"Let's go," Ednyss growls, "This fight is all but over for us. We must head back to regroup." As he says this, he places his shield on his back and begins to run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the fire of the remaining archers.
Dexterity Save: 13
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Side-by-side, Varielky and Mittens lead the way south, exchanging excited glances as their goal nears, with the others close behind. But just as the party reaches the southern edge of the arbor, an arrow appears out of the snowfall, seemingly from nowhere, flying directly at Varielky! Triggered by the barely perceived motion in her peripheral vision, her warrior’s instinct comes alive, she reflexively shifts -- not a moment too late -- and the Dreyen arrow misses her by a hair’s breadth. But, whistling through her cloak, it passes through and slams into the black-furred wizard cat, impaling him in the shoulder and knocking him onto his back. He slides a few feet in the fresh snow, spread-eagled. (OOC: Mittens is at 0HP.
Mittens:
For flavor, it looks like this. Mittens is conscious but immobilized from the waist up. He will remain that way until he regains 1HP. Removing the arrow will lose one death save, but it must be done in order for him to move or be moved. Likewise, if Mittens tries to walk independently he will lose a death save. In this condition he can’t cast spells or take combat actions. He can hold onto his spellbook, that’s about it.)
As the others stop to help Mittens, they see some Dreyen archers have taken position on the tracks south of the footbridge, finding cover behind the train platform. The squads ahead of you have turned east off of the tracks just before the bridge, now hustling south on the road into the village. They head toward the Inn, a partly burned-out 3-storey structure. In it, you see some of your provincials behind windows, exchanging missile fire with the Dreyens behind the platform, keeping them partially pinned. You saw Shirei-Kin enter the structure through the entrance facing the road, and his voice can be heard in the distance shouting orders. You think you see him through a partially fallen-off wall leaping up the stairs, three at a time. Behind you, through the snow, you see the rest of the brigade coming down the hill past the arbor, still harried by dog sleds.
You’re nearing your goal, but one party member is down. What do you do? (Mittens, make your first death save please, but you can keep talking.)
(OOC: I believe we have exactly one more potion of healing. It is with Dyn Gwelw.)
Ednyss runs back to the fallen party member holding up his shield to protect Mitten's fallen corpse as he calls to the rest of the group, "If anyone has any more of those healing potions, now is the time!"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Varielky runs and protects the group with her shield as well. "Don't worry, tiny warrior. After this fight, while dying in this battle, you will have a safe spot in heaven." It sounds more like a eulogy rather than comforting a living person.
(OOC: I believe we have exactly one more potion of healing. It is with Dyn Gwelw.)
Ednyss runs back to the fallen party member holding up his shield to protect Mitten's fallen corpse as he calls to the rest of the group, "If anyone has any more of those healing potions, now is the time!"
(OOC: Unless I messed up at some point, there aren't any remaining potions of healing. Can try to stabilize him with a DC10 wisdom save, or with medicine skill.)
Ednyss removes the arrow (ouch!) and staunches the wound. Mittens is stable (at 0HP), but he can't move. He only weighs about 50 lbs, so he could be carried. Does someone pick him up, or do you wait where you are for possibly more help from the rest of the brigade?
Varielky looks at Ednyss, impressed. "I've seen wounds like these in battles many times before. This is the first time, however, that I see someone saved from one without magic. You should be proud, I'm sure the gods will be happy for you to join them at Hallvala." Varielky inserts her longsword into the appropriate frog and picks Mittens up with her free hand. She lays him on her shoulder and uses her free hand to hold him still, making sure he won't fall or move too much so his wounds won't reopen. "Let's move."
Ednyss nods to Varielky and holds up his shield as the back away to guard their backside. "The grace of Takal Demesh guides me beyond just magic and when the time comes, I am sure I will join him if I have died with honor. I am fortunate to have saved him, though, and he needs rest before he will be able to walk again."
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
As a reminder of what you saw before Mittens was struck, Shirei-Kin entered the Inn through the entrance facing the road, and you heard his voice in the distance shouting orders, then saw him through a partially fallen-off wall leaping up the stairs, three at a time. Behind you, through the snow, you see the rest of the brigade approaching and not far behind you. You join the stream of provincial allies heading into the village.
With Varielky now carrying Mittens, you reach the road, and running along it past the mud walls and into the village proper surrounded by allies, you now see Shirei-Kin atop the Inn, facing south into the village and raising his fist...in victory?
NO.
Rising directly in front of him -- and you -- is a Frost Giant even larger than the one which, earlier, opened up your train car like a box of Orracan Delights. Turning to Shirei-Kin, the giant rises up to its full height, and it inspires awestruck terror in the troops near you who stand transfixed at the apparition.
Suddenly the clouds part and in answer to Shirei-Kin’s call, a beam of pure moonlight shoots down onto the giant’s face and chest! Seemingly awakened from a trance, provincial troops loose a score of arrows at the monstrosity!
You are packed among your allies, who have formed into a tight mass backing away from the Giant, and you five are pushed toward the wall of the Inn, around the corner from the Giant.
Varielky looks back at the others. "Well, what do you think? I'm not sure how to even attack this thing without simply getting stomped on. Not such an honourable death. I could throw an axe at it but I doubt it'll hurt more than a bee's sting. Does anyone have a better idea?"
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Most of my heavy divine magic is tapped out as well. I might be able to put a dent in it with this," he says gesturing to his War Pick as he gets jostled, "but I'd have to get close and I'd probably get squashed. Let's pitch in what we can from here, and stay as far away from it as we can. A hundred bees can fell a horse." He then turns to the giant and sees what little divine energy he can muster while being jostled.
Casting Sacred Flame on the Frost Giant for 2 Radiant Damage (On a failed DC 15 Dexterity Save).
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Dyn Gwelw, who has felt a bit out of place around here, finally loses patience (not a good thing for a monk to do perhaps, but what the heck), charges the giant and leaps up, hurling a dart into its eye.
Acrobatics 24
Attack: 19 Damage: 6
Then he will kick it in the nose for his bonus attack.
You all move just around the corner of the Inn, under its eaves in order to have line of sight with the enormous foe. The giant ignores the many missiles which pincushion it but seem to have no effect, including Ka'imi's arrow and Dyn Gwelw's dart, and Ednyss' lick of holy flame. But it seems to feel Shirei-Kin’s moonbeam, and it grimaces and snorts. Its muscles then pop and surge, and it raises a morning star the size of a horse in an unstoppable arc, and then brings it down, smashing Shirei-Kin and the Inn under the Jenghen captain’s feet!
You see the roof explode under the impact, the heavy chains ripping through the fire-weakened structure at a diagonal and the weapon’s massive steel stars swish down directly in front of you and away. In their wake, slats from the outer wall fly around you, striking some nearby allies. And then, in an instant which seems like an eternity -- you feel it first, a low clattering rumble -- the Inn is shattered and falling, and as you turn to face the inevitable, it is upon you! A tidal wave of charred wooden beams, weathered slats, mildewed and ice-covered sofas and beds, lamps, dressers, and bric-a-brac, crashing onto the road, crashing onto all of you and burying you under its weight. And there is pain, and darkness, and you hear and see nothing more for a time.
(OOC: This is the end of the Cold Open! Any last words as the building falls an top of you?)
You all survive, which will be explained in the next post! And, congratulations. You’ve all reached 2nd level!
I’d be grateful for feedback, please post to the group chat & let’s discuss. I’d particularly like to know if you’d rather we handle combat a different way going forward.
Following the destruction of the Inn by the great Frost Giant, the Dreyen village, which you all later learned was called “Mirror Lake” -- or in Dreyen, “Lokimarra” -- in its more prosperous days, was secured by Jenghen provincial forces, and the Dreyens were pushed back, temporarily at least.
As luck would have it, you five happened to be standing upon an ice-covered set of doors leading to the Inn’s basement, which collapsed under the weight of falling debris following the Giant’s great blow. You fell into the cellar, down icy stairs, unconscious, and were thereby protected from the worst of the crushing avalanche of the building’s demolition, although all five of you were very seriously wounded. In the aftermath, trapped under detritus, you awoke intermittently to the sound of combat above you, beyond the dusty and icy wreckage blocking the stairs. This went on for a long while, it seemed, and then it receded. Time passed. More sounds grew in the muffled distance, people speaking Jenghen. Provincials, helping themselves to jars of provisions still untouched in the Inn’s basement storerooms, who heard your moans, and accessed the cellar through an open corridor, freed you and carried your battered bodies outside. You saw daylight again.
You were evacuated with many other wounded men and women, to Jen Ghessa, you all later learned. There, your rehabilitation was long and slow, in a medical room in a suburb, with windows looking out on a blank wall, surrounded by strangers. During this time, several weeks, perhaps, you were semi-comatose and fevered. Finally, your health returning, you found yourselves released from Medical, and ordered west via horse carriages. You felt better with each passing day of travel. When the carriage reached its destination, Ishi Ammah, in Orraca u Shia, you were honorably discharged from service with a severance payment of 50gp each.
The Chief of Garrison, Didark Gromimir, a very girthsome, deep purple-skinned Jenghen with large pink freckles and a bored demeanor, instructed each of you upon discharge in a grainy, loathsome monotone, “to live henceforth as a Jenghen provincial citizen, and to be lawful and mindful of your neighbors. And remember that you might be called back to active duty in the future, if needed.” And in a flat and emotionless tone, “Farewell, and may Ellosh be kind to you.”
This occurred at a different time and day for each character, because you arrived to Ishi Ammah separately and received the Chief of Garrison’s benediction among a small group of men and women you happened to share a carriage with, although no two of you arrived in the same carriage. In fact, the five of you have not seen each other since the day you were rescued from Lokimorra. And now, a new day dawns and you are each alone in Ishi Ammah.
Ishi Ammah, the capital of Orraca u Shia, is large by provincial standards. Of course, it does not compare in size with the two million residents of Jen Ghessa. But perhaps 400,000 persons live there, mostly Orracans, many Shians, some humans from the Empire or its Provinces, Dwarves, Chimps, a few Elves and Cats, and travelers from The Kingdoms. It is a bustling and prosperous port, with dry, sunny weather almost throughout the year. Many influential Jenghens own summer homes among Ishi Ammah’s villas, which boast exquisite views of the gulf and the harbor.
You have all spent some time in Ishi Ammah before, although none of you have family there. If you wish, you might have a local acquaintance, although too, they might have moved on since you were here last.
Imagine a quiet day, graced by a beautiful blue sky with only a few high clouds, the god Idiwala drifting placidly in view high above you. Midwinter’s Day has just passed, and a crisp, dry breeze blows from the southwest. The temperature on the carriage ride overnight was not cold by Dreyen standards, but a bit chilly for Orraca u Shia, and although you have not seen heavy furs for some weeks, you had to pull your light cloak around you while you slept. But this afternoon, as you exit the enormous brass gates of the capitol building, it is comfortable walking without your coat, and sweat may trickle down your back under your pack. The Jenghen Governor and his offices are located in the capitol, called The Dome, a palace of intricately patterned marble and gold, which long ago, it is said, was built by the Orracan Queens, in the days when they maintained their independence from the Dominion, long before the Jenghens.
Leaving the palace behind, and walking downhill towards the water, you pass wealthy villas, then smaller homes in the craftsmans’ districts, before reaching the winding streets near the docks and The Public Market, where restaurant tents, brothels, and small ampitheaters are filled with people of every size and shape going about their daily business.
Farm stands proffer bowls of food, baskets of olives, almonds, citrus, grapes, and dates for sale. White-eyed Gulls wheel and screech overhead as you draw closer to the water, and you hear the barking of harbor seals, and watch, as many small boats and ships lay in harbor or catch the desert wind with triangular sails which propel them seaward. Suddenly the breeze shifts for a moment, blowing uphill, and the smells, the perfumes, incense, sewage and rot, sweat, ripe fruits, home cooking--everything is there, and you know you have returned to Ishi Ammah.
You see a veiled woman with henna tattoos entertaining passersby with a tamed viper across her shoulders, offering to read your future at a small woven table. An old man dressed all in white but for an orange hat, stands amid a crowd singing story songs while playing an oud, a lute-like instrument, with nimble fingers, accompanied by an ancient woman playing dumbek drums. The crowd jostles around you and you remember you must keep an eye out for urchins, robbers and worse. But too, there is such variety in the people here, be they ugly and crude, beautiful and alluring, powerful, or powerless, that you are almost overwhelmed to be in the land of the living -- truly -- again.
You’ve grown so accustomed to military life, that to have the freedom to make your own decisions seems almost unreal. But the question looms...What do you do?
(OOC: Following your response, we’ll create an independent thread for each of you using the Quote feature. Unless there’s anything particularly secretive about what you’re doing, no need to hide it in a spoiler. I’ll tell you if/when your characters cross paths. When you’re ready to move on to the next scene, let me know, and we’ll shift in that direction.)
Mittens steps out from Gromimir's office and takes a deep breath of freedom through his nose, relishing the feeling. He bounds down the stairs with a grin and energy of child as a multitude of opportunities opens up before him. The first thing he does is make his way to the River Glades district to find his relatives that live there. His relatives are skilled rug makers that sell their wares at the market nearby. He gets permission from them that he could crash at their place for a while until he could save up to get his own place. He just has to help make the rugs. His relatives include an old (and probably senile) cat veteran by the name of Nightsprinter. He lives with his son, Threadbinder who is married to Stargazer. They have 7 kids who haven't earned their adult names yet: Yarnball, Jumper, Cookoo, Talkative, Naive, Sassy, and Curious ((OOC: the whole "earning the name" thing is something I made up. If you don't want that, it can just be a family tradition thing.))
Mittens then spends the next few days exploring and sight seeing the town. When he comes back home, he helps make rugs and watch the kids in addition to running a few errands. About a week in, he applies for any job at the Library. If accepted, he takes his job very seriously, but he is also there to learn as much magic as he can. If he doesn't get the job, he basically becomes the "do-it-all" guy in the area who does the odd tasks for anyone who asks.
In his spare time, he tries to join any arcane society that he can do he can progress his learning. He gains a few casual friends he occasionally hangs out with when not doing something else. Regardless whether or not he got a job at the Library, he spends most of his time there researching if he is allowed. More than once, he has been found sleeping at a table surrounded by a nest of books and scribbled notes. As soon as he finished work, he goes to the Library for as long as he can before it closes and he is forced to go home.
((OOC: I'm assuming we have had a few months of downtime. In this time, how many spells can I add to my spellbook considering money and resources? I also can't seem to take the hood off. Sorry))
Varielky stands for a moment listening to the story-teller. She was not accustomed to this type of living. Since the day she was discharged, she was doing... well... nothing. At first, she went to the temple dedicated to Takal Demesh, but she didn't stay there for long. The priests there made similar customs as her adopting father did, but also many different things. They worshipped the same god, but eventually, it was a different religion, in a way. She still came by occasionally, but not very frequently.
For the first few days, Varielky would wear her armour and weapons wherever she went. It didn't look like the folks felt at ease when they noticed a Dreyen-looking fighter wearing armour and carrying weapons entering their shops or looking at their stands. Though almost none of them said it directly to Varielky, she noticed their vigilant looks and how some would even reach down to make sure their old sword is still there if they need it. Eventually, she rented a small, cheap room where she could leave most of her equipment. Aside from her clothes and a small pouch for coins, the only thing she's carrying with her is her shield, always on her back so she can reach it in a moment's notice. Many things could be used as weapons in a pinch, but a shield is something you lay your life behind, she had to know it's not a random piece of wood she found that might break any moment.
Varielky doesn't like sitting around and doing nothing. Less than four days since her discharge had passed and she's already scouting the city for job boards and rumours, anything she can do. She doesn't just walk around though. If there's nothing else to do, she would at least train herself. So instead of walking, she's running around the town. Since she's in many places, the character might notice her passing by. A human running around town with a shield is probably not that common, after all. If they do meet, it'd be the first time they see her without her armour on and her hair not braided. She might almost look like another person if it weren't for the obvious shield and the many scars that are visible on her arms and legs. There are so many, in fact, that it seems rather peculiar that her face, which you can finally see without the helmet on, are entirely scar-free. Then again, they were probably just protected by both her helmet and her shield. After all, not many take a hit to the head and live to tell the tale.
Mittens steps out from Gromimir's office and takes a deep breath of freedom through his nose, relishing the feeling. He bounds down the stairs with a grin and energy of child as a multitude of opportunities opens up before him. The first thing he does is make his way to the River Glades district to find his relatives that live there. His relatives are skilled rug makers that sell their wares at the market nearby. He gets permission from them that he could crash at their place for a while until he could save up to get his own place. He just has to help make the rugs. His relatives include an old (and probably senile) cat veteran by the name of Nightsprinter. He lives with his son, Threadbinder who is married to Stargazer. They have 7 kids who haven't earned their adult names yet: Yarnball, Jumper, Cookoo, Talkative, Naive, Sassy, and Curious ((OOC: the whole "earning the name" thing is something I made up. If you don't want that, it can just be a family tradition thing.))
Mittens then spends the next few days exploring and sight seeing the town. When he comes back home, he helps make rugs and watch the kids in addition to running a few errands. About a week in, he applies for any job at the Library. If accepted, he takes his job very seriously, but he is also there to learn as much magic as he can. If he doesn't get the job, he basically becomes the "do-it-all" guy in the area who does the odd tasks for anyone who asks.
In his spare time, he tries to join any arcane society that he can do he can progress his learning. He gains a few casual friends he occasionally hangs out with when not doing something else. Regardless whether or not he got a job at the Library, he spends most of his time there researching if he is allowed. More than once, he has been found sleeping at a table surrounded by a nest of books and scribbled notes. As soon as he finished work, he goes to the Library for as long as he can before it closes and he is forced to go home.
((OOC: I'm assuming we have had a few months of downtime. In this time, how many spells can I add to my spellbook considering money and resources? I also can't seem to take the hood off. Sorry))
RP #1
Upon arrival to Threadbinder’s home, Mittens is welcomed with aloofness, which puts him at ease, for Cats are not known for warmth as much as for independence. Family is more of a theoretical than an emotional framework for them.
As successful tradespeople, the Threadbinder clan owns a pair of attached homes, an original larger structure in which the parents, and all the kittens and a nurse live, and a smaller add-on in which Nightsprinter lives alone, often sitting in the doorway in a patch of sunlight and napping or watching his grandchildren tumbling at play in the cobblestone street. Sungazer tells you, while holding one of her kittens in her lap, and following the others with her eyes, “you are welcome to the attic room for lodgings, and we will accept your kind offer of help with the family business.”
However, although Mittens had expected to be put to work making carpets, he has yet to see the workshop, which is a separate structure bordering the Governor’s Market, and instead has been given the duty of cooking for and caring for the aging Nightsprinter. The fur around his mouth and eyes, jet-black in his earlier days, has grown white as snow and reminds you of the ice-frosted pines of Drey. He is a cagey and craggy old cat, and drives you a bit crazy with his detailed demands and fits of temper.
There is no public library in Orraca u Shia, and the college library is only open to enrolled students, faculty, and others who pay a hefty membership fee. However, you seem drawn to the temple of Moeitu, for questions of life and death, death and afterlife, death and un-death seem always to be at the forefront of Mittens’ thinking. One afternoon, while Nightsprinter is taking a long nap, as is his daily routine, Mittens walks to the temple, and is lost in contemplation while taking in the friezes when the High Priest walks past with a small retinue of acolytes. Mittens knows that temples are usually homes of libraries with holdings detailing the stories, histories, and lore regarding the deity to which they are devoted. Mittens has an inkling that there may be some texts of interest to him here. Does he approach the High Priest?
(OOC: no new spells yet, you'll have to find them. Which ones are you looking for?)
"Let's go," Ednyss growls, "This fight is all but over for us. We must head back to regroup." As he says this, he places his shield on his back and begins to run in a zig-zag pattern to avoid the fire of the remaining archers.
Dexterity Save: 13
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
POST #9
Side-by-side, Varielky and Mittens lead the way south, exchanging excited glances as their goal nears, with the others close behind. But just as the party reaches the southern edge of the arbor, an arrow appears out of the snowfall, seemingly from nowhere, flying directly at Varielky! Triggered by the barely perceived motion in her peripheral vision, her warrior’s instinct comes alive, she reflexively shifts -- not a moment too late -- and the Dreyen arrow misses her by a hair’s breadth. But, whistling through her cloak, it passes through and slams into the black-furred wizard cat, impaling him in the shoulder and knocking him onto his back. He slides a few feet in the fresh snow, spread-eagled. (OOC: Mittens is at 0HP.
Mittens:
For flavor, it looks like this. Mittens is conscious but immobilized from the waist up. He will remain that way until he regains 1HP. Removing the arrow will lose one death save, but it must be done in order for him to move or be moved. Likewise, if Mittens tries to walk independently he will lose a death save. In this condition he can’t cast spells or take combat actions. He can hold onto his spellbook, that’s about it.)
As the others stop to help Mittens, they see some Dreyen archers have taken position on the tracks south of the footbridge, finding cover behind the train platform. The squads ahead of you have turned east off of the tracks just before the bridge, now hustling south on the road into the village. They head toward the Inn, a partly burned-out 3-storey structure. In it, you see some of your provincials behind windows, exchanging missile fire with the Dreyens behind the platform, keeping them partially pinned. You saw Shirei-Kin enter the structure through the entrance facing the road, and his voice can be heard in the distance shouting orders. You think you see him through a partially fallen-off wall leaping up the stairs, three at a time. Behind you, through the snow, you see the rest of the brigade coming down the hill past the arbor, still harried by dog sleds.
You’re nearing your goal, but one party member is down. What do you do? (Mittens, make your first death save please, but you can keep talking.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
(OOC: I believe we have exactly one more potion of healing. It is with Dyn Gwelw.)
Ednyss runs back to the fallen party member holding up his shield to protect Mitten's fallen corpse as he calls to the rest of the group, "If anyone has any more of those healing potions, now is the time!"
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Varielky runs and protects the group with her shield as well. "Don't worry, tiny warrior. After this fight, while dying in this battle, you will have a safe spot in heaven." It sounds more like a eulogy rather than comforting a living person.
Varielky
(OOC: Unless I messed up at some point, there aren't any remaining potions of healing. Can try to stabilize him with a DC10 wisdom save, or with medicine skill.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Death save: 17
As he lies one the ground, Mittens moans and says, "If I don't make it, take care of my spellbook would ya?" Pooky curls up against his side.
((OOC: oh shucks...))
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
While Ednyss is holding the shield, he uses his other hand to try and stabilize the now dying Mittens.
Medicine: 15
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Ednyss removes the arrow (ouch!) and staunches the wound. Mittens is stable (at 0HP), but he can't move. He only weighs about 50 lbs, so he could be carried. Does someone pick him up, or do you wait where you are for possibly more help from the rest of the brigade?
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Varielky looks at Ednyss, impressed. "I've seen wounds like these in battles many times before. This is the first time, however, that I see someone saved from one without magic. You should be proud, I'm sure the gods will be happy for you to join them at Hallvala." Varielky inserts her longsword into the appropriate frog and picks Mittens up with her free hand. She lays him on her shoulder and uses her free hand to hold him still, making sure he won't fall or move too much so his wounds won't reopen. "Let's move."
Varielky
Ednyss nods to Varielky and holds up his shield as the back away to guard their backside. "The grace of Takal Demesh guides me beyond just magic and when the time comes, I am sure I will join him if I have died with honor. I am fortunate to have saved him, though, and he needs rest before he will be able to walk again."
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
POST #10
As a reminder of what you saw before Mittens was struck, Shirei-Kin entered the Inn through the entrance facing the road, and you heard his voice in the distance shouting orders, then saw him through a partially fallen-off wall leaping up the stairs, three at a time. Behind you, through the snow, you see the rest of the brigade approaching and not far behind you. You join the stream of provincial allies heading into the village.
With Varielky now carrying Mittens, you reach the road, and running along it past the mud walls and into the village proper surrounded by allies, you now see Shirei-Kin atop the Inn, facing south into the village and raising his fist...in victory?
NO.
Rising directly in front of him -- and you -- is a Frost Giant even larger than the one which, earlier, opened up your train car like a box of Orracan Delights. Turning to Shirei-Kin, the giant rises up to its full height, and it inspires awestruck terror in the troops near you who stand transfixed at the apparition.
Suddenly the clouds part and in answer to Shirei-Kin’s call, a beam of pure moonlight shoots down onto the giant’s face and chest! Seemingly awakened from a trance, provincial troops loose a score of arrows at the monstrosity!
You are packed among your allies, who have formed into a tight mass backing away from the Giant, and you five are pushed toward the wall of the Inn, around the corner from the Giant.
What do you do?
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Varielky looks back at the others. "Well, what do you think? I'm not sure how to even attack this thing without simply getting stomped on. Not such an honourable death. I could throw an axe at it but I doubt it'll hurt more than a bee's sting. Does anyone have a better idea?"
Varielky
"Most of my heavy divine magic is tapped out as well. I might be able to put a dent in it with this," he says gesturing to his War Pick as he gets jostled, "but I'd have to get close and I'd probably get squashed. Let's pitch in what we can from here, and stay as far away from it as we can. A hundred bees can fell a horse." He then turns to the giant and sees what little divine energy he can muster while being jostled.
Casting Sacred Flame on the Frost Giant for 2 Radiant Damage (On a failed DC 15 Dexterity Save).
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Ka’imi hefts his bow and fires an arrow at the frost giant’s head -
“this doesn’t feel like we’re going to do anything beyond pissing him off!”
Attack: 15 Damage: 6
”when this is over I’m going to need more arrows, as well”
Dyn Gwelw, who has felt a bit out of place around here, finally loses patience (not a good thing for a monk to do perhaps, but what the heck), charges the giant and leaps up, hurling a dart into its eye.
Acrobatics 24
Attack: 19 Damage: 6
Then he will kick it in the nose for his bonus attack.
Attack: 15 Damage: 4
Whoopsee daisy!
Panic is a mechanism that strengthens the gene pool.
POST #11
You all move just around the corner of the Inn, under its eaves in order to have line of sight with the enormous foe. The giant ignores the many missiles which pincushion it but seem to have no effect, including Ka'imi's arrow and Dyn Gwelw's dart, and Ednyss' lick of holy flame. But it seems to feel Shirei-Kin’s moonbeam, and it grimaces and snorts. Its muscles then pop and surge, and it raises a morning star the size of a horse in an unstoppable arc, and then brings it down, smashing Shirei-Kin and the Inn under the Jenghen captain’s feet!
You see the roof explode under the impact, the heavy chains ripping through the fire-weakened structure at a diagonal and the weapon’s massive steel stars swish down directly in front of you and away. In their wake, slats from the outer wall fly around you, striking some nearby allies. And then, in an instant which seems like an eternity -- you feel it first, a low clattering rumble -- the Inn is shattered and falling, and as you turn to face the inevitable, it is upon you! A tidal wave of charred wooden beams, weathered slats, mildewed and ice-covered sofas and beds, lamps, dressers, and bric-a-brac, crashing onto the road, crashing onto all of you and burying you under its weight. And there is pain, and darkness, and you hear and see nothing more for a time.
(OOC: This is the end of the Cold Open! Any last words as the building falls an top of you?)
You all survive, which will be explained in the next post! And, congratulations. You’ve all reached 2nd level!
I’d be grateful for feedback, please post to the group chat & let’s discuss. I’d particularly like to know if you’d rather we handle combat a different way going forward.
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
POST #12
Tracing the Past, Scene #1
Scene #1
Following the destruction of the Inn by the great Frost Giant, the Dreyen village, which you all later learned was called “Mirror Lake” -- or in Dreyen, “Lokimarra” -- in its more prosperous days, was secured by Jenghen provincial forces, and the Dreyens were pushed back, temporarily at least.
As luck would have it, you five happened to be standing upon an ice-covered set of doors leading to the Inn’s basement, which collapsed under the weight of falling debris following the Giant’s great blow. You fell into the cellar, down icy stairs, unconscious, and were thereby protected from the worst of the crushing avalanche of the building’s demolition, although all five of you were very seriously wounded. In the aftermath, trapped under detritus, you awoke intermittently to the sound of combat above you, beyond the dusty and icy wreckage blocking the stairs. This went on for a long while, it seemed, and then it receded. Time passed. More sounds grew in the muffled distance, people speaking Jenghen. Provincials, helping themselves to jars of provisions still untouched in the Inn’s basement storerooms, who heard your moans, and accessed the cellar through an open corridor, freed you and carried your battered bodies outside. You saw daylight again.
You were evacuated with many other wounded men and women, to Jen Ghessa, you all later learned. There, your rehabilitation was long and slow, in a medical room in a suburb, with windows looking out on a blank wall, surrounded by strangers. During this time, several weeks, perhaps, you were semi-comatose and fevered. Finally, your health returning, you found yourselves released from Medical, and ordered west via horse carriages. You felt better with each passing day of travel. When the carriage reached its destination, Ishi Ammah, in Orraca u Shia, you were honorably discharged from service with a severance payment of 50gp each.
The Chief of Garrison, Didark Gromimir, a very girthsome, deep purple-skinned Jenghen with large pink freckles and a bored demeanor, instructed each of you upon discharge in a grainy, loathsome monotone, “to live henceforth as a Jenghen provincial citizen, and to be lawful and mindful of your neighbors. And remember that you might be called back to active duty in the future, if needed.” And in a flat and emotionless tone, “Farewell, and may Ellosh be kind to you.”
This occurred at a different time and day for each character, because you arrived to Ishi Ammah separately and received the Chief of Garrison’s benediction among a small group of men and women you happened to share a carriage with, although no two of you arrived in the same carriage. In fact, the five of you have not seen each other since the day you were rescued from Lokimorra. And now, a new day dawns and you are each alone in Ishi Ammah.
Ishi Ammah, the capital of Orraca u Shia, is large by provincial standards. Of course, it does not compare in size with the two million residents of Jen Ghessa. But perhaps 400,000 persons live there, mostly Orracans, many Shians, some humans from the Empire or its Provinces, Dwarves, Chimps, a few Elves and Cats, and travelers from The Kingdoms. It is a bustling and prosperous port, with dry, sunny weather almost throughout the year. Many influential Jenghens own summer homes among Ishi Ammah’s villas, which boast exquisite views of the gulf and the harbor.
You have all spent some time in Ishi Ammah before, although none of you have family there. If you wish, you might have a local acquaintance, although too, they might have moved on since you were here last.
Imagine a quiet day, graced by a beautiful blue sky with only a few high clouds, the god Idiwala drifting placidly in view high above you. Midwinter’s Day has just passed, and a crisp, dry breeze blows from the southwest. The temperature on the carriage ride overnight was not cold by Dreyen standards, but a bit chilly for Orraca u Shia, and although you have not seen heavy furs for some weeks, you had to pull your light cloak around you while you slept. But this afternoon, as you exit the enormous brass gates of the capitol building, it is comfortable walking without your coat, and sweat may trickle down your back under your pack. The Jenghen Governor and his offices are located in the capitol, called The Dome, a palace of intricately patterned marble and gold, which long ago, it is said, was built by the Orracan Queens, in the days when they maintained their independence from the Dominion, long before the Jenghens.
Leaving the palace behind, and walking downhill towards the water, you pass wealthy villas, then smaller homes in the craftsmans’ districts, before reaching the winding streets near the docks and The Public Market, where restaurant tents, brothels, and small ampitheaters are filled with people of every size and shape going about their daily business.
Farm stands proffer bowls of food, baskets of olives, almonds, citrus, grapes, and dates for sale. White-eyed Gulls wheel and screech overhead as you draw closer to the water, and you hear the barking of harbor seals, and watch, as many small boats and ships lay in harbor or catch the desert wind with triangular sails which propel them seaward. Suddenly the breeze shifts for a moment, blowing uphill, and the smells, the perfumes, incense, sewage and rot, sweat, ripe fruits, home cooking--everything is there, and you know you have returned to Ishi Ammah.
You see a veiled woman with henna tattoos entertaining passersby with a tamed viper across her shoulders, offering to read your future at a small woven table. An old man dressed all in white but for an orange hat, stands amid a crowd singing story songs while playing an oud, a lute-like instrument, with nimble fingers, accompanied by an ancient woman playing dumbek drums. The crowd jostles around you and you remember you must keep an eye out for urchins, robbers and worse. But too, there is such variety in the people here, be they ugly and crude, beautiful and alluring, powerful, or powerless, that you are almost overwhelmed to be in the land of the living -- truly -- again.
You’ve grown so accustomed to military life, that to have the freedom to make your own decisions seems almost unreal. But the question looms...What do you do?
(OOC: Here is a document describing the area which you’ve mostly seen before, and also toward the middle, new information. Also included, some maps of Ishi Ammah, and neighborhood descriptions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FojrDEBYNOimwNC855lXxJ0rpMBC5c6ad3qA3C_GBdg/edit?usp=sharing)
(OOC: Following your response, we’ll create an independent thread for each of you using the Quote feature. Unless there’s anything particularly secretive about what you’re doing, no need to hide it in a spoiler. I’ll tell you if/when your characters cross paths. When you’re ready to move on to the next scene, let me know, and we’ll shift in that direction.)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer
Mittens steps out from Gromimir's office and takes a deep breath of freedom through his nose, relishing the feeling. He bounds down the stairs with a grin and energy of child as a multitude of opportunities opens up before him. The first thing he does is make his way to the River Glades district to find his relatives that live there. His relatives are skilled rug makers that sell their wares at the market nearby. He gets permission from them that he could crash at their place for a while until he could save up to get his own place. He just has to help make the rugs. His relatives include an old (and probably senile) cat veteran by the name of Nightsprinter. He lives with his son, Threadbinder who is married to Stargazer. They have 7 kids who haven't earned their adult names yet: Yarnball, Jumper, Cookoo, Talkative, Naive, Sassy, and Curious ((OOC: the whole "earning the name" thing is something I made up. If you don't want that, it can just be a family tradition thing.))
Mittens then spends the next few days exploring and sight seeing the town. When he comes back home, he helps make rugs and watch the kids in addition to running a few errands. About a week in, he applies for any job at the Library. If accepted, he takes his job very seriously, but he is also there to learn as much magic as he can. If he doesn't get the job, he basically becomes the "do-it-all" guy in the area who does the odd tasks for anyone who asks.
In his spare time, he tries to join any arcane society that he can do he can progress his learning. He gains a few casual friends he occasionally hangs out with when not doing something else. Regardless whether or not he got a job at the Library, he spends most of his time there researching if he is allowed. More than once, he has been found sleeping at a table surrounded by a nest of books and scribbled notes. As soon as he finished work, he goes to the Library for as long as he can before it closes and he is forced to go home.
((OOC: I'm assuming we have had a few months of downtime. In this time, how many spells can I add to my spellbook considering money and resources? I also can't seem to take the hood off. Sorry))
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Varielky stands for a moment listening to the story-teller. She was not accustomed to this type of living. Since the day she was discharged, she was doing... well... nothing.
At first, she went to the temple dedicated to Takal Demesh, but she didn't stay there for long. The priests there made similar customs as her adopting father did, but also many different things. They worshipped the same god, but eventually, it was a different religion, in a way. She still came by occasionally, but not very frequently.
For the first few days, Varielky would wear her armour and weapons wherever she went. It didn't look like the folks felt at ease when they noticed a Dreyen-looking fighter wearing armour and carrying weapons entering their shops or looking at their stands. Though almost none of them said it directly to Varielky, she noticed their vigilant looks and how some would even reach down to make sure their old sword is still there if they need it. Eventually, she rented a small, cheap room where she could leave most of her equipment. Aside from her clothes and a small pouch for coins, the only thing she's carrying with her is her shield, always on her back so she can reach it in a moment's notice. Many things could be used as weapons in a pinch, but a shield is something you lay your life behind, she had to know it's not a random piece of wood she found that might break any moment.
Varielky doesn't like sitting around and doing nothing. Less than four days since her discharge had passed and she's already scouting the city for job boards and rumours, anything she can do. She doesn't just walk around though. If there's nothing else to do, she would at least train herself. So instead of walking, she's running around the town. Since she's in many places, the character might notice her passing by. A human running around town with a shield is probably not that common, after all. If they do meet, it'd be the first time they see her without her armour on and her hair not braided. She might almost look like another person if it weren't for the obvious shield and the many scars that are visible on her arms and legs. There are so many, in fact, that it seems rather peculiar that her face, which you can finally see without the helmet on, are entirely scar-free. Then again, they were probably just protected by both her helmet and her shield. After all, not many take a hit to the head and live to tell the tale.
Varielky
RP #1
Upon arrival to Threadbinder’s home, Mittens is welcomed with aloofness, which puts him at ease, for Cats are not known for warmth as much as for independence. Family is more of a theoretical than an emotional framework for them.
As successful tradespeople, the Threadbinder clan owns a pair of attached homes, an original larger structure in which the parents, and all the kittens and a nurse live, and a smaller add-on in which Nightsprinter lives alone, often sitting in the doorway in a patch of sunlight and napping or watching his grandchildren tumbling at play in the cobblestone street. Sungazer tells you, while holding one of her kittens in her lap, and following the others with her eyes, “you are welcome to the attic room for lodgings, and we will accept your kind offer of help with the family business.”
However, although Mittens had expected to be put to work making carpets, he has yet to see the workshop, which is a separate structure bordering the Governor’s Market, and instead has been given the duty of cooking for and caring for the aging Nightsprinter. The fur around his mouth and eyes, jet-black in his earlier days, has grown white as snow and reminds you of the ice-frosted pines of Drey. He is a cagey and craggy old cat, and drives you a bit crazy with his detailed demands and fits of temper.
There is no public library in Orraca u Shia, and the college library is only open to enrolled students, faculty, and others who pay a hefty membership fee. However, you seem drawn to the temple of Moeitu, for questions of life and death, death and afterlife, death and un-death seem always to be at the forefront of Mittens’ thinking. One afternoon, while Nightsprinter is taking a long nap, as is his daily routine, Mittens walks to the temple, and is lost in contemplation while taking in the friezes when the High Priest walks past with a small retinue of acolytes. Mittens knows that temples are usually homes of libraries with holdings detailing the stories, histories, and lore regarding the deity to which they are devoted. Mittens has an inkling that there may be some texts of interest to him here. Does he approach the High Priest?
(OOC: no new spells yet, you'll have to find them. Which ones are you looking for?)
DM for Candlekeep Mysteries // Dev Hornd in Curious Critters // Eclipse Faraway in Gallows Dancer