This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 21 (Days 26-27) 

1. Jolliver Grimjaw railed at them for the misfortune of Rivergard Keep, then offered them jobs. They offered not to kill him, and battle was joined. He turned out to be a wereboar and, in hybrid form, fought the team until finally taken down. He had on him the Necklace of Jolliver Grimjaw to match the Necklace of Hellenrae.
2. An inspection of the castle found various bodies (both bandit and civilian) and charred destruction. They also found a secret door that led to a landing on an underground river, that flowed from the darkness into the castle’s harbor.
3. There was concern, esp. after a dream he had, that Moony had become cursed with lycanthropy, being the only one to have taken a personal attack from Jolliver. Fortunately, Faith had Remove Curse.
4. After an uneventful night (other than a dire dream for Faith), the party tried the boats at the underground landing, only to be attacked by ghouls rising up out of the water. After getting very wet, they defeated them and proceeded upstream, William as a shark. The stream was blocked by an impassable door Crushing Wave symbol on it. The twin necklaces definitely resonated with the door but … not completely.
5. The party set forth for Feathergale Spire to “report in.” They were greeted with open arms by Savra Hanadroum and Thurl Merosska, who offered them a place in the Feathergale Knights. He was then introduced to the new member of the group, Aldrik — at which point an Air Elemental landed atop the spire, in the middle of the group, battering them and throwing them all twenty feet distant, Savra over the railing, and Thurl crashing into a Giant Vulture. A woman’s voice said in elvish, “Now the prize is mine!” and the elemental carried Aldrik off to the east and out of sight …

Player Recap

Swoop There He Goes

Jolliver first blames the party for the destruction of Rivergard and then asks us to join him. When the party stops laughing. Moony suggest that Jolliver surrender and show them around the keep. There is more to Jolliver Grimjaw than initially meets the eye. He appears in a were-boar hybrid shape. The group soon discovers that he only takes damage when attacked with magic (or silver), but manage to do a number on him anyways. As the tide turns against Jolliver, he leaps from the balcony as he tries to escape. This does not end well for him. 

Jolliver has the Necklace with the Water Symbol, which a match to the Earth Necklace of Hellenrae. There is also a small carved stone shaped into a tiger. Nala finds a semi-hidden door leading out of the main hall. A quick search of the main hall reveals only dead bodies and stacks of papers. There is a staircase down to a dock alone on an underground river.

Theren and Faith stay in the keep to investigate the papers. The other explore the rest of the keep. 

Paper Chase: There are a lot of reports about loot acquired and gang movements. There is one note in distinctive handwriting about a “Group of Troublemakers” in Red Larch. It sounds a lot like the party. 

Room Rumpus: These rooms were previously locked, but are all broken into. There is a small library with charred furniture and a few burned scrolls. Moony collects the books together and William puts them in the duffle Bag of Holding. William looks around the rest of the library and discovers what looks like a hidden door in the corner, which leads into Jolliver’s room, which had been spiked but blown apart. There are multiple chests there, but all have been largely emptied out.

The remaining rooms have little else of notice. A guard barracks, a raided kitchen, servants quarters with wash tubs. A number of bodies, both guards and in civilian drudgery wear.

The chapel is in ruins. The barracks and wooden towers are mostly destroyed. It is getting towards late afternoon. The groups explores the keep for about an hour and a half. They find more destruction, dead bodies, and not much else. When it’s dark they have dinner and hunker down in Jolliver’s room. William reads some of the books from the library. They do not appear to be Bruldenthar’s books. They are mostly nautical in nature and include logs from the Savage Tusk.

Faith has a dream: She is walking through a storm wind whipping up all around her and grit striking. She can see the eye of the storm above her, but in the center of the eye is a triangular iris. Deneir.”Heads. Trophies. Do you know that in some faiths (wink), humanoids take the heads of their enemies and keep them as trophies? In other faiths (wink), they build stone heads of their heroes — their gods — their demons — and bow down in worship to them. In either case, to steal such a head is to gain power. Finding it will be most urgent, lest that power tip a very delicate balance, where an errant gust of wind can spell ruin for all.”

Moony has a dream: He is used to dreaming of hunting but there is something wrong about this dream. There is a puddle ahead of him. When Moony looks into it he see Jolliver.

In the morning Faith collects the heads of Reash and Jolliver. William insists on putting them in a chest or pot before they go into the bag of holding. William is attuned to the tiger fetish has a one use a day Jump spell on it. He gives it to Nala. Moony attunes to the water and earth pendants and determines that they still the other pieces. Faith casts a Remove Curse on Moony, just in case he was infected by lycanthropy, as he’s the only one who took physical (tusk) damage from Jolliver.

Going down the stairs to the underground river again, they take two of the row boats. Moony, Theren, William in one and Nala, Faith, Aldrik in the other. Nala spots a creature in the water near her boat. Faith casts Spirit Guardian calling forth angelic forms to protect the party. The ghouls tip over the boats, dumping everyone into the dark water. Despite that, the fight ends quickly with only minor damage to the party.

William changes into a reef shark and accompanies the boats up stream. The water ends in a stone wall with the Crushing Wave symbol on it. The water is flowing through the stone. The necklaces from Helenrae and Jolliver seem to resonate with the wall, with a sense that something more is needed. 

It is late morning when they head out to Feathergale Spire. They soon see a giant vulture tracking them from high above. Shortly before they arrive, the vulture leaves and heads toward the spire. 

The Feathergale Knight Savra Hanadroum greets them warmly. William introduces Aldrik and explain that he was a captive of the monastery. She is thrilled that the group has succeeded in destroying the cultist in the monastery. She leads them into the castle and up to the roof to see Thurl Merosska.

“My friend you have accomplished so much in less than a ten day. What should I offer you as a reward. I offer you freedom … and membership in the Feathergale Knights.” Nala demurs because she has not fulfilled her original task of finding the delegation. Thurl asks after the new party member and when introduced he says, “Aldrik, Aldrik, that name sounds familiar.”

There is an abrupt, sudden, sheer force of air, a whirlwind lands centered on the group. Everyone on the roof get thrown back. Savra tumbles off of the parapet. Aldrik is swooped up by the air elemental and a female voice says in Elvish “Now the prize is mine!“ The air elemental heads towards the East / South-East, leaving everyone stunned.

Game Notes

Bon voyage, Jolliver

After a chance to vent his considerable spleen over the setup of a lifetime — being the pirate king of the Dessarin River while seeming to be its protector — he takes a very pragmatic, piratical approach: Would y’care t’join me crew? When they say no, he gets Action Economied to death …

… but not before wounding Moony, and, by gosh, I rolled all the right stuff to infect the Tabaxi as a were-boar … and then discovered how freaking easy it was for the party cleric to cast a Remove Curse. Darn.

The keep had already been ransacked by the Eternal Flame attackers — no big treasure windfall for the party, since they didn’t take the place down. But they got a few good things out of the mix, and that Jump trinket would be tactically helpful almost all the way to the end of the campaign.

The Underwater River

The whole setup with the underground river heading into the Water Temple portion of Tyar-Besil was kind of cool. Alas, the water ghouls didn’t turn out to be very much of a threat, in part due to level, in part due to that ridonculous Spirit Guardians spell (or “The Fairy Buzz Saw of Death,” as I tended to call it), which the cleric used to great effect for the rest of the campaign.

It was also my first real opportunity to dive (see what I did there) into how kind of goofy the 5e water combat rules are.

The river — which fits into the keep very neatly once you get to it — is supposed to lead into the Water Temple — which would have been a very dangerous adventure for the party at this point. As mentioned previously, I’d blocked all these entrances until all the “key” necklaces were collected — including the one they picked up this session, the Necklace of Jolliver Grimjaw.

Up, up, and away!

What the hell is going on with Aldrik at the very end?

Well, for one, thing, my son was headed back to college, so I had to do something with his character while he was away. Having him kidnapped by an Air Elemental, and having everyone hear Aerisi Kalinoth’s voice say something ambiguous but threatening, seemed perfect.

(Nobody knows it’s Aerisi, of course, except for Thurl … which will have implications next time.)

But the idea that there was more mystery to Aldrik, such that Aerisi would want to kidnap him … started to build some campaign lore and plotting on my part that would play off in several ways in future sessions. Once the son was back, of course.

Bits and Bobs

The letter in Jolliver’s office (information about which letter is scattered in multiple places in the book) is from Justran Daehl, the cellarkeeper of the Highsun Tavern back in Red Larch. Yes, it is referring to the party; Justran is Jolliver’s spy in Red Larch and on the Long Road.

Strangely enough, it’s one of the few documents of that sort which is not actually spelled out, so I never did a facsimile of it as a hand-out.

In retrospect, I have no idea what Faith’s dream was about. I’m sure it was very clever and foreshadowing. It might be a warning to about finding Aldrik after gets kidnapped later, but I’m afraid Deneir is smarter and more cryptic than I am.

I actually played the knockback from the Air Elemental’s landing Whirlwind attack completely legit. All the players legitimately ran into stuff along the Spire’s parapet (or made a save and didn’t get thrown back). Thurl really did get knocked into a Giant Vulture, and Savra really did get knocked over the edge …

<< Session 20 | Session 22 >>

This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 20 (Day 25-26) 

1. The party looted the bodies, which included a Bag of Holding with 3750gp of loot, and a water-element person’s head. They interrogated the prisoner Ven Delaar, learned about Fire/Water rivalry, and his devotion to his high priestess, Vanifer, the servant of  Imix. Theren gacked  him once all the questioning was done.
2. Bruldenthar was very unhappy there was no sign of his books. 
3. They arrived at Summit Hall, where Narl Elrok was whisked away for interment in a private ceremony overnight, and Oreioth was put in gaol, awaiting either word from Red Larch or the order’s leader, Ushien Stormbanner, deciding his fate.
4. They brought Ushien up on their adventures. She was dismayed to learn that Renwick was operating out of Sacred Stone Monastery, and skeptical of what he had told them of Samular Caradoon‘s role in his metamorphosis.
5. They Spoke with Dead to the head, one Reash the Fathomer. He spoke of the conflict against Fire, of the attack on Rivergard Keep where he died, and of the goals of the Crushing Wave to envelop all. He also mentioned following someone/thing named “Shatterkeel“.
6. A quartet of young druids — Varigo, Muldoon, Iniri, and Fariya  were at Summit Hall, traveling to the mysterious Circle of the Scarlet Moon rite in the Sumber Hills, inspired by a vision of Iniri’s. They didn’t take well to the suggestion that it was some sort of evil magical gathering.
7. The next day, the party decided their next stop should be Rivergard Keep, which it seemed the Eternal Flame forces had attacked (Ushien mentioned smoke from its direction a day or two before). They traveled overland to where they had stashed their boat, which, remarkably, was still there, hidden. They traveled upriver to the keep, which they finding it a smouldering wreck. They slowly entered, made their way to gutted Great Hall, and encountered both the headless body of Reash … and the very much alive Jolliver Grimjaw. “So. You’re back,”

Player Recap

Of bodies and questions

The group ties up the hostage and begins searching the bodies. All of them have a burns on them in various states of healing. The leader also has a large fire symbol on his chest. It looks like there are multiple layers of scars on his chest.

There is a stack of leather bag to one side that contain ration, camping supplies, and small travel items. There is one larger duffle bag the is different from the others. Moony checks it over and when he opens it up it is very odd. It is very cold in the bag. there appears to be a wooden chest inside that doesn’t match the shape outside. Moony brings it over to Theren who sizes it up. He immediately identifies it as a Bag of Holding. As they empty it they find two chests and bundle wrapped in cloth. Moony investigates the bundle. It has a green stain on the side. It is a green head. Probably dead for about a day. Faith casts Gentle Repose. It looks aquatic, but is different from the Genasi captain Shoanderil Quanderil. They return it to the bag of holding.

Moony moves onto the two chests. The smaller chest has a gold chain with a platinum disc that looks like the crushing wave water symbol, some gems and a stash of coins. The larger chest has about 2000 gold pieces. William will hold onto the bag. 

When Bruldenthar sees that the larger chest contains gold, he speaks a harsh curse in Dwarvish and goes to the two remaining crates. When he finds them empty, he is clearly upset. “Where are my books?” Faith heals the captive to allow Theren to interrogate him. The fire and the flame, the great war — they seek to pull us down into the cold depths … Vanifer and her weapon Tinderstrike. Imix, the prince of evil fire, himself offers his power to her as he engulf the world in flames. Moony shows him the head. It is a prize for Vanifer. We got it from the dark and fetid pit. “I know that you will kill me. It is okay. I would do the same.” 

William determines that they came up the ancient road from the direction of the river. Faith recognizes the name Imix. Imix – evil destructive, but prefers to destroy that which is crafted or cherished by others. 

The group returns to the main road and arrives at the Summit Hall before night fall. Lady Ushien Stormbanner welcomes them but is surprised to see them so soon. She looks at the coffin with concern. She relaxes slightly when learns that it is Narl. The order will celebrate his life tonight and stand watch over him that night. There will be a private ceremony in the morning. 

Nala explains the presence of Oreioth the necromancer and their dilemma of what to do with him. Lady Stormbanner agrees to keep him and if required judge him. Over dinner they share their story. Ushien knows that Renwick is a lich, but bristles at the suggestion that their founder Samular had anything to do with his creation. The remainder of the conversation continues the story of their travels. Ushien is also troubled by the rise of the elemental cultists. When William mentions the ceremony of the Scarlet Moon, she let out that there are some guests staying in one of the cottages who are heading to the event. 

After dinner, the group is at loose ends. Nala examines a small shrine to Samular is in the hall with relics of the knight’s founder. William and Faith spend some time in the library while others relax in their room before they all retire for a long rest. Faith enjoys the first dreamless rest since the left Summit Hall. 

Moony and William going down to the other guests in the morning when the hall brings breakfast down to the cottage. There are some caravan wagons within the palisade. Sitting on some wooden benches outside one of the cottages is a quartet of individuals. Varigo, Muldoon, Fariya, and Iniri are all druids. They have travelled from the South Woods. Iniri heard of the ceremony and was called in a dream. Was told to come to the North to the great hill to control and end the elemental energy 

Interview with a dead man

Who are you? I am Reash the Fathomer 

Who did this to you? So fleeting, so unsubtle. Ones of the Fflame.

Why did they seek you out? Fire hates waters. We quench it and smother it. They struck in our weakness, which you know of. His eye’s flicker to Nala. 

What are you trying to accomplish? We seek to arouse the wellspring of life to cover all things. We serve the Shatterkeel and will bring all down into the darkness. 

Where were you murdered? In the hall I’d sworn to defend. In the hall of Jolliver. 

Bruldenthar bids the group farewell and plans to continue to Waterdeep to tell of the delegation. Leave going south on the road from Summit Keep and back towards the river where their boat is amazingly still there. Travel up river to Rivergard Keep.

The once partially-repaired keep is a smoking ruin again. The chain across the harbor is fused tight. Pulling up on the riverside south of the dock-harbor they head to the Western entrance. The iron bound wooden gate is burned through. Some dead bodies. The chapel is rubble. Boat sunk in the harbor. The doors to the hall are also burned away. In Jolliver’s hall there are more bodies and roof is destroyed. As we walk towards the headless body belonging to Reash.

Jolliver Grimjaw: “So, you are back.”

Game Notes

Sic transit gloria Rivergard Keep

Since the party had sort of gone the long way around with the Haunted Keeps — leaving Feathergale Spire intact, leaving Rivergard Keep intact, then taking out Sacred Stone Monastery — I needed to figure out how they would work backwards, especially as it was clear they were headed back that way.

I mean, I could let them try to sneak in — something the party was rarely good about trying. Or I could try a full frontal assault, which seemed a bit much even for this group, as the Keep is, literally, a fortress.

Or …

I considered what I’d done to Rivergard. The party had some small amount of damage on their way through the first time. But subsequent to that, Drosin, the Easily Offended Crushing Wave Priestess, had taken most of the keep’s forces with her to an ambush of the party later, on the road to Sacred Stone Monastery. That had gone … poorly, meaning most of the Keep’s defenders had been wiped out.

And given the internecine warfare between the different elements, it makes perfect sense that the Eternal Flame would have launched a preemptive strike on the Crushing Wave’s surface fortification. And so they had,  wiping it out nearly to a man.

Jolliver Grimjaw is, of course, a survivor. And just the sort of guy to hold a grudge. His grumpy greeting is meant to mirror his grumpy greeting when the party first arrived.

Planting the seeds of what happened with Reash’s head / war trophy that the Fire Cultists were carrying (ew), suitable for Speak with Dead extraction, was icing on the cake.

Encumbrance and the Bag of Holding

I hate Encumbrance rules. I really do. They are emblematic of everything wrong and dull and boring and grindy about D&D and, usually, any other game. Don’t get me started on LotRO …

From my perspective as either DM or Player, Encumbrance rules add nothing to the story and everything to annoying paperwork.

They are of value only in two occasions:

1. Things have gotten desperate, and the party sheds all but its weapons to make the final push across the wilderness.
2. The party has hit the jackpot and is seriously trying to think of how they can transport that twenty-foot-tall, ten ton golden statue of Asmodeus back to town.

Anything besides that should depend on the DM saying, “You’re beginning to be weighed down quite a bit — might be time to head back to town.”

Or, you can just give them a Bag of Holding. Like I did.

And, honestly, I was not a hard-ass about the Bag of Holding, and didn’t get picky about its rules. I did eventually say, at one point, “You know, that Bag of Holding is beginning to get a bit full — might be time to head back to town.”

And that was it. The players didn’t abuse it. It got rid of a bunch of record keeping. Win-win for everyone.

The Young Druids

I loved the conceit that Elizar was actually recruiting people to come to Scarlet Moon Hall to participate in (as worshippers or, um, kindling) the Rite of the Wicker Giant. It’s one thing to recruit ne’er-do-wells and the psychotic who are drawn to the darkness of the Evil Elemental Eye; it’s another to put up hand-bills in pubs and the like.

The four druids named –Varigo, Muldoon, Iniri, and Fariya — are actually in the game, as one of the camps at Scarlet Moon Hall, with a couple of elk companions. They’re noted as good guys that Elizar has already decided can’t be recruited and so will be sacrificed.

But that’s it. And, as recall, they just had generic druid tokens. Bah. So, when I decided that I would have some folks who had heard (in a dream) about this big gathering show up at Summit Hall at the same time as the party, they seemed a good set to flesh out as, kinda-sorta flower children, devoted to their causes, and each other, but both too trusting and too rebellious for their own good.

• 

  Varigo – human, ostensible leader, protective of “his people,” romantically involved with Muldoon.

• Muldoon – elf, quiet, friendly, romantically involved with Varigo.
• Iniri – human, passionate, saw the visions that sent them questing for the Circle of the Scarlet Moon.
• Fariya – human, practical, a bit less idealistic than her friends, but deeply supportive of them.

(Their elk had names, too, but I didn’t write them down for some reason.)

Anyway, these guys became recurring characters, introduced here, early, showing up at Scarlet Moon Hall, and being referenced after that. I liked them a lot, certainly more than just some generic plot bait as they were drawn up. I have no idea how the players liked them, but they made things more fun for me.

Bits and Bobs

The party had actually encountered  Reash in the past, before his severed head was discovered here. The Fathomer had morphed into the giant white water snake that attacked their boat when last they fled Rivergard.

Oreioth didn’t get a lot of great lines this time around, either because the party had gagged him, or at the very least threatened to. The former, I think, because it was impossible for Oreioth not to make crazy pronouncements.

How did the Fire Cultists who attacked Rivergard Keep end up (at least in part) back over the river at the Ambush Site? Hush.

(Oh, fine. Just because they’re Fire Cultists doesn’t mean they can’t use a boat to cross the river. Or that they can’t use magic to fly across in some fashion. I wave my hand at you.)

So I decided all the cults had their own way of marking themselves. The ascetic jocks of the Feathergale Knights / Howling Hatred, scarrified themselves with their cult symbol. The watery Crushing Wave sorts used tattoos (some of which moved magically, as if flowing in water under the skin). The Sacred Stone folk used external symbols, necklaces, rings, that sort of thing, stone and metal drawn from the earth. And the Eternal Flame cultists sort of imitated the Howling Hatred, except they used fire for their scars, not blades.

I was mildly disturbed by the party (well, to be fair, the Neutral Neutral Sorcerer) gacking the prisoner after questioning. It was a fully pragmatic act — there were a number of reasons why not to let him go, and he had just been trying to kill them — but, on the other hand, they were already taking one murderous prisoner down to Summit Hall for safekeeping; one more wouldn’t have been a big deal.

Still surprised it didn’t engender more debate.

And exeunt Bruldenthar, at least for now. His quest southward to Womford will overlap with some other cataclysmic events coming up soon. For the moment, though, his veering off was appropriate for the game.

<< Session 19 | Session 21 >>

This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 19 (Day 24-25) 

1. The party awoke to unusually cold and blustery weather. 
2. Faith raised the dead sailor, to the interest of Feffel Quintex.
3. Moony and William bought a cart and mules. Later on, there was a flurry of pricing and armor/weapon and healing potion upgrades.
4. The rest of the party interrogated Oreioth, who seemed peculiarly rational in the morning. He wanted his books, he wanted to know more about the druidic ritual in the hills, and he seemed both attracted and repulsed by the power growing up there.
5. The lawkeeper, Halrud Ponden, tried to recruit the party to help settle the disorder in and around Beliard. He also noted that, if they wanted Oreioth confined, they needed to take him with them.
6. The barkeep, Neshor Fleurdin, granted that a recruiter for the Circle of the Scarlet Moon ritual in the hills had provided him with directions to pass on to those who asked about them, and he gave them to the party.
7. The next day they headed south toward Summit Hall. Bruldenthar expressed an interest in visiting the site where the Mirabar Delegation was ambushed. When they reached the site, it was being investigated by (presumed) Fire element soldiers and a priest. A battle ensued, which the party was ultimately successful in.

Player Recap

Fire and Lightening

Disturbed by the nights events, the group decides to post a watch overnight. Faith takes the opportunity to read more of Marlos Urnrayle texts. She comes across some notes on the Temple of Black Earth that might have been useful a few days previous, but nothing surprising.

The winds pick up and rattle the windows waking the remaining party.

William joins Faith at the temple of all gods for morning prayer. They are greeted by Feffel Quintex with a nod and continues his own prayers. Faith manages to not bump into Feffel as she completes her own prayers. Moving to the back room, Feffel asks if he may observe. Faith invites him in and she begins her prayers. Sailor sits up and screams in terror. He is disoriented and his throat parched (and at 1hp). William can’t find anything stronger than water in the room, so brings the sailor a cup. Eventually, they manage to calm him, but he is clearly disturbed by their presence. Feffel offers to look after him and suggest that Faith get in touch with his companion. 

The remaining campaigners head down for breakfast. The bar has been restored to order. The rescued refugees once again offer their thanks and gratitude. They plan on staying in Beliard for a few days before seeking a caravan heading home. The locals are quiet and glance at the party nervously. As the group enjoys their full English breakfast they listen to the buzz around the room.

Other strangers have previously come to town. Rumors of a Druid ritual that will occur in the hills. The barkeep Neshor’s name comes up occasionally. 

Some are looking at Aldrik and are obviously wondering if he is the same dwarf that was here earlier.

Faith and William fight against the wind to return to the Watchful Knight Inn. The sailor’s friend is just coming down the stairs as they step through the door. He walks straight up to Faith and asks after his friend. Faith is able to reassure him that the victim is recovering in the temple and would like to see him.

William grabs some breakfast and goes with Moony to look for a mule and cart. They get a reasonable deal and take Bruno and Bonny to the stable at the inn.

Faith, Nala, Theren and Aldrik leave to check on Oreioth. The constable greets them at the jail and says that Oreioth has been no trouble. Oreioth greets them politely and apologizes for the previous evening. “Things got a bit out of hand.” He asks for his books. He indicates that they are not necromantic books.

They discuss the purpose of reading and what he is currently pursuing. He finally admits that he is looking for the source of the power in the Sumber Hills. “They say that they have managed to join the power of the elements and necromancy.” “Your friend the druid, has he joined them? No I suppose not.” “If you do go into the hills, take me with you. That kind of power should not be with them and the living. It’s so messy.”

They continue on to the Lawkeeper’s house. The servant shows them in to the study. There are several well ordered stacks on the desk and other surfaces. Halrud welcomes them and after giving Theren a slight look, he invites them to tell of their adventures.

He pauses them when they mention the delegation. He is disappointed the hear that his important mail has probably gone astray. He is very concerned about the lack of order and offers that there are certain matters that the town elders would like the party to undertake. Large increases of drifters and ne’er do wells coming through town, fortunately drifting out of town towards the South or West.

He also requested that they take Oreioth with them, if they want him confined, as he has not broken any laws in Beliard. 

Theren and Aldrik go shopping for armor, but don’t find any Dwarf Scale. Aldrik decides to trade in the Duergar armor for a shield and battle axe. Moony finds some studded leather armor behind some barrels. He also gets some arrows. Nala amazingly finds a +1 sword. Reequipped the group returns to the inn.

The bar is slowly returning to normal. Moony spends time to telling tells to the bar tender, the local drunk, and the bar maid. He is surprised when Senya swirls and throws a punch at Moony. He ducks and finds the whole thing terribly funny. Faith finds a small stone outside, casts a light spell on it and tosses it in front of Moony for distraction.

A humble man approaches the tables and I need to tell you something. The story comes out haltingly.  “When he –” He points to Aldrik. “– and the other fancy folks came through. Just after, these folk, they were in the sky riding on big birds all in blue and white. Flew overhead and then south (Translation: The Feathergale Knights were seen following the delegates leaving Beliard.) William gives him an ale and praises his bravery and strength of observation.

Faith goes to the temple for evening prays through the blustery night. She discerns that it, like most of the other weather events they’ve experienced are not natural.

In the temple, Feffel wants to know if Faith had inquired of the sailor and sees it as an important opportunity to learn more about death. He then shifts to his studies of the elemental manifestations and trying to determine an equation for their appearances. He is sure he can figure it out if only he had his equipment and books from the great library in Yartar. The rise in energy has been uneven in this area and the South. “If one could measure such things I am sure that it would be an amazing publication.”

He is also interested in Faith’s travels through the hills and the manifestations. He won’t speak to the weather because field studies are not all that accurate. “In the time I’ve been keeping my records that in the last 2-5 years there has been a rise in the elemental activities.” Natter Natter … Need Equipment … Research … Bugger …

[Side note: Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat was 3 years ago,  1489 DRl. In 1491 DR Princes of the Apocalypse adventure takes place.]

Faith maintains her plastic smile until she can politely leave. Just outside the inn door, a gust tosses Faith into a puddle. She goes straight up to the rooms for a bath.

Back at the table William starts carving on his mug. He asks Senya about the ritual in the hills. She says it’s just lots of big talk about heading into the hills, especially after that druid visited town a moon or so ago. She doesn’t know more, but points out Neshor as having more info.

When the barkeep stops by, William asks about the “druid.” He is evasive or absent-minded. “Oh, the Circle of the Scarlet Moon — he asked that I give directions to folks who are looking to join.” More delaying but eventually he come back with a small scroll with written instructions.

William orders more beer to make him and Aldrik feel better. When the rock goes out Moony leaves it on the table and heads up stairs. Later Nala adds a coin under the rock and goes upstairs. When William heads up he leaves behind a beautifully carved mug with flowers and vines.

During the watch that night, they look over the books from Oreioth: 1) Large tome of the anatomy of humanoid creatures from 1000 years ago. 2) Hard-bound brochure encouraging people to move to the valley from ~500 years ago and the (un-haunted) Keeps. 3) The poetry of some goth poet – very bleak.

Next next morning Faith starts early with prayers. The party breakfasts at the inn, picks up Oreioth and Bruldenthar, then heads out of town. 

A winding road departs southward from Beliard, rising into the sere eastern end of the Sumber Hills. At length it descends again, passing the keep of Summit Hall, dropping down in parallel to the Dessarin River, eventually reaching Womford at the southern end of the valley. The road is moderately well traveled, as footprints and mule droppings testify, but is also dangerous.

The party found the site where it appeared the Mirabar Delegation was ambushed, about 8 miles south of Beliard.

Bruldenthar says “I would wish to see the site of the ambush.” They turn off the road towards the site.

William (eventually) notices something red and yellow ahead just off the past. He calls out to the party and as the crest the ridge they see a group of people in red at the old ambush site.

A mighty battle ensues with dueling fireballs and flaming swords. Lightning from Faith and Theren decimated the fire “guardians”. Chaos struck Theren, causing a Confusion spell to land on Moony and himself. Faith saved them from self-harm and the battle progresses to the inevitable victory for the adventurers. One remaining fire guardian was left alive but incapacitated.

NEXT SESSION:

Loot the bodies, interrogate the prisoner, explore the site, rest, ask Bruldenthar why he really wanted to come here and what the fire folk might want to look for.

Game Notes

Bring Out Your Dead!

So raising folk from the dead is not common in 5e, but it’s not that improbable, and any party worth its salt will have a cleric who can do it by 5th level (or paladins, druids, etc., at other variances). It’s not cheap (the lowest, Revivify, costs a 300gp diamond), but I still would expect that good clerics would be begged and bothered wherever they went for that service.

Regardless, having accidentally killed a townie yesterday, the party felt obliged to make good, which in turn made for some interesting scenes, most of them driven by the players, which is a good thing.

It also let me flesh out the gnomish cleric I’d (made up and) assigned on rotation to the local All-Faiths Shrine in Beliard. I’d already established back in Red Larch that the holy folk at those shrines in small town around the valley were staffed by agreement between the temples of the surrounding larger cities — Waterdeep, Yartar, Triboar. I’d also established that many of these folk weren’t necessarily spell-casting clerics, or, if so, were 1st to 3rd level, tops — enough for some light healing, etc., but mostly chosen for their pastoral abilities. So no rezzes for the locals without going to the Big City (and selling a several really nice horses to pay for it).

I saw Feffel Quintex, the gnome, as being as much an academic as a priest — enjoying his rotations to the hinterland as a chance to work on his manuscripts, even as he longed to get back to being in easy reach of his library at home. This gave me a chance to add some additional information and speculation about the growing rise of elemental events and energies around the Sumber Hills over the past few years.

As a side note, I loved how the players dealt with getting side-eyes from the locals after one of their own got fried in a combat — and what the party did to try and make up for that, from raising the poor dude who got made collateral damage, to leaving tips and treats for the bar staff and owner.

No local Walmart

The Forgotten Realms, especially under 5e, is a relatively low-wealth proposition, especially when it comes to magic items. If the party were adventuring in Waterdeep or Neverwinter, they would have access to a variety of armorers and smithies and magic shoppes to spend their hard-earned cash on.

But out in the middle of the rural Dessarin Valley? There’s not a lot of call for armor, or swords, let alone Rods of Lordly Might in the middle of Nowhere, South Dakota, or some little burg in the San Joaquin Valley, California, especially with quasi-medieval trade routes such as they are. Indeed, if there’s anything there, it’s usually been sold as treasure or as “well, if I’m buying my +1 Plate, might as well sell my +1 Chain.”

The problem is, the cost of high-end, magic, and/or powerful stuff is way too high for Bob’s Local Feed Store to carry. Indeed, a +2 Longsword might cost as much as the entire store, and the land it’s on, and the adjoining shops as well (consider Gandalf’s comment about Bilbo’s mithril chain shirt being worth more than the Shire). A shop in Beliard simply doesn’t have the capital to buy such a thing, second-hand or not, let alone hold onto it for any length of time.

I used (and highly recommend) the shop/item/availability table explained here. It did a really nice job of helping me figure out … well, is there likely to be a set of +1 Chain in the local market?

Rule of Cool does dictate that the players should be able to do some upgrades. But my preference was, unless they were willing to take several weeks off to travel back to Waterdeep, most of their upgrades would come from dungeon loot.

The mules and cart, by the way, were for the carrying of Narl’s body.

Beliard and Bureaucracy

So back in Red Larch we had sort of a “Council of Important Folk” and a part-time constable.

Beliard is richer and more sophisticated than that. It has a Mayor / “Lawkeeper,” who has a nice house on the town square, and a city council,  and a full-time constable with his own constabulary (nothing much, but better than being shut up in a root cellar).

The party sort of runs full tilt into that this time. There’s the, um, embarrassing aspects of having killed a local, but the party’s making good on that, and get a certain amount of lee-way for having rescued folk from the Monastery.

But Oreioth is a different matter. The necromancer hasn’t committed any crimes in Beliard, and, to be honest, hadn’t really done so back in Red Larch, aside from necromancy (which, since it’s real, is probably illegal in most neighborhoods). I mean, sure those bodies came from somewhere … But that is a Red Larch concern, nothing to do with the good people of Beliard. We have laws and rules, don’t you know? Sure you must appreciate that.

Buuut … if you feel strongly enough about it … you’re welcome to take him into custody and take him back to Red Larch … and, unspoken, get him out of their fair town.

And that, kids, is how you avoid spending a lot of money feeding prisoners in your constabulary cell.

Bits and Bobs

The episode title was meant to be a blend of “The Hills Have Eyes” and the threat of the Evil Elemental Eye. Meh. They can’t all be winners, folks (esp. since I was coming up with titles before the episode in most cases).

I would eventually move on to something more pedestrian (promise!), but for the time being I was okay with the puns and pastiches.

More bad weather, to the point where it knocked a player down.

Since the core of this campaign involved people who had played in a previous Rise of Tiamat game, knowing this took place a few years after that was a useful question.

Beliard is meant to be a repository of clues. Since they spent a few days there, it gave me plenty of organic opportunity to bring them up, including the seemingly innocuous recruitment of folk, through “druids” sent down by Elizar Dryflagon, to come join the Ritual of the Wicker Giant and restore “balance” to the Sumber Hills.

Yes, of course, the wicker man clues did not at all worry the players …

That Oreioth is a remarkably well-read guy. Wonder who he stole those reading materials from?

Theren, our Sorcerer, suffered from the possibility of Wild Chaos Magic every time he cast a spell. This session it cropped up again, casting Confusion on a couple of the party during the battle with the Fire Cultists. Which wasn’t enough to save the out-of-their-league Fire Cultists.

(One thing I learned early: I was, myself, no match for the combined tactical imagination of the whole party. Ah, well.)

<< Session 18 | Session 20 >>

This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 18 (Day 23) 

1. 

   The party fought the three Hell Hounds, taking substantial flame damage before Theren Lightning Bolted them (and a patron of the Watchful Knight) to death. This put a bit of a chill on the proceedings. The Hell Hounds had iron collars with Another Symbol on them, which the party speculated had to do with Fire.

2. Faith took the dead man to the chapel, and met the priest-in-residence Feffel Quintex. She promised to raise the dead man the next day.
3. The party adjourned (with encouragement from barkeep Neshor Fleurdin) to their rooms — at which point it was realized that one of the patrons in the bar had been the escaped necromancer, Oreioth.
4. … Who was gone by the time they raced downstairs. The party inquired of bystanders (who were gathered, still talking about what they’d done), and were directed down toward the Teal Weasel and the town graveyard (conveniently enough).
5. Theren and William intimidated the barkeep there, who didn’t actually seem to know much, but was able to finally serve Aldrik an ale. Meanwhile, Nala spotted Marlandro Gaelkur, who had relocated from Red Larch for reasons unknown, and was very nervous about her and the rest of the party being there.

6. 

   Outside, Moony sniped down Oreioth and took him prisoner. The party brought him to the constabulary and interrogated him. Oreioth revealed that there was a power rising in the Sumber Hills, and the smell of Necromancy in the area. That power had detected the party and was turning against them. He confirmed that the various symbols the party had run across (the Black Earth symbol, the Crushing Wave symbol, and Another Symbol were all part of the Necromancer’s Sigil in his cave.

7. Leaving Oreioth with the constable, they headed to bed at the Watchful Knight, considering what they would do on the morrow.

Player Recap

Bad Dog? Bad Wolf? 

The Hell hound leap through the inn’s front window. A stunned party drops their drinks to react. 

**Margie is so engrossed in the action that she forgets to start journaling.**

In the end Theren takes out the remaining hounds and an unfortunately-located sailor. The hounds smolder for a while and then burst into flames and disintegrate leaving only iron collars behind. Theren hands the collars to the bartender as a souvenir. [Though someone in there notes a strange symbol on them — something fire-related, maybe? – Ed.]

Faith makes her way to the All-Faiths chapel with the body of the sailor. The main chapel is empty and sparsely decorated. Faith kneels at the altar with the body held close, waiting to see if anyone comes out from the back. Soon a Gnomish priest of Rill Cleverthrush comes out. He is shocked to see the dead body. “How did this happen” “What a terrible shame! Hellhounds killing a gentle visitor to our fair town.” Directed by the gnome, Faith brings the body to the back quarters of the chapel. The priest will watch over him until Faith returns in the morning to attempt a resurrection. 

The bar remains mostly empty with a few dazed or unconscious patrons. After a pointed look from the bar keep and a refill of drinks, the group retires upstairs to discuss the situation, and what they know about the Mirabar Delegation. 

Suddenly Faith and Moony suddenly realize that the reader in the corner of the bar is Oreioth the necromancer, from Lance Rock. Everyone races down stairs and he is gone from the bar. The barkeep says that he is a quiet sort and has been here for a ten-day or so. Racing outside, William tries to look for prints, but there are too many footsteps in and around the door. William steps apart from the party and approaches the well where several villagers are gossiping. After some forced small talk, he asks the group if they know where Oreioth might be staying. A townsman suggests the “Teazle.”

The Teal Weasel, a small, non-descript building to the southeast of Beliard’s central square, with a brilliant blue-green weasel hanging over the door. Moony stays hidden outside, in case someone chooses to leave by a window. The group enters, Theren, Aldric, and William head towards the barkeep. Nala glares from the door and Faith looks around at the patrons. William asks the barkeep politely about his patrons. He declines and suggest that he only talks to customers. Aldric asks for a beer. William suggests that the town would not appreciate it if they knew he was harboring a necromancer. At that point Theren lights a flame on his finger. Barkeep denies knowing anyone who reads. Suggests that they try Madame Zelda’s boarding house / brothel next door. 

Meanwhile, Nala spots Marlandro Gaelkur, the barber of questionable repute from Red Larch. She signals Faith and approaches. Just before Nala arrives at the table he looks up and gives her a friendly greeting. Faith comes up and they question him. He dissembles in terror but does not reveal anything. Before they leave Faith asks how long he has been in town. Marlandro stutters and replies 10 days.

Outside the Teal Weasel, Moony sights Oreioth leaving a building near the bar. He is is looking around and moving down the street towards the bar or graveyard. Moony melts into the shadows tracking his prey. When the necromancer comes into range Moony pulls his short bow and drops Oreioth in his tracks. He yowls in pride.

As the adventures leave the bar they join Moony. They bring the body to the lawmakers house. The servant eventually gathers that they want to leave a prisoner and directs them to the jail. In the jail, Faith heals Oreioth just enough to bring him around. He rants some about trying to get away from the Great Eye. He left Red Larch and has traveled and studied. He says that there is a great power person in town trying to recruit people to join the Circle of the Moon in the hills to perform a ritual to restore balance. A few additional points are picked up.

Faith – Oreioth is scared of more than just the party. He is scared about whatever power is growing in the hills

Theren – The power in the hills is aware of us 

William – He escaped because the minds of the villagers are weak. He does not even know who Marlandro is.

Moony – Tries to get him to tell us more about the element symbols. He breaks down an cries, It is the eye, the eye…

Game Notes

Old Home Week

Not one, but two repeat appearances this session.

Marlandro was the owner of a shady barbershop and jackleg bar and information brokerage and stolen goods pawn shop back in Red Larch. He was a member of the Believers, but not a (if you will) True Believer, and when that whole thing went south (complete with actual murders involved), he blew town before he ended up taking any heat.

Which brought him as far as Beliard, which seemed like a good place to maybe set himself back up again … until the party blew into town.

Marlandro was fun to play with, but not nearly as fun as Oreioth.

In my campaign, at least, Oreioth was brought alive from his necromancer’s cave at Lance Rock, and tossed into what passes for jail cells in Red Larch (a chamber for hanging meat at the constable/butcher’s shop). But Oreioth was no push-over and managed to escape pretty easily …

But we’d already seen his mind had gotten caught in the power of the Evil Elemental Eye, and rather than hightailing it as far away from Red Larch and the danger as he could, he’s been circling it like a moth, ending up here in Beliard, just in time for our players to encounter him and pump him for information (and, maybe, get him put in a better jail cell).

Every time Oreioth came on stage, I had more and more fun playing him — clever, egotistical, terrified, and quite a bit unstable — and the players got into the fun, too.

Building Out Beliard

As mentioned last time, Beliard comes in the game with no map, a few people with rumors they know or things they saw when the Delegation came through town … and that’s it.

The rest I got to make up, and while it was a pain, I had fun. I loved the idea of The Bar The Locals Go To,  because who wants to pay the jacked-up prices at the Whispering Knight, which caters to the traders that come to/through town.  The Teal Weasel, on the other hand (or, as it’s lovingly called by the locals, the Teazle) made for a nice locale for the party to feel a bit more out of place and be a bit more intimidating.

The other thing that I kind of played into is that, while their Red Larch is run by an impromptu town council made up of influential folk, and has a butcher as their part-time constable, Beliard is a bit wealthier (per the book) and a bit more organized. They’ve got a Head Guy, and an actual full-time constable. Probably pay more in taxes, too, but the local ranches can afford it.

This difference in governance will come into play next time.

Bits and Bobs

Well, one way to end a party — even one that’s been crashed by Hell Hounds — is to kill an innocent bystander in dealing with them. A bit of a yikes moment there.

The fact that the party cleric made it very clear that she would do a Raise Dead on the poor guy in the morning, and that the party caught the hint from the bar keep and headed up to their rooms, kept it from developing into a bit more of a problem.

That meant, of course, fleshing out the local All-Faiths Shrine, figuring out a gnomish priest, etc., all on the fly.

The new elemental symbol that was on the Hell Hounds’ collars is, of course, that of the Eternal Flame. That makes three of the four cult symbols they’ve seen (ironically, as it was their first stopping point, they never actually saw a Howling Hatred symbol at Feathergale Spire).

Overall, the evening was a good mix of combat, action, and talking, largely driven by the party, who ended up knowing a lot more than before they came to town.  Which is a good thing.

<< Session 17 | Session 19 >>

This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 17 (Days 22-23) 

1. The two scruffy strangers, Wiglaf and Storol. were from the Lurkwoods, far to the north. They had heard tell of druids, the Circle of the Scarlet Moon, here in the Sumber Hills for “some sort of ceremony with a giant something to fix all the magic going crazy.” When the William made it clear he wasn’t the “Elzar/Ebeneez’r/Eriazar” who was in charge of that circle, they backed off.
2. They found a camp, and set up watches with the freed prisoners. During the night, each of the characters had portentous dreams (see Margie’s log).Also, DING! Level 6!
3. The weather was again overcast and rumbling. As they walked, Bruldenthar was searching for possible hidden paths to the Vale of Dancing Waters, an ancient Dwarvish site. Also, they could occasionally see a giant bird flying overhead they assumed was associated with the Feathergale Knights.
4. At a junction, four of the freed prisoners turned left to make their own way to Red Larch.
5. Four ogres thought the party would be a tasty lunch. They were sorely mistaken.
6. The party reached the Stone Road and turned left toward Beliard. They crossed the famous Stone Bridge.
7. They reached Beliard amongst much fanfare. and gratefulness of the ex-prisoners and the locals who had relatives among them. Lawkeeper Halrud Ponden put the party and the ex-prisoners who weren’t from the town up at the Watchful Knight Inn, and wanted to talk with the party on the morrow.
8. The party sat down to food and drink, which they were enjoying until three Hell Hounds burst through a window into the tavern, charging straight for their table …

Player Recap

Traveling

“Are you the Druid? Yeah, I think he is.” They head towards William. The other says, “We have been looking for you.” Wiglaf and Storol ask about the Scarlet Circle of the moon planning on joining the impending ceremony. They describe the Circle folks wanting to fix all the magic stuff going wonky led by “Ebenezer” and the “Rite of Wicker Giant.” It appears that said ceremony might include human sacrifice. Seeing William’s horror, they decide that they don’t want to tangle with the group and quickly head back into the scrub. 

Late afternoon the significantly larger party finds a place to camp that is near a small creek. The perimeter is secured. Over the course of the night each member has odd dreams of impending doom. 

Theren: You’re walking through a shadowy valley. It’s hard to see around you, even though your gaze usually pieces the dark. You hold up your hand to peer through the darkness, and suddenly it lights up like a torch. Strangely enough, there’s no pain, but you can see, littered around you, the bodies of your companions, flesh charred and bloodied, the smoke from their bodies obscuring the air around you. A voice flickers through your head … “The opportunity will be presented to gain some measure of control over your talents.” It’s Gemvocs voices, and you can almost see him in the whorls of choking smoke around you. But another light cuts through the gloom, on the hilltop above you, a giant, burning figure, massive, flames wreathing its form, as its eyes seem to catch the light from your burning hand, and it turns to look at you with … interest … What do you do? Fireball. Eats it, blows it back.

Faith: (The old man with the triangular irises and beard like smoke … you have finished a chapter, or have you just started one. The young man’s story can be completed now, but Tyr demands a reckoning, and he gets soooo incensed about such things. Ah, incense, and the smoke rises further from his beard, wreathing him, hiding him from sight, even as — he pulls open a space in the smoke. “Did you have something you wanted to say?”: Endings, beginnings, new chapters always …

Nala: You’re back in the City Guard, walking the parapets (a poncy job, one you never actually got, but, hey, here you are). The weather over the city has been terrible — storms, great winds, tides going crazy. People claiming it’s the end of the world. Capt. Brex Gelvain is beside you. “Dire tidings. Ill portents. We strike against the enemy. When will they strike back?” … (response) … “Huh. Well, there’s that.” And along the horizon is a wall of fire, hundreds of feet tall, like a great sand storm … and it is headed directly for the city and your parapet and … 

Aldrik: You remember this moment. A year ago, maybe two, A cavern in the north, where you and your fellow troops struck back at orcish raiders who were holed up there, befouling the caves with their filth. You remember the battle, wiping out the forces on the ice field above, descending into the cavern, fighting their pet ogre, more battles, freeing the prisoners … and then everyone else climbed back to the surface, you the last of them, on rear guard … when you realize you hear laughter … orcish laughter … taunting you … that’s not how this happened … but you can hear them, jeering at you, escaped from your clutches, deep, deep inside the earth, pillaging and plotting … Evacuate anyway, duty … eyes open, orcish laughter in the deeps.

William: <forest, then fire! figure in the flames, directing it all like an orchestra conductor. Looks a bit like Renwick, hooded, emaciated.  Rush forward, throw back the hood, and it’s YOU. What do you do? Slap myself.

Moony: running. running in the light, then the cool of trees, then into the darkness, down and down, a winding path, something ahead you’re trying to find, something nobody has ever seen, until … a door. turn back … another door. and to the sides, four doors, one on each side, no room to run, no sun to warm, no air to breathe, only the doors, against which you scratch, with futility. What do you do? Scratching, picking lock, wolf howls, look through keyhole, gray wolf eye

The rest of the night passes quietly. On the road in the morning, Moony pulls out his compass and the arrow is swerving around about, not pointing to due North. Shrugging they continue on. 

Aldrik walks with the dwarf Bruldenthar for a while. Bruldenthar has been looking around the surrounding hills. He is looking for the Veils of the Dancing Waters shrine. It should be in the hills near here. The path is hidden, but they may have passed it already.

The clouds are low as they walk. There is a rumble of thunder and William catches a glimpse of something in the clouds. He let’s the others know and the larger group keeps an eye out too. A bit later a couple of folks see the same thing. William asks if they saw a rider and talks of the riders from Feathergale Spire. 

Soon they reach the cross-road. Some of the captive want to go to Red Larch. The adventurers are firm that they can not accompany them to Red Larch. The group insures that they have supplies and 4 ex-captives set out South. 

A few hours later an Ogre steps out on the road and starts talking about lunch. Two more step out and remind him that he was suppose to wait for the group to be closer. As they bicker, William transforms into Star form, informs the Ogres that the group is not lunch and fires a Guiding Bolt at Ghary. Theran launches a Fireball at Thom and Deck. Moony follows up with a sneak attack on Ghary. Faith calls lightening down on Deck, raising the fur on Moony. Aldrick puts his new great axe to good use and finishes off Ghary. A fourth ogre comes out of the bushes. Nala steps up to Deck and with two big swings fells the Ogre. The remaining ogres are quickly killed, but not before Samm knocks out one of the captives. William heals him and the remaining refugees are rounded up. After the battle, Faith realizes that the lightening she called was wanting? trying? to jump to other targets. 

Moving onward the group reaches the Stone Roadafter lunch. The few of the prisoners are from Westbridge choose to remain with the larger group. Soon they reach the Stone Bridge. It is an engineering/magic wonder, but really could use some railing. As they reach the span of the bridge there is a caravan come towards us on the bridge. The party decides back down the bridge and let the caravan pass. It cost them about an hour of travel time, but they are able to cross the two mile bridge without incident. 

Just at twilight the travelers arrive in Belliald. It is a pleasant town with mature trees and prosperous establishments. A townsman spots a friend in the refuge group and calls out. A crowd quickly forms around the travelers. Soon a well-dressed man, the Chief Lawkeeper and Townmaster of Beliard arrives and greets them. Halrud Ponden welcomes them and insists that they stay at the inn as a guest of the town. He excuses himself and requests that they talk with him in the morning.

The bulk of the group heads towards the Watchful Knight. A few locals are rejoined with their families. There are six remaining refugees. The group decides to give them each 10 silver in the morning to help them make it home. Moony follows Halrud home to see what is so important that he won’t join them now. Apparently Halrud was in the middle of his book-keeping.

At the Watchful Knight, the bar maid Senya greets them and shows them to a large table. She brings their drinks and lets them settle in. Some of the refugees filter in, but head up to their rooms exhausted. Moony rejoins the group and is just waving down Senya, when three Hell Hounds crash through the window.

Game Notes

Druids and Seekers Thereof

The various cults in the Sumber Hills have been attracting nogoodniks for years, increasing the crime rate along with the bad weather rate. Nothing was written up for Wiglaf and Storol to show up yet — they appear in the Scarlet Moon stuff, still to come — but it made some sense to have them, as well as other possible miscreants, encounter the party, and give some hints as to problems to come.

As a note, Wiglaf is (as I crafted the token) a woman. Because why the hell not?

Dreams

I would expect a lot of the ex-prisoners to be having nightmares tonight, but instead we get the party.

• Theren had early on expressed a concern about losing control of his fire magic — thus his being a hermit. It was a regular theme in the dreams I sent him, and their proximity to Scarlet Moon Hall gave it all a bit more immediacy.
• Faith gets a head pat from her god for rescuing Narl’s body.
• Nala gets a bit more generic dream about bigger problems than thunderstorms, having been crawling around down in a place under the influence of the Black Earth.
• Aldrik gets a dream about his past, with a bit of Black Earth taint to it as well.
• William has to worry about being turned into a druid working for the Eternal Flame, even if he doesn’t realize it.
• Moony is having a bad time from having been stuck underground the past day or two, and from subconsciously recognizing something (were)wolfy about their recent visitors.

Innocents Abroad

Dealing with the freed prisoners was something of a PitA for the party, and was meant to be. I mean, they were sort of their responsibility now, and the party was overall Good and Lawful enough in sufficient places to not just leave them all in the lurch.

That said, a handful going off on their own down the Larch Road to Red Larch … made their lives that much easier, even if I suspect they never got there …

It did all pay off in the end, with the party rightfully treated as heroes when they brought the rest of the ex-prisoners to Beliard, including some who actually lived there.

Welcome to Beliard

Even though there is a (brief) description of Beliard and there are clues planted that the Mirabar Delegation visited here, making it highly likely that a party of players in PotA will visit the place … there is no map given for the quaint little town. There are some people described by name, but no real tokens. No particular buildings.  Just mention of a few NPCs who might have info, the name of the local pub (the Watchful Knight), and that it’s a bit wealthier and ranching-oriented down than Red Larch.

So I ended up making up a lot of shit for Beliard when the party arrived.

Fortunately, I found a map someone had created. Unfortunately, it had no key, but it was large enough for me to blow up to a notional map for Roll20 and label everything, from the Street of Horse Dealers to the Tannery, the Caravansary, the Lawkeeper’s House, as well as a central well and two taverns (the one for visitors, and the “Teal Weasel,” where locals gathered).

I mean, somewhat fun, but also an irritating gap. Leaving that kind of info and material out turns Beliard into a theater-of-the-mind prop for dispensing clues, not a town that anyone would care about. And, if nothing else, remember eventually that all these little towns are going to get threatened with destruction, and it would kinda be nice if the players cared about that.

We’ll get lots more town action next session.

On the bright side, I was able to recycle the tavern I had all set up for a Water Cult fight in Womford into the tavern for a Hell Hound fight in Beliard. It’s magic!

I don’t recall why a Hell Hound fight — it’s not called out in the book for Beliard. Did it felt like it was time for a fight (after a day of mostly travelogue), and I always bear in mind Raymond Chandler’s advice for writing detective stories: “When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.”

Or Hell Hounds.

Oh, wait — on consideration, it’s one of the “Hey, when you defeat a Cult location, bad things happen” encounter.

Questions from the Gallery

I fielded a question about where they had seen the Crushing Wave symbol (which was tattooed on the dead cultists at the ambush site they passed by the previous session) (except, since it’s a Water Cult, the tattoos sort of shifted like sea weed under their skins).

I noted that they had seen it on those bodies, on the walls of the shrine at Rivergard Keep, and on the crates of supplies in Shoalar’s boat that they had taken passage on.

Bits and Bobs

Yes, the party is now handily taking out ogres. Dinging to 6th Level (for taking out the Earth keep) certainly helps, though I was beginning to worry about their being way overpowered when they got back to Feathergale Spire (a keep for 3rd Level characters).

In keeping with Tolkien’s naming his trolls in the Hobbit some nice English names (Tom, Bert, and William), I named the Random Monster Ogres as  Thom, Deck, and Ghary. Also a Samm.

I didn’t want to get into the Vale of Dancing Waters just yet, so there was never any question of anyone spotting the path that Bruldenthar (the inveterate tourist of the late, great Besilmer kingdom) was looking for. The subject would come up later, however.

That being said, let me just add that the other tourist spot actually visited this session — the Stone Bridge — is ridonculous. Of all the architectural marvels (other than an underground city) for the Besilmer dwarves to have put up, a 2-mile long, rail-less bridge, barely wide enough for two carts to pass each other, is just plain silly.

But it’s pretty cool. And it offered the opportunity for some conflict, which the party remarkably declined.

<< Session 16 | Session 18 >>

This is part of a series about my DMing Princes of the Apocalypse, a D&D 5e adventure by and copyright Wizards of the Coast.

Table of Contents. The Party.

There will be SPOILERS. If you are playing in a PotA game, please don’t read this. If you are DMing a PotA game, or are a DM who wants to see what the ride was like … read on!

GM Recap

Session 16 (Days 21-22) 

1. The party fought a room of orcs and an ogre who apparently ran things down on the lower level. The ogre provided some serious bonks, but all ended well.
2. They found cells with sixteen prisoners within, various folk swept up by the Black Earth cult and enslaved to dig in the mines on the lower level. One was Bruldenthar, a dwarf scholar who had been part of the Mirabar Delegation. His story echoed that of Aldrik, whom he had thought had been killed. He pointed to where various members of the delegation had been taken, to the best of his knowledge. 
   1. Teresiel, the moon elf, was captured by the raiders on flying mounts and taken away.
   2. Rhundorth and Deseyna Majarra were brought here, but taken somewhere else.
3. Stashing the freed prisoners up in the kitchen, the party further explored the mining area below. They battled a Grick, found a collapsed tunnel through air was flowing, found a battered door with an ape-beetle monster behind it (quickly shut).
4. They also found stairs leading down to a magical stone door that seemed paired with the Necklace of Hellenrae in some fashion, but there was still more that was needed to open it. That necklace, btw, reminded some folk of that hazy Necromancer’s Sigil that they saw in Oreioth’s lair.
5. They found a large crypt full of zombies and (after the zombies were dispatched), a large sarcophagus labeled for Samular Caradoon, founder of the Knights of Samular. Inside it was the body of Narl Elrok, which Faith insisted they take with them.
6. The collapsed tunnel turned out to link to the outside, a quarter mile away.
7. As the morning started, the party gathered up the freed prisoners, the body of Narl, supplies, and headed out. They encountered an illusionary presence of Renwick, who wanted to know what they were doing with the body, and seemed pleased they were returning it to the Knights of Samular. He discussed his relationship with and origin from his brother, Samular, and said he would keep the monastery clear from other disturbances, though he advised them to not return and bother him in his studies, opining that other interesting things were going to be happening soon.
8. As they found the path northwest out of the depths of the Sumber Hills, the party encountered two scruffy individuals who asked William if he was “the Druid,” then said, “We’ve been looking for you …”

Player Recap

Who knows what evil lurks below?

They walk quietly through the dark monastery. On the stairs to the well room, Moony scouts ahead and lets the party know that there are several orcs and some larger humanoid. Aldrik enters first and sees Drool the Ogre, two orcs and Jerl? He steps up to Jerl and … begins the combat. Nala and Moony join in with the remaining heroes blocked on the stairs by one of the Orcs. After Orc One goes down, Drool and the others fall quickly. Aldrik finds a bag of coins under a loose paver by one of the bunks. He complains about the craftsmanship. There are doors out to the north (where one of the orcs tried to flee before being cut down) and south.

Moony scouts ahead south. The passage is rough hewn with passages branching left and right. There is the smell of damp earth and death. A chill breeze blows towards group. Moony hears some soft voices down the passage to the left towards the Lich quarters. The group finds several cells with 15 prisoners. One of their prisoners is a Dwarf, Bruldenthar, from the Mirabar Delegation. He tells them of their capture and the passage across the river. Several of his valuable tomes were given as payment to a green-skinned captain, possibly Shoalar.

After freeing them, the group escorts them to the kitchen and wash house to hole up until we can return and escort them out. 

The group returns to the tunnels below the monastery. There is a lot of excavation twisted around but no clear pattern. Occasionally they find an old paver, but the excavation doesn’t follow their path. The continue to follow Moony through the tunnels. 

A tentacle reaches out to try and grab Moony. He stabs at the Grick and then backpeddles. Aldrik moves towards the disturbance, but can’t reach it to attack. William creates a bonfire down the hall to light the area. Nala steps up and throws an axe at it. The fight gets a little more difficult when the Grick hides and most of the party can’t see it. But the fight is still short. 

Moving on Moony finds a cave-in that is less solid than the previous examples. There is a breeze coming through the debris. Moony tries to climb through, but is not quite nimble enough. The team decides to finish exploring and area before attempting to move the rubble.

Continuing on there is a room with a large door beaten out from the other side. One of our keys fits the lock and Moony takes a quick peek. It is a monstrous beetle ape with metal claws. Dodging out, he closes and locks the door again. They decide to leave it there any move on.

The end of the hall is sealed with a iron gate and there are ancient dwarf stairs leading down. The stairs continue down several levels. At the bottom there is a wall with the Black Earth Symbol. Moony determines that it is a door, but that he can not pass. They try the amulet from Hellenrae. The door/portal appears to recognize the amulet but it is only part of the key. After racking their brains, William finally realizes that Hellenrae’s amulet looks like a portion of the sigil that they saw back in the Necromancer’s cave outside of Red Larch.

The passages start heading back towards the well room and they come across a ancient bronze covered door. The door is stuck, but Faith is able to push it open and enters the large barrel-vaulted chamber. There are several sarcophagi in the room. When the group enters the room, they hear some rustling from the alcoves. Zombies converge on the heroes. The alphabet zombies are easily defeated. There is a large sarcophagus on the eastern wall. It is dedicated to Samular Caradoon. Samular co-founded the Knights of Samular with his bother Renwick Caradoon … the Lich! Faith respectfully opens the lid and finds the body of Narl Elrok, the dead member of Knights of Samular that Faith has seen in her dream. Faith casts Gentle Repose on the corpse and readies it to bring back to the monastery.

There are doors to the south that are locked and sealed. None of the keys fit. When Mooney picks the lock it is still magically sealed. It feels like the garden door into the Lich’s stairs. The group decides to leave it alone. They think it likely that the door will lead to the other stairs to Renwick’s domain. The door to the west appears to be the other door into the beetle ape iron claw monster. Faith, Aldrik, and William take a cot from the well room and move the body of Narl to it. They will bring it with them when they return to the main floor.

They return to the collapsed corridor that had the breeze coming from it. On consideration, Moony realizes that the breeze travelled all the way to the door in the lower level. After some work on moving the rubble Moony wiggles through to the other side. With him working on the far side, they are able to move enough rubble for the others to pass through. The path continues for about a half a mile to the west. When it ends it opens on a ledge above the monastery looking down on the valley.

After returning to the monastery kitchen, the group and the refugees discuss what path to take out. They decide to head for the path north through the mountains that meets up with the Larch Path. They raid the stores for food and weapons. They make it to the path through the crevice. A vision of Renwick appears and asks “What are you doing?” Faith: “I need to bring this body back to Samular Knights. My dreams insist that I take him.” Renwick “Oh, good! That is where he wanted to go, but I don’t get out much.” The conversation continues until Renwick promises he will keep the Black Earth from reoccupying the building, and bids us farewell. “For I have eternity and nothing but hope.”

Continue down the trail to where they battled with Drosnin and the assailants from Rivergard. Here they turn away from the river heading deeper into the Sumber Hills. As the evening approaches and the group contemplates finding a place to camp for the night, there are a pair of figures ahead. “Are you the Druid? Yeah, I think he is.” They head towards William. The other says, “We have been looking for you.”

Game Notes

The Mirabar Delegation Returns!

As has been noted earlier, the Delegation is sort of the MacGuffin of the campaign … they tee it up, they show up now and again, the party has an interest in them … but they are almost utterly unimportant in the context of the Real Threat and What Must Be Done About It.

In this instance, we find Bruldenthar, the dwarvish librarian who isn’t actually part of the Delegation, but was traveling with them to Waterdeep with his chests of books. We already saw what happened to some of those chests a few episodes back, at the Ambush Site. And we learn here that some of the books, at least, were used by the Black Earth cultists to pay Shoalar the Genasi pirate captain and Crushing Wave merc to pay to get them across the Dessarin River.

We also get clues as to the actual Delegation members and their fates. Teresiel was captured by Howling Hatred fliers out of Feathergale Spire (at the Shallow Graves site), but the other two members (Deseyna PickALastName and Rhundorth) were (eventually!) brought here — but have since been taken away. They will all show up waaaay toward the end of the campaign.

Aldrik

There’s also some handwaving going in about Aldrik’s story — Bruldenthar thought he was dead. What I think happened (or what I was thinking at this point) was that he resisted when the other two delegates were hauled off, was beaten soundly and dragged off himself, never to return to the cells. He was tossed out of the Monastery to the trash heap out back, but his amazing constitution eventually let him get back to his feet … memory gone … to wander down the road to meet our party.

That doesn’t quite line up with what eventually comes to pass, but I could tack the pieces together well enough to make sense.

Narl-y, dude!

And we settle some other outstanding lore and backstory here, too. Renwick Caradoon was one of the founding brothers of the Knights of Samular. How he came to become a lich is not terribly clear, but here he is. And when the Black Earth cult hauls in the body of a Knight of Samular, Narl Elrok, which was being taken down to Summit Hall for burial in the same party as the delegation … 

(Wait, why did the Black Earth folk bring a dead body with them, all the way cross-country, even after being attacked? Um … as an offering / bribe / peace token to their co-tenant at the Monastery, Renwick? “Hey, look, Mr. Lich! Dude here was being carried in a fancy sarcophagus. That must be of some interest to you!”  Uh, sure.)

… he took the body, but rather than experimenting on him, instead offered up a sarcophagus he had crafted (!) for his younger brother, Samular, which was sort of the highest honor he could give Narl.

That said, he was happy enough to hand off the body to the party to take to Summit Hall, where it could lay in the tombs of the Knights of Samular.

The Passage Below

So like all the Haunted Keeps, Sacred Stone Monastery has a passageway that leads down to the Temple of Black Earth (Front Gate quadrant of Tyar-Besil. And this would have been the perfect opportunity to … kill the party, sitting at 5th Level, I believe, and about to descend into a 10th Level setup (and one that starts off with mooks, so it might not be immediately obvious).

Fortunately, as previously explained, I had sealed off the Temples until all the Keeps were dealt with. They had the Necklace of Hellenrae, which basically magically hinted at what they needed to do, once they finished trying to get down the stairs.

And either through a forced “Roll in INTelligence to see if you remember something,” or because a player really did remember it (I don’t recall), the party ended up realizing that this all tied into that blurry image in Oreioth’s Lance Rock abode. Which … continues building brick of information on brick of information …

The Path Above

The party now found itself saddled with a dozen civilians (including Bruldenthar), most of them 0th Level fodder. They agreed to bring them back to civilization, especially since the cleric was insisting on bringing Narl’s body back to Summit Hall, per her dreams.

That would have a few interesting implications in the coming session or two.

It also meant a hike through some new areas of the Sumber Hills —  — and a session-wrap encounter with two mysterious gents looking for “the druid” …

Bits and Bobs

What is the point of the twisty-turny tunnels under the Monastery that the cultists have the prisoners excavating / digging through? Absolutely no idea. Never explained. A bit silly.

But it did give give me a chance to have some weird Underdark critters, like Violet Fungi and the Grick show up, so that made me happy.

The tortured ape-beetle monstrosity in the cage was a mutilated Umber Hulk which, for some unknown reason, was being kept in a cage (which could be turned to a death trap with the ramp from the main temple).  Alas, no good drawing was provided with the campaign (I believe the token was a text one that read “Maimed Umber Hulk” or something dorky like that). Never really well-explained, either. Because they’re eeeeviiillll, I guess.

The reference to alphabet zombies has to do with the my usual propensity to number the faceless mooks (“Okay, Cultist 3 is coming at you waving a dagger …”), but occasionally shake things up. In this case, there were enough zombies that I decided to label them A-Z.

<< Session 15 | Session 17 >>