Our story is set in the Forgotten Realms on Faerûn’s western shore—the Sword Coast. A thin strip of civilization stretches down this coast, where widely spaced cities are arranged like beads on a string. A combination of roads and wagon tracks loosely connect the cities that stretch from Luskan in the north to Calimport in the south, passing through Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and other great ports along the way. Rumors are abound of a mysterious Cult of the Dragon. But look now: southeast, to the town of Greenest.
Greenest is the only town of any size astride the Uldoon Trail, the most direct road between the eastern cities of the Dragon Coast, Cormyr, and Sembia with the Coast Way running south to the great cities of Amn, Tethyr, and far Calimshan. The trade caravans that pass through Greenest bring gold to the town’s merchants and craftsfolk and have turned the town into a thriving community.
To what end are you in the Sword Coast? Perhaps you have come from far away, or perhaps you are a native to somewhere in the surrounding area. Nevertheless, for the past several days, you have been traveling a road that winds lazily across the rolling grasslands of the Greenfields. You have found yourself in the company of six other adventurers that you have met along the road. It is midday.
Character Creation
What I would like from each of you is the following information about your character. Please feel free to use the OOC thread to discuss amongst yourselves and ask me questions, once we have all five replies we can get rolling!
Name (Bold, in the color you would like associated with your character.)
Race
Class
Background (5 - 10 sentences, or whatever works) - try to include your place of origin, why you chose to become an adventurer, and some personal goals.
What events led you toward the Sword Coast, and to Greenest specifically?
What led you to group up with the others?
Some notes about character creation:
Point buy for attributes
In order to make certain race/class combinations viable, if you would like argue that your race's +1 should go to a different attribute based on your background, go for it. The limitation here is that the +1 cannot go into another stat with a racial bonus, and must go towards either another physical stat, or another mental one (STR -> DEX or CON, INT -> WIS or CHA, etc).
If you want to argue that your character should have certain equipment not included in the starting equipment, go for it.
If you want to argue that your character should have certain flavor options not normally available to your character (the only one I can think of off the top of my head is nondamaging cantrips from other lists), go for it.
Nonvariant humans now have the "skill versatility" racial ability that half-elves have (+2 skill proficiencies).
Below are two optional features that you can choose in place of the feature normally granted by your background.
Optional Feature: Cult of the Dragon Infiltrator:You have infiltrated the ranks of the Cult of the Dragon. Having spied on the organization for quite some time, you are familiar with its inner workings and customs. You have a second identity as an initiate of the cult, enough of a facade to blend in as a simple grunt or servant.
Optional Feature: Dragon Scholar:You have studied dragons and their lore for many years. You can automatically identify locations built or used by dragons and can identify dragon eggs and scales by sight. If you fail an Intelligence check to recall lore relating to dragons, you know someone or some book you can consult for the answer unless the DM rules that the lore is unknown.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Logistical Notes
We have a couple players new or relatively new to Dungeons & Dragons, and a couple more past that who have never used Dndbeyond. That's great! Welcome to the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons, and to the play-by-post format! I'm going to try to, as thoroughly and concisely as I can, run through how this is going to work.
D&D 101:
Abbreviations & Common Terms:
List
Dungeons & Dragons is a classic tabletop roleplaying game based on the d20 system: generally speaking, all success or failure is based on a player's roll on a 20 sided die, modified by their character's statistics. The general format is as follows:
DM describes what happens
Players decide their PC's actions (etc, attack, investigate, try to recall lore, etc)
The DM will determine what, if any, roll is necessary.
Based on the roll, DM describes what happens
Repeat
Ability Scores (Attributes): Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature's core characteristics:
Strength, measuring physical power
Dexterity, measuring agility
Constitution, measuring endurance
Intelligence, measuring reasoning and memory
Wisdom, measuring perception and insight
Charisma, measuring force of personality
Proficiency bonus: Characters have a bonus to any rolls that they are proficient in. This bonus is +2 at level one but increases as characters level up.
Ability & Skill Checks:
The DM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. For every ability check, the DM decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by the difficulty class (DC). To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier. If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success.
Skills represents a specific aspect of an ability score, and each character starts with a number of skill proficiencies determined by their character creation. A skill proficiency represents a character's focus on that skill. Proficiency with a skill allows a player to add their proficiency bonus to any skill checks. Level one characters (you at the moment) have a +2 proficiency bonus.
Saving Throws:
A saving throw — also called a save — represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw; the DM tells you if/when to make one because your character is at risk of harm. To make a saving throw, roll a d20 and add the appropriate ability modifier. Each character will have two saving throw proficiencies from their class, meaning they can add their proficiency bonus to any saving throws with that ability.
Advantage & Disadvantage:
Sometimes, the situation will give your character advantage or disadvantage on a d20 roll. When this happens, the d20 is rolled twice and the higher (advantage) or lower (disadvantage) total is used.
Out-of-initiative:
Much of the game will proceed in a freeform fashion i.e. players decide what to do and when to do it, and are generally given the freedom to interact with the world around them and their fellow party members on their own terms.
Initiative:
Sometimes the DM will determine that events are happening are in real-time, and play will proceed in initiative order. In initiative, players will make a d20 roll with their Dexterity modifier, with the DM rolling initiative for any NPCs. Play will proceed highest to lowest initiative, one character at a time. The most notable, but not only, example of this is combat.
Your Turn in Combat:
On your turn you have available to you movement up to your speed, one action, one bonus action, one reaction, and one interaction.
Bonus Action: Various class features, spells, and other abilities let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action.
Reaction: Certain special abilities, spells, and situations allow you to take a special action called a reaction. A reaction is an instant response to a trigger of some kind, which can occur on your turn or on someone else's.
Interaction: Free Interaction with the environment e.g. open a door, pass an item to a teammate, (un)sheath a weapon, etc.
Making an attack: To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifier from your character sheet. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits, and you roll damage.
The Character Sheet:
Your character sheet contains all the essential information you need to play your D&D character. Most importantly, it will integrate all of the choices you make during character creation and do all the work for you in determining any bonuses. Across the top you will see your attributes, as well as their bonuses. Top right is HP, top left is saving throws, middle is skills, and bottom left is other proficiencies. Bottom right is a tab that lets you cycle through your actions, spell, equipment, features & traits, description, and notes. Actions lays out all actions, bonus actions, and reactions you have available. Spells is spells. Equipment is your inventory, items that are equipable have a check-box; make sure you equip you weapons armor etc. Features & traits lays out your class features and racial traits. Description is where you enter all other character information, and notes is for if you want to jot things down during the adventure.
Play-by-Post 101
Formatting: Each player picks a color for their character, which can be found in the UI on top of the reply box. Players should put their speech in bold in that color, and any thoughts in similarly colored italics. Any and all rolls should be put at the end of the post. ((Out of character comments and questions should be in double parentheses.))
Spoilers: You'll notice an exclamation mark near the right side of the reply box UI.
This is for generating spoilers, which is for any information or events that only select PCs notice or know, or if you want to whisper in character.
When adding a spoiler, please add at the top who you would like to be aware of the contents of that spoiler; players are asked to respect these requests and NOT open spoilers not directed at them.
*Drumroll* Rolling the Dice: Dndbeyond has a built in dice roller that you can use for any and all dice rolls, the dice icon in the far right of the UI. It has two options that you'll need, basic and combat. For basic, simply select the die type (usually a d20) and enter the modifier from your character sheet. Combat lets you roll attack and damage rolls simultaneously and really streamlines posting; to use it simply add the attack bonus, enter damage die & bonus, and select advantage/disadvantage when I tell you it's applicable.
Examples:
Barbarian: Grob yells, "Puny man!!"and attacks with his axe.
Attack: 20 Damage: 7
DM: You miss wildly
Rogue: "This looks like the job for me!" I walk up and investigate for traps.
Nonna Abbondanza, daughter of an Orc Pirate and a Landed noble, studied under a noted Dragon Scholar to learn more of her father's whereabouts after his ship mysteriously disappeared in the Pirating Isles.
Nonna used her pirating connections to sail from the dragon scholars lab in the east to the Sword Coast. Upon making landfall she travelled through Greenest in her search for more information regarding Dragon Cults.
Kalmar is a swordsman, although he once had a promising future, he’s fallen in hard times. He hails from Cormyr originally but has not been back in some time. He speaks with disdain about those who value honor and has a very pessimistic view of wars and those who fight them.
Most recently coming from Westgate, Kalmar joined up with the group because a man alone on the road makes an easy target.
Rol is the middle child of the well-known Zedici family of Neverwinter. His family has a love for all things magical, and expensive - explaining their long dominance in the trade of magical items. Rol, was a bit of a black-sheep. Instead of following the typical path of wizard or merchant, he decided to listen closer to the whispers he had been hearing since child-hood about a sorcerous gene in the family. Rol has been heading south east from Neverwinter of the past few weeks, refashioning the spell book he received on his 18th birthday into a journal as he no longer needed it for its intended purpose.
Dunglob comes from a Goliath village from mountains east of Greenest. As a Gladiator, he would perform in the fight pits and was considered a top contender for Champion in his community. One day not too long ago, in a gladiator match against his best friend Poofling for the championship, Dunglob slipped and crushed Poofling's spine, instantly killing him. Despite a cheering crowd and new status as champion, Dunglob was overcome with grief at the unintentional brutality, and fled the village in hopes to use his strength against the forces of evil, not accidentally against his friends. This self-induced exile brings Dunglob to Greenest, not too far from his (previous) home.
Born and raised in the slums of Waterdeep Gene grew up doing what was needed to survive, first begging, then theft, then murder. After running afoul of a Lord of Waterdeep he fled the sword coast and to took to using his skills to get by. However a thief's life is not a safe one and running from ones past is a pipe dream at best.
Settling down in Calimport seemed like a good idea at one point but lying on the floor of a burning building with a knife in his guts Gene was reconsidering his choices, and for the first time in his life he prayed, desperately, to anything that would answer. Then When all seemed lost a path opened up in the flames and Gene did the only thing he knew how to do, survive. Who knows how long it took but afterwards he lay outside the burning house burnt, half blind and hurting, but not dead. The dagger missed anything important, the flames never truly touched him. As Gene, a changed man, sat there considering his turn of luck he found himself filled with determination. He would change himself, with Lady Luck on his side he would right his past wrongs, bring fortune to the unfortunate, and take fortune from those that used their own luck to bring misery on others.
So Gene returns to his homeland with new scars, lessons learned, and a mission to make things right. His first stop Greennest...
Orochi grew up poor watching travelers and merchants interact in the harbors and marketplaces of Waterdeep. He was always fascinated studying the behaviors of others and learning what he could from every book he could get his hands on. A natural in the arcane arts he knew early on he wanted to be a powerful and feared wizard. As the years passed and his studies intensified, Orochi's innocent curiosity twisted into an insatiable lust for knowledge and power. His intelligence was put to use by the military where he designed weaponry and advised on the best strategies to defeat the enemy. After fleeing Waterdeep in fear -before he could be implicated in a string of disappearances- and yearning to find secrets of greater power only dreamt about in fairy tales Orochi decides to disappear south along the Trade Way with ambitions as high as his the only logical destination for him was Greenest.
Scylla was born in the port city of Taramalune, on the southeastern shores of Laerakond, which rivals Waterdeep in wealth, tolerant outlook, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ambition of its residents, merchants, traders, and nobles. He was born to a lower noble class in the neighborhood of Maerhavel, where is his father, Zilla was the head of their clan and was a prominent merchant who dabbled in a variety trades that had him even dealing with the merchants of Waterdeep.
Growing up Scylla was a devoted son who spent his time running through the streets of Taramalune, getting in trouble at the gambling and drinking dens. However, unlike most of the his friends and neighbors, Scylla would also slip off from and started to go to the churches devoted to Bahamut. There he befriended a semi-retired adventurer named Morlgorn Rionthas. Morlgorn told Scylla tales about the wars between Taramalune and the dragon empire of Skelkor and how paladins protected the weak and innocent during times of crisis. Scylla was mesmerized and decided to have Morlgorn mentor him into becoming a paladin.
Scylla was a fast learner and soon was given a mission which was to infiltrate a local cell of the Cult of the Dragon and try to uncover the reasons behind several kidnappings. Scyllawas successful in going undercover and with his veteran partner, Murtaugh, they were able to shed light on those kidnappings and shut down the local cell. Pleased with his results, Morlgorn and his associates decided to give Scylla a more challenging assignment, something that sent him overseas to Faerûn's Sword Coast towards Waterdeep.
Now, it's been almost a year since Scylla landed on the Sword Coast and he now finds himself in need of safety and security and having only his wits and weapons to get by decided to join up with this rag-tag group as they head towards the town of Greenest.
Nonna, you grew up in a family of noble dragon scholars, learning everything you could and becoming fascinated with tales of your father. You begin your journey west, following rumors of increased dragon activity along the Sword Coast. Plotting your route along the Trader's Road through Berdusk and Greenest, you use your pirating connections to make port in Westgate, a seedy metropolis on the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars, stinking in the early summer heat, figuring it as good a place as any to begin your journey. While there, you ask around and hear rumors of a mysterious Cult of the Dragon; you don't know whether this has anything to do with your father's disappearance, but it seems clear they are responsible for the increased dragon activity. Also while you are there, you meet Kalmar, a swordsman hailing from Cormyr. Kalmar seems to be in a rush to leave Westgate and agrees to join up on the road for safety. The two of you travel west.
Kalmar:
Kalmar, you have not been home in many years. The epic tales of the Cormish Purple Dragon Knights now echo like whispers of their once glorious selves in your once boyish mind. Now, such things are only met with disdain. For now, Westgate is your home, not far south from where you hail originally, though it is a seedy and shady place compared to Cormyr, stinking in the early summer heat. When circumstances arise, it becomes clear that it is time for you to move on from Westgate. As you ready yourself to leave, you meet a half-orc named Nonna, who says she is travelling west toward the Sword Coast researching dragon activity. The two of you agree to join up on the road for safety, and travel west.
The two of you made your way west from Westgate, traveling further along the Trader's road than either of you had previously gone. The early summer air is thick and fragrant, and townsfolk in the villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. Stopping in the city of Berdusk, the Crown of the Vale, as the two of you head southwest along the Uldoon Trail you run into another group of four adventurers; a half-elf named Rol who is traveling with a goliath named Dunglob, and a dragonborn named Scylla who is travelling with a yuan-ti named Orochi. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Rol& Dunglob:
Rol:
Rol, you were always a bit of a black sheep. Living with your family in Neverwinter it was hard growing up not to feel resentful of the pressure from your elven family members to pursue their traditional craft of wizardry. You were always more enamored with your more wild human blood, and voraciously absorbed any and all tales of natural sorcerers in your ancestry. On your 18th birthday you bid your family farewell and traveled south, knowing full well you were not going to be using you birthday spellbook for its intended purpose and instead pursue a more wild form of magic. On your journey south you find yourself in Scornubel, a major trade stop in the midst of preparing for the summer festival. There, you make the friendly acquaintance of a goliath named Dunglob, who takes a liking to your magic tricks. Saying he wants to use his might against evil, Dunglob agrees to join with you on the road, and the two of you travel south.
Dunglob:
Dunglob, your mind has been a chaotic swirl of emotion these past few weeks. Your world was given to you, in the form of your village's championship and adoration, yet cruelly taken away by the accidental loss of your best friend at your own hands. Distraught, you leave your village, travelling north and then west, past the Well of Dragons and through the Skull Gorge. While there you see a wondrous and rare sight: a fully grown white dragon flying off in the distance. Marveling, you move onwards and eventually find yourself in Scornubel, a thriving trade stop in the midst of preparing for the summer festival. In a tither at the overwhelming display of festivities and performances from the human town, you take a particular liking to a half-elf named Rol, enjoying his magic tricks while he seems to appreciate your demeanor and intentions. He says he's wandering south, and the two of you agree to join up on the road.
Making your way out of Scornubel, the two of you travel south along the River Chionthar, the air thick and warm and the river's water flush with the last of the spring's thaw. You stop in the city of Berdusk, the Jewel of the Vale, where you meet a pair of serpentine humanoids, a dragonborn named Scylla and a yuan-ti named Orochi. They say they are traveling out of Waterdeep, and join the two of you as you proceed. Following the Uldoon trail southwest you come across a pair of fighters, a human named Kalmar and a half-orc named Nonna, who say they also happen to be traveling through Greenest. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Scylla & Orochi:
Scylla:
Scylla, your homeland is under attack. A cell of the mysterious Cult of the Dragon has appeared in Laekarond, their motives unclear. Taking a paladin's oath from your friend Morlgorn and partnering up with you good ol' buddy Murtaugh, you successfully infiltrate the cell, uncovering that the cult seems to be intending on kidnapping dragonborn. Sent overseas with nothing but your paladin equipment and a disguise kit to burnish your golden scales, you continue your work in Waterdeep, managing to set up a honey pot with fake dragon eggs as your in. This is most intriguing to the Cult; these eggs are important. Before you can uncover too much your cover is blown and you find yourself having to flee Waterdeep. Hearing that the cult's activity spreads throughout the Sword Coast you decide to travel south past Scornubel and Berdusk. As you leave you meet a most interesting fellow, a snake-like wizard name Orochi. He says his goal is to travel south seeking knowledge, and the two of you agree to join up on the road as you make your way south.
Orochi:
Orochi, your childhood and life has been an interesting sequence of experiences. Growing up poor in Waterdeep and watching the bustle of the city with an insatiable curiousity, it was only through your intense studies and affinity for the arcane arts that you were able to secure a post in the local military as a Yuan-Ti. There, you used your knowledge for weapons design and advising, but you always faced stigma due to your blood and background. Only Orochi knows whether the string of disappearances was a result of his insatiable lust for knowledge of any source getting the better of him, a set-up from his xenophobic comrades, or some other mysterious cause, but nevertheless you find yourself fleeing Waterdeep to the south. As you make your departure, you come across a dragonborn named Scylla, who is also fleeing the city. The two of you agree to join up on the road, and travel south.
The two of you make your way south out of Waterdeep, traveling southeast along the Trade Way past Daggerford, Dragonspear Castle, and Boareskyr Bridge. The early summer air is thick and fragrant, and townsfolk in the cities and villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. Stopping in Berdusk, the Crown of the Vale, the two of you come across a pair of adventurers, a half-elf named Rol and a goliath named Dunglob, who are also traveling south and join you on the road. Following the Uldoon trail southwest you come across a pair of fighters, a human named Kalmar and a half-orc named Nonna, who say they also happen to be traveling through Greenest. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Gene:
Gene, you always found yourself particularly lucky, despite the circumstances of your birth. You always managed to scrape by on the streets of Waterdeep with a combination of your quickness, wits, and the occasional fortunate circumstance. That luck was always bound to run out however, and after angering the Lord of Waterdeep you fled south, along and away from the Sword Coast. Maintaining your shady lifestyle in the southern desert city of Calimport, it wasn't until a disastrous attempted job left you bleeding on the floor of a burning building that Lady Luck truly found you. With your life saved by Fortune you travel back north, a changed man, your eyes set on Greenest as your first stop.
You travel north along the Coast Way before deviating northeast through the country of Amn. The early summer air is thick and fragrant as you make your way out of Amn and through the Greenfields, and townsfolk in the cities and villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. You stop in the city of Iriaebor, the City of a Thousand Spires, and there you hear rumors of increased dragon activity along the Sword Coast. Making your way west along the River Chionthar, you come across a group of six adventurers traveling southwest along the Uldoon Trail to Greenest; a half-elf named Rol, a goliath named Dunglob, a dragonborn named Scylla, a yuan-ti name Orochi, a half-orc named Nonna, and another human named Kalmar. The party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Having all met up completely a couple days ago on the Uldoon Trail, the group of seven travels toward the town of Greenest. You know enough of the area to know that you'll reach the town by sunset, and it is currently early afternoon. The sun is hot and the sky is blue and clear, but somewhere off in the distance to the west is the rumble of thunder.
((Feel free to roleplay any interactions as the group finishes their journey to Greenest.))
"We'll be there by sunset, right? I hope this town has some means of post - I know some of the villages here aren't quite bustling"Rol says to no one in particular as he finishes writing a letter to his family. Returning his quill and parchment to his pack he looks up and notices the impending clouds, pulls his hood over his head, and exclaims "We must make haste, I loathe being damp and outside....these robes cost a non-insignificant sum of gold pieces".
Rol himself is as normal looking as a half-elf can be with sandy hair and fair skin, his clothes, however, are anything but. As he walks, his impeccably tailored magenta shirt and pants flutter, contrasting strikingly against the ornamental gold scarf and onyx broach across his neck. All of this is covered very poorly by a sandy covered tunic, seemingly an attempt at modesty by someone with a poor understanding of the word.
Nonna, using her seafarer's eye (and general intuition) begins at first to chuckle, preparing a deriding remark towards the dandy Rol. However, feeling the humidity of the air and noting the lack of clouds in the sky, she begins to feel uneasy.
While I haven't been in the Sword Coast for long... I wouldn't expect weather to behave differently than in Unther.
Nonna scans the horizon to see if she can perceive any trace of an oncoming thunderstorm.
Scylla huddles next to Orochi and shares his hard biscuits with his snake-like friend and then shares the rest with the ragtag group too, finishing off the remainder of his rations. He watches the others, happy with their company, but wary of their intentions and reasons for traveling to Greenest. He smiles at the two fighters, Kalmar and Nonna and gives them a nod.
He the leans towards Orochi and whispers, “new friend, what are your thoughts on our companions. Good people, but...” and he then takes a bite from his biscuit.
While he’s thinking he thanks the Dragonborn for the hardtack and says A Dragon Knight like you, what’s got you headed west? And with a Snake man Mage to boot?He looks at Orrochi No offense, Wizard, you just don’t see Paladins and Yaun-ti sharing campfires too often.
Taken aback by the friendliness of his new Dragonborn companion Orochi tentatively takes a biscuit from Scylla and nibbles on the corners. He would never say it aloud but he feels kinship with the Dragonborn that he was not aware he was capable of feeling. He warily eyes the rest of the group studying each character thoroughly before moving on to the next. He seems especially interested in the sorcerer Rol as he whispers in draconic to his new friend “There is much we can learn from these adventurers but be cautious first impressions are simply an opportunity to be deceived.” Turning to Kalmar he says to the group in common tongue “There are many forms of power in this world and sometimes Alliances are required to reach ones full potential.”
Scyllanods at Orchi'scomments to Kalmarand then looking out towards the sound of the rolling thunder in the cloudless sky and says, "yes, my friend is right. Strange times can lead to unique alliances. Tell me Kalmar, what do you see in the distance?"
Kalmar shrugs and smiles at the Yaun-ti as he answers him in Draconic There is a lot to be learned from strangers on the road, and appearances can certainly be deceiving. For instance, I wouldn’t really call myself an adventurer, just a man with a sword and a dream. He laughs a little as he switches back to common. Anywho, does that thunder strike anyone else as strange?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Welcome Adventurers!
Our story is set in the Forgotten Realms on Faerûn’s western shore—the Sword Coast. A thin strip of civilization stretches down this coast, where widely spaced cities are arranged like beads on a string. A combination of roads and wagon tracks loosely connect the cities that stretch from Luskan in the north to Calimport in the south, passing through Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and other great ports along the way. Rumors are abound of a mysterious Cult of the Dragon. But look now: southeast, to the town of Greenest.
Greenest is the only town of any size astride the Uldoon Trail, the most direct road between the eastern cities of the Dragon Coast, Cormyr, and Sembia with the Coast Way running south to the great cities of Amn, Tethyr, and far Calimshan. The trade caravans that pass through Greenest bring gold to the town’s merchants and craftsfolk and have turned the town into a thriving community.
To what end are you in the Sword Coast? Perhaps you have come from far away, or perhaps you are a native to somewhere in the surrounding area. Nevertheless, for the past several days, you have been traveling a road that winds lazily across the rolling grasslands of the Greenfields. You have found yourself in the company of six other adventurers that you have met along the road. It is midday.
Character Creation
What I would like from each of you is the following information about your character. Please feel free to use the OOC thread to discuss amongst yourselves and ask me questions, once we have all five replies we can get rolling!
Some notes about character creation:
Below are two optional features that you can choose in place of the feature normally granted by your background.
Optional Feature: Cult of the Dragon Infiltrator: You have infiltrated the ranks of the Cult of the Dragon. Having spied on the organization for quite some time, you are familiar with its inner workings and customs. You have a second identity as an initiate of the cult, enough of a facade to blend in as a simple grunt or servant.
Optional Feature: Dragon Scholar: You have studied dragons and their lore for many years. You can automatically identify locations built or used by dragons and can identify dragon eggs and scales by sight. If you fail an Intelligence check to recall lore relating to dragons, you know someone or some book you can consult for the answer unless the DM rules that the lore is unknown.
Incantis, half-elf warlock (great old one) 4/bard 1 ● Thorok Earthhand, hill dwarf mountain druid 6/grave cleric 2
Cragmyre Ironseed, earth genasi ancestral barbarian 3 ● Cyrus Natriallae, aquatic half-elf warlock of the deep 3
Logistical Notes
We have a couple players new or relatively new to Dungeons & Dragons, and a couple more past that who have never used Dndbeyond. That's great! Welcome to the wonderful world of Dungeons & Dragons, and to the play-by-post format! I'm going to try to, as thoroughly and concisely as I can, run through how this is going to work.
D&D 101:
Abbreviations & Common Terms:
List
Dungeons & Dragons is a classic tabletop roleplaying game based on the d20 system: generally speaking, all success or failure is based on a player's roll on a 20 sided die, modified by their character's statistics. The general format is as follows:
Ability Scores (Attributes): Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature's core characteristics:
Proficiency bonus: Characters have a bonus to any rolls that they are proficient in. This bonus is +2 at level one but increases as characters level up.
Ability & Skill Checks:
The DM calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. For every ability check, the DM decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by the difficulty class (DC). To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier. If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success.
Skills represents a specific aspect of an ability score, and each character starts with a number of skill proficiencies determined by their character creation. A skill proficiency represents a character's focus on that skill. Proficiency with a skill allows a player to add their proficiency bonus to any skill checks. Level one characters (you at the moment) have a +2 proficiency bonus.
Saving Throws:
A saving throw — also called a save — represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. You don’t normally decide to make a saving throw; the DM tells you if/when to make one because your character is at risk of harm. To make a saving throw, roll a d20 and add the appropriate ability modifier. Each character will have two saving throw proficiencies from their class, meaning they can add their proficiency bonus to any saving throws with that ability.
Advantage & Disadvantage:
Sometimes, the situation will give your character advantage or disadvantage on a d20 roll. When this happens, the d20 is rolled twice and the higher (advantage) or lower (disadvantage) total is used.
Out-of-initiative:
Much of the game will proceed in a freeform fashion i.e. players decide what to do and when to do it, and are generally given the freedom to interact with the world around them and their fellow party members on their own terms.
Initiative:
Sometimes the DM will determine that events are happening are in real-time, and play will proceed in initiative order. In initiative, players will make a d20 roll with their Dexterity modifier, with the DM rolling initiative for any NPCs. Play will proceed highest to lowest initiative, one character at a time. The most notable, but not only, example of this is combat.
Your Turn in Combat:
On your turn you have available to you movement up to your speed, one action, one bonus action, one reaction, and one interaction.
Making an attack: To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifier from your character sheet. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits, and you roll damage.
The Character Sheet:
Your character sheet contains all the essential information you need to play your D&D character. Most importantly, it will integrate all of the choices you make during character creation and do all the work for you in determining any bonuses. Across the top you will see your attributes, as well as their bonuses. Top right is HP, top left is saving throws, middle is skills, and bottom left is other proficiencies. Bottom right is a tab that lets you cycle through your actions, spell, equipment, features & traits, description, and notes. Actions lays out all actions, bonus actions, and reactions you have available. Spells is spells. Equipment is your inventory, items that are equipable have a check-box; make sure you equip you weapons armor etc. Features & traits lays out your class features and racial traits. Description is where you enter all other character information, and notes is for if you want to jot things down during the adventure.
Play-by-Post 101
Formatting: Each player picks a color for their character, which can be found in the UI on top of the reply box. Players should put their speech in bold in that color, and any thoughts in similarly colored italics. Any and all rolls should be put at the end of the post. ((Out of character comments and questions should be in double parentheses.))
Spoilers: You'll notice an exclamation mark near the right side of the reply box UI.
This is for generating spoilers, which is for any information or events that only select PCs notice or know, or if you want to whisper in character.
When adding a spoiler, please add at the top who you would like to be aware of the contents of that spoiler; players are asked to respect these requests and NOT open spoilers not directed at them.
Tooltips: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/11983-how-to-add-tooltips for adding tags like search. fireball, etc.
*Drumroll* Rolling the Dice: Dndbeyond has a built in dice roller that you can use for any and all dice rolls, the dice icon in the far right of the UI. It has two options that you'll need, basic and combat. For basic, simply select the die type (usually a d20) and enter the modifier from your character sheet. Combat lets you roll attack and damage rolls simultaneously and really streamlines posting; to use it simply add the attack bonus, enter damage die & bonus, and select advantage/disadvantage when I tell you it's applicable.
Examples:
Barbarian: Grob yells, "Puny man!!" and attacks with his axe.
Attack: 20 Damage: 7
DM: You miss wildly
Rogue: "This looks like the job for me!" I walk up and investigate for traps.
DM: Roll investigation!
Rogue: 5
DM: You don't notice any traps.
Cleric ((Does my character know anything about this symbol?))
DM: Roll religion!
Cleric: 21
DM:
For Cleric -
You recognize the symbol but only vaguely.
Wizard: What to do what to do... Merlin reaches his arms out and casts burning hands on the two bandits.
DC13 dexterity or take 9 fire damage.
DM: Bandit 1: 22, Bandit 2: 5
One of the bandits bursts into flames.
You can mouse over any of the dice rolls to see more details.
Incantis, half-elf warlock (great old one) 4/bard 1 ● Thorok Earthhand, hill dwarf mountain druid 6/grave cleric 2
Cragmyre Ironseed, earth genasi ancestral barbarian 3 ● Cyrus Natriallae, aquatic half-elf warlock of the deep 3
Nonna Abbondanza, Level 1 Half-Orc Fighter
BACKSTORY
Nonna Abbondanza, daughter of an Orc Pirate and a Landed noble, studied under a noted Dragon Scholar to learn more of her father's whereabouts after his ship mysteriously disappeared in the Pirating Isles.
Nonna used her pirating connections to sail from the dragon scholars lab in the east to the Sword Coast. Upon making landfall she travelled through Greenest in her search for more information regarding Dragon Cults.
Kalmar
Human
Fighter
Kalmar is a swordsman, although he once had a promising future, he’s fallen in hard times. He hails from Cormyr originally but has not been back in some time. He speaks with disdain about those who value honor and has a very pessimistic view of wars and those who fight them.
Most recently coming from Westgate, Kalmar joined up with the group because a man alone on the road makes an easy target.
Rol Zedici, The 5th
Half-Elf, Wild Magic Sorcerer
Rol is the middle child of the well-known Zedici family of Neverwinter. His family has a love for all things magical, and expensive - explaining their long dominance in the trade of magical items. Rol, was a bit of a black-sheep. Instead of following the typical path of wizard or merchant, he decided to listen closer to the whispers he had been hearing since child-hood about a sorcerous gene in the family. Rol has been heading south east from Neverwinter of the past few weeks, refashioning the spell book he received on his 18th birthday into a journal as he no longer needed it for its intended purpose.
Dunglob
Goliath, Barbarian
Dunglob comes from a Goliath village from mountains east of Greenest. As a Gladiator, he would perform in the fight pits and was considered a top contender for Champion in his community. One day not too long ago, in a gladiator match against his best friend Poofling for the championship, Dunglob slipped and crushed Poofling's spine, instantly killing him. Despite a cheering crowd and new status as champion, Dunglob was overcome with grief at the unintentional brutality, and fled the village in hopes to use his strength against the forces of evil, not accidentally against his friends. This self-induced exile brings Dunglob to Greenest, not too far from his (previous) home.
Gene Ericson
Human Thief
Born and raised in the slums of Waterdeep Gene grew up doing what was needed to survive, first begging, then theft, then murder. After running afoul of a Lord of Waterdeep he fled the sword coast and to took to using his skills to get by. However a thief's life is not a safe one and running from ones past is a pipe dream at best.
Settling down in Calimport seemed like a good idea at one point but lying on the floor of a burning building with a knife in his guts Gene was reconsidering his choices, and for the first time in his life he prayed, desperately, to anything that would answer. Then When all seemed lost a path opened up in the flames and Gene did the only thing he knew how to do, survive. Who knows how long it took but afterwards he lay outside the burning house burnt, half blind and hurting, but not dead. The dagger missed anything important, the flames never truly touched him. As Gene, a changed man, sat there considering his turn of luck he found himself filled with determination. He would change himself, with Lady Luck on his side he would right his past wrongs, bring fortune to the unfortunate, and take fortune from those that used their own luck to bring misery on others.
So Gene returns to his homeland with new scars, lessons learned, and a mission to make things right. His first stop Greennest...
Orochi Salazar
Yuan-ti pureblood, Wizard Sage
Orochi grew up poor watching travelers and merchants interact in the harbors and marketplaces of Waterdeep. He was always fascinated studying the behaviors of others and learning what he could from every book he could get his hands on. A natural in the arcane arts he knew early on he wanted to be a powerful and feared wizard. As the years passed and his studies intensified, Orochi's innocent curiosity twisted into an insatiable lust for knowledge and power. His intelligence was put to use by the military where he designed weaponry and advised on the best strategies to defeat the enemy. After fleeing Waterdeep in fear -before he could be implicated in a string of disappearances- and yearning to find secrets of greater power only dreamt about in fairy tales Orochi decides to disappear south along the Trade Way with ambitions as high as his the only logical destination for him was Greenest.
Scylla Riptide
Dragonborn, Paladin
Scylla was born in the port city of Taramalune, on the southeastern shores of Laerakond, which rivals Waterdeep in wealth, tolerant outlook, entrepreneurial spirit, and the ambition of its residents, merchants, traders, and nobles. He was born to a lower noble class in the neighborhood of Maerhavel, where is his father, Zilla was the head of their clan and was a prominent merchant who dabbled in a variety trades that had him even dealing with the merchants of Waterdeep.
Growing up Scylla was a devoted son who spent his time running through the streets of Taramalune, getting in trouble at the gambling and drinking dens. However, unlike most of the his friends and neighbors, Scylla would also slip off from and started to go to the churches devoted to Bahamut. There he befriended a semi-retired adventurer named Morlgorn Rionthas. Morlgorn told Scylla tales about the wars between Taramalune and the dragon empire of Skelkor and how paladins protected the weak and innocent during times of crisis. Scylla was mesmerized and decided to have Morlgorn mentor him into becoming a paladin.
Scylla was a fast learner and soon was given a mission which was to infiltrate a local cell of the Cult of the Dragon and try to uncover the reasons behind several kidnappings. Scylla was successful in going undercover and with his veteran partner, Murtaugh, they were able to shed light on those kidnappings and shut down the local cell. Pleased with his results, Morlgorn and his associates decided to give Scylla a more challenging assignment, something that sent him overseas to Faerûn's Sword Coast towards Waterdeep.
Now, it's been almost a year since Scylla landed on the Sword Coast and he now finds himself in need of safety and security and having only his wits and weapons to get by decided to join up with this rag-tag group as they head towards the town of Greenest.
Nonna & Kalmar:
Nonna:
Nonna, you grew up in a family of noble dragon scholars, learning everything you could and becoming fascinated with tales of your father. You begin your journey west, following rumors of increased dragon activity along the Sword Coast. Plotting your route along the Trader's Road through Berdusk and Greenest, you use your pirating connections to make port in Westgate, a seedy metropolis on the coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars, stinking in the early summer heat, figuring it as good a place as any to begin your journey. While there, you ask around and hear rumors of a mysterious Cult of the Dragon; you don't know whether this has anything to do with your father's disappearance, but it seems clear they are responsible for the increased dragon activity. Also while you are there, you meet Kalmar, a swordsman hailing from Cormyr. Kalmar seems to be in a rush to leave Westgate and agrees to join up on the road for safety. The two of you travel west.
Kalmar:
Kalmar, you have not been home in many years. The epic tales of the Cormish Purple Dragon Knights now echo like whispers of their once glorious selves in your once boyish mind. Now, such things are only met with disdain. For now, Westgate is your home, not far south from where you hail originally, though it is a seedy and shady place compared to Cormyr, stinking in the early summer heat. When circumstances arise, it becomes clear that it is time for you to move on from Westgate. As you ready yourself to leave, you meet a half-orc named Nonna, who says she is travelling west toward the Sword Coast researching dragon activity. The two of you agree to join up on the road for safety, and travel west.
The two of you made your way west from Westgate, traveling further along the Trader's road than either of you had previously gone. The early summer air is thick and fragrant, and townsfolk in the villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. Stopping in the city of Berdusk, the Crown of the Vale, as the two of you head southwest along the Uldoon Trail you run into another group of four adventurers; a half-elf named Rol who is traveling with a goliath named Dunglob, and a dragonborn named Scylla who is travelling with a yuan-ti named Orochi. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Rol & Dunglob:
Rol:
Rol, you were always a bit of a black sheep. Living with your family in Neverwinter it was hard growing up not to feel resentful of the pressure from your elven family members to pursue their traditional craft of wizardry. You were always more enamored with your more wild human blood, and voraciously absorbed any and all tales of natural sorcerers in your ancestry. On your 18th birthday you bid your family farewell and traveled south, knowing full well you were not going to be using you birthday spellbook for its intended purpose and instead pursue a more wild form of magic. On your journey south you find yourself in Scornubel, a major trade stop in the midst of preparing for the summer festival. There, you make the friendly acquaintance of a goliath named Dunglob, who takes a liking to your magic tricks. Saying he wants to use his might against evil, Dunglob agrees to join with you on the road, and the two of you travel south.
Dunglob:
Dunglob, your mind has been a chaotic swirl of emotion these past few weeks. Your world was given to you, in the form of your village's championship and adoration, yet cruelly taken away by the accidental loss of your best friend at your own hands. Distraught, you leave your village, travelling north and then west, past the Well of Dragons and through the Skull Gorge. While there you see a wondrous and rare sight: a fully grown white dragon flying off in the distance. Marveling, you move onwards and eventually find yourself in Scornubel, a thriving trade stop in the midst of preparing for the summer festival. In a tither at the overwhelming display of festivities and performances from the human town, you take a particular liking to a half-elf named Rol, enjoying his magic tricks while he seems to appreciate your demeanor and intentions. He says he's wandering south, and the two of you agree to join up on the road.
Making your way out of Scornubel, the two of you travel south along the River Chionthar, the air thick and warm and the river's water flush with the last of the spring's thaw. You stop in the city of Berdusk, the Jewel of the Vale, where you meet a pair of serpentine humanoids, a dragonborn named Scylla and a yuan-ti named Orochi. They say they are traveling out of Waterdeep, and join the two of you as you proceed. Following the Uldoon trail southwest you come across a pair of fighters, a human named Kalmar and a half-orc named Nonna, who say they also happen to be traveling through Greenest. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Scylla & Orochi:
Scylla:
Scylla, your homeland is under attack. A cell of the mysterious Cult of the Dragon has appeared in Laekarond, their motives unclear. Taking a paladin's oath from your friend Morlgorn and partnering up with you good ol' buddy Murtaugh, you successfully infiltrate the cell, uncovering that the cult seems to be intending on kidnapping dragonborn. Sent overseas with nothing but your paladin equipment and a disguise kit to burnish your golden scales, you continue your work in Waterdeep, managing to set up a honey pot with fake dragon eggs as your in. This is most intriguing to the Cult; these eggs are important. Before you can uncover too much your cover is blown and you find yourself having to flee Waterdeep. Hearing that the cult's activity spreads throughout the Sword Coast you decide to travel south past Scornubel and Berdusk. As you leave you meet a most interesting fellow, a snake-like wizard name Orochi. He says his goal is to travel south seeking knowledge, and the two of you agree to join up on the road as you make your way south.
Orochi:
Orochi, your childhood and life has been an interesting sequence of experiences. Growing up poor in Waterdeep and watching the bustle of the city with an insatiable curiousity, it was only through your intense studies and affinity for the arcane arts that you were able to secure a post in the local military as a Yuan-Ti. There, you used your knowledge for weapons design and advising, but you always faced stigma due to your blood and background. Only Orochi knows whether the string of disappearances was a result of his insatiable lust for knowledge of any source getting the better of him, a set-up from his xenophobic comrades, or some other mysterious cause, but nevertheless you find yourself fleeing Waterdeep to the south. As you make your departure, you come across a dragonborn named Scylla, who is also fleeing the city. The two of you agree to join up on the road, and travel south.
The two of you make your way south out of Waterdeep, traveling southeast along the Trade Way past Daggerford, Dragonspear Castle, and Boareskyr Bridge. The early summer air is thick and fragrant, and townsfolk in the cities and villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. Stopping in Berdusk, the Crown of the Vale, the two of you come across a pair of adventurers, a half-elf named Rol and a goliath named Dunglob, who are also traveling south and join you on the road. Following the Uldoon trail southwest you come across a pair of fighters, a human named Kalmar and a half-orc named Nonna, who say they also happen to be traveling through Greenest. A couple days out of Greenest, your motley group runs into a lone adventurer, a human named Gene, and the party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Gene:
Gene, you always found yourself particularly lucky, despite the circumstances of your birth. You always managed to scrape by on the streets of Waterdeep with a combination of your quickness, wits, and the occasional fortunate circumstance. That luck was always bound to run out however, and after angering the Lord of Waterdeep you fled south, along and away from the Sword Coast. Maintaining your shady lifestyle in the southern desert city of Calimport, it wasn't until a disastrous attempted job left you bleeding on the floor of a burning building that Lady Luck truly found you. With your life saved by Fortune you travel back north, a changed man, your eyes set on Greenest as your first stop.
You travel north along the Coast Way before deviating northeast through the country of Amn. The early summer air is thick and fragrant as you make your way out of Amn and through the Greenfields, and townsfolk in the cities and villages you pass are carrying out the harvesting of the winter wheat. You stop in the city of Iriaebor, the City of a Thousand Spires, and there you hear rumors of increased dragon activity along the Sword Coast. Making your way west along the River Chionthar, you come across a group of six adventurers traveling southwest along the Uldoon Trail to Greenest; a half-elf named Rol, a goliath named Dunglob, a dragonborn named Scylla, a yuan-ti name Orochi, a half-orc named Nonna, and another human named Kalmar. The party of seven proceeds toward Greenest.
Having all met up completely a couple days ago on the Uldoon Trail, the group of seven travels toward the town of Greenest. You know enough of the area to know that you'll reach the town by sunset, and it is currently early afternoon. The sun is hot and the sky is blue and clear, but somewhere off in the distance to the west is the rumble of thunder.
((Feel free to roleplay any interactions as the group finishes their journey to Greenest.))
Incantis, half-elf warlock (great old one) 4/bard 1 ● Thorok Earthhand, hill dwarf mountain druid 6/grave cleric 2
Cragmyre Ironseed, earth genasi ancestral barbarian 3 ● Cyrus Natriallae, aquatic half-elf warlock of the deep 3
"We'll be there by sunset, right? I hope this town has some means of post - I know some of the villages here aren't quite bustling" Rol says to no one in particular as he finishes writing a letter to his family. Returning his quill and parchment to his pack he looks up and notices the impending clouds, pulls his hood over his head, and exclaims "We must make haste, I loathe being damp and outside....these robes cost a non-insignificant sum of gold pieces".
Rol himself is as normal looking as a half-elf can be with sandy hair and fair skin, his clothes, however, are anything but. As he walks, his impeccably tailored magenta shirt and pants flutter, contrasting strikingly against the ornamental gold scarf and onyx broach across his neck. All of this is covered very poorly by a sandy covered tunic, seemingly an attempt at modesty by someone with a poor understanding of the word.
Rol, you see no traces of clouds.
Incantis, half-elf warlock (great old one) 4/bard 1 ● Thorok Earthhand, hill dwarf mountain druid 6/grave cleric 2
Cragmyre Ironseed, earth genasi ancestral barbarian 3 ● Cyrus Natriallae, aquatic half-elf warlock of the deep 3
Nonna, using her seafarer's eye (and general intuition) begins at first to chuckle, preparing a deriding remark towards the dandy Rol. However, feeling the humidity of the air and noting the lack of clouds in the sky, she begins to feel uneasy.
While I haven't been in the Sword Coast for long... I wouldn't expect weather to behave differently than in Unther.
Nonna scans the horizon to see if she can perceive any trace of an oncoming thunderstorm.
Scylla huddles next to Orochi and shares his hard biscuits with his snake-like friend and then shares the rest with the ragtag group too, finishing off the remainder of his rations. He watches the others, happy with their company, but wary of their intentions and reasons for traveling to Greenest. He smiles at the two fighters, Kalmar and Nonna and gives them a nod.
He the leans towards Orochi and whispers, “new friend, what are your thoughts on our companions. Good people, but...” and he then takes a bite from his biscuit.
OOC - Sorry, texting from phone and color coordination is a birch...
Kalmar looks up at the sky and listens again for noise thinking as he does about what could cause rolling thunder in a cloudless sky... Perception 12
While he’s thinking he thanks the Dragonborn for the hardtack and says A Dragon Knight like you, what’s got you headed west? And with a Snake man Mage to boot? He looks at Orrochi No offense, Wizard, you just don’t see Paladins and Yaun-ti sharing campfires too often.
Taken aback by the friendliness of his new Dragonborn companion Orochi tentatively takes a biscuit from Scylla and nibbles on the corners. He would never say it aloud but he feels kinship with the Dragonborn that he was not aware he was capable of feeling. He warily eyes the rest of the group studying each character thoroughly before moving on to the next. He seems especially interested in the sorcerer Rol as he whispers in draconic to his new friend “There is much we can learn from these adventurers but be cautious first impressions are simply an opportunity to be deceived.” Turning to Kalmar he says to the group in common tongue “There are many forms of power in this world and sometimes Alliances are required to reach ones full potential.”
Scylla nods at Orchi's comments to Kalmar and then looking out towards the sound of the rolling thunder in the cloudless sky and says, "yes, my friend is right. Strange times can lead to unique alliances. Tell me Kalmar, what do you see in the distance?"
Kalmar shrugs and smiles at the Yaun-ti as he answers him in Draconic There is a lot to be learned from strangers on the road, and appearances can certainly be deceiving. For instance, I wouldn’t really call myself an adventurer, just a man with a sword and a dream. He laughs a little as he switches back to common. Anywho, does that thunder strike anyone else as strange?