Gears and Guns is a Western-themed campaign, following a group of settlers as they live and work in the remote settlement of Rattle Ridge. The desert is a harsh land, and they'll need their wits, stamina, and maybe a few bullets to survive. Read on to meet our heroes...
Dali - A Druid FIrbolg whose Native people protect the lands where Rattle Ridge has been founded. As part of a treaty agreement she was sent to watch over the settlers... both as a guide and guardian, but also to make certain that they respect the lands and follow their end of the treaty as well. She's accompanied by Goldie, an inquisitive Sand Otter... a unique species of otter that can burrow through the desert sands as easily as a river otter might swim through water.
Diego Viola Alleghiri - A Tiefling Artificer who comes from a wealthy family in the mining town of Imp Branch. He's traveled to the remote settlement to apprentice under the master inventor Sprock Knorba, a well-known but elusive inventor who has shunned the spotlight for years. His gold-looking horns and features are a sign of his family's connection to the Arch Devil Mammon, the avatar of greed.
Fiji Quickstep - This Tabaxi Monk is a laid back, often scatterbrained delivery man who runs messages from the remote settlement to the nearby river, where passing boats will send the letters back East, and occasionally deliver parcels and packages back to Rattle Ridge. He works for Quickstep Delivery, owned and operated by other members of his family.
Lucy May Stonehearth - A tough Dwarven Fighter, Lucy May is also a skilled architect, leading construction on the settlement of Rattle Ridge. She remains in town to build it into a proper town, and potentially even a city. She fights with a Dwarven warhammer, and while she's not normally a violent person, she won't hesitate to cave in the skulls of bandits and the other terrors that haunt the Old West.
We're going to be going live with our very first episode of this new campaign in just half an hour! Come join us at Twitch or Youtube to see how the new adventure starts, but if you didn't see this post until after we're finished, you can catch up on our Youtube Channel.
The first Episode of Gears and Guns is available to view! If you missed last night's livestream or if you're just curious to see our Steampunk Fantasy adventure, go ahead and check us out on youtube and consider subscribing to Hazel's Emporium.
I love that a community member is sharing their play experience with us! I am on vacation at the moment, so I can’t watch quite yet, but I am adding this to my watch list for later. Thank you for sharing.
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DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form| Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
I love that a community member is sharing their play experience with us! I am on vacation at the moment, so I can’t watch quite yet, but I am adding this to my watch list for later. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for putting us in your watch list! The series is going to release bi-weekly, although we tend to go for fairly long sessions (our first session is around 4 hours, minus the pre-roll and mid-session break)
I am back from vacation! I plan to give this a watch over the weekend. Also, I wanted to give this a bump so others in the community might see.
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DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form| Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
I am back from vacation! I plan to give this a watch over the weekend. Also, I wanted to give this a bump so others in the community might see.
Awesome, I hope you enjoy it! We'll be streaming live bi-weekly going forward, but our plan is for everything to be availabe on youtube, and I'll definitely just be linking every episode directly on here when they go live.
We'll be going live with Gears and Guns tonight on both Twitch and Youtube at 9PM EST. Come join us as we continue our Steampunk Western Fantasy adventure, but just in case you missed last week's session, or if you just enjoy my summaries, here's what happened in our first session (which you can also watch above):
The settlement of Rattle Ridge is home to only 14 settlers. Founded 6 months ago, the town has been peaceful. This morning begins with the sound of a shotgun going off, stepping out to find Louis, the owner of the saloon firing his rifle. He was trying to scare away a group of coyotes who seemed particularly interested in the Hewitt family farm… the Hewitt’s son, Cadbury, is the only child in town, and there is concern that it may be the work of Trickster spirits that sometimes take the form of Coyotes. Dali, the Firbolg druid, examines the footprints left behind… determining that they seem to be normal Coyotes, and not the bipedal form the trickster spirits assume. The Hewitts are annoyed at being woken up, but ultimately appreciate Louis’s concern for their family. Louis mentions that he has a delivery for Fiji, the Tabaxi Courier who lives in town, and also tells Diego, the Tiefling Artificer, that his teacher, the gnomish inventor Sprock, has a job for him.
Checking with Louis, Fiji learns that he’s being asked to make a delivery for Sprock, and warns that it will be a long and dangerous journey, encouraging him to take some others for defense, as he won’t be able to rely on his speed alone to avoid danger. Fiji immediately seeks out Dali and Lucy May… Dali is a Firbolg Druid who watches over the town, serving as its guardian as part of the treaty her people have with the settlers of Rattle Ridge. Lucy May is both a skilled Fighter and also an architect who has overseen the construction of the relatively few buildings that compose the remote settlement. Meanwhile, Diego checks in with Sprock… he learns that it’s time to deliver the project they’ve been working on… an elaborate chassis for a Cy-mount… horses modified with magically-enhanced technology. The chassis is being delivered to E.R. Hughes, a wealthy Carriage merchant. He is also given a letter, with instructions to deliver it by the 15 of the month of Flamerule (it is currently the 27 of Kythorn, the month before Flamerule). After meeting with Fiji, the group of 4 adventurers prepare for a week or longer journey… they load boxes filled with the chassis into a cart and are trusted with Bucket… a Cy-Mount owned by Louis. During the process, however, the Sand Otter Goldie, Dali’s companion (who she decidedly does not consider a pet) steals some shiny objects from Sprock. Sand Otters are a unique breed of otter that can burrow through sand as easily as a river otter might swim through water. There’s a slight scramble to catch Goldie, with Dali forced to apologize for Goldie’s little outburst.
The group begins their journey. The weather is unpleasant… although it’s rare for rain in the desert, the sky is still cloudy with harsh winds blowing up dust. As they travel, Fiji notices a group of coyotes following them, and the party remains on alert. However, he also sees a lightning strike landing not too far away, and is eager to investigate it… hoping to find some lightning glass. Luckily he’s able to find it, but he’s a bit too enthusiastic… picking it up while still hot and hurting himself. Still, he has his prize and hurries back to the group… unfortunately, with the dust and wind the coyotes manage to sneak up on him, pouncing and attacking before he can rejoin his allies, getting knocked unconscious, while one coyote even manages to sneak up to the cart, attacking Diego. Unable to help Fiji, since he was nearly knocked unconscious himself, Diego cures himself before driving the cart closer to Fiji so that Dali can cure his wounds. The group struggles against the coyotes… although they’re not intimidating creatures, the fact that they caught them by surprise puts them at a disadvantage. Dali, however, relies on her connection to nature, allowing her to communicate directly with the coyotes… she intimidates them with a loud threat, sending the injured creatures running. Thankful for the reprieve, they all sit and take a short rest before continuing their journey.
With the weather getting worse, they quickly look for a secluded spot where they can hide from the oncoming rain. They didn’t bring any proper tents, but they’re able to use Diego’s bedroll to create a makeshift tent, using the boxes in the cart to create a very simple structure. Diego takes the first watch, while the others sleep under the cover. While nothing happens on his watch, when he comes to wake Fiji for his watch he finds Fiji sleeping between Dali and Lucy May… and Diego is all too happy to take that position for himself. Although it leads to some awkwardness when Fiji takes Lucy May’s place for her to take watch, and Fiji immediately starts cuddling Diego… who cuddles back, speaking a woman’s name in his sleep.
As the rain picks up in the night, Lucy May can tell that the mud is going to make travel difficult… something that is a potential problem, as the ferry they’re trying to meet with follows a strict schedule, and if they miss it will be much harder to complete their delivery on time. Fortunately, between Diego’s ability to map out a safe passage and Lucy May’s strength pushing from behind, they manage to avoid any major delays, and although the weather remains dreary and cloudy, they manage to arrive at Snake River before the ferry leaves. The ferry is at an isolated dock far from any settlements… unsurprisingly, the ferry would not have stayed long if passengers hadn’t appeared. Diego volunteers to pay the fees for his fellow travelers, as well as the fee to ferry their carriage and Bucket, passing a small amount of gold to Curtis, a young Half-Elf man who serves as the only crewman on the small riverboat, while Captain Krill focuses on steering the coal-powered ship.
Once on the ferry the adventurers are able to relax and chat. Goldie causes chaos again by climbing into vents in the ship, but fortunately Diego knows enough about the mechanics of a steam boat to know that the particular vent she crawled into isn’t immediately dangerous, but Dali still struggles to keep the excitable otter under control. The Ferry ride takes several days, and although for the most part it passes peacefully, things get particularly chaotic when Dali tries coffee for the first time. Although she finds she actually enjoys the rich, bitter flavor, she makes the mistake of letting Goldie taste the strong black coffee… the miniscule otter immediately overwhelmed with energy, running wild around the ferry. Made even worse when Fiji attempts to catch her… but when he fails he forgets what he’s doing and ends up just joining Goldie in dashing around the ship. In a moment of desperation Diego attempts use magic to nab the otter, although he doesn’t use his artificer skills… instead, he conjures a monstrous-looking, ethereal golden hand. The wrist appears to be dripping with coins that vanish before they hit the ground. This, too, fails to catch Goldie, but as soon as it’s task is complete it immediately rushes toward Lucy May and the polished golden buttons of her vest… Diego physically yanks the hand away before dismissing it, apologizing for its actions and explaining that this version of the Mage Hand spells is the result of his family’s connection to Mammon, hence the hand’s monstrous and golden appearance… and its tendency to snatch gold if Diego doesn’t watch it carefully. Ultimately, the solution to the Goldie problem appears to be simply letting her tire herself out… if anything the attempts to catch her only added to the chaos.
From there the ferry ride proceeds calmly until the river cuts through the tall mountains that separate the open west from the more densely populated coast. Without warning, a large crashing sound echoes, and suddenly massive stones tumble into the river. The landslide sending the ship rocking… Captain Krill struggling to keep the ship upright, with the party unable to assist. The ship crashes into a bank, tipping over on its side, spilling the ship’s contents into the shallows… and Diego goes with them, the only one who fails to stay in the ship. Sent rushing through the water before washing up on shore in a shocked and panicked state. Fiji is the first to reach him, quickly checking on the Tiefling… somewhat embarrassed, Diego admits that he experienced an accident in his youth and since then he’s had a fear of drowning. After recovering he forces himself to focus on gathering the boxes containing the chassis, while Dali hurries to check on Bucket, the Cy-mount secured to the ship and thankfully unharmed. Lucy May and Fiji manage to get their carriage back up, and thankfully it only requires minor repairs that the party can easily manage before it can go further.
While the Ferry is tipped over on one side, it doesn’t require any major repairs either. However, that hardly matters, as this thin portion of the river has been rendered impassable thanks to massive rocks that have crashed into the water. The party can tell that, even if they were to remain and help, they lack the tools and resources to clear the path. Instead, Captain Krill informs them of a fishing village about a day’s travel to the South… with this primary trade route blocked, it won’t be difficult to request assistance to come and clear the river. Krill also requests that Fiji complete a few additional deliveries for him, which Fiji happily agrees to. Although not happy to leave the captain and first mate alone to deal with the crashed ferry on their own, the party prioritizes getting help sent back as soon as possible.
Episode 2 is live and ready to view! The Crits for Breakfast Crew deals with boar attacks, Giant ants, and a surly Tiefling-hating drunk as they continue their journey. They also stop by an old west brothel, and learn about a dangerous serial killer haunting the isolated towns of the untamed West.
We're going live again tonight at 8:30 PM EST, as always on Twitch and Youtube. Since we've been streaming through Youtube it's easier than ever to catch up on the series, but if you prefer text, I'm still writing summaries to keep you up to date on what happened in our previous session. If you don't have time to watch the full youtube video, or if you just want a refresher, here's what happened last time on Gears and Guns:
After their ferry was stalled by a landslide that blocked off the river, the Party travels South, heading to the nearby fishing village of Dry Cliff to inform them about the landslide. They’re still wet from the crash, and Diego’s notebook needs to dry off… but he’s struck with inspiration, and needs to do some calculations… with no paper, he starts carving into one of the crates with one of his tools, until Fiji volunteers some of the paper he carries as a messenger to Diego to use. They proceed into a wooded area… a small, poorly maintained path just wide enough for their wagon weaves through the woods. Goldie the Otter runs into the woods, excited to explore this new location… running alongside the slow-moving wagon, however, her exploration attracts a territorial boar, which is quickly dispatched by Diego and Lucy May, although Dali hesitates to attack the wild creature. Still, once it’s killed she helps to dress the body and manages to forage several pounds of meat, a useable pelt, and some impressive tusks.
Continuing further, they come across a bridge, which Lucy May can recognize with her knowledge of carpentry as being quite new and of good quality. It passes over a deep gorge, passing over a creek. The way forward is peaceful, and Fiji even manages to find a short cut… they were expecting to arrive in the fishing village early the next morning, but with this they realize they can arrive only shortly after nightfall. With renewed vigor, they continue, however, as they travel they begin to notice the forest around them growing eerily quiet. Looking around… they realize they’ve wandered into Giant Fire Ant territory, the foot-tall insects attacking the traveling Party.
Dali recognizes them as a violent, aggressive species. They have venomous stingers, making them deadly… a single fire ant capable of killing an individual, and swarms of them can be deadly… and they’re surrounded by multiple swarms. Fiji manages to crush a few of the large hunters, and Dali casts entangle to hold one of the swarms at bay. They manage to avoid the worst of them, but Lucy May does crit fail and accidentally throws her hammer… fortunately, Diego is able to return by casting Catapult. However, more ants are still swarming… Dali dispels her Entangle and they take off at full speed… unfortunately, there’s a steep cliff not far past that point, and they lose control of the wagon. The wagon goes careening down the hill, barely managing to avoid a sharp turn… Dali uses her Firbolg connection to animals to get their horse, Bucket, to stop… which he does a bit too eagerly, sending Lucy May flying through the air and crashing into the ground. Luckily, Diego is able to cast cure wounds and recover her.
They manage to travel a few hours after sunset, arriving in town after most of the buildings have closed, save for a large two-story saloon. Heading inside they find it filled with dancing girls, an energetic piano player, and a bit of boisterous crowd. The Saloon has a large sign out front labeled, “The Fur Trap”. Stepping inside, they learn that the town is considered a safe place to park their wagon without fear of their delivery being stolen. However, the barkeep also implies that this is the result of some kind of event that he’s hesitant to speak about. Diego informs the barkeep about the landslide on Snake River, and the Barkeep goes to find the owner, who can deal with this.
While they’re waiting, a serving girl in decidedly skimpy clothing approaches. Diego eagerly flirts with her, although Dali and Fiji seem confused by her choice of attire. While trying to maintain some sense of decorum, Diego attempts to explain the concept of prostitution, but his unwillingness to use more blunt language only serves to confuse them further. Still, they manage to order some food, and while they’re waiting everyone but Diego notices a surly looking human man glaring at Diego before drunkenly marching toward him. He angrily growls at Diego, unhappy to have a “Devil” at the bar… Diego’s reaction makes it clear that this isn’t the first time he’s experienced discrimination for being a Tiefling, and he attempts to de-escalate the situation, but the drunken man is hearing none of it.
At this point, Dali steps forward, standing up to her full 8 foot height to try to intimidate him into stepping down, with Lucy May helping by brandishing her warhammer. However, this isn’t enough to dissuade the drunkard, and although they attempt to knock him out, he proves difficult to hit, until eventually he pulls out a pistol, aiming it at Diego’s head. Before he can fire, he’s interrupted by a silky, yet commanding voice behind him… they all turn to see a fluffy white Tabaxi in a lovely, form fitting red dress holding a gold-gilded pistol against the back of the drunkard’s head. The drunkard, who she calls “Huckleberry”, is clearly afraid of her. She arranges for him to be arrested by the town sheriff, who is present but hadn’t intervened yet, as it’s apparently his day off. She apologizes, introducing herself as Catrina the Snow-furred, but she’s better known as Miss Kitty… the owner of the Fur Trap. She apologizes for Huckleberry, and offers the party free drinks. Diego is instantly interested in her, openly flirting with her, but also informing her about the landslide clogging Snake River. Miss Kitty is a respected authority figure in Dry Cliff… The Fur Trap was the first building constructed in the small town, the rest of the town growing simply to support it. She lets them all know that she’ll get some of the local miners to help with clearing it out. Fiji offers her the mail he was asked to deliver, and she graciously accepts it and gives Fiji a small tip. When asked about the unpleasantness the barkeep was hesitant to speak about she admits she doesn’t wish to speak of it either, but tells them all to let the barkeep know she’s given him orders to tell them the story himself.
Speaking to the barkeep, they arrange for two rooms… one for Fiji and Diego to share, and another for Dali and Lucy May. They also learn from the barkeep what had happened… about a week ago, one of the girls, Jonesy “Sweetlips” Pepperweave was horrifically killed… her body mutilated and left hanging from the cliffside that hangs over the Fur Trap. Similar murders had occurred before, both in Dry Cliff and other nearby settlements and towns. The barkeep still has a few missing person signs that were created for the girls before they were discovered, and Diego investigates them closely, looking for any commonalities between them all… they all were women, aged from 16-26, all conventionally attractive with the majority of them having dark hair, and they all went missing at night. Dali also takes this opportunity to sell the Boar Meat she had butchered earlier in the day, securing a few silver for it, thanks to Diego’s help with negotiation.
After being shown to their rooms (which have a single bed, but also a fainting couch), Dali and Lucy May have a brief discussion about who should sleep in the bed… Lucy May feels that Dali should take it, because she’s too tall to fit on the Fainting Couch, but she’s honestly too tall for the bed as well… in the end she decides to sleep on the floor, as she’s not used to sleeping on a mattress in the first place… if anything she actually enjoys the nice, solid floor. Meanwhile, Diego spends his night tinkering with his inventions, while Fiji volunteers to take the Fainting Couch. As they’re sitting together, Fiji asks Diego about the name “Esmerelda”, which he had muttered in his sleep not long ago. Diego seems hesitant to speak in detail, but he explains that it was a woman that he thought would be his “Corrazon”… his true love, but without sharing details he explains that it didn’t work out. Fiji doesn’t press further, and Diego takes a bath before returning to bed… momentarily writing the name Esmerelda on the steamy mirror before returning.
As morning comes the Party has enough time to get some breakfast and plan their travels. They’re interested in looking furhter into the murder of Jonesy… considering staying in Dry Cliff until the land slide on Snake River is cleared up, but they learn that it’s expected to take a week to complete the work, and if they wait they won’t be able to make their delivery on time. Still, the killer isn’t likely to still be in Dry Cliff, as they’re known to travel, so at the very least they hope to learn more as they travel. For now they plan to pick up supplies before continuing their journy… expecting to be able to reach the next settlement, Campbell’s Bridge, in 3 days time, where they might be able to rent another ferry to complete their journey quickly.
Gears and Guns episode 3 is live! Our heroes continue their wagon journey as they make their delayed delivery and face the challenges of the untamed West. Our heroes face off against murderous bandits, mysterious voices, and even tangle with a giant rattlesnake. However, they also fight to rescue an innocent woman, and work with settlers of a new village to make a few coins and build their reputation.
We're going live tonight at 8:30 PM EST on Twitch and Youtube!
And in case you want a reminder of what happened in our last session...
The crew starts their morning realizing some bad luck has caused them to lose their money… whether it was stolen in the night or simply vanished. Although they’re annoyed, they still have the fulgurite that Fiji had found, and with Diego’s smooth-talking they’re able to get a few extra gold for trade in the local general store. They purchase supplies for their journey, and the group decides to have Diego function as the party’s “banker”, trusting him to carry all of their money. Dali in particular is happy to have someone else to handle her money, as she’s still unfamiliar with the concept. During these purchases, Lucy May is looking for Goldie, who has gone missing… finding her outside with a vial of anti-toxin the Sand Otter had grabbed somewhere, taking it away from her.
Before leaving Dry Cliff they look to the part of the cliff where the unfortunate Jonesy Pepperweave was left hanging mutilated after her deadly encounter with the mysterious serial killer. Diego is able to determine that the position her body was hung from could be reached by a normal person, although it would require above average strength. Dali wonders aloud, however, if he could have been done by a group, and Diego admits that two individuals of average strength could perform the same task. Still, they’re able to continue their journey… Diego reveals that he’s infused his waterskin, turning it into an Alchemy Jug which he uses to provide fresh water for their journey, using it to fill a large barrel he purchased. They continue, chatting together until Fiji notices a boulder has come loose from a nearby cliff and barrels dangerously toward the cart. Luckily, he’s able to quickly warn Lucy May, he guides their horse, Bucket, to avoid the oncoming disaster.
With that averted, they continue traveling until they spot a deer. They discuss whether or not that’s a sign of good luck, with Dali admitting there’s no particular superstition about deer among her people. Diego speaks against superstition… believing that too many people assign magical properties to random chance. Fiji, however, staunchly believes in many such things, in particular he brings up reading tea leaves. This discussion is cut short, however, when Dali hears a voice in the woods calling for help. Everyone is ready to stop and investigate, but Dali knows more about the dangers of the wilds, and notices in particular that it’s not a single creature calling for help repeatedly… it sounds almost like a recording, as the voice is completely identical with every cry for help. Trusting her expertise, they ignore the cries and continue their journey.
Eventually Bucket starts to get restless and they decide to take a short rest to allow him to unhook from the cart. Fiji, appropriately enough, uses a wooden bucket to get some water out of the barrel for Bucket… but in the process, he gets a drink for himself by dunking his head into the water barrel then simply licking the rivulets of water as they drip down his face. Diego focuses on making sure there are no stray hairs left behind, thankful that Fiji managed to take a bath and do some grooming in Dry Cliff… unfortunately, while he’s removing the single hair that Fiji leaves behind, Goldie immediately dives into the barrel to enjoy a swim in the cool water. In attempting to remove her, however, Diego loses his balance and falls face first into the barrel as well. With their drinking water now thoroughly contiminated they start to think of whether there could be a source of fresh water nearby. Checking the map, they see they are still 2 days away from their next goal… the riverside Campbell’s Bridge where they believe they will be able to rent passage on a ferry. Although they are not near water at the moment, while examining the map closely they at least find a shortcut, finally exiting the mountainous region and finding a main roadway to continue their journey.
The rest of the day passes without incident, and as night falls Dali is able to find an abandoned hunter’s camp to take advantage of for the night. Diego sets up his tent, but he volunteers to take the first watch, with Dali joining him. The two sit around the fire and discuss the nature of magic… Diego’s studies have focused on the difference between Nature and Magic… the difference being that natural forces cannot create energy, while Magic can. However, he has discovered an ambient source of energy he refers to as “A Waves”, which he harnesses in order to perform his magical feats… he believes that, because of the A Waves, Magic may simply be a natural phenomenon that isn’t fully understood. Dali also believes that nature and magic are intrinsically entwined… planting a seed and casting Druidcraft to have it start growing.
Their discussion is interrupted when they hear a voice calling for help and running in their direction. They see an elderly woman rush in their direction, a look of terror on her face. They quickly wake Fiji and Lucy May just in time to see a group of bandits rush in, chasing the old woman. They seem excited to see the group, especially since they’re clearly traveling with a heavily laden cart. They immediately pull their weapons, and they attempt to hold the old woman hostage. The party struggles a bit, not wanting to put the old woman in danger… but Fiji is able to burst out, using his Flurry of Blows to knock the leader of the bandits unconscious in a single turn. Seeing their leader handily defeated is enough to make the other bandits hesitate, and Diego is able to intimidate them into leaving, promising to let them live and take their unconscious leader with them.
Once they leave, they check on the old woman. She’s in despair… her husband had been killed, and she ran on her own for at least 30 minutes. She’s thankful for their help, introducing herself as Noncy Cottonwell, but she warns the group that chased her was just a small number from a much larger gang. Realizing it’s not safe to stay at their camping spot, they start traveling in the dark, relying on the light attached to Bucket to travel at night. They nearly run into what appears to be a tall wooden statue of a man… Dali recognizes it as a Wood Spirit… they normally sleep at night, but they’re known to be territorial and are unlikely to be happy to see a group traveling in a vehicle made of wood. Luckily, they spot it soon enough to avoid waking it, and also realize if any bandits are still following them they’re likely to not be as careful around the Wood Spirit… which proves prescient, as they eventually hear the sounds of conflict in the distance from the Wood Spirit battling the bandits.
After finding a place that seems safe the exhausted adventurers stop, Diego setting up an Alarm so they can all rest. When morning comes, Nancy is already preparing breakfast as thanks for their help, mentioning that she had a dream of her husband, Wilbur, encouraging her to live the rest of her life to the fullest. Happy that she seems well, they offer to escort her further… when they mention they’re headed toward Campbell’s Bridge, she asks them to take her there, as she can reconnect with her family from that location. Traveling through the day, the road seems safe… until a giant rattlesnake erupts out of hiding and suddenly attacks Bucket. Realizing their Cy-Mount is in danger, Dali Wild Shapes into a giant mongoose and is able to tear the rattlesnake apart… although Nancy faints from the shock. The Snake is killed, but in the process Bucket was bit and is currently in danger from the venom… fortunately, the anti-toxin that Lucy May had found earlier is enough to keep the Cy-Mount healthy enough to continue travel. With Diego’s help she’s able to butcher the snake, and allowing Diego to harvest venom… enough to fill one of the glass vials he had purchased earlier. They even find a way to set up a frame on the back of their cart they can use to dry out the skin as they complete their journey.
With everything loaded up, they continue their journey… Fiji takes the reins, and on a critical failure he sets Bucket taking off at max speed, the chaos nearly flinging both Lucy May and Diego out of the cart, while Dali makes sure that Nancy doesn’t fall out. With some struggle they manage to stop the cart, and although Fiji’s out of control driving put them in danger, he actually managed to arrive early at Campbell’s Bridge… a small town slowly being built around a stone bridge crossing over a thin portion of Snake River. Once they arrive they say farewell to Nancy, who is free to meet with her family members to share the bad news. Dali gives her some of the snake meat they had gathered earlier, and Fiji gives her a letter he had composed… despite his casual exterior Fiji is actually a skilled calligrapher, and he wrote Nancy a eulogy for her husband, Wilbur, which brings her to tears. Hugging him before heading out while the party shifts their focus to a makeshift tavern in a large tent.
Inside they find that the tavern is run by a pair of husband and wife Bugbears who are excited to meet the travelers. They explain that there is no ferry that stops in Campbell’s Bridge as the party had hoped, but there is a ferry that stops in another town just two days’ travel ahead. Considering Bucket would benefit from some more rest after the snake attack, and the potential to do some work around town to make a few more coins before continuing, they opt to stay in Campbell’s Bridge for the night. They find a job board, and a few of them choose to attempt some of the work on offer. Fiji finds work completing deliveries for a local postwoman who can’t complete them thanks to an injury. Lucy May sees that workers are being hired for the construction of more permanent buildings in Campbell’s Bridge, a task she’s more than qualified for. Dali does not actually seek a paying job… instead, she seeks out some of the nearby farmland, where she volunteers her skills as a Druid to bless the land and contribute manual labor to help with planting seeds. Although she intended to simply volunteer, the family insists on paying her for her time… their sense of pride not allowing them to accept such gifts without some form of payment. Diego, meanwhile, actually starts flirting with the woman who hired Fiji, offering her some of the coffee from his replicated Jug of Alchemy… not realizing she’s drinking far too much of the potent black coffee.
Here's the latest episode of Gears and Guns. The Party goes on a wild cart ride, gets chased by a deadly and malevolent spirit, face down yet another rockslide and finally get an opportunity to clean their damn clothes!
We're going live in a few minutes! Come join us at Twitch or Youtube. And if you need a refresher on what happened last session, read on:
Our band of heroes are in the burgeoning settlement of Campbell’s Bridge, on their journey to the coastal city of Pennington. They all meet in Zane’s makeshift tavern… a tent with a simple bar set up. Diego is still chatting with the Halfling woman, Julie, who is vibrating with energy… this seems to inspire Diego, who requests some raw coffee beans from Zane, and immediately starts to measure them and do calculations… ignoring the conversations entirely as Dali and Lucy May reminisce about their day of work, and Fiji collects his payment from Julie for completing her deliveries. The party is given the snake steaks made from the giant rattlesnake that they had killed the other day and sold the meat to Zane. They eventually ask Diego what he’s doing, and he explains that his conversation with Dali the other day and seeing her bloom a seed has inspired him at the potential held in a seed, and also seeing Julie had him thinking of the energy in coffee… and he believes he can use this to solve a problem he’s had with an invention he’s been working on that he has struggled to find a cost-effective power source for. The group rents tents for the night, and are warned to keep an eye out… the same killer from Dry Cliff has been active here as well.
Going to the privacy of their tents, Diego stays up late tinkering with his invention, passing out with tools still in his hands… in the morning he’s woken up by a spindly mechanical arm picking up the tool to clean up. He laughs energetically in delight, waking the others… he reveals to the group what appears to be a treasure chest with long, tentacle-like mechanical arms, and a glowing crystal where the lock would be. He introduces it as the Combat Handy Electronic Sorting Trunk Robot, or CHESTR for short. He explains that this is the invention he’s been working on since before moving to Rattleridge. It can help him with his work, and also provide extra protection during combat. As a Battlesmith Artificer, this is his Steel Defender.
With CHESTR revealed to the party, everyone takes some time to get breakfast before heading out. Fiji even takes another delivery job early in the morning. Dali takes some time to use Druidcraft to help get a coffee plant started as a gift to Zane and his wife, who she learns is pregnant. On Dali’s suggestion, they seem excited at the idea of naming their future child “Bean”. Making their way out of Campbell’s Bridge, they’re able to travel safely for several hours, but as they pass through the mountainous region another rock slide happens, with Fiji barely able to avoid. They discuss whether or not the number of rock slides they’ve encountered is normal or not, but even Dali isn’t certain, as her people lived mostly in the plains, rather than near the mountains.
Proceeding further in their journey, the party is distracted by Diego testing out CHESTR, discovering that the Steel Defender can move fast enough to keep up with Bucket. This throws everyone’s perception off enough that they don’t notice that they’ve stumbled into an ambush set up by bandits. As they demand everyone put up their hands, Diego warns them that he has an invention he wishes to test, and if they don’t stand down he’ll be forced to experiment on them. Although this mostly intimidates the bandits, one of them misunderstands and thinks that “Experiment” is simply a… “romantic” term. The bandits get into a bit of an argument about their erotic interests, with Dali misunderstanding and thinking that they’re “workers”, which was what she was told to call the women working in the brothel in Dry Cliff. This only serves to confuse the bandits, and ultimately they’re distracted enough for the heroes to continue safely. By this point it’s growing late, and with Dali’s help they find a secure looking spot to set up camp. Diego takes some time to ritual cast Alarm for some additional security, and also explains that CHESTR does not require sleep, so it should be able to help keep watch throughout the night. Fiji so far has largely thought of CHESTR as a living creature, referring to it as Diego’s son, but Diego insists that CHESTR isn’t alive… it is simply a tool, albeit a very complex one.
Diego takes on the first watch, but rather than actively keep an eye out for any dangers he relies on CHESTR to watch for him, and simply observes CHESTR, although nothing out of the ordinary happens as a result. Fiji takes the second watch, and while keeping watch with CHESTR he attempts a conversation with the mute construct, and even tries to teach CHESTR what a bee is with a simple drawing drawn in the dirt. His biology lesson is cut short when he hears ominous whistling in the darkness, although neither he or CHESTR seem able to determine exactly where it came from. CHESTR leans on its back legs, raising its forelegs in the air as if to make itself look larger, while Fiji remembers Dali’s warnings about whistling at night and quickly wakes her. As soon as Dali hears the whistles she insists that everyone needs to get away from here as quickly as possible. Everyone wakes up and scrambles to get their camping supplies tossed into the cart, Bucket seems unnerved and surprisingly ready to leave as his headlights are turned on and the cart takes off into the night.
In their hurry to escape, the party ends up accidentally driving off of the main road, moving through bumpy and dangerous terrain. Fiji and Lucy May, despite working together, manage to lose control of the cart down a steep incline near a cliff… and unfortunately, both Dali and Diego are flung from the back of the cart, along with several of their crates for delivery. Although the fall is painful, thankfully they’re both still conscious after tumbling down a steep, but climbable incline. However, they still find themselves with damaged crates weighing hundreds of pounds that they need to bring back up to the cart. Luckily, Diego has a means of carrying heavy objects… conjuring the monstrous, golden Mage Hand, it flicks a spectral gold coin into the air, and suddenly the coin expands and begins to hover in place as a Floating Disk, with a large pentagram overlaid with an infinity symbol stamped into the now-giant coin… the symbol of the Archdemon of greed, Mammon. With the floating Disk to aid them, it’s fairly easy to return the crates back to the cart. Bucket also was damaged during their escape, and CHESTR reveals a set of smaller, more fragile but also more precise tools it uses to repair Bucket, with Diego explaining that CHESTR can only make such repairs a few times per day. Diego, meanwhile, is casting Mending on the damaged crates as well as some of the precious cargo within.
Once they’re satisfied that everything is safe and secure they realize that their tumble down the side of a mountain has saved them quite a bit of travel time… they’re only a short distance from the large town of Fort Herald. Fiji helpfully marks the shortcut on the party’s map, although he also makes certain to draw a frowny face next to it as a reminder that the path is also very treacherous. During the ride into town both Diego and Dali, exhausted from lack of sleep and their tumble down the mountainside, both pass out in the back of the cart while Fiji leads the way into town. Fiji has actually been to Fort Herald in the past in his capacity as a delivery person, and although he was a bit disoriented by the unusual direction they entered the city by, he quickly reorients himself and guides the cart toward Briar Hare Inn, a large and well-known Inn. Once parked, Diego and Fiji are both confident that their supplies are safe in the back of the cart… Fort Herald is known for having a very active town guard, as the town began as a military stronghold. Indeed, the actual Fort is clearly visible from near the Briar Hare Inn, and so too is a large marketplace, one of the most patrolled sections of the town.
Inside the Inn, Diego seems to perk up from his drowsy state to flirt with Molly, the human clerk who rents the party some rooms and explains the services of the inn itself. The party opts to rent two rooms, with Dali and Lucy May sharing one room while Diego and Fiji share another… Diego also insists on paying extra to have their clothing laundered and ironed during the night. When morning comes they’re provided with food and even baths, with both Diego and Lucy May in particular relishing the luxury of clean, heated water and freshly ironed clothing… Fiji is mostly interested in breakfast, while Dali is still overwhelmed by the tall, unnatural structures and large number of people all living in such a small, cramped space.
As they’re preparing for their day they realize they still have a solid week before they need to get to Pennington. Lucy May asks the front desk for information regarding any ferry travel to Pennington. Snake River is about a day’s travel North of Fort Herald, but there’s a ferry that travels between a small riverside port and Pennington that departs twice a day… in the early morning and mid afternoon, giving the Party time to do some shopping and otherwise enjoy their time in Fort Herald. However, she also hears distressing news… the serial killer they had heard about in Dry Cliff recently attacked a young woman on the outskirts of town… her body found mutilated, yet placed near a busy road to be discovered by passersby. As they all consider whether they should investigate, Lucy May also asks about any nearby landmarks of note, other than the obvious fort… the marketplace seems to be the most important location nearby, but when the clerk at the front desk mentions a temple, Diego suddenly realizes that it’s Sunday. Apologizing to his friends, he mentions that he promised his Mother when he left that he would attend services on Sundays if possible… Diego had been trusted to carry the party’s wealth, but he leaves his coin purse with Lucy May so they can still do some shopping, planning to meet up back at the cart to decide what to do next.
The Crits for Breakfast crew might be streaming this coming Monday! Plans are still being finalized, but our DM has had a rough week and is hoping to take her mind off of it through some D&D, especially since we recently arrived at the large city of Pennington, which has a ton to explore. Keep an eye on this thread and I'll make sure to update you all on this bonus stream.
We'll be streaming tonight at 8:30 PM PST on both Twitch and Youtube. Come join us as the players finally make their delivery and explore the massive city of Pennington. If you need a refresher for what happened last time, or if you just like to read these summaries, here's what we did last time:
At the start of our session, the party is a bit separated, as Diego has left the others to attend service at the local temple while the remaining party members prepare to do some exploring in the small city of Fort Herald. Fiji, who has visited this city before, offers some suggestions of where they could go, but at his recommendation they head to the Soldier’s Glove Saloon, hoping they can learn some more about the murder that occurred recently. Unsurprisingly, the saloon seems to be a favorite drinking spot for off-duty soldiers. Fiji orders some coffee and he asks the bartender about the murders, with the bartender begrudgingly sharing what he knows… the young girl killed was only 17, and she was actually a server at this very saloon. She was killed and her body displayed on bench in town nearby… placed so she appeared to just be sleeping, but she had her guts cut out, and her eyes were removed. The girl had many suitors, but none have come to the Saloon since her death.
Dali asks for directions to the nearest farmland… as usual, she wants to help using her druidic powers. On the way out, Goldie runs off, running through the busy street to pick up something. Fiji manages to catch her, but fails to get whatever it is she picked up… Dali intervenes, taking it from Goldie and discovering it’s a small pipe. Meanwhile, Diego is attending temple, a small child staring at the golden-horned tiefling. During the ceremony prayers are offered for the murdered woman, identifying her as Anna Tremayne… a worshipper of Lathander. It seems she was well known and well liked among those attending the temple. As the sermon completes, Diego asks a priestess for some information… she doesn’t know much more than they already know, but she is able to guide Diego toward The Admiral, a military man who can be found in a warehouse that’s been converted into a recruitment center. He thanks her for the information, and proceeds out, heading toward their cart to wait to reunite with his party.
The rest of the party makes their way to the nearby farmland, with Dali interested in offering some work in exchange for a payment of seeds. However, the farm is well-tended and the farmer in charge has no need of additional help… however, he does direct her toward his cousin, who sells seeds and farming supplies in the marketplace. However, Fiji asks if he has any deliveries he needs, and the farmer actually does have a large crate he needs delivered to that same cousin. Thankfully, this brings everyone back together outside of the Marketplace, with everyone meeting in time to see that the crate he was delivering was actually full of seeds. They buy some seeds with plans to grow them in Rattle Ridge, and Diego seeks out an alchemist… selling the Serpent Venom they extracted from a Giant Rattlesnake, using to trade for 50 gp and a set of Alchemist’s supplies. The group also discusses what they had learned about the murder, and decide to speak to the Admiral to get permission to investigate further.
Making their way to the recruitment offices placed in packed warehouse, they find that the Admiral is a Reaver… a species of tall humanoids with extremely long lifespans and distinct shark-like teeth. Diego is able to convince him to allow them to view any evidence that has been gathered by showing his signet ring… proof of his high station. The Admiral explains that the body and any physical evidence has been sent to Pennington where it can be investigated by a famous detective named Grimbus Terrell. He’s able to convince the Admiral to write a letter of introduction to Detective Terrell to allow them to join in on the investigation. The Admiral also eagerly flirts with Dali, although his heavy use of innuendo goes completely over her head… although his blunt flirting is clearly getting on Diego’s nerves. Still, he buys a rapier, and helps Fiji buy a spear… however, Goldie sneaks off into the warehouse and manages to find some eggs… which, of course, the party needs to pay for.
Once finished they investigate the crime scene where the body of Anna Tremayne was discovered. There’s little evidence left, as it has all been gathered… there are no clear footprints, as the area normally receives heavy foot traffic. However, there is indication of something being dragged, but where it came from isn’t clear. Most insightful is Dali, who wild shapes into a Wolf, using her enhanced sense of smell to find something that the human guards never could… she detects the lingering scent of sulphur and just a hint of lamp oil. Memorizing the scent, she reports what she smelled to the rest of the party… content that there’s nothing else to be learned here, they begin to make plans to travel to Pennington. However, before they do, Lucy May needs some help getting some tattoos… she already has a few prominent facial tattoos, so this request doesn’t strike anyone as odd.
With Fiji leading the way, the group makes their way to a rough part of town where he knows a tattoo parlor awaits. Inside they find a gruff-looking goblin, fully bald with an obvious full body tattoo in the style of a black dragon that also covers the top of his head. She has some very specific runes, which Dali recognizes as being Giant in origin, on each shoulder, although she doesn’t explain to the group what purpose they serve. Still, the runes are fairly simple for an experienced tattoo artist, and they’re able to complete the tattoos and still start their journey to Penning’s Divide, the riverside settlement where they can hopefully join a ferry to travel to Pennington. The ride out of town is mostly safe, and the party is able to find a small natural cave that provides a safe location to set up camp for the night. Before going to bed, Diego uses one of his artificer features to create a set of Smith’s Tools, crafting them with CHESTR’s help… using concentrated hard light, he basically uses CHESTR as a 3D printer, creating a set of polished steel tools, each stamped with the crest of the Alleghiri family.
As he’s a bit amped from working on his tools, Diego volunteers to take the first watch. Once again, he mostly relies on CHESTR’s greater perception. He hears the quite obvious sound of gunfire in the distance, but needs to rely on CHESTR to spot an individual on horseback running from a large group also with horses. Unsure if he should intervene, he extinguishes the campfire and tries to observe more closely before deciding what to do. This decision may prove to be the safest choice for himself and his allies, but for the man being chased it’s instantly lethal. By the time Diego is able to determine the lone figure rushing through the dark is a man in fine clothes who seems terrified for his life, he’s too late… two shots ringing out with deadly precision… the man shot off of his horse, and before he even hits the ground a second shot hits him with enough force to make him land on his back. Diego is able to recognize the shooter in the dim starlight as Crackshot Pete… a wanted criminal with a bounty of 5,000 GP on his head. He travels with over a dozen bandits, and unsure that his group stands any chance against such a well-known and well-equipped group he watches helplessly as Crackshot Pete executes the man with a bullet in the skull… the bandits hooting and hollering as they tie up the man’s body and drag him away. This is enough to wake the others, and no one is certain whether or not it was right to not intervene, but at the very least they investigate the area where the man was killed… unsurprisingly, they find a large blood stain, the only hint to the man’s identity is a single stray golden button with a swan design on it. Diego also collects a few shell casings, unsure if they’ll have any value.
The rest of the night passes without incidence and the party continues their journey to Penning’s divide. As they’re crossing mountainous area the rain suddenly picks up, growing quickly into a full-blown flood. Dali realizes that this will lead to yet another rock slide soon, and with Fiji at the helm their wagon takes off, hurrying to get out of the mountainous area before it becomes flooded. It doesn’t take long before muddy water starts pouring down the mountain like a river, chasing after their cart. CHESTR is ordered to use its long limbs as ersatz seatbelts for Dali and Lucy May while Diego and Fiji ride up front… Diego repeatedly casting Guidance on Fiji to help him steer the vehicle. At the last moment they barely manage to cross a ravine before the bridge behind them collapses and the flood pours into the river below. With rain still pelting them from above, the Party is able to reach Penning’s divide just as night is falling, the rain finally relenting as they approach the riverside settlement.
Not wanting to delay their travel any further, the group quickly purchases tickets for the next ferry, which is about to take off. Along the ride is a small ferry and, surprisingly, another Firbolg native. With small trinkets of gold woven into his hair and goldenrod facepaint, Dali recognizes him as a member of the Goldstep clan. He seems happy to meet a fellow firbolg, and is surprised to see Dali traveling with settlers, although she explains as part of her clan’s treaty she is serving as a protector for them. After learning his name is Trey, the two quickly hit it off as she realizes he’s a fellow druid, and they discuss the duties that entails… all while Diego becomes visibly jealous, something that Lucy May inquires about. To take attention away from that faux pas, Diego instead asks Lucy May about her tattoos, with Lucy May explaining that they have some magical properties, although she’s coy about what, exactly, they do… hoping to show more clearly in the future. This intrigues Diego, who asks her to copy the runes into his notebook for his own research.
As they’re having this conversation, Trey and Dali are growing tired, both them simply laying leaning against the railing to get some sleep… with Trey casually resting against Dali’s shoulder to sleep, a common thing among Firbolgs, even when they are not close. This still clearly triggers more of Diego’s jealousy, which Lucy May notices and teases him about. Diego instead focuses on flirting with Lucy May, stating how he can’t be jealous while enjoying such beautiful company… a compliment that Fiji immediately thanks him for, as he’s technically within Diego’s company as well. Flustered, the normally suave Tiefling decides he needs the check on Bucket and makes plans to sleep in the wagon, which is secured to the roof of the ferry. However, on his way he has to pass by Dali, who hasn’t quite drifted to sleep. When Diego explains he’s just planning to get some sleep, she invites him to join her and Trey… an offer he takes quickly, sitting close to Dali as he drifts to sleep. However, they’re soon joined by Fiji, who is also completely not shy about falling asleep curled up on Dali’s long legs… and Lucy May joins the cuddle pile as well. In the morning both Diego and Trey are stunned to see the group that has joined them. Dali, however, finds this all perfectly natural and seems proud of herself that she could provide comfort for her allies through the night.
The Ferry approaches the largest city any of them have ever seen. Even Fiji, in his capacity as a delivery-person, has never ventured to Pennington before. On the way in they even see some incredibly rare and expensive automobiles… a new type of vehicle that operates without a horse or other beast of burden, which instantly draws Diego’s attention, as he’s only read about them before this. Dali is clearly a bit overwhelmed at the massive, man-made structures, and Diego offers her his hand to hold for comfort. Diego leads the way inside… the city of Pennington is walled off, and visitors must register to be allowed entrance. Fortunately everyone has lawful reasons for entry, and although there is a processing fee they’re each given passes that allow them into the city, as well as a map to help with navigation. Fiji guides the way forward, using the address for ER Hughes on the invoice Diego carries. The city is massive, and it takes several hours to get from one side to the other, especially driving their wagon over the busy streets. While they take in the sights, Diego occupies himself with fixing his hair and using Mending to repair some of the more obvious damage to his duster and in general make himself as presentable as possible for the delivery and installation of Mr. Hughes’ purchase.
They finally find the Hughes mansion… a massive ornate building in a gated area of Pennington where only the wealthiest of the wealthy can be found. As they approach the home they’re welcomed in by a servant, who invites them to wait patiently while she gets Mr. Hughes. Dali is stunned by the size of the building, wondering in awe just how many people live in such a lavish estate. When Diego explains that it’s just the Hughes family and their servants she can’t fathom why a single family could possibly need this much land. Before he can explain the thought processes of the ultra-wealthy, Fiji hears some music playing in another room. Peeking inside, he sees a beautiful young woman playing a harp, but gets pulled out just as a man comes to greet the party, enthusiastic to see what has been delivered. Diego is happy to discuss such things, but when he greets him as Mr. Hughes the portly, jolly man corrects him, stating this name is Mr. Fromant, and he’s simply an investor in the Hughes vehicle company. At this point, the servant who initially greeted the party returns, and prepares to introduce them to a woman who is eager to meet them as well...
Wow, the Holidays have been crazy! I completely forgot to share this here. Check it out now if you've been waiting for it! We're planning to stream later tonight because Saturday is New Year's.
Because of the New year, we're going to be playing Gears and Guns tonight instead of Saturday! Come join us a little later than usual; 9PM EST on Twitch or Youtube. The Adventurers gained a level last session, so come join our level 4 party as they continue their journey through the Fantasy Wild West. Just in case you need a reminder and don't have time to watch the above video, here's what happened with our last session:
The party is in the city of Pennington, and are delivering the Cy-Mount parts that Diego has been crafting with his master, the Gnomish inventor Sprock. They’re introduced to Miss Rayne, a young, attractive woman with a serious, no-nonsense attitude. She asks about the delivery, and Fiji questions if she’s authorized to accept a delivery meant for Mr. Hughes… however, she explains that “HR Hughes” actually stands for Hasper Rayne Hughes… she is the owner of the Hughes family carriage company, and willingly goes by her initials to obscure her gender. Although there’s some embarrassment at the gender mixup, she appreciates the security Fiji shows. Satisfied with the delivery, she offers them the chance to sleep in her guest rooms, as Diego’s work of installing the Cy-Mount parts is expected to take several days.
Unfortunately, Miss Hughes has a prior engagement, and she quickly leaves. However, the party is shown rooms to sleep in, and provided with some dinner and shown the bathroom. Dali is a bit uncomfortable in such ostentatious quarters, while Diego feels extremely at home. However, they’re awakened in the night by a loud sound outside. Pulling on some basic clothes but without grabbing their weapons, they step out and see that the mansion across the street from Hughes Manor is in flames… firefighters preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, but are unable to put out the raging fire. Onlookers are watching in shock, and armored officers are keeping them away from the fire. However, they’re struggling to hold back an older man, screaming for someone named Bridget who is still inside. Hearing this, the Party decides they have to do something… with the officers busy trying to hold back the old man there’s a gap that they can rush through, Lucy May smashing open the front door as they rush inside.
Heavy smoke fills the air, and even though they do their best to avoid the fire itself, most of the party is choking on the deadly smoke. Diego takes a moment to cast Heroism on Fiji… providing him with temp HP to resist the damage of the fire. Hurrying to the second floor, they find an unconscious woman… she’s dressed as a servant, and is murmuring as if calling out for Bridget. CHESTR is sent to carry her, while Fiji and Diego look further where the servant seemed to be going, only to find that Bridget is already dead… in fact, it looks as though the fire originated in her room. However, even though her charred corpse is laying in her bed, she’s oddly laying on top of the bedding instead of under it, and the bedding looks as though it’s been disturbed by a struggle. Committing the scene to memory, they find that Dali has cast Entangle against the side of the burning building, intending to use it as a ladder to escape as the burning staircase collapses. With Dali’s help everyone is able to escape mostly unharmed, although everyone has minor burns and are covered in soot.
The woman they rescued is quickly taken to the hospital for medical attention, while the crowd has a mixed reaction… a life was saved, but it’s clear that the rescue of Bridget was a failure, and her screaming father is pulled away by officers as he seems still willing to run into the collapsing building. As the party is recovering they’re approached by a high ranking officer, and although he admits that their rescue of the servant is a net positive, 4 more people potentially running to their deaths in a collapsing building would have made things much worse and is quite illegal. As they’re about to be arrested, Mrs. Bonnet steps forward and speaks on their behalf… insisting that they did nothing wrong, and also making clear that everyone here is a guest of the Hughes family, which gives the Officer pause long enough for everyone to explain what happened. Diego and Fiji take advantage of this moment to also share what they saw with Bridget’s corpse… Diego is even able to use his tinkering to project an image of the scene as he remembers it, with Fiji helping to clarify details. The suspicious circumstances of Bridget’s death resonate with the Officer, and although it wasn’t possible to save Bridget, the knowledge that there’s more to her death than just a fire proves important, especially as there would have been no way to know this if no one had gone inside.
Able to avoid arrest, they’re allowed to return to the Hughes estate. Once inside they ask Mrs. Bonnet about the young woman who died, Bridget. She describes her as a well-loved and intelligent young woman with dark, curly hair and striking green eyes. She also explains that she was a close friend of Miss Rayne, and the two of them actually went to finishing school together, but recalling this information proves too emotionally taxing for her and she excuses herself to try and sleep. The Party can’t help but notice that Bridget is physically similar to the women who had been murdered in other towns, all of whom were also known for being well-known and beloved by those around them. Still, the fire makes it hard to tell if the similarities are just a coincidence… but remembering the scent of brimstone and lamp oil that Dali detected at the murder site in Fort Herald, which could be a hint of what caused the deadly flame. Certain that there’s more to this, for now, at least, everyone goes to bed for the evening.
With the morning coming, Diego is ready to begin work installing the Cy-Mount upgrades onto the Hughes Family prized clydesdale Cy-Mount. It’s a long, complicated process that requires multiple days of work. To help the other party members keep busy, Mrs. Bonnet has some jobs for them to perform as well… the Hughes family has several important packages and letters or Fiji to deliver, some repairs in their man hall for Lucy-May to attend to, and finally she asks for Dali’s help to tend to the gardens on their estate… and also to help the elderly woman reach anything on a high shelf. When everyone is reconvening to prepare for lunch, with plans to finally have a proper meeting with H.R. Hughes over lunch. However, as they all come together, Mrs. Bonnet realizes that someone has gone missing… August Hughes, H.R.’s younger brother. Mrs. Bonnet explains that August is a sickly young man… a sensitive musician who requires regular medicine. Certain he must be hiding somewhere in the large manor, they all agree to split up and search for him. Lucy-May and Fiji check his room, finding that, despite the elaborate manor, August’s room is surprisingly humble, with instruments around, in particular a finely crafted violin. Unfortunately, however, there’s no sign of August or where he might have gone.
Meanwhile, Dali and Diego go out to the garden, where Mrs. Bonnet says August likes to spend his free time. They’re only briefly able to speak before Diego finds a rope ladder hidden behind one of the benches in the garden. Realizing what it means, they hurry to find Mrs. Bonnet, who worries that August has snuck out again. Trying to figure out where he could have gone, she deduces that he most likely went to Penny Park, a large park in the center of Pennington that she normally accompanies him to, but she’s been too busy to escort him in some time. They offer to deliver August’s medicine, but Mrs. Bonnet explains it’s a controlled substance and she’s not allowed to trust it to anyone, and she will be too busy preparing lunch to go with them to administer it herself… still, the others volunteer to hurry to the park and search for August, hoping to bring him back home before lunch so that his sister won’t worry.
Heading out, they find their way to a wagon stop where they can wait and hopefully hire a wagon to help transport them quickly. While they wait, Fiji buys a newspaper which is already reporting on the fire in the Cammington Mansion. The article seems focused on the loss of Bridget Cammington, the promising and beloved heir to the Cammington fortune. They also see an illustration of Bridget, which confirms for certain her physical resemblance to the other women butchered by the mysterious serial killer stalking the Western frontier. There’s still uncertainty if Bridget’s death is related, as none of the other women were burned, but the smell of lamp oil and signs of struggle could mean the fire itself was an accident. Either way, they resolve to keep watch going forward, even in the relative safety of the Hughes mansion. Just as they’re completing their conversation, a wagon approaches to pick them up… talking to the driver, they ask if he’s taken anyone else to the park recently… he confirms that he took a young lady there recently, describing her as having brown hair and milky eyes. This seems to mean nothing, until they realize the driver also calls Fiji “little girl” and seems to not really know the difference between boys and girls… ignoring gender, his physical description otherwise fits August.
Hurrying to the park, they find it’s actually quite vast, covering several city blocks. Although there seem to be city guards in a few spots, the sheer size of the space makes it difficult to patrol. Knowing what they do about August, they first try to see if there’s any music being played, but as they can’t hear any they decide to instead head toward the park gardens. They find the area mostly empty, and Dali finds the entire situation quite strange… although there’s more natural plant life here than in the rest of the city, seeing plants arranged in neat, organized lines strikes her as bizarre and unnatural, even moreso than the rest of the city, which is composed mostly of man-made structures. As she’s trying to explain the sensation to her party members, Lucy May spots a Half-elf man with brown hair and milky white eyes, who responds to the name August.
Approaching, they find the young man annoyed at being followed, as he had simply wanted to get out of the house for a bit. When asked about his medicine, he admits it’s incredibly unpleasant in some way and he doesn’t see why he needs to take it so often, especially when he’s feeling fine. Diego, for his part, attempts to explain how medicine works and why it’s important to take medicine even while not experiencing symptoms… and his long-winded explanation proves annoying enough that he agrees to return to Hughes manor, if only to shut him up. He’s confused at why Fiji calls him “Augy”, and why Fiji seems to be wearing a heavy fur coat at this time of year, making it quite clear that his milky white eyes aren’t simply cosmetic… he’s blind. When he’s told that Fiji is a Tabaxi he understands what that means, but admits he doesn’t actually know if he’s ever met a Tabaxi before this.
August is still complaining about all the fuss being made about him when suddenly a group of bandits burst out of hiding, catching everyone by surprise as they intend to rob the group. However, seeing their weapons, the bandits realize they’d better take advantage of the situation to eliminate their targets instead of simply rob them… starting with the weakest looking victim, the sickly and blind August. Fortunately, even though they’re all caught by surprise, CHESTR is immune to such things, and quickly moves to protect August, imposing disadvantage on his attackers gunshot, preventing August from being harmed. An intense battle ensues, the bandits intent on killing their targets quickly, but their foes are too fast and strong. Fiji proves capable of dancing around their opponents, moving with a tipsy sway that makes him difficult to strike. Lucy-May reveals the purpose of the Giant-language runes she had tattooed on her body… tapping into their magical force and suddenly growing to over 10 feet in height, towering over the others, casually picking up and throwing their opponents, actually killing one of the bandits as he slams into a tree and breaks his neck. Rather than see this as a sign to retreat, the remaining bandits refocus their efforts, and one successfully shoots August, who stumbles from the hit, barely conscious. Dali is forced to focus on healing him, while the others try to eliminate the remaining bandits… Diego prioritizes non-lethal shots with his weapon, and when CHESTR attacks its lid pops open, and a large boxing glove on a spring pops out to punch opponents in the face.
In the end, the others end up following Diego’s lead and avoid dealing lethal damage to their attackers. Dali conjures spiked growth on the ground to prevent them from escaping, and despite his blindness August manages to pick up a club dropped by one of the attackers and throw it, causing it to land on one of their heads and knock him unconscious. Ultimately, they manage to subdue their attackers and, not wanting to be seen as littering, Diego once again taps into his Mammon heritage to conjure what appears to be a giant floating coin to carry the unconscious bodies… although Dali notices that August is now struggling to move and requires help. Making their way back to the entrance of the park, it’s not long before they’re stopped by the city watch, the unconscious bodies clearly drawing attention.
Diego speaks up first, explaining what has happened. They’re a bit skeptical, but seeing as they’re walking with a blind, injured man who they recognize as a member of the prestigious Hughes family, they accept the explanation, although they still want to speak further at the city watch station… especially since Diego makes sure to ask for any bounties on the heads of the men they captured. The officers provide an escort back to the Hughes manor… and while this does get them back quickly to administer medication to August as quickly as possible, it does draw unwanted attention, which is especially concerning after the tragic death of Bridget the night before. Returning home they find HR Hughes and Mrs. Bonnet waiting, and it’s clear HR is unhappy with her brother’s sudden disappearance, and Mrs. Bonnet is on the verge of a panic attack seeing both the city watch and signs of August’s injuries… made especially upsetting when Dali honestly tells her what happened without trying to hide any details with flowery language. As Diego is trying to explain how the Cure Wounds spell works, Mrs. Bonnet faints and is quickly caught before she hits the ground as everyone realizes they’re in for an awkward lunch with the Hughes siblings.
This was kind of a weird week, wasn't it? I got so distracted with everything going on I forgot to share the archive of our previous stream.
You might notice that this is separated into two videos... this is because of a technical issue on our DM's side, where they lost internet very briefly, but it was enough to end the stream, and she had to start a new stream to finish the game.
We weren't able to play last week thanks to a minor illness, and we've all been antsy to play, so we're playing a special session tonight at 8:30 PM EST on both Twitch and Youtube! Come join us if you can, and in case you need a reminder of what happened in our previous session, read on:
Thanks to a draw from the Fates Verdict deck, the players themselves hear a story about the world that the characters aren’t privy to. A young woman walks down an empty street late into the night. She desperately needs to get back home, but finds herself looking over her shoulder, certain that someone is following her. As she stops adjusts her shawl, she notices the click of footsteps behind her that were walking in time with her steps. In the heavy fog she can’t see what’s following her, so she runs through the streets of Pennington. She vanishes into the fog, and a scream can be heard… then silence once again falls over the city in the dead of night.
Meanwhile, the Adventurers find themselves with Mrs. Bonnet, who passed out in shock from learning that August had been shot… Diego attempts to catch her, but ends up falling on his back as well. Fiji has to step in and helps revive Mrs. Bonnet, who leaves the adventurers to eat their lunch. As they sit and chat, they discuss what had happened… while most of the party sympathizes with August, who, thanks to his disabilities, was practically trapped alone in his room, Diego instead considers August’s actions to be selfish… as the son of a wealthy family himself, he feels that August has obligations that he seems to be neglecting… when pressed further, he explains that he was raised to consider wealth as a responsibility, not a freedom. Gold is pulled from the earth by hard working miners, and it is disrespectful to them to squander their hard work. The least August can do is take his medicine, if only so his sister would not need to worry about him, especially considering her lifelong friend, Bridget Cammington, had died the night before. Still, Dali especially doesn’t understand why anyone would want to live in the large, mostly empty home of the Hughes estate and sympathizes with August’s plight, comparing the home to a cage. While this doesn’t fully convince Diego that August was in the right, he can’t argue all of her points.
As they’re still discussing this matter, Hesper Hughes returns to join them for the end of their meal. She explains that the invention the party has delivered is intended to be presented by the Hughes Carriage Company for the Technologies United Convention… an annual convention for inventors and manufacturers that gives out awards for new inventions… Diego’s mentor, Sprock, has won the Best Invention Award 4 times in the conventions 50 year lifespan, although he neglected to tell Diego that was why he was being sent to Pennington. Still, it’s a prestigious event and it’s expected to occur at the end of the month, and Diego, at the very least, is expected to stay in Pennington until the convention completes, and she even asks for them to consider ways to promote the invention.
Unfortunately, Hesper is quite busy and can’t stay to to chat longer, and the Party is expected to speak to the city watch following the bizarre series of events they’ve found themselves wrapped up in. They’re given permission to borrow one of the Hughes-family carriages, since their wagon (with the giant rattlesnake skin still draped over it) might reflect poorly on the Hughes family if they’re seen driving it around town. Fortunately, Fiji is familiar enough with the city layout that he can drive the carriage to the city watch station. During their drive, the Party passes through a low-income neighborhood. This, once again, baffles Dali, who can’t understand why the small Hughes family lives in such a lavish mansion, while poor citizens are left begging in the street or could even be homeless when there seem to be several buildings that are uninhabited. Lucy-May and Fiji both agree with her, but Diego does his best to defend the class divide. The discussion is cut off when Dali sees a small child looking for his Mother, immediately leaping out of the carriage to help, while Diego seems convinced that this child is probably trying to lure them into a trap. However, Dali doesn’t care and simply can’t ignore a child in need.
The young human boy reveals that his mother went missing 3 days ago and he’s been looking for her ever since. He’s not from the neighborhood where they found him, and he doesn’t actually know his home address, so they can’t help him get back home. They decide that the best option is to bring him along to the city watch who can hopefully help him find his mother. Everyone gets distracted by the fact that he describes Diego as “Horny man”, and then he struggles to say Diego’s full name, and while Diego is distracted as he absolutely fails to explain what a tiefling is and how to pronounce his name to a small child, Lucy-May interjects to ask the seemingly obvious question of the young boy’s name, finally learning that his name is Michael Whipperwell, and he knows his mother’s name is Laura.
Making their way into the City Watch station, the front desk is watched over by a young purple tiefling woman. Diego immediately flirts with her, learning that her name is Catarina. He manages to explain why they’re here, and shows the letter of introduction he received earlier to be able to meet with Grimbus Terrel. Dali helps to introduce Michael, who shares some more information about the night his mother went missing… the two of them live in a crowded apartment complex, and 3 days ago she left at night to investigate a strange sound… something that he described as sounding like a clank of someone hitting a bucket. He also describes his mother as having curly dark hair and pretty eyes.
With Michael left with the City Watch, the Party is invited to meet with Grimbus Terrel. They find themselves meeting with a no-nonsense Yuan-Ti wearing a long coat… his office filled with sketches and primitive photographs of crime scenes from the serial killer that the group has been tracking. He’s mostly dismissive of the party and their interest in the killer, as looky-loos and amateur detectives have clearly been trying to insert themselves into his investigation, but Dali manages to get his attention when she talks about the unique evidence she was able to find as a wild shaped Druid… he was unaware of the scent of lamp oil and sulfur at the location where the body of Anna Tremayne was found. Fiji and Diego also reveal what they saw of Bridget Cammington’s death… with his Magical Tinkering, Diego is actually able to create a projection of what they saw, with Fiji helping him to fine tune the details. Impressed, Terrel agrees that the state of Bridget’s body is highly suspicious, as her charred body looks as though it had been in a struggle of some kind before she died, and she was also clearly dead before the fire started. Physically, she also clearly matches the killer’s profile for the women killed… a well-liked young woman with curly dark hair and striking eyes. This immediately strikes a chord with Dali, who realizes this description also matches what they learned about Michael’s mother. Trusting her instincts, Terrel also adds her to his investigation and makes plans to look into her disappearance further.
Throughout this discussion, one thing that sticks with Lucy-May is the detail of the scent of sulfur. With her knowledge of stonecunning, she’s aware that sulfur is a particular mineral known for being unstable and, perhaps more importantly, extremely uncommon. However, it is also sometimes known as “brimstone”, and infernal brimstone in particular is more likely to leave a lingering scent. Diego takes this revelation and extrapolates further… there are many Devilish fiends who might take on a grisly murder spree in this fashion. The manner in which the women are killed and mutilated definitely shows signs of some sort of dark ceremony, although he doesn’t know enough to say for certain. At best he can say with confidence that this would be the work of a Hellish Devil, and not an Abyssal Demon… he encourages Terrel to keep an eye out for anything of a Diabolical nature, all of which Terrel takes to heart.
With their business complete the party makes their way out… Dali makes certain to check on Michael, while Diego makes certain to ask Catarina for a date. This entire excursion took enough time that by the time they get back to the Hughes mansion it’s time for dinner. Once arrived they’re asked to join Hesper Hughes once again, although this evening they’re also joined my Mr. Fromant, an investor in the Hughes Carriage Company and friend of the family. Hesper wants to pick her guests’ brains for suggestions on how best to promote their new invention before the Technologies United Convention. Diego recommends a barker-style performance to display how the new Chassis will solve the problems of older models. Fiji thinks the best idea would be to just print out ads, fold them into origami, then he can distribute them across town. Dali likes this idea, and she has noticed a number of rats in Pennington that seem able to get into any location, and she thinks she could use her ability to speak to animals to employ some of them to deliver these ads. Lucy-May, however, feels that it would help to display the new Cy-Mount chassis in direct competition with an older model to prove its superiority. Hesper is shocked and baffled that Dali would even recommend involving rats in any capacity, and also doesn’t fully understand the point of folding the ads into origami. However, she thinks there is some way to combine these concepts.
Hesper thinks that, as Lucy-May suggested, a race between the new TX2 Exosekeloton invented by Sprock and the current most valuable Cy-Mount model will be absolute proof of its superiority. She also thinks that Diego could use this event as a means to display exactly what the TX2 does to address the failures of previous models, while she knows Fiji’s plan to distribute ads for the event will help draw more… and she even thinks Dali’s suggestion to employ animal messengers could help as well, but she recommends changing their preferred messenger into pigeons, since they’re a more commonly accepted means of delivery. However, the party can’t help but notice that Hesper has been indulging quite liberally in wine, which none find particularly surprising considering her brother’s near-death experience earlier in the day after her childhood friend died in a fire the night before. Mr. Fromant is also indulging heavily, but he seems much more jovial than Hesper. The rest of the party, for the most part, drinks much more conservatively… all except for Diego, who is sitting next to Mr. Fromant and who is far too polite to object when Fromant insists on refilling Diego’s glass.
Hesper is mostly quiet and focused on drinking, however, Fromant and Diego are boisterously discussing Cy-Mounts and carriage models. Both are quite knowledgeable on both matters, and they’re also fascinated by the new automobiles that have only recently been invented. As the two of them are fan-boying about their favorite carriage models, Diego fails to notice that his Mage Hand has appeared on its own. The monstrous hand slyly grabbing silverware and other precious metals, pulling them under the table and absorbing them, delivering them to Hell and the devil of greed, Mammon. The other Party members aren’t sure what to do about this, until the hand manages to snatch one of Lucy-May’s golden buttons. Finally they inform Diego, who is clearly deeply embarrassed that he lost control, although this does explain why he seemed to avoid alcohol up to this point. Other than Lucy-May, everyone in the party seems to avoid alcohol… Dali has no interest in it at all, Fiji finds drunk people entertaining, but prefers to simply pretend to be drunk as an excuse to spend time with them, while Diego avoids it to keep control over his Mage Hand. Even Lucy-May, who drinks comfortably thanks to her Dwarven heritage, has strong self-control and only drinks lightly in social situations.
Diego apologizes profusely for losing control… his allies are fully understanding, but he seems quite ashamed of himself. Despite the relative safety of the Hughes Mansion, the party still intends to keep watch during the night… Hesper Rayne Hughes, like the other victims, is a young attractive woman with wavy dark hair and striking green eyes. Dali and Lucy-May themselves also quite closely match the killer’s Modus Operandi… although Dali’s hair is straight rather than curvy, while Lucy-May has curly hair, but her eyes are a more subdued brown… still, there is variation in the victims… some with lighter hair, less intense eyes, and no consistency in skin tone. Diego, embarrassedly, admits that he needs to sleep off the wine, but makes sure to volunteer CHESTR to help keep watch. As everyone prepares to keep turns watching, Diego returns to his bedroom and focuses enough to deliberately conjure his Mage Hand. He stares at it, speaking to it directly and demanding it stop stealing from this place, as it is not his fortune to give. The hand, however, simply points at him ominously before fading away, leaving him alone as he prepares for bed.
The Crits for Breakfast crew will be starting a brand new campaign this Saturday night at 8:30 PM EST both twitch.tv/afterdisbooty, and on the Hazel's Emporium Youtube Channel!
Gears and Guns is a Western-themed campaign, following a group of settlers as they live and work in the remote settlement of Rattle Ridge. The desert is a harsh land, and they'll need their wits, stamina, and maybe a few bullets to survive. Read on to meet our heroes...
Dali - A Druid FIrbolg whose Native people protect the lands where Rattle Ridge has been founded. As part of a treaty agreement she was sent to watch over the settlers... both as a guide and guardian, but also to make certain that they respect the lands and follow their end of the treaty as well. She's accompanied by Goldie, an inquisitive Sand Otter... a unique species of otter that can burrow through the desert sands as easily as a river otter might swim through water.
Diego Viola Alleghiri - A Tiefling Artificer who comes from a wealthy family in the mining town of Imp Branch. He's traveled to the remote settlement to apprentice under the master inventor Sprock Knorba, a well-known but elusive inventor who has shunned the spotlight for years. His gold-looking horns and features are a sign of his family's connection to the Arch Devil Mammon, the avatar of greed.
Fiji Quickstep - This Tabaxi Monk is a laid back, often scatterbrained delivery man who runs messages from the remote settlement to the nearby river, where passing boats will send the letters back East, and occasionally deliver parcels and packages back to Rattle Ridge. He works for Quickstep Delivery, owned and operated by other members of his family.
Lucy May Stonehearth - A tough Dwarven Fighter, Lucy May is also a skilled architect, leading construction on the settlement of Rattle Ridge. She remains in town to build it into a proper town, and potentially even a city. She fights with a Dwarven warhammer, and while she's not normally a violent person, she won't hesitate to cave in the skulls of bandits and the other terrors that haunt the Old West.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We're going to be going live with our very first episode of this new campaign in just half an hour! Come join us at Twitch or Youtube to see how the new adventure starts, but if you didn't see this post until after we're finished, you can catch up on our Youtube Channel.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
The first Episode of Gears and Guns is available to view! If you missed last night's livestream or if you're just curious to see our Steampunk Fantasy adventure, go ahead and check us out on youtube and consider subscribing to Hazel's Emporium.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I love that a community member is sharing their play experience with us! I am on vacation at the moment, so I can’t watch quite yet, but I am adding this to my watch list for later. Thank you for sharing.
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
You can try DDB for free using the Basic Rules, free adventures, MCV1:SC, and homebrew. Answers about physical books, purchases, and subbing.
What is it like to be on the forums.
Thanks for putting us in your watch list! The series is going to release bi-weekly, although we tend to go for fairly long sessions (our first session is around 4 hours, minus the pre-roll and mid-session break)
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
I am back from vacation! I plan to give this a watch over the weekend. Also, I wanted to give this a bump so others in the community might see.
DM mostly, Player occasionally | Session 0 form | Doctor/Published Scholar/Science and Healthcare Advocate/Critter/Trekkie/Gandalf with a Glock | He/Him/They/Them
You can try DDB for free using the Basic Rules, free adventures, MCV1:SC, and homebrew. Answers about physical books, purchases, and subbing.
What is it like to be on the forums.
Awesome, I hope you enjoy it! We'll be streaming live bi-weekly going forward, but our plan is for everything to be availabe on youtube, and I'll definitely just be linking every episode directly on here when they go live.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We'll be going live with Gears and Guns tonight on both Twitch and Youtube at 9PM EST. Come join us as we continue our Steampunk Western Fantasy adventure, but just in case you missed last week's session, or if you just enjoy my summaries, here's what happened in our first session (which you can also watch above):
The settlement of Rattle Ridge is home to only 14 settlers. Founded 6 months ago, the town has been peaceful. This morning begins with the sound of a shotgun going off, stepping out to find Louis, the owner of the saloon firing his rifle. He was trying to scare away a group of coyotes who seemed particularly interested in the Hewitt family farm… the Hewitt’s son, Cadbury, is the only child in town, and there is concern that it may be the work of Trickster spirits that sometimes take the form of Coyotes. Dali, the Firbolg druid, examines the footprints left behind… determining that they seem to be normal Coyotes, and not the bipedal form the trickster spirits assume. The Hewitts are annoyed at being woken up, but ultimately appreciate Louis’s concern for their family. Louis mentions that he has a delivery for Fiji, the Tabaxi Courier who lives in town, and also tells Diego, the Tiefling Artificer, that his teacher, the gnomish inventor Sprock, has a job for him.
Checking with Louis, Fiji learns that he’s being asked to make a delivery for Sprock, and warns that it will be a long and dangerous journey, encouraging him to take some others for defense, as he won’t be able to rely on his speed alone to avoid danger. Fiji immediately seeks out Dali and Lucy May… Dali is a Firbolg Druid who watches over the town, serving as its guardian as part of the treaty her people have with the settlers of Rattle Ridge. Lucy May is both a skilled Fighter and also an architect who has overseen the construction of the relatively few buildings that compose the remote settlement. Meanwhile, Diego checks in with Sprock… he learns that it’s time to deliver the project they’ve been working on… an elaborate chassis for a Cy-mount… horses modified with magically-enhanced technology. The chassis is being delivered to E.R. Hughes, a wealthy Carriage merchant. He is also given a letter, with instructions to deliver it by the 15 of the month of Flamerule (it is currently the 27 of Kythorn, the month before Flamerule). After meeting with Fiji, the group of 4 adventurers prepare for a week or longer journey… they load boxes filled with the chassis into a cart and are trusted with Bucket… a Cy-Mount owned by Louis. During the process, however, the Sand Otter Goldie, Dali’s companion (who she decidedly does not consider a pet) steals some shiny objects from Sprock. Sand Otters are a unique breed of otter that can burrow through sand as easily as a river otter might swim through water. There’s a slight scramble to catch Goldie, with Dali forced to apologize for Goldie’s little outburst.
The group begins their journey. The weather is unpleasant… although it’s rare for rain in the desert, the sky is still cloudy with harsh winds blowing up dust. As they travel, Fiji notices a group of coyotes following them, and the party remains on alert. However, he also sees a lightning strike landing not too far away, and is eager to investigate it… hoping to find some lightning glass. Luckily he’s able to find it, but he’s a bit too enthusiastic… picking it up while still hot and hurting himself. Still, he has his prize and hurries back to the group… unfortunately, with the dust and wind the coyotes manage to sneak up on him, pouncing and attacking before he can rejoin his allies, getting knocked unconscious, while one coyote even manages to sneak up to the cart, attacking Diego. Unable to help Fiji, since he was nearly knocked unconscious himself, Diego cures himself before driving the cart closer to Fiji so that Dali can cure his wounds. The group struggles against the coyotes… although they’re not intimidating creatures, the fact that they caught them by surprise puts them at a disadvantage. Dali, however, relies on her connection to nature, allowing her to communicate directly with the coyotes… she intimidates them with a loud threat, sending the injured creatures running. Thankful for the reprieve, they all sit and take a short rest before continuing their journey.
With the weather getting worse, they quickly look for a secluded spot where they can hide from the oncoming rain. They didn’t bring any proper tents, but they’re able to use Diego’s bedroll to create a makeshift tent, using the boxes in the cart to create a very simple structure. Diego takes the first watch, while the others sleep under the cover. While nothing happens on his watch, when he comes to wake Fiji for his watch he finds Fiji sleeping between Dali and Lucy May… and Diego is all too happy to take that position for himself. Although it leads to some awkwardness when Fiji takes Lucy May’s place for her to take watch, and Fiji immediately starts cuddling Diego… who cuddles back, speaking a woman’s name in his sleep.
As the rain picks up in the night, Lucy May can tell that the mud is going to make travel difficult… something that is a potential problem, as the ferry they’re trying to meet with follows a strict schedule, and if they miss it will be much harder to complete their delivery on time. Fortunately, between Diego’s ability to map out a safe passage and Lucy May’s strength pushing from behind, they manage to avoid any major delays, and although the weather remains dreary and cloudy, they manage to arrive at Snake River before the ferry leaves. The ferry is at an isolated dock far from any settlements… unsurprisingly, the ferry would not have stayed long if passengers hadn’t appeared. Diego volunteers to pay the fees for his fellow travelers, as well as the fee to ferry their carriage and Bucket, passing a small amount of gold to Curtis, a young Half-Elf man who serves as the only crewman on the small riverboat, while Captain Krill focuses on steering the coal-powered ship.
Once on the ferry the adventurers are able to relax and chat. Goldie causes chaos again by climbing into vents in the ship, but fortunately Diego knows enough about the mechanics of a steam boat to know that the particular vent she crawled into isn’t immediately dangerous, but Dali still struggles to keep the excitable otter under control. The Ferry ride takes several days, and although for the most part it passes peacefully, things get particularly chaotic when Dali tries coffee for the first time. Although she finds she actually enjoys the rich, bitter flavor, she makes the mistake of letting Goldie taste the strong black coffee… the miniscule otter immediately overwhelmed with energy, running wild around the ferry. Made even worse when Fiji attempts to catch her… but when he fails he forgets what he’s doing and ends up just joining Goldie in dashing around the ship. In a moment of desperation Diego attempts use magic to nab the otter, although he doesn’t use his artificer skills… instead, he conjures a monstrous-looking, ethereal golden hand. The wrist appears to be dripping with coins that vanish before they hit the ground. This, too, fails to catch Goldie, but as soon as it’s task is complete it immediately rushes toward Lucy May and the polished golden buttons of her vest… Diego physically yanks the hand away before dismissing it, apologizing for its actions and explaining that this version of the Mage Hand spells is the result of his family’s connection to Mammon, hence the hand’s monstrous and golden appearance… and its tendency to snatch gold if Diego doesn’t watch it carefully. Ultimately, the solution to the Goldie problem appears to be simply letting her tire herself out… if anything the attempts to catch her only added to the chaos.
From there the ferry ride proceeds calmly until the river cuts through the tall mountains that separate the open west from the more densely populated coast. Without warning, a large crashing sound echoes, and suddenly massive stones tumble into the river. The landslide sending the ship rocking… Captain Krill struggling to keep the ship upright, with the party unable to assist. The ship crashes into a bank, tipping over on its side, spilling the ship’s contents into the shallows… and Diego goes with them, the only one who fails to stay in the ship. Sent rushing through the water before washing up on shore in a shocked and panicked state. Fiji is the first to reach him, quickly checking on the Tiefling… somewhat embarrassed, Diego admits that he experienced an accident in his youth and since then he’s had a fear of drowning. After recovering he forces himself to focus on gathering the boxes containing the chassis, while Dali hurries to check on Bucket, the Cy-mount secured to the ship and thankfully unharmed. Lucy May and Fiji manage to get their carriage back up, and thankfully it only requires minor repairs that the party can easily manage before it can go further.
While the Ferry is tipped over on one side, it doesn’t require any major repairs either. However, that hardly matters, as this thin portion of the river has been rendered impassable thanks to massive rocks that have crashed into the water. The party can tell that, even if they were to remain and help, they lack the tools and resources to clear the path. Instead, Captain Krill informs them of a fishing village about a day’s travel to the South… with this primary trade route blocked, it won’t be difficult to request assistance to come and clear the river. Krill also requests that Fiji complete a few additional deliveries for him, which Fiji happily agrees to. Although not happy to leave the captain and first mate alone to deal with the crashed ferry on their own, the party prioritizes getting help sent back as soon as possible.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
Episode 2 is live and ready to view! The Crits for Breakfast Crew deals with boar attacks, Giant ants, and a surly Tiefling-hating drunk as they continue their journey. They also stop by an old west brothel, and learn about a dangerous serial killer haunting the isolated towns of the untamed West.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We're going live again tonight at 8:30 PM EST, as always on Twitch and Youtube. Since we've been streaming through Youtube it's easier than ever to catch up on the series, but if you prefer text, I'm still writing summaries to keep you up to date on what happened in our previous session. If you don't have time to watch the full youtube video, or if you just want a refresher, here's what happened last time on Gears and Guns:
After their ferry was stalled by a landslide that blocked off the river, the Party travels South, heading to the nearby fishing village of Dry Cliff to inform them about the landslide. They’re still wet from the crash, and Diego’s notebook needs to dry off… but he’s struck with inspiration, and needs to do some calculations… with no paper, he starts carving into one of the crates with one of his tools, until Fiji volunteers some of the paper he carries as a messenger to Diego to use. They proceed into a wooded area… a small, poorly maintained path just wide enough for their wagon weaves through the woods. Goldie the Otter runs into the woods, excited to explore this new location… running alongside the slow-moving wagon, however, her exploration attracts a territorial boar, which is quickly dispatched by Diego and Lucy May, although Dali hesitates to attack the wild creature. Still, once it’s killed she helps to dress the body and manages to forage several pounds of meat, a useable pelt, and some impressive tusks.
Continuing further, they come across a bridge, which Lucy May can recognize with her knowledge of carpentry as being quite new and of good quality. It passes over a deep gorge, passing over a creek. The way forward is peaceful, and Fiji even manages to find a short cut… they were expecting to arrive in the fishing village early the next morning, but with this they realize they can arrive only shortly after nightfall. With renewed vigor, they continue, however, as they travel they begin to notice the forest around them growing eerily quiet. Looking around… they realize they’ve wandered into Giant Fire Ant territory, the foot-tall insects attacking the traveling Party.
Dali recognizes them as a violent, aggressive species. They have venomous stingers, making them deadly… a single fire ant capable of killing an individual, and swarms of them can be deadly… and they’re surrounded by multiple swarms. Fiji manages to crush a few of the large hunters, and Dali casts entangle to hold one of the swarms at bay. They manage to avoid the worst of them, but Lucy May does crit fail and accidentally throws her hammer… fortunately, Diego is able to return by casting Catapult. However, more ants are still swarming… Dali dispels her Entangle and they take off at full speed… unfortunately, there’s a steep cliff not far past that point, and they lose control of the wagon. The wagon goes careening down the hill, barely managing to avoid a sharp turn… Dali uses her Firbolg connection to animals to get their horse, Bucket, to stop… which he does a bit too eagerly, sending Lucy May flying through the air and crashing into the ground. Luckily, Diego is able to cast cure wounds and recover her.
They manage to travel a few hours after sunset, arriving in town after most of the buildings have closed, save for a large two-story saloon. Heading inside they find it filled with dancing girls, an energetic piano player, and a bit of boisterous crowd. The Saloon has a large sign out front labeled, “The Fur Trap”. Stepping inside, they learn that the town is considered a safe place to park their wagon without fear of their delivery being stolen. However, the barkeep also implies that this is the result of some kind of event that he’s hesitant to speak about. Diego informs the barkeep about the landslide on Snake River, and the Barkeep goes to find the owner, who can deal with this.
While they’re waiting, a serving girl in decidedly skimpy clothing approaches. Diego eagerly flirts with her, although Dali and Fiji seem confused by her choice of attire. While trying to maintain some sense of decorum, Diego attempts to explain the concept of prostitution, but his unwillingness to use more blunt language only serves to confuse them further. Still, they manage to order some food, and while they’re waiting everyone but Diego notices a surly looking human man glaring at Diego before drunkenly marching toward him. He angrily growls at Diego, unhappy to have a “Devil” at the bar… Diego’s reaction makes it clear that this isn’t the first time he’s experienced discrimination for being a Tiefling, and he attempts to de-escalate the situation, but the drunken man is hearing none of it.
At this point, Dali steps forward, standing up to her full 8 foot height to try to intimidate him into stepping down, with Lucy May helping by brandishing her warhammer. However, this isn’t enough to dissuade the drunkard, and although they attempt to knock him out, he proves difficult to hit, until eventually he pulls out a pistol, aiming it at Diego’s head. Before he can fire, he’s interrupted by a silky, yet commanding voice behind him… they all turn to see a fluffy white Tabaxi in a lovely, form fitting red dress holding a gold-gilded pistol against the back of the drunkard’s head. The drunkard, who she calls “Huckleberry”, is clearly afraid of her. She arranges for him to be arrested by the town sheriff, who is present but hadn’t intervened yet, as it’s apparently his day off. She apologizes, introducing herself as Catrina the Snow-furred, but she’s better known as Miss Kitty… the owner of the Fur Trap. She apologizes for Huckleberry, and offers the party free drinks. Diego is instantly interested in her, openly flirting with her, but also informing her about the landslide clogging Snake River. Miss Kitty is a respected authority figure in Dry Cliff… The Fur Trap was the first building constructed in the small town, the rest of the town growing simply to support it. She lets them all know that she’ll get some of the local miners to help with clearing it out. Fiji offers her the mail he was asked to deliver, and she graciously accepts it and gives Fiji a small tip. When asked about the unpleasantness the barkeep was hesitant to speak about she admits she doesn’t wish to speak of it either, but tells them all to let the barkeep know she’s given him orders to tell them the story himself.
Speaking to the barkeep, they arrange for two rooms… one for Fiji and Diego to share, and another for Dali and Lucy May. They also learn from the barkeep what had happened… about a week ago, one of the girls, Jonesy “Sweetlips” Pepperweave was horrifically killed… her body mutilated and left hanging from the cliffside that hangs over the Fur Trap. Similar murders had occurred before, both in Dry Cliff and other nearby settlements and towns. The barkeep still has a few missing person signs that were created for the girls before they were discovered, and Diego investigates them closely, looking for any commonalities between them all… they all were women, aged from 16-26, all conventionally attractive with the majority of them having dark hair, and they all went missing at night. Dali also takes this opportunity to sell the Boar Meat she had butchered earlier in the day, securing a few silver for it, thanks to Diego’s help with negotiation.
After being shown to their rooms (which have a single bed, but also a fainting couch), Dali and Lucy May have a brief discussion about who should sleep in the bed… Lucy May feels that Dali should take it, because she’s too tall to fit on the Fainting Couch, but she’s honestly too tall for the bed as well… in the end she decides to sleep on the floor, as she’s not used to sleeping on a mattress in the first place… if anything she actually enjoys the nice, solid floor. Meanwhile, Diego spends his night tinkering with his inventions, while Fiji volunteers to take the Fainting Couch. As they’re sitting together, Fiji asks Diego about the name “Esmerelda”, which he had muttered in his sleep not long ago. Diego seems hesitant to speak in detail, but he explains that it was a woman that he thought would be his “Corrazon”… his true love, but without sharing details he explains that it didn’t work out. Fiji doesn’t press further, and Diego takes a bath before returning to bed… momentarily writing the name Esmerelda on the steamy mirror before returning.
As morning comes the Party has enough time to get some breakfast and plan their travels. They’re interested in looking furhter into the murder of Jonesy… considering staying in Dry Cliff until the land slide on Snake River is cleared up, but they learn that it’s expected to take a week to complete the work, and if they wait they won’t be able to make their delivery on time. Still, the killer isn’t likely to still be in Dry Cliff, as they’re known to travel, so at the very least they hope to learn more as they travel. For now they plan to pick up supplies before continuing their journy… expecting to be able to reach the next settlement, Campbell’s Bridge, in 3 days time, where they might be able to rent another ferry to complete their journey quickly.
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Gears and Guns episode 3 is live! Our heroes continue their wagon journey as they make their delayed delivery and face the challenges of the untamed West. Our heroes face off against murderous bandits, mysterious voices, and even tangle with a giant rattlesnake. However, they also fight to rescue an innocent woman, and work with settlers of a new village to make a few coins and build their reputation.
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We're going live tonight at 8:30 PM EST on Twitch and Youtube!
And in case you want a reminder of what happened in our last session...
The crew starts their morning realizing some bad luck has caused them to lose their money… whether it was stolen in the night or simply vanished. Although they’re annoyed, they still have the fulgurite that Fiji had found, and with Diego’s smooth-talking they’re able to get a few extra gold for trade in the local general store. They purchase supplies for their journey, and the group decides to have Diego function as the party’s “banker”, trusting him to carry all of their money. Dali in particular is happy to have someone else to handle her money, as she’s still unfamiliar with the concept. During these purchases, Lucy May is looking for Goldie, who has gone missing… finding her outside with a vial of anti-toxin the Sand Otter had grabbed somewhere, taking it away from her.
Before leaving Dry Cliff they look to the part of the cliff where the unfortunate Jonesy Pepperweave was left hanging mutilated after her deadly encounter with the mysterious serial killer. Diego is able to determine that the position her body was hung from could be reached by a normal person, although it would require above average strength. Dali wonders aloud, however, if he could have been done by a group, and Diego admits that two individuals of average strength could perform the same task. Still, they’re able to continue their journey… Diego reveals that he’s infused his waterskin, turning it into an Alchemy Jug which he uses to provide fresh water for their journey, using it to fill a large barrel he purchased. They continue, chatting together until Fiji notices a boulder has come loose from a nearby cliff and barrels dangerously toward the cart. Luckily, he’s able to quickly warn Lucy May, he guides their horse, Bucket, to avoid the oncoming disaster.
With that averted, they continue traveling until they spot a deer. They discuss whether or not that’s a sign of good luck, with Dali admitting there’s no particular superstition about deer among her people. Diego speaks against superstition… believing that too many people assign magical properties to random chance. Fiji, however, staunchly believes in many such things, in particular he brings up reading tea leaves. This discussion is cut short, however, when Dali hears a voice in the woods calling for help. Everyone is ready to stop and investigate, but Dali knows more about the dangers of the wilds, and notices in particular that it’s not a single creature calling for help repeatedly… it sounds almost like a recording, as the voice is completely identical with every cry for help. Trusting her expertise, they ignore the cries and continue their journey.
Eventually Bucket starts to get restless and they decide to take a short rest to allow him to unhook from the cart. Fiji, appropriately enough, uses a wooden bucket to get some water out of the barrel for Bucket… but in the process, he gets a drink for himself by dunking his head into the water barrel then simply licking the rivulets of water as they drip down his face. Diego focuses on making sure there are no stray hairs left behind, thankful that Fiji managed to take a bath and do some grooming in Dry Cliff… unfortunately, while he’s removing the single hair that Fiji leaves behind, Goldie immediately dives into the barrel to enjoy a swim in the cool water. In attempting to remove her, however, Diego loses his balance and falls face first into the barrel as well. With their drinking water now thoroughly contiminated they start to think of whether there could be a source of fresh water nearby. Checking the map, they see they are still 2 days away from their next goal… the riverside Campbell’s Bridge where they believe they will be able to rent passage on a ferry. Although they are not near water at the moment, while examining the map closely they at least find a shortcut, finally exiting the mountainous region and finding a main roadway to continue their journey.
The rest of the day passes without incident, and as night falls Dali is able to find an abandoned hunter’s camp to take advantage of for the night. Diego sets up his tent, but he volunteers to take the first watch, with Dali joining him. The two sit around the fire and discuss the nature of magic… Diego’s studies have focused on the difference between Nature and Magic… the difference being that natural forces cannot create energy, while Magic can. However, he has discovered an ambient source of energy he refers to as “A Waves”, which he harnesses in order to perform his magical feats… he believes that, because of the A Waves, Magic may simply be a natural phenomenon that isn’t fully understood. Dali also believes that nature and magic are intrinsically entwined… planting a seed and casting Druidcraft to have it start growing.
Their discussion is interrupted when they hear a voice calling for help and running in their direction. They see an elderly woman rush in their direction, a look of terror on her face. They quickly wake Fiji and Lucy May just in time to see a group of bandits rush in, chasing the old woman. They seem excited to see the group, especially since they’re clearly traveling with a heavily laden cart. They immediately pull their weapons, and they attempt to hold the old woman hostage. The party struggles a bit, not wanting to put the old woman in danger… but Fiji is able to burst out, using his Flurry of Blows to knock the leader of the bandits unconscious in a single turn. Seeing their leader handily defeated is enough to make the other bandits hesitate, and Diego is able to intimidate them into leaving, promising to let them live and take their unconscious leader with them.
Once they leave, they check on the old woman. She’s in despair… her husband had been killed, and she ran on her own for at least 30 minutes. She’s thankful for their help, introducing herself as Noncy Cottonwell, but she warns the group that chased her was just a small number from a much larger gang. Realizing it’s not safe to stay at their camping spot, they start traveling in the dark, relying on the light attached to Bucket to travel at night. They nearly run into what appears to be a tall wooden statue of a man… Dali recognizes it as a Wood Spirit… they normally sleep at night, but they’re known to be territorial and are unlikely to be happy to see a group traveling in a vehicle made of wood. Luckily, they spot it soon enough to avoid waking it, and also realize if any bandits are still following them they’re likely to not be as careful around the Wood Spirit… which proves prescient, as they eventually hear the sounds of conflict in the distance from the Wood Spirit battling the bandits.
After finding a place that seems safe the exhausted adventurers stop, Diego setting up an Alarm so they can all rest. When morning comes, Nancy is already preparing breakfast as thanks for their help, mentioning that she had a dream of her husband, Wilbur, encouraging her to live the rest of her life to the fullest. Happy that she seems well, they offer to escort her further… when they mention they’re headed toward Campbell’s Bridge, she asks them to take her there, as she can reconnect with her family from that location. Traveling through the day, the road seems safe… until a giant rattlesnake erupts out of hiding and suddenly attacks Bucket. Realizing their Cy-Mount is in danger, Dali Wild Shapes into a giant mongoose and is able to tear the rattlesnake apart… although Nancy faints from the shock. The Snake is killed, but in the process Bucket was bit and is currently in danger from the venom… fortunately, the anti-toxin that Lucy May had found earlier is enough to keep the Cy-Mount healthy enough to continue travel. With Diego’s help she’s able to butcher the snake, and allowing Diego to harvest venom… enough to fill one of the glass vials he had purchased earlier. They even find a way to set up a frame on the back of their cart they can use to dry out the skin as they complete their journey.
With everything loaded up, they continue their journey… Fiji takes the reins, and on a critical failure he sets Bucket taking off at max speed, the chaos nearly flinging both Lucy May and Diego out of the cart, while Dali makes sure that Nancy doesn’t fall out. With some struggle they manage to stop the cart, and although Fiji’s out of control driving put them in danger, he actually managed to arrive early at Campbell’s Bridge… a small town slowly being built around a stone bridge crossing over a thin portion of Snake River. Once they arrive they say farewell to Nancy, who is free to meet with her family members to share the bad news. Dali gives her some of the snake meat they had gathered earlier, and Fiji gives her a letter he had composed… despite his casual exterior Fiji is actually a skilled calligrapher, and he wrote Nancy a eulogy for her husband, Wilbur, which brings her to tears. Hugging him before heading out while the party shifts their focus to a makeshift tavern in a large tent.
Inside they find that the tavern is run by a pair of husband and wife Bugbears who are excited to meet the travelers. They explain that there is no ferry that stops in Campbell’s Bridge as the party had hoped, but there is a ferry that stops in another town just two days’ travel ahead. Considering Bucket would benefit from some more rest after the snake attack, and the potential to do some work around town to make a few more coins before continuing, they opt to stay in Campbell’s Bridge for the night. They find a job board, and a few of them choose to attempt some of the work on offer. Fiji finds work completing deliveries for a local postwoman who can’t complete them thanks to an injury. Lucy May sees that workers are being hired for the construction of more permanent buildings in Campbell’s Bridge, a task she’s more than qualified for. Dali does not actually seek a paying job… instead, she seeks out some of the nearby farmland, where she volunteers her skills as a Druid to bless the land and contribute manual labor to help with planting seeds. Although she intended to simply volunteer, the family insists on paying her for her time… their sense of pride not allowing them to accept such gifts without some form of payment. Diego, meanwhile, actually starts flirting with the woman who hired Fiji, offering her some of the coffee from his replicated Jug of Alchemy… not realizing she’s drinking far too much of the potent black coffee.
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Here's the latest episode of Gears and Guns. The Party goes on a wild cart ride, gets chased by a deadly and malevolent spirit, face down yet another rockslide and finally get an opportunity to clean their damn clothes!
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We're going live in a few minutes! Come join us at Twitch or Youtube. And if you need a refresher on what happened last session, read on:
Our band of heroes are in the burgeoning settlement of Campbell’s Bridge, on their journey to the coastal city of Pennington. They all meet in Zane’s makeshift tavern… a tent with a simple bar set up. Diego is still chatting with the Halfling woman, Julie, who is vibrating with energy… this seems to inspire Diego, who requests some raw coffee beans from Zane, and immediately starts to measure them and do calculations… ignoring the conversations entirely as Dali and Lucy May reminisce about their day of work, and Fiji collects his payment from Julie for completing her deliveries. The party is given the snake steaks made from the giant rattlesnake that they had killed the other day and sold the meat to Zane. They eventually ask Diego what he’s doing, and he explains that his conversation with Dali the other day and seeing her bloom a seed has inspired him at the potential held in a seed, and also seeing Julie had him thinking of the energy in coffee… and he believes he can use this to solve a problem he’s had with an invention he’s been working on that he has struggled to find a cost-effective power source for. The group rents tents for the night, and are warned to keep an eye out… the same killer from Dry Cliff has been active here as well.
Going to the privacy of their tents, Diego stays up late tinkering with his invention, passing out with tools still in his hands… in the morning he’s woken up by a spindly mechanical arm picking up the tool to clean up. He laughs energetically in delight, waking the others… he reveals to the group what appears to be a treasure chest with long, tentacle-like mechanical arms, and a glowing crystal where the lock would be. He introduces it as the Combat Handy Electronic Sorting Trunk Robot, or CHESTR for short. He explains that this is the invention he’s been working on since before moving to Rattleridge. It can help him with his work, and also provide extra protection during combat. As a Battlesmith Artificer, this is his Steel Defender.
With CHESTR revealed to the party, everyone takes some time to get breakfast before heading out. Fiji even takes another delivery job early in the morning. Dali takes some time to use Druidcraft to help get a coffee plant started as a gift to Zane and his wife, who she learns is pregnant. On Dali’s suggestion, they seem excited at the idea of naming their future child “Bean”. Making their way out of Campbell’s Bridge, they’re able to travel safely for several hours, but as they pass through the mountainous region another rock slide happens, with Fiji barely able to avoid. They discuss whether or not the number of rock slides they’ve encountered is normal or not, but even Dali isn’t certain, as her people lived mostly in the plains, rather than near the mountains.
Proceeding further in their journey, the party is distracted by Diego testing out CHESTR, discovering that the Steel Defender can move fast enough to keep up with Bucket. This throws everyone’s perception off enough that they don’t notice that they’ve stumbled into an ambush set up by bandits. As they demand everyone put up their hands, Diego warns them that he has an invention he wishes to test, and if they don’t stand down he’ll be forced to experiment on them. Although this mostly intimidates the bandits, one of them misunderstands and thinks that “Experiment” is simply a… “romantic” term. The bandits get into a bit of an argument about their erotic interests, with Dali misunderstanding and thinking that they’re “workers”, which was what she was told to call the women working in the brothel in Dry Cliff. This only serves to confuse the bandits, and ultimately they’re distracted enough for the heroes to continue safely. By this point it’s growing late, and with Dali’s help they find a secure looking spot to set up camp. Diego takes some time to ritual cast Alarm for some additional security, and also explains that CHESTR does not require sleep, so it should be able to help keep watch throughout the night. Fiji so far has largely thought of CHESTR as a living creature, referring to it as Diego’s son, but Diego insists that CHESTR isn’t alive… it is simply a tool, albeit a very complex one.
Diego takes on the first watch, but rather than actively keep an eye out for any dangers he relies on CHESTR to watch for him, and simply observes CHESTR, although nothing out of the ordinary happens as a result. Fiji takes the second watch, and while keeping watch with CHESTR he attempts a conversation with the mute construct, and even tries to teach CHESTR what a bee is with a simple drawing drawn in the dirt. His biology lesson is cut short when he hears ominous whistling in the darkness, although neither he or CHESTR seem able to determine exactly where it came from. CHESTR leans on its back legs, raising its forelegs in the air as if to make itself look larger, while Fiji remembers Dali’s warnings about whistling at night and quickly wakes her. As soon as Dali hears the whistles she insists that everyone needs to get away from here as quickly as possible. Everyone wakes up and scrambles to get their camping supplies tossed into the cart, Bucket seems unnerved and surprisingly ready to leave as his headlights are turned on and the cart takes off into the night.
In their hurry to escape, the party ends up accidentally driving off of the main road, moving through bumpy and dangerous terrain. Fiji and Lucy May, despite working together, manage to lose control of the cart down a steep incline near a cliff… and unfortunately, both Dali and Diego are flung from the back of the cart, along with several of their crates for delivery. Although the fall is painful, thankfully they’re both still conscious after tumbling down a steep, but climbable incline. However, they still find themselves with damaged crates weighing hundreds of pounds that they need to bring back up to the cart. Luckily, Diego has a means of carrying heavy objects… conjuring the monstrous, golden Mage Hand, it flicks a spectral gold coin into the air, and suddenly the coin expands and begins to hover in place as a Floating Disk, with a large pentagram overlaid with an infinity symbol stamped into the now-giant coin… the symbol of the Archdemon of greed, Mammon. With the floating Disk to aid them, it’s fairly easy to return the crates back to the cart. Bucket also was damaged during their escape, and CHESTR reveals a set of smaller, more fragile but also more precise tools it uses to repair Bucket, with Diego explaining that CHESTR can only make such repairs a few times per day. Diego, meanwhile, is casting Mending on the damaged crates as well as some of the precious cargo within.
Once they’re satisfied that everything is safe and secure they realize that their tumble down the side of a mountain has saved them quite a bit of travel time… they’re only a short distance from the large town of Fort Herald. Fiji helpfully marks the shortcut on the party’s map, although he also makes certain to draw a frowny face next to it as a reminder that the path is also very treacherous. During the ride into town both Diego and Dali, exhausted from lack of sleep and their tumble down the mountainside, both pass out in the back of the cart while Fiji leads the way into town. Fiji has actually been to Fort Herald in the past in his capacity as a delivery person, and although he was a bit disoriented by the unusual direction they entered the city by, he quickly reorients himself and guides the cart toward Briar Hare Inn, a large and well-known Inn. Once parked, Diego and Fiji are both confident that their supplies are safe in the back of the cart… Fort Herald is known for having a very active town guard, as the town began as a military stronghold. Indeed, the actual Fort is clearly visible from near the Briar Hare Inn, and so too is a large marketplace, one of the most patrolled sections of the town.
Inside the Inn, Diego seems to perk up from his drowsy state to flirt with Molly, the human clerk who rents the party some rooms and explains the services of the inn itself. The party opts to rent two rooms, with Dali and Lucy May sharing one room while Diego and Fiji share another… Diego also insists on paying extra to have their clothing laundered and ironed during the night. When morning comes they’re provided with food and even baths, with both Diego and Lucy May in particular relishing the luxury of clean, heated water and freshly ironed clothing… Fiji is mostly interested in breakfast, while Dali is still overwhelmed by the tall, unnatural structures and large number of people all living in such a small, cramped space.
As they’re preparing for their day they realize they still have a solid week before they need to get to Pennington. Lucy May asks the front desk for information regarding any ferry travel to Pennington. Snake River is about a day’s travel North of Fort Herald, but there’s a ferry that travels between a small riverside port and Pennington that departs twice a day… in the early morning and mid afternoon, giving the Party time to do some shopping and otherwise enjoy their time in Fort Herald. However, she also hears distressing news… the serial killer they had heard about in Dry Cliff recently attacked a young woman on the outskirts of town… her body found mutilated, yet placed near a busy road to be discovered by passersby. As they all consider whether they should investigate, Lucy May also asks about any nearby landmarks of note, other than the obvious fort… the marketplace seems to be the most important location nearby, but when the clerk at the front desk mentions a temple, Diego suddenly realizes that it’s Sunday. Apologizing to his friends, he mentions that he promised his Mother when he left that he would attend services on Sundays if possible… Diego had been trusted to carry the party’s wealth, but he leaves his coin purse with Lucy May so they can still do some shopping, planning to meet up back at the cart to decide what to do next.
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The Crits for Breakfast crew might be streaming this coming Monday! Plans are still being finalized, but our DM has had a rough week and is hoping to take her mind off of it through some D&D, especially since we recently arrived at the large city of Pennington, which has a ton to explore. Keep an eye on this thread and I'll make sure to update you all on this bonus stream.
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We'll be streaming tonight at 8:30 PM PST on both Twitch and Youtube. Come join us as the players finally make their delivery and explore the massive city of Pennington. If you need a refresher for what happened last time, or if you just like to read these summaries, here's what we did last time:
At the start of our session, the party is a bit separated, as Diego has left the others to attend service at the local temple while the remaining party members prepare to do some exploring in the small city of Fort Herald. Fiji, who has visited this city before, offers some suggestions of where they could go, but at his recommendation they head to the Soldier’s Glove Saloon, hoping they can learn some more about the murder that occurred recently. Unsurprisingly, the saloon seems to be a favorite drinking spot for off-duty soldiers. Fiji orders some coffee and he asks the bartender about the murders, with the bartender begrudgingly sharing what he knows… the young girl killed was only 17, and she was actually a server at this very saloon. She was killed and her body displayed on bench in town nearby… placed so she appeared to just be sleeping, but she had her guts cut out, and her eyes were removed. The girl had many suitors, but none have come to the Saloon since her death.
Dali asks for directions to the nearest farmland… as usual, she wants to help using her druidic powers. On the way out, Goldie runs off, running through the busy street to pick up something. Fiji manages to catch her, but fails to get whatever it is she picked up… Dali intervenes, taking it from Goldie and discovering it’s a small pipe. Meanwhile, Diego is attending temple, a small child staring at the golden-horned tiefling. During the ceremony prayers are offered for the murdered woman, identifying her as Anna Tremayne… a worshipper of Lathander. It seems she was well known and well liked among those attending the temple. As the sermon completes, Diego asks a priestess for some information… she doesn’t know much more than they already know, but she is able to guide Diego toward The Admiral, a military man who can be found in a warehouse that’s been converted into a recruitment center. He thanks her for the information, and proceeds out, heading toward their cart to wait to reunite with his party.
The rest of the party makes their way to the nearby farmland, with Dali interested in offering some work in exchange for a payment of seeds. However, the farm is well-tended and the farmer in charge has no need of additional help… however, he does direct her toward his cousin, who sells seeds and farming supplies in the marketplace. However, Fiji asks if he has any deliveries he needs, and the farmer actually does have a large crate he needs delivered to that same cousin. Thankfully, this brings everyone back together outside of the Marketplace, with everyone meeting in time to see that the crate he was delivering was actually full of seeds. They buy some seeds with plans to grow them in Rattle Ridge, and Diego seeks out an alchemist… selling the Serpent Venom they extracted from a Giant Rattlesnake, using to trade for 50 gp and a set of Alchemist’s supplies. The group also discusses what they had learned about the murder, and decide to speak to the Admiral to get permission to investigate further.
Making their way to the recruitment offices placed in packed warehouse, they find that the Admiral is a Reaver… a species of tall humanoids with extremely long lifespans and distinct shark-like teeth. Diego is able to convince him to allow them to view any evidence that has been gathered by showing his signet ring… proof of his high station. The Admiral explains that the body and any physical evidence has been sent to Pennington where it can be investigated by a famous detective named Grimbus Terrell. He’s able to convince the Admiral to write a letter of introduction to Detective Terrell to allow them to join in on the investigation. The Admiral also eagerly flirts with Dali, although his heavy use of innuendo goes completely over her head… although his blunt flirting is clearly getting on Diego’s nerves. Still, he buys a rapier, and helps Fiji buy a spear… however, Goldie sneaks off into the warehouse and manages to find some eggs… which, of course, the party needs to pay for.
Once finished they investigate the crime scene where the body of Anna Tremayne was discovered. There’s little evidence left, as it has all been gathered… there are no clear footprints, as the area normally receives heavy foot traffic. However, there is indication of something being dragged, but where it came from isn’t clear. Most insightful is Dali, who wild shapes into a Wolf, using her enhanced sense of smell to find something that the human guards never could… she detects the lingering scent of sulphur and just a hint of lamp oil. Memorizing the scent, she reports what she smelled to the rest of the party… content that there’s nothing else to be learned here, they begin to make plans to travel to Pennington. However, before they do, Lucy May needs some help getting some tattoos… she already has a few prominent facial tattoos, so this request doesn’t strike anyone as odd.
With Fiji leading the way, the group makes their way to a rough part of town where he knows a tattoo parlor awaits. Inside they find a gruff-looking goblin, fully bald with an obvious full body tattoo in the style of a black dragon that also covers the top of his head. She has some very specific runes, which Dali recognizes as being Giant in origin, on each shoulder, although she doesn’t explain to the group what purpose they serve. Still, the runes are fairly simple for an experienced tattoo artist, and they’re able to complete the tattoos and still start their journey to Penning’s Divide, the riverside settlement where they can hopefully join a ferry to travel to Pennington. The ride out of town is mostly safe, and the party is able to find a small natural cave that provides a safe location to set up camp for the night. Before going to bed, Diego uses one of his artificer features to create a set of Smith’s Tools, crafting them with CHESTR’s help… using concentrated hard light, he basically uses CHESTR as a 3D printer, creating a set of polished steel tools, each stamped with the crest of the Alleghiri family.
As he’s a bit amped from working on his tools, Diego volunteers to take the first watch. Once again, he mostly relies on CHESTR’s greater perception. He hears the quite obvious sound of gunfire in the distance, but needs to rely on CHESTR to spot an individual on horseback running from a large group also with horses. Unsure if he should intervene, he extinguishes the campfire and tries to observe more closely before deciding what to do. This decision may prove to be the safest choice for himself and his allies, but for the man being chased it’s instantly lethal. By the time Diego is able to determine the lone figure rushing through the dark is a man in fine clothes who seems terrified for his life, he’s too late… two shots ringing out with deadly precision… the man shot off of his horse, and before he even hits the ground a second shot hits him with enough force to make him land on his back. Diego is able to recognize the shooter in the dim starlight as Crackshot Pete… a wanted criminal with a bounty of 5,000 GP on his head. He travels with over a dozen bandits, and unsure that his group stands any chance against such a well-known and well-equipped group he watches helplessly as Crackshot Pete executes the man with a bullet in the skull… the bandits hooting and hollering as they tie up the man’s body and drag him away. This is enough to wake the others, and no one is certain whether or not it was right to not intervene, but at the very least they investigate the area where the man was killed… unsurprisingly, they find a large blood stain, the only hint to the man’s identity is a single stray golden button with a swan design on it. Diego also collects a few shell casings, unsure if they’ll have any value.
The rest of the night passes without incidence and the party continues their journey to Penning’s divide. As they’re crossing mountainous area the rain suddenly picks up, growing quickly into a full-blown flood. Dali realizes that this will lead to yet another rock slide soon, and with Fiji at the helm their wagon takes off, hurrying to get out of the mountainous area before it becomes flooded. It doesn’t take long before muddy water starts pouring down the mountain like a river, chasing after their cart. CHESTR is ordered to use its long limbs as ersatz seatbelts for Dali and Lucy May while Diego and Fiji ride up front… Diego repeatedly casting Guidance on Fiji to help him steer the vehicle. At the last moment they barely manage to cross a ravine before the bridge behind them collapses and the flood pours into the river below. With rain still pelting them from above, the Party is able to reach Penning’s divide just as night is falling, the rain finally relenting as they approach the riverside settlement.
Not wanting to delay their travel any further, the group quickly purchases tickets for the next ferry, which is about to take off. Along the ride is a small ferry and, surprisingly, another Firbolg native. With small trinkets of gold woven into his hair and goldenrod facepaint, Dali recognizes him as a member of the Goldstep clan. He seems happy to meet a fellow firbolg, and is surprised to see Dali traveling with settlers, although she explains as part of her clan’s treaty she is serving as a protector for them. After learning his name is Trey, the two quickly hit it off as she realizes he’s a fellow druid, and they discuss the duties that entails… all while Diego becomes visibly jealous, something that Lucy May inquires about. To take attention away from that faux pas, Diego instead asks Lucy May about her tattoos, with Lucy May explaining that they have some magical properties, although she’s coy about what, exactly, they do… hoping to show more clearly in the future. This intrigues Diego, who asks her to copy the runes into his notebook for his own research.
As they’re having this conversation, Trey and Dali are growing tired, both them simply laying leaning against the railing to get some sleep… with Trey casually resting against Dali’s shoulder to sleep, a common thing among Firbolgs, even when they are not close. This still clearly triggers more of Diego’s jealousy, which Lucy May notices and teases him about. Diego instead focuses on flirting with Lucy May, stating how he can’t be jealous while enjoying such beautiful company… a compliment that Fiji immediately thanks him for, as he’s technically within Diego’s company as well. Flustered, the normally suave Tiefling decides he needs the check on Bucket and makes plans to sleep in the wagon, which is secured to the roof of the ferry. However, on his way he has to pass by Dali, who hasn’t quite drifted to sleep. When Diego explains he’s just planning to get some sleep, she invites him to join her and Trey… an offer he takes quickly, sitting close to Dali as he drifts to sleep. However, they’re soon joined by Fiji, who is also completely not shy about falling asleep curled up on Dali’s long legs… and Lucy May joins the cuddle pile as well. In the morning both Diego and Trey are stunned to see the group that has joined them. Dali, however, finds this all perfectly natural and seems proud of herself that she could provide comfort for her allies through the night.
The Ferry approaches the largest city any of them have ever seen. Even Fiji, in his capacity as a delivery-person, has never ventured to Pennington before. On the way in they even see some incredibly rare and expensive automobiles… a new type of vehicle that operates without a horse or other beast of burden, which instantly draws Diego’s attention, as he’s only read about them before this. Dali is clearly a bit overwhelmed at the massive, man-made structures, and Diego offers her his hand to hold for comfort. Diego leads the way inside… the city of Pennington is walled off, and visitors must register to be allowed entrance. Fortunately everyone has lawful reasons for entry, and although there is a processing fee they’re each given passes that allow them into the city, as well as a map to help with navigation. Fiji guides the way forward, using the address for ER Hughes on the invoice Diego carries. The city is massive, and it takes several hours to get from one side to the other, especially driving their wagon over the busy streets. While they take in the sights, Diego occupies himself with fixing his hair and using Mending to repair some of the more obvious damage to his duster and in general make himself as presentable as possible for the delivery and installation of Mr. Hughes’ purchase.
They finally find the Hughes mansion… a massive ornate building in a gated area of Pennington where only the wealthiest of the wealthy can be found. As they approach the home they’re welcomed in by a servant, who invites them to wait patiently while she gets Mr. Hughes. Dali is stunned by the size of the building, wondering in awe just how many people live in such a lavish estate. When Diego explains that it’s just the Hughes family and their servants she can’t fathom why a single family could possibly need this much land. Before he can explain the thought processes of the ultra-wealthy, Fiji hears some music playing in another room. Peeking inside, he sees a beautiful young woman playing a harp, but gets pulled out just as a man comes to greet the party, enthusiastic to see what has been delivered. Diego is happy to discuss such things, but when he greets him as Mr. Hughes the portly, jolly man corrects him, stating this name is Mr. Fromant, and he’s simply an investor in the Hughes vehicle company. At this point, the servant who initially greeted the party returns, and prepares to introduce them to a woman who is eager to meet them as well...
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Wow, the Holidays have been crazy! I completely forgot to share this here. Check it out now if you've been waiting for it! We're planning to stream later tonight because Saturday is New Year's.
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Because of the New year, we're going to be playing Gears and Guns tonight instead of Saturday! Come join us a little later than usual; 9PM EST on Twitch or Youtube. The Adventurers gained a level last session, so come join our level 4 party as they continue their journey through the Fantasy Wild West. Just in case you need a reminder and don't have time to watch the above video, here's what happened with our last session:
The party is in the city of Pennington, and are delivering the Cy-Mount parts that Diego has been crafting with his master, the Gnomish inventor Sprock. They’re introduced to Miss Rayne, a young, attractive woman with a serious, no-nonsense attitude. She asks about the delivery, and Fiji questions if she’s authorized to accept a delivery meant for Mr. Hughes… however, she explains that “HR Hughes” actually stands for Hasper Rayne Hughes… she is the owner of the Hughes family carriage company, and willingly goes by her initials to obscure her gender. Although there’s some embarrassment at the gender mixup, she appreciates the security Fiji shows. Satisfied with the delivery, she offers them the chance to sleep in her guest rooms, as Diego’s work of installing the Cy-Mount parts is expected to take several days.
Unfortunately, Miss Hughes has a prior engagement, and she quickly leaves. However, the party is shown rooms to sleep in, and provided with some dinner and shown the bathroom. Dali is a bit uncomfortable in such ostentatious quarters, while Diego feels extremely at home. However, they’re awakened in the night by a loud sound outside. Pulling on some basic clothes but without grabbing their weapons, they step out and see that the mansion across the street from Hughes Manor is in flames… firefighters preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings, but are unable to put out the raging fire. Onlookers are watching in shock, and armored officers are keeping them away from the fire. However, they’re struggling to hold back an older man, screaming for someone named Bridget who is still inside. Hearing this, the Party decides they have to do something… with the officers busy trying to hold back the old man there’s a gap that they can rush through, Lucy May smashing open the front door as they rush inside.
Heavy smoke fills the air, and even though they do their best to avoid the fire itself, most of the party is choking on the deadly smoke. Diego takes a moment to cast Heroism on Fiji… providing him with temp HP to resist the damage of the fire. Hurrying to the second floor, they find an unconscious woman… she’s dressed as a servant, and is murmuring as if calling out for Bridget. CHESTR is sent to carry her, while Fiji and Diego look further where the servant seemed to be going, only to find that Bridget is already dead… in fact, it looks as though the fire originated in her room. However, even though her charred corpse is laying in her bed, she’s oddly laying on top of the bedding instead of under it, and the bedding looks as though it’s been disturbed by a struggle. Committing the scene to memory, they find that Dali has cast Entangle against the side of the burning building, intending to use it as a ladder to escape as the burning staircase collapses. With Dali’s help everyone is able to escape mostly unharmed, although everyone has minor burns and are covered in soot.
The woman they rescued is quickly taken to the hospital for medical attention, while the crowd has a mixed reaction… a life was saved, but it’s clear that the rescue of Bridget was a failure, and her screaming father is pulled away by officers as he seems still willing to run into the collapsing building. As the party is recovering they’re approached by a high ranking officer, and although he admits that their rescue of the servant is a net positive, 4 more people potentially running to their deaths in a collapsing building would have made things much worse and is quite illegal. As they’re about to be arrested, Mrs. Bonnet steps forward and speaks on their behalf… insisting that they did nothing wrong, and also making clear that everyone here is a guest of the Hughes family, which gives the Officer pause long enough for everyone to explain what happened. Diego and Fiji take advantage of this moment to also share what they saw with Bridget’s corpse… Diego is even able to use his tinkering to project an image of the scene as he remembers it, with Fiji helping to clarify details. The suspicious circumstances of Bridget’s death resonate with the Officer, and although it wasn’t possible to save Bridget, the knowledge that there’s more to her death than just a fire proves important, especially as there would have been no way to know this if no one had gone inside.
Able to avoid arrest, they’re allowed to return to the Hughes estate. Once inside they ask Mrs. Bonnet about the young woman who died, Bridget. She describes her as a well-loved and intelligent young woman with dark, curly hair and striking green eyes. She also explains that she was a close friend of Miss Rayne, and the two of them actually went to finishing school together, but recalling this information proves too emotionally taxing for her and she excuses herself to try and sleep. The Party can’t help but notice that Bridget is physically similar to the women who had been murdered in other towns, all of whom were also known for being well-known and beloved by those around them. Still, the fire makes it hard to tell if the similarities are just a coincidence… but remembering the scent of brimstone and lamp oil that Dali detected at the murder site in Fort Herald, which could be a hint of what caused the deadly flame. Certain that there’s more to this, for now, at least, everyone goes to bed for the evening.
With the morning coming, Diego is ready to begin work installing the Cy-Mount upgrades onto the Hughes Family prized clydesdale Cy-Mount. It’s a long, complicated process that requires multiple days of work. To help the other party members keep busy, Mrs. Bonnet has some jobs for them to perform as well… the Hughes family has several important packages and letters or Fiji to deliver, some repairs in their man hall for Lucy-May to attend to, and finally she asks for Dali’s help to tend to the gardens on their estate… and also to help the elderly woman reach anything on a high shelf. When everyone is reconvening to prepare for lunch, with plans to finally have a proper meeting with H.R. Hughes over lunch. However, as they all come together, Mrs. Bonnet realizes that someone has gone missing… August Hughes, H.R.’s younger brother. Mrs. Bonnet explains that August is a sickly young man… a sensitive musician who requires regular medicine. Certain he must be hiding somewhere in the large manor, they all agree to split up and search for him. Lucy-May and Fiji check his room, finding that, despite the elaborate manor, August’s room is surprisingly humble, with instruments around, in particular a finely crafted violin. Unfortunately, however, there’s no sign of August or where he might have gone.
Meanwhile, Dali and Diego go out to the garden, where Mrs. Bonnet says August likes to spend his free time. They’re only briefly able to speak before Diego finds a rope ladder hidden behind one of the benches in the garden. Realizing what it means, they hurry to find Mrs. Bonnet, who worries that August has snuck out again. Trying to figure out where he could have gone, she deduces that he most likely went to Penny Park, a large park in the center of Pennington that she normally accompanies him to, but she’s been too busy to escort him in some time. They offer to deliver August’s medicine, but Mrs. Bonnet explains it’s a controlled substance and she’s not allowed to trust it to anyone, and she will be too busy preparing lunch to go with them to administer it herself… still, the others volunteer to hurry to the park and search for August, hoping to bring him back home before lunch so that his sister won’t worry.
Heading out, they find their way to a wagon stop where they can wait and hopefully hire a wagon to help transport them quickly. While they wait, Fiji buys a newspaper which is already reporting on the fire in the Cammington Mansion. The article seems focused on the loss of Bridget Cammington, the promising and beloved heir to the Cammington fortune. They also see an illustration of Bridget, which confirms for certain her physical resemblance to the other women butchered by the mysterious serial killer stalking the Western frontier. There’s still uncertainty if Bridget’s death is related, as none of the other women were burned, but the smell of lamp oil and signs of struggle could mean the fire itself was an accident. Either way, they resolve to keep watch going forward, even in the relative safety of the Hughes mansion. Just as they’re completing their conversation, a wagon approaches to pick them up… talking to the driver, they ask if he’s taken anyone else to the park recently… he confirms that he took a young lady there recently, describing her as having brown hair and milky eyes. This seems to mean nothing, until they realize the driver also calls Fiji “little girl” and seems to not really know the difference between boys and girls… ignoring gender, his physical description otherwise fits August.
Hurrying to the park, they find it’s actually quite vast, covering several city blocks. Although there seem to be city guards in a few spots, the sheer size of the space makes it difficult to patrol. Knowing what they do about August, they first try to see if there’s any music being played, but as they can’t hear any they decide to instead head toward the park gardens. They find the area mostly empty, and Dali finds the entire situation quite strange… although there’s more natural plant life here than in the rest of the city, seeing plants arranged in neat, organized lines strikes her as bizarre and unnatural, even moreso than the rest of the city, which is composed mostly of man-made structures. As she’s trying to explain the sensation to her party members, Lucy May spots a Half-elf man with brown hair and milky white eyes, who responds to the name August.
Approaching, they find the young man annoyed at being followed, as he had simply wanted to get out of the house for a bit. When asked about his medicine, he admits it’s incredibly unpleasant in some way and he doesn’t see why he needs to take it so often, especially when he’s feeling fine. Diego, for his part, attempts to explain how medicine works and why it’s important to take medicine even while not experiencing symptoms… and his long-winded explanation proves annoying enough that he agrees to return to Hughes manor, if only to shut him up. He’s confused at why Fiji calls him “Augy”, and why Fiji seems to be wearing a heavy fur coat at this time of year, making it quite clear that his milky white eyes aren’t simply cosmetic… he’s blind. When he’s told that Fiji is a Tabaxi he understands what that means, but admits he doesn’t actually know if he’s ever met a Tabaxi before this.
August is still complaining about all the fuss being made about him when suddenly a group of bandits burst out of hiding, catching everyone by surprise as they intend to rob the group. However, seeing their weapons, the bandits realize they’d better take advantage of the situation to eliminate their targets instead of simply rob them… starting with the weakest looking victim, the sickly and blind August. Fortunately, even though they’re all caught by surprise, CHESTR is immune to such things, and quickly moves to protect August, imposing disadvantage on his attackers gunshot, preventing August from being harmed. An intense battle ensues, the bandits intent on killing their targets quickly, but their foes are too fast and strong. Fiji proves capable of dancing around their opponents, moving with a tipsy sway that makes him difficult to strike. Lucy-May reveals the purpose of the Giant-language runes she had tattooed on her body… tapping into their magical force and suddenly growing to over 10 feet in height, towering over the others, casually picking up and throwing their opponents, actually killing one of the bandits as he slams into a tree and breaks his neck. Rather than see this as a sign to retreat, the remaining bandits refocus their efforts, and one successfully shoots August, who stumbles from the hit, barely conscious. Dali is forced to focus on healing him, while the others try to eliminate the remaining bandits… Diego prioritizes non-lethal shots with his weapon, and when CHESTR attacks its lid pops open, and a large boxing glove on a spring pops out to punch opponents in the face.
In the end, the others end up following Diego’s lead and avoid dealing lethal damage to their attackers. Dali conjures spiked growth on the ground to prevent them from escaping, and despite his blindness August manages to pick up a club dropped by one of the attackers and throw it, causing it to land on one of their heads and knock him unconscious. Ultimately, they manage to subdue their attackers and, not wanting to be seen as littering, Diego once again taps into his Mammon heritage to conjure what appears to be a giant floating coin to carry the unconscious bodies… although Dali notices that August is now struggling to move and requires help. Making their way back to the entrance of the park, it’s not long before they’re stopped by the city watch, the unconscious bodies clearly drawing attention.
Diego speaks up first, explaining what has happened. They’re a bit skeptical, but seeing as they’re walking with a blind, injured man who they recognize as a member of the prestigious Hughes family, they accept the explanation, although they still want to speak further at the city watch station… especially since Diego makes sure to ask for any bounties on the heads of the men they captured. The officers provide an escort back to the Hughes manor… and while this does get them back quickly to administer medication to August as quickly as possible, it does draw unwanted attention, which is especially concerning after the tragic death of Bridget the night before. Returning home they find HR Hughes and Mrs. Bonnet waiting, and it’s clear HR is unhappy with her brother’s sudden disappearance, and Mrs. Bonnet is on the verge of a panic attack seeing both the city watch and signs of August’s injuries… made especially upsetting when Dali honestly tells her what happened without trying to hide any details with flowery language. As Diego is trying to explain how the Cure Wounds spell works, Mrs. Bonnet faints and is quickly caught before she hits the ground as everyone realizes they’re in for an awkward lunch with the Hughes siblings.
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And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
This was kind of a weird week, wasn't it? I got so distracted with everything going on I forgot to share the archive of our previous stream.
You might notice that this is separated into two videos... this is because of a technical issue on our DM's side, where they lost internet very briefly, but it was enough to end the stream, and she had to start a new stream to finish the game.
Watch Crits for Breakfast, an adults-only RP-Heavy Roll20 Livestream at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
And now you too can play with the amazing art and assets we use in Roll20 for our campaign at Hazel's Emporium
We weren't able to play last week thanks to a minor illness, and we've all been antsy to play, so we're playing a special session tonight at 8:30 PM EST on both Twitch and Youtube! Come join us if you can, and in case you need a reminder of what happened in our previous session, read on:
Thanks to a draw from the Fates Verdict deck, the players themselves hear a story about the world that the characters aren’t privy to. A young woman walks down an empty street late into the night. She desperately needs to get back home, but finds herself looking over her shoulder, certain that someone is following her. As she stops adjusts her shawl, she notices the click of footsteps behind her that were walking in time with her steps. In the heavy fog she can’t see what’s following her, so she runs through the streets of Pennington. She vanishes into the fog, and a scream can be heard… then silence once again falls over the city in the dead of night.
Meanwhile, the Adventurers find themselves with Mrs. Bonnet, who passed out in shock from learning that August had been shot… Diego attempts to catch her, but ends up falling on his back as well. Fiji has to step in and helps revive Mrs. Bonnet, who leaves the adventurers to eat their lunch. As they sit and chat, they discuss what had happened… while most of the party sympathizes with August, who, thanks to his disabilities, was practically trapped alone in his room, Diego instead considers August’s actions to be selfish… as the son of a wealthy family himself, he feels that August has obligations that he seems to be neglecting… when pressed further, he explains that he was raised to consider wealth as a responsibility, not a freedom. Gold is pulled from the earth by hard working miners, and it is disrespectful to them to squander their hard work. The least August can do is take his medicine, if only so his sister would not need to worry about him, especially considering her lifelong friend, Bridget Cammington, had died the night before. Still, Dali especially doesn’t understand why anyone would want to live in the large, mostly empty home of the Hughes estate and sympathizes with August’s plight, comparing the home to a cage. While this doesn’t fully convince Diego that August was in the right, he can’t argue all of her points.
As they’re still discussing this matter, Hesper Hughes returns to join them for the end of their meal. She explains that the invention the party has delivered is intended to be presented by the Hughes Carriage Company for the Technologies United Convention… an annual convention for inventors and manufacturers that gives out awards for new inventions… Diego’s mentor, Sprock, has won the Best Invention Award 4 times in the conventions 50 year lifespan, although he neglected to tell Diego that was why he was being sent to Pennington. Still, it’s a prestigious event and it’s expected to occur at the end of the month, and Diego, at the very least, is expected to stay in Pennington until the convention completes, and she even asks for them to consider ways to promote the invention.
Unfortunately, Hesper is quite busy and can’t stay to to chat longer, and the Party is expected to speak to the city watch following the bizarre series of events they’ve found themselves wrapped up in. They’re given permission to borrow one of the Hughes-family carriages, since their wagon (with the giant rattlesnake skin still draped over it) might reflect poorly on the Hughes family if they’re seen driving it around town. Fortunately, Fiji is familiar enough with the city layout that he can drive the carriage to the city watch station. During their drive, the Party passes through a low-income neighborhood. This, once again, baffles Dali, who can’t understand why the small Hughes family lives in such a lavish mansion, while poor citizens are left begging in the street or could even be homeless when there seem to be several buildings that are uninhabited. Lucy-May and Fiji both agree with her, but Diego does his best to defend the class divide. The discussion is cut off when Dali sees a small child looking for his Mother, immediately leaping out of the carriage to help, while Diego seems convinced that this child is probably trying to lure them into a trap. However, Dali doesn’t care and simply can’t ignore a child in need.
The young human boy reveals that his mother went missing 3 days ago and he’s been looking for her ever since. He’s not from the neighborhood where they found him, and he doesn’t actually know his home address, so they can’t help him get back home. They decide that the best option is to bring him along to the city watch who can hopefully help him find his mother. Everyone gets distracted by the fact that he describes Diego as “Horny man”, and then he struggles to say Diego’s full name, and while Diego is distracted as he absolutely fails to explain what a tiefling is and how to pronounce his name to a small child, Lucy-May interjects to ask the seemingly obvious question of the young boy’s name, finally learning that his name is Michael Whipperwell, and he knows his mother’s name is Laura.
Making their way into the City Watch station, the front desk is watched over by a young purple tiefling woman. Diego immediately flirts with her, learning that her name is Catarina. He manages to explain why they’re here, and shows the letter of introduction he received earlier to be able to meet with Grimbus Terrel. Dali helps to introduce Michael, who shares some more information about the night his mother went missing… the two of them live in a crowded apartment complex, and 3 days ago she left at night to investigate a strange sound… something that he described as sounding like a clank of someone hitting a bucket. He also describes his mother as having curly dark hair and pretty eyes.
With Michael left with the City Watch, the Party is invited to meet with Grimbus Terrel. They find themselves meeting with a no-nonsense Yuan-Ti wearing a long coat… his office filled with sketches and primitive photographs of crime scenes from the serial killer that the group has been tracking. He’s mostly dismissive of the party and their interest in the killer, as looky-loos and amateur detectives have clearly been trying to insert themselves into his investigation, but Dali manages to get his attention when she talks about the unique evidence she was able to find as a wild shaped Druid… he was unaware of the scent of lamp oil and sulfur at the location where the body of Anna Tremayne was found. Fiji and Diego also reveal what they saw of Bridget Cammington’s death… with his Magical Tinkering, Diego is actually able to create a projection of what they saw, with Fiji helping him to fine tune the details. Impressed, Terrel agrees that the state of Bridget’s body is highly suspicious, as her charred body looks as though it had been in a struggle of some kind before she died, and she was also clearly dead before the fire started. Physically, she also clearly matches the killer’s profile for the women killed… a well-liked young woman with curly dark hair and striking eyes. This immediately strikes a chord with Dali, who realizes this description also matches what they learned about Michael’s mother. Trusting her instincts, Terrel also adds her to his investigation and makes plans to look into her disappearance further.
Throughout this discussion, one thing that sticks with Lucy-May is the detail of the scent of sulfur. With her knowledge of stonecunning, she’s aware that sulfur is a particular mineral known for being unstable and, perhaps more importantly, extremely uncommon. However, it is also sometimes known as “brimstone”, and infernal brimstone in particular is more likely to leave a lingering scent. Diego takes this revelation and extrapolates further… there are many Devilish fiends who might take on a grisly murder spree in this fashion. The manner in which the women are killed and mutilated definitely shows signs of some sort of dark ceremony, although he doesn’t know enough to say for certain. At best he can say with confidence that this would be the work of a Hellish Devil, and not an Abyssal Demon… he encourages Terrel to keep an eye out for anything of a Diabolical nature, all of which Terrel takes to heart.
With their business complete the party makes their way out… Dali makes certain to check on Michael, while Diego makes certain to ask Catarina for a date. This entire excursion took enough time that by the time they get back to the Hughes mansion it’s time for dinner. Once arrived they’re asked to join Hesper Hughes once again, although this evening they’re also joined my Mr. Fromant, an investor in the Hughes Carriage Company and friend of the family. Hesper wants to pick her guests’ brains for suggestions on how best to promote their new invention before the Technologies United Convention. Diego recommends a barker-style performance to display how the new Chassis will solve the problems of older models. Fiji thinks the best idea would be to just print out ads, fold them into origami, then he can distribute them across town. Dali likes this idea, and she has noticed a number of rats in Pennington that seem able to get into any location, and she thinks she could use her ability to speak to animals to employ some of them to deliver these ads. Lucy-May, however, feels that it would help to display the new Cy-Mount chassis in direct competition with an older model to prove its superiority. Hesper is shocked and baffled that Dali would even recommend involving rats in any capacity, and also doesn’t fully understand the point of folding the ads into origami. However, she thinks there is some way to combine these concepts.
Hesper thinks that, as Lucy-May suggested, a race between the new TX2 Exosekeloton invented by Sprock and the current most valuable Cy-Mount model will be absolute proof of its superiority. She also thinks that Diego could use this event as a means to display exactly what the TX2 does to address the failures of previous models, while she knows Fiji’s plan to distribute ads for the event will help draw more… and she even thinks Dali’s suggestion to employ animal messengers could help as well, but she recommends changing their preferred messenger into pigeons, since they’re a more commonly accepted means of delivery. However, the party can’t help but notice that Hesper has been indulging quite liberally in wine, which none find particularly surprising considering her brother’s near-death experience earlier in the day after her childhood friend died in a fire the night before. Mr. Fromant is also indulging heavily, but he seems much more jovial than Hesper. The rest of the party, for the most part, drinks much more conservatively… all except for Diego, who is sitting next to Mr. Fromant and who is far too polite to object when Fromant insists on refilling Diego’s glass.
Hesper is mostly quiet and focused on drinking, however, Fromant and Diego are boisterously discussing Cy-Mounts and carriage models. Both are quite knowledgeable on both matters, and they’re also fascinated by the new automobiles that have only recently been invented. As the two of them are fan-boying about their favorite carriage models, Diego fails to notice that his Mage Hand has appeared on its own. The monstrous hand slyly grabbing silverware and other precious metals, pulling them under the table and absorbing them, delivering them to Hell and the devil of greed, Mammon. The other Party members aren’t sure what to do about this, until the hand manages to snatch one of Lucy-May’s golden buttons. Finally they inform Diego, who is clearly deeply embarrassed that he lost control, although this does explain why he seemed to avoid alcohol up to this point. Other than Lucy-May, everyone in the party seems to avoid alcohol… Dali has no interest in it at all, Fiji finds drunk people entertaining, but prefers to simply pretend to be drunk as an excuse to spend time with them, while Diego avoids it to keep control over his Mage Hand. Even Lucy-May, who drinks comfortably thanks to her Dwarven heritage, has strong self-control and only drinks lightly in social situations.
Diego apologizes profusely for losing control… his allies are fully understanding, but he seems quite ashamed of himself. Despite the relative safety of the Hughes Mansion, the party still intends to keep watch during the night… Hesper Rayne Hughes, like the other victims, is a young attractive woman with wavy dark hair and striking green eyes. Dali and Lucy-May themselves also quite closely match the killer’s Modus Operandi… although Dali’s hair is straight rather than curvy, while Lucy-May has curly hair, but her eyes are a more subdued brown… still, there is variation in the victims… some with lighter hair, less intense eyes, and no consistency in skin tone. Diego, embarrassedly, admits that he needs to sleep off the wine, but makes sure to volunteer CHESTR to help keep watch. As everyone prepares to keep turns watching, Diego returns to his bedroom and focuses enough to deliberately conjure his Mage Hand. He stares at it, speaking to it directly and demanding it stop stealing from this place, as it is not his fortune to give. The hand, however, simply points at him ominously before fading away, leaving him alone as he prepares for bed.
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