Welcome, lurkers, to our fabulous thread.
In this thread, we continue our journey in which our party (yet unnamed), embarks on an epic quest to thwart the assault of the Red Hand army on Elsir Vale, racing to prepare for the assault before the might horde ends the world as they know it.
The game is a long-term d&d campaign that run on the 3.5e system. It is mostly played on this board, with partial support on discord.
General details of the campaign can be found here:
>>132102 →Now, the party left off at the end of the evacuation of Drellin's Ferry, the townsfolk fleeing ahead of the advance of the horde. The Red Hand forces are mighty, and the party has been able to accomplish little to hinder the army, although the vengeful fury of a certain giant and his granddaughters may have bought the villagers some time, as distant sounds of thunder echo from the hills.
In part one, the party learned some vital information, from the the Wyrmlord Koth's notes, map, and conversations with many characters along the way
>The Red Hand horde means business. If it is going to be stopped, that will have to be at Brindol, the only place in Elsir Vale with a standing army large enough and the fortifications necessary to have a chance against such a large force.>Monsters are blocking the roads to the north, blocking any chance of reinforcements for Brindol>One of the leaders of the Red Hand is in the ruined city of Rhest.>The horde is going to steamroll the towns east of Drellin’s Ferry and keep going.>A powerful wizard named Cromar is retired in the BlackfensA partial archive of Part I can be found here:
>>133942 →And with that, let the games begin.
482 replies and 58 files omitted.
>>142645I give Daisy a pat on the head and leave her everlasting feed bag with her
(to Jorr) "If she's not in the condition I'm entrusting her to you in or better when we get back, then there's going to be problems that I will expect you to solve."
>>142650I am slowly realizing that this might be your way of writing out Jorr from the campaign until it is convenient for him to return at some point. Ya clever bastard.
But yeah, we agree.
Aral leads his horse to stand next to the others. "Take good care of them."
>>142653>>142656"Yeah, yeah. I know how to take care o' a horse. It's people that ah got problems with.." The woodsman says gruffly, taking the horses by the lead.
Okay, and with that, you guys all get on owls, except for Chad on Misty, and fly off into the night.
Vomeo, who seems to have passed out at some point, is carried unconsciously by her panties, the owl panting as it struggles to lift her.
*shuffles through notes*
Okay, it take you all no more than two hours before you all reach the Tiri Kitor Encampment at Starsong Hill.
Give me 5-10 minutes to go pee and get a drink.
The giant owls are silent as they wing through the gloom, apparently able to navigate effortlessly through the darkness. Your elf escorts are also silent, aside from softly pointing out some dimly glimpsed landmark far below from time to time.
Before long, you reach your destination. Rising from the marsh is a low hill of solid ground, encircled by a thick ring of trees. Dozens of pinpoints of light dot the hill—small lanterns filled with fireflies, each hanging from a tree platform or the upper reaches of a conical tent. Many elves silently emerge to watch as you fly overhead. Killiar produces a sleek, silver horn of some sort from a saddlebag and blows one wailing note similar to a loon’s cry.
Near the hill’s peak stand three large trees, and built into their boughs are wooden structures. One glows softly with luminescence of its own and seems to be a temple. Another looks to be some sort of public building or town hall. The third, and your destination, is the smallest of the three—a cozy-looking tree house set above a large pool.
Okay, Killiar lands first at the porch of the speaker's treehouse and the owls promptly fuck off to their nests after dropping their charges.
Killiar asks you all to wait as he steps into the building, a few moments later he steps out and asks you all to enter.
Aral notices an enormous crocodile in the pool below. It appears to be asleep.
Waiting inside is a wise-looking and ancient elf. She wears flowing golden and green robes, and her hair is braided around a complex headdress made of wicker and wood. She stands next to a much younger female elf in plain brown and green robes who looks to have been crying recently. The younger elf is seated in a large wicker chair, and the standing elf indicates nearby chairs for you. Behind you, Killiar the hunter takes a silent stance near the door.
“I am Sellyria Starsinger, Speaker for the Tiri Kitor,” the standing elf says. She indicates the seated elf and continues, “This is High Singer Trellara Nightshadow; her brother fell prey to the monster you slew earlier. We thank you for destroying it." She says, we a polite bow
"We do not often see strangers in our homeland. What brings you to the Blackfens?”
Okay, Chad has expressed disinterest in continuing this session, and the other players want to wait for him.
Not to toot my own horn, but I think it's been a productive session:
>3 encounters
>plot advancement
>nobody died
>still challenging
>I don't feel exhausted/miserable
Pretty good for PbP, if I do say so myself.
>>142678I'm still here, I was 'busy' with something a little more important.
>>142680Oh
Well, do you want to go through the dialogue encounter?
>>142682Sure, if everyone else wants to.
>>142674"We are here to eat horse pussy and kick goblin ass."
>>142685The elf appears confused, but appears to shrug off Chad's comment as some strange human idiom.
"Goblins, you say? What do you know of those savages?"
>>142686"Those knife-eared jackasses are trying to summon a god and they're trying to get some fucko calling himself the Lion King or something to help them. Any ideas on how to stop that from happening?"
>>142687>knife-eared>he says, to the elven speaker"....................."
The elf lady pauses for a moment.
>>142688bro I swear I'm not racist bro I just don't like goblins bro and it's not even for race reasons bro it's religiously motivated I swear
>>142688"He means little
green knives. Of goblins." - says Aral, internally screaming, and probably not helping much at all with the attempted clarification. Then tries to copy the bow the elven lads did before, and follows up with "Aral Tel'thuen'slaugh."
>>142687>>142688>>142692After a moment of excruciatingly-awkward silence, the ancient elf speaks.
“As you have seen, the marsh is growing dangerous. We have long struggled to hold these beautiful lands for our own. The local lizardfolk have vexed us for many decades, but now a new peril stalks the Blackfens.” She says
>>142692She looks at Aral with a nod (Killiar apparently described how he shot up that Razorfiend in great detail)
>>142688The elf's ears twitch, and she clicks her tongue at the mention of the Lion King
"The Lion King... I haven't heard of him in centuries. He spends his days wallowing in self-pity. I can't imagine what would motivate him to leave his throne of sorrow."
>>142685Chad can vaguely hear her muttering a curse (not a spell) in the Druidic tongue.
>>142694Should I roll a listen or what?
>>142696You don't need to. You just recognize that this particular elf has no good feelings for the Ghostlord.
psst. Nows a good time to ask questions about Rhest
"To be honest, I have no idea how the red hand intend to get him to do what they want. However, the admittedly stupid cleric of theirs we interrogated seemed sure about his assistance being secured. As for the new dangers showing up, they're also the red hand's fault, so helping us get rid of them solves that problem too. So, since Killiar told us you might know something, any ideas about how to stop all this?"
>>142701Oh yeah, did you guys want to bring the piss goblin with you, or do you want to leave him with Jorr?
He's not much use as of now.
>>142700"Do you happen to have an insight into the situation in Rhest?"
>>142703oh, I kinda assumed we dumped him on the side of the road somewhere. Idk, maybe just have him get dragged into the ether like henry and the slave girls?
>>142704>What do you know about the ruins of Rhest?“We do not go there. The place has bad memories. It was once the center of a proud nation, but now it is little more than a few ruined buildings slowly sinking into the mire. We respect the memories of that folk and avoid the place. The lizardfolk do not.”
>>142706*random phase spider eats the piss goblin*
Killian gives an annoyed huff.
These elves seem content to answer any more of your questions.
>>142708"Sorry for your loss. Also, who exactly are these lizard men?"
>>142709>Pic related >>142711"I... I don't know.. We've been so very busy lately, with the fiends, and the goblins. The situation in Blackfens grows more unsteady day by day. I suspect the Red Hand, as you call it, may be up to something in Rhest.."
>>142713"The lizardfolk have been native to this swamp for centuries, but in recent decades they've grown... Twisted, corrupt if you will."
>>142715"What do you know of the dragons in this region? The goblins have their alliance too."
>>142716"What happened to the lizards?"
>>142715"That very well may be. Also, while we're here in front of you, that same stupid cleric that just got dragged to hell also told us about someone named Saarvith hoping to wipe out the 'swamp elves.' If that's all of you, then this is probably relevant information for both of us. As a third note, I would also like to know about this region's dragons. Particularly if there are any metallic ones nearby, as they may be willing to lend aid."
>>142717At this point, the younger elf speaks up and gives her word on various topics:
>Why is the Red Hand so interested in Rhest?“We do not know why they are here. Months ago some dark power established itself in the ruins and brought the lizardfolk under its dominion. Whoever it is has not meddled with our encampments yet. We have not tried to infiltrate the ruins for fear of arousing a wrath we may be ill-equipped to cope with.”
>forces in Rhest?“They are not many, but they are strong. Their leader is a cruel and clever goblin chief. They have claimed several buildings near the center of the ruins. The thing that worries me most is the dragon.”
>>142719>>142717>A dragon? Explain!“We have seen the beast in the skies. It has not attacked any of our encampments, yet I fear it is simply biding its time. The dragon is black, and not quite as large as one of our giant owls.”
>>142717Both elves shrug.
"Perhaps something has come over them, but they've grown fiercer, and far more aggressive than they've been before."
>>142720I guess Rhest is our next destination and some gobbo with a black dragon is our next target
Okay, now that that much is established, I'm going to fast-track this a little, because quite frankly I'm tired:
>Can you provide us with assistance in our mission?
“You are our guests. If you need healing, you should seek out Illian Snowmantle at the temple. If you wish to trade, simply ask. Beyond this there is little I can offer. I must keep our defenses focused on our homes.”
The party, if they choose to stay, will be given guest tents where they can stay for the night, perhaps even longer.
The village has a temple of Corellon Larethian that will offer some free healing.
Starsong Hill is more than a place where you guys can rest, heal, and buy stuff; it's also a place with lots of really colorful residents who are well-worth interacting with, like Drellin's Ferry.
For that purpose, I think I might prefer to run this when I have some more energy. I can answer basic questions anytime between now and next session, and maybe squeeze in some time to voice chat or interact with the NPCs with dialogue, possibly out of session (I'm free every afternnon during the week, and all-day Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays).
>>142725What do they have to trade?
>>142727I'll tell you guys some time before the next session.
The encampment is the largest among the Tiri Kitor, but still houses only ~500 elves. Large purchases of class-specific equipment aren't going to be likely unless they're environment-relevant. The Wild Elves are a simple folk, but they take pride in their craftsmanship.
Fyi, the Electrum Armor is Full plate, so it has to be refitted to be worn. The Tiri Kitor may be able to help you with that, or at least loan you the tools.
Aral, since you took the headband, you might notice that there's something written on it, in common.
Sorry, my ISP decided I had enough game for this weekend. I hope this at least gets through, it's still slow as fuck.
>>143131Sorry, m8. Didn't see this message until now.
We called it quits after you disappeared. The party figured it would be wiser to wait for their archer/caster before they moved onto the main fight.
Anyway, I guess I should sum up what's happened so far.
This session was largely experimental, being held entirely in voicechat:
>party finished conversation with Tiri Kitor
>Chad summoned to the beastlands to do important Druid stuff elsewhere
>rested on day 17, did utility stuff
>Decided to explore the Ruins of Rhest
>Met Night Shroud, a disciple of Pelor and powerful swordsage
>Night Shroud joins the party because reasons I don't care to write out
>Party observes Rhest
>Gathers info
>Razorfiends in Rhest
>Dragon in Rhest
>Lots of lizardfolk
>Lion idols everywhere
>Goblin gets on dragon's back and flies away
>Part approaches bell tower
>it rains
>As party nears, the guards realize they're not not lizardmen
>Alarm sounded, fire exchanged
>Red Leader flies to Rhest town hall
>Party gets to bell tower and kills goblins
>small amount of treasure
>Lizardfolk swimming
>Aral's internet cuts out
>party (and DM) doesn't want to go on without Aral
>session ended
It was rather slow-paced at first, but picked up once I was able to organize my notes. Depending on player feedback, I may do more sessions in voice chat, instead of text.
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