first steps of the expedition

a somewhat different reality In at least one of our realities, the scoundrel and the magic user met beforehand. the circumstances are unclear but also irrelevant for this story. suffice to say that they met, and that their names are Kasja and Abelgenaffar, as they have always been. Kasja is a hafling with an inclination for the shadows and other peoples assets, while Abelgenaffar is looking towards the light both as knowledge but also in a more physical sense, after a childhood in the Underdark. in this world, they originate in the same realm, albeit in different parts of it. this is a harsh reality, where combat is to be expected. is therefore convenient that the couple also met Ramra (a minotaur geared for approaching her foes fast and tearing them down to pieces) and Niblet (a ferocious goblin with the skills of a healer) a couple of days ago. here, the Weave doesn’t allow manipulation to enable flying or floating, just gliding down slowly instead of plummeting towards the ground, at most. with combat a given, it is no surprising that an adventuring party must behave as a very cohesive unit: money is pooled together and given to a treasurer, rations considered for the whole party as a unit, and there are always ammunition, oil or torches when needed. the party is generous with their magic items, but everyone is expected to be self-sufficient and “help” doesn’t apply to challenges or attacks, unless it is in the form of higher help (blessings, spellcasting, etc.). first aid is different, of course. there is no retreat in battle, just risk, strategy, fear and (hopefully) victory. a new purpose p1 Ramra and Niblet joined the couple when the news of Corodon being attacked were shared by a traveller in the inn they were staying at, gathering strength and information before moving forward to the temples of Noccora. since then, in has been a long march towards Manillia (the capital) during which the party got the know each other better (they have something in common already, as they all come from Corodon), sharing their fears and their histories of the homeland. having consumed the last of the rations, they stopped for the night at the Sleeping Lion, in the village of Rover’s Wend. there is where they met archmage Blasco Raçoso, who explained the situation at home and proposed a different (and perhaps tide turning) plan, to strike directly against the Deathless King, the founder king (Estaban Camacho) in lich form. a long and treacherous journey with few allies on the way to Eldervore: just the Watchmaster in Eagle’s Watch and perhaps Leena Gnedrel, a wild elf that knew the Deathless King when he was still mortal. if the knowledge of the archmage is correct, Leena is still leaving in the city of Áscay, a city full of wicked men and monsters, definitely not a safe haven. but Leena refused to leave (and she was one of the designers of the fortress of Eldervore). past that city, the land was thrown into chaos by the influence of the lich, twisted and wrecked wastes, barely dotted with remains of forgotten towns and temples. surrounded by a sea of broken glass, Eldervore awaits, untrodden for the last four hundred years, at least by sane minds. it was fortuitous that the party was chosen (this particular party), but the plan of the archmage relies on the fact they are an unknown quantity, low level adventurers travelling by foot and unknown to the world. the aim is to keep their goal a secret as they go through land where the influence of the lich and his armies grows. spies could be everywhere and secrecy is paramount. after some discussion, the party decides to accept and finally goes to bed. p21 when they wake up, Raçoso is long gone, not without first arranging for some rations for the party. not much because many in Rover’s Wend have left to join the Corodon army, taking most supplies with them. Kasja is the treasurer and takes with her the rations, as she was already doing with the party’s coffer. the party reaches the banks of the Pike River and a decision is to be made. trying to avoid contact with others, they try to find a crossing on their own. p108 further south there is a boat house, with a half sunk boat in the reedbeds. it has a hole in it, but we will try to fix it, much better than trying to swim across. p183 there are some tools in the boathouse, and the rotten boathouse itself will provide some supplies (boards and nails). Abelgenaffar sets to work on it, or at least drive most of the effort (he is the smart one in the group). (12 + 4 > DC 12) p59 not perfect, but it holds long enough and the party crosses. we haul the boat ashore, and keep moving eastwards. (+75 XP) p176 it seems we are approaching the village of Torrova. regardless of what Raçoso said, we are still not very deep into unfriendly territory, and the road seems well travelled by carts. p126 loose paving stones and weeds make the advance tiring, this midday is quite hot (and sunny) and we are starting to get hungry, but we should be frugal. “who knows what’s to come?” “or if we will be able to restock in these villages” umm, up to the north, off the path, there is smoke coming out from some cottage. we can see a garden and chickens in the yard. it smells of good cooking. we could keep going, but this seems a good opportunity to get some food in our bellies, or even some additional rations to carry in our way. p180 an old looking woman feeds some odd-looking chickens. it seems she didn’t notice us. Kasja could do some recon, hiding to collect some information before approaching her. \page p147 we were expecting an inn, or a family of farmers, but this is a bit suspicious. while the party stays behind, peeking from a hidden position, Kasja approaches. (18 + 7 > DC 12) p172 Kasja returns shocked. that is a slaughterhouse! dead gnomes and gore cover walls and corners. the old woman is some kind of monster in disguise. it is NOT our mission, but Kasja cannot avoid thinking on the fate of other small people, perhaps haflings like her. [at least the Kasja of this reality cannot avoid it.] it is also a chance to test our mettle and team dynamics, as we have not fought together yet. Abelgenaffar casts Mage Armor on himself, as it will improve his survivability greatly. p128 we decide to confront the hag (pretty sure that’s what she is) and we approach the cottage quickly, our weapons drawn. we kick the door and are confronted by the old woman, revealing herself in her true form. clucking from the yard, the “chickens” come to her aid. they are not chickens. p91 a battle ensues at the cottage. [I try to run the battle via roll20. setting the page took 10-15 minutes. now I need to understand how to use the rest, so this is a pause in gameplay.] 15 + 3 = 18 -> 2 + 1 20 + 1 > DC 11 Niblet is hit but save from other consequences 4 + 3 < 10 the Mage Armor was a great idea. 1 (miss) Kasja attacked first with the shortword, hoping to benefit from the hag being engaged with Ramra in close quarters. due to the strangeness of this reality, the “Luck” of the hafling didn’t do its thing. she tries again, now with a dagger. 5 +5 8+3 ), and stays put, keeping an eye on the adjacent cockatrice, to avoid an attack of opportunity. Niblet casts Inflict Wounds on cockatrice by her side: 16 + 1 > DC 14. the cockatrice is not affected. 3+5 4. the foe attacks Abelgenaffar 17 +3 > 10. Abelgenaffar knows Shield wouldn’t be enough and suffers 5 points of damage. 7 + 2 10 -> 2+1 . Abelgenaffar is down! Kasja’s turn 15+5 > 14 -> 6+3+ 4 (sneak attack as next to Ramra) 12 (advantage due to Vex) +5 > 14 -> 4. 16 + 6 > 14 -> 12+ 4 with a swing of her greataxe, Ramra finishes the hag, cutting her in half. then, she russhes towards the cockatrices. Abelgenaffar succeeds on his first death saving throw, but… 13 + 2 > DC 11! the effect of the petrification stops and, although still unconscious, at least he is save from petrification for a while! Niblet gets in the fray and close to Abelgenaffar. she casts Cure Wounds. 13 + 4 is more than enough to return Abelgenaffar to full health. the 1st cockatrice, regardless of being a skirmisher and prone to move from target to target, tries to hit Abelgenaffar again. 1. it fails. the 2nd one… doesn’t much choice (the minotaur or the drow) and goes for the drow: 2+ 3 = 11 -> 5 + 3 and cockatrice 1 dies. that leaves a single cockatrice, to which Kasja now throws the dagger she has drawn. 4+ 5 11 -> 10 + 4. furious and scared, Abelgenaffar stands up and in the same movement, 3 glowing darts surge from his finger tips towards the cockatyrice that hit him. 2+2+1 + 1*3 = 8. this ends the cockatrice and the fight. the battle is won, but it took its toll mentally (Abelgenaffar cannot cast spells now, Niblet lost some of her capacity) and emotionally (Abelgenaffar was not expecting to almost die). all in all it was a quick 18 seconds fight, a burst of frantic energy. p15 in the gruesome interior of the cottage, a potion of healing and a mask of frightful visage are found. Kasja takes them with her. she also retrieves her dagger. after searching, the party goes outside to breath, recover from the horror of the interior and, in the case of Abelgenaffar, go back to his spellbook to recover the connection with the weave to cast spells. no party member was hurt but there is no food to be found and they discuss the combat meanwhile. the party returns to the path. p99 the sun starts to set, and they won’t be able to reach the village of Torrova. by the side of the road (they are considering setting up camp), two marked dug graves. on the left a rusty sword, on the right a helmet over a broken spear. Kasja is curious about the helmet. p70 3 8 -> 2 + 5 + 3. even weakened, she strikes true (zombie 1 = 12), vexing the zombie. 19 + 5 > 8 -> 3 (zombie 1 = 9), and hitting it again with her dagger. 19 + 6 > 8 -> 11. Ramra hits the same zombie. it is cut in half, but its sinews seem to tense, keeping the zombie standing… ( 10 8 -> 1 (zombie 2 = 21), while realising that perhaps his limited training as a cleric might be useful… Niblet is a cleric, and uses Sacred Flame 16 - 2 14 HP). Kasja attacks again with her sword: 15 + 5 > 8 -> 2 + 1+ 3 . very weakened, what would have been a devastating strike, now just erodes part of the zombie’s healt. (zombie 2 = 8 HP). it looks worse than at the beginning, but still presents some challenge. the rogue attacks again with her dagger 16+5 > 8 -> 1 (zombie 2=7HP). Ramra: 4+6 > 8 -> 3 +5, finishes the last zombie. or so she thinks: 15 + 3> DC 7 +5. the zombie reforms and is still standing (zombie 2=1 HP). and attacks Kasja this time. 9+3 8 -> 8. the zombie falls again, but the party is now prepared for anything… 3+3 < DC 8 + 5. the damage was too high it seems, or the bones and tendons too fragile to regenerate. the battle ends without any more difficulty. p12 the earth around the path seems unsettled, as if more zombies were trying to break to the surface. this is not a good place to rest. better to move on and evaluate what to do regarding Kasja’s curse. p25 the party finds a hill on which to set camp, as Torrova is nowhere in sight and the night approaches quickly. better to rest for an early start at dawn. 1 [reference number: 25] p194 the wilderness is full of dangers and some creature entered the camp, eager to feed on us. [but I’ve been playing since 18:13, it is 00:13 now and time to take a long break. I had dinner and a 30’ pause after the initial setup though.] it is Kasja’s watch, and she is comforted in knowledge that Abelgenaffar was sitting next to her, meditating in a trance like state, but semiconscious. enough to think he was almost awake, just very quiet. it is quite, if spooky… 8 DC 10, until Abelgenaffar jerks “look out! an ape is upon us!”. Kasja would have been taken by surprise if not for Abelgenaffar, and with her the whole party. everybody springs into action, arms at the ready. Ramra and Niblet, might have been dreaming about monsters, because they are already facing the ape, rolling from the floor to get close to it. 5 +6 14. the ape pounds Kasja with a massive fist. 6+4, rendering her unconscious, and turning its attention to Niblet. 19 + 5>18 -> 1+5 (Niblet=11). Kasja succeeds on her first saving throw. Abelgenaffar’s instinct says it would be better to finish this beast quickly, and hurls an orb of energy, greenish and bubbling as if preparing poison inside an invisible bowl floating by his hand. 15+6 > 12. 6+6+1 (Ape = 17 ). Ramra follows suits 16+6 > 12 -> 3+4 (Ape=10). Niblet, uses her last low level spell to cast Cure Wounds on Kasja. she could try to cure herself, but Kasja is a powerful combatant in this kind of situations where their foes are almost surrounded. 6+4, Kaja, still prone, recovers fully. seeing this, the ape redoubles its attack on Kasja, still on the ground. 19 +5 > 14 -> 5+4, and Kasja’s face falls sideways, unconscious again. now, the ape chooses a larger target, Ramra. 13+5 > 14 -> 6+4 (Ramra=22, as Ramra shakes the damage off). Ramra is furious. this second moment of unconsciousness is harder, Kasja fails her first throw. 5+6 12 -> 11+4 slashes the ape in a upper cut fashion, her greataxe leaving through the ape’s forehead. the ape falls to the ground. they are all a bit hurt, but most importantly, Kasja is in danger. a Prayer of Healing would be ideal, but Niblet will try to estabilise Kasja using her knowledge and experience. 1+6 Kasja recovers fully and so does the rest of the party (Niblet=17, Ramra=27). p25 the night continues without any other issues, everybody scared but better hidden. they all eat what they didn’t consume before going to sleep at first. the vague area of Abelgenaffar’s mage armor fades. the sun rises over the eastern mountains and our party packs and continues the journey. p36 making way down the road (or adjacent to the road, as the road is uneven), cries of violence ahead makes everyone get their weapons ready, and Abelgenaffar cast Mage Armor on himself. around the bend, a group of orcs comes charging, the edge of a much larger battle. p95 a battle against 3 orc raiders: Kasja attacks one of them with her shortsword, still weakened due to the curse. 5+5 13 -> 1 Ramra 11+6 > 13 -> 2+4 Abel now tries the chromatic orb, as having several enemies it brings some benefits. an orb of fire emerges, and he throws it towards the same orc Kasja attacked. 17+6 > 13 -> 5+5 +2 . the orb jumps to the second orc 6+6 13 hits -> 3+4+3 causing damage while light silhouettes the sharp edge of her great axe. \page one orc is in very bad shape, the rest have seen better days, but they coordinate to attack now. the first attempts to hit Kasja in retaliation. 8+5 14 -> 5+3, Kasja is again at the edge of unconsciousness, and now regrets not using her expertise before to be sneakier when she initiated the combat. the third… goes for Kasja as well, seeing as she is about to go down, bleeding from the single slash wound she received. 13+5> 14 -> 1+3. Kasja falls unconscious to the floor. [rolled a 20]. perhaps is because this has become a “second nature” to her, but she recovers immediately, stands up and strikes against the foe that downed her, the third orc.6+5 4+4, bringing him to his knees, but still alive. from Abelgenaffar’s fingers, a ray flares towards the third orc. 6+6 14 -> 10+3 . she is hit but her tough exterior means the injury is not that severe (only 6 HP). (Ramra = 21). Kasja attacks that last orc: 16+5 > 13 and 2+3 +2 sinks her shortword in its chest, piercing the orc’s heart. it plummets, inert. with her dagger 10+ 5 > 13 -> 4, Kasja finishes the second orc. they should stop getting into fights so easily, in each battle, death seems more certain than when their journey started, not a good augur for their task. p140 a little money and a handaxe are found. Kasja affixes the handaxe to her belt. cries of battle are heard behind a nearby hill. some battle is taking place. should the party investigate or take the opportunity to disappear? whoever the orcs are fighting might be a future ally. or a spy… but we will never now if we don’t try to find out. p162 six orcs are raiding a farmstead. a single man is protecting his burning house, the slain livestock has already been carried away, a boy inside the burning house uses his sling against the orcs. this group of orcs just seems determined to finish their work. Niblet is one spell slot down and Abelgenaffar doesn’t have anymore. Kasja is weakened and Ramra suffered some damage. Abelgenaffar approaches Kasja and cures her with his limited cleric training, to full health (8+7+4), a remnant from his days as an acolyte. [I am checking the differences between spell ability modifier and spell attack bonus, as Fight Club 5e only shows directly the second value. I might have run some numbers wrongly… only partially. no problem, it didn’t affect the result and is now fixed in the text.] the party quickly decides to send Kasja forward, with the intention of, stealthily, get a vantage point and try to take down (or hurt) as many orcs as possible, and drive them away from the farmer, with the rest of the group closely behind (they are still unseen) to jump into the fray if/when a battle ensues. Kasja tries to hide 9+7 > DC 15. and, sneakily, aiming to remain unseen (invisible even), approaches the farmstead. the rest of the party also tries to sneak, but stay further back (Abelgenaffar 13-3, Ramra 20+2, Niblet 11+0). p181 the roof of a nearby barn seems a good place to take positions and wreak some havoc. Kasja climbs, joined by Abelgenaffar, while the rest stands at the ready. perched there, Kasja gets her bow, readies an arrow, aims against a fighting at the rear of the group, breathes quietly and releases. 16 + 5 > 13 -> 2+ 3 + 2. weakened, the arrow doesn’t cause as much harm as it could. while she takes another arrow from her quiver, Abelgenaffar releases a bream of cold light blue energy towards the same target. 14 + 6> 13 -> 3. a thin layer of what looks like frost reflects the fire on the skin of that orc, who begins to turn around slowly. a second beam targets another orc situated near the first one. 13 +6 > 13 -> 1, barely gracing its shoulder. Kasja takes this as a hint and targets that one now. 18+5 > 13 -> 1 + 3 + 1. not to effective, but there is no time to think about that, the whole group of raiders are now aware of the situation and turn to fight the newcomers. p6 and so starts a battle at the farm. [time to set up in roll20. it took some re-reading, but it is clear now that the Raiders are the only ones I could attack when sniping.] when the orc raiders turn around, they shout and both the Orc Leader (on the far end of the farm) and a bunch of hurt orcs (behind some hay bales) respond and face all of us. the leaders spots the couple on the barn and aims at Abelgenaffar, the figure of the tall elf now evident and visible above the bales that could hide him if on the ground. 17+3 > 10 -> 1+ 1. it just graces the drow. knowin the raiders are hurt, but far, Ramra rushes towards them, jumping over the fence and trying to further distract their attention from the farmer and getting some coverage from the flying bolts, just in case that foe decides to get closer. she cannot attack, but gets ready for her next move. the farmer, Cray, runs with his pitchfork aimed at the closest of the 2 raiders, trying to impale him. 10+4 > 13 -> 6+2. he hits squarely on its side, which was opened thanks to Ramra distraction. the orc probably though this was a done deal, but now blood rushes to its throat, making breathing hard. it roars and goes for Cray’s neck with his greataxe, but not before Niblet gets closer to the 2 raiders, seeking some cover, and a flame like energy surges over the other orc. 18+1 >14. that orc moves at the right moment. the roaring one fails to hit Cray 5+5 13. while the arrow flies she cannot blink. it hits, but not the heart, not in the middle of its face. 1+3. it was a good shot, though. instead of climbing down, she moves back to the other side of the roof, getting out of the sight of the crossbow bearer but ready to either pop up again or move towards the rest of her allies. three orcs that are recovering behind some bales run aggressively. two of them go towards the barn, another towards Ramra. the ones going to the barn climb its walls and square against Abelgenaffar. suppressing that advantage seems like a good idea. they would expect a reward from terminating the thread against their leader. 8+5 > 10 -> 2+3. the first one hits Abelgenaffar on his chest, leaving him breathless. encouraged, the second one…. 4+5 14 -> 4+3 (3 halved and rounded) hits her, further angrying her. shocked, Abelgenaffar reacts with Word of Radiance, quarterstaff in from of him. warm radiance emanates from him and… 7+3 1, 12+3 > 14. one of the orcs suffer damage. Abelgenaffar drinks the potion of healing that Kasja left on the roof. [rules for DDK adjudicate that NPCs can use their actions to drink the potions carrier by PCs. it seems just fair that the same thing happens with PCs, as Kasja is the treasurer.] Although there is an orc in front of Abelgenaffar, the orc leader can still see him and fires his crossbow. a more difficult shot [considered half cover, +2 AC], but a heavy crossbow is a powerful weapon. 14 + 3 > 10 +2 -> 3+1. it definitely hits the drow on his shoulder, throwing him off balance and making him ponder about how good of an idea this was. they might have been better just continuing their journey. “Kasja, help!” 2+6 6 , which cannot move out of the way and is seared by light, falling to the ground. then moves to flank the enemies of Ramra. 8+5 13 -> 1+3. the still weakened blow finishes that orc. this was a quick nick, and without stopping she picks the handaxe and hurls it towards the other orc. 5+2 10 -> 3+3. Abelgenaffar plummets. the party is playing with death, and getting too familiar with it. seeing the drow falling prone (and making it harder to be hit), and with the hafling behind the hay bales, the orc leader moves towards the front of the house. almost at the corner, he barely glimpses the small goblin, and takes one more step, to ensure a good shot.11+3 13 -> 3+2. he impales this orc and this time the prongs are deep enough to cause the damage required to kill it. the orc falls to the ground, Cray puts a foot on it and pushes hard with his whole weight on the pitchfork, angry and in tears. not having seen a ray or any flash of energy from the barn, Niblet quickly checks but cannot easily see the body of Abelgenaffar, everything might be alright. but she sees the orc leader and… nah, she just hits the closest orc. or tries to 6+4 5+3. that orc is history. she doesn’t dare to move, but there is still something she might try. a dagger flies towards the orc currently flanked by three of her allies.6+5 < 13. the dagger falls somewhere on the ground. she stays with the drow. desperate, the orc 5+5 13. she is a whirlwind of sharp edges and the leader is hit! 9+4. the axe eviscerates this orc, carving a line of pain across his abdomen and up to the chin. Ramra moves back. the battle seems almost over, with only one enemy left, but better get ready. tired, Cray removes his pitchfork from the fallen body and 10+4 > 13 lunges forward, plunging it into the body of the last orc. who dies instantly 5+2. “oh, how the tables turned!” he starts addressing the party: “Thanks, frie…”, but before he finishes Niblet turns around, now hearing the cries for help coming from the barn. she bolts over the fence, runs closer and utters healing words. 2+6+4. Abelgenaffar head wound stops bleeding, he blinks. the party is safe, the battle is done (and won). p29 while Kasja and Abelgenaffar climb down and rejoin the group, with a smiling Niblet, Cray and Ramra help rescuing Cray’s younger brother, the kid that was in the burning farmhouse. they are brave kids who refuse to leave their farm, resourceful and hopeful. or perhaps desperate enough to prefer taking their chances here instead of unknown grounds with undead and the Deathless King’s army. they insist in providing us with some rations (one day of rations), which will be helpful. \page arrows, daggers and handaxes are recovered and also money for the amount of 6 gold coins is collected from the orcs’ bodies. the party rests briefly. Niblet recovers to full health, removing the arrow and taking care of that wound, while Ramra goes back to HP 23, still a bit bruised by the blunt attacks. Niblet is two level 1 spell slots down, and Abelgenaffar has none, but he studies avidly his spellbook and recovers one. plus, the party recovered, the drow takes ten minutes to recast mage armor as a ritual, in preparation for what could be coming next. hopefully they will manage to avoid any other confrontation before resting tonight. p84 the setting is setting down when they get to a settlement that must be Torrova. a very shaby town with poor walls. still, the promise of a bed. 5 guards stop the party in the middle of the road. “What is your business here?” “we are weary travellers. we are passing through and just need some rest for the night.” they eyes seem greedy, they demand 5 gold as a tax. Abelgenaffar uses thaumaturgy to gain a booming voice: “you are making this up, there is no tax. we won’t be extorted!” p72 11 + 0 < 14. p41 “haha ha, now it is 6 gold pieces.”, “ok, ok, there you go, but this is extorsion”, says Kasja while paying them with the coins they got from the orcs. p141 happy, the sergeants points the party to the “The Pied Bull”, recommends getting whatever food is available, as the orc raids are making food scarce, and leave to continue the patrol with the rest of the guards. the party approaches the village gates. p193 the sun is quickly sinking and sleeping behind walls and under a roof seems preferreable to spending a night outside again, who knows what/who might lurk in the night. p124 “a few houses, an inn, a dilapidated church, not much of a village, is it?” only the inn would be open at this time, other taverns seem closed. the smell of hot food surrounds it and, inside, it looks quite full. hardened men and dwarves smoke and drink. the barwoman looks at the party suspicious. “4 golds for food, 5 golds for a room.” very brief and direct. Kasja looks at the party, this is her kind of environment and knows how to deal with this situations (or at least she thinks so). they will get a round for everyone, and food and lodging. p77 first, a round. rightly so, the mood improves, and the party is invited to a larger table, where they are playing “Shove Gold”. Kasja takes a go at it, putting 1 GP: 19+3 > 14. she gains 1 GP. she tries again: 19+3 > 14. she is very good at this. the drow also takes a go at it. [here I played using the rules for physical gaming, but on the carpet instead of the table.] the first time he didn’t get to the goal. the second time the coin hit one of the posts. nothing gained, nothing lost. while they are playing, they talk. orc raiders coming from the north, burning farms. and the road to the east is blockaded by a group of creatures. “Agents of the Deathless King, Shardlings or Glass-folk, you can guess where they come from.” the Sea of Glass, just outside Eldervore, of course. they might be keeping people away from something, a dwarf suspects, something the King doesn’t want discovered. but it promises to be a deadly battle. now, time for some food p35, taking all the chances the party has to preserve rations. perhaps it will be possible buying something in the market tomorrow. but let’s retire for the night. p2 beds for everyone, a solid door to lock, a safe environment for once. the party wakes up recovered, taking their time until the hawkers cries are heard on the street. they get ready to pack and go to the village square. but, before that, they realise how the rigors of battle and the stress of falling unconscious made them grow, harden. Kajsa not so much, though, perhaps because of still being cursed. at least she now has an idea of how to hide or disengage, as an alternative to always attack. and she also practices how to cure wounds in the same fashion the druids she used to guide did. it looks more useful right now tan marking an enemy. Abelgenaffar completes some of his study and can now create an exploding ice knife, in a fashion similar to the ray of frost, and develop some mastery altering the weave to manipulate it into creating fire. he feels closer to magic. spends another 10 minutes studying his spellbook and casts Mage Armor. p66 at the market, there are mainly domestic goods, fresh food (nothing suited for travelling),… and a human with dwarf bodyguards, selling some interesting objects. very rude, he doesn’t let us inspect the items. nobody can detect magic, and so… it is unclear how useful they might be. purchasing it all would be 59 GP. the party has the money and will probably buy everything. p151. yes, they did, time to check them out: p139 two additional days of rations. p105 the ancient greataxe is really rusty and falls to pieces. the party disposes of it. p96 the ring is a ring of the flame serpent, according the etchings and the party knowledge, which grants Fire resistance. very nice! it also allows the wearer to speak in Ignan, a language spoken by fire creatures. probably good for Kasja. p18 a well polished mirror with a surface of about a square foot, there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it. p60 the shortsword is sharp and well balanced. a +1 shortsword, which is very convenient for Kasja. p44 the dull bronze key seems strong and very old, there are no clues about what it might unlock. with the goods redistributed and “identified”, the party moves forward. p112 after a few miles, we hit a blockade in the road, between two cliffs. a banner depicts what seems the symbol of the Deathless king (a crowned skull). we will try to approach with caution. climbing the hills might be an option as well, but we don’t want to lose our path. \page p143 hiding amongst rocks we can see 8 humanoid figures (2 of them wolf-like), with shards of glass for feet or jutting from their bodies, wearing leather armor. there doesn’t seem to be a way to sneak past this barricade. we doubt they can be persuaded to let us through. Kasja dons the mask of frightful vissage and the party gets ready to unless from range. as it is doubtful that a full frontal attack, or trying to run for it would be successful. p137 lets drop on them from the distance. p157 the Battle at the Barricade starts. the party rushes with the intention of sending a volley of damage to their foes. the barricade doesn’t allow them to see the opposite side, and provides cover [half-cover +2 to AC] to those on top of it. Niblet opens with a guiding bolt against the crossbow shardling on the left 8+6 = 12+2 -> 6+3+1+1, who almost burns to cinders and is illuminated, making it easier to hit him afterwards. Abelgenaffar hurls an orb to the crossbow on the other side. 16+ 6> 12+2 -> 6+6+4, with a sonic boom, that enemy is obliterated, and the orb leaps to the foe next to the collapsed shardling. 5+6 12+2 -> 3+3, and follows through with the handaxe to the very damaged crossbow handler on the left. with advantage, 8+2 1 the last of the crossbow handlers dies in agony. then, she approaches the barricade, but keeping out of range of the pikes from the defenders. the hounds do not move yet, as there are no enemies in side, but are alert to attack anybody that might approach. a ray of frost from Abelgenaffar 8+6 = 12+2 ->5 hits the warrior on the left, slowing him down, and also approaching the barricade, but hugging the side of the cliff and keeping some distance. Ramra climbs the barricade to face that warrior. 12 =12 -> 11+4, rendering that enemy in two halves. in the process, she 6+2 Ramra = 25). the party is now on the other side of the barricade and visible to the rest of foes. Kasja climbs on the right side. and takes his shortsword against the neck of the warrior. 15+6>21 -> 4+4, ending his live. 16+6 > DC 11, also taking some damage from the shards 2 (halved to 1). she throws another dagger at the furthest warrior on the left, a bit of a hail mary because of the distance. 6+5 < 12. now she is out of things to throw. a warrior runs from the far side of the pass towards Ramra, just until the distance of reach with its pike. Ramra is on the barricade but this is not a high on all sides. 10+3 12 -> 4+3+5+1, the energy consumes on of the two soldiers. [Niblet is two level 1 spells down]. the hounds approach towards Niblet. the drow climbs to the other side of the barricade, and seeing the hounds in proximity, sends an ice knife towards them. 6+6 = 12 -> 1 the first suffers some damage, but now the shard explodes ( 4+1 and 10, 20 vs DC 14). the hound that was the target receives additional damage, and the other one is unaffected. Ramra gets in close contact with both a warrior and a hound, trying to distract the latter from Niblet. and attacks the warrior 6+6 = 12, suffering 2=2 4 some damage due to the shards. but causing great damage 8+4 to the warrior and killing him severing his lower limbs. Kasja darts between the 2 hounds and tries to hit first the one in full health.2+6 12 ->2. in the process she takes 2+1 damaged (as she was able to avoid the sharpest shards). Niblet flanks the hound and surrounds it to be on its back. 13+4>12 -> 5+2, the shards of the hound make it a bit difficult not to suffer any damage 14>DC11 3/2 = 1, but still Niblet avoids part of it and her morning star sinks heavily on the skull of the hound, putting an end to the fight. (Niblet =16, Ramra=21, Kasja =9, Abelgenaffar has no more spell slots, and Niblet misses 2). p98 there is nothing of value (just some coins), and no information about the objective of the barricade (no orders or letters). the party takes a short rest to recover [Niblet =17, Ramra=26, Kasja=11… in fight club, hit point dice cannot be manipulated directly, but they can be rolled. I prefer to roll manually and then simulate on the app.] also the daggers and handaxe are recovered. p53 Mage armor is recast and the party continues along the deserted road, with meanders through hills. there are some groups of trees and streams of water, and “an old tower can be seen to the north, away from the path. might this be what was being guarded? would it be better to continue eastward? the tower is not exactly in our way.” they could leave the decision to chance, but the party feels confident today, and perhaps it is related to the barricade. p88 scrambling up the slopes and trails, they arrive before the foot of the tower. a dead man in sorcerer’s robes, several slain shardlings, and an archway without a door. also, a rope dangling from the very top of the tower. “what has happened here?”, Abelgenaffar whispers… p154 all the bodies share the same injuries, bruises from blunt instruments, perhaps clubs. the sorcerer has some coin and a drawing of the tower, as if intending to study or repair it. the evidence makes Abelgenaffar think this was also an agent of the Deathless King (otherwise it would be hard to explain how did he make it to here). could there be a trap? let’s try to climb to the balcony. \page p161 a tiring and risky climb, but the party manages to get there, and peeks into the room beyond. p131 a laboratory and a bedroom, clearly abandoned. a shardling dead in the middle of the room. a broken potion, only the balcony and a trapdoor allow exiting, but the trapdoor seems locked on the other side. Niblet sees a troop of shardlings approaching the tower. a quick glance at the potions rack might render something useful. p107 15+8 > DC13 Abelgenaffar identifies two potions, which Kasja takes. p34 it is too dangerous to stay any longer, and the party leaves, trying to stay inconspicuous. p16 they aim to reach Draughstad before nightfall. p104 the demo stops here, and it should restart in p237 of the full book. {{wide}} {{wide}} {{wide References: game: D&D 5e 2024 adventure: Domain of the Deathless King }}

this chronicle is part of the DDK1 series