We'll be playing again tonight, just a little earlier than usual... starting at 3:30 PM PST we'll be streaming at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! As for what happened in our last game...
The party returns the lost child to her parents, who are overwhelmed with relief to learn their daughter is alive. Crush offers to let the family stay in his room at the inn, while the party borrows the family’s campsite, hoping to still learn more about the Werewolf they came here to find in the first place. However, before that can happen, they need to deal with Cristal, the Drow slaver they have captured in Kanec’s genie bag. Ricky casts invisibility on himself and accompanies Crush into the bag. The slaver had been waiting and ready to attack, able to trip Crush and attempt her escape, but Ricky’s invisibility allows him to stop her in her tracks. She’s given an ultimatum… face justice and help to recover the slaves she had sold, or get her head lopped off. Begrudgingly, she agrees to be turned in, revealing some information about what happened to Gilly: She kept a record of all sales, which shows that Gilly was sold to someone named Djarnen, which Ash recognizes as an Abyssal name. Curiously, though, Gilly was actually delivered to the Feywild.
With Cristal turned in to the local guards, the party returns to camp. In the night, Crush sees a figure approach the party and leave behind a package… it includes a note of thanks and a small payment of coins. When he shows it to the rest of the party in the morning, Ash recognizes the handwriting from a receipt she had gotten from the local general store owner. When they go to speak to him Crush slowly realizes that the store owner is, in fact, the werewolf. When the party confronts him about it, he finally admits that he is. But he also explains that he wasn’t the one killing locals… rather, he had been trying to stop grave robbers when his brother saw him. It was actually the Hags the party had killed earlier that were killing commoners and harvesting their bodies for parts. Trusting that he has control over himself, the party leaves him be.
The party then takes to the road, making their way to Dawsberry to investigate how the city is holding up following the devastating tsunami that left hundreds dead, and even more injured or missing.
Crits for Breakfast is getting ready to stream our secondary campaign where we take on the Lost Mines of Phandelver. The Party has arrested the leader of the Redbrand Bandits, and is now making their way to Cragmaw Castle. Join us tonight at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
We're starting again soon! If you want to see what happens next, join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! In case you missed it, here's what happened last time...
Travel continues as the party makes their way South. However, things slow when they approach construction on the damaged roads, with the party theorizing it may have something to do with the earthquakes that have been wreaking havoc, in particular triggering the tsunami that devastated the city of Dawsberry. As they travel they end up briefly in a caravan, with Ricky and Crush recognizing a pair of boys who had been adopted by one of the Reavers. They have a brief conversation, with Crush gifting them one of his carvings while Ricky gets them to sing along to the song, “Smack a Baby”, which the rowdy boys are happy to keep singing, to the annoyance of their new father. The Caravan splits, most of the other carts making their way to the city of Seamont, which has been taken over by Reavers, while the party continues on the less-frequented path to Dawsberry.
The party spends most of their travel bonding, but get stopped by bandits who drastically underestimated their targets. Continuing down the road, they come across what seems to be an extremely unhealthy and unresponsive woman… the party tries to figure out what went wrong with her, Ricky even attempts to cast Detect Thoughts, but finds that her mind is completely blank… not even the instinctive thoughts of an Undead in her head. Just as Ash makes the revelation that it’s a corpse animated and pulled forcefully by magic (rather than revived as an undead), the corpse explodes in a burst of fire… instantly killing their horses, setting their cart ablaze, and knocking Corrio unconscious. The one clue they’re able to find is a supernaturally strong spider-silk-like strand, with the party understanding that the corpse was literally puppeteered by an unseen foe. As they search the area for their foe, Ricky polymorphs into an owl to get a fresh perspective… although he gets a brief glimpse of a specter-like being, but before he can investigate further the party is attacked. Kanec and Fidget lose control of their bodies, involuntarily attacking their allies. Azure is able to stun Fidget, while Crush focuses on grappling Kanec. Ricky notices tiny, barely visible strands floating above Kanec and Fidget that seem to vanish into nothingness. Being an Owl, Ricky assumes there’s some kind of invisible being at that point and tries to poop on it… although by luck of the roll his poop flies right through the air and lands on an invisible figure, who reacts in disgust by sinking into the ground and vanishing. Once aware of the strings, the party targets the strands directly, freeing Kanec and Fidget from their attacker’s influence.
Azure makes the revelation that Kanec and Fidget were the only ones controlled because the Grimveil Pendants that everyone else wore protected them from being controlled. Ash had already secured another Hag heart in order to re-enchant Fidget’s pendant, and the party carries Gilly’s lost pendant… giving them the means to protect their remaining party members. Even Ricky is forced to carry his pendant again after symbolically rejecting it earlier.
As night falls they search for a safe location to camp for the night. Corrio, after getting some rest, takes on the job of enchanting the pendants for Fidget and Kanec. While he’s distracted with the ceremony, and the rest of the party is busy cooking, Fidget and Ash sneak away into the woods so Ash can communicate with her Patron. She presents him with a feast of corrupt souls, including hags, slavers, and cruel assassins. The souls revitalize her patron, who at first appeared as a smokey, skeletal form but now appears to have skin and hair. The rush of power Ash is rewarded with floods her with memories of her past life as Promethea. She fully remembers her family… her sorcerer brothers, and dark figures attacking and killing them one by one. Although the more she learns seems to only give her more questions. Still, it’s so intense that it leaves her vomiting black bile and passing out again… but as she recovers she realizes her patron has bestowed on her enough energy to gain an additional warlock spell slot.
Crits for Breakfast will be streaming tonight! One of our players recently started her dream job at a bakery, so our stream schedule is going to change. Normally we play on weekends, but going forward we're going to have more weekday streams. For now, we'll be starting our stream around 5 PM PST, as always, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. But for those who weren't able to join us last time, here's what you missed in the last session...
As night falls a rain storm begins, and with Crush keeping watch he sees a strange figure in the darkness who begins to sing along when Ricky plays some music. Approaching, they realize she’s a ghost named Clara who has been trapped in this area, only able to manifest on rainy nights. Corrio and Ash examine her, using their knowledge of religion and undeath, respectively, to learn what to do with her. In order to help her move on to the afterlife, they realize that they need to exhume her corpse so that she can be buried properly in her hometown of Dawsberry, where the party is headed already. Her corpse has been reduced to little more than a skeleton at this point, although a mark on one of her neck bones implies she was brutally killed with a deep throat cut. Her skeleton is stored inside Kanec’s genie bag as the party finishes resting for the night… Clara herself disappears when the rain stops.
Surprisingly, as the party begins to travel the next day, they come across another Merc, the mysterious and powerful merchant family. Azure purchases magical hand wraps that allow her to deal more damage, but Ash thinks to get something much more valuable… information. She trades the only intact Jewel of Corruption the party had managed to recover from one of the Depraved Gloom brutes to the Merc in exchange for anything he could learn about Jarnen, the demon that had supposedly purchased Gilly. Using magic to communicate with the other Mercs, he reveals that Jarnen is a poweful demon who has managed to retire from his duties, and now lives in the Feywild, married to a powerful Arch-fey of the fey court known as Gwendola. While the party reels from this revelation Kanec asks the Merc to help him expand his Genie Bag, adding more rooms. The Merc needs to take his bag for at least a day to add the attachments… and Kanec forgets that Clara’s bones are stored inside until it’s too late. Luckily the Mercs have a solid reputation and he’s certain that everything will be returned safely.
After some more travel the group arrives in Dawsberry… as they had been told before, the town is devastated. There aren’t even any scavengers going through the wreckage, as after-shocks make it dangerous to be near the crumbling buildings. Crush walks out into the ocean to see if there’s anything to be learned down there… he realizes that the water is suspiciously empty of fish, and some sharks are hunting unnaturally close to land. One even attempts to attack him, but he’s able to scare it away. Once on land he realizes that there aren’t any animals on land either… not even birds. Scanning the tree line, he sees smoke from a campfire a few miles away. Hoping to find refugees to speak to, they make their way in that direction. But as they pass through what they think is a puddle the group is suddenly attacked by a Black Pudding, with the session ending before combat begins.
We're continuing our weekday streaming schedule, with more Crits for Breakfast streaming tonight at 4:30 PM PST. Join us, as always, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. Also as always, here's what happened in last night's session:
As the party is attacked by a black pudding, Ricky is able to cast Hold Monster, pinning the dangerous blob in place and allowing the remaining party members to attack. Once defeated, they look around and realize that there are Black Puddings all over town, waiting to ambush any survivors. To avoid the puddings, Ash casts Fly on herself, Kanec, and Crush. Ricky, meanwhile, polymorphs into a giant eagle, allowing them all to lift the other party members as they fly out of town. From their higher perspective they can see that the Black Puddings seem to be coming out of the sewers, and in the water nearby is a deep, black trench that had been ripped open by the earthquake.
Making their way to the campfire smoke they saw from a distance, the group finds a large camp site housing the surviving refugees of Dawsberry. With the civilians in need of help, Ricky uses his Dragonmark to summon food and water. This gets the attention of a chef whose preparing food for everyone, with Ricky volunteering to assist. The party mingles with the people, some recognizing Crush and Azure from their gladiatorial performance. Azure summons her astral arms and enters a playful flexing contest with Crush, although Crush’s natural muscles prove more impressive to the audience.
Once the people are fed the party goes to the nearby manor owned by the Lady of the land. They’re greeted at the door by a goblin in a suit and tie… Ash casually drops her jacket on him to fold for her. Lady Annabella is busy preparing for company, so the goblin escorts the party to a waiting room, offering everyone drinks. Ricky doesn’t hesitate to request whiskey, which Kanec and Fidget also request… while everyone else just requests water. Ricky tries to tip the goblin for his efforts, although it seems to only offend him.
Lady Annabella finally arrives… a curvy, plump human woman in a gorgeous dress. Ricky immediately flirts with her, which seems to upset the goblin, who she refers to as “Swifty”. When Ricky continues to flirt with Annabella he angrily reveals that he’s not a servant… he’s Annabella’s husband, and Lord of the manor, Swiftfoot. However, he notices Fidget’s torn ears, a sign of deep shame in goblin culture, and is instantly suspicious of him. The party is invited to a light dinner cooked by Annabella… she reveals that she had sent her personal chef into town to help feed the people (who is the chef Ricky assisted earlier), and even sent her manor guards to the campsite to protect the vulnerable refugees from bandits. They reveal that the Black Puddings have made it nearly impossible to reclaim the town, and that they only appeared after the tsunami. They also weren’t aware of the trench that had opened up in the shallows, although they warn against exploring carelessly, as the seas have been more dangerous following the tsunami.
However, Annabella’s main concern are disappearances that have been happening in the refugee camp. Every 4 days, like clockwork, a seemingly random person goes missing in the dead of night… and tomorrow night another disappearance is expected. Crush doesn’t hesitate to volunteer to investigate, without asking for any compensation.
As the meal winds down, Swiftfoot confronts Fidget about his mutilated ears. Fidget isn’t eager to explain, but relents for the sake of the party… he reveals that, after meeting Ash, his children were going to be set on a suicide mission, as punishment for Fidget arguing with the Hobgoblins who controlled his horde. In desperation, he tries to escape with them, but instead he’s captured and his ears mutilated to mark him as a traitor. He barely escapes with his life and manages to escape with Ash… however, he’s forced to leave his children behind, certain that he left them to die.
With the sun setting everyone is able to get rooms in the large manor, although Corrio, Azure, and Ricky first take some time to visit the manor’s library. Azure opts to research the Undead, curious if she can learn anything about Ash’s condition. Corrio decides to study more on Fey, still frightened of what’s waiting for them in the Feywild when they go to rescue Gilly from the Unseelie court. Ricky spends his time looking for naked illustrations, but ends up caught up reading up on the symbolism of flowers after accidentally stumbling across a book on the subject.
In the night Ash remembers more of her past life as Promothea. She remembers the way she was looked down upon in her family for her lack of natural magic abilities… her studies as an artificer dismissed and ridiculed by her future mother-in-law. However, she awakens before she can remember her face.
With the morning comes breakfast. The party resolves that first they’ll examine the trench… Crush is able to breathe underwater, Ricky can use polymorph to transform another party member into a shark for at least an hour, and Ash reluctantly reveals she doesn’t need to breathe… although she’s not at all eager to get her nice clothes wet. However, this is meant to just be a recon mission, with their main goal being to investigate who, or what, is abducting refugees in the night.
We're playing Lost Mines of Phandelver again tonight! We had some technical issues with streaming last time we played Phandelver, but it should all be sorted out for tonight. Come join us tonight at 4pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
We're live right now! Join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
As for our last session...
As the party makes their way back into Dawsberry they pass through the refugee camp… taking time to mingle with some of the villagers and gather any new information. Crush bonds with the children by offering them carved wooden figurines of himself and Azure, and lets their parents know about their intent to clear out the town and investigate the missing people. On their way out of town a guard stops to speak to them, introducing the party to a halfling woman whose brother went missing. She thinks for a moment that she recognizes Ricky, seeming to have met his mother recently, who is also traveling the world at this time. More importantly, she shares what details she knows of her brother’s disappearance, and asks the party that, if they can’t recover her brother alive, at least return with a silver and bronze necklace he wore, which, while not particularly valuable to outsiders, has great importance as a family heirloom.
Making their way back into Dawsberry a wrong step gets the party engaged in combat with another Black Pudding. While most of the party keeps their distance, Crush and Kanec rush headlong into combat with the creature… and although they’re able to defeat the monster, Kanec’s precious heirloom sword is corroded permanently by the Black Pudding’s acid. Crush’s axe, which is enchanted to trigger critical hits more easily, is unaffected, but Kanec reveals that his sword was once enchanted centuries ago… but the enchantment included a curse and was dispelled, making the weapon susceptible to the Black Pudding’s acid.
Proceeding more carefully, everyone manages to avoid running into more black puddings as they make their way to the sea. Ricky transforms Kanec into a tiger shark, much to the young Reaver’s delight, while Ash begrudgingly removes her finer clothes, leaving it in the care of Fidget as she rides Crush’s shell into the water. A shark attack is stopped by Kanec, who easily kills the other shark… and although blood in the water attracts more nearby sharks, they focus on devouring the fallen shark and end up fighting each other. Attempts to approach the trench stealthily fail, attracting the attention of hulking, demonic merfolk… the Merrow. Crush has a history with the Merrow, as a battle against them 5 years ago resulted in the injuries that forced him to retrain as a Storm Herald, after a lifetime of fighting as a Berserker. There, in the sea, with all his equipment he’s able to quickly cut down the Merrow threat, bellowing at them in Aquan to keep their attention on him… especially because, if Kanec’s form as a shark were to be dealt enough damage, he would revert back to his Reaver form… 100s of feet below sea level with no way to get him to the surface before drowning. Ash summons Black Tentacles, pinning the Merrow in place and allowing Crush to finish them off, lopping off the leader’s head… which Ash orders him to bring with them as they hurry back to shore.
Using her necrotic Eldritch Invocation, Ash animates the creature’s head, allowing them to interrogate it. It reveals that the Merrow didn’t cause the tsunami, but rather, chose to take advantage of the chaos and destruction. It avoids telling the party just how many Merrow are present, but does reveal that something called “The Old One” is the cause of the devastation, and speaks vaguely about something it refers to as the “Big Island”.
Frustrated at the uncertainty of what to do about the Merrow, Crush instead focuses on the Black Puddings. Now that the party has realized how slow the creatures are, they realize they can attempt to simply keep their distance and pelt them with ranged attacks, planning to at least clear out enough of them to make the streets safe to travel. This plan immediately hits a road block as Crush steps too close to one of the crumbling buildings where a Black Pudding has taken up residence. Forced into melee combat the group has some minor hiccups, but still make short work of the beast. From there they see two more Black Puddings, easily able to destroy them from a distance without either creature getting close enough to deal any damage, then decide to use Ash’s Fly spell and Ricky’s ability to Polymorph into a giant eagle to take out as many as possible from the sky… (at which point the DM allowed the party to arbitrate remaining combats, as it would be tedious to run through a dozen combats with slow moving creatures attacked from far out of range). With the town seemingly cleared of all the Black Puddings that can be seen from the sky, the party returns to the refugee camp an hour before sundown.
After keeping watch in the night, one of the refugees is captured by a mysterious creature. The party is able to track it into the woods, where they discover a hidden entrance into a dark cave...
Oh crap I forgot to write up a summary of last night's session... uh... we killed a big scary monster that had been abducting people as it prepared to reproduce, and all kinds of little details that will pay off later were learned. Anyway, join us right now at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
We're about to start streaming more Lost Mines of Phandelver! The party has rescued Gundren Rockseeker, who has revealed the location of Wave Echo Cave. Come join us as we begin the journey of discovery and the search for the remaining Rockseeker brother at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
We're going live now, 4pm PST, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! The party's on the road again, and since I didn't write a proper summary last time, here's an extra long summary for the past two sessions:
Traveling deep underground, the party is forced to move slowly to avoid attacks by Dark Mantles. They first discover an ancient, amateur wizard’s spellbook, then later find an abandoned miner’s camp, and manage to recover a treasure chest filled with freshly excavated jewels. Moving further they discover spiders, which Fidget recognizes as a breed that specializes in eating corpses, able to strip a body to bones within days. His discovery takes a dark turn when the party searches deeper, finding a Halfling skeleton wearing the silver necklace of the Halfling man who had gone missing over a week ago. Searching his possessions, they find a book on Legends and Cryptids, which has a particular cryptid bookmarked… The Spindly Ladleman. A mythical monster that attacks with a massive silver ladle, moving silently and abducting victims… using magic to turn their sorrow and anguish into thick, oily tears that it consumes for sustenance. However, when the creature is preparing to reproduduce it abducts targets more frequently… every 4 days, to be precise.
Although the party is slowed briefly by a large chasm, they make their way deeper inside, following the unpleasant stench of death. Deep in the cave they discover a pair of nests… one well-used and filled with the bones of victims, while the other appears to have been unused so far. Undeterred, they continue deeper… following a mysterious staircase caved into the ground until they make their way to an underground temple… deep inside they discover the human man who had been abducted, and a female Deep Gnome. Both are unconscious and injured; arranged to cry oily tears into a deep stone basin. Before they can move the victims away from the basin, a massive figure lowers from the ceiling… despite its size the creature barely makes a sound. With no eyes of its own, its limbs were strange… long and thin, but powerful. And a large silver ladle held in one hand. It communicates telepathically, mocking and insulting the party as they battle the creature. It swings its ladle with enough power to completely stun Crush, and its magic temporarily blinds Azure, forcing her to cry oily tears like its victims. However, attacking the creature reveals that its own blood is made of the same oily tears.
Ricky casts Heat Metal on the creature’s ladle, forcing it to drop its primary weapon. Once it’s unarmed the party is able to more quickly take down the beast, cutting it down and freeing its victims. Ricky wants to cut off the creature’s head as proof of its existence, and Crush doesn’t hesitate to oblige. Exploring the temple they find themselves in, they make a curious discovery… a freshly dug tunnel leading to the surface… and coming out of the Blacksmith’s forge in Dawsberry. Examining the forge, they find a strange marking carved into the inside of the forge… a marking that Ash is able to recognize as the symbol of the Ladleman.
The lost human man is returned to his family, while Ricky takes it upon himself to reveal the bad news to the Halfling woman asking about her brother. Although she’s saddened by her brother’s death, she’s relieved when she recognizes the Deepgnome woman as Nori, a local miner and lover of her brother, Lucas. The party realizes the treasure chest they had found belongs to Nori, opting to leave it for her. After reconvening, the party makes their way to Lady Annabelle’s manor. After informing her of the events of the night prior, Ash casually pulls out the Ladleman’s head… spilling its oily blood on the carpet, much to Annabelle’s annoyance. Annabelle reveals what she has learned about Clara, the ghost… she was the daughter of the town’s old blacksmith, and she had a surviving brother. Coincidentally, her brother’s son is Steven, the human man the party has just recently rescued from the Ladleman.
Everyone takes some time to rest, while Annabelle investigates the wizard’s spellbook the party had found, before the party returns to the refugee camp to check on Steven. He’s shocked to hear of his aunt’s fate, but the party remembers Clara mentioning a desire to be buried somewhere on a hill with two trees, which Steven recognizes as a hill overlooking Dawsberry where he himself had proposed to his wife. He also remembers that his Aunt had been the victim of a known killer who seduced women to lure them to secluded locations before slitting their throat and stealing their possessions. Fortunately, he had been caught years ago and hung. He’s assured that Lady Annabelle will help him to arrange Clara’s burial. Questioning further, he reveals that he was the apprentice of the current blacksmith, having come from a smithing family. He knows for certain that the eldritch mark the party had seen on the smith’s forge wasn’t there before, and that the Smith had died mysteriously, seeming to have died in the middle of a meal with no apparent cause of death.
Returning to Annabelle’s manor, they make certain that Lucas and Clara’s remains are ready for burial, and Annabelle provides a wealth of information. Firstly, the “Big Island” the Merrow spoke of is a mythical island that appears rarely in the ocean nearby… its appearance is said to cause earthquakes and tsunamis, and anyone who has ever attempted to reach the island has instead gone missing. She does, however, volunteer her own ship, the Blooming Rose, which (as far she knows) is still docked in Seamont to the South, which has been overtaken by Reavers. However, it’s the party’s responsibility to hire a captain and crew, although she lets them know about a few captains she’s hired in the past. She also reveals that the amateur wizard’s spellbook they had found was far more advanced than it appeared… on the seemingly blank pages of the spellbook, written with invisible ink, was instructions for summoning demonic creatures, which explains the sudden appearance of the Ladleman.
Just as they’re readying to leave the manor is attacked by Depraved Gloom assassins. Trickfoot the goblin reveals his skills as a monk, while Annabelle draws a shortsword from under her dress, revealing she’s a trained fighter. Although the party is able to clear out the assassins easily enough, but realize they need to keep moving or else more assassins will attack Annabelle’s manor.
Moving through the night they’re able to see figures chasing after them, mostly likely more assassins. To throw them off, Ash and Ricky use a combination of Polymorph and Kanec’s genie bag to transform Crush and Ash into owls while the rest of the party rests in the Genie bag. Flying at twice their walking speed over the tree line allows them to shake the Depraved Gloom, but when they fly low in anticipation of the spell wearing off the owls are attacked by wolves… a minor inconvenience, with Crush and Ash able to kill two of the wolves, providing, if nothing else, some fresh wolf meat. Ricky takes a turn transformed into an owl to carry the genie bag, but is forced to stop near the beach when a storm rolls in.
As everyone prepares for a night’s rest Crush goes to the Beach. Focusing on his connection to the sea and the storm… trying to get some sense of what’s going on. He detects something… wrong, somewhere deep in the ocean. The storm feels to him like a symptom… not unnatural on its own, but caused by unnatural forces corrupting something in the sea itself. Returning to camp, he’s determined to find Annabelle’s ship and investigate the Big Island, certain that something there is the cause.
We're going live again soon! Join us at 4:15pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. The party has finally made their way to the city of Seamont... a large city filled with intrigue and danger...
After summoning his Tiny Hut using the power of his Dragonmark, Ricky realizes that his precious lute (which he calls “Charlene”) has gone missing, not realizing that Azure and Corrio have hidden it from him as a prank. Unable to remember where he left it, he somehow comes to the conclusion that, when he absorbed his equipment into his new form the last time he polymorphed, that he accidentally left Charlene fused into his body. To test this theory Crush asks him to cast a spell, since Ricky stated he can’t cast magic without his focus. Ricky then casts Faerie Fire on himself (and Crush), forgetting that, since Faerie Fire requires no material component, it can be freely cast without a focus. When the spell works, he takes it as proof that he’s absorbed Charlene. Hoping that it will come out if he polymorphs again in the morning, he hurries to sleep using his Blanket of Rest (which allows the user to gain the benefits of a Long Rest in half the time)
As the party rests for the night in Kanec’s genie bag, Crush keeps watch, using some rations to keep a pair of wolves from digging under Ricky’s Tiny Hut spell. When it comes time for Azure’s watch, Crush opts to sleep outside of the hut in the rain, trusting his shell to provide any protection he might need. However, a group of none-too-bright bandits come along, mistaking Ricky’s Tiny Hut for a strange, perfectly smooth rock. As the hut is set up against a tree, they use it for cover from the rain… one even mistaking Crush’s shell for a rock… with Crush failing to wake up even as the men start discussing their plans to ambush any traveling merchants, and eventually getting bored and singing loudly and off-key. This is enough to wake Ricky, who gets tired of their bad music and chooses to pop his head out, claiming to be the God of Rock, demanding tribute. With their low wisdom and his high deception he manages to convince them, and the bandits request a blessing… which he delivers in the form of Faerie Fire, the bandits convinced the sparkly purple glow is some kind of blessing. Not having any money to give, they instead give Ricky a wheel of goat cheese.
With his Blanket of Rest letting Ricky recover early, he encourages everyone else to get in the Genie Bag as the rain lightens enough for him to polymorph into an owl again, carrying the genie bag as he flies toward Seamont. However, the sky is still stormy and he narrowly evades being struck by lightning. He finds a safe place to land, but just as he’s about to let everyone out of the bag he spots the Drunken Gnome Party Wagon that’s been creating havoc and chaos across the land. Impulsively, he leaps onto the Wagon as it speeds by, barley able to catch onto the back of the wagon. He’s able to convince the gnomes into allowing him into the wagon by promising them some Blue Pixie, a hallucinogenic mushroom he had stolen from criminals earlier in their adventure. Once inside he finds a group of drunken party girls, none of whom are actually steering their vehicle. He realizes the horse pulling the wagon is exhausted, and convinces the gnomes that he’s a “horse technician” and that he needs to “change a flat” on the horse… and considering their state after consuming the Blue Pixie, it’s not much trouble to convince them. Ricky frees the horse, leaving the Genie Bag tied around his waist as he polymorphs into a horse instead, letting their exhausted horse go free as he takes on the role. However… he neglects to inform any of the rest of the party of his plans, and as a horse he’s unable to explain himself when the other party members start to wake up and try to exit the genie bag, nearly falling from the speeding vehicle when they do. Finally, Fidget is able to safely exit and get in the wagon, where the gnomish women immediately start aggressively flirting with him. Corrio comes out of the bag, his ability to Speak With Animals allowing him to communicate with Ricky to get some idea of what’s going on. Things seem to be going well, until guards start to chase the wagon, attempting to arrest its occupants for their many crimes.
Fascinated by the Genie Bag, the gnomes climb inside, creating havoc in the bag… stealing food, knocking things over, and very nearly consuming the Reaver wine, which is poisonous to non-Reavers. Crush, Azure, and Fidget eventually manage to grab the rowdy girls, carrying them out of the bag only to find even more guards beginning to surround the wagon. Figuring the gnomes are criminals anyway, and not wanting to get mistaken for accomplices, Crush comes up with a plan to have Ricky Polymorph one more time...this time into a giant eagle while someone remains on his back carrying the Genie Bag. Corrio remains on Ricky’s back as he takes off, leaving the gnomes to the guards and causing no end of confusion as, from their perspective, the gnomes’ horse simply transformed into an eagle and flew away. Corrio and Ricky are able to watch the gnomes burst out of the wagon and take off, possibly eluding the guards once again.
Making their way to Seamont, Ricky’s career in entertainment with Crush and Azure’s gladiator contracts is enough to get them allowed into the city. The city is surrounded by high walls, with Reaver battleships docked in the harbor. Reaver flags are hung through out town, and there are signs of recent repair on many of the buildings. However… the citizens seem happy to have the Reavers present, not only for the security they provide, but also because they’re exceedingly wealthy and eager to spend. However, when asked about what happened to the town everyone immediately clams up, not wanting to upset the Reavers by discussing the town before they arrived.
Finding their way to the Gladiator arena, they’re surprised to find The Bladed Snake and F.H. in the city preparing to compete, but F.H. seems angered to see Crush and Ricky. When questioned, he never received the letter Crush had sent explaining that they would miss the contest in Gull’s Harbor due to Gilly’s disappearance. Instead, he had gotten letters of resignation from Crush and Azure, delivered by “Ricky”, who proceeded to insult F.H.’s family’s cider and cause havoc. Realizing it was actually Ricky’s father, Tricky, using illusions and forgery to sabotage their careers. It doesn’t help that, even without his interference, Crush had signed a contract with F.H. under false pretenses, as Ricky had stolen Crush’s original contract and forged signatures to free Crush from Tricky’s employ. Whether or not their resignations were forged, they still need to clear their names and start again from the bottom, if and only if they can get a lawyer to represent them.
Setting out for the legal district they search for both a lawyer, as well as the post office. Not surprisingly, the post office is found first… Azure gets several letters from her parents, mostly warning her about the dangers of traveling with a group of mostly men. Crush composes letters to Sister Isabelle in the High Temple of Esterea as well as to Lady Annabelle in Dawsberry
Bad news... our DM works security in a town with a lot of protesting, so she's unable to stream tonight's game. Sorry for anyone who was hoping to watch, but we should hopefully be back to normal soon.
We're going to be starting up again soon! It's going to be a short session, but our DM is just eager to play some D&D after her stressful night. YOu can join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
After delayed and choppy session yesterday, we're back to normal tonight! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
In a shorter-than-average session, Crush and Ricky learn the name of the town’s only lawyer who specializes in contract negotiation, Jonah. Unfortunately, Jonah is out of town on vacation until the next day. Meanwhile, the party goes to the upperclass tavern to get some food and rent a room, but unfortunately, all the rooms are taken. The party is forced to go to the slums to find a room to stay. The slums is near the docks, and on the way Crush asks about Lady Annabelle’s ship, the Blooming Rose. The docks are massive and filled with boats, so it will take some time to check on the state of her ship.
In the meantime, everyone finds the nearest tavern, the Strangled Rat. Filled with shady customers, yet run by a kindly old Tabaxi known as River. She’s confused by the large party’s willingness to share two small rooms, but with Kanec’s Genie Bag the request for a room is more a formality than anything else. However, most intriguingly, Ash is approached by a man named Cronos Fieldrose… a fellow necromancer who recognizes her undead nature thanks to her milky white eyes. He’s entranced by her, inviting her to meet with him privately the next day, although Fidget doesn’t trust that he’s not up to something more sinister…
With their room secured the party makes their way back toward the arena to explain their situation to F.H., hoping he’ll still support them as they wait for the lawyer to return. On the way, though, they’re stopped by a group of goblin bandits who know the city well enough to be able to isolate the party in an area left unpatrolled by Reavers. Attempts to intimidate the goblins or even convince them of the danger they’re in are ignored. And while the party is trying not to kill their attackers, Ricky lands a critical hit with a Prismatic Sphere, exploding one of the goblins with lightning, sending the remaining goblins scattering. However, the sound attracts a group of Reaver guards, who seem to understand the group was acting in self-defense and even recognize the corpse as a wanted criminal, but Reaver law demands any killing to be investigated and Ricky is arrested. However, Ricky seems eager to go to jail, as it may give him the opportunity to talk to someone already in jail, who may be less afraid to discuss how the Reavers came to take over the city...
We're playing more Lost Mines of Phandelver tonight. Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty at 4pm PST as the party has made their way into the mines themselves
We're about to go live in a few minutes! Come join us tonight for a longer-than-usual session at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! As for what happened last time...
With Ricky arrested, the rest of the party goes to inform F.H. that they were unable to meet with a lawyer, but because the night’s contest is an amateur contest, they can proceed even without resolving their contract issues… although the entry fee is steeper than normal, requiring ten gold per person… far too much for the average person, although luckily they can easily afford it.
Once in jail, Ricky meets a fellow prisoner… a dwarven man arrested while attempting to destroy the Reaver flagship. He claims that they’re building some sort of portal in their ship, and is certain the Reavers are an invading army. Meanwhile, as Crush and Azure prepare for the gladiator battle, a disinterested Ash returns to the docks, seeking out Cronos, the necromancer she had met earlier in the night, much to Fidget’s annoyance… especially when they both ask him to leave so they can chat privately. While they discuss necromancy, and the nature of death itself, the two begin to bond… eventually throwing caution to the wind and having sex.
While Crush and Azure prepare to compete, Crush attempts to apologize for everything that F.H. has gone through as a result of Crush competing under false pretenses, thanks to Ricky’s decision to steal and illegally modify Crush’s contract months ago. To do so, Crush returns the trophy he had won in the last tournament, which seems to really prove to F.H. his intent. Forced to join in on an amateur level event, Crush and Azure are unable to use the full extent of their abilities, since Azure cannot take advantage of her astral self, and Crush cannot tap into the power of the storm. Azure is the first to compete, taking on a mysterious green woman… she doesn’t appear to be orcish, but her true nature is never fully revealed. Azure struggles early on, but as the fight continues she learns her opponent’s weaknesses and eventually manages to throw her opponent from the ring, winning by a ring-out.
While the half-orc fighter, The Bladed Snake, battles a Reaver warrior known simply as The Boulder, the focus shifts to Ricky back in jail. Mostly for his own amusement, Ricky attempts to seduce his guard and his attempts appear to be working. However, his bubble is quickly burst when Kanec’s father, Savine, enters the jail to confront him. Thanks to some poorly worded sending spells from Ash, Savine is convinced that the party has kidnapped Kanec and refuses to listen to Ricky’s attempts to convince him otherwise. Not knowing that the Crush and Azure have been allowed to compete, he leads Savine to the Strangled Rat Inn, thinking the party will be there instead. The Bladed Snake, however, is unable to defeat The Boulder.
Meanwhile, Crush competes against a male Tabaxi with Lion-like features. Although he puts up a valiant effort, Crush’s experience and strength is too much for the amateur combatant and the Tabaxi is knocked unconscious. Corrio helps the Tabaxi back to his feet, and the three winners are invited to return the next day for professional competition.
Making their way back to the Strangled Rat, Fidget stops the group, revealing that he saw Savine bringing Ricky into the Inn. Kanec is not eager to confront his father, and while the rest of the party tries to placate him and persuade him to enter… Crush simply physically forces him to the door… although Fidget chooses to hide rather than enter and risk anything going wrong. When Kanec finally speaks to his father he needs to be convinced that Kanec hasn’t been harmed, which is helped by Crush’s blunt honesty about everything that happened, rather than withholding inconvenient facts to attempt to save face. With his father finally placated, Kanec is able to convince him to open up about what happened in Seamont, and why the Reavers have taken over the city.
When the Reaver ships first arrived in Seamont, the Reavers had attempted to negotiate a trade deal with the Lord of Seamont. However, due to their intimidating appearance and well-armed ships, he views them instead as an invading army, treating them with hostility. When he learns of their curse that makes them susceptible to their Blood Rage, he immediately turns against them, certain that the curse will spread. When he declares war on the visiting Reavers they respond with violence, easily overwhelming and killing Lord Seamont. Following the conflict, however, his daughter volunteers as ambassador to visit the Reaver homeland and negotiate a resolution with their leader, the Warlord. She insists on taking her brother with her, not wanting to leave him alone… and because the Reavers don’t know who they can trust, they inadvertently create a rumor that the Reavers had simply invaded the town, murdered the Lord, and abducted his children.
The group then asks about Fidget, and if there’s anything to be done for someone infected with the Reaver’s cursed blood. Like the others they’ve asked, he views it as a death sentence, but begrudgingly admits that there is a possibility. The Warlord is capable of stabilizing a Made Reaver… but it is not a boon he bestows lightly. The party will need to travel to the Reaver homeland and somehow secure a meeting with the Warlord himself, and even then there is no guarantee he’ll bestow this gift to just anyone who asks.
Once placated, Savine agrees to let his son continue to travel with the party, although the two are going to meet in private later to discuss further. Once Savine leaves (still taking Ricky with him back to jail), Fidget and Ash finally return and are told of the opportunity to save Fidget’s life… although for the proud goblin it’s little comfort, as the promised cure may prevent him from dying of his blood rage, it also means there’s no way for him to become a full goblin ever again.
Before night falls Crush and Azure return to the docks to search for Lady Annabelle’s ship, the Blooming Rose. They find the ship hasn’t been commandeered by the Reavers, and is in good condition. While examining the ship they’re confronted by a white tabaxi, who reveals herself to be the First Mate, Ivory Shores. Lady Annabelle had sent a message to Captain Pagonia and her crew, informing them of the party’s plan to borrow the ship. She lets them know that the crew is ready to take off any time tomorrow, although there will still be costs for the party… not only in coin, but also in labor, as they’re expected to work as crew. Crush and Azure are both comfortable with this arrangement… although there is debate on whether Ricky or Ash will react more poorly to the demands.
When morning comes Crush meets Ricky outside of the post office, where they manage to catch Jonah, a half-elf lawyer who specializes in contract negotiations. He actually recognizes Tricky’s name, knowing him to create problems for clients. However, once he learns that Tricky used illusion magic in order to frame Ricky, he says that the case will be much more expensive and complicated than they’ve managed to realize. Only one court is equipped to handle these types of magical disputes… the court of the Elvish capital of Ortheiad City, the capital city of Ortheia. Still, he’s willing to take on the case, giving them paperwork to fill out and planning to meet them at the gladiator event that night to finalize his first payment.
Once that’s taken care of they return to the Strangled Rat to gather their party. Before doing any other work for the day they take them to the Blooming Rose to the meet the crew. Kanec especially is eager to take to the sea on such a fine vessel, but Ash and Fidget don’t care for sea travel, since their first experience was on a slaver’s ship. The party meets Captain Pagonia, a stern and demanding Firbolg who makes very clear that she won’t tolerate layabouts. Ricky almost immediately tries to think of a way to get out of work, until he learns that the ship is without a cook, instantly volunteering for the position. Ash, however, is much less willing to play along, with no plans to do any kind of labor. The session ends with everyone stepping off the ship, planning to spend the day preparing and leaving once the tournament is finished at sundown.
We had an exciting game last time, with mystery and intrigue, but also plenty of action in the form of a gladiator tournament. If you want to see how the tournament ends, join us tonight at 3:30 PM PST at Twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. But in case you want to know what happened last time and weren't able to join us...
Stepping off of the Blooming Rose, Fidget immediately sneaks away from the rest of the party, prompting Ash to attempt to follow him. Kanec, meanwhile, leaves to meet with his father while Corrio reveals the coded message he had been working on from Duncan. The message instructs them to search a well, with an illustration guiding the party on what to do at the well, although what it specifically means is uncertain. They find a well in the docks district and lower Ricky inside to search inside for clues… with the party concluding that the distinctive clicks of security locks in the bucket lowering mechanism corresponding with the illustration left by Duncan… but this particular well doesn’t contain anything. They check another well before thinking to find the oldest well in town, since it’s unlikely Duncan could install anything inside a well himself, but it is possible the wealthy Grimveil family he comes from may have hidden something decades ago while installing a well.
They find a well in the wealthy side of town, and struggle a bit because of the highly public location of the well. Ricky attempts to sneakily polymorph into a bat to explore inside, but is seen by a Reaver guard, who thinks something suspicious is going on. Ricky manages to convince the guard that he had simply dropped a ring in the well. This allows the party to lower Ricky in with the bucket instead, and Ricky decodes the puzzle hiding something deep inside, extracting a large package.
The party reconvenes at a nearby bistro, with Ash purchasing a 5 gp, overly elaborate coffee order, which Ricky is able to analyze and decipher the recipe, realizing the coffee is potent and rich enough to actually provide a boost to Wisdom for several hours after consumption. More importantly, they unwrap the package, revealing a large, ancient shield that resembles a giant version of the Grimveil pendants the party wears, including a large gem in the center of the emblem. The shield requires repairs… leather straps on the back needing to be replaced. Most unusual about the shield, however, is writing carved along the edge of the shield. Written over and over is the phrase “To Bring the World to Light” in a variety of languages, including Crush’s obscure language of Aquan, the messy writing of Goblin and, most shocking of all, is the Reaver language. The Reavers were believed to have been trapped on the other side of the world, separated from the land of Kahenah by the Eternal Storm… a massive storm too dangerous for even the seafaring Reavers to cross, which has only recently calmed enough for the Reavers to travel to Kahenah. They wonder about a man from the nearby country of Kirei Midori, who claims to have known a tall man matching the description of a Reaver when he was a child, contradicting the idea that Reavers only recently visited Kahenah.
Uncertain of what to do with this information, the party chooses to focus on the responsibilities they already have. Ricky and Ash focus on doing some shopping, while Crush and Azure return to the arena to talk to F.H. about the lawsuit they’re working on against Tricky, and to get his signature on some paperwork. They’re also introduced to their opponents for the upcoming battles… Azure is scheduled to fight against a shadow monk known as The Scorpion, while Crush is scheduled to fight the Heavenly Blade, an elven fighter. They also learn that this professional battle has no restrictions, with weapons and abilities fully allowed.
As they shop, Ricky confronts Ash about how distant she’s been acting, as well as Fidgets’ decision to hide all day. Ricky, however… has convinced himself that both of them have realized they’re in love with Ricky, and are now having an argument out of jealousy with one another. Ash isn’t very interested in explaining herself, focusing instead on buying comfort foods for their upcoming ship travel. When they reconvene Fidget finally reveals himself, although he gives no explanation for his absence. It’s getting late in the day so Crush and Azure have just enough time to purchase a few small items for themselves before needing to return to the arena. Ash, however, has no interest in battle, instead choosing to visit the necromancer Cronos.
The arena is packed, as Reavers love gladiator fights, offering up a massive pot of over 8,000 gp for the top 3, and a trophy made of pure platinum. The first fight is the Reaver gladiator known as The Boulder, who uses his bare hands to make short work of a nimble elven fighter known as Shatterleaf. Next up is Azure, introduced as The Astral Tiger, who finds herself facing off against The Scorpion. The two seem evenly matched, until The Scorpion uses his Ki to summon darkness in the ring (much to the chagrin of the audience). Using a magical item, he’s able to see through the darkness to get the advantage against Azure. However, he didn’t expect her to be able to summon her Visage of the Astral Self, allowing her to see even in magical darkness. Once the odds are evened, she takes the advantage, throwing him from the ring.
As all this is going on, Ash returns to talk to Cronos. Although the two at first seem to simply bond, it gradually becomes clear that she’s mainly probing him for information, trying to learn more about what she is and what the limits of her power truly are. Cronos, for his part, seems to be trying to find some way to decipher who Ash’s Patron is, since she’s magically unable to even speak his name. Despite the two of them trying to slyly extract information from each other, Ash chooses to seduce him as the two spend the night in bed.
On the far end of town, Crush is ready to battle against The Heavenly Blade, a fully armored fighter. While she’s stoic and serious, Crush takes some time to work the crowd, getting them pumped for the battle and cheering for Crush. Crush gets the first move, unleashing his Rage and making wild, Reckless swings. Heavenly Blade is a skilled Battlemaster, but with his Greataxe that crits on a 19 and his resistance, Crush steamrolls her, sustaining only 18 damage from the entire fight while easily outputting more than that on single attacks.
Next Azure faces off against The Bladed Snake, the half-orc gladiator the party had met before and who has, with Crushes apparent “resignation” become F.H.’s top fighter, not even needing to qualify to be allowed in the tournament. Able to use her weapons and armor she proves to be a force to be reckoned with. She goes toe-to-to with Azure, who has been healed since her fight with The Scorpion, but hasn’t had enough time to recover her Ki. She relies on her Stunning Strikes or Patient Defense to either pin down Bladed Snake or to evade her attacks. In the end they’re both down to single digit health, but even with Azure’s ki fully spent the Blade Snake manages to miss all three attacks against the young monk, and Azure barely secures the win.
This leads to the fight between Crush and The Boulder… a mountain of a man with skin nearly as tough as Crush’s own shell. Although the Reaver is nearly 2 feet taller, the two weigh nearly the same at 500 lbs thanks to Crush’s heavy shell. Despite using his bare fists, The Boulder hits nearly as hard as crush with his axe, but luckily Crush’s rage resistance gives him the edge in the battle. What does threaten to tip the scales, however, is Boulder taking enough damage to threaten to trigger his Reaver bloodrage. A Reaver’s bloodrage not only gives them a sudden drastic heal, it gives them advantage on attacks and an increase to AC, while also making them unable to distinguish friend from foe. Going fully reckless, Crush unleashes everything he has on The Boulder, knocking the powerful Reaver unconscious with a burst of lightning as the crowd cheers. Now, as before, the final battle will be Crush vs. Azure. And with Ricky providing Azure with a Catnap to return her Ki, the two friends will once again see who wins between strength and dexterity.
The party has found their way onto the open sea! Come join us on boat adventures tonight at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty, but for those who weren't able to join us last time, here's what you missed:
Crush and Azure face off in the final round of the tournament. Azure relies on her bare hands instead of utilizing her astral arms, which prevents her from getting through Crush’s Rage resistances. Crush gets the first attack, starting things off with a devastating critical hit. Although Azure’s evasion allows her to avoid the lightning from Crush’s sea aura, Crush still manages to slash through half her health in a single round. In response, Azure targets Crush with a stunning strike, and despite his high Constitution she manages to stun him. Taking advantage of the moment to unleash as much damage as possible… but ultimately Crush finally breaks free of the stun, and Azure responds with her Patient Defense. Undeterred, Crush risks a reckless attack to even the odds and manages to land another critical hit, slamming Azure to the ground and securing another victory. After some healing Azure is back on her feet, and Crush is rewarded 3000 gold and a large platinum trophy. Azure is rewarded a still-impressive 1000 gold, and the cheers of her growing fanbase. Crush is able to use 1200 of his winnings to hire Jonah for the upcoming case against Tricky.
Making their way to the Blooming Rose, the party helps the ship to set sail. Crush and Kannec are especially eager to help, although Azure as well is eager to learn from the experienced sailors. As things wind down Ricky and Crush work together to prepare dinner for everyone. While everyone else enjoys a hearty meal, Ash and Fidget finally talk about the conflict they’ve been in over the past few days with Ash and her fling with Cronos. Fidget isn’t simply jealous of her sleeping with someone else, as the two are in an open relationship. Instead he’s upset that Ash lied to him about her intentions with Cronos, and she allowed Cronos to slam a door in Fidget’s face. Even with Fidget’s concerns that Cronos might be dangerous, Ash ignores him and continues to meet with Cronos in secret. What really hurts him, though… is when Ash complains that she wants to finally be able to touch someone, since her necrotic hands hurt others just from touch. Fidget leaves angrily, and Ash is left sad and alone. When she returns downstairs she’s overcome with emotion and pain as necrotic forces overpower her, once again causing her to pass out and vomit black bile… but for the first time, she doesn’t have Fidget to watch over her and help clean her up.
As she lays unconscious, a veil of supernatural silence surrounds her. She’s struck with memories of her past life… about going to upper class parties, to the finest schools, to places of prestige… but in each place she hears whispers of others. She’s seen as a freak for her complete lack of magical ability… not even capable of the simplest elven magic. In a family of renowned sorcerers she’s seen as a failure and an omen of bad luck. Even when she was planning to get married, her mother-in-law spoke in private about her being a freak and a disappointment… while her father-in-law was pressuring her family to force her to go to school far away to delay the marriage.
Ricky approaches the bathroom where Ash passed out, seeing the bile spilling out, but because she passed out against the doorway he couldn’t enter to help until she woke up on her own. Helping her to recover and clean up, he leads her to Corrio’s room the cleric can look her over to make sure she’s well enough to continue. The three of them sit and talk about what happened, Ash struggling with the feelings that have been reawakening in her as she gradually unlocks more of her memories. Once Ash seems to be feeling better, Ricky takes it on himself to make sure Fidget is okay as well.
Fidget is none too happy to be interrupted as he’s been chugging wine swiped from the pantry. Although Fidget is struggling with his anger and emotions, but despite their normally antagonistic attitude together, the two of them connect. Ricky opening up honestly to Fidget as a friend and ally. It’s not enough to get Fidget feeling completely better, but it’s enough to calm him as the two rest for the night.
Meanwhile, once they’re alone, Ash continues to talk to Corrio about what she’s been experiencing. The familiar emotions that now seem so painful and alien. The way she longed for Cronos as he spoke about the things she’s ashamed of as being beautiful… her undead nature, her wrinkled and blackened hands, even the wound on her chest that never fully closes. She also reveals one thing to Corrio that she hasn’t been able to admit even to Fidget… that talking to Cronos she learned that she might be a Revenant… vengeful undead that exists only to seek revenge. Worried of what will happen to her when she finally gets revenge on the person who killed her.
In the night Crush is awoken as some of the crew on board pull up a swordfish, happy for the bounty of fresh meat. However, Crush notices a simple seashell necklace caught in the net, pocketing it for now. When the morning comes Fidget is struck by an intense nightmare. Thrashing in his sleep, he doesn’t realize his own strength, punching a hole in the side of the hull… small, but pouring in water. Ricky thinks to attempt to seal the hole, if only temporarily, by using a cold-empowered Chromatic Orb. However, just like when he killed the goblin sorcerer, he underestimates the power of Chromatic orb and ends up blowing the hole much larger, allowing water to rush in at a dangerous pace. They leave the room, shutting the door behind them and using it to hold back the water while it falls on Crush to use his ability to breathe underwater combined with his skill at woodworking to repair the hull. Fortunately he’s aided by Ash, who uses spider-climb to get close, and the mending cantrip to repair broken boards and magically seal bonds. Meanwhile, Corrio uses his ability to Control Water to flush out the water from inside the cabin, with Captain Pagonia a bit annoyed that he didn’t let them know he had such power to begin with.
With some of his possessions floating away, Crush swims after them, only to find a shark attacking his leather bag. He doesn’t hesitate to punch the shark, sending it reeling… just in time for Crush himself to dodge a small single-person boat that had sailed over after seeing the large Blooming Rose in distress. The boat is helmed by Kalea, a female tortle with colorful patterns on her skin. When she asks what the group is doing out here Crush tells her about the Disappearing Isle and how he came out here after sensing a sickness in the sea itself. She reveals that, as a druid, she has sensed the same thing and is deeply concerned when Crush tells her about happened to Dawsberry… both with the rift opening in the ocean floor, and especially after learning of the Merrow that have taken up residence within. She reveals that she has an island nearby and invites the crew of the Blooming Rose to accompany her so she can share more information. On a whim, Crush asks if the shell necklace he had found the other night belongs to her, and she’s surprised to see it after thinking it lost. Crush wonders if the sea itself was trying to bring them together for the chance to solve the mystery of what’s wrong with the sea.
Crits for Breakfast is going to be streaming more Lost Mines of Phandelver! The party has finally confronted their foe, but there's still plenty of cleaning up to do. We'll be live shortly at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
We're going live right now! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! But for those who missed our last game, here's what happened:
Crush talks to Kalea about what has been happening with the ocean. She admits that her responsibilities have made it difficult for her to investigate it herself, but she’s heard from the spirits of the sea about areas plagued with famine, and powerful storms ravaging at unnatural times. When Crush describes the tsunami at Dawsberry, and how it left behind a rift in the ocean floor and destroyed the local fish population she immediately grows more concerned, but at the moment she doesn’t have much more to share. She plans to communicate with the spirits further, leading the party to her island where she can communicate more clearly.
However, after seeing Ash without her makeup to disguise her Undead nature Captain Pagonia is convinced she’s ill and orders her into quarantine… and Corrio with her, to make sure he can heal her. Ash doesn’t argue, since it gives her a valid excuse to avoid any work. Ricky prepares food for everyone while Crush lets everyone know about Kalea’s island… it’s too small for the Blooming Rose to dock too close, so only 5 or so people who can fit on Kalea’s small boat can accompany her. As they continue to ride forward Ricky takes it upon himself to help Ash and Fidget reconnect after their conflict. Still, Fidget is reluctant, getting angry at Ricky for continuing to bring it up. In the end, Ash doesn’t want to visit Kalea’s island, hesitant to visit a Druid’s home, as her very presence threatens to kill plant life. Fidget as well has no interest in visiting Kalea’s island, instead focused on sneaking wine and just trying to ignore the nightmares he’s been plagued with as a result of the Reavers’ curse.
Kanec also chooses to stay on the ship… for one, it would be a struggle for him to fit in Kalea’s small boat, and for two he’s simply enjoying being on the Blooming Rose itself too much, thanks to his love of sailing. It ends up being Azure, Corrio, Crush, and Ricky accompanying Kalea… although crush takes advantage to swim alongside the boat, his training as a Storm Herald allowing him to keep up with the vessel. Once on Kalea’s island she explains that spirits converge there, and she hopes to learn more about what the party is seeking with their help, although she has to wait for nightfall to speak to the spirits who know the most. As they share information she stops when Crush mentions “The Old One”, the term the Merrow use to refer to the Disappearing Isle. She’s heard the word on the sea, but doesn’t know what it is. She opts to connect with the sea for a bit, which she does through dance. Ricky, seemingly on a whim, creates a beautiful golden hand mirror using prestidigitation as a focus to attempt to pray to Sune, Goddess of love and beauty. Surprisingly, he rolls high enough to connect with Sune, who is fascinated by his ability to contact her without formal training. She gives him advice for his friendships and relationships, then leaves him with a gift… allowing the mirror he had created to become real.
Azure is fascinated by Kalea’s smooth, rhythmic dancing. She asks Crush to show her how to dance like that, and while Crush admits to using dance to connect with the sea as well, his technique is totally different from hers. He tries to teach them the dance his family had taught him… resembling more a Maori Haka dance, with heavy stomps and loud slaps against his own shell, seeming almost to challenge the sea itself. In the midst of his reverie he feels a deep connection to the ocean… a reminder of the corruption that is somewhere deep inside… and he can sense its origin somewhere far to the North West, but his primitive connection to the sea isn’t precise enough to give him more than a vague direction.
Back on the Blooming Rose, Ash goes to the mess hall… attempting to eat an apple to try and connect with her memories of being alive when she needed to eat, but since it quickly rots in her grip she angrily tosses it into a fire. As she’s contemplating… Fidget stumbles drunkenly into the mess hall, looking for more wine to steal. Ash and Fidget argue, struggling to open up about their feelings, both in denial of what they’ve been going through. Finally Ash apologizes for what she’s done, admitting that her emotions are returning and she finds them frightening. Fidget finally admits to her what he’s been feeling as well… realizing he has two possibilities: either he’s going to go mad within months, and he’ll either kill the people he cares about most, or be killed by them… or he’ll live for centuries and watch everyone he cares die slowly. After finally admitting how they feel they both finally reconnect. Finding some private time in one of the rooms, Ash takes off her gloves… revealing that the rot in her hands has gotten more extreme. Her gaunt fingers resembling claws. But Fidget isn’t afraid, letting her touch him… revealing that his Reaver healing allows her to touch him directly… even as her touch rots his flesh it heals even faster, only discoloring slightly as the two draw close for a night of passion.
The nostalgia of dancing on the beach reminds Crush of his childhood. He chooses to carve a small ship out of driftwood, the first thing his father taught him how to carve. Ricky and Azure help Kalea to craft a large ceremonial circlet out of woven plant matter. Taking it out to the beach, she performs a ceremony… dancing in the surf, the enchanted plant matter catching fire. Burning even as it floats on the water and continuing to burn as it floats under the water… a glowing orb of water surrounding her body. However, as she attempts to commune with the nature spirit, Crush spots dark figures swimming close, intent on stopping her ceremony. The remaining party members battle the merrow (with Ash’s player allowed to control Corrio, the NPC cleric, since Ash is still on the ship). Although the group of 4 Merrow wouldn’t normally be a threat to the party, their need to protect Kalea and prevent her from losing concentration is the real challenge. A few of the Merrow are able to get past the party to attack Kalea, but Ricky cripples their attempts by up-casting Blindness to succesfully blind the entire group of Merrow, making them easy pickings for Crush and Azure, but it’s Corrio (controlled by Ash’s player) that finishes the battle with a well-placed moonbeam.
Crush is perfectly happy to throw the bodies into the sea and letting them feed the animals, but Ricky and Azure want to investigate the bodies to find anything out of the ordinary. Azure manages to find a carefully hidden note written in Abyssal… and although no one present can read it, the emblem of the Depraved Gloom is visible on the note, letting them know that, whatever the Merrow are doing, their assassin enemies are involved.
Speaking to Kalea, she explains that the Ocean was able to give her the precise location of the corruption, marking it on Crush’s map. She was told that the “Old One” and the Disappearing Isle are both in the same location. She’s also told about Ricky’s Aunt Gilly, who has been sold into slavery and taken into the Feywild. While she doesn’t have the ability to travel to the Feywild herself, she makes contact with a fellow Druid… a Firbolg named Verik, who is powerful enough to travel between the Material Plane and the Feywild. As heavy rains pour through the night, the party chooses to sleep on Kalea’s island for the night, with plans to meet Verik the next day before moving forward to explore the location Kalea marked on their map.
We'll be playing again tonight, just a little earlier than usual... starting at 3:30 PM PST we'll be streaming at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! As for what happened in our last game...
The party returns the lost child to her parents, who are overwhelmed with relief to learn their daughter is alive. Crush offers to let the family stay in his room at the inn, while the party borrows the family’s campsite, hoping to still learn more about the Werewolf they came here to find in the first place. However, before that can happen, they need to deal with Cristal, the Drow slaver they have captured in Kanec’s genie bag. Ricky casts invisibility on himself and accompanies Crush into the bag. The slaver had been waiting and ready to attack, able to trip Crush and attempt her escape, but Ricky’s invisibility allows him to stop her in her tracks. She’s given an ultimatum… face justice and help to recover the slaves she had sold, or get her head lopped off. Begrudgingly, she agrees to be turned in, revealing some information about what happened to Gilly: She kept a record of all sales, which shows that Gilly was sold to someone named Djarnen, which Ash recognizes as an Abyssal name. Curiously, though, Gilly was actually delivered to the Feywild.
With Cristal turned in to the local guards, the party returns to camp. In the night, Crush sees a figure approach the party and leave behind a package… it includes a note of thanks and a small payment of coins. When he shows it to the rest of the party in the morning, Ash recognizes the handwriting from a receipt she had gotten from the local general store owner. When they go to speak to him Crush slowly realizes that the store owner is, in fact, the werewolf. When the party confronts him about it, he finally admits that he is. But he also explains that he wasn’t the one killing locals… rather, he had been trying to stop grave robbers when his brother saw him. It was actually the Hags the party had killed earlier that were killing commoners and harvesting their bodies for parts. Trusting that he has control over himself, the party leaves him be.
The party then takes to the road, making their way to Dawsberry to investigate how the city is holding up following the devastating tsunami that left hundreds dead, and even more injured or missing.
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Crits for Breakfast is getting ready to stream our secondary campaign where we take on the Lost Mines of Phandelver. The Party has arrested the leader of the Redbrand Bandits, and is now making their way to Cragmaw Castle. Join us tonight at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
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We're starting again soon! If you want to see what happens next, join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! In case you missed it, here's what happened last time...
Travel continues as the party makes their way South. However, things slow when they approach construction on the damaged roads, with the party theorizing it may have something to do with the earthquakes that have been wreaking havoc, in particular triggering the tsunami that devastated the city of Dawsberry. As they travel they end up briefly in a caravan, with Ricky and Crush recognizing a pair of boys who had been adopted by one of the Reavers. They have a brief conversation, with Crush gifting them one of his carvings while Ricky gets them to sing along to the song, “Smack a Baby”, which the rowdy boys are happy to keep singing, to the annoyance of their new father. The Caravan splits, most of the other carts making their way to the city of Seamont, which has been taken over by Reavers, while the party continues on the less-frequented path to Dawsberry.
The party spends most of their travel bonding, but get stopped by bandits who drastically underestimated their targets. Continuing down the road, they come across what seems to be an extremely unhealthy and unresponsive woman… the party tries to figure out what went wrong with her, Ricky even attempts to cast Detect Thoughts, but finds that her mind is completely blank… not even the instinctive thoughts of an Undead in her head. Just as Ash makes the revelation that it’s a corpse animated and pulled forcefully by magic (rather than revived as an undead), the corpse explodes in a burst of fire… instantly killing their horses, setting their cart ablaze, and knocking Corrio unconscious. The one clue they’re able to find is a supernaturally strong spider-silk-like strand, with the party understanding that the corpse was literally puppeteered by an unseen foe. As they search the area for their foe, Ricky polymorphs into an owl to get a fresh perspective… although he gets a brief glimpse of a specter-like being, but before he can investigate further the party is attacked. Kanec and Fidget lose control of their bodies, involuntarily attacking their allies. Azure is able to stun Fidget, while Crush focuses on grappling Kanec. Ricky notices tiny, barely visible strands floating above Kanec and Fidget that seem to vanish into nothingness. Being an Owl, Ricky assumes there’s some kind of invisible being at that point and tries to poop on it… although by luck of the roll his poop flies right through the air and lands on an invisible figure, who reacts in disgust by sinking into the ground and vanishing. Once aware of the strings, the party targets the strands directly, freeing Kanec and Fidget from their attacker’s influence.
Azure makes the revelation that Kanec and Fidget were the only ones controlled because the Grimveil Pendants that everyone else wore protected them from being controlled. Ash had already secured another Hag heart in order to re-enchant Fidget’s pendant, and the party carries Gilly’s lost pendant… giving them the means to protect their remaining party members. Even Ricky is forced to carry his pendant again after symbolically rejecting it earlier.
As night falls they search for a safe location to camp for the night. Corrio, after getting some rest, takes on the job of enchanting the pendants for Fidget and Kanec. While he’s distracted with the ceremony, and the rest of the party is busy cooking, Fidget and Ash sneak away into the woods so Ash can communicate with her Patron. She presents him with a feast of corrupt souls, including hags, slavers, and cruel assassins. The souls revitalize her patron, who at first appeared as a smokey, skeletal form but now appears to have skin and hair. The rush of power Ash is rewarded with floods her with memories of her past life as Promethea. She fully remembers her family… her sorcerer brothers, and dark figures attacking and killing them one by one. Although the more she learns seems to only give her more questions. Still, it’s so intense that it leaves her vomiting black bile and passing out again… but as she recovers she realizes her patron has bestowed on her enough energy to gain an additional warlock spell slot.
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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
Crits for Breakfast will be streaming tonight! One of our players recently started her dream job at a bakery, so our stream schedule is going to change. Normally we play on weekends, but going forward we're going to have more weekday streams. For now, we'll be starting our stream around 5 PM PST, as always, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. But for those who weren't able to join us last time, here's what you missed in the last session...
As night falls a rain storm begins, and with Crush keeping watch he sees a strange figure in the darkness who begins to sing along when Ricky plays some music. Approaching, they realize she’s a ghost named Clara who has been trapped in this area, only able to manifest on rainy nights. Corrio and Ash examine her, using their knowledge of religion and undeath, respectively, to learn what to do with her. In order to help her move on to the afterlife, they realize that they need to exhume her corpse so that she can be buried properly in her hometown of Dawsberry, where the party is headed already. Her corpse has been reduced to little more than a skeleton at this point, although a mark on one of her neck bones implies she was brutally killed with a deep throat cut. Her skeleton is stored inside Kanec’s genie bag as the party finishes resting for the night… Clara herself disappears when the rain stops.
Surprisingly, as the party begins to travel the next day, they come across another Merc, the mysterious and powerful merchant family. Azure purchases magical hand wraps that allow her to deal more damage, but Ash thinks to get something much more valuable… information. She trades the only intact Jewel of Corruption the party had managed to recover from one of the Depraved Gloom brutes to the Merc in exchange for anything he could learn about Jarnen, the demon that had supposedly purchased Gilly. Using magic to communicate with the other Mercs, he reveals that Jarnen is a poweful demon who has managed to retire from his duties, and now lives in the Feywild, married to a powerful Arch-fey of the fey court known as Gwendola. While the party reels from this revelation Kanec asks the Merc to help him expand his Genie Bag, adding more rooms. The Merc needs to take his bag for at least a day to add the attachments… and Kanec forgets that Clara’s bones are stored inside until it’s too late. Luckily the Mercs have a solid reputation and he’s certain that everything will be returned safely.
After some more travel the group arrives in Dawsberry… as they had been told before, the town is devastated. There aren’t even any scavengers going through the wreckage, as after-shocks make it dangerous to be near the crumbling buildings. Crush walks out into the ocean to see if there’s anything to be learned down there… he realizes that the water is suspiciously empty of fish, and some sharks are hunting unnaturally close to land. One even attempts to attack him, but he’s able to scare it away. Once on land he realizes that there aren’t any animals on land either… not even birds. Scanning the tree line, he sees smoke from a campfire a few miles away. Hoping to find refugees to speak to, they make their way in that direction. But as they pass through what they think is a puddle the group is suddenly attacked by a Black Pudding, with the session ending before combat begins.
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We're continuing our weekday streaming schedule, with more Crits for Breakfast streaming tonight at 4:30 PM PST. Join us, as always, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. Also as always, here's what happened in last night's session:
As the party is attacked by a black pudding, Ricky is able to cast Hold Monster, pinning the dangerous blob in place and allowing the remaining party members to attack. Once defeated, they look around and realize that there are Black Puddings all over town, waiting to ambush any survivors. To avoid the puddings, Ash casts Fly on herself, Kanec, and Crush. Ricky, meanwhile, polymorphs into a giant eagle, allowing them all to lift the other party members as they fly out of town. From their higher perspective they can see that the Black Puddings seem to be coming out of the sewers, and in the water nearby is a deep, black trench that had been ripped open by the earthquake.
Making their way to the campfire smoke they saw from a distance, the group finds a large camp site housing the surviving refugees of Dawsberry. With the civilians in need of help, Ricky uses his Dragonmark to summon food and water. This gets the attention of a chef whose preparing food for everyone, with Ricky volunteering to assist. The party mingles with the people, some recognizing Crush and Azure from their gladiatorial performance. Azure summons her astral arms and enters a playful flexing contest with Crush, although Crush’s natural muscles prove more impressive to the audience.
Once the people are fed the party goes to the nearby manor owned by the Lady of the land. They’re greeted at the door by a goblin in a suit and tie… Ash casually drops her jacket on him to fold for her. Lady Annabella is busy preparing for company, so the goblin escorts the party to a waiting room, offering everyone drinks. Ricky doesn’t hesitate to request whiskey, which Kanec and Fidget also request… while everyone else just requests water. Ricky tries to tip the goblin for his efforts, although it seems to only offend him.
Lady Annabella finally arrives… a curvy, plump human woman in a gorgeous dress. Ricky immediately flirts with her, which seems to upset the goblin, who she refers to as “Swifty”. When Ricky continues to flirt with Annabella he angrily reveals that he’s not a servant… he’s Annabella’s husband, and Lord of the manor, Swiftfoot. However, he notices Fidget’s torn ears, a sign of deep shame in goblin culture, and is instantly suspicious of him. The party is invited to a light dinner cooked by Annabella… she reveals that she had sent her personal chef into town to help feed the people (who is the chef Ricky assisted earlier), and even sent her manor guards to the campsite to protect the vulnerable refugees from bandits. They reveal that the Black Puddings have made it nearly impossible to reclaim the town, and that they only appeared after the tsunami. They also weren’t aware of the trench that had opened up in the shallows, although they warn against exploring carelessly, as the seas have been more dangerous following the tsunami.
However, Annabella’s main concern are disappearances that have been happening in the refugee camp. Every 4 days, like clockwork, a seemingly random person goes missing in the dead of night… and tomorrow night another disappearance is expected. Crush doesn’t hesitate to volunteer to investigate, without asking for any compensation.
As the meal winds down, Swiftfoot confronts Fidget about his mutilated ears. Fidget isn’t eager to explain, but relents for the sake of the party… he reveals that, after meeting Ash, his children were going to be set on a suicide mission, as punishment for Fidget arguing with the Hobgoblins who controlled his horde. In desperation, he tries to escape with them, but instead he’s captured and his ears mutilated to mark him as a traitor. He barely escapes with his life and manages to escape with Ash… however, he’s forced to leave his children behind, certain that he left them to die.
With the sun setting everyone is able to get rooms in the large manor, although Corrio, Azure, and Ricky first take some time to visit the manor’s library. Azure opts to research the Undead, curious if she can learn anything about Ash’s condition. Corrio decides to study more on Fey, still frightened of what’s waiting for them in the Feywild when they go to rescue Gilly from the Unseelie court. Ricky spends his time looking for naked illustrations, but ends up caught up reading up on the symbolism of flowers after accidentally stumbling across a book on the subject.
In the night Ash remembers more of her past life as Promothea. She remembers the way she was looked down upon in her family for her lack of natural magic abilities… her studies as an artificer dismissed and ridiculed by her future mother-in-law. However, she awakens before she can remember her face.
With the morning comes breakfast. The party resolves that first they’ll examine the trench… Crush is able to breathe underwater, Ricky can use polymorph to transform another party member into a shark for at least an hour, and Ash reluctantly reveals she doesn’t need to breathe… although she’s not at all eager to get her nice clothes wet. However, this is meant to just be a recon mission, with their main goal being to investigate who, or what, is abducting refugees in the night.
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 playing Lost Mines of Phandelver again tonight! We had some technical issues with streaming last time we played Phandelver, but it should all be sorted out for tonight. Come join us tonight at 4pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
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 live right now! Join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
As for our last session...
As the party makes their way back into Dawsberry they pass through the refugee camp… taking time to mingle with some of the villagers and gather any new information. Crush bonds with the children by offering them carved wooden figurines of himself and Azure, and lets their parents know about their intent to clear out the town and investigate the missing people. On their way out of town a guard stops to speak to them, introducing the party to a halfling woman whose brother went missing. She thinks for a moment that she recognizes Ricky, seeming to have met his mother recently, who is also traveling the world at this time. More importantly, she shares what details she knows of her brother’s disappearance, and asks the party that, if they can’t recover her brother alive, at least return with a silver and bronze necklace he wore, which, while not particularly valuable to outsiders, has great importance as a family heirloom.
Making their way back into Dawsberry a wrong step gets the party engaged in combat with another Black Pudding. While most of the party keeps their distance, Crush and Kanec rush headlong into combat with the creature… and although they’re able to defeat the monster, Kanec’s precious heirloom sword is corroded permanently by the Black Pudding’s acid. Crush’s axe, which is enchanted to trigger critical hits more easily, is unaffected, but Kanec reveals that his sword was once enchanted centuries ago… but the enchantment included a curse and was dispelled, making the weapon susceptible to the Black Pudding’s acid.
Proceeding more carefully, everyone manages to avoid running into more black puddings as they make their way to the sea. Ricky transforms Kanec into a tiger shark, much to the young Reaver’s delight, while Ash begrudgingly removes her finer clothes, leaving it in the care of Fidget as she rides Crush’s shell into the water. A shark attack is stopped by Kanec, who easily kills the other shark… and although blood in the water attracts more nearby sharks, they focus on devouring the fallen shark and end up fighting each other. Attempts to approach the trench stealthily fail, attracting the attention of hulking, demonic merfolk… the Merrow. Crush has a history with the Merrow, as a battle against them 5 years ago resulted in the injuries that forced him to retrain as a Storm Herald, after a lifetime of fighting as a Berserker. There, in the sea, with all his equipment he’s able to quickly cut down the Merrow threat, bellowing at them in Aquan to keep their attention on him… especially because, if Kanec’s form as a shark were to be dealt enough damage, he would revert back to his Reaver form… 100s of feet below sea level with no way to get him to the surface before drowning. Ash summons Black Tentacles, pinning the Merrow in place and allowing Crush to finish them off, lopping off the leader’s head… which Ash orders him to bring with them as they hurry back to shore.
Using her necrotic Eldritch Invocation, Ash animates the creature’s head, allowing them to interrogate it. It reveals that the Merrow didn’t cause the tsunami, but rather, chose to take advantage of the chaos and destruction. It avoids telling the party just how many Merrow are present, but does reveal that something called “The Old One” is the cause of the devastation, and speaks vaguely about something it refers to as the “Big Island”.
Frustrated at the uncertainty of what to do about the Merrow, Crush instead focuses on the Black Puddings. Now that the party has realized how slow the creatures are, they realize they can attempt to simply keep their distance and pelt them with ranged attacks, planning to at least clear out enough of them to make the streets safe to travel. This plan immediately hits a road block as Crush steps too close to one of the crumbling buildings where a Black Pudding has taken up residence. Forced into melee combat the group has some minor hiccups, but still make short work of the beast. From there they see two more Black Puddings, easily able to destroy them from a distance without either creature getting close enough to deal any damage, then decide to use Ash’s Fly spell and Ricky’s ability to Polymorph into a giant eagle to take out as many as possible from the sky… (at which point the DM allowed the party to arbitrate remaining combats, as it would be tedious to run through a dozen combats with slow moving creatures attacked from far out of range). With the town seemingly cleared of all the Black Puddings that can be seen from the sky, the party returns to the refugee camp an hour before sundown.
After keeping watch in the night, one of the refugees is captured by a mysterious creature. The party is able to track it into the woods, where they discover a hidden entrance into a dark cave...
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Oh crap I forgot to write up a summary of last night's session... uh... we killed a big scary monster that had been abducting people as it prepared to reproduce, and all kinds of little details that will pay off later were learned. Anyway, join us right now at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty!
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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
We're about to start streaming more Lost Mines of Phandelver! The party has rescued Gundren Rockseeker, who has revealed the location of Wave Echo Cave. Come join us as we begin the journey of discovery and the search for the remaining Rockseeker brother at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
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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
We're going live now, 4pm PST, at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! The party's on the road again, and since I didn't write a proper summary last time, here's an extra long summary for the past two sessions:
Traveling deep underground, the party is forced to move slowly to avoid attacks by Dark Mantles. They first discover an ancient, amateur wizard’s spellbook, then later find an abandoned miner’s camp, and manage to recover a treasure chest filled with freshly excavated jewels. Moving further they discover spiders, which Fidget recognizes as a breed that specializes in eating corpses, able to strip a body to bones within days. His discovery takes a dark turn when the party searches deeper, finding a Halfling skeleton wearing the silver necklace of the Halfling man who had gone missing over a week ago. Searching his possessions, they find a book on Legends and Cryptids, which has a particular cryptid bookmarked… The Spindly Ladleman. A mythical monster that attacks with a massive silver ladle, moving silently and abducting victims… using magic to turn their sorrow and anguish into thick, oily tears that it consumes for sustenance. However, when the creature is preparing to reproduduce it abducts targets more frequently… every 4 days, to be precise.
Although the party is slowed briefly by a large chasm, they make their way deeper inside, following the unpleasant stench of death. Deep in the cave they discover a pair of nests… one well-used and filled with the bones of victims, while the other appears to have been unused so far. Undeterred, they continue deeper… following a mysterious staircase caved into the ground until they make their way to an underground temple… deep inside they discover the human man who had been abducted, and a female Deep Gnome. Both are unconscious and injured; arranged to cry oily tears into a deep stone basin. Before they can move the victims away from the basin, a massive figure lowers from the ceiling… despite its size the creature barely makes a sound. With no eyes of its own, its limbs were strange… long and thin, but powerful. And a large silver ladle held in one hand. It communicates telepathically, mocking and insulting the party as they battle the creature. It swings its ladle with enough power to completely stun Crush, and its magic temporarily blinds Azure, forcing her to cry oily tears like its victims. However, attacking the creature reveals that its own blood is made of the same oily tears.
Ricky casts Heat Metal on the creature’s ladle, forcing it to drop its primary weapon. Once it’s unarmed the party is able to more quickly take down the beast, cutting it down and freeing its victims. Ricky wants to cut off the creature’s head as proof of its existence, and Crush doesn’t hesitate to oblige. Exploring the temple they find themselves in, they make a curious discovery… a freshly dug tunnel leading to the surface… and coming out of the Blacksmith’s forge in Dawsberry. Examining the forge, they find a strange marking carved into the inside of the forge… a marking that Ash is able to recognize as the symbol of the Ladleman.
The lost human man is returned to his family, while Ricky takes it upon himself to reveal the bad news to the Halfling woman asking about her brother. Although she’s saddened by her brother’s death, she’s relieved when she recognizes the Deepgnome woman as Nori, a local miner and lover of her brother, Lucas. The party realizes the treasure chest they had found belongs to Nori, opting to leave it for her. After reconvening, the party makes their way to Lady Annabelle’s manor. After informing her of the events of the night prior, Ash casually pulls out the Ladleman’s head… spilling its oily blood on the carpet, much to Annabelle’s annoyance. Annabelle reveals what she has learned about Clara, the ghost… she was the daughter of the town’s old blacksmith, and she had a surviving brother. Coincidentally, her brother’s son is Steven, the human man the party has just recently rescued from the Ladleman.
Everyone takes some time to rest, while Annabelle investigates the wizard’s spellbook the party had found, before the party returns to the refugee camp to check on Steven. He’s shocked to hear of his aunt’s fate, but the party remembers Clara mentioning a desire to be buried somewhere on a hill with two trees, which Steven recognizes as a hill overlooking Dawsberry where he himself had proposed to his wife. He also remembers that his Aunt had been the victim of a known killer who seduced women to lure them to secluded locations before slitting their throat and stealing their possessions. Fortunately, he had been caught years ago and hung. He’s assured that Lady Annabelle will help him to arrange Clara’s burial. Questioning further, he reveals that he was the apprentice of the current blacksmith, having come from a smithing family. He knows for certain that the eldritch mark the party had seen on the smith’s forge wasn’t there before, and that the Smith had died mysteriously, seeming to have died in the middle of a meal with no apparent cause of death.
Returning to Annabelle’s manor, they make certain that Lucas and Clara’s remains are ready for burial, and Annabelle provides a wealth of information. Firstly, the “Big Island” the Merrow spoke of is a mythical island that appears rarely in the ocean nearby… its appearance is said to cause earthquakes and tsunamis, and anyone who has ever attempted to reach the island has instead gone missing. She does, however, volunteer her own ship, the Blooming Rose, which (as far she knows) is still docked in Seamont to the South, which has been overtaken by Reavers. However, it’s the party’s responsibility to hire a captain and crew, although she lets them know about a few captains she’s hired in the past. She also reveals that the amateur wizard’s spellbook they had found was far more advanced than it appeared… on the seemingly blank pages of the spellbook, written with invisible ink, was instructions for summoning demonic creatures, which explains the sudden appearance of the Ladleman.
Just as they’re readying to leave the manor is attacked by Depraved Gloom assassins. Trickfoot the goblin reveals his skills as a monk, while Annabelle draws a shortsword from under her dress, revealing she’s a trained fighter. Although the party is able to clear out the assassins easily enough, but realize they need to keep moving or else more assassins will attack Annabelle’s manor.
Moving through the night they’re able to see figures chasing after them, mostly likely more assassins. To throw them off, Ash and Ricky use a combination of Polymorph and Kanec’s genie bag to transform Crush and Ash into owls while the rest of the party rests in the Genie bag. Flying at twice their walking speed over the tree line allows them to shake the Depraved Gloom, but when they fly low in anticipation of the spell wearing off the owls are attacked by wolves… a minor inconvenience, with Crush and Ash able to kill two of the wolves, providing, if nothing else, some fresh wolf meat. Ricky takes a turn transformed into an owl to carry the genie bag, but is forced to stop near the beach when a storm rolls in.
As everyone prepares for a night’s rest Crush goes to the Beach. Focusing on his connection to the sea and the storm… trying to get some sense of what’s going on. He detects something… wrong, somewhere deep in the ocean. The storm feels to him like a symptom… not unnatural on its own, but caused by unnatural forces corrupting something in the sea itself. Returning to camp, he’s determined to find Annabelle’s ship and investigate the Big Island, certain that something there is the cause.
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 soon! Join us at 4:15pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. The party has finally made their way to the city of Seamont... a large city filled with intrigue and danger...
After summoning his Tiny Hut using the power of his Dragonmark, Ricky realizes that his precious lute (which he calls “Charlene”) has gone missing, not realizing that Azure and Corrio have hidden it from him as a prank. Unable to remember where he left it, he somehow comes to the conclusion that, when he absorbed his equipment into his new form the last time he polymorphed, that he accidentally left Charlene fused into his body. To test this theory Crush asks him to cast a spell, since Ricky stated he can’t cast magic without his focus. Ricky then casts Faerie Fire on himself (and Crush), forgetting that, since Faerie Fire requires no material component, it can be freely cast without a focus. When the spell works, he takes it as proof that he’s absorbed Charlene. Hoping that it will come out if he polymorphs again in the morning, he hurries to sleep using his Blanket of Rest (which allows the user to gain the benefits of a Long Rest in half the time)
As the party rests for the night in Kanec’s genie bag, Crush keeps watch, using some rations to keep a pair of wolves from digging under Ricky’s Tiny Hut spell. When it comes time for Azure’s watch, Crush opts to sleep outside of the hut in the rain, trusting his shell to provide any protection he might need. However, a group of none-too-bright bandits come along, mistaking Ricky’s Tiny Hut for a strange, perfectly smooth rock. As the hut is set up against a tree, they use it for cover from the rain… one even mistaking Crush’s shell for a rock… with Crush failing to wake up even as the men start discussing their plans to ambush any traveling merchants, and eventually getting bored and singing loudly and off-key. This is enough to wake Ricky, who gets tired of their bad music and chooses to pop his head out, claiming to be the God of Rock, demanding tribute. With their low wisdom and his high deception he manages to convince them, and the bandits request a blessing… which he delivers in the form of Faerie Fire, the bandits convinced the sparkly purple glow is some kind of blessing. Not having any money to give, they instead give Ricky a wheel of goat cheese.
With his Blanket of Rest letting Ricky recover early, he encourages everyone else to get in the Genie Bag as the rain lightens enough for him to polymorph into an owl again, carrying the genie bag as he flies toward Seamont. However, the sky is still stormy and he narrowly evades being struck by lightning. He finds a safe place to land, but just as he’s about to let everyone out of the bag he spots the Drunken Gnome Party Wagon that’s been creating havoc and chaos across the land. Impulsively, he leaps onto the Wagon as it speeds by, barley able to catch onto the back of the wagon. He’s able to convince the gnomes into allowing him into the wagon by promising them some Blue Pixie, a hallucinogenic mushroom he had stolen from criminals earlier in their adventure. Once inside he finds a group of drunken party girls, none of whom are actually steering their vehicle. He realizes the horse pulling the wagon is exhausted, and convinces the gnomes that he’s a “horse technician” and that he needs to “change a flat” on the horse… and considering their state after consuming the Blue Pixie, it’s not much trouble to convince them. Ricky frees the horse, leaving the Genie Bag tied around his waist as he polymorphs into a horse instead, letting their exhausted horse go free as he takes on the role. However… he neglects to inform any of the rest of the party of his plans, and as a horse he’s unable to explain himself when the other party members start to wake up and try to exit the genie bag, nearly falling from the speeding vehicle when they do. Finally, Fidget is able to safely exit and get in the wagon, where the gnomish women immediately start aggressively flirting with him. Corrio comes out of the bag, his ability to Speak With Animals allowing him to communicate with Ricky to get some idea of what’s going on. Things seem to be going well, until guards start to chase the wagon, attempting to arrest its occupants for their many crimes.
Fascinated by the Genie Bag, the gnomes climb inside, creating havoc in the bag… stealing food, knocking things over, and very nearly consuming the Reaver wine, which is poisonous to non-Reavers. Crush, Azure, and Fidget eventually manage to grab the rowdy girls, carrying them out of the bag only to find even more guards beginning to surround the wagon. Figuring the gnomes are criminals anyway, and not wanting to get mistaken for accomplices, Crush comes up with a plan to have Ricky Polymorph one more time...this time into a giant eagle while someone remains on his back carrying the Genie Bag. Corrio remains on Ricky’s back as he takes off, leaving the gnomes to the guards and causing no end of confusion as, from their perspective, the gnomes’ horse simply transformed into an eagle and flew away. Corrio and Ricky are able to watch the gnomes burst out of the wagon and take off, possibly eluding the guards once again.
Making their way to Seamont, Ricky’s career in entertainment with Crush and Azure’s gladiator contracts is enough to get them allowed into the city. The city is surrounded by high walls, with Reaver battleships docked in the harbor. Reaver flags are hung through out town, and there are signs of recent repair on many of the buildings. However… the citizens seem happy to have the Reavers present, not only for the security they provide, but also because they’re exceedingly wealthy and eager to spend. However, when asked about what happened to the town everyone immediately clams up, not wanting to upset the Reavers by discussing the town before they arrived.
Finding their way to the Gladiator arena, they’re surprised to find The Bladed Snake and F.H. in the city preparing to compete, but F.H. seems angered to see Crush and Ricky. When questioned, he never received the letter Crush had sent explaining that they would miss the contest in Gull’s Harbor due to Gilly’s disappearance. Instead, he had gotten letters of resignation from Crush and Azure, delivered by “Ricky”, who proceeded to insult F.H.’s family’s cider and cause havoc. Realizing it was actually Ricky’s father, Tricky, using illusions and forgery to sabotage their careers. It doesn’t help that, even without his interference, Crush had signed a contract with F.H. under false pretenses, as Ricky had stolen Crush’s original contract and forged signatures to free Crush from Tricky’s employ. Whether or not their resignations were forged, they still need to clear their names and start again from the bottom, if and only if they can get a lawyer to represent them.
Setting out for the legal district they search for both a lawyer, as well as the post office. Not surprisingly, the post office is found first… Azure gets several letters from her parents, mostly warning her about the dangers of traveling with a group of mostly men. Crush composes letters to Sister Isabelle in the High Temple of Esterea as well as to Lady Annabelle in Dawsberry
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
Bad news... our DM works security in a town with a lot of protesting, so she's unable to stream tonight's game. Sorry for anyone who was hoping to watch, but we should hopefully be back to normal soon.
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 starting up again soon! It's going to be a short session, but our DM is just eager to play some D&D after her stressful night. YOu can join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
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
After delayed and choppy session yesterday, we're back to normal tonight! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
In a shorter-than-average session, Crush and Ricky learn the name of the town’s only lawyer who specializes in contract negotiation, Jonah. Unfortunately, Jonah is out of town on vacation until the next day. Meanwhile, the party goes to the upperclass tavern to get some food and rent a room, but unfortunately, all the rooms are taken. The party is forced to go to the slums to find a room to stay. The slums is near the docks, and on the way Crush asks about Lady Annabelle’s ship, the Blooming Rose. The docks are massive and filled with boats, so it will take some time to check on the state of her ship.
In the meantime, everyone finds the nearest tavern, the Strangled Rat. Filled with shady customers, yet run by a kindly old Tabaxi known as River. She’s confused by the large party’s willingness to share two small rooms, but with Kanec’s Genie Bag the request for a room is more a formality than anything else. However, most intriguingly, Ash is approached by a man named Cronos Fieldrose… a fellow necromancer who recognizes her undead nature thanks to her milky white eyes. He’s entranced by her, inviting her to meet with him privately the next day, although Fidget doesn’t trust that he’s not up to something more sinister…
With their room secured the party makes their way back toward the arena to explain their situation to F.H., hoping he’ll still support them as they wait for the lawyer to return. On the way, though, they’re stopped by a group of goblin bandits who know the city well enough to be able to isolate the party in an area left unpatrolled by Reavers. Attempts to intimidate the goblins or even convince them of the danger they’re in are ignored. And while the party is trying not to kill their attackers, Ricky lands a critical hit with a Prismatic Sphere, exploding one of the goblins with lightning, sending the remaining goblins scattering. However, the sound attracts a group of Reaver guards, who seem to understand the group was acting in self-defense and even recognize the corpse as a wanted criminal, but Reaver law demands any killing to be investigated and Ricky is arrested. However, Ricky seems eager to go to jail, as it may give him the opportunity to talk to someone already in jail, who may be less afraid to discuss how the Reavers came to take over the city...
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 playing more Lost Mines of Phandelver tonight. Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty at 4pm PST as the party has made their way into the mines themselves
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 about to go live in a few minutes! Come join us tonight for a longer-than-usual session at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! As for what happened last time...
With Ricky arrested, the rest of the party goes to inform F.H. that they were unable to meet with a lawyer, but because the night’s contest is an amateur contest, they can proceed even without resolving their contract issues… although the entry fee is steeper than normal, requiring ten gold per person… far too much for the average person, although luckily they can easily afford it.
Once in jail, Ricky meets a fellow prisoner… a dwarven man arrested while attempting to destroy the Reaver flagship. He claims that they’re building some sort of portal in their ship, and is certain the Reavers are an invading army. Meanwhile, as Crush and Azure prepare for the gladiator battle, a disinterested Ash returns to the docks, seeking out Cronos, the necromancer she had met earlier in the night, much to Fidget’s annoyance… especially when they both ask him to leave so they can chat privately. While they discuss necromancy, and the nature of death itself, the two begin to bond… eventually throwing caution to the wind and having sex.
While Crush and Azure prepare to compete, Crush attempts to apologize for everything that F.H. has gone through as a result of Crush competing under false pretenses, thanks to Ricky’s decision to steal and illegally modify Crush’s contract months ago. To do so, Crush returns the trophy he had won in the last tournament, which seems to really prove to F.H. his intent. Forced to join in on an amateur level event, Crush and Azure are unable to use the full extent of their abilities, since Azure cannot take advantage of her astral self, and Crush cannot tap into the power of the storm. Azure is the first to compete, taking on a mysterious green woman… she doesn’t appear to be orcish, but her true nature is never fully revealed. Azure struggles early on, but as the fight continues she learns her opponent’s weaknesses and eventually manages to throw her opponent from the ring, winning by a ring-out.
While the half-orc fighter, The Bladed Snake, battles a Reaver warrior known simply as The Boulder, the focus shifts to Ricky back in jail. Mostly for his own amusement, Ricky attempts to seduce his guard and his attempts appear to be working. However, his bubble is quickly burst when Kanec’s father, Savine, enters the jail to confront him. Thanks to some poorly worded sending spells from Ash, Savine is convinced that the party has kidnapped Kanec and refuses to listen to Ricky’s attempts to convince him otherwise. Not knowing that the Crush and Azure have been allowed to compete, he leads Savine to the Strangled Rat Inn, thinking the party will be there instead. The Bladed Snake, however, is unable to defeat The Boulder.
Meanwhile, Crush competes against a male Tabaxi with Lion-like features. Although he puts up a valiant effort, Crush’s experience and strength is too much for the amateur combatant and the Tabaxi is knocked unconscious. Corrio helps the Tabaxi back to his feet, and the three winners are invited to return the next day for professional competition.
Making their way back to the Strangled Rat, Fidget stops the group, revealing that he saw Savine bringing Ricky into the Inn. Kanec is not eager to confront his father, and while the rest of the party tries to placate him and persuade him to enter… Crush simply physically forces him to the door… although Fidget chooses to hide rather than enter and risk anything going wrong. When Kanec finally speaks to his father he needs to be convinced that Kanec hasn’t been harmed, which is helped by Crush’s blunt honesty about everything that happened, rather than withholding inconvenient facts to attempt to save face. With his father finally placated, Kanec is able to convince him to open up about what happened in Seamont, and why the Reavers have taken over the city.
When the Reaver ships first arrived in Seamont, the Reavers had attempted to negotiate a trade deal with the Lord of Seamont. However, due to their intimidating appearance and well-armed ships, he views them instead as an invading army, treating them with hostility. When he learns of their curse that makes them susceptible to their Blood Rage, he immediately turns against them, certain that the curse will spread. When he declares war on the visiting Reavers they respond with violence, easily overwhelming and killing Lord Seamont. Following the conflict, however, his daughter volunteers as ambassador to visit the Reaver homeland and negotiate a resolution with their leader, the Warlord. She insists on taking her brother with her, not wanting to leave him alone… and because the Reavers don’t know who they can trust, they inadvertently create a rumor that the Reavers had simply invaded the town, murdered the Lord, and abducted his children.
The group then asks about Fidget, and if there’s anything to be done for someone infected with the Reaver’s cursed blood. Like the others they’ve asked, he views it as a death sentence, but begrudgingly admits that there is a possibility. The Warlord is capable of stabilizing a Made Reaver… but it is not a boon he bestows lightly. The party will need to travel to the Reaver homeland and somehow secure a meeting with the Warlord himself, and even then there is no guarantee he’ll bestow this gift to just anyone who asks.
Once placated, Savine agrees to let his son continue to travel with the party, although the two are going to meet in private later to discuss further. Once Savine leaves (still taking Ricky with him back to jail), Fidget and Ash finally return and are told of the opportunity to save Fidget’s life… although for the proud goblin it’s little comfort, as the promised cure may prevent him from dying of his blood rage, it also means there’s no way for him to become a full goblin ever again.
Before night falls Crush and Azure return to the docks to search for Lady Annabelle’s ship, the Blooming Rose. They find the ship hasn’t been commandeered by the Reavers, and is in good condition. While examining the ship they’re confronted by a white tabaxi, who reveals herself to be the First Mate, Ivory Shores. Lady Annabelle had sent a message to Captain Pagonia and her crew, informing them of the party’s plan to borrow the ship. She lets them know that the crew is ready to take off any time tomorrow, although there will still be costs for the party… not only in coin, but also in labor, as they’re expected to work as crew. Crush and Azure are both comfortable with this arrangement… although there is debate on whether Ricky or Ash will react more poorly to the demands.
When morning comes Crush meets Ricky outside of the post office, where they manage to catch Jonah, a half-elf lawyer who specializes in contract negotiations. He actually recognizes Tricky’s name, knowing him to create problems for clients. However, once he learns that Tricky used illusion magic in order to frame Ricky, he says that the case will be much more expensive and complicated than they’ve managed to realize. Only one court is equipped to handle these types of magical disputes… the court of the Elvish capital of Ortheiad City, the capital city of Ortheia. Still, he’s willing to take on the case, giving them paperwork to fill out and planning to meet them at the gladiator event that night to finalize his first payment.
Once that’s taken care of they return to the Strangled Rat to gather their party. Before doing any other work for the day they take them to the Blooming Rose to the meet the crew. Kanec especially is eager to take to the sea on such a fine vessel, but Ash and Fidget don’t care for sea travel, since their first experience was on a slaver’s ship. The party meets Captain Pagonia, a stern and demanding Firbolg who makes very clear that she won’t tolerate layabouts. Ricky almost immediately tries to think of a way to get out of work, until he learns that the ship is without a cook, instantly volunteering for the position. Ash, however, is much less willing to play along, with no plans to do any kind of labor. The session ends with everyone stepping off the ship, planning to spend the day preparing and leaving once the tournament is finished at sundown.
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We had an exciting game last time, with mystery and intrigue, but also plenty of action in the form of a gladiator tournament. If you want to see how the tournament ends, join us tonight at 3:30 PM PST at Twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. But in case you want to know what happened last time and weren't able to join us...
Stepping off of the Blooming Rose, Fidget immediately sneaks away from the rest of the party, prompting Ash to attempt to follow him. Kanec, meanwhile, leaves to meet with his father while Corrio reveals the coded message he had been working on from Duncan. The message instructs them to search a well, with an illustration guiding the party on what to do at the well, although what it specifically means is uncertain. They find a well in the docks district and lower Ricky inside to search inside for clues… with the party concluding that the distinctive clicks of security locks in the bucket lowering mechanism corresponding with the illustration left by Duncan… but this particular well doesn’t contain anything. They check another well before thinking to find the oldest well in town, since it’s unlikely Duncan could install anything inside a well himself, but it is possible the wealthy Grimveil family he comes from may have hidden something decades ago while installing a well.
They find a well in the wealthy side of town, and struggle a bit because of the highly public location of the well. Ricky attempts to sneakily polymorph into a bat to explore inside, but is seen by a Reaver guard, who thinks something suspicious is going on. Ricky manages to convince the guard that he had simply dropped a ring in the well. This allows the party to lower Ricky in with the bucket instead, and Ricky decodes the puzzle hiding something deep inside, extracting a large package.
The party reconvenes at a nearby bistro, with Ash purchasing a 5 gp, overly elaborate coffee order, which Ricky is able to analyze and decipher the recipe, realizing the coffee is potent and rich enough to actually provide a boost to Wisdom for several hours after consumption. More importantly, they unwrap the package, revealing a large, ancient shield that resembles a giant version of the Grimveil pendants the party wears, including a large gem in the center of the emblem. The shield requires repairs… leather straps on the back needing to be replaced. Most unusual about the shield, however, is writing carved along the edge of the shield. Written over and over is the phrase “To Bring the World to Light” in a variety of languages, including Crush’s obscure language of Aquan, the messy writing of Goblin and, most shocking of all, is the Reaver language. The Reavers were believed to have been trapped on the other side of the world, separated from the land of Kahenah by the Eternal Storm… a massive storm too dangerous for even the seafaring Reavers to cross, which has only recently calmed enough for the Reavers to travel to Kahenah. They wonder about a man from the nearby country of Kirei Midori, who claims to have known a tall man matching the description of a Reaver when he was a child, contradicting the idea that Reavers only recently visited Kahenah.
Uncertain of what to do with this information, the party chooses to focus on the responsibilities they already have. Ricky and Ash focus on doing some shopping, while Crush and Azure return to the arena to talk to F.H. about the lawsuit they’re working on against Tricky, and to get his signature on some paperwork. They’re also introduced to their opponents for the upcoming battles… Azure is scheduled to fight against a shadow monk known as The Scorpion, while Crush is scheduled to fight the Heavenly Blade, an elven fighter. They also learn that this professional battle has no restrictions, with weapons and abilities fully allowed.
As they shop, Ricky confronts Ash about how distant she’s been acting, as well as Fidgets’ decision to hide all day. Ricky, however… has convinced himself that both of them have realized they’re in love with Ricky, and are now having an argument out of jealousy with one another. Ash isn’t very interested in explaining herself, focusing instead on buying comfort foods for their upcoming ship travel. When they reconvene Fidget finally reveals himself, although he gives no explanation for his absence. It’s getting late in the day so Crush and Azure have just enough time to purchase a few small items for themselves before needing to return to the arena. Ash, however, has no interest in battle, instead choosing to visit the necromancer Cronos.
The arena is packed, as Reavers love gladiator fights, offering up a massive pot of over 8,000 gp for the top 3, and a trophy made of pure platinum. The first fight is the Reaver gladiator known as The Boulder, who uses his bare hands to make short work of a nimble elven fighter known as Shatterleaf. Next up is Azure, introduced as The Astral Tiger, who finds herself facing off against The Scorpion. The two seem evenly matched, until The Scorpion uses his Ki to summon darkness in the ring (much to the chagrin of the audience). Using a magical item, he’s able to see through the darkness to get the advantage against Azure. However, he didn’t expect her to be able to summon her Visage of the Astral Self, allowing her to see even in magical darkness. Once the odds are evened, she takes the advantage, throwing him from the ring.
As all this is going on, Ash returns to talk to Cronos. Although the two at first seem to simply bond, it gradually becomes clear that she’s mainly probing him for information, trying to learn more about what she is and what the limits of her power truly are. Cronos, for his part, seems to be trying to find some way to decipher who Ash’s Patron is, since she’s magically unable to even speak his name. Despite the two of them trying to slyly extract information from each other, Ash chooses to seduce him as the two spend the night in bed.
On the far end of town, Crush is ready to battle against The Heavenly Blade, a fully armored fighter. While she’s stoic and serious, Crush takes some time to work the crowd, getting them pumped for the battle and cheering for Crush. Crush gets the first move, unleashing his Rage and making wild, Reckless swings. Heavenly Blade is a skilled Battlemaster, but with his Greataxe that crits on a 19 and his resistance, Crush steamrolls her, sustaining only 18 damage from the entire fight while easily outputting more than that on single attacks.
Next Azure faces off against The Bladed Snake, the half-orc gladiator the party had met before and who has, with Crushes apparent “resignation” become F.H.’s top fighter, not even needing to qualify to be allowed in the tournament. Able to use her weapons and armor she proves to be a force to be reckoned with. She goes toe-to-to with Azure, who has been healed since her fight with The Scorpion, but hasn’t had enough time to recover her Ki. She relies on her Stunning Strikes or Patient Defense to either pin down Bladed Snake or to evade her attacks. In the end they’re both down to single digit health, but even with Azure’s ki fully spent the Blade Snake manages to miss all three attacks against the young monk, and Azure barely secures the win.
This leads to the fight between Crush and The Boulder… a mountain of a man with skin nearly as tough as Crush’s own shell. Although the Reaver is nearly 2 feet taller, the two weigh nearly the same at 500 lbs thanks to Crush’s heavy shell. Despite using his bare fists, The Boulder hits nearly as hard as crush with his axe, but luckily Crush’s rage resistance gives him the edge in the battle. What does threaten to tip the scales, however, is Boulder taking enough damage to threaten to trigger his Reaver bloodrage. A Reaver’s bloodrage not only gives them a sudden drastic heal, it gives them advantage on attacks and an increase to AC, while also making them unable to distinguish friend from foe. Going fully reckless, Crush unleashes everything he has on The Boulder, knocking the powerful Reaver unconscious with a burst of lightning as the crowd cheers. Now, as before, the final battle will be Crush vs. Azure. And with Ricky providing Azure with a Catnap to return her Ki, the two friends will once again see who wins between strength and dexterity.
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 party has found their way onto the open sea! Come join us on boat adventures tonight at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty, but for those who weren't able to join us last time, here's what you missed:
Crush and Azure face off in the final round of the tournament. Azure relies on her bare hands instead of utilizing her astral arms, which prevents her from getting through Crush’s Rage resistances. Crush gets the first attack, starting things off with a devastating critical hit. Although Azure’s evasion allows her to avoid the lightning from Crush’s sea aura, Crush still manages to slash through half her health in a single round. In response, Azure targets Crush with a stunning strike, and despite his high Constitution she manages to stun him. Taking advantage of the moment to unleash as much damage as possible… but ultimately Crush finally breaks free of the stun, and Azure responds with her Patient Defense. Undeterred, Crush risks a reckless attack to even the odds and manages to land another critical hit, slamming Azure to the ground and securing another victory. After some healing Azure is back on her feet, and Crush is rewarded 3000 gold and a large platinum trophy. Azure is rewarded a still-impressive 1000 gold, and the cheers of her growing fanbase. Crush is able to use 1200 of his winnings to hire Jonah for the upcoming case against Tricky.
Making their way to the Blooming Rose, the party helps the ship to set sail. Crush and Kannec are especially eager to help, although Azure as well is eager to learn from the experienced sailors. As things wind down Ricky and Crush work together to prepare dinner for everyone. While everyone else enjoys a hearty meal, Ash and Fidget finally talk about the conflict they’ve been in over the past few days with Ash and her fling with Cronos. Fidget isn’t simply jealous of her sleeping with someone else, as the two are in an open relationship. Instead he’s upset that Ash lied to him about her intentions with Cronos, and she allowed Cronos to slam a door in Fidget’s face. Even with Fidget’s concerns that Cronos might be dangerous, Ash ignores him and continues to meet with Cronos in secret. What really hurts him, though… is when Ash complains that she wants to finally be able to touch someone, since her necrotic hands hurt others just from touch. Fidget leaves angrily, and Ash is left sad and alone. When she returns downstairs she’s overcome with emotion and pain as necrotic forces overpower her, once again causing her to pass out and vomit black bile… but for the first time, she doesn’t have Fidget to watch over her and help clean her up.
As she lays unconscious, a veil of supernatural silence surrounds her. She’s struck with memories of her past life… about going to upper class parties, to the finest schools, to places of prestige… but in each place she hears whispers of others. She’s seen as a freak for her complete lack of magical ability… not even capable of the simplest elven magic. In a family of renowned sorcerers she’s seen as a failure and an omen of bad luck. Even when she was planning to get married, her mother-in-law spoke in private about her being a freak and a disappointment… while her father-in-law was pressuring her family to force her to go to school far away to delay the marriage.
Ricky approaches the bathroom where Ash passed out, seeing the bile spilling out, but because she passed out against the doorway he couldn’t enter to help until she woke up on her own. Helping her to recover and clean up, he leads her to Corrio’s room the cleric can look her over to make sure she’s well enough to continue. The three of them sit and talk about what happened, Ash struggling with the feelings that have been reawakening in her as she gradually unlocks more of her memories. Once Ash seems to be feeling better, Ricky takes it on himself to make sure Fidget is okay as well.
Fidget is none too happy to be interrupted as he’s been chugging wine swiped from the pantry. Although Fidget is struggling with his anger and emotions, but despite their normally antagonistic attitude together, the two of them connect. Ricky opening up honestly to Fidget as a friend and ally. It’s not enough to get Fidget feeling completely better, but it’s enough to calm him as the two rest for the night.
Meanwhile, once they’re alone, Ash continues to talk to Corrio about what she’s been experiencing. The familiar emotions that now seem so painful and alien. The way she longed for Cronos as he spoke about the things she’s ashamed of as being beautiful… her undead nature, her wrinkled and blackened hands, even the wound on her chest that never fully closes. She also reveals one thing to Corrio that she hasn’t been able to admit even to Fidget… that talking to Cronos she learned that she might be a Revenant… vengeful undead that exists only to seek revenge. Worried of what will happen to her when she finally gets revenge on the person who killed her.
In the night Crush is awoken as some of the crew on board pull up a swordfish, happy for the bounty of fresh meat. However, Crush notices a simple seashell necklace caught in the net, pocketing it for now. When the morning comes Fidget is struck by an intense nightmare. Thrashing in his sleep, he doesn’t realize his own strength, punching a hole in the side of the hull… small, but pouring in water. Ricky thinks to attempt to seal the hole, if only temporarily, by using a cold-empowered Chromatic Orb. However, just like when he killed the goblin sorcerer, he underestimates the power of Chromatic orb and ends up blowing the hole much larger, allowing water to rush in at a dangerous pace. They leave the room, shutting the door behind them and using it to hold back the water while it falls on Crush to use his ability to breathe underwater combined with his skill at woodworking to repair the hull. Fortunately he’s aided by Ash, who uses spider-climb to get close, and the mending cantrip to repair broken boards and magically seal bonds. Meanwhile, Corrio uses his ability to Control Water to flush out the water from inside the cabin, with Captain Pagonia a bit annoyed that he didn’t let them know he had such power to begin with.
With some of his possessions floating away, Crush swims after them, only to find a shark attacking his leather bag. He doesn’t hesitate to punch the shark, sending it reeling… just in time for Crush himself to dodge a small single-person boat that had sailed over after seeing the large Blooming Rose in distress. The boat is helmed by Kalea, a female tortle with colorful patterns on her skin. When she asks what the group is doing out here Crush tells her about the Disappearing Isle and how he came out here after sensing a sickness in the sea itself. She reveals that, as a druid, she has sensed the same thing and is deeply concerned when Crush tells her about happened to Dawsberry… both with the rift opening in the ocean floor, and especially after learning of the Merrow that have taken up residence within. She reveals that she has an island nearby and invites the crew of the Blooming Rose to accompany her so she can share more information. On a whim, Crush asks if the shell necklace he had found the other night belongs to her, and she’s surprised to see it after thinking it lost. Crush wonders if the sea itself was trying to bring them together for the chance to solve the mystery of what’s wrong with the sea.
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Crits for Breakfast is going to be streaming more Lost Mines of Phandelver! The party has finally confronted their foe, but there's still plenty of cleaning up to do. We'll be live shortly at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty
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 right now! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty! But for those who missed our last game, here's what happened:
Crush talks to Kalea about what has been happening with the ocean. She admits that her responsibilities have made it difficult for her to investigate it herself, but she’s heard from the spirits of the sea about areas plagued with famine, and powerful storms ravaging at unnatural times. When Crush describes the tsunami at Dawsberry, and how it left behind a rift in the ocean floor and destroyed the local fish population she immediately grows more concerned, but at the moment she doesn’t have much more to share. She plans to communicate with the spirits further, leading the party to her island where she can communicate more clearly.
However, after seeing Ash without her makeup to disguise her Undead nature Captain Pagonia is convinced she’s ill and orders her into quarantine… and Corrio with her, to make sure he can heal her. Ash doesn’t argue, since it gives her a valid excuse to avoid any work. Ricky prepares food for everyone while Crush lets everyone know about Kalea’s island… it’s too small for the Blooming Rose to dock too close, so only 5 or so people who can fit on Kalea’s small boat can accompany her. As they continue to ride forward Ricky takes it upon himself to help Ash and Fidget reconnect after their conflict. Still, Fidget is reluctant, getting angry at Ricky for continuing to bring it up. In the end, Ash doesn’t want to visit Kalea’s island, hesitant to visit a Druid’s home, as her very presence threatens to kill plant life. Fidget as well has no interest in visiting Kalea’s island, instead focused on sneaking wine and just trying to ignore the nightmares he’s been plagued with as a result of the Reavers’ curse.
Kanec also chooses to stay on the ship… for one, it would be a struggle for him to fit in Kalea’s small boat, and for two he’s simply enjoying being on the Blooming Rose itself too much, thanks to his love of sailing. It ends up being Azure, Corrio, Crush, and Ricky accompanying Kalea… although crush takes advantage to swim alongside the boat, his training as a Storm Herald allowing him to keep up with the vessel. Once on Kalea’s island she explains that spirits converge there, and she hopes to learn more about what the party is seeking with their help, although she has to wait for nightfall to speak to the spirits who know the most. As they share information she stops when Crush mentions “The Old One”, the term the Merrow use to refer to the Disappearing Isle. She’s heard the word on the sea, but doesn’t know what it is. She opts to connect with the sea for a bit, which she does through dance. Ricky, seemingly on a whim, creates a beautiful golden hand mirror using prestidigitation as a focus to attempt to pray to Sune, Goddess of love and beauty. Surprisingly, he rolls high enough to connect with Sune, who is fascinated by his ability to contact her without formal training. She gives him advice for his friendships and relationships, then leaves him with a gift… allowing the mirror he had created to become real.
Azure is fascinated by Kalea’s smooth, rhythmic dancing. She asks Crush to show her how to dance like that, and while Crush admits to using dance to connect with the sea as well, his technique is totally different from hers. He tries to teach them the dance his family had taught him… resembling more a Maori Haka dance, with heavy stomps and loud slaps against his own shell, seeming almost to challenge the sea itself. In the midst of his reverie he feels a deep connection to the ocean… a reminder of the corruption that is somewhere deep inside… and he can sense its origin somewhere far to the North West, but his primitive connection to the sea isn’t precise enough to give him more than a vague direction.
Back on the Blooming Rose, Ash goes to the mess hall… attempting to eat an apple to try and connect with her memories of being alive when she needed to eat, but since it quickly rots in her grip she angrily tosses it into a fire. As she’s contemplating… Fidget stumbles drunkenly into the mess hall, looking for more wine to steal. Ash and Fidget argue, struggling to open up about their feelings, both in denial of what they’ve been going through. Finally Ash apologizes for what she’s done, admitting that her emotions are returning and she finds them frightening. Fidget finally admits to her what he’s been feeling as well… realizing he has two possibilities: either he’s going to go mad within months, and he’ll either kill the people he cares about most, or be killed by them… or he’ll live for centuries and watch everyone he cares die slowly. After finally admitting how they feel they both finally reconnect. Finding some private time in one of the rooms, Ash takes off her gloves… revealing that the rot in her hands has gotten more extreme. Her gaunt fingers resembling claws. But Fidget isn’t afraid, letting her touch him… revealing that his Reaver healing allows her to touch him directly… even as her touch rots his flesh it heals even faster, only discoloring slightly as the two draw close for a night of passion.
The nostalgia of dancing on the beach reminds Crush of his childhood. He chooses to carve a small ship out of driftwood, the first thing his father taught him how to carve. Ricky and Azure help Kalea to craft a large ceremonial circlet out of woven plant matter. Taking it out to the beach, she performs a ceremony… dancing in the surf, the enchanted plant matter catching fire. Burning even as it floats on the water and continuing to burn as it floats under the water… a glowing orb of water surrounding her body. However, as she attempts to commune with the nature spirit, Crush spots dark figures swimming close, intent on stopping her ceremony. The remaining party members battle the merrow (with Ash’s player allowed to control Corrio, the NPC cleric, since Ash is still on the ship). Although the group of 4 Merrow wouldn’t normally be a threat to the party, their need to protect Kalea and prevent her from losing concentration is the real challenge. A few of the Merrow are able to get past the party to attack Kalea, but Ricky cripples their attempts by up-casting Blindness to succesfully blind the entire group of Merrow, making them easy pickings for Crush and Azure, but it’s Corrio (controlled by Ash’s player) that finishes the battle with a well-placed moonbeam.
Crush is perfectly happy to throw the bodies into the sea and letting them feed the animals, but Ricky and Azure want to investigate the bodies to find anything out of the ordinary. Azure manages to find a carefully hidden note written in Abyssal… and although no one present can read it, the emblem of the Depraved Gloom is visible on the note, letting them know that, whatever the Merrow are doing, their assassin enemies are involved.
Speaking to Kalea, she explains that the Ocean was able to give her the precise location of the corruption, marking it on Crush’s map. She was told that the “Old One” and the Disappearing Isle are both in the same location. She’s also told about Ricky’s Aunt Gilly, who has been sold into slavery and taken into the Feywild. While she doesn’t have the ability to travel to the Feywild herself, she makes contact with a fellow Druid… a Firbolg named Verik, who is powerful enough to travel between the Material Plane and the Feywild. As heavy rains pour through the night, the party chooses to sleep on Kalea’s island for the night, with plans to meet Verik the next day before moving forward to explore the location Kalea marked on their map.
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