From the Deep Part 4

This particular session was unique since we had two of our friends join our party. It was so much fun and really clever and innovative ideas were put to use in the battles we encountered. For a full album of photos, please join my Facebook group.
Thanks!
~Vee~

[Note some DM notes will appear in brackets]

Rising early in the morning, the party left with Finn and made their way down to the docks.  They met Captain Goda, of The Grim Sharon, and were welcomed on board for a trip to the Moonshae Isles.  Heading below deck, the party is introduced to Elsa, an elf ranger, and Artimus, a human wizard, who are on their way to the Isles searching for special bark. They also meet Ukat Glimmergold, a superstitious dwarven miner who is very chatty.  

Two days later as the ship passes through Asavir's Channel, they are attacked by a galley filled of orc pirates.  The party starts to stack cargo up to act as cover as Tarysia climbs to the crow’s nest. She immediately commands the sailor next to her to begin making fire arrows using strips of her overskirt and bottle of oil for the two rangers to open fire at max range with longbows, catching a few lucky shots.  Knowing they are spotted, the orcs abando subtlety and increase speed.  A pair of ballistae open fire and in the first volley a lucky shot (natural 20) takes out the captain.  Finn and Artimus try to steer the ship as the crew breaks into chaos. 

Remembering a locked room below deck, the party convinces the crew to let them know what's inside, which turns out to be a large supply of 'dwarven powder'.  As the rangers trade arrows with the orcs, the rest of the party gathers the powder and fills several barrels and small sacks. Artimus casts an obscuring mist on the rear of the ship, giving some cover and then the party drops the barrels overboard.  As this happens, Eddenfall uses a mirror he found a while back to reflect sunlight in the eyes of the captain and gunners to help further distract the orcs. When they get close to the orc ship, volleys of magic missiles from the two wizards detonate the powder filled casks. The ship is rocked and after a few more rounds the pirate ship is left with a dead captain, half the ship gone, and the rest on fire. 

The Grim Sharon is damaged but manages to slip away, minus its captain and a few crew. 

[OK some notes from the DM here. This was supposed to be a pitched battle that would end in both ships being destroyed and the party floating away on debris. Well that didn't work out. The supply of dwarven powder was the mechanism that would destroy both ships once enough fire spread through them. But the party came up with the idea to start making their own naval mines. After they had blown half the oars off the ship, silenced the drummer and killed the captain, it would have been pretty hard to logically continue the attack....so that lead to a small intermission as I adapted]

Unfortunately, in its damaged state and without a captain, The Grim Sharon is unable to handle a sudden storm and is scuttled against the rocky coast of an unknown volcanic island.  The party quickly sees that the ship is a lost cause, even if they managed to repair the ship, it's too far up the beach to ever make it back to the sea. 

As the surviving crew sees what they can salvage from the ship, the party decides to explore inland.  They eventually stumble upon an old jungle trail that leads them to an abandoned camp.  They find an abandoned bag of holding with a few potions and journal that describes the past inhabitants as Northman pirates who found gems on the island and decided to stay, but there was some conflict. 

While they explore the camp, they disturb a nest of giant ants and quickly deal with them. During the encounter, a thunderwave goes wrong and hits Ukat the dwarf causing him to be quite ticked with Eddenfall. Given the choice to quite down and be healed or rest, he opts for the rest and turns his back on the rest of the party. The party then makes their way back to the beach, fighting off a small ambush of stirges along the way.

 

They eventually find an old longship and, tucked under a bench, an old skeleton that had carved a curse into the wood targeting the leader of the Northman pirates to seek riches even after death.

The party gathers the surviving sailors and prepares to fix the newly found ship.  They decided to explore the island a bit and come upon a cave.  They can hear the faint sounds of metal on stone and feel warm air rushing out upon closer inspection. Suddenly they are attacked by two huge spiders.  After dispatching them, they discover the spiders were hollow and undead. 

Ukat the dwarf spots some gems only he can see in the cave wall and after 'reading the signs' in the rubble decides it is the mythic motherload he has searched for and runs off into the cave. 

At this point the party shakes their heads at the crazed dwarf as he disappears into the darkness of the cave, look again at the giant, undead spiders, give a collective "NOPE" and decide to quickly leave the clearly cursed island. 

[Ok so I had two other encounters planned out here. Deep in the tunnel they would find the inside of the volcano where the Northman leader, now a wight, had turned his former compatriots into zombie miners. The party would arrive just in time to see Ukat killed by the wight's glowing sword, and then witness him turned into a zombie. If the party intervened they would have a good fight, and hopefully be able to pillage the accumulated hoard.

At that point a zombie spiders would attack, now freed from their master's control.  The party would have a chase scene as they ran out of the cave followed by a wave of spiders.  By the time they hit the beach, the boat would be floating and they'd have to battle the surf to escape off the island as spiders poured into the water. 

Soooo...that didn't happen.  Oh well.]

All notes and story created and provided by David Musgrave February 2018. Copyright protected. 

Notes: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uObP8ofgtOV1lLOVZMQ09DUkNXcUZKOXA3alltUGxUdzQ0/view?usp=sharing

Files: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6uObP8ofgtOUXNZSUV5VVdCb29hUG9QUzN3VUtseVlybG1F/view?usp=sharing

From the Deep Part 3- Home Brew Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Game

We spent this session in the town only, so not too many set changes but there was still lots of action. As always, the write up was done by David and notes for this are included in the link following it. Also, we finally enjoyed our new minis painted and present on the table! Hoooray! ~Vee~

The sun had started to fall as the party entered the northern gates of Zazesspur. They quickly found an inn, choosing a moderately priced establishment that provided hot food, a bath and a warm bed. 

The next day the party decided to first visit a marketplace and through a little haggling sold off their wolf and deer pelts for a bit of gold (20gp). With some work they found an apothecary and purchased some healing herbs but passed on more advanced medicines. They also passed on a shady invitation to visit a vendor of special items. 

The party traveled to the docks to visit The Salty Froth tavern but on the way they came across a press gang of four sailors dragging two unconscious people towards a ship. Deciding to intervene, negotiations failed and Eddenfall launched an opening volley of burning hands. Using his expertise at evocation he curved his flames around the fallen prisoners and dropped two of the four sailors, heavily burning the other two. Nathan flourished his mace and the two survivors took off running.

After a little first aid the two prisoners express their gratitude and identify themselves as Bruin and Branda Killgarden, two local nobles who like to 'slum it up' in the dockside taverns. They resisted the sailors efforts to 'recruit' them and were promptly knocked out. Bruin is deeply embarrassed that he has no money, the sailors appear to have robbed him, but says if the party could visit his family estate they would be well rewarded. 

The party continued to The Salty Froth tavern, finding it to be little more than a small shack. They ordered their Chultan wine but on the way out they angered a dwarven berserker who could not be pacified. He got in a few good punches on Eddenfall but eventually was knocked out by a combination of well placed blows, and a hold spell. They left the tavern and made their way to the Killgarden estate. On the way they got a little turned around and wandered into a slum. They were attacked by a small gang of bandits that were easily wiped out. Making it to the Killgarden estate they were handsomely rewarded by Sir Killgarden. 

The next day they made their way back to the tavern to meet up with Finn. However on the way they were stopped by four sailors and their boss, a leader in the Blood Sails gang. Through good strategy and a few well timed spells the party easily defeated their attackers. Shortly afterwards Finn came out of the shadows clapping and congratulated the party on their ability to handle such a challenge. He introduced himself and took them to a nice inn where they can talk before leaving on a ship the next day for the Moonshae Isles. 

Notes written and shared with permission by David January 2018

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mMt5ijMm3T5FnCJz3wN-9NMfQtxPH3fC/view?usp=sharing

Mystical Icicle Scatter for Your RPG Terrain

Your party starts to show fatigue after a long day of hiking through the cold and snowy terrain of the mountains. You all know you must keep going, lest the plummeting temperature captures you in her chilly embrace. Sometimes leaning on each other, you finally trudge closer to the point marked on your now well weathered map. Around the bend a temple stands where visitors may warm their bodies and refuel.

Just as you all fear you cannot possibly make it, a pulsing light catches the eye of your cleric. His knowing smile gives the rest of the party what little strength they have left to follow the light to its source. As you turn with the path, two imposing ice formations stand before you. They glow with an internal light, mesmerizing you and yet warming you as well. Your druid gasps and lets out a shout of joy, "We are here!"

And as her voice finishes bouncing off the icy walls around you, an old monk appears from the frosty fog.

"Hello brave travelers. We knew of your coming and have prepared a meal and rooms for you. Please, follow me."

As you pass through the mystical spires of ice, you can feel the ancient magic they possess and know the image of their luminous power will never leave your mind's eye ever again.   ~Vee

I am a huge fan of fantasy and otherworldly elements. Needless to say these icicle scatter bits are my nod to that love of things.

The supplies are actually pretty easy to get, and I even have links to get what might be harder to find that lead to Amazon.

So, pop on over to my channel to watch the video and enjoy!!

From the Deep- Part 2

The family campaign continues and we made some good progress this weekend. I was especially happy with the different scenarios presented to our PCs and seeing how it all played out. Looking forward to what happens at our next session!

The party left their home near Mosstone and journeyed south along the Trade Way towards Zazesspur.  100 miles of road and the Starspire Mountains lie along a journey that took them four days.  Forgoing teaming up with a caravan the party headed south on their own feet, eager to make good time. 

On the first day they helped a family in a broken wagon along the road, Nathan the cleric of Torm easily mending the broken wheel with his magic.  That night they visited a small roadside village that was in the middle of their FirstBloom festival.  Eager to participate in the fun, Nathan and Eddenfall donated 1gp each and signed up for the goulash eating contest.  They faced a wide array of competitors including the reigning champion Valgar the Voluminous.  They consumed bowl after bowl of the spicy concoction.  Nathan, Valgar and the other competitors eventually either tapped out or....returned what they had eaten.  In the end only Eddenfall the wizard remained.  As a reward he received the blessing of Chauntea and a minor boon to be used later. 

On the second day they continued south and healed a wounded traveler by the side of the road.  A storm moved in and after hours walking in the cold and pouring rain they sought shelter in a tiny hamlet, finding it abandoned recently.  Cautiously taking watches as they rest they reacted in time to bar the door from two ghouls that were attracted by their presence.  While keeping the monsters focused on the front door Tarysia the ranger broke out a back window and flanked the ghouls while hitting them with arrows.  Eddenfall followed but soon the monsters were on them.  Nathan dove through a window and joined the battle, eventually downing the two creatures. 

On the third day the party entered the Starspire Mountains and came upon a caravan of horse traders from Calimport.  They were under attack by a hippogriff.  Nathan stabilized a dying horse while Eddenfall conjured an illusion of a gryphon.  This gave the hippogriff pause and Tarysia was able to use a spell to communicate enough with the creature to drive it off.  Then using their medicine they were able to heal the injured horses and return them to a grateful caravan owner.  At the end of the day the party spotted a set of deer tracks and followed it through the woods.  Tarysia downed the animal with one shot and the group field dressed it to take back to camp.  Unfortunately a pack of four wolves smelled the kill and tried to take it for themselves.  Both Eddenfall and Nathan fell at one point but well timed healing magic kept them in the battle enough to defeat the wolves.  With dinner an now four wolf pelts the party made camp for the night. 

On the fourth and final day the party came upon a battle in progress in a narrow mountain pass.  Three humans were surrounded by ten kobolds.  As the party arrived the humans called for help while the kobolds stopped their assault.  A few were down from each side and the kobold leader accused the humans of stealing their dragon egg while the humans claimed innocence.  The party managed to calm the situation and stabalize the wounded.  Talking to the humans they found they had bought an egg from a party of gnomes with delusions of raising the dragon as their own personal steed and mascot.  Tarysia convinced the humans of their error and the kobolds to pay a small fee to the humans to cover their losses.  As a last act, Nathan healed all the injured parties and the groups went on their way.

Several hours later, as the sun began to set over the sea the party reached the gates of Zazzespur. 

For anyone who would like the DM notes for this part of the campaign, please use the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nce-69Y1hKC-vgv5OodhrcQb7vG1pHXl/view?usp=sharing

Notes written by David Musgrave January 2018

From the Deep- Prologue Part 1: A Family Friendly Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Campaign

The family started the new campaign today, and it's off to an exciting start! This time around we are having fun with background story and connections to the previous campaign we finished right before Christmas.

Because we play with our boys, 6 and 10, we thought it would be helpful to share my husband's notes on the campaign as we go along. There are families out there who are considering getting started and this may help them take that plunge into either introducing their own kids to Dungeons and Dragons, or as a whole learning how to play a new game.

Here's the synopsis for our progress so far!

In today's adventure Tarysia Tassarion and her twin sons, Nathan and Eddenfall, are enjoying a warm spring day working around their cabin.  The peaceful day is broken when an injured man stumbles down the trail to their cabin pursued by two goblins.  The PC's defeat the goblins and take a couple of hits in the process but manage to save the wounded man.

While they are getting patched up, he identifies himself as Hamabad, a guard who was traveling with Gundabar, a merchant that frequents Tarysia's home to broker her craft work.  He tells the PC's that they were ambushed by goblins and Gundabar was taken prisoner.  The PC's agree to rescue him and head out with Hamabad in tow.  

They quickly find the site of the ambush and recover some supplies hidden in the wagon before following the trail.  Tarysia's tracking spots that the goblins left a sentry patrol and the PC's setup an ambush that quickly deals with the goblins and their wolves.  

Approaching the goblin cave they see two wolves tied up outside.  They wisely use some jerky and a successful animal handling check to pacify the wolves and send them on their way.  A perception check reveals goblin voices inside and they decide to draw them out.  Eddenfall uses his minor image spell to first create a goblin voice declaring that he'd found a great treasure haul.  The PC's fallback to ambush spots and Eddenfall uses the spell again to create an illusion of a goblin and a chest full of gold. 

The bugbear goblin leader charges out with two goblin goons.  The PC's get an ambush round and drop the bugbear with a combination of a well placed magic missile and a critical hit from Tarysia's longbow.  The other goblins are dropped before they can get a shot off.  

The PC's then sneak into the cave, loot the meager horde and push forward to rescue Gundabar through some moderately successful diplomacy and a well placed shot to the remaining goblin leader.  

After withdrawing to their home, Gundabar passes along a note from an old friend and calling the PC's to travel south to Zazesspur. 

To start accessing files and playing along follow these links for this part of the campaign.

All files are written and produced exclusively by David Musgrave, January 2018.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1L_MYWgf9IiYyAyaDH9vwAsXDvEVFJCrk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1V4u6Y8T1fZCq7Pvok5amtsHY3cQK_GAQ

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bxATVCEwv6qi2Ime4K17vpxObJtqe0Gt



Make sure to keep checking back in as I will be sharing the chapter files here on the website in individual post updates.

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