It's been a while since we last streamed our Homebrew campaign of Sacrament. Our DM has been very busy starting her new job and just didn't have time to prepare for everything that's going to happen in the next session until today. Luckily she's all set so join us tonight at 6pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty as the Crits for Breakfast crew faces the dangers within the Reaver Capital! But for a more in-depth recount of what happened, please read on:

Crush and Ricky are alone with Kanec and the Mother as they examine the baby, checking to make sure he’s healthy. As Azure returns the Mother wakes up… she thanks the “Doctor”, still believing that Azure is a proper medical doctor. Azure has to force herself to not admit that she’s simply a monk with some medical training and not licensed to practice medicine, leading to an argument between her and Ricky, he wants to make sure she doesn’t reveal herself. Jass enters the genie bag to check in on things, finding the cut out uterus that had to be removed from the woman. She asks what happened and they explain everything, although they avoid mentioning that Azure isn’t a licensed doctor, since practicing unlicensed medicine is a serious crime in Reaver society.

Crush leaves the Genie Bag to keep an eye on things on the road while Ricky introduces the new Mother to Thaco the goat and Omelette the Emu, to her confusion, although she is amused by their antics. Ricky is the first to be able to ask her, now that she’s conscious and healthy, what her actual name is, which she reveals to be Annalie. The group gathers outside to chat and discuss their plans, with Ricky deciding he wants to learn how to meditate, while Baby Kane is starting to learn some dirty words… although as a Goblin child, it’s common to learn those types of words.

Ricky, Azure, and Kanec enter the genie bag to try and meditate, which Azure does easily, although Kanec simply falls asleep, and a mischievous Ricky can’t focus enough to meditate and instead entertains himself by painting on Kanec’s face. Meanwhile, Ash and Fidget take a nap in Zeke, the giant mimic posing as a cart… in her sleep, Ash receives a vision of the future… she sees the party traveling in a grand city, followed by shadowy figures flitting across the rooftops. One of the shadows seems to see Ash within the vision… she recognizes his armor, and even his weapon… Death’s Shadow, the man who killed her. She hears his voice saying simply, “Back from the Dead?” The sight of this man pushes her over the edge… her Revenant nature completely taking over her. Fully transforming, her body erupting with deadly necrotic energy, actively harming Zeke. Crush lifts her above his head, taking the force of a full on blight spell from her… he lifts Ash out of the cart, carrying her away from the cart, tanking another Blight from her in the process. Ash is nearly going feral, but she’s finally relaxed when Ricky comes out of the Genie Bag to cast Calm Emotions, returning her to sanity. She explains about the vision, although she realizes that even though she’s fully become a Revenant, she still doesn’t know the name of the man who killed her, realizing that her Patron, Larlock, King of the Liches, had plucked the name itself from her mind, preventing her from fully succumbing to the Revenant curse. Even now that she’s fully transformed physically into a Revenant… her skin now a dark, ashy black from head to toe, her eyes pinpoints of fire, hair firelike and wild. The Reavers recognize her true form, realizing exactly what kind of Undead she is… they also reveal that Reavers have an understanding and respect for Reavers… their God, Sovereign, is a type of Revenant after all. They have policies in place to assist Revenants and, more importantly, protect the citizenry from their wrath. Ash is pulled forward by magic… drawn to the Reaver Capital, now fully aware that her murderer is there, even if she doesn’t know everything yet.

They continue to travel, with Ash riding on her skeletal brute, pushing it to its limits on her drive. The other party members rest on Zeke, recovering after a long day of travel. Crush doesn’t want to, but at Azure’s insistence he rests as well, recovering from the multiple Blights that would have easily killed a weaker man… although just as he’s drifting to sleep he finally notices the sloppy face paint that had been drawn on Kanec’s face, which everyone had managed to miss in the excitement. Ash, Fidget, and Crush remain outside, while Ricky, Azure, and Kanec go inside the bag… partly to introduce Kane to the other baby and hopefully help calm him down, and also to discuss what happened within the Private Sanctum Ricky had cast to give Annalie some privacy. They realize that Larlock is tied to this, concerned that he might have actually arranged Ash’s death. They realize that, if they could learn Death’s Shadow’s true name they could use it to help balance Ash’s mind…. And Azure also knows that they need to establish themselves as allies to Ash so her drive to destroy her target doesn’t hurt them either. Ricky writes to as many people as possible to try and learn Death’s Shadow’s name, and to warn Ash’s family about what has happened to her.

They approach the city… even from 10 miles away the massive statues and tall towers of the city can be clearly seen. Crush asks Brock, one of the Reavers, about the procedure for Revenants entering the city, and he’s basically told that the Reavers simply clear away the citizens and let the Revenant reach their target and exact their revenge.

Ricky gets a letter from his aunt… she’s been unable to find Death’s Shadow’s true name. However, she does find something that seems like it’s designed for the Grimveil Shield to be inserted into, but she doesn’t know what it is. She assures Ricky that they’re still researching, and will inform him as soon as they learn anything. Meanwhile, they’re nearing the front gates of the Reaver Capital, with guards clearing the way ahead of them, making the way safe for the Revenant seeking its quarry. As they approach the massive gates the captain of the Guards approaches, asking Ash to stop… demanding to know if she’s coherent enough to avoid harming the citizens. Ash is able to maintain her calm as the Grimveils are checked in. Azure recalls information she’s read about Revenants… she knows that they will always know where their target is located, but also reveals that a Revenant will only fulfill their vengeance if they get the killing blow… and even then, their body will immediately turn to dust. However, the party has the scarf of Amor, which gives them the ability to cast a single use of True Resurrection, which can even revive someone whose body was completely destroyed… if they play their cards right, Ash can get her revenge and then get returned to life.

As they make their way further into the Reaver City they realize the sheer size of the city means it will be hours of travel to reach the location Ash’s Revenant powers are directing her to. Crush mentions concern about going into this deadly conflict with Kane, and the thought of her son in potential danger is enough for Ash to focus and hold back on her revenge long enough to prepare. Ricky contacts Argus, Ash’s brother and a skilled wizard who is visiting the Reaver Capital as an emissary for Kirei Midori. Argus asks them to meet him in Opal Park so he can speak to Ash and help her prepare for her conflict… and to take Kane in his protection.

Crush and Ricky inform the Reaver guards escorting them of their plans, not wanting them to be caught off guard. Kanec leads the way to Opal Park, a place he’s familiar with… as a boy, he would skip stones at the small pond in the center of the park. Night falls before they reach the park, and as they make their way further in they find Argus waiting by the pond. A large statue of the Goddess Peace is in the pond, and they realize this is sacred ground protected by Peace. Crush goes to drink of the water in Peace’s pond, while Kanec teaches Azure how to skip stones while Ash and Fidget speak to Argus.

Ash reconnects with her brother, possibly for the last time. Argus knows what has happened to her, and wants to help her in any way he can. However, this is also how Ash is forced to reveal that she’s married to Fidget, and that she has a son, even if she’s not the biological Mother. They ask Argus to protect Kane, knowing that he can keep the young Reaver safe. They also let Argus know as much as they can about Ash and her relationship to Larlock… and also encourage him to let his young brother, Aylus, contribute, since he’s been attending school in the Reaver Capital and has shown a particular interest in necromancy… one of the rare fields of study the Reavers understand better than the Elven country of Ortheia. He’s resistant to the idea of involving Aylus, but Ricky is able to Persuade him its worth telling Aylus, since he’ll want to help in any way possible, and this is the safest way his unique skills and knowledge may contribute. Ricky also takes advantage of this to ask Aylus to take Thaco and Omelette with him for safekeeping as well. Everyone says goodbye, watching as a confused Kane is taken away struggling and crying for his Mama and Dada, knowing he’ll be safe with Aylus while they prepare to face Ash’s destiny.

Just a heads up for everyone... we'll be taking this weekend off. One of our players has an ear infection, and it's generally not a good idea to do something that puts headphones on your ears for 4+ hours while trying to recover from that.

Things have been a bit hectic lately... players are moving, getting new jobs, and recently a player has been sick. We're going to be back tonight to play more Hoard of the Dragon Queen at 7pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. It's going to be a short session, since everyone's still getting things together. Anyway, it's been a while since we last streamed, so in case you need a reminder, here's what happened in our last session:

Making their way to Trepsin’s Kennel, Dahlia takes advantage of her disguise as a high-ranking Cult of Tiamat member to convince Trepsin that a wild White-Scaled Drake has been spotted nearby, and that she needs the four-armed Troll to capture and train it, with Loki using Thaumaturgy to create the sounds of movement in the woods. They lead Trepsin away from the Lodge, so that they can battle him without giving him the opportunity to alert the other cultists, bringing along Craggnor the dwarf, who still is traveling through the snowy woods without the benefit of warm weather clothing or even boots.

Trepsin quickly finds that there’s no trace of a Drake anywhere nearby and wants to simply go back to his kennel, but clever uses of Thaumaturgy and deception lead the troll and one of his other Drakes deep into the woods. Dahlia attempts to use Ray of Frost in a manner that could trick the troll into thinking that this wild White Drake has some kind of cold-based powers, but it’s extremely difficult to pull off such a deception, even against a slow-minded creature like Trepsin. Realizing the ruse, Trepsin attacks Dahlia, viciously assaulting her with all 4 of his arms and even biting her with his sharp teeth. As the fight continues, Craggnor stays hidden from the troll, but Katniss is able to keep an eye on him... Craggnor asks Katniss if They are willing to share a weapon with him, and a wary Katniss gives him a long sword that They haven’t had use for since acquiring it. Craggnor himself deals the final blow against Trepsin... with Dahlia noticing that he landed a very precise sneak attack.

Dahlia continues to harangue Craggnor, trying to get him to reveal more, but Craggnor maintains surprising calm, although he does request to at least be given boots. Katniss again offers to help, giving Craggnor some old boots that They had recently replaced with Boots of the Winterland, and although they’re clearly made for Elven feet, his dwarvish feet are able to fit, however uncomfortably. Returning to the Lodge, they find Gastyn, the butler who worked in the Lodge before the cult took it over, who lets them know that no one has come to check on the prisoners in the basement... but he also reveals that the Kobolds have been working on something. Dahlia seeks out Phrits, the Kobold they had spoken to before, who explains that the Kobolds are fortifying their room, setting traps to surround themselves while they wait for the Protectors of Phandalin to kill Talis and free them from her cruel abuse. Dahlia asks the Kobolds to include the prisoners from the basement along with Gastyn in their protective base, and also encourages them to take advantage of the supplies in the kitchen to set up more traps. It takes some convincing, but the Kobolds eventually agree to help protect the prisoners while the Party prepares to face Talis the White, along with Craggnor who knows where she sleeps.

They opt to use a servant’s stairway to the second floor, rather than the larger stairway in the entryway of the lodge... at the same time, they also pour cooking oil over the steps on the way up, leaving them trapped and dangerous. This decision seems prescient, as they get up to the second floor, moving stealthily... they notice that Talis is awake, and is holding what looks like an icicle in one hand and gripping a kobold with her other hand. She’s waiting and watching the main stairway... it seems that one of the Kobolds revealed their plan to Talis, and now she’s holding that same Kobold as a hostage and waiting for the intruders to reveal themselves. Instead, the party carefully sneaks into a nearby room... a tall meeting room that has been taken over by the cult and decorated with tapestries depicting Dragons attacking various locations... although Katniss in particular recognizes an image of a Green Dragon killing Elves with the Star Mounts in the background... a distinct mountain range They know from Their home in the High Forest. Katniss angrily demands from Craggnor what these tapestries are meant to depict, and he admits he doesn’t know if they’re meant to depict specific plans, or just general imagery in support of the Cult’s goals. However, most impressive of all the tapestries is a massive tapestry depicting Tiamat herself, inlaid with gold and jewels.

Investigating the room more closely, G’houl moves aside the Tiamat tapestry, and behind it finds a painting depicting the founders of the Huntsmen... he recognizes Agatha, the woman they met as a Banshee who started them on their journey by telling them where to find Bowgentle’s spellbook... a spellbook they also see held by a young Bowgentle. They’re surprised to find Bowgentle as a young, bookish wizard with a nervous smile... and among the other members depicted is a small figure with scaled hands holding up a lute, but the rest of the figure is covered with paint... luckily, G’houl is able to discern that it’s painted over with water soluble paint that easily washes away, revealing a blue-scaled Kobold and founding member of the Huntsmen. Dahlia theorizes that the cultists hid the image of the Kobold so that their own Kobold Slaves wouldn’t see an image of a Kobold being treated as an equal to other humanoids. More usefully, G’houl also finds a hidden door behind the painting, leading into a hunter’s trophy room.

From their new position, they devise a plan... Loki will use her Slippers of Spider Climb to crawl around the other side of the Cabin to create a distraction, giving the others the opportunity to surprise Talis and protect her Kobold Hostage. Loki makes her way around the side of the building until she spots Talis through the window, summoning her Duplicate and using it as a distraction. Immediately Katniss is the first to burst out of Their defensive position, unloading Sharpshooter attacks directly on Talis paired with Their Hunter’s Mark. However, it’s G’houl who deals the final blow to Talis, the cult leader unable to say a single word before being killed by a ball of magical poison created by the Chromatic Orb spell, and the Kobolds who were compelled to serve the cultists through their fear of Talis instead flee.

Talis’s bodyguards and other cultists present battle the Party, with one of them even activating a pair of Gargoyles stationed on the ground floor. For a fleeting moment Dahlia sees the Red Wizard, Azbara Jos, accompanied by one of his Redbrand body guards. However, Jos, seeing Talis dead, quick assesses the situation and turns invisible before retreating... unfortunately for him, he heads toward the servant’s stairway, slipping on the oil and crashing down to the ground floor. His Bodyguard is left behind to slow down the attackers, but isn’t given more instruction by Jos... and unfortunately for him, Dahlia is still disguised as a cult member and manages to critically succeed at Deceiving Jos’s guard that Talis’s bodyguards are the real enemies, having turned on the cultists. The Redbrand doesn’t know the cult well, and turns against his own allies. Enraged, one of the guards grabs Dahlia and pulls her out of the second story window, hoping to face off against her alone outside, but he didn’t count on G’houl using Misty Step to join them and knock him prone using earth tremor, giving Dahlia advantage as she chooses to kill him with Inflict Wounds, which she delivers though a teasing kiss... which is made all the more baffling for the Guard, as she’s still using her Hat of Disguise to appear to be Brother Anton, the high ranking cultist.

During the combat Craggnor briefly helped where he could, but he prioritized staying hidden. G’houl makes certain that Dusk remains by Craggnor’s side to keep an eye on the cultist so that he can’t simply slip away in the conflict. All of their opponents are killed except for the Redbrand Knight, and as they hear the sound of more of the Kobold traps being set off in the direction of the Kitchen, they realize it’s finally time to confront Azbara Jos.

It's been busy, hasn't it? But we're streaming again tonight at 7:30pm PST at our usual home of twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. We're finally playing our homebrew campaign of Sacrament again, and I know it's been a while, so in case you need a refresher, here's what happened in our last session:

As the Grimveils prepare to visit Kanec’s house, they realize they’ve lost track of Zeke, the giant mimic that forms himself into a cart. Ricky contacts him using the Sending spell, and helps to guide him to meet up with the party at Kanec’s home. After reconnecting with Zeke, who had been causing confusion and chaos. However, as they enter his house it appears that someone has broken into it… following a trail of flower petals to the bedroom… bursting into the room, they find not a robber, but instead Malik, Kanec’s older brother along with an elven prostitute. After some shock and confusion everyone convenes in the lounge to discuss their plans. Malik teases his younger brother until the two of them go into Kanec’s genie bag to show off the trophies they’ve gathered in their adventures. Ricky decides to make some dinner as they discuss their plans for dealing with Ash’s target… they discuss briefly going to the University, but learn that they’re closed for a few days while exams are going. They decide it would be best to go out and do some reconnaissance for information about Death’s Shadow. As they eat dinner Crush asks Malik to recommend a place nearby, and he suggests that they go to a place called Mortimer’s that is open late and serves a bit of a shadier crowd. Fidget also considers that his children are in the Reaver City, and Ricky recommends that he can use Sending to contact Fidget’s children and arrange for them to meet at Mortimer’s.

On the way to Mortimer’s they pass through the city, admiring the night life, although they notice that they’re still being followed by the city guards, who know that Ash is a Reaver and endeavoring to minimize any harm she might do to the city. They see a group of students out late to capture Desert Flies… a magical Firefly-like creature that glows a variety of colors, and which produce electricity when they mate. They discuss the concept of schooling… in particular, Fidget doesn’t want his son, Kane, to go to school, while Kanec, as Kane’s godfather, insists on schooling for the young Reaver… especially because of the special needs Reavers have when they reach maturity.

They eventually get to Mortimer’s, finding it to be a hub for late night activity… an outdoors dining establishment with other vendors. Crush spots a group arm wrestling, going to join them while Fidget Jr. and Sly Smile arrive to greet their father. They’re disappointed that their new little brother isn’t there, but are still happy to see their father. Junior reveals that he’s working as a blacksmith’s apprentice and Sly is working as a waitress, but they both sometimes go to the University, which is interested in learning about Goblins. They are shocked to learn that Fidget is now officially married to Ash, learning that she’s now their Stepmother. Crush joins the arm wrestling competition, facing off against an Orcish man with one arm named Logan. Using Inspiration given by Ricky, Crush is able to clinch victory, and wins a 100 gold pot… more importantly, he talks about being a Gladiator, and they recommend he visit the Blood Rings, an arena where gladiators are facing in fierce competition as high ranking military personnel are arriving in the Capital in preparation for the Military Gala coming in a week… high ranking personnel who are starved for entertainment. Crush also gives a vague description of Death’s Shadow… a cloaked man who wields a signature raven-designed sword. Logan and the others agree to keep an eye out for him, and tell Crush to meet them at the Blood Rings.

Returning to join his party, Junior and Sly are told about the specifics of what’s happening. Ricky, in an attempt to keep the news from panicking them, sings the basic details to them, with Crush accompanying. Ricky does such a good job that it gets the attention of other tables, and the song “Someone Killed your Step-Mom” starts to spread… which even the baffled Goblins have to admit is quite an ear worm. Everything is eventually explained to them in greater detail, and the party discusses whether to send them to join their little brother at Ash’s brother, Aylis’s house for their own protection. They’re not enthusiastic about being sent to stay with a “hoity toity” High Elf, and they both still have jobs to attend to. However, at the very least it’s decided that they should at least visit their brother, and it would be a good idea for them to know where Aylis lives so they know where they can go for help if they get in danger… and after all, with Ash’s marriage to Fidget, he’s family. During this discussion Azure and Kanec step away, with Kanec wanting to take a romantic walk with Azure and show her his favorite bakery. As Ash is about to tell her step-children where to go, she looks around to make sure no one is listening and realizes they’re being watched by shady figures on the rooftops. She informs Fidget using magic, and Fidget subtly reveals to Crush, who does a more thorough scan and spots more figures on other rooftops following them. Fidget uses Thieve’s Cant to inform his children as well, before suggesting they set up an ambush for their followers. Fidget and Ricky act drunker than they actually are, hoping to trick the Depraved Gloom into trying to attack them.

Meanwhile, Kanec and Azure walk through a park toward the Pink Lotus… a unique combination of both a brothel and a bakery. They pass by a pair of Desert Flies… the pair mating, with the magical creatures combining energies, their physical bodies dying before opening to release newborn Desert Flies. They reach the Pink Lotus and find that a lovely outdoor bakery is still open late at night. Kanec orders some fresh made cake. It’s delicious, and Azure carefully analyzes it, hoping to replicate this flavor at some point in the future. They’re at first choosing to simply return to Kanec’s house… until Azure begins to notice figures watching from the rooftops. Kanec and Azure hurry back to rejoin their group, while the rest of the party are about to make their way out, but suddenly all voices stop as the sound of werewolf’s howl echoes through the night.

Just wanted to give everyone an update... we're going to be on hiatus for a few weeks. Our DM Hazel and her wife Lotus are moving, starting new jobs, getting their art business set up, and probably a dozen other things I'm not aware of, so we're not going to be able to stream any time soon for either Sacrament or Hoard of the Dragon Queen.

Oh man, it's been more than a month since our last stream! Luckily everyone's living situation seems to have been balanced out and we can all finally play again.

The Crits For Breakfast crew is back tonight at 6pm PST at our home of twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. And even if you were there at our last session, I think you'll appreciate a recap:

Dahlia makes certain that Craggnor the Dwarf isn’t left alone for more than a few seconds before everyone hurries to the Kitchen of the Huntsman’s Lodge to confront Abara Jos. This proves slightly difficult, as the Kobolds have taken Dahlia’s warning to heart and set up traps to protect themselves... one of which Katniss barely notices in the way into the kitchen: a simple bucket balanced precariously on a partially opened door, although the Kobolds filled it with oil and balanced a candle above it to create a potential fire hazard. They find the beleagured Red Wizard drinking wine, offering some to the party as he prepares to parlay with them. Katniss immediately attempts to cast Hunter’s Mark on Jos, but he counterspells Their spell to protect himself. Jos is more intelligent than many of the cultists they’ve dealt with, and infers that the party must be the infamous “Doppelganger” that the cult seems convinced is haranguing them... especially when he sees Dahlia use her Hat of Disguise to reveal herself as Dolly the human, who she posed as when traveling with the caravan as a guard earlier. This proves slightly inaccurate, as the “Doppelganger” is actually a miscommunication warning about Loki the Changeling, but still speaks to his ability to connect the dots.

He notes that the Cult of Tiamat had difficulty with a group of Kobolds rebelling against the cultists, necessitating a mass exodus of goods from a seemingly safe campsite. He himself witnessed the Lizardfolk rebellion at Castle Naerytar, where Lizardfolk were empowered to turn against the cult who treated them as servants. And here within the lodge the Kobolds kept as slaves have been emboldened to set up a trap and kill the cultists not killed by the Protectors of Phandalin. He asks Dahlia if she considers herself a “breaker of chains”, a title she finds pretentions but she does embrace the spirit of it. Jos asks the party what they know of the Red Wizards and the Land of Thay... Katniss, with Their great knowledge of the Undead has researched Thay, and knows that it’s a Magocracy led by an Undead, despotic Lich, Szass Tam, and the Red Wizards are his elite army of enforcers. Katniss’s explanation rings true for Jos, excepting one detail... the Red Wizards are, above all else, Slaves to their undead master. Jos and his master, Rath Modar, have defected from Thay... their motivation isn’t to destroy the world, but to gain enough power to overthrow Tam and free the people of Thay.

Dahlia doesn’t believe his motivation is so altruistic, and insists that there’s no need for such a cruel and destructive method to accomplish thier goals, but Jos explains that the Kingdoms of the Sword Coast are fully aware of the situation in Thay, but they refuse to help. For all his cruelty, Szass Tam is, by all rights, the Lawful ruler of Thay, and the opposing Kingdoms have many treaties and deals made over centuries of rule with Tam that prevents them from intervening in his rule. Dahlia knows enough of Liches to know that they go Mad over time, but Katniss clarifies it’s not simply madness... they lose their humanity, compassion, and so many little things that it’s little different than Madness. Jos has no love for the cultists, and Tiamat, for him, is simply a means to an end... he assumes that they must have some connection to powerful organizations such as the Lords’ Alliance or the Emerald Enclave, and he asks that they help him to meet with the leaders of these organizations to plead his case for aid in overthrowing Szass Tam... in exchange, he will help them to oppose the cultists and prevent the summoning of Tiamat.

Katniss is the first to step forward, vowing to do all They can to stop Tam’s reign of terror... proclaiming that Liches are an affront to the natural order, and an abomination such as Tam must be destroyed... not simply for the cruelty he inflicts, but as one last mercy to the man he once was. Jos is taken aback by the sincerity of Katniss’s words, and declares his plan to help them in any way he can. He explains that the town of Parnast is being used as a base of operations for the cult, who have access to a Cloud Giant’s Castle that is moored at the mountain town... although he does not know how the cultists convinced the Cloud Giant to let them use his castle. He also explains his relationship to Rath Modar... as a child Jos’s family was killed by Modar, who raised Jos and trained him in the art of magic... but Modar as well is the man who freed him from a life of slavery, and his complicated relationship makes him wary about opposing his former Master directly. He also explains that Iarno Albrecht, who they know better as Glasstaff, was a fellow student of Modar, and he was the one who warned about the party and knew about the connection to Bowgentle’s spellbook. He also knows that Modar himself holds Bowgentle’s book, as only an experienced and powerful wizard could hope to decipher the spell necessary to bring Tiamat to the material plane.

Katniss asks about the Pixiewood tree that once stood near the teleporation circles created decades ago by Bowgentle. Jos explains that Talis the White had tasked first Rath Modar himself to have the tree chopped down and turned into a wand... there is great power in the core of a Pixiewood tree, although Jos considers her motivation incredibly short-sighted and an impractical waste of resources... Talis had the Guardian Tree of this mountain forest chopped down to create a single Wand of Fear with the intent of using it against Craggnor the Dwarf to assist with her torture as she attempted to learn his secrets about Varram the White, one of the Wyrmspeakers of the Cult of Tiamat. Jos leads them to the work room where he had been working on the wand... finding it had been carved into the image of a white dragon. It is currently soaking in a shallow bowl filled with blood, and Jos explains that he doesn’t actually know where the blood came from, since the source of the blood for such an enchantment isn’t important. Katniss surmises that it’s the blood of a creature that was tortured to death... fear has a measurable, physical change to blood, and a creature that dies in pain and fear produces tough, unpleasant meat. Katniss is shocked at this deliberate corruption perpetuated by the cultists, and takes not only the wand but also the blood, intending to give the remains, such as they are, a respectful burial.

G’houl takes the time to ritual cast Detect Magic... he finds an enchanted spear that can be used to cast Daylight. He also examines the wand Talis carried, with Jos explaining that it’s a Wand of Winter, which allows the user to cast a collection of Cold-based spell, which Loki immediately wants for herself, since Dahlia already knows many Cold spells from her Infernal Heritage descended from Levistus, and G’houl has a collection of magical Staves. This motivates them to finally examine Talis’s corpse, finding that she wears enchanted armor and also has a magic amulet of some kind... a metal and glass case, with a symbol of Tiamat mystically floating inside... he determines that it’s an Amulet of the Devout, which can give a Cleric a +1 to spell attacks and spellcasting DC, and also allows an additional use of their Channel Divinity. They also find a mundane key on her person, and Dahlia thinks that Loki could wear Talis’s clothing to impersonate her going forward. Searching her room, they find a treasure chest that contains 4,000 gold, which Loki immediately starts shoveling into her Bag of Holding... making G’houl need to wrestle to recover a Spell Scroll of Scorching Ray before it gets lost in the bag with all of Loki’s other stolen treasures. They also search the room to gather some of Talis’s clothing, and also find a collection of drawings of White Dragons. Jos helpfully explains that Talis quite literally worshipped White Dragons... admiring their cold, cruel, unrelenting attitudes... her method of torturing the Kobold Glii to keep the other Kobolds loyal and afraid is her attempt to replicate how White Dragons keep their subjects in line. He warns that a powerful White Dragon, Glazhael the Cloudchaser, is in the Cloud Giant’s Castle in Parnast.

With Talis’s treasures taken, Katniss shifts Their focus to the wand and blood... returning downstairs to meet with Mirsella... fellow Half-Elf Ranger and member of the Emerald Enclave, hoping that the Enclave will have some means of reviving the Guardian Tree. Mirsella is shocked at the cruelty of the cultists, but vows that she and the Enclave will do whatever it takes to revive the tree, if it’s even possible. She knows that Pixiewood does not grow easily on the Material Plane, and it will be the work of many skilled Druids to help it recover. They plan to visit the stump of the Guardian Tree to do whatever they can, but there’s one problem... cultists and their mercenaries are guarding the teleportation circle. To prove his commitment to the promise he had made earlier, Jos volunteers to send them away and give Katniss and Mirsella the opportunity. He leads the party back out into the cold, snowy night, and informs the men guarding the teleportation circles that he is going to be destroying the circles, and orders the men to return to Parnast. Dahlia doesn’t fully realize what he’s doing, and while once again disguised as Brother Anton argues that the teleportation circles shouldn’t be destroyed, nearly revealing Jos’s deception before he clarifies though the Message spell that it’s just a lie. She uses the same spell to object to sending the men to Parnast, since it means more soldiers for them to face there, but Jos explains that if he were to send them anywhere else it would raise suspicions. Fortunately for the Protectors of Phandalin, the mercenary guarding the circles isn’t too insightful, and is eager to get out of the snow and mounts their Wyverns to fly to Parnast... Wyverns that Dahlia was hoping to pet, but Jos warns that showing any affection to them would immediately ruin her disguise as Brother Anton.

Katniss and Mirsella approach the stump of the once great tree... Katniss places upon it the incomplete Wand of Fear... the very core of the tree that had stood and protected these lands for centuries. Katniss uses Their last spell slot to cast Healing Spirit, which takes on the form of the great White Stag that Katniss had briefly seen in a vision. The healing energy empowers the spirit, if only briefly, and the core of the tree is absorbed into the stump... although all it does visually is cause the center of the stump to rise in a nearly imperceptible bump. The Guardian Tree is still in danger, but Mirsella feels confident this will provide it with just enough energy to cling to life long enough for Emerald Enclave druids to arrive and heal it properly. Katniss and Mirsella also dig a hole nearby, pouring the corrupted blood inside and offering condolences to the poor creature that suffered to provide it. Suddenly, the raven Onix they had recovered from Castle Naerytar plucks a black feather from Katniss’s hair... a single feather gifted to Katniss by Balance, the Raven familiar of Sister Angelica... a priestess to the Raven Queen who once saw great potential in Katniss and Their quest against the Undead. Onix drops the feather into the shallow pool of blood, which has mysteriously turned completely black. With Dahlia giving Inspiring words of encouragment, Katniss lays their palms upon the blackened blood and opens Themself up to the forces before Them. While the others simply watch Katniss touching the shallow pool, Katniss feels Themself being pulled into the inky blackness. Opening Their eyes, They see her... tall, pale and elegant, with long black hair that melts into the infinite blackness that surrounds them... The Raven Queen herself. She asks Katniss if They meant the promise They had made to Azbara Jos earlier regarding the lich Szass Tam, and Katniss doesn’t hesitate with Their commitment. The Raven Queen explains that the Gods do not bodily enter the Material Plane... their very presence would cause chaos, such forces not meant to reside on that plane. But they send boons, and they choose champions... she assures Katniss that They are nearing the end of the River of Gold, and must soon enter the Castle in the Clouds. Katniss knows the danger that awaits, but knows what must be done.

Coming out of Their reverie, Katniss looks again into the pool of blood and finds that the Feather dropped inside has risen mystically from the blackness, clean and now held in a silver clasp. The clasp is intricately carved with images of the Raven Queen herself, and holds a a single, natural, uncut Onix. As Katniss immediately attunes to the feather They find Themself suddenly connected to Onix... Onix has become Their familiar, and the feather itself allows Them to cast spells as Rituals.

Okay, nevermind lol. One of our players injured her hands at work, and although it's something that should be healed in a day, she needs some time to recover so she's not in pain the whole time.

Our player is feeling much better already, so we'll be streaming again tonight at 6pm PST. Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty for more Hoard of the Dragon Queen.

We're finally going back to our homebrew campaign of Sacrament! Come join us tonight at 6:30 PM PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty to catch back up with the Grimveils and their ongoing journey across the lands of Kahenah. Here's a quick recap of everything that happened in our last session, over a month ago:

With the sound of werewolf howls filling the air, Crush realizes that the howls seem to be coming from all directions. The Reavers, natural enemies of the werewolves, quickly draw their weapons in the outdoor market…. Civilians quickly hurrying inside. The Grimveils are partially separated… Azure and Kanec have left on a date, and the other Grimveils move in their direction, hoping to meet them half way so they can reconvene… knowing that they’re already followed by assassins on top of the werewolves.

Meanwhile, Azure and Kanec are hurrying back to reconvene with their allies. Kanec realizes that it’s safer to meet halfway, and uses his Feather of Sending to tell Fidget to meet them at the nearby park. Crush luckily has a knack for remembering layouts and knows the exact path to take, although they notice that guards are on high alert, and seem to be checking civilians for something, although they don’t know what. As the party is on the move they notice that the sound of howling seems to be coming from the rooftop… the same direction that the shadowy figures tailing them have come from. As someone approaches Kanec and Azure attempt to hide, but they’re too clumsy… fortunately, the person who found them was Malik, Kanec’s older brother, who heard the sound of werewolves and put on his ceremonial armor, stepping out with the intent to hunt the werewolves. He insists on accompanying them to the park as they rejoin their friends.

On the way to the park the two groups meet up with each other. Kanec is still accompanied by Malik, who wants Kanec to join him in hunting the werewolves… but the party needs to speak in private, and claim they want to just return home and hide like the general population… something that Malik attempts to shame and mock Kanec for, hoping to motivate his much younger brother to join him in the glorious service of hunting and killing the enemies of their God, and Kanec struggles… he doesn’t want to lie to his brother, but the truth is that he wants to protect Ricky, who is touched by the NightMother, sworn enemy of the Reaver god Sovereign. With the help of his friends, they’re able to convince Malik to give them some privacy… but he’s clearly not happy with it, and the stress of deceiving his brother clearly weighs heavily on Kanec. Crush tries the tough guy approach, attempting to get Kanec to nut up, but it only manages to upset Kanec further, who explains the intense guilt he feels… lying to his brother, working against his God, and breaking the very law of the land by not turning Ricky in to the authorities. He also laments that his brother is quite literally a Paladin, and may be able to sense something is wrong. Crush realizes he had made a mistake earlier, and instead tries to explain that he doesn’t care about the laws or religion, only what’s right or wrong… and he believes that Kanec has done the right thing, no matter what his God thinks. That seems to help Kanec relax, and they all make plans to go to the park they know to be protected by the Goddess Peace, hoping it will give them some protection.

As they enter the park, Crush spots one of the shadowy figures that has been tailing them throughout the night, and tries to convince them to come down and explain what they’re doing… but as the figure steps out of the shadow they see that it doesn’t appear to be a Depraved Gloom assassin, as they had assumed, but is an androgynous figure in a black outfit with a moon-white mask… and a silver crescent-moon shaped trinket hanging from their belt. Before they can speak, however, another figure leaps out of the shadows to stab Kanec in the back, and more masked figures come out of the bushes to attack. Crush cuts down one of them, while another figure reveals themselves to be a werewolf… and another attacks with monk techniques and, more surprisingly, summons astral arms of her own similar to Azure’s. As the two groups prepare to fight Ricky uses Mass Suggestion to get them to surrender… and although that stops everyone Ricky can see, another figure in black springs out of the bushes to attempt to grab Ricky and carry him away. Fortunately, Ricky manages to avoid their grapple attempt, and Azure quickly punches and stuns this new attacker. With the attacker stunned, Crush roughly pins him down so they can interrogate their attackers. Ricky realizes that they carry symbols of the Nightmother, and the fact that they tried to capture Ricky instead of harm him leads him to believe there’s more to this than meets the eye. He realizes that they are Night Children, those still loyal to the Night Mother. The Night Child Crush is pinning refuses to speak with Kanec and Fidget present, so Ash gets the idea to summon a demiplane, the Night Children led inside alone with Ricky and Crush.

At Ricky’s insistence, Crush releases the Night Child he’s grappling. They explain that they were informed by their “Priest” about Ricky’s journey, and thought that he had been captured by Reavers and were attempting to rescue him and keep him away from the Reavers. Ricky explains why he’s here… he was given a vision by the Nightmother, and sent here to the Reaver Capital to find her lost temple that still rests at the top of the grand Ziggurat that stands in the center of the capital. They’re shocked to find that Ricky has spoken to the Night Mother directly… noting that the only other person they know who spoke to her was Peeter, and when they learn that Ricky was trained by Peeter they open up more. Crush and Ricky work together to convince them that they can trust Kanec, with Crush detailing the time that Sovereign himself appeared in a bolt of lightning and Kanec chose to protect Ricky from his God. This convinces them that it’s safe to reveal more, and they’re all let out of the Demiplane. The Night Children say that their Priest is nearby, and he’ll be able to explain everything more succinctly. As they step out they’re greeted by the Priest… Neo, the elven mystic they had met earlier.

Okay, there's going to be a delay on the stream tonight... one of the players has some stuff with their family going on. I'll keep everyone updated in case we need to rescheduled for a different night or if it's just going to delay our stream for tonight.

Everything is fine now! Come join us live at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty

Join us tonight at 6pm PST for more Hoard of the Dragon Queen! We'll be live son at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty, and in case you missed last week's stream now that we're back from our hiatus, here's what you missed:

As dawn arrives the Protectors of Phandalin find themselves preparing to reach the Cloud Giant’s Castle in Parnast, but Dahlia takes note that 4 teleportation circles are built near the Huntsman’s Lodge. She wonders where the different circles lead, but Azbara Jos explains that the cult was in the process of redirecting the circles to new locations that would benefit the cult of Tiamat... however, that also means they’re unstable and cannot be used safely. She then switches her attention to the Hunter’s Tapestry in the Lodge, hoping it can teleport the party directly to Parnast... but again, Jos knows that the tapestry teleports anyone who steps through it in the vicinity of a nearby huntable a creature, but he also doesn’t know how to direct it, and that it also has a maximum range of 1 mile... at best, it could save a few hours of travel, but there’s virtually no way to make certain that the target creature is in the direction desired. Katniss is then asked if They know a creature that would, reliably, be in the direction of Parnast specifically... the Hunter’s Lodge is located high in the Greypeak Mountains, with the village of Parnast further down from the peaks... with Katniss’s great knowledge of Nature, they are able to intuit that a creature that would not travel this high up the mountain at this time of year would be a Brown Bear, so if any are in their vicinity, it will be in the rough direction of Parnast.

Miresella, the fellow Ranger and member of the Emerald Enclave, has been deeply impressed by Katniss, and Their respect for nature and honor leads her to extend to Katniss an invitation to join the Emerald Enclave. She gives Katniss a cloth leaf and tells Them to show it to a man named Josiah in the village of Llorkh when They are next able to. Jos also asks the party if they wish him to accompany them to Parnast... although he admits that the thought of facing off against his teacher, Rath Modar, will be difficult for him. The Party agrees that he would be safer accompanying Miresella as she guides the civilians and Kobolds in the Lodge back toward the town of Llorkh. Jos tells them to not take Rath Modar lightly, but also tells them that his fellow student, Iarno Albrek, is also in the village of Parnast and could, perhaps, be convinced to turn to their side. Albrek is a known coward, and is far too materialistic to truly hope for the Cult to successfully summon Tiamat and destroy society... but it remains to be seen if the callous and uncaring self-proclaimed Red Wizard can even be trusted. Jos also warns them that, with the knowledge that Castle Naerytar has been taken by the Lizardfolk, the cult will likely be leaving Parnast quickly, giving the party precious little time to reach them and the Cloud Giant’s Castle, which is capable of traveling vast distances.

With their work seemingly complete, Craggnor the Dwarf finally asks what is to be done about him... he refuses to return to society, and avoids explaining why. He also has no interest in helping the party in their continued assault against the Cult of Tiamat, as he was only interested in killing Talis the White for her abuse and torture. Dahlia is still deeply suspicious of the Dwarf... Craggnor had once allied himself with Baron Whipstaff, Dahlia’s former husband she had only married as part of a deception to kill him as revenge for what he did to her family. More worryingly, Craggnor knows who Dahlia is, and also knows exactly where her family lives. When asked about that very issue, Craggnor simply states that he has no intention of harming her family... a true statement, it seems, but Dahlia notices it’s carefully worded in a way that he could change his mind on the matter in the future. When asked where he intends to go once this is complete, he answers only “North” and gives no further information. Dahlia is struggling to decide if this man deserves mercy, and the rest of the Protectors of Phandalin promise to support whatever decision she makes, but ultimately feel its her choice. Knowing that Craggnor still has a Dwarven sense of honor, even if he’s managed to twist it to his own ends with the cult, she pulls her sword on him and demands he swear on his life and his honor that he will bring no harm to her family, and furthermore, he will never return to her home country of Esleah ever again. Craggnor swears to her exactly as she demands, and as proof of his compliance Dahlia slices off a braid in Craggnor’s beard... both as a symbol of their pact, and also as a tool which she can use to divine his location should she ever suspect that he has broken his word. With that, Craggnor is allowed to leave, although he is given no supplies or other means to defend himself.

Returning to the lodge they find that the Kobolds have been tearing apart the Tiamat tapestries the cult had hung up in order to create cold weather cloaks for themselves, much to Loki’s dismay, as one of the tapestries had several rare gemstones sewn into it, which the Kobolds don’t seem to recognize the value of. Dahlia in particular checks on Glii, the blue-scaled Kobold who had been tortured by the cultists to control the others, even getting her tongue cut out. Fortunately, Dahlia is capable of reading lips, and the beleagured Kobold is delighted to finally be able to communicate with ease and she thanks the party profusely. During this process the Kobolds are shown the fresco of the original members of the Huntsmen, including the Kobold Vraak that had been covered by the cultists, who did not want the Kobolds to see imagery of a Kobold being treated as an equal among other humanoids. The Kobolds are fascinated, and Dahlia uses the image to help inspire them to be more confident in themselves, and to join society now that they’re free from the cult.

As the civilians prepare to leave, Azbara Jos once again warns the Protectors of Phandalin to be wary of Rath Modar, warning that it may not be possible to convince him to turn on the cult as they did for Jos. Dahlia assures him that she won’t hesitate to cut him down, and Jos’s reaction gives her pause... looking insightfully at the overly stoic Wizard, she’s able to pick up on his conflicting emotions about his former Master. Rath Modar killed Jos’s parents on the orders of Zsassz Tam, abducting Jos and damning him to a life of slavery as one of Tam’s Red Wizards. However, Modar was also the man who turned against Tam, freeing Jos from the very slavery he had brought him into... and while Jos doesn’t seem to consider Modar to be a father, he is certainly a parental figure who helped to raise him from a young age. It’s clear that he has a multitude of conflicting emotions about Modar, and the thought of sending adventurers to kill his former master clearly weighs heavily upon him. Knowing that there’s no one thing she can say to comfort him in this time, instead Dahlia simply hugs the cold, professional man. Jos is shocked by this sudden display of affection, but Dahlia’s warmth and kindness comes through, and he tightly hugs his former enemy, and his neutral expression is betrayed by the shine of moisture in his eyes, although he sheds no tears. He mentions that Modar’s goals may have once been noble, and all Red Wizards are stained with the blood of their victims, but Modar has perhaps grown too cold... too cruel. It’s one thing to kill others to accomplish one’s goals... it is quite another to enjoy doing so.

With the civilians safely on the road in the opposite direction, the Party moves to the enchanted Hunter’s Tapestry... with Dahlia providing inspiration, Katniss wills the Tapestry to direct them toward the nearest bear, which should be in the direction of the village of Parnast. Once they arrive, they find bear tracks in the fresh snow, and Katniss casts Pass Without Trace to allow the party to move more stealthily to avoid the large beast, which proves to be very useful as G’houl very nearly stumbles right into the bear as it is feasting on berries in preparation for winter. The day is cold and there is little for the heroes to do but march onward, as the village is expected to be two days’ travel from the isolated Huntsman’s Lodge. Dahlia notices, however, that occasionally Wyverns can be seen in the sky... knowing that the dragonoids are used as mounts by the cult, the party realizes this is likely a guard keeping watch, and while they successfully avoid detection they make certain to look for an isolated location to set up camp where they can’t be seen from above. Katniss manages to locate a natural cave formed under two massive stones leaning against each other, with the interior just tall enough for G’houl to use a spell granted by his Fulminating Treatise: Tiny Hut. The spell creates a protective dome preventing entry into the cave. Content with their assured safety, the party decides not to have anyone take watch and immediately all go to sleep.

Dahlia is suddenly awakened by the sensation of intense cold and as she opens her eyes she realizes she’s under water. Surrounded by inky blackness she sees strange, twisting plant life that seems to be reaching out toward her. As she desperately swims upward she finds the surface of the water frozen, and a creature of some kind is digging into the ice above her. As she struggles to get out of the water suddenly the creature above her breaks through, and she sees the head of a large Blink Dog diving under the water, grabbing her by the collar and yanking her out and onto a rickety wooden pier. As Dahlia looks down at herself she realizes she’s suddenly much younger, wearing a fancy dress that she might have worn to some kind of formal event as a child. She notices that the Blink Dog that rescued her appears to be old and pregnant, but more importantly she sees a tall, imposing old woman with green skin, yellow, crooked teeth and wispy white hair. She recognizes her immediately as a Green Hag and the old woman introduces the Blink Dog as Peaches and herself as Granny Greenskin... Dahlia’s Fairy Godmother.

Leading Dahlia into her hut, the now much younger Tiefling sees the interior is filled with strange and mystical knick-knacks, and in the center of the room a large stone pot is boiling with a strange smelling liquid. Granny Greenskin explains that time works differently in the Feywild... a young Dahlia had entered the domain by accident, but although it was her young body that arrived physically, her memories from her adult life arrived instead. Greenskin tells her about how Dahlia’s father had entered the feywild in his own childhood, and had managed to befriend the crotchety old hag... Dahlia even remembers her father telling her stories about the feywild, although he told her stories about a young girl getting lost and going on adventures. As she explains this, Dahlia notices that Granny Greenskin is wearing the same ear ring that Dahlia herself uses as a spellcasting focus as an adult. Granny Greenskin also shows Dahlia the stew that’s cooking... floating in the thick, brown stew are the heads of people Dahlia has killed... not necessarily those she directly finished, but people like Talis the White, Dralmorrer Borngray, and even the Baron who had tortured and killed her father. Greenskin remarks that she was expecting a nice, hearty Dwarven head to be added to the stew, commenting that Dahlia has too much of her father’s kindness for her own good.

Dahlia wants to know more about how Granny Greenskin knew her father, and she explains that the young boy had stumbled into the feywild years ago and had treated the frightening old woman with surprising kindness and understanding. More importantly, he had made a trade with Granny Greenskin in exchange for her protection, gifting her a song in exchange. Greenskin also explains that, since Dahlia is her father’s child, then she has a portion of her father within herself, and therefore Greenskin is to protect her as well. Dahlia asks if her father is here right now, and Greenskin’s response is that her father is always with her. Dahlia also asks about the song her father had traded, and Greenskin sings a few lines... “If the sky that we look upon, should crumble and fall, and the mountains tumble to the sea... I won’t cry, I won’t shed a tear, just as long as you stand by me”. Dahlia instantly recognizes it as a song her parents would sing to her whenever she was afraid. Granny Greenskin then tells Dahlia she has a gift for her, pulling down a dusty old box. Opening it up, it seems to be empty, but Greenskin reaches in as if pulling out some kind of cloth, shaking the dust from it, causing a few sparkling motes of light to shake from it. Dahlia willingly accepts the gift, and Granny Greenskin places this invisible fabric over her shoulders like a mantle, and Dahlia realizes this is the moment where she was touched by the feywild and how she had gained the magical powers of the fey she taps into with her skills as a Glamour Bard. Dahlia has more questions, but Granny Greenskin simply tells her that their time is up, and her vision suddenly changes to herself on the material plane, wet by the side of a lake, her parents looking over her after she’s been pulled from the water and revived, singing that same song to comfort her as her vision goes black and she finds herself now back in her adult body in the Greypeak Mountains.

Sitting up, Dahlia sees at the edge of the cave a young Blink Dog... she recognizes it as one of the Dogs she summons with Conjure Woodland Beings, and now sees the familial resemblance between this dog and Peaches from her vision. The Dog sets an object on the ground before barking excitedly and bounding into the woods. Dahlia rushes out of the protective bubble of the Tiny Hut to find waiting for her another ear ring... different from the one she wears that Granny Greenskin had also been wearing. Picking it up she instinctivley knows that it’s a magical object... a Rhythm Maker’s Earpiece that enhances her own magic and, if touched while saying the word “Darling”, plays her father’s song gently in her own ear. Dahlia does so, listening to this song that her father had traded to protect himself and her as well as she begins to weep while G’houl rushes to her side to comfort her. With G’houl exiting the Tiny Hut it dispels, waking Katniss and Loki who join them... although Katniss notices foot prints on the ground. The prints are clumsy and look to be walking on broken feet, and They realize that these are the kind of footprints that a zombie might leave behind. Thinking back, the party remembers that Lady Morgia, the vampire who once lived in the town of Daggerford, has recently joined with the other members of the cult. Katniss knows that a vampire could create zombies, and suspects that something horrible may have happened to the people of Parnast. More importantly, however... it means that the creatures had seen their Tiny Hut. Looking to the sky, They notice that the wyvern patrols have only gotten heavier.

Katniss again casts Pass Without Trace to aid Their allies in their attempts to avoid detection, but unfortunatley the less-than-agile Loki manages to draw their attention. When two Wyvern riders approach and demand to know what she’s doing she successfully convinces them she’s just a traveling merchant... unfortunately for her, their response is to attempt to simply murder her. Attacking from stealth, her allies intervene making a very deliberate attempt to kill only the riders, hoping to take advantage of the tamed Wyverns for their own ends. The battle proves grueling, as the Wyverns have a deadly poison tail that manages to knock both Loki and Dahlia temporarily unconscious. Dahlia in particular suffers greatly, as she was astride her broom of flying at the time, and hitting the ground from the sky very nearly kills her, with only G’houl’s quick thinking and use of a Healer’s Kit protecting her. Katniss, however, still has the bone flute that They had seen the cult members use to command the Guard Drakes they keep, employing Their proficiency with flutes combined with Their Animal Handling skills to get one of the Wyverns the group had avoided harming on Their side, after its rider had been killed. The other Wyvern had taken some damage and proved too angry and violent to tame, even after its own rider met a similar fate. The Party ultimately is forced to kill one of the Wyverns just to survive, and while the living Wyvern seems to have been calmed as Katniss offered it the bodies of the Wyvern Riders as a meal, it’s still a large, dangerous creature. Dahlia and Katniss work together to take proper control of the dragonoid... and although Dahlia approaches it with affection and kindness, Katniss knows dragons better, and knows that doing so only makes it view Dahlia as prey. However, she still provides a distraction for Katniss, who knows that to ride a Wyvern one must approach them without fear or hesitation. Mount it as though that is simply where you belong, not with aggression or malice, but simply as a superior taking one’s rightful place. The Wyvern accepts Katniss as its rider, and the party makes plans to hide the bodies and hopefully use the Wyvern to gain access to Parnast and learn what has happened to the innocent people there as a result of the cult’s occupation.

EDIT: Oops looks like we need to reschedule Again Some of the players have something important early tomorrow morning, so for their sake we'll be streaming tomorrow night, hopefully at the same time. I'll make a new post tomorrow when we finalize our plans, but for now at least, you can still read the summary of last week's game:

Neo reveals that there are even more Night Children than seen at first, along with their Giant Bat mounts. Neo also reveals that the Werewolf howls were illusion spells used to direct Reavers in the opposite direction of where the Night Children were actually heading. Neo learns that Kanec’s brother is Malik, a famous headhunter of Night Children. He tells the Grimveils that his people have a complex series of hidden pathways they use to travel safely in the Reaver capital, but he can’t speak freely now… instead he tells them where they can contact him in the future to get his help with their quest.

Returning to Kanec’s home, the party gathers for tea and Ricky casts Private Sanctum to keep Larlock or any other beings from listening in as they discuss their plans. Ash is resisting her urges as a Revenant to kill the man who murdered her… hoping to learn how to best torture and dominate him, and also prevent herself from being destroyed, since a Revenant is normally reduced to ash after completing their grim work. In a show of rebellion, Ash brings out the intricately carved skull she used to communicate with Larlock, smashing it on the floor and stomping it into useless pieces. The Party believes they’ll be able to revive her with the Scarf of Amor, which is capable of casting True Resurrection. Still, Ash wants to learn more… she wants to visit the College of the Reavers to learn as much as she can about her condition, both as a Revenant, and as the living Philactory of her Patron, the Lich-Demi-God Larlock. However, the College is closed to outsiders during major tests, so it will take some effort to get inside. Crush also wonders aloud what Larlock will do when Ash is killed, and they realize he may attack them, even in the Reaver city. As they discuss what the Reavers may do in that case, Malik returns from his night hunting Werewolves and Night Children, returning empty handed. It seems that the prevailing theory among experienced hunters was that the werewolf howls were simply some kind of prank.

They ask Malik what the response of the Reavers would be, and he admits that there would be much glory and honor in killing a dangerous Lich, a task he himself has completed once in his past as a hunter and as a Paladin of Sovereign. He’s able to answer some questions about Liches, but admits that Professor Fletcher in the college is the best person to speak to. They discuss more about what’s happening, although they’re careful not to tell Malik too much, just in case. Ash questions if there is some way to capture a Lich, which reminds Malik of a tale of a female Reaver who thought of herself as a Warlord, and was punished by being trapped in a suit of cursed armor, not realizing that Azmira is the armor worn by Fidget, who is tightening on Fidget in rage as her story is told, and Fidget quickly excuses himself to try and calm her.

With their plan for the next day set, the party begins to separate to get some sleep. Malik is the first to sleep, followed by Crush, who wants to take advantage of his Storm Soul ability to breathe water by sleeping in the bath tub. Fidget and Ash, however, want to sit and chat together a bit, and Ricky has some projects to take care of. However, Kanec takes advantage of the opportunity to finally return to the bed he once slept in as a child… the bed just a bit too small, since Reavers have a massive growth spurt when reaching adulthood. He brings Azure with him, the two discussing what it’s like to grow up… they’re both the youngest members of the party, both away from home for the first time and tackling challenges to their beliefs. Kanec in particular knows for a fact that his god, Sovereign, is unhappy with him, and may even curse him in the same way that Azmira was cursed. Azure thinks on the fact that Sovereign, despite being a God, is also a Revenant… a being created and motivated by hatred and rage. Azure remembers an old saying, about someone who lives too long with hate begins to only see in shades of red… blind to the truth, and to their true needs or desires. This comforts Kanec, and the two cuddle in Kanec’s bedroom, seeking comfort in each other’s arms.

Ash, Fidget, and Ricky are gathered in the lounge to rest and relax. Ricky takes some time to load some spells into his Ring of Spell Storing… Tiny Hut and Chromatic Orb. Ricky spends some time to read his self-help book as well, sleeping near Zeke, the giant mimic the party befriended in the desert… although Ricky falls asleep quickly.

As morning comes, Crush is awoken by the sun rising, and as he cleans up the bath the water itself gathers, the spirit of the Sea speaking to him… it says that the spirit of his sister, Crash, has spoken to Hearth, the Goddess of the land, and they’ve arranged for a Druid to assist them… the Sea says that Kalea, the Tortle Druid who assisted them before will be joining them in two days to assist with their plan to help Sovereign and the Night Mother to meet in a neutral ground and hopefully resolved their millenia-long conflict.

While Crush informs the others about this, Malik spends his morning teasing his brother Kanec by stealing all his clothes while he sleeps… as he laughs about it he bonds a bit with Crush, who enjoys the show of sibling rivalry. However, that eventually leads to both meat heads having a flexing competition, which Crush eventually wins by Critically Succeeding at picking up two couches, practically juggling them and whipping them through the air like Nunchuks. This provides Azure with a distraction to steal Kanec’s genie bag back from Malik, but unfortunately Crush also triggers Chao’s Curse, which causes two dangerous creatures to appear… a large Red Oni and another goatlike Demon.

Kanec is the first to move, but he’s barely had time to put on pants, let alone grab a weapon or armor, battling the Oni with his bare hands. Ricky, meanwhile, uses Hold Monster on the Demon, opening it up for a brutal assault from Crush, who also makes sure to drop his Javelins so Malik and Kanec can use them to fight the Oni.

Despite the demon being a deadlier threat, with Kanec unarmed the Oni is prioritized over the Paralyzed demon. Most of the party gangs up on the Oni, with Azure stunning it with her Stunning Strike. Ash manages to take it down, choking it with the skeletal hand of her Chill Touch, turning the oni into smoke, much to the dismay of Malik, who was looking forward to getting a new trophy for his headhunting.

With the Oni defeated the attention shifts to the demon, which has recovered from its Paralysis. Azure peppers it with darts, but in the end its Ricky who defeats the creature with a simple Vicious Mockery, the psychic damage causing the creatures head to explode before the entire thing. Malik is stunned by the whole thing, and although the bodies turn into smoke, he still opts to take a bath as he’s frustrated by everything. The others return to the dining room while they wait for Ricky to prepare breakfast… but before they can they’re visited by Trogdor, the pet Blinkdog of Ricky’s mother, Elizabeth. Trogdor arrives with a letter instructing Ricky to find the highest location he can reach so he can witness her latest Block Buster performance.

Okay, we've got everything sorted and we'll be streaming tonight at 6:30 PM PST! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty as we play our homebrew campaign of Sacrament

We're streaming Hoard of the Dragon Queen tonight at 6pm PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. The Protectors of Phandalin are nearing the end of this chapter of their Adventure, as they prepare to enter the mysterious Cloud Giant's Castle. However, if you need a refresher on what happened last week, read on.

With one Wyvern taken by the Party, they concoct a plan to ride into Parnast... Dahlia can use her hat of Disguise to appear to be one of the Wyvern Riders they had killed, and Loki can use her Changeling nature to do the same with the other. This leaves Katniss, who Dahlia uses makeup to obscure their features, with Katniss relying on their stealthy nature to avoid drawing attention. There is, however, a greater challenge in obscuring G’houl, but Katniss has a different idea... the party knows that Iarna Albrek, who once went by the name “Glass Staff” thanks to his enchanted Staff of Defense made of magically reinforced glass... a staff that G’houl now carries. Assuming that Albrek has likely talked about his lost staff, they decide to present G’houl as a captured prisoner, taking him to Albrek as a prize in order to hopefully manipulate or intimidate the callous Wizard to assisting them, as Azbara Jos had informed them that Albrek would likely be easy to manipulate.

They are also contacted by G’houl’s teacher, Raphael, who informs them that members of the Lord’s Alliance have finally caught up with their Corinth and Ella in Castle Naerytar. He asks whether G’houl wants these warriors to join them, and G’houl instructs him to send everyone they can to the village of Parnast. Help is on its way, but unfortunately they’re still two days behind.

Loki loosely ties up G’houl to make him look well-secured, while in truth he can easily slip from his bonds at a moment’s notice, and Dahlia uses her skills with makeup to make him look as though he’d been recently beaten unconscious. While Katniss poses as G’houl’s jailer on the Wyvern, she rides her Broom of Flying to keep up as they make their way to the remote village of Parnast, and the floating Cloud Giant’s Castle moored to the cliffside village. The approach of the Wyvern draws little attention, but Dahlia’s Broom of Flying quickly gets them flagged down by guards outside of a large stable. Dahlia’s quick talking convinces the man that they had simply killed a group of adventurers, and that she was simply keeping the broom as a spoil of battle. When they talk to him about Albrek it becomes clear that the cultists have little respect for the self-proclaimed Red Wizard, noting the disgust with which he describes Albrek keeping to himself in the local tavern. Dahlia also convinces him that one adventurer escaped... a Half-Elven Ranger, and informs him to keep the other Wyverns in the stable ready to fly at a moment’s notice. Heading further into town, they can see that the civilians trudge through the streets with their heads hanging low, abused and robbed openly by the cultists. Guards also gather in the center of town, where they can keep an eye on the few streets of the small village, with only a couple dozen buildings.

Leading G’houl to the Tavern, they find Albrek waiting behind the bar... the tavern seems to cater to the mercenaries and others allied with the cult who don’t quite share their religious fervor. Albrek recognizes G’houl instantly, and although he’s clearly interested in getting his Glass Staff back, he shows little interest in torturing or getting vengeance against G’houl, believing that he should simply be thrown off the side of the cliff. The Party also recognizes one other person... Jerome, a Lord’s Alliance member they had met as an ally of Sildar Hallwinter, who at the time was paired with a man named Jeremiah and were jovially known as The Jerrys. Jerome seems intent to simply sit at the bar and drink himself into a stupor. Albrek is suspicious of why the people he belives to be cultists would have brought G’houl to him... suspecting that they have some demand from him. Dahlia, betting on Albrek being opened to such a thing while disguised as a male cultist, flirts with him, trying to play off the gift of G’houl as a means to force a relationship. Unfortunately, she has taken on the visage of a particularly gaunt, unpleasant looking man with truly awful, yellow teeth, and even her innate charisman isn’t enough to draw Albrek’s interest. G’houl tries to play along, teasing Albrek for his failures, with Albrek retaliating by slapping G’houl across the face with all his might... the physically weak Albrek doing a single damage to the experienced adventurer.

Seeing Albrek’s vengeful attitude, Dahlia switches tact... rather than attempt to earnestly seduce Albrek, she changes to making a bet with Albrek... she challenges him to fight G’houl in a wizard’s duel, and if Albrek wins he’ll be given his staff back, and if G’houl wins, Albrek will consent to a night of passion with Dahlia. With G’houl thoroughly disguised to appear barely conscious, Albrek quickly accepts the offer, assuming this will be simply an opportunity to flex his magical talents in front of his friends. Dahlia notices that one of the people in the tavern appears to be a civilian, and not one of the sellswords that seems to fill the tavern. As G’houl and Albrek face off, Dahlia uses her Message Cantrip to contact the woman, letting her know that the group who just arrived is here to help.

Albrek reveals that he’s been training in magic since the last time he was seen, and G’houl realizes that Albrek has specialized in defensive Abjuration magic, able to conjure an Arcane Ward for extra protection. Albrek assumes it will be a simple battle, but soon finds himself overwhelmed with G’houl’s more diverse and tactical spell powers, and Albrek consistently finds himself on the losing side of Counterspell duels. While the two of them are facing off, Loki takes it upon herself to try and get the mercenaries in the bar drunk, using her sleight of hand skills to perform bar tricks to get them excited for more drinking, or making bets with armored men to trick them into guzzling beer. Katniss, meanwhile, stealthy searches some of the rooms of the tavern, and although They find a potion of healing, there is little of value to be found. Katniss takes a chance, trying to trick Jerome into drinking excessively as well... fortunately, although Katniss is not skilled at Deceit, They manage to still deceive Jerome into drinking himself unconscious, although They can’t help but notice that he seems deeply depressed and was more than willing to render himself unconscious. While deceiving the mercenaries Loki witnesses one of them picking up a gold-plated tankard that seems to produce an endless stream of beer and makes a mental note to snatch it for herself later.

As Dahlia taunts Albrek to distract him eventually G’houl asserts himself by approaching Albrek and just physically attacking him with a hard, two-handed baseball swing of his staff. G’houl may not have the most strength, but he still has his Orcish instincts and he knocks the wind out of the overconfident Wizard. Realizing he’s in over his head, Albrek abandons all decency and orders his men to interfere and kill G’houl... and when Dahlia, still disguised as a cultist, declares this is tantamount to forfeiting their bet he wants her killed as well. Unfortunately for Albrek, he only has one ally still conscious, and even he is so inebriated as to practically be poisoned. Katniss, not wanting to do permanent harm to any of Albrek’s allies, simply trips the drunken man, pinning him down. Dahlia reveals her true self to Albrek, whlie Loki uses her slippers of Spider-Climbing to walk across the roof and intimidate him further... which clearly works, as Albrek drops his staff and immediately surrenders, mirroring what happened the first time the Protectors of Phandalin faced off against him.

With Albrek defeated he assumes they are all there to arrest him, and actually seems somewhat relieved. Inquiring further, they learn that Albrek is actually terrified of the cult, considering them to be a group of psychopaths. Although Albrek has proven himself callous and cruel in the past, even he is shocked and frightened by the actions of the cult. Once he realizes that they’re not here for them, he tries to bank on his knowledge of the cult, offering to trade his assistance for them helping him to escape, as he is virtually imprisoned by the cult. Dahlia speaks to the innocent woman she had met earlier, who introduces herself as Gundalin, a wheelwright in the village who has taken to hiding in the Golden Tankard Tavern with Albrek and his allies... although they’re boisterous and violent, they’re still safer than the rest of the cult members. She even speaks in Albreks’ defense... calling him “Mr. Glasstaff”, and admitting that he’s not a kind man by any means, but at the very least he’s provided some semblance of a safe space in the Hellish state the cult has unleashed on the defenseless village.

Dahlia still doesn’t fully trust Albrek, but after insisting that they’re the only people who can get him out of here alive, Dahlia manages to persuade him to accept the party’s condition... provide any information he has, use what authority he has to get them closer to the leaders of the cult, and provide them somewhere safe to rest and recover. Albrek agrees, but warns them that the floating castle will be leaving early the next morning. This tightens their deadline, but doesn’t change the Party’s plan. Albrek also reveals more information about the cult’s activities... the Vampire they heard about in Daggerford arrived in Parnast two weeks ago. She seems to not simply be a fellow cultist, but also the lover of Rezmir, the Half-Black-Dragon Wyrmspeaker who leads this sect of the cult. The Vampire has used her necromantic powers to convert any villagers who opposed her into zombies and Vampire Spawn, using them as guard dogs to watch the countryside... it was one of these Vampire Spawn that saw G’houl’s Tiny Hut spell and increase the watch of Wyvern riders that led to their conflict that morning. He also mentions that one specific Zombie is the Priest of Tymora , who is kept in the temple of Tymora they had noticed on the way into the Village. Loki and Katniss are both concerned about this... Loki, as a Cleric of Tymora, and Katniss, in their campaign against the Undead as a whole. Katniss knows enough about the Undead to know that zombies and Vampire Spawn created by an elder Vampire will cease animating if the original vampire is killed. Still, they both intend to visit the temple to learn more.

Everyone takes some time to rest and recover... much to the annoyance of Albrek, who realizes that everyone else was much more injured than G’houl and may have provided him a much easier fight. He explains more about what awaits in the castle, although he’s clearly not excited to face off against such imposing stakes... on top of a Vampire and Half-Dragon, the castle also holds the master wizard Rath Modar, who Albrek knows to be cold and cruel. The owner of the castle is a Cloud Giant who he knows to be named Blagothkus. Dahlia jokes about the name, but Albrek warns her to not take Blagothkus lightly... Cloud Giants are the Kings of other giants, and the other giants that live on the castle practically worship Blagothkus and won’t hesitate to crush anyone who disrespects him in their presence. He also considers Blagothkus to be quite insane, but nobody asks for elaboration on what he means by that. And, of course, there is a White Dragon living somewhere in the castle, perhaps the most dangerous creature there. Katniss asks more about the Vampire... Albrek knows that she lives in one of the towers of the castle, and is protected by two Vampire Spawn that escorted her to Parnast in the first place. She doesn’t leave the castle, and is unlikely to be found in town even to feed. Content with what they know for now, everyone puts their disguises back on and make their way to the temple of Tymora.

Approaching the temple, the scent of rotting meat permeates from the desecrated building. Symbols of Tymora outside the building have been vandalized, and Loki notices that a small pile of coins have been surreptitiously left by the front door. As she goes to gather the coins for herself, Dahlia thinks she’s being crass, but Loki explains that tithes given to Tymora are gathered by her followers, and as the only remaining Cleric of Tymora in town, then it’s fine for her to take the coins. It’s a meager bounty, but more importantly, as Loki gathers them she hears in her head the prayers of the villagers who had left what little riches they had by the front of the temple in a desperate attempt to beseech their Goddess to rescue them. Somewhat shaken by this, Loki leads the way into the temple, finding the place ransacked. Symbols of Tymora have been desecrated, and a large wooden statue of Tymora has been decapitated... the head crammed roughly into the back wall, where a large, crude painting of Tiamat has been drawn. Although Tiamat’s central head is usually depicted as red, for this painting a Black Dragon head is in the center, with the head of the Tymora statue embedded in the wall to appear as though it’s in Tiamat’s mouth.

However, the sight that draws the most attention is the female human priest who has been zombified... her animated corpse nailed to the statue of Tymora with Pitons. The woman wearing green and gold robes that resemble Loki’s preferred clothing... although hers are stained with blood and viscera. Coins have been pressed into her flesh in a mockery of her Goddess’ symbol. Without hesitation, Katniss draws their bow and kills the zombified corpse, ending the torture inflicted on the innocent woman. In a flash Loki and Katniss are both granted a vision... they see the temple in its former glory... when it was a place of comfort and community for the people of Parnast. They see two figures standing before them... the elegant, beautiful figure of Lady Luck herself, Tymora, standing side-by-side with the pale, black-clad figure of the Raven Queen. The Goddess’s say nothing, but invite Katniss and Lok to approach. Tymora fans out a deck of cards and asks Loki to select 3 of them... when she does, Loki finds three tarot cards... The Lovers, The Hermit, and the Wheel of Fortune. As she ponders the meaning another figure steps out from behind the restored statue of Tymora... the Priestess who had been zombified. With tears of relief in her eyes she thanks them for what they did, and implores them to look after her people. As she’s escorted away by the Raven Queen, Tymora flips a coin to Loki. When she catches it, she looks down in her hand and realizes it’s become a key.

The vision ends... the entire thing happening in a single moment from the perspecitve of their allies. However, one thing seems to have change... a locked door that they are all certain wasn’t there a moment earlier. Approaching the door, Loki unlocks and finds a simple treasure awaiting them... a magical black bowstring to enhance Katniss’s bow, and a set of Glamoured Studded Leather Armor... everything that Loki needs to perfect the shape shifting powers she already enjoys as a Changeling. With these new treasures to enhance their powers, they have finished following the River of Gold, and prepare to infiltrate the deadly challenges of the Castle in the Clouds.

Hey everyone, another slight delay. Nothing major this time... we're just starting an hour later than planned, so join us tonight at 7PM PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty

We're going to be playing our Homebrew Campaign of Sacrament tonight, and going forward we're planning for Wednesday to be our night for streaming this series, but i'll keep you up to date in case that changes. We're also going to be streaming tonight at 6:30 PM PST at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. As always, here's what happened in our last session:

The Grimveils are in Kanec’s House, eating breakfast after being attacked by creatures conjured by Chao’s curse. After getting a letter from his Mother, Elizabeth, Ricky leads the party outside to find a high location in anticipation of her appearance. They hear sounds in the distance, looking out to see the familiar massive form of Facein, the Black Tiavet Dragon who had become an instant fan of Elizabeth’s music. Soon an entire group of Dragons appears, creating chaos in the city… but as music echoes throughout the land a massive Illusion of Elizabeth appears in the sky, accompanied by music. The Diva de Luna has arrived.

They also find Neo sneakily joining them, commenting on Elizabeth’s beauty and talent. He reminds them that he’s still working on gathering information before leaving on his own. The party discusses whether they should try to meet with Elizabeth now, but considering the crowd they decide to stick to their plan to visit the College of Tiavet and hopefully learn more about the Undead, and what Ash can do to keep herself from being destroyed… or what can be done against her Lich patron. However, their travel is interrupted when ticket sellers appear for Elizabeth’s show, and they need to dodge out of the way to avoid being trampled. In the process they stumble across Fidget’s adult children, Fidget Jr. and Sly Smile. Sly is among the crowd intent on buying a ticket, and both of them are shocked to learn that Elizabeth is Ricky’s Mother. Sly is upset to learn that she could have just gotten tickets for free from Ricky, rather than spending her grocery budget on concert tickets… although Crush mentions she could just resell the tickets for a profit. Sly needs to hurry to work, but Ash suggests they should spend time together, since she has become their StepMother and wants to spend more time with them.

Making their way past Reaver structures, such as murals and elaborate fountains. Approaching the College, they see young figures in elaborate robes… they appear to be students, but most unusually, every student carries a weapon, with a mix of daggers and swords. The daggers are, in some ways, a test of one’s trustworthiness… to carry a weapon at all times and never use it. The longer a student studies the greater their weapons become… either replaced with larger weapons, such as swords, or acquiring color-coded decorations. Kanec even identifies a Valedictorian by their Golden blade. They even see students as young as children, carrying on their backs dolls, training for carrying Reaver babies in the traditional style.

Ash intends to simply march in, not caring that the College is closed to outsiders thanks to the tests going on. However, guards stop her on the way in, and while Ash, with her Revenant powers going haywire is struggling not to just force her way past them… Crush intervenes, asking the guards to inform Professor Fletcher (the necromancy teacher they were told about before) that the “Most Unique Revenant in History” is here to meet him. The guards consent to let them wait in the courtyard. Crush, remembering Elonwee, who was adopted by a scholar, asks if a man named Komar is in the college, learning that Komar is a professor there. They’re allowed inside, where they see a group of students practicing Evocation magic. Ricky takes some time to write to his Mother, asking for tickets for some of their friends and when would be a good time to meet with her. Thanks to Trogdor, the Blink Dog, the letter is sent to her immediately, and she responds to let them know she’ll get her manager to handle the details soon, and as Ricky is composing a letter, to his shock, he’s interrupted by a Chimera approaching and sniffing at Ricky curiously. There’s some panic at first, but when they notice that none of the students are reacting at all to it, they realize it has collars on its heads… they realize the symbol of the College itself is a Chimera, and this seems to be its mascot… each head has its own name: Horns, Teeth, and Fangs.

As they’re waiting they’re soon joined by Aylis, Ash’s younger brother… nearly 100 years old, but still a child by Elven standards. He’s been at the College of Tiavet, studying necromancy in particular. He wants to help Ash kill the man that killed their parents, but Ash doesn’t want him involved. Aylis is insistent, claiming he’s even been looking up forbidden texts, but Ash still won’t allow him. As a show of trust, though, Ash gives him her grimoire… once granted to her by her Patron, it contains arcane knowledge she’s gathered through her life as a Revenant. Aylis still wants to help directly, but Ash convinces him that he can help more by learning all he can. Aylis is soon joined by his friend, Alex, a young female Reaver and fellow student. She’s fascinated by Ash, since Reavers can sense the chaotic “song” of Ash’s Revenant form. Alex is energetic and curious, but also extremely eccentric. She even casually goes to sleep on a park bench as Ash notices the fondness with which he looks at Alex, and pulls Aylis aside to speak to him in private.

Azure noticed that Alex has a twitch to her eye, and diagnoses that she’s close to achieving her first Blood Rage. Azure wonders if there’s any danger, but Kanec assures her that any Reaver living in the capital would be taken care of by their Father for such an important moment. Azure wonders where Alex’s father is, and Crush theorizes that anyone who studies Necromancy doesn’t do so just for fun… they’re almost guaranteed to have tragedy involved. Ricky takes advantage of the free time to write to Maurice, his Mother’s Manager, while Alex wakes from her power nap to study for her next exam.

Ash speaks to Aylis about his feelings for Alex. She gets him to confess that he does care deeply about her… she’s the closest friend he’s ever had, since he has always struggled to make emotional bonds after the tragedy that killed Ash. Aylis knows that Alex is bound to leave after the exams to prepare for her Blood Rage… knowing that even if he sees her again, for her people she’ll be considered an adult, while he’s only barely considered a teenager. Ash reminds him that, even if a person changes physically, they’re still the same person inside… despite everything that’s happened to her, nothing could stop the love she has for her family… for him.

We didn't stream Hoard of the Dragon Queen last Sunday because we were all too busy with Halloween celebrations. We're going to be streaming tonight with more of our homebrew campaign of Sacrament at our home of twitch.tv/afterdisbooty. In case you missed last week's session, or if you just need a refresher, here's what happened:

The Grimveils are in the College of Tiavet in the Reaver Capital City where Ash can meet with Professor Fletcher, who specializes in the study of necromancy. However, Ash’s Brother, Aylis, warns that Professor Fletcher will be busy with a test and can’t be interrupted for at least an hour… however, Aylis realizes that means he’s late for his own exam and quickly hurries to join the test… although Ash uses this as an invitation to follow and meet with Fletcher sooner. Aylis’s friend, the young female reaver Alex, bursts out at a dash, something the others struggle to keep up with… they also learn that she calls Aylis “Zombie” as a nickname.

As they’re dashing through the halls of the school, Ricky notices an Enchantment Class being taught, and in particular he notices they’re studying forms of arcane seduction. Ricky sneaks away from Crush to watch the class while the rest continue to follow Alex on the way to Professor Fletcher’s classroom. On the walk Alex asks Ash about her glamour, since she knows enough about Revenants to know that Ash should look more mutated, and must therefore be hiding her true appearance with an illusion or disguise of some kind. Ash isn’t willing to drop her disguise just to satisfy the young woman’s curiosity. Aylis and Alex hurry into the classroom, arriving late to their test… and while their professor is admonishing them Ash gets tired of the wait and marches in, while Crush finally notices that Ricky has gone missing.

Ash quickly gets on the professor’s bad side for interrupting, although her Revenant nature still clearly draws attention. Fletcher is unwilling to delay his tests to accommodate Ash or her questions. The professor is actually preparing the body of a dead criminal at the front of the classroom, explaining the nuances of necromancy and how the condition of the body can affect creatures resurrected. The students are tasked with casting Raise Dead on the body, a test of their ability not only to perform the spell, but also to maintain control of their undead thrall… the same zombie is repeatedly killed and revived, shot in the head repeatedly with a crossbow… although Professor Fletcher uses the Mending cantrip to repair the body between resurrections.

Alex passes her test easily, expertly raising the zombie before it’s felled by Aylis. When it comes to Aylis’s turn, Ash sees his nervous expression and uses the Message cantrip to encourage him. Aylis successfully raises the zombie once again, but it begins to act unnaturally. Ash and Azure realize that something in Aylis’s pack is interacting with the spell… and Azure realizes that it’s the Grimoire that Ash had given to Aylis earlier, which is filled with her knowledge of necromancy. The Zombie rises uncontrollably and prepares to attack the students. Professor Fletcher steps forward to defend his students, casting Inflict Wounds on the Undead monster. The Zombie is felled quickly, but the question arises of why this happened. Ash steps forward to explain what happened, and Fletcher excuses the rest of the class to look into this further… and make certain that Aylis wasn’t cheating. Once he’s given proof that Aylis wasn’t intentionally cheating he notes that he would be willing to give Aylis another test, but he’ll need time to get a different corpse… which Ash volunteers, summoning her Demiplane where she has the bodies of several criminals and assassins stored for use in her own necromancy. Although the smell of unrefrigerated corpses is overwhelming, a body is still chosen, and while Fletcher examines the Grimoire Aylis successfully passes his exam.

Meanwhile, Ricky has been watching more of the Enchantment test, learning about the use of charm spells, and even includes a spell to influence the dreams of others, which can be observed using a magical circlet that displays the wearer’s dreams. When she asks for volunteers Ricky raises his hands, having used his Glamoured armor to make it appear as though he’s wearing a student’s robe. Despite it being exam day, Ricky’s expertise in Deception helps him to convince the teacher that he’s a new student. It takes some effort to render Ricky unconscious, thanks to his higher level, and while he’s asleep he’s granted a beautiful dream filled with fields of flowers and sparkling lights. Within the dream he meets the student who cast the spell… a young High Elf. Ricky claims that his name is Cornelius, and he asks questions about how he got to the capital, and also what he thinks about the war in Estea. However, as the dream continues, slowly the images shift to a night time scene, which seems to surprise the young woman who cast the spell. She asks him more questions, asking for funny stories while the dreamscape continues to shift further into a night time scene. The student is clearly panicking at losing control of the scene, but Ricky assists her, successfully deceiving the other students into believing that the entire thing was planned ahead of time. Realizing the potential danger he put himself in, Ricky attempts to sneak out, but only manages to draw more attention, but fortunately they allow him to leave without impeding him, since he had successfully convinced them already that he’s a new student who is just visiting the school. He quickly hurries in the classroom where the rest of his friends are waiting. He gives Azure and Crush a very brief rundown of what happened, much to Azure’s bafflement and Crush’s worry.

Ricky steps forward to ask about what’s going on… also quickly getting on Fletcher’s bad side with his casual and friendly attitude… and especially his casual cursing. With the commotion calmed down, Fletcher asks about Ash’s Grimoire and why she wrote it. Fletcher recognizes its potential for danger, and doesn’t think it would be safe to leave it in the hands of a student. Ricky encourages Fletcher to take on Aylis as his personal apprentice and help to protect him from the potential dangers it represents. Fletcher is still hesitant, and demands to know more about Ash before agreeing. As a show of faith, Ash drops her Disguise Self, revealing her skin that’s been blackened like real ash, bones overgrown, fingers grown into long, pitch black claws. Ricky steps forward to volunteer to assist Fletcher with anything he needs, wanting to show his sincerity in seeking Fletcher’s knowledge. Azure also joins Fletcher as Ash is placed on an exam table… the type normally reserved for autopsies. Crush asks if Ash wants some privacy, but she doesn’t mind those she trusts seeing her in this state. Even her brother, Aylis, chooses to remain inside and observe his sister. Ricky informs Fletcher about some of the details he had discerned about Ash in the past… what he learned when he attempted to cast Identify on her, and how she’s being observed by her patron. Fletcher understands the gravity and casts Private Sanctum and other protective spells in anticipation.

Fletcher asks Ash how it is she has reached the unique state she’s in, and Ash explains her relationship to her Lich Patron, although she doesn’t call him by name. Fletcher takes out a scalpel and actually begins to dissect Ash, observing the way her body is filled with sickening black bile, and seems to survive a living autopsy. Ash howls in pain as her ribs are painfully spread open so he can examine her… there are runes on the inside of her skin, the runes appearing to magically shift and move along her body. Her organs have mostly rotted into functionless black lumps, but her heart is visibly glowing… the scar from the attack that killed her still visible. Fletcher is able to decipher that Ash’s actual heart is her patron’s Phylactery. Azure and Ash recognize that the runes inside her body are a containment spell of some kind that helps to stabilize her body… spells that may even exceed 9 level. Ash realizes that her heart is only growing in power… both from the souls she has absorbed and from her own rage. Plants wither around Ash not because she’s leaking necrotic energy, but because she’s constantly absorbing life around her. Crush asks what will happen to her if she kills her quarry, since Revenant’s dissolve after killing their targets. He admits that it may simply kill her, reduce her body to ash, and destroy the phylactery… but it’s also possible the phylactery will keep her body alive in a ghoulish state, while her soul is destroyed instead.

Ricky volunteers to cast Identify to help discern more information. Fletcher gives Ricky a pair of gloves to protect his hands as he touches Ash’s actual spine… finding a powerful curse placed upon her. Ricky recognizes this as a Hag-based spell called “Well of Sorrows” used to suppress magic in the cursed individual… a curse that can only be placed on a very young target. The longer the curse remains the more power it absorbs… Ash is only able to cast magic because of her connection to her patron. Crush theorizes that Larlock arranged this… essentially building Ash as a perfect phylactery from a young age. Fletcher recognizes this as truly ancient magic, and Ash explains that her Patron is over 10,000 years old, and although she can’t say his name, Ricky doesn’t hesitate to share with Fletcher the name Larlock… a name that sounds vaguely familiar to Fletcher, but he realizes he’ll need special permission to read the forbidden books that may reveal more information. Fletcher also warns that Ash cannot be returned to life while the Phylactery is still in her heart, or else the power of it will kill her once again.

Everyone realizes that Ash has been prepared for this since she was a young girl… conditioned to become Larlock’s Phylactery. Crush can see the rage and desperation for vengeance in Aylis’s eyes and gives him a pep talk… telling Aylis that sometimes people get blood on their hands so the people they love won’t have to get blood on theirs. The greatest gift he could give his sister is Clean Hands. It’s not clear if he got through to Aylis, but Ash also speaks on her brother’s behalf… wanting Fletcher to bring Aylis along with his research so that he can help Ash to get revenge without putting Aylis in immediate danger.

Ash now realizes that she needs to ask her older brother Argus if he knows any more. She doesn’t believe Argus would knowingly help with what has happened to her, but she knows that Neo, the Priest of the Nightmother, can extract memories from willing individuals. Aylis and Alex leave to start their research while the Grimveils prepare to visit Argus. Crush takes the time to leave a message for Professor Komar, who adopted Reesa the Half-Hag and Elonwee, the former Depraved Gloom assassin who was manipulated by her “daddy”, since he didn’t expect to have the time to meet with Komar. Fortunately, they encounter Komar on the way out, along with Reesa and Elonwee. The girls are excited to see Crush again, who greets them with an energetic “Oh Yeah!” He gives the girls gifts that he had carved himself… a wooden marionette for Elonwee and some nesting dolls in the style of the Grimveils (and with figures of Elonwee and Reesa included). Komar is happy to see him, and Elonwee has started to learn a form of sign language. As Crush reconnects with the girls, Ash uses the Message Cantrip to speak to Komar… warning him about the Depraved Gloom. When Ash tells him where her quarry has been hanging around, Komar realizes it’s near his own home. He also knows that Elonwee has been having Night Terrors remember her “Daddy”, terrified that he’ll be coming to take her soon. Of course, her “Daddy” is also the man who killed Ash… realizing the danger they’re in, Komar makes plans for all three of them to stay in the College itself, where the highly trained spellcasters and their plethora of magical defenses can protect them.

With Crush saying farewell to the girls, Komar makes certain that he’ll keep them safe. As Komar leaves they discuss what they’ve learned, and Azure realizes that she also was extremely weak in her youth and needed to train in an unusual martial art that draws on power from the stars rather than her own ki. Ricky takes the time to cast Identify on her… now that he knows what he’s looking for as he touches her spine he can sense that she has the same curse as Ash, or at least one extremely similar. Ash and Azure are both the daughters of Grimveil members, and the party realizes they know one other Grimveil child… Ricky’s cousin Misty. Misty, along with Gilly and Henri are in the Reaver Capital as part of Elizabeth’s entourage, and Ricky’s entire family are invited via Sending Feather to Kanec’s house so they can look into this further… and also so Elizabeth can distract Kanec’s brother Malik. Invitations are also sent to Ash’s brother Argus, along with instructions to bring Fidget’s son Kane, while Fidget also invites his adult children to meet there as well.

With plans made to meet with them all, Kanec leads the group to the bazaar to do some food shopping so they can prepare a proper meal for their visitors… along with a whole butchered cow to feed to Zeke, the giant Mimic they befriended in the Desert of Lost Bones. Crush takes on the task of carrying the entire cow, unceremoniously dumping it into Zeke’s mouth. Meanwhile, Ricky’s family arrives… followed by a crowd of onlookers hoping to see more of the Diva DeLuna. Liz especially is happy to see her son, and although they’re all eager to have a family dinner, there is still a heavy cloud in the air as they have important matters to discuss. Soon Fidget Jr. and Sly arrive, with Sly noting how expensive the house looks, with Junior insisting she needs to avoid stealing. Finally Argus arrives, bringing his entire family along, including Aylis and Saba, Ash’s nephew. Everyone gathers in the lounge to relax and enjoy dinner. The families bicker, but it’s a relaxing, comfortable bickering. Happy to have this moment of reprieve, everyone gathers to enjoy a hearty meal and each other’s company before they must contend with everything they have to discuss with what they learned, and what they must do going forward.

We're going live tonight at 7pm PST with more Hoard of the Dragon Queen! Come join us at twitch.tv/afterdisbooty, and in case you missed our last session two weeks ago, here's what happened: 

While entering the temple of Tymora, Katniss asked Their raven familiar, Onyx, to wait on the roof and caw if anyone is approaching. After killing the zombified priestess and attuning to the treasures gifted by the Goddess’s of Luck and Death, the Protectors of Phandalin, along with Iarno Albrek, hear the sounds of Onyx cawing as a figure approaches. Katniss immediately takes cover, while the others are better disguised and Dahlia prepares to meet whoever is entering at the door.

Before Dahlia can keep them from entering, an armored man accompanied by three masked cultists and a bloodthirsty Guard Drake enter the temple. Albrek recognizes him as Captain Othelstan, a high-ranking cultist who was informed about the group’s entrance, which included Dahlia, while disguised as a cultist, claiming that her Broom of Flying was a treasure she was keeping for herself after killing an Adventurer who was carrying it. Othelstan is ready to reprimand who he believes to be a subordinate for daring to keep a treasure for themselves. Even with Dahlia willingly surrendering her broom, Othelstan’s suspicions are raised when he sees the Zombie Priestess has been killed... Dahlia claims they were simply toying with the zombie and underestimated their own strength, and while her skill with deception helps to keep Othelstan from sounding any alarms, his suspicion still grows stronger and he pulls from his pocket an elaborately decorated magnifying glass. Twisting a control on it, he holds it to his eye, and Dahlia realizes he’s looking at the various magic items carried by the group present... seeming to believe they’re simply cultist trying to keep treasures to themselves he orders his men to lock the door behind him and prepares to punish everyone present... even ignoring Albrek’s attempt o invoke the name of the powerful wizard Rath Modar. G’houl especially is shocked as he’s able to Insight that Othelstan hasn’t seen through their disguise at all... rather, he’s perfectly willing to beat his own men to death with his large steel flail.

Dahlia had positioned herself at the forefront in her attempt to talk down Otherlstan, and unfortunately she’s still the most injured from their battle with the Wyverns earlier in the day and immediately gets assaulted by Othelstan’s vicious Guard Drake. Albrek, who had been pulled to the front side-by-side with Dahlia, vanishes in a puff of smoke, and there is just a moment of concern that he’s abandoning the Protectors of Phandalin before it’s revealed that he’s simply used Misty Step to get some distance away from the cultists before casting Web to capture them... although he catches Dahlia in the same web. One of the cultists manages to escape from the web and angrily marches after Albrek, the cultists clearly happy to have an excuse to attack the boisterous wizard. Katniss takes advantage of Albrek as bait to lure out Cultists and quickly executes the man chasing Albrek. Dahlia, fortunately, evades the burst of magical web conjured by Albrek, and she chooses to drop her Disguise Self spell, causing her opponents to assume that she’s the “Doppelganger” the cult seems convinced is sabotaging their efforts. She opens herself up to an attack from the Guard Drake as she tries to escape and quickly tries to weaken Othelstan with Vicious Mockery.

G’houl makes a tactically dangerous decision and uses burning hands to blast fire at the cultists trapped in the web. The burning web does additional damage, but it does free everyone caught in the web, and creates a fire in the dusty, wooden building. Othelstan marches toward Dahlia, knocking her unconscious with his flail despite her Vicious Mockery before turning on G’houl, using an Action Surge to assault him with spears. Loki punches Othelstan hard in the face, using the physical contact to cast Inflict Wounds, and while this slows Othelstan down, Katniss is the one that finishes him, using Their Sniper’s Bowstring to gain advantage to make certain that Othelstan is downed. Dahlia is revived with a Mass Healing Word from Loki, but while the party briefly considers letting the desecrated temple burn to the ground, hoping for the fire to cleanse the corruption inflicted on the formerly blessed ground, Albrek is panicking, less concerned with the temple itself than he is at the fact that a burning building will draw attention, especially with the corpse of a high-ranked cultist in the middle of the room. Albrek has no magic of his own that will help douse the flames, but Loki, G’houl, and Dahlia are all capable of summoning ice or water, preventing the flames from spreading... but the outpouring of smoke has still attracted attention, and other cultists are approaching to investigate. Everyone realizes they have just seconds to prepare.

Loki, of course, quickly checks Othelstan’s body for loot, using her inherent Luck to help her find the magical magnifying glass he had with him. She also realizes that he has magical armor, but unfortunately does not have enough time to remove it... although she is able to also snatch his coin purse. Dahlia, meanwhile, quickly comes up with a plan... She spots one of the dead cultists, whose mask has partially melted and fused to his face thanks to the fire... she proposes that they should declare that this dead body belongs to the fabled Doppelganger, and claim that Othelstan died defeating and killing them. Albrek backs her up on this, and when more cultists arrive to investigate the two of them work together to convince them of Dahlia’s lie. With her silver tongue Dahlia is able to convince them that Othelstan died valiantly and the cultists eerily laugh at the “Doppelganger”, spitting on and kicking the body as they lift up Othelstan so that he can be laid to rest in honor of his sacrifice. Satisfied that they’ve kept suspicion off of themselves, the party retreats back to the Golden Tankard tavern to rest and prepare, as the cultists are hurriedly loading treasure onto the castle in preparation for their escape the following morning.

Once safely in the Tavern, the Party takes some time to watch the cult’s activities through the windows. Dahlia, however, seems obsessed with Iarno’s sex life. When speaking to him about it earlier Albrek mentioned off-hand that he doesn’t much see the point of foreplay, and otherwise shows signs of being a selfish lover. Dahlia continues to harrass him about this, much to his confusion. Katniss and Loki both offer to have sex with him... partially as a means of teaching him proper technique, but also to make sure they can keep an eye on him during the night. It takes Albrek several minutes to realize they’re serious and not just using this to mock him, and once he realizes what’s going on he eagerly agrees and sets about preparing in the room he shares with Jerome, the former Lords’ Alliance member who helped arranged Albrek’s escape from prison. Dahlia briefly inquires of Jerome and Albrek are lovers, but Albrek insists that Jerome is his “Bro, Dude, Homie, etc.,” but most importantly, Albrek assures her that he’ll be “cool” about his friend getting laid. Albrek busies himself drawing the very unrealistic proportions he would like Loki to shapeshift into for their lovemaking, and Dahlia’s shocked and judgmental reaction is enough to wake Jerome. The stunned soldier recognizes the party and reacts to their presence with shame and guilt.

Just as they were about to ask him for more details of what happened, a technical glitch occured and two of the players lost internet and the session was, unfortunately, cut short.

Bad news everyone! One of our players has a minor emergency... nobody's in danger but it's something that can't wait, so we'll be playing tomorrow night instead