exactly the dark reanimation magic is stemming from Viaya decides there's only one thing for it. Moving quickly as yet another zombie rises back to life, she lashes out with her rapier and dagger. Aiming to smash the skulls and clear the altar to see if does any good.
((Roll to attack?))
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Entropy Klyv - Hunted ! - Half Orc/College of Lore Bard (Level 6)
Xieva Talwinder - Crosswinds - Firbolg/School of Enchantment Wizard (Level 5)
[Nah, taking the action is enough.]
Viaya knocks everything on the altar to the ground, separating whatever connection that was created in Yelfir's ritual. Meanwhile, the final zombie lurches over towards Zakon.
Slam: 13
Thankfully, the swipe misses.
Zakon is up!
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
Relieved that Viaya has managed to destroy the magic of the altar, Zakon concentrates on the zombie in front of him, ignoring the putrid smell emanating from it. He strikes with his dagger, hoping to deal enough damage to kill it, the pain from his previous wound a dull ache in the back of his mind.
Attack: 17 Damage: 4
Bless: 2
Sneak attack (if appropriate): 2
The final zombie collapses in a heap, Zakon's dagger sticking out of its head. With Viaya having broken the ritual, the zombies stay down this time. Kymel nervously looks around at all the carnage.
"I don't understand," he says. "I knew that Father Elajor always was unsure of Yelfir's devotion to the temple, but I never thought it would come to this... Demon worship? I... I can't believe this."
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
Theo commiserates with Kymel. "It must be a shock to you. My condolences."
Theo recalls that "Jalmath..." was mentioned during the altercation.
Religion: 14
"I'm sure that you could find comfort in the justice and mercy in the righteousness of Helm's favor."
Theo will help search the room. "Is there anything of interest in this space, Kymel?"
If he can maintain blessing while they search he will, otherwise he will offer guidance.
Perception
14
bless 3
Letting out a large exhale now that the danger is over, Zakon strides over to the altar and begins examining it. What kind of foul magic was fueling the rise of the zombies?
Investigation: 14
Grateful her hamfisted attempt at stopping the ritual was apparently successful, Viaya turns back to the others just in time to see Zakon slay the final zombie. Ending the fight once and for all it would appear. Lowering her weapons, the elf moves away from the broken altar, giving Yelfir's body a wide berth. He's dead now, she can see that clearly but everything about him, about this place and about that ritual he was performing has her teeth on edge. She's more than happy to leave the poking around to her companions, walking over to Kymel as the gnome makes for the altar she's just abandoned and Theo begins poking around the other dark corners of the room.
"Is that what he was doing?" She asks Kymel. "Is Jalmath a demon then?"
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Entropy Klyv - Hunted ! - Half Orc/College of Lore Bard (Level 6)
Xieva Talwinder - Crosswinds - Firbolg/School of Enchantment Wizard (Level 5)
Theo: The name doesn't hold any particular familiarity. When it comes to forces of evil, there are many, many minor deities and demons. It would be impossible to know for sure the specifics of Yelfir's descent into such heinous crimes. As you explore the room, there isn't anything in particular that sticks out. Among the refuse of the destroyed altar, there are a few silver items that may be worth a few coin, but other than that, nothing else.
Zakon: It appears that it was a low-level binding spell that was used to control the former acolytes. They were bound to attack anything that tried to destroy the altar.
Kymel shakes his head. "We were a very simple people," he says to Theo. "We had very little of value in this place, nor did we have reason to hide anything. The traps you saw were all we could cobble together before our slumber." He shrugs his shoulders at Viaya. "I had assumed that could be the only option. I don't know what specifically this Jalmath is. It could be an evil god, I suppose, but it's nothing you or I would know from our pantheon. Father Elajor would have probably known something about this, but I think it's safe to say he is no longer with us."
His entire body seems to slump, as the realization that he is the only survivor of his order sinks in.
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
Zakon moves over towards Kymel. He pats his shoulder awkwardly, attempting to comfort the man. "Well, it looks like you have some rebuilding to do - both the temple and your order. But I'm sure you're up to the task," he says with a kind smile. "In the meantime, we need to get back to Vall, the young boy who fell under your sleep spell."
Theo
"Yes well, we shouldn't tarry. People are in need you know." Theo starts gathering the things they will need for their endeavor.
He turns to Kymel, "I'm sure that Helm would offer you aid if you are feeling lost. I hope you regain your path."
Sheathing her rapier and dagger, Viaya waits patiently as the others finish poking about the room. Staying with Kymel and nodding at his response. "That makes sense." she agrees. "And unfortunately, you're probably right." The elf looks up as Zakon and Theo come over, head tilting at their words or comfort and goodbye to the grieving acolyte. They do need to go, they do have people waiting on them but it doesn't feel entirely right, leaving the man here on his own either. "You'll have an uphill battle ahead of you, rebuilding your home here." she says quietly. "A worthy one, but still. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. The world out there has changed, probably beyond all recognition in your eyes, but...perhaps your god let this all happen for a reason. Perhaps there is something about the world as it is now you meant to help heal or change. People have great need of men of faith in this day and age, especially my people. Travelling with us, even for a time might lead you to better circumstances than living alone in a ruined temple in the middle of nowhere."
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Entropy Klyv - Hunted ! - Half Orc/College of Lore Bard (Level 6)
Xieva Talwinder - Crosswinds - Firbolg/School of Enchantment Wizard (Level 5)
Sorry, still dealing with sinus infection. They've put me on some kind of a steroid, so I've had very little sleep from all the jitters.
Kymel shakes his head. "I think your friend is right. There's a lot that needs to be done to try and fix all that Yelfir has destroyed. It may be hard to rebuild the order again, but right now, I need time to properly mourn and bury my fellow acolytes...my friends. There will be time for other endeavors later."
The three of you leave the temple, still many questions lingering regarding what went wrong and what evil force Yelfir pledged himself to. Still, these things seem minor in comparison to trying to return to the boy struck with the sleeping sickness and other issues regarding the invasion of Kolovoro.
Returning to the small farm, the antidote that Viaya had brewed works. Within an hour, the boy awakens. He relays a story similar to his sister's about finding the temple by accident and having something prick him when he reached for the door. His parents are more than grateful. They offer your group a small reward of 27 silver pieces to be divided up as you see fit. They also offer their farm as lodging should you ever come this way again. While there are other pressing matters, for now, a good rest is something you need.
So, 480 xp for everything that just happened. That includes the zombies, Yelfir, and curing the boy.
Show notes: Okay, so this was definitely a rough start for a first time DMing/playing any kind of D&D adventure. I'm all ears for criticism, what worked, and what didn't work. I do have a few notes of my own.
So, first of all, this particular adventure was The Dreaming Heralds, which you can easily get a PDF of online. This small, one-shot adventure was very useful for a first-time experience. It had a very adaptable story that could be worked to fit any world or scenario. The original version includes a world with Egyptian gods, so obviously, things were adapted to fit what was needed for the lore and history of Imela. It has a very straight-forward plot and simple mechanics to help first-timers navigate what they're doing. In those regards, it was a good choice.
However, there are a few hiccups with this one I want to point out. First of all, this adventure is very trap-heavy, and one I think was a lot for what was advertised as a 5-person 1st level adventure. Some of these traps had saving throws and checks with ridiculously high passing scores that 1st level players would have had a hard time with some of them. Plus, detecting these traps was not so easy in the way the story was designed. Some of the things I had to actually tweak just to ensure we didn't have any major casualties right out of the gate (That door with the amulet actually had no amulet as part of the trap. I had to give you that one since there was no disabling feature for this trap.). Second, as we slowly found out, the original maps that came with this were incredibly cramped for a 3-5 person party with all the small enemies present. By the end of the adventure, I think I had upscaled the size of the maps to help make it more manageable, but some of those were tight squeezes.
So, those are just the things I noticed with this. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure I'll have the time to really attempt DMing again. I've enjoyed just being a player on one of the other PbP games, but that one doesn't require me to be too active like DMing. If you want me to stick around, I can try to make room, or you can proceed however you wish. I'm not picky.
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
I think you did great. I would love to continue playing but I understand about time restraints.
I hope you feel better soon.
Same here as Theo. I would love to keep playing, but totally understand RL intrudes.
If we were to continue, and I can make arrangements, would you want me to seek out a couple of other players to fill the group, or keep going as a smaller party of 3? Either way can work. With the adventures I have saved, some of them would only need to be mildly scaled down to accommodate. Up to you. If you know another player on here who would be interested, let me know. I had someone who sent me a PM last month, so I can see if they're still interested as well.
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins
(you could see if cogema is interested ? Otherwise I'm fine with a small group Smaller groups are easier to run.)
I'd definitely love to continue if you are up for it but if you have too much going on I'll definitely get it. Dming is definitely a time commitment.
As far as growing the group that's fine with me either way. It might be safer to stick with us three, given we've had trouble holding onto other players in the past but if we can find a few solid, committed players that'd be great. :)
Viaya Morbrew - Imela: The Adventure Begins - High Elf/Rogue (Level 1)
Entropy Klyv - Hunted ! - Half Orc/College of Lore Bard (Level 6)
Xieva Talwinder - Crosswinds - Firbolg/School of Enchantment Wizard (Level 5)
So, what I may do is talk to Cogema and the other person who expressed interest. If they're on board, great. If not, then we can keep rolling as is. I won't hold any kind of open auditions since we seem okay with things as they go. In the meantime, I'll be looking over the next adventure set and see what things I need to do to tie it into the story. Since we are still in elf territory, I've talked with Viaya, and things may tie into her backstory as we go for now. Of course, as things progress (for as long as there's still interest), other character backstories may come into play later down the road.
Lvl 2 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Platinum Plated Keys
Lvl 5 - Dathyra Galanodel - High Elf Cleric of the Life Domain - Hunted
Lvl 1 - Geth Hornraven - Human Wizard - Lost Mine of Phandelver
DM - Imela: The Adventure Begins