Greetings. Welcome to the first session of /mlpol/'s first running of the classic third edition d&d campaign Red Hand Of Doom.
On this adventure, our heroes, currently three strong, will encounter dozens of trials that will test their strength, cunning, and friendship as they face an army of goblins.
If you'd like to join, there's still room for more in the party. Don't be shy to ask.
Our story begins in Elsir Vale, with our three heroes on the road to the town of Drellin’s Ferry. The three are seasoned adventurers, and exated heroes to boot. Having fought many battles together before, they are confident in their strength. Legend has it of a vast treasure in the Vault of Vraath Keep, hidden deep in the Witchwood; our heroes, have journeyed all this way to seize the vault for their own.
Despite that, they all have their own motivations to travel to Drellin's Ferry:
Sir Whiskers, a cunning and charismatic Tibbet Jester, is travelling to meet up with an old friend of his: Princess Princess Bagel Jennifurr Fluffykinz the fourth. He hasn't met his old friend since he was a kitten, and he's eager to meet with her again. She has arranged to meet up with him in Drellin's Ferry, and to accompany him on his adventure.
Sir Brozal, a mighty Orc Crusader of Pelor, has received a mission from a high-ranking Cleric of his order has received a powerful vision of war descending on Elsir Vale under the banner of a clawed red hand, and has sent Brolaz to the far reaches of Elsir Vale to avert impending disaster... Brozal isn't exactly sure if the vision was real, or if his master just wanted to get rid of him for the year, but he never turns down a good crusade.
Brother Chad, a wise and powerful Druid, has chosen to accompany his companions on their hunt for the lost treasure in the Witchwood. Sir Whiskers requested his aid because Chad is the most experienced woodsman he knows. Chad is wary of this region, for he's heard that it is ruled by a fierce and territorial Druid, but he embarks upon this jouney nonetheless, the secrets of the Witchwood too tempting to ignore.
...So tempting that he seems to have drifted off somewhere with his horse; probably fucking it again or something. Stupid hippie.
And so, let's begin:
>The afternoon sun beats down on you; the air is hot and still. The sparsely settled lands of Elsir Vale are starting to grow monotonous, with a seemingly endless line of dusty flyspecks of towns. The town of Drellin’s Ferry lies a few miles ahead of you. It’s a settlement hard on the borders of the Witchwood, and the best place from which to begin exploring the nearby forest.
This is the part where the players ask obvious questions that I thoughtlessly ignored in the first post, as well as implore about their surroundings.
1970 replies and 84 files omitted.
Pic is me getting into character as I realize I might have to roleplay every cat in the setting.
Brozal, Whiskers, I'd like to do your things today, so we can start the next session at the beginning of day 2.
I would like to begin early in the morning on Saturday. I cannot afford to play all of Sunday like last week.
Chad, I'm assuming you'll have retired to the Inn.
Chad, what do you have in your inventory?
Okay, the local Shrine Of Pelor is a humble building: A small temple of the same fieldstone-and-wood construction used by many other buildings in the town.
Brozal trudges along the path towards the temple unarmored, having dropped off his armor for refinishing at Morlin’s Smithy. He carries a sack of coins and two gem-encrusted Wakizashi by his side.
The temple just 50 ft or so from one of the Town Watchposts, and the Watchmen glare at you as you pass. They chatter to eachother in voices to hushed and far for Brozal to hear in-character, but I feel like posting anyway.
>"An Orc slipped past! Sound the alarm!"
>"No, wait, I the courier just said one's been commissioned by captain Soranna."
>"She commissioned an Orc? Are we really that desperate?"
>"Shhh, he's coming. Stand watch in case he tries anything."
>"I've got my eyes on that bastard..."
>*loads crossbow*
Despite this,
I totally didn't mean to do a more difficult confrontation when you were entering the town for the first time... I absolutely didn't omit that that part because I was exhausted from DMing combat all day...
Brozal enters the temple without being shot. It's quite a lovely place, though not ornate in any particular way. The windows shine the last of the evening light into the room.
The Temple is mostly empty, there are a few scrolls on the walls depicting figures of knights on horses with lances or armored warriors smashing skeletons with maces, in glory to the god of strength.
It appears as though Brother Derny has been trying to motivate the local guards between preaching.
>>134523You hear a feminine gasp come from around the corner as you turn.
"Halt, who goes there!" A deep (and loud) masculine voice, calls out, followed by a loud clang
"Brozal the Fire Bringer. I have come to donate gold."
Brozal rounds the corner and sees a stout old man, albeit a very muscular one, kneeling on one foot as he tries to get up off of a stool. Laying beside him appears to be what looks an enormous iron mace: the sound of the clanking. Two nuns, dressed in white robes, stand beside him, whispering fearfully in a language that Brozal cannot understand.
>>134525The old Priest looks up across the temple at the Orc, the getting up as he does so. His expression appears fierce until he hears the name.
"... Brozal. Hmmph, I was told you'd come here. I take it your temple sent you here?" He replies.
>>134526>the sound of the clanking*the source of the clanging
The old man appears to have been sweating, but quickly fixes himself up, straightening his robes, puffing out his broad chest and brandishing his holy symbol. He speaks deeply, but eloquently.
The nuns continue their whispers, but a wave of the hand silences them both.
>>134525"Very well, charity is always appreciated here, especially in these troubled times." he says, perking up
>>134528"And what would be your mission, brother? I take it you didn't travel all this way to appreciate the scenery."
>>134517What time at?
>>134521A bunch of weapons, a bedroll and a water flask or whatever.
>>134530I'd like to start at maybe 8:30-9:00-ish, EST. The earlier we start, the more we'll be able to cover. I was hoping to get through at least four encounters per adventuring day (not necessarily combat), and at least one adventuring day per session.
>>134530For your starting equipment I gave you a +2 Periapt of Wisdom and two Wilding claps.
All three of those are leagues above what should be your item level... but they're within your WBL and should carry you for the adventure.
>>134529"I am here to kill goblins." Brozal then dumps 427 GP onto the table.
>>134535"Two kill goblins, you say?" The buff old man says, as he looks through the bag and pauses at fancy swords
"That's quite the odd mission to travel all this way for, but I can't say it isn't appreciated. Those savages have been wreaking havoc on all over lately. Merchants, farmers, woodsmen, and fisherman alike have been taken by those hordes. They've getting fiercer
and bolder every day; I can only imagine what's stirred them. They've been raiding these parts for centuries, but never this boldly, never in these numbers."
"The town guard are all but demoralized, and the townsfolk can't take much more of it..." He says, his weariness obvious, and not just from the oversized mace he was swinging earlier
"Word of you and your odd friends travelled here before you did. My alcyotes were even gossipping about a talking cat. Tell me, what did Wiston put you up to?"
>two
*To kill goblins
So many brainfarts today...
>>134538The human blinks twice
"... Very well then. Good luck with that." He says
"If you are ever in need of healing, our doors are always open." he continues, handing the sack to one of the nuns
>>134539"I am in need of healing."
>>134540The Cleric looks Brozal up and down, noticing the unarmored Orc's wounds.
"... Indeed you are. I'm surprised you're even standing with wounds like that."
He mutters something in an unknown language, brandishes his focus, reaches out towards your chest and taps you. A brief flash of white light erupts from his fingertips, and you feel your wounds close entirely.
Brozal is now just a couple points below full HP.
"Consider it thanks for your generosity towards our temple. Get some rest and you'll be ready for business in time for prayers (morning, for Pelorites)."
>>134541Brozal will go sleep on the ground.
>>134542Preferably outside the temple
>>134543The old man looks annoyed.
"If you're going to meditate, do it in the courtyard out back." He calls out
"Ascetics.. always going the extra mile..." he mutters under his breath
>>134544Brozal sleeps in the courtyard.
We can start whenever everyone is ready and responsive.
Whiskers elected to meet his cohort on the discord server (in part, since I wasn't exactly sure
Although interactions outside the thread are normally considered to be decanonized, I consider Whiskers meeting Princess Bagel to be "off-screen", occurring at night when the other PCs slept.
I still expect him to introduce Bagel properly in-character when he gets the chance, since he now all but controls the NPC. I have shown him Bagel's sheet and will upgrade/modify it as I see fit.
He may also rebuild his character to swap out the feats he requested earlier. Since he has elected not to attempt to attract followers at this point, no additional cats will follow him, but he may attempt to attract more at a later date.
END OF DAY ONE
______________________________________
DAY TWO BEGINNING
Chad would return to the grove of the Old Ones before dawn. I've taken the liberty of designating his spell prep ritual to occur at sunrise, since Ehlonna Epona is a sun goddess; if Chad's player would rather designate his daily prayer/meditation at another time, he may . He would traverse the woods without penalty, and find Misty sitting at the center of the stone ring covered in a blanket of flowers, with four children small sleeping peacefully beside her. He appears to be well-fed and rested, although perhaps a tad bit spoiled.
Avarthel, Keeper of Eth, the young half-elf Druid, is laying stones in a prayer ring and lighting some sort of incense. He smiles as Chad arrives, and invites him to join him for prayers.
At this point, Chad would spend an hour in meditation and prayer as the sun rises, and and his heart is refreshed with a new allottment of spells. As a vancian divine spellcaster, Chad may prepare any of the hundreds of spells on the Druid spell list that he is capable of casting, and I expect him to post his spell list as soon as he is ready. If he would prefer to instead roll with the selection of spells that I picked for him yesterday, that is fine as well. I will remind Chad's player that as a Druid, he is free to experiment with seemingly-useless or situational spells, since any of the spells he prepares can be spontaneously channeled into the ever-useful Summon Nature's Ally spell; complimented by his Ashbound and Augment Summoning feats.
Sir Brozal has squatted in the courtyard like a hobo accepted the accepted the hospitality of the temple of Pelor, he too instinctively awakens before sunrise (the light stinging him from his light sensitivity), and is offered to pray with Brother Derny and his two lovely acolytes.
Because I'm feeling Gygaxian, I'm going to make him roll a Fortitude save to see how sleeping on the ground without a bedroll effected him.
He would return to Morlin's Smithy shortly after to pick up his armor. Morlin has made good on his promise to refinish his looted armor, the banded mail now en-blazoned with symbols of the Dawnfather, with retina-burning continual flames lining the shoulders.
Whiskers would wake up in the room reserved for the party, and would dutifully go to the House of Sertieren the Wise. The old halfling answers the door groggily, having worked through the night scribing the requested scroll of Hailstones. He gives it to you with a yawn and mumbles something along the lines of "Tell your master I wish him good luck" before hobbling off to bed, evidently still mistaking Whiskers to be some strange familiar.
Mittens, the Witch-cat, glares at you as you leave, her golden eyes shining bright in the morning light.
Since Sharress is also a goddess of sunrise, I would assume that Whiskers prayers, should he choose to spend the time, would be completed at around the same time everyone else's would.
And none of y'all remembered to buy horses...
The party would meet at the Inn, early in the morning.
Anyone present may participate in dialogue as they wait for the other members to arrive.
>>134547I'm here.
I will continue to use the list you made for me.
Okay, let me check the maps for travel time... Brozal's waking speed in banded mail is 20 ft...
Did the party decide which way they were going first?
Okay Brozal will begin the morning by begging for bread in the town square. This happens after he fetches his armor from the smith and thanks said smith for his service. Brozal gifts the smith ten candles since he has no money.
>>134553>>134555Whiskers would start to do the morning ritual of waking up, recovering his spells before following Chad along.
Misty would feel the slightest bit heavier as the kitty
ies hopped on her, ready to set sail.
>>134554I was going to tip him with some gold but the candles will suffice.
>>134555Trips checked.
I made note of that in
>>134547 you would retrieve your horse around the same time that you prepare your spells.
Pardon the delay, I'm still figuring out the timeline of events...
The party moves as fast as its slowest member, which means you guys can travel about ~16 miles in one day, assuming you don't have any delays or obstacles. Dice roll says you travel along mostly farm fields with no immediate delay...
Now, if I recall correctly, you guys wanted to find Jorr before you explored the Witchwood?
>>134554Brother Derny hands you a piece of bread and tells you not to make a scene. He then pats you on the back and sends you on your way.
I need to know if you guys are looking for Jorr.
>>134558>>134559iirc, Jorr's the druid, so yes.
>>134560Jorr is a woodsman who knows the area.
Now, captain Soranna said this:
>If you take the Witch Trail, go left at the first big trail crossing; Jorr’s cabin is about seven miles in. Or, if you’re on the Dawn Way, take a right on a trail about nine miles from the forest edge. Jorr’s cabin is near the Blackwater.You can either travel through the Witch Trail through the forest, or partly along the road of the Dawn Way.
Which way do you go?
I'm assuming you guys leave some time around 8-ish.
Can we make room for misadventures?
Both paths would lead you through the Witchwood.
The Witch Trail is a track that leads through the heart of the Witchwood. The Dawn Way is a road commonly taken by merchants, surrounded by forest on either side.
>>134564Define "make room".
I don't normally plan for misadventures, but I expect them to happen.
>>134568Is that a yes or no on the Dawn way?