Question: If you could choose one god to replace, which one would you go for and why?
As the DM: Why should I? I’m already above all of them.
As my Half-elf Assassin from a game I play in: I don’t know. I’m not much of a god person.
Thanks for your patience, everyone. It’s been a few weeks, but I’ve managed to clear everything up, and finish writing the first arc of the game. Continuing the AMA, here’s my question. It’s open-ended, and meant for everyone;
Q: Why are you with a caravan heading to the Grand Festival in Freeport?
I suppose I should elaborate on this more. The Grand Festival is a biennial event in Freeport, a seaside town and unofficial capital of the Dwynarian Coalition. Visitors from pretty much everywhere on Vriorys, and many from other continents, flock to it to exchange goods, ideas, and news. The campaign will start on a caravan heading through the Grayshield Mountains to Freeport. It’s been traveling all over the continent, and you seven are all part of it from some reason.
Nabhitha: She would be using the caravan and festival as a way of easily moving from one hotspot to another, with Freeport being the ultimate destination, of course. It would be interesting if she were currently hired out by someone awaiting her arrival in Freeport to either steal something or keep someone quiet. If the latter is the case, it may be that whether or not the target should still be breathing afterward was left somewhat ambiguous.
Tenra: Exploring! Sure, they said I could tag along and guard them from bad things, but really what I want is to see the pretty things that are outside of where I grew up! The more you travel, the more fun you get to have!
(Also good to hear things are settling on your end!)
Alright, I’ve decided that since I think everyone just wants to get the game off the ground, we’ll start December 10th. Also, here’s a summary of the caravan and its major members. I’d like you to pick one of them to be connected somehow, whether it childhood friend, former military superior, or something of the like, or you may choose to be a part of one of the three groups on the caravan.
The Curious Canary Carnival: A carnival based out of the small town of Longcrest, the Canary is making its usual trip to Freeport to display the latest wonders and sensations it has collected in the last two years.
Carnival Master Aerwyn Nygault: A sly, charismatic tiefling with blue skin, Aerwyn is the carnival master of the Canary. Though Gordon is technically the owner of the carnival, Aerwyn demands more respect among the performers than him, and rumours abound on the caravan of an upcoming revolt by the performers.
Rilliazo Diabli: A nervous young boy who ran away from his family, who are prominent nobles in the Garunian Empire, Rillizao joined up with the carnival to escape his family. He helps out behind the scenes during performances, as he doesn’t enjoy the spotlight. When asked about why he left home, he always dodges the question.
Carnival Owner Gordon Smith: A fair-skinned, aging human hailing from Freeport, Gordon owns the Canary, and makes the majority of the business decisions. He hates Aerwyn’s guts, and thinks the tiefling should listen to him more. He makes sure to keep the Canary in good standing with the two other groups on the caravan, particularly the Grey Basilisks.
The Grey Basilisks: A highly-respected mercenary company, the Grey Basilisks were hired as both a security force for the caravan, as well as the festival. They are stern and disciplined, and also serve as the de facto law enforcement on the carvan. These particular members are only part of a small group of Grey Basilisks, meeting up with their superiors once they reach Freeport.
Commander Reina Dubalt: As the highest-ranking member of the Basilisks on the caravan, Reina, a aasimar paladin, is devoted to maintaining order on (and guarding) the caravan. She maintains good relations with the other two groups, however, she doesn’t quite Aerwyn Nygault and the Highbeedles. She is well-liked by her underlings, who always try to stay on her good side.
Lieutenant Zeris Tarqun: A half-elf sorcerer and daughter of a noble of the elven nation of Celuandril, Zeris is second-in-command of this detachment of the Grey Basilisks, and their resident arcane magic expert. She commands great respect among most caravan members due to her mysterious and potent magical powers. It is well known that though she publicly shows respect to Reina, she secretly dislikes her for something that happened in the past between the two.
ThragTusktooth: A half-orc fighter hailing from the Coldspine Mountains, Thrag was exiled from his tribe for killing the chieftain in ritual combat, due to half-breed status, and lived in the city of Gharanas for some time before departing with the Grey Basilisks on a journey to find his mother. He shows great respect to both of his superiors, and believes that their rivalry is a bit childish.
The Highbeedle Family: A family of halflings coming from the countryside to the east, it is a well-known fact that the Highbeedles also head a massive criminal syndicate underneath their legitimate businesses. These specific members of the Highbeedle family are heading to Freeport for “official” business, although they are sure to conduct some “unofficial” business while at the fair.
Irma Highbeedle: A wizened halfling and grandmother of the other two Highbeedle halflings on the caravan, Irma is still cunning and manipulative, despite her advanced age. When her children grew too lax and contempt, she had them killed and raised their twin children, Bren and Brin, by herself, turning them into cold-blooded killers. In their facade, she serves as the matriarch of the Highbeedle trio, only accompanying them because they were worried she would be killed if they left her at home.
Bren Highbeedle:Irma’s grandson and Brin’s twin brother, Bren and his sister were raised by their grandmother after their parents “tragically died in an accident”. She trained him to be a merciless assassin, answering only to the family, and no one else. In their facade, he is the “numbers” of the Highbeedle operation, making sure coin is sorted and product is safe.
Brin Highbeedle: Irma’s granddaughter and Bren’s twin sister, Brin and her brother were raised by their grandmother after their parents “tragically died in an accident”. While her brother was trained in martial arts and assassination, her grandmother taught her something that somehow allowed to wield otherworldly magical powers. In their facade, she is the “face” of the Highbeedle operation, serving as the saleswoman and advertiser for the Highbeedle operation.
After having his murdering quarry escape him, despite working well with Zanilin and Nabhitha to close in on them, Esedus was disgusted with the state of affairs in the city. Having drawn some attention to himself with some vocal disagreement, his superiors 'encouraged' the paladin to leave the area for some time. He was pointed towards a fellow paladin, Command Reina Dubalt, who was passing through on the way to Freeport. Esedus would accompany the Grey Basilisks on their trip, getting along well with the Commander who shared his quest for order. He wasn't too upset to be uprooted; one place was as good -or bad- as another, since he carried his problems with him.
A strange coincidence (or not?) that Esedus would leave on the same caravan as his recent hired helpers, Zanilin and Nabhitha.
Considering the noise Esedus managed to make, Nabhitha would have gotten in touch with her contact, who happens to reside in Freeport, about leaving this frustrating publicity behind her. Fortunately, he seemed to have the perfect way to get the contract criminal all the way to his home city for essentially no financial cost on her part. Unfortunately, this way happened to involve him promising her service and company to the Highbeedles for the duration of the caravan's journey to Freeport, as well as her assistance in some hitherto undefined "errand".
"Here's hoping that a family of psychopaths won't be too fond of small talk."
I can see Tenra having a bit of adoration for Lieutenant Zeris Tarqun. She has recently been leaning sorcerous powers, and has been following Zeris a bit like a lost puppy. It's probably a one-sided relationship, as Tenra is an energetic and bouncy little halfling, unless Zeris wants to warm up to her and take a "big brother" role in her sorcerous training.
Due to his companion taking an interest in the second in command of Thrag's company, Morgan found himself in the area of Thrag quite often. After some conversation, he came to find the half-orc a good person to have an ale with, or to sit around swapping stories at a campfire during the trip. The two became close and often sparred with each other to keep their fighting edge honed.
Alright, today’s the day of the campaign. I want to go over a few houserules and general expectations for the game.
I prefer to have players roll death saves in DMs with me, to create a better air of drama in the game. However, you will be able to make a Medicine check to discover the status of a downed ally.
As the DM, there will be some rolls I will make IRL (or at least not on this thread). I will, however, try to be as transparent as possible with most rolls.
Please try to post at least once every two days. It helps speed things up.
I will roll initiative for everyone at the start of combat. This speeds things up significantly, and also creates a nice viewable initiative tracker.
Lazy edit whilst at work (the power of MS Pain compels you!) but finally got a character portrait! Still need to add a claw to one of the hands, though...
Tenra: Her nickname of "Blackclaw" comes from the right hand and forearm that are covered in black scales, the rest of her is normal halfling flesh.
Question: If you could choose one god to replace, which one would you go for and why?
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
As the DM: Why should I? I’m already above all of them.
As my Half-elf Assassin from a game I play in: I don’t know. I’m not much of a god person.
Thanks for your patience, everyone. It’s been a few weeks, but I’ve managed to clear everything up, and finish writing the first arc of the game. Continuing the AMA, here’s my question. It’s open-ended, and meant for everyone;
Q: Why are you with a caravan heading to the Grand Festival in Freeport?
I suppose I should elaborate on this more. The Grand Festival is a biennial event in Freeport, a seaside town and unofficial capital of the Dwynarian Coalition. Visitors from pretty much everywhere on Vriorys, and many from other continents, flock to it to exchange goods, ideas, and news. The campaign will start on a caravan heading through the Grayshield Mountains to Freeport. It’s been traveling all over the continent, and you seven are all part of it from some reason.
EDIT: Forgot I’ve set up a DDB campaign now, here’s the link: https://ddb.ac/campaigns/join/7198703394907186
Merlok Aqurous - Triton Storm Magic Sorcerer 3 - Ascent from Theros
DM - Heroes of Wildemount
Morgan: Would be working as a caravan guard.
Nabhitha: She would be using the caravan and festival as a way of easily moving from one hotspot to another, with Freeport being the ultimate destination, of course. It would be interesting if she were currently hired out by someone awaiting her arrival in Freeport to either steal something or keep someone quiet. If the latter is the case, it may be that whether or not the target should still be breathing afterward was left somewhat ambiguous.
Tenra: Exploring! Sure, they said I could tag along and guard them from bad things, but really what I want is to see the pretty things that are outside of where I grew up! The more you travel, the more fun you get to have!
(Also good to hear things are settling on your end!)
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
Alright, I’ve decided that since I think everyone just wants to get the game off the ground, we’ll start December 10th. Also, here’s a summary of the caravan and its major members. I’d like you to pick one of them to be connected somehow, whether it childhood friend, former military superior, or something of the like, or you may choose to be a part of one of the three groups on the caravan.
The Curious Canary Carnival: A carnival based out of the small town of Longcrest, the Canary is making its usual trip to Freeport to display the latest wonders and sensations it has collected in the last two years.
The Grey Basilisks: A highly-respected mercenary company, the Grey Basilisks were hired as both a security force for the caravan, as well as the festival. They are stern and disciplined, and also serve as the de facto law enforcement on the carvan. These particular members are only part of a small group of Grey Basilisks, meeting up with their superiors once they reach Freeport.
The Highbeedle Family: A family of halflings coming from the countryside to the east, it is a well-known fact that the Highbeedles also head a massive criminal syndicate underneath their legitimate businesses. These specific members of the Highbeedle family are heading to Freeport for “official” business, although they are sure to conduct some “unofficial” business while at the fair.
Merlok Aqurous - Triton Storm Magic Sorcerer 3 - Ascent from Theros
DM - Heroes of Wildemount
After having his murdering quarry escape him, despite working well with Zanilin and Nabhitha to close in on them, Esedus was disgusted with the state of affairs in the city. Having drawn some attention to himself with some vocal disagreement, his superiors 'encouraged' the paladin to leave the area for some time. He was pointed towards a fellow paladin, Command Reina Dubalt, who was passing through on the way to Freeport. Esedus would accompany the Grey Basilisks on their trip, getting along well with the Commander who shared his quest for order. He wasn't too upset to be uprooted; one place was as good -or bad- as another, since he carried his problems with him.
A strange coincidence (or not?) that Esedus would leave on the same caravan as his recent hired helpers, Zanilin and Nabhitha.
Considering the noise Esedus managed to make, Nabhitha would have gotten in touch with her contact, who happens to reside in Freeport, about leaving this frustrating publicity behind her. Fortunately, he seemed to have the perfect way to get the contract criminal all the way to his home city for essentially no financial cost on her part. Unfortunately, this way happened to involve him promising her service and company to the Highbeedles for the duration of the caravan's journey to Freeport, as well as her assistance in some hitherto undefined "errand".
"Here's hoping that a family of psychopaths won't be too fond of small talk."
I can see Tenra having a bit of adoration for Lieutenant Zeris Tarqun. She has recently been leaning sorcerous powers, and has been following Zeris a bit like a lost puppy. It's probably a one-sided relationship, as Tenra is an energetic and bouncy little halfling, unless Zeris wants to warm up to her and take a "big brother" role in her sorcerous training.
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
Due to his companion taking an interest in the second in command of Thrag's company, Morgan found himself in the area of Thrag quite often. After some conversation, he came to find the half-orc a good person to have an ale with, or to sit around swapping stories at a campfire during the trip. The two became close and often sparred with each other to keep their fighting edge honed.
Alright, today’s the day of the campaign. I want to go over a few houserules and general expectations for the game.
Merlok Aqurous - Triton Storm Magic Sorcerer 3 - Ascent from Theros
DM - Heroes of Wildemount
EDIT: Forgot to post a link to the campaign thread. Here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post/52788-heroes-of-the-twin-continents
Merlok Aqurous - Triton Storm Magic Sorcerer 3 - Ascent from Theros
DM - Heroes of Wildemount
Lazy edit whilst at work (the power of MS Pain compels you!) but finally got a character portrait! Still need to add a claw to one of the hands, though...
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
She's absolutely precious! That's a fantastic piece, too!
Happy holidays all! Given we have our break until the new year, have a happy new year also!
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
Happy new year, folks! Just checking we're all still alive. Gotta make sure no one is gonna allow Tenra to sample the floor ketchup.
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon
still here.
Oh, I wouldn't dream of allowing that!
still lurking about
Hmm, I sent a DM to our beloved DM, just making sure they're alright. Hopefully it isn't a no-show effect that happens from time to time on here.
Current Player In: The Guild as Elsara Deepmoon