D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

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D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 22 Dec 2011, 21:33

Session 11 - Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 at 7:00ish PM at Cape Fear Games

(Let me know if you can't make any of these sessions ahead of time!)


For a year, unnatural winds and mists have battered the area around the town of Crystalbrook. Worse, bizarre blue-skinned fey creatures have emerged from the fog to pillage and murder. Townsfolk blame these misfortunes on the fey of the nearby Sildaine Forest. The fey, who also suffer, claim innocence, faulting Crystalbrook’s people for hidden black magic that has attracted the wrath of primal spirits.

Problems between the townsfolk and the fey continue to escalate. Crystalbrook’s warriors trespass into the forest to hunt game and the mist monsters, but such intrusions lead inevitably to clashes with elf forest wardens. Townspeople have bullied and cheated fey visitors. Brash fey have stolen livestock from the town’s outlying farms and played harmful pranks on the townies. Sildaine elves tax caravans on routes that pass through the forest. Travelers have been harassed along nearby roads, resulting in several deaths, countless injuries and more accusations.

The course of events changed nearly two weeks ago, when Orlando — son of Lady Anya Tamora, ruler of Crystalbrook — went missing. On the same day, an elf maiden named Juliana vanished. She happens to be the daughter of Lord Carric, chief among the Sildaine elves. Lady Tamora and Lord Carric suspect that Orlando and Juliana are lovers, although the leaders disagree on the specifics.

The loss of, and search for, the missing youths has taken the fire out of Lady Tamora and Lord Carric. Both recently appealed to the ruler of Sybar, a nearby city, for mediation and aid. Count Varis Sybar sees this as an opportunity to head off growing tensions that might lead the Crystalbrook and Sildaine factions to war against one another. Hoping to maintain stability in the region, he sent out a call for adventurers.

-----------------------------

For this adventure, players are encouraged to use materials from Heroes of the Fallen Lands, Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, and Player's Options: Heroes of the Feywild to create their characters. Rules presented in Dragon magazine are also allowed to support these products for your character generation. If you haven't made a character yet it isn't too late, and I have pregenerated characters as well should you need them. Don't have a character sheet and cannot print one? I have some - note down your character information and transcribe it over when you show up. I encourage you to bring power cards for your characters.

You may play as a dragonborn, drow, dryad, dwarf, eladrin, elf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, half-orc, human, pixie, satyr, or tiefling. Classes should come from the material named earlier, such as the berserker barbarian, skald bard, protector druid, or witch wizard (but there's more, of course.) I also offer three backgrounds for this game - you can be from Crystalbrook, a small agricultural community on the plains near the Sildaine Forest and the town's namesake, a stream known as the Crystalbrook, with Endurance and Nature as associated skills. You can be from the Sildaine Forest, maybe from an elven settlement, with associated skills History and Nature. Or, you could be from Sybar, a small but cosmopolitan place where several trade routes converged, ruled by Count Varis; associated skills History and Streetwise. Should you pick one of these backgrounds, you can either add the skill to your class list for purpose of choosing trained skills or you can add a +2 bonus to checks associated with one of the background skills. For example, a Paladin from Crystalbrook could make Nature a trainable skill, or a druid could get a +2 bonus to checks with it, instead.

If you wish to change character, you can rejoin the game with the same XP but with none of your treasure nor items from your old character. If you die, you can reroll or you can return next session at full hit points missing four healing surges.

You gain renown points in this game which can confer some fortune cards to benefit you during the game. I will track them here, as well as your XP and treasure. Renown points can be gained in a variety of ways, from moments of ingame greatness to bringing a new player into the game. Every 20 pts you'll win a card to use in-game.

---------

PLAYER CHARACTERS:


-Varis - Level 3 Elven Thief
Current Hit Points: 28/37
Healing Surges Remaining: 6/6
Action Points: 1
XP: 3200
GP: 185
RP: 55
- +1 Luckblade Dagger : Can reroll a missed attack roll once/day.
- Gauntlets of Blood : +2 bonus to damage rolls against bloodied enemies
- +1 Magic Dagger
- Lesser Tuathan Road Whistle blowing this whistle shows a trail to somewhere you've been
- thieves' tools

-Gorph Rockjaw of Clan Stonebiter - Level 3 Dwarven Wartpriest of Moradin
Current Hit Points: 19/35
Healing Surges Remaining: 7/8
Action Points: 1
XP: 3200
GP: 190
RP: 33
- +1 Magic Warhammer
- +1 Magic Chainmail
Fey Magic: Feast of Recuperation - Daily Power - You turn a single day's helping of rations into a feast for up to ten people, and participants in the feast who rest directly after only need to rest half as long to gain the benefits of an extended rest. The feast lasts one hour.
- Heavy Steel Shield of Deflection - provides additional defense against ranged and area attacks

-Hamish - Level 3 Human Hunter
Current Hit Points: 34/37
Healing Surges Remaining: 6/6
Action Points: 1
XP: 3200
GP: 182
RP: 32
- +1 Vicious Longbow - 1d12 damage for critical strikes
- +1 Magic Rapier
- +1 Leather Armor of Escape +3 to Escape Checks

-Jediko - Level 3 Somekindof Mage
Current Hit Points: 36/36
Healing Surges Remaining: 8/8
Action Points: 2
XP: 3200
GP: 135
RP: 30
- Soryth's Bloodstone - enchanted to protect against Soryth's magick until next moonrise, functionally a +1 implement
- +1 Amulet of Health +1 to Fortitude, Reflex, and Will, +2 to Poison Resistance


-Jafar - Level 3 Dragonborn Cavalier (of Agrabah?)
Current Hit Points: 32/39
Healing Surges Remaining: 10/11
Action Points: 1
XP: 3200
GP: 0
RP: 15
- Baldric of Time additional move action when you roll 20 on initiative for your first turn.

ACQUIRED INVENTORY
- RATIONS REMAINING: 9 days
- x4 potion of healing
- a shamrock, oak leaf, mistletoe, and rose - silvered, worth 100gp
- golden circlets x2 - worth 250gp
Last edited by Zabasaz on 06 Mar 2012, 22:37, edited 15 times in total.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 14 Jan 2012, 22:44

Day One - Alaesiya, Varis, and Bane Blade met with the count of Sybar, Count Varis. (Yes, they have the same name.) He is a human gentleman who looks to be both sincere and dignified, busying himself with the day to day affairs that come with governing the province with careful dedication. He asked the players to help settle a dispute taking place between the citizens of Crystalbrook and the fey of the Sildaine Forest. Their mission was to find Orlando and Juliana, the missing youths. After consulting with their respective parents (Lady Tamora the mayor of Crystalbrook and Lord Carric the chief of the Sildaine) they discovered that the two likely ran off together due to a romantic involvement to a cave known as the Crystal Cave, in search of a fairy tale paradise. The adventurers journeyed there, fighting through the cave's denizens to discover the search party preceding them was mostly slaughtered - save for a Dwarven Warpriest of Moradin named Gorph Ironjaw, as well as a Drow woman named Emelie who followed them into the cave curious of their true motives.

They discovered that deep within the cave there was a strange sort of dilation in time as well as an intriguing room hidden behind a waterfall that looked to be a living space for some unseen tenant. They rested there, continuing their journey anew - though time was of the essence and their need to rest may have cost them much.

Day Two - Refreshed, they ventured deeper into the cave to discover a fey crossing, a pathway from their material world to the Feywild. They found themselves in a forest, quickly finding Juliana who seemed baffled as to how she got there and seemed to identify herself both as Juliana and "Caerwyn." Before the players could rescue her, a hag appeared from the shadows and abducted Juliana, warning the adventurers that harm would come to them if they meddled any further. They fought off her minions but were too late to save her - however, the leprechauns they encountered at the same time offered them some guidance. They were told that Juliana and Orlando did come to this place and that the hag they encountered, named Soryth the "Dream Queen," was after them. They spoke of a battle - between the Dream Queen and the agents of the Archfey - Ragnar, servant of the Green Lord Oran who is Caerwyn's father, and Uma, servant of the Summer Queen Tiandra who is Porpherio's mother though not by blood - apparently Porpherio is a human mage raised among the fey, and he fell in love with Caerwyn in much the way it seems Orlando has for Juliana. Uma and Ragnar went to stop Soryth from raiding the tombs of Caerwyn and Porpherio which are kept on the (as they refer to it) island on which they now find themselves. However, they failed and hag pitted them against each other with her wicked song though at the very least the lost youths escaped from Soryth in the ensuing chaos. Now the two agents of the archfey are too busy bickering to unite and stop the Dream Queen's threat. At around this time, the lost half-brothers Hamish and Argus (a Human and Goliath respectively) joined with the adventurers for the unified goal of finding the lost youths, but now the picture has gotten bigger than they could ever have expected.

In order to figure out what to do next, the players south out the agents of the Archfey Uma and Ragnar. They discovered that neither would see them out of fear that they could be agents of the other, so they had to prove themselves to one or the other before they could see them. Both of the fey (Green and Summer) asked them to prank the opposite, and so Hamish, Argus, Varis, and Gorph went on to help the Green Fey wrangle and steal some unicorns from the Summer Fey in hopes that their quarrel will end if the unicorns can help unify them in purpose by serving them in the coming battle. Enjoying fine mead and song with the satyrs as well as defeating them in a drinking contest, the party learned that Ragnar sent his cousin, a hunter of great skill named Basal, to seek out and kill Orlando so his soul would pass on and Soryth would be denied possession of it. The fact that he has yet to return with Orlando's head implies that he has yet to succeed. The players are now awaiting an audience with Ragnar, having successfully convinced the unicorns to come with them while enduring the attacks of the Summer Fey and the resistance of those unicorns.

With the favor of Ragnar earned, they discussed the situation on the island. Soryth the Dream Queen and Kalbar the Horned King have come and are trying to siphon the souls of the entombed lovers Porpherio and Caerwyn on this island called Porpherio's Garden. When their dark ritual was interrupted by Ragnar's assault, the souls escaped, entering the bodies of Orlando and Juliana, who are now the targets of Soryth. Ragnar and the Summer Queen servant Uma are at odds because she views his attack as brash and he views her hesitation as cowardly, and without their united effort they stand little chance to win here - plus, Soryth's dark song and corrupted the wards protecting the tomb to prevent the fey from contacting outside help. Ragnar directed them toward where they last saw Orlando but warned them that his cousin, Basal, was sent to hunt down and kill Orlando so that Soryth would be denied Porpherio's soul when it passed on.

The adventurers spoke with a nymph named Rosaline who had lured Orlando away from Soryth, and she left him in the safe care of an old treant named Oakstaff; she directed them toward the treat and granted them a gift of horse's breath. They spoke with Oakstaff who refreshed them in his hidden glade and granted them information, promises of aid, and rider's water; he then told them Orlando was safeguarded in a palace on the lake, warded from evil so Soryth could not get to him. They departed for the island only to be pursued by the mind-controlled pixie elementalist Ariel, though he came to his senses after a taxing battle and left, promising to tell the fey on the island of their mercy.

At the Water Palace, Hamish spotted a verbeeg lurking around in the distance. Accompanied by Varis, Gorph, Jediko, and a local Eladrin Mage named Eredon, they found Orlando hiding in a trap door within and while discussing a course of action were challenged for Orlando's life by a verbeeg, cousin of Ragnar, named Basal. Nearly losing Orlando in the process, the heroes dispatched Basal though spared his life, and brought Orlando back to Ragnar, Uma, and Oakstaff. United under a single cause but unable to do much without the heroes' aid, the Fey sent them with their keys to the Palace of Spires to face Soryth. They rested, overcoming an assault by ambushing xivorts, and advanced through the hedge maze guarding the demiplane where Soryth resides.

Day Three - The trials of the maze were easily overcome with logical thinking and the help of a faint glowing trail granted by the Lesser Tuathan Road Whistle. Eventually they found a sundial with depressions for the keys they'd brought, now silvered due to proximity to it. Before they could open the way, however, malevolent boggles stole the keys and led them on a brief chase into the maze, where the party kept up and soundly annihilated them, retrieving their keys and journeying into the demiplane to confront Soryth. They found themselves at the entrance to the Palace of Spires, before two silver doors, which were guarded by Argus and Alaesiya - they'd gone missing, and fallen under the will of Soryth. The heroes were unfazed, however; they removed the circlets from their crowns, disabling the mind control Soryth had put on them, and then dispatched her minions within the courtyard. Soryth's magic prevents Argus and Alaesiya from aiding the heroes, but they are close to their goal. Good thing - the enchantment on the Bloodstone will only last until moonrise.
Last edited by Zabasaz on 29 Feb 2012, 22:58, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 14 Jan 2012, 22:46

Reserved
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby bdcjacko » 15 Jan 2012, 10:50

It is Gorph Rockjaw of Clan Stonebiter Warpriest of Moradin.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 15 Feb 2012, 14:56

I didn't update this thread this past week, I'll try to do it this upcoming week after tonight's game. Congratulations to my oldest players, we've gone two months and are about to hit the half-way mark. New players, welcome aboard and I hope you see it to the end.

Tonight's encounter is going to be challenging. Bring your game face and brush up on rules and tactics you may need to overcome what lies before you.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby BaurPowr » 22 Feb 2012, 15:33

Do you guys have any room for another player in your games?
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 22 Feb 2012, 22:20

I always accept new or temporary players. Bring a level 3 character.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 29 Feb 2012, 22:59

Updated, finally. Welcome Roy, we're happy to have you. Missing players have been removed from the list, we miss you all.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Brothar » 01 Mar 2012, 14:13

Sorry for not coming this week. I'm a little shy. I'll try to stop by next week.
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Re: D&D Encounters - Beyond the Crystal Cave

Postby Zabasaz » 01 Mar 2012, 21:43

We shall be glad to have you.
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